bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
H2O2 assisted photocatalysis over Fe‐MOF modified BiOBr for degradation of RhB
Authors: Qu Yinghui , Chen Zhenyu , Duan Yukuan , Liu Lifen
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND

Advanced oxidation technologies such as photocatalysis assisted by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) are significantly more effective. Their synergy may greatly improve the degradation efficiency of pollutants with proper catalysts. In this study, a series of iron Metal organic framework/bismuth oxybromide (Fe‐MOF/BiOBr) catalysts were prepared, and their properties examined using Rhodamine B (RhB) as the target pollutant. Through comparison tests of photocatalysis and activating H2O2 under visible light‐initiated oxidation reaction, the catalyst, the degradation effect and reaction conditions were optimized.

RESULTS

All of the composites showed better photocatalysis performance than the pure BiOBr and Fe‐MOF, and the catalytic efficiency of a composite sample MB1 with 5 mg Fe‐MOF in BiOBr was the highest. When MB1 was applied to aheterogenous Fenton‐like reaction involving H2O2 and photocatalysis under visible light ([H2O2] = 10 mmol L–1), the capacity for degradation of RhB increased to 11.1 mg/(mg·min) whereas it was only 4 mg/(mg·min) by photocatalysis alone. In addition, the optimal reaction conditions were pH 5 and 50 W light. The mechanism study showed that 1 O2 and ·O2− were the main active species for pollutant degradation.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a new and highly efficient catalyst to heterogeneously activate H2O2 under visible light to degrade a pollutant. The developed Fe‐MOF/BiOBr combination has great application potential. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Use of an audience response system during a continuing education action about oral lesion diagnosis
Authors: Herpich Tiago Luís , Kovalski Luan Nathiel Santana , Roxo‐Gonçalves Michelle , Romanini Juliana , Carrard Vinicius Coelho
Published: July 2022

Objectives

The present cross‐sectional study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of continuing education action (CEA) participants on the use of an audience response system (ARS). Secondarily, the study assessed the association between the diagnostic abilities of participants and their self‐confidence in managing oral lesions

Methods

Oral medicine specialists, dentists, hygienists, and students (n = 193) who attended the ‘Maio Vermelho Project’, a CEA held in a Southern Brazilian State, answered a diagnostic ability test using the ARS Socrative software during a case discussion section. The test comprised 16 simulated clinical cases based on photos of oral lesions. The questions required classification of the lesion's nature, diagnostic hypothesis, and decision making (manage the case or refer it to a specialist) for each case. A second questionnaire composed of 12 questions was also applied to evaluate satisfaction and perception of the use of ARS Socrative

Results

Hygienists displayed lower scores in the diagnostic abilities test, whereas the other groups’ performances were quite similar. Dentists and dental students who scored higher on the diagnostic abilities test showed higher self‐confidence in the management of benign lesions. All participants stated that the use of technology can improve their learning experience and should be incorporated into the classroom. Moreover, the participants’ perception was highly favorable to the use of Socrative in educational activities

Conclusion

Our findings showed good acceptance of the ARS tool in a CEA environment and suggest an association between performance on the questionnaire and self‐confidence in oral lesion management.
Graphene protection improves the stability of two‐dimensional halide perovskites under the electron irradiation
Authors: Yuan Biao , Hua Ziyi , Jia Shunhan , Lu Yuan , Shi Enzheng , Yu Yi
Published: July 2022

The crystal structure of two‐dimensional (2D) organic–inorganic halide perovskites undergoes fast structural collapse under the electron beam irradiation, hindering high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging. Graphene protection is an effective solution to mitigate the damage of electron‐beam irradiation and has been applied in 2D materials such as MoS2. However, the effectivity of graphene protection has not been demonstrated in 2D halide perovskites yet, as traditional wet‐transfer of graphene with aqueous solution would cause serious degradation for moisture‐sensitive halide perovskites. Here, we verified that graphene protection plays a protection role and developed a method using nonpolar solvent to transfer the graphene layer atop the perovskite nanosheets. With this method, the perovskite nanosheets might be well protected by graphene encapsulation.

Highlights

Transfer method of graphene on moisture‐sensitive 2D halide perovskites using nonpolar solvents was developed.

Graphene substrate is proven to be able to mitigate electron‐beam damage to 2D halide perovskites.

Encapsulation structure of graphene/halide perovskite/graphene was demonstrated.
Inhibition of AHNAK nucleoprotein 2 alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by downregulating the TGF‐β1/Smad3 signaling pathway
Authors: Zhu Dongyi , Zhang Qian , Li Qinchuan , Wang Guangxue , Guo Zhongliang
Published: July 2022

Background

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and advanced interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis. AHNAK nucleoprotein 2 (AHNAK2) is a macromolecular protein that is important for cell migration and muscle membrane repair. The protein acts via epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a key mechanism in the pathogenesis of IPF. However, very few studies have elucidated the effect of AHNAK2 in the development of IPF. Therefore, we aimed to determine the role of AHNAK2 in IPF development.

Methods

C57BL/6 mice were induced with bleomycin, while A549 and Beas‐2b pulmonary epithelial cell lines were treated with TGF‐β1 to induce IPF model. The expression of AHNAK2 was detected using immunohistochemistry staining in vivo, and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and western blotting (WB) in vitro. C57BL/6 mice were injected with adeno‐associated virus (AAV)‐sh NC or AAV‐sh AHNAK2 and the pulmonary function and EMT marker expression were measured. The migratory abilities of the two transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF‐β1)‐induced cell lines were examined using wound‐healing and Transwell assays after transfection with si‐NC, si‐AHNAK2‐1 and ‐2. EMT marker expression was detected using RT‐qPCR and WB. Smad3 and phosphorylated‐Smad3 of the two cells were examined using WB. Following Smad3 inhibition by Smad3 phosphorylation inhibitor (SIS3), TGF‐β1‐induced cell migration and EMT marker expression were evaluated again after different transfections.

Results

AHNAK2 expression was higher in the IPF model than in the normal model in vivo and in vitro. Partial inhibition of AHNAK2 suppressed the EMT process and improved pulmonary ventilation and compliance in the mouse model of IPF. Similarly, knockdown of AHNAK2 suppressed the migration of pulmonary epithelial cells and reversed EMT. Furthermore, Smad3 of the two TGF‐β1‐induced cell lines was not activated when AHNAK2 was inhibited. When SIS3 inhibited the activation of Smad3, the suppression of AHNAK2 had no effect on A549 and Beas‐2b, regardless of TGF‐β1 induction.

Conclusions

Inhibition of AHNAK2 alleviates pulmonary fibrosis and partially reverses EMT by inhibiting the TGF‐β1/Smad3 signaling pathway. Therefore, AHNAK2 is a potential therapeutic target for IPF.
A risk model to identify Legionella among patients admitted with community‐acquired pneumonia: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Rothberg Michael B. , Imrey Peter B. , Guo Ning , Deshpande Abhishek , Higgins Thomas L. , Lindenauer Peter K.
Published: July 2022

Background

Guidelines recommend testing hospitalized patients with community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) for Legionella pneumophila only if the infection is severe or risk factors are present. There are no validated models for predicting Legionella.

Objective

To derive and externally validate a model to predict a positive Legionella test.

Design, Setting and Participants

Diagnostic study of adult inpatients with pneumonia using data from 177 US hospitals in the Premier Healthcare Database (training and hold‐out validation sets) and 12 Cleveland Clinic Health System (CCHS) hospitals (external validation set). We used multiple logistic regression to predict positive Legionella tests in the training set, and evaluated performance in both validation sets.

Main Outcome and Measures

The outcome was a positive Legionella test. Potential predictors included demographics and co‐morbidities, disease severity indicators, season, region, and presence of a local outbreak.

Results

Of 166,689 patients hospitalized for pneumonia, 43,070 were tested for Legionella and 642 (1.5%) tested positive. The strongest predictors of a positive test were a local outbreak (odds ratio [OR], 3.4), June–October occurrence (OR, 3.4), hyponatremia (OR, 3.3), smoking (OR, 2.4), and diarrhea (OR, 2.0); prior admission within 6 months (OR, 0.27) and chronic pulmonary disease (OR, 0.49) were associated with a negative test. Model c‐statistics were 0.79 in the Premier and 0.77 in the CCHS validation samples. High‐risk patients were only slightly more likely to have been tested than lower‐risk patients. Compared to actual practice, the model‐based testing strategy detected twice as many cases.

Conclusions

Although Legionella is an uncommon cause of pneumonia, patient characteristics can identify individuals at high risk, allowing for more efficient testing.
MORC3 restricts human cytomegalovirus infection by suppressing the major immediate‐early promoter activity
Authors: Ma Xue‐Hui , Yao Yong‐Xuan , Wang Xian‐Zhang , Zhou Yue‐Peng , Huang Sheng‐Nan , Li Dong , Mei Meng‐Jie , Wu Jing‐Peng , Pan Yu‐Ting , Cheng Shuang , Jiang Xuan , Sun Jin‐Yan , Zeng Wen‐Bo , Gong Sitang , Cheng Han , Luo Min‐Hua , Yang Bo
Published: July 2022

During the long coevolution of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and humans, the host has formed a defense system of multiple layers to eradicate the invader, and the virus has developed various strategies to evade host surveillance programs. The intrinsic immunity primarily orchestrated by promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (PML‐NBs) represents the first line of defense against HCMV infection. Here, we demonstrate that microrchidia family CW‐type zinc finger 3 (MORC3), a PML‐NBs component, is a restriction factor targeting HCMV infection. We show that depletion of MORC3 through knockdown by RNA interference or knockout by CRISPR‐Cas9 augmented immediate‐early protein 1 (IE1) gene expression and subsequent viral replication, and overexpressing MORC3 inhibited HCMV replication by suppressing IE1 gene expression. To relief the restriction, HCMV induces transient reduction of MORC3 protein level via the ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway during the immediate‐early to early stage. However, MORC3 transcription is upregulated, and the protein level recovers in the late stages. Further analyses with temporal‐controlled MORC3 expression and the major immediate‐early promoter (MIEP)‐based reporters show that MORC3 suppresses MIEP activity and consequent IE1 expression with the assistance of PML. Taken together, our data reveal that HCMV enforces temporary loss of MORC3 to evade its repression against the initiation of immediate‐early gene expression.
Full genome analysis of circulating DENV‐2 in Senegal reveals a regional diversification into separate clades
Authors: Dieng Idrissa , Diallo Amadou , Ndiaye Mignane , Mhamadi Moufid , Diagne Moussa Moïse , Sankhe Safietou , Ndione Marie Henriette Dior , Gaye Aboubacry , Sagne Samba Niang , Heraud Jean Michel , Sall Amadou Alpha , Fall Gamou , Loucoubar Cheikh , Faye Ousmane , Faye Oumar
Published: July 2022

To assess the genetic diversity of circulating dengue virus 2 (DENV‐2) in Senegal, we analyzed nine newly generated complete genomes of strains isolated during the 2018 outbreaks and 06 sequences obtained in 2018 and 2019 from Thiès and Rosso, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Senegalese strains belonged to the cosmopolitan genotype of DENV‐2, but we observed intragenotype variability leading to a divergence in two clades associated with specific geographic distribution. We report two DENV‐2 variants belonging to two distinct clades. Isolates from the “Northern clade” (n = 8) harbored three nonsynonymous mutations (V1183M, R1405K, P2266T) located respectively on NS2A, NS2B, and NS4A, while isolates from the “Western clade” (n = 7) had two nonsynonymous mutations (V1185E, V3214E) located respectively in the NS2A and NS5 genes. These findings call for phylogeographic analysis to investigate routes of introductions, dispersal patterns, and in‐depth in vitro and functional study to elucidate the impact of observed mutations on viral fitness, spread, epidemiology, and pathology.
Weather regimes in subtropical South America and their impacts over Uruguay
Authors: Arizmendi Fernando , Trinchin Romina , Barreiro Marcelo
Published: July 2022

This study addresses the interannual variability and trends in weather regimes in subtropical South America and their impact over Uruguay. Weather regimes are found by applying a clustering method to the sea level pressure field in every season. We evaluate for all seasons their frequency of occurrence and transition pathways among them, their statistical relationship with global climate variability modes and their impact on precipitation and temperature in Uruguay. Overall, we find that there are five weather regimes that represent well the atmospheric dynamics over all seasons with two additional regimes in austral winter. The interannual variability in their frequency of occurrence and preferred transitions are sensitive to the phases of El Niño–Southern Oscillation and to other modes of variability. In addition, some weather regimes show positive and others negative trends in their frequency of occurrence over the last 70 years. In particular, we find that the weather regime that represents the development of a low‐pressure system over Uruguay has a negative trend (10–15% over 70 years) in all seasons except spring.
Eugenol protects chondrocytes and articular cartilage by downregulating the JAK3/STAT4 signaling pathway
Authors: Wu Zhimin , Wang Ying , Yan Guoqiang , Wu Chengai
Published: July 2022

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative bone and joint disease common in middle‐aged and elderly people. Currently, there is no satisfactory pharmacological treatment. Eugenol is a phenolic compound that has been shown to exert biological anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects in multiple systems and organs of the human body. However, its therapeutic effect on OA is unclear. This study examined the effect of eugenol on OA using an anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) model in mice and its related signaling pathways in interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β)‐stimulated human chondrocytes. A certain concentration of eugenol inhibited the decrease in cell viability induced by IL‐1β or carbonyl cyanide 3‐chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). In vitro, eugenol effectively inhibited CCCP‐induced chondrocyte apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential changes and inhibited the expressions of ADAMTS4 and MMP13 upregulated by IL‐1β. In vivo, ACLT induced destruction of the articular cartilage and subchondral bone of the mouse tibial plateau, while eugenol effectively protected the cartilage and subchondral bone from such damage. At the same time, eugenol reduced the ACLT‐induced upregulation of ADAMTS4 and MMP13 and the downregulation of type II collagen (COLII) and aggrecan in the mouse knee cartilage. Eugenol also inhibited the increased expression of cartilage metabolism signaling molecules such as C‐telopeptides of COLII (CTX‐II) in ACLT‐induced mouse serum. Consistent with the specific changes in the messenger RNA chip, eugenol inhibited the phosphorylation of JAK3 and STAT4 induced by IL‐1β. Together, these results suggest eugenol as an effective new drug for the prevention and treatment of OA.
The effect of surgical revascularization on the mechanical properties of cryopreserved bone allograft in a porcine tibia model
Authors: Visser Noortje , Rezaie Elisa , Ducharme Alexandra , Shin Alexander Y. , Bishop Allen T.
Published: July 2022

Cryopreserved bone allografts(CBA) are susceptible to infection, nonunion, and late stress fracture. Although surgical revascularization by intramedullary implantation of an arteriovenous bundle (AV bundle) generates a neoangiogenic blood supply, there is potential for vascular ingrowth‐mediated bone resorption to weaken the graft. For this reason, we have evaluated changes in CBA mechanical properties of structural tibial allografts with and without surgically induced angiogenesis. Cryopreserved tibia bone allografts were transplanted to reconstruct a 3.5 cm segmental tibial defect in 16 Yucatan mini pigs. Surgical revascularization was performed in half by implantation of a cranial tibial AV bundle, (revascularization group). A control group of identical size had a ligated AV bundle implanted, (ligated group). At 20 weeks micro‐computed tomography (CT) measured bone mineral density (BMD) as well as bone union. Reference point indentation (RPI) compared cortex material properties, and axial compression determined the allotransplant compressive modulus. Seven of eight tibiae in the angiogenesis group were healed at both junction points at 20 weeks. Only four of eight tibiae healed in the ligated control group. There was no significant difference between the revascularization and ligated control groups in BMD and axial compression test. Similarly, RPI parameters were statistically equal. In paired comparisons with contralateral tibias, however, some RPI values were significantly worse in the ligated control group tibiae. This study demonstrates no adverse effect of surgical angiogenesis on cryopreserved structural bone allograft biomechanical properties in a large animal orthotopic segmental tibial defect model. These data suggest the potential value of surgical angiogenesis in clinical limb‐sparing reconstructive surgery.
In vivo evaluation of rotator cuff internal impingement during scapular plane abduction in asymptomatic individuals
Authors: Lawrence Rebekah L. , Soliman Steven B. , Roseni Kevin , Zauel Roger , Bey Michael J.
Published: July 2022

Internal impingement—or entrapment of the undersurface of the rotator cuff tendon against the glenoid during overhead activities—is believed to contribute to articular‐sided tears. However, little is known about internal impingement outside athletic populations. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) describe glenoid‐to‐footprint distances and proximity centers during dynamic, in vivo motion in asymptomatic individuals, and (2) determine the extent to which these measures differed between individuals with and without a rotator cuff tear. Shoulder kinematics were assessed in 37 asymptomatic individuals during scapular plane abduction using a high‐speed biplane radiographic system. Glenoid‐to‐footprint distances and proximity center locations were calculated by combining the kinematics with computerized tomography‐derived bone models. Glenoid‐to‐footprint contact was presumed to occur when the minimum distance was less than the estimated labral thickness. The condition of the supraspinatus tendon (intact, torn) was assessed using ultrasound. Minimum distances and proximity centers were compared over humerothoracic elevation angles (90°, 110°, 130°, 150°) and between supraspinatus pathology groups using two‐factor mixed model analysis of variances. Glenoid‐to‐footprint minimum distances decreased consistently across elevation angles (p < 0.01) without a significant difference between groups. Contact was estimated to occur in all participants. Proximity centers were generally located on the anterior half of the rotator cuff footprint and on the posterosuperior glenoid. Statement of Clinical Significance: Internal impingement during overhead motions may be a prevalent mechanism of rotator cuff pathology as contact appears to be common and involves the region of the rotator cuff footprint where degenerative rotator cuff tears are thought to originate.
The dating and correlation of an eastern Mediterranean lake sediment sequence: a 46–4 ka tephrostratigraphy for Ioannina (NW Greece)
Authors: McGuire Amy M. , Lane Christine S. , Roucoux Katherine H. , Albert Paul G. , Kearney Rebecca
Published: July 2022

Terrestrial archives from the Mediterranean have been crucial to expanding our understanding of past environmental variability on a range of timescales. Dating Quaternary sequences in the Mediterranean is, however, often challenging, and age models often have large chronological uncertainties. Tephra deposits can provide crucial age control for detailed environmental reconstructions on sub‐centennial timescales. Here, tephra analysis is undertaken for the first time on a sediment core (I‐08) from Lake Ioannina, northwest Greece, for the interval spanning 46–4 ka bp. Detailed visible and ‘crypto‐’ tephra analysis identifies deposits associated with explosive volcanism at Italian volcanic sources, including Campi Flegrei, Pantelleria, and the Aeolian Islands. We identify two visible tephra layers, the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI/Y‐5; ca. 39.8 ka bp) and Pantelleria Green Tuff (PGT/Y‐6; ca. 45.7 ka), as well as the Holocene Vallone del Gabellotto cryptotephra marker (VG/E‐1; ca. 8.3 ka bp). Evidence for repeated remobilisation and redeposition of CI tephra material is outlined, and the potential mechanisms and effects of sediment reworking in lake environments are examined. Bayesian modelling, which incorporates the new tephra ages with earlier radiocarbon dates, extends the I‐08 core chronology back to ca. 46 ka bp, facilitating direct correlation of the Ioannina sequence to others in the Mediterranean region.
Rhodium concave nanocubes and nanoplates as deep‐UV resonant SERS platform
Authors: Kumar Govind , Soni Ravi Kant
Published: July 2022

We report on the detection of molecules at the trace level using deep‐UV surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) on shape‐anisotropic rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles. Rh nanoparticles of three distinct morphologies, triangular nanoplates, rectangular nanoplates, and concave nanocubes, that exhibit strong plasmon resonances in the UV range were exploited for deep‐UV SERS. With an enhancement factor greater than 105, Rh concave nanocubes demonstrate the highest SERS activity, which is well corroborated by electric field distribution maps calculated using finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) simulations. The deep‐UV SERS substrate based on Rh concave nanocubes enables the detection of trace levels of explosive molecules such as p‐nitrobenzoic acid and 2,4‐dinitrotoluene with detection limits of 10−10 M and 10−7 M, respectively, and ammonium nitrate with a detection limit of 10−12 M. Deep‐UV SERS detection of explosive molecules on a low‐cost and simple‐to‐fabricate Rh nanoparticles substrate holds tremendous potential for the SERS‐based identification of hazardous materials.
Existence of solutions for critical Fractional FitzHugh–Nagumo type systems
Authors: Torres Ledesma César E.
Published: July 2022

In this paper we study the existence of radially symmetric solutions for a Fractional FitzHugh–Nagumo type systems

where , , denotes the fractional Laplacian operator and is a continuous function which is allowed to have critical growth: polynomial in case and exponential if and . We transform the system into an equation with a nonlocal term. We find a critical point of the corresponding energy functional defined in the space of functions with norm endowed by a scalar product that takes into account such nonlocal term. For that matter, and due to the lack of compactness, we deal with weak convergent minimizing sequences and sequences of Lagrange multipliers of an action minima problem.
Poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) Crystalsomes: Tiling 1D Polymer Crystals on a Spherical Surface
Authors: Staub Mark Clyde , Yu Shichen , Li Christopher Yuren
Published: July 2022

Polymer crystalsomes are a class of hollow crystalline polymer nanoparticles with shells formed by single crystals with broken translational symmetry. They have shown intriguing mechanical, thermal, and biomedical properties associated with spherical packing. Previously reported crystalsomes are formed by quasi‐2D lamellae which can readily tile on a spherical surface. In this work, the formation of polymer crystalsomes formed by 1D polymer crystals is reported. Poly (3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is chosen as the model polymer because of its 1D growth habit. P3HT crystalsomes are successfully fabricated using a miniemulsion solution crystallization method, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction experiments confirm that P3HT crystallized into a Form I crystal structure. XRD, differential scanning calorimetry and UV–Vis results reveal curvature‐dependent structural, thermal and electro‐optical properties.
The effects of the interactions of STAT4 rs7574865 with HBV mutations on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Yang Chou , Chen Haitao , Zhou Bin , Yin Jianhua , Cao Guangwen , Hou Jinlin , Jiang Deke
Published: July 2022

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) is closely related to liver diseases and affects the processes of inflammation and carcinogenesis by regulating immune responses. A single‐nucleotide polymorphism rs7574865 (T > G) in STAT4 has been reported to be associated with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutations are crucial risk factors for HBV‐induced HCC. However, the effects of the interactions of STAT4 rs7574865 with HBV mutations on the risk of HCC remain unknown. Rs7574865 was genotyped in 846 healthy controls (HCs), 968 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) subjects, 316 liver cirrhosis (LC) subjects and 1021 HCC subjects using Sequenom MassArray. HBV mutations were detected via direct sequencing. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of the interactions of STAT4 rs7574865 with HBV mutations on the risk of HCC. We found that the rs7574865 TT genotype was significantly associated with HBeAg seroconversion (TT vs. GG, p = 0.012; TT vs. GT, p = 0.033). The rs7574865 GG genotype was significantly associated with increased risks of CHB (p = 0.048), LC (p = 0.005) and HCC (p < 0.001). The interaction term between rs7574865 and HBV C1913A significantly increased the risk of progression from CHB to HCC (p = 0.038), while the interaction term between rs7574865 and HBV T1674C significantly increased the risk of progression from LC to HCC (p = 0.023). STAT4 rs7574865 is significantly associated with the risks of CHB, LC and HCC. The interactions of rs7574865 with HBV C1913A and T1674C mutations significantly increase the risk of HCC, which have the potential to identify HBV‐infected individuals who tend to progress from CHB or LC to HCC.
On the non‐differentiable exact solutions of the (2 + 1)‐dimensional local fractional breaking soliton equation on Cantor sets
Authors: Wang Kang‐Jia , Si Jing
Published: July 2022

In this article, a new (2 + 1)‐dimensional local fractional breaking soliton equation is derived with the local fractional derivative. Applying the traveling wave transform of the non‐differentiable type, the (2 + 1)‐dimensional local fractional breaking soliton equation is converted into a nonlinear local fractional ordinary differential equation. By defining a set of elementary functions on Cantor sets, a novel analytical technique namely the Mittag–Leffler function‐based method is employed for the first time ever to construct the exact solutions. The solutions on the Cantor sets are presented via the 3‐D contours. It reveals that the proposed method is effective and powerful and is expected to give some inspiration for the study of the local fractional PDEs.
Effect of subject motion and gantry rotation speed on image quality and dose delivery in CT‐guided radiotherapy
Authors: Hrinivich William T. , Chernavsky Nicole E. , Morcos Marc , Li Taoran , Wu Pengwei , Wong John , Siewerdsen Jeffrey H.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To investigate the effects of subject motion and gantry rotation speed on computed tomography (CT) image quality over a range of image acquisition speeds for fan‐beam (FB) and cone‐beam (CB) CT scanners, and quantify the geometric and dosimetric errors introduced by FB and CB sampling in the context of adaptive radiotherapy.

Methods

Images of motion phantoms were acquired using four CT scanners with gantry rotation speeds of 0.5 s/rotation (denoted FB‐0.5), 1.9 s/rotation (FB‐1.9), 16.6 s/rotation (CB‐16.6), and 60.0 s/rotation (CB‐60.0). A phantom presenting various tissue densities undergoing motion with 4‐s period and ranging in amplitude from ±0.5 to ±10.0 mm was used to characterize motion artifacts (streaks), motion blur (edge‐spread function, ESF), and geometric inaccuracy (excursion of insert centroids and distortion of known shape). An anthropomorphic abdomen phantom undergoing ±2.5‐mm motion with 4‐s period was used to simulate an adaptive radiotherapy workflow, and relative geometric and dosimetric errors were compared between scanners.

Results

At ±2.5‐mm motion, phantom measurements demonstrated mean ± SD ESF widths of 0.6 ± 0.0, 1.3 ± 0.4, 2.0 ± 1.1, and 2.9 ± 2.0 mm and geometric inaccuracy (excursion) of 2.7 ± 0.4, 4.1 ± 1.2, 2.6 ± 0.7, and 2.0 ± 0.5 mm for the FB‐0.5, FB‐1.9, CB‐16.6, and CB‐60.0 scanners, respectively. The results demonstrated nonmonotonic trends with scanner speed for FB and CB geometries. Geometric and dosimetric errors in adaptive radiotherapy plans were largest for the slowest (CB‐60.0) scanner and similar for the three faster systems (CB‐16.6, FB‐1.9, and FB‐0.5).

Conclusions

Clinically standard CB‐60.0 demonstrates strong image quality degradation in the presence of subject motion, which is mitigated through faster CBCT or FBCT. Although motion blur is minimized for FB‐0.5 and FB‐1.9, such systems suffer from increased geometric distortion compared to CB‐16.6. Each system reflects tradeoffs in image artifacts and geometric inaccuracies that affect treatment delivery/dosimetric error and should be considered in the design of next‐generation CT‐guided radiotherapy systems.
A streak artifact reduction algorithm in sparse‐view CT using a self‐supervised neural representation
Authors: Kim Byeongjoon , Shim Hyunjung , Baek Jongduk
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Sparse‐view computed tomography (CT) has been attracting attention for its reduced radiation dose and scanning time. However, analytical image reconstruction methods suffer from streak artifacts due to insufficient projection views. Recently, various deep learning‐based methods have been developed to solve this ill‐posed inverse problem. Despite their promising results, they are easily overfitted to the training data, showing limited generalizability to unseen systems and patients. In this work, we propose a novel streak artifact reduction algorithm that provides a system‐ and patient‐specific solution.

Methods

Motivated by the fact that streak artifacts are deterministic errors, we regenerate the same artifacts from a prior CT image under the same system geometry. This prior image need not be perfect but should contain patient‐specific information and be consistent with full‐view projection data for accurate regeneration of the artifacts. To this end, we use a coordinate‐based neural representation that often causes image blur but can greatly suppress the streak artifacts while having multiview consistency. By employing techniques in neural radiance fields originally proposed for scene representations, the neural representation is optimized to the measured sparse‐view projection data via self‐supervised learning. Then, we subtract the regenerated artifacts from the analytically reconstructed original image to obtain the final corrected image.

Results

To validate the proposed method, we used simulated data of extended cardiac‐torso phantoms and the 2016 NIH‐AAPM‐Mayo Clinic Low‐Dose CT Grand Challenge and experimental data of physical pediatric and head phantoms. The performance of the proposed method was compared with a total variation‐based iterative reconstruction method, naive application of the neural representation, and a convolutional neural network‐based method. In visual inspection, it was observed that the small anatomical features were best preserved by the proposed method. The proposed method also achieved the best scores in the visual information fidelity, modulation transfer function, and lung nodule segmentation.

Conclusions

The results on both simulated and experimental data suggest that the proposed method can effectively reduce the streak artifacts while preserving small anatomical structures that are easily blurred or replaced with misleading features by the existing methods. Since the proposed method does not require any additional training datasets, it would be useful in clinical practice where the large datasets cannot be collected.
Learning low‐dose CT degradation from unpaired data with flow‐based model
Authors: Liu Xuan , Liang Xiaokun , Deng Lei , Tan Shan , Xie Yaoqin
Published: July 2022

Background

There has been growing interest in low‐dose computed tomography (LDCT) for reducing the X‐ray radiation to patients. However, LDCT always suffers from complex noise in reconstructed images. Although deep learning‐based methods have shown their strong performance in LDCT denoising, most of them require a large number of paired training data of normal‐dose CT (NDCT) images and LDCT images, which are hard to acquire in the clinic. Lack of paired training data significantly undermines the practicability of supervised deep learning‐based methods. To alleviate this problem, unsupervised or weakly supervised deep learning‐based methods are required.

Purpose

We aimed to propose a method that achieves LDCT denoising without training pairs. Specifically, we first trained a neural network in a weakly supervised manner to simulate LDCT images from NDCT images. Then, simulated training pairs could be used for supervised deep denoising networks.

Methods

We proposed a weakly supervised method to learn the degradation of LDCT from unpaired LDCT and NDCT images. Concretely, LDCT and normal‐dose images were fed into one shared flow‐based model and projected to the latent space. Then, the degradation between low‐dose and normal‐dose images was modeled in the latent space. Finally, the model was trained by minimizing the negative log‐likelihood loss with no requirement of paired training data. After training, an NDCT image can be input to the trained flow‐based model to generate the corresponding LDCT image. The simulated image pairs of NDCT and LDCT can be further used to train supervised denoising neural networks for test.

Results

Our method achieved much better performance on LDCT image simulation compared with the most widely used image‐to‐image translation method, CycleGAN, according to the radial noise power spectrum. The simulated image pairs could be used for any supervised LDCT denoising neural networks. We validated the effectiveness of our generated image pairs on a classic convolutional neural network, REDCNN, and a novel transformer‐based model, TransCT. Our method achieved mean peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR) of 24.43dB, mean structural similarity (SSIM) of 0.785 on an abdomen CT dataset, mean PSNR of 33.88dB, mean SSIM of 0.797 on a chest CT dataset, which outperformed several traditional CT denoising methods, the same network trained by CycleGAN‐generated data, and a novel transfer learning method. Besides, our method was on par with the supervised networks in terms of visual effects.

Conclusion

We proposed a flow‐based method to learn LDCT degradation from only unpaired training data. It achieved impressive performance on LDCT synthesis. Next, we could train neural networks with the generated paired data for LDCT denoising. The denoising results are better than traditional and weakly supervised methods, comparable to supervised deep learning methods.
Choice of computational protocol for carbon‐lithium spin–spin coupling constants 1JCLi
Authors: Karpov Valerii V. , Antonov Alexander S. , Tupikina Elena Yu.
Published: July 2022

In this work, we tested various computational schemes for calculations of 1JCLi constants with a high accuracy. On the example of six organolithium reagents (phenyllithium monomer and dimer, monomer s‐butyllithium, monomers of 1‐ and 2‐lithionaphthalenes, and a methyllithium tetramer), the following aspects are discussed: (i) the role of a model system geometry, (ii) influence of solvent effects, and (iii) the choice of a functional and basis set. Practical recommendations for calculation of 1JCLi with an accuracy ±2 Hz are formulated.
The impact of interprofessional education on students' current and desired competence in diabetes care
Authors: Kangas Sanna , Rintala Tuula‐Maria , Hannula Päivi , Jämsen Esa , Kannisto Ritva , Paavilainen Eija , Jaatinen Pia
Published: July 2022

Aim

To explore the impact of interprofessional education (IPE) on undergraduate nursing and medical students' knowledge, competence and targeted competence in diabetes care.

Design

Mixed methods design.

Methods

A voluntary IPE course of diabetes management was organized for nursing (n = 15) and medical (n = 15) students, who performed a diabetes knowledge test and self‐evaluation of diabetes competence before and after the course and were compared with non‐participating students. The participating students' focus‐group interviews were analysed using inductive content analysis.

Results

The IPE course improved nursing students' diabetes knowledge and self‐evaluated competence among nursing and medical students. The baseline differences in self‐evaluated competence between the groups disappeared. The non‐participating students evaluated their competence higher than the participants, though they scored lower or equally in the knowledge test. In conclusion, IPE showed potential in increasing students' self‐evaluated competence, motivation to learn more and nursing students' diabetes knowledge, offering better prospects for future interprofessional diabetes management.
The talus of the pre‐Hispanic population from Punta Azul (El Hierro, Canary Islands): Variability and sexual dimorphism of nonmetric traits
Authors: Cockerill Samuel James , Ordóñez Alejandra C. , Guamán‐Chulunchana Richard G. , Serrano Javier G. , Fregel Rosa , Díaz‐Pérez Clara , González‐Reimers Emilio , Arnay‐de‐la‐Rosa Matilde
Published: July 2022

The aim of this study was assessing the prevalence ofos trigonum, talo‐calcaneal facets, and squatting facet variations among pre‐Hispanic individuals (around 940 ± 30 bp) placed in the collective burial cave of Punta Azul (El Hierro, Canary Islands), and to assess whether prevalence differed among sexes. A total of 149 tali (70 right and 79 left) belonging to adult individuals were found in a comingled context. Sex determination was achieved as follows: genetic sexing of a subsample of 35 tali was assessed using paleogenomic procedures. Anthropometric measurements of the genetically sexed bones were used to calculate an accurate discriminant function that was later applied to the remaining 114 tali. We observed marked differences in theos trigonumpattern among male and female tali, whereas no relevant differences were observed regarding the other two traits. A very high prevalence of squatting facets was observed in both sexes, higher than the reported frequencies for other population groups. The summarized conclusions in this study are the following: (a) the high prevalence of the squatting facets observed in both males and females could indicate the performance of a similar activity that requires a squatting position, such as shellfishing. (b) We observed a predominance of the type C talo‐calcaneal facet configuration among the population that indicates a maximal mobility of the talar joint, well adapted to displacement and/or activities such as goat herding in the steep landscape of El Hierro. (c) The statistically differentos trigonumpattern among sexes may suggest a greater activity associated to jumping and climbing among males, possibly related to goat herding in the steep landscape of the island of El Hierro.
ShadeTreeAdvice methodology: Guiding tree‐species selection using local knowledge
Authors: Rigal Clément , Wagner Sigrun , Nguyen Mai Phuong , Jassogne Laurence , Vaast Philippe
Published: July 2022

Selection of shade tree species for agroforestry systems must take the complexity of these systems into account. Tree species selection should maximize the provision of ecosystem services while minimizing disservices. Selected species must be adapted to local agroecological conditions and cater to farmers' needs, while considering their preferences and constraints.

The ShadeTreeAdvice methodology was developed to support said selection process using farmers' local ecological knowledge. It provides the steps to rapidly identify tree species and evaluate their impacts on a range of locally important ecosystem services. Results are uploaded to a decision support tool to tailor tree species recommendations to individual farmers' needs (www.shadetreeadvice.org). During the 5 year timeframe between 2016 and 2020, eight studies following this methodology were conducted in various coffee and cocoa growing regions across Africa, Asia and Central America.

This article looks back at these studies to synthesize their findings and evaluate the methodology. We identified similarities in the use of tree species across different study areas, notably regarding leguminous and fruit tree species. We showed that the method was efficient to evaluate tree species' impacts on soil and climate regulation, crop production, and economic benefits. It was less efficient for evaluating impacts related to incidence of pests and diseases, often associated with knowledge gaps. The method also successfully allowed investigating the links between LEK and socio‐economic groups or environmental factors.

Furthermore, we suggest a series of improvements in the methodology for future studies. These improvements include (i) broadening the scope of studies beyond tree species provision of ecosystem services to include tree species impact on farming practices; (ii) allowing the comparison of tree performances in agroforestry systems versus in full sun; (iii) providing a clear pathway for validation of the results; (iv) using tree species' functional traits to generalize the results.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Robust colloidal photonic crystal polymer films for anticounterfeiting
Authors: Xiang Xiaoman , Tang Qiyue , Dan Li , Shang Jingyu , Xia Hongbo
Published: July 2022

Photonic crystals (PCs) with brilliant structural colors have attracted considerable attention in the field of display and anti‐counterfeiting. Here, free‐standing PC films with antistretching property and invariant brilliant structural colors during compression and deformation were prepared, by combining SiO2 PCs (nSiO2 = 1.46) into polyether sulfone (PES) matrix which has higher refractive index (nPES = 1.68). The excellent physical and chemical stability of the PC films are ascribed to the inherent robust properties of PES resin. In fact, during the stretching, compressing, friction, and bending process, the film retains its structure and optical integrity due to its stable ordered array with constant lattice spacing and effective refractive index. In addition, the appropriate index difference not only contributes to bright structural color, but also enables the PC films to have high transparency. Thus, the pattern in the film can be switched between invisible and visible state under the transformation of weak and strong light. Thereby, the film has great potential in the application of anti‐counterfeiting.
Epistatic modifiers influence the expression of continual flowering in strawberry
Authors: Cockerton Helen Maria , Nellist Charlotte Florence , Hytönen Timo , Litthauer Suzanne , Hopson Katie , Whitehouse Adam , Sobczyk Maria , Harrison Richard Jonathan
Published: July 2022

Society Impact Statement

Until the 1970s, the majority of commercial strawberry varieties produced a single bloom of flowers. However, continuously flowering, everbearing strawberries are now routinely cultivated and use is increasing. Indeed, introgression of the everbearing flowering trait can lead to economic benefits for growers through the production of a continual crop from the same plant. Genetically guided improvement has the power to streamline everbearing generation. As such, the genetic markers reported here can help to identify everbearing individuals at an early time point in the breeding process. Furthermore, these markers can help to improve the predictions of progeny segregation ratios.

Previous work within the community led to the identification of a single dominant allele that controls the everbearing trait. However, frequent observations have indicated that crosses do not segregate in a Mendelian fashion, as would be expected for a trait controlled by a single dominant gene. Therefore, it was hypothesised that one or more unidentified epistatic alleles interact with the major gene.

A genome‐wide association study (GWAS) was conducted on 587 June bearers and 207 everbearers to assess the genetic components associated with flowering habit. The segregation ratios of parental strawberry lines with known phenotypes were used to validate the identified alleles.

Three loci including the known major FaPFRU locus and two epistatic modifiers were identified. These modifiers function as enhancers of the everbearing trait in individuals containing a single copy of the FaPFRU everbearing allele and appear to be functionally redundant. Principally, heterozygous individuals required the presence of two modifying alleles in order to allow expression of the everbearing trait.

Inclusion of the epistatic alleles improved the prediction of everbearing segregation ratios; beyond that of a single allele model, however, a large proportion of the variation remained unexplained. Future work should identify the additional repressor and enhancer modifiers not identified here. Discovering the genetic components controlling the everbearing trait can enable genetic informed strawberry improvement.