bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solution X‐ray scattering highlights discrepancies in Plasmodiummulti‐aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetase complexes
Authors: Jaramillo Ponce José R. , Théobald‐Dietrich Anne , Bénas Philippe , Paulus Caroline , Sauter Claude , Frugier Magali
Published: January 2023

tRip is a tRNA import protein specific to Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria. In addition to its membrane localization and tRNA trafficking properties, tRip has the capacity to associate with three aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases (aaRS), the glutamyl‐ (ERS), glutaminyl‐ (QRS), and methionyl‐ (MRS) tRNA synthetases. In eukaryotes, such multi‐aaRSs complexes (MSC) regulate the moonlighting activities of aaRSs. In Plasmodium, tRip and the three aaRSs all contain an N‐terminal GST‐like domain involved in the assembly of two independent complexes: the Q‐complex (tRip:ERS:QRS) and the M‐complex (tRip:ERS:MRS) with a 2:2:2 stoichiometry and in which the association of the GST‐like domains of tRip and ERS (tRip‐N:ERS‐N) is central. In this study, the crystal structure of the N‐terminal GST‐like domain of ERS was solved and made possible further investigation of the solution architecture of the Q‐ and M‐complexes by small‐angle x‐ray scattering (SAXS). This strategy relied on the engineering of a tRip‐N‐ERS‐N chimeric protein to study the structural scaffold of both Plasmodium MSCs and confirm the unique homodimerization pattern of tRip in solution. The biological impact of these structural arrangements is discussed.
Molecular features and race‐associated outcomes of SPOP‐mutant metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Stangl Andrew , Wilner Christopher , Li Pin , Maahs Lucas , Hwang Clara , Pilling Amanda
Published: January 2023

Background

Inactivating alterations in SPOP frequently occur in prostate cancer and promote increased dependency on androgen receptor (AR)‐mediated oncogenic signaling. The presence of SPOP mutation (SPOP‐mutant [SPOP‐mut]) may therefore impact therapeutic outcomes with AR‐directed therapies and docetaxel in metastatic castration‐resistant (mCRPC).

Methods

This was a retrospective study of mCRPC patients treated at an urban academic hospital (n = 103). Patients underwent tumor DNA sequencing to determine SPOP mutational status (SPOP‐mut). Outcomes measured were overall survival (OS) from diagnosis and treatment with second‐generation AR signaling inhibitor (ARSI) or docetaxel and time to PSA progression (prostate‐specific antigen‐progression‐free survival [PSA‐PFS]) compared by SPOP status using Kaplan–Meier curves and log‐rank test. The univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard model evaluated the association of SPOP mutation and outcomes adjusted for clinicopathologic features.

Results

SPOP‐mut was associated with longer PSA‐PFS in mCRPC (median 1.79 vs. 0.84 years; p = 0.06) and multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17–0.84; p = 0.02). SPOP‐mut demonstrated a higher median PSA decline compared to SPOP wild‐type (median decline 100% vs. 92%, p = 0.02). SPOP‐mut was not associated with OS from the start of ARSI or docetaxel (median OS not reached vs. 2.0 years) or PSA‐PFS on docetaxel (median PSA‐PFS 0.4 vs. 0.5 years) in mCRPC. The majority of SPOP mutations were identified in African American (AA) patients (69.2%) compared to Caucasian patients (30.8%). Race‐associated multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in OS from the start of ARSI or the start of docetaxel and no differences in ARSI or docetaxel PSA‐PFS between AA and Caucasian patients. Molecular profiling demonstrated that AA patients had a higher frequency of SPOP mutations and greater heterogeneity of SPOP variants within the coding sequence. Analysis of concurrent genomic alterations revealed that SPOP mutations co‐occur with APC mutations (p = 0.001) and alterations in the Wnt pathway (p = 0.017).

Conclusions

Inactivating mutations in SPOP are associated with better response to ARSI treatment in mCRPC overall. Additional analysis with a larger cohort is needed to evaluate the association of SPOP status and outcomes with docetaxel. Race‐associated clinical outcomes and molecular features were observed, suggesting the benefit of biomarker‐directed therapy selection for individualized patient subsets in guiding treatment decisions for mCRPC patients.
The human ribosome‐associated complex suppresses prion formation in yeast
Authors: Kelly Christina , Ahmed Yusef , Elghawy Omar , Pachon Nikole Fandiño , Fontanese Matthew S. , Kim Seongchan , Kitterman Erica , Marley Amanda , Terrenzio Danielle , Wike Richard , Zeibekis Theodora , Cameron Dale M.
Published: January 2023

Many human diseases are associated with the misfolding of amyloidogenic proteins. Understanding the mechanisms cells employ to ensure the integrity of the proteome is therefore a crucial step in the development of potential therapeutic interventions. Yeast cells possess numerous prion‐forming proteins capable of adopting amyloid conformations, possibly as an epigenetic mechanism to cope with changing environmental conditions. The ribosome‐associated complex (RAC), which docks near the ribosomal polypeptide exit tunnel and recruits the Hsp70 Ssb to chaperone nascent chains, can moderate the acquisition of these amyloid conformations in yeast. Here we examine the ability of the human RAC chaperone proteins Mpp11 and Hsp70L1 to function in place of their yeast RAC orthologues Zuo1 and Ssz1 in yeast lacking endogenous RAC and investigate the extent to which the human orthologues can perform RAC chaperone activities in yeast. We found that the Mpp11/Hsp70L1 complex can partially correct the growth defect seen in RAC‐deficient yeast cells, although yeast/human hetero species complexes were variable in this ability. The proportion of cells in which the Sup35 protein undergoes spontaneous conversion to a [PSI+] prion conformation, which is increased in the absence of RAC, was reduced by the presence of the human RAC complex. However, the toxicity in yeast from expression of a pathogenically expanded polyQ protein was unable to be countered by the human RAC chaperones. This yeast system can serve as a facile model for studying the extent to which the human RAC chaperones contribute to combating cotranslational misfolding of other mammalian disease‐associated proteins.
Molecular insight into cellulose degradation by the phototrophic green alga Scenedesmus
Authors: Velazquez María B. , Busi María V. , Gomez‐Casati Diego F. , Nag‐Dasgupta Chitralekha , Barchiesi Julieta
Published: January 2023

Lignocellulose is the most abundant natural biopolymer on earth and a potential raw material for the production of fuels and chemicals. However, only some organisms such as bacteria and fungi produce enzymes that metabolize this polymer. In this work we have demonstrated the presence of cellulolytic activity in the supernatant of Scenedesmus quadricauda cultures and we identified the presence of extracellular cellulases in the genome of five Scenedesmus species. Scenedesmus is a green alga which grows in both freshwater and saltwater regions as well as in soils, showing highly flexible metabolic properties. Sequence comparison of the different identified cellulases with hydrolytic enzymes from other organisms using multisequence alignments and phylogenetic trees showed that these proteins belong to the families of glycosyl hydrolases 1, 5, 9, and 10. In addition, most of the Scenedesmus cellulases showed greater sequence similarity with those from invertebrates, fungi, bacteria, and other microalgae than with the plant homologs. Furthermore, the data obtained from the three dimensional structure showed that both, their global structure and the main amino acid residues involved in catalysis and substrate binding are well conserved. Based on our results, we propose that different species of Scenedesmus could act as biocatalysts for the hydrolysis of cellulosic biomass produced from sunlight.
Molecular characterization of hexokinase (HK) in Haemaphysalis longicornis and evaluation of HK protein‐ and DNA‐based vaccines against adult ticks
Authors: Wang Duo , Li Ru , Wu Ya‐Xue , Fan Xiang‐Yuan , Liu Xiao‐Ya , Yang Feng , Zhang Tian‐Tian , Ma Jing‐Yi , Hu Yong‐Hong
Published: January 2023

Background

Haemaphysalis longicornis is an obligate hematophagous ectoparasite, which transmits various pathogens to humans, livestock and wild animals. Hexokinase (HK) is a key regulatory enzyme of the glycolytic pathway in the organisms. However, little is known about hexokinase and its functions in ticks.

Results

The open reading frame of the H. longicornis HK (HlHK) gene was 1425 bp and encoded a protein of 474 amino acids, containing conserved domains for glucose, glucose 6‐phosphate, and adenosine triphosphate. The expression of HlHK gene was detected at different developmental stages and in different tissues of unfed female ticks. Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay revealed that both HK protein‐ and DNA‐based vaccines increased the antibody levels of the immunized animals. A vaccination trail on rabbits against H. longicornis infestation indicated that the rHlHK protein and HlHK DNA vaccines reduced the number of attached female ticks by 9% and 12%, egg mass weight by 36% and 34%, and egg hatching rate by 41% and 17%, respectively. Overall, protein vaccination conferred 65.6% protection against adult female ticks, whereas the DNA vaccine conferred 51.8% protection.

Conclusion

This is the first report of the molecular characterization of the HK protein and sequencing of the HK gene from H. longicornis. Positive results from vaccination trials on rabbits of the recombinant HK protein and HK DNA suggest that these novel anti‐tick vaccines potentially can be used as viable tick control tools for the management of the Asian longhorned tick. Additionally, inhibition of glucose metabolism may be a new strategy for tick control. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Polarity‐Induced Threshold Voltage Shift in Ovonic Threshold Switching Chalcogenides and the Impact of Material Composition
Authors: Ravsher Taras , Garbin Daniele , Fantini Andrea , Degraeve Robin , Clima Sergiu , Donadio Gabriele Luca , Kundu Shreya , Hody Hubert , Devulder Wouter , Van Houdt Jan , Afanas'ev Valeri , Delhougne Romain , Kar Gouri Sankar
Published: January 2023

Amorphous chalcogenide‐based ovonic threshold switch (OTS) selectors are an important part of the crosspoint memory arrays. It is known that the threshold voltage (Vth) of the OTS device can be affected by operating conditions, such as pulse amplitude and ramp rate. Herein, the impact of pulse polarity on OTS parameters is investigated. Recent findings on the polarity‐induced Vth shift observed in SiGeAsTe and SiGeAsSe materials are summarized. This effect is manifested as a stable and reversible change in Vth resulting from the reversal of applied pulse polarity, thus allowing Vth to be electrically controlled. Herein, for the first time exceptionally large polarity‐induced Vth shift in GeSe OTS is reported. The behavior observed in binary GeSe and quaternary SiGeAs(Te/Se) material systems is compared and the dependence of polarity effects on the composition of OTS devices is discussed. The impact of film thickness, interface, and stoichiometry in GeSe OTS is investigated.
Vaccine clinical trials with dynamic borrowing of historical controls: Two retrospective studies
Authors: Callegaro Andrea , Karkada Naveen , Aris Emmanuel , Zahaf Toufik
Published: January 2023

Traditional vaccine efficacy trials usually use fixed designs with fairly large sample sizes. Recruiting a large number of subjects requires longer time and higher costs. Furthermore, vaccine developers are more than ever facing the need to accelerate vaccine development to fulfill the public's medical needs. A possible approach to accelerate development is to use the method of dynamic borrowing of historical controls in clinical trials. In this paper, we evaluate the feasibility and the performance of this approach in vaccine development by retrospectively analyzing two real vaccine studies: a relatively small immunological trial (typical early phase study) and a large vaccine efficacy trial (typical Phase 3 study) assessing prophylactic human papillomavirus vaccine. Results are promising, particularly for early development immunological studies, where the adaptive design is feasible, and control of type I error is less relevant.
Tenuifolin ameliorates the sleep deprivation‐induced cognitive deficits
Authors: Jiang Ning , Zhang Yiwen , Yao Caihong , Liu Yupei , Chen Yuzhen , Chen Fang , Wang Yan , Choudhary Muhammad Iqbal , Liu Xinmin
Published: January 2023

Tenuifolin (TEN), a natural neuroprotective compound obtained from the Polygala tenuifolia Willd plant, has improved cognitive symptoms. However, the impact of TEN on memory impairments caused by sleep deprivation (SD) is unclear. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms behind the preventative benefits of TEN on cognitive impairment caused by SD. TEN (10 and 20 mg/kg) and Huperzine A (0.1 mg/kg) were given to mice through oral gavage for 28 days during the SD process. The results indicate that TEN administrations improve short‐ and long‐term memory impairments caused by SD in the Y‐maze, object identification, and step‐through tests. Moreover, TEN stimulated the generation of anti‐inflammatory cytokines (interleukin‐10), lowered the production of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (interleukin‐1β, interleukin‐6, and interleukin‐18), and activated microglia, improving antioxidant status in the hippocampus. TEN treatments significantly boosted the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 and heme oxygenase‐1 while considerably decreasing the expression of NOD‐like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 and caspase‐1 p20. Additionally, TEN restored the downregulation of the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor signaling cascade and the impaired hippocampal neurogenesis induced by SD. When considered collectively, our data suggest that TEN is a potentially effective neuroprotective agent for cognition dysfunction.
Time to diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension and diagnostic burden: A retrospective analysis of nationwide US healthcare data
Authors: Didden Eva‐Maria , Lee Eileen , Wyckmans Julie , Quinn Deborah , Perchenet Loïc
Published: January 2023

The main aim of this analysis was to investigate time from symptom onset (chronic unexplained dyspnoea [CUD]) to diagnosis of Group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH)—pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)—and to characterize healthcare resource utilization leading up to diagnosis using a nationwide US claims and an electronic health record (EHR) database from Optum©. Eligible patients were ≥18 years old at first CUD diagnosis (index event) and had a PAH diagnosis on or after index date. Based on administrative codes, PAH was defined as right heart catheterization (RHC), ≥ 2 PAH diagnoses (1 within a year of RHC), and ≥1 post‐RHC prescription for PAH treatment. All values are median (1st quartile–3rd quartile) unless otherwise stated. Of 854,722 patients with CUD in the claims database, 582 (0.1%) had PAH. Time from CUD to PAH diagnosis was 2.26 (0.73–4.22) years. PAH patients experienced 3 (2–4) transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs), 6 (3–12) specialist visits, and 2 (1–4) hospitalizations during the diagnostic interval. Almost one‐third of patients (29%) waited 10 months or more to have a TTE. Findings from the EHR database were broadly similar. Resource utilization during the diagnostic interval was also analyzed in an overall PH cohort: findings were generally similar to the PAH cohort (2 [1–3] TTEs, 4 [2–9] specialist visits and 2 [1–4] hospitalizations). These data indicate a delay in the diagnostic pathway for PAH, and illustrate the burden associated with PAH diagnosis.
Revisiting the generalized pseudospectral method: Energy degeneracies, radial expectation values, and Schwarz‐like inequalities of the shell‐confined atom
Authors: Zhou Zhi Ling , Zheng Ruo Yu , Jiao Li Guang , Liu Aihua , Montgomery Henry E. , Ho Yew Kam
Published: January 2023

We revisit the generalized pseudospectral (GPS) method to investigate the physical properties of shell‐confined atoms. Based on a general mapping function, the GPS method is developed for obtaining highly accurate bound state energies, wave functions, and radial quantities for the shell‐confined hydrogen atom. Besides the incidental and simultaneous degeneracies in the energy spectrum, we find that energy degeneracy appears very commonly in the shell‐confined system. The contour maps of the eigenenergies for some low‐lying bound states are obtained and the corresponding wave functions are analyzed. Radial expectation values with both positive and negative powers are calculated with high accuracy. By analyzing the Schwarz‐like inequalities, we show that the ground state density function for the outer‐confined hydrogen atom is second‐order monotonic, while for the shell‐confined hydrogen atom the radial densities for all bound states are zeroth‐order monotonic. In the extreme situation when the inner radius coalesces with the outer radius, the electron becomes a classical particle.
Terminal and bridging ligand effects on M(I)M(I) multiple bonding: ADFTinvestigation of the coordination in (X)[M2Cl]L2complexes (M = Cr,Fe,L = CO,PEt3,X = Cl, allyl,Cp, and indenyl)
Authors: Mecheri Sabri , Zouchoune Bachir
Published: January 2023

A theoretical DFT investigation has been achieved on (X)[M2Cl]L2(M = Cr, Fe, L = CO, PEt3, and X = allyl, cyclopentadienyl, and indenyl) complexes by means of BP86 and B3LYP* functionals. The geometry optimizations showed an η3‐coordination for the allyl, while Cp and indenyl ligands adopt the same η5‐coordination mode and the chloride acts as bridging ligand. The metal–metal bond distances are very sensitive to the replacement of the CO with PEt3(triethylphosphine) with regard to the electron‐donation and electron π‐backdonation properties for the former and only to the electron‐donation for the later. This replacement impacts drastically the metal–metal bonding. Changing the metal from Cr to Fe increases the metal–metal bond distance, decreases the bond order and the oxidation sate of Fe, in agreement with the decrease of Wiberg bond indices (WBI) and Mayer bond order values (MBO). The findings showed that the Cl−and allyl−behave as 4‐electron donors, while Cp−and Ind−behave as 6–electron donors leading to outstanding electron properties stemming from different coordination, which are clarified by the σ‐donation and π‐backdonation properties, which are highlighted by the orbitals' populations and the energy decomposition analysis (EDA). Based on the aforementioned information, the chromium and iron complexes of Cl−and allyl−are of 22‐ and 24‐metal valence electrons (MVE), where those of Cp−and Ind−are of 26‐ and 28‐MVE, respectively. It is well noted that the metal–metal multiple bonding overcomes the electrons' deficiency.
Nonsingular fixed‐time fault‐tolerant attitude control for tailless flying wing aircraft with time‐varying flight envelope constraints
Authors: Yu Zhilong , Li Yinghui , Pei Binbin , Lv Maolong , Xu Wenfeng
Published: January 2023

This article investigates the fault‐tolerant attitude control problem for the tailless flying wing aircraft subject to time‐varying flight envelope constraints in the presence of the matched/mismatched disturbance, uncertain parameters, and time‐varying actuator failures. To handle these problems and improve the convergence rate of the attitude control system, a nonsingular fixed‐time convergent robust fault‐tolerant control methodology is proposed. First, the time‐varying barrier Lyapunov functions is introduced to confine the flight envelope within the predefined time‐varying compact set while ensuring the transient performance of the attitude tracking error. Subsequently, the fixed‐time sliding mode observer is designed to compensate for the matched/mismatched disturbance, uncertainties, and time‐varying actuator failures, meanwhile, by introducing an intermediate control law in the attitude controller, the singularity problem is avoided without utilizing any filters or continuous and differentiable piecewise functions. Further, it has been analytically proved that all signals of the closed‐loop system are bounded and converge to the residual set around the origin in a fixed time. Finally, simulations are conducted to illustrate the superiorities of the proposed scheme.
Assessing the occurrence of egg stranding for trout and salmon in a regulated river
Authors: Skoglund Helge , Vollset Knut Wiik , Wiers Tore , Barlaup Bjørn Torgeir
Published: January 2023

A key challenge in many regulated rivers is to define adequate flow levels to protect aquatic organisms. Provisioning of suitable flow can be pivotal bottlenecks for fishes such as salmon and trout that use the riverbed as an incubation habitat. Additionally, the locations where females spawn will define the probability that embryos will be dewatered during the incubation period in a regulated flow regime. We investigated the water flow, dewatering, and incubation mortality in Atlantic salmon and brown trout in natural nests over 19 years in the regulated Bjoreio River in western Norway. During the study period, different flow strategies were applied to mitigate the dewatering of incubating salmon and trout embryos. Average survival in nests sampled in late winter ranged from 54% to 92% among years and was significantly correlated with the minimum water flow occurring during the incubation period. Mortality was significantly higher in nests in shallow areas, reflecting nests exposed to dewatering. The results demonstrate a strong link between incubation mortality and managed flow regimes for river spawning salmonids. Using detailed information on the nest location and incubation mortality, we estimate minimum flow requirements for this river and demonstrate an approach to effectively mitigate the impact of river regulations on embryo survival in Atlantic salmon and brown trout.
Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework‐8 Triggers the Inhibition of Arginine Biosynthesis to Combat Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Authors: Liu Bo , Yang Yue , Wu Haiyan , Wang Sihan , Tian Jijing , Dai Chongshan , Liu Tianlong
Published: January 2023

The self‐preservation and intelligent survival abilities of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) result in the ineffective treatment of many antibiotics. Nano‐drug delivery systems have emerged as a new strategy to overcome MRSA infection. ZIF‐8 nanoparticles (ZIF‐8 NPs) exhibit good antibacterial activities, while its molecular mechanisms are largely elusive. In this study, the ZIF‐8 NPs are prepared using the room temperature solution reaction method. The values of minimum inhibitory concentration of ZIF‐8 NPs against Escherichia coli and MRSA isolates are 25 and 12.5 µg mL−1, respectively. Transcriptome and metabonomic analyses reveal that ZIF‐8 NPs could trigger the inhibition of arginine biosynthesis pathway and the production of ROS, which lead to dysfunctional tricarboxylic acid cycle and disruption of cell membrane integrity, eventually killing MRSA isolates. Moreover, ZIF‐8 NPs show desirable treatment and repair effects on mice model of MRSA isolates wound infected‐model. The results, for the first time, reveal that the inhibition of arginine biosynthesis mediates the production of ROS and energy metabolism dysfunction contributes to the antibacterial ability of ZIF‐8 NPs against MRSA. This study offers a new insight into ZIF‐8 NPs combating MRSA isolates.
Nanosecond Laser “Pulling” Patterning of Micro–Nano Structures on Zr‐Based Metallic Glass
Authors: Cui Mingming , Huang Hu , Zhang Lin , Yan Jiwang
Published: January 2023

Flexible and controllable fabrication of micro–nano structures on metallic glasses (MGs) endow them with more functional applications, but it is still challenging due to the unique mechanical, physical, and chemical properties of MGs. In this study, inspired by a new physical phenomenon observed in the nanosecond laser–MG interaction (i.e., the surface structure is transformed from the normally observed microgroove into the micro–nano bulge at a critical peak laser power intensity), a nanosecond laser “pulling” method is proposed to pattern the MG surface. The formation mechanism and evolution of the micro–nano bulge are investigated in detail, and accordingly, various micro–nano structures including the unidirectional stripe, pillar, cross‐hatch patterns, “JLU”, circle, triangle, and square, are derived and created on the MG surface, which affects the surface optical diffraction. Overall, this study provides a highly flexible and controllable method to fabricate micro–nano structures on MGs.
Recent Progress in Metal Phosphorous Chalcogenides: Potential High‐Performance Electrocatalysts
Authors: Zhang Hao , Wei Tianran , Qiu Yuan , Zhang Shusheng , Liu Qian , Hu Guangzhi , Luo Jun , Liu Xijun
Published: January 2023

Since the discovery of graphene, research on the family of 2D materials has been a thriving field. Metal phosphorous chalcogenides (MPX3) have attracted renewed attention due to their distinctive physical and chemical properties. The advantages of MPX3, such as tunable layered structures, unique electronic properties, thermodynamically appropriate band alignments and abundant catalytic active sites on the surface, make MPX3 material great potential in electrocatalysis. In this review, the applications of MPX3 electrocatalysts in recent years, including hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and oxygen reduction reaction, are summarized. Structural regulation, chemical doping and multi‐material composite that are often effective and practical research methods to further optimize the catalytic properties of these materials, are introduced. Finally, the challenges and opportunities for electrocatalytic applications of MPX3 materials are discussed. This report aims to advance future efforts to develop MPX3 and related materials for electrocatalysis.
2D Metal–Organic Frameworks as Competent Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting
Authors: Wang Chao‐Peng , Lin Yu‐Xuan , Cui Lei , Zhu Jian , Bu Xian‐He
Published: January 2023

Hydrogen, a clean and flexible energy carrier, can be efficiently produced by electrocatalytic water splitting. To accelerate the sluggish hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction kinetics in the splitting process, highly active electrocatalysts are essential for lowering the energy barriers, thereby improving the efficiency of overall water splitting. Combining the distinctive advantages of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with the physicochemical properties of 2D materials such as large surface area, tunable structure, accessible active sites, and enhanced conductivity, 2D MOFs have attracted intensive attention in the field of electrocatalysis. Different strategies, such as improving the conductivities of MOFs, reducing the thicknesses of MOF nanosheets, and integrating MOFs with conductive particles or substrates, are developed to promote the catalytic performances of pristine MOFs. This review summarizes the recent advances of pristine 2D MOF‐based electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. In particular, their intrinsic electrocatalytic properties are detailly analyzed to reveal important roles of inherent MOF active centers, or other in situ generated active phases from MOFs responsible for the catalytic reactions. Finally, the challenges and development prospects of pristine 2D MOFs for the future applications in overall water splitting are discussed.
Regulating Reversible Oxygen Electrocatalysis by Built‐in Electric Field of Heterojunction Electrocatalyst with Modified d‐Band
Authors: He Chaohui , Liu Qingqing , Wang Hongming , Xia Chenfeng , Li Fu‐Min , Guo Wei , Xia Bao Yu
Published: January 2023

Developing bifunctional catalysts for oxygen electrochemical reactions is essential for high‐performance electrochemical energy devices. Here, a Mott–Schottky heterojunction composed of porous cobalt–nitrogen–carbon (Co‐N‐C) polyhedra containing abundant metal‐phosphides for reversible oxygen electrocatalysis is reported. As a demonstration, this catalyst shows excellent activity in the oxygen electrocatalysis and thus delivers outstanding performance in rechargeable zinc‐air batteries (ZABs). The built‐in electric field in the Mott–Schottky heterojunction can promote electron transfer in oxygen electrocatalysis. More importantly, an appropriate d‐band center of the heterojunction catalyst also endows oxygen intermediates with a balanced adsorption/desorption capability, thus enhancing oxygen electrocatalysis and consequently improving the performance of ZABs. The work demonstrates an important design principle for preparing efficient multifunctional catalysts in energy conversion technologies.
Nano Delivery of Chemotherapeutic ICD Inducers for Tumor Immunotherapy
Authors: Guo Jianfeng , Zou Yifang , Huang Leaf
Published: January 2023

Immunogenic cell death (ICD, also known as immunogenic apoptosis) of malignant cells is confirmed to activate the host immune system to prevent, control, and eliminate tumors. Recently, a range of chemotherapeutic drugs have been repurposed as ICD inducers and applied for tumor immunotherapy. However, several hurdles to the widespread application of chemotherapeutic ICD inducers remain, namely poor water solubility, short blood circulation, non‐specific tissue distribution, and severe toxicity. Recent advances in nanotechnology and pharmaceutical formulation foster the development of nano drug delivery systems to tackle the aforementioned hurdles and expedite safe, effective, and specific delivery. This review will describe delivery barriers to chemical ICD inducers and highlight recent nanoformulations for these drugs in tumor immunotherapy.
Photochemically Etching BiVO4 to Construct Asymmetric Heterojunction of BiVO4/BiOx Showing Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Authors: Chen Xiangtao , Zhen Chao , Li Na , Jia Nan , Xu Xiaoxiang , Wang Lianzhou , Liu Gang
Published: January 2023

BiVO4 as a promising semiconductor candidate of the photoanode for solar driven water oxidation always suffers from poor charge carrier transport property and photo‐induced self‐corrosion. Herein, by intentionally taking advantage of the photo‐induced self‐corrosion process, a controllable photochemical etching method is developed to rationally construct a photoanode of BiVO4/BiOx asymmetric heterojunction from faceted BiVO4 crystal arrays. Compared with the BiVO4 photoanode, the resulting BiVO4/BiOx photoanode gains over three times enhancement in short‐circuit photocurrent density (≈3.2 mA cm−2) and ≈75 mV negative shift of photocurrent onset potential. This is due to the formation of the strong interacted homologous heterojunction, which promotes photo‐carrier separation and enlarges photovoltage across the interface. Remarkably, the photocurrent density can remain at ≈2.0 mA cm−2 even after 12 h consecutive operation, while only ≈0.1 mA cm−2 is left for the control photoanode of BiVO4. Moreover, the Faraday efficiency for water splitting is determined to be nearly 100% for the BiVO4/BiOx photoanode. The controllable photochemical etching process may shed light on the construction of homologous heterojunction on other photoelectrode materials that have similar properties to BiVO4.
Spatial and temporal variation in exploitation rates of the Louisiana blue crab spawning stock
Authors: Olmi-Graham Helen D. , Darnell M. Zachary
Published: January 2023

Objective

Blue crabs Callinectes sapidus support one of our nation's most valuable fisheries, and Louisiana has led national landings from 2012 to 2021. Fishery-independent estimates of abundance have declined in recent years; in 2015, the Louisiana spawning stock biomass reached the lowest point ever recorded. Management efforts for the blue crab spawning stock have been hindered by incomplete knowledge of the dynamics of natural and fishing mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine spatiotemporal variation in exploitation rates of the Louisiana blue crab spawning stock.

Methods

From 2016 to 2017, we conducted a mark–recapture study in three Louisiana estuaries. During this period, we tagged 6133 mature female blue crabs, of which 964 were recaptured. Exploitation rate estimates were calculated using recapture data. In 2018, Louisiana implemented a 2-month female harvest prohibition; to examine impacts of this harvest prohibition on exploitation rates of female blue crabs, we tagged additional females before, during, and after the harvest prohibition.

Result

Overall exploitation rate estimates for 2016–2017 ranged from 0.27 to 0.30 (i.e., 27–30%), but significant spatial and temporal variation was observed. During 2018, estimated exploitation rate without the harvest prohibition was 0.16–0.18, but with the prohibition, exploitation rate decreased to 0.08–0.09, indicating that this management action was effective in reducing mortality of mature females.

Conclusion

Nearly one-third of mature female blue crabs in southeastern Louisiana are captured in the fishery at some point during their life. The 2018 female harvest prohibition reduced exploitation rate of mature females by ~50%. These spatiotemporal estimates of exploitation rate will be directly applicable to future Louisiana blue crab management plans and stock assessments.
Commercialization of Ionic Liquids in Pursuit of Green Chemistry: Must we Each Become an Entrepreneur?
Authors: Shamshina Julia L. , Rogers Robin D.
Published: January 2023

There will be common challenges to scaling‐up any ionic liquids separations technologies which require very large volumes of ionic liquid. Some of these challenges are illustrated in this personal account which chronicles the extraction of chitin from shrimp shell from discovery to current commercialization efforts. The road being taken from discovery in an academic laboratory, through attempts to navigate the scaling‐up to commercial scale using the vehicle of a faculty startup company is rewarding, but fraught with roadblocks, detours, and unexpected challenges. The differences in ‘technically feasible’ and ‘commercially viable’ are not always evident from the beginning of the journey, however, one wonders what achievements we miss as a Society because it was assumed to not be commercially viable.
Ring‐Opening Fluorination of Carbo/Heterocycles and Aromatics: Construction of Complex and Diverse Fluorine‐Containing Molecules
Authors: Komatsuda Masaaki , Yamaguchi Junichiro
Published: January 2023

Fluorine‐containing molecules have attracted much attention in medicinal, agrochemical, and materials sciences because they offer unique physical and biological properties. Therefore, many efficient fluorination reactions have been developed over the years. Recent advancements in fluorination chemistry have expanded the range of substrates, and regioselectivity/stereoselectivity control has also been achieved. Ring‐opening fluorination is an efficient method to construct complex fluorine‐containing molecules with diversity, starting from simple cyclic compounds. This review aims to summarize developments in ring‐opening fluorination, particularly with larger‐sized cyclic compounds. Fluorine introduction and bond cleavage of cyclic compounds such as carbocycles, heterocycles, and aromatics provide efficient access to fluorine‐containing compounds that are difficult to be synthesized by conventional methods.
Can dolphins develop Alzheimer's disease?
Authors: Mills Georgina
Published: January 2023

Georgina Mills discusses research that raises the possibility of dementia in toothed dolphins.
Policy priorities: genetic technology, EMS, under care and more
Authors: Killeen Hannah
Published: January 2023

BVA policy and public affairs officer Hannah Killeen highlights some of the important issues BVA will be working on this year.
Remote patient monitoring using artificial intelligence: Current state, applications, and challenges
Authors: Shaik Thanveer , Tao Xiaohui , Higgins Niall , Li Lin , Gururajan Raj , Zhou Xujuan , Acharya U. Rajendra
Published: January 2023

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is growing rapidly. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is one of the common healthcare applications that assist doctors to monitor patients with chronic or acute illness at remote locations, elderly people in‐home care, and even hospitalized patients. The reliability of manual patient monitoring systems depends on staff time management which is dependent on their workload. Conventional patient monitoring involves invasive approaches which require skin contact to monitor health status. This study aims to do a comprehensive review of RPM systems including adopted advanced technologies, AI impact on RPM, challenges and trends in AI‐enabled RPM. This review explores the benefits and challenges of patient‐centric RPM architectures enabled with Internet of Things wearable devices and sensors using the cloud, fog, edge, and blockchain technologies. The role of AI in RPM ranges from physical activity classification to chronic disease monitoring and vital signs monitoring in emergency settings. This review results show that AI‐enabled RPM architectures have transformed healthcare monitoring applications because of their ability to detect early deterioration in patients' health, personalize individual patient health parameter monitoring using federated learning, and learn human behavior patterns using techniques such as reinforcement learning. This review discusses the challenges and trends to adopt AI to RPM systems and implementation issues. The future directions of AI in RPM applications are analyzed based on the challenges and trends.

This article is categorized under:

Application Areas > Health Care

Technologies > Artificial Intelligence

Technologies > Internet of Things
Contribution of LARES SLR Data to Co-estimated Earth Geopotential Coefficients
Authors: Geisser Linda , Meyer Ulrich , Arnold Daniel , Jäggi Adrian
Published: January 2023

The Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) processing at the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) is currently extended from the geodetic satellites LAGEOS-1/2 and Etalon-1/2 to also include LARES. The orbits are determined in 7-day arcs together with station coordinates, low-degree spherical harmonic (SH) coefficients of the Earth’s gravity field, Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP), geocenter variations and range biases for selected stations. Due to the lower orbital altitude, LARES experiences a more variable environment such that the orbit parametrization has to be adapted. In this paper, we present SLR solutions for 5 years with different orbit parametrizations for LARES, i.e., LARES 7-day arcs are either determined from one set of orbit parameters and stochastic pulses at fixed time-intervals, or by stacking of seven daily arcs with continuity conditions at the day boundaries, so-called long-arcs. Including LARES does slightly improve the ERP and does not degrade the quality of the estimated SH coefficients and station coordinates. Additionally, it allows co-estimating the SH coefficient C
30 and further low-degree SH coefficients.
The Shape of Global Technology Assessment
Authors: Ladikas Miltos , Hahn Julia , Hennen Leonhard , van Est Rinie , Peissl Walter , Lindner Ralf
Published: January 2023

This chapter draws tentative conclusions from the findings of the book contributions with regard to possible future ways to organise TA on a global scale. These considerations comprise a discussion of possible organisational shapes that can support the global interchange and sharing of TA capacities, and increase its political relevance and operability on a global level. Beyond such medium- and long-term aspirations, the outlook reflects on more short-term practical steps that could be taken within the globalTA Network to improve interchange of knowledge and expertise, engage in joint projects and mutually foster analytical and methodological capacities.
Technology Assessment and Public Spheres in the Context of Globalization: A Blueprint for the Future
Authors: van Est Rinie , Hennen Leonhard
Published: January 2023

The expression and discussion of ideas regarding common concerns and collective social interests create and happen in public spheres. This chapter reflects on the relationship between public spheres and technology assessment (TA) in the context of globalization. In doing so, we follow the all-affected principle, which implies that TA should take into account all kinds of people that are affected worldwide by science, technology, and innovation (STI). This chapter first examines the relationship between TA and public spheres that deal with the societal significance of STI from a national context, because both are mainly approached from the point of view of national political decision-making. We then reflect on public spheres in a context of globalization and describe how TA institutes, networks, and activities are organized beyond national borders. Next the link between public spheres and TA in a global context is studied. Finally, a blueprint for the future of global TA is sketched.
Technology Assessment in Developing Countries: The Case of India—Examples of Governmental and Informal TA
Authors: Srinivas Krishna Ravi , van Est Rinie
Published: January 2023

This chapter provides an overview of the TA landscape in India, as an example of TA in a developing country. We first reflect on the role and relevance of TA for developing countries in general. Next, we focus on India, where most TA-like activities and practices are organized by and for governmental agencies. Five examples of formally institutionalized governmental TA-like activities are given: governmental TA-like capabilities for technological foresight in general, for agricultural, medical and pollution abatement technologies in particular, and finally the only government-organized participatory TA regarding the introduction of a genetically modified eggplant. In addition, three informal TA-like grassroots activities are described: the Silent Valley movement, the System of Rice Intensification, and the Community Seed Banks. We conclude by reflecting on the TA landscape in India and drawing some lessons for the role and conditions for TA in developing countries.
Artificial Intelligence—A New Knowledge and Decision-Making Paradigm?
Authors: Huang Lei , Peissl Walter
Published: January 2023

Based on a large scale of technology application scenarios, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have disruptive impact on economies and societies. In recent years, breakthroughs have been made in basic research on the fundamental technologies of artificial intelligence. AI is showing greater potential to become a general-purpose technology. Major economies are focusing on policies, regulations, and strategic plans around basic research and R&D of technology application scenarios in AI. However, the optimization of AI policy-making demands more interdisciplinary knowledge and a broader societal debate. In the domain of technology assessment (TA), the research on AI and its potential impacts has been considered important already early. The research questions, which include impacts on the workforce as well as impacts on societal communication and democracy as well as fundamental issues like responsibility, transparency, and ethics, have drawn widespread attention from TA studies. This chapter presents a scholarly discussion of AI topics in the context of TA, based on a qualitative analysis of AI policy databases from the OECD and EPTA. The analysis concludes that enhancing global cooperation in TA will contribute to address fundamental ethical and societal issues of AI, which in turn broadens the knowledge base and helps to pave way for a more inclusive and just use of AI.
“Bubbling” and Topological Degeneration in the Calculus of Variations
Authors: Struwe Michael
Published: January 2023

After recalling first instances of “topological degeneration” and “bubbling” in geometric analysis we present current challenges in applications of variational methods to problems in this field.
Ein Clip zu viel
Authors: Felsner Marlene , Grubmüller Bernhard
Published: January 2023

Ein Patient mit Mainz-II-Pouch aufgrund eines muskelinvasiven Harnblasenkarzinoms wurde nach Nachsorgekolonoskopie mit De-novo-Hydronephrose links vorstellig. Ursächlich hierfür war eine Abtragung und Clippung der Neoostien als Polypen bei der Kolonoskopie. In einem Rendez-vous-Verfahren aus antegrader Ureterenoskopie und Kolonoskopie nach Nephrostomieanlage links konnte ein Gallengangstent zur Dilatation in das linke Neostium einlegt werden und der Harnabfluss wieder hergestellt werden, welcher nach Stentabgang permanent nachzuweisen war.
Topology optimization with advanced CNN using mapped physics-based data
Authors: Seo Junhyeon , Kapania Rakesh K.
Published: January 2023

This research proposes a new framework to develop an accurate machine-learning-based surrogate model to predict the optimum topological structures using an advanced encoder–decoder network, Unet, and Unet++. The trained surrogate model predicts the optimum structural layout as output by inputting the results from the initial static analysis without any iterative optimization calculations. Input and output data are generated using the commercial finite element analysis package, Abaqus/Standard, and an optimization package, Abaqus/Tosca. We applied the data augmentation technique to increase the amount of data without actual calculations. Primarily, this research focused on overcoming the weaknesses of previous studies that the trained network is only applicable to limited geometry variations and requires an organized grid rectangular mesh. Therefore, this study suggests a mapping process to convert the analysis data on any type of mesh element to a tensor form, which enables training and employing the network. Also, to increase the prediction accuracy, we trained the network with the labeled optimum material data using a binary segmented output, representing the structure and void regions in the domain. Finally, the trained networks are evaluated using the intersection over union (IoU) scores representing the classification accuracy. The best-performing network provides highly accurate results, and this model provided the IoU scores for average, maximum, and standard deviation as 90.0%, 99.8%, and 7.1%, respectively. Also, we apply it to solve local-global structural optimization problems, and the overall calculation time is reduced by 98%.
Energy consumption assessment in manufacturing Ti6Al4V electron beam melted parts post-processed by machining
Authors: Cozzolino Ersilia , Franchitti Stefania , Borrelli Rosario , Pirozzi Carmine , Astarita Antonello
Published: January 2023

The assessment of energy consumed in manufacturing operations and the enhancement of their sustainability plays a fundamental role in the present research contest. Electron beam melting (EBM) is an additive manufacturing technique that allows the fabrication of titanium parts with high productivity and a low buy-to-fly ratio; on the other hand, the roughness of the parts is not adequate for high-performance applications, so a finishing step is always required. Aiming to reduce the energy used to produce a part, all the required manufacturing steps should by carefully treated in an integrated framework. The aim of this paper is to study the energy required to produce a Ti6Al4V part printed through EBM and the machined to achieve the desired surface finishing. Cylindrical specimens have been printed through an Arcam machine by using the processing conditions suggested by the manufacturer; then, the specimens have been turned under different processing conditions. The energy required in all the phases has been recorded and then carefully analyzed to point out the processing conditions which allows a more efficient use of resources. The results showed that the printing phase is by far the most energy demanding so should be carefully treated to reduce the printing time even if a greater roughness is achieved; the analysis of the machining stage suggested that both depth of cut and spindle speed must be kept the higher as possible to reduce the energy consumption of this stage.