bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Mitscherlich-bray Equation to Establish Fertilizer Recommendation for Strawberry under Adtuyon Clay Loam
Authors: Jambaro Gerlie S. , Ozarraga Louell M. , Escomen Edgel O.
Published: June 2022

The nutrient requirement of strawberry plants is high making them very responsive to fertilization. This study utilized the Mitscherlich-Bray equation to determine the theoretical maximum yield as the basis of comparison to the actual yield. The economics of fertilizer application was also considered in the determination of the fertilizer recommendation. The theoretical maximum yield of the study is 12.29 t/ha-1. Strawberry is found responsive to nitrogen and potassium fertilization. The application of 225-225-360 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively could achieve 95% of the theoretical maximum yield, however, it had a much higher amount spent on fertilization per kg of fruit yield compared to the current Hafza’s recommendation. The fertilizer recommendation of 150-150-240 kg ha-1 of N, P2O5, and K2O, respectively still the best option under Adtuyon clay loam for both economic and horticultural benefits.
Identification of Alternatives to Landraces of Kale (Brassica oleracea Group Acephala) for Off-season Cultivation and Seed-to-seed Production in Kashmir Valley
Authors: Malik Geetika , Shabir Alima , Shah Rafiq Ahmad , Farooq Saima , Jabeen Asma , Mir J. I. , Sharma O. C.
Published: June 2022

Aim: To characterize kale (Brassica oleracea group Acephala) germplasm well adapted for July to December cropping season in Kashmir valley for suitability for year round cultivation with respect to leaf yield (t/ha).

Study Design: Random Complete Block Design with two replications.

Place and duration of study: The study was done in Vegetable Experimental Field of ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India from 2017-18 to 2018-19.

Methodology: The germplasm comprising breeding lines and landraces as checks was sown and then transplanted at different times of the year to evaluate for leaf yield potential at edible maturity stage. The final yield for each genotype was calculated by summing up all pickings. Critical differences among genotypes for total leaf yield were calculated from ANOVA using OPSTAT online tool for one factor analysis.

Results: Considering the average performance of two years in terms of leaf yield in tone per hectare, NW-Saag-1 (24.77, 25.08 and 25.01), CITH-KC-16 (28.79, 26.74 and 11.20) and CITH-KC-18 (24.25, 24.14 and 11.91) were found to yield significantly better than local checks Khanyari (7.77, 8.47 and 21.31) and GM Dari (10.36, 15.98 and 9.65) when transplanted in May, June and July, respectively. Months of April, May, June, July and August were most conducive for normal nursery production followed by May to September transplanting to get economical yields. January sowing of selected genotypes in polyhouse along with added protection from polysheet resulted in vigorous and healthy seedlings. Their transplanting in the second fortnight of March resulted only in short vegetative phase of the crop followed by bolting and seed production. However, this approach came out as an opportunity to produce seed in 7 months (January to July) compared to 1 year normally taken in farmer adopted seed production method.

Conclusion: NW-Saag-1, CITH-KC-16 and CITH-KC-18 lines yielded significantly higher than local landrace kales for offseason cultivation and seed-to-seed technique of seed production is an economic and short method of kale seed production in Kashmir valley.
Bioinspired Vascular Stents with Microfluidic Electrospun Multilayer Coatings for Preventing In‐Stent Restenosis
Authors: Cheng Yi , Zhang Xiaoxuan , Liu Rui , Li Yazhou , Zeng Jiaqi , Zhou Min , Zhao Yuanjin
Published: June 2022

In‐stent restenosis (ISR) is seriously affecting the long‐term prognosis of vascular interventional therapy and leading to enormous medical burdens. Great efforts have been devoted to developing functional vascular stents with desired features and properties for effective ISR prevention. Here, a multifunctional bionic vascular stent with designed coatings prepared using microfluidic electrospinning technology is presented. Such stents are composed of biocompatible, drug‐loaded methylacrylated gelatin‐polyethylene glycol diacrylate (GelMA‐PEGDA) and polycaprolactone composite nanofibers on 316L stainless steel stents by an easy‐to‐operate step‐by‐step spraying method. Benefitting from the addition of polydopamine during the fabrications, the drug‐loaded composite nanofibers can adhere well to both the stent and the vascular wall. Furthermore, as the inner fibrous layer of the stent contacting the lumen is equipped with heparin‐vascular endothelial growth factor (Hep‐VEGF), it plays an anticoagulation role and promotes the growth of endothelial cells; while the outer layer contacts the vascular wall and releases rapamycin slowly, which can restrain smooth muscle proliferation. By implanting this into the rabbit carotid artery, the multi‐functional bionic demonstrates that the vascular stent can achieve good anti‐thrombosis and in‐stent restenosis effects, which indicates its potential values in vascular intervention and other biomedical fields.
Multimodal Fluorescence Switching Materials: One Dye to Have Them All
Authors: Otaegui Jaume Ramon , Carrascull‐Marín Aleix , Ruiz‐Molina Daniel , Hernando Jordi , Roscini Claudio
Published: June 2022

Off/on, on/off, and on1/on2 fluorescence switching systems find application in a variety of areas, for each of which a particular dye or dye‐switch tether must be specifically designed and synthesized. Herein it is demonstrated that such tight requirement can be avoided by using easily prepared mixtures of readily available emitters and phase change materials (PCMs). By proper selection of the PCM and, if needed, additives, thermo‐ and photothermoresponsive materials showing all classes of emission switching modes can be prepared from a single dye and without chemical modifications. This strategy can be generalized to distinct emitters and, thanks to the facile and versatile printability of dye–PCM mixtures, it can be used for the fabrication of fluorescent patterns showing complex (photo)thermal responses with direct applicability in sensing and anti‐counterfeiting.
Expanding the phenotype of PIK3C2A related syndrome: Report of two siblings with novel features and genotype
Authors: Galarreta Carolina I. , Kennedy Colleen , Blair David R. , Slavotinek Anne
Published: June 2022

A pair of siblings was ascertained due to multiple congenital anomalies, including strikingly similar facial, skeletal, and ocular abnormalities. Exome sequencing of both the children and their mother revealed two novel PIK3C2A variants in the siblings, c.4381delC (p.Arg1461Glufs*31) and c.1555C > T (p.Arg519Ter). PIK3C2A belongs to the Class IIa family of Phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinases, which create second messenger lipids that regulate a wide range of downstream signaling pathways involved in cell growth, survival and migration. Tiosano et al. (2019) identified the first monogenic disorder associated with biallelic PIK3C2A loss‐of‐function variants (oculoskeletodental syndrome). The novel syndrome was characterized by short stature, coarse facial features, ocular and skeletal abnormalities. This report describes two additional siblings affected by the PIK3C2A‐related syndrome, confirms core clinical features, establishes intrafamilial variability and expands the phenotype to include proteinuria.
Controllable Droplet Sliding on a Smart Shape‐Memory Slippery Surface
Authors: He Yaoxu , Wang Zhe , Jiao Xiaoyu , Song Yingbin , Meng Junhui , Cheng Zhongjun
Published: June 2022

Recently, slippery surfaces with controllable droplet sliding have aroused much attention in both fundamental research and realistic applications. However, for almost all existing surfaces, constant stimuli such as heat, light, magnetic field, etc., are indispensable. Herein, by constructing pit structures on a shape memory polymer and further infusing oil with low surface tension, we report a shape memory slippery surface that can overcome the above imperfection. Based on the shape memory performance, the surface can memorize a diverse pit size as the surface is stretched or recovered. With the variation of pit structure, the sliding performances for both water and organic liquid droplets can be reversibly adjusted between the rolling and pinning states. This work, based on the shape memory effect, reports smart droplet sliding control through regulating the surface microstructure, which not only provides a strategy for droplet sliding control, but also offers some ideas for designing novel intelligent slippery surfaces.
Educators' positive practices with refugee pupils at two schools in England
Authors: Prentice Caitlin M.
Published: June 2022

Extensive evidence indicates that education is an integral part of the settling in process for refugee and asylum‐seeking children. Furthermore, it has been suggested that positive teaching practice with refugee pupils should be asset‐based and holistic in nature. The present study examines educators' positive practices with refugee pupils and explores factors that shape these practices. Data were collected through participant observation and semi‐structured interviews with 17 class teachers, specialist teachers and teaching assistants at two schools in England. Numerous examples of positive practices were identified, from creating welcoming environments to promoting social–emotional well‐being to supporting English language learning. Factors that shaped these practices were identified using an ecological model of educator development. Such factors included educators' individual pedagogical knowledge about teaching refugee pupils and collective school‐level knowledge and practices. Some aspects of the national education system, such as rigid exam‐based curricula, were also cited as influential. Overall, this study offers examples of how individual educators and schools managed to enact positive practices with refugee pupils despite an unsupportive national context.
Regeneration of Capto Core 700 resin through high throughput and laboratory scale studies and impact on production of a SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine candidate
Authors: Konstantinidis Spyridon , Reinhart Seth R. , Castagna Christine , Poplyk Murphy R. , Rustandi Richard R. , Flor Kristen L. , Acevedo‐Skrip Jillian , Thompson Rachel , Wang Christopher J. , Wang Sheng‐Ching , Winters Michael A.
Published: June 2022

During the development of a SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine candidate, at the height of the COVID‐19 pandemic, raw materials shortages, including chromatography resins, necessitated the determination of a cleaning in place (CIP) strategy for a multimodal core‐shell resin both rapidly and efficiently. Here, the deployment of high throughput (HT) techniques to screen CIP conditions for cleaning Capto Core 700 resin exposed to clarified cell culture harvest (CCCH) of a SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine candidate produced in Vero adherent cell culture are described. The best performing conditions, comprised of 30% n‐propanol and ≥0.75 N NaOH, were deployed in cycling experiments, completed with miniature chromatography columns, to demonstrate their effectiveness. The success of the CIP strategy was ultimately verified at the laboratory scale. Here, its impact was assessed across the entire purification process which also included an ultrafiltration/diafiltration step. It is shown that the implementation of the CIP strategy enabled the re‐use of the Capto Core 700 resin for up to 10 cycles without any negative impact on the purified product. Hence, the strategic combination of HT and laboratory‐scale experiments can lead rapidly to robust CIP procedures, even for a challenging to clean resin, and thus help to overcome supply shortages.
Organizing an in‐person nation‐wide Biology olympiad during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: Ghukasyan Gayane , Tserunyan Vardges
Published: June 2022

The Covid‐19 pandemic has inspired the implementation of a number of online educational activities designed to promote appropriate measures, such as social distancing, in order to avoid spread of the disease. In these circumstances, ensuring that extracurricular activities in science education adapt to the changing situation is of crucial importance. Recognizing the important role high school science olympiads play in science education, we organized an in‐person socially distanced 2‐day examination for the final round of the Armenian National Biology Olympiad by using Classmarker, a web‐based in‐browser tool for administering exams. We believe that our experience with organizing this event will prove useful to other educators faced with uncertainty regarding the return to pre‐pandemic modes of instruction.
Levers for a corporate transition to a plastics circular economy
Authors: Barford Anna , Ahmad Saffy Rose
Published: June 2022

With the global economy not yet 10% circular, businesses are key stakeholders in designing new forms of resource use, especially large multinationals. However, compared with the wealth of studies on ‘born sustainable’ start‐ups, there is minimal case study or interview based research into how incumbent companies are approaching this transition. Focusing on plastics, we ask: how does one incumbent multinational company approach the circular economy transition? This paper presents a case study of the incumbent multinational chemical company Dow, a leading plastics manufacturer. Varied external stressors and drivers for the circular economy act upon a company (which also has its own imperatives), resulting in tentative steps towards circular economy. To date, these steps have tweaked the existing system rather than radically altering the business model. For companies, like for the entire global economy, this transition has only just begun. This paper identifies key drivers, enablers and barriers of the circular economy, none of which are fixed or immutable. Knowing which levers for change are available and effective could help policy makers to shift gear to enable quicker progress towards circularity. Overall, broad based support and engagement is needed to progress the circular economy, hence all stakeholders have roles to play in demanding and enacting circular practices.
Genetic variants in XPD gene and glioma susceptibility in Chinese children: A multicenter case–control study
Authors: Chen Yong‐Ping , Liao Yuxiang , Yuan Li , Huang Xiao‐Kai , Ruan Ji‐Chen , Lin Hui‐Ran , Miao Lei , Zhuo Zhen‐Jian
Published: June 2022

Background

Glioma is one of the central nervous system (CNS) tumors in children, accounting for 80% of malignant brain tumors. Nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a vital pathway during DNA damage repair progression. Xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD) or excision repair cross‐complementing group 2 (ERCC2) is a critical factor in the NER pathway, playing an indispensable role in the DNA repair process. Therefore, the genetic variants in XPD may be associated with carcinogenesis induced by defects in DNA repair.

Methods

We are the first to conduct a multi‐center case‐control study to investigate the correlation between XPD gene polymorphisms and pediatric glioma risk. We chose three single nucleotide polymorphisms and genotyped them using the TaqMan assay.

Results

Although there is no significant association of these genetic variations with glioma susceptibility, the stratified analysis revealed that in the subtype of astrocytic tumors, the rs13181 TG/GG genotype enhanced glioma risk than the TT genotype, and carriers with two to three genotypes also elevated the tumor risk than 0‐1 genotypes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our findings provided an insight into the impact of XPD genetic variants on glioma risk.
Leadership journeys: Impacts of faculty professional development
Authors: Macdonald R. Heather , DeMolle Diondra , LeMay Lynsey E. , MacDonald Alyssa M. , Othus‐Gault Shannon M. , Tvelia Sean
Published: June 2022

This chapter presents the leadership journeys of five faculty who participated in the SAGE 2YC: Faculty as Change Agents project. These faculty stories illustrate the influence of the project on their leadership and work as mid‐level administrative or grassroots leaders. Key to the project was the explicit inclusion of leadership development in the professional development (PD). Learning about organizational frames and leadership approaches, the experience of faculty participants designing and leading their own workshops, and the resulting community of practice contributed to the leadership development of faculty participants. Implications and recommendations for leadership development of faculty members, critically important for colleges, concludes the chapter.
Countrywide cardiovascular disease prevention and control in 49 countries with different socio‐economic status
Authors: Khaltaev Nikolai , Axelrod Svetlana
Published: June 2022

Background

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major noncommunicable disease (NCD) accounting for 17.9 million deaths. If current trends continue, the annual number of deaths from CVD will rise to 22.2 million by 2030. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a sustainable development goal (SDG) by 2030 to reduce NCD mortality by one‐third. The purpose of this study was to analyze the CVD mortality trends in different countries implementing World Health Organization (WHO) NCD Action Plan and emphasize effective ways to achieve SDG.

Methods

WHO statistics, based on the Member‐States unified mortality and causes‐of‐death reports were used for analyzing trends and different interventions.

Results

Reduction of CVD mortality from 2000 to 2016 in 49 countries was achieved for stroke at 43% and ischemic heart disease at 30%. Smoking prevalence and raised blood pressure (RBP) decreased in 84% and 55% of the countries. Eighty‐nine percent of high‐income countries (HIC) demonstrated a decline in tobacco smoking against 67% in middle‐income countries (MIC). Sixty‐nine percent of HIC demonstrated a decline in RBP against 15% in MIC. CVD management, tobacco, and unhealthy diet reduction measures are significantly better in HIC. The air pollution level was higher in MIC.

Conclusion

Building partnerships between countries could enhance their efforts for CVD prevention and successful achievement of SDG.
Optical Modulation of Antibiotic Resistance by Photoswitchable Cystobactamids
Authors: Testolin Giambattista , Richter Jana , Ritter Antje , Prochnow Hans , Köhnke Jesko , Brönstrup Mark
Published: June 2022

The rise of antibiotic resistance causes a serious health care problem, and its counterfeit demands novel, innovative concepts. The combination of photopharmacology, enabling a light‐controlled reversible modulation of drug activity, with antibiotic drug design has led to first photoswitchable antibiotic compounds derived from established scaffolds. In this study, we converted cystobactamids, gyrase‐inhibiting natural products with an oligoaryl scaffold and highly potent antibacterial activities, into photoswitchable agents by inserting azobenzene in the N‐terminal part and/or an acylhydrazone moiety near the C‐terminus, yielding twenty analogs that contain mono‐ as well as double‐switches. Antibiotic and gyrase inhibition properties could be modulated 3.4‐fold and 5‐fold by light, respectively. Notably, the sensitivity of photoswitchable cystobactamids towards two known resistance factors, the peptidase AlbD and the scavenger protein AlbA, was light‐dependent. While irradiation of an analog with an N‐terminal azobenzene with 365 nm light led to less degradation by AlbD, the AlbA‐mediated inactivation was induced. This provides a proof‐of‐principle that resistance towards photoswitchable antibiotics can be optically controlled.
Correlation analysis of the triglyceride glucose index and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in essential hypertensive patients
Authors: Liao Li Ping , Yang Yang , Wu Yilin , Li Weizhen
Published: June 2022

Background

Triglyceride glucose index (TyG index) is a novel marker of insulin resistance. Studies have shown that TyG index is closely associated with the occurrence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the correlation between TyG index and the occurrence of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in hypertensive patients.

Hypothesis

Our study assumes that TyG index strongly correlates with occurence of HFpEF in hypertensive patients.

Methods

This research enrolled 559 hypertensive patients (273 patients with HFpEF and 286 without HFpEF) admitted to the Department of Cardiology of Jiading Branch of Shanghai General Hospital from 2020 to 2021 as the study subjects. Gender, age, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and heart rate (HR) were recorded at admission. Medication history and fasting blood samples were harvested after admission to detect laboratory index. Cardiac function and ventricular structure index were measured by echocardiography. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to identify the correlation of TyG index with cardiac function and ventricular structure. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of TyG index in HFpEF with hypertension.

Results

HFpEF patients had higher diuretic use frequencies, fasting plasma glucose, NT‐proBNP, triglycerides, TyG index, left atrial diameter (LAD), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), the ratio of peak E‐velocity of mitral orifice to peak velocity of early diastolic mitral annulus (E/e′), and SBP but lower ratio of peak E of early diastolic maximum blood flow velocity to peak A of late diastolic maximum blood flow velocity of mitral orifice (E/A) and average e′ than non‐HFpEF patients. Moreover, TyG index was correlated with LAD, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), LVMI, average e′, E/e′, and NT‐proBNP. The multivariate regression analysis suggested that TyG index, E/e′, and NT‐proBNP were independent risk factors for HFpEF in hypertensive patients. Compared with E/e′ and NT‐proBNP, the area under the ROC curve (0.778 [95% confidence interval: 0.707–0.849]) was the largest for TyG index.

Conclusion

TyG index is higher in HFpEF patients than in non‐HFpEF patients and related to cardiac diastolic function, which strongly correlates with occurrence of HFpEF in hypertensive patients.
Uncovering the Root Leading to Accelerated Capacity Fade of Li‐Ion Coin Cells in Fast Charging
Authors: Zhang Sheng S.
Published: June 2022

Coin cells have been widely adopted for the evaluation of battery materials and chemistry. Herein, however, the coin cells are found unable to correctly reflect the fast‐charging capability of batteries. This is because, in the coin cells, the pressure between electrodes is provided by a wave spring while the wave spring cannot apply sufficient pressure to maintain the necessary electric contact for fast charging, leading to high polarization and resultant Li plating at the graphite anode. Testing on graphite/LiNi0.80Co0.10Mn0.10O2 coin cells shows that replacing the wave spring with a flat O‐ring washer dramatically stabilizes capacity retention in fast charging. Alternating current‐impedance analyses on the cells before and after 200 5 C‐charging cycles indicate that the cell with the O‐ring washer initially has a larger surface layer resistance, however, after fast‐charging test retained much smaller overall resistance compared with the cell using the wave spring. Visual observation of the cycled cell components reveals that the improvements are due to significantly reduced Li plating at the graphite anode, which is attributed to the appropriate pressure and the uniform distribution of the pressure applied by the flat O‐ring washer.
Brewers’ Spent Grains‐Derived Carbon as Anode for Alkali Metal‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Magar Sandesh Darlami , Leibing Christian , Gómez-Urbano Juan Luis , Carriazo Daniel , Balducci Andrea
Published: June 2022

Herein, the synthesis of a nongraphitizable carbon through cost‐effective pyrolysis of a brewery waste product is reported. It is demonstrated that it is possible to realize hard carbon (HC) with structural and morphological properties from an abundant biomass source with a suitable application in energy storage devices. Resulting HC displays reversible capacities of 334, 112 , and 140 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 1C with high charge/discharge efficiency (>99.6%) in Li‐ion, Na‐ion, and K‐ion batteries, respectively. Thus, HC derived from brewers’ spent grains can be considered as promising materials for the realization of advanced metal‐ion batteries.
A novel hybrid solar chimney power plant: Performance analysis and deployment feasibility
Authors: Abdelsalam Emad , Almomani Fares , Ibrahim Shadwa
Published: June 2022

This study presents a novel hybrid solar chimney power plant (HSCPP) design. The HSCPP preserves the typical solar chimney power plant (SCPP), with an additional seawater pool at the base and water sprinklers at the top. This new and novel design configuration offers an opportunity to run the system during the daytime as a traditional SCPP and as a downdraft cooling tower at night. The performance of the HSCPP was analyzed in 16 cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that span the entire geographical area of the country to select the optimal location for installation. The results showed that the highest annual electrical energy production of 676.20 MWh was achieved in the southern city of Shahrurah. However, the lowest annual electrical energy production of 347.59 MWh was found at Wajh, in the west. The highest annual freshwater production was 143,898 tons at Riyadh, in the center. However, the lowest annual freshwater production was 77,868 tons at Muwayh, in the west. Furthermore, the results showed that the proposed HSCPP increased electrical power production by 55% and freshwater production by 20% when compared to traditional SCPP. In addition, an outstanding reduction in CO2 emissions by approximately 56% was associated with such an application of HSCPP. The performance of the HSCPP is very promising, however, the geographical location to install the HSCPP is performance‐critical. Hence, the optimal locations were found to be from the center to the southern part of the KSA.
SERS using nanostar‐in‐cavity structures
Authors: Zalaffi Maria Sole , Ugo Paolo , Marti Almudena , Bowden Bethany M. , Russell Andrea E. , Bartlett Philip N.
Published: June 2022

Particle in cavity nanostructures were produced by sedimentation of silver nanostars (AgNSs) onto sphere segment void (SSV) cavity structures produced by electrodeposition of gold around templates formed by assembling close packed monolayer arrays of 220 or 600 nm diameter polystyrene spheres. The resulting AgNS@SSV nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and their performance as substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was examined. The enhancement factors obtained for the different structures were evaluated using benzenethiol as Raman probe, which adsorbs on Ag and Au to form a monolayer with uniform coverage, so allowing the enhancement to be quantified. Higher enhancements were obtained for the AgNSs@SSV substrates as compared with the gold SSV structures. The greatest enhancements were obtained when matching cavity and nanostar dimension so that only one nanostar could be accommodated in the cavity. The AgNS@SSV substrates were then shown to be promising substrates for the highly sensitive detection of dyes and, particularly, for the lake‐pigment cochineal lake, providing useful information and novel analytical tool for application in the field of cultural heritage diagnostics and conservation.
Reverting to a Healthy Diet during Lactation Normalizes Maternal Milk Lipid Content of Diet‐Induced Obese Rats and Prevents Early Alterations in the Plasma Lipidome of the Offspring
Authors: Castillo Pedro , Kuda Ondrej , Kopecky Jan , Pomar Catalina Amadora , Palou Andreu , Palou Mariona , Picó Catalina
Published: June 2022

Scope

This study aims to assess in rats whether normalizing maternal diet during lactation prevents the harmful effects of western diet (WD) consumption during the whole perinatal period on the lipidomic profile in maternal milk and offspring plasma.

Methods and Results

Control dams (CON‐dams), fed with standard diet (SD); WD‐dams, fed with WD prior and during gestation and lactation; and reversion dams (REV‐dams), fed as WD‐dams but moved to SD during lactation are followed. Lipidomic analysis is performed in milk and plasma samples from pups. Milk of WD‐dams presents a different triacylglycerol composition and free fatty acid (FA) profile compared to CON‐dams, including an increased ratio of pro‐inflammatory to anti‐inflammatory long‐chain polyunsaturated FA. Such alterations, which are also present in the plasma of their offspring, are widely reversed in the milk of REV‐dams and the plasma of their pups. This is related with the recovery of control adiponectin expression levels in the mammary gland, and the presence of decreased expression of pro‐inflammatory factors.

Conclusion

Implementing a healthy diet during lactation prevents early alterations in the plasma lipidome of pups associated to the maternal intake of an obesogenic diet, which may be related to the normalization of milk lipid content and the inflammatory state in the mammary gland.
Global optimization point‐set registration based on translation/rotation decoupling for image‐guided surgery applications
Authors: Fu Kexue , Chen Xinrong , Wang Manning
Published: June 2022

Purpose

In image‐guided surgery systems, image‐to‐patient spatial registration is to get the spatial transformation between the image space and the actual operating space. Although the image‐to‐patient spatial registration methods using paired point or surface matching are used in some image‐guided neurosurgery systems, the key problem is that the global optimization registration result cannot be achieved. Therefore, this paper proposes a new rotation invariant feature for decoupling rotation and translation space, based on which global optimization point set registration method is proposed.

Methods

The new rotation invariant features, constructed based on the edges and the angles, are the rotation invariant, which has high feature resolution. Some of them are not only the rotation invariant, but also the translation invariant. To obtain the global optimal solution, branch and bound search strategy is used to search the parameter space of the translation and the computational cost is reduced simultaneously. The registration accuracy of the spatial registration method is analyzed by comparing the difference between the estimated transform and the standard transform to calculate the registration error.

Results

To validate the performance of the spatial registration method proposed, the registration performance was analyzed by comparing the experimental results with the results of the two mainstream registration methods (the iterative closest point [ICP] registration method and the coherent point drift method). In the experiments, the comparison was based on the registration accuracy and the execution time. We show our registration method can obtain higher accuracy in a shorter time in most cases. At the same time, when using ICP to further refine our results, the ICP method can converge in a very short time, which also shows that our method provides a good initial pose for the ICP method and can help the ICP converge to the global optimal solution faster. Our method can achieve an average rotation error of 0.124 degrees and an average translation error of 0.38 mm on 10 clinical data.

Conclusions

The results reveal that the surface registration method based on translation rotation decoupling can achieve superior performance regarding both the registration accuracy and the time efficiency in the image‐to‐patient spatial registration.
Kommunikation: Wer ist die „breite Öffentlichkeit“?
Authors: Ziegler Ricarda
Published: June 2022

Wer Forschung öffentlich vermitteln möchte, muss sich über seine Ziele im Klaren sein und seine Zielgruppen kennen.
Trendbericht Biochemie 2022: Strukturbiologie an der Schnittstelle zwischen Mensch und Mikrobe
Authors: Roderer Daniel
Published: June 2022

Über spezialisierte Enzyme, Affinitätsselektionsmethoden, um bioaktive Substanzen zu entdecken, hochauflösende Strukturanalyse von Proteinkomplexen und die Kombination von Bio‐ und Photokatalyse.
Board Meeting
Authors: Koch Wolfram
Published: June 2022

Report on the Meeting of the GDCh Board of Directors on March 4, 2022
Start‐ups: Von Neulingen und Einhörnern
Authors: Bulmahn Maren
Published: June 2022

Der deutsche Start‐up‐Verband würdigte im Mai Kreislaufwirtschaft, Diversität und Engagement.
Improving Salmonid Monitoring by Nocturnal Counting in Rivers
Authors: Kambestad Marius , Hellen Bjart Are , Jensen Knut Helge Midtbø , Sægrov Harald
Published: June 2022

Accurate abundance estimates are crucial for evidence-based fisheries management. In rivers, drift dive counting and electrofishing are commonly used for quantifying fish abundance. However, the likelihood that fish are detected by these counting methods is affected by a range of factors, with substantial potential implications for the outcomes. Fish behavior and distribution also differs with light intensity, yet diel variation in abundance estimates produced by common enumeration methods has received little attention. Here, we present a comparison of diurnal and nocturnal counts of the landlocked population of Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar, known as “småblank,” and Brown Trout Salmo trutta in a Norwegian river. Six drift dive transects and 12 electrofishing sites were surveyed at day and night in early autumn. During drift dives, småblank were exclusively observed at night. Brown Trout were observed by snorkelers both day and night but in significantly higher numbers at night (six times more Brown Trout per 100 m at night versus in the day). Catch per unit effort of backpack electrofishing was significantly higher at night than at daytime for both småblank and Brown Trout older than age 0 (202% and 108% higher, respectively). We argue that differences in drift dive counts were mainly caused by fish hiding in the substrate during the day and being more active at night, resulting in diel differences in detection rate. Further studies are needed to determine whether differences in electrofishing catches were caused by diel fish migrations or higher catchability at night.
State estimation in nonlinear parametric time dependent systems using tensor train
Authors: Damiano Lombardi
Published: June 2022

In the present work, we propose a reduced‐order method to solve the state estimation problem when nonlinear parametric time‐dependent systems are at hand. The method is based on the approximation of the set of system solutions by means of a tensor train format. The particular structure of tensor train makes it possible to set up both a variational and a sequential method. Several numerical experiments are proposed to assess the behavior of the method.
Total Synthesis of Resveratrone andiso‐Resveratrone
Authors: Fritsch Stefan , Aldemir Nazli , Balszuweit Jan , Bojaryn Kevin , Voskuhl Jens , Hirschhäuser Christoph
Published: June 2022

The first total synthesis of resveratrone andiso‐resveratrone based on an epoxide olefination approach is described. The pivotal reaction proceeds by insertion of the lithiated epoxide into a boronic ester and subsequentsyn‐elimination. Resveratrone has been described to have remarkable photophysical properties, including two‐photon absorption. Therefore, an azide derivative has been prepared to allow for use as a biological label.
Thermal conductivity and compressive strength of silicone rubber composites enhanced by aligned carbon nanofiber scaffold
Authors: Zhan Chen , Cui Wenzhi , Li Longjian , Quan Xiaojun , Zhang Yuqi , Xu Yong , Xiao Fei , Li Weiping
Published: June 2022

Polymer composites with high enough thermal conductivity, known as thermal interface materials (TIMs), are continuously pursued in the thermal management of high‐power density electronic and energy devices. In this article, to improve the heat transfer performance of TIMs, we constructed an aligned carbon nanofiber (CNFs) scaffold via the freeze‐casting method to serve as heat conduction paths in the TIMs. The composites of aligned CNF scaffold and silicone rubber were obtained by immersing the aligned scaffold into the silicone rubber with vacuum assist. We studied the influences of different CNFs diameters on the thermal conductivity of the composites, the pore sizes of the aligned CNF scaffold and the thermal conductivity of the composites fabricated under different freezing temperatures, and also the mechanical properties of the composites. Owing to the aligned scaffold, providing directional and continuous heat conduction paths, the thermal conductivity of the composites reached 3.17 W/(m·K) at 7.73 vol% CNFs. Additionally, the compressive strength and fracture strain of the composites were also greatly improved.
Quantitative structure–property relationship for the critical temperature of saturated monobasic ketones, aldehydes, and ethers with molecular descriptors
Authors: Huoyu Rao , Zhiqiang Zhu , Zhanggao Le , Zhenzhen Xu
Published: June 2022

Density functional theory calculations on saturated monobasic ketones, aldehydes, and ethers were carried out using Gaussian‐16 software. For each compound, the most stable molecule with the lowest energy and no imaginary frequency was found, and the molecular descriptors were calculated using the Alvadesc software based on the optimized geometry. The stepwise MLR method was used to develop a four‐parameter linear regression equation between the critical temperatures and molecular descriptors of 50 compounds in the training set, with a correlation coefficient of .9991. The QSPR model was robust and reliable, according to the Fisher and student‐t tests, the Durbin‐Watson test, cross‐validation and external validation, and application domain analysis.
Effect of lymphotoxin blockage on different stages of Sjogren's syndrome in an animal model
Authors: Jacob Alexander , Shen Long , He Jing , Nealon Kelly , Alexander Jessy J. , Ambrus Julian L.
Published: June 2022

Background

Lymphotoxin (LT) is an important mediator in Sjogren's syndrome (SS), both in patients and in animal models. Deletion of the LT alpha gene prevented the development of disease manifestations in the interelukin alpha transgenic mouse (IL14αTG) mouse model of SS.

Aims

The current study was designed to evaluate the use of LT inhibitors at different stages of the disease in IL14αTG mice.

Materials and Methods

IL14αTG mice were treated with anti‐LTa monoclonal antibody, LTb receptor‐immunoglobulin fusion protein (LTBR‐Ig) or isotype control during different stages of disease and analysis of salivary gland function, immunoglobulins, autoantibodies and histology of internal organs performed.

Results and Discussion

The inhibitors were very effective in maintaining salivary gland function and preventing infiltration of the glands with lymphocytes when used in the early stages of the disease. Blocking LT at later stages of the disease did not recover salivary gland function but was still effective in limiting extra glandular manifestations including eye disease and tumor development. Some differences were noted in the effectiveness of anti‐LTα versus LTBR‐Ig in limiting particular disease manifestations.

Conclusion

LT inhibitors deserve further investigation in the management of SS at whatever stage is identified.
Disturbance estimation for robotic systems using continuous integral sliding mode observer
Authors: Zhang Zengjie , Wollherr Dirk , Najjaran Homayoun
Published: June 2022

This article presents a novel force‐sensor‐less method for the estimation of external forces for a general class of second‐order robotic systems. The method is based on the integral sliding mode observer (ISMO) which serves as a second‐order differentiator for the position measurement of the system. As a result, the system states and disturbance are estimated without explicitly using force and velocity measurements. To apply the ISMO to the general second‐order systems, a proper assumption is proposed to address their nonlinearity and discontinuity. The boundary‐layer method is applied to ensure that the virtual inputs of the observer are continuous such that the chattering phenomenon is attenuated. A Lyapunov‐based method is used to analyze the influence of the boundary layers on the convergence of the state‐ and disturbance‐estimation errors. This influence, mainly determined by the boundary‐layer scalars, is given in analytical forms as a reference for parameter selection. The method is evaluated by numerical simulation on a robot manipulator system and compared with a conventional sliding mode observer (SMO). The validation of the performance of the continuous ISMO indicates its generalizability to general second‐order robotic systems. Also, the advantage of continuous ISMO over the conventional SMO is reflected by its small estimation errors and superior responsiveness. In general, the proposed method in this paper may interest those who are seeking solutions for haptic robotic tasks without using force sensors.
Polysaccharide‐Polyplex Nanofilm Coatings Enhance Nanoneedle‐Based Gene Delivery and Transfection Efficiency
Authors: Hachim Daniel , Zhao Juzhi , Bhankharia Jash , Nuñez‐Toldra Raquel , Brito Liliana , Seong Hyejeong , Becce Michele , Ouyang Liliang , Grigsby Christopher L. , Higgins Stuart G. , Terracciano Cesare M. , Stevens Molly M.
Published: June 2022

Non‐viral vectors represent versatile and immunologically safer alternatives for nucleic acid delivery. Nanoneedles and high‐aspect ratio nanostructures are unconventional but interesting delivery systems, in which delivery is mediated by surface interactions. Herein, nanoneedles are synergistically combined with polysaccharide‐polyplex nanofilms and enhanced transfection efficiency is observed, compared to polyplexes in suspension. Different polyplex‐polyelectrolyte nanofilm combinations are assessed and it is found that transfection efficiency is enhanced when using polysaccharide‐based polyanions, rather than being only specific for hyaluronic acid, as suggested in earlier studies. Moreover, results show that enhanced transfection is not mediated by interactions with the CD44 receptor, previously hypothesized as a major mechanism mediating enhancement via hyaluronate. In cardiac tissue, nanoneedles are shown to increase the transfection efficiency of nanofilms compared to flat substrates; while in vitro, high transfection efficiencies are observed in nanostructures where cells present large interfacing areas with the substrate. The results of this study demonstrate that surface‐mediated transfection using this system is efficient and safe, requiring amounts of nucleic acid with an order of magnitude lower than standard culture transfection. These findings expand the spectrum of possible polyelectrolyte combinations that can be used for the development of suitable non‐viral vectors for exploration in further clinical trials.
Systematic analysis of software development in cloud computing perceptions
Authors: Khan Habib Ullah , Ali Farhad , Nazir Shah
Published: June 2022

Cloud computing is characterized as a shared computing and communication infrastructure. It encourages the efficient and effective developmental processes that are carried out in various organizations. Cloud computing offers both possibilities and solutions of problems for outsourcing and management of software developmental operations across distinct geography. Cloud computing is adopted by organizations and application developers for developing quality software. The cloud has the significant impact on utilizing the artificial complexity required in developing and designing quality software. Software developmental organization prefers cloud computing for outsourcing tasks because of its available and scalable nature. Cloud computing is the ideal choice utilized for development modern software as they have provided a completely new way of developing real‐time cost‐effective, efficient, and quality software. Tenants (providers, developers, and consumers) are provided with platforms, software services, and infrastructure based on pay per use phenomenon. Cloud‐based software services are becoming increasingly popular, as observed by their widespread use. Cloud computing approach has drawn the interest of researchers and business because of its ability to provide a flexible and resourceful platform for development and deployment. To determine a cohesive understanding of the analyzed problems and solutions to improve the quality of software, the existing literature resources on cloud‐based software development should be analyzed and synthesized systematically. Keyword strings were formulated for analyzing relevant research articles from journals, book chapters, and conference papers. The research articles published in (2011–2021) various scientific databases were extracted and analyzed for retrieval of relevant research articles. A total of 97 research publications are examined in this SLR and are evaluated to be appropriate studies in explaining and discussing the proposed topic. The major emphasis of the presented systematic literature review (SLR) is to identify the participating entities of cloud‐based software development, challenges associated with adopting cloud for software developmental processes, and its significance to software industries and developers. This SLR will assist organizations, designers, and developers to develop and deploy user‐friendly, efficient, effective, and real time software applications.
Dopamine‐transporter heterozygous rats carrying maternal wild‐type allele are more vulnerable to the development of compulsive behavior
Authors: Festucci Fabiana , Annunzi Eugenia , Pepe Martina , Curcio Giuseppe , D'Addario Claudio , Adriani Walter
Published: June 2022

Compulsivity is defined as an unstoppable tendency toward repetitive and habitual actions, which are reiterated despite negative consequences. Polydipsia is induced preclinically by intermittent reward, leading rodents to ingest large amounts of fluids. We focused on the role of dopamine transporter (DAT) and inheritance factors in compulsive behavior. Our sample consisted of DAT heterozygous (HET) rats with different genetic inheritance (MAT‐HET, born from WT‐dams × KO‐fathers; MIX‐HET, born from HET‐dams × KO‐fathers). As controls, we used both wild‐type (WT) rats and their socially‐isolated (WTi) siblings. We ran the schedule‐induced polydipsia (SIP) protocol, to induce compulsive behavior; then the Y‐maze and marble‐burying tests, to verify its actual development. Only MAT‐HET (who inherited the functional DAT allele from the WT mother) is vulnerable to developing compulsive behavior. MAT‐HET rats drank increasingly more water during SIP; they showed significant perseverance in the Y‐maze test and exhibited compulsive actions in the marble‐burying test. Interestingly, compulsive behaviors of MAT‐HET rats correlated with expression ex vivo of different genes in different areas. Regarding the prefrontal cortex (PFC), D2R correlated with Y‐maze “perseverance” in addition to BDNF; considering the amygdala (AMY), both D3R and OXTR correlated with SIP “licks.” Indeed, compulsivity may be linked to D2R and BDNF in PFC, while extreme anxiety in MAT‐HET rats may be associated with D3R and OXTR in the AMY. These results confirm some similarities between MAT‐HET and DAT‐KO subjects, and link the epigenetic context of the DAT gene to the development of compulsive behavior.