bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Compositional changes and ecological characteristics of earthworm mucus under different electrical stimuli
Authors: Huan Huihui , Wang Xingming , Chu Zhaoxia , Yu Xiaokun , Fan Tingyu , Li Gang , Xu Xiaoping , Zhen Quan , Sun Luntao , Dong Zhongbing , Zha Shijiao
Published: February 2023

Earthworm mucus is rich in nutrients that can initiate the mineralization and humification of organic matter and is of great importance for contaminated soil remediation and sludge reutilization. In this study, six voltage and current combinations were utilized to promote earthworm mucus production (5 V and 6 V at 10, 20 and 30 mA, respectively), to explore the compositional changes of the mucus produced under different electrical stimuli, and to propose the best electrical stimulation group and mucus fraction applicable to soil heavy metal pollution remediation and sludge reutilization. The results showed that the mucus produced by the six electrical stimuli was mainly composed of proteins, amino acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and polysaccharides, with small amounts of alcohol, phenol, and ester organic substances. Under different electrical stimuli, each component changed significantly (P < 0.05). pH and conductivity were higher at 6 V 20 mA, total nitrogen and phosphorus contents reached their maximum at 5 V 30 mA, and total potassium at 6 V 10 mA. Protein, amino acids, and carbohydrates were most abundant in the mucus produced at 5 V 10 mA, while trace metal elements reached their lowest values at 5 V 10 mA. Finally, based on principal component analysis and combined with previous studies, it was concluded that the mucus produced at 5 V 10 mA was weakly alkaline, high in amino acids and nutrients and low in trace metal elements, and most suitable for sludge and straw composting experiments, soil remediation and amendment experiments.
Hydrogen isotope analysis in W-tiles using fs-LIBS
Authors: Mittelmann Steffen , Touchet Kévin , Mao Xianglei , Park Minok , Brezinsek Sebastijan , Pretzler Georg , Zorba Vassilia
Published: February 2023

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising technology for in-situ analysis of Plasma-Facing Components in magnetic confinement fusion facilities. It is of major interest to monitor the hydrogen isotope retention i.e. tritium and deuterium over many operation hours to guarantee safety and availability of the future reactor. In our studies we use ultraviolet femtosecond laser pulses to analyze tungsten (W) tiles that were exposed to a deuterium plasma in the linear plasma device PSI-2, which mimics conditions at the first wall. A high-resolution spectrometer is used to detect the Balmer-$$\alpha$$
α
transition of the surface from implanted hydrogen isotopes (H and D). We use Calibration Free CF-LIBS to quantify the amount of deuterium stored in W. This proof-of-principle study shows the applicability of femtosecond lasers for the detection of low deuterium concentration as present in first wall material of prevailing fusion experiments.
Detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma in clinical photographs using a vision transformer
Authors: Flügge Tabea , Gaudin Robert , Sabatakakis Antonis , Tröltzsch Daniel , Heiland Max , van Nistelrooij Niels , Vinayahalingam Shankeeth
Published: February 2023

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is amongst the most common malignancies, with an estimated incidence of 377,000 and 177,000 deaths worldwide. The interval between the onset of symptoms and the start of adequate treatment is directly related to tumor stage and 5-year-survival rates of patients. Early detection is therefore crucial for efficient cancer therapy. This study aims to detect OSCC on clinical photographs (CP) automatically. 1406 CP(s) were manually annotated and labeled as a reference. A deep-learning approach based on Swin-Transformer was trained and validated on 1265 CP(s). Subsequently, the trained algorithm was applied to a test set consisting of 141 CP(s). The classification accuracy and the area-under-the-curve (AUC) were calculated. The proposed method achieved a classification accuracy of 0.986 and an AUC of 0.99 for classifying OSCC on clinical photographs. Deep learning-based assistance of clinicians may raise the rate of early detection of oral cancer and hence the survival rate and quality of life of patients.
Novel application of sodium manganese oxide in removing acidic gases in ambient conditions
Authors: Gupta Nishesh Kumar , Achary Srungarpu N. , Viltres Herlys , Bae Jiyeol , Kim Kwang Soo
Published: February 2023

In this study, we have demonstrated the application of sodium manganese oxide for the chemisorption of toxic acidic gases at room temperature. The fabricated alkali ceramic has Na0.4MnO2, Na2Mn3O7, and NaxMnO2 phases with a surface area of 2.6 m2 g–1. Na-Mn oxide was studied for oxidation of H2S, SO2, and NO2 gases in the concentration range of 100–500 ppm. The material exhibited a high uptake capacity of 7.13, 0.75, and 0.53 mmol g–1 for H2S, SO2, and NO2 in wet conditions, respectively. The material was reusable when regenerated simply by soaking the spent oxide in a NaOH-H2O2 solution. While the H2S chemisorption process was accompanied by sulfide, sulfur, and sulfate formation, the SO2 chemisorption process yielded only sulfate ions. The NO2 chemisorption process was accomplished by its conversion to nitrite and nitrate ions. Thus, the present work is one of the first reports on alkali ceramic utilization for room-temperature mineralization of acidic gases.
Deep consistency-preserving hash auto-encoders for neuroimage cross-modal retrieval
Authors: Wang Xinyu , Zeng Xianhua
Published: February 2023

Cross-modal hashing is an efficient method to embed high-dimensional heterogeneous modal feature descriptors into a consistency-preserving Hamming space with low-dimensional. Most existing cross-modal hashing methods have been able to bridge the heterogeneous modality gap, but there are still two challenges resulting in limited retrieval accuracy: (1) ignoring the continuous similarity of samples on manifold; (2) lack of discriminability of hash codes with the same semantics. To cope with these problems, we propose a Deep Consistency-Preserving Hash Auto-encoders model, called DCPHA, based on the multi-manifold property of the feature distribution. Specifically, DCPHA consists of a pair of asymmetric auto-encoders and two semantics-preserving attention branches working in the encoding and decoding stages, respectively. When the number of input medical image modalities is greater than 2, the encoder is a multiple pseudo-Siamese network designed to extract specific modality features of different medical image modalities. In addition, we define the continuous similarity of heterogeneous and homogeneous samples on Riemann manifold from the perspective of multiple sub-manifolds, respectively, and the two constraints, i.e., multi-semantic consistency and multi-manifold similarity-preserving, are embedded in the learning of hash codes to obtain high-quality hash codes with consistency-preserving. The extensive experiments show that the proposed DCPHA has the most stable and state-of-the-art performance. We make code and models publicly available: https://github.com/Socrates023/DCPHA.
The PROTECTOR strategy employs dCas orthologs to sterically shield off-target sites from CRISPR/Cas activity
Authors: Sapozhnikov Daniel M. , Szyf Moshe
Published: February 2023

Off-target mutagenesis of CRISPR/Cas systems must be solved to facilitate safe gene therapy. Here, we report a novel approach, termed "PROTECTOR", to shield known off-target sites by directing the binding of an orthologous nuclease-dead Cas protein to the off-target site to sterically interfere with Cas activity. We show that this method reduces off-target mutation rates of two well-studied guide RNAs without compromising on-target activity and that it can be used in combination with high-fidelity Cas enzymes to further reduce off-target editing. This expands the suite of off-target mitigation strategies and offers an ability to protect off-target sites even when their sequences are fully identical to target sites.
First school year tapping predicts children's third-grade literacy skills
Authors: Kertész Csaba , Honbolygó Ferenc
Published: February 2023

Rhythmic skills have been repeatedly found to relate to children’s early literacy skills. Using rhythmic tasks to predict language and reading performance seems a promising direction as they can be easily administered early as a screening test to identify at-risk children. In the present study, we measured Hungarian children’s (N = 37) general cognitive abilities (working memory, non-verbal reasoning and rapid automatized naming), language and literacy skills (vocabulary, word reading, phonological awareness and spelling) and finger tapping performance in a longitudinal design in the first and third grades. We applied metronome stimuli in three tempi (80, 120, 150 bpm) using a synchronization-continuation paradigm and also measured participants’ spontaneous motor tempo. While children’s synchronization asynchrony was lower in third than in the first grade, with the exception of the slow-tempo trials, tapping consistency and continuation tapping success showed no development in this period. First-year tapping consistency in the slow-tempo tasks was associated with third-year reading and spelling outcomes. Our results show that the relation between tapping performance and literacy skills persists throughout the third school year, making the sensorimotor synchronization task a potentially effective instrument for predicting literacy outcomes, and a useful tool for early screening of reading difficulties.
Optimal placement criteria of hybrid mounting system for chassis in future mobility based on beam-type continuous smart structures
Authors: Qiu Yang , Hong Dongwoo , Kim Byeongil
Published: February 2023

Recently, research into the development of hybrid and electric vehicles has been vigorously undertaken, indicating a trend toward the replacement of internal combustion engine vehicles. However, while high efficiency and light weight are crucial in the development of vehicles, they increase the excitation force of the engine. In addition, sensor placement in future mobility is very important since it causes malfunctioning of autonomous driving systems when the location and orientation of sensors are changed due to excessive vehicle vibration. To reduce the structure-borne noise and vibration caused by engine excitation, an active engine mounting system must be installed in an optimal location. Thus, in this study, to determine the optimal location for an active engine mounting system applied to a beam structure, a series of simulations with two different methodologies are performed. The overall beam structure with two active mounting systems is modeled based on the lumped parameter model. To determine the optimal position of the active mounting system, it is moved to equal intervals, and the force and phase of the active mounts at each location combination are calculated based on static and dynamic methods. The optimal position is suggested such that the vibration reduction is maximized, while the applied force is minimized. Additionally, a feasibility experiment is conducted to validate the proposed criteria and confirm the simulation results. The results demonstrate that the optimal location of the active engine mounting system with a minimized force requirement and maximized vibration reduction can be identified.
Diagnostic accuracy of novel mRNA blood biomarkers of infection to predict outcomes in emergency department patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain
Authors: Meltzer Andrew C. , Wargowsky Richard S. , Moran Seamus , Jordan Tristan , Toma Ian , Jepson Tisha , Shu Shiyu , Ma Yan , McCaffrey Timothy A.
Published: February 2023

Abdominal pain represents greater than 20% of US Emergency Department (ED) visits due to a wide range of illnesses. There are currently no reliable blood biomarkers to predict serious outcomes in patients with abdominal pain. Our previous studies have identified three mRNA transcripts related to innate immune activation: alkaline phosphatase (ALPL), interleukin-8 receptor-β (IL8RB), and defensin-1 (DEFA1) as promising candidates to detect an intra-abdominal infection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of these mRNA biomarkers to predict likely infection, hospitalization and surgery in Emergency Department patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain. We prospectively enrolled Emergency Department patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain who received an abdominal CT scan as part of their evaluation. Clinical outcomes were abstracted from the CT scan and medical records. mRNA biomarker levels were calculated independent of the clinical outcomes and their accuracy was assessed to predict infectious diagnoses, surgery and hospital admission. 89 patients were enrolled; 21 underwent surgery; 47 underwent hospital admission; and, no deaths were observed within 30 days. In identifying which cases were likely infectious, mRNA biomarkers’ AUC values were: ALPL, 0.83; DEFA1 0.51; IL8RB, 0.74; and ALPL + IL8RB, 0.79. In predicting which Emergency Department patients would receive surgery, the AUC values were: ALPL, 0.75; DEFA1, 0.58; IL8RB, 0.75; and ALPL + IL8RB, 0.76. In predicting hospital admission, the AUC values were: ALPL, 0.78; DEFA1, 0.52; IL8RB, 0.74; and, ALPL + IL8RB, 0.77. For predicting surgery, ALPL + IL8RB’s positive likelihood ratio (LR) was 3.97; negative LR (NLR) was 0.70. For predicting hospital admission, the same marker’s positive LR was 2.80 with an NLR of 0.45. Where the primary cause for admission was a potentially infectious disorder, 33 of 34 cases (97%) had positive RNA scores. In a pragmatic, prospective diagnostic accuracy trial in Emergency Department patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain, mRNA biomarkers showed good accuracy to identify patients with potential infection, as well as those needing surgery or hospital admission.
CD36 neutralisation blunts TLR2-IRF7 but not IRF3 pathway in neonatal mouse brain and immature human microglia following innate immune challenge
Authors: Gadagkar Shruti Gururaj , Lalancette-Hébert Melanie , Thammisetty Sai Sampath , Vexler Zinaida S. , Kriz Jasna
Published: February 2023

Innate immune response in neonatal brain is associated with a robust microglial activation and induction of Toll-like Receptors (TLRs). To date, the role of the scavenger receptor CD36 in TLRs modulation, particularly TLR2 signaling, has been well established in adult brain. However, the crosstalk between TLR4, TLR2 and CD36 and its immunogenic influence in the neonatal brain remains unclear. In this study, using a CD36 blocking antibody (anti-CD36) at post-natal day 8, we evaluated the response of neonates to systemic endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) challenge. We visualized the TLR2 response by bioluminescence imaging using the transgenic mouse model bearing the dual reporter system luciferase/green fluorescent protein under transcriptional control of a murine TLR2 promoter. The anti-CD36 treatment modified the LPS induced inflammatory profile in neonatal brains, causing a significant decrease in inflammatory cytokine levels and the TLR2 and TLR3 mediated signalling.The interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) pathway remained unaffected. Treatment of the LPS-challenged human immature microglia with anti-CD36 induced a marked decrease in TLR2/TLR3 expression levels while TLR4 and IRF3 expression was not affected, suggesting the shared CD36 regulatory mechanisms in human and mouse microglia. Collectively, our results indicate that blocking CD36 alters LPS-induced inflammatory profile of mouse and human microglia, suggesting its role in fine-tuning of neuroinflammation.
Lycopene: an antioxidant product reducing dithane toxicity in Allium cepa L.
Authors: Macar Oksal , Kalefetoğlu Macar Tuğçe , Çavuşoğlu Kültiğin , Yalçın Emine , Yapar Kürşad
Published: February 2023

The current study was undertaken to assess the attenuating potential of lycopene against Dithane toxicity in Alliumcepa L. roots. A.cepa bulbs were arranged in 6 groups. The control group was treated with tap water while the other groups were treated with 215 mg/L lycopene, 430 mg/L lycopene, 500 mg/L Dithane, 500 mg/L Dithane + 215 mg/L lycopene and 500 mg/L Dithane + 430 mg/L lycopene, respectively. When the treatments were completed, growth inhibition, biochemical, genotoxicity and meristematic cell injury analyses were performed. Lycopene did not cause any toxic effect when applied alone. While rooting percentage, root elongation, weight gain and mitotic index (MI) decreased in response to Dithane exposure, the frequency of micronucleus (MN) and chromosomal abnormalities (CAs) in addition to malondialdehyde (MDA) level and the catalytic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) increased. Dithane promoted fragment, sticky chromosome, vagrant chromosome, unequal distribution of chromatin, bridge, nucleus bud and reverse polarization formation in meristem cells. Dithane also provoked meristematic cell injuries, including indistinct appearance of vascular tissue, epidermis cell damage and flattened cell nucleus. Lycopene mitigated all damage types, depending on the lycopene dose applied with Dithane. Hence, the data analysis revealed that lycopene provides exceptional antioxidant protection against the fungicide Dithane, which has devastating toxic potential.
Blood lead level evaluation in children presenting with chronic constipation in Tehran-Iran: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Zamani Nasim , Hosseini Amirhossein , Farnaghi Fariba , Sayyari Aliakbar , Gholami Narges , Imanzadeh Farid , Hadeiy Seyed Kaveh , Hajipour Mahmoud , Salimi Amir , Philips Scott , Hassanian-Moghaddam Hossein
Published: February 2023

Constipation is a common reason for children seeking medical care worldwide. Abdominal complaints and constipation are also common in lead-poisoned children. This study evaluates the prevalence of abnormal blood lead levels (BLL) among pediatric and adolescent patients and examines the association of constipation with elevated BLL. This was a prospective data collection of patients younger than 18 years old with the chief complaint of constipation seen in the Mofid Children’s Hospital gastroenterology clinic and Loghman Hakim pediatric and pediatric gastroenterology clinics were eligible for enrollment in this study. Constipation was defined as infrequent or difficult defecation according to ROME IV criteria lasting 2 months or more. BLL was measured with a fresh capillary whole blood capillary sample. The LeadCare II device assays BLL using an electrochemical technique (anodic stripping voltammetry). A total of 237 patients were enrolled in the study. 122 (51.48%) were female and 115 (48.52%) were male. About one fifth of patients (49; 20.67%) had BLL ≥ 5 µg/dL. The mean BLL in the sample was 3.51 µg/dL. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom accompanying constipation (134; 56%). Multivariate analysis found endoscopic evaluation (P values 0.024, OR 3.646, 95% CI 1.189–11.178), muscle pain (P values 0.020, OR 24.74, 95% CI 1.67–365.83), and maternal education (P values 0.02, OR 4.45, 95% CI 1.27–15.57) with significant differences in groups of patients with normal and elevated BLL. Elevated BLL necessitates an assessment and plans to reduce childhood lead exposure. BLL screening in childhood constipation with refractory chronic abdominal pain may also eradicate the need for invasive procedures like endoscopic evaluation.
Sustainable and energy-efficient photocatalytic degradation of textile dye assisted by ecofriendly synthesized silver nanoparticles
Authors: Elbadawy Hemmat A. , Elhusseiny Amel F. , Hussein Seham M. , Sadik Wagih A.
Published: February 2023

In this study, we have touched on two goals of sustainable development, namely, the provision of clean water and sanitation and clean energy at acceptable prices, hoping for good health for all ages. A green economical method was used to prepare silver nanoparticles from chitosan biopolymer. AgNPs were fully characterized using UV–Vis, FTIR, XRD, HR-TEM, and EDX analysis. Different concentrations (0.02–0.18 g/L) of the nanoparticles were integrated into a mixture of heterogeneous nano photocatalysts TiO2 and ZnO (1:1 weight ratio) under UV irradiation for the photocatalytic degradation of Acid Red 37 textile dye to obtain clean water. The kinetic description of the performed photocatalytic process was presented assuming a pseudo-first-order reaction. The data revealed that increasing the concentration of AgNPs in the catalytic mixture showed a high apparent rate constant (kapp) accompanied by an increase in the apparent quantum yield (%Qapp), followed by dye destruction after a very short time (t0.5 = 3 min). Since the photocatalytic degradation process consumes electrical energy, the electrical energy per order (EE/O) was calculated, showing a low value of 20 kWh/m3/order, using 0.18 g/L AgNPs, indicating that the elicited photocatalytic degradation method is a sustainable one for the mineralization of the targeted dye.
Transcriptome profiling for precision cancer medicine using shallow nanopore cDNA sequencing
Authors: Mock Andreas , Braun Melissa , Scholl Claudia , Fröhling Stefan , Erkut Cihan
Published: February 2023

Transcriptome profiling is a mainstay of translational cancer research and is increasingly finding its way into precision oncology. While bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is widely available, high investment costs and long data return time are limiting factors for clinical applications. We investigated a portable nanopore long-read sequencing device (MinION, Oxford Nanopore Technologies) for transcriptome profiling of tumors. In particular, we investigated the impact of lower coverage than that of larger sequencing devices by comparing shallow nanopore RNA-seq data with short-read RNA-seq data generated using reversible dye terminator technology (Illumina) for ten samples representing four cancer types. Coupled with ShaNTi (Shallow Nanopore sequencing for Transcriptomics), a newly developed data processing pipeline, a turnaround time of five days was achieved. The correlation of normalized gene-level counts between nanopore and Illumina RNA-seq was high for MinION but not for very low-throughput Flongle flow cells (r = 0.89 and r = 0.24, respectively). A cost-saving approach based on multiplexing of four samples per MinION flow cell maintained a high correlation with Illumina data (r = 0.56–0.86). In addition, we compared the utility of nanopore and Illumina RNA-seq data for analysis tools commonly applied in translational oncology: (1) Shallow nanopore and Illumina RNA-seq were equally useful for inferring signaling pathway activities with PROGENy. (2) Highly expressed genes encoding kinases targeted by clinically approved small-molecule inhibitors were reliably identified by shallow nanopore RNA-seq. (3) In tumor microenvironment composition analysis, quanTIseq performed better than CIBERSORT, likely due to higher average expression of the gene set used for deconvolution. (4) Shallow nanopore RNA-seq was successfully applied to detect fusion genes using the JAFFAL pipeline. These findings suggest that shallow nanopore RNA-seq enables rapid and biologically meaningful transcriptome profiling of tumors, and warrants further exploration in precision cancer medicine studies.
Electrochemical and biological characterization of Ti–Nb–Zr–Si alloy for orthopedic applications
Authors: Bordbar-Khiabani Aydin , Gasik Michael
Published: February 2023

The performance of current biomedical titanium alloys is limited by inflammatory and severe inflammatory conditions after implantation. In this study, a novel Ti–Nb–Zr–Si (TNZS) alloy was developed and compared with commercially pure titanium, and Ti–6Al–4V alloy. Electrochemical parameters of specimens were monitored during 1 h and 12 h immersion in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as a normal, PBS/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an inflammatory, and PBS/H2O2/albumin/lactate as a severe inflammatory media. The results showed an effect of the H2O2 in inflammatory condition and the synergistic behavior of H2O2, albumin, and lactate in severe inflammatory condition towards decreasing the corrosion resistance of titanium biomaterials. Electrochemical tests revealed a superior corrosion resistance of the TNZS in all conditions due to the presence of silicide phases. The developed TNZS was tested for subsequent cell culture investigation to understand its biocompatibility nature. It exhibited favorable cell-materials interactions in vitro compared with Ti–6Al–4V. The results suggest that TNZS alloy might be a competitive biomaterial for orthopedic applications.
Social network analysis of nationwide interhospital emergency department transfers in Taiwan
Authors: Tsai Chu-Lin , Cheng Ming-Tai , Hsu Shu-Hsien , Lu Tsung-Chien , Huang Chien-Hua , Liu Yueh-Ping , Shih Chung-Liang , Fang Cheng-Chung
Published: February 2023

Transferring patients between emergency departments (EDs) is a complex but important issue in emergency care regionalization. Social network analysis (SNA) is well-suited to characterize the ED transfer pattern. We aimed to unravel the underlying transfer network structure and to identify key network metrics for monitoring network functions. This was a retrospective cohort study using the National Electronic Referral System (NERS) database in Taiwan. All interhospital ED transfers from 2014 to 2016 were included and transfer characteristics were retrieved. Descriptive statistics and social network analysis were used to analyze the data. There were a total of 218,760 ED transfers during the 3-year study period. In the network analysis, there were a total of 199 EDs with 9516 transfer ties between EDs. The network demonstrated a multiple hub-and-spoke, regionalized pattern, with low global density (0.24), moderate centralization (0.57), and moderately high clustering of EDs (0.63). At the ED level, most transfers were one-way, with low reciprocity (0.21). Sending hospitals had a median of 5 transfer-out partners [interquartile range (IQR) 3–7), while receiving hospitals a median of 2 (IQR 1–6) transfer-in partners. A total of 16 receiving hospitals, all of which were designated base or co-base hospitals, had 15 or more transfer-in partners. Social network analysis of transfer patterns between hospitals confirmed that the network structure largely aligned with the planned regionalized transfer network in Taiwan. Understanding the network metrics helps track the structure and process aspects of regionalized care.
Somatostatin slows Aβ plaque deposition in aged APPNL-F/NL-F mice by blocking Aβ aggregation
Authors: Williams Declan , Yan Bei Qi , Wang Hansen , Negm Logine , Sackmann Christopher , Verkuyl Claire , Rezai-Stevens Vanessa , Eid Shehab , Vediya Nimit , Sato Christine , Watts Joel C. , Wille Holger , Schmitt-Ulms Gerold
Published: February 2023

The neuroendocrine peptide somatostatin (SST) has long been thought of as influencing the deposition of the amyloid β peptide (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Missing have been in vivo data in a relevant Aβ amyloidosis model. Here we crossed AppNL-F/NL-F mice with Sst-deficient mice to assess if and how the presence of Sst influences pathological hallmarks of Aβ amyloidosis. We found that Sst had no influence on whole brain neprilysin transcript, protein or activity levels, an observation that cannot be accounted for by a compensatory upregulation of the Sst paralog, cortistatin (Cort), that we observed in 15-month-old Sst-deficient mice. Sst-deficiency led to a subtle but significant increase in the density of cortical Aβ amyloid plaques. Follow-on western blot analyses of whole brain extracts indicated that Sst interferes with early steps of Aβ assembly that manifest in the appearance of SDS-stable smears of 55–150 kDa in Sst null brain samples. As expected, no effect of Sst on tau steady-state levels or its phosphorylation were observed. Results from this study are easier reconciled with an emerging body of data that point toward Sst affecting Aβ amyloid plaque formation through direct interference with Aβ aggregation rather than through its effects on neprilysin expression.
The trajectory of osteoblast progenitor cells in patients with type 2 diabetes and the predictive model for their osteogenic differentiation ability
Authors: Phimphilai Mattabhorn , Pothacharoen Peraphan , Chattipakorn Nipon , Kongtawelert Prachya
Published: February 2023

The fate of osteoprogenitor cells along with the progression of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and factors determining the fate of those cells remains to be elucidated. This cross-sectional study included 18 normoglycemic, 27 prediabetic, and 73 T2DM to determine osteogenic differentiation across the continuum of dysglycemia and to construct a model to predict the fate of osteoprogenitor cells. This study demonstrated a preserved osteogenic differentiation ability of peripheral blood-derived mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from normoglycemic and prediabetic but a progressive decline in their osteogenic differentiation during the progression of T2DM. The rate of osteogenic differentiation rapidly declined by 4–7% annually during the first 10 years of diabetes and then slowed down. A predictive model composed of three independent risk factors, including age, duration of diabetes, and glomerular filtration rate, demonstrated an AuROC of 0.834. With a proposed cut-off of 21.25, this model had 72.0% sensitivity, 87.5% specificity, and 78.9% accuracy in predicting the fate of osteoprogenitor cells. In conclusion, this study provided a perspective on the osteogenic differentiation ability of the osteoprogenitor cells across a continuum of dysglycemia and a predictive model with good diagnostic performance for the prediction of the fate of osteoprogenitor cells in patients with T2DM.
Injectable hydrogel loaded with 4-octyl itaconate enhances cartilage regeneration by regulating macrophage polarization
Authors: Xiao Hui , Dong Yunsheng , Wan Dongdong , Wan Jinpeng , Huang Jiaxing , Tang Lizong , Zhou Jie , Yang Tingting , Liu Yufei , Wang Shufang
Published: February 2023

In this study, the OSA/GEL hydrogel was successfully fabricated as a vehicle for delivering 4-OI, which could evidently alleviate the inflammatory reaction and thus accelerate tissue regeneration.
Nanosized metal–organic frameworks as unique platforms for bioapplications
Authors: Cedrún-Morales Manuela , Ceballos Manuel , Polo Ester , del Pino Pablo , Pelaz Beatriz
Published: February 2023

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are extremely versatile materials, which serve to create platforms with exceptional porosity and specific reactivities.
Research progress of physical transdermal enhancement techniques in tumor therapy
Authors: Han Weiqiang , Liu Fengyu , Liu Guoxin , Li Hongjuan , Xu Yongqian , Sun Shiguo
Published: February 2023

In this highlight, the different types of PTETs and related mechanisms, and applications of PTET-related tumor detection and therapy, including the advantages and limitations, are highlighted.
Revealing the order–disorder type phase transition mechanism in two new supramolecular clathrates
Authors: Wei Wen-Juan , Gao Hong-Qiang , Fang Ming , Tang Yun-Zhi , Wei Yen
Published: February 2023

The tetrahedral ClO4−/BF4− anions and host 18-crown-6 molecules accompanied by the reorientations and disorder of the NRT molecules induce the order–disorder phase transitions of two new supramolecular materials.
Synthesis of photocatalytic cysteine-capped Cu≈10 clusters using Cu5 clusters as catalysts
Authors: Huseyinova Shahana , Blanco Trillo José M. , Ramallo-López José M. , Requejo Félix G. , Buceta David , López-Quintela M. Arturo
Published: February 2023

We report an easily scalable synthesis method for the preparation of cysteine-capped Cu≈10 clusters through the reduction of Cu(ii) ions with NaBH4, using Cu5 clusters as catalysts.
Effect of ion structure on the physicochemical properties and gas absorption of surface active ionic liquids
Authors: Ávila Jocasta , Lozano-Martín Daniel , Simões Santos Mirella , Zhang Yunxiao , Li Hua , Pádua Agilio , Atkin Rob , Costa Gomes Margarida
Published: February 2023

Surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) combine useful characteristics of both ionic liquids (ILs) and surfactants, hence are promising candidates for a wide range of applications.
Investigation of the deactivation of a washcoated monolith using a spatially resolved technique
Authors: Wang Yuhan , Stere Cristina , McCullough Geoffrey , Li Mingyang , Goguet Alexandre
Published: February 2023

This study used a spatially resolved method to study spatial deactivation in monolith cores. The diffusion regime in the front and back section of the monolith and the impacts of deactivation on catalyst core's performance were elucidated.
Opening sodalite cages of X zeolite for boosting toluene side-chain alkylation performance
Authors: Hong Zhe , Li Lei , Miao Lei , Zhao Guoqing , Zhu Zhirong
Published: February 2023

The structural opening of SOD cages in X zeolite is achieved by an easily controllable fluoride etching strategy, resulting in reactant molecules and active sites becoming accessible.
Mo2C promoted electrocatalysis of the Pt/Mo2C (C) heterostructure for a superior hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Ye Yixiang , Shi Yuande , Cai Jiannan , Xiao Zhisheng , Li Zhongshui , Lin Shen
Published: February 2023

Heterostructured Pt/Mo2C (C) was synthesized via the integration of Pt and Mo species on Vulcan-C and it exhibited superior catalytic activity and stability for the HER, greatly enhancing the Pt catalytic capacity with a H2 amount of 6837.28 mmol h−1 g−1.
The acid-mediated isomerization of iridium(iii) complexes with cyclometalated NHC ligands: kinetic vs. thermodynamic control
Authors: Gitlina Anastasia Yu. , Fadaei-Tirani Farzaneh , Severin Kay
Published: February 2023

The fac isomers of iridium(iii) complexes with metalated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are transformed cleanly into the mer isomers when solutions of the complexes are treated with first HNTf2 and then NEt3.
Lanthanide ions (Eu3+, Er3+, Pr3+) as luminescence and charge carrier centers in Sr2TiO4
Authors: Szczodrowski K. , Behrendt M. , Barzowska J. , Górecka N. , Majewska N. , Leśniewski T. , Łapiński M. , Mahlik S.
Published: February 2023

The figure shows schematically how the combination of optical and photoelectric methods applied in this work can provide information to determine the energetic structure of a dielectric host doped with lanthanide ions.
Effect of soluble oat fiber on intestinal microenvironment and TNBS-induced colitis
Authors: Chudan Seita , Ishibashi Riko , Nishikawa Miyu , Tabuchi Yoshiaki , Nagai Yoshinori , Ikushiro Shinichi , Furusawa Yukihiro
Published: February 2023

Soluble oat fiber increased colonic butyrate, peripherally-induced Treg cells and thus alleviated TNBS-induced colitis, which coincided with overrepresentation of F. rodentium (a human analog of H. biformis) possessing butyrate-producing metagenomes.
Typing of acute leukemia by intelligent optical time-stretch imaging flow cytometry on a chip
Authors: Weng Yueyun , Shen Hui , Mei Liye , Liu Li , Yao Yifan , Li Rubing , Wei Shubin , Yan Ruopeng , Ruan Xiaolan , Wang Du , Wei Yongchang , Deng Yunjie , Zhou Yuqi , Xiao Tinghui , Goda Keisuke , Liu Sheng , Zhou Fuling , Lei Cheng
Published: February 2023

Intelligent optical time-stretch imaging flow cytometry on a chip is developed for high-throughput, high-accuracy and label-free acute leukemia typing.
Coating of gallium-based liquid metal particles with molybdenum oxide and oxysulfide for electronic band structure modulation
Authors: Ghasemian Mohammad B. , Wang Yifang , Allioux Francois-Marie , Zavabeti Ali , Kalantar-Zadeh Kourosh
Published: February 2023

Spontaneous reactions at the interface of liquid metals with aqueous solutions are utilised for surface decoration and electronic band structure modulation.
Recent advances in self-healing polyurethane based on dynamic covalent bonds combined with other self-healing methods
Authors: An Ze-Wei , Xue Rui , Ye Kang , Zhao Hui , Liu Yang , Li Peng , Chen Zhen-Ming , Huang Chong-Xing , Hu Guo-Hua
Published: February 2023

This review summarizes recent advances in self-healing PU by the “dynamic covalent bonding + X” method, where X represents dynamic covalent bonds, hydrogen bonding, metal coordination bonding, nanofillers and others.
Introduction of defects in hexagonal boron nitride for vacancy-based 2D memristors
Authors: Chen Haohan , Kang Yu , Pu Dong , Tian Ming , Wan Neng , Xu Yang , Yu Bin , Jie Wenjing , Zhao Yuda
Published: February 2023

Hexagonal boron nitride with uniform defect distribution has been used to prepare vacancy-based memristors with inert Au metal electrodes, displaying stable resistance switching performance and a long retention time.
Polymeric ionic liquid-based formulations for the fabrication of highly stable perovskite nanocrystal composites for photocatalytic applications
Authors: Miralles-Comins Sara , Zanatta Marcileia , Gualdrón-Reyes Andrés F. , Rodriguez-Pereira Jhonatan , Mora-Seró Iván , Sans Víctor
Published: February 2023

Halide perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have been embedded in polymeric ionic liquid phases that stabilise them and the composite materials have been applied as photocatalysts for dye degradation.
Protecting-group-free glycosylation of phosphatidic acid in aqueous media
Authors: Kano Koki , Ishii Nozomi , Miyagawa Atsushi , Takeda Hiroaki , Hirabayashi Yoshio , Kamiguchi Hiroyuki , Greimel Peter , Matsuo Ichiro
Published: February 2023

Convenient one-pot synthesis of anomeric glycosyl phosphates by direct condensation of unprotected glucose with phospholipid derivatives in aqueous media while retaining high levels of stereoselective control.
Bio-based upcycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) waste to UV-curable polyurethane acrylate
Authors: Liu Zihe , Zhang Hongming , Liu Shunjie , Wang Xianhong
Published: February 2023

A strategy for upcycling poly(ethylene terephthalate) into a high-value UV-curable polyurethane acrylate coating using bio-based cardanol diol as a glycolysis agent.
Electrochemical stripping voltammetrical sensor based on polypyrrole exfoliated polyetheramine–montmorillonite nanocomposite for nanomolar detection of nifuroxazide
Authors: Elfiky Mona , Ghoneim Mohamed , El-Desoky Hanaa , Hassanein Amera , Salahuddin Nehal
Published: February 2023

A Robustly sensitive electrochemical sensor for detection of nifuroxazide (NF) based on modification of graphite paste sensor (MGPS) with polypyrrole/D2000–montmorillonite ([PDM-50]) using the square-wave adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry technique.
Waste sawdust-based composite as an interfacial evaporator for efficient solar steam generation
Authors: Rengasamy Marimuthu , Rajaram Kamatchi
Published: February 2023

Interfacial evaporation is the technology of localizing heat energy at the air–water interface and is used for getting potable water from salty or seawater effectively.
Sustainable dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method utilizing a natural deep eutectic solvent for determination of chloramphenicol in honey: assessment of the environmental impact of the developed method
Authors: Shaaban Heba
Published: February 2023

The greening of pharmaceutical analysis is gaining interest. In this work, a natural deep eutectic solvent was synthesized and utilized as a green alternative in dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for determination of chloramphenicol in honey.
Transition metal-free photochemical C–F activation for the preparation of difluorinated-oxindole derivatives
Authors: Matsuo Bianca , Majhi Jadab , Granados Albert , Sharique Mohammed , Martin Robert T. , Gutierrez Osvaldo , Molander Gary A.
Published: February 2023

The development of strategies for single and selective C–F bond activation represents an important avenue to overcome limitations in the synthesis of valuable fluorine-containing compounds.
Cooperation and competition in the collective drive by motor proteins: mean active force, fluctuations, and self-load
Authors: Karan Chitrak , Chaudhuri Debasish
Published: February 2023

We consider a bio-filament under the collective drive of motor proteins to obtain an active Langevin description of its dynamics. The competition between motor proteins generates self-load captured by an effective temperature.
Improved methane dehydroaromatization reaction over Mo and Cr co-doped ZSM-5 catalyst
Authors: Miyake Koji , Sumi Tomoka , Kokuryo Shinya , Kitamura Haruna , Hernandez Gaitan Jose A. , Uchida Yoshiaki , Nishiyama Norikazu
Published: February 2023

We prepared Mo and Cr co-loaded ZSM-5 (Mo/Cr/ZSM-5) by a sequential impregnation method and applied it to methane dehydroaromatization (MDA) reaction.
Construction of a heterojunction with fast charge transport channels for photocatalytic hydrogen evolutionviaa synergistic strategy of Co-doping and crystal plane modulation
Authors: Wang Yanyun , Liang Shuang , Zuo Changjiang , Fang Hao , Dong Guomeng , Sheng Xiaoli , Wu Bo , Zhang Yiwei , Zhou Yuming
Published: February 2023

A directed electron transport system promotes the separation of photogenerated carriers, increases the electron density of the active sites, and improves the photocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution.
Chemical characterization of automobile windshield glass samples for major, minor, and trace elemental concentration determination by INAA and its comparison with ED-XRF and DC Arc AES in terms of analytical capabilities and possible applications for glass forensics
Authors: Sharma Vishal , Sengupta Arijit , Acharya Raghunath , Bagla Hemlata K.
Published: February 2023

Utillization of minor and trace elements including transition elements and rare earth elements obtained by INAA method in conjunction with the cluster analysis for grouping study of automobile windshield glass samples for possible glass forensic applications.
Dearomative intermolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition for construction of C(sp3)-rich heterospirocycles on-DNA
Authors: Li Longbo , Matsuo Bianca , Levitre Guillaume , McClain Edward J. , Voight Eric A. , Crane Erika A. , Molander Gary A.
Published: February 2023

Diverse DNA-encoded libraries of complex and novel sp3-rich spirocycles were achieved using a versatile and operationally simple visible light-mediated intermolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition.
When Particle Repositioning Maneuvers Just Will Not Stick: Clinical Considerations for Persistent Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Authors: Behr Evalena , Honaker Julie A.
Published: February 2023

Purpose:

Although benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is often considered benign and easily treatable, aberrant cases of persistent BPPV can be challenging to manage. Detailed differential diagnosis is essential as central-, vascular-, and cervical-related etiologies may mirror the presentation of persistent BPPV. In addition, an understanding of alternative noninvasive treatment options is important as persistent BPPV is often refractory to traditional particle repositioning maneuvers (PRMs). This article reviews clinical considerations for persistent BPPV.

Method:

A case of a 68-year-old male diagnosed with posterior semicircular canal BPPV (PC-BPPV) and received various unsuccessful PRMs treatments is described. His clinical presentation is referenced alongside various possible etiologies to discern the most likely diagnosis. Nonsurgical treatment options for intractable PC-BPPV will also be reviewed.

Conclusions:

BPPV recalcitrant to PRM treatment warrants investigation of other etiologies; however, key elements of the case history and objective examination are helpful for differential diagnosis. Brandt-Daroff exercises may facilitate habituation of symptoms secondary to persistent BPPV. More research is needed to understand the use of multiaxial repositioning chairs for the treatment of intractable BPPV.
Complex Language Use in Children With Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review
Authors: Klieve Sharon , Eadie Patricia , Graham Lorraine , Leitão Suze
Published: February 2023

Purpose:

Understanding what is known about the language profiles of children with hearing loss (CHL) is vital so that researchers and teachers can identify the specific complex syntactic structures that CHL may struggle to master. An understanding of which aspects of complex syntax pose difficulties for CHL is necessary to inform the kind of intervention that will facilitate learning complex syntax for this cohort of children. This scoping review aims to identify what is currently known about the complex syntax use of CHL who communicate through spoken language, and uncover gaps in the literature to guide further research.

Method:

Ascoping review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The Covidence software was utilized to manage the initial and full-text screening process for the search.

Results:

From a total of 304 studies, 42 studies were identified that met the eligibility criteria. The review highlights the use of broad-based language assessments and limited use of specific descriptions of the types of complex syntactic structures and skills.

Conclusions:

Findings highlight the need for assessment protocols and analysis methods that better support the description of complex syntax profiles for CHL. School-age CHL continue to display challenges with complex syntax development. The review highlighted the need for further research to improve understanding of the complex syntax strengths and vulnerabilities of CHL. Further investigation is needed to better understand their ability to combine ideas and build complexity in their language use, which in turn can inform teaching in schools and interventions for children who require support.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21980177
A capacitor voltage self‐balancing method of modular multilevel converters based on switching state matrix construction
Authors: Yiyuan Zhou , Liang Qin , Qing Wang , Xue Yu , Qingxin Pu , Shiqi Yang , Zhaoxun Liu , Kaipei Liu
Published: February 2023

This study presents a submodule capacitor voltage self‐balancing method for modular multilevel converters (MMCs) based on switching state matrix construction, which has an advantage over eliminating massive sensor demanding and alleviating computational burden for a large number of submodules. It is mathematically proved that MMC has only one static equilibrium operating point to which the submodule capacitor voltages will converge naturally by the evaluation of capacitor voltage deviation index. A novel switching state matrix of submodules is constructed off‐line according to the mathematical proof, and the switching state vectors are cyclically selected from the matrix and distributed to the switching gate signals among the submodules to realize capacitor voltage self‐balance, avoiding real‐time capacitor voltage sampling and sorting. The proposed method is compatible with the conventional double closed‐loop control of MMCs. Theoretical conclusions are verified by simulations and experiments.
Retracted: Blockchain‐based covert software information transmission for bitcoin
Authors: Dhiman Gaurav , dos Reis Marcello Carvalho , Barbosa Paulo C. S. , de Albuquerque Victor Hugo C. , Kautish Sandeep
Published: February 2023

Retraction: [Gaurav Dhiman, Marcello Carvalho dos Reis, Paulo C. S. Barbosa, Victor Hugo C. de Albuquerque, Sandeep Kautish, Blockchain‐based covert software information transmission for bitcoin, IET Software 2023 (https://doi.org/10.1049/sfw2.12120)].

The above article from IET Software, published online on 8 February 2023 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the Editor‐in‐Chief, Hana Chockler, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (the IET) and John Wiley and Sons Ltd. This article was published as part of a Guest Edited special issue. Following an investigation, the IET and the journal have determined that the article was not reviewed in line with the journal’s peer review standards and there is evidence that the peer review process of the special issue underwent systematic manipulation. Accordingly, we cannot vouch for the integrity or reliability of the content. As such we have taken the decision to retract the article. The authors have been informed of the decision to retract.