bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Barchan‐Barchan Dune Repulsion Investigated at the Grain Scale
Authors: Lima N. C. , Assis W. R. , Alvarez C. A. , Franklin E. M.
Published: August 2024

Barchans are eolian dunes of crescent shape found on Earth, Mars and other celestial bodies. Among the different types of barchan‐barchan interaction, there is one, known as chasing, in which the dunes remain close but without touching each other. In this paper, we investigate the origins of this barchan‐barchan dune repulsion by carrying out grain‐scale numerical computations in which a pair of granular heaps is deformed by the fluid flow into barchan dunes that interact with each other. In our simulations, data such as position, velocity and resultant force are computed for each individual particle at each time step, allowing us to measure details of both the fluid and grains that explain the repulsion. We show the trajectories of grains, time‐average resultant forces, and mass balances for each dune, and that the downstream barchan shrinks faster than the upstream one, keeping, thus, a relatively high velocity although in the wake of the upstream barchan. In its turn, this fast shrinkage is caused by the flow disturbance, which induces higher erosion on the downstream barchan and its circumvention by grains leaving the upstream dune. Our results help explaining the mechanisms behind the distribution of barchans in dune fields found on Earth and Mars.
Gefitinib (an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor) plus anlotinib (an multikinase inhibitor) for untreated, EGFR-mutated, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (FL-ALTER): a multicenter phase III trial
Authors: Zhou Hua-Qiang , Zhang Ya-Xiong , Chen Gang , Yu Qi-Tao , Zhang Hua , Wu Guo-Wu , Wu Di , Lin Ying-Cheng , Zhu Jun-Fei , Chen Jian-Hua , Hu Xiao-Hua , Lan Bin , Zhou Ze-Qiang , Lin Hai-Feng , Wang Zi-Bing , Lei Xiao-Lin , Pan Suo-Ming , Chen Li-Ming , Zhang Jian , Kong Tian-Dong , Yao Ji-Cheng , Zheng Xin , Li Feng , Zhang Li , Fang Wen-Feng
Published: August 2024

Dual inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathways offers the prospect of improving the effectiveness of EFGR-targeted therapy. In this phase 3 study (ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT04028778), 315 patients with treatment-naïve, EGFR-mutated, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were randomized (1:1) to receive anlotinib or placebo plus gefitinib once daily on days 1–14 per a 3-week cycle. At the prespecified final analysis of progression-free survival (PFS), a significant improvement in PFS was observed for the anlotinib arm over the placebo arm (hazards ratio [HR] = 0.64, 95% CI, 0.48–0.80, P = 0.003). Particularly, patients with brain metastasis and those harboring EGFR amplification or high tumor mutation load gained significant more benefits in PFS from gefitinib plus anlotinib. The incidence of grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events was 49.7% of the patients receiving gefitinib plus anlotinib versus 31.0% of the patients receiving gefitinib plus placebo. Anlotinib plus gefitinib significantly improves PFS in patients with treatment-naïve, EGFR-mutated, advanced NSCLC, with a manageable safety profile.
Treatment decisions of patients with Class II Division 2 malocclusion and severe tooth wear: a systematic review
Authors: Ma Yuhan , Zhao Weijia , Zhang Sisi , Jin Xiaoting , Xu Jianhao , Fu Baiping , Shi Ying
Published: August 2024

Background

The treatment strategy for patients with severe tooth wear associated with Class II Division 2 malocclusion remains a major challenge for dental practitioners.

Objectives

To systematically review and summarize the literature on treatment strategies, restoration procedures and clinical outcomes for Class II Division 2 malocclusion patients with severe tooth wear.

Methods

A literature review was conducted using Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to identify eligible articles. Publications until October 16th, 2023 were searched independently and cross-checked by two researchers.

Results

Of 1513 articles screened, 10 reports detailed treatment processes, including six males and four females aged 34–68 years old. Four articles recorded pre-treatment freeway space (FWS) values ranging from 5 to 9 mm. All ten cases had significant occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) loss and the increase in OVD after treatment ranged from 1 to 7 mm. Pre-prosthetic orthodontic treatment was performed in two cases, in one of which only the maxillary region was orthodontically treated. The most common restorations provided were full coverage restorations. In most cases, temporary restorations were applied before the permanent restorations for eight weeks to six months. Four different sequences of final restoration were proposed. Follow-up ranged from four months to six years and included seven patients, one of them showed symptoms of temporomandibular disorder (TMD).

Conclusions

A multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to treatment is recommended. Consideration of pre-prosthetic orthodontic treatment is essential. Commonly used cephalometric measurements for anterior teeth include the interincisal angle and collum angle. The increases in OVD ranging from 1 to 7 mm can be effectively accommodated. Temporary restorations are recommended to accommodate the OVD, and the transition periods of 8 weeks to 6 months help the patients adapted well. Four different sequences for final rehabilitation have demonstrated positive clinical outcomes. Full crown restorations have emerged as the preferred choice for the ultimate restoration of these patients.
Chromatin remodeling-driven autophagy activation induces cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Oh Su Young , Kim Jinkyung , Lee Kah Young , Lee Heon-Jin , Kwon Tae-Geon , Kim Jin-Wook , Lee Sung-Tak , Kim Dae-Geon , Choi So-Young , Hong Su-Hyung
Published: August 2024

It is still challenging to predict the efficacy of cisplatin-based therapy, particularly in relation to the activation of macroautophagy/autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We studied the effect of selected chromatin remodeling genes on the cisplatin resistance and their interplay with autophagy in 3-dimensional tumor model and xenografts. We analyzed gene expression patterns in the cisplatin-sensitive UMSCC1, and a paired cisplatin-resistant UM-Cis cells. Many histone protein gene clusters involved in nucleosome assembly showed significant difference of expression. Gain- and loss-of-function analyses revealed an inverse correlation between cisplatin resistance and HIST1H3D expression, while a positive correlation was observed with HIST3H2A or HIST3H2B expression. In UM-Cis, HIST3H2A- and HIST3H2B-mediated chromatin remodeling upregulates autophagy status, which results in cisplatin resistance. Additionally, knockdown of HIST3H2A or HIST3H2B downregulated autophagy-activating genes via chromatin compaction of their promoter regions. MiTF, one of the key autophagy regulators upregulated in UM-Cis, negatively regulated transcription of HIST1H3D, suggesting an interplay between chromatin remodeling-dependent cisplatin resistance and autophagy. On comparing the staining intensity between cisplatin-sensitive and –insensitive tissues from OSCC patients, protein expression pattern of the selected histone protein genes were matched with the in vitro data. By examining the relationship between autophagy and chromatin remodeling genes, we identified a set of candidate genes with potential use as markers predicting chemoresistance in OSCC biopsy samples.
Prosapogenin A induces GSDME-dependent pyroptosis of anaplastic thyroid cancer through vacuolar ATPase activation-mediated lysosomal over-acidification
Authors: Liu Yunye , Guo Yawen , Zeng Qian , Hu Yiqun , He Ru , Ma Wenli , Qian Chenhong , Hua Tebo , Song Fahuan , Cai Yefeng , Zhu Lei , Ren Xinxin , Xu Jiajie , Zheng Chuanming , Ding Lingling , Ge Jingyan , Wang Wenzhen , Xu Haifeng , Ge Minghua , Zheng Guowan
Published: August 2024

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is among the most aggressive and metastatic malignancies, often resulting in fatal outcomes due to the lack of effective treatments. Prosapogenin A (PA), a bioactive compound prevalent in traditional Chinese herbs, has shown potential as an antineoplastic agent against various human tumors. However, its effects on ATC and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that PA exhibits significant anti-ATC activity both in vitro and in vivo by inducing GSDME-dependent pyroptosis in ATC cells. Mechanistically, PA promotes lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP), leading to the release of cathepsins that activate caspase 8/3 to cleave GSDME. Remarkably, PA significantly upregulates three key functional subunits of V-ATPase—ATP6V1A, ATP6V1B2, and ATP6V0C—resulting in lysosomal over-acidification. This over-acidification exacerbates LMP and subsequent lysosomal damage. Neutralization of lysosomal lumen acidification or inhibition/knockdown of these V-ATPase subunits attenuates PA-induced lysosomal damage, pyroptosis and growth inhibition of ATC cells, highlighting the critical role for lysosomal acidification and LMP in PA’s anticancer effects. In summary, our findings uncover a novel link between PA and lysosomal damage-dependent pyroptosis in cancer cells. PA may act as a V-ATPase agonist targeting lysosomal acidification, presenting a new potential therapeutic option for ATC treatment.
SVIP reduces IGFBP-2 expression and inhibits glioblastoma progression via stabilizing PTEN
Authors: Wang Zixuan , Qiao Xiaolong , Chen Yinan , Peng Nan , Niu Chaoshi , Wang Yang , Li Cong , Hu Zengchun , Zhang Caihua , Cheng Chuandong
Published: August 2024

Glioblastoma (GBM) presents significant challenges due to its invasive nature and genetic heterogeneity. In this study, we investigated the impact of Small VCP/P97-Interacting Protein (SVIP) on GBM progression. Our results revealed elevated expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 (IGFBP-2) and STIP1 homology and U-box containing protein 1 (STUB1), coupled with reduced SVIP levels in GBM samples. Notably, high IGFBP-2 expression correlated with poor prognosis. Mechanistically, SVIP competitively inhibited STUB1, selectively binding to VCP/p97, thereby reducing PTEN degradation. This SVIP-mediated regulation exerted influence on the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, leading to the suppression of GBM progression. Co-localization experiments demonstrated that SVIP hindered PTEN ubiquitination and degradation by outcompeting STUB1 for VCP/p97 binding. Moreover, SVIP overexpression resulted in reduced activation of AKT/mTOR signaling and facilitated autophagy. In vivo experiments using a GBM xenograft model substantiated the tumor-suppressive effects of SVIP, evident by suppressed tumor growth, decreased IGFBP-2 expression, and improved survival rates. Collectively, our findings underscore the functional significance of SVIP in GBM progression. By inhibiting STUB1 and stabilizing PTEN, SVIP modulates the expression of IGFBP-2 and attenuates the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, thereby emerging as a promising therapeutic target for GBM treatment.
METTL14-mediated m6A mRNA modification of G6PD promotes lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wu Weidong , Li Mengling , Wu Yingxiao , Wei Qiongying , Yu Nanding
Published: August 2024

METTL14 functions as an RNA methyltransferase involved in m6A modification, influencing mRNA biogenesis, decay, and translation processes. However, the specific mechanism by which METTL14 regulates glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) to promote the progression of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is not well understood. Quantitative measurement and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis have demonstrated higher levels of m6A in LUAD tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Additionally, the expression of METTL14 was significantly increased in LUAD tissues. In LUAD cell lines, both METTL14 and m6A levels were elevated compared to normal human lung epithelial cells. Knockdown of METTL14 markedly reduced LUAD cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conversely, overexpression of METTL14, but not the mutant form, significantly enhanced these cellular processes in LUAD. In vivo studies using nude mice with subcutaneously transplanted LUAD cells demonstrated that stable METTL14 knockdown led to notably reduced tumor volume and weight, along with fewer Ki67-positive cells and lung metastatic sites. Importantly, METTL14 knockdown reduced glycolytic activity in LUAD cells. Through a combination of RNA sequencing and MeRIP-sequencing, we identified numerous altered genes and confirmed that IGF2BP2 enhances G6PD mRNA stability after METTL14-mediated m6A modification, thereby promoting tumor growth and metastasis. Moreover, LUAD patients with higher levels of G6PD had poorer overall survival (OS). In conclusion, our study indicates that METTL14 upregulates G6PD expression post-transcriptionally through an m6A-IGF2BP2-dependent mechanism, thereby stabilizing G6PD mRNA. These findings propose potential diagnostic biomarkers and effective targets for anti-metabolism therapy in LUAD.
Cellular transitions during cranial suture establishment in zebrafish
Authors: Farmer D’Juan T. , Dukov Jennifer E. , Chen Hung-Jhen , Arata Claire , Hernandez-Trejo Jose , Xu Pengfei , Teng Camilla S. , Maxson Robert E. , Crump J. Gage
Published: August 2024

Cranial sutures separate neighboring skull bones and are sites of bone growth. A key question is how osteogenic activity is controlled to promote bone growth while preventing aberrant bone fusions during skull expansion. Using single-cell transcriptomics, lineage tracing, and mutant analysis in zebrafish, we uncover key developmental transitions regulating bone formation at sutures during skull expansion. In particular, we identify a subpopulation of mesenchyme cells in the mid-suture region that upregulate a suite of genes including BMP antagonists (e.g. grem1a) and pro-angiogenic factors. Lineage tracing with grem1a:nlsEOS reveals that this mid-suture subpopulation is largely non-osteogenic. Moreover, combinatorial mutation of BMP antagonists enriched in this mid-suture subpopulation results in increased BMP signaling in the suture, misregulated bone formation, and abnormal suture morphology. These data reveal establishment of a non-osteogenic mesenchyme population in the mid-suture region that restricts bone formation through local BMP antagonism, thus ensuring proper suture morphology.
In-plane staging in lithium-ion intercalation of bilayer graphene
Authors: Astles Thomas , McHugh James G. , Zhang Rui , Guo Qian , Howe Madeleine , Wu Zefei , Indykiewicz Kornelia , Summerfield Alex , Goodwin Zachary A. H. , Slizovskiy Sergey , Domaretskiy Daniil , Geim Andre K. , Falko Vladimir , Grigorieva Irina V.
Published: August 2024

The ongoing efforts to optimize rechargeable Li-ion batteries led to the interest in intercalation of nanoscale layered compounds, including bilayer graphene. Its lithium intercalation has been demonstrated recently but the mechanisms underpinning the storage capacity remain poorly understood. Here, using magnetotransport measurements, we report in-operando intercalation dynamics of bilayer graphene. Unexpectedly, we find four distinct intercalation stages that correspond to well-defined Li-ion densities. Transitions between the stages occur rapidly (within 1 sec) over the entire device area. We refer to these stages as ‘in-plane’, with no in-plane analogues in bulk graphite. The fully intercalated bilayers represent a stoichiometric compound C14LiC14 with a Li density of ∼2.7·1014 cm−2, notably lower than fully intercalated graphite. Combining the experimental findings and DFT calculations, we show that the critical step in bilayer intercalation is a transition from AB to AA stacking which occurs at a density of ∼0.9·1014 cm−2. Our findings reveal the mechanism and limits for electrochemical intercalation of bilayer graphene and suggest possible avenues for increasing the Li storage capacity.
Indistinguishable photons from an artificial atom in silicon photonics
Authors: Komza Lukasz , Samutpraphoot Polnop , Odeh Mutasem , Tang Yu-Lung , Mathew Milena , Chang Jiu , Song Hanbin , Kim Myung-Ki , Xiong Yihuang , Hautier Geoffroy , Sipahigil Alp
Published: August 2024

Silicon is the ideal material for building electronic and photonic circuits at scale. Integrated photonic quantum technologies in silicon offer a promising path to scaling by leveraging advanced semiconductor manufacturing and integration capabilities. However, the lack of deterministic quantum light sources and strong photon-photon interactions in silicon poses a challenge to scalability. In this work, we demonstrate an indistinguishable photon source in silicon photonics based on an artificial atom. We show that a G center in a silicon waveguide can generate high-purity telecom-band single photons. We perform high-resolution spectroscopy and time-delayed two-photon interference to demonstrate the indistinguishability of single photons emitted from a G center in a silicon waveguide. Our results show that artificial atoms in silicon photonics can source single photons suitable for photonic quantum networks and processors.
VolcanoSV enables accurate and robust structural variant calling in diploid genomes from single-molecule long read sequencing
Authors: Luo Can , Liu Yichen Henry , Zhou Xin Maizie
Published: August 2024

Structural variants (SVs) significantly contribute to human genome diversity and play a crucial role in precision medicine. Although advancements in single-molecule long-read sequencing offer a groundbreaking resource for SV detection, identifying SV breakpoints and sequences accurately and robustly remains challenging. We introduce VolcanoSV, an innovative hybrid SV detection pipeline that utilizes both a reference genome and local de novo assembly to generate a phased diploid assembly. VolcanoSV uses phased SNPs and unique k-mer similarity analysis, enabling precise haplotype-resolved SV discovery. VolcanoSV is adept at constructing comprehensive genetic maps encompassing SNPs, small indels, and all types of SVs, making it well-suited for human genomics studies. Our extensive experiments demonstrate that VolcanoSV surpasses state-of-the-art assembly-based tools in the detection of insertion and deletion SVs, exhibiting superior recall, precision, F1 scores, and genotype accuracy across a diverse range of datasets, including low-coverage (10x) datasets. VolcanoSV outperforms assembly-based tools in the identification of complex SVs, including translocations, duplications, and inversions, in both simulated and real cancer data. Moreover, VolcanoSV is robust to various evaluation parameters and accurately identifies breakpoints and SV sequences.
A pH-sensitive motif in an outer membrane protein activates bacterial membrane vesicle production
Authors: Dehinwal Ruchika , Gopinath Tata , Smith Richard D. , Ernst Robert K. , Schifferli Dieter M. , Waldor Matthew K. , Marassi Francesca M.
Published: August 2024

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by Gram-negative bacteria have key roles in cell envelope homeostasis, secretion, interbacterial communication, and pathogenesis. The facultative intracellular pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium increases OMV production inside the acidic vacuoles of host cells by changing expression of its outer membrane proteins and modifying the composition of lipid A. However, the molecular mechanisms that translate pH changes into OMV production are not completely understood. Here, we show that the outer membrane protein PagC promotes OMV production through pH-dependent interactions between its extracellular loops and surrounding lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Structural comparisons and mutational studies indicate that a pH-responsive amino acid motif in PagC extracellular loops, containing PagC-specific histidine residues, is crucial for OMV formation. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that protonation of histidine residues leads to changes in the structure and flexibility of PagC extracellular loops and their interactions with the surrounding LPS, altering membrane curvature. Consistent with that hypothesis, mimicking acidic pH by mutating those histidine residues to lysine increases OMV production. Thus, our findings reveal a mechanism for sensing and responding to environmental pH and for control of membrane dynamics by outer membrane proteins.
High-TC superconductivity in La3Ni2O7 based on the bilayer two-orbital t-J model
Authors: Luo Zhihui , Lv Biao , Wang Meng , Wú Wéi , Yao Dao-Xin
Published: August 2024

The recently discovered high-Tcsuperconductor La3Ni2O7has sparked renewed interest in unconventional superconductivity. Here we study superconductivity in pressurized La3Ni2O7based on a bilayer two-orbitalt−Jmodel, using the renormalized mean-field theory. Our results reveal a robusts±-wave pairing driven by the inter-layer$${d}_{{z}^{2}}$$dz2magnetic coupling, which exhibits a transition temperature within the same order of magnitude as the experimentally observedTc ~ 80 K. We establish a comprehensive superconducting phase diagram in the doping plane. Notably, the La3Ni2O7under pressure is found to be situated roughly in the optimal doping regime of the phase diagram. When the$${d}_{{x}^{2}-{y}^{2}}$$dx2−y2orbital becomes close to half-filling,d-wave andd+ispairing can emerge from the system. We discuss the interplay between Fermi surface topology and different pairing symmetries. The stability of thes±-wave pairing against Hund’s coupling and other magnetic exchange couplings is discussed.
Chloroplast and whole-genome sequencing shed light on the evolutionary history and phenotypic diversification of peanuts
Authors: Zheng Zheng , Sun Ziqi , Qi Feiyan , Fang Yuanjin , Lin Ke , Pavan Stefano , Huang Bingyan , Dong Wenzhao , Du Pei , Tian Mengdi , Shi Lei , Xu Jing , Han Suoyi , Liu Hua , Qin Li , Zhang Zhongxin , Dai Xiaodong , Miao Lijuan , Zhao Ruifang , Wang Juan , Liao Yanlin , Li Alun , Ruan Jue , Delvento Chiara , Aiese Cigliano Riccardo , Maliepaard Chris , Bai Yuling , Visser Richard G. F. , Zhang Xinyou
Published: August 2024

Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a widely grown oilseed crop worldwide; however, the events leading to its origin and diversification are not fully understood. Here by combining chloroplast and whole-genome sequence data from a large germplasm collection, we show that the two subspecies of A. hypogaea (hypogaea and fastigiata) likely arose from distinct allopolyploidization and domestication events. Peanut genetic clusters were then differentiated in relation to dissemination routes and breeding efforts. A combination of linkage mapping and genome-wide association studies allowed us to characterize genes and genomic regions related to main peanut morpho-agronomic traits, namely flowering pattern, inner tegument color, growth habit, pod/seed weight and oil content. Together, our findings shed light on the evolutionary history and phenotypic diversification of peanuts and might be of broad interest to plant breeders.
A Motion Capture Dataset on Human Sitting to Walking Transitions
Authors: Perera Chamalka Kenneth , Hussain Zakia , Khant Min , Gopalai Alpha Agape , Gouwanda Darwin , Ahmad Siti Anom
Published: August 2024

Sit-to-walk (STW) is a crucial daily task that impacts mobility, independence, and thus quality of life. Existing repositories have limited STW data with small sample sizes (n = 10). Hence, this study presents a STW dataset obtained via the time-up-and-go test, for 65 healthy adults across three age groups – young (19–35 years), middle (36–55 years) and older (above 56 years). The dataset contains lower body motion capture, ground reaction force, surface electromyography, inertial measurement unit data, and responses for the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score survey. For validation, the within subjects intraclass correlation coefficients for the maximum and minimum lower body joint angles were calculated with values greater than 0.74, indicating good test-retest reliability. The joint angle trajectories and maximum voluntary contractions are comparable with existing literature, matching in overall trends and range. Accordingly, this dataset allows STW biomechanics, executions, and characteristics to be studied across age groups. Biomechanical trajectories of healthy adults serve as a benchmark in assessing neuromusculoskeletal impairments and when designing assistive technology for treatment or rehabilitation.
Exploring the adverse events of Oxford–AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccination on Guillain–Barré Syndrome
Authors: Meo Sultan Ayoub , Shaikh Narmeen , Abukhalaf Farah Adnan , Meo Anusha Sultan
Published: August 2024

The vaccination against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an important public health strategy to prevent people from the pandemic. Vaccines are a game-changing tool, it is essential to understand the adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination. This study explored the adverse events of COVID-19 Vaccination Oxford–AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson on Guillain–Barré Syndrome (GBS). In this study, initially 128 documents were identified from the databases, including Pub-Med, Web of Science-Clarivate Analytics, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The articles on COVID-19 vaccination and GBs were searched using the keywords “SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Vaccination, and Guillain Barré Syndrome, GBS”, finally, 16 documents were included in the analysis and synthesis. After administering 1,680,042,214 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, 6177 cases were identified with 10.5 cases per million vaccine doses. A significant positive risk was found between COVID-19 vaccine administration and GBS with a risk rate of RR 1.97 (95% CI 1.26–3.08, p = 0.01). The mRNA vaccines were associated with 2076 cases, and 1,237,638,401 vaccine doses were linked with 4.47 GBS events per million vaccine doses. The first dose of the m-RNA vaccine was associated with 8.83 events per million doses compared to the second dose with 02 events per million doses. The viral-vector vaccine doses 193,535,249 were linked to 1630 GBS cases with 11.01 cases per million doses. The incidence of GBS after the first dose was 17.43 compared to 1.47 cases per million in the second dose of the viral-vector vaccine. The adverse events of the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine were linked to 1339 cases of GBS following 167,786,902 vaccine doses, with 14.2 cases per million doses. The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine significantly increased the risk of GBS RR: 2.96 (95% CI 2.51–3.48, p = 0.01). For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, there were 7.20 cases per million doses of the vaccine, and no significant association was identified between the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and GBS incidence RR: 0.99 (95% CI 0.75–1.32, p = 0.96). Moderna vaccine was related with 419 cases of GBS after administering 420,420,909 doses, with 2.26 cases per million doses. However, Johnson and Johnson's vaccination was linked to 235 GBS after 60,256,913 doses of the vaccine with 8.80 cases per million doses. A significant association was seen between the risk of GBS and Ad.26.COV2. S vaccine, RR: 2.47 (95% CI 1.30–4.69, p < 0.01). Overall, a significant association was seen between the COVID-19 vaccines and the risk of GBS. The incidence of GBS was higher after the first dose compared to GBS cases per million in the second dose.
Efficient artificial intelligence-based assessment of the gastroesophageal valve with Hill classification through active learning
Authors: Kafetzis Ioannis , Fuchs Karl-Hermann , Sodmann Philipp , Troya Joel , Zoller Wolfram , Meining Alexander , Hann Alexander
Published: August 2024

Standardized assessment of the gastroesophageal valve during endoscopy, attainable via the Hill classification, is important for clinical assessment and therapeutic decision making. The Hill classification is associated with the presence of hiatal hernia (HH), a common endoscopic finding connected to gastro-esophageal reflux disease. A novel efficient medical artificial intelligence (AI) training pipeline using active learning (AL) is designed. We identified 21,970 gastroscopic images as training data and used our AL to train a model for predicting the Hill classification and detecting HH. Performance of the AL and traditionally trained models were evaluated on an external expert-annotated image collection. The AL model achieved accuracy of 76%. A traditionally trained model with 125% more training data achieved 77% accuracy. Furthermore, the AL model achieved higher precision than the traditional one for rare classes, with 0.54 versus 0.39 (p < 0.05) for grade 3 and 0.72 versus 0.61 (p < 0.05) for grade 4. In detecting HH, the AL model achieved 94% accuracy, 0.72 precision and 0.74 recall. Our AL pipeline is more efficient than traditional methods in training AI for endoscopy.
Influences of heart rate feedback and autistic traits on affective mindreading
Authors: Bögl Katharina , Bayer Mareike , Walter Henrik , Dziobek Isabel
Published: August 2024

Although mindreading is an important prerequisite for successful social interactions, the underlying mechanisms are still matter of debate. It is unclear, for example, if inferring others’ and own mental states are distinct processes or are based on a common mechanism. Using an affect-induction experimental set-up with an acoustic heart rate feedback that addresses affective mindreading in self and others, we investigated if non-autistic study participants relied on similar information for self- and other-directed mindreading. We assumed that due to altered mindreading capacities in autism, mainly individuals with low autistic traits would focus on additional sensory cues, such as heart rate, to infer their own and their gambling partner’s affective states. Our analyses showed that the interpretation of a heart rate signal differed in self- and other-directed mindreading trials. This effect was modulated by autistic traits suggesting that individuals with higher autistic traits might not have interpreted the heart rate feedback for gambling partner ratings and differentiated less between self- and other-directed mindreading trials. We discuss these results in the context of a common mechanism underlying self- and other-directed mindreading and hypothesize that the weighting of internal and external sensory information might contribute to how we make sense of our and others’ mental states.
Neck muscle function improves after neck exercises in individuals with whiplash-associated disorders: a case–control ultrasound study with speckle-tracking analyses
Authors: Peterson Gunnel , Nilsson David , Jönsson Margaretha , Bennett Kate , Peolsson Anneli
Published: August 2024

A whiplash injury can alter neck muscle function, which remains years after the injury and may explain why symptoms such as persistent pain and disability occur. There is currently limited knowledge about dynamic neck muscle function in chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), and about the extent to which altered muscle function can improve after rehabilitation. Ultrasound can detect mechanical neck muscle function by measuring real-time deformation and deformation rate in the muscles. This method was used for five dorsal neck muscles in participants with chronic WAD versus matched controls in resistant neck rotation. We obtained real-time, non-invasive ultrasound measurements using speckle tracking, multivariate analyses, and mixed-design ANOVA analyses. The results showed altered deformation in the three deepest neck muscle layers, with less deformation area in the WAD group compared to controls in rotation to the most painful side at baseline. Participants in the WAD group performed three months of neck-specific exercises, resulting in improved deformation in the deep neck muscles in WAD and with a similar deformation pattern to controls, and the significant group differences ceased. We reveal new and important insights into the capability of ultrasound to diagnose altered neck muscle function and evaluate an exercise intervention.
Real-time visual intelligence for defect detection in pharmaceutical packaging
Authors: Vijayakumar Ajantha , Vairavasundaram Subramaniyaswamy , Koilraj Joseph Abraham Sundar , Rajappa Muthaiah , Kotecha Ketan , Kulkarni Ambarish
Published: August 2024

Defect detection in pharmaceutical blister packages is the most challenging task to get an accurate result in detecting defects that arise in tablets while manufacturing. Conventional defect detection methods include human intervention to check the quality of tablets within the blister packages, which is inefficient, time-consuming, and increases labor costs. To mitigate this issue, the YOLO family is primarily used in many industries for real-time defect detection in continuous production. To enhance the feature extraction capability and reduce the computational overhead in a real-time environment, the CBS-YOLOv8 is proposed by enhancing the YOLOv8 model. In the proposed CBS-YOLOv8, coordinate attention is introduced to improve the feature extraction capability by capturing the spatial and cross-channel information and also maintaining the long-range dependencies. The BiFPN (weighted bi-directional feature pyramid network) is also introduced in YOLOv8 to enhance the feature fusion at each convolution layer to avoid more precise information loss. The model's efficiency is enhanced through the implementation of SimSPPF (simple spatial pyramid pooling fast), which reduces computational demands and model complexity, resulting in improved speed. A custom dataset containing defective tablet images is used to train the proposed model. The performance of the CBS-YOLOv8 model is then evaluated by comparing it with various other models. Experimental results on the custom dataset reveal that the CBS-YOLOv8 model achieves a mAP of 97.4% and an inference speed of 79.25 FPS, outperforming other models. The proposed model is also evaluated on SESOVERA-ST saline bottle fill level monitoring dataset achieved the mAP50 of 99.3%. This demonstrates that CBS-YOLOv8 provides an optimized inspection process, enabling prompt detection and correction of defects, thus bolstering quality assurance practices in manufacturing settings.
Fatigued individuals show increased conformity in virtual meetings
Authors: Masjutin Lisa , Bangemann Anne , Reimann Leonie , Maier Günter W.
Published: August 2024

Virtual meetings are widespread in organizations despite being perceived as fatiguing; a phenomenon also known as Zoom fatigue. Research suggests that Zoom fatigue is stronger when the camera is on, potentially influencing individuals to conform to majority opinions during professional online meetings. Two preregistered studies were conducted to explore the relationships between camera use, Zoom fatigue, social presence, and conformity. Study 1 involved 287 participants describing a professional online meeting in terms of the content discussed as well as the study variables. Study 2 involved 64 participants in an experimentally manipulated online meeting (camera on vs. off), focusing on a personnel selection task. We measured how many times participants changed their answers to match the majority and how this was related to Zoom fatigue and self-reported conformity. Results from both studies indicated that camera use was not related to either conformity or Zoom fatigue. Despite not finding the presumed mediation effect, the studies showed a clear link between fatigue and conformity. The results explain the emergence of conformity in online meetings and provide practical information for the design of video conferences.
Contrasting effects of intracellular and extracellular human PCSK9 on inflammation, lipid alteration and cell death
Authors: Ghalali Aram , Alhamdan Fahd , Upadhyay Swapna , Ganguly Koustav , Larsson Kjell , Palmberg Lena , Rahman Mizanur
Published: August 2024

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is one of the major regulators of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). Information on role and regulation of PCSK9 in lung is very limited. Our study focuses on understanding the role and regulation of PCSK9 in the lung. PCSK9 levels are higher in Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) compared to BALF of nonsmokers. PCSK9-stimulated cells induce proinflammatory cytokines and activation of MAPKp38. PCSK9 transcripts are highly expressed in healthy individuals compared to COPD, pulmonary fibrosis or pulmonary systemic sclerosis. Cigarette smoke extract reduce PCSK9 levels in undifferentiated pulmonary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) but induce in differentiated PBEC. PCSK9 inhibition affect biological pathways, induces lipid peroxidation, and higher level of apoptosis in response to staurosporine. Our results suggest that higher levels of PCSK9 in BALF acts as an inflammatory marker. Furthermore, extracellular and intracellular PCSK9 play different roles.
Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni bacterial holocytochrome c synthase structure-function analysis reveals conservation of heme binding
Authors: Yeasmin Tania , Carroll Susan C. , Hawtof David J. , Sutherland Molly C.
Published: August 2024

Heme trafficking is essential for cellular function, yet mechanisms of transport and/or heme interaction are not well defined. The System I and System II bacterial cytochrome c biogenesis pathways are developing into model systems for heme trafficking due to their functions in heme transport, heme stereospecific positioning, and mediation of heme attachment to apocytochrome c. Here we focus on the System II pathway, CcsBA, that is proposed to be a bi-functional heme transporter and holocytochrome c synthase. An extensive structure-function analysis of recombinantly expressed Helicobacter pylori and Campylobacter jejuni CcsBAs revealed key residues required for heme interaction and holocytochrome c synthase activity. Homologous residues were previously identified to be required for heme interaction in Helicobacter hepaticus CcsBA. This study provides direct, biochemical evidence that mechanisms of heme interaction are conserved, leading to the proposal that the CcsBA WWD heme-handling domain represents a novel target for therapeutics.
Food-sourcing from on-farm trees mediates positive relationships between tree cover and dietary quality in Malawi
Authors: Vansant Emilie , den Braber Bowy , Hall Charlotte , Kamoto Judith , Reiner Florian , Oldekop Johan , Rasmussen Laura Vang
Published: August 2024

Food security policies often overlook the potential of trees to provide micronutrient-rich foods. Here, through causal mediation analysis, we show the positive effect of tree cover on micronutrient adequacy, explained by people sourcing food from on-farm trees. Detailed survey data (n = 460 households with repeated surveys) from Malawi were linked to high-resolution (3 m) tree-cover data to capture forest and non-forest trees. Our findings support integrating nutrition and landscape restoration policies.
Valproic acid targets IDH1 mutants through alteration of lipid metabolism
Authors: Elahi Lubayna S. , Condro Michael C. , Kawaguchi Riki , Qin Yue , Alvarado Alvaro G. , Gruender Brandon , Qi Haocheng , Li Tie , Lai Albert , Castro Maria G. , Lowenstein Pedro R. , Garrett Matthew C. , Kornblum Harley I.
Published: August 2024

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have a wide range of targets and can rewire both the chromatin and lipidome of cancer cells. In this study, we show that valproic acid (VPA), a brain penetrant anti-seizure medication and histone deacetylase inhibitor, inhibits the growth of IDH1 mutant tumors in vivo and in vitro, with at least some selectivity over IDH1 wild-type tumors. Surprisingly, genes upregulated by VPA showed no enhanced chromatin accessibility at the promoter, but there was a correlation between VPA-downregulated genes and diminished promoter chromatin accessibility. VPA inhibited the transcription of lipogenic genes and these lipogenic genes showed significant decreases in promoter chromatin accessibility only in the IDH1 MT glioma cell lines tested. VPA inhibited the mTOR pathway and a key lipogenic gene, fatty acid synthase (FASN). Both VPA and a selective FASN inhibitor TVB-2640 rewired the lipidome and promoted apoptosis in an IDH1 MT but not in an IDH1 WT glioma cell line. We further find that HDACs are involved in the regulation of lipogenic genes and HDAC6 is particularly important for the regulation of FASN in IDH1 MT glioma. Finally, we show that FASN knockdown alone and VPA in combination with FASN knockdown significantly improved the survival of mice in an IDH1 MT primary orthotopic xenograft model in vivo. We conclude that targeting fatty acid metabolism through HDAC inhibition and/or FASN inhibition may be a novel therapeutic opportunity in IDH1 mutant gliomas.
Thyroid hormone receptor beta (THRB) dependent regulation of diurnal hepatic lipid metabolism in adult male mice
Authors: de Assis Leonardo Vinicius Monteiro , Harder Lisbeth , Inderhees Julica , Jöhren Olaf , Mittag Jens , Oster Henrik
Published: August 2024

Thyroid hormones (THs) are critical regulators of systemic energy metabolism and homeostasis. In the liver, high TH action protects against steatosis by enhancing cholesterol and triglyceride turnover, with thyroid hormone receptor beta (THRB) signaling playing a pivotal role. This study probed the potential interaction between THRB action and another critical regulator of liver energy metabolism, the circadian clock. Liver transcriptome analysis of THRB deficient (THRBKO) mice under normal chow conditions revealed a modest impact of THRB deletion. Temporal transcriptome and lipidome profiling uncovered significant alterations in diurnal metabolic rhythms attributable to THRB deficiency pointing to a pro-steatotic state with elevated levels of cholesterol, tri- and diacylglycerides, and fatty acids. These findings were confirmed by THRB agonization in hepatocytes under steatosis-promoting conditions in vitro. Integration of transcriptome profiles from THRBKO mice and mice with induced high or low TH action identified a subset of TH responsive but THRB insensitive genes implicated in immune processes. In summary, our study reveals a complex time-of-day dependent interaction of different TH-related signals in the regulation of liver physiology indicating an opportunity for chronopharmacological approaches to TH/THRB manipulation in fatty liver diseases.
A porphyrin-modified CoMoO4 nanosensor array for the detection of crude baijiu
Authors: Zhao Peng , Xia Xuhui , Luo Yiyao , Yuan Zirui , Deng Jiaxi , Luo Huibo , Luo Xiaogang , Huo Danqun , Hou Changjun
Published: August 2024

A Por-CoMoO4 colorimetric sensing array based on pH modulation for baijiu detection is fabricated which successfully realizes the differentiation of 14 small molecules as well as 16 kinds of Luzhou-flavor crude baijiu.
Modelling the activity trend of the hydrogen oxidation reaction under constant potential conditions
Authors: Ling Wenhui , Liu Jian , Yang Bo
Published: August 2024

A microkinetic model is constructed for the electrocatalytic alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction, using which the activity trend suitable for efficient catalyst screening has been identified.
Pd-catalyzed Markovnikov selective oxidative amination of 4-pentenoic acid
Authors: Mao Lihua , Liu Chao , Tan Xiangwen , Yao Biao , Wu Jiahao , Wu Wanqing , Jiang Huanfeng
Published: August 2024

A palladium-catalyzed and ligand-controlled strategy for the Markovnikov selective oxidative amination of 4-pentenoic acid has been described.
Hydrophobic evaporable fullerene indanone ketone with low sublimation temperature and amorphous morphology for inverted perovskite solar cells
Authors: Zhai Yong-Chang , Yamanaka Koki , Yu Chu-Yang , Wang Jun-Zhuo , Zheng Xue-Lin , Huda Miftakhul , Imai Naoyuki , Igarashi Takeshi , Aoyagi Shinobu , Matsuo Yutaka
Published: August 2024

A hydrophobic evaporable indano[60] fullerene ketone with low sublimation temperature (CF3-FIDO) was successfully synthesized, providing the fullerene mono-adduct derivative with the lowest sublimation temperature reported to date.
(Phosphino)(stannyl)carbene
Authors: Wei Rui , Wang Xin-Feng , Hu Chaopeng , Liu Liu Leo
Published: August 2024

Stable (phosphino)(stannyl)carbene has been synthesized and characterized. Reactivity and DFT calculations demonstrate its ambiphilicity and potential for unusual stannyl-substituted compounds.
In situ metal-ion-incorporated photothermal GO films with an adjustable temperature range for personal thermal management
Authors: Chen Wan-Peng , Zhu Yan-Mei , Du Yu-Ping , Lv Xing-Bin , Yu Hai-Rong , Liang Ting , Cheng Chang-Jing , Ji Jun-Yi
Published: August 2024

The in situ metal-ion-incorporated photothermal GO films have high light capture efficiency (98.51%) and exceptional photothermal conversion capability (∼61.3 °C), offering temperature adjustability within the range of 39.1–61.3 °C.
Organic charge transfer complex towards functional optical materials
Authors: Kalita Kalyan Jyoti , Arikkottira M Rakhi , Vijayaraghavan Ratheesh K.
Published: August 2024

The article highlights the recent developments on some interesting optical traits of organic charge transfer complexes. Properties like room temperature phosphorescence, thermally activated delayed fluorescence, circularly polarised luminescence, etc., are summarized.
Unravelling the mechanism of temperature modulated exciton binding energy for MAPbBr3 perovskites
Authors: Hu Yanzhuo , Liu Dong , Lu Ying-Bo , Wang Hao , Wu Zhongchen , Bao Hexin , Zou Ruijie , Jiang Xianyuan , Cong Wei-Yan , Guan Chengbo
Published: August 2024

The excitonic effect significantly influences the optoelectronic characteristics of halide perovskites.
Energy gap of conformational transition related with temperature for the NACore of α-synuclein
Authors: Xia Pengxuan , Cao Yuanming , Zhao Qingjie , Li Huiyu
Published: August 2024

The transition of NACore oligomers from β-barrel to β-sheet structure is temperature-dependent, as shown by all-atom MD simulations.
Shape and interactions of the synthetic repellent DEET
Authors: Crehuet Otger , Vázquez Andrea , Pinacho Pablo , Insausti Aran , Alonso Elena R. , Basterretxea Francisco J. , Cocinero Emilio J.
Published: August 2024

Four conformations of the widely used insect repellent DEET have been observed in the gas phase by broadband microwave spectroscopy. The relative orientation of the alkyl chains provide flexibility resulting in a populated potential energy surface.
Screening of novel halide perovskites for photocatalytic water splitting using multi-fidelity machine learning
Authors: Biswas Maitreyo , Desai Rushik , Mannodi-Kanakkithodi Arun
Published: August 2024

Perovskite-based photocatalytic water splitting is an efficient and sustainable technology to produce high-purity hydrogen gas for clean energy using solar energy.
Moisture changes inside hydrogel particles during their drying process investigated with fluorescence lifetime imaging
Authors: Jana Sankar , Wöll Dominik
Published: August 2024

Fluorescence lifetime imaging was used to follow the drying process of microgels from their swollen state to their dry state at different air humidities.
Fabrication of rare earth-doped ZnO-PVDF flexible nanocomposite films for ferroelectric response and their application in piezo-responsive bending sensors
Authors: Dutta Subhojit , Chakraborty Tanmoy , Sharma Shivam , Mondal Dhananjoy , Saha Aliva , Pradhan Anup Kumar , Chakraborty Chanchal , Das Sukhen , Sutradhar Soumyaditya
Published: August 2024

The present study covers the fabrication of flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators and their application towards sustainable power generation.
Ultrathin single-ion sieving membrane with sub-1-nm channels for suppressing Li dendrite growth and polysulfide shuttling
Authors: Li Rongrong , Wang Yichi , Zhang Jingmin , Yang Jun , He Jiang , Mai Wenjie , Pu Xiong
Published: August 2024

Inspired by biomimetic channels, we construct a single-ion sieving membrane to suppress Li dendrite growth and polysulfide shuttling via synergizing sub-1-nm channel's size effect and charge effect.