bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An infrastructure with user-centered presentation data model for integrated management of materials data and services
Authors: Liu Shilong , Su Yanjing , Yin Haiqing , Zhang Dawei , He Jie , Huang Haiyou , Jiang Xue , Wang Xuan , Gong Haiyan , Li Zhuang , Xiu Hao , Wan Jiawang , Zhang Xiaotong
Published: June 2021

With scientific research in materials science becoming more data intensive and collaborative after the announcement of the Materials Genome Initiative, the need for modern data infrastructures that facilitate the sharing of materials data and analysis tools is compelling in the materials community. In this paper, we describe the challenges of developing such infrastructure and introduce an emerging architecture with high usability. We call this architecture the Materials Genome Engineering Databases (MGED). MGED provides cloud-hosted services with features to simplify the process of collecting datasets from diverse data providers, unify data representation forms with user-centered presentation data model, and accelerate data discovery with advanced search capabilities. MGED also provides a standard service management framework to enable finding and sharing of tools for analyzing and processing data. We describe MGED’s design, current status, and how MGED supports integrated management of shared data and services.
Spontaneous preterm birth: the underpinnings in the maternal and fetal genomes
Authors: Bhattacharjee Esha , Maitra Arindam
Published: June 2021

Preterm birth (PTB) is a major cause of neonatal mortality and health complications in infants. Elucidation of its genetic underpinnings can lead to improved understanding of the biological mechanisms and boost the development of methods to predict PTB. Although recent genome-based studies of both mother and fetus have identified several genetic loci which might be implicated in PTB, these results suffer from a lack of consistency across multiple studies and populations. Moreover, results of functional validation of most of these findings are unavailable. Since medically indicated preterm deliveries have well-known heterogeneous causes, we have reviewed only those studies which investigated spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) and have attempted to suggest probable biological mechanisms by which the implicated genetic factors might result in sPTB. We expect our review to provide a panoramic view of the genetics of sPTB.
Transcriptomic analysis of cork during seasonal growth highlights regulatory and developmental processes from phellogen to phellem formation
Authors: Fernández-Piñán Sandra , Boher Pau , Soler Marçal , Figueras Mercè , Serra Olga
Published: June 2021

The phellogen or cork cambium stem cells that divide periclinally and outwardly specify phellem or cork. Despite the vital importance of phellem in protecting the radially-growing plant organs and wounded tissues, practically only the suberin biosynthetic process has been studied molecularly so far. Since cork oak (Quercus suber) phellogen is seasonally activated and its proliferation and specification to phellem cells is a continuous developmental process, the differentially expressed genes during the cork seasonal growth served us to identify molecular processes embracing from phellogen to mature differentiated phellem cell. At the beginning of cork growth (April), cell cycle regulation, meristem proliferation and maintenance and processes triggering cell differentiation were upregulated, showing an enrichment of phellogenic cells from which phellem cells are specified. Instead, at maximum (June) and advanced (July) cork growth, metabolic processes paralleling the phellem cell chemical composition, such as the biosynthesis of suberin, lignin, triterpenes and soluble aromatic compounds, were upregulated. Particularly in July, polysaccharides- and lignin-related secondary cell wall processes presented a maximal expression, indicating a cell wall reinforcement in the later stages of cork formation, presumably related with the initiation of latecork development. The putative function of relevant genes identified are discussed in the context of phellem ontogeny.
Defensive freezing and its relation to approach–avoidance decision-making under threat
Authors: Klaassen Felix H. , Held Leslie , Figner Bernd , O’Reilly Jill X. , Klumpers Floris , de Voogd Lycia D. , Roelofs Karin
Published: June 2021

Successful responding to acutely threatening situations requires adequate approach–avoidance decisions. However, it is unclear how threat-induced states—like freezing-related bradycardia—impact the weighing of the potential outcomes of such value-based decisions. Insight into the underlying computations is essential, not only to improve our models of decision-making but also to improve interventions for maladaptive decisions, for instance in anxiety patients and first-responders who frequently have to make decisions under acute threat. Forty-two participants made passive and active approach–avoidance decisions under threat-of-shock when confronted with mixed outcome-prospects (i.e., varying money and shock amounts). Choice behavior was best predicted by a model including individual action-tendencies and bradycardia, beyond the subjective value of the outcome. Moreover, threat-related bradycardia (high-vs-low threat) interacted with subjective value, depending on the action-context (passive-vs-active). Specifically, in action-contexts incongruent with participants’ intrinsic action-tendencies, stronger bradycardia related to diminished effects of subjective value on choice across participants. These findings illustrate the relevance of testing approach–avoidance decisions in relatively ecologically valid conditions of acute and primarily reinforced threat. These mechanistic insights into approach–avoidance conflict-resolution may inspire biofeedback-related techniques to optimize decision-making under threat. Critically, the findings demonstrate the relevance of incorporatinginternalpsychophysiological states andexternalaction-contexts into models of approach–avoidance decision-making.
Cooperation patterns of members in networks during co-creation
Authors: Yang Kunhao , Fujisaki Itsuki , Ueda Kazuhiro
Published: June 2021

Cooperation (i.e., co-creation) has become the principal way of carrying out creative activities in modern society. In co-creation, different participants can play two completely different roles based on two different behaviours: some participants are the originators who generate initial contents, while others are the revisors who provide revisions or coordination. In this study, we investigated different participants’ roles (i.e., the originator vs. the revisor) in co-creation and how these roles affected the final cooperation-group outcome. By using cooperation networks to represent cooperative relationships among participants, we found that peripheral members (i.e., those in the periphery of the cooperation networks) and core members (i.e., those in the centre of the cooperation networks) played the roles of originators and revisors, respectively, mainly affecting the quantity versus the quality of their creative outcomes. These results were robust across the three different datasets and the three different indicators defining core and peripheral members. Previous studies have considered cooperation behaviours to be homogeneous, ignoring that different participants may play different roles in co-creation. This study discusses patterns of cooperation among participants based on a model in which different roles in co-creation are considered. Thus, this research advances the understanding of how co-creation occurs in networks.
Biomechanical forces enhance directed migration and activation of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells
Authors: Kang Ji-Hun , Lee Hyun Joo , Kim Ok-Hyeon , Yun Yong Ju , Seo Young-Jin , Lee Hyun Jung
Published: June 2021

Mechanical forces are pervasive in the inflammatory site where dendritic cells (DCs) are activated to migrate into draining lymph nodes. For example, fluid shear stress modulates the movement patterns of DCs, including directness and forward migration indices (FMIs), without chemokine effects. However, little is known about the effects of biomechanical forces on the activation of DCs. Accordingly, here we fabricated a microfluidics system to assess how biomechanical forces affect the migration and activity of DCs during inflammation. Based on the structure of edema, we proposed and experimentally analyzed a novel concept for a microchip model that mimicked such vascular architecture. The intensity of shear stress generated in our engineered chip was found as 0.2–0.6 dyne/cm2by computational simulation; this value corresponded to inflammation in tissues. In this platform, the directness and FMIs of DCs were significantly increased, whereas the migration velocity of DCs was not altered by shear stress, indicating that mechanical stimuli influenced DC migration. Moreover, DCs with shear stress showed increased expression of the DC activation markers MHC class I and CD86 compared with DCs under static conditions. Taken together, these data suggest that the biomechanical forces are important to regulate the migration and activity of DCs.
Modelling and implementation of soft bio-mimetic turtle using echo state network and soft pneumatic actuators
Authors: Soliman MennaAllah , Mousa Mostafa A. , Saleh Mahmood A. , Elsamanty Mahmoud , Radwan Ahmed G.
Published: June 2021

Advances of soft robotics enabled better mimicking of biological creatures and closer realization of animals’ motion in the robotics field. The biological creature’s movement has morphology and flexibility that is problematic deportation to a bio-inspired robot. This paper aims to study the ability to mimic turtle motion using a soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) as a turtle flipper limb. SPA’s behavior is simulated using finite element analysis to design turtle flipper at 22 different geometrical configurations, and the simulations are conducted on a large pressure range (0.11–0.4 Mpa). The simulation results are validated using vision feedback with respect to varying the air pillow orientation angle. Consequently, four SPAs with different inclination angles are selected to build a bio-mimetic turtle, which is tested at two different driving configurations. The nonlinear dynamics of soft actuators, which is challenging to model the motion using traditional modeling techniques affect the turtle’s motion. Conclusively, according to kinematics behavior, the turtle motion path is modeled using the Echo State Network (ESN) method, one of the reservoir computing techniques. The ESN models the turtle path with respect to the actuators’ rotation motion angle with maximum root-mean-square error of $$1.04 \times 10^{-11}$$

1.04
×

10

-
11

. The turtle is designed to enhance the robot interaction with living creatures by mimicking their limbs’ flexibility and the way of their motion.
The influence of δ-(Al,Fe)OOH on seismic heterogeneities in Earth’s lower mantle
Authors: Ohira Itaru , Jackson Jennifer M. , Sturhahn Wolfgang , Finkelstein Gregory J. , Kawazoe Takaaki , Toellner Thomas S. , Suzuki Akio , Ohtani Eiji
Published: June 2021

The high-pressure phases of oxyhydroxides (δ-AlOOH, ε-FeOOH, and their solid solution), candidate components of subducted slabs, have wide stability fields, thus potentially influencing volatile circulation and dynamics in the Earth’s lower mantle. Here, we report the elastic wave velocities of δ-(Al,Fe)OOH (Fe/(Al + Fe) = 0.13, δ-Fe13) to 79 GPa, determined by nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering. At pressures below 20 GPa, a softening of the phonon spectra is observed. With increasing pressure up to the Fe3+spin crossover (~ 45 GPa), the Debye sound velocity (vD) increases. At higher pressures, the low spin δ-Fe13 is characterized by a pressure-invariantvD. Using the equation of state for the same sample, the shear-, compressional-, and bulk-velocities (vS,vP, andvΦ) are calculated and extrapolated to deep mantle conditions. The obtained velocity data show that δ-(Al,Fe)OOH may cause low-vΦand low-vPanomalies in the shallow lower mantle. At deeper depths, we find that this hydrous phase reproduces the anti-correlation betweenvSandvΦreported for the large low seismic velocity provinces, thus serving as a potential seismic signature of hydrous circulation in the lower mantle.
Cross-sectional pilot study to assess primary healthcare workers’ knowledge of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a marginalized community in Mexico
Authors: Vidal-Cevallos Paulina , Ordóñez-Vázquez Ana L. , Procopio-Mosso Omar , Cardoso-Arias Rafael , Uribe Misael , Chávez-Tapia Norberto C.
Published: June 2021

The registered incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in primary healthcare centers is lower than expected, suggesting a lack of awareness by primary care healthcare professionals. The implementation of educational tools for healthcare workers has been found to increase timely referral and treatment of patients. We aimed to determine healthcare workers’ knowledge of NAFLD to identify their educational needs in one marginalized region. We performed a cross-sectional survey of 261 healthcare professionals in Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero, Mexico from October 2019 to December 2019. We created a questionnaire that assessed domains most relevant to NAFLD knowledge. Two hundred and forty-six questionnaires were completed. Of the respondents, 38.3% were nurses and 63.4% were women. Most nurses identified NAFLD as a prevalent (89%) and preventable (93%) disease. Hypertension (33%) and obesity (84%) were recognized as risk factors. The associations between NAFLD and cancer, cirrhosis and cardiovascular disease were identified by 53%, 67% and 72% of respondents, respectively. The largest gaps were found in diagnostic workup, therapeutic approach and the current treatments. We identify modifiable knowledge gaps in NAFLD. Educational strategies for primary care workers could enhance the identification of patients with NAFLD and prevent complications.
High precision implicit function learning for forecasting supercapacitor state of health based on Gaussian process regression
Authors: Ren Jiahao , Cai Junfei , Li Jinjin
Published: June 2021

State of health (SOH) prediction of supercapacitors aims to provide reliable lifetime control and avoid system failure. Gaussian process regression (GPR) has emerged for SOH prediction because of its capability of capturing nonlinear relationships between features, and tracking SOH attenuations effectively. However, traditional GPR methods based on explicit functions require multiple screenings of optimal mean and covariance functions, which results in data scarcity and increased time consumption. In this study, we propose a GPR-implicit function learning, which is a prior knowledge algorithm for calculating mean and covariance functions from a preliminary data set instead of screening. After introducing the implicit function, the average root mean square error (Average RMSE) is 0.0056 F and the average mean absolute percent error (Average MAPE) is 0.6%, where only the first 5% of the data are trained to predict the remaining 95% of the cycles, thereby decreasing the error by more than three times than previous studies. Furthermore, less cycles (i.e., 1%) are trained while still obtaining low prediction errors (i.e., Average RMSE is 0.0094 F and Average MAPE is 1.01%). This work highlights the strength of GPR-implicit function model for SOH prediction of energy storage devices with high precision and limited property data.
HIV-1 sequences in lentiviral vector genomes can be substantially reduced without compromising transduction efficiency
Authors: Sertkaya Helin , Ficarelli Mattia , Sweeney Nathan P. , Parker Hannah , Vink Conrad A. , Swanson Chad M.
Published: June 2021

Many lentiviral vectors used for gene therapy are derived from HIV-1. An optimal vector genome would include only the viral sequences required for transduction efficiency and gene expression to minimize the amount of foreign sequence inserted into a patient’s genome. However, it remains unclear whether all of the HIV-1 sequence in vector genomes is essential. To determine which viral sequences are required, we performed a systematic deletion analysis, which showed that most of the gag region and over 50% of the env region could be deleted. Because the splicing profile for lentiviral vectors is poorly characterized, we used long-read sequencing to determine canonical and cryptic splice site usage. Deleting specific regions of env sequence reduced the number of splicing events per transcript and increased the proportion of unspliced genomes. Finally, combining a large deletion in gag with repositioning the Rev-response element downstream of the 3’ R to prevent its reverse transcription showed that 1201 nucleotides of HIV-1 sequence can be removed from the integrated vector genome without substantially compromising transduction efficiency. Overall, this allows the creation of lentiviral vector genomes that contain minimal HIV-1 sequence, which could improve safety and transfer less viral sequence into a patient’s DNA.
Absence of Hall effect due to Berry curvature in phase space
Authors: Yokoyama Takehito
Published: June 2021

Transverse current due to Berry curvature in phase space is formulated based on the Boltzmann equations with the semiclassical equations of motion for an electron wave packet. It is shown that the Hall effect due to the phase space Berry curvature is absent because the contributions from “anomalous velocity” and “effective Lorentz force” are completely cancelled out.
Mixed-effect Bayesian network reveals personal effects of nutrition
Authors: Turkia Jari , Mehtätalo Lauri , Schwab Ursula , Hautamäki Ville
Published: June 2021

Nutrition experts know by their experience that people can react very differently to the same nutrition. If we could systematically quantify these differences, it would enable more personal dietary understanding and guidance. This work proposes a mixed-effect Bayesian network as a method for modeling the multivariate system of nutrition effects. Estimation of this network reveals a system of both population-wide and personal correlations between nutrients and their biological responses. Fully Bayesian estimation in the method allows managing the uncertainty in parameters and incorporating the existing nutritional knowledge into the model. The method is evaluated by modeling data from a dietary intervention study, called Sysdimet, which contains personal observations from food records and the corresponding fasting concentrations of blood cholesterol, glucose, and insulin. The model’s usefulness in nutritional guidance is evaluated by predicting personally if a given diet increases or decreases future levels of concentrations. The proposed method is shown to be comparable with the well-performing Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) decision tree method in classifying the directions of concentration increases and decreases. In addition to classification, we can also predict the precise concentration level and use the biologically interpretable model parameters to understand what personal effects contribute to the concentration. We found considerable personal differences in the contributing nutrients, and while these nutritional effects are previously known at a population level, recognizing their personal differences would result in more accurate estimates and more effective nutritional guidance.
Deep-red circularly polarised luminescent C70 derivatives
Authors: Kano Haruka , Hayashi Hironobu , Matsuo Kyohei , Fujiki Michiya , Yamada Hiroko , Aratani Naoki
Published: June 2021

Optically active fullerenes, including C60 and C70 derivatives carrying organic substituents, are used in a range of applications because of their unique spectroscopic, catalytic, and chiral recognition properties. However, their inherent photoexcited chirality is yet to be elucidated because of their very poor fluorescence quantum yield (Φf). We synthesised a new chiral C70 derivative, X70A, with 20% yield, by reacting bis-borylated xanthene with C70 in a one-step double addition reaction, followed by a successful optical resolution. The isolation of two separate X70A enantiomers was confirmed by mirror-image circular dichroism spectroscopy in the range of 300–750 nm. In toluene, the enantiomeric pair of X70A clearly revealed mirror-image circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) spectra with a high |glum| value of 7.0 ×  10−3 at 690 nm. The first fullerene-based deep-red CPL of X70A should provide a new guideline for the design of chiral nanocarbon materials.
Responses of small mammals to habitat characteristics in Southern Carpathian forests
Authors: Benedek Ana Maria , Sîrbu Ioan , Lazăr Anamaria
Published: June 2021

Compared to Northern Carpathians, the small mammal fauna of Southern Carpathian forests is poorly known, with no data on habitat use; our study seeks to fill this gap. To this end, we conducted a survey in the Southern Carpathians for five years, assessing habitat use by small mammals in forests along an elevational gradient. Trapping was done using live traps set in transects at elevations between 820 and 2040 m. For each transect we evaluated variables related to vegetation structure, habitat complexity, and geographical location. We considered abundance, species composition and species richness as response variables. The rodentsApodemus flavicollisandMyodes glareolusand the shrewSorex araneuswere common and dominant. Their abundance were positively correlated with tree cover, the best explanatory variable. Responses to other variables were mixed. The strong divergence in the relative habitat use by the three most abundant species may act as a mechanism that enables their coexistence as dominant species, exploiting the same wide range of habitat resources. Overall, habitat use in our study area was similar to that reported from Northern Carpathians, but we found also important differences probably caused by the differences in latitude and forest management practices.
Npas4a expression in the teleost forebrain is associated with stress coping style differences in fear learning
Authors: Baker Matthew R. , Wong Ryan Y.
Published: June 2021

Learning to anticipate potentially dangerous contexts is an adaptive behavioral response to coping with stressors. An animal’s stress coping style (e.g. proactive–reactive axis) is known to influence how it encodes salient events. However, the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying these stress coping style differences in learning are unknown. Further, while a number of neuroplasticity-related genes have been associated with alternative stress coping styles, it is unclear if these genes may bias the development of conditioned behavioral responses to stressful stimuli, and if so, which brain regions are involved. Here, we trained adult zebrafish to associate a naturally aversive olfactory cue with a given context. Next, we investigated if expression of two neural plasticity and neurotransmission-related genes (npas4a and gabbr1a) were associated with the contextual fear conditioning differences between proactive and reactive stress coping styles. Reactive zebrafish developed a stronger conditioned fear response and showed significantly higher npas4a expression in the medial and lateral zones of the dorsal telencephalon (Dm, Dl), and the supracommissural nucleus of the ventral telencephalon (Vs). Our findings suggest that the expression of activity-dependent genes like npas4a may be differentially expressed across several interconnected forebrain regions in response to fearful stimuli and promote biases in fear learning among different stress coping styles.
Rheology-Informed Neural Networks (RhINNs) for forward and inverse metamodelling of complex fluids
Authors: Mahmoudabadbozchelou Mohammadamin , Jamali Safa
Published: June 2021

Reliable and accurate prediction of complex fluids’ response under flow is of great interest across many disciplines, from biological systems to virtually all soft materials. The challenge is to solve non-trivial time and rate dependent constitutive equations to describe these structured fluids under various flow protocols. We present Rheology-Informed Neural Networks (RhINNs) for solving systems of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) adopted for complex fluids. The proposed RhINNs are employed to solve the constitutive models with multiple
ODEs by benefiting from Automatic Differentiation in neural networks. In a direct solution, the RhINNs platform accurately predicts the fully resolved solution of constitutive equations for a Thixotropic-Elasto-Visco-Plastic (TEVP) complex fluid for a series of flow protocols. From a practical perspective, an exhaustive list of experiments are required to identify model parameters for a multi-variant constitutive TEVP model. RhINNs are found to learn these non-trivial model parameters for a complex material using a single flow protocol, enabling accurate modeling with limited number of experiments and at an unprecedented rate. We also show the RhINNs are not limited to a specific model and can be extended to include various models and recover complex manifestations of kinematic heterogeneities and transient shear banding of thixotropic fluids.
The genes crucial to carotenoid metabolism under elevated CO2 levels in carrot (Daucus carota L.)
Authors: Song Hongxia , Lu Qiang , Hou Leiping , Li Meilan
Published: June 2021

The CO2 saturation point can reach as high as 1819 μmol· mol−1 in carrot (Daucus carota L.). In recent years, carrot has been cultivated in out-of-season greenhouses, but the molecular mechanism of CO2 enrichment has been ignored, and this is a missed opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of this important process. In this study, it was found that CO2 enrichment increased the aboveground and belowground biomasses and greatly increased the carotenoid contents. Twenty genes related to carotenoids were discovered in 482 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq.). These genes were involved in either carotenoid biosynthesis or the composition of the photosystem membrane proteins, most of which were upregulated. We suspected that these genes were directly related to quality improvement and increases in biomass under CO2 enrichment in carrot. As such, β-carotene hydroxylase activity in carotenoid metabolism and the expression levels of coded genes were determined and analysed, and the results were consistent with the observed change in carotenoid content. These results illustrate the molecular mechanism by which the increase in carotenoid content after CO2 enrichment leads to the improvement of quality and biological yield. Our findings have important theoretical and practical significance.
Study of the relationship between applied transmembrane pressure and antimicrobial activity of lysozyme
Authors: Miron Simona M. , de Espindola Ariane , Dutournié Patrick , Ponche Arnaud
Published: June 2021

During the processing of biomolecules by ultrafiltration, the lysozyme enzyme undergoes conformational changes, which can affect its antibacterial activity. Operational conditions are considered to be one of the main parameters responsible for such changes, especially when using the same membrane and molecule. The present study demonstrates that, the same cut-off membrane (commercial data) can result in different properties of the protein after filtration, due to their different pore network. The filtration of lysozyme, regardless of the membrane, produces a decrease in the membrane hydraulic permeability (between 10 and 30%) and an increase in its selectivity in terms of observed rejection rate (30%). For the filtrated lysozyme, it appears that the HPLC retention time increases depending on the membrane used. The antibacterial activity of the filtrated samples is lower than the native protein and decreases with the increase of the applied pressure reaching 55–60% loss for 12 bar which has not been reported in the literature before. The observed results by SEC-HPLC and bacteriological tests, suggest that the conformation of the filtrated molecules are indeed modified. These results highlight the relationship between protein conformation or activity and the imposed shear stress.
Prevalence and co-existence of cardiometabolic risk factors and associations with nutrition-related and socioeconomic indicators in a national sample of Gambian women
Authors: Petry Nicolai , Rohner Fabian , Phall Modou Cheyassin , Jallow Bakary , Ceesay Abdou Aziz , Sawo Yankuba , Darboe Momodou K. , Barrow Samba , Sarr Aminatta , Ceesay Pa Ousman , Fofana Malang N. , Prentice Andrew M. , Wegmüller Rita , Wirth James P.
Published: June 2021

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are on the rise in Sub-Saharan Africa, and a large proportion of the adult population is thought to suffer from at least one cardiometabolic risk factor. This study assessed cardiometabolic risk factors and the contribution of nutrition-related indicators in Gambian women. The prevalence and co-existence of diabetes (elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c ≥ 6.5%) or prediabetes (HbA1c ≥ 5.7% to < 6.5%), hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg), obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30.0) and inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP) > 3 mg/L or alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) > 1 g/L) and the contribution of nutrition related and socioeconomic indicators were measured in non-pregnant women 15–49 years of age in the Gambia using data from a nationally representative cross-sectional stratified survey. Nationally, 54.5% (95% CI: 47.4, 61.4) of 1407 women had elevated HbA1c. Of these, 14.9% were diabetic and 85.1% were prediabetic. Moreover, 20.8% (95% CI 17.8, 20.0) of 1685 women had hypertension, 11.1% (95% CI 9.0, 13.7) of 1651 were obese and 17.2% (95% CI 5.1, 19.6) of 1401 had inflammation. At least one of the aforementioned cardiometabolic risk factor was present in 68.3% (95% CI 63.0, 73.1) of women. Obesity increased the risk of hypertension (aRR 1.84; 95% CI 1.40, 2.41), diabetes (aRR 1.91; 95% CI 1.29, 2.84), elevated HbA1c (aRR 1.31; 95% CI 1.14, 1.51) and inflammation (aRR 3.47; 95% CI 2.61, 4.61). Inflammation increased the risk of hypertension (aRR 1.42; 95% CI 1.14, 1.78). Aging increased the risk of hypertension, obesity and inflammation. Further, inadequate sanitation increased the risk for diabetes (aRR 1.65; 95% CI 1.17, 2.34) and iron deficiency increased the risk of elevated HbA1c (aRR 1.21; 95% CI 1.09, 1.33). The high prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors and their co-existence in Gambian women is concerning. Although controlling obesity seems to be key, multifaceted strategies to tackle the risk factors separately are warranted to reduce the prevalence or minimize the risk of CVD.
Random errors in protein synthesis activate an age-dependent program of muscle atrophy in mice
Authors: Moore James , Akbergenov Rashid , Nigri Martina , Isnard-Petit Patricia , Grimm Amandine , Seebeck Petra , Restelli Lisa , Frank Stephan , Eckert Anne , Thiam Kader , Wolfer David P. , Shcherbakov Dimitri , Böttger Erik C.
Published: June 2021

Random errors in protein synthesis are prevalent and ubiquitous, yet their effect on organismal health has remained enigmatic for over five decades. Here, we studied whether mice carrying the ribosomal ambiguity (ram) mutation Rps2-A226Y, recently shown to increase the inborn error rate of mammalian translation, if at all viable, present any specific, possibly aging-related, phenotype. We introduced Rps2-A226Y using a Cre/loxP strategy. Resulting transgenic mice were mosaic and showed a muscle-related phenotype with reduced grip strength. Analysis of gene expression in skeletal muscle using RNA-Seq revealed transcriptomic changes occurring in an age-dependent manner, involving an interplay of PGC1α, FOXO3, mTOR, and glucocorticoids as key signaling pathways, and finally resulting in activation of a muscle atrophy program. Our results highlight the relevance of translation accuracy, and show how disturbances thereof may contribute to age-related pathologies.
Positively charged styryl pyridine substituted Zn(ii) phthalocyanines for photodynamic therapy and photoantimicrobial chemotherapy: effect of the number of charges
Authors: Magadla Aviwe , Babu Balaji , Mack John , Nyokong Tebello
Published: June 2021

Cationic Zn phthalocyanines demonstrated high photodynamic activity against MCF-7 with IC50values as low as 4.9 μM and high photoantimicrobial activity againstEscherichia coliwith log reductions of up to 6.0.
Pseudotetrahedral copper(ii)-complexes with enantiopure (R or S)-2-(((aryl)ethylimino)ethyl)phenolate Schiff base ligands
Authors: Enamullah Mohammed , Anwar Hossain Mohammad , Islam Mohammad Khairul , Woschko Dennis , Janiak Christoph
Published: June 2021

For the diastereoselection of Λ/Δ-Cu-S- or R-L a combination of experimental ECD and computational procedures including structure optimizations and excited state properties by DFT/TDDFT is employed to assess the chirality induction at-metal.
Effect of deposition, detachment and aggregation processes on nanoparticle transport in porous media using Monte Carlo simulations
Authors: Hul Gabriela , Seijo Marianne , Carnal Fabrice , Cornelis Geert , Stoll Serge
Published: June 2021

A novel off-lattice three-dimensional coarse-grained Monte Carlo model is developed to study engineered nanoparticle (ENP) behavior in porous media.
Role of intercalation in the electrical properties of nucleic acids for use in molecular electronics
Authors: Mohammad Hashem , Demir Busra , Akin Caglanaz , Luan Binquan , Hihath Joshua , Oren Ersin Emre , Anantram M. P.
Published: June 2021

In this study, using rigorous calculations, we showed that the conductance of DNA can be tunedviaintercalation, depending on the redox state of the intercalator, induced energy levels, and the Fermi energy, for use in nanoelectronics.
Development of potential therapeutics for pain treatment by inducing Sigma 1 receptor antagonism – in silico approach
Authors: Perić Velimir , Golubović Mladjan , Lazarević Milan , Marjanović Vesna , Kostić Tomislav , Đorđević Miodrag , Milić Dragan , Veselinović Aleksandar M.
Published: June 2021

QSAR modeling with computer-aided drug design were used for the in silico development of novel therapeutics for pain treatment.
Induced fit activity-based sensing: a mechanistic study of pyrophosphate detection with a “flexible” Fe-salen complex
Authors: Yadav Prerna , Blacque Olivier , Roodt Andreas , Zelder Felix
Published: June 2021

A detailed mechanistic study of pyrophosphate (PPi) detection with a fluorometric Fe-salen based probe unravels the key structural switch of the Fe-bound PPi (“induced fit principle”) explaining the novel selectivity over other competing analytes.
Effect of amorphous cellulose on the deformation behavior of cellulose composites: molecular dynamics simulation
Authors: Ren Zechun , Guo Rui , Zhou Xinyuan , Bi Hongjie , Jia Xin , Xu Min , Wang Jun , Cai Liping , Huang Zhenhua
Published: June 2021

Molecular details of the combination of degradable material polylactic acid and cellulose.
An improved method for the incorporation of fluoromethyl ketones into solid phase peptide synthesis techniques
Authors: Joshi Dhira , Milligan Jennifer C. , Zeisner Theresa U. , O'Reilly Nicola , Diffley John F. X. , Papageorgiou George
Published: June 2021

An improved and expedient technique for the synthesis of peptidyl-fluoromethyl ketones is described.
Conformational control over π-conjugated electron pairing in 1D organic polymers
Authors: Alcón Isaac , Shao Jingjing , Tremblay Jean Christophe , Paulus Beate
Published: June 2021

Chemically designed conformational changes are shown to act as effective tools to induce electron pairing in otherwise multiradical 1D organic polymers.
Perspective on intermetallics towards efficient electrocatalytic water-splitting
Authors: Walter Carsten , Menezes Prashanth W. , Driess Matthias
Published: June 2021

This perspective provides an overview of the versatility of intermetallic compounds for electrochemical water splitting along with their synthetic strategies, catalytic efficiencies as well as their active structures under operating conditions.
A benzofuran[b]-fused BODIPY as an efficient sensitizer for photocatalytic hydrogen production
Authors: Makino Ko , I Takuro , Kubo Yuji
Published: June 2021

A benzofuran[b]-fused BODIPY-loaded Pt/P25 showed excellent H2 production (TOF = 11 700) with ascorbic acid (AA) under 10 h of photoirradiation.
Multiscale simulations for exploring photo-chemical processes to mitigate the critical dimension variability of contact holes in EUV lithography
Authors: Park Sungwoo , Lee Hyungwoo , Kim Muyoung , Kim Taegyeom , Lee Byunghoon , Cho Maenghyo
Published: June 2021

In extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL), the critical dimension (CD) variability of contact hole patterns results in pattern failures such as bridging or missing holes, which affects production yield.
Controllable color emission of platinum(ii) complexes and their application in light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Authors: Li Bao-Ning , Wang Jia-Jun , Fu Peng-Yan , Wang Shi-Cheng , Pan Mei
Published: June 2021

A series of platinum(ii) complexes are applicable in barcode and color changeable logo design, and made into facile LED with maximum output of 8434 cd m−2 and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 2.58%.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers Treatment: Effect on Expressive Vocabulary and Phonology
Authors: Munro Natalie , Baker Elise , Masso Sarah , Carson Lynn , Lee Taiying , Wong Anita M.-Y. , Stokes Stephanie F.
Published: June 2021

Purpose

This study examined the effect of Vocabulary Acquisition and Usage for Late Talkers (VAULT) treatment on toddlers' expressive vocabulary and phonology. Parent acceptability of VAULT treatment was also considered.

Method

We used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline single case experimental design with three late talking toddlers aged 21–25 months. The treatment was delivered twice weekly in 30-min sessions for 8 weeks by a rotating team of four speech-language pathologists. Toddlers heard three of their 10 strategically selected target words a minimum of 64 times in play activities each session. Expressive vocabulary and phonology was assessed pre–post, with parent interviews conducted posttreatment.

Results

All toddlers increased production of target words and expressive vocabulary. Ambient expressive vocabulary size increased by an average of 16 words per week (range of 73–169 words learned over the treatment period). On a 20-item, single-word speech assessment, the toddlers' phonetic inventories increased on average from three to seven consonants, and five to eight vowels. Two toddlers used protowords pretreatment, which were replaced by recognizable attempts at words posttreatment. Parents reported the treatment was acceptable for the child and their family with future consideration of parent-based delivery of the treatment in the home.

Conclusions

The results of this treatment provide further evidence of a model of intervention informed by the principles of implicit learning, and the interconnectedness of phonological and lexical learning. Investigation is required to establish the efficacy and feasibility of VAULT in clinical contexts.

Supplemental Material

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14714733
Hierarchical large-scale elastic metamaterials for passive seismic wave mitigation
Authors: Miniaci Marco , Kherraz Nesrine , Cröenne Charles , Mazzotti Matteo , Morvaridi Maryam , Gliozzi Antonio S. , Onorato Miguel , Bosia Federico , Pugno Nicola Maria
Published: June 2021

Large scale elastic metamaterials have recently attracted increasing interest in the scientific community for their potential as passive isolation structures for seismic waves. In particular, so-called “seismic shields” have been proposed for the protection of large areas where other isolation strategies (e.g. dampers) are not workable solutions. In this work, we investigate the feasibility of an innovative design based on hierarchical design of the unit cell, i.e. a structure with a self-similar geometry repeated at different scales. Results show how the introduction of hierarchy allows the conception of unit cells exhibiting reduced size with respect to the wavelength while maintaining the same or improved isolation efficiency at frequencies of interest for earthquake engineering. This allows to move closer to the practical realization of such seismic shields, where low-frequency operation and acceptable size are both essential characteristics for feasibility.
Scar Revisions
Authors: Skochdopole Anna , Dibbs Rami P. , Sarrami Shayan M. , Dempsey Robert F.
Published: June 2021

Scars pose a complex challenge to the reconstructive surgeon in the variability of their presentation and their effect on cosmesis and function. Numerous surgical and nonsurgical options exist for scar management, each with their respective advantages and disadvantages. Each treatment modality should be tailored to the patient to ensure enhanced outcomes. In this review, we discuss different scar presentations, scar management options, and the benefits and risks with undergoing these various treatment modalities.
Breakthrough instruments and products: An integrated instrument for enhanced, highly precise Hall effect measurement and analysis of electronic materials
Authors: Lindemuth J. R.
Published: June 2021

This report highlights the use of a measurement controller with patented technology that enables rapid Hall effect measurement of electronic materials, with examples demonstrating its utility for characterization of various materials.
Crop and stubble effects on seedling emergence of sourgrass, palmer amaranth, wild radish and fleabane
Authors: Oreja Fernando H. , Lenardis Adriana E. , de la Fuente Elba B.
Published: June 2021

Crop diversity, crop structures and crop residue can modify the seed-bank environment, influencing the seedling emergence of some weeds. The objectives of this work were to analyse (1) the effect of winter crop canopies of canola and wheat and soybean stubble on seedling emergence of Conyza sumatrensis and Raphanus sativus and (2) the effect of different soybean crop structures and soybean stubble on Digitaria insularis and Amaranthus palmeri seedling emergence. Two different field experiments were conducted at Buenos Aires University in a completely randomised factorial design with five replicates. The two winter species showed differences in the emergence timing whereas the two summer species emerged at the same time but with differences between years. Seedling emergence of A. palmeri was reduced by the presence of crop residue while the effect on C. sumatrensis and R. sativus emergence were more variable between years and D. insularis was not affected. Crops did not affect seedling emergence of winter species or that of A. palmeri. However, D. insularis emergence was favoured by soybean presence, mainly with closer canopy structures. Management decisions that promote the presence of crop residues favour the reduction of seedling emergence of palmer amaranth. In contrast, evaluated crop plant densities and planting dates were not able to reduce the seedling emergence of C. sumatrensis, R. sativus and D. insularis. Planting soybean in more competitive crop structures with closer canopies is not a good option due to the improvement of seedling emergence of D. insularis. Crop management decisions that inhibit seedling emergence in some species could stimulate it in others.
Sourcing curvature modes with entropy perturbations in non-singular bouncing cosmologies
Authors: Ijjas Anna , Kolevatov Roman
Published: June 2021

The observed temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background can be traced back to primordial curvature modes that are sourced by adiabatic and/or entropic matter perturbations. In this paper, we explore the entropic mechanism in the context of non-singular bouncing cosmologies. We show that curvature modes are naturally generated during `graceful exit,' i.e., when the smoothing slow contraction phase ends and the universe enters the bounce stage. Here, the key role is played by the kinetic energy components that come to dominate the energy density and drive the evolution towards the cosmological bounce.
Proca-stinated cosmology. Part II. Matter, halo, and lensing statistics in the vector Galileon
Authors: Becker Christoph , Eggemeier Alexander , Davies Christopher T. , Li Baojiu
Published: June 2021

The generalised Proca (GP) theory is a modified gravity
model in which the acceleration of the cosmic expansion rate can be
explained by self interactions of a cosmological vector field. In
this paper we study a particular sub-class of the GP theory, with up
to cubic order Lagrangian, known as the cubic vector Galileon (cvG)
model. This model is similar to the cubic scalar Galileon (csG) in
many aspects, including a fifth force and the Vainshtein screening
mechanism, but with the additional flexibility that the strength of
the fifth force depends on an extra parameter — interpolating
between zero and the full strength of the csG model — while the
background expansion history is independent of this parameter. It
offers an interesting alternative to ΛCDM in explaining the
cosmic acceleration, as well as a solution to the tension between
early- and late-time measurements of the Hubble constant H
0. To
identify the best ways to test this model, in this paper we conduct
a comprehensive study of the phenomenology of this model in the
nonlinear regime of large-scale structure formation, using a suite
of N-body simulations run with the modified gravity code ECOSMOG. By inspecting thirteen statistics of the dark matter
field, dark matter haloes and weak lensing maps, we find that the
fifth force in this model can have particularly significant effects
on the large-scale velocity field and lensing potential at late
times, which suggest that redshift-space distortions and weak
lensing can place strong constraints on it.
Reconstructing teleparallel gravity with cosmic structure growth and expansion rate data
Authors: Levi Said Jackson , Mifsud Jurgen , Sultana Joseph , Zarb Adami Kristian
Published: June 2021

In this work, we use a combined approach of Hubble parameter data together with redshift-space-distortion (fσ8) data, which together are used to reconstruct the teleparallel gravity (TG) Lagrangian via Gaussian processes (GP). The adopted Hubble data mainly comes from cosmic chronometers, while for the Type Ia supernovae data we use the latest jointly calibrated Pantheon compilation. Moreover, we consider two main GP covariance functions, namely the squared-exponential and Cauchy kernels in order to show consistency (to within 1σ uncertainties). The core results of this work are the numerical reconstructions of the TG Lagrangian from GP reconstructed Hubble and growth data. We take different possible combinations of the datasets and kernels to illustrate any potential differences in this regard. We show that nontrivial cosmology beyond ΛCDM falls within the uncertainties of the reconstructions from growth data, which therefore indicates no significant departure from the concordance cosmological model.