bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lactate promotes the growth of patient-derived organoids from hepatopancreatobiliary cancers via ENO1/HIF1α pathway and does not affect their drug sensitivities
Authors: Wang Zhiwei , Yu Yuanquan , Wu Peiyao , Ye Qinghuang , Guo Yinghao , Zhang Xiaoxiao , Xi Longfu , Li Qi , Jin Yun , Zhou Donger , Luo Yan , Peng Shuyou , Li Jiangtao
Published: April 2022

The long culture duration of patient-derived organoids (PDOs) have severely limited their clinical applications. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lactate supplementation on the growth, genetic profiles and drug sensitivities of PDOs from hepatopancreatobiliary tumors. LM3, Huh7, Panc02, and RBE cell lines were cultured as organoids in the presence or absence of lactate, and total protein was extracted to measure the expression of α-enolase (ENO1), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α), AKT, and PI3 kinase (PI3K). Thirteen hepatopancreatobiliary tumor specimens were collected during surgical resection and cultured as PDOs with or without l-lactate. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemical staining were performed on the original tissues and PDOs to compare their pathological structures, and their genetic profiles were analyzed by whole-exome sequencing (WES). The sensitivity of the PDOs to gemcitabine, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, paclitaxel, ivosidenib, infigratinib, and lenvatinib were evaluated in terms of cell viability. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and co-cultured with PDOs to test the sensitivity of PDOs to tislelizumab. The addition of 20 mM lactate significantly promoted the growth of LM3 and Huh 7 organoids by 217% and 36%, respectively, compared to the control group, and the inhibition of lactate transporter decreased their growth. The HIF1α/ENO1/AKT/PI3K pathway was also activated by lactate. The inhibition of enolase also partly decreased the growth of organoids treated with lactate. Furthermore, 20 mM lactate increased the viability of 9 PDOs from 135% to 317% without affecting their pathological features. The genetic similarity, in terms of single nucleotide variations, insertions, and deletions, between original tissues and lactate-treated PDOs ranged from 83.2% to 94.1%, and that between the untreated and lactate-treated PDOs was at least 93.2%. Furthermore, the addition of lactate did not significantly change the dose–response curves of the PDOs to chemotherapeutic drugs, targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitor, especially for the drugs to which the cells were sensitive. Thus, lactate can be added to the culture medium of PDOs to promote their growth without altering their genetic profiles and drug sensitivities.
Discovering equations that govern experimental materials stability under environmental stress using scientific machine learning
Authors: Naik Richa Ramesh , Tiihonen Armi , Thapa Janak , Batali Clio , Liu Zhe , Sun Shijing , Buonassisi Tonio
Published: April 2022

While machine learning (ML) in experimental research has demonstrated impressive predictive capabilities, extracting fungible knowledge representations from experimental data remains an elusive task. In this manuscript, we use ML to infer the underlying differential equation (DE) from experimental data of degrading organic-inorganic methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) perovskite thin films under environmental stressors (elevated temperature, humidity, and light). Using a sparse regression algorithm, we find that the underlying DE governing MAPI degradation across a broad temperature range of 35 to 85 °C is described minimally by a second-order polynomial. This DE corresponds to the Verhulst logistic function, which describes reaction kinetics analogous to self-propagating reactions. We examine the robustness of our conclusions to experimental variance and Gaussian noise and describe the experimental limits within which this methodology can be applied. Our study highlights the promise and challenges associated with ML-aided scientific discovery by demonstrating its application in experimental chemical and materials systems.
Perovskite synthesizability using graph neural networks
Authors: Gu Geun Ho , Jang Jidon , Noh Juhwan , Walsh Aron , Jung Yousung
Published: April 2022

Perovskite is an important material type in geophysics and for technologically important applications. However, the number of synthetic perovskites remains relatively small. To accelerate the high-throughput discovery of perovskites, we propose a graph neural network model to assess their synthesizability. Our trained model shows a promising 0.957 out-of-sample true positive rate, significantly improving over empirical rule-based methods. Further validation is established by demonstrating that a significant portion of the virtual crystals that are predicted to be synthesizable have already been indeed synthesized in literature, and those with the lowest synthesizability scores have not been reported. While previous empirical strategies are mainly applicable to metal oxides, our model is general and capable of predicting the synthesizability across all classes of perovskites, including chalcogenide, halide, and hydride perovskites, as well as anti-perovskites. We apply the method to identify synthesizable perovskite candidates for two potential applications, the Li-rich ion conductors and metal halide optical materials that can be tested experimentally.
Comprehensive network medicine-based drug repositioning via integration of therapeutic efficacy and side effects
Authors: Paci Paola , Fiscon Giulia , Conte Federica , Wang Rui-Sheng , Handy Diane E. , Farina Lorenzo , Loscalzo Joseph
Published: April 2022

Despite advances in modern medicine that led to improvements in cardiovascular outcomes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Thus, there is an urgent need for new approaches to improve CVD drug treatments. As the development time and cost of drug discovery to clinical application are excessive, alternate strategies for drug development are warranted. Among these are included computational approaches based on omics data for drug repositioning, which have attracted increasing attention. In this work, we developed an adjusted similarity measure implemented by the algorithm SAveRUNNER to reposition drugs for cardiovascular diseases while, at the same time, considering the side effects of drug candidates. We analyzed nine cardiovascular disorders and two side effects. We formulated both disease disorders and side effects as network modules in the human interactome, and considered those drug candidates that are proximal to disease modules but far from side-effects modules as ideal. Our method provides a list of drug candidates for cardiovascular diseases that are unlikely to produce common, adverse side-effects. This approach incorporating side effects is applicable to other diseases, as well.
Severe acute kidney disease is associated with worse kidney outcome among acute kidney injury patients
Authors: Chen Yu-Wei , Wu Mei-Yi , Mao Cheng-Hsien , Yeh Yu-Ting , Chen Tzu-Ting , Liao Chia-Te , Zheng Cai-Mei , Hsu Yung-Ho , Cherng Yih-Giun , Wu Mai-Szu
Published: April 2022

Acute kidney disease (AKD) comprises acute kidney injury (AKI). However, whether the AKD staging system has prognostic values among AKI patients with different baseline estimated glomerular filtration (eGFR) remains a controversial issue. Algorithm-based approach was applied to identify AKI occurrence and to define different AKD stages. Risk ratio for major adverse kidney events (MAKE), including (1) eGFR decline > 35% from baseline, (2) initiation of dialysis, (3) in-hospital mortality of different AKD subgroups were identified by multivariable logistic regression. Among the 4741 AKI patients identified from January 2015 to December 2018, AKD stages 1–3 after AKI was common (53% in the lower baseline eGFR group and 51% in the higher baseline eGFR group). In the logistic regression model adjusted for demographics and comorbidities at 1-year follow-up, AKD stages 1/2/3 (AKD stage 0 as reference group) were associated with higher risks of MAKE (AKD stage: odds ratio, 95% confidence interval [95% CI], AKD 1: 1.85, 1.56–2.19; AKD 2: 3.43, 2.85–4.12; AKD 3: 10.41, 8.68–12.49). Regardless of baseline eGFR, staging criteria for AKD identified AKI patients who were at higher risk of kidney function decline, dialysis and mortality. Post-AKI AKD patients with severer stage need intensified care and timely intervention.
Experimental validation of state equations and dynamic route maps for phase change memristive devices
Authors: Marrone Francesco , Secco Jacopo , Kersting Benedikt , Le Gallo Manuel , Corinto Fernando , Sebastian Abu , Chua Leon O.
Published: April 2022

Phase Change Memory (PCM) is an emerging technology exploiting the rapid and reversible phase transition of certain chalcogenides to realize nanoscale memory elements. PCM devices are being explored as non-volatile storage-class memory and as computing elements for in-memory and neuromorphic computing. It is well-known that PCM exhibits several characteristics of a memristive device. In this work, based on the essential physical attributes of PCM devices, we exploit the concept of Dynamic Route Map (DRM) to capture the complex physics underlying these devices to describe them as memristive devices defined by a state—dependent Ohm’s law. The efficacy of the DRM has been proven by comparing numerical results with experimental data obtained on PCM devices.
Smart-parking management algorithms in smart city
Authors: Jemmali Mahdi , Melhim Loai Kayed B. , Alharbi Mafawez T. , Bajahzar Abdullah , Omri Mohamed Nazih
Published: April 2022

Recently, various advanced technologies have been employed to build smart cities. Smart cities aim at improving the quality of life through the delivery of better services. One of the current services that are essential for any smart city, is the availability of enough parking spaces to ensure smooth and easy traffic flow. This research proposes a new framework for solving the problem of parking lot allocation, which emphasizes the equitable allocation of people based on the overall count of people in each parking space. The allocation process is performed while considering the available parking lots in each parking space. To accomplish the desired goal, this research will develop a set of seven algorithms to reduce the gap in the number of people between parking spaces. Many experiments carried out on 2430 different cases to cover several aspects such as the execution time and the gap calculations, were used to explore the performance of the developed algorithm. Analyzing the obtained results indicates a good performance behavior of the developed algorithms. Also, it shows that the developed algorithms can solve the studied problem in terms of gap and time calculations. The MR algorithm gained excellent performance results compared to one of the best algorithms in the literature. The MR algorithm has a percentage of 96.1 %, an average gap of 0.02, and a good execution time of 0.007 s.
Biochar from fungiculture waste for adsorption of endocrine disruptors in water
Authors: Vieira Raquel Andrade Leite , Pickler Thaisa Borim , Segato Talita Cristina Mena , Jozala Angela Faustino , Grotto Denise
Published: April 2022

The agricultural residues are ecofriendly alternatives for removing contaminants from water. In this way, a novel biochar from the spent mushroom substrate (SMS) was produced and assessed to remove endocrine disruptor from water in batch and fixed-bed method. SMS were dried, ground, and pyrolyzed. Pyrolysis was carried out in three different conditions at 250 and 450 °C, with a residence time of 1 h, and at 600 °C with a residence time of 20 min. The biochar was firstly tested in a pilot batch with 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and progesterone. The residual concentrations of the endocrine disruptors were determined by HPLC. The biochar obtained at 600 °C showed the best removal efficiency results. Then, adsorption parameters (isotherm and kinetics), fixed bed tests and biochar characterization were carried out. The Langmuir model fits better to progesterone while the Freundlich model fits better to EE2. The Langmuir model isotherm indicated a maximum adsorption capacity of 232.64 mg progesterone/g biochar, and 138.98 mg EE2/g biochar. Images from scanning electrons microscopy showed that the 600 °C biochar presented higher porosity than others. In the fixed bed test the removal capacity was more than 80% for both endocrine disruptors. Thus, the biochar showed a good and viable option for removal of contaminants, such as hormones.
Cross-reactive antibodies elicited to conserved epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 spike protein after infection and vaccination
Authors: Geanes Eric S. , LeMaster Cas , Fraley Elizabeth R. , Khanal Santosh , McLennan Rebecca , Grundberg Elin , Selvarangan Rangaraj , Bradley Todd
Published: April 2022

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel betacoronavirus that caused coronavirus disease 2019 and has resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. Novel coronavirus infections in humans have steadily become more common. Understanding antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, and identifying conserved, cross-reactive epitopes among coronavirus strains could inform the design of vaccines and therapeutics with broad application. Here, we determined that individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine produced antibody responses that cross-reacted with related betacoronaviruses. Moreover, we designed a peptide-conjugate vaccine with a conserved SARS-CoV-2 S2 spike epitope, immunized mice and determined cross-reactive antibody binding to SARS-CoV-2 and other related coronaviruses. This conserved spike epitope also shared sequence homology to proteins in commensal gut microbiota and could prime immune responses in humans. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 conserved epitopes elicit cross-reactive immune responses to both related coronaviruses and host bacteria that could serve as future targets for broad coronavirus therapeutics and vaccines.
Coupling reconstruction of atmospheric hydrological profile and dry-up risk prediction in a typical lake basin in arid area of China
Authors: Wang Jie , Liu Dongwei , Tian Songni , Ma Jiali , Wang Lixin
Published: April 2022

Arid area is very sensitive to global warming and are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Moreover, the water resources system in the arid area is fragile and will undergo tremendous changes with climate change. Therefore, the interaction of climate and hydrology in arid area has an important impact on the formation of regional microclimate and hydrological changes. Daihai Lake is a typical closed inland lake in arid area of China, and a key area for ecological protection in North China. In this paper, WRF-Hydro model is used to simulate the climate hydrological coupling situation of Daihai Basin from 1980 to 2020, and the coupling results are verified and calibrated by meteorological statistics, runoff calculation and remote sensing analysis. Based on the synopsis of climate and hydrology in the past 40 years, the causes and future trends of the hydrological elements in Daihai Basin are analyzed. Through the analysis, it is found that the interannual variation of precipitation in Daihai Basin is sharp, with 401.75 mm as the average from 1980 to 1994; and drastic fluctuations from 1995 to 2011, with a difference of nearly 400 mm between the interannual maximum and minimum; From 2012 to 2020, the fluctuation is small. Although the interannual variation of evaporation fluctuated, it showed an upward trend with a slope of 8.855 mm/year. The annual average temperature showed an obvious upward trend with a slope of 0.040 °C/year. From 1980 to 2020, the inflow of Daihai Lake shows a downward trend; Since 2013, the runoff into the lake has tended to be flat. Climate change and human activities are the decisive factors leading to the change of water quantity in Daihai, among which human activities play a greater role. Cultivated land irrigation and industrial water use are highly correlated with the lake discharge, and these two factors have a great influence on the lake discharge. If the current agricultural and industrial water consumption does not increase, Daihai still has a lifespan of nearly 120 years. If human activities do not change and any protective measures are not taken in time, under the background of global climate change, the flow of the Daihai Lake into the lake will be reduced to zero in 2025, and the Daihai Lake will completely dry up in 2031–2033. The study of climate hydrological coupling of long time series in Daihai Basin can not only make up for the lack of runoff data, but also provide the basis for water resources management, disaster prevention and mitigation.
Beneficial effects of a polysaccharide-based grinding aid on magnetite flotation: a green approach
Authors: Chipakwe Vitalis , Karlkvist Tommy , Rosenkranz Jan , Chelgani Saeed Chehreh
Published: April 2022

Grinding is the most energy-intensive step in mineral beneficiation processes. The use of grinding aids (GAs) could be an innovative solution to reduce the high energy consumption associated with size reduction. Surprisingly, little is known about the effects of GAs on downstream mineral beneficiation processes, such as flotation separation. The use of ecofriendly GAs such as polysaccharide-based materials would help multiply the reduction of environmental issues in mineral processing plants. As a practical approach, this work explored the effects of a novel polysaccharide-based grinding aid (PGA) on magnetite's grinding and its reverse flotation. Batch grinding tests indicated that PGA improved grinding performance by reducing energy consumption, narrowing particle size distribution of products, and increasing their surface area compared to grinding without PGA. Flotation tests on pure samples illustrated that PGA has beneficial effects on magnetite depression (with negligible effect on quartz floatability) through reverse flotation separation. Flotation of the artificial mixture ground sample in the presence of PGA confirmed the benefits, giving a maximum Fe recovery and grade of 84.4 and 62.5%, respectively. In the absence of starch (depressant), PGA resulted in a separation efficiency of 56.1% compared to 43.7% without PGA. The PGA adsorption mechanism was mainly via physical interaction based on UV–vis spectra, zeta potential tests, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and stability analyses. In general, the feasibility of using PGA, a natural green polymer, was beneficial for both grinding and reverse flotation separation performance.
Deduction learning for precise noninvasive measurements of blood glucose with a dozen rounds of data for model training
Authors: Lu Wei-Ru , Yang Wen-Tse , Chu Justin , Hsieh Tung-Han , Yang Fu-Liang
Published: April 2022

Personalized modeling has long been anticipated to approach precise noninvasive blood glucose measurements, but challenged by limited data for training personal model and its unavoidable outlier predictions. To overcome these long-standing problems, we largely enhanced the training efficiency with the limited personal data by an innovative Deduction Learning (DL), instead of the conventional Induction Learning (IL). The domain theory of our deductive method, DL, made use of accumulated comparison of paired inputs leading to corrections to preceded measured blood glucose to construct our deep neural network architecture. DL method involves the use of paired adjacent rounds of finger pulsation Photoplethysmography signal recordings as the input to a convolutional-neural-network (CNN) based deep learning model. Our study reveals that CNN filters of DL model generated extra and non-uniform feature patterns than that of IL models, which suggests DL is superior to IL in terms of learning efficiency under limited training data. Among 30 diabetic patients as our recruited volunteers, DL model achieved 80% of test prediction in zone A of Clarke Error Grid (CEG) for model training with 12 rounds of data, which was 20% improvement over IL method. Furthermore, we developed an automatic screening algorithm to delete low confidence outlier predictions. With only a dozen rounds of training data, DL with automatic screening achieved a correlation coefficient ($${R}_{P}$$RP) of 0.81, an accuracy score ($${R}_{A}$$RA) of 93.5, a root mean squared error of 13.93 mg/dl, a mean absolute error of 12.07 mg/dl, and 100% predictions in zone A of CEG. The nonparametric Wilcoxon paired test on$${R}_{A}$$RAfor DL versus IL revealed near significant difference withp-value 0.06. These significant improvements indicate that a very simple and precise noninvasive measurement of blood glucose concentration is achievable.
Variable-heavy (VH) families influencing IgA1&2 engagement to the antigen, FcαRI and superantigen proteins G, A, and L
Authors: Ling Wei-Li , Su Chinh Tran-To , Lua Wai-Heng , Yeo Joshua Yi , Poh Jun-Jie , Ng Yuen-Ling , Wipat Anil , Gan Samuel Ken-En
Published: April 2022

Interest in IgA as an alternative antibody format has increased over the years with much remaining to be investigated in relation to interactions with immune cells. Considering the recent whole antibody investigations showing significant distal effects between the variable (V) and constant (C)- regions that can be mitigated by the hinge regions of both human IgA subtypes A1 and A2, we performed an in-depth mechanistic investigation using a panel of 28 IgA1s and A2s of both Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab models. FcαRI binding were found to be mitigated by the differing glycosylation patterns in IgA1 and 2 with contributions from the CDRs. On their interactions with antigen-Her2 and superantigens PpL, SpG and SpA, PpL was found to sterically hinder Her2 antigen binding with unexpected findings of IgAs binding SpG at the CH2-3 region alongside SpA interacting with IgAs at the CH1. Although the VH3 framework (FWR) is commonly used in CDR grafting, we found the VH1 framework (FWR) to be a possible alternative when grafting IgA1 and 2 owing to its stronger binding to antigen Her2 and weaker interactions to superantigen Protein L and A. These findings lay the foundation to understanding the interactions between IgAs and microbial superantigens, and also guide the engineering of IgAs for future antibody applications and targeting of superantigen-producing microbes.
Scientific investigation of a fractional model based on hybrid nanofluids with heat generation and porous medium: applications in the drilling process
Authors: Khan Dolat , Kumam Poom , Khan Ilyas , Khan Arshad , Watthayu Wiboonsak , Arif Muhammad
Published: April 2022

This article investigates graphite-aluminum oxide hybrid nanoparticles in water-base fluid with the addition of heat generation in the presence of a porous medium. The problem is formulated in terms of momentum and energy equations with sufficient initial and boundary conditions. The solution is investigated by using the Laplace transform method. It is observed that the velocity of the drilling fluid is controlled by adding hybrid nanoparticles as compared to simple nanofluids. In a similar way, the temperature of the fluid is reduced. Also, the heat transfer rate is boosted up to 37.40741% by using hybrid nanofluid compared to regular nanofluid. Moreover, the heat transfer rate was increased up to 11.149% by using different shapes of nanoparticles in the base fluid water. It is also observed that by using hybrid nanofluid skin fraction is boosted up at y = 0 and boosted down at y = 1.
Hippocampal volume, FKBP5 genetic risk alleles, and childhood trauma interact to increase vulnerability to chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain
Authors: Lobo Jarred J. , Ayoub Lizbeth J. , Moayedi Massieh , Linnstaedt Sarah D.
Published: April 2022

Chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is common and highly morbid. However, vulnerability factors for CMP are poorly understood. Previous studies have independently shown that both small hippocampal brain volume and genetic risk alleles in a key stress system gene, FKBP5, increase vulnerability for chronic pain. However, little is known regarding the relationship between these factors and CMP. Here we tested the hypothesis that both small hippocampal brain volume and FKBP5 genetic risk, assessed using the tagging risk variant, FKBP5rs3800373, increase vulnerability for CMP. We used participant data from 36,822 individuals with available genetic, neuroimaging, and chronic pain data in the UK Biobank study. Although no main effects were observed, the interaction between FKBP5 genetic risk and right hippocampal volume was associated with CMP severity (β = −0.020, praw = 0.002, padj = 0.01). In secondary analyses, severity of childhood trauma further moderated the relationship between FKBP5 genetic risk, right hippocampal brain volume, and CMP (β = −0.081, p = 0.016). This study provides novel evidence that both FKBP5 genetic risk and childhood trauma moderate the relationship between right hippocampal brain volume and CMP. The data increases our understanding of vulnerability factors for CMP and builds a foundation for further work assessing causal relationships that might drive CMP development.
The limitations of fully threaded screws in isolated percutaneous transarticular screw fixation of C1/C2
Authors: Koepke Leon-Gordian , Heuer Annika , Stangenberg Martin , Dreimann Marc , Beyerlein Jörg , Schaefer Christian , Viezens Lennart
Published: April 2022

Demographic aging accompanied by increased falls inevitably leads to an increased incidence of atlantoaxial instabilities (AAI). Minimally invasive surgical procedures decrease the perioperative risk and regarding the treatment of AAI, percutaneous transarticular screw fixation of C1/C2 was more frequently considered in the past. This study aims to investigate the outcome of patients treated for AAI by isolated percutaneous transarticular screw fixation of C1/C2 (IPTSFC1/C2) using 3.5 mm fully threaded screws to identify its chances and limitations. In this retrospective study, data from patients who underwent IPTSFC1/C2 were analyzed. 23 patients (17 females and 6 males) with an average age of 73.1 years (y) were included. Mean VAS decreased significantly from preoperative 3.9 ± 1.8 to the last follow-up 2.6 ± 2.5 (p = 0.020) and neurological functions were preserved. In the radiological follow-up, we saw a single malposition of an inserted screw (2.27%) and one single bony fusion (4.54%). However, in 6 of 7 patients (85.71%), there was a loosening of the inserted screws due course. We demonstrated that the use of 3.5 mm fully threaded screws for IPTSFC1/C2 results in low rates of osseous fusions between C1 and C2. Therefore, their use in IPTSFC1/C2 is not suitable, especially for geriatric patients with impaired bone status.
Higher mortality and intubation rate in COVID-19 patients treated with noninvasive ventilation compared with high-flow oxygen or CPAP
Authors: Marti Sergi , Carsin Anne-Elie , Sampol Júlia , Pallero Mercedes , Aldas Irene , Marin Toni , Lujan Manel , Lalmolda Cristina , Sabater Gladis , Bonnin-Vilaplana Marc , Peñacoba Patricia , Martinez-Llorens Juana , Tárrega Julia , Bernadich Óscar , Córdoba-Izquierdo Ana , Lozano Lourdes , Mendez Susana , Vélez-Segovia Eduardo , Prina Elena , Eizaguirre Saioa , Balañá-Corberó Ana , Ferrer Jaume , Garcia-Aymerich Judith
Published: April 2022

The effectiveness of noninvasive respiratory support in severe COVID-19 patients is still controversial. We aimed to compare the outcome of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and hypoxemic respiratory failure treated with high-flow oxygen administered via nasal cannula (HFNC), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or noninvasive ventilation (NIV), initiated outside the intensive care unit (ICU) in 10 university hospitals in Catalonia, Spain. We recruited 367 consecutive patients aged ≥ 18 years who were treated with HFNC (155, 42.2%), CPAP (133, 36.2%) or NIV (79, 21.5%). The main outcome was intubation or death at 28 days after respiratory support initiation. After adjusting for relevant covariates and taking patients treated with HFNC as reference, treatment with NIV showed a higher risk of intubation or death (hazard ratio 2.01; 95% confidence interval 1.32–3.08), while treatment with CPAP did not show differences (0.97; 0.63–1.50). In the context of the pandemic and outside the intensive care unit setting, noninvasive ventilation for the treatment of moderate to severe hypoxemic acute respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 resulted in higher mortality or intubation rate at 28 days than high-flow oxygen or CPAP. This finding may help physicians to choose the best noninvasive respiratory support treatment in these patients.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04668196.
Root canal length estimated by cone-beam computed tomography at different slice thicknesses, dedicated endodontic software, or measured by an electronic apex locator
Authors: Pham Van-Khoa , Pham Tran-Lan-Khue
Published: April 2022

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the agreements between the root canal length estimations using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) at different slice thicknesses, dedicated software, or an electronic apex locator (EAL) and the actual lengths (AL). In total, 111 extracted human molars with 302 root canals were chosen. Teeth were scanned using a CBCT device at a voxel size of 0.075 mm. Root canal lengths were estimated using CBCT software at different slice thicknesses (0.6, 1.2, and 2.4 mm) and dedicated software for proposed or operator lengths. The endodontic access cavities were created, and root canal lengths were estimated with an EAL for electronic length (EL) and a ruler for AL. Data were tested using paired t-tests and Bland–Altman plots to detect the differences between the methods in length estimation at a significance of 0.05. The accuracy in the range of ± 0.5 mm was 100% for the EAL. There was an agreement between the EL and CBCT at a slice thickness of 1.2 mm (p = 0.349). CBCT at the smallest slice thickness estimation was not the best modality in agreement with the AL. The EAL was an accurate and reliable method for root canal length measurement.
Chiral nanomaterials: evolving rapidly from concepts to applications
Authors: Kotov Nicholas A. , Liz-Marzán Luis M. , Wang Qiangbin
Published: April 2022

Professor Nicholas A. Kotov, Professor Luis M. Liz-Marzán and Professor Qiangbin Wang introduce a themed collection in Materials Advances on chiral nanomaterials.
Monitoring cardiovascular disease severity using near-infrared mechanoluminescent materials as a built-in indicator
Authors: Liu Xiangyu , Xiong Puxian , Li Lejing , Yang Mei , Yang Mingying , Mao Chuanbin
Published: April 2022

A mechanoluminescent material that can emit near-infrared light with a pressure-correlated intensity is embedded in an artificial vascular graft. The graft can monitor the cardiovascular disease-related degree of vascular opening or hypertension.
Photocatalytic cross-dehydrogenative coupling reaction toward the synthesis of N,N-disubstituted hydrazides and their bromides
Authors: Zheng Lvyin , Zhuo Xiaoya , Wang Yihan , Zou Xiaoying , Zhong Yumei , Guo Wei
Published: April 2022

An efficient strategy for the divergent synthesis of N,N-disubstituted hydrazides and their bromides is reported through photoredox-catalytic cross-dehydrogenative coupling of N,N-disubstituted hydrazines and aldehydes.
Switchable assembly of substituted pyrimidines and 2H-imidazoles via Cu(i)-catalysed ring expansion of 2 methoxyl-2H-azirines
Authors: Sun Shaofa , Huang Jie , Yuan Cheng , Wang Gangqiang , Guo Donghui , Wang Jian
Published: April 2022

The unprecedented switchable synthesis of substituted pyrimidines and 2H-imidazoles via the Cu(i)-catalyzed ring expansion of 2-methoxyl-2H-azirines is described.
A review on α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of first row transition metal complexes: a futuristic strategy for treatment of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Sohrabi Marzieh , Binaeizadeh Mohammad Reza , Iraji Aida , Larijani Bagher , Saeedi Mina , Mahdavi Mohammad
Published: April 2022

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by high blood glucose levels and has emerged as a controversial public health issue worldwide.
Deconstructing proton transport through atomically thin monolayer CVD graphene membranes
Authors: Chaturvedi Pavan , Moehring Nicole K. , Cheng Peifu , Vlassiouk Ivan , Boutilier Michael S. H. , Kidambi Piran R.
Published: April 2022

We deconstruct the origins of the orders of magnitude difference in proton conductance between micron and centimeter-scale monolayer graphene membranes to help advance atomically thin proton exchange membranes for applications in energy conversion, storage and separation.
Bioactive hydrogels based on polysaccharides and peptides for soft tissue wound management
Authors: Wu Lihuang , He Yiyan , Mao Hongli , Gu Zhongwei
Published: April 2022

This review provides the recent progress, intrinsic interactions between structures and bioactive performances, current limitations and future directions of bioactive hydrogels based on polysaccharides and peptides for soft tissue wound management.
The impact of assessment and feedback practice on the student learning experiences in higher education
Authors: Ray Swagat , Ngomba Richard Teke , Ahmed Syed Imran
Published: April 2022

Sound knowledge of the learning process and connectedness of assessment in higher education is imperative. Assessment is essential for both learners and teachers to ensure, and to provide evidence, that learning outcomes/objectives against set competency levels have been achieved for the chosen programme of the study. However, many coming into higher education are often unaware of the rules of the game. In this perspective, we will highlight the reasons why assessment is important, how assessment and feedback affect students’ learning process and why the process of assessment can often affect students’ mental well-being. We will appraise the different methods of assessment with a specific example (Objective Structured Clinical Examination, OSCE) and highlight why it is important that we adopt a holistic approach towards fostering assessment know-how and student well-being.
The Views and Experience of Audiologists Working in Flemish Hearing Aid Centers Concerning Cognition Within Audiological Practice
Authors: Kestens Katrien , Degeest Sofie , Keppler Hannah
Published: April 2022

Purpose:

This study aimed to get insight into the views and experience of audiologists, employed in Flemish hearing aid centers, concerning cognition within audiological practice.

Method:

An online 49-item questionnaire was developed and subdivided into five categories: (a) work setting, (b) practical experience regarding hearing aid fitting linked to cognition, (c) knowledge regarding the auditory–cognitive perspective of speech understanding, (d) willingness and guidelines to implement cognitive measures within audiological practice, and (e) demographics. Respondents were surveyed during January and February 2021.

Results:

One hundred twenty-nine audiologists working in Flemish hearing aid centers responded to the entire questionnaire and showed a mean work experience of 8.0 years. Results revealed that cognition was taken into account, especially within the anamnesis interview and general communication strategy, whereas only a minority took cognition into account when actually fitting hearing aids. Knowledge and experience did not determine whether or not respondents took cognition into account. A willingness to implement cognitive measures in a time-efficient manner in audiological practice was observed among respondents.

Conclusion:

Evidence-based guidelines regarding hearing aid fitting based on an individual's auditory–cognitive profile are needed to improve the quality of hearing rehabilitation.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19593388
Word Learning by Preschool-Age Children: Differences in Encoding, Re-Encoding, and Consolidation Across Learners During Slow Mapping
Authors: Gordon Katherine R. , Lowry Stephanie L. , Ohlmann Nancy B. , Fitzpatrick Denis
Published: April 2022

Purpose:

Children with typical development vary in how much experience they need to learn words. This could be due to differences in the amount of information encoded during periods of input, consolidated between periods of input, or both. Our primary purpose is to identify whether encoding, consolidation, or both, drive individual differences in the slow-mapping process.

Method:

Four- to 6-year-old children (
N
= 43) were trained on nine form-referent pairs across consecutive days. Children's ability to name referents was assessed at the beginning and end of each session. Word learning was assessed 1 month after training to determine long-term retention.

Results:

Children with varying language knowledge and skills differed in their ability to encode words. Specifically, children varied in the number of words learned and the phonological precision of word forms at the end of the initial training session. Children demonstrated similarities in re-encoding in that they refined representations at a similar rate during subsequent sessions. Children did not differ in their ability to consolidate words between sessions, or in their ability to retain words over the 1-month delay.

Conclusions:

The amount of experience children need to learn words is primarily driven by the amount of information encoded during the initial experience. When provided with high-quality instruction, children demonstrate a similar ability to consolidate and retain words. Critically, word learning instruction in educational settings must include repeated explicit instruction with the same words to support learning in children with typical development and varying language skills.

Supplemental Material:

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.19606150
Analysis of Novel Assistive Robotic Multi‐Stage Underwater Lift Design for Swimmer Safety
Authors: Laxman Pillalamarri , Jain Anuj
Published: April 2022

Unintentional deaths particularly near swimming pools are alarmingly increasing in recent times. The rate of increase in deaths was reported in the world health organization and other national health magazines. There were very few inventions and research work done on autonomous rescue designs. The paper introduced new methods and techniques to address the issues. The paper introduces very novel architecture; novel multilayer approaches especially worked on fail‐proof autonomous rescue techniques by using natural buoyancy as a main source of mechanical power in lifting drowning persons from the water. The trials conducted by the paper were accurate and reliable and the proposed autonomous drown‐rescue system design is suitable for most the situations. The placement of sensors, elevator, semiautomatic arrangements such as panic switches, and buoyancy helped elevator are the total innovative approaches in addressing the situation (cause). There is no big limitation in the proposed methods except 20–30% of the total cost of the construction of the swimming pool which is not a problem when addressing alarmingly increasing deaths due to drowning in all age groups people. The methods discussed in the paper are all possible and feasible cost‐effective methods and add more confidence in maintaining a pool in‐house without any health risks. The governments and communities must frame rules to implement the proposed system as mandatory to maintain a pool that is 100% safe for all age groups. The methods addressed in the paper are completely novel and new. The paper contributes major design contributions for the detection of drowning accidents using underwater and buoyancy‐dependent lifts, proximity sensors, and laser tripwires.
Probing red supergiant dynamics through photo-center displacements measured by Gaia
Authors: Chiavassa A. , Kudritzki R. , Davies B. , Freytag B. , de Mink S. E.
Published: April 2022

Context. Red supergiant (RSGs) are cool massive stars in a late phase of their evolution when the stellar envelope becomes fully convective. They are the brightest stars in the universe at infrared light and can be detected in galaxies far beyond the Local Group, allowing for accurate determination of chemical composition of galaxies. The study of their physical properties is extremely important for various phenomena including the final fate of massive stars as type II supernovae and gravitational wave progenitors.

Aims. We explore the well-studied nearby young stellar cluster χ Per, which contains a relatively large population of RSG stars. Using Gaia EDR3 data, we find the distance of the cluster (d = 2.260 ± 0.020 kpc) from blue main sequence stars and compare with RSG parallax measurements analysing the parallax uncertainties of both groups. We then investigate the variability of the convection-related surface structure as a source for parallax measurement uncertainty.

Methods. We use state-of-the-art three-dimensional radiative hydrodynamics simulations of convection with CO5BOLD and the post-processing radiative transfer code OPTIM3D to compute intensity maps in the Gaia G photometric system. We calculate the variabiltiy, as a function of time, of the intensity-weighted mean (or the photo-center) from the synthetic maps. We then select the RSG stars in the cluster and compare their uncertainty on parallaxes to the predictions of photocentre displacements.

Results. The synthetic maps of RSG show extremely irregular and temporal variable surfaces due to convection-related dynamics. Consequentially, the position of the photo-center varies during Gaia measurements between 0.033 and 0.130 AU (≈1 to ≈5% of the corresponding simulation stellar radius). We argue that the variability of the convection-related surface structures accounts for a substantial part of the Gaia EDR3 parallax error of the RSG sample of χ Per.

Conclusions. We suggest that the variation of the uncertainty on Gaia parallax could be exploited quantitatively using appropriate RHD simulations to extract, in a unique way, important information about the stellar dynamics and parameters of RSG stars.
Cementitious composites incorporating Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs): effects of annealing and other dispersion methods on the electrical and mechanical properties
Authors: Shahzad Shaban , Toumi Ahmed , Balayssac Jean-Paul , Turatsinze Anaclet , Mazars Vanessa
Published: April 2022

This study focuses on different techniques for dispersing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) in cementitious materials. The impact of dispersion is observed through electrical resistivity and mechanical properties of cementitious composites. Two contents (0.5 and 1% by mass of cement) of MWCNTs are investigated and three different techniques were used to disperse CNTs in water by sonication: (i) pristine, P-CNT, (ii) functionalized carbon nanotubes by classical approach (dispersive agent, D-CNT), and (iii) by an innovative approach (annealing, A-CNT). Self-sensing response of the material under cyclic compressive loading is measured with Wheatstone Bridge (WSB) circuit. Results showed a detrimental effect of dispersive agent on the resistivity and mechanical properties of cementitious composites irrespective of the content of CNTs. However, the impact of P-CNT and A-CNT on the reduction of mechanical properties is slight. With the use of 1% content of A-CNTs, a stable resistivity response of the material is observed irrespective of the saturation degree. This indicates that content higher than 1% of A-CNTs is not required for the development of smart cementitious composites for structural health monitoring (SHM). The test results of self sensing measurements indicate a poor repeatability of the electrical response for plain mortar under each loading cycle while, stable response is noticed with specimens incorporating 1% of A-CNTs. The maximum variation in fractional change in voltage (FCV) shown by plain mortar is 6.3% indicating high electrical resistance of plain mortar, while in case of mortar containing 1% A-CNTs, variation in FCV is 35% indicating lower electrical resistance and better sensitivity of the material.
Supply chain contracting considering the cost structure between capacity and quality under information asymmetry
Authors: Zeng Wei
Published: April 2022

This paper studies the supply chain contracting problem to ensure on-time delivery of high-quality products from the supplier to the buyer. The notions of complements and substitutes are utilized to describe the correlation among the supplier’s production cost, production capacity, and product quality, i.e., the cost structure between capacity and quality. A principal-agent model is proposed to solve the supply chain contracting considering the cost structure between capacity and quality under information asymmetry. We derive the conditions for complements and substitutes and the optimal menu of contracts. Our results indicate that the cost structure plays an important role in supply chain contracting.
Depression und Parkinson-Erkrankung
Authors: Schmauß Max
Published: April 2022

Depression und Parkinson-Syndrom treten häufig gemeinsam auf 1. Depressive Episoden tragen signifikant zur
Morbidität der Parkinson-Erkrankung und damit auch zur Inanspruchnahme der
Angehörigen bei. Bei Verwendung moderner Klassifikationssysteme gibt die
Mehrzahl der Autoren Prävalenzraten von bis zu 50% an 2. Diese Komorbidität wird immer noch zu
selten diagnostiziert und viel zu selten behandelt 1. Hierbei ist zu berücksichtigen, dass depressive Syndrome
nicht nur als Reaktion auf die Parkinson-Erkrankung zu interpretieren sind, da sie
häufig bereits in der präsymptomatischen Phase der
Parkinson-Erkrankung zu beobachten sind und auch bei deutlicher Besserung der
Parkinson-Symptomatik unter entsprechender Medikation häufig sistieren.
Populist discourse and entrepreneurship: The role of political ideology and institutions
Authors: Bennett Daniel L. , Boudreaux Christopher , Nikolaev Boris
Published: April 2022

Using institutional economic theory as our guiding framework, we develop a model to describe how populist discourse by a nation’s political leader influences entrepreneurship. We hypothesize that populist discourse reduces entrepreneurship by creating regime uncertainty concerning the future stability of the institutional environment, resulting in entrepreneurs anticipating higher future transaction costs. Our model highlights two important factors that moderate the relationship. First is the strength of political checks and balances, which we hypothesize weakens the negative relationship between populist discourse and entrepreneurship by providing entrepreneurs with greater confidence that the actions of a populist will be constrained. Second, the political ideology of the leader moderates the relationship between populist discourse and entrepreneurship. The anti-capitalistic rhetoric of left-wing populism will create greater regime uncertainty than right-wing populism, which is often accompanied by rhetoric critical of free trade and foreigners, but also supportive of business interests. The effect of centrist populism, which is often accompanied by a mix of contradictory and often moderate ideas that make it difficult to discern future transaction costs, will have a weaker negative effect on entrepreneurship than either left-wing or right-wing populism. We empirically test our model using a multi-level design and a dataset comprised of more than 780,000 individuals in 33 countries over the period 2002–2016. Our analysis largely supports our theory regarding the moderating role of ideology. However, surprisingly, our findings suggest that the negative effect of populism on entrepreneurship is greater in nations with stronger checks and balances.