bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Eye movements and stress during eye‐tracking gaming performance in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy
Authors: Bekteshi Saranda , Karlsson Petra , De Reyck Lieselot , Vermeerbergen Karen , Konings Marco , Hellin Patrick , Aerts Jean‐Marie , Hallez Hans , Dan Bernard , Monbaliu Elegast
Published: April 2022

Aim

This study aimed to explore eye movements and stress during eye‐tracking gaming performance in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (CP) compared with typically developing children, and associations between eye‐tracking performance, eye movements, stress, and participants' characteristics.

Method

This cohort study included 12 children with dyskinetic CP aged 5 to 12 years (mean age 8 years 7 months, standard deviation [SD] 2 years 3 months) and 23 typically developing children aged 5 to 13 years (mean age 9 years 0 months, SD 2 years 7 months). Participants played 10 eye‐tracking games. Tobii X3‐120 and Tobii Pro Lab were used to record and analyse eye movements. Stress was assessed through heart rate variability (HRV), recorded during rest, and eye‐tracking performance using the Bittium Faros360° ECG Holter device. Eye‐tracking performance was measured using gaming completion time. Fixation and saccade variables were used to quantify eye movements, and time‐ and frequency‐domain variables to quantify HRV. Non‐parametric statistics were used.

Results

Gaming completion time was significantly different (p < 0.001) between groups, and it was negatively correlated with experience (rs = −0.63, p = 0.029). No significant differences were found between groups in fixation and saccade variables. HRV significantly changed from rest to eye‐tracking performance only in typically developing children and not in children with dyskinetic CP.

Interpretation

Children with dyskinetic CP took longer to perform the 10 games, especially the inexperienced users, indicating the importance of the early provision of eye‐tracking training opportunities. It seems that eye‐tracking tasks are not a source of increased stress and effort in children with dyskinetic CP.

What this paper adds

Participants with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (CP) took twice as long to perform 10 eye‐tracking games than typically developing peers.

Participants with dyskinetic CP with previous eye‐tracking experience performed the games faster.

Fixation and saccade variables were not significantly different between children with and without dyskinetic CP.

Heart rate variability showed no differences between rest and performance in participants with dyskinetic CP.

Gross Motor Function Classification System, Manual Ability Classification System, and Viking Speech Scale levels were not correlated to the eye movements or stress variables.
Regional mapping of early childhood risk for mental disorders in an Australian population sample
Authors: Harris Felicity , Dean Kimberlie , Laurens Kristin Robyn , Tzoumakis Stacy , Carr Vaughan James , Green Melissa Jayne
Published: April 2022

Aim

Population‐level profiles of risk for later childhood mental disorders have been identified in patterns of early developmental vulnerabilities using Australian Early Developmental Census. We sought to demonstrate the geographical distribution of these early childhood risk profiles for mental illness, to inform policy decisions for place‐sensitive provision of health and allied services.

Methods

Using geographic information system techniques, we mapped the regional percentage of children at highest risk for mental disorders across the state of New South Wales (NSW), according to Local Government Areas, for 82 891 children in the NSW Child Development Study.

Results

A high proportion (>10%) of children at risk of later mental disorders were located in regional and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, with a few metropolitan regions showing similarly high proportions of the population at risk.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the potential to identify place‐sensitive needs for early intervention and prevention programs for emerging mental health problems in children.
People with HIV have a higher risk of COVID‐19 diagnosis but similar outcomes to the general population
Authors: Tang Michael E. , Gaufin Thaidra , Anson Ryan , Zhu Wenhong , Mathews William C. , Cachay Edward R.
Published: April 2022

Background

We investigated the effect of HIV on COVID‐19 outcomes with attention to selection bias due to differential testing and comorbidity burden.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort analysis using four hierarchical outcomes: positive SARS‐CoV‐2 test, COVID‐19 hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and hospital mortality. The effect of HIV status was assessed using traditional covariate‐adjusted, inverse probability‐weighted (IPW) analysis based on covariate distributions for testing bias (testing IPWs), HIV infection status (HIV‐IPWs) and combined models. Among people living with HIV (PWH), we evaluated whether CD4 count and HIV plasma viral load (pVL) discriminated between those who did and those who did not develop study outcomes using receiver operating characteristic analysis.

Results

Between March and November 2020, 63 319 people were receiving primary care services at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), of whom 4017 were PWH. The PWH had 2.1 times the odds of a positive SARS‐CoV‐2 test compared with those without HIV after weighting for potential testing bias, comorbidity burden and HIV‐IPW [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6–2.8]. Relative to people without HIV, PWH did not have an increased rate of COVID‐19 hospitalization after controlling for comorbidities and testing bias [adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.1–1.4]. PWH did not have a different rate of ICU admission (aIRR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.31–3.80) or of in‐hospital death (aIRR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.08–10.94) in any examined model. Neither CD4 count nor pVL predicted any of the hierarchical outcomes among PWH.

Conclusions

People living with HIV have a higher risk of COVID‐19 diagnosis than those without HIV but the outcomes are similar in both groups.
A century of labour turnover research: A systematic literature review
Authors: Bolt Ester Ellen Trees , Winterton Jonathan , Cafferkey Kenneth
Published: April 2022

Labour turnover has been an important research topic in social science over the past century, involving disciplines such as human resource management, industrial relations, organizational behaviour, individual and organizational psychology, economics and health sciences. This paper presents a systematic literature review of voluntary labour turnover, providing an in‐depth analysis of 1375 labour turnover studies published up to July 2019 in 142 academic journals listed in the Chartered Association of Business Schools Academic Journal Guide 2018. The analysis of theoretical and empirical labour turnover studies reveals: (1) distinctive foci in the development of labour turnover research over the past hundred years; (2) relative lack of attention to testing specific labour turnover theories; (3) a prevailing quantitative approach to identifying antecedents of labour turnover; (4) increased reliance on turnover intention as a proxy for actual turnover. This paper highlights these trends over time, providing insight into problematic areas from theoretical, methodological and empirical points of view. We suggest avenues for a more productive route to coherent theoretical, methodological and empirical development of labour turnover research.
Development and validation of prediction model for incident overactive bladder: The Nagahama study
Authors: Funada Satoshi , Luo Yan , Yoshioka Takashi , Setoh Kazuya , Tabara Yasuharu , Negoro Hiromitsu , Yoshimura Koji , Matsuda Fumihiko , Efthimiou Orestis , Ogawa Osamu , Furukawa Toshi A , Kobayashi Takashi , Akamatsu Shusuke
Published: April 2022

Objectives

We aimed to develop models to predict new‐onset overactive bladder in 5 years using a large prospective cohort of the general population.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a longitudinal cohort study in Japan. The baseline characteristics were measured between 2008 and 2010, with follow‐ups every 5 years. We included subjects without overactive bladder at baseline and with follow‐up data 5 years later. Overactive bladder was assessed using the overactive bladder symptom score. Baseline characteristics (demographics, health behaviors, comorbidities, and overactive bladder symptom scores) and blood test data were included as predictors. We developed two competing prediction models for each sex based on logistic regression with penalized likelihood (LASSO). We chose the best model separately for men and women after evaluating models' performance in terms of discrimination and calibration using an internal validation via 200 bootstrap resamples and a temporal validation.

Results

We analyzed 7218 participants (male: 2238, female: 4980). The median age was 60 and 55 years, and the number of new‐onset overactive bladder was 223 (10.0%) and 288 (5.8%) per 5 years in males and females, respectively. The in‐sample estimates forC‐statistic, calibration intercept, and slope for the best performing models were 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.74–0.80), 0.28 and 1.15 for males, and 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.74–0.80), 0.20 and 1.08 for females. Internal and temporal validation gave broadly similar estimates of performance, indicating low optimism.

Conclusion

We developed risk prediction models for new‐onset overactive bladder among men and women with good predictive ability.
Effect of resilience on social appearance anxiety in Turkish early adolescents
Authors: Celen Raziye , Tas Arslan Fatma , Ozdemir Koyu Hazal
Published: April 2022

Problem

Preventive and supportive nursing care interventions of school nurses are very important in the early adolescence period, in which the significant physical and sexual changes occur. One ramification of these changes may be social appearance anxiety. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of resilience on social appearance anxiety among early adolescents.

Methods

The study was a cross‐sectional design. The study data were collected between February and June 2018. Study sample consists of 495 early adolescents studying at a state secondary school in Turkey. The data were gathered using personal information form, Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), and Child and Young Resilience Measure (CYRM‐12). The data were analyzed using the independent‐sample t test, one‐way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression methods.

Findings

In the present study, the mean age of early adolescents was found to be 11.90 (1.07) years. The mean scores of students in SAAS and CYRM‐12 were 31.79 (13.30) and 52.96 (5.86), respectively. Social appearance anxiety scores of early adolescents were found to have a negative effect on the resilience levels (β = −0.294).

Conclusions

It can be suggested to teach adolescents, the interventions about the use of active coping skills aiming to decrease social appearance anxiety and to increase the resilience.
Encapsulated oil powder: Processing, properties, and applications
Authors: Singh Himani , Kumar Yogesh , Meghwal Murlidhar
Published: April 2022

This review aimed to evaluate the applicability of microencapsulation of different oils (such as fish oil, sunflower oil, soyabean oil, palm oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil, virgin coconut oil, and rice bran oil) by freeze drying, coacervation, fluidized bed coating, extrusion, and spray drying. Microencapsulation is the process of creating a functional barrier between the core and the wall material to avoid chemical and physical reactions and maintain the biological, functional, and physicochemical characteristics of the core material. The use of microencapsulated oils (oil powder) in food products provide a significant application in enhancing their functionalities due to the functional benefits of oils. However, utilization of simply oil leads to oxidation and other reactions causing deterioration of finished products quality. Microencapsulated oil has good oxidative stability, thermostability, shelf‐life, and biological activity. Also, microencapsulation helps control the volatility and release properties of essential oils. This review focuses on the role of microencapsulation in increasing the stability, functional properties, and benefits of oils in various food products.

Practical Application

The comprehensive review on oil powder will be very useful for developing convenient and easily usable oil powder. The oil powder developed will have longer self‐life, stability, and better health benefits. Oil powder can be used as a fortification in meat, dairy, and bakery products to enhance the nutritional value, fatty acids intakes, mouth feel, and textural properties. Such work will help the academic field as well as the industries to develop food products.
The effect of COVID‐19 pandemic‐related financial challenges on mental health and well‐being among US older adults
Authors: Samuel Laura J. , Dwivedi Pallavi , Hladek Melissa , Cudjoe Thomas K. M. , Drazich Brittany F. , Li Qiwei , Szanton Sarah L.
Published: April 2022

Background

Despite profound financial challenges during the COVID‐19 pandemic, there is a gap in estimating their effects on mental health and well‐being among older adults.

Methods

The National Health and Aging Trends Study is an ongoing nationally representative cohort study of US older adults. Outcomes included mental health related to COVID‐19 (scores averaged across eight items ranging from one to four), sleep quality during COVID‐19, loneliness during COVID‐19, having time to yourself during COVID‐19, and hopefulness during COVID‐19. Exposures included income decline during COVID‐19 and financial difficulty due to COVID‐19. Propensity score weighting produced covariate balance for demographic, socioeconomic, household, health, and well‐being characteristics that preceded the pandemic to estimate the average treatment effect. Sampling weights accounted for study design and non‐response.

Results

In weighted and adjusted analyses (n = 3257), both income decline during COVID‐19 and financial difficulty due to COVID‐19 were associated with poorer mental health related to COVID‐19 (b = −0.159, p < 0.001 and b = −0.381, p < 0.001, respectively), poorer quality sleep (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.86 and OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.58, respectively), more loneliness (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.02 and OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.96, 3.77, respectively), and less time to yourself (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.72 and OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.51, respectively) during COVID‐19.

Conclusions

Pandemic‐related financial challenges are associated with worse mental health and well‐being regardless of pre‐pandemic characteristics, suggesting that they are distinct social determinants of health for older adults. Timely intervention is needed to support older adults experiencing pandemic‐related financial challenges.
Analysis of attachment factors in small household EEE: An opportunity toward the circular economy
Authors: Mulet Elena , Chulvi Vicente , Royo Marta
Published: April 2022

Despite the fact that one of the goals of the circular economy is that products can be used for as long as possible, existing data show that the number of years that small household appliances are used until they are replaced is not increasing and is even decreasing in some cases. This work focuses on product attachment as a strategy to slow down the replacement of the product and, consequently, to lengthen product life, thereby preventing psychological obsolescence. To this end, a representative sample of 70 small household appliances with attachment‐related characteristics was analyzed to identify which of the 38 attachment strategies listed in the emotional durability design nine tools they contain. As a result, the most frequently used strategies are “design for animacy,” “design for variability and modularity,” and “connection or community belonging.” Furthermore, 13 of the 38 strategies do not appear in this type of product and the strategies vary to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of appliance. Therefore, there is still a lot of room at the design level to exploit attachment in this type of product, which could be very useful for business models based on life extension services. Moreover, the method applied to search for products on the web and to assign attachment strategies can also be used for other sectors and products.
Life cycle energy and greenhouse gas emissions implications of polyamide 12 recycling from selective laser sintering for an injection‐molded automotive component
Authors: He Di , Kim Hyung Chul , De Kleine Robert , Soo Vi Kie , Kiziltas Alper , Compston Paul , Doolan Matthew
Published: April 2022

The selective laser sintering (SLS) process generates waste polymer powders, which can be recycled as feedstock for producing injection‐molded components. Recycling this powder has implications on the life cycle modeling of the SLS product, as well as the subsequent injection‐molded component. This study investigates the life cycle primary energy demand (PED) and global warming potential (GWP) of an automotive fuel‐line clip produced with recycled polyamide 12 (PA12) from an SLS process in comparison to the conventional polyamide 66 (PA66) counterpart, based on real‐world industry data. In addition, the life cycle PED and GWP of an SLS part are examined, with and without recycling PA12 from the SLS process. The results indicate a strong dependence on the approach to evaluate the environmental burden of waste PA12 from the SLS process (cut‐off, mass‐based allocation, economic allocation, and substitution). Compared with the PA66 fuel‐line clip, the recycled PA12 (rPA12) clip reduces the life cycle GWP by up to 26% (cut‐off) or increases by up to 68% (mass‐based allocation). For the SLS part, recycling PA12 powder provides a 42% reduction to its life cycle GWP (mass‐based allocation). Finally, from an expanded two‐part system perspective, the recycling of PA12 from the SLS process provides an 8% reduction in life cycle GWP. Similar trends are shown for the life cycle PED profiles. This study demonstrates the importance of recycling additive manufacturing (AM) wastes within a broader cascading system to improve the environmental performance of AM and the circular economy across industrial systems.
HEXOKINASE1 forms a nuclear complex with the PRC2 subunits CURLY LEAF and SWINGER to regulate glucose signaling
Authors: Liu Yutong , Bai Yunshu , Li Ning , Li Mengting , Liu Wenxin , Yun Dae‐Jin , Liu Bao , Xu Zheng‐Yi
Published: April 2022

The glucose sensor HEXOKINASE1 (HXK1) integrates myriad external and internal signals to regulate gene expression and development in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, how HXK1 mediates glucose signaling in the nucleus remains unclear. Here, using immunoprecipitation‐coupled mass spectrometry, we show that two catalytic subunits of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, SWINGER (SWN) and CURLY LEAF (CLF), directly interact with catalytically active HXK1 and its inactive forms (HXK1G104D and HXK1S177A) via their evolutionarily conserved SANT domains. HXK1, CLF, and SWN target common glucose‐responsive genes to regulate glucose signaling, as revealed by RNA sequencing. The glucose‐insensitive phenotypes of the Arabidopsis swn‐1 and clf‐50 mutants were similar to that of hxk1, and genetic analysis revealed that CLF, SWN, and HXK1 function in the same genetic pathway. Intriguingly, HXK1 is required for CLF‐ and SWN‐mediated histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) deposition and glucose‐mediated gene repression. Moreover, CLF and SWN affect the recruitment of HXK1 to its target chromatin. These findings support a model in which HXK1 and epigenetic modifiers form a nuclear complex to cooperatively mediate glucose signaling, thereby affecting the histone modification and expression of glucose‐regulated genes in plants.
The impact of the interplay of the intestinal microbiome and diet on the metabolomic and health outcomes of bariatric surgery
Authors: Mika Adriana , Janczy Agata , Waleron Krzysztof , Szymanski Michal , Kaska Lukasz , Sledzinski Tomasz
Published: April 2022

Obesity has evolved into a global epidemic. Bariatric surgery, the most effective treatment for obesity, keeps many comorbidities of obesity at bay for a prolonged period of time. However, complications, including metabolic alterations, are inherent in bariatric surgery. Surgical intervention in the structure of the digestive tract, especially during bariatric bypass procedures, also causes significant changes in the composition of the microbiome, which may affect the composition and quantity of various metabolites produced by intestinal bacteria. The composition of the intestinal microbiome is connected to human metabolism via metabolites that are produced and secreted by bacterial cells into the intestinal lumen and then absorbed into the host's bloodstream. Bariatric surgery causes changes in the composition and quantity of many circulating metabolites. Metabolic disorders may be affected after bariatric surgery by changes in the composition of the microbiome and metabolites produced by bacteria.
Is the government exhausting its powers? An empirical examination of eminent domain exercises in New York City pre‐ and post‐Kelo
Authors: Levine‐Schnur Ronit
Published: April 2022

A controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision inKelo v. City of New London(2005) which did not limit the use of state's eminent domain powers, led to an unprecedented legislative reaction by almost all 50 states. Of all, New York State stands out as one of the single states not to respond with a legislative amendment. In this study, I ask whether the state's predation was greater in the years following these legal and political developments, in light of the freedom which was granted to local politicians by both the Supreme Court and the state's legislators. The article hypothesizes that contrary to common perceptions, judicial decisions impact local government actions even when no limits on the use of powers are being posed. I use rigorous statistics and scrupulously defined data to expand scholarly understanding of the aftermath of the judicial decision in Kelo. The main finding is that the decision has in fact affected political behavior, but in the opposite direction than commonly expected: politicians in New York City acted consistently with public opinion, which was hostile tooKelo, not by changing the law, but by changing their practice. Studying all known taking exercises in New York City between 1991 and 2019, the paper finds no increase in the number of development projects involving condemnations after 2005. In fact, the probability of a taking for economic development or urban renewal dropped by 90%. The use of eminent domain for such projects declined even when both state and federal courts refrain from interposing any actual limit on its use. The paper lends qualified support to an alternative assertion that takings decisions by government officials are largely shaped by planning and political needs and that officials are sensitive to revealed public preferences even when there is no constitutional or legal impediment on their exercise of power.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DQA1*01:81 allele by sequencing‐based typing
Authors: Le Méné Melchior , Villemonteix Juliette , Jorge‐Cordeiro Débora , Caillat‐Zucman Sophie
Published: April 2022

HLA‐DQA1*01:81 differs from HLA‐DQA1*01:02:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution in codon 153 in exon 3.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DRB1*11:04:21 allele by sequencing‐based typing
Authors: Giustiniani Paola , Troiano Maria , Bianculli Antonio Giuseppe , Testa Giuseppe , Andreani Marco
Published: April 2022

HLA‐DRB1*11:04:21 differs from HLA‐DRB1*11:04:01 by one nucleotide substitution in codon 69 in exon 2.
Retrospective evaluation of canine primary, multicentric, and metastatic intraocular neoplasia
Authors: Krieger Emily M. , Pumphrey Stephanie A. , Wood Carrie A. , Mouser Pamela J. , Robinson Nicholas A. , Maggio Federica
Published: April 2022

Objective

To provide an updated characterization of the prevalence of primary, multicentric, and metastatic intraocular tumors in the canine patient.

Procedures

Medical records databases from 4 veterinary referral hospitals were reviewed from 1999 to present to identify dogs with a diagnosis of intraocular neoplasia histopathologically confirmed following enucleation or necropsy.

Results

One hundred seventy‐two dogs with 173 intraocular neoplasms met the inclusion criteria. Primary intraocular neoplasms were the most common tumors in the study (128); the two most common types were melanocytic neoplasia (90), followed by iridociliary neoplasia (33). There were 28 cases of intraocular involvement secondary to round cell neoplasia, with 18 cases of lymphoma, seven histiocytic sarcomas, and three undifferentiated round cell neoplasms. There were 17 cases of metastatic intraocular neoplasia, with hemangiosarcoma being the most common (9).

Conclusions

The majority of intraocular tumors in dogs arise from the ocular tissues. However, the eye may also be involved in patients with multicentric neoplasia, and, less commonly, as a site for metastatic disease. Ocular screening for patients with multicentric neoplasia should be considered during staging, and ocular signs should be viewed with suspicion in dogs with neoplasia in other sites.
Vivienda de interés social y dotación de equipamiento: tecnologías de poder en Ciudad Satélite
Authors: López Mares Lourdes Marcela , Alva Fuentes Benjamín Fidel
Published: April 2022

El equipamiento local en desarrollos de vivienda social en periferia es un elemento central para comercializar la vivienda, además de mejorar la calidad de vida de los residentes, por ello, existen actores que buscan controlar su provisión mediante diversas estrategias de poder. En este trabajo analizamos, con un enfoque cualitativo, las estrategias de tres colonias de Ciudad Satélite, desarrollo habitacional ubicado en la periferia de San Luis Potosí, México.

Los casos evidencian la forma cómo el sector público ejerce un poder grandilocuente, y el sector privado otro que busca controlar el comportamiento de los residentes sin ser coercitivo. Por su parte, los residentes cuestionan las formas de poder mediante prácticas de apropiación y producción de espacio para adaptarlo a sus necesidades. Los hallazgos apoyan el diseño de políticas públicas, en la medida que acercan las necesidades cotidianas, con la planeación y la producción de vivienda social
The microdissected gene expression landscape of nasopharyngeal cancer reveals vulnerabilities in FGF and noncanonical NF-κB signaling
Authors: Tay Joshua K. , Zhu Chunfang , Shin June Ho , Zhu Shirley X. , Varma Sushama , Foley Joseph W. , Vennam Sujay , Yip Yim Ling , Goh Chuan Keng , Wang De Yun , Loh Kwok Seng , Tsao Sai Wah , Le Quynh-Thu , Sunwoo John B. , West Robert B.
Published: April 2022

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–positive epithelial malignancy with an extensive inflammatory infiltrate. Traditional RNA-sequencing techniques uncovered only microenvironment signatures, while the gene expression of the tumor epithelial compartment has remained a mystery. Here, we use Smart-3SEQ to prepare transcriptome-wide gene expression profiles from microdissected NPC tumors, dysplasia, and normal controls. We describe changes in biological pathways across the normal to tumor spectrum and show that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) ligands are overexpressed in NPC tumors, while negative regulators of FGF signaling, including SPRY1, SPRY2, and LGALS3, are down-regulated early in carcinogenesis. Within the NF-κB signaling pathway, the critical noncanonical transcription factors, RELB and NFKB2, are enriched in the majority of NPC tumors. We confirm the responsiveness of EBV-positive NPC cell lines to targeted inhibition of these pathways, reflecting the heterogeneity in NPC patient tumors. Our data comprehensively describe the gene expression landscape of NPC and unravel the mysteries of receptor tyrosine kinase and NF-κB pathways in NPC.
Development of iPSC-based clinical trial selection platform for patients with ultrarare diseases
Authors: Sequiera Glen Lester , Srivastava Abhay , Sareen Niketa , Yan Weiang , Alagarsamy Keshav Narayan , Verma Elika , Aghanoori Mohamad Reza , Aliani Michel , Kumar Ashok , Fernyhough Paul , Rockman-Greenberg Cheryl , Dhingra Sanjiv
Published: April 2022

A “Leap-of-Faith” approach is used to treat patients with previously unknown ultrarare pathogenic mutations, often based on evidence from patients having dissimilar but more prevalent mutations. This uncertainty reflects the need to develop personalized prescreening platforms for these patients to assess drug efficacy before considering clinical trial enrollment. In this study, we report an 18-year-old patient with ultrarare Leigh-like syndrome. This patient had previously participated in two clinical trials with unfavorable responses. We established an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–based platform for this patient, and assessed the efficacy of a panel of drugs. The iPSC platform validated the safety and efficacy of the screened drugs. The efficacy of three of the screened drugs was also investigated in the patient. After 3 years of treatment, the drugs were effective in shifting the metabolic profile of this patient toward healthy control. Therefore, this personalized iPSC-based platform can act as a prescreening tool to help in decision-making with respect to patient’s participation in future clinical trials.
Synthetic cell–based materials extract positional information from morphogen gradients
Authors: Dupin Aurore , Aufinger Lukas , Styazhkin Igor , Rothfischer Florian , Kaufmann Benedikt K. , Schwarz Sascha , Galensowske Nikolas , Clausen-Schaumann Hauke , Simmel Friedrich C.
Published: April 2022

Biomaterials composed of synthetic cells have the potential to adapt and differentiate guided by physicochemical environmental cues. Inspired by biological systems in development, which extract positional information (PI) from morphogen gradients in the presence of uncertainties, we here investigate how well synthetic cells can determine their position within a multicellular structure. To calculate PI, we created and analyzed a large number of synthetic cellular assemblies composed of emulsion droplets connected via lipid bilayer membranes. These droplets contained cell-free feedback gene circuits that responded to gradients of a genetic inducer acting as a morphogen. PI is found to be limited by gene expression noise and affected by the temporal evolution of the morphogen gradient and the cell-free expression system itself. The generation of PI can be rationalized by computational modeling of the system. We scale our approach using three-dimensional printing and demonstrate morphogen-based differentiation in larger tissue-like assemblies.
Rapid rise in premature mortality due to anthropogenic air pollution in fast-growing tropical cities from 2005 to 2018
Authors: Vohra Karn , Marais Eloise A. , Bloss William J. , Schwartz Joel , Mickley Loretta J. , Van Damme Martin , Clarisse Lieven , Coheur Pierre-F.
Published: April 2022

Tropical cities are experiencing rapid growth but lack routine air pollution monitoring to develop prescient air quality policies. Here, we conduct targeted sampling of recent (2000s to 2010s) observations of air pollutants from space-based instruments over 46 fast-growing tropical cities. We quantify significant annual increases in nitrogen dioxide (NO
2
) (1 to 14%), ammonia (2 to 12%), and reactive volatile organic compounds (1 to 11%) in most cities, driven almost exclusively by emerging anthropogenic sources rather than traditional biomass burning. We estimate annual increases in urban population exposure to air pollutants of 1 to 18% for fine particles (PM
2.5
) and 2 to 23% for NO
2
from 2005 to 2018 and attribute 180,000 (95% confidence interval: −230,000 to 590,000) additional premature deaths in 2018 (62% increase relative to 2005) to this increase in exposure. These cities are predicted to reach populations of up to 80 million people by 2100, so regulatory action targeting emerging anthropogenic sources is urgently needed.
A South Pole–Aitken impact origin of the lunar compositional asymmetry
Authors: Jones Matt J. , Evans Alexander J. , Johnson Brandon C. , Weller Matthew B. , Andrews-Hanna Jeffrey C. , Tikoo Sonia M. , Keane James T.
Published: April 2022

The formation of the largest and most ancient lunar impact basin, South Pole–Aitken (SPA), was a defining event in the Moon’s evolution. Using numerical simulations, we show that widespread mantle heating from the SPA impact can catalyze the formation of the long-lived nearside-farside lunar asymmetry in incompatible elements and surface volcanic deposits, which has remained unexplained since its discovery in the Apollo era. The impact-induced heat drives hemisphere-scale mantle convection, which would sequester Th- and Ti-rich lunar magma ocean cumulates in the nearside hemisphere within a few hundred million years if they remain immediately beneath the lunar crust at the time of the SPA impact. A warm initial upper mantle facilitates generation of a pronounced compositional asymmetry consistent with the observed lunar asymmetry.
Carbon-free high-performance cathode for solid-state Li-O
2
battery
Authors: Kim Mokwon , Lee Hyunpyo , Kwon Hyuk Jae , Bak Seong-Min , Jaye Cherno , Fischer Daniel A. , Yoon Gabin , Park Jung O. , Seo Dong-Hwa , Ma Sang Bok , Im Dongmin
Published: April 2022

The development of a cathode for solid-state lithium-oxygen batteries has been hindered in practice by a low capacity and limited cycle life despite their potential for high energy density. Here, a previously unexplored strategy is proposed wherein the cathode delivers a specific capacity of 200 milliampere hour per gram over 665 discharge/charge cycles, while existing cathodes achieve only ~50 milliampere hour per gram and ~100 cycles. A highly conductive ruthenium-based composite is designed as a carbon-free cathode by first-principles calculations to avoid the degradation associated with carbonaceous materials, implying an improvement in stability during the electrochemical cycling. In addition, water vapor is added into the main oxygen gas as an additive to change the discharge product from growth-restricted lithium peroxide to easily grown lithium hydroxide, resulting in a notable increase in capacity. Thus, the proposed strategy is effective for developing reversible solid-state lithium-oxygen batteries with high energy density.
Cytotoxic granzyme C–expressing ILC1s contribute to antitumor immunity and neonatal autoimmunity
Authors: Nixon Briana G. , Chou Chun , Krishna Chirag , Dadi Saïda , Michel Adam O. , Cornish Andrew E. , Kansler Emily R. , Do Mytrang H. , Wang Xinxin , Capistrano Kristelle J. , Rudensky Alexander Y. , Leslie Christina S. , Li Ming O.
Published: April 2022

Innate lymphocytes are integral components of the cellular immune system that can coordinate host defense against a multitude of challenges and trigger immunopathology when dysregulated. Natural killer (NK) cells and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are innate immune effectors postulated to functionally mirror conventional cytotoxic T lymphocytes and helper T cells, respectively. Here, we showed that the cytolytic molecule granzyme C was expressed in cells with the phenotype of type 1 ILCs (ILC1s) in mouse liver and salivary gland. Cell fate-mapping and transfer studies revealed that granzyme C–expressing innate lymphocytes could be derived from ILC progenitors and did not interconvert with NK cells, ILC2s, or ILC3s. Granzyme C defined a maturation state of ILC1s. These granzyme C–expressing ILC1s required the transcription factors T-bet and, to a lesser extent, Eomes and support from transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) signaling for their maintenance in the salivary gland. In a transgenic mouse breast cancer model, depleting ILC1s caused accelerated tumor growth. ILC1s gained granzyme C expression following interleukin-15 (IL-15) stimulation, which enabled perforin-mediated cytotoxicity. Constitutive activation of STAT5, a transcription factor regulated by IL-15, in granzyme C–expressing ILC1s triggered lethal perforin-dependent autoimmunity in neonatal mice. Thus, granzyme C marks a cytotoxic effector state of ILC1s, broadening their function beyond “helper-like” lymphocytes.
Human enteric viruses autonomously shape inflammatory bowel disease phenotype through divergent innate immunomodulation
Authors: Adiliaghdam Fatemeh , Amatullah Hajera , Digumarthi Sreehaas , Saunders Tahnee L. , Rahman Raza-Ur , Wong Lai Ping , Sadreyev Ruslan , Droit Lindsay , Paquette Jean , Goyette Philippe , Rioux John D. , Hodin Richard , Mihindukulasuriya Kathie A. , Handley Scott A. , Jeffrey Kate L.
Published: April 2022

Altered enteric microorganisms in concert with host genetics shape inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) phenotypes. However, insight is limited to bacteria and fungi. We found that eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages (collectively, the virome), enriched from non-IBD, noninflamed human colon resections, actively elicited atypical anti-inflammatory innate immune programs. Conversely, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease colon resection viromes provoked inflammation, which was successfully dampened by non-IBD viromes. The IBD colon tissue virome was perturbed, including an increase in the enterovirus B species of eukaryotic picornaviruses, not previously detected in fecal virome studies. Mice humanized with non-IBD colon tissue viromes were protected from intestinal inflammation, whereas IBD virome mice exhibited exacerbated inflammation in a nucleic acid sensing–dependent fashion. Furthermore, there were detrimental consequences for IBD patient–derived intestinal epithelial cells bearing loss-of-function mutations within virus sensor MDA5 when exposed to viromes. Our results demonstrate that innate recognition of IBD or non-IBD human viromes autonomously influences intestinal homeostasis and disease phenotypes. Thus, perturbations in the intestinal virome, or an altered ability to sense the virome due to genetic variation, contribute to the induction of IBD. Harnessing the virome may offer therapeutic and biomarker potential.
Evolving views of West Avalonia: Perspectives from southeastern New England, USA
Authors: Thompson* M.D. , Barr S.M. , Pollock J.C.
Published: April 2022

Southeastern New England is largely composed of Ediacaran granitoid and related volcanic rocks formed during the main phase of arc-related magmatism recorded in West Avalonian lithotectonic assemblages extending through Atlantic Canada to eastern Newfoundland. In situ Lu-Hf analyses presented here for zircons from the Dedham, Milford, and Esmond Granites and from the Lynn-Mattapan volcanic complex show a restricted range of εHf values (+2 to +5) and associated Hf-TDM model ages of 1.3–0.9 Ga, assuming felsic crustal sources. The most evolved granites within this suite lie in a belt north and west of the Boston Basin, whereas upfaulted granites on the south, as well as the slightly younger volcanic units, show more juvenile Hf isotopic compositions. Similar inferences have been drawn from previously published Sm-Nd isotopic signatures for several of the same plutons. Collectively, the isotopic compositions and high-precision U-Pb geochronological constraints now available for southeastern New England differ in important respects from patterns in the Mira terrane of Cape Breton Island or the Newfoundland Avalon zone, but they closely resemble those documented in the Cobequid and Antigonish Highlands of mainland Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s Caledonia terrane. Particularly significant features are similarities between the younger than 912 Ma Westboro Formation in New England and the younger than 945 Ma Gamble Brook Formation in the Cobequid Highlands, both of which yield detrital zircon age spectra consistent with sources on the Timanide margin of Baltica. This relationship provides the starting point for a recent model in which episodic West Avalonian arc magmatism began along the Tonian margin of Baltica and terminated during diachronous late Ediacaran arc-arc collision with the Ganderian margin of Gondwana.
Seismic emissions reveal the mechanical stratigraphy of the Middle Paleozoic section under the Appalachian Plateau, Pennsylvania
Authors: Engelder* Terry , Vermilye Jan , Lacazette Alfred , Geiser Peter , Sicking Charles , Hooker John N.
Published: April 2022

The Middle Paleozoic section of the Appalachian Plateau exhibits a mechanical stratigraphy defined by layers that emit seismic energy with unique signatures in response to a strain energy accumulated on time scales associated with local, regional, and plate-scale processes. The Earth is in a state of frictional equilibrium, which means that even small changes in effective stress cause brittle failure and the concomitant release of ambient seismic energy. Stress changes as low as 0.001 MPa, the level of stress changes during Earth tides or the transmission of a fluid pressure wave, can activate failure on critically oriented fractures. These phenomena lead to a release of ambient seismic energy, which can be mapped using seismic emission tomography (SET) methods to image fracture networks emitting coherent seismic waves. We used a buried array of 54 sondes to identify active fracture networks over a contiguous volume of 3.76 km3 within Middle Paleozoic rocks hosting two Marcellus gas shale wells drilled under the Appalachian Plateau of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA. We sampled ambient seismic emissions before and after two stimulations and found that the pattern was repeatable. The fracture patterns illuminated by ambient seismic emissions defined a mechanical stratigraphy populated by clouds of seismic activity separated by packages of beds emitting relatively less seismic energy. The unique attribute of the beds emitting less seismic energy is a lower least horizontal stress (Shmin) relative to adjacent mechanical units in the section. These low stress beds include the bottom portion of both the Marcellus and Burket/Geneseo black shales. There are three thicker mechanical units carrying clouds of higher energy emissions. These three units include siltstones of the Brallier above the Burket/Geneseo package, silty shale beds of the Mahantango between the Marcellus and Burket/Geneseo packages, and Silurian-Devonian carbonates below the Marcellus package. In map view, emission patterns in the Brallier follow Alleghanian J2 joints. Patterns in the Mahantango are consistent with slip along columnar joint zones like those cutting upward in outcrops of shale on the Appalachian Plateau. In sum, SET reveals a mechanical stratigraphy based on the release of strain energy from three major units of the Middle Paleozoic section.
The Fight for Economic Reform in Russia, 1990–1991
Authors: Malkhozova F. V.
Published: April 2022

This article researches not a big, but an important period in the modern history of Russia, which became a transitional stage from a socialist to a market economy. It analyzes the main characteristics of the country’s economy and the circumstances of the transition to the market. The leading role in transforming the economic and political system belonged to the Congress of People’s Deputies of Russia. The “economic” sovereignty of the republic has become the core of Russia’s state sovereignty. The implementation of the declaration required changes in legislation and the management system. Freedom of entrepreneurship, banking, loans, and other innovations have set the task of creating clear and reliable forms of property rights and corresponding guarantees of the state. Normative legal acts of the Congress of People’s Deputies of the RSFSR and the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR adopted to establish Russia’s economic independence and the transition to market relations caused a “war” of laws, in which the presidents of the USSR and Russia, Union and Russian deputies, ministers and regional leaders participated.
Evaluation of the Retinopathy of Prematurity Activity Scale (ROP-ActS) in a randomised controlled trial aiming for prevention of severe ROP: a substudy of the Mega Donna Mega trial
Authors: Pivodic Aldina , Johansson Helena , Smith Lois EH , Löfqvist Chatarina , Albertsson-Wikland Kerstin , Nilsson Staffan , Hellström Ann
Published: April 2022

Objective

The current grading of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) does not sufficiently discriminate disease severity for evaluation of trial interventions. The published ROP Activity Scales (original: ROP-ActS and modified: mROP-ActS), describing increasing severity of ROP, versus the categorical variables severe ROP, stage, zone and plus disease were evaluated as discriminators of the effect of an ROP preventive treatment.

Methods and analysis

The Mega Donna Mega trial investigated ROP in infants born <28-week gestational age (GA), randomised to arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation or no supplementation. Of 207 infants, 86% with finalised ROP screening were included in this substudy. ROP-ActS versus standard variables were evaluated using Fisher’s non-parametric permutation test, multivariable logistic and linear regression and marginal fractional response models.

Results

The AA:DHA group (n=84) and the control group (n=93) were well balanced. The maximum ROP-ActS measurement was numerically but not significantly lower in the AA:DHA group (mean: 4.0 (95% CI 2.9 to 5.0)) versus the control group (mean: 5.3 (95% CI 4.1 to 6.4)), p=0.11. In infants with any ROP, the corresponding scale measurements were 6.8 (95% CI 5.4 to 8.2) and 8.7 (95% CI 7.5 to 10.0), p=0.039. Longitudinal profiles of the scale were visually distinguished for the categories of sex and GA for the intervention versus control.

Conclusions

The preventive effect of AA:DHA supplementation versus no supplementation was better discriminated by the trial’s primary outcome, severe ROP, than by ROP-ActS. The sensitivity and the linear qualities of ROP-ActS require further validations on large data sets and perhaps modifications.

Trial registration number

NCT03201588.
Ten cases of intradiaphragmatic extralobar pulmonary sequestration: a single-center experience
Authors: Gao Yue , Han Xu , Jin Jie , Tan Zheng
Published: April 2022

Background

Intradiaphragmatic extralobar pulmonary sequestration (IDEPS) is a rare type of pulmonary sequestration (PS). The purpose of this study is to assess diagnosis and operative treatment of IDEPS.

Methods

Patients with PS who were diagnosed and treated in our center from January 2015 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively to identify patients with IDEPS.

Results

Totally, 215 patients with PS were treated surgically, including 10 cases with IDEPS. Prenatal ultrasounds and postnatal-enhanced CT showed the presence of IDEPS in four cases and in seven cases, respectively. The three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction software was performed perfectly to identify the location of the lesions in 10 cases. The surgeries were performed smoothly by laparoscopic surgery in one case, video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in five cases and Da Vinci robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (DVRATS) in four cases. In the VATS group, the average operative duration, intraoperative blood loss volume, length of stay after operation, and postoperative thoracic catheter indwelling duration were 48 min, 3.8 mL, 6.4 days and 2.2 days, respectively. That of the DVRATS group were 80 min, 3.5 mL, 4.3 days and 1.5 days, respectively. No side effects had appeared.

Conclusions

The 3D reconstruction software was proven to be capable in assisting the assessment of IDEPS. We suggested early surgery to treat IDEPS, and the best path was accessing the mass from the chest. Both DVRATS and VATS for the treatment of an IDEPS are safe, feasible, and effective. Furthermore, DVRATS provides a 3D magnified view, more flexibility and precision.