bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real‐world data on home end‐of‐life care for older adults with cancer: A retrospective claims data analysis
Authors: Suzuki Yukio , Dohmae Soshi , Ohyama Kohei , Chiba Taiga , Nakagami Sachiko , Miyagi Etsuko , Shuri Jun
Published: March 2023

Background

Cancer incidence is expected to increase with population aging, making the availability of places for treating patients with terminal cancer a pressing issue. However, little is known about the actual state of home end‐of‐life care (HEC) in Japan.

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the real‐world state of HEC for older adults with cancer.

Methods

The Yokohama Original Medical Database was used to identify the cohort. Data of target patients was extracted based on three criteria: age ≥65 years, malignant neoplasm diagnosis, and having a specific billing code of HEC. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between age groups and HEC services or outcome indexes.

Results

Overall, 1323 people (554 and 769 aged < 80 and ≥ 80 years, respectively; men, 59.2%) had planned to receive HEC. The < 80 years group had more frequent emergent home visits than the ≥ 80‐year group (P < 0.001), but the number of monthly home visits was similar between the two groups (P = 0.267). The rate of emergent admission was 5.9% in the ≥ 80‐year group, which was higher than that in the < 80‐year group (3.1%; P = 0.018). Conversely, the rates of central venous nutrition and opioid use were higher in the < 80‐year group than those in the ≥ 80‐year group.

Conclusions

This study reported patterns of use of HEC among older adults with cancer in the terminal stage. Our findings may provide the basis for providing HEC for older adults with cancer.
Effects of relocation of sedentary time and physical activity in older adults with diabetes mellitus
Authors: Galvão Lucas Lima , Silva Rízia Rocha , Costa Daniela de Jesus , Tribess Sheilla , Santos Douglas Assis Teles , Júnior Jair Sindra Virtuoso
Published: March 2023

Objective

To estimate the hypothetical effects of substituting time spent in moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) and their associations with diabetes.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study using exploratory survey methods was performed in Alcobaça city in the state of Bahia, Brazil in the year 2015. A total of 473 older adults (aged ≥60 years) participated in the study. Diabetes mellitus, time MVPA, and SB were assessed in a self‐reported manner. The Poisson regression was used to verify the hypothetical effects of the substitution of MVPA with SB on diabetes.

Results

The substitution of the time in MVPA with time in SB showed higher prevalence ratios of diabetes. Conversely, the substitution of the time in SB proved to be a protective factor, with risks reduced by between 4% and 19%.

Discussion

The substitution of the time spent in MVPA with the same amount of time spent on SB can lead to an increase in the probability of diabetes, and a longer reallocation time corresponded to a greater risk.
Delineation of clinical course, outcomes, and prognostic factors in patients with T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Rose Ashley , Zhang Ling , Jain Akriti G. , Poovathukaran Babu Abida , Sokol Lubomir , Saeed Hayder , Mo Qianxing , Fan Wenyi , Zhang Xiaohui
Published: March 2023

T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T‐PLL) is a rare, post‐thymic T‐cell neoplasm with a diverse clinical course. T‐PLL is typically associated with a poor prognosis; however, a subset of patients have inactive disease on initial presentation. There is a lack of accurate delineation of the disease based on initial clinical presentation and pathological assessment, hindering clinical decision‐making. To characterize and delineate disease subtypes based on initial clinical presentation and pathologic assessment, we retrospectively reviewed 81 patients with T‐PLL treated at our institution. We compared patients with T‐PLL who initially presented with a relatively indolent or stable disease course to those with an aggressive disease course. Clinicopathologic characteristics, overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors were analyzed. Patients with inactive disease had a significantly longer OS than patients with active disease. At diagnosis, presence of B symptoms, low hemoglobin, low platelet count, lymphocyte doubling time of fewer than 3 months, and abnormal cytogenetics were associated with shorter OS. Cell morphology, immunophenotype, absolute lymphocyte count, lactate dehydrogenase levels, involvement of liver, spleen, skin or central nervous system, presence of TCL1 rearrangement or inv (14)/t(14;14), presence of chromosome 8 abnormalities, and presence of deletion of 11q were not associated with significant OS difference among the patients. Receiving alemtuzumab as first‐line treatment and consolidation with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant were associated with better outcomes. T‐PLL inactive and active disease subtypes can exhibit overlapping yet different clinical and pathological features. We describe several prognostic factors at diagnosis that can be used for risk stratification and aid in guiding treatment decisions.
Brain health registry updates: An online longitudinal neuroscience platform
Authors: Weiner Michael W. , Aaronson Anna , Eichenbaum Joseph , Kwang Winnie , Ashford Miriam T. , Gummadi Shilpa , Santhakumar Jessica , Camacho Monica R. , Flenniken Derek , Fockler Juliet , Truran‐Sacrey Diana , Ulbricht Aaron , Mackin R. Scott , Nosheny Rachel L.
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Remote, internet‐based methods for recruitment, screening, and longitudinally assessing older adults have the potential to facilitate Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials and observational studies.

Methods

The Brain Health Registry (BHR) is an online registry that includes longitudinal assessments including self‐ and study partner‐report questionnaires and neuropsychological tests. New initiatives aim to increase inclusion and engagement of commonly underincluded communities using digital, community‐engaged research strategies. New features include multilingual support and biofluid collection capabilities.

Results

BHR includes > 100,000 participants. BHR has made over 259,000 referrals resulting in 25,997 participants enrolled in 30 aging and AD studies. In addition, 28,278 participants are coenrolled in BHR and other studies with data linkage among studies. Data have been shared with 28 investigators. Recent efforts have facilitated the enrollment and engagement of underincluded ethnocultural communities.

Discussion

The major advantages of the BHR approach are scalability and accessibility. Challenges include compliance, retention, cohort diversity, and generalizability.

Highlights

Brain Health Registry (BHR) is an online, longitudinal platform of > 100,000 members.

BHR made > 259,000 referrals, which enrolled 25,997 participants in 32 studies.

New efforts increased enrollment and engagement of underincluded communities in BHR.

The major advantages of the BHR approach are scalability and accessibility.

BHR provides a unique adjunct for clinical neuroscience research.
Proximity‐Encirclement of Multiple Exceptional Points in Non‐Hermitian Photonic Waveguides
Authors: Shi Ming‐Xuan , Su Xue‐Mei , Guo Miao‐Di
Published: March 2023

Conventionally, dynamical encirclement of exceptional points in non‐Hermitian systems is known to manifest a counterintuitive chiral state conversion. However, the prerequisite of such traits enclosing an exceptional point is broken when only encircling its proximity, preserving a still chiral switching. Research on the proximity‐encirclement in multistate systems is lacking. In this paper, a photonic‐waveguide‐array non‐Hermitian system is proposed to investigate the dynamics by encircling two exceptional points or their proximity. A series of encircling trajectories defined by the parametric equations are designed to steer the evolution of photonic modes in waveguides. The wave propagating along the waveguides is also simulated to capture this non‐Hermitian physics. The chiral behavior in proximity‐encirclement contrasts with the familiar encirclement of one exceptional point and exhibits the unexpected occurrence of nonadiabatic transitions. Furthermore, if two exceptional points are sufficiently encircled, the system will evolve to a stable final state earlier, as a symbol of the occurrence of the nonadiabatic transition. Such novel chiral conversion is maintained only if the encircling trajectories are located at adequate proximity.
Simultaneous Preparation of Two Optical Cat States Based on a Nondegenerate Optical Parametric Amplifier
Authors: Han Dongmei , Wang Na , Wang Meihong , Su Xiaolong
Published: March 2023

The cat state, known as the superposition of coherent states, has broad applications in quantum computation and quantum metrology. Increasing the number of optical cat states is crucial to implement complex quantum information tasks based on them. Here, two optical cat states are prepared simultaneously based on a nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier. By subtracting one photon from each of two squeezed vacuum states, two odd cat states with orthogonal superposition direction in phase space are prepared simultaneously, which have similar fidelity of 60% and amplitude of 1.2. Compared with the traditional method to generate two odd optical cat states based on two degenerate optical parametric amplifiers, only one nondegenerate optical parametric amplifier is applied in this experiment, which saves half of the quantum resources of nonlinear cavities. The presented results make a step toward preparing the four‐component cat state, which has potential applications in fault‐tolerant quantum computation.
An Ultra‐Broadband Chirality Selective Metastructure Absorber using High Impedance Surface
Authors: Zhang Wei , Qiao Zhen , Zhang Hai‐feng
Published: March 2023

In this paper, an ultra‐wideband chirality selective metastructure absorber is proposed that enables differential absorption and reflection of circularly polarized waves in the terahertz (THz) range. The structure achieves circular dichroism (CD) by using asymmetrically split metal rings as fundamental meta‐atoms. Most critically, the high impedance surface and air‐resonant cavities are inserted separately in the meta‐atoms and dielectric substrate to enhance CD and broaden the bandwidth of absorption. The metastructure absorber can achieve more than 90% absorption of right circularly polarized waves at 0.675–1.244 THz, and it can maintain more than 90% reflection of left circularly polarized waves at 0.607–1.229 THz without changing the direction of rotation. Besides, its CD can reach more than 80% at 0.687–1.213 THz with a relative bandwidth of 55.3%. Spin‐selective absorption, which is closely related to breaking chiral symmetry, is investigated through power loss distribution, wide‐angle incidence, and scan parameter optimization. The proposed strategy is further validated in the THz band, and the polarization selection and manipulation techniques can be applied to chiral sensing/radio‐thermometry, circular polarization detectors/lasers, and molecular spectroscopy.
Chemoselective Caging of Carboxyl Groups for On‐Demand Protein Activation with Small Molecules
Authors: Petri Yana D. , Gutierrez Clair S. , Raines Ronald T.
Published: March 2023

Tools for on‐demand protein activation enable impactful gain‐of‐function studies in biological settings. Thus far, however, proteins have been chemically caged at primarily Lys, Tyr, and Sec, typically through the genetic encoding of unnatural amino acids. Herein, we report that the preferential reactivity of diazo compounds with protonated acids can be used to expand this toolbox to solvent‐accessible carboxyl groups with an elevated pKa value. As a model protein, we employed lysozyme (Lyz), which has an active‐site Glu35 residue with a pKa value of 6.2. A diazo compound with a bioorthogonal self‐immolative handle esterified Glu35 selectively, inactivating Lyz. The hydrolytic activity of the caged Lyz on bacterial cell walls was restored with two small‐molecule triggers. The decaging was more efficient by small molecules than by esterases. This simple chemical strategy was also applied to a hemeprotein and an aspartyl protease, setting the stage for broad applicability.
Ambient Preparation of Benzoxazine‐based Phenolic Resins Enables Long‐term Sustainable Photosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide
Authors: Wang Xinyao , Yang Xiaowei , Zhao Chen , Pi Yutong , Li Xiaobo , Jia Zhongfan , Zhou Si , Zhao Jijun , Wu Limin , Liu Jian
Published: March 2023

Rational design of polymer structures at the molecular level promotes the iteration of high‐performance photocatalyst for sustainable photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production from oxygen and water, which also lays the basis for revealing the reaction mechanism. Here we report a benzoxazine‐based m‐aminophenol‐formaldehyde resin (APFac) polymerized at ambient conditions, exhibiting superior H2O2 yield and long‐term stability to most polymeric photocatalysts. Benzoxazine structure was identified as the crucial photocatalytic active segment in APFac. Favorable adsorption of oxygen/intermediates on benzoxazine structure and commendable product selectivity accelerated the reaction kinetically in stepwise single‐electron oxygen reduction reaction. The proposed benzoxazine‐based phenolic resin provides the possibility of production in batches and industrial application, and sheds light on the de novo design and analysis of metal‐free polymeric photocatalysts.
A carboxylate terpolymer as a scale inhibitor for geothermal hard water in recirculating systems
Authors: Chen Youyuan , Li Jiaxing , Qiao Shixuan , Li Yangpei , Zheng Tianyuan , Peng Tao
Published: March 2023

The inhibition efficiency of polycarboxylic acid will decrease due to the weak acidity of carboxyl group in high Ca2+ geothermal circulating water. To solve this problem, we synthesized a novel carboxyl terpolymer (MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA) with adipate polyoxyethylene ether maleate monoester (MA‐AEO‐7), sodium methacrylate sulfonate (SMAS) and maleic acid (MA). Its inhibition efficiency and mechanism were investigated at high Ca2+. The results indicated that the inhibition efficiency of MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA was 96.84% for CaCO3 at the monomeric ratio of 0.5:1:1 and a dosage of 12 mg L−1. The X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope results of CaCO3 scale showed that the presence of MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA converted CaCO3 calcite to vaterite with smaller particle size. The molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations indicated that the increased solubility of MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA and the carboxylic acidity in MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA enhanced the Ca2+ chelating properties. The electrostatic repulsion between the sulfonic acid groups made MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA exhibit good dispersion properties. These findings explained why the inhibition efficiency of MA‐AEO‐7/SMAS/MA remained above 80% at Ca2+ concentration of 1500 mg L−1, exceeding the 30%–50% of the three commercial scale inhibitors. This study provides practical insight for the development of scale inhibitors suitable for high Ca2+ geothermal circulating water.
Processing‐structure–property relationships in the fabrication of extrusion electroactive poly(vinylidenefluoride) filaments
Authors: Saleh Aya A. , Melenka Garrett W. , Leung Siu Ning
Published: March 2023

Poly(vinylidenefluoride) with enhanced electroactive properties is of great interest in energy harvesting and sensing applications. This study aims to elucidate the effects of processing parameters in extrusion, using a desktop extruder or a microcompounder, on the polymorphism of the fabricated poly(vinylidenefluoride) filaments. All samples were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and electromechanical testing. Statistical analyses were conducted to correlate the processing parameters with the poly(vinylidenefluoride) filaments' crystal structures. Experimental results revealed that the optimal extrusion temperature at 220°C and stretching ratio of 4.5 to 6.5 would yield poly(vinylidenefluoride) filaments with a degree of crystallinity of up to 58% of which 80% is β‐phase crystals. The finding of this manuscript has the potential to promote the use of poly(vinylidenefluoride) filaments in the fused filament fabrication.
Intercalation of Well‐Dispersed Fe2O3 with SnO2 toward Durable Peroxymonosulfate Activation to Eliminate Antibiotics: Performance and Mechanism
Authors: Wang Weihong , Song Fanyue , Du Chunfang , Su Yiguo
Published: March 2023

Sustainable Fe2O3/SnO2 with fine interfacial feature derived from FeSnO(OH)5 was prepared and employed for elimination contaminants. The synergistic effect between Fe2O3 and SnO2 endowed a remarkable degradation performance for tetracycline degradation. Well dispersed SnO2 can function as fine protective layer to enhance the anchoring of iron ions. In addition, SnO2 with excellent conductivity can accelerate electron transfer on the surface of Fe2O3, further activation PMS. Approximately 89.3% of tetracycline (TC) was removed in Fe2O3/SnO2/PMS system, which was higher than alone Fe2O3/PMS (73.2%) and SnO2/PMS (39.7%) systems. The operating parameters were evaluated and studied. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and quenching tests manifested that 1O2 was primary active specie, and ⋅OH, ⋅SO4− and ⋅O2− were participated in the degradation process. Besides, degradation pathways were proposed by identifying the intermediate products. This work is expected to offer a potential design for construction eco‐friendly heterogeneous catalyst toward wastewater treatment.
Reconnoitring the antioxidant and antibacterial potential of different fruits after tannin acyl hydrolase mediated biotransformation
Authors:   Rippin, Sharma Anil K. , Beniwal Vikas
Published: March 2023

Condensed and hydrolyzable tannins are secondary metabolites present in almost every plant part. Tannase enzyme acts on hydrolyzable tannins to produce gallic acid and tannase‐mediated end‐products with immense therapeutic potential. Seven different fruits with significant presence of hydrolyzable tannin content were selected to check for phenol, tannin, and hydrolyzable tannin contents. Prunus domestica had the maximum phenol content, that is, 85.4 ± 0.207, followed by Syzygium cumini, Fragaria ananassa, Rubus fruticosus, and Psidium guajava. Plum showed the maximum number of hydrolyzable tannins. Fruit extracts were subjected to tannase hydrolysis and their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities were determined. There was a significant increase in the antioxidant abilities of the fruits with Punica granatum extract, displaying the highest decline of 132 units of IC50 followed by F. ananassa hydrolyzable extract, showing a decrease from 224.75 to 119.98 μg/mL. The extracts also depicted a significant increase in antibacterial activity after hydrolysis against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus with Rubus idaeus aqueous extract observed to be most effective against E. coli. The increase in antioxidant and antibacterial activity can be attributed to the production of tannase‐mediated products formed after the biotransformation of hydrolyzable tannins present in the aqueous extracts.
Ressourceneinsparung im Bauwesen: Die Rolle der Revitalisierung aus Sicht der Planer
Authors: Glückert Bernd
Published: March 2023

Die Verlängerung der Lebensdauer von Bestandsgebäuden ist eine wichtige Maßnahme, um die CO2‐Emissionen des Bauwesens zu reduzieren. Die mit dem Umbau eines Bestandsgebäudes bzw. von Teilen davon verbundenen planerischen Herausforderungen werden aber oft unterschätzt. Der vorliegende Beitrag bietet einen umfassenden Überblick über die Besonderheiten und Schwierigkeiten des Bauens im Bestand aus Sicht der Tragwerksplanung. Neben für Planung, Vertrags‐ und Honorargestaltung relevanten Punkten werden auch rechtliche Aspekte benannt, die noch einer Klärung bedürfen.
How mitochondria showcase evolutionary mechanisms and the importance of oxygen
Authors: Speijer Dave
Published: March 2023

Darwinian evolution can be simply stated: natural selection of inherited variations increasing differential reproduction. However, formulated thus, links with biochemistry, cell biology, ecology, and population dynamics remain unclear. To understand interactive contributions of chance and selection, higher levels of biological organization (e.g., endosymbiosis), complexities of competing selection forces, and emerging biological novelties (such as eukaryotes or meiotic sex), we must analyze actual examples. Focusing on mitochondria, I will illuminate how biology makes sense of life's evolution, and the concepts involved. First, looking at the bacterium – mitochondrion transition: merging with an archaeon, it lost its independence, but played a decisive role in eukaryogenesis, as an extremely efficient aerobic ATP generator and internal ROS source. Second, surveying later mitochondrion adaptations and diversifications illustrates concepts such as constructive neutral evolution, dynamic interactions between endosymbionts and hosts, the contingency of life histories, and metabolic reprogramming. Without oxygen, mitochondria disappear; with (intermittent) oxygen diversification occurs in highly complex ways, especially upon (temporary) phototrophic substrate supply. These expositions show the Darwinian model to be a highly fruitful paradigm.
Microbioreactors for nutrient‐controlled microbial cultures: Bridging the gap between bioprocess development and industrial use
Authors: Totlani Kartik , van Tatenhove‐Pel Rinke J. , Kreutzer Michiel T. , van Gulik Walter M. , van Steijn Volkert
Published: March 2023

It is common practice in the development of bioprocesses to genetically modify a microorganism and study a large number of resulting mutants in order to select the ones that perform best for use at the industrial scale. At industrial scale, strict nutrient‐controlled growth conditions are imposed to control the metabolic activity and growth rate of the microorganism, thereby enhancing the expression of the product of interest. Although it is known that microorganisms that perform best under these strictly controlled conditions are not the same as the ones that perform best under uncontrolled batch conditions, screening, and selection is predominantly performed under batch conditions. Tools that afford high throughput on the one hand and dynamic control over cultivation conditions on the other hand are not yet available. Microbioreactors offer the potential to address this problem, resolving the gap between bioprocess development and industrial scale use. In this review, we highlight the current state‐of‐the‐art of microbioreactors that offer the potential to screen microorganisms under dynamically controlled conditions. We classify them into: (i) microtiter plate‐based platforms, (ii) microfluidic chamber‐based platforms, and (iii) microfluidic droplet‐based platforms. We conclude this review by discussing the opportunities of nutrient‐fed microbioreactors in the field of biotechnology.
Examiners' perceptions of forensic mental health assessments conducted via videoconferencing
Authors: Skala Josie , Chavez Jacob X. , Anderson Katelin , Gulrajani Chinmoy
Published: March 2023

The COVID‐19 pandemic led to an acceleration in the adoption of videoconferencing (VC) for conducting forensic mental health evaluations (forensic mental health assessments [FMHA]). Two years into the COVID‐19 pandemic, we administered a survey to 71 Minnesota‐licensed forensic evaluators. Approximately two‐thirds (65.7%) had started using VC for FMHA only after the pandemic, though a combined 84.5% reported performing FMHA via VC frequently at present. A striking 43.7% of respondents preferred VC for FMHA over in‐person evaluation, and another 22.5% expressed no preference between modalities. Further, nearly 70% of respondents denied there were any populations for which they would never use VC to complete an FMHA. We conclude that the widespread adoption of VC for FMHA with the advent of the COVID‐19 pandemic has induced a lasting change in the practice of FMHA. We postulate that with further advancements in technology and the development of testing instruments that can be administered online, the use of VC for FMHA will become standard practice.
The screening of compounds regulating PD‐L1 transcriptional activity in a cell functional high‐throughput manner
Authors: Zhang Lanxin , Li Hexin , Liu Jingchao , Sun Gaoyuan , Tang Xiaokun , Xu Siyuan , Zhang Lili , Zhang Wei , Ai Bin
Published: March 2023

Immune checkpoints are protein molecules expressed on the immune cell membrane, which regulate the immune system to kill tumor cells. As an essential immune checkpoint, overexpressed PD‐1 on tumor cells could inhibit T‐cell activation after being bonded to PD‐1. Due to this inhibitory effect, T‐cell proliferation and cytokine secretion are suppressed, leading to immune escape of tumor cells. Here, we established a high‐throughput method based on cell function screening technology to screen drugs regulating PD‐L1 expression in tumor cells at the transcriptional level. After two screening rounds, 12 compounds that enhanced PD‐L1 transcription while seven weakened were sorted out among 1018 FDA‐approved drugs. Finally, a tumor cell line was used to verify the upregulation of endogenous PD‐L1 expression for a drug named “vorinostat,” a histone deacetylation inhibitor, after the two rounds of optional selection. Therefore, our research provides another perspective for using “vorinostat” in treating tumors and offers a convenient method to detect the transcriptional expression of other intracellular proteins besides PD‐L1.
Utilising alternative cystoscopic schedules to minimise cost and patient burden after trimodality therapy for muscle‐invasive bladder cancer
Authors: Krishnatry Rahul , Maitre Priyamvada , Kumar Anuj , Telkhade Tejshri , Bakshi Ganesh , Prakash Gagan , Pal Mahendra , Joshi Amit , Menon Santosh , Murthy Vedang
Published: March 2023

Background

To assess urinary symptoms and urine cytology as screening tools for cystoscopic detection of local recurrence after bladder‐preserving trimodality treatment (TMT).

Methods

Patients with muscle‐invasive bladder cancer receiving definitive TMT follow‐up three monthly for 2 years, six monthly for the next 3 years and then yearly, with a clinical review, urine cytology and cystoscopy at each visit (triple assessment, TA). Grade 2+ cystitis/haematuria absent/present was scored 0/1, and urine cytology reported negative/suspicious or positive was scored 0/1, respectively. The performance of these two parameters for predicting local recurrence in cystoscopic biopsy was tested. Other hypothetical surveillance schedules included cystoscopy on alternate visits (COAV), or suspected recurrence (COSR), six‐monthly COSR and six‐monthly TA.

Results

A total of 630 follow‐up visits in 112 patients with 19 recurrences (7 muscle invasive, 12 non‐muscle invasive) at a median follow‐up of 19 months were analysed. The sensitivity and specificity of clinical symptoms were 47.4% and 92%, and for urine cytology 58% and 85%, respectively. The combination of clinical symptoms and cytology (COSR) was 95% sensitive and 78% specific for local recurrence but 100% sensitive for muscle‐invasive recurrence. Both COAV and COSV schedules showed a high area under the curve (AUC) for detecting local recurrence (COAV = 0.84, COSR = 0.83), muscle‐invasive recurrence (AUC = 0.848 each) and non‐muscle‐invasive recurrence (COAV = 0.82, COSR = 0.81); reducing the need for TAs by 64% and 67% respectively, and overall cost by 18% and 33%, respectively.

Conclusion

Cystoscopy at suspected recurrence during follow‐up is safe and the most cost‐effective for detecting muscle‐invasive local recurrences, while cystoscopy at alternate visits may be more optimal for detecting any local recurrence.
Rieske Oxygenases and Other Ferredoxin‐Dependent Enzymes: Electron Transfer Principles and Catalytic Capabilities
Authors: Runda Michael E. , de Kok Niels A. W. , Schmidt Sandy
Published: March 2023

Enzymes that depend on sophisticated electron transfer via ferredoxins (Fds) exhibit outstanding catalytic capabilities, but despite decades of research, many of them are still not well understood or exploited for synthetic applications. This review aims to provide a general overview of the most important Fd‐dependent enzymes and the electron transfer processes involved. While several examples are discussed, we focus in particular on the family of Rieske non‐heme iron‐dependent oxygenases (ROs). In addition to illustrating their electron transfer principles and catalytic potential, the current state of knowledge on structure–function relationships and the mode of interaction between the redox partner proteins is reviewed. Moreover, we highlight several key catalyzed transformations, but also take a deeper dive into their engineerability for biocatalytic applications. The overall findings from these case studies highlight the catalytic capabilities of these biocatalysts and could stimulate future interest in developing additional Fd‐dependent enzyme classes for synthetic applications.
Influence of water saturation on the compressive strength of concrete under high strain rates
Authors: Mosig Oliver , Beckmann Birgit , Curbach Manfred
Published: March 2023

In this study, the influence of different water saturation achieved by different storage conditions on the static and dynamic compressive strength of three different concretes were investigated. The specimens were first dried then water‐saturated and tested both under static and impact loading. The impact tests were carried out in a split Hopkinson bar. Depending on the concrete strength class, increases in the compressive strength of 200%–300% at strain rates in the range of 90–160 1/s were observed. Compared to storage under ambient conditions, the compressive strength decreases as a result of drying due to microcrack formation. Furthermore, the concretes compressive strengths of water‐saturated specimens decrease compared to dry specimens. This decrease was observed under both static and impact loading and is independent of the strain rate. The failure of the dry specimens was more explosive with an increased number of cracks compared to water‐saturated specimens.
Destillation auf der ACHEMA 2022
Authors: Merkel Amelie , Leushacke Wibke , Grünewald Marcus
Published: March 2023

Eines der meistverwendeten thermischen Verfahren zur Trennung und Reinigung von Prozessströmen in der chemischen Industrie ist die Destillation. Die dabei eingesetzten Rektifikationskolonnen besitzen, zur Steigerung der Trenneffizienz, Einbauten in Form von Böden, Packungen und Füllkörpern. Durch den hohen Einsatz der Kolonnen besteht fortlaufend ein Interesse an einer Effizienzerhöhung, einer Energieeinsparung und einer Erweiterung des Einsatzgebietes. Zu diesen Themen wurden die Unternehmen der ACHEMA 2022 befragt. Einige der Neuigkeiten werden in diesem Bericht zusammengefasst.
Pseudorotaxane Ligand‐Induced Formation of Copper(I) Iodide Cluster Based Assembly Materials: From Zero to Three Dimensional
Authors: Zhao Xuan‐Hui , Li Na‐Na , Xu Jun , Dong Xi‐Yan , Li Si , Zang Shuang‐Quan
Published: March 2023

Comprehensive Summary

In this work, we have successfully obtained a series of novel copper(I)–iodide clusters (CuI NCs) based assembly materials by combining supramolecular pseudorotaxane ligands {[Mebpe+]PF6–@CB[6] (CB[6] = cucurbit[6]uril), L’·PF6} and linkers {BPHF@CB[6], [BPHF = C14H20N4(PF6)2], L·PF6}, including discrete cluster CuI 1 and extended cluster organic frameworks MORF 1 and MORF 2. CuI 1 can be described as a dumbbell‐shaped molecule with its body‐centered site and two vertexes respectively occupied by one [Cu5I6]– cluster and two CB[6] held together by two L’·PF6 ligands. The crystal structures of MORF 1 and MORF 2 are 1D anionic chain and four‐fold interpenetrated 3D cationic diamondoid structure, respectively, which all featured intriguing alternating CB[6] and CuI NCs. Furthermore, CuI 1 exhibits outstanding thermochromic and piezochromic luminescence. MORF 1 and MORF 2 also are detected pressure dependent luminescence properties with an enormous blue‐shift of the near‐infrared (NIR) emission band under high pressure compression. These exciting and smart materials possess great potential in the application field of novel temperature and pressure sensors.
Robust nonparametric hypothesis tests for differences in the covariance structure of functional data
Authors: Ramsay Kelly , Chenouri Shoja'eddin
Published: March 2023

We develop a group of robust, nonparametric hypothesis tests that detect differences between the covariance operators of several populations of functional data. These tests, called functional Kruskal–Wallis tests for covariance, or FKWC tests, are based on functional data depth ranks. FKWC tests work well even when the data are heavy‐tailed, which is shown both in simulation and theory. FKWC tests offer several other benefits: they have a simple asymptotic distribution under the null hypothesis, they are computationally cheap, and they possess transformation‐invariance properties. We show that under general alternative hypotheses, these tests are consistent under mild, nonparametric assumptions. As a result, we introduce a new functional depth function called ‐root depth that works well for the purposes of detecting differences in magnitude between covariance kernels. We present an analysis of the FKWC test based on ‐root depth under local alternatives. Through simulations, when the true covariance kernels have an infinite number of positive eigenvalues, we show that these tests have higher power than their competitors while maintaining their nominal size. We also provide a method for computing sample size and performing multiple comparisons.
Nanoarchitectonics and Applications of Gallium‐Based Liquid Metal Micro‐ and Nanoparticles
Authors: Zhang Zhi‐Peng , Xia Hong
Published: March 2023

In recent years, gallium‐based liquid metal (GLM) is an attractive material because of its excellent characteristics such as ultra‐low melting point, high fluidity, high conductivity, self‐healing and so on. GLMs have unique properties at micro and nano scales, such as core‐shell structure, sinterability, biocompatibility and photothermal conversion ability and so on, which promote the development of relevant application directions. Therefore, various preparation methods of GLM particles and conductive connection of GLM nanoparticles through various sintering methods are reviewed in this paper. In addition, GLM particles also show great prospects in flexible circuits, sensor detection, medical treatment, energy production and other fields
Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes: Post‐treatment maturation and implications for future therapy
Authors: Gualano Francesca M. , Hassoun Patrice , Carter Claire L. , Hanson Derek
Published: March 2023

Background

Embryonal tumor with multilayered rosettes (ETMR) is a deadly grade IV pediatric brain tumor. Despite an intensive multimodal treatment approach that includes surgical resection, high‐dose chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the progression‐free survival at 5 years is less than 30%.

Case

We report a case of long‐term survival in a 5‐month old female with a large mass in the posterior fossa, diagnosed as ETMR, which subsequently underwent treatment‐induced maturation. Prior to chemotherapy, histopathology revealed an abundance of highly proliferative, undifferentiated cells and multilayered rosette structures. Conversely, post‐treatment histopathology revealed cell populations that differentiated into neuronal and ganglionic phenotypes. At 5‐year follow‐up, the patient remains progression‐free.

Conclusion

This finding contributes to the few reports to date of post‐treatment differentiation/maturation of ETMR cell populations, with an implication for less cytotoxic therapeutic interventions aimed at differentiation.
Successes and Opportunities during the Pandemic: Reflections and Revelations from a Vaccine Development Perspective
Authors: Heaton Penny M. , Palaniappan Kavitha , Stona Anne‐Claire , Vogel Silke , Lim John C. W.
Published: March 2023

The Centre of Regulatory Excellence (CoRE) launched an annual lecture series in 2021 in Singapore to honor the memory of the late Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge, CoRE's founding Chair, and foster dialogue on global biomedical and regulatory perspectives, challenges, and advances. The 2022 Sir Alasdair Breckenridge Lecture “Success and Opportunities in the Pandemic” was delivered by Dr Penny M Heaton, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Research Institute and current Global Therapeutics Lead for Vaccines at Johnson & Johnson. Dr Heaton highlighted key lessons on the importance of trust, collaboration, and transparency in the context of health care and vaccine production.
An active damping control strategy with improved transient performance for high‐frequency AC power distribution in intelligent vehicles
Authors: Zhou Hao , Liu Junfeng , Zhang Zhi , Ma Mingze , Zeng Jun
Published: March 2023

High‐frequency AC (HFAC) LCLC resonant inverter has recently received more and more attention in power distribution system (PDS) of intelligent vehicles. However, LCLC resonance complicates the design of a current control loop and can even threaten the stability and transient performance of PDS. Active damping (AD) strategies based on the feedback of a single filter voltage or current have been shown to be effective and cost‐efficient method for attenuating resonant spikes. In this paper, a notch filter‐based AD (NFAD) control strategy is proposed to improve the stability and transient performance of PDS for intelligent vehicles. By sensing and feeding back the output resonance current of LCLC resonant inverter, the NFAD control strategy is then formulated to emulate a virtual impedance in order to improve the system phase margin and crossover frequency. Hence, the proposed control strategy can not only suppress the LCLC double resonance peaks but also effectively improve the transient performance of resonant inverter while guaranteeing the stability of the system. Finally, an experimental prototype was established and tested to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy with a rated output power of 130 W, an operation frequency of 25 kHz, and a sinusoidal output voltage of 28 V (rms).
Insulin resistance is more frequent in type 1 diabetes patients with long disease duration
Authors: Xie Yuting , Shi Mei , Ji Xiaolin , Huang Fansu , Fan Li , Li Xia , Zhou Zhiguang
Published: March 2023

Aims

To investigate the clinical status of insulin resistance (IR) and its correlation with disease duration in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Materials and Methods

Cross‐sectional data from a T1D cohort were obtained (n = 923). IR‐related metabolic disorders including hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia were used as outcome variables to explore the cut‐off point for estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) by restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve. Regression models were used for multivariate analysis of the clinical factors associated with IR. The correlation between the status of IR and diabetes duration was depicted with the RCS curve.

Results

IR‐related metabolic disorders were observed in 39.4% of patients, with 9.1% meeting the criteria for metabolic syndrome. Specifically, patients with ≥10 years of T1D were more likely to have IR‐related metabolic disorders (54.7% vs. 36.9%, p < 0.05). The presence of IR, defined as an eGDR ≤9.0 mg/kg/min, was observed in 42.2% of patients. Patients with IR had a longer diabetes duration (3.5 vs. 2.7, years, p = 0.003) and higher insulin dose (0.5 vs. 0.4, units per kg per day, p < 0.001). Moreover, the presence of IR showed a gradual increase during 10 years' disease duration and further analysis showed that diabetes duration ≥10 years was a key element behind the development of IR and IR‐related metabolic disorders.

Conclusions

The status of IR is common in T1D patients, especially in those with ≥10 years of disease duration. Therapies targeting balancing glycaemic control and IR are needed to decrease the future risk of cardiovascular diseases in T1D.

Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03610984 (cohort study of patients with type 1 diabetes).
Sensing context: Inhibitory receptors on non‐hematopoietic cells
Authors: von Richthofen Helen J. , Meyaard Linde
Published: March 2023

Similar to immune cells, non‐hematopoietic cells recognize microbial and endogenous threats. Their response to these stimuli is dependent on the environmental context. For example, intact intestinal epithelium expresses pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) but should tolerate commensal bacteria, while damaged epithelium should respond promptly to initiate an immune response. This indicates that non‐hematopoietic cells possess mechanisms to sense environmental context and regulate their responses. Inhibitory receptors provide context sensing to immune cells. For instance, they raise the threshold for activation to prevent overzealous immune activation to harmless stimuli. Inhibitory receptors are typically studied on hematopoietic cells, but several of these receptors are expressed on non‐hematopoietic cells. Here, we review evidence for the regulation of non‐hematopoietic cells by inhibitory receptors, focusing on epithelial and endothelial cells. We explain that inhibitory receptors on these cells can sense a wide range of signals, including cell‐cell adhesion, cell‐matrix adhesion, and apoptotic cells. More importantly, they regulate various functions on these cells, including immune activation, proliferation, and migration. In conclusion, we propose that inhibitory receptors provide context to non‐hematopoietic cells by fine tuning their response to endogenous or microbial stimuli. These findings prompt to investigate the functions of inhibitory receptors on non‐hematopoietic cells more systematically.
Power supplies for cardiovascular implantable electronic devices
Authors: Deng Jue , Sun Xuemei , Peng Huisheng
Published: March 2023

The use of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) has proved to be the most successful device‐based therapy to reduce morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease over decades. The evolution of power supplies always promotes the development of CIEDs from historical perspectives. However, with the increased demands of therapy energy, modern CIEDs still face huge challenges in terms of longevity, size, and reliability of power supplies. Recent advances in batteries and novel energy devices have provided promising approaches to improve power supplies and enhance the therapeutic capabilities of CIEDs. In this review, we will summarize the therapy energy in different types of CIEDs tailored to specific cardiovascular diseases and discuss the design criterion of implantable batteries. After overviewing the evolution of batteries, we will discuss emerging cutting‐edge power technologies, including new battery systems, wearable power management platforms, wireless energy transfer, and leadless and unsealed devices.

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Feature–target pairing in machine learning for battery health diagnosis and prognosis: A critical review
Authors: Huang Zijie , Sugiarto Lawnardo , Lu Yi‐Chun
Published: March 2023

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have been dominating the markets of electric vehicles and grid energy storage. Accurate monitoring of battery health status has been one of the most critical challenges of the battery industry. Machine learning (ML) has been widely applied to battery health estimation as well as prediction. Here, by investigating the specific features and targets, we comprehensively discuss task‐oriented ML implementation in various application scenarios in the field of battery health. This review explores the tasks assisted by ML based on multi‐level cell degradation. We highlight opportunities and significance of considering the potential feature–target pair during the ML model training to identify more health information about LIBs as well as shed light into designing tasks for new application scenarios.

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A study on oxidation stability improvement of a palm oil‐derived biodiesel by a synthetic antioxidant
Authors: Ishak Nijad , Msheik Malek , Cursaru Diana‐Luciana , Riachi Bassam , Nassreddine Salim
Published: March 2023

Biodiesel, an alternative for conventional diesel, can be produced from renewable resources such as vegetable oils. One of the most crucial characteristics of biodiesel fuel is oxidation stability, which significantly influences the stability of biodiesel during prolonged storage. In fact, biodiesel is less resistant against oxidation than the conventional diesel. In order to transcend this problem, additives are employed. This work uses the Rancimat technique to examine the effects of various antioxidants additives on the oxidation stability of different produced biodiesel. The oxidative stability of biodiesel produced from rapeseed, palm, sunflower and waste cooking oil were evaluated after assuring that the properties of used oils and produced biodiesel complied with the ASTM requirements. Palm biodiesel was selected since it showed the highest oxidation stability of 1.32 h. The experimental findings demonstrated that the two antioxidants investigated (phenolhydrazine and thiamine hydrochloride) are boosting oxidation stability, however phenolhydrazine is providing a higher oxidation stability than thiamine hydrochloride. The optimal amount of phenolhydrazine was found to be 2550 ppm and resulted in an oxidation stability of 6 h. This great enhancement of oxidation stability (454%) ascertained that phenolhydrazine is a strong antioxidant to be utilized in order to enhance shelf life of natural source‐derived biodiesels. The mentioned antioxidant was not yet studied in literature which confirms the novelty of our work.
Modeling sarcoma relevant translocations using CRISPR‐Cas9 in human embryonic stem derived mesenchymal precursors
Authors: Vanoli Fabio , Antonescu Cristina R.
Published: March 2023

The role of cancer relevant translocations in tumorigenesis has been historically hampered by the lack of faithful in vitro and in vivo models. The development of the latest genome editing tools (e.g., CRISPR‐Cas9) allowed modeling of various chromosomal translocations with different effects on proliferation and transformation capacity depending on the cell line used and secondary genetic alterations. The cellular context is particularly relevant in the case of oncogenic fusions expressed in sarcomas whose histogenesis remain uncertain. Moreover, recent studies have emphasized the increased frequency of gene fusion promiscuity across different mesenchymal tumor entities, which are clinicopathologically unrelated. This review provides a summary of different strategies utilized to generate cancer models with a focus on fusion‐driven mesenchymal neoplasia.
A structural analysis of physician agency and pharmaceutical demand
Authors: Tang Meng‐Chi
Published: March 2023

This paper examines the significance of physician agency in medical providers' prescription choices. Physician agency is considered as medical providers' responses to the price and markup percentage of prescription drugs. Their preferences are allowed to be heterogeneous using a random coefficient logit model. Using a sample of anti‐diabetic prescriptions with metformin from a population‐based database in Taiwan, empirical results reveal that physician owners, privately‐owned medical providers, small medical providers and the medical providers facing less competition are more likely to prescribe drugs with higher profit margins. The aggregate pharmaceutical demand is also found to increase with the markup, which is allowed to be endogenous in the estimation. Price elasticity estimates suggest medical providers are quite responsive to pharmaceutical price changes in Taiwan. Counterfactual analysis reveals the potential impact of physician agency is economically significant. Removing markups and lowering pharmaceutical prices are found to be more welfare enhancing than restricting physicians' dispensing services.