bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revealing mechanism of Methazolamide for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis based on network pharmacology and GSEA
Authors: Sun Tao , Wang Manzhi , Liang Weiqiang , Gao Ping , Liu Qiang , Yan Xinfeng
Published: September 2023

Methazolamide is a carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitor with satisfactory safety. Our previous studies have demonstrated the elevation of CA1 expression and the therapeutic effect of Methazolamide in Ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In this study, we explored the pathogenic role of CA1 and the pharmacological mechanism of Methazolamide in AS through Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and network pharmacology. Seven out of twelve CA1 related gene sets were enriched in AS group. CA1 was core enriched in above seven gene sets involving zinc ion binding, arylesterase activity and one carbon metabolic process. Functional analysis of the candidate target genes obtained from the intersection of AS associated genes and Methazolamide target genes indicated that Methazolamide exerts therapeutic effects on AS mainly through inflammatory pathways which regulate the production of tumor necrosis factor, IL-6 and nitric oxide. PTGS2, ESR1, GSK3β, JAK2, NOS2 and CA1 were selected as therapeutic targets of Methazolamide in AS. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed successfully. In addition, we innovatively obtained the intersection of Gene Ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses and GSEA results, and found that 18 GO terms and 5 KEGG terms were indicated in the pharmacological mechanism of Methazolamide in AS, involving bone mineralization, angiogenesis, inflammation, and chemokine signaling pathways. Nevertheless, validation for these mechanisms is needed in vivo/vitro experiments.
Crosstalk tolerance analysis of coupled-line structures using least square-support vector machine technique
Authors: Alijani Mohammad G. H. , Neshati Mohammad H.
Published: September 2023

In this paper, crosstalk sensitivity analysis of a microwave coupled-line structure due to the fabrication imperfections is investigated using Least Square-Support Vector Machine (LS-SVM) method. Since LS-SVM uses a set of linear equations instead of a convex quadratic programming problem, the computational cost is extremely reduced compared to that of the well-known Monte Carlo (MC) analysis or even Support Vector Machine (SVM) without decreasing the accuracy. Using this method, the geometrical parameters of the coupled-line are assumed to be randomly distributed using the Latin Hypercube function and the variation range of each parameter is set to ± 50% around its central value. The frequency response of the coupled-line is estimated and compared with those of the measured and simulation ones for a few well-known practical case studies. The results show that the LS-SVM procedure quickly predicts the worst-case crosstalk expectation values and accurately anticipates the probability of obtaining various outcomes of the coupled-line for the specified parameter variation over a wide frequency range.
Bioinformatical analysis of the key differentially expressed genes for screening potential biomarkers in Wilms tumor
Authors: Cai Linghao , Shi Bo , Zhu Kun , Zhong Xiaohui , Lai Dengming , Wang Jinhu , Tou Jinfa
Published: September 2023

Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common pediatric renal malignant tumor in the world. Overall, the prognosis of Wilms tumor is very good. However, the prognosis of patients with anaplastic tumor histology or disease relapse is still poor, and their recurrence rate, metastasis rate and mortality are significantly increased compared with others. Currently, the combination of histopathological examination and molecular biology is essential to predict prognosis and guide the treatment. However, the molecular mechanism has not been well studied. Genetic profiling may be helpful in some way. Hence, we sought to identify novel promising biomarkers of WT by integrating bioinformatics analysis and to identify genes associated with the pathogenesis of WT. In the presented study, the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus was used to download two datasets of gene expression profiles related to WT patients for the purpose of detecting overlapped differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were then uploaded to DAVID database for enrichment analysis. In addition, the functional interactions between proteins were evaluated by simulating the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs. The impact of selected hub genes on survival in WT patients was analyzed by using the online tool R2: Genomics Analysis and Visualization Platform. The correlation between gene expression and the degree of immune infiltration was assessed by the Estimation of Stromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumor tissues using the Expression (ESTIMATE) algorithm and the single sample GSEA. Top 12 genes were identified for further study after constructing a PPI network and screening hub gene modules. Kinesin family member 2C (KIF2C) was identified as the most significant gene predicting the overall survival of WT patients. The expression of KIF2C in WT was further verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, we found that KIF2C was significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration in WT. Our present study demonstrated that altered expression of KIF2C may be involved in WT and serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for WT patients.
Effects of multi-observations uncertainty and models similarity on climate change projections
Authors: Pathak Raju , Dasari Hari Prasad , Ashok Karumuri , Hoteit Ibrahim
Published: September 2023

Climate change projections (CCPs) are based on the multimodel means of individual climate model simulations that are assumed to be independent. However, model similarity leads to projections biased toward the largest set of similar models and intermodel uncertainty underestimation. We assessed the influences of similarities in CMIP6 through CMIP3 CCPs. We ascertained model similarity from shared physics/dynamics and initial conditions by comparing simulated spatial temperature and precipitation with the corresponding observed patterns and accounting for intermodel spread relative to the observational uncertainty, which is also critical. After accounting for similarity, the information from 57 CMIP6, 47 CMIP5, and 24 CMIP3 models can be explained by just 11 independent models without significant differences in globally averaged climate change statistics. On average, independent models indicate a lower global-mean temperature rise of 0.25 °C (~0.5 °C–1 °C in some regions) relative to all models by the end of the 21st century under CMIP6’s highest emission scenario.
Development of potent antibody drug conjugates against ICAM1+ cancer cells in preclinical models of cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Zhu Bing , Wang Xinyan , Shimura Takaya , Huang Andrew C , Kong Nana , Dai Yujie , Fang Jianmin , Guo Peng , Ying Jie-Er
Published: September 2023

As a highly lethal adenocarcinoma of the hepatobiliary system, outcomes for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) patients remain prominently poor with a 5-year survival of <10% due to the lack of effective treatment modalities. Targeted therapeutics for CCA are limited and surgical resection of CCA frequently suffers from a high recurrence rate. Here we report two effective targeted therapeutics in this preclinical study for CCA. We first performed a quantitative and unbiased screening of cancer-related antigens using comparative flow cytometry in a panel of human CCA cell lines, and identified intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM1) as a therapeutic target for CCA. After determining that ICAM1 has the ability to efficiently mediate antibody internalization, we constructed two ICAM1 antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) by conjugating ICAM1 antibodies to different cytotoxic payloads through cleavable chemical linkers. The efficacies of two ICAM1 ADCs have been evaluated in comparison with the first-line chemodrug Gemcitabine in vitro and in vivo, and ICAM1 antibodies coupled with warhead DX-8951 derivative (DXd) or monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) elicit a potent and consistent tumor attenuation. In summary, this study paves the road for developing a promising targeted therapeutic candidate for clinical treatment of CCA.
Taxol acts differently on different tubulin isotypes
Authors: Chew Yean Ming , Cross Robert A.
Published: September 2023

Taxol is a small molecule effector that allosterically locks tubulin into the microtubule lattice. We show here that taxol has different effects on different single-isotype microtubule lattices. Using in vitro reconstitution, we demonstrate that single-isotype α1β4 GDP-tubulin lattices are stabilised and expanded by 10 µM taxol, as reported by accelerated microtubule gliding in kinesin motility assays, whereas single-isotype α1β3 GDP-tubulin lattices are stabilised but not expanded. This isotype-specific action of taxol drives gliding of segmented-isotype GDP-taxol microtubules along convoluted, sinusoidal paths, because their expanded α1β4 segments try to glide faster than their compacted α1β3 segments. In GMPCPP, single-isotype α1β3 and α1β4 lattices both show accelerated gliding, indicating that both can in principle be driven to expand. We therefore propose that taxol-induced lattice expansion requires a higher taxol occupancy than taxol-induced stabilisation, and that higher taxol occupancies are accessible to α1β4 but not α1β3 single-isotype lattices.
Light modulates task-dependent thalamo-cortical connectivity during an auditory attentional task
Authors: Paparella Ilenia , Campbell Islay , Sharifpour Roya , Beckers Elise , Berger Alexandre , Aizpurua Jose Fermin Balda , Koshmanova Ekaterina , Mortazavi Nasrin , Talwar Puneet , Degueldre Christian , Lamalle Laurent , Sherif Siya , Phillips Christophe , Maquet Pierre , Vandewalle Gilles
Published: September 2023

Exposure to blue wavelength light stimulates alertness and performance by modulating a widespread set of task-dependent cortical and subcortical areas. How light affects the crosstalk between brain areas to trigger this stimulating effect is not established. Here we record the brain activity of 19 healthy young participants (24.05±2.63; 12 women) while they complete an auditory attentional task in darkness or under an active (blue-enriched) or a control (orange) light, in an ultra-high-field 7 Tesla MRI scanner. We test if light modulates the effective connectivity between an area of the posterior associative thalamus, encompassing the pulvinar, and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), key areas in the regulation of attention. We find that only the blue-enriched light strengthens the connection from the posterior thalamus to the IPS. To the best of our knowledge, our results provide the first empirical data supporting that blue wavelength light affects ongoing non-visual cognitive activity by modulating task-dependent information flow from subcortical to cortical areas.
Formation of nitrogen-containing gas phase products from the heterogeneous (photo)reaction of NO2 with gallic acid
Authors: Li Pan , Gemayel Rachel , Li Xue , Liu Jiangping , Tang Mingjin , Wang Xinming , Yang Yan , Al-Abadleh Hind A. , Gligorovski Sasho
Published: September 2023

Heterogeneous reaction of gas phase NO2 with atmospheric humic-like substances (HULIS) is potentially an important source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including nitrogen (N)-containing compounds, a class of brown carbon of emerging importance. However, the role of ubiquitous water-soluble aerosol components in this multiphase chemistry, namely nitrate and iron ions, remains largely unexplored. Here, we used secondary electrospray ionization ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry for real-time measurements of VOCs formed during the heterogeneous reaction of gas phase NO2 with a solution containing gallic acid (GA) as a proxy of HULIS at pH 5 relevant for moderately acidic aerosol particles. Results showed that the number of detected N-containing organic compounds largely increased from 4 during the NO2 reaction with GA in the absence of nitrate and iron ions to 55 in the presence of nitrate and iron ions. The N-containing compounds have reduced nitrogen functional groups, namely amines, imines and imides. These results suggest that the number of N-containing compounds is significantly higher in deliquescent aerosol particles due to the influence of relatively higher ionic strength from nitrate ions and complexation/redox reactivity of iron cations compared to that in the dilute aqueous phase representative of cloud, fog, and rain water.
Synchronization in networked systems with large parameter heterogeneity
Authors: Nazerian Amirhossein , Panahi Shirin , Sorrentino Francesco
Published: September 2023

Systems that synchronize in nature are intrinsically different from one another, with possibly large differences from system to system. While a vast part of the literature has investigated the emergence of network synchronization for the case of small parametric mismatches, we consider the general case that parameter mismatches may be large. We present a unified stability analysis that predicts why the range of stability of the synchronous solution either increases or decreases with parameter heterogeneity for a given network. We introduce a parametric approach, based on the definition of a curvature contribution function, which allows us to estimate the effect of mismatches on the stability of the synchronous solution in terms of contributions of pairs of eigenvalues of the Laplacian. For cases in which synchronization occurs in a bounded interval of a parameter, we study the effects of parameter heterogeneity on both transitions (asynchronous to synchronous and synchronous to asynchronous.).
Quantum-limit phenomena and band structure in the magnetic topological semimetal EuZn2As2
Authors: Blawat Joanna , Speer Smita , Singleton John , Xie Weiwei , Jin Rongying
Published: September 2023

The interplay between magnetism and electronic topology in the quantum limit is a forefront subject of condensed matter physics. Here, we show the electronic and magnetic properties of layered antiferromagnet EuZn2As2 in pulsed magnetic fields up to 60 T and temperatures down to 0.6 K. By analyzing the quantum oscillations observed in the magnetoresistance (MR) and proximity detector oscillator (PDO) frequency, we find that (1) the oscillation frequency F = 46 ± 6 T for H // c and 42 ± 2 T for H // ab; (2) the corresponding Berry phase is close to π for H // c, implying a nontrivial topology; and (3) the large linear MR occurs beyond the first Landau level, without any sign of saturation. From these observations, we conclude that the linear MR can be understood by considering diffusing cyclotron centers due to compressed Landau wavefunction, an emergent behavior in the quantum limit.
Sea animal colonies enhance carbonyl sulfide emissions from coastal Antarctic tundra
Authors: Zhang Wanying , Zhu Renbin , Jiao Yi , Rhew Robert C. , Sun Bowen , Rinnan Riikka , Zhou Zeming
Published: September 2023

The Antarctic tundra, dominated by non-vascular photoautotrophs (NVP) like mosses and lichens, serves as an important habitat for sea animals. These animals contribute organic matter and oceanic sulfur to land, potentially influencing sulfur transformations. Here, we measured carbonyl sulfide (OCS) fluxes from the Antarctic tundra and linked them to soil biochemical properties. Results revealed that the NVP-dominated upland tundra acted as an OCS sink (−0.97 ± 0.57 pmol m−2 s−1), driven by NVP and OCS-metabolizing enzymes from soil microbes (e.g., Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Chloroflexi). In contrast, tundra within sea animal colonies exhibited OCS emissions up to 1.35 ± 0.38 pmol m−2 s−1, resulting from the introduction of organosulfur compounds that stimulated concurrent OCS production. Furthermore, sea animal colonization likely influenced OCS-metabolizing microbial communities and further promoted OCS production. Overall, this study highlighted the role of sea animal activities in shaping the soil-atmospheric exchange of OCS through interacting with soil chemical properties and microbial compositions.
Inside-out regulation of MnO toward fast reaction kinetics in aqueous zinc ion batteries
Authors: Cui Zixiang , Zhang Jing , Zhao Shenfei , Wu Ke , Li Chunjie , Ma Ruguang , Li Chang Ming
Published: September 2023

An “inside-out regulation” strategy is employed to improve the Zn2+ reaction kinetics of MnO by Ni doping and graphene wrapping.
The impact of the chalcogen-substitution element and initial spectroscopic state on excited-state relaxation pathways in nucleobase photosensitizers: a combination of static and dynamic studies
Authors: Xie Min , Ren Shuang-xiao , Hu Die , Zhong Ji-meng , Luo Jie , Tan Yin , Li Yan-ping , Si Li-ping , Cao Jun
Published: September 2023

Both chalcogen-substitution element and initial spectroscopic state influence excited-state relaxation mechanism of nucleobase photosensitizers, and multi-state quasi-degeneracy mediates the complex relaxation processes.
Observation of reversible light degradation in organic photovoltaics induced by long-persistent radicals
Authors: Zhang Difei , Liu Chao , Zhang Kaicheng , Jia Yanhua , Zhong Wenkai , Qiu Weidong , Li Yuanfeng , Heumüller Thomas , Forberich Karen , Le Corre Vincent M. , Lüer Larry , Li Ning , Huang Fei , Brabec Christoph J. , Ying Lei
Published: September 2023

The reversible device performance of organic solar cells is caused by light-induced long-persistent radicals, and can be released with activation energy provided by thermal annealing.
Metal–organic framework-based fluorescent probe device DOX-BOD@ZIEF-8 for the detection of doxycycline
Authors: Gao Jia , Sun Xiaolong , Zhu Huayue , Jiang Ru , Guo Qing , Ding Xuankai , Hu Jiahuan , Wang Yifeng , Zhou Yufeng , Ding Lingzhi , Fu Yongqian
Published: September 2023

We used the nanomaterial ZIF-8 to encapsulate the fluorescent probe DOX-BOD to obtain the functional material DOX-BOD@ZIF-8, which has superior stability and has been successfully applied to the detection of DOX residues in lake water samples.
Structure and thermal property relationships in the thermomaterial di-n-butylammonium tetrafluoroborate for multipurpose cooling and cold-storage
Authors: García-Ben Javier , Bermúdez-García Juan Manuel , Dixey Richard J. C. , Delgado-Ferreiro Ignacio , Llamas-Saiz Antonio Luis , López-Beceiro Jorge , Artiaga Ramón , García-Fernández Alberto , Cappel Ute B. , Alonso Bruno , Castro-García Socorro , Phillips Anthony E. , Sánchez-Andújar Manuel , Señarís-Rodríguez María Antonia
Published: September 2023

The innovative [DBA][BF4] thermomaterial exhibits advanced thermal properties for multipurpose active barocaloric refrigeration and passive cold-storage of interest for commercial food preservation.
Thermal reconstruction engineered titanium-based gas diffusion electrodes for robust and energy-saving hydrogen hydrometallurgy
Authors: Zheng Anbang , Su Yufeng , Lin Songtao , Wang Yuchen , Li Zhilin , Zhang Zhengping , Wang Feng
Published: September 2023

A new-concept Ti-based gas diffusion electrode is successfully developed for hydrogen-related metal electrowinning with low power consumption, high current efficiency, and long service life.
Buffer electrode layers tuned electrical properties, fatigue behavior and phase transition of KNN-based lead-free ferroelectric films
Authors: Xu Liqiang , Zhu Beibei , Dai Song , Han Kun , Chen Pingfan , Wang Ke , Huang Zhen , Wu Wenbin , Chen Feng
Published: September 2023

Herein, the impact of conductive buffer electrode layers (p- or n-type) on the electrical properties and fatigue behavior of KNN-based ferroelectric films are investigated.
Unsafe behaviour detection with the improved YOLOv5 model
Authors: Ying Li , Lei Zhao , Junwei Geng , Jinhui Hu , Lei Ma , Zilong Zhao
Published: September 2023

In industrial environments, workers should wear workwear for safety considerations. For the same reason, smoking is also prohibited. Due to the supervision of monitoring devices, workers have reduced smoking behaviours and started wearing workwear. To meet the requirements for detecting these behaviours in real‐time monitoring videos with high speed and accuracy, the authors proposed an improved YOLOv5 model with the Triplet Attention mechanism. This mechanism strengthens the connection between channel and spatial dimensions, focuses the network on important parts, and improves feature extraction. Compared to the original YOLOv5 model, the addition of the mechanism increases the parameters by only 0.04%. The recall rate of the YOLOv5 model is enhanced while its prediction speed is maintained with only a minimal increase in parameters. Experiment results show that, compared to the original model, the improved YOLOv5 has a recall rate of 78.8%, 91%, and 89.3% for detecting smoking behaviour, not wearing helmets, and inappropriate workwear, respectively.
Domain‐invariant attention network for transfer learning between cross‐scene hyperspectral images
Authors: Ye Minchao , Wang Chenglong , Meng Zhihao , Xiong Fengchao , Qian Yuntao
Published: September 2023

Small‐sample‐size problem is always a challenge for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. Considering the co‐occurrence of land‐cover classes between similar scenes, transfer learning can be performed, and cross‐scene classification is deemed a feasible approach proposed in recent years. In cross‐scene classification, the source scene which possesses sufficient labelled samples is used for assisting the classification of the target scene that has a few labelled samples. In most situations, different HSI scenes are imaged by different sensors resulting in their various input feature dimensions (i.e. number of bands), hence heterogeneous transfer learning is desired. An end‐to‐end heterogeneous transfer learning algorithm namely domain‐invariant attention network (DIAN) is proposed to solve the cross‐scene classification problem. The DIAN mainly contains two modules. (1) A feature‐alignment CNN (FACNN) is applied to extract features from source and target scenes, respectively, aiming at projecting the heterogeneous features from two scenes into a shared low‐dimensional subspace. (2) A domain‐invariant attention block is developed to gain cross‐domain consistency with a specially designed class‐specific domain‐invariance loss, thus further eliminating the domain shift. The experiments on two different cross‐scene HSI datasets show that the proposed DIAN achieves satisfying classification results.
Robust stability region analysis of time‐delayed load frequency control systems with EVs aggregator using Kharitonov theorem
Authors: Naveed Ausnain , Sönmez Şahin , Ayasun Saffet , Iqbal Sheeraz , Zeinoddini‐Meymand Hamed , Kamel Salah
Published: September 2023

This study focuses on analyzing the robust stability regions and robustness margin of a time‐delayed load frequency control (LFC) system with Electric Vehicles (EVs) using the Kharitonov Theorem. Communication time delays in LFC systems can jeopardize stability and reliability, leading to suboptimal controller performance. Integrating EVs into LFC systems enhances dynamical stability but introduces additional complexity. Therefore, it is crucial to employ robust analysis and controller design techniques to ensure system stability. In this study, we utilize the Kharitonov Theorem to determine the robust stability regions and stability boundaries in the parameter plane of the Proportional‐Integral (PI) controller. By considering communication time delays and parametric uncertainties in the LFC system with EVs (LFC‐EVs), the robust PI controller gains using these methods are efficiently computed. To evaluate the performance of the theoretically computed robust controller parameters, time‐domain simulations are conducted.
FNRegion: A fast NAM‐based region extraction algorithm
Authors: Zheng Yunping , Yang Bowen , Sarem Mudar
Published: September 2023

Region extraction is usually used by many computer vision tasks as a pre‐processing step to extract image features. However, how to efficiently extract effective regions remains a challenging problem. In this paper, inspired by the non‐symmetry and anti‐packing pattern representation model (NAM) and the FatRegion algorithm, a fast NAM‐based region extraction algorithm which is called FNRegion is proposed. A NAM‐based homogeneous block generation algorithm is first presented to represent an image as a combination of multiple homogeneous blocks, each of which is a square region with visually indistinguishable intra‐region colour difference. Then, these homogeneous blocks are merged into larger regions according to their colour and shape information. To group these regions into larger ones in order to progressively build a region tree, a distance function is defined using variety of regional information to measure the distance between adjacent regions. Also, a multi‐feature region merging algorithm with linear complexity both in time and space is presented.The proposed algorithm has been evaluated on multiple public datasets in comparison with the state‐of‐the‐art region extraction algorithms. The experimental results show that in the case of almost the same or even less running time as other fast region extraction algorithms, the proposed algorithm is able to extract higher‐quality regions.
SE‐Swin: An improved Swin‐Transfomer network of self‐ensemble feature extraction framework for image retrieval
Authors: Xu Yixuan , Wang Xianbing , Zhang Hua , Lin Hai
Published: September 2023

The Swin‐Transformer is a variant of the Vision Transformer, which constructs a hierarchical Transformer that computes representations with shifted windows and window multi‐head self‐attention. This method can handle the scale invariance problem and performs well in many computer vision tasks. In image retrieval, high‐quality feature descriptors are necessary to improve retrieval accuracy. This paper proposes a self‐ensemble Swin‐Transformer network structure to fuse the features of different layers of the Swin‐Transformer network, eliminating noise points present in a single layer, and improving the retrieval effect. Two experiments were conducted, one on the In‐shop Clothes Retrieval dataset and another on the Stanford Online Product dataset. The experiments showed that the proposed method significantly increased the retrieval effect of features extracted using Vision Transformer, surpassing previous state‐of‐the‐art image retrieval methods. In the second experiment, the feature map of the trained model was visualized, revealing that the improved network significantly reduces focus on some noise points and enhances focus on image features compared to the original network.
Predicting Positive Radial Margin on Restaging MRI of Patients with Low Rectal Cancer: Can We Do Better?
Authors: Patra Anurima , Lakhani Aisha , Augustine Antony , Mohapatra Priyanka , Eapen Anu , Singh Ashish , Masih Dipti , Ram Thomas S. , Jesudason Mark R. , Mittal Rohin , Chandramohan Anuradha
Published: September 2023

Objective The aim of this study was to characterize the tissue involving the margin and study if this information will affect margin prediction on restaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in low rectal adenocarcinoma (LRC) patients treated with neoadjuvant long-course chemoradiotherapy (LCCRT).

Methods In this retrospective study of nonmetastatic LRC (distal margin <5 cm from the anal verge) treated with LCCRT followed by surgery, a radiologist blinded to outcome reread the restaging MRI and documented if the radial margin was involved by tumor, fibrosis, or mucin reaction using T2 high-resolution (HR) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The diagnostic performance of tumor-involving margin on restaging MRI was assessed using surgical histopathology as a reference. Interobserver agreement between three independent radiologists was assessed in a subset.

Results We included 133 patients (80 males and 53 females) with a mean (range) age of 44.7 (21–86) years and 82% of them had well or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Baseline MRI showed T3 (n = 58) or T4 (n = 60) disease in 89% of the patients. The pathological margin was positive in 21% (n = 28) cases. In restaging MRI, the circumferential resection margin (CRM) ≤1 mm in 75.1% (n = 100) cases and MRI predicted tumor, fibrosis, and mucin reaction at the margin in 60, 34, and 6%, respectively, and histopathology showed tumor cells in 33, 14.7, and 16.6% of them, respectively. LRC with tumor-involving margin and bad response (MR tumor regression grade [mr-TRG] 3–5) on restaging MRI had fourfold increased risk of positive pathological circumferential resection margin (pCRM). There was moderate and fair inter-reader agreement for the tissue type involving the CRM (κ = 0.471) and mr-TRG (κ = 0.266), p < 0.05. The use of both distance criteria and tumor-involving margins improved the diagnostic accuracy for margin prediction from 39 to 66% on restaging MRI.

Conclusions Margin prediction on restaging MRI can be improved by characterizing the tissue type involving the margin in low rectal cancer patients. The inter-reader agreement was moderate for determining the tissue type.
A climate of optimism? EU policy-making, political science and the democratization of Central and Eastern Europe (2000–2015)
Authors: Herman Lise Esther , Dawson James , Ananda Aurelia
Published: September 2023

Democratic erosion in the EU’s Central and Eastern European (CEE) member states has confounded EU policy-makers. In this paper, we investigate the assumptions behind the climate of optimism about CEE democratization that prevailed in EU decision-making before and after the 5th and 6th enlargements, and the extent to which political science participated in this intellectual climate. Based on a qualitative analysis of EU decision-making in the early twenty-first century and a quantitative analysis of 500 randomly sampled papers published between 2000 and 2015, we find that both policy makers and the most influential research in political science shared a bias towards optimism structured by common assumptions: A procedural understanding of democracy, a rational institutionalist belief in the EU’s capacity to bring these procedures about with the use of incentives and the related assumption that sociocultural dimensions of democracy would eventually follow institutions. We argue that these common assumptions help to explain both the EU’s failure to pre-empt and respond proportionately to democratic erosion, and the failure of our discipline to check that optimism.
Gradual parallel-process training for counseling students delivering intervention programs
Authors: Hadar Efrat , Peleg Ora
Published: September 2023

Psycho-educational group counseling can be useful for counselors working with schoolchildren; however, there is a paucity of studies on the effectiveness of parallel-process training for school counseling students who deliver these programs. This qualitative-phenomenological study aims to outline a gradual training model based on parallel processes and to examine its contribution to counseling students’ professional development. Thirty-three graduate students, who participated in an Intervention Programs course and delivered 27 programs in schools, were interviewed at the conclusion of the academic year. Of them, 29 (88%) were women; 15 were Jews, 17 were Arabs (15 Muslims and two Christians), and one was a non-Arab Christian born abroad. Most interviewees (28) were married, and their mean age was 34.79 (SD = 7.57, range = 26–54). Results indicated that, despite their initial fears about their ability to conduct an intervention program, the training was effective in enhancing students’ personal and professional development and confidence. The unique in-depth training also enriched students’ skills in delivering effective intervention programs to promote pupils’ well-being. Results provide insight into improving and fine-tuning school counselor training.
Mechanism of smart city policy on the carbon emissions of construction enterprises in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: a perspective of the PESTEL model and the pollution halo hypothesis
Authors: Li Xingwei , Huang Yicheng , Li Xiangxue , Liu Xiang
Published: September 2023

Most of the current studies on carbon emission reduction have been focusing on the urban and industrial levels, overlooking policy assessment studies on the carbon emissions of construction enterprises in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). To explore the impact of smart city policy (SCP) on the carbon emissions of construction enterprises, this paper constructs a theoretical framework model for evaluating SCP based on the Political-Economic-Sociocultural-Technological-Environmental-Legal (PESTEL) model and the perspective of the pollution halo hypothesis. In addition, this paper adopts panel data of 110 cities covered by the YREB from 2004 to 2021 and verifies the SCP impact mechanism on the carbon emissions of construction enterprises in the YREB through the difference-in-differences (DID) method, the propensity score matching (PSM) method, and the analysis of mediating effects and moderating effects. The conclusions are as follows: (1) the SCP significantly curbs the carbon emissions of the construction enterprises in the YREB pilot cities; (2) the SCP has a regional qualitative effect on the carbon emissions of the construction enterprises in the YREB and it curbs the carbon emissions of the construction enterprises in the upstream and downstream regions; (3) R&D and FDI are important transmission mechanisms; and (4) new urbanization construction has a positive moderating effect on the carbon emission reduction effect of the SCP on construction enterprises. As a research precedence, this paper reveals for the first time the mechanism of the SCP on the carbon emissions of construction enterprises in the YREB through the lens of the PESTEL model and the pollution halo hypothesis; the paper not only enriches the research related to urban policies but also provides new evidence from Chinese construction enterprises for assessing the impacts of pilot cities.
Internal stress of high tungsten content Ni-W alloy coatings
Authors: Xu Yingjun , Wang Deyong , Sheng Minqi , Wang Huihua
Published: September 2023

This study investigates the impact of current density on the microstructure, composition, and internal stress of Ni-W alloys electrodeposited in a citrate system. Using XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM, and XPS, it was found that tungsten serves as a solute in a Ni-W FCC structure oriented in the (111) direction. Increasing current density led to higher tungsten content and current efficiency. The addition of 2-Butyne-1,4-diol altered the carbon content, significantly reducing internal stress by promoting carbide formation near grain boundaries, which prevented coating shrinkage during hydrogen escape. This carbon enrichment improved the alloy's corrosion resistance.
Inefficacy, Pre-emption and Structural Injustice
Authors: Venkatesh Nikhil
Published: September 2023

Many pressing problems are of the following kind: some collection of actions of multiple people will produce some morally significant outcome (good or bad), but each individual action in the collection seems to make no difference to the outcome. These problems pose theoretical problems (especially for act-consequentialism), and practical problems for agents trying to figure out what they ought to do. Much recent literature on such problems has focused on whether it is possible for each action in such a collection to make such a tiny impact on the world that it makes no expected difference to the outcomes with which we’re concerned. I argue that even if this is impossible, there are cases in which each action makes no difference, not because it has such a tiny effect on the world, but because if it were not performed, a similar action would be. This recognition allows us to connect these problems with discussions of structural injustice.
Effectiveness of a New Enzyme-Free Method for the Preparation of a Decellularized Adipose-Derived Matrix
Authors: Qi Jun , Li Zifei , Li Shangshan , Fu Su , Luan Jie
Published: September 2023

Background

Decellularized adipose-derived matrix (DAM) represents a new alternative to tissue fillers. The function of DAM is closely associated with the decellularization technique used for its preparation. However, most techniques are time-consuming and expensive, and this might reduce the popularity of DAM.

Objectives

The study aimed to investigate an enzyme-free adipose decellularization method and generate a DAM capable of adipose tissue regeneration.

Methods

DAMs prepared by the enzyme-free and Flynn's methods were compared and co-cultured with human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) to investigate cytocompatibility. Adipose tissue formation was evaluated by injecting the DAMs into the backs of nude mice over 4 weeks. Samples were harvested for gross and perilipin immunohistochemistry analysis at 1 and 4 weeks.

Results

The enzyme-free method is effective for adipose decellularization because it removes adipocytes and preserves the microstructure. In vitro, the DAM made by the enzyme-free method could support the attachment, growth, proliferation, and differentiation of hADSCs, and promote the enhanced secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor by hADSCs; this DAM also induced the formation and maturity of adipocytes in vivo.

Conclusions

This study describes a highly effective enzyme-free method for adipose tissue decellularization that also promotes adipocyte formation and adipose tissue volume stability in vitro and in vivo, resulting in a new alternative tissue filler.
Novel Use of Wound Matrix in Mastopexy Complicated by Pyoderma Gangrenosum
Authors: Ragsdale Louisa B , Sarhaddi Deniz , Nathan Charles
Published: September 2023

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a relatively uncommon inflammatory skin disorder that is characterized by rapid onset, ulcerative lesions, and often triggered by trauma or surgery. Although rare, PG of the breast has been well described in the plastic surgery literature, most often reported following breast reductions and reconstructions. The authors present a case of PG that developed in a 56-year-old patient, with a history of essential thrombocytosis, following mastopexy. Her significant full-thickness skin loss was successfully treated with steroids and then reconstructed via serial applications of porcine placental extracellular matrix grafts. Her wounds were completely healed in 3.5 months for the left, and 5 months for the right breast. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first published case in which placental grafts have been successfully used to reconstruct pyoderma wounds of the breast. Given their advantageous scarring and lack of donor-site morbidity, placental grafts should be considered for all breast surgery patients afflicted by PG.

Level of Evidence: 5
A novel endo-type chitinase possessing chitobiase activity derived from the chitinolytic bacterium, Chitiniphilus shinanonensis SAY3T
Authors: Okazaki Sayaka , Komatsu Akane , Nakano Moe , Taguchi Goro , Shimosaka Makoto
Published: September 2023

One of the chitinases (ChiG) derived from the chitinolytic bacterium Chitiniphilus shinanonensis SAY3T exhibited chitobiase activity cleaving dimers of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) into monomers, which is not detected in typical endo-type chitinases. Analysis of the reaction products for GlcNAc hexamers revealed that all the five internal glycosidic bonds were cleaved at the initial stage. The overall reaction catalyzed by chitobiases toward GlcNAc dimers was similar to that catalyzed by N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidases (NAGs). SAY3 possesses two NAGs (ChiI and ChiT) that are thought to be important in chitin catabolism. Unexpectedly, a triple gene-disrupted mutant (ΔchiIΔchiTΔchiG) was still able to grow on synthetic medium containing GlcNAc dimers or powdered chitin, similar to the wild-type SAY3, although it exhibited only 3% of total cellular NAG activity compared to the wild-type. This indicates the presence of unidentified enzyme(s) capable of supporting normal bacterial growth on the chitin medium by NAG activity compensation.
Inferring single-cell gene regulatory network by non-redundant mutual information
Authors: Zeng Yanping , He Yongxin , Zheng Ruiqing , Li Min
Published: September 2023

Gene regulatory network plays a crucial role in controlling the biological processes of living creatures. Deciphering the complex gene regulatory networks from experimental data remains a major challenge in system biology. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing technology bring massive high-resolution data, enabling computational inference of cell-specific gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Many relevant algorithms have been developed to achieve this goal in the past years. However, GRN inference is still less ideal due to the extra noises involved in pseudo-time information and large amounts of dropouts in datasets. Here, we present a novel GRN inference method named Normi, which is based on non-redundant mutual information. Normi manipulates these problems by employing a sliding size-fixed window approach on the entire trajectory and conducts average smoothing strategy on the gene expression of the cells in each window to obtain representative cells. To further alleviate the impact of dropouts, we utilize the mixed KSG estimator to quantify the high-order time-delayed mutual information among genes, then filter out the redundant edges by adopting Max-Relevance and Min Redundancy algorithm. Moreover, we determined the optimal time delay for each gene pair by distance correlation. Normi outperforms other state-of-the-art GRN inference methods on both simulated data and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets, demonstrating its superiority in robustness. The performance of Normi in real scRNA-seq data further reveals its ability to identify the key regulators and crucial biological processes.
Sustainability assessment of community-based enterprises in selected fragile and conflict-affected areas in the Southern Philippines
Authors: Samama Norkaina C , Bidad Wilfred D
Published: September 2023

Community-based enterprises (CBEs) are generally perceived as a sustainable poverty reduction strategy in marginalized communities. In the southern Philippines, it has become widely used in poverty alleviation and rebuilding efforts in fragile and conflict-affected areas. Engaging economically disadvantaged sectors in community-based entrepreneurship is often more likely to be sustainable than participating in conventional poverty reduction programmes, but this is rarely explored. This study aimed to assess the sustainability of CBEs in terms of their social and economic benefits and operational durability. The study reveals that both contextual challenges and opportunities drive the emergence of CBEs. Most CBEs are engaged in producing and marketing agricultural products and eventually diversify into offering service-oriented entrepreneurial activities. CBEs’ locally embedded internal capacity and established external linkages that fostered ‘connections’ facilitated their operational durability. CBEs provide economic benefits through livelihood opportunities and income, expand members’ livelihood network, and create profitable products from local resources. The social benefits include addressing personal and collective concerns, enhancing collaborative problem-solving, and improving access to institutional services. This study concludes that the CBE’s social and economic benefits serve as a safety net and social protection, a buffer to drowning into a deeper poverty level. This study provides empirical evidence on the sustainability of CBEs in fragile and conflict-affected areas.
Larval competition analysis and its effect on growth of Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) at natural conditions in Northeast China
Authors: Liu Jia-Li , Feng Xiao , Abbas Arzlan , Abbas Sohail , Hafeez Faisal , Han Xiao , Romano Donato , Chen Ri Zhao
Published: September 2023

The Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis, Lepidoptera, Crambidae) and Oriental armyworm (Mythimna separata, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) are 2 major lepidopteran pests of the maize plant, especially the whorls and tassels. The aim of this study was to investigate competition between 2 lepidopteran pests of maize. Intraspecific and interspecific competition occurs when O. furnacalis and M. separata larvae interact with various stages of the maize plant. Therefore, determining whether this competition can decrease larval damage by causing adverse effects on larval growth is crucial. During the maize growing season of 2022, the interaction of these species was assessed in the experimental field of Jilin Agricultural University, China. Interspecific and intraspecific competition of larvae in different maize tissues and the influence of competition on larval development was determined in the fields. The results showed that first, probing behavior was significantly frequent in O. furnacalis larvae; intraspecific and interspecific attack was significant at 4th instar (with leaf, silk, and kernel). Interspecific defense behavior was significant at 3rd instar (without food). O. furnacalis larvae showed attack behavior toward M. separata larvae frequently. Second, competition increased the mortality rate of O. furnacalis larvae (intraspecific, 67%; interspecific, 33%) and decreased pupation emergence rate. Thus, intraspecific and interspecific competition might affect the competitive displacement of pest species sharing the same ecological niche, as well as the prevalence and population dynamics of pests, and help to develop integrated pest management strategies.
Survival and nutritional requirements for overwintering Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Kentucky
Authors: McCabe Eleanor A , Unfried Laura N , Teets Nicholas M
Published: September 2023

The ability to cope with novel climates is a key determinant of an invasive species’ success. Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) is an invasive fruit pest, and its seasonality varies across its range. Current evidence suggests that D. suzukii occurs year-round in warmer climates but has low overwintering survival in colder climates and relies on refuges or reinvades each spring. Here, we assessed the capacity of D. suzukii ability to overwinter in Kentucky, a temperate mid-latitude state with relatively mild but variable winters. We tracked year-round population changes for 3 yr and observed the highest populations in early winter months. Following an annual population crash in winter, small numbers of flies remained through the late winter and spring. We also conducted outdoor cage studies to determine the extent to which food resources and microhabitat impact survival and postwinter fecundity under natural conditions. Flies with no food had poor survival during the warmest periods of winter, and flies in all treatments had lower survival in the coldest month. Provisioning flies with either artificial diet or wild berries improved survival. As a follow-up, we determined whether D. suzukii could survive and reproduce after long-term exposure to a typical winter temperature on various wild berries. Drosophila suzukii had the highest survival on privet (Ligustrum sp.), but all berry types yielded higher survival than flies without food. Our results suggest that noncrop berries play an important role for overwintering D. suzukii, and as winters warm the availability of wild berries could influence early-season populations.