bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synergistic passivation and stepped-dimensional perovskite analogs enable high-efficiency near-infrared light-emitting diodes
Authors: Liu Yongjie , Tao Chen , Cao Yu , Chen Liangyan , Wang Shuxin , Li Pei , Wang Cheng , Liu Chenwei , Ye Feihong , Hu Shengyong , Xiao Meng , Gao Zheng , Gui Pengbing , Yao Fang , Dong Kailian , Li Jiashuai , Hu Xuzhi , Cong Hengjiang , Jia Shuangfeng , Wang Ti , Wang Jianbo , Li Gang , Huang Wei , Ke Weijun , Wang Jianpu , Fang Guojia
Published: December 2022

Formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) perovskites are promising emitters for near-infrared light-emitting diodes. However, their performance is still limited by defect-assisted nonradiative recombination and band offset-induced carrier aggregation at the interface. Herein, we introduce a couple of cadmium salts with acetate or halide anion into the FAPbI3 perovskite precursors to synergistically passivate the material defects and optimize the device band structure. Particularly, the perovskite analogs, containing zero-dimensional formamidinium cadmium iodide, one-dimensional δ-FAPbI3, two-dimensional FA2FAn-1PbnI3n+1, and three-dimensional α-FAPbI3, can be obtained in one pot and play a pivotal and positive role in energy transfer in the formamidinium iodide-rich lead-based perovskite films. As a result, the near-infrared FAPbI3-based devices deliver a maximum external quantum efficiency of 24.1% together with substantially improved operational stability. Combining our findings on defect passivation and energy transfer, we also achieve near-infrared light communication with device twins of light emitting and unprecedented self-driven detection.
Structural insights into mechanism and specificity of the plant protein O-fucosyltransferase SPINDLY
Authors: Zhu Li , Wei Xiting , Cong Jianming , Zou Jing , Wan Lihao , Xu Shutong
Published: December 2022

Arabidopsis glycosyltransferase family 41 (GT41) protein SPINDLY (SPY) plays pleiotropic roles in plant development. Despite the amino acid sequence is similar to human O-GlcNAc transferase, Arabidopsis SPY has been identified as a novel nucleocytoplasmic protein O-fucosyltransferase. SPY-like proteins extensively exist in diverse organisms, indicating that O-fucosylation by SPY is a common way to regulate intracellular protein functions. However, the details of how SPY recognizes and glycosylates substrates are unknown. Here, we present a crystal structure of Arabidopsis SPY/GDP complex at 2.85 Å resolution. SPY adopts a head-to-tail dimer. Strikingly, the conformation of a ‘catalytic SPY’/GDP/‘substrate SPY’ complex formed by two symmetry-related SPY dimers is captured in the crystal lattice. The structure together with mutagenesis and enzymatic data demonstrate SPY can fucosylate itself and SPY’s self-fucosylation region negatively regulates its enzyme activity, reveal SPY’s substrate recognition and enzyme mechanism, and provide insights into the glycan donor substrate selection in GT41 proteins.
Single-cell chromatin landscapes of mouse skin development
Authors: Li Fang , Xu Tiantian , Li Jiale , Hao Xuxu , Ge Wei , Wang Xin
Published: December 2022

The coat of mammals is produced by hair follicles, and hair follicle is an important and complex accessory organ of skin. As a complex physiological regulation process, hair follicle morphogenesis is regulated by a series of signal pathway factors, involves the interaction of multiple cell types and begins in the early embryonic stage. However, its transcriptional regulatory mechanism is unclear. We have therefore utilized single-cell ATAC sequencing to obtain the chromatin accessibility landscapes of 6,928, 6,961 and 7,374 high-quality cells from the dorsal skins of E13.5, E16.5 and P0 mice (Mus musculus), respectively. Based on marker gene activity clustering, we defined 6, 8 and 5 distinct cell types in E13.5, E16.5 and P0 stages, respectively. Furtherly, we integrated the fibroblasts and keratinocytes clusters, performed further analysis and re-clustered. The single cell map of the chromatin open area was drawn from each cell type and the mechanism of cell transcription regulation was explored. Collectively, our data provide a reference for deeply exploring the epigenetic regulation mechanism of mouse hair follicles development.
Geography and prevalence of rickettsial infections in Northern Tamil Nadu, India: a cross-sectional study
Authors: D’Cruz Solomon , Perumalla Susmitha Karunasree , Yuvaraj Jayaraman , Prakash John Antony Jude
Published: December 2022

Rickettsial infections and Q fever are a common cause of acute febrile illness globally. Data on the role of climate and altitude on the prevalence of these infections in lacking from Southern India. In this study, we determined the sero-prevalence of scrub typhus (ST), spotted fever (SF), murine typhus (MT) and Q Fever (QF) in 8 eight geographical regions of North Tamil Nadu by detecting IgG antibodies using ELISA. Totally we tested 2565 people from 86 localities. Among the 27.3% positives, approximately 5% were IgG positive for two or more infections. Sero-prevalence to rickettsioses and Q fever was highest for individuals from rural areas and increased with age (> 30 years). Those in the Nilgiris highlands (wetter and cooler) and Erode, which has the most land under irrigation, demonstrated the least exposure to rickettsioses and Q fever. Lowland plains (AOR: 8.4–22.9; 95% CI 3.1–55.3) and highland areas up to 1000 m (AOR: 6.1–10.3; 95% CI 2.4–23.9) showed the highest risk of exposure to scrub typhus. For spotted fever, the risk of exposure was highest in Jawadhi (AOR:10.8; 95% CI 2.6–44.3) and Kalrayan (AOR:16.6; 95% CI 4.1–66.2). Q fever positivity was most likely to be encountered in Salem (AOR: 5.60; 95% CI 1.01–31.08) and Kalrayan hills (AOR:12.3; 95% CI 2.9–51.6). Murine typhus risk was significant only in Tiruvannamalai (AOR:24.2; 95% CI 3.3–178.6). Our study suggests that prevalence of rickettsial infections and Q fever is low in areas which receive rainfall of ≥ 150 cm/year, with average minimum and maximum temperatures between 15 and 25 °C and elevation in excess of 2000 m. It is also less in well irrigated lowlands with dry climate. These preliminary findings need confirmation by active surveillance in these areas.
Prediction of fluid oil and gas volumes of shales with a deep learning model and its application to the Bakken and Marcellus shales
Authors: Şen Şamil
Published: December 2022

The fluid oil and gas volumes (S1) retained within the shales are one of the most important parameter of producible fluid oil and gas saturations of shales together with total organic carbon content. The S1 volumes can directly be obtained by Rock-Eval pyrolysis analysis. However, it is time consuming and not practical to obtain samples from all intervals of all wells in any shale play. S1 volumes prediction with a deep learning (DL) model have increasingly became important with the booming exploration and development of shale oil and gas resources. S1 volumes of shales are controlled by organic matter richness, type and maturity together with reservoir quality and adsorption capacity which are mainly effected by age, depth, organic content, maturity and mineralogy. A dataset consisting of 331 samples from 19 wells of various locations of the world-class organic-rich shales of the Niobrara, Eagle Ford, Barnett, Haynesville, Woodford, Vaca Muerta and Dadaş has been used to determination of a DL model for S1 volumes prediction using Python 3 programing environment with Tensorflow and Keras open-source libraries. The DL model that contains 5 dense layers and, 1024, 512, 256, 128 and 128 neurons has been predicted S1 volumes of shales as high as R2 = 0.97 from the standard petroleum E&P activities. The DL model has also successfully been applied to S1 volumes prediction of the Bakken and Marcellus shales of the North America. The prediction of the S1 volumes show that the shales have lower to higher reservoir quality and, oil and gas production rate that are well-matches with former studies.
Integration of in vitro and in-silico analysis of Caulerpa racemosa against antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities
Authors: Dissanayake Indeewarie H. , Bandaranayake Upeka , Keerthirathna Lakshika R. , Manawadu Chamalika. , Silva Rajitha M. , Mohamed Boudjelal , Ali Rizwan , Peiris Dinithi C.
Published: December 2022

Marine algae are found to be excellent in their nutritional and potential therapeutic properties. This study explores the antidiabetic and anticancer potential of fractionated polyphenolic extract of Caulerpa racemosa, green macroalgae. Crude polyphenolic extract (CPE) of C. racemosa and its fractions (n-hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and distilled water) were tested for its total phenol and flavonoid contents and antioxidant potential. The ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The in vitro antidiabetic activity was assessed by alpha-amylase, glucosidase inhibition and anti-glycation assays. Also, in-silico studies were conducted to test the binding affinities between caulerpin with alpha-glucosidase enzyme and estrogen receptor (ER) active sites. Each fraction was tested for its in vitroin vitroanticancer activity by CellTiter-Glo and MTT cell proliferation assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant potential of the crude extract were observed to be dose dependent. The GC/MS analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction yielded 47 peaks, whereas n-hexadecanoic acid and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester showed the highest compatibility percentages of 99% and 96%, respectively. The CPE exhibited a higher potential in both alpha-amylase inhibitory and anti-glycation activities. The ethyl acetate fraction was more effective against alpha-glucosidase inhibition. Molecular docking revealed a high binding affinity between the alpha-glucosidase enzyme and caulerpin and showed high binding affinity toward caulerpin, with H-bond interactions. The in vitro anticancer analyses revealed that chloroform fraction and CPE exhibited moderate activity on the KAIMRC1 cell line. Also, the CPE exhibited high specificity compared to the standard drug in anticancer studies. Our findings evidence the pharmacological potential of the CPE of C. racemosa, and bioactive compounds of the species may be utilized as lead molecules to develop anti-diabetic and anti-cancer drugs.
DNMT3B overexpression downregulates genes with CpG islands, common motifs, and transcription factor binding sites that interact with DNMT3B
Authors: Loaeza-Loaeza Jaqueline , Cerecedo-Castillo Angel Josué , Rodríguez-Ruiz Hugo Alberto , Castro-Coronel Yaneth , Del Moral-Hernández Oscar , Recillas-Targa Félix , Hernández-Sotelo Daniel
Published: December 2022

DNA methylation is a key epigenetic modification to regulate gene expression in mammalian cells. Abnormal DNA methylation in gene promoters is common across human cancer types. DNMT3B is the main de novo methyltransferase enhanced in several primary tumors. How de novo methylation is established in genes related to cancer is poorly understood. CpG islands (CGIs), common sequences, and transcription factors (TFs) that interact with DNMT3B have been associated with abnormal de novo methylation. We initially identified cis elements associated with DNA methylation to investigate the contribution of DNMT3B overexpression to the deregulation of its possible target genes in an epithelial cell model. In a set of downregulated genes (n = 146) from HaCaT cells with DNMT3B overexpression, we found CGI, common sequences, and TFs Binding Sites that interact with DNMT3B (we called them P-down-3B). PPL1, VAV3, IRF1, and BRAF are P-down-3B genes that are downregulated and increased their methylation in DNMT3B presence. Together these findings suggest that methylated promoters aberrantly have some cis elements that could conduce de novo methylation by DNMT3B.
Effect of heat transfer on hybrid nanofluid flow in converging/diverging channel using fuzzy volume fraction
Authors: Verma Lalchand , Meher Ramakanta , Hammouch Zakia , Baskonus Haci Mehmet
Published: December 2022

This work explores the magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) Jeffery–Hamel nanofluid flow between two rigid non-parallel plane walls with heat transfer by employing hybrid nanoparticles, especially Cu and Cu-Al$$_{2}$$

2

O$$_{3}$$

3

. Here the MHD nanofluid flow problem is extended with fuzzy volume fraction and heat transfer with diverse nanoparticles to cover the influence of thermal profiles with hybrid nanoparticles on the fuzzy velocity profiles. The nanoparticle volume fraction is described with a triangular fuzzy number ranging from 0 to $$5\%$$

5
%

. A novel double parametric form-based homotopy analysis approach is considered to study the fuzzy velocity and temperature profiles with hybrid nanoparticles in both convergent and divergent channel positions. Finally, the efficiency of the proposed method has been demonstrated by comparing it with the available results in a crisp environment for validation.
Multi-proxy dentition analyses reveal niche partitioning between sympatric herbivorous dinosaurs
Authors: Ősi Attila , Barrett Paul M. , Evans Alistair R. , Nagy András Lajos , Szenti Imre , Kukovecz Ákos , Magyar János , Segesdi Martin , Gere Kinga , Jó Viviána
Published: December 2022

Dentitions of the sympatric herbivorous dinosaursHungarosaurus(Ankylosauria, Nodosauridae) andMochlodon(Ornithopoda, Rhabdodontidae) (Santonian, Hungary) were analysed to investigate their dietary ecology, using several complementary methods—orientation patch count, tooth replacement rate, macrowear, tooth wear rate, traditional microwear, and dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA). Tooth formation time is similar inHungarosaurusandMochlodon, and traditional and DMTA microwear features suggest low-browsing habits for both taxa, consistent with their inferred stances and body sizes. However,Mochlodonpossesses a novel adaptation for increasing dental durability: the dentine on the working side of the crown is double the thickness of that on the balancing side. Moreover, crown morphology, enamel thickness, macrowear orientation, and wear rate differ greatly between the two taxa. Consequently, these sympatric herbivores probably exploited plants of different toughness, implying dietary selectivity and niche partitioning.Hungarosaurusis inferred to have eaten softer vegetation, whereasMochlodonlikely fed on tougher material. Compared to the much heavier, quadrupedalHungarosaurus, the bipedalMochlodonwore down more than twice as much of its crown volume during the functional life of the tooth. This heavy tooth wear might correlate with more intensive food processing and, in turn, could reflect differences in the metabolic requirements of these animals.
Photosynthetic usable energy explains vertical patterns of biodiversity in zooxanthellate corals
Authors: López-Londoño Tomás , Gómez-Campo Kelly , Hernández-Pech Xavier , Enríquez Susana , Iglesias-Prieto Roberto
Published: December 2022

The biodiversity in coral reef ecosystems is distributed heterogeneously across spatial and temporal scales, being commonly influenced by biogeographic factors, habitat area and disturbance frequency. A potential association between gradients of usable energy and biodiversity patterns has received little empirical support in these ecosystems. Here, we analyzed the productivity and biodiversity variation over depth gradients in symbiotic coral communities, whose members rely on the energy translocated by photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae). Using a mechanistic model we explored the association between the depth-dependent variation in photosynthetic usable energy to corals and gradients of species diversity, comparing reefs with contrasting water clarity and biodiversity patterns across global hotspots of marine biodiversity. The productivity-biodiversity model explained between 64 and 95% of the depth-related variation in coral species richness, indicating that much of the variation in species richness with depth is driven by changes in the fractional contribution of photosynthetically fixed energy by the zooxanthellae. These results suggest a fundamental role of solar energy availability and photosynthetic production in explaining global-scale patterns of coral biodiversity and community structure along depth gradients. Accordingly, the maintenance of water optical quality in coral reefs is fundamental to protect coral biodiversity and prevent reef degradation.
Tailoring polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate (PVA-SA) hydrogel beads by controlling crosslinking pH and time
Authors: Candry Pieter , Godfrey Bruce J. , Wang Ziwei , Sabba Fabrizio , Dieppa Evan , Fudge Julia , Balogun Oluwaseyi , Wells George , Winkler Mari-Karoliina Henriikka
Published: December 2022

Hydrogel-encapsulated catalysts are an attractive tool for low-cost intensification of (bio)-processes. Polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate hydrogels crosslinked with boric acid and post-cured with sulfate (PVA-SA-BS) have been applied in bioproduction and water treatment processes, but the low pH required for crosslinking may negatively affect biocatalyst functionality. Here, we investigate how crosslinking pH (3, 4, and 5) and time (1, 2, and 8 h) affect the physicochemical, elastic, and process properties of PVA-SA-BS beads. Overall, bead properties were most affected by crosslinking pH. Beads produced at pH 3 and 4 were smaller and contained larger internal cavities, while optical coherence tomography suggested polymer cross-linking density was higher. Optical coherence elastography revealed PVA-SA-BS beads produced at pH 3 and 4 were stiffer than pH 5 beads. Dextran Blue release showed that pH 3-produced beads enabled higher diffusion rates and were more porous. Last, over a 28-day incubation, pH 3 and 4 beads lost more microspheres (as cell proxies) than beads produced at pH 5, while the latter released more polymer material. Overall, this study provides a path forward to tailor PVA-SA-BS hydrogel bead properties towards a broad range of applications, such as chemical, enzymatic, and microbially catalyzed (bio)-processes.
Biochemical characterization of the two novel mgCas12a proteins from the human gut metagenome
Authors: Kim Han Seong , Kim Dong-wook , Kim Sungjin , Choe Sunghwa
Published: December 2022

CRISPR/Cas9 and Cas12a belonging to the Class II CRISPR system are characterized by a single-component effector protein. Despite unique features of Cas12a like DNA cleavage with 5′ staggered ends and a single crRNA, Cas12a has not been adopted in biotechnological applications to the similar extent as Cas9. To better understand the CRISPR/Cas12 systems, we selected two candidates, designated mgCas12a-1 and mgCas12a-2, from an analysis of the human microbiome metagenome (mg) and provided biochemical characterization. These new Cas12a proteins shared about 37% identity in amino acid sequences and shared the same direct repeat sequences in the crRNA with FnCas12a from Francisella novicida. The purification yield of the recombinant proteins was up to 3.6-fold greater than that of FnCas12a. In cell-free DNA cleavage assays, both mgCas12a proteins showed the higher cleavage efficiencies when Mn2+ was provided with KCl (< 100 mM) than tested other divalent ions. They were able to tolerate ranges of pH points and temperature, and showed the highest cleavage efficiencies at pH 8.0 and 50 °C. In addition, mgCas12a proteins showed 51% less crRNA-independent and 56% less crRNA-dependent non-specific nuclease activity upon prolonged incubation than did FnCas12a. Considering their greater yield in protein preparation and reduced non-specific nuclease activity, our findings may expedite the use of Cas12a especially when genome editing needs to be practiced with the form of ribonucleoproteins.
SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces a differential monocyte activation that may contribute to age bias in COVID-19 severity
Authors: Ait-Belkacem Ines , Cartagena García Celia , Millet-Wallisky Ewa , Izquierdo Nicolas , Loosveld Marie , Arnoux Isabelle , Morange Pierre-Emmanuel , Galland Franck , Lambert Nathalie , Malergue Fabrice , Busnel Jean-Marc
Published: December 2022

A strong bias related to age is observed in COVID-19 patients with pediatric subjects developing a milder disease than adults. We hypothesized that a specific SARS-CoV-2 effect conjugated with preexisting differences in the immune systems may explain this. Using flow cytometry, we investigated basal immune differences in a cohort consisting of 16 non-infected young and 16 aged individuals and further leveraged an in vitro whole blood model of SARS-CoV-2 infection so that functional differences could be mined as well. In short, blood diluted in culture media was incubated 5 or 24 h with the trimeric spike protein or controls. Following unsupervised analysis, we first confirmed that the immune lymphoid and myeloid systems in adults are less efficient and prone to develop higher inflammation than those in children. We notably identified in adults a higher CD43 lymphocyte expression, known for its potentially inhibitory role. The spike protein induced different responses between adults and children, notably a higher increase of inflammatory markers together with lower monocyte and B cell activation in adults. Interestingly, CD169, a CD43 ligand overexpressed in COVID-19 patients, was confirmed to be strongly modulated by the spike protein. In conclusion, the spike protein exacerbated the preexisting lower immune responsiveness and higher inflammatory potential in adults. Altogether, some of the markers identified may explain the marked age bias and be predictive of severity.
CNN-based object detection and growth estimation of plum fruit (Prunus mume) using RGB and depth imaging techniques
Authors: Kim EungChan , Hong Suk-Ju , Kim Sang-Yeon , Lee Chang-Hyup , Kim Sungjay , Kim Hyuck-Joo , Kim Ghiseok
Published: December 2022

Modern people who value healthy eating habits have shown increasing interest in plum (Prunus mume) fruits, primarily owing to their nutritiousness and proven efficacy. As consumption increases, it becomes important to monitor work to prevent Prunus mume fruits from falling out. Moreover, determining the growth status of Prunus mume is also crucial and is attracting increasing attention. In this study, convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning object detection was developed using RGBD images collected from Prunus mume farms. These RGBD images consider various environments, including the depth information of objects in the outdoor field. A faster region-based convolutional neural network (R-CNN), EfficientDet, Retinanet, and Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) were applied for detection, and the performance of all models was estimated by comparing their respective computing speeds and average precisions (APs). The test results show that the EfficientDet model is the most accurate, and SSD MobileNet is the fastest among the four models. In addition, the algorithm was developed to acquire the growth status of P. mume fruits by applying the coordinates and score values of bounding boxes to the depth map. Compared to the diameters of the artificial Prunus mume fruits used as the experimental group, the calculated diameters were very similar to those of the artificial objects. Collectively, the results demonstrate that the CNN-based deep learning Prunus mume detection and growth estimation method can be applied to real farmlands.
Characterization of sex-related differences in allergen house dust mite-challenged airway inflammation, in two different strains of mice
Authors: Mostafa Dina H. D. , Hemshekhar Mahadevappa , Piyadasa Hadeesha , Altieri Anthony , Halayko Andrew J. , Pascoe Christopher D. , Mookherjee Neeloffer
Published: December 2022

Biological sex impacts disease prevalence, severity and response to therapy in asthma, however preclinical studies often use only one sex in murine models. Here, we detail sex-related differences in immune responses using a house dust mite (HDM)-challenge model of acute airway inflammation, in adult mice of two different strains (BALB/c and C57BL/6NJ). Female and male mice were challenged (intranasally) with HDM extract (~ 25 μg) for 2 weeks (N = 10 per group). Increase in serum HDM-specific IgE showed a female bias, which was statistically significant in BALB/c mice. We compared naïve and HDM-challenged mice to define immune responses in the lungs by assessing leukocyte accumulation in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and profiling the abundance of 29 different cytokines in BALF and lung tissue lysates. Our results demonstrate specific sex-related and strain-dependent differences in airway inflammation. For example, HDM-driven accumulation of neutrophils, eosinophils and macrophages were significantly higher in females compared to males, in BALB/c mice. In contrast, HDM-mediated eosinophil accumulation was higher in males compared to females, in C57BL/6NJ mice. Differences in lung cytokine profiles indicated that HDM drives a T-helper (Th)17-biased response with higher IL-17 levels in female BALB/c mice compared to males, whereas female C57BL/6NJ mice elicit a mixed Th1/Th2-skewed response. Male mice of both strains showed higher levels of specific Th2-skewed cytokines, such as IL-21, IL-25 and IL-9, in response to HDM. Overall, this study details sex dimorphism in HDM-mediated airway inflammation in mice, which will be a valuable resource for preclinical studies in allergic airway inflammation and asthma.
Long chain ceramides raise the main phase transition of monounsaturated phospholipids to physiological temperature
Authors: Takahashi Hiroshi , Hayakawa Tomohiro , Makino Asami , Iwamoto Kunihiko , Ito Kazuki , Sato Satoshi B. , Kobayashi Toshihide
Published: December 2022

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms of ceramide-mediated cellular signaling. We examined the effects of palmitoyl ceramide (C16-ceramide) and stearoyl ceramide (C18-ceramide) on the phase behavior of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (POPE) using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS, WAXS). As previously published, the presence of ceramides increased the lamellar gel-to-lamellar liquid crystalline (Lβ–Lα) phase transition temperature of POPC and POPE and decreased the Lα-to-inverted hexagonal (Lα–HII) phase transition temperature of POPE. Interestingly, despite an ~ 30° difference in the main phase transition temperatures of POPC and POPE, the Lβ–Lα phase transition temperatures were very close between POPC/C18-ceramide and POPE/C18-ceramide and were near physiological temperature. A comparison of the results of C16-ceramide in published and our own results with those of C18-ceramide indicates that increase of the carbon chain length of ceramide from 16 to 18 and/or the small difference of ceramide content in the membrane dramatically change the phase transition temperature of POPC and POPE to near physiological temperature. Our results support the idea that ceramide signaling is mediated by the alteration of lipid phase-dependent partitioning of signaling proteins.
Vti1a/b support distinct aspects of TGN and cis-/medial Golgi organization
Authors: van Bommel Danique M. , Toonen Ruud F. , Verhage Matthijs
Published: December 2022

Retrograde trafficking towards thetrans-Golgi network (TGN) is important for dense core vesicle (DCV) biogenesis. Here, we used Vti1a/b deficient neurons to study the impact of disturbed retrograde trafficking on Golgi organization and cargo sorting. In Vti1a/b deficient neurons, staining intensity ofcis-/medial Golgi proteins (e.g., GM130 and giantin) was increased, while the intensity of two recycling TGN proteins, TGN38 and TMEM87A, was decreased and the TGN-resident protein Golgin97 was normal. Levels and localization of DCV cargo markers, LAMP1 and KDEL were also altered. This phenotype was not caused by reduced Golgi size or absence of a TGN compartment. The phenotype was partially phenocopied by disturbing sphingolipid homeostasis, but was not rescued by overexpression of sphingomyelin synthases or the sphingolipid synthesis inhibitor myriocin. We conclude that Vti1a/b are important for distinct aspects of TGN andcis-/medial Golgi organization. Our data underline the importance of retrograde trafficking for Golgi organization, DCV cargo sorting and the distribution of proteins of the regulated secretory pathway.
Caffeic acid N-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl] amide as a non-steroidal inhibitor for steroid 5α-reductase type 1 using a human keratinocyte cell-based assay and molecular dynamics
Authors: Lin Aye Chan Khine , Netcharoensirisuk Ponsawan , Sanachai Kamonpan , Sukma Warongrit , Chansriniyom Chaisak , Chaotham Chatchai , De-Eknamkul Wanchai , Rungrotmongkol Thanyada , Chamni Supakarn
Published: December 2022

Caffeic acid derivatives containing amide moieties similar to those of finasteride and dutasteride were synthesized. An in vitro inhibitory activity evaluation of caffeic acid (1) and its amide derivatives (2 − 4) against the steroid 5α-reductase type 1 (SRD5A1) produced by human keratinocyte cells coupled with the non-radioactive high-performance thin-layer chromatography detection revealed that caffeic acid N-[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl] amide (4) was a promising non-steroidal suppressor, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.44 ± 0.13 µM and relatively low cytotoxicity with an IC50 of 29.99 ± 8.69 µM. The regulatory role of compound 4 against SRD5A1 involved both suppression of SRD5A1 expression and mixed mode SRD5A1 inhibition. The Ki value of compound 4 was 2.382 µM based on the whole-cell kinetic studies under specific conditions. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations with AlphaFold generated the human SRD5A1 structure and confirmed the stability of compound 4 at the SRD5A1 catalytic site with greater interactions, including hydrogen bonding of the key M119 amino-acid residue than those of finasteride and dutasteride. Thus, compound 4 shows the potential for further development as an SRD5A1 suppressor for androgenic alopecia treatment.
Composed query image retrieval based on triangle area triple loss function and combining CNN with transformer
Authors: Zhang Zhiwei , Wang Liejun , Cheng Shuli
Published: December 2022

The existing typical combined query image retrieval methods adopt Euclidean distance as sample distance measurement method, and the model trained by triple loss function blindly pursues absolute distance between samples, resulting in unsatisfactory image retrieval performance. Meanwhile, these methods singularly adopt Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to extract reference image features. However, receptive field of convolution operation has the characteristics of locality, which is easy to cause the loss of edge feature information of reference images. In view of shortcomings of these methods, the following improvements are proposed in this paper: (1) We propose Triangle Area Triple Loss Function (TATLF), which adopts Triangle Area (TA) as measurement of sample distance. TA comprehensively considers the absolute distance and included angle between samples, so that the trained model has better retrieval performance; (2) We combine CNN with Transformer to simultaneously extract local and edge features of reference images, which can effectively reduce the loss of reference images information. Specifically, CNN is adopted to extract local feature information of reference images. Transformer is used to pay attention to the edge feature information of reference images. Extensive experiments on two public datasets, Fashion200k and MIT-States, confirm the excellent performance of our proposed method.
Age differences in knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
Authors: González-Herrera Antonio , Rodríguez-Blázquez Carmen , Romay-Barja María , Falcon-Romero María , Ayala Alba , Forjaz María João
Published: December 2022

This study aims at describing the evolution of Spanish population preventive practices during the COVID-19 pandemic of the between January and June 2021, and differences by age group. Data was drawn from the COSMO-Spain online survey, rounds (R) 4, 5 and 6. Multiple linear regression models with preventive practices as dependent variable were performed. Preventive practices (p = 0.001) and concern about coronavirus (p = 0.003) decreased throughout the three rounds, knowledge decreased from R4 to R6 (p = 0.002) and health literacy had a higher value in R6 (p < 0.001). Older the age was associated with higher the frequency of preventive practices, and levels of health literacy and concern about coronavirus (p < 0.001). The regression model showed that, in the 18–29 year group, a greater frequency of preventive practices was associated with being female (β = 0.20; p < 0.001), greater concern about coronavirus (β = 0.16; p < 0.018) and frequency of information seeking (β = 0.24; p < 0.001). For 61 years old and older, a higher frequency of preventive practices was associated with greater concern about coronavirus (β = 0.21; p < 0.002) and lower pandemic fatigue (β = − 0.13; p < 0.037). These findings point to the need for effective public health interventions tailored to the characteristics of age population groups.
Metal artifact reduction in kV CT images throughout two-step sequential deep convolutional neural networks by combining multi-modal imaging (MARTIAN)
Authors: Kim Hojin , Yoo Sang Kyun , Kim Dong Wook , Lee Ho , Hong Chae-Seon , Han Min Cheol , Kim Jin Sung
Published: December 2022

This work attempted to construct a new metal artifact reduction (MAR) framework in kilo-voltage (kV) computed tomography (CT) images by combining (1) deep learning and (2) multi-modal imaging, defined as MARTIAN (Metal Artifact Reduction throughout Two-step sequentIAl deep convolutional neural Networks). Most CNNs under supervised learning require artifact-free images to artifact-contaminated images for artifact correction. Mega-voltage (MV) CT is insensitive to metal artifacts, unlike kV CT due to different physical characteristics, which can facilitate the generation of artifact-free synthetic kV CT images throughout the first network (Network 1). The pairs of true kV CT and artifact-free kV CT images after post-processing constructed a subsequent network (Network 2) to conduct the actual MAR process. The proposed framework was implemented by GAN from 90 scans for head-and-neck and brain radiotherapy and validated with 10 independent cases against commercial MAR software. The artifact-free kV CT images following Network 1 and post-processing led to structural similarity (SSIM) of 0.997, and mean-absolute-error (MAE) of 10.2 HU, relative to true kV CT. Network 2 in charge of actual MAR successfully suppressed metal artifacts, relative to commercial MAR, while retaining the detailed imaging information, yielding the SSIM of 0.995 against 0.997 from the commercial MAR.
ERPs responses to dominance features from human faces
Authors: Miao Chengguo , Li Xiaojun , Derrington Edmund , Moisan Frédéric , Li Yansong , Dreher Jean-Claude
Published: December 2022

Social dominance is an important feature of social life. Dominance has been proposed to be one of two trait dimensions underpinning social judgments of human faces. Yet, the neural bases of the ability to identify different dominance levels in others based on intrinsically facial cues remains poorly understood. Here, we used event-related potentials to determine the temporal dynamics of facial dominance evaluation based on facial features signaling physical strength/weakness in humans. Twenty-seven participants performed a dominance perception task where they passively viewed faces with different dominance levels. Dominance levels did not modulate an early component of face processing, known as the N170 component, but did modulate the late positive potential (LPP) component. These findings indicate that participants inferred dominance levels at a late stage of face evaluation. Furthermore, the highest level of dominant faces and the lowest level of submissive faces both elicited higher LPP amplitudes than faces with a neutral dominance level. Taken together, the present study provides new insights regarding the dynamics of the neurocognitive processes underlying facial dominance evaluation.
Long-term ambient hydrocarbon exposure and incidence of urinary bladder cancer
Authors: Zhang Han-Wei , Tsai Zhi-Ren , Kok Victor C. , Peng Hsiao-Ching , Chen Yau-Hung , Tsai Jeffrey J. P. , Hsu Chung Y.
Published: December 2022

Particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, including total hydrocarbons (THCs), are major ambient air pollutants. Primary nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) originate from vehicle emissions. The association between air pollution and urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is debatable. We investigated whether long-term exposure to ambient hydrocarbons increases UBC risk among people aged ≥ 20 years in Taiwan. Linkage dataset research with longitudinal design was conducted among 589,135 initially cancer-free individuals during 2000–2013; 12 airborne pollutants were identified. Several Cox models considering potential confounders were employed. The study outcomes were invasive or in situ UBC incidence over time. The targeted pollutant concentration was divided into three tertiles: T1/T2/T3. The mean age of individuals at risk was 42.5 (SD 15.7), and 50.5% of the individuals were men. The mean daily average over 10 years of airborne THC concentration was 2.25 ppm (SD 0.13), and NMHC was 0.29 ppm (SD 0.09). Both pollutants show long-term monotonic downward trend over time using the Mann–Kendall test. There was a dose-dependent increase in UBC at follow-up. UBC incidence per 100,000 enrollees according to T1/T2/T3 exposure to THC was 60.9, 221.2, and 651.8, respectively; it was 170.0/349.5/426.7 per 100,000 enrollees, corresponding to T1/T2/T3 exposure to NMHC, respectively. Without controlling for confounding air pollutants, the adjusted hazard ratio (adj.HR) was 1.83 (95% CI 1.75–1.91) per 0.13-ppm increase in THC; after controlling for PM2.5, adj.HR was even higher at 2.09 (95% CI 1.99–2.19). The adj.HR was 1.37 (95% CI 1.32–1.43) per 0.09-ppm increase in ambient NMHC concentration. After controlling for SO2 and CH4, the adj.HR was 1.10 (95% CI 1.06–1.15). Sensitivity analyses showed that UBC development risk was not sex-specific or influenced by diabetes status. Long-term exposure to THC and NMHC may be a risk factor for UBC development. Acknowledging pollutant sources can inform risk management strategies.
Sustaining self-restraint until the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo
Authors: Ishii Yoshinao , Hayakawa Keiichiro , Chikaraishi Makoto
Published: December 2022

We analyzed time-series changes in people’s purpose-specific mobility characteristics owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Tokyo area of Japan, where only legally non-binding requests for self-restraint were enforced. A multiple regression analysis was conducted with the objective variable being the mobile population in the Tokyo area per 500 m square grid estimated from mobile spatial statistical data for 2 years from 10/01/2019 to 9/30/2021. This study period ranges from pre- to mid-pandemic. The explanatory variable was the number of buildings by type per 500 m square grid obtained from building statistical data to determine behavioral changes by mobility purpose. The analysis revealed that self-restraint was sustained until the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Tokyo area regardless of the purpose of mobility and whether a state of emergency was declared.
Intelligent route to design efficient CO2 reduction electrocatalysts using ANFIS optimized by GA and PSO
Authors: Gheytanzadeh Majedeh , Baghban Alireza , Habibzadeh Sajjad , Jabbour Karam , Esmaeili Amin , Mashhadzadeh Amin Hamed , Mohaddespour Ahmad
Published: December 2022

Recently, electrochemical reduction of CO2into value-added fuels has been noticed as a promising process to decrease CO2emissions. The development of such technology is strongly depended upon tuning the surface properties of the applied electrocatalysts. Considering the high cost and time-consuming experimental investigations, computational methods, particularly machine learning algorithms, can be the appropriate approach for efficiently screening the metal alloys as the electrocatalysts. In doing so, to represent the surface properties of the electrocatalysts numerically,d-band theory-based electronic features and intrinsic properties obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used as descriptors. Accordingly, a dataset containg 258 data points was extracted from the DFT method to use in machine learning method. The primary purpose of this study is to establish a new model through machine learning methods; namely, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) combined with particle swarm optimization (PSO) and genetic algorithm (GA) for the prediction of *CO (the key intermediate) adsorption energy as the efficiency metric. The developed ANFIS–PSO and ANFIS–GA showed excellent performance with RMSE of 0.0411 and 0.0383, respectively, the minimum errors reported so far in this field. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis showed that the center and the filling of thed-band are the most determining parameters for the electrocatalyst surface reactivity. The present study conveniently indicates the potential and value of machine learning in directing the experimental efforts in alloy system electrocatalysts for CO2reduction.
Translating aqueous CO2 hydrogenation activity to electrocatalytic reduction with a homogeneous cobalt catalyst
Authors: Wang Xinran S. , Yang Jenny Y.
Published: December 2022

A molecular cobalt CO2 hydrogenation catalyst was explored for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction under aqueous conditions.
Serum fat-soluble vitamins and the menstrual cycle in women of childbearing age
Authors: Zhang Yuqing , Kong Jing , Jiang Xiaohong , Wu Jiangping , Wu Xiaoli
Published: December 2022

Serum vitamin A and K levels in women of childbearing age are positively associated with higher odds of irregular menstrual cycles in linear dose–response patterns. Appropriate fat-soluble vitamin levels are critical for female reproductive health.
Pretargeted imaging beyond the blood–brain barrier
Authors: Shalgunov Vladimir , Lopes van den Broek Sara , Vang Andersen Ida , García Vázquez Rocío , Raval Nakul Ravi , Palner Mikael , Mori Yuki , Schäfer Gabriela , Herrmann Barbara , Mikula Hannes , Beschorner Natalie , Nedergaard Maiken , Syvänen Stina , Barz Matthias , Moos Knudsen Gitte , Battisti Umberto Maria , Herth Matthias Manfred
Published: December 2022

By screening a library of 18F-labeled tetrazines, we identified tetrazines which showed high pretargeted PET imaging contrast beyond the blood–brain-barrier.
Iron oxide – poly(m-anthranilic acid)–poly(ε-caprolactone) electrospun composite nanofibers: fabrication and properties
Authors: Huner Keziban , Sarac Baran , Yüce Eray , Rezvan Amir , Micusik Matej , Omastova Maria , Eckert Jürgen , Sarac A. Sezai
Published: December 2022

Inclusion of iron and poly(m-anthranilic acid) into polycaprolactone is expected to enhance the electron-donating ability which in turn increases the compound conductivity, making them applicable in electrochemical immunosensors.
Backbone coplanarity manipulation via hydrogen bonding to boost the n-type performance of polymeric mixed conductors operating in aqueous electrolyte
Authors: Chen Junxin , Cong Shengyu , Wang Lewen , Wang Yazhou , Lan Liuyuan , Chen Chaoyue , Zhou Yecheng , Li Zhengke , McCulloch Iain , Yue Wan
Published: December 2022

Hydrogen bond was employed as conformational lock for glycolated NDI-based polymeric materials, leading to coplanar backbone and favorable molecular packing, which paves for developing high performance n-type polymeric mixed ion–electron conductors.
Dynamically tunable multicolor emissions from zero-dimensional Cs3LnCl6 (Ln: europium and terbium) nanocrystals with wide color gamut
Authors: Lee Minji , Chung Hyesun , Hong Seong Vin , Woo Ho Young , Chae Ji-Yeon , Yoon Tae Yeol , Diroll Benjamin T. , Paik Taejong
Published: December 2022

Dynamically tunable multicolor emissions are demonstrated from a single component, zero-dimensional Cs3EuCl6 and Cs3TbCl6 nanocrystal with a wide color gamut.
Thiacalixarene-based {Co/Fe}16 coordination clusters: bimetallic synergistic effect for an enhanced oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Hang Xinxin , Wang Xiaoju , Wang Meilin , Chen Mengwei , Bi Yanfeng
Published: December 2022

Fabricating a series of thiacalix[4]arene-supported {Co/Fe}16 clusters from polynuclear secondary building units facilitates the formation of efficient active sites with a Co–Fe synergistic effect for the oxygen evolution reaction.
An extended quinoid molecule based on bis(thiophene-diketopyrrolopyrrole) with balanced ambipolar semiconducting properties and strong near-infrared absorption
Authors: Shang Wansong , Han Guangchao , Fan Qingrui , Yu Xiaobo , Liu Dongsheng , Li Cheng , Zhang Xi-Sha , Yi Yuanping , Zhang Guanxin , Zhang Deqing
Published: December 2022

A NIR strong absorbing molecule was constructed by taking the structural advantages of a quinoid and diketopyrrolopyrrole, with an absorption maximum of up to 1039 nm and hole and electron mobilities up to 0.19 and 0.2 cm2V−1s−1, respectively.
Structural, optical, magnetic, and enhanced antibacterial properties of hydrothermally synthesized Sm-incorporating α-MoO32D-layered nanoplates
Authors: Sen Sapan Kumar , Munshi M. Rajib , Kumar Arup , Mortuza A. A. , Manir M. S. , Islam M. A. , Hossain M. N. , Hossain M. Khalid
Published: December 2022

In this study, we have synthesized pristine and [0.5,1.5, and 2.5] M% samarium (Sm)-incorporating α-MoO32D-layered nanoplates utilizing a facile hydrothermal process, and investigated the physical properties along with antibacterial effectiveness.
Preparation and properties of CS/P(AM-co-AA) composite hydrogels by frontal polymerization of ternary DES
Authors: Li Bin , Hao Wenrui , Wang Peng , Zhou Mengjing , Liu Jizhen , Hu Zhigang , Ma Ming
Published: December 2022

In this study, a simple and rapid method was proposed to prepare conductive composite hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties and pH response.
Theoretical insights into interfacial stability and ionic transport of Li2OHBr solid electrolyte for all-solid-state batteries
Authors: Liu Bo , Liao Piguang , Shi Xiaowen , Wen Yufeng , Gou Qingdong , Yu Meidong , Zhou Shenlin , Sun Xinyuan
Published: December 2022

Li-rich antiperovskite materials are promising candidates as inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries (ASSLIBs).
Tungsten oxide supported on copper ferrite: a novel magnetic acid heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production from low quality feedstock
Authors: Lima dos Santos Hiarla Cristina , Gonçalves Matheus Arrais , da Cas Viegas Alexandre , Miranda Figueira Bruno Apolo , Souza da Luz Patrícia Teresa , Narciso da Rocha Filho Geraldo , Vieira da Conceição Leyvison Rafael
Published: December 2022

This study aims to synthesize a WO3/CuFe2O4 catalyst through a wet impregnation method and use it as a new magnetic acid catalyst in the transesterification process of waste cooking oil (WCO).
Triazaphosphaadamantane-functionalized terpyridine metal complexes: cyclohexane oxidation in homogeneous and carbon-supported catalysis
Authors: Librando Ivy L. , Paul Anup , Mahmoud Abdallah G. , Gurbanov Atash V. , Carabineiro Sónia A. C. , Guedes da Silva M. Fátima C. , Geraldes Carlos F. G. C. , Pombeiro Armando J. L.
Published: December 2022

A metal complex bearing 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane and terpyridine scaffolds as a single polydentate ligand was used as a recyclable catalyst for synthesizing the nylon precursor, KA oil.
Kinetically favorable edge-type iron–cobalt atomic pair sites synthesized via a silica xerogel approach for efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis
Authors: Liu Maosong , Lv Xianhe , Wang Lijuan , Chen Kangmin , Li Yanxiao , Sun Tao , Zhang Jianming , Zhang Long , Sun Shuhui
Published: December 2022

The edge-type Fe–Co atomic pair structure as the main active site model decreases the energy gap and modifies charge transfer, affording superior bifunctional activity for the ORR and OER.