bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Do Local Public Spending Decisions Shape Corruption Perceptions? Evidence from Mexico
Authors: Kahn Theodore , Zimbalist Zack
Published: August 2022

This article studies how public investment and other types of spending by municipal governments shape perceptions of corruption in Mexico. We argue, drawing on various strands of literature, that investment in visible public works projects should lower corruption perceptions, given the well-known difficulties in directly observing corrupt acts. Contrary to our expectations and common assumptions in studies of public investment, we find that more public investment by municipal governments is associated, on average, with higher corruption perceptions. However, this effect is mediated by individuals’ education levels. For individuals with less formal education, higher public investment correlates with higher perceived corruption, while highly educated individuals perceive less corruption when municipal public investment is high. The study uses qualitative evidence from municipal audit reports to identify a possible mechanism driving this outcome: municipal investments may not be targeted to the poorer neighborhoods with greater public service deficits.
Do pandemics spawn extremism?
Authors: Chamberlain Adam , Yanus Alixandra B.
Published: August 2022

Abstract

Scholars and journalists connect pandemics to a rise in support for radical political movements. In this study, we draw on this insight to investigate the relationship between the 1918–1919 Spanish influenza pandemic and political extremism—here, the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan—in the United States. Specifically, we ask whether U.S. states and cities with higher death rates from the Spanish flu also had stronger Ku Klux Klan organizations in the early 1920s. Our results do not provide evidence of such a connection; in fact, the data suggest greater Klan membership where the pandemic was less severe. This provides initial evidence that pandemic severity, as measured by mortality, is not necessarily a cause of extremism in the United States; power devaluation as a result of social and cultural change, however, does appear to spur such mobilization.
Electoral Systems and Gender Inequality in Political News: Analyzing the News Visibility of Members of Parliament in Norway and the UK
Authors: THESEN GUNNAR , YILDIRIM TEVFIK MURAT
Published: August 2022

Research continues to find gender inequality in politics and political communication, but our understanding of the variation in the degree of bias across systems is limited. A recent meta-analysis reveals how, in countries with proportional representation (PR), the media pay considerably more attention to men politicians. In plurality systems, this bias is absent. The present study proposes a new explanation for this finding, emphasizing how the size of electoral districts moderates both the demand for and supply of women politicians in news reporting. Analyzing more than 600,000 news appearances made by Norwegian and British MPs from 2000 to 2016, we produce a detailed picture of gender biases in news visibility that speaks in favor of single-member districts in plurality systems. Although PR is generally recognized as advantageous for the political representation of women, our findings call for a more nuanced understanding of the link between electoral systems and gender equality.
Filler–gap dependencies and the remnant–correlate dependency in backward sprouting: Sensitivity to distance and islands
Authors: JUNG DUK-HO , GOODALL GRANT
Published: August 2022

The relationship between thewh-remnant and the null correlate in the type of ellipsis known as backward sprouting is superficially almost identical to the relation between awh-filler and a gap in awh-question. In both cases, there is a dependency between thewh-phrase and a later null element. We conduct a sentence acceptability experiment to test whether the remnant–correlate dependency in backward sprouting exhibits two well-known properties of a filler–gap dependency inwh-questions: sensitivity to clause boundaries (distance) and sensitivity to islands. The results show that both dependency types are sensitive to clause boundaries, although the effect is larger in the case of filler–gap dependencies, but that only filler–gap dependencies are sensitive to islands. These results present a challenge to analyses of sprouting in which the ellipsis site contains a full representation of the structure of the antecedent clause, since such analyses predict island-sensitivity for remnant–correlate dependencies. The results also suggest that island-sensitivity cannot be reduced to simple processing demands without regard to the syntactic representation of the dependency, since such a view would predict greater similarity between filler–gap dependencies and remnant–correlate dependencies than is found.
The Making and Breaking of Kinetic Empire: Mobility, Communication and Political Change in the Eastern Mediterranean, c. 900–1100 CE
Authors: Holmes Catherine
Published: August 2022

This paper applies the concept of ‘kinetic empire’ to the eastern Mediterranean world in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The term ‘kinetic empire’ is borrowed from Hämäläinen's analysis of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century north American Comanche Empire. It refers to the way in which trans- and supra-regional power could be created, expressed and enforced through mobile means. The article focuses primarily on the role of mobility in the expansion of the Byzantine Empire between c. 900 and 1050, but also makes comparison with the contemporaneous Fatimid caliphate and other regional polities which we might usually regard as sedentary states. Recovering the role of the kinetic not only extends our understanding of the modalities of power in this crucial region of the medieval world, it also allows us to question the nature and degree of transformation wrought by mobile newcomers, such as Normans, crusaders and Turks in the later decades of the eleventh century. In this sense of developing and exploring concepts useful for the study of the transregional in premodernity and questioning standard periodisations, this article is also a practical exercise in medieval global history.
The equivalence between rational G-sheaves and rational G-Mackey functors for profinite G
Authors: BARNES DAVID , SUGRUE DANNY
Published: August 2022

For G a profinite group, we construct an equivalence between rational G-Mackey functors and a certain full subcategory of G-sheaves over the space of closed subgroups of G called Weyl-G-sheaves. This subcategory consists of those sheaves whose stalk over a subgroup K is K-fixed.

This extends the classification of rational G-Mackey functors for finite G of Thévenaz and Webb, and Greenlees and May to a new class of examples. Moreover, this equivalence is instrumental in the classification of rational G-spectra for profinite G, as given in the second author’s thesis.
The roles of familial transmission and smoking during pregnancy on executive function skills: A sibling-comparison study
Authors: Knopik Valerie S. , Micalizzi Lauren , Marceau Kristine , Loviska Amy M. , Yu Li , Bien Alexandra , Rolan Emily , Evans Allison S. , Palmer Rohan H. C. , Heath Andrew C.
Published: August 2022

This research examines maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk for poorer executive function in siblings discordant for exposure. Data (N = 173 families) were drawn from the Missouri Mothers and Their Children study, a sample, identified using birth records (years 1998–2005), in which mothers changed smoking behavior between two pregnancies (Child 1 [older sibling]: Mage = 12.99; Child 2 [younger sibling]: Mage = 10.19). A sibling comparison approach was used, providing a robust test for the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and different aspects of executive function in early-mid adolescence. Results suggested within-family (i.e., potentially causal) associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and one working memory task (visual working memory) and one response inhibition task (color-word interference), with increased exposure associated with decreased performance. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was not associated with stop-signal reaction time, cognitive flexibility/set-shifting, or auditory working memory. Initial within-family associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and visual working memory as well as color-word interference were fully attenuated in a model including child and familial covariates. These findings indicate that exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy may be associated with poorer performance on some, but not all skills assessed; however, familial transmission of risk for low executive function appears more important.
Coexistence of transposition of the great arteries, coarctation of the aorta, and bilateral pulmonary artery hypoplasia
Authors: Kavgacı Akif , Terlemez Semiha , Tunç Osman , Kula Serdar
Published: August 2022

Transposition of the great arteries is the most common cyanotic CHD in newborns. This CHD, in which the aorta arises from the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery from the left ventricle, is often accompanied by one or several defects such as atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale, ventricular septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus, which allow the transition between both parallel circulations. Rarely, the disease may be accompanied by left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (subpulmonary obstruction) and coarctation of the aorta.

We present a highly complicated and unusual transposition of the great arteries patient with critical aortic coarctation and hypoplastic pulmonary arteries with abnormal outflow and course.
Associations of environmental and lifestyle factors with spatial navigation in younger and older adults
Authors: Maybrier Hannah , Palanca Ben Julian A. , Head Denise
Published: August 2022

Objective:

Advanced age is associated with prominent impairment in allocentric navigation dependent on the hippocampus. This study examined whether age-related impairment in allocentric navigation and strategy selection was associated with sleep disruption or circadian rest-activity fragmentation. Further, we examined whether associations with navigation were moderated by perceived stress and physical activity.

Method:

Sleep fragmentation and total sleep time over the course of 1 week were assayed in younger (n= 42) and older (n= 37) adults via wrist actigraphy. Subsequently, participants completed cognitive mapping and route learning tasks, as well a measure of spontaneous navigation strategy selection. Measurements of perceived stress and an actigraphy-based index of physical activity were also obtained. Circadian rest-activity fragmentation was estimated via actigraphy post-hoc.

Results:

Age was associated with reduced cognitive mapping, route learning, allocentric strategy use, and total sleep time (ps < .01), replicating prior findings. Novel findings included that sleep fragmentation increased with advancing age (p= .009) and was associated with lower cognitive mapping (p= .022) within the older adult cohort. Total sleep time was not linearly associated with the navigation tasks (ps > .087). Post-hoc analyses revealed that circadian rest-activity fragmentation increased with advancing age within the older adults (p= .026) and was associated with lower cognitive mapping across the lifespan (p= .001) and within older adults (p= .005). Neither stress nor physical activity were robust moderators of sleep fragmentation associations with the navigation tasks (ps > .113).

Conclusion:

Sleep fragmentation and circadian rest-activity fragmentation are potential contributing factors to age effects on cognitive mapping within older adults.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with exacerbated cognitive impairment in covert cerebral small vessel disease
Authors: Arola Anne , Levänen Tuuli , Laakso Hanna M. , Pitkänen Johanna , Koikkalainen Juha , Lötjönen Jyrki , Korvenoja Antti , Erkinjuntti Timo , Melkas Susanna , Jokinen Hanna
Published: August 2022

Objectives:

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are related to disease progression and cognitive decline over time in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) but their significance is poorly understood in covert SVD. We investigated neuropsychiatric symptoms and their relationships between cognitive and functional abilities in subjects with varying degrees of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), but without clinical diagnosis of stroke, dementia or significant disability.

Methods:

The Helsinki Small Vessel Disease Study consisted of 152 subjects, who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation of global cognition, processing speed, executive functions, and memory. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q,n= 134) and functional abilities with the Amsterdam Instrumental Activities of Daily Living questionnaire (A-IADL,n= 132), both filled in by a close informant.

Results:

NPI-Q total score correlated significantly with WMH volume (rs= 0.20,p= 0.019) and inversely with A-IADL score (rs = −0.41,p< 0.001). In total, 38% of the subjects had one or more informant-evaluated neuropsychiatric symptom. Linear regressions adjusted for age, sex, and education revealed no direct associations between neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive performance. However, there were significant synergistic interactions between neuropsychiatric symptoms and WMH volume on cognitive outcomes. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were also associated with A-IADL score irrespective of WMH volume.

Conclusions:

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with an accelerated relationship between WMH and cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms is related to worse functional abilities. Neuropsychiatric symptoms should be routinely assessed in covert SVD as they are related to worse cognitive and functional outcomes.
Political Coalitions and Social Media: Evidence from Pakistan
Authors: Mir Asfandyar , Mitts Tamar , Staniland Paul
Published: August 2022

Social media is frequently an arena of intense competition among major political actors across the world. We argue that a fruitful way of understanding this competition is as coalitions among key actors and their networks of followers. These coalitions can both advance a shared political message and target mutual rivals. Importantly, coalitions can be tacit or explicit, and they do not necessarily depend on direct state manipulation or repression, although they often do. This makes a coalitional framework particularly valuable for studying complex political environments in which online actors blend cooperation and competition. Empirically, we show the value of this approach with novel data collection and analysis of Twitter and Facebook content from 2018–19 in Pakistan, with a focus on the dynamics leading up to and following the controversial 2018 general election. We map out networks of narrative alignment and conflict on Pakistani social media, providing important insights into the relationships among the major political parties, military, media, and dissidents. Future research can fruitfully explore the causes and effects of powerful social media coalitions.
Hyporheic Exchange in a Meandering Pool‐Riffle Stream
Authors: Huang Peng , Chui Ting Fong May
Published: August 2022

Interactions among stream characteristics, hyporheic exchange (HE), and groundwater flow are a crucial control for physicochemical and biological reactions in hyporheic zone (HZ). Many previous studies solely investigated the HE induced by pool‐riffle bedforms or meanders but few research studied the interactions between them despite this pair of morphology generally coexisting in natural streams. Adopting similar laboratory and numerical methods as Huang and Chui (2021), https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029182 whose pool‐riffle streams were straight, this study adequately studied the impacts of hydraulic and morphologic factors on the HE in meandering pool‐riffle streams and highlighted the mutual influence among various factors such as bedform amplitude and sinuosity. The results show that meanders significantly complicate the three‐dimensional hyporheic flow paths and increase the flowrate and scale of HE. The HE flowrate increases linearly with discharge, bed slope, and sinuosity. The total HZ volume and maximum lateral and vertical extents of HZ generally increase with discharge. They also increase with bed slope and sinuosity but only up to a particular threshold, and they remain nearly constant or slightly decrease after exceeding the threshold. All HE characteristics exponentially decrease with both losing and gaining groundwater flow, and losing conditions have less significant effects on the HE compared with gaining conditions. The HE in stream bank can be larger than that in streambed, and the former is generally more influenced by discharge and sinuosity than the latter. Effects of bedform amplitude on HE exhibit very complex patterns due to the mutual influence of key factors.
Experiments on the Sediment Transport Along Pool‐Riffle Unit
Authors: Hassan Marwan A. , Chartrand Shawn M. , Radić Valentina , Ferrer‐Boix Carles , Buckrell Emma , McDowell Conor
Published: August 2022

This study examines channel dynamics and bed load transport through a riffle and pool sequence forced by downstream channel width variations within an experimental flume. The experiment consisted of four runs across, which we compare and contrast local and spatially averaged bed surface texture and topography, sediment transport rates, and sediment mobility at five locations across a pool‐riffle pair. Sediment transport was measured using mini Helley‐Smith samplers and particle tracers seeded in the monitored riffle and pool. In this study, “local” sediment transport rates were highly variable across the five monitoring locations. The lowest sediment transport rate was recorded at the riffle tail whereas the highest rates were measured at the riffle head and the pool center. The texture of the bed surface and transported load do not explain measured bed load transport trends and depending on how the measurements are aggregated differing interpretations are supported. In general, the bed texture in the pool was finer than the texture in the riffle, however, specific grain‐size percentile classes derived from pooled population analysis suggests little to no difference between pool and riffle texture. The combined results highlight the importance of acknowledging and applying analysis techniques to better understand the inherent variability of bed load transport within channel reaches where morphology differs, such as pools and riffles.
Biomechanics and mechanobiology of the bone matrix
Authors: Ma Chunyang , Du Tianming , Niu Xufeng , Fan Yubo
Published: August 2022

The bone matrix plays an indispensable role in the human body, and its unique biomechanical and mechanobiological properties have received much attention. The bone matrix has unique mechanical anisotropy and exhibits both strong toughness and high strength. These mechanical properties are closely associated with human life activities and correspond to the function of bone in the human body. None of the mechanical properties exhibited by the bone matrix is independent of its composition and structure. Studies on the biomechanics of the bone matrix can provide a reference for the preparation of more applicable bone substitute implants, bone biomimetic materials and scaffolds for bone tissue repair in humans, as well as for biomimetic applications in other fields. In providing mechanical support to the human body, bone is constantly exposed to mechanical stimuli. Through the study of the mechanobiology of the bone matrix, the response mechanism of the bone matrix to its surrounding mechanical environment can be elucidated and used for the health maintenance of bone tissue and defect regeneration. This paper summarizes the biomechanical properties of the bone matrix and their biological significance, discusses the compositional and structural basis by which the bone matrix is capable of exhibiting these mechanical properties, and studies the effects of mechanical stimuli, especially fluid shear stress, on the components of the bone matrix, cells and their interactions. The problems that occur with regard to the biomechanics and mechanobiology of the bone matrix and the corresponding challenges that may need to be faced in the future are also described.
Structural evolution of in situ polymerized poly(L-lactic acid) nanocomposite for smart textile application
Authors: Hazarika Doli , Kumar Amit , Katiyar Vimal
Published: August 2022

This present study demonstrated the preparation of a highly crystalline anatase (ana) form of titanium oxide (TiO2) doped silk nanocrystal (SNC) nanohybrid (ana-TCS) of diameter (7.5 ± 1.4 nm) by the sol–gel method using titanium (IV) butoxide as the hydrolysis material. This prepared nanohybrid with surface hydroxyl groups acted as a co-initiator for the synthesis of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)-g-ana-TSC nanocomposite with grafted PLLA chains via the in situ polymerization technique, using tin-octoate as a catalyst. The fabricated nanocomposite had a high number average molecular weight of 83 kDa with good processibility. This prepared nanocomposite was hydrophobic in nature, with a contact angle of 105°, which was further enhanced to 122 ± 1° when processed via electrospinning technique into a non-woven fabric. The prepared nanocomposite could degrade up to 43% methylene blue dye in 15 days. This nanocomposite showed no significant molecular weight reduction after 1 h of aqeous treatment, which could be attributed to its hydrophobic nature, inhibiting its degradation. However, 50% degradation was observed for the nanocomoposite whereas, PLLA demonstrated 25% degradation in 15 days, after its end-of-life. Thus, this study revealed that the in situ synthesized PLA-ana-TCS nanocomposite could be targeted for use as a hydrophobic, self-cleaning, dye-degradable fabric.
Effect of transparent substrate on properties of CuInSe2 thin films prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis
Authors: Hashemi Maryam , Saki Zahra , Dehghani Mehdi , Tajabadi Fariba , Ghorashi Seyed Mohammad Bagher , Taghavinia Nima
Published: August 2022

In this paper, the properties of CuInSe2(CISe) films deposited on three transparent substrates (FTO, FTO/NiOx, FTO/MoO3) are studied. These substrates might be used for bifacial solar cells, in place of the conventional glass/Mo substrates. CISe layers are deposited by spray pyrolysis followed by a selenization process. For the same deposition conditions, the CISe layers on FTO show the largest grain size (~ 0.50 µm) and crystallinity, while FTO/MoO3substrates result in the smallest grains (~ 0.15 µm). The optical bandgap of the CISe films ranged from 1.35 eV for FTO substrate to 1.44 eV for FTO/MoO3substrate. All films show p-type conductivity, with the carrier densities of 1.6 × 1017 cm−3, 5.4 × 1017 cm−3, and 2.4 × 1019 cm−3for FTO, FTO/NiOx, and FTO/MoO3substrates, respectively. The CISe films also show different conduction, and valence levels, based on the substrate. In all cases, an ohmic behavior is observed between the CISe and substrate. The results demonstrate that CISe layer crystallinity, carrier concentration, mobility, and energy levels are strongly dependent on the chemical nature of the substrate. Bare FTO shows the most appropriate performance in terms of device requirements.
Machine learning-based automatic estimation of cortical atrophy using brain computed tomography images
Authors: Jang Jae-Won , Kim Jeonghun , Park Sang-Won , Kasani Payam Hosseinzadeh , Kim Yeshin , Kim Seongheon , Kim Soo-Jong , Na Duk L. , Moon Seung Hwan , Seo Sang Won , Seong Joon-Kyung
Published: August 2022

Cortical atrophy is measured clinically according to established visual rating scales based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although brain MRI is the primary imaging marker for neurodegeneration, computed tomography (CT) is also widely used for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia. However, they are seldom investigated. Therefore, we developed a machine learning algorithm for the automatic estimation of cortical atrophy on brain CT. Brain CT images (259 Alzheimer’s dementia and 55 cognitively normal subjects) were visually rated by three neurologists and used for training. We constructed an algorithm by combining the convolutional neural network and regularized logistic regression (RLR). Model performance was then compared with that of neurologists, and feature importance was measured. RLR provided fast and reliable automatic estimations of frontal atrophy (75.2% accuracy, 93.6% sensitivity, 67.2% specificity, and 0.87 area under the curve [AUC]), posterior atrophy (79.6% accuracy, 87.2% sensitivity, 75.9% specificity, and 0.88 AUC), right medial temporal atrophy (81.2% accuracy, 84.7% sensitivity, 79.6% specificity, and 0.88 AUC), and left medial temporal atrophy (77.7% accuracy, 91.1% sensitivity, 72.3% specificity, and 0.90 AUC). We concluded that RLR-based automatic estimation of brain CT provided a comprehensive rating of atrophy that can potentially support physicians in real clinical settings.
A randomized trial of probiotic supplementation in nurses to reduce stress and viral illness
Authors: Slykerman Rebecca F. , Li Eileen
Published: August 2022

Animal studies demonstrate how the gut microbiota influence psychological health and immunity to viral infections through their actions along multiple dynamic pathways in the body. Considerable interest exists in probiotics to reduce stress and illness symptoms through beneficial effects in the gut, but translating pre-clinical evidence from animal models into humans remains challenging. We conducted a large trial in nurses working during the 2020 COVID19 pandemic year to establish whether daily ingestion of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 reduced perceived stress and the number of days participants reported symptoms of a viral illness. Our results showed no significant difference in perceived stress or the average number of illness days between probiotic supplemented nurses and the placebo group. Stress and viral illness symptoms reduced during the study for all participants, a trajectory likely influenced by societal-level factors. The powerful effect of a well-managed public health response to the COVID19 pandemic and the elimination of COVID19 from the community in 2020 may have altered the trajectory of stress levels and reduced circulating viral infections making it difficult to detect any effect of probiotic supplementation. Our study highlights the challenge in controlling environmental factors in human trials.
Experimental and numerical simulation of solute transport in non-penetrating fractured clay
Authors: Liu Jun , Su Yue , Shen Huan , Cao Yaqiang , Yang Wenjie , Huang Yong
Published: August 2022

A set of one-dimensional experimental device for solute transport in non-penetrating fractured clay are developed, which can study the laws of groundwater flow and solute transport under different hydraulic heads, fractured aperture, and thickness of non-penetrating zones. The experimental results show that the solute will quickly reach the bottom of the clay along the non-penetrating fracture, and there is an obvious dominant flow phenomenon compared with the intact clay. According to the experimental data and numerical calculation results, the model parameters of the fracture and each soil layer were identified, and the verified numerical model was used to simulate the solute transport in the non-penetrating fractured clay. The numerical results show that the increase of the thickness for the non-penetrating zone has a significant improvement on the anti-seepage ability of clay, and the increase of the hydraulic head pressure and fractured aperture leads to a faster growth rate of the solute concentration, which indicates that the solute breaks down the lower impermeable clay layer under high head pressure. The research results are of great significance for the bottom anti-seepage layer similar to landfill projects.
Predation of ant species Lasius alienus on tick eggs: impacts of egg wax coating and tick species
Authors: Kar Sirri , Sirin Deniz , Akyildiz Gurkan , Sakaci Zafer , Talay Sengul , Camlitepe Yilmaz
Published: August 2022

Several animal species, including ants, have been reported to be capable of predation on ticks. However, determining factors in most interactions between ticks and predators have not yet been fully deciphered. We hypothesized that the ant species Lasius alienus, which is unknown whether it has any impact on ticks, may exhibit predation on the eggs of tick species Hyalomma marginatum, H. excavatum, and Rhipicephalus bursa, and that the tick egg wax can be the main determinant in possible predation. In the study, 6300 tick eggs with the natural wax coating (waxed/untreated) and 2700 dewaxed tick eggs, the wax of which was removed in the laboratory, were repeatedly presented to the foraging workers belonging to three different ant nests in their natural habitat. Depending on the tick species and trials, the rate of the eggs carried by the ants ranged from 12.8 to 52.1% in the waxed and from 59.8 to 78.4% in the dewaxed eggs. It was observed that the dewaxing process both increased the interest of the ants in the eggs and resulted in a reduction in the variation associated with tick species. This study showed that L. alienus has a predatory effect on tick eggs, the severity of this impact is closely associated with the tick species, the tick-associated difference is caused by the species-specific property of the egg wax, and the variety in the protective effects of the wax seems to be an evolutional result of the biological and ecological adaptation process of the species.
Homodimerized cytoplasmic domain of PD-L1 regulates its complex glycosylation in living cells
Authors: Zhou Li , Chai Fangni , He Yong , Zhou Zhihui , Guo Shupan , Li Pan , Sun Qi , Zu Xueyin , Liu Xin , Huang Qin , Zhong Yanping , Zhou Aolan , Wang Xueyun , Ren Haiyan
Published: August 2022

Whether membrane-anchored PD-L1 homodimerizes in living cells is controversial. The biological significance of the homodimer waits to be expeditiously explored. However, characterization of the membrane-anchored full-length PD-L1 homodimer is challenging, and unconventional approaches are needed. By using genetically incorporated crosslinkers, we showed that full length PD-L1 forms homodimers and tetramers in living cells. Importantly, the homodimerized intracellular domains of PD-L1 play critical roles in its complex glycosylation. Further analysis identified three key arginine residues in the intracellular domain of PD-L1 as the regulating unit. In the PD-L1/PD-L1-3RE homodimer, mutations result in a decrease in the membrane abundance and an increase in the Golgi of wild-type PD-L1. Notably, PD-1 binding to abnormally glycosylated PD-L1 on cancer cells was attenuated, and subsequent T-cell induced toxicity increased. Collectively, our study demonstrated that PD-L1 indeed forms homodimers in cells, and the homodimers play important roles in PD-L1 complex glycosylation and T-cell mediated toxicity.
Reconstructing Kinetic Models for Dynamical Studies of Metabolism using Generative Adversarial Networks
Authors: Choudhury Subham , Moret Michael , Salvy Pierre , Weilandt Daniel , Hatzimanikatis Vassily , Miskovic Ljubisa
Published: August 2022

Kinetic models of metabolism relate metabolic fluxes, metabolite concentrations and enzyme levels through mechanistic relations, rendering them essential for understanding, predicting and optimizing the behaviour of living organisms. However, due to the lack of kinetic data, traditional kinetic modelling often yields only a few or no kinetic models with desirable dynamical properties, making the analysis unreliable and computationally inefficient. We present REKINDLE (Reconstruction of Kinetic Models using Deep Learning), a deep-learning-based framework for efficiently generating kinetic models with dynamic properties matching the ones observed in cells. We showcase REKINDLE’s capabilities to navigate through the physiological states of metabolism using small numbers of data with significantly lower computational requirements. The results show that data-driven neural networks assimilate implicit kinetic knowledge and structure of metabolic networks and generate kinetic models with tailored properties and statistical diversity. We anticipate that our framework will advance our understanding of metabolism and accelerate future research in biotechnology and health.
Past rapid warmings as a constraint on greenhouse-gas climate feedbacks
Authors: Liu Mengmeng , Prentice Iain Colin , Menviel Laurie , Harrison Sandy P.
Published: August 2022

There are large uncertainties in the estimation of greenhouse-gas climate feedback. Recent observations do not provide strong constraints because they are short and complicated by human interventions, while model-based estimates differ considerably. Rapid climate changes during the last glacial period (Dansgaard-Oeschger events), observed near-globally, were comparable in both rate and magnitude to current and projected 21st century climate warming and therefore provide a relevant constraint on feedback strength. Here we use these events to quantify the centennial-scale feedback strength of CO2, CH4 and N2O by relating global mean temperature changes, simulated by an appropriately forced low-resolution climate model, to the radiative forcing of these greenhouse gases derived from their concentration changes in ice-core records. We derive feedback estimates (95% CI) of 0.155 ± 0.035 W m−2 K−1 for CO2, 0.114 ± 0.013 W m−2 K−1 for CH4 and 0.106 ± 0.026 W m−2 K−1 for N2O. This indicates that much lower or higher estimates, particularly some previously published values for CO2, are unrealistic.
Monitoring of the yogurt fermentation process based on a rapid bio-luminescent chiral pattern recognition of amino acids
Authors: Su Yuchen , Liu Chunlan , Du Jiayin , Jiang Xuemei , Wei Weili , Tong Xiaoyong
Published: August 2022

A luminescent bacterial sensor array was established for the discrimination of multiple chiral amino acids and the monitoring of the yogurt fermentation process.
Towards fully optimised and automated ESR spectroscopy
Authors: Verstraete Jean-Baptiste , Yong Jonathan R. J. , Goodwin David L. , Myers William K. , Foroozandeh Mohammadali
Published: August 2022

ESR-POISE: a Python package for on-the-fly optimisation and automation of ESR experiments.
Elucidation of the working principle of a gene-directed caged HDAC inhibitor with cell-type selectivity
Authors: Sakamoto Kotoko , Hirano Ayumi , Hidaka Rika , Suzuki Akinobu Z. , Ueno Taro , Furuta Toshiaki
Published: August 2022

A new caged HDAC inhibitor was developed that enables optochemogenetic regulation of epigenetics in a spatiotemporal and cell-type selective manner.
Multicolor photonic patterns through an intensity-controlled single photopolymerization step
Authors: Foelen Yari , van Gils Nieké J. M. , Claessen Mart D. T. , Schenning Albertus P. H. J.
Published: August 2022

The UV intensity during photopolymerization allows control over the structural color of a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) polymer photonic coating in a single step.
Deciphering the binding mechanism of inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease through multiple replica accelerated molecular dynamics simulations and free energy landscapes
Authors: Li Meng , Liu Xinguo , Zhang Shaolong , Liang Shanshan , Zhang Qinggang , Chen Jianzhong
Published: August 2022

Insights into the binding mechanism of inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and the conformational changes of Mpro are reported.
3D chemical structures allow robust deep learning models for retention time prediction
Authors: Zaretckii Mark , Bashkirova Inga , Osipenko Sergey , Kostyukevich Yury , Nikolaev Evgeny , Popov Petr
Published: August 2022

We present a robust deep learning method CPORT to predict retention time from 3D molecular structures. It generates 4D tensor representations of 3D conformers, that are processed by a neural network with 3D convolutional and fully-connected layers.
A review of reinforcement learning in chemistry
Authors: Gow Stephen , Niranjan Mahesan , Kanza Samantha , Frey Jeremy G
Published: August 2022

We explore the increasingly popular paradigm of reinforcement learning, explaining how it works and current applications in the domain of chemistry.
Evaluation of local measurement-driven adjustments of modelled cloud-free atmospheric photolysis rate coefficients
Authors: Walker Hannah L. , Heal Mathew R. , Braban Christine F. , Whalley Lisa K. , Twigg Marsailidh M.
Published: August 2022

Using time series of spectral radiometer measurements we reveal three sets of photolysis reactions that group together according to the adjustments required to their modelled j-values for local solar flux conditions.
Enhanced CO2 capture for photosynthetic lycopene production in engineered Rhodopseudomonas palustris, a purple nonsulfur bacterium
Authors: Li Meijie , Xia Qingqing , Lv Shuzhe , Tong Jiazhou , Wang Zhaobao , Nie Qingjuan , Yang Jianming
Published: August 2022

Lycopene has been widely applied in the fields of food additives, drugs and cosmetics due to its anti-oxidative, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities.
Effective and selective adsorption of La3+ by a poly-N-isopropylacrylamide phosphoric modified cellulose aerogel
Authors: Zheng Xudong , Li Ang , Hua Jie , Zhang Yuzhe , Rong Jian , Mei Jinfeng , Zhou Man , Li Zhongyu
Published: August 2022

Synthesis diagram of CNC-P-PNIPAM aerogel material.
Iron-catalyzed [3 + 2 + 1] annulation of 2-aminobenzimidazoles/3-aminopyrazoles and aromatic alkynes using N,N-dimethylaminoethanol as a one carbon synthon for the synthesis of pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles and pyrimido[1,2-b]indazoles
Authors: Qin Zemin , Zhang Ruiqin , Ying Shenpeng , Ma Yongmin
Published: August 2022

A simple and efficient method for the synthesis of pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles and pyrimido[1,2-b]indazoles by a three-component [3 + 2 + 1] annulation catalyzed by FeCl3 has been established.
Correction: Transition metal oxides as a cathode for indispensable Na-ion batteries
Authors: Kanwade Archana , Gupta Sheetal , Kankane Akash , Tiwari Manish Kumar , Srivastava Abhishek , Kumar Satrughna Jena Akash , Chand Yadav Subhash , Shirage Parasharam M.
Published: August 2022

Correction for ‘Transition metal oxides as a cathode for indispensable Na-ion batteries’ by Archana Kanwade et al., RSC Adv., 2022, 12, 23284–23310, https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ra03601k.
Correction: Microflower-like Co9S8@MoS2 heterostructure as an efficient bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting
Authors: Pang Chaohai , Ma Xionghui , Wu Yuwei , Li Shuhuai , Xu Zhi , Wang Mingyue , Zhu Xiaojing
Published: August 2022

Correction for ‘Microflower-like Co9S8@MoS2 heterostructure as an efficient bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting’ by Chaohai Pang et al., RSC Adv., 2022, 12, 22931–22938, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA04086G.
Fabrication of MIL-53(Fe)/Ag3PO4 cooperative photoreduction of Ag0 particles with outstanding efficiency for photodriven H2 evolution and pollutant degradation
Authors: Zeng Hao , Yi Jungang , Zhang Linfeng , Wu Huadong , Wu Kun , Guo Jia
Published: August 2022

The S-scheme heterojunction rod-shaped Ag/Ag3PO4/MIL-53(Fe) was successfully synthesized via two-step method, the composite show enhanced photoactivity and stability for H2 evolution and antibiotics CIP degradation under visible light irradiation.
Coupling of CO2with epoxides catalyzed by bifunctional periodic mesoporous organosilica with ionic liquid framework
Authors: Khorasani Mojtaba , Karimi Babak , Vali Hojatollah
Published: August 2022

Bifunctional periodic mesoporous organosilica with ionic liquid framework (BFPMO-IL) was found to be an efficient recoverable catalyst for the direct coupling of carbon dioxide with epoxides under solvent, additive and metal-free conditions.
A BODIPY small molecule as hole transporting material for efficient perovskite solar cells
Authors: Dos Santos John Marques , Jagadamma Lethy Krishnan , Cariello Michele , Samuel Ifor D. W. , Cooke Graeme
Published: August 2022

A BODIPY-based hole transporting material for perovskite solar cells has been synthesised and device characteristics are reported.
Investigating the ability of Rhodosporidium toruloides-1588 to use furfural as a carbon source and its degradation: an enzyme identification study
Authors: Saini Rahul , Osorio-Gonzalez Carlos Saul , Hegde Krishnamoorthy , Brar Satinder Kaur , Vezina Pierre
Published: August 2022

Rhodosporidium toruloides-1588 can consume furfural as the energy source as well as use carotenoids to protect itself from oxidative stress.
PKC isoforms activate LRRK1 kinase by phosphorylating conserved residues (Ser1064, Ser1074 and Thr1075) within the CORB GTPase domain
Authors: Malik Asad U. , Karapetsas Athanasios , Nirujogi Raja S. , Chatterjee Deep , Phung Toan K. , Wightman Melanie , Gourlay Robert , Morrice Nick , Mathea Sebastian , Knapp Stefan , Alessi Dario R.
Published: August 2022

Leucine-rich-repeat-kinase 1 (LRRK1) and its homolog LRRK2 are multidomain kinases possessing a ROC-CORA-CORB containing GTPase domain and phosphorylate distinct Rab proteins. LRRK1 loss of function mutations cause the bone disorder osteosclerotic metaphyseal dysplasia, whereas LRRK2 missense mutations that enhance kinase activity cause Parkinson's disease. Previous work suggested that LRRK1 but not LRRK2, is activated via a Protein Kinase C (PKC)-dependent mechanism. Here we demonstrate that phosphorylation and activation of LRRK1 in HEK293 cells is blocked by PKC inhibitors including LXS-196 (Darovasertib), a compound that has entered clinical trials. We show multiple PKC isoforms phosphorylate and activate recombinant LRRK1 in a manner reversed by phosphatase treatment. PKCα unexpectedly does not activate LRRK1 by phosphorylating the kinase domain, but instead phosphorylates a cluster of conserved residues (Ser1064, Ser1074 and Thr1075) located within a region of the CORB domain of the GTPase domain. These residues are positioned at the equivalent region of the LRRK2 DK helix reported to stabilize the kinase domain αC-helix in the active conformation. Thr1075 represents an optimal PKC site phosphorylation motif and its mutation to Ala, blocked PKC-mediated activation of LRRK1. A triple Glu mutation of Ser1064/Ser1074/Thr1075 to mimic phosphorylation, enhanced LRRK1 kinase activity ∼3-fold. From analysis of available structures, we postulate that phosphorylation of Ser1064, Ser1074 and Thr1075 activates LRRK1 by promoting interaction and stabilization of the αC-helix on the kinase domain. This study provides new fundamental insights into the mechanism controlling LRRK1 activity and reveals a novel unexpected activation mechanism.
Intervention Research to Increase Pediatric Hearing Device Use: A Scoping Review
Authors: Muñoz Karen , Ortiz Diana , Bolinger Cameron , Twohig Michael P.
Published: August 2022

Purpose:

This study is a scoping review examining interventions to increase hearing device use for children.

Method:

Online databases were used to identify peer-reviewed journal articles published prior to November 1, 2021, yielding 1,288 after duplications were removed. Four articles met the inclusion criteria after articles were screened by title name and abstract and subsequent full-text screening of six articles. A qualitative analysis was conducted to identify features of the intervention studies related to the participants, design, intervention, key findings, and limitations.

Results:

The included studies were published between 1982 and 2021, and in all four studies, the children used hearing aids. All four of the studies used a longitudinal design to address hearing aid use problems, with the timeframe ranging from approximately 1 month to 6 months and had variable success in increasing use time. None of the studies included a protocol, such as counseling skills, for addressing internal challenges that interfere with hearing aid use.

Conclusions:

Review of the limited research in this area found variable effectiveness for the interventions studied. There is an urgent need for research in this area to inform clinical practice and provide evidence-based interventions to address malleable factors that interfere with audibility for children who use hearing devices.
Trifluoromethylated Amidrazone Derivatives as Key Compounds for the Synthesis of 4-Aryl-3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazoles
Authors: Zeinali Najmeh , Darehkordi Ali
Published: August 2022

A novel, efficient, and solvent-free approach for the synthesis of aryl-3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazoles is disclosed via the nucleophilic intramolecular cyclization reaction of trifluoromethylated amidrazone and 2,2,2-trifluoroacetic anhydride. The trifluoromethylated amidrazone intermediates used in this project are synthesized from the reaction of N-aryl-2,2,2-trifluoroacetimidoyl chloride derivatives and hydrazine hydrate at ambient temperature in excellent yields.
Use of an intragastric trocar to perform a novel stapling procedure for reflux disease
Authors: Storm Andrew C. , AbiMansour Jad P. , Bofill-Garcia Aliana , Mahmoud Tala , Rapaka Babusai , Lescalleet Kristin E. , Dayyeh Barham K. Abu
Published: August 2022

Background and study aims A percutaneous intragastric trocar (PIT) enables intraluminal use of laparoscopic tools and helps overcome traditional limitations of endoscopy. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of using a PIT to perform an anti-reflux stapling procedure.

Materials and methods Trocars were placed in four animals and an articulating stapler was used to perform fundoplication under endoscopic guidance. Animals were monitored for 14 days post-procedure. Functional lumen imaging of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) was performed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 14 days.

Results The procedure was successful in all animals who survived to day 14 without distress or significant adverse events. Baseline EGJ distensibility was 5.0 ± 1.2 mm2/mmHg, 2.7 ± 0.7 mm2/mmHg post-procedurally, and 3.0 ± 0.8mm2/mmHg on day 14. Average change in distensibility pre- and post-procedure was –2.3 ± 1.8 mm2/mmHg (95 % confidence interval [CI] –0.5 to 5.1, P = 0.08) while change in pre- and day 14 distensibility was –2.0 ± 1.4 mm2/mmHg (95 % CI –0.1 to 4.2, P = 0.06).

Conclusions An intragastric trocar allows for use of large-diameter laparoscopic instruments to safely and effectively perform endoluminal fundoplication with anti-reflux properties that persist for at least 14 days.
Nickel-Catalyzed Sustainable and Selective Alkylation of Alcohols to α-Alkylated Ketones via Borrowing Hydrogen Approach
Authors: Paul Nanda D. , Chakraborty Gargi , Pal Subhasree , Chakraborty Subhajit
Published: August 2022

Herein, we report a nickel-catalyzed sustainable, environment­-friendly, and economically affordable borrowing hydrogen approach (BHA) for synthesizing various α-alkylated ketones via dehydro­genative coupling of primary and secondary alcohols. Using a well-­defined, air-stable, inexpensive, and easy-to-prepare four-coordinate macrocyclic Ni(II)-catalyst [Ni(MeTAA)] of a tetra-aza macrocyclic ligand (tetramethyltetraaza[14]annulene (H2MeTAA)), a series of α-alkylated ketones were prepared in good yields. A few control reactions, including deuterium-labelling experiments, were performed to unveil the reaction mechanism.