bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theory of mind processing in expectant fathers: Associations with prenatal oxytocin and parental attunement
Authors: Cardenas Sofia I. , Stoycos Sarah A. , Sellery Pia , Marshall Narcis , Khoddam Hannah , Kaplan Jonas , Goldenberg Diane , Saxbe Darby E.
Published: March 2021

Social cognition may facilitate fathers' sensitive caregiving behavior. We administered the Why‐How Task, an fMRI task that elicits theory of mind processing, to expectant fathers (n = 39) who also visited the laboratory during their partner's pregnancy and provided a plasma sample for oxytocin assay. Three months postpartum, fathers reported their beliefs about parenting. When rating “Why” an action was being performed versus “How” the action was being performed (Why > How contrast), participants showed activation in regions theorized to support theory of mind, including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and superior temporal sulcus. Fathers' prenatal oxytocin levels predicted greater signal change during the Why > How contrast in the inferior parietal lobule. Both prenatal oxytocin and attunement parenting beliefs were associated with Why > How activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a theory of mind region implicated in emotion regulation. Posterior parahippocampal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during the Why > How contrast predicted fathers' attunement parenting beliefs. In conclusion, fathers' neural activation when engaging in a theory of mind task was associated with their prenatal oxytocin levels and their postpartum attunement parenting beliefs. Results suggest biological and cognitive components of fathering may track with the theory of mind processing.
Peripheral immune correlates of childhood and adolescent peer relationships: A systematic review
Authors: Scott Samantha R. , Manczak Erika M.
Published: March 2021

The objective of this review was to comprehensively evaluate the literature investigating associations between peripheral immune correlates and youth peer relationship dimensions. We aimed to identify potential aspects of peer relationships in childhood and adolescence that may be associated with immune profiles and to identify gaps in the field to provide suggestions for future research in this area. We conducted a systematic electronic search in health‐related databases from the earliest records to December 2020. Search terms included domains related to youth, immune correlates, and peers. We summarized studies by the time between the peer measurement and the immune outcome. In the 17 included studies, associations between peer dimensions and immune outcomes varied substantially. Peer victimization in youth demonstrated the most consistent negative associations with immune health across development, including within 1 week of measurement, 1–3 years later, and 10 or more years later. This review indicated that that peer relationships during youth may have important associations with immune processes; however, there are several gaps in the literature regarding the operationalization of peer relationships, the timing of the immune measurement, and the type of immune outcome to be addressed by future research.
Burning Rate Performance Study of Ammonium Perchlorate Catalyzed by Heteroleptic Copper(I) Complexes with Pyrazino[2,3‐f][1,10]phenanthroline‐Based Ligands
Authors: Escobar Manuel A. , Morales‐Verdejo Cesar , Arroyo Juan Luis , Dreyse Paulina , González Iván , Brito Iván , MacLeod‐Carey Desmond , Moreno da Costa David , Cabrera Alan R.
Published: March 2021

This contribution describes the catalytic effect of heteroleptic Cu(I) complexes with pyrazino[2,3‐f][1,10]phenanthroline‐based ligands (C1‐7) on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP). The complexes C2 and C4‐7 were synthesized and characterized by NMR, HRMS and, in the case of C7, by X‐ray diffraction. The burning rate performance of C1‐7 on thermal decomposition of AP was studied by differential scanning calorimetry technique. The effect of the counter ion type, the number of metal centers and ligand substitution was evaluated. These AP+complex mixtures exerted a shift to lower ignition temperatures and an increase in the released heats during thermal decomposition compared with pure AP. The compound C4 showed the higher catalytic effect among the complexes series, and C5 exerted the highest energy release, in contrast to the other evaluated complexes and to the reported compounds CuO, [Cu2(en)2(HBTI)2]2 and Catocene.
Trust: The Need for Public Understanding of How Science Works
Authors: Solomon Miriam
Published: March 2021

General science literacy contributes to good public decision‐making about technology and medicine. This essay explores the kinds of science literacy currently developed by public education in the United States of America. It argues that current curricula on “science as inquiry” (formerly the “nature of science”) need to be brought up to date with the inclusion of discussion of social epistemological concepts such as trust and scientific authority, scientific disagreement versus science denialism, the role of ideology and bias in scientific research, and the importance of peer review and responsiveness to criticism.
Predictors and reasons for quitting smoking in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Authors: Thomas David P. , Panaretto Kathryn S.
Published: March 2021

Issue addressed

National smoking prevalence is decreasing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In remote areas, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking prevalence remains higher than in nonremote areas and is not improving.

Methods

We analysed data from 539 daily and weekly smokers from remote areas who completed baseline surveys at either Wave 1 (April 2012‐October 2013) or Wave 2 (August 2013‐August 2014), including 157 from Wave 1 who also completed Wave 2, from the Talking About The Smokes project. We assessed associations between baseline predictor measures and having made any quit attempt in the past year and, among those who did, having sustained the last quit attempt for one month or more.

Results

More smokers had made a quit attempt if they were younger or reported being unable to buy essentials due to money spent on smokes, being more stressed, having several pro‐quitting motivations and attitudes, having an effective smoke‐free home, or being encouraged to quit by a health professional or by family/friends. Of these, more had sustained their last quit attempt for one month or more if they reported being more socially advantaged, no smoking‐induced deprivation, being less dependent, chewing pituri or an having effective smoke‐free home.

Conclusions

Health staff should consider the quite different factors associated with starting and then sustaining a quit attempt.

So what?

Our findings support continued attention in remote areas on smoke‐free homes and health staff providing regular encouragement to all smokers to quit and more use of smokers' friends and family for support.
Reorganization of corporate groups in Brazil: Substantive consolidation and the limited liability tale
Authors: Neder Cerezetti Sheila C.
Published: March 2021

The article analyses the use of substantive consolidation in view of the meaning of limited liability in Brazil and explores the proposition that such a solution to corporate distress should only exceptionally be imposed on creditors. In light of Brazilian corporate law, a court should only order substantive consolidation if continuous dishonest use of legal personality had occurred before the debtors filed for reorganization. The author further questions if such a proposition is adequate or if substantive consolidation must gain new colors in a corporate system such as the Brazilian one, in which (a) ex ante the legal system does not sustain limitation of liability of the business corporation in face of a wide number of claims, and (b) group entities are frequently not managed as separate and independent companies. The author concludes by reaffirming the importance of using substantive consolidation more strictly, rather than as a one‐size‐fits‐all solution.
DHS‐CapsNet: Dual horizontal squash capsule networks for lung and colon cancer classification from whole slide histopathological images
Authors: Adu Kwabena , Yu Yongbin , Cai Jingye , Owusu‐Agyemang Kwabena , Twumasi Baidenger Agyekum , Wang Xiangxiang
Published: March 2021

This paper proposes a new dual horizontal squash capsule network (DHS‐CapsNet) to classify the lung and colon cancers on histopathological images. DHS‐CapsNet is made up of encoder feature fusion (EFF) and a novel horizontal squash (HSquash) function. The EFF aggregates the extracted feature from the 2‐lane convolutional layers, which provides rich information for better accuracy. HSquash is proposed as a squash function to ensure that vectors are effectively squashed and produces sparsity for a high discriminative capsule to extract important information from images with varied backgrounds. To present the effectiveness of DHS‐CapsNet empirically, we applied this method on histopathological images (LC25000 dataset). We achieved better results of 99.23% compared to traditional CapsNet (85.55%). The DHS‐CapsNet provides the top‐1 classification error of 0.77% compared to 14.45% of the traditional CapsNet. Our results illustrate that our method improves CapsNet and can be adopted as a computer‐aided diagnostic method to support doctors in lung and colon cancer diagnostics.
Identification of mutation resistance coldspots for targeting the SARS‐CoV2 main protease
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Navaneethakrishnan , Fakhro Khalid
Published: March 2021

Mutations in the novel coronavirus SARS‐CoV2 are the major concern as they might lead to drug/vaccine resistance. In the host cell, the virus largely depends on the main protease (Mpro) to regulate infection hence it is one of the most attractive targets for inhibitor design. However, >19,000 mutations in the Mpro have already been reported. The mutations encompassing 282 amino acid positions and these “hotspots” might change the Mpro structure, activity and potentially delay therapeutic strategies targeting Mpro. Thus, here we identified 24 mutational “coldspots” where mutations have not been observed. We compared the structure–function relationship of these coldspots with several SARS‐CoV2 Mpro X‐ray crystal structures. We found that three coldspot residues (Leu141, Phe185, and Gln192) help to form the active site, while seven (Gly2, Arg4, Tyr126, Lys137, Leu141, Leu286, and Leu287) contribute to dimer formation that is required for Mpro activity. The surface of the dimer interface is more resistant to mutations compared to the active site. Interestingly, most of the coldspots are found in three clusters and forms conserved patterns when compared with other coronaviruses. Importantly, several conserved coldspots are available on the surface of the active site and at the dimer interface for targeting. The identification and short list of these coldspots offers a new perspective to target the SARS‐CoV2 Mpro while avoiding mutation‐based drug resistance.
Amino acid systems in the interpeduncular nucleus are altered in a sex‐dependent manner during nicotine withdrawal
Authors: Carcoba Luis M. , Uribe Kevin P. , Ortegon Sebastian , Mendez Ian A. , DeBiasi Mariella , O'Dell Laura E.
Published: March 2021

Prior work in male rodents established that the medial habenula‐interpeduncular nucleus (MHb‐IPN) pathway modulates nicotine withdrawal. Specifically, withdrawal severity has been closely associated with inhibitory tone in the IPN via interneurons that release γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA). Inhibitory tone in the IPN is regulated by projections from the MHb that co‐release glutamate and acetylcholine. Within the IPN, inhibitory tone is also regulated via corticotropin‐releasing factor type 1 (CRF1) receptors that control GABA release from local interneurons. This study extends previous work by comparing sex differences in GABA, glutamate, as well serotonin levels in the IPN during precipitated nicotine withdrawal. Sex differences in withdrawal‐induced neurochemical effects were also compared following systemic administration of a CRF1 receptor antagonist. The results revealed that there were no group differences in serotonin levels in the IPN. A major finding was that females displayed a larger withdrawal‐induced increases in GABA levels in the IPN than males. Also, withdrawal increased IPN glutamate levels in a similar manner in females and males. Blockade of CRF1 receptors produced a larger suppression of the withdrawal‐induced increases in GABA levels in the IPN of females versus males, an effect that was likely related to the robust increase in glutamate following administration of the CRF1 receptor antagonist in females. These data suggest that amino acid systems in the IPN modulate sex differences in the behavioral effects of nicotine withdrawal. Furthermore, our data imply that medications that target stress‐induced activation of the IPN may reduce withdrawal severity, particularly in females.
Pathologic nodal staging for clinically node negative soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities
Authors: Maduekwe Ugwuji N. , Herb Joshua N. , Esther Robert J. , Kim Hong Jin , Spanheimer Philip M.
Published: March 2021

Background and Objectives

Synovial, clear cell, angiosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and epithelioid (SCARE) soft tissue sarcoma are at risk for nodal involvement, although the nodal positivity rates and impact on prognostication in clinically node negative patients are not well described.

Methods

Patients with extremity SCARE sarcoma without clinical nodal involvement undergoing surgical resection in the National Cancer Database (2004–2017) were included. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the likelihood of nodal surgery and nodal positivity. Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression were used to assess associations of nodal status to overall survival.

Results

We included 4158 patients, and 669 patients (16%) underwent regional lymph node surgery (RLNS). On multivariable logistic analysis, patients with epithelioid (odds ratio [OR]: 3.77; p < .001) and clear cell (OR: 6.38; p < .001) were most likely to undergo RLNS. Forty‐five patients (7%) had positive nodes. Clear cell sarcoma (14%) and angiosarcoma (13%) had the highest rates of nodal positivity. Patients with positive nodes had reduced 5‐year overall survival, and the stratification was largest in clear cell and angiosarcoma.

Conclusion

Discordance exists between selection for pathologic nodal evaluation and factors associated with nodal positivity. Clinically node negative patients with clear cell and angiosarcoma should be considered for pathologic nodal evaluation.
Gas‐phase OH oxidation kinetics of pyrazine, pyrimidine, and pyridazine
Authors: Samir Brahim , Kalalian Carmen , Roth Estelle , Salghi Rachid , Chakir Abdelkhaleq
Published: March 2021

The gas‐phase kinetics of the OH‐oxidation of three six‐membered nitrogen heterocycles C4N2H4 isomers, namely pyrazine, pyrimidine, and pyridazine, were determined in a photochemical reactor coupled to a FTIR spectrometer and a SPME‐GC/MS, at atmospheric pressure over the temperature range 298–353 K. Experiments were conducted using the relative rate method where two different references were employed for each studied compound. The obtained Arrhenius expressions are (in cm3 molecule–1 s–1)
urn:x-wiley:05388066:media:kin21486:kin21486-math-0001

These results were compared with available literature data for other heterocyclic compounds and discussed in terms of structure–reactivity and temperature dependency. Their tropospheric lifetimes with respect to reaction with OH radicals were then calculated and found to be of the order of 29, 34, and 37 days for pyrazine, pyrimidine, and pyridazine, respectively.
scite: The next generation of citations
Authors: Rife Sean C. , Rosati Domenic , Nicholson Joshua M.
Published: March 2021

Key points

While the importance of citation context has long been recognized, simple citation counts remain as a crude measure of importance.

Providing citation context should support the publication of careful science instead of headline‐grabbing and salami‐sliced non‐replicable studies.

Machine learning has enabled the extraction of citation context for the first time, and made the classification of citation types at scale possible.
Nonprofit board turnover and financial performance: Examining optimal board turnover rate in United Way organizations
Authors: An Seung‐Ho
Published: March 2021

This article examines the effects of board turnover on nonprofit financial performance: resource acquisition and utilization. Governing board members play key roles in connecting organizations with external environments and ensuring that executives properly manage the organizations to achieve organizational missions. They also help in effectively attracting and appropriately utilizing financial resources. Given the importance of governing board members, any turnover occurring in the board should affect nonprofit financial performance. Using insights from organizational theories, we argue that the relationship between board turnover and the ability of UW organizations to acquire and utilize funds is nonlinear (first positive and then negative). We find general support for the hypothesis, which yields implications for both research and practice of board governance and human resources management in the nonprofit sector.
COVID‐19 and the legislative response in India: The need for a comprehensive health care law
Authors: Gowd Kiran Kumar , Veerababu Donthagani , Reddy Veeraiahgari Revanth
Published: March 2021

The outbreak of the SARS CoV2 virus, commonly referred to as the COVID‐19 pandemic, has impacted the social, economic, political, and cultural lives of citizens around the world. The sudden outbreak of the pandemic has exposed the legal preparedness, or lack thereof, of governments to reduce and contain its drastic impact. Strong legislative measures play a crucial role in any epidemic or pandemic situation. In this situation, the Indian Government has requested all state governments to invoke the Epidemic Disease Act (EDA) of 1897 to address the COVID‐19 emergency. The Central Government has also used the powers provided in the Disaster Management Act (DMA) of 2005. As the country is facing its first major health emergency since independence, the existing legislative measures to deal with a COVID‐19 like situation are lacking and require certain amendments to address such situations in the future. This paper aims to present the current constitutional and legislative response to health emergencies in India and attempts to identify gray areas in the statutory provisions. Based on the analysis, this paper suggests several recommendations for amending current legislation and suggests the promulgation of comprehensive public health law. This paper is largely based on primary sources such as the EDA and the DMA, regulations, guidelines, rules issued by the public authorities and court cases related to health and health emergencies along with secondary resources such as newspaper articles and published papers.
Tax structure, human capital, and inclusive growth: A sub‐Saharan Africa perspective
Authors: Oyinlola Mutiu Abimbola , Adedeji Abdulfatai Adekunle
Published: March 2021

This study examines the critical role of tax structure in the human capital‐inclusive growth nexus. We deploy the fixed effects model to investigate this relationship in 26 sub‐Saharan African countries between 1995 and 2014. The study explores aggregate and disaggregated taxes as well as per capita public expenditures on education and health. Our results indicate that human capital measures exert a direct strong and positive effects on inclusive growth. Also, the results reveal that aggregate and disaggregated taxes largely influence inclusive growth positively. In essence, human capital and taxes are found to be viable options to promote growth inclusiveness. On the interaction, the results indicate that direct and indirect taxes positively influence inclusive growth through health measure of human capital while only trade tax facilitates education impact on inclusive growth. Hence, addressing resource paucity through tax and expanding the investment in education and health is vital and should be the key goals of the policymakers in the SSA region.
Disease characteristics and neuropathological changes associated with cognitive dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Ji Tingting , Li Xiaodan , Qiu Yue , Mei Lin , Jia Xinbei , Tai Jun , Guo Yongli , Zhang Jie , Wang Shengcai , Ni Xin
Published: March 2021

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep‐disordered breathing disease that often leads to many comorbidities (e.g., cognitive dysfunction), which adversely affect the quality of life for patients with OSA. Thus far, the underlying mechanisms of this dysfunction remain unclear. Many studies have focused on OSA‐related characteristics, including intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation. There is increasing emphasis on neuroimaging studies to explore underlying relationships between neuropathological changes and cognitive dysfunction. This article reviews recent research progress concerning cognitive dysfunction associated with OSA to reveal potential mechanisms that contribute to this dysfunction.
School climate and bystander responses to bullying
Authors: Konishi Chiaki , Hymel Shelley , Wong Tracy K.Y. , Waterhouse Terry
Published: March 2021

This study examined the association between school climate and bystander responses to bullying. Participants included 26,176 secondary students (grades 8–12; 13,224 girls) from 76 schools across Western Canada, who were asked to complete a self‐reported, district‐wide, school‐based survey. Results from a contextual effects model in a two‐level multilevel modeling framework revealed that certain aspects of school climate significantly predicted different types of bystander behaviors. Specifically, greater student reports of school safety, adult support/respect, adult responsiveness, and adult/student acceptance of diversity predicted more active intervening behaviors. In addition, greater student perceptions of school safety, adult support/respect, and adult acceptance of diversity predicted less avoiding or neglecting behaviors. Interestingly, peer support, school belonging, student acceptance of diversity, and provision of opportunities were negatively related to seeking support from adults. This study underscores the unique and critical role of school climate on bystander behaviors among adolescents.
Strain induced strengthening of soft thermoplastic polyurethanes under cyclic deformation
Authors: Scetta Giorgia , Ju Jianzhu , Selles Nathan , Heuillet Patrick , Ciccotti Matteo , Creton Costantino
Published: March 2021

We investigate the cyclic mechanical behavior in uniaxial tension of three different commercial thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU) often considered as a sustainable replacement for common filled elastomers. All TPU have similar hard segment contents and linear moduli but sensibly different large strain properties as shown by X‐ray analysis. Despite these differences, we found a stiffening effect after conditioning in step cyclic loading which greatly differs from the common softening (also referred as Mullins effect) observed in chemically crosslinked filled rubbers. We propose that this self‐reinforcement is related to the fragmentation of hard domains, naturally present in TPU, in smaller but more numerous sub‐units that may act as new physical crosslinking points. The proposed stiffening mechanism is not dissimilar to the strain‐induced crystallization observed in stretched natural rubber, but it presents a persistent nature. In particular, it may cause a local reinforcement where an inhomogeneous strain field is present, as is the case of a crack propagating in cyclic fatigue, providing a potential explanation for the well‐known toughness and wear resistance of TPU.
Effects of Different Additives on Energy Release of SF‐3 Double‐Based Propellant System Containing (Mg(BHx)y)
Authors: Liu Xiaohan , Wei Xiaoan , Du Ping , Wang Zeshan
Published: March 2021

In order to study the effects of different additives on the energy release of an SF‐3 double‐base propellant system comprising a boron‐containing hydrogen‐storage‐alloy (Mg(BHx)y), curves of heat generation versus the temperature and curves of adiabatic decomposition temperature versus the time, of this system with copper oxide (CuO) or nanometer copper oxide (nano‐CuO) as the additive were obtained by a scanning calorimeter (Scanning) and a fast ‐adiabatic accelerating rate calorimeter (Fast‐ARC), respectively. Kinetic parameters, such as the apparent activation energy, the pre‐exponential factor, and the reaction order were calculated. The effects of these two additives on the thermal decomposition of the SF‐3 double‐base propellant system containing Mg(BHx)y were investigated. The results show that CuO used in an amount within a certain range (1∼2.5 % based on the SF‐3 content) can promote the thermal decomposition reaction. When the amount of nano‐CuO added exceeds a certain value (about 2 % based on the SF‐3 content, the thermal decomposition reaction will be significantly slowed down, and the hindrance to the reaction will not be obviously changed after more nano‐CuO is added.
Survival outcomes of locally advanced gastric cancer cases with pathological complete response received neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Hu Qing , Wang Jian , Xu Wei‐Guo , Shao Peng , Li Gang
Published: March 2021

Objective

The aim of this study is to explore the survival situation of locally advanced gastric cancer (GC) patients with pathological complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Methods

The clinical data of 13 patients with locally advanced GC who achieved a treated pCR with NAC following by surgical resection between January 2015 and December 2019 at Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

Only 9.4% (13/138) can be classified as achieving pCR and these 13 cases of locally advanced GC patients are entered into the present study. The median follow‐up period of the survivors was 38 (range: 9‐68) months. As a whole, the overall survival (OS) rates at 1 and 3 years were 92% (95% confidence interval [CI] 78‐100) and 84% (95% CI 65‐100), and the RFS rates at 1 and 3 years were 85% (95% CI 66‐100) and 76% (95% CI 53‐98).

Conclusions

Although a pCR was a relatively rare event, locally advanced GC patients who achieved pCR with NAC have a good prognosis.
Reproductive medical providers’ behaviors, considerations, and plans for fertility treatments during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Japan: A nationwide web‐based survey
Authors: Ota Kuniaki , Tsutsumi Osamu , Mitani Tasuku , Morimoto Yoshiharu , Tanaka Atsushi , Osuga Yutaka , Takahashi Toshifumi , Hosoi Yoshihiko
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study was conducted to investigate how the COVID‐19 pandemic has impacted reproductive medical providers’ behaviors and considerations, including their concerns regarding the necessity of fertility treatments.

Methods

A web‐based questionnaire was distributed to Japan Society of Fertilization and Implantation (JSFI) members from May 18 through May 31, 2020 to survey their professional behaviors and concerns during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Results

Most survey participants reported a decrease in the number of patients and a decrease in their workload. Most also believe that the use of fertility treatments will return to the pre‐pandemic levels after the COVID‐19 pandemic ends. Additionally, more than half of the participants reported that they consider fertility treatment neither necessary nor unnecessary during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Conclusions

At the institute where reproductive medical providers worked in Japan, the number of outpatients and the working time tended to decrease during the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, amid fears of infection during the COVID‐19 pandemic, the reproductive medical providers working at fertility institutes in Japan have remained engaged in their work with a sense of mission and hope.
Sphingosine kinases negatively regulate the expression of matrix metalloproteases (MMP1 and MMP3) and their inhibitor TIMP3 genes via sphingosine 1‐phosphate in extravillous trophoblasts
Authors: Chahar Kirti R. , Kumar Vijay , Sharma Phulwanti K. , Brünnert Daniela , Kaushik Vibha , Gehlot Pragya , Shekhawat Indu , Kumar Suman , Sharma Ajay Kumar , Kumari Sandhya , Goyal Pankaj
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Extracellular matrix remodeling is essential for extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell migration and invasion during placental development and regulated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteases (TIMPs). Sphingosine kinases (SPHK1 and SPHK2) synthesize sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P), which works either intracellularly or extracellularly via its receptors S1PR1‐5 in an autocrine or paracrine manner. The role of SPHKs/S1P in regulating the expression of MMPs and TIMPs in EVT is mostly unknown and forms the primary objective of the study.

Methods

HTR‐8/SVneo cells were used as a model of EVT. To inhibit the expression of SPHKs, cells were treated with specific inhibitors, SK1‐I and SKI‐II, or gene‐specific siRNAs. The expressions of MMPs and TIMPs were estimated by qPCR.

Results

We demonstrated that SPHK1, MMP1‐3, and TIMP1‐3 were highly expressed in HTR‐8/SVneo cells. We found that treatment of cells with SK1‐I, SKI‐II, and knockdown of SPHK1 or SPHK2 increased the expression of MMP1, MMP3, and TIMP3. The addition of extracellular S1P inhibits the upregulation of MMPs and TIMPs in treated cells.

Conclusions

SPHKs negatively regulate the expression of MMP1, MMP3, and TIMP3. The level of intracellular S1P acts as a negative feedback switch for MMP1, MMP3, and TIMP3 expression in EVT cells.
Co‐curricular records highlight students’ out‐of‐classroom learning
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: March 2021

Learning takes place outside the classroom as well as within it. And while the traditional transcript documents what happens in the classroom, most institutions don't have a process to record co‐curricular learning.
Transition Metal Free α−C−H Functionalization of Six Membered Heteroaromatic‐N‐Oxides
Authors: Kaur Ramandeep , Mandal Sudip , Banerjee Debolina , Kumar Yadav Ashok
Published: March 2021

A comprehensive account of transition metal free α−C−H functionalization of six membered heteroaromatic‐N‐oxides has been discussed in this review article. This review includes brief account of explanatory text with schemes, effect of substituents on the reaction and limitation of reaction for transition metal free α−C−H functionalization of six membered heteroaromatic‐N‐oxides. Schemes depict the reaction conditions along with a quick look into their mechanism. Each of the reported example has been considered for reacting substrates such as readily available different six membered heteroaromatic‐N‐oxides, activating reagents, reaction conditions and different types of nucleophiles (N, Halogens, P, S, C and O), reaction conditions and reagents used for transition metal free α−C−H functionalization of six membered heteroaromatic‐N‐oxides. This review will be supportive to the chemists in understanding the challenges associated with the reported methods as well as the future potentials, both in the choice of substrates and reagents.
Regulating Lattice‐Water‐Adsorbed Ions to Optimize Intercalation Potential in 3D Prussian Blue Based Multi‐Ion Microbattery
Authors: Hong Xufeng , Ma Xinyu , He Liang , Dai Yuhang , Pan Xuelei , Zhu Jiexin , Luo Wen , Su Yaqiong , Mai Liqiang
Published: March 2021

Miniaturized energy storage device (MESD) is the core module in microscale electronic equipment, yet its electrochemical performance is far away from the actual requirements. The extensive research efforts have improved the performance of MESD via the fabrication techniques and material construction, while ignoring the expansion of optimization strategy in the combination of energy storage mechanism. Herein, the Prussian blue/Zn microbattery is reported with the regulation of lattice‐water‐adsorbed intercalated ion. The optimal charge transport of cathode is achieved via the optimization of 3D structure of microelectrode to maximize the electrochemical performance. Also, lattice‐water‐adsorbed ion storage mechanism is further investigated to guide the design of differential energy storage for cathode and anode. The Cu3(Fe(CN)6)2/Zn microbattery, with K+ inter/deintercalation in the cathode and Zn2+ deplating/plating in the anode, displays high capacity (0.281 mAh cm−2 at 2.5 mA cm−2), rate performance (0.181 mAh cm−2 at 25 mA cm−2), and cycling stability (77.6% capacity retention after 1500 cycles) enhanced by Cu2+ in the electrolyte. This highly efficient combination of fabrication process, active material, and multi‐ion storage for microelectrode shows a high tolerance for optimization strategies, expanding the compatibility of optimization path for high‐performance MESD.
Cell‐Released Magnetic Vesicles Capturing Metabolic Labeled Rare Circulating Tumor Cells Based on Bioorthogonal Chemistry
Authors: Kang Ke , Zhou Xiaoxi , Zhang Yujia , Zhu Nanhang , Li Guohao , Yi Qiangying , Wu Yao
Published: March 2021

Capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with high efficiency and high purity holds great value for potential clinical applications. Besides the existing problems of contamination from blood cells and plasma proteins, unknown/down‐regulated expression of targeting markers (e.g., antigen, receptor, etc.) of CTCs have questioned the reliability and general applicability of current CTCs capture methodologies based on immune/aptamer‐affinity. Herein, a cell‐engineered strategy is designed to break down such barriers by employing the cell metabolism as the leading force to solve key problems. Generally, through an extracellular vesicle generation way, the cell‐released magnetic vesicles inherited parent cellular membrane characteristics are produced, and then functionalized with dibenzoazacyclooctyne to target and isolate the metabolic labeled rare CTCs. This strategy offers good reliability and broader possibilities to capture different types of tumor cells, as proven by the capture efficiency above 84% and 82% for A549 and HepG2 cell lines as well as an extremely low detection limitation of 5 cells. Moreover, it enabled high purity enrichment of CTCs from 1 mL blood samples of tumor‐bearing mice, only ≈5–757 white blood cells are non‐specific caught, ignoring the potential phenotypic fluctuation associated with the cancer progression.
Cryoaerogels and Cryohydrogels as Efficient Electrocatalysts
Authors: Müller Dennis , Zámbó Dániel , Dorfs Dirk , Bigall Nadja C.
Published: March 2021

Additive‐free cryoaerogel coatings from noble metal nanoparticles are prepared and electrochemically investigated. By using liquid nitrogen or isopentane as cooling medium, two different superstructures are created for each type of noble metal nanoparticle. These materials (made from the same amount of particles) have superior morphological and catalytic properties as compared to simply immobilized, densely packed nanoparticles. The morphology of all materials is investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrochemically active surface areas (ECSAs) are calculated from cyclic voltammetry measurements. The catalytic activity is studied for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Both are found to be increased for superstructured materials prepared by cryoaerogelation. Furthermore, cryoaerogels with cellular to dendritic structure that arise from freezing with isopentane show the best catalytic performance and highest ECSA. Moreover, as a new class of materials, cryohydrogels are created for the first time by thawing flash‐frozen nanoparticle solutions. Structure and morphology of these materials match with the corresponding types of cryoaerogels and are confirmed via SEM. Even the catalytic activity in EOR is in accordance with the results from cryoaerogel coatings. As a proof of concept, this approach offers a novel platform towards the easier and faster production of cryogelated materials for wet‐chemical applications.
Performing Science in Public: Science Communication and Scientific Identity
Authors: Davies Sarah R.
Published: March 2021

This chapter examines the identity work that takes place within public communication of science. Using a conceptualisation of identity as performance – and thus as something that may be done differently within different contexts – it uses the case of a large science festival, Science in the City, which took place in Copenhagen in 2014, to examine how scientific identities can be enacted in science communication. The key argument is that such communication supports multiple and flexible identity performances. Scientific identities are intertwined with other ways of performing the self, and both audiences and communicators are heterogeneous communities, which do not neatly sit in categories of ‘scientists’ or ‘the public’. Ultimately, it appears that science communication is used by scientists (and others) for many different identity-building purposes, in many different ways.
Constructing (Inter)Disciplinary Identities: Biographical Narrative and the Reproduction of Academic Selves and Communities
Authors: Cuevas-Garcia Carlos
Published: March 2021

Interdisciplinarity has become prominent in science policy and academia because of its potential to lead to more interesting, innovative and responsible research. However, its implications for the development of academic careers and identities are not well known, partly because different disciplinary communities regard it differently. Shedding light on how academic identities are constructed and negotiated in the context of interdisciplinary research, this chapter presents a discourse analysis of the biographical narratives that scholars from different disciplines—including mathematics, computer science, economics and archaeology—articulated during qualitative research interviews. The analysis illustrates how these narratives allowed the interviewees to identify themselves as members of specific disciplinary communities, having the personal traits these require, and emphasizing or playing down their interdisciplinary moves accordingly. The findings suggest that individuals’ biographical narratives deserve careful attention because they contribute to the establishment, reproduction and maintenance of academic disciplines. Consequently, they have the potential to make the narratives that constitute the ‘core’ of a discipline become, little by little, more heterogeneous.
Remaining Central and Interdisciplinary: Conditions for Success of a Research Speciality at the University of Strasbourg (1961–2011)
Authors: Noël Marianne
Published: March 2021

Supramolecular chemistry (SMC), at the interface between chemistry, physics and biology, is a research domain which has grown considerably in the last 40 years. Jean-Marie Lehn was the first to lay its foundations and formalise its concepts, in a seminal article published in 1978. This work earned him the 1987 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, which he shared with Charles J. Pedersen (DuPont) and Donald J. Cram (UCLA). The development of SMC has led to the creation of a dedicated institute and a new building on the university campus. In this chapter, the emergence of supramolecular chemistry as a paradigm and research speciality at the University of Strasbourg (France) is reconstructed with a focus on Lehn’s central role in this process, proposing a three-period chronology based on Mullins’ sequential model (1972). It is furthermore argued that the creation of a physical space, with particular architecture and functions, has also played a key role in consolidating what is now called the “Strasbourg’s chemistry”. The (multi)disciplinary character of SMC is discussed in reference to the concept of “new disciplinarity” put forward by Marcovich and Shinn (Soc Sci Inf 50(3–4):582–6062011, Toward a new dimension: exploring the nanoscale. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014).
Self-Organisation and Steering in International Research Collaborations
Authors: Ulnicane Inga
Published: March 2021

As international collaboration within the scientific community is increasing, for scientific and political reasons, it is necessary to deepen our understanding of tension between self-organising and steering. To do so, this contribution contrasts two in-depth case studies of international collaboration in nanosciences. Tracing the emergence and evolution of collaboration helps identify relevant dimensions of self-organisation and steering by analysing scientists’ freedom to act and the influence of grant agencies on collaborative topics, types of research, partners, and modes of interaction. While existing literature indicates that self-organisation leads to productive collaborations and steering can be problematic and trigger the emergence of ‘artificial collaborations’, insights from the case studies here reveal that self-organisation and steering are intertwined, and both can have positive and problematic effects. Self-organisation allows freedom to choose collaborators and topics but can provide limited opportunities for learning from diverse collaborators and for expansion due to lack of resources. Steering can not only provide resources for larger and more diverse collaborations but can also entail compromises on topics and collaborators as well as considerable administrative burdens. Rather than being in tension with each other, self-organisation and steering in successful collaborations can reinforce each other, allowing collaborations to grow.
The Epistemic Importance of Novices: How Undergraduate Students Contribute to Engineering Laboratory Communities
Authors: Wylie Caitlin Donahue
Published: March 2021

Scholars and practitioners have long viewed learners as works-in-progress and as somewhat empty vessels to be filled with appropriate knowledge and skills to become future expert practitioners. However, based on an ethnography of two engineering laboratories, I found that laboratory members regularly swap the roles of learner and instructor, regardless of their status as an undergraduate student, a graduate student, or a faculty member. Furthermore, undergraduate students make crucial contributions to their research communities in the form of knowledge, creativity, and opportunities for other members to learn and build relationships through teaching. What, then, do the identities of “novice” and “expert” mean in practice? I argue that it is more productive to define the identity of a community based on mutual learning and epistemic exchange rather than on expertise.
Work-sensitive Dynamic Complexity of Formal Languages
Authors: Schmidt Jonas , Schwentick Thomas , Tantau Till , Vortmeier Nils , Zeume Thomas
Published: March 2021

Which amount of parallel resources is needed for updating a query result after changing an input? In this work we study the amount of work required for dynamically answering membership and range queries for formal languages in parallel constant time with polynomially many processors. As a prerequisite, we propose a framework for specifying dynamic, parallel, constant-time programs that require small amounts of work. This framework is based on the dynamic descriptive complexity framework by Patnaik and Immerman.
Symbolic Coloured SCC Decomposition
Authors: Beneš Nikola , Brim Luboš , Pastva Samuel , Šafránek David
Published: March 2021

Problems arising in many scientific disciplines are often modelled using edge-coloured directed graphs. These can be enormous in the number of both vertices and colours. Given such a graph, the original problem frequently translates to the detection of the graph’s strongly connected components, which is challenging at this scale.

We propose a new, symbolic algorithm that computes all the monochromatic strongly connected components of an edge-coloured graph. In the worst case, the algorithm performs $$O(p\cdot n\cdot \log n)$$

O
(
p
·
n
·
log
n
)

symbolic steps, where p is the number of colours and n the number of vertices. We evaluate the algorithm using an experimental implementation based on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) and large (up to $$2^{48}$$

2
48

) coloured graphs produced by models appearing in systems biology.
Types for Complexity of Parallel Computation in Pi-Calculus
Authors: Baillot Patrick , Ghyselen Alexis
Published: March 2021

Type systems as a technique to analyse or control programs have been extensively studied for functional programming languages. In particular some systems allow to extract from a typing derivation a complexity bound on the program. We explore how to extend such results to parallel complexity in the setting of the pi-calculus, considered as a communication-based model for parallel computation. Two notions of time complexity are given: the total computation time without parallelism (the work) and the computation time under maximal parallelism (the span). We define operational semantics to capture those two notions, and present two type systems from which one can extract a complexity bound on a process. The type systems are inspired both by size types and by input/output types, with additional temporal information about communications.
Checking Robustness Between Weak Transactional Consistency Models
Authors: Beillahi Sidi Mohamed , Bouajjani Ahmed , Enea Constantin
Published: March 2021

Concurrent accesses to databases are typically encapsulated in transactions in order to enable isolation from other concurrent computations and resilience to failures. Modern databases provide transactions with various semantics corresponding to different trade-offs between consistency and availability. Since a weaker consistency model provides better performance, an important issue is investigating the weakest level of consistency needed by a given program (to satisfy its specification). As a way of dealing with this issue, we investigate the problem of checking whether a given program has the same set of behaviors when replacing a consistency model with a weaker one. This property known as robustness generally implies that any specification of the program is preserved when weakening the consistency. We focus on the robustness problem for consistency models which are weaker than standard serializability, namely, causal consistency, prefix consistency, and snapshot isolation. We show that checking robustness between these models is polynomial time reducible to a state reachability problem under serializability. We use this reduction to also derive a pragmatic proof technique based on Lipton’s reduction theory that allows to prove programs robust. We have applied our techniques to several challenging applications drawn from the literature of distributed systems and databases.
An Automated Deductive Verification Framework for Circuit-building Quantum Programs
Authors: Chareton Christophe , Bardin Sébastien , Bobot François , Perrelle Valentin , Valiron Benoît
Published: March 2021

While recent progress in quantum hardware open the door for significant speedup in certain key areas, quantum algorithms are still hard to implement right, and the validation of such quantum programs is a challenge. In this paper we propose Qbricks, a formal verification environment for circuit-building quantum programs, featuring both parametric specifications and a high degree of proof automation. We propose a logical framework based on first-order logic, and develop the main tool we rely upon for achieving the automation of proofs of quantum specification: PPS, a parametric extension of the recently developed path sum semantics. To back-up our claims, we implement and verify parametric versions of several famous and non-trivial quantum algorithms, including the quantum parts of Shor’s integer factoring, quantum phase estimation (QPE) and Grover’s search.