bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reconstruction of deep and perforating corneal defects in dogs—A review (Part II/III): Biomaterials and keratoprosthesis
Authors: Ledbetter Eric C. , Sanchez Rick F. , Repiso Marta Leiva
Published: October 2024

The surgical reconstruction of severe corneal ulcers is a common and crucial component of the clinical practice of veterinary ophthalmology. Numerous surgical techniques are used in dogs for corneal reconstruction, and these techniques may be categorized by the material used to repair the corneal lesion. The first part of the present review described procedures that utilize autogenous ocular tissues, homologous donor tissues, and heterologous donor tissues. In this second part of the review, the categories of biomaterials and keratoprosthetics will be summarized. Biomaterials that are reported for use in dogs include amniotic membrane, porcine urinary bladder acellular matrix, porcine small intestinal submucosa, acellular porcine corneal stroma, and other miscellaneous soft tissue and cartilage grafts (e.g., preserved equine renal capsule, autologous omentum, autologous buccal mucosa membrane, bovine pericardium, and homologous peritoneum). Descriptions of keratoprosthesis surgery in dogs are currently limited, but the use of artificial corneal transplants hold promise for dogs with severe, vision‐compromising corneal disease that is not amenable to other reconstruction techniques. This review describes the results of experimental studies evaluating these graft materials in dogs, and it will summarize the findings and outcomes of the clinical articles published in each material category. Reporting inconsistencies and areas where additional research is required will be highlighted to help guide future studies in this area. A major aim of this review is to help identify potential subjects that could be evaluated in future investigations and that might lead to refinements in clinical practice.
Effects of a bioengineered allogeneic cellular construct on burn‐related macrophage phenotype
Authors: Hernaez‐Estrada Beatriz , Steele Lindsay A. , Spiller Kara L.
Published: October 2024

Bioengineered allogeneic cellularised constructs (BACC) exert pro‐healing effects in burn wounds and skew macrophage phenotype towards a predominately reparative phenotype. However, whether BACC can modulate the phenotype of dysregulated macrophages, like those present in burn wounds, is not known. To better understand the macrophage modulatory characteristics of the BACC, primary human macrophages were polarised to the M2b phenotype, an immunosuppressive phenotype relevant to burn wounds, by simultaneously exposing macrophages to polystyrene plate‐coated immunoglobulin G and the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The resulting macrophage phenotype upregulated both inflammatory and reparative genes, and increased secretion of the M2b marker CCL1 compared to five different in vitro macrophage phenotypes. M2b macrophages were cultured with the BACC in the presence or absence of LPS to mimic infection, which is a common occurrence in burn wounds. The BACC caused up‐regulation of reparative gene sets and down‐regulation of pro‐inflammatory gene sets, even when LPS was present in the cell culture media. Co‐cultures were maintained for 1, 3, or 5 days in the presence of LPS, and by day 1 both non‐activated macrophages and M2b macrophages exhibited signs of endotoxin tolerance, as demonstrated by a reduced secretion of tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) in response to fresh LPS stimulus. The BACC was not able to prevent endotoxin tolerance, but reparative genes were upregulated in macrophages chronically exposed to LPS. These results suggest that the BACC can promote a reparative phenotype in dysregulated macrophages relevant to the pathophysiology of burns.
Effect of Microgravity on the Metal Droplet Transfer and Bead Characteristics in the Directed Energy Deposition-Arc Process
Authors: Adhithya Plato Sidharth A. , Niketh P. , Venkateshwaran M. , Amirthalingam Murugaiyan , Subbiah Sathyan
Published: October 2024

Directed energy deposition-arc (DED-arc) is a viable method of metal 3D printing for manufacturing in-space under microgravity conditions. This study investigates the effect of reduced gravity on the droplet transfer in a gas metal arc welding (GMAW)-based DED-arc process. Single bead deposited using GMAW welding process under microgravity and standard terrestrial gravity (1 g) are compared. Microgravity was simulated in a drop tower where the experimental capsule was subjected to 2.5 s of free-fall. The experimental setup for GMAW welding process, including high-speed cameras and sensors, was present within the experimental capsule. Droplet frequency and diameter were measured and compared between microgravity and 1 g using the images obtained. Further, the impact of reduced gravity on weld bead geometry and the distribution of gas porosity was investigated. Microhardness analysis was also conducted on both 1 g and reduced gravity samples to assess variations in material hardness. A statistically significant difference in droplet diameter and frequency was found. This difference is attributed to the reduction in gravitational force. Upon analyzing the weld bead geometry, noticeable variations are detected in the contact angles and the reinforcement of beads formed under different gravity conditions. These differences are attributed to alterations in convection within the molten weld pool. The blowhole analysis revealed a noticeable trend, wherein reduced gravity facilitated the coalescence of gas porosity, resulting in larger diameters due to alterations in weld pool convection. There were no statistically significant changes observed in both microhardness and surface finish.
Nonlinear Isogeometric Analyses of Instabilities in Thin Elastic Shells Exhibiting Combined Bending and Stretching
Authors: Kalia Subodh , Padhye Nikhil
Published: October 2024

Thin structures like shells are highly susceptible to mechanical instabilities. They can undergo large nonlinear elastic deformations while exhibiting combined bending and stretching modes of deformation. Here, we propose a new displacement-based finite element (FE) formulation based on the isogeometric discretization of Koiter’s nonlinear shell theory and use of the method of dynamic relaxation (DR) to solve equilibrium configurations of problems involving fine-scale and hierarchical wrinkling and buckling. No imperfection seeding is required to trigger instabilities. The use of the NURBS basis provides a rotation-free, conforming, higher-order spatial continuity such that curvatures and membrane strains can be computed directly from interpolating the position vectors of the control points using spatial finite differences. The pseudo-dissipative FE dynamical system is updated through explicit time integration and made scalable for parallel computing using a message passing interface (MPI). The proposed FE method is successfully benchmarked against several numerical and experimental results.
Elastic Fields Around Multiple Stiff Prestressed Arcs Located on a Circle
Authors: Han Zhilin , Mogilevskaya Sofia G. , Zemlyanova Anna Y.
Published: October 2024

The plane strain problem of an isotropic elastic matrix subjected to uniform far-field load and containing multiple stiff prestressed arcs located on the same circle is considered. The boundary conditions for the arcs are described by those of either Gurtin–Murdoch or Steigmann–Ogden theories in which the arcs are endowed with their own elastic energies. The material parameters for each arc can in general be different. The problem is reduced to the system of real variables hypersingular boundary integral equations in terms of two scalar unknowns expressed via the components of the stress tensors of the arcs. The unknowns are approximated by the series of trigonometric functions that are multiplied by the square root weight functions to allow for automatic incorporation of the tip conditions. The coefficients in series are found from the system of linear algebraic equations that are solved using the collocation method. The expressions for the stress intensity factors are derived and numerical examples are presented to illustrate the influence of governing dimensionless parameters.
Regulation of precipitation and its influence on the performances of multicomponent β-Ti-based shape memory alloy through annealing treatment
Authors: Wang Yaping , Zhang Guohao , Wu Yanqing , Liu Wei , Wang Yunfei , Cao Xinjian , Liu Xiao , Jiang Lun , Wang Haizhen , Yi Xiaoyang
Published: October 2024

In the present study, the evolution of precipitate with the annealing temperature and its influence on the martensitic transformation and mechanical/functional properties of the multicomponent Ti–V–Al–Zr–Sn shape memory alloy were investigated. The results revealed that Ti–V–Al–Zr–Sn shape memory alloy annealed at 700 °C mainly consisted of α″ martensite and rodlike α precipitates, while annealing at 800 °C resulted in the appearance of β phase and C14-type Laves phase. Moreover, the configuration of α precipitates evolved from rodlike to striplike. Upon the annealing temperature increased to 900 °C, α precipitates and α″ martensite completely diminished, whereas the β phases expanded. Furthermore, the grain size of Ti–V–Al–Zr–Sn shape memory alloy consistently increased with the annealing temperature. Of all the annealed Ti–V–Al–Zr–Sn shape memory alloys, only α″ → β reverse martensitic transformation was observed. The martensite transformation temperature was continuously reduced due to the comprehensive effect of variation of chemical composition caused by precipitation of precipitates, grain size, and defect evolution. Additionally, the multicomponent Ti–V–Al–Zr–Sn shape memory alloy annealed at 800 °C possessed superior mechanical properties including the moderate tensile strength (797 MPa) and elongation (23.4%), highest microhardness (395 HV), and the excellent fully recoverable strain of 6%, which can be ascribed to the precipitation strengthening, grain refinement, and solution strengthening.
Cancer immunotherapy by γδ T cells
Authors: Hayday Adrian , Dechanet-Merville Julie , Rossjohn Jamie , Silva-Santos Bruno
Published: October 2024

The premise of cancer immunotherapy is that cancers are specifically visible to an immune system tolerized to healthy self. The promise of cancer immunotherapy is that immune effector mechanisms and immunological memory can jointly eradicate cancers and inoperable metastases and de facto vaccinate against recurrence. For some patients with hitherto incurable diseases, including metastatic melanoma, this promise is being realized by game-changing immunotherapies based on αβ T cells. Today’s challenges are to bring benefit to greater numbers of patients of diverse ethnicities, target more cancer types, and achieve a cure while incurring fewer adverse events. In meeting those challenges, specific benefits may be offered by γδ T cells, which compose a second T cell lineage with distinct recognition capabilities and functional traits that bridge innate and adaptive immunity. γδ T cell–based clinical trials, including off-the-shelf adoptive cell therapy and agonist antibodies, are yielding promising results, although identifiable problems remain. In addressing those problems, we advocate that immunotherapies be guided by the distinctive biology of γδ T cells, as elucidated by ongoing research.
A multivalent mRNA-LNP vaccine protects against
Clostridioides difficile
infection
Authors: Alameh Mohamad-Gabriel , Semon Alexa , Bayard Nile U. , Pan Yi-Gen , Dwivedi Garima , Knox James , Glover Rochelle C. , Rangel Paula C. , Tanes Ceylan , Bittinger Kyle , She Qianxuan , Hu Haitao , Bonam Srinivasa Reddy , Maslanka Jeffrey R. , Planet Paul J. , Moustafa Ahmed M. , Davis Benjamin , Chevrier Anik , Beattie Mitchell , Ni Houping , Blizard Gabrielle , Furth Emma E. , Mach Robert H. , Lavertu Marc , Sellmyer Mark A. , Tam Ying , Abt Michael C. , Weissman Drew , Zackular Joseph P.
Published: October 2024

Clostridioides difficile
infection (CDI) is an urgent public health threat with limited preventative options. In this work, we developed a messenger RNA (mRNA)–lipid nanoparticle (LNP) vaccine targeting
C. difficile
toxins and virulence factors. This multivalent vaccine elicited robust and long-lived systemic and mucosal antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses across animal models, independent of changes to the intestinal microbiota. Vaccination protected mice from lethal CDI in both primary and recurrent infection models, and inclusion of non-toxin cellular and spore antigens improved decolonization of toxigenic
C. difficile
from the gastrointestinal tract. Our studies demonstrate mRNA-LNP vaccine technology as a promising platform for the development of novel
C. difficile
therapeutics with potential for limiting acute disease and promoting bacterial decolonization.
Photocatalytic furan-to-pyrrole conversion
Authors: Kim Donghyeon , You Jaehyun , Lee Da Hye , Hong Hojin , Kim Dongwook , Park Yoonsu
Published: October 2024

The identity of a heteroatom within an aromatic ring influences the chemical properties of that heterocyclic compound. Systematically evaluating the effect of a single atom, however, poses synthetic challenges, primarily as a result of thermodynamic mismatches in atomic exchange processes. We present a photocatalytic strategy that swaps an oxygen atom of furan with a nitrogen group, directly converting the furan into a pyrrole analog in a single intermolecular reaction. High compatibility was observed with various furan derivatives and nitrogen nucleophiles commonly used in drug discovery, and the late-stage functionalization furnished otherwise difficult-to-access pyrroles from naturally occurring furans of high molecular complexity. Mechanistic analysis suggested that polarity inversion through single electron transfer initiates the redox-neutral atom exchange processes at room temperature.
A chiral hydrogen atom abstraction catalyst for the enantioselective epimerization of
meso
-diols
Authors: Lahdenperä Antti S. K. , Dhankhar Jyoti , Davies Daniel J. , Lam Nelson Y. S. , Bacoş P. David , de la Vega-Hernández Karen , Phipps Robert J.
Published: October 2024

Hydrogen atom abstraction is an important elementary chemical process but is very difficult to carry out enantioselectively. We have developed catalysts, readily derived from the Cinchona alkaloid family of natural products, which can achieve this by virtue of their chiral amine structure. The catalyst, following single-electron oxidation, desymmetrizes
meso
-diols by selectively abstracting a hydrogen atom from one carbon center, which then regains a hydrogen atom by abstraction from a thiol. This results in an enantioselective epimerization process, forming the chiral diastereomer with high enantiomeric excess. Cyclic and acyclic 1,2-diols are compatible, as are acyclic 1,3-diols. Additionally, we demonstrate the viability of combining our approach with carbon-carbon bond formation in Giese addition. Given the increasing number of synthetic methods involving hydrogen atom transfer steps, we anticipate that this work will have a broad impact in the field of enantioselective radical chemistry.
Single-atom editing with light
Authors: Plachinski Ellie F. , Yoon Tehshik P.
Published: October 2024

A new reaction swaps an oxygen for a nitrogen in structurally complex molecules
Truth and democracy in an era of misinformation
Authors: Lewandowsky Stephan
Published: October 2024

Concern about misinformation and its toxic effects on democracy is widespread. A survey of
nearly 1500 experts by the World Economic Forum
ranked misinformation and disinformation (the latter being intentionally spread, whereas the former may arise accidentally) as the top global risk during the next 2 years. Examples of misinformation-fueled events abound. In the United States, baseless claims about election fraud in 2020 by the losing presidential candidate, Donald Trump, culminated in a violent insurrection against the US Capitol on 6 January 2021. At the time of this writing, Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are
fearful of the future
after Trump baselessly alleged on national TV that immigrants there were eating their white neighbors’ pets—a
racist trope dating back centuries
. In the UK, right-wing mobs recently attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers on the basis of the
false claim that a Muslim refugee had fatally stabbed children at a dance class
. The suspect was actually born in Britain, and his
family regularly attended a Christian church
. The list goes on.
Dietary zinc supplementation inhibits bacterial plasmid conjugation
in vitro
by regulating plasmid replication (
rep
) and transfer (
tra
) genes
Authors: Ott Logan , Smith Chloe , Mellata Melha
Published: October 2024

Humans use dietary supplements for several intended effects, such as supplementing malnutrition. While these compounds have been developed for host end benefits, their ancillary impact on the gut microbiota remains unclear. The human gut has been proposed as a reservoir for the prevalent lateral transfer of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in bacteria through plasmid conjugation. Here, we studied the effect of dietary zinc supplements on the incidence of plasmid conjugation
in vitro
. Supplement effects were analyzed through standardized broth conjugation assays. The avian pathogenic
Escherichia coli
(APEC) strain APEC-O2-211 was a donor of the multidrug resistance plasmid pAPEC-O2-211A-ColV, and the human commensal isolate
E. coli
HS-4 was the plasmid-free recipient. Bacterial strains were standardized and mixed 1:1 and supplemented 1:10 with water, or zinc derived from either commercial zinc supplements or zinc gluconate reagent at varying concentrations. We observed a significant reduction in donors, recipients, and transconjugant populations in conjugations supplemented with zinc, with a dose-dependent relationship. Additionally, we observed a significant reduction (
P
< 0.05) in log conjugation efficiency in zinc-treated reactions. Upregulation of the mRNA for the plasmid replication initiation gene
repA
and the subset of transfer genes
M
,
J
,
E
,
K
,
B
,
P
,
C
,
W
,
U
,
N
,
F
,
Q
,
D
,
I
, and
X
was observed. Furthermore, we observed a downregulation of the conjugal propilin gene
traA
and the entry exclusion gene
traS
. This study demonstrates the effect of dietary zinc supplements on the conjugal transfer of a multidrug resistance plasmid between pathogenic and commensal bacteria during
in vitro
conditions.

IMPORTANCE

This study identifies dietary zinc supplementation as a potential novel intervention for mitigating the emergence of multidrug resistance in bacteria, thus preventing antibiotic treatment failure and death in patients and animals. Further studies are required to determine the applicability of this approach in an
in vivo
model.
Validating an instrument for measuring community cultural wealth with biology majors at a Hispanic-serving institution
Authors: Eden Alexander , Dewsbury Bryan M.
Published: October 2024

Boosting underrepresented student persistence in STEM majors has been of interest for several years. Prior research has explored various factors that may influence student success and persistence in STEM majors. Specifically, some of these studies have employed Yosso’s community cultural wealth framework to explore how a student’s cultural wealth may link to certain outcomes. Most of these studies have taken a qualitative approach when exploring cultural wealth and less adopt a quantitative approach. Using biology students in an introductory biology class during the fall (
n
= 303) and spring semesters (
n
= 215) at a large Hispanic-serving institution in the southeastern United States, this study seeks to contribute to the literature by validating a previously constructed instrument with a new population. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using principal axis factoring and an oblique rotation. EFA results revealed 10 dimensions of cultural wealth. Additionally, confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the model produced properly measures the constructs as intended. Overall, the final 56-item instrument used in this study was validated and can be used for measuring cultural wealth in similar populations.
Triton X-100-treated virus-based ELLA demonstrates discordant antigenic evolution of influenza B virus hemagglutinin and neuraminidase
Authors: Do Thi H. T. , Wille Michelle , Wheatley Adam K. , Koutsakos Marios
Published: October 2024

Neuraminidase (NA)-specific antibodies have been associated with protection against influenza and thus NA is considered a promising target for next-generation vaccines against influenza A (IAV) and B viruses (IBV). NA inhibition (NI) by antibodies is typically assessed using an enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). However, ELLA can be confounded by anti-hemagglutinin (anti-HA) antibodies that block NA by steric hindrance (termed HA interference). Although strategies have been employed to overcome HA interference for IAV, similar approaches have not been assessed for IBV. We found that HA interference is common in ELLA using IBV, rendering the technique unreliable. Anti-HA antibodies were not completely depleted from sera by HA-expressing cell lines, and this approach was of limited utility. In contrast, we find that treatment of virions with Triton X-100, but not Tween-20 or ether, efficiently separates the HA and NA components and overcomes interference caused by anti-HA antibodies. We also characterize a panel of recombinant IBV NA proteins that further validated the results from Triton X-100-treated virus-based ELLA. Using these reagents and assays, we demonstrate discordant antigenic evolution between IBV NA and HA over the last 80 years. This optimized ELLA protocol will facilitate further in-depth serological surveys of IBV immunity as well as antigenic characterization of the IBV NA on a larger scale.

IMPORTANCE

Influenza B viruses (IBVs) contribute to annual epidemics and may cause severe disease, especially in children. Consequently, several approaches are being explored to improve vaccine efficacy, including the addition of neuraminidase (NA). Antigen selection and assessment of serological responses will require a reliable serological assay to specifically quantify NA inhibition (NI). Although such assays have been assessed for influenza A viruses (IAVs), this has not been done of influenza B viruses. Our study identifies a readily applicable strategy to measure the inhibitory activity of neuraminidase-specific antibodies against influenza B virus without interference from anti-hemagglutinin (anti-HA) antibodies. This will aid broader serological assessment of influenza B virus-specific antibodies and antigenic characterization of the influenza B virus neuraminidase.
You can bring plankton to fecal indicator organisms, but you cannot make the plankton graze: particle contribution to
E. coli
and MS2 inactivation in surface waters
Authors: Kennedy Lauren C. , Mattis Ava M. , Boehm Alexandria B.
Published: October 2024

Organisms that are associated with feces (“fecal indicator organisms”) are monitored to assess the potential for fecal contamination of surface water bodies in the United States. However, the effect of the complex mixtures of chemicals and the natural microbial community within surface water (“particles”) on fecal indicator organism persistence is not well characterized. We aimed to better understand how particles, including biological (e.g., potential grazers) and inert (e.g., minerals) types, affect the fecal indicator organisms
Escherichia coli
K-12 (“
E. coli
”) and bacteriophage MS2 in surface waters. A gradient of particles captured by a 0.2-µm-pore-size filter (“large particles”) was generated, and the additional particles and dissolved constituents that passed through the filter were deemed “small particles.” We measured the ratio of MS2 and
E. coli
that survived over a 24-h incubation period for each condition (0%–1,000% large-particle concentration in raw water) and completed a linear regression that included large- and small-particle coefficients. Particles were characterized by quantifying plankton, total bacterial cells, and total solids.
E. coli
and MS2 persistence was not significantly affected by large particles, but small particles had an effect in most waters. Small particles in higher-salinity waters had the largest, negative effect on
E. coli
and MS2 survival ratios: Significant small-particle coefficients ranged from −1.7 to −5.5 day
−1
in the marine waters and −0.89 to −3.2 day
−1
in the fresh and estuarine waters. This work will inform remediation efforts for impaired surface water bodies.

IMPORTANCE

Many surface water bodies in the United States have organisms associated with fecal contamination that exceed regulatory standards and prevent safe recreation. The process to remediate impaired water bodies is complicated because these fecal indicator organisms are affected by the local environmental conditions. For example, the effect of particles in surface water on fecal indicator concentrations are difficult to quantify in a way that is comparable between studies and water bodies. We applied a method that overcomes this limitation to assess the effects of large particles, including natural plankton that could consume the seeded fecal indicator organisms. Even in environmental water samples with diverse communities of plankton present, no effect of large particles on fecal indicator concentrations was observed. These findings have implications for the interpretation and design of future studies, including that particle characterization of surface water may be necessary to assess the fate of fecal indicators.
Psychological distress and trajectories of sleep duration among Australian adolescents: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Arya Vikas , Munasinghe Sithum , Sperandei Sandro , Marjanovic Sandra , Conroy Elizabeth , Freebairn Louise , Page Andrew
Published: October 2024

Objectives

This study investigated the association between indicators of psychological distress and well-being and trajectories of sleep duration among a cohort of Australian adolescents.

Design

A prospective cohort of adolescents was followed over 27 weeks (8 November 2019–14 May 2020). Data on sleep duration and psychological distress were collected via smartphones, based on ecological momentary assessments.

Setting

Sydney population catchment, Australia.

Participants

Young people aged 13–19 years were recruited via social media (Instagram or Facebook).

Primary outcome measure

Self-reported sleep duration in the past 24 hours. Sleep duration was dichotomised into ‘less than 8 hours’ and ‘at least 8 hours’, to represent those participants not meeting the recommended minimum amount of daily sleep.

Results

Participants with high psychological distress had higher odds of sleeping less than 8 hours (OR 1.51 (95% CI 1.17 to 1.96)), compared with those with low psychological distress. Social media use (OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.79)) and longer periods spent on homework (OR 1.37, (95% CI 1.07 to 1.75)) were also associated with a sleep duration of less than 8 hours. Also, decreasing sleep trajectories were associated with increased psychological distress (β=0.069, (95% CI −0.010 to 0.149)) and increased homework hours (β=0.078 (95% CI 0.036 to 0.120)).

Conclusion

Findings highlight the adverse impact of psychological distress and high levels of social media use on sleep duration among adolescents. Longitudinal studies with longer follow-up periods are warranted to further explore the temporal associations between sleep duration and different health outcomes among varying populations.
Market survey of food product indicators and their credibility as a healthy food product in Klang Valley, Malaysia
Authors: Lim Yong Shi , Aim Norjianah , Shahar Suzana
Published: October 2024

Introduction

The presence of food product indicators may facilitate consumers in making informed healthy choices. However, it may also mislead consumers. This study aims to determine the prevalence of food products carrying food product indicators; the compliance of products bearing Malaysia’s Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) and nutrition and health claims (NHC) towards the local regulations; and the credibility of the aforementioned products as healthy food products based on the international regulation in the Malaysian market.

Method

This is a cross-sectional market survey conducted from February to May 2023 on 3428 products sold in Malaysian supermarkets. Product information including the brand, name, nutrition information panel, food product indicator (front-of-pack nutrition labelling, NHC, other claims), ingredients list and manufacturer or importer were collected. Compliance of products carrying NHC and HCL is evaluated against local guidelines. Credibility as a healthy product is evaluated against the WHO Nutrient Profile Model for the Western Pacific Region on a subsample (products with HCL and/or NHC).

Results

53% of food products surveyed had food product indicators (n=1809). A total of 32% carried at least one NHC (n=1101), of which 47% had excellent overall compliance (n=522). Only 4% carried Malaysia’s HCL (n=138), of which 48% had excellent nutrient compliance (n=66). Only 13% of the products carrying Malaysia’s HCL and NHC could be identified as absolute healthy food products as defined by the WHO standard (n=147).

Conclusion

Although half of the products surveyed had food product indicators, merely half of them had excellent compliance towards the standards. Only 13% of the subsample qualified as healthy food products. Voluntary application of the local HCL was low among food industries. Ensuring high standards of compliance and credibility of food products in the Malaysian market is crucial for food companies and government authorities.
Who is consuming ultra-processed food in Canada? A cross-sectional analysis of the 2018/2019 International Food Policy Study
Authors: Hamel Virginie , Polsky Jane Y. , Nardocci Milena , Kirkpatrick Sharon , Vanderlee Lana , Hammond David , Garriguet Didier , Byker Shanks Carmen , Louzada Maria Laura da Costa , Robitaille Éric , Moubarac Jean-Claude
Published: October 2024

High consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) has been linked to poor diet quality and an increased risk of non-communicable diseases. To inform public policies and interventions aimed at reducing UPF intake in Canada, updated information on UPF intake among different sociodemographic groups is needed. This study, using data from 5872 adults aged 18 years and older from the International Food Policy Study (2018–2019), aims to estimate the dietary energy contribution of UPF and assess its variation among sociodemographic subgroups. All foods and drinks reported in a single 24 h dietary recall were classified using the Nova system. We estimated the mean proportion of total daily energy from UPF and subcategories of UPF in the overall sample and among sociodemographic subgroups. Multivariable linear regression models evaluated the association between sociodemographic characteristics with the proportion of total daily energy from UPF. On average, adults consumed 45.2% of their total daily energy from UPF. UPF consumption was slightly higher among males than females (49.4% vs. 47.6%, p = 0.039) and younger adults aged 19–30 years compared with older adults aged 51–64 years (50.0% vs. 47.2%, p = 0.029), adjusting for a range of sociodemographic factors. Overall, UPF consumption was relatively high among adults in all sociodemographic subgroups, highlighting the need for policies to decrease UPF consumption in the entire population.
Experimental study on mechanical and acoustic emission characteristics of red sandstone containing combined flaws of hole–fissure under biaxial compression
Authors: Liu Tingfang , Wang Gang , Wang Changsheng , Wu Xuezhen , Chen Junhao , Zhang Houquan , Chen Huiyuan , Zheng Changjie
Published: October 2024

To investigate the mechanical behaviour and failure mechanism of flawed rock masses under biaxial stress conditions, a series of biaxial compression experiments are conducted on red sandstone specimens containing combined flaws of the circular hole and perforated symmetric fissure combined with acoustic emission (AE) technology in this work. The results show a close association between the stress–strain curve morphology and confining stress, both the biaxial compression strength and elastic modulus exhibit an upward trend with increasing fissure angle and confining stress. The maximum AE energy and cumulative AE energy both increase with higher confining stress. The crack types in the specimens are identified by analyzing the average frequency/rise time/amplitude value distribution, revealing a gradual decrease in the percentage of tensile cracks with increasing fissure angle. An AE localization algorithm based on the least absolute value method is applied to pinpoint AE events during biaxial compression, and AE events distribution is analyzed through the kernel density estimation. The crack extension behaviour is described based on the movement of the maximum kernel density points, which initially exhibits a progression from both ends of the specimen toward the central region and subsequently from the central fissure tip toward the two ends.
Elastic–plastic–creep behavior of high rockfill dams: a case study on Lianghekou CRFD
Authors: Jiang Qiuting , Zou Degao , Liu Jingmao , Ning Fanwei , Chen Kai , Jin Wei
Published: October 2024

The instantaneous loading and time-dependent creep deformations occur simultaneously during the lifetime of rockfill dams, but their proportions in monitoring records are still unclear. In previous works, loading and creep were generally simulated independently in turn. This uncoupled method may induce misleading conclusions in interpreting dam behaviors. In this paper, an advanced elastic–plastic–creep model is applied to capture the interaction of loading and creep under complex conditions with varying loading rates based on a benchmark example of 295 m high Lianghekou core wall rockfill dam. The instantaneous elastic–plastic parameters of rockfills are calibrated by large-scale triaxial tests (including 300 and 800 mm in diameter) and the time-dependent creep parameters are obtained by back analyses on monitoring records. A series of numerical analyses on the dam are conducted. The loading-creep coupling process of rockfills is successfully captured and the instantaneous and time-dependent creep deformations are explicitly separated. The 800 mm diameter triaxial test weakens the size effect and provides an acceptable representation for the instantaneous behaviors of prototype rockfills. The good agreement between the calculations of the elastic–plastic–creep coupling analysis and measurements indicates creep contributes about 8%–15% to total construction deformation. The work provides guides for properly interpreting and evaluating actual dam behaviors.
Nutrient ratios, foliar vector analysis, and nutrient use efficiency of four conifer stands growing under contrasting competing vegetation control treatments in the Pacific Northwest of the United States
Authors: Gonzalez-Benecke Carlos A. , Cannon Callan F. , Von Blon Emily C.
Published: October 2024

This study investigates competing vegetation effects on foliar and total plant-derived nutrient ratios, nutrient use efficiency (NUE), and foliar nutrient content and concentration of ecosystem components using vector analysis for 19-year-old Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menzeisii (Mirb.) Franco), western hemlock ( Tsuga hereophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), western redcedar ( Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don), and grand fir ( Abies grandis (Dougl.) Lindl.) stands in Oregon's Coast Range and for Douglas-fir and western redcedar in Oregon's Cascade foothills. Treatments included the Control, which received no spring release herbicide applications, and vegetation management (VM), which received 5 years of spring release herbicide applications, reducing competing vegetation abundance. VM increased the NUE of N, P, Mg, S, and Cu across all species when calculated with total plant-derived carbon and of all nutrients when calculated with stemwood carbon. VM often produced more harvestable and plant-derived carbon per unit nutrient fixed, improving the NUE of stands managed for carbon sequestration and timber. Species showed different stand nutrient requirements, evident through foliar and plant-derived nutrient ratios and their relationship with biomass production. Grand fir may obtain larger biomass increments for a given P:N ratio in plant-derived tissue and may be efficient in P-limited Coast Range sites.
The airway smooth muscle and the pipe dream of better bronchodilators
Authors: Bossé Ynuk
Published: October 2024

Research on airway smooth muscle has traditionally focused on its putative detrimental role in asthma, emphasizing on how its shortening narrows the airway lumen, without much consideration about its potential role in subserving the function of the entire respiratory system. New experimental evidence on mice suggests that not only the smooth muscle is required to sustain life postnatally, but its stiffening effect on the lung tissue also protects against excessive airway narrowing and, most importantly, against small airway narrowing heterogeneity and closure. These results suggest that the smooth muscle plays an vital role in the lung periphery, essentially safeguarding alveolar ventilation by preventing small airway closure. These results also shed light on perplexing clinical observations, such as the long-standing doubts about the safety of bronchodilators. Since there seems to be an optimal level of smooth muscle contraction, at least in small airways, the therapeutic goal of maximizing the relaxation of the smooth muscle in asthma needs to be revisited. A bronchodilator with an excessive potency for inhibiting smooth muscle contraction, and that is still potent at concentrations reaching the lung periphery, may foster airway closure and air trapping, resulting in no net gain or even a decline in lung function.
Variability in mineral composition of Canadian lentil genotypes
Authors: Vargas Ana , Podder Rajib , Subedi Maya , Bett Kirstin E. , Vandenberg Albert
Published: October 2024

Lentils are a good dietary source of essential minerals for the proper functioning of the human body. We evaluated 34 cultivars and elite lentil lines representing the breadth of the Canadian breeding program. Trials were established in 10 site-years across Saskatchewan. Concentrations of 27 minerals were quantified with an inductive coupled argon plasma emission spectrometer in whole and dehulled lentil seeds. Lithium (Li), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), tin (Sn), lanthanum (La), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) had concentrations below the quantification limit and were excluded from further analysis. The effects of site year, tissue type (whole and dehulled), and lentil genotypes were analyzed using a mixed model. Mineral concentrations of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), boron (B), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), aluminum (Al), and barium (Ba) was different among genotypes and across environments. Most minerals except Cu had significantly different concentrations between whole and dehulled seeds. Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, B, Al, and Ba were more concentrated in whole seeds, while K, S, and Ni were higher in dehulled seeds. Among the 34 genotypes, CDC Impala had the highest Fe, Zn, K, P, S, and Cu concentrations. Lentil genotypes with a higher composition of several minerals could be a starting point for enhancing mineral composition in lentils.
Accounting of weathering enhancement by mafic mineral spreading for CO
2
storage
Authors: Hara Junko , Sayama Kazuhiro
Published: October 2024

The reduction of atmospheric CO
2
is an urgent global issue in the mitigation of global warming. Carbonate acts as a carbon sink in Earth's surface layer, and the weathering of terrestrial silicates and the deposition of oceanic calcium carbonate and organic matter mainly determine atmospheric and oceanic carbon dynamics on geological timescales. Various CO
2
-reduction approaches have been evaluated and the weathering-acceleration method is expected to be a low-cost approach. This study attempts to estimate carbonate precipitation potential and the dissolution rate from alkali leaching rates using weathering tests on mafic rocks.

Based on Japan's annual average rainfall, the
in situ
carbonate precipitation potential obtained by spreading an olivine mineral or basalt rock powder at 40 tonne-powder ha
–1
was of the order of 10
−3
 tonne yr
–1
 tonne-rock
–1
. This weathering rate could not be greatly accelerated under natural temperature conditions and fine granulation of the minerals.
Knowledge-based Cyber Physical Security at Smart Home: A Review
Authors: Alsufyani Azhar , Rana Omer , Perera Charith
Published: October 2024

Smart-home systems represent the future of modern building infrastructure as they integrate numerous devices and applications to improve the overall quality of life. These systems establish connectivity among smart devices, leveraging network technologies and algorithmic controls to monitor and manage physical environments. However, ensuring robust security in smart homes, along with securing smart devices, presents a formidable challenge. A substantial number of security solutions for smart homes rely on data-driven approaches (e.g., machine/deep learning) to identify and mitigate potential threats. These approaches involve training models on extensive datasets, which distinguishes them from knowledge-driven methods. In this review, we examine the role of knowledge within smart homes, focusing on understanding and reasoning regarding various events and their utility toward securing smart homes. We propose a taxonomy to characterize the categorization of decision-making approaches. By specifying the most common vulnerabilities, attacks, and threats, we can analyze and assess the countermeasures against them. We also examine how smart homes have been evaluated in the reviewed literature. Furthermore, we explore the challenges inherent in smart homes and investigate existing solutions that aim at overcoming these limitations. Finally, we examine the key gaps in smart-home-security research and define future research directions for knowledge-driven schemes.
Early elevations in arterial pressure: a contributor to rapid depressive symptom emergence in female Zucker rats with metabolic disease?
Authors: Konecny Filip , Kamar Lujaina , Zimmerman Isabel , Whitehead Shawn N. , Goldman Daniel , Frisbee Jefferson C.
Published: October 2024

We provide novel insight that the superior maintenance of cerebrovascular endothelial function in female versus male rats with chronic metabolic disease buffers myogenic activation of cerebral resistance arteries/arterioles despite worsening hypertension. As hypertension development is earlier and more severe in females, potentially due to an elevated stress response, the blunted myogenic activation allows greater arterial pressure wave penetrance into the cerebral microcirculation and is associated with accelerated emergence/severity of depressive symptoms in obese female rats.
Development of the Beliefs in Human Nature Uniqueness Scale and Its Associations With Perception of Social Robots
Authors: Giger Jean-Christophe , Piçarra Nuno , Pochwatko Grzegorz , Almeida Nuno , Almeida Ana Susana , Costa Neuza
Published: October 2024

There is an actual trend for humanizing technological artifacts, especially social robots. However, human‐like social robots trigger negative attitudes by threatening human uniqueness as well as humanness. The present paper presents the development of the Belief in Human Nature Uniqueness Scale (BHNUS) to assess the individual tendency to deny social robots the possibility to have human features considered to be the hallmarks of humanness. The validation of the BHNUS was completed along seven studies, with a total of 1044 Portuguese participants. Results showed that BHNUS had good structural qualities (Studies 1 and 2), as well as good convergent and discriminant validities. BHNUS was correlated with negative attitudes towards robots, religiosity, and interest for science fiction (Study 3), attribution of traits of warmth to robots (Study 4), positive and negative emotional appraisal (Study 5), perspective taking (Study 6), and attitudes towards the development of robots with human features (Study 7). The importance of the BHNUS regarding the development of social robots and human–robot interaction is discussed.

If you were to insist I was a robot, you might not consider me capable of love in some mystic human sense, but you would not be able to distinguish my reactions from that which you would call love so what difference would it make?

Isaac Asimov (1982) in Foundation’s Edge, p. 420
Plasma Ghrelin and Risks of Sex-Specific, Site-Specific, and Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A Mendelian Randomization Analysis
Authors: Hazelwood Emma , Lopez Manzano Catalina , Vincent Emma E. , Albanes Demetrius , Bishop David Timothy , Le Marchand Loïc , Ulrich Cornelia M. , Peters Ulrike , Murphy Gwen , Samadder Niloy Jewel , Anderson Laura , Gunter Marc J. , Murphy Neil , Van Guelpen Bethany , Papadimitriou Nikos
Published: October 2024

Background:

Epidemiological and laboratory-based studies have provided conflicting evidence for a role of ghrelin in colorectal cancer development. We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to evaluate evidence for an association of circulating ghrelin and colorectal cancer risk overall and by sex, cancer subsite, and age at diagnosis.

Methods:

Genetic instruments proxying plasma total ghrelin levels were obtained from a recent genome-wide association study of 54,219 participants. Summary data for colorectal cancer risk were obtained from a recent meta-analysis of several genetic consortia (up to 73,673 cases and 86,854 controls). A two-sample MR approach and several sensitivity analyses were applied.

Results:

We found no evidence for an association of genetically predicted plasma total ghrelin levels and colorectal cancer risk (0.95, 95% confidence interval, 0.81–1.12; R2 of ghrelin genetic instruments: 4.6%), with similarly null results observed when stratified by sex, anatomical subsite, and for early-onset colorectal cancer.

Conclusions:

Our study suggests that plasma ghrelin levels are unlikely to have a causal relationship with overall, early-onset, and sex- and cancer subsite–stratified colorectal cancer risk.

Impact:

This large-scale analysis adds to the growing body of evidence that plasma total ghrelin levels are not associated with colorectal cancer risk.