bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone and its analogues in equine and canine urine by high‐resolution data‐independent acquisition
Authors: Timms Mark , Botteon Antony , Manos Christian , Griffin Joshua , Levina Vita , Steel Rohan
Published: April 2023

Gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) and its synthetic analogues are considered banned substances by the racing industry. GnRH is used as a pharmaceutical to regulate the female oestrous cycle, but the hormone is also thought to increase the production of testosterone in male animals. Using liquid chromatography in conjunction with high‐resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) and data‐independent acquisition (DIA), a method is presented for the detection of intact and truncated peptides of GnRH and its analogues down to the low picogram level in equine urine. The study of the catabolism of GnRH and analogues in plasma, combined with the analysis of urine from administration studies, reveals a common pattern of peptide catabolites that can be used to guide the design of MS‐based screens for this class of drugs. This culminated in the successful detection of the peptide in two out‐of‐competition canine urine samples.
Clonally expanded PD‐1‐expressing T cells are enriched in synovial fluid of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients
Authors: Vanni Anna , Mazzoni Alessio , Semeraro Roberto , Capone Manuela , Maschmeyer Patrick , Lamacchia Giulia , Salvati Lorenzo , Carnasciali Alberto , Farahvachi Parham , Giani Teresa , Simonini Gabriele , Filocamo Giovanni , Romano Micol , Liotta Francesco , Mashreghi Mir‐Farzin , Cosmi Lorenzo , Cimaz Rolando , Magi Alberto , Maggi Laura , Annunziato Francesco
Published: April 2023

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic rheumatic condition in childhood. The disease etiology remains largely unknown; however, a key role in JIA pathogenesis is surely mediated by T cells. T‐lymphocytes activity is controlled via signals, known as immune checkpoints. Delivering an inhibitory signal or blocking a stimulatory signal to achieve immune suppression is critical in autoimmune diseases. However, the role of immune checkpoints in chronic inflammation and autoimmunity must still be deciphered. In this study, we investigated at the single‐cell level the feature of T cells in JIA chronic inflammation, both at the transcriptome level via single‐cell RNA sequencing and at the protein level by flow cytometry. We found that despite the heterogeneity in the composition of synovial CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, those characterized by PD‐1 expression were clonally expanded tissue‐resident memory (Trm)‐like cells and displayed the highest proinflammatory capacity, suggesting their active contribution in sustaining chronic inflammation in situ. Our data support the concept that novel therapeutic strategies targeting PD‐1 may be effective in the treatment of JIA. With this approach, it may become possible to target overactive T cells regardless of their cytokine production profile.
Spin‐Crossover Iron(II) Compounds with Pendent Tetraphenylethylene Group
Authors: Shi Shi‐Hang , Hu Jie‐Sheng , Tao Jun
Published: April 2023

Two iron(II) compounds with the general formula of [Fe(phen‐TPE)2(NCX)2] ⋅ Y (phen‐TPE=3‐(tetraphenylethylene)‐1,10‐phenanthroline; X=S and Y=2DMF for 1 ⋅ 2DMF; X=Se and Y=DMF for 2 ⋅ DMF) were synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography and magnetic measurements. Both compounds exhibited thermal‐induced complete one‐step spin‐crossover (SCO) behavior with the critical transition temperatures of 210 K and 260 K for 1 ⋅ 2DMF and 2 ⋅ DMF, respectively. The SCO behavior of these two isomorphic compounds depended significantly on robust intermolecular π⋅⋅⋅π interactions, NCX− groups and solvent molecules.
Characterizing biased visuospatial perception in complex regional pain syndrome
Authors: Filbrich Lieve , Kuzminova Avgustina , Molitor Victoria , Verfaille Charlotte , Mouraux Dominique , Berquin Anne , Barbier Olivier , Libouton Xavier , Legrain Valéry
Published: April 2023

Background

Patients suffering from complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) are increasingly shown to be affected by cognitive difficulties. While these cognitive symptoms were initially described as limited to the perception, representation and use of the body, that is, the somatic space, they were recently shown to also extend to the perception of extra‐somatic space. CRPS patients seem indeed to pay less attention to visual stimuli occurring in the same side of space as their affected limb and especially those occurring close to that limb. The aim of the present study was to more precisely characterize these visuospatial biases, by investigating whether they may be dependent on the visually perceived proximity between the visual stimuli and the affected limb.

Methods

Upper‐limb CRPS patients and matched control participants performed temporal order judgements on visual stimuli, one presented in either side of space, while they could either see their hands near the visual stimuli or not.

Results

Visuospatial biases were not modulated by the availability of visual feedback about the hands. However, secondary analyses revealed that these biases depended on the type of rehabilitation program that the patients followed: whereas patients who did not follow any specific program presented significant biases to the detriment of visual stimuli in the affected side of space, patients who did follow a CRPS‐specialized program did not.

Conclusions

Patients' cognitive strategies will be important to consider when studying inter‐individual differences in the cognitive symptomatology and associated cognitive‐based rehabilitation procedures in CRPS.

Significance

The existence of biases in visuospatial perception in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome has been reported but not always systematically replicated. We show that these biases might depend on the type of general rehabilitation program that the patients follow. Patients’ individual cognitive strategies will be important to consider when studying the cognitive symptomatology of CRPS.
A model‐driven method based on multisource data for reproducing displacement time history
Authors: He Zhizhou , Wang Haishen , Pan Peng
Published: April 2023

The seismic displacement time history of a structure is very important for damage assessment. This paper proposes a displacement estimation method based on multisource measurement data. In this method, the structure is simplified to a mass‐spring shear model, where a set of tunable parameters are assigned. The particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to search for the optimal values of the parameters, and the objective of the optimization problem is to minimize the difference between the measured roof response and that calculated by the model. A refined finite element model was established in ABAQUS, and the numerical calculation results were used to verify this proposed method. Results show that the estimation error of the maximum inter‐story drift ratio among all floors is 8.9%, and the average error of the maximum displacement of each floor is 7.0%, representing a satisfactory estimation effectiveness. The source of the errors is discussed, and we find that this method is more suitable for low‐rise buildings. Shaking table tests of a scaled four‐story reinforced concrete (RC) frame were conducted, and the estimation error of the maximum inter‐story drift ratio among all floors was 6.1%, indicating the feasibility of this method in practice.
Genesis of subglacial triangular‐shaped landforms (murtoos) formed by the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet
Authors: Mäkinen Joni , Kajuutti Kari , Ojala Antti E. K. , Ahokangas Elina , Tuunainen Aleksi , Valkama Markus , Palmu Jukka‐Pekka
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this paper is to describe the internal structure and composition of recently discovered subglacial landforms called “murtoos” in order to interpret their formative processes and depositional environment. So far, murtoos have only been reported from Finland and Sweden, but they probably exist in all areas covered by past ice sheets. Murtoos mainly occur in fields along subglacial meltwater routes or corridors in close relation to eskers and ribbed moraine tracts. Murtoos were excavated perpendicular to the long axes of the triangular murtoo heads in six locations. Murtoos were found to be composed of silt/clay‐poor, sandy and gravelly diamictons interbedded with sorted sediments, and are suggested to be produced by pulsed, highly sediment‐concentrated flows during weak glaciotectonic deformation, indicating effective pressure close to zero. Murtoos can be divided into three main depositional units: 1) the core, 2) the murtoo body and 3) the murtoo mantle. The initial deposition of murtoos took place in a network of low canals and conduits or cavities with fluctuating stream flow likely over 50 km from the ice margin. Murtoos reveal an increasing influence of subglacial meltwater flow in rapidly widening broad and low conduits with increasing sediment transport over short distances. The results of this work suggest that murtoos were formed time‐transgressively over yearly meltwater cycles in a semi‐distributed drainage system not recognised before, in which was high‐pressure porewater conditions with rapid mobilisation of subglacial saturated sediments, a critical factor in the development of semi‐efficient drainage. Murtoos are suggested as missing element between distributed and channelised drainage systems not included in current glaciohydrological models or even in the theoretical basis of glacial hydrology.
Performance evaluation of guar gum and conventional binders based fire‐extinguishing aerosol‐forming composites
Authors: Dobhal Satya Prakash , Pathak Tribhuvan Kumar , Sharma Vandana , Singh Raj Pal , Singh Santosh Kumar , Jassal Pyar Singh , Johar Rajni
Published: April 2023

Pyrotechnic‐based firefighting systems have been found to be effective in a wide variety of firefighting applications. Binders in pyrotechnic mixtures play a significant role as they consolidate the ingredients, provide excellent mechanical strength and increase the storage life. The rise in health and environmental safety concerns in recent years has directed our research towards natural binder systems of biological origins. Therefore, in this work, galactomannan, also called guar gum, was comparatively investigated against four different types of conventional binders, phenol–formaldehyde resin, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt, which are being used in aerosol‐forming pyrotechnic mixtures for firefighting application. It was found that the nature of the binder in an amount of 3% by weight significantly influences the combustion behaviour, fire suppression performance, mechanical and thermal characteristics of gallic acid–KNO3–KClO3 tertiary aerosol‐forming pyrotechnic mixture for fire fighting application. The safety and performance characteristics of these formulations were evaluated by conducting analyses specific to pyrotechnic formulations, that is, burn rate measurement, heat of combustion, TGA/DSC thermal analysis, hygroscopic study, compression test and n‐heptane pool fire suppression test. It can be inferred from the values obtained from these analyses that guar gum is a preferred binder to the other four‐binder systems for the gallic acid–KNO3–KClO3 pyrotechnic mixture.
From local properties to brain‐wide organization: A review of intraregional temporal features in functional magnetic resonance imaging data
Authors: Wang Bolong , Chen Yaojing , Chen Kewei , Lu Hui , Zhang Zhanjun
Published: April 2023

Based on the fluctuations ensembled over neighbouring neurons, blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) signal is a mesoscale measurement of brain signals. Intraregional temporal features (IRTFs) of BOLD signal, extracted from regional neural activities, are utilized to investigate how the brain functions in local brain areas. This literature highlights four types of IRTFs and their representative calculations including variability in the temporal domain, variability in the frequency domain, entropy, and intrinsic neural timescales, which are tightly related to cognitions. In the brain‐wide spatial organization, these brain features generally organized into two spatial hierarchies, reflecting structural constraints of regional dynamics and hierarchical functional processing workflow in brain. Meanwhile, the spatial organization gives rise to the link between neuronal properties and cognitive performance. Disrupted or unbalanced spatial conditions of IRTFs emerge with suboptimal cognitive states, which improved our understanding of the aging process and/or neuropathology of brain disease. This review concludes that IRTFs are important properties of the brain functional system and IRTFs should be considered in a brain‐wide manner.
Threat‐induced anxiety and selfishness in resource sharing: Behavioral and neural evidence
Authors: Cui Fang , Huang Xiaoxuan , Liu Jie , Luo Yue‐Jia , Gu Ruolei
Published: April 2023

In real life, it is not unusual that we face potential threats (i.e., physical stimuli and environments that may cause harm or danger) with other individuals together, yet it remains largely unknown how threat‐induced anxious feelings influence prosocial behaviors such as resource sharing. In this study, we investigated this question by combining functional magnetic resonance imaging and a novel paradigm. Together with an anonymous partner, each participant faced the possibility of receiving a 10‐s noise administration, which had a low or high probability to be a threat (i.e., the intensity of noise can induce a high level of unpleasantness). Each participant first reported her/his immediate feeling of anxiety about the current situation (being threatened by the unpleasant noise), then decided how to split a number of resources (which could relieve the noise) between her/him and the partner. Behavioral results revealed that the participants showed a selfish bias in the threat conditions than in the safe conditions, and that self‐reported anxiety feeling significantly predicted this bias. Functional magnetic resonance imaging results revealed that: (1) the activation level of the anterior insula was correlated with self‐reported anxiety and (2) the connectivity between the anterior insula and the temporoparietal junction was sensitive to the modulating effect of anxiety on the selfish bias. These findings indicate the neural correlates of the association between threat‐induced anxiety and prosocial tendencies in social interactions.
Wither or not the academic public intellectual across the spectrum of U.S. colleges and universities
Authors: Marsicano Christopher R. , Braxton John M. , Francis Abigail , Sheldon Drew
Published: April 2023

The academic literature on public intellectuals would argue that the days of scholars playing the role of public intellectuals are long behind us, and that the role is in decline. This chapter examines the extent to which that may or may not be the case. It defines what it means to be a public intellectual, catalogues the literature related to the thesis that public intellectuals are in decline, discusses data about the prevalence of faculty who exhibit behaviors consistent with public intellectualism and how this varies by institutional type, and then discusses whether public intellectuals are a dying breed across all of American higher education, or just in a few institutional contexts, and then determines possible reasons for the decline in public intellectualism.
A phase 1b study of venetoclax and alvocidib in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Jonas Brian A. , Hou Jing‐Zhou , Roboz Gail J. , Alvares Caroline L. , Jeyakumar Deepa , Edwards John R. , Erba Harry P. , Kelly Richard J. , Röllig Christoph , Fiedler Walter , Brackman Deanna , Siddani Satya R. , Chyla Brenda , Hilger‐Rolfe Jacqueline , Watts Justin M.
Published: April 2023

Relapsed/refractory (R/R) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a genetically complex and heterogeneous disease with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop therapeutic combinations to overcome drug resistance in AML. This open‐label, multicenter, international, phase 1b study evaluated the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of venetoclax in combination with alvocidib in patients with R/R AML. Patients were treated with escalating doses of venetoclax (400, 600, and 800 mg QD, orally, days 1–28) and alvocidib (45 and 60 mg/m2, intravenously, days 1–3) in 28‐day cycles. The combination was found to be safe and tolerable, with no maximum tolerated dose reached. Drug‐related Grade ≥3 adverse events were reported in 23 (65.7%) for venetoclax and 24 (68.6%) for alvocidib. No drug‐related AEs were fatal. Gastrointestinal toxicities, including diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting were notable and frequent; otherwise, the toxicities reported were consistent with the safety profile of both agents. The response rate was modest (complete remission [CR] + incomplete CR [CRi], 11.4%; CR + CRi + partial response rate + morphologic leukemia‐free state, 20%). There was no change in alvocidib pharmacokinetics with increasing doses of venetoclax. However, when venetoclax was administered with alvocidib, AUC24 and Cmax decreased by 18% and 19%, respectively. A recommended phase 2 dose was not established due to lack of meaningful increase in efficacy across all cohorts compared to what was previously observed with each agent alone. Future studies could consider the role of the sequence, dosing, and the use of a more selective MCL1 inhibitor for the R/R AML population.
Persistent chemostatic behaviour of stream solutes in a northern hardwood forest under climatic and atmospheric deposition changes
Authors: McPhail S. , Buttle J. M. , Webster K. L. , Leach J. A.
Published: April 2023

Concentration – discharge (C – Q) relationships in streamflow can serve a variety of purposes, including elucidating catchment water sources, quantifying chemical weathering, and estimating solute fluxes. Four main C – Q relationships have been identified: dilution (decreasing C with increasing Q), flushing (increasing C with increasing Q), chemostatic (little or no change in C with increasing Q) and chemostochastic (great variation in C relative to that of Q) behaviour. We used a 40‐year data record for 10 headwater forested catchments in central Ontario, Canada, to examine C – Q relationships for a range of geogenic, exogenic and bioactive solutes. The thin overburden cover of this landscape and general absence of deep groundwater contributions to streamflow suggest that streamflow solute concentrations and their relationship with discharge would be sensitive to pronounced changes in climate and atmospheric deposition chemistry over the monitoring period. We explored the temporal and spatial stability of C – Q relationships in response to these changes at annual and seasonal timescales for relatively wet and dry conditions and for periods with relatively high and low atmospheric deposition. Chemostasis dominated C – Q relationships at the annual and seasonal scales for geogenic (e.g., SiO2) and exogenic (e.g., Cl−) solutes, although bioactive solutes (e.g., NO3−, NH4+) exhibited non‐chemostatic behaviour for some catchments, time periods and wetness conditions. C – Q relationships derived at the annual timescale often masked pronounced seasonal shifts in bioactive solute concentration response to changes in streamflow and provide only partial insight into the production and delivery of such solutes in this forest landscape. Relatively subtle changes in overburden thickness across this landscape appeared to explain some of the deviations from widespread chemostasis. Nevertheless, this general chemostatic behaviour was largely temporally stable across catchments and solutes, highlighting its resilience in the face of such non‐stationary influences as climate conditions and atmospheric deposition.
Watershed science: Coupling hydrological science and water resources management
Authors: He Chansheng , Harden Carol P. , Holden Joseph , Mdee Anna
Published: April 2023

While there have been advancements in hydrological science and water resources management, the world continues to face a water‐supply crisis. In light of studies that report the missing links to be (i) effective collaborations between researchers and practitioners and (ii) interdisciplinary working, we promote the benefits of Watershed Science to address these gaps. Watershed Science incorporates basin hydrology, determines water resource thresholds, promotes water governance that forms partnerships between institutions, and enacts participatory decision making in water resources management. However, such partnerships must recognize the differential power and interests of different actors to ensure that outcomes are not skewed in favour of particular interests. It adds value to existing water management programs and has great potential for bringing disciplines and decision making together to address the global water crisis.
Qualitative and quantitative measures of joint attention development in the first year of life: A scoping review
Authors: Bradley Holly , Smith Beth A. , Wilson Rujuta B.
Published: April 2023

Joint attention (JA) is the purposeful coordination of an individual's focus of attention with that of another and begins to develop within the first year of life. Delayed, or atypically developing, JA is an early behavioural sign of many developmental disabilities and so assessing JA in infancy can improve our understanding of trajectories of typical and atypical development. This scoping review identified the most common methods for assessing JA in the first year of life. Methods of JA were divided into qualitative and quantitative categories. Out of an identified 13,898 articles, 106 were selected after a robust search of four databases. Frequent methods used were eye‐tracking, electroencephalography, behavioural coding, and the Early Social Communication Scale (ECSC). These methods were used to assess JA in typically and atypically developing infants in the first year of life. This study provides a comprehensive review of the past and current state of measurement of JA in the literature, the strengths and limitations of the measures used, and the next steps to consider for researchers interested in investigating JA to strengthen this field going forwards.
China special issue on gastrointestinal tumors‐Regulatory‐immunoscore—A novel indicator to guide precision adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Fang Lin , Yao Yang , Guan Xin , Liao Yuanyu , Wang Bojun , Cui Luying , Han Shuling , Zou Haoyi , Su Dan , Ma Yue , Liu Biao , Wang Yao , Huang Rui , Ruan Yuli , Yu Xuefan , Yao Yuanfei , Liu Chao , Zhang Yanqiao
Published: April 2023

Novel biomarkers are essential to improve the treatment efficacy and overall survival of stage II and III colorectal cancer (CRC), allowing for personalized treatment decisions. Here, the densities of CD8+ and FOXP3+ T cells in the tumor and invasive margin were processed by immunohistochemistry and digital pathology to form a scoring system named regulatory‐Immunoscore (RIS). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to determine the risk factors associated with time to recurrence. Harrell's concordance index and the time‐dependent area under the curve were used to assess model performance. A total of 1213 stage I‐III DNA mismatch repair‐proficient colorectal cancer (pMMR CRC) patients were randomly assigned to a training set (n = 642) and a validation set (n = 571). From the Cox multivariable analysis, the association of RIS with survival was independent of patient age, sex and anatomy‐based tumor risk parameters (P < .0001). For stage II patients, chemotherapy was significantly associated with better recurrence time in patients with low (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11‐0.54, P = .001) and intermediate (95% CI = 0.25‐0.57, P < .001) RIS values. In stage III patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, a treatment duration of 6 or more months was significantly associated with better recurrence time in patients with intermediate RIS values (95% CI = 0.38‐0.90, P = .016) when compared with duration under 6 months. Therefore, these findings suggest that RIS is reliable for predicting recurrence risk and treatment responsiveness for patients with stage I‐III pMMR CRC.
Probing the Internalization and Efficacy of Antibody‐Drug Conjugate via Site‐Specific Fc‐Glycan Labelling of a Homogeneous Antibody Targeting SSEA‐4 Bearing Tumors
Authors: Shivatare Vidya S , Huang Han‐Wen , Tseng Tzu‐Hao , Chuang Po‐Kai , Zeng Yi‐Fang , Wong Chi‐Huey
Published: April 2023

Antibody drug conjugates (ADC) are an emerging class of pharmaceuticals consisting of cytotoxic agents covalently attached to an antibody designed to target a specific cancer cell surface molecule followed by internalization and intracellular release of payload to exhibit its anticancer activity. Targeted delivery of cytotoxic payload to a variety of specific cells has been demonstrated to have significant enhancement in clinical efficacy and dramatic reduction in off‐target toxicity. Site‐specific conjugation of payload to the antibody is highly desirable for development of ADC with well‐defined antibody‐to‐drug ratio, enhanced internalization, reduced toxicity, improved stability, desired pharmacological profile and optimal therapeutic index. Here, we reported a site‐specific conjugation strategy for evaluation of antibody internalization and efficacy of ADC designed to target SSEA4 on solid tumors. This strategy stems from the azido‐fucose tag of a homogeneous antibody Fc‐glycan generated via in vitro glycoengineering approach for site‐specific conjugation and optimization of antibody‐drug ratio to exhibit optimal efficacy. The ADC consisting of a chimeric anti‐SSEA4 antibody chMC813‐70, conjugated to the antineoplastic agent monomethyl auristatin E via both cleavable and non‐cleavable linkers showed excellent cytotoxicity profile towards SSEA4‐bearing cancer cells. A clear distinction in cytotoxicity was observed among cancer cells with different SSEA4 expression levels.
Few‐shot learning for dermatological conditions with Lesion Area Aware Swin Transformer
Authors: Ren Yonggong , Xu Wenqiang , Mao Yuanxin , Wu Yuechu , Fu Bo , Thanh Dang N. H.
Published: April 2023

Skin is the largest organ of the human body and participates in the functional activities of the human body all the time. Therefore, human beings have a large risk of getting skin diseases. The diseased skin lesion image shows visually different characteristics from the normal skin image, and sometimes unusual skin color may indicate human viscera or autoimmune issues. However, the current recognition and classification of dermatological conditions still rely on expert visual diagnosis rather than a visual algorithm. This is because there are many kinds of lesion features of skin diseases, and the lesion accounts for a small proportion of the skin image, so it is difficult to learn the required lesion features; meanwhile, some dermatology images have too few samples to deal with the problem of small samples. In view of the above limitations, we propose a model named Lesion Area Aware Shifted windows Transformer for dermatological conditions classification rely on the powerful performance and excellent result of Swin transformer recently proposed. For brief notation, we use its abbreviation later. Our main contributions are as follows. First, we modify the Swin transformer and use it in the automatic classification of dermatological conditions. Using the self‐attention mechanism of the transformer, our method can mine more long‐distance correlations between diseased tissue image features. Using its shifting windows, we can fuse local features and global features, so it is possible to get better classification results with a flexible receptive field. Second, we use a skip connection to grasp and reinforce global features from the previous block and use Swin transformer to extract detailed local features, which will excavate and merge global features and local features further. Third, considering Swin transformer is a lightweight model compared with traditional transformers, our model is compact for deployment and more favorable to resource‐strict medical devices.
Improving productivity and water use efficiency by intercropping cactus and millet
Authors: Souza Marcondes de Sá , Araújo Júnior George do Nascimento , Jardim Alexandre Maniçoba da Rosa Ferraz , de Souza Carlos André Alves , Pinheiro Antonio Gebson , de Souza Luciana Sandra Bastos , Salvador Kaique Renan da Silva , Leite Renan Matheus Cordeiro , Alves Cleber Pereira , da Silva Thieres George Freire
Published: April 2023

The adoption of resilient strategies is crucial for improving agricultural production and optimizing water resources, especially in arid and semi‐arid areas. The aim of this study was to analyse the productivity, evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) in the production systems of forage cactus and millet under different cropping systems. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with six treatments and four replications. The treatments corresponded to the cropping systems: single cactus, single millet and a cactus–millet intercrop, with and without mulching. The soil moisture was monitored over time. ET was measured using the soil water balance. WUE was calculated for each cropping system. There was no difference in ET between production systems. WUE was significantly higher in the cactus–millet intercrops, with and without mulching (2.47 and 2.31 kg m−3, respectively). The use of 17.6 Mg ha−1 mulch under both cropping systems did not significantly reduce the ET; however, the gains in productivity afforded by intercropping the cactus and millet increased the WUE of the production system. It is concluded that adoption of the cactus–millet intercropping system can be employed using the same irrigation depth as adopted under the single‐cactus system, with the aim of optimizing water resources in dry areas.
Amitriptyline efficacy in decreasing implant‐induced foreign body reaction
Authors: Scheuermann Karina , Viana Celso Tarso Rodrigues , dos Reis Diego Carlos , de Lazari Marcela Guimarães Takahashi , Orellano Laura Alejandra Ariza , Machado Clara Tolentino , dos Santos Leticia Cristine Cardoso , Ulrich Henning , Capettini Luciano Santos Aggum , Andrade Silvia Passos , Campos Paula Peixoto
Published: April 2023

Beyond its actions on the nervous system, amitriptyline (AM) has been shown to lower inflammatory, angiogenic, and fibrogenic markers in a few pathological conditions in human and in experimental animal models. However, its effects on foreign body reaction (FBR), a complex adverse healing process, after biomedical material implantation are not known. We have evaluated the effects of AM on the angiogenic and fibrogenic components on a model of implant‐induced FBR. Sponge disks were implanted subcutaneously in C57BL/6 mice, that were treated daily with oral administration of AM (5 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days in two protocols: treatment was started on the day of surgery and the implants were removed on the seventh day after implantation and treatment started 7 days after implantation and the implants removed 14 after implantation. None of the angiogenic (vessels, Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) or fibrogenic parameters (collagen, TGF‐β, and fibrous capsule) and giant cell numbers analyzed were attenuated by AM in 7‐day‐old implants. However, AM was able to downregulate angiogenesis and FBR in 14‐day‐old implants. The effects of AM described here expands its range of actions as a potential agent capable of attenuating fibroproliferative processes that may impair functionality of implantable devices.
Illuminating the structure–function landscape of an evolutionary nonconserved motif in the arginases of Helicobacter gastric pathogens
Authors: Sarkar Ditsa , Sau Apurba Kumar
Published: April 2023

The bimetallic enzyme arginase catalyses the conversion of L‐arginine to L‐ornithine and urea. In Helicobacter pylori (a known human gastric pathogen), this enzyme is an important virulence factor. In spite of the conservation of the catalytic and the metal‐binding residues, the H. pylori homolog possesses a 13‐residue motif (–153ESEEKAWQKLCSL165–) present in the middle of the protein sequence, whose role was recently elucidated. Despite several reviews available on arginases, no report has thoroughly illustrated the underlying basis for the importance of the above motif of the H. pylori enzyme in structure and function. In this review, we systematically describe a mechanistic basis for its importance in structure and function based on the known data. This motif of the H. pylori enzyme is present exclusively in the arginases of other Helicobacter gastric pathogens, where the critical residues are conserved, implying that the nonconserved stretch has been selected during the evolution of the enzyme in these gastric pathogens in a specific manner to perform its role in the structure and function. The combined information can be useful for understanding the function of arginases in other Helicobacter gastric pathogens. Additionally, this knowledge can be utilised to screen and design new small molecule inhibitors, specific to the arginases of these pathogens.
Melphalan induced germ cell toxicity and dose‐dependent effects of β‐aminoisobutyric acid in experimental rat model: Role of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis
Authors: Panghal Archna , Kumar Vinod , Jena Gopabandhu
Published: April 2023

The success of chemotherapy regimens has led to an increase in cancer survival rate over the last decades. Melphalan has been widely used for the treatment of several types of cancers despite its gonadotoxic effects. Due to its ability to cause mutations in the spermatogonial stem cells and spermatids, melphalan can exert a negative impact on male reproductive health in young cancer survivors. β‐aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA), a myokine released by skeletal muscles, has been reported to have beneficial effects in diabetic nephropathy, cardiomyopathy and hepatic toxicity. However, the exact role of BAIBA in chemotherapy‐induced germ cell toxicity is still unexplored. The present study aims to determine the dose‐dependent (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) effects of BAIBA on melphalan‐induced (1.5 mg/kg) germ cell toxicity in sprague−dawley (SD) rats. The evaluation parameters included quantification of oxidative stress biomarkers, sperm count, sperm motility and head morphology, sperm and testicular DNA damage, sperm mitochondrial membrane potential, ultrastructural changes in sperms, histological and protein expression studies in testes. Melphalan treatment significantly altered all the above‐mentioned parameters and the high dose (100 mg/kg) of BAIBA restored melphalan‐induced toxicity in a significant manner by exerting antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects. However, the medium dose (50 mg/kg) of BAIBA decreased the toxicity of melphalan and the low dose (25 mg/kg) of BAIBA failed to counteract the melphalan‐induced male germ cell toxicity as well as the peripheral blood micronucleus induction. The antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and antiapoptotic role of BAIBA in melphalan‐induced gonadal damage is a novel finding in an experimental rat model.
The highly efficient protein crystallography beamline TLS 13B1 at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center
Authors: Chen Yi‐Hui , Tseng Chien‐Chang , Chou Chung‐Kuang , Liu Yi‐Chun , Chiang Cheng‐Hung , Huang Chen‐Ying , Chao Chun‐Hsiung , Huang Chun‐Hsiang
Published: April 2023

Synchrotron protein crystallography (PX) is one of the most powerful and dominant tools for determining the three‐dimensional structures of biological macromolecules. At the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, TLS 13B1 is the first dedicated energy‐tunable and highly automated PX beamline for efficiently solving de novo protein structures in Taiwan and has been open for users since September 2005. With remote access, user support services, and annual PX training courses over 17 years, the number of user groups at TLS 13B1 has grown from 11 to 139. In total, 1,429 projects were supported, and 2090 experiments were hosted during 67,846 hr of beamtime. This paper describes the photon source, beamline components, experimental station equipment, beamline software, beamline application process, and results from our users.
A minimal model of potential energy surface for H2OHCl
Authors: Caglioti Concetta , Palazzetti Federico
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we present a model of potential energy surface for the H2OHCl system, consisting in the exact transformation of quantum chemical input data related to a minimal number of significant configurations. Both molecules are assumed as rigid. The interaction potential is given by an expansion in real spherical harmonics depending on the distance between the two centers of mass of the molecules and on four angles that define their mutual orientation. The main target of this work is the construction of a model of potential energy surface that requires a limited number of single energy points, which is suitable for applications to classical and quantum molecular dynamics simulations, permitting interpolation and further implementation of different sets of input data.
Cancer‐cell‐biomimetic nanoparticles for enhanced prostate cancer therapy
Authors: Hong Yazhao , Wang Chengming , Wang Huan , Gao Yizhou , Wu Jie , Xia Jing
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

The targeted delivery of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs by nanocarriers has become an effective way to reduce drug toxicity and improve antitumor effects. However, nanocarriers are easily recognized and cleared by the immune system after entering the body, thereby reducing their therapeutic effect.

RESULTS

In this work, based on the biomimetic design concept, a tumor cell membrane‐coated nanoplatform (TCM/SCM/DTX) was fabricated for evading the clearance of the immune system and efficiently targeting tumor tissues to achieve efficient drug accumulation in tumor tissues. In vitro cell experiments, TCM/SCM/DTX could effectively enter prostate tumor cells and showed a good in vitro anti‐tumor effect. After administration, TCM/SCM/DTX could efficiently accumulate into tumor tissue while achieving long‐term blood circulation. The in vivo anti‐tumor results proved its effective tumor growth inhibitory effect, and the immunohistochemical results also proved that TCM/SCM/DTX significantly reduced the tissue and organ toxicity of DTX.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that the prostate tumor cell membrane‐coated biomimetic nanocarriers can effectively deliver traditional chemotherapeutic drugs to prostate cancer tissue, which provides a new strategy for precise and efficient chemotherapy of prostate cancer, especially advanced prostate cancer. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Synthesis of a novel MMK/β‐CD‐A material and its tetracycline removal efficiency
Authors: Guo Chengjie , Liu Jiaoqin , Jin Riya , Qiao Yina , He Zengdi , Wang Anlong , Gao Jingshuai , Zhang Jingjing , Jia MengYe , Mao Jipeng
Published: April 2023

Background

As one of the modal antibiotics in life, the abuse of tetracycline (TC) caused great risks to the ecological environment and health. Cost‐effective removal method of TC in the medical wastewater was a developmental research direction with great potential.

Results

In this work, a novel material, modified kaolin/β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) coated A (A is a special oxidant made from our laboratory, which is mainly composed of potassium ferrate) was synthesized and characterized. Meanwhile, the removal efficiencies and influencing factors of TC in novel material activation reaction systems were systematically studied. The specific surface area of modified kaolin (MMK) can reach up to 431.82 m2/g after acid and calcination modification. The results of SEM, TEM, XRD, and FT‐IR showed the significant increase in specific surface area of MMK was the complete destruction of kaolin structure and the leaching of aluminum. β‐CD was selected to coat A to attenuate the rapid release of A in water. The optimal coat molar ratio of β‐CD and A was 10: 1 (β‐CD:A). MMK/β‐CD‐A was used to treat the simulated TC wastewater, the removal efficiency was 95.6 % within 90 min when the concentration of TC was 0.22 mmol/L. The removal mechanism of TC with MMK/β‐CD‐A was the adsorption effect from MMK and the oxidation effect from β‐CD‐A.

Conclusion

This work could provide useful information for developing a simple and effective technology to treat TC in medical wastewater. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Defining the influence of size‐exclusion chromatography fraction window and ultrafiltration column choice on extracellular vesicle recovery in a skeletal muscle model
Authors: Fernández‐Rhodes María , Adlou Bahman , Williams Soraya , Lees Rebecca , Peacock Ben , Aubert Dimitri , Jalal Aveen R. , Lewis Mark P. , Davies Owen G.
Published: April 2023

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have the potential to provide new insights into skeletal muscle (SM) physiology and pathophysiology. However, current isolation protocols often do not eliminate co‐isolated components such as lipoproteins and RNA binding proteins that could confound outcomes and hinder downstream clinical translation. In this study, we validated an EV isolation protocol that combined size‐exclusion chromatography (SEC) with ultrafiltration (UF) to increase sample throughput, scalability and purity, while providing the very first analysis of the effects of UF column choice and fraction window on EV recovery. C2C12 myotube conditioned medium was pre‐concentrated using either Amicon® Ultra 15 or Vivaspin®20 100 KDa UF columns and processed by SEC (IZON, qEV 70 nm). The resulting thirty fractions obtained were individually analysed to identify an optimal fraction window for EV recovery. The EV marker TSG101 could be detected from fractions 5 to 14, while CD9 and Annexin A2 only up to fraction 6. ApoA1+ lipoprotein co‐isolates were detected from fraction 6 onwards for both protocols. Strikingly, Amicon and Vivaspin UF concentration protocols led to qualitative and quantitative variations in EV marker profiles and purity. Eliminating lipoprotein co‐isolation by reducing the SEC fraction window resulted in a net loss of particles, but increased measures of sample purity and had only a negligible impact on the presence of EV marker proteins. In conclusion, our study developed an effective UF+SEC protocol for the isolation of EVs based on sample purity (fractions 1–5) and total EV abundance (fractions 2–10). We provide evidence to demonstrate that the choice of UF column can affect the composition of the resulting EV preparation and needs to be considered when being applied in EV isolation studies in SM. The resulting protocols will be valuable in isolating highly pure EV preparations for applications in a range of therapeutic and diagnostic studies.
Ecomorphological variation of the penguin wing
Authors: Haidr Nadia Soledad
Published: April 2023

Penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes) are pursuit divers that feed mainly on krill, fish, and squid. Although they are opportunistic feeders, some species are more generalists than others and many show dietary preferences toward krill and other crustaceans or fish and squid. Their diving depth seems to follow a body size pattern and relates to the type of item that they prey on. Penguins dive with their wing; hence their wing musculature is responsible for the animal maneuverability and strength while diving. In the present study, ecological traits such as diving depths and prey composition are used to explore if morphology relates to foraging habits. A geometric morphometric approach is used to quantitatively address these morphological differences in the wing apparatus of all extant penguins and a fossil species taking into consideration allometric and phylogenetic factors. Results show that morphological differences among penguins with different diets are significant and strong; groups are well separated with the greatest differences found between piscivorous and crustacivorous penguins. Dive depth has a moderate covariation with morphology and a strong correspondence with wing area. Last,Madrynornis mirandus, an exceptionally well‐preserved fossil from the Miocene of Patagonia, is found to be close to the piscivorous and generalist piscivorous species. It is proposed that swimming styles correlate with specific traits of the anatomy of wing and pectoral girdle skeleton and muscles.
Regulatory B cells induced by interleukin‐35 inhibit inflammation and alveolar bone resorption in ligature‐induced periodontitis
Authors: Li Shiyi , Su Li , Luan Qingxian , Liu Guojing , Zeng Wenmin , Yu Xiaoqian
Published: April 2023

Background

Regulatory B cells (Bregs) have been reported to suppress immune responses and alveolar bone loss in murine periodontitis models. These cells could be induced by interleukin (IL)‐35 which is increased upon periodontal inflammation. Thus, this study aimed to explore the role of Bregs induced by IL‐35 in periodontitis.

Methods

Experimental periodontitis was induced in mice by ligature. Two weeks after ligation, the test group was systemically treated with IL‐35 for 1 week. Four weeks after ligation, all mice were euthanized, and alveolar bone loss was evaluated by microcomputed tomography. Cytokines associated with periodontitis were analyzed using reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Bregs in spleens, cervical lymph nodes, and periodontal tissues were detected by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining.

Results

In the mouse model of periodontitis, IL‐35 induced the expansion of CD1dhiCD5+ B10 cells with increased interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) and IL‐35 production. IL‐35 administration also attenuated alveolar bone loss and reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in situ.

Conclusions

Following ligature‐induced periodontitis in mice, IL‐35 inhibited periodontal inflammation and alveolar bone resorption at least partially through the induction of B10 cells and IL‐35+ Bregs.
Hyperspectral imaging for the determination of relevant cooking quality traits of boiled cassava
Authors: Meghar Karima , Tran Thierry , Delgado Luis Fernando , Ospina Maria Alejandra , Moreno Jhon Larry , Luna Jorge , Londoño Luis , Dufour Dominique , Davrieux Fabrice
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of hyperspectral imaging for the characterization of cooking quality parameters, dry matter content (DMC), water absorption (WAB), and texture in cassava genotypes contrasting for their cooking quality.

RESULTS

Hyperspectral images were acquired on cooked and fresh intact longitudinal and transversal slices from 31 cassava genotypes harvested in March 2022 in Colombia. Different chemometric methods were tested for the quantification of DMC, WAB, and texture parameters. Data analysis was conducted through partial least squares regression, K nearest neighbors regression, support vector machine regression and CovSel multiple linear regression (CovSel_MLR). Efficient performances were obtained for DMC using CovSel_MLR with, coefficient of multiple determination , root‐mean‐square error of prediction RMSEP = 0.96 g/100 g, and ratio of the standard deviation values RPD = 3.60. High heterogeneity was observed between contrasting genotypes. The predicted distribution of DMC within the root can be homogeneous or heterogeneous depending on the genotype. Weak predictions were obtained for WAB and texture parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that hyperspectral imaging could be used as a high‐throughput phenotyping tool for the visualization of DMC in contrasting cooking quality genotypes. Further improvement of protocols and larger datasets are required for WAB and texture quality traits. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.