bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
One‐stage reconstruction of the massive overlying skin and Achilles tendon defects using a free chimeric anterolateral thigh flap with fascia lata
Authors: Son Tran Thiet , Dung Pham Thi Viet , Thuy Ta Thi Hong , Chien Vu Hong , Phuc Le Hong , Huy Le Anh
Published: June 2022

Background

Treatment for large defects in the non‐weight‐bearing Achilles tendon and soft tissues remains a reconstructive challenge. The free composite anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) with fascia lata (FL) has been indicated in the single‐stage reconstruction of the Achilles tendon and soft tissue defect and this technique remain some disadvantages, such as the inability to perform primary flap thinning, requiring secondary flap thinning, and the delayed normalization of the range of motion of the ankle joint. The free chimeric ALT flap with FL was introduced as a novel alternative with many advantages in reconstructing the Achilles tendon and soft tissue defects. This paper reports the reconstruction of the massive Achilles tendon and overlying skin defects using free chimeric ALT flaps with FL.

Methods

From June 2017 to October 2020, we performed on a series of 5 patients receiving free chimeric ALT flaps with FL to reconstruct the Achilles tendon and soft tissue defects. The age of patients ranged from 43 to 62 years old. All five patients had full‐layer defects of the Achilles tendon with infection. The sizes of the skin defects ranged from 6 × 4 cm to 12 × 10 cm. The perforators from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral arteries are located using a handheld Doppler. The perforators help to design the outline of the ALT flap and fascia flap. The skin flap was thinned under microscopy if the flap was too thick. The anastomosis was accomplished before insetting the flaps into the defect.

Results

The size of the ALT flap ranged from 10 × 5 cm to 15 × 12 cm, and the size of the FL flap ranged from 7 × 4 cm to 10 × 8 cm. The mean perforator length for the skin flap and fascia lata was 3.3 cm (range, 2.5–5.0 cm) and 5.3 cm (range, 3.5–7.0 cm), respectively. Four patients received skin flap thinning up to 57%–79% of the flap thickness, while one patient did not need to debulk. The thickness of the ALT flap ranged from 6 to 13 mm. All the flaps survived completely and postoperative courses were uneventful without any complications. The follow‐up time ranged from 12 to 51 months. All patients were able to stand and ambulate, and they were satisfied with the reconstructive results.

Conclusions

The free thin chimeric ALT with FL flap is appeared to be an appropriate treatment for the massive Achilles tendon and overlying skin defects. This may be a practical approach to improve the functional outcomes of patients with infected massive Achilles tendon and overlying skin defects.
The research on high‐performance CO2 gas measurement using the Kalman‐wavelet algorithm
Authors: Zhang Pengquan , Fan Weiyao , Xiang Tieming
Published: June 2022

To measure the concentration of trace CO2 with high performance, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy technology was adopted in this paper. Kalman‐wavelet algorithm was used to depress the detector noise and optical interference fringe noise. Experimental results show that the second harmonic signal‐to‐noise ratio of the measuring system at 50ppmv CO2 gas was improved by 2.06 times compared with no filtering. Under different CO2 concentrations, the measuring errors are from 2.57% to 2.66%. According to Allan variance analysis, the minimum detection limit was reduced to 5.2 ppmv with the optimal integration time of 61 s. And, the standard deviation value was decreased from 33 to 19 ppmv during long‐term measurement, which can guarantee the high‐performance measurement of CO2 gas.
Compact half H‐shaped dielectric resonator antenna for wideband applications
Authors: Gaonkar Abhijeet , Patel Pragati
Published: June 2022

In this study, the authors present the design of a half H‐shaped dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) for compact size and wide bandwidth. The trapezoidal patch feed is used to excite the DRA, which results in TE113Y and TE115Y resonant modes of the rectangular DRA (RDRA). It is found that the broad‐side higher‐order TE113Y with the TE115Ymode is used in the proposed design to make it wideband. The effective dielectric constant of the proposed DRA is reduced by the slots and then the structure is made half to make it compact. Finally, for further improvement in bandwidth, the size of the ground plane is reduced, which increases the parallel capacitive reactance and decreases the Q‐factor. The proposed structure achieves measured impedance bandwidth S11 ≤ −10 dB of 75% (4.30–9.50 GHz) with a maximum gain of 7.20 dB. The proposed DRA is applicable for WLAN (5.15–5.72 GHz) and orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing 802.11a (5.72–5.85 GHz).
A multi‐classification model for non‐small cell lung cancer subtypes based on independent subtask learning
Authors: Li Jinkai , Song Fan , Zhang Peng , Ma Chenbin , Zhang Tianyi , Sun Yangyang , Feng Youdan , Song Xiao , Lyu Shangqing , Zhang Guanglei
Published: June 2022

Purpose

The non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be divided into adenocarcinoma (ADC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), large cell carcinoma (LCC), and not otherwise specified (NOS), which is crucial for clinical decision‐making. However, current related researches are rare for the complex multi‐classification of NSCLC, mainly due to the serious data imbalance, the difficulty to unify the feature space, and the complicated decision boundary among multiple subtypes. The machine learning method of traditional “one‐vs‐one” (OVO) is difficult to solve these problems and achieve good results.

Methods

To this end, we propose a novel independent subtask learning (ISTL) method to better carry out the multi‐classification task. Specifically, it includes four pertinent strategies: (1) independent data expansion; (2) independent feature selection (IFS); (3) independent model construction; and (4) a novel voting strategy: majority voting combined with Bayesian prior. We performed experiments using 1036 CT scans (ADC:SCC:LCC:NOS = 600:268:105:63) collected from eight international databases, and the data acquisition was highly complex and diverse.

Results

The experimental results showed that the ISTL method obtained an accuracy of 0.812 on the independent test cohort, which significantly improved the performance of multi‐classification compared with the traditional OVO‐support vector machine (0.691) and OVO‐random forest (0.710) models. After the IFS, six selected feature sets of six binary tasks are obviously different, indicating that the ISTL method has better interpretability to distinguish the multiple NSCLC subtypes. The results of a further auxiliary contrast experiment showed that four pertinent strategies were all effective.

Conclusion

Our work indicates that the ISTL method can effectively perform multi‐classification of NSCLC subtypes with better interpretability for clinical computer‐aided detection and has the potential to be applied in a wide range of multi‐classification studies.
Multistep Bulk‐/Gas‐Phase Polymerization of Propene in a Reaction Calorimeter
Authors: Valaei Sina , Bartke Michael
Published: June 2022

This article outlines a kinetic study of two different Ziegler–Natta type catalysts in multistep bulk‐/gas‐phase polymerization of propene in a reaction calorimeter. In the first stage, bulk‐phase polymerization of propene, the matrix material is produced and kinetic information about the polymerization is extracted from power compensation calorimetry data. Focus is set on the influence of hydrogen on polymerization kinetics and comparing the performance of the two catalysts. In the 2nd stage, gas‐phase copolymerization of propene and ethylene, an elastomeric copolymer is produced as impact modifier and kinetic information is obtained from semibatch operation in constant conditions. The influence of monomer/comonomer ratio on copolymerization behavior of the two catalysts is investigated and compared.
Face masks and respirators: Towards sustainable materials and technologies to overcome the shortcomings and challenges
Authors: Bhattacharjee Shovon , Bahl Prateek , Chughtai Abrar Ahmad , Heslop David , MacIntyre C. Raina
Published: June 2022

The unprecedented threat of COVID‐19 and the likelihood of other emerging infectious diseases have accentuated the need for sustainable and effective masks and respirators (MAR). MAR assists in minimizing the risk of infection and controlling the spread of pathogens. However, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, there was a worldwide scarcity of MAR due to unprecedented global demand. There are also notable limitations in commonly used MAR, such as low filtration efficiency, poor fit, non‐reusability, physiological impact, lack of biocompatibility and non‐biodegradability, and inability to kill pathogens. Therefore, there remains an unmet need for a comprehensive study focusing on potential materials and new technologies for MAR. Here we outline a comprehensive overview of the limitations of conventional MAR followed by required potential solutions (such as using nanofibers/graphene base filters/metal‐organic framework as filter media, laser scanning and 3D printing for fit and seal, applying antimicrobial nanomaterials coating on filter media, using reusable and biodegradable materials, developing high‐performing cloth masks, improving hydrophobicity, etc.). The information on potential materials and new technologies of MAR and research evidence outlined here can inform further research and development of high‐performing and sustainable respiratory protection technologies to improve the health and safety of the first responders and the community.
Delirium in elderly postoperative patients: A prospective cohort study
Authors: Muzzana Chiara , Mantovan Franco , Huber Markus Karl , Trevisani Katia , Niederbacher Sarah , Kugler Alexander , Ausserhofer Dietmar
Published: June 2022

Aim

To describe the incidence, time in days and risk factors for postoperative delirium in elderly patients.

Design

Prospective cohort study.

Methods

Patients over 65 years were daily screened with the 4A's Test and the Delirium Observation Screening Scale for postoperative delirium. A psychiatrist assessed according to the DSM‐V. We performed descriptive and logistic regression analyses.

Results

From 202 patients, 7.5% (N = 15) had a diagnosed postoperative delirium, whereby 73.3% (N = 11) developed the delirium during the first 48 hr after surgery. The median duration was 1 day. Patients over 80 years suffering from heart failure with surgical drains, bladder catheter, central venous catheter had higher odds for developing a postoperative delirium. The incidence of postoperative delirium in our sample was lower compared with other surgical and ortho‐geriatric populations. Despite age, several modifiable postoperative factors were associated with the occurrence of postoperative delirium.
Advances in polymeric nanocomposites for automotive applications: A review
Authors: Shah Vraj , Bhaliya Jaydip , Patel Gautam M. , Deshmukh Kalim
Published: June 2022

The relevance of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) in the automobile industry has been booming for the last few decades because this kind of material can fulfill the need for lightweight vehicles, and that leads to low gasoline intake and drain gas emission. This review covers the fundamental aspects of polymer‐based nanocomposites and their application in the automotive sector. Following an introduction that comprises the need for PNCs and their rewards over traditional materials for instance, excellent thermal and mechanical strength, eco‐friendliness, affordable corrosion resistance, low density, and so on. In addition, the review also covers how these composites can be useful in automotive sector applications. Apart from this, the second section covers the different synthetic approaches (solution casting, melt blending, electrodeposition, electrospinning, in‐situ polymerization, and others) for the manufacturing of PNCs and their characterizations using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray analysis, and other techniques. Afterward, the applications of PNCs in different parts of vehicles such as automotive coatings, tires, glasses, and inner parts of the vehicles, extra will be discussed. Finally, discussions related to key areas of PNCs and future perspectives are explained.
Minigene‐based splicing analysis and ACMG/AMP‐based tentative classification of 56 ATM variants
Authors: Bueno‐Martínez Elena , Sanoguera‐Miralles Lara , Valenzuela‐Palomo Alberto , Esteban‐Sánchez Ada , Lorca Víctor , Llinares‐Burguet Inés , Allen Jamie , García‐Álvarez Alicia , Pérez‐Segura Pedro , Durán Mercedes , Easton Douglas F , Devilee Peter , Vreeswijk Maaike PG , de la Hoya Miguel , Velasco‐Sampedro Eladio A
Published: June 2022

The ataxia telangiectasia‐mutated (ATM) protein is a major coordinator of the DNA damage response pathway. ATM loss‐of‐function variants are associated with 2‐fold increased breast cancer risk. We aimed at identifying and classifying spliceogenic ATM variants detected in subjects of the large‐scale sequencing project BRIDGES. A total of 381 variants at the intron–exon boundaries were identified, 128 of which were predicted to be spliceogenic. After further filtering, we ended up selecting 56 variants for splicing analysis. Four functional minigenes (mgATM) spanning exons 4–9, 11–17, 25–29, and 49–52 were constructed in the splicing plasmid pSAD. Selected variants were genetically engineered into the four constructs and assayed in MCF‐7/HeLa cells. Forty‐eight variants (85.7%) impaired splicing, 32 of which did not show any trace of the full‐length (FL) transcript. A total of 43 transcripts were identified where the most prevalent event was exon/multi‐exon skipping. Twenty‐seven transcripts were predicted to truncate the ATM protein. A tentative ACMG/AMP (American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics/Association for Molecular Pathology)‐based classification scheme that integrates mgATM data allowed us to classify 29 ATM variants as pathogenic/likely pathogenic and seven variants as likely benign. Interestingly, the likely pathogenic variant c.1898+2T>G generated 13% of the minigene FL‐transcript due to the use of a noncanonical GG‐5’‐splice‐site (0.014% of human donor sites). Circumstantial evidence in three ATM variants (leakiness uncovered by our mgATM analysis together with clinical data) provides some support for a dosage‐sensitive expression model in which variants producing ≥30% of FL‐transcripts would be predicted benign, while variants producing ≤13% of FL‐transcripts might be pathogenic. © 2022 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Effect of black rice husk ash biosilica on mechanical, wear, and fatigue behavior of stacked aloevera/roselle and glass fiber reinforced epoxy composite
Authors: R. Ramaswamy , N. Nagabhooshanam , E. Manoj , M. Thiyagu , Patil Pravin P.
Published: June 2022

In this present study, a high‐performance structural epoxy biocomposite has been prepared and characterized for its mechanical, wear, and fatigue behavior. The main aim of this research was to determine the effect of fiber stacking order and the biosilica addition in the epoxy hybrid composite when it is subjected to external loading. The research also focused on how the surface treatment process on fiber and particle affects the mechanical, wear, and fatigue behavior of composite. The biosilica particles were synthesized from black rice husks and then surface treated with 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane. Similarly, a base treatment was applied to fiber mats and the composite laminates for this investigation were fabricated by hand layup process. It is noted that the composite designations E12 and E22 exhibited an improved tensile strength of 58, 62% and flexural strength of 45, 51% for 1.0 vol% biosilica in both staking sequence models. Similarly, in inter‐laminar shear strength the composites E2, E21 and E22 outperformed than E1, E11, and E12. In terms of Izod impact toughness and hardness, composite designation E22 provides maximum increment of about 94% and 5%. The wear resistance of composite E22 exhibited lower wear loss and COF. The highest fatigue life count of 41,782 was observed for the composite designation E22 in tension‐tension fatigue mode. Overall the stacking order R/A/G/A/R gives better results than others. These load bearing properties enhanced hybrid composites might be employed in structural, industrial, automotive, home appliance, defense, and lightweight industrial applications.
Anticoagulant activity analysis and origin identification of Panax notoginseng using HPLC and ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy
Authors: Cui Zhi‐Ying , Liu Chun‐Lu , Li Dan‐Dan , Wang Yuan‐Zhong , Xu Fu‐Rong
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Panax notoginseng is one of the traditional precious and bulk‐traded medicinal materials in China. Its anticoagulant activity is related to its saponin composition. However, the correlation between saponins and anticoagulant activities in P. notoginseng from different origins and identification of the origins have been rarely reported.

Objectives

We aimed to analyze the correlation of components and activities of P. notoginseng from different origins and develop a rapid P. notoginseng origin identification method.

Materials and methods

Pharmacological experiments, HPLC, and ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy (variable selection) combined with chemometrics methods of P. notoginseng main roots from four different origins (359 individuals) in Yunnan Province were conducted.

Results

The pharmacological experiments and HPLC showed that the saponin content of P. notoginseng main roots was not significantly different. It was the highest in main roots from Wenshan Prefecture (9.86%). The coagulation time was prolonged to observe the strongest effect (4.99 s), and the anticoagulant activity was positively correlated with the contents of the three saponins. The content of ginsenoside Rg1 had the greatest influence on the anticoagulant effect. The results of spectroscopy combined with chemometrics show that the variable selection method could extract a small number of variables containing valid information and improve the performance of the model. The variable importance in projection has the best ability to identify the origins of P. notoginseng; the accuracy of the training set and the test set was 0.975 and 0.984, respectively.

Conclusion

This method is a powerful analytical tool for the activity analysis and identification of Chinese medicinal materials from different origins.
Risks of serious adverse events and kidney injury in patients treated with ibandronate: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Mitsuboshi Satoru , Kotake Kazumasa
Published: June 2022

Background

Several reports suggest that adverse events caused by ibandronate are less serious than those associated with the other bisphosphonates. The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to determine whether ibandronate has low rates of serious adverse events and kidney injury.

Methods

Randomized controlled trials were selected, and the study populations consisted of adult patients with osteoporosis. The primary outcome was all serious adverse events and the secondary outcome was kidney injury. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to assess the quality of evidence.

Results

Nineteen studies were eligible for inclusion. No significant difference in the rate of serious adverse events or that of kidney injury was found between ibandronate and placebo or between ibandronate and other bisphosphonates. However, a sensitivity analysis, which excluded studies at “high risk” of detection bias, found that the risk of serious adverse events was significantly lower for ibandronate than for the other bisphosphonates (risk ratio 0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.66–0.94, p < 0.01). This finding was assessed as high‐quality evidence when the GRADE criteria were applied. Only five studies (26%) reported kidney injury as an adverse event.

Conclusions

Limited evidence was found to suggest that ibandronate may carry a lower risk of serious adverse events compared with other bisphosphonates. Further high‐quality randomized controlled trials are needed to compare the risk of kidney injury associated with the various bisphosphonates.
The rolB‐transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants exhibit upregulated ARF7 and ARF19 gene expression
Authors: Bose Rahul , Sengupta Mainak , Basu Debabrata , Jha Sumita
Published: June 2022

Agrobacterium rhizogenes root oncogenic locus B (rolB) is known to induce hairy roots along with triggering several physiological and morphological changes when present as a transgene. However, it is still unknown how this gene triggers these changes within the plant system. In this study, the effect of rolB in‐planta, when present as a transgene, was assessed on the gene expression levels of auxin response factors (ARFs)—transcription factors which are key players in auxin‐mediated responses. The goal was to uncover Auxin/ARF‐driven transcriptional networks potentially active and working selectively, if any, in rolB transgenic background, which might potentially be associated with hairy root development. Hence, the approach involved establishing rolB‐transgenic Nicotiana tabacum plants, selecting ARFs (NtARFs) for context‐relevance using bioinformatics followed by gene expression profiling. It was observed that out of the chosen NtARFs, NtARF7 and NtARF19 exhibited a consistent pattern of gene upregulation across organ types. In order to understand the significance of these selective gene upregulation, ontology‐based transcriptional network maps of the differentially and nondifferentially expressed ARFs were constructed, guided by co‐expression databases. The network maps suggested that NtARF7‐NtARF19 might have major deterministic, underappreciated roles to play in root development in a rolB‐transgenic background—as observed by higher number of “root‐related” biological processes present as nodes compared to network maps for similarly constructed other non‐differentially expressed ARFs. Based on the inferences drawn, it is hypothesized that rolB, when present as a transgene, might drive hairy root development by selective induction of NtARF7 and NtARF19, suggesting a functional link between the two, leading to the specialized and characteristic rolB‐associated traits.
Use of mechanical insufflation exsufflation and manual techniques in an intubated adult with COVID‐19 positioned in prone—A case study
Authors: Apps Chloe , Morris Kelly , Allum Laura , Shah Neeraj , Mylott Laura , Hinton Isobel , Spencer Danielle , Farley Rachel , Mitchell Hannah , Osman Leyla
Published: June 2022

Background and Purpose

The therapeutic benefits of prone positioning have been described over the last 50 years culminating in a systematic review supporting this management strategy for patients with severe hypoxaemic respiratory failure. Early work detailing treatment approaches for COVID‐19 have advocated the use of prone positioning. Limited data exists regarding physiotherapy intervention in patients with COVID‐19 owing to the recent emergence of this novel disease. Despite the acknowledged beneficial effects of physiotherapy on secretion clearance and lung recruitment in the general critical care population, there is a lack of evidence pertaining to physiotherapeutic intervention for acutely unwell intubated adults in prone lying.

Methods

This case study report follows the CARE case report guidelines. One patient with COVID‐19 pneumonitis who underwent physiotherapy intervention in prone lying is discussed. Informed consent was gained from next of kin for data to be published.

Results

Treatment techniques including mechanical insufflation‐exsufflation in prone were feasible and well tolerated by this patient with only transient adverse effects noted. Treatment techniques assisted with secretion clearance.

Discussion

Further work on safety, feasibility, and efficacy of physiotherapy intervention in patients with and without COVID‐19 in prone will contribute to the evidence base on this subject.
Preparation and performance characteristics of spider venom peptide nanocapsules
Authors: Wei Zheng , Xu Junhu , Peng Xinya , Yuan Zitong , Zhao Chenchen , Guo Kunyan , Zhang Xuqian , He Ying , Zhang Zan , Wu Yan , Shen Guangmao , Qian Kun
Published: June 2022

Background

ω‐hexatoxin‐Hvn1b is an insecticidal toxin produced by the Tasmanian funnel‐web spider (Hadronyche venenata), that can be exploited for development of novel bioinsecticides. Due to its larger size and low membrane permeability, this toxin usually has a slower mode of action compared to conventional small molecule insecticides. Nanoscale materials have unique optical, electrical, mechanical and biological properties, and show great application prospects for pesticide delivery.

Results

The physical and chemical properties of nanocapsules were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, laser particle size analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle testing and with a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results indicated that the nanocapsules were spherical, with an average particle size of 197.70 nm, the encapsulation efficiency rate was 75.82% and the Zeta potential was −32.90 mV. Penetration experiments showed that the nanocapsules could promote protein passage through the intestinal tract of Spodoptera litura and reach the body fluid. Then we expressed ω‐hexatoxin‐Hvn1b by prokaryotic expression. Bioassay results showed that the oral toxicity of ω‐hexatoxin‐Hvn1b nanocapsules to S. litura was higher than that of the ω‐hexatoxin‐Hvn1b.

Conclusion

In this paper, we reported a construction method of spider venom peptide nanocapsules based on polylactic‐co‐glycolic acid by multiple emulsion for delivery of protein to improve the insecticidal effect and oral activity of ω‐hexatoxin‐Hv1a. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
The effect of UVB‐blocking plastics on the efficacy of Beauveria bassiana and a conventional product against Lygus lineolaris on low tunnel strawberry
Authors: Willden Samantha A , Ugine Todd A , Loeb Gregory M
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND

Effective, safe and practical biocontrol options are greatly needed for combating Lygus lineolaris on protected culture strawberry. This study demonstrated how ultaviolet (UV)‐selective plastics can improve the efficacy of the fungal biocontrol agent Beauveria bassiana (Mycotrol) compared to the conventional insecticide acetamiprid (Assail) against L. lineolaris on low tunnel strawberry.

RESULTS

We found that UVB‐blocking treatments improved B. bassiana spore viability in both in vitro and in vivo laboratory experiments. In the field, survival of Mycotrol‐treated sentinel L. lineolaris was lowest under UVB‐blocking low tunnels, but this did not translate into significant differences among covering treatments in local L. lineolaris density or fruit damage. In contrast, applying the product Assail resulted in the lowest L. lineolaris density and highest quality yield compared to Mycotrol sprays. This was especially pronounced under low tunnels of any UV‐limiting plastic.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that growing under low tunnels is a useful tool to improve the efficacy of conventional products and biopesticides containing microbial biocontrol agents. The efficacy of both products was improved under low tunnels, and specifically under UVB‐blocking plastics for Mycotrol containing B. bassiana. However, there was little evidence that UVB plastics resulted in lower L. lineolaris densities and proportion of damaged fruit for either product in the field. Therefore we conclude that growing under any plastic covering is likely to benefit growers, but the economic value of growing under UVB tunnels is unclear. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Identification and RNAi‐based functional analysis of chitinase family genes in Agrotis ipsilon
Authors: Li Daqi , Zhang Jianqin , Yang Yang , Liu Jiao , Lu Junjiao , Ren Meifeng , Abbas Mureed , Zhu Kun Yan , Zhang Jianzhen
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND

Chitin is a major component in the extracellular matrix of insects, and its metabolism largely affects insect development and molting. As essential degradative enzymes, chitinases are encoded by multiple genes that differ in size, expression pattern and function in insects. However, our limited knowledge on the functions of different chitinases in Agrotis ipsilon has prevented our application of new technologies to target these genes as new pest management strategies.

RESULTS

We revealed 11 full‐length complementary DNA sequences of chitinase genes (AiChts) from A. ipsilon transcriptome. Although the domain architecture of these chitinases varied greatly, they all contained at least one chitinase catalytic domain. Developmental stage‐ and tissue‐dependent expression profiles showed that most AiChts had the highest expression in the pupal stage. Furthermore, AiCht2, AiCht6, AiCht7 and AiCht10 were mainly expressed in the integument, whereas AiCht8 and AiCht‐h had the highest expression in the midgut. The RNA interference (RNAi) experiment revealed that knockdown of AiCht10 or the imaginal disc growth factor gene (AiIDGF) induced high larval mortality. Larvae failed to shed the old cuticle during molting after the injection of double‐stranded RNA targeting AiCht10 (dsAiCht10), whereas the larval bodies shrunk and blackened after the injection of dsRNA targeting AiIDGF (dsAiIDGF).

CONCLUSION

Our results revealed for the first time the important functions of AiCht10 and AiIDGF in A. ipsilon. These genes are essential for larval development, and can potentially serve as new targets for RNAi‐based pest management. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Towards intelligent and integrated pest management through an AIoT‐based monitoring system
Authors: Rustia Dan Jeric Arcega , Chiu Lin‐Ya , Lu Chen‐Yi , Wu Ya‐Fang , Chen Sheng‐Kuan , Chung Jui‐Yung , Hsu Ju‐Chun , Lin Ta‐Te
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND

Main bottleneck in facilitating integrated pest management (IPM) is the unavailability of reliable and immediate crop damage data. Without sufficient insect pest and plant disease information, farm managers are unable to make proper decisions to prevent crop damage. This work aims to present how an integrated system was able to drive farm managers towards sustainable and data‐driven IPM.

RESULTS

A system called Intelligent and Integrated Pest and Disease Management (I2PDM) system was developed. Edge computing devices were developed to automatically detect and recognize major greenhouse insect pests such as thrips (Frankliniella intonsa, Thrips hawaiiensis, and Thrips tabaci), and whiteflies (Bemisia argentifolii and Trialeurodes vaporariorum), to name a few, and measure environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, and light intensity, and send data to a remote server. The system has been installed in greenhouses producing tomatoes and orchids for gathering long‐term spatiotemporal insect pest count and environmental data, for as long as 1368 days. The findings demonstrated that the proposed system supported the farm managers in performing IPM‐related tasks. Significant yearly reductions in insect pest count as high as 50.7% were observed on the farms.

CONCLUSION

It was concluded that novel and efficient strategies can be achieved by using an intelligent IPM system, opening IPM to potential benefits that cannot be easily realized with a traditional IPM program. This is the first work that reports the development of an intelligent strategic model for IPM based on actual automatically collected long‐term data. The work presented herein can help in encouraging farm managers, researchers, experts, and industries to work together in implementing sustainable and data‐driven IPM. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Deep reinforcement learning for personalized treatment recommendation
Authors: Liu Mingyang , Shen Xiaotong , Pan Wei
Published: June 2022

In precision medicine, the ultimate goal is to recommend the most effective treatment to an individual patient based on patient‐specific molecular and clinical profiles, possibly high‐dimensional. To advance cancer treatment, large‐scale screenings of cancer cell lines against chemical compounds have been performed to help better understand the relationship between genomic features and drug response; existing machine learning approaches use exclusively supervised learning, including penalized regression and recommender systems. However, it would be more efficient to apply reinforcement learning to sequentially learn as data accrue, including selecting the most promising therapy for a patient given individual molecular and clinical features and then collecting and learning from the corresponding data. In this article, we propose a novel personalized ranking system called Proximal Policy Optimization Ranking (PPORank), which ranks the drugs based on their predicted effects per cell line (or patient) in the framework of deep reinforcement learning (DRL). Modeled as a Markov decision process, the proposed method learns to recommend the most suitable drugs sequentially and continuously over time. As a proof‐of‐concept, we conduct experiments on two large‐scale cancer cell line data sets in addition to simulated data. The results demonstrate that the proposed DRL‐based PPORank outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art competitors based on supervised learning. Taken together, we conclude that novel methods in the framework of DRL have great potential for precision medicine and should be further studied.
On a reparameterization of a flexible family of cure models
Authors: Milienos Fotios S.
Published: June 2022

The existence of items not susceptible to the event of interest is of both theoretical and practical importance. Although researchers may provide, for example, biological, medical, or sociological evidence for the presence of such items (cured), statistical models performing well under the existence or not of a cured proportion, frequently offer a necessary flexibility. This work introduces a new reparameterization of a flexible family of cure models, which not only includes among its special cases, the most studied cure models (such as the mixture, bounded cumulative hazard, and negative binomial cure model) but also classical survival models (ie, without cured items). One of the main properties of the proposed family, apart from its computationally tractable closed form, is that the case of zero cured proportion is not found at the boundary of the parameter space, as it typically happens to other families. A simulation study examines the (finite) performance of the suggested methodology, focusing to the estimation through EM algorithm and model discrimination, by the aid of the likelihood ratio test and Akaike information criterion; for illustrative purposes, analysis of two real life datasets (on recidivism and cutaneous melanoma) is also carried out.
Studies on Synthesis of Porphyrins – β‐Substituted with Multiple Nitrogen‐containing Groups
Authors: Rosa Mariusz , Ostrowski Stanisław
Published: June 2022

The synthesis of porphyrins with up to four nitrogen substituents at the β‐positions is described. meso‐Tetraarylporphyrin chelates (CuII, ZnII) upon reaction with nitric acid (yellow fuming HNO3, d=1.52, diluted to 30–50 %) in chloroform, under argon, gave mainly dinitro‐derivatives with combined yields of up to 57 %. These intermediates in the reaction with N,N,N‐trimethylhydrazinium iodide (TMHI) in the presence of a base (potassium methoxide, potassium hydroxide) formed β,β‐diamino‐β,β‐dinitro‐porphyrinates via vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS). The obtained products were characterized using 1H NMR, UV‐Vis, MS, and HR‐MS methods. Some attempts of further transformations (diazotisation followed by subsequent reactions, cyclizations, oxidation) were undertaken. At every stage of this investigation a number of various by‐products were identified. This type of highly nitrogen‐substituted β,β‐diamino‐β,β‐dinitro‐porphyrinates, practically not accessible by other methods, are attractive starting materials for synthesis of potential anticancer PDT agents.
Synthesis of Substituted Tropones and Advancement for the Construction of Structurally Significant Skeletons
Authors: Pradhan Priyankar , Das Ipsita , Debnath Saradindu , Parveen Syaleena , Das Tapas
Published: June 2022

Tropones are commercially available and extremely valuable non‐benzenoid aromatic compounds. Tropone and its derivatives are very important building blocks that are immensely used in synthetic organic chemistry and other mechanistic studies. In the broad realm of cycloaddition reactions, tropones behave as versatile cycloaddition partners. In these reactions, they act as 4π, 6π or, 8π synthons. The cycloaddition products derived from tropone play a noticeable role in the synthesis of bioactive molecules. Tropone is a veritable example as a precursor for the synthesis of natural products.. Tropones are one of the major scaffolds in pharmaceutical chemistry. This review is focused on a few protocols for the synthesis of substituted tropones, tropolones and the racemic, asymmetric reactions of tropones that occurred in the last decade (2012–2021).
Green and Non‐Conventional Materials for Membrane Synthesis: A Review
Authors: Mir Fasil Qayoom , Hameed Faheem , Sajad Yamir , Mukhdoomi Bushra
Published: June 2022

Membrane separation has been an upgrade in our quest for eco‐friendly processes because of its minimal energy usage and lesser waste generation. However, the most widely used membranes are polymeric membranes. Most of these membranes are non‐biodegradable and are replaced after deterioration/fouling and then discarded. Dumping without treatment on a large scale is a significant environmental problem. Green polymers only make up a limited percentage of all the new materials that are reported every year. We require more research in developing renewable, inexpensive membranes from waste materials to ensure progress with the least toll on the environment. Several reported green methods can partially achieve green synthesis. This ensures the least use of non‐biodegradable polymers in membranes. This review will emphasize the exploration of more natural materials given the target is to fabricate membranes in a way, where both raw material and membrane preparation are green.
A Facile and Inexpensive Way to Synthesize N‐trifluoromethyl Compounds
Authors: Schaub Stefan , Becker Jonathan , Schindler Siegfried
Published: June 2022

A facile way to introduce CF3 groups on a large variety of secondary amines has been developed, avoiding expensive and hazardous reagents. The advantage of the method could be demonstrated by obtaining crystalline tert‐butyl 4‐(trifluoromethyl)piperazine‐1‐carboxylate, a compound that previously only had been obtained as an oil. A major problem is the extreme sensitivity of these compounds towards moisture.
Understanding and Controlling the Evolution of Nanomorphology and Crystallinity of Organic Bulk‐Heterojunction Blends with Solvent Vapor Annealing
Authors: Harreiß Christina , Langner Stefan , Wu Mingjian , Berlinghof Marvin , Rechberger Stefanie , Will Johannes , Conroy Michele , Bangert Ursel , Unruh Tobias , Brabec Christoph J. , Spiecker Erdmann
Published: June 2022

Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) has been shown to significantly improve the device performance of organic bulk‐heterojunction solar cells, yet the mechanisms linking nanomorphology, crystallinity of the active layer, and performance are still largely missing. Here, the mechanisms are tackled by correlating the evolution of nanomorphology, crystallinity, and performance with advanced transmission electron microscopy methods systematically. Model system of DRCN5T:PC71BM blends are SVA treated with four solvents differing in their donor and acceptor solubilities. The choice of solvent drastically influences the rate at which the maximum device efficiency establishes, though similar values can be achieved for all solvents. The donor solubility is identified as a key parameter that controls the kinetics of diffusion and crystallization of the blend molecules, resulting in an inverse relationship between optimal annealing time and donor solubility. For the highest efficiency, optimum domain size and single‐crystalline nature of DRCN5T fibers are found to be crucial. Moreover, the π–π stacking orientation of the crystallites is directly revealed and related to the nanomorphology, providing insight into the charge carrier transport pathways. Finally, a qualitative model relating morphology, crystallinity, and device efficiency evolution during SVA is presented, which may be transferred to other light‐harvesting blends.
Restoring force model of square tubular columns filled with extra‐high‐performance reactive powder concrete
Authors: Hao Wenxiu , Wei Xingna , Yu Wanli , Jiang Ruinian , Xu Xiao
Published: June 2022

Square tubular column filled with extra‐high‐performance reactive powder concrete (RPC) is a novel composite structure that takes advantage of strong bending resistance of steel tubes and high compressive strength and toughness of RPC. To study the seismic performance of square tubular columns filled with RPC, a series of low‐cycle lateral loading tests were performed on four square tubular columns filled with RPC. The steel content and steel fiber content were selected as test parameters. Experimental results show that a higher steel content and 1% steel fiber result in good energy dissipation and deformation performance of specimens. To establish the restoring force model of square tubular columns filled with RPC, 18 column models with different steel content, axial compression ratio, and slenderness ratio were simulated and analyzed using ABAQUS. The simulation results show that a larger steel content and smaller slenderness ratio can improve the column bearing capacity, but the influence of axial compression ratio is negligible. A restoring force model considering stiffness degradation is proposed using a regression analysis method, which is in good agreement with the experimental results.
Dibutyl phthalate causesMC3T3‐E1cell damage by increasingROSto promote thePINK1/Parkin‐mediated mitophagy
Authors: Cui Yilong , Li Bo , Du Jiayu , Huo Siming , Song Miao , Shao Bing , Wang Ben , Li Yanfei
Published: June 2022

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a plasticizer widely used in daily production, which causes serious environmental pollution, and damage to brain, liver, kidney, and lung by producing excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) after entering the body. DBP can also cause skeletal dysplasia, but it is unclear whether ROS is involved. In addition, overproduction of ROS can activate mitophagy, which is an important mechanism for regulating mitochondrial quality and cell homeostasis. In order to investigate whether DBP can damage MC3T3‐E1 cells (osteoblast cell line) and whether ROS and mitophagy are involved, DBP toxicity experiment, Parkin gene silencing experiment, and N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) intervention experiment were performed on MC3T3‐E1 cells in turn. First, we found that DBP caused MC3T3‐E1 cell viability decline and osteogenic dysfunction, accompanied by the overproduction of ROS and the activation of mitophagy. Then, we found that silencing Parkin expression alleviated DBP‐induced apoptosis and osteogenic dysfunction of MC3T3‐E1 cells. In addition, NAC treatment inhibited the PINK1/Parkin‐mediated mitophagy and alleviated the apoptosis and osteogenic dysfunction of MC3T3‐E1 cells caused by DBP. Our research results showed that DBP could cause MC3T3‐E1 cell damage by increasing ROS to promote the PINK1/Parkin‐mediated mitophagy.
Recent progress of electroactive interface in neural engineering
Authors: Shan Yizhu , Cui Xi , Chen Xun , Li Zhou
Published: June 2022

Neural tissue is an electrical responsible organ. The electricity plays a vital role in the growth and development of nerve tissue, as well as the repairing after diseases. The interface between the nervous system and external device for information transmission is called neural electroactive interface. With the development of new materials and fabrication technologies, more and more new types of neural interfaces are developed and the interfaces can play crucial roles in treating many debilitating diseases such as paralysis, blindness, deafness, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. Neural interfaces are developing toward flexibility, miniaturization, biocompatibility, and multifunctionality. This review presents the development of neural electrodes in terms of different materials for constructing electroactive neural interfaces, especially focus on the piezoelectric materials‐based indirect neuromodulation due to their features of wireless control, excellent effect, and good biocompatibility. We discussed the challenges we need to consider before the application of these new interfaces in clinical practice. The perspectives about future directions for developing more practical electroactive interface in neural engineering are also discussed in this review.

This article is categorized under:

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanomaterials and Implants

Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement
Different plant compartments, different yeasts: The example of the bromeliad phyllosphere
Authors: Félix Ciro R. , da Silva Nascimento Bruno E. , Valente Patrícia , Landell Melissa F.
Published: June 2022

The plant phyllosphere is one of the largest sources of microorganisms, including yeasts. In bromeliads, the knowledge of yeasts is dispersed and still incipient. To understand the extent of our knowledge of the subject, this review proposes to compile and synthesize existing knowledge, elucidating possible patterns, biotechnological and taxonomic potentials, bringing to light new knowledge, and identifying information gaps. For such, we systematically review scientific production on yeasts in bromeliads using various databases. The results indicated that the plant compartments flowers, fruits, leaves, and water tank (phytotelma) have been studied when focusing on the yeast community in the bromeliad phyllosphere. More than 180 species of yeasts and yeast‐like fungi were recorded from the phyllosphere, 70% were exclusively found in one of these four compartments and only 2% were shared among all. In addition, most of the community had a low frequency of occurrence, and approximately half of the species had a single record. Variables such as bromeliad subfamilies and functional types, as well as plant compartments, were statistically significant, though inconclusive and with low explanatory power. At least 50 yeast species with some biotechnological potentials have been isolated from bromeliads. More than 90% of these species were able to produce extracellular enzymes. In addition, other biotechnological applications have also been recorded. Moreover, new species have been described, though yeasts were only exploited in approximately 1% of the existing bromeliads species, which highlights that there is still much to be explored. Nevertheless, it appears that we are still far from recovering the completeness of the diversity of yeasts in this host. Furthermore, bromeliads proved to be a good ecological model for prospecting new yeasts and for studies on the interaction between plants and yeasts. In addition, the yeast community diverged among plant compartments, establishing bromeliads as a microbiologically complex and heterogeneous mosaic.