bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Removal of PFAS from groundwater using weak‐base anion exchange resins
Authors: Kassar Christian , Boyer Treavor H.
Published: February 2023

This research provides new insights on the application of weak‐base (WB) anion exchange resins (AERs) for groundwater treatment of six perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) with different properties. Continuous‐flow column adsorption and regeneration experiments involving WB, polyacrylic, and WB, polystyrene resins were conducted considering salt‐only regeneration solutions and two representative strong‐base (SB)‐AERs of analogous polymer composition and a third solution of methanol/salt used as baseline for comparison. The WB, polyacrylic resin was regenerated using salt‐only solutions of NaOH due to deprotonation of the tertiary amine functional group at alkaline pH. However, organic cosolvent was required to weaken the hydrophobic interactions between PFAAs and the nonpolar WB, polystyrene resin. Removal was predominantly influenced by polymer composition with free‐base WB‐AERs exhibiting similar selectivity and higher capacity as SB resin counterparts. This work highlights WB‐AER selection based on PFAA‐selective removal and more sustainable regeneration strategies.
Identification of novel inhibitor against human phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase from phytochemicals of Citrus sinensis peel extract by in vitro and in silico approach
Authors: Victor Priscilla Pushparani , Narayanaswamy Radhakrishnan , Kadry Seifedine , Gurunathan Baskar
Published: February 2023

Kidney stone is a major global menace that demands research on nonsurgical treatment involving biological compounds for the benefit of the patients. Among the biological extracts, citric acid is traditionally used to dissolve kidney stones. The current research focuses on evaluating the in vitro anti‐urolithiatic activity and in silico study of ethanolic extract of Citrus sinensis (ECS) peel against c: phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase (PCYT). The diuretic activity was evaluated using in vitro model against the synthesized calcium oxalate crystals and cytotoxicity study in Madin–Darby canine kidney cell lines. The phytochemicals were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. The interaction mechanism was studied using computational docking studies to confirm their involvement in the dissolution of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Further molecular properties, drug‐likeness, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), and toxicity analysis were followed for the ligands using software tools. 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural, 2,4‐di‐tert‐butylphenol, 2‐methoxy‐4‐vinylphenol, 6‐octen‐1‐ol, 3,7‐dimethyl‐, acetate (citronellyl acetate), 3′,5′‐dimethoxyacetophenone, and ethyl alpha‐d‐glucopyranoside showed good binding affinities against PCYT. Moreover, the docking studies showed the ligand 3′,5′‐dimethoxyacetophenone has the highest binding energy (−6.68 kcal/mol) for human CTP. The present investigation concludes that these compounds of C. sinensis peel extract compounds are responsible as novel inhibitors against human CTP and extend their use in the pharmaceutical drug development process.
Vasa, a regulator of localized mRNA translation on the spindle
Authors: Sundaram Buitrago Paola Alejandra , Rao Kavya , Yajima Mamiko
Published: February 2023

Localized mRNA translation is a biological process that allows mRNA to be translated on‐site, which is proposed to provide fine control in protein regulation, both spatially and temporally within a cell. We recently reported that Vasa, an RNA‐helicase, is a promising factor that appears to regulate this process on the spindle during the embryonic development of the sea urchin, yet the detailed roles and functional mechanisms of Vasa in this process are still largely unknown. In this review article, to elucidate these remaining questions, we first summarize the prior knowledge and our recent findings in the area of Vasa research and further discuss how Vasa may function in localized mRNA translation, contributing to efficient protein regulation during rapid embryogenesis and cancer cell regulation.
Sorghum bicolorSbHSP110 has an elongated shape and is able of protecting against aggregation and replacing human HSPH1/HSP110 in refolding and disaggregation assays
Authors: Franco Juliana C. , Nogueira Maria L. C. , Gandelini Gabriela M. , Pinheiro Glaucia M. S. , Gonçalves Conrado C. , Barbosa Leandro R. S. , Young Jason C. , Ramos Carlos H. I.
Published: February 2023

Perturbations in the native structure, often caused by stressing cellular conditions, not only impair protein function but also lead to the formation of aggregates, which can accumulate in the cell leading to harmful effects. Some organisms, such as plants, express the molecular chaperone HSP100 (homologous to HSP104 from yeast), which has the remarkable capacity to disaggregate and reactivate proteins. Recently, studies with animal cells, which lack a canonical HSP100, have identified the involvement of a distinct system composed of HSP70/HSP40 that needs the assistance of HSP110 to efficiently perform protein breakdown. As sessile plants experience stressful conditions more severe than those experienced by animals, we asked whether a plant HSP110 could also play a role in collaborating with HSP70/HSP40 in a system that increases the efficiency of disaggregation. Thus, the gene for a putative HSP110 from the cereal Sorghum bicolor was cloned and the protein, named SbHSP110, purified. For comparison purposes, human HsHSP110 (HSPH1/HSP105) was also purified and investigated in parallel. First, a combination of spectroscopic and hydrodynamic techniques was used for the characterization of the conformation and stability of recombinant SbHSP110, which was produced folded. Second, small‐angle X‐ray scattering and combined predictors of protein structure indicated that SbHSP110 and HsHSP110 have similar conformations. Then, the chaperone activities, which included protection against aggregation, refolding, and reactivation, were investigated, showing that SbHSP110 and HsHSP110 have similar functional activities. Altogether, the results add to the structure/function relationship study of HSP110s and support the hypothesis that plants have multiple strategies to act upon the reactivation of protein aggregates.
How to deal with customer and supplier concentration to attain sustainable financial growth? The role of business strategy
Authors: Ahsan Tanveer , Mirza Sultan Sikandar , Gull Ammar Ali , Majeed Muhammad Ansar
Published: February 2023

For effective supply chain management, firms should focus on the relationship with their immediate stakeholders in the supply chain, namely, suppliers (upstream) and customers (downstream). This study investigates the impact of customer and supplier concentration as well as business strategy on sustainable financial growth, using financial data of 2021 Chinese non‐financial firms listed from 2006 to 2020. Additionally, it explores the moderating effect of business strategy on the relationship between customer and supplier concentration and sustainable financial growth. We find that higher customer and supplier concentration weakens the bargaining power of Chinese firms, which reduces their financial growth. However, an appropriate business strategy can help such firms achieve sustainable financial growth. We find that an aggressive business strategy moderates the negative impact of supplier concentration, while a defensive business strategy moderates the negative impact of customer concentration on financial growth. Finally, our results for the direct impact of customer and supplier concentration as well as business strategy hold for state‐owned and non‐state‐owned firms. However, we find differences regarding the moderating impact of business strategy between state‐owned and non‐state‐owned firms. Our results are robust to time and industry fixed effects, alternate proxies of financial growth and regression techniques.
Use of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy to identify key fouling species during alternating tangential filtration
Authors: Sundar Vikram , Zhang Da , Qian Xianghong , Wickramasinghe S. Ranil , Smelko John Paul , Carbrello Christina , Jabbour Al Maalouf Yara , Zydney Andrew L.
Published: February 2023

Alternating tangential flow filtration (ATF) has become one of the primary methods for cell retention and clarification in perfusion bioreactors. However, membrane fouling can cause product sieving losses that limit the performance of these systems. This study used scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy to identify the nature and location of foulants on 0.2 μm polyethersulfone hollow fiber membranes after use in industrial Chinese hamster ovary cell perfusion bioreactors for monoclonal antibody production. Membrane fouling was dominated by proteinaceous material, primarily host cell proteins along with some monoclonal antibody. Fouling occurred primarily on the lumen surface with much less protein trapped within the depth of the fiber. Protein deposition was also most pronounced near the inlet/exit of the hollow fibers, which are the regions with the greatest flux (and transmembrane pressure) during the cyclical operation of the ATF. These results provide important insights into the underlying phenomena governing the fouling behavior of ATF systems for continuous bioprocessing.
Mycosis fungoides with Psoriasiform plaques: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Beyzaee Amir Mohammad , Jahantigh Neda , Goldust Mohammad , Rahmatpour Rokni Ghasem , Babaei Mahsa , Ghoreishi Bahare , Sadathosseini Sepideh
Published: February 2023

Mycosis fungoides (MF) is the most common variant of primary skin T‐cell lymphoma. It typically manifests as an indolent progressing cutaneous eruption with erythematous scaly patches or plaques. Due to the nonspecific pathological findings, it can be easily misdiagnosed as psoriasis. A 34‐year‐old woman with a history of psoriasiform plaques for 12 years was referred to our dermatology clinic. In the beginning, the diagnosis of psoriasis was made and topical steroids were prescribed: it did not exhibit any clinical improvement. During the visit, skin biopsy was performed and the diagnosis of MF was confirmed. Treatment with PUVA, prednisolon, methotrexate, topical ointment including ucerin, urea, and clobetasol were initiated. Significant improvement in all lesions were observed after 1 month of the treatment, and within a year, the disease improved dramatically after PUVA therapy. In refractory cases of psoriasiform plaques that are progressive and/or ulcerative despite the optimal treatment, biopsy is required and a possible diagnosis of MF should be kept in mind.
Selective Electroreduction of Oxalic Acid to Glycolic Acid by Mesoporous TiO2 Spheres
Authors: Xu Wenjing , Cheng Yingying , Hou Jing , Kang Peng
Published: February 2023

Reducing oxalic acid to glycolic acid electrochemically remains a significant challenge due to the high overpotential and low selectivity and stability. This study uses mesoporous TiO2 spheres of anatase phase as catalysts to reduce oxalic acid to glycolic acid with low overpotential. The maximum Faradaic efficiency of glycolic acid reaches 73.9 % at −0.5 V vs RHE. The mesoporous structure not only increases the specific surface area, but also limits the escape of intermediate glyoxalic acid from the catalyst surface due to the space‐limiting effect of the mesoporous channel, such that oxalic acid can be deeply reduced to glycolic acid. Moreover, a mechanism for oxalic acid reduction is proposed, and the Ti3+/Ti4+ redox pair plays an important role in the reduction of oxalic acid.
Nickel‐Catalyzed Dry Reforming of Methane via Modulating the Zirconia Shapes
Authors: Tan Ruifan , Wang Ping , Guo Luyao , Chen Zupeng , Lin Ronghe , Mou Xiaoling , Ding Yunjie
Published: February 2023

The shape of the carriers has a profound impact on the catalytic performance of metal‐supported catalysts. Herein, ZrO2 of different shapes (nanorods‐like, spherical or irregular nanoparticles, demoted as RZ, SPZ, and IPZ, respectively) are adopted to disperse Ni species to assess the shape effects on the catalytic performance in dry reforming of methane. To this end, the fresh and spent catalysts are thoroughly characterized by multiple techniques including N2 sorption, powder X‐ray diffraction, temperature‐programmed reduction with H2, thermogravimetric analyses, transmission electron microscopy, Raman and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies. It is revealed that the reducibility of NiO species follows the orders of Ni/RZ<Ni/SPZ<Ni/IPZ. Consequently, Ni/RZ and Ni/SPZ show lower dehydrogenation activity than Ni/IPZ, but the more abundant lattice oxygen species promote the gasification of carbonaceous deposits. Therefore, the shape design of the carriers provides a new perspective in mediating the catalytic performance of Ni/ZrO2 in the reforming reaction.
Electrochemical Characterization of Charge Storage at Anodes for Sodium‐Ion Batteries Based on Corncob Waste‐Derived Hard Carbon and Binder
Authors: Bottoni Luca , Darjazi Hamideh , Sbrascini Leonardo , Staffolani Antunes , Gabrielli Serena , Pastore Genny , Tombesi Alessia , Nobili Francesco
Published: February 2023

Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) represent a potential alternative to lithium‐ion batteries in large‐scale energy storage applications. To improve the sustainability of SIBs, the utilization of anode carbonaceous materials produced from biomass and the selection of a bio‐based binder allowing an aqueous electrode processing are fundamental. Herein, corncobs are used as raw material for the preparation of hard carbon and it is also used as cellulose sources for the synthesis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder. The corncob‐derived electrodes deliver a high discharge capacity of around 264 mAhg−1 at 1 C (300 mAg−1), with promising capacity retention (84 % after 100 cycles) and good rate capability. Additionally, this work expands the fundamental insight of the sodium storage behavior of Hard Carbons through an electrochemical approach, suggesting that the reaction mechanism is controlled by capacitive process in the sloping voltage region, while the diffusion‐controlled intercalation is the predominant process in the low‐voltage plateau.
Static Binding and Dynamic Transporting‐Based Design of Specific Ring‐Chain‐Ring Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor: From Galantamine to Natural Product
Authors: Zhang Zhiyang , Lv Jianwu , Wang Yu , Yu Hongli , Guo Baolin , Zhai Jihang , Wang Chaojie , Zhao Yuan , Fan Fangfang , Luo Wen
Published: February 2023

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a key target for the current symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease, and galantamine is a clinical anticholinesterase drug with transiently acting characteristic and good selectivity for AChE. The present theoretical‐experimental work improves the drug‘s residence time without reducing the inhibition effect, thus providing a crucial breakthrough for modifying the inhibitor of AChE with better kinetic behavior. The static binding and dynamic delivery properties acquired from atomic view reveal that the galantamine simply occupies a catalytic anionic site, and its release from AChE needs only ∼8.6 kcal/mol. Both of these may cause the short residence time of galantamine. The hotspots and most favorable transport mechanism are identified, and the hydrogen bond and aromatic stacking interactions are observed to play crucial roles for galantamine binding and release in AChE. The typical peripheral anionic site arisen at the delivery process would provide another key occupation to enhance the anti‐release ability for inhibitors. The compound with “specific‐ring‐chain‐ring” framework with detailed beneficial modification scheme is summarized, which may improve the residence time of the inhibitor in AChE. The thermodynamic and dynamic properties of galantamine derivatives are also studied. Based on dictamnine, a natural alkaloid, two novel eligible derivatives are designed, synthesized and evaluated, which verifies our prediction. Multiple computational approaches and experimental combinations probably provide a train of thought from both static and dynamic views to modify or design appropriate inhibitors on the basis of specific binding and transportation features.
Flexible Organic Framework‐Modified Membranes for Osmotic Energy Harvesting
Authors: Lin Tao , Zhang Lei , Li Chao , Fu Yong‐Hong , Gao Longcheng , Hou Jun‐Li
Published: February 2023

Comprehensive Summary

Bioinspired membranes are advantageous in capturing the osmotic energy. However, the conventional hybrid membranes possess low harvesting power density due to their low interfacial ionic transport efficiency and high internal resistance. Herein, a new kind of hybrid membranes consisting of porous polymer and flexible organic frameworks was developed. The 3D porous framework enables ions to flux with high efficiency at the polymer‐framework interface, resulting in high osmotic energy harvesting efficiency. By systematically screening the pore size of the frameworks, the output power density as high as 5.7 W/m2 was achieved under 50‐fold KCl salinity gradient.
Top advances of the year: Neuro‐oncology
Authors: Barden Mary M. , Omuro Antonio M.
Published: February 2023

Management of brain tumors has been challenging given the limited therapeutic options and disabling morbidities associated with central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction. This review focuses on recent developments in the field, with an emphasis on clinical management. The growing clinical trials landscape reflects advanced insights into cancer immunology and genomics and the need to address molecular and clinical heterogeneity. Recent phase 3 trials investigating anti–PD‐1 immunotherapies, particularly nivolumab, have failed to demonstrate improved survival in glioblastoma, underscoring the need to better understand the complexity of CNS immunologic surveillance. Conversely, targeted therapies have accounted for several US Food and Drug Administration approvals extended to brain tumors, particularly therapies directed to BRAF V600E mutations and TRAK fusions, underscoring a need to routinely screen patients for these rare molecular abnormalities. In primary CNS lymphoma, attention has turned to long‐term outcomes of consolidation therapies, and recent studies have highlighted the excellent disease control afforded by high‐dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Meningiomas remain a focus of investigations, with preliminary promising results observed with octreotide combined with mTOR inhibition, and immunotherapy with single‐agent pembrolizumab. Finally, proton radiotherapy has emerged as a novel alternative for leptomeningeal metastases from solid tumors, which can now be treated more safely with craniospinal irradiation and monitored by the enumeration of circulating tumor cells in the cerebrospinal fluid as a biomarker. Taken together, these incremental advances have improved outcomes in select brain tumor patient populations, whereas ongoing clinical trials hold the promise of meaningful advances and breakthroughs for larger proportions of patients with brain tumors.
Hybrid optimization enabled multi‐aggregator‐based charge scheduling of electric vehicle in internet of electric vehicles
Authors: Suresh Pandian , Shobana Selvaraj , Ramya Ganesan , Belsam Jeba Ananth Manasea Selvin
Published: February 2023

In modern days, electric vehicles are quickly industrialized as well as their penetration is also increased highly, which brings more challenges for the power system. The electric vehicle charge scheduling process is vital to encourage the daily usage of the electric vehicle. However, irregular charging methods for electric vehicles may disturb voltage security areas because of their stochastic characteristics. Moreover, an electric vehicle requires recurrent charging owing to its constrained battery capacity, but it is a time‐consuming process. In this article, an effective charge scheduling model is devised using the fractional social sea lion optimization (Fr‐SSLO) algorithm. At first, IoEV network is simulated along with charge station and electric vehicle location. Furthermore, multi aggregator‐based charge scheduling is done for increasing the profit and amount of scheduled electric vehicles. Then, routing is performed based on developed Fr‐SSLO algorithm. Moreover, several fitness measures, including distance, energy and variable energy purchase are included. Here, the devised Fr‐SSLO model is designed by integrating fractional calculus (FC) and sea lion optimization (SLnO) technique along with SOA. After the completion of routing process, charge scheduling is performed based on developed Fr‐SSLO approach. Moreover, various fitness functions are also considered for computing better performance.
Quality characteristics of non‐gluten biscuit developed from optimized cream and orange‐fleshed sweetpotato flour
Authors: Oloniyo Rebecca Olajumoke , Omoba Olufunmilayo Sade , Awolu Olugbenga Olufemi
Published: February 2023

Orange‐fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP; Ipomoea batatas L.) is a new variety of sweetpotato widely accepted as a staple food in African countries due to its nutritional and health benefits. The aim of this study was to determine the quality characteristics of value added biscuit developed from optimized non‐gluten blends. King J orange‐fleshed sweetpotato (UMUSPO1), Mother's Delight orange‐fleshed sweetpotato (UMUSPO2) and cream‐fleshed sweetpotato were used. Sweetpotato storage roots were processed into flour and were incorporated with soy concentrate, date palm and sweetpotato starch. The blends were optimized using an experimental design of response surface methodology; the optimized blends were used to produce biscuits, and the biscuits were evaluated for total phenol, total flavonoid, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and effective concentration (EC50), which is a concentration of the sample required to obtain a 50% antioxidant effect. The physical qualities and consumer acceptability of the developed and control biscuits were also assessed. The results obtained showed that the total phenolic values ranged from 2.32 to 12.54 mg GAE/g, total flavonoid values ranged from 1.11 to 12.20 mg QE/g, and FRAP values ranged from 4.38 to 22.54 mg AEE/g; EC50 of some antioxidant properties was observed to be less than (<) 2; the weight of the biscuit ranged between 4.50 and 5.59 g, diameter of the biscuit ranged between 5.30 and 6.70 cm, and the spread ratio ranged from 8.83 to 12.89. The sensory properties of the biscuit varied significantly (p < 0.05) with one another in terms of the aroma, appearance, crunchiness, taste and overall acceptability. This research showed that the optimized OFSP flour (OFSPK2) produced a good quality biscuit with the highest total phenolic, total flavonoid, and FRAP, and it exhibited good physical qualities. OFSPK2 biscuit had the highest score for its overall acceptability and compared favourably with the 100% wheat flour biscuit (control sample).
Automated quantification of measurable residual disease in chronic lymphocytic leukemia using an artificial intelligence‐assisted workflow
Authors: Bazinet Alexandre , Wang Alan , Li Xinmei , Jia Fuli , Mo Huan , Wang Wei , Wang Sa A.
Published: February 2023

Detection of measurable residual disease (MRD) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is an important prognostic marker. The most common CLL MRD method in current use is multiparameter flow cytometry, but availability is limited by the need for expert manual analysis. Automated analysis has the potential to expand access to CLL MRD testing. We evaluated the performance of an artificial intelligence (AI)‐assisted multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) workflow for CLL MRD. We randomly selected 113 CLL MRD FCS files and divided them into training and validation sets. The training set (n = 41) was gated by expert manual analysis and used to train the AI model. We then compared the validation set (n = 72) MRD results obtained by the AI‐assisted analysis versus those by expert manual analysis using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plot method. In the validation set, the AI‐assisted analysis correctly categorized cases as MRD‐negative versus MRD‐positive in 96% of cases. When comparing the AI‐assisted analysis versus the expert manual analysis, the Pearson r was 0.8650, mean bias was 0.2237 log10 units, and the 95% limit of agreement (LOA) was ±1.0282 log10 units. The AI‐assisted analysis performed sub‐optimally in atypical immunophenotype CLL and in cases lacking residual normal B cells. When excluding these outlier cases, the mean bias improved to 0.0680 log10 units and the 95% LOA to ±0.2926 log10 units. An automated AI‐assisted workflow allows for the quantification of MRD in CLL with typical immunophenotype. Further work is required to improve performance in atypical immunophenotype CLL.
Realizing the untapped promise of single‐session interventions for eating disorders
Authors: Schleider Jessica L. , Smith Arielle C. , Ahuvia Isaac
Published: February 2023

Objective

Multilevel treatment barriers prevent up to 80% of individuals experiencing eating disorders (EDs) from accessing care. This treatment gap creates a critical need to identify interventions that are accessible, easily completable, and optimized for effectiveness by targeting core mechanisms linked to ED onset and maintenance. We propose single‐session interventions (SSIs) as a promising path toward catalyzing innovation in the development of accessible, effective ED interventions. SSIs are structured programs that intentionally involve one encounter with a program or provider; they may serve as stand‐alone or adjunctive clinical supports. All SSIs are built to acknowledge that any session might be someone's last—and that any single session can nonetheless yield meaningful clinical benefit.

Method

We define SSIs, summarize research supporting their utility for ED symptoms and other mental health problems, and recommend future directions for work in this domain.

Results

Single‐session interventions may hold promise to reduce some ED symptoms and risk factors, including restrictive eating and negative body image. Steps toward realizing this promise include (1) testing whether existing evidence‐based SSIs (e.g., for depression) can also reduce EDs, risk factors, and symptoms; (2) developing novel SSIs that target modifiable ED risk factors and symptoms largely unaddressed by SSIs, such as purging and binge eating; (3) studying diverse implementation pathways; (4) capitalizing on SSIs' transdiagnostic utility to broaden funding opportunities; and (5) educating ED researchers and clinicians about SSIs.

Discussion

Understanding the strengths and limits of mechanism‐targeted SSIs for ED‐related problems could be a low‐risk, high‐reward avenue toward reducing EDs at scale.

Public Significance

Most individuals experiencing EDs never access any form of treatment, creating an urgent need to identify ED interventions built to overcome barriers to engaging with care. This Forum article introduces SSIs as a promising path to rapidly developing and testing accessible, evidence‐based ED supports; supplementing existing ED treatment models; and reducing the individual, familial, and societal burdens of EDs at scale.
Story drift and damage level estimation of buildings using relative acceleration responses with multi‐target deep learning models under seismic excitation
Authors: Chou Jau‐Yu , Liu Chieh‐Yu , Chang Chia‐Ming
Published: February 2023

Damage detection is one of the primary purposes of structural health monitoring to inform catastrophic risks of structures right after extreme loadings such as earthquakes and hurricanes. In structural design codes, story drifts are considered as an indicator to estimate the damage states of structures. For instance, when the story drift ratios achieve 0.2‐0.4%, light damage may be present in a building. In addition, the remaining stiffness ratios can also reveal the damage levels of a structure. Previous studies have shown that structural stiffness changes can affect the frequency responses of structures, for example, changing the locations of poles in frequency response functions. In this research, two multi‐target neural network models are developed to concurrently estimate story drifts and remaining stiffness ratios using floor accelerations under seismic excitation. One of the multi‐target neural network models focuses on developing a physics‐guided loss function with a parallel model combination. Meanwhile, the other neural network model sequentially integrates two deep learning approaches by transfer learning. For example, the long short‐term memory units estimate story drift responses from floor accelerations. Then, the short‐time Fourier transform layers of floor accelerations yield the remaining stiffness ratio estimation. The proposed models are numerically investigated and experimentally verified. As a result, both models can estimate story drift and remaining stiffness ratio using the proposed neural network models.
A hybrid energy storage system using GA and PSO for an islanded microgrid applications
Authors: Firdouse Fareesa , Surender Reddy M.
Published: February 2023

The renewable‐based hybrid energy storage systems have gained significant attention in recent times, due to their increased power extraction efficiency, cost‐effectiveness, and eco‐friendly nature. But, the power management, optimal sizing of components, economic cost of energy, and system reliability are considered as the major problems of hybrid energy storage systems. For this purpose, the different types of optimization methodologies are developed in the conventional works for optimizing the size and cost of hybrid energy systems. The main contribution of this work is to design an efficient and reliable hybrid energy storage system based on the combination of solar, wind, biomass, batteries, and generators with optimal sizing of components, and reduced system cost. Hence, two different types of meta‐heuristics optimization techniques such as genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are validated and compared with select the most suitable one for the reliable hybrid energy systems. Here, the mathematical modeling of a hybrid energy sources are presented for generating the electricity. It also discussed about the operating principles, working nature, flow of modeling, advantages, and disadvantages of GA and PSO techniques. During simulation, the performance of these algorithms is evaluated and compared by using various measures. Due to the increased convergence rate, reduced overfitting, and local optimum the performance of PSO is highly improved, when compared with the GA. Also, the PSO is discovered to perform better than the GA because it concurrently executes global and local searches, whereas the GA focuses primarily on the global search. The total excess energy for the entire year is estimated to be 5139 kWh/yr based on the findings. The PSO algorithm accurately predicts solar PV, wind turbines, batteries, and biomass gasifier with an ASC of 63 006$/yr and an LCOE of 0.173$/kWh. Hence, the results of PSO are superior than the standard GA mechanism. Moreover, the obtained results indicate that the PSO algorithm provides the better results compared with GA and HOMER.
Evaluation of polygenic risk scores to differentiate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Ye Qiang , IglayReger Heidi , Tan Meng H. , Boehnke Michael , Burant Charles F. , Soleimanpour Scott A. , Gagliano Taliun Sarah A.
Published: February 2023

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) quantify the genetic liability to disease and are calculated using an individual's genotype profile and disease‐specific genome‐wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics. Type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes both are determined in part by genetic loci. Correctly differentiating between types of diabetes is crucial for accurate diagnosis and treatment. PRS have the potential to address possible misclassification of T1D and T2D. Here we evaluated PRS models for T1D and T2D in European genetic ancestry participants from the UK Biobank (UKB) and then in the Michigan Genomics Initiative (MGI). Specifically, we investigated the utility of T1D and T2D PRS to discriminate between T1D, T2D, and controls in unrelated UKB individuals of European ancestry. We derived PRS models using external non‐UKB GWAS. The T1D PRS model with the best discrimination between T1D cases and controls (area under the receiver operator curve [AUC] = 0.805) also yielded the best discrimination of T1D from T2D cases in the UKB (AUC = 0.792) and separation in MGI (AUC = 0.686). In contrast, the best T2D model did not discriminate between T1D and T2D cases (AUC = 0.527). Our analysis suggests that a T1D PRS model based on independent single nucleotide polymorphisms may help differentiate between T1D, T2D, and controls in individuals of European genetic ancestry.
Complement receptor 1 is expressed on brain cells and in the human brain
Authors: Daskoulidou Nikoleta , Shaw Bethany , Torvell Megan , Watkins Lewis , Cope Emma L. , Carpanini Sarah M. , Allen Nicholas D. , Morgan B. Paul
Published: February 2023

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have highlighted the importance of the complement cascade in pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Complement receptor 1 (CR1; CD35) is among the top GWAS hits. The long variant of CR1 is associated with increased risk for AD; however, roles of CR1 in brain health and disease are poorly understood. A critical confounder is that brain expression of CR1 is controversial; failure to demonstrate brain expression has provoked the suggestion that peripherally expressed CR1 influences AD risk. We took a multi‐pronged approach to establish whether CR1 is expressed in brain. Expression of CR1 at the protein and mRNA level was assessed in human microglial lines, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)‐derived microglia from two sources and brain tissue from AD and control donors. CR1 protein was detected in microglial lines and iPSC‐derived microglia expressing different CR1 variants when immunostained with a validated panel of CR1‐specific antibodies; cell extracts were positive for CR1 protein and mRNA. CR1 protein was detected in control and AD brains, co‐localizing with astrocytes and microglia, and expression was significantly increased in AD compared to controls. CR1 mRNA expression was detected in all AD and control brain samples tested; expression was significantly increased in AD. The data unequivocally demonstrate that the CR1 transcript and protein are expressed in human microglia ex vivo and on microglia and astrocytes in situ in the human brain; the findings support the hypothesis that CR1 variants affect AD risk by directly impacting glial functions.
Vaccination status and outcomes of COVID‐19 patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Iran during the dominant Delta variant period
Authors: Mehdinezhad Hamed , Karim Bardia , Ahmadi Niloufar , Ahangar Reza Mohseni , Asadolahzadeh Ali , Haddad‐Zavareh Mahmoud Sadeghi , khoshkhou Fatemeh , Qolami Zeynab , Gorji Neda Mahdinezhad , Delavar Mouloud Agajani
Published: February 2023

Background

This study aimed to determine the characteristics, vaccination status, and outcomes of confidence interval (COVID‐19) patients, admitted to a tertiary hospital in Iran during the predominant severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) Delta variant period.

Methods

This retrospective study assessed the medical records of all hospitalized COVID‐19 patients, who were admitted to a tertiary hospital from July 10 to September 15, 2021. Adjusted binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine factors associated with poor outcomes.

Results

More than 25% of hospitalized patients received at least one vaccine dose of SARS‐CoV‐2. The Sinopharm BIBP vaccine (China) was the most commonly received vaccine (73.3%). After adjusting for age and comorbidities, the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for poor outcomes was significantly lower in hospitalized patients who received Remdesivir compared to those not receiving Remdesivir (AOR: 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15, 0.78;p < .010). Besides, age ≥50 years (AOR: 2.51; 95% CI: 1.38, 4.59;p < .003), low educational level (AOR: 3.99; 95% CI: 1.17, 13.53;p < .027), work outside in the past year (AOR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.02, 3.00;p < .041), and diabetes mellitus (AOR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.66, 3.26;p = .011) were associated with more poor outcomes.

Conclusion

Based on the present results, the risk of mortality and the risk of poor outcomes were lower in patients who received Remdesivir compared to those not receiving Remdesivir. The number of vaccinated patients was smaller than the unvaccinated among hospitalized patients. It is important to emphasize that vaccination reduced the need for hospitalization and that only vaccinated patients with comorbidities required hospitalization.
Pneumonia X‐ray detection with anchor‐free detection framework and data augmentation
Authors: Yan Nan , Tao Ye
Published: February 2023

Pneumonia has become one of the main causes of human death. However, it is a tall order to efficiently and accurately diagnose pneumonia for clinicians. Therefore, A novel method based on anchor‐free detection framework is proposed to automatically locate lung opacities on chest radiographs in this study. We conducted extensive sets of experiments on the dataset of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) pneumonia detection challenge from the Kaggle competition. The results show superior performances for our method compared with previous studies. The best method achieved 52.9% in average precision (AP) and 97.5% in average recall (AR). For better interpretability of the results, visualization techniques are applied to provide visual explanations for our method. The visualization of these randomly selected samples shows that the method has excellent performance for lung opacity detection. Our method achieves better discriminative results and is suitable for the pneumonia diagnosis.
Song recognition and analysis method based on data engineering and Low‐Cost microphone sensor
Authors: Li Ping , Wei Lingshuang
Published: February 2023

Song recognition refers to automatically recognizing the corresponding song name for the input audio clip. Because of its friendly interactive form and convenience, song recognition has become a hot topic in the research of music retrieval. However, most of the existing song recognition methods assume that the collected audios are clean data. Unfortunately, in practical applications, they often face problems such as the low price of the acquisition equipment and the serious noise pollution of the collected audio data, resulting in poor recognition accuracy. To solve the above problems, facing data engineering and low‐cost microphone scenario, this paper proposes a deep learning based two‐stage song recognition framework. Specifically, the Denoising Auto‐Encoder network is first used for speech enhancement to obtain clean audio data. Then, the Con‐LSTM network is proposed for clean song recognition. More specifically, Con‐LSTM network integrates the advantages of convolutional neural network (CNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN), thus it has stronger recognition ability. The final experimental results show that the proposed song recognition framework can effectively identify the songs collected by low‐cost microphones. As such, the proposed framework can be embedded in the web of things (WoT) system for well help to improve speech recognition task, which are essential in many advanced WoT systems
Spatial Lipidomic Profiling of Mouse Joint Tissue Demonstrates the Essential Role of PHOSPHO1 in Growth Plate Homeostasis
Authors: Tzvetkov Jordan , Stephen Louise A. , Dillon Scott , Millan Jose Luis , Roelofs Anke J. , De Bari Cosimo , Farquharson Colin , Larson Tony , Genever Paul
Published: February 2023

Lipids play a crucial role in signaling and metabolism, regulating the development and maintenance of the skeleton. Membrane lipids have been hypothesized to act as intermediates upstream of orphan phosphatase 1 (PHOSPHO1), a major contributor to phosphate generation required for bone mineralization. Here, we spatially resolve the lipid atlas of the healthy mouse knee and demonstrate the effects of PHOSPHO1 ablation on the growth plate lipidome. Lipids spanning 17 subclasses were mapped across the knee joints of healthy juvenile and adult mice using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS), with annotation supported by shotgun lipidomics. Multivariate analysis identified 96 and 80 lipid ions with differential abundances across joint tissues in juvenile and adult mice, respectively. In both ages, marrow was enriched in phospholipid platelet activating factors (PAFs) and related metabolites, cortical bone had a low lipid content, whereas lysophospholipids were strikingly enriched in the growth plate, an active site of mineralization and PHOSPHO1 activity. Spatially-resolved profiling of PHOSPHO1-knockout (KO) mice across the resting, proliferating, and hypertrophic growth plate zones revealed 272, 306, and 296 significantly upregulated, and 155, 220, and 190 significantly downregulated features, respectively, relative to wild-type (WT) controls. Of note, phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylethanolamine derived lipid ions were upregulated in PHOSPHO1-KO versus WT. Our imaging pipeline has established a spatially-resolved lipid signature of joint tissues and has demonstrated that PHOSPHO1 ablation significantly alters the growth plate lipidome, highlighting an essential role of the PHOSPHO1-mediated membrane phospholipid metabolism in lipid and bone homeostasis. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Dissociable brainstem functional connectivity changes correlate with objective and subjective vigilance decline after total sleep deprivation in healthy male subjects
Authors: Wu Yuxin , Lei Yu , Chen Pinhong , Hu Gang , Lin Bei , Zhang Chaoyue , Wu Xinhuai , Wang Lubin
Published: February 2023

The maintenance of vigilance relies on the activation of the cerebral cortex by the arousal system centered on the brainstem. Previous studies have suggested that both objective and subjective vigilance are susceptible to sleep deprivation. This study aims to explore the alterations in brainstem arousal system functional connectivity (FC) and its involvement in these two types of vigilance decline following total sleep deprivation (TSD). Thirty‐seven healthy male subjects underwent two counterbalanced resting‐state fMRI scans, once in rested wakefulness (RW) and once after 36 h of TSD. The pontine tegmental area and caudal midbrain (PTA‐cMidbrain), the core regions of the brainstem arousal system, were chosen as the seeds for FC analysis. The difference in PTA‐cMidbrain FC between RW and TSD conditions was then investigated, as well as its associations with objective vigilance measured by psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) and subjective vigilance measured by Stanford Sleepiness Scale. The sleep‐deprived subjects showed increased PTA‐cMidbrain FC with the thalamus and cerebellum and decreased PTA‐cMidbrain FC with the occipital, parietal, and sensorimotor regions. TSD‐induced increases in PVT reaction time were negatively correlated with altered PTA‐cMidbrain FC in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, extrastriate visual cortex, and precuneus. TSD‐induced increases in subjective sleepiness were positively correlated with altered PTA‐cMidbrain FC in default mode regions including the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus. Our results suggest that different brainstem FC patterns underlie the objective and subjective vigilance declines induced by TSD.
The influence of home shopping television network impulse buying on product shortages
Authors: Lee Sangjoon , Shin Hojung , Benton W. C.
Published: February 2023

This study investigates the relationship between impulse buying and product shortages in the context of television home shopping. Home shopping networks adopt promotional tactics to pitch sales and even encourage consumers' impulse buying. Marketing and sales management often assume that home shoppers' impulse buying will increase sales and profits, not considering the possibility that a significant number of impulse purchases could be canceled or returned. In general, product shortages driven by consumers' impulse buying may create a phantom stockout condition whereas non‐impulsive consumers are deprived of purchasing opportunities while products are in the process of being canceled or returned. This is the first large‐scale empirical study that addresses the relationship between impulse buying and product shortages in a network retail context. Based on actual transaction data, a novel research plan is developed to measure the impact of consumers' impulse buying on the retailer's revenue and product shortages. The findings indicate that impulse buying may cause product shortages directly. We conduct a post hoc analysis to investigate the differences in the impact of impulse buying between newly introduced and existing products and between hedonic and utilitarian products. Based on the empirical findings, we provide managerial implications for home shopping network retailers.
Palliation of mucinous appendiceal neoplasms with peritoneal metastases with total abdominal colectomy
Authors: Sugarbaker Paul H. , Chang David
Published: February 2023

Background

Incomplete cytoreduction for mucinous appendiceal neoplasms is often required to temporarily alleviate symptoms. The surgical technology for this intervention may be complex and result in extensive morbidity and even mortality. Knowledgeable patient selection for this surgery is mandatory.

Methods

A database was used to identify patients who had palliative surgery that included total abdominal colectomy (TAC). Clinical‐ and treatment‐related variables were assessed for their impact on overall survival.

Results

Seventy‐eight patients had an incomplete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) that included a TAC. The median survival was 2.5 years and the median follow‐up was 2 years. Patients with symptoms of abdominal distention and ascites showed a reduced prognosis (p = 0.0254). The low‐grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (LAMN) and mucinous appendiceal adenocarcinoma intermediate type (MACA‐Int) grouped together showed a prolonged survival (p = 0.0003). MACA with positive lymph nodes showed a reduced survival (p = 0.0009) when compared to MACA patients without positive lymph nodes. A peritoneal cancer index of 1–30 versus >30 and completeness of cytoreduction score of 2 versus 3 were not significant.

Conclusion

TAC with end ileostomy was used as a treatment option to provide palliation of patients having an incomplete CRS for appendiceal mucinous neoplasms. With LAMN or MACA‐Int, median survival was 5.0 years. The surgery can be performed with a morbidity of 9.0% and mortality of 2.6%. Although not considered a palliative option in the past, these data suggest TAC may be used with acceptable results in this group of patients.