bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Report on Relationship between the Subtypes of Early Life Stressor and Clinical Depression
Authors: Chowdhury Debolina , Patil P. S. , Behere P. B.
Published: July 2021

Background: Clinical depression can critically incapacitate one and make one question his self-worth and future. Estimates claim that out of the world’s approximately 7.6 billion population, 264 million people suffer from depression. This study was formulated to contribute data and results of the presence of adverse childhood experiences and its tendency to give rise to clinical depression in adulthood. This article presents data of the first forty cases collected for this study.

Method: Data was collected in the Psychiatric OPD of in a rural hospital, Wardha. Patients of major depressive disorder on treatment and who were above 18 years of age and willing to participate in the study were included in the study sample. Adverse Childhood Experiences – International Questionnaire, Presumptive Stressful Life Event Scale and Hamilton Depression Rating Scales were applied to the sample size.

Results: Among the forty participants 23 (57%) were female and 17 (42.5%) were male. The samples’ age group was either between 30 to 50 years old (55%). Most of the participants were married (67.5%). 52.5% had been exposed to experiencing violence in the household and 52.5% of the participants experienced violence in the community. 20%participants were found to still low to moderate depression. 60% of the total sample population perceived themselves to be withstanding severe stress in the current day-to-day life.

Conclusion: This is a preliminary report to an ongoing research project. We can see glimpses of how exposure to stressors during childhood have the ability to impact a person’s mental well-being decades later.
Deep Margin Elevation for Indirect Restorations: A Systematic Review
Authors: Alghulikah Khaled , Alsulaiman Nada Abdulrahman , Ibrahim Haya Saad Al , AlYamany Rama Mahmoud , Alqahtani Najla Haif
Published: July 2021

Background: The evolution of adhesive dentistry has increased the demand for improving the clinical outcomes of indirect restorations. There are several challenging factors in restoring teeth with deep interproximal lesions. Surgical crown lengthening has been the primary procedure to avoid violation of the biological width. In recent years, deep marginal elevation (DME) has been proposed as an alternative procedure for maintaining biological width in cases with subgingival defects. The aim of this review was to search for the best available evidence concerning the clinical outcomes of DME.

Methodology: A comprehensive online search was performed using three different databases (using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the American dental association library for evidence-based dentistry). Four independent authors reviewed studies, collected data, and assessed the risk of bias.

Results: The initial search revealed 1,763 studies. Duplicates were removed, and an extensive review was performed. Only six studies met the inclusion criteria and were accepted in the review.

Conclusions: The systematic review advocates that DME is a reasonable, predictable, and reliable clinical procedure. There is a limitation of clinical studies in this field; therefore, more clinical studies with long-term follow-up periods are necessary.
Preparation of Biodiesel from Castor Oil and Performance Evaluation in VCR Engine
Authors: Behera Debashree Debadatta , Gupta Aman Kumar , Das Shiv Sankar , Bhatta Ritik Kumar , Pradhan Avijit
Published: July 2021

Biodiesel can be used as Alternative fuel and acts as Renewable energy source. Rapid growth in industrialization of developing countries is resulting in increasing demand for new and eco-friendly energy sources. In this present research biodiesel was prepared from Castor oil by esterification and Transesterification process. The castor oil biodiesel produced was blended with diesel to obtain B10.Performance evaluation was carried out in VCR engine and emission testing was done by Gas analyzer to know the percentage of CO,HC, NOX and comparison study was done with diesel and biodiesel blend. In this study it was found that NOx emission rate of biodiesel blend increases while percentage of CO, HC increases. Also various performance indicators such as break mean effective pressure, specific fuel consumption; break thermal efficiency was plotted with respect to variation of load by using VCR engine.
Prevalence of Malaria among Patients Attending Primary Health Care Clinic Garaku, Nasarawa State, North Central Region of Nigeria
Authors: Ndubuisi J. C. , Aisha Mohammed, , Ansari Rizwan A. , Ude Uche Ifeoma
Published: July 2021

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria parasite infection (MPI) among patients attending Primary Health Care clinic (PHC) at Garaku, Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State North Central Nigeria. A formal consent was issued by the Nasarawa State Hospital management Board to conduct the study. A studypopulation size of150 consenting, apparently healthy, males and females who had attended the Primary Health Care clinic situated at Garaku, Kokona Local, Government of Nasarawa State, for medical treatment, were recruited for the study. The study took place between the month of May 2019 and September 2019. The socio-demographic features of each participant were verbally obtained, and included sex, age, occupational and educational statuses. The gold standard tool (microscopy) was relied upon to determine the prevalence of malaria infection among the subjects. Blood samples collected from patients were Giemsa stained and microscopically examined for malaria parasites. Analysis of the samples revealed malaria prevalence of 53.3 %among the sampled population. Further analysis onmalaria prevalence with respect to factors such as age, educational and occupational status revealed that malaria infection was more prevalent among the civil servants (75%), followed by the elderly (71.4%), and followed by the educated (73.3%) in the population. In conclusion, the study established that women, civil servants, the elderly, and the least educated were more vulnerable to malaria infection within the study location
Impact of iron deposit on the accuracy of quantifying liver fat fraction using multi‐material decomposition algorithm in dual‐energy spectral computed tomography
Authors: Du Dandan , Wu Xingwang , Wang Jinchuan , Chen Hua , Song Jian , Liu Bin
Published: July 2021

Objectives

To investigate the accuracy of using multi‐material decomposition (MMD) algorithm in dual‐energy spectral computed tomography (CT) for quantifying fat fraction (FF) in the presence of iron.

Materials

Nine tubes with various proportions of fat and iron were prepared. FF were divided into three levels (10%, 20%, and 30%), recorded as references (FFref). Iron concentrations (in mg/100 g) were divided into three ranges (25.25–25.97, 50.38–51.55 and 75.57–77.72). The nine‐tube phantom underwent dual‐energy CT and MR. CT attenuation was measured and FF were determined using MMD in CT (FFCT) and Iterative Decomposition of water and fat with Echo Asymmetry and Least squares estimation (IDEAL‐IQ) in MR (FFMR) for each tube. Statistical analyses used were: Spearman rank correlation for correlations between FFref and CT attenuation, FFCT, and FFMR; one‐way ANOVA, and one‐sample t‐test for the differences between FFCT and FFref and between FFMR and FFref. A multivariate linear regression model was established to analyze the differences between the corresponding values with different iron concentrations under the same FFref.

Results

Fat fraction on CT (FFCT) and FFMR were positively correlated with FFref (all p < 0.001), while the CT attenuation was negatively correlated with FFref in the three iron concentration ranges. For a given FFref, FFCT decreased and FFMR increased as the iron concentration increased. The mean difference between FFCT and FFref over the nine tube measurements was 0.25 ± 2.45%, 5.7% lower the 5.98 ± 3.33% value between FFMR and FFref (F = 310.017, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The phantom results indicate that MMD in dual‐energy CT can directly quantify volumetric FF and is less affected by iron concentration than MR IDEAL‐IQ method.
Effect of Heeled Shoes on Joint Symptoms and Knee Osteoarthritis in Older Adults: A 5‐Year Follow‐Up Study
Authors: Perry Thomas A. , Dando Charlotte , Spector Tim D. , Hart Deborah J. , Bowen Catherine , Arden Nigel
Published: July 2021

Objective

Our aims were to examine the effects of heeled shoes on incident knee osteoarthritis (OA) and joint pain.

Methods

We used longitudinal data from the Chingford 1000 Women Study (Chingford Study), a prospective cohort of women aged 50 years or older. Participants with musculoskeletal disorders and/or a history of knee‐related injury/surgery were excluded. Participants were followed for up to 5 years for incident outcomes including 1) radiographic knee OA (RKOA) and 2) joint pain (feet, knees, hips, and back). Footwear data, including ever worn heels of 2 inches or more and daytime/evening hours (per week) spent wearing heeled shoes over five decades (ages <20 years, 20‐30 years, 30‐40 years, and >50 years), were available at Year 10 whereas knee radiographs and joint symptom data were also collected at Year 15. Cumulative time spent wearing heeled shoes was calculated for women reporting ever‐use of heeled shoes (≥2 inches). Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between exposures and outcomes (from Year 10 to Year 15).

Results

A total of 356 women were eligible at Year 10 with a median (interquartile range) age of 60 (56‐65) years. Compared with non‐use, ever‐use of heeled shoes (≥2 inches) was not associated with incident RKOA (1.35; 95% confidence interval: 0.56‐3.27). No associations were observed between increasing cumulative time spent wearing heels and incident outcomes.

Conclusion

Compared with the non‐use of heeled shoes, ever‐use of heels (≥2 inches) was not associated with incident RKOA and incident joint symptoms. Further, increasing cumulative time spent wearing heels was not associated with any of our outcomes.
Rotating Scan Strategy Induced Anisotropic Microstructural and Mechanical Behavior of Selective Laser Melted Materials and Their Reduction by Heat Treatments
Authors: Diepold Benedikt , Palm Mathias Sebastian , Wimmer Andreas , Sebald Torsten , Höppel Heinz Werner , Neumeier Steffen , Göken Mathias
Published: July 2021

Choosing a properly optimized rotating scan strategy during the selective laser melting (SLM) process is essential to reduce residual stresses and thus to obtain homogeneous properties. Surprisingly, anisotropic material properties are found in several materials that are built with the often applied rotating stripes scan strategy of Electro‐Optical Systems (EOS) because the scan strategy avoids possible interactions of the laser beam with process by‐products and therefore excludes a range of scanning directions. Herein, the alloys Hastelloy X, Inconel 718, and stainless steel 316L are investigated. Vertically built specimens with a cylindrical gauge geometry show an oval deformation during tensile testing, indicating a mechanical anisotropy in the horizontal x‐ and y‐direction. Tensile tests along the x‐ and y‐direction reveal a deviation of the yield strength of 7% for Hastelloy X. Analyses of the microstructures show differences in the grain morphology, size, and texture in all three coordinate planes of the three materials. This anisotropic behavior can be explained by a detailed study of the texture and the calculated Schmid factors. Heat treatments can reduce the textural and mechanical anisotropy due to recrystallization of grains but requires annealing at sufficiently high temperatures and long times.
Ti3C2Tx MXene Conductive Layers Supported Bio‐Derived Fex−1Sex/MXene/Carbonaceous Nanoribbons for High‐Performance Half/Full Sodium‐Ion and Potassium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Cao Junming , Wang Lili , Li Dongdong , Yuan Zeyu , Xu Hao , Li Junzhi , Chen Ruoyu , Shulga Valerii , Shen Guozhen , Han Wei
Published: July 2021

Owing to their cost‐effectiveness and high energy density, sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are becoming the leading candidates for the next‐generation energy‐storage devices replacing lithium‐ion batteries. In this work, a novel Fex−1Sex heterostructure is prepared on fungus‐derived carbon matrix encapsulated by 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene highly conductive layers, which exhibits high specific sodium ion (Na+) and potassium ion (K+) storage capacities of 610.9 and 449.3 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, respectively, and excellent capacity retention at high charge–discharge rates. MXene acts as conductive layers to prevent the restacking and aggregation of Fex−1Sex sheets on fungus‐derived carbonaceous nanoribbons, while the natural fungus functions as natural nitrogen/carbon source to provide bionic nanofiber network structural skeleton, providing additional accessible pathways for the high‐rate ion transport and satisfying surface‐driven contribution ratios at high sweep rates for both Na/K ions storages. In addition, in situ synchrotron diffraction and ex situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements are performed to reveal the mechanisms of storage and de‐/alloying conversion process of Na+ in the Fex−1Sex/MXene/carbonaceous nanoribbon heterostructure. As a result, the assembled Na/K full cells containing MXene‐supported Fex−1Sex@carbonaceous anodes possess stable large‐ion storage capabilities.
3D Printing a Biomimetic Bridge‐Arch Solar Evaporator for Eliminating Salt Accumulation with Desalination and Agricultural Applications
Authors: Zou Miaomiao , Zhang Yu , Cai Zheren , Li Chuxin , Sun Zhiyuan , Yu Cunlong , Dong Zhichao , Wu Lei , Song Yanlin
Published: July 2021

Solar‐driven water evaporation has been considered a sustainable method to obtain clean water through desalination. However, its further application is limited by the complicated preparation strategy, poor salt rejection, and durability. Herein, inspired by superfast water transportation of the Nepenthes alata peristome surface and continuous bridge‐arch design in architecture, a biomimetic 3D bridge‐arch solar evaporator is proposed to induce Marangoni flow for long‐term salt rejection. The formed double‐layer 3D liquid film on the evaporator is composed of a confined water film for water supplementation and a free‐flowing water film with ultrafast directional Marangoni convection for salt rejection, which functions cooperatively to endow the 3D evaporator with all‐in‐one function including superior solar‐driven water evaporation (1.64 kg m‐2 h‐1, 91% efficiency for pure water), efficient solar desalination, and long‐term salt‐rejecting property (continuous 200 h in 10 wt% saline water) without any post‐cleaning treatment. The design principle of the 3D structures is provided for extending the application of Marangoni‐driven salt rejection and the investigation of structure‐design‐induced liquid film control in the solar desalination field. Furthermore, excellent mechanical and chemical stability is proved, where a self‐sustainable and solar‐powered desalination–cultivation platform is developed, indicating promising application for agricultural cultivation.
Planting depth and within‐field soil variability impacts on corn stand establishment and yield
Authors: Stewart Stirling , Kitchen Newell , Yost Matt , Conway Lance Stephen , Carter Paul
Published: July 2021

Seedbed conditions during corn (Zea mays L.) planting can have substantial impact on corn stand establishment and final yield. Planting management decisions are complex due to spatial variability caused by changing soil characteristics such as soil texture or landscape position. Field experiments conducted in central Missouri from 2017 to 2019 assessed the effects of varying corn planting depths on stand establishment and yield. Sites included fine‐ and coarse‐textured alluvial soils, and summit, back, and foot slope positions of Alfisol claypan soil landscapes. On alluvial soil, deep planting (7.6 cm) often had the most uniform and timely emergence. Shallow planting (3.8 cm) had the least uniform emergence and was particularly troublesome on fine‐textured soil under warm conditions. Under these conditions, grain yield for one site‐year was 2.8 Mg ha–1 less when planting shallow compared with planting deep. On the claypan landscape position study, stand establishment was affected by both warm and cool growing conditions during the emergence period. During warm conditions, deep planting enhanced emergence uniformity and rate (1.1 d less to reach 90% emergence than shallow planting); the opposite was true for cool conditions (3.7 d more). Yield was not affected by planting depth at any of the site‐years of the landscape position study. These results indicate that certain soil textures and landscape positions require greater attention to planting depth to achieve optimum stand establishment. Differences could be used in on‐the‐go planter prescriptions. These findings also demonstrate that despite early establishment differences, stands can often compensate and maintain similar yield.
Labor shortages and immigration: The case of the Canadian agriculture sector
Authors: Bousmah Ibrahim , Grenier Gilles
Published: July 2021

Reliable access to labor is an ongoing key concern for many employers, in particular for those in regions. As an attempt to help mitigate the effects of labor shortages, immigration has been deployed as a key strategy, but most immigrants are concentrated in large cities. A sector that represents an interesting case in point is the food production sector, which includes primary agriculture and food processing. We use a rich longitudinal micro‐database for the years 2001–2013 from the Canadian Employer‐Employee Dynamic Database to identify the factors that have an impact on the recruitment and retention of Canadian‐born and immigrant workers in the primary agriculture and food processing sectors. In particular, in response to the efforts to explore permanent residence pathways, whether or not immigrants with previous Canadian experience are more likely to stay in the sectors after entering remains a key question for policymakers that we investigate [EconLit Citations: J15, J18, J21, J63, Q10, Q12].
Opto‐Electrochemical Dissolution Reveals Coccolith Calcium Carbonate Content
Authors: Yang Minjun , Batchelor‐McAuley Christopher , Barton Samuel , Rickaby Rosalind E. M. , Bouman Heather A. , Compton Richard G.
Published: July 2021

Coccoliths are plates of biogenic calcium carbonate secreted by calcifying marine phytoplankton; annually these phytoplankton are responsible for exporting >1 billion tonnes (1015 g) of calcite to the deep ocean. Rapid and reliable methods for assessing the degree of calcification are technically challenging because the coccoliths are micron sized and contain picograms (pg) of calcite. Here we pioneer an opto‐eletrochemical acid titration of individual coccoliths which allows 3D reconstruction of each individual coccolith via in situ optical imaging enabling direct inference of the coccolith mass. Coccolith mass ranging from 2 to 400 pg are reported herein, evidencing both inter‐ and intra‐species variation over four different species. We foresee this scientific breakthrough, which is independent of knowledge regarding the species and calibration‐free, will allow continuous monitoring and reporting of the degree of coccolith calcification in the changing marine environment.
Supercritical carbon dioxide assisted fabrication of biomimetic sodium alginate/silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffolds
Authors: Meng Zhi‐Yuan , Wang Li , Shen Lin‐Yi , Li Ze‐Hao , Zhao Zheng , Wang Xin‐Yu
Published: July 2021

In this study, biomimetic sodium alginate (SA)/silk fibroin (SF) scaffolds were successfully fabricated by supercritical CO2technology. The SA/SF scaffolds exhibited an interconnected porous and extracellular matrix (ECM)‐like nanofibrous structures. Moreover, the SA microparticles were embedded in the SF scaffolds. Increasing the content of SA microparticles could improve tensile strength and compressive strength of the SF scaffolds and reduce the porosity of the SF scaffolds. The addition of the SA microparticles could also regulate the degradation rate of the SA/SF scaffolds. Furthermore, the results of in vitro biocompatibility evaluation, indicated that the SA/SF scaffolds exhibited no obvious cytotoxicity and higher cell adhesion ability and were more favorable for L929 fibroblasts proliferation than pure SF scaffolds. Therefore, the SA/SF scaffolds with ECM‐like nanofibrous and interconnected porous structure have potential application in skin tissue engineering.
Triple one‐way and two‐way shape memory poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) immiscible blends
Authors: Hao Chaobo , Wang Kaibin , Wang Zhuo , Duan Ruixia , Liu Hao , Huang Miaoming , Liu Wentao , He Suqin , Zhu Chengshen
Published: July 2021

Triple one‐way and two‐way shape memory polymers (1W‐SMPs and 2W‐SMPs) are highly desirable for many practical applications due to the multiple shape transformation. In this work, the blend with co‐continuous structure is fabricated based on poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate) (EVA) and poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), which shows excellent triple one‐way and two‐way shape memory properties. It is found that the blends have two independent crystallization peaks and two independent melting peaks. With the increase of dicumyl peroxide (DCP) content, the crystallization temperature, melting temperature, and crystallinity of both EVA and PCL in the blends gradually decreases. The blends show great dual and triple one‐way shape memory property, and the phenomena of elongation induced by oriented crystallization and contraction induced by melting are clearly seen. Moreover, the blends exhibit remarkable and recyclable triple two‐way shape memory performance, with an average shape recovery magnitude of 97.3% and an average actuation magnitude of 50.6%. In terms of the excellent triple one‐way and two‐way shape memory performance, the EVA/PCL blends may have potential applications in the fields of soft robotics, actuators, and cranes. The new preparation method of triple 2W‐SMPs can be used to fabricate other triple 2W‐SMPs with commercial polymers.
In‐situ observations of the sensory hairs of Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)
Authors: Reichmuth Colleen , Casey Caroline , Friedlaender Ari
Published: July 2021

The sense of touch in the largest marine mammals is poorly understood. While mysticetes possess specialized sensory hairs that are present through adulthood, descriptions of these structures are based almost entirely on examination of tissues in post‐mortem individuals. Sensory hairs have rarely been observed and described in living whales. We photographed Antarctic minke whales Balaenoptera bonaerensis in the Western Antarctic Peninsula and used high‐resolution images to describe the number, distribution, orientation, and relative size of sensory hairs in freely swimming individuals. Sensory hairs were well developed. They were distributed on the tip of the lower jaw, the margins of the upper and lower jaw, and near the blowhole. Far fewer hairs were observed than reported for other mysticete species, including the related species Balaenoptera acutorostrata. Placement and apparent stiffness of sensory hairs within living tissue combined with observations and images of moving whales suggest these structures aid in detecting air and ice interfaces, and possibly, the boundaries of submerged prey fields.
A genome‐wide identification and analysis of the homeobox genes in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)
Authors: Fu Sheng‐Jie , Zhang Jin‐Li , Xu Hai‐Jun
Published: July 2021

The homeobox family is a large and diverse superclass of genes, many of which act as transcription factors that play important roles in tissue differentiation and embryogenesis in animals. The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, is the most destructive pest of rice in Asia, and high fecundity contributes significantly to its ecological success in natural and agricultural habits. Here, we identified 94 homeobox genes in BPH, which could be divided into 75 gene families and 9 classes. This number is comparable to the number of homeobox genes found in the honeybee Apis mellifera, but is slightly less than in Drosophila or the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. A spatio‐temporal analysis indicated that most BPH homeobox genes were expressed in a development and tissue‐specific manner, of which 21 genes were highly expressed in ovaries. RNA interference (RNAi)‐mediated functional assay showed that 22 homeobox genes were important for nymph development and the nymph to adult transition, whereas 67 genes were dispensable during this process. Fecundity assay showed that knockdown of 13 ovary‐biased genes (zfh1, schlank, abd‐A, Lim3_2, Lmxb, Prop, ap_1, Not, lab, Hmx, vis, Pknox, and C15) led to the reproductive defect. This is the first comprehensive investigation into homeobox genes in a hemipteran insect and thus helps us to understand the functional significance of homeobox genes in insect reproduction.
Silencing of an ABC transporter, but not a cadherin, decreases the susceptibility of Colorado potato beetle larvae to Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. tenebrionis Cry3Aa toxin
Authors: Güney Gözde , Cedden Doğa , Hänniger Sabine , Heckel David G. , Coutu Cathy , Hegedus Dwayne D. , Mutlu Damla Amutkan , Suludere Zekiye , Sezen Kazım , Güney Ebru , Toprak Umut
Published: July 2021

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a major pest of potato plants worldwide and is notorious for its ability to develop resistance to insecticides. Cry3 toxins synthesized by Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. tenebrionis have been used successfully to manage this pest. Resistance to Cry toxins is a concerning problem for many insect pests; therefore, it is important to determine the mechanisms by which insects acquire resistance to these toxins. Cadherin‐like and ABC transporter proteins have been implicated in the mode of action of Cry toxins as mutations in these genes render lepidopterans resistant to them; however, clear consensus does not exist on whether these proteins also play a role in Cry3 toxin activity and/or development of resistance in coleopterans. In the current study, we identified the L. decemlineata orthologues of the cadherin (LdCAD) and the ABCB transporter (LdABCB1) that have been implicated in the mode of action of Cry toxins in other coleopterans. Suppression of LdABCB1 via RNA interference reduced toxin‐related larval mortality, whereas partial silencing of LdCAD did not. Our results suggest that the ABCB is involved in the mode of action of Cry3Aa toxins; however, no evidence was found to support the role of cadherin as a receptor of Cry3Aa in L. decemlineata.
Mass Spectrometric Analysis of Cyclotides from Clitoria ternatea: Xxx‐Pro Bond Fragmentation as Convenient Diagnostic of Pro Residue Positioning
Authors: Kalmankar Neha V. , Balaram Padmanabhan , Venkatesan Radhika
Published: July 2021

Cyclotides, a class of macrocyclic plant peptides, characterized by a cyclic backbone and three inter‐locking disulfide bonds, may be divided into two major structural subfamilies, Möbius and Bracelet, based on the presence or absence of a specific proline residue. The present study describes the suite of cyclotides obtained from Clitoria ternatea, characterized by LC−MS and MS/MS techniques. Notable variations in product ion distributions were observed in cyclotides belonging to different structural subfamilies based on the number and positions of proline residues. For instance, Cter M which is an abundant Möbius cyclotide in this plant containing three proline residues, displayed distinct b‐ and y‐ ion characteristics in the MS/MS spectra compared to Cliotide T1, another commonly identified cyclotide but belonging to the Bracelet subfamily having two proline residues. The distinct fragmentation pattern of prototypical cyclotides of each structural subfamily, determined by Xxx‐Pro bond fragmentation, was used to rapidly identify and sequence a novel cyclotide ctr pep 30 from this plant.
Substituent Effects on the Vibrational Properties of the CN Stretch Mode of Aromatic Nitriles: IR Probes Useful for Time‐resolved IR Spectroscopy
Authors: Choi Suin , Park Junyoung , Kwak Kyungwon , Cho Minhaeng
Published: July 2021

Developing ideal IR probes is essential to understand the structure and dynamics of biomolecules with time‐resolved IR spectroscopies and imaging techniques. Especially, nitrile (CN) group has recently been proposed to serve as IR probes of the local environment of proteins. Herein, we investigated the effect of a substituent on the vibrational properties of the benzonitrile. The electron‐donating and withdrawing character of p‐substituent on benzonitrile are expected to modulate the vibrational frequency, molar extinction coefficient, and vibrational lifetime of CN probe. FT‐IR revealed the positive correlation between electron‐donating character and the molar extinction coefficient of CN stretch mode. Infrared pump‐probe (IR‐PP) measurements showed that the vibrational lifetime of CN stretch mode exhibits a relatively weak correlation with the electron‐donating strength. Among the investigated samples, 4‐dimethylamino benzonitrile with the strongest electron‐donating strength shows enhanced absorption and extended vibrational lifetime. Utilizing substituent effects will be a practical strategy to improve the performance of the IR probe.
Regulation of Strong Metal‐Support Interaction by Alkaline Earth Metal Salts
Authors: Qiu Guanghao , Pei Qijun , Yu Yang , Jing Zijun , Wang Jintao , He Teng , Chen Ping
Published: July 2021

Classical strong metal‐support interaction (SMSI) is of significant importance to heterogeneous catalysis, where electronic promotion and encapsulation of noble metal by reducible support are two main intrinsic properties of SMSI. However, the excessive encapsulation will inevitably hamper the contact between active sites and reactant, leading to reduced activity in catalysis. Herein, alkaline earth metal salts are employed to depress the encapsulation of Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO2 catalyst in the present study. Thermodynamic calculation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and chemisorption results show that the alkaline earth metal salts could successfully prevent the migration of TiO2‐x overlayer to Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO2 catalyst via in situ formation of titanates, resulting in high exposure of active metal. Meanwhile, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and hydrogen temperature‐programmed reduction (H2‐TPR) results reveal that an even stronger electron donation from the reduced support to Ru nanoparticles is achieved. As a result, the alkaline earth metal salts‐doped Ru/TiO2 catalysts exhibit superior activity in catalytic hydrogenation of aromatics, which is in contrast to the pristine Ru/TiO2 catalyst that shows negligible activity under the same conditions due to the excess encapsulation of Ru nanoparticles in Ru/TiO2 catalyst.
Sex differences in sensory processing in children with autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Osório Joana Maria Almeida , Rodríguez‐Herreros Borja , Richetin Sonia , Junod Vincent , Romascano David , Pittet Valérie , Chabane Nadia , Jequier Gygax Marine , Maillard Anne Manuela
Published: July 2021

Despite the high prevalence of sensory processing difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little research has focused on the sex differences in sensory processing. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge on the female‐specific symptoms of ASD, contributing to later referral, diagnosis and intervention. In this study, we examined the sex differences in sensory processing symptoms in large cohorts of ASD children (N = 168; 26 females, 142 males) and typically developing (TD) children (N = 439; 209 females, 230 males). For this, we translated the sensory processing measure (SPM) and SPM – Preschool (SPM‐P) Home Forms to French. The SPM/SPM‐P are parent/caregiver questionnaires that assess typical behavioral responses to sensory stimuli. Overall, our results showed that the magnitude of the differences in sensory processing between males and females is larger in ASD children relative to TD children, with females showing more severe symptoms in Hearing, as well as Balance and Motion subscales. Additionally, linear discriminant analysis showed that the SPM/SPM‐P are good at discriminating TD children from ASD, children with higher accuracy rates for females than for males. These findings are discussed in light of the heterogeneity of sensory processing difficulties present in ASD. Overall, our results suggest that there seem to be female‐specific profiles in sensory processing difficulties in ASD. Implications of findings concerning sex differences in sensory processing and their potential for improving identification and diagnosis of ASD females are discussed.

Lay Summary

The present study examined sex differences in behavioral responses to sensory stimuli in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and typically developing (TD) children. While there is a small trend for TD males to show more sensory processing atypicalities, female ASD children show significantly more atypical responses compared to their male counterparts. This has important implications for characterizing female autism profiles, and ultimately improving the chance for earlier detection, diagnosis and treatment.
Structural changes, increased hypoxia, and oxidative DNA damage in placenta due to maternal smokeless tobacco use
Authors: Kumar Shashi Nandar , Bastia Banajit , Borgohain Deepa , Agrawal Usha , Raisuddin Sheikh , Jain Arun Kumar
Published: July 2021

Background

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption during pregnancy is a well‐recognized health risk that causes placental damage including hypoxia and oxidative damage. Although consumption of SLT by women varies from region to region, majority of tea leave pluckers consume SLT for relieving stress and pain. Still, the effects of SLT consumption have not been evaluated in tea garden workers (TGW). While previous studies have attempted to report effects of cigarette smoke using in vitro model, hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐1α expression in human placentae from pregnant women exposed to SLT has not been previously studied. This study was aimed to explore the effects of SLT consumption on placental structure, expression of HIF‐1α and oxidative DNA damage in sample population of TGW.

Methods

A total of 51 placentae were collected from SLT users and nonusers (n = 30 and 21, respectively) with full‐term normal delivery, who were involved in the plucking of tea leaves during pregnancy in tea plantation. Low birth weight (LBW, i.e., weight <2,500 g) and normal birth weight (NBW) groups among both SLT user and nonuser were compared for the stated parameters. Placental tissues were processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study and immunohistochemical analysis for the expression of HIF‐1α and 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐deoxyguanosine (8‐OHdG).

Results

Altered ultrastructural characteristics were observed in the tertiary villi of LBW group among SLT users which included endothelial cells protrusion into capillary lumen, degenerated nuclei, significant thickening of trophoblast basement membrane and vasculo‐syncytial membrane, abnormalities of the microvilli, swollen or damaged mitochondria, and dilatation in endoplasmic reticulum cisternae. Furthermore, significant reduction in the perimeter, area, and number of the stromal capillary of the tertiary villi of placenta were found in LBW group as compared with NBW group from the SLT users. Enhanced expression for HIF‐1α and oxidative DNA damage (8‐OHdG) biomarker was observed in SLT users as compared with nonusers.

Conclusions

Maternal SLT exposure during pregnancy may be associated with villus hypoxia and consequently oxidative DNA damage. It is presumed that deleterious effect of SLT exposure on placenta could result in impairment of placental barrier, and restrict nutrient and oxygen supply from mother to fetus, and thus could be a cause of fetal growth restriction.
Thiophene‐π‐Cyanoacetamides Show Intense and Tau‐selective Turn‐on Fluorescence in the Near‐Infrared Region
Authors: Oh Yeonji , Lee Tae‐gum , Kim Mi Kyoung , Chong Youhoon
Published: July 2021

Investigations into tau‐targeting diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease are currently underway, and the development of tau‐selective molecular probes is urgently required. In this study, the donor‐π‐acceptor architecture of the previously reported tau‐selective fluorescence probe was modified into thiophene‐π‐cyanoacetamides. While the fluorescence properties of the prepared probes were not influenced by the thiophene substituents, intense and tau‐selective turn‐on fluorescence in the near infrared region was observed only in the probes with unsubstituted phenyl or p‐methylphenyl cyanoacetamides in the acceptor functionality. Compared with the parent compound, the newly identified probes showed 1.5 ∼ 4.1 times increase in tau‐selectivity over Aβ fibrils and 3.5 ∼ 4.7 times increase in fluorescence intensity. The tau‐selective fluorescence properties of the title probes were further demonstrated in the cellular milieu, and the green and red fluorescence emitted by GFP and tau‐bound probes, respectively, were shown to be nicely colocalized in the SH‐SY5Y cells stably expressing GFP‐tagged tau.
UCHL1 regulates inflammation via MAPK and NF‐κB pathways in LPS‐activated macrophages
Authors: Zhang Zhenhui , Liu Ningning , Chen Xiaohua , Zhang Fangcheng , Kong Tianyu , Tang Xiaoyan , Yang Qilin , Chen Weiyan , Xiong Xuming , Chen Xiaohui
Published: July 2021

Inflammation is a common pathophysiological process as well as a clinical threat that occurs in various diseases worldwide. It is well‐documented that nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) and mitogen‐activated protein kinase pathways are involved in inflammatory reactions to microbial infections in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐activated macrophages. The deubiquitinase ubiquitin carboxyl‐terminal hydrolase‐L1 (UCHL1) has been reported as an oncoprotein to promote the growth and progression of cancer cells. However, the regulatory mechanism of UCHL1 in inflammation is currently unclear. Here, we aimed to assess the effects of UCHL1 on LPS‐associated inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction, and western blot analysis. This study identified that inhibition or knockdown of UCHL1 decreased the amounts of the key pro‐inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α in macrophages. Additionally, inhibition of UCHL1 suppressed LPS‐induced extracellular signal‑regulated protein kinase 1/2 phosphorylation and NF‐κB translocation by regulating the inhibitor of NF‐κB. Mechanically, UCHL1 interacts with IκBα protein in THP‐1. Meanwhile, inhibition of UCHL1 blocked the LPS‐induced degradation of IκBα through the ubiquitin‐proteasome system. Moreover, in vivo assay showed that suppression of UCHL1 notably reduced the LPS‐induced animal death and release of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Overall, the current findings uncover that UCHL1 functions as a crucial regulator for inflammatory response via reversing the degradation of IκBα, representing a potential target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Mo–Catalyzed One‐Pot Synthesis of N‐Polyheterocycles from Nitroarenes and Glycols with Recycling of the Waste Reduction Byproduct. Substituent‐Tuned Photophysical Properties
Authors: Hernández‐Ruiz Raquel , Rubio‐Presa Rubén , Suárez‐Pantiga Samuel , Pedrosa María R. , Fernández‐Rodríguez Manuel A. , Tapia M. José , Sanz Roberto
Published: July 2021

A catalytic domino reduction–imine formation–intramolecular cyclization–oxidation for the general synthesis of a wide variety of biologically relevant N‐polyheterocycles, such as quinoxaline‐ and quinoline‐fused derivatives, and phenanthridines, is reported. A simple, easily available, and environmentally friendly dioxomolybdenum(VI) complex has proven to be a highly efficient and versatile catalyst for transforming a broad range of starting nitroarenes involving several redox processes. Not only is this a sustainable, step‐economical as well as air‐ and moisture‐tolerant method, but also it is worth highlighting that the waste byproduct generated in the first step of the sequence is recycled and incorporated in the final target molecule, improving the overall synthetic efficiency. Moreover, selected indoloquinoxalines have been photophysically characterized in cyclohexane and toluene with exceptional fluorescence quantum yields above 0.7 for the alkyl derivatives.
Quick Annotator: an open‐source digital pathology based rapid image annotation tool
Authors: Miao Runtian , Toth Robert , Zhou Yu , Madabhushi Anant , Janowczyk Andrew
Published: July 2021

Image‐based biomarker discovery typically requires accurate segmentation of histologic structures (e.g. cell nuclei, tubules, and epithelial regions) in digital pathology whole slide images (WSIs). Unfortunately, annotating each structure of interest is laborious and often intractable even in moderately sized cohorts. Here, we present an open‐source tool, Quick Annotator (QA), designed to improve annotation efficiency of histologic structures by orders of magnitude. While the user annotates regions of interest (ROIs) via an intuitive web interface, a deep learning (DL) model is concurrently optimized using these annotations and applied to the ROI. The user iteratively reviews DL results to either (1) accept accurately annotated regions or (2) correct erroneously segmented structures to improve subsequent model suggestions, before transitioning to other ROIs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of QA over comparable manual efforts via three use cases. These include annotating (1) 337,386 nuclei in 5 pancreatic WSIs, (2) 5,692 tubules in 10 colorectal WSIs, and (3) 14,187 regions of epithelium in 10 breast WSIs. Efficiency gains in terms of annotations per second of 102×, 9×, and 39× were, respectively, witnessed while retaining f‐scores >0.95, suggesting that QA may be a valuable tool for efficiently fully annotating WSIs employed in downstream biomarker studies.
Synthesis and Antimicrobial Evaluation of Bis‐morpholine Triazine Quaternary Ammonium Salts
Authors: Morandini Andrea , Leonetti Benedetta , Riello Pietro , Sole Roberto , Gatto Vanessa , Caligiuri Isabella , Rizzolio Flavio , Beghetto Valentina
Published: July 2021

Efficient, environmentally and economically sustainable, and nontoxic antibacterial products are of global relevance in the fight against microorganism contamination. In this work, an easy and straightforward method for the synthesis of bis‐morpholino triazine quaternary ammonium salts (bis‐mTQAS) is reported, starting from 2,4,6‐trichloro‐1,3,5‐triazine or 2,4‐dichloro‐6‐methoxy‐1,3,5‐triazine and various N‐alkylmorpholines. Bis‐mTQAS were tested as antimicrobials against Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacterial strains. The best‐performing bis‐mTQAS were found to achieve total disinfection against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 at 50 and 400 μg/mL, respectively. Distinctively, bis‐mTQAS with the highest antimicrobial efficiency had lowest cytotoxicity.
Efficient heterogeneous parallel programming for compressed sensing based direction of arrival estimation
Authors: Fisne Alparslan , Kilic Berkan , Güngör Alper , Ozsoy Adnan
Published: July 2021

In the direction of arrival (DoA) estimation, typically sensor arrays are used where the number of required sensors can be large depending on the application. With the help of compressed sensing (CS), hardware complexity of the sensor array system can be reduced since reliable estimations are possible by using the compressed measurements where the compression is done by measurement matrices. After the compression, DoAs are reconstructed by using sparsity promoting algorithms such as alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). For the given procedure, both the measurement matrix design and the reconstruction algorithm may include computationally intensive operations, which are addressed in this study. The presented simulation results imply the feasibility of the system in real‐time processing with energy efficient implementations. We propose employing parallel programming to satisfy the real‐time processing requirements. While the measurement matrix design has been accelerated 16 with CPU based parallel version with respect to the fastest serial implementation, ADMM based DoA estimation has been improved 1.1 with GPU based parallel version compared to the fastest CPU parallel implementation. In addition, we achieved, to the best of our knowledge, the first energy‐efficient real‐time DoA estimation on embedded Jetson GPGPUs in 15 W power consumption without affecting the DoA accuracy performance.
Agarose Micro‐Well Platform for Rapid Generation of Homogenous 3D Tumor Spheroids
Authors: Krishnan Mena Asha , Yadav Kratika , Chelvam Venkatesh
Published: July 2021

In recent years, 3D culture of tumor spheroids has managed to revolutionize cancer research and drug discovery. 2D monolayer cells grown in cell culture flasks undergo radical changes in cell behavior, structure, and function owing to varying environmental cues and are unable to provide predictive data for preclinical evaluation. 3D tumor spheroids can better recapitulate tumor architecture, cell‒cell and cell‒matrix connectivity, and the tissue complexity of tumors grown in animal models. However, many of the existing techniques to culture 3D spheroids are time‐consuming and ineffective and produce irregular‐shaped spheroids that cannot be easily incorporated in biological assays. The set of protocols described herein makes use of a commercial hair brush as a template to create concave micro‐well impressions in agarose. This technique is easy, inexpensive, and adaptable and also has the ability to produce uniform, homogenous cancer spheroids, with large diameter (∼1000 μm) and thickness (∼250 μm), within 24 to 48 hr after cell seeding. The 3D spheroids produced using the agarose micro‐well platform function as an excellent 3D in vitro model for understanding the extent of penetration, uptake, and distribution of targeted cargos such as a diagnostic or therapeutic agents for identification and treatment of cancer. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Fabrication of agarose micro‐well scaffold for growing tumor spheroids using a commercial hair brush

Basic Protocol 2: Formation of homogenous tumor spheroids in agarose micro‐well platform

Basic Protocol 3: Assessing viability of 3D tumor spheroids grown in agarose micro‐wells using confocal microscopy

Basic Protocol 4: Analyzing uptake and penetration of targeted fluorescent bioconjugate in 3D tumor spheroids using two‐photon imaging
Photocrosslinking O‐GlcNAcylated Proteins to Neighboring Biomolecules
Authors: Capota Emanuela , Wu Han , Kohler Jennifer J.
Published: July 2021

This protocol enables identification of the interaction partners of O‐GlcNAcylated proteins. The method involves the introduction of the diazirine photocrosslinker onto the O‐GlcNAc modification within living cells. The photocrosslinker is activated by UV light to yield covalent crosslinking between O‐GlcNAcylated proteins and neighboring molecules. The binding partners can be further characterized by immunoblot or proteomics mass spectrometry methods. The benefits of using the photocrosslinker include the capacity to trap low‐affinity binding interactions and the ability to selectively target the interaction partners of the O‐GlcNAcylated form of the protein of interest. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: In‐cell production and crosslinking of O‐GlcNDAzylated proteins

Basic Protocol 2: Immunoblot analysis to assess O‐GlcNDAz crosslinking

Support Protocol: Detection of UDP‐GlcNDAz from cell lysates