bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A retrospective study on the prognostic factors and success, survival, and failure outcomes of treated endodontic‐periodontal lesions
Authors: Wong Ingar , Ton An , Cassidy Amiel J. , Fozzard Nicolette , Sharma Lavanya Ajay , Love Robert M. , Sharma Ajay
Published: February 2024

Objectives

The objective of this retrospective study was to determine possible prognostic factors of endodontic‐periodontal lesions and to compare success, survival, and failure outcomes of treated endodontic‐periodontal lesions across different treatment modalities, demographic variables, and anatomical tooth variations.

Materials and Methods

Data was collected from patient records in the patient management system (Salud, Titanium Solutions) from the Griffith University Dental Clinic between January 2008 and December 2021. The search strategy used the terms “endodontic periodontal lesion,” “periodontal endodontic lesion,” “endo perio lesion,” “perio endo lesion,” and “EPL.” The 88 cases which met inclusion and exclusion criteria were analyzed.

Results

The overall success rate was 46.6%, with 21.6% of teeth surviving and 31.8% of teeth failing. Bone loss extending to the apical third (OR = 0.3, 95% CI [0.104, 0.866]), and probing depths of 5–7 mm (OR = 0.147, 95% CI [0.034, 0.633]) and 8‐10 mm (OR = 0.126, 95% CI [0.029, 0.542]) were associated with a statistically significant lower odds of success (p < .05). A history of no periodontal disease (OR = 7.705, 95% CI [1.603, 37.037]) was associated with a statistically significant higher odds of success (p < .05).

Conclusion

Practitioners should be aware of bone loss to the apical third, deep probing depths, and a history of periodontal disease as possible prognostic factors that can affect the success rate when treating endodontic‐periodontal lesions. Further research with more stringent control over operator factors should be done to investigate these variables.
Increasing the seed production efficiency of autumn potato with plant growth regulators
Authors: Singh Amanpreet , Aulakh C S , Sidhu A S
Published: February 2024

Higher productivity of seed‐size tubers is a significant issue in seed potato (Solanum tuberosum) production systems. Punjab, in northwest India, is the hub of seed potato production and supplies 60% seed requirement of the country. However, to improve the productivity of seed‐size (3.5–4.5 cm) tubers, research trials were run at Ludhiana for 2 years (autumn 2019 and 2020) to examine the effectiveness of plant growth regulators in enhancing the growth and yield of seed potatoes. The experimental trial with 11 growth regulation treatments—control (water spray), IBA (indole‐3‐butyric acid) (100 mg/L), IBA (200 mg/L), NAA (1‐naphthaleneacetic acid) (25 mg/L), NAA (50 mg/L), ethrel (25 mg/L), ethrel (50 mg/L), GA3 (gibberellic acid) (100 mg/L), GA3 (200 mg/L), jeevamrit, and waste decomposer—was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. GA3 (200 mg/L) applied at 45 and 60 days after sowing, resulted in significantly higher seed and total tuber yields than all other growth regulation treatments. It produced 34.9% and 31.5% higher total tuber yields as compared to the untreated control. However, it had no significant impact on undersized and small‐sized tuber yield and number. GA3 at a concentration of 200 mg/L yielded the highest seed production efficiency of 51.7% and 38.9% compared to the control. This underscores the significance of precise application concentrations in controlling both seed yield and size.
The drivers of cooperation for innovation and the role of environmental orientation
Authors: Peiró‐Signes Ángel , Díez‐Martínez Inés , Segarra‐Oña Marival
Published: February 2024

Firm innovation is a complex and multidimensional process that is affected by internal and external factors. Companies and governments have traditionally tried to promote in‐house innovation by promoting research and development investment. In an economy characterized by a large percentage of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises and continuous change toward digital and green transition, many companies struggle to innovate because of their lack of resources, knowledge, or capabilities. In this context, the external links and networks that materialize through active engagement in innovation activities with market and institutional agents are key, and analyzing cooperation for innovation is essential to obtain an overview to promote innovation. This study contributes to the understanding of (1) the drivers in innovative companies that lead to cooperation with external agents for innovation; (2) the relative importance of these drivers for cooperation; (3) the extent to which the eco‐innovation orientation of a company affects its engagement in collaborations with other stakeholders; and (4) an understanding of the differences in the cooperation drivers according to the type of collaborator (institutional, market, or both). Using data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel and machine‐learning techniques, we confirm the importance of internal and external factors, namely public financing, the environmental and social orientation of innovation, and the commitment to innovation. This research also reveals the asymmetric impact of many of the cooperation drivers, and that company cooperation with both market and institutional agents leads to higher innovation performance. The findings have important implications for policymakers and practitioners.
A generalized closed‐form analytic design technique for solid‐state Marx generators
Authors: Hassan Mahmoud S. , Safwat Ibrahim M. , Abounemra Ahmed M. E. , Ahmed Hesham N.
Published: February 2024

Solid‐state Marx generators (SSMGs) are capable of generating high‐voltage pulses, with certain repetition frequency, and have a multitude of applications. Published research work targets more elaborate SSMG circuits without the existence of a specific design procedure. In this paper, basic circuit parameters (stage capacitance,duty cycleandvoltage droop) of generic resistive‐loaded SSMG—producing a single/burst of pulses—are precisely modeled. Accordingly, a generalized, closed‐form analytic design algorithm suitable for any resistive‐loaded SSMG is presented; the proposed algorithm guides designers throughout the SSMG design phase and furthermore, produces parametric design curves that provide designers with an in‐depth vision of the individual effect of each design parameter on the circuit performance. To quantify the robustness of the proposed algorithm, it is used to design a simple conventional, load‐dependent SSMG architecture fulfilling specific application requirements (frequency of 10 KHz, peak output voltage of 1.2 KV, and 510‐W average power per burst). Based on the obtained design and using the derived equations, the average power per burst is calculated for different number of pulses in the range of 1–10 pulses for the simulation and the implementation. The resulting relative error between the simulation and the measurement results is found to be in the range of 0.14%–0.37%. Afterward, the proposed algorithm is used to validate the published results of a complex SSMG. The relative error between the published results and those obtained using the proposed algorithm does not exceed 2.5%; this validates the modeling behind the proposed design technique and renders it as a solution approach for any resistive‐loaded SSMG topology irrespective of its complexity.
Performance of the Lumipulse plasma Aβ42/40 and pTau181 immunoassays in the detection of amyloid pathology
Authors: Figdore Daniel J. , Wiste Heather J. , Bornhorst Joshua A. , Bateman Randall J. , Li Yan , Graff‐Radford Jonathan , Knopman David S. , Vemuri Prashanthi , Lowe Val J. , Jr Clifford R. Jack , Petersen Ronald C. , Algeciras‐Schimnich Alicia
Published: February 2024

INTRODUCTION

This study evaluated the performance of the Lumipulse plasma beta‐amyloid (Aβ) 42/40 and pTau181 compared to other assays to detect an abnormal amyloid‐positron emission tomography (PET).

METHODS

Plasma samples from cognitively unimpaired (N = 179) and MCI/AD dementia (N = 36) individuals were retrospectively evaluated. Plasma Aβ42/40 and pTau181 were measured using the Lumipulse and Simoa immunoassays. An immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry (IP‐MS) assay for plasma Aβ42/40 was also evaluated. Amyloid‐PET status was the outcome measure.

RESULTS

Lumipulse and IP‐MS Aβ42/40 exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy for detecting an abnormal amyloid‐PET (areas under the curve [AUCs] of 0.81 and 0.84, respectively). The Lumipulse and Simoa pTau181 assays exhibited lower performance (AUCs of 0.74 and 0.72, respectively). The Simoa Aβ42/40 assay demonstrated the lowest diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.57). Combining Aβ42/40 and pTau181 did not significantly improve performance over Aβ42/40 alone for Lumipulse (AUC 0.83) or over pTau181 alone for Simoa (AUC 0.71)

DISCUSSION

The Lumipulse Aβ42/40 assay showed similar performance to the IP‐MS Aβ42/40 assay for detection of an abnormal amyloid‐PET; and both assays performed better than the two p‐tau181 immunoassays. The Simoa Aβ42/Aβ40 assay was the least accurate at predicting an abnormal amyloid‐PET status.

Highlights

Lumipulse plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 AUC for abnormal amyloid‐PET detection was 0.81.

This performance was comparable to previously reported IP‐MS and higher than Simoa.

Performance of Alzheimer's disease blood biomarkers varies between assays.
Nurturing innovation, catalyzing change: Honoring the legacy of Dr. C. Barr Taylor in the eating disorders field
Authors: Fitzsimmons‐Craft Ellen E. , Wilfley Denise E. , Accurso Erin C. , Balantekin Katherine N. , Celio Doyle Angela , Eisenberg Daniel , Firebaugh Marie‐Laure , Flatt Rachael E. , Goel Neha J. , Graham Andrea K. , Jacobi Corinna , Jones Bell Megan , Monterubio Grace E. , Newman Michelle G. , Sadeh‐Sharvit Shiri , Taylor Katherine , Weissman Ruth Striegel
Published: February 2024

This Virtual Issue of the International Journal of Eating Disorders honors the legacy of the late Dr. C. Barr Taylor in the eating disorders (EDs) field. For decades, Dr. Taylor led the way in not only conducting the research needed to achieve the ultimate goal of making affordable, accessible, and evidence‐based care for EDs available to all, but also nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders and innovators. Articles included in this Virtual Issue are a selection of Dr. Taylor's published works in the Journal in the past decade, spanning original research, ideas worth researching, commentaries, and a systematic review. We hope this Virtual Issue will inspire the next generation of research in EDs, and equally, if not more importantly, the next generation of young investigators in the field. We urge the field to continue and build upon Dr. Taylor's vision—to increase access to targeted prevention and intervention for EDs in innovative and forward‐thinking ways—while embracing his unique and powerful mentorship style to lift up early career investigators and create a community of leaders to address and solve our field's biggest challenges.
Assessing adequacy of citizen science datasets for biodiversity monitoring
Authors: Backstrom Louis J. , Callaghan Corey T. , Leseberg Nicholas P. , Sanderson Chris , Fuller Richard A. , Watson James E. M.
Published: February 2024

Tracking the state of biodiversity over time is critical to successful conservation, but conventional monitoring schemes tend to be insufficient to adequately quantify how species' abundances and distributions are changing. One solution to this issue is to leverage data generated by citizen scientists, who collect vast quantities of data at temporal and spatial scales that cannot be matched by most traditional monitoring methods. However, the quality of citizen science data can vary greatly. In this paper, we develop three metrics (inventory completeness, range completeness, spatial bias) to assess the adequacy of spatial observation data. We explore the adequacy of citizen science data at the species level for Australia's terrestrial native birds and then model these metrics against a suite of seven species traits (threat status, taxonomic uniqueness, body mass, average count, range size, species density, and human population density) to identify predictors of data adequacy. We find that citizen science data adequacy for Australian birds is increasing across two of our metrics (inventory completeness and range completeness), but not spatial bias, which has worsened over time. Relationships between the three metrics and seven traits we modelled were variable, with only two traits having consistently significant relationships across the three metrics. Our results suggest that although citizen science data adequacy has generally increased over time, there are still gaps in the spatial adequacy of citizen science for monitoring many Australian birds. Despite these gaps, citizen science can play an important role in biodiversity monitoring by providing valuable baseline data that may be supplemented by information collected through other methods. We believe the metrics presented here constitute an easily applied approach to assessing the utility of citizen science datasets for biodiversity analyses, allowing researchers to identify and prioritise regions or species with lower data adequacy that will benefit most from targeted monitoring efforts.
Spinal fMRI demonstrates segmental organisation of functionally connected networks in the cervical spinal cord: A test–retest reliability study
Authors: Kowalczyk Olivia S. , Medina Sonia , Tsivaka Dimitra , McMahon Stephen B. , Williams Steven C. R. , Brooks Jonathan C. W. , Lythgoe David J. , Howard Matthew A.
Published: February 2024

Resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have identified intrinsic spinal cord activity, which forms organised motor (ventral) and sensory (dorsal) resting‐state networks. However, to facilitate the use of spinal fMRI in, for example, clinical studies, it is crucial to first assess the reliability of the method, particularly given the unique anatomical, physiological, and methodological challenges associated with acquiring the data. Here, we characterise functional connectivity relationships in the cervical cord and assess their between‐session test–retest reliability in 23 young healthy volunteers. Resting‐state networks were estimated in two ways (1) by estimating seed‐to‐voxel connectivity maps and (2) by calculating seed‐to‐seed correlations. Seed regions corresponded to the four grey matter horns (ventral/dorsal and left/right) of C5–C8 segmental levels. Test–retest reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Spatial overlap of clusters derived from seed‐to‐voxel analysis between sessions was examined using Dice coefficients. Following seed‐to‐voxel analysis, we observed distinct unilateral dorsal and ventral organisation of cervical spinal resting‐state networks that was largely confined in the rostro–caudal extent to each spinal segmental level, with more sparse connections observed between segments. Additionally, strongest correlations were observed between within‐segment ipsilateral dorsal–ventral connections, followed by within‐segment dorso–dorsal and ventro–ventral connections. Test–retest reliability of these networks was mixed. Reliability was poor when assessed on a voxelwise level, with more promising indications of reliability when examining the average signal within clusters. Reliability of correlation strength between seeds was highly variable, with the highest reliability achieved in ipsilateral dorsal–ventral and dorso‐dorsal/ventro–ventral connectivity. However, the spatial overlap of networks between sessions was excellent. We demonstrate that while test–retest reliability of cervical spinal resting‐state networks is mixed, their spatial extent is similar across sessions, suggesting that these networks are characterised by a consistent spatial representation over time.
Learning from socially driven frugal innovation to design the future of healthcare: A case of mobile Primary Health Center
Authors: Akhtar Md Haseen , Ramkumar Janakarajan
Published: February 2024

Background and Aim

Despite their flaws, the low‐cost but powerful economical solutions can ensure everyone has access to health. The main aim of this study is to extract characteristics of frugal innovation (FI) and social innovation (SI) for Primary Health Centers (PHCs) in low resource settings (LRS) for sustainable development. We will use the gained insights to design the mobile primary healthcare infrastructure using FI and SI strategies. There is a lack of methodology to design sustainable healthcare infrastructure for LRS. There is a gap in the literature about building sustainable infrastructure to provide basic healthcare facilities essential to the community. This article studies several factors necessary for designing sustainable infrastructure from the lens of FI, SI, and sustainability to develop a mobile healthcare infrastructure for last‐mile people.

Methods

Started with purposive sampled case studies to find out factors and criteria that most affect the success for an innovation to be frugal, social, and sustainable. The established criteria were used to design, develop, and deploy the mobile Primary Health Center (mPHC). Moving forward, we tested the system designed with stakeholders to gather insights. At this stage we found the feedback loop from the stakeholders and the role of interdisciplinary discussions between experts, medical officers, nurses, patient, and other staff of PHCs during the design, development, deployment, and test stage to be useful in taking design decisions efficiently.

Results

The designed healthcare infrastructure of mPHC through the aspects of FI and SI proves to be efficient in providing key healthcare services to LRS.

Conclusion

Focusing on essential capabilities and optimizing performance with technology, methodologies, and processes reduces costs in an innovation. Focus on socially inclusive and rebalancing power disparities, overcome societal challenges and improve human capabilities will create a sustainable and novel solution.
Discrimination of vocal folds lesions by multiclass classification using autofluorescence spectroscopy: An ex vivo study
Authors: Gaiffe Olivier , Mahdjoub Joackim , Ramasso Emmanuel , Mauvais Olivier , Lihoreau Thomas , Pazart Lionel , Wacogne Bruno , Tavernier Laurent
Published: February 2024

Background

Autofluorescence spectroscopy is effective for noninvasive detection but underutilized in tissue with various pathology analyses. This study evaluates whether AFS can be used to discriminate between different types of laryngeal lesions in view of assisting in vocal fold surgery and preoperative investigations.

Methods

A total of 1308 spectra were recorded from 29 vocal fold samples obtained from 23 patients. Multiclass analysis was performed on the spectral data, categorizing lesions into normal, benign, dysplastic, or carcinoma.

Results

Through an appropriate selection of spectral components and a cascading classification approach based on artificial neural networks, a classification rate of 97% was achieved for each lesion class, compared to 52% using autofluorescence intensity.

Conclusions

The ex vivo study demonstrates the effectiveness of AFS combined with multivariate analysis for accurate classification of vocal fold lesions. Comprehensive analysis of spectral data significantly improves classification accuracy, such as distinguishing malignant from precancerous or benign lesions.
Recent advances on monolithic perovskite‐organic tandem solar cells
Authors: Xie Guanshui , Li Huan , Qiu Longbin
Published: February 2024

Perovskite‐organic tandem solar cells (TSCs) have emerged as a groundbreaking technology in the realm of photovoltaics, showcasing remarkable enhancements in efficiency and significant potential for practical applications. Perovskite‐organic TSCs also exhibit facile fabrication surpassing that of all‐perovskite or all‐organic TSCs, attributing to the advantageous utilization of orthogonal solvents enabling sequential solution process for each subcell. The perovskite‐organic TSCs capitalize on the complementary light absorption characteristics of perovskite and organic materials. There is a promising prospect of achieving further enhanced power conversion efficiencies by covering a broad range of the solar spectrum with optimized perovskite absorber, organic semiconductors as well as the interconnecting layer's optical and electrical properties. This review comprehensively analyzes the recent advancements in perovskite‐organic TSCs, highlighting the synergistic effects of combining perovskite with a low open‐circuit voltage deficit, organic materials with broader light absorption, and interconnecting layers with reduced optical and electrical loss. Meanwhile, the underlying device architecture design, regulation strategies, and key challenges facing the high performance of the perovskite‐organic TSCs are also discussed.
Inflammatory biomarker changes in healthy adults secondary to electronic cigarette use: A scoping review
Authors: Boss Shawn , Bertolio Michael , Lipke Laura
Published: February 2024

Context

There has been a global increase in the use of electronic cigarettes (EC). However, to our knowledge, no review has summarized or categorized changes in inflammatory biomarkers after EC use in the extant literature.

Objective

To evaluate changes in general, cardiopulmonary, and oxidative stress‐related inflammatory biomarkers in healthy adults who use ECs.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted according to the Arksey and O'Malley framework. PubMed and MEDLINE (Ovid) databases were used for our search. After initial pilot searches and discussions, we performed a final search with medical subject headings and plain language terms related to inflammation, biomarkers, ECs, and adult humans. All full‐text articles, gray literature, and primary studies dating from the inception of the searched databases to the present were included. Studies of human participants with known confounding medical histories were excluded.

Results

Thirty‐seven studies met the inclusion criteria. After short‐term (<1 month) use, ECs containing nicotine moderately increased cardiovascular (CV) and oxidative stress markers of inflammation. Of all reported results, 50% of CV biomarkers were increased, and 64% of oxidative stress markers were increased. After long‐term (>1 month) use, ECs containing nicotine produced mixed results. Two commonly measured biomarkers in this group, matrix metalloproteinase‐9 (MMP‐9) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), were elevated in 75% and 60% of measured instances, respectively.

Conclusion

The results of studies evaluated in our scoping review suggested that short‐term use of nicotine‐containing ECs may result in increased CV and oxidative stress inflammation, contributing to potential CV or neurologic disease development. The results of studies evaluated in our scoping review also suggested that long‐term use of nicotine‐containing ECs resulted in no significant changes in general inflammatory biomarker levels. A rigorous systematic review and meta‐analysis is necessary to corroborate our findings and to determine the effect of long‐term EC use on MMP‐9 and IL‐6 levels.
Potential clinical implications of molecular mimicry‐induced autoimmunity
Authors: Suliman Bandar A
Published: February 2024

Background

Molecular mimicry is hypothesized to be a mechanism by which autoimmune diseases are triggered. It refers to sequence or structural homology between foreign antigens and self‐antigens, which can activate cross‐reactive lymphocytes that attack host tissues. Elucidating the role of molecular mimicry in human autoimmunity could have important clinical implications.

Objective

To review evidence for the role of molecular mimicry in major autoimmune diseases and discuss potential clinical implications.

Methods

Comprehensive literature review of clinical trials, observational studies, animal models, and immunology studies on molecular mimicry in multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Guillain‐Barre syndrome, autoimmune myocarditis, and primary biliary cirrhosis published from 2000–2023.

Results

Substantial indirect evidence supports molecular mimicry as a contributor to loss of self‐tolerance in several autoimmune conditions. Proposed microbial triggers include Epstein‐Barr virus, coxsackievirus, Campylobacter jejuni, and bacterial commensals. Key mechanisms involve cross‐reactive T cells and autoantibodies induced by epitope homology between microbial and self‐antigens. Perpetuation of autoimmunity involves epitope spreading, inflammatory mediators, and genetic factors.

Conclusions

Molecular mimicry plausibly explains initial stages of autoimmune pathogenesis induced by infection or microbiota disturbances. Understanding mimicry antigens and pathways could enable improved prediction, monitoring, and antigen‐specific immunotherapy for autoimmune disorders. However, definitive proof of causation in humans remains limited. Further research should focus on establishing clinical evidence and utility.
Serological detection of Newcastle disease virus in backyard poultry production system in Woliso District South West Shewa, Central Ethiopia
Authors: Choramo Alemayehu , Debelo Motuma , Tesfaye Asamenew , Bedasa Chala , Dima Chala , Guyassa Chala
Published: February 2024

Background

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important respiratory viral diseases. The disease is endemic in many parts of Ethiopia. However, there is no clear record about the introduction of the virus to the country (Ethiopia). Hence, detail about the ND is very important in its (ND) control and prevention. Despite these facts, there is no available research work done on ND in the current research area that would help either as references for researchers or that could help in the control and prevention of the disease. Therefore, the objective of this study was to detect the ND virus (NDV), using serological methods in from December 2018 to November 2019.

Methodology

A cross‐sectional type of study was conducted to detect the NDV. The convenience sampling method was used for sample data collection. Before data collection, chicken with previous history of vaccination against the NDV was excluded from the sampling animals. Then, a total of 348 blood samples of 2 mL were collected from the brachial vein in 3 mL disposable syringes. The serum was collected in labeled 2 mL cryovial tubes. Indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests were performed to detect antibodies against NDV and to determine its antibody titer. The test was performed using (ID.vet innovative version 2) procedure.

Result

In the indirect ELISA test, 37.64% (131/348) were positive and antibody titer mean value of (1761.9088) was scored. The standard deviation of 2592.42160 and a percentage coefficient of variation of 147% was scored.

Conclusion

From the finding, we conclude that indirect ELISA test detected the presence of the NDV in the study area and the heterogeneousity of antibody titer in the study area. Therefore, further molecular characterization and epidemiological investigation should be carried and vaccination of animals is critical in the study area.
Infant age inversely correlates with gut carriage of resistance genes, reflecting modifications in microbial carbohydrate metabolism during early life
Authors: Xu Xinming , Feng Qingying , Zhang Tao , Gao Yunlong , Cheng Qu , Zhang Wanqiu , Wu Qinglong , Xu Ke , Li Yucan , Nguyen Nhu , Taft Diana H. , Mills David A. , Lemay Danielle G. , Zhu Weiyun , Mao Shengyong , Zhang Anyun , Xu Kelin , Liu Jinxin
Published: February 2024

The infant gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes, yet the assembly of gut resistome in infants and its influencing factors remain largely unknown. We characterized resistome in 4132 metagenomes from 963 infants in six countries and 4285 resistance genes were observed. The inherent resistome pattern of healthy infants (N = 272) could be distinguished by two stages: a multicompound resistance phase (Months 0–7) and a tetracycline‐mupirocin‐β‐lactam‐dominant phase (Months 8–14). Microbial taxonomy explained 40.7% of the gut resistome of healthy infants, with Escherichia (25.5%) harboring the most resistance genes. In a further analysis with all available infants (N = 963), we found age was the strongest influencer on the resistome and was negatively correlated with the overall resistance during the first 3 years (p < 0.001). Using a random‐forest approach, a set of 34 resistance genes could be used to predict age (R2 = 68.0%). Leveraging microbial host inference analyses, we inferred the age‐dependent assembly of infant resistome was a result of shifts in the gut microbiome, primarily driven by changes in taxa that disproportionately harbor resistance genes across taxa (e.g., Escherichia coli more frequently harbored resistance genes than other taxa). We performed metagenomic functional profiling and metagenomic assembled genome analyses whose results indicate that the development of gut resistome was driven by changes in microbial carbohydrate metabolism, with an increasing need for carbohydrate‐active enzymes from Bacteroidota and a decreasing need for Pseudomonadota during infancy. Importantly, we observed increased acquired resistance genes over time, which was related to increased horizontal gene transfer in the developing infant gut microbiome. In summary, infant age was negatively correlated with antimicrobial resistance gene levels, reflecting a composition shift in the gut microbiome, likely driven by the changing need for microbial carbohydrate metabolism during early life.
Phase separation and domain crystallinity control enable open‐air‐printable highly efficient and sustainable organic photovoltaics
Authors: Lv Jie , Sun Xiaokang , Tang Hua , Wang Fei , Zhang Guangye , Zhu Liangxiang , Huang Jiaming , Yang Qianguang , Lu Shirong , Li Gang , Laquai Frédéric , Hu Hanlin
Published: February 2024

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have emerged as a promising solution for sustainable energy production, offering advantages such as a low carbon footprint, short energy payback period, and compatibility with eco‐solvents. However, the use of hazardous solvents continues to dominate the best‐performing OSCs, mainly because of the challenges of controlling phase separation and domain crystallinity in eco‐solvents. In this study, we combined the solvent vapor treatment of CS2 and thermal annealing to precisely control the phase separation and domain crystallinity in PM6:M‐Cl and PM6:O‐Cl systems processed with the eco‐solvent o‐xylene. This method resulted in a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.4%, which is among the highest values reported for sustainable binary OSCs. Furthermore, the fabrication techniques were transferred from spin coating in a nitrogen environment to blade printing in ambient air, retaining a PCE of 16.0%, showing its potential for high‐throughput and scalable production. In addition, a comparative analysis of OSCs processed with hazardous and green solvents was conducted to reveal the differences in phase aggregation. This work not only underscores the significance of sustainability in OSCs but also lays the groundwork for unlocking the full potential of open‐air‐printable sustainable OSCs for commercialization.
Zero‐sample face retrieval combining large language model and visual base model for IoT
Authors: Lu Jin , Chen Meifen
Published: February 2024

This paper presents a novel approach to face retrieval that leverages the capabilities of large language models and visual base models, marking a significant departure from traditional IoT text retrieval methods that depend on extensive data collection and model training. By eliminating the need for text‐image pair data collection and model training, our method not only dramatically reduces the data and computational costs associated with IoT applications but also achieves high accuracy in face retrieval, as demonstrated by a 72% top‐1 accuracy and 93% top‐3 accuracy on the Celeb‐A dataset. This substantial improvement in efficiency and performance has profound implications for the future of IoT systems, potentially revolutionizing face recognition technology by enabling more scalable, cost‐effective, and accurate solutions. The successful application of zero‐sample face retrieval illustrates the transformative impact that advanced AI models can have on real‐world applications and opens new avenues for research and development in the realm of intelligent IoT devices.
Does the radical GPRI strongly depend on the population scheme? A comparative study to predict radical attack on unsaturated molecules with the radical general‐purpose reactivity indicator
Authors: Barrera Yoshio , Anderson James S. M.
Published: February 2024

The reactivity of 22 unsaturated molecules undergoing attack by a methyl radical (⋅CH3) have been elucidated using the condensed radical general‐purpose reactivity indicator (condensed radical GPRI) appropriate for relatively nucleophilic or electrophilic molecules. Using the appropriate radical GPRI equation for electrophilic attack or nucleophilic radical attack, seven different population schemes were used to assign the most reactive atoms in each of the 22 molecules. The results show that the condensed radical GPRI is sensitive to the population scheme chosen, but less sensitive than the radical Fukui function. Therefore, the reliability of these methods depends on the population scheme. Our investigation indicates that the condensed radical GPRI is most accurate in predicting the dominant products of the methyl radical addition reactions on a variety of unsaturated molecules when the Hirshfeld, Merz–Singh–Kollman, or Voronoi deformation density population schemes are used. Furthermore, for all populations schemes in the majority of instances where the radical Fukui function failed the radical GPRI was able to identify the most reactive atom under certain reactivity conditions.
Advances in machine learning with chemical language models in molecular property and reaction outcome predictions
Authors: Das Manajit , Ghosh Ankit , Sunoj Raghavan B.
Published: February 2024

Molecular properties and reactions form the foundation of chemical space. Over the years, innumerable molecules have been synthesized, a smaller fraction of them found immediate applications, while a larger proportion served as a testimony to creative and empirical nature of the domain of chemical science. With increasing emphasis on sustainable practices, it is desirable that a target set of molecules are synthesized preferably through a fewer empirical attempts instead of a larger library, to realize an active candidate. In this front, predictive endeavors using machine learning (ML) models built on available data acquire high timely significance. Prediction of molecular property and reaction outcome remain one of the burgeoning applications of ML in chemical science. Among several methods of encoding molecular samples for ML models, the ones that employ language like representations are gaining steady popularity. Such representations would additionally help adopt well‐developed natural language processing (NLP) models for chemical applications. Given this advantageous background, herein we describe several successful chemical applications of NLP focusing on molecular property and reaction outcome predictions. From relatively simpler recurrent neural networks (RNNs) to complex models like transformers, different network architecture have been leveraged for tasks such as de novo drug design, catalyst generation, forward and retro‐synthesis predictions. The chemical language model (CLM) provides promising avenues toward a broad range of applications in a time and cost‐effective manner. While we showcase an optimistic outlook of CLMs, attention is also placed on the persisting challenges in reaction domain, which would optimistically be addressed by advanced algorithms tailored to chemical language and with increased availability of high‐quality datasets.
Investigating engineering undergraduates' agentic and communal career values in writing responses
Authors: Lee Hye Rin , Safavian Nayssan , Dicke Anna‐Lena , Eccles Jacquelynne S.
Published: February 2024

Background

A perceived fit between personal values and what a career offers is critical for college students pursuing and persisting in that career.

Purpose/Hypothesis(es)

We, therefore, investigated the career values of engineering undergraduates through language in two different studies. Study 1 (N = 35) examined students' written postgraduation plans for agentic and communal career value themes. Drawing on Study 1 themes, Study 2 (N = 918) examined the association of achievement‐related and interpersonal word categories in written narratives to surveyed career values.

Design/Method

In Study 1, inductive and deductive approaches were used to identify agentic and communal career values. In Study 2, regressions were conducted using achievement‐related and interpersonal words as outcomes.

Results

Study 1 found agentic and communal value themes. Agentic value themes included career, personal development, and financial gains. Communal value themes included helping others and being family‐oriented. Results from Study 2 showed that students' language use in the discussion of their careers was associated with surveyed career values.

Conclusion

Although engineering students hold more agentic than communal values, they hold both career values, which may have implications for supporting students from diverse backgrounds.
Morphology of ctenostome bryozoans: 7. Hislopia, Echinella and Timwoodiellina
Authors: Schwaha Thomas , Hirose Masato , Wood Timothy S.
Published: February 2024

Ctenostome bryozoans are a small group of gymnolaemates comprising less than 400 recent species. They are paraphyletic and ctenostome‐grade ancestors gave rise to Cheilostomata, the most dominant and speciose taxon of Bryozoa in the present day. Investigations into ctenostomes are important for reconstructing character evolution among Gymnolaemata. As a continuation of studies on a morphological series of ctenostome bryozoans, we herein investigate six species of hislopiids, a small clade of three genera occurring in freshwater habitats. The general morphology of all species is similar in having primarily uniserial chains of encrusting zooids, which are mostly oval to ellipsoid and have a flattened frontobasal axis. Hislopia prolixa and Echinella placoides often have more slender zooids with a higher frontobasal axis. Apertures of hislopiids are quadrangular, lined by a thickened cuticle. Apertural spines are present in various lengths in E. placoides, Hislopia lacustris and Hislopia corderoi. The remaining cuticle is rather thin except at lateral areas, close to the pore‐plates which are prominent in hislopiids because of abundant special and limiting cells. All species except H. corderoi and Timwoodiellina natans have a prominent collar obstructing the vestibulum, whereas the latter two species instead have an ‘external collar’ as cuticular, outer folds projecting over the aperture. Hislopiid lophophores carry eight, or more commonly 12−18 tentacles. The digestive tract is distinguished by an often highly elongated esophagus and/or cardia, with the latter always having a prominent bulbous part in the form of a proventriculus—or gizzard in E. placoides. The caecum is extensive in all species. In Hislopia the intestine is characteristically two‐chambered with a proximal and distal part before entering an anal tube of various length. The latter is present in all species except T. natans and terminates in mid‐lophophoral area. Oocytes in E. placoides are large and macrolecithal indicating brooding and the production of lecithotrophic larvae. Hislopia species produce small, oligolecithal ones, which suggests zygote spawning and planktotrophy. In general, the morphology is similar among the different hislopiids with characters of the gut aiding in delineating the genera Echinella and Timwoodiellina.
Human MARCH1, 2, and 8 block Ebola virus envelope glycoprotein cleavage via targeting furin P domain
Authors: Yu Changqing , Bai Yuanzhe , Tan Wenbo , Bai Yu , Li Xuemei , Zhou Yulong , Zhai Jingbo , Xue Mengzhou , Tang Yan‐Dong , Zheng Chunfu , Liu Qiang
Published: February 2024

Membrane‐associated RING‐CH (MARCH) family proteins were recently reported to inhibit viral replication through multiple modes. Previous work showed that human MARCH8 blocked Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) maturation. Our study here demonstrates that human MARCH1 and MARCH2 share a similar pattern to MARCH8 in restricting EBOV GP‐pseudotyped viral infection. Human MARCH1 and MARCH2 retain EBOV GP at the trans‐Golgi network, reduce its cell surface display, and impair EBOV GP‐pseudotyped virions infectivity. Furthermore, we uncover that the host proprotein convertase furin could interact with human MARCH1/2 and EBOV GP intracellularly. Importantly, the furin P domain is verified to be recognized by MARCH1/2/8, which is critical for their blocking activities. Besides, bovine MARCH2 and murine MARCH1 also impair EBOV GP proteolytic processing. Altogether, our findings confirm that MARCH1/2 proteins of different mammalian origins showed a relatively conserved feature in blocking EBOV GP cleavage, which could provide clues for subsequent MARCHs antiviral studies and may facilitate the development of novel strategies to antagonize enveloped virus infection.
Preservation of plant‐wax biomarkers in deserts: implications for Quaternary environment and human evolutionary studies
Authors: Jha Deepak Kumar , Patalano Robert , Ilgner Jana , Achyuthan Hema , Alsharekh Abdullah M. , Armitage Simon , Blinkhorn James , Boivin Nicole , Breeze Paul S. , Devra Ravindra , Drake Nicholas , Groucutt Huw S. , Guagnin Maria , Roberts Patrick , Petraglia Michael
Published: February 2024

Analysis of plant‐wax biomarkers from sedimentary sequences can enable past environmental and hydrological reconstruction and provide insights into past hominin adaptations. However, biomarker preservation in desert contexts has been considered unlikely given the sparse nature of the vegetation within the landscape. Here we evaluate the preservation of n‐alkanes and fatty acids collected from four depositional sequences associated with archaeological contexts in the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia, and the Thar Desert, India. Pleistocene and Holocene samples were selected to understand the effects of age on preservation. The results of molecular distribution patterns and indices, particularly the high carbon preference index and average chain length, show the preservation of plant‐wax biomarkers in both the Holocene and Pleistocene desert sequences, while δ13C values and organic content provide insights into the vegetation contributing to the plant‐wax organic pool. This study provides a baseline for understanding human–environment interactions and for reconstructing changes in arid land habitats of relevance to hominins during the Quaternary.
Accelerate or brake?—The connection of credit gaps and economic disequilibrium
Authors: Fazekas Balázs , Póta Cserne Panka , Becsky‐Nagy Patrícia
Published: February 2024

Credit supply shocks significantly aggravate the impact of economic recessions. Understanding the underlying reasons why credit market shocks occur and detecting the market turbulences in time can give a decision support tool for the economic policy to intervene more efficiently on the market and to reduce the effect of economic downturns. The goal of the current article is to investigate the factors that signal possible credit shocks by analyzing the quarterly data of 17 European countries over the period 1995–2021. The focus of the article is on the credit given to the nonfinancial corporations. In our analysis, we have built on the credit gap methodology by determining the deviations of the lending activity from its trend, and then we have modeled these credit gaps using fundamental macroeconomic indicators, such as the balance of the current account, the ratio of short‐ and long‐term capital investments and government debt. Our conclusion is that in the presence of fundamental disequilibrium in the economy excessive lending creates positive credit gaps that increase the chance of negative credit market shocks. According to our new findings, the existing credit gap methodology can be improved by incorporating real economic factors; slowing long‐term capital investment and increasing the deficit of the current account signal the emergence of a credit gap. We found significant regional heterogeneity as in Southern European countries, and the credit gaps were more substantial. Among the investigated macroeconomic factors, the governmental indebtedness was especially high in these countries suggesting that countries with high public debt rates are more prone to develop credit gaps.
P‐toluenesulfonychloride‐based niosomes for Amphotericin‐B against Leishmaniasis
Authors: Ali Imdad , Yousuf Sammer , Ullah Shafi , Ali Israr , Siddiqui Mahwish , Choudhary M. Iqbal , Shah Muhammad Raza
Published: February 2024

Nonionic‐surfactants have been reported as nanocarriers for delivering low bioavailable drugs at the target sites. In the current study, two new nonionic surfactants were synthesized to enhance the oral bioavailability of the low water‐soluble antifungal drug Amphotericin‐B. The hemolysis effect of nonionic surfactants on red blood cells and cytotoxicity against the 3T3 cell line was studied. Both surfactants have shown low hemolysis and cytotoxicity as compared to standard Tween 80. The morphology of drug‐loaded niosomes of nonionic surfactants 1 and 2 was studied by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and both surfactants based vesicles were spherical, while their average sizes were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The average size, zeta potential and polydispersity index (PDI) values of surfactants 1 and 2 were 282 ± 3 nm, −8 ± 1 mV, 0.26 and 287 ± 3 nm, −10 ± 1 mV, 0.24. The drug entrapment efficiency and critical micelle concentrations of nonionic surfactants were determined by using UV–visible spectroscopy. The structures of surfactants 1 and 2 were assessed through single‐crystal x‐ray crystallographic analysis, while Hirshfeld analysis was performed to study the intermolecular interactions of molecules, as well as the packing behavior of their crystals. The nonionic‐surfactant 1 was further tested for antileishmanial activity against Leishmania tropica promastigotes, in both drug‐loaded and unloaded niosomal vesicular forms. The nonionic surfactant 1 was found to be a potentanti‐leishmanial agent in the drug‐loaded form with IC50 = 3.02 ± 0.91 μM in comparison to their standard drugs Amphotericin‐B (IC50 = 3.8 ± 0.04 μM) and miltefosine (IC50 = 42.2 ± 0.6 μM) (p < 0.1). These results, therefore, form the basis of further results towards efficient drug delivery against tropical disease Leishmaniasis.
Localization of Lupoid Leishmaniasis on the face: A case control study
Authors: Yazdanpanah Mohammad J. , Moradpour Rosita , Taheri Ahmad R. , Esmaily Habibollah , Afroushteh Omalbanin
Published: February 2024

Background

In Lupoid Leishmaniasis, erythematous to brown papules often occur around a central old scar, which can expand over time. For unclear reasons, these lesions tend to develop on the facial area.

Objectives

This study was conducted to study the distribution of Lupoid Leishmaniasis lesions on the face and compare them with those of acute leishmaniasis.

Methods

This case‐control study included 100 patients with the acute type of cutaneous leishmaniasis and Lupoid Leishmaniasis who were referred to the dermatology clinics of Ghaem and Emamreza hospitals. We recorded lesion morphology, demographic data and locations of lesions on the face.

Results

We enrolled 55 patients with acute leishmaniasis and 45 patients with Lupoid Leishmaniasis, with a mean age of 21.30 ± 20.71 years. There were no significant differences in age (p = 0.78), gender (p = 0.48), and the distribution of lesions on different anatomical areas (p = 0.22) between the two groups. In both groups, the involvement of the zygoma was significantly higher than in other areas on the face (p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Our study reveals that the anatomical location does not play a role in lesion evolving into Lupoid form.