bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Time‐dependent diffusivity and kurtosis in phantoms and patients with head and neck cancer
Authors: Solomon Eddy , Lemberskiy Gregory , Baete Steven , Hu Kenneth , Malyarenko Dariya , Swanson Scott , Shukla‐Dave Amita , Russek Stephen E. , Zan Elcin , Kim Sungheon Gene
Published: October 2022

Purpose

To assess the reliability of measuring diffusivity, diffusional kurtosis, and cellular‐interstitial water exchange time with long diffusion times (100–800 ms) using stimulated‐echo DWI.

Methods

Time‐dependent diffusion MRI was tested on two well‐established diffusion phantoms and in 5 patients with head and neck cancer. Measurements were conducted using an in‐house diffusion‐weighted STEAM‐EPI pulse sequence with multiple diffusion times at a fixed TE on three scanners. We used the weighted linear least‐squares fit method to estimate time‐dependent diffusivity, , and diffusional kurtosis, . Additionally, the Kärger model was used to estimate cellular‐interstitial water exchange time () from .

Results

Diffusivity measured by time‐dependent STEAM‐EPI measurements and commercial SE‐EPI showed comparable results withR2above 0.98 and overall 5.4 ± 3.0% deviation across diffusion times. Diffusional kurtosis phantom data showed expected patterns: constant and  = 0 for negative controls and slow varying and for samples made of nanoscopic vesicles. Time‐dependent diffusion MRI in patients with head and neck cancer found that the Kärger model could be considered valid in 72% ± 23% of the voxels in the metastatic lymph nodes. The median cellular‐interstitial water exchange time estimated for lesions was between 58.5 ms and 70.6 ms.

Conclusions

Based on two well‐established diffusion phantoms, we found that time‐dependent diffusion MRI measurements can provide stable diffusion and kurtosis values over a wide range of diffusion times and across multiple MRI systems. Moreover, estimation of cellular‐interstitial water exchange time can be achieved using the Kärger model for the metastatic lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer.
Methods for drug safety signal detection using routinely collected observational electronic health care data: A systematic review
Authors: Coste Astrid , Wong Angel , Bokern Marleen , Bate Andrew , Douglas Ian J.
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Signal detection is a crucial step in the discovery of post‐marketing adverse drug reactions. There is a growing interest in using routinely collected data to complement established spontaneous report analyses. This work aims to systematically review the methods for drug safety signal detection using routinely collected healthcare data and their performance, both in general and for specific types of drugs and outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines, and registered a protocol in PROSPERO. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched until July 13, 2021.

Results

The review included 101 articles, among which there were 39 methodological works, 25 performance assessment papers, and 24 observational studies. Methods included adaptations from those used with spontaneous reports, traditional epidemiological designs, methods specific to signal detection with real‐world data. More recently, implementations of machine learning have been studied in the literature. Twenty‐five studies evaluated method performances, 16 of them using the area under the curve (AUC) for a range of positive and negative controls as their main measure. Despite the likelihood that performance measurement could vary by drug‐event pair, only 10 studies reported performance stratified by drugs and outcomes, in a heterogeneous manner. The replicability of the performance assessment results was limited due to lack of transparency in reporting and the lack of a gold standard reference set.

Conclusions

A variety of methods have been described in the literature for signal detection with routinely collected data. No method showed superior performance in all papers and across all drugs and outcomes, performance assessment and reporting were heterogeneous. However, there is limited evidence that self‐controlled designs, high dimensional propensity scores, and machine learning can achieve higher performances than other methods.
Efficient removal of rhodamine B and methylene blue from water using polyurethane based porous material
Authors: Kumar Rajan , Kumar Pawan , Panigrahi Swati , Lakshminarasimhan Narayanan , Shunmugam Raja
Published: October 2022

Here the thermally catalyzed azide‐alkyne click reaction was invoked for synthesis of functional triazole. The formed triazole was invoked to engineer polyurethane as water immiscible material. The synthesized functional triazole and polyurethane were well characterized using spectroscopic techniques—nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electrospray ionization mass spectrum (ESI MS), and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR‐FTIR) accordingly. The N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms confirmed the material to be mesoporous in nature with a surface area of 12.89 m2/g, pore volume of 0.085 cc/g, and pore radius of 7.14 nm. The characterized triazole material can be crucial with properties related to antifungal responses and UV absorption. The polyurethane material showed adsorption of amphiphilic dye—rhodamine (RH B) and methylene blue (MB). It was selective to release of rhodamine B (RH B) quite efficiently. The recycling of polyurethane reported up to cycle four revealed efficient adsorption‐release.
Plasma proteomics identify potential severity biomarkers from COVID‐19 associated network
Authors: Sahin Ayse Tugce , Yurtseven Ali , Dadmand Sina , Ozcan Gulin , Akarlar Busra A. , Kucuk Nazli Ezgi Ozkan , Senturk Aydanur , Ergonul Onder , Can Fusun , Tuncbag Nurcan , Ozlu Nurhan
Published: October 2022

Purpose

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) continues to threaten public health globally. Severe acute respiratory coronavirus type 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection‐dependent alterations in the host cell signaling network may unveil potential target proteins and pathways for therapeutic strategies. In this study, we aim to define early severity biomarkers and monitor altered pathways in the course of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.

Experimental Design

We systematically analyzed plasma proteomes of COVID‐19 patients from Turkey by using mass spectrometry. Different severity grades (moderate, severe, and critical) and periods of disease (early, inflammatory, and recovery) are monitored. Significant alterations in protein expressions are used to reconstruct the COVID‐19 associated network that was further extended to connect viral and host proteins.

Results

Across all COVID‐19 patients, 111 differentially expressed proteins were found, of which 28 proteins were unique to our study mainly enriching in immunoglobulin production. By monitoring different severity grades and periods of disease, CLEC3B, MST1, and ITIH2 were identified as potential early predictors of COVID‐19 severity. Most importantly, we extended the COVID‐19 associated network with viral proteins and showed the connectedness of viral proteins with human proteins. The most connected viral protein ORF8, which has a role in immune evasion, targets many host proteins tightly connected to the deregulated human plasma proteins.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Plasma proteomes from critical patients are intrinsically clustered in a distinct group than severe and moderate patients. Importantly, we did not recover any grouping based on the infection period, suggesting their distinct proteome even in the recovery phase. The new potential early severity markers can be further studied for their value in the clinics to monitor COVID‐19 prognosis. Beyond the list of plasma proteins, our disease‐associated network unravels altered pathways, and the possible therapeutic targets in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection by connecting human and viral proteins. Follow‐up studies on the disease associated network that we propose here will be useful to determine molecular details of viral perturbation and to address how the infection affects human physiology.
Jatrorrhizine ameliorates Schwann cell myelination via inhibiting HDAC3 ability to recruit Atxn2l for regulating the NRG1‐ErbB2‐PI3K‐AKT pathway in diabetic peripheral neuropathy mice
Authors: Gong Xiaobao , Gui Zhenwei , Ye Xiaoli , Li Xuegang
Published: October 2022

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a chronic complication associated with nerve dysfunction and uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Unfortunately, due to its complicated etiology, there has been no successful therapy for DPN. Our research recently revealed that jatrorrhizine (JAT), one of the active constituents of Rhizoma Coptidis, remarkably ameliorated DPN. This work highlighted the potential mechanism through which JAT relieves DPN using db/db mice. The results indicated that JAT treatment significantly decreased the threshold for thermal and mechanical stimuli and increased nerve conduction velocity. Histopathological analysis revealed that JAT significantly increased the number of sciatic nerve fibers and axons, myelin thickness, and axonal diameters. Additionally, JAT markedly elevated the expression of myelination‐associated proteins (MBP, MPZ, and Pmp22). The screening of histone deacetylases (HDAC) determined that histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) is an excellent target for JAT‐induced myelination enhancement. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry—(MS)/MS and coimmunoprecipitation analyses further confirmed that HDAC3 antagonizes the NRG1‐ErbB2‐PI3K‐AKT signaling axis by interacting with Atxn2l to augment SCs myelination. Thus, JAT ameliorates SCs myelination in DPN mice via inhibiting the recruitment of Atxn2l by HDAC3 to regulate the NRG1‐ErbB2‐PI3K‐AKT pathway.
Bezold–Jarisch reflex mediated syncope in pulmonary arterial hypertension: An illustrative case series
Authors: Agboola Kolade M. , Kowlgi Gurukripa N. , Csecs Ibolya , DuBrock Hilary M. , Cajigas Hector R. , Allison Thomas G.
Published: October 2022

We present a novel description of Bezold–Jarisch Reflex (BJR) during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in three young female patients with Group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These three cases presented within 26 months, representing only 0.8% of 11,387 tests on patients with PAH undergoing CPET during this time frame.
Understanding the characteristics of microphysical processes in the rapid intensity changes of tropical cyclones over the Bay of Bengal
Authors: Nekkali Yerni Srinivas , Osuri Krishna K. , Das Ananda Kumar , Niyogi Dev
Published: October 2022

This study aimed to understand the microphysical processes that affect rapid intensity changes of tropical cyclones (TCs) over the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Four representative TCs were simulated using the Weather Research and Forecasting model with storm tracking nested configuration (at 9‐km and 3‐km resolution). Results indicate that the inner‐core heating strongly correlated (r > 0.85) with the precipitated compared to non‐precipitated hydrometeors. Furthermore, the vertical distribution of hydrometeors and heating is dependent on inner‐core updrafts and relative humidity. A novel composite analysis of microphysical processes indicates that the warmer (2 K) inner core is close to saturation (>90%) with excess water vapor (>2–3 × 10−3 kg·kg−1), which enhances the latent heat release (LHR) through condensation below the freezing level during the rapid intensification (RI) onset. In addition, during RI, strong updrafts transport the water vapor (>2 × 10−3 kg·kg−1) and cloud liquid water (2.5 × 10−4 kg·kg−1) to above freezing level, and enhance the LHR because of deposition and freezing respectively. The increased precipitating particles in the saturated inner core also enhance LHR. The symmetric convection structured by the atmospheric moisture causes the formation of prolonged RI episodes, as seen in TCPhailin. During rapid weakening (RW), asymmetric and relatively fewer hydrometeors are evident, along with the presence of weak updrafts and strong shear. The dry‐air intrusion into the inner core also causes the cooling processes (evaporation and sublimation). The enhancement or reduction of moist static energy and potential vorticity is associated with increased or reduced LHR in the TC rapid intensity changes.
Review and evaluation of imputation methods for multivariate longitudinal data with mixed‐type incomplete variables
Authors: Cao Yi , Allore Heather , Vander Wyk Brent , Gutman Roee
Published: October 2022

Estimating relationships between multiple incomplete patient measurements requires methods to cope with missing values. Multiple imputation is one approach to address missing data by filling in plausible values for those that are missing. Multiple imputation procedures can be classified into two broad types: joint modeling (JM) and fully conditional specification (FCS). JM fits a multivariate distribution for the entire set of variables, but it may be complex to define and implement. FCS imputes missing data variable‐by‐variable from a set of conditional distributions. In many studies, FCS is easier to define and implement than JM, but it may be based on incompatible conditional models. Imputation methods based on multilevel modeling show improved operating characteristics when imputing longitudinal data, but they can be computationally intensive, especially when imputing multiple variables simultaneously. We review current MI methods for incomplete longitudinal data and their implementation on widely accessible software. Using simulated data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, we compare their performance for monotone and intermittent missing data patterns. Our simulations demonstrate that in a longitudinal study with a limited number of repeated observations and time‐varying variables, FCS‐Standard is a computationally efficient imputation method that is accurate and precise for univariate single‐level and multilevel regression models. When the analyses comprise multivariate multilevel models, FCS‐LMM‐latent is a statistically valid procedure with overall more accurate estimates, but it requires more intensive computations. Imputation methods based on generalized linear multilevel models can lead to biased subject‐level variance estimates when the statistical analyses involve hierarchical models.
Computer Aided Development of Nucleic Acid Applications in Nanotechnologies
Authors: Paloncýová Markéta , Pykal Martin , Kührová Petra , Banáš Pavel , Šponer Jiří , Otyepka Michal
Published: October 2022

Utilization of nucleic acids (NAs) in nanotechnologies and nanotechnology‐related applications is a growing field with broad application potential, ranging from biosensing up to targeted cell delivery. Computer simulations are useful techniques that can aid design and speed up development in this field. This review focuses on computer simulations of hybrid nanomaterials composed of NAs and other components. Current state‐of‐the‐art molecular dynamics simulations, empirical force fields (FFs), and coarse‐grained approaches for the description of deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid are critically discussed. Challenges in combining biomacromolecular and nanomaterial FFs are emphasized. Recent applications of simulations for modeling NAs and their interactions with nano‐ and biomaterials are overviewed in the fields of sensing applications, targeted delivery, and NA templated materials. Future perspectives of development are also highlighted.
Metal–Organic Cage as Single‐Molecule Carrier for Solid‐State Nanopore Analysis
Authors: Wang Zhan , Hu Rui , Zhu Rui , Lu Wenlong , Wei Guanghao , Zhao Jing , Gu Zhi‐Yuan , Zhao Qing
Published: October 2022

The ability to detect biomolecules at the single‐molecule level is at the forefront of biological research, precision medicine, and early diagnosis. Recently, solid‐state nanopore sensors have emerged as a promising technique for label‐free and precise diagnosis assay. However, insufficient sensitivity and selectivity for small analytes are a great challenge for clinical diagnosis applications via solid‐state nanopores. Here, for the first time, a metal–organic cage, PCC‐57, is employed as a carrier to increase the sensitivity and selectivity of solid‐state nanopores based on the intrinsic interaction of the nanocage with biomolecules. Firstly, it is found that the carrier itself is undetectable unless bound with the target analytes and used oligonucleotides as linkers to attach PCC‐57 and target analytes. Secondly, two small analytes, oligonucleotide conjugated angiopep‐2 and polyphosphoric acid, are successfully distinguished using the molecular carrier. Finally, selectivity of nanopore detection is achieved by attaching PCC‐57 to oligonucleotide‐tailed aptamers, and the human alpha‐thrombin sample is successfully detected. It is believed that the highly designable metal–organic cage could serve as a rich carrier repository for a variety of biomolecules, facilitating single‐molecule screening of clinically relevant biomolecules based on solid‐state nanopores in the future.
A Multi‐Template Fusion Object Tracking Algorithm Based on Graph Attention Network
Authors: Lu Xiaofeng , Li Xiaopeng , Wang Zhengyang , Hei Xinhong
Published: October 2022

In recent years, the object‐tracking algorithm based on Siamese network has gradually become the mainstream algorithm in the field of object tracking due to its characteristics of balancing speed and accuracy. The majority of Siamese‐based trackers only use the first frame extraction template for subsequent tracking in order to prevent the introduction of noise. However, merely with a single initial template employed, it is difficult to achieve the best performance of the tracker in the face of complex tracking environments such as occlusion, motion blur, and non‐rigid deformation. Therefore, the present paper proposes a new multi‐template fusion module based on graph attention network (G‐M module), which consists of two parts: a graph‐attention‐network‐based feature‐embedding module (G module) and a multi‐template fusion module (M module). It can greatly reduce the background noise introduced by template updating while improving the tracker's ability to adapt to changes in object appearance. In addition, in order to maximize the value of G‐M module, the present paper also puts forward a two‐stage template update threshold judgment mechanism. The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCCs) is introduced and combined with APCE and the maximum response value (F‐max) to filter out reliable templates for updating. In this paper, the proposed method is applied to the SiamFC and SiamFC++ trackers. Extensive experiments on mainstream data sets, such as OTB2015, VOT2016, and GOT‐10 k, show that the proposed method can effectively update the tracking template and improve the tracker performance. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Impairment of ovarian follicular development caused by titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure involved in the TGF‐β/BMP/Smad pathway
Authors: Ji Jianhui , Zhou Yingjun , Li Zhengpeng , Zhuang Juan , Ze Yuguan , Hong Fashui
Published: October 2022

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) have been shown to induce reproductive system damages in animals. To better underline how TiO2 NPs act in reproductive system, female mice were exposed to 2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg TiO2 NPs by gavage administration for 60 days, the ovary injuries, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels as well as ovarian follicular development‐related molecule expression were investigated. The results showed that TiO2 NPs exposure resulted in reduction of ovary weight and inhibition of ovarian follicular development. Furthermore, the suppression of follicular development was demonstrated to be closely related to higher FSH and LH levels, and higher expression of activin, follistatin, BMP2, BMP4, TGF‐β1, Smad2, Smad3, and Smad4 as well as decreased inhibin‐α expression in mouse ovary in a dose‐dependent manner. It implies that the impairment of ovarian follicular development caused by TiO2 NPs exposure may be mediated by TGF‐β signal pathway.
PCNB exposure during early embryogenic development induces developmental delay and teratogenicity by altering the gene expression in Xenopus laevis
Authors: Ismail Tayaba , Lee Hongchan , Kim Youni , Ryu Hong‐Yeoul , Cho Dong‐Hyung , Ryoo Zae Young , Lee Dong‐Seok , Kwon Taeg Kyu , Park Tae Joo , Kwon Taejoon , Lee Hyun‐Shik
Published: October 2022

Pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) is an organochlorine fungicide commonly used to treat seeds against seedling infections and controlling snow mold on golf courses. PCNB has been demonstrated to be toxic to living organisms, including fish and several terrestrial organisms. However, only phenotypical deformities have been studied, and the effects of PCNB on early embryogenesis, where primary organogenesis occurs, have not been completely studied. In the current study, the developmental toxicity and teratogenicity of PCNB is evaluated by using frog embryo teratogenesis assay Xenopus (FETAX). Our results confirmed the teratogenic potential of PCNB revealing the teratogenic index of 1.29 during early embryogenesis. Morphological studies revealed tiny head, bent axis, reduced inter ocular distance, hyperpigmentation, and reduced total body lengths. Whole mount in situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were used to identify PCNB teratogenic effects at the gene level. The gene expression analyses revealed that PCNB was embryotoxic to the liver and heart of developing embryos. Additionally, to determine the most sensitive developmental stages to PCNB, embryos were exposed to the compound at various developmental stages, demonstrating that the most sensitive developmental stage to PCNB is primary organogenesis. Taken together, we infer that PCNB's teratogenic potential affects not just the phenotype of developing embryos but also the associated genes and involving the oxidative stress as a possible mechanism of toxicity, posing a hazard to normal embryonic growth. However, the mechanisms of teratogenesis require additional extensive investigation to be defined completely.
Oberflächenfunktionalisierung 3D‐gedruckter transparenter Optiken
Authors: Wolleb Sabrina Jasmin , Kemper Falk , Schulz Ulrike
Published: October 2022

Additive Fertigungsverfahren bieten vielversprechende Vorteile im Vergleich zur konventionellen Fertigung. Maximale Freiheitsgrade im Design, hohe Individualität und Nachhaltigkeit sind offensichtlich. Eine große Herausforderung stellt bis heute der Druck hochtransparenter makroskopischer Optiken dar. Für zukünftige Anwendungen im Bereich Optik wurde ein intern entwickeltes, hochtransparentes Hybridpolymer mittels InkjetVerfahren gedruckt und anschließend das Potential zur Oberflächenfunktionalisierung mittels Plasmaätzen untersucht. Die Charakterisierung erfolgte vor und nach der Plasmabehandlung mittels Rasterelektronenmikroskopie (REM), Fourier‐Transformations‐Infrarot‐Spektroskopie in abgeschwächter Totalreflexion (FTIR‐ATR) sowie optischer Spektroskopie. Die Ergebnisse zeigen eine selbstorganisierte Nano‐struktur mit hervorragenden Anti‐reflexeigenschaften vom sichtbaren bis in den nahen Infrarotbereich. Die Strukturentstehung erfolgt durch den Abbau des Organikanteils im Hybridpolymer während der Plasmabehandlung.
Equine papillomavirus type 2‐associated, carcinomatous lesions of the penis and laryngopharynx of an elderly Icelandic horse gelding
Authors: Lale Dilara , Geyer Antonia , Jindra Christoph , Cavalleri Jessika‐Maximiliane V. , Ramsauer Anna Sophie
Published: October 2022

A 28‐year‐old Icelandic horse gelding was presented with a laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The gelding had been treated for penile carcinoma in situ with a partial phallectomy 2 years earlier. Polymerase chain reaction of tumour DNA and subsequent amplicon sequencing revealed that the equine papillomavirus type 2 E6 oncogene sequences of both lesions were identical. There is strong evidence that equine papillomavirus type 2 is causally associated with genital squamous cell carcinomas and precancerous lesions. Recent reports indicate that equine papillomavirus type 2 might also play an active role in the pathogenesis of approximately 20% of equine squamous cell carcinomas in the oronasal, pharyngeal and laryngeal regions. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of a horse consecutively developing a penile carcinoma in situ and a laryngopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma that were apparently induced by the same equine papillomavirus type 2 variant. Possible equine papillomavirus type 2 infection pathways in this horse and the importance of early detection of lesions are discussed in this context.
Higher-spin gravity’s “string”: new gauge and proof of holographic duality for the linearized Didenko-Vasiliev solution
Authors: Lysov Vyacheslav , Neiman Yasha
Published: October 2022

Abstract

We consider type-A higher-spin gravity in AdS4, holographically dual to a free U(N ) vector model on the boundary. We study the linearized version of the Didenko-Vasiliev “BPS black hole”, which we view as this theory’s equivalent of the fundamental string. The Didenko-Vasiliev solution consists of gauge fields of all spins generated by a particle-like source along a bulk geodesic, and is holographically dual to a bilocal boundary operator at the geodesic’s endpoints. Our first main result is a new gauge for this solution, which makes manifest its behavior under the boundary field equation. It can be viewed as an AdS uplift of flat spacetime’s de Donder gauge, but is not de Donder in AdS. To our knowledge, this gauge is novel even in the spin-2 sector, and thus provides a new expression for the linearized gravitational field of a massive point particle in (A)dS4. Our second main result is a proof of the holographic duality between the mutual bulk action of two Didenko-Vasiliev solutions and the CFT correlator of two boundary bilocals. As an intermediate step, we show that in a bilocal→local limit, the Didenko-Vasiliev solution reproduces the standard boundary-bulk propagators of all spins. We work in the “metric-like” language of Fronsdal fields, and use the embedding-space formalism.
Flavored anisotropic black holes
Authors: Garbayo Ana , Hoyos Carlos , Jokela Niko , Penín José Manuel , Ramallo Alfonso V.
Published: October 2022

Abstract

We construct a black hole geometry dual to a (2+1)-dimensional defect in an ambient (3+1)-dimensional gauge theory at non-zero temperature and quark density. The geometry is a solution to the equations of motion of type IIB supergravity with brane sources, a low energy limit of an intersection of stacks of color D3-branes and flavor D5-branes. We consider the case in which the number of D5-branes is large and they can be homogeneously distributed along the directions orthogonal to the defect, creating in this way a multilayer structure. The quark density is generated by exciting a gauge field in the worldvolume of the dynamic brane sources. We study the thermodynamics of the anisotropic black hole and compute the energy density of the dual theory, as well as the pressures and speeds of sound along the directions parallel and orthogonal to the defect. We also calculate transport coefficients in the shear channel, quark-antiquark potentials, and the entanglement entropies for slab subregions. These analyses give us a good overview on how the degrees of freedom are spread, entangled, and behave in this unquenched system in the deconfining phase at strong coupling.
Magnetic and structure transition of Mn3-xFexO4 solid solutions under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions
Authors: Yamanaka Takamitsu , Hirao Naohisa , Nakamoto Yuki , Mikouchi Takashi , Hattori Takanori , Komatsu Kazuki , Mao Ho-kwang
Published: October 2022

Magnetic and structure transitions of Mn3–xFexO4 solid solutions under extreme conditions are clarified by neutron time-of-flight scattering diffraction and X-ray Mössbauer measurement. The ferrimagnetic-to-paramagnetic transition temperature (100 °C) of Mn2FeO4 spinel is different from the tetragonal-to-cubic structure transition temperature (180 °C). The structure transition temperature decreases with increasing pressure. The transition is not coupled with the magnetic transition. Synchrotron X-ray Mössbauer experiments have revealed the pressure effects on the distribution of Fe2+ and Fe3+ at the tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the spinel structure. Ferrimagnetic MnFe2O4 and Mn2FeO4 spinels show sextet spectral features with hyperfine structure elicited by internal magnetic fields. Cubic MnFe2O4 spinel and tetragonal Mn2FeO4 transform to high-pressure orthorhombic postspinel phase above pressures of 18.4 GPa and 14.0 GPa, respectively. The transition pressure decreases with increasing Mn content. The postspinel phase has a paramagnetic property. Mn2O10 dimers of two octahedra are linked via common edge in three dimentional direction. The occupancy of Fe2+ in the tatrahedral site is decreased with increasig pressure, indicating more oredered structure. Consequently, the inverse parameter of the spinel structure is increased with increasing pressure. The magnetic structure refinements clarify the paramagnetic and ferrimagnetic structure of MnFe2O4 and Mn2FeO4 spinel as a function of pressure. The magnetic moment is ordered between A and B sites with the anti-parallel distribution along the b axis. The nuclear tetragonal structure (aN, aN, cN) has the ferrimagnetic structure but the orthorhombic magnetic structure has the ferrimagnetic structure with the lattice constants (aM, bM, cM). The magnetic moment is ordered between A and B sites with the anti-parallel distribution along the bM axis.
The mechanisms of the subseasonal zonal oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high in 10–25-day period and 25–50-day period
Authors: Nie Jun , Fang Jiabei , Yang Xiu-Qun
Published: October 2022

This study investigates the evolution characteristics and the mechanism, including the convection–circulation interaction and the air–sea interaction, of the subseasonal zonal oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) in 10–25-day period and 25–50-day period. Accompanied with the westward extension of the WPSH, a suppressed convection propagates northwestward over the western Pacific with an anticyclonic circulation anomaly at its northwest. A warm sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) lags the anomalous convection, showing near-quadrature phase relationship in temporal, and the magnitude of SSTA in 25–50-day period is greater than that in 10–25-day period. Further analysis shows that in both two periods the westward extension of the WPSH is mainly attributed to the convection–circulation interaction. The suppressed convection-induced cooling stimulates the divergence anomaly at the northwest of the suppressed convection, causing anticyclonic anomaly through the horizontal divergence effect. In turn, the anticyclonic anomaly motivates the downward dry advection in planetary boundary layer (PBL) preceding the suppressed convection, and thus favors the propagation of the suppressed convection. Through such interaction processes, the convection and circulation anomalies are combined and propagate together, leading to the zonal oscillation of the WPSH. Moreover, it is also found that the significance of air–sea interaction in two periods is distinct due to different magnitudes of the SSTA. In 10–25-day period, the ocean has no obvious feedback on the atmospheric circulation, while in 25–50-day period, the oceanic anomaly can fully develop and impact on the atmosphere more effectively.
Solving Cubic Matrix Equations Arising in Conservative Dynamics
Authors: Benzi Michele , Viviani Milo
Published: October 2022

In this paper we consider the spatial semi-discretization of conservative PDEs. Such finite dimensional approximations of infinite dimensional dynamical systems can be described as flows in suitable matrix spaces, which in turn leads to the need to solve polynomial matrix equations, a classical and important topic both in theoretical and in applied mathematics. Solving numerically these equations is challenging due to the presence of several conservation laws which our finite models incorporate and which must be retained while integrating the equations of motion. In the last thirty years, the theory of geometric integration has provided a variety of techniques to tackle this problem. These numerical methods require solving both direct and inverse problems in matrix spaces. We present three algorithms to solve a cubic matrix equation arising in the geometric integration of isospectral flows. This type of ODEs includes finite models of ideal hydrodynamics, plasma dynamics, and spin particles, which we use as test problems for our algorithms.
Development of irrigation schedule and management model for sustaining optimal crop production under agricultural drought
Authors: Lee Taehwa , Jang Won Seok , Chun Beomseok , Ahmad Mirza Junaid , Jung Younghun , Kim Jonggun , Shin Yongchul
Published: October 2022

Agriculture is vulnerable to drought indicating that the increasing climate crisis requires the necessity of sustainable crop production. In this study, we developed the Irrigation Schedule and Management (ISM) model based on a simulation–optimization (Soil Water Atmosphere Plant-SWAP model with Genetic Algorithm-GA) framework. The ISM model finds an optimal combination of Irrigation Water Amount (IWA) and Irrigation Interval (II) by adjusting Water Stress (WS) responding to environmental conditions (weather, soils, crops and bottom boundary conditions) throughout growing periods. By conditioning the crop (WS) and water management (IWA and II) variables, ISM improves the sustainability of optimal crop productions under different climatic-land surface conditions. The Regional Agromet Center (RAC) site in Faisalabad (at Punjab, Pakistan) was selected to test the proposed ISM model for the field validation/synthetic numerical experiments with various crops (Wheat, Corn and Potato) and soils. We demonstrated that the ISM model that reflects the relationship between crop and water management variables improved the sustainability of crop productions and Water Productivity (WP) compared to those of the conventional irrigation method at the RAC site under various environment conditions. Additionally, the ISM-based long-term crop productions showed the variations along the yearly precipitation changes indicating that optimal combinations of the crop and water management variables are considerably influenced by environmental conditions. Although uncertainties exist, our proposed ISM model can contribute to the establishment of efficient irrigation schedule/management plans under agricultural drought.
Out-of-pocket Expenses and Time Spent on Clinic Visits Among HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Users and Other Clinic Attendees in Eswatini
Authors: Kohler Stefan , Dalal Shona , Hettema Anita , Matse Sindy , Bärnighausen Till , Paul Nicolas
Published: October 2022

User costs constitute a barrier to the uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), but their magnitude appears rarely assessed. In this prospective observational study, we assessed self-reported out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) and time spent on clinic visits during a PrEP demonstration project in Eswatini. At six public primary care clinics, 240 PrEP users and other clinic attendees were interviewed after a clinic visit. Among the 79.2% of clinic attendees reporting any medical OOPE (e.g., expenses for consultations or drugs) and/or non-medical OOPE (e.g., expenses for transport, food, or phone use), the median total OOPE was $1.36 (IQR 0.91–1.96). Non-medical OOPE occurred mostly due to transport expenses. The median travel time for a clinic visit was 1.0 h (IQR 0.67–2.0). The median time spent in the clinic was 2.0 h (IQR 1.15–3.0). The median opportunity cost of a clinic visit was $7.54 (IQR 5.42–11) when valuing time spent on a clinic visit with Eswatini’s per-capita gross domestic product. Our findings can guide measures to reduce the user costs of PrEP in Eswatini and other contexts in which oral PrEP is provided through health care facilities.
Past anthropogenic activities offset dissolved inorganic phosphorus retention in the Mississippi River basin
Authors: Vilmin Lauriane , Bouwman Alexander F. , Beusen Arthur H. W. , van Hoek Wim Joost , Mogollón José M.
Published: October 2022

The rapid acceleration of anthropogenic phosphorus (P) loadings to watersheds has fuelled massive freshwater and coastal eutrophication and completely changed the global P cycle. Within watersheds, emitted P is transported downstream towards estuaries. Reservoirs can retain a significant proportion of this P. In the long term, this accumulated P can however be re-mobilized, a process lacking in current global P budgets. Here, we include P cycling in a coupled integrated assessment-hydrology-biogeochemistry framework with 0.5 by 0.5-degree spatial resolution and an annual time resolution, and apply it to the Mississippi River basin (MRB). We show that, while reservoirs have aided in the net retention of P, they serve as dissolved inorganic P (DIP) sources due to the transformation of legacy P in sediments. The increasing DIP sourcing in the MRB has been offsetting P retention in streams, especially towards the end of the twentieth century. Due to its bioavailability, DIP is the most likely form to trigger eutrophication. Although P inputs into the MRB have decreased since the 1970s, legacy effects are delaying positive outcomes of remediation measures.
The analytic hierarchy process as an innovative way to enable stakeholder engagement for sustainability reporting in the food industry
Authors: D’Adamo Idiano
Published: October 2022

The sustainable transition, which requires a combination of natural and human resources to foster the development and protection of ecosystems, is a challenge of civil society. New approaches may be proposed to support enterprises in identifying the appropriate strategic criteria for their sustainability initiatives, which are eventually documented in corporate sustainability reports. The present paper focuses on the food industry, particularly with regard to pasta production.

The analytic hierarchy process method was used to assign relevance to sustainability criteria, according to the judgment of 10 academic experts. The initial criteria were selected from the sustainability reports of a virtuous and Italian pasta producer, La Molisana S.p.A., and divided into four categories: (1) people and community, (2) innovation and new product development, (3) commitment to the environment and (4) local supply chain and traceability.

Promotion of social and economic development in the local community emerged as the most relevant criterion, followed by business development and promotion of talent. The people and community category was deemed most strategic for sustainability, while social and economic dimensions were given less relevance. Stakeholder engagement was proposed as an order winner for sustainable strategies.

The present work has relevant methodological implications, as it shows that the analytic hierarchy process, applied in conjunction with a sustainability materiality matrix, may provide new and useful information for strategy and communication. In terms of operational implications, an enterprise’s historical connection to an area may attract global recognition and increase brand value through higher raw material quality, the harmonisation of human and natural resources, and synergy with the tourism industry.
Treatment of cardiac fibrosis: from neuro-hormonal inhibitors to CAR-T cell therapy
Authors: Morfino Paolo , Aimo Alberto , Castiglione Vincenzo , Gálvez-Montón Carolina , Emdin Michele , Bayes-Genis Antoni
Published: October 2022

Cardiac fibrosis is characterized by the deposition of extracellular matrix proteins in the spaces between cardiomyocytes following both acute and chronic tissue damage events, resulting in the remodeling and stiffening of heart tissue. Fibrosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many cardiovascular disorders, including heart failure and myocardial infarction. Several studies have identified fibroblasts, which are induced to differentiate into myofibroblasts in response to various types of damage, as the most important cell types involved in the fibrotic process. Some drugs, such as inhibitors of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, have been shown to be effective in reducing cardiac fibrosis. There are currently no drugs with primarily anti-fibrotic action approved for clinical use, as well as the evidence of a clinical efficacy of these drugs is extremely limited, despite the numerous encouraging results from experimental studies. A new approach is represented by the use of CAR-T cells engineered in vivo using lipid nanoparticles containing mRNA coding for a receptor directed against the FAP protein, expressed by cardiac myofibroblasts. This strategy has proved to be safe and effective in reducing myocardial fibrosis and improving cardiac function in mouse models of cardiac fibrosis. Clinical studies are required to test this novel approach in humans.
Relationship between collaboration and normalized scientific impact in South American public universities
Authors: Limaymanta Cesar H. , Quiroz-de-García Rosalía , Rivas-Villena Jesús A. , Rojas-Arroyo Andrea , Gregorio-Chaviano Orlando
Published: October 2022

The relationship between international collaboration and scientific impact is studied in the context of South American universities. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the strength of this relationship using nonparametric statistical methods. The records are the 244,300 papers published in journals indexed in Scopus (2011–2020) by researchers affiliated to 10 South American public universities and extracted with Scival support. There is a marked trend of collaborative work, since 93% of publications were collaborative at institutional, national or international level, with a higher percentage of international collaboration. A refined analysis of the geographic collaboration of publications in Q1 journals further evidences the frequency of international collaboration. In the top 4 collaborating partner institutions for each university, the presence of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France (CNRS) is observed, followed by the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina (Conicet). It is proven that there is a statistically significant relationship (p < .01) in each of the 10 universities between collaboration (number of countries) and normalized impact (FWCI). The results confirmed the hypothesis of this study and the authors provide practical recommendations for science policy makers and researchers, including the promotion of strategic collaboration between different institutional sectors of society to increase the impact of publications.
Effect of inoculation with prion dilutions within the dynamic range of ELISA absorbance on prion incubation period
Authors: Cassmann Eric D. , Brown Quazetta L. , Frese Alexis J. , Lambert Zoe J. , Greenlee M. Heather West , Greenlee Justin J.
Published: October 2022

This study examines the effect of various infectious prion titers within the dynamic range as measured by ELISA on incubation period. We inoculated ovinized transgenic mice with seven decreasing dilutions of a fast-incubating scrapie strain. The highest inoculum group was a 20% w/v brain homogenate from a sheep with scrapie. The subsequent six inoculum dilutions ranged from the highest ELISA optical density reading of 4.000 to a dilution where scrapie prions were not detectable by ELISA. Multiple comparison analysis demonstrated variation in the incubation periods between some inoculum groups. Incubation periods were similar between inoculum groups unless their optical density differed by more than ≈2 units of absorbance. These data will inform the interpretation of future studies that compare incubation periods in experimentally inoculated animals for TSE research.
Does seasonality affect snoring? A study based on international data from the past decade
Authors: Wang Ping , Chen Cai , Wang Xingwei , Zhang Ningling , Lv Danyang , Li Wei , Peng Fulai , Wang Xiuli
Published: October 2022

Background

Though snoring is often regarded as a harmless condition that coincides with sound sleep, it is a sleep disorder that can be a potential indicator of more severe conditions such as sleep apnea syndrome. In the present study, we investigated the association between seasonal variations and snoring.

Method

Search index for snoring (SIS) data were obtained from Google Trends and Baidu Index. SIS data were collected for the USA, India, Germany, Russia, Japan, Australia, China, and Brazil from 2011 to 2020, with the periodicity of the relationship between seasonal time series data and snoring evaluated using a time series decomposition model.

Result

The highest average SIS growth rates from 2011 to 2020 were observed for Brazil, Japan, and Germany, with average SIS values of 94%, 68%, and 49%, respectively. The SIS of the USA, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Germany, and India increased by 22.3%, 12.4%, 11.9%, 35.4%, 12.3%, 28.0%, and 55.8%, respectively, in comparison with their SIS values in 2019, whereas for China, it decreased by 13.7%. Relative to countries in the southern hemisphere, those in the northern hemisphere showed comparable SIS trends, increasing from September to February and decreasing from March to August.

Conclusion

The SIS data showed cyclical changes over the study period. The search index for snoring increased during the cold season or the heating season, suggesting that snoring is associated with seasonal changes.
Surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma: do heterogeneous GGNs and part-solid nodules on thin-section CT show different prognosis?
Authors: Koike Hirofumi , Ashizawa Kazuto , Tsutsui Shin , Fukuda Minoru , Okano Shinji , Matsumoto Keitaro , Nagayasu Takeshi , Honda Sumihisa , Uetani Masataka
Published: October 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical courses of patients with surgically resected stage IA pulmonary adenocarcinoma (Ad) who exhibited heterogeneous ground-glass nodules (GGNs) or part-solid nodules on thin-section computed tomography (TSCT) and to clarify the prognostic differences between them.

Materials and methods

The cases of 242 patients with proven pulmonary Ad with heterogeneous GGN or part-solid nodule who underwent surgical resection were retrospectively reviewed. After surgery, they were examined pathologically. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were also investigated.

Results

There were no cases of recurrent pulmonary Ad or death from the primary disease in the heterogeneous GGN group. In the part-solid nodule group, recurrent pulmonary Ad and death from the primary disease were observed in 12 and 6 of 181 patients, respectively. Heterogeneous GGNs were associated with significantly longer DFS than part-solid nodules (p = 0.042). While, there was no significant difference in OS between the two groups (p = 0.134). Pathological diagnoses were available for all 242 patients. 181 part-solid nodules were classified into 116 invasive Ads, 54 minimally invasive Ads (MIAs), and 11 Ad in situ (AIS) lesions, and 61 heterogeneous GGNs were classified into 18 invasive Ads, 25 MIAs, and 18 AIS lesions.

Conclusion

Heterogeneous GGNs were significantly associated with longer DFS than part-solid nodules. Pathologically, there were significant differences between the heterogeneous GGNs and part-solid nodules.
Mechanismen der Cristae-Biogenese in Humanparasiten
Authors: Mühleip Alexander
Published: October 2022

Mitochondrial energy conversion depends on an intricately folded membrane structure, generated by oligomerisation of ATP synthase dimers. However, morphology of cristae membranes varies greatly between different organisms. Recent studies have revealed the unique ATP synthase assemblies of the causative agents of toxoplasmosis and sleeping sickness, giving insight into the role of parasite-specific sub-units in complex assembly, mitochondrial function and parasite fitness.