bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Total and regional fat‐to‐muscle mass ratio and risks of incident all‐cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia
Authors: Wang Wenxiu , Luo Yongchun , Zhuang Zhenhuang , Song Zimin , Huang Ninghao , Li Yueying , Dong Xue , Xiao Wendi , Zhao Yimin , Huang Tao
Published: July 2022

Background

The fat‐to‐muscle mass ratio (FMR), which integrates the antagonistic effects of fat and muscle mass, has been proposed as a useful indicator to assess disease risk independent of overall obesity. However, little is known about the association between FMR and dementia risk. We aimed to prospectively investigate the sex‐specific associations between total and regional FMR and incident dementia.

Methods

A total of 491 420 participants (223 581 men and 267 839 women; mean age 56.7 ± 8.2 and 56.3 ± 8.0 years old, respectively) free of dementia at baseline from the UK Biobank were included. Fat mass and muscle mass were measured using a bioelectrical impedance assessment device. Cox regression analyses were used to examine the associations of total and regional FMR with incident all‐cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). The shape of the associations of the continuous scale of FMR and incident dementia were examined using restricted cubic spline analysis.

Results

During a median 8.65 years of follow‐up, we documented 2 225 incident all‐cause dementia cases, including 836 AD and 468 VD cases. There was an L‐shaped association between whole body FMR and all‐cause dementia risk in both sexes after adjusting body mass index (BMI) and other covariates (P for non‐linear <0.001 in men and women), where all‐cause dementia risk decreased steeply with increasing FMR and levelled off at around the medians (0.35 in men, 0.61 in women) with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.64, 0.96; P = 0.019) and 0.60 (0.47, 0.77; <0.001) per 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in men and women, respectively. Compared with other body parts, FMR of the leg showed the strongest inverse associations [HR (95% CI; P) per 1 SD below the medians: 0.60 (0.48, 0.75; <0.001); 0.61 (0.47, 0.79; <0.001) in men and women, respectively]. Specifically, the inverse associations of whole body FMR on all‐cause dementia risk were significant only among participants over the age of 60 (P for trend <0.001). Multivariable adjusted Cox models showed inverse associations of whole body FMR with AD in men only (P for trend = 0.003), whereas no statistically significant decrease was detected in VD among men and women.

Conclusions

Our analyses provide strong evidence for L‐shaped associations of total and regional FMR with the development of dementia among participants aged 60 years or older independent of overall obesity.
How to eliminate the toxic impact of extreme salinity on the ecology of activated sludge? Experimental verification with pickle plant effluents
Authors: Övez Süleyman , Özbasaran Murad , Duba Seyda , Sözen Seval , Orhon Derin
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND

The study defined a sustainable management scheme to eliminate the toxic impact of extreme salinity on the ecology and performance of an activated sludge process. The scheme was implemented on a plant treating pickle plant effluents involving significant flow and salinity transients. It was conducted in two phases. Firstly, the plant was operated without attenuating extreme salinity transients, enabling observation of all adverse impacts on the microbial ecology. The second phase was implemented with a new management scheme tempering all salinity gradients revealing the recovery of the microbial ecology into a stable and sustainable state.

RESULTS

Initially, the microbial community could not cope with rapid salinity increase and exhibited significant changes resulting in the predominance of filamentous microorganisms, disruption of the floc structure and almost total loss of eukaryotic microorganisms. Settling problems and deterioration of effluent quality were observed, followed by plasmolysis and repeated total loss of the biomass. The new waste management strategy allowed only transients limited to ±500 μS cm−1 in the influent; in this way, the microbial ecology steadily improved. The effluent chemical oxygen demand could be maintained below 80–90 mg L−1 with no appreciable particulate matter escape.

CONCLUSIONS

Results identified sharp salinity transients as the key factor triggering total destruction of activated sludge. The novel scheme provided conclusive evidence that a stable microbial community could be maintained even when continuously exposed to a salinity level of around 10 000 μS cm−1 in the reactor, provided that variations remained limited to ±500 μS cm−1, ensuring satisfactory effluent quality. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Connecting soil health and water quality in agricultural landscapes
Authors: Lewandowski Ann Marcelle , Cates Anna
Published: July 2022

As soil plays an integral role in the water cycle, the dynamic and inherent attributes of soil are important drivers of the amount and quality of water in streams, lakes, and groundwater. Studies have demonstrated links between agricultural soil management and water movement in soil, to the edge of fields, and across entire watersheds that feed water bodies of interest. Still, not enough is known about linkages between soil management, soil health, and watershed water quality to adequately predict impacts of land use changes and to effectively use soil management as a tool for water resource management. We describe here the mechanisms connecting soil health and water quality, the state of the science at the nexus of the two fields of study, and an overview of recent studies on the topic. A fundamental challenge is measuring and elucidating connections between processes working at different temporal and spatial scales. Research needs include expansion of field‐scale data and analysis of combined datasets, greater understanding of the mechanisms that explain observed associations between management practices and water quality, ensuring that hydrologic models and decision‐support tools more effectively reflect these soil–water mechanisms, and greater use of systems‐based research designs.
Parent‐in‐training: Resident and fellow experiences from pregnancy to parenthood
Authors: Sharp Eleanor A. , Nicholson Kristina J. , Taft Maia , Glaser Daniel H. , Gibson Blake , Kazmerski Traci M.
Published: July 2022

Background

Residents and fellows with children face distinct challenges; however, knowledge of factors associated with increased parental stress is limited.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate experiences and concerns of physician trainees and identify factors associated with higher parental stress.

Methods

An anonymous survey was distributed to all resident and fellow trainees in June 2021 to assess experiences regarding parental leave, breastfeeding, and childcare. We used the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) to identify the factors associated with stress and analyzed the results using descriptive statistics, linear regression, and thematic analysis.

Results

Of 1719 trainees, 509 participated (62% women, 30% response rate); half were parents. One‐third of the respondents (152/470) said that childcare costs affected the number of children they plan to have; One‐third of respondents (152/470) said that childcare costs affected the number of children they plan to have; 45% (210/470) said childcare costs affected when they plan to have children. Among parents, the mean PSS score was 44.3 ± 12.3, with no significant gender differences. More women identified as primary or coprimary caregivers (97% [113/117] vs. 79% [60/76], p < .001) and anticipated training extensions due to parental leave (36% vs. 13% men, p = .009). Breastfeeding was associated with significantly higher PSS scores (p = .017). Twenty‐four percent of breastfeeding parents (22/93) felt that their program/institution did not support their breastfeeding goals; lack of perceived support was associated with significantly higher PSS scores (63.6 ± 13.1 vs. 38.6 ± 8.7, p < .001). Trainees experiencing unreliable childcare had significantly higher PSS scores (p = .005). Forty percent (64/159) changed their career plans after becoming parents.

Conclusions

Physician trainee parents experience high stress, with women bearing disproportionate burdens in the domains of parental leave and breastfeeding. These results should inform policies promoting trainee wellness and gender equity.
Disrupted Topological Organization of White Matter Network in Angelman Syndrome
Authors: Wei Lei , Du Xiaonan , Yang Zidong , Ding Ming , Yang Baofeng , Wang Ji , Long Shasha , Qiao Zhongwei , Jiang Yonghui , Wang Yi , Wang He
Published: July 2022

Background

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder that affects neurodevelopment. The investigation of changes in the brain white matter network, which would contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AS brain, was lacking.

Purpose

To investigate both local and global alterations of white matter in patients with AS.

Study Type

Prospective.

Subjects

A total of 29 AS patients (6.6 ± 1.4 years, 15 [52%] females) and 19 age‐matched healthy controls (HC) (7.0 ± 1.5 years, 10 [53%] females).

Field Strength/Sequence

A 3‐T, three‐dimensional (3D) T1‐weighted imaging by using gradient‐echo‐based sequence, single shell diffusion tensor imaging by using spin‐echo‐based echo‐planar imaging.

Assessment

Network metrics including global efficiency (Eg), local efficiency (Eloc), small world coefficient (Swc), rich‐club coefficient (Φ), and nodal degree (ND) were estimated from diffusion MR (dMR) data. Connections among highly connected (hub) regions and less connected (peripheral) regions were also assessed. Correlation between the topological parameters and age for each group was also calculated to assess the development of the brain.

Statistical Tests

Linear regression model, permutation test. P values estimated from the regression model for each brain region were adjusted by false discovery rate (FDR) correction.

Results

AS patients showed significantly lower Eg and higher swc compared to HC. Φn significantly increased at higher k‐levels in AS patients. In addition, the connections among hub regions and peripheral regions were significantly interrupted in AS patients.

Data Conclusion

The AS brain showed diminished connectivity, reflected by reduced network efficiency compared to HC. Compared to densely connected regions, less connected regions were more vulnerable in AS.

Evidence Level

2

Technical Efficacy

Stage 3
Early predictors of clinical deterioration in a cohort of outpatients with COVID‐19 in southern Italy: A multicenter observational study
Authors: Monari Caterina , Pisaturo Mariantonietta , Maggi Paolo , Macera Margherita , Di Caprio Giovanni , Pisapia Raffaella , Gentile Valeria , Fordellone Mario , Chiodini Paolo , Coppola Nicola ,   CoviCam Group
Published: July 2022

Data regarding early predictors of clinical deterioration in patients with infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is still scarce. The aim of the study is to identify early symptoms or signs that may be associated with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). We conducted a multicentre prospective cohort study on a cohort of patients with COVID‐19 in home isolation from March 2020 to April 2021. We assessed longitudinal clinical data (fever, dyspnea, need for hospitalization) through video calls at three specific time points: the beginning of symptoms or the day of the first positivity of the nasopharyngeal swab for SARS‐CoV‐2‐RNA (t0), and 3 (t3) and 7 (t7) days after the onset of symptoms. We included 329 patients with COVID‐19: 182 (55.3%) males, mean age 53.4 ± 17.4 years, median Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) of 1 (0–3). Of the 329 patients enrolled, 171 (51.98%) had a mild, 81 (24.6%) a moderate, and 77 (23.4%) a severe illness; 151 (45.9%) were hospitalized. Compared to patients with mild COVID‐19, moderate and severe patients were older (p < 0.001) and had more comorbidities, especially hypertension (p < 0.001) and cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.01). At t3 and t7, we found a significant higher rate of persisting fever (≥37°C) among patients with moderate (91.4% and 58.0% at t3 and t7, respectively; p < 0.001) and severe outcome (75.3% and 63.6%, respectively; p < 0.001) compared to mild COVID‐19 outcome (27.5% and 11.7%, respectively; p < 0.001). Factors independently associated with a more severe outcome were persisting fever at t3 and t7, increasing age, and CCI above 2 points. Persisting fever at t3 and t7 seems to be related to a more severe COVID‐19. This data may be useful to assess hospitalization criteria and optimize the use of resources in the outpatient setting.
Association between COVID‐19 and telomere length: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Huang Danqi , Lin Siqi , He Junting , Wang Qi , Zhan Yiqiang
Published: July 2022

Several traditional observational studies suggested an association between COVID‐19 and leukocyte telomere length (LTL), a biomarker for biological age. However, whether there was a causal association between them remained unclear. We aimed to investigate whether genetically predicted COVID‐19 is related to the risk of LTL, and vice versa. We performed bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study using summary statistics from the genome‐wide association studies of critically ill COVID‐19 (n = 1 388 342) and LTL (n = 472 174) of European ancestry. The random‐effects inverse‐variance weighted estimation method was applied as the primary method with several other estimators as complementary methods. Using six single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of genome‐wide significance as instrumental variables for critically ill COVID‐19, we did not find a significant association of COVID‐19 on LTL (β = 0.0075, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.018 to 0.021, p = 0.733). Likewise, using 97 SNPs of genome‐wide significance as instrumental variables for LTL, we did not find a significant association of LTL on COVID‐19 (odds ratio = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.79–1.28, p = 0.973). Comparable results were obtained using MR‐Egger regression, weighted median, and weighted mode approaches. We did not find evidence to support a causal association between COVID‐19 and LTL in either direction.
Targeting mitochondria in the regulation of neurodegenerative diseases: A comprehensive review
Authors: Maurya Shashank Kumar , Gupta Suchi , Bakshi Amrita , Kaur Harpreet , Jain Arushi , Senapati Sabyasachi , Baghel Meghraj Singh
Published: July 2022

Mitochondria are one of the essential cellular organelles. Apart from being considered as the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria have been widely known to regulate redox reaction, inflammation, cell survival, cell death, metabolism, etc., and are implicated in the progression of numerous disease conditions including neurodegenerative diseases. Since brain is an energy‐demanding organ, mitochondria and their functions are important for maintaining normal brain homeostasis. Alterations in mitochondrial gene expression, mutations, and epigenetic modification contribute to inflammation and neurodegeneration. Dysregulation of reactive oxygen species production by mitochondria and aggregation of proteins in neurons leads to alteration in mitochondria functions which further causes neuronal death and progression of neurodegeneration. Pharmacological studies have prioritized mitochondria as a possible drug target in the regulation of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the present review article has been intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of mitochondrial role in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases mainly Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis followed by possible intervention and future treatment strategies to combat mitochondrial‐mediated neurodegeneration.
Disc geometry measurement methods affect reported compressive mechanics by up to 65%
Authors: Lim Shiyin , Huff Reece D. , Veres Joanna E. , Satish Divya , O'Connell Grace D.
Published: July 2022

Mechanical testing is a valuable tool for assessing intervertebral disc health, but the wide range of testing protocols makes it difficult to compare results from different studies. Normalizing mechanical properties by disc geometry allows for such comparisons, but there is little consistency in the methods by which disc geometry is measured. As such, we hypothesized that methods used to measure disc geometry would impact reported mechanical properties. Disc height and area were measured using computed tomography (CT), digital calipers, and ImageJ to yield three different measurements for disc height and six for disc area. Disc heights measured by digital calipers ex situ were >30% less than disc heights measured in situ by CT, and disc areas measured ex situ using ImageJ were >30% larger than those measured by CT. This significantly affected reported mechanical properties, leading to a 65% reduction in normalized compressive stiffness in the most extreme case. Though we cannot quantitatively correct between methods, results presented in this study suggest that disc geometry measurement methods have a significant impact on normalized mechanical properties and should be accounted for when comparing results.
All‐Dielectric Metasurface Empowered Optical‐Electronic Hybrid Neural Networks
Authors: Qu Geyang , Cai Guiyi , Sha Xinbo , Chen Qinmiao , Cheng Jiaping , Zhang Yao , Han Jiecai , Song Qinghai , Xiao Shumin
Published: July 2022

Optical computing has a series of advantages over its electronic counterpart, e.g., low energy consumption, high speed, and intrinsic parallelism. Diffraction deep neural networks (D2NNs) are a prominent example capable of processing images directly without addressing the spatial locations of each element. Despite the great successes, the D2NNs typically utilize the multilayer framework and face the severe challenge of misalignment in the optical region. Herein, a single metasurface‐based optical‐electronic hybrid neural network (OENN) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The OENN is composed of a titanium dioxide (TiO2) metasurface and a fully‐connected electronic layer. The combination of nonlocal neural layer and nonlinear transformation has significantly expanded the neural network capacity. Consequently, the classification accuracy on handwritten digits recognition can still be as high as 98.05% without employing the architecture of cascaded metasurfaces. The OENN shall shed light on the practical applications of optical computing in the visible spectrum.
Engineering Hydrogels for Modulation of Material‐Cell Interactions
Authors: Vieira Sílvia , Silva‐Correia Joana , Reis Rui L. , Oliveira J. Miguel
Published: July 2022

Hydrogels are a recurrent platform for Tissue Engineering (TE) strategies. Their versatility and the variety of available methods for tuning their properties highly contribute to hydrogels’ success. As a result, the design of advanced hydrogels has been thoroughly studied, in the quest for better solutions not only for drugs‐ and cell‐based therapies but also for more fundamental studies. The wide variety of sources, crosslinking strategies, and functionalization methods, and mostly the resemblance of hydrogels to the natural extracellular matrix, makes these three dimensional hydrated structures an excellent tool for TE approaches. The state‐of‐the‐art information regarding hydrogel design, processing methods, and the influence of different hydrogel formulations on the final cell‐biomaterial interactions are overviewed herein.
Gender‐based effect of absence of gut microbiota on the protective efficacy of Bifidobacterium longum‐fermented rice bran diet against inflammation‐associated colon tumorigenesis
Authors: Kumar Robin , Maurya Akhilendra K. , Parker Kristopher D. , Kant Rama , Ibrahim Hend , Kabir Md. Imtiazul , Kumar Dileep , Weber Annika M. , Agarwal Rajesh , Kuhn Kristine A. , Ryan Elizabeth P. , Raina Komal
Published: July 2022

Dietary rice bran (RB) has shown capacity to influence metabolism by modulation of gut microbiota in individuals at risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), which warranted attention for delineating mechanisms for bidirectional influences and cross‐feeding between the host and RB‐modified gut microbiota to reduce CRC. Accordingly, in the present study, fermented rice bran (FRB, fermented with a RB responsive microbe Bifidobacterium longum), and non‐fermented RB were fed as 10% w/w (diet) to gut microbiota‐intactspf or germ‐free micegf to investigate comparative efficacy against inflammation‐associated azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS)‐induced CRC. Results indicated both microbiota‐dependent and independent mechanisms for RB meditated protective efficacy against CRC that was associated with reduced neoplastic lesion size and local‐mucosal/systemic inflammation, and restoration of colonic epithelial integrity. Enrichment of beneficial commensals (such as, Clostridiales, Blautia, Roseburia), phenolic metabolites (benzoate and catechol metabolism), and dietary components (ferulic acid‐4 sulfate, trigonelline, and salicylate) were correlated with anti‐CRC efficacy. Germ‐free studies revealed gender‐specific physiological variables could differentially impact CRC growth and progression. In the germ‐free females, the RB dietary treatment showed a ∼72% reduction in the incidence of colonic epithelial erosion when compared to the ∼40% reduction in FRB‐fed micegf. Ex vivo fermentation of RB did not parallel the localized‐protective benefits of gut microbial metabolism by RB in damaged colonic tissues. Findings from this study suggest potential needs for safety considerations of fermented fiber rich foods as dietary strategies against severe inflammation‐associated colon tumorigenesis (particularly with severe damage to the colonic epithelium).
Analysis of the clinical and genetic characteristics of a Chinese family with osteogenesis imperfecta type I
Authors: Niu Zhijie , Lai Yongjing , Zhou Wenwen , Liu Lingyuan , Tan Songhua , He Guangyao , Li Jingyu , Tang Fen , Su Yupei , Xu Yanglong , Liu Lei , Xie Lihong , Fang Qin , Tang Anzhou
Published: July 2022

Background

Osteogenesis imperfecta type I (OI‐I) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by skeletal deformity, bone fragility, blue sclerae, dentinogenesis imperfecta, and hearing loss. The current study aimed to confirm the clinical diagnosis and genetic cause of OI‐I in a four‐generation Chinese family.

Methods

Clinical investigation and pedigree analysis were conducted to characterize the phenotypic manifestations of a Chinese family with OI‐I. Follow‐up audiometry and imaging tests were used to evaluate the postoperative outcomes of stapes surgery in the proband with otosclerosis. Whole‐exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were used to identify the pathogenic gene variants and for cosegregating analysis.

Results

We described in detail the clinical features of the collected family with autosomal dominant OI‐I, and firstly identified a pathogenic splicing variant (c.2344‐1G>T) in intron 33 of COL1A1 in a Chinese family. The molecular analysis suggested that the mutation might cause splice site changes that result in a loss of gene function. The proband, who suffered from otosclerosis and presented two‐side middle‐severe conductive hearing loss, benefitted significantly from successive bilateral middle ear surgery.

Conclusions

The diagnosis of OI‐I in a Chinese family was established by clinical and genetic investigation. A heterozygous pathogenic splicing variant in COL1A1 was directly responsible for the bone fragility and hearing loss of this family. Otosclerosis surgery should be suggested to rehabilitate conductive hearing impairment in OI patients.
Experimental study of compaction localization in carbonate rock and constitutive modeling of mechanical anisotropy
Authors: Shahin Ghassan , Papazoglou Athanasios , Marinelli Ferdinando , Viggiani Gioacchino , Buscarnera Giuseppe
Published: July 2022

Sedimentary rocks are inherently anisotropic and prone to strain localization. While the influence of rock anisotropy on the brittle/dilative regime has been studied extensively, its influence on the ductile/compactive regime is much less explored. This paper discusses the anisotropic behavior of a high‐porosity carbonate rock from central Europe (the Maastricht Tuffeau). A set of triaxial tests with concurrent x‐ray tomography has been performed at different confining pressures. The anisotropic characteristics of this rock have been investigated by testing samples cored at different inclinations of the bedding, thus revealing non‐negligible effects of the coring direction on yielding and compaction behavior. Specifically, samples cored perpendicular to bedding display higher strength and longer stages of post‐yielding deformation before manifesting re‐hardening. Despite such alterations of the inelastic response, Digital Image Correlation has revealed that the strain localization mode is independent of the coring direction, thus being primarily affected by the confinement level. To capture the observed interaction between material anisotropy and compaction behavior at the continuum‐scale, an elastoplastic constitutive law has been proposed. For this purpose, a set of tensorial bases has been introduced to replicate how the oriented rock fabric modulates the yielding and plastic flow characteristics of the material. The analyses show that the impact of the coring direction on yield function and plastic flow rule is fundamentally different, thus requiring the use of distinct projection strategies (a strategy here defined heterotopic mapping). The performance of the model, studied through parametric analyses and by calibrating the experimental results, illustrates the improved capability of the proposed constitutive approach when applied to strongly anisotropic porous rocks.
Efficacy of simulated video on test anxiety in objective structured clinical examination among nursing and midwifery students: A quasi‐experimental study
Authors: Abbasi Ali , Bazghaleh Milad , Fadaee Aghdam Nasrin , Basirinezhad Mohammad Hasan , Tanhan Ahmet , Montazeri Rasoul , Mirhosseini Seyedmohammad
Published: July 2022

Aim

This research investigated the effectiveness of simulated video on test anxiety in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) among nursing and midwifery students.

Design

A quasi‐experimental study with a two‐group pre‐test and post‐test design.

Methods

This study was conducted on 118 nursing and midwifery students in Shahroud northeast of Iran in 2019 using the census sampling method. The intervention group received a 15‐minute OSCE simulation video half an hour before the test. Data were collected using the Sarason test anxiety questionnaire in two stages: one week before the test and after the simulation film was screened. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Independent t‐test, Chi‐square, Exact fisher and Paired t‐test).

Results

At baseline, no significant difference was observed between groups in the total mean score of test anxiety. The mean score of test anxiety significantly decreased in the OSCE simulation video group after the intervention.
Covalent Immobilization of Dehydrogenases on Carbon Felt for Reusable Anodes with Effective Electrochemical Cofactor Regeneration
Authors: Pietricola Giuseppe , Chamorro Lesly , Castellino Micaela , Maureira Diego , Tommasi Tonia , Hernández Simelys , Wilson Lorena , Fino Debora , Ottone Carminna
Published: July 2022

This study presents the immobilization with aldehyde groups (glyoxyl carbon felt) of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and formate dehydrogenase (FDH) on carbon‐felt‐based electrodes. The compatibility of the immobilization method with the electrochemical application was studied with the ADH bioelectrode. The electrochemical regeneration process of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in its oxidized form (NAD+), on a carbon felt surface, has been deeply studied with tests performed at different electrical potentials. By applying a potential of 0.4 V versus Ag/AgCl electrode, a good compromise between NAD+ regeneration and energy consumption was observed. The effectiveness of the regeneration of NAD+ was confirmed by electrochemical oxidation of ethanol catalyzed by ADH in the presence of NADH, which is the no active form of the cofactor for this reaction. Good reusability was observed by using ADH immobilized on glyoxyl functionalized carbon felt with a residual activity higher than 60 % after 3 batches.
Stabilizing the Homopolycation (I4)2+ with a Hexasulfate in (I4)[S6O19] and a Borosulfate in (I4)[B(S2O7)2]2
Authors: van Gerven David , Sutorius Stefan , Bruns Jörn , Wickleder Mathias S.
Published: July 2022

The reaction of elemental iodine and SO3 in a sealed glass ampoule yielded a turquoise‐colored solution. At temperatures below 7 °C, deep red crystals of (I4)[S6O19] grow. With the addition of B2O3 and pyridine‐SO3 complex red crystals of (I4)[B(S2O7)2]2 can be obtained after heating the mixture to 120 °C. The combination of an (I4)2+ cation with oxoanions has previously not been observed. Both anions have a significant but different influence on the structural properties of the (I4)2+ cation.
Low‐loss percolative epsilon‐negative composites derived from the ultra‐low percolation threshold
Authors: Hou Qing , Wang Zongxiang , Tian Jiahong , Sun Kai , Ju Licheng , Fan Runhua
Published: July 2022

In this work, the mechanism of negative permittivity response with low losses in the silver nanowires/polyvinylidene fluoride composites were demonstrated. Due to the large aspect ratios of silver nanowires, ultra‐low percolation threshold () between 0.7 and 0.8 wt% was achieved with the losses effectively decreased by several orders of magnitude down to a low level of about 0.2. The negative permittivity response from Lorentz type and Drude type presented the transition from insulator to conductor. The tunable Drude type negative permittivity was ascribed to the plasma oscillation of free electrons, which leads to an inductive property. The conduction mechanism was switched from hopping to metallic conduction with the observation of skin effect. The epsilon‐negative materials with lower losses have potential applications in communication devices, such as novel capacitors and antennas.
Research on polyamide based self‐lubricating composites: A review
Authors: Yang Chao , Xie Guoxin , Kang Jiajie , Zhang Lin
Published: July 2022

Owing to its good tribological and mechanical properties, polyamide material was widely applied to prepare sliding mechanical parts. A lot of studies confirmed that adding different functional materials or surface modifications to polyamide could reduce the friction coefficient, improve wear resistance and reduce water absorption, so as to prolong the service life of polyamide parts. This paper summarized the common reinforcement methods of polyamide materials: blending, surface modification and filler. The reinforcing mechanism of different fillers and polymers, the effects of different methods on the tribological properties, mechanical properties and water absorption of polyamide composites, and the preparation methods of polyamide composites have been systematically discussed.
Evolution of the SARS‐CoV‐2 omicron variants BA.1 to BA.5: Implications for immune escape and transmission
Authors: Shrestha Lok Bahadur , Foster Charles , Rawlinson William , Tedla Nicodemus , Bull Rowena A.
Published: July 2022

The first dominant SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron variant BA.1 harbours 35 mutations in its Spike protein from the original SARS‐CoV‐2 variant that emerged late 2019. Soon after its discovery, BA.1 rapidly emerged to become the dominant variant worldwide and has since evolved into several variants. Omicron is of major public health concern owing to its high infectivity and antibody evasion. This review article examines the theories that have been proposed on the evolution of Omicron including zoonotic spillage, infection in immunocompromised individuals and cryptic spread in the community without being diagnosed. Added to the complexity of Omicron's evolution are the multiple reports of recombination events occurring between co‐circulating variants of Omicron with Delta and other variants such as XE. Current literature suggests that the combination of the novel mutations in Omicron has resulted in the variant having higher infectivity than the original Wuhan‐Hu‐1 and Delta variant. However, severity is believed to be less owing to the reduced syncytia formation and lower multiplication in the human lung tissue. Perhaps most challenging is that several studies indicate that the efficacy of the available vaccines have been reduced against Omicron variant (8–127 times reduction) as compared to the Wuhan‐Hu‐1 variant. The administration of booster vaccine, however, compensates with the reduction and improves the efficacy by 12–35 fold. Concerningly though, the broadly neutralising monoclonal antibodies, including those approved by FDA for therapeutic use against previous SARS‐CoV‐2 variants, are mostly ineffective against Omicron with the exception of Sotrovimab and recent reports suggest that the Omicron BA.2 is also resistant to Sotrovimab. Currently two new Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 are emerging and are reported to be more transmissible and resistant to immunity generated by previous variants including Omicron BA.1 and most monoclonal antibodies. As new variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 will likely continue to emerge it is important that the evolution, and biological consequences of new mutations, in existing variants be well understood.
Iterative fault estimation and fault‐tolerant control for a class of nonlinear variant time‐delay systems
Authors: Li Feng , Kenan Du , Xu Shuiqing , Yi Chai , Zhang Ke
Published: July 2022

Fault estimation (FE) and fault‐tolerant control (FTC) are remarkable techniques, have achieved great success in many applications such as robot, spacecraft, and industrial assembly line. This article aims to design an iterative‐learning scheme based FE and FTC method for a class of nonlinear system with iteration‐variant state delay and additive measurement noise. A Luenberger observer in iterative version is proposed to achieve the reconstruction of system state information, which consider the historical observation error in order to improve the observation performance in current iteration. To deal with bounded iteration‐variant state delay, an iterative‐learning scheme based fault estimator is designed and the convergence is proved. Compared with relevant methods which use system output observation residual to revise the FE result of last iteration, the proposed approach uses filtered system output observation residual in order to reduce the effect of measurement noise. Based on the FE result, FTC using signal compensation technique is employed. In addition, an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm is employed for parameters adaptive tuning. Compared with traditional manual adjustment of parameters, the proposed method can find the optimal parameters and save time of parameter tuning. Finally, three examples are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Investigation and Separation of Chromogenic Substances in Glyoxylic Acid Generated by Electrochemical Reduction of Oxalic Acid
Authors: Wang Xiyang , Ullah Siraj , Hu Shuozhen , Zhang Xinsheng
Published: July 2022

Electroreduction of oxalic acid (OA) is an effective process to produce glyoxylic acid (GA). However, electrochemically generated GA solution is yellow, which lowers the quality of GA and affects the application in producing the downstream products. It is urgent to investigate the composition of chromogenic substances (CSs) and separate them from the GA solution. In this work, the presence of tartaric acid, glyceric acid, and pyruvic acid in the electrochemically generated GA solution is successfully confirmed by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐electrospray‐mass spectrometry. Tartaric acid is originally generated from GA and glycolic acid, and then further reduced to obtain chromogenic glyceric acid and pyruvic acid. 92.97 % of CSs could be successfully removed from the GA solution by electrodialysis at 240.64 A/m2 and 25 °C. A separation of OA and GA is also achieved by electrodialysis. This study makes a significant contribution to the industrialization of electroreduction process to prepare GA.
Advances in the Chemistry of (−)‐D‐Swainsonine
Authors: Drogalin Artem
Published: July 2022

(−)‐D‐Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid molecule with a fused piperidine and pyrrolidine ring system. It has been the first glycoprotein‐processing inhibitor to be selected for clinical testing as an anticancer drug. D‐Swainsonine is an effective inhibitor of both lysosomal α‐mannosidase and Golgi α‐mannosidase II. Lysosomal α‐mannosidase is involved in cellular degradation of polysaccharides, and Golgi α‐mannosidase is the key enzyme in processing asparagine‐linked glycoproteins. A nowadays challenge is to build up D‐swainsonine derivatives/analogues with high selectivity to Golgi α‐mannosidase II, in order to avoid metabolic issues associated with the drug. This review covers the last 18 years of literature in the synthesis of D‐swainsonine and substituted D‐swainsonines from common precursors. The work is organized in four main precursor structures, with the aim to assist in the choice of the synthetic methodology to introduce pertinent substituents at the D‐swainsonine core.
Recent Advances and Prospects in the Transition‐Metal‐Free Synthesis of 1,4‐Dihydropyridines
Authors: Borah Biplob , Patat Mihir , Swain Sidhartha , Chowhan L. Raju
Published: July 2022

The synthesis of novel nitrogen‐containing heterocycles as a result of their frequent existence in natural products, commercially available drugs, and optoelectronic materials is extremely demanding but challenging due to the involvement of toxic solvents, and sometimes transition‐metal catalyst(s) which are often associated with environmental safety concerns. 1,4‐dihydropyridine (1,4‐DHP), of synthetic and natural origin, are among one of the privileged classes of nitrogen‐containing heterocycles, representing a broad spectrum of pharmaceutical properties, and has received considerable interest in medicinal and synthetic organic chemistry. Recognizing the prominent significance of this structural motif, substantial efforts have been paid not only for their expedient synthesis but also for the discovery of novel complex molecules by using them as key active building blocks. However, developing elegant synthetic processes provides effortless access to 1,4‐dihydropyridines by exploring environmentally friendly conditions with the primary goal of lowering the expenditure of the overall process is extremely demanding but challenging. In this mini‐review article, we have demonstrated a clear presentation of the recent transition‐metal‐free catalyzed synthesis of 1,4‐dihydropyridines of potential therapeutic interests and covered the literature from 2015 to date.
Macro/Micro‐Environment Regulating Carbon‐Supported Single‐Atom Catalysts for Hydrogen/Oxygen Conversion Reactions
Authors: Huo Juanjuan , Shen Ziyan , Cao Xianjun , Li Lu , Zhao Yufei , Liu Hao , Wang Guoxiu
Published: July 2022

Single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted tremendous research interest due to their unique atomic structure, maximized atom utilization, and remarkable catalytic performance. Among the SACs, the carbon‐supported SACs have been widely investigated due to their easily controlled properties of the carbon substrates, such as the tunable morphologies, ordered porosity, and abundant anchoring sites. The electrochemical performance of carbon‐supported SACs is highly related to the morphological structure of carbon substrates (macro‐environment) and the local coordination environments of center metals (micro‐environment). This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary on the macro/micro‐environment regulating carbon‐supported SACs for highly efficient hydrogen/oxygen conversion reactions. The authors first summarize the macro‐environment engineering strategies of carbon‐supported SACs with altered specific surface areas and porous properties of the carbon substrates, facilitating the mass diffusion kinetics and structural stability. Then the micro‐environment engineering strategies of carbon‐supported SACs are discussed with the regulated atomic structure and electronic structure of metal centers, boosting the catalytic performance. Insights into the correlation between the co‐boosted effect from the macro/micro‐environments and catalytic activity for hydrogen/oxygen conversion reactions are summarized and discussed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives are addressed in building highly efficient carbon‐supported SACs for practical applications.
A novel acceleration method for molecular dynamics of crystal silicon on GPUs using OpenACC
Authors: Liang Jianguo , Fu You , Hua Rong , Zhang Hao , Zhu Wenqiang , Ye Yuxi
Published: July 2022

Compared with CUDA and OpenCL, OpenACC has the advantages of simple programming, openness, and good portability for GPU acceleration. An OpenMP/OpenACC implementation for molecular dynamics of silicon crystal on GPUs is proposed. First, to make effective use of vectorization and streaming, data structure conversion and data dependence elimination are designed. Second, the parallel version on the single GPU is realized by adding OpenACC guidance sentences, with very few modifications. Third, a patch block strategy is proposed to realize the parallel version on single machine multi‐GPUs using OpenMP+OpenACC, which greatly simplifies the construction of shadow area and the exchange of shadow area data. Experimental results show that 23 to 25 speedup is achieved for the single GPU at different scales over the serial program on Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5‐2690 v4, and 6.37 speedup is achieved over the single GPU when the number of atoms reaches 2,097,152 on 8GPUs on single machine.
Research Mechanism of Formation on Transverse Corner Cracks in the Continuous Casting Slab of Peritectic Steel
Authors: Zhou Qinghai , Yin Yanbin , Liu Zhiming , Zhang Jiongming , Zhang Jiazheng
Published: July 2022

To figure out the formation mechanism of transverse corner cracks at the inner and outer arc of peritectic steel slab, the metallurgical microscope, scanning electron microscope with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and electron probe‐X‐ray microanalysis, are used to study cracks. High‐temperature mechanical properties and the stress distribution of the outer arc of the bending section under different roll gap schemes are studied and simulated. The outer arc cracks expand along the grain boundary, while the inner arc cracks not only extend along the grain boundary but also traverse along the grains. The outer arc cracks are mainly generated at the bending section and are formed and expanded along the ferrite film. The inner arc cracks' cracking temperature is higher than the temperature of austenite transformation to ferrite. The third brittle temperature ranges are 650–850 °C, and the transverse corner crack sensitivity zone is 680–837 °C. The inner arc cracks are generated because of the element segregation and low temperature of the corner and then extended at the straightening section, and new cracks exist. The weakened cooling intensity and bending earlier at the bending section help to reduce the equivalent stress on the slab. The optimized experiments are conducted, and the transverse corner cracks are reduced significantly.
Benzodiazepine use and the risk of dementia
Authors: Joyce Geoffrey , Ferido Patricia , Thunell Johanna , Tysinger Bryan , Zissimopoulos Julie
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are commonly prescribed for anxiety and agitations, which are early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). It is unclear whether BZDs causally affect ADRD risk or are prescribed in response to early symptoms of dementia.

Methods

We replicate prior case‐control studies using longitudinal Medicare claims. To mitigate bias from prodromal use, we compare rates of ADRD diagnosis for beneficiaries exposed and unexposed to BZDs for cervical/lumbar pain, stenosis, and sciatica, none of which are associated with dementia.

Results

Approximately 8% of Medicare beneficiaries used a BZD in 2007, increasing to nearly 13% by 2013. Estimates from case‐control designs are sensitive to duration of look‐back period, health histories, medication use, and exclusion of decedents. Incident BZD use is not associated with an increased risk of dementia in an “uncontaminated” sample of beneficiaries prescribed a BZD for pain (odds ratios (ORs) of 1.007 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.885, 1.146] and 0.986 [95% CI = 0.877, 1.108], respectively, in the 2013 and 2013 to 2015 pooled samples). Higher levels of BZD exposure (>365 days over a 2‐year period) are associated with increased odds of a dementia diagnosis, but the results are not statistically significant at the 5% or 10% levels (1.190 [95% CI = 0.925, 1.531] and 1.167 [95% CI = 0.919, 1.483]).

Discussion

We find little evidence of a causal relation between BZD use and dementia risk. Nonetheless, providers should limit the extended use in elderly populations.
Supply Chains as Disruption
Authors: Rickards Lauren , Hinkson Melinda
Published: July 2022

In this chapter, we explore supply chains with an interest in the complex conjunctions of practice, values and effects that their underpinning modernist imaginary of “seamless circulation” precludes from view. The agricultural landscapes of northwest Victoria provide a compelling vantage from which to ground truth and trouble the idea of seamless circulation and relatedly the idea that disruptions are merely technical blips in otherwise well-oiled machines. Working between the interpretive lenses of Anna Tsing and Bernard Stiegler, supply chains emerge as artefacts of distinctive social formations, conduits of colonial capital power, and ultimately distancing mechanisms that separate people from places and each other. Yet supply chains are also imperfect and incomplete in their operations, and it is this observation that provides for creative responses and the hope of reinvigorating more grounded approaches to the production of food and practices of feeding.
Putting the Crisis to Work
Authors: Stead Victoria , Petrou Kirstie
Published: July 2022

As international borders closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian horticultural industry experienced a dramatic reduction of key groups of workers upon which it has come to depend, particularly at harvest. These labour shortages focused public attention on the importance of seasonal labour for horticultural production and the availability of fresh fruit and produce, resulting in a paradoxical revaluation of that work. On the one hand, seasonal farm work was revalued as essential labour, and migrant workers were acknowledged as critical to Australia’s food security. On the other hand, the increased visibility of seasonal farm work highlighted its systematicdevaluing as so-called unskilled work that is done for low wages, under often poor conditions, and that is widely figured through racialized narratives. Faced with the prospect of critical labour shortages, both industry and government sought—and largely failed—to reinscribe the terms by which seasonal labour was imagined in attempts to make it attractive to “local” workers. What resulted was an entrenching of uneven distributions of precarity, risk and vulnerability along the fault lines of race and migration status.