bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chemical shift assignments of the catalytic domain of Staphylococcus aureus LytM
Authors: Tossavainen Helena , Pitkänen Ilona , Antenucci Lina , Thapa Chandan , Permi Perttu
Published: November 2023

S. aureus resistance to antibiotics has increased rapidly. MRSA strains can simultaneously be resistant to many different classes of antibiotics, including the so-called “last-resort” drugs. Resistance complicates treatment, increases mortality and substantially increases the cost of treatment. The need for new drugs against (multi)resistant S. aureus is high. M23B family peptidoglycan hydrolases, enzymes that can kill S. aureus by cleaving glycine-glycine peptide bonds in S. aureus cell wall are attractive targets for drug development because of their binding specificity and lytic activity. M23B enzymes lysostaphin, LytU and LytM have closely similar catalytic domain structures. They however differ in their lytic activities, which can arise from non-conserved residues in the catalytic groove and surrounding loops or differences in dynamics. We report here the near complete 1H/13C/15N resonance assignment of the catalytic domain of LytM, residues 185–316. The chemical shift data allow comparative structural and functional studies between the enzymes and is essential for understanding how these hydrolases degrade the cell wall.
Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from a Typical Sugarcane Soil in the Cauca River Valley, Colombia
Authors: Valencia-Molina Manuel C. , Chalco Vera Jorge , Loaiza Sandra , Trujillo Catalina , Munera Bryan , Castro-Franco Mauricio , Silva-Parra Amanda , Chirinda Ngonidzashe , Muñoz-Arboleda Fernando
Published: November 2023

Sugarcane is an important crop for tropical countries and to accurately inventory its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions baseline measurements are needed. In Colombia, sugarcane is one of the most important crops in terms of cultivated area and, paradoxically, scientific information reporting GHG emissions based on field measurements is almost nonexistent. The objective of this work was to quantify the direct emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) in the sugarcane-soil system of the Cauca river valley, Colombia. For this purpose, a field experiment was established in a typic haplustert soil cropped with sugarcane. The effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization and sampling site on its GHG emissions were tested using the closed static chamber method over a period of 211 days. The main cumulative emissions were 765.14 ± 34.1 g CO2–C m−2 and 125.4 ± 22.6 mg N2O–N m−2. Overall, GHG emissions were modified by N fertilization, the sampling site, and their interaction. Nitrogen fertilization with urea increased mean and cumulative CO2 and N2O emissions, especially at the row sampling site. This paper highlights the importance of considering these factors when the quantification of GHGs or a reduction of their associated uncertainties are required. This work reportss the first GHG emissions data for a typical sugarcane agroecosystem in Colombia.
Green synthesis of AgCoFe2O4@Ch/AC as a recyclable, magnetic nanohybrid heterogeneous catalyst in photodegradation of ceftriaxone from aqueous solutions with effluent bioassay
Authors: Amiri Fard Mohammad Hossein , Nasiri Alireza , Daraei Hasti
Published: November 2023

Ceftriaxone (CFTR) is among the most commonly used antibiotics in the treatment of different types of bacterial infections and widespread pneumonias. It was also known as one of the most frequently prescribed antibiotics during the Corona pandemic. This drug has a longer half-life than other antibiotics. In this research, the heterogeneous magnetic nanophotocatalyst AgCoFe2O4@Chitosan(Ch)/activated carbon (AC) was synthesized by co-precipitation method under microwave waves. The catalyst structure was characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDS, mapping, line scan, BET, VSM and DRS analyzers. Then, the effect of pH, CFTR concentration, nanophotocatalyst dose and irradiation time on the photocatalytic process efficiency was investigated. The analyses showed that the catalyst was synthesized on a nanometer scale, high surface area (60.044 m2/g), high magnetic strength (Ms = 10.39 emu/g) and appropriate optical activity with band gap (3.1 eV). The highest removal efficiency at pH = 3, CFTR concentration of 5 mg/L, dose of 0.24 g/L, and irradiation time of 60 min was obtained at 98.8% and 79.01% for synthetic and real wastewater samples, respectively. The reaction kinetics followed the pseudo-first-order and Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic models with KC = 0.23 mg/L min and KL−H = 0.168 L/mg. The recovered catalyst was able to remove CFTR with an efficiency of 80.16% after 4 reuse cycles. The results of scavenger radical tests showed that the main active radical species was $$^{ \cdot } {\text{OH}}$$

·

OH

. The obtained results from the effluent toxicity on the germination index of lettuce, watercress, radish and tomato seeds showed a significant reduction in the environmental hazards of the effluent. Due to the high efficiency, this nanophotocatalyst can be used for the treatment of pharmaceutical and hospital wastewaters, and the effluent has the least toxicity for the environment.
Limited protection of pneumococcal vaccines against emergent Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 14/ST876 strains
Authors: Lan Yinle , Liu Lin , Hu Dongping , Ge Lihong , Xiang Xi , Peng Minfei , Fu Ying , Wang Yanfei , Li Shuxian , Chen Yan , Jiang Yan , Tu Yuexing , Vidal Jorge E. , Yu Yunsong , Chen Zhimin , Wu Xueqing
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) is a major cause of child death. We investigated the epidemiology of S. pneumoniae in a pediatric fever clinic and explored the genomics basis of the limited vaccine response of serotype 14 strains worldwide.

Methods

Febrile disease and pneumonia were diagnosed following criteria from the WHO at the end of 2019 at a tertiary children’s hospital. Spn was isolated by culture from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs. The density was determined by lytA-base qPCR. Isolates were serotyped by Quellung and underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Whole-genome sequencing was employed for molecular serotyping, MLST, antibiotic gene determination, SNP calling, recombination prediction, and phylogenetic analysis.

Results

The presence of pneumococcus in the nasopharynx (87.5%, 7/8, p = 0.0227) and a high carriage (100%, 7/7, p = 0.0123) were significantly associated with pneumonia development. Living with siblings (73.7%, 14/19, p = 0.0125) and non-vaccination (56.0%, 28/50, p = 0.0377) contributed significantly to the Spn carriage. Serotype 14 was the most prevalent strain (16.67%, 5/30). The genome analysis of 1497 serotype 14 strains indicated S14/ST876 strains were only prevalent in China, presented limited vaccine responses with higher recombination activities within its cps locus, and unique variation patterns in the genes wzg and lrp.

Conclusion

With the lifting of the one-child policy, it will be crucial for families with multiple children to get PCV vaccinations in China. Due to the highly variant cps locus and distinctive variation patterns in capsule shedding and binding proteins genes, the prevalent S14/ST876 strains have shown poor response to current vaccines. It is necessary to continue monitoring the molecular epidemiology of this vaccine escape clone.
Efficient Feature Selection in High Dimensional Data Based on Enhanced Binary Chimp Optimization Algorithms and Machine Learning
Authors: Ayeche Farid , Alti Adel
Published: November 2023

Feature selection with the highest performance accuracy is the biggest win for multidimensional data. The Chimpanzee Optimization Algorithm (ChOA) serves as a crucial technique for dealing with multidimensional global optimization issues. However, ChOA often lacks fast convergence and good selection of sensitive attributes leading to poor performance. To address these issues, most significant features were selected using two variants of ChOA called BChimp1 and BChimp2 (BChimp1 and BChimp are available at : https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/133267-binary-chimpoptimization-algorithm-forfeatures-selection. September 22, 202). BChimp1 selects the optimal solution from the four best possible solutions and it applies a stochastic crossover on four moving solutions to deeply speed-up convergence level. BChimp2 uses the sigmoid function to select the significant features. Then, these features were trained using six-well known classifiers. The proposed techniques tend to select the most significant features, speed up the convergence rate and decrease training time for high-dimensional data. 23 standard datasets with six well-known classifiers were employed to assess the performance of BChimp1 and BChimp2. Experimental results validate the efficiency of BChimp1 and BChimp2 in enhancing accuracy by 83.83% and 82.02%, and reducing dimensionality by 42.77% and 72.54%, respectively. However, time-evaluation results of BChimp1 and BChimp2 in all datasets showed fast convergence and surpassed current optimization algorithms such as PSO, GWA, GOA, and GA.
Polycentricity measurement of China’s urban agglomerations considering internal and external connections
Authors: Wang Yao , Niu Xinyi
Published: November 2023

This paper uses Baidu migration data to obtain the intercity trips between cities in China. Taking intercity travel as a functional connection between cities, taking into account the internal and external intercity travel connections of urban agglomerations, an improved rank scale distribution method was used to quantitatively measure the form and function of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, middle reaches of the Yangtze River, Chengdu-Chongqing, Central Plains, Guanzhong, and Harbin-Changchun urban agglomerations. It is found that, firstly, there are differences in the Functional Polycentricity presented by the internal and external connections of urban agglomerations, which are related to the economic development of urban agglomerations and central cities. Secondly, there are differences between Morphological Polycentricity and Functional Polycentricity of the eight urban agglomerations measured by the internal and external connections, indicating that the external connections have a significant impact. The internal and external connections of urban agglomerations are important functional connections of urban agglomerations. The study of urban agglomerations should not ignore the internal or external connections, and the overall consideration can more comprehensively reflect the polycentric characteristics of urban agglomerations. The internal and external connections of urban agglomerations are important functional connections, and the study of urban agglomerations should not ignore internal or external connections. Overall consideration can better reflect the polycentirccharacteristics of urban agglomerations.
„Room of Horrors“ im Pflegestudium
Authors: Halbwachs Markus , Schweighofer Maria
Published: November 2023

Zusammenfassung: Pflegestudierende der Fachhochschule (FH) Wiener Neustadt (AT) haben seit dem Jahr 2020 die Möglichkeit, im sogenannten „Room of Horrors“ auf Fehlersuche zu gehen. Dieser Bestandteil eines Gesamtkonzeptes zur Sensibilisierung der Studierenden hinsichtlich Patient_innenrisiken und Patient_innengefährdungen wird seither umgesetzt und weiterentwickelt.
Azobenzene-based optoelectronic transistors for neurohybrid building blocks
Authors: Corrado Federica , Bruno Ugo , Prato Mirko , Carella Antonio , Criscuolo Valeria , Massaro Arianna , Pavone Michele , Muñoz-García Ana B. , Forti Stiven , Coletti Camilla , Bettucci Ottavia , Santoro Francesca
Published: November 2023

Exploiting the light–matter interplay to realize advanced light responsive multimodal platforms is an emerging strategy to engineer bioinspired systems such as optoelectronic synaptic devices. However, existing neuroinspired optoelectronic devices rely on complex processing of hybrid materials which often do not exhibit the required features for biological interfacing such as biocompatibility and low Young’s modulus. Recently, organic photoelectrochemical transistors (OPECTs) have paved the way towards multimodal devices that can better couple to biological systems benefiting from the characteristics of conjugated polymers. Neurohybrid OPECTs can be designed to optimally interface neuronal systems while resembling typical plasticity-driven processes to create more sophisticated integrated architectures between neuron and neuromorphic ends. Here, an innovative photo-switchable PEDOT:PSS was synthesized and successfully integrated into an OPECT. The OPECT device uses an azobenzene-based organic neuro-hybrid building block to mimic the retina’s structure exhibiting the capability to emulate visual pathways. Moreover, dually operating the device with opto- and electrical functions, a light-dependent conditioning and extinction processes were achieved faithful mimicking synaptic neural functions such as short- and long-term plasticity.
Atlantic-origin water extension into the Pacific Arctic induced an anomalous biogeochemical event
Authors: Nishino Shigeto , Jung Jinyoung , Cho Kyoung-Ho , Williams William J. , Fujiwara Amane , Murata Akihiko , Itoh Motoyo , Watanabe Eiji , Aoyama Michio , Yamamoto-Kawai Michiyo , Kikuchi Takashi , Yang Eun Jin , Kang Sung-Ho
Published: November 2023

The Arctic Ocean is facing dramatic environmental and ecosystem changes. In this context, an international multiship survey project was undertaken in 2020 to obtain current baseline data. During the survey, unusually low dissolved oxygen and acidified water were found in a high-seas fishable area of the western (Pacific-side) Arctic Ocean. Herein, we show that the Beaufort Gyre shrinks to the east of an ocean ridge and forms a front between the water within the gyre and the water from the eastern (Atlantic-side) Arctic. That phenomenon triggers a frontal northward flow along the ocean ridge. This flow likely transports the low oxygen and acidified water toward the high-seas fishable area; similar biogeochemical properties had previously been observed only on the shelf-slope north of the East Siberian Sea.
In situ quantification of osmotic pressure within living embryonic tissues
Authors: Vian Antoine , Pochitaloff Marie , Yen Shuo-Ting , Kim Sangwoo , Pollock Jennifer , Liu Yucen , Sletten Ellen M. , Campàs Otger
Published: November 2023

Mechanics is known to play a fundamental role in many cellular and developmental processes. Beyond active forces and material properties, osmotic pressure is believed to control essential cell and tissue characteristics. However, it remains very challenging to perform in situ and in vivo measurements of osmotic pressure. Here we introduce double emulsion droplet sensors that enable local measurements of osmotic pressure intra- and extra-cellularly within 3D multicellular systems, including living tissues. After generating and calibrating the sensors, we measure the osmotic pressure in blastomeres of early zebrafish embryos as well as in the interstitial fluid between the cells of the blastula by monitoring the size of droplets previously inserted in the embryo. Our results show a balance between intracellular and interstitial osmotic pressures, with values of approximately 0.7 MPa, but a large pressure imbalance between the inside and outside of the embryo. The ability to measure osmotic pressure in 3D multicellular systems, including developing embryos and organoids, will help improve our understanding of its role in fundamental biological processes.
The lncRNA Sweetheart regulates compensatory cardiac hypertrophy after myocardial injury in murine males
Authors: Rogala Sandra , Ali Tamer , Melissari Maria-Theodora , Währisch Sandra , Schuster Peggy , Sarre Alexandre , Emídio Rebeca Cordellini , Boettger Thomas , Rogg Eva-Maria , Kaur Jaskiran , Krishnan Jaya , Dumbović Gabrijela , Dimmeler Stefanie , Ounzain Samir , Pedrazzini Thierry , Herrmann Bernhard G. , Grote Phillip
Published: November 2023

After myocardial infarction in the adult heart the remaining, non-infarcted tissue adapts to compensate the loss of functional tissue. This adaptation requires changes in gene expression networks, which are mostly controlled by transcription regulating proteins. Long non-coding transcripts (lncRNAs) are taking part in fine-tuning such gene programs. We describe and characterize the cardiomyocyte specific lncRNA Sweetheart RNA (Swhtr), an approximately 10 kb long transcript divergently expressed from the cardiac core transcription factor coding gene Nkx2-5. We show that Swhtr is dispensable for normal heart development and function but becomes essential for the tissue adaptation process after myocardial infarction in murine males. Re-expressing Swhtr from an exogenous locus rescues the Swhtr null phenotype. Genes that depend on Swhtr after cardiac stress are significantly occupied and therefore most likely regulated by NKX2-5. The Swhtr transcript interacts with NKX2-5 and disperses upon hypoxic stress in cardiomyocytes, indicating an auxiliary role of Swhtr for NKX2-5 function in tissue adaptation after myocardial injury.
Striatum-projecting prefrontal cortex neurons support working memory maintenance
Authors: Wilhelm Maria , Sych Yaroslav , Fomins Aleksejs , Alatorre Warren José Luis , Lewis Christopher , Serratosa Capdevila Laia , Boehringer Roman , Amadei Elizabeth A. , Grewe Benjamin , O’Connor Eoin C. , Hall Benjamin J. , Helmchen Fritjof
Published: November 2023

Neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are functionally linked to working memory (WM) but how distinct projection pathways contribute to WM remains unclear. Based on optical recordings, optogenetic perturbations, and pharmacological interventions in male mice, we report here that dorsomedial striatum (dmStr)-projecting mPFC neurons are essential for WM maintenance, but not encoding or retrieval, in a T-maze spatial memory task. Fiber photometry of GCaMP6m-labeled mPFC→dmStr neurons revealed strongest activity during the maintenance period, and optogenetic inhibition of these neurons impaired performance only when applied during this period. Conversely, enhancing mPFC→dmStr pathway activity—via pharmacological suppression of HCN1 or by optogenetic activation during the maintenance period—alleviated WM impairment induced by NMDA receptor blockade. Moreover, cellular-resolution miniscope imaging revealed that >50% of mPFC→dmStr neurons are active during WM maintenance and that this subpopulation is distinct from neurons active during encoding and retrieval. In all task periods, neuronal sequences were evident. Striatum-projecting mPFC neurons thus critically contribute to spatial WM maintenance.
Engineering a scalable and orthogonal platform for synthetic communication in mammalian cells
Authors: Makri Pistikou Anna-Maria , Cremers Glenn A. O. , Nathalia Bryan L. , Meuleman Theodorus J. , Bögels Bas W. A. , Eijkens Bruno V. , de Dreu Anne , Bezembinder Maarten T. H. , Stassen Oscar M. J. A. , Bouten Carlijn C. V. , Merkx Maarten , Jerala Roman , de Greef Tom F. A.
Published: November 2023

The rational design and implementation of synthetic mammalian communication systems can unravel fundamental design principles of cell communication circuits and offer a framework for engineering of designer cell consortia with potential applications in cell therapeutics. Here, we develop the foundations of an orthogonal, and scalable mammalian synthetic communication platform that exploits the programmability of synthetic receptors and selective affinity and tunability of diffusing coiled-coil peptides. Leveraging the ability of coiled-coils to exclusively bind to a cognate receptor, we demonstrate orthogonal receptor activation and Boolean logic operations at the receptor level. We show intercellular communication based on synthetic receptors and secreted multidomain coiled-coils and demonstrate a three-cell population system that can perform AND gate logic. Finally, we show CC-GEMS receptor-dependent therapeutic protein expression. Our work provides a modular and scalable framework for the engineering of complex cell consortia, with the potential to expand the aptitude of cell therapeutics and diagnostics.
An invertible, invariant crystal representation for inverse design of solid-state materials using generative deep learning
Authors: Xiao Hang , Li Rong , Shi Xiaoyang , Chen Yan , Zhu Liangliang , Chen Xi , Wang Lei
Published: November 2023

The past decade has witnessed rapid progress in deep learning for molecular design, owing to the availability of invertible and invariant representations for molecules such as simplified molecular-input line-entry system (SMILES), which has powered cheminformatics since the late 1980s. However, the design of elemental components and their structural arrangement in solid-state materials to achieve certain desired properties is still a long-standing challenge in physics, chemistry and biology. This is primarily due to, unlike molecular inverse design, the lack of an invertible crystal representation that satisfies translational, rotational, and permutational invariances. To address this issue, we have developed a simplified line-input crystal-encoding system (SLICES), which is a string-based crystal representation that satisfies both invertibility and invariances. The reconstruction routine of SLICES successfully reconstructed 94.95% of over 40,000 structurally and chemically diverse crystal structures, showcasing an unprecedented invertibility. Furthermore, by only encoding compositional and topological data, SLICES guarantees invariances. We demonstrate the application of SLICES in the inverse design of direct narrow-gap semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. As a string-based, invertible, and invariant crystal representation, SLICES shows promise as a useful tool for in silico materials discovery.
Threefold coordinated germanium in a GeO2 melt
Authors: Wan Songming , Zhang Shujie , Li Bin , Zhang Xue , Gong Xiaoye , You Jinglin
Published: November 2023

The local structure around germanium is a fundamental issue in material science and geochemistry. In the prevailing viewpoint, germanium in GeO2 melt is coordinated by at least four oxygen atoms. However, the viewpoint has been debated for decades due to several unexplained bands present in the GeO2 melt Raman spectra. Using in situ Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) computation, we have found a [GeOØ2]n (Ø = bridging oxygen) chain structure in a GeO2 melt. In this structure, the germanium atom is coordinated by three oxygen atoms and interacts weakly with two neighbouring non-bridging oxygen atoms. The bonding nature of the chain has been analyzed on the basis of the computational electronic structure. The results may settle down the longstanding debate on the GeO2 melt structure and modify our view on germanate chemistry.
Abuse liability of two electronic nicotine delivery systems compared with combustible cigarettes and nicotine gum from an open-label randomized crossover study
Authors: Campbell Chris , Jin Tao , Round Elaine K. , Nelson Paul R. , Baxter Sarah
Published: November 2023

An assessment of the likelihood of use and abuse potential for new tobacco products is an important part of tobacco product regulation in the United States and abroad. This paper reports the results of a randomized, open-label, crossover clinical study that assessed factors related to product adoption and abuse liability (AL), comparing two closed electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products to combustible cigarettes and nicotine gum, high- and low-AL comparator products, respectively. During an 11-day confinement period that included multiple product familiarization sessions, healthy adult smokers participated in AL test sessions to evaluate the abuse liability of each product. During these test sessions, changes in subjective measures; speed and amount of nicotine uptake; and maximum changes in physiological effects before, during, and after use of each assigned product were assessed over 4 h. Positive subjective effects measures scores such as product-liking and overall intent to use again were highest for cigarettes, followed by the Vuse ENDS, with nicotine gum consistently having the lowest scores. The PK results (Cmax and Tmax) of the Vuse ENDS products are between UB cigarettes and nicotine gum, which correlates with the subjective effects. All nicotine uptake measures for the Vuse ENDS products were lower than that of usual brand (UB) cigarettes, including peak nicotine uptake and overall nicotine uptake, and were either similar to or lower than nicotine gum. The time course of nicotine uptake after use of the ENDS was more similar to that of combustible cigarettes than nicotine gum. The results indicate that the AL of each ENDS product is lower than that of UB cigarettes and similar to that of nicotine gum.
Knowledge distillation of multi-scale dense prediction transformer for self-supervised depth estimation
Authors: Song Jimin , Lee Sang Jun
Published: November 2023

Depth estimation is an inverse projection problem that estimates pixel-level distances from a single image. Although, supervised methods have shown promising results, it has intrinsic limitations in requiring ground truth depth from an external sensor. On the other hand, self-supervised depth estimation relieves the burden for collecting calibrated training data, while there is still a large performance gap between supervised and self-supervised methods. The objective of this study is to reduce the performance gap between the supervised and self-supervised approaches. The loss function of previous self-supervised methods is mainly based on a photometric error, which is indirectly computed from synthesized images using depth and pose estimates. In this paper, we argue that direct depth cue is more effective to train a depth estimation network. To obtain the direct depth cue, we employed a knowledge distillation technique, which is a teacher-student learning framework. The teacher network was trained in a self-supervised manner based on a photometric error, and its predictions were utilized to train a student network. We constructed a multi-scale dense prediction transformer with Monte Carlo dropout, and multi-scale distillation loss was proposed to train the student network based on the ensemble of stochastic estimates. Experiments were conducted on the KITTI and Make3D datasets, and our proposed method achieved the state-of-the-art accuracy in self-supervised depth estimation. Our code is publicly available athttps://github.com/ji-min-song/KD-of-MS-DPT.
Characterization of net-zero pozzolanic potential of thermally-derived metakaolin samples for sustainable carbon neutrality construction
Authors: Onyelowe K. C. , Naghizadeh A. , Aneke F. I. , Kontoni D.-P. N. , Onyia M. E. , Welman-Purchase M. , Ebid A. M. , Adah E. I. , Stephen Liberty U.
Published: November 2023

Metakaolin (MK) is one of the most sustainable cementitious construction materials, which is derived through a direct heating procedure known as calcination. Calcination process takes place substantially lower temperatures than that required for Portland cement, making it a more environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional cement. This procedure causes the removal of hydroxyl water from the naturally occurring kaolin clay (Al2Si2O5(OH)4 with MK (Al2O3·2SiO2) as its product. Kaolin naturally exists in large amount within 5°29′N–5°35′N and 7°21′E–7°3′E geographical coordinates surrounding Umuoke, Obowo, Nigeria. Alumina and silica are the predominant compounds in MK, which provide it with the pozzolanic ability, known as the 3-chemical pozzolanic potential (3CPP), with high potential as a cementitious material in concrete production and soil stabilization. Over the years, researchers have suggested the best temperature at which MK is derived to have the highest pozzolanic ability. Prominent among these temperature suggestions were 800 °C (3CPP of 94.45%) and 750 °C (3CPP of 94.76%) for 2 h and 5 h’ calcination periods, respectively. In this research paper, 11 different specimens of Kaolin clay obtained from Umuoke, Nigeria, were subjected to a calcination process at oven temperatures from 350 to 850 °C in an increment of 50 °C for 1 h each to derive 11 samples of MK. The MK samples and Kaolin were further subjected to X-ray fluorescence), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) tests to determine the microstructural behaviour and the pozzolanic properties via the 3CPP as to exploit the best MK with the highest cementing potential as a construction material. The results show that the MK heated at 550 °C and 800 °C produced the highest pozzolanic potentials of 96.26% and 96.28%, respectively. The enhancement in pozzolanic potential at optimum calcination temperature is attributed to an increase in the specific surface area upon calcination of kaolinite confirmed by BET results. The SEM and XRD results further supported the above result with the strengthened crystal structure of the MK at these preferred temperatures. Generally, 550 °C is more preferred due to the less heat energy needed for its formulation during 1 h of calcination, which outperforms the previous results, that suggested 750 °C and 800 °C in addition to longer hours of heat exposure.
The effect of orally consumed Lactuca sativa syrup on human milk volume and weight gain in the preterm infant: a randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Izaddoost Niloufar , Amiri-Farahani Leila , Haghani Shima , Bordbar Arash , Shojaii Asie , Pezaro Sally
Published: November 2023

Human milk feeding can support premature infants to thrive. Yet those with premature infants can be challenged in human milk production. Considering this, and the use of potentially harmful human milk enhancers, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of orally consumed Lactuca sativa (L. sativa) syrup (lettuce extract) on human milk volume and subsequent weight gain in the preterm infant. Extracts from lettuce and other plants such as silymarin are already evidenced to be safe for use during lactation and have other therapeutic effects in humans. Yet this is the first study of its kind. This parallel randomized clinical trial included lactating participants with their preterm infants who were born at < 32 weeks' gestation and admitted to an intensive care unit. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. Eligible participants were allocated to groups randomly: intervention (n = 47), placebo (n = 46), and control (n = 47). The intervention group received one tablespoon of Lactuca sativa (L. sativa) syrup, and the placebo group received one tablespoon of placebo syrup 3 times a day for 1 week. Those in the control group did not receive any herbal or chemical milk-enhancing compounds. Routine care was provided to all three groups. Participants recorded their milk volume for 7 days in a daily information recorder form. Infant weight was measured prior to the intervention, and on the third, fifth and seventh days of the intervention period. There was a statistically significant difference observed in the adjusted mean volume of milk on the fourth and fifth days between the intervention, placebo, and control groups (P < 0.05). The adjusted mean milk volume of those in the intervention group on the first day was significantly higher than those in the control group and those in the placebo group. On the second day, the adjusted mean milk volume of those in the intervention group was higher than in those from the control group; and on the fourth day it was higher than in those from both the control and placebo groups; on the fifth day it was higher than in those in the placebo group; on the sixth day it was higher than in those in the control group and on the seventh day it was higher than in those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in terms of the mean changes (with or without adjustment) in the weight of preterm infants between any of the groups. Lactuca sativa (L. sativa) syrup increases the volume of human milk production and no specific side effects have been reported in its use. Therefore, Lactuca sativa syrup can be recommended for use as one of the compounds that increase human milk volume.
A qualitative study on healthcare professional and patient perspectives on nurse-led virtual prostate cancer survivorship care
Authors: Young Karen , Xiong Ting , Pfisterer Kaylen J. , Ng Denise , Jiao Tina , Lohani Raima , Nunn Caitlin , Bryant-Lukosius Denise , Rendon Ricardo , Berlin Alejandro , Bender Jacqueline , Brown Ian , Feifer Andrew , Gotto Geoffrey , Cafazzo Joseph A. , Pham Quynh
Published: November 2023

Background

Virtual nurse-led care models designed with health care professionals (HCPs) and patients may support addressing unmet prostate cancer (PCa) survivor needs. Within this context, we aimed to better understand the optimal design of a service model for a proposed nurse-led PCa follow-up care platform (Ned Nurse).

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study exploring follow-up and virtual care experiences to inform a nurse-led virtual clinic (Ned Nurse) with an a priori convenience sample of 10 HCPs and 10 patients. We provide a health ecosystem readiness checklist mapping facilitators onto CFIR and Proctor’s implementation outcomes.

Results

We show that barriers within the current standard of care include: fragmented follow-up, patient uncertainty, and long, persisting wait times despite telemedicine modalities. Participants indicate that a nurse-led clinic should be scoped to coordinate care and support patient self-management, with digital literacy considerations.

Conclusion

A nurse-led follow-up care model for PCa is seen by HCPs as acceptable, feasible, and appropriate for care delivery. Patients value its potential to provide role clarity, reinforce continuity of care, enhance mental health support, and increase access to timely and targeted care. These findings inform design, development, and implementation strategies for digital health interventions within complex settings, revealing opportunities to optimally situate these interventions to improve care.
Interpretable machine learning-based decision support for prediction of antibiotic resistance for complicated urinary tract infections
Authors: Yang Jenny , Eyre David W. , Lu Lei , Clifton David A.
Published: November 2023

Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide; however, increasing antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens is making it challenging for clinicians to correctly prescribe patients appropriate antibiotics. In this study, we present four interpretable machine learning-based decision support algorithms for predicting antimicrobial resistance. Using electronic health record data from a large cohort of patients diagnosed with potentially complicated UTIs, we demonstrate high predictability of antibiotic resistance across four antibiotics – nitrofurantoin, co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin. We additionally demonstrate the generalizability of our methods on a separate cohort of patients with uncomplicated UTIs, demonstrating that machine learning-driven approaches can help alleviate the potential of administering non-susceptible treatments, facilitate rapid effective clinical interventions, and enable personalized treatment suggestions. Additionally, these techniques present the benefit of providing model interpretability, explaining the basis for generated predictions.
Quantum dots: a tool for the detection of explosives/nitro derivatives
Authors: Gupta Ankush , Kaur Sharanjeet , Singh Harminder , Garg Shelly , Kumar Akshay , Malhotra Ekta
Published: November 2023

Quantum dots provide a useful, eco-friendly and cost-effective path for the detection of highly explosive nitro derivatives.
Mo-doped PdCu nanoparticles as high-performance catalysts for oxygen reduction reactions
Authors: Kang Kailu , Hu Xing , Zhang Pei , Zhang Yangyang , Zhu Shan , Lei Kaixiang , Jiang Kezhu , Zheng Shijian
Published: November 2023

The doping of Mo element, particularly Mo5+, has a dual effect on Pd, regulating its electronic structure and inhibiting oxidation. Therefore, the Mo-PdCu/C-1 catalyst, enriched with the highest Mo5+ content, exhibits superior performance for ORR.
Polypyridyl-based Co(iii) complexes of vitamin B6 Schiff base for photoactivated antibacterial therapy
Authors: Mandal Apurba , Rai Rohit , Saha Sukanta , Kushwaha Rajesh , Wei Li , Gogoi Hemonta , Mandal Arif Ali , Yadav Ashish Kumar , Huang Huayi , Dutta Arnab , Dhar Prodyut , Banerjee Samya
Published: November 2023

Polypyridyl-based Co(iii) complexes of the vitamin-B6 Schiff base presented 1O2-mediated visible light-activated antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli, being non-toxic in the dark and toward human cells.
The binding mechanism of oat phenolic acid to whey protein and its inhibition mechanism against AGEs as revealed using spectroscopy, chromatography and molecular docking
Authors: Dong Lezhen , Zhang Yunzhen , Li Ying , Liu Yahui , Chen Qin , Liu Lingyi , Farag Mohamed , Liu Lianliang
Published: November 2023

Caffeic acid (CA) and gallic acid (GA) in oat phenolic acids were selected to assess their anti-glycosylation mechanisms using spectroscopy, chromatography and molecular docking.
Investigation of charge carrier dynamics in a Ti3C2Tx MXene for ultrafast photonics applications
Authors: Rawat Ankita , Chourasia Nitesh K. , Saini Saurabh K. , Rajput Gaurav , Yadav Aditya , Chourasia Ritesh Kumar , Gupta Govind , Kulriya P. K.
Published: November 2023

Ti3C2Tx MXene was synthesized through LiF/HCl etching, and its structural and optical properties were examined. Additionally, ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy was employed to investigate the excited state dynamics and electronic structure across the femtosecond to nanosecond timescales.
Enzyme mimetic electrochemical sensor for salivary nitrite detection using copper chlorophyllin and carbon nanotubes-functionalized screen printed electrodes
Authors: Paramasivam Sriraja Subhasri , Mariappan Siva Ananth , Sethy Niroj Kumar , Manickam Pandiaraj
Published: November 2023

Electrochemical detection of salivary nitrite (NO2−) is gaining importance in establishing screening protocols for identifying people with oral diseases and other clinical conditions associated with nitric oxide biology.
Highly sensitive plasmonic sensing based on a topological insulator nanoparticle
Authors: Li Dikun , Lu Hua , Shi Shouhao , Zhao Jianlin
Published: November 2023

Localized surface plasmon resonance was experimentally demonstrated on nanofabricated Sb2Te3 topological insulator nanoparticles, which enables the realization of plasmonic refractive index sensing with high sensitivity.
Photoswitchable and long-lived seven-membered cyclic singlet diradicals for the bioorthogonal photoclick reaction
Authors: Hu Fuqiang , Zhang Cefei , Liu Zhihao , Xie Xinyu , Zhao Xiaohu , Luo Yanju , Fu Jielin , Li Baolin , Hu Changwei , Su Zhishan , Yu Zhipeng
Published: November 2023

Microsecond photoswitch cycles between DNQO and a singlet diradical (SDR) were clarified with energy conversion η <33%. The tautomerization of the SDR to a dipole enables an ultrafast cycloaddition with BCN, establishing a novel photoclick strategy.
Chemoselective bond activation by unidirectional and asynchronous PCET using ketone photoredox catalysts
Authors: Sun Rui , Ruccolo Serge , Nascimento Daniel L. , Qin Yangzhong , Hibbert Nathaniel , Nocera Daniel G.
Published: November 2023

The triplet excited states of ketones effect selective H-atom abstraction from amide N–H bonds in the presence of weaker C–H bonds via a proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) pathway in which the electron and proton transfers are asynchronous.
Synthesis of a new fluorophore: wavelength-tunable bisbenzo[f]isoindolylidenes
Authors: Ye Changqing , Huang Rui , Chiou Mong-Feng , Wang Bo , Li Daliang , Bao Hongli
Published: November 2023

A novel fluorophore has been synthesized using readily available dipropargyl benzenesulfonamides. These fluorophores possess several advantages, such as exceptional photostability, high fluorescence quantum yield, and tunable emission wavelengths.
Construction of a hierarchical BiOBr/C3N4 S-scheme heterojunction for selective photocatalytic CO2 reduction towards CO
Authors: Tao Wei , Tang Qiaoya , Hu Jianqiang , Wang Zhipeng , Jiang Baojiang , Xiao Yuting , Song Renjie , Guo Shien
Published: November 2023

A hierarchical S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst was fabricated through the in situ growth of BiOBr nanosheets on microtubular C3N4, which demonstrates excellent photocatalytic activity for converting CO2 into CO under visible light irradiation.
Electrochemical investigation of fluorine-containing Li-salts as slurry cathode additives for tunable rheology in super high solid content NMP slurries
Authors: Colombo Francesco , Müller Marcus , Weber Andreas , Keim Noah , Jeschull Fabian , Bauer Werner , Ehrenberg Helmut
Published: November 2023

Fluorine-containing Li-salts are used as slurry cathode additives for tunable rheology in super high solid content slurries for the first time.
Universal and complementary representation learning for automatic modulation recognition
Authors: Liu Bohan , Ge Ruixing , Zhu Yuxuan , Zhang Bolin , Bao Yanfei
Published: November 2023

Automatic modulation recognition (AMR) is a fundamental research topic in the field of signal processing and wireless communication, which has widespread applications in cognitive radio, non‐collaborative communication etc. In this paper, the focus is on the multi‐modal utilization in AMR. Specifically, the universal and complementary characteristics of multiple modality data in the domain‐agnostic and domain‐specific aspects are mined, yielding the universal and complementary subspaces network accordingly (dubbed as UCNet). To facilitate the subspace construction, universal and complementary losses are proposed accordingly. The proposed UCNet has achieved the highest recognition accuracy of 93.2% at 10 dB on the RadioML2016.10A dataset, and the average accuracy is 92.6% at high SNR greater than zero.
Incorporating the coupled effects of slot opening, armature reaction and saturation in the model of the airgap flux density distribution of permanent magnet synchronous machines
Authors: Babaei Mojtaba , Feyzi Mojtaba , Nazari Marashi Abbas
Published: November 2023

A new analytic model for calculating of the air‐gap flux density (AGFD) of surface‐mounted permanent magnet synchronous machines (SMPMSMs) is presented. This proposed model is capable to taking into account the effects of magnetic saturation, armature reaction and stator slots opening. Furthermore, the real form of air‐gap distribution and spatial distribution of flux density of the PM poles are considered. The armature reaction effect is modeled using phasor diagram analysis of the motor as a function of the load torque, the armature current amplitude, power factor and the inverse air gap length. Also, saturation phenomenon predicted using the new non‐linear proposed function in connection with the armature reaction effects and the properties of the lamination material. It is shown that the proposed model capable to predicting acceptably the air gap flux density waveform of the SMPMSMs at lagging and leading power factors and with the load torque variation. The presented analytical approach is verified by the two‐dimensional finite‐element analysis (FEA) results.
The Fate of Angiotensin II in Placental Tissue and
Blood
Authors: Mizutani Shigehiko , Mizutani Hidesuke , Mizutani Eita , Arita Harumasa , Kajiyama Hiroaki
Published: November 2023

The existence of a non-canonical pathway of renin-angiotensin system in the blood
pressure control system has been highlighted over the past three decades. The
enzymes involved in this pathway include a series of angiotensinases such as
neprilysin (NEP), aminopeptidase A (APA), carboxypeptidase, and angiotensin
converting enzyme 2. The physiological roles of these peptidases have been
reconsidered in this study, based on the publications of other research groups
and the results from our previous study, regarding the liberation of constituent
amino acids from angiotensin II by placenta tissue and blood serum,
respectively.
A Case of an Obstructed Delivery by a Large, Lower Uterine Segment Fibroid Interlocked with a Fetal Mentum
Authors: Miller Sarah E. , Miller Hayley E. , Waldrop Anne R. , Karakash Scarlett D. , Shaw Kate A.
Published: November 2023

Uterine leiomyomata are associated with many pregnancy complications and will likely become increasingly common as the average age of childbearing increases. We describe a case of an obstructed delivery by a large fibroid. A 37-year-old G2P1001 with a 10-cm anterior, lower uterine segment fibroid presented for labor induction. Labor was complicated by arrest of descent due to suspected obstruction of the fetal body by the fibroid after descent of the fetal head, and delivery during cesarean section was complicated by apparent interlocking of the fetal mentum with the fibroid. Large, anterior lower uterine segment fibroids have the potential to obstruct delivery of the fetal head or of the fetal body, and these patients should be counseled regarding the potential for complications via both vaginal and cesarean deliveries.
Rapid thermal annealing effect on performance variations of solution processed indium–gallium–zinc-oxide thin-film transistors
Authors: Kil Sunghyun , Jeong Jaewook
Published: November 2023

In this paper, the 1 min annealing effect on the electrical characteristics of solution-processed amorphous indium–gallium–zinc-oxide thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) was analyzed in an ambient gas environment comprising He, Ar, N2, and O2 and an annealing temperature range from 400 to 600 °C for different active layer thicknesses. Even for the short annealing time of 1 min, the He-annealed TFTs show good performance with a threshold voltage of −1.27 V, a subthreshold slope of 605 mV/dec, and a field-effect mobility of 7.19 cm2/Vs under the thick active layer condition. The resulting good performance of the He-annealed TFT originates from the high thermal velocity of the He atom, which can be confirmed from the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurement by the sharp definition of the active layer near the a-IGZO/gate insulator interface.
Phylogenetic analyses for the origin of sortal classifiers in Mongolic, Tungusic, and Turkic languages
Authors: Allassonnière-Tang Marc , Gao Zhong-Liang , Chen Shen-An , Her One-Soon
Published: November 2023

Numeral classifiers are one of the most common types of nominal classification systems. Their geographical distribution worldwide is concentrated in Asia, which infers a scheme of diffusion from a linguistic innovation. This study investigates the origin of classifier systems in the Mongolic, Tungusic, and Turkic languages in the Altaic region with a phylogenetic analysis based on data from 55 languages. The Single Origin Hypothesis suggests that Sinitic is the most probable original source of classifier systems found in Asia (Her & Li 2023). Under this hypothesis, classifiers are unlikely to be an indigenous feature of the Altaic region, and indeed their phylogenetic signal turns out to be weak. We also conduct a qualitative analysis on the classifier inventory of the studied languages to assess the robustness of phylogenetic methods. The results also indicate that classifiers are most likely a borrowed feature in the Mongolic, Tungusic, and Turkic languages.