bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An interracial Mendelian analysis revealed a link between lipid‐lowering drugs and renal failure
Authors: Zhang Naidan , Ji Chaixia , Xie Baibing , Liu Yaoyang , Yuan Chengliang
Published: January 2025

Lipid‐lowering drugs have been used in clinics widely. It is unclear whether the drugs have an effect on renal failure. We chose high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (ieu‐b‐109), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (ieu‐a‐300), triglyceride (ieu‐b‐111), and total cholesterol (ebi‐a‐GCST90038690) as exposures. SNPs near drug genes served as instrumental variables. Acute renal failure (ARF) and chronic renal failure (CRF) in Europeans from the GWAS catalog were selected as outcomes. Datasets on renal failure in East Asians and South Asians were used for validation. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was the primary method for drug‐targeted Mendelian randomization. In the Europeans, people who used PPARG reduced ARF risk by 69.3% (OR: 0.307, 95% CI: 0.171–0.553, p = 0.015). NPC1L1 inhibitors increased ARF risk by 2.684 times (OR: 2.684, 95% CI: 2.027–3.341, p = 0.003). APOE increased ARF risk by 1.987 times (OR: 1.987, 95% CI: 1.062–3.716, p = 0.032) but decreased CRF risk by 49.7% (OR: 0.503, 95% CI: 0.283–0.894, p = 0.019). TNFSF12 increased CRF risk by 3.866 times (OR: 3.866, 95% CI: 1.174–12.729, p = 0.026). In the East Asians, PPARG reduced CRF risk by 85.8% (OR: 0.142, 95% CI: 0.054–0.371, p < 0.001). And in the South Asians, APOE decreased ARF risk by 99.8% (OR: 0.002, 95% CI: 2.12e‐05‐0.179, p = 0.007). We revealed that PPARG could reduce the risk of renal failure in Europeans and Asians. APOE could cause ARF in the Europeans, but it was protective in the South Asians. Clinicians need to consider the characteristics of the local population before administering drugs to patients of different ethnicities.
Trainings encourage CCBHC staff to integrate addiction medications
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: January 2025

Among the care expansion opportunities available to behavioral health provider organizations designated as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), several of these agencies are eligible for training in integrating medication treatments for addiction into their array of services.
Overcoming the thermal limits of photon counting CT resolution using focal spot multiplexing: A feasibility study
Authors: Hsieh Scott S.
Published: January 2025

Background

The spatial resolution of new, photon counting detector (PCD) CT scanners is limited by the size of the focal spot. Smaller, brighter focal spots would melt the tungsten focal track of a conventional X‐ray source.

Purpose

To propose focal spot multiplexing (FSM), an architecture to improve the power of small focal spots and thereby enable higher resolution clinical PCD CT. In FSM, the source rapidly alternates between multiple focal spot locations. The dwell time at each focal spot location is much shorter than the readout interval of the PCD, and each location is visited many times during the readout interval so that heat can be effectively distributed over a larger surface area. The PCD accumulates recorded events on the detector (prior to slip ring transmission) into multiple spatial bins, as a second dimension to conventional energy bins.

Methods

We estimated the maximum power permissible for a square, 0.2 mm focal spot assuming a maximum allowed surface temperature of 2900 K and a maximum transient temperature increase at the focal spot of 1400 K. This was performed using two separate thermal simulation codes: first, a commercial finite element method (FEM) was used to estimate bulk heating; second, a custom solver linearizing the heat equation was used to estimate track heating. FSM was simulated assuming that focal spot locations lay on parallel focal tracks, that instantaneous switching between tracks was possible, and that the space charge limit was never reached. We assumed a focal track velocity of 100 m/s and a 1 mm tungsten focal track layer with TZM alloy backing. The tube power was constant over a 4 s acquisition period.

Results

Without FSM, the 0.2 mm focal spot could attain a maximum power output of 17 kW before reaching the thermal limit. FSM required a minimum switching frequency of 0.5 MHz to produce benefit. With two focal tracks and a switching frequency of 4 MHz, the power could be increased to 28 kW, and with eight focal tracks and a switching frequency of 16 MHz, the power could be increased to 98 kW. In all cases, the 1400 K transient increase thermal limit was reached before the 2900 K maximum surface temperature constraint. The relationship between maximum power, switching frequency, and number of focal tracks is discussed in relation to the underlying physics of heat transport.

Conclusions

Focal spot multiplexing is an architecture that exploits the digital nature of photon counting to improve the power of high‐resolution CT X‐ray sources. With fast switching and several parallel focal tracks, it may be possible to halve the size of the focal spot while maintaining source power. This work motivates the development of new source technologies that can achieve fast electronic switching.
Potential for Misdiagnosis of Detrusor Underactivity Due to Urodynamic Voiding Position and Seating Characteristics
Authors: Vancavage Rachel , Ilaka Oyenike , Patel Shreya , Zurlo Rosalie , Feustel Paul , Rogers Rebecca G. , De Elise J. B. , Roberts Brittany L.
Published: January 2025

Background

Detrusor underactivity (DUA) is a lower urinary tract (LUT) diagnosis that is diagnosed with multichannel urodynamic studies (UDS). The effect of voiding position and DUA detection is unclear.

Objectives

We investigated whether moving individuals from the UDS chair to their typical voiding position would more accurately assess detrusor function in cases of absent or nonrepresentative voiding. We hypothesized that patients unable to achieve a representative void while on the UDS chair may be misdiagnosed with DUA, and that changing position may reveal intact detrusor function.

Methods

We retrospectively studied patients who underwent UDS with a single provider over 2 years. Studies were included if a patient was moved to a new position after unsuccessful or unrepresentative void attempts on the UDS chair. Two neurourologists reanalyzed the studies and recorded: time spent attempting to void on UDS chair and after moving position, whether a bladder contraction occurred on UDS chair, pdet Q max and Q max when voiding occurred, presence of a bladder contraction in new position, and pdet Q max and Q max in new position, and Valsalva effort.

Results

503 patients underwent UDS; 94/503 patients were moved to a new position and 81/94 studies were interpretable. 71% of patients without a bladder contraction on the UDS chair demonstrated contraction in new position.

Conclusion

UDS voiding position and surface can impact whether patients produce a bladder contraction and representative void during urodynamic testing. Positional change to more natural voiding positions and surfaces improves detection of intact detrusor function.
Incorporating Spatial and Spectral Saturation Modules Into MR Fingerprinting
Authors: Trimble Christopher G. , Sørland Kaia I. , Wu Chia‐Yin , Riel Max H. C. van , Bathen Tone F. , Elschot Mattijs , Cloos Martijn A.
Published: January 2025

In this work, we introduce spatial and chemical saturation options for artefact reduction in magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) and assess their impact on T1 and T2 mapping accuracy. An existing radial MRF pulse sequence was modified to enable spatial and chemical saturation. Phantom experiments were performed to demonstrate flow artefact reduction and evaluate the accuracy of the T1 and T2 maps. As an in vivo demonstration, MRF of the prostate was performed on an asymptomatic volunteer using saturation modules to reduce flow‐related artefacts. T1, T2 and B1+ maps obtained with and without saturation modules were compared. Application of spatial saturation in prostate MRF reduced streaking artefacts from the femoral vessels. When saturation is enabled T1 accuracy is preserved, and T2 accuracy remains acceptable up to approximately 100 ms. Chemical and spatial saturation can be incorporated into MRF sequences with limited impact on T1 accuracy. Further sequence optimisation may be needed to accurately estimate long T2 components. Spatial saturation modules have potential in prostate MRF applications as a means to reduce flow‐related artefacts.
Relaxin‐2 Alleviated Ferroptosis and Inflammation in TNF‐α‐Treated Chondrocytes via Regulating the Nrf2/NF‐κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Fan Yuwei , He Yazhou , Ma Da , Chen Ke , Wu Qun , Xu Wanzhong
Published: January 2025

Excessive inflammatory responses and ferroptosis‐associated dysfunction of chondrocytes are significant pathological features of osteoarthritis (OA). Relaxin‐2, a well‐known hormone involved in metabolic regulation across various tissues and cells, has not been extensively studied in the context of chondrocyte dysfunction and OA. T/C‐28a2 cells were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) (10 ng/mL) with or without recombinant human relaxin‐2 (rh relaxin‐2) (25, 50 nM) for 48 h. Various techniques, including 2′,7′‐dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH‐DA) staining, real‐time PCR, western blot analysis, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and luciferase activity assays, were employed. We discovered that exposure to TNF‐α decreased the expression of Relaxin‐2 at both the mRNA and protein levels. Further investigation revealed that treatment with rh relaxin‐2 mitigated lipid peroxidation by reducing levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and 4‐hydroxy‐2‐nonenal (4‐HNE), while increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) content. Notably, rh relaxin‐2 restored iron metabolism balance disrupted by TNF‐α in human T/C‐28a2 chondrocytes by decreasing Fe2+ levels, downregulating transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1) gene expression, and upregulating ferritin gene expression. Additionally, rh relaxin‐2 alleviated ferroptosis induced by TNF‐α in these cells by increasing glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) expression, decreasing acyl‐CoA synthetase long‐chain family member 4 (ACSL4) expression, and reducing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Rh relaxin‐2 also inhibited the TNF‐α‐induced expression of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6). Interestingly, rh relaxin‐2 attenuated TNF‐α‐induced chondrocyte degeneration by suppressing matrix metalloproteinase‐13 (MMP‐13) expression and preventing degradation of collagen type II alpha1 chain (Col2α). Mechanistically, these effects of rh relaxin‐2 were found to be mediated through the nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2)/NF‐κB signaling pathway. Our findings suggest that rh relaxin‐2 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for OA.
Referral Rates for School Threat Assessment
Authors: Cornell Dewey G. , Kerere Jordan , Konold Timothy , Maeng Jennifer , Afolabi Kelvin , Huang Francis , Cowley Deanne
Published: January 2025

Although behavioral threat assessment and management (often shortened to “threat assessment”) has become widely used in US schools, no studies have systematically examined how frequently schools conduct threat assessments and how threat assessment rates vary as a function of student and school demographics. Of particular concern is that students with disabilities receive threat assessments at disproportionately high rates. This study examined the 1‐year frequency of threat assessments in a statewide sample of 611 elementary, 341 middle, and 269 high schools reporting 15,301 threat assessments, of which 41% concerned students with disabilities. We identified threat assessment rate differences associated with student grade, gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status. We further examined the association between threat assessment rates and school‐level demographic characteristics including racial/ethnic composition, prevalence of economically disadvantaged students, and proportion of students with a disability. To place these results in context, we compared findings for threat assessment with out‐of‐school suspension rates. We discuss reasons why students with disabilities might be referred for BTAM at a high rate and recommend practices for assuring their educational rights and needs are safeguarded. Evolving school threat assessment policies should recognize the practice demands placed on school staff to evaluate a substantial number of students.
Functional independence trajectories over 5 years in older veterans with traumatic brain injury: A model systems study
Authors: Dini Mia E. , Wallace Rachel E. , Klyce Daniel W. , Tyler Carmen M. , Vriesman Michael , Juengst Shannon B. , Liou‐Johnson Victoria , Gary Kelli W. , Dams‐O'Connor Kristen , Kumar Raj G. , Venkatesam Umesh M. , Merced Kritzia , Perrin Paul B.
Published: January 2025

Background

Research on older adults who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) has predominantly been on civilian, nonveteran populations. Military populations experience higher rates of TBI and often experience the additive effects of TBI and other comorbid disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder and/or substance use that may increase disability over time.

Objective

To investigate predictors of functional independence trajectories over the 5 years after TBI in veterans 55 years or older at injury.

Setting

Five Veterans Affairs (VA) polytrauma rehabilitation center (PRC) inpatient rehabilitation programs.

Participants

Veterans who experienced their TBI at 55 years or older and had completed one or more Functional Independence Measure (FIM) Motor and Cognitive measure at 1, 2, or 5 years after TBI (n = 184) from the VA TBI Model Systems national database.

Design

Retrospective analysis of observational data using hierarchical linear models.

Main Measures

FIM Motor and Cognitive scores at 1, 2, and 5 years after TBI.

Results

Motor and cognitive functioning decreased over time. Lower FIM Motor trajectories occurred in participants who had pre‐TBI functional limitations in going out of the home and with longer posttraumatic amnesia (PTA). FIM Motor scores decreased over time, and the decrease was steeper for those with a moderate or severe injury. Lower FIM Cognitive trajectories occurred in participants who had problematic substance use at baseline and among those with longer PTA. FIM Cognitive scores decreased at a steeper rate for participants with greater injury severity.

Conclusions

Similar to previously published studies in civilian populations, older veterans with TBI may be at risk for functional and cognitive decline. This study's findings increase the field's understanding of functional trajectories after TBI in older adults and may help identifty those who are at risk for lower functional outcomes.
Cryo‐EM SPR structures of Salmonella typhimuriumArnC; the key enzyme in lipid‐A modification conferring polymyxin resistance
Authors: Patel Dhruvin H. , Karimullina Elina , Guo Yirui , Semper Cameron , Patel Deepak T. , Emde Tabitha , Borek Dominika , Savchenko Alexei
Published: January 2025

Polymyxins are last‐resort antimicrobial peptides administered clinically against multi‐drug resistant bacteria, specifically in the case of Gram‐negative species. However, an increasing number of these pathogens employ a defense strategy that involves a relay of enzymes encoded by the pmrE (ugd) loci and the arnBCDTEF operon. The pathway modifies the lipid‐A component of the outer membrane (OM) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by adding a 4‐amino‐4‐deoxy‐l‐arabinose (L‐Ara4N) headgroup, which renders polymyxins ineffective. Here, we report the cryo‐EM SPR structures of glycosyltransferase ArnC from Salmonella typhimurium determined in apo and UDP‐bound forms at resolutions 2.75 Å and 3.8 Å, respectively. The structure of the ArnC protomer comprises three distinct regions: an N‐terminal glycosyltransferase domain, transmembrane region, and the interface helices (IHs). ArnC forms a tetramer with C2 symmetry, where the C‐terminal strand inserts into the adjacent protomer. This tetrameric state is further stabilized by two distinct interfaces formed by ArnC that form a network of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. The binding of UDP induces conformational changes that stabilize the loop between residues H201 to S213, and part of the putative catalytic pocket formed by IH1 and IH2. The surface property analysis revealed a hydrophobic cavity formed by TM1 and TM2 in the apo state, which is disrupted upon UDP binding. The comparison of ArnC structures to their homologs GtrB and DPMS suggests the key residues involved in ArnC catalytic activity.
Balancing Immediate Relief and Resilience: Centring Local Voices for Disaster Aid and Capacity Building in Climate‐Conflict Vulnerable Communities
Authors: Delina Laurence L. , Shi Lei , Gaviola Jon , Cagoco‐Guiam Rufa
Published: January 2025

Climate change exacerbates fragility and security risks; however, the intersectional vulnerabilities arising from climate and conflict in fragile regions remain insufficiently studied, particularly from local perspectives. While development practices have increasingly shifted towards capacity‐building approaches, traditional aid distribution is often criticised for fostering dependency and lacking transparency. These critiques usually stem from country‐level studies that inadequately capture locally grounded realities. This article investigates the lived experiences of compounding climate and conflict shocks in the Bangsamoro region of southern Philippines through interviews and focus groups. The findings corroborate existing literature, indicating that extreme weather events and violence disrupt agricultural livelihoods, precipitate displacement and exacerbate food insecurity. Semi‐permanently displaced residents rely heavily on immediate relief, locally referred to as ayuda, as a coping mechanism; however, locally designed, long‐term capacity‐building initiatives frequently struggle to secure adequate funding. Perspectives on balancing ayuda with long‐term capacity development suggest a potential for complementarity between these approaches. Proposed resilience strategies emphasise strengthening local governance, enhancing infrastructure, promoting climate‐smart agriculture and fostering inclusive planning. However, gaps in state support hinder progress. By foregrounding the perspectives of marginalised communities affected by climate and conflict, this article offers nuanced insights into addressing compound fragilities often overlooked by top‐down policy discourses. Centring local voices illuminates the grounded realities necessary for a more balanced theoretical discourse regarding ayuda versus capacity building in climate‐fragile, post‐conflict regions, advocating for participatory, tailored and synergistic methodologies to strengthen climate resilience, food security and peacebuilding efforts.
Much Ado About Nothing? Background Anomalies Without Accompanying Primary Peaks in X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Low Energy Ion Scattering
Authors: Pinder Joshua W. , Malatinova Michaela , Kovařík Martin , Austin Daniel E. , Šikola Tomáš , Tougaard Sven , Morgan David J. , Isaacs Mark , Průša Stanislav , Linford Matthew R.
Published: January 2025

X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low energy ion scattering (LEIS) are important methods for identifying and quantifying the elements at surfaces. XPS largely deals with zero‐loss peaks produced by unattenuated photoemission, and the focus of LEIS is similarly surface peaks resulting from direct scattering from surface atoms. However, the backgrounds of these spectra also contain information. They can help reveal the structures and distributions of the atoms and layers at surfaces. Here, we show abnormalities in XPS and LEIS backgrounds that are not accompanied by zero‐loss photoemission or surface peaks. These features are due to buried atoms that are far enough from the surface that they cannot produce zero loss or surface peaks but close enough to affect spectral backgrounds. This Insight Note was written to alert the reader to the existence and usefulness of these backgrounds. Spectra with background abnormalities were poorly modeled by multiple linear regression, that is, as linear combinations of the pure‐material spectra. However, XPS backgrounds with anomalies can be well modeled using the QUASES software, even when zero‐loss peaks are not apparent. With QUASES, it is also possible to correct the substrate spectrum for distortions caused by inelastic electron scattering. When unusual baseline features appear in XPS or LEIS spectra, it can be helpful to use a complementary technique that probes at a greater depth to confirm the presence and identity of the atoms causing the anomaly. The effects in this work were demonstrated via a lighter coating of SiO2 on a heavier stainless‐steel substrate.
Structural and Thermodynamic Consequences of Base Pairs Containing Pseudouridine and N1‐methylpseudouridine in RNA Duplexes
Authors: Dutta Nivedita , Deb Indrajit , Sarzynska Joanna , Lahiri Ansuman
Published: January 2025

Pseudouridine (Ψ) is one of the most common post‐transcriptional modifications in RNA and has been known to play a significant role in several crucial biological processes. The N1‐methyl derivative of pseudouridine, that is, N1‐methylpseudouridine has also been reported to be important for the stability and function of RNA. The critical contribution of N1‐methylpseudouridine in the efficiency of the COVID‐19 mRNA vaccines requires a better understanding of the role of these modifications in the structure, stability, and function of RNA. We have previously studied the structural and thermodynamic properties of RNA duplexes with an internal Ψ‐A pair and reported the stabilizing effect of Ψ over U. In the present study, we have extended our work to understand the properties of RNA duplexes with an internal m1Ψ‐A pair. Additionally, we theoretically demonstrate the effect of substituting internal U‐G, U‐U, and U‐C mismatches with the Ψ‐G, Ψ‐U, and Ψ‐C mismatches and also with the m1Ψ‐G, m1Ψ‐U, and m1Ψ‐C mismatches, respectively, within dsRNA. Our results indicate the context‐dependent stabilization of base stacking interactions by N1‐methylpseudouridine compared to uridine and pseudouridine, presumably resulting from the increased molecular polarizability due to the presence of the methyl group.
A Comparative Study of Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Olive Oil and Sunflower Oil
Authors: Paschou Vasiliki , Emmanouilidou Elissavet , Lazaridou Anastasia , Kokkinos Nikolaos C. , Mitkidou Sophia
Published: January 2025

Waste cooking oils are commonly utilized as feedstock in biodiesel synthesis. However, there has been limited research on the perspective of using waste cooking olive oil for biodiesel production. This study explores the potential of household waste frying olive oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production andcomparing it with sunflower oil. The biodiesel samples were evaluated according to European standard specifications and test methods EN 14214. However, the water content and oxidation stability did not meet the required criteria. To address this, the Rancimat method was used to investigate the potential of essential oils and plant extracts as antioxidants. Oregano essential oil and rosemary plant extracts significantly improved the oxidation stability of both olive and sunflower oil biodiesel. The analysis of the fatty acid profile of the feedstock through gas chromatography–mass spectrometry proved to be a critical determinant of biodiesel properties. Moreover, the use of ultrasound‐assisted biodiesel synthesis enhanced the yield of biodiesel. The research findings have indicated that olive oil is a sustainable option to produce high‐yield biodiesel with a noteworthy antioxidant stability when natural antioxidants are incorporated into the mixture.
Efficient Stereoselective Synthesis of Vepdegestrant (ARV‐471) via Ruthenium‐Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation
Authors: Neerasa Jayaprakash , Kim Bongsu , Chung Hunsuk
Published: January 2025

Vepdegestrant (ARV‐471) is a novel estrogen receptor (ER) degrader currently under clinical evaluation for the treatment of ER‐positive and HER2‐negative breast cancer. We have developed an efficient catalytic stereoselective synthetic route to produce this important compound. The key step involves a Ruthenium‐catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation, which establishes the critical stereocenter with exceptional diastereoselectivity(>99% de). This method obviates the need for chiral chromatographic separation, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and scalability of the synthetic sequence compared to previously reported approaches.
Thermal Diode Films with Liquid Crystal Elastomer Microstructures
Authors: Baek Jae Yun , Shin Gilyong , Lee Ju Hwan , Yun Sungryul , Jeon Jei Gyeong , Kang Tae June
Published: January 2025

Thermal diodes enabling asymmetric heat flow via efficiently conducting heat in one direction while blocking it in the opposite direction have great potential for controlling and managing thermal energy. Here, a thermal diode film with a scalable and thin‐film form factor is presented, which utilizes thermal contact asymmetry that varies with the direction of heat flow. The proposed thermal diode film is fabricated using two liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) layers separated by an air gap: one surface has a pillar structure, and the other has a hexagonal honeycomb structure. In forward mode, heating the LCE layer with the hexagonal honeycomb structure causes the sidewalls to buckle and contact the pillar structure on the opposite side, facilitating efficient conductive heat transfer. In reverse mode, heating the LCE layer with a pillar structure causes it to contract, increasing the gap between the layers with the pillar and hexagonal structures. This increased gap reduces convective heat transfer across the air gap. The thermal contact asymmetry, depending on the direction of heat flow, enables the film to achieve a thermal rectification ratio of ≈2.0 over a wide temperature range of 60–100 °C.
Carbon Nanodots as a Red Emissive Fluorescent Probe for the Super‐Resolution Microscopy of DNA Dynamics during Paclitaxel Treatment
Authors: Garg Richa , Kaushik Kush , Salam Abdul , Kundu Runmi , Chandra Shilpa , Kanti Nandi Chayan
Published: January 2025

Paclitaxel is a commonly used frontline chemotherapeutic drug for cancer treatment. It is known to be functional by arresting the microtubule disassembly during mitosis. Recently, a nonmitotic pathway has been evolving and thus contemplating the mitotic mechanism. Herein, using super‐resolution microscopy (SRM), the nuclear dynamics is directly visualized and the mechanism of paclitaxel treatment is unveiled. A new class of nontoxic, biocompatible, and highly fluorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) are used as a fluorescent probe that are highly capable to directly stain the nuclear DNA and capture the SRM imaging of chromosomes and the chromatin structures. Apart from SRM imaging of chromosomes during all stages of normal mitotic cell division, CNDs successfully visualize the formation of lagging, mis‐segregated, and bridging chromosomes, leading to the multi‐micronucleus formation upon paclitaxel treatment. A detailed chromatin remodeling analysis suggests that heterochromatin plays an important role in the formation of condensed multi‐micronucleus, ultimately leading to cell death.
Laser Cleaning‐Assisted Femtosecond Laser Direct Writing of Diamond Antireflective Microstructures with Superhigh Transmittance of 94.5% at 10.6 μm
Authors: Cao He , Li Yun‐Fei , Wang Gong , Li Hong‐Yu , Sun De‐Rong , Tang Zi‐Qi , Li Li‐Fang , Jin Zhong‐Shan , Yu Yu , Liu Xue‐Qing , Wang Yu‐Lei , Lv Zhi‐Wei , Chen Qi‐Dai
Published: January 2025

Diamond‐based subwavelength antireflective microstructures are corrosion resistant, impact resistant, and possess high transmittance, thereby presenting broad application prospects in special optical windows. Nevertheless, fabricating uniform and highly transmissive subwavelength antireflective microstructures on diamond surfaces poses a significant challenge. The hard and brittle properties of diamond result in a large number of chips and particles, adhering to the surfaces during processing, which subsequently impacts the subsequent processing. Herein, a laser cleaning‐assisted femtosecond laser direct‐write processing technology is reported for fabricating subwavelength antireflective microstructures on diamond. To effectively avert the effects of chip accumulation, an elliptical laser spot is employed to clear the chips and polish the microstructure surface. The resulting highquality midinfrared antireflective microstructures are fabricated on diamond, and high transmittance (94.5%, with a 24.4% increase at 10 μm) within a broadband range (10–12 μm) is obtained, which represents the best results without antireflective coatings to the best of knowledge. Moreover, the antireflective structure possesses no significant angular dependence and maintains good working efficiency even at high temperature.
Pivotal Role of Multishelled Architecture in Nanoreactor with Spatial Confined Co3O4 for Peroxymonosulfate Activation and Contaminants Degradation
Authors: Li Geng , Bian Shiyu , Sun Wenting , Pan Yuwei , Xing Weinan , Zhang Ying , Wu Guangyu , Huang Yudong
Published: January 2025

In recent years, cobalt‐based catalysts have been widely used in advanced oxidation technology to degrade pollutants in water environments. However, the reasons for the improved efficiency and performance of cobalt‐based catalysts with different shapes and structures on the activation of persulfate for contaminant degradation are still largely unknown. This study constructs different shapes and structures of cobalt‐based catalysts, namely, Co3O4 nanosphere, multishelled Co3O4 nanosphere (MSCONS), Co3O4 nanocube and multishelled Co3O4 nanocube, in combination with persulfate activation, on the degradation of tetracycline (TC) and bisphenol A (BPA), representative substances of antibiotics and endocrine disruptors in water environments. Batch experiments exhibit satisfactory TC (96.3%) and BPA (98.5%) degradation efficiency under MSCONS/peroxymonosulfate. Furthermore, MSCONS exhibits wide applicability under complex water matrix conditions. Consequently, an integration of density functional theory computations and intermediates analysis demonstrates that the synergy, rather than the isolated effects of radical and nonradical active species, broadens the degradation pathways of TC and BPA, thereby improving the removal efficiency. Overall, this study offers novel insights into the factors contributing to the enhanced performance of cobalt‐based catalysts with varying shapes and structures. Additionally, it proposes new research avenues for investigating the effects of shapes and structures on other transition metal‐based catalysts.
Hierarchically Enhanced Plasmonic Absorber with Abundant Nanomirrors for Effective Photoelectrochemical Performance
Authors: Wang Jiaqi , Xu Tongzhou , Wang Weipeng
Published: January 2025

The synergistic combination of plasmonic metals and semiconductors demonstrates marvelous potential for nanocomposite design, particularly in enhancing photoelectrochemical performance through rich interfacial modifications and component properties adjustments. In terms of it, nanocomplexes of metal/insulator or semiconductor/metal have emerged heatedly, commonly depicted as nanomirror structures. In this work, a sandwiched nanomirror structure comprising a core Ag nanorods, a TiO2 middle nanogap, and dual types of Au and Ag particles outermost is presented, putting forward a novel design idea of rolling the planar complex up to amplify the potential interaction systems. The TiO2 middle layer enables the intrinsic generation of charge carriers upon light exposure, while the established heterojunctions promote their efficient separation. Additionally, both the inner Ag NRs and outer metal nanoparticles exhibit localized surface plasma resonance effects to realize enhancement of electric fields, where plasmonic coupling between them generates field hotspots within TiO2 layer, thereby expanding light absorption range and enhancing light capture intensity. Beyond, hot electrons from plasmonic metals traverse Schottky barriers into TiO2 to participate in further reactions, all of which contribute to heightened PEC performance of the nanostructure. In this work, the path is paved for innovative nanostructure design integrating plasmonic metals with semiconductors, offering promising implications for energy‐related applications.
Analytische Perspektiven
Authors: Lammers Klara
Published: January 2025

Die nachfolgenden Kapitel beginnen mit der Darstellung von soziologischen Rollentheorien als Ausgangspunkt der theoretischen Auseinandersetzung (Abschn. 3.1), beziehen das Identitätsverständnis aus der Theorie des Symbolischen Interaktionismus mit ein (Abschn. 3.2) und münden schließlich im Diskurs zu sozialen Beziehungen im Allgemeinen (Abschn. 3.3) und – nach einem Exkurs zu Professionalisierung und professionellem Handeln (Abschn. 3.3.1) – unterstützenden, (professionellen) Beziehungen im Besonderen (Abschn. 3.3.2). Als weitere relevante analytische Perspektive hat sich im Verlauf des Forschungsprozesses der Blick auf die Organisation herausgestellt, in die der Peer-Ansatz eingebunden ist. Aus diesem Grund erfolgt in Abschnitt 3.4 eine theoretische Auseinandersetzung mit dem Organisationsbegriff, an die sich eine Darstellung des konkreten Organisationskontextes der Jobcenter anschließt (Abschn. 3.4.1). Dabei wird die Perspektive insbesondere auf die Beratungssituation (Abschn. 3.4.2) und auf die Situation von Menschen mit psychischen Beeinträchtigungen im Leistungsbezug nach dem SGB II gerichtet (Abschn. 3.4.3). Abschließend werden in Abschnitt 3.5 das Erkenntnisinteresse dieser Arbeit und die zugrundeliegenden Forschungsfragen – im Prozess ihrer Konkretisierung – dargelegt.
Evaluation of developmental toxicity of chlorpyrifos through new approach methodologies: a systematic review
Authors: Coppola L. , Lori G. , Tait S. , Sogorb M. A. , Estevan C.
Published: January 2025

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphorus pesticide of concern because many in vivo animal studies have demonstrated developmental toxicity exerted by this substance; however, despite its widespread use, evidence from epidemiological studies is still limited. In this study, we have collected all the information generated in the twenty-first century on the developmental toxicity of CPF using new approach methodologies. We have critically evaluated and integrated information coming from 70 papers considering human, rodent, avian and fish models. The comparison of the collected evidence with available adverse outcome pathways allows us to conclude that adverse outcomes observed in animals, such as memory and learning impairments as well as reduction in cognitive function, could involve several mechanisms of action including inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, overactivation of glutamate receptors and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, followed by both disruption of neurotransmitter release and increase in oxidative stress and apoptosis.
The activity of indigo carmine against bacteriophages: an edible antiphage agent
Authors: Raza Sada , Bończak Bartłomiej , Atamas Nataliia , Karpińska Aneta , Ratajczyk Tomasz , Łoś Marcin , Hołyst Robert , Paczesny Jan
Published: January 2025

Bacteriophage infections in bacterial cultures pose a significant challenge to industrial bioprocesses, necessitating the development of innovative antiphage solutions. This study explores the antiphage potential of indigo carmine (IC), a common FDA-approved food additive. IC demonstrated selective inactivation of DNA phages (P001, T4, T1, T7, λ) with the EC50 values ranging from 0.105 to 0.006 mg/mL while showing no activity against the RNA phage MS2. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) revealed that IC selectively binds to dsDNA, demonstrated by a significant reduction in the diffusion coefficient, whereas no binding was observed with ssDNA or RNA. Mechanistically, IC permeates the phage capsid, leading to genome ejection and capsid deformation, as confirmed by TEM imaging. Under optimal conditions (50 °C, 220 rpm), IC achieved up to a 7-log reduction in phage titer, with kinetic theory supporting the enhanced collision frequency induced by agitation. Additionally, IC protected E. coli cultures from phage-induced lysis without affecting bacterial growth or protein production, as demonstrated by GFP expression assays. IC’s effectiveness and environmental safety, combined with its FDA approval and cost-effectiveness, make it a promising antiphage agent for industrial applications.

Key points

• Indigo
carmine effectively inactivates a broad spectrum of bacteriophages, offering protection to bacteria in industrial cultures.

• A novel application of indigo carmine as a food-grade, environmentally safe, and FDA-approved antiphage agent protecting bacterial cultures.

• Antiphage activity arises from indigo carmine’s interaction with DNA within the phage capsid without harming bacterial cells or compromising protein production in bacterial cultures.

Graphical abstract
Platelet-rich plasma does not influence magnetic resonance imaging findings of the gluteus muscles after total hip arthroplasty through the Hardinge approach
Authors: Nieminen Anette , Nurminen Janne , Aavikko Anni , Puhakka Jani , Haapala Jussi , Keemu Hannes , Kukkonen Juha , Alho Ari , Uusalo Panu , Mäkelä Keijo , Kosola Jussi
Published: January 2025

Objective

Total hip arthroplasty through the Hardinge approach damages the hip abductor muscles. MRI can be used to assess adverse postoperative events. In this prospective randomized controlled trial, we evaluated MRI findings and whether platelet-rich plasma affected postoperative healing of the gluteal muscles (gluteus medius and minimus).

Materials and methods

Forty patients with hip osteoarthritis requiring treatment with total hip arthroplasty, aged between 60 and 76 years, were included. Patients were randomized into two groups: 19 patients in the platelet-rich plasma group and 21 in the placebo group. Platelet-rich plasma or placebo was injected into the gluteus medius tendon incision line during closure. Postoperative hip MRI and plain radiographs were taken 3 and 12 months after surgery.

Results

MRI showed fatty atrophy of the gluteal muscles in all 40 patients (100%), gluteal muscle tear in 11 patients (28%), and atrophy in 16 patients (40%) at both 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Fluid collections related to the operated hip joint were seen in 18 patients (45%) at 3 months and 13 patients (33%) at 12 months, heterotopic ossification formation in nine patients (23%) at 3 months, and 12 patients (31%) at 12 months. There were no significant differences in imaging findings between the two groups.

Conclusion

MRI can be a valuable tool for evaluating postoperative healing after total hip arthroplasty. Fatty atrophy of the gluteal muscles was a common finding. Platelet-rich plasma injection into the gluteus medius tendon did not improve healing detected by MRI.
T1 signal intensity ratio variability based on sampling strategies in the pancreas of children and young adults
Authors: Mathur Arjun K. , Dillman Jonathan R. , Abu-El-Haija Maisam , Vitale David S. , Tkach Jean A. , Trout Andrew T.
Published: January 2025

Purpose

T1-weighted signal intensity ratios (SIR) comparing pancreas to spleen (SIRps) or muscle (SIRpm) can semiquantitatively assess T1 signal change associated with pancreatitis. However, there is no standardized methodology for generating these ratios. We set out to determine the impact of MRI sequence as well as region of interest (ROI) location, shape, and size on T1 SIR.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of T1-weighted MR images from 118 patients acquired 2018–2023. A single observer placed ovoid ROIs in the pancreas body/tail and head/uncinate, spleen, and left erector spinae muscle and large irregular ROIs in the pancreas tail and spleen. ROIs were placed on images from two sequences: 3D radial 2 point mDIXON RF spoiled gradient recalled echo sequence (radial) and breath-hold 3D 2-point mDIXON RF spoiled gradient echo (BH). T1 SIR were calculated from mean signal intensity, and agreement was calculated with intraclass correlations coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman difference analyses.

Results

118 participants, 57 (48%) female, with mean age 13.7 ± 5.6 years (48%) were included. Agreement was good for SIRps based on irregular versus round ROIs (radial: ICC = 0.90; BH: ICC = 0.91). Agreement was moderate for SIR based on sampling the pancreas body/tail versus head/uncinate (ICC = 0.67–0.76) and poor to moderate based on reference organ (muscle vs. spleen) (ICC = 0.41–0.61). Between sequences, agreement was moderate (ICC = 0.55–0.72, mean difference 0.04–0.09).

Conclusion

The size and shape of the ROI used to sample the pancreas does not meaningfully change T1 SIR but the location sampled, the reference organ used, and the MRI sequence used meaningfully change T1 SIR, potentially impacting disease diagnosis and staging.

Graphical abstract
Comparison of complications and surgery outcomes in skin closure methods following cesarean sections
Authors: Gabbai Daniel , Jacoby Chen , Gilboa Itamar , Maslovitz Sharon , Yogev Yariv , Attali Emmanuel
Published: January 2025

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the impact of absorbable subcutaneous staples for skin closure in cesarean delivery (CD) on maternal morbidity.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single tertiary university-affiliated medical center between January 2011 and April 2022. In 2020, a new technique involving absorbable subcutaneous staples for skin closure in CD was introduced. We compared surgical outcomes among three groups: non-absorbable staples, absorbable subcutaneous staples, and absorbable subcutaneous sutures. Data were compared between the three groups and demographic, obstetric, and surgical characteristics were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

During the study period, 31,660 CDs were performed in our center. The data of 31,419 CDs were available for analysis. Absorbable subcutaneous staples were associated with a significantly shorter surgery time in comparison to non-absorbable staples and sutures (52 min vs 53 min vs 60 min, p < 0.001). No differences were found in rates of wound infections or any surgical site surgery in the 45 days following CD. In a multivariate analysis: the use of absorbable subcutaneous staples was associated with a significantly lower risk for prolonged hospitalization > 5 days (OR 0.6, p < 0.001) and re-admission within 45 days (OR 0.8, p = 0.04).

Conclusion

The use of absorbable subcutaneous staples for skin closure during CD is associated with shorter surgery times and a lower risk of prolonged hospitalization and readmission within 45 days.
Long-term symptoms in children after a Cryptosporidium hominis outbreak in Sweden: a 10-year follow-up
Authors: Boks Marije , Lilja Mikael , Lindam Anna , Widerström Micael , Persson Angelica , Karling Pontus , Sjöström Malin
Published: January 2025

In 2010, a Cryptosporidium
hominis outbreak resulted in 27,000 clinical cryptosporidiosis cases (45% of the population) in Östersund, Sweden. Long-term abdominal and joint symptoms are common following cryptosporidiosis in adults, and it can affect the development of children in low-income countries. We investigated the potential consequences for children in a high-income setting. In 2011, we prospectively surveyed 600 randomly selected children aged 0–5 years from Östersund. Cases were defined as respondents reporting new episodes of diarrhoea during the outbreak. After 10 years, respondents received a follow-up questionnaire about long-term symptoms (n = 423). We used X
2 and Mann–Whitney U tests to assess between-group differences in demographics and the mean number of symptoms. Logistic regressions adjusted for sex, age, and prior issues with loose stools were used to examine associations between case status and symptoms reported at follow-up. We retrieved data on healthcare visits from patient records. In total, 121 cases and 174 non-cases responded to the follow-up questionnaire (69.7%). Cases reported 1.74 (median 1.00, range 0–14) symptoms and non-cases 1.37 (median 0.00, range 0–11) symptoms (p = 0.029). Cases were more likely to report joint symptoms (aOR 4.0, CI 1.3–12.0) and fatigue (aOR 1.9, CI 1.1–3.4), but numbers were generally low. We found no between-group differences in abdominal symptoms, healthcare utilization, or disease diagnoses. Children aged 0–5 years from high-income countries may experience long-term symptoms after cryptosporidiosis, but may not be affected to the same extent as adults or their peers living in low-income countries.
Extreme heat risk and the potential implications for the scheduling of football matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Authors: Mullan Donal , Barr Iestyn , Brannigan Neil , Flood Nuala , Gibson Oliver R. , Hambly Catherine , Kennedy-Asser Alan T. , Kielt Aimée C. , Matthews Tom , Orr Madeleine
Published: January 2025

Climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and intense. This negatively impacts many aspects of society, including organised sport. As the world’s most watched sporting event, the FIFA World Cup commands particular attention around the threat of extreme heat. The 2022 tournament in Qatar was moved from summer to winter in response to this threat, and now attention turns to the 2026 tournament in North America with extreme heat risk across many of the 16 host locations. We examine this risk by modelling wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) – a widely used measure of heat stress – for the host locations using hourly meteorological data for the period 2003–2022. Our results show that 14 out of 16 host locations exceed WBGTs of 28 °C, with four (nine) exceeding this threshold more than half the time during afternoons across the mean (hottest year) of the 20 year record. This threshold is important as the level beyond which some football governing bodies recommend match delay or postponement. A climatically sound argument is therefore presented to reschedule kick-off times outside the hottest afternoon hours for the host locations with highest heat risk at which no indoor air conditioned environment exists – primarily Miami and Monterrey, but also Philadelphia, Kansas City, Boston and New York. This study highlights the need to carefully assess heat risk ahead of major sporting events to help inform any potential interventions needed in the scheduling of matches and competitions in a warming climate.
Regularity for minimizers of a planar partitioning problem with cusps
Authors: Novack Michael
Published: January 2025

We study the regularity of minimizers for a variant of the soap bubble cluster problem:

$$\begin{aligned} \min \sum _{\ell =0}^N c_{\ell } P( S_\ell )\,, \end{aligned}$$

min

∑

ℓ
=
0

N

c
ℓ

P

(

S
ℓ

)

,

where

$$c_\ell >0$$

c
ℓ

>
0

, among partitions

$$\{S_0,\dots ,S_N,G\}$$

{

S
0

,
⋯
,

S
N

,
G
}

of

$$\mathbb {R}^2$$

R

2

satisfying

$$|G|\le \delta $$

|
G
|
≤
δ

and an area constraint on each

$$S_\ell $$

S
ℓ

for

$$1\le \ell \le N$$

1
≤
ℓ
≤
N

. If

$$\delta >0$$

δ
>
0

, we prove that for any minimizer, each

$$\partial S_{\ell }$$

∂

S
ℓ

is

$$C^{1,1}$$

C

1
,
1

and consists of finitely many curves of constant curvature. Any such curve contained in

$$\partial S_{\ell } \cap \partial S_{m}$$

∂

S
ℓ

∩
∂

S
m

or

$$\partial S_\ell \cap \partial G$$

∂

S
ℓ

∩
∂
G

can only terminate at a point in

$$\partial G \cap \partial S_\ell \cap \partial S_{m}$$

∂
G
∩
∂

S
ℓ

∩
∂

S
m

at which G has a cusp. We also analyze a similar problem on the unit ball B with a trace constraint instead of an area constraint and obtain analogous regularity up to

$$\partial B$$

∂
B

. Finally, in the case of equal coefficients

$$c_\ell $$

c
ℓ

, we completely characterize minimizers on the ball for small

$$\delta $$

δ

: they are perturbations of minimizers for

$$\delta =0$$

δ
=
0

in which the triple junction singularities, including those possibly on

$$\partial B$$

∂
B

, are “wetted”by G.