bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cellular liquid–liquid phase separation: Concept, functions, regulations, and detections
Authors: Che Xuanlin , Wu Jiajun , Liu Hua , Su Juan , Chen Xiang
Published: March 2023

Liquid–liquid phase separation is a multicomponent system separated into phases with different compositions and structures. It has been identified and explored in organisms after being introduced from the thermodynamic field. Condensate, the product of phase separation, exists in different scales of cellular structures, such as nucleolus, stress granules, and other organelles in nuclei or cytoplasm. And also play critical roles in different cellular behaviors. Here, we review the concept, thermodynamical and biochemical principles of phase separation. We summarized the main functions including the adjustment of biochemical reaction rates, the regulation of macromolecule folding state, subcellular structural support, the mediation of subcellular location, and intimately linked to different kinds of diseases, such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Advanced detection methods to investigate phase separation are collected and analyzed. We conclude with the discussion of anxiety of phase separation, and thought about how progress can be made to develop precise detection methods and disclose the potential application of condensates.
First description of atrial fibrillation and congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura treated by left atrial appendage occlusion
Authors: Basrawala Hussain , Finley Katherine , Jaglal Michael , Mohanty Bibhu D.
Published: March 2023

Given an increased risk of both thrombosis and bleeding, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) presents a unique challenge when anticoagulation is required for comorbid disease, particularly in the setting of major bleeding events. We present for the first time a patient with TTP and atrial fibrillation, presenting with recurrent stroke, but unable to tolerate anticoagulation due to prior intra‐cerebral hemorrhage. To address both issues concomitantly, we describe the successful application of a novel management approach to facilitate left atrial appendage occlusion, there by offering a non‐pharmacologic means of stroke prevention without added bleeding risk.
Paracetamol toxicity in classic homocystinuria: Effect of N‐acetylcysteine on total homocysteine
Authors: Elkhateeb Nour , Hyde Sarah , Hogg Sarah L. , Allsop Daniel , Shankar Arun , Deegan Patrick , Tan Chong Y.
Published: March 2023

Classical homocystinuria (HCU) is caused by cystathionine β‐synthase deficiency leading to impaired homocysteine transsulfuration and accumulation of homocysteine and methionine. Patients present with a wide spectrum of manifestations including ocular, skeletal, neuropsychiatric, and vascular manifestations. We report a 48‐year‐old female with pyridoxine‐unresponsive HCU treated with betaine, cyanocobalamin, and folate. Her diet was non‐restricted due to intolerance of low‐methionine diet. She was admitted to hospital following a fall, with multiple fractures and subsequently developed acute liver failure with encephalopathy. Shock, sepsis, and liver ischaemia/thrombosis were excluded. In the context of glutathione depletion expected in HCU, hepatic dysfunction was presumed to be due to iatrogenic paracetamol toxicity, despite paracetamol intake at conventional therapeutic dose, with role of hypermethioninemia as a contributing factor being uncertain. Betaine was discontinued on hospital admission. N‐Acetylcysteine (NAC) infusion was initiated. Plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) was 3.4 μmol/L 9 days following initiation of NAC treatment with a markedly elevated plasma methionine of 1278 μmol/L. tHcy concentration returned to pre‐admission baseline after NAC was discontinued. Recovery following this episode was slow with a prolonged cholestatic phase and gradual improvement in jaundice and coagulopathy. We recommend that paracetamol should be administered cautiously in HCU patients due to underlying glutathione depletion and risk of toxicity even at therapeutic doses. NAC is clearly effective in lowering tHcy in classical HCU in the short‐term however further research is required to assess clinical efficacy and use as a potential therapy in classical HCU.
Linking management practices with survival to improve outcomes for a red wolf population
Authors: Lynch Emily C. , Kendall Corinne J.
Published: March 2023

Ex situbreeding programs serve as an important conservation tool for threatened and endangered species. Such programs must strike a balance among the immediate welfare needs of individual animals, growing the population, maintaining genetic diversity, and ensuring a successful release. While several carnivores have been successfully reintroduced into the wild fromex situpopulations, little is known regarding the long‐term effects of management practices on animals within such reintroduction programs. We evaluated the effects of different management practices on survival for red wolves (Canis rufus), an endangered species in North America for which >95% of the population remains under human care and destined for release, as of 2020. We combined studbook records and survey information on the population of red wolves under managed care in Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions. We aimed to assess age‐specific survival probabilities and causes of mortality as outcomes of various management practices within the red wolf breeding program. Large enclosures significantly reduced the risk of death by parental trauma for neonates and transferring wolves away from their natal group improved overall survival probabilities. In addition, exposure to the public positively correlated with survival. We recommend large enclosures (>929 m2) for breeding pairs, consistent transfer plans away from natal groups, and the incorporation of flexible approaches to management based on strategic planning of releases. Improvingex situbreeding programs is important to the welfare and survival of animals under human care and plays an important role in the management and recovery of endangered and threatened species.
Rapid phytoplankton response to wind forcing influences productivity in upwelling bays
Authors: Broullón Esperanza , Franks Peter J. S. , Fernández Castro Bieito , Gilcoto Miguel , Fuentes‐Lema Antonio , Pérez‐Lorenzo Maria , Fernández Emilio , Mouriño‐Carballido Beatriz
Published: March 2023

Bays are often ecological hotspots within highly‐productive eastern boundary upwelling systems. Though the physics of such bays are well understood, there is no consensus about the factors underlying their high productivity. Three weeks of high‐temporal‐resolution observations in two long, narrow bays (Rías Baixas, NW‐Iberia), showed that during an upwelling pulse, deep, nutrient‐rich isopycnals rose into the euphotic zone inside the rías in a few hours. The response of the isopycnals to changes in wind forcing is approximately three times faster inside the rías than the Ekman spin‐up time, triggering rapid nutrient uptake and subsequent formation of a subsurface chlorophyll and production maximum. The tight coupling and rapid response of phytoplankton growth to wind forcing could explain the higher productivity of the rías, and also be at play in other upwelling bays with similar morphologies and orientations. Resolving short‐term variability of physical–biological coupling is crucial to discern the future evolution of upwelling bays.
Mn2+‐Activated Cs3Cu2I5 Nano‐Scintillators for Ultra‐High Resolution Flexible X‐Ray Imaging
Authors: Wang Zhaoyu , Wei Youchao , Liu Caiping , Liu Yongsheng , Hong Maochun
Published: March 2023

Zero‐dimensional (0D) copper‐based perovskite‐derivative nano‐scintillators (NSs), as a promising non‐toxic alternative to lead‐based halide perovskite, have shown great potential in flexible X‐ray detection and imaging. However, their practical applications are still impeded by low X‐ray imaging resolution associated with inadequate radioluminescence (RL) and poor environmental stability. Herein, for the first time a simple but valid Mn2+‐activation strategy is proposed to highly enhance the RL and stability of 0D Cs3Cu2I5 NSs, where the Mn2+ ions are embedded into the highly localized [Cu2I5]3− units by utilizing a modified hot‐injection method. As such, a newly emerged emission band of Mn2+ ion centered at ≈562 nm coupled with much improved intrinsic self‐trapped excitons (STE) emission of the 0D Cs3Cu2I5 host peaking at ≈445 nm can be achieved in these resultant Mn2+‐activated 0D Cs3Cu2I5 NSs, thereby delivering a light yield of 71 000 photons MeV−1 that is much superior to their lead‐based perovskite counterparts and commercial scintillators. As a consequence, X‐ray detectors made of these Mn2+‐activated NSs implement an ultrahigh X‐ray imaging resolution of 16.2 line pairs mm−1 and an ultra‐low detection limit of 127.5 nGyair s−1, highlighting their potential as promising candidates for flexible X‐ray detection and imaging.
New research links negative self‐image with depression
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: March 2023

Examining the relationship between a person's self‐perception and their mental health are at the crux of new research that has revealed how a negative self‐image increases depression. The findings can aid clinicians in understanding the nature of identity development and treating identity disruption among depressed individuals, researchers stated.
Image processing using the quantum quaternion Fourier transform
Authors: Bayro‐Corrachono Eduardo , Vazquez‐Flores Zuleima
Published: March 2023

There is a growing interest in quantum image processing (QIP) that rose from the desire to exploit the properties of quantum computing to improve the performance of classical techniques and their applications. Since the introduction of a quaternion by Hamilton in 1843, quaternions had been used in a lot of applications. We show how the quantum states and quantum operators work in the field of quaternions and how we can use it to extend the quantum complex Fourier transform (QCFT) to the quantum quaternion Fourier transform (QQFT). We propose for the first time the novel algorithm for the QQFT. We explain the impossibility of the use of convolution in quantum image processing; we design filters in the quaternion Fourier spectrum and the space domain an edge detector and a quantum median filter.
Fareeha transform: A new generalized Laplace transform
Authors: Sami Khan Fareeha , Khalid M.
Published: March 2023

In this paper, a new integral‐type transformation is being introduced, which is the generalization of Laplace and Fourier transform. This integral transform is named as “Fareeha transform.” It is successfully applied on ordinary differential equation to show its efficacy and simplicity. Also, the possible applications of Fareeha transform in control theory, electric circuits, and data compression have been discussed in detail.
Classification of metastatic hepatic carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma lesions using contrast‐enhanced CT based on EI‐CNNet
Authors: Wang Xuehu , Li Nie , Yin Xiaoping , Xing Lihong , Zheng Yongchang
Published: March 2023

Background

For hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic hepatic carcinoma, imaging is one of the main diagnostic methods. In clinical practice, diagnosis mainly relied on experienced imaging physicians, which was inefficient and cannot met the demand for rapid and accurate diagnosis. Therefore, how to efficiently and accurately classify the two types of liver cancer based on imaging is an urgent problem to be solved at present.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to use the deep learning classification model to help radiologists classify the single metastatic hepatic carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma based on the enhanced features of enhanced CT (Computer Tomography) portal phase images of the liver site.

Methods

In this retrospective study, 52 patients with metastatic hepatic carcinoma and 50 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were among the patients who underwent preoperative enhanced CT examinations from 2017–2020. A total of 565 CT slices from these patients were used to train and validate the classification network (EI‐CNNet, training/validation: 452/113). First, the EI block was used to extract edge information from CT slices to enrich fine‐grained information and classify them. Then, ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve was used to evaluate the performance, accuracy, and recall of the EI‐CNNet. Finally, the classification results of EI‐CNNet were compared with popular classification models.

Results

By utilizing 80% data for model training and 20% data for model validation, the average accuracy of this experiment was 98.2% ± 0.62 (mean ± standard deviation (SD)), the recall rate was 97.23% ± 2.77, the precision rate was 98.02% ± 2.07, the network parameters were 11.83 MB, and the validation time was 9.83 s/sample. The classification accuracy was improved by 20.98% compared to the base CNN network and the validation time was 10.38 s/sample. Compared with other classification networks, the InceptionV3 network showed improved classification results, but the number of parameters was increased and the validation time was 33 s/sample, and the classification accuracy was improved by 6.51% using this method.

Conclusion

EI‐CNNet demonstrated promised diagnostic performance and has potential to reduce the workload of radiologists and may help distinguish whether the tumor is primary or metastatic in time; otherwise, it may be missed or misjudged.
Juvenile Alewife Passage through a Compact Hydropower Turbine Designed for Fish Safety
Authors: Watson Sterling M. , Schneider Abraham D. , Gardner Lynette C. , Apell Bryan R. , Thompson Paige C. , Cadman Gregor B. , Gagnon Ian F. , Frese Chris R. , Wechsler Jesse F.
Published: March 2023

Hydropower is a valuable renewable energy source, but its effects on the downstream passage of many riverine fish species are not well understood. Turbines that are designed to function as safe downstream passage routes for fish are being developed with the goal of mitigating the effects of hydropower operations on the environment. In this paper, we present the results of a study conducted with the juvenile life stage of the Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus, a major migratory species on the Atlantic coast of North America. The test was conducted at a small hydropower plant located in Freedom, Maine, with a single Restoration Hydro Turbine (RHT) operating under 7.5 m of gross head. Groups of 140–170 fish were released into the intake of a 55-cm-diameter RHT and were recaptured with a specialized trap at the turbine discharge outlet. The combined immediate and 48-h survival rates (±95% CI) for all treatments, corrected for control mortality, were 98.2 ± 2.0% and 100.0 ± 6.6%, respectively. The passage of Alewives through the runner region of the turbine was also captured with high-speed video. The results of the study demonstrate that the RHT, which is designed for fish safety, is an effective way to pass juvenile alosines downstream at hydropower facilities.
Finetuning ground penetrating radar velocity analysis from hyperbola fitting using migration
Authors: Rønning Jan Steinar
Published: March 2023

The widely used tool, ground penetrating radar (GPR), has proven to be an excellent research method for glaciological studies. The total ice thickness and englacial structures can be studied, and the method can give information on the temperature regime within the ice. Good velocity profiles are needed to convert measured two‐way travel time to depth information. In addition, a good velocity analysis can be used to improve data processing. A number of methods can be used to find the GPR wave velocity, which are briefly described. This study used hyperbola fitting to estimate the velocity in a glaciological study. In addition, Kirchhoff's migration was used to fine‐tune this velocity estimate. Within the Longyearbreen glacier, situated next to Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen, Svalbard archipelago, objects in the ice act as scattering points that create hyperbolas. Using the hyperbola‐fitting method, a GPR wave velocity equal to 0.170 ± 0.005 m/ns was estimated. By doing Kirchhoff's migration and studying the collapse of hyperbolas with variations of the migration velocity, a more accurate velocity estimate can be achieved; 0.172 ± 0.002 m/ns. A more accurate velocity estimate like this opens possibilities for better characterization of the ice body and ice thickness variations, as well as the variation of these as a function of time. In March 2022, the maximum ice thickness in the investigated area was calculated to be 88 ± 1 m.
Ecology meets archaeology: Past, present and future vegetation‐derived ecosystems services from the Nuragic Sardinia (1700–580 BCE)
Authors: Malavasi Marco , Bazzichetto Manuele , Bagella Stefania , Barták Vojtěch , Depalmas Anna , Gregorini Antonello , Sperandii Marta Gaia , Acosta Alicia T. R. , Bagella Simonetta
Published: March 2023

Incorporating archaeology within the ecosystem services (ES) framework can offer decision‐makers lessons from the past and a broader sustainability perspective. Given the claimed archaeology‐ES link, the island of Sardinia (Italy) offers an unparalleled opportunity where a unique archaeological heritage occurs in an area of high biodiversity value. More than 5000 nuraghi, megalithic edifices distinctive of the Nuragic civilization (1700–580 BCE), are still present on the island.

By crossing the map of Vegetation Series (VS) with nuraghi occurrences, we aimed at acquiring a long‐term perspective on the interactions between Nuragic people and the vegetation as ES provider, so as to enrich our understanding of the past and the present, and potentially inform future practice for the region of Sardinia. A VS is here intended as a hypothesis of a succession of plant communities that can potentially succeed each other over time in a particular land unit.

The vegetation‐derived ES represented a driving force in the land occupation strategies of the Nuragic people, who preferred, for their settlements, the mesophiluos cork oak VS and secondary the deciduous broad‐leaved ones, which, with fresh climatic conditions on fertile substrates and gentle slopes on effusive magmatic rocks, can provide land for grazing and agriculture. Conversely, the Nuragic land occupation strategies shaped the VS, transforming the landscape into agro‐silvo‐pastoral systems. Our results suggest that the origin of the present agro‐silvo‐pastoral landscapes (i.e. Pascolo arborato/Dehesa) in Sardinia could be traced back to the Nuragic civilization.

The interaction between humans and vegetation in Sardinia is ancient, reciprocal and dynamic. This interaction is crucial for the survival of the present agro‐silvo‐pastoral landscapes that represent important suppliers of provisioning, regulating and cultural ES. Among others, these landscapes are a good example of intimate and sustainable relationships between people and nature and provide a marked sense of place and identity for Sardinia inhabitants.

This transdisciplinary approach linking plant ecology with archaeology offered archaeology a better understanding of the environmental settings and subsistence of the Nuragic civilization and provided plant ecology with a long‐term perspective on human‐vegetation interactions.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Theoretical descriptions of novel silicon analogs of cyclo[18]carbon
Authors: Abedini Nastaran , Amouzgar Delara , Kassaee Mohamad Z. , Zamani Mehdi
Published: March 2023

The effects of substituting silicon atoms on the stability, geometrical parameters, and electronic properties of cyclo[18]carbon (C18), C17Si, and nine isomers of C16Si2 (C16Si2(0) to C16Si2(8)) are compared and contrasted at CAM‐B3LYP/6‐311G* level of theory. Among C16Si2 isomers, the trend of stability (based on total and binding energy [Eb]) is C16Si2(8) > C16Si2(4) > C16Si2(2) > C16Si2(7) > C16Si2(6) > C16Si2(5) > C16Si2(3) > C16Si2(1) > C16Si2(0), at B3LYP/6‐311G*, B3LYP/6‐311++G**, WB97XD/6‐311G*, and CAM‐B3LYP/6‐311G* level of theories. Respectively, the highest and lowest band gaps belong to C18 and C17Si, which also have the smallest and largest conductivities. According to the heat of atomization per carbon (ΔHat/C) and heat of formation (ΔHf), the least thermodynamic stable species, C16Si2(0), suffers from the highest inter‐atomic interaction of neighboring silicon atoms (Si‐Si repulsion) and the most thermodynamic stable species, C16Si2(8), that has the furthest silicon atoms from each other. Theoretical analysis indicates that the most chemically reactive isomers are C16Si2(1), (3), and (5), which have high nucleophilicity (N = 2.752, 2.665, and 2.573 eV, respectively) and electrophilicity (ω = 0.126, 0.128, and 0.128 eV, respectively). The Si substitution increases the polarizability and activity of rings to interact with their surrounding polar species.
Synthesis of colorless polyimides with high Tg and low coefficient of thermal expansion from benzimidazole diamine containing biamide
Authors: Li Dongwu , Li Dandan , Ke Zhao , Gu Qian , Xu Ke , Chen Chunhai , Qian Guangtao , Liu Gang
Published: March 2023

Colorless polyimides (CPIs) with superheat resistance and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are required urgently to employ as plastic substrates in flexible‐display devices. To attain the target properties, 2‐(2‐methyl‐4‐(4‐aminobenzamido)phenyl)‐5‐(4‐aminobenzamido)‐N‐phenylbenzimidazol (AB‐MPBZ) that contains biamide was synthesized, and its homo‐ and co‐polyimides were prepared with 1,2,4,5‐cyclohexanetetracarboxylic dianhydride (HPMDA) and cyclobutane‐1,2,3,4‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (CBDA). The crank‐shaft‐like amide groups effectively increases the linearity and stiffness of polymer segments, providing CPI films with low CTE. On the basis, the CBDA based poly(benzimidazole imide) (PBII) series with dense interchain packing exhibits further reduced CTE down to 22 ppm K−1 and increased glass‐transition temperature (Tg) up to 404 °C. Such good thermal properties indicate that the resultant copolyimides have potential applications as colorless flexible substrates. These provide a feasible approach to balance thermal and optical performance of polyimides.
Structural basis for substrate binding and catalytic mechanism of the key enzyme VioD in the violacein synthesis pathway
Authors: Xu Mengxue , Xu Dongqing , Gao Mengxiao , Zhuang Xuebo , Wang Weiwu , Sun Bo , Ran Tingting
Published: March 2023

Violacein is a pigment synthesized by gram‐negative bacteria with various biological activities such as antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer activities. VioD is a key oxygenase converting protodeoxyviolaceinic acid to protoviolaceinic acid in violacein biosynthesis. To elucidate the catalytic mechanism of VioD, here, we resolved two crystal structures of VioD, a binary complex structure containing VioD and a FAD and a ternary complex structure composed of VioD, a FAD and a 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol (EHN). Structural analysis revealed a deep funnel like binding pocket with wide entrance, this pocket is positively charged. The EHN is located at the deep bottom of the binding pocket near isoalloxazine ring. Further docking simulation help us to propose the mechanism of the hydroxylation of the substrate catalyzed by VioD. Bioinformatic analysis suggested and emphasized the importance of the conserved residues involved in substrate binding. Our results provide a structural basis for the catalytic mechanism of VioD.
On Parametric Amplification in Josephson Transmission Line
Authors: Kogan Eugene
Published: March 2023

The series‐connected lossy Josephson transmission line (JTL), constructed basically from Josephson junctions, capacitors, and resistors, is considered. The continuum approximation equation describing the JTL is derived. From the latter, equations describing pump, signal, and idler interaction are derived, and the thresholds for the parametric amplification are calculated.
Tunable Second‐Order Topological States in Rhombic Photonic Crystals
Authors: Om Kwang-Kwon , Kim Kwang-Hyon
Published: March 2023

Topological photonic devices with dynamically tunable functions are highly on demand in practice, but the majority of previously proposed photonic systems have been limited to fixed performances, once fabricated. Although several approaches have been proposed for obtaining the tunability in topological photonic systems, they are limited to first‐order topological states and require rather complicated structures. Herein, second‐order topological properties of rhombic photonic crystals (PCs) are revealed, for the first time, enabling to realize tunable photonic devices. For this purpose, the conventional square lattice PCs composed of four rigid dielectric rods are reshaped to rhomboid ones with preserved inversion symmetry, which exhibit well‐quantized bulk polarizations. Since the eigenfrequencies of topological edge and corner states depend on the angle between the neighboring sides of unit cells, the second‐order topological systems exhibit dynamic tunability, being useful for diverse applications such as optical switching and flexible beam control. Unlike the previous results for reconfigurable routing limited to special angles, this lattice‐reshaping mechanism has the ability to realize dynamically tunable routing, extending the realm of applications of topological photonics. For its simplicity and feasibility, this mechanical lattice‐reshaping approach paves the way toward higher‐order topological photonic devices with dynamically controlled functions.
Environmental history of one of the largest freshwater neotropical fish (Zungaro jahu) from otolith isotopic analysis
Authors: Avigliano Esteban , Pouilly Marc , Vargas Facundo , Penha Jerry , Silva Natalia , Bouchez Julien , Sánchez Sebastian , Volpedo Alejandra V.
Published: March 2023

The ManguruyúZungaro jahu, endemic to the La Plata Basin, is one of the largest neotropical fish species whose life history is virtually unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine ifZ. jahuis a large‐scale migratory species and to describe habitat use throughout ontogeny using the otolith Sr isotope (87Sr/86Sr) ratio. Surface water samples were collected in 2020 at four sites representing the main water courses of the Great Pantanal in Brazil (upper Paraguay, Cuiabá, São Lourenço and Vermelho rivers). Eighteen fish individuals were collected from the Paraná River (Argentina). New water87Sr/86Sr data were incorporated into previously established statistical models to infer the fish habitat use through the otolith87Sr/86Sr ratios. The water87Sr/86Sr ratio of the upper Paraguay tributaries varied (0.7209 and 0.7229) and were the highest in the La Plata Basin. The dispersal area ofZ. jahuwas restricted to the surroundings of the confluence of the Paraná and Paraguay rivers. Fish showed chemical signatures compatible with those of the middle Paraná (88%), Paraguay‐Pilcomayo‐Bermejo (50%) and the lower/upper Paraná (66%). The discriminant analysis based on otolith core indicated natal origins from the middle Paraná (37%), upper Paraná (32%), and Paraguay sub‐basin (32%). The dispersal area ofZ. jahumigrations could be restricted to the surroundings of the confluence of Paraná and Paraguay, which highlights the need to review regional fishing regulations, especially between latitudes 30°–34° S.
Green climate and pro‐environmental behavior: Addressing attitude‐behavior gaps towards promoting sustainable development
Authors: Zhang Yan , Du Jiangguo , Boamah Kofi Baah
Published: March 2023

Based on the Stimulus‐Organism‐Response theory, this paper extends knowledge by examining both the direct and indirect effect of green climate on pro‐environmental behavior whilst incorporating the following two multidimensional measures: group identification and social norm measure as mediator and moderator, respectively. The study extends current knowledge by addressing the attitude‐behavior gaps eminent in most papers. Consequently, this study provides in depth knowledge on the mechanisms underpinning the role of individuals and also their role as influenced by the group they belong to. Further, this study proffer knowledge from the perspective of both private and public sphere pro‐environmental behavior. The present study employed structural equation modeling using a survey from a dataset of 836 respondents. The findings revealed that green climate positively influence public‐sphere behavior. Further, green climate indirectly affects private‐sphere behavior through group identification. Again, our study found that group identification partially mediates the relationship between green climate and public‐sphere behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are further discussed.
Bayesian estimation and testing in random‐effects meta‐analysis of rare binary events allowing for flexible group variability
Authors: Zhang Ming , Barth Jackson , Lim Johan , Wang Xinlei
Published: March 2023

Rare binary events data arise frequently in medical research. Due to lack of statistical power in individual studies involving such data, meta‐analysis has become an increasingly important tool for combining results from multiple independent studies. However, traditional meta‐analysis methods often report severely biased estimates in such rare‐event settings. Moreover, many rely on models assuming a pre‐specified direction for variability between control and treatment groups for mathematical convenience, which may be violated in practice. Based on a flexible random‐effects model that removes the assumption about the direction, we propose new Bayesian procedures for estimating and testing the overall treatment effect and inter‐study heterogeneity. Our Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm employs Pólya‐Gamma augmentation so that all conditionals are known distributions, greatly facilitating computational efficiency. Our simulation shows that the proposed approach generally reports less biased and more stable estimates compared to existing methods. We further illustrate our approach using two real examples, one using rosiglitazone data from 56 studies and the other using stomach ulcers data from 41 studies.
Amoeba‐Inspired Magnetic Venom Microrobots
Authors: Zhang Weiwei , Deng Yuguo , Zhao Jinhao , Zhang Tao , Zhang Xiang , Song Wenping , Wang Lin , Li Tianlong
Published: March 2023

Nature provides a successful evolutionary direction for single‐celled organisms to solve complex problems and complete survival tasks – pseudopodium. Amoeba, a unicellular protozoan, can produce temporary pseudopods in any direction by controlling the directional flow of protoplasm to perform important life activities such as environmental sensing, motility, predation, and excretion. However, creating robotic systems with pseudopodia to emulate environmental adaptability and tasking capabilities of natural amoeba or amoeboid cells remains challenging. Here, this work presents a strategy that uses alternating magnetic fields to reconfigure magnetic droplet into Amoeba‐like microrobot, and the mechanisms of pseudopodia generation and locomotion are analyzed. By simply adjusting the field direction, microrobots switch in monopodia, bipodia, and locomotion modes, performing all pseudopod operations such as active contraction, extension, bending, and amoeboid movement. The pseudopodia endow droplet robots with excellent maneuverability to adapt to environmental variations, including spanning 3D terrains and swimming in bulk liquids. Inspired by the “Venom,” the phagocytosis and parasitic behaviors have also been investigated. Parasitic droplets inherit all the capabilities of amoeboid robot, expanding their applicable scenarios such as reagent analysis, microchemical reactions, calculi removal, and drug‐mediated thrombolysis. This microrobot may provide fundamental understanding of single‐celled livings, and potential applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.
Lithiophilic Magnetic Host Facilitates Target‐Deposited Lithium for Practical Lithium‐Metal Batteries
Authors: Zhou Shuang , Meng Xinyu , Fu Chunyan , Chen Jing , Chen Yining , Xu Dongming , Lin Shangyong , Han Chao , Chang Zhi , Pan Anqiang
Published: March 2023

Lithium‐metal shows promising prospects in constructing various high‐energy‐density lithium‐metal batteries (LMBs) while long‐lasting tricky issues including the uncontrolled dendritic lithium growth and infinite lithium volume expansion seriously impede the application of LMBs. In this work, it is originally found that a unique lithiophilic magnetic host matrix (Co3O4‐CCNFs) can simultaneously eliminate the uncontrolled dendritic lithium growth and huge lithium volume expansion that commonly occur in typical LMBs. The magnetic Co3O4 nanocrystals which inherently embed on the host matrix act as nucleation sites and can also induce micromagnetic field and facilitate a targeted and ordered lithium deposition behavior thus, eliminating the formation of dendritic Li. Meanwhile, the conductive host can effectively homogenize the current distribution and Li‐ion flux, thus, further relieving the volume expansion during cycling. Benefiting from this, the featured electrodes demonstrate ultra‐high coulombic efficiency of 99.1% under 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2. Symmetric cell under limited Li (10 mAh cm−2) inspiringly delivers ultralong cycle life of 1600 h (under 2 mA cm−2, 1 mAh cm−2). Moreover, LiFePO4||Co3O4‐CCNFs@Li full‐cell under practical condition of limited negative/positive capacity ratio (2.3:1) can deliver remarkably improved cycling stability (with 86.6% capacity retention over 440 cycles).
High‐Performance Integrated Iontronic Circuits Based on Single Nano/Microchannels
Authors: Li Jun , Li Mengqi , Zhang Kaiping , Hu Lide , Li Dongqing
Published: March 2023

Recently, artificial channel‐based ionic diodes and transistors are extensively studied to mimic biological systems. Most of them are constructed vertically and are challenging to be further integrated. Several examples of ionic circuits with horizontal ionic diodes are reported. However, they generally require nanoscale channel sizes to meet the demand for ion‐selectivity, resulting in low current output and restricting potential applications. In this paper, a novel ionic diode is developed based on multiple‐layer polyelectrolyte nanochannel network membranes. Both bipolar and unipolar ionic diodes can be achieved by simply switching the modification solution. Ionic diodes with a high rectification ratio of ≈226 are achieved in single channels with the largest channel size of 2.5 µm. This design can significantly reduce the channel size requirement and improve the output current level of ionic devices. The high‐performance ionic diode with a horizontal structure enables the integration of advanced iontronic circuits. Ionic transistors, logic gates, and rectifiers are fabricated on a single chip and demonstrated for current rectification. Furthermore, the excellent current rectification ratio and the high output current of the on‐chip ionic devices highlight the promise of the ionic diode as a component of complex iontronic systems for practical applications.
Meniscus‐Guided Deposition of Organic Semiconductor Thin Films: Materials, Mechanism, and Application in Organic Field‐Effect Transistors
Authors: Ren Chunxing , Cao Long , Wu Ti
Published: March 2023

Solution‐processable organic semiconductors are one of the promising materials for the next generation of organic electronic products, which call for high‐performance materials and mature processing technologies. Among many solution processing methods, meniscus‐guided coating (MGC) techniques have the advantages of large‐area, low‐cost, adjustable film aggregation, and good compatibility with the roll‐to‐roll process, showing good research results in the preparation of high‐performance organic field‐effect transistors. In this review, the types of MGC techniques are first listed and the relevant mechanisms (wetting mechanism, fluid mechanism, and deposition mechanism) are introduced. The MGC processes are focused and the effect of the key coating parameters on the thin film morphology and performance with examples is illustrated. Then, the performance of transistors based on small molecule semiconductors and polymer semiconductor thin films prepared by various MGC techniques is summarized. In the third section, various recent thin film morphology control strategies combined with the MGCs are introduced. Finally, the advanced progress of large‐area transistor arrays and the challenges for roll‐to‐roll processes are presented using MGCs. Nowadays, the application of MGCs is still in the exploration stage, its mechanism is still unclear, and the precise control of film deposition still needs experience accumulation.
Tuning the Trade‐Off between Ethane/Ethylene Selectivity and Adsorption Capacity within Isoreticular Microporous Metal−Organic Frameworks by Linker Fine‐Fluorination
Authors: Yu Mei‐Hui , Fang Han , Huang Hong‐Liang , Zhao Meng , Su Zheng‐Yu , Nie Hong‐Xiang , Chang Ze , Hu Tong‐Liang
Published: March 2023

The pore dimension and surface property directly dictate the transport of guests, endowing diverse gas selective adsorptions to porous materials. It is highly relevant to construct metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) with designable functional groups that can achieve feasible pore regulation to improve their separation performances. However, the role of functionalization in different positions or degrees within framework on the separation of light hydrocarbon has rarely been emphasized. In this context, four isoreticular MOFs (TKL‐104−107) bearing dissimilar fluorination are rationally screened out and afforded intriguing differences in the adsorption behavior of C2H6 and C2H4. Ortho‐fluoridation of carboxyl allows TKL‐105−107 to exhibit enhanced structural stabilities, impressive C2H6 adsorption capacities (>125 cm3 g−1) and desirable inverse selectivities (C2H6 over C2H4). The more modified ortho‐fluorine group and meta‐fluorine group of carboxyl have improved the C2H6/C2H4 selectivity and adsorption capacity, respectively, and the C2H6/C2H4 separation potential can be well optimized via linker fine‐fluorination. Meanwhile, dynamic breakthrough experiments proved that TKL‐105−107 can be used as highly efficient C2H6‐selective adsorbents for C2H4 purification. This work highlights that the purposeful functionalization of pore surfaces facilitates the assembly of highly efficient MOF adsorbents for specific gas separation.
Technical debt (TD) through the lens of Twitter: A survey
Authors: Alfayez Reem , Winn Robert , Ding Yunyan , Alfayez Ghaida , Boehm Barry
Published: March 2023

Technical debt (TD) is a metaphor used to refer to the added software system costs acquired from taking shortcuts. Unfortunately, large amounts of TD can lead to serious consequences, and, thus, the management of TD is essential. Due to TD being a relatively new subject of study, many aspects of TD remain ambiguous. Fortunately, Twitter has been proven to hold a wealth of information on many subjects. As such, this survey study aims to gain a better understanding on how interest in TD has evolved over time and how TD is addressed on Twitter. A total of 128,897 TD‐related tweets were scrapped from Twitter and analyzed using a number of proxy measures and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). The results revealed that interest in TD on Twitter has been generally increasing since the platform's early stages. Furthermore, TD‐related tweets were found to revolve around 11 distinct categories. The TD in games category was discovered to be the most popular category, followed by TD communication and TD repayment. The results highlight that TD is a diverse and overarching topic that contains many potential avenues for further exploration. Software engineering researchers, practitioners, and educators can utilize this study to help steer their TD‐related future efforts.
Rough Nanovaccines Boost Antitumor Immunity Through the Enhancement of Vaccination Cascade and Immunogenic Cell Death Induction
Authors: Zhao Xiaoyi , Zhang Jiatong , Chen Beibei , Ding Xiaokang , Zhao Nana , Xu Fu‐Jian
Published: March 2023

Nanovaccines have attracted intense interests for efficient antigen delivery and tumor‐specific immunity. It is challenging to develop a more efficient and personalized nanovaccine to maximize all steps of the vaccination cascade by exploiting the intrinsic properties of nanoparticles. Here, biodegradable nanohybrids (MP) composed of manganese oxide nanoparticles and cationic polymers are synthesized to load a model antigen ovalbumin to form MPO nanovaccines. More interestingly, MPO could serve as autologous nanovaccines for personalized tumor treatment taking advantage of in situ released tumor‐associated antigens induced by immunogenic cell death (ICD). The intrinsic properties of MP nanohybrids including morphology, size, surface charge, chemical, and immunoregulatory functions are fully exploited to enhance of all steps of the cascade and induce ICD. MP nanohybrids are designed to efficiently encapsulate antigens by cationic polymers, drain to lymph nodes by appropriate size, be internalized by dendritic cells (DCs) by rough morphology, induce DC maturation through cGAS‐STING pathway, and enhance lysosomal escape and antigen cross‐presentation through the “proton sponge effect”. The MPO nanovaccines are found to efficiently accumulate in lymph nodes and elicit robust specific T‐cell immune responses to inhibit the occurrence of ovalbumin‐expressing B16‐OVA melanoma. Furthermore, MPO demonstrate great potential to serve as personalized cancer vaccines through the generation of autologous antigen depot through ICD induction, activation of potent antitumor immunity, and reversal of immunosuppression. This work provides a facile strategy for the construction of personalized nanovaccines by exploiting the intrinsic properties of nanohybrids.
Liquid chromatographic methods for simultaneous quantification of fixed‐dose combinations of pantoprazole with itopride and ondansetron: Application to method greenness assessment
Authors: Panda Sagar Suman , Panigrahi Subham , Mohanty Sonal , Bera Ravi Kumar Venkata Varaha , Mekap Suman Kumar
Published: March 2023

Two liquid chromatography methods are developed to quantify pantoprazole and its fixed‐dose counterparts, itopride hydrochloride, and ondansetron. The basic chromatography utilized a C‐18 column (150 × 4.6 mm × 5 μm) with a simple mobile phase of methanol: 0.01 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer of pH 3.5 (80:20 v/v) with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The diode array detections were performed at 273 nm (Method‐I) and 280 nm (Method‐II). The validation of parameters like linearity (R2 > 0.99), accuracy (98%–103%), precision (≤1 %), system suitability, and so forth, was found satisfactory for both methods. A risk estimation approach helped sort out method variables methanol%, pH, and flow rate and highlighted their influence on the method's robustness. The developed methods aptly quantified all the target analytes with the maximum possible recovery from combined pharmaceuticals. Assessment of the method greenness profile revealed excellent method greenness with maximal green shades in a pictogram and a greenness score of 89. The developed analytical methods are green and befitting for routine quality control of two widely used fixed‐dose combinations of pantoprazole.
Dynamic copula‐based methods for estimating rank‐tracking probabilities with longitudinal data
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyu , Wu Mixia , Wu Colin O.
Published: March 2023

The rank‐tracking probability (RTP) is a useful statistical index for measuring the ‘tracking ability’ of longitudinal disease risk factors in biomedical studies. Two existing unstructured smoothing methods for estimating the RTP in literature require sufficient observations at any two design time points, which may be violated in practice. We consider the dynamic estimation methods based on semiparametric copula modeling and smoothing method and compare the corresponding estimators under three smoothing ways: parametric‐smoothing (C‐PAS), probability‐smoothing (C‐PRS) and RTP‐smoothing (C‐RS). The proposed estimators are consistent under some mild assumptions when the true copula model is known. Among them, the C‐PAS, though performs best under the true copula model, is not robust for the copula model selection. The C‐PRS and C‐RS estimators are preferred under the selected copula model, which have much smaller mean squared errors than unstructured smoothing methods. Moreover, the C‐RS estimator performs slightly better than C‐PRS estimator. Some numerical simulations and an application of a longitudinal epidemiological study are carried out to illustrate the performances of the proposed methods.
On the Integral Representation and the Raşa, Jensen and Hermite–Hadamard Inequalities for Box-Convex Functions
Authors: Komisarski Andrzej , Rajba Teresa
Published: March 2023

We give the integral representation of Popoviciu’s (Mathematica 8:1–85, 1934) box-(m, n)-convex functions. Based on this integral representation, we obtain a characterization of box-(m, n)-convex orders, which we then use in the proofs of the Raşa type, the Hermite–Hadamard type and the Jensen inequalities for box-(m, n)-convex functions as well as for strongly box-(m, n)-convex functions. We extend the results obtained by Gal and Niculescu (J Math Anal Appl 479:903–925, 2019), and by Gavrea and Gavrea (Mediterr J Math 19:18–33, 2022).
Novel extracellular role of REIC/Dkk-3 protein in PD-L1 regulation in cancer cells
Authors: Gohara Yuma , Tomonobu Nahoko , Kinoshita Rie , Futami Junichiro , Audebert Léna , Chen Youyi , Komalasari Ni Luh Gede Yoni , Jiang Fan , Yoshizawa Chikako , Murata Hitoshi , Yamamoto Ken-ichi , Watanabe Masami , Kumon Hiromi , Sakaguchi Masakiyo
Published: March 2023

The adenovirus-REIC/Dkk-3 expression vector (Ad-REIC) has been the focus of numerous clinical studies due to its potential for the quenching of cancers. The cancer-suppressing mechanisms of the REIC/DKK-3 gene depend on multiple pathways that exert both direct and indirect effects on cancers. The direct effect is triggered by REIC/Dkk-3-mediated ER stress that causes cancer-selective apoptosis, and the indirect effect can be classified in two ways: (i) induction, by Ad-REIC-mis-infected cancer-associated fibroblasts, of the production of IL-7, an important activator of T cells and NK cells, and (ii) promotion, by the secretory REIC/Dkk-3 protein, of dendritic cell polarization from monocytes. These unique features allow Ad-REIC to exert effective and selective cancer-preventative effects in the manner of an anticancer vaccine. However, the question of how the REIC/Dkk-3 protein leverages anticancer immunity has remained to be answered. We herein report a novel function of the extracellular REIC/Dkk-3—namely, regulation of an immune checkpoint via modulation of PD-L1 on the cancer-cell surface. First, we identified novel interactions of REIC/Dkk-3 with the membrane proteins C5aR, CXCR2, CXCR6, and CMTM6. These proteins all functioned to stabilize PD-L1 on the cell surface. Due to the dominant expression of CMTM6 among the proteins in cancer cells, we next focused on CMTM6 and observed that REIC/Dkk-3 competed with CMTM6 for PD-L1, thereby liberating PD-L1 from its complexation with CMTM6. The released PD-L1 immediately underwent endocytosis-mediated degradation. These results will enhance our understanding of not only the physiological nature of the extracellular REIC/Dkk-3 protein but also the Ad-REIC-mediated anticancer effects.

Key messages

• REIC/Dkk-3 protein effectively suppresses breast cancer progression through an acceleration of PD-L1 degradation.

• PD-L1 stability on the cancer cell membrane is kept high by binding with mainly CMTM6.

• Competitive binding of REIC/Dkk-3 protein with CMTM6 liberates PD-L1, leading to PD-L1 degradation.