bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The use of dynamic CT imaging for tracking mandibular movements in a phantom
Authors: Huys Stijn E F , Keelson Benyameen , de Brucker Yannick , Van Gompel Gert , de Mey Johan , Vander Sloten Jos , Buls Nico
Published: November 2022

Purpose. The objective of this study was to analyse the possibilities of using 4D CT scanning for the tracking of patients’ mandibles. Methods. A clinical 256-slice Revolution CT was used in obtaining 4D CT scans without table movement, with a novel mandibular phantom, mounted on a programmable six degrees-of-freedom Stewart Platform in motion. The phantom was used to simulate mandibular motions which are combinations of rotations with translations (depression, elevation, protrusion, retrusion and laterotrusion). The phantom was scanned five times during identical motion patterns with a dynamic CT acquisition protocol. An image processing workflow consisting of a pairwise rigid registration and semi-automatic segmentation was developed to extract kinematic parameters (cardan angles and point-of-interest displacements) from the dynamic sequences. Reproducibility was investigated by the 95% confidence interval and the absorbed organ dose to organs of interest in the primary beam were also estimated and compared to those of a standard CT scan of the brain Results. The maximum average 95% confidence interval for the displacement across all time points for the five repetitions was 0.61 mm (Y axis). In terms of rotations, the maximum average 95% confidence interval across all time points for the five repetitions was 1.39° (X axis). The effective dose for the dynamic scan was found to be 1.3 mSv, for a CTDIvol of 63.95 mGy and a DLP of 1023.14 mGycm. The absorbed organ doses were similar to organ doses during a clinical head CT scan. Conclusions. A framework is proposed to use 4D CT scanning as a possible methodology to evaluate the motion of the temporomandibular joint. The scanning protocol allows to visualise the motion by applying a semi-automated segmentation and registration. A graphical representation of all displacements in the three spatial dimensions can depict multiple points-of-interest at once during the same acquisition. A novel type of phantom was also introduced which simulates mandibular movement with six degrees-of-freedom (three translations and three rotations).
Instrumentation based material characterization of a split square ring metamaterial and its analytical study as cloak for microwave communication applications
Authors: Srilatha K , Madhav B T P , Reddy S S Mohan , Ahamad Shaik Shakeel , Das Sudipta , Narayana J Lakshmi
Published: November 2022

The study of materials with flexibility, compressive strength, and outstanding resistance is in high demand in the domain of wireless technology. The aim of this study is to design a flexible substrate material that is suitable for cloaking in the microwave frequency range. To determine the characteristics of the materials, commercially obtainable analyzing techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), x-ray Diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) are used. The proposed structure is validated using an electromagnetic simulator, and the metamaterial characteristics are seen as a result. The metasurface is now wrapped around the cylindrical object that will be concealed. The power flow distributions are used to examine the cloaked cylindrical object. The cloak’s resonating frequencies are 4.17 GHz, 6.98 GHz, 9.79 GHz, 14.38 GHz, and 17.07 GHz. Finally, the cloak is measured in the near field using a horn antenna arrangement. The measured results agree perfectly with the simulated ones and are suitable for microwave applications in the X, C, and Ku bands.
Complete cycle of modeling and simulation for wireless power transfer using circuit theory, simple electronics, and open-source software
Authors: El Hage Fabio S
Published: November 2022

This article presents a complete modeling and simulation framework for a simple resonant inductive coupling circuit, composed of a pair of inductive resonators that can wirelessly transfer about 60 W of power at a distance of approximately 15 cm. The circuit was physically implemented, and the transmitting coil was powered by a simple half-bridge electronic circuit that generated a square voltage signal. Measurements were compared to simulation results, and it was found that the proposed model could accurately explain and predict the behavior of the circuit. Our results show that optimum transfer of power varies according to the load values, the fRequency and the distance between the transmitter and receiver, which can vary considerably depending on the application. Simulations using AC circuit analysis helped in depicting the behavior of the circuit under this kind of variability, and in characterizing the presence of the optimum points for power transfer, although these were attained at lower efficiency. The present analysis paves the way for further investigations using control theory to track the frequencies at which maximum power is delivered for each set of variables, i.e., the distance between the resonators and the load value.
Self-assembled supramolecular materials for photocatalytic H2 production and CO2 reduction
Authors: Tian Jia , Yu Junlai , Tang Qingxuan , Zhang Jiangshan , Ma Danying , Lei Yifei , Li Zhan-Ting
Published: November 2022

Photosynthetic organisms harness solar radiation to produce energy-rich compounds from water and atmospheric CO2 via exquisite supramolecular assemblies, which offers a design principle for highly efficient artificial photocatalytic systems. As an emerging research field, significant effort has been devoted to self-assembled supramolecular materials for photocatalytic H2 production and CO2 reduction. In this review, we introduce the basic concepts of supramolecular photocatalytic materials. After that, we will discuss recent advances in the preparation of supramolecular photocatalytic materials from zero-dimension to three-dimension which include molecular assemblies, micelles, hybrid nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanosheets, microcrystals, lipid bilayers, supramolecular organic frameworks, supramolecular metal-organic frameworks, gels, and host-guest metal-organic frameworks, etc. Furthermore, we show the recent progress in the photocatalytic properties of supramolecular photocatalytic materials, i.e. photocatalytic proton reduction, water splitting, CO2 to HCOOH, CO2 to CO, CO2 to CH4 conversions, etc. Finally, we provide our perspective for the future research, with a focus on the development of new structures and highly efficient photocatalysis.
A new characterization of discrete decomposable graphical models
Authors: Duarte Eliana , Solus Liam
Published: November 2022

Decomposable graphical models, also known as perfect directed acyclic graph (DAG) models, play a fundamental role in standard approaches to probabilistic inference via graph representations in modern machine learning and statistics. However, such models are limited by the assumption that the data-generating distribution does not entail strictly context-specific conditional independence relations. The family of staged tree models generalizes DAG models so as to accommodate context-specific knowledge. We provide a new characterization of perfect discrete DAG models in terms of their staged tree representations. This characterization identifies the family of balanced staged trees as the natural generalization of discrete decomposable models to the context-specific setting.
Bounds on the Picard rank of toric Fano varieties with minimal curve constraints
Authors: Beheshti R. , Wormleighton B.
Published: November 2022

We study the Picard rank of smooth toric Fano varieties constrained to possess families of minimal rational curves of given degree. We discuss variants of a conjecture of Chen–Fu–Hwang and prove a version of their statement that recovers the original conjecture in sufficiently high dimension. We also prove new cases of the original conjecture for high degrees in all dimensions. Our main tools come from toric Mori theory and the combinatorics of Fano polytopes.
Smooth solutions to the heat equation which are nowhere analytic in time
Authors: Yang Xin , Zeng Chulan , Zhang Qi
Published: November 2022

The existence of smooth but nowhere analytic functions is well-known (du Bois-Reymond [Math. Ann. 21 (1883), no. 1, pp. 109–117]). However, smooth solutions to the heat equation are usually analytic in the space variable. It is also well-known (Kowalevsky [Crelle 80 (1875), pp. 1–32]) that a solution to the heat equation may not be time-analytic at

t
=
0

t=0

even if the initial function is real analytic. Recently, it was shown by Dong and Pan [J  Math. Fluid Mech. 22 (2020), no. 4, Paper No. 53]; Dong and Zhang [J. Funct. Anal. 279 (2020), no. 4, Paper No. 108563]; Zhang [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), no. 4, pp. 1665–1670] that solutions to the heat equation in the whole space, or in the half space with zero boundary value, are analytic in time under an essentially optimal growth condition. In this paper, we show that time analyticity is not always true in domains with general boundary conditions or without suitable growth conditions. More precisely, we construct two bounded solutions to the heat equation in the half plane which are nowhere analytic in time. In addition, for any

δ
>
0

\delta >0

, we find a solution to the heat equation on the whole plane, with exponential growth of order

2
+
δ

2+\delta

, which is nowhere analytic in time.
A geometric generalization of Kaplansky’s direct finiteness conjecture
Authors: Phung Xuan Kien
Published: November 2022

Let

G
G

be a group and let

k
k

be a field. Kaplansky’s direct finiteness conjecture states that every one-sided unit of the group ring

k
[
G
]

k[G]

must be a two-sided unit. In this paper, we establish a geometric direct finiteness theorem for endomorphisms of symbolic algebraic varieties. Whenever

G
G

is a sofic group or more generally a surjunctive group, our result implies a generalization of Kaplansky’s direct finiteness conjecture for the near ring

R
(
k
,
G
)

R(k,G)

which is

k
[

X
g

:
g
∈
G
]

k[X_g\colon g \in G]

as a group and which contains naturally

k
[
G
]

k[G]

as the subring of homogeneous polynomials of degree one. We also prove that Kaplansky’s stable finiteness conjecture is a consequence of Gottschalk’s Surjunctivity Conjecture.
Yet another proof of Ramanujan’s ₁𝜓₁ sum
Authors: Mimachi Katsuhisa
Published: November 2022

We give a simple proof of Ramanujan’s

1

ψ
1

{}_1\psi _1

sum. The present argument depends on the residue theorem and the

q
q

-binomial theorem only. Even the manipulation of the series is not used. We give also a proof of Bailey’s

6

ψ
6

{}_6\psi _6

sum in the same manner.
Identities involving mock theta functions and theta functions
Authors: Song Hanfei , Wang Chun
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we first present new representations for several mock theta functions. In view of the sign flips on these identities, some interesting results involving theta functions are established by new Bailey pairs and Watson’s

8

ϕ
7

_8\phi _7

transformation formula. Moreover, the truncated forms for the theta series identities are also considered.
Painlevé asymptotics for the coupled Sasa-Satsuma equation
Authors: Liu Nan , Lan Zhong-Zhou , Yu Jia-Dong
Published: November 2022

We compute the long-time asymptotics of the solution to the Cauchy problem for coupled Sasa-Satsuma equation on the line with decaying initial data. By performing a nonlinear steepest descent arguments for an associated

5
×
5

5\times 5

matrix Riemann–Hilbert problem, it turns out that in the sector

|

x

/

t

1

/

3

|

≤
N

|x/t^{1/3}|\leq N

,

N
N

constant, the asymptotics can be expressed in terms of the solution of a coupled modified Painlevé II equation, which is related to a

5
×
5

5\times 5

matrix Riemann–Hilbert problem.
Differential and difference equations for recurrence coefficients of orthogonal polynomials with a singularly perturbed Laguerre-type weight
Authors: Min Chao , Cheng Yuan , Chen Yang
Published: November 2022

We are concerned with the monic orthogonal polynomials with respect to a singularly perturbed Laguerre-type weight. By using the ladder operator approach, we derive a complicated system of nonlinear second-order difference equations satisfied by the recurrence coefficients. This allows us to derive the large

n
n

asymptotic expansions of the recurrence coefficients. In addition, we also obtain a system of differential-difference equations for the recurrence coefficients.
Inferring disease-associated circRNAs by multi-source aggregation based on heterogeneous graph neural network
Authors: Lu Chengqian , Zhang Lishen , Zeng Min , Lan Wei , Duan Guihua , Wang Jianxin
Published: November 2022

Emerging evidence has proved that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in pathogenic processes. They are regarded as promising biomarkers for diagnosis due to covalently closed loop structures. As opposed to traditional experiments, computational approaches can identify circRNA–disease associations at a lower cost. Aggregating multi-source pathogenesis data helps to alleviate data sparsity and infer potential associations at the system level. The majority of computational approaches construct a homologous network using multi-source data, but they lose the heterogeneity of the data. Effective methods that use the features of multi-source data are considered as a matter of urgency. In this paper, we propose a model (CDHGNN) based on edge-weighted graph attention and heterogeneous graph neural networks for potential circRNA–disease association prediction. The circRNA network, micro RNA network, disease network and heterogeneous network are constructed based on multi-source data. To reflect association probabilities between nodes, an edge-weighted graph attention network model is designed for node features. To assign attention weights to different types of edges and learn contextual meta-path, CDHGNN infers potential circRNA–disease association based on heterogeneous neural networks. CDHGNN outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of accuracy. Edge-weighted graph attention networks and heterogeneous graph networks have both improved performance significantly. Furthermore, case studies suggest that CDHGNN is capable of identifying specific molecular associations and investigating biomolecular regulatory relationships in pathogenesis. The code of CDHGNN is freely available at https://github.com/BioinformaticsCSU/CDHGNN.
Robust genetic model-based SNP-set association test using CauchyGM
Authors: Kim Yeonil , Chi Yueh-Yun , Shen Judong , Zou Fei
Published: November 2022

Motivation

Association testing on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data is commonly performed under a single (mostly additive) genetic model framework. However, the underlying true genetic mechanisms are often unknown in practice for most complex traits. When the employed inheritance model deviates from the underlying model, statistical power may be reduced. To overcome this challenge, an integrative association test that directly infers the underlying genetic model from GWAS data has previously been proposed for single-SNP analysis.

Results

In this article, we propose a Cauchy combination Genetic Model-based association test (CauchyGM) under a generalized linear model framework for SNP-set level analysis. CauchyGM does not require prior knowledge on the underlying inheritance pattern of each SNP. It performs a score test that first estimates an individual P-value of each SNP in an SNP-set with both minor allele frequency (MAF) > 1% and three genotypes and further aggregates the rest SNPs using SKAT. CauchyGM then combines the correlated P-values across multiple SNPs and different genetic models within the set using Cauchy Combination Test. To further accommodate both sparse and dense signal patterns, we also propose an omnibus association test (CauchyGM-O) by combining CauchyGM with SKAT and the burden test. Our extensive simulations show that both CauchyGM and CauchyGM-O maintain the type I error well at the genome-wide significance level and provide substantial power improvement compared to existing methods. We apply our methods to a pharmacogenomic GWAS data from a large cardiovascular randomized clinical trial. Both CauchyGM and CauchyGM-O identify several novel genome-wide significant genes.

Availability and implementation

The R package CauchyGM is publicly available on github: https://github.com/ykim03517/CauchyGM.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Clustering single-cell multi-omics data with MoClust
Authors: Yuan Musu , Chen Liang , Deng Minghua
Published: November 2022

Motivation

Single-cell multi-omics sequencing techniques have rapidly developed in the past few years. Clustering analysis with single-cell multi-omics data may give us novel perspectives to dissect cellular heterogeneity. However, multi-omics data have the properties of inherited large dimension, high sparsity and existence of doublets. Moreover, representations of different omics from even the same cell follow diverse distributions. Without proper distribution alignment techniques, clustering methods will encounter less separable clusters easily affected by less informative omics data.

Results

We developed MoClust, a novel joint clustering framework that can be applied to several types of single-cell multi-omics data. A selective automatic doublet detection module that can identify and filter out doublets is introduced in the pretraining stage to improve data quality. Omics-specific autoencoders are introduced to characterize the multi-omics data. A contrastive learning way of distribution alignment is adopted to adaptively fuse omics representations into an omics-invariant representation. This novel way of alignment boosts the compactness and separableness of clusters, while accurately weighting the contribution of each omics to the clustering object. Extensive experiments, over both simulated and real multi-omics datasets, demonstrated the powerful alignment, doublet detection and clustering ability features of MoClust.

Availability and implementation

An implementation of MoClust is available from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7306504.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
SEGCOND predicts putative transcriptional condensate-associated genomic regions by integrating multi-omics data
Authors: Klonizakis Antonios , Nikolaou Christoforos , Graf Thomas
Published: November 2022

Motivation

The compartmentalization of biochemical reactions, involved in the activation of gene expression in the eukaryotic nucleus, leads to the formation of membraneless bodies through liquid–liquid phase separation. These formations, called transcriptional condensates, appear to play important roles in gene regulation as they are assembled through the association of multiple enhancer regions in 3D genomic space. To date, we are still lacking efficient computational methodologies to identify the regions responsible for the formation of such condensates, based on genomic and conformational data.

Results

In this work, we present SEGCOND, a computational framework aiming to highlight genomic regions involved in the formation of transcriptional condensates. SEGCOND is flexible in combining multiple genomic datasets related to enhancer activity and chromatin accessibility, to perform a genome segmentation. It then uses this segmentation for the detection of highly transcriptionally active regions of the genome. At a final step, and through the integration of Hi-C data, it identifies regions of putative transcriptional condensates (PTCs) as genomic domains where multiple enhancer elements coalesce in 3D space. SEGCOND identifies a subset of enhancer segments with increased transcriptional activity. PTCs are also found to significantly overlap highly interconnected enhancer elements and super enhancers obtained through two independent approaches. Application of SEGCOND on data from a well-defined system of B-cell to macrophage transdifferentiation leads to the identification of previously unreported genes with a likely role in the process.

Availability and implementation

Source code and details for the implementation of SEGCOND is available at https://github.com/AntonisK95/SEGCOND

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The genetic and phenotypic spectra of adult genetic leukoencephalopathies in a cohort of 309 patients
Authors: Wu Chujun , Wang Mengwen , Wang Xingao , Li Wei , Li Shaowu , Chen Bin , Niu Songtao , Tai Hongfei , Pan Hua , Zhang Zaiqiang
Published: November 2022

Genetic leukoencephalopathies (gLEs) are a highly heterogeneous group of rare genetic disorders. The spectrum of gLEs varies among patients of different ages. Distinct from the relatively more abundant studies of gLEs in children, only a few studies that explore the spectrum of adult gLEs have been published, and it should be noted that the majority of these excluded certain gLEs. Thus, to date, no large study has been designed and conducted to characterize the genetic and phenotypic spectra of gLEs in adult patients.

We recruited a consecutive series of 309 adult patients clinically suspected of gLEs from Beijing Tiantan Hospital between January 2014 and December 2021. Whole-exome sequencing, mitochondrial DNA sequencing and repeat analysis of NOTCH2NLC, FMR1, DMPK and ZNF9 were performed for patients. We describe the genetic and phenotypic spectra of the set of patients with a genetically confirmed diagnosis and summarize their clinical and radiological characteristics.

A total of 201 patients (65%) were genetically diagnosed, while 108 patients (35%) remained undiagnosed. The most frequent diseases were leukoencephalopathies related to NOTCH3 (25%), NOTCH2NLC (19%), ABCD1 (9%), CSF1R (7%) and HTRA1 (5%). Based on a previously proposed pathological classification, the gLEs in our cohort were divided into leukovasculopathies (35%), leuko-axonopathies (31%), myelin disorders (21%), microgliopathies (7%) and astrocytopathies (6%). Patients with NOTCH3 mutations accounted for 70% of the leukovasculopathies, followed by HTRA1 (13%) and COL4A1/2 (9%). The leuko-axonopathies contained the richest variety of associated genes, of which NOTCH2NLC comprised 62%. Among myelin disorders, demyelinating leukoencephalopathies (61%)—mainly adrenoleukodystrophy and Krabbe disease—accounted for the majority, while hypomyelinating leukoencephalopathies (2%) were rare. CSF1R was the only mutated gene detected in microgliopathy patients. Leukoencephalopathy with vanishing white matter disease due to mutations in EIF2B2-5 accounted for half of the astrocytopathies.

We characterized the genetic and phenotypic spectra of adult gLEs in a large Chinese cohort. The most frequently mutated genes were NOTCH3, NOTCH2NLC, ABCD1, CSF1R and HTRA1.
Tau seeds from patients induce progressive supranuclear palsy pathology and symptoms in primates
Authors: Darricau Morgane , Katsinelos Taxiarchis , Raschella Flavio , Milekovic Tomislav , Crochemore Louis , Li Qin , Courtine Grégoire , McEwan William A , Dehay Benjamin , Bezard Erwan , Planche Vincent
Published: November 2022

Progressive supranuclear palsy is a primary tauopathy affecting both neurons and glia and is responsible for both motor and cognitive symptoms. Recently, it has been suggested that progressive supranuclear palsy tauopathy may spread in the brain from cell to cell in a ‘prion-like’ manner. However, direct experimental evidence of this phenomenon, and its consequences on brain functions, is still lacking in primates.

In this study, we first derived sarkosyl-insoluble tau fractions from post-mortem brains of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. We also isolated the same fraction from age-matched control brains. Compared to control extracts, the in vitro characterization of progressive supranuclear palsy-tau fractions demonstrated a high seeding activity in P301S-tau expressing cells, displaying after incubation abnormally phosphorylated (AT8- and AT100-positivity), misfolded, filamentous (pentameric formyl thiophene acetic acid positive) and sarkosyl-insoluble tau. We bilaterally injected two male rhesus macaques in the supranigral area with this fraction of progressive supranuclear palsy-tau proteopathic seeds, and two other macaques with the control fraction. The quantitative analysis of kinematic features revealed that progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaques exhibited symptoms suggestive of parkinsonism as early as 6 months after injection, remaining present until euthanasia at 18 months. An object retrieval task showed the progressive appearance of a significant dysexecutive syndrome in progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaques compared to controls. We found AT8-positive staining and 4R-tau inclusions only in progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaques. Characteristic pathological hallmarks of progressive supranuclear palsy, including globose and neurofibrillary tangles, tufted astrocytes and coiled bodies, were found close to the injection sites but also in connected brain regions that are known to be affected in progressive supranuclear palsy (striatum, pallidum, thalamus). Interestingly, while glial AT8-positive lesions were the most frequent near the injection site, we found mainly neuronal inclusions in the remote brain area, consistent with a neuronal transsynaptic spreading of the disease.

Our results demonstrate that progressive supranuclear palsy patient-derived tau aggregates can induce motor and behavioural impairments in non-human primates related to the prion-like seeding and spreading of typical pathological progressive supranuclear palsy lesions. This pilot study paves the way for supporting progressive supranuclear palsy-tau injected macaque as a relevant animal model to accelerate drug development targeting this rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease.
Deaf and hearing children: A comparison of face perception
Authors: He Huizhong , Zhang Yunxiang , Su Mengmeng , Yi Lixin , Lv Jiayi
Published: November 2022

Deaf and hearing adults perceive faces differently. This study investigates whether these differences are acquired during childhood development. We characterized facial perception in deaf and hearing children aged 7–17 using a perceptual discrimination task. Configural and featural information was manipulated in the eye and mouth facial regions. Participants were asked whether two faces presented simultaneously were different. Deaf and hearing children performed better in featural than configural discriminations and in mouth than eye discriminations. Compared with children with typical hearing, deaf children performed better in featural and mouth judgments but had longer reaction times with strongest effects at 7–8 and 13–14 years old. Type and location contributed jointly in deaf children’s face perception with different configural but similar featural discriminations in mouth and eye locations. However, children with typical hearing showed different featural and configural judgments in both locations. Thus, featural and configural information effects on location processing differ between the two groups.
Vinculin phosphorylation impairs vascular endothelial junctions promoting atherosclerosis
Authors: Shih Yu-Tsung , Wei Shu-Yi , Chen Jin-Hua , Wang Wei-Li , Wu Hsin-Yi , Wang Mei-Cun , Lin Chia-Yu , Lee Pei-Lin , Lin Chih-Yuan , Chiang Hung-Che , Chen Yu-Ju , Chien Shu , Chiu Jeng-Jiann
Published: November 2022

Background and aims

Atherosclerosis preferentially develops in arterial branches and curvatures where vascular endothelium is exposed to disturbed flow. In this study, the effects of disturbed flow on the regulation of vascular endothelial phosphoproteins and their contribution to therapeutic application in atherogenesis were elucidated.

Methods

Porcine models, large-scale phosphoproteomics, transgenic mice, and clinical specimens were used to discover novel site-specific phosphorylation alterations induced by disturbed flow in endothelial cells (ECs).

Results

A large-scale phosphoproteomics analysis of native endothelium from disturbed (athero-susceptible) vs. pulsatile flow (athero-resistant) regions of porcine aortas led to the identification of a novel atherosclerosis-related phosphoprotein vinculin (VCL) with disturbed flow-induced phosphorylation at serine 721 (VCLS721p). The induction of VCLS721p was mediated by G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2)S29p and resulted in an inactive form of VCL with a closed conformation, leading to the VE-cadherin/catenin complex disruption to enhance endothelial permeability and atherogenesis. The generation of novel apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE−/−) mice overexpressing S721-non-phosphorylatable VCL mutant in ECs confirmed the critical role of VCLS721p in promoting atherosclerosis. The administration of a GRK2 inhibitor to ApoE−/− mice suppressed plaque formation by inhibiting endothelial VCLS721p. Studies on clinical specimens from patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) revealed that endothelial VCLS721p is a critical clinicopathological biomarker for atherosclerosis progression and that serum VCLS721p level is a promising biomarker for CAD diagnosis.

Conclusions

The findings of this study indicate that endothelial VCLS721p is a valuable hemodynamic-based target for clinical assessment and treatment of vascular disorders resulting from atherosclerosis.
The oleaginous yeast Starmerella bombicola reveals limitations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model for fatty acid transport studies
Authors: Salvador Lopez Jose Manuel , Jezierska Sylwia , Ekim Kocabey Aslihan , Lee Jungho , Schneiter Roger , Van Bogaert Inge N A
Published: November 2022

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the model organism to most yeast researchers, and information obtained from its physiology is generally extrapolated to other yeasts. Studies on fatty acid transport in S. cerevisiae are based on the expression of both native fatty acid export genes as well as heterologous proteins. Starmerella bombicola, on the other hand, is an oleaginous yeast of industrial relevance but its fatty acid transport mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we attempt to use existing knowledge from S. cerevisiae to study fatty acid transport in S. bombicola, but the obtained results differ from those observed in S. cerevisiae. First, we observed that deletion of SbPRY1 in S. bombicola leads to higher fatty acid export, the opposite effect to the one previously observed for the Pry homologues in S. cerevisiae. Second, following reports that human FATP1 could export fatty acids and alcohols in S. cerevisiae, we expressed FATP1 in a fatty acid-accumulating S. bombicola strain. However, FATP1 reduced fatty acid export in S. bombicola, most likely due to its acyl-CoA synthetase activity. These results not only advance knowledge on fatty acid physiology of S. bombicola, but also improve our understanding of S. cerevisiae and its limitations as a model organism.
Untapped Insight: A Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis of Older Adults’ Advice During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Van Vleet Bryce , Fuller Heather R , Hofmann Brittany , Huseth-Zosel Andrea
Published: November 2022

Background and Objectives

Due to a lifetime of experience, older adults are uniquely positioned to contribute advice and insight to others during a historical, societal crisis such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This qualitative study explores the solicited advice older adults offered their peers, family members, and communities throughout the first year of the pandemic.

Research Design and Methods

A sample of 72 older adults aged 70–97 from Minnesota and North Dakota were asked what advice they would provide to others in June 2020 and again in April/May 2021. Participants were asked to provide advice on individual coping and how community members should support older adults during the pandemic, as well as how others should adjust after the pandemic. Responses were coded and developed into overarching themes.

Results

Older adults advised others during the pandemic to foster mental and physical well-being, develop positive life perspectives, and connect to others as strategies to cope through the pandemic. Participants advised that after the pandemic people should remain vigilant, return to normal, and emerge as better people. Advice targeted to meeting the needs of older adults during the pandemic included: adopt selfless attitudes, take intentional actions, and maintain balance. A longitudinal approach revealed that advice remained consistent over time, despite the circumstances caused by COVID-19 changing.

Discussion and Implications

Findings suggest that older adults utilize their life experiences and coping strategies as sources for drawing advice. These findings also suggest that older adults are sources of insight during crises. Future research should investigate additional advice older adults can offer and how willingly communities listen. Applied work should give older adults opportunities to provide far-reaching advice as well as develop interventions aimed at decreasing ageist perceptions of older adults in times of crisis.
A study on the influencing factors of total factor productivity of cultivated land resource utilization: evidences from direct influence and spatial spillover in China
Authors: Zhang Yan , Peng Jiachao , Ding Zhizhen
Published: November 2022

This paper provides a new perspective for the study on the influencing factors of total factor productivity of cultivated land resource utilization (CL-TFP). Due to the dynamic continuity and spatial dependence of CL-TFP, this paper analyses the main factors affecting CL-TFP. The results show that regional urban–rural income level difference has a significant positive spatial autocorrelation on cultivated land resources. From the perspective of spatial action effect, land acquisition reduces the cultivated land area of a single province but increases the CL-TFP of neighboring provinces. In terms of direct effects, the short-term and long-term effects of urban and rural income are both positive on CL-TFP, and the long-term positive effect is significantly greater than the short-term positive effect; the impact of land expropriation area on CL-TFP is negative both in the short term and the long term. As for indirect effects, only the short-term and long-term effects of land acquisition are positive, while that of other significant variables are negative. The policy constraints and social systems affect CL-TFP by the technology effect, scale effect and scope effect, respectively. Therefore, this paper proposes to promote CL-TFP by improving the urbanization land use, agricultural population transfer and optimizing the land use allocation.
Research and design of intelligent mine ventilation construction architecture
Authors: Huang Xu , Liu Yunlong
Published: November 2022

The mine ventilation system plays a role in purifying the air and providing a good working environment in coal mine production. Aiming at the unclear concept and inconsistency in solving problems in the process of intelligent construction of mine ventilation system, this paper conducts exploratory research on the connotation of mine ventilation intelligence, theoretical structure model, construction logic and scientific problems to be solved by means of literature review, on-site investigation and qualitative analysis. The research results show that the mine ventilation intelligent system needs to use real-time and full monitoring data, and by integrating brain science principles, machine learning and analysis and other technologies, it can immediately correct the air volume distribution defects, realize automatic power adjustment, remote facility management and control and accurate disaster identification. The theoretical model from the inside to the outside is the concept layer, the key scientific issues and technology layer, the model layer, the application layer and the theoretical support layer. The intelligent process of mine ventilation needs to comprehensively consider the relationship between the conscious human body, the cyber body and the ventilation physical entity in the processes of knowledge accumulation, knowledge modeling, knowledge movement, innovation and optimization, learning progress and feedback evolution. The intelligent ventilation system consists of perception layer, transmission layer and application layer. The research provides a theoretical basis for the intelligent construction of mine ventilation.
Extraction, Composition, and Antioxidant Activity of Flavonoids from Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge Leaves
Authors: Miao Mengyu , Chen Xianqiang , Wu Zhenghang , Liu Jiameng , Xu Chenyu , Zhang Zhuan , Wang Jiahong
Published: November 2022

Background

Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge leaves (XLs) are valuable resources rich in phytochemicals, especially in flavonoids, but they are rarely exploited and utilized.

Objective

The purpose of this paper is to reduce the waste of XLs resources (usually used as agricultural waste) and extract the high added value of active ingredients from XLs.

Methods

The extraction of flavonoids from XLs using ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) was reported. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to adopt different ultrasonic conditions such as ethanol concentration, liquid:solid ratio, and ultrasonic power. In addition, the chemical structures were identified using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) and HPLC.

Results

Response surface analysis indicated the optimal level of ethanol concentration, liquid:solid ratio, and ultrasonic power as 71.49%, 13.87 mL/g, and 157.49 W respectively for the maximum response of total flavonoids (5.52 ± 0.23%), which fitted well with the predicted value (5.68 ± 0.17%). In addition, the extracts from XLs exhibited potent antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) ammonium salt (ABTS).

Conclusion

The potent antioxidant activity of flavonoids from XLs is beneficial for their application in the food and drug industry, which will facilitate the rise of the added value of the flavonoids from XLs.

Highlights

Myricetin, rutin, and epicatechin, which may be responsible for the antioxidant activity of the extracts from XLs, were confirmed by UPLC–MS/MS and HPLC analysis. The extracted flavonoids can be used as a natural antioxidant additive to food products.
Keys to the city: an integrative conceptual framework on avian urban filtering
Authors: MacGregor-Fors Ian , García-Arroyo Michelle , Quesada Javier
Published: November 2022

Urbanization represents a multi-dimensional ecological ‘filter’ for birds determined by a myriad of variables that can change over time. Birds colonising an urban system or staying in a habitat that has been recently urbanised need to overcome both the extrinsic (e.g. food predictability, human activities, and inter-specific interaction) and intrinsic filter variables, ranging from genetic to behavioural changes and/or adjustments. An increasing body of knowledge has identified the behavioural component as crucial for individuals facing the spatiotemporal dynamic urban filters, often after other traits and mechanisms have played their role. Through both developmental (i.e. variability in the expression of genes during ontogeny) and activation plasticity (i.e. alteration of behaviour as a result of individual experience), studies have shown that the identification of cues in novel systems—often determined by extrinsic factors—and learning processes, among other factors, have important impacts on decision-making and innovation. The latter are crucial behavioural traits for thriving in urban settings. Thus, we propose an integrative mechanistic framework based on the process experienced by birds who reach a city and manage to persist in the novel system (becoming urban ‘utilisers’) or those that dwell in an urbanised region who increase their fitness through behavioural responses and adaptations, leading to population persistence (becoming ‘dwellers’). Future field research efforts ought not only to widen the range of focal species, regions, and temporal scales of studies, but also to assess behavioural responses in highly urbanised settings, given that much of our knowledge comes from studies performed in urban greenspaces. Additionally, experimental studies are needed to complement the evidence from field research and to determine causal links.
Solanum lycopersicum CLASS-II KNOXgenes regulate fruit anatomy via gibberellin-dependent and independent pathways
Authors: Shtern Amit , Keren-Keiserman Alexandra , Mauxion Jean-Philippe , Furumizu Chihiro , Alvarez John Paul , Amsellem Ziva , Gil Naama , Motenko Etel , Alkalai-Tuvia Sharon , Fallik Elazar , Gonzalez Nathalie , Goldshmidt Alexander
Published: November 2022

The pericarp is the predominant tissue determining the structural characteristics of most fruits. However, the molecular and genetic mechanisms controlling pericarp development remain only partially understood. Previous studies have identified that CLASS-II KNOX genes regulate fruit size, shape, and maturation in Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum. Here we characterized the roles of the S. lycopersicum CLASS-II KNOX (TKN-II) genes in pericarp development via a detailed histological, anatomical, and karyotypical analysis of TKN-II gene clade mRNA-knockdown (35S:amiR-TKN-II) fruits. We identify that 35S:amiR-TKN-II pericarps contain more cells around their equatorial perimeter and fewer cell layers than the control. In addition, the cell sizes but not the ploidy levels of these pericarps were dramatically reduced. Further, we demonstrate that fruit shape and pericarp layer number phenotypes of the 35S:amiR-TKN-II fruits can be overridden by the procera mutant, known to induce a constitutive response to the plant hormone gibberellin. However, neither the procera mutation nor exogenous gibberellin application can fully rescue the reduced pericarp width and cell size phenotype of 35S:amiR-TKN-II pericarps. Our findings establish that TKN-II genes regulate tomato fruit anatomy, acting via gibberellin to control fruit shape but utilizing a gibberellin-independent pathway to control the size of pericarp cells.
Disparities in Cigarette, E-cigarette, Cigar, and Smokeless Tobacco Use at the Intersection of Multiple Social Identities in the US Adult Population. Results From the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey 2018–2019 Survey
Authors: Zavala-Arciniega Luis , Meza Rafael , Hirschtick Jana L , Fleischer Nancy L
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Sociodemographic disparities in tobacco use are prevalent and persistent in the United States. Nevertheless, few studies have examined disparities in tobacco use from an intersectionality perspective. We developed a visualization tool to identify disparities in cigarette, e-cigarette, cigar, and smokeless tobacco use at the intersection of multiple social identities.

Aims and Methods

We used the 2018–2019 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS) to estimate the prevalence of tobacco product use at the intersection of age (18–34, 35–54, ≥55 years), sex (male, female), race/ethnicity (Non-Hispanic [NH] White, NH Black, Hispanic, NH Other), and annual household income (<$50 000, $50 000–$99 999, and ≥$100 000). Estimates accounted for the complex survey design.

Results

For cigarettes, the most defining characteristic was income, with the highest prevalence among low-income NH White male adults aged 35–54 years (30.7%) and low-income NH White female adults aged 35–54 years (29.7%). For e-cigarettes, the most defining characteristic was age, with adults 18–34 years old having the highest prevalence. High prevalence groups for cigars included young- and middle-aged NH Black and NH White males, while NH White males had the highest prevalence of smokeless tobacco use.

Conclusions

Our intersectionality visualization tool is helpful to uncover complex patterns of tobacco use, facilitating the identification of high-risk groups.

Implications

We created a visualization tool to identify disparities in cigarette, e-cigarette, cigar, and smokeless tobacco use at the intersection of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and income. Our visualization tool helps uncover complex patterns of tobacco use, facilitating the identification of high-risk population groups that would otherwise be masked. These results can be used to implement tobacco control policies targeted at factors that promote or sustain tobacco use disparities.
Risk Factors and Incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study
Authors: Bosetti Davide , Mugglin Catrina , Calmy Alexandra , Cavassini Matthias , Stöckle Marcel , Braun Dominique , Notter Julia , Haerry David , Hampel Benjamin , Kovari Helen , Bernasconi Enos , Wandeler Gilles , Rauch Andri ,   Swiss HIV Cohort Study, Abela I , Aebi-Popp K , Anagnostopoulos A , Battegay M , Bernasconi E , Braun D. L , Bucher H. C , Calmy A , Cavassini M , Ciuffi A , Dollenmaier G , Egger M , Elzi L , Fehr J , Fellay J , Furrer H , Fux C. A , Günthard H F , Hachfeld A , Haerry D , Hasse B , Hirsch H. H , Hoffmann M , Hösli I , Huber M , Kahlert C. R , Kaiser L , Keiser O , Klimkait T , Kouyos R. D , Kovari H , Kusejko K , Martinetti G , Martinez de Tejada B , Marzolini C , Metzner K. J , Müller N , Nemeth J , Nicca D , Paioni P , Pantaleo G , Perreau M , Rauch A , Schmid P , Speck R , Stöckle M , Tarr P , Trkola A , Wandeler G , Yerly S
Published: November 2022

Background

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common among people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH), but there are limited data about risk factors and incidence of STIs in large, representative cohort studies.

Methods

We assessed incidence and risk factors of STIs reported by treating physicians within the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS). Sexually transmitted infections and demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics were prospectively collected at 6-month follow-up visits between October 2017 and November 2019. We used multilevel Poisson regression to assess incidence rate ratios of different STIs.

Results

Among 10 140 study participants, a total of 1634 STIs in 1029 SHCS participants were reported over 17 766 person-years of follow up (PYFUP). The overall incidence of any reported STI was 91.9 per 1000 PYFU (95% confidence interval [CI], 85.8 –98.5). Among the 1634 STI episodes, there were 573 (35.1%) incident cases of syphilis, 497 gonorrhea (30.4%), and 418 chlamydia (25.6%). Men who have sex with men (MSM) younger than 50 years represented 21% of the study population, but accounted for 61% of reported STIs. Male sex (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR], 2.03; 95% CI, 1.36–3.02), MSM (aIRR, 3.62; 95% CI, 2.88–4.55), age group 18–34 years (aIRR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.51–2.10), history of sexual relationships with occasional partners (aIRR, 6.87; 95% CI, 5.40–8.73), and reporting injecting drug use (aIRR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.91–3.23) were associated with a higher risk of incident STIs.

Conclusions

Sexually transmitted infections were frequent among PWH and varied considerably between age and risk groups. Screening programs and recommendations for STI testing need to be adapted according to risk factors and demographic characteristics.