bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cross‐sectional association between the area deprivation index (ADI) and cognitive impairment in community‐dwelling older veterans
Authors: Ysea‐Hill Otoniel , Gomez Christian , Shah Aakashi , Ruiz Sergio J , Ruiz Jorge G
Published: February 2022

Background

The evidence that lower socio‐economic status (SES) may be associated with late‐onset dementia is inconsistent. Differences may be related to how SES was assessed. The area deprivation index (ADI) is a validated, composite measure of neighborhood socioeconomic status representing a geographic area level of social deprivation. Previous research has shown an association between ADI and cognitive impairment, but less is known about the Veteran population. The study aim was to determine the cross‐sectional association between the area deprivation index (ADI) and cognitive impairment in a Veteran population.

Method

This is a cross‐sectional study among community‐dwelling Veterans aged ≥50 years enrolled in a VA primary care clinic from July 2019‐May 2020. Patients were mailed questionnaires including sociodemographic, the Self‐Administered Gerocognitive Examination (SAGE). Clinical information was extracted from the electronic health records (EHR). To assess frailty, we used a 31‐item VA Frailty Index (VA‐FI) generated from EHR data matched to the study date. We calculated the ADI from 17 socioeconomic indicators available from the US Census. ADIs were generated for census tracts corresponding to veterans’ addresses. Higher ADI values are consistent with increased deprivation. After adjusting for age, gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, body mass index and frailty, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using binomial logistic regression models with cognitive impairment (MCI and dementia) as the outcome variable and ADI as the independent variable.

Result

Participants were 1060 Veterans (response rate of 20.14%), mean age of 68.39 (SD=8.52) years, 59.0% Caucasian, 69.2% non‐Hispanic, 95.8% male, 12.0% screened positive for MCI and 15.6% for dementia. Among ADI quintile groups, patients in the highest group had a significantly higher proportion of cognitive impairment (40.59%) when compared to lower groups, p<.001. No significant differences were found between quintiles 1 to 4. The highest ADI quintile was the only group associated with cognitive impairment, adjusted OR: 1.916 (95% CI:1.187‐3.093), p=.008.

Conclusion

This study shows a cross‐sectional association between ADI and dementia in community‐dwelling older Veterans. Further investigation of the links between neighborhood social deprivation and cognitive impairment may assist in the development of strategies that lower the incidence of cognitive impairment in these communities.
Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia using FDG‐PET: Application of genetic algorithms
Authors: Pytel Vanesa , Díaz‐Álvarez Josefa , Cabrera‐Martín María Nieves , García‐Gutiérrez Fernando , Hernández‐Lorenzo Laura , Matias‐Guiu Jorge , Carreras José Luis , Ayala José Luis , Matias‐Guiu Jordi A
Published: February 2022

Background

Genetic algorithms are methods used in machine learning, which have a proven capability to explore a large space of solutions, deal with very large numbers of input features, and avoid local minima. Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is often challenging, and thorough costly assessments are often needed. We hypothesised that the application of machine learning, and specifically genetic algorithms, to 18F‐Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography (FDG‐PET) may help in diagnosis by selecting the most meaningful features and automating diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to develop algorithms for three common situations: discrimination between patients with AD or FTD and healthy controls (HC), differential diagnosis between behavioural FTD (bvFTD) and AD, and differential diagnosis between primary progressive aphasia (PPA) variants.

Method

Eighty‐one patients with bvFTD, 88 patients with AD, 68 patients with PPA, and 39 HC were enrolled. Patients underwent a comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological protocol, and FDG‐PET imaging. Genetic algorithms, customised with K‐Nearest Neighbor and BayesNet Naives as the fitness function, were developed applied to the PET imaging and compared with Principal Component Analysis. The highest accuracy rate and most relevant features were identified. K‐fold cross validation within the same sample and external validation with ADNI samples were performed.

Result

Discrimination accuracy of FDG‐PET was 92‐95% for AD vs HCs, 95‐96% for bvFTD vs HCs, 89‐90% for AD vs bvFTD, and 90‐91% for classification of PPA subtypes. A reduced number of features was achieved, with cutting rates from 62% to 95.69% regarding the total number of variables, and several key brain regions were selected. External validation with ADNI obtained an accuracy of 82.93% for BayesNet Naives algorithm for the differentiation between AD and HC.

Conclusion

Genetic algorithms identified the most meaningful features with the minimum set of features, which may be relevant for automated assessment of brain FDG‐PET images. Overall, our study contributes to the development of an automated, and optimised diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders using brain metabolism.
Beyond WMH volume: Coalescence score as a new measure of cerebral small‐vessel disease pattern
Authors: McPhillie Ross , Barnes Jo , Tillin Therese , Chaturvedi Nishi , Hughes Alun D. , Jäger H. Rolf , Sudre Carole H.
Published: February 2022

Background

Total white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume is a hallmark of cerebral small vessel disease that is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and dementia onset. The shape of lesions is a key component of existing visual rating scales. While automated methods have been developed to assess WMH volume, evaluation of the lesion shape is still limited. We describe an automatic method to derive an overall coalescence score and investigate its association with Framingham cardiovascular risk score (FRS) and blood pressure (BP) in elderly individuals.

Method

750 individuals from the Southall And Brent Revisited cohort (age 71.1(6.9) years; 54.7% male) underwent brain MRI including 3D T1‐weighted and FLAIR images. WMH volumes were automatically segmented. Each non‐periventricular lesion (<25% of the border touching the ventricles) was automatically classified into a coalescence category ranging from 0 to 4 describing its level of confluency (0 punctuate – 4 fully confluent) using derived shape features. An overall coalescence score (CS) was generated based on the proportion of lesions residing in each of the five categories with respect to the global WMH volume. Biological relevance of the coalescence score (log‐transformed due to its skewness) was evaluated by assessing its association with FRS and BP using linear regression adjusting for global WMH volume and proportion of excluded periventricular lesions as well as age and sex (BP).

Result

Figure 1 presents the CS frequency distribution (a), its relationship with global WMH volume (b) and an example of how CS captures differences in WMH pattern independent of classical volumetric measurements (c) (same load but different CS). After correction for global and periventricular WMH volume and other confounders, there was a positive association between CS and FRS (mean[95% confidence interval] +6.9[3.7;10.2] %CS per 10% increase FRS; p<0.0001), and with diastolic BP (+0.5[0;0.90] % per mmHg; p=0.04). There was no evidence of an association with systolic BP [+0.05[‐0.19;0.30]% per mmHg; p=0.63).

Conclusion

The coalescence score provides an automated tool to quantify varying degrees of WMH confluency, which may lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology of WMH in the context of ageing, risk factors and dementia.
A comparison of longitudinal [18F]GTP1 tau pet with other imaging and cognitive endpoints in the Tauriel Phase II Study
Authors: Manser Paul T. , Sanabria‐Bohorquez Sandra , Wildsmith Kristin R. , Toth Balazs , Blendstrup Mira , Pickthorn Karen , Teng Edmond
Published: February 2022

Background

The Tauriel Study (NCT03289143) was a Phase 2 randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, parallel‐group clinical trial that assessed the safety and efficacy of semorinemab in patients with prodromal‐to‐mild Alzheimer’s disease over 73 weeks. We sought to assess the longitudinal performance of tau PET imaging and to determine the relationships between the multiple imaging and cognitive endpoints that were collected.

Method

Cognitive testing, [18F]GTP1 PET, and volumetric MRI imaging were performed at baseline, Week 49 and Week 73. Relationships between imaging and cognitive endpoints were assessed with Spearman correlations. Standardized change from baseline among imaging and cognitive endpoints were compared using Cohen’s D.

Result

375 participants had evaluable [18F]GTP1 tau PET scans at baseline. On average, [18F]GTP1 SUVR in a temporal metaROI (mean = 1.56, SD = 0.28) was significantly higher than SUVR in whole cortical gray matter (mean = 1.33, SD = 0.25). In spite of the heterogenous localization of baseline [18F]GTP1 signal within and across subjects, longitudinal changes in tau PET were spatially more uniform: whole cortical gray SUVR and temporal meta ROI performed similarly at Week 73 in terms of standardized longitudinal change (Cohen’s D = 0.61 and 0.65, respectively). Furthermore, correlations between local baseline SUVR, as parcellated across cortical Hammers Atlas ROIs, and change from baseline to week 73 were low (Avg Spearman r = 0.14, range = [‐0.34, 0.37]).

Conclusion

The Tauriel trial successfully enrolled a prodromal‐to‐mild AD patient population that progressed on both clinical and imaging endpoints that were statistically sensitive to detect potential treatment effects. However, correlations between changes in imaging and cognitive endpoints were low. Longer observation periods may further elucidate the associations between imaging and clinical endpoints.
Disintegration of anterior thalamic radiation fibers in cerebrovascular disease subjects with periventricular white matter hyperintensities leads to lower executive function performance
Authors: Haddad Seyyed Mohammad Hassan , Scott Christopher J.M. , Ozzoude Miracle , Holmes Melissa F. , Arnott Stephen R. , Nanayakkara Nuwan D. , Kwan Donna , Tan Brian , Casaubon Leanne , Mandzia Jennifer , Sahlas Demetrios J. , Saposnik Gustavo , Hassan Ayman , Black Sandra E. , Dowlatshahi Dar , Strother Stephen C. , Swartz Richard H. , Symons Sean , Montero‐Odasso Manuel , Bartha Robert
Published: February 2022

Background

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are more prevalent in elder adults and those typically located in periventricular areas are known as periventricular WMHs (pWMH). Recent studies link WMHs to hypoperfusion and ischemic injuries arising from diverse cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs). Previous studies have reported strong associations between WMH burden and disintegration of normal‐appearing white matter (WM) and WM pathways evaluated using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This WM deterioration may be the underlying cause of cognitive dysfunction in people with WMHs. The purpose of this study is to identify major WM tracts in which there is evidence of microstructure damage associated with pWMH severity to determine whether this damage is associated with cognitive decline.

Method

Association between pWMH volume and fractional anisotropy (FA) in 18 major WM tracts in 100 CVD subjects (aged 55‐84 years, 29% female, evidenced by an ischemic stroke event documented by MRI or CT, with a modified Rankin score 0‐3) from the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative was examined using linear regression. DTI (30 directions, b=1000 s/mm2) was acquired on eight 3T MRI scanners. Mean FA in 18 WM tracts was quantified using TRACULA in FreeSurfer in each subject. Volumes of pWMHs were obtained by semi‐automated segmentation of T1‐weighted images in each subject. Cognitive assessments were completed as part of ONDRI. Associations between cognitive scores and FA in tracts that significantly correlated with pWMH severity were also examined.

Result

Linear regression (adjusted by age and sex) detected significant correlation between FA in right anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) (Fig. 1) and pWMH volume after Bonferroni correction (p‐value=0.002, r=‐0.356) (Fig. 2). No other significant associations were identified. Since right ATR is part of fronto‐striato‐thalamic circuit contributing to executive function, FA in ATR predicted association with Trail Making Test‐Part B (adjusted by age, sex, and education) and a signhificant correlation was identified (p‐value=0.006, r=‐0.256) (Fig. 3).

Conclusion

ATR disintegration was associated with pWMH severity in participants with CVD and with executive function. This study suggests that tissue microstructure deterioration in ATR measured by DTI may contribute to decline in executive function in CVD patients with pWMHs.
Ethnic differences in the frequency of β‐amyloid deposition in cognitively normal individuals
Authors: Kim Jaeho , Jung Sang‐Hyuk , Choe Yeongsim , Kim Soyeon , Kim Beomsu , Kim Hang‐Rai , Son Sang Joon , Hong Chang Hyung , Na Duk L. , Kim Hee Jin , Cho Soo‐Jin , Won Hong‐Hee , Seo Sang Won
Published: February 2022

Background

Prevalence estimates of β‐amyloid (Aβ) pathology and their related factors in cognitively normal (CN) individuals are required to better understand the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and to facilitate the design of clinical studies.

Method

We recruited 448 South Korean CN participants from a Korean tertiary hospital (Samsung Medical Center, SMC) and 323 European CN participants from the US Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) who underwent amyloid PET. We compared the frequencies of Aβ (+) in CN Korean and European participants and investigated which factors explain these differences after conducting genome‐wide association study (GWAS) analysis in each cohort.

Result

The frequency of Aβ (+) was higher in the ADNI dataset (32.8%) than in the SMC dataset (18.9%; P <0.001). In particular, the differences between the two groups were prominent in elderly participants (P = 0.001 for 70–79 years and P = 0.004 for ≥80 years) and homozygous APOE ε3 carriers (P <0.001). In the SMC GWAS, a locus near the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor gene showed a genome‐wide significant association with Aβ deposition (P = 3.59 × 10‐9), while this association was not observed in the ADNI GWAS. The association was also observed in elderly participants (P <0.001), APOE ε3 homozygote carriers (P = 0.0024), and another Korean replication set (P = 0.0056). Furthermore, the interaction between population groups (SMC or ADNI) and rs7481773 was significant (P = 0.0125).

Conclusion

The different frequencies of Aβ (+) between CN Koreans and Europeans might be related to decreased cognitive reserve through their distinct cultural environments or genetic factors.
Improving the multi‐class classification of Alzheimer’s disease with machine learning‐based techniques: An EEG‐fNIRS hybridization study
Authors: Ho Thi Kieu Khanh , Kim Minhee , Jeon YoungHoon , Na Eunchan , Ullah Zahid , Kim Byeong C , Lee Kun Ho , Song Jong‐In , Kim Jae Gwan , Gwak Jeonghwan
Published: February 2022

Background

As an incurable neurodegenerative disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is being projected to become one of the most expensive diseases for understanding the pathophysiological mechanism. Exploring alterations in the AD brain network is therefore of central importance for early and accurate diagnosis of cognitive deficits levels, yet diagnostic uncertainties exist merely confirmed by postmortem brain examination. The hybrid approach of two modalities, Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Near‐Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) reveals an ideal technique‐derived diagnosis due to the inexpensive and noninvasive experiments coupled with the reliability and versatility that make it highly desirable for AD multi‐class classification tasks.

Methods

In this study, the hybrid EEG‐fNIRS was employed in constructing the classification machine learning (ML)‐based models to categorize four subject groups, including healthy controls (HC) and three AD patient classes. First, a concurrent EEG‐fNIRS setup was utilized to record data from 41 subjects during the Oddball – a cognitive ability test and 1‐back – a memory ability test. Second, while fNIRS features were computed and extracted, the event‐related spectral perturbation (ERSP) features measuring the average dynamic changes in amplitude of three main EEG frequency bands were extracted. Third, a conventional neural network and a hybrid deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) ‐ Long Short‐Term Memory Network (LSTM) was built for the multi‐class classification using the fNIRS and EEG features, respectively. To boost the classification accuracy, the output of different models was combined by majority voting methods.

Results

The hybrid EEG‐fNIRS feature set was able to achieve a higher accuracy (71.01% ± 0.004) by combing their complementary properties, compared to using EEG (66.35% ± 0.016) or fNIRS (67.15% ± 0.017) alone. In addition, fNIRS and ERSP feature patterns displayed a significant difference between subject groups during the Oddball and 1‐back experimental tasks. Thus, the feature‐level ensemble shows a great ability to understand neurophysiological AD status and its related symptoms and develop a syndrome‐specific diagnostic tool for our future works.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate the potential of the hybrid EEG‐fNIRS systems to enhance the AD diagnosis and assessment process and the capability of ML techniques to facilitate further AD classification studies.
Assessment of hearing and vision impairment in cohort studies collecting cognitive data in older adults
Authors: Liu Chelsea , Nagarajan Niranjani , Assi Lama , Jiang Kening , Powell Danielle S. , Pedersen Emily , Rosman Lori , Villavisanis Dillan , Carlson Michelle C. , Swenor Bonnielin K. , Deal Jennifer A.
Published: February 2022

Introduction

There are no standard practices for considering sensory impairment in studies measuring cognitive function among older adults. Exclusion of participants with impairments may inaccurately estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia.

Methods

We surveyed prospective cohort studies measuring cognitive function in older adults, determined the proportion that excluded participants based on sensory impairment and the proportion that assessed each type of sensory impairment, and described the methods of sensory assessment.

Results

Investigators/staff from 85 (of 192 cohorts) responded; 6 (7%) excluded participants with severe impairment; 80 (94%) measured hearing and/or vision impairment, while 5 (6%) measured neither. Thirty‐two (38%) cohorts assessed hearing objectively and 45 (53%) assessed vision objectively.

Discussion

Findings indicate variation in methods used to assess sensory impairment, with potential implications for resource allocation. To ensure equitable inclusion of study participants, consensus is needed on best practices standardized protocols for assessment and accommodations of sensory impairment.
Fabrication and characterization of transparent underwater superoleophobic coatings based chitin nanofibers and polyvinyl alcohol
Authors: Wang Qian , Wang Peizhuang , Kou Lvheng , Wei Hongyuan , Zhou Jiang
Published: February 2022

Transparent underwater superoleophobic coatings were prepared by blending chitin nanofibers (ChNFs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and then cross‐linked with glutaraldehyde (GA). The interactions among ChNFs, PVA, and GA in the coatings were analyzed via FT‐IR and XPS. Results of SEM observation and AFM analysis showed that higher concentrations of ChNFs and GA gave rise to rougher surface and lower transmittance of the coatings. By adjusting ratios of ChNFs, PVA, and GA, the coating surface could possess underwater superoleophobicity with oil (1, 2‐dichloroethane) contact angle up to 159.2° and slide angle ~3°, meanwhile, transmittance of the coatings in the wavelength range of 400–800 nm could be maintained between 40% and 90%. This work provides a new route to prepare environmentally friendly transparent underwater superoleophobic coatings.
IMPROVing communication about diversity, equity, and inclusion in health professions education
Authors: Muldoon Kathleen M.
Published: February 2022

There has never been a stronger call for authenticity in health professions education than this moment in time. The health inequities laid bare by the COVID‐19 syndemic (a concept that describes the clustering of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and disease by political, social, and economic factors) compels health professions educators to learn how to best engage in, sustain, and deepen conversations on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our learning environments. Health professions curricula should address such concerns through explicit faculty training programs in dialogue models of communication. In this commentary, I propose that medical improv can help refocus health professions training to the humanistic values of empathy for others and respect for multiple viewpoints. Medical improv refers to teaching methods that adapt improvisation principles and exercises to enhance professional competencies in the health professions, such as communication. I describe a training series implemented at one institution to prepare faculty facilitators to engage in conversations about DEI in a discussion‐based core course on the social determinants of health for first year medical students called “Humanity in Medicine.” Key elements of dialogue training, including examinations of identity and positionality, caretaking and team‐making, and conversations with a skeptic, are viewed through the lens of improv exercises as a pedagogy in communication. I report on facilitator and medical students' positive response to facilitator training and the Humanity in Medicine course. Potential next steps towards a formal evaluation of the method, and outcomes assessments of the use of improv in health professions training are discussed.
Tractography of the stria terminalis in the human brain
Authors: Li Mengjun , Zhang Zhiping , Wu Xiaolong , Wang Xu , Liu Xiaohai , Liang Jiantao , Chen Ge , Feng Yuanjing , Li Mingchu
Published: February 2022

The aim of this study was to investigate the trajectory of the stria terminalis and develop a protocol for mapping the stria terminalis using multi‐shell diffusion images based tractography. The stria terminalis was reconstructed by combining one region of interest at the amygdala with another region of interest at the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. In addition, one region of avoidance was placed on the fornix at the interventricular foramen and another was set at the anterior perforated substance. The fiber‐tracking protocol was tested in a Human Connectome Project‐842 template, 35 healthy subjects from Massachusetts General Hospital, and 20 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project using generalized q‐sampling imaging based tractography. The stria terminalis was reconstructed in the Human Connectome Project‐842 template, 35 Massachusetts General Hospital healthy subjects, and 20 Human Connectome Project healthy subjects with our protocol. The stria terminalis originated from the amygdala and traveled parallel to the fornix. Then, the stria terminalis followed a C‐shaped trajectory around the inferior, posterior, and dorsal surfaces of the thalamus before projecting to the bed nucleus of stria terminalis between the thalamus and caudate nucleus. There were no significant differences in the quantitative anisotropy and fractional anisotropy values between the left and right stria terminalis. The stria terminalis was accurately visualized across subjects using multi‐shell diffusion images through generalized q‐sampling imaging based tractography. This method could be an important tool for the reconstruction and evaluation of the stria terminalis in various neurological disorders. One Sentence Summary The visualization of the stria terminalis through the multi‐shell diffusion images using generalized q‐sampling imaging based tractography.
Therapeutic Potential and Ethnopharmacology of Dominant Mangroves of Bhitarkanika National Park, Odisha, India
Authors: Das Sudipta K. , Das Bikash , Jena Atala B. , Pradhan Chinmay , Sahoo Gunanidhi , Dandapat Jagneshwar
Published: February 2022

Bhitarkanika National Park is the second largest contiguous mangrove forest of India. Approximately 0.15 million mangrove depending population are found residing in and around 307 villages within the National Park. Despite being one of the most diverse mangrove habitations of India, the ethnopharmacological practices are meager in comparison to the other mangrove regions of India and Southeast Asia. The present review is aimed to congregate information on the therapeutic potential and ethnopharmacology of nine dominant mangrove species of the National Park, such asAegiceras corniculatum,Avicenia marina,Avicenia officinalis,Ceriops decandra,Excoecaria agallocha,Heritiera fomes,Lumnitzera racemosa,Rhizophora mucronata, andSonneratia apetala. Our aim is to generate social awareness among the mangrove dwellers to promote uses of folklore medicine using these tremendously potential mangrove plants, as a complementary step to strengthen community health. Further, we also want to grab the attention of researchers working in related disciplines, for their holistic and extensive studies towards bio‐prospectation of the dominant mangrove plants of Bhitarkanika National Park.
Phenolic Compounds, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Extracts from Aerial Parts of Thymus zygis subsp. gracilis, Mentha suaveolens and Sideritis incana from Morocco
Authors: Bouymajane Aziz , Filali Fouzia Rhazi , El Majdoub Yassine Oulad , Ouadik Mohamed , Abdelilah Rahou , Cavò Emilia , Miceli Natalizia , Taviano Maria Fernanda , Mondello Luigi , Cacciola Francesco
Published: February 2022

Thymus zygis subsp. gracilis, Mentha suaveolens and Sideritis incana (Lamiaceae family) are well recognized for their medicinal, pharmaceutical and aromatic properties. The present study aimed to investigate for the first time the phenolic composition, the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the extracts obtained from the aerial parts of these species collected from the Ifrane region of Morocco. The phenolic compounds were determined using high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC‐PDA‐ESI/MS). The antioxidant activity was investigated using 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, reducing power and ferrous ion chelating assays. The antibacterial activity was evaluated against three Gram‐negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium) and three Gram‐positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Listeria monocytogenes). A total of thirty‐three, sixteen and thirteen phenolic compounds were positively identified and characterized in T. zygis subsp. gracilis, M. suaveolens and S. incana extracts, respectively. Among the extracts, M. suaveolens exhibited the highest antioxidant activity, followed by S. incana and T. zygis subsp. gracilis in both DPPH and reducing power assays; all extracts showed the lowest activity in the chelating assay. In addition, all extracts demonstrated a bactericidal effect against Gram‐positive bacteria and bacteriostatic effect against Gram‐negative bacteria. Therefore, the aerial parts of Moroccan T. zygis subsp. gracilis, M. suaveolens and S. incana might be considered as a valuable source of natural antioxidant and antibacterial agents with potential application in food and pharmaceutical industries.
Implementing weekly measurement‐based care in child intensive treatment programs
Authors: Gianukakis Ariel , Parent Justin
Published: February 2022

Measurement‐based care (MBC) refers to the routine collection of patient reports to track progress throughout treatment. The provider shares this information with the patient and uses it to guide future treatment decisions. MBC has the potential to enhance youth clinical care by improving the therapeutic alliance and informing ongoing case conceptualization. It also has the potential for organizational applications, such as quality improvement (Jensen‐Doss et al., 2020). MBC has been shown to provide several benefits in hospital programs, including evidence of improved patient outcomes (Lavender et al., 2021).
Book sheds light on how to help child dying from cancer, by child psychiatrist dad
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: February 2022

Written by a child psychoanalyst, A Short Good Life documents the author's life with his daughter, Liza, during the two years after she contracted leukemia until her death at the age of six. The book is not sentimental, but heart‐rending. Twenty‐five years have passed since Liza died, but the pain remains; still, so does the learning, and the many lessons for parents and, especially, the health care system in the way it handles both parents and patients during this process.
On the effect of Alkaline Earth Metal Cations in the Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol over Pt/C – an Experimental and Theoretical Study
Authors: Beine Anna Katharina , Wang Xinde , Vennewald Maurice , Schmidt Regina U. S. , Glotzbach Christoph , Palkovits Regina , Hausoul Peter J. C.
Published: February 2022

Glycerol can be converted to propylene glycol via metal and base catalyzed hydrogenolysis. The nature of the base has a profound influence on the outcome of the reaction. We have tested a range of alkaline (LiOH, NaOH and CsOH) and alkaline earth (Mg(OH)2, Ca(OH)2, Sr(OH)2 and Ba(OH)2) metal hydroxides in combination with Pt/C. The data reveal that alkaline earth metal hydroxides exhibit a much higher activity and improved selectivity. DFT calculations confirm that the coordination of reactive intermediates to divalent cations is responsible for the observed behavior. In the study, the effect of the cation on hydrogenolysis was elucidated for the first time.
Tailoring Preferential Orientation in BaTiO3‐based Thin Films from Aqueous Chemical Solution Deposition
Authors: Bakken Kristine , Blichfeld Anders B. , Nylund Inger‐Emma , Chernyshov Dmitry , Glaum Julia , Grande Tor , Einarsrud Mari‐Ann
Published: February 2022

Invited for this month's cover is the group of Mari‐Ann Einarsrud at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway). The cover picture shows our in‐situ X‐ray diffraction setup for analysing the crystallization process in oxide thin films made by chemical solution deposition. By adjusting the process parameters, the nucleation and growth conditions are changed and the degree of preferred orientation and epitaxi in the oxide films can be tailored. This change is illustrated by the change in microstructure of the polycrystalline films with random orientation (left) towards highly oriented cube‐on‐cube grown films (right) where the film unit cell follows that of the substrate. This effect can be observed experimentally by the appearance of spot reflection instead of full diffraction rings on the detector. Read the full text of their Full Paper at 10.1002/cmtd.202100064.
Machine learning based pattern detection technique for diabetes mellitus prediction
Authors: Sumathi A. , Meganathan S.
Published: February 2022

In recent years, a few popular classifiers and computational tools have been introduced for the prediction of diabetes mellitus. The robustness of these methodologies is to predict and classify the diabetes mellitus. Diabetes is the most fatal disease that affects the life style of humans. More researchers have focusing on diabetes issues to design efficient classifiers for better classification and prediction. This research work is analyzed with two existing classifiers: (i) hybrid prediction model for type 2 diabetes pattern (HPMT2D) and (ii) type 2 diabetes mellitus prediction model (T2DMPM). These two classifiers are implemented in R tool. An efficient classifier must needed to diagnose and treatment well in advance. Therefore, this article proposes an efficient machine learning based pattern prediction technique called diabetes pattern detection technique using tree ensemble clustering classifier (DDTEC) to accomplish this demand. The proposed classifier is implemented in R tool with BioWeka and studied thoroughly to find classification accuracy of the patterns of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. From the experimental results, it is noticed that the existing classifiers unable to classify and predict the patterns of various diabetes mellitus with better classification accuracy and F‐measure.
Dynamic data replication and placement strategy in geographically distributed data centers
Authors: Bouhouch Laila , Zbakh Mostapha , Tadonki Claude
Published: February 2022

With the evolution of geographically distributed data centers in the Cloud Computing landscape along with the amount of data being processed in these data centers, which is growing at an exponential rate, processing massive data applications become an important topic. Since a given task may require many datasets for its execution and the datasets are spread over several different data centers, finding an efficient way to manage the datasets storage across nodes of a Cloud system is a difficult problem. In fact, the execution time of a task might be influenced by the cost of data transfers, which mainly depends on two criterias. The first one is the initial placement of the input datasets during the build‐time phase, while the second is the replication of the datasets during the runtime phase. The replication is explicitly considered when datasets are being migrated over the data centers in order to make them locally available wherever needed. Data placement and data replication are important challenges in Cloud Computing. Nevertheless, many studies focus on data placement or data replication exclusively. In this paper, a combination of a data placement strategy followed by a dynamic data replication management strategy is proposed, with the purpose of reducing the associated cost of all data transfers between the (distant) data centers. Our proposed data placement approach considers the main characteristics of a data center such asstorage capacityandread/write speedsto efficiently store the datasets, while our dynamic data replication management approach considers three parameters: thenumber of replicasin the system, thedependency between datasetsand tasks and thestorage capacityof data centers. The decision of when and whether to keep or to delete replicas is determined by the fulfillment of those three parameters. Our approach estimates the total execution time of the tasks as well as the monetary cost, considering the data transfers activity. Our experiments are conducted using Cloudsim simulator. The obtained results show that our proposed strategies produce an efficient data management by reducing the overheads of the data transfers, compared to both a data placement without replication (by 76%) and the selected data replication approach from Kouidri et al. (by 52%), and by improving the financial cost.
Efficient Visible‐Light‐Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation over 2D/2D Co‐ZIF‐9/Ti3C2 Hybrids
Authors: Sun Yitong , Xie Min , Feng Huifang , Liu Hong
Published: February 2022

Exploring precious‐metal‐free catalysts for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution is highly desirable but still challenging. Herein, a novel 2D/2D Co‐ZIF‐9/Ti3C2 composite was fabricated by a facile electrostatic self‐assembly strategy. Owing to higher flux of photogenerated electron‐holes and lower rate of recombination, the resultant composite exhibited better photocatalytic H2 evolution compared to Co‐ZIF‐9. When the content of Ti3C2 was 2.5 wt %, a maximum photocatalytic H2‐generation rate of 3538.5 μmol g−1 ⋅ h−1 was achieved, which is 9.6 times that of bare Co‐ZIF‐9. Moreover, the Co‐ZIF‐9/Ti3C2 composite displayed high photocatalytic stability. This study demonstrated for the first time the great potential of Co‐ZIF‐9/Ti3C2 as a noble‐metal‐free catalyst for photocatalytic H2 generation.
A Contemporary Look at the Polyhedral Shape Instability of Crystals Growing under Conditions of Diffusion‐Limited Supply of Building Material
Authors: Nanev Christo N.
Published: February 2022

This paper intends to shed fresh light on the polyhedral shape (in)stability of crystals growing under conditions of uneven diffusion supply of building material. A simplified theoretical consideration of the phenomenon is presented; the whole crystal is regarded as material consumer (but not merely a separate face on it). Accounted is for the fact that different amounts of building material are supplied by diffusion to the diverse types of crystal faces. Besides, critical sizes of crystal faces over which they lose the ability to grow macroscopically flat (because shallow cavities are formed on them) are calculated not only for the basal faces of Zn crystals growing from highly diluted own vapors mixed in inert (in respect to this metal) gases, such as H2 and Ar, but also for the pyramidal crystal faces. So, a logical explanation is given of the long‐standing problem: why the measured critical sizes of Zn single crystals grown in inert atmospheres are much smaller than the theoretically calculated critical sizes? Finally, the widths of the macroscopically flat rims surrounding the cavities on basal faces of Zn and Cd crystals (growing under conditions of uneven diffusion supply of building material) are determined in a simplified way.
III–VI and IV–VI van der Waals Semiconductors InSe, GaSe and GeSe: A Suitable Platform for Efficient Electrochemical Water Splitting, Photocatalysis and Chemical Sensing
Authors: Boukhvalov Danil W. , D'Olimpio Gianluca , Nappini Silvia , Ottaviano Luca , Bondino Federica , Politano Antonio
Published: February 2022

Here, we discuss the physicochemical properties of both bulk and nanosheets of III–VI and IV–VI metal chalcogenides and their application capabilities in electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and gas sensing by combining density function theory with surface‐science experiments. In particular, GaSe, InSe, and GeSe are van der Waals semiconductors stable in water media and robust against CO poisoning, which make them suitable candidates for application as low‐cost (photo)catalysts in liquid media. Both bulk and exfoliated III–VI and IV–VI metal chalcogenides are prone to oxidation, with the formation of an oxide skin in oxidative environments. The self‐assembled heterostructure formed by the oxide skin and the underlying bulk of metal chalcogenides makes the Heyrovsky step of HER energetically favourable. Both metal and Se vacancies are necessary to decrease the energy barrier for HER in acid media. The oxidation modified the band gap, enabling the activation of photocatalytic process with different wavelengths. Moreover, the self‐assembled metal‐oxide/metal‐chalcogenide heterostructure also enables sensing of NO2, NH3 and CO for an operational temperature up to 600 °C. Thus, III–VI and IV–VI semiconductors represent a suitable platform for electrochemistry, photocatalysis, and chemical sensing, owing to their low costs as raw materials and the superior application capabilities activated just exploiting the natural interaction with air, which is beneficial for improving the (photo)‐electrocatalyst activity and the gas‐sensing performances.
ENSMUST00000147869 regulates proliferation and fibrosis of mesangial cells in diabetic nephropathy by interacting with Hspa9
Authors: Wang Min , Chen Xin , Zhang Henglu , Li Lanlan , Xu Yang , Lu Weiping , Lu Yibing
Published: February 2022

Our previous study showed that ENSMUST00000147869 was abnormally low expressed in the early stage of diabetic nephropathy (DN). ENSMUST00000147869 could inhibit the fibrosis and proliferation of mouse mesangial cells (MMCs), but the mechanism is still unclear. This study aims to explore the specific mechanism underline ENSMUST00000147869 regulates the proliferation and fibrosis of MMCs in DN. Nucleocytoplasmic fractionation was applied to define the location of ENSMUST00000147869 in MMCs. RNA‐protein pulldown, RNA immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were used to identify upregulated Hspa9 directly interacting with ENSMUST00000147869. SiRNA and lentivirus packaging were used to clarify the role of Hspa9 downregulated by ENSMUST00000147869 in promoting proliferation and fibrosis in MMCs. CHX and MG132 were used to clarify the regulatory role of ENSMUST00000147869 to Hspa9. Immunoprecipitation confirmed the binding of Hspa9 and HMGB1. HSPA9 was a direct binding protein of ENSMUST00000147869, and ENSMUST00000147869 could inhibit proliferation and fibrosis of MMCs by down‐regulating HSPA9 through ubiquitination process. HMGB1 was the downstream binding protein of Hspa9, and ENSMUST00000147869 could inhibit the interaction between Hspa9 and HMGB1. Our data showed that ENSMUST00000147869 regulates Hspa9 through the ubiquitin proteasome pathway and inhibits the binding of Hspa9 and HMGB1. The ENSMUST00000147869/Hspa9/HMGB1 axis may act as a diagnostic molecular marker and an effective therapeutic target for DN.
Neurodevelopmental toxicity of pyrazinamide to larval zebrafish and the restoration after intoxication withdrawal
Authors: Wang Xixin , Wu Fangyan , Zou Hongyuan , Yang Yanan , Chen Gaoyang , Liu Kechun , Zhang Yun , Liu Li
Published: February 2022

To investigate the neurotoxicity of pyrazinamide (PZA) to larval zebrafish, the PZA effects were assessed followed by its mechanism being explored. Same as isoniazid (INH), this compound is a first‐line anti‐tuberculosis drug and is suggested to be a risk that inducing nerve injury with long‐term intoxication. Our findings indicated that zebrafish larvae obtained severe nerve damage secondary to constant immersion in various concentrations of PZA (i.e., 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mM) from 4 hpf (hours post fertilization) onwards until 120 hpf. The damage presented as dramatically decrease of locomotor capacity and dopaminergic neuron (DAN)‐rich region length in addition to defect of brain blood vessels (BBVs). Moreover, PZA‐administrated zebrafish showed a decreased dopamine (DA) level and downregulated expression of neurodevelopment‐related genes, such as shha, mbp, neurog1, and gfap. However, secondary to 48‐h restoration in fish medium (i.e., at 168 hpf), the neurotoxicity described above was prominently ameliorated. The results showed that PZA at the concentrations we tested was notably neurotoxic to larval zebrafish, and this nerve injury was restorable after PZA withdrawing. Therefore, this finding will probably provide a reference for clinical medication.
Different brain activation patterns in the prefrontal area between self‐paced and high‐speed driving tasks
Authors: Hirano Daisuke , Kimura Naotoshi , Yano Hana , Enoki Miku , Aikawa Maya , Goto Yoshinobu , Taniguchi Takamichi
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on prefrontal cortex brain activity when participants attempted to stop a car accurately at a stop line when driving at different speeds using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Twenty healthy subjects with driving experience drove their own cars for a distance of 60 m five times each at their own pace or as fast as possible. The variation in the distance between the stop line and the car was not significantly different between the self‐paced and high‐speed tasks. However, oxygenated hemoglobin concentration in the prefrontal cortex was significantly higher in the high‐speed task than in the self‐paced task. These findings suggest that driving at high speed requires more divided attention than driving at self‐paced speed, even though the participants were able to stop the car at the same distance from the target. This study shows the advantages and usefulness of fNIRS.
Do financially trained managers make better deals? Evidence from mergers and acquisitions
Authors: Dadalt Peter , Zhang Dana
Published: February 2022

We examine whether the proportion of financially trained managers (FTMs) in the top management team affects firms’ merger and acquisition (M&A) decisions. We find that firms with a higher proportion of FTMs are more likely to pursue acquisitions in unrelated industries. In addition, these firms report poorer accounting profitability and stock returns during the 3‐year period following the acquisition. These findings indicate that in addition to the firm and deal‐specific characteristics focused on in prior studies, characteristics of the top management team also play an important role in determining the type and quality of firms’ acquisition decisions.
Reconstruction of daily haze data across China between 1961 and 2020
Authors: Yu Yu , Ren Zhihua , Meng Xiaoyan
Published: February 2022

Long‐term homogenized haze data are important to understand long‐term changes in air quality. However, there is uncertainty with regard to the trend of haze days due to frequent changes in weather phenomena and visibility observation methods used in China, thereby impairing the understanding of how air quality has varied over time due to global warming. In this study, we analysed historical data on haze days collected by surface weather stations across China and identified several issues in the raw data, including the incorrect identification of floating dust as haze, zero annual records of haze days due to a lack of visibility observations, and incorrect identification of haze as smoke. To correct the affected data, inhomogeneities in the raw annual haze‐day data series since 1980 were resolved by removing floating dust observations from the haze data. Then, automated visibility measurements recorded since 2014 were calibrated according to the percentage of visibility measurements using <10 km as a reference. Finally, based on the corrected and quality‐controlled visibility, relative humidity, and weather data, haze identification was performed to reconstruct daily haze‐day data for China between 1961 and 2020. During this process, automated observation data were homogeneously standardized with former manual observation data. The mean annual haze‐day trends of each region in China showed that the national average number of haze days gradually increased at a rate of 4.27 days per decade between 1961 and 2014, after which it decreased at −1.9 days per year. This trend was verified with the variations in PM2.5 concentrations. Overall, this study presents a novel method for determining the variation and spatial distribution of haze days over the last 60 years in China. The study findings will facilitate future analyses of the spatiotemporal trends of haze days, as well as atmospheric, environmental, and climatic changes over China.
The Personal Globe Inventory: The structure of vocational interest in Vietnam
Authors: Rose Philip , Nguyen Nguyen Phong , Kim Jae Kyung , Nguyen Diep
Published: February 2022

The Personal Globe Inventory (PGI) proposes a unified model of vocational interests, integrating Holland's established interest dimensions, with occupational prestige dimensions. The current study evaluates the structural validity of the PGI short form in Vietnam (N = 1140). The results of the randomized tests of hypothetical order relations support the inclusion of prestige in the PGI spherical model, as a means to better calibrate the assessment of vocational interest across cultural contexts, specifically to Vietnam. Furthermore, the results endorse the application of the abbreviated form of the PGI in a career counseling context as a time‐efficient, screening method.