bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the changes of texture, physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, and volatile compounds of quinoa fresh noodles during storage time
Authors: Wang Zinan , Liang Shan , Zhang Min
Published: July 2023

Background

Quinoa was suggested to substitute in noodles with positive effects of cardiovascular disease, metabolic, and gastrointestinal systems. However, quinoa fresh noodles (QFN) were hard to preserve but constrain industrial production. The deteriorative changes in the quality and relative parameters of QFN at 25 ± 1°C are lacking and needed to investigate.

Findings

In this study, QFN was sampled every 12 h at 25 ± 1°C, and found that the total plate count exceeded safety limit (5 log10 CFU/g) in 24 h. Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Aspergillus, and Filobasidium were the dominant spoilage microorganisms, where Bacillus was significantly increased and accounted over 90% of bacteria after spoilage. The volatile compounds changed significantly, where aldehydes decreased from 58.25% to 30.09%, while easters and alcohols increased from 2.29% to 14.84%, and 7.78% to 20.28% separately. With increasing of storage time, the water content and water activity decreased. Besides, strongly bound water decreased from 12.51% to 7.63%, weakly bound water and free water increased. The color of QFN turned to dark and red, where a value increased from 2.11 to 3.82, while L value decreased from 75.20 to 64.56. pH of QFN also decreased during storage. The quality index of QFN was qualified with decreased texture properties (hardness, springiness, and chewiness) and significantly increased cooking loss rate (8.65%–12.74%) and cooked broken rate (0%–26.67%).

Conclusions

The storage time of QFN was 24 h at 25 ± 1°C. The textural changes and certain indexes changed significantly after spoilage. And relative indexes of QFN qualities presented significant correlation with microorganisms.

Significance and Novelty

Bacillus in QFN may contribute significant changes in spoilage. The correlation analysis figured out the possible reasons for qualities changes of QFN.
Osteomyelitis with abscess associated with acute closed upper humerus fracture in an adult: A case report
Authors: Skedros John G. , Smith Tyler R. , Cronin John T.
Published: July 2023

Key Clinical Message

A 64‐year‐old female presented with malaise and fever 11 days after a closed, minimally displaced humerus surgical neck fracture. MR imaging revealed an abscess around the fracture, which is a very rare occurrence in adults. Two open debridements and IV antibiotics eradicated the infection. Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty was eventually performed for fracture nonunion.
A diagnostic challenge; pelvic solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) mimicking Peri‐Anal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST): A case report
Authors: Yazdi Seyed Amir Miratashi , Roudsari Payvand Parhizkar , Amoli Hadi Ahmadi , Hajebi Reza
Published: July 2023

Key Clinical Message

The study reports a rare case of pelvic solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) that was initially considered as a peri‐anal gastrointestinal stromal tumor due to similar radiologic/pathologic features. SFT diagnosis can be challenging due to its rarity and wide range of diagnoses that must be ruled out precisely.

Solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) are rare tumors that can occur in any part of the body. Although usually benign, malignant SFTs have been reported, especially outside the lungs. Radiology can help with diagnosis, but immunohistochemistry is necessary to distinguish SFTs from other possible diagnoses such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). This study presents a rare case of pelvic SFT initially considered to be a peri‐anal GIST, highlighting the importance of accurate diagnosis given the rarity of SFTs and the need to rule out other potential diagnoses.
Incidentally diagnosed multiple intradural extramedullary spinal hydatidosis in a young adult: A case report and review of the literature
Authors: Ahmadi Seyyed Mostafa , Meibodi Keyvan Tayebi , Raeesi Neda , Bitaraf Mohammad Ali , Iranmehr Arad
Published: July 2023

Key Clinical Message

Although quite rare, vertebral hydatidosis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis for spinal presentations, particularly in endemic areas for echinococcosis.

In this paper, we report a rare case of asymptomatic multiple intradural, extramedullary spinal hydatidosis, incidentally diagnosed in a patient with signs and symptoms of a true protruded disc. Although quite rare, vertebral hydatidosis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis for spinal presentations, particularly in endemic areas for echinococcosis.
Chiral diketopyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole‐based oligothiophenes: Synthesis and characterization of aggregated states in solution and thin films
Authors: Albano Gianluigi , Aronica Laura Antonella , Pescitelli Gennaro , Di Bari Lorenzo
Published: July 2023

In this work, we synthesized a family of three structurally related chiral oligothiophenes containing a 1,4‐diketo‐3,6‐diarylpyrrolo[3,4‐c]pyrrole (DPP) unit as the central core; functionalized with the same (S)‐3,7‐dimethyl‐1‐octyl chains on the nitrogen atoms of lactam moieties, they only differ in the number of lateral thiophene units. The aggregation modes of these π‐conjugated chiral systems were evaluated by means of UV–Vis absorption and ECD spectroscopies in conditions of solution aggregation (CHCl3/MeOH mixtures) and as thin films, describing in particular the impact of the π‐conjugation length on the chiroptical properties. Interestingly, we found that the variable number of thiophene units attached to the DPP core affects not only the propensity to aggregation but also the aggregates' helicity. ECD revealed information about the supramolecular arrangement of these molecules, that one would not obtain by using conventional optical spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. Thin film samples revealed very different aggregation modes with respect to solution aggregates, casting doubts on the common assumption that these latter may serve as simple models of the former ones.
Digital, interactive, colorful – interactive visualizations about color perception and organic colorants for chemistry lessons
Authors: Zerouali Amina , Werner Bernard , Lewalter Doris , Koenen Jenna
Published: July 2023

Die Wahrnehmung von Licht und Farbe ist ein omnipräsentes Phänomen des alltäglichen Lebens. Daher entwickeln Schülerinnen und Schüler frühzeitig eigene Konzepte und Vorstellungen über die Natur dieser Phänomene. Diese Konzepte bzw. Vorstellungen beeinflussen die Art und Weise, wie Schülerinnen und Schüler Licht und Farbe wahrnehmen und verstehen. Bereits bestehende Konzepte beeinflussen den Lernprozess maßgeblich. Daher gilt es, diese bei der Gestaltung von Lehr‐/Lernmaterialien zu berücksichtigen, um diese Konzepte gezielt zu adressieren. Eine Methode, den Lernprozess zu unterstützen, ist die Verwendung von interaktiven Visualisierungen, die es Schülerinnen und Schülern ermöglichen, Phänomene gezielt zu erfahren und ihre bestehenden Konzepte zu hinterfragen und/oder zu erweitern. Der nachfolgende Artikel befasst sich daher mit der Konzeption und Entwicklung von interaktiven Visualisierungen zum Thema Licht und Farbe und präsentiert Implementierungsmöglichkeiten in den Chemieunterricht.
Solid State Zinc and Aluminum ion batteries: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Guo Yuqi , Lim Gwendolyn J. H. , Verma Vivek , Cai Yi , Chua Rodney , Nicholas Lim J. J. , Srinivasan Madhavi
Published: July 2023

Solid‐state zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) and aluminum‐ion batteries (AIBs) are deemed as promising candidates for supplying power in wearable devices due to merits of low cost, high safety, and tunable flexibility. However, their wide‐scale practical application is limited by various challenges, down to the material level. This Review begins with elaboration of the root causes and their detrimental effect for four main limitations: electrode‐electrolyte interface contact, electrolyte ionic conductivity, mechanical strength, and electrochemical stability window of the electrolyte. Thereafter, various strategies to mitigate each of the described limitation are discussed along with future research direction perspectives. Finally, to estimate the viability of these technologies for wearable applications, economic‐performance metrics are compared against Li‐ion batteries.
Slowing down of charged particles in the dusty plasmas with a non‐thermal velocity α‐distribution
Authors: Wang Yu , Du Jiulin
Published: July 2023

The slowing down of a charged particle beam passing through the dusty plasma with a non‐thermal velocity α‐distribution is studied. By using the Fokker‐Planck collision theory, we derive the deceleration factor and slowing down time and make the numerical analyses. We show that the non‐thermal velocity α‐distributions of the plasma components have a significant effect on the slowing down. With increase of the mean velocity, the deceleration factor increases rapidly, reaches a peak and then decreases gradually. And the entire peak of the deceleration factor moves generally to the right with the increase of the α‐parameter. The slowing down time decreases with the increase of the non‐thermal α‐parameter, and so the slowing down time in the non‐thermal dusty plasma is generally less than that in a Maxwellian one.
Biotic and abiotic factors shaping bat activity in Maryland soybean fields
Authors: Maynard Lauren D. , Ford W. Mark , Parker John D. , Whitehead Susan R.
Published: July 2023

Bats are important pest control agents in agriculture. Yet, the underlying fine‐scale biotic and abiotic mechanisms that drive their foraging behaviors and responses to insect outbreaks are unclear. Herbivore‐induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) can attract both invertebrate and vertebrate natural enemies that use the chemical plant cues to locate insect prey. The ability of HIPVs to attract multiple species raises the question of whether they may also be a biotic factor influencing insectivorous bat activity. Additionally, abiotic factors, such as weather conditions, can affect bat activity in agricultural settings, but little is known about how bats respond to shifting environmental conditions on short timescales in this landscape context. Using a model crop system, soybean (Glycine max), our study asked three questions: (1) Which bat species are active in eastern Maryland soybean fields? (2) Is insectivorous bat activity affected by naturally occurring soybean HIPVs and/or synthetic soybean HIPVs (indole or farnesene)? (3) How is insectivorous bat activity affected by hourly weather conditions in this landscape? In soybean fields in eastern Maryland, we created paired treatment plots: HIPV plots (damaged plants or synthetic HIPV dispensers) and control plots (undamaged plants or empty dispensers). We measured bat activity using ultrasonic recorders, summarizing hourly and nightly activity, and detected 10 total species. The most abundant species were big brown/silver‐haired bats (Eptesicus fuscus/Lasionycteris noctivagans). Bat activity did not significantly differ between control and HIPV plots in any of the three experiments. Thus, our results do not support our expectation that bats in eastern Maryland use soybean HIPVs to locate insect prey. However, bat activity did increase with increasing average hourly temperature and wind speed. This initial study of bats and HIPVs, as well as the fine‐scale examination of weather conditions on bat activity, may serve as a guide for future research on bat–plant interactions that can support the development of new strategies for sustainable pest management.
Air pollution estimation under air stagnation—A case study of Beijing
Authors: Zhang Ying , Chen Song Xi , Bao Le
Published: July 2023

Air pollution continues to be a major environmental concern in China. The wind‐driven transmission poses difficulties in understanding the air pollution patterns at the local level. The main objective of this study is to offer a straightforward approach for investigating the temporal trends and meteorological effects on the air pollutant concentrations during the generation process without being confounded by the complex wind‐driven transmission effect. We focus on the hourly data of the three most common air pollutants: PM2.5, NO, and CO under air stagnation in Beijing, China, during 2014–2017. We find that the local pollution levels under air stagnation in Beijing have decreased over the years; winter is the severest month of the year; Sunday is the clearest day of the week. Our model also interpolates the air pollutant concentrations at sites without monitoring stations and provides a map of air pollution concentrations under air stagnation. The results could be used to identify locations where air pollutants easily accumulate.
Discrimination for geographical origin of Panax quinquefolius L. using UPLC Q‐Orbitrap MS‐based metabolomics approach
Authors: Pang Shifeng , Piao Xiangmin , Zhang Xiaohao , Chen Xiaolin , Zhang Hao , Jin Yinping , Li Zheng , Wang Yingping
Published: July 2023

American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius L., is an important medicinal plant with multiple pharmacological effects and high nutritional value. American ginseng from different geographical origins varies in quality and price. However, there was no approach for discriminating American ginseng from different geographical origins to date. In this study, a metabolomic method based on the UPLC–Orbitrap fusion platform was established to comprehensively determine and analyze metabolites of American ginseng from America and Canada, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Shandong provinces in China. A total of 382 metabolites were detected, including 230 saponins, 30 amino acids and derivatives, 27 organic acids and derivatives, 25 lipids, 17 carbohydrates and derivatives, 10 phenols, 8 nucleotides, and derivatives, as well as 35 other metabolites. Metabolite differences between North America and Asia producing areas were more obvious than within Asia. Twenty metabolites, contributed most to the differentiation of producing areas, were identified as potential markers with prediction accuracy higher than 91%. The results provide new insights into the metabolite composition of American ginseng from different origins, which will help discriminate origins and promote quality control of American ginseng.
Mechanisms of adaptive hypertrophic cardiac remodeling in a large animal model of premature ventricular contraction‐induced cardiomyopathy
Authors: Balderas‐Villalobos Jaime , Medina‐Contreras J. M. Lourdes , Lynch Christopher , Kabadi Rajiv , Hayles Janée , Ramirez Rafael J. , Tan Alex Y. , Kaszala Karoly , Samsó Montserrat , Huizar Jose F. , Eltit Jose M.
Published: July 2023

Frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) promoted eccentric cardiac hypertrophy and reduced ejection fraction (EF) in a large animal model of PVC‐induced cardiomyopathy (PVC‐CM), but the molecular mechanisms and markers of this hypertrophic remodeling remain unexplored. Healthy mongrel canines were implanted with pacemakers to deliver bigeminal PVCs (50% burden with 200–220 ms coupling interval). After 12 weeks, left ventricular (LV) free wall samples were studied from PVC‐CM and Sham groups. In addition to reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF), the PVC‐CM group showed larger cardiac myocytes without evident ultrastructural alterations compared to the Sham group. Biochemical markers of pathological hypertrophy, such as store‐operated Ca2+ entry, calcineurin/NFAT pathway, β‐myosin heavy chain, and skeletal type α‐actin were unaltered in the PVC‐CM group. In contrast, pro‐hypertrophic and antiapoptotic pathways including ERK1/2 and AKT/mTOR were activated and/or overexpressed in the PVC‐CM group, which appeared counterbalanced by an overexpression of protein phosphatase 1 and a borderline elevation of the anti‐hypertrophic factor atrial natriuretic peptide. Moreover, the potent angiogenic and pro‐hypertrophic factor VEGF‐A and its receptor VEGFR2 were significantly elevated in the PVC‐CM group. In conclusion, a molecular program is in place to keep this structural remodeling associated with frequent PVCs as an adaptive pathological hypertrophy.
The efficacy of telephone‐delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in people with chronic illnesses and mental diseases: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Altieri Manuela , Sergi Maria R. , Tommasi Marco , Santangelo Gabriella , Saggino Aristide
Published: July 2023

COVID‐19 pandemic led to an increase of remote treatments, such as telephone‐delivery cognitive behavioral therapy (T‐CBT). To our knowledge, no meta‐analyses studied the effect of T‐CBT in chronic and/or mental illnesses on multiple psychological outcomes. Therefore, our study aims to evaluating the efficacy of T‐CBT compared to other interventions (treatment as usual, TAU, or face‐to‐face CBT). Each effect size (ES) was calculated in Hedges' g and pooled together to produce a mean ES for each outcome (depression, anxiety, mental and physical QoL, worry, coping, and sleep disturbances). The meta‐analysis included 33 studies with a randomized controlled trial design. A large ES was found when comparing the efficacy of T‐CBT against TAU on depression (g = 0.84, p < 0.001), whereas a moderate ES was found on anxiety (g = 0.57; p < 0.001), and a small effect on mental quality of life (g = 0.33, p < 0.001), sleep disturbances (g = 0.37, p = 0.042), coping (g = 0.20, p = 0.016) and worry (g = 0.43, p = 0.001). The meta‐analysis comparing the efficacy of T‐CBT and CBT on depression revealed a not significant pooled ES (g = 0.06, p = 0.466). The results provided evidence that T‐CBT could be to be more effective than TAU conditions in multiple psychological outcomes, and as efficient as face‐to‐face CBT in treating depression.
Real‐time influence of intracellular acidification and Na+/H+ exchanger inhibition on in‐cell pyruvate metabolism in the perfused mouse heart: A 31P‐NMR and hyperpolarized 13C‐NMR study
Authors: Shaul David , Lev‐Cohain Naama , Sapir Gal , Sosna Jacob , Gomori J. Moshe , Joskowicz Leo , Katz‐Brull Rachel
Published: July 2023

Disruption of acid–base balance is linked to various diseases and conditions. In the heart, intracellular acidification is associated with heart failure, maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy, and myocardial ischemia. Previously, we have reported that the ratio of the in‐cell lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activities is correlated with cardiac pH. To further characterize the basis for this correlation, these in‐cell activities were investigated under induced intracellular acidification without and with Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE1) inhibition by zoniporide. Male mouse hearts (n = 30) were isolated and perfused retrogradely. Intracellular acidification was performed in two ways: (1) with the NH4Cl prepulse methodology; and (2) by combining the NH4Cl prepulse with zoniporide. 31P NMR spectroscopy was used to determine the intracellular cardiac pH and to quantify the adenosine triphosphate and phosphocreatine content. Hyperpolarized [1‐13C]pyruvate was obtained using dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization. 13C NMR spectroscopy was used to monitor hyperpolarized [1‐13C]pyruvate metabolism and determine enzyme activities in real time at a temporal resolution of a few seconds using the product‐selective saturating excitation approach. The intracellular acidification induced by the NH4Cl prepulse led to reduced LDH and PDH activities (−16% and −39%, respectively). This finding is in line with previous evidence of reduced myocardial contraction and therefore reduced metabolic activity upon intracellular acidification. Concomitantly, the LDH/PDH activity ratio increased with the reduction in pH, as previously reported. Combining the NH4Cl prepulse with zoniporide led to a greater reduction in LDH activity (−29%) and to increased PDH activity (+40%). These changes resulted in a surprising decrease in the LDH/PDH ratio, as opposed to previous predictions. Zoniporide alone (without intracellular acidification) did not change these enzyme activities. A possible explanation for the enzymatic changes observed during the combination of the NH4Cl prepulse and NHE1 inhibition may be related to mitochondrial NHE1 inhibition, which likely negates the mitochondrial matrix acidification. This effect, combined with the increased acidity in the cytosol, would result in an enhanced H+ gradient across the mitochondrial membrane and a temporarily higher pyruvate transport into the mitochondria, thereby increasing the PDH activity at the expense of the cytosolic LDH activity. These findings demonstrate the complexity of in‐cell cardiac metabolism and its dependence on intracellular acidification. This study demonstrates the capabilities and limitations of hyperpolarized [1‐13C]pyruvate in the characterization of intracellular acidification as regards cardiac pathologies.
Self‐foaming polyurea foams reinforced by nano SiO2 via a non‐isocyanate route
Authors: Lin Chenxi , Tang Donglin
Published: July 2023

The feedstocks for conventional polyurea foams (PUrFs) are limited but they have more choices in urea route as discribed in this work. Urea, ternary amine T403 and diaminodecane DA‐10 were used for the construction of self‐foaming PUrFs, in which the byproduct ammonia performs as a foaming agent. The influence of nano SiO2 content and feeding ratio of T403 to DA‐10 on the pore morphology and the properties of PUrFs were investigated. A feeding amount of 3 wt% nano SiO2 is found to be able to significantly improve the nucleation performance of PUrFs. If the nano SiO2 loading is higher (5 wt%) the melt strength will increase, which is not benefit for the foaming. An appropriate feeding ratio of T403 to DA‐10 (1/1, sample PUrF‐3‐50) can improve the crystallinity thus promoting the nucleation in foaming process. The comprehensive performance of PUrF‐3‐50 is found to be the highest, with an average pore size at 429 μm, an apparent density at 298 kg/m3, and a compressive strength (75% strain) at 3.2 MPa. It is worth noting that the hysteresis of PUrF‐3‐50 is high (>90%) and stable. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of PUrFs and broadens the applications of urea‐based polymers.
Synthesis of copolymer nanocomposite by in situ intercalative polymerization for batch and fixed bed adsorption
Authors: Dutta Barnali , Ray Samit Kumar
Published: July 2023

Partially neutralized acrylic acid (AA)/sodium acrylate (NaAA) and N, N′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) were subjected to intercalative copolymerization in aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the presence of sodium montmorillonite (NaMMT) nano clay to prepare filled semi‐interpenetrating network (FSIPN) type composite polymer networks. Filled Full IPN (FFIPN) composites were prepared in a similar way by additional crosslinking of PVA with maleic acid (MA) crosslinker. The polymers were characterized with FTIR, NMR, XRD, TGA, SEM, EDAX, TEM, XPS, DLS, PZC, and pH reversibility test. The synthesis variables were optimized with respect to batch adsorption of 100 mg/L each of methyl violet (MV) and congo red (CR) dye as response using the central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology (RSM). The FFIPN prepared from polyacrylic acid (PAA)/sodium polyacrylate containing PVA/Clay/MBA/MA of optimized composition of 4/1.5/0.75/4 (wt.% of AA/NaAA), respectively, showed an optimized adsorption (mg/g adsorbent) of 459.16/417.31 of MV/CR as single dye and 438.01/417.31 of MV/CR in 1:1 binary mixtures of 100 mg/L feed concentration. The FFIPN showed an adsorption (mg/g) of 41.54/37.61 and removal% of 88.5/80.12 at a feed flow rate, bed height, and feed inlet concentration of 20 mL/min, 20 mm, and 50 mg/L, respectively.
Prognostic value of neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio in patients with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer receiving prostate‐specific membrane antigen targeted radionuclide therapy
Authors: Stangl‐Kremser Judith , Sun Michael , Ho Benedict , Thomas Joseph , Nauseef Jones T. , Osborne Joseph R. , Molina Ana , Sternberg Cora N. , Nanus David M. , Bander Neil H. , Tagawa Scott
Published: July 2023

Background

Neutrophil count:lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) may be a prognostic factor for men with advanced prostate cancer. We hypothesized that it is associated with prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) response and survival in men treated with prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA)‐targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT).

Methods

Data of 180 men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who were treated in sequential prospective radionuclide clinical trials from 2002 to 2021 (utilizing 177Lu‐J591, 90Y‐J591, 177Lu‐PSMA‐617, or 225Ac‐J591) were retrospectively analyzed. We used a logistic regression to determine the association between NLR and ≥50% PSA decline (PSA50) and a Cox proportional hazards model to investigate the association between NLR and overall survival (OS).

Results

A total of 94 subjects (52.2%) received 177Lu‐J591, 51 (28.3%) 177Lu‐PSMA‐617, 28 (15.6%) 225Ac‐J591, and 7 (3.9%) 90Y‐J591. The median NLR of 3.75 was used as cut‐off (low vs. high NLR; n = 90, respectively). On univariate analysis, NLR was not associated with PSA50 (HR 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99–1.17, p = 0.067). However, it was associated with worse OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.06, 95% CI 1.02–1.09, p = 0.002), also after controlling for circulating tumor cell count and cancer and leukemia group B risk group (HR 1.05; 95% CI 1.003–1.11, p = 0.036). Men with high NLR were at a higher hazard of death from all causes (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.05–1.94, p = 0.024).

Conclusions

NLR provides prognostic information in the setting of patients with mCRPC receiving treatment with PSMA‐TRT.
Cisplatin cycles treatment sustains cardiovascular and renal damage involving TLR4 and NLRP3 pathways
Authors: González Antonio , García‐Gómez‐Heras Soledad , Franco‐Rodríguez Raquel , López‐Miranda Visitación , Herradón Esperanza
Published: July 2023

Cisplatin is clinically proven to combat different cancers, including sarcomas, soft tissue cancers, bones, muscles, and blood. However, renal and cardiovascular toxicities are important limitations in cisplatin therapeutical use. Immunoinflammation could be key factor in cisplatin‐induced toxicity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the activation of the inflammatory TLR4/NLRP3 pathway as a common mechanism for cardiovascular and renal cisplatin's cycles treatment toxicity. Adult male Wistar rats were treated with saline, cisplatin 2 mg/kg or cisplatin 3 mg/kg (intraperitoneally once a week, for five experimental weeks). After treatments, plasma, cardiac, vascular, and renal tissues were collected. Plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and inflammatory cytokines were determined. TLR4, MyD88, NF‐κβ p65, NLRP3, and procaspase‐1 tissue expressions were also analyzed. Cisplatin treatment induced a dose‐dependent increase in plasma MDA and IL‐18. In cardiovascular system, an increase in NLRP3 and in cleaved caspase‐1 were observed in cardiac tissue and a moderate increase in TLR4, MyD88 appeared in mesenteric artery. In kidney, a significant dose‐dependent increase in TLR4, MyD88 and NLRP3 and cleaved caspase 1 expressions were observed after cisplatin treatments. In conclusion, cisplatin cycles provoke a low grade pro‐inflammatory systemic state. Kidney was more sensitive than cardiovascular tissues to this pro‐inflammatory state. TLR4 and NLRP3 are key pathways involved in renal tissue damage, NLRP3 is the main pathway involved in cardiac toxicity and TLR4 pathway in resistance vessel toxicity.
20(S)‐ Protopanaxadiol saponins isolated from Panax notoginseng target the binding of HMGB1 to TLR4 against inflammation in experimental ulcerative colitis
Authors: Chen Jinfen , Lu Pengde , Liu Jiayue , Yang Li , Li Yiyang , Chen Yanling , Wang Yitao , Wan Jianbo , Zhao Yonghua
Published: July 2023

Ulcerative colitis (UC) has emerged as a global healthcare issue due to high prevalence and unsatisfying therapeutic measures. 20(S)‐ Protopanaxadiol saponins (PDS) from Panax notoginseng with anti‐inflammatory properties is a potential anti‐colitis agent. Herein, we explored the effects and mechanisms of PDS administration on experimental murine UC. Dextran sulfate sodium‐induced murine UC model was employed to investigate anti‐colitis effects of PDS, and associated mechanisms were further verified in HMGB1‐exposed THP‐1 macrophages. Results indicated that PDS administration exerted ameliorative effects against experimental UC. Moreover, PDS administration remarkably downregulated mRNA expressions and productions of related pro‐inflammatory mediators, and reversed elevated expressions of proteins related to NLRP3 inflammasome after colitis induction. Furthermore, administration with PDS also suppressed the expression and translocation of HMGB1, interrupting the downstream TLR4/NF‐κB pathway. In vitro, ginsenoside CK and 20(S)‐protopanaxadiol, the metabolites of PDS, exhibited greater potential in anti‐inflammation, and intervened with the TLR4‐binding domain of HMGB1 predictably. Expectedly, ginsenoside CK and 20(S)‐protopanaxadiol administrations inhibited the activation of TLR4/NF‐κB/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in HMGB1‐exposed THP‐1 macrophages. Summarily, PDS administration attenuated inflammatory injury in experimental colitis by blocking the binding of HMGB1 to TLR4, majorly attributed to the antagonistic efficacies of ginsenoside CK and 20(S)‐protopanaxadiol.
Scenario-Driven Data Generation with Experimentable Digital Twins
Authors: Maqbool Osama , Roßmann Jürgen
Published: July 2023

Synthetic data is an indispensable supplement to the difficult-to-acquire real data in order to meet the substantial demand by machine learning based systems. Data playing the key role in machine learning models, its objective and maintainable quality metrics are vital for quality assurance of the whole system. This paper introduces a systematic and domain-neutral methodology based on formalized scenario variation and experimental digital twins for the generation of synthetic data. The methodology uses human-readable scenarios and semantically meaningful parameter variations to describe possible entities, actions and events to be simulated, whereas experimental digital twins bring the scenarios to life by the integration of various domains of a system such as mechanics, sensors, actuators and communication under one platform that can be simulated as a whole. The scenario description and digital twin simulation is carried out iteratively to derive the optimal distribution of synthetic data. Thus scenarios and experimentable digital twins can together serve as mediums to systematically cover diverse application scenarios, test dangerous situations and find faults within a system.
Two-Stage Robotic Bin Picking of Small Metallic Objects
Authors: Herbert Meike , Bach Paul , Lieret Markus , Fürst Jens , Franke Jörg
Published: July 2023

Robotic grasping of small metallic objects such as bolts is a challenging task due to the small dimensions and textureless reflective surfaces. Depth images acquired of such objects are often noisy and error-prone. In addition, overlapping of parts occur as they are provided randomly oriented in a box such as a small load carrier. To overcome the limitations of existing solutions for bolt separation, a flexible and cost-effective system is developed using an industrial robot and a magnetic gripper. In a two-stage procedure, the bolts are first grasped blindly from a box and placed on a flat surface. In the second step, object detection and pose estimation is performed and the individual bolts are grasped and inserted into a fixture, so that finally the bolts are in a defined position. Industrial use cases for this system are the automated preparation of bolts for robotic screwing processes or automated commissioning of small objects for assembly tasks. The methodology, implementation and evaluation of the proposed solution is presented in this paper.
LiDAR-based Real-Time Measurement and Control of Shoulder Torque—Preview on an Experimental Approach
Authors: Herrmann Max , Ebenhoch Christoph , von der Wense Jens , Weidner Robert
Published: July 2023

A concept of how load imposed by an exoskeleton on the upper arm affects shoulder torque is given using a mechanical mock-up of the shoulder-arm-system and a serial kinematic robot. System identification methods for linear surrogate models of the human shoulder-arm-system and their embeddings in control loops are introduced. Early measurements of a novel, multisensor LiDAR system for real-time motion-capturing of human motion are presented, and its implications discussed. The experimental setup is used for direct shoulder torque readings and control.
Towards Learning by Demonstration for Industrial Assembly Tasks
Authors: Hernandez Moreno Victor , Carmichael Marc G. , Deuse Jochen
Published: July 2023

In recent times, learning by demonstration has seen tremendous progress in robotic assembly operations. One of the most prominent trajectory-level task models applied is Dynamic Movement Primitives (DMP). However, it lacks the ability to tackle complex operations as often encountered in industrial assembly. Augmenting low-level models with a high-level framework in which different movement segments are deliberately parameterised is considered promising for such scenarios. This paper investigates the combination of trajectory-level DMPs with Methods-Time Measurement (MTM). We demonstrate how the MTM-1 system is utilised to establish distinguished DMP models for five of its basic elements, paving the way to benefitting from the sophisticated MTM system. The evaluation of the framework is conducted on a generic pick and place operation. Compared to a one-model-fits-all DMP approach for the whole task, the proposed method shows the advantage of appropriate temporal scaling, accuracy levelling and force consideration at adequate times.
Accuracy Examination of a Flexible Pin Gripper for Forging Applications
Authors: Ince Caner-Veli , Geggier Jan , Raatz Annika
Published: July 2023

Nowadays, cost reduction in manufacturing is getting relevant. One aspect to achieve that is utilising universal handling systems and their ability to adapt to changing objects and various geometries. By that, they minimise the number of handling systems and set-up times whereby cost savings are realised. In the field of forging, the objects vary their shape several times during the manufacturing process. In addition, the temperature can rise up to 1200 $${}^{\circ }\text {C}$$

∘

C

during the different steps of the forging process. Current flexible handling systems cannot handle those temperatures. The main reason for that is the material they consist of, primarily elastic polymers. Hence, there is a need for a handling system to close the gap between form flexible and high temperature handling. For this purpose, we developed such a handling system in our previous work, consisting of two jaws with pins in a matrix arrangement. Each pin can move in the longitudinal direction and adapt to different shapes. In response to the current temperatures for the pins, a material is used that withstands high temperatures. This paper presents the actuation and control of the developed handling system. The system is actuated by pressurised air which is continuously controlled to counteract the thermal expansion of the air caused by the high temperatures. Therefore, we integrate intelligent valves to fulfil the automation and control. Finally, we evaluate the accuracy of our system and optimise the valve control.
Einleitung
Authors: Schlander Michael , Schäfer Ramon , Selberg Lorenz
Published: July 2023

Die Laboratorien in der Schweiz erzielen eine Wertschöpfung von zwei Milliarden Schweizer Franken pro Jahr, beschäftigen 14.300 Mitarbeitende und verursachen weniger als drei Prozent der Leistungsausgaben der Obligatorischen Krankenpflegeversicherung (OKP). Die Labormedizin gilt nach verbreiteter Expertenmeinung als ausschlaggebend für rund 70 % aller klinischen Entscheide („70 %-Claim“). Gleichzeitig steht sie vor grossen Herausforderungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Siegeszug der evidenzbasierten Medizin (EBM), erhöhten regulatorischen Hürden für den Leistungsnachweis vor und nach erfolgter Zulassung, und rigorosen Überprüfungen des klinischen Nutzens und des Kosten/Nutzen-Verhältnisses labordiagnostischer Verfahren im Rahmen von Health Technology Assessments (HTAs).
Hintergrund: Gesundheitswesen in der Schweiz
Authors: Schlander Michael , Schäfer Ramon , Selberg Lorenz
Published: July 2023

In der Gesamtbetrachtung zeichnet sich das Gesundheitssystem der Schweiz im internationalen Vergleich gleichermassen durch seine grosse Leistungsfähigkeit (pars pro toto: die Lebenserwartung der Schweizer wird nur von derjenigen der Japaner übertroffen) wie durch seine hohen Kosten aus.

Vor dem Hintergrund steigender Ansprüche an den Nachweis der Wirksamkeit und der Wirtschaftlichkeit medizinischer Massnahmen ist es das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit, den Nutzen der Laboratoriumsmedizin aus patientenbezogener und gesellschaftlicher Perspektive anhand exemplarischer Testverfahren zu dokumentieren.
IV. Kapitel: Die Neubegründung einer Tradition im Geiste Bertolt Brechts – Max Frischs Romane
Authors: Aumüller Matthias
Published: July 2023

Seit ihrem Erscheinen haben Max Frischs Romane Stiller (1954), Homo faber (1957) und Mein Name sei Gantenbein (1964) nicht allein beim Lesepublikum, sondern auch in Literaturkritik und Literaturwissenschaft anhaltend großes Interesse gefunden. Das Augenmerk der kritischen und philologischen Auseinandersetzung mit den Romanen hat von Beginn an nicht zuletzt ihrer besonderen narrativen Gestaltung gegolten; die Frage nach der Zuverlässigkeit der auftretenden Erzähler ist dabei allerdings lange Zeit von bloß nachgeordnetem Interesse gewesen, und dies hat sich mit der Durchsetzung des Unzuverlässigkeitskonzepts in der Erzähltheorie der letzten Jahrzehnte nur sehr langsam geändert. Seit den 1970er Jahren sind Frischs Erzählerfiguren, vor allem Walter Faber in Homo faber, zwar immer wieder und durchaus im technischen Sinne als „unzuverlässig“ kategorisiert worden; erst in jüngster Zeit jedoch ist es zu anspruchsvolleren Bemühungen gekommen, die genaue Nutzung und Rolle der Techniken unzuverlässigen Erzählens in den Texten zu bestimmen.
VIII. Kapitel: Das Wesentliche verschweigen – Gabriele Wohmanns Abschied für länger (1965)
Authors: Aumüller Matthias
Published: July 2023

Im Jahr 1956 erschien Gabriele Wohmanns Erzählung Ein unwiderstehlicher Mann in der Zeitschrift Akzente. Sie hatte den Text Walter Höllerer geschickt, und er wurde auf Anhieb angenommen. Auf diese erste Veröffentlichung meldeten sich bei ihr gleich drei Verlage mit dem Angebot, sie in ihre Programme zu nehmen: Piper, Luchterhand und Walter (auf Vermittlung von Alfred Andersch).
Neue Forschungsfragen in der Geschichte der deutschsprachigen Sexualwissenschaft und Sexualmedizin
Authors: Krischel Matthis , Kühl Richard , Mahr Dana
Published: July 2023

Zu den neuen Forschungsfragen in der Geschichte der deutschsprachigen Sexualwissenschaft und Sexualmedizin zählen neben einem neuen Blick auf Kaiserreich und Weimarer Republik und Magnus Hirschfeld als Protagonisten dieser Zeit auch die Zeitgeschichte des Fachs in der Bundesrepublik mit den zwei prägenden Instituten in Frankfurt (Volkmar Sigusch) und Hamburg (Eberhard Schorsch). Auch in der Nachkriegszeit bestand die Tendenz weiter, gesellschaftliche Probleme durch endokrinologische und chirurgische Zugriffe lösen zu wollen. Hierzu gehört auch die (freiwillige) Kastration von Sexualstraftätern, die seit 1969 in der Bundesrepublik gesetzlich geregt ist. Nicht nur im Kontext von geschlechtsangleichenden Operationen stellen sich Fragen nach geschlechtlicher Identität. Diese haben auch hohe soziale Relevanz und werden in den letzten Jahren zunehmend politisiert. Diese Fragen sind auch anhaltend relevant für die Urologie und klinische Sexualmedizin.
Gender inequalities in heat-related mortality in the Czech Republic
Authors: Vésier Chloé , Urban Aleš
Published: July 2023

It is acknowledged that climate change exacerbates social inequalities, and women have been reported as more vulnerable to heat than men in many studies in Europe, including the Czech Republic. This study aimed at investigating the associations between daily temperature and mortality in the Czech Republic in the light of a sex and gender perspective, taking into account other factors such as age and marital status. Daily mean temperature and individual mortality data recorded during the five warmest months of the year (from May to September) over the period 1995–2019 were used to fit a quasi-Poisson regression model, which included a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) to account for the delayed and non-linear effects of temperature on mortality. The heat-related mortality risks obtained in each population group were expressed in terms of risk at the 99th percentile of summer temperature relative to the minimum mortality temperature. Women were found generally more at risk to die because of heat than men, and the difference was larger among people over 85 years old. Risks among married people were lower than risks among single, divorced, and widowed people, while risks in divorced women were significantly higher than in divorced men. This is a novel finding which highlights the potential role of gender inequalities in heat-related mortality. Our study underlines the relevance of including a sex and gender dimension in the analysis of the impacts of heat on the population and advocates the development of gender-based adaptation policies to extreme heat.
Mixotrophic and heterotrophic growth of Galdieria sulphuraria using buttermilk as a carbon source
Authors: Occhipinti Paride Salvatore , Del Signore Flavia , Canziani Stefano , Caggia Cinzia , Mezzanotte Valeria , Ferrer-Ledo Narcís
Published: July 2023

The growth of the polyextremophile red microalga Galdieria sulphuraria ACUF 064 was evaluated under mixotrophy and heterotrophy in a 13-L lab-scale stirred photobioreactor, using buttermilk as a carbon source. Beforehand, G. sulphuraria ACUF 064 growth on glucose, galactose and lactose was evaluated. No significant differences were observed in terms of growth when lactose, glucose or galactose was used as a carbon source. Overall, the biomass yield on carbon was 70% higher in mixotrophy than heterotrophy for galactose (2.0 gx gC−1) and lactose (2.0 gx gC−1), while it was similar for glucose (1.5 gx gC−1). At the same time, the yield of biomass on nitrogen for cultures grown in lactose was the lowest in comparison to all the other tested substrates. This was also supported by a higher C-phycocyanin content, with 5.9% wC-PC/wx as the highest value in mixotrophy. A preliminary experiment in flasks under mixotrophic conditions with different buttermilk dilutions revealed that a dilution ratio of 40% v/v of buttermilk (corresponding to 2.0 gC L−1) was optimal for biomass production. Finally, G. sulphuraria ACUF 064 was grown in the optimal buttermilk dilution ratio in a 13 L photobioreactor. The highest biomass productivity was also obtained in mixotrophy (0.55 gx L−1 d−1), corresponding to a carbon removal of 61%. Overall, lactose-containing substrates such as buttermilk hold promise as a substrate for the growth of G. sulphuraria while revalorizing an industrial effluent.
A randomized multi-index sequential Monte Carlo method
Authors: Liang Xinzhu , Yang Shangda , Cotter Simon L. , Law Kody J. H.
Published: July 2023

We consider the problem of estimating expectations with respect to a target distribution with an unknown normalizing constant, and where even the unnormalized target needs to be approximated at finite resolution. Under such an assumption, this work builds upon a recently introduced multi-index sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) ratio estimator, which provably enjoys the complexity improvements of multi-index Monte Carlo (MIMC) and the efficiency of SMC for inference. The present work leverages a randomization strategy to remove bias entirely, which simplifies estimation substantially, particularly in the MIMC context, where the choice of index set is otherwise important. Under reasonable assumptions, the proposed method provably achieves the same canonical complexity of MSE$$^{-1}$$

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1

as the original method (where MSE is mean squared error), but without discretization bias. It is illustrated on examples of Bayesian inverse and spatial statistics problems.
When Perception Strikes Back: Testing Popular Agreement with Blank and Schmidt’s Item Categorization
Authors: Bitschnau Marco , Mußotter Marlene
Published: July 2023

For more than two decades, the work of Blank and Schmidt has greatly influenced empirical research on national attachment. Distinguishing between nationalism, patriotism, and national identity, it rests on a set of item batteries that have since been taken up by numerous researchers. In this contribution, we argue that the categorization of most of these items is inconsistent with the perception of a nonexpert sample and, in some cases, even in direct opposition to it. To substantiate this claim, we present the results of an online survey of German university students (N = 424) who were tasked with assigning all items from Blank and Schmidt’s 1997 article to one of the three categories. As hypothesized, the majority of respondents assigned only a few items correctly—so few that their overall agreement with Blank and Schmidt was even lower than what would normally be expected from a random distribution. We also asked about item understandability and found that while some items were considered relatively difficult to understand, there was no obvious correlation between these and the miscategorized ones. Taking this discrepancy between academic and nonacademic concept use into account can further our understanding of national attachment and help us refine existing survey techniques.
Model based clustering of multinomial count data
Authors: Papastamoulis Panagiotis
Published: July 2023

We consider the problem of inferring an unknown number of clusters in multinomial count data, by estimating finite mixtures of multinomial distributions with or without covariates. Both Maximum Likelihood (ML) as well as Bayesian estimation are taken into account. Under a Maximum Likelihood approach, we provide an Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm which exploits a careful initialization procedure combined with a ridge-stabilized implementation of the Newton-Raphson method in the M-step. Under a Bayesian setup, a stochastic gradient Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm embedded within a prior parallel tempering scheme is devised. The number of clusters is selected according to the Integrated Completed Likelihood criterion in the ML approach and estimating the number of non-empty components in overfitting mixture models in the Bayesian case. Our method is illustrated in simulated data and applied to two real datasets. The proposed methods are implemented in a contributed package, available online.