bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relevanz der Vitamin D-Messung in der
Patientenbetreuung
Authors: Scharla Stephan
Published: December 2023

Vitamin D und seine Metaboliten sind für den Knochen- und
Mineralstoffwechsel, aber auch für andere Organsysteme, von
großer Bedeutung. Zur Diagnostik eines Vitamin D Mangels wird die
Bestimmung des 25-hydroxyvitamin D im Serum oder Plasma verwendet. Allerdings
sind die Messmethoden (Assays) nicht sehr gut standardisiert und
anfällig für Störfaktoren. Überdies wird von
vielen Methoden nicht nur das 25-hydroxyvitamin D erfasst, sondern auch andere
Vitamin D-Metaboliten. Ein generelles Screening auf Vitamin D-Mangel wird
für die allgemeine Bevölkerung nicht empfohlen, sondern nur
für Risikogruppen und für ältere Menschen. Auch
für Patienten mit Osteoporose wird die Messung von 25-hydroxyvitamin D
nur bei V.a. Vitamin-D-Mangel und Osteomalazie empfohlen. Im Verlauf einer
medikamentösen Behandlung mit Vitamin D kann bei V.a. Malabsorption oder
anderen Problemen ein Monitoring von 25-hydroxyvitamin D im Therapieverlauf
sinnvoll sein. Bei speziellen Fragestellung (z. B.
Hypercalciämie) kann auch die Bestimmung von 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D und
24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D notwendig sein.
Vibrationally correlated calculations in polyspherical coordinates: Taylor expansion-based kinetic energy operators
Authors: Bader F. , Lauvergnat D. , Christiansen O.
Published: December 2023

The efficiency of quantum chemical simulations of nuclear motion can in many cases greatly benefit from the application of curvilinear coordinate systems. This is rooted in the fact that a set of smartly selected curvilinear coordinates may represent the motion naturally well, thus decreasing the couplings between motions in these coordinates. In this study, we assess the validity of different Taylor expansion-based approximations of kinetic energy operators in a (curvilinear) polyspherical parametrization. To this end, we investigate the accuracy as well as the numerical performance of the approximations in time-independent vibrational coupled cluster and full vibrational interaction calculations for several test cases ranging from tri- to penta-atomic molecules. We find that several of the proposed schemes reproduce the vibrational ground state and excitation energies to a decent accuracy, justifying their application in future investigations. Furthermore, due to the restricted mode coupling and their inherent sum-of-products form, the new approximations open up the possibility of treating large molecular systems with efficient vibrational coupled cluster schemes in general coordinates.
A unified thermal-field emission theory for metallic nanotips
Authors: Ramachandran Rajasree , Biswas Debabrata
Published: December 2023

The role of curvature effects, in the thermal-field (TF) emission of electrons from nanotips, has been investigated. It is found that for field emitter tips having tip radius of curvature Ra<50 nm, the error on using the planar tunneling potential to evaluate the current density is significant compared to the curvature-corrected potential. Furthermore, the error is found to be strongly temperature dependent at low apex fields, whereas at high fields, it is only moderate. For emitter tips having tip radius Ra≥5 nm, a unified expression for current density applicable for field, thermal-field, and thermionic emission is obtained. In the analysis, a single linearization point corresponding to the peak of the normal energy distribution of electrons is chosen, about which the Gamow exponent is expanded. The temperature-dependent curvature-corrected current density equation is numerically validated against a benchmark that performs the current density integral with the Kemble form of the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin transmission coefficient up to the peak of the tunneling potential, while above the barrier, the Morse transmission coefficient is used. The agreement is found to be good. It is inferred that the curvature plays a significant role in field and thermal-field emission, whereas in thermionic emission, it is not as important. In the limit where the apex radius of curvature Ra→∞, it is able to retrieve the Murphy–Good equation as well as the Richardson–Laue–Dushman equation in their respective limits.
MnFe2O4/polyaniline/diatomite composite with multiple loss mechanisms towards broadband absorption
Authors: Ge Yao , Guo Wanmi , Huang Qinglin , Tao Shanjun , Ji Haixia , Ren Qifang , Chen Yue’e , Chen Jing , Jia Xinyu , Ding Yi
Published: December 2023

The research and development of absorbing materials with high absorbing capacity, wide effective absorption bandwidth, and lightweight has always been interesting. In this research, a facile hydrothermal method was used to prepare MnFe2O4, and the grain size of MnFe2O4 decreased with increasing hydrothermal temperature. When the size of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles is less than 10 nm, its quantum size effect and surface effect make its electromagnetic microwave absorption performance greatly optimized. When the thickness of MnFe2O4-110 °C is 2.57 mm, the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) is −35.28 dB. Based on this, light porous diatomite and a three-dimensional polyaniline network are introduced. Diatomite is used as the base material to effectively reduce the agglomeration of MnFe2O4 quantum dots. The relatively high surface area introduced by a three-dimensional network of polyaniline promotes the orientation, interfacial polarization, multiple relaxation, and impedance matching, thereby generating further dielectric loss. Additionally, the magnetic properties of manganese ferrite and the strong electrical conductivity of polyaniline play an appropriate complementary role in electromagnetic wave absorption. The RLmin of MnFe2O4/PANI/diatomite is −56.70 dB at 11.12 GHz with an absorber layer thickness of 2.57 mm. The effective frequency bandwidth (RL < −10 dB) ranges from 9.21 to 18.00 GHz. The absorption mechanism indicates that the high absorption intensity is the result of the synergistic effect of impedance matching, conduction losses, polarization losses, and magnetic losses.
Hydrogenated silicene grown by plasma enhanced chemical-vapor deposition
Authors: Jugdersuren Battogtokh , Liu Xiao , Culbertson James C. , Mahadik Nadeemullah , Thomas Owain , Shu Yi
Published: December 2023

Silicene, a 2D hexagonal structure of silicon, has shown great promise for next-generation advanced electronic devices due to recent progress. However, one major obstacle to its application and integration into devices is its strong tendency of rapid oxidation in an ambient environment. Enhancing the chemical inertness by means of chemical modification without comprising its unique structure and properties is vital. Here, we report the fabrication of hydrogenated silicene grown on polycrystalline Ag films by means of plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD) with proper hydrogen dilution. Our Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction results show the existence of typical monolayer and few-layer silicene. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrates its oxidation resistance after a few minutes of air exposure in a class 100 clean room. We propose that PECVD silicene can be an alternative to molecular-beam-epitaxy silicene for potential low-cost and large-area silicene applications.
Readout using resonant tunneling in silicon spin qubits
Authors: Tanamoto Tetsufumi , Ono Keiji
Published: December 2023

Spin qubit systems are one of the promising candidates for quantum computing. The quantum dot (QD) arrays are intensively investigated by many researchers. Because the energy-difference between the up-spin and down-spin states is very small, the detection of the qubit state is of prime importance in this field. Moreover, many wires are required to control qubit systems. Therefore, the integration of qubits and wires is also an important issue. In this study, the measurement process of QD arrays is theoretically investigated using resonant tunneling, controlled by a conventional transistor. It is shown that the number of possible measurements during coherence time can exceed a hundred under the backaction of the measurements owing to the nonlinear characteristics of resonant tunneling. It is also discussed to read out the measurement results by the conventional transistor.
Understanding the reaction mechanism and kinetics of photocatalytic oxygen evolution on CoOx-loaded bismuth vanadate
Authors: Matsumoto Yoshiyasu , Nagatsuka Kengo , Yamaguchi Yuichi , Kudo Akihiko
Published: December 2023

Photocatalytic water splitting for green hydrogen production is hindered by the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Loading a co-catalyst is essential for accelerating the kinetics, but the detailed reaction mechanism and role of the co-catalyst are still obscure. Here, we focus on cobalt oxide (CoOx) loaded on bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) to investigate the impact of CoOx on the OER mechanism. We employ photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy and simultaneous measurements of photoinduced absorption and photocurrent. The reduction of V5+ in BiVO4 promotes the formation of a surface state on CoOx that plays a crucial role in the OER. The third-order reaction rate with respect to photohole charge density indicates that reaction intermediate species accumulate in the surface state through a three-electron oxidation process prior to the rate-determining step. Increasing the excitation light intensity onto the CoOx-loaded anode improves the photoconversion efficiency significantly, suggesting that the OER reaction at dual sites in an amorphous CoOx(OH)y layer dominates over single sites. Therefore, CoOx is directly involved in the OER by providing effective reaction sites, stabilizing reaction intermediates, and improving the charge transfer rate. These insights help advance our understanding of co-catalyst-assisted OER to achieve efficient water splitting.
First-principles study of CO2 hydrogenation on Cd-doped ZrO2: Insights into the heterolytic dissociation of H2
Authors: Zeng Yabing , Yu Jie , Li Yi , Zhang Yongfan , Lin Wei
Published: December 2023

Cd-doped ZrO2 catalyst has been found to have high selectivity and activity for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. In this work, density functional theory calculations were carried out to investigate the microscopic mechanism of the reaction. The results show that Cd doping effectively promotes the generation of oxygen vacancies, which significantly activate the CO2 with stable adsorption configurations. Compared with CO2, gaseous H2 adsorption is more difficult, and it is mainly dissociated and adsorbed on the surface as [HCd–HO]* or [HZr–HO]* compact ion pairs, with [HCd–HO]* having the lower energy barrier. The reaction pathways of CO2 to methanol has been investigated, revealing the formate path as the dominated pathway via HCOO* to H2COO* and to H3CO*. The hydrogen anions, HCd* and HZr*, significantly reduce the energy barriers of the reaction.
Planar oligomerization of reconfigurable gold nanorod dimers
Authors: Zhou Yihao , Dong Jinyi , Wang Qiangbin
Published: December 2023

Reconfigurable chiral plasmonic complexes are fabricated by planar assembly of multiple individual gold nanorod dimers using DNA origami templates. Additionally, each chiral center can be controlled to switch among achiral, left-handed, and right-handed states. We demonstrate that their overall circular dichroism is determined by the coupling of individual chiral centers and is heavily influenced by the precise number and arrangement of these centers. Our study offers a novel self-assembly method for constructing intricate and dynamic chiral plasmonics as well as investigating the interactions among several plasmonic chiral centers.
A room temperature exchange bias effect caused by the coexisting martensitic phase structures in Ni50Mn38Sb12−xGax polycrystalline Heusler alloys
Authors: Tian Fanghua , Chang Tieyan , Zhao Qizhong , Guo Jiale , Xian Long , Cao Kaiyan , Dai Zhiyong , Zhang Yin , Zhou Chao , Yang Sen
Published: December 2023

The exchange bias effect is the physical cornerstone of applications, such as spin valves, ultra-high-density data storage, and magnetic tunnel junctions. This work studied the room temperature exchange bias effect by constructing a Ni50Mn38Sb12−xGax alloy system with coexisting martensitic phase structures. The study found that the exchange bias effect shows a non-monotonic change with the variation of Ga composition at 300 K, and an obvious room temperature exchange bias effect appears in the alloys with coexisting phase structures of 4O and L10, which is due to the strong exchange coupling between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic. Further research on the exchange bias effect and temperature shows that the blocking temperature is 420 K, and the exchange bias can stably exist in a temperature range of ∼200 K around room temperature. This work provides a method to engineer exchange bias effects at room temperature.
Greening vegetation cools mean and extreme near-surface air temperature in China
Authors: Cao Yipeng , Guo Weidong , Ge Jun , Liu Yu , Chen Chaorong , Luo Xing , Yang Limei
Published: December 2023

Satellite observations have shown evident vegetation greening in China during the last two decades. The biophysical effects of vegetation changes on near-surface air temperature (SAT) remain elusive because prior studies focused on the effects on land surface temperature (LST). SAT is more relevant to climate mitigation and adaptation, as this temperature is experienced by humans. Here, we provide the first observational evidence of the greening effects on SAT and SAT extremes in China during 2001–2018 using the ‘space-for-time’ method. The results show a negative SAT sensitivity to greening (–0.35 °C m2 m–2) over China and a cooling effect of −0.08 °C on SAT driven by vegetation greening during the study period. Such a cooling effect is stronger on high SAT extremes, particularly over arid/semiarid areas, where greening could bring an additional cooling of −0.04 °C on the hottest days. An attribution analysis suggests that the main driving factor for the cooling effect of greening is the evapotranspiration change for arid/semiarid regions and the aerodynamic resistance change for humid regions. This study reveals a considerable climate benefit of greening on SAT, which is more concerned with natural and human system health than the greening effects on LST.
VIGA: a one-stop tool for eukaryotic virus identification and genome assembly from next-generation-sequencing data
Authors: Fu Ping , Wu Yifan , Zhang Zhiyuan , Qiu Ye , Wang Yirong , Peng Yousong
Published: December 2023

Identification of viruses and further assembly of viral genomes from the next-generation-sequencing data are essential steps in virome studies. This study presented a one-stop tool named VIGA (available at https://github.com/viralInformatics/VIGA) for eukaryotic virus identification and genome assembly from NGS data. It was composed of four modules, namely, identification, taxonomic annotation, assembly and novel virus discovery, which integrated several third-party tools such as BLAST, Trinity, MetaCompass and RagTag. Evaluation on multiple simulated and real virome datasets showed that VIGA assembled more complete virus genomes than its competitors on both the metatranscriptomic and metagenomic data and performed well in assembling virus genomes at the strain level. Finally, VIGA was used to investigate the virome in metatranscriptomic data from the Human Microbiome Project and revealed different composition and positive rate of viromes in diseases of prediabetes, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Overall, VIGA would help much in identification and characterization of viromes, especially the known viruses, in future studies.
Burden of atopic dermatitis in paediatric patients: an international cross-sectional study
Authors: Weidinger Stephan , Simpson Eric L , Silverberg Jonathan I , Barbarot Sebastien , Eckert Laurent , Mina-Osorio Paola , Rossi Ana B , Brignoli Lysel , Mnif Tarek , Guillemin Isabelle , Fenton Miriam C , Delevry Dimittri , Chuang Chien-chia , Pellan Marine , Gadkari Abhijit
Published: December 2023

Background

Few large-scale international studies have broadly characterized the burden of atopic dermatitis (AD) across age groups among children and adolescents.

Objectives

To better characterize the AD burden in paediatric patients by disease severity.

Methods

This cross-sectional, web-based survey of paediatric patients (6 months to < 18 years old) was conducted in 18 countries representing North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East/Eurasia and East Asia. Patients with diagnosed AD were identified based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood criteria and self-/parent-report of ever being told by a physician that they or their child had eczema. AD severity was assessed using the Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure and Patient Global Assessment. Outcomes included measures of itch, skin pain, sleep, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), missed school days and atopic comorbidities.

Results

The survey included 1489 children aged 6 months to < 6 years; 2898 children aged 6 to < 12 years; and 3078 adolescents aged 12 to < 18 years diagnosed with AD. Although the burden of mild AD was substantial, paediatric patients with moderate or severe AD had more itch, skin pain, sleep problems and impaired HRQoL, and missed more school days relative to those with mild AD; greater burden was observed among those with severe relative to moderate AD. At least one atopic comorbidity was present in 92.5% of all respondents.

Conclusions

These results highlight the burden of AD in paediatric patients, especially those with moderate-to-severe disease, and suggest the need for assessments that include the impact of AD on function and daily life.
Brain connectivity and academic skills in English learners
Authors: Nugiel Tehila , Demeter Damion V , Mitchell Mackenzie E , Garza AnnaCarolina , Hernandez Arturo E , Juranek Jenifer , Church Jessica A
Published: December 2023

English learners (ELs) are a rapidly growing population in schools in the United States with limited experience and proficiency in English. To better understand the path for EL’s academic success in school, it is important to understand how EL’s brain systems are used for academic learning in English. We studied, in a cohort of Hispanic middle-schoolers (n = 45, 22F) with limited English proficiency and a wide range of reading and math abilities, brain network properties related to academic abilities. We applied a method for localizing brain regions of interest (ROIs) that are group-constrained, yet individually specific, to test how resting state functional connectivity between regions that are important for academic learning (reading, math, and cognitive control regions) are related to academic abilities. ROIs were selected from task localizers probing reading and math skills in the same participants. We found that connectivity across all ROIs, as well as connectivity of just the cognitive control ROIs, were positively related to measures of reading skills but not math skills. This work suggests that cognitive control brain systems have a central role for reading in ELs. Our results also indicate that an individualized approach for localizing brain function may clarify brain-behavior relationships.
Transcranial ultrasound stimulation selectively affects cortical neurovascular coupling across neuronal types and LFP frequency bands
Authors: Su Zhaocheng , Liu Mengyang , Yuan Yi , Jiao Honglei
Published: December 2023

Previous studies have affirmed that transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) can influence cortical neurovascular coupling across low-frequency (0–2 Hz)/high-frequency (160–200 Hz) neural oscillations and hemodynamics. Nevertheless, the selectivity of this coupling triggered by transcranial ultrasound stimulation for spike activity (> 300 Hz) and additional frequency bands (4–150 Hz) remains elusive. We applied transcranial ultrasound stimulation to mice visual cortex while simultaneously recording total hemoglobin concentration, spike activity, and local field potentials. Our findings include (1) a significant increase in coupling strength between spike firing rates of putative inhibitory neurons/putative excitatory neurons and total hemoglobin concentration post-transcranial ultrasound stimulation; (2) an ~ 2.1-fold higher Pearson correlation coefficient between putative inhibitory neurons and total hemoglobin concentration compared with putative excitatory neurons and total hemoglobin concentration (*P < 0.05); (3) a notably greater cross-correlation between putative inhibitory neurons and total hemoglobin concentration than that between putative excitatory neurons and total hemoglobin concentration (*P < 0.05); (4) an enhancement of Pearson correlation coefficient between the relative power of γ frequency band (30–80 Hz), hγ frequency band (80–150 Hz) and total hemoglobin concentration following transcranial ultrasound stimulation (*P < 0.05); and (5) strongest cross-correlation observed at negative delay for θ frequency band, and positive delay for α, β, γ, hγ frequency bands. Collectively, these results demonstrate that cortical neurovascular coupling evoked by transcranial ultrasound stimulation exhibits selectivity concerning neuronal types and local field potential frequency bands.
Reducing working hours: shorter days or fewer days per week? Insights from a 30-hour workweek experiment
Authors: Mullens Francisca , Glorieux Ignace
Published: December 2023

Recently, more and more experiments with a reduction in working time are taking place. Most experiments and introductions of shorter workweeks do not leave the choice of the type/form of reduction up to employees, but to employers. An experiment with a 30-hour workweek in a women’s organisation in Belgium was rather unique in the sense that employees were free to choose how to reduce their working hours on a weekly basis. Based on longitudinal survey and time-diary data as well as in-depth interviews and focus groups, this article investigates what form of working time reduction was preferred by the female employees and what factors influenced these preferences. The life course perspective is taken as a lens through which we analyse women’s preferences and choices. Results show that there was a clear preference for having one day off per week instead of shorter daily hours. This choice was mostly related to meso-factors concerning work and private circumstances and is not fixed but rather dynamic.
Making Holocaust Memory in Finland: The Jewish Community and Conflicting Loyalties, 1944–1950s
Authors: Muir Simo
Published: December 2023

This article analyzes how Finnish Jews defined their position during the Second World War when Finland fought against the Soviet Union as a co-belligerent of Nazi Germany. After the Moscow Armistice in September 1944, the Jewish community’s leadership created an official narrative that transformed the community’s travails into a positive experience. They wanted to signal to the Allied forces and Jewish communities worldwide that their rights had not been violated during the war, even though Finland had been de facto allied with Nazi Germany. By doing so, they suppressed knowledge of the treatment of Jewish refugees and their deportations, as well as of their own volatile positions during the war. By inviting Marshal Mannerheim to the Helsinki synagogue in December 1944, the community helped forge Mannerheim into a national hero by honoring him for saving the Finnish Jewish community from the Holocaust. In addition, this article examines how Finnish Jews commemorated Holocaust victims vis-à-vis the commemoration of fallen Jewish soldiers in the transnational Jewish (survivor) community in the immediate postwar years.
‘Follow the cattle’: a joint cross-border trachoma MDA perspective
Authors: Baayenda Gilbert , Opon Raphael , Waititu Titus , Kabona George
Published: December 2023

Trachoma, a disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, is the leading infectious cause of blindness. To fight it, endemic East African countries adopted the World Health Organization’s SAFE Strategy, targeting surgery, antibiotics through mass drug administration (MDA), facial cleanliness and environmental improvement. Trachoma persists among nomadic communities along the Kenya–Uganda and Kenya–Tanzania borders. To address this, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda launched synchronized MDA campaigns, simultaneously treating populations across borders. Successes included joint planning, community involvement and intergovernmental cooperation, although challenges remained in resourcing MDA cross-border focal points and in addressing coverage and funding. Novel strategies like synchronized joint cross-border MDA with community engagement are vital for sustainable trachoma elimination in these nomadic settings.
Amino acid standardized ileal digestibility together with concentrations of digestible and metabolizable energy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and soybean meal for gestating sows
Authors: Zhao Yang , Lin Yan , Xu Shengyu , Hua Lun , Feng Bin , Fang Zhengfeng , Jiang Xuemei , Che Lianqiang , Zhuo Yong , Wu De
Published: December 2023

The standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AAs) plus crude protein (CP), in addition to digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) concentrations, was assessed through two experiments on Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (SCY) combined with soybean meal (SBM) for gestating sows. SCY and SBM were subjected to experiment 1 for the determination of CP and AAs in terms of SID. Under a randomized complete block design, three dietary treatments were provided for a total of 24 Landrace × Yorkshire gestating sows (parity 2), with the distal ileum clipped by a T-cannula at gestational day 33 based on body weight (BW) (194.1 ± 7.1, 195.3 ± 8.5, and 195.3 ± 8.6 kg). SCY and SBM were used as the only source of nitrogen to prepare two semi-purified diets and a nitrogen-free diet was also utilized to examine CP plus AAs for basal ileal endogenous losses. The gestating sows were initially fed these diets for 5 d to allow for adaptation, and ileal digesta was collected 2 d later for analysis. CP and all AAs in SCY, except for Trp and Gly, showed significantly lower SID than those in SBM (P < 0.05). Among the essential AAs, the range of SID was 68.8% for Thr to 92.2% for Arg in dried yeast, and from 79.9% for Thr to 98.6% for Met in SBM. DE plus ME were measured via experiment 2 with a randomized complete block design on SCY and SBM. Eighteen day-35 Landrace × Yorkshire pregnant sows (parity 3) were allocated to three diets based on BW (233.3 ± 16.0, 233.4 ± 9.6, and 233.4 ± 10.3 kg). Three diets were adopted for the experiment, namely, a corn-based diet as well as two diets containing 20.2% SCY and 20.0% SBM samples. The full fecal collection method, comprising a 5-day adaptation period before a 5- to 6-d experimental period for quantitative urine and feces collection, was employed for metabolic trials. The DE and ME for SCY were remarkably decreased compared with those for SBM (3812 kcal/kg DM vs. 4264 kcal/kg DM and 3714 kcal/kg DM vs. 4157 kcal/kg DM), respectively (P < 0.05). No differences were observed in the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of organic matter, CP, and gross energy between SCY and SBM, but ATTD was significantly reduced in SCY for acid detergent fiber, dry matter, and neutral detergent fiber by contrast with SBM (P < 0.05). In conclusion, most AAs and CP in SCY had lower SID, DE, and ME than SBM in this study. These findings can be applied to diet formulation with the aforementioned ingredients for sows.
Revision of the Strodei Subgroup of Nyssorhynchus (Diptera: Culicidae), with descriptions of 2 new species
Authors: Sant’Ana Denise Cristina , Sallum Maria Anice Mureb
Published: December 2023

Nyssorhynchus (Nyssorhynchus) ibiapabaensis (Sant'Ana & Sallum n. sp.) and Ny. (Nys.) untii (Sant'Ana & Sallum n. sp.) are new species of the Arthuri Complex of the Strodei Subgroup. The new species are described and validated using morphological characters of the male, female, and immature stages. The description of the male, female, fourth-instar larva and pupa of Ny. arthuri (Unti, 1941) and Ny. albertoi (Unti, 1941) are provided for the first time. To avoid nomenclature instability, neotypes are designated for both species. All life stages of Ny. strodei (Root, 1926) employing specimens collected in the Agua Limpa District, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil are redescribed.
The YAP1/TAZ-TEAD transcriptional network regulates gene expression at neuromuscular junctions in skeletal muscle fibers
Authors: Gessler Lea , Huraskin Danyil , Jian Yongzhi , Eiber Nane , Hu Zhaoyong , Prószyński Tomasz J , Hashemolhosseini Said
Published: December 2023

We examined YAP1/TAZ-TEAD signaling pathway activity at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of skeletal muscle fibers in adult mice. Our investigations revealed that muscle-specific knockouts of Yap1 or Taz, or both, demonstrate that these transcriptional coactivators regulate synaptic gene expression, the number and morphology of NMJs, and synaptic nuclei. Yap1 or Taz single knockout mice display reduced grip strength, fragmentation of NMJs, and accumulation of synaptic nuclei. Yap1/Taz muscle-specific double knockout mice do not survive beyond birth and possess almost no NMJs, the few detectable show severely impaired morphology and are organized in widened endplate bands; and with motor nerve endings being mostly absent. Myogenic gene expression is significantly impaired in the denervated muscles of knockout mice. We found that Tead1 and Tead4 transcription rates were increased upon incubation of control primary myotubes with AGRN-conditioned medium. Reduced AGRN-dependent acetylcholine receptor clustering and synaptic gene transcription were observed in differentiated primary Tead1 and Tead4 knockout myotubes. In silico analysis of previously reported genomic occupancy sites of TEAD1/4 revealed evolutionary conserved regions of potential TEAD binding motifs in key synaptic genes, the relevance of which was functionally confirmed by reporter assays. Collectively, our data suggest a role for YAP1/TAZ-TEAD1/TEAD4 signaling, particularly through TAZ-TEAD4, in regulating synaptic gene expression and acetylcholine receptor clustering at NMJs.
HybridDBRpred: improved sequence-based prediction of DNA-binding amino acids using annotations from structured complexes and disordered proteins
Authors: Zhang Jian , Basu Sushmita , Kurgan Lukasz
Published: December 2023

Current predictors of DNA-binding residues (DBRs) from protein sequences belong to two distinct groups, those trained on binding annotations extracted from structured protein-DNA complexes (structure-trained) vs. intrinsically disordered proteins (disorder-trained). We complete the first empirical analysis of predictive performance across the structure- and disorder-annotated proteins for a representative collection of ten predictors. Majority of the structure-trained tools perform well on the structure-annotated proteins while doing relatively poorly on the disorder-annotated proteins, and vice versa. Several methods make accurate predictions for the structure-annotated proteins or the disorder-annotated proteins, but none performs highly accurately for both annotation types. Moreover, most predictors make excessive cross-predictions for the disorder-annotated proteins, where residues that interact with non-DNA ligand types are predicted as DBRs. Motivated by these results, we design, validate and deploy an innovative meta-model, hybridDBRpred, that uses deep transformer network to combine predictions generated by three best current predictors. HybridDBRpred provides accurate predictions and low levels of cross-predictions across the two annotation types, and is statistically more accurate than each of the ten tools and baseline meta-predictors that rely on averaging and logistic regression. We deploy hybridDBRpred as a convenient web server at http://biomine.cs.vcu.edu/servers/hybridDBRpred/ and provide the corresponding source code at https://github.com/jianzhang-xynu/hybridDBRpred.
Dalbergia odoriferaundergoes massive molecular shifts in response to waterlogging combined with salinity
Authors: Cisse El-Hadji Malick , Jiang Bai-Hui , Yin Li-Yan , Miao Ling-Feng , Zhou Jing-Jing , Mekontso Francine Ngaffo , Li Da-Dong , Xiang Li-Shan , Yang Fan
Published: December 2023

Field and greenhouse studies attempting to describe the molecular responses of plant species under waterlogging (WL) combined with salinity (ST) are almost nonexistent. We integrated transcriptional, metabolic, and physiological responses involving several crucial transcripts and common differentially expressed genes and metabolites in fragrant rosewood (Dalbergia odorifera) leaflets to dissect plant-specific molecular responses and patterns under WL combined with ST (SWL). We discovered that the synergistic pattern of the transcriptional response of fragrant rosewood under SWL was exclusively characterized by the number of regulated transcripts. The response patterns under SWL based on transcriptome and metabolome regulation statuses revealed different patterns (additive, dominant, neutral, minor, unilateral, and antagonistic) of transcripts or metabolites that were commonly regulated or expressed uniquely under SWL. Under SWL, the synergistic transcriptional response of several functional gene subsets was positively associated with several metabolomic and physiological responses related to the shutdown of the photosynthetic apparatus and the extensive degradation of starch into saccharides through α-amylase, β-amylase, and α-glucosidase or plastoglobuli accumulation. The dissimilarity between the regulation status and number of transcripts in plants under combined stresses led to nonsynergistic responses in several physiological and phytohormonal traits. As inferred from the impressive synergistic transcriptional response to morpho-physiological changes, combined stresses exhibited a gradually decreasing effect on the changes observed at the molecular level compared to those in the morphological one. Here, by characterizing the molecular responses and patterns of plant species under SWL, our study considerably improves our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying combined stress.
Outcomes of late-stages infantile Blount’s disease managed by acute single stage: medial hemi-plateau elevation and metaphyseal osteotomy. Eight case series
Authors: Chandankere Vidyasagar , Reddy Maryada Venkateshwarlu , Reddy Annapareddy Venkata Gurava
Published: December 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of surgical intervention involving acute medial hemi-plateau elevation and metaphyseal osteotomy with internal fixation and growth modulation for late-stages Blount’s disease. A retrospective analysis was conducted on consecutive patients with late-stages infantile tibia vara between 2014 and 2020. Inclusion criteria consisted of children aged 8 years and older with Blount’s disease with Langenskiold stage IV, V or VI, tibia vara more than 30*, medial plateau depression angle (MPDA) exceeding 25* and knee instability with a minimum follow-up period of 3 years. Patients with Limb length discrepancy greater than 5 cm were excluded. Data collection included assessments of age, weight, disease stage, clinical tibiofemoral angle (TFA), mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA), MPDA, tibial torsion and knee instability. Functional outcomes were evaluated using modified Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instruments (PODCI) scores. The study included 5 children with 8 affected limbs. Among them, three children with five limbs had recurrent deformities after previous surgeries. All cases showed significant improvements in TFAs, mMPTA, tibial torsion, knee instability and modified PODCI scores. Complications included 4 cases of superficial infections, 1 intra-articular fracture, 2 minor screw breakage and 2 on-table under correction. Surgical intervention involving acute Single-stage medial hemi-plateau elevation and metaphyseal osteotomy leads to satisfactory outcomes in late-stages Blount’s disease among older children. It is crucial to achieve proper correction of all deformity components during surgery, with epiphysiodesis on the lateral side to prevent further recurrence. Continuous follow-up until skeletal maturity is essential for optimal results.
The Impact of Moral Distress on Staff and Novice Nurses
Authors: Becker Richard Philip
Published: December 2023

Moral distress is an interior affliction associated with exterior conflicts between one's values, obligations, and actions. This article builds understanding of moral distress among nurses and the importance of reducing its harmful impact, particularly to novice nurses. Moral distress is defined along with ethical issues and concepts related to moral distress, its current impact, coping with moral distress and building moral reserve, and the significance of acting according to one's conscience.
Developing Faith Community Emergency Response Teams Through Simulation
Authors: Sweeney Amy , Papp Lisa
Published: December 2023

The development of a volunteer emergency response team is an effective method to mitigate the negative impacts and improve outcomes of health emergencies in faith communities and is supported by faith community nursing scope and standards of professional practice. Conducting simulated emergency drills with a core team of volunteers within one parish supported the confidence and comfort levels of the multidisciplinary group of volunteers, led by a nurse. Simulation and debriefing increased team members' preparedness for physical and mental health emergencies.
Mentoring New Graduate Nurses to Decrease Turnover
Authors: Palermo Kathryn
Published: December 2023

Nurse turnover may negatively impact patient outcomes, the nurse shortage, and hospital finances. This evidence-based practice project examined the effect of a formal mentorship program on new graduate nurses' (NGNs) intent to leave a healthcare position. The outcomes suggest that the mentoring intervention used has the potential to impact new graduate nurse retention rate. Small sample size limits evaluating the project, which needs to be replicated with a much larger number of NGN mentees and more experienced nurse mentors.
Defeating Nurse Workplace Bullying Through Political Activism
Authors: Madden Melissa A.
Published: December 2023

Workplace bullying is a social injustice with a detrimental impact on nurse retention, job satisfaction, self-esteem, and patient care. Nurses can engage in individual-, unit-, and policy-level activities aimed at promoting a healthier work environment. In the public sphere, political activism by nurses to promote the anti-bullying Healthy Workplace Bill can help improve the safety of healthcare work settings. Christian nurses' political advocacy enhances social justice as reflected in the Bible and can be seen as another avenue for godly service.
A Systematic Review of Interventions for Obesity Among Adults With Food Insecurity
Authors: Bach Randy , Hui Anna , Chao Ariana M.
Published: December 2023

Objective

Food insecurity is associated with reduced dietary quality and excess weight gain. However, interventions that are effective for obesity among individuals with food insecurity are unclear. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize studies in which authors examined interventions for obesity among adults with food insecurity.

Methods

PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EMBASE were searched from inception to October 2022. Studies were included if their authors reported on nonpharmacological and nonsurgical interventions that focused on adults with food insecurity and overweight/obesity and reported weight loss.

Results

A total of 1360 titles were reviewed during the electronic search, and only 5 studies met inclusion criteria. There were 2 primary types of interventions that have been tested: first, behavioral weight loss counseling with or without tailoring for individuals with food insecurity and, second, subsidies for food. Findings of the benefits of one type of intervention over another are mixed.

Conclusions

This systematic review highlights that the current evidence for interventions that address food insecurity and obesity is mixed and limited in scope. There is a need for rigorous controlled trials to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions for weight management among individuals with food insecurity and obesity while considering sustainability.
Visual change as the presenting symptom of a suspected metastatic brain lesion in esophageal cancer: A case report
Authors: Hsieh Yun-Chen , Wu Jian-Sheng
Published: December 2023

Introduction:

Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common malignancy worldwide and the sixth leading cause of cancer mortality with an overall survival rate of <20%. Esophageal cancer frequently metastasizes to distant lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and bones. Cerebral metastases originating from esophageal cancer are rare and often carry a poor prognosis as do most all metastatic lesions in esophageal cancer.

Case presentation:

In this report, we describe a 55-year-old patient with past history of esophageal carcinoma who presented with blurred vision after taking ethambutol for tuberculosis. Ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy was the lead diagnosis. Initial vision testing was normal so additional testing with visual field examination was warranted. The visual field examination revealed homonymous hemianopsia. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging of his brain, demonstrated a focal lesion, consistent with but not diagnostic of a brain metastasis likely from his primary esophageal malignancy.

Conclusion:

We conclude that a careful review of the medical history and comprehensive assessment are essential in establishing an obscure clinical diagnosis especially in the event that an uncommon metastatic lesion is encountered.
False Positive in [99mTc]Tc-DPD Scintigraphy for Cardiac Amyloidosis Due to Intravenous Iron Administration
Authors: Rudolphi Solero Teodoro , Feriche Aragón Manuel , Amrani Raissouni Tomader , Delgado-García Alberto , Cañada-Rodríguez Maria José , Sanz Viedma Salomé
Published: December 2023

[99mTc]Tc-DPD (3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid) scintigraphy is an essential tool for diagnosing transthyretin amyloid cardiac amyloidosis. An 86-year-old woman suffering from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction underwent [99mTc]Tc-DPD scintigraphy and a SPECT/CT for suspected transthyretin amyloid cardiac amyloidosis. The scan showed intracardiac and liver uptake. As the patient had taken intravenous iron on the morning of the scan, we decided to repeat the scan, but this time, it showed no uptake in the heart or the liver. Accordingly, we concluded the first result was a false positive due to drug interaction.
Axillary Nodal Response to Neoadjuvant T-DM1 Combined with Pertuzumab in a Prospective Phase II Multi-Institution Clinical Trial
Authors: Weiss Anna , Jin Qingchun , Waks Adrienne G , Yardley Denise , Spring Laura M , Wrabel Eileen , Tayob Nabihah , Viale Giuseppe , Krop Ian E , King Tari A , Metzger-Filho Otto
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND:

Patients with ERBB2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer experience high pathologic complete response (pCR) rates after standard neoadjuvant anti-HER2 systemic therapy. We examined axillary pathologic nodal response to neoadjuvant dual HER2-targeted therapy alone, based on breast pathologic response, in a multi-institution clinical trial.

STUDY DESIGN:

Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer were enrolled to a phase II single-arm trial, which administered 6 cycles of neoadjuvant trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) plus pertuzumab. Rates of pathologic nodal disease (ypN) in patients who were clinically node-negative (cN0) and node-positive (cN1) were analyzed, by residual breast disease (pCR and residual cancer burden [RCB] I to III).

RESULTS:

One hundred fifty-eight patients completed preoperative treatment and proceeded to surgery. Of 92 patients who were cN0, 48 (52.2%) and 10 (10.9%) experienced breast pCR and RCB I, respectively. Of these, 100% were ypN0. Of 34 with RCB II to III, 26 (76.5%) were ypN0. Of 30 patients who were cN1 with breast pCR, 100% were ypN0; of the 12 patients who were cN1 with RCB I, 66.7% were ypN0; and of the 24 patients who were cN1 with RCB II to III, 25% were ypN0. ypN0 rates were significantly different between patients who did and did not experience a pCR, in both cN0 (p = 0.002) and cN1 (p < 0.001) subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer treated with dual HER2-targeted therapy who experienced a breast pCR or RCB I response were frequently ypN0. These findings support future trials considering omission of axillary surgical staging for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer in neoadjuvant trials of active HER2-targeted regimens, particularly if they experience breast pCR or RCB I.
Pseudomonas aestuarii sp. nov., isolated from tidal flat sediment
Authors: Kim Han Sol , Suh Min Kuk , Kim Ji-Sun , Do Hyo Eun , Eom Mi Kyung , Jin Jong-Sik , Lee Jung-Sook
Published: December 2023

Two novel

Pseudomonas

strains, SA3-5T and SA3-6, were isolated from a tidal flat (getbol) in the Republic of Korea. Strains SA3-5T and SA3-6 were subjected to polyphasic characterization to determine their taxonomic affiliations. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and motile by using peritrichous flagella. Based on their 16S rRNA gene sequences, strains SA3-5T and SA3-6 exhibited a high degree of similarity (100 %) and were classified within the genus

Pseudomonas

. Furthermore, the closest related species to SA3-5T and SA3-6 were

Pseudomonas taeanensis

MS-3T (98.3 %). The ranges of average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between SA3-5T and closely related species were 75.9–89.1% and 21.3–38.7%, respectively, both of which being below the thresholds for delineating novel strains. Strain SA3-5T and SA3-6 contained C16 : 1
ω6с and/or C16 : 1
ω7с (summed feature 3), C16 : 0 and C18 : 1
ω6с and/or C18 : 1
ω7с (summed feature 8) as the major fatty acids. The predominant respiratory quinone was Q-9. The DNA G+C content of strain SA3-5T was 62.5 mol%. Based on their combined phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characterisitics, strains SA3-5T and SA3-6 represent a novel species of the genus

Pseudomonas

for which the name Pseudomonas aestuarii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SA3-5T (=KCTC 92395T=JCM 35697T).