bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implementation of Photosynaptic and Electrical Memory Functions in Organic Nano‐Floating‐Gate Transistors via a Perovskite‐Nanocrystal‐Based Nanocomposite Tunneling Layer
Authors: Moon Byung Joon , Song Young-Seok , Son Dabin , Yang Hee Yun , Bae Sukang , Lee Seoung-Ki , Lee Sang Hyun , Kim Tae-Wook
Published: July 2023

An organic nano‐floating‐gate transistor (ONFGT) with both photosynaptic and electrical memory functions is developed using a perovskite (CsPbBr3) NC‐insulating polymer (polystyrene; PS) nanocomposite and CsPbBr3 NCs as the tunneling and floating gate layers, respectively. The introduction of the CsPbBr3 NCs–PS nanocomposite layer improves the photoresponsivity of the ONFGT under ultraviolet–visible irradiation, resulting in an increase in both the photocurrent and the light‐to‐dark current ratio by 10−8 A and 104 orders of magnitude, respectively. It also exhibits high responsivity (0.804 A W−1) and external quantum efficiency (249.3%) under 400 nm irradiation. Furthermore, the photosynaptic characteristics of the ONFGT under visible‐light irradiation are investigated. To mimic biological nervous systems, the photocurrent of the device is dynamically modulated by varying the light intensity and duration. Notably, an increase in synaptic weight is observed under repeated photonic stimulations, as shown by changes in synaptic weight with each light pulse. Also, the ONFGT exhibits excellent nonvolatile memory characteristics in the dark, displaying a hysteresis window value of 2.9 V for a gate double sweep under ±5.0 V. Consequently, the perovskite NCs–insulating polymer nanocomposite tunneling layer is crucial for enabling photoresponsivity and memory characteristics in nano‐floating‐gate transistors, making them suitable for multifunctional electronic devices.
Hot Gas‐Blowing Assisted Crystallinity Management of Bar‐Coated Perovskite Solar Cells and Modules
Authors: Han Minsung , Byeon Junseop , Jang Jihun , Hur Changnyeong , Seo Gabseok , Choi Mansoo
Published: July 2023

The bar‐coating technique for perovskite solar cells has been studied as a scalable process in relation to solar cell commercialization. In large‐area bar coating, solvents with the high boiling points like dimethylformamide or γ‐butyrolactone have difficulty in obtaining uniform and planar film at room temperature as they have slow evaporation rate. As an alternative, 2‐methoxyethanol is a volatile and polar solvent, which is useful on a bar coating if applied using an air‐blowing method with an air knife. Herein, a hot gas‐blowing method for the fabrication of a perovskite layer to achieve both proper solvent evaporation and high crystallinity is developed. With 75 °C of N2 blowing on the bar‐coated perovskite solution, highly crystalline perovskite films with large grains without voids are fabricated, showing excellent optical and electrical characteristics, such as long carrier lifetime, few carrier recombinations, and low trap density. Both small‐area solar cells and large‐area modules show good performance, 20.85% for the solar cell and 15.4% for the solar module. The results indicate that the newly proposed method can equally be applied to the fabrication of large‐area solar cells toward commercialization.
2D/2D Cs0.32WO3/CuS Nano‐Heterojunctions for Simultaneous High‐Efficiency Solar Desalination, Photocatalytic Decontamination, and Electricity Generation
Authors: Xu Jiang , Zhuo Sheng , Luo Yujuan , Xu Chujia , Zhuo Ming‐peng , Chen Weifan , Liu Yue
Published: July 2023

Desalination and power generation through solar energy harvesting is a crucial technology that can effectively address freshwater shortages and energy crises. However, owing to the complexity of the actual water environment, the thermal output capability of the photothermal material and the functional integration of the evaporation system need urgent improvement, to obtain high‐quality fresh water and sufficient electricity. Herein, a 2D/2D cesium tungsten bronze/copper sulfide (2D/2D Cs0.32WO3/CuS) nano‐heterojunction is developed and it is loaded into a cellulose‐based hybrid hydrogel to construct a multifunctional evaporator. Benefiting from the more nonradiative recombination centers from deep‐level defects, as well as shorter carrier migration distances and higher redox potentials in the Cs0.32WO3/CuS nano‐heterojunction, this evaporator has a significant improvement in thermal output capacity, enabling both super‐efficient seawater evaporation (4.22 kg m−2 h−1) and photodegradation of organic pollutants (removal rate ≈ 99%). Moreover, the evaporator exhibits long‐term stability and sustainable self‐cleaning property against salt accumulation. Remarkably, the thermoelectric module based on the Cs0.32WO3/CuS nano‐heterojunction shows promising electricity generation performance (4.85 W m−2), which can power small appliances durably and stably, exceeding previously reported similar devices. This 2D/2D heterojunction‐based solar evaporation system will provide a more reliable solution for efficient and sustainable freshwater‐electricity co‐generation in resource‐limited areas.
GitRanking: A ranking of GitHub topics for software classification using active sampling
Authors: Sas Cezar , Capiluppi Andrea , Di Sipio Claudio , Di Rocco Juri , Di Ruscio Davide
Published: July 2023

Context

GitHub is the world's most prominent host of source code, with more than 327M repositories. However, most of these repositories are not labelled or inadequately, making it harder for users to find relevant projects. Various proposals for software application domain classification over the past years have been proposed. However, these several of those approaches suffer from multiple issues, called antipatterns of software classification, that reduce their usability.

Objective

In this paper, we propose a new taxonomy in the GitHub ecosystem, called GitRanking, starting from a well‐structured data set, composed of curated repositories annotated with topics. The main objective is to create a baseline methodology for software classification that is expandable, hierarchical, grounded in a knowledge base, and free of antipatterns.

Method

We collected 121K topics from GitHub and used GitRanking to create a taxonomy of 301 ranked application domains. GitRanking (1) uses active sampling to ensure a minimal number of annotations to create the ranking; and (2) links each topic to Wikidata, reducing ambiguities and improving the reusability of the taxonomy. Furthermore, we adopt the conceived taxonomy in a classification task by considering a state‐of‐the‐art classifier.

Results

Our results show that GitRanking can effectively rank terms in a hierarchy according to how general or specific their meaning is. Furthermore, we show that GitRanking is a dynamically extensible method: it can currently accept further terms to be ranked, and with a minimum number of annotations (). Concerning the classification task, we show that the model achieves an F1‐score of 34%, with a precision of 54%.

Conclusion

This paper is the first collective attempt at building a ground‐up taxonomy of software domains. Our vision is that our taxonomy, and its extensibility, can be used to better and more precisely label software projects.
Eosinophil and mast cell‐derived exosomes promote integrity of intestinal mucosa via the NEAT1/miR‐211‐5p/glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor axis in duodenum
Authors: Wang Jue , Gu Sai , Qin Bo
Published: July 2023

Background

Exosomes are applied as biomarkers in several diseases according to their disease‐specific profiles. However, the exosomes effects in functional dyspepsia (FD) are still fragmentary. Here we examined the role of Eosinophil and mast cell derived‐exosomes in FD progression.

Methods

Fifty FD subjects and age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls were included in this retrospective cohort study. Duodenal mucosa and gastric juice were collected to analyze molecular difference. Eosinophil and mast cell were evaluated by immunofluorescence and microarray was subjected to examine the expression levels of NEAT1, miR‐211‐5p, and glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which were subsequently were tested by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT‐qPCR) validation cohorts. CCK‐8 assays, and wound healing assays were used to evaluate integrity of intestinal mucosal barrier in vitro. Rats' weights and gastric emptying rates were used as evaluation of FD severity in vivo.

Results

Eosinophil and mast cell were enriched and secreted more exosomes in duodenal mucosa of FD patients. We identified differential lncRNAs that were consistently and significantly up regulated in FD cases. Of these, NEAT1 was further validated by RT‐qPCR and had closely relationship with GDNF. MiR‐211‐5p level was found to be reduced in FD and negatively related with NEAT1 and GDNF. Furthermore, NEAT1and GDNF relived FD while miR‐211‐5p made symptoms worse. The NEAT1/miR‐211‐5p/GDNF axis had a good predictive ability for FD.

Conclusions

The NEAT1/miR‐211‐5p/GDNF could be a potential FD biomarker.
The effect of an abdominal binder on postoperative outcome after open incisional hernia repair in sublay technique: a multicenter, randomized pilot trial (ABIHR-II)
Authors: Ortiz P. R. , Lorenz E. , Meyer F. , Croner R. , Lünse S. , Hunger R. , Mantke R. , Benz-Weisser A. , Zarras K. , Huenerbein M. , Paasch C.
Published: July 2023

Introduction

Although the evidence is minimal, an abdominal binder is commonly prescribed after open incisional hernia repair (IHR) to reduce pain. This study aimed to investigate this common postoperative treatment.

Methods

The ABIHR-II trial was a national prospective, randomized, multicenter non-AMG/MPG pilot study with two groups of patients (wearing an abdominal binder (AB) for 2 weeks during daytime vs. not wearing an AB following open IHR with the sublay technique). Patient enrollment took place from July 2020 to February 2022. The primary endpoint was pain at rest on the 14th postoperative day (POD) using the visual analog scale (VAS). The use of analgesics was not systematically recorded. Mixed-effects linear regression models were used.

Results

A total of 51 individuals were recruited (25 women, 26 men; mean age 61.4 years; mean body mass index 30.65 kg/m2). The per-protocol analysis included 40 cases (AB group, n = 21; No-AB group, n = 19). Neither group showed a significant difference in terms of pain at rest, limited mobility, general well-being, and seroma formation and rate. Patients among the AB group had a significantly lower rate of surgical site infection (SSI) on the 14th POD (AB group 4.8% (n = 1) vs. No-AB group 27.8% (n = 5), p = 0.004).

Conclusion

Wearing an AB did not have an impact on pain and seroma formation rate but it may reduce the rate of postoperative SSI within the first 14 days after surgery. Further trials are mandatory to confirm these findings.
Beyond Animal Husbandry: The Role of Herders Among the Wayuu of Colombia
Authors: Forero Oscar A. , Rúa Bustamante Clara , Zambrano Ortiz Juan Ricardo
Published: July 2023

The territory of the Wayuu indigenous people comprises a small, low mountain range surrounded by a large desert that extends from Colombia to Venezuela in the Guajira peninsula. In pre-Columbian times, Wayuu livelihoods relied mainly on fishing and hunting in the littoral zone. Following the Spanish conquest, in their fight to maintain their territorial integrity they turned to rearing cattle, goats, and sheep they captured from colonists. They maintained their struggle against colonisation post-independence. In Colombia they have only recently obtained political devolution through legal recognition of their indigenous territories. Their economy now relies on animal husbandry to combat food insecurity. Our ethnographic study of Wayuu pastoralism confirmed our hypothesis that rearing goats and sheep has become integral to maintaining their cultural traditions, and revealed that the role of both male and female herders has become instrumental in their rituals, and integral to maintaining their longstanding patterns of reciprocity.
Anti-PCSK9 Treatment Attenuates Liver Fibrosis via Inhibiting Hypoxia-Induced Autophagy in Hepatocytes
Authors: Ning Liuxin , Zou Yanting , Li Shuyu , Cao Yue , Xu Beili , Zhang Shuncai , Cai Yu
Published: July 2023

Hypoxia and its induced autophagy are involved in the initiation and progression of liver fibrosis. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been recognized as a potential regulator of autophagy. Our previously reported study found that PCSK9 expression increased in liver fibrosis and that anti-PCSK9 treatment alleviated liver injury. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of anti-PCSK9 treatment on liver fibrosis by inhibiting hypoxia-induced autophagy. Carbon tetrachloride-induced mouse liver fibrosis and mouse hepatocyte line AML12, cultured under the hypoxic condition, were established to undergo PCSK9 inhibition. The degree of liver fibrosis was shown with histological staining. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of PCSK9, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and autophagy-related proteins was examined using Western blot. The autophagic flux was assessed under immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscope. The mouse liver samples were investigated via RNA-sequencing to explore the underlying signaling pathway. The results showed that PCSK9 expression was upregulated with the development of liver fibrosis, which was accompanied by enhanced autophagy. In vitro data verified that PCSK9 increased via hypoxia and inflammation, accompanied by the hypoxia-induced autophagy increased. Then, the validation was acquired of the bidirectional interaction of hypoxia-ROS and PCSK9. The hypoxia reversal attenuated PCSK9 expression and autophagy. Additionally, anti-PCSK9 treatment alleviated liver inflammation and fibrosis, reducing hypoxia and autophagy in vivo. In mechanism, the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway was identified as a target for anti-PCSK9 therapy. In conclusion, anti-PCSK9 treatment could alleviate liver inflammation and fibrosis by regulating AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway to reduce hypoxia-induced autophagy in hepatocytes.
Embedding plural values in value chains to enhance sustainability in the management of cork oak landscapes
Authors: Sørensen Irene Holm , Torralba Mario , Muñoz-Rojas José , Kristensen Lone Søderkvist , Plieninger Tobias
Published: July 2023

Context

The management of Portuguese agroforestry landscapes is currently focused on specialised cork and cattle production. Sustainable landscape management is increasingly discussed as an effective option to foster the multifunctionality of these landscapes. Such management requires consideration of multiple values connected to the landscape and to the products stemming from it.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to (1) assess the importance of specific values related to cork and to the cork production landscapes, (2) analyse how values differ across the value chain actors, and (3) compare the types of values associated to cork and the cork production landscapes.

Methods

We combine value chain analysis with the concept of plural valuation in order to illuminate the values amongst value chain actors. We conducted interviews with 62 actors divided across the value chain using a semi-structured questionnaire.

Results

We found that a broad range of instrumental, intrinsic and relational values were expressed by our respondents. Our results show an imbalance between the perception of the ecosystem health expressed by actors involved in the industrial transformation of cork compared to those directly involved with the landscape. This imbalance shows the necessity to find a common management ideal for cork production landscapes favouring multifunctionality.

Conclusions

Our study shows the relevance of considering plural values when planning and implementing sustainable landscape management. Integrated into a landscape approach, value chain analysis is useful in reaching actors in order to uncover different points of view towards a single landscape. Our study suggests that focusing on the multifunctional nature of the cork production landscapes may be key in ensuring a sustainable future for this social-ecological system.
Universal Prototype Transport for Zero-Shot Action Recognition and Localization
Authors: Mettes Pascal
Published: July 2023

This work addresses the problem of recognizing action categories in videos when no training examples are available. The current state-of-the-art enables such a zero-shot recognition by learning universal mappings from videos to a semantic space, either trained on large-scale seen actions or on objects. While effective, we find that universal action and object mappings are biased to specific regions in the semantic space. These biases lead to a fundamental problem: many unseen action categories are simply never inferred during testing. For example on UCF-101, a quarter of the unseen actions are out of reach with a state-of-the-art universal action model. To that end, this paper introduces universal prototype transport for zero-shot action recognition. The main idea is to re-position the semantic prototypes of unseen actions by matching them to the distribution of all test videos. For universal action models, we propose to match distributions through a hyperspherical optimal transport from unseen action prototypes to the set of all projected test videos. The resulting transport couplings in turn determine the target prototype for each unseen action. Rather than directly using the target prototype as final result, we re-position unseen action prototypes along the geodesic spanned by the original and target prototypes as a form of semantic regularization. For universal object models, we outline a variant that defines target prototypes based on an optimal transport between unseen action prototypes and object prototypes. Empirically, we show that universal prototype transport diminishes the biased selection of unseen action prototypes and boosts both universal action and object models for zero-shot classification and spatio-temporal localization.
Identifying Cigarette Smoking Trajectories from Homelessness to Housing
Authors: Harris Taylor , Semborski Sara , Unger Jennifer , Chou Chih-Ping , Wenzel Suzanne
Published: July 2023

This study examines cigarette smoking trajectories from homelessness to housing and assesses demographic and clinical characteristics associated with multiple longitudinal smoking behavior patterns. Data were drawn from a longitudinal prospective cohort study of 421 adults experiencing homelessness who entered permanent supportive housing (PSH). Four quantitative surveys (baseline [while homeless], 3-, 6-, and 12 months post-housing) gathered participants’ smoking frequency used for Repeated Measure Latent Class Analysis (RMLCA), which identified subgroups that share longitudinal smoking behavior patterns. Baseline and time-varying demographic, mental health (e.g., schizophrenia), and substance use (e.g., cannabis use) measures were examined as correlates of class membership. RMLCA estimates supported a three-class model: (1) mixed-frequency decreasers (n = 71): who smoked at differing frequencies while demonstrating a significant decrease over time; (2) high-frequency maintainers (n = 194): participants who smoked daily/almost-daily and maintained this smoking rate across waves; and (3) low-frequency increasers (n = 56): participants who generally were non-smokers at baseline and significantly increased to monthly or weekly consumption longitudinally. Compared to Black and African American participants, Hispanic and Latino participants had greater odds of low-frequency increaser and mixed-frequency decreaser membership. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder diagnoses increased odds of high-frequency maintainer membership compared to the two less-frequent-using subgroups. Cannabis use increased longitudinally and was associated with greater odds of high-frequency maintainer membership. This is the first study to find smoking changes from homelessness to housing. While encouraging that some residents reduce their smoking post-housing, many maintained high smoking rates. Cessation services that address mental health and co-occurring substance use within PSH are warranted.
Losing Control in Controlled Settings: Preclinical Human Research on Impulsivity Within the Context of Addiction
Authors: Gullo Matthew J. , Loxton Natalie J. , Lindsay Hannah J. , Mendes Renata Almeida
Published: July 2023

Purpose of Review

Impulsivity has long been recognized as a risk factor for addiction. The mechanisms through which impulsivity increases risk remain unclear, hindering development of effective impulsivity-targeted addiction treatments. Preclinical human research is ideally placed to isolate these mechanisms because of the experimental control afforded by the laboratory. This review summarizes recent preclinical human studies on impulsivity and addiction that are focused on alcohol use or food consumption/overeating.

Recent Findings

The emergence of laboratory paradigms specifically modeling impulsive consumption is a promising development, especially paradigms capable of manipulating impulsivity to test causation. Collectively, this evidence highlights the importance of reward mechanisms in impulsivity-related alcohol and food consumption.

Findings suggest that impulsivity-targeted addiction interventions may be enhanced by widening the current focus on disinhibition-related mechanisms to include reward drive. Preclinical models of impulsive consumption could be utilized to pilot candidate pharmacological and psychosocial therapeutics on causal mechanisms, informing the next generation of impulsivity-targeted treatment.
Tumor enlargement in adrenal incidentaloma is related to glaucoma: a new prognostic feature?
Authors: Caputo M. , Daffara T. , Ferrero A. , Romanisio M. , Monti E. , Mele C. , Zavattaro M. , Tricca S. , Siani A. , Clemente A. , Palumbo C. , De Cillà S. , Carriero A. , Volpe A. , Marzullo P. , Aimaretti G. , Prodam F.
Published: July 2023

Purpose

The uncertainty on the management of small adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) still represents a challenge in real clinical practice. Considering the lack of knowledge on risk factors implicated in tumour enlargement, the aim of this study was to identify risk factors for morphological changes during follow-up of adrenal incidentalomas (AIs).

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated demographic, clinical, radiological and biochemical parameters of 153 AIs (2007–2021). Patients with histological diagnosis of metastases or pheochromocytoma were excluded. To detect risk factors for tumor enlargement, diseases associated with AIs were included if their prevalence was higher than 2%. Patients were divided into two groups (A: radiological stability; B: tumor enlargement defined as > 5 mm/year in the main diameter).

Results

Group A: 89.5% and group B: 10.5%, mean follow-up 38.6 ± 6.9 months (range 6–240). Tumor enlargement when occurred was within 36 months of follow-up. In group B high body weight (p < 0.03), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) (p < 0.05) and direct renin concentration (DRC) (p < 0.04) were higher than group A, while aldosterone levels were lower; moreover, considering comorbidities, glaucoma and dysglycemia (p < 0.01 for both) had higher prevalence in group B. Glaucoma and dysglycemia were independent predictors of enlargement. Patients affected by glaucoma, atrial fibrillation, dysglycemia had a lower dimensional change-free survival than non-affected.

Conclusions

Glaucoma might be a novel risk factor for AI enlargement. If subtle undetectable cortisol hypersecretion has a role is a topic for further research.
Caratteristiche ecografiche fisiologiche dell’ovaio nei soggetti sani: revisione sistematica della letteratura e meta-analisi a cura della Società Italiana di Ginecologia e Ostetricia (SIGO) e della Società Italiana di Endocrinologia (SIE)
Authors: Ravelli Serena Anna , Maseroli Elisa
Published: July 2023

Sommario

In considerazione della mancanza di uniformità nella definizione dei parametri di normalità dell’ecografia ovarica, lo scopo del lavoro era quello di raccogliere e meta-analizzare le evidenze disponibili sull’argomento. Sono stati identificati tramite MEDLINE e Embase gli articoli pertinenti pubblicati fino al 31 dicembre 2020 e ottenuti dati per la meta-analisi sui seguenti elementi: conta follicolare ovarica, volume ovarico e indice Doppler di pulsatilità dell’arteria ovarica (PI). Sono stati inclusi studi di coorte, trasversali e prospettici con braccio singolo o doppio, mentre gli studi interventistici sono stati inseriti nel caso fornissero dati al baseline. Sono stati valutati articoli sia su donne in pre-menopausa che in menopausa, ma il numero di studi sulle donne in menopausa non è risultato sufficiente per condurre una meta-analisi. Gli studi sui soggetti prepuberi sono stati considerati separatamente. In totale, nella meta-analisi sono stati inclusi 81 studi. Il volume medio ovarico è risultato di 6,11 ml [5,81–6,42] nelle donne sane in età riproduttiva, e di 1,67 ml [1,02–2,32] nelle ragazze in età prepubere. In età fertile, la conta follicolare media era 8,04 [7,26–8,82] quando calcolata sull’intero ovaio, e 5,88 [5,20–6,56] quando ottenuta su una sezione ovarica, mentre il PI ovarico medio è risultato pari a 1,86 [1,35–2,37]. L’età della donna e la frequenza della sonda ecografica hanno mostrato di influenzare in parte questi valori. In particolare, il gruppo 25–30 anni presentava la conta follicolare più alta (9,27 [7,71–10,82]) ed è stata osservata una progressiva riduzione in parallelo all’aumentare dell’età (5,67 [2,23–9,12] in donne fertili di età >35 anni). È stata inoltre riscontrata una differenza significativa nella conta follicolare ovarica in rapporto al limite superiore di MHz della sonda ecografica. I risultati di questa meta-analisi forniscono informazioni significative per migliorare l’interpretazione e l’accuratezza diagnostica dei parametri ecografici ovarici in differenti condizioni, sia fisiologiche che patologiche.
Nine Point Bending Test Technique for Understanding of Sintered Silver Die Bonding Failure Mechanism
Authors: Wakamoto K. , Fuji K. , Otsuka T. , Nakahara K. , Namazu T.
Published: July 2023

The Sintered silver (s–Ag) die degradation is commonly evaluated by thermal shocked test (TST), which evaluates the material’s durability against a heating/cooling cycle. Materials with different coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) give rise to thermal out-of-plane deformation surrounding the bonding part, which deteriorates s–Ag die part by repeated thermal and mechanical stress during TST. For the safe and reliable design of s–Ag die toward long-term durability, the contribution of thermal and mechanical stresses to degradation should be understood separately. Clarify the overall s–Ag die degradation mechanism during TST compared to the new mechanical bending test that can apply out-of-plane deformation. The authors propose a new mechanical bending test technique, called the nine-point bending (NBT) test, which can provide out-of-plane deformation with a s–Ag die-attached specimen as TST like. By comparing NBT and TST, the degradation mechanism of the s–Ag die-attach element can be understood from both thermal and mechanical aspects. In scanning acoustic tomography (SAT) analysis, a similar degradation ratio between NBT and TST is obtained, which indicates that mechanical stress plays a significant role in deteriorating s–Ag die layer in TST. After 1000 cycles, however, cracking and s–Ag material aging coexist in TST only, destabilizing s–Ag die fracture. s–Ag main degradation cause in TST is clarified with mechanical stress by comparing NBT. In addition, thermally material aging destabilized the s–Ag degradation during TST.
Associations of sarcopenia with peak expiratory flow among community-dwelling elderly population: based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)
Authors: He Yun-Yun , Jin Mei-Ling , Chang Jing , Wang Xiao-Juan
Published: July 2023

Purpose

To cross-sectionally and longitudinally investigate the correlations of sarcopenia and its components with peak expiratory flow (PEF) among Chinese community-dwelling elderly people.

Methods

The data were extracted from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 4053 participants aged ≥ 60 years were enrolled from CHARLS 2011, and 2810 were followed up until 2015. Participants were classified into no-sarcopenia, non-severe sarcopenia, and severe sarcopenia groups based on skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), hand grip strength (HGS), and physical performance [gait speed, five-repetition chair stand test (5CST) and short physical performance battery (SPPB)]. Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the associations of sarcopenia and its components with PEF cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Results

In the cross-sectional analysis, the prevalence of non-severe sarcopenia was 14.6% and severe sarcopenia was 4.9%. The results of linear regression analysis revealed that sarcopenia and its components were all correlated with PEF and PEF%pred. In the longitudinal analysis, compared with non-sarcopenia, subjects with severe sarcopenia were associated with a higher risk of PEF (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.30–3.26) and PEF%pred (OR = 1.83, 95%CI = 1.17–2.86) decline. The changes in physical performance were correlated with changes in PEF and PEF%pred. No associations were observed between changes in SMI and PEF as well as PEF%pred.

Conclusions

We demonstrated the associations of baseline sarcopenia status with PEF and longitudinal PEF decline. Also, the changes in physical performance were associated with changes in PEF during a 4-year follow-up. It indicates that improving sarcopenia, especially physical performance may increase PEF.
Chinese perceptions of the EU: the impact of social media use
Authors: Zhang Caiyi , Kübler Daniel , Dong Lisheng
Published: July 2023

With the rise of China and the deepening of China-EU interactions, it is crucial for both China and the EU to know the Chinese public perceptions of the EU and what factors influence the formation of perceptions, to enhance mutual understanding. Given the increasing role of social media in the political process, this study hypothesizes that social media use is a strong predictor for Chinese public perceptions of the EU and China-EU relations. We analyze the effects by utilizing original public opinion survey data collected in China in 2020. Our findings show that social media use as well as socioeconomic factors together predict Chinese public perceptions of the EU and China-EU relations. However, social media use effects vary across different social media platforms.
Dark loops: contagion effects, consistency and chemosocial matrices in psychedelic-assisted therapy trials
Authors: Noorani Tehseen , Bedi Gillinder , Muthukumaraswamy Suresh
Published: July 2023

What happens when an emerging programme of medical research overlaps with a surging social movement? In this article we draw on the anthropological term ‘chemosociality’ to describe forms of sociality born of shared chemical exposure. Psychedelic administration in the context of recent clinical trials appears to have been particularly chemosocial in nature. We argue that one consequence is that psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) clinical research trials tend to breach key assumptions underlying the logic of causal inference used to establish efficacy. We propose the concept of dark loops to describe forms of sociality variously emerging from, and impacting participant experiences in, PAT trials. These dark loops are not recorded, let alone incorporated into the causal pathways in the interpretation of psychedelic trial data to date. We end with three positions which researchers might adopt in response to these issues: chemosocial minimisation where research is designed to attenuate or eliminate the effects of dark loops in trials; chemosocial description where dark loops (and their impacts) are openly and candidly documented and chemosocial valorisation where dark loops are hypothesised to contribute to trial outcomes and actively drawn upon for positive effect. Our goal is to fold in an appreciation of how the increasingly-discussed hype surrounding psychedelic research and therapeutics continues to shape the phenomena under study in complex ways, even as trials become larger and more rigorous in their design.
A New Four‐Component L*‐Dependent Model for Radial Diffusion Based on Solar Wind and Magnetospheric Drivers of ULF Waves
Authors: Murphy Kyle R. , Sandhu Jasmine , Rae I. Jonathan , Daggitt Thomas , Glauert Sarah , Horne Richard B. , Watt Clare E. J. , Bentley Sarah , Kellerman Adam , Ozeke Louis , Halford Alexa J. , Tian Sheng , Breneman Aaron , Olifer Leonid , Mann Ian R. , Angelopoulos Vassilis , Wygant John
Published: July 2023

Waves which couple to energetic electrons are particularly important in space weather, as they drive rapid changes in the topology and intensity of Earth's outer radiation belt during geomagnetic storms. This includes Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves that interact with electrons via radial diffusion which can lead to electron dropouts via outward transport and rapid electron acceleration via inward transport. In radiation belt simulations, the strength of this interaction is specified by ULF wave radial diffusion coefficients. In this paper we detail the development of new models of electric and magnetic radial diffusion coefficients derived from in‐situ observations of the azimuthal electric field and compressional magnetic field. The new models use as it accounts for adiabatic changes due to the dynamic magnetic field coupled with an optimized set of four components of solar wind and geomagnetic activity, , , , and , as independent variables (inputs). These independent variables are known drivers of ULF waves and offer the ability to calculate diffusion coefficients at a higher cadence then existing models based on Kp. We investigate the performance of the new models by characterizing the model residuals as a function of each independent variable and by comparing to existing radial diffusion models during a quiet geomagnetic period and through a geomagnetic storm. We find that the models developed here perform well under varying levels of activity and have a larger slope or steeper gradient as a function of as compared to existing models (higher diffusion at higher values).
Early and intensive Motor Training for people with spinal cord injuries (the SCI-MT Trial): description of the intervention
Authors: Ben M. , Glinsky J. V. , Chu J. , Spooren A. I. , Roberts S. , Chen L. W. , Denis S. , Lorusso M. , Jorgensen V. , Gollan E. J. , Agostinello J. , Van Laake-Geelen C. C. M. , Lincoln C. , Stolwijk J. M. , Bell C. , Paddison S. , Rainey D. , Tranter K. , Ilha J. , Oostra K. , Sherrington C. , Harvey L. A.
Published: July 2023

Study design

Descriptive.

Objectives

The primary objective is to describe the intervention that will be provided in a large multi-centre randomised controlled trial titled: Early and Intensive Motor Training for people with Spinal Cord Injuries (the SCI-MT Trial). The secondary objective is to describe the strategies that will be used to operationalise and standardise the Motor Training provided to participants while keeping the intervention person-centred.

Methods

The paper focuses on the rationale and principles of Motor Training for people with spinal cord injuries (SCI). The description of the intervention is based on the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist. Specifically, it addresses the following 6 criteria of the TIDieR checklist: why the effectiveness of Motor Training is being examined; what, how, where and when the Motor Training will be administered; and how much Motor Training will be provided.

Results

A detailed intervention manual has been developed to help standardise the delivery of the intervention.

Conclusions

This paper describes the details of a complex intervention administered as part of a large randomised controlled trial. It will facilitate the subsequent interpretation of the trial results and enable the intervention to be reproduced in clinical practice and future trials.
Pulcherrimin protects Bacillus subtilis against oxidative stress during biofilm development
Authors: Angelini Leticia Lima , dos Santos Renato Augusto Corrêa , Fox Gabriel , Paruthiyil Srinand , Gozzi Kevin , Shemesh Moshe , Chai Yunrong
Published: July 2023

Pulcherrimin is an iron-binding reddish pigment produced by various bacterial and yeast species. In the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis, this pigment is synthesized intracellularly as the colorless pulcherriminic acid by using two molecules of tRNA-charged leucine as the substrate; pulcherriminic acid molecules are then secreted and bind to ferric iron extracellularly to form the red-colored pigment pulcherrimin. The biological importance of pulcherrimin is not well understood. A previous study showed that secretion of pulcherrimin caused iron depletion in the surroundings and growth arrest on cells located at the edge of a B. subtilis colony biofilm. In this study, we identified that pulcherrimin is primarily produced under biofilm conditions and provides protection to cells in the biofilm against oxidative stress. We presented molecular evidence on how pulcherrimin lowers the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and alleviates oxidative stress and DNA damage caused by ROS accumulation in a mature biofilm. We also performed global transcriptome profiling to identify differentially expressed genes in the pulcherrimin-deficient mutant compared with the wild type, and further characterized the regulation of genes by pulcherrimin that are related to iron homeostasis, DNA damage response (DDR), and oxidative stress response. Based on our findings, we propose pulcherrimin as an important antioxidant that modulates B. subtilis biofilm development.
Mixing of moiré-surface and bulk states in graphite
Authors: Mullan Ciaran , Slizovskiy Sergey , Yin Jun , Wang Ziwei , Yang Qian , Xu Shuigang , Yang Yaping , Piot Benjamin A. , Hu Sheng , Taniguchi Takashi , Watanabe Kenji , Novoselov Kostya S. , Geim A. K. , Fal’ko Vladimir I. , Mishchenko Artem
Published: July 2023

Van der Waals assembly enables the design of electronic states in two-dimensional (2D) materials, often by superimposing a long-wavelength periodic potential on a crystal lattice using moiré superlattices1–9. This twistronics approach has resulted in numerous previously undescribed physics, including strong correlations and superconductivity in twisted bilayer graphene10–12, resonant excitons, charge ordering and Wigner crystallization in transition-metal chalcogenide moiré structures13–18 and Hofstadter’s butterfly spectra and Brown–Zak quantum oscillations in graphene superlattices19–22. Moreover, twistronics has been used to modify near-surface states at the interface between van der Waals crystals23,24. Here we show that electronic states in three-dimensional (3D) crystals such as graphite can be tuned by a superlattice potential occurring at the interface with another crystal—namely, crystallographically aligned hexagonal boron nitride. This alignment results in several Lifshitz transitions and Brown–Zak oscillations arising from near-surface states, whereas, in high magnetic fields, fractal states of Hofstadter’s butterfly draw deep into the bulk of graphite. Our work shows a way in which 3D spectra can be controlled using the approach of 2D twistronics.
A cell-type-specific error-correction signal in the posterior parietal cortex
Authors: Green Jonathan , Bruno Carissa A. , Traunmüller Lisa , Ding Jennifer , Hrvatin Siniša , Wilson Daniel E. , Khodadad Thomas , Samuels Jonathan , Greenberg Michael E. , Harvey Christopher D.
Published: July 2023

Neurons in the posterior parietal cortex contribute to the execution of goal-directed navigation1 and other decision-making tasks2–4. Although molecular studies have catalogued more than 50 cortical cell types5, it remains unclear what distinct functions they have in this area. Here we identified a molecularly defined subset of somatostatin (Sst) inhibitory neurons that, in the mouse posterior parietal cortex, carry a cell-type-specific error-correction signal for navigation. We obtained repeatable experimental access to these cells using an adeno-associated virus in which gene expression is driven by an enhancer that functions specifically in a subset of Sst cells6. We found that during goal-directed navigation in a virtual environment, this subset of Sst neurons activates in a synchronous pattern that is distinct from the activity of surrounding neurons, including other Sst neurons. Using in vivo two-photon photostimulation and ex vivo paired patch-clamp recordings, we show that nearby cells of this Sst subtype excite each other through gap junctions, revealing a self-excitation circuit motif that contributes to the synchronous activity of this cell type. These cells selectively activate as mice execute course corrections for deviations in their virtual heading during navigation towards a reward location, for both self-induced and experimentally induced deviations. We propose that this subtype of Sst neurons provides a self-reinforcing and cell-type-specific error-correction signal in the posterior parietal cortex that may help with the execution and learning of accurate goal-directed navigation trajectories.
Organ Mapping Antibody Panels: a community resource for standardized multiplexed tissue imaging
Authors: Quardokus Ellen M. , Saunders Diane C. , McDonough Elizabeth , Hickey John W. , Werlein Christopher , Surrette Christine , Rajbhandari Presha , Casals Anna Martinez , Tian Hua , Lowery Lisa , Neumann Elizabeth K. , Björklund Frida , Neelakantan Taruna V. , Croteau Josh , Wiblin Anne E. , Fisher Jeremy , Livengood April J. , Dowell Karen G. , Silverstein Jonathan C. , Spraggins Jeffrey M. , Pryhuber Gloria S. , Deutsch Gail , Ginty Fiona , Nolan Garry P. , Melov Simon , Jonigk Danny , Caldwell Michael A. , Vlachos Ioannis S. , Muller Werner , Gehlenborg Nils , Stockwell Brent R. , Lundberg Emma , Snyder Michael P. , Germain Ronald N. , Camarillo Jeannie M. , Kelleher Neil L. , Börner Katy , Radtke Andrea J.
Published: July 2023

Multiplexed antibody-based imaging enables the detailed characterization of molecular and cellular organization in tissues. Advances in the field now allow high-parameter data collection (>60 targets); however, considerable expertise and capital are needed to construct the antibody panels employed by these methods. Organ mapping antibody panels are community-validated resources that save time and money, increase reproducibility, accelerate discovery and support the construction of a Human Reference Atlas.
Viral kinetics, stability and sensitivity analysis of the within-host COVID-19 model
Authors: Elbaz Islam M. , El-Metwally H. , Sohaly M. A.
Published: July 2023

This paper delves into the investigation of the COVID-19 dynamics within a host using the Target-Latent-Infected-Virus (TLIV) model, presenting a fresh approach compared to previous studies. Our model introduces a latent class and explores sensitivity analysis, aspects that have received limited attention in prior research. A significant contribution of this study is the analysis of both local and global stability of equilibrium states, subject to specific sufficient conditions based on the basic reproduction number $$R_0$$

R
0

. By examining these stability properties, we aim to gain insights into the factors underlying variations observed in the findings of different studies. Additionally, we identify the death rate of infected cells as the parameter most susceptible to influence in our model. To minimize its impact and facilitate recovery, it is crucial to implement appropriate medical therapies and consume immune-boosting foods. Some computer simulations are carried out to strengthen the theoretical results.
Development and external validation of a pretrained deep learning model for the prediction of non-accidental trauma
Authors: Huang David , Cogill Steven , Hsia Renee Y. , Yang Samuel , Kim David
Published: July 2023

Non-accidental trauma (NAT) is deadly and difficult to predict. Transformer models pretrained on large datasets have recently produced state of the art performance on diverse prediction tasks, but the optimal pretraining strategies for diagnostic predictions are not known. Here we report the development and external validation of Pretrained and Adapted BERT for Longitudinal Outcomes (PABLO), a transformer-based deep learning model with multitask clinical pretraining, to identify patients who will receive a diagnosis of NAT in the next year. We develop a clinical interface to visualize patient trajectories, model predictions, and individual risk factors. In two comprehensive statewide databases, approximately 1% of patients experience NAT within one year of prediction. PABLO predicts NAT events with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.844 (95% CI 0.838–0.851) in the California test set, and 0.849 (95% CI 0.846–0.851) on external validation in Florida, outperforming comparator models. Multitask pretraining significantly improves model performance. Attribution analysis shows substance use, psychiatric, and injury diagnoses, in the context of age and racial demographics, as influential predictors of NAT. As a clinical decision support system, PABLO can identify high-risk patients and patient-specific risk factors, which can be used to target secondary screening and preventive interventions at the point-of-care.
Fast detection of slender bodies in high density microscopy data
Authors: Alonso Albert , Kirkegaard Julius B.
Published: July 2023

Computer-aided analysis of biological microscopy data has seen a massive improvement with the utilization of general-purpose deep learning techniques. Yet, in microscopy studies of multi-organism systems, the problem of collision and overlap remains challenging. This is particularly true for systems composed of slender bodies such as swimming nematodes, swimming spermatozoa, or the beating of eukaryotic or prokaryotic flagella. Here, we develop a end-to-end deep learning approach to extract precise shape trajectories of generally motile and overlapping slender bodies. Our method works in low resolution settings where feature keypoints are hard to define and detect. Detection is fast and we demonstrate the ability to track thousands of overlapping organisms simultaneously. While our approach is agnostic to area of application, we present it in the setting of and exemplify its usability on dense experiments of swimming Caenorhabditis elegans. The model training is achieved purely on synthetic data, utilizing a physics-based model for nematode motility, and we demonstrate the model’s ability to generalize from simulations to experimental videos.