bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dissecting specific Wnt components governing osteogenic differentiation potential by human periodontal ligament stem cells through interleukin-6
Authors: Purwaningrum Medania , Giachelli Cecilia M. , Osathanon Thanaphum , Rattanapuchpong Sirirat , Sawangmake Chenphop
Published: June 2023

Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) play a significant role on periodontal tissue and alveolar bone homeostasis. During inflammation, interleukin (IL)-6 serves as one of key cytokine players controlling tissue reaction as well as alveolar bone tissue remodeling. It is believed that periodontal tissue inflammation causes periodontium degradation, especially alveolar bone. However, in this study, we show that an inflammatory mediator, IL-6, may serve another direction on alveolar bone homeostasis during inflammatory condition. We found that, IL-6 at 10 and 20 ng/mL was not cytotoxic and dose-dependently exerted beneficial effects on osteogenic differentiation of human PDLSCs (hPDLSCs), as demonstrated by increased alkaline phosphatase activity, mRNA expression of osteogenic markers, and matrix mineralization. The presence of physiological and inflammatory level of IL-6, the osteogenic differentiation potential by hPDLSCs was enhanced by several possible mechanisms including transforming growth factor (TGF), Wnt, and Notch pathways. After in-depth and thorough exploration, we found that Wnt pathway serves as key regulator controlling osteogenic differentiation by hPDLSCs amid the IL-6 presentation. Surprisingly, apart from other mesenchymal stem cells, distinct Wnt components are employed by hPDLSCs, and both canonical and non-canonical Wnt pathways are triggered by different mechanisms. Further validation by gene silencing, treatment with recombinant Wnt ligands, and β-catenin stabilization/translocation confirmed that IL-6 governed the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway via either WNT2B or WNT10B and employed WNT5A to activate the non-canonical Wnt pathway. These findings fulfill the homeostasis pathway governing periodontal tissue and alveolar bone regeneration and may serve for further therapeutic regimen design for restoring the tissues.
Effect of breed and diet on the M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum transcriptome of steers divergent for residual feed intake
Authors: Keogh Kate , McKenna Clare , Waters Sinead M. , Porter Richard K. , Fitzsimons Claire , McGee Mark , Kenny David A.
Published: June 2023

Improving cattle feed efficiency through selection of residual feed intake (RFI) is a widely accepted approach to sustainable beef production. A greater understanding of the molecular control of RFI in various breeds offered contrasting diets is necessary for the accurate identification of feed efficient animals and will underpin accelerated genetic improvement of the trait. The aim of this study was to determine genes and biological processes contributing to RFI across varying breed type and dietary sources in skeletal muscle tissue. Residual feed intake was calculated in Charolais and Holstein–Friesian steers across multiple dietary phases (phase-1: high concentrate (growing-phase); phase-2: zero-grazed grass (growing-phase); phase-3: high concentrate (finishing-phase). Steers divergent for RFI within each breed and dietary phase were selected for muscle biopsy collection, and muscle samples subsequently subjected to RNAseq analysis. No gene was consistently differentially expressed across the breed and diet types examined. However, pathway analysis revealed commonality across breeds and diets for biological processes including fatty acid metabolism, immune function, energy production and muscle growth. Overall, the lack of commonality of individual genes towards variation in RFI both within the current study and compared to the published literature, suggests other genomic features warrant further evaluation in relation to RFI.
Model-based estimation of muscle and ACL forces during turning maneuvers in alpine skiing
Authors: Heinrich Dieter , van den Bogert Antonie J. , Mössner Martin , Nachbauer Werner
Published: June 2023

In alpine skiing, estimation of the muscle forces and joint loads such as the forces in the ACL of the knee are essential to quantify the loading pattern of the skier during turning maneuvers. Since direct measurement of these forces is generally not feasible, non-invasive methods based on musculoskeletal modeling should be considered. In alpine skiing, however, muscle forces and ACL forces have not been analyzed during turning maneuvers due to the lack of three dimensional musculoskeletal models. In the present study, a three dimensional musculoskeletal skier model was successfully applied to track experimental data of a professional skier. During the turning maneuver, the primary activated muscles groups of the outside leg, bearing the highest loads, were the gluteus maximus, vastus lateralis as well as the medial and lateral hamstrings. The main function of these muscles was to generate the required hip extension and knee extension moments. The gluteus maximus was also the main contributor to the hip abduction moment when the hip was highly flexed. Furthermore, the lateral hamstrings and gluteus maximus contributed to the hip external rotation moment in addition to the quadratus femoris. Peak ACL forces reached 211 N on the outside leg with the main contribution in the frontal plane due to an external knee abduction moment. Sagittal plane contributions were low due to consistently high knee flexion (> 60$$^{\circ }$$

∘

), substantial co-activation of the hamstrings and the ground reaction force pushing the anteriorly inclined tibia backwards with respect to the femur. In conclusion, the present musculoskeletal simulation model provides a detailed insight into the loading of a skier during turning maneuvers that might be used to analyze appropriate training loads or injury risk factors such as the speed or turn radius of the skier, changes of the equipment or neuromuscular control parameters.
Pneumonia detection with QCSA network on chest X-ray
Authors: Singh Sukhendra , Kumar Manoj , Kumar Abhay , Verma Birendra Kumar , Shitharth S.
Published: June 2023

Worldwide, pneumonia is the leading cause of infant mortality. Experienced radiologists use chest X-rays to diagnose pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. The diagnostic procedure's complexity causes radiologists to disagree with the decision. Early diagnosis is the only feasible strategy for mitigating the disease's impact on the patent. Computer-aided diagnostics improve the accuracy of diagnosis. Recent studies established that Quaternion neural networks classify and predict better than real-valued neural networks, especially when dealing with multi-dimensional or multi-channel input. The attention mechanism has been derived from the human brain's visual and cognitive ability in which it focuses on some portion of the image and ignores the rest portion of the image. The attention mechanism maximizes the usage of the image's relevant aspects, hence boosting classification accuracy. In the current work, we propose a QCSA network (Quaternion Channel-Spatial Attention Network) by combining the spatial and channel attention mechanism with Quaternion residual network to classify chest X-Ray images for Pneumonia detection. We used a Kaggle X-ray dataset. The suggested architecture achieved 94.53% accuracy and 0.89 AUC. We have also shown that performance improves by integrating the attention mechanism in QCNN. Our results indicate that our approach to detecting pneumonia is promising.
Comparable responses to a wide range of olfactory stimulation in women and men
Authors: Lillqvist Moa , Claeson Anna-Sara , Zakrzewska Marta , Andersson Linus
Published: June 2023

The evidence for differences between women and men in terms of olfactory abilities is contradictory. We analyzed women and men’s performance and reactions to a wider range of odour exposure outcomes than usually studied, to assess possible differences and similarities between sexes. Measures of sensitivity and sensory decision rule were established in 37 women and 39 men. Perceptual, cognitive, symptom-related and autonomic nervous system (skin conductance level and heart-rate variability) reactions were also assessed during extended ambient odour exposure, as well as participants’ self-rated chemical intolerance. Bayesian analyses consistently revealed greater support for sex-related similarities than differences, suggesting that women and men perform and react comparably not only in terms of basic olfactory measures, but also to environmental odour exposure mimicking everyday situations.
Delta weight loss unlike genetic variation associates with hyperoxaluria after malabsorptive bariatric surgery
Authors: Scherer Lotte , Schönauer Ria , Nemitz-Kliemchen Melanie , Hagemann Tobias , Hantmann Elena , de Fallois Jonathan , Petzold Friederike , Blüher Matthias , Halbritter Jan
Published: June 2023

The risk of enteric hyperoxaluria is significantly increased after malabsorptive bariatric surgery (MBS). However, its underlying determinants are only poorly characterized. In this case–control study, we aimed at identifying clinical and genetic factors to dissect their individual contributions to the development of post-surgical hyperoxaluria. We determined the prevalence of hyperoxaluria and nephrolithiasis after MBS by 24-h urine samples and clinical questionnaires at our obesity center. Both hyperoxaluric and non-hyperoxaluric patients were screened for sequence variations in known and candidate genes implicated in hyperoxaluria (AGXT, GRHPR, HOGA1, SLC26A1, SLC26A6, SLC26A7) by targeted next generation sequencing (tNGS). The cohort comprised 67 patients, 49 females (73%) and 18 males (27%). While hyperoxaluria was found in 29 patients (43%), only one patient reported postprocedural nephrolithiasis within 41 months of follow-up. Upon tNGS, we did not find a difference regarding the burden of (rare) variants between hyperoxaluric and non-hyperoxaluric patients. However, patients with hyperoxaluria showed significantly greater weight loss accompanied by markers of intestinal malabsorption compared to non-hyperoxaluric controls. While enteric hyperoxaluria is very common after MBS, genetic variation of known hyperoxaluria genes contributes little to its pathogenesis. In contrast, the degree of postsurgical weight loss and levels of malabsorption parameters may allow for predicting the risk of enteric hyperoxaluria and consecutive kidney stone formation.
Comparative analysis of bats and rodents’ genomes suggests a relation between non-LTR retrotransposons, cancer incidence, and ageing
Authors: Ricci Marco , Peona Valentina , Boattini Alessio , Taccioli Cristian
Published: June 2023

The presence in nature of species showing drastic differences in lifespan and cancer incidence has recently increased the interest of the scientific community. In particular, the adaptations and the genomic features underlying the evolution of cancer-resistant and long-lived organisms have recently focused on transposable elements (TEs). In this study, we compared the content and dynamics of TE activity in the genomes of four rodent and six bat species exhibiting different lifespans and cancer susceptibility. Mouse, rat, and guinea pig genomes (short-lived and cancer-prone organisms) were compared with that of naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) which is a cancer-resistant organism and the rodent with the longest lifespan. The long-lived bats of the genera Myotis, Rhinolophus, Pteropus and Rousettus were instead compared with Molossus molossus, which is one of the organisms with the shortest lifespan among the order Chiroptera. Despite previous hypotheses stating a substantial tolerance of TEs in bats, we found that long-lived bats and the naked mole rat share a marked decrease of non-LTR retrotransposons (LINEs and SINEs) accumulation in recent evolutionary times.
Construction and characterization of nano-oval BaTi0.7Fe0.3O3@NiFe2O4 nanocomposites as an effective platform for the determination of H2O2
Authors: Hammad Ali B. Abou , Magar Hend S. , Mansour A. M. , Hassan Rabeay Y. A. , Nahrawy Amany M. El
Published: June 2023

Talented di-phase ferrite/ferroelectric BaTi0.7Fe0.3O3@NiFe2O4 (BFT@NFO) in oval nano-morphology was chemically synthesized using controlled sol–gel processes and calcined at 600 °C. The effects of shielding using NiFe2O4 (NFO) nanoparticles on the microstructure, phase transition, thermal, and relative permittivity of BaTi0.7Fe0.3O3 (BTF) nano-perovskite were systematically explored. X-ray diffraction patterns and Full-Prof software exhibited the forming of the BaTi2Fe4O11 hexagonal phase. TEM and SEM images demonstrated that the coating of BaTi0.7Fe0.3O3 has been successfully controlled with exquisite nano-oval NiFe2O4 shapes. The NFO shielding can significantly promote the thermal stability and the relative permittivity of BFT@NFO pero-magnetic nanocomposites and lowers the Curie temperature. Thermogravimetric and optical analysis were used to test the thermal stability and estimate the effective optical parameters. Magnetic studies showed a decrease in saturation magnetization of NiFe2O4 NPs compared to their bulk system, which is attributed to surface spin disorder. Herein, characterization and the sensitive electrochemical sensor were constructed for the evaluation of peroxide oxidation detection using the chemically adjusted nano-ovals barium titanate-iron@nickel ferrite nanocomposites. Finally, The BFT@NFO exhibited excellent electrochemical properties which can be ascribed to this compound possessing two electrochemical active components and/or the nano-ovals structure of the particles which can further improve the electrochemistry through the possible oxidation states and the synergistic effect. The result advocates that when the BTF is shielded with NFO nanoparticles the thermal, dielectric, and electrochemical properties of nano-oval BaTi0.7Fe0.3O3@NiFe2O4 nanocomposites can be synchronously developed. Thus, the production of ultrasensitive electrochemical nano-systems for the determination of hydrogen peroxide is of extensive significance.
Membrane estrogen receptor α signaling modulates the sensitivity to estradiol treatment in a dose- and tissue- dependent manner
Authors: Jiang Yiwen , Horkeby Karin , Henning Petra , Wu Jianyao , Lawenius Lina , Engdahl Cecilia , Gupta Priti , Movérare-Skrtic Sofia , Nilsson Karin H. , Levin Ellis , Ohlsson Claes , Lagerquist Marie K.
Published: June 2023

Estradiol (E2) affects both reproductive and non-reproductive tissues, and the sensitivity to different doses of E2 varies between tissues. Membrane estrogen receptor α (mERα)-initiated signaling plays a tissue-specific role in mediating E2 effects, however, it is unclear if mERα signaling modulates E2 sensitivity. To determine this, we treated ovariectomized C451A females, lacking mERα signaling, and wildtype (WT) littermates with physiological (0.05 μg/mouse/day (low); 0.6 μg/mouse/day (medium)) or supraphysiological (6 μg/mouse/day (high)) doses of E2 (17β-estradiol-3-benzoate) for three weeks. Low-dose treatment increased uterus weight in WT, but not C451A mice, while non-reproductive tissues (gonadal fat, thymus, trabecular and cortical bone) were unaffected in both genotypes. Medium-dose treatment increased uterus weight and bone mass and decreased thymus and gonadal fat weights in WT mice. Uterus weight was also increased in C451A mice, but the response was significantly attenuated (− 85%) compared to WT mice, and no effects were triggered in non-reproductive tissues. High-dose treatment effects in thymus and trabecular bone were significantly blunted (− 34% and − 64%, respectively) in C451A compared to WT mice, and responses in cortical bone and gonadal fat were similar between genotypes. Interestingly, the high dose effect in uterus was enhanced (+ 26%) in C451A compared to WT mice. In conclusion, loss of mERα signaling reduces the sensitivity to physiological E2 treatment in both non-reproductive tissues and uterus. Furthermore, the E2 effect after high-dose treatment in uterus is enhanced in the absence of mERα, suggesting a protective effect of mERα signaling in this tissue against supraphysiological E2 levels.
The Japanese Guide affected the prescription of steroids for COVID-19 inpatients during the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan
Authors: Higuchi Takuya , Shin Jung-ho , Takada Daisuke , Morishita Tetsuji , Kunisawa Susumu , Imanaka Yuichi
Published: June 2023

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, guidance (“Japanese Guide”) has been published by a working group of several academic societies and announced by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. Steroids as a candidate treatment for COVID-19 were noted in the Japanese Guide. However, the prescription details for steroids, and whether the Japanese Guide changed its clinical practice, were unclear. This study aimed to examine the impact of the Japanese Guide on the trends in the prescription of steroids for COVID-19 inpatients in Japan. We selected our study population using Diagnostic Procedure Combination (DPC) data from hospitals participating in the Quality Indicator/Improvement Project (QIP). The inclusion criteria were patients discharged from hospital between January 2020 and December 2020, who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and were aged 18 years or older. The epidemiological characteristics of cases and the proportion of steroid prescriptions were described on a weekly basis. The same analysis was performed for subgroups classified by disease severity. The study population comprised 8603 cases (410 severe cases, 2231 moderate II cases, and 5962 moderate I/mild cases). The maximum proportion of cases prescribed with dexamethasone increased remarkably from 2.5 to 35.2% in the study population before and after week 29 (July 2020), when dexamethasone was included in the guidance. These increases were 7.7% to 58.7% in severe cases, 5.0% to 57.2% in moderate II cases, and 1.1% to 19.2% in moderate I/mild cases. Although the proportion of cases prescribed prednisolone and methylprednisolone decreased in moderate II and moderate I/mild cases, it remained high in severe cases. We showed the trends of steroid prescriptions in COVID-19 inpatients. The results showed that guidance can influence drug treatment provided during an emerging infectious disease pandemic.
Anemia as a risk factor for disease progression in patients admitted for COVID-19: data from a large, multicenter cohort study
Authors: Veronese Nicola , Segala Francesco Vladimiro , Carruba Luca , La Carrubba Anna , Pollicino Francesco , Di Franco Giusi , Guido Giacomo , Cormio Mariangela , Lugli Alessia , De Santis Laura , Guerra Vittorio , Pepe Martino , Tritto Rocco , Ciccone Marco Matteo , Bavaro Davide Fiore , Brindicci Gaetano , Mansueto Pasquale , Giannitrapani Lydia , Di Gennaro Francesco , Barbagallo Mario , Saracino Annalisa
Published: June 2023

In respiratory infections, anemia is both a consequence of acute inflammation and a predictor of poor clinical outcomes. There are few studies investigating the role of anemia in COVID-19, suggesting a potential role in predicting disease severity. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between the presence of anemia at admission and incidence of severe disease and death in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Data from all adult patients admitted for COVID-19 in University Hospital “P. Giaccone” Palermo, and University Hospital of Bari, Italy, were retrospectively collected from 1st of September 2020 to 31 August 2022. The association between anemia (defined as Hb < 13 g/dl and < 12 g/dl in males and females, respectively), in-hospital mortality and severe COVID-19 was tested using a Cox’s regression analysis. Severe COVID-19 forms were defined as admission to intensive or sub-intensive care unit or a qSOFAscore ≥ 2 or CURB65scores ≥ 3. p values were calculated using the Student’s t test for continuous variables and the Mantel–Haenszel Chi-square test for categorical ones. The association between anemia and the mortality was made using a Cox’s regression analysis, adjusted, in two models, for the potential confounders and using a propensity score. Among the 1562 patients included in the analysis, prevalence of anemia was 45.1% (95% CI 43–48%). Patients with anemia were significantly older (p < 0.0001), reported more co-morbidities, and presented higher baseline levels of procalcitonin, CRP, ferritin and IL-6. Overall, the crude incidence of mortality was about four times higher in patients with anemia compared to those without. After adjusting for 17 potential confounders, the presence of anemia significantly increased the risk of death (HR = 2.68; 95% CI: 1.59–4.52) and of risk of severe COVID-19 (OR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.65–3.24). The propensity score analysis substantially confirmed these analyses. Our study provides evidence that, in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, anemia is both associated with a more pronounced baseline pro-inflammatory profile and higher incidence of in-hospital mortality and severe disease.
Eco-evolutionary dynamics in microbial interactions
Authors: Mougi Akihiko
Published: June 2023

Microbes play an important role in ecosystem functioning and human health. A key feature of microbial interactions is a feedback system in which they modify the physical environment and react to it. Recently, it has been shown that the ecological consequences of microbial interactions driven by the modification of their surrounding pH environment can be predicted from the effects of their metabolic properties on pH. The optimum environmental pH for a given species can adaptively change in response to the changes in environmental pH that are induced by them. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of these adaptive changes in pH niche on microbial coexistence are yet to be explored. In this study, I theoretically demonstrate that ecological theory can only accurately predict the qualitative ecological consequences if the growth and pH change rates are the same for each species, which suggests that adaptive pH niche changes can generally make ecological consequence predictions based on ecological theory difficult.
A fluid model of pulsed direct current planar magnetron discharge
Authors: Tran Si Bui Quang , Leong Fong Yew , Hariharaputran Ramanarayan , Le Duc Vinh
Published: June 2023

We simulated a pulsed direct current (DC) planar magnetron discharge using fluid model, solving for species continuity, momentum, and energy transfer equations, coupled with Poisson equation and Lorentz force for electromagnetism. Based on a validated DC magnetron model, an asymmetric bipolar potential waveform is applied at the cathode at 50–200 kHz frequency and 50–80% duty cycle. Our results show that pulsing leads to increased electron density and electron temperature, but decreased deposition rate over non-pulsed DC magnetron, trends consistent with those reported by experimental studies. Increasing pulse frequency increases electron temperature but reduces the electron density and deposition rate, whereas increasing duty cycle decreases both electron temperature and density but increases deposition rate. We found that the time-averaged electron density scales inversely with the frequency, and time-averaged discharge voltage magnitude scales with the duty cycle. Our results are readily applicable to modulated pulse power magnetron sputtering and can be extended to alternating current (AC) reactive sputtering processes.
Tocilizumab-induced hypofibrinogenemia in patients with systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: He Tingyan , Ling Jiayun , Yang Jun
Published: June 2023

Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of childhood with elevated serum IL-6 levels. As an inhibitor of IL-6R, tocilizumab (TCZ) has been approved to treat SJIA patients. TCZ-induced hypofibrinogenemia has been only reported in adult cases and limited small case series with rheumatoid arthritis or giant cell arteritis. Here, we describe the incidence of TCZ-induced hypofibrinogenemia in SJIA patients and its possible influence on bleeding risk. SJIA patients with TCZ treatment in Shenzhen Children’s hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Only those with the data on serum fibrinogen levels were included. Data on clinical manifestations, laboratory parameters, management, and sJADAS10-ESR score were collected. Laboratory data were extracted following the start of TCZ therapy at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks thereafter. Seventeen SJIA patients with TCZ treatment were included. Thirteen (76.47%, 13/17) had hypofibrinogenemia. The lowest serum fibrinogen levels were even below 1.5 g/L in seven (41.17%, 7/17) patients. Among four patients without MTX treatment, two had obvious hypofibrinogenemia. Although five patients had already stopped steroid treatment 24 weeks after TCZ treatment, three of them still had hypofibrinogenemia. Only P14 had mild nasal mucosal bleeding occasionally. Coagulation tests were regularly performed in eight patients, of these, six had hypofibrinogenemia, which occurred following one to four doses of TCZ; continuation of TCZ treatment hadn’t further aggravated hypofibrinogenemia. Serum fibrinogen levels were not decreased consistently with the improvement of sJADAS10-ESR score in more than half of these eight patients. Factor XIII was detected in six patients and none was identified with Factor XIII deficiency. TCZ alone may induce hypofibrinogenemia in SJIA patients. Continuation of TCZ treatment may be safe for most SJIA patients. But for SJIA patients with indications of surgery or complicated with MAS, the risk of hemorrhage should be regularly evaluated during TCZ treatment. The association between TCZ-induced hypofibrinogenemia and factor XIII deficiency remains uncertain.

Trial registration: Not applicable; this was a retrospective study.
Production of combustible fuels and carbon nanotubes from plastic wastes using an in-situ catalytic microwave pyrolysis process
Authors: Irfan Muhammad , Saleem Rishmail , Shoukat Bilal , Hussain Hammad , Shukrullah Shazia , Naz Muhammad Yasin , Rahman Saifur , Ghanim Abdulnour Ali Jazem , Nawalany Grzegorz , Jakubowski Tomasz
Published: June 2023

This study performed in-situ microwave pyrolysis of plastic waste into hydrogen, liquid fuel and carbon nanotubes in the presence of Zeolite Socony Mobil ZSM-5 catalyst. In the presented microwave pyrolysis of plastics, activated carbon was used as a heat susceptor. The microwave power of 1 kW was employed to decompose high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) wastes at moderate temperatures of 400–450 °C. The effect of plastic composition, catalyst loading and plastic type on liquid, gas and solid carbon products was quantified. This in-situ CMP reaction resulted in heavy hydrocarbons, hydrogen gas and carbon nanotubes as a solid residue. A relatively better hydrogen yield of 129.6 mmol/g as a green fuel was possible in this process. FTIR and gas chromatography analysis revealed that liquid product consisted of C13+ fraction hydrocarbons, such as alkanes, alkanes, and aromatics. TEM micrographs showed tubular-like structural morphology of the solid residue, which was identified as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) during X-ray diffraction analysis. The outer diameter of CNTs ranged from 30 to 93 nm from HDPE, 25–93 nm from PP and 30–54 nm for HDPE-PP mixure. The presented CMP process took just 2–4 min to completely pyrolyze the plastic feedstock into valuable products, leaving no polymeric residue.
An assessment of nicotine pharmacokinetics and subjective effects of the pulze heated tobacco system compared with cigarettes
Authors: McDermott Simon , Reichmann Kerstin , Mason Elizabeth , Fearon Ian M. , O’Connell Grant , Nahde Thomas
Published: June 2023

Nicotine delivery and subjective effects are determinants of the ability of potentially less harmful tobacco products such as heated tobacco products (HTPs) to support adult smokers in switching away from cigarettes, and therefore to support tobacco harm reduction. This open-label, randomised, crossover, clinical study in 24 healthy adult smokers study assessed nicotine pharmacokinetics and subjective effects of the Pulze Heated Tobacco System (HTS; Pulze HTP device and three iD stick variants—Intense American Blend, Regular American Blend and Regular Menthol) compared with subjects’ usual brand cigarettes (UBC). Cmax and AUCt were highest for UBC and significantly lower for each Pulze HTS variant. Cmax and AUCt were significantly higher for Intense American Blend compared with Regular American Blend, while AUCt was significantly higher for Intense American Blend compared with Regular Menthol. Median Tmax was lowest (i.e., nicotine delivery was fastest) for subjects’ usual brand cigarettes and similar across the iD stick variants, although no between-product differences were statistically significant. All study products reduced urges to smoke; this effect was greatest for cigarettes although this was not statistically significant. Product evaluation scores for each Pulze HTS variant in the domains of ‘satisfaction’, ‘psychological reward’ and ‘relief’ were similar, and lower than those for UBC. These data demonstrate that the Pulze HTS effectively delivers nicotine and generates positive subjective effects, including satisfaction and reduced urge to smoke. This supports the conclusion that the Pulze HTS may be an acceptable alternative to cigarettes for adult smokers while having a lower abuse liability than cigarettes.
Electrically conductive composite materials with incorporated waste and secondary raw materials
Authors: Baranek Simon , Cerny Vit , Drochytka Rostislav , Meszarosova Lenka , Melichar Jindrich
Published: June 2023

Silicate composites have very low conductivity in general. It is possible to achieve an electrical resistivity decrease by adding an electro-conductive filler. The conductive mixture consists of cementitious binder, various types of silica sand, and graphite-based conductive fillers. One of the research focusses is partial substitution of ordinary raw materials by alternative components (waste materials by-products and secondary raw materials) and its influence on composite properties. The alternative components studied were fly ash as a partial binder replacement, waste graphite from two different sources and steel shavings as a substitute for conductive filler. Resistivity of cured conductive silicate-based specimens was analysed in relation to changes in physico-mechanical properties in context of microstructural changes in the hardened cementitious matrix (by optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy disperse analysis). Partial substitution of cement by fly ash was found to reduce the electrical resistivity of the composite. Some of the waste graphite fillers significantly reduce the resistivity of the cement composite and increase the compressive strength. It was proven, that is possible to replace primary conductive fillers by secondary raw materials.
The theory of thermoelasticity with a memory-dependent dynamic response for a thermo-piezoelectric functionally graded rotating rod
Authors: Abouelregal Ahmed E. , Askar S. S. , Marin M. , Mohamed Badahiould
Published: June 2023

By laminating piezoelectric and flexible materials during the manufacturing process, we can improve the performance of electronic devices. In smart structure design, it is also important to understand how the functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) structure changes over time when thermoelasticity is assumed. This is because these structures are often exposed to both moving and still heat sources during many manufacturing processes. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct theoretical and experimental studies of the electrical and mechanical characteristics of multilayer piezoelectric materials when they are subjected to electromechanical loads and heat sources. Since the infinite speed of heat wave propagation is a challenge that classical thermoelasticity cannot address, other models based on extended thermoelasticity have been introduced. For this reason, the effects of an axial heat supply on the thermomechanical behavior of an FGP rod using a modified Lord-Shulman model with the concept of a memory-dependent derivative (MDD) will be explored in this study. The exponential change of physical properties in the direction of the axis of the flexible rod will be taken into account. It was also assumed that there is no electric potential between the two ends of the rod while it is fixed at both ends and thermally isolated. Applying the Laplace transform method, the distributions of the physical fields under investigation were calculated. The obtained results were compared to those in the corresponding literature with varying heterogeneity values, kernel functions, delay times, and heat supply speeds. It was discovered that the studied physical fields and the dynamic behavior of the electric potential are weakened by increasing the inhomogeneity index.
Optimizing cancer immunotherapy response prediction by tumor aneuploidy score and fraction of copy number alterations
Authors: Chang Tian-Gen , Cao Yingying , Shulman Eldad D. , Ben-David Uri , Schäffer Alejandro A. , Ruppin Eytan
Published: June 2023

Identifying patients that are likely to respond to cancer immunotherapy is an important, yet highly challenging clinical need. Using 3139 patients across 17 different cancer types, we comprehensively studied the ability of two common copy-number alteration (CNA) scores—the tumor aneuploidy score (AS) and the fraction of genome single nucleotide polymorphism encompassed by copy-number alterations (FGA)—to predict survival following immunotherapy in both pan-cancer and individual cancer types. First, we show that choice of cutoff during CNA calling significantly influences the predictive power of AS and FGA for patient survival following immunotherapy. Remarkably, by using proper cutoff during CNA calling, AS and FGA can predict pan-cancer survival following immunotherapy for both high-TMB and low-TMB patients. However, at the individual cancer level, our data suggest that the use of AS and FGA for predicting immunotherapy response is currently limited to only a few cancer types. Therefore, larger sample sizes are needed to evaluate the clinical utility of these measures for patient stratification in other cancer types. Finally, we propose a simple, non-parameterized, elbow-point-based method to help determine the cutoff used for calling CNAs.
Century-long butterfly range expansions in northern Europe depend on climate, land use and species traits
Authors: Sunde Johanna , Franzén Markus , Betzholtz Per-Eric , Francioli Yannick , Pettersson Lars B. , Pöyry Juha , Ryrholm Nils , Forsman Anders
Published: June 2023

Climate change is an important driver of range shifts and community composition changes. Still, little is known about how the responses are influenced by the combination of land use, species interactions and species traits. We integrate climate and distributional data for 131 butterfly species in Sweden and Finland and show that cumulative species richness has increased with increasing temperature over the past 120 years. Average provincial species richness increased by 64% (range 15–229%), from 46 to 70. The rate and direction of range expansions have not matched the temperature changes, in part because colonisations have been modified by other climatic variables, land use and vary according to species characteristics representing ecological generalisation and species interactions. Results emphasise the role of a broad ecological filtering, whereby a mismatch between environmental conditions and species preferences limit the ability to disperse and establish populations in emerging climates and novel areas, with potentially widespread implications for ecosystem functioning.
An IL-17-EGFR-TRAF4 axis contributes to the alleviation of lung inflammation in severe influenza
Authors: Dutta Avijit , Hung Chen-Yiu , Chen Tse-Ching , Hsiao Sung-Han , Chang Chia-Shiang , Lin Yung-Chang , Lin Chun-Yen , Huang Ching-Tai
Published: June 2023

Excessive inflammation is a postulated cause of severe disease and death in respiratory virus infections. In response to severe influenza virus infection, adoptively transferred naïve hemagglutinin-specific CD4+ T cells from CD4+ TCR-transgenic 6.5 mice drive an IFN-γ-producing Th1 response in wild-type mice. It helps in virus clearance but also causes collateral damage and disease aggravation. The donor 6.5 mice have all the CD4+ T cells with TCR specificity toward influenza hemagglutinin. Still, the infected 6.5 mice do not suffer from robust inflammation and grave outcome. The initial Th1 response wanes with time, and a prominent Th17 response of recent thymic emigrants alleviates inflammation and bestows protection in 6.5 mice. Our results suggest that viral neuraminidase-activated TGF-β of the Th1 cells guides the Th17 evolution, and IL-17 signaling through the non-canonical IL-17 receptor EGFR activates the scaffold protein TRAF4 more than TRAF6 during alleviation of lung inflammation in severe influenza.
Acquisition and carriage of genetically diverse multi-drug resistant gram-negative bacilli in hospitalised newborns in The Gambia
Authors: Bah Saikou Y. , Kujabi Mariama A. , Darboe Saffiatou , Kebbeh Ngange , Kebbeh Bunja F. K. , Kanteh Abdoulie , Bojang Ramatouille , Lawn Joy E. , Kampmann Beate , Sesay Abdul K. , de Silva Thushan I. , Brotherton Helen
Published: June 2023

Background

This detailed genomic study characterised multi-drug resistant-Gram negative bacilli (MDR-GNB) carriage in neonates < 2 kg and paired mothers at a low-resource African hospital.

Methods

This cross-sectional cohort study was conducted at the neonatal referral unit in The Gambia with weekly neonatal skin and peri-anal sampling and paired maternal recto-vaginal swabs. Prospective bacteriological culture used MacConkey agar with species identification by API20E and API20NE. All GNB isolates underwent whole genome sequencing on Illumina Miseq platform. Multi-Locus Sequence Typing and SNP-distance analysis identified strain type and relatedness.

Results

135 swabs from 34 neonates and 21 paired mothers, yielded 137 GNB isolates, of which 112 are high quality de novo assemblies. Neonatal MDR-GNB carriage prevalence is 41% (14/34) at admission with 85% (11/13) new acquisition by 7d. Multiple MDR and ESBL-GNB species are carried at different timepoints, most frequently K. pneumoniae and E. coli, with heterogeneous strain diversity and no evidence of clonality. 111 distinct antibiotic resistance genes are mostly beta lactamases (Bla-AMPH, Bla-PBP, CTX-M-15, Bla-TEM-105). 76% (16/21) and 62% (13/21) of mothers have recto-vaginal carriage of ≥1 MDR-GNB and ESBL-GNB respectively, mostly MDR-E. coli (76%, 16/21) and MDR-K. pneumoniae (24%, 5/21). Of 21 newborn-mother dyads, only one have genetically identical isolates (E. coli ST131 and K. pneumoniae ST3476).

Conclusions

Gambian hospitalised neonates exhibit high MDR and ESBL-GNB carriage prevalence with acquisition between birth and 7d with limited evidence supporting mother to neonate transmission. Genomic studies in similar settings are required to further understand transmission and inform targeted surveillance and infection prevention policies.
Topological effects in ultrafast photoinduced processes between flurbiprofen and tryptophan in linked dyads and within human serum albumin
Authors: Tamarit Lorena , García-Gabarda Laura , Jiménez M. Consuelo , Miranda Miguel A. , Vayá Ignacio
Published: June 2023

Fluorescence and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopies reveal topological effects in the photoprocesses observed in diastereomeric FBP-Trp dyads, which are similar to those occurring in supramolecular FBP@protein systems.
Exploring the absolute yield curve of secondary electrons using machine learning methods
Authors: Mehnaz  , Da Bo , Ding Z. J.
Published: June 2023

Knowledge of absolute secondary electron yield (δ) is important for various applications of electron emission materials.
Utilization of single biomass-derived micro-mesoporous carbon for dual-carbon symmetric and hybrid sodium-ion capacitors
Authors: Nagmani  , Satpathy Biraj Kanta , Singh Abhijeet Kumar , Pradhan Debabrata , Puravankara Sreeraj
Published: June 2023

Single biomass precursor-derived AJPC-M as dual electrodes in aqueous and non-aqueous systems for symmetric and hybrid SICs.
Storage properties of 6,6,12-graphyne methane: a Monte Carlo and first-principles study
Authors: Chen Cheng-Hui , Chen Yu-Hong , Sun Jia-Lin , Chen Zhi-Wei , Zhou Cai-Cai , Zhang Mei-Ling , Sang Cui-Cui , Zhang Cai-Rong
Published: June 2023

The CH4 adsorption performance of the metal-modified 6,6,12-graphyne system based on giant canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations and first-principles study.
Fabrication of nitrogen-deficient g-C3N4 nanosheets via an acetaldehyde-assisted hydrothermal route and their high photocatalytic performance for H2O2 production and Cr(vi) reduction
Authors: Wang Longtao , Li Feng , He Qingyun , Liu Xingqiang , Yu Changlin
Published: June 2023

Highly nitrogen-deficient AH-CN (g-C3N4 treated under acetaldehyde assisted hydrothermal conditions) was produced. The obtained AH-CN exhibited excellent performance for H2O2 production and Cr(vi) reduction.
Laccase–mediator co-immobilized doped-HKUST-1 cellulose composite beads and their application for the biodegradation of carbazole
Authors: Juan Jia , Ping Xue , Xueping Liu , Chongrui Xu , Yaohua Gu , Peng Li
Published: June 2023

The co-immobilization of laccase and a mediator is essential for water treatment due to the fact that the free laccase and mediator cannot be recovered and reused simultaneously.
Performance evaluation of hard‐decision and soft‐data aided cooperative spectrum sensing over Nakagami‐m fading channel
Authors: Godugu Kiran Kumar , Vappangi Suseela
Published: June 2023

The secondary users can opportunistically utilize the spectrum holes left by the licensed users (also called primary users [PUs]) with the help of cognitive radio (CR) technology. The cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) is crucial for the implementation of CR algorithms in the next‐generation wireless networks, for the specific identification of spectral gaps of PUs under any fading/shadowing channel. Accurate spectrum sensing reveals that the CUs only provide data when the PUs report being idle. Yet, there is always a possibility that CU transmission will cause interference with PU communications, leading to inefficient spectrum use. So, this work explores the performance of a proposed CSS by considering such factors with the key objective of enhancing spectrum utilisation efficiency. This paper evaluates the role of the proposed CSS with a variety of hard decision fusion rules (HDFR) schemes as well as soft data fusion schemes (SDFS) methods. Toward this end, for the proposed system, closed‐form expressions for the evaluation of various performance metrics such as the false alarm, miss‐detection probabilities, total error probability (TEP), and throughput/energy efficiency are derived by taking into consideration the Nakagami‐m fading environment using different hard and soft algorithms and are validated by means of numerical simulations. Furthermore, by taking into account various network specifications, such as channel error probability (q), fading severity parameter (m), number of samples (M), number of CR nodes (N), average sensing (S) channel signal‐to‐noise ratio, and sensing threshold (λ), a performance evaluation between the SDFS and HDFR schemes has been carried out. Furthermore, using HDFR/SDFS schemes, analytical models are formulated for determining an optimal number of CR nodes () and optimal threshold () values for achieving the lowest TEP and highest energy efficiency.
Design and modelling of a two‐degrees‐of‐freedom dual‐rotor axial‐flux squirrel cage induction motor
Authors: Soheili Poria , Darabi Ahmad , Pourmirzaei Deylami Fazel
Published: June 2023

A two‐degrees‐of‐freedom (2DOF) dual‐rotor axial‐flux induction motor (2DOF‐DRAFIM) is proposed with independent movement capability of rotors and its performance is evaluated in detail. First, using the analytical equations, the steady‐state model of the motor is presented and the electrical equivalent circuit is extracted along with an electromagnetic design algorithm for the proposed motor. In the next step, using two‐dimensional and three‐dimensional finite element modelling (FEM), the performance of the proposed motor is investigated. The results of the experimental measurements on the manufactured prototype confirm the validity of the results of theoretical modelling and finite element simulations. The proposed structure provides some unique features. One of the fascinating behaviours of the proposed 2DOF‐DRAFIM is that the higher‐speed rotor produces higher output torque and the lower‐speed rotor has lower torque. In this regard, the 2DOF structure can be considered a potential concept for electric vehicles (EVs) without needing a conventional mechanical differential.
An energy optimal schedule method for distribution network considering the access of distributed generation and energy storage
Authors: Liu Keyan , Sheng Wanxing , Li Zhao , Liu Fang , Liu Qianyi , Huang Yucong , Li Yong
Published: June 2023

The access of large‐scale distributed generation (DG) easily leads to energy imbalance in distribution network. To deal with this issue, this paper proposes an energy optimal schedule method for distribution network considering the participation of source‐load‐storage aggregation groups (SAGs). Firstly, the system model consisting of distribution network layer and SAGs layer is established, and the schedule objectives and constraints of each layer are also given. Secondly, considering the fluctuation on the load side, a forecasting method based on Adaboost integrated convolutional neural networks and bidirectional long‐short term memory is proposed. Then, the improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) is proposed by using the tent map and Levy flight on the original sparrow search algorithm. At the same time, by introducing Pareto dominance relation and adaptive grid algorithm, the multi‐objective sparrow search algorithm (MOSSA) is derived. After that, a two‐layer optimization framework (ISSA–MOSSA) is proposed to solve the studied system. The simulation results verify the accuracy of the proposed load forecasting model, the superiority of ISSA as well as MOSSA, and the effectiveness of ISSA–MOSSA in solving the energy optimal schedule problem of the distribution system with the access of DG.
Communicational aspects in hierarchical real‐time control of electric vehicle charging: Available information and its value
Authors: Simolin Toni , Rauma Kalle , Rautiainen Antti , Järventausta Pertti
Published: June 2023

Smart electric vehicle (EV) charging is a widely studied topic, and multiple different solutions have been proposed in the scientific literature to execute various demand response objectives. However, most studies use assumptions and simplifications that may not hold in real‐life situations, and thus, the proposed solutions may have a diminished practical value. Here, communicational aspects of hierarchical EV charging control are studied. The study considers the availability, acquisition, and value of certain information in case of real‐time control. The paper illustrates potential pitfalls when using certain assumptions or simplifications in the simulations and proposes a novel algorithm to deal with the lack of preliminary information that exists in real‐life situations. The objective of the proposed algorithm is to allow a lower‐layer controller to track the real‐time controllability of the EVs. This information is necessary in hierarchical control solutions with multiple lower‐layer controllers controlled by an upper‐layer controller to ensure efficient operation. The simulation results shows that a lower layer controller can estimate the controllability of the EV charging in realistic conditions within 1%–4 % accuracy despite the initially unknown characteristics of EVs.