bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Professionally important qualities of police officers with different performance and performing in different areas of official activity
Authors: Fedotova Eva Eduardovna , Korneeva Yana Aleksandrovna , Arefina Marina Sergeevna , Martirosova Natal'ya Veniaminovna
Published: April 2023

At the moment, there are general requirements for personal and business qualities, regulated for use in the Department of Internal Affairs, while the features of their severity for future employees performing different areas of official activity are not noted. The study is devoted to identifying and describing the features of professionally important qualities of police officers with different performance and performing in different areas of official activity. The study involved 78 police officers of the city of Arkhangelsk. Research methods: questioning for assessing the parameters of the effectiveness of performance; psychological testing of professionally important qualities of employees using regulated methods. Statistical processing was carried out using descriptive statistics, two-stage cluster analysis, Pearson's χ2 contingency tables, and multivariate analysis of variance using the SPSS 23.00 software package. As a result of the study, police officers were divided into two groups in terms of the performance characteristics of their performance, and differences in the severity of professionally important qualities of the groups represented were identified and described. Differences were established between police officers of different professional orientations in the severity of attitude to work and motivation of professional activity, cognitive, socio-psychological and emotional-volitional qualities and properties. Employees with high performance in administrative and preventive activities are characterized by high responsibility and effective performance of activities; high-performing administrative and managerial employees are characterized by a work orientation and commitment to duty, higher levels of leadership potential and friendliness, as well as high self-control and a desire for cooperation and mutual assistance. Employees of the operational-investigative direction of activity are characterized by great self-confidence, objectivity and rationality.
Functional features of euphemisms in English-language political discourse
Authors: Pavlova Tatyana Alexandrovna , Potovskaya Kseniya Sergeevna
Published: April 2023

This article is a study of the linguistic phenomenon of euphemization in political discourse. In the research, attention is paid to the main functions of euphemisms, in particular, the communicative function aimed at softening and neutralization of communicative discomfort, as well as the function of the public conscience manipulation. The study material is English-language socio-political newspapers. Applying continuous sampling method, euphemisms in the English-language political discourse were selected and analyzed in order to identify their functional and pragmatic potential and impact on the target audience. The survey results showed that the manipulative function of euphemisms plays a dominant role. Basically, euphemisms not only create a positive communicative atmosphere, but also have an implicit effect on the reader through veiling, disguising and distortion techniques. The present study is of theoretical and practical significance due to the certain contribution it makes to the study of the theory of manipulation of public consciousness by the political authorities. The analysis of the ways of implementing the tactics of emotional influence through euphemisms in political discourse allows us to develop a certain immunity to attempts of manipulation. Undoubtedly, further research in this area will contribute to a deeper understanding of the pragmalinguistic potential of euphemisms in political discourse.
Experimental study on irradiation of perovskite solar cells
Authors: Li Pei , Xu Jie , He Chao-Hui , Liu Jia-Xin ,   School of Nuclear Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China,   College of Science, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
Published: April 2023

Solar cell is an important energy source for spacecraft. It is significant to study its resistance to space particle irradiation. In the past ten years, the research hotspot of solar cells has focused on the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of their advantages of long carrier lifetime, high light absorption performance, low cost and easy preparation. By now the photoelectric conversion efficiency of PSCs has reached to 25.5%. Recently, PSCs were found to be robust to space particle irradiation, which makes them possible to be used in the satellites and spacecraft. The antiradiation effects of perovskite solar cells with different cell structures and preparation processes have been studied, but the obtained experimental results are different. In this work, the experiments on radiations of protons, electrons and gamma rays of the same PSCs are carried out. The photoelectric characteristics before and after space particle irradiation are characterized, so as to analyze the radiation effect of PSCs. The experimental results show that the PSCs are sensitive to electron radiation and gamma radiation. With the increase of electron fluence and gamma total dose, the degradation of photoelectric characteristics of PSCs intensifies gradually. For gamma radiation, PSCs exhibit the most significantly radiation sensitivity. The PSCs are found to be robust to the proton irradiation. With the increase of proton fluence, the short-circuit currents of PSCs change little, the open-circuit voltages remain essentially unchanged, and the cell efficiency can be stably maintained at 94% of the pre-irradiation performance. Based on the above experimental data, a semi-empirical formula is established, and the radiation damage law of PSCs can be predicted with less experimental data, which will support the space application of PSCs.
Efficient data transmission on wireless communication through a privacy-enhanced blockchain process
Authors: Aluvalu Rajanikanth , Kumaran V. N. Senthil , Thirumalaisamy Manikandan , Basheer Shajahan , Ali aldhahri Eman , Selvarajan Shitharth
Published: April 2023

In the medical era, wearables often manage and find the specific data points to check important data like resting heart rate, ECG voltage, SPO2, sleep patterns like length, interruptions, and intensity, and physical activity like kind, duration, and levels. These digital biomarkers are created mainly through passive data collection from various sensors. The critical issues with this method are time and sensitivity. We reviewed the newest wireless communication trends employed in hospitals using wearable technology and privacy and Block chain to solve this problem. Based on sensors, this wireless technology controls the data gathered from numerous locations. In this study, the wearable sensor contains data from the various departments of the system. The gradient boosting method and the hybrid microwave transmission method have been proposed to find the location and convince people. The patient health decision has been submitted to hybrid microwave transmission using gradient boosting. This will help to trace the mobile phones using the calls from the threatening person, and the data is gathered from the database while tracing. From this concern, the data analysis process is based on decision-making. They adapted the data encountered by the detailed data in the statistical modeling of the system to produce exploratory data analysis for satisfying the data from the database. Complete data is classified with a 97% outcome by removing unwanted data and making it a 98% successful data classification.
Application of interval type-2 fuzzy logic and type-1 fuzzy logic-based approaches to social networks for spam detection with combined feature capabilities
Authors: Atacak İsmail , Çıtlak Oğuzhan , Doğru İbrahim Alper
Published: April 2023

Background

Social networks are large platforms that allow their users to interact with each other on the Internet. Today, the widespread use of social networks has made them vulnerable to malicious use through different methods such as fake accounts and spam. As a result, many social network users are exposed to the harmful effects of spam accounts created by malicious people. Although Twitter, one of the most popular social networking platforms, uses spam filters to protect its users from the harmful effects of spam, these filters are insufficient to detect spam accounts that exhibit new methods and behaviours. That’s why on social networking platforms like Twitter, it has become a necessity to use robust and more dynamic methods to detect spam accounts.

Methods

Fuzzy logic (FL) based approaches, as they are the models such that generate results by interpreting the data obtained based on heuristics viewpoint according to past experiences, they can provide robust and dynamic solutions in spam detection, as in many application areas. For this purpose, a data set was created by collecting data on the twitter platform for spam detection. In the study, fuzzy logic-based classification approaches are suggested for spam detection. In the first stage of the proposed method, a data set with extracted attributes was obtained by applying normalization and crowdsourcing approaches to the raw data obtained from Twitter. In the next stage, as a process of the data preprocessing step, six attributes in the binary form in the data set were subjected to a rating-based transformation and combined with the other real-valued attribute to create a database to be used in spam detection. Classification process inputs were obtained by applying the fisher-score method, one of the commonly used filter-based methods, to the data set obtained in the second stage. In the last stage, the data were classified based on FL based approaches according to the obtained inputs. As FL approaches, four different Mamdani and Sugeno fuzzy inference systems based on interval type-1 and Interval Type-2 were used. Finally, in the classification phase, four different machine learning (ML) approaches including support vector machine (SVM), Bayesian point machine (BPM), logistic regression (LR) and average perceptron (Avr Prc) methods were used to test the effectiveness of these approaches in detecting spam.

Results

Experimental results were obtained by applying different FL and ML based approaches on the data set created in the study. As a result of the experiments, the Interval Type-2 Mamdani fuzzy inference system (IT2M-FIS) provided the highest performance with an accuracy of 0.955, a recall of 0.967, an F-score 0.962 and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.971. However, it has been observed that FL-based spam models have a higher performance than ML-based spam models in terms of metrics including accuracy, recall, F-score and AUC values.
Metabolic shift and the effect of mitochondrial respiration on the osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells
Authors: Wan Lingyun , Wang Linyan , Cheng Ran , Cheng Li , Hu Tao
Published: April 2023

Background

Metabolism shifts from glycolysis to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation are vital during the differentiation of stem cells. Mitochondria have a direct function in differentiation. However, the metabolic shift and the effect of mitochondria in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) remain unclear.

Methods

Human dental pulp stem cells were collected from five healthy donors. Osteogenic differentiation was induced by osteogenic induction medium. The activities of alkaline phosphatase, hexokinase, pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase were analyzed by enzymatic activity kits. The extracellular acidification rate and the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate were measured. The mRNA levels of COL-1, ALP, TFAM, and NRF1 were analyzed. The protein levels of p-AMPK and AMPK were detected by western blotting.

Results

Glycolysis decreased after a slight increase, while mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation continued to increase when cells grew in osteogenic induction medium. Therefore, the metabolism of differentiating cells switched to mitochondrial respiration. Next, inhibiting mitochondrial respiration with carbonyl cyanide-chlorophenylhydrazone, a mitochondrial uncoupler inhibited hDPSCs differentiation with less ALP activity and decreased ALP and COL-1 mRNA expression. Furthermore, mitochondrial uncoupling led to AMPK activation. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide, an AMPK activator, simulated the effect of mitochondrial uncoupling by inhibiting osteogenic differentiation, mitochondrial biogenesis, and mitochondrial morphology. Mitochondrial uncoupling and activation of AMPK depressed mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and inhibited differentiation, suggesting that they may serve as regulators to halt osteogenic differentiation from impaired mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.
Feeding preferences and the effect of temperature on feeding rates of the graceful kelp crab, Pugettia gracilis
Authors: Johnson Katrina H. , Dobkowski Katie A. , Seroy Sasha K. , Fox Shelby , Meenan Natalie
Published: April 2023

Graceful kelp crabs (Pugettia gracilis) are abundant consumers in shallow subtidal ecosystems of the Salish Sea. These dynamic habitats are currently experiencing multiple changes including invasion by non-native seaweeds and ocean warming. However, little is known about P. gracilis’ foraging ecology, therefore we investigated their feeding preferences between native and invasive food sources, as well as feeding rates at elevated temperatures to better assess their role in changing coastal food webs. To quantify crab feeding preferences, we collected P. gracilis from San Juan Island, WA and conducted no-choice and choice experiments with two food sources: the native kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, and the invasive seaweed, Sargassum muticum. In no-choice experiments, P. gracilis ate equal amounts of N. luetkeana and S. muticum. However, in choice experiments, P. gracilis preferred N. luetkeana over S. muticum. To test effects of temperature on these feeding rates, we exposed P. gracilis to ambient (11.5 ± 1.3 °C) or elevated (19.5 ± 1.8 °C) temperature treatments and measured consumption of the preferred food type, N. luetkeana. Crabs exposed to elevated temperatures ate significantly more than those in the ambient treatment. Our study demonstrates the diet flexibility of P. gracilis, suggesting they may be able to exploit increasing populations of invasive S. muticum in the Salish Sea. Warming ocean temperatures may also prompt P. gracilis to increase feeding, exacerbating harmful impacts on N. luetkeana, which is already vulnerable to warming and invasive competitors.
Calciphylaxis: A Rare Clinical Presentation in a Patient with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
Authors: Okikiade Adedeji , Browne-Caesar Twanna , Afolayan-Oloye Olayinka , Agboola Rasheed , Browne Kevin
Published: April 2023

Calciphylaxis, also known as calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA), affects small arteries of the skin in patients with end-stage renal failure, dialysis patients, and patients with hypercalcemia. The condition is characterized by the calcification of small blood vessels leading to skin necrosis without inflammation. It is frequently complicated by superimposed infection and bleeding and has a high mortality rate.

The rare condition is yet to be documented on the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The authors have, therefore, made efforts to document, educate, and discuss this rare presentation in a 65-year-old local Vincentian male with 30 years history of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus and hypertension who commenced hemodialysis two years prior to the presentation for end-stage chronic renal failure. With the increasing incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and complications of chronic kidney disease, and renal failure, this article is written as a case study with a concise literature review on calciphylaxis to provide continuing medical education and increase the level of awareness among medical students and index of suspicion among healthcare providers.
Participation of Diverse Gender in Negros Occidental in the Production of Goats
Authors: Delmonte Meg Aui O. , Tongol Mae Ann S. , Pillones Chiremy T. , Pardillo Nyle A.
Published: April 2023

Aims: This study aims to identify the demographic profile of each involved in goat raising and to identify the different practices of each gender involved in goat raising.

Study Design: The study used the descriptive type of research design using a structured questionnaires based on the Philippine Recommend for Goat Production.

Place and Duration of Study: Sample: All cities and municipalities of the Province of Negros Occidental conducted from February 2021 to April 2021.

Methodology: It employed a purposive sampling technique where 25 respondents were surveyed in each municipality and/or city. The interviewed respondents were based on the farmer’s database of the local agriculture office. A total of 580 backyard goat raisers were interviewed in this study. Data gathered were coded and analyzed using the SPSS statistical software. Interpretation of data was determined using frequencies, mean, and standard deviation.

Results: Among 580 goat raisers, 57.6 % were male while the remaining 42.4% is female. In the said production, 50 years old and above dominantly engaged with 31% age, followed by 40-49, 30-39, and 20-29 age groups with 30%, 28.3%, and 9.8% respectively. Most of them were married with 81.9%. Females (46.7%) tend to raise goats for breeding purposes while males (71.6%) raised goats for meat purposes.

The majority of the male (49.1%) practice crop-livestock integration while most of the females (44.3%) practice mono-farming. Both genders have almost the same percentages when it comes to diversified farming. Moreover, in terms of goat raising system, tethering was dominantly practiced by both gender (F-91.9% & M-95.8%) followed by range (F-12.6 & M-16.5%) and feedlot (F-3.7% & M-0.9%).

Conclusion: This study observed that there are declining number of young men and women involved in livestock farming, indicating less interest in the next generation to venture into agriculture. It has also been found out that males raised goats for meat type as a source of income, practice crop-livestock integration, and feed their goats in tether and range systems. On the other hand, females raised goats for breeding for easy care, practiced mono-farming, and feed goats in the feedlot system for them to do other household activities.
Epidemiological Profile and Management of Kawasaki Syndrome at Rabat Children’s Hospital: A retrospective study from Morocco
Authors: Mebrouk Nadia , Chtouki Loubna , Bentahila Abdelali
Published: April 2023

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a common pediatric vasculitis with a risk of coronary artery aneurysm. In this report, we review some particularities of KD disease, especially coronary involvement, and highlight its aspects during the COVID-19 epidemic which saw the emergence of a syndrome named multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Because of its many similarities with KD, MIS-C is often referred to as Kawasaki-like disease (KLD) or pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS).We report on a retrospective study on the different epidemiological, clinical, and evolutionary aspects of KD and the coronary involvement resulting from this disease before and after the pandemic. The study is based on the echocardiography records of the P4 Department at Rabat Children’s Hospital, from January 2002 to December 2021. A total of 379 patients were diagnosed with KD during that period.  This includes 47 cases that were reported during the first year of the COVID-19 epidemic in Morocco (March 2020). Echocardiography results for our series show that cardiac complications wererelatively more frequent among KD patients during the COVID-19 period, perhaps because they were relatively older (67 months on average) than classic KD patients (37 months on average).  However, all patients had a favorable outcome after treatment with a combination of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin. The few patients who did not respond to standard treatment received corticosteroids, and no mortality occurred. We conclude that as far as cardiac complications,KD, KLD, and MIS-C are the same core disease that is triggered under different conditions for different age groups.The emergence of the Sars-Cov-2 virus changed the epidemiologic profile of KD but not its treatment. Insights from this study would help in the decision to initiate targeted immunotherapy quickly and reduce the risk factors associated with KD.
Effect of Hayani Date (Phoenix dactylifera L) Peels on Blood Sugar, Blood Lipids, Liver and Kidney Functions, and Inflammation in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Elbadrawy Elsayed , Elzainy Ashraf , Elkewawy Hala , Elsaid Nagia
Published: April 2023

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Hayani date peel powder and its methanolic extract on glycemia and lipidemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats as well as their effects on kidney and liver functions in addition to their anti-inflammatory activity. Twenty-four rats were used in this study, six of them served as normal control (group 1) which continued feeding on the basal diet, while the remaining 18 rats were injected with streptozotocin (50mg/kg) to induce diabetes. The diabetic rats were divided into three groups (6 rats each), one of them feeding on the basal diet only which acted as diabetic control (group 2), another group fed on the basal diet and treated orally with the peel extract in a concentration of 250 mg/kg body weight (group 3), while the third group was treated with peel powder merged in the basal diet with a concentration of 5% w/w (group 4).  The results showed that the extract and the powder of the peels significantly decreased the blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc), total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatinine, and uric acid as well as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin 2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1B (IL-1β), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels. In contrast, significant increases in serum insulin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and albumin were noticed in comparison to diabetic control. Generally, the peel extract was more effective than the peel powder. It is recommended by eating the whole fruit of date without peeling.
Soil Organic and Enzymatic Properties as Influenced by Green Manuring and Establishment Methods in Rice-rice system
Authors: Mishra Jyotiprakash , Biswal Sabyasachi , Pattnaik Sanghamitra , Sahoo Swapnashree , Mohapatra Sweekruta , Pradhan Jayashankar , Mahapatra Subrat Kumar , Swain Soumyashree
Published: April 2023

The field study was conducted during kharif and rabi seasons of 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 at Instructional Farm of College of Agriculture, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar to evaluate the effect of green manuring and establishment methods on growth parameters of rice-rice system. The experimental site was sandy loam in texture, slightly acidic in reaction, low in available nitrogen (198 kg/ha), medium in available phosphorus (18 kg/ha), potassium (193 kg/ha), OC (0.51%) with EC (0.20 dS/m). The rice varieties “Swarna sub-I” and “Lalat” were grown in kharif and rabi seasons, respectively. The experiment was designed with two groups of treatments, one without green manuring and the other with green manuring with Sesbania aculeata in main plot along with sequence of three establishment methods namely, Puddled Transplanted Rice (PTR), Non Puddled Transplanted Rice (NPTR) and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) making it a total of nine establishment methods i.e PTR-PTR, PTR-NPTR, PTR-DSR, NPTR-PTR, NPTR-NPTR, NPTR-DSR, DSR-PTR, DSR-NPTR, DSR-DSR as sub plots in kharif and rabi seasons. From the above experiment, it is observed that the soil organic carbon in green manured plots were superior with respect to soil biological properties as it realized higher soil organic carbon (0.51%), microbial biomass carbon (246.29 μg C/g soil), microbial biomass nitrogen (83.5 μg N/g soil). The enzymatic activities of the soil were also enhanced with green manuring recording higher dehydrogenase and phosphatase activity of 226.40 mg TPF/g soil/24 hrs and 352.81 mg p-nitrophenol/kg soil/1hr respectively, at 0-15 cm after 3 years of rice-rice system. Among the establishment methods, DSR-DSR method of establishment recorded higher soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon and microbial biomass nitrogen of 0.58%, 251.33 μg C/g soil and 89.36 μg N/g soil respectively. Similarly, the dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase activities were also enhanced under DSR-DSR method of establishment recording 242.60 mg TPF/g soil/24 hrs and 381.90 mg p-nitrophenol/kg soil/1hr respectively, after 3 years of rice-rice system.
Mental Health Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Learners in Primary and Secondary Schools in Kenya
Authors: Mbutitia Francisca , Mburugu Beatrice , Chepchieng Micah , Kung’u Lucy , Ngure Peter , Raburu Pamela , Kangethe Mary , Maina Grace Ngugi , Avisa Hellen , Gitau Susan
Published: April 2023

Aims: To assess the effect of COVID -19 on mental health of the learners in primary and secondary schools of Kenya.

Study Design: The study adopted a cross-sectional research design where 96.5% of the respondents of the study were between the age of 6- 18 years.

Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in Kenya and it involved five counties namely Nairobi, Mombasa, Kajiado, Migori and Elgeyo Marakwet primary, secondary and special schools. The study was conducted between October 2021 and July, 2022.

Methodology: In the five selected counties 12 schools were selected in each county where different sub-counties were considered. A 31 item paper questionnaire for learners on mental health was administered to assess levels for anxiety with ten(10) items, depression had eleven(11) items and and post-traumatic stress disorder had ten (10) items. The learners responded to a 3 point Likert scale of; “Not at all”(1) “Sometimes”(2) and “All the Time”(3) The scores were tabulated as follows: Anxiety; Normal 10 – 15, Mild 16 -20, Moderate 21- 25 and Severe 25 and above, Depression; Normal 11 – 18, Mild 19 -26, Moderate 27- 31 Severe 32 and above and finally Scores for PTSD; Normal 9 – 14, Mild 15 -19, Moderate 20- 24, Severe 25 and aboveNormal (1), Mild (2), Moderate (3) and Severe (4) though some items were reverse scored if the statement was negatively phrased. All the learners who scored an average of moderate to severe in this tool were identified as vulnerable and predisposed to risks of mental illness and therefore recommended for mental health interventions.

Results: The study established that 25.7% of the learners reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety, 27.9% of the learners reported moderate to severe levels of depression and 44.4% of the learners reported moderate to severe levels of PTSD.

Conclusion: The study established that there were heightened level of anxiety was a reality among school learners. There is need to implement efforts that address depressive symptoms before they escalate to unmanageable levels. Learners are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder whose effects will continue to be felt for long period of time unless intervention takes place. Therefore Kenyan schools not only need to prevent but also manage learners exhibiting the mental health symptoms to promote holistic growth with fully functional citizenry.
Domination and Legitimation in the Structure of the Virtual Massage Industry Duality
Authors: Lintang Anastasia , Suraya  , Tayibnapis Radita Gora
Published: April 2023

The massage industry is experiencing a change towards virtual massage parlors that serve service transactions to communicate with customers online. This is because the Covid 19 pandemic does not allow massage parlors to operate conventionally. The existence of virtual massage parlors also forms agents and structures with different patterns and systems so that there are indications of a new style of capitalism in virtual massage parlors and deviations from agents or actors. Structural theory with a qualitative approach and critical ethnographic methods with double hermeneutics are used to find a form of structural duality in virtual massage parlors that builds the movement of a remote operational system that still uses the power of domination from the house manager and creates legitimacy through communication as an instrument of power for the therapist to capitalize on his work. But still targeted to provide more profit for the griya. So that here a new style of capitalism is formed which makes the therapist a profit-seeking 'machine' while building a structure of power over the therapist.
Insurance Coverage Transitions After Disenrollment From Medicaid in Minnesota
Authors: Frenier Chris , McIntyre Adrianna
Published: April 2023

This cohort study examines insurance transitions after Medicaid disenrollment for Minnesota residents aged 64 years or younger.
Macrophages – Controlling the Bifurcation Between Tumor Existence or Regression
Authors: Novobrantseva Tatiana , Manfra Denise , Nguyen Ani , Feldman Igor
Published: April 2023

Macrophages are multifunctional cells that are employed by the tumor to further its growth and adaptation. While tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) have widely diverse phenotypes, tumors coevolve with the ones that can promote tumorigenesis. Functionally, TAMs/myeloid cells constitute the largest negative influence on the tumor microenvironment and need to be reprogrammed in order to enable successful anti‐tumor response in most tumors. It is predicted that successful TAM repolarization has the potential to become a staple of immuno‐oncology across most indications.
Neutralization of Cannabidiol Neurotoxicity in Neuron‐Astrocyte Sandwich Coculture
Authors: Kim Jungnam , Yang Seoin , Choi Insung S.
Published: April 2023

Cannabidiol (CBD), a main nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoid in the Cannabis genus, has been in the limelight for its potential health benefits in various neurological diseases. However, the safety issue of CBD in the nervous system has not been settled fully, while CBD has been reported to have mild side effects including dizziness and somnolence. In this work, a platform of neuron‐astrocyte sandwich coculture to investigate the neurotoxicity of CBD, as well as the neuronal responses to CBD, in a more in vivo relevant mode is constructed. CBD (15 and 30 µm) causes the viability decrease, along with morphological damage, in the neuron‐alone culture, whereas its neurotoxic effects are significantly attenuated by the supports of astrocytes in the neuron‐astrocyte coculture. In addition, it is found that CBD‐induced increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration and depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, via activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, are noticeably ameliorated by coculturing neurons with astrocytes. This work provides crucial information in the development of CBD as therapeutics for neurological disorders, as well as in a fundamental understanding of how CBD works in the nervous system.
A Low‐Hysteresis and Highly Stretchable Ionogel Enabled by Well Dispersed Slidable Cross‐Linker for Rapid Human‐Machine Interaction
Authors: Du Ruichun , Bao Tianwei , Zhu Tangsong , Zhang Jing , Huang Xinxin , Jin Qi , Xin Ming , Pan Lijia , Zhang Qiuhong , Jia Xudong
Published: April 2023

Ionic conductive soft materials for mimicking human skin are a promising topic since they can be thought of as a possible basis for biomimetic sensing. In pursuit of devices with a long working range and low signal delay, conductive materials with low hysteresis and good stretchability are highly demanded. To overcome the challenges of highly stretchable conductive materials with good resilience, herein a chemical design is proposed where polyrotaxanes act as topological cross‐linkers to enhance the stretchability by sliding‐induced reduced stress concentration while the compatible ionic liquid is introduced as a dispersant for low hysteresis. The obtained ionogels exhibit versatile properties more than low hysteresis (residual strain = 7%) and good stretchability (550%), and also anti‐fatigue, biocompatibility, and good adhesion. The low hysteresis is attributed to lower energy dissipation from the well‐dispersed polyrotaxanes by compatible ionic liquids. The mechanism provides a new insight in fabricating highly stretchable and low‐hysteresis slide‐ring materials. Furthermore, the conductivity of the ionogels and their responses to strains and temperatures are measured. Benefiting from the good conductivity and low hysteresis, the ionogel is applied to develop a wireless communication system to realize rapid human‐machine interactions.
A Self‐Assembly Combined Nano‐Prodrug to Overcome Gemcitabine Chemo‐Resistance of Pancreatic Tumors
Authors: Yao Zhuo , Hu Qida , Jin Piaopiao , Li Bowen , Huang Yong , Zhang Fu , Wang Meng , Huang Junming , Huang Jing , Shao Shiyi , Zhao Xinyu , Ping Yuan , Liang Tingbo
Published: April 2023

Gemcitabine (GEM), as a first‐line chemotherapeutics for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treatment, still faces several clinical challenges, restricted by instability in blood circulations, low tumor selectivity, and acquired nature characteristics of chemo‐resistance. To solve these challenges, the rational design of combination therapy with GEM and other therapy modalities is imperative. Herein, a small molecular self‐assembly nano‐prodrug is developed, which can achieve the co‐delivery of GEM, Ferrocene and nutlin‐3a on the achievement of GEM‐induced apoptosis with ferroptosis. In this nano‐prodrug, the disulfide linkage not only acts as a GSH‐responsive trigger but also plays an important role in self‐assembly behavior of nanoparticle that can load nutlin‐3a. Interestingly, nutlin‐3a plays an important role in both ferroptosis and apoptosis, one is effectively sensitized cells to ferroptosis by inhibiting cystine uptake, and the other is promoted apoptosis by elevating p53 expression. To further enhance the drug tumor accumulation and maintain stability in systemic circulations, this nano‐prodrug is then encapsulated into plectin1 receptor‐targeting phospholipid micelles (DSPE‐PEG‐PTP), which displays high selective tumor inhibition and good biosafety on different mice models, especially in orthotopic and patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) models. The findings provide new insights into the combination therapy of GEM with ferroptosis for reduced chemo‐resistance on PDAC treatment.
Tuning Electrochemical Properties of Nitroaromatic Cathodes by Function‐Oriented Design for Rechargeable Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Liu Xudong , Wang Xinling , Ye Zhibin
Published: April 2023

Rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) based on organic cathodes are an attractive alternative energy storage technology owing to the low cost and sustainability. Recently, nitro functionality in dinitrobenzenes is successfully demonstrated as an electrochemically reversible high‐capacity redox group. In this study, a function‐oriented design is employed to further disclose the effects of substituting functional groups and molecular conjugate structures on electrochemical properties of a range of nitroaromatic derivatives as organic cathodes for rechargeable LIBs. In specific, it is revealed that the redox potential of nitroaromatic cathodes can be effectively adjusted by introducing distinct electronically inducible functional groups, while the cyclic life can be significantly prolonged with the introduction of the hydrophilic groups. When constructed with extended π‐conjugated structures, the electronic conductivity and electrochemical kinetics of nitroaromatics are increased significantly owing to their various long‐range π–π stacking. Moreover, density‐functional theory calculations further provide theoretical insights into the distinct electrochemical behaviors of the various nitroaromatics in the molecular level. This is the first study that reveals the influences of substituting groups and conjugated structures on the electrochemical performance of nitroaromatic cathode materials, which enables a function‐oriented molecular design of such organic materials and sheds light on their future development.
A Flexible and Safe Planar Zinc‐Ion Micro‐Battery with Ultrahigh Energy Density Enabled by Interfacial Engineering for Wearable Sensing Systems
Authors: Cai Xinze , Liu Ying , Zha Jiajia , Tan Feipeng , Zhang Bingyao , Yan Weibin , Zhao Jiangqi , Lu Bingan , Zhou Jiang , Tan Chaoliang
Published: April 2023

Aqueous zinc‐ion micro‐batteries (ZIMBs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their reliable safety, low cost, and great potential for wearable devices. However, current ZIMBs still suffer from various critical issues, including short cycle life, poor mechanical stability, and inadequate energy density. Herein, the fabrication of flexible planar ZIMBs with ultrahigh energy density by interfacial engineering in the screen‐printing process based on high‐performance MnO2‐based cathode materials is reported. The Ce‐doped MnO2 (Ce‐MnO2) exhibits significantly enhanced capacity (389.3 mAh g−1), considerable rate capability and admirable cycling stability than that of the pure MnO2. Importantly, the fabrication of micro‐electrodes with ultrahigh mass loading of Ce‐MnO2 (24.12 mg cm−2) and good mechanical stability is achieved through optimizing the interfacial bonding between different printed layers. The fabricated planar ZIMBs achieve a record high capacity (7.21 mAh cm−2 or 497.31 mAh cm−3) and energy density (8.43 mWh cm−2 or 573.45 mWh cm−3), as well as excellent flexibility. Besides, a wearable self‐powered sensing system for environmental monitoring is further demonstrated by integrating the planar ZIMBs with flexible solar cells and a multifunctional sensor array. This work sheds light on the development of high‐performance planar ZIMBs for future self‐powered and eco‐friendly smart wearable electronics.
Dual‐Defect Manipulation Enables Efficient and Spectrally Stable Blue Perovskite Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: Zhang Chengxi , Yuan Hao , Kong Lingmei , Wang Lin , Wang Yuanzhi , Li Yunguo , Yang Yingguo , Turyanska Lyudmila , Yang Xuyong
Published: April 2023

Performance of blue solution‐processed perovskite light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) is limited by availability of blue perovskite materials. Herein, 4‐(trifluoromethyl)benzoyl ammonium bromide (4‐TMBABr) is used with abundant NH and CO groups to passivate the defects and produce highly stable PEAxPA2‐x(CsPbBr3)n‐1PbBr4 perovskites for blue LED applications. The NH group in the 4‐TMBABr suppresses the Br‐ion mismatch through hydrogen bonds (N‐H···Br) and CO group coordinates the unsaturated lead dangling bonds (CO:Pb). The effective defect passivation by 4‐TMBABr reduces the nonradiative recombination in the perovskite films, hence enhancing its optical performance. In the LED structure, the sodium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (SBTI) modified NiOx films are used to improve the hole transport and to inhibit the fluorescence quenching of the perovskite layer. The dual‐defect manipulation strategy is advantageous for producing efficient and spectrally stable blue perovskite LEDs, and the authors demonstrate an LED with maximum luminance of 1094 cd m−2 and external quantum efficiency of 10.3%. This work can inform and underpin future development of blue perovskite LEDs with highly efficient and stabile performance.
Octopus‐Inspired Adaptable Soft Grippers Based on 4D Printing: Numerical Modeling, Inverse Design, and Experimental Validation
Authors: Song Junjie , Feng Yixiong , Hong Zhaoxi , Zeng Siyuan , Brannan Alexander C. , Song Xiuju , Tan Jianrong
Published: April 2023

Soft grippers based on stimuli‐responsive materials show great promise to perform safe interaction and adaptive functions in unstructured environments. Hence, improving flexibility and designability of the stimuli‐responsive soft grippers for better grasping ability are highly desired. Inspired by the biological structure of octopuses, a class of temperature‐driven polylactic acid grippers is fabricated by 4D printing in this work, which consists of two types of bilayer structures, separately imitating the web and tentacles of an octopus. Compared with the traditional pure‐bending soft grippers, the integrated structure results in a 1.5 times wider reachable area and enhanced flexibility. The complex grasping behaviors are predicted with the 4D printing parameters (i.e., printing paths and printing speeds) using the reduced bilayer plate theory. Moreover, a method for determining the printing parameters of the gripper is provided to realize the desired grasping behavior depending on different objects. The feasibility of the design method is experimentally verified by gasping three distinctive objects, including an egg, a weight, and a Metatron's cube, which is in good agreement with the simulation results. Herein, a promising strategy is provided to achieve the easy‐fabricated, low‐cost, and versatile soft graspers using smart materials.
White Matter Changes after Neurobehavioral Therapy for Functional Seizures
Authors: Mueller Christina , Goodman Adam M. , Allendorfer Jane B. , Nenert Rodolphe , Gaston Tyler E. , Grayson Leslie E. , Correia Stephen , Philip Noah S. , LaFrance W. Curt , Szaflarski Jerzy P.
Published: April 2023

Objective

We aimed to prospectively quantify changes in white matter morphology after neurobehavioral therapy (NBT) for functional seizures (FS) using neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI). We hypothesized that patients with FS would exhibit white matter plasticity in the uncinate fasciculus, fornix/stria terminalis, cingulum, and corticospinal tract following NBT that would correlate with improvements in affective symptoms, postconcussive symptoms, and quality of life (QOL).

Methods

Forty‐two patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and FS (TBI+FS) underwent NBT and provided pre−/postintervention neuroimaging and behavioral data; 47 controls with TBI without FS (TBI‐only) completed the same measures but did not receive NBT. Changes in neurite density, orientation dispersion (orientation dispersion index [ODI]), and extracellular free water (FW) were compared between groups.

Results

Significant ODI increases in the left uncinate fasciculus in TBI+FS (mean difference = 0.017, p = 0.039) correlated with improvements in posttraumatic symptoms (r = −0.395, p = 0.013), QOL (r = 0.474, p = 0.002), emotional well‐being (r = 0.524, p < 0.001), and energy (r = 0.474, p = 0.002). In TBI‐only, ODI decreased (mean difference = −0.008, p = 0.047) and FW increased (mean difference = 0.011, p = 0.003) in the right cingulum. FW increases correlated with increased psychological problems (r = 0.383, p = 0.013). In TBI+FS, NBT resulted in FS decreases of 3.5 seizures per week. None of the imaging changes correlated with FS frequency.

Interpretation

We identified white matter changes after NBT in patients with FS that were associated with improved psychosocial functioning. NODDI could be incorporated into future mechanistic assessments of interventions in patients with FS. ANN NEUROL 2023;94:350–365
Ultrathin Niobium Carbide MXenzyme for Remedying Hypertension by Antioxidative and Neuroprotective Actions
Authors: Yang Hui , Xia Lili , Ye Xuanxuan , Xu Jiayi , Liu Tianfeng , Wang Linping , Zhang Shuai , Feng Wei , Du Dongshu , Chen Yu
Published: April 2023

Hypertension, as a leading risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, is associated with oxidative stress and impairment of endogenous antioxidant mechanisms, but there is still a tremendous knowledge gap between hypertension treatment and nanomedicines. Herein, we report a specific nanozyme based on ultrathin two‐dimensional (2D) niobium carbide (Nb2C) MXene, termed Nb2C MXenzyme, to fight against hypertension by achieving highly efficient reactive oxygen species elimination and inflammatory factors inhibition. The biocompatible Nb2C MXenzyme displays multiple enzyme‐mimicking activities, involving superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and peroxidase, inducing cytoprotective effects by resisting oxidative stress, thereby alleviating inflammatory response and reducing blood pressure, which is systematically demonstrated in a stress‐induced hypertension rat model. This strategy not only opens new opportunities for nanozymes to treat hypertension but also expands the potential biomedical applications of 2D MXene nanosystems.
Total Syntheses of Polyhydroxylated Steroids by an Unsaturation‐Functionalization Strategy
Authors: Sun Jiawei , Chen Yuan , Ragab Sherif Shaban , Gu Wei , Tang Ziqiang , Tang Yuexun , Tang Wenjun
Published: April 2023

Highly oxygenated cardiotonic steroids, such as ouabain, possess a wide spectrum of biological functions and remain significant synthetic challenges. Herein, we have applied an unsaturation‐functionalization strategy and developed a synthetic method in addressing the C19‐hydroxylation issue for efficient synthesis of polyhydroxylated steroids. An effective asymmetric dearomative cyclization allowed the construction of the C19‐hydroxy unsaturated steroidal skeleton in only four steps from the Hajos‐Parrish ketone ketal 7. The synthetic sequence featured C3−OH‐directed hydrogenation/epoxidation, m‐CPBA‐triggered epoxidation/SN2′ nucleophilic substitution, Birch reduction of an enone, and regioselective LiAlH4 reduction to furnish the polyhydroxy functionalities on the steroid skeleton with high stereochemical control and efficiency. This approach ultimately enabled the total synthesis of 19‐hydroxysarmentogenin and ouabagenin in 18 and 19 steps, respectively, overall. The synthesis of these polyhydroxylated steroids offers synthetic versatility and practicality in the search for new therapeutic agents.
Carboxylation of Acetylene without Salt Waste: Green Synthesis of C4 Chemicals Enabled by a CO2‐Pressure Induced Acidity Switch
Authors: van Lingen Tim , Bragoni Valentina , Dyga Marco , Exner Benjamin , Schick Daniel , Held Christoph , Sadowski Gabriele , Gooßen Lukas J.
Published: April 2023

The inherent formation of salt waste in C−H carboxylations is a key obstacle precluding the utilization of CO2 as C1 building block in the industrial synthesis of base chemicals. This challenge is addressed in a circular process for the production of the C4 base chemical dimethyl succinate from CO2 and acetylene. At moderate CO2 pressures, acetylene is doubly carboxylated in the presence of cesium carbonate. Hydrogenation of the C−C triple bond stabilizes the product against decarboxylation. By increasing the CO2 pressure to 70 bar, the medium is reversibly acidified, allowing an esterification of the succinate salt with methanol. The cesium base and the hydrogenation catalyst are regenerated and can be reused. This provides the proof of concept for a salt‐free route to C4 chemicals from biogas (CH4/CO2). The origin of this reversible acidity switch and the critical roles of the cesium base and the NMP/MeOH solvents were elucidated by thermodynamic modeling.
Improvement of Antibody Activity by Controlling Its Dynamics Using the Glycan–Lectin Interaction
Authors: Manabe Yoshiyuki , Iizuka Yuki , Yamamoto Ryuku , Ito Keita , Hatano Kanae , Kabayama Kazuya , Fukase Koichi
Published: April 2023

Antibody dynamics on membranes, such as endocytosis and clustering, are vital in determining antibody functions. In this study, we demonstrated that glycan conjugation can modulate antibody dynamics through the glycan–lectin interaction to regulate its potency. The anti‐HER2 antibody, an anti‐breast‐cancer antibody, was conjugated with galactose‐containing N‐glycan, and its internalization was suppressed by interaction with galectin‐3, leading to enhanced complement‐dependent cytotoxic (CDC) activity. This glycan–antibody conjugate is proposed as a new approach to modulate antibody activity and may provide an alternative strategy for redeveloping antibody drugs that do not exhibit sufficient activity.