bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smart Stimuli‐Responsive Spherical Nucleic Acids: Cutting‐Edge Platforms for Biosensing, Bioimaging, and Therapeutics
Authors: Tang Xiaoqi , Zhao Shuang , Luo Jie , Wang Binpan , Wu Xianlan , Deng Ruijia , Chang Kai , Chen Ming
Published: February 2024

Spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) with exceptional colloidal stability, multiple modularity, and programmability are excellent candidates to address common molecular delivery‐related issues. Based on this, the higher targeting accuracy and enhanced controllability of stimuli‐responsive SNAs render them precise nanoplatforms with inestimable prospects for diverse biomedical applications. Therefore, tailored diagnosis and treatment with stimuli‐responsive SNAs may be a robust strategy to break through the bottlenecks associated with traditional nanocarriers. Various stimuli‐responsive SNAs are engineered through the incorporation of multifunctional modifications to meet biomedical demands with the development of nucleic acid functionalization. This review provides a comprehensive overview of prominent research in this area and recent advancements in the utilization of stimuli‐responsive SNAs in biosensing, bioimaging, and therapeutics. For each aspect, SNA nanoplatforms that exhibit responsive behavior to both internal stimuli (including sequence, enzyme, redox reactions, and pH) and external stimuli (such as light and temperature) are highlighted. This review is expected to offer inspiration and guidance strategies for the rational design and development of stimuli‐responsive SNAs in the field of biomedicine.
Synergistic Anisotropic Network and Hierarchical Electrodes Endow Cost‐Effective N‐Type Quasi‐Solid State Thermocell with Boosted Electricity Production
Authors: Meng Haofei , Gao Wei , Chen Yongping
Published: February 2024

Quasi‐solid state thermocells hold immense potential for harnessing untapped low‐grade heat and converting it into electricity via the thermogalvanic effect. However, integrated N‐type thermocells face limitations in thermoelectric performance due to the rare N‐type systems and the poor electroactivity of the electrode interfaces. Herein, a low‐cost, high‐power N‐type quasi‐solid state thermocell employing PVA‐CuSO4‐Cu is presented, which is enhanced by synergistic engineering of an anisotropic network and hierarchical electrodes. The anisotropic polymer network, combined with the salting‐out effect, yields impressive mechanical properties that exceed those of most N‐type quasi‐solid state thermocells. Furthermore, through the synergistic construction of aligned ion transport pathways in the anisotropic thermocell and optimization of the electroactive interface between electrodes and thermocell, a remarkable enhancement of 1500% in output power density (compared to pristine thermocell), reaching 0.51 mW m−2 at ∆T = 5 °C. It is believed that this cost‐effective N‐type thermocell, enhanced by the synergistic anisotropic network and hierarchical electrodes, paves the way for effective energy harvesting from diverse heat sources and promises to reshape sustainable energy utilization.
Ultra‐thin and Mechanically Stable LiCoO2‐Electrolyte Interphase Enabled by Mg2+ Involved Electrolyte
Authors: Liu Pei , Huang Tao , Xiao Biwei , Zou Lianfeng , Wang Kai , Wang Kuan , Wang Kai , Yao Xiangming , Liu Yuying , Huang Zhencheng , Wang Hongbin , Liu Mijie , Ren Xiaodi , Ren Xiangzhong , Ouyang Xiaoping , Liu Jianhong , zhang Qianling , Hu Jiangtao
Published: February 2024

LiCoO2 (LCO) cathode materials have attracted significant attention for its potential to provide higher energy density in current Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, the structure and performance degradation are exacerbated by increasing voltage due to the catastrophic reaction between the applied electrolyte and delithiated LCO. The present study focuses on the construction of physically and chemically robust Mg‐integrated cathode‐electrolyte interface (MCEI) to address this issue, by incorporating Magnesium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Mg[TFSI]2) as an electrolyte additive. During formation cycles, the strong MCEI is formed and maintained its 2 nm thickness throughout long‐term cycling. Notably, Mg is detected not only in the robust MCEI, but also imbedded in the surface of the LCO lattice. As a result, the parasitic interfacial side reactions, surface phase reconstruction, particle cracking, Co dissolution and shuttling are considerably suppressed, resulting in long‐term cycling stability of LCO up to 4.5 V. Therefore, benefit from the double protection of the strong MCEI, the Li||LCO coin cell and the Ah‐level Graphite||LCO pouch cell exhibit high capacity retention by using Mg‐electrolyte, which are 88.13% after 200 cycles and 90.4% after 300 cycles, respectively. This work provides a novel approach for the rational design of traditional electrolyte additives.
Fully‐Printed Flexible Aqueous Rechargeable Sodium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Ren Hehe , Zhang Xinyu , Liu Qun , Tang Weinan , Liang Jing , Wu Wei
Published: February 2024

The flexible aqueous rechargeable sodium‐ion batteries (ARSIBs) are a promising portable energy storage system that can meet the flexibility and safety requirements of wearable electronic devices. However, it faces huge challenges in mechanical stability and facile manufacturing processes. Herein, the first fully‐printed flexible ARSIBs with appealing mechanical performance by screen‐printing technique is prepared, which utilizes Na3V2(PO4)2F3/C (NVPF/C) as the cathode and 2% nitrogenous carbon‐loaded Na3MnTi(PO4)3/C (NMTP/C/NC) as the anode. In particular, the organic co‐solvent ethylene glycol (EG) is cleverly added to 17 m (mol kg−1) NaClO4 electrolyte to prepare a 17 m NaClO4‐EG mixed electrolyte. This mixed electrolyte can withstand low temperatures of −20 °C in practical applications. Encouragingly, the fully‐printed flexible ARSIBs (NMTP/C/NC//NVPF/C) exhibit a discharge capacity of 40.1 mAh g−1, an energy density of 40.1 Wh kg−1, and outstanding cycle performance. Moreover, these batteries with various shapes can be used as an energy wristband for an electronic watch in the bending states. The fully‐printed flexible ARSIBs in this work are expected to shed light on the development of energy for wearable electronics.
A distributed tracing pipeline for improving locality awareness of microservices applications
Authors: Colarusso Carmine , De Caro Assunta , Falco Ida , Goglia Lorenzo , Zimeo Eugenio
Published: February 2024

The microservices architectural style aims at improving software maintenance and scalability by decomposing applications into independently deployable components. A common criticism about this style is the risk of increasing response times due to communication, especially with very granular entities. Locality‐aware placement of microservices onto the underlying hardware can contribute to keeping response times low. However, the complex graphs of invocations originating from users' calls largely depend on the specific workload (e.g., the length of an invocation chain could depend on the input parameters). Therefore, many existing approaches are not suitable for modern infrastructures where application components can be dynamically redeployed to take into account user expectations. This paper contributes to overcoming the limitations of static or off‐line techniques by presenting a big data pipeline to dynamically collect tracing data from running applications that are used to identify a given number of microservices groups whose deployment allows keeping low the response times of the most critical operations under a defined workload. The results, obtained in different working conditions and with different infrastructure configurations, are presented and discussed to draw the main considerations about the general problem of defining boundary, granularity, and optimal placement of microservices on the underlying execution environment. In particular, they show that knowing how a specific workload impacts the constituent microservices of an application, helps achieve better performance, by effectively lowering response time (e.g., up to a reduction), through the exploitation of locality‐driven clustering strategies for deploying groups of services.
High‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of peramivir in rat plasma using the simple protein precipitation pretreatment
Authors: Ke Xin , Nan Gu , Lili Wan , Jiaai Zhou , Ziqian Huang , Liangxing Tu , Qi Zhang , Heyun Nie , Yongbing Sun
Published: February 2024

A high‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed for the determination of peramivir in rat plasma in the present study. The analytes were separated on a C18 column and a triple‐quadrupole mass spectrometry equipped with an electrospray ionization source was applied for detection. Peramivir could be well retained in the C18 column after optimization of the mobile phase. A simple protein precipitation was used to pretreat the plasma. The extraction recovery was about 100% and the matrix effect could be negligible. The method was linear over the concentration ranges of 1.17–2340.0 ng/mL for peramivir. The precision and accuracy were within acceptable limits. The lowest limit of quantification was 1.17 ng/mL. Compared with those methods which have been developed and published since 2001, the present method is very simple and convenient. The method was validated and successfully applied to support the pharmacokinetics study after peramivir was intravenously injected into the Sprague‐Dawley rats.
Studying the effectiveness of sewage sludge ash and its combination with natural pozzolans in controlling alkali–silica reaction
Authors: Amirjani Mohammad Javad , Maleki Ali , Ramezanianpour Amir Mohammad
Published: February 2024

Sewage sludge ash (SSA), obtained by the incineration of sewage sludge, which is a byproduct of water treatment, could be used as a cement replacement material (CSR) to promote sustainability. SSA characteristics differ due to its different sources, compositions, and incineration methods. On the other hand, extensive investigations have highlighted the CSRs' ability to control alkali–silica reaction (ASR) as a destructive phenomenon, threatening durability. Hence, this study was conducted in order to study the ability of SSA with two finenesses, three replacement levels, and also its ternaries with trass or pumice, as natural pozzolans, to control ASR. The utilized SSA did not meet the requirements of a pozzolan at either finenesses. The results revealed that despite the fact that SSA generally reduced ASR expansion significantly, it only managed to control ASR at 50% replacement level. This was true for both finenesses. Furthermore, ternaries improved resistance against ASR expansion significantly, providing the ability to control ASR at lower replacement levels of SSA. The Si/Ca ratio was the key reason of SSA's ability to control ASR as it contained 1.5 and 2.5 times more SiO2 and Al2O3 than Portland cement respectively, and about one third of its CaO. Scanning electron microscopey (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and mapping confirmed that the relative amounts of Si, Al, and Ca in the SSA was crucial.
Mapping industry workforce needs to academic curricula – A workforce development effort in model‐based systems engineering
Authors: Akundi Aditya , Ankobiah Wilma
Published: February 2024

Model‐based systems engineering (MBSE) is rapidly gaining popularity among U.S. industries. Though industry practitioners and academic researchers have identified several advantages in transitioning to MBSE, several adoption challenges of MBSE in industries, such as insufficient tool knowledge, lack of skilled personnel, and resistance in organizations toward a shift to MBSE, are observed. Attesting to the challenges in industry adoption of MBSE, a previous research study by the authors characterized the adoption challenges as tools‐based, knowledge‐based, cultural, political, and cost‐related, and customer understanding and acceptance of MBSE practices. This study is motivated to explore further and address the challenge of low MBSE tool knowledge and lack of skilled personnel with MBSE knowledge for industry adoption. This paper presents a two‐phased research approach framed by an overarching question of the extent to which the MBSE academic curriculum is aligned with industry workforce requirements. In Phase 1 of the study, we survey industry professionals from Defense, Aerospace, Automotive, and other industry clusters to identify MBSE tools, languages, and concepts preferred by industry professionals in a candidate for hire. This is followed by Phase 2 of the survey targeted at academic institutions with Systems and MBSE programs to analyze the extent to which MBSE curricula reflect industry workforce hiring requirements. Further, we also identify the challenges reported in academic institutions in training the Workforce on MBSE. The contributions of this paper are two‐fold: providing a pathway for academic institutions to align their curricula to MBSE industry workforce requirements and triggering discussion in the broader MBSE community to identify strategies for addressing MBSE adoption challenges and training future model‐based systems engineers.
Re: Reference ranges of uterine artery pulsatility index from first to third trimester based on serial Doppler measurements: longitudinal cohort study
Authors: Oviedo‐Cruz H. , Carrasco‐Blancas E. R.
Published: February 2024

Linked article: This Correspondence comments on Cavoretto et al. Click here to view the article.
Identification of heparin‐binding proteins expressed on Trichosporon asahii cell surface
Authors: Ichikawa Tomoe , Ikeda Yuka , Sadanaga Jumpei , Kikuchi Ayano , Kawamura Kohei , Ikeda Reiko , Ishibashi Yoshio
Published: February 2024

Trichosporon asahii is a pathogenic yeast that cause trichosporonosis. T. asahii exhibits several colony morphologies, such as white (W)‐ or off‐white (O)‐type, which may affect virulence. In this study, we compared the expression pattern of heparin‐binding proteins in various colony morphologies and identified heparin‐binding protein in T. asahii. Surface plasmon resonance analysis revealed that cell surface molecules attached more strongly to heparin in W‐ than O‐type cells. We purified and identified a heparin‐binding protein strongly expressed in W‐type cells using heparin‐Sepharose beads, named it heparin‐binding protein 1 (HepBP1), and expressed Flag‐tagged HepBP1 in mammalian cells. The heparin‐binding ability of Flag‐tagged HepBP1 was confirmed by pulldown assay using heparin‐Sepharose beads. Thus, HepBP1 is a heparin‐binding protein on T. asahii cell surface. These results suggest that several T. asahii cell surface proteins interact with glycosaminoglycans; therefore, they could contribute to infection.
Online-Berechnung des Digitalen Zwillings für CNC am Beispiel der additiven Fertigung
Authors: Wulle Frederik , Scheifele Christian , Verl Alexander
Published: February 2024

Die Forderung nach hoher Präzision bei Dosier- und Extrusionsanwendungen und gleichzeitig wirtschaftlicher Prozessgeschwindigkeit stellt eine große Herausforderung in der Entwicklung und Steuerung von Werkzeugmaschinen dar. Die teils hochviskosen Werkstoffe lassen sich nur schwer handhaben, wodurch es bei Dosieranwendungen oftmals zu ungewolltem Nachtropfen oder verzögertem Austritt kommt. Modellbasierte Steuerungsverfahren tragen zur Prozessführung bei und können ein Bearbeitungsergebnis optimieren. Eine Kopplung von Modellen in CNC-Steuerungen ist heute schon möglich, stößt jedoch häufig an Integrationsrandbedingungen und hat nicht die Möglichkeit, zur Laufzeit einer Bearbeitung auf den neuesten Stand gebracht zu werden.
Strukturmodellbasierte Korrektur thermisch bedingter Fehler
Authors: Ihlenfeldt Steffen , Thiem Xaver , Müller Jens
Published: February 2024

In jeder Phase des Produktlebenszyklus müssen unterschiedliche thermische Fragestellungen beantwortet werden. Zu diesem Zweck bildet der Digitale Zwilling die Maschine selbst und die auf ihr laufenden Prozesse aufgabenbezogen ab. Damit ist die virtuelle Maschine nicht ein einzelnes Modell, sondern muss als Digitaler Werkzeugkasten kontextbezogener Modellvarianten gesehen werden. Strukturmodelle für die Korrektur thermisch bedingter Fehler an Werkzeugmaschinen stellen eine dieser Modellvarianten dar. Diese Modelle bilden den thermo-elastischen Zustand der Maschine im Betrieb ab. Die strukturmodellbasierte Korrektur steht im Fokus dieses Kapitels. Es werden die Teilfunktionen des Korrekturansatzes und die damit verbundenen Echtzeitanforderungen erläutert. Im Anschluss wird die konkrete Implementierung für die Demonstratormaschine Hexapod Felix IV vorgestellt. Die Korrektur wird validiert mit Hilfe eines Versuches, der ein großes Belastungsspektrum aufweist. Für diesen Versuch konnte eine Reduktion der thermisch bedingten Fehler von mehr als 80 % erzielt werden.
Echtzeitsimulation der Prozess-Maschinen-Interaktion zur Prognose der Prozessstabilität mit realer CNC am Beispiel eines Fräsprozesses
Authors: Röck Sascha
Published: February 2024

In diesem Artikel wird ein Ansatz für die Echtzeitsimulation von Wechselwirkungen zwischen Zerspanungsprozess und Werkzeugmaschine am Beispiel eines Fräsprozesses vorgestellt. Ziel des Ansatzes ist die Kopplung eines echtzeitfähigen Zerspanungsmodells mit einer realen CNC, um durch regeneratives Rattern bedingte Schwingungen bereits bei der Virtuellen Inbetriebnahme prognostizieren zu können. Dabei wird ein dexel-basiertes Modell des Werkstücks für die Berechnung der Spandicke und der Schnittkräfte unter Berücksichtigung von Werkzeugposition und Materialabtrag eingesetzt. Anhand simulativer Experimente wird der Ansatz auf Prognose- und Echtzeitfähigkeit für den Einsatz in einer CNC-gekoppelten Echtzeitsimulation untersucht.
Materialflusssimulation für die Virtuelle Inbetriebnahme in Steuerungsechtzeit
Authors: Göttlich Simone , Hoher Simon , Verl Alexander , Weißen Jennifer , Kienzlen Annika
Published: February 2024

Materialflusssysteme innerhalb von Anlagen spielen eine wichtige Rolle für die Produktivität eines Unternehmens. Mit steigendem Durchsatz steigt auch die Komplexität des Materialflusses. Um den Materialfluss zu planen und abzusichern, werden zunehmend Materialflusssimulationen eingesetzt. Je nach Anwendung und Zielsetzung sind verschiedene Materialflusssimulationsarten sinnvoll: logisch, ereignisbasiert, kinematisch, physikbasiert oder flussbasiert. Dem Modellerstellungsaufwand im Laufe des Entwicklungsprozesses kann durch Kopplung unterschiedlicher Materialflussmodellarten begegnet werden. Im Bereich der Steuerungstechnik werden insbesondere kinematische und physikbasierte Modelle für Steuerungstests bspw. im Rahmen der Virtuellen Inbetriebnahme oder Taktzeitoptimierungen eingesetzt. Die Berechnung über das physikbasierte Modell ist bei einer großen Anzahl von Stückgütern jedoch sehr rechenaufwendig und dadurch nur begrenzt für die Virtuelle Inbetriebnahme der Steuerungstechnik geeignet. Aus diesem Grund wurde das Flussmodell für große Stückzahlen entwickelt, das Stückgüter als Dichteverteilung darstellt. Es ist sowohl für die Analyse und Validierungen als auch für die Optimierung von Steuerungssystemen und des Materialflusslayouts geeignet.
Exploring In-Service Teacher-Researcher Reflexivity: Education Research as Cultural Work
Authors: Heck Deborah
Published: February 2024

This chapter explores the evidence within In-Service teachers’ (I-STs) (n = 8) publications of their use of the Research Skills Development (RSD) framework as they research and then write about a contemporary educational issue relevant to their educational practice in Australia. The practising I-STs were completing their first semester of a Master of Education program in a course that used the RSD framework. The analysis of the published work of the enrolled I-STs, conducted by a Teacher Educator (TE) identified I-ST reflexivity at the commencement of a postgraduate program of study to understand the value of the RSD framework to support I-ST empowerment as researchers of classroom practice. The implications of this work provide scope for researchers and practitioners to engage in dialogue that counters the sole focus on a technical ‘what works’ view of educational research and opens the potential for I-STs to engage with the cultural role of research to produce new ways to recognise the complexity of the relationship between educational research, practice and thinking in classrooms—to become responsive teachers.
Digital Skill Mythology and Understanding in Preservice Teachers
Authors: McLeod Amber
Published: February 2024

Any assumption that PSTs enter their initial teacher education degrees with skills in digital technologies equal to or exceeding their lecturers, or will be able to teach themselves whatever is needed, leaves all levels of education vulnerable to a mythology of practice. Rather than working from assumptions, this chapter focuses on explicit facilitation of PST digital literacy informed by the Digital Skill Development (DSD) framework, itself based on the facets and levels of autonomy of the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework. This chapter uses the DSD framework as a lens to examine PSTs’ understanding of what digital skills encompass. In a dedicated digital technologies unit at Monash University, 190 second year PSTs were encouraged to confront digital skill statistics that question the Digital Native myth, and were surveyed about their own digital competence. Five weeks later, they were asked to explain their understanding of digital skills and after 12 weeks they were surveyed about their digital competence. Findings were used to uncover which digital skill facets PSTs recognised and responded to and which needed more focus in the unit. More broadly, the conclusions will add to our understanding of the implications of explicit digital research skill development for the field of teacher education.
A formalism for extracting track functions from jet measurements
Authors: Lee Kyle , Moult Ian , Ringer Felix , Waalewijn Wouter J.
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The continued success of the jet substructure program will require widespread use of tracking information to enable increasingly precise measurements of a broader class of observables. The recent reformulation of jet substructure in terms of energy correlators has simplified the incorporation of universal non-perturbative matrix elements, so called “track functions”, in jet substructure calculations. These advances make it timely to understand how these universal non-perturbative functions can be extracted from hadron collider data, which is complicated by the use jet algorithms. In this paper we introduce a new class of jet functions, which we call (semi-inclusive) track jet functions, which describe measurements of the track energy fraction in identified jets. These track jet functions can be matched onto the universal track functions, with perturbatively calculable matching coefficients that incorporate the jet algorithm dependence. We perform this matching, and present phenomenological results for the charged energy fraction in jets at the LHC and EIC/HERA at collinear next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. We show that higher moments of the charged energy fraction directly exhibit non-linear Lorentzian renormalization group flows, allowing the study of these flows with collider data. Our factorization theorem enables the extraction of universal track functions from jet measurements, opening the door to their use for a precision jet substructure program.
Non-trivial thick brane realisations with 3-forms
Authors: Barros Bruno J. , Jiménez Jose Beltrán
Published: February 2024

Abstract

We explore the construction of four-dimensional thick branes supported by massless 3-forms in a five-dimensional bulk space. The required residual Poincaré symmetry on the brane is realised as a combination of the bulk symmetries and the internal gauge symmetry of the 3-form. We show the presence of a gradient instability for the perturbations orthogonal to the brane when its profile decays slowly in the asymptotic regions. In particular, we ascertain that the prevailing profiles found in the literature are susceptible to such instabilities. We confirm our results by transitioning to the dual formulation in terms of a shift-symmetric scalar. In this formulation, the residual Poincaré group is trivially realised without internal symmetries, and there is a diagonal translational invariance in the fifth dimension reminiscent of the invariance under translations orthogonal to the brane of the dual 3-form. We demonstrate the extension of our results to the cases of de Sitter and Anti de Sitter branes where the gradient instabilities of asymptotically slowly decaying branes persist. Finally, we briefly comment on the construction of thick branes with massive 3-forms and their 1-form duals.
The $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2, 4 supersymmetric linear W∞[λ] algebras for generic λ parameter
Authors: Ahn Changhyun , Kim Man Hea
Published: February 2024

Abstract

The four different kinds of currents are given by the multiple (β, γ) and (b, c) ghost systems with a multiple product of derivatives. We determine their complete algebra where the structure constants depend on the deformation parameter λ appearing in the conformal weights of above fields nontrivially and depend on the generic spins h1 and h2 appearing on the left hand sides in the (anti)commutators. By taking the linear combinations of these currents, the $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 supersymmetric linear W∞[λ] algebra (and its $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 superspace description) for generic λ is obtained explicitly. Moreover, we determine the $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 supersymmetric linear W∞[λ] algebra for arbitrary λ. As a by product, the λ deformed bosonic W1+∞[λ] × W1+∞$$ \left[\lambda +\frac{1}{2}\right] $$

λ
+

1
2

subalgebra (a generalization of Pope, Romans and Shen’s work in 1990) is obtained. The first factor is realized by (b, c) fermionic fields while the second factor is realized by (β, γ) bosonic fields. The degrees of the polynomials in λ for the structure constants are given by (h1 + h2 – 2). Each w1+∞ algebra from the celestial holography is reproduced by taking the vanishing limit of other deformation prameter q at λ = 0 with the contractions of the currents.
Spontaneously interacting qubits from Gauss-Bonnet
Authors: Prudhoe Sean , Kumar Rishabh , Shandera Sarah
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Building on previous constructions examining how a collection of small, locally interacting quantum systems might emerge via spontaneous symmetry breaking from a single-particle system of high dimension, we consider a larger family of geometric loss functionals and explicitly construct several classes of critical metrics which “know about qubits” (KAQ). The loss functional consists of the Ricci scalar with the addition of the Gauss-Bonnet term, which introduces an order parameter that allows for spontaneous symmetry breaking. The appeal of this method is two-fold: (i) the Ricci scalar has already been shown to have KAQ critical metrics and (ii) exact equations of motions are known for loss functionals with generic curvature terms up to two derivatives. We show that KAQ critical metrics, which are solutions to the equations of motion in the space of left-invariant metrics with fixed determinant, exist for loss functionals that include the Gauss-Bonnet term. We find that exploiting the subalgebra structure leads us to natural classes of KAQ metrics which contain the familiar distributions (GUE, GOE, GSE) for random Hamiltonians. We introduce tools for this analysis that will allow for straightfoward, although numerically intensive, extension to other loss functionals and higher-dimension systems.
Functional and structural analysis of a cyclization domain in a cyclic β-1,2-glucan synthase
Authors: Tanaka Nobukiyo , Saito Ryotaro , Kobayashi Kaito , Nakai Hiroyuki , Kamo Shogo , Kuramochi Kouji , Taguchi Hayao , Nakajima Masahiro , Masaike Tomoko
Published: February 2024

Cyclic β-1,2-glucan synthase (CGS) is a key enzyme in production of cyclic β-1,2-glucans (CβGs) which are involved in bacterial infection or symbiosis to host organisms. Nevertheless, a mechanism of cyclization, the final step in the CGS reaction, has not been fully understood. Here we performed functional and structural analyses of the cyclization domain of CGS alone from Thermoanaerobacter italicus (TiCGSCy). We first found that β-glucosidase-resistant compounds are produced by TiCGSCy with linear β-1,2-glucans as substrates. The 1H-NMR analysis revealed that these products are CβGs. Next, action pattern analyses using β-1,2-glucooligosaccharides revealed a unique reaction pattern: exclusive transglycosylation without hydrolysis and a hexasaccharide being the minimum length of the substrate. These analyses also showed that longer substrate β-1,2-glucooligosaccharides are preferred, being consistent with the fact that CGSs generally produce CβGs with degrees of polymerization of around 20. Finally, the overall structure of the cyclization domain of TiCGSCy was found to be similar to those of β-1,2-glucanases in phylogenetically different groups. Meanwhile, the identified catalytic residues indicated clear differences in the reaction pathways between these enzymes. Overall, we propose a novel reaction mechanism of TiCGSCy. Thus, the present group of CGSs defines a new glycoside hydrolase family, GH189.

Key points

• It was clearly evidenced that cyclization domain alone produces cyclic β-1,2-glucans.

• The domain exclusively catalyzes transglycosylation without hydrolysis.

• The present catalytic domain defines as a new glycoside hydrolase family 189.

Graphical Abstract
Interplay between Livestock Grazing and Aridity on the Ecological and Nutritional Value of Forage in Semi-arid Mediterranean Rangelands (NE Spain)
Authors: Arroyo Antonio I. , Pueyo Yolanda , Barrantes Olivia , Alados Concepción L.
Published: February 2024

Rangeland-based livestock production constitutes a primary source of livelihood for many inhabitants of dryland regions. Their subsistence relies heavily on maintaining the productivity, biodiversity and services of these ecosystems. Harsh environmental conditions (e.g., drought) combined with land use intensification (e.g., overgrazing) make dryland ecosystems vulnerable and prone to degradation. However, the interplay between livestock grazing intensity and aridity conditions in driving the conservation and nutritional value of forage in arid and semi-arid rangelands is still not fully understood. In this study, we performed structural equation models (SEM) to assess the simultaneous direct and indirect effects of livestock grazing intensity and aridity level on community structure, diversity, biomass, forage production, forage C:N ratio and forage fiber composition in two semi-arid Mediterranean rangelands, NE Spain. Not surprisingly, we found that higher livestock grazing intensity led to lower community plant cover, especially when combined with higher aridity. However, both increasing grazing intensity and aridity were associated with higher forage production after one year of grazing exclusion. We did not find any adverse effect of livestock grazing on plant diversity, although plant species composition differed among grazing intensity levels. On the other hand, we found an aridity-driven trade-off in regard of the nutritional value of forage. Specifically, higher aridity was associated with a decrease in the least digestible fiber fraction (i.e., lignin) and an increase in forage C:N ratio. More interestingly, we found that livestock grazing modulated this trade-off by improving the overall forage nutritional value. Altogether, our results provide further insights into the management of semi-arid Mediterranean rangelands, pointing out that maintaining traditional rangeland-based livestock production may be a sustainable option as long as rangeland conservation (e.g., community plant cover) is not severely compromised.
Development and outcomes of surgical and urological kidney transplantation programs in Germany: a total population analysis from 2006 to 2021
Authors: Reimold Philipp , Aksoy Cem , Beckmann Jonas , Zacharis Aristeidis , Groeben Christer , Karschuck Philipp , Eisenmenger Nicole , Geks Josef , Huber Johannes , Flegar Luka
Published: February 2024

Purpose

Kidney transplantation (KT) is the most frequently performed organ transplantation. In Germany, KT is performed in urology and surgery departments with unknown consequences of this parallel structure. The aim of the study was to compare the development and outcome of KT in urology and surgery departments.

Methods

On an institutional level, we analyzed the annual caseload from 2006 to 2021 with the reimbursement. INFO tool based on hospitals’ quality reports (Reimbursement Institute, Hürth, Germany). For outcome comparison we extracted raw data from the transplantation centers' quality reports (Deutsche Stiftung Organtransplantation, DSO).

Results

A total of 23,599 cases (17,781 deceased donor and 5,818 living donor KTs) were included. The total number of KTs decreased from 1851 in 2006 to 1701 in 2021 (− 8%; p = 0.12). The total number of urological KTs decreased from 592 cases in 2006 to 395 cases in 2021 (− 33.3%; p = 0.01). Further analysis revealed no significant differences between intra- and postoperative complications and graft quality at one year for deceased donor KTs (DDKT) although differences in immediate renal function and graft quality at discharge could be observed. There were no significant differences in immediate renal function and graft quality at discharge for living donor KTs (LDKT) between the specialties.

Conclusion

KTs performed in urology departments declined between 2006 and 2021. Nevertheless, intra- and postoperative complications as well as long-term function did not differ between surgical and urological KT programs. Hence, an interdisciplinary approach, especially considering the upcoming challenges in KT as, e.g., robot-assisted surgery seems reasonable.
Higher quantiles of sea levels rise faster in Baltic Sea Climate projections
Authors: Dieterich Christian , Radtke Hagen
Published: February 2024

Absolute sea levels in the Baltic Sea will rise under the influence of climate warming, similar to those in the world ocean. For extreme sea levels, there are indications that they will rise even faster than mean sea levels, but that topic is still controversially discussed and existing studies point into different directions. We analyzed a regional climate model ensemble for the Baltic Sea for future sea level changes. We find that the rate of change differs between high sea levels and the average: In the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, the 99th percentile of sea level was predicted to rise faster than the median. In the south-western part, the relation was opposite. Thus, our simulations predict a change not only in the sea level mean, but also in its distribution. This pattern was almost consistent between the individual ensemble members. We investigated the 99th percentile as a proxy for extreme sea levels, since their partially stochastic nature limits the predictive skill of our 20-member ensemble. Our findings imply that adapting coastal protection to mean sea level change only may be regionally insufficient.
A biphasic response to blueberry supplementation on depressive symptoms in emerging adults: a double-blind randomized controlled trial
Authors: Velichkov Martin , Bezur Zsofia , van Reekum Carien M. , Williams Claire M.
Published: February 2024

Purpose

The aim of the present study was to examine the acute and chronic effects of wild blueberry supplementation on mood, executive function, and serum biomarkers of neuroplasticity, inflammation, and oxidative stress in emerging adults with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms.

Methods

In this double-blind trial, 60 emerging adults (Mage = 20.0 years, 32% male) with self-reported depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to receive a single blueberry drink (acute phase), followed by 6 weeks of daily blueberry supplementation (chronic phase), or a matched placebo drink. The primary outcome was Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores at 6-week follow-up. Further measures included momentary affect (PANAS-X) and accuracy on an executive function task. The data were analyzed using ANCOVAs adjusted for baseline values, sex, and habitual fruit and vegetable intake. Estimated marginal means were calculated to compare the treatment arms.

Results

The blueberry drink significantly improved positive affect (p = 0.026) and executive function (p = 0.025) at 2 h post-ingestion, with change scores being positively correlated in the blueberry group (r = 0.424, p = 0.017). However, after six weeks of supplementation the reduction in BDI-II scores was greater in the placebo group by 5.8 points (95% CI: 0.8–10.7, p = 0.023). Generalized anxiety and anhedonia also decreased significantly more in the placebo group. No significant differences were found for any of the biomarkers.

Conclusions

Six weeks of wild blueberry supplementation were inferior to placebo in reducing depressive symptoms. Nevertheless, the correlated improvements in positive affect and executive function after a single dose of blueberries point to a beneficial, albeit transient, psychological effect. These contrasting results suggest a biphasic, hormetic-like response that warrants further investigation.

Trial registration: NCT04647019, dated 30 November, 2020.
Positional nystagmus is observed in the vast majority of healthy individuals
Authors: Rasmussen Mads Bolding , Sørensen Rasmus , Hougaard Dan Dupont
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a vestibular disease characterized by brief  positional vertigo. When examined, characteristic patterns of positional nystagmus (PN) are found with specific head position changes. Previous studies have shown a high prevalence of PN among vestibular healthy subjects. Considering the current diagnostic criteria of BPPV and the potentially high prevalence of PN in healthy individuals, this raises the question of potential over diagnosing BPPV, if diagnostics are based exclusively upon objective findings. This study aims to determine the prevalence of PN within a healthy, adult population and furthermore include a characterization of the PN observed.

Methods

This is a prospective cross-sectional study. 78 subjects were included. The subjects underwent four standardized positional tests for BPPV in a mechanical rotational chair while using a VNG-goggle to monitor and record eye movements.

Results

Positional nystagmus was recorded in 70.5% (55/78) of the subjects. Of the 55 subjects, who presented with PN, 81.8% (45/55) had upbeating PN. The 95th percentile of the maximum a-SPV was found to be 10.4 degrees per second, with a median of 4. Five subjects (6.4%) in total presented with PN mimicking BPPV.

Conclusion

This study found PN to be a common finding within a healthy, adult population based on the high prevalence of PN in the study population. Upbeating PN mimicking posterior canalolithiasis was found in numerous subjects. The authors recommend a cautious approach when diagnosing BPPV, especially in cases of purely vertical PN (without a torsional component) and if no vertiginous symptoms are present during Dix-Hallpike and Supine Roll Test examinations.
Upregulation of CCNB2 and a novel lncRNAs-related risk model predict prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Ren Congzhe , Wang Qihua , Xu Zhunan , Pan Yang , Wang Shangren , Liu Xiaoqiang
Published: February 2024

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the main type of renal cell carcinoma. Cyclin B2 (CCNB2) is a subtype of B-type cyclin that is associated with the prognosis of several cancers. This study aimed to identify the relationship between CCNB2 and progression of ccRCC and construct a novel lncRNAs-related model to predict prognosis of ccRCC patients.

Methods

The data were obtained from public databases. We identified CCNB2 in ccRCC using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and Gene Ontology analysis. External validation was then performed. The risk model was constructed based on prognostic lncRNAs by the LASSO algorithm and multivariate Cox regression. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the model. Consensus clustering analysis was performed to re-stratify the patients. Finally, we analyzed the tumor-immune microenvironment and performed screening of potential drugs.

Results

CCNB2 associated with late clinicopathological parameters and poor prognosis in ccRCC and was an independent predictor for disease-free survival. In addition, CCNB2 shared the same expression pattern with known suppressive immune checkpoints. A risk model dependent on the expression of three prognostic CCNB2-related lncRNAs (SNHG17, VPS9D1-AS1, and ZMIZ1-AS1) was constructed. The risk signature was an independent predictor of ccRCC. The area under the ROC (AUC) curve for overall survival at 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-year was 0.704, 0.702, 0.741, and 0.763. The high-risk group and cluster 2 had stronger immunogenicity and were more sensitive to immunotherapy.

Conclusion

CCNB2 could be an important biomarker for predicting prognosis in ccRCC patients. Furthermore, we developed a novel lncRNAs-related risk model and identified two CCNB2-related molecular clusters. The risk model performed well in predicting overall survival and immunological microenvironment of ccRCC.
The highly nonlinear shallow water equation: local well-posedness, wave breaking data and non-existence of sech$$^2$$ solutions
Authors: Khorbatly Bashar
Published: February 2024

In the context of the initial data and an amplitude parameter $$\varepsilon $$
ε
, we establish a local existence result for a highly nonlinear shallow water equation on the real line. This result holds in the space $$H^k$$

H
k

as long as $$k>5/2$$

k
>
5
/
2

. Additionally, we illustrate that the threshold time for the occurrence of wave breaking in the surging type is on the order of $$\varepsilon ^{-1},$$

ε

-
1

,

while plunging breakers do not manifest. Lastly, in accordance with ODE theory, it is demonstrated that there are no exact solitary wave solutions in the form of sech and $$sech^2$$

s
e
c

h
2

.
Genetic blueprint of congenital muscular dystrophies with brain malformations in Egypt: A report of 11 families
Authors: Safwat Sylvia , Flannery Kyle P. , El Beheiry Ahmed A. , Mokhtar Mohamed M. , Abdalla Ebtesam , Manzini M. Chiara
Published: February 2024

Congenital muscular dystrophies (CMDs) are a group of rare muscle disorders characterized by early onset hypotonia and motor developmental delay associated with brain malformations with or without eye anomalies in the most severe cases. In this study, we aimed to uncover the genetic basis of severe CMD in Egypt and to determine the efficacy of whole exome sequencing (WES)-based genetic diagnosis in this population. We recruited twelve individuals from eleven families with a clinical diagnosis of CMD with brain malformations that fell into two groups: seven patients with suspected dystroglycanopathy and five patients with suspected merosin-deficient CMD. WES was analyzed by variant filtering using multiple approaches including splicing and copy number variant (CNV) analysis. We identified likely pathogenic variants in FKRP in two cases and variants in POMT1, POMK, and B3GALNT2 in three individuals. All individuals with merosin-deficient CMD had truncating variants in LAMA2. Further analysis in one of the two unsolved cases showed a homozygous protein-truncating variant in Feline Leukemia Virus subgroup C Receptor 1 (FLVCR1). FLVCR1 loss of function has never been previously reported. Yet, loss of function of its paralog, FLVCR2, causes lethal hydranencephaly-hydrocephaly syndrome (Fowler Syndrome) which should be considered in the differential diagnosis for dystroglycanopathy. Overall, we reached a diagnostic rate of 86% (6/7) for dystroglycanopathies and 100% (5/5) for merosinopathy. In conclusion, our results provide further evidence that WES is an important diagnostic method in CMD in developing countries to improve the diagnostic rate, management plan, and genetic counseling for these disorders.
Klinische Krisenintervention (KKI) in zentralen Notaufnahmen deutscher Universitätskliniken – eine bundesweite Evaluationsstudie
Authors: Gräff Ingo , Kaschull Karoline , Glatz Bastian , Seinsch Petra
Published: February 2024

Hintergrund

Die Konfrontation mit medizinischen Extremsituationen gehört für die Notfallmediziner*innen und Notfallpflegenden der zentralen Notaufnahmen zum beruflichen Alltag. Für die betroffenen Patient*innen und deren Angehörige wie auch für das behandelnde medizinische Personal ist das resultierende Belastungspotenzial hoch, bis hin zur potenziellen Traumatisierung.

Ziel der Arbeit

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht erstmalig die Struktur der klinischen Krisenintervention (KKI) in der klinischen Akut- und Notfallmedizin an deutschen Universitätskliniken. Es werden neben einer Ist-Stand-Evaluation auch Bedarfe und Indikationen aufgezeigt, um prospektiv mögliche Entwicklungen für das wichtige Themenfeld ableiten zu können.

Methodik

Bundesweite multizentrische prospektive Evaluationsstudie.

Ergebnisse

Die Rücklaufquote lag mit 30 von 36 angefragten Einrichtungen bei 83 %. Die Ergebnisse zeichnen erwartungsgemäß kein homogenes Bild zur aktuellen Situation strukturierter klinischer Krisenintervention in deutschen Notaufnahmen. 23 % (n = 7) der Einrichtungen haben kein strukturiertes Angebot zur Unterstützung in krisenhaften Situationen. Dies wird im Wesentlichen durch das Fehlen eines tragfähigen Konzepts, einhergehend mit knappen finanziellen und personellen Ressourcen, begründet. 86 % der Einrichtungen ohne KKI sehen eine strukturierte Krisenintervention in ihrem Bereich als notwendig an. Der größte Bedarf einer zusätzlichen Krisenintervention wird bei Tod bzw. einer schweren Verletzung im Kindesalter beziffert. 77 % (n = 23) der befragten Einrichtungen gaben an, ein strukturiertes Unterstützungsangebot zu haben, welches sich in knapp der Hälfte durch eine komplett eigenständige Organisationsstruktur unter Einbindung im Wesentlichen von Seelsorger*innen und Psycholog*innen auszeichnet.

Diskussion

Aufgrund bislang fehlender Qualitätsstandards und Leitlinien für die klinische Krisenintervention ergibt sich die Notwendigkeit für die Kliniken, entsprechende Strukturen eigenständig zu erarbeiten. Umso wichtiger erscheint es, dass weiter an der Qualität, einer standardisierten Ausbildung und auch einer Erweiterung der individuellen Verfügbarkeiten in den Häusern gearbeitet wird.
Overview of temporal action detection based on deep learning
Authors: Hu Kai , Shen Chaowen , Wang Tianyan , Xu Keer , Xia Qingfeng , Xia Min , Cai Chengxue
Published: February 2024

Temporal Action Detection (TAD) aims to accurately capture each action interval in an untrimmed video and to understand human actions. This paper comprehensively surveys the state-of-the-art techniques and models used for TAD task. Firstly, it conducts comprehensive research on this field through Citespace and comprehensively introduce relevant dataset. Secondly, it summarizes three types of methods, i.e., anchor-based, boundary-based, and query-based, from the design method level. Thirdly, it summarizes three types of supervised learning methods from the level of learning methods, i.e., fully supervised, weakly supervised, and unsupervised. Finally, this paper explores the current problems, and proposes prospects in TAD task.