bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative analysis of the immune response to RFA and cryoablation in a colon cancer mouse model
Authors: Mauda-Havakuk Michal , Hawken Natalie M. , Owen Joshua W. , Mikhail Andrew S. , Saxena Ankit , Karim Baktiar , Wakim Paul G. , Pritchard William F. , Karanian John W. , Wood Bradford J.
Published: October 2022

The immune response to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and cryoablation (CRA) was characterized and compared in a colon cancer mouse model. All studies were conducted under a research protocol approved by the National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Animal Care and Use Committee. BALB/cJ mice were inoculated with CT26 cells, and randomized to RFA, CRA, or sham treatment. Mice were sacrificed 3 days post-treatment, and tumor, spleen, and serum were harvested. Cell death was determined by Caspase-3 immunohistochemical and TUNEL stains. Immune response was analyzed using flow cytometry, serum cytokine assay and immunohistochemistry. Cell death, necrosis, and apoptosis induced by ablation were comparable in RFA and CRA. Decreased frequency of systemic T-regulatory cells was found in the CRA group. Both RFA and CRA reduced frequencies of several myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) subpopulations. RFA induced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion including TNF-α and IL-12 as well as anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-5, and IL-10. CRA augmented secretion of a wider array of cytokines compared to RFA with both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties including IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and KC GRO. In the tumor microenvironment, RFA reduced the number of T-regulatory cells, a finding not observed with CRA. Reduction of immune suppression via decreases in T-regulatory cells and MDSC was found to be induced by RFA or CRA. CRA augmented a wider range of cytokines than RFA, which were mainly pro-inflammatory, but also anti-inflammatory. In the tumor microenvironment, RFA demonstrated more pronounced anti-tumoral immunity. Further delineation of specific immunomodulation induced by ablation could inform drug-device development and may play a role in future hypothesis-driven immunomodulatory paradigms that combine immunotherapy drugs with tumor destruction for the treatment of metastatic colon cancer.
Corneal Langerhans cells in children with celiac disease
Authors: Gad Hoda , Mohammed Ibrahim , Saraswathi Saras , Al-Jarrah Bara , Ferdousi Maryam , Petropoulos Ioannis N. , Ponirakis Georgios , Khan Adnan , Singh Parul , Al Khodor Souhaila , Elawad Mamoun , Almasri Wesam , Abdelrahman Hatim , Hussain Khalid , Hendaus Mohamed A. , Al-Mudahka Fatma , Abouhazima Khaled , Akobeng Anthony K. , Malik Rayaz A.
Published: October 2022

Celiac disease (CeD) is a common small bowel enteropathy characterized by an altered adaptive immune system and increased mucosal antigen presenting cells. This study aims to establish if quantification of corneal Langerhans cells (LCs) using corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) could act as a surrogate marker for antigen presenting cell status and hence disease activity in children with CeD. Twenty children with stable CeD and 20 age-matched controls underwent CCM and quantification of central corneal total, mature and immature LC density. There was no difference in age (11.78 ± 1.7 vs. 12.83 ± 1.91; P = 0.077) or height (1.38 ± 0.14 vs. 1.44 ± 0.13; P = 0.125). BMI (18.81 ± 3.90 vs. 22.26 ± 5.47; P = 0.031) and 25 OHD levels (43.50 ± 13.36 vs. 59.77 ± 22.45; P = 0.014) were significantly lower in children with CeD compared to controls. The total (33.33(16.67–59.37) vs. 51.56(30.21–85.42); P = 0.343), immature (33.33(16.67–52.08) vs. 44.79(29.17–82.29); P = 0.752) and mature (1.56(0–5) vs. 1.56(1.04–8.33); P = 0.752) LC density did not differ between the CeD and control groups. However, immature (r = 0.535, P = 0.015), mature (r = 0.464, P = 0.039), and total (r = 0.548, P = 0.012) LC density correlated with age. Immature (r = 0.602, P = 0.038) and total (r = 0.637, P = 0.026) LC density also correlated with tissue transglutaminase antibody (Anti-TtG) levels assessed in 12/20 subjects with CeD. There was no difference in corneal LC density between children with CeD and controls. However, the correlation between corneal LC density and anti-TtG levels suggests a relationship with disease activity in CeD and requires further study.
Intermediate snowpack melt-out dates guarantee the highest seasonal grasslands greening in the Pyrenees
Authors: Revuelto J. , Gómez D. , Alonso-González E. , Vidaller I. , Rojas-Heredia F. , Deschamps-Berger C. , García-Jiménez J. , Rodríguez-López G. , Sobrino J. , Montorio R. , Perez-Cabello F. , López-Moreno J. I.
Published: October 2022

In mountain areas, the phenology and productivity of grassland are closely related to snow dynamics. However, the influence that snow melt timing has on grassland growing still needs further attention for a full understanding, particularly at high spatial resolution. Aiming to reduce this knowledge gap, this work exploits 1 m resolution snow depth and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index observations acquired with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle at a sub-alpine site in the Pyrenees. During two snow seasons (2019–2020 and 2020–2021), 14 NDVI and 17 snow depth distributions were acquired over 48 ha. Despite the snow dynamics being different in the two seasons, the response of grasslands greening to snow melt-out exhibited a very similar pattern in both. The NDVI temporal evolution in areas with distinct melt-out dates reveals that sectors where the melt-out date occurs in late April or early May (optimum melt-out) reach the maximum vegetation productivity. Zones with an earlier or a later melt-out rarely reach peak NDVI values. The results obtained in this study area, suggest that knowledge about snow depth distribution is not needed to understand NDVI grassland dynamics. The analysis did not reveal a clear link between the spatial variability in snow duration and the diversity and richness of grassland communities within the study area.
Quantification of pathological gait parameter thresholds of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients in clinical gait analysis
Authors: Möhwald Ken , Wuehr Max , Decker Julian , Asch Eric-Manuel , Schenkel Fabian , Illigens Ben , Schniepp Roman
Published: October 2022

The aim of the study was to distinguish the hypokinetic gait disorder in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) patients from the gait decline in the elderly population by quantifying pathological gait parameter thresholds utilizing a multiple condition gait assessment. 55 NPH patients and 55 age-matched healthy subjects underwent a standardized gait assessment with eight gait conditions. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were assessed through a pressure-sensitive carpet. Statistical analysis consisted of a binary logistic regression (BLR) model, logistic curve-fit evaluated by a Chi-square goodness-of-fit-test, receiver operating characteristic models with area under the curves (AUC), and inverse BLR. Most discriminative gait parameter thresholds were observed in pace, gait cycle, and support gait domains. The most distinct gait conditions were preferred walking speed and semantic dual task. During preferred walking speed, the most significant gait parameter thresholds were stride length ≤ 1.02 m (sensitivity 0.93/specificity 0.91/AUC 0.96), gait velocity ≤ 0.83 m/s (0.80/0.91/0.93), double support phase ≥ 27.0% (0.96/0.76/0.91), and stride length coefficient of variation ≥ 3.4% (0.93/0.72/0.90). In conclusion, the hypokinetic gait disorder in NPH can be quantitatively differentiated from gait patterns of the elderly population. In future studies, this approach may be useful to differentiate clinical entities with similar gait disorders utilizing instrumented gait analysis procedures.
Automated detection of patterned single-cells within hydrogel using deep learning
Authors: Debnath Tanmay , Hattori Ren , Okamoto Shunya , Shibata Takayuki , Santra Tuhin Subhra , Nagai Moeto
Published: October 2022

Single-cell analysis has been widely used in various biomedical engineering applications, ranging from cancer diagnostics, and immune response monitoring to drug screening. Single-cell isolation is fundamental for observing single-cell activities and an automatic finding method of accurate and reliable cell detection with few possible human errors is also essential. This paper reports trapping single cells into photo patternable hydrogel microwell arrays and isolating them. Additionally, we present an object detection-based DL algorithm that detects single cells in microwell arrays and predicts the presence of cells in resource-limited environments at the highest possible mAP (mean average precision) of 0.989 with an average inference time of 0.06 s. This algorithm leads to the enhancement of the high-throughput single-cell analysis, establishing high detection precision and reduced experimentation time.
Identification of repurposed drugs targeting significant long non-coding RNAs in the cross-talk between diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Ghiam Shokoofeh , Eslahchi Changiz , Shahpasand Koorosh , Habibi-Rezaei Mehran , Gharaghani Sajjad
Published: October 2022

The relationship between diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is so strong that scientists called it “brain diabetes”. According to several studies, the critical factor in this relationship is brain insulin resistance. Due to the rapid global spread of both diseases, overcoming this cross-talk has a significant impact on societies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), on the other hand, have a substantial impact on complex diseases due to their ability to influence gene expression via a variety of mechanisms. Consequently, the regulation of lncRNA expression in chronic diseases permits the development of innovative therapeutic techniques. However, developing a new drug requires considerable time and money. Recently repurposing existing drugs has gained popularity due to the use of low-risk compounds, which may result in cost and time savings. in this study, we identified drug repurposing candidates capable of controlling the expression of common lncRNAs in the cross-talk between DM and AD. We also utilized drugs that interfered with this cross-talk. To do this, high degree common lncRNAs were extracted from microRNA-lncRNA bipartite network. The drugs that interact with the specified lncRNAs were then collected from multiple data sources. These drugs, referred to as set D, were classified in to positive (D+) and negative (D−) groups based on their effects on the expression of the interacting lncRNAs. A feature selection algorithm was used to select six important features for D. Using a random forest classifier, these features were capable of classifying D+ and D− with an accuracy of 82.5%. Finally, the same six features were extracted for the most recently Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs in order to identify those with the highest likelihood of belonging to D+ or D−. The most significant FDA-approved positive drugs, chromium nicotinate and tapentadol, were presented as repurposing candidates, while cefepime and dihydro-alpha-ergocryptine were recommended as significant adverse drugs. Moreover, two natural compounds, curcumin and quercetin, were recommended to prevent this cross-talk. According to the previous studies, less attention has been paid to the role of lncRNAs in this cross-talk. Our research not only did identify important lncRNAs, but it also suggested potential repurposed drugs to control them.
Spatial variations in vegetation fires and emissions in South and Southeast Asia during COVID-19 and pre-pandemic
Authors: Vadrevu Krishna , Eaturu Aditya , Casadaban Emily , Lasko Kristofer , Schroeder Wilfrid , Biswas Sumalika , Giglio Louis , Justice Chris
Published: October 2022

Vegetation fires are common in South/Southeast Asian (SA/SEA) countries. However, very few studies focused on vegetation fires and the changes during the COVID as compared to pre-pandemic. This study fills an information gap and reports total fire incidences, total burnt area, type of vegetation burnt, and total particulate matter emission variations in SA/SEA during COVID-2020 and pre-pandemic (2012–2019). Results from the short-term 2020-COVID versus 2019-non-COVID year showed a decline in fire counts varying from − 2.88 to 79.43% in S/SEA. The exceptions in South Asia include Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, with a 152% and 4.9% increase, and Cambodia and Myanmar in Southeast Asia, with an 11.1% and 8.5% increase in fire counts in the 2020-COVID year. The burnt area decline for 2020 compared to 2019 varied from − 0.8% to 92% for South/Southeast Asian countries, with most burning in agricultural landscapes than forests. Several patches in S/SEA showed a decrease in fires for the 2020 pandemic year compared to long term 2012–2020 pre-pandemic record, with Z scores greater or less than two denoting statistical significance. However, on a country scale, the results were not statistically significant in both S/SEA, with Z scores ranging from − 0.24 to − 1, although most countries experienced a decrease in fire counts. The associated mean TPM emissions declined from ~ 2.31 Tg (0.73stdev) during 2012–2019 to 2.0 (0.65stdev)Tg in 2020 in South Asia and 6.83 (0.70stdev)Tg during 2012–2019 to 5.71 (0.69 stdev)Tg in 2020 for South East Asian countries. The study highlights variations in fires and emissions useful for fire management and mitigation.
Multilayer redox-based HfOx/Al2O3/TiO2 memristive structures for neuromorphic computing
Authors: Park Seongae , Spetzler Benjamin , Ivanov Tzvetan , Ziegler Martin
Published: October 2022

Redox-based memristive devices have shown great potential for application in neuromorphic computing systems. However, the demands on the device characteristics depend on the implemented computational scheme and unifying the desired properties in one stable device is still challenging. Understanding how and to what extend the device characteristics can be tuned and stabilized is crucial for developing application specific designs. Here, we present memristive devices with a functional trilayer of HfOx/Al2O3/TiO2tailored by the stoichiometry of HfOx(x = 1.8, 2) and the operating conditions. The device properties are experimentally analyzed, and a physics-based device model is developed to provide a microscopic interpretation and explain the role of the Al2O3layer for a stable performance. Our results demonstrate that the resistive switching mechanism can be tuned from area type to filament type in the same device, which is well explained by the model: the Al2O3layer stabilizes the area-type switching mechanism by controlling the formation of oxygen vacancies at the Al2O3/HfOxinterface with an estimated formation energy of ≈ 1.65 ± 0.05 eV. Such stabilized area-type devices combine multi-level analog switching, linear resistance change, and long retention times (≈ 107–108 s) without external current compliance and initial electroforming cycles. This combination is a significant improvement compared to previous bilayer devices and makes the devices potentially interesting for future integration into memristive circuits for neuromorphic applications.
Seasonal methane emission from municipal solid waste disposal sites in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Riman H. S. , Adie G. U. , Anake W. U. , Ana G. R. E. E.
Published: October 2022

The Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Sector is a major source of Methane (CH4) emission, a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) that contributes to Climate Change. However, governments of developing countries have not been able to address the challenges posed by this sector due to inadequate funding and technical requirement. The objective of this study was to determine how seasonal variation influences the CH4 gas emission. The First Order Decay (FOD) Tier 1 Model was used to estimate CH4 emission from four Solid Waste Disposal Sites (SWDS) in Lagos namely: Ewu-Elepe (Ewu), Abule-Egba (A/E), Soluos (Sol), and Olushosun (Olu) covering the dry and wet seasons, respectively for the inventory year 2020. A known weight of the wet waste deposited was characterized. The study revealed that the Degradable Organic Carbon (DOC) for the dry season was 12.897 GgC/kgWaste while that of the wet season was 12.547 GgC/kgWaste. But, the methane gas generated during the wet season was 0.331 Gg higher than that of the dry season which was 0.134 Gg for the study period. This is an appreciable quantity of methane that can contribute to the global Climate Change impact if not addressed. Therefore, these waste types should be segregated from other recyclables and processed into compost or energy resource.
Effect of resilient architecture in an ancient windmill in the Sistan region on natural ventilation enhancement
Authors: Mohammadi Elham , Jarkeh Mohammadreza , Zolfaghari Seyed Alireza , Arbabi Vahid
Published: October 2022

Over centuries different elements have been developed in architectures for ensuring adequate natural ventilation in residential units. This study assesses the different components of an ancient windmill in Sistan, Iran, on the structure's indoor air quality (IAQ) enhancement. Several climatic scenarios have been defined by the wind analysis of Sistan meteorological data and analyzed by CFD. The site measurements confirm the accuracy of the simulation results. In the windmill, two deflectors facing the prevailing wind are the significant elements which, in addition to directing wind toward the entrance, could form vortices near the east and west openings leading to suction ventilation. Alteration of the wind speed and angle from 10 to 15 m/s and 30° to 17° would increase the air change per hour (ACH) by 150% and 110%, respectively. Meanwhile, the ACHs were higher than the ASHRAE desired level (ACH > 0.35).
Photo-crosslinked lignin/PAN electrospun separator for safe lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Yerkinbekova Yerkezhan , Kalybekkyzy Sandugash , Tolganbek Nurbol , Kahraman Memet Vezir , Bakenov Zhumabay , Mentbayeva Almagul
Published: October 2022

A novel crosslinked electrospun nanofibrous membrane with maleated lignin (ML) and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) is presented as a separator for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Alkali lignin was treated with an esterification agent of maleic anhydride, resulting in a substantial hydroxyl group conversion to enhance the reactivity and mechanical properties of the final nanofiber membranes. The maleated lignin (ML) was subsequently mixed with UV-curable formulations (up to 30% wt) containing polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), hydrolyzed 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (HMEMO) as crosslinkers, and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) as a precursor polymer. UV-electrospinning was used to fabricate PAN/ML/HMEMO/PEGDA (PMHP) crosslinked membranes. PMHP membranes made of electrospun nanofibers feature a three-dimensional (3D) porous structure with interconnected voids between the fibers. The mechanical strength of PMHP membranes with a thickness of 25 µm was enhanced by the variation of the cross-linkable formulations. The cell assembled with PMHP2 membrane (20 wt% of ML) showed the maximum ionic conductivity value of 2.79*10−3 S cm−1, which is significantly higher than that of the same cell with the liquid electrolyte and commercial Celgard 2400 (6.5*10−4 S cm−1). The enhanced LIB efficiency with PMHP2 membrane can be attributed to its high porosity, which allows better electrolyte uptake and demonstrates higher ionic conductivity. As a result, the cell assembled with LiFePO4 cathode, Li metal anode, and PMHP2 membrane had a high initial discharge specific capacity of 147 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and exhibited outstanding rate performance. Also, it effectively limits the formation of Li dendrites over 1000 h. PMHP separators have improved chemical and physical properties, including porosity, thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical characteristics, compared with the commercial ones.
The role of age, sex, and multimorbidity in 7-year change in prevalence of limitations in adults 60–94 years
Authors: Landré Benjamin , Gil-Salcedo Andres , Jacob Louis , Schnitzler Alexis , Dugravot Aline , Sabia Séverine , Singh-Manoux Archana
Published: October 2022

Recent data suggest a temporal trend in decline in functional limitations in older adults but whether this trend extends to the period after the 8th decade of life remains unclear. We examined change in prevalence of limitations in activities and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL and IADL) between 2008 and 2015 among adults of 60–94 years and the role of age, sex, multimorbidity; we also examined changes in severity of limitations. Data were drawn from two nationally representative surveys in 2008 (n = 13,593) and 2015 (n = 13,267). The 6-item scales of ADL and IADL were each categorized first as ≥ 1 limitations, and then to examine severity as 0, 1–2, and ≥ 3 limitations. Weighted logistic and multinomial regressions were used to estimate prevalence of limitations; the difference between surveys were extracted every 5 years between 60 and 90 years. The prevalence of ≥ 1 ADL declined between 2008 and 2015, from age 75 (− 1.2%; 95%CI = − 2.0, − 0.4%) to age 90 (− 8.8%; 95%CI = − 12.7, − 5.0%). This decline was more pronounced in men than women (p-value for interaction = 0.05) and observed primarily in those with multimorbidity (p-value for interaction = 0.06). Up to 2 ADL limitations declined from age 75 (− 1.0; 95%CI = − 1.7, − 0.3) to 90 (− 6.7; 95%CI = − 9.9, − 3.6) and from age 80 (− 0.6; 95%CI = − 1.1, 0.1) to 85 (− 1.2; 95%CI = − 2.2, − 0.1) for ≥ 3 ADL limitations. There was no substantial change in IADL limitations. These data from a high-income country with universal health care show improvement in ADL even after the 8th decade of life despite increase in multimorbidity.
Elucidating the gut microbiome alterations of tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh: perspectives on their lifestyle or food habits
Authors: Hazarika Parijat , Chattopadhyay Indranil , Umpo Mika , Choudhury Yashmin , Sharma Indu
Published: October 2022

Gut microbiota studies of ethnic populations reveal gut microbial biomarkers for therapeutic options and detection of the disease state. The present study aimed to analyze the gut microbiome signatures in thirty individuals from the Adi, Apatani and Nyshi tribes of Arunachal Pradesh (ten in each cohort) by sequencing the V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA on the Illumina MiSeq Platform. The gut microbiome was highly predominated by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidates in the three studied tribal groups. At the genus level, significant abundance of Bifidobacterium, Collinsella, Bacteroides, Prevotella, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Clostridium, Coprococcus, Dorea, Lachnospira, Roseburia, Ruminococcus, Faecalibacterium, Catenibacterium, Eubacterium, Citrobacter and Enterobacter were observed amongst the three tribes. The tribal communities residing in remote areas and following traditional lifestyle had higher gut microbiome diversity with a high prevalence of Prevotella and Collinsella in the Adi and Nyshi tribes, and Bifidobacterium and Catenibacterium in the Apatani tribe. Elucidating the gut microbiome of the tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh will add to the knowledge on relationships between microbial communities, dietary food factors, and the overall state of health of humans worldwide.
Value of computed tomography Hounsfield units in predicting pedicle screw loosening in the thoracic spine
Authors: Lee Minsu , Lee Eugene , Lee Joon Woo
Published: October 2022

We evaluated the feasibility of using the Hounsfield unit (HU) value of the vertebral body to predict screw loosening in the thoracic spine. Consecutive patients who underwent thoracic spinal fusion surgery (from 2014 to 2020) were retrospectively identified. Patients with pedicle screw loosening in the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) on postoperative computed tomography were included in the “loosening” group. The control group comprised an equal number of age-, sex-, and UIV-matched patients without screw loosening. Preoperative HU values at the UIV and lumbar T-scores were compared between the groups; receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed for HU values and T-scores to predict screw loosening, and the best cutoff values were determined. The same statistical analyses were performed for each subgroup, i.e., upper (T1–T4) and lower (T9–T12) thoracic levels. Forty-six patients each were included in the loosening and control groups. A significant between-group difference of HU values was noted for the lower thoracic UIV (loosening = 99.3, control = 126.3; p = 0.02) but not for the upper thoracic UIV (loosening = 171.8, control = 146.0, p = 0.70). T-scores did not differ between the groups for the lower (p = 0.14) and upper (p = 0.56) thoracic UIV. For the lower thoracic UIV, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.660 for HUs (p = 0.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.541–0.766) and 0.601 (p = 0.13; 95% CI 0.480–0.713) for T-scores. The optimal cutoff value for HUs was 126.3. Using this cutoff, HU values showed a better positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy compared to T-scores in predicting screw loosening.
Posterior transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion with instrumentation for multi-segment thoracic spinal tuberculosis: a midterm follow-up study
Authors: Xu Zhenchao , Zhang Zhen , Wu Yunqi , Wang Xiyang
Published: October 2022

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate midterm outcomes of surgical management of multi-segment thoracic spinal tuberculosis by single-stage posterior transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion with instrumentation. From January 2007 to October 2015, 42 adult patients with thoracic spinal tuberculosis involving three or more levels underwent single-stage posterior transforaminal debridement, interbody fusion and instrumentation At a mean follow-up of 73.5 ± 9.6 months, all patients were eligible for final evaluation. All displayed improved biochemical markers and pain scores at 3 months and improved physiologic levels at the end of treatment. Visual analogue and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey scores were significantly improved compared with preoperative values. All 30 patients with preoperative neurological deficits experienced neurologic improvement. Thoracic kyphosis angle decreased significantly from 34.4° ± 4.5° to 22.0° ± 2.6°. A mean kyphotic angle loss of 1.7° ± 1.1° was recorded at the final follow-up, and bone fusion was observed at a mean of 10.6 ± 2.1 months, with no instrumentation failures. One patient experienced delayed incisional healing and five patients suffered postoperative intercostal neuralgia that were cured by conservative treatment. There were no graft failures or implant breakages. This study showed the utility of a single-staged procedure combining posterior transforaminal debridement and interbody fusion with instrumentation, and demonstrated promising results.
Social evaluations of scientific occupations
Authors: Gligorić Vukašin , van Kleef Gerben A. , Rutjens Bastiaan T.
Published: October 2022

Science and scientists are among the key drivers of societal progress and technological developments. While research has demonstrated that science is perceived as heterogeneous, work on perceptions of scientists usually considers “scientists” as members of a homogeneous group. In the present research, we went beyond this general categorization by investigating differences in social evaluations of different types of scientists. Across four studies conducted in the UK and the US (total N = 1441), we discovered that members of the most frequently mentioned scientific occupations (35 and 36 respectively in each country) are seen as highly competent, relatively moral, but only moderately sociable. We also found that individuals perceive differences between scientific occupations across social dimensions, which were captured in clusters of scientific occupations. Chemists, biologists, and physicists represented the most mentioned and highly prototypical scientific occupations. Perceived prototypicality was primarily associated with competence ratings, meaning that, in the public’s view, to be a scientist means to be competent. Perceptions of morality and sociability varied notably across clusters. Overall, we demonstrate that focusing only on “scientists” leads to overgeneralization, and that distinguishing between different types of scientists provides a much-needed nuanced picture of social evaluations of scientists across occupations.
Prediction of drug–target interactions through multi-task learning
Authors: Moon Chaeyoung , Kim Dongsup
Published: October 2022

Identifying the binding between the target proteins and molecules is essential in drug discovery. The multi-task learning method has been introduced to facilitate knowledge sharing among tasks when the amount of information for each task is small. However, multi-task learning sometimes worsens the overall performance or generates a trade-off between individual task’s performance. In this study, we propose a general multi-task learning scheme that not only increases the average performance but also minimizes individual performance degradation, through group selection and knowledge distillation. The groups are selected on the basis of chemical similarity between ligand sets of targets, and the similar targets in the same groups are trained together. During training, we apply knowledge distillation with teacher annealing. The multi-task learning models are guided by the predictions of the single-task learning models. This method results in higher average performance than that from single-task learning and classic multi-task learning. Further analysis reveals that multi-task learning is particularly effective for low performance tasks, and knowledge distillation helps the model avoid the degradation in individual task performance in multi-task learning.
EZH2 regulates oncomiR-200c and EMT markers in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Nourmohammadi Fatemeh , Forghanifard Mohammad Mahdi , Abbaszadegan Mohammad Reza , Zarrinpour Vajiheh
Published: October 2022

EZH2, as a histone methyltransferase, has been associated with cancer development and metastasis possibly through the regulation of microRNAs and cellular pathways such as EMT. In this study, the effect of EZH2 expression on miR-200c and important genes of the EMT pathway was investigated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Comparative qRT-PCR was used to examine EZH2 expression in ESCC lines (YM-1 and KYSE‐30) following the separately transfected silencing and ectopic expressional EZH2 vectors in ESCC. Subsequently, expression of miR-200c and EMT markers was also assessed using qRT-PCR, western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Underexpression of Mir200c was detected in YM-1 and KYSE-30 cells after EZH2 silencing, while its overexpression was observed after EZH2 induced expression. Following EZH2 silencing, downregulation of mesenchymal markers and upregulation of epithelial markers were detected in the ESCCs. Our results demonstrate that EZH2 regulates the expression of miR-200c and critical EMT genes, implying that overexpression of Zeb2, Fibronectin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin lead to a mesenchymal phenotype and morphology while underexpression of epithelial genes, enhance cell migration after enforced expression of EZH2 in ESCCs. EZH2 gene can be a beneficial treatment marker for patients with esophageal cancer through decrease invasiveness of the disease and efficient response to neoadjuvant therapy.
Honey compositional convergence and the parallel domestication of social bees
Authors: Noiset Pierre , Cabirol Nathalie , Rojas-Oropeza Marcelo , Warrit Natapot , Nkoba Kiatoko , Vereecken Nicolas J.
Published: October 2022

Honey collection evolved from simple honey hunting to the parallel and independent domestication of different species of bees in various parts of the world. In this study, we investigate the extent to which the composition of Apis and stingless bee honeys has been a driver in the selection of different bee species for domestication in Mesoamerica (Mexico) and Asia (Thailand) using a sampling design that combines peak honey profiling by H1 NMR spectroscopy with the collection of honeys from domesticated and undomesticated bee species. Our results show that, independently of the region of the world considered, domesticated stingless bees produce honey whose compositional profiles differ from those of the non-domesticated species and exhibit more similarities towards honeys produced by the domesticated Apis species. Our results provide evidence for the first time that the search for natural sweeteners in the environment by our ancestors led to the parallel and independent domestication of social bees producing honeys with similar compositional profiles.
Health and environmental consequences of crop residue burning correlated with increasing crop yields midst India’s Green Revolution
Authors: Huang Tao , Ma Jianmin , Song Shijie , Ling Zaili , Macdonald Robie W. , Gao Hong , Tao Shu , Shen Huizhong , Zhao Yuan , Liu Xinrui , Tian Chongguo , Li Yifan , Jia Hongliang , Lian Lulu , Mao Xiaoxuan
Published: October 2022

The Green Revolution (GR) enhances crop yields significantly that contributes greatly to the social and economic development of many less developed countries. However, the increasing crop yields might rise crop residue biomass burning, leading to adverse environmental and health consequences. We assess the impact of crop residue burning associated with the GR-induced growing crop yields on benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) pollution, a congener of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with strong carcinogenicity. We find a significant increasing trend of BaP emission and contamination from crop residue biomass burning from the mid-1960s to 2010s in India, coinciding with the growing crop yields occurring during the GR. Our results reveal that agricultural BaP emission driven lifetime lung cancer risk (ILCR) in India increased 2.6 times from the onset of GR in the mid-1960s to 2014 and the 57% population in India was exposed to the BaP level higher than the India national standard (1 ng m−3). We show that the reduction of open crop residue burning during the rice and wheat residue burning period would be a very effective measure to reduce BaP environmental contamination and health risk.
Single-crystalline nanoribbon network field effect transistors from arbitrary two-dimensional materials
Authors: Aslam Muhammad Awais , Tran Tuan Hoang , Supina Antonio , Siri Olivier , Meunier Vincent , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Kralj Marko , Teichert Christian , Sheremet Evgeniya , Rodriguez Raul D. , Matković Aleksandar
Published: October 2022

The last decade has seen a flurry of studies related to graphene nanoribbons owing to their potential applications in the quantum realm. However, little experimental work has been reported towards nanoribbons of other 2D materials. Here, we propose a universal approach to synthesize high-quality networks of nanoribbons from arbitrary 2D materials while maintaining high crystallinity, narrow size distribution, and straightforward device integrability. The wide applicability of this technique is demonstrated by fabricating molybednum disulphide, tungsten disulphide, tungsten diselenide, and graphene nanoribbon field effect transistors that inherently do not suffer from interconnection resistance. By relying on self-aligning organic nanostructures as masks, we demonstrate the possibility of controlling the predominant crystallographic direction of the nanoribbon’s edges. Electrical characterization shows record mobilities and very high ON currents despite extreme width scaling. Lastly, we explore decoration of nanoribbon edges with plasmonic particles paving the way for nanoribbon-based opto-electronic devices.
Structural and molecular determinants of Candida glabrata metacaspase maturation and activation by calcium
Authors: Conchou Léa , Doumèche Bastien , Galisson Frédéric , Violot Sébastien , Dugelay Chloé , Diesis Eric , Page Adeline , Bienvenu Anne-Lise , Picot Stéphane , Aghajari Nushin , Ballut Lionel
Published: October 2022

Metacaspases are caspase-like homologs which undergo a complex maturation process involving multiple intra-chain cleavages resulting in a composite enzyme made of a p10 and a p20 domain. Their proteolytic activity involving a cysteine-histidine catalytic dyad, show peptide bond cleavage specificity in the C-terminal to lysine and arginine, with both maturation- and catalytic processes being calcium-dependent. Here, we present the structure of a metacaspase from the yeast Candida glabrata, CgMCA-I, in complex with a unique calcium along with a structure in which three magnesium ions are bound. We show that the Ca2+ ion interacts with a loop in the vicinity of the catalytic site. The reorganization of this cation binding loop, by bringing together the two catalytic residues, could be one of the main structural determinants triggering metacaspase activation. Enzymatic exploration of CgMCA-I confirmed that the maturation process implies a trans mechanism with sequential cleavages.
Site-selected thionated benzothioxanthene chromophores as heavy-atom-free small-molecule photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy
Authors: Deiana Marco , Josse Pierre , Dalinot Clément , Osmolovskyi Artem , Marqués Pablo Simón , Castán José María Andrés , Abad Galán Laura , Allain Magali , Khrouz Lhoussain , Maury Olivier , Le Bahers Tangui , Blanchard Philippe , Dabos-Seignon Sylvie , Monnereau Cyrille , Sabouri Nasim , Cabanetos Clément
Published: October 2022

Photodynamic therapy is a clinically approved anticancer modality that employs a light-activated agent (photosensitizer) to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). There is therefore a growing interest for developing innovative photosensitizing agents with enhanced phototherapeutic performances. Herein, we report on a rational design synthetic procedure that converts the ultrabright benzothioxanthene imide (BTI) dye into three heavy-atom-free thionated compounds featuring close-to-unit singlet oxygen quantum yields. In contrast to the BTI, these thionated analogs display an almost fully quenched fluorescence emission, in agreement with the formation of highly populated triplet states. Indeed, the sequential thionation on the BTI scaffold induces torsion of its skeleton reducing the singlet-triplet energy gaps and enhancing the spin-orbit coupling. These potential PSs show potent cancer-cell ablation under light irradiation while remaining non-toxic under dark condition owing to a photo-cytotoxic mechanism that we believe simultaneously involves singlet oxygen and superoxide species, which could be both characterized in vitro. Our study demonstrates that this simple site-selected thionated platform is an effective strategy to convert conventional carbonyl-containing fluorophores into phototherapeutic agents for anticancer PDT.
Direct structural observation of ultrafast photoisomerization dynamics in sinapate esters
Authors: Abiola Temitope T. , Toldo Josene M. , do Casal Mariana T. , Flourat Amandine L. , Rioux Benjamin , Woolley Jack M. , Murdock Daniel , Allais Florent , Barbatti Mario , Stavros Vasilios G.
Published: October 2022

Sinapate esters have been extensively studied for their potential application in ‘nature-inspired’ photoprotection. There is general consensus that the relaxation mechanism of sinapate esters following photoexcitation with ultraviolet radiation is mediated by geometric isomerization. This has been largely inferred through indirect studies involving transient electronic absorption spectroscopy in conjunction with steady-state spectroscopies. However, to-date, there is no direct experimental evidence tracking the formation of the photoisomer in real-time. Using transient vibrational absorption spectroscopy, we report on the direct structural changes that occur upon photoexcitation, resulting in the photoisomer formation. Our mechanistic analysis predicts that, from the photoprepared ππ* state, internal conversion takes place through a conical intersection (CI) near the geometry of the initial isomer. Our calculations suggest that different CI topographies at relevant points on the seam of intersection may influence the isomerization yield. Altogether, we provide compelling evidence suggesting that a sinapate ester’s geometric isomerization can be a more complex dynamical process than originally thought.
Precisely modulated 2D PdCu alloy nanodendrites as highly active peroxidase mimics for the elimination of biofilms
Authors: Yuan Guotao , Zhang Shitong , Yang Zaixing , Wu Shunjie , Chen Huanjun , Tian Xin , Cheng Si , Pan Yue , Zhou Ruhong
Published: October 2022

2D PdCu alloy nanodendrites manifest effective peroxidase-like activity and striking biofilm inhibition properties.
Photo-induced telomeric DNA damage in human cancer cells
Authors: Weynand Justin , Episkopou Harikleia , Le Berre Gabriel , Gillard Martin , Dejeu Jérôme , Decottignies Anabelle , Defrancq Eric , Elias Benjamin
Published: October 2022

Novel dinuclear ruthenium(ii) complexes were designed to target and to photo-react with G-quadruplex telomeric DNA. Thanks to a microscopic-based telomere dysfunction assay, we brought the first evidence of G-driven telomeric DNA photo-lesionsin cellulo.
Structural region essential for amyloid fibril formation in cytochrome c elucidated by optical trapping
Authors: Hirota Shun , Chiu Chun-Liang , Chang Chieh-Ju , Lo Pei-Hua , Chen Tien , Yang Hongxu , Yamanaka Masaru , Mashima Tsuyoshi , Xie Cheng , Masuhara Hiroshi , Sugiyama Teruki
Published: October 2022

Amyloid fibril formation of cytochrome c is spatially and temporally controlled by the optical trapping method, identifying that the structural change in the region containing Ala83 is essential for the amyloid fibril formation.
Regioselective C(sp3)–H amidation of 8-methylquinolines with N-hydroxyphthalimides
Authors: Kumar Rohit , Parmar Diksha , Chandra Devesh , Sarthi  , Sharma Upendra
Published: October 2022

Herein, the Rh(iii)-catalysed C(sp3)–H bond amidation of 8-methylquinolines using N-hydroxyphthalimides as the amidation source is explored.
New bifunctional monomers from methyl vinyl glycolate
Authors: Dell’Acqua Andrea , Schünemann Claas , Baráth Eszter , Tin Sergey , de Vries Johannes G.
Published: October 2022

Methyl vinyl glycolate can be obtained by acid catalysed conversion of sugars. New bio-based bifunctional monomers were prepared by its hydroformylation and methoxycarbonylation, enabling its use in novel renewable polymers such as polyesters.
Electron-compensation: a valid strategy for chemically stabilizing boron-based clusters with hypercoordinate centres
Authors: Jin Bo , Yuan Caixia , Lu Gang , Wu Yan-Bo
Published: October 2022

Boron-based clusters with hypercoordinate centres are chemically unstable due to the electron-deficiency of the exposed boron atoms. We propose to chemically stabilize such clusters by electronically compensating the boron atoms via dative π bonds.
A first principles study of corundum V2O3 material as a promising anode for Li/Mg/Al-ion batteries
Authors: Ait Bahadou Samira , Ez-Zahraouy Hamid
Published: October 2022

In this work the electrochemical properties of corundum V2O3 are calculated using the first principle calculations. Our results highly recommend V2O3 as promising anode for both MIBs and AIBs.
Probing the molecular interactions and physicochemical properties of a cobalt-based redox electrolyte system for thermo-electrochemical cells
Authors: Gunathilaka Isuru E. , Taheri Abuzar , Pringle Jennifer M. , Forsyth Maria , O’Dell Luke A.
Published: October 2022

Revealing the molecular-level interactions and dynamics of the Co2+/3+(bpy)3(NTf2)2/3 redox electrolyte system, which is promising for thermo-electrochemical devices.
Experiment–theory hybrid method for studying the formation mechanism of atmospheric new particle formation
Authors: Liu Yi-Rong , Jiang Shuai , Huang Teng , Zhang Fan
Published: October 2022

Atmospheric aerosols have a significant influence on climate change through their effect on cloud lifetime and the radiative balance of the Earth's atmosphere.
Dissecting conjugation and electronic effects on the linear and non-linear optical properties of rhenium(i) carbonyl complexes
Authors: Fernández-Terán Ricardo J. , Sucre-Rosales Estefanía , Echevarria Lorenzo , Hernández Florencio E.
Published: October 2022

In our work, we correlate the observed computational and experimental trends in one- and two-photon absorption cross sections with structural parameters in Re(i) carbonyl complexes, providing design criteria towards useful two-photon photosensitisers.
Environmental gas sensors based on electroactive hybrid organic–inorganic nanocomposites using nanostructured materials
Authors: Dutta Priyanka , Gupta Govind
Published: October 2022

Advanced gas sensing devices are urgently demanded in the modern scientific world to control air pollution and protect human life.
Time-resolved infra-red studies of photo-excited porphyrins in the presence of nucleic acids and in HeLa tumour cells: insights into binding site and electron transfer dynamics
Authors: Keane Páraic M. , Zehe Clara , Poynton Fergus E. , Bright Sandra A. , Estayalo-Adrián Sandra , Devereux Stephen J. , Donaldson Paul M. , Sazanovich Igor V. , Towrie Michael , Botchway Stanley W. , Cardin Christine J. , Williams D. Clive , Gunnlaugsson Thorfinnur , Long Conor , Kelly John M. , Quinn Susan J.
Published: October 2022

Time-resolved IR spectra of porphyrins bound to biomolecules are reported. DFT calculations aid porphyrin vibration assignment while distinctive IR bands reveal interactions with therapeutic targets such as quadruplex DNA and proteins in HeLa cells.
Aging of industrial Fe-zeolite based catalysts for nitrous oxide abatement in nitric acid production plants
Authors: Buttignol Filippo , Rentsch Daniel , Alxneit Ivo , Garbujo Alberto , Biasi Pierdomenico , Kröcher Oliver , Ferri Davide
Published: October 2022

Two commercial Fe-zeolite catalysts used for N2O abatement from nitric acid production plants are analysed before and after hydrothermal aging for their structure and activity towards N2O conversion in complex feed.
Sub-nanometer Ru clusters on Sm2O3 obtained from a room temperature ion adsorption method for ammonia synthesis
Authors: Wang Jiemin , Liu Lin , Zhang Xilun , Yu Jiafeng , Ju Xiaohua , Feng Ji , Guo Jianping , He Teng , Chen Ping
Published: October 2022

Highly dispersed Ru clusters on a Sm2O3 catalyst has been successfully prepared by a green ion adsorption method. The surface Sm–H species can promote dissociation of nitrogen over Ru clusters and lead to a much enhanced activity for ammonia synthesis.
In situ encapsulation of abundant WP/Ni2P heterointerfaces in N,P co-doped two-dimensional carbon frameworks for boosting hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis
Authors: Liu Dong , Xu Guangyu , Fan Baomin , Wang Haitao
Published: October 2022

An advanced HER electrocatalyst, in which abundant WP and Ni2P heterogeneous interfaces are encapsulated in N, P co-doped lamellate graphitic carbon frameworks, is elaborately developed via an in situ interface engineering strategy.
Atmospheric OH reactivity in the western United States determined from comprehensive gas-phase measurements during WE-CAN
Authors: Permar Wade , Jin Lixu , Peng Qiaoyun , O'Dell Katelyn , Lill Emily , Selimovic Vanessa , Yokelson Robert J. , Hornbrook Rebecca S. , Hills Alan J. , Apel Eric C. , Ku I-Ting , Zhou Yong , Sive Barkley C. , Sullivan Amy P. , Collett Jeffrey L. , Palm Brett B. , Thornton Joel A. , Flocke Frank , Fischer Emily V. , Hu Lu
Published: October 2022

Using OH reactivity we assess the major daytime OH radical sinks in western U.S. wildfire plumes and other smoke impacted environments, testing their current model representation while providing a roadmap for future model development.
Increased nitrate intake from beetroot juice does not alter soluble cellular adhesion molecules and circulating inflammatory cytokines in individuals with treated hypertension: a randomised, controlled trial
Authors: Raubenheimer Kyle , Liu Alex H. , Koch Henrietta , Bosio Erika , Bondonno Nicola P. , Matthews Vance , Sim Marc , Blekkenhorst Lauren , Woodman Richard J. , Murray Kevin , Croft Kevin , Neubauer Oliver , Hodgson Jonathan M. , Bondonno Catherine P.
Published: October 2022

Increasing dietary nitrate consumption over 7 days is not effective in reducing soluble inflammatory mediators in individuals with treated hypertension.