bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rational design of hyperstable antibacterial peptides for food preservation
Authors: Vishweshwaraiah Yashavantha L. , Acharya Abhishek , Hegde Vinayak , Prakash Balaji
Published: September 2021

We describe the design of peptides with properties like thermostability, pH stability, and antibacterial activity against a few bacterial food pathogens. Insights obtained from classical structure-function analysis of natural peptides and their mutants through antimicrobial and enzymatic assays are used to rationally develop a set of peptides. pH and thermostability assays were performed to demonstrate robust antimicrobial activity post-treatment with high temperatures and at wide pH ranges. We have also investigated the mode of action of these hyperstable peptides using membrane permeability assays, electron microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. Notably, through mutational studies, we show that these peptides elicit their antibacterial action via both membrane destabilization and inhibition of intracellular trypsin—the two functions attributable to separate peptide segments. Finally, toxicity studies and food preservation assays demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the designed peptides for food preservation. Overall, the study provides a general ‘blueprint’ for the development of stable antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Insights obtained from this work may also be combined with combinatorial methods in high-throughput studies for future development of antimicrobials for various applications.
Measuring the density structure of an accretion hot spot
Authors: Espaillat C. C. , Robinson C. E. , Romanova M. M. , Thanathibodee T. , Wendeborn J. , Calvet N. , Reynolds M. , Muzerolle J.
Published: September 2021

Magnetospheric accretion models predict that matter from protoplanetary disks accretes onto stars via funnel flows, which follow stellar magnetic field lines and shock on the stellar surfaces1–3, leaving hot spots with density gradients4–6. Previous work has provided observational evidence of varying density in hot spots7, but these observations were not sensitive to the radial density distribution. Attempts have been made to measure this distribution using X-ray observations8–10; however, X-ray emission traces only a fraction of the hot spot11,12 and also coronal emission13,14. Here we report periodic ultraviolet and optical light curves of the accreting star GM Aurigae, which have a time lag of about one day between their peaks. The periodicity arises because the source of the ultraviolet and optical emission moves into and out of view as it rotates along with the star. The time lag indicates a difference in the spatial distribution of ultraviolet and optical brightness over the stellar surface. Within the framework of a magnetospheric accretion model, this finding indicates the presence of a radial density gradient in a hot spot on the stellar surface, because regions of the hot spot with different densities have different temperatures and therefore emit radiation at different wavelengths.
A high-spatial-resolution dataset of human thermal stress indices over South and East Asia
Authors: Yan Yechao , Xu Yangyang , Yue Shuping
Published: September 2021

Thermal stress poses a major public health threat in a warming world, especially to disadvantaged communities. At the population group level, human thermal stress is heavily affected by landscape heterogeneities such as terrain, surface water, and vegetation. High-spatial-resolution thermal-stress indices, containing more detailed spatial information, are greatly needed to characterize the spatial pattern of thermal stress to enable a better understanding of its impacts on public health, tourism, and study and work performance. Here, we present a 0.1° × 0.1° gridded dataset of multiple thermal stress indices derived from the newly available ECMWF ERA5-Land and ERA5 reanalysis products over South and East Asia from 1981 to 2019. This high-spatial-resolution database of human thermal stress indices over South and East Asia (HiTiSEA), which contains the daily mean, maximum, and minimum values of UTCI, MRT, and eight other widely adopted indices, is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications and allows researchers and practitioners to investigate the spatial and temporal evolution of human thermal stress and its impacts on densely populated regions over South and East Asia at a finer scale.
Marangoni effect inspired robotic self-propulsion over a water surface using a flow-imbibition-powered microfluidic pump
Authors: Kwak Bokeon , Choi Soyoung , Maeng Jiyeon , Bae Joonbum
Published: September 2021

Certain aquatic insects rapidly traverse water by secreting surfactants that exploit the Marangoni effect, inspiring the development of many self-propulsion systems. In this research, to demonstrate a new way of delivering liquid fuel to a water surface for Marangoni propulsion, a microfluidic pump driven by the flow-imbibition by a porous medium was integrated to create a novel self-propelling robot. After triggered by a small magnet, the liquid fuel stored in a microchannel is autonomously transported to an outlet in a mechanically tunable manner. We also comprehensively analyzed the effects of various design parameters on the robot’s locomotory behavior. It was shown that the traveled distance, energy density of fuel, operation time, and motion directionality were tunable by adjusting porous media, nozzle diameter, keel-extrusion, and the distance between the nozzle and water surface. The utilization of a microfluidic device in bioinspired robot is expected to bring out new possibilities in future development of self-propulsion system.
Neural activity in the human anterior thalamus during natural vision
Authors: Leszczynski Marcin , Chaieb Leila , Staudigl Tobias , Enkirch Simon Jonas , Fell Juergen , Schroeder Charles E.
Published: September 2021

In natural vision humans and other primates explore environment by active sensing, using saccadic eye movements to relocate the fovea and sample different bits of information multiple times per second. Saccades induce a phase reset of ongoing neuronal oscillations in primary and higher-order visual cortices and in the medial temporal lobe. As a result, neuron ensembles are shifted to a common state at the time visual input propagates through the system (i.e., just after fixation). The extent of the brain’s circuitry that is modulated by saccades is not yet known. Here, we evaluate the possibility that saccadic phase reset impacts the anterior nuclei of the thalamus (ANT). Using recordings in the human thalamus of three surgical patients during natural vision, we found that saccades and visual stimulus onset both modulate neural activity, but with distinct field potential morphologies. Specifically, we found that fixation-locked field potentials had a component that preceded saccade onset. It was followed by an early negativity around 50 ms after fixation onset which is significantly faster than any response to visual stimulus presentation. The timing of these events suggests that the ANT is predictively modulated before the saccadic eye movement. We also found oscillatory phase concentration, peaking at 3–4 Hz, coincident with suppression of Broadband High-frequency Activity (BHA; 80–180 Hz), both locked to fixation onset supporting the idea that neural oscillations in these nuclei are reorganized to a low excitability state right after fixation onset. These findings show that during real-world natural visual exploration neural dynamics in the human ANT is influenced by visual and oculomotor events, which supports the idea that ANT, apart from their contribution to episodic memory, also play a role in natural vision.
Reallocation of water resources according to social, economic, and environmental parameters
Authors: Rezaee Alireza , Bozorg-Haddad Omid , Chu Xuefeng
Published: September 2021

Population growth, urbanization, and industrial development have significantly increased water demands in many countries, raising the concerns about water resources sustainability to meet the needs of humans and the environment. Furthermore, the economy-oriented allocation of water resources has caused many socio-environmental problems. The main goal of this study is to develop a system dynamics modeling framework that integrates economic, social, and environmental dimensions for the decision of water resources allocation. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to rank modeling scenarios and identify the best strategy for water allocation. In the application to East Azerbaijan province of Iran, six industry groups (including chemical, food and beverage, non-metal, machinery and equipment, metal, and textile), thirteen water allocation scenarios, and five criteria (including profit index, employment index, return of surface water, groundwater sustainability index, and total allocated water) were considered. The TOPSIS results showed that in the best scenario most water was allocated to the non-metal industry with a relative distance of 0.63 to the ideal solution. On the other hand, the current water allocation scenario ranked seventh, indicating that significant improvements are required to take into account the social, economic, and environmental factors for optimal reallocation of water resources among different industry users.
Efficacy of a comprehensive binary classification model using a deep convolutional neural network for wireless capsule endoscopy
Authors: Kim Sang Hoon , Hwang Youngbae , Oh Dong Jun , Nam Ji Hyung , Kim Ki Bae , Park Junseok , Song Hyun Joo , Lim Yun Jeong
Published: September 2021

The manual reading of capsule endoscopy (CE) videos in small bowel disease diagnosis is time-intensive. Algorithms introduced to automate this process are premature for real clinical applications, and multi-diagnosis using these methods has not been sufficiently validated. Therefore, we developed a practical binary classification model, which selectively identifies clinically meaningful images including inflamed mucosa, atypical vascularity or bleeding, and tested it with unseen cases. Four hundred thousand CE images were randomly selected from 84 cases in which 240,000 images were used to train the algorithm to categorize images binarily. The remaining images were utilized for validation and internal testing. The algorithm was externally tested with 256,591 unseen images. The diagnostic accuracy of the trained model applied to the validation set was 98.067%. In contrast, the accuracy of the model when applied to a dataset provided by an independent hospital that did not participate during training was 85.470%. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.922. Our model showed excellent internal test results, and the misreadings were slightly increased when the model was tested in unseen external cases while the classified ‘insignificant’ images contain ambiguous substances. Once this limitation is solved, the proposed CNN-based binary classification will be a promising candidate for developing clinically-ready computer-aided reading methods.
Creation, evolution, and dissolution of social groups
Authors: Flamino James , Szymanski Boleslaw K. , Bahulkar Ashwin , Chan Kevin , Lizardo Omar
Published: September 2021

Understanding why people join, stay, or leave social groups is a central question in the social sciences, including computational social systems, while modeling these processes is a challenge in complex networks. Yet, the current empirical studies rarely focus on group dynamics for lack of data relating opinions to group membership. In the NetSense data, we find hundreds of face-to-face groups whose members make thousands of changes of memberships and opinions. We also observe two trends: opinion homogeneity grows over time, and individuals holding unpopular opinions frequently change groups. These observations and data provide us with the basis on which we model the underlying dynamics of human behavior. We formally define the utility that members gain from ingroup interactions as a function of the levels of homophily of opinions of group members with opinions of a given individual in this group. We demonstrate that so-defined utility applied to our empirical data increases after each observed change. We then introduce an analytical model and show that it accurately recreates the trends observed in the NetSense data.
Arsenic leads to autophagy of keratinocytes by increasing aquaporin 3 expression
Authors: Yu Sebastian , Li Ling-Hau , Lee Chih-Hung , Jeyakannu Palaniraja , Wang Jeh-Jeng , Hong Chien-Hui
Published: September 2021

Exposure to arsenic, a ubiquitous metalloid on Earth, results in human cancers. Skin cancer is the most common arsenical cancers. Both autophagy and aquaporin pathway are known to promote carcinogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which arsenic regulates aquaporin and autophagy in arsenical skin cancers remain elusive. This study aims to address how arsenic regulates aquaporin-3, the predominant aquaporin in epidermal keratinocytes, and how this process would induce autophagy. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence were used to measure the expression of aquaporin 3 in arsenical skin cancers and arsenic-treated keratinocytes. Beclin-1 expression and autophagy were measured. We examined if blocking aquaporin 3 could interfere arsenic-induced autophagy in keratinocytes. Expression of aquaporin 3 is increased in arsenical cancers and in arsenic-treated keratinocytes. Arsenic induced autophagy in primary human keratinocytes. Notably, the arsenic-induced autophagy was inhibited by pretreatment of keratinocytes with aquaporin inhibitors Auphen or AgNO3, or RNA interference against aquaporin 3. The data indicates that the aquaporin 3 is an important cell membrane channel to mediate arsenic uptake and contributes to the arsenic-induced autophagy.
Automated processing of thermal imaging to detect COVID-19
Authors: Brzezinski Rafael Y. , Rabin Neta , Lewis Nir , Peled Racheli , Kerpel Ariel , Tsur Avishai M. , Gendelman Omer , Naftali-Shani Nili , Gringauz Irina , Amital Howard , Leibowitz Avshalom , Mayan Haim , Ben-Zvi Ilan , Heller Eyal , Shechtman Liran , Rogowski Ori , Shenhar-Tsarfaty Shani , Konen Eli , Marom Edith M. , Ironi Avinoah , Rahav Galia , Zimmer Yair , Grossman Ehud , Ovadia-Blechman Zehava , Leor Jonathan , Hoffer Oshrit
Published: September 2021

Rapid and sensitive screening tools for SARS-CoV-2 infection are essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 and to properly allocate national resources. Here, we developed a new point-of-care, non-contact thermal imaging tool to detect COVID-19, based on advanced image processing algorithms. We captured thermal images of the backs of individuals with and without COVID-19 using a portable thermal camera that connects directly to smartphones. Our novel image processing algorithms automatically extracted multiple texture and shape features of the thermal images and achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 in COVID-19 detection with up to 92% sensitivity. Thermal imaging scores were inversely correlated with clinical variables associated with COVID-19 disease progression. In summary, we show, for the first time, that a hand-held thermal imaging device can be used to detect COVID-19. Non-invasive thermal imaging could be used to screen for COVID-19 in out-of-hospital settings, especially in low-income regions with limited imaging resources.
PD-L1 expression as a predictor of postoperative recurrence and the association between the PD-L1 expression and EGFR mutations in NSCLC
Authors: Kojima Kensuke , Sakamoto Tetsuki , Kasai Takahiko , Kagawa Tomoko , Yoon Hyungeun , Atagi Shinji
Published: September 2021

Although information on the PD-L1 expression and EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is important for therapeutic strategies, the effect of these factors on postoperative recurrence and the association between each factor have remained unclear. We retrospectively assessed the PD-L1 expression and EGFR mutations in 280 NSCLC patients, and analyzed the associations by multivariate analyses. The hazard ratio (HR) of postoperative recurrence in cases with high (≥ 50%) PD-L1 expression regarding negative expression was 4.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51–15.5). The HR for the PD-L1 expression, considered a continuous variable, was 1.016 (95% CI 1.01–1.03). The HRs in cases with EGFR major and minor mutations were 0.42 (95% CI 0.14–1.25) and 0.63 (95% CI 0.18–2.15), respectively. The high PD-L1 (≥ 50%) expression was significantly associated with exon 21 L858R mutation (Ex21) of EGFR (odds ratio, 0.10; 95% CI 0.01–0.87). The risk of postoperative recurrence increased 1.016-fold for every 1% increase in the PD-L1 expression, and a marked increase in risk was observed for expression levels of ≥ 50%. Whereas EGFR mutations were not an independent risk factor. The high PD-L1 (≥ 50%) expression was negatively associated with Ex21. These findings may help identify NSCLC patients with an increased risk of postoperative recurrence.
Comprehensive evaluation of soil quality in a desert steppe influenced by industrial activities in northern China
Authors: Xu Zhe , Mi Wenbao , Mi Nan , Fan Xingang , Zhou Yao , Tian Ying
Published: September 2021

Desert steppe soil security issues have been the focus of attention. Therefore, to understand the impact of industrial activities on the soil quality of desert grasslands, this experiment investigated the Gaoshawo Industrial Concentration Zone in Yanchi County. Based on the distance and direction from the industrial park, sample plots were established at intervals of 1–2 km. A total of 82 surface soil samples (0–20 cm) representing different pollution sources were collected. The samples were analysed for pH, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, available potassium, organic matter, copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). The desert steppe soil quality was analysed based on the integrated fertility index (IFI) and the Nemerow pollution index (PN), followed by the calculation of the comprehensive soil quality index (SQI), which considers the most suitable soil quality indicators through a geostatistical model. The results showed that the IFI was 0.393, indicating that the soil fertility was relatively poor. Excluding the available potassium, the nugget coefficients of the fertility indicators were less than 25% and showed strong spatial autocorrelation. The average values of Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb and Zn were 21.64 ± 3.26, 0.18 ± 0.02, 44.99 ± 21.23, 87.18 ± 25.84, and 86.63 ± 24.98 mg·kg−1, respectively; the nugget coefficients of Cr, Pb and Zn were 30.79–47.35%. Pb was the main element causing heavy metal pollution in the study area. Higher PN values were concentrated north of the highway in the study area, resulting in lower soil quality in the northern region and a trend of decreasing soil quality from south to north. The results of this research showed that the average SQI was 0.351 and the soil quality was extremely low. Thus, industrial activities and transportation activities in the Gaoshawo Industrial Zone significantly impact the desert steppe soil quality index.
Dimension- and position-controlled growth of GaN microstructure arrays on graphene films for flexible device applications
Authors: Yoo Dongha , Lee Keundong , Tchoe Youngbin , Guha Puspendu , Ali Asad , Saroj Rajendra K. , Lee Seokje , Islam A. B. M. Hamidul , Kim Miyoung , Yi Gyu-Chul
Published: September 2021

This paper describes the fabrication process and characteristics of dimension- and position-controlled gallium nitride (GaN) microstructure arrays grown on graphene films and their quantum structures for use in flexible light-emitting device applications. The characteristics of dimension- and position-controlled growth, which is crucial to fabricate high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices, were investigated using scanning and transmission electron microscopes and power-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements. Among the GaN microstructures, GaN microrods exhibited excellent photoluminescence characteristics including room-temperature stimulated emission, which is especially useful for optoelectronic device applications. As one of the device applications of the position-controlled GaN microrod arrays, we fabricated light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by heteroepitaxially growing InxGa1−xN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and a p-type GaN layer on the surfaces of GaN microrods and by depositing Ti/Au and Ni/Au metal layers to prepare n-type and p-type ohmic contacts, respectively. Furthermore, the GaN microrod LED arrays were transferred onto Cu foil by using the chemical lift-off method. Even after being transferred onto the flexible Cu foil substrate, the microrod LEDs exhibited strong emission of visible blue light. The proposed method to enable the dimension- and position-controlled growth of GaN microstructures on graphene films can likely be used to fabricate other high-quality flexible inorganic semiconductor devices such as micro-LED displays with an ultrahigh resolution.
Non-fusion palliative spine surgery without reconstruction is safe and effective in spinal metastasis patients: retrospective study
Authors: Suvithayasiri Siravich , Santipas Borriwat , Wilartratsami Sirichai , Ruangchainikom Monchai , Luksanapruksa Panya
Published: September 2021

Considering the shorter life expectancy and poorer prognosis of metastatic epidural spinal cord compression patients, anterior reconstruction and fusion may be unnecessary. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of palliative surgery for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression with neurological deficit among patients who underwent posterior decompression and instrumentation without fusion or anterior reconstruction. This single-center retrospective review included all patients aged > 18 years with thoracic or lumbar spinal metastasis who were surgically treated for metastatic spinal cord compression without fusion or anterior reconstruction at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand during July 2015 to December 2017. Data from preoperation to the 1-year follow-up, including demographic and clinical data, Frankel classification, pain scores, complication, revision surgery, health-related quality-of-life scores, and survival data, were collected and analyzed. A total of 30 patients were included. The mean age was 59.83 ± 11.73 years, and 20 (66.7%) patients were female. The mean operative time was 208.17 ± 58.41 min. At least one Frankel grade improvement was reported in 53.33% of patients. The pain visual analog scale, the EuroQOL five-dimension five-level utility score, and the Oswestry Disability Index were all significantly improved at a minimum of 3 months after surgery. No intraoperative mortality or instrument-related complication was reported. The mean survival duration was 11.4 ± 8.97 months. Palliative non-fusion surgery without anterior reconstruction may be considered as a preferable choice for treating spinal metastasis patients with spinal cord compression with neurological deficits.
Neuronal activity in the monkey prefrontal cortex during a duration discrimination task with visual and auditory cues
Authors: Chiba Atsushi , Morita Kazunori , Oshio Ken-ichi , Inase Masahiko
Published: September 2021

To investigate neuronal processing involved in the integration of auditory and visual signals for time perception, we examined neuronal activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) of macaque monkeys during a duration discrimination task with auditory and visual cues. In the task, two cues were consecutively presented for different durations between 0.2 and 1.8 s. Each cue was either auditory or visual and was followed by a delay period. After the second delay, subjects indicated whether the first or the second cue was longer. Cue- and delay-responsive neurons were found in PFC. Cue-responsive neurons mostly responded to either the auditory or the visual cue, and to either the first or the second cue. The neurons responsive to the first delay showed activity that changed depending on the first cue duration and were mostly sensitive to cue modality. The neurons responsive to the second delay exhibited activity that represented which cue, the first or second cue, was presented longer. Nearly half of this activity representing order-based duration was sensitive to cue modality. These results suggest that temporal information with visual and auditory signals was separately processed in PFC in the early stage of duration discrimination and integrated for the final decision.
Biocompatibility and patency of a novel titanium vascular anastomotic device in a pig jugular vein
Authors: An Sanghyun , Kim Junsik , Lee Donghyun , Kim Minwoo , Byun Kangil , Yun Jangkyu , Jeong Woonhyeok , Son Daegu
Published: September 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the biocompatibility and patency of our newly developed titanium vascular anastomotic device (TVAD) in a pig jugular vein. TVAD was made of commercially pure grade 2 titanium. The patency and anastomotic time were simultaneously confirmed in an ex-vivo system developed by the authors and in vivo using pig jugular veins. Five 8-month-old pigs, with body weights of 50–60 kg, underwent anastomosis of both jugular veins using the device. Graft patency was evaluated for 12 weeks by biplane angiography and sonography. All tissue biopsy samples were analysed by histology. In all 10 cases, the anastomosis was completed in < 5 min. The vessel lumen was not damaged, and the inner vessel wall was completely endothelialised at the anastomotic site. No foreign body reactions were observed at the vessel lumen, vessels, and outer vessel walls by histopathologic analysis. Patency and absence of leakage at the anastomotic site of the follow-up period were confirmed clearly by angiography and sonography. This preliminary animal study proved that our newly developed device is a very promising tool for intima-to-intima contact anastomosis. TVAD can be used as a feasible and safe medical tool for vessel anastomosis.
ALS-related FUS mutations alter axon growth in motoneurons and affect HuD/ELAVL4 and FMRP activity
Authors: Garone Maria Giovanna , Birsa Nicol , Rosito Maria , Salaris Federico , Mochi Michela , de Turris Valeria , Nair Remya R. , Cunningham Thomas J. , Fisher Elizabeth M. C. , Morlando Mariangela , Fratta Pietro , Rosa Alessandro
Published: September 2021

Mutations in the RNA-binding protein (RBP) FUS have been genetically associated with the motoneuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Using both human induced pluripotent stem cells and mouse models, we found that FUS-ALS causative mutations affect the activity of two relevant RBPs with important roles in neuronal RNA metabolism: HuD/ELAVL4 and FMRP. Mechanistically, mutant FUS leads to upregulation of HuD protein levels through competition with FMRP forHuDmRNA 3’UTR binding. In turn, increased HuD levels overly stabilize the transcript levels of its targets, NRN1 and GAP43. As a consequence, mutant FUS motoneurons show increased axon branching and growth upon injury, which could be rescued by dampening NRN1 levels. Since similar phenotypes have been previously described in SOD1 and TDP-43 mutant models, increased axonal growth and branching might represent broad early events in the pathogenesis of ALS.
Step-by-step dual stimuli-responsive nanoparticles for efficient bacterial biofilm eradication
Authors: Fan Qing , Wang Changrong , Guo Rong , Jiang Xinyu , Li Wenting , Chen Xiangjun , Li Keke , Hong Wei
Published: September 2021

Upon arrival at infected tissue, CM/AZM@Tyr could release free d-Tyr for biofilm matrix dispersion and cationic CM/AZM for targeted bacteria binding, which could facilitate the AZM deactivating bacteria over the depth of biofilms.
Organic guest molecule induced ultrafast breathing of an epitaxially grown metal–organic framework on a self-assembled monolayer
Authors: Rao Purna Chandra , Mani Prabu , Son Younghu , Kim Jiyun , Yoon Minyoung
Published: September 2021

Facile preparation of an epitaxial metal–organic framework thin film and its breathing behavior responding to organic solvent molecules.
How size, edge shape, functional groups and embeddedness influence the electronic structure and partial optical properties of graphene nanoribbons
Authors: Feng Jin , Mao Xinlong , Zhu Hongxia , yang Zhe , Cui Mengdi , Ma Yuchen , Zhang Dapeng , Bi Siwei
Published: September 2021

The size, edge shape, functional group and embeddedness affect the properties, including the band structure, excited state energy and electron distribution, of GNRs.
Red-to-NIR emissive radical cations derived from simple pyrroles
Authors: Zheng Lihua , Zhu Wenchao , Zhou Zikai , Liu Kai , Gao Meng , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: September 2021

Red-to-NIR emissive radical cations derived from 2,5-dimethylpyrroles can be used for mitochondrial imaging in living cells with a high specificity andin vivoimaging with a long-term stability.
N-Heterocyclic carbene-catalyzed radical ring-opening acylation of oxime esters with aldehydes
Authors: Zhang Zhihao , Zou Xin , Li Zhenjiang , Gao Yu , Qu Yuanyuan , Quan Yusheng , Zhou Yi , Li Jinlan , Sun Jie , Guo Kai
Published: September 2021

We report a radical cross-coupling of cycloketone oxime esters with aldehydes by N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) organocatalysis. This protocol features easy operation, with no need for external redox reagent, and a broad functional group compatibility.
Projection to latent correlative structures, a dimension reduction strategy for spectral-based classification
Authors: Erny Guillaume Laurent , Brito Elsa , Pereira Ana Bárbara , Bento-Silva Andreia , Vaz Patto Maria Carlota , Bronze Maria Rosario
Published: September 2021

Different representation of the data by selecting the latent variables.
An indenocarbazole-based host material for solution processable green phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes
Authors: Park Eun Young , Lee Da Hwan , Le Thi Na , Shin Chol-Min , Lee Jihoon , Suh Min Chul
Published: September 2021

We designed and synthesized a new host material with a highly soluble and thermally stable indenocarbazole derivative that can make green phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) in a solution process.
Conformational stability and structural analysis of methanethiol clusters: a revisit
Authors: Tripathi Manish Kumar , Ramanathan Venkatnarayan
Published: September 2021

B3LYP/cc-pV(D/T/Q)Z and CCSD/cc-pVDZ levels of theory predict three minima for both dimers and trimers of methanethiol.
Hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots from lignin for formaldehyde determination
Authors: Wang Ying , Liu Yushan , Zhou Jin , Yue Jinquan , Xu Mingcong , An Bang , Ma Chunhui , Li Wei , Liu Shouxin
Published: September 2021

A hydrothermal method for synthesis of lignin-based N-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) proposes a mechanism for rapid reaction of NCQDs with formaldehyde to generate Schiff bases, which leads to enhanced FL emission and the observed blue shift.
8,8′-(Benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-4,7-diyl)bis(quinolin-4(1H)-one): a twisted photosensitizer with AIE properties
Authors: Broumidis Emmanouil , Jones Callum M. S. , Koyioni Maria , Kourtellaris Andreas , Lloyd Gareth O. , Marques-Hueso Jose , Koutentis Panayiotis A. , Vilela Filipe
Published: September 2021

A new benzothiadiazole (BTZ) luminogen is prepared via the Suzuki–Miyaura Pd-catalysed C–C cross-coupling of 8-iodoquinolin-4(1H)-one and a BTZ bispinacol boronic ester.
Photoinduced synergistic catalysis on Zn single-atom-loaded hierarchical porous carbon for highly efficient CO2 cycloaddition conversion
Authors: Gong Lin , Sun Ji , Liu Yousong , Yang Guangcheng
Published: September 2021

Photoinduced synergistic catalysis in combination with photothermal-driven and electronic assistance paths is proposed for CO2 cycloaddition conversion on single-atom-loaded hierarchical porous carbon.
Protein-stabilized Ir nanoparticles with usual charge-selective peroxidase properties
Authors: Jin Guangxia , Wang Chan , Ran Guoxia , Hao Shanhao , Song Qijun
Published: September 2021

BSA–IrNPs exhibit excellent peroxidase-like activity, which can selectively catalyze the degradation of cationic compounds.
Functional Impacts of Aminoglycoside Treatment on Speech Perception and Extended High-Frequency Hearing Loss in a Pediatric Cystic Fibrosis Cohort
Authors: Blankenship Chelsea M. , Hunter Lisa L. , Feeney M. Patrick , Cox Madison , Bittinger Lindsey , Garinis Angela C. , Lin Li , McPhail Gary , Clancy John P.
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to better understand the prevalence of ototoxicity-related hearing loss and its functional impact on communication in a pediatric and young adult cohort with cystic fibrosis (CF) and individuals without CF (controls).

Method

We did an observational, cross-sectional investigation of hearing function in children, teens, and young adults with CF (
n
= 57,
M
= 15.0 years) who received intravenous aminoglycoside antibiotics and age- and gender-matched controls (
n
= 61,
M
= 14.6 years). Participants completed standard and extended high-frequency audiometry, middle ear measures, speech perception tests, and a hearing and balance questionnaire.

Results

Individuals with CF were 3–4 times more likely to report issues with hearing, balance, and tinnitus and performed significantly poorer on speech perception tasks compared to controls. A higher prevalence of hearing loss was observed in individuals with CF (57%) compared to controls (37%). CF and control groups had similar proportions of slight and mild hearing losses; however, individuals with CF were 7.6 times more likely to have moderate and greater degrees of hearing loss. Older participants displayed higher average extended high-frequency thresholds, with no effect of age on average standard frequency thresholds. Although middle ear dysfunction has not previously been reported to be more prevalent in CF, this study showed that 16% had conductive or mixed hearing loss and higher rates of previous otitis media and pressure equalization tube surgeries compared to controls.

Conclusions

Individuals with CF have a higher prevalence of conductive, mixed, and sensorineural hearing loss; poorer speech-in-noise performance; and higher rates of multiple symptoms associated with otologic disorders (tinnitus, hearing difficulty, dizziness, imbalance, and otitis media) compared to controls. Accordingly, children with CF should be asked about these symptoms and receive baseline hearing assessment(s) prior to treatment with potentially ototoxic medications and at regular intervals thereafter in order to provide otologic and audiologic treatment for hearing- and ear-related problems to improve communication functioning.
Unisensory and Multisensory Stroop Effects Modulate Gender Differences in Verbal and Nonverbal Emotion Perception
Authors: Lin Yi , Ding Hongwei , Zhang Yang
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the Stroop effects of verbal and nonverbal cues and their relative impacts on gender differences in unisensory and multisensory emotion perception.

Method

Experiment 1 investigated how well 88 normal Chinese adults (43 women and 45 men) could identify emotions conveyed through face, prosody and semantics as three independent channels. Experiments 2 and 3 further explored gender differences during multisensory integration of emotion through a cross-channel (prosody-semantics) and a cross-modal (face-prosody-semantics) Stroop task, respectively, in which 78 participants (41 women and 37 men) were asked to selectively attend to one of the two or three communication channels.

Results

The integration of accuracy and reaction time data indicated that paralinguistic cues (i.e., face and prosody) of emotions were consistently more salient than linguistic ones (i.e., semantics) throughout the study. Additionally, women demonstrated advantages in processing all three types of emotional signals in the unisensory task, but only preserved their strengths in paralinguistic processing and showed greater Stroop effects of nonverbal cues on verbal ones during multisensory perception.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate clear gender differences in verbal and nonverbal emotion perception that are modulated by sensory channels, which have important theoretical and practical implications.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.16435599
Normalised complexity metric for manoeuvering target tracking
Authors: Liu Bing , Shen Xiao Jing
Published: September 2021

Manoeuvering target tracking is a challenging problem for filter design in a variety of tracking systems. However, how to quantify the complexity of this problem is seldom studied. In this paper, a normalised complexity metric for manoeuvering target tracking called relative difficulty to Kalman filter is defined as the ratio between maximum tolerance error of positional estimation and its requirement precision of positional measurement. It can be employed as an indicator of the difficulty of designing an advanced filter to satisfy the tracking requirement. Analytical expression of RD2KF in three‐dimensional space is derived. Two typical tracking examples show that RD2KF is affected by manoeuver intensity, data rate and the required precision of the tracking mission.
Multi‐model fusion of classifiers for blood pressure estimation
Authors: Ye Qi , Wing‐Kuen Ling Bingo , Xu Nuo , Lin Yuxin , Hu Lingyue
Published: September 2021

Prehypertension is a new risky disease defined in the seventh report issued by the Joint National Commission. Hence, detecting prehypertension in time plays a very important role in protecting human lives. This study proposes a method for categorising blood pressure values into two classes, namely the class of healthy blood pressure values and the class of prehypertension blood pressure values, as well as estimating the blood pressure values continuously only by employing photoplethysmograms. First, the denoising of photoplethysmograms is performed via a discrete cosine transform approach. Then, the features of the photoplethysmograms in both the time domain and the frequency domain are extracted. Next, the feature vectors are categorised into the two classes of blood pressure values by a multi‐model fusion of the classifiers. Here, the support vector machine, the random forest and the K‐nearest neighbour classifier are employed for performing the fusion. There are two types of blood pressure values. They are the systolic blood pressure values and the diastolic blood pressure values. For each class and each type of blood pressure values, support vector regression is used to estimate the blood pressure values. Since different classes and different types of blood pressure values are considered separately, the proposed method achieves an accurate estimation. The computed numerical simulation results show that the proposed method based on the multi‐model fusion of the classifiers achieves both higher classification accuracy and higher regression accuracy than the individual classification methods.
Barium lines in high-quality spectra of two metal-poor giants in the Galactic halo
Authors: Cescutti G. , Morossi C. , Franchini M. , Di Marcantonio P. , Chiappini C. , Steffen M. , Valentini M. , François P. , Christlieb N. , Cortés C. , Kobayashi C. , Depagne E.
Published: September 2021

Context. Theoretical results showed the possibility that neutron capture elements were produced in the early Universe by two different sources: a frequent s-process source hosted by rotating massive stars, and a rare r-process source hosted most likely by neutron star mergers. The two sources produce barium with different isotopic compositions.

Aims. We aim to investigate the lines of barium in two halo stars, HD 6268 and HD 4306. The spectra present an exquisite quality, both in terms of resolution (R > 100 000) and signal-to-noise (~400). Due to hyperfine splitting (hfs) effects, barium lines are expected to show slightly different profiles depending on the barium isotopic fraction.

Methods. We applied a standard local thermodynamic equilibrium synthesis of the barium lines. We compared the synthetic results assuming an s-process isotopic pattern or an r-process isotopic pattern for the two barium lines for each star that exhibited hfs. We also applied a methodology, less dependent on the accuracy of the theoretical Ba hfs structure, that transforms the lines of HD 4306 into those we would observe if its atmospheric parameter values (i.e. Teff, log g, micro- and macro-turbulence, V sin i, and Ba abundance) were the same as those of HD 6268.

Results. With both methods, our results show that the barium lines with hfs effects of HD 4306 are in agreement with an s-process composition and the lines in HD 6268 have a different profile, which is most likely linked to the presence of an r-process isotopic pattern.

Conclusions. Two lines of barium of HD 6268 and HD 4306 seem to confirm the theoretical expectation that both r-process events and also s-process contribution by rotating massive stars have polluted the ancient halo of our Galaxy.
Treatment against helminths in Norwegian sheep: a questionnaire-based survey
Authors: Gravdal Maiken , Robertson Lucy J. , Tysnes Kristoffer R. , Höglund Johan , Chartier Christophe , Stuen Snorre
Published: September 2021

A questionnaire was distributed to 5487 farmers throughout Norway in order to obtain information about management practices regarding helminth infections in sheep. In addition, the farmers’ perceptions of helminths and anthelmintic efficacy were investigated. Most farmers (80%) treated prophylactically against nematodes, and 24% also used prophylactic treatment against Fasciola hepatica. Overall, few farmers (11%) used parasitological analysis as a tool to assess the timing of treatment, but rather based it on other factors such as previous experience (70%). In the surveyed sheep flocks, the use of benzimidazoles was reduced from 2018 (52%) to 2019 (47%) (p < 0.01), whereas the use of macrocyclic lactones increased from 2017 (23%) to 2019 (36%) (p < 0.001). Poor anthelmintic efficacy was suspected by 10% of the farmers, and 11% reported that helminths were an increasing problem in their flocks. The majority of farmers (72%) considered their veterinarian as the most important advisor for treatment of parasites, but reported a high level of uncertainty regarding which parasites were present in their flocks, with unknown status most frequently reported for Haemonchus contortus (71.5%). This is probably related to the fact that very few farmers (15%) regularly test their animals for parasites. The present study provides up-to-date information on treatment practices for helminths in Norwegian sheep flocks.
On the numerical solution of a free end-time homicidal chauffeur game
Authors: Calà Campana Francesca , De Marchi Alberto , Borzì Alfio , Gerdts Matthias
Published: September 2021

A functional formulation of the classical homicidal chauffeur Nash game is presented and a numerical framework for its solution is discussed. This methodology combines a Hamiltonian based scheme with proximal penalty to determine the time horizon where the game takes place with a Lagrangian optimal control approach and relaxation to solve the Nash game at a fixed end-time.
Discrete hotelling pure location games: potentials and equilibria
Authors: Iimura Takuya , von Mouche Pierre
Published: September 2021

We study two-player one-dimensional discrete Hotelling pure location games assuming that demand f(d) as a function of distance d is constant or strictly decreasing. We show that this game admits a best-response potential. This result holds in particular for f(d) = wd with 0 < w ≤ 1. For this case special attention will be given to the structure of the equilibrium set and a conjecture about the increasingness of best-response correspondences will be made.
Zum Stand der klinischen Forschung in der
Aromatherapie
Authors: Stange Rainer
Published: September 2021

Aus der Fülle der Veröffentlichungen der letzten ca. 30 Jahre zur
klinischen Forschung mit Aromatherapie bzw. ätherischen Ölen
werden ausgewählte Einzelstudien wie Reviews kurzreferiert. Es besteht
nicht der Anspruch einer systematischen Erfassung und Beschreibung dieser
Forschung, vielmehr soll die Breite der Indikationen, der verwendeten Pflanzen
und der methodologischen Ansätze vermittelt werden. Der Schwerpunkt der
untersuchten Indikationen liegt dabei bislang bei wahrnehmbaren bzw. psychischen
Qualitäten wie Schmerzen, Schlafstörungen,
Depressivität, Agitiertheit und neuerdings auch demenziellen
Prozessen.
Expression Biomarkers of Pharmacological Treatment Outcomes in Women with Unipolar and Bipolar Depression
Authors: Dmitrzak-Weglarz Monika , Szczepankiewicz Aleksandra , Rybakowski Janusz , Kapelski Paweł , Bilska Karolina , Skibinska Maria , Reszka Edyta , Lesicka Monika , Jablonska Ewa , Wieczorek Edyta , Pawlak Joanna
Published: September 2021

Introduction This study aimed to find the expression biomarkers of pharmacological treatment response in a naturalistic hospital setting. Through gene expression profiling, we were able to find differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) in unipolar (UD) and bipolar (BD) depressed women.

Methods We performed gene expression profiling in hospitalized women with unipolar (n=24) and bipolar depression (n=32) who achieved clinical improvement after pharmacological treatment (without any restriction). To identify DEGs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we used the SurePrint G3 Microarray and GeneSpring software.

Results After pharmacological treatment, UD and BD varied in the number of regulated genes and ontological pathways. Also, the pathways of neurogenesis and synaptic transmission were significantly up-regulated. Our research focused on DEGs with a minimum fold change (FC) of more than 2. For both types of depression, 2 up-regulated genes, OPRM1 and CELF4 (p=0.013), were significantly associated with treatment response (defined as a 50% reduction on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HDRS]). We also uncovered the SHANK3 (p=0.001) gene that is unique for UD and found that the RASGRF1 (p=0.010) gene may be a potential specific biomarker of treatment response for BD.

Conclusion Based on transcriptomic profiling, we identified potential expression biomarkers of treatment outcomes for UD and BD. We also proved that the Ras-GEF pathway associated with long-term memory, female stress response, and treatment response modulation in animal studies impacts treatment efficacy in patients with BD. Further studies focused on the outlined genes may help provide predictive markers of treatment outcomes in UD and BD.
Left Paraduodenal Hernia Presenting as Closed Loop Jejunal Obstruction in a Young Female: An Enigmatic and Perilous Differential of Acute Abdomen
Authors: Rajput Deepak , Rai Ankit , Gupta Amit , Chezhian Subramanian , Kumar Shashank , Kundal Ashikesh
Published: September 2021

Internal hernia is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction, accounting for <2% of cases with paraduodenal type being the most common. An internal hernia, mostly acquired, develops due to protuberance of the intestine through a gap in the peritoneum or mesentery formed as a result of an antecedent abdominal operation such as gastric bypass or liver transplant, ischemic injury, peritonitis, or trauma. Paraduodenal hernias (PDHs) are congenital anomalies, secondary to a failed fusion of mesentery with parietal peritoneum along with rotational midgut errors, causing the evolution of potential space for herniation within the left paraduodenal fossa. Primary internal hernias can have a varied clinical presentation and cause significant mortality and morbidity if left untreated. We report the case of a 20-year-old female with chronic pain in abdomen and intestinal obstruction due to left PDH (LPDH). The prompt diagnosis led to timely exploration and reduction of entrapped jejunum, with prudent closure of the hiatus, while circumventing any injury to the adjacent mesenteric circulation. No postoperative ileus arose, and recovery was uneventful.