bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phytochemical Analysis and Ocular Benefits of Terminalia chebula Extracts for Myopia Treatment: In vitro and In silico Approaches
Authors: T K Shahin Farzan , Sarkar Nishna , Pradeep Manognya , B Pujaa
Published: February 2025

Terminalia chebula, commonly known as Haritaki, is a medicinal plant with a long history of use in Ayurvedic medicine for various health conditions. It is rich in bioactive compounds such as tannins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, demonstrating significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a prevalent refractive error that typically begins in childhood and can lead to an increased risk of other ocular complications if severe. While genetic and environmental factors contribute to myopia, inflammation, and oxidative stress within ocular tissues may exacerbate its progression. Given Haritaki's documented therapeutic properties, this study investigates its potential in treating myopia. This research explores the phytochemical composition and biological activities of Terminalia chebula extracts concerning myopia treatment. Utilizing Soxhlet extraction with methanol, hexane, and ethyl acetate solvents, followed by GC-MS analysis, this research identified key bioactive compounds in T. chebula. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were assessed via DPPH, and TCA, with all three extracts demonstrating superior efficacy. In silico ADME evaluation and molecular docking studies using Discovery Studio revealed several promising ligands, particularly from methanol and ethyl acetate extracts, showing favorable drug-like properties and strong interactions with myopia-related target proteins. These findings suggest T. chebula extracts hold potential for developing novel myopia treatments. This study lays the groundwork for future pre-clinical and clinical investigations to validate T. chebula's therapeutic efficacy in ophthalmology, potentially offering a natural alternative in myopia management.
Post-Dural Puncture Headache: A Case Report
Authors: Sirait Robert Hotman
Published: February 2025

The purpose of the study is to present a complicated case who present an unwanted severe headache which occur in a patient receiving a spinal or epidural injection. We report the case of a 64-year-old male patient who underwent skin transplantation, namely split-thickness skin graft (STSG) on the right instep using a 26 G Quincke spinal needle. After successful plastic surgery which lasts 90 minutes using spinal anesthesia, postoperatively, the patient was admitted to the recovery room and instructed to rest in bed for 12 hours, and also not to sit and lift the head. After the motoric strength of both legs is normal (Bromage scale 0) the patient may tilt left-right, given RL infusion 30 tpm, and ketorolac analgesic injection 30 mg IV. In the recovery room the patient allowed to drink and eat as usual. But just after four hours, the patient goes to the bathroom to urinate, and at that moment the patient felt a sudden severe headache. The patient had to be helped by his family to get back to bed and lie down and after 15 minutes, the complaints subsided. The doctor on duty who was reported by the nurse about this incident asked the patient to rest in bed for 24 hours until the complaint completely disappears. In the following day, the patient discharged from the hospital in good condition. Despite its frequency and impact, PDPH remains poorly understood, and further research is needed to elucidate its actual scope of the problem, its pathophysiology and optimal management.
Effect of Different RDF Regimes and Nano DAP on Growth, Yield and Nutrient Dynamics of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum)
Authors: Pandao Manish R. , Deshmukh PW , Bhoyar SM , Sajid Mohammad , Giri MD , Navghare Nagesh R.
Published: February 2025

This study investigated the effect of combining full and reduced recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) levels with Nano Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) on growth, yield, and nutrient dynamics in chickpea (Cicer arietinum). Two-year field experiments was conducted using a randomized block design with 10 treatments and 3 replications. Treatments included the control, 100% RDF, 75% and 50% RDF, and combinations of these with Nano DAP seed treatments and foliar sprays. Key parameters measured included plant growth, yield components, seed and straw yields, nutrient content and uptake, The 100% RDF treatment produced the highest seed yield (15.98 q ha-1), followed by 75% RDF + Nano DAP (13.73 q ha-1). Nano DAP treatments increased yield compared to equivalent RDF levels alone. The 100% RDF treatment also resulted in maximum nutrient content and uptake in seed and straw. While Nano DAP improved nutrient use efficiency compared to conventional fertilizers, it did not match the performance of 100% RDF when combined with reduced fertilizer levels. The study demonstrated Nano DAP can partially substitute for conventional fertilizers in chickpea, but cannot fully replace RDF for achieving maximum productivity and nutrient uptake.
Influence of Rice Residue Management on Sunflower Growth, Bulk Density and Moisture Content of Soil in a Rice-sunflower Cropping System
Authors: Prasad V. , Sridevi S. , Jayasree G. , Ramana M. Venkata , Triveni S.
Published: February 2025

A field experiment was conducted during 2022-23 and 2023-24 to assess the impact of kharif rice residue management on sunflower growth and soil bulk density and moisture content in a rice-sunflower cropping system on Alfisols using a randomized block design. Results indicated that the highest dry matter accumulation per plant (20.59 g plant⁻¹) was observed in the treatment involving straw incorporation with a C:N:P ratio adjusted to 30:1:0.3 prior to incorporation (T7), outperforming residue removal (T2) and burning (T1) treatments. Bulk density (BD) was highest (1.38 Mg m⁻³) in residue removal and burning treatments with RDF application and lowest (1.34 Mg m⁻³) in residue retention with zero tillage sunflower and RDF (T3). Additionally, the higher gravimetric moisture (GM) content was recorded in treatments with a C:N:P ratio adjustment of 30:1:0.3 before incorporation, while the lowest GM content was observed in residue removal with RDF application.
Development and Verification of the Long Length Screw for Lightweight Modular Telemetry
Authors: Sim Kyuyoung , Yoon Daewon , Yun Yonghun , Park Sangjin , Park Jisu
Published: February 2025

Telemetry is an essential component in the development of various guided weapons and aircraft. To achieve miniaturization and weight reduction of telemetry, we referenced Integrated Modular Avionics. The currently developed modular telemetry utilizes Long Length Screws, which are longer than standard specifications, to assemble its modules. Ensuring the structural integrity of these Long Length Screws is crucial for the overall safety of the telemetry. This study performs a structural analysis to identify vulnerabilities in the Long Length Screws and evaluates their stiffness characteristics. Several tests are conducted considering the operational environment and mechanical properties. Through these analyses and experiments, the structural safety of the Long Length Screw is verified.
Stability and Control Characteristic Analysis of Tailless Delta Wing Aircraft through Pilot Wind-Tunnel Test
Authors: Lim Heungsik , Hur Gibong , Hong Jinsung
Published: February 2025

This paper contains the pilot wind tunnel test result of a scaled model to figure out the aerodynamic characteristics in the initial design phase. The initial model is designed as tailless delta wing type. Many papers dealt with the characteristics of this kind of aircraft and the wind tunnel test result performed coincides with these results. Basically, this type of aircraft does not have a horizontal tail and vertical tail, it shows unstability in either lateral/directional axis and longitudinal axis as well. It also shows abrupt increase in pitching moment over a certain angle of attack, which means the Flight Control Law would be designed very carefully to fly the aircraft safely and effectively.
Validation of Damage Analysis Techniques for Non-Metallic Materials Due to Laser Irradiation
Authors: Jo Sangyong , Lee Hyoungjin , Kim Youngho
Published: February 2025

In this study, the laser damage analysis model for metallic materials was applied to non-metallic materials. The analysis results showed that the damage levels of germanium and silicon were relatively lower compared to the experimental results. It is suggested that crack and crater formation increased the absorption coefficient and structural changes due to thermal stress contributed to the observed damage.
A Robust Framework for Speech Emotion Recognition Using Attention Based Convolutional Peephole LSTM
Authors: Paramasivam Ramya , Lavanya K. , Divakarachari Parameshachari Bidare , Camacho David
Published: February 2025

Speech Emotion Recognition (SER) plays an important role in emotional computing which is widely utilized in various applications related to medical, entertainment and so on. The emotional understanding improvises the user machine interaction with a better responsive nature. The issues faced during SER are existence of relevant features and increased complexity while analyzing of huge datasets. Therefore, this research introduces a wellorganized framework by introducing Improved Jellyfish Optimization Algorithm (IJOA) for feature selection, and classification is performed using Convolutional Peephole Long Short-Term Memory (CP-LSTM) with attention mechanism. The raw data acquisition takes place using five datasets namely, EMO-DB, IEMOCAP, RAVDESS, Surrey Audio-Visual Expressed Emotion (SAVEE) and Crowd-sourced Emotional Multimodal Actors Dataset (CREMA-D). The undesired partitions are removed from the audio signal during pre-processing and fed into phase of feature extraction using IJOA. Finally, CP LSTM with attention mechanisms is used for emotion classification. As the final stage, classification takes place using CP-LSTM with attention mechanisms. Experimental outcome clearly shows that the proposed CP-LSTM with attention mechanism is more efficient than existing DNN-DHO, DH-AS, D-CNN, CEOAS methods in terms of accuracy. The classification accuracy of the proposed CP-LSTM with attention mechanism for EMO-DB, IEMOCAP, RAVDESS and SAVEE datasets are 99.59%, 99.88%, 99.54% and 98.89%, which is comparably higher than other existing techniques.
Screen Time and Parent-Child Talk When Children Are Aged 12 to 36 Months
Authors: Brushe Mary E. , Haag Dandara G. , Melhuish Edward C. , Reilly Sheena , Gregory Tess
Published: March 2024

Importance

Growing up in a language-rich home environment is important for children’s language development in the early years. The concept of “technoference” (technology-based interference) suggests that screen time may be interfering with opportunities for talk and interactions between parent and child; however, limited longitudinal evidence exists exploring this association.

Objective

To investigate the longitudinal association between screen time and 3 measures of parent-child talk (adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns) when children are 12 to 36 months of age.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This Australian prospective cohort study used advanced speech recognition technology to capture young children’s screen time and home language environment, on an average 16-hour day. Data were collected from 220 families once every 6 months in the family home when children were 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age, from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. Statistical analysis took place from November 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023.

Exposure

Language Environment Analysis (LENA) technology provided automated counts of children’s language environment and exposure to electronic noise. The exposure of interest was screen time, which was calculated based on manual coding of LENA electronic noise audio segments.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Three measures of parent-child talk were outcomes of focus: adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns. Separate models were run for each of the 3 outcomes and included adjustment for child sex, child age, maternal educational level, number of children at home, number of home activities, and primary caregiver’s psychological distress.

Results

The study included 220 families (120 girls [54.6%]; mean [SD] gestational age of children, 39.3 [1.5] weeks; mean [SD] age of mother at childbirth, 31.3 [4.8] years). Adjusted linear mixed-effect models demonstrated that increases in screen time were associated with decreases in measures of parent-child talk. The largest decreases were seen at 36 months, when an additional minute of screen time was associated with a reduction of 6.6 (95% CI, −11.7 to −1.5) adult words, 4.9 (95% CI, −6.1 to −3.7) child vocalizations, and 1.1 (95% CI, −1.4 to −0.8) conversational turns.

Conclusion and Relevance

Findings of this study support the notion of technoference for Australian families, whereby young children’s exposure to screen time is interfering with opportunities to talk and interact in their home environment. This finding has implications for interventions and supports aimed at promoting a language-rich home environment, with families needing support in understanding the potential association of screen time with opportunities for children and adults to talk and interact in their home environment.
Anthropogenic and climatic drivers of population densities in an African savanna ungulate community
Authors: Bierhoff Lukas , Bond Monica L. , Ozgul Arpat , Lee Derek E.
Published: March 2024

Many ungulate species in Africa range in habitats that vary in type and quality over space and time, but ongoing environmental change is substantially altering their habitats. Identifying key environmental variables that regulate ungulate population densities can guide management actions for effective conservation. We studied the local population density responses of a community of sympatric ungulate species in the Tarangire Ecosystem of northern Tanzania, to a suite of environmental factors that vary over space and time, to quantify population trends, determine the primary environmental correlates of densities, and identify covariation in densities among species. We estimated seasonal densities of five commonly detected species (impala, dik–dik, Grant's gazelle, eland, and waterbuck) based on 7 years of distance‐sampling data from 41 replicate surveys of 237 line transects. We systematically analyzed the effects of spatial, seasonal, and annual environmental covariates on variation in transect species‐specific densities across space and time. Large fluctuations in climatic factors mediated highly synchronous temporal density variation among all species. We documented more spatial than temporal variation in four of the five species, suggesting that spatial heterogeneity may provide some buffer against temporal variation in the environment. Protection of sufficient habitats and water sources should allow ungulates to respond to a temporally changing world by moving across space. Further, among‐species covariation patterns identified two potential ungulate guilds (impala—dik–dik—waterbuck; eland—Grant's gazelle) that should aid in developing efficient and coordinated management actions.
High‐Efficiency Thermal‐Shock Resistance Enabled by Radiative Cooling and Latent Heat Storage
Authors: Qin Mulin , Jia Kaihang , Usman Ali , Han Shenghui , Xiong Feng , Han Haiwei , Jin Yongkang , Aftab Waseem , Geng Xiaoye , Ma Bingbing , Ashraf Zubair , Gao Song , Wang Yonggang , Shen Zhenghui , Zou Ruqiang
Published: March 2024

Radiative cooling technology is well known for its subambient temperature cooling performance under sunlight radiation. However, the intrinsic maximum cooling power of radiative cooling limits the performance when the objects meet the thermal shock. Here, a dual‐function strategy composed of radiative cooling and latent heat storage simultaneously enabling the efficient subambient cooling and high‐efficiency thermal‐shock resistance performance is proposed. The electrospinning and absorption‐pressing methods are used to assemble the dual‐function cooler. The high sunlight reflectivity and high mid‐infrared emissivity of radiative film allow excellent subambient temperature of 5.1 °C. When subjected the thermal shock, the dual‐function cooler demonstrates a pinning effect of huge temperature drop of 39 °C and stable low‐temperature level by isothermal heat absorption compared with the traditional radiative cooler. The molten phase change materials provide the heat‐time transfer effect by converting thermal‐shock heat to the delayed preservation. This strategy paves a powerful way to protect the objects from thermal accumulation and high‐temperature damage, expanding the applications of radiative cooling and latent heat storage technologies.
4D Printing of Bioartificial, Small‐Diameter Vascular Grafts with Human‐Scale Characteristics and Functional Integrity
Authors: Pfarr Julian , Zitta Karina , Hummitzsch Lars , Lutter Georg , Steinfath Markus , Jansen Olav , Tiwari Sanjay , Haj Mohamad Farhad , Knueppel Philipp , Lichte Frank , Mehdorn Anne‐Sophie , Kraas Jana , Hess Katharina , Faendrich Fred , Cremer Jochen , Rusch René , Grocholl Jannek , Albrecht Martin , Berndt Rouven
Published: March 2024

A novel developed 4D bioprinting technique is used for the manufacturing of human‐scale, small‐diameter vascular grafts. Accordingly, a bio‐ink is synthesized from a hybrid molecule containing sodium alginate (SA) and collagen peptide (COP). Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) isolated from human whole blood are integrated into the bioartificial vascular graft as an autologous cell source. Likewise, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) are used as experimental standard. The evolving vascular grafts are printed by a customized 4D bioprinter into CaCl2 support medium for rapid cross‐linking inducing the temporospatial shaping of the grafts. After culturing for 21 days, histological and ultrastructural analyses of the bioartificial vascular grafts reveal a well‐organized matrix with imbedded EPC or HUVEC. Live‐3D‐cell–imaging and cell viability assays demonstrate a multitude of vital and metabolically active cells. Biomechanics of the grafts are proven to be comparable to human saphenous veins. Coagulation analysis reveals low thrombogenicity and high functional integrity of the vascular grafts. Surgical implantation of the grafts in a perfused cadaver model can be performed effectively and without technical issues. Finally, the current study describes for the first time the 4D bioprinting and characterization of a small‐diameter, human‐scale vascular graft for putative clinical translation.
Access to Tetrahydrothiopyrano[2,3‐b]Indole Derivatives via Zinc‐Catalyzed Asymmetric [3+3] Annulation of Indoline‐2‐Thiones with Yne–Enones
Authors: Cui Dan‐Dan , Shi Jian‐Wen , Wang Tong , Hua Yuan‐Zhao , Wang Min‐Can , Mei Guang‐Jian , Niu Jun‐Long , Jia Shi‐Kun
Published: March 2024

We report herein an enantioselective [3+3] annulation of indoline‐2‐thiones with yne–enones by chiral dinuclear zinc catalysts via a Brønsted base and Lewis acid cooperative activation model. This transformation proceeded through sequential conjugate addition, allenyl ketone formation and intramolecular sulfa‐Michael 6‐endo‐trig cyclization. A range of enantioenriched tetrahydrothiopyrano[2,3‐b]indole derivatives bearing an exocyclic double bond were obtained in moderate yields with excellent stereoselectivities (up to 20 : 1 dr, 20:1 Z/E ratio and 95% ee). Late‐stage functionalization, large‐scale experiment and further derivatizations were also explored.
Bio‐inspired temporospatial catalytic cascades systems based on ultrasound‐triggered multicomponent piezoelectric microparticles
Authors: Huang Danqing , Wang Jinglin , Fu Xiao , Zhao Yuanjin , Sun Lingyun
Published: March 2024

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have certain effect in cancer treatment, thus many studies have been focused on developing functional systems to generate ROS in tumor. Here, inspired by the multi‐enzyme biocatalysis in organisms, novel ultrasound‐triggered temporospatial catalytic cascades systems are presented based on barium titanate (BTO) and platinum (Pt) co‐loaded multi‐component microparticles (Pt/BTO@MCMPs) to successively achieve oxygen and ROS production for tumor sonodynamic therapy. By using a customized capillary microfluidic device, the Pt/BTO@MCMPs are fabricated with Pt nanoparticles located in their core part and BTO nanocubes located in their peripheral part, alternating with blank porous hydrogel components for increasing interaction areas between the encapsulated nanomaterials and the ambient substrates. In the microparticles, the Pt can catalyze hydrogen peroxide from the tumor microenvironment to generate O2 and H2O serving as substrates for piezoelectric catalytic reactions, contributing to additional generation of ROS under US activation. Based on the system, it is demonstrated that the Pt/BTO@MCMPs are featured with excellent biocompatibility under normal biological conditions and show desired tumor eradication properties under ultrasound irradiation in mice carrying pancreatic tumors. These results indicate that the proposed ultrasound‐triggered temporospatial catalytic cascades systems are promising for clinic anti‐tumor applications.
Does Bistability Improve Swimming Performance in Robotic Fish?
Authors: Bambrick Tayler , Viquerat Andrew , Siddall Robert
Published: March 2024

A bistable mechanism has two stable states with energy input required to move from one stable state to another. This energy barrier allows for energy storage and release which can be used to improve systems characteristics. Bistability has been used to increase the frequency range over which a kinetic energy harvester is effective, and it has been proposed that bistability can increase the efficiency of biomimetic swimming robots. However, experiments involving bistable swimming robots have typically used bistability as a means of overcoming limitations inherent to soft actuators, rather than to increase overall performance. This article implements bistability into a swimming robotic and compares performance with and without bistable action. The static thrust generation and power consumption for bistable and nonbistable configurations for five different tail morphologies are compared. Bistability is generally found to increase the system efficiency, particularly at lower frequencies where increases are observed up to 250%. The untethered swimming speed of the robot in open water is also found to increase by approximately 30%. The results show that bistability can offer direct performance benefits for biomimetic swimming, but that the bistable transmission must be well tuned to the dynamics of the rest of the system.
A Quad‐Unit Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for Programmable Two‐Dimensional Trajectories
Authors: Cao Chongjing , Wu Chuang , Li Xiaozheng , Wang Lei , Gao Xing
Published: March 2024

Resonant actuation and multi‐degree‐of‐freedom (DoF) actuation can optimize the output matrices and greatly expand the versatility of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) for practical applications. However, developing a multi‐DoF resonant DEA that benefits both from the maximized stroke outputs in resonant actuation and the versatility in multi‐DoF actuation remains a challenging task due to the slow responses of the widely adopted acrylic elastomers and the exponentially scaled complexity in the nonlinear dynamics. Herein, a multi‐DoF resonant DEA is reported by adopting four radially organized planar DE units fabricated by low‐loss silicone elastomers to output versatile programmable two‐dimensional quasi‐static and resonant trajectories. The rich nonlinear dynamics of the proposed quad‐unit DEA (QUDEA) are characterized and the critical parameters for two‐dimensional trajectory programming are uncovered through extensive modeling and experimental studies. To showcase the two‐dimensional trajectory programming capabilities of the QUDEA, demonstrations of Chinese characters writing and hummingbird flapping patterns mimicking using the proposed QUDEA are developed. The proposed QUDEA is expected to have potential in various applications such as in experimental biology, biomimetic robotics, and industrial manufacturing devices.
Long‐term impact of the Fostering Healthy Futures for Preteens program on suicide‐related thoughts and behaviors for youth in out‐of‐home care: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Taussig Heather N. , Fulginiti Anthony , Racz Sarah J. , Evans Rhiannon , Cary Katz Colleen
Published: March 2024

Youth in out‐of‐home care are at high risk for suicide‐related thoughts and behaviors (STB), yet there are no known efficacious interventions that reduce STB for this population. Fostering Healthy Futures for Preteens (FHF‐P) is a 9‐month community‐based mentoring and skills training preventive intervention for children in out‐of‐home care. A randomized controlled trial enrolled 156 participants aged 9–11 years who were placed in out‐of‐home care over the prior year. Participants were 48.9% female, 54.1% Hispanic, 30.1% Black, and 27.1% American Indian. Follow‐up interviews, conducted 7–12 years postintervention (85.2% retention rate), asked young adult participants, aged 18–22, to self‐report lifetime STB as indexed by non‐suicidal self‐injury, suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or attempts. There was a nonsignificant reduction in the odds of STB for the intervention group at follow‐up (OR = 0.74; CI, 0.32, 1.69). However, FHF‐P significantly moderated the effect of baseline STB; control youth who reported baseline STB had 10 times the odds of young adult STB (OR = 10.44, CI, 2.28, 47.78), but there was no increase in the odds of adult‐reported STB for intervention youth. Findings suggest that FHF‐P buffers the impact of pre‐existing STB on young adult STB for care‐experienced youth. Further research is needed to identify mechanisms that may reduce STB in this population.
Early detection of diseases causing dementia using digital navigation and gait measures: A systematic review of evidence
Authors: Čepukaitytė Giedrė , Newton Coco , Chan Dennis
Published: March 2024

Wearable digital technologies capable of measuring everyday behaviors could improve the early detection of dementia‐causing diseases. We conducted two systematic reviews following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to establish the evidence base for measuring navigation and gait, two everyday behaviors affected early in AD and non‐AD disorders and not adequately measured in current practice. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for studies on asymptomatic and early‐stage symptomatic individuals at risk of dementia, with the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale used to assess bias and evaluate methodological quality. Of 316 navigation and 2086 gait records identified, 27 and 83, respectively, were included in the final sample. We highlight several measures that may identify at‐risk individuals, whose quantifiability with different devices mitigates the risk of future technological obsolescence. Beyond navigation and gait, this review also provides the framework for evaluating the evidence base for future digital measures of behaviors considered for early disease detection.
Genetic Approaches to Study Rheumatic Diseases and Its Implications in Clinical Practice
Authors: Rowczenio Dorota , Aksentijevich Ivona
Published: March 2024

Patients with rare and complex rheumatic diseases (RDs) present with immense clinical variability inherent to all immunologic diseases. In addition to systemic and organ‐specific inflammation, patients may display features of immunodeficiency or allergy, which may represent major diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The person's genetic architecture has been a well‐established risk factor for patients with RDs, albeit to variable degrees. Patients with early‐onset diseases and/or positive family history (FH) have a strong genetic component, whereas patients with late‐onset RDs demonstrate a more complex interplay of genetic and environmental risk factors. Overall, the genetic studies in patients with RDs have been instrumental to our understanding of innate and adaptive immunity in human health and disease. The elucidation of the molecular causes underlying rare diseases has played a major role in the identification of genes that are critical in the regulation of inflammatory responses. In addition, studies of patients with rare disorders may help determine the mechanisms of more complex autoimmune diseases by identifying variants with small effect sizes in the same genes. In contrast, studies of patients with common RDs are conducted in cohorts of patients with well‐established phenotypes and ancestry‐matched controls, and they aim to discover disease‐related pathways that can inform the development of novel targeted therapies. Knowing the genetic cause of a disease has helped patients and families understand the disease progression and outcome. Here, we discuss the current understanding of genetic heritability and challenges in the diagnosis of RDs in patients and how this field may develop in the future.

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Tuning Sensing Efficacy of Oligo(phenylenevinylene) Based Chromogenic Probes: Effect of Alkyl Substituents on Metal Ion Detection at Micelle‐Water Interface
Authors: Barkale Harshal V. , Dey Nilanjan
Published: March 2024

In this work, we conducted a comparative analysis of the metal ion sensing capabilities of two pyridine‐end oligo p‐phenylenevinylene compounds featuring different alkyl substituents (−C4H9 and −C16H33) within a micelle medium. Our findings revealed a correlation between the positioning of the probe molecules within the micelle and the length of the alkyl chains, impacting their self‐assembly tendencies and optical characteristics. The compound with shorter alkyl chains demonstrated a superior affinity towards Hg2+ ions, whereas exposure to the compound with longer alkyl substituent resulted in a color‐changing response with both Cu2+and Hg2+ ions. Intriguingly, the sensitivity towards Hg2+ ions heightened with increasing alkyl chain length. This trend persisted in non‐polar solvents like THF. The capacity to modulate sensing efficacy solely by adjusting the length of the alkyl chains represents a relatively uncommon occurrence in the existing literature. This discovery suggests promising prospects for engineering sensory devices equipped with adaptable sensitivity.
Achieving sustainable development with sustainable packaging: A natural‐resource‐based view perspective
Authors: Lau Cherry C. I. , Wong Christina W. Y.
Published: March 2024

Sustainable packaging is a pivotal aspect of sustainable development, involving multi‐faceted issues such as stakeholder management and environmental policy compliance. Despite the efforts to find packaging solutions, the extant literature is largely fragmented, featuring a high level of heterogeneity among studies that spread across different disciplines, with the majority examining important packaging issues in isolation. A study that systematically consolidates findings of different important areas of sustainable packaging implementation is lacking. This challenges companies' adoption of research findings in business strategy development. Thus, this paper conducts a systematic literature review combining keyword co‐occurrence analysis, thematic analysis and qualitative content analysis to uncover major research domains, consolidate important findings and reveal unsolved research gaps, which are crucial to advancing sustainable packaging management. The findings reveal four major research domains: (1) sustainable packaging materials and properties, (2) management practices of sustainable packaging, (3) consumer behaviours towards sustainable packaging and (4) packaging waste management. Drawing on the natural‐resource‐based view (NRBV) theory and the review findings, this study proposes four future research directions: (1) identifying ways to enhance the commercialisation of sustainable packaging technological innovations, (2) uncovering reasons for insufficient social aspect investigation in sustainable packaging research, (3) exploring strategies to enhance stakeholder integration in sustainable packaging management and (4) examining contingency factors of packaging waste management effectiveness. The research agenda is important to provide practical and managerial insights for business strategy development in sustainable packaging to achieve pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development capabilities to gain future growth and competitive advantage.
Chemical Constituents of Ajuga Lupulina and their Anti‐Ferroptosis Activity
Authors: Teng Xifeng , Shi Huiwen , Cao Liudan , Peng Xing , He Lin , Gu Qiong
Published: March 2024

Five new compounds (1, 2, 7, 12, and 16), along with fifteen known ones, were isolated from Ajuga lupulina Maxim. Their structures were revealed by analysing spectroscopic data (MS, NMR), and experimental and calculated ECD spectra was used to deduce the absolute configuration. Compound 16, with eight carbon atoms, was firstly isolated from the nature. All the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effect on RSL3‐induced ferroptosis in HT22 mouse hippocampal neuronal cells. Among them, the abietane‐type diterpenoids (7–11) significantly inhibited ferroptosis with EC50 values of 0.83 μM, 2.05 μM, 0.96 μM, 1.47 μM, and 1.19 μM, respectively.
Follistatin‐like 1 protects against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction through the SIRT6/Nrf2 signaling pathway
Authors: Xu Haijun , Guo Hong , Tang Zhigang , Hao Ruijun , Wang Shaowei , Jin Ping
Published: March 2024

Mitochondrial dysfunction and myocardial remodeling have been reported to be the main underlying molecular mechanisms of doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity. SIRT6 is a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide‐dependent enzyme that plays a vital role in cardiac protection against various stresses. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that FSTL1 could alleviate doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting autophagy. The present study investigated the probable mechanisms of FSTL1 on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity in vivo and in vitro. We confirmed that FSTL1 exerted a pivotal protective role on cardiac tissue in vivo and on doxorubicin‐induced cell injury in vitro. Furthermore, FSTL1 can alleviate doxorubicin‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction by inhibiting autophagy and apoptosis. Further studies demonstrated that FSTL1 can activate SIRT6 signaling by restoring the SIRT6 protein expression in doxorubicin‐induced myocardial injury. SIRT6 activation elevated the protein expression of Nrf2 in doxorubicin‐induced H9C2 injury. Treatment with the Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 partially antagonized the cardioprotective role of SIRT6 on doxorubicin‐induced autophagy or apoptosis. These results suggested that the protective mechanism of FSTL1 on doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity may be related with the inhibition of autophagy and apoptosis, partly through the activation of SIRT6/Nrf2.
Process Intensification by Inoculating Antibody Production Bioreactors Directly from Cryovials
Authors: Ott Jan , Ott Vivian , Neubauer Peter , Eibl Dieter , Eibl Regine
Published: March 2024

There are several ways to make antibody production processes more efficient and less expensive through process intensification. In this study, an ultra‐high cell density working cell bank was used to inoculate production bioreactors directly with cells from cryovials. After lab‐scale experiments, a fed‐batch pilot‐scale experiment was successfully conducted as a proof‐of‐concept. In addition, cells were cultivated in perfusion mode at 2 L scale. The intensification approach presented here allows the complete elimination of the inoculum production outside the production bioreactor and the creation of additional production capacity by saving time and space. In perfusion mode, an increase in bioreactor productivity of over 180% can be achieved compared to fed‐batch mode.
The ability of the LIMD1 and TRIP6 LIM domains to bind strained f‐actin is critical for their tension dependent localization to adherens junctions and association with the Hippo pathway kinase LATS1
Authors: Ray Samriddha , DeSilva Chamika , Dasgupta Ishani , Mana‐Capelli Sebastian , Cruz‐Calderon Natasha , McCollum Dannel
Published: March 2024

A key step in regulation of Hippo pathway signaling in response to mechanical tension is recruitment of the LIM domain proteins TRIP6 and LIMD1 to adherens junctions. Mechanical tension also triggers TRIP6 and LIMD1 to bind and inhibit the Hippo pathway kinase LATS1. How TRIP6 and LIMD1 are recruited to adherens junctions in response to tension is not clear, but previous studies suggested that they could be regulated by the known mechanosensory proteins α‐catenin and vinculin at adherens junctions. We found that the three LIM domains of TRIP6 and LIMD1 are necessary and sufficient for tension‐dependent localization to adherens junctions. The LIM domains of TRIP6, LIMD1, and certain other LIM domain proteins have been shown to bind to actin networks under strain/tension. Consistent with this, we show that TRIP6 and LIMD1 colocalize with the ends of actin fibers at adherens junctions. Point mutations in a key conserved residue in each LIM domain that are predicted to impair binding to f‐actin under strain inhibits TRIP6 and LIMD1 localization to adherens junctions and their ability to bind to and recruit LATS1 to adherens junctions. Together these results show that the ability of TRIP6 and LIMD1 to bind to strained actin underlies their ability to localize to adherens junctions and regulate LATS1 in response to mechanical tension.
Core‐shell Ni/NiO heterostructures as catalytic cathodes enabling high‐performance zinc bromine flow batteries
Authors: Li Longwei , Li Rongrong , Zhou Shaojie , Xu Wenjun , Li Yu , Zhang Jingmin , Gao Lei , Pu Xiong
Published: March 2024

Zinc bromine flow batteries (ZBFBs) are well suited for stationary energy storage due to their attractive features of high energy density and low cost. Nevertheless, the ZBFBs suffer from low power density and limited efficiency owing to the relatively severe polarization of the Br2/Br− redox couple. Herein, a three‐dimensional (3D) hierarchical composite electrode based on core‐shell Ni/NiO heterostructures anchored on graphite felt (Ni/NiO@GF) is designed to promote the kinetics of the Br2/Br− couple, so as to improve the power density and efficiency of the ZBFB. In this design, the highly conductive carbon felt and Ni cores provide a composite electrode with a 3D electron transporting framework to guarantee excellent electronic conductivity, while the NiO shells possess great absorption ability to Br2 and brilliant catalytic activity for the Br2/Br− redox reaction to reduce the electrochemical polarization. As a result, an enhanced ZBFB with Ni/NiO@GF electrode shows an outstanding energy efficiency of 86% at 20 mA cm−2 and can be operated at a current density of up to 160 mA cm−2 with a respectable energy efficiency of 67%. These results exhibit a promising strategy to fabricate catalytic electrodes for high‐performance ZBFBs.
Commutation torque ripple suppression method for brushless DC motors with minimum phase shift angle
Authors: Sun Liwei , Li Yong , Zhao Jicheng , Mi Changwei
Published: March 2024

Commutation torque ripple occurs when brushless DC (BLDC) motor runs in the high‐speed range, which degrades operation performance. To overcome the problem, this paper presents a commutation torque ripple suppression method based on the minimum phase shift angle (MPSA) of hall signals. In the paper, the effect of the phase shift angle (PSA) of hall signals on phase current is analyzed, and the MPSA is deduced on the basis of the unit duty cycle of the incoming and non‐commutation phase. With the proposed method, two‐phase conduction mode is used in the full speed range, commutation period and non‐commutation period, which avoids switching modulation mode and enhances system reliability. The proposed method is implemented through shifting hall signals by the MPSA, and it is simple and feasible without the requirement to redesign a controller. Moreover, no additional power devices and precise sensors are required, which reduces design cost and volume size. The proposed method is experimentally compared with different methods under steady operation condition, and the results show superior performance on suppressing commutation torque ripple. The loading experiment demonstrates that the proposed method exhibits good dynamic response. The frequency spectrum of the electromagnetic torque is analyzed, and it is verified that the 6nf harmonics are diminished with the proposed method.
Development of an optimization model for a monitoring point in tunnel stress deduction using a machine learning algorithm
Authors: Tan Xuyan , Chen Weizhong , Wang Luyu , Ye Wei
Published: March 2024

Monitoring of the mechanical behavior of underwater shield tunnels is vital for ensuring their long‐term structural stability. Typically determined by empirical or semi‐empirical methods, the limited number of monitoring points and coarse monitoring schemes pose huge challenges in terms of capturing the complete mechanical state of the entire structure. Therefore, with the aim of optimizing the monitoring scheme, this study introduces a spatial deduction model for the stress distribution of the overall structure using a machine learning algorithm. Initially, clustering experiments were performed on a numerical data set to determine the typical positions of structural mechanical responses. Subsequently, supervised learning methods were applied to derive the data information across the entire surface by using the data from these typical positions, which allows flexibility in the number and combinations of these points. According to the evaluation results of the model under various conditions, the optimized number of monitoring points and their locations are determined. Experimental findings suggest that an excessive number of monitoring points results in information redundancy, thus diminishing the deduction capability. The primary positions for monitoring points are determined as the spandrel and hance of the tunnel structure, with the arch crown and inch arch serving as additional positions to enhance the monitoring network. Compared with common methods, the proposed model shows significantly improved characterization abilities, establishing its reliability for optimizing the monitoring scheme.
Conservation genetics of the white‐bellied pangolin in West Africa: A story of lineage admixture, declining demography, and wide sourcing by urban bushmeat markets
Authors: Gossé Koffi Jules , Gonedelé‐Bi Sery , Dufour Sylvain , Danquah Emmanuel , Gaubert Philippe
Published: March 2024

During the last 40 years, the volumes of African pangolins feeding the illegal wildlife trade have dramatically increased. We conducted a conservation genetics survey of the most traded African species, the white bellied pangolin (WBP; Phataginus tricuspis), across three West African countries including Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana. Our study combining mitochondrial DNA sequencing and microsatellite genotyping is the first to reveal a wide pattern of admixture between two of the six mitochondrial lineages as previously delimited within WBP. We found a signature of isolation by distance but a lack of population genetic structuring, supporting the idea that WBP may have underestimated dispersal abilities. Levels of genetic diversity were low in West African lineages (WAfr and Gha) compared to Central Africa, reinforcing the picture of genetic pauperization shared by West African WBP. We observed a 85%–98% decline in the effective population size of WBP occurring c. 3200 to 400 ya, with current numbers (520–590) at the lower end of the conservative thresholds for minimum viable population size. The microsatellite markers were powerful enough to differentiate between individuals and identify replicated samples, confirming the utility of this approach in tracing the pangolin trade. Genetic diversity estimates confirmed that Yopougon, the main bushmeat market from Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), was fed by a large trade network as confirmed by vendors reporting 10 different sources situated 62–459 km away from the market. We conclude that WBP distributed in the Upper Guinean Block should be considered a single management unit of high conservation concern, as impacted by genetic diversity erosion, drastic decline in effective population size, and wide range sourcing for feeding urban bushmeat markets. Given the genetic admixture pattern detected within WBP from West Africa, we advocate for a multi‐locus strategy to trace the international trade of the species.
Comparison of four performance models in quantifying the inequality of leaf and fruit size distribution
Authors: Wang Lin , He Ke , Hui Cang , Ratkowsky David A. , Yao Weihao , Lian Meng , Wang Jinfeng , Shi Peijian
Published: March 2024

The inequality in leaf and fruit size distribution per plant can be quantified using the Gini index, which is linked to the Lorenz curve depicting the cumulative proportion of leaf (or fruit) size against the cumulative proportion of the number of leaves (or fruits). Prior researches have predominantly employed empirical models—specifically the original performance equation (PE‐1) and its generalized counterpart (GPE‐1)—to fit rotated and right‐shifted Lorenz curves. Notably, another potential performance equation (PE‐2), capable of generating similar curves to PE‐1, has been overlooked and not systematically compared with PE‐1 and GPE‐1. Furthermore, PE‐2 has been extended into a generalized version (GPE‐2). In the present study, we conducted a comparative analysis of these four performance equations, evaluating their applicability in describing Lorenz curves related to plant organ (leaf and fruit) size. Leaf area was measured on 240 culms of dwarf bamboo (Shibataea chinensis Nakai), and fruit volume was measured on 31 field muskmelon plants (Cucumis melo L. var. agrestis Naud.). Across both datasets, the root‐mean‐square errors of all four performance models were consistently smaller than 0.05. Paired t‐tests indicated that GPE‐1 exhibited the lowest root‐mean‐square error and Akaike information criterion value among the four performance equations. However, PE‐2 gave the best close‐to‐linear behavior based on relative curvature measures. This study presents a valuable tool for assessing the inequality of plant organ size distribution.