bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonic-assisted fabrication of F-MOFs: morphology and types of pillar-dependent sensing performance to phenolic NAC detection
Authors: Joharian Monika , Morsali Ali
Published: October 2021

In this study, TMU-44 and TMU-45 synthesized by the sonochemical procedure exhibited very selective response towards the detection of phenolic NACs, particularly TNP.
Dual roles of bisphosphines and epoxides: Rh-catalyzed highly chemoselective and diastereoselective (3 + 2) transannulations of 1,2,3-thiadiazoles with cyanoepoxides
Authors: Dong Ziyang , Chen Cunzhi , Wang Jing , Xu Jiaxi , Yang Zhanhui
Published: October 2021

Dual roles of bisphosphines and epoxides are demonstrated in highly chemoselective and diastereoselective (3 + 2) transannulations.
Bayesian based reaction optimization for complex continuous gas–liquid–solid reactions
Authors: Liang Runzhe , Duan Xiaonan , Zhang Jisong , Yuan Zhihong
Published: October 2021

In recent years, self-optimization strategies have been gradually utilized for the determination of optimal reaction conditions owing to their high convenience and independence from researchers' experience.
The structural, vibrational, and mechanical properties of jammed packings of deformable particles in three dimensions
Authors: Wang Dong , Treado John D. , Boromand Arman , Norwick Blake , Murrell Michael P. , Shattuck Mark D. , O'Hern Corey S.
Published: October 2021

We investigate the structural, vibrational, and mechanical properties of jammed packings of deformable particles with shape degrees of freedom in three dimensions (3D).
A metal-free covalent organic framework as a photocatalyst for CO2 reduction at low CO2 concentration in a gas–solid system
Authors: Cui Jin-Xian , Wang Lu-Jie , Feng Liu , Meng Bo , Zhou Zi-Yan , Su Zhong-Min , Wang Kai , Liu Shaomin
Published: October 2021

A metal-free β-ketoenamine-based COF was synthesized and applied for photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H2O oxidation without other additives at low CO2 concentrations. The mechanism and rate equations for the reactions were proposed.
D–A–π–A organic sensitizer surface passivation for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells
Authors: Guo Minghuang , Lin Chun-Yu , Liou Shih-Jyun , Chang Yuan Jay , Li Yafeng , Li Junming , Wei Mingdeng
Published: October 2021

The more coplanar thiophene π-bridge of MM-4 with richer electron density on the carboxylic acid group passivated defects on the surface and grain boundaries of perovskite films efficiently, and obtained efficient and stable PSCs.
Sensitizing phosphorescent and radical emitters via triplet energy translation from CsPbBr3 nanocrystals
Authors: Chen Zongwei , Liang Guijie , Wu Kaifeng
Published: October 2021

Colloidal CsPbBr3 nanocrystals effectively sensitize surface-attached molecular triplets which can further translate their energy to non-conventional light-emitting materials such as phosphorescent and radical molecules.
From structural phase transition to highly sensitive lifetime based luminescent thermometer: multifaceted modification of thermometric performance in Y0.9−xNdxYb0.1PO4 nanocrystals
Authors: Maciejewska K. , Szalkowski M. , Bednarkiewicz A. , Marciniak L.
Published: October 2021

The development of a highly sensitive luminescent thermometer requires a deep understanding of the correlation between the structural properties of the host material and the temperature-dependent luminescence properties of lanthanide emitters embedded in these matrices.
Two-dimensional [CaCl]+·e− with its strippable feasibility as an applicable electride with room-temperature ferromagnetism and extremely low work function
Authors: Meng Weizhen , Zhang Xiaoming , Liu Ying , Dai Xuefang , Gao Hongli , Liu Guodong
Published: October 2021

Electrides in a two-dimensional (2D) scale, especially those that capture inherent magnetism and have low work functions, have shown great application prospects in nanoscale spintronic devices and electronic emitters.
Computational and in vitro experimental analyses of the anti-COVID-19 potential of Mortaparib and MortaparibPlus
Authors: Kumar Vipul , Sari Anissa Nofita , Meidinna Hazna Noor , Dhanjal Jaspreet Kaur , Subramani Chandru , Basu Brohmomoy , Kaul Sunil C. , Vrati Sudhanshu , Sundar Durai , Wadhwa Renu
Published: October 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus has become a global health emergency. Although new vaccines have been generated and being implicated, discovery and application of novel preventive and control measures are warranted. We aimed to identify compounds that may possess the potential to either block the entry of virus to host cells or attenuate its replication upon infection. Using host cell surface receptor expression (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2)) analysis as an assay, we earlier screened several synthetic and natural compounds and identified candidates that showed ability to down-regulate their expression. Here, we report experimental and computational analyses of two small molecules, Mortaparib and MortaparibPlus that were initially identified as dual novel inhibitors of mortalin and PARP-1, for their activity against SARS-CoV-2. In silico analyses showed that MortaparibPlus, but not Mortaparib, stably binds into the catalytic pocket of TMPRSS2. In vitro analysis of control and treated cells revealed that MortaparibPlus caused down-regulation of ACE2 and TMPRSS2; Mortaparib did not show any effect. Furthermore, computational analysis on SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) that also predicted the inhibitory activity of MortaparibPlus. However, cell-based antiviral drug screening assay showed 30–60% viral inhibition in cells treated with non-toxic doses of either MortaparibPlus or Mortaparib. The data suggest that these two closely related compounds possess multimodal anti-COVID-19 activities. Whereas MortaparibPlus works through direct interactions/effects on the host cell surface receptors (ACE2 and TMPRSS2) and the virus protein (Mpro), Mortaparib involves independent mechanisms, elucidation of which warrants further studies.
Epigenetic processes during preeclampsia and effects on fetal development and chronic health
Authors: Ashraf Usman M. , Hall Dalton L. , Rawls Adam Z. , Alexander Barbara T.
Published: October 2021

Preeclampsia (PE), the leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality, is associated with poor fetal growth, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and low birth weight (LBW). Offspring of women who had PE are at increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease later in life. However, the exact etiology of PE is unknown. Moreover, there are no effective interventions to treat PE or alleviate IUGR and the developmental origins of chronic disease in the offspring. The placenta is critical to fetal growth and development. Epigenetic regulatory processes such as histone modifications, microRNAs and DNA methylation play an important role in placental development including contributions to the regulation of trophoblast invasion and remodeling of the spiral arteries. Epigenetic processes that lead to changes in placental gene expression in PE mediate downstream effects that contribute to the development of placenta dysfunction, a critical mediator in the onset of PE, impaired fetal growth and IUGR. Therefore, this review will focus on epigenetic processes that contribute to the pathogenesis of PE and IUGR. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms that contribute to normal placental development and the initiating events in PE may lead to novel therapeutic targets in PE that improve fetal growth and mitigate increased CV risk in the offspring.
A novel method for transformer fault diagnosis based on refined deep residual shrinkage network
Authors: Hu Hao , Ma Xin , Shang Yizi
Published: October 2021

This study proposes a novel method to improve the fault identification performance of transformers. First, to couple multiple factors, a high‐dimensional feature map composed of the feature gas concentrations and some associated variables is constructed. Second, the deep residual shrinkage network is revised using the updated alternating direction multiplier, and the newly constructed variable soft thresholding is proposed to eliminate constant deviations. In addition, the fast iterative shrinkage‐thresholding algorithm is adopted, as it can speed up the determination of the threshold. For the output end, the uniform manifold approximation and projection algorithm are adopted to ensure the integrity of the local optimal solution and the global solution. Compared with traditional dissolved gas analysis methods, the novel refined deep residual shrinkage network exhibits superior precision, which is justified through experiments. The results show that the recognition accuracy of the new model is more than 1.3% higher than that of the existing methods. The new method has good scalability in power applications and fault prevention.
Mass limits of the extremely fast-spinning white dwarf CTCV J2056–3014
Authors: Otoniel Edson , Coelho Jaziel G. , Nunes Sílvia P. , Malheiro Manuel , Weber Fridolin
Published: October 2021

CTCV J2056–3014 is a nearby cataclysmic variable with an orbital period of approximately 1.76 h at a distance of about 853 light-years from the Earth. Its recently reported X-ray properties suggest that J2056–3014 is an unusual accretion-powered intermediate polar that harbors a fast-spinning white dwarf (WD) with a spin period of 29.6 s. The low X-ray luminosity and the relatively modest accretion rate per unit area suggest that the shock is not occurring near the WD surface. It has been argued that, under these conditions, the maximum temperature of the shock cannot be directly used to determine the mass of the WD (which, under the abovementioned assumptions, would be around 0.46 M⊙). Here, we explore the stability of this rapidly rotating WD using a modern equation of state (EoS) that accounts for electron–ion, electron–electron, and ion–ion interactions. For this EoS, we determine the mass density thresholds for the onset of pycnonuclear fusion reactions and study the impact of microscopic stability and rapid rotation on the structure and stability of WDs, considering them with helium, carbon, oxygen, and neon. From this analysis, we obtain a minimum mass for CTCV J2056–3014 of 0.56 M⊙ and a maximum mass of around 1.38 M⊙. If the mass of CTCV J2056–3014 is close to the lower mass limit, its equatorial radius would be on the order of 104 km due to rapid rotation. Such a radius is significantly larger than that of a nonrotating WD of average mass (0.6 M⊙), which is on the order of 7 × 103 km. The effects on the minimum mass of J2056–3014 due to changes in the temperature and composition of the stellar matter were found to be negligibly small.
The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets
Authors: Unger N. , Ségransan D. , Queloz D. , Udry S. , Lovis C. , Mordasini C. , Ahrer E. , Benz W. , Bouchy F. , Delisle J.-B. , Díaz R. F. , Dumusque X. , Lo Curto G. , Marmier M. , Mayor M. , Pepe F. , Santos N. C. , Stalport M. , Alonso R. , Collier Cameron A. , Deleuil M. , Figueira P. , Gillon M. , Moutou C. , Pollacco D. , Pompei E.
Published: October 2021

Context.We present precise radial-velocity measurements of five solar-type stars observed with the HARPS Echelle spectrograph mounted on the 3.6-m telescope in La Silla (ESO, Chile). With a time span of more than 10 yr and a fairly dense sampling, the survey is sensitive to low mass planets down to super-Earths on orbital periods up to 100 days.

Aims.Our goal was to search for planetary companions around the stars HD 39194, HD 93385, HD 96700, HD 154088, and HD 189567 and use Bayesian model comparison to make an informed choice on the number of planets present in the systems based on the radial velocity observations. These findings will contribute to the pool of known exoplanets and better constrain their orbital parameters.

Methods.A first analysis was performed using the Data & Analysis Center for Exoplanets online tools to assess the activity level of the star and the potential planetary content of each system. We then used Bayesian model comparison on all targets to get a robust estimate on the number of planets per star. We did this using the nested sampling algorithm POLYCHORD. For some targets, we also compared different noise models to disentangle planetary signatures from stellar activity. Lastly, we ran an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for each target to get reliable estimates for the planets’ orbital parameters.

Results.We identify 12 planets within several multiplanet systems. These planets are all in the super-Earth and sub-Neptune mass regime with minimum masses ranging between 4 and 13M⊕and orbital periods between 5 and 103 days. Three of these planets are new, namely HD 93385 b, HD 96700 c, and HD 189567 c.
Lithium on the lower red giant branch of five Galactic globular clusters
Authors: Aguilera-Gómez C. , Monaco L. , Mucciarelli A. , Salaris M. , Villanova S. , Pancino E.
Published: October 2021

Context. Lithium is one of the few elements produced during Big Bang nucleosynthesis in the early universe. Moreover, its fragility makes it useful as a proxy for stellar environmental conditions. As such, the lithium abundance in old systems is at the core of various astrophysical investigations.

Aims. Stars on the lower red giant branch are key to studies of globular clusters where main sequence stars are too faint to be observed. We use these stars to analyze the initial Li content of the clusters and compare it to cosmological predictions, to measure spreads in Li between different stellar populations, and to study signs of extra depletion in these giants.

Methods. We used the GIRAFFE spectra to measure the lithium and sodium abundances of lower red giant branch stars in five globular clusters. These cover an extensive range in metallicity, from [Fe/H] ∼ −0.7 to [Fe/H] ∼ −2.3 dex.

Results. We find that the lithium abundance in these lower red giant branch stars forms a plateau, with values from A(Li)NLTE = 0.84 to 1.03 dex, showing no clear correlation with metallicity. When using stellar evolutionary models to calculate the primordial abundance of these clusters, we recover values of A(Li)NLTE = 2.1 − 2.3 dex, consistent with the constant value observed in warm metal-poor halo stars, namely the Spite plateau. Additionally, we find no difference in the lithium abundance of first and second population stars in each cluster. We also report the discovery of a Li-rich giant in the cluster NGC 3201, with A(Li)NLTE = 1.63 ± 0.18 dex, where the enrichment mechanism is probably pollution from external sources.
Eine innerbetriebliche Leistungsverrechnung in der Notaufnahme als wirtschaftlicher Erfolgsfaktor?
Authors: Warnholz Jannik , Hoffmann Felix
Published: October 2021

Zielsetzung Das Ziel dieser Studie war es, zu untersuchen, in welchem Ausmaß sich die finanziellen Verluste durch ambulante Notfallversorgungen in der Notaufnahme mittels der Verrechnung innerbetrieblicher Aufnahmeleistungen der Notaufnahme gegenfinanzieren lassen und wie sich dies auf die Gesamtwirtschaftlichkeit einer Notaufnahme auswirkt.

Methodik Die Auswertung erfolgte durch eine simulierte innerbetrieblichen Leistungsverrechnung am Beispiel einer Notaufnahme eines Akutkrankenhauses in Norddeutschland. Hierzu wurden verschiedene Kosten- und Erlösgrößen ambulanter Notfallbehandlungen des Jahres 2019 ausgewertet und simulierten innerbetrieblichen Erlösen auf kosten- sowie marktpreisorientierter Basis gegenübergestellt.

Ergebnisse Die Auswertung konnte aufzeigen, dass die marktpreisorientierte Leistungsverrechnung auf Grundlage der verwendeten Kosten- und Erlösgrößen die ambulanten Verluste um 40 Prozent senken konnte. Der kostenorientierten Verrechnung gelang eine simulierte Kompensation von 75 Prozent.

Schlussfolgerung Basierend auf den Ergebnissen zeigte sich, dass die innerbetriebliche Leistungsverrechnung eine sinnvolle Möglichkeit darstellt, Verluste auf Abteilungsebene der Notaufnahme zu minimieren. Geeigneter erscheint die Verwendung eines kostenorientierten Ansatzes, da Umsetzbarkeit und Effektivität in Bezug auf die verwendete Methodik überwogen. Dennoch konnte kein positives Gesamtwirtschaftsergebnis erreicht werden. Hierzu empfiehlt sich die Verwendung weiterer
erlösgenerierender Instrumente, wie die vollstationäre Abrechnung einzelner Fälle in bettenführenden Einheiten der Notaufnahme sowie eine langfristige gesundheitspolitische Patientensteuerung.
Toward Laplace MP2 method using range separated Coulomb potential and orbital selective virtuals
Authors: Demel Ondřej , Lecours Michael J. , Habrovský Richard , Nooijen Marcel
Published: October 2021

We report the development of a new Laplace MP2 (second-order Møller–Plesset) implementation using a range separated Coulomb potential, partitioned into short- and long-range parts. The implementation heavily relies on the use of sparse matrix algebra, density fitting techniques for the short-range Coulomb interactions, while a Fourier transformation in spherical coordinates is used for the long-range part of the potential. Localized molecular orbitals are employed for the occupied space, whereas orbital specific virtual orbitals associated with localized molecular orbitals are obtained from the exchange matrix associated with specific localized occupied orbitals. The range separated potential is crucial to achieve efficient treatment of the direct term in the MP2, while extensive screening is employed to reduce the expense of the exchange contribution in MP2. The focus of this paper is on controllable accuracy and linear scaling of the data entering the algorithm.
Hypersonic transition over a heated wall
Authors: Zhu Yiding , Zhu Wenkai , Gu Dingwei , Lee Cunbiao , Smith C. R.
Published: October 2021

We investigate the transition in Mach 6 boundary layers over a heated wall by magenta using the Mach 6 wind tunnel at Peking University and using visualization, focused laser differential interferometry, infrared imaging, and numerical simulation. The model's wall-temperature ratio Tw/T0 (where Tw and T0 are the wall and total temperature, respectively) can be controlled to vary from 0.66 to 1.77. The results show that increasing Tw/T0 initially delays but then promotes the transition to turbulence with the reversal point near Tw/T0≈1. In contrast with the cooled-wall condition (Tw/T0<1), for which the second mode is dominant, the first-mode-induced oblique breakdown dominates the transition over the heated wall (Tw/T0> 1). Ultrafast visualization and Lagrangian tracking indicate that wave packets play a dominant role in producing turbulence, which is similar to the soliton-like coherent structure detected in low-speed boundary layers.
Incidence of adverse incidents in residential aged care
Authors: St Clair Bella , Jorgensen Mikaela , Georgiou Andrew
Published: October 2021

Objective Adverse incident research within residential aged care facilities (RACFs) is increasing and there is growing awareness of safety and quality issues. However, large-scale evidence identifying specific areas of need and at-risk residents is lacking. This study used routinely collected incident management system data to quantify the types and rates of adverse incidents experienced by residents of RACFs. Methods A concurrent mixed-methods design was used to examine 3 years of incident management report data from 72 RACFs in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Qualitative thematic analysis of free-text incident descriptions was undertaken to group adverse incidents into categories. The rates and types of adverse incidents based on these categories were calculated and then compared using incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results Deidentified records of 11 987 permanent residents (aged ≥65 years; mean (±s.d.) age 84 ± 8 years) from the facilities were included. Of the 60 268 adverse incidents, falls were the most common event (36%), followed by behaviour-related events (33%), other impacts and injuries (22%) and medication errors (9%). The number of adverse incidents per resident ranged from 0 (42%) to 171, with a median of 2. Women (IRR 0.804; P < 0.001) and residents with low care needs (IRR 0.652; P < 0.001) were significantly less likely to adverse incidents compared with men and residents with high care needs respectively. Conclusion This study demonstrates that data already collected within electronic management systems can provide crucial baseline information about the risk levels that adverse incidents pose to older Australians living in RACFs. What is known about the topic? To date, research into aged care adverse incidents has typically focused on single incident types in small studies involving mitigation strategies. Little has been published quantifying the multiple adverse incidents experienced by residents of aged care facilities or reporting organisation-wide rates of adverse incidents. What does this paper add? This paper adds to the growing breadth of Australian aged care research by providing baseline information on the rates and types of adverse incidents in RACFs across a large and representative provider. What are the implications for practitioners? This research demonstrates that the wealth of data captured by aged care facilities’ incident management information systems can be used to provide insight into areas of commonly occurring adverse incidents. Better use of this information could greatly enhance strategic planning of quality improvement activities and the care provided to residents.
Relationship of grain micronutrient concentrations and grain yield components in a doubled haploid bread wheat (
Authors: Lephuthing Mantshiuwa C. , Tolmay Vicki L. , Baloyi Timmy A. , Hlongoane Tsepiso , Oliphant Tebogo A. , Tsilo Toi J.
Published: October 2021

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important cereal crop that provides >20% of the global calorie intake. Bread wheat contains micronutrients, and thus plays a significant role in nutritional and food securities especially in developing countries. However, its grains are inherently deficient in some micronutrients, particularly iron and zinc, which makes them important biofortification targets. Our objective was to investigate variations in micronutrients and their relationship with grain yield components in wheat under four environments in South Africa. A population of 139 doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between cvv. Tugela-DN and Elands was phenotyped for grain iron and grain zinc concentrations and grain yield components. Heat and drought conditions at Arlington resulted in higher grain zinc concentrations and lower yield component traits; the opposite trend was observed at Bethlehem and Harrismith for both micronutrients and yield components. All traits showed transgressive segregation. Grain iron and zinc concentrations were significantly positively correlated in all four environments. The correlations between these minerals and yield components were inconsistent and ranged from significant to insignificant depending on the environment, indicating that this relationship is non-genetic. The results demonstrate that biofortification of both grain iron and grain zinc can be included as part of the breeding objectives and will not necessarily have adverse relationships with grain yield components.
Dissolved organic carbon from the forest floor with different decomposition rates in a rainforest in south-eastern Brazil
Authors: Miranda Felipe Soter de Mariz e , Avelar André de Souza
Published: October 2021

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes between environmental compartments are an important component of the global carbon balance and pedoecological processes. Tropical forests are the world’s most productive ecosystems and the forest floor is the main DOC-source in these environments. This study aimed to compare DOC concentrations under the forest floor with different litter-decomposition rates. Four study plots were established along a hillslope profile where heterogeneity was observed in previous studies: drainage divide (DRD); upper-hillslope (UHS); lower-hillslope (LHS); and valley bottom (VLB). Inversely proportional to the decomposition rates, the litter storage in this profile was as follows: DRD > UHS ≅ LHS > VLB. The bulk precipitation was a DOC source statistically similar to canopy-washing, and DOC concentrations in throughfall were statistically similar among the hillslope positions. There was some dilution effect in the inter-event modulation, mainly in throughfall and associated with the rainfall maximum intensity. The DOC concentrations under the forest floor were related in a non-linear manner with the litter storage: thin stocks in VLB showed lower DOC concentrations, but the thicker stocks in DRD did not materialise in the highest concentrations; the litter storage in UHS and LHS showed higher DOC-concentrations as a result of a balance between maintaining the DOC-source and making new soluble byproducts available that favoured the DOC-release to water.
Trained innate immunity, long-lasting epigenetic modulation, and skewed myelopoiesis by heme
Authors: Jentho Elisa , Ruiz-Moreno Cristian , Novakovic Boris , Kourtzelis Ioannis , Megchelenbrink Wout. L. , Martins Rui , Chavakis Triantafyllos , Soares Miguel P. , Kalafati Lydia , Guerra Joel , Roestel Franziska , Bohm Peter , Godmann Maren , Grinenko Tatyana , Eugster Anne , Beretta Martina , Joosten Leo A. B. , Netea Mihai G. , Bauer Michael , Stunnenberg Hendrik G. , Weis Sebastian
Published: October 2021

Significance

During infection, extracellular “labile” heme, released from damaged red blood or parenchymal cells, acts as prototypical alarmin stimulating myeloid cells. A characteristic hallmark of myeloid cell activation is the development of trained immunity, specified as long-lasting adaptations based on transcriptional and epigenetic modifications. In vivo, this is maintained by the rerouting of hematopoiesis. We found that heme is a previously unrecognized trained immunity inducer promoting resistance to bacterial infection in mice. This goes along with extensive long-lasting epigenetic memory in hematopoietic stem cells provoking drastic changes in the transcription factor–binding landscape of myeloid progenitor cells. Given the critical role of heme during infections, we propose that trained immunity is a more general component of innate immunity than previously suggested.
Days of our ‘quarantined’ lives
Authors: Aslan Erhan
Published: October 2021

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many users around the world exploited internet memes as a
digital source of humour to cope with the negative psychological effects of quarantining. Drawing on multimodal discourse analysis, this study investigates a set of COVID-19 internet memes to explore the quarantine activities and routines to understand ordinary people’s mindsets, anxieties and emotional
narratives surrounding self-isolation as well as the pragmatically generated humorous meanings relying on verbal and visual components of memes. The findings revealed that quarantine humour is centred around themes including quarantine day comparisons focusing on the perceived effects of home quarantines on physical and mental well-being, quarantine routines, and physical appearance predictions at the end of quarantine. Intertextuality was a productive resource establishing connections between quarantine practices and popular texts. In addition, humorous meanings were created through anomalous juxtapositions of different texts and
incongruity resolution is largely dependent on the combined meanings of verbal and visual components.
Nan Yan: Innate immune signaling goes beyond viral
Authors: Morgado-Palacin Lucia
Published: October 2021

Nan Yan studies the physiological function of innate immune signaling in the absence of pathogen infection.
Spacelike graphs with prescribed mean curvature on exterior domains in the Minkowski spacetime
Authors: Bartolo Rossella , Caponio Erasmo , Pomponio Alessio
Published: October 2021

We consider a Dirichlet problem for the mean curvature operator in the Minkowski spacetime, obtaining a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a spacelike solution, with prescribed mean curvature, which is the graph of a function defined on a domain equal to the complement in

R

n

\mathbb {R}^n

of the union of a finite number of bounded Lipschitz domains. The mean curvature

H
=
H
(
x
,
t
)

H=H(x,t)

is assumed to have absolute value controlled from above by a locally bounded,

L
p

L^p

-function,

p
∈
[
1
,
2
n

/

(
n
+
2
)
]

p\in [1,2n/(n+2)]

,

n
≥
3

n\geq 3

.
Understanding handouts in candidate selection: Challenging party authority in Malawi
Authors: Chiweza Asiyati Lorraine , Kayuni Happy , Muriaas Ragnhild Louise
Published: October 2021

This article discusses the purposes and drivers of handouts in party primaries in Malawi. We argue that existing explanations of handouts are incomplete because they are developed to identify dynamics in presidential or legislative elections. Rules of national elections are constitutionally protected, and their fairness is monitored by both local and international observers. In contrast, rules guiding candidate selection in parties are less institutionalized, and, in some contexts, such as Malawi, a secret ballot cannot be taken for granted. This underlines the need for empirical studies of the logic of handouts at the candidate selection stage to study how differences in institutional context affect the strategic choices behind engaging in the practice. We demonstrate why such an analysis needs to be informed by an in-depth knowledge about the party organizations in which the candidate selection process itself takes place. Through qualitative interviews with members of selectorates and party primary contestants, we find that the institutional environment affects the propensity to use handouts. Mechanisms such as leadership interventions and the opportunity to stand as independent candidates make primary outcomes less final. This reduces the authority of local party organizations to control candidate selection and appropriates the use of patrimonial strategies.
Prognostic and predictive value of a metabolic risk score model in breast cancer: an immunogenomic landscape analysis
Authors: Su Dongqing , Wang Shiyuan , Xi Qilemuge , Lin Lin , Lu Qianzi , Yu Yao , Xiong Yuqiang , Wei Haodong , Liang Pengfei , Lv Yingli , Zuo Yongchun , Yang Lei
Published: October 2021

Breast cancer is a kind of malignant tumor that occurs in breast tissue, which is the most common cancer in women. Cellular metabolism is a critical determinant of the viability and function of cancer cells in tumor microenvironment. In this study, based on the gene expression profile of metabolism-related genes, the prognostic value of 20 metabolic pathways in patients with breast cancer was identified. A universal risk stratification signature that relies on 20 metabolic pathways was established and validated in training cohort, two testing cohorts and The Cancer Genome Atlas pan cancer cohort. Then, the relationship between metabolic risk score subtype, prognosis, immune infiltration level, cancer genotypes and their impact on therapeutic benefit were characterized. Results demonstrated that the patients with the low metabolic risk score subtype displayed good prognosis, high level of immune infiltration and exhibited a favorable response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Taken together, the work presented in this study may deepen the understanding of metabolic hallmarks of breast cancer, and may provide some valuable information for personalized therapies in patients with breast cancer.
Calling small variants using universality with Bayes-factor-adjusted odds ratios
Authors: Zhao Xiaofei , Hu Allison C , Wang Sizhen , Wang Xiaoyue
Published: October 2021

The application of next-generation sequencing in research and particularly in clinical routine requires highly accurate variant calling. Here we describe UVC, a method for calling small variants of germline or somatic origin. By unifying opposite assumptions with sublation, we discovered the following two empirical laws to improve variant calling: allele fraction at high sequencing depth is inversely proportional to the cubic root of variant-calling error rate, and odds ratios adjusted with Bayes factors can model various sequencing biases. UVC outperformed other variant callers on the GIAB germline truth sets, 192 scenarios of in silico mixtures simulating 192 combinations of tumor/normal sequencing depths and tumor/normal purities, the GIAB somatic truth sets derived from physical mixture, and the SEQC2 somatic reference sets derived from the breast-cancer cell-line HCC1395. UVC achieved 100% concordance with the manual review conducted by multiple independent researchers on a Qiagen 71-gene-panel dataset derived from 16 patients with colon adenoma. UVC outperformed other unique molecular identifier (UMI)-aware variant callers on the datasets used for publishing these variant callers. Performance was measured with sensitivity-specificity trade off for called variants. The improved variant calls generated by UVC from previously published UMI-based sequencing data provided additional insight about DNA damage repair. UVC is open-sourced under the BSD 3-Clause license at https://github.com/genetronhealth/uvc and quay.io/genetronhealth/gcc-6-3-0-uvc-0-6-0-441a694
HPODNets: deep graph convolutional networks for predicting human protein–phenotype associations
Authors: Liu Lizhi , Mamitsuka Hiroshi , Zhu Shanfeng
Published: October 2021

Motivation

Deciphering the relationship between human genes/proteins and abnormal phenotypes is of great importance in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment against diseases. The Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) is a standardized vocabulary that describes the phenotype abnormalities encountered in human disorders. However, the current HPO annotations are still incomplete. Thus, it is necessary to computationally predict human protein–phenotype associations. In terms of current, cutting-edge computational methods for annotating proteins (such as functional annotation), three important features are (i) multiple network input, (ii) semi-supervised learning and (iii) deep graph convolutional network (GCN), whereas there are no methods with all these features for predicting HPO annotations of human protein.

Results

We develop HPODNets with all above three features for predicting human protein–phenotype associations. HPODNets adopts a deep GCN with eight layers which allows to capture high-order topological information from multiple interaction networks. Empirical results with both cross-validation and temporal validation demonstrate that HPODNets outperforms seven competing state-of-the-art methods for protein function prediction. HPODNets with the architecture of deep GCNs is confirmed to be effective for predicting HPO annotations of human protein and, more generally, node label ranking problem with multiple biomolecular networks input in bioinformatics.

Availability and implementation

https://github.com/liulizhi1996/HPODNets.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Effects of the availability of floral resources and neighboring plants on nectar robbery in a specialized pollination system
Authors: Almeida Júlia Mendonça , Missagia Caio César Corrêa , Alves Maria Alice Santos
Published: October 2021

Many plants pollinated by nectar-foraging animals have to maintain a balance between legitimate visitor attraction strategies and mechanisms that minimize illegitimate visits. This study investigated how floral display and neighboring species composition influences nectar robbing by hummingbirds in the tropical ornithophilous herb Heliconia spathocircinata. We tested the role of inflorescence display, flower abundance, and neighboring species in the reduction of nectar robbing in H. spathocircinata. Our results indicate that nectar robbing hummingbird activity was higher in moderately large inflorescence displays and that the frequency of nectar robbing in H. spathocircinata decreases with increased flower abundance and the presence of neighboring plant species. Neighboring non-ornithophilous plants decreased the frequency of nectar robbing in H. spathocircinata flowers to a greater extent than ornithophilous ones. These results suggest that nectar robbing hummingbirds are attracted to similar conditions that attract legitimate visitors and that spatial aggregation and mixed-species displays may represent a mechanism to dilute nectar robbing effects at an individual level.
MMV-db: vaccinomics and RNA-based therapeutics database for infectious hemorrhagic fever-causing mammarenaviruses
Authors: Khan Taimoor , Khan Abbas , Wei Dong-Qing
Published: October 2021

The recent viral outbreaks and the current pandemic situation urges us to timely address any emerging viral infections by designing therapeutic strategies. Multi-omics and therapeutic data are of great interest to develop early remedial interventions. This work provides a therapeutic data platform (Mammarenavirus (MMV)-db) for pathogenic mammarenaviruses with potential catastrophic effects on human health around the world. The database integrates vaccinomics and RNA-based therapeutics data for seven human pathogenic MMVs associated with severe viral hemorrhagic fever and lethality in humans. Protein-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, helper T-cell and interferon-inducing epitopes were mapped using a cluster of immune-omics-based algorithms and tools for the seven human pathogenic viral species. Furthermore, the physiochemical and antigenic properties were also explored to guide protein-specific multi-epitope subunit vaccine for each species. Moreover, highly efficacious RNAs (small Interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA and single guide RNA (sgRNA)) after extensive genome-based analysis with therapeutic relevance were explored. All the therapeutic RNAs were further classified and listed on the basis of predicted higher efficacy. The online platform (http://www.mmvdb.dqweilab-sjtu.com/index.php) contains easily accessible data sets and vaccine designs with potential utility in further computational and experimental work. Conclusively, the current study provides a baseline data platform to secure better future therapeutic interventions against the hemorrhagic fever causing mammarenaviruses.

Database URL: http://www.mmvdb.dqweilab-sjtu.com/index.php
Prognostic value of depressed cardiac index after STEMI: a phase-contrast magnetic resonance study
Authors: Schwaiger Johannes P , Reinstadler Sebastian J , Holzknecht Magdalena , Tiller Christina , Reindl Martin , Begle Jana , Lechner Ivan , Lamina Claudia , Mayr Agnes , Graziadei Ivo , Bauer Axel , Metzler Bernhard , Klug Gert
Published: October 2021

Aims 

An invasively measured cardiac index (CI) of ≤2.2 L/min/m2 is one of the strongest prognostic indicators after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), however, knowledge is mainly based on invasive evaluations performed in the pre-stent era. Velocity-encoded phase-contrast cardiac magnetic resonance (PC-CMR) allows non-invasive determination of CI.

Methods and results 

In this prospective study, CMR was performed in 406 stable and contemporarily revascularized patients a median of 3 days after STEMI. Forward stroke volume was assessed at the level of the ascending aorta by PC-CMR. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) were determined by cine CMR. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for heart failure. Median CI was 2.52 L/min/m2 and 27% of patients had ≤2.2 L/min/m2. Median LVEF was 53% and median GLS was −12.2%. During a median follow-up of 14.2 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 13.6–14.7] months, 41 patients (10.1%) experienced a MACE. A depressed CI was significantly associated with MACE after adjustment for LVEF, GLS, Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score, and infarct size [hazard ratio = 3.15 (95% CI 1.53–6.47); P = 0.002] and led to significant discrimination improvement [net reclassification improvement 0.61 (95% CI 0.25–0.97); P < 0.001].

Conclusions 

A CI of 2.2 L/min/m2 or less as measured by PC-CMR was present in 27% of clinically stable patients after STEMI and strongly and independently predicted medium-term MACE. The prognostic value of a depressed CI was superior and incremental to LVEF, GLS, TIMI risk score, and infarct size.
Ascending aortic aneurysm haemodynamics are associated with aortic wall biomechanical properties
Authors: McClarty Davis , Ouzounian Maral , Tang Mingyi , Eliathamby Daniella , Romero David , Nguyen Elsie , Simmons Craig A , Amon Cristina , Chung Jennifer Chia-Ying
Published: October 2021

OBJECTIVES

The effect of aortic haemodynamics on arterial wall properties in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (ATAAs) is not well understood. We aim to delineate the relationship between shear forces along the aortic wall and loco-regional biomechanical properties associated with the risk of aortic dissection.

METHODS

Five patients with ATAA underwent preoperative magnetic resonance angiogram and four-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging. From these scans, haemodynamic models were constructed to estimate maximum wall shear stress (WSS), maximum time-averaged WSS, average oscillating shear index and average relative residence time. Fourteen resected aortic samples from these patients underwent bi-axial tensile testing to determine energy loss (ΔUL) and elastic modulus (E10) in the longitudinal (ΔULlong, E10long) and circumferential (ΔULcirc, E10circ) directions and the anisotropic index (AI) for each parameter. Nine resected aortic samples underwent peel testing to determine the delamination strength (Sd). Haemodynamic indices were then correlated to the biomechanical properties.

RESULTS

A positive correlation was found between maximum WSS and ΔULlong rs=0.75, P = 0.002 and AIΔUL (rs=0.68, P=0.01). Increasing maximum time-averaged WSS was found to be associated with increasing ΔULlong (rs=0.73, P = 0.003) and AIΔUL (rs=0.62, P=0.02). Average oscillating shear index positively correlated with Sd (rs=0.73,P=0.04). No significant relationship was found between any haemodynamic index and E10, or between relative residence time and any biomechanical property.

CONCLUSIONS

Shear forces at the wall of ATAAs are associated with local degradation of arterial wall viscoelastic hysteresis (ΔUL) and delamination strength, a surrogate for aortic dissection. Haemodynamic indices may provide insights into aortic wall integrity, ultimately leading to novel metrics for assessing risks associated with ATAAs.
Assessment of intracardiac flow dynamics for the evaluation of patients with different ventricular geometry
Authors: Leo I , Sabatino J , Strangio A , Maglione M , Troilo F , Loliva G , Canino G , Critelli C , De Rosa S , Indolfi C
Published: October 2021

Background

Over the last decades growing evidence have demonstrated the promising role of intracardiac flow dynamic analysis in evaluating cardiac performance. Diastolic forces contribute to the formation of vortices, complex structures capable of kinetic energy storage and responsible of a smoother transition of blood from left ventricular (LV) inlet to outlet. Change in shape and location of these structures has been related with cardiovascular disease and prognosis.

Purpose

To investigate quantitative changes in vortices parameters in patients with different ventricular geometry.

Methods

We enrolled 72 consecutive patients (age 66±11 years, 49 male, 68%) with LV concentric hypertrophy (CH, n=15), eccentric hypertrophy (EH, n=13), concentric remodeling (CR, n=15) and normal LV geometry (CTRL, n=29). Each patient underwent a complete echocardiographic examination and a non-invasive intracardiac fluid dynamic analysis by Color Vector Flow Mapping. A 3-chamber apical view with a frame rate between 22 and 25 Hz has been acquired and subsequently analyzed offline by a semi-automatic software obtaining the following parameters: vortex area (VA) (the ratio between the total vortex area and the left ventricular (LV) area); vortex length (VL) (the longitudinal length of the vortex relative to the total LV length; vortex depth (VD) (the distance of the vortex center from the LV base relative to the total LV long axis). Bland Altman Plot has been used to assess intra and inter-observer variability.

Results

Mean VD was higher in CR, CH and EH compared to CTRL (p=0.013, p=0.001 and p=0.022, respectively). Moreover, CH showed higher VL (p=0.006) and larger VA (p=0.012) compared to CTRL. A similar trend was noticed in EH patients, despite did not reach statistical significance (p=0.21 and p=0.07 for VA and VL respectively). No significative differences in vortices parameters have been observed between CH and EH.

Conclusion(s)

This is the first study providing quantitative echocardiographic parameters of vortex location and morphology in different LV geometries. Higher values of VD were found in CR, CH and EG. Quantitative intra dynamic fluid assessment was feasible and reliable in the whole population and could provide additional information to the standard echocardiographic examination.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.
Right ventricular improvement is associated with left ventricular diastolic function and size enhancement in PAH patients: an echocardiographic study
Authors: Fauvel C , Raitiere O , Si-Belkacem N , Viacroze C , Artaud-Macari E , Schleifer D , Dominique S , Bauer F
Published: October 2021

Background

While pulmonary vasodilation therapy improves right ventricular (RV) function in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), data regarding left ventricular (LV) function remain sparse.

Purpose

We aimed to investigate whether PAH therapy improve LV function in PAH patients.

Methods

Between 2002 and 2020, all incident PAH patients from one PH referral centers were included, treated and followed-up according to current ESC/ERS guidelines. All patients had comprehensive echocardiography both investigating right and left ventricular function before and after 1-year of vasodilation therapy. In addition to RV echocardiographic evaluation, we focused on LV ejection fraction from Modified Simpson method, LV diameters by M-mode, transmitral pulsed-wave E/A ratio, Flow to tissue Doppler imaging E/e' ratio, and left atrial size.

Results

126 patients were included (63% female, 57±17 yo), mainly from connectivite tissue associated and idiopathic PAH (24% and 28% respectively) causes. Compared to baseline, 1-year NYHA functional class (p<0.01), NTproBNP plasma level (p<0.001), invasive mean pulmonary arterial pressure (p<0.01) and cardiac index (p<0.01) significantly improved. While LV ejection fraction (p=0.68), LV end-diastolic diameter (p=0.11) as well as LA area and volume (p=0.09) were not significantly enhanced under vasodilation therapy, LV diastolic function, assessed by mitral E wave (p<0.01), tissue doppler imaging mitral e' wave (p=0.04), and E/A ratio (p=0.045) were significantly improved at 1-year. There was a significant correlation between LV end-diastolic diameter (p<0.001) and RV end-diastolic area (p<0.001) owing to the normalization of right- to left ventricular interdependence, as well as between mitral E wave and TAPSE (p=0.045).

Conclusion

By improving RV function, PAH vasodilation therapy enhances LV size and diastolic function and normalizes the biventricular interdependence.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.