bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
To donate, or not to donate, that is the question: Latino insights into brain donation
Authors: Morlett Paredes Alejandra , Guareña Lesley A. , Stickel Ariana M. , Schairer Cynthia E. , González Hector M.
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Latinos are underrepresented in brain autopsy research on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The study's purpose is to identify Latinos’ attitudes about brain donation (BD) to inform methods by which researchers can increase autopsy consent.

Methods

Forty Latinos (mean age: 59.4 years) completed a semi‐structured interview and were presented with educational information about BD. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their understanding of BD and willingness to donate their brain for research.

Results

Among participants, there was near unanimous support for BD to study ADRD after hearing educational information. However, prior to the information presented, participants reported a lack of knowledge about BD and demonstrated a possibility that misunderstandings about BD may affect participation.

Discussion

While nearly all study participants agree that donating is beneficial for research and for future generations, the lack of BD information must be addressed to help support positive attitudes and willingness for participation.
Be4B12+: A Covalently Bonded Archimedean Beryllo‐Borospherene
Authors: Dong Xue , Liu Yu‐qian , Liu Xin‐bo , Pan Sudip , Cui Zhong‐hua , Merino Gabriel
Published: August 2022

A new class of beryllium‐boron clusters, beryllo‐borospherene, is described herein theoretically. When beryllium is gradually added to the B12 motif, it undergoes drastic structural modifications. The global minimum of the Be4B12+ cluster is an Archimedean beryllo‐borospherene in a 2A1 electronic ground state, composed of four boron triangles linked at each corner, resulting in a truncated tetrahedron with four B6 rings capped with four beryllium atoms. Beryllium forms strong bonding with the boron clusters through strong electrostatic and covalent interactions. For instance, the bonding between a beryllium atom and Be3B12 unit is best described as a Be+ fragment in a 2P excited state forming a strong and polarized electron‐sharing bond with Be3B12, followed by several dative interactions by employing its vacant s, p, and very high‐lying d orbitals. Counterintuitively, for an s‐block element, the p orbitals of beryllium are the most crucial atomic orbitals for bonding rather than s orbitals.
Improving the through‐thickness electrical conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites using interleaving conducting veils
Authors: Waqas Muhammad , Robert Colin , Arif Urwah , Radacsi Norbert , Ray Dipa , Koutsos Vasileios
Published: August 2022

In this study, thin carbon fiber‐based conducting veils were used as interleaving materials to improve the through‐thickness electrical conductivity of carbon fiber reinforced composites. Carbon fiber (CF) or nickel‐coated carbon fiber (NiCF) veils were used as interlayers between standard carbon fiber reinforcement fabrics. The through‐thickness electrical conductivity of the interleaved composites with CF or NiCF veils improved over 50 fold, from 0.18 to 9.47 and 9.16 S/cm, respectively, compared to the control specimens. However, the interleaved specimens exhibited a ca. 20%–24% reduction in their interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and flexural strength. The introduction of conducting veils facilitated establishing an electrical pathway between the carbon fabric plies by reducing the non‐conducting resin rich zone in the interlaminar region. This established an electrically conductive pathway across the thickness of the laminate. This study reveals that conducting veil‐interleaved composites can meet a functional integration requirement of the aerospace sector for electrical properties, and can find applications in lightning protection, EMI shielding, and structural health monitoring.
Numerical simulations on thermomechanical performance of 3D printed chopped carbon fiber‐reinforced polyamide‐6 composites: Effect of infill design
Authors: Al Rashid Ans , Koç Muammer
Published: August 2022

3D printing (3DP) of polymer composite products and solutions mainly relies on experimental techniques for research & development and product/process/system understanding. Several studies experimentally investigated the effect of infill patterns and densities on the mechanical performance of 3D printed polymer composites. However, due to the unlimited design flexibility of 3DP processes and polymer composite recipes, it is vital to explore numerical simulation tools to speed up research and development time and reduce costs. In this study, we present the development of computational modeling for 3D printed polymer composites using a numerical simulation tool (Digimat‐AM®) to predict the fused filament fabrication process‐induced deflections, residual stresses, and warpage in 3D printed specimens. Digimat‐AM® provides a platform to simulate the fabrication of 3D printed parts, which can assist the designers, engineers, and researchers to predict the manufacturing and resulting product issues beforehand. This study aims to understand the effect of different infill patterns and densities on deflections, residual stresses, warpage, and mechanical properties on 3D printed samples. A significant impact of infill pattern and density is observed on deflections, residual stresses, and warpages from numerical simulation results. In addition, the mechanical testing simulations were performed on the specimens with 3DP process‐induced defects obtained from the process simulation results. Finally, the numerical simulation results for mechanical testing were validated and compared with physical testing on 3D printed specimens. The results found a satisfactory agreement where differences remain with an acceptable range of 0.22%–7.27%.
Experimental quantification of multiple point‐source pollution effects on juvenile freshwater mussels in a stream exposure gradient
Authors: Barák Vojtěch , Jahelková Václava , Simon Ondřej , Bílý Michal , Douda Karel
Published: August 2022

Population declines in freshwater mussels (Unionida) resulting from failed recruitment, together with episodic water pollution potentially leading to juvenile mussel mortality, are often suspected (but rarely well documented), even in the most strictly protected aquatic areas.

The aim of this study was to test a robust design for an in situ investigation of the water pollution effects on juvenile freshwater pearl mussel (FPM, Margaritifera margaritifera) in the protected Malše River (Czech Republic), which acts as a model system. A 30‐km river reach was delineated to include a section with previously recorded episodic multiple point‐source pollution events, as well as downstream and upstream control sections. Juvenile FPMs in open water mesh cages were exposed to river water at 15 sites in 42 exposure units (342 juveniles in individual chambers), and their survival and shell growth were assessed after a 33‐day period of low‐flow and high‐temperature conditions. The main physicochemical indicators related to municipal water pollution were measured weekly.

The study results confirmed significantly impaired water quality indicated by episodic changes in total ammonia nitrogen (up to 1.037 mg L−1), total phosphorus (up to 0.516 mg L−1) and oxygen saturation (down to 75.0%) in the impaired section. While the growth of FPM (corrected for temperature effects) was significantly increased (shell length increment: 32.7 ± 9.7% – impaired, 26.4 ± 10.0% – control sections; mean ± SD), the survival (mean ± SD) of juveniles was significantly decreased in the impaired section (86.4 ± 12.5%) compared with the control sections (97.4 ± 5.7%).

This study has demonstrated the capacity of applying a caged bivalve model at a fine spatial scale within a longitudinal river profile to document the impacts of water pollution. The methodology applied here may provide a useful tool for assessing and improving the level of water quality management and is applicable in FPM action plans and stream biotope conservation in general.
Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel 3,4‐isoxazolediamide derivatives for the combination treatment of azole‐resistant candidiasis
Authors: Liu Lei , Sun Yixiang , Gao Zixuan , Yin Wenbo , Jiang Hong , Wu Tianxiao , Sun Yin , Qin Qiaohua , Zhao Dongmei , Cheng Maosheng
Published: August 2022

Invasive fungal infections are emerging as serious infectious diseases worldwide. Due to the frequent emergence of resistance, the cure for invasive fungal infections is often unachievable. The molecular chaperone Hsp90 provides a promising target because it supports survival, virulence, and drug resistance in a variety of pathogens. Herein, we report on the structural optimization and structure–activity relationship studies of 3,4‐isoxazolediamide analogs. As a new class of fungal Hsp90 inhibitor, compound B25 was found to have good synergistic effects with fluconazole and to avoid potential mammalian toxicity. It also showed remarkable metabolic stability in vitro. Collectively, B25 could be a promising lead compound for drug discovery targeting fungal Hsp90 and deserves further investigation.
Mechanistic study of the antibacterial potential of the prenylated flavonoid auriculasin against Escherichia coli
Authors: Mohamed Malik S. , Abdelkader Karim , Gomaa Hesham A. M. , Batubara Afnan S. , Gamal Mohammed , Sayed Ahmed M.
Published: August 2022

Bacterial resistance is spreading in an alarming manner, outpacing the rate of development of new antibacterial agents and surging the need for effective alternatives. Prenylated flavonoids are a promising class of natural antibiotics with reported activity against a wide range of resistant pathogens. Here, a large library of natural flavonoids (1718 structures) was virtually screened for potential candidates inhibiting the B‐subunit of gyrase (Gyr‐B). Twenty‐eight candidates, predominated by prenylated flavonoids, appeared as promising hits. Six of them were selected for further in vitro antibacterial and Gyr‐B enzyme inhibitory activities. Auriculasin is presented as the most potent antibacterial candidate, with a MIC ranging from 2 to 4 µg/ml against two clinically isolated multidrug‐resistant Escherichia coli strains. Mechanistic antibacterial analysis revealed auriculasin inhibitory activity towards the Gyr‐B enzyme on the micromolar scale (IC50 = 0.38 ± 0.15 µM). Gyr‐B interaction was further detailed by conducting an isothermal titration calorimetric experiment, which revealed a competitive inhibition with a high affinity for the Gyr‐B active site, achieved mostly through enthalpic interactions (ΔGbinding = −10.69 kcal/mol). Molecular modeling and physics‐based simulations demonstrated the molecule's manner of fitting inside the Gyr‐B active site, indicating a very potential nucleus for the future generation of more potent derivatives. To conclude, prenylated flavonoids are interesting antibacterial candidates with anti‐Gyr‐B mechanism of action that can be obtained from a plant‐derived flavonoid.
Label‐free Sensing of Main Protease Activity of SARS‐CoV‐2 with an Aerolysin Nanopore
Authors: Zhou Xin , Tang Ruping , Li Yusen , Zhang Shusheng , Xi Dongmei
Published: August 2022

The main protease (Mpro), which is highly conserved and plays a critical role in the replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), is a natural biomarker for SARS‐CoV‐2. Accurate assessment of the Mpro activity is crucial for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2. Herein, we report a nanopore‐based sensing strategy that uses an enzyme‐catalyzed cleavage reaction of a peptide substrate to measure the Mpro activity. The peptide was specifically cleaved by the Mpro, thereby releasing the output products that, when translocated through aerolysin, quantitatively produced the signature current events. The proposed method exhibited high sensitivity, allowing the detection of Mpro concentrations as low as 1 nM without the use of any signal amplification techniques. This simple, convenient, and label‐free nanopore assay may expand the diagnostic tools for viruses.
Risk of exposure to prescription opioids in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A nationwide longitudinal study
Authors: Hsu Ju‐Wei , Tsai Shih‐Jen , Bai Ya‐Mei , Huang Kai‐Lin , Su Tung‐Ping , Chen Tzeng‐Ji , Chen Mu‐Hong
Published: August 2022

Whether children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to be exposed to prescription opioids than others remains unknown. The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was employed, and 14,849 children and adolescents with ASD and 148,490 age‐ and sex‐matched non‐ASD controls were enrolled between 2001 and 2009 and followed up till the end of 2011. Those exposed to prescription opioids during the follow‐up period were identified. Patients with ASD were more likely to be exposed to prescription opioids (hazard ratio [HR]: 4.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.50–5.45), including intravenous or intramuscular opioids (HR: 5.80, 95% CI: 5.23–6.43) and oral or transcutaneous opioids (HR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.87–2.89), than were non‐ASD controls. Furthermore, the ASD cohort had the increased likelihood of cumulative exposure of >14 days (HR: 6.19, 95% CI: 4.91–7.79) and >30 days (HR: 7.17, 95% CI: 5.19–9.90) to prescription opioids compared with the control cohort. ASD was a risk factor for exposure to prescription opioids. Close monitoring of prescription opioid use is necessary for at‐risk children and adolescents with ASD, such as those having with or chronic pain. We found that patients with ASD were more likely to be exposed to prescription opioids, including intravenous or intramuscular opioids and oral or transcutaneous opioids, than were non‐ASD controls. We suggest that close monitoring of prescription opioid use is necessary for at‐risk children and adolescents with ASD, such as those having with or chronic pain.
Reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of maternal exposure to dinotefuran in the F1‐generation mice
Authors: Tanaka Toyohito , Tada Yukie , Suzuki Jin
Published: August 2022

Background

Few studies were found on the neurobehavioral toxicity of dinotefuran in mammals. This study was designed to evaluate the reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of maternal exposure to dinotefuran in mice.

Methods

Dinotefuran was given in the diet at levels of 0% (control), 0.012% (18.2–50.6 mg/kg body weight [bw]/day), 0.03% (44.2–125.8 mg/kg bw/day), and 0.075% (111.3–311.0 mg/kg bw/day) in females (10/group) during the gestation (gestation day 1–5 to 15–19) and lactation periods (lactation day 0 to 24–28). Selected reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters were measured in the F1 generation.

Results

Litter size and litter weight significantly increased in the high‐dose group. The average body weight of male and female offspring increased in treatment groups at postnatal day (PND) 21. In female offspring, surface righting on PND 4 was delayed in higher‐dose groups. Cliff avoidance on PND 7 was delayed in a dose‐related trend. The route of olfactory orientation on PND 14 was delayed in the high‐dose group. For exploratory behavior of the F1 generation, the frequencies of mice with urination increased in a dose‐related trend in male offspring. In female offspring, the related variables of rearing increased in dose‐related manners. The average rearing time lengthened and the number of defecations increased in the high‐dose group in adult males. In adult females, the rearing time shortened in the high‐dose group. Several variables differed in the high‐dose group for spontaneous behavior in adult females.

Conclusions

The dose levels of dinotefuran produced several adverse effects on neurobehavioral parameters in mice.
The glow of the night: The tapetum lucidum as a co‐adaptation for the inverted retina
Authors: Vee Samantha , Barclay Gerald , Lents Nathan H.
Published: August 2022

The vertebrate retina is said to be inverted because the photoreceptors are oriented in the posterior direction and are thus unable to maximize photodetection under conditions of low illumination. The tapetum lucidum is a photoreflective structure located posterior to the photoreceptors in the eyes of some fish and terrestrial animals. The tapetum reflects light forward, giving incident photons a “second chance” to collide with a photoreceptor, substantially enhancing retinal photosensitivity in dim light. Across vertebrates (and arthropods), there are a wide variety of tapeta that vary in structure, chemical composition, and even tissue architecture, indicating repeated convergent evolution. To date, the tapetum has not been observed in any cephalopod, however, which also possess a camera‐like eye, but with the retinal photoreceptors oriented in the anterior direction. We therefore hypothesize that the tapetum lucidum is a compensatory adaptation for the suboptimal design of the inverted retina of vertebrates.
Causality in transcription and genome folding: Insights from X inactivation
Authors: Bauer Moritz , Payer Bernhard , Filion Guillaume J.
Published: August 2022

The spatial organization of genomes is becoming increasingly understood. In mammals, where it is most investigated, this organization ties in with transcription, so an important research objective is to understand whether gene activity is a cause or a consequence of genome folding in space. In this regard, the phenomena of X‐chromosome inactivation and reactivation open a unique window of investigation because of the singularities of the inactive X chromosome. Here we focus on the cause–consequence nexus between genome conformation and transcription and explain how recent results about the structural changes associated with inactivation and reactivation of the X chromosome shed light on this problem.
Inclusion of COVID‐19 as a topic in an undergraduate biotechnology course
Authors: Balinado Lloyd O. , Dapula Karl John C.
Published: August 2022

The novelty of the COVID‐19 disease has paved the way to numerous scientific studies that aim to further understand its biology, and to different strategies that disseminate this information to promote public awareness. One of the strategies that the academe can employ is the inclusion of COVID‐19 as a topic in a basic biotechnology course. This not just helps students better understand this disease, but it also makes them an effective medium in the dissemination of relevant COVID‐19 knowledge.
Adherence to Guideline‐Recommended cancer screening among Utah cancer survivors
Authors: Millar Morgan M. , Edwards Sandra L. , Herget Kimberly A. , Orleans Brian , Ofori‐Atta Blessing S. , Kirchhoff Anne C. , Carter Marjorie E. , Nagata Marie , Sweeney Carol
Published: August 2022

Background

Adherence to cancer screening is important for cancer survivors because they are at high risk of subsequent cancer diagnoses or recurrence. We assessed adherence to breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer‐(CRC)‐screening guidelines and evaluated demographic disparities among a population‐based sample of survivors.

Methods

A representative sample of Utah survivors diagnosed from 2012–2018 with any reportable invasive cancer was selected from central cancer registry records for a survey about survivorship needs. We estimated the proportion of eligible survivors adhering to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force screening guidelines and calculated risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Analyses were age‐adjusted and weighted to account for sample design and nonresponse.

Results

And 1421 survivors completed the survey (57.2% response rate). Screening adherence was 74.4% for breast, 69.4% for cervical, and 79.7% for CRC. Rural residents were more likely to adhere to breast cancer screening than urban residents (86.1% vs. 72.7%; adjusted RR = 1.19, CI = 1.05, 1.36). Higher educational attainment was associated with increased adherence to cervical and colorectal cancer screening. Younger age was associated with greater adherence to cervical cancer screening (p = 0.006) but lower adherence to CRC screening (p = 0.003). CRC screening adherence was lower among the uninsured and those without a primary care provider (45.6%) compared to those with a regular provider (83.0%; adjusted RR = 0.57, CI = 0.42, 0.79).

Conclusions

Surveys based on samples from central cancer registries can provide population estimates to inform cancer control. Findings demonstrate work is needed to ensure all Utah cancer survivors obtain recommended cancer screenings. Efforts should focus particularly on increasing uptake of breast and cervical cancer screening and reducing demographic disparities in CRC screening.

Precis

Despite high risk for subsequent cancer diagnosis, Utah cancer survivors are not all obtaining recommended breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screenings. This presents a significant healthcare gap.
Quantifying Diffusion‐limited Catalytic Reactions in Hierarchically Structured Porous Materials by Combining Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulations with the Two‐region Model of Diffusion
Authors: Hwang Seungtaik , Schneider Daniel , Haase Jürgen , Miersemann Erich , Kärger Jörg
Published: August 2022

The use of hierarchically organized nanoporous materials has proven to be well suited for counteracting transport hindrance in micropores and the resulting reduction in their technological performance. As a typical example, we consider materials with the structure of mesoporous zeolites, where a microporous continuum is traversed by a network of mesopores. Mass transfer in such material has recently been shown to be effectively quantitated by application of the two‐region approach of diffusion (the “Kärger model”). It operates with the diffusivities in the two pore spaces, their relative occupations and the mutual exchange rates as the only free parameters. In the present paper, the validity of this approach for the combined consideration of mass transfer and catalytic conversion in such materials will be confirmed by comparison with the outcome of kinetic Monte Carlo simulations.
A global online study of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative disorders
Authors: Panegyres Peter K. , Russell Jodi , Chen Huei‐Yang , Panegyres Mariella
Published: August 2022

Background

The objective of this study was to understand the uptake of hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in neuroimmunological disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS).

Method

An independent University affiliated research organization conducted a global online survey of people having had HSCT, examining demographics, treatment protocol, and effectiveness.

Results

Of 271 participants, useful data were available in 223; women aged 35–54 accounted for 73.5%. Most had a household income greater than US$50,000, and the majority of participants were from Australia and the United States. Nearly 94.6% of people suffer from MS. Most had their treatment in Russia (38.7%) and 78.1% had nonmyeloablative transplants. Nearly half of the participants spent between US$50,000 to US$74,999. There were 54.5% of neurologists who did not support their patients having HSCT. Around 85.5% of participants believed HSCT helped them manage their disease from weeks to years after transplantation, and treatment was recommended by 9.5% of participants. The average reduction in Expanded Disability Status Score after transplantation was 1.2 (95% CI: 0.97–1.41; N = 197; p < 0.01; t: 10.7, df: 196).

Conclusion

Participants were supportive of HSCT despite the costs and would recommend it to others. The data suggest some benefit in minimizing disability in MS and provides justification for large randomized controlled trials.
Lattice Strain Enhances the Activity of Ir−IrO2/C for Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Wang Meng , Zhu Wenxiang , Ma Mengjie , Fan Zhenglong , Yang Junjun , Liao Fan , Shao Mingwang
Published: August 2022

Lattice strain plays a critical role in regulating the electronic structure and improving the performance of catalysts. Here, Ir−IrO2/C catalysts with different iridium content are obtained by annealing Ir/C in air. The growth of IrO2 on Ir nanoparticles can form a core–shell structure and introduces strain at their interface. The local compressive strain on Ir nanoparticles is 7.2 % in the optimal Ir−IrO2/C sample with Ir content of 14.3 % (Ir−IrO2/C‐3), which regulates the adsorption energy of intermediates and improves the catalytical performance of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The overpotential of Ir−IrO2/C‐3 at 10 mA ⋅ cm−2 is 264 mV in acidic electrolyte, 35 mV lower than that of Ir−IrO2/C with no lattice strain. Ir−IrO2/C‐3 also exhibits the highest mass activity of 1304 A ⋅ gIr−1 at 1.55 V vs. RHE, which is higher than those of commercial catalysts. Furthermore, the activity of Ir−IrO2/C‐3 can maintain 42 h with the potential increase of only 18 mV at 10 mA ⋅ cm−2, proving that the lattice strain can also effectively improve the electrochemical stability.
Fabrication of Nb2O5/Carbon Submicrostructures for Advanced Lithium‐Ion Battery Anodes
Authors: Yuan Jujun , He Haishan , Li Xiaofan , Gan Yunfei , Mu Meiqi , Yu Huajun , Kuang F. , Li Xiaokang , Zhang Xianke , Liu Jun
Published: August 2022

Nb2O5 possesses superior fast Li+ storage capability for LIB anodes, benefiting from its fast pseudocapacitive behavior and low volumetric change within the cycling processes. However, the poor electric conductivity for Nb2O5 restricts its reaction kinetics and rate property. Herein, Nb2O5/carbon (C) submicrostructures are fabricated by solvothermal method followed by calcination process. The Nb2O5/C submicrostructures exhibit outstanding rate behavior and cyclic performance (332 (194) mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 (5) A g−1). The superior electrochemical property is attributed to the distinctive structure for Nb2O5/C submicrostructures, in which Nb2O5 nanoparticles uniformly distributed within Nb2O5/C composite can protect Nb2O5 nanoparticles from agglomeration, and the porous carbon matrix can enhance electron/ion conductivity. This work furnishes a novel strategy for fabricating Nb2O5/C submicrostructures with superior Li+ storage performance, which can be potentially used to design other metal oxide/C submicrostructures for second battery anode.
Divide and conquer for accelerated failure time model with massive time‐to‐event data
Authors: Su Wen , Yin Guosheng , Zhang Jing , Zhao Xingqiu
Published: August 2022

Big data present new theoretical and computational challenges as well as tremendous opportunities in many fields. In health care research, we develop a novel divide‐and‐conquer (DAC) approach to deal with massive and right‐censored data under the accelerated failure time model, where the sample size is extraordinarily large and the dimension of predictors is large but smaller than the sample size. Specifically, we construct a penalized loss function by approximating the weighted least squares loss function by combining estimation results without penalization from all subsets. The resulting adaptive LASSO penalized DAC estimator enjoys the oracle property. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed DAC procedure performs well and also reduces the computation time with satisfactory performance compared with estimation results using the full data. Our proposed DAC approach is applied to a massive dataset from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.
Genomic and biological aspects of resistance to selective poly(ADP‐ribose) glycohydrolase inhibitor PDD00017273 in human colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Tsuda Kaede , Kurasaka Chinatsu , Ogino Yoko , Sato Akira
Published: August 2022

Background

Poly(ADP‐ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) is a key enzyme in poly(ADP‐ribose) (PAR) metabolism and a potential anticancer target. Many drug candidates have been developed to inhibit its enzymatic activity. Additionally, PDD00017273 is an effective and selective inhibitor of PARG at the first cellular level.

Aims

Using human colorectal cancer (CRC) HCT116 cells, we investigated the molecular mechanisms and tumor biological aspects of the resistance to PDD00017273.

Methods and results

HCT116RPDD, a variant of the human CRC cell line HCT116, exhibits resistance to the PARG inhibitor PDD00017273. HCT116RPDD cells contained specific mutations of PARG and PARP1, namely, PARG mutation Glu352Gln and PARP1 mutation Lys134Asn, as revealed by exome sequencing. Notably, the levels of PARG protein were comparable between HCT116RPDD and HCT116. In contrast, the PARP1 protein levels in HCT116RPDD were significantly lower than those in HCT116. Consequently, the levels of intracellular poly(ADP‐ribosyl)ation were elevated in HCT116RPDD compared to HCT116. Interestingly, HCT116RPDD cells did not exhibit cross‐resistance to COH34, an additional PARG inhibitor.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the mutated PARG acquires PDD00017273 resistance due to structural modifications. In addition, our findings indicate that PDD00017273 resistance induces mutation and PARP downregulation. These discoveries collectively provide a better understanding of the anticancer candidate PARG inhibitors in terms of resistance mechanisms and anticancer strategies.
Optimization assisted convolutional neural network for detection of thyroid
Authors: T Suresh , Z Brijet
Published: August 2022

This research work endeavor to suggest a new thyroid detection system that involves three main processes like segmentation, feature extraction, and detection. Initially, for the segmentation process, an improved watershed algorithm is proposed. Besides, from the segmented image, it extracted the texture features that comprises local binary patterns, modified GLCM feature, local tetra pattern features, together with the statistical features. Primarily, the extracted features are given as an input to convolutional neural network (CNN) for the final detection result. For making the detection more accurate, the training of deep CNN is performed via a new deer encircling included gray wolf optimization model for optimal weights tuning. The adopted hybrid algorithm combines gray wolf optimization and deer hunting optimization algorithm. At last, the outcomes of the adopted scheme is validated with the extant approaches under various metrics.
Predictive value of the feeling of emptiness in suicidal behaviour of emotionally unstable disorders
Authors: López‐Villatoro Jose Manuel , Shimano Rita , Prittwitz Clara , De la Torre Alejandro , Diaz‐Marsá Marina , Carrasco José Luis
Published: August 2022

Purpose

This study investigates the feeling of emptiness in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and patients with eating disorder (ED) and its relationship with suicidal behaviour and childhood traumatic events.

Methodology

One hundred three BPD patients and 107 ED patients were assessed with the Feeling of Emptiness Scale (FES) and the Traumatic Experiences Questionnaire (TQ). Suicidal behaviour was assessed with a specific interview for frequency and intensity of suicidal behaviour.

Results

Significant differences were found between the different factors of the FES between BPD patients and ED patients. A significant relationship was observed between Factors 1 and 4 of the FES and suicidal behaviour scores in both groups. Traumatic experiences were more strongly related to Factors 1, 2 and 4 in BPD patients.

Conclusions

BPD patients and ED patients show similar scores in the global construct of feeling of emptiness. However, results suggest some qualitatively difference between the nature of feeling of emptiness in BPD and in ED. As expected, suicidal behaviour is most frequently in BPD patients, and is significantly associated with Factors 1 and 4 of the FES in both groups. Therefore, feeling of emptiness could be a predictor of suicidal behaviours in patients with emotional and behavioural instability.
Hardware implementation of a strong pseudorandom number generator based block‐cipher system for color image encryption and decryption
Authors: Gafsi Mohamed , Amdouni Rim , Hajjaji Mohamed Ali , Mtibaa Abdellatif , Bourennane El‐Bey
Published: August 2022

This paper proposed a hardware architecture of a strong block‐cipher system dedicated to digital image encryption and decryption. On the one hand, a pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) based on two 3D chaotic systems is created to produce strong keys. On the other hand, a robust algorithm is proposed to ensure high‐level security and low computational complexity of image encryption. The algorithm performs image encryption mainly through three processes: pixel values hiding by applying the XOR operation with a key, pixel positions hiding by operating random permutation, and pixel substitution using the S‐box method. To increase the complexity, R rounds of encryption could be accomplished in a loop. Then as a final step, using the Xilinx Vivado/system generator tool, the hardware cryptosystem is developed, implemented, and evaluated on an FPGA‐Zynq evaluation board. According to the synthesis results, the suggested hardware system performs on a reduced FPGA area and gives a good frequency of 156.813 MHz with a high throughput of 20,072.064 Mbps. Several tools and tests utilizing various images are used to evaluate and analyze the hardware cryptosystem. The experimental results show that the hardware implementation has higher performance compared to other recent works.
Differentiating single cervical cells by mitochondrial fluorescence imaging and deep learning‐based label‐free light scattering with multi‐modal static cytometry
Authors: Liu Shanshan , Chu Ran , Xie Jinmei , Song Kun , Su Xuantao
Published: August 2022

Cervical cancer is a high‐risk disease that threatens women's health globally. In this study, we developed the multi‐modal static cytometry that adopted different features to classify the typical human cervical epithelial cells (H8) and cervical cancer cells (HeLa). With the light‐sheet static cytometry, we obtain brightfield (BF) images, fluorescence (FL) images and two‐dimensional (2D) light scattering (LS) patterns of single cervical cells. Three feature extraction methods are used to extract multi‐modal features based on different data characteristics. Analysis and classification of morphological and textural features demonstrate the potential of intracellular mitochondria in cervical cancer cell classification. The deep learning method is used to automatically extract deep features of label‐free LS patterns, and an accuracy of 76.16% for the classification of the above two kinds of cervical cells is obtained, which is higher than the other two single modes (BF and FL). Our multi‐modal static cytometry uses a variety of feature extraction and analysis methods to provide the mitochondria as promising internal biomarkers for cervical cancer diagnosis, and to show the promise of label‐free, automatic classification of early cervical cancer with deep learning‐based 2D light scattering.
On monocytes and lymphocytes biolens clustering by in flow holographic microscopy
Authors: Běhal Jaromír , Pirone Daniele , Sirico Daniele , Bianco Vittorio , Mugnano Martina , del Giudice Danila , Cavina Beatrice , Kurelac Ivana , Memmolo Pasquale , Miccio Lisa , Ferraro Pietro
Published: August 2022

Live cells act as biological lenses and can be employed as real‐world optical components in bio‐hybrid systems. Imaging at nanoscale, optical tweezers, lithography and also photonic waveguiding are some of the already proven functionalities, boosted by the advantage that cells are fully biocompatible for intra‐body applications. So far, various cell types have been studied for this purpose, such as red blood cells, bacterial cells, stem cells and yeast cells. White Blood Cells (WBCs) play a very important role in the regulation of the human body activities and are usually monitored for assessing its health. WBCs can be considered bio‐lenses but, to the best of our knowledge, characterization of their optical properties have not been investigated yet. Here, we report for the first time an accurate study of two model classes of WBCs (i.e., monocytes and lymphocytes) by means of a digital holographic microscope coupled with a microfluidic system, assuming WBCs bio‐lens characteristics. Thus, quantitative phase maps for many WBCs have been retrieved in flow‐cytometry (FC) by achieving a significant statistical analysis to prove the enhancement in differentiation among sphere‐like bio‐lenses according to their sizes (i.e., diameter d) exploiting intensity parameters of the modulated light in proximity of the cell optical axis. We show that the measure of the low intensity area (S: ) in a fixed plane, is a feasible parameter for cell clustering, while achieving robustness against experimental misalignments and allowing to adjust the measurement sensitivity in post‐processing. 2D scatterplots of the identified parameters (d‐S) show better differentiation respect to the 1D case. The results show that the optical focusing properties of WBCs allow the clustering of the two populations by means of a mere morphological analysis, thus leading to the new concept of cell‐optical‐fingerprint avoiding fluorescent dyes. This perspective can open new routes in biomedical sciences, such as the chance to find optical‐biomarkers at single cell level for label‐free diagnosis.
Valproic acid determination by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) in whole blood for forensic purposes
Authors: Pascali Jennifer P. , Giorgetti Arianna , Barone Rossella , Pelletti Guido , Fais Paolo
Published: August 2022

Valproic acid (VPA) is a well‐known drug prescribed as anti‐epileptic. It has a narrow therapeutic range and shows great individual differences in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Consequently, the therapeutical drug monitoring (TDM) in patient's plasma is of crucial importance. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) has gained importance in TDM applications for its features of sensitivity, selectivity and rapidity. However, in case of VPA, the LC–MS/MS selectivity could be hampered by the lack of a sufficient number of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions describing the molecule. In fact, the product ion scan of deprotonated molecules of VPA does not produce any ion and thus most LC–MS/MS methods are based on the detection of the unique MRM transition m/z 143➔143. In this way, the advantages of selectivity in LC–MS cannot be effectively exploited. In the present method, stable analyte adducts were exploited for the determination of VPA in blood. An Acquity HSS C18 column and mobile phases consisting of 5‐mM ammonium formate and acetonitrile both added 0.1% formic acid were used. Source worked in negative acquisition mode and parameters were optimized to increase the adduct (m/z 189) and dimer (m/z 287) stability, and their fragmentation were used to increase the selectivity of MRM detection. The method has been validated according to the toxicological forensic guidelines and successfully applied to 10 real blood samples. Finally, the present method showed suitable for the rapid LC–MS/MS detection of VPA in whole blood, demonstrating the possibility to increase specificity by exploiting stable in‐source adducts. This should be considered of utmost importance in the case of forensic applications.
Does a specialist typeface affect how fluently children with and without dyslexia process letters, words, and passages?
Authors: Joseph Holly , Powell Daisy
Published: August 2022

Children with dyslexia are at risk of poor academic attainment and lower life chances if they do not receive the support they need. Alongside phonics‐based interventions which already have a strong evidence base, specialist dyslexia typefaces have been offered as an additional or alternative form of support. The current study examined whether one such typeface, Dyslexie, had a benefit over a standard typeface in identifying letters, reading words, and reading passages. 71 children, aged 8–12 years, 37 of whom had a diagnosis of dyslexia, completed a rapid letter naming task, a word reading efficiency task, and a passage reading task in two typefaces, Dyslexie and Calibri. Spacing between letters and words was kept constant. Results showed no differences in word or passage reading between the two typesfaces, but letter naming did appear to be more fluent when letters were presented in Dyslexie rather than Calibri text for all children. The results suggest that a typeface in which letters are designed to be distinctive from one another may be beneficial for letter identification and that an intervention in which children are taught letters in a specialist typeface is worthy of consideration.
Towards a continent‐wide ecological site condition database using calibrated expert evaluations
Authors: White Matthew D. , Hollings Tracey , Sinclair Steve J. , Williams Kristen J. , Dickson Fiona , Brenton Peter , Raisbeck‐Brown Nat , Warnick Amy , Lyon Peter , Mokany Karel , Liu Canran , Pirzl Rebecca
Published: August 2022

A cost‐effective way of undertaking comprehensive, continental‐scale, assessments of ecological condition is needed to support large‐scale conservation planning, monitoring, reporting, and decision‐making. Currently, cross‐jurisdictional inconsistency in assessment methods limits the capacity to scale‐up monitoring. Here we present a novel way to build a coherent continent‐wide site‐level ecological condition dataset, using cross‐calibration methods to integrate assessments from many observers. We focus on the use of condition assessments from individual expert observers, a currently untapped resource. Our approach has two components: (1) a simple online tool that captures expert assessments at specific locations; (2) a process of calibrating and rescaling disparate expert evaluations that can be applied to the data to provide a consistent dataset for use in conservation assessments. We describe a pilot study, involving 28 experts, who contributed 314 individual site condition assessments across a wide range of ecosystems and regions throughout continental Australia. A correction factor for each expert was used to rescale the contributed site condition assessment scores, based on a set of 77 photographic images, each scored for their condition by multiple experts, using a linear mixed model. Our approach shows strong promise for delivering the volumes of data required to develop continental‐scale reference libraries of site condition assessments. Although developed from expert elicitation, the approach could also be used to harmonize the collation of existing condition datasets. The process we demonstrate can also facilitate online citizen scientists to make site condition assessments that can be cross‐calibrated using contributed images.
Mechanism of control instability of control function installed to grid‐following inverter and development of damping controller for stable operation
Authors: Shirasaki Keisuke , Amano Hiroyuki
Published: August 2022

Conventional synchronous generators have been replaced by renewable energy source such as photovoltaics generation and wind turbine generation interconnected through inverters. As the capacity of synchronous generators interconnected to the power system decrease, the power system stability can be gradually jeopardized. Therefore, these inverters may be required to have some control functions in grid‐interconnection code to support power system stabilization. On the other hand, it is known that the response of some control functions become unstable and undesired oscillatory behavior appears depending on the power system conditions such as low short circuit ratio. In consequence, not only the expected power system stabilization is not obtained, but also the power quality may be degraded. In this paper, the mechanism of these instabilities is clarified by using a simplified root mean square model, and a damping controller applicable to grid‐following (GFL) inverter is developed. It is shown that the damping of the oscillatory behavior could be improved by applying the proposed controller using eigenvalue analysis and time domain simulation. This contribution is useful for the appropriate operation of the control function installed to GFL inverter.
Quantitative Comparison of Different Approaches for Reconstructing the Carbon‐Binder Domain from Tomographic Image Data of Cathodes in Lithium‐Ion Batteries and Its Influence on Electrochemical Properties
Authors: Prifling Benedikt , Neumann Matthias , Hein Simon , Danner Timo , Heider Emanuel , Hoffmann Alice , Rieder Philipp , Hilger André , Osenberg Markus , Manke Ingo , Wohlfahrt-Mehrens Margret , Latz Arnulf , Schmidt Volker
Published: August 2022

It is well known that the spatial distribution of the carbon‐binder domain (CBD) offers a large potential to further optimize lithium‐ion batteries. However, it is challenging to reconstruct the CBD from tomographic image data obtained by synchrotron tomography. Herein, several approaches are considered to segment 3D image data of two different cathodes into three phases, namely, active material, CBD, and pores. More precisely, it is focused on global thresholding, a local closing approach based on energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy data, ak‐means clustering method, and a procedure based on a neural network that has been trained by correlative microscopy, i.e., based on data gained by synchrotron tomography and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy data representing the same electrode. The impact of the considered segmentation approaches on morphological characteristics as well as on the resulting performance by spatially resolved transport simulations is quantified. Furthermore, experimentally determined electrochemical properties are used to identify an appropriate range for the effective transport parameter of the CBD. The developed methodology is applied to two differently manufactured cathodes, namely, an ultrathick unstructured cathode and a two‐layer cathode with varying CBD content in both layers. This comparison elucidates the impact of a specific structuring concept on the 3D microstructure of cathodes.
Deformation‐based design of seismically isolated bridges
Authors: Gkatzogias Konstantinos I. , Kappos Andreas J.
Published: August 2022

A performance‐based design procedure is proposed for seismically isolated bridges with/without supplemental energy dissipation devices. Considering multiple performance levels (PLs), the proposed method initially identifies the critical hazard level and “near‐optimal” alternatives of the isolation system. Both performance and economy are evaluated based on the inelastic response of reduced‐degree‐of‐freedom (RDOF) isolation and energy dissipation systems. Nonlinear response history analysis (NLRHA) of the multi‐degree‐of‐freedom (MDOF) system is employed in successive design steps, corresponding to different PLs, to refine the design solution through the control of a broad range of material strains and deformations. The above characteristics aim to deliver a rigorous and broadly applicable design method that reduces the high computational effort characterising complex design frameworks, while addressing identified deficiencies of alternative displacement‐based methods. The efficiency of the proposed design methodology is demonstrated by applying it to an actual bridge that was previously designed for ductile behaviour. Alternative isolation and energy dissipation schemes are investigated. Assessment of the design through NLRHA reveals in all cases enhanced seismic performance and cost reduction in the substructure design, thus rendering base‐isolation an appealing design alternative.