bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of endosonography‐guided transvascular needle aspiration of thoracic and abdominal lesions: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Giri Suprabhat , Harindranath Sidharth , Angadi Sumaswi , Afzalpurkar Shivaraj , Sundaram Sridhar
Published: February 2023

Background

The diagnosis of intrathoracic and abdominal masses is challenging when lesions are located behind major vessels. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)‐guided transvascular needle aspiration (TVNA) provides a potentially useful diagnostic tool for such lesions. Data with respect to the safety and outcome of E‐TVNA are scarce. Hence, this meta‐analysis was conducted to assess the critical role of E‐TVNA for diagnosis of various lesions.

Methods and Material

A meta‐analysis was performed by pooling the data from studies obtained from comprehensive search of Medline, Embase, and Scopus from January 2000 to September 2022. The outcomes analyzed included sample adequacy, diagnostic accuracy and adverse events including bleeding.

Results

A total of 17 studies (n = 411) were included in the final analysis. The pooled rate of sample adequacy was 91.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 86.8–96.2], while the pooled rate of diagnostic accuracy was 85.0% (95% CI: 78.9–91.2). The pooled rate of bleeding with E‐TVNA was 1.4% (95% CI 0.0–3.1%). All the episodes of bleeding were mild and resolved without any further intervention. There was no significant heterogeneity with respect to various outcomes and results were comparable on sensitivity analysis.

Conclusions

E‐TVNA offers a safe and accurate diagnostic modality for the diagnosis of mediastinal and abdominal lesions located on the other side of major vessels. Selection of potential candidates and close periprocedural observation are essential to improve the outcome.
An in vitro approach to understand contribution of kidney cells to human urinary extracellular vesicles
Authors: Barreiro Karina , Lay Abigail C. , Leparc German , Tran Van Du T. , Rosler Marcel , Dayalan Lusyan , Burdet Frederic , Ibberson Mark , Coward Richard J. M. , Huber Tobias B. , Krämer Bernhard K. , Delic Denis , Holthofer Harry
Published: February 2023

Extracellular vesicles (EV) are membranous particles secreted by all cells and found in body fluids. Established EV contents include a variety of RNA species, proteins, lipids and metabolites that are considered to reflect the physiological status of their parental cells. However, to date, little is known about cell‐type enriched EV cargo in complex EV mixtures, especially in urine. To test whether EV secretion from distinct human kidney cells in culture differ and can recapitulate findings in normal urine, we comprehensively analysed EV components, (particularly miRNAs, long RNAs and protein) from conditionally immortalised human kidney cell lines (podocyte, glomerular endothelial, mesangial and proximal tubular cells) and compared to EV secreted in human urine. EV from cell culture media derived from immortalised kidney cells were isolated by hydrostatic filtration dialysis (HFD) and characterised by electron microscopy (EM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and Western blotting (WB). RNA was isolated from EV and subjected to miRNA and RNA sequencing and proteins were profiled by tandem mass tag proteomics. Representative sets of EV miRNAs, RNAs and proteins were detected in each cell type and compared to human urinary EV isolates (uEV), EV cargo database, kidney biopsy bulk RNA sequencing and proteomics, and single‐cell transcriptomics. This revealed that a high proportion of the in vitro EV signatures were also found in in vivo datasets. Thus, highlighting the robustness of our in vitro model and showing that this approach enables the dissection of cell type specific EV cargo in biofluids and the potential identification of cell‐type specific EV biomarkers of kidney disease.
Discriminating alkylbenzene isomers with tandem mass spectrometry using a dielectric barrier discharge ionization source
Authors: Begley Alina , Zenobi Renato
Published: February 2023

Soft ambient ionization sources generate reactive species that interact with analyte molecules to form intact molecular ions, which allows rapid, sensitive, and direct identification of the molecular mass. We used a dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) source with nitrogen at atmospheric pressure to detect alkylated aromatic hydrocarbon isomers (C8H10 or C9H12). Intact molecular ions [M]•+ were detected at 2.4 kVpp, but at increased voltage (3.4 kVpp), [M + N]+ ions were formed, which could be used to differentiate regioisomers by collision‐induced dissociation (CID). At 2.4 kVpp, alkylbenzene isomers with different alkyl‐substituents could be identified by additional product ions: ethylbenzene and ‐toluene formed [M‐2H]+, isopropylbenzene formed abundant [M‐H]+, and propylbenzene formed abundant C7H7+. At an operating voltage of 3.4 kVpp, fragmentation of [M + N]+ by CID led to neutral loss of HCN and CH3CN, which corresponded to steric hindrance for excited state N‐atoms approaching the aromatic ring (C‐H). The ratio of HCN to CH3N loss (interday relative standard deviation [RSD] < 20%) was distinct for ethylbenzene and ethyltoluene isomers. The greater the number of alkyl‐substituents (C‐CH3) and the more sterically hindered (meta > para > ortho) the aromatic core, the greater the loss of CH3CN relative to HCN was.
Fungi‐mediated synthesis of nanoparticles: characterization process and agricultural applications
Authors: Anjum Shahnaz , Vyas Ashish , Sofi Tariq
Published: February 2023

In the field of nanotechnology, the use of biologically active products from fungi for the reduction and synthesis of nanoparticles as an alternative to toxic chemicals has received extensive attention, due to their production of large quantities of proteins, high yields, easy handling, and the low toxicity of the residues. Fungi have become valuable tools for the manufacture of nanoparticles in comparison with other biological systems because of their enhanced growth control and diversity of metabolites, including enzymes, proteins, peptides, polysaccharides, and other macro‐molecules. The ability to use different species of fungi and to perform the synthesis under different conditions enables the production of nanoparticles with different physicochemical characteristics. Fungal nanotechnology has been used to develop and offer products and services in the agricultural, medicinal, and industrial sectors. Agriculturally, it has found applications in plant disease management, crop improvement, biosensing, and the production of environmentally friendly, non‐toxic pesticides and fertilizers to enhance agricultural production in general. The subject of this review is the application of fungi in the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles, characterization, and possible applications of fungal nanoparticles in the diverse agricultural sector. The literature shows potential uses of fungi in biogenic synthesis, enabling the production of nanoparticles with different physiognomies. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Contribution of process‐induced molten‐globule state formation in duck liver protein to the enhanced binding ability of (E,E)‐2,4‐heptadienal
Authors: Han Chuanhu , Zheng Yuanrong , Wang Libin , Zhou Changyu , Wang Jianhui , He Jun , Sun Yangying , Cao Jinxuan , Pan Daodong , Xia Qiang
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND

Extracted proteins of alternative animal origin tend to present strong off‐flavor perception due to physicochemical interactions of coextracted off‐flavor compounds with proteins. To investigate the relationship between absorption behaviors of volatile aromas and the processes‐induced variations in protein microstructures and molecular conformations, duck liver protein isolate (DLp) was subjected to heating (65/100 °C, 15 min) and ultra‐high pressure (UHP, 100–500 MPa/10 min, 28 °C) treatments to obtain differential unfolded protein states.

RESULTS

Heat and UHP treatments induced the unfolding of DLp to varied degrees, as revealed by fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible absorption, circular dichroism spectra and surface hydrophobicity measurements. Two types of heating‐denatured states with varied unfolding degrees were obtained, while UHP at both levels of 100/500 MPa caused partial unfolding of DLp and the presence of a molten‐globule state, which significantly enhanced the binding affinity between DLp and (E,E)‐2,4‐heptadienal. In particular, significantly modified secondary structures of DLp were observed in heating‐denatured samples. Excessive denaturing and unfolding degrees resulted in no significant changes in the absorption behavior of the volatile ligand, as characterized by observations of fluorescence quenching and analysis of headspace concentrations.

CONCLUSION

Defining process‐induced conformational transition behavior of matrix proteins could be a promising strategy to regulate food flavor attributes and, particularly, to produce DLp coextracted with limited off‐flavor components by modifying their interaction during extraction processes. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Discontinuation and nonpublication of clinical trials for the pharmacologic treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder among military veterans
Authors: Weygandt Jonas , Moody Morgan , Sajjadi Nicholas B. , Greiner Benjamin , Ford Alicia Ito , Mazur Anna , Hartwell Micah
Published: February 2023

Failures by researchers and clinicians to overcome barriers in veteran health–related research may result in clinical trial (CT) discontinuation and nonpublication. Such outcomes are a waste of limited academic resources. To determine rates of discontinuation and nonpublication among CTs for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with pharmaceutical interventions specific to the veteran population, we performed a systematic search of registered trials in ClinicalTrials.gov for pharmaceutical interventions for the treatment of PTSD. Extracted study characteristics included sample size, study design, trial status, phase, and funding source. Studies were classified as completed or discontinued based on the status listed in ClinicalTrials.gov. Descriptive statistics of trials were reported, and associations of trial termination and nonpublication were assessed using logistic regression. The final sample included 54 CTs, 15 of which (27.8%) had not been published within the FDA's required timeframe, and 11 (20.4%) were discontinued. The total number of trial participants was 3,463, with a median of 37 (interquartile range: 15–92). Of the 54 trials, 12 (22.2%) were nonrandomized, and 42 (77.8%) were randomized. There were 25 (46.3%) trials that were in either Phase 3 or Phase 4, and 39 (72.2%) were government‐funded. We found high rates of CT discontinuation and nonpublication among PTSD pharmaceutical intervention studies in veterans, as has been shown in other fields of research.
Predictors of treatment completion in group psychotherapy for male veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Stoycos Sarah A. , Berzenski Sara R. , Beck J. Gayle , Unger William , Cappellano Jessica M. , Spofford Christopher M. , Sloan Denise M.
Published: February 2023

Group therapy is a frequently used therapy format for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, factors contributing to treatment completion remain understudied. The current study examined predictors of treatment completion, defined as having completed 10 out of 14 sessions within 16 weeks, in veterans with PTSD who engaged in a hybrid efficacy–effectiveness randomized controlled trial of group psychotherapy for PTSD. Veterans (N = 198) were randomly assigned to 14 sessions of either group cognitive behavioral treatment (GBCT; n = 98) or group present‐centered treatment (GPCT; n = 100). Four primary domains of predictors were examined, encompassing sociodemographic factors, the severity of PTSD and comorbid conditions, modifiable predictors, and treatment condition. Multilevel binomial logistic regression models following the Fournier analysis approach were used to examine significant predictors within domains, which were then included in a final model. Overall, 70.7% of participants completed treatment (GCBT = 61.6%, GPCT = 79.8%). Participants in the GPCT condition were 2.389 times, 95% CI [1.394, 4.092], more likely to complete treatment than those in the GCBT condition. Older age, a higher income and level of educational attainment, more lifetime and current mental health diagnoses, and higher use of positive reappraisal ER skills predicted treatment completion. Higher levels of depressive symptoms, cumulative trauma burden, and use of positive refocusing ER skills predicted treatment noncompletion. These findings are discussed in the context of current clinical and research practices for examining treatment noncompletion, with attention to the inclusion of translational predictors.
Ethyl Cellulose‐Based Thermoreversible Organogel Photoresist for Sedimentation‐Free Volumetric Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Toombs Joseph T. , Shan Ingrid K. , Taylor Hayden K.
Published: February 2023

Liquid photoresists are abundant in the field of light‐based additive manufacturing (AM). However, printing unsupported directly into a vat of material in emerging volumetric AM technologies―typically a benefit due to fewer geometric constraints and less material waste―can be a limitation when printing low‐viscosity liquid monomers and multimaterial constructs due to part drift or sedimentation. With ethyl cellulose (EC), a thermoplastic soluble in organic liquids, a simple three‐component transparent thermoreversible gel photoresist with melting temperature of ≈64 °C is formulated. The physically crosslinked network of the gel leads to storage moduli in the range of 0.1−10 kPa and maximum yield stress of 2.7 kPa for a 10 wt% EC gel photoresist. Nonzero yield stress enables sedimentation‐free tomographic volumetric patterning in low‐viscosity monomer without additional hardware or modification of apparatus. In addition, objects inserted into the print container can be suspended in the gel material which enables overprinting of multimaterial devices without anchors connecting the object to the printing container. Flexural strength is also improved by 100% compared to the neat monomer for a formulation with 7 wt% EC.
Impact of Parkinson's Disease on Caregiver Quality of Life in Japan
Authors: Nagaki Koichi , Nakagawa Ryoko , Ishido Miwako , Yoshinaga Yoko , Watanabe Jun , Kurihara Kanako , Hayashi Yuka , Ogura Hiromu , Mishima Takayasu , Fujioka Shinsuke , Tsuboi Yoshio
Published: February 2023

Background

Parkinson's disease (PD) adversely affects the quality of life (QoL) of not only patients but also their caregivers.

Objective

To determine the factors that most impact the QoL of family caregivers of patients with PD in a large Japanese population using data from the Japanese Quality‐of‐Life Survey of Parkinson's Disease (JAQPAD) study.

Methods

Questionnaires, including the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire‐Carer (PDQ‐Carer), were distributed to patients and their caregivers. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed with the PDQ‐Carer Summary Index (SI) score as the dependent variable to determine the factors that impact caregiver QoL.

Results

Overall, 1,346 caregivers were included in the analysis. Female sex, unemployment, caring for a patient with a high‐level need for nursing care, and a high Nonmotor Symptoms Questionnaire score were factors with a significant negative impact on caregiver QoL.

Conclusion

Results from this study identified several factors that affect caregiver QoL in Japan.
The current benefit of genome sequencing compared to exome sequencing in patients with developmental or epileptic encephalopathies
Authors: Grether Anna , Ivanovski Ivan , Russo Martina , Begemann Anaïs , Steindl Katharina , Abela Lucia , Papik Michael , Zweier Markus , Oneda Beatrice , Joset Pascal , Rauch Anita
Published: February 2023

Background

As the technology of next generation sequencing rapidly develops and costs are constantly reduced, the clinical availability of whole genome sequencing (WGS) increases. Thereby, it remains unclear what exact advantage WGS offers in comparison to whole exome sequencing (WES) for the diagnosis of genetic diseases using current technologies.

Methods

Trio‐WGS was conducted for 20 patients with developmental or epileptic encephalopathies who remained undiagnosed after WES and chromosomal microarray analysis.

Results

A diagnosis was reached for four patients (20%). However, retrospectively all pathogenic variants could have been detected in a WES analysis conducted with today's methods and knowledge.

Conclusion

The additional diagnostic yield of WGS versus WES is currently largely explained by new scientific insights and the general technological progress. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that whole genome sequencing has greater potential for the analysis of small copy number and copy number neutral variants not seen with WES as well as variants in noncoding regions, especially as potentially more knowledge of the function of noncoding regions arises. We, therefore, conclude that even though today the added value of WGS versus WES seems to be limited, it may increase substantially in the future.
Fractional differential quadrature techniques for fractional order Cauchy reaction‐diffusion equations
Authors: Ragb Ola , Wazwaz Abdul‐Majid , Mohamed Mokhtar , Matbuly M. S. , Salah Mohamed
Published: February 2023

This paper aims to explore and apply differential quadrature based on different test functions to find an efficient numerical solution of fractional order Cauchy reaction‐diffusion equations (CRDEs). The governing system is discretized through time and space via novel techniques of differential quadrature method and the fractional operator of Caputo kind. Two problems are offered to explain the accuracy of the numerical algorithms. To verify the reliability, accuracy, efficiency, and speed of these methods, computed results are compared numerically and graphically with the exact and semi‐exact solutions. Then mainly, we deal with absolute errors and L∞ errors to study the convergence of the presented methods. For each technique, MATLAB Code is designed to solve these problems with the error reaching ≤1 × 10−5. In addition, a parametric analysis is presented to discuss influence of fractional order derivative on results. The achieved solutions prove the viability of the presented methods and demonstrate that these methods are easy to implement, effective, high accurate, and appropriate for studying fractional partial differential equations emerging in fields related to science and engineering.
Effect of Gestational Fish Oil Supplementation on Liver Metabolism and Mitochondria of Male and Female Rat Offspring Programmed by Maternal High‐Fat Diet
Authors: Neto Jessika Geisebel Oliveira , Woyames Juliana , Andrade Cherley Borba Vieira , de Almeida Mariana Macedo , Fassarella Larissa Brito , Atella Georgia Correia , Takyia Christina Maeda , Trevenzoli Isis Hara , Pazos‐Moura Carmen Cabanelas
Published: February 2023

Scope

Perinatal maternal moderately high‐fat diet (mHFD) is associated with obesity and fatty liver disease in offspring, and maternal fish oil (FO: n‐3 PUFA source) supplementation may attenuate these disorders. This study evaluates the effects of FO given to pregnant rats fed a mHFD on the offspring's liver at weaning.

Methods and results

Female Wistar rats receive an isoenergetic, control (CT: 10.9% from fat) or high‐fat (HF: 28.7% from fat) diet before mating, and throughout pregnancy and lactation. FO supplementation (HFFO: 2.9% of FO in the HF diet) is given to one subgroup of HF dams during pregnancy. At weaning, male and female mHFD offspring display higher body mass, adiposity, and hepatic cellular damage, steatosis, and inflammation, accompanied by increased damaged mitochondria. FO does not protect pups from systemic metabolic alterations and partially mitigates hepatic histological damage induced by mHFD only in females. However, FO reduces mRNA expression of lipogenic genes, and mitochondrial damage, and modified mitochondrial morphology suggestive of early adaptations via mitochondrial dynamics.

Conclusions

Gestational FO supplementation has limited beneficial effects on the damage caused by perinatal mHFD consumption in offspring's liver at weaning. However, FO imprinting effect on lipid metabolism and mitochondria may have beneficial long‐term outcomes.
Fraction optimization for hybrid proton‐photon treatment planning
Authors: Li Wangyao , Zhang Weijie , Lin Yuting , Chen Ronald C. , Gao Hao
Published: February 2023

Background

Hybrid proton‐photon radiotherapy (RT) can provide better plan quality than proton or photon only RT, in terms of robustness of target coverage and sparing of organs‐at‐risk (OAR).

Purpose

This work develops a hybrid treatment planning method that can optimize the number of proton and photon fractions as well as proton and photon plan variables, so that the hybrid plans can be clinically delivered day‐to‐day using either proton or photon machine.

Methods

In the new hybrid treatment planning method, the total dose distribution (sum of proton dose and photon dose) is optimized for robust target coverage and optimal OAR sparing, by jointly optimizing proton spots and photon fluences, while the target dose uniformity is also enforced individually on both proton dose and photon dose, so that the hybrid plans can be separately and robustly delivered on proton or photon machine. To ensure the target dose uniformity for proton and photon plans, the number of proton and photon fractions is explicitly modeled and optimized, so that the target dose for proton and photon dose components is constrained to be a constant fraction of the total prescription dose while the plan quality based on total dose is optimized. The feasibility of hybrid planning using the proposed method is validated with representative clinical cases including abdomen, lung, head‐and‐neck (HN), and brain.

Results

For all cases, hybrid plans provided better overall plan quality and OAR sparing than proton‐only or photon‐only plans, better target dose uniformity and robustness than proton‐only plans, quantified by treatment planning objectives and dosimetric parameters. Moreover, for HN and brain cases, hybrid plans also had better target coverage than photon‐only plans.

Conclusions

We have developed a new hybrid treatment planning method that optimizes number of proton and photon fractions as well as proton spots and photon fluences, for generating hybrid plans that can be separately and robustly delivered on proton or photon machines. Preliminary results have demonstrated that hybrid plans generated by the new method have better plan quality than proton‐only or photon‐only plans.
Closed‐form solution of fluid flow in and around a crack disk embedded in a 3D porous medium
Authors: Vu Minh‐Ngoc , Tran Nam Hung , Nguyen Thi Thu Nga , Nguyen‐Sy Tuan , Pham Duc Tho , Trieu Hung Truong
Published: February 2023

This paper considers the fluid flow through a porous medium containing intersecting fractures and presents three main analytical findings, namely: (1) mass exchange between fractures and surrounding matrix at the fracture intersection; (2) fluid potential solution (pressure field) within the whole domain under the form of a single singular integral equation; and (3) closed‐form solutions of fluid flow in and around a crack disc under a far field pressure gradient. The crack is represented mathematically by a 2D smooth surface (i.e., zero thickness) within a 3D porous medium, while physically by a constant aperture. The fluid flow within the crack obeys Poisseuille's law, while Darcy's law is used to represent the fluid flow in the surrounding matrix. The general solution of pressure field for the general case of multiple intersecting cracks is firstly derived under a singular integral equation form. The mass exchange between the porous matrix and the crack, as well as the mass conservation at the intersection between cracks are the keys to obtaining this general solution. Then, the general solution is written for the case of a single crack. Rigorous derivation of the latter equation allows obtaining a closed‐form solution of flow through a single crack. Introducing this solution of flow into the general equation gives the pressure field around the crack. The solution derived in this paper for a crack disk with Poisseuille's flow is slightly different from the well‐known Eshelby's solution for the case of flattened inclusion in which the flow obeys Darcy's law.
Adapting the program redesign model for a student‐centered curricula renewal in animal science
Authors: Karcher Elizabeth L. , Wardwell Brianna , Ragland Elizabeth , York Ashley , Machaty Zoltan , Stewart Kara , Radcliffe Scott , Lott Erica A.
Published: February 2023

Departmental‐level curricular redesign is a vital issue in higher education, especially as departments work to move toward more student‐centered teaching and learning environments. However, there is a lack of guidance on the steps to take or potential solutions to challenges faced by faculty and departments undergoing the curricular redesign process. While there are studies that share frameworks and different processes, there are few approaches that emphasize student‐centered learning, as well as being flexible, theory‐based, and data driven. In this paper, we share an overview of an adapted curricular design framework and the detailed process a Department of Animal Sciences is taking to approach departmental curricular redesign. We highlight items to consider prior to beginning a department level curricular redesign, the challenges, potential solutions, and next steps in the process.
Cash may be king, but goods are queen: Marketing for noncash donations by nonprofit organizations
Authors: Johnson Brian Lee
Published: February 2023

To thrive and survive, nonprofit organizations should always seek new sources of donations. Although many of these entities are laser‐focused on obtaining cash and other similar forms of funds from their donors, they should not forget the abundant donation type that is also available to them: noncash goods. The process of marketing to donors for these goods is unique compared to fundraising for cash. Consequently, the goal of this study is multifaceted: to remind nonprofit organizations of the availability of noncash goods as a donation source, encourage them to unlock this trove through marketing, and provide them with recommendations on how to do so.
Circadian rhythm parameters and physical activity associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in the PREVIEW lifestyle study
Authors: Westerterp‐Plantenga Margriet S. , Drummen Mathijs , Tischmann Lea , Swindell Nils , Stratton Gareth , Raben Anne , Westerterp Marit , Adam Tanja
Published: February 2023

Objective

The aim of this study was an assessment of post hoc associations among circadian rhythm parameters, physical activity (PA), and cardiometabolic risk factors in adults with obesity and prediabetes after 3 years of weight loss maintenance.

Methods

Circadian rhythm parameters (continuous wrist‐temperature measurements), PA, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), heart rate (HR), plasma high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, remnant cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and C‐reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were determined in 91 free‐living participants (mean [SD], age = 56.6 [10] years; BMI = 28.2 [4.0]; homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA‐IR] = 3.2 [3.1]) and in 38 participants in sedentary respiration chamber conditions (age = 56.6 [10] years; BMI = 28.5 [4.0]; HOMA‐IR = 3.3 [1.4]). Associations of circadian rhythm parameters and PA with cardiometabolic risk factors were determined using factor analyses followed by Pearson correlations.

Results

Values of cardiometabolic risk factors were similar, whereas circadian rhythm parameters and PA differed significantly (p < 0.05) between conditions. In both conditions, parameters indicating a robust circadian rhythm associated inversely with CRP and positively with plasma HDL‐C concentrations. In free‐living conditions, PA associated inversely with SBP and HR and positively with HDL‐C and robust circadian rhythm parameters. In sedentary conditions, PA associated positively with HR and inversely with robust circadian rhythm parameters. PA mediated the inverse association of parameters indicating a robust circadian rhythm with SBP in free‐living conditions.

Conclusions

In adults with obesity and prediabetes, parameters indicating a robust circadian rhythm were, independently of PA, associated with lower cardiometabolic risk and CRP. Only in free‐living conditions, PA mediated the association of higher circadian stability with lower SBP.
Heterocyclic Synthesis of Crowded Aposafranones: Structure of 1‐Methyl‐8‐dimethylamino‐10‐phenylphenazin‐2‐(10H)one and Related Compounds
Authors: Plater M. John , Harrison William T. A.
Published: February 2023

Oxidative condensation of three p‐phenylenediamines with 3‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐N‐(phenylamino)benzene gives new coloured aposafranones. 2‐Methylresorcinol is easy to convert into the asymmetric building block 3‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐N‐(phenylamino)benzene with aniline. The aposafranones are sterically crowded because of the 1‐methyl and N‐phenyl groups. The UV/Vis absorption maxima are in the range 530–545 nm.
Intra‐oral gingival massage activates human cerebral prefrontal cortex and enhances cognitive performance
Authors: Rikimaru Tetsuya , Okura Yoshifumi
Published: February 2023

Aim

Oral care is associated with improved quality of life and changing cognitive performance in daily life. The association of trigeminal nerve‐stimulatory oral care methods, such as tooth brushing and intra‐oral cold stimuli, with cerebral activation has been studied. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of intra‐oral gingival massage on the cerebral prefrontal cortex (PFC) region activation and the changes in cognitive performance.

Methods

A total of 18 men participated in this study. Near‐infrared spectroscopy was used to acquire data on the cerebral hemoglobin concentrations. Cognitive function was determined using the Stroop cognitive test performed with and without intra‐oral gingival massage stimulus.

Results

Participants who performed intra‐oral gingival massage showed significantly increased blood flow in the cerebral PFC region, including the left dorsolateral PFC (DL‐PFC) region, compared with those who mimicked the movements of the gingival massage (control group) (p = 0.0104 by Wilcoxon signed rank method). Furthermore, gingival massage showed a significant association with increased cognitive performance (p < 0.0001 by Wilcoxon signed rank method) that coincided with the enhanced left DL‐PFC region activation (p = 0.039 by Fisher's exact probability test).

Conclusion

Intra‐oral gingival massage activated the cerebral PFC regions correlating with enhanced cognitive performance, suggesting that gingival massage may help improve cognitive performance.
A simple melt blending method for preparing PP/HMSPP foaming composites with superior surface appearance and mechanical performance
Authors: You Yujing , Jiang Tuanhui , Liu Bujin , Xing Jinfu , Yang Jingkui , Zeng Xiangbu , Zhang Chun , Gong Wei , He Li
Published: February 2023

Increasing mold temperature is effective to improve the surface quality of injection molding foamed products, but high mold temperature often leads to deteriorative cellular quality. Based on this, the polypropylene/high melt strength polypropylene (PP/HMSPP) composites with temperature insensitivity were prepared by a simple melt blending method, the rheological behavior and crystallization behavior of PP/HMSPP composites were studied by rotational rheometer and DSC at different cooling rates, respectively. In addition, foamed PP/HMSPP composites were prepared by chemical foaming injection molding, and their cellular quality, surface quality, and mechanical properties were analyzed. The results showed that when the content of HMSPP came to 50 wt%, the effect of the cooling rate on the rheological behavior of PP/HMSPP composites could be ignored. Furthermore, when the mold temperature increased from 60 to 120°C, the surface quality increased significantly, with the average cell diameter only increasing from 15.92 μm to 19.03 μm, and the cell density decreasing from 2.3 × 107 cells/cm3 to 1.9 × 107 cells/cm3. The tensile strength, bending strength, and impact strength were maintained at 24.15 MPa, 38.11 MPa, and 3.24 kJ/m2, respectively. This temperature‐insensitive PP/HMSPP composite foaming material can be used as guidance for the industrial stable production of PP injection molding chemical foaming. And this work suggested new thinking for future research on the modification of other polymer foam products at a high mold temperature.
Effect of carbon fiber surface properties on carbon fiber/polyphenylene sulfide composite interfacial property
Authors: Yu Lei , Wang Kai , Guan Yanfei , Liu Zhaobo , Sun Mingchen , Zhao Yan
Published: February 2023

Carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) composite shows extraordinary thermal stability, chemical resistance, and processability. The interface between CF and PPS transfers the load, and its properties are crucial to determine composite properties such as mechanical performance, reliability, and so forth. This work explores the relationship between surface properties of CFs (with/without sizing layer) and the interfacial properties of CF/PPS composite. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope were employed to evaluate surface physicochemical properties of CFs, and reveal the increasing roughness and decreasing content of functional groups on the CF surface after desizing. Inverse gas chromatography and dynamic contact angle tests were adopted to characterize the surface energy of CFs, and present that the dispersive component of surface energy increases, while the polar component decreases, and the total surface energy is barely changed after desizing. Differential scanning calorimetry measurement reveals the increasing crystallinity of CF/PPS after CF desizing. Microbond test was performed to analyze interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of CF/PPS, displays that IFSS keeps almost constant after CF desizing. The results demonstrate that the surface energy of CF is important to the interfacial crystallinity, but not the critical factor for interfacial strength of CF/PPS composite.
Investigating the effect of zirconium‐based and titanium‐based metal–organic frameworks nanoparticles on the performance of polysulfone hollow fiber mixed matrix membrane for dialysis application
Authors: Tarkhani Mehdi , Mousavi Seyyed Abbas , Asadollahi Mahdieh , Bastani Dariush , Pourasad Fatemeh
Published: February 2023

This study aims to investigate polysulfone (PSF) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) properties containing zirconium‐based and titanium‐based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). for hemodialysis application. The nanoparticles were synthesized, and the membranes were produced by the phase inversion method. Membrane characterization conducted by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR), field emission Scanning electron microscope (FE‐SEM), energy‐dispersive x‐ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed the presence of MOF nanoparticles. Also, the evaluation of the specific surface area of nanoparticles was done by BET. The water contact angle reduced from 64.4° to 51.2°, indicating the hydrophilicity improvement, enhancing the pure water flux from 46.8 L/m2h for the pristine membrane to 76.7 L/m2h for the pristine membrane M4. The total fouling resistance decreased from 30% to 21%, and the bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption of modified membranes was lower than that of the pristine membrane. Urea and creatinine were cleared significantly for modified ones, up to 82.6% and 72.1%, respectively, and all membranes showed BSA retention of more than 93%. A comparison between MMMs that contained UIO‐66‐NH2 and MIL‐125‐NH2 showed that the former had a better effect on the performance. M4 had better results, indicating high water flux, the lowest fouling resistance, high porosity, lower BSA adsorption, proper clearance for urea and creatinine, and 94.2% BSA retention.
Applying single‐cell highly multiplexed secretome proteomics to characterize immunotherapeutic products and predict clinical responses
Authors: Ni Weiming , Han Edward X. , Cyr Matthew , Mackay Sean , Zhou Jing
Published: February 2023

Genetically and phenotypically identical immune cell populations can be highly heterogenous in terms of their immune functions and protein secretion profiles. The microfluidic chip‐based single‐cell highly multiplexed secretome proteomics enables characterization of cellular heterogeneity of immune responses at different cellular and molecular layers. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that polyfunctional T cells that simultaneously produce 2+ proteins per cell at the single‐cell level are key effector cells that contribute to the development of potent and durable cellular immunity against pathogens and cancers. The functional proteomic technology offers a wide spectrum of cellular function assessment and can uniquely define highly polyfunctional cell subsets with cytokine signatures from live individual cells. This high‐dimensional single‐cell analysis provides deep dissection into functional heterogeneity and helps identify predictive biomarkers and potential correlates that are crucial for immunotherapeutic product design optimization and personalized immunotherapy development to achieve better clinical outcomes.
Synthesis of air‐stable poly(benzonorbornadiene)s via ring‐opening metathesis polymerization
Authors: Lee Huijin , Kim Cheoljae
Published: February 2023

Herein, air‐stable poly(benzonorbornadiene) was synthesized via ring‐opening metathesis polymerization. Conventional poly(benzonorbornadiene) easily decomposed in the presence of molecular oxygen owing to the generation of radicals at allylic and benzylic hydrogens. However, our sterically bulky aryl‐group substituents of polymers physically blocked the access of oxygen at these positions. The resulting polymers preserved their backbones for more than 2 weeks in air. Postmodification of bromophenyl‐substituted polymer successfully afforded the expanded aryl substituted polymer by Suzuki‐Miyaura coupling with phenylboronic acid in the presence of Pd catalyst. With this highly air‐stable polymers, development of fully conjugated all‐carbon polymer is currently being studied.
Remodeling of white adipose tissue microenvironment against obesity by phytochemicals
Authors: Ke Shuwei , Hu Qingyuan , Zhu Guanyao , Li Linghuan , Sun Xuechao , Cheng Hongbin , Li Lingqiao , Yao Yuanfa , Li Hanbing
Published: February 2023

Obesity is a kind of chronic disease due to a long‐term imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. In recent years, the number of obese people around the world has soared, and obesity problem should not be underestimated. Obesity is characterized by changes in the adipose microenvironment, mainly manifested as hypertrophy, chronic inflammatory status, hypoxia, and fibrosis, thus contributing to the pathological changes of other tissues. A plethora of phytochemicals have been found to improve adipose microenvironment, thus prevent and resist obesity, providing a new research direction for the treatment of obesity and related diseases. This paper discusses remodeling of the adipose tissue microenvironment as a therapeutic avenue and reviews the progress of phytochemicals in fighting obesity by improving the adipose microenvironment.
Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale) intake on human serum lipid profile: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Salih Alaa Kassar , Alwan Ala Hadi , Khadim Murad , Al‐qaim Zahraa Haleem , Mardanov Bobosher , El‐Sehrwy Amr A. , Ahmed Yousief Irshad , Amerizadeh Atefeh
Published: February 2023

Dyslipidemia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Effect of ginger supplementation on lipid profile in humans remains controversial particularly in diabetic patients. A systematic search was performed covering PubMed, Medline, and Scopus, Web of Science (ISI), and Google scholar from January 2010 to January 2022. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) study design, at least one of lipid profile components triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL‐C), and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL‐C) measured before and after ginger consumption. For quantitative data synthesis, a random‐effects model was applied. Pooled data showed that ginger intake reduced TC (SMD −0.44; 95% CI: −0.86, −0.02; p = 0.025) and TG (SMD ‐0.61; 95% CI: −1.14, −0.08; p = 0.024) levels significantly, but it has no significant effect on improving HDL‐C (SMD 0.40; 95% CI: −0.01, 0.80; p = 0.057) and LDL‐C (SMD −0.34; 95% CI: −0.81, 0.13; p = 0.153). Ginger supplementation decreased TG in obese and diabetic subjects more efficiently. In terms of ginger dose, the result of meta‐regression found to be significant only for TC, so that increasing daily doses of ginger reduces TC levels by (β: −0.67; 95% CI: −1.28, −0.07; p = 0.028). Therefore, ginger could be considered as an effective lipid lowering nutraceuticals.
Theoretical NMR and IR spectroscopic analyses of the preferred conformers of the neurotransmitter anandamide
Authors: Castro María Eugenia , Rangel‐Galván Maricruz , Dávila Eliud Morales , Caballero Norma A. , Melendez Francisco J.
Published: February 2023

Anandamide, an endogenous fatty acid, displays a wide conformational space due to the nature of its chemical structure, particularly its polyunsaturated aliphatic chain component (omega‐6 fatty acid). Six main minima are considered after a conformational search based on the MM+ method, namely, extended shape, U‐shape, and hairpin shape with either an open or a closed conformation of the ethanolamide (EA) ring. For these six conformers, DFT calculations were performed to theoretically characterize their structural stability, NMR and IR spectroscopic, and electronic properties using the BP86/cc‐pVTZ level of theory with the solute‐implicit solvent model PCM. DLPNO‐CCSD(T) level of theory was used for comparison with DFT results. Our results indicate that the conformers with closed EA ring are more stable than their corresponding open ring counterparts. With the NMR and IR spectroscopies was characterized the formation of the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the closed conformers of the EA ring. The electronic properties investigated include the calculation of the frontier molecular orbitals (FMO), the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), and the natural bond orbitals (NBO). Additionally, the multiscale ONIOM QM1/QM2 model was used to simulate a solute‐explicit solvent system and molecular dynamics simulations were used to simulate the anandamide systems embedded in a hydrated symmetric POPC membrane and in aqueous solution. The results suggest that alkyl‐middle and EA groups in anandamide may play an important role in the ligand‐receptor interaction.
An integral sliding‐mode parallel control approach for general nonlinear systems via piecewise affine linear models
Authors: Zhang Chunyang , Gao Qing , Deng Yue , Qiu Jianbin
Published: February 2023

The fundamental problem of stabilizing a general nonaffine continuous‐time nonlinear system is investigated via piecewise affine linear models (PALMs) in this article. A novel integral sliding‐mode parallel control (ISMPC) approach is developed, where an uncertain piecewise affine system (PWA) is constructed to model a nonaffine continuous‐time nonlinear system equivalently on a compact region containing the origin. A piecewise sliding‐mode parallel controller is designed to globally stabilize the PALM and, consequently, to semiglobally stabilize the original nonlinear system. The proposed scheme enjoys three favorable features: (i) some restrictions on the system input channel are eliminated, thus the developed method is more relaxed compared with the published approaches; (ii) it is convenient to be used to deal with both matched and unmatched uncertainties of the system; and (iii) the proposed piecewise parallel controller generates smooth control signals even around the boundaries between different subspaces, which makes the developed control strategy more implementable and reliable. Moreover, we provide discussions about the universality analysis of the developed control strategy for two kinds of typical nonlinear systems. Simulation results from two numerical examples further demonstrate the performance of the developed control approach.
Impact of various cleaning procedures on p‐GaN surfaces
Authors: Schaber Jana , Xiang Rong , Arnold André , Ryzhov Anton , Teichert Jochen , Murcek Petr , Zwartek Paul , Ma Shuai , Michel Peter
Published: February 2023

This work discusses the influence of different cleaning procedures on p‐gallium nitride (GaN) grown on sapphire by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. The cleaned p‐GaN surface was transferred into an ultrahigh vacuum chamber and studied by an X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer, revealing that a cleaning with a so‐called “piranha” procedure results in low carbon and oxygen concentrations on the p‐GaN surface. Contrary, a cleaning that solely uses ethanol represents a simple cleaning but leads to an increase of carbon and oxygen contaminations on the surface. Afterward, the cleaned p‐GaN samples underwent a subsequential vacuum thermal cleaning at various temperatures to achieve an atomically clean surface. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements revealed residual oxygen and carbon on the p‐GaN surface. Thus, a thermal treatment under a vacuum did not entirely remove these organic contaminations, although the thermal cleaning reduced their peak intensities. The complete removal of carbon and oxygen contaminants was only achieved by argon ion sputtering, which is accompanied by a strong depletion of the nitrogen on the p‐GaN surface. The treatments cause a large number of surface defects preventing the formation of a negative electron surface when the p‐GaN is activated with a thin layer of cesium.
Structural, Spectral, and Electrochemical Investigations of a Nitrogen‐Doped N‐rGO/MgCo2O4 Nanocomposite for Supercapacitor Applications
Authors: Vignesh Gopal , Ranjithkumar Raju , Devendran Pazhanivel , Nallaperumal Nallamuthu , Sudhahar Sakkarapani , Kumar Muthusamy Krishna
Published: February 2023

The hybrid nitrogen doped N‐rGO/MgCo2O4 nanocomposite was studied for supercapacitor electrodes. Hydrothermal and reflux process was adopted for N‐rGO and for nanocomposite respectively. GO/MgCo2O4, MgCo2O4 physical and chemical properties were used to compare to understand the enhancements made by nitrogen doping. Phase purity of N‐rGO/MgCo2O4, GO/MgCo2O4 nanocomposites and MgCo2O4 were studied. Raman and FTIR spectra were used to confirm the reduction of graphene oxide, nitrogen doping in

N‐rGO and its nanocomposites. SEM and EDX analysis revealed the morphology and the elements in the synthesized nanomaterials. The electrochemical performance of all the nanocomposites were studied in 1 M KOH electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry, charge‐discharge, impedance spectra, cyclic stability of N‐rGO/MgCo2O4, GO/MgCo2O4, MgCo2O4 results have been discussed. The energy and power density have been compared. N‐rGO//N‐rGO/MgCo2O4 asymmetric supercapacitor device was fabricated and studied. It exhibits an energy, power density of 3750 Wh Kg−1, 28.3 W Kg−1 and the results have been presented.
TaCl5‐Catalyzed Amidation of Carboxylic Acids with Amines
Authors: Gabdullin Azat M. , Kadikova Rita N. , Mozgovoj Oleg S. , Ramazanov Ilfir R.
Published: February 2023

The reaction of alkyl‐ and aryl‐substituted carboxylic acids with primary and secondary amines under the action of 0.2 equiv. TaCl5 leads to selective formation of carboxylic acid amides of various structures. TaCl5‐catalyzed formation of amides was demonstrated to proceed equally selectively both in toluene and methylene chloride, hexane, diethyl ether and 1,4‐dioxane solutions.