bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enseñar español sin recursos materiales. El caso de los refugiados saharauis
Authors: Jiménez Jiménez Agustín
Published: December 2015

El español es la segunda lengua de los saharauis que residen en el Desierto de Tinduf (Argelia). Sus antepasados lo aprendieron en el siglo XV cuando las Islas Canarias se incorporaron a la Corona de Castilla y comenzaron los primeros intercambios comerciales con los habitantes
de la costa del Sáhara Occidental. En 1975 una guerra los obligó a huir a dicho lugar y a que se organizaran en un campamento de refugiados. Allí siguen desde entonces esperando a que se celebre un referéndum de autodeterminación que la ONU les prometió el 14 de diciembre de
1973 (Asamblea General. ONU, 1973). Al usar el español garantizan su supervivencia ya que pueden comunicarse con los cooperantes españoles de las Organizaciones No Gubernamentales que les visitan: ayudándoles a soportar la espera, llevándoles alimentos, mejorándoles
las infraestructuras, dándoles atención sanitaria, etc. Saben español a nivel de comprensión y expresión tanto oral como escrita. Para conocer los recursos con los que lo aprenden, se ha realizado un estudio estadístico sobre la opinión de la población completa de enseñantes, que
allí en el desierto enseña español como segunda lengua a partir de tercero de primaria. En esta investigación se describe el contexto donde malviven, los recursos de enseñanza-aprendizaje que tienen a su alcance en las escuelas, se discuten los resultados obtenidos y se hacen propuestas que palien esta situación.
Cuatro años de grupos interactivos: estudio de caso de un centro educativo pionero
Authors: Ortega Palacios Iván , Álvarez Álvarez Carmen
Published: December 2015

El objeto de este trabajo es conocer el balance que hacen del desarrollo de una innovación escolar sus propios protagonistas, tras cuatro años de implementación. Se trata de un estudio de caso realizado con metodología cualitativa en el primer centro educativo de nuestra región (Cantabria) que se inicia en el desarrollo de una práctica propia de las Comunidades de Aprendizaje: grupos interactivos. A través de entrevistas en profundidad con los principales agentes implicados en el cambio indagamos sobre el balance que hacen de la innovación en marcha, realizando un análisis de contenido: proceso de implementación y desarrollo, resultados y satisfacción. El balance muestra que la innovación ha merecido la pena porque ha mudado las formas de trabajo de esta
escuela generando una gran satisfacción para todos y una mejora sustancial en asuntos tan relevantes como la motivación, la convivencia, la inclusión y la participación para toda la comunidad educativa.
Análisis de la situación del Abandono Temprano de la Educación y Formación en Castilla y León
Authors: Martínez Seijo María Luz , Rayón Rumayor Laura , Torrego Seijo Juan Carlos
Published: December 2015

El presente estudio identifica las medidas previstas por la Administración de Castilla y León entre los años 2007-2011 para la prevención y lucha contra el abandono temprano de la educación y la formación, analiza qué concepción tiene el profesorado sobre el fenómeno, qué sabe sobre
dichas medidas y cómo valora su grado de implantación y efectividad. Esta comunidad destaca por sus buenos resultados en la evaluación internacional PISA, la evaluación Diagnóstico, y por ser una de las CCAA que más medidas ha arbitrado para prevenir y combatir el abandono
temprano. Pero su tasa desde el 1998 roza la media nacional y la sobrepasa en el 2011. Tras un análisis documental sobre las medidas contempladas en los Convenios y documentos relacionados con el ATEF, se diseña un cuestionario de evaluación de expertos para conocer la valoración del profesorado sobre la ejecución de medidas; otro cuestionario para una
muestra de 67 centros en CyL, y un grupo de discusión. Los resultados obtenidos permiten contrastar la visión institucional y la del profesorado, dimensión clave para la movilización y articulación de las medidas en la prevención y paliación del abandono temprano. Concluimos reflexionando sobre la necesidad de realizar un mayor esfuerzo en la ejecución de medidas,
ampliar la coordinación con otras Consejerías y agentes externos al ámbito educativo, dar más apoyo a los centros y realizar una amplia difusión del problema del ATEF y sus consecuencias educativas, económicas y socio-laborales.
La optimización de la atención a través de la música cinematográfica: prácticas en Educación Secundaria Obligatoria
Authors: Bernabé Villodre María del Mar , Bermell Corral María Ángeles , Alonso Brull Vicente
Published: December 2015

La estimulación del alumnado con Trastorno por Déficit de Atención debe implicar una activación del proceso cognitivo, físico y motor. El proceso metodológico que se propone para garantizar dicha estimulación atencional en el aula de Secundaria se centra en la audición, el movimiento, la composición y la improvisación a partir de música cinematográfica. La utilización de este tipo de música más próxima al alumnado supone un aumento de las posibilidades de cambio y la mejora de las respuestas de aprendizaje significativo, debido a la optimización de la atención a través de actividades musicales, más atractivas para el alumnado.
Migraciones, digitalizaciones y prácticas educativas en el contexto argentino
Authors: Esnaola Horacek Graciela A. , Ottaviano Melania Liliana , Palacios Nilda Graciela
Published: December 2015

La migración lectora hacia la digitalización de la palabra escrita conlleva la diversificación de componentes ajustados al nuevo formato digital. El tránsito del proceso lector a través de vínculos hipertextuales se modifica incorporando nuevas competencias cognitivas que amplían los significados que el propio autor de la obra diseñó antes de la producción. Estudiando este tránsito desde nuestras primeras investigaciones (Esnaola Horacek, 2003) hasta el escenario actual de Argentina en particular, y en el mundo en general, las pantallas han ganado espacios con una ubicuidad y transparencia muy significativa. Sostenemos que este proceso de mutación
en los formatos estéticos va generando “residuos cognitivos” (San Martín Alonso, 1995, p 158) en la “mente alfabética” (Havelock, 1982) que el proceso lectoescritor implica, incorporando procesos propios de la “lectura calidoscópica” (Murray, 1997) que promueven estos nuevos  entornos. Este proceso atravesó los muros de todas las instituciones, en particular a la escuela, transformando la superficie del papel en los cristales de las pantallas.

Los datos analizados llevan a reflexionar sobre el impacto que este panorama implica para la formación del lector crítico y del productor creativo de textos, desde el profesorado y las múltiples transformaciones
que renuevan a la clásica figura del “libro de texto escolar”. Abrimos la lectura de los múltiples sentidos del mundo contemporáneo a través de los hipermedios que convocan a transitar en “el jardín de los senderos que se bifurcan” que Borges anticipó en 1941...
Hypereosinophilia as a paraneoplastic phenomenon in non-small cell lung carcinoma
Authors: Nqwata Lamla , Wong M L , Mohanlal R D , Lakha A B
Published: December 2015

Hypereosinophilia is a rare paraneoplastic nding in malignant disease, particularly lung cancer. When it occurs, it is usually indicative of
metastatic disease. We describe a 52-year-old male patient with paraneoplastic hypereosinophilia associated with primary adenocarcinoma
of the right lower lobe and extensive metastatic disease.
A Model for Dynamic Parking Choice of Drivers
Authors: Chen Qun , Wang Yan
Published: December 2015

Taking time-varying parking demands and supplies into account, this paper develops a dynamic parking choice model to simulate drivers’ searching for parking spaces between parking lots. In this study, each parking lot has one access passage and vehicles can move or wait for entering the park in the access passage. The flow propagation formula in the access passage of parking lots is established to obtain the number of vehicles entering the parking lot from the access passage within each time interval. This paper brings forward the instantaneous dynamic user-optimal condition of dynamic parking choice, constructs an equivalent variational inequality (VI) model and develops a diagonalization algorithm to solve the model. A numerical example demonstrates the rate of in-flow, the rate of out-flow, link flow, instantaneous travel time on each link or access passage of the parking lot, and the amount and routes of cruising traffic at each time point.
Computational Intelligence in Highway Management: A Review
Authors: Pribyl Ondrej , Koukol Milan , Kuklova Jana
Published: December 2015

Highway management systems are used to improve safety and driving comfort on highways by using control strategies and providing information and warnings to drivers. They use several strategies starting from speed and lane management, through incident detection and warning systems, ramp metering, weather information up to, for example, informing drivers about alternative roads. This paper provides a review of the existing approaches to highway management systems, particularly speed harmonization and ramp metering. It is focused only on modern and advanced approaches, such as soft computing, multi-agent methods and their interconnection. Its objective is to provide guidance in the wide field of highway management and to point out the most relevant recent activities which demonstrate that development in the field of highway management is still important and that the existing research exhibits potential for further enhancement.
Improved Cost Management at Small and Medium Sized Road Transport Companies: Case Hungary
Authors: Bokor Zoltan , Markovits-Somogyi Rita
Published: December 2015

Small and medium sized road freight transport companies located in Hungary are facing strong competition on the logistics market. An advanced cost management system supporting decisions on capacity allocations or pricing may be a competitive advantage for them and indirectly for the whole economy as well. Still, they generally apply simple, traditional cost calculation regimes, potentially sufficient in case of a homogeneous service portfolio. Nevertheless, road haulage companies with heterogeneous service structures may witness information distortions when using traditional costing methods. So it might be recommended for them to introduce better costing principles. To support an improved transport costing, a multi-level full cost allocation model has been set up and tested in this paper. The research results have pointed out that such a methodological development accompanied by the extension of the data collection mechanism can contribute to making the cost management systems of road freight transport companies more effective.
Effectiveness of a Barge-Based Ballast Water Treatment System for Multi-Terminal Ports
Authors: Maglić Lovro , Zec Damir , Frančić Vlado
Published: December 2015

The paper presents outcomes of the discrete event simulation of the ballast water management in a multi-terminal port. The simulation includes ship’s manoeuvring, cargo and ballast operations and a barge-based ballast water treatment system operating within all terminal areas. The barge-based ballast water treatment system is used by ships unable to use their own equipment, not equipped with an appropriate ballast treatment system or non-compliant with the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention 2004 for whatever reason. The main goal is to estimate the productivity and cost effectiveness of such systems as an option to support ships not able to comply with the BWM Convention, once it enters into force. The model was built and tested in Arena simulation software. Process parameters are based on real traffic data for the port of Rijeka. The results indicate that barge-based ballast treatment facility will be heavily underutilized, and that such systems are cost-effective only in ports where large volumes of ballast water need to be delivered to shore treatment systems.
Feasibility and acceptability of mobile phone short message service as a support for patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in rural Uganda: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: Kim Jiho , Zhang Wendy , Nyonyitono Maureen , Lourenco Lillian , Nanfuka Mastula , Okoboi Stephen , Birungi Josephine , Lester Richard T , Kaleebu Pontiano , Munderi Paula , Moore David M
Published: December 2015

Introduction

Mobile phone technologies have been promoted to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). We studied the receptiveness of patients in a rural Ugandan setting to the use of short messaging service (SMS) communication for such purposes.

Methods

We performed a cross‐sectional analysis measuring mobile phone ownership and literacy amongst patients of The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) in Jinja, Uganda. We performed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to examine associations between explanatory variables and a composite outcome of being literate and having a mobile phone.

Results

From June 2012 to August 2013, we enrolled 895 participants, of whom 684 (76%) were female. The median age was 44 years. A total of 576 (63%) were both literate and mobile phone users. Of these, 91% (527/ 576) responded favourably to the potential use of SMS for health communication, while only 38.9% (124/319) of others were favourable to the idea (p<0.001). A lower proportion of literate mobile phone users reported optimal adherence to ART (86.4% vs. 90.6%; p=0.007). Male participants (AOR=2.81; 95% CI 1.83–4.30), sub‐optimal adherence (AOR=1.76; 95% CI 1.12–2.77), those with waged or salaried employment (AOR=2.35; 95% CI 1.23–4.49), crafts/trade work (AOR=2.38; 95% CI 1.11–5.12), or involved in petty trade (AOR=1.85; 95% CI 1.09–3.13) (in comparison to those with no income) were more likely to report mobile phone ownership and literacy.

Conclusions

In a rural Ugandan setting, we found that over 60% of patients could potentially benefit from a mobile phone‐based ART adherence support. However, support for such an intervention was lower for other patients.
NG2 glia are required for vessel network formation during embryonic development
Authors: Minocha Shilpi , Valloton Delphine , Brunet Isabelle , Eichmann Anne , Hornung Jean-Pierre , Lebrand Cecile
Published: December 2015

The NG2+ glia, also known as polydendrocytes or oligodendrocyte precursor cells, represent a new entity among glial cell populations in the central nervous system. However, the complete repertoire of their roles is not yet identified. The embryonic NG2+ glia originate from the Nkx2.1+ progenitors of the ventral telencephalon. Our analysis unravels that, beginning from E12.5 until E16.5, the NG2+ glia populate the entire dorsal telencephalon. Interestingly, their appearance temporally coincides with the establishment of blood vessel network in the embryonic brain. NG2+ glia are closely apposed to developing cerebral vessels by being either positioned at the sprouting tip cells or tethered along the vessel walls. Absence of NG2+ glia drastically affects the vascular development leading to severe reduction of ramifications and connections by E18.5. By revealing a novel and fundamental role for NG2+ glia, our study brings new perspectives to mechanisms underlying proper vessels network formation in embryonic brains.
Misaligned feeding impairs memories
Authors: Loh Dawn H , Jami Shekib A , Flores Richard E , Truong Danny , Ghiani Cristina A , O’Dell Thomas J , Colwell Christopher S
Published: December 2015

Robust sleep/wake rhythms are important for health and cognitive function. Unfortunately, many people are living in an environment where their circadian system is challenged by inappropriate meal- or work-times. Here we scheduled food access to the sleep time and examined the impact on learning and memory in mice. Under these conditions, we demonstrate that the molecular clock in the master pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is unaltered while the molecular clock in the hippocampus is synchronized by the timing of food availability. This chronic circadian misalignment causes reduced hippocampal long term potentiation and total CREB expression. Importantly this mis-timed feeding resulted in dramatic deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Our findings suggest that the timing of meals have far-reaching effects on hippocampal physiology and learned behaviour.
RNA polymerase errors cause splicing defects and can be regulated by differential expression of RNA polymerase subunits
Authors: Carey Lucas B
Published: December 2015

Errors during transcription may play an important role in determining cellular phenotypes: the RNA polymerase error rate is >4 orders of magnitude higher than that of DNA polymerase and errors are amplified >1000-fold due to translation. However, current methods to measure RNA polymerase fidelity are low-throughout, technically challenging, and organism specific. Here I show that changes in RNA polymerase fidelity can be measured using standard RNA sequencing protocols. I find that RNA polymerase is error-prone, and these errors can result in splicing defects. Furthermore, I find that differential expression of RNA polymerase subunits causes changes in RNA polymerase fidelity, and that coding sequences may have evolved to minimize the effect of these errors. These results suggest that errors caused by RNA polymerase may be a major source of stochastic variability at the level of single cells.
The evolution of distributed sensing and collective computation in animal populations
Authors: Hein Andrew M , Rosenthal Sara Brin , Hagstrom George I , Berdahl Andrew , Torney Colin J , Couzin Iain D
Published: December 2015

Many animal groups exhibit rapid, coordinated collective motion. Yet, the evolutionary forces that cause such collective responses to evolve are poorly understood. Here, we develop analytical methods and evolutionary simulations based on experimental data from schooling fish. We use these methods to investigate how populations evolve within unpredictable, time-varying resource environments. We show that populations evolve toward a distinctive regime in behavioral phenotype space, where small responses of individuals to local environmental cues cause spontaneous changes in the collective state of groups. These changes resemble phase transitions in physical systems. Through these transitions, individuals evolve the emergent capacity to sense and respond to resource gradients (i.e. individuals perceive gradients via social interactions, rather than sensing gradients directly), and to allocate themselves among distinct, distant resource patches. Our results yield new insight into how natural selection, acting on selfish individuals, results in the highly effective collective responses evident in nature.
Transformation of the nickel donor center by annealing in silicon measured by deep-level transient spectroscopy
Authors: Nakamura Minoru , Murakami Susumu , Udono Haruhiko
Published: December 2015

The concentration changes of nickel-related species after thermal annealing in Schottky electrode-formed (EL-formed) and electrode-free (EL-free) p-type silicon samples diffused with nickel were measured by deep-level transient spectroscopy. The nickel donor center began to decay at approximately 100 °C with the activation energies of 1.06 and 0.26 eV for the EL-formed and EL-free samples, respectively, which were analyzed as the required energies for the center to form complexes with interstitial nickel (Nii) and hydrogen, respectively. These complexes evolved into extended complexes by further bonding of Nii at higher annealing temperatures. All the complexes above disappeared by evolving into precipitates within temperatures lower than 400 °C without recovering the nickel donor center. The transformation reactions of the complexes progressed at lower temperatures and shorter times in the EL-formed samples than in the EL-free samples because of the electric neutralization of the nickel-related species in the space-charge region of the electrode.
Co2MnSi Heusler alloy as an enhancing layer of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy for MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions with L10 ordered FePd
Authors: Bae Taejin , Ko Jungho , Lee Sangho , Cha Jongin , Hong Jongill
Published: December 2015

Ultra-thin Co2MnSi Heusler alloy improves perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of FePd in an MgO-based magnetic tunnel junction after annealing it just once at a temperature of as low as 400 °C. Co2MnSi as thin as 1.0 nm inserted between MgO and FePd facilitated phase-transformation of 3-nm-thick FePd to ordered L10 and led a change in magnetic anisotropy to perpendicular-to-the-plane. To make it even better, FePd also helped the phase-transformation of Co2MnSi to ordered B2 known to have high spin polarization, which makes the L10 FePd/B2 Co2MnSi bilayer promising for perpendicular-magnetic tunnel junction and improving both thermal stability and tunnel magnetoresistance.
Detection of discrete surface charge dynamics in GaAs-based nanowire through metal-tip-induced current fluctuation
Authors: Sato Masaki , Yin Xiang , Kuroda Ryota , Kasai Seiya
Published: December 2015

We investigated the detection of discrete charge dynamics of an electron trap in a GaAs-based nanowire surface through current fluctuation induced by a metallic scanning probe tip. An equivalent circuit model indicated that the charge state in the surface strongly reflects the channel potential when the local surface potential is fixed by the metal tip, which suggests that random charging and discharging dynamics of the trap appears as random telegraph signal (RTS) noise in the nanowire current. Experimental demonstration of the concept was carried out using a GaAs-based nanowire and an atomic force microscope (AFM) system with a conductive tip. We observed the RTS noise in the drain current and superposition of the Lorentzian component in the noise spectrum when the metal tip was in contact with the nanowire surface at specific positions. The obtained results indicate the possibility of detecting charge dynamics of the individual surface trap in semiconductor devices.
Biodegradable and magnetic core–shell composite particle prepared by emulsion solvent diffusion method
Authors: Oka Chiemi , Ushimaru Kazunori , Horiishi Nanao , Tsuge Takeharu , Kitamoto Yoshitaka
Published: December 2015

The present paper describes optimization of preparation conditions of a core–shell composite particle, and its heat generation by alternating magnetic fields. The composite particles are prepared with a modified emulsion solvent diffusion method, which is combined with Pickering emulsion stabilized by magnetic nanoparticles. In this method, the magnetic nanoparticles act as an emulsifier, and its amount and size are crucial to morphology of the composite particles. The magnetic nanoparticles of 8–9 nm would be strongly adsorbed at a liquid–liquid interface rather than the larger nanoparticles. At the optimized concentration of the magnetic nanoparticle’s suspension for the preparation, small and uniform composite particles are obtained since the amount of the nanoparticles is enough to prevent coalescence of droplets during the formation of the composites. The heat generation by alternating magnetic fields emerged certainly. This result suggests the composite particles have a property as a heat-generating carrier for hyperthermia treatment.
Composite of magnetic drug carriers with thermo-responsive polymer for controlled drug release
Authors: Liu Jia , Kitamoto Yoshitaka
Published: December 2015

The present paper describes organic/inorganic composite nanoparticles (CNPs) with a thermal response for biomedical applications. The composite nanoparticles are composed of a thermo-responsive polymer shell of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and a magnetic FeO
x
/silica core that exhibits a heat-generation capability against alternating magnetic fields. The heat-generation capability of the FeO
x
core was improved by modifying the synthesis process of the NPs to oxidize nonmagnetic FeO to magnetic Fe3O4. The HPC shell is observed by transmission electron microscopy after coating FeO
x
/silica NPs with HPC; the coating is confirmed by the increase of the hydrodynamic size of NPs and the weight loss with thermogravimetry. The FeO
x
/silica/HPC composite NPs exhibit a thermal response, which is confirmed by the temperature-dependent hydrodynamic size of the NPs. These results indicate that the thermo-responsive FeO
x
/silica/HPC composite particles have a potential as a drug carrier with a capability of controlled release.
Pulmonary Vein Isolation vs Sham Intervention in Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Dulai Rajdip , Sulke Neil , Freemantle Nick , Lambiase Pier D. , Farwell David , Srinivasan Neil T. , Tan Stuart , Patel Nikhil , Graham Adam , Veasey Rick A.
Published: September 2024

Importance

There are concerns that pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation may have a profound placebo effect, but no double-blind randomized clinical trials have been conducted.

Objective

To determine whether pulmonary vein isolation is more effective than a sham procedure for improving outcomes in atrial fibrillation.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted at 2 tertiary centers in the UK between January 2020 and March 2024 among patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation. Major exclusion criteria included long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation, prior left atrium ablation, other arrhythmias requiring ablative therapy, a left atrium of 5.5 cm or larger, and ejection fraction of less than 35%.

Intervention

Participants were randomly assigned to receive pulmonary vein isolation with cryoablation (n = 64) or a sham procedure with phrenic nerve pacing (n = 62).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was atrial fibrillation burden at 6 months, excluding a 3-month blanking period. Secondary outcomes included quality-of-life measures, time to events, and safety. Atrial fibrillation burden was measured by an implantable loop recorder.

Results

A total of 126 participants were randomized (mean age, 66.8 years; 89 men [70.63%]; 20.63% with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation). The absolute mean atrial fibrillation burden change from baseline to 6 months was 60.31% in the ablation group and 35.0% in the sham group (geometric mean difference, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.15-0.42; P < .001). The estimated difference in the overall Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality of Life score at 6 months, favoring catheter ablation, was 18.39 points (95% CI, 11.48-25.30 points). The Short Form 36 general health score also improved substantially more with ablation, with an estimated difference of 9.27 points at 6 months (95% CI, 3.78-14.76 points).

Conclusions and Relevance

Pulmonary vein isolation resulted in a statistically significant and clinically important decrease in atrial fibrillation burden at 6 months, with substantial improvements in symptoms and quality of life, compared with a sham procedure.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04272762
Universal Genetic Testing for Newly Diagnosed Invasive Breast Cancer
Authors: Rezoug Zoulikha , Totten Stephanie P. , Szlachtycz David , Atayan Adrienne , Mohler Kristen , Albert Sophie , Feng Leila , Lemieux Anglin Brianna , Shen Zhen , Jimenez Daniel , Hamel Nancy , Meti Nicholas , Esfahani Khashayar , Boileau Jean-François , Prakash Ipshita , Basik Mark , Meterissian Sarkis , Tremblay Francine , Fleiszer David , Anderson Dawn , Chong George , Wong Stephanie M. , Foulkes William D.
Published: September 2024

Importance

Between 5% and 10% of breast cancer cases are associated with an inherited germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant (GPV) in a breast cancer susceptibility gene (BCSG), which could alter local and systemic therapy recommendations. Traditional genetic testing criteria misses a proportion of these cases.

Objective

To evaluate the prevalence and clinicopathological associations of GPVs in 2 groups of BCSGs among an ethnically diverse cohort of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study, conducted at 3 Montreal hospitals between September 2019 and April 2022, offered universal genetic counseling and testing to all women with a first diagnosis of invasive breast cancer. Women were offered an obligatory primary panel of BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 (B1B2P2) and an optional secondary panel of 14 additional BCSGs. Eligible participants were women 18 years of age or older who received a diagnosis of a first primary invasive breast cancer not more than 6 months before the time of referral to the study. Data were analyzed from November 2023 to June 2024.

Results

Of 1017 referred patients, 805 were eligible and offered genetic counseling and testing, and 729 of those 805 (90.6%) consented to be tested. The median age at breast cancer diagnosis was 53 years (range, 23-91 years), and 65.4% were White and of European ancestry. Fifty-four GPVs were identified in 53 patients (7.3%), including 39 patients (5.3%) with B1B2P2 and 15 patients (2.1%) with 6 of the 14 secondary panel BCSGs (ATM, BARD1, BRIP1, CHEK2, RAD51D, and STK11). On multivariable analysis, clinical factors independently associated with B1B2P2-positive status included being younger than 40 years of age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR], 6.83; 95% CI, 2.22-20.90), triple-negative breast cancer (OR, 3.19; 95% CI, 1.20-8.43), high grade disease (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.05-2.70), and family history of ovarian cancer (OR, 9.75; 95% CI, 2.65-35.85). Of 39 B1B2P2-positive patients, 13 (33.3%) were eligible for poly(adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional universal genetic testing study of women with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer, the prevalence of GPVs was 7.3%, with 5.3% of patients testing positive for B1B2P2. Among B1B2P2-women women, one-third were eligible for PARP inhibitors.
SOX‐5 Transcription Factor: a Novel Psoriatic Autoantigen Preferentially Found in Women
Authors: Orbai Ana‐Maria , Fiorentino David , Perin Jamie , Darrah Erika , Yang Qingyuan , Gutierrez‐Alamillo Laura , Bingham Clifton O. , Petri Michelle , Rosen Antony , Casciola‐Rosen Livia
Published: September 2024

Objective

Adaptive immunity mediates psoriatic disease pathogenesis. We aimed to identify novel psoriatic autoantigens and their phenotypic associations in deeply characterized patient cohorts.

Methods

Sera from psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients were used for autoantibody discovery. Immunoprecipitations performed with cell lysates were on‐bead digested, and autoantigens were identified by mass spectrometry. Prevalence and clinical features associated with anti–SRY‐Box transcription factor‐D (SOX‐D) antibodies were determined by screening discovery cohorts of patients with PsA (n = 135), patients with psoriasis without PsA (n = 24), and healthy controls (n = 41). A PsA validation cohort (n = 325) and disease control samples of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA; n = 66) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, n = 66) were assayed for anti‐SOX5 antibodies. Disease characteristics were compared by antibody status. Longitudinal data were analyzed using linear mixed‐effects models with patient‐specific intercept to ascertain associations. We also tested PsA sera for the recently described anti–ADAMTS‐L5 autoantibody in PsA.

Results

The novel autoantigens identified were SOX‐D transcription factors, with SOX‐5 being the focus of this analysis. Anti‐SOX5 antibodies were present in 8.9% (12 of 135) and 4.3% (14 of 323) of patients in the PsA discovery and validation cohorts, respectively, 12.5% of patients (3 of 24) in the psoriasis group, 2.4% (1 of 41) of healthy controls, and 7.6% (5 of 66) each of patients in the RA and SLE groups. Anti‐SOX5 were associated with female sex in both PsA cohorts (discovery: 15.7% women, 2.6% men, P = 0.006; validation: 6.3% women, 1.4% men, P = 0.049). In a longitudinal analysis adjusted for sex, anti‐SOX5 associated with biologic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drug treatment (95% vs 61%; P = 0.001; n = 96) and with differences in estimated treatment effects by mechanism of action. Anti–ADAMTS‐L5 autoantibodies were identified in 8 of 124 patients (6.5%) in the PsA group.

Conclusion

SOX‐D transcription factors are novel psoriatic autoantigens. Anti‐SOX5 antibodies were preferentially found in women with PsA and associated with specific clinical and treatment characteristics, suggesting that anti‐SOX5 antibodies may identify mechanistic subgroups. We independently validated anti–ADAMTS‐L5 autoantibodies in PsA.
Microchip Based Isolation and Drug Delivery of Patient‐Derived Extracellular Vesicles Against Their Homologous Tumor
Authors: Ge Ke , Ren Yongan , Hong Zichen , Mao Zhenjun , Yao Bo , Ye Kai , Jia Changku
Published: September 2024

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have demonstrated significant potential in drug delivery and anti‐tumor therapy. Despite this promising strategy, challenges such as specific targeting, EVs purification persist. In this study, a personalized nanodrug delivery platform using patient‐derived tumor EVs (PT‐EVs) based on a microchip is presented. The microchip integrates multiple functions, including capture, enrichment, drug loading, and elution of PT‐EVs. The isolation and drug‐carrying procedures are completed within a 12 h timeframe, achieving a recovery rate of 65%, significantly surpassing the conventional ultracentrifuge (UC) method. Furthermore, PT‐EVs derived from patient tumor models are first utilized as natural drug carriers, capitalizing on their inherent homing ability to precisely target homologous tumors. Lenvatinib and doxorubicin (DOX), two commonly utilized drugs in the clinical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), are loaded into PT‐EVs and delivered to a matched in vitro tumor model that recapitulates original tumors for drug susceptibility testing. As is proven, PT‐EVs exhibit robust tumor cell targeting and efficient receptor‐mediated cellular uptake, and the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs is improved significantly. These results suggest that this platform could be a valuable tool for efficient isolation of PT‐EVs and personalized drug customization, particularly when working with limited clinical samples, thus supporting personalized and precision medicine.
Transition Metal Complexes as Therapeutics: A New Frontier in Combatting Neurodegenerative Disorders through Protein Aggregation Modulation
Authors: Navale Govinda R. , Ahmed Imtiaz , Lim Mi Hee , Ghosh Kaushik
Published: September 2024

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) are a class of debilitating diseases that progressively impair the protein structure and result in neurological dysfunction in the nervous system. Among these disorders, Alzheimer's disease (AD), prion diseases such as Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (CJD), and Parkinson's disease (PD) are caused by protein misfolding and aggregation at the cellular level. In recent years, transition metal complexes have gained significant attention for their potential applications in diagnosing, imaging, and curing these NDDs. These complexes have intriguing possibilities as therapeutics due to their diverse ligand systems and chemical properties and can interact with biological systems with minimal detrimental effects. This review focuses on the recent progress in transition metal therapeutics as a new era of hope in the battle against AD, CJD, and PD by modulating protein aggregation in vitro and in vivo. It may shed revolutionary insights into unlocking new opportunities for researchers to develop metal‐based drugs to combat NDDs.
Decorating Delivery Vehicles Using Hyaluronic Acid Oligosaccharides Enables Active Targeting Toward Cancer and Minimizes Adverse Effect of Chemotherapeutics
Authors: Jia Weibin , Li Runrun , Zou Fengjuan , Li Min , Weng Hongjuan , Shen Qianqian , Qi Guozhen , Zhou Ruipiao , Shi Yikang , Gu Guofeng , Wang Fengshan , Chen Zonggang
Published: September 2024

The major drawback of conventional chemotherapeutic treatment is the non‐specificity or inability to ascertain and target cancerous cells directly. In this study, an active targeting strategy that is poised to carry the anticancer agents to the desired sites for therapeutic action while avoiding toxicity to normal organs is provided. The active targeting of delivery vehicles is achieved by ligand‐receptor interactions, in particular the specific binding between hyaluronic acid oligosaccharides (oHAs) and CD44 receptors. This study first prepares oHAs by the size‐exclusion chromatography and utilizes them to decorate chitosan (CTS) as basic materials (oHAs‐CTS) for drug delivery, then fabricates oHAs‐CTS into micro/nanoscale carriers to encapsulate agents for cancer chemotherapy. The oHAs‐CTS micro/nanocarriers exhibit high drug encapsulation efficiency (58–87%), and the drug releases present a sustained behavior. Notably, oHAs‐CTS delivery vehicles display an enhanced active targeting toward cancers and alleviate the cytotoxic effects on normal cells. Additionally, in vivo results show that drug‐laden oHAs‐CTS nanocarriers demonstrate a significant inhibitory effect on 4 T1 tumors without any toxicity to the major organs. Taken together, the findings highlight the potential of oHAs‐CTS micro/nanospheres as delivery vehicles with enhanced active targeted capability toward cancers and minimized adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents for cancer treatment.
Formation Mechanisms and Fluorescence Properties of Carbon Dots in Coal Burning Dust from Coal‐Fired Power Plants
Authors: Zhao Zhexian , Zhang Weizuo , Zhang Jin , Li Yuzhao , Bai Han , Zhao Fangming , Jin Zhongcai , Tang Ju , Xiao Yiming , Xu Wen , Lü Yanfei
Published: September 2024

Carbon dots (CDs) show great application potential with their unique and excellent performances. Coal and its derivatives are rich in aromatic ring structure, which is suitable for preparing CDs in microstructure. Coal‐burning dust from coal‐fired power plants can be utilized as a rich resource to separate and extract CDs. It is shown in the results that there are two main possible mechanisms for the formation of CDs in coal‐burning dust. One is the self‐assembly of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contained in coal or produced by incomplete combustion of coal. The other mechanism is that the bridge bonds linking different aromatic structures in coal break, which will form CDs with different functional groups when the coals burn at high temperature. Under violet light excitation at 310–340 nm or red light at 610–640 nm, CDs extracted from coal‐burning dust can emit purple fluorescence around 410 nm. The mechanism of up‐conversion fluorescence emission of CDs is due to a two‐photon absorption process. The recycling of CDs from coal‐burning dust from coal‐fired power plants are not only good to protect environment but will also be helpful for mass production of CDs.
Three‐Component Synthesis of Substituted Azepines by Gold/Magnesium Orthogonal‐Relay Catalysis
Authors: Kosuge Shuto , Kiraku Yoshihiro , Tsuge Kiyoshi , Sugimoto Kenji , Matsuya Yuji
Published: September 2024

A three‐component one‐pot synthesis of substituted azepines was realized by gold/magnesium orthogonal relay catalysis. The one‐pot synthesis involves simply mixing and heating propiolates, imines, and activated cyclopropanes to initiate a gold‐catalyzed aza‐enyne metathesis between propiolates and imines, followed by a magnesium‐catalyzed [4+3] cycloaddition reaction of the resultant 1‐azabutadienes and the cyclopropanes, yielding substituted azepines. The substituted azepines including 22 derivatives could be successfully prepared in good to excellent yield (61–95%). The reaction was also conducted on one‐gram scale.
Energy from Garbage: Recycling Heavy Metal‐Containing Wastewater Adsorbents for Energy Storage
Authors: Andrade Marcelo A. , Crosnier Olivier , Johansson Patrik , Brousse Thierry
Published: September 2024

The global challenge of heavy metal contamination in wastewater necessitates efficient adsorbents, which, while they can effectively remove contaminants, ultimately become toxic waste themselves. Recycling wastewater adsorbents loaded with heavy metals is an alternative to their disposal as toxic garbage. This study presents a genuine recycling strategy for heavy metal‐loaded adsorbents, repurposing them as electrode materials for energy storage applications, that is, electrochemical capacitors, and thus synergistically tackles water purification and waste valorization. Graphene oxide was prepared via the improved Hummers’ method, and subsequently, a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam was hydrothermally synthesized. This rGO‐based foam adsorbed >95% of the Hg2+ ions in a 100 ppm solution, using a dose = 500 mg L−1, and up to 240 mg of Hg2+ ions/g on average at 25 °C, which are among the highest values reported so far. Electrochemically, the Hg‐loaded rGO (rGO/Hgads) exhibits mercury redox activity and a 15% increase in capacity as compared to pristine rGO in an aqueous cell. Overall, this demonstrates the potential of reprocessed wastewater adsorbents as efficient and sustainable electrodes for high‐power energy storage (time constant τ = 11 s), offering a compelling solution to add more value and extend the life cycle of waste materials.
A CFD‐based manifold design methodology for large‐scale PEM fuel cell stacks
Authors: Pan Weitong , Tang Longfei , Gao Yunfei , Ding Lu , Dai Zhenghua , Chen Xueli , Wang Fuchen
Published: September 2024

The flow distribution issue is of significance to the fuel cell stack performance and durability, which herein is studied from a theoretical and practical level. The manifold flow fundamentals are clarified and the pressure‐reconstruction‐based principle to regulate flow distribution is revealed. The prerequisite and corequisite lie in the ratio of pressure drop between headers and the entire manifold, and the pressure recovery in the inlet header. Accordingly, a step‐by‐step manifold design methodology is proposed and further quantified by detailed and organized simulations. A desirable effect on flow uniformity is validated in large‐scale stacks consisting of 300 and 400 cells, and the values of flow uniformity index represented by coefficient of variation (CV) are 3.32% and 2.95%, respectively. Moreover, a novel wedge‐shaped layout of the intake header is proposed for further optimization. The corresponding CV values have notably declined to 1.36% and 1.29%, nearly 60% lower than the conventional rectangular counterparts.
Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria, Intellectual Disability and Nephronophthisis Associated With Compound Heterozygous Pathogenic Variants in the CEP83 Gene
Authors: Parrini Elena , Balestrini Simona , Rutigliano Domenico , Ricci Maria Luisa , Mei Davide , Guerrini Renzo
Published: September 2024

The centrosomal protein 83 (CEP83) is a centriolar protein involved in primary cilium assembly, an early and critical step in ciliogenesis. Bi‐allelic pathogenic variants in the CEP83 gene have been associated with infantile nephronophthisis and, in a few patients, retinitis pigmentosa. We describe a 5‐year‐old boy with bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria, intellectual disability, and nephronophthisis in whom, using exome sequencing, we identified the c.1052T>G p.(Leu351*) stopgain variant inherited from the father and the c.2024T>C p.(Leu675Pro) missense variant inherited from the mother, in a compound heterozygous pattern. Polymicrogyria or, in general, malformations of cortical development had not been previously observed in patients with pathogenic CEP83 variants. However, defects in CEP83 can affect the formation and function of cilia or centrosomal structures, resulting in a polymicrogyric pattern overlapping with that associated with pathogenic variants affecting other genes coding for centrosomal components. This observation expands the spectrum of phenotypes associated with the CEP83 gene and adds it to the list of genes associated with bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria.
Photo‐Induced Sulfonylation/Trifluoromethylation‐Peroxidation of Alkenes via EnT‐Mediated N−S Bond Homolysis of N‐Sulfonyl Ketimines
Authors: Feng Yuting , Lv Leiyang , Li Zhiping
Published: September 2024

Photocatalytic sulfonylation/trifluoromethylation‐peroxidation of alkenes with N‐sulfonyl ketimines and tert‐butyl hydroperoxide is reported. The transformation is initiated by the EnT‐driven homolytic S−N bond cleavage of N‐sulfonyl ketimines. The sulfonyl‐peroxides were obtained when alkyl sulfonyl radicals were captured by alkene via sequential C−S and C−O bond formation, while a thermodynamically favored release of SO2 from trifluoromethane sulfonyl radical generated CF3 radical and afforded the trifluoromethyl‐peroxides.
Enhanced Interfacial Modification by Ordered Discotic Liquid Crystals for Thermotolerance Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Ma Yabin , Chen Ran , Tao Yiran , Zhang Lu , Xu Di , Wang Hongyan , Zhao Qing , You Jiaxue , Jen Alex K. Y. , Liu Shengzhong
Published: September 2024

Traditionally used phenylethylamine iodide (PEAI) and its derivatives, such as ortho‐fluorine o‐F‐PEAI, in interfacial modification, are beneficial for perovskite solar cell (PSC) efficiency but vulnerable to heat stability above 85 °C due to ion migration. To address this issue, we propose a composite interface modification layer incorporating the discotic liquid crystal 2,3,6,7,10,11‐hexa(pentoxy)triphenylene (HAT5) into o‐F‐PEAI. The triphenyl core in HAT5 promotes π–π stacking self‐assembly and enhances its interaction with o‐F‐PEAI, forming an oriented columnar phase that improves hole extraction along the one‐dimensional direction. HAT5 repairs structural defects in the interfacial layer and retains the layered structure to inhibit ion migration under heating. Ultimately, our approach increases the efficiency of solar cells from 23.36 % to 25.02 %. The thermal stability of the devices retains 80.1 % of their initial efficiency after aging at 85 °C for 1008 hours without encapsulation. Moreover, the optimized PSCs maintained 82.4 % of the initial efficiency after aging under one sunlight exposure for 1008 hours. This work provides a simple yet effective strategy using composite materials for interface modification to enhance the thermal and light stability of semiconductor devices.
Multifunctional Interface Layer Constructed by Trace Zwitterions for Highly Reversible Zinc Anodes
Authors: Zhang Xixi , Wang Chenggang , Huang Jinzhao , Li Chuanlin , Qu Guangmeng , Li Na , Zhao Shunshun , Li Titi , Li Dingzheng , Qin Hongjie , Xu Xijin
Published: September 2024

The inhomogeneous plating/stripping of Zn anode, attributed to dendrite growth and parasitic reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface, severely restricts its cycling life‐span. Here, trace zwitterions (trifluoroacetate pyridine, TFAPD) are introduced into the aqueous electrolyte to construct a multifunctional interface that enhances the reversibility of Zn anode. The TFA− anions with strong specific adsorption adhere onto the Zn surface to reconstruct the inner Helmholtz plane (IHP), preventing the hydrogen evolution and corrosion side reactions caused by free H2O. The Py+ cations accumulate on the outer Helmholtz plane (OHP) of Zn anode with the force of electric field during Zn2+ plating, forming a shielding layer to uniformize the deposition of Zn2+. Besides, the adsorbed TFA− and Py+ promote the desolvation process of Zn2+ resulting in fast reaction kinetics. Thus, the Zn||Zn cells present an outstanding cycling performance of more than 10000 hours. And even at 85 % utilization rate of Zn, it can stably cycle for over 200 hours at 10 mA cm−2 and 10 mAh cm−2. The Zn||I2 full cell exhibits a capacity retention of over 95 % even after 30000 cycles. Remarkably, the Zn||I2 pouch cells (95 mAh) deliver a high‐capacity retention of 99 % after 750 cycles.