bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Deficit Irrigation at Different Growth Periods on Yield and Quality of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum l.) First Ratoon
Authors: Elbasheir Haitham A. M. , Yagoub Samia O. , Mukhtar Salaheldin A. , Farah Gafar Ali , Khalil Nahid
Published: March 2023

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of deficit irrigation at different growth periods on the yield and quality of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) first ratoon.

Study Design: The study was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with three replications.

Place and Duration of Study: A field experiment was conducted during two seasons, 2020-21 and 2021-22 at Guneid Sugarcane Research Center Farm, Sudan.

Methodology: Irrigation deficit treatments were applied when available soil moisture content (ASMC) reached 25% in the root zone at eight different growth periods viz; DT1: first day to day 50th, DT2: day (5th - 100th), DT3:  day (10th -150th), DT4: day (15th - 200th), DT5: day (20th - 250th), DT6: day (25th - 300th), DT7: day (30th - 350th) and DT8:  day 35th to day 400th after ratoon establishment. These were compared with optimum irrigation (DT0) which was irrigated at 60% ASMC at the root zone.

Results: The results showed that all deficit irrigation treatments (DT1 to DT8) recorded significant cane and sugar yield reduction to the control (DT0) in the two growing seasons. In this sense, DT3, DT4 and DT5 treatments have recorded the highest cane and sugar yield reduction. Moreover, irrigation deficit affected negatively the sugarcane ratoon yield parameters with low cane water productivity in DT4 and DT5 treatments. Therefore, sugarcane first ratoon must be avoided to deficit irrigation at age of 3.3 months to 10.0 months.

Conclusion: According to the results sugarcane first ratoon (Variety Co 6806) established in December under the Central Sudan Agro-climatic zone (Gunied conditions) must be avoided to deficit irrigation at ratoon age of 3.3th month to age 10.0th month (at ratoon age 100 days to 300 days), because of high reduction on cane yield and sugar yield and low in water productivity.
Effects of Reduced Tillage on Dynamic Soil Properties and Winter Triticale Performance in Organic Farm at Wageningen, the Netherlands
Authors: Amara Raya J. , Mabagala Frank S. , Lantinga Egbert A.
Published: March 2023

There is an increased need of identifying reduced tillage method that improves soil organic matter and soil fertility and at the same time best crop performance in organic farming. This study assessed the effects of organically managed reduced tillage and conventional tillage on dynamic soil properties and winter triticale performance. Organic farm that has been treated with three different tillage systems for six consecutive years was used in this study at Drovendaal organic facility of Wageningen University and Research. The tillage systems included two reduced tillage NIT at 10 cm and ECO up to 20 cm deep and CON at a depth of 30 cm. The parameters evaluated are soil physico-chemical properties, leaf area index (LAI), plant dry matter, ear number per area, plant height and chlorophyll content (SPAD) at ear formation stage . Use of NIT led to higher SOM and N-NO3 of 13.03 mg kg-1 at 0-10 cm soil depth. Also, shallow soil depths had lower bulk density and penetration resistance compared to deeper depths but NIT had higher penetration resistance in all soil depths compared to ECO and CON. Based on crop performance, ECO and CON revealed a better crop performance than NIT. Therefore, ECO having intermediate potentials in soil properties and crop performance could be the right tillage system for organic crop production compared to NIT and CON. Moreover, ECO will be a suitable tillage system that improves soil fertility, mitigates greenhouse gases and at the same time influence high crop performance.
A Mathematical Model of Optimal Manufacturer-Retailer Trade Credit Policy with End-User Credit Support
Authors: Ezimadu Sophia O. , Ezimadu Peter E.
Published: March 2023

The formulation and incorporation of credit function into trade credit models is a much recent development. In addition extension of this innovation to the end-user has not been achieved. This work models trade credit interaction extension from a manufacturer to a consumer through the retailer. It considers a Stackelberg game-theoretic model setting in which the manufacturer provides channel trade credit through the retailer to the end-user, while the retailer engages in promotion of the product. The paper uses backward induction to obtain the Stackelberg equilibrium for the promotion effort, the retailer’s credit period and the manufacturer’s credit period. It also obtains the long-run Stackelberg equilibria for the decision variables. The paper shows that the retailer is more liberal with allowable credit period than the manufacturer. In general, the players are credit period-liberal with retail margin, and ungenerous with credit period with manufacturer’s margin. It further shows that the manufacturer’s credit period increases more rapidly than the retailer’s credit period with retailer’s margin. On the other hand the manufacturer’s credit period decreases more rapidly than the retailer’s credit period with the manufacturer’s margin.
Smoking and Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Yu Victoria X. , Long Sallie , Tassler Andrew
Published: March 2023

This Patient Page describes the association of tobacco use with head and neck cancer and provides suggested treatment and prevention measures.
Agriculture, Central African Forests
Authors: Mindzie Christophe Mbida
Published: March 2023

Our knowledge of the emergence of food production in the equatorial forest zone of Africa has progressed in the last four decades. It was first thought that the hunter‐gatherer way of life was the best adapted to this environment and that the way of life of farmers was a recent introduction. There is currently some consensus among researchers that this lifestyle, which was probably introduced from the north, appeared around 4000
bce
. This entry aims, as far as theory and methodology are concerned, to identify the challenges still to be met and make some suggestions for future research.
Donkeys
Authors: Mitchell Peter J.
Published: March 2023

Domesticated by early pastoralists in the eastern Sahara, donkeys were a key resource for societies across northern Africa, including Pharaonic Egypt, where they were essential in many aspects of daily life, as shown by tomb reliefs and documents, not least from Deir el‐Medina. As well as moving goods at a local level, they had a crucial role in supporting royal expeditions into the deserts either side of the Nile, including accessing ports on Egypt's Red Sea coast. Donkeys had spread into Ethiopia and the northern half of East Africa by about 1000
bce
and by that time were also present in the central Sahara, although they are only known in the Sahel from the early centuries
ce
. They continued to be essential even after the introduction of the camel, sustaining Roman quarries and ports in Egypt's Eastern Desert, remaining the primary means of moving goods overland over short distances, and becoming a lynchpin of trade networks connecting West Africa to the Islamic world, not least in moving salt out of the Sahara to consumers in the Sahel.
Salt, Ancient Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Goucher Candice
Published: March 2023

Salt has been extracted since prehistoric times in many regions of sub‐Saharan Africa and from a variety of marine sites, inland riverine, lake, marsh, and land deposits, and plant ash. Early techniques were employed seasonally and relied on both solar evaporation and boiling, using basketry and sometimes pottery for the refining processes. Salt was used in animal husbandry, tanning, dyeing, food preservation, and culinary recipes. Exploitation of salt resources resulted in opportunities for long‐distance trade that became the foundation for identity formation, population growth, and political development. References to salt and the salt trade are found in written records, proverbs, toponyms, and the evidence from archaeological investigations and historical linguistics.
Walalde
Authors: Dème Alioune
Published: March 2023

Located in the Middle Senegal Valley, Walalde is one of the very few West African first millennium archaeological sites showing an in‐situ Late Stone Age–Iron Age transition. There were two occupation phases: Phase I (800–550 calbce) and Phase II (550–200 calbce). The earliest occupants were iron‐using cattle herders, although it is not yet clear if they produced the iron they used or traded for it. The production of metal became clear during Phase II, as did the use of copper artifacts from Mauritania.
Tamil‐Brāhmī
Authors: Subbarayalu Y.
Published: March 2023

Tamil‐Brāhmī is the earliest script found in the extreme south of India in which Tamil inscriptions are written; it was an adaptation from the Brāhmī script used in the Prakrit inscriptions of Aśoka (r. ca. 272–236
bce
). The simple phonemic system of Tamil resulted in the adaptation of the script. Both the scripts differed in depicting graphically the basic consonants with or without the vowel “a.” Tamil‐Brāhmī was used in all early Tamil inscriptions found in rock‐shelters and also on pottery from excavated sites. Its advent is dated to the middle of the third century
bce
at the earliest.
Yijing
Authors: Deeg Max
Published: March 2023

Yijing (635–713
ce
; traveled 671–695
ce
) was a Chinese Buddhist monk of the Tang period (618–907
ce
) who traveled from China to India via Southeast Asia.
Gǝʿǝz Language
Authors: Bausi Alessandro
Published: March 2023

Gǝʿǝz is a Semitic language of the Ethiopian Semitic group, first attested as the official language of the kingdom of Axum, and eventually used as liturgical, literary, and administrative language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and of the post‐Axumite medieval and premodern Christian polities in present‐day Ethiopia and Eritrea. The corpus of Gǝʿǝz texts consists of a few original epigraphic texts, translations from Greek in Late Antiquity and from Arabic since medieval time, and original literary and documentary texts from the medieval to the modern time.
Nontrivial Topological Surface States in Ru3Sn7 toward Wide pH‐Range Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Wang Zongpeng , Lin Zhiping , Wang Yinglan , Shen Shijie , Zhang Qinghua , Wang Jiacheng , Zhong Wenwu
Published: March 2023

Nontrivial topological surface states (TSSs), which possess extraordinary carrier mobility and are protected by the bulk symmetry, have emerged as an innovative platform to search for efficient electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a Sn‐based nontrivial metal Ru3Sn7 is prepared using electrical arc melting method. The results indicate that the (001) crystal family of Ru3Sn7 possesses nontrivial TSSs with linear dispersion relation and large nontrivial energy window. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that nontrivial TSSs of Ru3Sn7 can significantly boost charge transfer kinetics and optimize adsorption of hydrogen intermediates due to bulk symmetry‐protected band structures. As expected, nontrivial Ru3Sn7 exhibits superior HER activity to Ru, Pt/C, and trivial counterparts (e.g., Ru2Sn3, IrSn2, and Rh3Sn2) with higher ratios of noble metals. Furthermore, the wide pH‐range activity of topologically nontrivial Ru3Sn7 implies the robustness of its TSSs against pH variation during the HER. These findings provide a promising approach to the rational design of topologically nontrivial metals as highly efficient electrocatalysts.
High Responsivity of Narrowband Photomultiplication Organic Photodetector via Interfacial Modification
Authors: Jiao Jia , Zhang Ye , Shi Linlin , Li Guohui , Ji Ting , Wang Wenyan , Wen Rong , Hao Yuying , Wang Kaiying , Zhu Furong , Cui Yanxia
Published: March 2023

Narrowband‐response organic photodetectors with high responsivity are widely demanded in areas of substance detection, industry automation, smart wearable devices, etc. Photomultiplication‐type organic photodetectors (PM‐OPDs) with high responsivity usually have a broadband photoresponse due to the broadband absorption nature of the photoactive materials. In this work, effort is made to develop a high‐performance filterless narrowband PM‐OPD using the charge injection narrowing (CIN) effect. A 0.8 nm thick Al2O3 interlayer is used to mitigate the dark current density (JD) in the narrowband PM‐OPD, prepared using a 2.8 µm thick blend layer of P3HT:[6,6]‐phenyl‐C70‐butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM), achieving a peak responsivity of 1334 A W−1 at 650 nm, with a full‐width at half‐maximum of 40 nm. The narrowband PM‐OPD also possesses an impressive high specific detectivity of 9.73 × 1013 Jones. It is shown that the use of a 0.8 nm thick Al2O3 interlayer significantly suppresses the JD, creating a high energy barrier at the anode/photoactive interface and achieving a narrowband photoresponse behavior due to the CIN effect. The results of this work provide an exciting option for a variety of applications for OPDs with low cost, flexibility, and high sensitivity.
Effect of Organic Molecular Volume on Organic Photodiodes
Authors: Choi Taejin , Lim Juhyung , Minami Daiki , Heo Chul‐Joon , Shin Jisoo , Yun Sungyoung , Sung Young Mo , Fang Feifei , Hong Hyerim , Kim Hyeong‐Ju , Lim Younhee , Yi Jeoungin , Park Jeong‐Il , Ham Cheol , Shibuya Hiromasa , Seo Hwijoung , Sul Soohwan , Choi Byoungki , Park Kyung‐Bae
Published: March 2023

The development of light‐absorbing organic molecules with calculated oscillator strength (f) is widely investigated to improve the performances of organic photoelectric devices such as organic photodiodes (OPDs). The oscillator strength estimates the probability of radiative electronic transition of a single molecule. However, most photoelectric devices are composed of organic thin films rather than a single organic molecule. Herein, the molecular volume is considered the critical parameter for the design of organic molecules. Three novel organic molecules, Et‐H, Me‐Me, and Me‐H, with similar oscillator strengths and different molecular volumes, are designed and synthesized as proof‐of‐concept. Their experimental absorption properties and organic photodiode performances are investigated. Me‐H, which has the smallest molecular volume and highest molecular packing density, shows the highest absorption coefficient in organic thin films and the best OPD performance with the highest external quantum efficiency.
Infectious disease in the Pleistocene: Old friends or old foes?
Authors: Houldcroft Charlotte J. , Underdown Simon
Published: March 2023

The impact of endemic and epidemic disease on humans has traditionally been seen as a comparatively recent historical phenomenon associated with the Neolithisation of human groups, an increase in population size led by sedentarism, and increasing contact with domesticated animals as well as species occupying opportunistic symbiotic and ectosymbiotic relationships with humans. The orthodox approach is that Neolithisation created the conditions for increasing population size able to support a reservoir of infectious disease sufficient to act as selective pressure. This orthodoxy is the result of an overly simplistic reliance on skeletal data assuming that no skeletal lesions equated to a healthy individual, underpinned by the assumption that hunter‐gatherer groups were inherently healthy while agricultural groups acted as infectious disease reservoirs. The work of van Blerkom, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., vol. suppl 37 (2003), Wolfe et al., Nature, vol. 447 (2007) and Houldcroft and Underdown, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., vol. 160, (2016) has changed this landscape by arguing that humans and pathogens have long been fellow travelers. The package of infectious diseases experienced by our ancient ancestors may not be as dissimilar to modern infectious diseases as was once believed. The importance of DNA, from ancient and modern sources, to the study of the antiquity of infectious disease, and its role as a selective pressure cannot be overstated. Here we consider evidence of ancient epidemic and endemic infectious diseases with inferences from modern and ancient human and hominin DNA, and from circulating and extinct pathogen genomes. We argue that the pandemics of the past are a vital tool to unlock the weapons needed to fight pandemics of the future.
Passive Gate‐Tunable Kinetic Photovoltage along Semiconductor‐Water Interfaces
Authors: Li Jidong , Sheng Han , Long Yuyang , Zhu Yinlong , Deng Wei , Li Xuemei , Yin Jun , Guo Wanlin
Published: March 2023

Moving boundaries of electric double layer at solid–liquid interface enables unprecedented persistent energy conversion and provokes a kinetic photovoltaic effect by moving an illumination region along the semiconductor‐water interface. Here, we report a transistor‐inspired gate modulation of kinetic photovoltage by applying a bias at the semiconductor‐water interface. The kinetic photovoltage of both p‐type and n‐type silicon samples can be facilely switched on/off, stemming from the electrical‐field‐modulated surface band bending. In contrast to the function of solid‐state transistors relying on external sources, passive gate modulation of the kinetic photovoltage is achieved simply by introducing a counter electrode with materials of desired electrochemical potential. This architecture provides the ability to modulate the kinetic photovoltage over three orders of magnitude and opens up a new way for self‐powered optoelectronic logic devices.
Crystal Structure of an i‐Motif from the HRAS Oncogene Promoter
Authors: Li Kevin S. , Jordan Deondre , Lin Linda Y. , McCarthy Sawyer E. , Schneekloth John S. , Yatsunyk Liliya A.
Published: March 2023

An i‐motif is a non‐canonical DNA structure implicated in gene regulation and linked to cancers. The C‐rich strand of the HRAS oncogene, 5′‐CGCCCGTGCCCTGCGCCCGCAACCCGA‐3′ (herein referred to as iHRAS), forms an i‐motif in vitro but its exact structure was unknown. HRAS is a member of the RAS proto‐oncogene family. About 19 % of US cancer patients carry mutations in RAS genes. We solved the structure of iHRAS at 1.77 Å resolution. The structure reveals that iHRAS folds into a double hairpin. The two double hairpins associate in an antiparallel fashion, forming an i‐motif dimer capped by two loops on each end and linked by a connecting region. Six C−C+ base pairs form each i‐motif core, and the core regions are extended by a G−G base pair and a cytosine stacking. Extensive canonical and non‐canonical base pairing and stacking stabilizes the connecting region and loops. The iHRAS structure is the first atomic resolution structure of an i‐motif from a human oncogene. This structure sheds light on i‐motifs folding and function in the cell.
Ampeln für die Katalyse: Stimulus‐reaktive molekulare und erweiterte katalytische Systeme
Authors: Thaggard Grace C. , Haimerl Johanna , Fischer Roland A. , Park Kyoung Chul , Shustova Natalia B.
Published: March 2023

Die Fortschritte, die in den letzten fünf Jahren auf dem Gebiet der Stimuli‐reaktiven Katalyse erzielt wurden, mit dem Schwerpunkt auf neuen, kürzlich erschienenen Richtungen und Anwendungen, werden dargestellt. Diskutiert werden metallfreie Katalysatoren und metallorganische Komplexe sowie biomimetische Systeme und erweiterte Strukturen, die eine schaltbare katalytische Reaktivität für eine Vielzahl von organischen Reaktionen aufweisen. Lichtaktivierte Systeme, die aus photochromen Molekülen bestehen, welche in der Lage sind, Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit, Ausbeute oder Enantioselektivität auf Grundlage der geometrischen und elektronischen Veränderungen im Zusammenhang mit der Photoisomerisierung zu modulieren, stehen im Mittelpunkt der ausführlichen Diskussion. Alternative Stimuli wie pH‐Wert und Temperatur, die entweder allein oder in Kombination mit Licht angewendet werden können, werden ebenfalls behandelt. Die jüngsten Fortschritte zeigen deutlich, dass die Möglichkeit, das Verhalten eines Katalysators durch einen externen Stimulus fein abzustimmen, ein leistungsfähiges Instrument ist, das die Landschaft der nachhaltigen Chemie verändern könnte.
Construction of Axially Chiral Arylpyrroles via Atroposelective Diyne Cyclization
Authors: Chen Yang‐Bo , Liu Li‐Gao , Chen Can‐Ming , Liu Yi‐Xi , Zhou Bo , Lu Xin , Xu Zhou , Ye Long‐Wu
Published: March 2023

Axially chiral biaryls widely exist in natural products and pharmaceuticals and are used as chiral ligands and catalysts in asymmetric synthesis. Compared to the well‐established axially chiral 6‐membered biaryl skeletons, examples of 5‐membered biaryls have been quite scarce, and mono‐substituted 3‐arylpyrrole atropisomers have not been reported. Here, we disclose a copper‐catalyzed atroposelective diyne cyclization for the construction of a range of axially chiral arylpyrrole biaryls in good to excellent yields with generally excellent enantioselectivities via oxidation and X−H insertion of vinyl cations. Importantly, this protocol not only represents the first synthesis of mono‐substituted 3‐arylpyrrole atropisomers, but also constitutes the first example of atroposelective diyne cyclization and the first atropisomer construction via vinyl cations. Theoretical calculations further support the mechanism of vinyl cation‐involved cyclization and elucidate the origin of enantioselectivity.
A Hemilabile NHC‐Gold Complex and its Application to the Redox Neutral 1,2‐Oxyarylation of Feedstock Alkenes
Authors: Scott Samuel C. , Cadge Jamie A. , Boden Grace K. , Bower John F. , Russell Christopher A.
Published: March 2023

We describe a AuI complex of a hemi‐labile (C^N) N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand that is able to mediate oxidative addition of aryl iodides. Detailed computational and experimental investigations have been undertaken to verify and rationalize the oxidative addition process. Application of this initiation mode has resulted in the first examples of “exogenous oxidant‐free” AuI/AuIII catalyzed 1,2‐oxyarylations of ethylene and propylene. These demanding yet powerful processes establish these commodity chemicals as nucleophilic‐electrophilic building blocks in catalytic reaction design.
Longitudinally Grafting of Graphene with Iron Phthalocyanine‐based Porous Organic Polymer to Boost Oxygen Electroreduction
Authors: Li Longbin , Tang Xiannong , Huang Senhe , Lu Chenbao , Lützenkirchen‐Hecht Dirk , Yuan Kai , Zhuang Xiaodong , Chen Yiwang
Published: March 2023

Iron phthalocyanine‐based polymers (PFePc) are attractive noble‐metal‐free candidates for catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the low site‐exposure degree and poor electrical conductivity of bulk PFePc restricted their practical applications. Herein, laminar PFePc nanosheets covalently and longitudinally linked to graphene (3D‐G‐PFePc) was prepared. Such structural engineering qualifies 3D‐G‐PFePc with high site utilization and rapid mass transfer. Thence, 3D‐G‐PFePc demonstrates efficient ORR performance with a high specific activity of 69.31 μA cm−2, a high mass activity of 81.88 A g−1, and a high turnover frequency of 0.93 e s−1 site−1 at 0.90 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode in O2‐saturated 0.1 M KOH, outperforming the lamellar PFePc wrapped graphene counterpart. Systematic electrochemical analyses integrating variable‐frequency square wave voltammetry and in situ scanning electrochemical microscopy further underline the rapid kinetics of 3D‐G‐PFePc towards ORR.
Diazabicyclic Electroactive Ionenes for Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells
Authors: You Zuhao , Song Yanan , Liu Wenxu , Wang Wenlong , Zhu Chenghao , Duan Yuxin , Liu Yao
Published: March 2023

Electroactive ionenes combining caged‐shaped diazabicyclic cations and aromatic diimides were developed as interlayers in organic solar cells (OSCs). These ionenes reduce the work‐function of air‐stable metal electrodes (e.g., Ag, Cu and Au) by generating strong interfacial dipoles, and their optoelectronic and morphological characters can be modulated by aromatic diimides, leading to high conductivity and good compatibility with active layers. The optimal ionene exhibits superior charge‐transport, desirable crystallinity, and weak visible‐absorption, boosting the efficiency of benchmark PM6 : Y6‐based OSCs up to 17.44 %. The corresponding normal devices show excellent stability at maximum power point test under one sun illumination for 1000 h. Replacing Y6 with L8‐BO promotes the efficiency to 18.43 %, one of the highest in binary OSCs. Notably, high efficiencies >16 % are maintained as the interlayer thickness increasing to 105 nm, the best result with interlayer‐thickness over 100 nm.
Divergent Total Syntheses of (−)‐Daphnezomines A and B and (+)‐Dapholdhamine B
Authors: Su Shaobin , Lin Chengcheng , Zhai Hongbin
Published: March 2023

The daphnezomine A‐type subfamily of Daphniphyllum alkaloids structurally features a unique aza‐adamantane core skeleton and anticipates efficient strategies for completing their syntheses to thoroughly investigate their biological activities. Herein, divergent total syntheses of (−)‐daphnezomines A and B and (+)‐dapholdhamine B have been accomplished in 16–20 steps from a known epoxide via rapid construction of a common core intermediate. The present work features a Ti‐mediated radical cyclization to establish the azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane ring system, an intramolecular Heck reaction to install the bridgehead all‐carbon quaternary stereocenter, a tandem deprotection/reduction/keto amine‐carbinolamine tautomerization to furnish the aza‐adamantane backbone, and an NIS‐promoted 6‐endo‐trig aminocyclization to assemble the (+)‐dapholdhamine B backbone.
Freiformbauteile im Stahlbeton‐, Spannbeton‐ und Verbundbau: Berechnung von Querschnittswerten
Authors: Zimmert Florian , Braml Thomas
Published: March 2023

Ein ressourceneffizienter Einsatz des Baustoffs Beton kann erreicht werden, indem die individuelle Form eines betrachteten Bauteils an die auftretenden Beanspruchungen angepasst wird und Verbundbaustoffe (z. B. Betonstahl, Spannstahl oder Baustahl) in geeigneten Bauteilbereichen angeordnet werden. Durch die fortschreitende Digitalisierung im Bauwesen, beispielsweise im Kontext des Building Information Modeling, finden in der Planung von Bauwerken vermehrt computergestützte 3D‐Modellierungsverfahren Anwendung. Diese ermöglichen es Ingenieurinnen und Ingenieuren, Bauteile in Freiform zu entwerfen. Im Stahlbeton‐, Spannbeton‐ und Verbundbau ist die Bemessung derartiger Bauteile derzeit noch mit einem großen Aufwand verbunden. Im Kontext der Entwicklung eines praxisgerechten Verfahrens zur Berechnung von Freiformbauteilen aus Beton wird in diesem Aufsatz eine CAD‐integrierte Methode zur Berechnung wesentlicher Querschnittswerte vorgestellt. Querschnittswerte werden dann als wesentliche Berechnungsgrundlage benötigt, wenn reale dreidimensionale Bauteile unter Anwendung vereinfachter Berechnungstheorien, wie beispielsweise der Balkentheorie, behandelt werden. In diesem Beitrag werden die mathematischen und numerischen Grundlagen eines Verfahrens vorgestellt, welches es ermöglicht, die Querschnittswerte in Freiform umrandeter Beton‐, Stahlbeton‐, Spannbeton‐ und Verbundbauteile zu berechnen. Dem Verfahren liegen ebene, mittels Non‐uniform rational B‐Spline Tensor‐Produkten beschriebene Flächen zugrunde, welche beispielsweise aus Volumenkörpermodellen extrahiert werden können.
Using Holographic Microscopy To Measure the Effect of Confinement on Crowding Agents in Lipid Vesicles
Authors: Deckel Yaam , Lowe Lauren A. , Rawat Siddharth , Turner Matthew , Luong James , Wang Anna
Published: March 2023

The hydrodynamic effects of macromolecular crowding inside cells are often studied in vitro by using polymers as crowding agents. Confinement of polymers inside cell‐sized droplets has been shown to affect the diffusion of small molecules. Here we develop a method, based on digital holographic microscopy, to measure the diffusion of polystyrene microspheres that are confined within lipid vesicles containing a high concentration of solute. We apply the method to three solutes of varying complexity: sucrose, dextran, and PEG, prepared at ∼7 % (w/w). We find that diffusion inside and outside the vesicles is the same when the solute is sucrose or dextran that is prepared below the critical overlap concentration. For poly(ethylene glycol), which is present at a concentration higher than the critical overlap concentration, the diffusion of microspheres inside vesicles is slower, hinting at the potential effects of confinement on crowding agents.
Detailed overview of incidence and management of cytokine release syndrome observed with teclistamab in the MajesTEC‐1 study of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma
Authors: Martin Thomas G. , Mateos Maria Victoria , Nooka Ajay , Banerjee Arnob , Kobos Rachel , Pei Lixia , Qi Ming , Verona Raluca , Doyle Margaret , Smit Jennifer , Sun Weili , Trancucci Danielle , Uhlar Clarissa , van de Donk Niels W. C. J. , Rodriguez Cesar
Published: March 2023

Background

Teclistamab, a B‐cell maturation antigen × CD3 bispecific antibody, demonstrated an overall response rate of 63.0% in 165 heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in the phase 1/2 MajesTEC‐1 study. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a known manifestation of T‐cell redirection, was observed in 119 of 165 patients (72.1%).

Methods

Patients received once‐weekly teclistamab 1.5 mg/kg subcutaneously after two step‐up doses (0.06 and 0.3 mg/kg). CRS was graded according to American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy criteria and managed according to the study protocol, including use of tocilizumab and/or steroids.

Results

Most cases of CRS occurred during the step‐up dosing schedule of teclistamab and were grade 1 (50.3% of patients) or grade 2 (21.2% of patients); a single case of grade 3 CRS was reported in a patient with concurrent grade 3 pneumonia. All CRS cases resolved and none led to treatment discontinuation. Overall, 33.3% of patients had >1 CRS event; CRS recurrence was reduced when tocilizumab was administered for the first CRS event compared with when it was not (20.0% vs. 62.2%, respectively). Baseline characteristics such as tumor burden and cytokine levels did not appear to predict CRS incidence or severity.

Conclusions

Findings of this study support the need for preemptive planning and prompt management of CRS in patients treated with T‐cell–engaging bispecific antibodies. Intervention with tocilizumab for CRS appears to decrease the likelihood of patients experiencing subsequent CRS events without compromising response to teclistamab.

Plain language summary

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS), observed in 72.1% of patients treated with teclistamab in the MajesTEC‐1 study, was mostly grade 1 or 2 and manageable, without requiring treatment discontinuation.

Most CRS occurred during the step‐up schedule, requiring vigilance during treatment initiation.

Ensure fever is resolved and patients have no signs of infection before initiating the teclistamab step‐up schedule or administering the next teclistamab dose, to avoid exacerbating CRS.

Tocilizumab reduced the risk of subsequent CRS in patients receiving it for their first CRS event (20.0% vs. 62.2% in those not receiving it), without affecting response to teclistamab.

No baseline characteristics, including tumor burden or cytokine levels, appeared to clearly predict for CRS occurrence or severity.
Targeted and untargeted metabolites and antioxidant properties in chili pepper at different maturity stages
Authors: Yap Esther Shiau Ping , Uthairatanakij Apiradee , Laohakunjit Natta , Jitareerat Pongphen , Maier Claudia S.
Published: March 2023

Chilies (Capsicum sp.) are popular for their pungency and nutrition; however, these parameters vary with harvesting maturity. The effects of maturity stages on secondary compound levels and antioxidant activities in “super hot” chilies were investigated. Seven maturity stages were selected (i.e., 100% green to overripe stage). The differences in overall compounds were examined at each maturity stage, including the capsaicinoid, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) levels and the antioxidant activities. Untargeted metabolic analysis revealed that the abundance of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, the pungency factors, was the highest among compounds, irrespective of maturity stage. The same was observed for piperidine‐containing compounds (e.g., piperidine propionic acid), which serve as an antidepressant and antioxidant agents. Targeted analysis showed that capsaicinoid levels in chilies increased from 100% green to 70% red stage, followed by a decrease and subsequent increase at the overripe stage. TPC was significantly the highest at the full red stage (13.51 mg GAE/g dry weight [DW]), whereas TFC was the highest at the 90% red stage (223.20 mg RUE/g DW). Regarding antioxidant activities, a decreasing trend was observed until the 90% red stage, followed by an increase thereafter. The capsaicinoid levels, antioxidant properties, and metabolites (e.g., 4‐piperidinol) were highest at the 80% green stage. However, the full red stage had high levels of eugenin, a phenol with antioxidant properties, and was preferred by consumers. Thus, it is recommended that the 80% green stage could be used in pharmaceutical industries, whereas the full 100% red stage could be consumed fresh or cooked.
Special Pore‐Space‐Partition CoFePBA Hollow Framework Realizing High‐Performance Glucose Sensing
Authors: Wang Jiang , Ying Shuanglu , Liu Tian , Kong Yuxuan , Lu Chunxiao , Ma Xinghua , Yi Fei‐Yan
Published: March 2023

In this work for the first time pore‐space‐partition (PSP)‐CoFePBA hollow framework is elaborately designed and successfully obtained via self‐template internal dissolution strategy. As is demonstrated by our previous report, Prussian blue analogue (PBA) with hollow morphology is very beneficial to improve sensing performance. As expected, the PSP‐CoFePBA hollow framework in this work exhibits far superior glucose sensing performance compared with classic CoFePBA nanoparticles and nanoboxes as well as most of reported PBA‐based glucose sensors. Herein, very high sensitivity of 1184.18 μA mM−1 cm−2 and 267.63 μA mM−1 cm−2 in the concentration range of 5–325 μM and 325–1025 μM, respectively, as well as low detection limit of 0.4 μM (S/N=3) and high stability can be observed. In a word, this work proposes and develops a simple and general synthetic strategy for constructing PBA‐based hollow material, that will be very helpful in this field.
Detection of LPS‐induced macrophage activation with single‐cell resolution through DC insulator‐based electrokinetic devices
Authors: Liu Yameng
Published: March 2023

Macrophages are considered critical in the initiation, maintenance, and resolution of inflammation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced inflammation is often used as a model to understand the cell inflammation responses. Current techniques identifying the LPS‐induced inflammation are experiencing cell destruction or cell labeling or are based on the whole cell population information with low identification degree. This limits the detection process with time‐consuming cytokine selection, low resolution of population heterogeneity, and unavailability for their next use. Direct current insulator‐based electrokinetics (DC‐iEK) is introduced to achieve an easier and noninvasive identification of inflamed cells with high resolution. A biophysical scale is also established first time for screening medicine in the treatment of inflammation. The new microfluidic design concentrates cells with applied voltages forming streamline providing more stable cell capture conditions and unique biophysical factors at different capture positions. The average electric field of the cell capture positions is recorded to characterize each cell population. The characterization value of macrophage decreases from to 1.61 × 104 V/m when treated with 0.1 mM LPS and to 1.42 × 104 V/m when treated with 1 mM LPS. By treating the inflamed macrophages with representative effective medicines, healing signals could also be detected by a newly established inflammation scale. The cells showed proliferation and functional activity after extraction. DC‐iEK has provided an easy and noninvasive approach to identify inflammation for further fundamental and clinical precision medicine use.
Brittle failures and vein formation in the evolution of the South Qiangtang accretionary complex in the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Li Peng‐Sheng , Li Dian , Hu Yi‐Ling , Pei Qiu‐Ming , Wang Gen‐Hou , Zou Hao , Liu Zheng‐Yong , Li Yang , Guo Jing , He Ya‐Dong
Published: March 2023

The genesis of the subduction mélange in the central Qiangtang terrane has been a long hot debate. However, little research has been conducted on the brittle failure within the accretionary wedge, which is very important to unveil the structural evolution of the mélange. In this study, based on the recognition of multiple deformational phases, we analyse the characteristics and formation history of the vein system in the Gangma Co mélange. Six groups of quartz veins are recognized. Foliation‐parallel extension veins (G1 veins), shear veins (G2 veins) and foliation‐perpendicular extension veins (G4 veins) are supposed to have formed during the subduction of oceanic crust, recording the repeated low‐angle thrust‐sense frictional sliding, tensile fracturing and stress changes generated by subduction‐related earthquakes. Subsequent vertical extension veins (G5 veins) are suggested to be related to the exhumation of the underplated mélange, while the horizontal extension veins (G6 veins) in the last phase represent the final horizontal thrusting. The temperature conditions for shear vein formation were examined by fluid inclusion analysis, ranging from 120 to 200°C, coinciding with the temperature conditions of the slow earthquake region where episodic tremors and slow slip occur. This contribution supports that the Gangma Co mélange represents an in situ subduction zone and that its internal vein system is a response to the tectonic evolution of the Longmu Co‐Shuanghu Tethys Ocean.
Single‐cell RNA‐sequencing analysis reveals divergent transcriptome events between platinum‐sensitive and platinum‐resistant high‐grade serous ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Wang Zixun , Yang Linlin , Su Xiaoye , Wu Xiaomei , Su Rongjia
Published: March 2023

Background

Tumor resistance is one of the main reasons leading to the failure of ovarian cancer treatment. Overcoming platinum resistance remains the greatest challenge in the management of high‐grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC).

Methods

Small conditional RNA‐sequencing is a powerful method for exploring the complexity of the cellular components and their interactions in the tumor microenvironment. We profiled the transcriptomes of 35,042 cells from two platinum‐sensitive and three platinum resistance HGSC clinical cases downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE154600) and annotated tumor cells as platinum‐resistant or sensitive based on the clinical trait. The study systematically investigated the inter‐tumoral (using differential expression analysis, CellChat, and SCENIC) and intra‐tumoral heterogeneity (using enrichment analysis such as gene set enrichment analysis, as well as gene set variation analysis, weighted gene correlation network analysis, and Pseudo‐time analysis) of HGSC.

Results

A cellular map of HGSC generated by profiling 30,780 cells was revisualized using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection. The inter‐tumoral heterogeneity was demonstrated with intercellular ligand–receptor interactions of major cell types and regulons networks. FN1, SPP1, and COLLAGEN play important roles in the cross‐talk between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. HOXA7, HOXA9_extended, TBL1XR1_extended, KLF5, SOX17, and CTCFL regulons consistent with the distribution of platinum‐resistant HGSC cells were the high activity regions. The intra‐tumoral heterogeneity of HGSC was presented with corresponding functional pathway characteristics, tumor stemness features, and the cellular lineage transition from platinum‐sensitive to resistant condition. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition played an important role in platinum resistance, whereas oxidative phosphorylation was the opposite. There was a small subset of cells in platinum‐sensitive samples that had transcriptomic characteristics similar to platinum‐resistant cells, suggesting that the progression of platinum resistance in ovarian cancer is inevitable.

Conclusions

The present study describes a view of HGSC at single‐cell resolution that reveals the characteristics of the HGSC heterogeneity and provides a useful framework for future investigation of platinum‐resistant.
Successful AAV8 readministration: Suppression of capsid‐specific neutralizing antibodies by a combination treatment of bortezomib and CD20 mAb in a mouse model of Pompe disease
Authors: Choi Su Jin , Yi John S. , Lim Jeong‐A , Tedder Thomas F. , Koeberl Dwight D. , Jeck William , Desai Ankit K. , Rosenberg Amy , Sun Baodong , Kishnani Priya S.
Published: March 2023

Background

A major challenge to adeno‐associated virus (AAV)‐mediated gene therapy is the presence of anti‐AAV capsid neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), which can block viral vector transduction even at very low titers. In the present study, we examined the ability of a combination immunosuppression (IS) treatment with bortezomib and a mouse‐specific CD20 monoclonal antibody to suppress anti‐AAV NAbs and enable readministration of AAV vectors of the same capsid in mice.

Methods

An AAV8 vector (AAV8‐CB‐hGAA) that ubiquitously expresses human α‐glucosidase was used for initial gene therapy and a second AAV8 vector (AAV8‐LSP‐hSEAP) that contains a liver‐specific promoter to express human secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase (hSEAP) was used for AAV readministration. Plasma samples were used for determination of anti‐AAV8 NAb titers. Cells isolated from whole blood, spleen, and bone marrow were analyzed for B‐cell depletion by flow cytometry. The efficiency of AAV readministration was determined by the secretion of hSEAP in blood.

Results

In näive mice, an 8‐week IS treatment along with AAV8‐CB‐hGAA injection effectively depleted CD19+B220+ B cells from blood, spleen, and bone marrow and prevented the formation of anti‐AAV8 NAbs. Following administration of AAV8‐LSP‐hSEAP, increasing levels of hSEAP were detected in blood for up to 6 weeks, indicating successful AAV readministration. In mice pre‐immunized with AAV8‐CB‐hGAA, comparison of IS treatment for 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks revealed that the 16‐week IS treatment demonstrated the highest plasma hSEAP level following AAV8‐LSP‐hSEAP readministration.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that this combination treatment is an effective IS approach that will allow retreatment of patients with AAV‐mediated gene therapy. A combination IS treatment with bortezomib and a mouse‐specific CD20 monoclonal antibody effectively suppressed anti‐AAV NAbs in naïve mice and in mice with pre‐existing antibodies, allowing successful readministration of the same AAV capsid vector.
Clinical evaluation of the safety and efficacy of a 1064 nm diode laser, and vacuum assisted pulsed electromagnetic fields and multipolar radio frequency for noninvasive fat reduction of the abdomen and flanks
Authors: Gutowski Karol A. , Kang Alison , Kilmer Suzanne L. , Batra R. Sonia , Vignan Nicole , Kenkel Jeffrey M.
Published: March 2023

Background

Noninvasive cosmetic body contouring techniques are growing rapidly, and noninvasive lipolysis has been shown to have low pain, little downtime and produce consistent long‐term results. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a 1064 nm diode laser combined with vacuum assisted PEMF and RF energies for noninvasive fat reduction of the abdomen and flanks.

Methods

Subjects received a series of three treatments 8 weeks apart, each consisting of a diode laser session, followed by vacuum assisted PEMF and RF. Before and after photographs were graded for overall fat reduction by three blinded evaluators. Ultrasound was used to measure changes in the thickness of adipose tissue. Subject satisfaction was assessed using the 5‐Point Likert Subject Satisfaction Scale and a subject questionnaire at 16 and 24‐week follow‐up visits. Throughout each treatment, the subjects were given the Wong‐Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFS) to assess discomfort and pain of the treatment.

Results

Thirty‐nine subjects (average age 48.6 years) from four clinical sites were enrolled. Evaluators identified the correct before and after images 73.1% of the time and images were graded an average score of 1.12 (SE 0.1) correlating to more than a “slight change.” Adipose tissue was reduced by 31.9% based on ultrasound measurements (p < 0.001). Subject satisfaction was high with an average satisfaction score of 7.8 (“satisfied”) out of 10. The overall pain over time on average was rated “hurts little bit.” Ninety percent of subjects reported either a mild, moderate, or significant improvement in their fat reduction and skin surface appearance. Almost 77% (76.7%) of subjects reported that they would recommend the treatment to a friend. There were six reports of adverse events related to the device during the study that were all transient and resolved rapidly.

Conclusion

A significant reduction of subcutaneous adipose tissue was measured after treatment with a combination of diode laser and vacuum assisted PEMF and RF. Treatment pain was low and tolerable, and subjects had high levels of satisfaction with the results.
Ankyloglossia: Clinical and Sociodemographic Predictors of Diagnosis and Management in the United States, 2004 to 2019
Authors: Wei Eric X. , Meister Kara D. , Balakrishnan Karthik , Cheng Alan G. , Qian Z. Jason
Published: March 2023

Objective

The past 2 decades have seen a rapid increase in the diagnosis of ankyloglossia. Patients are often managed by lingual frenotomy. The objective is to define the clinical and socioeconomic factors that determine which patients receive frenotomy.

Study Design

A retrospective analysis of commercially insured children.

Setting

Optum Data Mart database.

Methods

Trends in frenotomy including provider and setting were described. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine predictors of frenotomy.

Results

Diagnosis of ankyloglossia increased from 2004 to 2019 (from 3377 in 2004 to 13,200 in 2019), while lingual frenotomy similarly increased from 1483 in 2004 to 6213 in 2019. The proportion of inpatient frenotomy procedures increased from 6.2% to 16.6% from 2004 to 2019, with pediatricians having the highest odds of performing inpatient frenotomies (odds ratio: 4.32, 95% confidence interval: 4.08, 4.57). Additionally, during the study period, the proportion of frenotomies performed by pediatricians increased from 13.01% in 2004 to 28.38% in 2019. In multivariate regression analyses, frenotomy was significantly associated with the male sex, white non‐Hispanic ethnicity, higher parental income and education, and a greater number of siblings.

Conclusion

Ankyloglossia has been increasingly diagnosed in the past 2 decades, and among patients with ankyloglossia, frenotomy is increasingly performed. This trend was driven at least in part due to increasing rates of pediatricians as proceduralists. After accounting for maternal and patient‐level clinical factors, socioeconomic differences in the management of ankyloglossia were observed.