bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the Importance of Representing Snow Over Sea‐Ice for Simulating the Arctic Boundary Layer
Authors: Arduini Gabriele , Keeley Sarah , Day Jonathan J. , Sandu Irina , Zampieri Lorenzo , Balsamo Gianpaolo
Published: June 2022

Correctly representing the snow on sea‐ice has great potential to improve cryosphere‐atmosphere coupling in forecasting and monitoring (e.g., reanalysis) applications, via improved modeling of surface temperature, albedo and emissivity. This can also enhance the all‐weather all‐surface coupled data assimilation for atmospheric satellite radiances. Using wintertime observations from two Arctic field campaigns, SHEBA and N‐ICE2015, and satellite data, we explore the merits of different approaches to represent the snow over sea‐ice in a set of 5‐day coupled forecasts. Results show that representing the snow insulation effects is essential for capturing the wintertime surface temperature variability over sea‐ice and its response to changes in the atmospheric forcing. Modeling the snow over sea‐ice improves the representation of strong cooling events, reduces surface temperature biases in clear‐sky conditions and improves the simulation of surface‐based temperature inversions. In clear‐sky conditions, when using a multi‐layer snow scheme the root‐mean‐squared error in the surface temperature is reduced by about 60% for both N‐ICE2015 and SHEBA. This study also highlights the role of compensating errors in different components of the surface energy budget in the Arctic boundary layer. During warm air intrusions, errors in the surface temperature increase when cloud phase and cloud radiative processes are misrepresented in the model, inducing large errors in the net radiative energy at the surface. This work indicates that numerical weather prediction systems can fully benefit from a better representation of snow over sea‐ice, for example, with multi‐layer snow schemes, combined with improvements to other boundary layer processes including mixed phase clouds.
Postnatal serum IGF-1 levels associate with brain volumes at term in extremely preterm infants
Authors: Hellström William , Hortensius Lisa M. , Löfqvist Chatarina , Hellgren Gunnel , Tataranno Maria Luisa , Ley David , Benders Manon J.N.L. , Hellström Ann , Björkman–Burtscher Isabella M. , Heckemann Rolf A. , Sävman Karin
Published: June 2022

Background

Growth factors important for normal brain development are low in preterm infants. This study investigated the link between growth factors and preterm brain volumes at term.

Material/methods

Infants born <28 weeks gestational age (GA) were included. Endogenous levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)−1, brain-derived growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor (expressed as area under the curve [AUC] for serum samples from postnatal days 1, 7, 14, and 28) were utilized in a multivariable linear regression model. Brain volumes were determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at term equivalent age.

Results

In total, 49 infants (median [range] GA 25.4 [22.9–27.9] weeks) were included following MRI segmentation quality assessment and AUC calculation. IGF-1 levels were independently positively associated with the total brain (p < 0.001, β = 0.90), white matter (p = 0.007, β = 0.33), cortical gray matter (p = 0.002, β = 0.43), deep gray matter (p = 0.008, β = 0.05), and cerebellar (p = 0.006, β = 0.08) volume adjusted for GA at birth and postmenstrual age at MRI. No associations were seen for other growth factors.

Conclusions

Endogenous exposure to IGF-1 during the first 4 weeks of life was associated with total and regional brain volumes at term. Optimizing levels of IGF-1 might improve brain growth in extremely preterm infants.

Impact

High serum levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 during the first month of life were independently associated with increased total brain volume, white matter, gray matter, and cerebellar volume at term equivalent age in extremely preterm infants.

IGF-1 is a critical regulator of neurodevelopment and postnatal levels are low in preterm infants. The effects of IGF-1 levels on brain development in extremely preterm infants are not fully understood.

Optimizing levels of IGF-1 may benefit early brain growth in extremely preterm infants. The effects of systemically administered IGF-1/IGFBP3 in extremely preterm infants are now being investigated in a randomized controlled trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03253263).
Targeting NMDA receptors in neuropsychiatric disorders by drug screening on human neurons derived from pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Zhang Wenbo , Ross P. Joel , Ellis James , Salter Michael W.
Published: June 2022

NMDA receptors (NMDARs), a prominent subtype of glutamatergic receptors, are implicated in the pathogenesis and development of neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia, and are therefore a potential therapeutic target in treating these disorders. Neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have provided the opportunity to investigate human NMDARs in their native environment. In this review, we describe the expression, function, and regulation of NMDARs in human iPSC-derived neurons and discuss approaches for utilizing human neurons for identifying potential drugs that target NMDARs in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. A challenge in studying NMDARs in human iPSC-derived neurons is a predominance of those receptors containing the GluN2B subunit and low synaptic expression, suggesting a relatively immature phenotype of these neurons and delayed development of functional NMDARs. We outline potential approaches for improving neuronal maturation of human iPSC-derived neurons and accelerating the functional expression of NMDARs. Acceleration of functional expression of NMDARs in human iPSC-derived neurons will improve the modeling of neuropsychiatric disorders and facilitate the discovery and development of novel therapeutics targeting NMDARs for the treatment of these disorders.
Resistance to targeted therapies: delving into FLT3 and IDH
Authors: Desikan Sai Prasad , Daver Naval , DiNardo Courtney , Kadia Tapan , Konopleva Marina , Ravandi Farhad
Published: June 2022

Recent advances in FLT3 and IDH targeted inhibition have improved response rates and overall survival in patients with mutations affecting these respective proteins. Despite this success, resistance mechanisms have arisen including mutations that disrupt inhibitor-target interaction, mutations impacting alternate pathways, and changes in the microenvironment. Here we review the role of these proteins in leukemogenesis, their respective inhibitors, mechanisms of resistance, and briefly ongoing studies aimed at overcoming resistance.
Modest volcanic SO2 emissions from the Indonesian archipelago
Authors: Bani Philipson , Oppenheimer Clive , Tsanev Vitchko , Scaillet Bruno , Primulyana Sofyan , Saing Ugan Boyson , Alfianti Hilma , Marlia Mita
Published: June 2022

Indonesia hosts the largest number of active volcanoes, several of which are renowned for climate-changing historical eruptions. This pedigree might suggest a substantial fraction of global volcanic sulfur emissions from Indonesia and are intrinsically driven by sulfur-rich magmas. However, a paucity of observations has hampered evaluation of these points—many volcanoes have hitherto not been subject to emissions measurements. Here we report new gas measurements from Indonesian volcanoes. The combined SO2 output amounts to 1.15 ± 0.48 Tg/yr. We estimate an additional time-averaged SO2 yield of 0.12-0.54 Tg/yr for explosive eruptions, indicating a total SO2 inventory of 1.27-1.69 Tg/yr for Indonesian. This is comparatively modest—individual volcanoes such as Etna have sustained higher fluxes. To understand this paradox, we compare the geodynamic, petrologic, magma dynamical and shallow magmatic-hydrothermal processes that influence the sulfur transfer to the atmosphere. Results reinforce the idea that sulfur-rich eruptions reflect long-term accumulation of volatiles in the reservoirs.
Mechanism of glycogen synthase inactivation and interaction with glycogenin
Authors: Marr Laura , Biswas Dipsikha , Daly Leonard A. , Browning Christopher , Vial Sarah C. M. , Maskell Daniel P. , Hudson Catherine , Bertrand Jay A. , Pollard John , Ranson Neil A. , Khatter Heena , Eyers Claire E. , Sakamoto Kei , Zeqiraj Elton
Published: June 2022

Glycogen is the major glucose reserve in eukaryotes, and defects in glycogen metabolism and structure lead to disease. Glycogenesis involves interaction of glycogenin (GN) with glycogen synthase (GS), where GS is activated by glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and inactivated by phosphorylation. We describe the 2.6 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of phosphorylated human GS revealing an autoinhibited GS tetramer flanked by two GN dimers. Phosphorylated N- and C-termini from two GS protomers converge near the G6P-binding pocket and buttress against GS regulatory helices. This keeps GS in an inactive conformation mediated by phospho-Ser641 interactions with a composite “arginine cradle”. Structure-guided mutagenesis perturbing interactions with phosphorylated tails led to increased basal/unstimulated GS activity. We propose that multivalent phosphorylation supports GS autoinhibition through interactions from a dynamic “spike” region, allowing a tuneable rheostat for regulating GS activity. This work therefore provides insights into glycogen synthesis regulation and facilitates studies of glycogen-related diseases.
Identification of genes associated with human-canine communication in canine evolution
Authors: Tonoike Akiko , Otaki Ken-ichi , Terauchi Go , Ogawa Misato , Katayama Maki , Sakata Hikari , Miyasako Fumina , Mogi Kazutaka , Kikusui Takefumi , Nagasawa Miho
Published: June 2022

The dog (Canis familiaris) was the first domesticated animal and hundreds of breeds exist today. During domestication, dogs experienced strong selection for temperament, behaviour, and cognitive ability. However, the genetic basis of these abilities is not well-understood. We focused on ancient dog breeds to investigate breed-related differences in social cognitive abilities. In a problem-solving task, ancient breeds showed a lower tendency to look back at humans than other European breeds. In a two-way object choice task, they showed no differences in correct response rate or ability to read human communicative gestures. We examined gene polymorphisms in oxytocin, oxytocin receptor, melanocortin 2 receptor, and a Williams–Beuren syndrome-related gene (WBSCR17), as candidate genes of dog domestication. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms on melanocortin 2 receptor were related to both tasks, while other polymorphisms were associated with the unsolvable task. This indicates that glucocorticoid functions are involved in the cognitive skills acquired during dog domestication.
Elevated plasma level of the glycolysis byproduct methylglyoxal on admission is an independent biomarker of mortality in ICU COVID-19 patients
Authors: Alomar Fadhel A. , Alshakhs Marai N. , Abohelaika Salah , Almarzouk Hassan M. , Almualim Mohammed , Al-Ali Amein K. , Al-Muhanna Fahad , Alomar Mohammed F. , Alhaddad Mousa J. , Almulaify Mohammed S. , Alessa Faisal S. , Alsalman Ahmed S. , Alaswad Ahmed , Bidasee Sean R. , Alsaad Hassan A. , Alali Rudaynah A. , AlSheikh Mona H. , Akhtar Mohammed S. , Al Mohaini Mohammed , Alsalman Abdulkhaliq J. , Alturaifi Hussain , Bidasee Keshore R.
Published: June 2022

Biomarkers to identify ICU COVID-19 patients at high risk for mortality are urgently needed for therapeutic care and management. Here we found plasma levels of the glycolysis byproduct methylglyoxal (MG) were 4.4-fold higher in ICU patients upon admission that later died (n = 33), and 1.7-fold higher in ICU patients that survived (n = 32),compared to uninfected controls (n = 30). The increased MG in patients that died correlated inversely with the levels of the MG-degrading enzyme glyoxalase-1 (r2 = − 0.50), and its co-factor glutathione (r2 = − 0.63), and positively with monocytes (r2 = 0.29). The inflammation markers, SSAO (r2 = 0.52), TNF-α (r2 = 0.41), IL-1β (r2 = 0.25), CRP (r2 = 0.26) also correlated positively with MG. Logistic regression analysis provides evidence of a significant relationship between the elevated MG upon admission into ICU and death (P < 0.0001), with 42% of the death variability explained. From these data we conclude that elevated plasma MG on admission is a novel independent biomarker that predicts mortality in ICU COVID-19 patients.
Equivalent magnetic circuit method of estimating iron losses in induction motor spindles
Authors: Lü Lang , Xiong Wanli , Hu Can
Published: June 2022

The iron losses in the motor of motorized spindles have a significant effect on their heat generation, thermal deformation, and machining accuracy. The equivalent magnetic circuit (EMC) method for estimating iron losses in the spindle motor is proposed, where the magnetic flux density distribution of any cross section inside the spindle motor is assumed as a uniform one. A mechanical loss separation method of no load running combined with a sudden loss of power supply is also proposed. The EMC method is verified by prototype experiment and a different analysis method comparison. The EMC does not need to solve complex electromagnetic fields, and to do 2D or 3D eddy current analysis and the corresponding post-processing. There is only need to perform a simple magnetic circuit calculation. Therefore, it can realize a fast analysis and prediction. The proposed mechanical loss separation method requires only one prototype during a whole testing process. There is no need for any other same prototype and a coupling device. It is simpler, and can eliminate the braking torque and electromagnetic losses of the spindle motor.
Simple and practical methods for utilizing parylene C film based on vertical deposition and laser patterning
Authors: Sim Jee Hoon , Chae Hyeonwook , Kim Su-Bon , Yoo Seunghyup
Published: June 2022

We propose two novel methods to effectively utilize parylene C films. First, we demonstrate a vertical deposition method capable of depositing a parylene C film of the same thickness on both sides of a sample. Through this method, we have formed parylene C films with a thickness of 4 μm on both sides of the sample with a thickness deviation of less than 2.5%. Further optical verification indicates that parylene C films formed by this method have a very uniform thickness distribution on each side of the surfaces. Second, we propose a debris-tolerant laser patterning method as a mask-less means to fabricate self-supporting ultrathin parylene C films. This method does not involve any photolithography and entails a simple and rapid process that can be performed using only a few materials with excellent biocompatibility. It is demonstrated that patterned parylene C films exhibit a high degree of surface uniformity and have various geometrical shapes so that they can be used for substrates of highly flexible and/or stretchable devices. Finally, we use both of the proposed methods to fabricate flexible, stretchable, and waterproof-packaged bifacial blue LED modules to illustrate their potential in emerging applications that would benefit from such versatile form factors.
Pharmacist-led antimicrobial stewardship programme in a small hospital without infectious diseases physicians
Authors: Cantudo-Cuenca María Rosa , Jiménez-Morales Alberto , Martínez-de la Plata Juan Enrique
Published: June 2022

Pharmacists may be tasked to lead antibiotic stewardship programmes (ASP) implementation in small hospitals in absence of infectious diseases (ID) physicians. The objectives are to evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led ASP in a hospital without ID physician support, with special focus on indicators of the hospital use of antimicrobial agents based on consumption and asess the potential clinical and economic impact of pharmacist interventions (PIs) through the CLEO tool. A prospective quasi-experimental study to implement an ASP in a 194-bed hospital. We evaluated changes in antimicrobial use measured as mean defined daily doses per 1000 patient-days (AUD) for intervention versus preintervention period. A total of 847 antimicrobial PIs were proposed, being 88.3% accepted. Discontinuation due to excessive duration was the most frequently performed PI (23.4%). Most of PIs was classified as major or moderate clinical impact, 41.7% and 37.8% respectively. The global consumption of antimicrobial was reduced from 907.1 to 693.8 AUD, with a signifcant drop in carbapenems and quinolones. Direct expenditure of antibiotics decreased significantly. Pharmacist-led ASP has being effective in reducing consumption of antibiotics. In the absence of ID physician´s support and oversight, pharmacists could lead the improvement of the use of antimicrobials.
Osteoprotegerin and MTHFR gene variations in rheumatoid arthritis: association with disease susceptibility and markers of subclinical atherosclerosis
Authors: Arida Aikaterini , Nezos Adrianos , Papadaki Ioanna , Sfikakis Petros P. , Mavragani Clio P.
Published: June 2022

We aimed to explore whether the rs2073618 variant (G1181C) of the osteoprotegerin (OPG) gene and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) rs1801131 (A1298AC) and rs1801133 (C677T) gene polymorphisms contribute to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility and RA related subclinical atherosclerosis. Overall 283 RA patients and 595 healthy controls (HC) were genotyped for common variants of the OPG and MTHFR genes using PCR based assays. Clinical and laboratory parameters were recorded following thorough chart review. Surrogate markers of subclinical atherosclerosis (Carotid/Femoral intima media thickness/plaque formation) along with traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis were assessed in all RA patients and 280HC. Increased prevalence of the CC genotype of the rs2073618 variant was detected in RA patients vs HC (42.4% vs. 33%, p-value: 0.04). RA patients with high serum titers of rheumatoid factor (RF) or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies displayed increased prevalence of the CC genotype of the rs2073618 variant of the OPG gene compared to HC (48.6% and 47.5 vs 33.3%, p-values: 0.0029and 0.0077 respectively). Of interest, this genotype turned to be associated with higher carotid IMT scores (0.872 ± 0.264 vs 0.816 ± 0.284, p-value: 0.01) and marginally with higher rates of carotid plaque formation (66% vs 54.1%, p = 0.06). The MTHFR 1298CC genotype was more prevalent only in the anti-CCP positive group compared to HC, with no associations detected with markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, following adjustment for traditional cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors. Reduced rates of carotid/femoral plaque formation were detected among RA patients harboring the MTHFR TT genotype (52.4 vs 72.7, p-value: 0.009, respectively). This association remained significant following adjustment for classical CVD risk factors (OR [95% CI 0.364 [0.173–0.765], p-value: 0.008). Genetic variations of the osteoprotegerin and MTHFR genes seem to increase susceptibility for seropositive RA and potentially contribute to subclinical atherosclerosis linked to RA. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Influence of environmental factors on seed germination and seedling characteristics of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)
Authors: Javaid Muhammad Mansoor , Mahmood Athar , Alshaya Dalal S. , AlKahtani Muneera D. F. , Waheed Hasnain , Wasaya Allah , Khan Sher Aslam , Naqve Maria , Haider Imran , Shahid Muhammad Adnan , Nadeem Muhammad Ather , Azmat Saira , Khan Bilal Ahmad , Balal Rashad Mukhtar , Attia Kotb A. , Fiaz Sajid
Published: June 2022

Information regarding the germination and seedling growth behavior of a potential weed species is an important tool to manage weeds without the use of agricultural chemicals that cause harmful effects on human health and the environment. A series of experiments were directed to investigate the influence of different environmental factors (temperature, pH, NaCl, moisture stress, and seed burial depth) on germination and seedling emergence of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) under controlled conditions. Results suggested that 25 °C is the optimum temperature for maximum germination (95%) and seedling growth of perennial ryegrass, however, a quick decline was observed at 35 °C. Seed germination was unaffected by pH levels ranging from 5 to 10. The 92% seed germination was recorded where no salt stress was applied and germination was reduced by 87% at 250 mMNaCl concentration. Seed germination was unaffected by osmotic potential ranges from 0 to − 0.4 MPa thereafter declined and completely inhibited at − 0.8 or − 1.0 MPa. No seed emerged at the soil surface or a soil depth of 6 or 7 cm and 90% emergence occurred at 1 cmsoil depth. The germination and seedlings parameters like time to initial germination, mean germination time, time taken to 50% germination and germination index, root and shoot length, and fresh and dry weight of root and shoot are significantly affected with the environmental factors. The information obtained in this study will be helpful to develop better management strategies for germination and the emergence of perennial ryegrass in areas where it has the ability to rapidly colonize.
Designing of multi-epitope chimeric vaccine using immunoinformatic platform by targeting oncogenic strain HPV 16 and 18 against cervical cancer
Authors: Kumar Anoop , Sahu Utkarsha , Kumari Pratima , Dixit Anshuman , Khare Prashant
Published: June 2022

Cervical cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer and reaches an alarming stage. HPVs are considered the main causative agents for cervical cancer and other sexually transmitted infections across the globe. Currently, three prophylactic vaccines are available against HPV infections with no therapeutic values. Due to a lack of effective therapeutic and prophylactic measures, the HPV infection is spreading in an uncontrolled manner. Next-generation of vaccine is needed to have both prophylactic and therapeutic values against HPV. Here first time we have designed a multi-epitope chimeric vaccine using the most oncogenic strain HPV 16 and HPV 18 through an immunoinformatic approach. In this study, we have used the L1, E5, E6 and E7 oncoproteins from both HPV 16 and HPV 18 strains for epitope prediction. Our recombinant chimeric vaccine construct consists, selected helper and cytotoxic T cell epitopes. Our computational analysis suggests that this chimeric construct is highly stable, non-toxic and also capable of inducing both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. Furthermore, in silico cloning of the multi-epitope chimeric vaccine construct was done and the stabilization of the vaccine construct is validated with molecular dynamics simulation studies. Finally, our results indicated that our construct could be used for an effective prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine against HPV.
Targeted proteomics of appendicular skeletal muscle mass and handgrip strength in black South Africans: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Dlamini Siphiwe N. , Norris Shane A. , Mendham Amy E. , Mtintsilana Asanda , Ward Kate A. , Olsson Tommy , Goedecke Julia H. , Micklesfield Lisa K.
Published: June 2022

Although appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and handgrip strength (HGS) are key components of sarcopenia, their underlying biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We aimed to investigate associations of circulating biomarkers with ASM and HGS in middle-aged black South Africans. This study consisted of 934 black South Africans (469 men and 465 women, aged 41–72 years) from the Middle-aged Soweto cohort. Linear regression models were used to examine relationships between 182 biomarkers (measured with proximity extension assay) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-measured ASM and dynamometer-measured HGS. Age, height, sex, smoking, alcohol, food insecurity, physical activity, visceral adipose tissue, HIV and menopausal status were included as confounders. Regression models showing sex-interactions were stratified by sex. The Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) was used to control for multiple testing, and FDR-adjustedPvalues were reported. In the total sample, 10 biomarkers were associated with higher ASM and 29 with lower ASM (P < 0.05). Out of these 39 biomarkers, 8 were also associated with lower HGS (P < 0.05). MMP-7 was associated with lower HGS only (P = 0.011) in the total sample. Sex-interactions (P < 0.05) were identified for 52 biomarkers for ASM, and 6 for HGS. For men, LEP, MEPE and SCF were associated with higher ASM (P < 0.001, = 0.004, = 0.006, respectively), and MEPE and SCF were also associated with higher HGS (P = 0.001, 0.012, respectively). Also in men, 37 biomarkers were associated with lower ASM (P < 0.05), with none of these being associated with lower HGS. Furthermore, DLK-1 and MYOGLOBIN were associated with higher HGS only (P = 0.004, 0.006, respectively), while GAL-9 was associated with lower HGS only (P = 0.005), among men. For women, LEP, CD163, IL6, TNF-R1 and TNF-R2 were associated with higher ASM (P < 0.001, = 0.014, = 0.027, = 0.014, = 0.048, respectively), while IGFBP-2, CTRC and RAGE were associated with lower ASM (P = 0.043, 0.001, 0.014, respectively). No biomarker was associated with HGS in women. In conclusion, most biomarkers were associated with ASM and not HGS, and the associations of biomarkers with ASM and HGS displayed sex-specificity in middle-aged black South Africans. Proteomic studies should examine ASM and HGS individually. Future research should also consider sexual dimorphism in the pathophysiology of sarcopenia for development of sex-specific treatment and diagnostic methods.
PSPC1 is a potential prognostic marker for hormone-dependent breast cancer patients and modulates RNA processing of ESR1 and SCFD2
Authors: Takeiwa Toshihiko , Ikeda Kazuhiro , Suzuki Takashi , Sato Wataru , Iino Kaori , Mitobe Yuichi , Kawabata Hidetaka , Horie Kuniko , Inoue Satoshi
Published: June 2022

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women worldwide. The majority of breast cancer expresses estrogen receptor (ER) and endocrine therapy is a standard treatment of ER-positive breast cancer. However, development of the therapy resistance is still a major challenge and thus new therapeutic approaches are needed. Here we show that an RNA-binding protein, PSPC1, play a crucial role in ER-positive breast cancer growth through post-transcriptional gene regulation. We showed that siRNA-mediated PSPC1 silencing suppressed the proliferation of ER-positive breast cancer cells. Strong immunoreactivity (IR) of PSPC1 was correlated with poor prognosis for ER-positive breast cancer patients. Using immunoprecipitation, RNA-immunoprecipitation (RIP) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) experiments, we showed that PSPC1 interacted with PSF and was involved in post-transcriptional regulation of PSF target genes, ESR1 and SCFD2. Strong SCFD2 IR was correlated with poor prognosis for ER-positive breast cancer patients and combinations of PSPC1, PSF, and SCFD2 IRs were potent prognostic factors. Moreover, we identified DDIAS and MYBL1 as SCFD2 downstream target genes using microarray analysis, and finally showed that SCFD2 silencing suppressed tamoxifen-resistant breast tumor growth in vivo. These results indicated that PSPC1 and SCFD2 axis could be a promising target in the clinical management of the disease.
A measure to estimate the risk of imported COVID-19 cases and its application for evaluating travel-related control measures
Authors: Kang Heewon , Min Kyung-Duk , Jeon Seonghee , Lee Ju-Yeun , Cho Sung-il
Published: June 2022

High connectivity between nations facilitates the spread of infectious diseases. We introduce an improved measure to estimate the risk of COVID-19 importation. The measure was applied to identify the effectiveness of travel-related control measures. We estimated the risk of importation, using the product of air-travel volume and COVID-19 prevalence in the area-of-origin. Travel volumes were acquired through real-time mobile data, and prevalence was calculated considering the time-varying strength of the COVID-19 testing policy. With the measure, the number of expected-imported cases was calculated, and compared with the reported-imported COVID-19 cases before and after post-entry quarantine for all entrants. The expected and reported-imported cases were well fitted (R2 = 0.8). A maximum of 35 undetected-imported cases was estimated to have entered Seoul, before the first imported COVID-19 case was confirmed. With the travel-related control measures, at most, 48 (73%) imported cases could be isolated from the local community. Our measure predicted trends in imported COVID-19 cases well. The method used to develop the measure can be applied to future emerging infectious diseases. Our results provide a ‘real-world’ evidence that travel-related control measures are effective at curbing further COVID-19 transmission.
A predictive risk score to diagnose hypocalcemia after parathyroidectomy in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism: a 22-year retrospective cohort study
Authors: Phimphilai Mattabhorn , Inya Suchada , Manosroi Worapaka
Published: June 2022

Hypocalcemia is a common complication found in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) who undergo parathyroidectomy. This study aimed to construct a predictive risk score for the occurrence of hypocalcemia after parathyroidectomy in patients with SHPT who underwent chronic renal replacement therapy (RRT). This 22-year retrospective cohort study enrolled 179 patients with SHPT who had their first parathyroidectomy. Eighty-two percent of patients developed hypocalcemia within 16.9 (95% CI 14.5–19.5) h after parathyroidectomy. This study demonstrated four factors as independent risk factors for post-parathyroidectomy hypocalcemia, including duration of RRT, preoperative serum phosphate, preoperative serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mean difference of serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH). By using logistic regression analysis, this study demonstrated cut-off points for these four risk factors for the diagnosis of hypocalcemia after parathyroidectomy: 5 years for the duration of RRT, 5 mg/dL for serum phosphate, 387 U/L for serum ALP, and 97% for the mean difference of serum iPTH. Finally, the predictive risk score was constructed by assigning a score of one to each factor. With a total score of at least 2, the proposed predictive risk score has an AuROC of 0.755 with a sensitivity of 78.2%, a specificity of 71.4%, and an accuracy of 76.9%.
Manganese oxide nanorod catalysts for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3
Authors: Wang Yifan , Wang Yanli , Kong Zhenkai , Kang Ying , Zhan Liang
Published: June 2022

Compared with MnOx(0.36)-E nanorods, MnOx(0.36)-P nanorods possess unique flower-like morphology and mesoporous structures with high pore volume, contributing to the excellent low-temperature SCR activity of MnOx(0.36)-P nanorods.
Improving the reducibility of CeO2/TiO2 by high-temperature redox treatment: the key role of atomically thin CeO2 surface layers
Authors: Manzorro Ramón , Montes-Monroy José M. , Goma-Jiménez D. , Calvino José J. , Pérez-Omil José A. , Trasobares S.
Published: June 2022

Redox properties on CeO2/TiO2 system are reversibly modified with SRMO and SRSO treatments. The single low temperature peak featuring on SRMO samples is coming from a highly dispersed ceria thin layer extended over the TiO2 surface.
Thermosensitive hydrogels to deliver reactive species generated by cold atmospheric plasma: a case study with methylcellulose
Authors: Solé-Martí Xavi , Vilella Tània , Labay Cédric , Tampieri Francesco , Ginebra Maria-Pau , Canal Cristina
Published: June 2022

Hydrogels have been recently proposed as suitable materials to generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) upon gas-plasma treatment, and postulated as promising alternatives to conventional cancer therapies.
Molecular interpretation of single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments with computational approaches
Authors: Stirnemann Guillaume
Published: June 2022

Single molecule force-spectroscopy techniques provide access to unprecedented molecular-scale details about biochemical and biological mechanisms.
Prokaryotic and eukaryotic toxicity of halloysite decorated with photoactive nanoparticles
Authors: Stavitskaya Anna , Khusnetdenova Elnara , Vinokurov Vladimir , Lvov Yuri , Fakhrullin Rawil
Published: June 2022

In this paper we critically analyse the toxicity of halloysite decorated with photoactive nanoparticles on prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and fabrication of photoactive halloysite-based materials to tackle the microbial resistance to antibiotics.
Ultrathin RhCuAgPd/Pd nanowire heterostructures for ethylene glycol electrooxidation
Authors: Fan Dongping , Guo Ke , Hao Qiaoqiao , Zhang Yan , Xu Dongdong
Published: June 2022

Ultrathin RhCuAgPd/Pd nanowire heterostructures with enhanced electrocatalytic performance toward ethylene glycol oxidation.
Reaction-driven selective CO2hydrogenation to formic acid on Pd(111)
Authors: Zhang Hong , Wang Xuelong , Liu Ping
Published: June 2022

Selective CO2conversion to HCOOH over a Pd(111) surface – a result of surface modification under reactive conditions.
Insight on noncovalent interactions and orbital constructs in low-dimensional antimony halide perovskites
Authors: Nicholas Aaron D. , Garman Leah C. , Albano Nicolina , Cahill Christopher L.
Published: June 2022

Reported is a series of eight antimony halide perovskite derivatives featuring anionic metal halide chains or ribbons charged balanced by halopyridinium cations. The UV-Vis spectra is measured, and electronic and orbital constructs calculated.
Theoretical study on Y-doped Na2ZrO3 as a high-capacity Na-rich cathode material based on anionic redox
Authors: Yin Huimin , Huang Jiajia , Luo Ningjing , Zhang Yongfan , Huang Shuping
Published: June 2022

DFT calculations were used to study the performance of Na2ZrO3 and Y-doped Na2ZrO3 as cathode materials for sodium ion batteries, including the stability of desodiated structures, desodiation energy, redox mechanism, and diffusion of Na ion.
Coke-resistant Ni-based bimetallic catalysts for the dry reforming of methane: effects of indium on the Ni/Al2O3catalyst
Authors: Wang Chuanshen , Su Tongming , Qin Zuzeng , Ji Hongbing
Published: June 2022

In the quest for highly efficient coke-resistant catalysts for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) to produce syngas, a series of Ni–In/γ-Al2O3catalysts with various Ni contents were preparedviaa “two-solvent” method and used for the DRM reaction.
Mechanochemical reaction kinetics scales linearly with impact energy
Authors: Vugrin Leonarda , Carta Maria , Lukin Stipe , Meštrović Ernest , Delogu Francesco , Halasz Ivan
Published: June 2022

Inelastic collisions of in ball milling provide energy to drive the chemical transformation which is, for purely mechanically driven reactions, linear with the energy dose received.
Supplementation with Ginseng, Lilii Bulbus, and Poria induces alterations in the serum metabolic profile of healthy adults
Authors: Xie Fangzhi , Chen Liang , Jin Shuna , Qiu Feng , Kan Juntao , Li Yujie , Wang Hanjin , Huang Min , Sun Xiaojie , Du Jun , Li Yuanyuan
Published: June 2022

The preventive and therapeutic effects of herbal supplementation containing Ginseng, Lilii Bulbus, and Poria (GLP) on inflammation and oxidative stress in healthy adults have been demonstrated.
Morphology control of eco-friendly chitosan-derived carbon aerogels for efficient microwave absorption at thin thickness and thermal stealth
Authors: Chen Xinting , Zhou Ming , Zhao Yue , Gu Weihua , Wu Yue , Tang Shaolong , Ji Guangbin
Published: June 2022

In the face of increasingly severe electromagnetic wave pollution, the research of biomass-based carbon materials due to the advantages of being green, renewable, environment-friendly, porous and light has become one of the most attractive topics.
Exploring the optimal ratio of elemental components of the Cu/SSZ-13 framework: the reformation of NH3-SCR properties
Authors: Liu Ziqian , Guan Bin , Jiang Han , Wei Yanfei , Wu Xingze , Zhou Jiefei , Lin He , Huang Zhen
Published: June 2022

The effect of the ratio of skeleton elements on the performance of the Cu/SSZ-13 catalyst was studied.
Investigation of pyrolysed anthracite as an anode material for sodium ion batteries
Authors: Quan Li , Yunzhi Gao , Huiying Wen
Published: June 2022

Due to the increasingly serious problems of the greenhouse effect and environmental pollution caused by the continuous consumption of traditional fossil energy, renewable and clean energy (such as solar energy and wind energy) is facing new opportunities and challenges.
Study and application status of the nonthermal effects of microwaves in chemistry and materials science – a brief review
Authors: Wang Nannan , Zou Wenhui , Li Xinyue , Liang Yaqi , Wang Peng
Published: June 2022

This work focuses on summary and analysis of the nonthermal effect of microwaves in chemistry and materials science.
Band gap opening from displacive instabilities in layered covalent-organic frameworks
Authors: Huang Ju , Golomb Matthias J. , Kavanagh Seán R. , Tolborg Kasper , Ganose Alex M. , Walsh Aron
Published: June 2022

Symmetry breaking in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) lowers the energy and increases the valence to conduction band separation of the material.
Protein precoating modulates biomolecular coronas and nanocapsule–immune cell interactions in human blood
Authors: Li Shiyao , Ju Yi , Zhou Jiajing , Faria Matthew , Ang Ching-Seng , Mitchell Andrew J. , Zhong Qi-Zhi , Zheng Tian , Kent Stephen J. , Caruso Frank
Published: June 2022

We demonstrate the effects of protein precoating on biomolecular corona formation and immune cell interactions of metal–phenolic network nanocapsules using proteomics analyses and human blood assays.
Bright and stable gold nanocluster assemblies by silica/zirconia double-shell encapsulation
Authors: Zhou Shaochen , Duan Yanyan , Liu Kai , Ras Robin H. A.
Published: June 2022

Assemblies of gold nanoclusters are embedded in silica/zirconia nanostructures, enhancing the emission and stability significantly. These nanocomposites show promise in visualizing latent fingerprints on various substrates.
Histomorphological and ultrastructural cadmium-induced kidney injuries and precancerous lesions in rats and screening for biomarkers
Authors: Wan Xichen , Xing Zelong , Ouyang Jin , Liu Hui , Cheng Chengquan , Luo Ting , Yu Shiqun , Meihua Li , Huang Shaoxin
Published: June 2022

Long-term exposure to cadmium (Cd) can severely damage the kidney, where orally absorbed Cd accumulates. However, the molecular mechanisms of Cd-induced kidney damage, especially the early biomarkers of Cd-induced renal carcinogenesis, are unclear. In the present study, we established a rat kidney injury model by intragastric administration of Cd to evaluate the morphological and biochemical aspects of kidney injury. We randomly divided Sprague-Dawley rats into control, low Cd (3 mg/kg), and high Cd (6 mg/kg) groups and measured biochemical indices associated with renal toxicity after 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment. The Cd-exposed mice had significantly higher Cd concentrations in blood and renal tissues as well as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), urinary protein excretion, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels. Furthermore, histopathological and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations revealed structural disruption of renal tubules and glomeruli after 8 weeks of exposure to the high Cd regimen. Besides, microarray technology experiments showed that Cd increased the expression of genes related to the chemical carcinogenesis pathway in kidney tissue. Finally, combining the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of the Cd carcinogenesis pathway genes with the microarray and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) results revealed two overlapping genes, CYP1B1 and UGT2B. Therefore, the combined molecular and bioinformatics experiments’ results suggest that CYP1B1 and UGT2B are biomarkers of Cd-induced kidney injury with precancerous lesions.
Clinicians' Perspectives of Treatment for Lateralization Errors: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study
Authors: Overby Megan S. , Mazeika Sarah , DiFazio Magdalena , Ioli Julianna , Birch Katherine , Devorace Lauren
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

This mixed-methods study aimed to obtain information regarding speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) perspectives about treatment of lateralization errors (LEs), challenges to implementing evidence-based LE treatment practice, and the sources SLPs' use to find evidence to treat LEs. This information can assist our understanding of ways to facilitate the uptake of evidence-based practice into the everyday treatment of clients with this disorder.

Method:

A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used to collect data from SLPs (
N
= 214) using 24 questions from an online survey distributed through electronic mailing lists and Speech and Hearing State Associations. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and averages; themes and subthemes of qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis approach with no a priori codes. Quantitative and qualitative results were compared and integrated.

Results:

Participants believed that LEs required individualized treatment before the age of 5 years, were largely caused by structural and neuromuscular factors, and required an understanding of orofacial and dental structure and function. Challenges to implementing LE treatment included a lack of skills and knowledge specific to LEs, competing demands on clinicians' time and resources, and a research–practice gap. Sources of evidence frequently used to obtain information about LE treatment were colleagues, trainings, workshops, and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association journals.

Conclusions:

Clinicians believe that LE treatment is challenging and requires skill training. Future research in LEs will need to consider the real-world decisions clinicians must make when treating this disorder as well as clinicians' everyday constraints and challenges.
Systematic evaluation of recursive approach of EEG‐segment‐based PCA for removal of helium‐pump artefact from MRI
Authors: Kim Hyun‐Chul , Lee Jong‐Hwan
Published: June 2022

The cryogenic pump is a crucial component of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for delivering liquid helium to a magnet for superconductivity, thereby generating a mechanical vibration. Thus, the cryogenic pump for liquid helium (helium pump) contaminates the electroencephalography (EEG) simultaneously acquired with functional MRI. The recursive approach of EEG‐segment‐based principal component analysis (rsPCA) has recently demonstrated its efficacy in removing this helium pump artefact. In the rsPCA, the recursion depth and EEG‐segment size are crucial hyperparameters. rsPCA's performance and computational time across recursion depth (1, 2, 3) and segment sizes (165, 220, 265) are systematically evaluated. It is found that the recursion depth of 2 yielded significant reductions in the computational time compared to the depth of 3 across all segment sizes while maintaining the denoising performance. The binary classification performance (left‐hand versus right‐hand clenching) was also enhanced in this scenario (especially the use of EEG‐segment size of 165 and 220) by using EEG gamma‐band activity (30–50 Hz), which is predominantly contaminated by the helium‐pump artefact.
Video storytelling based on gated video memorability filtering
Authors: Lu Youwei , Wu Xiaoyu
Published: June 2022

Video storytelling aims to generate a successive and succinct paragraph composed of multiple sentences to describe the visual contents in a long video. The major difficulty with video storytelling is the conflict between complex visual semantics and concise textual description. Existing methods address this problem by applying different segmentation strategies to long videos. However, these methods ignore that some story‐irrelevant visual contents could be considered as noises, so visual information in a long video is not always conducive to story generation. Therefore, we propose a novel video storytelling model based on gated video memorability filtering (GVMF), which generates high‐quality textual descriptions by filtering out clips with lower memorability scores, where objects and characters appear less frequently. The reason for introducing video memorability prediction is that video clips with higher video memorability scores tend to have more characters and objects so tend to be noticed by annotators for writing sentences. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and competitiveness of our method, which achieves the new state‐of‐the‐art results on Video Story dataset.
Semi‐supervised breast histopathological image classification with self‐training based on non‐linear distance metric
Authors: Liu Kun , Liu Zhuolin , Liu Sidong
Published: June 2022

Histopathological analysis requires a lot of clinical experience and time for pathologists. Artificial intelligence (AI) may have an important role in assisting pathologists and leading to more efficient and effective histopathological diagnoses. To address the challenge of requiring a large number of labelled images to train deep learning models in breast cancer histopathological image classification, a self‐training semi‐supervised learning method consisting three components is proposed: Firstly, a pre‐trained ResNet‐18 was used to extract features and generate pseudo‐labels for unlabelled data; secondly, a relational weight network based on the squeeze‐and‐excitation network (SENet) was trained to calculate the non‐linear distance metrices between labelled and unlabelled samples, in order to improve the accuracy of pseudo‐labelling; lastly, a consistency loss—maximum mean difference (MMD)—was added into the model to minimize the divergence between distributions of unlabelled and labelled samples. Extensive experiments were conducted on the open access BreakHis dataset. The proposed method outperformed the state‐of‐the‐art semi‐supervised methods at all tested annotated percentages (10–70%), and also achieved comparable performance with supervised methods at higher annotated percentages (50%, 70%).
50 Jahre VEP Muster
Authors: Paulus Walter
Published: June 2022

Vor 50 Jahren eröffnete die Arbeit “Delayed visual evoked response in
optic neuritis. Lancet 1, 982–985 (1972)“ von Halliday, Mushin und
McDonald (visuell evozierte Potentiale: VEP) eine neue Ära der
neurophysiologischen Diagnostik 1. Vor dieser
Veröffentlichung waren bereits Daten über blitz-evozierte Potentiale
erschienen, die jedoch, wie man heute weiß, interindividuell schwer
standardisierbar sind und nur noch eine Rolle in der seitenvergleichenden Diagnostik
bei nicht kooperationsfähigen Patienten spielen. Mit der von Halliday und
Koautoren eingeführten Schachbrettstimulation wurde eine positive Komponente
über dem primären visuellen Kortex bei 100 ms nachgewiesen, deren
Verzögerung zum Goldstandard im Nachweis von pathologischer Remyelinisierung
des Nervus opticus wurde. Die Robustheit dieser P100 überrascht auch nach
vielen Jahren, wenn man sich vor Augen führt, dass einerseits foveale
Information den visuellen Kortex erst nach 60 ms erreicht 2, andererseits parafoveale und periphere
Afferenzen aufgrund der dickeren und schneller leitenden Optikusfasern schon nach
etwa 30 Sekunden nachweisbar sind 3. Gleichwohl
führt die intrakortikale Verarbeitung vorwiegend im striatalen Kortex (V1)
zu dieser konstanten P100 Komponente. Mit Hilfe von Mehrkanalableitungen lassen sich
auch sequentielle Aktivierungen höherer Sehareale zeigen, die jedoch in der
klinischen Diagnostik nie eine Rolle gespielt haben 4
5.