bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nano‐Engineering Strategies for Tumor‐Specific Therapy
Authors: Li Zijin , Xie Hai‐Yan , Nie. Weidong
Published: February 2024

Nanodelivery systems (NDSs) provide promising prospects for decreasing drug doses, reducing side effects, and improving therapeutic effects. However, the bioapplications of NDSs are still compromised by their fast clearance, indiscriminate biodistribution, and limited tumor accumulation. Hence, engineering modification of NDSs aiming at promoting tumor‐specific therapy and avoiding systemic toxicity is usually needed. An NDS integrating various functionalities, including flexible camouflage, specific biorecognition, and sensitive stimuli‐responsiveness, into one sequence would be “smart” and highly effective. Herein, we systematically summarize the related principles, methods, and progress. At the end of the review, we predict the obstacles to precise nanoengineering and prospects for the future application of NDSs.
Time‐based DDoS attack detection through hybrid LSTM‐CNN model architectures: An investigation of many‐to‐one and many‐to‐many approaches
Authors: Habib Beenish , Khursheed Farida
Published: February 2024

Internet data thefts, intrusions and DDoS attacks are some of the big concerns for the network security today. Detection of these anomalies, is gaining tremendous impetus with the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Even now researchers are shifting the base from machine learning to the deep neural architectures with auto‐feature selection capabilities. We in this paper propose multiple deep neural network architectures which can select, co‐learn and teach the gradients of the neural network by itself with no human intervention. This is what we call as meta‐learning. The models are configured in both many to one and many to many design architectures. We combine long short‐term memory (LSTM), bi‐directional long short‐term memory (BiLSTM), convolutional neural network (CNN) layers along with attention mechanism to achieve the higher accuracy values among all the available deep learning model architectures. LSTMs overcomes the vanishing and exploding gradient problem of RNN and attention mechanism mimics the human cognitive attention that screens the network flow to obtain the key features for network traffic classification. In addition, we also add multiple convolutional layers to get the key features for network traffic classification. We get the time series analysis of the traffic done for the possibility of a DDoS attack without using any feature selection techniques and without balancing the dataset. The performance analysis is done based on confusion matrix scores, that is, accuracy, false alarm rate (FAR), sensitivity, specificity, false‐positive rate (FPR), F1 score, area under curve (AUC) analysis and loss functions on well‐known public benchmark KDD Cup'99 data set. The results of our experiments reveal that our models outperform existing techniques, showing their superiority in performance.
Sustainable Supramolecular Polymers
Authors: Wang Luping , Meng Yuwen , Wang Xu
Published: February 2024

Polymer waste is a pressing issue that requires innovative solutions from the scientific community. As a beacon of hope in addressing this challenge, the concept of sustainable supramolecular polymers (SSPs) emerges. This article discusses challenges and efforts in fabricating SSPs. Addressing the trade‐offs between mechanical performance and sustainability, the ultra‐tough and multi‐recyclable supramolecular polymers are fabricated via tailoring mismatched supramolecular interactions. Additionally, the healing of kinetically inert polymer materials is realized through transient regulation of the interfacial reactivity. Furthermore, a possible development trajectory for SSPs is proposed, and the transient materials can be regarded as the next generation in this field. The evolution of SSPs promises to be a pivotal stride towards a regenerative economy, sparking further exploration and innovation in the realm of sustainable materials.
Alanine Formation in a Zero‐Gap Flow Cell and the Role of TiO2/Ti Electrocatalysts
Authors: Englezos Christos , Raman Akash , Jonker Dirk , Ramos‐Delgado Norma Alicia , Altomare Marco , Gardeniers Han , Susarrey Arturo
Published: February 2024

The electrochemical synthesis of
‐amino acids at room temperature and pressure is a sustainable alternative to conventional methods like microbial fermentation and Strecker synthesis. A custom‐built zero‐gap flow electrolyzer was used to study the electrosynthesis of alanine via the electrocatalytic reductive amination (ERA) of the corresponding biomass‐derivable
‐keto acid precursor – pyruvic acid (PA), and hydroxylamine (NH2OH) at very low pH. Non‐toxic, abundant, and easy to prepare TiO2/Ti electrocatalysts were utilized as the cathode. Three TiO2/Ti felt electrodes with different oxide thicknesses were prepared and their characterization results were correlated with their respective electrochemical performance in terms of Faradaic efficiency
, and partial current density
. Cyclic voltammetry indicated a different electrocatalytic reduction process on hydrothermally treated electrodes, compared to thermally oxidized ones. Hydrothermally treated electrodes were also found to have the thickest porous anatase layer and achieved 50–75 % alanine conversion efficiencies. Optimization showed that the cell potential, reactant flow rate and the PA: NH2OH ratio were crucial parameters in determining the conversion efficiency.
and
were found to significantly decrease when an excess of is used and, an optimal alanine
of 75 % was achieved at 2.0 V applied cell potential and 10 mL/h reactant flow rate.
Preparation and Mechanism of Calcium Carbonate Whiskers from DoLOMITE Refined Solution
Authors: Hua Shu‐Yi , Zheng Qiang , Yu Feng , Qi Ting‐Yu , Ma Ya‐Li , Jia Song‐Yan , Fan Tian‐Bo , Li Xue
Published: February 2024

The preparation of calcium carbonate whiskers by gas‐liquid contact method using low‐grade dolomite refining solution and CO2 as raw materials has attracted widespread attention. The effects of reaction temperature, Mg2+ concentration and pH value on the morphology, particle size, aspect ratio and crystal form of CaCO3（Calcium carbonate） whiskers are investigated in detail. SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and XRD (X‐ray powder diffraction) are combined to analyze the calcium carbonate whiskers. The results demonstrated that under the conditions such as 100 °C, Mg2+ concentration of 0.05 mol L−1 and pH value of 9.5, calcium carbonate whiskers with uniform distribution, aspect ratio of 15–20, and purity of 99.38% can be prepared. Through Material Studios simulation software and critical nucleation energy analysis, it is confirmed that the morphology of calcium carbonate whiskers emerged to be a long hexagonal prism. Mg2+ in the refined solution would adhere to the surface of calcium carbonate during carbonization, inhibit the formation of calcite phase, and promote the growth of face clusters connected by vertex angles between CaCO3 crystals. The initial pH condition determines the solubility of CO32− and the supersaturation of the solution, which in turn affected the formed calcium carbonate crystal form.
Distinct latitudinal patterns and drivers of topsoil nitrogen and phosphorus across urban forests in eastern China
Authors: Xia Nan , Du Enzai , Wu Xinhui , Tang Yang , Guo Hongbo , Wang Yang
Published: February 2024

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are the two most important macronutrients supporting forest growth. Unprecedented urbanization has created growing areas of urban forests that provide key ecosystem services for city dwellers. However, the large‐scale patterns of soil N and P content remain poorly understood in urban forests. Based on a systematic soil survey in urban forests from nine large cities across eastern China, we examined the spatial patterns and key drivers of topsoil (0–20 cm) total N content, total P content, and N:P ratio. Topsoil total N content was found to change significantly with latitude in the form of an inverted parabolic curve, while total P content showed an opposite latitudinal pattern. Variance partition analysis indicated that regional‐scale patterns of topsoil total N and P contents were dominated by climatic drivers and partially regulated by time and pedogenic drivers. Conditional regression analyses showed a significant increase in topsoil total N content with lower mean annual temperature (MAT) and higher mean annual precipitation (MAP), while topsoil total P content decreased significantly with higher MAP. Topsoil total N content also increased significantly with the age of urban park and varied with pre‐urban soil type, while no such effects were found for topsoil total P content. Moreover, topsoil N:P ratio showed a latitudinal pattern similar to that of topsoil total N content and also increased significantly with lower MAT and higher MAP. Our findings demonstrate distinct latitudinal trends of topsoil N and P contents and highlight a dominant role of climatic drivers in shaping the large‐scale patterns of topsoil nutrients in urban forests.
Beyond hunger: Unveiling the rights to food in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Onyeaka Helen , Adeboye Adedola S. , Bamidele Oluwaseun P. , Onyeoziri Isiguzoro , Adebo Oluwafemi A. , Adeyemi Maria M. , Thera‐Sekgweng Susan N.
Published: February 2024

This article explores the fundamental right to food, examining its legal framework, its relationship with other human rights, and the efforts being made globally to improve this right. It begins by looking at international and national laws that protect the right to food and examining their importance in ensuring food security and sovereignty. It then explores how food rights intersect with other rights, such as health, education, and labor, revealing the interrelated web of human rights. The article further highlights how the right to food is closely tied to the objectives of reducing poverty and promoting social justice, which are crucial components in the collective effort to achieve food security for all. Additionally, it evaluates the effectiveness of current policies and strategies in promoting the right to food, particularly in sub‐Saharan Africa. The novelty of the article is that it brings into perspective, the encumbrance of food sovereignty in sub‐Saharan Africa and concludes with potential solutions.
A parallel grad‐div stabilized finite element algorithm for the Navier–Stokes equations with a nonlinear damping term
Authors: Jiang Ye , Zheng Bo , Shang Yueqiang
Published: February 2024

In this work, we propose a parallel grad‐div stabilized finite element algorithm for the Navier–Stokes equations attached with a nonlinear damping term, using a fully overlapping domain decomposition approach. In the proposed algorithm, we calculate a local solution in a defined subdomain on a global composite mesh which is fine around the defined subdomain and coarse in other regions. The algorithm is simple to carry out on the basis of available sequential solvers. By a local a priori estimate of the finite element solution, we deduce error bounds of the approximations from our presented algorithm. We perform also some numerical experiments to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Rock mass classification in slope engineering with special emphasis on Slope mass rating: Current status and future projections
Authors: Siddique Tariq
Published: February 2024

Rock mass classification (RMC) systems in the realm of rock slope engineering have gathered a lot of attention. The present review article delves into the major RMC systems, elucidating their fundamental principles, key parameters and practical applications. Among the various RMC systems for rock slope designing, Romana's Slope mass rating (SMR) was found to be the most comprehensive; therefore, the focus of the discussion centres around the SMR method. The article provides a crisp overview of the major advancements, evolution and potential challenges of SMR. The radical concept of wedge failure in SMR and the use of continuous functions are discussed in detail. A thorough discussion is provided on the efforts made by different researchers, encompassing the inclusion of novel factors such as slope height, heterogeneity in rock mass or lithology, weighted consideration of existing discontinuities, fuzzy sets and overburden thickness. Various automated calculation techniques and empirical correlations of SMR with other classification systems and rock engineering parameters are also outlined. Moreover, a critical examination of the variations among major extensions of SMR and their geotechnical relevance have also been discussed. Based on a meticulous assessment of the susceptibility to toppling failure in SMR, two sub‐factors to include block shape and interlayer slip between discontinuities have been suggested. These sub‐factors were validated by Goodman's tests for toppling failure. The scope of future projections or possible aspects for revisiting and refinement of the SMR method are suggested to enhance the applicability of the method under a diverse initial set of geotechnical conditions.
Socioeconomic status and incident depressive symptoms among older adults: A 3‐year longitudinal study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study
Authors: Sato Masashi , Tsuji Taishi , Ueno Takayuki , Watanabe Ryota , Ide Kazushige , Kondo Katsunori
Published: February 2024

Objectives

The association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the onset of depressive symptoms has attracted considerable attention. However, few studies have simultaneously examined the association of multiple SES indicators, including “assets,” with the onset of depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study examined the association of four SES indicators in old age (‘years of education’ ‘equivalent income,’ ‘equivalent assets,’ and ‘the longest‐held job’) with new‐onset depressive symptoms in a large Japanese dataset.

Methods

This longitudinal study used panel data of cognitively and physically independent older adults from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) conducted in 2013 and 2016. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of each SES indicator with new‐onset depressive symptoms, and odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.

Results

We analyzed the data of 40,257 older adults, with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 72.9 (±5.5) years. In the follow‐up survey, 4292 older adults had new‐onset depression symptoms (10.7%). 39.3% had 10–12 years of education. 36.9% had an equivalent income of up to JPY 1.99 million. 24.4% had equivalent assets of JPY 4–17.99 million. Most had a clerical job for the long time. Furthermore, fewer years of education (males: OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.22–1.64, p‐value <0.001/females: 1.26, [1.09–1.47], p = 0.002), lower income (males: 1.64, [1.34–2.01], p < 0.001/females: 1.82, [1.49–2.22], p < 0.001), and fewer assets (males: 1.40, [1.16–1.68], p < 0.001/females: 1.21, [1.02–1.42], p = 0.025) resulted in higher odds of having new‐onset depressive symptoms, even when other SES indicators were entered simultaneously.

Conclusions

All four SES indicators have an independent association with the development of new‐onset depressive symptoms among older adults, reflecting different aspects of SES. The association between the “longest‐held job” and new‐onset depressive symptoms can be largely explained by other SES indicators. A multifaceted and lifetime approach is required to prevent the onset of depressive symptoms in old age.
Staged cluster transformers for intracranial aneurysms segmentation from structure fused 3D MRA
Authors: Guo Lilin , Liang Yu , Guo Ruichao , Cao Zhijian , Ye Jianming , Lai Xiaobo
Published: February 2024

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) manifest as atypical dilatation within the intracranial arterial structures, the rupture of which accounts for high mortality and morbidity rates. Current clinical protocols require radiologists to manually annotate IAs on Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) images, which is inherently subjective and time‐consuming. Given these limitations, there is an urgent need to explore methods for automated and accurate segmentation of IAs from MRA images. In particular, recent years have witnessed the proliferation of sophisticated computational techniques, with deep learning algorithms—especially the 3D U‐Net and its derivatives—gaining prominence in segmentation works. Nevertheless, convolutional neural network (CNN)‐based models have an inherent limitation in capturing long‐range spatial dependencies, which inadvertently compromises the retention of global features critical for segmentation. In response to this challenge, we introduce an avant‐garde architectural design, dubbed staged cluster transformers (SCTR), which incorporates cluster mechanism into vision transformers to perform volumetric MRA image segmentation. In addition to the MRA clustering branch, the spatially aligned brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) representation branch is also combined to extract the structural features and assist the network in learning richer contextual and boundary information for accurate voxel prediction. For validation, we utilized both a publicly available challenge dataset and an internal clinical dataset in this study. Our proposed model achieves dice similarity coefficients (DSC) of 0.5587 and 0.8110 on these two datasets, respectively, outperforming other state‐of‐the‐art approaches. The results suggest that SCTR is a promising method for automatic segmentation of IAs. Our code is available at https://github.com/guolilin/SCTR.
Novel oncogenic transcriptional targets of mutant p53 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: George Sara A. , Kotapalli Viswakalyan , Ramaswamy Pandilla , Kumar Raju , Gowrishankar Swarnalata , Uppin Shantveer G. , Bashyam Murali D.
Published: February 2024

Missense mutations in the DNA binding domain of p53 are observed frequently in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Recent studies have revealed the potentially oncogenic transcriptional networks regulated by mutant p53 proteins. However, majority of these studies have focused on common “hotspot” p53 mutations while rarer mutations are poorly characterized. In this study, we report the characterization of rare, “non‐hotspot” p53 mutations from ESCC. In vitro tumorigenic assays performed following ectopic‐expression of certain “non‐hotspot” mutant p53 proteins caused enhancement of oncogenic properties in squamous carcinoma cell lines. Genome‐wide transcript profiling of ESCC tumor samples stratified for p53 status, revealed several genes exhibiting elevated transcript levels in tumors harboring mutant p53. Of these,ARF6,C1QBP, andTRIM23were studied further. Reverse transcription‐quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) performed on RNA isolated from ESCC tumors revealed significant correlation ofTP53transcript levels with those of the three target genes. Ectopic expression of wild‐type and several mutant p53 forms followed by RT‐qPCR, chromatin affinity‐purification (ChAP), and promoter‐luciferase assays indicated the exclusive recruitment of p53 mutants—P190T and P278L, to the target genes leading to the activation of expression. Several functional assays following knockdown of the target genes revealed a significant suppression of tumorigenicity in squamous carcinoma cell lines. Rescue experiments confirmed the specificity of the knockdown. The tumorigenic effects of the genes were confirmed in nude mice xenograft assays. This study has therefore identified novel oncogenic targets of “non‐hotspot” mutant p53 proteins relevant for ESCC besides validating the functional heterogeneity of the spectrum of tumor‐specific p53 mutations.
Cannabidiol activates MAPK pathway to induce apoptosis, paraptosis, and autophagy in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Kim Na Young , Mohan Chakrabhavi Dhananjaya , Sethi Gautam , Ahn Kwang Seok
Published: February 2024

Mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation by natural compounds is known to be involved in the induction of apoptosis, paraptosis, and autophagy. Cannabidiol (CBD), a bioactive compound found in Cannabis sativa, is endowed with many pharmacological activities. We investigated the cytotoxic effect of CBD in a panel of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells (HT‐29, SW480, HCT‐116, and HCT‐15). CBD induced significant cytotoxicity as evidenced by the results of MTT  assay, live‐dead assay, and flow cytometric analysis. Since CBD displayed cytotoxicity against CRC cells, we examined the effect of CBD on apoptosis, paraptosis, and autophagy. CBD decreased the expression of antiapoptotic proteins and increased the Annexin‐V‐positive as well as TUNEL‐positive cells suggesting that CBD induces apoptosis. CBD increased the expression of ATF4 (activating transcription factor 4) and CHOP (CCAAT/enhancer‐binding protein homologous protein), elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress, and enhanced reactive oxygen species levels indicating that CBD also promotes paraptosis. CBD also induced the expression of Atg7, phospho‐Beclin‐1, and LC3 suggesting that CBD also accelerates autophagy. Since, the MAPK pathway is a common cascade that is involved in the regulation of apoptosis, paraptosis, and autophagy, we investigated the effect of CBD on the activation of JNK, p38, and ERK pathways. CBD activated all the forms of MAPK proteins and pharmacological inhibition of these proteins reverted the observed effects. Our findings implied that CBD could induce CRC cell death by activating apoptosis, paraptosis, and autophagy through the activation of the MAPK pathway.
Self‐guided imagery rescripting for worry images: A preliminary experimental investigation
Authors: Stavropoulos Lauren , Briggs Nancy , Grisham Jessica R.
Published: February 2024

Background

Mental images of feared events are overactive and intrusive in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Imagery rescripting involves integration of positive or neutral imagery and corrective information into images to facilitate emotional processing, reduce imagery intrusions, and re‐structure underlying schema. Yet only one known study has applied the technique to treatment of worry. The present study aimed first to examine the relationship between trait worry and properties of future‐oriented worry images, and second to examine the efficacy of a self‐guided imagery rescripting intervention in improving individuals' response to their worries.

Methods

Participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 365) identified their major worry and wrote the script of a worst‐case scenario mental image. Participants were randomized to three conditions: re‐writing the same worry image script (exposure), or writing scripts of either one or three positive alternative future‐oriented images (rescripting conditions).

Results

In preliminary analyses, trait worry negatively predicted participants' ratings of worry images, including valence and ability to cope, and positively predicted distress, anticipated cost, and belief in their negative meaning. In experimental analyses, linear mixed‐effects models revealed anxious response and cognitive appraisal of the threat were significantly lower among participants allocated to rescripting relative to exposure. There was no effect of rescripting type.

Conclusions

This investigation demonstrated the impact of a future‐oriented imagery rescripting task on anxiety and cognitive biases associated with real worries in an unselected sample. Results may contribute to the development of imagery rescripting interventions for GAD.
Pre‐doctoral dental students’ knowledge, training, perceptions, and attitudes regarding obesity and treatments: A survey study
Authors: Biary Tamara , Finkelman Mathew , Tassabehji Nadine M.
Published: February 2024

Objective

The aims of this study were to assess first‐year predoctoral dental students’ knowledge, training, perceptions, and attitudes on obesity and to compare knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes before and after attending an educational presentation.

Methods

A presentation explaining the impact of obesity and its treatments on oral health was developed and presented to first‐year predoctoral dental students (D1's) in the Doctor of Dental Medicine program. Before (“pre”) and after (“post”) the presentation, attending students were given the opportunity to take an anonymous and voluntary survey. Questions on the survey covered topics on knowledge, training, perceptions, and attitudes about obesity.

Results

Thirty‐four of the 213 students in the course (response rate = 16.0%) attended the presentation and completed both the pre‐ and post‐surveys. Most participating students reported receiving 0–5 h of education on obesity since starting their dental education. Regarding pre‐survey answers to knowledge‐based items, the percentage of students answering, “strongly agree” (representing the greatest knowledge level) ranged from 5.9% to 61.8% across items. Significant improvements from pre‐ to post‐survey were observed for all knowledge‐based items except a statement that obesity is associated with serious medical conditions. Significant improvements were also found for perception‐based items asking about accommodations for patients and the importance of assessing dietary habits. Additionally, at post‐survey, students reported significantly less discomfort asking about dietary habits and weight loss medications.

Conclusion

Dental curricula policy makers and developers should consider the incorporation of obesity and its treatments, with nutrition experts teaching the content.
Use of preexposure prophylaxis and condom purchasing decisions
Authors: Gebru Nioud Mulugeta , Strickland Justin C. , Reed Derek D. , Kahler Christopher W. , Leeman Robert F.
Published: February 2024

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but not other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Men who have sex with men (MSM) who take PrEP tend to report reduced condom use, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. For this study, MSM who take PrEP (i.e., PrEP experienced; n = 88) and MSM who do not (i.e., PrEP naïve; n = 113) completed an online study, including the condom purchase task (CoPT). The CoPT assesses decisions to purchase condoms across escalating prices (range: free–$55) for sex with different types of hypothetical partners: those least likely to have an STD (least STD) and those that participants most want to have sex with (most want sex with). When condoms were free, PrEP‐experienced MSM had a lower rate of condom purchasing than did PrEP‐naïve MSM. For both partner types, PrEP‐experienced MSM reached a price break point (i.e., would not buy condoms) at a lower price than did PrEP‐naïve pariticipants. For the most‐want‐sex‐with partner at the price at which participants elected not to buy condoms, only 23% of PrEP‐experienced MSM chose to abstain from sex when not purchasing condoms versus 53% among PrEP‐naïve MSM. Similar patterns were observed for the least‐STD partner. The results support the potential utility of the CoPT in identifying behavioral mechanisms related to condom use and PrEP.
Proposed use of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) in genetic counseling for clinical training and assessment
Authors: Hanson‐Kahn Andrea , Rowe‐Teeter Courtney , Siskind Carly , Dykzeul Natalie
Published: February 2024

We introduce Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) as a potential framework for clinical training and assessment in genetic counseling. We discuss advantages of this approach, review how EPAs complement Practice‐Based Competencies (PBCs), describe our process of generating proposed “core” EPAs, provide examples of specialty‐specific EPAs, discuss the concept of entrustment in clinical training, and propose an approach to implementation.
Exploring the impact of microaggressions on the genetic counseling student–supervisor relationship: A qualitative study
Authors: Ramsey Kyra , Carmichael Nikkola , Gutierrez‐Kapheim Melissa , Dell‐Suguitan Mike Darren , Bao Annie K. , Hoell Christin
Published: February 2024

Genetic counseling students with minoritized identities have reported experiencing microaggressions throughout graduate training, including from fieldwork supervisors. However, the impacts of these fieldwork experiences have not been thoroughly investigated. As supervision is known to be integral to genetic counseling students' skill development and success, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of microaggressions on student training, with a specific focus on the supervisory working alliance. To achieve this goal, we conducted 11 interviews with recent genetic counseling graduates (2019–2021) who reported experiencing at least one microaggression from a fieldwork supervisor during graduate school training. Purposive sampling was used to prioritize interviewees who identified as underrepresented in the field due to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or disability status. All interviewees were initially recruited as part of a larger mixed‐methods study investigating the frequency and types of microaggressions genetic counseling students experience from fieldwork supervisors. Interview questions explored the time period before a microaggression event, during the event, and after. Qualitative thematic analysis resulted in four themes, three of which are presented in this paper: (1) Impact of microaggressions, (2) Barriers to reporting microaggressions, and (3) Experience reporting microaggressions. Microaggressions from supervisors were shown to impair the psychological well‐being of participants and hinder learning opportunities. These experiences led participants to question their choice of profession and avoid time in clinic, ultimately constraining the development of strong supervisory working alliances. Some participants did not report microaggressions due to fear of negative repercussions, and those who did described defensive responses which harmed students' relationships with program leadership. This study reveals opportunities for supervisors to improve student training conditions by centering students' feelings and experiences, increasing open and honest communication, and extending psychosocial tools to supervision. Additionally, graduate programs are encouraged to establish structured reporting protocols for students and evaluate current shortcomings in equity and inclusion initiatives.
Seasonal types in homogeneous rainfall regions of the Amazon basin
Authors: Michot Véronique , Corpetti Thomas , Ronchail Josyane , Espinoza Jhan Carlo , Arvor Damien , Funatsu Beatriz M. , Dubreuil Vincent
Published: February 2024

Due to its size and geographical features, different average annual rainfall regimes co‐exist in the Amazon basin, with distinct year‐to‐year variability dependent on regions within the basin. In this study, we define and explain the seasonal regional types of annual regimes, that is, years with similar seasonal anomalies. Our work is based on a 205 rain gauge network distributed over five Amazonian countries, spanning a period over 30 years. Using a spectral clustering method, we identified seven sub‐regions within the basin in which annual rainfall regimes are spatially homogenous. For each sub‐domain, we estimated specific parameters that characterize the rainy season (onset and demise dates, sign and duration of rainfall anomalies). Finally, using spectral analysis we identified between two and four ‘seasonal type’ of precipitation in these seven sub‐domains. Most of these seasonal types are in phase with the large‐scale atmospheric circulation, which explains the temporal link with rainfall anomalies. The seasonal types result of the superposition of inter‐annual and intra‐seasonal variability whose factors are then difficult to identify and attribute. Part of the rainfall anomalies characterizing seasonal types is related to the inter‐annual variability of the sea surface temperature in the Atlantic or the Pacific oceans, especially in the northeast and southeast part of the Amazon basin, whereas in other parts, strong intra‐seasonal and local factors have a larger impact. The same sign and duration of anomalies do not concomitantly affect the various regions of the Amazon basin, confirming that one mode of variability does not homogeneously affect precipitation in different parts of the basin.
Inhibitory effect of thiol compounds on browning precursors and intermediates in sorbitol/glycine system
Authors: Huang Xiaotian , Xia Shuqin
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND

Sorbitol as a sweetener is often thought to be unable to participate in the Maillard reaction causing browning. However, browning of a system was found to be significant when sorbitol was mixed with glycine and heated. The thiol compounds glutathione and cysteine were added to the system, and the inhibition mechanism of the two on the browning of the system was studied by combining the changes of precursor substances, intermediate products and browning degree.

RESULTS

When the concentration of thiol compounds reached 25 mg mL−1, both could make the browning inhibition of the system more than 80%, and the accumulated glucose concentration was reduced to <35% of the control. The production of 3‐deoxyglucosone, a precursor of melanoidin, was significantly reduced.

CONCLUSION

Glutathione and cysteine directly inhibited the production of substrates in the sorbitol/glycine system, reduced glucose accumulation through competitive consumption and captured highly active intermediates through sulfhydryl groups. This has implications for the browning control of food systems containing sugar alcohols. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Ultrasonographic Evaluation of Facial Artery in the Nasolabial Fold for Gender Differences and Symmetry Between Hemifaces
Authors: Boz Ukte , Köse Emre
Published: February 2024

Objectives

The aim of this study was to establish the relationship of facial artery with nasolabial fold by color Doppler sonography and to determine facial artery variations and their relationship with age, gender, or hemifaces.

Methods

The study included 188 patients (94 women, 94 men) aged 18–60 years. Overall, 376 facial arteries in both hemifaces were evaluated for the course within nasolabial fold, symmetry, and relationship with gender.

Results

The mean age of the patients was 39.29 ± 12.81 years. Type A (55.7%) was the most common type in both hemifaces. There was no significant relationship between the course of facial artery and age (P > .05). Asymmetrical course of facial artery was more common in females (54.3%). In both genders, type A was the type with highest symmetry detected.

Conclusions

Nasolabial fold is one of the important facial regions for filler injection. To prevent vascular injection, course of facial artery should be identified within the nasolabial fold. Type A was the most common type in both hemifaces and genders. Although the rates were close to each other, asymmetry in the course of the facial artery was observed in most of the patients. Ultrasonographic examination which is non‐invasive and non‐ionizing imaging method can be performed carefully before filler injection to determine vascular tissues.
Combined benthic and stream edge sampling better represent macroinvertebrate assemblages than benthic sampling alone along an aridity gradient
Authors: Gill Brian A. , Allen Daniel C. , Mims Meryl C. , Neeson Thomas M. , Ruhi Albert , Atkinson Carla L. , Shogren Arial J. , Apgar Travis M. , Compson Zacchaeus G. , Cook Stephen , Trumbo Daryl R. , Busch Michelle H. , Hollien Kelsey D. , Leathers Kyle , Malish Megan C. , O'Malley Grace L. , Silknetter Samuel , Smith Chelsea R. , Dunleavy Howard , Bogan Michael T.
Published: February 2024

Studies of stream macroinvertebrates traditionally use sampling methods that target benthic habitats. These methods could underestimate biodiversity if important assemblage components exist outside of the benthic zone. To test the efficacy of different sampling methods, we collected paired reach‐wide benthic and edge samples from up to 10 study reaches in nine basins spanning an aridity gradient across the United States. Edge sampling targeted riparian‐adjacent microhabitats not typically sampled, including submerged vegetation, roots, and overhanging banks. We compared observed richness, asymptotic richness, and assemblage dissimilarity between benthic samples alone and different combinations of benthic and edge samples to determine the magnitude of increased diversity and assemblage dissimilarity values with the addition of edge sampling. We also examined how differences in richness and assemblage composition varied across an aridity gradient. The addition of edge sampling significantly increased observed richness (median increase = 29%) and asymptotic richness (median increase = 173%). Similarly, median Bray–Curtis dissimilarity values increased by as much as 0.178 when benthic and edge samples were combined. Differences in richness metrics were generally higher in arid basins, but assemblage dissimilarity either increased or decreased across the aridity gradient depending on how benthic and edge samples were combined. Our results suggest that studies that do not sample stream edges may significantly underestimate reach diversity and misrepresent assemblage compositions, with effects that can vary across climates. We urge researchers to carefully consider sampling methods in field studies spanning climatic zones and the comparability of existing data sets when conducting data synthesis studies.
Deterioration of marine offshore structures and subsea installations subjected to severely corrosive environment: A review
Authors: Xia Ruilin , Jia Chen , Garbatov Yordan
Published: February 2024

Corrosion degradation significantly contributes to the deterioration of offshore structures and subsea installations, impacting the durability of technology equipment while potentially leading to structural failure and environmental pollution. This review primarily focuses on the various types of corrosion observed in offshore structures, the factors influencing corrosion, and the resulting degradation of mechanical properties following corrosion exposure. The study examines the deterioration patterns in tensile properties of offshore structures and subsea facilities, along with the assessment and analysis of corrosion in offshore steel bridges and submarine pipelines. Future research should include a comprehensive scientific investigation of corrosion mechanisms and the development of engineering predictive models to assess corrosion failure and extend the remaining life of offshore structures.
Accelerating Wound Healing with Combinatorial Therapy Using Natural Melanin Nanoparticle‐Polyvinyl Alcohol Blend and Core‐Sheath Hybrid Nanofibers under UV‐A Irradiation
Authors: Bayrak Emirhan , Yiğit Pelin , Bakay Emel , Sirek Busra , Topaloğlu Nermin , Baysoy Engin , Kaleli‐Can Gizem
Published: February 2024

Wound healing can be a complex and slow process for the human body, particularly if it is chronic. Photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be used to accelerate wound healing. As opposed to current PDT studies using well‐known photosensitizers, this work use novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and melanin nanoparticles (MNPs) containing hybrid nanofibers prepared by electrospinning techniques to enhance wound healing with/without UV light. Blend and core‐sheath nozzles are utilized to obtain sustainable and biocompatible MNP‐PVA blend, and core‐sheath hybrid nanofibers and 30, 60, and 300 s of UV‐A irradiation are tested in terms of photoinactivation efficiencies forEscherichia coli (E. coli). The MNP‐PVA blend with a diameter of 324 nm and the core‐sheath nanofibers with a diameter of 468 nm both showed killing effect onE. coliabout 41.6% and 32%, respectively, under 30 s of UV‐A irradiation. Increased irradiation time activates the protective effect of MNPs located in nanofibers, thereby decreasing photoinactivation efficiency. Moreover, the MNP‐PVA core‐sheath nanofibers with 30 s of UV‐A irradiation promote the closure of wound to 99.2% at 24 h.
Extracting informational cues between initial coin offering projects and the public
Authors: Shin Soo Il , Kim Joo Baek , Hall Dianne , Lang Teresa , Yang Sung‐Byung
Published: February 2024

An initial coin offering (ICO) seeks to raise initial investments for companies by selling crypto tokens to individuals interested in crowdfunding. As ICOs have gained popularity, a lack of information regarding startup companies' prior financial status and business health has led to information asymmetry between potential investors and ICO projects. This study explores the informational cues necessary to bridge this gap. Employing signaling theory, we elucidate the presence of information asymmetry and conduct two case analyses to identify relevant informational cues. Twitter data from two ICO projects (Stratis and NEO), which achieved the highest return on investment at the time of data collection, are extracted and analyzed to identify informational themes. Our findings reveal multiple and distinctive themes of informational cues for each ICO project, demonstrating that transmitted signals vary across different stages and are generated by both the coin publisher and the public. This research illuminates the flow of informational cues between ICO initiators and potential investors on social media. By analyzing online communication threads using qualitative methods, this study significantly contributes to the understanding of information asymmetry in the context of ICOs.
A Randomized Phase 2 KINETIC Trial Evaluating SAGE‐324/BIIB124 in Individuals with Essential Tremor
Authors: Elble Rodger J. , Ondo William G. , Lyons Kelly E. , Qin Min , Garafola Svetlana , Hersh Bonnie , Lieu TinaMarie , Arkilo Dimitrios , Chuang Rosalind , Bankole Kemi , Pahwa Rajesh
Published: February 2024

Background

SAGE‐324/BIIB124 is an investigational positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors.

Objective

KINETIC (NCT04305275), a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled, phase 2 study, evaluated SAGE‐324/BIIB124 in individuals with essential tremor (ET).

Methods

Individuals aged 18 to 80 years were randomly assigned 1:1 to orally receive 60 mg of SAGE‐324/BIIB124 or placebo once daily for 28 days. The primary endpoint was change from baseline in The Essential Tremor Rating Assessment Scale‐Performance Subscale (TETRAS‐PS) Item 4 (upper‐limb tremor) at day 29 with SAGE‐324/BIIB124 versus placebo.

Results

Between May 2020 and February 2021, 69 U.S. participants were randomly assigned to receive SAGE‐324/BIIB124 (n = 34) or placebo (n = 35). There was a significant reduction from baseline in TETRAS‐PS Item 4 at day 29 with SAGE‐324/BIIB124 versus placebo (least squares mean [standard error]: –2.31 [0.401] vs. –1.24 [0.349], P = 0.0491). The most common treatment‐emergent adverse events included somnolence, dizziness, fatigue, and balance disorder.

Conclusion

These results support further development of SAGE‐324/BIIB124 for potential ET treatment. © 2024 Sage Therapeutics, Inc and The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
An ensemble‐based approach to estimate confidence of predicted protein–ligand binding affinity values
Authors: Rayka Milad , Mirzaei Morteza , Mohammad Latifi Ali
Published: February 2024

When designing a machine learning‐based scoring function, we access a limited number of protein‐ligand complexes with experimentally determined binding affinity values, representing only a fraction of all possible protein‐ligand complexes. Consequently, it is crucial to report a measure of confidence and quantify the uncertainty in the model's predictions during test time. Here, we adopt the conformal prediction technique to evaluate the confidence of a prediction for each member of the core set of the CASF 2016 benchmark. The conformal prediction technique requires a diverse ensemble of predictors for uncertainty estimation. To this end, we introduce ENS‐Score as an ensemble predictor, which includes 30 models with different protein‐ligand representation approaches and achieves Pearson's correlation of 0.842 on the core set of the CASF 2016 benchmark. Also, we comprehensively investigate the residual error of each data point to assess the normality behavior of the distribution of the residual errors and their correlation to the structural features of the ligands, such as hydrophobic interactions and halogen bonding. In the end, we provide a local host web application to facilitate the usage of ENS‐Score. All codes to repeat results are provided athttps://github.com/miladrayka/ENS_Score.
A novel unresolved/semi‐resolved CFD‐DEM coupling method with dynamic unstructured mesh
Authors: He Jin‐Hui , Li Ming‐Guang , Chen Jin‐Jian
Published: February 2024

The greatest challenge when performing large deformation simulations using the CFD‐DEM coupling method lies in the dynamical update of the fluid meshes. To address this problem, a novel CFD‐DEM coupling method integrated with the dynamic unstructured grid is proposed in this work. The mesh initialization and reconstruction are performed by the Constrained Delaunay triangulation (CDT) implemented by the tetgen algorithm. Moreover, the equation of state (EOS) is introduced to consider the impact of fluid compressibility. The reliability of this coupling method is preliminarily verified by the particle sedimentation test. Additionally, undrained triaxial shear and one‐dimensional consolidation tests are conducted to examine the applicability of the proposed method in simulating geotechnical cases. From our analysis, it is found that the shear responses in the undrained triaxial shear test obtained from the proposed method with dynamic mesh are in direct accordance with those led by the constant volume (CV) method. However, difficulties arise in accurately describing the moving boundary by the fixed mesh, leading to unreliable results. Moreover, in the one‐dimensional consolidation test, both the dynamic and fixed grids can capture the Mandel—Cryer effect, which is more pronounced under the dynamic grid, mainly due to the dual impact of the loading device and particle skeleton on the fluid. A greater compressibility specified under the dynamic grid led to a weakening of this effect, whereas its duration is increased. Our work provides valuable insights for effectively dealing with dynamic fluid boundaries.