bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of the organic carbon to nutrient (N and P) ratio on the biological performance of a microalgal–bacterial membrane photobioreactor
Authors: Lafi Hana , Panu Umed , Liao Baoqiang
Published: May 2023

The MB-MPBR can achieve effluent COD, N and P discharge standards in one single step.
A review on environmental chemodynamics, isothermal, kinetics, and thermodynamics modeling for the adsorptive removal of Cr(vi) from the industrial effluent using magnetic nanoparticles as a bio-sorbent
Authors: Nadarajah Rekah , Hossain Md. Sohrab , Siddique Md Bazlul Mobin , Arafath Md. Azharul , Naushad Mu. , Lim Jun Wei , Al-Gheethi Adel , Ahmad Harlina
Published: May 2023

The contamination of the hexavalent chromium [Cr(vi)] in the aquatic ecosystem poses environmental concerns due to its portable and highly poisonous nature.
Supramolecular Pd@methioine-EDTA-chitosan nanocomposite: an effective and recyclable bio-based and eco-friendly catalyst for the green Heck cross-coupling reaction under mild conditions
Authors: Dohendou Mohammad , Dekamin Mohammad G. , Namaki Danial
Published: May 2023

A new supramolecular Pd(ii) supported on modified chitosan bydl-methionine using an EDTA linker is prepared. The obtained low-loaded Pd(ii) catalyst promotes the HCR affording good to excellent yields and proper reusability.
Synthesis of pendant fullerene dimers by an aminomethylation reaction of fulleropyrrolidines bearing ketone moieties
Authors: Peng Qian-Na , Wang Hui-Juan , Wang Xing-Yu , Li Fa-Bao , Liu Li , Wang Xiaoli , Wu Ping , Liu Chao-Yang
Published: May 2023

An aminomethylation reaction of fulleropyrrolidines bearing ketone moieties in the presence of N-unsubstituted fulleropyrrolidines and paraformaldehyde with the aid of p-toluenesulfonic acid afforded a series of scarce pendant fullerene dimers.
Infrared sensitive mixed phase of V7O16 and V2O5 thin-films
Authors: Rana Anchal , Yadav Aditya , Gupta Govind , Rana Abhimanyu
Published: May 2023

Mixed phase of V7O16 and V2O5 thin films for IR sensing and smart windows.
BODIPY-based near-infrared semiconducting polymer dot for selective yellow laser-excited cell imaging
Authors: Chen Lei , Jiang Yifei , Xu Shihan , Zhang Jicheng , Jung Seung-Ryoung , Yu Jiangbo , Zhang Xuanjun , Chiu Daniel T.
Published: May 2023

An efficient borondipyrromethene based near-infrared semiconducting polymer dot with simultaneously narrow absorption and emission bands was designed, and successfully used for selective yellow laser excited cell imaging.
Development of green fluorescent protein-based cAMP indicators for covering a wide range of cAMP concentrations
Authors: Hiasa Sohei , Fujimori Takeru , Aiki Saki , Ueda Hiroshi , Tsuboi Takashi , Kitaguchi Tetsuya
Published: May 2023

We developed turn-on type green fluorescent cAMP indicators suitable for wide range detection and dual-color imaging.
Evaluation of singlet oxygen generators of novel water-soluble perylene diimide photosensitizers
Authors: Özçil Furkan , Yükrük Funda
Published: May 2023

In this study, novel photosensitizers using three water-soluble green perylene diimide (PDI)-based ligands were synthesized, which can be used as photosensitizing drugs in photodynamic cancer therapy (PDT).
Sequence-defined antibody-recruiting macromolecules
Authors: Aksakal Resat , Tonneaux Corentin , Uvyn Annemiek , Fossépré Mathieu , Turgut Hatice , Badi Nezha , Surin Mathieu , De Geest Bruno G. , Du Prez Filip. E.
Published: May 2023

Sequence-defined antibody recruiting macromolecules containing dinitrophenol as antibody-binding motif and biotin as terminal moiety, have been prepared and show sequence-dependent binding avidity to anti-DNP antibodies.
Mode switching of active droplets in macromolecular solutions
Authors: Dwivedi Prateek , Shrivastava Atishay , Pillai Dipin , Mangal Rahul
Published: May 2023

The motion of active oil droplets in a macromolecular solution has been investigated. The Péclet number, calculated based on micelle diffusivity and the local solvent viscosity, captures this transition as the swimming mode changes from a puller to a pusher to a quadrupole.
A novel azo dye molecule enables defect passivation and crystallization toward efficient perovskite solar cells
Authors: Gu Ningxia , Feng Ye , Song Lixin , Zhang Pengyun , Du Pingfan , Ning Lei , Sun Zeyuan , Jiang Hua , Xiong Jie
Published: May 2023

In this work, we synthesized a π-conjugated dye (Ph-azo-PhAmi) and added it into perovskite to reduce defects, resulting in the enhanced PCE of dye-based PSCs from 16.71% to 20.85% with high stability under air conditions without a glovebox.
The self out-of-plane oriented La2O2CO3 film: an integration tool for fiber textured ferroelectric thin films
Authors: Picavet Ewout , Rijckaert Hannes , Solano Eduardo , Bikondoa Oier , Gutierrez Fernandez Edgar , Paturi Petriina , Van Bossele Laura , Vrielinck Henk , Beeckman Jeroen , De Buysser Klaartje
Published: May 2023

The self out-of-plane oriented La2O2CO3 thin film can be used as an integration tool to obtain fiber textured ferroelectric thin film stacks.
A high-performance broadband double-junction photodetector based on silicon nanowire arrays wrapped by silver nanoparticles for low-light imaging
Authors: Huang Yuting , Liang Haifeng , Zhang Yingli , Yin Shujing , Li Xuyang , Cai Changlong , Liu Weiguo , Jia Tiantian
Published: May 2023

An NN+/MS double-junction nanowire silicon-based photodetector was fabricated, which exhibits excellent high-sensitivity, ultralow dark current, and broadband detection performances.
COVID-19 associated thyroid dysfunction and other comorbidities and its management using phytochemical-based therapeutics: a natural way
Authors: Parihar Arpana , Malviya Shivani , Khan Raju , Kaushik Ajeet , Mostafavi Ebrahim
Published: May 2023

The present severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) mediated Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and post-COVID-19 complications affect human life drastically. Patients who have been cured of COVID-19 infection are now experiencing post-COVID-19 associated comorbidities, which have increased mortality rates. The SARS-CoV-2 infection distresses the lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and various endocrine glands, including the thyroid. The emergence of variants which includes Omicron (B.1.1.529) and its lineages threaten the world severely. Among different therapeutic approaches, phytochemical-based therapeutics are not only cost-effective but also have lesser side effects. Recently a plethora of studies have shown the therapeutic efficacy of various phytochemicals for the treatment of COVID-19. Besides this, various phytochemicals have been found efficacious in treating several inflammatory diseases, including thyroid-related anomalies. The method of the phytochemical formulation is quick and facile and the raw materials for such herbal preparations are approved worldwide for human use against certain disease conditions. Owing to the advantages of phytochemicals, this review primarily discusses the COVID-19-related thyroid dysfunction and the role of key phytochemicals to deal with thyroid anomaly and post-COVID-19 complications. Further, this review shed light on the mechanism via which COVID-19 and its related complication affect organ function of the body, along with the mechanistic insight into the way by which phytochemicals could help to cure post-COVID-19 complications in thyroid patients. Considering the advantages offered by phytochemicals as a safer and cost-effective medication they can be potentially used to combat COVID-19-associated comorbidities.
Systematic evaluation of the association between a missense variant in XRCC3 gene splicing site and the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer
Authors: Liang Qiulian , Huang Gongchen , Zhong Ping , Deng Dengting , Yang Lin , Yu Xiangyuan
Published: May 2023

The effects and underlying mechanism of XRCC3 rs861539 on the risk of ovarian cancer (OC) are still unclear. Therefore, a meta-analysis of 10 studies containing 6,375 OC cases and 10,204 controls was performed for this topic. Compared with GG genotype, GA + AA genotypes could significantly decrease the OC risk, odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.89 (0.83-0.95) and P=0.001, and 0.88 (0.82–0.95) and P=0.001 under the dominant and heterozygous genetic models. Compared with G allele, rs861539 A could significantly reduce the OC risk, OR and its corresponding 95% CI was 0.94 (0.89–0.98) and P=0.007. By subgroup analysis in ethnicity, protective effects on OC risk in Caucasians were observed (the dominant model: OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.82–0.94, P<0.001; the heterozygous model: OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.81–0.94, P<0.001; the allelic model: OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88–0.97, P=0.003; the homozygous model: OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.80–0.98, P=0.024). The authenticity of positive association findings was further confirmed by trial sequential analysis (TSA) and false-positive report probability (FPRP) analysis. The subsequent functional analysis revealed that rs861539 could regulate the post-transcriptional expression of XRCC3 by changing the activity of putative splice sites and types of splicing factors. rs861539 also may act as an expression Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTL) affecting the expression of genes such as XRCC3, MARK3, APOPT1, etc., and has an impact on the structure of XRCC3.
A radio-jet-driven outflow in the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2110?
Authors: Peralta de Arriba L. , Alonso-Herrero A. , García-Burillo S. , García-Bernete I. , Villar-Martín M. , García-Lorenzo B. , Davies R. , Rosario D. J. , Hönig S. F. , Levenson N. A. , Packham C. , Ramos Almeida C. , Pereira-Santaella M. , Audibert A. , Bellocchi E. , Hicks E. K. S. , Labiano A. , Ricci C. , Rigopoulou D.
Published: May 2023

We present a spatially resolved study of the ionized gas in the central 2 kpc of the Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 2110 and investigate the role of its moderate-luminosity radio jet (kinetic radio power of Pjet = 2.3 × 1043 erg s−1). We used new optical integral-field observations taken with the MEGARA spectrograph at the Gran Telescopio Canarias, which cover the 4300 − 5200 Å and 6100 − 7300 Å ranges with a spectral resolution of R ≃ 5000 − 5900. We fitted the emission lines with a maximum of two Gaussian components, except at the position of the active galactic nucleus (AGN), where we used three. Aided by existing stellar kinematics, we used the observed velocity and velocity dispersion (σ) of the emission lines to classify the different kinematic components. The disk component is characterized by lines with σ ≃ 60 − 200 km s−1. The outflow component has typical values of σ ≃ 700 km s−1 and is confined to the central 2.5″ ≃ 400 pc, which is coincident with the linear part of the radio jet detected in NGC 2110. At the AGN position, the [O III]λ5007 line shows high velocity components that reach at least 1000 km s−1. This and the high velocity dispersions indicate the presence of outflowing gas outside the galaxy plane. Spatially resolved diagnostic diagrams reveal mostly low ionization (nuclear) emitting region-like excitation in the outflow and some regions in the disk, which could be due to the presence of shocks. However, there is also Seyfert-like excitation beyond the bending of the radio jet, which probably traces the edge of the ionization cone that intercepts with the disk of the galaxy. NGC 2110 follows the observational trends between the outflow properties and the jet radio power found for a few nearby Seyfert galaxies. All these pieces of information suggest that part of the observed ionized outflow in NGC 2110 might be driven by the radio jet. However, the radio jet was bent at radial distances of ∼200 pc (in projection) from the AGN, and beyond there, most of the gas in the galaxy disk is rotating.
Graded-Modelle – eine Einführung
Authors: Matheve Thomas , De Baets Liesbet , Moog Martina Egan , Hasenbring Monika I. , Levenig Claudia
Published: May 2023

Graded-Modelle haben eines gemeinsam: Sie alle haben das Ziel,
Patient*innen mit chronischen Schmerzen stufenweise darin zu
unterstützen, ihren Aktivitätsradius zu erweitern und somit mehr
Partizipation zu ermöglichen. Die einzelnen Ansätze
unterscheiden sich jedoch in der Herangehensweise und ihren zugrundeliegenden
Theorien. Fünf Expert*innen führen Sie auf eine
spannende Reise in die Konzepte der Graded-Modelle.
Self-Medication in Europe: Economic and Social Impact on Individuals
and Society
Authors: May Uwe , Bauer Cosima , Schneider-Ziebe Anissa , Giulini-Limbach Chiara
Published: May 2023

Objectives To demonstrate the different monetary and time-related costs
associated with the treatment of minor ailments (MAs) in the case of a general
practitioner (GP) visit or self-medication with non-prescription medicines as an
essential part of self-care in European countries. Ultimately, this is also
intended to enable health policy statements with regard to an efficient
allocation of resources in outpatient care.

Methods A simplified decision-analytical model is applied in which the
self-purchase of a non-prescription medicine and a GP visit are considered as
partial substitutes from the patient's perspective. In order to compare
the decision paths of GP visit and self-medication in the sense of a
cost-minimisation approach, the most relevant direct and indirect cost types are
identified. Thirty countries are clustered following socioeconomic criteria. The
value of self-medication is calculated for an individual MA case per Country
Cluster, then the data is extrapolated to the entire population of countries and
aggregated to a European value. Status quo and potential scenarios as well as
relevant perspectives (patient, GP, healthcare system, national economy) are
considered. Sensitivity analyses are conducted.

Results Almost 1.2 billion MA cases are treated by self-medication in
Europe p.a., saving EUR 26.31 billion in direct costs and EUR 10.41 billion in
indirect costs (status quo). On average, one euro spent on OTC medicines by
consumers saves national healthcare systems and economies EUR 6.70.
10–25% of current GP visits could be substituted by self-care,
creating an additional savings potential of EUR 17.60 billion.

Conclusion The study results reveal that self-medication in European
countries is already associated with a high economic and social value for the
individual and society. It is evident that current savings could be further
increased by promoting self-care. Through responsible self-medication supported
by an adequate health policy, resources and significant efficiency reserves for
healthcare systems as well as national economies can be released. The resources
freed up through an adequate self-care policy can play a significant role in
building more resilient healthcare systems across Europe.
Citizenship in times of crisis: biosocial state–citizen relations during COVID-19 in Austria
Authors: Radhuber Isabella M. , Haddad Christian , Kieslich Katharina , Paul Katharina T. , Prainsack Barbara , El-Sayed Seliem , Schlogl Lukas , Spahl Wanda , Weiss Elias
Published: May 2023

Drawing upon 152 in-depth qualitative interviews with residents in Austria carried out in the first year of the pandemic, this article discusses how people’s experiences with COVID-19 policies reflect and reshape state–citizen relations. Coinciding with a significant government crisis, the first year of COVID-19 in Austria saw pandemic measures justified with reference to a biological, often medical understanding of health that framed disease prevention in terms of transmission reduction, often with reference to metrics such as hospitalisation rates, etc. Instead of using this biomedical frame, our interviewees, however, drew attention to biopsychosocial dimensions of the crisis and problematised the entanglements between economy and health. We call this the emergence of a biosocial notion of citizenship that is attentive to psychological, social and economic dimensions of health. Insights into the biosocial nature of pandemic citizenship open a window of opportunity for addressing long-standing social injustices.
Exploring manganese-based batteries for grid-scale energy storage
Authors: Thompson Avery
Published: May 2023

The many different reaction types have distinct properties and advantages, and untangling those intricacies can help overcome existing challenges and improve the technology.
Impact mechanism of frequency response on wind turbine fatigue load
Authors: Wang Yingwei , Guo Yufeng , Xu Weimao
Published: May 2023

Wind turbines' participation in frequency response is known to improve the frequency stability of power systems, but it can also have a negative impact on the fatigue load of wind turbines. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of frequency response on the fatigue loads experienced by various components of a wind turbine, including the low-speed shaft, tower, and blade. To achieve this goal, the authors develop a model of a variable speed horizontal-axis wind turbine based on a doubly fed induction generator. They derive explicit analytical equations of low-speed shaft torque, tower bending moment, and blade bending moment to describe the fluctuations of torque and moment related to the operating states of wind turbines, such as generator torque, rotor speed, and pitch angle, under frequency response. These equations allow for the evaluation of the impact of frequency response on torque and moment changes and fatigue load. Spectral density analysis and modal analysis are used to further analyze the analytical equations, examining the influence of frequency response on different operating conditions of wind turbines and determining the mechanism by which frequency response affects fatigue load qualitatively and quantitatively. The authors use the FAST V8 Code based on the NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed analysis method in evaluating fatigue loads affected by frequency response. The results show that the fatigue load on the low-speed shaft and the lateral side of the tower will significantly increase due to wind turbine participation in frequency response.
The intertwining roles of caveolin, oxytocin receptor, and the associated signalling pathways in prostate cancer progression
Authors: Gould M. L.
Published: May 2023

Caveolae are invaginations in the plasma membrane of most cell types and are present in the cells of normal prostate tissue. Caveolins are a family of highly conserved integral membrane proteins that oligomerise to form caveolae and interact with signalling molecules by providing a scaffold that sequesters signal transduction receptors in close proximity to each other. Signal transduction G proteins and G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), including oxytocin receptor (OTR), are localised within caveolae. Only one OTR has been identified, and yet, this single receptor both inhibits and stimulates cell proliferation. As caveolae sequester lipid-modified signalling molecules, these differing effects may be due to a change in location. The cavin1 necessary for caveolae formation is lost in prostate cancer progression. With the loss of caveolae, the OTR moves out onto the cell membrane influencing the proliferation and survival of prostate cancer cells. Caveolin-1 (cav-1) is reportedly overexpressed in prostate cancer cells and is associated with disease progression. This review focuses on the position of OTRs within caveolae, and their movement out onto the cell membrane. It explores whether movement of the OTR is related to changes in the activation of the associated cell signalling pathways that may increase cell proliferation and analyse whether caveolin and particularly cavin1 might be a target for future therapeutic stratagies.
Elastic properties of A
2Ti6O13 (
A=
H, Li, Na, K and Rb): a computational study
Authors: Simalaotao Kodchakorn , Thanasarnsurapong Thanasee , Maluangnont Tosapol , Phacheerak Kanoknan , Boonchun Adisak
Published: May 2023

The elastic properties of the alkali hexatitanate family A
2Ti6O13 (A = H, Li, Na, K, and Rb) are investigated based on density functional theory within a generalized gradient approximation plus Hubbard U (GGA+U) approach. The results showed that all members of the family are wide-band semiconductors and the calculated lattice parameters are consistent with experimental values. In terms of mechanical stability, the results indicated that the alkali hexatitanates are highly incompressible to uniaxial stress, with the largest elastic constant C22 reaching values as high as 265 GPa in K2Ti6O13. The obtained elastic constants, using the stress–strain method, were used to calculate bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young’s modulus, brittleness and ductility, elastic anisotropy, Vickers hardness, sound velocities, and the Debye temperature. It was found that the member of the family with the highest atomic number of the alkaline group, Rb2Ti6O13, had the highest values of bulk, shear, and Young’s modulus, as well as the lowest values of shear and compression anisotropy, and a high Vickers hardness.
(Super)universal attractors and the de Sitter vacua in string landscape
Authors: Guleryuz Omer
Published: May 2023

In this work, we present an effective field theory for string inflation with spontaneously broken supersymmetry without generating any supersymmetric anti-de Sitter vacua. In that regard, we analyze the nilpotent superfields that effectively capture the physics of anti-D3 branes, and obtain the underlying pattern of universal attractors with a single parameter. Accordingly, we reveal a novel uplifting method by adding the same parameter as a complex contribution parallel to the decomposition of a superfield. Following that, we obtain an almost vanishing cosmological constant in a region where the inflationary attractors unify. Finally, we show that the introduction of nilpotent superfields drastically extends the string landscape for the de Sitter (swampland) conjecture, and the (super)universal attractors are in the string landscape in that respect.
Non-parametric Lagrangian biasing from the insights of neural nets
Authors: Wu Xiaohan , Muñoz Julian B. , Eisenstein Daniel J.
Published: May 2023

We present a Lagrangian model of galaxy clustering bias in which we train a neural net using the local properties of the smoothed initial density field to predict the late-time mass-weighted halo field.
By fitting the mass-weighted halo field in the AbacusSummit simulations at z = 0.5, we find that including three coarsely spaced smoothing scales gives the best recovery of the halo power spectrum. Adding more smoothing scales may lead to 2–5% underestimation of the large-scale power and can cause the neural net to overfit.
We find that the fitted halo-to-mass ratio can be well described by two directions in the original high-dimension feature space.
Projecting the original features into these two principal components and re-training the neural net either reproduces the original training result, or outperforms it with a better match of the halo power spectrum. The elements of the principal components are unlikely to be assigned physical meanings, partly owing to the features being highly correlated between different smoothing scales.
Our work illustrates a potential need to include multiple smoothing scales when studying galaxy bias, and this can be done easily with machine-learning methods that can take in high dimensional input feature space.
Simultaneous RGB generation in domain engineered QPM devices using type 0 DFG process
Authors: Rajan Indhumathi Ravi , Pandiyan Krishnamoorthy , Karn Rakesh Kumar , Meetei Toijam Sunder
Published: May 2023

We have theoretically demonstrated the simultaneous generation of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) wavelengths by employing the type-0 quasi-phase-matched (QPM) difference frequency generation (DFG) process in congruent LiNbO3 crystal. Various domain-engineered QPM structures are presented and analysed, aiming to achieve an excellent spectral response. The RGB emissions were observed to vary from 632 nm to 656 nm for red, 504 nm to 532 nm for green, and 449 nm to 484 nm for blue, respectively, for different configurations of input pump, operating temperature, and phase matching periods. A maximum shift of about 10 nm to 20 nm was noticed in the spectral position of the DFG peaks when the operating temperature varies from 25 °C to 60 °C. We have also investigated the effect of pump detuning and random domain fluctuations over the phase matching point on the DFG spectrum. Further, we have addressed the advantages of introducing a phase shifter (PS) domain in the periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) to produce excellent equal intensity RGB peaks in a single device for their potential application in a laser-based projection display system.
Updated Inventory of Carbon Monoxide in the Taurus Molecular Cloud
Authors: Duan Yan , Li Di , Pagani Laurent , Goldsmith Paul F. , Ching Tao-Chung , Wang Chen , Xie Jinjin
Published: May 2023

The most extensive survey of carbon monoxide (CO) gas in the Taurus molecular cloud relied on 12CO and 13CO J = 1 → 0 emission only, distinguishing the region where 12CO is detected without 13CO (named mask 1 region) from the one where both are detected (mask 2 region) (Goldsmith et al. 2008; Pineda et al. 2010). We have taken advantage of recent 12CO J = 3 → 2 James Clerk Maxwell Telescope observations, where they include mask 1 regions to estimate density, temperature, and N(CO) with a large velocity gradient model. This represents 1395 pixels out of ∼1.2 million in the mark 1 region. Compared to Pineda et al. (2010) results and assuming a T
kin of 30 K, we find a higher volume density of molecular hydrogen of 3.3 × 103 cm−3, compared to their 250–700 cm−3, and a CO column density of 5.7 × 1015 cm−2, about a quarter of their value. The differences are important and show the necessity to observe several CO transitions to better describe the intermediate region between the dense cloud and the diffuse atomic medium. Future observations to extend the 12CO J = 3 → 2 mapping further away from the 13CO-detected region comprising mask 1 are needed to revisit our understanding of the diffuse portions of dark clouds.
Cost-efficient single photon-sensitive nanosecond gated spectrometer based on commercial grade image intensifier
Authors: Ščajev Patrik , Mekys Algirdas
Published: May 2023

A commercial grade low-cost image intensifier was modified
with a fast transistor gating circuit for time-resolved
photoluminescence spectra and decay measurements. Gating exposure of
20 ns and spectral sensitivity in the 300–1000 nm range were
achieved. Operation frequency in 5 Hz to 0.3 MHz range was
verified by a pulsed laser diode. Pulsed repetitive image detection
was integrated on a cooled CMOS camera. High dynamic range and wide
spectral resolution were achieved. The thermal noise, reduced by
three orders of magnitude at -16°C cooling and a high gain of
104, allowed single photon detection. Application of the
spectrometer for sensitive photoluminescence decay measurements at
pulsed laser excitation was performed on MAPbBr3 perovskite and
CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals. The decay lifetimes of 400–600 ns
and 100–6000 ns were determined, respectively. CsI(Tl)
scintillator showed much stronger x-ray luminescence intensity due
to larger defect density.
Improved sensitivity of liquid sensing melt-spun polymer fibers filled with carbon nanoparticles by considering solvent-polymer solubility parameters
Authors: Bautista-Quijano Jose Roberto , Brünig Harald , Pötschke Petra
Published: May 2023

The Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSPs) and the Relative Energy Differences (REDs) were used to select suitable polymers to perform sensing experiments of electrically conductive nanocomposites against different solvents to employ such materials for sensor applications. From the solvent-polymer HSPs and their REDs, it was determined that polycarbonate (PC) is a polymer with potential towards high liquid sensitivity for different organic solvents. Furthermore, PC is spinnable and sensing fibers of different diameters can be easily produced. In order to get electrically conductive materials, PC was melt-mixed with carbon nanoparticles such as Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes (MW) and Carbon Black (CB). The materials were then spun into fibers via melt-spinning and evaluated for liquid sensing. It was found that combining MW and CB (50/50 wt%) improved the fiber spinnability and their sensing range in comparison to fibers made of PC and only MW. Liquid sensing evaluations showed that knowing the REDs in advance allows predictions on the ability of nanocomposite fibers to be highly sensitive to specific solvents. From the sensing evaluations it was found that fibers made with hybrid fillers of CB+MW, drawing down ratios of 4 to 12 and filler contents between 3 and 6 wt% showed the best liquid sensing abilities. Depending on the composition and the conditions of fiber production, the maximum values of relative resistance change for fibers with CB+MW were always higher than for fibers containing MW only. Testing for instance butyl acetate as solvent, the fibers with MW+CB achieved values between 600%–3200% for long immersion times, while values between 390 and 1200% were obtained for the fibers with only MW. Testing a selected fiber under a simulated leakage scenario and as sheath/core bi-component fiber showed the effectiveness of these fibers working as liquid detector as well as potential for applications beyond single component fiber sensors.
Biomechanical analysis of a single-level customized cage screw fixation for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in the cervical spine: an in-silico study
Authors: Kumar Ram , Kumar Amit
Published: May 2023

The usual surgical choice of customized cage fixation is anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for cervical spondylosis with disc herniation. The safe and successful cage fixation for ACDF surgery benefits patients with cervical disc degenerative disease by easing their discomfort and regaining function. The cage prevents mobility between the vertebrae by using cage fixation to anchor the neighbouring vertebrae. The goal of the current study is to develop a customized cage-screw implant for single-level cage fixation at C4–C5 level of the cervical spine (C2–C7). The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is performed for the intact and implanted cervical spine and analysed the flexibility, stress of the implant and implant adjacent bone during three physiological loading conditions being analysed. Lower surface of the C7 vertebrae is fixed and 50 N compressive force with 1 Nm moment are applied on the C2 vertebrae for simulated lateral bending, axial rotation and flexion-extension. The flexibility is decreased at single level of fixation (C4–C5 level) by 64% to 86%, as compared to natural cervical spine. The flexibility is increased 3% to 17% at the nearest levels of fixation. The maximum Von Mises stress in PEEK cage varies from 24 to 59 MPa and for Ti-6Al-4V screw the stress varies from 84 MPa to 121 MPa which are far below the yield stress of PEEK (95 MPa) and Ti-6Al-4V (750 MPa).
Group-Based Trajectory Modeling
Authors: Wojciechowski Thomas W.
Published: May 2023

Group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) is a variant of growth mixture modeling that has risen to prominence in the field of criminology as a useful method for understanding heterogeneity in developmental patterns of outcomes of interest. The method entails identification of a trajectory model that best fits a set of longitudinal data and is comprised of a set number of trajectory groups of varying complexity that participants are assigned membership to. Following identification of a best fitting model, extensions of the method can then be used to better understand nuances of the developmental outcome of interest. The use of particular extensions of the method then relies on the research question. These extensions may be used to identify predictors of differential development, understand how differential development predicts a later outcome, or understand how development of another outcome predicts concurrent development of the outcome of interest. While the GBTM method has been demonstrated to have a high degree of utility for modeling criminological outcomes of interest, there remain a number of notable gaps in the manner in which it has been applied in the field.

Given the general shift toward a life-course understanding of criminology, there remain numerous areas where GBTM may be useful for advancing existing criminological theories within this paradigm. While not an exhaustive list, social control theory, social learning theory, general strain theory, and the dual systems model are all examples of criminological theories which may be particularly amenable to the use of GBTM to better understand nuances of development of constructs of interest and advance the perspectives on criminogenic processes that these theories currently offer. These issues indicate the continued need for examination of relationships of interest using GBTM and related extensions of the method within the field of criminology.
MultiNEP: a multi-omics network enhancement framework for prioritizing disease genes and metabolites simultaneously
Authors: Xu Zhuoran , Marchionni Luigi , Wang Shuang
Published: May 2023

Motivation

Many studies have successfully used network information to prioritize candidate omics profiles associated with diseases. The metabolome, as the link between genotypes and phenotypes, has accumulated growing attention. Using a ”multi-omics” network constructed with a gene–gene network, a metabolite–metabolite network, and a gene–metabolite network to simultaneously prioritize candidate disease-associated metabolites and gene expressions could further utilize gene–metabolite interactions that are not used when prioritizing them separately. However, the number of metabolites is usually 100 times fewer than that of genes. Without accounting for this imbalance issue, we cannot effectively use gene–metabolite interactions when simultaneously prioritizing disease-associated metabolites and genes.

Results

Here, we developed a Multi-omics Network Enhancement Prioritization (MultiNEP) framework with a weighting scheme to reweight contributions of different sub-networks in a multi-omics network to effectively prioritize candidate disease-associated metabolites and genes simultaneously. In simulation studies, MultiNEP outperforms competing methods that do not address network imbalances and identifies more true signal genes and metabolites simultaneously when we down-weight relative contributions of the gene–gene network and up-weight that of the metabolite–metabolite network to the gene–metabolite network. Applications to two human cancer cohorts show that MultiNEP prioritizes more cancer-related genes by effectively using both within- and between-omics interactions after handling network imbalance.

Availability and implementation

The developed MultiNEP framework is implemented in an R package and available at: https://github.com/Karenxzr/MultiNep
HONMF: integration analysis of multi-omics microbiome data via matrix factorization and hypergraph
Authors: Ma Yuanyuan , Liu Lifang , Ma Yingjun , Zhang Song
Published: May 2023

Motivation

The accumulation of multi-omics microbiome data provides an unprecedented opportunity to understand the diversity of bacterial, fungal, and viral components from different conditions. The changes in the composition of viruses, bacteria, and fungi communities have been associated with environments and critical illness. However, identifying and dissecting the heterogeneity of microbial samples and cross-kingdom interactions remains challenging.

Results

We propose HONMF for the integrative analysis of multi-modal microbiome data, including bacterial, fungal, and viral composition profiles. HONMF enables identification of microbial samples and data visualization, and also facilitates downstream analysis, including feature selection and cross-kingdom association analysis between species. HONMF is an unsupervised method based on hypergraph induced orthogonal non-negative matrix factorization, where it assumes that latent variables are specific for each composition profile and integrates the distinct sets of latent variables through graph fusion strategy, which better tackles the distinct characteristics in bacterial, fungal, and viral microbiome. We implemented HONMF on several multi-omics microbiome datasets from different environments and tissues. The experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of HONMF in data visualization and clustering. HONMF also provides rich biological insights by implementing discriminative microbial feature selection and bacterium–fungus–virus association analysis, which improves our understanding of ecological interactions and microbial pathogenesis.

Availability and implementation

The software and datasets are available at https://github.com/chonghua-1983/HONMF.
Lost in translation
Authors: Millard Lee , Setters David , Waters Nicola , Moss Emma , Johnson QPM Chris
Published: May 2023

The story of the ‘United to End MND’ £50m government research funding campaign by the patients who started the endeavour.
Inhibition of the extracellular enzyme A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motif 4 prevents cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction
Authors: Vistnes Maria , Erusappan Pugazendhi Murugan , Sasi Athiramol , Nordén Einar Sjaastad , Bergo Kaja Knudsen , Romaine Andreas , Lunde Ida Gjervold , Zhang Lili , Olsen Maria Belland , Øgaard Jonas , Carlson Cathrine Rein , Wang Christian Hjorth , Riise Jon , Dahl Christen Peder , Fiane Arnt Eltvedt , Hauge-Iversen Ida Marie , Espe Emil , Melleby Arne Olav , Tønnessen Theis , Aronsen Jan Magnus , Sjaastad Ivar , Christensen Geir
Published: May 2023

Aims

Heart failure is a condition with high mortality rates, and there is a lack of therapies that directly target maladaptive changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as fibrosis. We investigated whether the ECM enzyme known as A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motif (ADAMTS) 4 might serve as a therapeutic target in treatment of heart failure and cardiac fibrosis.

Methods and results

The effects of pharmacological ADAMTS4 inhibition on cardiac function and fibrosis were examined in rats exposed to cardiac pressure overload. Disease mechanisms affected by the treatment were identified based on changes in the myocardial transcriptome. Following aortic banding, rats receiving an ADAMTS inhibitor, with high inhibitory capacity for ADAMTS4, showed substantially better cardiac function than vehicle-treated rats, including ∼30% reduction in E/e′ and left atrial diameter, indicating an improvement in diastolic function. ADAMTS inhibition also resulted in a marked reduction in myocardial collagen content and a down-regulation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β target genes. The mechanism for the beneficial effects of ADAMTS inhibition was further studied in cultured human cardiac fibroblasts producing mature ECM. ADAMTS4 caused a 50% increase in the TGF-β levels in the medium. Simultaneously, ADAMTS4 elicited a not previously known cleavage of TGF-β-binding proteins, i.e. latent-binding protein of TGF-β and extra domain A-fibronectin. These effects were abolished by the ADAMTS inhibitor. In failing human hearts, we observed a marked increase in ADAMTS4 expression and cleavage activity.

Conclusion

Inhibition of ADAMTS4 improves cardiac function and reduces collagen accumulation in rats with cardiac pressure overload, possibly through a not previously known cleavage of molecules that control TGF-β availability. Targeting ADAMTS4 may serve as a novel strategy in heart failure treatment, in particular, in heart failure with fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction.
Genome assembly of 3 Amazonian Morpho butterfly species reveals Z-chromosome rearrangements between closely related species living in sympatry
Authors: Bastide Héloïse , López-Villavicencio Manuela , Ogereau David , Lledo Joanna , Dutrillaux Anne-Marie , Debat Vincent , Llaurens Violaine
Published: May 2023

The genomic processes enabling speciation and species coexistence in sympatry are still largely unknown. Here we describe the whole-genome sequencing and assembly of 3 closely related species from the butterfly genus Morpho: Morpho achilles (Linnaeus, 1758), Morpho helenor (Cramer, 1776), and Morpho deidamia (Höbner, 1819). These large blue butterflies are emblematic species of the Amazonian rainforest. They live in sympatry in a wide range of their geographical distribution and display parallel diversification of dorsal wing color pattern, suggesting local mimicry. By sequencing, assembling, and annotating their genomes, we aim at uncovering prezygotic barriers preventing gene flow between these sympatric species. We found a genome size of  480 Mb for the 3 species and a chromosomal number ranging from 2n = 54 for M. deidamia to 2n = 56 for M. achilles and M. helenor. We also detected inversions on the sex chromosome Z that were differentially fixed between species, suggesting that chromosomal rearrangements may contribute to their reproductive isolation. The annotation of their genomes allowed us to recover in each species at least 12,000 protein-coding genes and to discover duplications of genes potentially involved in prezygotic isolation like genes controlling color discrimination (L-opsin). Altogether, the assembly and the annotation of these 3 new reference genomes open new research avenues into the genomic architecture of speciation and reinforcement in sympatry, establishing Morpho butterflies as a new eco-evolutionary model.
Civil society priorities for global health: concepts and measurement
Authors: Smith Stephanie L
Published: May 2023

The global health agenda—a high stakes process in which problems are defined and compete for the kind of serious attention that promises to help alleviate inequities in the burden of disease—is comprised of priorities set within and among a host of interacting stakeholder arenas. This study informs crucial and unanswered conceptual and measurement questions with respect to civil society priorities in global health. The exploratory two-stage inquiry probes insights from experts based in four world regions and pilots a new measurement approach, analysing nearly 20 000 Tweets straddling the COVID-19 pandemic onset from a set of civil society organizations (CSOs) engaged in global health. Expert informants discerned civil society priorities principally on the basis of observed trends in CSO and social movement action, including advocacy, programme, and monitoring and accountability activities—all of which are widely documented by CSOs active on Twitter. Systematic analysis of a subset of CSO Tweets shows how their attention to COVID-19 soared amidst mostly small shifts in attention to a wide range of other issues between 2019 and 2020, reflecting the impacts of a focusing event and other dynamics. The approach holds promise for advancing measurement of emergent, sustained and evolving civil society priorities in global health.
FOXG1 targets BMP repressors and cell cycle inhibitors in human neural progenitor cells
Authors: Hettige Nuwan C , Fleming Peter , Semenak Amelia , Zhang Xin , Peng Huashan , Hagel Marc-Daniel , Théroux Jean-François , Zhang Ying , Ni Anjie , Jefri Malvin , Antonyan Lilit , Alsuwaidi Shaima , Schuppert Andreas , Stumpf Patrick S , Ernst Carl
Published: May 2023

FOXG1 is a critical transcription factor in human brain where loss-of-function mutations cause a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, while increased FOXG1 expression is frequently observed in glioblastoma. FOXG1 is an inhibitor of cell patterning and an activator of cell proliferation in chordate model organisms but different mechanisms have been proposed as to how this occurs. To identify genomic targets of FOXG1 in human neural progenitor cells (NPCs), we engineered a cleavable reporter construct in endogenous FOXG1 and performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing. We also performed deep RNA sequencing of NPCs from two females with loss-of-function mutations in FOXG1 and their healthy biological mothers. Integrative analyses of RNA and ChIP sequencing data showed that cell cycle regulation and Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMP) repression gene ontology categories were over-represented as FOXG1 targets. Using engineered brain cell lines, we show that FOXG1 specifically activates SMAD7 and represses CDKN1B. Activation of SMAD7 which inhibits BMP signaling may be one way that FOXG1 patterns the forebrain, while repression of cell cycle regulators such as CDKN1B may be one way that FOXG1 expands the NPC pool to ensure proper brain size. Our data reveal novel mechanisms on how FOXG1 may control forebrain patterning and cell proliferation in human brain development.
When to Go? A Conjoint Experiment on Social Networks, Violence, and Forced Migration Decisions in Eastern and Southeastern Turkey
Authors: Turkoglu Oguzhan , Weber Sigrid
Published: May 2023

How do heterogeneous patterns of violence affect people's decision to flee? We provide individual-level evidence on flight decision-making in light of violence with a conjoint experiment in Turkey. The results suggest that intense indiscriminate violence nearby forces individuals into the decision to leave. In contrast to previous studies, we find that the fear of repeated violence plays a more important role in flight decision-making than the attack frequency. The survey experiment reveals that violence committed by the government makes a decision to flee abroad more likely than rebel violence. We find that individuals with support networks abroad are less responsive to patterns of violence, making flight decisions more independently and being generally more inclined to move. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on forced migration with individual-level evidence on the decision-making process underlying flight reactions to violence.
Co-occurrence of multiple plasmid-borne linezolid resistance genes—optrA, cfr, poxtA2 and cfr(D) in an Enterococcus faecalis isolate from retail meat
Authors: Shen Weiyi , Zhang Rong , Cai Jiachang
Published: May 2023

Objectives

To investigate the molecular characteristics and transferability of plasmid-borne linezolid resistance genes optrA, cfr, poxtA2 and cfr(D) genes in one linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis DM86 from retail meat.

Methods

E. faecalis DM86 was screened for the presence of known linezolid resistance genes via PCR analysis. Conjugation experiments were used to evaluate the transferability of the resistance genes. The complete genome of E. faecalis DM86 was obtained using both the Illumina and Nanopore platforms.

Results

Analysis of the complete sequence showed that E. faecalis DM86 belonged to sequence type 116 (ST116). Four linezolid resistance genes were identified on three plasmids, designated as pDM86-2-cfr, pDM86-3-optrA and pDM86-4-poxtA [cfr(D) co-located]. IS1216 mobile elements were found to flank the cfr and optrA locus on these two plasmids. pDM86-3-optrA encoded the RDK-type OptrA protein and a common genetic array of ‘IS1216-fexA-optrA-erm(A)-IS1216’ was identified on this plasmid. The cfr(D) gene was closely associated with the poxtA2 gene on pDM86-4-poxtA, and similar plasmids and structures were reported recently in the E. faecalis of animal origin. The intra- and inter-species horizontal transferability of this plasmid to E. faecalis JH2-2, Enterococcus faecium BM4105RF and Staphylococcus aureus RN4220 was also proved, with a frequency of 2.8 × 10−3, 1.7 × 10−3 and 3.4 × 10−5, respectively.

Conclusions

This was the first report of the co-existence of up to four plasmid-borne linezolid resistance genes in one E. faecalis. Thus, efficient actions should be exerted to circumvent the microbiota contamination of food and the further spread of these antimicrobial resistance reservoirs.