bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic nanotherapeutics for targeted drug delivery to glioblastoma multiforme
Authors: Lim Xin Yuan , Capinpin Sharah Mae , Bolem Nagarjun , Foo Aaron Song Chuan , Yip Wai‐Cheong George , Kumar Alan Prem , Teh Daniel Boon Loong
Published: February 2023

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor with poor prognosis and high mortality, with no curative treatment to date as limited trafficking across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) combined with tumor heterogeneity often leads to therapeutic failure. Although modern medicine poses a wide range of drugs that are otherwise efficacious in treating other tumors, they often do not achieve therapeutic concentrations in the brain, hence driving the need for more effective drug delivery strategies. Nanotechnology, an interdisciplinary field, has been gaining immense popularity in recent years for remarkable advancements such as nanoparticle (NP) drug carriers, which possess extraordinary versatility in modifying surface coatings to home in on target cells, including those beyond the BBB. In this review, we will be highlighting recent developments in biomimetic NPs in GBM therapy and how these allowed us to overcome the physiological and anatomical challenges that have long plagued GBM treatment.
Autophagy and its role in osteosarcoma
Authors: Ning Biao , Liu Yixin , Huang Tianhe , Wei Yongchang
Published: February 2023

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common bone malignancy and preferably occurs in children and adolescents. Despite significant advances in surgery and chemotherapy for OS over the past few years, overall survival rates of OS have reached a bottleneck. Thus, extensive researches aimed at developing new therapeutic targets for OS are urgently needed. Autophagy, a conserved process which allows cells to recycle altered or unused organelles and cellular components, has been proven to play a critical role in multiple biological processes in OS. In this article, we summarized the association between autophagy and proliferation, metastasis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy of OS, revealing that autophagy‐related genes and pathways could serve as potential targets for OS therapy.
Effectiveness and safety of lenvatinib plus anti‐programmed death‐1 antibodies in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A real‐world cohort study
Authors: Xu Ming‐Hao , Huang Cheng , Li Mei‐Ling , Zhu Xiao‐Dong , Tan Chang‐Jun , Zhou Jian , Fan Jia , Sun Hui‐Chuan , Shen Ying‐Hao
Published: February 2023

Objective

Lenvatinib plus anti‐programmed death‐1 (anti‐PD‐1) antibody combinations have shown potent anti‐tumor effect in phase I/II trials in advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but real‐world data are limited.

Methods

To investigate the effectiveness and safety of lenvatinib plus anti‐PD‐1 antibodies in a real‐world cohort, we retrospectively evaluated 210 patients with unresectable or advanced HCC treated with these regimens between October 2018 and February 2022.

Results

The objective response rate and disease control rate per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 were 28.1% and 75.2%. Median overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) in the overall cohort were 17.2 and 8.4 months, respectively. Median OS and PFS of patients receiving first‐line treatment reached 18.9 and 9.6 months. Median OS was significantly longer in patients with Child‐Pugh class A versus B (18.8 vs. 5.9 months, respectively), as was median PFS (9.1 vs. 4.4 months). Patients with albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) grade 1 versus grade 2/3 also had significantly greater median OS (23.5 vs. 13.4 months). Treatment‐related adverse events (AEs) occurred in 79.5% of patients. Patients with ALBI grade 2/3 had a higher rate of grade 3/4 AEs than patients with ALBI grade 1 (57.5% vs. 38.5%).

Conclusion

Lenvatinib combined with anti‐PD‐1 antibody therapy was effective in patients with sufficient liver function reserve. Further study is needed to improve therapeutic efficacy and AE management in patients with Child‐Pugh class B or ALBI grade 2/3.
TPX2 promotes ovarian tumorigenesis by interacting with Lamin A/C and affecting its stability
Authors: Meng Xin , Cao Jiazhen , Zheng Hui , Ma Xiaolu , Wang Yanchun , Tong Ying , Xie Suhong , Lu Renquan , Guo Lin
Published: February 2023

Objective

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the fatal gynecologic malignancies. However, there are no effective prognostic or therapeutic indicators for OC. Herein, we aim to reveal the potential function of targeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) in OC progression.

Methods

Immunohistochemical and bioinformatic analyses were used to evaluate the level of TPX2 in OC samples. Effects of TPX2 on cell proliferation, cell apoptosis and ROS production were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Mass spectrometry, Co‐IP and immunofluorescence assays were performed to identify and verify protein‐protein interactions.

Results

Our data showed that pathological overexpression (OE) of the TPX2 in OC could manifest a poor prognosis. Functional studies demonstrated that TPX2 silencing led to the suppression of cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo through an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and apoptosis, while TPX2 OE exhibited the opposite effect. Furthermore, by mass spectrometric analysis, we identified a novel interacting partner, Lamin A/C, for TPX2. Mechanistically, TPX2 regulated Lamin A/C's stability by modulating the level of phospho‐Lamin A/C (Ser 22).

Conclusion

Our findings thus suggest that TPX2 may be a promising therapeutic target for OC.
Comparison of treatment strategies for resectable locally advanced primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung
Authors: Gu Yu , Zhu Hongcheng , Deng Jiaying , Zhang Junhua , Chen Tianxiang , Lai Songtao
Published: February 2023

Background

Primary pure mucinous adenocarcinoma (PMA) is a rare type of lung cancer with unique clinical and prognostic features. Previous studies have shown that PMA have more early‐stage cancer compared with other adenocarcinoma (ADC) subtypes. The clinicopathological features and optimal treatment strategies of resectable locally advanced mucinous adenocarcinoma lack evidence and require further study.

Methods

In this study, we collected information from patients with stage III‐N2 PMA who underwent radical surgery between 2004 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The clinicopathological parameters, treatments, overall survival (OS), and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) were evaluated.

Results

Of 242,699 eligible lung adenocarcinoma patients, 124 with PMA and 3405 with other ADCs of stage III‐N2 received radical surgery were identified. Compared with other ADCs, PMA tended to appear more in the lower lobes, with higher degree of differentiation, less early T stage, and more positive lymph nodes numbers. Patients with PMA had significantly worse survival than other ADCs (OS = 45.0 vs. 57.1 months, p = 0.005, CSS = 51.8 vs. 65.5 months, p = 0.017). We explored the benefit population of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and found that the population with ≤7 positive lymph nodes could benefit from PORT, and OS was significantly improved (41.2 vs. 69.3 months, p = 0.034). For patients with >7 positive lymph nodes, PORT did not provide a survival benefit, while chemotherapy improved OS (10.9 vs. 23.3 months, p = 0.041). Multivariate analysis showed that race, tumor location, number of positive lymph nodes, and PORT were independent prognostic factors in patients with postoperative III‐N2 lung PMA.

Conclusion

The prognosis of patients with resectable III‐N2 primary lung PMA was significantly worse than that of other ADCs, and PORT was an independent prognostic factor. Patients with ≤7 positive lymph nodes could benefit from PORT and those with >7 positive lymph nodes could benefit from chemotherapy.
HIV biomedical approaches among sexual minority men with childhood sexual abuse histories: A systematic review
Authors: Emetu Roberta E. , Hernandez Patricia , Dawodu Jessica , Saunders‐Russell Carmen
Published: February 2023

Men who have sex with men (MSM) report childhood sexual abuse (CSA) at higher rates than heterosexual men. The literature has established a clear association between CSA and sexual risk taking. Biomedical HIV preventative approaches are effective tools for reducing HIV acquisition. Since many studies are conducted on MSM broadly, the objective of this review was to examine outcomes of studies on MSM with CSA histories and HIV biomedical approaches. The PRISMA checklist was used to extract data from the included studies. Of 124 studies retrieved, seven articles (n = 7) met the inclusion criteria. Studies included in the review were predominately correlational. Four themes were identified which were sexual behaviour, mental health, drug use/polydrug abuse and intimate partner violence. All identified variables impacted biomedical adherence either directly or indirectly. However, negative childhood experiences were not the dominant priority in the studies reviewed. In addition, there were confusion over how some variables were operationalized. This systematic review highlights the need for further research and intervention development based on past experiences and trauma, especially among MSM of colour. Approaches that incorporate past trauma should be the future focus of HIV prevention and management.
Establishment of Male and Female Eucommia Fingerprints by UPLC Combined with OPLS‐DA Model and Its Application
Authors: You Jinling , Li Huaqiang , Wang Qi , Xu Fanjun , Lin Shangwei , Wang Xinrui , Huang Shen , Sheng Yunjie , Zhu Bo , Zhang Qiaoyan , Meng Xiongyu , Qin Luping
Published: February 2023

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver is a dioecious plant, which plays an important role in traditional Chinese medicine. However, there has not yet been any research on male and female E. ulmoides. The UPLC fingerprints and OPLS‐DA approach were able to quickly and easily identify and quantify E. ulmoides and differentiate between the male and female fingerprints. In this study, we optimized the UPLC conditions and analyzed them to investigate fingerprints of twenty‐four extracts of Eucommiae Cortex (EC) and twenty‐four extracts of Eucommiae Folium (EF) under optimal conditions. It was demonstrated that thirteen and twelve substances were possible chemical markers for EC and EF male and female discrimination and that the level of these markers – chlorogenic acid and protocatechuic acid – was many times higher in male than in female. This approach offered a reference for quality control and precise treatment of male and female E. ulmoides in the clinic.
Isomerization of DASA Molecules in the Nanopores of Metal–Organic Frameworks: What Determines Its Reversibility?**
Authors: Chen Yongkui , Gao Shuaiqi , Cheng Yifei , Tian Xiaoxin , Xuan Xiaopeng , Wang Huiyong , Yao Wenhui , Li Zhiyong , Zhu Guangshan , Wang Jianji
Published: February 2023

In recent years, light‐responsive molecules have been incorporated in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to fabricate light‐responsive intelligent devices, where reversible isomerization of the guest molecules in the nanopores is crucial. However, how to design a porous environment of MOFs to achieve a reversible isomerization remains unknown until now. In this work, donor–acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs), a new kind of visible light responsive compound, were confined in the nanopores of different MOFs to study their isomerization upon visible‐light irradiation/mild heating. We found that the polarity of the pore environment is the key to control the reversibility of isomerization of such guest molecules. Under the guidance of this principle, MIL‐53(Al) was screened to investigate the proton conductivity and switching performance of the DASA‐confined MOF. The proton conductance was up to 0.013 S cm−1 at 80 °C and 98 % RH, and at least 30 switching cycles were achieved thanks to the Grotthuss‐type mechanism and the low polarity of MIL‐53(Al) pore environment.
L'interaction odeur‐goût et ses effets marketing sur la perception et la consommation des produits diététiques
Authors: Eleuch Amira , Koubaa Yamen
Published: February 2023

The interaction between smell and taste has been widely confirmed in the literature. Exposure to a congruent olfactory stimulus enhances taste, increases palatability and the desire to eat, and promotes food consumption. In this paper, we use laboratory experiments to show that, in addition to its role in taste enhancement, olfaction also plays a role in taste induction. Using the phenomena of cognitive sensory integration and mental imagery, we explain how exposure to a real odor congruent with the expected taste produces a taste sensation for which there is no real taste stimulus. For example, exposure to the smell of vanillin, which is a sugar‐congruent odor, creates a taste sensation of sweetness, increases palatability and food cravings, and increases consumption of sugar‐free biscuits. The lack of exposure to the actual taste stimulus of sugar does not prevent the taste‐congruent odor from creating a taste sensation of sweetness, an olfactory sweetness. Odors are able to induce a taste sensation for which there is no real taste stimulus. The results of this research have implications for the marketing of dietary foods. Tastefulness, which is reduced by the absence of flavor, can be increased by congruent olfactory stimuli in the environment and have a positive effect on the sales of this product category.
Strategies toward Highly Efficient Monolithic Perovskite/Organic Tandem Solar Cells
Authors: Jiang Shan , Xu Zhiyang , Wang Fuzhi , Tian Shilei , Wang Yang , Li Chenghao , Tan Zhan'ao
Published: February 2023

Comprehensive Summary

Constructing monolithic tandem solar cells (TSCs) is an effective method to break the Shockley–Queisser (S–Q) radiative efficiency limit for single‐junction solar cells. Employing the wide bandgap perovskite materials and low bandgap organic materials as absorber layers for front and rear subcells, respectively, to construct perovskite/organic TSCs can complementarily absorb sunlight in ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐Vis) range by front perovskite and near‐infrared (NIR) range by rear organic molecules, thus reducing the thermalization energy losses. Besides the subcells, the interconnection layer (ICL), which physically and electrically connects the front and rear subcells, is also an important tunnel junction to recombine charges. In this review, we summarize the optimization strategies of wide bandgap perovskites for front subcell, narrow bandgap organic material for rear subcell, and the ICLs employed in monolithic perovskite/organic TSCs.
Pharmacokinetics of AXA1665, a Novel Composition of Amino Acids, in Comparison With Protein Supplement: A Single‐Dose, Open‐Label, Randomized Study in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Vaidya Soniya , McLinden Joshua , Hinderliter Paul , Tatsuta Noriaki , Steinberg Alexandra , Rebello Sam
Published: February 2023

We evaluated the safety and tolerability of AXA1665, a novel investigational fixed‐ratio amino acid (AA) composition, the pharmacokinetics (PK) of the constituent AAs within AXA1665, and their relative bioavailability versus standard protein supplement. This study was conducted in 2 phases; in the initial phase, healthy subjects (N = 16) were randomly assigned to 4 treatment sequences (AXA1665 4.9, 9.8, and 19.6 g or 35 g protein supplement) in an open‐label, single‐dose, 4‐way crossover study, while in the extension phase, they received single AXA1665 doses of 29.4 and 39.2 g in a sequential crossover manner. The net area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) and observed time to reach maximum plasma concentration were estimated. A dose‐dependent increase in plasma AUC from time 0 to the last measurable concentration (AUClast) and maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was observed for all AXA1665‐dosed AAs (4.9–39.2 g) except aspartic acid. AXA1665 19.6 g resulted in 1.5‐ to 9.5‐fold higher systemic exposure to all AXA1665‐dosed AAs except for aspartic acid and lysine and lower exposure to all nondosed AAs except for glutamine and alanine versus protein supplement. AXA1665 doses, up to 39.2 g, can deliver AXA1665‐dosed AAs in the systemic circulation in the linear AUC range.
Height and crown allometries and their relationship with functional traits: An example from a subtropical wet forest
Authors: Yang Jie , Swenson Nathan G.
Published: February 2023

Forest tree communities are largely structured by interactions between phenotypes and their environments. Functional traits have been popularized as providing key insights into plant functional tradeoffs. Similarly, tree crown—stem diameter and tree height—stem diameter allometric relationships are likely to be strongly coordinated with functional trait tradeoff axes. Specifically, species with functional traits indicative of conservative strategies (i.e., dense wood, heavy seeds) should be related to tree architectures that have lower heights and wider crowns for a given stem diameter. For example, shade‐tolerant species in tropical forests are typically characterized as having dense wood, large seeds, and relatively broad crowns at early ontogenetic stages. Here, we focus on 14 dominant dicot tree species in a tropical forest. We utilized hierarchical Bayesian models to characterize species‐specific height and crown size allometric parameters. We sampled from the posterior distributions for these parameters and correlated them with six functional traits. We also characterize the expected height and crown size for a series of reference stem diameters to quantify the relationship between traits and tree architecture across size classes. We find little interspecific variation in allometric slopes, but clear variation in allometric intercepts. Allometeric height intercepts were negatively correlated with wood density and crown size intercepts were positively related to wood density and seed mass and negatively related to leaf percent phosphorus. Thus, interspecific variation in tree architecture is generated by interspecific variation in allometric intercepts and not slopes. These intercepts could be predicted using a handful of functional traits where conservative traits were indicative of trees that are relatively short and have larger crown sizes. This demonstrates a coordination of tropical tree life histories that can be characterized simultaneously with functional traits and tree allometries.
Sexual dimorphism as a facilitator of worker caste evolution in ants
Authors: Smith Chris R.
Published: February 2023

Ant societies are primarily composed of females, whereby labor is divided into reproductive, or queen, and non‐reproductive, or worker, castes. Workers and reproductive queens can differ greatly in behavior, longevity, physiology, and morphology, but queen–worker differences are usually modest relative to the differences in males. Males are short‐lived, typically do not provide the colony with labor, often look like a different species, and only occur seasonally. It is these differences that have historically led to their neglect in social insect research, but also why they may facilitate novel phenotypic variation – by increasing the phenotypic variability that is available for selection. In this study, worker variation in multivariate size–shape space paralleled male–queen variation. As worker variation increased within species, so did sexual variation. Across species in two independent genera, using head width as a proxy for body size, sexual size dimorphism correlated with worker polymorphism regardless of whether the ancestral condition was large or small worker/sexual dimorphism. Mounting molecular data support the hypothesis that queen–worker caste determination has co‐opted many genes/pathways from sex determination. The molecular evidence, coupled with the observations from this study, leads to the hypothesis that sexual selection and selection on colony‐level traits are non‐independent, and that sexual dimorphism may even have facilitated the evolution of the distinct worker caste.
Effects of continuous variation in vertical and lateral herkogamy on reproductive success in Euphorbia fischeriana (Euphorbiaceae)
Authors: Zhao Xiang , Yang Guang , Hou Qinzheng , Min Wenrui , Wang Taihong , Bao Xiaoyan
Published: February 2023

Continuous variation in herkogamy has been well reported, however, less attention has been paid to the phenomena that the consecutive expression of two types of herkogamy in the same flower. Euphorbia fischeriana, which have both vertical and lateral herkogamy, show vertical herkogamy during the female phase. However, their gynophores bend to one side with the male phase and show lateral herkogamy. In this study, we observed the effect of successive sexual organs movement on variation in herkogamy traits. By artificially manipulating the flower to present gynophore straightened in the floral center or bend to one side, we attempted to investigate whether herkogamy movement affects pollinator access efficiency, pollen removal and deposition, and seed set ratio. Furthermore, we conducted artificial pollination in the female phase to evaluate the effect of changes in pollination environment on the variations in herkogamy traits. The results showed that gynophore straightened in female phase favors pollen deposition, whereas gynophore bending in male phase was conducive to the removal of pollen. Visitation frequency, pollen deposition and removal, and seed set ratio decreased significantly when the gynophore movement was manipulated. Finally, the bending of gynophore was obviously promoted by pollination. Therefore, the continuous variation of herkogamy in the same flower of E. fischeriana caused by the bending of the gynophore could improve the accuracy of pollination and avoid the interference of the ovary with access efficiency. That may be an adaptive strategy when pollinators are scarce. Furthermore, our study also provides good support for the hypothesis that variations in herkogamy traits are strongly selected by differences in pollination environments.
Dissolved organic carbon load variability in the rainfall season dominated its interannual variability in the snowmelt driven basin: Evidence from 41 years data of headwater streams
Authors: Wu Jiefeng , Yao Huaxia , Wang Guoqing , Li Xuemei , Lin Bingqing
Published: February 2023

Numerous reports have observed variations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) under the changing environment. From the DOC load variability perspective, however, how much of the variability in DOC load occurred among different seasons, and which season was most synchronized with the interannual variability remains unknown. The weekly DOC concentration and daily discharge records from four headwater streams with long‐term (1978–2018) records in the snowmelt driven basin of Harp Lake, south‐central Ontario, Canada, were used to answer these issues. We also examined the contributions of variabilities in discharge and DOC concentration to the variability in DOC load. We found that the variability of DOC load in the rainfall season (autumn) instead of snowmelt season (spring) was most closely synchronized with its interannual variability, suggesting that if the DOC variability in the rainfall season stabilized, the interannual variability would be more stable. The interannual variabilities for discharge, DOC concentration and DOC load showed an insignificant decreasing trend in the monitored 41 years, and the respective contributions of the variability trend of discharge and DOC concentration to DOC load in rainfall season increased from 28.82% to 144.58% and decreased from 71.18% to −44.58% because the change trend of discharge variability was greater than that in DOC concentration. This study provides a case information in determining which factors contribute most to the variability of DOC load in the watershed, and which season may dominate its variability throughout the year.
Detection of catechins in tea beverages using a novel electrochemical sensor based on cyclodextrin nanosponges composite
Authors: Li Yuhong , Chen Xiaoling , Lin Yueli , Yang Yaqi , Zhang Li , Zhao Pengcheng , Wang Chenxi , Fei Junjie , Xie Yixi
Published: February 2023

Catechin (Cat) is one of the primary functional components of tea, and its accurate detection is significant for understanding the health benefits of tea. In this study, cyclodextrin nanosponges (CDNS) were prepared and employed to combine with graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and carboxylated multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs‐COOH) to form a CDNS/GQDs/MWCNTs‐COOH composite. Scanning electron microscope and X‐ray diffraction were used to characterize the composite which was used to build a new electrochemical Cat sensor. The abundance of cavities, intermolecular gaps, and surface active groups of CD molecules endowed CDNS with remarkable Cat enrichment capacity. Due to the outstanding biocompatibility of GQDs, the good electrocatalytic activity of MWCNTs‐COOH, and the enrichment capacity of CDNS, the composite modified glass carbon electrode (GCE) exhibited excellent electrochemical sensing performance. The CDNS/GQDs/MWCNTs‐COOH/GCE showed a sensitive peak current response to catechins in the linear range between 2 × 10−8 and 1.2 × 10−6 M, with a minimum limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 4.45 nM. The sensor has also been successfully applied for catechin detection in tea beverages.
CD8 T‐cell diversification: Asymmetric cell division and its functional implications
Authors: Gräbnitz Fabienne , Oxenius Annette
Published: February 2023

Establishment of cellular diversity is a basic requirement for the development of multicellular organisms. Cellular diversification can be induced by asymmetric cell division (ACD), during which the emerging two daughter cells unequally inherit lineage specific cargo (including transcription factors, receptors for specific signaling inputs, metabolic platforms, and possibly different epigenetic landscapes), resulting in two daughter cells endowed with different fates. While ACD is strongly involved in lineage choices in mammalian stem cells, its role in fate diversification in lineage committed cell subsets that still exhibit plastic potential, such as T‐cells, is currently investigated. In this review, we focus predominantly on the role of ACD in fate diversification of CD8 T‐cells. Further, we discuss the impact of differential T‐cell receptor stimulation strengths and differentiation history on ACD‐mediated fate diversification and highlight a particular importance of ACD in the development of memory CD8 T‐cells upon high‐affinity stimulation conditions.
SnS/MoS2 van der Waals heterojunction for in‐plane ferroelectric field‐effect transistors with multibit memory and logic characteristics
Authors: Singh Prashant , Rhee Dongjoon , Baek Sungpyo , Yoo Hyun Ho , Niu Jingjie , Jung Myeongjin , Kang Joohoon , Lee Sungjoo
Published: February 2023

Ferroelectric two dimensional (2D) materials hold great potential to develop modern miniaturized electronic and memory devices. 2D ferroelectrics exhibiting spontaneous polarization in the out‐of‐plane direction have been extensively investigated to date, but the loss of their polarization during device operation has been problematic. Although 2D materials with in‐plane ferroelectric behavior are more stable against depolarization and thus promising for memory and logic applications, experimental realization of in‐plane 2D ferroelectric devices is still scarce. Here, we demonstrate in‐plane ferroelectric field effect transistors (FETs) based on a van der Waals heterojunction (vdWHJ), which can perform multibit memory and logic operations. Tin monosulfide (SnS), a 2D material with in‐plane ferroelectricity, is partially stacked on top of a semiconducting molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) on a silicon dioxide (SiO2)‐coated silicon substrate to fabricate vdWHJ FETs in back‐gate configuration. Switching of the in‐plane polarization direction in the SnS channel modulates the contact barriers at the electrode/SnS and SnS/MoS2 interfaces, thereby creating high resistance states and low resistance states (LRS). The device exhibits a logic transfer characteristic with a high drain current on/off ratio (>106) in LRS and non‐volatile memory performance with excellent retention characteristics (extrapolated retention time > 10 years). With exquisite tuning of the channel resistance by SnS polarization and gate bias, we realize multiple states with distinct current levels for multibit memory and logic operations suitable for programmable logic‐in‐memory applications.

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Drift‐ and energy‐based seismic performance assessment of retrofitted wood frame shear wall buildings: Shake table tests
Authors: Ventura Carlos E. , Motamedi Mehrtash , Pan Yuxin , Tesfamariam Solomon , Xiong Haibei
Published: February 2023

In 2004, the Province of British Columbia (BC) announced a multi‐year $1.5 billion seismic retrofit program for the province's 750 at‐risk public schools. The purpose of this program was to quantify the seismic risk of the province's public‐school buildings and to expedite the seismic upgrading of the most at‐risk schools. In order to provide a safe and cost‐effective implementation of this program, the Engineers and Geoscientists BC, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, has developed a performance‐based probabilistic method and guidelines for the seismic risk assessment and retrofit of low‐rise buildings. As part of this initiative, a number of laboratory experiments have been conducted to provide data that would support the recommendations provided in the guidelines. The laboratory experiments included several full‐scale shake table tests of wood frame systems. The specimens were subjected to sequences of earthquake motions to simulate their performance under main shock‐aftershocks. This paper presents details of seven of the experiment and wood‐frame buildings considered. A detailed discussion of the results of the analyses of the shake table tests data, and performance assessment using drift‐ and energy‐based damage indices is presented. This study highlights the importance of considering the effects of subduction earthquake and mainshock‐aftershock sequences for design and retrofit of wood frame structures.
Effect of glass frits on ceramifiable properties of polyethylene composites
Authors: Xu Lang , Shen Jiapei , Sun Qing , Zhang Jian , Sheng Jiawei
Published: February 2023

Ceramification of polymer composites is an excellent method for enhancing the flame retardancy of the materials. The low temperature softening glass frit added in the composites plays a key role in the ceramification process of the composites. Ceramizable polyethylene (PE)/wollastonite fiber (WF) composites are processed by mixing with three types of glass frit. The ceramic residues formed were characterized by the linear shrinkage, weight loss, flexural strength, apparent porosity, and self‐supporting property measurements. The density and strength of the ceramic increased with the increasing sintering temperature, but were affected by the wettability and fluidity of the glass frit. The addition of glass frit can increase the thermal decomposition temperature of PE. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis found the form of a new phase of hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) in the ceramifiable PE/WF composites by adding phosphate glass frit, which improved the self‐supporting properties of the ceramic residues.
Free will determines the limits of psychological foresight: Review of “Free Will” by Sam Harris
Authors: Grüning David J.
Published: February 2023

The existence of free will and its prerequisites have entertained countless debates. The position one takes in these debates dictates their outlook on limitations of predicting human psychology. Sam Harris (2012), in his book, misses out on exploring these consequences accepting or rejecting free will has for the predictability of human decision‐making and action‐taking. Likewise, referencers of his work addressed this topic only peripherally and, to the best of my knowledge, have never explored its consequences in depth. Therefore, in the present review, I aim to demonstrate and formalize the following: If we understand human cognition and behavior as the result of environmental and individual causes that both are knowable, adding a per definition indeterminable source, namely, free will, can only reduce the maximum possible power of any used prediction model. Accepting a free human will renders error‐free foresight theoretically, and empirically, impossible. This has consequences for all forecasting and planning methods that concern human agents as well as their tools’ utility (e.g., scenarios and psychological analysis). I address the consequences free will belief has conceptually for three application fields: management and leadership, historic analysis, and theory building.
Fama–French three versus five, which model is better? A machine learning approach
Authors: Diallo Boubacar , Bagudu Aliyu , Zhang Qi
Published: February 2023

This research proposes new estimations of the Fama–French three‐ and five‐factor models via a machine learning approach. Specifically, it uses a Bayesian optimization‐support vector regression (BSVR) approach to obtain predictions of portfolio returns. On data from five industries' portfolio returns in the United States over the period July 1926 to January 2019, the BSVR models perform well. Specifically, our new model, called the Fama–French BSVR three‐factor model, outperformed the Fama–French BSVR five‐factor model. More precisely, the Fama–French BSVR three‐factor estimations attain out‐of‐sample (testing dataset) correlation coefficients of 94% for portfolio returns for the consumption and manufacturing industries. A correlation of 92% between the predicted and experimental values of portfolio returns was found for the high‐tech industry; 91% was found for the mining, construction, transportation, hotels, entertainment, and finance industries. However, for the Fama–French BSVR five‐factor model, the correlation coefficients lie between 48% (health industry) and 89% (high‐tech industry).
Forecasting stock volatility with a large set of predictors: A new forecast combination method
Authors: Gong Xue , Zhang Weiguo , Zhao Yuan , Ye Xin
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates how to improve the prediction accuracy of stock realized volatility using a large set of predictors. Exploiting normalized positive adjusted
and significant
statistic of predictor obtained from the in‐sample result as weight, we develop two simple and effective forecast combination methods. Using an array of 86 equity, bond, forex, futures, behavior, macroeconomic, and uncertainty predictors, we find that the proposed methodologies significantly improve stock realized volatility out‐of‐sample prediction performance relative to several extant forecast combinations. This result is robust for different individual forecast models, different dependent variables, and different out‐of‐sample periods. Furthermore, we explain that out‐of‐sample predictability varies significantly with changes in the number of predictors. And the existence of a strongly powerful volatility predictor affects this change.
Strukturoptimierung von Spritzbetonschalen – Versagensanalysen von Spritzbetonschalen bei Betrachtung von Vortriebsoptimierungen
Authors: Cordes Tobias , Voit Klaus
Published: February 2023

A framework with a robust design of the driving classes is fundamental for the tunnel design. During tunnel advance, the detailed design of the lining is depending on the documented geology and the observed system behaviour. To reduce costs, the excavation profile is optimized with the aim of reducing overbreaks and shotcrete masses. This achieved profile accuracy is beneficial for the load‐bearing capacity of the rock and the shotcrete lining. For temporary and permanent tunnel shotcrete linings, the excavation profile accuracy influences the stress distribution, the crack pattern and the expected deformations. In the course of this study, the effect of the excavation geometry on the load‐bearing capacity of the primary lining of drill and blast tunnels was examined. For this purpose, shotcrete linings, reinforced by steel meshes and fibre‐reinforced linings, were compared in optimized and non‐optimized scanned excavation cross‐sections. In each case, an ultimate load and failure analysis was carried out to assess shells in the hardened state by means of numerical modelling (ATENA). The aim is to determine the load‐bearing capacity of the shell structure in order to obtain a conclusion regarding its structural robustness. The interaction between the rock/soil soil and the structure as well as a time‐dependent material behaviour were not considered. It could be shown how an irregular overbreak or an inconsistent shell thickness has a negative effect on the load‐bearing capacity of the structure.
Simultaneous assessment of health, safety, and environmental risks using William Fine and FMEA methods based on OHSAS 18001: 2007 standard in the Alborz tunnel, Iran
Authors: Zahed Mohammad Ali , Seidi Fouad , Salehi Samira , Pardakhti Amirarsellon
Published: February 2023

In this study, the critical risks and their effects on each other for the Alborz tunnel construction project, which is known as the longest road tunnel in the Middle East, have been evaluated on a case‐by‐case basis. In addition to covering all safety hazards in important tunnel drilling operations using the failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) method, which is one of the risk assessment methods for operations and has been widely used in manufacturing, drilling, and tunneling industries, health hazards that affect employees and can cause a variety of job diseases have been studied and in order to identify, evaluate, and quantify the results, the William Fine method has been implemented. Also, all the risks have been identified and evaluated within the framework of OHSAS 18001 standard which was presented in 1999 due to the lack of an international standard regarding occupational health and safety and its last revision was done in 2007. Based on the research results, according to FMEA method, a total of 46 critical risks, 26 very high risks, 22 high risks, 8 medium risks, 34 low risks, 29 very low risks, and 8 insignificant risks in the field of safety have been identified and evaluated. In the field of job health, 165 high‐level risks, 28 medium‐level risks, and 57 low‐level risks were assessed and finally in the environmental field, 7 high‐level risks and 1 risk for each of the intermediate and low level have been inferred.
Innovative contract and compensation model in mechanised tunnelling – Calculation of the deviating construction time based on digital excavation and process data
Authors: Bisenberger Tobias
Published: February 2023

The handling of a tunnel construction project poses great challenges for all those involved. Variables that cannot be clearly quantified can arise during the entire process of the project. The subsoil in tunnelling is one of these parameters which is difficult to forecast. The geological and hydrogeological conditions must be assessed during the planning phase with the help of exploratory measures and from the experience from projects that have already been built.

During the execution work, deviations from the documents on which the target determination is based occur in almost all underground construction projects. These changes can either cause a change in the construction process and/or lead to a different construction time in relation to the calculated duration.

Based on this initial situation, the development of an innovative contract and remuneration model for machine tunnelling appears to be important. The main focus of the model is to generate a transparent and comprehensible method of how the remuneration‐worthy portion can be calculated in the case of a different construction time in mechanised tunnelling. In order to ensure this transparency and traceability of the system to be developed, the data records that can be digitally recorded during the tunnelling work are used as a fundamental basis for the created model.
Analyses of Pre‐Excavation Grouting for TBM Tunnelling
Authors: Wannenmacher Helmut , Schlicke Marcel
Published: February 2023

Pre‐excavation grouting (PEG) is essential for mitigating groundwater inflow to unlined tunnel structures. Prevention of initial water inflow proved best practice to balance groundwater conditions throughout the utilisation of a tunnel. The grouted rock mass acts as a circumferential sealing barrier instead of a secondary lining to minimise groundwater inflow to an acceptable level over the structure's lifetime. The construction of unlined tunnels relies on existing favourable in‐situ rock mass conditions with an overall low hydraulic head, mainly to keep the effort of grouting inferior and avoid an unbalanced proportion of pre‐excavation grouting during the tunnel construction works.

From the operational perspective of tunnelling works, pre‐excavation grouting delineates the continuous excavation process of a TBM and represents a discontinuative work process. In addition, grouting includes an exploration process ahead of the cutterhead to predict the ground conditions to align the sealing demand of the rock mass. Generally, pre‐excavation grouting foresees the drilling of mainly open boreholes with a considerable length of 20 m to 25 m ahead of the tunnel boring machine (TBM). Establishing a continuous grouted zone around the tunnel demands an overlapping of the grouting rings ranging from 2 m to 10 m. The overlapping decreases the excavation length of the TBM adequately. The repetitive grouting process interfering with the excavation consists of various processes such as exploration including water loss measuring (WLM), the drilling and grouting of boreholes and the hardening time.

TBM tunnelling depends on the systematic and continuous implementation of construction procedures. Therefore, based on current static pre‐excavation grouting, an agile combined grouting and excavation approach is presented, incorporating a reliable pre‐excavation grouting, a systematic TBM excavation and a specific balance of long‐term sealing and high utilisation rates for TBM excavation.
Effects of social context manipulation on dorsal and ventral hippocampal neuronal responses
Authors: Wu Wen‐Yi , Yiu Eunice , Ophir Alexander G. , Smith David M.
Published: February 2023

The hippocampus is critical for contextual memory and has recently been implicated in various kinds of social memory. Traditionally, studies of hippocampal context coding have manipulated elements of the background environment, such as the shape and color of the apparatus. These manipulations produce large shifts in the spatial firing patterns, a phenomenon known as remapping. These findings suggest that the hippocampus encodes and differentiates contexts by generating unique spatial firing patterns for each environment a subject encounters. However, we do not know whether the hippocampus encodes social contexts defined by the presence of particular conspecifics. We examined this by exposing rats to a series of manipulations of the social context, including the presence of familiar male, unfamiliar male and female conspecifics, in order to determine whether remapping is a plausible mechanism for encoding socially‐defined contexts. Because the dorsal and ventral regions of the hippocampus are thought to play different roles in spatial and social cognition, we recorded neurons in both regions. Surprisingly, we found little evidence of remapping in response to manipulation of the social context in either the dorsal or ventral hippocampus, although we saw typical remapping in response to changing the background color. This result suggests that remapping is not the primary mechanism for encoding different social contexts. However, we found that a subset of hippocampal neurons fired selectively near the cages that contained the conspecifics, and these responses were most prevalent in the ventral hippocampus. We also found a striking increase in the spatial information content of ventral hippocampal firing patterns. These results indicate that the ventral hippocampus is sensitive to changes in the social context and neurons that respond selectively near the conspecific cages could play an important, if not fully understood role in encoding the conjunction of conspecifics, their location and the environment.
Chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia: An alternative single‐cell RNA sequencing approach
Authors: Cheng Po‐Liang , Hsiao Tzu‐Hung , Chen Chung‐Hsing , Hung Miao‐Neng , Jhan Pei‐Pei , Lee Li‐Wen , Wu Ting‐Shuan , Tsai Jia‐Rung , Teng Chieh‐Lin Jerry
Published: February 2023

Our previous study demonstrated that myc, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, mTOR, and stemness are independently responsible for chemoresistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. This study aimed to identify potential mechanisms of chemoresistance of the “7 + 3” induction in AML by using a single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) approach. In the present study, 13 untreated patients with de novo AML were enrolled and stratified into two groups: complete remission (CR; n = 8) and non‐CR (n = 5). Single‐cell RNA sequencing was used to analyze genetic profiles of 28,950 AML cells from these patients; results were validated using a previously published bulk RNA‐seq dataset. Our study results showed chemoresistant AML cells had premature accumulation during early hematopoiesis. Hematopoietic stem cell‐like cells from the non‐CR group expressed more leukemic stem cell markers (CD9, CD82, IL3RA, and IL1RAP) than those from the CR group. Chemoresistant progenitor cells had impaired myeloid differentiation owing to early arrest of hematopoiesis. Notably, AML cells analyzed by scRNA‐seq and bulk RNA‐seq harbored a comparable myeloid lineage cell fraction, which internally validated our results. Using the TCGA database, our analysis demonstrated that patients with AML with higher expression of chemoresistant genetic markers (IL3RA and IL1RAP) had a worse overall survival (p < 0.01 for IL3RA; p < 0.05 for IL1RAP). In conclusion, AML cells responsive and resistant to the “7 + 3” induction were derived from a diverse cancerous hematopoietic stem cell population, as indicated by the specific genetic biomarkers obtained using scRNA‐seq approach. Furthermore, arrest of hematopoiesis was shown to occur earlier in chemoresistant AML cells, furthering the current understanding of chemoresistance in AML.
Using pressure mapping intraoperatively to prevent pressure ulcers—A quasi‐experimental study
Authors: Sving Eva B. M. , Gunningberg Lena A. C. , Bååth Carina B. , Björn Catrine U. S.
Published: February 2023

Background and Aim

Patients undergoing surgery are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers. However, pressure ulcer prevention in the operating room department is demanding and restricted. New techniques, such as continuous pressure mapping that visualizes interface pressure, are now available. The aim of the study was to determine whether pressure mapping information of interface pressure intraoperatively leads to (1) more frequent intraoperative micro repositioning and a reduced amount of pressure on the sacrum area and (2) a lower frequency of pressure ulcer development.

Methods

A quasi‐experimental ABA design was used. A total of 116 patients undergoing surgery were included. During the B phase, the need to consider repositioning the patient according to interface pressure readings was initiated.

Results

The result showed that there was significantly higher interface pressure in the A2 phase than in the B phase. Micro repositioning of the patient during surgery was performed in the B phase, but not in the A phase. The regression model showed that a higher BMI was associated with higher interface pressure. None of the patients developed hospital‐acquired pressure ulcers up to Day 1 postoperatively.

Conclusion

Pressure mapping involves moving away from expert opinion and tradition towards objective assessment and flexibility and we see the benefits of using pressure‐mapping equipment in operating room contexts. However, more research is needed in this area.