bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teaching Successful Student Collaboration Within the Context of Biological Experimentation
Authors: Johnson Kathryn M. S. , Pelzel Heather R. , Mantina Namoonga M.
Published: May 2022

Collaboration is essential to modern biological research, and the ability for scientists to be an effective member of a diverse team is critical for professional and personal growth. Modeling collaborative research in an undergraduate course provides an opportunity for students to learn how to navigate inclusive collaborations successfully. Undergraduate biology students have likely never engaged in collaborative research prior to starting their coursework, and it may be the first time students are working with individuals from different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. For students to become successful research collaborators, educators must provide a framework for students to recognize their own assets and appreciate the contributions of all stakeholders. Here we provide a narrative demonstrating challenges to student research collaboration, an analysis of these challenges, and specific recommendations for teaching effective collaboration.
Partial reduction and cosmology at defect brane
Authors: Wang Zhi , Xu Zekun , Zhou Shuyan , Zhou Yang
Published: May 2022

Abstract

Partial reduction is a Karch-Randall reduction for only part of the AdS region between finite tension brane and zero tension brane. This is interesting in AdS/BCFT where the AdS bulk contains a defect brane. We employ partial reduction for a AdS bulk with a brane evolving as a 2d Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology and demonstrate the equivalence between defect extremal surface and island formula for a large subregion fine grained entropy in boundary CFT. We then move to higher dimensions and demonstrate the existence of 4d massless graviton on AdS4 brane in partial reduction. We also propose a partial reduction for a 4d FRW cosmology at defect brane and obtain the Newton constant by computing boundary entropy.
Alien flora in Calabria (Southern Italy): an updated checklist
Authors: Spampinato Giovanni , Laface Valentina Lucia Astrid , Posillipo Giandomenico , Cano Ortiz Ana , Quinto Canas Ricardo , Musarella Carmelo Maria
Published: May 2022

An updated checklist of the Calabrian alien vascular flora is presented. By way of field, bibliographic, and herbarium research, we recorded 382 alien taxa (representing almost 14% of all regional flora), of which 371 are angiosperms, nine gymnosperms, and two ferns. In relation to the state of spread, the majority of alien species are casual (207 taxa; 54%), followed by naturalized (127; 33%) and invasive (48; 13%), these last include four on the list of Union Concern,sensuRegulation (EU) no. 1143/2014. The most represented families are Asteraceae (39 taxa) and Poaceae (39). Among genera,Amaranthus(nine taxa),Prunus,Euphorbia, andOxalis(seven taxa) make up those with the greatest number of taxa. A total of 21 taxa were reported for the first time, three of them are new to the European flora (Camptosema rubicundum, Musa ×paradisiacaand, only for continental Europe,Ipomoea hederacea), two to the Italian peninsula (Pelargonium graveolens, Schinus terebinthifolia) and 16 to the Calabrian flora (Aeonium arboreum, Asparagus asparagoides, Aspidistra elatior, Bidens sulphurea, Catalpa bignonioides, Citrus ×aurantium, Crassula ovata, Cucurbita ficifolia, Dimorphotheca ecklonis, Graptopetalum paraguayensesubsp.paraguayense, Kalanchoë laxiflora, Nicotiana tabacum, Phytolacca dioica,Portulaca umbraticola, Talinum paniculatum, Tecomaria capensis). In terms of residence status, there are 291 neophytes (76%), 73 archaeophytes (19%), and 18 regional aliens (5%); neophytes are the most represented group (45 out of 48) among invasive taxa. Concerning life forms, the two most abundant groups are therophytes (30.1%, 115 taxa) and phanerophytes (29.6%, 113 taxa). Regarding habitats, 72% of alien taxa occur in artificial (199 taxa, 52%) and agricultural habitats (75 taxa, 20%). The majority of alien taxa are native to the Americas (159; 41.6%), numerous aliens also originated in Asia (76; 19.9%) and Africa (56; 14.7%). The majority of taxa were introduced for ornamental purposes (55%). Over the past decade, alien taxa in the flora in Calabria have increased from 190 to the current 382 taxa. While this trend could be linked to some extent to increasing awareness of the problem of alien species and the increasing intensity of research over recent decades, it is also most probably due to new introductions resulting from the globalization that relentlessly affects the whole planet.
Planococcus ficus and the spread of grapevine leafroll disease in vineyards: a 30-year-long case study in north-West Spain
Authors: Cabaleiro Cristina , Pesqueira Ana M. , Segura Antonio
Published: May 2022

The mealybug Planococcus ficus is one of the main vectors of Grapevine leafroll associated virus-3 (GLRaV-3), which was commonly detected in cv “Albariño” planting material before certified stock was available. Mealybug infestations were rare in vineyards in southern Galicia (NW Spain) during the 1990s (2.2% of the vineyards surveyed) and are still rare in inland zones. However, mealybug infestations have spread since 2000, with 15% of surveyed vineyards infested in 2004 and 80% of surveyed vineyards infested in 2016. The spatial and temporal distributions of plants infected with GLRaV-3 were quantified over a 30-year period in an experimental plot established in 1989. The disease progress curve (DPC) was linear for 25 years, with a slow constant rate of spread of less than one newly infected plant per year (0.6%). Since 1992, >82% of infected plants were located on the west side of the plot as were 84% of newly infected plants. Newly infected plants were in contact with infected plants, suggesting vector-mediated transmission, but no potential vectors were found. In 2013, a small mealybug infestation was detected and identified as Pl. ficus. Between 2014 and 2016, the infection rate increased to >21% per year, and in 2019 all plants tested positive for GLRaV-3. This is a valuable case study illustrating how changes to the vector fauna can increase the rate of spread of an economically important virus of grapevine.
Confirmation by Robustness Analysis: A Bayesian Account
Authors: Casini Lorenzo , Landes Jürgen
Published: May 2022

Some authors claim that minimal models have limited epistemic value (Fumagalli, 2016; Grüne-Yanoff, 2009a). Others defend the epistemic benefits of modelling by invoking the role of robustness analysis for hypothesis confirmation (see, e.g., Levins, 1966; Kuorikoski et al., 2010) but such arguments find much resistance (see, e.g., Odenbaugh & Alexandrova, 2011). In this paper, we offer a Bayesian rationalization and defence of the view that robustness analysis can play a confirmatory role, and thereby shed light on the potential of minimal models for hypothesis confirmation. We illustrate our argument by reference to a case study from macroeconomics. At the same time, we also show that there are cases in which robustness analysis is detrimental to confirmation. We characterize these cases and link them to recent investigations on evidential variety (Landes, 2020b, 2021; Osimani and Landes, forthcoming). We conclude that robustness analysis over minimal models can confirm, but its confirmatory value depends on concrete circumstances.
Experimental Aesthetics and Conceptual Engineering
Authors: Torregrossa Clotilde
Published: May 2022

Experimental Philosophy (X-Phi) is now a fully-fledged methodological project with applications in almost all areas of analytic philosophy, including, as of recently, aesthetics. Another methodological project which has been attracting attention in the last few years is conceptual engineering (CE). Its areas of implementation are now diverse, but as was the case initially with experimental philosophy, aesthetics has unfortunately been left out (or perhaps aestheticians have failed to pay attention to CE) until now. In this paper, I argue that if conceptual engineers are interested in expanding their project to the field of aesthetics, which would greatly benefit the field, then they should rely on the existing experimental work of aestheticians. Experimental philosophers have only recently started to join forces with conceptual engineers in various fields, as well as to explore the methodological implications of such an alliance. This paper goes a step further by not only arguing that CE has potential in aesthetics, but that the way to realize this potential is to piggyback, so to speak, on the work of experimental aestheticians. In other words, instead of building a CE project in aesthetics from the ground up, this paper describes the support that CE can and should derive from current experimental aesthetics, thereby making the former’s development more efficiently realizable. Furthermore, I argue that doing so would also be beneficial to experimental aesthetics. Currently, the integration of X-Phi to the wider field of aesthetics is losing ground because certain objections—notably, the objection that X-Phi cannot be of relevance to normative questions—have not been properly refuted. By pairing up with a normative programme like CE, though, experimental aestheticians should finally be able to put these objections to rest.
Data-driven dynamic causality analysis of industrial systems using interpretable machine learning and process mining
Authors: Nadim Karim , Ragab Ahmed , Ouali Mohamed-Salah
Published: May 2022

The complexity of industrial processes imposes a lot of challenges in building accurate and representative causal models for abnormal events diagnosis, control and maintenance of equipment and process units. This paper presents an innovative data-driven causality modeling approach using interpretable machine learning and process mining techniques, in addition to human expertise, to efficiently and automatically capture the complex dynamics of industrial systems. The approach tackles a significant challenge in the causality analysis community, which is the discovery of high-level causal models from low-level continuous observations. It is based on the exploitation of event data logs by analyzing the dependency relationships between events to generate accurate multi-level models that can take the form of various state-event diagrams. Highly accurate and trustworthy patterns are extracted from the original data using interpretable machine learning integrated with a model enhancement technique to construct event data logs. Afterward, the causal model is generated from the event log using the inductive miner technique, which is one of the most powerful process mining techniques. The causal model generated is a Petri net model, which is used to infer causality between important events as well as a visualization tool for real-time tracking of the system’s dynamics. The proposed causality modeling approach has been successfully tested based on a real industrial dataset acquired from complex equipment in a Kraft pulp mill located in eastern Canada. The generated causality model was validated by ensuring high model fitness scores, in addition to the process expert’s validation of the results.
Characterization of hv-Convex Sequences
Authors: Dulio Paolo , Frosini Andrea
Published: May 2022

Reconstructing a discrete object by means of X-rays along a finite set U of (discrete) directions represents one of the main task in discrete tomography. Indeed, it is an ill-posed inverse problem, since different structures exist having the same projections along all lines whose directions range in U. Characteristic of ambiguous reconstructions are special configurations, called switching components, whose understanding represents a main issue in discrete tomography, and an independent interesting geometric problem as well. The investigation of switching component usually bases on some kind of prior knowledge that is incorporated in the tomographic problem. In this paper, we focus on switching components under the constraint of convexity along the horizontal and the vertical directions imposed to the unknown object. Moving from their geometric characterization in windows and curls, we provide a numerical description, by encoding them as special sequences of integers. A detailed study of these sequences leads to the complete understanding of their combinatorial structure, and to a polynomial-time algorithm that explicitly reconstructs any of them from a pair of integers arbitrarily given.
Explaining short text classification with diverse synthetic exemplars and counter-exemplars
Authors: Lampridis Orestis , State Laura , Guidotti Riccardo , Ruggieri Salvatore
Published: May 2022

We present xspells, a model-agnostic local approach for explaining the decisions of black box models in classification of short texts. The explanations provided consist of a set of exemplar sentences and a set of counter-exemplar sentences. The former are examples classified by the black box with the same label as the text to explain. The latter are examples classified with a different label (a form of counter-factuals). Both are close in meaning to the text to explain, and both are meaningful sentences – albeit they are synthetically generated. xspells generates neighbors of the text to explain in a latent space using Variational Autoencoders for encoding text and decoding latent instances. A decision tree is learned from randomly generated neighbors, and used to drive the selection of the exemplars and counter-exemplars. Moreover, diversity of counter-exemplars is modeled as an optimization problem, solved by a greedy algorithm with theoretical guarantee. We report experiments on three datasets showing that xspells outperforms the well-known lime method in terms of quality of explanations, fidelity, diversity, and usefulness, and that is comparable to it in terms of stability.
Making it precise—Imprecision and underdetermination in linguistic communication
Authors: Drożdżowicz Anna
Published: May 2022

How good are we at understanding what others communicate? It oftenseemsto us, at least, that we understand quite well what others convey when speaking in a familiar language. However, a growing body of evidence from the psychology of language suggests that in various communicative settings comprehenders routinely form linguistic representations that are underdetermined, “sketchy”, “shallow” or imprecise, often without noticing it. The paper discusses some important consequences of this evidence. Following recent discussions in this strand of research, I outline how the evidence is currently best interpreted as supporting a view on which operating at a certain level of imprecision and underdetermination is afunctional featureof the system responsible for comprehension of linguistic utterances in humans. That this kind of imprecision and underdetermination is part and parcel of linguistic interactions, makes the exact success rate of comprehension particularly hard to estimate. This poses a unique and interesting challenge for assessing the quality of linguistic comprehension. Understanding what a speaker intended to convey with a linguistic utterance may be less transparent than it appears to us. I will discuss the extent to which this evidence may lead to pessimism about how good we are at comprehending what others communicate. However, as I will argue in the last part of the paper, in various cases language users can be sensitive to some types of imprecision and underdetermination in comprehension and make up for it by means of various forms ofpost hocdeliberation. I will describe some suchclarificatorycontexts and end by charting a map of important issues that require further investigation.
Ruolo del fattore maschile nella Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita (PMA)
Authors: Mazzilli Rossella , Ubaldi Filippo M. , Foresta Carlo , Ferlin Alberto
Published: May 2022

Sommario

L’infertilità, ossia l’assenza involontaria del concepimento dopo almeno un anno di rapporti sessuali mirati, riguarda il 15–20% delle coppie e il fattore maschile può essere responsabile, del tutto o in parte, in circa la metà dei casi. Il recente sviluppo di tecniche di procreazione medicalmente assistita (PMA) ha reso possibile e praticabile la fecondazione per molti soggetti con una situazione di grave oligospermia o di azoospermia. L’impatto del fattore maschile sullo sviluppo dell’embrione, sull’impianto, sulla prevalenza di anomalie cromosomiche e sugli outcome clinici e ostetrici è ancora oggetto di controversie. Pertanto, la seguente rassegna prende in esame le indicazioni, i criteri minimi di accesso e gli outcome per singola tecnica di PMA in relazione al fattore maschile.
Design and Analysis of a Vibration Isolator with Adjustable High Static–Low Dynamic Stiffness
Authors: Su Pan , Jun Chen , Liu Shuyong , Wu JieChang
Published: May 2022

A new adjustable high static–low dynamic stiffness vibration isolator is presented to improve the effective vibration isolation frequency bandwidth. Firstly, the finite element simulation of electromagnetic positive stiffness device and negative one is carried out. Through static analysis, the mathematical expressions of force–displacement–current and stiffness–displacement–current are derived. The requirements that the system works at quasi-zero-stiffness condition near the equilibrium position are obtained. The influences of different parameters on the force transmission rate of the high static–low dynamic stiffness vibration isolation system are investigated with harmonic balance method. Finally, the experimental platform is built, and the vibration isolation performance experiment is conducted. Results show that the adjustable high static–low dynamic stiffness vibration isolator has a wider effective vibration isolation frequency range and lower peak transmissibility than the traditional one.
Spatial heterogeneity of land use along the coast of the Yangtze River Delta and implications for exposure assessment to erosion hazard
Authors: Wang Xiaoting , Zhang Weiguo , Yin Jie , Wang Jun , Wu Jianping , Lam Nina S. N.
Published: May 2022

Coastal erosion is widespread under conditions of changing hydrodynamics and diminishing sediment supply, and exposure assessment to erosion hazard has received increasing attention. In this study, we explore the impact of spatial heterogeneity of land use within administrative units on exposure assessment of land use value to erosional hazard. We illustrate land use diversity using the Shannon’s diversity index (SHDI) and consider the distance effect by comparing five different buffer zones according to the distance to the coast (i.e., 0–1 km, 0–2 km, 0–3 km, 0–4 km, 0–5 km). Our results show that coastline change and socio-economic development are responsible for land use heterogeneity within the administrative units. Using a buffer zone of 1-km along the coast as the assessment unit leads to an increase in the number of townships that have high and very high exposure of land use value when compared with the assessment result that is based on the whole township area. Furthermore, the 1-km buffer zone can be divided into subunits if very high SHDI values exist within the administrative boundary. This study demonstrates that heterogeneity in land use identified at a fine spatial scale should be given full consideration in carrying out exposure assessment to hazards in a dynamic deltaic coast.
Implications of the statistics of seismicity recorded within the Groningen gas field
Authors: Trampert Jeannot , Benzi Roberto , Toschi Federico
Published: May 2022

We reanalysed the induced seismicity data from the Groningen gas reservoir. We used the well-maintained induced event catalogue of the KNMI. The distributions of seismic moments and interevent times show a power law behaviour over several decades, and we find that upon increasing the magnitude threshold, these distributions remained scale-invariant. Because of this scale-invariance, we can put a constraint on the average loading of the elastic energy within the reservoir, which upon reaching a critical value gives rise to the seismic events. We find that the elastic energy roughly increases proportional to time. We also propose a new machine learning approach for declustering the seismic events, separating correlated from independent events. We find that only few events are truly independent, i.e. exponentially distributed over time. There are also few aftershocks following an Omori-type power law. The bulk of events presents a Gamma distribution for interevent times. This gives us an indication that the rigidity in the reservoir is high, but whether this results in overall correlated events should be settled with physics-based arguments rather than statistical ones.
Defining American National Identity: An Exploration into Measurement and Its Outcomes
Authors: Bui Phoebe
Published: May 2022

Scholars of American identity have typically concluded that Americans more widely endorse civic values than ascriptive ones in surveys, though IATs suggest that there are robust associations between race and American identity. In addition to this apparent contradiction, these studies share similar methodological limitations: the discrepancy between reported attitudes and real-world behavior. Though these methods are well-cited in the wider literature, attitudes are often conflated to be synonymous with behavior in American identity scholarship. I argue that it is necessary to study how Americans conceive of their national identity in different situational contexts. Using the complementary techniques of semi-structured interviewing and qualitative vignettes, I explore and compare the ways in which 10 American graduate students make sense of their national identity in a series of abstract and concrete settings. Results of a multi-method text analysis approach demonstrate that: 1) there are a multitude of components not currently being discussed or measured; 2) the invocation of American identity components depends on their setting; 3) the ways in which components are characterized are just as important as their invocation; and 4) the difficulty expressed by participants to define a singular American identity underscores the continued salience of the multiple traditions thesis.
RADIOCARBON DATES FROM THE MAMMAL FAUNA OF CRYSTAL CAVERNS, EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Authors: Magoulick K M , Holroyd P A , Southon J R
Published: May 2022

Dates from the mammal fauna of Crystal Caverns, El Dorado County, California confirm that it is a Pleistocene deposit from the Last Glacial Maximum. Results indicate it is similar in age to other comparable California caves and has a high degree of time averaging.
Effects ofNigella sativasupplementation on blood concentration and mRNA expression of TNF-α, PPAR-γand adiponectin, as major adipogenesis-related markers, in obese and overweight women: a crossover, randomised-controlled trial
Authors: Razmpoosh Elham , Safi Sara , Nadjarzadeh Azadeh , Salehi-Abargouei Amin , Mazaheri Mahta , Mirmiran Parvin , Meyre David
Published: May 2022

Adipocyte expansion through adipogenesis can offset the adverse metabolic effects of obesity.Nigella sativa(NS) (black seed) oil is shown to have therapeutic features in the management of obesity. NS oil might have beneficial changes in obese populations through mediating serum levels of adipogenesis-related parameters and relative transcriptional gene–diet interactions (nutrigenomics), though no previous studies assessed this mechanism in overweight/obese participants. This study assessed the effects of NS oil supplements on blood concentration and mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, PPAR-γand serum adiponectin and expression ofAdipoR1, as major adipogenesis and obesity-related parameters, in overweight/obese women using a cross-over design. Eligible women were randomised to receive either NS oil supplements (2000 mg/d) or placebo. Two periods of interventions (8 weeks in each) were cross-changed by a 4-week washout period. An individualised diet plan without calorie deficits was given to participants to match their energy/macronutrient intakes. The Pkcross procedure and intention-to-treat analysis were performed using Stata.Cohen’s d(d)was estimated to measure the magnitude of the effects. Forty-six participants were included. NS oil capsules reduced transcription levels ((d= –2·31),P< 0·001) and blood concentrations of TNF-α((d= –0·29),P< 0·001). AdipoR1 expression (d= 2·24,P< 0·001) and serum adiponectin (d= 0·88,P< 0·001) showed a significant augmentation with a medium-high effect size, as did gene expression (d= 0·69,P< 0·001) and serum levels of PPAR-γ(d= 0·97,P< 0·001). There was a moderate but significant decrease in body weight (d= 0·6,P< 0·001). The present beneficial findings would provide strong information for future nutrigenomics/clinical trial studies assessing the role of NS in the management of obesity and other comorbidities.
The critical mean-field Chayes–Machta dynamics
Authors: Blanca Antonio , Sinclair Alistair , Zhang Xusheng
Published: May 2022

The random-cluster model is a unifying framework for studying random graphs, spin systems and electrical networks that plays a fundamental role in designing efficient Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling algorithms for the classical ferromagnetic Ising and Potts models. In this paper, we study a natural non-local Markov chain known as the Chayes–Machta (CM) dynamics for the mean-field case of the random-cluster model, where the underlying graph is the complete graph on n vertices. The random-cluster model is parametrised by an edge probability p and a cluster weight q. Our focus is on the critical regime:
$p = p_c(q)$
and
$q \in (1,2)$
, where
$p_c(q)$
is the threshold corresponding to the order–disorder phase transition of the model. We show that the mixing time of the CM dynamics is
$O({\log}\ n \cdot \log \log n)$
in this parameter regime, which reveals that the dynamics does not undergo an exponential slowdown at criticality, a surprising fact that had been predicted (but not proved) by statistical physicists. This also provides a nearly optimal bound (up to the
$\log\log n$
factor) for the mixing time of the mean-field CM dynamics in the only regime of parameters where no non-trivial bound was previously known. Our proof consists of a multi-phased coupling argument that combines several key ingredients, including a new local limit theorem, a precise bound on the maximum of symmetric random walks with varying step sizes and tailored estimates for critical random graphs. In addition, we derive an improved comparison inequality between the mixing time of the CM dynamics and that of the local Glauber dynamics on general graphs; this results in better mixing time bounds for the local dynamics in the mean-field setting.
Origami-inspired systems that improve adult diaper performance to enhance user dignity
Authors: Brown Nathan C. , Pruett Hunter T. , Bolanos Diana S. , Jackson Corinne , Beatson Bridget , Magleby Spencer P. , Howell Larry L.
Published: May 2022

This paper proposes a novel origami-inspired adult diaper design that improves discretion by reducing sag and increasing wicking across the entire diaper pad. While other diapers rely on supporting elastics to reduce the sag of the diaper as a whole, this paper proposes an absorbent core that uses liquid activated shaping to take a specified shape. Origami-based folds are also incorporated into the diaper design to increase wicking performance. The paper introduces a disposable compliant mechanism waistband used to deploy the diaper, making it easier to put onto one’s body.
Spatiotemporal Variations of Evapotranspiration in Amazonia Using the Wavelet Phase Difference Analysis
Authors: Zhang Juan , Feng Ziyang , Niu Jie , Melack John M. , Zhang Jin , Qiu Han , Hu Bill X. , Riley William J.
Published: May 2022

The relationships and seasonal‐to‐annual variations among evapotranspiration (ET), precipitation (P), terrestrial water storage anomalies (TWSA), radiation (downward shortwave radiation, DSR), and phenology (leaf area index, LAI) are complex across the Amazon basin. To analyze how ET is controlled by these influencing factors, we used wavelet phase difference (WPD) to investigate the effects of P, TWSA, DSR, and LAI on ET at different spatiotemporal scales. The Amazon‐scale averaged ET has strong correlations with these factors at the annual and multi‐year periodicities. The patterns of WPDs have south‐north and west‐east divides due to the significant variation in climatic conditions. The results demonstrate that ET is mainly affected by water and energy availability while vegetation regulates both processes. The deep soil moisture/groundwater can provide strong subsidies to ET during the meteorological dry season in the water‐limited area of Amazon. The WPD can well reflect the responses of ET to the variations of P, TWSA, DSR, and LAI, and the process of vegetation sustaining ET in the dry years in the water‐limited area of the Amazon.
Daily blood pressure profile and blood–brain barrier permeability in patients with cerebral small vessel disease
Authors: Dobrynina L. A. , Shamtieva K. V. , Kremneva E. I. , Zabitova M. R. , Akhmetzyanov B. M. , Gnedovskaya E. V. , Krotenkova M. V.
Published: May 2022

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) plays an important role in cognitive impairment, stroke, disability, and death. Hypertension is the main risk factor for CSVD. The use of antihypertensive therapy has not resulted in the expected decrease in CSVD complications, which may be related to the underestimation of significance of daily blood pressure profile for blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability. 53 patients with CSVD of varying severity (mean age 60.08 ± 6.8 years, 69.8% women, subjects with treated long-standing hypertension vs. normotensive subjects − 84.8% vs. 15.2%) and 17 healthy volunteers underwent ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and MRI, including T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for assessing BBB permeability. Most of ABPM parameters in CSVD patients did not differ from controls, but were associated with the severity of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and the total CSVD score. BBB permeability in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and grey matter (GM) was significantly higher in CSVD patients, and the severity of BBB permeability remained similar in patients with different stages of WMH. Among BBB permeability parameters, the area under the curve, corresponding to an increase in the contrast transit time in NAWM, had the greatest number of correlations with deviations of ABPM parameters. BBB permeability in CSVD is a universal mechanism of NAWM and GM damage associated with a slight increase in ABPM parameters. It is obvious that the treatment of hypertension in patients with not severe WMH should be more aggressive and carried out under the control of ABPM.
Changes in the urine volatile metabolome throughout growth of transplanted hepatocarcinoma
Authors: Kochevalina M. Yu. , Bukharina A. B. , Trunov V. G. , Pento A. V. , Morozova O. V. , Kogun’ G. A. , Simanovsky Ya. O. , Nikiforov S. M. , Rodionova E. I.
Published: May 2022

Trained detection dogs distinguish between urine samples from healthy organisms and organisms with malignant tumors, suggesting that the volatile urine metabolome contains information about tumor progression. The aim of this study was to determine whether the stage of tumor growth affects the chemical differences in the urine of mice and to what extent the "olfactory image of disease" perceived by dogs coincides with the "image of disease" recorded by the mass spectrometer. We used a novel laser ionization mass spectrometry method and propose a mass spectrometric analysis without detailed interpretation of the spectrum of volatile metabolomes in urine. The mass spectrometer we use works without sample preparation and registers volatile organic compounds in air at room temperature without changing the pH of the sample, i.e. under conditions similar to those in which dogs solve the same problem. The experimental cancer models were male BDF-f1 hybrid mice transplanted with hepatocarcinoma tissue, and similar mice transplanted with healthy liver tissue were used as controls. Our data show that both dogs and our proposed laser mass spectrometry method are able to detect both the entire spectrum of volatile organic compounds associated with the disease and minor changes in this spectrum during its course.
Designing a novel multi‑epitope vaccine against Ebola virus using reverse vaccinology approach
Authors: Alizadeh Morteza , Amini-Khoei Hossein , Tahmasebian Shahram , Ghatrehsamani Mahdi , Ghatreh Samani Keihan , Edalatpanah Yadolah , Rostampur Susan , Salehi Majid , Ghasemi-Dehnoo Maryam , Azadegan-Dehkordi Fatemeh , Sanami Samira , Bagheri Nader
Published: May 2022

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a dangerous zoonotic infectious disease. To date, more than 25 EBOV outbreaks have been documented, the majority of which have occurred in Central Africa. The rVSVG-ZEBOV-GP vaccine (ERVEBO), a live attenuated vaccine, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to combat EBOV. Because of the several drawbacks of live attenuated vaccines, multi-epitope vaccines probably appear to be safer than live attenuated vaccines. In this work, we employed immunoinformatics tools to design a multi-epitope vaccine against EBOV. We collected sequences of VP35, VP24, VP30, VP40, GP, and NP proteins from the NCBI database. T-cell and linear B-cell epitopes from target proteins were identified and tested for antigenicity, toxicity, allergenicity, and conservancy. The selected epitopes were then linked together in the vaccine's primary structure using appropriate linkers, and the 50S ribosomal L7/L12 (Locus RL7 MYCTU) sequence was added as an adjuvant to the vaccine construct's N-terminal. The physicochemical, antigenicity, and allergenicity parameters of the vaccine were all found to be satisfactory. The 3D model of the vaccine was predicted, refined, and validated. The vaccine construct had a stable and strong interaction with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) based on molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation (MD) analysis. The results of codon optimization and in silico cloning revealed that the proposed vaccine was highly expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). The findings of this study are promising; however, experimental validations should be carried out to confirm these findings.
Comparison of the similarity between two quantum images
Authors: Liu You-hang , Qi Zai-dong , Liu Qiang
Published: May 2022

Comparing the similarity between digital images is an important subroutine in various image processing algorithms. In this study, we present three quantum algorithms for comparing the similarity between two quantum images. These algorithms are applied to binary, grey and color images for the first time. Without considering the image preparation, the proposed algorithms achieve exponential acceleration than the existing quantum and classical methods in all three cases. At the end of this paper, an experiment based on the real quantum computer of IBMQ and simulations verify the effectiveness of the algorithms.
Technical pipeline for screening microbial communities as a function of substrate specificity through fluorescent labelling
Authors: Leivers Shaun , Lagos Leidy , Garbers Philipp , La Rosa Sabina Leanti , Westereng Bjørge
Published: May 2022

The study of specific glycan uptake and metabolism is an effective tool in aiding with the continued unravelling of the complexities in the human gut microbiome. To this aim fluorescent labelling of glycans may provide a powerful route towards this target. Here, we successfully used the fluorescent label 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB) to monitor and study microbial degradation of labelled glycans. Both single strain and co-cultured fermentations of microbes from the common human-gut derived Bacteroides genus, are able to grow when supplemented with 2-AB labelled glycans of different monosaccharide composition, degrees of acetylation and polymerization. Utilizing a multifaceted approach that combines chromatography, mass spectrometry, microscopy and flow cytometry techniques, it is possible to better understand the metabolism of labelled glycans in both supernatants and at a single cell level. We envisage this combination of complementary techniques will help further the understanding of substrate specificity and the role it plays within microbial communities.
Neocortical localization and thalamocortical modulation of neuronal hyperexcitability contribute to Fragile X Syndrome
Authors: Pedapati Ernest V. , Schmitt Lauren M. , Ethridge Lauren E. , Miyakoshi Makoto , Sweeney John A. , Liu Rui , Smith Elizabeth , Shaffer Rebecca C. , Dominick Kelli C. , Gilbert Donald L. , Wu Steve W. , Horn Paul S. , Binder Devin K. , Lamy Martine , Axford Megan , Erickson Craig A.
Published: May 2022

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a monogenetic form of intellectual disability and autism in which well-established knockout (KO) animal models point to neuronal hyperexcitability and abnormal gamma-frequency physiology as a basis for key disorder features. Translating these findings into patients may identify tractable treatment targets. Using source modeling of resting-state electroencephalography data, we report findings in FXS, including 1) increases in localized gamma activity, 2) pervasive changes of theta/alpha activity, indicative of disrupted thalamocortical modulation coupled with elevated gamma power, 3) stepwise moderation of low and high-frequency abnormalities based on female sex, and 4) relationship of this physiology to intellectual disability and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Our observations extend findings inFmr1−/−KO mice to patients with FXS and raise a key role for disrupted thalamocortical modulation in local hyperexcitability. This systems-level mechanism has received limited preclinical attention but has implications for understanding fundamental disease mechanisms.
Novel trends, challenges and new perspectives for enamel repair and regeneration to treat dental defects
Authors: Mohabatpour Fatemeh , Chen Xiongbiao , Papagerakis Silvana , Papagerakis Petros
Published: May 2022

This paper presents new technologies and current challenges for enamel repair and the clinical aspects of enamel pathophysiology for the invention of new therapies.
A 3D printable perfused hydrogel vascular model to assay ultrasound-induced permeability
Authors: Royse Madison K. , Means A. Kristen , Calderon Gisele A. , Kinstlinger Ian S. , He Yufang , Durante Marc R. , Procopio Adam T. , Veiseh Omid , Xu Jun
Published: May 2022

To examine the impact of ultrasound transduction on endothelial barrier function, a 3D printable perfused hydrogel vascular model was developed to assess endothelial permeability and enable live imaging of cell–cell junctions.
Microneedle-based technology for cell therapy: current status and future directions
Authors: Chen Bo Zhi , Zhao Ze Qiang , Shahbazi Mohammad-Ali , Guo Xin Dong
Published: May 2022

This work reviews the recent advancements of microneedle-based cell therapies, which have been shown to be promising for regeneration therapy, cancer immunotherapy, skin immune monitoring, and targeted cell delivery.
Photocatalytic access to aromatic keto sulfonyl fluorides from vinyl fluorosulfates
Authors: Cui Jianchao , Ke Sen , Zhao Jia , Wu Shufeng , Luo Wencheng , Xu Shinuo , Su Xiaolong , Li Yi
Published: May 2022

A photocatalytic transformation of vinyl fluorosulfates to aromatic β-keto sulfonyl fluorides is developed using 1 mol% of Ir catalyst irradiated by 3 W blue LEDs. This methodology provides an efficient and readily scalable approach to aromatic β-keto sulfonyl fluorides.
Emerging application of biochar as a renewable and superior filler in polymer composites
Authors: Tengku Yasim-Anuar Tengku Arisyah , Yee-Foong Lawrence Ng , Lawal Abubakar Abdullahi , Ahmad Farid Mohammed Abdillah , Mohd Yusuf Mohd Zulkhairi , Hassan Mohd Ali , Ariffin Hidayah
Published: May 2022

Biochar is a low-cost carbon material with excellent thermal characteristics. Despite having remarkably similar properties to graphene and carbon nanotubes, it is rarely used as a polymer filler.
First principles study on structural, electronic and optical properties of HfS2(1−x)Se2x and ZrS2(1−x)Se2x ternary alloys
Authors: Razeghizadeh Mohammadreza , Pourfath Mahdi
Published: May 2022

Adding Selenium to HfS2 and ZrS2 two-dimensional materials allows tuning the optical properties in a wide visible spectrum that can be used in various electronic and optical applications, including solar cells.
Beyond hydrophobicity: how F4-TCNQ doping of the hole transport material improves stability of mesoporous triple-cation perovskite solar cells
Authors: Liu Maning , Dahlström Staffan , Ahläng Christian , Wilken Sebastian , Degterev Aleksandr , Matuhina Anastasia , Hadadian Mahboubeh , Markkanen Magnus , Aitola Kerttu , Kamppinen Aleksi , Deska Jan , Mangs Oliver , Nyman Mathias , Lund Peter D. , Smått Jan-Henrik , Österbacka Ronald , Vivo Paola
Published: May 2022

High uniformity of hydrophobic F4-TCNQ doping in the spiro-OMeTAD layer hinders the dopant migration towards the anode as well as the dopant aggregation, leading to a T80 shelf-lifetime of >1 year.
Biflavones inhibit the fibrillation and cytotoxicity of the human islet amyloid polypeptide
Authors: Xu Jufei , Wang Yanan , Zheng Ting , Huo Yan , Du Weihong
Published: May 2022

Biflavones reverse the fibrillation and cytotoxicity induced by human islet amyloid polypeptide.
A polymer-based chemical tongue for the non-invasive monitoring of osteogenic stem-cell differentiation by pattern recognition of serum-supplemented spent media
Authors: Tomita Shunsuke , Ishihara Sayaka , Kurita Ryoji
Published: May 2022

A biomimetic ‘chemical-tongue’ combining polymeric probes with pattern-recognition techniques is presented, which can generate fluorescence-response patterns from serum-supplemented culture media to non-invasively monitor stem cell differentiation.
A conjugated photoresponsive dithienylethene–ferrocene system: applications in secret writing and decoding information
Authors: Karmakar Manisha , Bag Sayan Kumar , Mondal Bijan , Thakur Arunabha
Published: May 2022

A ferrocene appended dithienylethene (DTE-Fc) bridged π-conjugated photochromic material that can be applicable in a lithographic technique (erasable ink) and deciphering secret codes.
Manipulating room-temperature phosphorescencevialone-pair electrons and empty-orbital arrangements and hydrogen bond adjustment
Authors: Sun Haodong , Xie Zongliang , Wang Hailan , Wu Yazhang , Du Beibei , Guan Cao , Yu Tao
Published: May 2022

Switchable and tunable RTP properties: by rational arrangement of lone-pair electrons and empty p-orbitals in molecular design, and by adjustment of hydrogen bonds in crystal packing, switchable and tunable RTP of BP derivatives is achieved.
Benzothiadiazole based “hot exciton’’ materials for red electroluminescence with the maximum external quantum efficiency approaching 10%
Authors: Zhu Jie-Ji , Liu Guanhao , Lian Xin , Pang Jun-Hong , Li Ming-De , Wang Ying , Tong Qing-Xiao
Published: May 2022

We developed two D–A–D′ type red materials with “hot exciton” feature. Experimental results proved that the choice of an electron transport group as D′ was important to improve charge transfer balance and realize high brightness.
X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1): a potential role in chemotherapy response, clinical pathologic features, non-inflamed tumour microenvironment for breast cancer
Authors: Zhu Zhipeng , Zhan Hongliang , Sun Anran , Huang Heqing , Chen Baisheng , Zhang Fuxing
Published: May 2022

X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) is mainly expressed in breast cancer (BC) in human cancers. Its tumorigenesis and favourable prognosis are contradictory, and its essential role in chemotherapeutic response and immunosuppression is unknown in BC. The study firstly identified XBP1 who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) from GSE25055 and GSE24460. Associations between XBP1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics was investigated using Oncomine, TCGA, UALCAN and bc-GenExMiner. The prognostic value of XBP1 was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier Plotter, bc-GenExMiner, GSE25055, and GSE25056. Furthermore, we systematically correlated XBP1 and immunological characteristics in the BC tumour microenvironment (TME) using TISIDB, TIMER, GSE25055, GSE25056 and TCGA dataset. Finally, an essential role of XBP1 in chemotherapy response was evaluated based on GSE25055, GSE25065, GSE24460, GSE5846, ROC Plotter and CELL databases. Furthermore, XBP1 mRNA expression levels were obviously highest in BC among human cancers and were significantly related to a good prognosis. In addition, XBP1 mRNA and protein levels were higher in the luminal subtype than in normal tissues and basal-like subtype, which might be attributed to membrane transport-related processes. Apart from BC, negative immunological correlations of XBP1 were not observed in other malignancies. XBP1 might shape the non-inflamed TME in BC. Finally, XBP1 expression was higher in chemo-resistive than chemo-sensitive cases, it had a predictive value and could independently predict chemotherapy response in BC patients receiving NAC. Our study suggests that the essential role of XBP1 in clinical pathologic features, non-inflamed TME, chemotherapy response in BC.
Les facteurs et enjeux relationnels lors de l’évaluation des résidents en médecine familiale
Authors: Laurin Suzanne , Côté Luc , Cusson Lise , Korany Leyla , Jolicoeur Annie , Fernandez Nicolas
Published: May 2022

Contexte : Plusieurs études en pédagogie des sciences de la santé ont documenté le malaise des cliniciens enseignants à accorder des évaluations faibles ou un échec lorsqu’ils constatent des difficultés significatives chez les résidents. Parmi les raisons évoquées figurent les facteurs relationnels superviseur-résident, soit la nature des rapports interpersonnels qui pourraient influencer les décisions du superviseur qui doit traduire le niveau de compétence du résident sur la fiche d’évaluation. Objectifs : Explorer les facteurs et enjeux relationnels auxquels sont exposés les médecins de famille enseignants lors de l’évaluation des résidents en médecine familiale et décrire comment ils les gèrent. Méthodes : En 2020, nous avons réalisé une étude qualitative exploratoire et descriptive auprès de 15 médecins de famille enseignants provenant de divers milieux de formation clinique du département de médecine de famille et de médecine d’urgence de l’Université de Montréal. Ils ont participé à une entrevue téléphonique individuelle semi-dirigée. Les entrevues ont été transcrites intégralement, puis anonymisées. L’analyse thématique inductive des verbatim d’entrevues a été réalisée de manière indépendante selon le principe de la triangulation des chercheurs. Résultats : Des facteurs relationnels influencent à divers degrés l’évaluation des résidents. En voulant préserver « à tout prix » l’alliance pédagogique telle qu’ils la conçoivent, les superviseurs se trouvent piégés par des enjeux relationnels au moment d’évaluer les résidents. Des dérives conceptuelles quant à la relation pédagogique semblent être à l’origine du malaise des enseignants à jouer le rôle d’évaluateur. Conclusion : La relation pédagogique que les superviseurs entretiennent avec les résidents représente un enjeu majeur lors de l’évaluation. Les enseignants devraient être sensibilisés aux enjeux relationnels qui sont inhérents à l’évaluation dans le contexte de continuité pédagogique de manière à assumer plus aisément leur rôle d’évaluateur.