bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Remittance flows and informal economies in post‐Soviet transition countries
Authors: Kakhkharov Jakhongir , Rohde Nicholas
Published: December 2022

This paper studies the impact of remittance flows on the size of informal economies in post‐Soviet countries. We compile a unique data set from a cluster of transition economies and use panel data econometric models to estimate effect sizes. Identification comes from varying macroeconomic conditions in Russia, which are plausibly exogenous to currency demand in remittance–recipient countries. Our estimates indicate that, across our models, it seems plausible that around 25% of all remittances flow into the informal economies of the region. Since shadow economies facilitate numerous illegal activities (such as organised crime, informal money lenders and money laundering), stronger regulatory and institutional frameworks accompanied with provision of incentives for informal firms to be integrated in the formal economy are likely to curb undesirable economic behaviour.
The COVID‐19 pandemic and trade in agricultural products
Authors: Ridley William , Akhundjanov Sherzod B. , Devadoss Stephen
Published: December 2022

In this study, we develop a structural gravity model to analyse the effects of the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic on international trade in food and agriculture. Using detailed data on trade flows, we estimate the trade impacts of the pandemic for major sectors in food and agriculture. Supply‐side impacts on trade caused by reductions in labour tend to be largest in labour‐intensive sectors such as meat processing and processed fruit and vegetables. The supply‐side export effects are dwarfed by the demand‐side import effects, as the recessionary impact of the pandemic drives significant decreases in imports, largely in processed goods and labour‐intensive commodities.
The associations between diode laser (810 nm) therapy and chronic wound healing and pain relief: Light into the chronic wound patient's life
Authors: Tang Di , Liu Chunmei , Chen Xia , Lv Xian , Yuan Lili , Xue Dongdong , Song Huapei
Published: December 2022

Chronic wounds have become one of the major issues in medicine today, the treatments for which include dressing changes, negative pressure wound therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, light irradiation, surgery and so forth. Nevertheless, the application of diode lasers in chronic wounds has rarely been reported. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of diode laser (810 nm) irradiation on chronic wounds. Eighty‐nine patients were enrolled in the study. The control group (41 patients) received traditional dressing change therapy, while the diode laser treatment group (48 patients) were patients received additional treatment with diode laser (810 nm) irradiation for 10 min at each dressing change. Wound healing time was compared between two groups, while the pain relief index was creatively introduced to evaluate the effect of relieving wound pain, which was calculated by the difference in pain scores between the first and last dressing changes divided by the number of treatment days. The wound healing time of the diode laser treatment group was 22.71 ± 8.99 days, which was significantly shorter than that of the control group (37.44 ± 23.42 days). The pain relief index of the diode laser treatment group was 0.081 ± 0.055, which was significantly increased compared with that of the control group (0.057 ± 0.033). Our findings suggest that diode laser irradiation has the potential to promote healing in chronic wounds and relieve wound pain.
Invasive or noninvasive? A systematic review and network meta‐analysis of acupuncture and acupressure to treat sleep disturbance in cancer patients
Authors: Cheung Denise Shuk Ting , Xu Xinyi , Smith Robert , Takemura Naomi , Yeung Wing Fai , Chan Wing‐lok , Lao Lixing , Lin Chia‐Chin
Published: December 2022

Background

Both acupuncture and acupressure have been suggested beneficial for reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients. While acupuncture is invasive involving needle insertion, acupressure is noninvasive. Their comparative effectiveness is unclear, hindering clinical recommendations.

Aims

This study aimed to explore the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture and acupressure on sleep in cancer patients.

Methods

This is a systematic review and Bayesian network meta‐analysis. Eight key English and Chinese databases were searched. Twenty‐four randomized controlled trials involving 2002 cancer patients comparing the effects of six treatments (manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, acupressure, sham, enhanced usual care, and no treatment) on sleep were found.

Results

Compared with enhanced supportive care, acupressure demonstrated the largest effect size for reducing self‐reported sleep disturbance (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −2.67, 95% CrI: −3.46 to −1.90; GRADE = moderate), followed by acupuncture (SMD = −1.87, 95% CrI: −2.94 to −0.81, GRADE = moderate) and electroacupuncture (SMD = −1.60, 95% CrI: −3 to −0.21; GRADE = low). The surface under the cumulative ranking curve indicates that acupressure is most likely to rank highest.

Linking Evidence to Action

Based on available evidence, acupressure can be recommended as the optimal treatment for reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients. More rigorous trials are warranted to confirm whether different forms of acupuncture or acupressure have different effects on sleep in cancer patients. Particularly, studies examining acupuncture interventions alone instead of in combination with other therapies are needed.
Acute hypoxia elicits lasting reductions in the sympathetic action potential transduction of arterial blood pressure in males
Authors: Shafer Brooke M. , Nardone Massimo , Incognito Anthony V. , Vermeulen Tyler D. , Teixeira André L. , Millar Philip J. , Sheel A. William , West Chris , Ayas Najib , Foster Glen E.
Published: December 2022

Post‐hypoxia sympathoexcitation does not elicit corresponding changes in vascular tone, suggesting diminished sympathetic signalling. Blunted sympathetic transduction following acute hypoxia, however, has not been confirmed and the effects of hypoxia on the sympathetic transduction of mean arterial pressure (MAP) as a function of action potential (AP) activity is unknown. We hypothesized that MAP changes would be blunted during acute hypoxia but restored in recovery and asynchronous APs would elicit smaller MAP changes than synchronous APs. Seven healthy males (age: 24 (3) years; BMI: 25 (3) kg/m2) underwent 20 min isocapnic hypoxia (PETO2: 47 (2) mmHg) and 30 min recovery. Multi‐unit microneurography (muscle sympathetic nerve activity; MSNA) and continuous wavelet transform with matched mother wavelet was used to detect sympathetic APs during baseline, hypoxia, early (first 7 min) and late (last 7 min) recovery. AP groups were classified as synchronous APs, asynchronous APs (occurring outside an MSNA burst) and no AP activity. Sympathetic transduction of MAP was quantified using signal‐averaging, with ΔMAP tracked following AP group cardiac cycles. Following synchronous APs, ΔMAP was reduced in hypoxia (+1.8 (0.9) mmHg) and early recovery (+1.5 (0.7) mmHg) compared with baseline (+3.1 (2.2) mmHg). AP group‐by‐condition interactions show that at rest asynchronous APs attenuate MAP reductions compared with no AP activity (−0.4 (1.1) vs. −2.2 (1.2) mmHg, respectively), with no difference between AP groups in hypoxia, early or late recovery. Sympathetic transduction of MAP is blunted in hypoxia and early recovery. At rest, asynchronous sympathetic APs contribute to neural regulation of MAP by attenuating nadir pressure responses.

image

Key points

Acute isocapnic hypoxia elicits lasting sympathoexcitation that does not correspond to parallel changes in vascular tone, suggesting blunted sympathetic transduction.

Signal‐averaging techniques track the magnitude and temporal cardiovascular responses following integrated muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) burst and non‐burst cardiac cycles. However, this does not fully characterize the effects of sympathetic action potential (AP) activity on blood pressure control.

We show that hypoxia blunts the sympathetic transduction of mean arterial pressure (MAP) following synchronous APs that form integrated MSNA bursts and that sympathetic transduction of MAP remains attenuated into early recovery.

At rest, asynchronous APs attenuate the reduction in MAP compared with cardiac cycles following no AP activity, thus asynchronous sympathetic APs appear to contribute to the neural regulation of blood pressure.

The results advance our understanding of sympathetic transduction of arterial pressure during and following exposure to acute isocapnic hypoxia in humans.
Dimensional Analysis in Error Reduction for Prediction of Nucleate Boiling Heat Flux by Artificial Neural Networks for Limited Dataset
Authors: Banerjee Sandipan , Sussman Mark , Lian Yongsheng
Published: December 2022

In this work, artificial neural networks (ANNs) is used to predict nucleate boiling heat flux by learning from a dataset of twelve experimental parameters across 231 independent samples. An approach to reduce the number of parameters involved and to increase model accuracy is proposed and implemented. The proposed approach consists of two steps. In the first step, a feature importance study is performed to determine the most significant parameters. Only important features are used in the second step. In the second step, dimensional analysis is performed on these important parameters. Neural network analysis is then conducted based on dimensionless parameters. The results indicate that the proposed feature importance study and dimensional analysis can significantly improve the ANNs performance. It also show that model errors based on the reduced dataset are considerably lower than those based on the initial dataset. The study based on other machine learning models also shows that the reduced dataset generate better results. The results conclude that ANNs outperform other machine learning algorithms and outperform a well-known boiling correlation equation. Additionally, the feature importance study concludes that wall superheat, gravity and liquid subcooling are the three most significant parameters in the prediction of heat flux for nucleate boiling. Novel results quantifying parameter significance in surface tension dominated (SDB) and buoyancy dominated (BDB) boiling regimes have been reported. The results show that surface tension and liquid subcooling are the most significant parameters in SDB regime with a combined contribution percentage of 60%, while wall superheat and gravity are the most significant parameters in BDB regime with a combined contribution percentage of 70%.
Numerical Prediction and Correlations of Effective Thermal Conductivity in a Drilled-Hollow-Sphere Architected Foam
Authors: Gurra Eva , Iasiello Marcello , Naso Vincenzo , Chiu Wilson K. S.
Published: December 2022

Additive manufacturing is now a promising option to obtain porous customized structures at relatively low scales. The capability to design structures with tunable heat transfer performance compared to conventional porous materials, such as open-cell foams, is very interesting to the user. In this study, we investigated heat conduction in a drilled-hollow-sphere architected foam, inspired by Triply-Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) and foam structures, generated using perforated spherical hollow shells connected with cylindrical binders. Temperature fields and heat fluxes in the foam were predicted numerically, and the effective thermal conductivity of the foam was calculated for different sets of the binder angle, the shell thickness, and the perforation radius. The dependence of the foam porosity on the binder angle and perforation radius was also pointed out. Predictions were validated by comparing them with data available from the literature. Results showed that varying the characteristics of the investigated drilled-hollow-sphere architected foam, its predicted effective thermal conductivity can be adjusted by more than one order of magnitude larger or smaller than that of conventional foams, making architected foams promising enhancers of their heat transfer performance. Finally, new dimensionless correlations among the effective thermal conductivity and some significant morphological parameters of the foam were derived and presented for practical use.
Phonological effects on the perceptual weighting of voice cues for voice gender categorization
Authors: Jebens Almut , Başkent Deniz , Rachman Laura
Published: December 2022

Voice perception and speaker identification interact with linguistic processing. This study investigated whether lexicality and/or phonological effects alter the perceptual weighting of voice pitch (F0) and vocal-tract length (VTL) cues for perceived voice gender categorization. F0 and VTL of forward words and nonwords (for lexicality effect), and time-reversed nonwords (for phonological effect through phonetic alterations) were manipulated. Participants provided binary “man”/“woman” judgements of the different voice conditions. Cue weights for time-reversed nonwords were significantly lower than cue weights for both forward words and nonwords, but there was no significant difference between forward words and nonwords. Hence, voice cue utilization for voice gender judgements seems to be affected by phonological, rather than lexicality effects.
Black Lives Matter to the NBA: The Impact of Sport Fanship and Political Affiliation on the Perception of the NBA’s Racial Justice Initiatives During the 2020 Playoff Bubble
Authors: Brown Kenon A. , Lewis Nicky , Barnidge Matthew , Boman Courtney D.
Published: December 2022

The NBA’s (National Basketball Association’s) racial justice initiatives during the 2020 Playoff Bubble are considered an act of corporate social advocacy and provide an exemplary scenario to explore this intersection of sport and politics. Based on this observation, the purpose of this study was to explore how one’s level of identification with the NBA and his/her identification with a political party can impact one’s perception of the NBA’s racial justice initiatives. Specifically, the researchers wanted to determine if outrage toward the NBA and one’s perception of the NBA’s reputation is influenced more by one’s political identity or one’s fanship for the league. A survey was conducted using a national convenience sample of 518 participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results showed that while both fanship and political identity had effects on one’s outrage toward the NBA and one’s perceived reputation of the NBA, the stronger factor differed between Democrats and Republicans.
Gender Differences in Careers and Publications Within the Sport Management Academy
Authors: Sailofsky Daniel , Orr Madeleine , Darvin Lindsey
Published: December 2022

Sport management programs are essential pathways by which aspiring professionals in the sport industry achieve their university education. Although a substantial segment of sport management scholarship has focused on driving for higher rates of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sport industry, less attention has been paid to the sport management academy. In this study, we examine the gender representation of full-time faculty positions, publications, and research methodologies in sport management. Our results show that men are employed in higher numbers overall. In the 329 sport management programs studied, the percentages of women employed at each level are assistant professor 46.8%, associate professor 39.5%, and full professor 37%, suggesting a drop-off aligned with the concept of career derailment or a time lag in reaching equity in the discipline. Women are also less published in top sport management journals (Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly, and Sport Management Review). Implications of these findings are discussed, as well as future research directions.
Anomalously field-susceptible spin clusters emerging in the electric-dipole liquid candidate κ-(ET)
2
Hg(SCN)
2
Br
Authors: Urai Mizuki , Miyagawa Kazuya , Watanabe Yuta , Zhilyaeva Elena I. , Torunova Svetlana A. , Lyubovskaya Rimma N. , Drichko Natalia , Kanoda Kazushi
Published: December 2022

Mutual interactions in many-body systems bring about various exotic phases, among which liquid-like states failing to order due to frustration are of keen interest. The organic system with an anisotropic triangular lattice of molecular dimers, κ-(ET)
2
Hg(SCN)
2
Br, has been suggested to host a dipole liquid arising from intradimer charge-imbalance instability, possibly offering an unprecedented stage for the spin degrees of freedom. Here, we show that an extraordinary unordered/unfrozen spin state having soft matter–like spatiotemporal characteristics emerges in this system.
1
H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and magnetization measurements indicate that gigantic, staggered moments are nonlinearly and inhomogeneously induced by a magnetic field, whereas the moments vanish in the zero-field limit. The analysis of the NMR relaxation rate signifies that the moments fluctuate at a characteristic frequency slowing down to below megahertz at low temperatures. The inhomogeneity, local correlation, and slow dynamics indicative of middle-scale dynamical correlation length of several nanometers suggest novel frustration-driven spin clusterization.
Discovery of super–insecticide-resistant dengue mosquitoes in Asia: Threats of concomitant knockdown resistance mutations
Authors: Kasai Shinji , Itokawa Kentaro , Uemura Nozomi , Takaoka Aki , Furutani Shogo , Maekawa Yoshihide , Kobayashi Daisuke , Imanishi-Kobayashi Nozomi , Amoa-Bosompem Michael , Murota Katsunori , Higa Yukiko , Kawada Hitoshi , Minakawa Noboru , Cuong Tran Chi , Yen Nguyen Thi , Phong Tran Vu , Keo Sath , Kang Kroesna , Miura Kozue , Ng Lee Ching , Teng Hwa-Jen , Dadzie Samuel , Subekti Sri , Mulyatno Kris Cahyo , Sawabe Kyoko , Tomita Takashi , Komagata Osamu
Published: December 2022

Aedes aegypti
(Linnaeus, 1762) is the main mosquito vector for dengue and other arboviral infectious diseases. Control of this important vector highly relies on the use of insecticides, especially pyrethroids. The high frequency (>78%) of the L982W substitution was detected at the target site of the pyrethroid insecticide, the voltage-gated sodium channel (Vgsc) of
A. aegypti
collected from Vietnam and Cambodia. Alleles having concomitant mutations L982W + F1534C and V1016G + F1534C were also confirmed in both countries, and their frequency was high (>90%) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Strains having these alleles exhibited substantially higher levels of pyrethroid resistance than any other field population ever reported. The L982W substitution has never been detected in any country of the Indochina Peninsula except Vietnam and Cambodia, but it may be spreading to other areas of Asia, which can cause an unprecedentedly serious threat to the control of dengue fever as well as other
Aedes
-borne infectious diseases.
Rapid assessment of adult abundance and demographic connectivity from juvenile kin pairs in a critically endangered species
Authors: Patterson Toby A. , Hillary Richard M. , Kyne Peter M. , Pillans Richard D. , Gunasekera Rasanthi M. , Marthick James R. , Johnson Grant J. , Feutry Pierre
Published: December 2022

The viability of spatially structured populations depends on the abundance and connectivity between subpopulations of breeding adults. Yet, for many species, both are extremely difficult to assess. The speartooth shark is a critically endangered elasmobranch inhabiting tropical rivers with only three adults ever recorded in Australia. Close-kin mark-recapture models, informed by sibling pairs among 226 juveniles, were developed to estimate adult abundance and connectivity in two Australian river systems. Sixty-eight sibling pairs were found, and adult abundance was estimated at 892 for the Adelaide River and 1128 for the Alligator Rivers. We found strong evidence for female philopatry, with most females returning to the same river to pup. Adelaide River males appear largely philopatric, whereas Alligator Rivers males are highly connected to the Adelaide River. From only 4 years of sampling, our results demonstrate that juvenile-only kin pairs can inform simultaneous estimates of abundance and connectivity in a rare and threatened species.
3D morphable systems via deterministic microfolding for vibrational sensing, robotic implants, and reconfigurable telecommunication
Authors: Zhang Lin , Zhang Zongwen , Weisbecker Hannah , Yin Haifeng , Liu Yihan , Han Tianhong , Guo Ziheng , Berry Matt , Yang Binbin , Guo Xu , Adams Jacob , Xie Zhaoqian , Bai Wubin
Published: December 2022

DNA and proteins fold in three dimensions (3D) to enable functions that sustain life. Emulation of such folding schemes for functional materials can unleash enormous potential in advancing a wide range of technologies, especially in robotics, medicine, and telecommunication. Here, we report a microfolding strategy that enables formation of 3D morphable microelectronic systems integrated with various functional materials, including monocrystalline silicon, metallic nanomembranes, and polymers. By predesigning folding hosts and configuring folding pathways, 3D microelectronic systems in freestanding forms can transform across various complex configurations with modulated functionalities. Nearly all transitional states of 3D microelectronic systems achieved via the microfolding assembly can be easily accessed and modulated in situ, offering functional versatility and adaptability. Advanced morphable microelectronic systems including a reconfigurable microantenna for customizable telecommunication, a 3D vibration sensor for hand-tremor monitoring, and a bloomable robot for cardiac mapping demonstrate broad utility of these assembly schemes to realize advanced functionalities.
Triboelectric wetting for continuous droplet transport
Authors: Xu Wanghuai , Jin Yuankai , Li Wanbo , Song Yuxin , Gao Shouwei , Zhang Baoping , Wang Lili , Cui Miaomiao , Yan Xiantong , Wang Zuankai
Published: December 2022

Manipulating liquid is of great significance in fields from life sciences to industrial applications. Owing to its advantages in manipulating liquids with high precision and flexibility, electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) has been widely used in various applications. Despite this, its efficient operation generally needs electrode arrays and sophisticated circuit control. Here, we develop a largely unexplored triboelectric wetting (TEW) phenomenon that can directly exploit the triboelectric charges to achieve the programmed and precise water droplet control. This key feature lies in the rational design of a chemical molecular layer that can generate and store triboelectric charges through agile triboelectrification. The TEW eliminates the requirement of the electric circuit design and additional source input and allows for manipulating liquids of various compositions, volumes, and arrays on various substrates in a controllable manner. This previously unexplored wetting mechanism and control strategy will find diverse applications ranging from controllable chemical reactions to surface defogging.
Mechanically robust stretchable semiconductor metallization for skin-inspired organic transistors
Authors: Kim Min Hyouk , Jeong Min Woo , Kim Jun Su , Nam Tae Uk , Vo Ngoc Thanh Phuong , Jin Lihua , Lee Tae Il , Oh Jin Young
Published: December 2022

Despite recent remarkable advances in stretchable organic thin-film field-effect transistors (OTFTs), the development of stretchable metallization remains a challenge. Here, we report a highly stretchable and robust metallization on an elastomeric semiconductor film based on metal-elastic semiconductor intermixing. We found that vaporized silver (Ag) atom with higher diffusivity than other noble metals (Au and Cu) forms a continuous intermixing layer during thermal evaporation, enabling highly stretchable metallization. The Ag metallization maintains a high conductivity (>10
4
S/cm) even under 100% strain and successfully preserves its conductivity without delamination even after 10,000 stretching cycles at 100% strain and several adhesive tape tests. Moreover, a native silver oxide layer formed on the intermixed Ag clusters facilitates efficient hole injection into the elastomeric semiconductor, which transcends previously reported stretchable source and drain electrodes for OTFTs.
Native holdup (nHU) to measure binding affinities from cell extracts
Authors: Zambo Boglarka , Morlet Bastien , Negroni Luc , Trave Gilles , Gogl Gergo
Published: December 2022

Characterizing macromolecular interactions is essential for understanding cellular processes, yet most methods currently used to detect protein interactions from cells are qualitative. Here, we introduce the native holdup (nHU) approach to estimate equilibrium binding constants of protein interactions directly from cell extracts. Compared to other pull-down–based assays, nHU requires less sample preparation and can be coupled to any analytical methods as readouts, such as Western blotting or mass spectrometry. We use nHU to explore interactions of SNX27, a cargo adaptor of the retromer complex and find good agreement between in vitro affinities and those measured directly from cell extracts using nHU. We discuss the strengths and limitations of nHU and provide simple protocols that can be implemented in most laboratories.
Bot self-destruction memes are no laughing matter in science fiction
Authors: Murphy Robin R.
Published: December 2022

Social media waggishly labels bot failure as self-destruction, but sci-fi anticipated the mistreatment of real-world robots.
R-Type Fonticins Produced by Pragia fontium Form Large Pores with High Conductance
Authors: Látrová Klára , Dolejšová Tereza , Motlová Lucia , Mikušová Gabriela , Bosák Juraj , Snopková Kateřina , Šmajs David , Konopásek Ivo , Fišer Radovan
Published: December 2022

Phage tail-like bacteriocins are now the subject of research as potent antibacterial agents due to their narrow host specificity and single-hit mode of action. In this work, we focused on the structure and mode of action of fonticins.
Transcriptomic Signatures of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Post-Treatment Control
Authors: Wedrychowski Adam , Martin Holly Anne , Li Yijia , Telwatte Sushama , Kadiyala Gayatri Nikhila , Melberg Meghan , Etemad Behzad , Connick Elizabeth , Jacobson Jeffrey M. , Margolis David M. , Skiest Daniel , Volberding Paul , Hecht Frederick , Deeks Steven , Wong Joseph K. , Li Jonathan Z. , Yukl Steven A.
Published: December 2022

The findings presented here provide new insights into how HIV and cellular gene expression change after stopping ART in both noncontrollers and posttreatment controllers. Posttreatment control is associated with an early ability to limit increases in multiply-spliced HIV RNA, a delayed (and presumably immune-mediated) ability to reverse an initial rise in processive/completed HIV transcripts, and multiple differences in cellular gene expression pathways.
Longitudinal Analysis of the Phenotype, Transcriptional Profile, and Anatomic Location of Memory CD8 T Cell Subsets after Acute Viral Infection
Authors: Gill Amanda L. , Hudson William H. , Valanparambil Rajesh M. , Ahn Eunseon , McGuire Donald J. , Wieland Andreas , McManus Daniel T. , Kissick Haydn T. , Akondy Rama S. , Ahmed Rafi
Published: December 2022

CD8 T cells play a critical role in viral immunity and it is important to understand how memory cells are formed and what processes lead to their long-term maintenance. Here, we use a mouse model of acute infection to perform an in-depth, longitudinal analysis of memory CD8 T cell differentiation, examining the phenotype and location of memory cells out to 1 year postinfection.
Enhancing HIV-1 Neutralization by Increasing the Local Concentration of Membrane-Proximal External Region-Directed Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies
Authors: Kim Soohyun , Filsinger Interrante Maria V. , Kim Peter S.
Published: December 2022

The trimeric glycoprotein Env, the only viral protein expressed on the surface of HIV-1, is the target of broadly neutralizing antibodies and the focus of most vaccine development efforts. Broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting the membrane proximal external region (MPER) of Env show lipid-binding characteristics, and modulating this interaction affects neutralization.
High-Quality Genome Sequences of Two Octocoral-Associated Bacteria, Endozoicomonas euniceicola EF212
T
and Endozoicomonas gorgoniicola PS125
T
Authors: Chiou Yu-Jing , Chen Yu-Hsiang , Chiang Pei-Wen , Chen Hsing-Ju , Tang Sen-Lin
Published: December 2022

Endozoicomonas euniceicola
EF212
T
and
Endozoicomonas gorgoniicola
PS125
T
were isolated from soft corals (
Eunicea fusca
and
Plexaura
sp., respectively) and sequenced using a PacBio Sequel IIe sequencer. This is the first report of the genome sequences of culturable octocoral-isolated
Endozoicomonas
strains.
Computationally Efficient Assembly of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gene Expression Compendia
Authors: Doing Georgia , Lee Alexandra J. , Neff Samuel L. , Reiter Taylor , Holt Jacob D. , Stanton Bruce A. , Greene Casey S. , Hogan Deborah A.
Published: December 2022

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is a causative agent of a wide range of infections, including chronic infections associated with cystic fibrosis. These
P. aeruginosa
infections are difficult to treat and often have negative outcomes.
CRISPR-Cas-Guided Mutagenesis of Chromosome and Virulence Plasmid in Shigella flexneri by Cytosine Base Editing
Authors: Sharma Atin , Omer Aden Ruqiya , Puhar Andrea , Cisneros David A.
Published: December 2022

Loss-of-function mutagenesis is critical in understanding the physiological role of genes. Therefore, high-throughput techniques to generate such mutants are important for facilitating the assessment of gene function at a pace that matches systems biology approaches.
Butyrate Ameliorates Insufficient Sleep-Induced Intestinal Mucosal Damage in Humans and Mice
Authors: Gao Ting , Wang Zixu , Dong Yulan , Cao Jing , Chen Yaoxing
Published: December 2022

Radical inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) induced by sleep deficiency is a serious global public health threat. Butyrate, a member of the short-chain fatty acids, exerts multiple effects on it.
Single-Cell Approach Reveals Intercellular Heterogeneity in Phage-Producing Capacities
Authors: Kannoly Sherin , Oken Gabriella , Shadan Jonathan , Musheyev David , Singh Kevin , Singh Abhyudai , Dennehy John J.
Published: December 2022

Phages produce offspring by hijacking a cell's replicative machinery. Previously, it was noted that the variation in the number of phages produced by single infected cells far exceeded cell size variation.
Regulation of Mitochondrial Energy Metabolism by Glutaredoxin 5 in the Apicomplexan Parasite Neospora caninum
Authors: Song Xingju , Yang Xu , Ying Zhu , Wu Kaijian , Liu Jing , Liu Qun
Published: December 2022

Iron-sulfur [Fe-S] clusters are among the oldest and most ubiquitous prosthetic groups, and they are required for a variety of proteins involved in important metabolic processes. The intracellular parasites in the phylum
Apicomplexa
, including
Plasmodium
,
Toxoplasma gondii
, and
Neospora caninum
, harbor the ISC pathway involved in the biosynthesis of [Fe-S] clusters in mitochondria.
Comparative Genomic and Metagenomic Investigations of the Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum Species Complex Reveals Potential Mechanisms Underlying Associations To Skin Health and Disease
Authors: Salamzade Rauf , Swaney Mary Hannah , Kalan Lindsay R.
Published: December 2022

Corynebacteriumare commonly found bacteria on the human skin. In this study, we perform comparative genomics to gain insight into genetic traits which differentiate a phylogenetically related group ofCorynebacterium, theCorynebacterium tuberculostearicumspecies complex, that includes the most prevalent species from the genus in skin microbiomes.
Impact of CD4 T cells on intratumoral CD8 T-cell exhaustion and responsiveness to PD-1 blockade therapy in mouse brain tumors
Authors: Khan Saad M , Desai Rupen , Coxon Andrew , Livingstone Alexandra , Dunn Gavin P , Petti Allegra , Johanns Tanner M
Published: December 2022

Background

Glioblastoma is a fatal disease despite aggressive multimodal therapy. PD-1 blockade, a therapy that reinvigorates hypofunctional exhausted CD8 T cells (Tex) in many malignancies, has not shown efficacy in glioblastoma. Loss of CD4 T cells can lead to an exhausted CD8 T-cell phenotype, and terminally exhausted CD8 T cells (Texterm) do not respond to PD-1 blockade. GL261 and CT2A are complementary orthotopic models of glioblastoma. GL261 has a functional CD4 T-cell compartment and is responsive to PD-1 blockade; notably, CD4 depletion abrogates this survival benefit. CT2A is composed of dysfunctional CD4 T cells and is PD-1 blockade unresponsive. We leverage these models to understand the impact of CD4 T cells on CD8 T-cell exhaustion and PD-1 blockade sensitivity in glioblastoma.

Methods

Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on flow sorted tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from female C57/BL6 mice implanted with each model, with and without PD-1 blockade therapy. CD8+and CD4+T cells were identified and separately analyzed. Survival analyses were performed comparing PD-1 blockade therapy, CD40 agonist or combinatorial therapy.

Results

The CD8 T-cell compartment of the models is composed of heterogenous CD8 Texsubsets, including progenitor exhausted CD8 T cells (Texprog), intermediate Tex, proliferating Tex, and Texterm. GL261 is enriched with the PD-1 responsive Texprogsubset relative to the CT2A and CD4-depleted GL261 models, which are composed predominantly of the PD-1 blockade refractory Textermsubset. Analysis of the CD4 T-cell compartments revealed that the CT2A microenvironment is enriched with a suppressive Tregsubset and an effector CD4 T-cell subset that expresses an inhibitory interferon-stimulated (Isc) signature. Finally, we demonstrate that addition of CD40 agonist to PD-1 blockade therapy improves survival in CT2A tumor-bearing mice.

Conclusions

Here, we describe that dysfunctional CD4 T cells are associated with terminal CD8 T-cell exhaustion, suggesting CD4 T cells impact PD-1 blockade efficacy by controlling the severity of exhaustion. Given that CD4 lymphopenia is frequently observed in patients with glioblastoma, this may represent a basis for resistance to PD-1 blockade. We demonstrate that CD40 agonism may circumvent a dysfunctional CD4 compartment to improve PD-1 blockade responsiveness, supporting a novel synergistic immunotherapeutic approach.
Modeling resistance of colorectal peritoneal metastases to immune checkpoint blockade in humanized mice
Authors: Küçükköse Emre , Heesters Balthasar A , Villaudy Julien , Verheem André , Cercel Madalina , van Hal Susan , Boj Sylvia F , Borel Rinkes Inne H M , Punt Cornelis J A , Roodhart Jeanine M L , Laoukili Jamila , Koopman Miriam , Spits Hergen , Kranenburg Onno
Published: December 2022

Background

The immunogenic nature of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) underlies their responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). However, resistance to ICB is commonly observed, and is associated with the presence of peritoneal-metastases and ascites formation. The mechanisms underlying this site-specific benefit of ICB are unknown.

Methods

We created a novel model for spontaneous multiorgan metastasis in MSI-H CRC tumors by transplanting patient-derived organoids (PDO) into the cecum of humanized mice. Anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocytes-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) ICB treatment effects were analyzed in relation to the immune context of primary tumors, liver metastases, and peritoneal metastases. Immune profiling was performed by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing. The role of B cells was assessed by antibody-mediated depletion. Immunosuppressive cytokine levels (interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)b1, TGFb2, TGFb3) were determined in ascites and serum samples by ELISA.

Results

PDO-initiated primary tumors spontaneously metastasized to the liver and the peritoneum. Peritoneal-metastasis formation was accompanied by the accumulation of ascites. ICB completely cleared liver metastases and reduced primary tumor mass but had no effect on peritoneal metastases. This mimics clinical observations. After therapy discontinuation, primary tumor masses progressively decreased, but peritoneal metastases displayed unabated growth. Therapy efficacy correlated with the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS)—containing B cells and juxtaposed T cells—and with expression of an interferon-γ signature together with the B cell chemoattractant CXCL13. B cell depletion prevented liver-metastasis clearance by anti-CTLA-4 treatment. Peritoneal metastases were devoid of B cells and TLS, while the T cells in these lesions displayed a dysfunctional phenotype. Ascites samples from patients with cancer with peritoneal metastases and from the mouse model contained significantly higher levels of IL-10, TGFb1, TGFb2 and TGFb3 than serum samples.

Conclusions

By combining organoid and humanized mouse technologies, we present a novel model for spontaneous multiorgan metastasis by MSI-H CRC, in which the clinically observed organ site-dependent benefit of ICB is recapitulated. Moreover, we provide empirical evidence for a critical role for B cells in the generation of site-dependent antitumor immunity following anti-CTLA-4 treatment. High levels of immunosuppressive cytokines in ascites may underlie the observed resistance of peritoneal metastases to ICB.
Modification of PLAC8 by UFM1 affects tumorous proliferation and immune response by impacting PD-L1 levels in triple-negative breast cancer
Authors: Mao Misha , Chen Yongxia , Yang Jingjing , Cheng Yifan , Xu Ling , Ji Feiyang , Zhou Jichun , Zhang Xun , Li Zhaoqing , Chen Cong , Ju Siwei , Zhang Jiahang , Wang Linbo
Published: December 2022

Background

Triple-negative breast cancer is characterized by a poor prognosis and lack of targeted treatments, and thus, new targeting markers and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. We previously indicated that PLAC8 promotes tumorigenesis and exerts multidrug resistance in breast cancer. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the PLAC8-regulated network in triple-negative breast cancer.

Methods

We measured the levels of PLAC8 in breast cancer cell lines and found that PLAC8 is post-translationally modified by ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1). Then, we revealed a new regulatory system of PD-L1 by PLAC8 in triple-negative breast cancer. We also tested the molecular functions of PLAC8 in triple-negative breast cancer cell lines and measured the expression of PLAC8 and PD-L1 in breast cancer tissues.

Results

PLAC8 was generally highly expressed in triple-negative breast cancer and could be modified by UFM1, which maintains PLAC8 protein stability. Moreover, PLAC8 could promote cancer cell proliferation and affect the immune response by regulating the level of PD-L1 ubiquitination. Additionally, among patients with breast cancer, the expression of PLAC8 was higher in triple-negative breast cancer than in non-triple-negative breast cancer and positively correlated with the level of PD-L1.

Conclusions

Our current study discoveries a new PLAC8-regulated network in triple-negative breast cancer and provides corresponding guidance for the clinical diagnosis and immunotherapy of triple-negative breast cancer.
Is the folk medicine known as “The Secret” efficient in reducing bleeding after percutaneous coronary procedures?: a double-blinded, randomised trial
Authors: Ferry Charlie , Puricel Serban , Lehmann Sonja , Rickard Kit , Meier Pascal , Togni Mario , Diego Arroyo , Cook Stéphane
Published: December 2022

Aim

Percutaneous coronary interventions require an arterial approach and administration of antithrombotic drugs. This may lead to bleeding complications. The aim of this study was to test whether “The Secret” – a pagan prayer – is effective in reducing post-interventional bleeding.

Design

Randomised controlled trial.

Setting

Monocentric, tertiary care centre.

Participants

From January to July 2022, 200 patients (aged >18 years) undergoing elective coronary angiography were included in the study.

Intervention

The intervention group received “The Secret”in addition to the normal procedure. The control group was treated according to standard practice.

Main outcome measures

The primary outcome was the rate of in-hospital bleeding according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) consensus definition.

Results

The rate of bleeding was similar in both groups (“The Secret” group vs control group) with 16% versus 14% (p=0.69) of BARC 1, 12% versus 13% (p=0.81) of BARC 2, and 0% versus 0% of BARC 3 and 5 (p=1.00). Most (76%) of the participants believed that “The Secret”would be efficient in preventing bleeding.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates no effect on bleeding after percutaneous coronary procedures. A large majority of our study population believe that “The Secret”can have a positive effect on their hospital care.
On the breakdown of the perturbative interaction picture in Big Crunch/Big Bang or the true reason why perturbative string amplitudes on temporal orbifolds diverge
Authors: Pesando Igor
Published: December 2022

We discuss how the perturbative particle paradigm fails in certain background with space-like singularity but asymptotically flat which should admit a S-matrix. The Feynman approach relies on the interaction picture. This approach means that we can interpret interactions as exchanges of particles. Particles are the modes of the quadratic part of the Lagrangian. In certain backgrounds with space-like singularity the interaction Hamiltonian is well defined but the perturbative expansion of the evolution operator through the singularity and the perturbative S matrix do not exist. On the other hand, relying on minisuperspace approximation we argue that the non perturbative evolution operator does exist. The complete breakdown of the perturbative expansion explains why the perturbative computations in the covariant formalism in string theory in temporal orbifold fail, at least at the tree level.
Shadowing effects in the diffractive scattering of virtual photons on nuclei and its interference with the process of bremsstrahlung
Authors: Sandrock Alexander
Published: December 2022

In cosmic ray physics and high-energy neutrino astronomy, muons are ubiquitous. Due to their slow energy loss and consequently large range at high energies, the correct simulation of their transport through matter is especially important for underground experiments. The dominant energy loss processes are ionization and at higher energies pair production, bremsstrahlung and inelastic interaction with nuclei. A muon energy loss process, which has hitherto been neglected in such simulations, is the diffractive scattering of virtual photons on nuclei. As the elastic channel of this process has the same final state as the bremsstrahlung process $$(\mu + A \rightarrow \mu + A + \gamma )$$

(
μ
+
A
→
μ
+
A
+
γ
)

, an interference term arises, whose sign depends on the charge of the lepton. It is found that the contribution of this process was overestimated in earlier works and is significantly affected by shadowing.
Vacua by derivative corrections in $$\mathcal {N} = 1$$ supergravity with matter multiplets
Authors: Inoue Atsuki , Sasaki Shin
Published: December 2022

We study the vacuum structures of four-dimen-sional $$\mathcal {N} = 1$$

N
=
1

old minimal supergravity with higher derivative corrections. We find that $$\mathcal {N} = 1$$

N
=
1

supergravity with Riemann curvature square corrections and higher derivative matter chiral multiplets induces a non-trivial de Sitter vacuum, even in the absence of superpotentials. This vacuum generically breaks supersymmetry. We show that the auxiliary fields in the gravity and the chiral multiples play important roles to generate a potential in supersymmetric higher derivative theories.
Implementation of Digital Filters for Real-Time PPG Signal Processing in VLC
Authors: Priyadharsini R. , Kunthavai A.
Published: December 2022

Health care units depend on Wi-Fi or local area networks for biomedical data communication within their premises. The major hazard associated with biomedical data communication in healthcare units is radio frequency interference with medical devices. Visible light communication (VLC) is a developing technology that solves the issue of RF interference in healthcare units. Long-range communication is a great challenge in VLC as the transmitted data get corrupted by noise from ambient light and degrade with distance. Hence it is necessary to upgrade the signal condition and eradicate the noise due to ambient light interference. The proposed work addresses these issues and enables robust communication in healthcare units. The experimental validation of the proposed work has been executed by analyzing the VLC communication performance up to a distance of 5[Formula: see text]m. The proposed work focuses on implementation of digital filters like finite impulse response, infinite impulse response and least mean square adaptive filter for PPG signal processing. The least mean square filter showed a superior performance with a mean square error of 7.23e[Formula: see text] than the other filters, leading to an accurate diagnosis for patients without any RF interference inside healthcare units.
The Foreign Policy of Small Caribbean States Towards China in the Cold War Era: Looking Past the Veiling
Authors: EMMANUEL KIM
Published: December 2022

Conventional wisdom suggests that small states’ foreign policies are constrained in several ways. These may be confined to size, material resources, geopolitical positioning and limited participation in inter-state affairs. Yet, despite their diminutiveness, small Caribbean states appeared to have acted with surprising dynamism in seeking to promote and uphold relations with China in an unlikely period, the bipolar era. Drawing from official records of their interactions and other documentary sources, these states showed themselves to be quite willing to transcend their various limitations and become rather active participants on issues aligning with their interests in the international sphere. This paper examines how policy-making between the Caribbean region and China unfolded and why it evolved the way it did. It argues that acting through the more ideational context of the Cold War era, policymakers within the Caribbean region implemented strategies and policies premised on shared ideals of Third World solidarity to further relations with China. In embarking on this analysis, two main contributions are envisaged. First, the paper addresses the knowledge gap on small Caribbean states’ foreign policy decision-making vis-à-vis China in the Cold War era. Second, interrogating the dynamic provides a unique opportunity to challenge the received wisdom on small states’ foreign policy behavior in line with an emphasis on small states agency amidst internal and international constraints.
THE LIMITS TO INTERNATIONAL OPEN INNOVATION WITHIN SMEs: THE ROLE OF DISTANCE
Authors: TCHOUWO CARENE TCHUINOU , VEILLEUX SOPHIE , POULIN DIANE
Published: December 2022

This paper examines the limits to adoption of open innovation (OI) within SMEs in an in-ternational context. In-depth interviews were conducted with managers at 40 Canadian SMEs that operate internationally. The results show that these limits are a function of in-ternational distance, which has cultural, institutional, economic, and geographic dimen-sions. We also found that individual factors (international experience, communication, personal values), organisational factors (economic sector, size, international seniority, international entry mode, available resources, dynamic capabilities, organisational culture), and contextual factors (laws and regulations) can increase or decrease the impact of cultural, institutional, economic, or geographic distance. We contribute to the OI literature by describing the limits to OI in an international context. These findings will help managers identify the limits to their use of international OI, as well as the factors that strengthen or mitigate those limits.