bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robust damping control for integrated wind turbine power networks during low inertia condition
Authors: Kumar Rohit , Mohanty Soumya R. , Verma Mitresh Kumar
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a modal analysis‐based impact analysis of the change in system inertia due to the integration of the large‐scale doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)‐based wind turbine system (WTS) on the power system damping in inter‐area oscillation modes. The impact of replacement of a synchronous generator by WTS of same MVA capacity on system dynamics such as emergence of new critical modes of inter‐area oscillations affecting system stability is studied. Further, a double‐channel
scheme‐based wide‐area damping controller (WADC) is proposed for WTS, which provides sufficient damping of prominent oscillation modes and enhanced stability margin to alleviate the negative impact of reduction in system inertia. The comparative assessment of the proposed controller with a PSS‐based WADC on a modified New England 10‐machine system validates the performance and is found to be more effective in mitigating inter‐area oscillation in the system. The real‐time feasibility of the proposed double‐channel
WADC is evaluated on the Real‐Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) platform. The simulation results show that the proposed WADC can successfully mitigate various inter‐area modes simultaneously. Furthermore, it provides robust performance for a variety of contingencies, time delays in feedback signals, and uncertainties associated with different operating scenarios of WTS.
Phenotypic spectrum in a family with a novel RAC2 p.I21S dominant‐activating mutation
Authors: Ashby Louisa , Chan Lydia , Winterbourn Christine , Woon See‐Tarn , Keating Paula , Heller Raoul , Ameratunga Rohan , Chua Ignatius , Hsiao Kuang‐Chih
Published: February 2024

Objectives

Dominant‐activating (DA) lesions in RAC2 have been reported in 18 individuals to date. Some have required haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for their (severe) combined immunodeficiency syndrome phenotype. We aimed to investigate clinical and cellular features of a kindred harbouring a novel variant in RAC2 p.Ile21Ser (I21S) to better understand DA lesions' phenotypic spectrum.

Methods

Clinical and immunological information was collated for seven living individuals from the same kindred with RAC2 p.I21S. We evaluated neutrophil morphology, RAC2 protein expression and superoxide production using freshly isolated neutrophils stimulated with phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate (PMA) and N‐formyl‐MetLeuPhe (fMLP).

Results

Patient 1 (P1, aged 11, male) has a history of bacterial suppurative otitis media, viral and bacterial cutaneous infections. P1's siblings (P2, P3), mother (P4), maternal aunt (P5) and uncle (P6) have similar infection histories. P1's maternal cousin (P7) presented with Burkitt's lymphoma at age 9. All affected individuals are alive and none has required HSCT to date. They have chronic lymphopenia affecting the CD4+T and B‐cell compartments. P1–3 have isolated reduction in IgM levels whereas the adults universally have normal immunoglobulins. Specific antibody responses are preserved. Affected individuals have neutrophil vacuolation, and their neutrophils have enhanced superoxide production compared to healthy controls.

Conclusion

RAC2 p.I21S is an activating variant causing notable morphological and functional abnormalities similar to other reported DA mutations. This novel variant expands the broad clinical phenotypic spectrum of RAC2 DA lesions, emphasising the need to tailor clinical management according to patients' disease phenotype and severity.
Assessing impacts of ecological restoration project on water retention function in the Taihang Mountain area, China
Authors: Wang Feng , Liu Jintong , Deng Wei , Fu Tonggang , Gao Hui , Qi Fei
Published: February 2024

The ecological restoration (ER) project significantly affects the water retention function in the Taihang Mountain area. However, a comprehensive understanding of the water retention effects in different ER project areas still needs to be improved. In this study, we employed the integrated valuation of ecosystem services and trade‐offs (InVEST) model to evaluate the differences in water retention among different ER project areas. Additionally, we used the structural equation model to explore the influence of various factors on water retention. The results showed the following: (1) The total amount of water retention in the Taihang Mountain area increased yearly from 2000 to 2020, with an 85.25% increase in 21 years. The water retention function showed a trend of transferring to a higher level. (2) The forest land restoration project showed the highest average water retention capacity, followed by the grassland restoration project, which together provided 61.12% of the water retention capacity in the ER areas. Forest land restoration project was found to have the most potential in improving water retention, while grassland restoration was more efficient. The water retention capacity of a 21‐year‐old artificial forest could only reach 70.92% of the natural forest. Cropland restoration mode increased the water retention by 22.85% compared with non‐ecological engineering areas. (3) The enhancement of water retention function in the study area resulted from multiple factors, among which precipitation and root depth were the most critical variables. (4) According to the structural equation model, the impact of natural factors on water retention accounted for 74.33%, and ecological engineering had a greater impact on water retention in the hilly zone. The ER project significantly increased water retention capacity. The results provide scientific support for improving water retention function and optimizing ER projects in semi‐arid areas of China.
Direct ortho‐Selective Amination of Naphthols with Nitroarenes through Transfer‐Hydrogenation
Authors: Ma Renchao , Zhang Ruiqin , Xia Huili , Wang Lei , Ma Yongmin
Published: February 2024

Hydrogen atom transfer from commonly used solvents to nitroarenes occurred. Such solvents required C(sp3)H‐C(sp3)H bond adjacent to oxygen atoms, such as 1,4‐dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, alkanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol and bis(2‐methoxyethyl) ether. The transformation was transition‐metal free and the reduced nitroarenes were trapped by naphthols and their analogues at ortho‐position. The protocol provided a favourable and efficient route to access ortho‐arylaminonaphthols and a possible mechanism is depicted.
No effect of a commercial carbohydrate‐menthol drink on thermal perceptual measures or 15‐min time trial performance compared to commercial carbohydrate drink in hot humid conditions
Authors: Bray Patrick W. , Blacker Sam D. , West Andrew T. , Flood Tessa R.
Published: February 2024

This study assessed the effect of a commercial carbohydrate menthol drink on cycling time trial (TT) performance in hot and humid conditions compared with a carbohydrate only drink. Ten participants (5 women; V̇O2max: 52.3 ± 8.6 mL kg−1 min−1, Peak Power Output: 286 ± 56 W) completed a 40‐min cycling preload (50% V̇O2max) followed by a 15‐min self‐paced TT in hot (∼35°C) and humid (∼54%) conditions on two occasions (double blind, crossover design). Every 10‐min, 85 mL of carbohydrate (CHO; SIS GO Energy, 60 g h−1) or carbohydrate and menthol (CHO + MEN; SIS Turbo+ 60 g h−1, 0.01% menthol) was swilled (∼10‐s) and ingested. Rectal temperature (Trec) and heart rate (HR) were recorded throughout. Thermal sensation (TS), thermal comfort (TC) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded every 5‐min. Taste and aftertaste were rated from very pleasant (+5) to very unpleasant (−5). TT performance (total work; kJ) was similar between CHO (153 kJ [95% CI: 129–177 kJ]) and CHO + MEN (151 kJ [128–178 kJ]). During preload exercise, Trec increased by ∼0.9°C and was similar at the end of the TT (∼38.20°C). Mean preload HR was ∼140 b min−1 in each condition and reached ∼177 b min−1 at the end of the TT. TC was rated as ‘much too warm’ and TS rated as ‘very hot’ in both conditions. Both conditions were ‘extremely hard’ (end point RPE ∼19). All participants preferred the taste and aftertaste of the CHO drink. The commercial carbohydrate menthol drink offered no additional ergogenic benefit compared to a carbohydrate only drink during cycling exercise performed in hot and humid conditions.
Revealing the Indispensable Role of the RFamide Functionality using a Novel Acid Labile Benzofuranone based Amine (ALBA) Linker
Authors: Mudd Gemma , Hendrikse Megan , Shave Steven , Houston Douglas R , Millar Robert P , Auer Manfred
Published: February 2024

The RFamide family of peptides represents an important class of GPCR ligand neuropeptides covering a wide range of biological functions. While many analogues of the highly conserved C‐terminal RFamide motif within this peptide class have been synthesized and their functional significance elucidated, additional exploration of the structure activity relationship is of value. We have developed a novel linker for solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) which is able to anchor amine functionalised compounds for further elaboration. The acid labile benzofuranone based amine (ALBA) linker (5‐(3‐aminopropylcarbamoyl)‐2‐[[tert‐butyl(diphenyl)silyl]oxymethyl]benzoic acid) is compatible with Fmoc based SPPS and has two cleavage modes. As a proof of concept, the ALBA linker was used to successfully synthesise a novel analogue of Kisspeptin 10, the natural ligand for GPCR54, whereby the natural RFamide motif was replaced with an RFamine. Biological evaluation of the amine‐containing analogue revealed that the group is not compatible with receptor activation.
Identification and clinical value of a new ceRNA axis (TIMP3/hsa‐miR‐181b‐5p/PAX8‐AS1) in thyroid cancer
Authors: Liang Jiamin , Deng Yu , Zhang Yubi , Wu Bin , Zhou Jing
Published: February 2024

Background

Thyroid cancer (TC) is a prevalent and increasingly common malignant tumor. In most cases, TC progresses slowly and runs a virtually benign course. However, challenges remain with the treatment of refractory TC, which does not respond to traditional management or is subject to relapse or metastasis. Therefore, new therapeutic regimens for TC patients with poor outcomes are urgently needed.

Methods

The differentially expressed RNAs were identified from the expression profile data of RNA from TC downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Multiple databases were utilized to investigate the regulatory relationship among RNAs. Subsequently, a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was established to elucidate the ceRNA axis that is responsible for the clinical prognosis of TC. To understand the potential mechanism of ceRNA axis in TC, location analysis, functional enrichment analysis, and immune‐related analysis were conducted.

Results

A ceRNA network of TC was constructed, and the TIMP3/hsa‐miR‐181b‐5p/PAX8‐AS1 ceRNA axis associated with the prognosis of TC was successfully identified. Our results showed that the axis might influence the prognosis of TC through its regulation of regulating tumor immunity.

Conclusions

Our findings provide evidence that TIMP3/hsa‐miR‐181b‐5p/PAX8‐AS1 axis is significantly related to the prognosis of TC. The molecules involved in this axis may serve as novel therapeutic approaches for TC treatment.
Time to develop adverse drug reactions and associated factors among children HIV positive patients on antiretroviral treatment in North West Amhara Specialized Hospitals: Retrospective cohort study, 2022
Authors: Dagnaw Mequanente , Indracanti Meera , Geremew Bisrat Misganaw , Mekonnen Esubalew Asmare , Tekle Muluken , Muche Mulu , Gelaw Dagnachew Wassie , Amera Bogale Damtew
Published: February 2024

Introduction

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are harmful and unintended reactions to medicines given at standard doses through a proper route of administration for the purpose of prophylaxis, diagnosis, or treatment.

Objective

The objective of this research paper was to assess median time to development of ADRs and associated factors among children HIV positive patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in North West Amhara Specialized Hospitals.

Methods

The adverse drug effect survival time was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier survival method and log‐rank test curves was applied for analyze “time‐to‐event” data. Cox regression model was used to identify the associated factors. Adjusted hazard ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated and a value of p less than 0.05 was used to declare the presence of a significant association.

Result

The overall incidence of ADRs was 0.67 (95% CI: 3.74–4.44) per 10,000 person‐year observation, with a median of 57 months. Adults are presenting with opportunistic Infections (OIs) experiences, baseline CD4 < 200 cells/µL counts, 1e, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate–lamivudine–efavirenz ART regimen, bedridden baseline functional status, World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage II and III were notably associated with the incidence of ADRs development.

Conclusion

ADRs were uncommon in this study. predictors, such as OIs experiences, a low CD4 count, ART regimen, an advanced WHO stage, and bedridden functional status were significantly associated with ADRs.
Health‐related quality of life of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A cross‐sectional study in the cape coast metropolis
Authors: Amaama Leticia Awontayami , Osei George Nkrumah , Okyere Perditer , Opoku Victor Obiri , Yankey Theophilus Junior , Attoh Tetteh , Essuman Mainprice Akuoko , Martey Jacob , Ephraim Richard K D
Published: February 2024

Background and Aim

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) has in recent decades become a global pandemic, accounting for over 90% of DM cases. The study evaluated the health‐related quality of life (HrQoL) and identified its determinants among type 2 DM patients at the University of Cape Coast Hospital.

Methods

We conducted our study at the University of Cape Coast Hospital from January to March 2022. The EQ‐5D‐5L questionnaire was administered to 68 type 2 DM patients. Data were then inputted into Microsoft Excel and analyzed accordingly using IBM SPSS statistical software version 26 and GraphPad Prism 8.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 60.71 ± 12.18 with 55.9% being females. The average systolic, diastolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose (FBG) of participants were 140.99 ± 22.27, 85 ± 11.14 and 7.97 ± 2.66 respectively. With the EQ‐5D‐5L scale, participants reported severe to extreme problems mainly in pain/discomfort (19.1%) and mobility (8.8%) dimensions. Approximately 21% (14/68) of patients reported themselves as being in perfect health based on the EQ‐5D index score with no significant difference between males and females (p ≥ 0.05). On a scale of 0 to 100, most (26.5%) of the participants rated their general health state at 80. Age was significantly associated with all five dimensions while patients with comorbidities had higher odds of experiencing pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression.

Conclusion

The study reveals that pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression are the most experienced problems among patients with type 2 DM. The HrQoL of type 2 DM patients was also found to be affected by age, comorbidities, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Therefore, identifying these factors and developing appropriate interventions is crucial for improving patient outcomes and enhancing treatment outcomes.
Sharing the multidisciplinary clinical approach to peri‐ and postmenopausal women: A Delphi consensus among Italian gynecologists, endocrinologists, and cardiologists for an integrated and optimal approach to clinical practice
Authors: Colacurci Nicola , Filardi Pasquale Perrone , Chiantera Antonio , Colao Annamaria , Pasqualetti Patrizio , Lenzi Andrea
Published: February 2024

Objective

The critical phase of perimenopausal period is marked by a reduction in estrogen levels, leading to various clinical issues (vasomotor and neurodegenerative symptoms, increased osteoporosis risk and cardiovascular risk). These complex clinical scenarios pose challenges to clinicians in providing the right support for diagnosis and treatment. A group of Italian cardiologists, endocrinologists, and gynecologists conducted a survey among expert colleagues to assess consensus on controversial issues and best practices for screening and treating peri‐ and postmenopausal women.

Methods

The Delphi methodology was used to analyze responses from a qualitative expert panel comprising 25 cardiologists, 25 endocrinologists, and 25 gynecologists, selected nationwide. Two consecutive questionnaires were proposed between February and May 2023. Agreement among experts was assessed following the Delphi method as developed by the RAND Corporation.

Results

The results of this Delphi Consensus have been shared by the leading scientific societies: Italian Society of Cardiology, Italian Society of Endocrinology, Italian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Italian Hospital Obstetricians Gynecologists Association.

Conclusions

The experts highlighted comorbidities and hormone deprivation as crucial clinical problems to be evaluated in perimenopausal women, requiring investigation from cardiovascular and endocrinologic perspectives to assess cardiovascular risk, involving the use of BMI, standard blood samples, endocrine‐metabolic tests, and lifestyle assessment, particularly in women with higher cardiovascular and metabolic risks candidates for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The experts also agreed on the benefits of HRT in improving lipid metabolism and reducing insulin resistance, thereby mitigating the metabolic risks associated with menopause. However, this therapy should be tailored considering individual women's comorbidities and thrombotic risk.
From bench to bedside: Opportunities and challenges for iLABMED
Authors: Asakawa Tetsuya , Tang Yi‐Wei , Lu Hongzhou
Published: February 2024

Since the new iLABMED was founded in June 2023, it has published three issues with 21 articles (till Dec 2023). As a journal majored in laboratory medicine, iLABMED also has to face many opportunities and challenges of laboratory medicine. This editorial summarized the main opportunities and challenges faced by iLABMED. The future prospects of laboratory medicine, which must be highlighted by iLABMED were also discussed based on a brief review of the current advances in laboratory medicine. iLABMED will continue to provide a useful platform for general‐interested, insightful, and informative articles with high quality.
Text‐based sentiment analysis in finance: Synthesising the existing literature and exploring future directions
Authors: Todd Andrew , Bowden James , Moshfeghi Yashar
Published: February 2024

Advances in Deep Learning have drastically improved the abilities of Natural Language Processing (NLP) research, creating new state‐of‐the‐art benchmarks. Two research streams at the forefront of NLP analysis are transformer architecture and multimodal analysis. This paper critically evaluates the extant literature applying sentiment analysis techniques to the financial domain. We classify the financial sentiment analysis literature according to the most used techniques in the area, with a focus on methods used to detect sentiment within corporate earnings conference calls, because of their dual modality (text‐audio) nature. We find that the financial literature follows a similar path to NLP sentiment literature, in that more advanced techniques to define sentiment are being used as the field progresses. However, techniques used to determine financial sentiment currently fall behind state‐of‐the‐art techniques used within NLP. Two future directions stem from this paper. Firstly, we propose that the adoption of transformer architecture to create robust representations of textual data could enhance sentiment analysis in academic finance. Secondly, the adoption of multimodal classifiers in finance represents a new, currently underexplored area of study that offers opportunities for finance research.
Idiosyncratic effects of interviewer behavior on the accuracy of children's responses
Authors: Najafichaghabouri Milad , Joslyn P. Raymond , Preston Emma
Published: February 2024

Children are interviewed to provide information about past events in various contexts (e.g., police interviews, court proceedings, therapeutic interviews). During an interview, various factors may influence the accuracy of children's responses to questions about recent events. However, behavioral research in this area is limited. Sparling et al. (2011) showed that children frequently provided inaccurate responses to questions about video clips they just watched depending on the antecedents (i.e., the way a question was asked) and consequences (i.e., the response of the interviewer to their answers). In the current study, we replicated and extended the procedures reported by Sparling et al. and found that two of five children were sensitive to the various antecedents and consequences that we manipulated. Our findings indicate a need for more research in this area to determine the relevant environmental variables that affect children's response accuracy.
A practice‐based study of relational virtues and alliance correspondence in psychodynamic psychotherapy
Authors: Jankowski Peter J. , Sandage Steven J. , Captari Laura E. , Crabtree Sarah A. , Choe Elise J. , Gerstenblith Judy
Published: February 2024

Objective

Treatment outcome monitoring typically emphasizes pathology. In contrast, we responded to the need to establish psychodynamic psychotherapy as evidence‐based by modeling changes in gratitude and forgiveness.

Method

We utilized a practice‐based research design involving non‐manualized outpatient treatment. We employed a longitudinal mixture modeling approach to evaluate treatment effectiveness. We did so by testing the theorized role for relational virtues (i.e., gratitude, forgiveness) as signs of progress in psychodynamic treatment, with relational virtues referring to the application of character strengths to specific situations. We modeled clients' self‐reported level on the virtues as a joint process over five time points, and examined the influence of early treatment alliance correspondence on patterns of change using a sample of outpatient clients (N = 185; Mage = 40.12; 60% female; 74.1% White).

Results

A 3‐class solution best fit the data, with one class exhibiting growth in gratitude and forgiveness, improved symptoms, and a greater likelihood of symptom improvement relative to well‐being gains. Alliance correspondence predicted the classes of change patterns, with greater similarity between clinicians' and clients' perceptions about the alliance predicting greater likelihood of belonging to the subgroup showing highest levels of virtues and well‐being, lowest symptoms, and improved well‐being.

Conclusion

Clinical implications involve monitoring gratitude and forgiveness as signs of progress and navigating the dialectic between implicit alliance processes and explicit virtue interventions. The former involves nurturing a strong alliance and repairing ruptures, whereas the latter involves direct in‐session conversation and/or the practice of virtue interventions in and/or outside of session.
Bifactor models of psychopathology using multi‐informant and multi‐instrument dimensional measures in the ABCD study
Authors: Jacobs Grace R. , Ameis Stephanie H. , Szatmari Peter , Haltigan John D. , Voineskos Aristotle N.
Published: February 2024

Background

Due to limitations of categorical definitions of mental illness, there is a need for quantitative empirical investigations of the dimensional structure of psychopathology. Using exploratory bifactor methods, this study investigated a comprehensive and representative structure of psychopathology in children to better understand how psychotic‐like experiences (PLEs), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, impulsivity, and sensitivity to reward and punishment, may be integrated into extant general factor models of psychopathology.

Methods

We used seven child‐report and three parent‐report instruments capturing diverse mental health symptoms in 11,185 children aged 9–10 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) Study. We built on previous modeling frameworks by conducting both split sample and full sample factor analytic approaches that harnessed recent methodological advances in bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (B‐ESEM) to examine a wide range of psychopathology measures not previously integrated into a single analysis. Validity of psychopathology dimensions was examined by investigating associations with sex, age, cognition, imaging measures, and medical service usage.

Results

All four factor analytic models showed excellent fit and similar structure within informant. PLEs loaded most highly onto a general psychopathology factor, suggesting that they may reflect non‐specific risk for mental illness. ASD symptoms loaded separately from attention/hyperactivity symptoms. Symptoms of impulsivity and sensitivity to reward and punishment loaded onto specific factors, distinct from externalizing and internalizing factors. All identified factors were associated with clinically relevant risk factors, providing preliminary evidence for their construct validity.

Conclusion

By integrating diverse child‐report and parent‐report psychopathology measures for children in the ABCD sample, we deliver data on the quantitative structure of psychopathology for an exceptionally large set of measurements and discuss implications for the field.
Global analysis of urinary extracellular vesicle small RNAs in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
Authors: Ali Hamad , Malik Md. Zubbair , Abu‐Farha Mohamed , Abubaker Jehad , Cherian Preethi , Nizam Rasheeba , Jacob Sindhu , Bahbahani Yousif , Naim Medhat , Ahmad Sajjad , Al‐Sayegh Mohammad , Thanaraj Thangavel Alphonse , Ong Albert C. M. , Harris Peter C. , Al‐Mulla Fahd
Published: February 2024

Background

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most prevalent monogenic renal disease progressing to end‐stage renal disease. There is a pressing need for the identification of early ADPKD biomarkers to enable timely intervention and the development of effective therapeutic approaches. Here, we profiled human urinary extracellular vesicles small RNAs by small RNA sequencing in patients with ADPKD and compared their differential expression considering healthy control individuals to identify dysregulated small RNAs and analyze downstream interaction to gain insight about molecular pathophysiology.

Methods

This is a cross‐sectional study where urine samples were collected from a total of 23 PKD1‐ADPKD patients and 28 healthy individuals. Urinary extracellular vesicles were purified, and small RNA was isolated and sequenced. Differentially expressed Small RNA were identified and functional enrichment analysis of the critical miRNAs was performed to identify driver genes and affected pathways.

Results

miR‐320b, miR‐320c, miR‐146a‐5p, miR‐199b‐3p, miR‐671‐5p, miR‐1246, miR‐8485, miR‐3656, has_piR_020497, has_piR_020496 and has_piR_016271 were significantly upregulated in ADPKD patient urine extracellular vesicles and miRNA‐29c was significantly downregulated. Five ‘driver’ target genes (FBRS, EDC3, FMNL3, CTNNBIP1 and KMT2A) were identified.

Conclusions

The findings of the present study make significant contributions to the understanding of ADPKD pathogenesis and to the identification of novel biomarkers and potential drug targets aimed at slowing disease progression in ADPKD.
Operative trends following the adoption of nonoperative management of rectal cancer
Authors: Brewer Justin , Kamara Maseray , Huebner Marianne , Taxakis Elias , Grajewski Karen , Ramm Carole , Cleary Robert K.
Published: February 2024

Background

Differentiating clinical near‐complete and complete responses (cCR) after neoadjuvant therapy (NT) is challenging in rectal cancer patients. We hypothesized that magnetic resonance imaging staging limitations for low rectal cancers may increase the proportion of abdominoperineal resection (APR) with permanent colostomy for those without a cCR.

Methods

Single institution retrospective analysis of rectal cancer cases before and after adoption of nonoperative “watch and wait” (W&W) pathway. APR as a percentage of rectal resections was the primary outcome.

Results

There were 76 total mesorectal excisions (TME) in the pre‐W&W group and 98 in the post‐W&W group. NT was significantly more common in the post‐W&W group. There was no significant difference in the APR primary outcome (pre‐W&W APR 33.3% vs. post‐W&W APR 26.5%, p = 0.482). APR patients had fewer complete TME grades (69.2% vs. 46.2%) and more pathologic complete responses (0% vs. 26.9%) in the post‐W&W period. The cCR rate for patients with nonoperative management was 51.4% (n = 37) and 13.5% (n = 5) had regrowths, all of whom underwent salvage surgery.

Conclusion

APR for those without a cCR to NT has not increased in the nonoperative management era. Balancing the pathologic complete response rate may require restaging some patients with clinical near‐complete responses.
Microbial diversity drives soil multifunctionality along reclamation chronosequence in an opencast coal mine
Authors: Xu Caicai , Zhang Hong , Li Junjian , Liu Yong , Su Chao
Published: February 2024

Plantation reclamation can improve soil microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality in the reclaimed coal mine. However, with the reclamation years, how restoration of microbial communities promotes restoration of soil multifunctionality is not clear. Here, we investigated the microbial diversity and soil physicochemical properties and soil enzyme activities of different reclamation years in the reclaimed coal mine afforested with Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis). We chose six soil physicochemical properties (soil BD, pH, TC, TN, soil labile carbon [LC1], and [LC2]) pools and four soil enzyme activities (invertase, dehydrogenase, polyphenol oxidase, and urease) as soil multifunctionality indicators. Firstly, we compared the difference of soil microbial alpha diversity and soil physicochemical properties and soil enzyme activities of the different reclamation years and studied the changes of soil multifunctionality with the reclamation years. Secondly, the relationship between soil microbial diversity and soil multifunctionality was compared by fitting five different functions (logarithmic, linear, M‐M, power, and exponential). Thirdly, we analyzed the driving effects of soil microbial diversity on soil multifunctionality at different threshold levels. Finally, the important driving factors on soil multifunctionality were explored. The results confirmed there were significant differences in soil microbial alpha diversity of different reclamation years, and the later stage was significantly higher than the initial stage of reclamation. Soil multifunctionality increased significantly with the reclamation years, and the soil multifunctionality related to carbon and nitrogen cycle increased more significantly. Microbial communities have strong driving effects on soil multifunctionality. Bacterial diversity was positively correlated with soil carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle function and soil multifunctionality in a nonredundant fashion. Random forest and structural equation modeling analyses showed that bacterial diversity was the most important biotic factor. Reclamation years had indirect effects on soil multifunctionality by affecting microbial communities. Soil microbial diversity had strong driving effects on soil multifunctionality. The results provided empirical evidence that the protection of biodiversity is crucial for maintaining ecosystem functions in reclaimed coal mine ecosystem.
Novel variants in TNRC6B cause global developmental delay with speech and behavioral abnormalities, short stature, low body weight, café‐au‐lait spots, and metabolic abnormality
Authors: Yang Qi , Ou Shan , Zhou Xunzhao , Yi Sheng , Lin Li , Yi Shang , Zhang Shujie , Qin Zailong , Luo Jingsi
Published: February 2024

Background

TNRC6B deficiency syndrome, also known as global developmental delay with speech and behavioral abnormalities (MIM 619243), is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease mainly characterized by facial dysmorphism, developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID), speech and language delay, fine and motor delay, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and variable behavioral abnormalities. It is caused by heterozygous variant in the TNRC6B gene (NM_001162501.2, MIM 610740), which encodes the trinucleotide repeat‐containing adaptor 6B protein.

Methods

In this study, two Chinese patients with TNRC6B deficiency syndrome were recruited, and genomic DNA extraction from peripheral blood leukocytes of these parents and their family members was extracted for whole‐exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing.

Results

Here, we report two unrelated Chinese patients diagnosed with TNRC6B deficiency syndrome caused by novel de novo likely pathogenic or pathogenic TNRC6B variants c.335C>T (p.Pro112Leu) and c.1632delC (p.Leu546fs*63), which expands the genetic spectrum of TNRC6B deficiency syndrome. The clinical features of the patients were DD/ID, delayed speech, ADHD, behavioral abnormalities, short stature, low body weight, café‐au‐lait spots, metabolic abnormalities, and facial dysmorphism including coarse facial features, sparse hair, frontal bossing, hypertelorism, amblyopia, strabismus, and downslanted palpebral fissures, which expands the phenotype spectrum associated with TNRC6B deficiency syndrome.

Conclusion

This study expands the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of TNRC6B deficiency syndrome. Our findings indicate that patients with TNRC6B deficiency syndrome should be monitored for growth and metabolic problems and therapeutic strategies should be developed to address these problems. Our report also suggests the clinical diversity of TNRC6B deficiency syndrome.
Technical note: TIGRE‐DE for the creation of virtual monoenergetic images from dual‐energy cone‐beam CT
Authors: Keeler Andrew , Lehmann Mathias , Luce Jason , Kaur Mandeep , Roeske John , Kang Hyejoo
Published: February 2024

Background

Dual‐energy (DE)‐CBCT represents a promising imaging modality that can produce virtual monoenergetic (VM) CBCT images. VM images, which provide enhanced contrast and reduced imaging artifacts, can be used to assist in soft‐tissue visualization during image‐guided radiotherapy.

Purpose

This work reports the development of TIGRE‐DE, a module in the open‐source TIGRE toolkit for the performance of DE‐CBCT and the production of VM CBCT images. This module is created to make DE‐CBCT tools accessible in a wider range of clinical and research settings.

Methods

We developed an add‐on (TIGRE‐DE) to the TIGRE toolkit that performs DE material decomposition. To verify its performance, sequential CBCT scans at 80 and 140 kV of a Catphan 604 phantom were decomposed into equivalent thicknesses of aluminum (Al) and polymethyl‐methylacrylate (PMMA) basis materials. These basis material projections were used to synthesize VM projections for a range of x‐ray energies, which were then reconstructed using the Feldkamp‐Davis‐Kress (FDK) algorithm. Image quality was assessed by computing Hounsfield units (HU) and contrast‐to‐noise ratios (CNR) for the material inserts of the phantom and comparing with the constituent 80 and 140 kV images.

Results

All VM images generated using TIGRE‐DE showed good general agreement with the theoretical HU values of the material inserts of the phantom. Apart from the highest‐density inserts imaged at the extremes of the energy range, the measured HU values agree with theoretical HUs within the clinical tolerance of ±50 HU. CNR measurements for the various inserts showed that, of the energies selected, 60 keV provided the highest CNR values. Moreover, 60 keV VM images showed average CNR enhancements of 63% and 66% compared to the 80 and 140 kV full‐fan protocols.

Conclusions

TIGRE‐DE successfully implements DE‐CBCT material decomposition and VM image creation in an accessible, open‐source platform.
Greenery hypothesis: An evolutionary explanation for why presence/absence of green affects humans
Authors: Fukano Yuya , Soga Masashi
Published: February 2024

A growing body of empirical evidence shows that experiences of nature provide people with diverse psychological benefits, including improved cognitive function and mental health. While our understanding of the proximate causes of these positive psychological responses of humans to nature has advanced, the ultimate (evolutionary) drivers behind them remain poorly understood.

In this study, we provide a summary of several widely accepted evolutionary hypotheses originating from Biophilia, reviewing their challenges and limitations. Subsequently, we propose a new evolutionary psychological hypothesis—the greenery hypothesis—that integrates recent findings in evolutionary psychiatry with many experimental results unexplained by existing hypotheses/theories.

Our proposed hypothesis states that humans have adapted to periodic severe drought and re‐watering cycles by developing both negative and positive psychological responses to the absence or presence of greenery within the landscape as cues to optimise their own behavioural activity.

The greenery hypothesis holds the potential to yield several insights into the fundamental understanding of human psychological responses to nature exposure with significant implications for various related fields, including psychiatry, urban planning, and biodiversity conservation and restoration.

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Effect of polydiborosiloxane on the mechanical properties of silicone rubber foam with dual network structure
Authors: Ma Xinguo , Luo Chao , Zeng Hongwen , Peng Yan , Zhao Lijuan , Zhang Fengshun
Published: February 2024

A silicone rubber foam is prepared by introducing polydiborosiloxane (PDBS) into silicone rubber, and using expandable microspheres as blowing agents. The influences of the dual network structure with dynamic cross‐linking network on the silicone rubber foam is characterized by the cell size, mechanical properties and impact resistance. The cell size increases from 77 to 93 μm due to the introduction of a dynamic cross‐linking network which reduces foaming resistance. The elongation at break elevates from 277% to 574%, and the yield strength gradually decreases. The dynamic cross‐linking network also enhances the internal damping characteristic and energy absorption capacity of the foam. The impact resistance of silicone rubber foam is improved because of the synergistic effect of the dual network structure and the bubble structure. The research improves the performance of silicone rubber foam.
Studies on graphene oxide modified corn oil‐based polyester‐urea nanocomposite coating for anticorrosive application
Authors: Alam Manawwer , Wahab Rizwan , Ahmed Mukhtar , Altaf Mohammad
Published: February 2024

Polyester‐urea coatings were synthesized from corn oil with the help of a series of reactions in three different compositions by varying the amount of urea. Out of all the synthesized compositions, the best composition was optimized based on various parameters. The optimized composition was used as a matrix and graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated in three ratios, for the formulation of corn oil‐based CPEUr@GO nanocomposites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm all the reactions. The physico‐mechanical properties of CPEUr2 coating were found to be the best among all the compositions. Therefore, CPEUr2 was selected as a matrix for the inclusion of GO nanosheets to prepare CPEUr2@GO nanocomposites. Thermogravimetric analysis results showed that incorporation of GO enhanced the thermal stability of CPEUr2 up to 325°C. The anticorrosive studies revealed the high impedance value of 6.5 × 105 Ω.cm2 in case of CPEUr2@GO0.5. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the inclusion of 0.5 wt% GO proved to be the optimized amount to produce sustainable CPEUr2 coatings with good performance. These CPEUr@GO nanocomposite coatings can be used for various protective purposes owing to their excellent physico‐mechanical thermal as well as anticorrosive performance.

Highlights

Corn oil‐based polyester‐urea, CPEUr, coatings were synthesized in three different compositions.

The best composition was used as a matrix for the formulation of CPEUr@GO nanocomposites.

Graphene oxide of 0.5 wt% was found to be the optimum quantity required to modify CPEUr matrix.

Thermal stability, mechanical durability as well as corrosion resistance performances were enhanced.

The environment friendly approach is suitable for the development of corrosion protective coatings.
Polymer/iron oxide nanocomposites as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents: Polymer modulation and probe property control
Authors: Gu Haojie , Fu Shengxiang , Cai Zhongyuan , Ai Hua
Published: February 2024

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are commonly used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes/contrast agents in clinical diagnosis because they can significantly improve the sensitivity of MRI. Polymers including natural and synthetic polymers with good biosafety and abundant surface groups are ideal surface coating for SPIONs to overcome their drawbacks such as poor colloidal stability, low relaxivity, and lack of functionality. Several SPIONs' structural properties such as crystal shape and size, charge, shell thickness, and cluster determine their relaxivity, biosafety, and in vivo imaging effect. Therefore, the rational design of SPIONs probes must explore the relationship between polymer structure and SPION properties. In this review, key structural properties of polymers such as surface groups, molecular weight, hydrophilicity, and grafting density are discussed for their effects on key properties of SPIONs. Additionally, some special polysaccharides, polypeptides, and antibodies can be used as targeting molecules to improve the imaging specificity of SPIONs, which is also briefly discussed in this review.
Design of new zwitterionic microparticles with intrinsic antibacterial activity
Authors: Trofin Marin‐Aurel , Racovita Stefania , Avadanei Mihaela Iuliana , Stoica Iuliana , Rosca Irina , Vasiliu Ana‐Lavinia , Mihai Marcela , Vasiliu Silvia
Published: February 2024

The crosslinked porous microparticles based on glycidyl methacrylate, N‐vinylimidazole, and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (molar ratio between monomers 40:30:30) obtained in the presence of three porogenic agents (toluene, n‐butyl acetate, and toluene:n‐butyl acetate mixture, 1:1, v/v) are used as precursors in the polymer analogous reactions with some betainizing agents (sodium monochloroacetate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and 1,3–propane sultone) in order to introduce the carboxybetaine/sulfobetaine groups to the tertiary nitrogen atom from the imidazole ring. ATR–FTIR spectroscopy is used to highlight the presence of carboxybetaine/sulfobetaine groups on the structure of the microparticles, but also to calculate the degree of betainization (55.91%–90.2%) The zwitterionic microparticles are characterized by scanning electron and atomic force microscopies, equilibrium swelling ratio as a function of pH values, swelling kinetics, ion exchange capacities and particle size distribution. Also, the parameters of porous structure (pore diameter, pore volume, porosity, and specific surface area) are determined by mercury porosimetry. The antibacterial properties of Gram‐positive (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria are evaluated. It is found that the zwitterionic structures containing a shorter length alkyl chain between ionic groups exhibit excellent antibacterial activity of about 80%–92%.
A systematic efficacy analysis of tuberculosis treatment with BPaL‐containing regimens using a multiscale modeling approach
Authors: Budak Maral , Via Laura E. , Weiner Danielle M. , Barry Clifton E. , Nanda Pariksheet , Michael Gabrielle , Mdluli Khisimuzi , Kirschner Denise
Published: February 2024

Tuberculosis (TB) is a life‐threatening infectious disease. The standard treatment is up to 90% effective; however, it requires the administration of four antibiotics (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol [HRZE]) over long time periods. This harsh treatment process causes adherence issues for patients because of the long treatment times and a myriad of adverse effects. Therefore, the World Health Organization has focused goals of shortening standard treatment regimens for TB in their End TB Strategy efforts, which aim to reduce TB‐related deaths by 95% by 2035. For this purpose, many novel and promising combination antibiotics are being explored that have recently been discovered, such as the bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid (BPaL) regimen. As a result, testing the number of possible combinations with all possible novel regimens is beyond the limit of experimental resources. In this study, we present a unique framework that uses a primate granuloma modeling approach to screen many combination regimens that are currently under clinical and experimental exploration and assesses their efficacies to inform future studies. We tested well‐studied regimens such as HRZE and BPaL to evaluate the validity and accuracy of our framework. We also simulated additional promising combination regimens that have not been sufficiently studied clinically or experimentally, and we provide a pipeline for regimen ranking based on their efficacies in granulomas. Furthermore, we showed a correlation between simulation rankings and new marmoset data rankings, providing evidence for the credibility of our framework. This framework can be adapted to any TB regimen and can rank any number of single or combination regimens.
Telecom‐Band Quantum Dots Compatible with Silicon Photonics for Photonic Quantum Applications
Authors: Katsumi Ryota , Ota Yasutomo , Benyoucef Mohamed
Published: February 2024

Silicon photonics is promising for quantum photonics applications owing to its large‐scale and high‐performance circuitry enabled by complementary‐metal‐oxide‐semiconductor fabrication processes. However, there is a lack of bright single‐photon sources (SPSs) capable of deterministic operation on Si platforms, which largely limits their applications. To this end, on‐Si integration of high‐performance solid‐state quantum emitters, such as semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), is greatly desired. In particular, it is preferable to integrate SPSs emitting at telecom wavelengths for fully leveraging the power of silicon photonics, including efficient chip‐to‐fiber coupling. In this review, recent progress and challenges in the integration of telecom QD SPSs onto silicon photonic platforms are discussed.
Exploring the Potentials of Chitin and Chitosan‐Based Bioinks for 3D‐Printing of Flexible Electronics: The Future of Sustainable Bioelectronics
Authors: Kumi Moses , Wang Tengjiao , Ejeromedoghene Onome , Wang Junjie , Li Peng , Huang Wei
Published: February 2024

Chitin and chitosan‐based bioink for 3D‐printed flexible electronics have tremendous potential for innovation in healthcare, agriculture, the environment, and industry. This biomaterial is suitable for 3D printing because it is highly stretchable, super‐flexible, affordable, ultrathin, and lightweight. Owing to its ease of use, on‐demand manufacturing, accurate and regulated deposition, and versatility with flexible and soft functional materials, 3D printing has revolutionized free‐form construction and end‐user customization. This study examined the potential of employing chitin and chitosan‐based bioinks to build 3D‐printed flexible electronic devices and optimize bioink formulation, printing parameters, and postprocessing processes to improve mechanical and electrical properties. The exploration of 3D‐printed chitin and chitosan‐based flexible bioelectronics will open new avenues for new flexible materials for numerous industrial applications.