bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Color of Earth’s Lakes
Authors: Yang Xiao , O’Reilly Catherine M. , Gardner John R. , Ross Matthew R. V. , Topp Simon N. , Wang Jida , Pavelsky Tamlin M.
Published: September 2022

Although water color is a fundamental property of freshwater ecosystems, the global distribution of lake color remains unknown. Here, we used 5.14 million color records derived from satellite images during 2013–2020 to determine the modal water color of 85,360 representative lakes worldwide. We find that globally, lake modal colors span the visible spectrum with a bimodal distribution of blue versus non‐blue (green‐brown), with 31% of lakes being blue and 69% being non‐blue. Both climate and lake morphology influence lake modal color. Blue lakes are associated with cooler summer air temperature, winter ice cover, and higher precipitation. Under a 3°C increase in summer air temperature, 14% of blue lakes could shift to a non‐blue regime, representing a substantial change to their underlying ecology. As lake ecosystems continue to face a range of stressors, this study provides a critical baseline for understanding lake responses to global environmental change.
FAK promotes stromal PD-L2 expression associated with poor survival in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Davidson Catherine , Taggart David , Sims Andrew H. , Lonergan David W. , Canel Marta , Serrels Alan
Published: September 2022

Background

Pancreatic Cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, with less than 8% of patients surviving 5 years following diagnosis. The last 40 years have seen only small incremental improvements in treatment options, highlighting the continued need to better define the cellular and molecular pathways contributing to therapy response and patient prognosis.

Methods

We combined CRISPR, shRNA and flow cytometry with mechanistic experiments using a KrasG12Dp53R172H mouse model of pancreatic cancer and analysis of publicly available human PDAC transcriptomic datasets.

Results

Here, we identify that expression of the immune checkpoint, Programmed Death Ligand 2 (PD-L2), is associated with poor prognosis, tumour grade, clinical stage and molecular subtype in patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We further show that PD-L2 is predominantly expressed in the stroma and, using an orthotopic murine model of PDAC, identify cancer cell-intrinsic Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) signalling as a regulator of PD-L2 stromal expression. Mechanistically, we find that FAK regulates interleukin-6, which can act in concert with interleukin-4 secreted by CD4 T-cells to drive elevated expression of PD-L2 on tumour-associated macrophages, dendritic cells and endothelial cells.

Conclusions

These findings identify further complex heterocellular signalling networks contributing to FAK-mediated immune suppression in pancreatic cancer.
Inhibition of cannabinoid receptor type 1 sensitizes triple-negative breast cancer cells to ferroptosis via regulating fatty acid metabolism
Authors: Li Pengyun , Lin Qiaohong , Sun Shiyang , Yang Ning , Xia Yu , Cao Shengjie , Zhang Wenjuan , Li Qian , Guo Haoxin , Zhu Maoxiang , Wang Yilong , Zheng Zhibing , Li Song
Published: September 2022

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous subtype of breast cancer that displays highly aggressive with poor prognosis. Owing to the limited targets and drugs for TNBC clinical therapy, it is necessary to investigate the factors regulating cancer progression and develop novel therapies for cancer treatment. Ferroptosis, a nonapoptotic form of programmed cell death characterized by accumulation of iron-dependent peroxidation of phospholipids, is regulated by cellular metabolism, redox homeostasis, and various cancer-related signaling pathways. Recently, considerable progress has been made in demonstrating the critical role of lipid metabolism in regulating ferroptosis, indicating potential combinational therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. In this study, by drug combination screen of lipid metabolism compounds with ferroptosis inducers in decreasing TNBC cell viability, we found potent synergy of the CB1 antagonist rimonabant with erastin/(1 S, 3 R)-RSL3 (RSL3) in inhibiting TNBC cell growth both in vitro and in vivo via promoting the levels of lipid peroxides, malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, enhancing intracellular glutathione (GSH) depletion and inducing G1 cell cycle arrest. We identified that inhibition of CB1 promoted the effect of erastin/RSL3 on inducing ferroptosis and enhanced their inhibitory effect on tumor growth. Using RNA-Seq, fatty acid analyses and functional assays, we found that CB1 regulated stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1)- and fatty acyl desaturase 2 (FADS2)-dependent fatty acid metabolism via phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)-AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways to modulate ferroptosis sensitivity in TNBC cells. These data demonstrate that dual targeting of CB1 and ferroptosis could be a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC.
Repeating fast radio burst 20201124A originates from a magnetar/Be star binary
Authors: Wang F. Y. , Zhang G. Q. , Dai Z. G. , Cheng K. S.
Published: September 2022

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are cosmic sources emitting millisecond-duration radio bursts. Although several hundreds FRBs have been discovered, their physical nature and central engine remain unclear. The variations of Faraday rotation measure and dispersion measure, due to local environment, are crucial clues to understanding their physical nature. The recent observations on the rotation measure of FRB 20201124A show a significant variation on a day time scale. Intriguingly, the oscillation of rotation measure supports that the local contribution can change sign, which indicates the magnetic field reversal along the line of sight. Here we present a physical model that explains observed characteristics of FRB 20201124A and proposes that repeating signal comes from a binary system containing a magnetar and a Be star with a decretion disk. When the magnetar approaches the periastron, the propagation of radio waves through the disk of the Be star naturally leads to the observed varying rotation measure, depolarization, large scattering timescale, and Faraday conversion. This study will prompt to search for FRB signals from Be/X-ray binaries.
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 spike G446S mutation potentiates antiviral T-cell recognition
Authors: Motozono Chihiro , Toyoda Mako , Tan Toong Seng , Hamana Hiroshi , Goto Yoshihiko , Aritsu Yoshiki , Miyashita Yusuke , Oshiumi Hiroyuki , Nakamura Kimitoshi , Okada Seiji , Udaka Keiko , Kitamatsu Mizuki , Kishi Hiroyuki , Ueno Takamasa
Published: September 2022

Although the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus shows resistance to neutralizing antibody, it retains susceptibility to the cellular immune response. Here we characterize vaccine-induced T cells specific for various SARS-CoV-2 variants and identified HLA-A*24:02-restricted CD8+ T cells that strongly suppress Omicron BA.1 replication in vitro. Mutagenesis analyses revealed that a G446S mutation, located just outside the N-terminus of the cognate epitope, augmented TCR recognition of this variant. In contrast, no enhanced suppression of replication is observed against cells infected with the prototype, Omicron BA.2, and Delta variants that express G446. The enhancing effect of the G446S mutation is lost when target cells are treated with inhibitors of tripeptidyl peptidase II, a protein that mediates antigen processing. These ex vivo analysis and in vitro results demonstrate that the G446S mutation in the Omicron BA.1 variant affects antigen processing/presentation and potentiates antiviral activity by vaccine-induced T cells, leading to enhanced T cell recognition towards emerging variants.
A de novo matrix for macroscopic living materials from bacteria
Authors: Molinari Sara , Tesoriero Robert F. , Li Dong , Sridhar Swetha , Cai Rong , Soman Jayashree , Ryan Kathleen R. , Ashby Paul D. , Ajo-Franklin Caroline M.
Published: September 2022

Engineered living materials (ELMs) embed living cells in a biopolymer matrix to create materials with tailored functions. While bottom-up assembly of macroscopic ELMs with a de novo matrix would offer the greatest control over material properties, we lack the ability to genetically encode a protein matrix that leads to collective self-organization. Here we report growth of ELMs from Caulobacter crescentus cells that display and secrete a self-interacting protein. This protein formed a de novo matrix and assembled cells into centimeter-scale ELMs. Discovery of design and assembly principles allowed us to tune the composition, mechanical properties, and catalytic function of these ELMs. This work provides genetic tools, design and assembly rules, and a platform for growing ELMs with control over both matrix and cellular structure and function.
Improved pea reference genome and pan-genome highlight genomic features and evolutionary characteristics
Authors: Yang Tao , Liu Rong , Luo Yingfeng , Hu Songnian , Wang Dong , Wang Chenyu , Pandey Manish K. , Ge Song , Xu Quanle , Li Nana , Li Guan , Huang Yuning , Saxena Rachit K. , Ji Yishan , Li Mengwei , Yan Xin , He Yuhua , Liu Yujiao , Wang Xuejun , Xiang Chao , Varshney Rajeev K. , Ding Hanfeng , Gao Shenghan , Zong Xuxiao
Published: September 2022

Complete and accurate reference genomes and annotations provide fundamental resources for functional genomics and crop breeding. Here we report a de novo assembly and annotation of a pea cultivar ZW6 with contig N50 of 8.98 Mb, which features a 243-fold increase in contig length and evident improvements in the continuity and quality of sequence in complex repeat regions compared with the existing one. Genome diversity of 118 cultivated and wild pea demonstrated thatPisum abyssinicumis a separate species different fromP. fulvumandP. sativumwithinPisum. Quantitative trait locus analyses uncovered two known Mendel’s genes related to stem length (Le/le) and seed shape (R/r) as well as some candidate genes for pod form studied by Mendel. A pan-genome of 116 pea accessions was constructed, and pan-genes preferred inP. abyssinicumandP. fulvumshowed distinct functional enrichment, indicating the potential value of them as pea breeding resources in the future.
Crystal field splitting and spontaneous polarization in InP crystal phase quantum dots
Authors: Patera Martyna , Zieliński Michał
Published: September 2022

Crystal phase quantum dots are formed by vertically stacking zinc-blende and wurtzite phases during nanowire growth. In this work, we show, using an atomistic many-body approach, that crystal field splitting in the wurtzite phase, as well as spontaneous polarization originating from the phase interfaces, will strongly affect the properties of lowest hole states in InP crystal phase quantum dots, and in turn the excitonic optical spectra. We also show that the artifact-free modeling of crystal phase quantum dots should incorporate any additional potentials on equal footing with the electron-hole interaction. In this paper, we discuss a reliable theoretical framework that can be applied to investigate the electronic and optical properties of InP-based crystal phase quantum dots. The importance of accurate excitonic calculations for such systems is highlighted in view of their potential applications in nanowire photonics, yet further research is necessary for bringing theory and experiment in agreement.
Contrast-enhanced microCT evaluation of degeneration following partial and full width injuries to the mouse lumbar intervertebral disc
Authors: Walk Remy E. , Moon Hong Joo , Tang Simon Y. , Gupta Munish C.
Published: September 2022

A targeted injury to the mouse intervertebral disc (IVD) is often used to recapitulate the degenerative cascade of the human pathology. Since injuries can vary in magnitude and localization, it is critical to examine the effects of different injuries on IVD degeneration. We thus evaluated the degenerative progression resulting from either a partial- or full-width injury to the mouse lumbar IVD using contrast-enhanced micro-computed tomography and histological analyses. A lateral-retroperitoneal surgical approach was used to access the lumbar IVD, and the injuries to the IVD were produced by either incising one side of the annulus fibrosus or puncturing both sides of the annulus fibrosus. Female C57BL/6J mice of 3–4 months age were used in this study. They were divided into three groups to undergo partial-width, full-width, or sham injuries. The L5/6 and L6/S1 lumbar IVDs were surgically exposed, and then the L6/S1 IVDs were injured using either a surgical scalpel (partial-width) or a 33G needle (full-width), with the L5/6 serving as an internal control. These animals recovered and then euthanized at either 2-, 4-, or 8-weeks after surgery for evaluation. The IVDs were assessed for degeneration using contrast-enhanced microCT (CEµCT) and histological analysis. The high-resolution 3D CEµCT evaluation of the IVD confirmed that the respective injuries were localized within one side of the annulus fibrosus or spanned the full width of the IVD. The full-width injury caused significant deteriorations in the nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrous and at the interfaces after 2 weeks, which was sustained through the 8 weeks, while the partial width injury caused localized disruptions that remained limited to the annulus fibrosus. The use of CEµCT revealed distinct IVD degeneration profiles resulting from partial- and full-width injuries. The partial width injury may serve as an alternative model for IVD degeneration resulting from localized annulus fibrosus injuries.
Enamel biomineralization under the effects of indomethacin and celecoxib non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Authors: Gonçalves Juliana de Lima , Duarte Ana Caroline Alves , Almeida-Junior Luciano Aparecido , de Carvalho Fabrício Kitazono , de Queiroz Alexandra Mussolino , Arnez Maya Fernanda Manfrin , Faccioli Lúcia Helena , Paula-Silva Francisco Wanderley Garcia
Published: September 2022

The aim of this study was to explore the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on biomineralization of enamel. Sixty C57Bl6 male mice were used, which were assigned into three groups: celecoxib (n = 20) or indomethacin (n = 20) treatment for a period of 28 days or received no medication (control group, n = 20). Visual inspection and microcomputed tomography were used to analyze enamel morphology. Scanning electron microscopy–Energy dispersive X-ray and Knoop microhardness test were used to quantify chemical element content (Ca, P, C, O) and enamel microhardness, respectively. Tissues were collected to investigate the synthesis, activity or nuclear translocation of metalloproteinase-20, transcription factor Runx2, dentin sialoprotein and cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme by means of immunohistochemistry, in situ zymography and indirect immunofluorescence. Treatment with indomethacin and celecoxib reduced the Ca and P content, microhardness and mineral density in enamel. Treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs caused an accumulation of metalloproteinase-20 and overall increased enzymatic activity in enamel matrix, while the synthesis of the transcription factor Runx2 was inhibited by these drugs. Interestingly, indomethacin inhibited Runx2 translocation to the nucleus whereas celecoxib did not. Those findings show that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs impact the enamel biomineralization and could be involved in the etiology tooth enamel defects if used during the period of tooth formation and mineralization.
Distribution, sources and toxicity of heavy metals in surface sediments of north western Karnataka, south India
Authors: Mir Ishfaq Ahmad , SreePrabash M. , Sridhar V. , Maruthi K. V.
Published: September 2022

This study presents spatial distribution, sources and toxicological risks of As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the surface sediments from north-western Karnataka, southern India. Heavy metals (except Hg) are 1–5 times enriched than upper continental crust. High concentration of Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn is in the central Kudalgaon, Devarayi, and Tavargatti and in the south-western Ganeshgudi area, whereas Arsenic is enriched in the north-eastern Alnavar, Kakkeri,Tavargatti and Pb, and Hg in the north-western Kapoli, Devarayi, Manjarpal villages. The ecological risk index, toxic risk index, and mean probable-effects-levels quotient of heavy metals suggest that ~ 40% of the area is prone to very high risk especially for Cr and As to the hydrological, biological, and ecological systems. Multivariate statistical analysis suggests possible geogenic sources for Ni, Cr, Cu, and Zn and anthropogenic sources such as emissions from vehicles and agricultural sectors for As, Hg, and Pb. This study is the first of its kind in the area, which will help, in better formulation of environmental pollution and risk related remedial measures to conserve the natural ecosystem and the well-being of humans.
From labels to priors in capsule endoscopy: a prior guided approach for improving generalization with few labels
Authors: Vats Anuja , Mohammed Ahmed , Pedersen Marius
Published: September 2022

The lack of generalizability of deep learning approaches for the automated diagnosis of pathologies in Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE) has prevented any significant advantages from trickling down to real clinical practices. As a result, disease management using WCE continues to depend on exhaustive manual investigations by medical experts. This explains its limited use despite several advantages. Prior works have considered using higher quality and quantity of labels as a way of tackling the lack of generalization, however this is hardly scalable considering pathology diversity not to mention that labeling large datasets encumbers the medical staff additionally. We propose using freely available domain knowledge as priors to learn more robust and generalizable representations. We experimentally show that domain priors can benefit representations by acting in proxy of labels, thereby significantly reducing the labeling requirement while still enabling fully unsupervised yet pathology-aware learning. We use the contrastive objective along with prior-guided views during pretraining, where the view choices inspire sensitivity to pathological information. Extensive experiments on three datasets show that our method performs better than (or closes gap with) the state-of-the-art in the domain, establishing a new benchmark in pathology classification and cross-dataset generalization, as well as scaling to unseen pathology categories.
Infant selective attention to native and non-native audiovisual speech
Authors: Roth Kelly C. , Clayton Kenna R. H. , Reynolds Greg D.
Published: September 2022

The current study utilized eye-tracking to investigate the effects of intersensory redundancy and language on infant visual attention and detection of a change in prosody in audiovisual speech. Twelve-month-old monolingual English-learning infants viewed either synchronous (redundant) or asynchronous (non-redundant) presentations of a woman speaking in native or non-native speech. Halfway through each trial, the speaker changed prosody from infant-directed speech (IDS) to adult-directed speech (ADS) or vice versa. Infants focused more on the mouth of the speaker on IDS trials compared to ADS trials regardless of language or intersensory redundancy. Additionally, infants demonstrated greater detection of prosody changes from IDS speech to ADS speech in native speech. Planned comparisons indicated that infants detected prosody changes across a broader range of conditions during redundant stimulus presentations. These findings shed light on the influence of language and prosody on infant attention and highlight the complexity of audiovisual speech processing in infancy.
Deflection-based laser sensing platform for selective and sensitive detection of H2S using plasmonic nanostructures
Authors: Afjeh-Dana Elham , Asadian Elham , Razzaghi Mohammad Reza , Rafii-Tabar Hashem , Sasanpour Pezhman
Published: September 2022

Considering the severe hazards of abnormal concentration level of H2S as an extremely toxic gas to the human body and due to the disability of olfactory system in sensing toxic level of H2S concentration, a reliable, sensitive, selective and rapid method for the detection of H2S is proposed and its efficacy is analyzed through simulation. The proposed system is based on the deflection of a laser beam in response to the temperature variations in its path. In order to provide selectivity and improve sensitivity, gold nanostructures were employed in the system. The selectivity was introduced based on the thiol–gold interactions and the sensitivity of the system was enhanced due to the modification of plasmon resonance behavior of gold nanostructures in response to gas adsorption. Results from our analysis demonstrate that compared with Au and SiO2–Au, the Au nanomatryoshka structures (Au–SiO2–Au) showed the highest sensitivity due to promoting higher deflections of the laser beam.
Longitudinal behavioral changes and factors related to reinforced risk aversion behavior among patients with chronic kidney disease during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Kang Min Woo , Kim Yaerim , Lee Inae , Park Hyunwoong , Park Jae Yoon , An Jung Nam , Yoo Kyung Don , Kim Yong Chul , Park Na-Youn , Kho Younglim , Choi Kyungho , Lee Jung Pyo , Lee Jeonghwan
Published: September 2022

In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a higher mortality rate than the general population; therefore, prevention is vital. To prevent COVID-19 infection, it is important to study individuals’ risk aversion behavior. The objective of this study was to understand how the behavioral characteristics of physical distancing, hygiene practice, and exercise changed in patients with CKD during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the characteristics of patients who showed weakened or strengthened behavioral changes. We analyzed data from the Study on Kidney Disease and Environmental Chemicals (Clinical Trial No. NCT04679168), that examined a prospective cohort of patients with CKD. This cohort included patients with CKD who visited the participating hospitals for the first time between June and October 2020 and the second time between October 2020 and January 2021. Data on demographics, socio-economic details, and behavioral characteristics were collected through a questionnaire survey. Using a multivariable logistic regression model, we identified whether COVID-19 infection risk perception and previous strong behavioral changes affected behavioral changes during the first and second visits. A total of 277 patients (33.2% females) were included in the analysis. Nine out of 12 behaviors were reinforced at the first visit, and five out of nine reinforced behaviors were weakened at the second visit. A high-risk perception of COVID-19 infection was not associated with the tendency of overall behavioral reinforcement or maintaining behaviors in an enhanced state at the second visit. Strong behavioral changes at the patients’ first visit to the hospital were associated with a tendency to strengthen or maintain reinforced behaviors at the second visit (adjusted odds ratio 1.99, 95% confidence interval 1.19–3.34; P = 0.009). Even if the initial COVID-19 risk perception is high, behavioral changes worsen over time. Individuals who showed more active behavioral changes at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic tended to maintain reinforced behavior over time. Continuous education and monitoring are needed to maintain changed behaviors, especially in patients with a high initial COVID-19 risk perception.
Time-series RNA-Seq transcriptome profiling reveals novel insights about cold acclimation and de-acclimation processes in an evergreen shrub of high altitude
Authors: Rathore Nikita , Kumar Prakash , Mehta Nandita , Swarnkar Mohit Kumar , Shankar Ravi , Chawla Amit
Published: September 2022

The high-altitude alpine regions are characterized by highly variable and harsh environmental conditions. However, relatively little is known about the diverse mechanisms adopted by alpine plants to adapt to these stressful conditions. Here, we studied variation in transcriptome and physiological adjustments occurring across the year at high elevation environments in the leaf tissue of Rhododendron anthopogon, an evergreen shrub of Himalaya. The samples were collected at 12 different time-points, from August until snowfall in November 2017, and then from June to September 2018. It was observed that with a drop in both ambient air temperature and photoperiod towards onset of winter, the freezing resistance of plants increased, resulting in ‘cold acclimation’. Further, ‘de-acclimation’ was associated with a decrease in freezing resistance and increase in photosynthetic efficiency of leaves during spring. A considerable amount of variation was observed in the transcriptome in a time-dependent sequential manner, with a total of 9,881 differentially expressed genes. Based on gene expression profiles, the time-points could be segregated into four clusters directly correlating with the distinct phases of acclimation: non-acclimation (22-August-2017, 14-August-2018, 31-August-2018), early cold acclimation (12-September-2017, 29-September-2017), late cold acclimation (11-October-2017, 23-October-2017, 04-November-2017, 18-September-2018) and de-acclimation (15-June-2018, 28-June-2018, 14-July-2018). Cold acclimation was a gradual process, as indicated by presence of an intermediate stage (early acclimation). However, the plants can by-pass this stage when sudden decrease in temperature is encountered. The maximum variation in expression levels of genes occurred during the transition to de-acclimation, hence was ‘transcriptionally’ the most active phase. The similar or higher expression levels of genes during de-acclimation in comparison to non-acclimation suggested that molecular functionality is re-initiated after passing through the harsh winter conditions.
A pipeline for automated deep learning liver segmentation (PADLLS) from contrast enhanced CT exams
Authors: Senthilvelan Jayasuriya , Jamshidi Neema
Published: September 2022

Multiple studies have created state-of-the-art liver segmentation models using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) such as the V-net and H-DenseUnet. Oversegmentation however continues to be a problem. We set forth to address these limitations by developing a an automated workflow that leverages the strengths of different DCNN architectures, resulting in a pipeline that enables fully automated liver segmentation. A Pipeline for Automated Deep Learning Liver Segmentation (PADLLS) was developed and implemented that cascades multiple DCNNs that were trained on more than 200 CT scans. First, a V-net is used to create a rough liver, spleen, and stomach mask. After stomach and spleen pixels are removed using their respective masks and ascites is removed using a morphological algorithm, the scan is passed to a H-DenseUnet to yield the final segmentation. The segmentation accuracy of the pipleline was compared to the H-DenseUnet and the V-net using the SLIVER07 and 3DIRCADb datasets as benchmarks. The PADLLS Dice score for the SLIVER07 dataset was calculated to be 0.957 ± 0.033 and was significantly better than the H-DenseUnet’s score of 0.927 ± 0.044 (p = 0.0219) and the V-net’s score of 0.872 ± 0.121 (p = 0.0067). The PADLLS Dice score for the 3DIRCADb dataset was 0.965 ± 0.016 and was significantly better than the H-DenseUnet’s score of 0.930 ± 0.041 (p = 0.0014) the V-net’s score of 0.874 ± 0.060 (p < 0.001). In conclusion, our pipeline (PADLLS) outperforms existing liver segmentation models, serves as a valuable tool for image-based analysis, and is freely available for download and use.
Quantification of the in vivo stiffness and natural length of the human plantar aponeurosis during quiet standing using ultrasound elastography
Authors: Nozaki Shuhei , Kinugasa Ryuta , Yaeshima Katsutoshi , Hashimoto Takeshi , Jinzaki Masahiro , Ogihara Naomichi
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to identify the stiffness and natural length of the human plantar aponeurosis (PA) during quiet standing using ultrasound shear wave elastography. The shear wave velocity (SWV) of the PA in young healthy males and females (10 participants each) was measured by placing a probe in a hole in the floor plate. The change in the SWV with the passive dorsiflexion of the metatarsophalangeal (MP) joint was measured. The Young’s modulus of the PA was estimated to be 64.7 ± 9.4 kPa, which exponentially increased with MP joint dorsiflexion. The PA was estimated to have the natural length when the MP joint was plantarflexed by 13.8°, indicating that the PA is stretched by arch compression during standing. However, the present study demonstrated that the estimated stiffness for the natural length in quiet standing was significantly larger than that in the unloaded condition, revealing that the PA during standing is stiffened by elongation and through the possible activation of intrinsic muscles. Such quantitative information possibly contributes to the detailed biomechanical modeling of the human foot, facilitating an improved understanding of the mechanical functions and pathogenetic mechanisms of the PA during movements.
Simultaneous determination of glyphosate, glufosinate ammonium and their metabolites in maize and soybean by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Wang Kuan , Geng Yue , Dong Zhe , Pan Xinglu , Wu Xiaohu , Xu Jun , Gao Haixiang , Dong Fengshou , Zheng Yongquan
Published: September 2022

This study established an effective analytical method for the direct simultaneous determination of GLY, N-acetyl-GLY, AMPA, N-acetyl-AMPA, GLU, NAG, and 3-MPPA in soybean and maize, which will contribute to the scientific regulation of GLY and GLU.
Fluoride-free synthesis of high-silica CHA-type aluminosilicates by seed-assisted aging treatment for starting gel
Authors: Osuga Ryota , Yabushita Mizuho , Matsumoto Takeshi , Sawada Masato , Yokoi Toshiyuki , Kanie Kiyoshi , Muramatsu Atsushi
Published: September 2022

High-silica CHA-type aluminosilicates (Si/Al > 100) were successfully synthesized by seed-assisted aging treatment for starting gel without fluoride media.
Monotrifluoroacetoxyborane-amines: chemoselective reagents for challenging reductive aminations
Authors: Ramachandran P. Veeraraghavan , Choudhary Shivani
Published: September 2022

Trifluoroacetoxyborane-amines (TFAB-amines) are mild, chemoselective direct reductive amination agents. Compared to popular NaBH3CN and NaBH(OAc)3, TFAB-NEt3 provides improved yields for even challenging substrates.
Nitrile regio-synthesis by Ni centers on a siliceous surface: implications in prebiotic chemistry
Authors: Fioroni Marco , DeYonker Nathan J.
Published: September 2022

A first example of astro-regiochemistry based on the Ni catalyzed hydrocyanation reaction of an unsaturated CC bond, is proposed.
Regulation of ionic current through a surround-gated nanopore via field effect control
Authors: Sornmek Pariya , Phromyothin Darinee , Supadech Jakrapong , Tantisantisom Kittipong , Boonkoom Thitikorn
Published: September 2022

Surround-gated nanopores were used to study ion transport. The results suggest ionic current regulation through control of gate voltage and significant dependence of the gate effect on the size of the nanopore.
Two-dimensional antiferromagnetic topological insulators in KCuSe/NaMnBi van der Waals heterobilayers
Authors: Ma Hongkai , Li Bingyang , Zou Xiaorong , Hu Xiangting , Dai Ying , Huang Baibiao , Niu Chengwang
Published: September 2022

The interplay between band topology and magnetism plays a central role in achieving exotic physical phenomena and innovative spintronics applications.
Evaluation of the effects of newly synthesized metallophthalocyanines on breast cancer cell lines with photodynamic therapy
Authors: Bostancı Hayrani Eren , Bilgiçli Ahmet T. , Güzel Emre , Günsel Armağan , Hepokur Ceylan , Çimen Behzat , Yarasir M. Nilüfer
Published: September 2022

In this study, non-peripheral metallophthalocyanine derivatives (2–7) were synthesized. The effect of pH change on the electronic and emission spectra was investigated. The effect of compounds 2 and 6 on breast cancer cell lines with photodynamic therapy was examined.
Two-photon absorption-based delivery of nitric oxide from ruthenium nitrosyl complexes
Authors: Lacroix Pascal G. , Malfant Isabelle , Labra-Vázquez Pablo , Fárfan Norberto , Ramos-Ortiz Gabriel
Published: September 2022

Two-photon absorption (TPA) processes are used to induce nitric oxide (NO) delivery from ruthenium nitrosyl complexes.
Computational thermochemistry: extension of Benson group additivity approach to organoboron compounds and reliable predictions of their thermochemical properties
Authors: Vuori Hannu T. , Rautiainen J. Mikko , Kolehmainen Erkki T. , Tuononen Heikki M.
Published: September 2022

Thermochemical data were calculated for 116 boron compounds using high-level composite methods. The results allow the extension of Benson's group additivity approach to organoboron compounds.
Destruction of per/poly-fluorinated alkyl substances by magnetite nanoparticle-catalyzed UV-Fenton reaction
Authors: Schlesinger Danielle R. , McDermott Collin , Le Nam Q. , Ko Jesse S. , Johnson James K. , Demirev Plamen A. , Xia Zhiyong
Published: September 2022

Novel economically-sustainable and environmentally-friendly technologies for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) destruction are becoming increasingly important as PFAS contamination has increased in drinking water throughout the globe.
Release of an anti-anxiety peptide in casein hydrolysate with Aspergillus oryzae protease
Authors: Takeuchi Yui , Fukunaga Moe , Iwatani Shun , Miyanaga Kazuhiko , Adachi Takahiro , Yamamoto Naoyuki
Published: September 2022

An opioid peptide, CM-10 (YPFPGPIPNS) screened from casein hydrolysate interacts with the receptor on small intestinal villi and exerts anti-anxiety effect in mouse.
Wickerhamomyces anomalus relieves weaning diarrhea via improving gut microbiota and redox homeostasis using a piglet model
Authors: Zhang Yucheng , Liu Hu , Yue Zitian , Tan Peng , Sun Meige , Ji Linbao , Bai Yueyu , Ma Xi
Published: September 2022

W. anomalus acts as a probiotic to improve the growth performance and health of weaned piglets, which may shed light on the potential development of gut microflora in weaned animals.
Single junction binary and ternary polymer solar cells-based D–A structured copolymer with low lying HOMO energy level and two nonfullerene acceptors
Authors: Keshtov Mukhamed L. , Godovsky Dmitry Y. , Ostapov Ilya E. , Alekseev Vladimir G. , Dahiya Hemraj , Singhal Rahul , Chen Fang-Chung , Sharma Ganesh D.
Published: September 2022

The power conversion efficiency of the ternary PSCs (16.32%) is higher than that for binary counterparts, i.e., 13.16% and 12.62% for P(DTB-BDD):DBTBT-IC and P(DTB-BDD):Y6, respectively.
Recent progress in electrochromic energy storage materials and devices: a minireview
Authors: Pathak Devesh K. , Moon Hong Chul
Published: September 2022

Integration of several functionalities into one isolated electrochemical body is necessary to realize compact and tiny smart electronics.
Synthesis of hyaluronic acid core–shell nanoparticles via simple microfluidic-assisted nanoprecipitation method for active tumor targeting
Authors: Fabozzi Antonio , Della Sala Francesca , di Gennaro Mario , Borzacchiello Assunta
Published: September 2022

The control of the physicochemical properties of hyaluronic acid core–shell nanoparticles (HA-based NPs) is a suitable strategy to achieve the high reproducibility of biological assays.
Tunable optical activities in chiral transition metal oxide nanoparticles
Authors: Xiao Shuyu , Liang Jiechun , Li Junzi , Cheng Jiaji , Zhu Xi , He Tingchao
Published: September 2022

The optical activities of chiral transition metal oxide nanoparticles are regulated, achieving a maximum anisotropic factor of approximately 0.02. Impressively, the chiral nanoparticles demonstrate broadband second harmonic generation.
Solvent-free synthesis of a formaldehyde-free benzoxazine monomer: study of its curing acceleration effect for commercial benzoxazine
Authors: Tavernier Romain , Granado Lérys , Tillard Monique , Van Renterghem Louis , Métro Thomas-Xavier , Lamaty Frédéric , Bonnaud Leïla , Raquez Jean-Marie , David Ghislain , Caillol Sylvain
Published: September 2022

A new 2-substituted benzoxazine bearing a phenol was blended with commercial benzoxazine for improving curing and thermomechanical properties.
Direct intermolecular three-component aminotrifluoromethylation of styrenes by visible-light-photoredox catalysis
Authors: Zheng Lvyin , Cai Liuhuan , Zhuo Xiaoya , Deng Lei , Wu Yingying , Yang Beining , Wang Yihan , Guo Wei
Published: September 2022

A visible-light-photoredox-catalyzed intermolecular three-component aminotrifluoromethylation of styrenes with phenylhydrazines and Togni's reagents/fluoroalkyl iodides was developed.
Yield precursor in primary creep of colloidal gels
Authors: Cho Jae Hyung , Bischofberger Irmgard
Published: September 2022

Colloidal gels under moderate stress show an early precursor to yield detectable at macroscopic length scales. This precursor arises from accumulation of local plastic events.
Onion-like Fe3O4/MgO/CoFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles: new ways to control magnetic coupling between soft and hard magnetic phases
Authors: Nuñez Jorge M. , Hettler Simon , Lima Jr Enio , Goya Gerardo F. , Arenal Raul , Zysler Roberto D. , Aguirre Myriam H. , Winkler Elin L.
Published: September 2022

Nanoparticles with onion-like architecture offer a unique opportunity to modulate the coupling between magnetic phases by introducing spacers into the same structure. Here we report the case of Fe3O4/MgO/CoFe2O4 core/shell/shell nanoparticles system.
Circulating cell-free micro-RNA as biomarkers: from myocardial infarction to hypertension
Authors: Faulkner Jessica L. , Sullivan Jennifer C.
Published: September 2022

MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, single strand non-coding RNA molecules involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of target genes. Since their discovery in 1993, over 2000 miRNAs have been identified in humans and there is growing interest in both the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of miRNA. The identification of biomarkers for human disease progression remains an active area of research, and there is a growing number of miRNA and miRNA combinations that have been linked to the development and progression of numerous cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension. In 2010, Chen et al. reported in Clinical Science that cell-free circulating miRNA could serve as novel biomarkers for acute myocardial infarction [1]. In this commentary, we expand on this topic to discuss the potential of using miRNA as biomarkers for hypertension and hypertension-related end-organ damage.
An efficient Industrial Internet of Things video data processing system for protocol identification and quality enhancement
Authors: Chen Lvcheng , Liu Liangwei , Zhang Li
Published: September 2022

Video has become an essential medium to monitoring, identification and knowledge sharing. For industrial applications, especially Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), videos encoded with specific protocols are transferred to smart gateways. In a typical IIoT scenario, the protocol of the video is firstly recognised, which prepares for subsequent video tasks. Due to the constrained resources in such scenarios, the video quality can be deteriorated during encoding and compression processes, which is challenging for IIoT. Recently, there have been extensive works focussing on the protocol identification (PI) and video quality enhancement (VQE) tasks on IIoT edge devices using deep neural networks (DNNs). Since DNNs often require high computational resources, complex networks can hardly be deployed on edge devices. An IIoT system which can efficiently identify the stream protocol and enhance the video quality is proposed in this study. The light‐weighted network designs and inference optimisation techniques have been proposed for PI and VQE to realise efficient deployments. Our proposed system employed on an IIoT edge device can achieve an accuracy of higher than 97.52% with fast inference speed for PI. For the VQE task, our system has demonstrated superior performance (15.230 FPS, 0.773 FPS/W) in comparison with the state‐of‐the‐art methods.
CONCERTO: High-fidelity simulation of millimeter line emissions of galaxies and [CII] intensity mapping
Authors: Béthermin M. , Gkogkou A. , Van Cuyck M. , Lagache G. , Beelen A. , Aravena M. , Benoit A. , Bounmy J. , Calvo M. , Catalano A. , de Batz de Trenquelleon B. , De Breuck C. , Fasano A. , Ferrara A. , Goupy J. , Hoarau C. , Horellou C. , Hu W. , Julia A. , Knudsen K. , Lambert J.-C. , Macias-Perez J. , Marpaud J. , Monfardini A. , Pallottini A. , Ponthieu N. , Roehlly Y. , Vallini L. , Walter F. , Weiss A.
Published: September 2022

The intensity mapping of the [CII] 158-μm line redshifted to the submillimeter window is a promising probe of the z >  4 star formation and its spatial distribution into large-scale structures. To prepare the first-generation experiments (e.g., CONCERTO), we need realistic simulations of the submillimeter extragalactic sky in spectroscopy. We present a new version of the simulated infrared dusty extragalactic sky (SIDES) model including the main submillimeter lines around 1 mm (CO, [CII], [CI]). This approach successfully reproduces the observed line luminosity functions. We then use our simulation to generate CONCERTO-like cubes (125–305 GHz) and forecast the power spectra of the fluctuations caused by the various astrophysical components at those frequencies. Depending on our assumptions on the relation between the star formation rate and [CII] luminosity, and the star formation history, our predictions of the z ∼ 6 [CII] power spectrum vary by two orders of magnitude. This highlights how uncertain the predictions are and how important future measurements will be to improve our understanding of this early epoch. SIDES can reproduce the CO shot noise recently measured at ∼100 GHz by the millimeter-wavelength intensity mapping experiment (mmIME). Finally, we compare the contribution of the different astrophysical components at various redshifts to the power spectra. The continuum is by far the brightest, by a factor of three to 100, depending on the frequency. At 300 GHz, the CO foreground power spectrum is higher than the [CII] one for our base scenario. At lower frequencies, the contrast between [CII] and extragalactic foregrounds is even worse. Masking the known galaxies from deep surveys should allow us to reduce the foregrounds to 20% of the [CII] power spectrum up to z ∼ 6.5. However, this masking method will not be sufficient at higher redshifts. The code and the products of our simulation are released publicly, and can be used for both intensity mapping experiments and submillimeter continuum and line surveys.
Effect of adding acetic acid when performing magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging for diagnosis of Barrett’s esophageal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Ikenoyama Yohei , Tanaka Kyosuke , Umeda Yuhei , Hamada Yasuhiko , Yukimoto Hiroki , Yamada Reiko , Tsuboi Junya , Nakamura Misaki , Katsurahara Masaki , Horiki Noriyuki , Nakagawa Hayato
Published: September 2022

Background and study aims Magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging (M-NBI) was developed to diagnose Barrett’s esophageal adenocarcinoma (BEA); however, this method remains challenging for inexperienced endoscopists. We aimed to evaluate a modified M-NBI technique that included spraying acetic acid (M-AANBI).

Patients and methods Eight endoscopists retrospectively examined 456 endoscopic images obtained from 28 patients with 29 endoscopically resected BEA lesions using three validation schemes: Validation 1 (260 images), wherein the diagnostic performances of M-NBI and M-AANBI were compared – the dataset included 65 images each of BEA and non-neoplastic Barrett’s esophagus (NNBE) obtained using each modality; validation 2 (112 images), wherein 56 pairs of M-NBI and M-AANBI images were prepared from the same BEA and NNBE lesions, and diagnoses derived using M-NBI alone were compared to those obtained using both M-NBI and M-AANBI; and validation 3 (84 images), wherein the ease of identifying the BEA demarcation line (DL) was scored via a visual analog scale in 28 patients using magnifying endoscopy with white-light imaging (M-WLI), M-NBI, and M-AANBI.

Results For validation 1, M-AANBI was superior to M-NBI in terms of sensitivity (90.8 % vs. 64.6 %), specificity (98.5 % vs. 76.9 %), and accuracy (94.6 % vs. 70.4 %) (all P < 0.05). For validation 2, the accuracy of M-NBI alone was significantly improved when combined with M-AANBI (from 70.5 % to 89.3 %; P < 0.05). For validation 3, M-AANBI had the highest mean score for ease of DL recognition (8.75) compared to M-WLI (3.63) and M-NBI (6.25) (all P < 0.001).

Conclusions Using M-AANBI might improve the accuracy of BEA diagnosis.
Predictors of the gender gap in household educational spending among school and college-going children in India
Authors: Rashmi Rashmi , Malik Bijay Kumar , Mohanty Sanjay K. , Mishra Udaya Shankar , Subramanian S. V.
Published: September 2022

Though India has achieved near-universal primary school attendance and bridged the gender gap, secondary and technical education schooling remains low. Household ability to pay for education and gender norms at the household and societal levels are possible reasons for variations in school attendance and quality of schooling. Although various studies have examined the gender gap in enrolment and school discontinuation, there are limited studies on gender differentials in educational spending in Indian households. Using data from 174,810 school and college-going children aged 6–22 years from the 75th round of the National Sample Survey Organization, this paper explored the gender gap in household educational spending in India. Descriptive statistics, relative gap, and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method were used in the analysis. The results suggests that school attendance was 82.7% (95% CI 82.0–83.3) among boys and 78.9% (95% CI 78.1–79.7) among girls aged 16–17 years and 63.1% (95% CI 62.6–63.6) among boys and 51.3% (95% CI 50.7–51.9) among girls aged 18–22 years. The difference in the average per capita educational spending between boys and girls was ₹828 at the primary level (ages 6–10), ₹935 at the middle/secondary level (ages 11–15), ₹3189 at the higher secondary level (ages 16–17), and ₹3813 in higher education (age 18–22). The results obtained from the Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition analysis show that type of educational institution (public or private) contributed more than half of the variation in household educational spending among 6–10- and 11–15-year-old children and was the strongest contributor at every age. The education of the household head considerably reduced the gender gap in higher education. Locational disadvantage and the uniformity in the gender gap across all levels of the economic hierarchy suggest a behavioural bias in the intra-household allocation of educational resources across the states of India.
Dynamical systems defined on simplicial complexes: Symmetries, conjugacies, and invariant subspaces
Authors: Nijholt Eddie , DeVille Lee
Published: September 2022

We consider the general model for dynamical systems defined on a simplicial complex. We describe the conjugacy classes of these systems and show how symmetries in a given simplicial complex manifest in the dynamics defined thereon, especially with regard to invariant subspaces in the dynamics.