bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The biotoxin BMAA promotes dysfunction via distinct mechanisms in neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cells
Authors: Burton Bryan , Collins Kate , Brooks Jordan , Moore Ellie , Marx Karly , Renner Abigail , Wilcox Kaylei , Osowski Keith , Riley Jordan , Rowe Jarron , Pawlus Matthew
Published: November 2022

Chronic exposure to the Cyanobacteria biotoxin Beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) has been associated with development of a sporadic form of ALS called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Parkinsonism-Dementia Complex (ALS/PDC), as observed within certain Indigenous populations of Guam and Japan. Studies in primate models and cell culture have supported the association of BMAA with ALS/PDC, yet the pathological mechanisms at play remain incompletely characterized, effectively stalling the development of rationally-designed therapeutics or application of preventative measures for this disease. In this study we demonstrate for the first time that sub-excitotoxic doses of BMAA modulate the canonical Wnt signaling pathway to drive cellular defects in human neuroblastoma cells, suggesting a potential mechanism by which BMAA may promote neurological disease. Further, we demonstrate here that the effects of BMAA can be reversed in cell culture by use of pharmacological modulators of the Wnt pathway, revealing the potential value of targeting this pathway therapeutically. Interestingly, our results suggest the existence of a distinct Wnt-independent mechanism activated by BMAA in glioblastoma cells, highlighting the likelihood that neurological disease may result from the cumulative effects of distinct cell-type specific mechanisms of BMAA toxicity.
A naïve pooled data approach for extrapolation of Phase 0 microdose trials to therapeutic dosing regimens
Authors: van der Heijden Lisa , van Nuland Merel , Beijnen Jos , Huitema Alwin , Dorlo Thomas
Published: November 2022

Microdosing is a strategy to obtain knowledge of human pharmacokinetics prior to Phase I clinical trials. The most frequently used method to extrapolate microdose (≤100 μg) pharmacokinetics to therapeutic doses is based on linear extrapolation from a noncompartmental analysis (NCA) with a two‐fold acceptance criterion between pharmacokinetic metrics of the extrapolated microdose and the therapeutic dose. The major disadvantage of NCA is the assumption of linear extrapolation of NCA metrics. In this study, we used a naïve pooled data (NPD) modeling approach to extrapolate microdose pharmacokinetics to therapeutic pharmacokinetics. Gemcitabine and anastrozole were used as examples of intravenous and oral drugs, respectively. Data from microdose studies were used to build a parent‐metabolite model for gemcitabine and its metabolite 2′,2′‐difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU) and a model for anastrozole. The pharmacokinetic microdose models were extrapolated to therapeutic doses. Extrapolation of the microdose showed differences in pharmacokinetic shape for gemcitabine and dFdU between the simulated and observed therapeutic concentrations, whereas the observed therapeutic concentrations for anastrozole were captured by the extrapolation. This study demonstrated the possible use and feasibility of an NPD modeling approach for the evaluation and application of microdose studies in early drug development. Last, physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic modeling might be an alternative for microdose extrapolation of drugs with complex pharmacokinetics such as gemcitabine.
CBR1 decreases protein carbonyl levels via the ROS/Akt/CREB pathway to extend lifespan in the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera
Authors: Geng Shao‐Lei , Li Hai‐Yin , Zhang Xiao‐Shuai , Wang Tao , Zhou Shi‐Pei , Xu Wei‐Hua
Published: November 2022

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered a major cause of ageing and ageing‐related diseases through protein carbonylation. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that confer protection against ROS. Here, we observed that, compared with nondiapause‐destined pupae, high protein carbonyl levels are present in the brains of diapause‐destined pupae, which is a ‘non‐ageing’ phase in the moth Helicoverpa armigera. Protein carbonyl levels respond to ROS and decrease metabolic activity to induce diapause in order to extend lifespan. However, protein carbonylation in the brains of diapause‐destined pupae still occurs at a physiological level compared to young adult brains. We find that ROS activate Akt, and Akt then phosphorylates the transcription factor CREB to facilitate its nuclear import. CREB binds to the promoter of carbonyl reductase 1 (CBR1) and regulates its expression. High CBR1 levels reduce protein carbonyl levels to maintain physiological levels. This is the first report showing that the moth brain can naturally control protein carbonyl levels through a distinct ROS‐Akt‐CREB‐CBR1 pathway to extend lifespan.
Fertility Preferences and Contraceptive Change in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries
Authors: Ibitoye Mobolaji , Casterline John B. , Zhang Chenyao
Published: November 2022

The past four decades have witnessed an enormous increase in modern contraception in most low‐ and middle‐income countries. We examine the extent to which this change can be attributed to changes in fertility preferences versus fuller implementation of fertility preferences, a distinction at the heart of intense debates about the returns to investments in family planning services. We analyze national survey data from five major survey programs: World Fertility Surveys, Demographic Health Surveys, Reproductive Health Surveys, Pan‐Arab Project for Child Development or Family Health, and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. We perform regression decomposition of change between successive surveys in 59 countries (330 decompositions in total). Change in preferences accounts for little of the change: less than 10 percent in a basic decomposition and about 15 percent under a more elaborate specification. This is a powerful empirical refutation of the view that contraceptive change has been driven principally by reductions in demand for children. We show that this outcome is not surprising given that the distribution of women according to fertility preferences is surprisingly stable over time.
Scaling up complexity in synthetic developmental biology
Authors: Martínez-Ara Guillermo , Stapornwongkul Kristina S. , Ebisuya Miki
Published: November 2022

The application of synthetic biology approaches to study development opens the possibility to build and manipulate developmental processes to understand them better. Researchers have reconstituted fundamental developmental processes, such as cell patterning and sorting, by engineering gene circuits in vitro. Moreover, new tools have been created that allow for the control of developmental processes in more complex organoids and embryos. Synthetic approaches allow testing of which components are sufficient to reproduce a developmental process and under which conditions as well as what effect perturbations have on other processes. We envision that the future of synthetic developmental biology requires an increase in the diversity of available tools and further efforts to combine multiple developmental processes into one system.
pp scattering at the LHC with the lepton pair production and one proton tagging
Authors: Godunov S. I. , Karkaryan E. K. , Novikov V. A. , Rozanov A. N. , Vysotsky M. I. , Zhemchugov E. V.
Published: November 2022

Analytical formulas for the cross section of the reaction $$pp \rightarrow p + \ell ^+ \ell ^- + X$$

p
p
→
p
+

ℓ
+

ℓ
-

+
X

are presented. Fiducial cross sections are compared with those measured recently by the ATLAS collaboration.
Predictors of Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage after Endovascular Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Dong Shuyang , Yu Chuanqing , Wu Qingbin , Xia Henglei , Xu Jialong , Gong Kun , Wang Tao
Published: November 2022

Introduction: This meta-analysis assessed the predictors of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were searched for studies published from inception to February 16, 2021. We included studies that evaluated the predictors of sICH after EVT. The random-effect model or fixed-effect model was used to pool the estimates according to the heterogeneity. Results: A total of 25 cohort studies, involving 15,324 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. The total incidence of sICH was 6.72 percent. Age (MD = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.53–3.61; p < 0.00001), higher initial NIHSS score (MD = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.35–2.08, p < 0.00001), higher initial systolic blood pressure (MD = 7.40, 95% CI: 5.11–9.69, p < 0.00001), diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.10–1.69, p = 0.005), poor collaterals (OR = 3.26, 95% CI: 2.35–4.51; p < 0.0001), internal carotid artery occlusion (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.26–1.90; p < 0.0001), longer procedure time (MD = 18.92, 95% CI: 11.49–26.35; p < 0.0001), and passes of retriever >3 (OR = 3.39, 95% CI: 2.45–4.71; p < 0.0001) were predictors of sICH, while modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score ≥2b (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.46–0.79; p = 0.0002) was associated with a decreased risk of sICH. There were no significant differences in the female gender, initial serum glucose, initial ASPECT score, atrial fibrillation, oral anticoagulants, antiplatelet therapy, intravenous thrombolysis, general anesthesia, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and emergent stenting. Conclusions: This study identified many predictors of sICH. Some of the results lack robust evidence given the limitations of the study. Therefore, larger cohort studies are needed to confirm these predictors.
Ethnic Minorities, Interstate War, and Popular Support for Fiscal Capacity Development
Authors: Walter André , Emmenegger Patrick
Published: November 2022

Do ethnic majorities and minorities have diverging preferences for fiscal capacity? Do these preferences converge during national emergencies such as interstate war? In this paper, we provide evidence from a natural experiment to demonstrate that politically salient minority-majority divisions undermine the development of fiscal capacity. In addition, we show that the pressure of interstate war is insufficient to supersede differences in support for the expansion of state’s capacity for taxation between majority and minority groups. More specifically, we employ a regression discontinuity design using a natural border that separates linguistic groups and municipality outcomes of a popular vote on the introduction of direct taxation at federal level in Switzerland during the First World War. The findings suggest that salient minority-majority divisions have a negative effect on the expansion of states’ capacity for taxation even during periods of interstate war.
Did COVID-19 change the political communication of polarizing leaders? The case of Salvini's campaigning before and after the pandemic
Authors: Bitonti Alberto , Marchetti Rita , Mariotti Claudia
Published: November 2022

In recent years, political polarization saw a significant rise in many political systems. This revamped a scientific debate sparked decades ago, with different schools of thought debating on dynamics, factors, and causes of polarization itself. By looking at political elites’ polarizing strategy—one of the factors on which various theories seem to converge—this article tackles the question concerning the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of political communication. More specifically, we look at the case of a highly polarizing leader in Italy—Matteo Salvini, leader of Lega—in two campaigns held in 2020 before and after the first wave of the pandemic. By analyzing his messages on Facebook and Twitter, we build on the literature on the causes of affective polarization to study Salvini's use of partisan identity and divisive issues, also considering other crucial elements, such as the attacks against others, and followers’ engagement. The results highlight some changes between the two phases, but also a strong continuity in the polarizing strategy of Salvini's political communication.
Situational boundary conditions of digital stress: Goal conflict and autonomy frustration make smartphone use more stressful
Authors: Gilbert Alicia , Baumgartner Susanne E. , Reinecke Leonard
Published: November 2022

Mobile connectivity can negatively affect smartphone users by eliciting stress. Past research focused on stress-inducing potentials of smartphone use behaviors and, recently, on the cognitive-motivational engagement with online interactions. However, theoretical perspectives as the mobile connectivity paradox and the IM³UNE model further suggest that digital stress effects may be conditional. A preregistered experience sampling study ( n = 123; 1,427 use episodes) investigated relationships of cognitive-motivational (online vigilance) and behavioral (communication load, media multitasking) smartphone use patterns with perceived stress and introduced two situational boundary conditions (goal conflict, autonomy need dissatisfaction). Results demonstrate that online vigilance can induce stress directly and via increasing communication load. Goal conflict and autonomy need dissatisfaction moderated the influence of online vigilance and media multitasking on stress. Findings are discussed in the context of effect directionality and the need to further investigate boundary conditions in digital well-being research.
Cultural Diversity in India
Authors: Qureshi M. H.
Published: November 2022

Culture, in a society, evolves over long period of time when people interact with the elements of nature and social norms created by them. It also gets enriched when people of diverse social background live and interact with each other. Culture includes both the tangible (material) and non-tangible (non-material) elements. The diversity in their habitats as a result of location in a particular ecological niche results in diversity of their house types, building materials, size and shape of the houses, archaeological characteristics adjusting to weather conditions and the networks available for movement and circulation. The diversity in faith has resulted in the creation of temples, masjids, churches, gurudwaras, synagogues, ashrams, khanqahs stupas adding to the different types of tangible elements in the society. Human beings operate through the instruments of labor creating tangible elements. The social necessities provide techniques of modification to obtain freedom from natural compulsions. The methods and techniques of adjustments and modifications introduce diversity at the local, regional and nations levels. It is also true that human beings do not live by bread alone. They do require the food, shelter and clothing providing diversity in food habit shelters and dress. Besides, they also want to attend to their higher needs of understanding the philosophy and secrets of life. They also want to express themselves but the medium available to them is language which is incomplete medium of expression. All the feelings and emotions cannot be expressed through language. Hence, they have developed other forms of expression such as music, dance, painting, poetry, faiths, festivals, celebrations on different occasions adding color. All these represent the non- tangible, (non-material) elements of culture. Cultural diversity adds vigor to social life and needs to be celebrated.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae employs complex regulation strategies to tolerate low pH stress during ethanol production
Authors: Wu Yajing , Li Bo , Miao Bu , Xie Caiyun , Tang Yue-Qin
Published: November 2022

Background

Industrial bioethanol production may involve a low pH environment caused by inorganic acids, improving the tolerance ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeto a low pH environment is of industrial importance to increase ethanol yield, control bacterial contamination, and reduce production cost. In our previous study, acid tolerance of a diploid industrialSaccharomyces cerevisiaestrain KF-7 was chronically acclimatized by continuous ethanol fermentation under gradually increasing low-pH stress conditions. Two haploid strains B3 and C3 having excellent low pH tolerance were derived through the sporulation of an isolated mutant. Diploid strain BC3 was obtained by mating these two haploids. In this study, B3, C3, BC3, and the original strain KF-7 were subjected to comparison transcriptome analysis to investigate the molecular mechanism of the enhanced phenotype.

Result

The comparison transcriptome analysis results suggested that the upregulated vitamin B1 and B6 biosynthesis contributed to the low pH tolerance. Amino acid metabolism, DNA repairment, and general stress response might also alleviate low pH stress.

Conclusion

Saccharomyces cerevisiaeseems to employ complex regulation strategies to tolerate low pH during ethanol production. The findings provide guides for the construction of low pH-tolerant industrial strains that can be used in industrial fermentation processes.
Does COVID-19 infection acquired in different pregnancy trimester influence placental pathology?
Authors: Dagelic Andrea , Stefanovic Vedran , Resic Karara Jasminka , Kuzmic Prusac Ivana , Roje Damir , Kosovic Indira , Zekic Tomas Sandra
Published: November 2022

Objectives

To determine the morphological characteristics of the placentas from COVID-19 positive mothers in regard to the trimester of COVID-19 infection onset and low weight molecular heparin (LMWH) treatment.

Methods

Placentas were collected in the period April 1st till September 1st 2021 after delivery at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University Hospital Split, Croatia, and sent for pathological examination. Medical history and pathology reports were used to collect the data. Pregnant women were divided based on the onset of COVID-19 infection and stratified into low molecular weight heparin (LMWH)+ or LMWH−. Depending on the data distribution, the following test were used: chi-squared test. Student’s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis test.

Results

In 38% of patients the onset of COVID-19 infection was the 1st trimester of pregnancy, in 27% in the 2nd and 35% of women were infected in the 3rd trimester The fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM) occurrence was statistically significantly higher in the LMWH− group and if the onset of infection was in the 2nd trimester, while the perivillous fibrin deposition was most likely to happen if the COVID-19 infection that occured in the 1st trimester of pregnancy.

Conclusions

The onset of COVID-19 infection has the influence on trophoblast damage and subsequent morphological appearance of the placenta. LMWH use in COVID positive pregnant women decreases the rate of the FVM in examined placentas.
The role of vitamin D in the development and course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and other viral diseases
Authors: Pytel Agnieszka , Strzelczyk Joanna
Published: November 2022

Witamina D jest rozpuszczalnym w tłuszczach prohormonem. Wykazuje wielokierunkowe działanie, wpływając m.in. na procesy mineralizacji kości. Bierze również udział w modulacji układu immunologicznego. Z uwagi na wskazane właściwości prowadzone są badania dotyczące wpływu witaminy D na rozwój zakażenia SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Postulowanym mechanizmem działania witaminy D w zakażeniu koronawirusem jest oddziaływanie na równowagę ACE2/ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) oraz hamowanie burzy cytokin. Badania wskazują, że niskie poziomy 25(OH)D w surowicy mogą zwiększać zachorowalność. Wyniki badań wpływu hipowitaminozy na ciężkość przebiegu COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 19) oraz śmiertelność z powodu tej choroby są niejednoznaczne. Witamina D odgrywa również rolę w zakażeniach innymi wirusami, na przykład wirusem grypy. W celu jednoznacznego określenia funkcji witaminy D w infekcji koronawirusem potrzebne są dalsze randomizowane badania.
UniRoVE: Unified Robot Virtual Environment Framework
Authors: Navarro Alberto Zafra , Pastor Jorge Guillen , Garcia Victor Igelmo , Zuñiga Enrique Ruiz , Gustavsson Patrik , Garcia-Rodriguez Jose
Published: November 2022

Robotics applications are becoming nowadays increasingly important in people’s daily lives. However, the process of learning and training in robotics is not always easy. In fact, in most cases, proper training is linked to direct interaction with these devices. This is usually not possible for the vast majority of people, as they may not have access to a robot in their teaching/learning institutions or companies. Nevertheless, thanks to the emergence of different technologies such as Virtual Reality it is possible to do physical tasks in a virtual environment that were considered unimaginable just one decade before. Therefore, this project aims to make the most of both technologies, creating an alternative way of interacting with robots to understand their behaviour, while flattening the robotics learning curve. To this end, a framework that allows the simulation and control of various robots in Virtual Reality has been developed and qualitatively assessed with an user satisfaction study.
Performance analyses of Modified Indirect Solar Dryer with Integrated Thermal Storage Material for drying of Dhekia (Diplazium esculentum) fern
Authors: Saikia Deepanka , Nayak Prakash Kumar , Krishnan Kesavan Radha , Kondareddy Rajesh , Lakshmi Durga Venkata Naga
Published: November 2022

This study focuses on the model and efficiency of a solar dryer for drying dhekia (Diplazium esculentum) that is integrated with a latent heat based thermal storage unit. The Modified Indirect thermal storage integrated solar dryer made up of a single pass solar collector is attached with the drying chamber of 16.5 kg capacity. Thermal energy storage system prepared with paraffin embedded inside the drying cabinet. In comparison to the traditional designed solar dryer, the proposed dryer has a thermal efficiency of 11 ± 0.2 percent higher and saves 40 ± 2.1 percent in drying time. Drying kinetic analysis of dhekia was performed and two new drying kinetic models were proposed to predict moisture ratio. From Statistical analysis it was found that the chi square vale and Root Mean Square Error value fits well for the proposed models. The anti-oxidant, total phenolic content and total flavonoid content values of samples dried in solar dryer exhibit better results compared to fresh, tray dried, and open sun-dried samples. The developed dryer shows better results in saving drying time, quality of the product. This dryer can be of great use to small-scale farmers due to its cost-effectiveness and long-term solution for drying fresh farm produce.
Soil aggregation and associated organic matter under management systems in sandy-textured soils, subtropical region of Brazil
Authors: Pinto Luiz Alberto da Silva Rodrigues , Morais Igor de Sousa , Ozório Jefferson Matheus Barros , de Melo Thadeu Rodrigues , Rosset Jean Sérgio , Pereira Marcos Gervasio
Published: November 2022

Increasing the diversity of plant species in agricultural production areas favors the maintenance or improvement of soil quality, particularly for soils with a sandy texture. This beneficial effect is related to the formation of aggregates of different origins. This study aimed to i) verify whether soil use and management affect the proportion of biogenic (Bio) and physicogenic (Phy) aggregates, and ii) verify whether biogenic aggregation is more likely to lead to soil improvement than physicogenic aggregation. Three management systems were evaluated (permanent pasture, PP; no-tillage system, NT; and no-tillage + Brachiaria system, NT + B) as well as a reference area (Atlantic Forest biome vegetation, NF). According to their origin or formation pathway, the aggregates were separated, identified, and classified as Bio (formed by biological processes) and Phy (resulting from chemical and physical actions). Only the PP area promoted greater aggregate formation through Bio. The PP area also increased the total organic carbon (TOC) content of the aggregates and affected the isotopic signal of δ13C. The NT + B system provided an increase in the TOC content of its aggregates in comparison with aggregates in the NT and NF areas. Among the formation pathways, the Bio aggregates had the highest TOC and SOM fractions contents and the most negative δ13C values. The higher amounts of plant residues in the soil was more important than the diversity of species in favoring the formation of Bio aggregates. The beneficial effect of Brachiaria can also be observed when adopted in consortium with corn in grain production systems.
Challenges of Clinical Education in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program: Student Perspectives
Authors: Al Dweik Ghadeer , Khalil Heba , Atout Maha , Al Zaghmouri Abeer , AbuRuz Mohannad
Published: November 2022

Introduction:

Clinical education is an essential element in a baccalaureate nursing program, providing nursing students with the required knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes required to deliver professional nursing care after graduation.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges associated with clinical instruction from nursing student perspective.

Methods:

A cross-sectional design was used to identify the challenges associated with clinical instruction from nursing student perspective. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 187 nursing students from three different Universities in Jordan [one governmental and two private].

Results:

The major challenges to clinical education were: fear of committing mistakes; lack of facilities for students; lack of knowledge among community and patients about the nursing profession; fear of infection; lack of availability of equipment in the clinical setting; student lack of preparedness and skill in planning care; and lack of collaboration from clinical staff.

Conclusion:

Understanding the identified challenges is necessary to formulate strategies to address them, to improve curriculum designed and clinical education for nursing students accordingly.
Natural Language Processing based Obtaining Information in Pathology Report of Breast Cancer: Single-Institution Study (Preprint)
Authors: Park Phillip , Choi Yeonho , Han Na Young , Hwang Juyeon , Chae Gyeong Min , Kim Minkyung , Chae Heejung , Yoo Chong Woo , Choi Kui Son , Kim Hyun-Jin
Published: November 2022

BACKGROUND

In 2018, breast cancer was the second most common cancer worldwide. Pathology reports provide important information for optimal treatment decision making.

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the deployment of deep learning data extraction methods for pathology reports in a single institute, we investigated the performance of methods between regular expression and natural language processing (NLP) in terms of accuracy.

METHODS

This was compared to the bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) model using specific vocabulary such as BERT-basic, BioBERT, and ClinicalBERT. A total of 1,215 pathology reports were used to build annotated data to develop an extraction algorithm for pathology reports. K-fold cross-validation was used to verify the performance of BioBERT and ClinicalBERT, pre-trained in the BERT model.

RESULTS

Among them, BioBERT emerged as a highly accurate (0.99901) data parsing model based on by k-fold validation. The parsing method using the NLP model could obtain data with higher overall accuracy than the existing method using regular expressions.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that BioBERT has high accuracy in pathology reports, and that the NLP model can obtain data with a higher overall accuracy than regular expressions. Taken together, our findings suggest that the process of obtaining information from pathology reports should include NLP using BioBERT.
Mixed monolayers formed from methyldisulfide-functionalized metal bis(terpyridine) complexes
Authors: Trang Christina , Saal Thomas , Inkpen Michael
Published: November 2022

Multicomponent self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) often suffer from segregation of like components into nanoscale domains. One strategy to form perfectly mixed SAMs is to use a modular series of molecules with similar structures and dimensions, ensuring comparable formation kinetics as well as surface and intermolecular interactions. To help evaluate this concept, we prepared a new family of methyldisulfide-functionalized metal bis(terpyridine) complexes, [M(tpySSMe)2](PF6)2 (M = Fe, Co, Zn), and characterized their single- and multi-component SAMs on gold surfaces. We find these complexes are air-stable in solution for >7 d, in stark contrast to their thiol-functionalized analogues, [M(tpySH)2](PF6)2 (MSH, M = Fe, Co), which decompose in <1 d. Though CoSH has been previously reported, we explicitly detail its synthesis and characterization here for the first time. Solution and surface voltammetry experiments show these complexes can indeed form SAMs with compositions representative of their assembly solutions, a prerequisite for perfect mixing at the molecular scale. However, we find MSS and CoSS SAMs generally exhibit remarkably low saturation surface coverages. This observation agrees with earlier SAM studies involving different polypyridyl-based metal complexes, and is typically attributed to repulsive Coulomb interactions between charged complexes on the surface. Despite their apparent loose packing, we show that purportedly vacant surface sites in MSS SAMs are not readily accessible for coordination by uncharged thiols in solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of CoSS SAMs further reveal clear S 2p (primarily of thiolate character) and N 1s features, but show no F 1s signal attributable to PF6− counterions (either due to their absence or the low surface coverage of MSS). This study raises important new questions regarding the assembly mechanism and nanoscale structure of these and other, structurally-related, charged SAMs, also serving to highlight key challenges in the design and characterization of emerging multi-component monolayer assemblies.
Efficient Secured Public-Key based Data Lookup and Multicast Protocols with Anonymity in RC-Based Two-level Hierarchical Structured P2P Network
Authors: Roy Indranil , Rahimi Nick , Mitra Reshmi , Kaluvakuri Swathi
Published: November 2022

Because peer-to-peer networks are inherently insecure, they provide a special chal- lenge in terms of network security. In this study, we have considered a recently described non-DHT-based 2-level structured P2P network. It is an architecture built on interests. Utilizing RC, a modular arithmetic-based residue class, the overlay topology has been achieved. This design was chosen because it allows for minimal latency in both intra and inter-group communications. In the present study, we provide efficient schemes for public- key cryptographic security of existing communication protocols. We have also extended these approaches to include anonymity.
El pensamiento crítico aplicado a la educación. Un estudio retrospectivo hacia un comportamiento futuro
Authors:   Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Miranda López Ximena Cumandá , Lozada Miranda Déneb Sarahi ,   Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Published: November 2022

La investigación contemporánea sobre el pensamiento crítico (PC) en el ámbito educativo se centra primordialmente en los juicios emitidos en torno a contenidos disciplinares propios del currículo escolar con un fuerte acento en las habilidades cognitivas del sujeto. En los años 70 el porcentaje de títulos secundarios en Estados Unidos y los países desarrollados era del 25%, actualmente es del 90%, sin embargo, el ingreso del 1% de la población correspondiente al segmento más rico creció en un 156%, el promedio de ingresos del 0,01 más rico de la población creció en un 343% mientras que el poder adquisitivo de la clase media se mantuvo igual. Los datos estadísticos demuestran que una sociedad más educada no representa necesariamente una sociedad más rica, por el contrario, las condiciones de riqueza si predisponen al individuo a un mejor nivel de Educación. Un dato relevante de este estudio constituye la relación directa que existe entre el nivel de educación y la expectativa de vida: una persona con mejor educación posiblemente está condicionada a tomar mejores decisiones respecto a sus hábitos, lo que tendría una repercusión favorable en su salud y longevidad. En este estudio analizaremos la educación con un enfoque disruptivo basado en PC.
Enrichment of T-cell proliferation and memory gene signatures of CD79A/CD40 costimulatory domain potentiates CD19CAR-T cell functions
Authors: Ung Socheatraksmey , Choochuen Pongsakorn , Khopanlert Wannakorn , Maneechai Kajornkiat , Sangkhathat Surasak , Terakura Seitaro , Julamanee Jakrawadee
Published: November 2022

CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells have demonstrated remarkable outcomes in B-cell malignancies. Recently, the novel CD19CAR-T cells incorporated with B-cell costimulatory molecules of CD79A/CD40 demonstrated superior antitumor activity in the B-cell lymphoma model compared with CD28 or 4-1BB. Here, we investigated the intrinsic transcriptional gene underlying the functional advantage of CD19.79A.40z CAR-T cells following CD19 antigen exposure using transcriptome analysis compared to CD28 or 4-1BB. Notably, CD19.79A.40z CAR-T cells up-regulated genes involved in T-cell activation, T-cell proliferation, and NF-κB signaling, whereas down-regulated genes associated with T-cell exhaustion and apoptosis. Interestingly, CD19.79A.40z CAR- and CD19.BBz CAR-T cells were enriched in almost similar pathways. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated the enrichment of genes, which were previously identified to correlate with T-cell proliferation, interferon signaling pathway, and naïve and memory T-cell signatures, and down-regulated T-cell exhaustion genes in CD79A/CD40, compared with the T-cell costimulatory domain. The CD19.79A.40z CAR-T cells also up-regulated genes related to glycolysis and fatty acid metabolism, which are necessary to drive T-cell proliferation and differentiation compared with conventional CD19CAR-T cells. Our study provides a comprehensive insight into the understanding of gene signatures that potentiates the superior antitumor functions by CD19CAR-T cells incorporated with the CD79A/CD40 costimulatory domain.
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of pharmacotherapies for postpartum depression: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Qing , Dai Xiaoli , Li Wei
Published: November 2022

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of pharmacotherapies for postpartum depression (PPD).

Method: We performed a computerized search of MEDLINE (Ovid and PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) before 31 March 2022. We calculated standardized mean differences (SMDs) for continuous outcomes and odds ratios (ORs) for dichotomous outcomes with the random-effects model. The tolerability of antidepressants in terms of early dropouts was investigated. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was used for ranking the outcomes. Quality assessment of the included studies was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool.

Results: A total of 11 studies with 944 participants were included in this network meta-analysis, involving nine antidepressants. With respect to efficacy, only estradiol and brexanolone were significantly more effective than the placebo (p < 0.05), and the calculated SUCRA indicated that estradiol (94.3%) had the highest probability ranking first for reducing the PPD, followed by paroxetine (64.3%) and zuranolone (58.8%). Regarding tolerability, a greater percentage of patients treated with brexanolone experienced early dropout as compared to those treated with most other antidepressants.

Conclusion: Only estradiol and brexanolone showed significantly higher efficacy than the placebo. According to the SUCRA ranking, estradiol, paroxetine, and zuranolone were the three best antidepressants. Concerning acceptability in terms of early dropouts, brexanolone was less well-tolerated than other antidepressants.
Excited-State Dynamics of Proflavine after Intercalation into DNA Duplex
Authors: Zhou Jie , Jia Yanyan , Wang Xueli , Jia Menghui , Pan Haifeng , Sun Zhenrong , Chen Jinquan
Published: November 2022

Proflavine is an acridine derivative which was discovered as one of the earliest antibacterial agents, and it has been proven to have potential application to fields such as chemotherapy, photobiology and solar-energy conversion. In particular, it is well known that proflavine can bind to DNA with different modes, and this may open addition photochemical-reaction channels in DNA. Herein, the excited-state dynamics of proflavine after intercalation into DNA duplex is studied using femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy, and compared with that in solution. It is demonstrated that both fluorescence and the triplet excited-state generation of proflavine were quenched after intercalation into DNA, due to ultrafast non-radiative channels. A static-quenching mechanism was identified for the proflavine-DNA complex, in line with the spectroscopy data, and the excited-state deactivation mechanism was proposed.
Rhenium Tricarbonyl Complexes of Azodicarboxylate Ligands
Authors: Jordan Rose , Niazi Maryam , Schäfer Sascha , Kaim Wolfgang , Klein Axel
Published: November 2022

The excellent π-accepting azodicarboxylic esters adcOR (R = Et, iPr, tBu, Bn (CH2-C6H5) and Ph) and the piperidinyl amide derivative adcpip were used as bridging chelate ligands in dinuclear Re(CO)3 complexes [{Re(CO)3Cl}2(µ-adcOR)] and [{Re(CO)3Cl}2(µ-adcpip)]. From the adcpip ligand the mononuclear derivatives [Re(CO)3Cl(adcpip)] and [Re(CO)3(PPh3)(µ-adcpip)]Cl were also obtained. Optimised geometries from density functional theory (DFT) calculations show syn and anti isomers for the dinuclear fac-Re(CO)3 complexes at slightly different energies but they were not distinguishable from experimental IR or UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. The electrochemistry of the adc complexes showed reduction potentials slightly below 0.0 V vs. the ferrocene/ferrocenium couple. Attempts to generate the radicals [{Re(CO)3Cl}2(µ-adcOR)]•− failed as they are inherently unstable, losing very probably first the Cl− coligand and then rapidly cleaving one [Re(CO)3] fragment. Consequently, we found signals in EPR very probably due to mononuclear radical complexes [Re(CO)3(solv)(adc)]•. The underlying Cl−→solvent exchange was modelled for the mononuclear [Re(CO)3Cl(adcpip)] using DFT calculations and showed a markedly enhanced Re-Cl labilisation for the reduced compared with the neutral complex. Both the easy reduction with potentials ranging roughly from −0.2 to −0.1 V for the adc ligands and the low-energy NIR absorptions in the 700 to 850 nm range place the adc ligands with their lowest-lying π* orbital being localised on the azo function, amongst comparable bridging chelate N^N coordinating ligands with low-lying π* orbitals of central azo, tetrazine or pyrazine functions. Comparative (TD)DFT-calculations on the Re(CO)3Cl complexes of the adcpip ligand using the quite established basis set and functionals M06-2X/def2TZVP/LANL2DZ/CPCM(THF) and the more advanced TPSSh/def2-TZVP(+def2-ECP for Re)/CPCMC(THF) for single-point calculations with BP86/def2-TZVP(+def2-ECP for Re)/CPCMC(THF) optimised geometries showed a markedly better agreement of the latter with the experimental XRD, IR and UV–Vis absorption data.
Effects of Wet and Dry Micronization on the GC-MS Identification of the Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Properties of Freeze-Dried Spinach Leaves and Stems
Authors: Różyło Renata , Piekut Jolanta , Dziki Dariusz , Smolewska Marzena , Gawłowski Sławomir , Wójtowicz Agnieszka , Gawlik-Dziki Urszula
Published: November 2022

Micronization is an emerging technology used in food production, in which the size of particles is reduced to microns in the processing of plant raw materials and by-products, thus making it an interesting research topic. Spinach stems are by-products of spinach leaf processing, but there is little information regarding their processing and possible reuse. In this study, wet and dry ball mill micronization, in combination with freeze drying, was used to process spinach stems and leaves to obtain functional powders. The color and particle size of the micronized spinach leaf and stem powders were evaluated. The antioxidant activity (AA) of the powders and phenolic compounds present in them were determined using GC-MS analysis. The results obtained showed that the dry micronization of leaves and stems resulted in smoother and brighter powders than wet micronization. Significantly smaller particle sizes were achieved using the dry micronization of the leaves and stems (Dv50 = 19.5 and 10.1 µm, respectively) rather than wet micronization (Dv50 = 84.6 and 112.5 µm, respectively). More phenolic compounds, such as o-coumaric acid and gallic acid, were extracted from the dry-micronized powders. The dry micronization of the stems significantly increased the total phenolic content, and the AA of these powders was also increased. These findings demonstrate that spinach leaves and stems subjected to dry micronization can be valuable functional components of food.
Rapid Purification and Formulation of Radiopharmaceuticals via Thin-Layer Chromatography
Authors: Laferriere-Holloway Travis S. , Rios Alejandra , Carlucci Giuseppe , van Dam R. Michael
Published: November 2022

Before formulating radiopharmaceuticals for injection, it is necessary to remove various impurities via purification. Conventional synthesis methods involve relatively large quantities of reagents, requiring high-resolution and high-capacity chromatographic methods (e.g., semi-preparative radio-HPLC) to ensure adequate purity of the radiopharmaceutical. Due to the use of organic solvents during purification, additional processing is needed to reformulate the radiopharmaceutical into an injectable buffer. Recent developments in microscale radiosynthesis have made it possible to synthesize radiopharmaceuticals with vastly reduced reagent masses, minimizing impurities. This enables purification with lower-capacity methods, such as analytical HPLC, with a reduction of purification time and volume (that shortens downstream re-formulation). Still, the need for a bulky and expensive HPLC system undermines many of the advantages of microfluidics. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using radio-TLC for the purification of radiopharmaceuticals. This technique combines high-performance (high-resolution, high-speed separation) with the advantages of a compact and low-cost setup. A further advantage is that no downstream re-formulation step is needed. Production and purification of clinical scale batches of [18F]PBR-06 and [18F]Fallypride are demonstrated with high yield, purity, and specific activity. Automating this radio-TLC method could provide an attractive solution for the purification step in microscale radiochemistry systems.
Fine-Tuning Bi2Te3-Copper Selenide Alloys Enables an Efficient n-Type Thermoelectric Conversion
Authors: Li Longbin , Jia Jianchao , Shi Chaosheng , Zeng Wei
Published: November 2022

Bismuth tellurides is one of the most promising thermoelectric (TE) material candidates in low-temperature application circumstances, but the n-type thermoelectric property is relatively low compared to the p-type counterpart and still needs to be improved. Herein, we incorporated different copper selenides (CuSe, Cu3Se2 and Cu2−xSe) into a Bi2Te3 matrix to create the alloy by grinding and successive sintering to enable higher thermoelectric performance. The results demonstrated that all alloys achieved n-type TE characteristics and Bi2Te3-CuSe exhibited the best Seebeck coefficient and power factor among them. Along with the low thermal conductivity, the maximum dimensionless TE figure of merit (ZT) value of 1.64 at 573 K was delivered for Bi2Te3-CuSe alloy, which is among the best reported results in the n-type Bi2Te3-based TE materials to the best of our knowledge. The improved TE properties should be related to the co-doping process of Se and Cu. Our investigation shows a new method to enhance the performance of n-type TE materials by appropriate co-doping or alloying.
Land Use Land Cover Study of Sentinel-2A and Landsat-5 Images Using NDVI and Supervised Classification Techniques
Authors: Makandar Dr. Aziz , Kaman Shilpa
Published: November 2022

Land Use Land Cover (LULC) change monitoring plays very significant role in planning, policy making, management programs required for development activities at regional levels of any country. This study is an attempt to monitor LULC change of Vijayapura taluk, Karnataka, India for the period of 25 years from 1995 to 2021 using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS). Satellite Images from Sentinel-2A MSI (Multispectral Imager), Landsat-5TM (Thematic Mapper) are used to generate LULC maps. Vegetation Change in the study area is computed using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and results show that vegetation rate is increased from 0.6% in 1995 to 27.5% in 2021. Supervised Classification is carried out by using Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC). 5 major classes considered for classification are namely: Waterbodies, Cropland/Vegetation, Fallow Land, Built-up Area and Barren Land. ArcGIS software tool is used for implementing the proposed study. Google Earth Pro used for accuracy assessment which is done by taking ground truth values for corresponding Classifications. Results show that the proposed system is able to achieve 88.16% of overall accuracy. Keyword : Land Use Land Cover, Supervised Classification, Remote Sensing, Maximum Likelihood Classification, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, High Resolution, Multitemporal, Satellite Images.
Production and Characterisation of Pectin from Cocoa Bean Shells
Authors: Bakantiche Dominic Ibamondor , Momade Zsuzsanna
Published: November 2022

Cocoa bean shells constitute the major waste generated from the industrial processing of cocoa beans. The shells contain about 9% of pectin and extracting it would be of economic and ecological importance. However, limited knowledge on the characteristics of the pectin from cocoa bean shells and the extraction conditions, which would yield pectin of good quality and sufficient quantity, restrict the possible use of the shells as a source of commercial pectin. The objective of this study was to extract and characterise pectin from cocoa bean shells, with focus on finding the optimum extraction conditions. The conventional hot dilute acid extraction method was used. 12 M hydrochloric acid was used to acidify water to pH 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0. Extractions were carried out at temperatures of 60, 70, and 80 °C, for different times of 0.5, 1, and 2 h. The effects of each of the conditions on yield and other properties of pectin were evaluated. Depending on the conditions under which cocoa bean shells were treated, both high methoxyl and low methoxyl pectins were extracted. At the optimum conditions of pH 3.5, extraction time of 2 h and 80 °C extraction temperature, high methoxyl pectin was obtained. The yield was 4.7%, the degree of esterification was 68.9% and the anhydrouronic acid content was 71.2%. While the methoxyl content was 8.6%, the equivalent mass was found to be 805.8 g/eq. Moisture and ash contents were 6.7 and 10.3%, respectively, and the pH of the pectin hydrocolloid was 3.7. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra confirmed the presence of functional groups found in the pectin structure. The intrinsic viscosity varied between 0.075–0.088 m3/kg and the molecular mass ranged from 23,470 - 42,384 g/mol. The results revealed that the shells are a viable source for commercial pectin, while necessary investigations focusing on the gelling, thickening, emulsifying, texturing, and stabilising potentials of the pectin from cocoa bean shells would inform of the areas of application