bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maximizing the Impact of Science Outreach Training
Authors: Falkenberg Laura J. , King Emily H. , Russell Bayden D. , Chen Robert F.
Published: July 2021

The global recognition of the importance of science communication has led to a recent emphasis on outreach and broad dissemination of information as a core component of a scientist's role. Increasingly, training for academics is seen as a necessity for successful outreach activities, yet it has associated costs which may deter some from participating. We are, therefore, interested in considering benefits and costs of outreach training. Key benefits include development of widely applicable skills, broadening of community, and professional recognition for participation. Key costs are the time invested in preparing, participating in, and following‐up after training. We identify five key behaviors that can increase the effectiveness of outreach training, specifically: (1) communicate effectively (i.e., engage); (2) have the capacity to participate in the training (i.e., make time); (3) keep detailed accounts of participation in such activities (i.e., record attendance); (4) implement lessons and strategies immediately following training (i.e., practice); and (5) adapt approaches to the specific context (including when a global pandemic causes a shift from in‐person to virtual settings; i.e., modify approach). We propose that when training is approached with a clear plan to integrate these key behaviors there will be effective and impactful professional development in outreach.
Molecular Mismatch Predicts T Cell–Mediated Rejection and De Novo Donor‐Specific Antibody Formation After Living Donor Liver Transplantation
Authors: Ono Kosuke , Ide Kentaro , Tanaka Yuka , Ohira Masahiro , Tahara Hiroyuki , Tanimine Naoki , Yamane Hiroaki , Ohdan Hideki
Published: July 2021

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecular mismatch (MM) analysis improves the prediction of clinical outcomes in kidney transplantation compared with prediction via traditional antigen MM. However, it remains unclear whether the level of MM can be used for risk stratification among liver transplantation (LT) recipients. A retrospective observational study of 45 living donor LTs was performed to evaluate eplet MM as a risk factor for both T cell–mediated rejection (TCMR) in the first month and de novo donor‐specific antibody (dnDSA) formation. A total of 9 (20%) patients displayed TCMR. HLA‐A, HLA‐B, HLA‐C, and HLA‐DRB1 eplet MM numbers were not associated with TCMR. By contrast, HLA‐DQB1 eplet MM (DQB1‐EpMM) number was significantly high in patients with TCMR. The predicted indirectly recognizable HLA epitopes (PIRCHE‐II) score for the HLA‐DQB1 locus (DQB1‐PIRCHE‐II) was also significantly higher in the TCMR group than in the no‐TCMR group. There was a high probability for TCMR to occur with either a DQB1‐EpMM ≥7 or a DQB1‐PIRCHE‐II ≥13. Pretransplant mixed lymphocyte response analyses indicated that there were no significant differences between the antidonor T cell proliferation activities of patients with low‐number (<7) and high‐number (≥7) DQB1‐EpMMs. However, the proportion of CD25 expression on proliferating antidonor CD8+ T cells, used as a cytotoxic activity marker, was high in DQB1‐EpMMs ≥7. Moreover, both DQB1‐EpMMs ≥9 and DQB1‐PIRCHE‐II ≥3 were predictors of dnDSA formation. Thus, MM analysis may be applied toward tailored immunosuppression based on individual risks.
Why retail investors traded equity during the pandemic? An application of artificial neural networks to examine behavioral biases
Authors: Talwar Shalini , Talwar Manish , Tarjanne Visa , Dhir Amandeep
Published: July 2021

Behavioral biases are known to influence the investment decisions of retail investors. Indeed, extant research has revealed interesting findings in this regard. However, the literature on the impact of these biases on millennials' trading activity, particularly during a health crisis like the COVID‐19 pandemic, as well as the equity recommendation intentions of such investors, is limited. The present study addressed these gaps by investigating the influence of eight behavioral biases: overconfidence and self‐attribution, over‐optimism, hindsight, representativeness, anchoring, loss aversion, mental accounting, and herding on the trading activity and recommendation intentions of millennials during the pandemic. An artificial neural network approach was used to analyze the data collected from 351 millennial men in Finland. The results revealed that herding, hindsight, overconfidence and self‐attribution, representativeness, and anchoring influence both trading activity and recommendation intentions, albeit to varying extents. Notably, loss aversion and mental accounting influence only the recommendation intentions. Furthermore, the relationship of the two endogenous variables is nonlinear with herding, representativeness, and anchoring but is linear with other biases. In addition to the quantitative study, we also conducted a post hoc qualitative study with 19 millennials to evaluate the persistence of behavioral biases among them through the pandemic.
Current status and future prospects of nanomedicine for arsenic trioxide delivery to solid tumors
Authors: Sönksen Marthe , Kerl Kornelius , Bunzen Hana
Published: July 2021

Despite having a rich history as a poison, arsenic and its compounds have also gained a great reputation as promising anticancer drugs. As a pioneer, arsenic trioxide has been approved for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. Many in vitro studies suggested that arsenic trioxide could also be used in the treatment of solid tumors. However, the transition from bench to bedside turned out to be challenging, especially in terms of the drug bioavailability and concentration reaching tumor tissues. To address these issues, nanomedicine tools have been proposed. As nanocarriers of arsenic trioxide, various materials have been examined including liposomes, polymer, and inorganic nanoparticles, and many other materials. This review gives an overview of the existing strategies of delivery of arsenic trioxide in cancer treatment with a focus on the drug encapsulation approaches and medicinal impact in the treatment of solid tumors. It focuses on the progress in the last years and gives an outlook and suggestions for further improvements including theragnostic approaches and targeted delivery.
Family based and case–control designs reveal an association ofTFAP2Ain nonsyndromic cleft lip only among Vietnamese population
Authors: Nguyen Duc Minh , Suzuki Satoshi , Imura Hideto , Niimi Teruyuki , Furukawa Hiroo , Ta Thanh‐Van , Tong Son Minh , Nguyen Tra Thu , Pham Loc Nguyen Gia , Tran Duy Le , Natsume Nagato
Published: July 2021

Aims

Dozens of causative genes and their mechanisms of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) were revealed through genome‐wide association and linkage studies. Results were, however, not always replicated in different populations or methodologies. This study used case–control and family based approaches to investigate the etiology of NSCL/P and its two subtypes: nonsyndromic cleft lip only (NSCLO) and nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) among the Vietnamese population.

Methods

Two hundred and seventeen NSCL/P case‐parent trios (one affected child and two parents), including 105 NSCLO and 112 NSCLP were involved for a family based design; and 273 ethnic and region‐matched healthy controls with no cleft history in their families were recruited for a case–control design. Three SNPs consisting ofTFAP2A(rs1675414 and rs303048) and 8q24 (rs987525) were genotyped using the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay.

Results

TFAP2Ars1675414 was associated with NSCLO, replicated by both case‐control and family based tests. Other SNPs yielded no evidence of susceptibility to NSCL/P or two subtypes.

Conclusion

The current investigation suggests an intriguing role ofTFAP2Ain the etiology of NSCLO among the Vietnamese population.
Stability analysis of discretized structure systems based on the complex network with dynamics of time‐varying stiffness
Authors: Wang Chaoyu , Wang Yinhe
Published: July 2021

The stability analysis of dynamic continuous structural system (DCSS) has often been investigated by discretizing it into several low‐dimensional elements. The integrated results of all elements are employed to describe the whole dynamic behavior of DCSS. In this paper, DCSS is regarded as the complex dynamic network with the discretized elements as the dynamic nodes and the time‐varying stiffness as the dynamic link relations between them, by which the DCSS can be regarded to be the large‐scale system composed of the node subsystem (NS) and link subsystem (LS). Therefore, the dynamic model of DCSS is proposed as the combination of dynamic equations of NS and LS, in which their state variables are coupled mutually. By using the model, this paper investigates the stability of DCSS. The research results show that the state variables of NS and LS are uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) associated with the synthesized coupling terms in LS. Finally, the simulation example is utilized to demonstrate the validity of method in this paper.
Design of a wide bandwidth and high gain wearable antenna based on nonuniform metasurface
Authors: Gao Guoping , Meng Huijia , Geng Wenfei , Zhang Benkai , Dou Zhiheng , Hu Bin
Published: July 2021

A metasurface (MS) antenna for the 5 GHz wireless local area network (WLAN) band is presented in this paper. The antenna is feed by a modified aperture‐coupled structure with an optimized rectangular nonuniform MS to widen the bandwidth and improve the gain. The proposed antenna has a thickness of 4 mm and occupies an area of 50 mm × 50 mm. The operating frequency range of the antenna is 4.72–6.19 GHz, covering the 5.15–5.825 GHz band used by the 5 GHz WLAN. The measured average gain is 7.23 dBi. The simulated specific absorption rate values under 1 g and 10 g standard are lower than the limitation of U.S. and European. Due to its simple structure, wide bandwidth and small size, the proposed MS antenna has great potential in the wearable applications.
A compact multilayer substrate integrated waveguide quasi‐elliptic bandpass filter for millimeter‐wave applications
Authors: Zhang Zhiyuan , Zhu Yuanwei , Zhang Zijian , Yan Pinpin
Published: July 2021

A multilayer substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) quasi‐elliptic bandpass filter based on the printed circuit board (PCB) process is presented for millimeter‐wave applications in this article. The proposed filter consists of four SIW cavities, in which the upper and lower cavities form the vertical couplings, and the two lower cavities form a mixed coupling by a short‐ended conducting strip and metallized vias. The four‐order filter can form the cross‐coupling and mixed‐coupling mechanism to introduce transmission zeros (TZs). Moreover, the filter can achieve miniaturization by vertical couplings with a size of about 0.77 × 0.49 λ02, where λ0 is the wavelength of the center frequency (25.75 GHz). Measured results show that the filter has a 3 dB bandwidth of 15.1%, the insertion loss of 1.29 dB at the center frequency (25.75 GHz) and the passband return loss better than 17 dB. Three TZs (23.1, 29.0 and 31.6 GHz) are obtained to improve the filter selectivity.
Segmentation of common and internal carotid arteries from 3D ultrasound images based on adaptive triple loss
Authors: Jiang Mingjie , Zhao Yuan , Chiu Bernard
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Vessel wall volume (VWV) and localized vessel‐wall‐plus‐plaque thickness (VWT) measured from three‐dimensional (3D) ultrasound (US) carotid images are sensitive to anti‐atherosclerotic effects of medical/dietary treatments. VWV and VWT measurements require the lumen‐intima (LIB) and media‐adventitia boundaries (MAB) at the common and internal carotid arteries (CCA and ICA). However, most existing segmentation techniques were capable of segmenting the CCA only. An approach capable of segmenting the MAB and LIB from the CCA and ICA was required to accelerate VWV and VWT quantification.

Methods

Segmentation for CCA and ICA was performed independently using the proposed two‐channel U‐Net, which was driven by a novel loss function known as the adaptive triple Dice loss (ADTL) function. The training set was augmented by interpolating manual segmentation along the longitudinal direction, thereby taking continuity of the artery into account. A test‐time augmentation (TTA) approach was applied, in which segmentation was performed three times based on the input axial images and its flipped versions; the final segmentation was generated by pixel‐wise majority voting.

Results

Experiments involving 224 3DUS volumes produce a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 95.1% ± 4.1% and 91.6% ± 6.6% for the MAB and LIB, in the CCA, respectively, and 94.2% ± 3.3% and 89.0% ± 8.1% for the MAB and LIB, in the ICA, respectively. TTA and ATDL independently contributed to a statistically significant improvement to all boundaries except the LIB in ICA.

Conclusions

The proposed two‐channel U‐Net with ADTL and TTA can segment the CCA and ICA accurately and efficiently from the 3DUS volume. Our approach has the potential to accelerate the transition of 3DUS measurements of carotid atherosclerosis to clinical research.
Dual flip‐angle IR‐FLASH with spin history mapping for B1+ corrected T1 mapping: Application to T1 cardiovascular magnetic resonance multitasking
Authors: Serry Fardad Michael , Ma Sen , Mao Xianglun , Han Fei , Xie Yibin , Han Hui , Li Debiao , Christodoulou Anthony G.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

To develop a single‐scan method for ‐corrected T1 mapping and apply it for free‐breathing (FB) cardiac MR multitasking without electrocardiogram (ECG) triggering.

Methods

One dual flip‐angle (2FA) inversion recovery (IR)‐FLASH scan provides two observations of (apparent T1) corresponding to two distinct combinations of the nominal FA α and . Spatiotemporally coregistered T1 and spin history maps are obtained by fitting the 2FA signal model. T1 estimate accuracy and repeatability for single flip‐angle (1FA) and 2FA IR‐FLASH sequence MR multitasking were evaluated at 3T. A T1 phantom was first imaged on the scanner table, then on two human subjects’ thoraxes in both breath‐hold (BH) and FB conditions. IR‐turbo spin echo (IR‐TSE) static phantom T1 measurements served as reference. In 10 healthy subjects, myocardial T1 was evaluated with ECG‐free, FB multitasking sequences alongside ECG‐triggered BH MOLLI.

Results

For phantom‐on‐table T1 estimates, 2FA agreed better with IR‐TSE (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.996, mean error ± SD = −1.6% ± 1.9%) than did 1FA (ICC = 0.922; mean error ± SD = −4.3% ± 12%). For phantom‐on‐thorax, 2FA was more repeatable and robust to respiration than 1FA (coefficient of variation [CoV] = 1.2% 2FA, = 11.3% 1FA). In vivo, in intrasession T1 repeatability, 2FA (septal CoV = 2.4%, six‐segment CoV = 4.4%) outperformed 1FA (septal CoV = 3.1%, six‐segment CoV = 5.5%). In six‐segment T1 homogeneity, 2FA (CoV = 7.9%) also outperformed 1FA (CoV = 11.1%).

Conclusion

The 2FA IR‐FLASH improves T1 estimate accuracy and repeatability over 1FA IR‐FLASH, and enables single‐scan ‐corrected T1 mapping without BHs or ECG when used with MR multitasking.
The way towards for ultraflat and superclean graphene
Authors: Zhang Ruijie , Li Menghan , Li Lin , Fan Yixuan , Zhang Qing , Yu Gui , Geng Dechao , Hu Wenping
Published: July 2021

Large‐scale and high‐quality graphene have become an emerging and promising option in modern chemistry and physics due to their fascinating properties. In the past few years, there has been encouraging progress in the controlled manufacturing of large‐size single crystal graphene. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) draws much attention because of its fine control by regulating the growth parameters. However, in the process of CVD growth and subsequent transfer, wrinkle and contamination inevitably appear, which greatly compromises the photoelectric performance of graphene and is not conducive to further application. Herein, very recent progress for ultraflat and superclean graphene is presented. First, the wrinkle and contamination in the growth and transfer process are classified, and the formation mechanism is elucidated. Then the methods of reducing wrinkle and contamination are discussed from three aspects of growth, transfer, and post‐treatment. Among them, CVD growth process is the first step to suppress contamination and wrinkle, which can be started from three important parameters in terms of catalyst, temperature, and carbon source. As for the subsequent transfer process, several new support materials and other methods including semi and dry transfer have been employed to address the concerns present for traditional PMMA material. Post‐treatment is an additional treatment strategy for residues that have been formed in growth and transfer processes. In the last section, the photoelectric properties, and applications of ultraflat and superclean graphene are discussed, posing potential in wide applications.
Cross‐national comparison of factors related to stressors, burnout and turnover among nurses in developed and developing countries
Authors: Ohue Takashi , Aryamuang Supaporn , Bourdeanu Laura , Church Jean N. , Hassan Hamidah , Kownaklai Jaruwan , Pericak Arlene , Suwannimitr Amorn
Published: July 2021

Aim

To examine factors of a hypothetical model related to stressors, burnout and turnover in nurses from developed and developing countries—Canada, Japan, the United States, Malaysia and Thailand.

Design

A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study.

Methods

Conducted between April 2016 and October 2017, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, Intention to Leave Scale, and Nursing Stress Scale collected data from acute care hospital nurses in Canada (n = 309), Japan (n = 319), Malaysia (n = 242), Thailand (n = 211) and the United States (n = 194).

Results

Compared to other countries, burnout “exhaustion” was the highest in Japan and “cynicism” and intention to leave the job were the highest in Malaysia. Thailand had lower burnouts and turnover than other countries and higher professional efficacy than Japan and Malaysia. In all countries, reducing stressors is important for reducing burnout and intention to leave jobs, especially as they relate to “lack of support.”
Using geophysical survey results in the inference of aquifer vulnerability measures
Authors: Christensen Niels B. , Christiansen Anders V.
Published: July 2021

The physical parameter derived from the inversion of electromagnetic surveys, the distribution of subsurface conductivity, is interesting in itself only in very few instances. In most cases, the conductivity distribution will have to be interpreted in terms of the target properties of the survey, for example: a geological interpretation of lithology; a hydrogeological interpretation of hydraulic conductivity; a biohazard/geotechnical interpretation of polluted/not‐polluted ground; and/or an archaeological interpretation of manmade/natural finds. The parameters of interest in these categories are often called derived products, indicating that the parameter of interest is not the same as the parameter whose distribution is found in the inversion process of the geophysical data. The interpretation process can be done in a wide variety of ways; from a predominantly cognitive approach based on professional experience, to an application of rigorous quantitative relations found from scientific endeavours.

In most practical situations, the number of locations with independently measured information on the derived product is considerably smaller than the number of geophysics locations. It is precisely this sparsity of primary information on the derived product that encourages the use of geophysical inversion results as a sort of qualified interpolator through a formulation of a correlation between a geophysical parameter and the parameter characterising the derived product. In this paper, a general, quantitative approach to deriving the parameter of interest is presented using statistical analytic measures and an advanced use of an interpolation method that takes uncertainties into account. The approach is demonstrated in a field example from Ølgod, Denmark, where the cumulated clay thickness in the upper 30 m is estimated using a combination of borehole drilling records and an airborne transient survey.
Deletion of mTOR in liver epithelial cells enhances hepatic metastasis of colon cancer
Authors: Jiao Long , Eickhoff Roman , Egners Antje , Jumpertz Sandra , Roth Johanna , Erdem Merve , Kroh Andreas , Duimel Hans , López‐Iglesias Carmen , Caro Pilar , Heij Lara R , Schmeding Maximilian , Meierhofer David , Neumann Ulf P , Cramer Thorsten
Published: July 2021

Activation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is frequently found in cancer, but mTOR inhibitors have thus far failed to demonstrate significant antiproliferative efficacy in the majority of cancer types. Besides cancer cell‐intrinsic resistance mechanisms, it is conceivable that mTOR inhibitors impact on non‐malignant host cells in a manner that ultimately supports resistance of cancer cells. Against this background, we sought to analyze the functional consequences of mTOR inhibition in hepatocytes for the growth of metastatic colon cancer. To this end, we established liver epithelial cell (LEC)‐specific knockout (KO) of mTOR (mTORLEC) mice. We used these mice to characterize the growth of colorectal liver metastases with or without partial hepatectomy to model different clinical settings. Although the LEC‐specific loss of mTOR remained without effect on metastasis growth in intact liver, partial liver resection resulted in the formation of larger metastases in mTORLEC mice compared with wildtype controls. This was accompanied by significantly enhanced inflammatory activity in LEC‐specific mTOR KO livers after partial liver resection. Analysis of NF‐ĸB target gene expression and immunohistochemistry of p65 displayed a significant activation of NF‐ĸB in mTORLEC mice, suggesting a functional importance of this pathway for the observed inflammatory phenotype. Taken together, we show an unexpected acceleration of liver metastases upon deletion of mTOR in LECs. Our results support the notion that non‐malignant host cells can contribute to resistance against mTOR inhibitors and encourage testing whether anti‐inflammatory drugs are able to improve the efficacy of mTOR inhibitors for cancer therapy. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Health‐related quality of life, fatigue and health behaviours in Australian adolescent and young adult cancer survivors
Authors: Murnane Andrew , Kiss Nicole , Fraser Steve F. , Lewin Jeremy
Published: July 2021

Introduction

Current knowledge of the long‐term health behaviours and well‐being of adolescent and yong adult (AYA) cancer survivors is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health behaviours of AYA cancer survivors compared to Australian normative data and describe their health‐related quality of life (HR‐QoL) and levels of fatigue.

Method

A cross‐sectional online survey of participants aged 15–25 years at diagnosis and 2–7 years post treatment completion was conducted at a comprehensive cancer centre. Validated questionnaires assessed health behaviours and functioning including current physical activity (PA) levels, diet quality, fatigue (FACIT‐F) and HR‐QoL (AQoL‐6D, Short Form 36v2 [SF‐36v2]) were compared to Australian normative data.

Results

Ninety individuals completed the survey (26% response rate) with a mean age of 25.4 years and median time post treatment of 61 months (24–85 months). Compared to normative data, a higher proportion of AYA cancer survivors was consuming the recommended daily serves of fruit and vegetables (16.7% vs. 3.9%, p < .0001), had a lower presence of overweight or obesity (46.7% vs. 57.7%, p = .04) and lower percentage of current smokers (2.2% vs. 16.7%, p < .0001). However, AYA cancer survivors reported increased fatigue (t[df = 596] = −4.1, p < .0001) and reduced HR‐QoL compared to normative data (t[df = 533] = 9.2, p < .0001) along with a higher proportion suffering from one or more chronic health conditions (65% vs. 40%, p < .0001).

Conclusion

AYA cancer survivors from a single Australian institution, who were on average 5 years post treatment, exhibited better health behaviours compared to Australian normative data, but still below recommended guidelines. However, they continue to experience issues with fatigue and reduced HR‐QoL, especially in those not meeting the PA guidelines.
Effect of temperature on the SU‐8 photoresist filling behavior during thermal nanoimprinting
Authors: Sun Lei , Zou Helin , Sang Shengbo
Published: July 2021

SU‐8 photoresist is an ideal thermal‐imprinting polymer, which has been widely used in micro‐nano devices in recent years. However, the research on the filling behavior of SU‐8 photoresist during thermal nanoimprinting is not complete. In this paper, the stress relaxation curves and shear stress/rate flow curves were measured to analyze the temperature dependent rheological properties of SU‐8 photoresist. The filling behavior of SU‐8 photoresist was discussed based on thermal imprinting results at various temperatures. High‐precision nanochannels were fabricated with replication error of 2.8% at optimized thermal imprinting temperature of 85°C and duration of 10 min, which paves the way for high‐precision fabrication of SU‐8‐based micro‐nanofluidic chips.
Study on the regulation of polythiophene whiskers by electric field induction and the anisotropy of the film surface
Authors: Chen Shuang , Yan Su , Zhan Siqi , Wei Qi , Gao Lifeng , Li Zihan , Li Wei , Yu Limin , Xu Tiening , Wang Shiwei , Zhang Mingyao
Published: July 2021

In recent years, polythiophene (P3HT) has become a kind of typical conjugated polymer material which is suitable to use on a large scale. However, it is difficult to obtain long P3HT fibers with a highly ordered arrangement due to the entanglement of molecular chains and inherent flexibility. In this work, P3HT fibers were successfully constructed and assembled by an electric‐field‐induced technique, which can be observed directly. The orientation of the P3HT molecules was confirmed by Raman and UV absorption spectra. The excellent anisotropic sliding properties of the surface of the assembled fibers were characterized by the water contact test. This work provides an idea for the preparation of smart sensing materials and lays a foundation for the wider application of P3HT. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry
Know thy immune self and non‐self: Proteomics informs on the expanse of self and non‐self, and how and where they arise
Authors: Joyce Sebastian , Ternette Nicola
Published: July 2021

T cells play an important role in the adaptive immune response to a variety of infections and cancers. Initiation of a T cell mediated immune response requires antigen recognition in a process termed MHC (major histocompatibility complex) restri ction. A T cell antigen is a composite structure made up of a peptide fragment bound within the antigen‐binding groove of an MHC‐encoded class I or class II molecule. Insight into the precise composition and biology of self and non‐self immunopeptidomes is essential to harness T cell mediated immunity to prevent, treat, or cure infectious diseases and cancers. T cell antigen discovery is an arduous task! The pioneering work in the early 1990s has made large‐scale T cell antigen discovery possible. Thus, advancements in mass spectrometry coupled with proteomics and genomics technologies make possible T cell antigen discovery with ease, accuracy, and sensitivity. Yet we have only begun to understand the breadth and the depth of self and non‐self immunopeptidomes because the molecular biology of the cell continues to surprise us with new secrets directly related to the source, and the processing and presentation of MHC ligands. Focused on MHC class I molecules, this review, therefore, provides a brief historic account of T cell antigen discovery and, against a backdrop of key advances in molecular cell biologic processes, elaborates on how proteogenomics approaches have revolutionised the field.
Validation of colorimetric assays for hydrogen peroxide, nitrate and nitrite ions in complex plasma‐treated water solutions
Authors: Veronico Valeria , Favia Pietro , Fracassi Francesco , Gristina Roberto , Sardella Eloisa
Published: July 2021

Liquids treated with cold plasma emerged as ‘redox drugs’ in biomedicine, as sources of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species targeting cellular functions, including wound healing and cancer progression. The use of cell culture media as starting liquid, however, challenges the identification of plasma‐generated chemistry, limited by the presence of many reactive species and organic compounds. Available detection methods need, therefore, to be confirmed in these liquids to avoid inaccurate results. In this research, robustness, linearity, accuracy and specificity of three colorimetric assays are investigated to detect H2O2, NO2− and NO3−, predominant plasma‐induced products. The results clearly highlight the presence of some factors affecting the detection in cell culture media like high concentrations of chlorides found interfering with the detection of NO3− in the medium.
Antitumor effects of hyperthermia with plasma‐treated solutions on 3D bladder tumor spheroids
Authors: Zhang Hao , Zhang Jishen , Xu Shengduo , Wang Zifeng , Xu Dehui , Guo Li , Liu Dingxin , Kong Michael G. , Rong Mingzhe
Published: July 2021

As a form of cold atmospheric plasma application, plasma‐treated solutions have shown promise in tumor therapy. Especially for the treatment of intracavitary tumors, plasma‐treated solutions combined with traditional perfusion therapy have strong application potential. Here, we assessed the antitumor effects of the plasma‐treated medium combined with hyperthermia on three‐dimensional bladder tumor spheroids in vitro. We found that the combined treatment of plasma‐treated medium and hyperthermia (43°C) presented better antitumor effects than a single treatment. Further research showed that synchronous hyperthermia can promote the penetration of plasma‐generated reactive oxygen species from the plasma‐treated medium into cancer cells. Our results suggest that hyperthermic perfusion therapy using plasma‐treated solutions may serve as a novel and valuable therapeutic strategy for bladder cancer.
Drug repurposing strategies of relevance for Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Fletcher Edward J. R. , Kaminski Thomas , Williams Gareth , Duty Susan
Published: July 2021

Parkinson's disease is a highly disabling, progressive neurodegenerative disease that manifests as a mix of motor and non‐motor signs. Although we are equipped with some symptomatic treatments, especially for the motor signs of the disease, there are still no established disease‐modifying drugs so the disease progresses unchecked. Standard drug discovery programs for disease‐modifying therapies have provided key insights into the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease but, of the many positive candidates identified in pre‐clinical studies, none has yet translated into a successful clinically efficacious drug. Given the huge cost of drug discovery programs, it is not surprising that much attention has turned toward repurposing strategies. The trialing of an established therapeutic has the advantage of bypassing the need for preclinical safety testing and formulation optimization, thereby cutting both time and costs involved in getting a treatment to the clinic. Additional reduced failure rates for repurposed drugs are also a potential bonus. Many different strategies for drug repurposing are open to researchers in the Parkinson's disease field. Some of these have already proven effective in identifying suitable drugs for clinical trials, lending support to such approaches. In this review, we present a summary of the different strategies for drug repurposing, from large‐scale epidemiological correlation analysis through to single‐gene transcriptional approaches. We provide examples of past or ongoing studies adopting each strategy, where these exist. For strategies that have yet to be applied to Parkinson's disease, their utility is illustrated using examples taken from other disorders.
Identification of anti‐TMV active flavonoid glycosides and their mode of action on virus particles from Clematis lasiandra Maxim
Authors: Li Yantao , Ye Shengwei , Hu Zilong , Hao Nan , Bo Xin , Liang Huaguang , Tian Xiangrong
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a disreputable plant pathogen that causes a decline in the quality and yield of various economic crops. Natural products are important potential sources of biopesticides to control TMV. This study focuses on the discovery of anti‐TMV active flavonoid glycosides and their mode of action on TMV particles from Clematis lasiandra Maxim.

RESULTS

A new benzoyl acylated flavonoid glycoside, kaempferol 3‐O‐(2′′‐benzoyl)‐β‐d‐glucopyranosyl‐7‐O‐α‐l‐rhamnopyranoside (1), and nine known flavonoids (2–10) were identified first from C. lasiandra. The hydroxyl group at C‐7, E‐p‐coumarate at C‐6′′ in the Glc of C‐6, and the glucuronic acid at C‐3 were functional groups for the antiviral flavonoid glycosides. Flavonoids 2, 5, and 6 showed higher inactivation efficacies of 64.62% to 82.54% compared with ningnanmycin at 500 μg ml−1. The protective and curative efficacies for 2 and 5 were 57.44–59.00% and 41.17–43.92% at 500 μg ml−1, respectively. Compound 5 showed higher TMV systemic resistance with control efficacies of 41.64%, 36.56% and 27.62% at concentrations of 500, 250 and 125 μg ml−1 compared with ningnanmycin in K326 tobaccos, respectively. Compound 5 can directly fracture TMV particles into small fragments combining with the fusion phenomena, and TMV‐CP was an important target for 5 to break TMV particles.

CONCLUSION

Flavonoid glycosides from C. lasiandra showed potent antiviral activities against TMV with multiple modes of action including inactivation, protective and curative effects, and inducing systemic resistance. TMV‐CP was an important target for active flavonoid glycosides to fracture TMV particles. The results provided evidence that flavonoid glycosides from C. lasiandra have the potential to control TMV.
In vitro metabolism of tebuconazole, flurtamone, fenhexamid, metalaxyl‐M and spirodiclofen in Cannabis sativaL. (hemp) callus cultures
Authors: Hillebrands Leonie , Lamshoeft Marc , Lagojda Andreas , Stork Andreas , Kayser Oliver
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND

Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) is a medicinal plant producing various cannabinoids. Its consumption is legalized for medical use due to the alleged positive health effects of these cannabinoids. To satisfy the demand, C. sativa plants are propagated in contained growth chambers. During indoor propagation, pesticides usually are used to ensure efficient production. However, pesticide registration and safe application in C. sativa has not been investigated in detail.

RESULTS

With this study the metabolic degradation of pesticides in recently established C. sativa callus cultures was examined. Tebuconazole, metalaxyl‐M fenhexamid, flurtamone and spirodiclofen were applied at 10 μm for 21 days. Results were compared with metabolism data obtained from Brassica napus L., Glycine max (L.) Merr., Zea mays L. and Tritium aestivum L. callus cultures as well as in metabolism guideline studies. The successfully established C. sativa callus cultures were able to degrade pesticides by oxidation, demethylation, and cleavage of ester bonds in phase I, as well as glycosylation and conjugation with malonic acid in phase II and III. Initial metabolites were detected after Day (D)7 and were traced at D21.

CONCLUSION

The resulting pathways demonstrate the same main degradation strategies as crop plants. Because metabolites could be the main residue, the exposure of consumers to these residues will be of high importance. We present here an in vitro assay for a first estimation of pesticide metabolism in C. sativa. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
New weighted adaptive CUSUM dispersion charts
Authors: Haq Abdul , Razzaq Faiqa
Published: July 2021

The conventional CUSUM chart is usually designed for a known shift size against which the protection is required. In practice, the shift sizes are rarely known, but they may vary within a given interval. Given a range of the shift size, the weighted adaptive CUSUM (WAC) chart provides better protection than the CUSUM chart. In this paper, we propose two types of the WAC chart for monitoring different kinds of shifts in the variance of a normal process, named WAC‐I and WAC‐II charts, based on the CUSUM and Crosier CUSUM charts, respectively. Monte Carlo simulations are used to compute the run length characteristics of the proposed one‐sided and two‐sided charts. The proposed charts are compared with existing adaptive and non‐adaptive charts in terms of the average run length. It is found that the proposed charts perform uniformly and substantially better than the existing charts. A real dataset is considered to support the theory.
A basis set superposition error‐free second‐order perturbation theory from Hermitian chemical Hamiltonian approach self‐consistent field canonic orbitals
Authors: Salvador Pedro , Mayer István
Published: July 2021

We present an alternative perturbational approach free of basis set superposition error (BSSE) within the framework of the chemical Hamiltonian approach (CHA). The new formulation (CHA‐S‐MP2) is based on canonic (and orthogonal) CHA orbitals obtained from a hermitized CHA Fock operator. The final expression shows a considerable simplification of the method as compared to the previous CHA‐MP2 formalism. Numerical full geometry optimizations of water and hydrogen fluoride dimers and potential energy surfaces for helium and argon dimers for several basis sets are presented. The present method is compared to both the counterpoise and previous CHA‐MP2 BSSE correction schemes, showing a remarkable agreement between all three methods. However, the wrong behavior using the aug‐cc‐pVDZ basis set indicates that the present method is not as robust as the original non‐hermitian CHA‐MP2 formulation.
Improving runoff estimation by raster‐based Natural Resources Conservation Service‐Curve Number adjustment for a new initial abstraction ratio in semi‐arid climates
Authors: Akbari Abolghasem , Daryabor Farshid , Abu Samah Azizan , Shirmohammadi Aliakbarkhani Zahra
Published: July 2021

The Natural Resources Conservation Service Curve Number (NRCS‐CN) is a popular rainfall‐runoff modeling method. In this study the performance of the NRCS‐CN method in runoff estimation for single storms based on a new initial abstraction ratio ( in the semi‐arid climate of Khorasan Razavi, Iran, is presented. The method utilizes public domain Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software for the Geospatial analysis and generating the CN map of the study area. CN values provided in the standard Service Curve Number‐tables (CN0.2) were found to overestimate runoff potential compared to modified tables of CN0.05. Evaluation of the performance of CN0.05 for runoff estimation was undertaken using data collected in thirty‐five rainfall‐runoff events in the Kardeh watershed. A strong correlation (R = 0.97) was found between the observed and estimated direct runoff when CN0.05 was used for the runoff estimation as well as between the observed and estimated runoff based on Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency (0.88). Overall, runoff predictions were improved with the revised NRCS‐CN method in semi‐arid climatic settings when is set to 0.05. We provide an easy‐to‐use relationship between CN0.2 and CN0.05 that improves Runoff estimation from NRCS‐CN.
The role of aesthetics and art in organizational sustainability: A conceptual model and exploratory study in higher education
Authors: Turan Fikret Korhan , Cetinkaya Saadet
Published: July 2021

There has been increased interest in the aesthetic dimension of environmental and social issues. This research explores the aesthetic dimension of sustainable development and sheds light on how organizational sustainability might be related with aesthetics and art. First, based on literature, a conceptual model is proposed, envisioning organizational sustainability as a continuous process of creating and consuming technical, social and aesthetic values, by and for different stakeholders. The model provides a novel approach to managing organizational sustainability as it complements previously developed technical approaches with aesthetics and art‐based practices. Second, utilizing the model, several in‐depth interview questions are developed, and directed to the executives of 11 universities located in Istanbul, Turkey to understand the role of aesthetics and art in organizational sustainability from a practical standpoint which is largely ignored in literature. Face‐to‐face meetings with the executives indicate that aesthetics and art appear to be underutilized as strategic elements such that no participant measures organizational aesthetic value. However, the executives regard stakeholder involvement as an integral part of a potential measurement process. They cite lack of awareness and harmony among stakeholders, budget constraints and limited vision of management as the major barriers to creating aesthetic value. Although the executives have diverse views about the future role of aesthetics and art, and their relationship with organizational sustainability, they tell that aesthetics and art‐based practices contribute primarily to social sustainability while making partial and indirect contributions to economic and environmental sustainability, respectively.
Efficient separation of oil‐in‐water emulsion based on a superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic polyvinylidene fluoride membrane
Authors: Qu Mengnan , Pang Yajie , Li Jiehui , Wang Rong , Luo Zhanxia , He Dan , Sun Wenchao , Peng Lei , He Jinmei
Published: July 2021

Membrane materials have been extensively applied in the field of separation of oil–water mixtures. However, most membrane materials are limited to separate oil–water mixtures and difficult to separate stable oil–water emulsions. Therefore, the polymer membrane, which is a type of underwater superoleophobic membrane material, has attracted extensive attention for its excellent antipollution performance and emulsion separation ability. In this work, we combined the synthesized poly (acrylic acid)‐co‐poly(3‐[trimethoxysilyl]propyl methacrylate) (PAA‐co‐PTMSPMA) with micro–nanoparticles to modify polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes. By means of this strategy, PVDF membranes with excellent superhydrophilicity–underwater superoleophobicity were successfully fabricated. The obtained PVDF membrane could efficiently realize the separation of various oil‐in‐water emulsions, and the separation efficiency was greater than 99%. In addition, the separation efficiency of the modified superhydrophilic PVDF membrane maintained stable after 10 separation cycles (>98.6%). When relying on this simple and eco‐friendly preparation strategy, this superhydrophilic–underwater superoleophobic membrane material has broad application prospects in the field of industrial and domestic wastewater treatment.
Facile Preparation of Hierarchically Porous g‐C3N4 as High‐Performance Photocatalyst for Degradation of Methyl Violet Dye
Authors: Ni Jing , Wang Yating , Liang Honghong , Kang Yuanhong , Liu Bichan , Zhao Ruihua , Wang Yuan , Shuai Xiaofeng , Shang Yangyang , Du Jianping , Li Jinping
Published: July 2021

Porous Graphitic carbon nitride(pg‐C3N4) possessing hierarchical pores and lamellar nanostrucutres was synthesized in the absent of templates by pyrolysis of the solution‐assisted mixing dual‐precursors. The samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 porosimeter, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV‐Vis andphotoluminescence spectroscopy.The photocatalytic activities of as‐prepared materials for degradation of methyl violet were studied. The results show that the as‐prepared g‐C3N4consists of well‐dispersed layers with uniform sizeand hierarchical (Meso/Macro) pores in the nanosheets, which favor photogenerated electron‐hole pairs'separation, and the degradation of methyl violet conforms to the quasi‐first‐order kinetic model. The porous g‐C3N4 synthesized by optimizing precursors’ ratios exhibited faster degradation rate than g‐CN material in the process of photocatalyzing methyl violet andthe degradation rate was over 93 % after irradiation of 180 min, implying that the as‐prepared hierarchically porous g‐C3N4 is a high‐effective and metal‐free photocatalytic material for degradation of pollutants.
Capturing Methomyl Droplet by Calix[4]arene Modified Surface
Authors: Wu Qifa , Zhu Fei , Cheng Ming , Cheng Jing , Mao Xiaowei , Liang Feng , Li Haibing
Published: July 2021

Selective recognition of carbamate pesticides on a superhydrophobic surface by the phenomenon of droplet rolling is a challenging topic. Here, the alkynyl‐calix[4]arene (AYC4) was synthesized, then self‐assembled on Si‐N3 modified silicon surface (AYC4‐SAMs) for rapid detection of methomyl. The AYC4‐SAMs exhibited high selectivity/sensitivity towards methomyl via visual water contact angle change with promising reusability, which is potential application for the identification and detection of pesticides.
Ethylene Glycol: Urea: NH4Cl Low Melting Mixture‐Assisted Reactions between Aromatic Aldehydes and Active Methylene Compounds
Authors: Theresa Letcy V. , Ponmalakunnu Saranya , Baby Anju M. , Sreekumar Krishnapillai
Published: July 2021

Sustainable reaction processes have become a subject of high priority in the previous decade. Low melting mixtures play a great role in building up greener pathways for organic reactions. The easiness in preparation, low toxicity, non‐metallic behaviour, recyclability, low cost and biodegradability have made the low melting mixtures important. In this article, we explore the behaviour of the reaction between different active methylene compounds and aldehydes. A low melting mixture can act as solvent, catalyst and reactant when the reaction between aromatic aldehydes and active methylene groups are conducted. Ethylene Glycol: Urea: NH4Cl mixture was used as catalyst and solvent to get α‐β unsaturated products, while it behaved as catalyst, solvent and reactant to get dihydropyrimidinones. All the reactions were done at 30 °C which was the least reported in reactions with low melting mixtures. The physical properties such as solubility in organic solvents, density, acidity, viscosity, surface tension, refractive index, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, polarity, IR spectra and cytotoxicity of the mixture was studied. The α‐β unsaturated products and dihydropyrimidinones were characterized using GC‐MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic techniques.