bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trade, equilibrium prices and rents in European auctions for emission allowances
Authors: Bosco Bruno
Published: May 2022

This paper analyzes the price behavior of Phase III (2013–2020) EU-ETS emission allowances of CO2 by focusing on the dynamics of daily auction equilibrium prices and on the changes of the volatility of the underlying stochastic process. The paper derives the main testable statistical hypotheses (particularly that about the determinants of the conditional variance of prices) on the results derived in a model of optimal bidders’ behavior given the ETS auction rules. Tests are conducted by estimating various versions of GARCH models for both mean and variance equations of price return. Results show that the price dynamics is affected by factors including a measure of excess demand/offer and the number of winning bidders and that, contrary to expectations, reforms of the auction rules introduced at the end of Phase III explain a great part of the increased price volatility. The increased volatility is also positively associated with the bid spread and negatively associated with the number of bidders active in each auction round.
Hodge conjecture for the moduli space of semi-stable sheaves over a nodal curve
Authors: Dan Ananyo , Kaur Inder
Published: May 2022

In this article, we prove the Hodge conjecture for a desingularization of the moduli space of rank 2, semi-stable, torsion-free sheaves with fixed odd degree determinant over a very general irreducible nodal curve of genus at least 2. We also compute the algebraic Poincaré polynomial of the associated cohomology ring.
Practical and modular construction of benzo[c]phenanthridine compounds
Authors: Zhang Cheng , Chen Qian , Wang Lei , Sun Qiaoying , Yang Yangyang , Rudolph Matthias , Rominger Frank , Hashmi A. Stephen K.
Published: May 2022

Here, we describe a general and modular strategy for the rapid assembly of benzo[c]phenanthridine (BCP) derivatives using homogeneous gold catalysis. Notably, in contrast to traditional methods based on the specially preformed substrates that have an inherent preference for the formation of this class of compounds with limited flexibility, this protocol is achievedviaa selectively intramolecular cascade of a diazo-tethered alkyne and subsequently an intermolecular cyclization with a nitrile to facilitate the successive C-N and C-C bonds formation. This methodology uses readily available nitriles as the nitrogen source to deliver the products in good yield with excellent functional group compatibility. A preliminary anti-tumor activity study of these generated products exhibits high anticancer potency against five tumor cell lines, including HeLa, Mel624, SW-480, 8505C, LAN-1. Besides, we report a catalyst-controlled intermolecular cycloaddition/intramolecular insertion of the substrate with a fulvene to provide fused polycarbocycles containing a seven-membered ring.
Potassium Channel KCNH1 Activating Variants Cause Altered Functional and Morphological Ciliogenesis
Authors: Napoli Giulia , Panzironi Noemi , Traversa Alice , Catalanotto Caterina , Pace Valentina , Petrizzelli Francesco , Giovannetti Agnese , Lazzari Sara , Cogoni Carlo , Tartaglia Marco , Carella Massimo , Mazza Tommaso , Pizzuti Antonio , Parisi Chiara , Caputo Viviana
Published: May 2022

The primary cilium is a non-motile sensory organelle that extends from the surface of most vertebrate cells and transduces signals regulating proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Primary cilia dysfunctions have been observed in cancer and in a group of heterogeneous disorders called ciliopathies, characterized by renal and liver cysts, skeleton and limb abnormalities, retinal degeneration, intellectual disability, ataxia, and heart disease and, recently, in autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. The potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily H member 1 (KCNH1) gene encodes a member of the EAG (ether-à-go-go) family, which controls potassium flux regulating resting membrane potential in both excitable and non-excitable cells and is involved in intracellular signaling, cell proliferation, and tumorigenesis. KCNH1 missense variants have been associated with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorders, including Zimmermann-Laband syndrome 1 (ZLS1, MIM #135500), Temple-Baraitser syndrome (TMBTS, MIM #611816), and, recently, with milder phenotypes as epilepsy. In this work, we provide evidence that KCNH1 localizes at the base of the cilium in pre-ciliary vesicles and ciliary pocket of human dermal fibroblasts and retinal pigment epithelial (hTERT RPE1) cells and that the pathogenic missense variants (L352V and R330Q; NP_002229.1) perturb cilia morphology, assembly/disassembly, and Sonic Hedgehog signaling, disclosing a multifaceted role of the protein. The study of KCNH1 localization, its functions related to primary cilia, and the alterations introduced by mutations in ciliogenesis, cell cycle coordination, cilium morphology, and cilia signaling pathways could help elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological phenotypes and neurodevelopmental disorders not considered as classical ciliopathies but for which a significant role of primary cilia is emerging.
A grey-box modelling methodology to express home heat-energy usage as statistical distributions — case studies in urban Ireland
Authors: Beagon Paul , Boland Fiona
Published: May 2022

Home energy retrofit has recurred in public policy throughout recent decades. However, the savings in energy usage attributable to home retrofit have remained difficult to accurately predict. Occupants cause prediction inaccuracies by varying different factors, especially heating setpoints temperatures and heating patterns. Acting together, such occupant factors result in distributions — not single values — of heat-energy usage, even among similar homes. Datasets of heat-energy distributions can be found by building performance simulation using modern grey-box models. This study presents a methodology to simulate grey-box models of home heating through ranges of heating setpoints and patterns. An entire process to calibrate, validate and simulate at a large scale is described, and then demonstrated using case studies. Grey-box models, written in Modelica language, can conveniently simulate through large ranges of occupant factors. The case studies exploited this advantage of grey-box models to simulate empirical data on occupant factors. (For instance, empirical data found that home heating setpoints shifted before and after home energy retrofit.) In doing so, the datasets of simulation results enabled the exploration of home heat-energy usage with the normal and Weibull statistical distributions. Additionally, the heat-energy distributions of case-study homes were statistically tested, first for retrofit savings, second for equality to each other and third for equality to an official heat-energy estimate. Results demonstrate that home heat-energy usage, at a large scale, is best expressed as a Weibull distribution not normality. After home energy retrofit, heat-energy usage displays less variation (in general), less skewness, and thus becomes closer to normality. Occupant factors were found to vary home heat-energy usage into distinct distributions, even within similar homes. Therefore, in most case-study homes, heat-energy usage did not equal an official estimate. Finally, shallow retrofit of a modern home in Ireland fails to save heat-energy usage by most occupants.
Longitudinal Changes in Interracial Hate Crimes in the USA, 1990–2014: Does Racial Composition Matter?
Authors: Kros Mathijs , Jaspers Eva , van Tubergen Frank
Published: May 2022

Studies on the relationship between racial composition and interracial hate crimes are largely cross-sectional, while little is known about longitudinal developments. This paper examines the impact of longitudinal changes in the racial composition of regions on interracial hate crimes in the USA. We use official statistics on 120,000 White on Black hate crimes that were committed across 3500 regions in the period between 1990 and 2014. Applying longitudinal multi-level modelling, we find that during this period there was an overall decline in interracial hate crimes. Furthermore, our results reveal that the decline was more pronounced in regions that witnessed a significant reduction in the share of Whites. Despite concerns that increasing racial diversity may lead to more interracial animosity and hate crimes, our study suggests the opposite. As the numerical predominance of White people in USA erodes, the number of White on Black hate crimes decreases.
Environmental Impact of Chicken Feathers Based Polypropylene Composites Developed for Automotive and Stationary Applications and Comparison with Glass-Fibre Analogues
Authors: Álvarez-del-Castillo María Dolores , Garrido-Soriano Nuria , Casadesús Marta , Macanás Jorge , Molins-Duran Gemma , Carrillo-Navarrete Fernando
Published: May 2022

In last decades, there has been an interest in using biogenic wastes and by-products as fillers or reinforcements to produce polymer composites. Hence, new composites materials based on a blend of biogenic chicken feathers (CFs) and polypropylene (PP) are proposed in this work and compared, from the environmental point of view, with currently used materials as neat PP and PP reinforced with glass-fibres (PP-GF). A Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed in order to compare the environmental impact of these three materials when being used either for automotive or stationary applications. The mechanical properties of each material were taken into account to calculate the equivalent mass of each industrial application and the use phase and end of life (EoL) were included in the LCA study. The results showed that, for automotive applications and for all the materials studied (PP-GF, PP-CFs and PP) the use phase has a great contribution to the environmental impact categories considered, proving that the new developed material based on CFs (PP-CFs) would be appropriate for stationary applications but not for mobile applications as automotive ones. In addition, the EoL scenario considered, i.e. incineration with energy recovery, has proven to provide extra environmental credits.

Graphical Abstract
Isolated essential oils as antifungal compounds for organic materials
Authors: Taha Ayman S. , Abo-Elgat Wael A. A. , Fares Yahia G. D. , Salem Mohamed Z. M.
Published: May 2022

Organic industrial materials are exposed to fungal deterioration; to prevent this, several additives can be used. In the present work, Egyptian cotton linters, linen textile, and parchment (goat skin) provided from industrial zones in Egypt were used. The application of eco-friendly essential oils (EOs) isolated fromPinus rigidawood andOriganum majoranagreen leaves to cotton linter paper pulp (CLP), linen textile, and parchment as bio-fungicides to protect against the growth ofAspergillus terreus,Aspergillus flavus, andAspergillus nigerwas evaluated using the fungal growth inhibition (FGI) assay and examined under SEM to show the extent of fungal infestation. By gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis, the abundant compounds inP. rigidaEO were determined to be 2-methylisoborneol (29.52%), and 4-isopropyl-5-methylhex-2-yne-1,4-diol (16.53%); inO. majoranaEO, they were determined to becis-β-terpineol (15.4%), terpinen-4-ol (14.39%), oleic acid (10.75%), andD-limonene (8.49%). CLP treated at a level of 500 μL/L withO. majoranaEO showed a higher FGI againstA. niger(47.66%), whileP. rigidaEO showed a higher FGI againstA. flavus(74%) andA. terreus(100%). Parchment treated with 500 μL/L ofO. majoranaEO showed an FGI of 49% against the growth ofA. niger, whileP. rigidaEO treated at a level of 500 μL/L showed FGIs of 78% and 100% againstA. flavusandA. terreus, respectively. Linen textile treated withO. majoranaEO at a level of 500 μL/L showed a higher FGI (49%) againstA. niger, whileP. rigidaEO showed a higher activity againstA. flavus(FGI 77.3%) andA. terreus(FGI 100%). The examined SEM images of materials treated with the EOs confirmed how these EOs suppressed or prevented the growth of molds compared with the control treatments. The findings indicate that the EOs fromP. rigidaandO. majoranaconsiderably enhanced the performance of CLP, linen textile, and parchment materials; therefore, they can be recommended as promising antifungal agents with which to extend the shelf-life of these materials. This study shows the high effectiveness of the addition of natural oils that contain bioactive compounds to natural raw materials (CLP, linen textile, and parchment) in protecting against the growth of fungi. Subsequently, it is possible to protect these raw materials from deterioration and damage and prolong their lives as long as possible while maintaining the natural and mechanical specifications of the raw materials, especially in atmospheric conditions with a high humidity.
Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria in Germany: incidence and distribution among specific infections and mortality: an epidemiological analysis using real-world data
Authors: Wilke Michael H. , Preisendörfer Birgit , Seiffert Anna , Kleppisch Maria , Schweizer Caroline , Rauchensteiner Stephan
Published: May 2022

Purpose

Infections with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (in Germany classified as 4MRGN) are a growing threat in clinical care. This study was undertaken to understand the overall burden of 4MRGN infections in Germany in the context of a Health Technology Appraisal (HTA) for Ceftazidime/Avibactam (CAZ/AVI). Besides, the incidences mortality was an endpoint of interest.

Methods

To assess infections with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria and related mortality, three different data sources have been used. From the German statistics office (DESTATIS) data have been retrieved to obtain the overall frequency these pathogens. Via two other databases, the German analysis database (DADB) and a Benchmarking of > 200 hospitals in a representative sample (BM-DB), the distribution of the infections and the mortality have been analyzed.

Results

DESTATIS data showed a total of 11,863 carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria codings, of which 10,348 represent infections and 1515 carriers. The most frequent infections were complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) (n = 2,337), followed by pneumonia (n = 1006) and intra-abdominal infections (n = 730). A considerable amount of patients had multiple infections in one hospital episode (n = 1258). In-hospital mortality was 18.6% in DADB and 14.3% in the BM-DB population, respectively. In cases with additional bloodstream infections, DADB mortality was correspondingly higher at 33.0%. DADB data showed an incremental mortality increase of 5.7% after 30 days and 10.0% after 90 days resulting in a cumulative 90 day mortality of 34.3%.

Conclusions

Infections with carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria are still rare (6.8–12.4 per 100,000) but show a significant increase in mortality compared to infections with more sensitive pathogens. Using different data sources allowed obtaining a realistic picture.
Maximizing Dust Devil Follow-Up Observations on Mars Using Cubesats and On-Board Scheduling
Authors: Woollands Robyn , Rossi Federico , Stegun Vaquero Tiago , Sanchez Net Marc , Bae S. Sandra , Bickel Valentin , Vander Hook Joshua
Published: May 2022

Several million dust devil events occur on Mars every day. These events last, on average, about 30 minutes and range in size from meters to hundreds of meters in diameter. Designing low-cost missions that will improve our knowledge of dust devil formation and evolution, and their connection to atmospheric dynamics and the dust cycle, is fundamental to informing future crewed Mars lander missions about surface conditions. In this paper we present a mission for a constellation of low orbiting Mars cubesats, each carrying imagers with agile pointing capabilities. The goal is to maximize the number of dust devil follow-up observations through real-time, on-board scheduling. We study scenarios where cubesats are equipped with a 2.5 degree boresight angle camera that accommodates twenty-one slew positions (including nadir). We assume a concept of operations where the cubesats autonomously survey the surface of Mars and can autonomously detect dust devils from their surface imagery. When a dust devil is detected, the constellation is autonomously re-tasked through an onboard distributed scheduler to capture as many follow-on images of the event as possible, so as to study its evolution. The cubesat orbits are propagated assuming two-body dynamics and the ground tracks and camera field of view are computed assuming a spherical Mars. Realistic inter-agent communication link opportunities are computed and included in our optimization, which allow for real-time event detection information to be shared within the constellation. We compare against a powerful “omniscient” oracle which has a priori knowledge of all dust devil activity to show the gap between predicted performance and the best possible outcome. In particular, we show that the communications are especially important for acquiring follow-up observations, and that a realistic distributed scheduling mechanism is able to capture a large fraction of all dust devil observations that are possible for a given orbit configuration, significantly outperforming a nadir-pointing heuristic.
Extremely low friction on gold surface with surfactant molecules induced by surface potential
Authors: Gao Tianyang , Li Jinjin , Wang Weiqi , Luo Jianbin
Published: May 2022

An extremely low friction state was observed on the gold surface induced by applying a specific negative potential in cationic surfactant solution. The friction force showed a remarkable reduction from 8.3 to 3.5 × 10−2 nN (reduced by 99.6%) with increasing the period of negative applied potential, and the final friction coefficient could reduce down to 3 × 10−4. The extremely low friction state was robust, and it also exhibited an excellent load bearing capacity, which cannot be damaged by a high load. Moreover, the extremely low friction state achieved under negative applied potential could keep stable even after the removal of potential, but failed in a short time, once a specific positive potential was applied. It was demonstrated that there was a stable electro-adsorption of surfactant molecules on the gold surface induced by applying a negative potential, leading to the formation of a bilayer structure on the gold surface. The hydration layers of the bilayer on the gold surface and micelles on the silica probe provided a shear plane with an extremely low shear strength, leading to the extremely low friction state on the gold surface. This study provides a method to achieve extremely low friction state by applied potential.
Mediieren Gesundheit und Arbeitsfähigkeit die Auswirkungen widriger Arbeitsqualität auf die subjektive Erwerbsperspektive älterer Beschäftigter?
Authors: Rohrbacher Max , Hasselhorn Hans Martin
Published: May 2022

Hintergrund und Fragestellung

Eine Vielzahl von Forschungsergebnissen zeigt, dass sich widrige Arbeitsbedingungen negativ auf die Erwerbsdauer und die Erwerbsperspektive älterer Beschäftigter auswirken können. Häufig wird diskutiert und angenommen, dass dieser Zusammenhang durch schlechte Gesundheit mediiert wird, ohne dies explizit zu belegen. In dieser Studie wurde untersucht, welche Auswirkungen eine widrige Arbeitsqualität auf die subjektive Erwerbsperspektive hat und inwiefern dieser Effekt durch Gesundheit und Arbeitsfähigkeit mediiert wird.

Methoden

Daten von 3118 sozialversicherungspflichtig Beschäftigten der deutschen Babyboom-Kohorten 1959 und 1965, die an allen 3 Wellen (t0 = 2011, t1 = 2014, t2 = 2018) der prospektiven lidA-Kohortenstudie teilgenommen haben, wurden ausgewertet. Mögliche Mediationseffekte wurden im Längsschnitt mittels kausaler Mediationsanalyse mit Inverser-Odds-Gewichtung („inverse odds weighting“) getrennt für manuell und nicht-manuell Tätige untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Sowohl für manuell Tätige (relatives Risiko, RR = 1,06 [95 % Konfidenzintervall, KI 1,01–1,13]) als auch für nicht-manuell Tätige (RR = 1,06 [95 % KI 0,99–1,15]) ging eine widrige Arbeitsqualität mit einem erhöhten relativen Risiko einher, anzugeben, nicht bis zur individuellen Rentenaltersgrenze arbeiten zu können. Bei manuell Tätigen wurden 44 % dieses Effekts durch geringe Arbeitsfähigkeit und 17 % durch schlechte Gesundheit mediiert. Bei nicht-manuell Tätigen wurden 30 % dieses Effekts durch geringe Arbeitsfähigkeit und 13 % durch schlechte Gesundheit mediiert. Die simultane Analyse beider Mediatoren deutet auf eine mögliche Überlappung der Mediationseffekte hin.

Schlussfolgerung

Die Ergebnisse indizieren wichtige Stellhebel, mit denen die subjektive Erwerbsperspektive älterer Beschäftigter positiv beeinflusst werden kann, nämlich durch bessere Arbeitsqualität und frühzeitige präventive Maßnahmen, um schlechter Gesundheit und vor allem geringer Arbeitsfähigkeit entgegenzuwirken. Bei der politischen Debatte über die Erwerbsteilhabe älterer Beschäftigter sollten die Arbeitsqualität und Arbeitsfähigkeit stärker berücksichtigt werden.
Zeilenfüllselgebete
Authors: Schmidt Christian
Published: May 2022

Die Handschrift Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek, Cod. 894 Helmst. überliefert eine Elisabethlegende in mittelniederdeutscher Reimprosa. Offene Zeilen an den Abschnittsenden des Textes werden vom Schreiber durch Initien oder Kleinzitate gefüllt, die häufig liturgische oder gebetspraktische Referenzen enthalten. Der Beitrag deutet diese bislang lediglich als Zeilenfüller wahrgenommenen Elemente als signifikante Spuren der Produktions- und Rezeptionspragmatik des Elisabeth-Textes.
Epidemiology of Urological Cancers in Brazil: Trends in Mortality Rates Over More Than Two Decades
Authors: Mourão Thiago Camelo , Curado Maria Paula , de Oliveira Renato Almeida Rosa , Santana Thiago Borges Marques , Favaretto Ricardo de Lima , Guimarães Gustavo Cardoso
Published: May 2022

Background

Considering the socioeconomic disparities and inequalities observed in the healthcare resources among the Brazilian regions, we aimed to analyze the mortality trends of urological cancers in Brazil to identify areas with differential risks.

Methods

Deaths related to prostate (PCa), bladder (BCa), kidney (KC), penile (PeC), and testis (TCa) cancers from 1996 to 2019 were retrieved from the Mortality Information System database (Brazil). Geographic and temporal patterns were analyzed using age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs). A joinpoint regression model was used to identify changes in the trends and calculate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) for each region.

Results

In Brazil, the ASMRs (per 100,000 persons/year) were 11.76 for PCa; 1.37, BCa; 1.13, KC; 0.33, and PeC; 0.26, TCa over the period. Increasing mortality trends were registered for BCa (AAPC = 0.45 in men; 0.57 in women), KC (AAPC = 2.03 in men), PeC (AAPC = 1.01), and TCa (AAPC = 2.06). The PCa mortality presented a significant reduction after 2006. The Northeast and North regions showed the highest increases in the PCa mortality. The South registered the highest ASMRs for BCa and KC, but the highest increasing trends occurred in the men from the Northeast. The North presented the highest ASMR for PeC, while the South registered the highest ASMR for TCa.

Conclusion

Differences among regions may be partly explained by disparities in the healthcare systems. Over the study period, the North and Northeast regions presented more discrepant mortality rates. Efforts should be made to ensure access to the healthcare resources for people at risk, particularly in these regions.
Barriers in medical education: a scoping review of common themes for medical students with disabilities
Authors: Nash Ranna , Conner Brandon , Fellows Katelyn , Clemmensen Brooke , Gullickson Robert , Goldrup Sharon
Published: May 2022

Many leaders in medical education have called for the inclusion of students with disabilities. Yet, a small number of review articles have been written summarizing the key literature addressing this topic. This review focuses on literature published between 2000 and 2021 that discusses medical education disability-specific barriers, student disability prevalence, and available institutional disability resources. Barriers include lack of procedure for students with disabilities to access services, delays in education to address disability needs, identified institutional disability resource professional (DRP), structural and physical barriers, outdated policies, and lack of understanding of accommodations needed in all educational settings, especially clinical. Medical school stakeholders must clearly understand the published literature on this topic to promote the full inclusion of students with disabilities.
BEYOND BINARIES: TECHNOCRACY, POPULISM AND PUBLIC POLICY
Authors: Pabst Adrian
Published: May 2022

Populism is a paradoxical phenomenon that resists easy categorisation because it both rejects and intensifies certain elements of technocracy. Populist politics is at once a backlash against liberal-technocratic ideology and policy and an attempted corrective of some of its worst excesses, such as increasing inequality or pressures on wages. Despite deep differences, both rest on a binary logic that conceals alternatives to the convergence around variants of techno-populism defended by either ‘corporate populists’ or ‘insurgent populists’. One alternative is a public policy programme focused on the building of an economic democracy with more democratic workplaces and a greater emphasis on the dignity of decent jobs, besides policies to reduce regional disparities and foster shared prosperity. But policies alone cannot fully address the deep-seated grievances fuelling the support for populists. Fundamental institutional reform is needed to devolve power and wealth to people and the places where they live and work.
Impact of elderly care on “sandwiched-generation” women in Turkey
Authors: İzdeş Terkoğlu Özge , Memiş Emel
Published: May 2022

The aging population and, along with it, increasing long-term care needs create pressure globally on the social and health care spending of governments under the constraint of shrinking tax bases. The common tendency of governments is to minimize the cost by transferring the elderly care burden to families. However, care provision comes with penalties for caretakers in the form of potential income losses and a rising, unpaid workload that requires a gender-based assessment. These impacts intensify with additional demographic trends that impose new challenges. Increasing longevity accompanied by decreasing fertility and delays in having children in Turkey have contributed to the growth of the “sandwiched generation” which encounters the care needs of their elderly as they care for their children. This study investigates whether and how caring responsibilities can be associated with the caregivers’ economic participation in Turkey, where the retreat from institutional provisioning of elderly care services is concealed with a neoconservative family-oriented rhetoric. Using the 2014–2015 Time Use Statistics compiled by TurkStat, we analyze the relationship between informal elderly care provision and employment hours, taking into account the potential impact of providing elderly care on labor force participation, focusing on sandwiched- generation women.
Full-Rights Feminists and a History of the Care Crisis
Authors: Olcott Jocelyn
Published: May 2022

In 2018, the International Labour Organization published a study about the critical role of paid and unpaid care work for the health of society, the economy, and the planet and about the ways that care work is sustained through the super-exploitation of women, particularly migrant women and racially and ethnically marginalized women. Dorothy Sue Cobble's sweeping, carefully researched, and beautifully written study of full-rights feminists gives us a much-needed history of how the ILO came to attend to questions of care work and social reproduction and how hard-fought this recognition has been.
Estradiol administration in Holstein heifer calves differentially affects the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose and the mammary fat pad tissues
Authors: Miquilini Marina , Hardy Nicole R. , Dieter Phyllis A. , Relling Alejandro E. , Enger Benjamin D.
Published: May 2022

This research communication reports the relative abundance of fatty acids in mammary fat pad (MFP) and subcutaneous adipose (SCA) tissues for Holstein heifer calves receiving 0, 3, or 12 daily injections of estradiol immediately prior to tissue collection. The objective of this study was to determine if the MFP and SCA fatty acid profiles were affected by estradiol administration and if such a response differs between adipose tissue depots. Twelve Holstein heifer calves were reared on a common diet and administered 12 daily injections prior to euthanasia. Injections were either daily injections of corn oil (n = 4; CON), 9 injections of corn oil followed by 3 injections of estradiol (n = 4; SHORT), or 12 injections of estradiol (n = 4; LONG). Fatty acids were extracted from collected MFP and SCA tissues samples and analyzed using gas chromatography. The MFP tissues contained a greater abundance of saturated fatty acids than SCA tissues which complemented a reduced abundance of mono-unsaturated fatty acids in the MFP than SCA. Extended duration of estradiol administration increased the abundance of total omega 3 fatty acids in both MFP and SCA tissues. There was a treatment by tissue interaction for several of the C18:1 and C18:2 isomers indicating that estradiol's effects on fatty acid uptake and metabolism are tissue specific. Additionally, C18 uptake and metabolisms may have important roles in mammary growth and development. Together, these results indicate that the MFP responds differently to estradiol administration than SCA tissues and that these alterations are associated with different degrees of induced mammary growth via estradiol.
Clinical implications of acute shunt thrombosis in paediatric patients with systemic-to-pulmonary shunt re-interventions
Authors: Dutta Puja , Emani Sirisha , Ibla Juan C. , Emani Sitaram M. , Nathan Meena
Published: May 2022

Purpose:

Systemic-to-pulmonary shunts are used as a source of pulmonary blood flow in palliated Congenital Heart Disease in neonates and young infants. Shunt thrombosis, often requiring shunt interventions during index hospitalisation, is associated with poor outcomes. We hypothesised that extensive use of perioperative pro-coagulant products may be associated with shunt thrombosis.

Methods:

Children (≤18 years) undergoing systemic-to-pulmonary shunts with in-hospital shunt reinterventions between 2016 and 2020 were reviewed retrospectively. Perioperative associations to shunt thrombosis were examined by univariate logistic regression and Wilcoxon rank sum tests as appropriate. Cox and log transformed linear regression were used to analyse postoperative ventilation duration, length of stay, and cost.

Results:

Of 71 patients requiring in-hospital shunt intervention after systemic-to-pulmonary shunts, 10 (14%) had acute shunt thrombosis, and among them five (50%) died. The median age was four (interquartile range: 0-15) months. There were 40 (56%) males, 41 (58%) had single ventricle anatomy, and 29 (40%) were on preoperative anticoagulants. Patients with acute shunt thrombosis received greater volume of platelets (p = 0.04), cryoprecipitate (p = 0.02), and plasma (p = 0.04) postoperatively in the ICU; experienced more complications (p = 0.01) including re-exploration for bleeding (p = 0.008) and death (p = 0.02), had longer hospital length of stays (p = 0.004), greater frequency of other arterial/venous thrombosis (p = 0.02), and greater hospital costs (p = 0.002).

Conclusions:

Patients who develop acute shunt thrombosis receive more blood products perioperatively and experience worse hospital outcomes and higher hospital costs. Future research on prevention/early detection of shunt thrombosis is needed to improve outcomes in infants after systemic-to-pulmonary shunt surgery.
Reviving a sense of poetry: assessing Wang Shu’s contemporary design practice
Authors: Ye Xi
Published: May 2022

Chinese men of letters pursued the idea of a poetic life in feudal times, and this ideal was often embodied in traditional gardening and landscape paintings. However, it has been argued that the pursuit of this traditional notion of poetic life has been lost with the arrival of modernity. In this view, Chinese cities are seen as losing their identities and becoming Westernised. Wang Shu, the Pritzker Prize-winning Chinese architect, has taken great efforts to rebuild an understanding of Chinese cultural identity: by looking back to the idea of poetic life reflected in traditional gardens and landscape paintings, and attempting to recompose a sense of poetry for contemporary architecture. This article aims to examine Wang’s approaches to this sense of poetry in one of his projects, the design of Xiangshan campus while, at the same time, seeking to offer a Chinese reflection on the architecture of poetry.

However, Wang’s approach to using visual and metaphoric techniques in reviving the city’s poetic system can be questioned. His tactics, considered here in relation to the Xiangshan campus, arguably do not fully understand Chinese aesthetics, and do not pose fully a contemporary definition of the ‘sense of poetry’ in relation to the traditional Chinese mind. A holistic interpretation of architectural poetry should concern life, both as living and pleasure, material and spirit, rather than dealing primarily in visual composition. Nevertheless, his efforts in exploring Chinese-ness and his influence on Chinese architects remain highly significant.
Award-Winning LED Illumination for Fluorescence from Fura-2 to Cy7.5 and Beyond
Authors: Aswani Kavita
Published: May 2022

Light-emitting diode (LED) illumination for fluorescence microscopy systems has come a long way since the turn of the century, when the LED sources available had low optical power and a limited range of wavelengths. While the benefits of LED technology were attractive, their limitations prevented large-scale adoption. Twenty years later, advances in the semi-conductor industry have eliminated many of those fundamental hurdles. Today, LED technology is rapidly replacing the lamps used in microscopy and fluorescence imaging, even for applications on the extreme ends of the light microscopy spectrum. This article describes the latest advances in illumination for fluorescence imaging, from near-UV to near-IR fluorophores. Case studies demonstrate the new X-Cite® NOVEM™ as successful replacements for traditional arc lamps in calcium imaging applications, producing equivalent results with the convenience of LEDs. For its usefulness to the microscopy community, the X-Cite NOVEM system was awarded the prestigious 2021 Microscopy Today Innovation Award.
Unraveling Molecular Dynamics with High-Speed Video-Rate Atomic Force Microscopy
Authors: Stamov Dimitar R. , Neumann Tanja , Kraus Andreas , Körnig André , Jankowski Tilo , Knebel Detlef , Jähnke Torsten , Henze Thomas , Haschke Heiko
Published: May 2022

This article describes the application of the fastest commercially available video-rate atomic force microscope (AFM) for studying the molecular dynamics of biological samples with a temporal resolution reaching 20 ms per frame. High-speed AFM was used for monitoring the kinetics of the temperature-induced ripple phase transition in supported lipid bilayers, DNA origami streptavidin-biotin binding, thermodynamic rehybridization of DNA, collagen type I fibrillogenesis, and the mobile annexin V trimer dynamics in 2D protein crystals. With no further need for sample processing, the applied method offers a breakthrough in molecular and sample dynamics measurements by enabling the real-time visualization of molecular processes and structural transitions at near-native conditions.
Next-Generation Laser Scanning Multiphoton Microscopes are Turnkey, Portable, and Industry-Ready
Authors: Holmes Michael E. , Kiderlen Stefanie , Krainer Lukas
Published: May 2022

The Prospective Instruments MPX-series is a turnkey compact multimodal microscope enabling advanced multiphoton imaging without requiring a laboratory or optical bench. One of the key design features is the ultrafast fiber laser engine integrated into the free moving scan head, which is lightweight, rugged, and allows the ultimate imaging flexibility. A modular design concept allows the user to explore a wide variety of biological applications and measurements, without compromising performance, in any indoor working space. In contrast, standard setups are non-transportable, utility-demanding, and the complexity can be complicated, therefore degrading the value and adding significant initial, short- and long-term expenses. Every clinical and biological researcher should have access to high-quality reliable optical microscopy modalities without being hardware experts. In this article we outline the demand and design of the MPX-microscope and present multiphoton imaging results from experiments in various configurations. There are no existing instruments on the market that are portable and combine easily switchable modes in one composite industry-ready device for life science, clinical, and pharmacological research.
Erfolgreich integriert?
Authors: Heinsch Anna , Vogt Alexandra
Published: May 2022

Die psychiatrische Pflegepraxis in Deutschland ist nach wie vor mit der Aufgabe konfrontiert, akademisch qualifizierte Pflegepersonen mit ihren vielfältigen Kompetenzen in die pflegerische Praxis zu integrieren. Mittels Interviews wurden Absolvent_innen eines ausbildungsintegrierten Studiengangs (B.A. Pflege) hinsichtlich ihrer beruflichen Verortung im Unternehmen befragt. Die Bachelorabsolvent_innen sind als pflegerische Mitarbeitende auf den jeweiligen Stationen und in den Teams entsprechend den grundständig ausgebildeten Pflegenden in der direkten Patient_innenversorgung integriert. Sie sind jedoch nach wie vor nicht in ihrer Rolle als akademisierte Pflegekräfte mit den dazugehörigen Tätigkeitsprofilen implementiert und können die im Studium erworbenen Kompetenzen so nicht einsetzen.
Long‐Term Trends in pCO2 in Lake Surface Water Following Rebrowning
Authors: Couturier M. , Prairie Y. T. , Paterson A. M. , Emilson E. J. S. , del Giorgio P. A.
Published: May 2022

Over the last 40 years, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) has been increasing in freshwater across many boreal regions. The extent to which these long‐term changes have affected lake CO2 dynamics is unclear. We have studied the temporal trends in DOC and pressure of CO2 (pCO2) over 40 years in 15 lakes in two regions of Ontario (Canada) subjected to browning and the abatement of SO2 deposition. Whereas from 1980 to 1999 there were no significant trends in pCO2 in any of the lakes, a significant increase was observed from 2000 to 2017. Although DOC concentrations increased during the same period, pCO2 and DOC were only weakly coupled, and we hypothesize the existence of DOC thresholds that determine this coupling. The recent increases in pCO2, linked to shifts in the C balance of lakes, may be contributing to the observed declines in lake pH, leading to a re‐acidification of lakes.
Planet‐Wide Ozone Destruction in the Middle Atmosphere on Mars During Global Dust Storm
Authors: Daerden F. , Neary L. , Wolff M. J. , Clancy R. T. , Lefèvre F. , Whiteway J. A. , Viscardy S. , Piccialli A. , Willame Y. , Depiesse C. , Aoki S. , Thomas I. R. , Ristic B. , Erwin J. , Gérard J.‐C. , Sandor B. J. , Khayat A. , Smith M. D. , Mason J. P. , Patel M. R. , Villanueva G. L. , Liuzzi G. , Bellucci G. , Lopez‐Moreno J.‐J. , Vandaele A. C.
Published: May 2022

The Nadir and Occultation for MArs Discovery (NOMAD)/UV‐visible (UVIS) spectrometer on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter provided observations of ozone (O3) and water vapor in the global dust storm of 2018. Here we show in detail, using advanced data filtering and chemical modeling, how Martian O3 in the middle atmosphere was destroyed during the dust storm. In data taken exactly 1 year later when no dust storm occurred, the normal situation had been reestablished. The model simulates how water vapor is transported to high altitudes and latitudes in the storm, where it photolyzes to form odd hydrogen species that catalyze O3. O3 destruction is simulated at all latitudes and up to 100 km, except near the surface where it increases. The simulations also predict a strong increase in the photochemical production of atomic hydrogen in the middle atmosphere, consistent with the enhanced hydrogen escape observed in the upper atmosphere during global dust storms.
The role of the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway in the corneal epithelium: recent updates
Authors: Chen Kuangqi , Li Yanqing , Zhang Xuhong , Ullah Rahim , Tong Jianping , Shen Ye
Published: May 2022

Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT (also called protein kinase B, PKB) signalling regulates various cellular processes, such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, the cell cycle, protein synthesis, glucose metabolism, and telomere activity. Corneal epithelial cells (CECs) are the outermost cells of the cornea; they maintain good optical performance and act as a physical and immune barrier. Various growth factors, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligands, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), neurokinin 1 (NK-1), and insulin activate the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway by binding their receptors and promote antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, proliferative, and migratory functions and wound healing in the corneal epithelium (CE). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate apoptosis and inflammation in CECs in a concentration-dependent manner. Extreme environments induce excess ROS accumulation, inhibit PI3K/AKT, and cause apoptosis and inflammation in CECs. However, at low or moderate levels, ROS activate PI3K/AKT signalling, inhibiting apoptosis and stimulating proliferation of healthy CECs. Diabetes-associated hyperglycaemia directly inhibit PI3K/AKT signalling by increasing ROS and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress levels or suppressing the expression of growth factors receptors and cause diabetic keratopathy (DK) in CECs. Similarly, hyperosmolarity and ROS accumulation suppress PI3K/AKT signalling in dry eye disease (DED). However, significant overactivation of the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway, which mediates inflammation in CECs, is observed in both infectious and noninfectious keratitis. Overall, upon activation by growth factors and NK-1, PI3K/AKT signalling promotes the proliferation, migration, and anti-apoptosis of CECs, and these processes can be regulated by ROS in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, PI3K/AKT signalling pathway is inhibited in CECs from individuals with DK and DED, but is overactivated by keratitis.
Novel role for caspase 1 inhibitor VX765 in suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and atherosclerosis via promoting mitophagy and efferocytosis
Authors: Jin Ying , Liu Yao , Xu Lei , Xu Jie , Xiong Yulian , Peng Yazhi , Ding Ke , Zheng Shuang , Yang Nan , Zhang Zemei , Li Lin , Tan Liguo , Song HongXian , Fu Jian
Published: May 2022

Atherosclerosis is a maladaptive chronic inflammatory disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide. The NLRP3 inflammasome constitutes a major driver of atherosclerosis, yet the mechanism of action is poorly understood. Mitochondrial dysfunction is essential for NLRP3 inflammasome activation. However, whether activated NLRP3 inflammasome exacerbates mitochondrial dysfunction remains to be further elucidated. Herein, we sought to address these issues applying VX765, a well-established inhibitor of caspase 1. VX765 robustly restrains caspase 1-mediated interleukin-1β production and gasdermin D processing. Our study assigned VX765 a novel role in antagonizing NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and activation. VX765 mitigates mitochondrial damage induced by activated NLRP3 inflammasome, as evidenced by decreased mitochondrial ROS production and cytosolic release of mitochondrial DNA. VX765 blunts caspase 1-dependent cleavage and promotes mitochondrial recruitment and phosphorylation of Parkin, a key mitophagy regulator. Functionally, VX765 facilitates mitophagy, efferocytosis and M2 polarization of macrophages. It also impedes foam cell formation, migration and pyroptosis of macrophages. VX765 boosts autophagy, promotes efferocytosis, and alleviates vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis in both ApoE−/− and Ldlr−/− mice. However, these effects of VX765 were abrogated upon ablation of Nlrp3 in ApoE−/− mice. This work provides mechanistic insights into NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and this inflammasome in dictating atherosclerosis. This study highlights that manipulation of caspase 1 paves a new avenue to treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
A topological fluctuation theorem
Authors: Mahault Benoît , Tang Evelyn , Golestanian Ramin
Published: May 2022

Fluctuation theorems specify the non-zero probability to observe negative entropy production, contrary to a naive expectation from the second law of thermodynamics. For closed particle trajectories in a fluid, Stokes theorem can be used to give a geometric characterization of the entropy production. Building on this picture, we formulate a topological fluctuation theorem that depends only by the winding number around each vortex core and is insensitive to other aspects of the force. The probability is robust to local deformations of the particle trajectory, reminiscent of topologically protected modes in various classical and quantum systems. We demonstrate that entropy production is quantized in these strongly fluctuating systems, and it is controlled by a topological invariant. We demonstrate that the theorem holds even when the probability distributions are non-Gaussian functions of the generated heat.
Mapping the cardiac vascular niche in heart failure
Authors: Peisker Fabian , Halder Maurice , Nagai James , Ziegler Susanne , Kaesler Nadine , Hoeft Konrad , Li Ronghui , Bindels Eric M. J. , Kuppe Christoph , Moellmann Julia , Lehrke Michael , Stoppe Christian , Schaub Michael T. , Schneider Rebekka K. , Costa Ivan , Kramann Rafael
Published: May 2022

The cardiac vascular and perivascular niche are of major importance in homeostasis and during disease, but we lack a complete understanding of its cellular heterogeneity and alteration in response to injury as a major driver of heart failure. Using combined genetic fate tracing with confocal imaging and single-cell RNA sequencing of this niche in homeostasis and during heart failure, we unravel cell type specific transcriptomic changes in fibroblast, endothelial, pericyte and vascular smooth muscle cell subtypes. We characterize a specific fibroblast subpopulation that exists during homeostasis, acquires Thbs4 expression and expands after injury driving cardiac fibrosis, and identify the transcription factor TEAD1 as a regulator of fibroblast activation. Endothelial cells display a proliferative response after injury, which is not sustained in later remodeling, together with transcriptional changes related to hypoxia, angiogenesis, and migration. Collectively, our data provides an extensive resource of transcriptomic changes in the vascular niche in hypertrophic cardiac remodeling.