bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Resilience, higher education and widening participation: generating change for care experienced students
Authors: Ellis Katie , Johnston Claire
Published: December 2022

Over 80,000 children in England were being looked after in Local Authority care in 2020 and a further 40,000 people were defined as ‘care leavers’. Although a significant body of research highlights the prevalence of educational low achievement in the care experienced population, official government figures show that around 13% of care experienced pupils progress to higher education by the age of 19. In a climate of ‘widening participation’ in which universities encourage inclusion and student diversity, this research invited students with a care background to discuss their experiences of settling into university life. Data was collected using in-depth interviews with 42 students from four universities and an online survey completed by 192 students in 29 universities in England and Wales. Findings revealed that although care experienced students overcome significant challenges to progress to higher education, over half considered dropping out. Others reported feeling isolated and inadequately supported, both financially and pastorally, by their institution. This paper uses a lens of resilience to consider the environmental factors that impact upon student transitions, and concludes that universities must act to balance inequalities in order to appropriately welcome and appreciate care leavers for the skills and experience they bring.
The Role of Informal Sources of Help In Young People’s Access To, Engagement With, And Maintenance In Professional Mental Health Care—A Scoping Review
Authors: Lynch Louise , Moorhead Anne , Long Maggie , Hawthorne-Steele Isobel
Published: December 2022

Young people can be reluctant to seek help for a mental health problem due to many factors, and research suggests that early and meaningful intervention within this demographic is essential to support improved quality of life and reduce youth death by suicide. The role of informal sources of help in youth mental health help-seeking pathways is an important subject however, there are no reviews on this topic. The aim of this scoping review was to map the existing literature regarding how informal sources of help affect young people’s access to, engagement with and maintenance in professional mental health care. Nine databases were searched for original peer-reviewed research published between 1994 and 2021 with young people aged 10–25 years. A thematic analysis was performed on 32 studies that met selection criteria. Two key themes were identified: 1. Informal helpers as supportive intermediaries and 2. Informal helpers as obstructive forces. This review found that informal sources of help are dynamic and essential pathway agents in helping or hindering young people with accessing and staying engaged in professional mental health care. Further research on this topic with young people about their actual help-seeking experiences is required. Through an improved understanding of how these interpersonal relationships function within a young person’s help-seeking process, on a spectrum of supportive to obstructive behaviour, services and practitioners can ensure the provision of responsive and appropriate support to young people and their families, facilitating service use and ensuring better outcomes for young people’s mental health and quality of life.
Parental Depressive Symptoms and Infant Sleeping Arrangements: The Contributing Role of Parental Expectations
Authors: Chénier-Leduc Gabrielle , Béliveau Marie-Julie , Dubois-Comtois Karine , Kenny Samantha , Pennestri Marie-Hélène
Published: December 2022

Studies describing the link between infant sleeping arrangements and postpartum maternal depressive symptoms have led to inconsistent findings. However, expectations regarding these sleeping arrangements were rarely taken into consideration. Furthermore, very few studies on pediatric sleep have included fathers. Therefore, the aims of this study were (1) to compare maternal and paternal attitudes regarding co-sleeping arrangements and (2) to explore the associations among sleeping arrangements, the discrepancy between expected and actual sleeping arrangements, and depressive symptoms, in mothers and fathers. General attitudes about co-sleeping, sleeping arrangements and the discrepancy between expected and actual sleeping arrangements were assessed using the Sleep Practices Questionnaire (SPQ) in 92 parents (41 couples and 10 parents who participated alone in the study) of 6-month-old infants. Parental depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Within the same couple, mothers were generally more supportive than fathers of a co-sleeping arrangement (p < 0.01). Multivariate linear mixed model analyses showed that both mothers’ and fathers’ depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a greater discrepancy between the expected and actual sleeping arrangement (small to moderate effect size) (p < 0.05) regardless of the actual sleeping arrangement. These findings shed new light on the conflicting results concerning the link between co-sleeping and parental depressive symptoms reported in the literature. Researchers and clinicians should consider not only actual sleeping arrangements, but also parents’ expectations.
Melting behavior of sulfur-bearing silicate–phosphate glass batches
Authors: Sułowska Justyna , Szumera Magdalena , Madej Dominika , Handke Bartosz , Świerczek Konrad
Published: December 2022

The main purpose of the research was to explain the differences between nominal and actual chemical compositions of silicate-phosphate glasses in the SiO2-P2O5-K2O-MgO-SO3 system. The actual compositions of the materials were determined with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses. Changes in the chemical composition were explained by examining the melting processes for selected glass batches with differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetry-related gas analysis by mass spectrometry (DSC-TG-EGA (MS)) and high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD). It was found that changes in the chemical composition of the sulfur-bearing glasses were associated with the release of gaseous products. The main gases released during thermal decomposition of the selected glass batch were water vapor, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Since these glasses have potential for use as glassy fertilizers, there is no doubt that the present study is important from an environmental point of view.
Do liberals value emotion more than conservatives? Political partisanship and Lay beliefs about the functionality of emotion
Authors: Choi Minyoung , Karnaze Melissa M. , Lench Heather C. , Levine Linda J.
Published: December 2022

Relying on feelings to guide thoughts and plans may be functional from the perspective of the individual but threaten the cohesion of social groups. Thus, liberals, who prioritize caring and fairness for individuals, may view emotion as more functional than do conservatives, who prioritize preserving social groups, hierarchies, and institutions. To test this, participants in three studies (total N = 1,355) rated political partisanship, beliefs about the functionality of emotion, and well-being. Study 3 also assessed how much participants prioritized “individualizing” versus “socially binding” values (Graham et al., 2011). Across all studies, the more liberal participants were, the more they viewed emotion as functional, despite reporting less emotional well-being. In Study 3, the link between liberalism and valuing emotion was mediated by more liberal participants’ greater endorsement of individualizing than socially binding values. These results suggest that emotion is viewed as more functional by those who prioritize the needs of individuals, but as less functional by those who prioritize the cohesion of social groups.
Prediction of Mefenamic Acid Crystal Shape by Random Forest Classification
Authors: Nakapraves Siya , Warzecha Monika , Mustoe Chantal L. , Srirambhatla Vijay , Florence Alastair J.
Published: December 2022

Objective

Particle shape can have a significant impact on the bulk properties of materials. This study describes the development and application of machine-learning models to predict the crystal shape of mefenamic acid recrystallized from organic solvents.

Methods

Crystals were grown in 30 different solvents to establish a dataset comprising solvent molecular descriptors, process conditions and crystal shape. Random forest classification models were trained on this data and assessed for prediction accuracy.

Results

The highest prediction accuracy of crystal shape was 93.5% assessed by fourfold cross-validation. When solvents were sequentially excluded from the training data, 32 out of 84 models predicted the shape of mefenamic acid crystals for the excluded solvent with 100% accuracy and a further 21 models had prediction accuracies from 50–100%. Reducing the feature set to only solvent physical property descriptors and supersaturations resulted in higher overall prediction accuracies than the models trained using all available or another selected subset of molecular descriptors. For the 8 solvents on which the models performed poorly (< 50% accuracy), further characterisation of crystals grown in these solvents resulted in the discovery of a new mefenamic acid solvate whereas all other crystals were the previously known form I.

Conclusions

Random forest classification models using solvent physical property descriptors can reliably predict crystal morphologies for mefenamic acid crystals grown in 20 out of the 28 solvents included in this work. Poor prediction accuracies for the remaining 8 solvents indicate that further factors will be required in the feature set to provide a more generalized predictive morphology model.
BaFe1−xNixO3 Catalysts for NOx-Assisted Diesel Soot Oxidation
Authors: Montilla-Verdú S. , Torregrosa-Rivero V. , Díaz-Verde A. , Illán-Gómez M. J.
Published: December 2022

In this work, it is analyzed the effect of the partial substitution of Fe by Ni in a BaFeO3 perovskite to be used as the catalyst for NOx-assisted diesel soot oxidation. A series of BaFe1−xNixO3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8) catalysts have been synthesized by using the sol–gel method. The catalysts have been characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, XPS, O2-TPD, H2-TPR- and TEM. The catalytic activity for NO to NO2 oxidation and NOx-assisted diesel soot oxidation have been determined by Temperature Programmed Reaction experiments (NOx -TPR and Soot-NOx-TPR, respectively) and by isothermal reaction at 450 °C. Ni seems not to be inserted in the BaFeO3 perovskite and, instead of that, BaNiO3 perovskite and NiO are detected on the surface of the perovskite BaFeO3. XPS data reveal the coexistence of Fe(III) and Fe(IV) on the catalyst’s surface (being Fe(III) the main oxidation state) and the presence of oxygen vacancies. All catalysts are active for NO oxidation to NO2, showing BaFeO3 and BaFe0.6Ni0.4O3 the best catalytic performance. BaFe0.6Ni0.4O3 shows the highest proportion of nickel on surface and it combines the highest activity and stability for NOx-assisted diesel soot oxidation. Also, this catalyst presents the highest initial soot oxidation rate which minimizes the accumulation of unreacted soot during reaction.
Applications of ball spaces theory: fixed point theorems in semimetric spaces and ball convergence
Authors: Nowakowski Piotr , Turoboś Filip
Published: December 2022

In the paper, we apply some of the results from the theory of ball spaces in semimetric setting. This allows us to obtain fixed point theorems which we believe to be unknown to this day. As a byproduct, we obtain the equivalence of some different notions of completeness in semimetric spaces where the distance function is 1-continuous. In the second part of the article, we generalize the Caristi–Kirk results forb-metric spaces. Additionally, we obtain a characterization of semicompleteness for 1-continuousb-metric spaces via a fixed point theorem analogous to a result of Suzuki. In the epilogue, we introduce the concept of convergence in ball spaces, based on the idea that balls should resemble closed sets in topological sets. We prove several of its properties, compare it with convergence in semimetric spaces and pose several open questions connected with this notion.
Lanthanum-Promoted Nickel-Based Catalysts for the Dry Reforming of Methane at Low Temperatures
Authors: Abdelsadek Zoulikha , Köten Hasan , Gonzalez-Cortes Sergio , Cherifi Ouiza , Halliche Djamila , Masset Patrick J.
Published: December 2022

In recent decades, considerable attention has been paid to the catalytic dry reforming of methane to obtain syngas. This reaction has very important environmental implications due to the utilization of CH4 and CO2, gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. The dry reforming of methane is normally carried out over strong basic catalysts with noble metals. Nickel has emerged as an interesting alternative, although it tends to deactivate and form carbon whiskers, which could block the reactor. It is therefore necessary to improve their catalytic performance (conversion, selectivity and stability). In this work, Ni0.69La0.31 and Ni0.14Mg0.55La0.31 were studied in the dry methane reforming reaction. The precursors were prepared by co-precipitation and the oxide phases were obtained by calcining these precursors at 450°C/6 h. The XRD diagrams of the calcined samples show the formation of mixed oxide phases with a periclase-like structure. Analysis of the temperature-programmed reduction shows that the presence of Mg shifts the reduction to higher temperatures. The catalysts, reduced at 650°C, were tested in this reaction as a function of operating time at 650°C. No deactivation occurred after 20 h of operation. Furthermore, the combination of Mg and La drastically improves the conversion and selectivity of the catalyst (> 95%).
Otorhinolaryngology Symptom Assessment Using SNOT 22 Among SARS CoV-2 Patients in a Tertiary Care Centre
Authors: Bajpai Sanchit , Samanth Rakshitha , Shenoy Vijendra , Kudlu Kshithi , Bhat Sushmitha , Islam Farnaz Nasrin , Kamath Kasargod Sreenivas
Published: December 2022

The main aim of the study was to assess various ENT symptoms in COVID 19 patients, also to investigate the severity of ENT symptoms among COVID 19 patients and find their relation on basis of scores among five discrete domains of SNOT 22 (Sino nasal Outcome Test). A prospective observational study was conducted among 135 patients between 18 to 75 years of age, in the month of September 2020 with COVID-19 infection having mild, moderate disease who were admitted to our hospital. Subjects were divided into groups according to their presenting ENT symptoms based on age, gender and other comorbidities and differences between the groups were examined. The sinonasal symptoms were assessed using the SNOT 22 questionnaire. A strong statistical significance with loss of smell and taste sensation was noted in patients above the age of 40 years. It was also noted that the patients who presented with cough above the age of 40 years were significantly more. Evaluation of sinonasal symptoms using SNOT 22 questionnaire showed that Extranasal rhinologic symptoms, Psychological dysfunction, Sleep dysfunction had significantly higher association among patients who were more than 40 years. We observed that, Extranasal rhinologic symptoms were significantly higher among males than females. There is thus an emergent need to develop a uniform tool to assess the various ENT symptoms. In our study we assessed the patients with COVID 19 using a standard questionnaire to observe the symptomatology, psychological and sleep dysfunctions due to sinonasal issues, and to closely understand the relationship of various symptoms in a meticulous manner.
The role of emotional functioning in the relationship between health anxiety and cyberchondria
Authors: Błachnio Agata , Przepiórka Aneta , Kot Paweł , Cudo Andrzej , Steuden Stanisława
Published: December 2022

Access to health information can have positive effects in the form of increased health awareness. However, self-diagnosis based on information available on websites can be dangerous, causing distress as an increasing amount of time is spent on searching. The main aim of the study was to determine the role of emotional functioning in the relationship between health anxiety and cyberchondria. The study included N = 615 participants aged 18 to 83 years (M = 43.86, SD = 14.57). The authors used the Cyberchondria Severity Scale, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory, the Life Orientation Test, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Kessler 6 Psychological Distress Scale. The results demonstrate that health anxiety is significantly related to cyberchondria and that pessimism and difficulties in emotion regulation act as mediators in this relationship.
A Gutzwiller Trace Formula for Dirac Operators on a Stationary Spacetime
Authors: Islam Onirban
Published: December 2022

A Duistermaat–Guillemin–Gutzwiller trace formula for Dirac-type operators on a globally hyperbolic spatially compact stationary spacetime is achieved by generalising the recent construction by Strohmaier and Zelditch (Adv Math 376:107434, 2021) to a vector bundle setting. We have analysed the spectrum of the Lie derivative with respect to a global timelike Killing vector field on the solution space of the Dirac equation and found that it consists of discrete real eigenvalues. The distributional trace of the time evolution operator has singularities at the periods of induced Killing flow on the space of lightlike geodesics. This gives rise to the Weyl law asymptotic at the vanishing period.
The distribution, ecology and conservation status of the long-tailed woodnymph Thalurania watertonii
Authors: Berryman Alex J. , Collar Nigel J. , Crozariol Marco A. , Gussoni Carlos O. A. , Kirwan Guy M. , Sharpe Christopher J.
Published: December 2022

Compilation and scrutiny of all accessible specimen and observer records of the long-tailed woodnymphThalurania watertonii, a hummingbird currently listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, eliminates Guyana, Pará, Maranhão, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Paraíba from its range and sets aside both Sergipe and Bahia as unproven, leaving 29 certain localities, 15 in Pernambuco and 14 in Alagoas, north-east Brazil, all of them in Atlantic Forest and not Cerrado or Caatinga. Among them are records from ten IUCN category I‒IV protected areas (seven in Pernambuco, two in Alagoas and one shared between the two). Remote sensing analysis shows all confirmed localities to contain a total of c.292 km2of forest (with an extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) of 16,090 and 910 km2, respectively), thus indicating the species qualifies for ‘Vulnerable’ (rather than ‘Endangered’) on the IUCN Red List. However, within the species’ range, we find a maximum total of 2568 km2of forest, unexplored patches of which may host important populations of this and other threatened species endemic to the ‘Pernambuco Centre of Endemism’. Range-wide research is urgently needed into the condition of these sites and the status of the species within them as well as the general densities, ecology and true distribution of the species, which is now known to breed from October to March, to feed on at least 25 plant species and possibly to need shallow clean-water streams, in order to identify the key measures needed to ensure its survival.
Wisdom
Authors: Tsai Cheng-hung
Published: December 2022

What is wisdom? What does a wise person know? Can a wise person know how to act and live well without knowing the whys and wherefores of his own action? How is wisdom acquired? This Element addresses questions regarding the nature and acquisition of wisdom by developing and defending a skill theory of wisdom. Specifically, this theory argues that if a person S is wise, then (i) S knows that overall attitude success contributes to or constitutes well-being; (ii) S knows what the best means to achieve well-being are; (iii) S is reliably successful at acting and living well (in light of what S knows); and (iv) S knows why she is successful at acting and living well. The first three sections of this Element develop this theory, and the final two sections defend this theory against two objections to the effect that there are asymmetries between wisdom and skill.
Roman Carthage – An Ethnic Conglomeration? A Study of the Anthroponymy of an African Metropolis
Authors: Świerk Martyna
Published: December 2022

This article discusses nearly 1,200 names of individuals appearing in inscriptions from Roman Carthage. The aim of the study is to answer the question whether there are indications in the anthroponymic tradition that may support the thesis of the multiculturalism of the city. The analyses focus primarily on the cognomen, which constitutes the most individualized element of the Roman naming system. Besides the unquestioned, dominating role of the nomenclature that was typical of the Roman cultural circle, local onomastics also revealed the relationships that existed between local traditions, which were mainly of Punic origins, as well as the influences of eastern migrations. An important point in the analysis of names with Punic and Greek provenance, and the Latin cognomina described as African, was to consider the abundance of their occurrence in each social group. Thus, names could be examined not only as a possible marker of ethnicity, but also as a marker of social affiliation, which is important especially in the context of cognomina graeca. In the last part of the article, the results are presented in a broader regional context, with the aim of presenting the specificity of the anthroponymy of Roman Carthage.
Critique and Speculation: Reconsidering Hegel's Early Dialectical Logic
Authors: Luciano Giovanna
Published: December 2022

The aim of this article is to clarify the critical role of Hegel's early logic, through an assessment of the dialectical process of sublation [Aufhebung] of the determinations of finite thinking at stake within its exposition. I want to show that the dialectical-critical work of logic has a speculative meaning for Hegel, thereby displaying the inward correspondence between critical and speculative aspects of philosophical activity. By pointing out the evidence from fragmentary texts on logic relating to Hegel's teaching activity in 1801–1802, I will first put into question the idea of an introductory role of logic. In so doing I challenge a widespread reading which argues for the presence of a sharp separation between critical logic and speculative metaphysics. I will then focus on the texts on logic in the 1804–1805 Reinschrift, reading them as the worksite wherein the dawning form of a full-fledged dialectical logic is first prepared and elaborated. More generally, if this paves the way for establishing a continuity between Hegel's early and mature logic and his concept of dialectic, it is also paramount for understanding how the activity of systematic philosophy in the mature version of the system essentially constitutes an ongoing work on the forms of the finite.
Anti-voluntarism, natural providence and miracles in Thomas Burnet's Theory of the Earth
Authors: Rossetter Thomas
Published: December 2022

In his Telluris Theoria Sacra and its English translation The Theory of the Earth (1681–90), the English clergyman and schoolmaster Thomas Burnet (c.1635–1715) constructed a geological history from the Creation to the Final Consummation, positing predominantly natural causes to explain biblical events and their effects on the Earth and life on it. Burnet's insistence on appealing primarily to natural rather than miraculous causes has been interpreted both by his contemporaries and by some historians as an essentially Cartesian principle. On this reading, Burnet adhered to a Cartesian style of explanation in which there was no place for miracles. In this paper, I propose a different interpretation. Burnet's commitment to natural over miraculous causes, I argue, was grounded in an anti-voluntarist theology which he inherited from the Cambridge Platonists and Latitudinarians. This anti-voluntarism, moreover, also dictated the kind of miracles to which he did appeal. This reading of Burnet contrasts with the view that he was simply following Cartesian principles. First, Descartes had espoused a radical form of theological voluntarism. Second, Burnet's and Descartes's views of providence were based on distinct attributes of God, and these attributes had quite different implications regarding the place of miracles in the providential order.
Women's Suffrage, Political Economy, and the Transatlantic Birth Strike Movement, 1911–1920
Authors: Shew Tania
Published: December 2022

The first two decades of the twentieth century saw the development of a meaningful transnational movement to employ birth strikes in the fight for women's rights. In an Anglo-American context, this movement was intimately tied to the women's suffrage campaign. It was led by a network of suffragists, Neo-Malthusians, and birth control campaigners who shared literary and personal ties which allowed their ideas to criss-cross the Atlantic between 1911 and 1920. Although the transatlantic birth strike was never implemented on a significant scale, explaining its almost total absence within existing historiography, this article uses a gendered intellectual history framework to piece together the ideas behind the movement which, the article argues, disrupt established understanding of Neo-Malthusianism and socialist-feminism within intellectual histories. Support for birth striking was predicated on faith in the power of working-class collective action, scrutiny of the economic exploitation of both productive and ‘reproductive’ workers, and a corresponding mistrust in the efficacy of state involvement with these issues. The birth strikers wove together strands from collectivist, individualist, socialist, and feminist thought, undermining traditional historiographical depictions of binaries between socialism and suffragism and collectivism and individualism in early twentieth-century political thought.
Fusion and Application of Chinese Ethnic Elements in Electroacoustic Music in Mist on a Hill
Authors: Ting Yang , Ran Zhou
Published: December 2022

The development of computers and technology has made electroacoustic music an important part of modern music. In an effort to broaden the musical dimension and to offer more possibilities for timbral combinations, composers have used various techniques to combine electroacoustic music with acoustic instruments, giving traditional instrumental music a richer timbre, a wider range of pitches and greater sonic expressiveness. The pipa, a typical representative of Chinese music culture, has a long history and its unique timbre is widely loved by electroacoustic music composers. This article uses Marc Battier’s mixed music Mist on a Hill (for pipa and electroacoustic sounds) as an example to explore the integration and practical use of Chinese folk elements in electroacoustic music.
‘Farming with alternative pollinators’ approach supports diverse and abundant pollinator community in melon fields in a semi-arid landscape
Authors: Bencharki Youssef , Christmann Stefanie , Lhomme Patrick , Ihsane Oumayma , Sentil Ahlam , El Abdouni Insafe , Hamroud Laila , Rasmont Pierre , Michez Denis
Published: December 2022

The presence of pollinating insects in crop fields is an essential factor for agricultural production and pollinator conservation. Agricultural intensification has been identified as a driver of pollinator decline over the last decades and challenges the efficiency of pollination. Several approaches are used to support pollinators and their ecosystem services, notably reward-based wildflower strips. ‘Farming with Alternative Pollinators’ (FAP) aims to attract and sustain pollinators using marketable habitat enhancement plants (MHEP) in the field borders instead of wildflowers. These MHEP are selected in conjunction with farmers. We tested here whether the FAP approach increases diversity and abundance of flower visitors in melon fields in a semi-arid landscape in Morocco. Moreover, we examined whether MHEP increase flower-visitor abundance in melon flowers. We recorded a total of 1330 insect specimens including 573 specimens of wild bees.Lasioglossum malachurumwas the major flower visitor in melon and several MHEP. As flower-visitor abundance and diversity in FAP fields were higher than in control fields, we conclude that FAP can be a valuable approach for pollinator protection in agro-ecosystems; 16.5% of wild bees and wasps showed spillover from the field borders to the melon fields.
Utilization of image-based spectral reflectance to detect herbicide resistance in glufosinate-resistant and glufosinate-susceptible plants: a proof of concept
Authors: Jones Eric A. L. , Austin Robert , Dunne Jeffrey C. , Cahoon Charles W. , Jennings Katherine M. , Leon Ramon G. , Everman Wesley J.
Published: December 2022

Glufosinate is an effective postemergence herbicide, and overreliance on this herbicide for weed control is likely to increase and select for glufosinate-resistant weeds. Common assays to confirm herbicide resistance are dose–response and molecular sequencing techniques; both can require significant time, labor, unique technical equipment, and a specialized skillset to perform. As an alternative, we propose an image-based approach that uses a relatively inexpensive multispectral sensor designed for unmanned aerial vehicles to measure and quantify surface reflectance from glufosinate-treated leaf disks. Leaf disks were excised from a glufosinate-resistant and glufosinate-susceptible corn (Zea mays L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] varieties and placed into a 24-well plate containing eight different concentrations (0 to 10 mM) of glufosinate for 48 h. Multispectral images were collected after the 48-h incubation period across five discrete wave bands: blue (475 to 507 nm), green (560 to 587 nm), red (668to 682 nm), red edge (717 to 729 nm), and near infrared (842 to 899 nm). The green leaf index (GLI; a metric to measure chlorophyll content) was utilized to determine relationships between measured reflectance from the tested wave bands from the treated leaf disks and the glufosinate concentration. Clear differences of spectral reflectance were observed between the corn, cotton, and soybean leaf disks of the glufosinate-resistant and glufosinate-susceptible varieties at the 10 mM concentration for select wave bands and GLI. Leaf disks from two additional glufosinate-resistant and glufosinate-susceptible varieties of each crop were subjected to a similar assay with two concentrations: 0 and 10 mM. No differences of spectral reflectance were observed from the corn and soybean varieties in all wave bands and the GLI. The leaf disks of the glufosinate-resistant and glufosinate-susceptible cotton varieties were spectrally distinct in the green, blue, and red-edge wave bands. The results provide a basis for rapidly detecting glufosinate-resistant plants via spectral reflectance. Future research will need to determine the glufosinate concentrations, useful wave bands, and susceptible/resistant thresholds for weeds that evolve resistance.
Paliperidone palmitate vs. paliperidone extended-release for the acute treatment of adults with schizophrenia: a systematic review and pairwise and network meta-analysis
Authors: Kishi Taro , Sakuma Kenji , Iwata Nakao
Published: December 2022

Is paliperidone palmitate (PP) a useful treatment option for adults with acute symptoms of schizophrenia? We conducted a systematic review and a random-effects pairwise and network meta-analysis that compared PP (25−150 mg equivalent) with paliperidone extended-release (PAL-ER, 3−12 mg/d) regarding their efficacy and safety in adults with acute symptoms of schizophrenia. The outcomes were the total score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-T) at week 6 (the primary outcome for efficacy) and all-cause discontinuation(the primary outcome for acceptability), discontinuation due to inefficacy, discontinuation due to adverse events, discontinuation due to the withdrawal of consent, and the incidence of individual adverse events. Five studies on PP and seven studies on PAL-ER, which involved 4970 individuals in total, were included in this study. For the primary outcomes, we only included data from the treatment arms that used 100 or 150 mg equivalent as an initial dose of PP and data from the treatment arms that used 6, 9, or 12 mg as an initial dose of PAL-ER. The pairwise meta-analyses showed that both PP and PAL-ER outperformed placebo regarding PANSS-T at week 6 and all-cause discontinuation. However, there were no statistically significant differences in these outcomes between the effect sizes of PP and that of PAL-ER. Both PP and PAL-ER increased blood prolactin levels in both females and males compared with placebo. PAL-ER significantly increased blood prolactin in both females and males compared with PP. There were no statistically significant differences in other outcomes between the effect sizes of PP and that of PAL-ER. Similar results in all outcomes were observed in the network meta-analyses. In conclusion, PP might be a useful treatment option for adults with acute symptoms of schizophrenia. A noninferiority study that directly compares PP with PAL-ER for acute schizophrenia, conducted according to the recommended regimen, is required to provide solid evidence.
Glyco-binding domain chimeric antigen receptors as a new option for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Franke Anna-Katharina , Wessolowski Charlotte , Thaden Vanessa , Müller Ingo , Cornils Kerstin
Published: December 2022

In the last decade, treatment using Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) are largely studied and demonstrate the potential of immunotherapeutic strategies, as seen mainly for blood related cancers. Still, efficient CAR-T cell approaches especially for the treatment of solid tumors are needed. Tn- and Sialyl-Tn antigens are tumor associated carbohydrate antigens correlating with poor prognosis and tumor metastasis on a variety of tumor entities. These glycans can be recognized by CD301 (CLEC10A, MGL), which is a surface receptor found primarily on immune cells. In the present study, we hypothesized, that it is possible to use newly generated CD301-bearing CARs, enabling cytotoxic effector cells to recognize and eliminate breast cancer cells. Thus, we genetically modified human NK92 cells with different chimeric receptors based on the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of human CD301. We assessed their cytotoxic activity in vitro demonstrating the specific recognition of CD301 ligand positive cell lines. These results were confirmed by degranulation assays and in cytokine release assays. Overall, this study demonstrates CD301-CARs represent a cost-effective and fast alternative to conventional scFv CARs for cancer immunotherapy.
Optical pulse labeling studies reveal exogenous seeding slows α-synuclein clearance
Authors: Croft Cara L. , Paterno Giavanna , Vause Ava R. , Rowe Lyla A. , Ryu Daniel H. , Goodwin Marshall S. , Moran Corey A. , Cruz Pedro E. , Giasson Benoit I. , Golde Todd E.
Published: December 2022

The accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in intracellular formations known as Lewy bodies (LBs) is associated with several neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia. There is still limited understanding of how α-syn and LB formation is associated with cellular dysfunction and degeneration in these diseases. To examine the clearance and production dynamics of α-syn we transduced organotypic murine brain slice cultures (BSCs) with recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) to express Dendra2-tagged human wild-type (WT) and mutant A53T α-syn, with and without the addition of exogenous α-syn fibrillar seeds and tracked them over several weeks in culture using optical pulse labeling. We found that neurons expressing WT or mutant A53T human α-syn show similar rates of α-syn turnover even when insoluble, phosphorylated Ser129 α-syn has accumulated. Taken together, this data reveals α-syn aggregation and overexpression, pSer129 α-syn, nor the A53T mutation affect α-syn dynamics in this system. Prion-type seeding with exogenous α-syn fibrils significantly slows α-syn turnover, in the absence of toxicity but is associated with the accumulation of anti-p62 immunoreactivity and Thiazin Red positivity. Prion-type induction of α-syn aggregation points towards a potential protein clearance deficit in the presence of fibrillar seeds and the ease of this system to explore precise mechanisms underlying these processes. This system facilitates the exploration of α-syn protein dynamics over long-term culture periods. This platform can further be exploited to provide mechanistic insight on what drives this slowing of α-syn turnover and how therapeutics, other genes or different α-syn mutations may affect α-syn protein dynamics.
Multivalency ensures persistence of a +TIP body at specialized microtubule ends
Authors: Meier Sandro M. , Farcas Ana-Maria , Kumar Anil , Ijavi Mahdiye , Bill Robert T. , Stelling Jörg , Dufresne Eric R. , Steinmetz Michel O. , Barral Yves
Published: December 2022

Microtubule plus-end tracking proteins (+TIPs) control microtubule specialization and are as such essential for cell division and morphogenesis. Here we investigated interactions and functions of the budding yeast Kar9 network consisting of the core +TIP proteins Kar9 (functional homologue of APC, MACF and SLAIN), Bim1 (orthologous to EB1) and Bik1 (orthologous to CLIP-170). A multivalent web of redundant interactions links the three +TIPs together to form a ‘+TIP body’ at the end of chosen microtubules. This body behaves as a liquid condensate that allows it to persist on both growing and shrinking microtubule ends, and to function as a mechanical coupling device between microtubules and actin cables. Our study identifies nanometre-scale condensates as effective cellular structures and underlines the power of dissecting the web of low-affinity interactions driving liquid–liquid phase separation in order to establish how condensation processes support cell function.
Multivalent interactions facilitate motor-dependent protein accumulation at growing microtubule plus-ends
Authors: Maan Renu , Reese Louis , Volkov Vladimir A. , King Matthew R. , van der Sluis Eli O. , Andrea Nemo , Evers Wiel H. , Jakobi Arjen J. , Dogterom Marileen
Published: December 2022

Growing microtubule ends organize end-tracking proteins into comets of mixed composition. Here using a reconstituted fission yeast system consisting of end-binding protein Mal3, kinesin Tea2 and cargo Tip1, we found that these proteins can be driven into liquid-phase droplets both in solution and at microtubule ends under crowding conditions. In the absence of crowding agents, cryo-electron tomography revealed that motor-dependent comets consist of disordered networks where multivalent interactions may facilitate non-stoichiometric accumulation of cargo Tip1. We found that two disordered protein regions in Mal3 are required for the formation of droplets and motor-dependent accumulation of Tip1, while autonomous Mal3 comet formation requires only one of them. Using theoretical modelling, we explore possible mechanisms by which motor activity and multivalent interactions may lead to the observed enrichment of Tip1 at microtubule ends. We conclude that microtubule ends may act as platforms where multivalent interactions condense microtubule-associated proteins into large multi-protein complexes.
Imprinted SARS-CoV-2 humoral immunity induces convergent Omicron RBD evolution
Authors: Cao Yunlong , Jian Fanchong , Wang Jing , Yu Yuanling , Song Weiliang , Yisimayi Ayijiang , Wang Jing , An Ran , Chen Xiaosu , Zhang Na , Wang Yao , Wang Peng , Zhao Lijuan , Sun Haiyan , Yu Lingling , Yang Sijie , Niu Xiao , Xiao Tianhe , Gu Qingqing , Shao Fei , Hao Xiaohua , Xu Yanli , Jin Ronghua , Shen Zhongyang , Wang Youchun , Xie Xiaoliang Sunney
Published: December 2022

Continuous evolution of Omicron has led to a rapid and simultaneous emergence of numerous variants that display growth advantages over BA.5 (ref. 1). Despite their divergent evolutionary courses, mutations on their receptor-binding domain (RBD) converge on several hotspots. The driving force and destination of such sudden convergent evolution and its effect on humoral immunity remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that these convergent mutations can cause evasion of neutralizing antibody drugs and convalescent plasma, including those from BA.5 breakthrough infection, while maintaining sufficient ACE2-binding capability. BQ.1.1.10 (BQ.1.1 + Y144del), BA.4.6.3, XBB and CH.1.1 are the most antibody-evasive strains tested. To delineate the origin of the convergent evolution, we determined the escape mutation profiles and neutralization activity of monoclonal antibodies isolated from individuals who had BA.2 and BA.5 breakthrough infections2,3. Owing to humoral immune imprinting, BA.2 and especially BA.5 breakthrough infection reduced the diversity of the neutralizing antibody binding sites and increased proportions of non-neutralizing antibody clones, which, in turn, focused humoral immune pressure and promoted convergent evolution in the RBD. Moreover, we show that the convergent RBD mutations could be accurately inferred by deep mutational scanning profiles4,5, and the evolution trends of BA.2.75 and BA.5 subvariants could be well foreseen through constructed convergent pseudovirus mutants. These results suggest that current herd immunity and BA.5 vaccine boosters may not efficiently prevent the infection of Omicron convergent variants.
Quantifying multiple stain distributions in bioimaging by hyperspectral X-ray tomography
Authors: Warr Ryan , Handschuh Stephan , Glösmann Martin , Cernik Robert J. , Withers Philip J.
Published: December 2022

Chemical staining of biological specimens is commonly utilised to boost contrast in soft tissue structures, but unambiguous identification of staining location and distribution is difficult without confirmation of the elemental signature, especially for chemicals of similar density contrast. Hyperspectral X-ray computed tomography (XCT) enables the non-destructive identification, segmentation and mapping of elemental composition within a sample. With the availability of hundreds of narrow, high resolution (~ 1 keV) energy channels, the technique allows the simultaneous detection of multiple contrast agents across different tissue structures. Here we describe a hyperspectral imaging routine for distinguishing multiple chemical agents, regardless of contrast similarity. Using a set of elemental calibration phantoms, we perform a first instance of direct stain concentration measurement using spectral absorption edge markers. Applied to a set of double- and triple-stained biological specimens, the study analyses the extent of stain overlap and uptake regions for commonly used contrast markers. An improved understanding of stain concentration as a function of position, and the interaction between multiple stains, would help inform future studies on multi-staining procedures, as well as enable future exploration of heavy metal uptake across medical, agricultural and ecological fields.
Photosynthesis of Au/TiO2 nanoparticles for photocatalytic gold recovery from industrial gold-cyanide plating wastewater
Authors: Kunthakudee Naphaphan , Ramakul Prakorn , Serivalsatit Karn , Hunsom Mali
Published: December 2022

A series of Aux/TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with different gold loadings (x = 0.1–1.0 wt%) was synthesized by the photodeposition and then employed as photocatalysts to recover precious component from the industrial gold-cyanide plating wastewater. Effects of Au loading, catalyst dosage and types of hole scavenger on the photocatalytic gold recovery were investigated under ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) light irradiation at room temperature. It was found that different Au loadings tuned the light absorption capacity of the synthesized photocatalysts and enhanced the photocatalytic activity in comparison with the bare TiO2 NPs. The addition of CH3OH, C2H5OH, C3H8O, and Na2S2O3 as a hole scavenger significantly promoted the photocatalytic activity of the gold recovery, while the H2O2 did not. Among different hole scavengers employed in this work, the CH3OH exhibited the highest capability to promote the photocatalytic gold recovery. In summary, the Au0.5/TiO2 NPs exhibited the best photocatalytic activity to completely recover gold ions within 30 min at the catalyst dosage of 0.5 g/L, light intensity of 3.20 mW/cm2 in the presence of 20 vol% CH3OH as hole scavenger. The photocatalytic activity slightly decreased after the 5th cycle of recovery process, indicating its high reusability.
ACPred-BMF: bidirectional LSTM with multiple feature representations for explainable anticancer peptide prediction
Authors: Han Bingqing , Zhao Nan , Zeng Chengshi , Mu Zengchao , Gong Xinqi
Published: December 2022

Cancer has become a major factor threatening human life and health. Under the circumstance that traditional treatment methods such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not highly specific and often cause severe side effects and toxicity, new treatment methods are urgently needed. Anticancer peptide drugs have low toxicity, stronger efficacy and specificity, and have emerged as a new type of cancer treatment drugs. However, experimental identification of anticancer peptides is time-consuming and expensive, and difficult to perform in a high-throughput manner. Computational identification of anticancer peptides can make up for the shortcomings of experimental identification. In this study, a deep learning-based predictor named ACPred-BMF is proposed for the prediction of anticancer peptides. This method uses the quantitative and qualitative properties of amino acids, binary profile feature to numerical representation for the peptide sequences. The Bidirectional LSTM network architecture is used in the model, and the attention mechanism is also considered. To alleviate the black-box problem of deep learning model prediction, we visualized the automatically extracted features and used the Shapley additive explanations algorithm to determine the importance of features to further understand the anticancer peptide mechanism. The results show that our method is one of the state-of-the-art anticancer peptide predictors. A web server as the implementation of ACPred-BMF that can be accessed via:http://mialab.ruc.edu.cn/ACPredBMFServer/.