bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preclinical platforms to study therapeutic efficacy of human γδ T cells
Authors: Ou Lingling , Wang Huaishan , Huang Hui , Zhou Zhiyan , Lin Qiang , Guo Yeye , Mitchell Tara , Huang Alexander C. , Karakousis Giorgos , Schuchter Lynn , Amaravadi Ravi , Guo Wei , Salvino Joseph , Herlyn Meenhard , Xu Xiaowei
Published: June 2022

Background

Gamma delta (γδ) T lymphocytes are promising candidate for adoptive T cell therapy, however, their treatment efficacy is not satisfactory. Vδ2 T cells are unique to primates and few suitable models are available to assay their anti‐tumour function.

Methods

We tested human γδ T cell activation, tumour infiltration, and tumour‐killing in four three‐dimensional (3D) models, including unicellular, bicellular and multicellular melanoma spheroids, and patient‐derived melanoma organoids. We studied the effects of checkpoint inhibitors on γδ T cells and performed a small molecule screen using these platforms.

Results

γδ T cells rapidly responded to melanoma cells and infiltrated melanoma spheroids better than αβ T cells in PBMCs. Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in bicellular spheroids, stroma cells in multicellular melanoma spheroids and inhibitory immune cells in organoids significantly inhibited immune cell infiltrates including γδ T cells and lessened their cytotoxicity to tumour cells. Tumour‐infiltrating γδ T cells showed exhausted immunophenotypes with high checkpoints expression (CTLA‐4, PD‐1 and PD‐L1). Immune checkpoint inhibitors increased γδ T cell infiltration of 3D models and killing of melanoma cells in all four 3D models. Our small molecule screen assay and subsequent mechanistic studies demonstrated that epigenetic modifiers enhanced the chemotaxis and cytotoxicity of γδ T cells through upregulating MICA/B, inhibiting HDAC6/7 pathway and downregulating the levels of PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 in CAFs and tumour cells. These compounds increased CXCR4 and CD107a expression, IFN‐γ production and decreased PD‐1 expression of γδ T cells.

Conclusions

Tumour‐infiltrating γδ T cells show exhausted immunophenotypes and limited anti‐tumour capacity in melanoma 3D models. Checkpoint inhibitors and epigenetic modifiers enhance anti‐tumour functions of γδ T cells. These four 3D models provided valuable preclinical platforms to test γδ T cell functions for immunotherapy.
Native generalist natural enemies and an introduced specialist parasitoid together control an invasive forest insect
Authors: Broadley Hannah J. , Boettner George H. , Schneider Brenda , Elkinton Joseph S.
Published: June 2022

Specialized natural enemies have long been used to implement the biological control of invasive insects. Although research tracking populations following biological control introductions has traditionally focused on the impact of the introduced agent, recent studies and reviews have reflected an appreciation of the complex interactions of the introduced specialist agents with native generalist natural enemies. These interactions can be neutral, antagonistic, or complementary. Here we studied the invasive defoliator winter moth (Operophtera brumata) in the Northeast USA to investigate the role of native, generalist pupal predators along with the introduced, host‐specific parasitoid Cyzenis albicans. Prior research in Canada has shown that predation of winter moth pupae from native generalists increased after C. albicans was established as a biological control agent. To explain this phenomenon, the following hypotheses were suggested: (H1) parasitoids suppress the winter moth population to a density that can be maintained by generalist predators, (H2) unparasitized pupae are preferred by predators and therefore experience higher mortality rates, or (H3) C. albicans sustains higher predator populations throughout the year more effectively than winter moth alone. We tested these hypotheses by deploying winter moth pupae over 6 years spanning 2005 to 2017 and by modeling pupal predation rates as a function of winter moth density and C. albicans establishment. We also compared predation rates of unparasitized and parasitized pupae and considered additional mortality by a native pupal parasitoid. We found support for the first hypothesis; we detected both temporal and spatial density dependence, but only in the latter years of the study when winter moth densities were low. We found no evidence for the latter two hypotheses. Our findings suggest that pupal predators have a regulatory effect on winter moth populations only after populations have been reduced, presumably by the introduction of the host‐specific parasitoid C. albicans.
HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2 elevates KIAA1522 expression through microRNA‐520d‐3p and insulin like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 to promote the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells in thoracic aortic aneurysm
Authors: Ou Minghui , Chu Yaonan , Zhang Qian , Zhao Huidong , Song Qiang
Published: June 2022

Aims

Recently, long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been revealed to mediate smooth muscle dysfunction in thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). LncRNA HOXA‐AS2 has been proposed to engage in the regulation of diverse diseases. However, its function in TAA remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal the role and mechanism of HOXA‐AS2 in VSMCs which were implicated in TAA formation.

Methods and results

RT‐qPCR or western blot was performed to detect RNA or protein expression levels. The role of HOXA‐AS2 in VSMCs was explored by functional assays. The relationship among HOXA‐AS2/miR‐520d‐3p/KIAA1522/IGF2BP3 was analysed via mechanism assays. HOXA‐AS2 was detected to have significantly high expression in TAA tissues and function as an oncogene to promote proliferation of VSMCs, while inhibiting cell apoptosis (Figure 1, **P < 0.01). HOXA‐AS2 was unveiled to bind with miR‐520d‐3p (Figure 2, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01) and further up‐regulate KIAA1522 to facilitate the growth of VSMCs (Figure 3–4, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01). HOXA‐AS2 was also found to recruit IGF2BP3 to stabilize KIAA1522 mRNA (Figure 5, **P < 0.01). All data were displayed as mean ± standard deviation.

Conclusions

HOXA‐AS2 up‐regulates KIAA1522 through targeting miR‐520d‐3p/IGF2BP3 to drive VSMC growth in TAA.
Organocatalytic Synthesis of Thiiranes from Alkenes
Authors: Tsoukaki Anna , Skolia Elpida , Triandafillidi Ierasia , Kokotos Christoforos G.
Published: June 2022

Thiiranes, the corresponding sulfur analogues of epoxides, are less studied and less encountered in literature. This might be due to the limited existing synthetic approaches for their synthesis. Herein, a mild, sustainable and efficient organocatalytic synthesis of thiiranes has been developed. Starting from olefins and utilizing the epoxidation protocol developed in the Kokotos’ group, which employs 2,2,2‐trifluoroacetophenone as the organocatalyst and H2O2 as the oxidant, followed by ring opening by thiourea, a variety of thiiranes were synthesized. Both aromatic and aliphatic moieties are well tolerated, leading to thiiranes in moderate to excellent yields.
Acute Toxicity Assay Based on Electrochemical Method for Detection of Antibiotic Residues in Water
Authors: Dong Jia , Chang Xin , Li Donghui , Liu Chang
Published: June 2022

In this work, the bacteria suspended in solution or immobilized in the biofilm were employed to study whether bacterial electrochemistry can reflect the impacts of the antibiotic residues in water on microorganisms. In the sensing system with immobilized bacteria, the tested antibiotics of 10∼40 mg/L showed an opportunity to inhibit respiration over a short time and the combined effect of these antibiotics exhibited a complex dose‐dependence. The resistance was induced for the immobilized bacteria in the repeated measurement over a long‐term period, which was fortunately solved by refreshing the biofilm via a nutrient supplementation. In the solution system, bacterial respirations were promoted by the tested antibiotics even at concentrations up to 160 mg/L, but β‐glucosidase activity was inhibited by only 0.05 mg/L antibiotic. Cu2+ and Zn2+ were further inducted in the suspended system, and the combination of metals and antibiotics showed an obvious antagonistic effect. Real water detection indicated that the bacterial electrochemical method was expected to warn the water qualities with a sudden change by an appropriate testing condition.
Addressing the different sources of excitation variability in seismic response distribution estimation using kriging metamodeling
Authors: Kyprioti Aikaterini P. , Taflanidis Alexandros A.
Published: June 2022

This paper investigates the impact of the different sources of excitation variability within the stochastic kriging framework recently developed by the authors for the estimation of the distribution of engineering demand parameters (EDPs) in applications that the seismic hazard is described through stochastic ground motion models. For a given seismic event, described by seismicity characteristics such as the moment magnitude and the distance to source, one can distinguish two type of uncertainties in the excitation description: (g.i) the stochastic sequence utilized within the excitation model; (g.ii) the predictive models relating the ground motion parameters, such as significant duration, arias intensity, or frequency properties of seismic waves, to the seismicity characteristics. The original formulation of the authors treats (g.i) as aleatoric uncertainty and (g.ii) as parametric uncertainty, including the latter in the model parameters for the risk characterization, representing the metamodel input. Implementation establishes the EDP distribution approximation by utilizing a database of EDP estimates for a set of different input parameters, considering replications of these estimates for different stochastic sequences for some small part of this database. The database with replications is first leveraged to approximate the heteroscedastic behavior with respect to the aleatoric uncertainty, and the entire database is subsequently used, coupled with the previous heteroscedasticity approximation, to establish the stochastic kriging predictions for the EDP distribution. For excitation models with a large number of ground motion parameters, the original formulation leads to a significant increase of the input dimensionality for the metamodel development, requiring a larger database for facilitating accurate EDP approximations. Here, an alternative formulation is investigated, considering some (or perhaps even all) of the ground motion parameters to be part of the aleatoric uncertainty of the excitation description. It is shown that careful selection is needed for the exact ground motion parameters that can be treated as part of this aleatoric uncertainty, to accommodate an accurate overall EDP approximation. Similarities are discussed for applications that consider the description of the seismic hazard through the selection of ground motions based on intensity measures. An extensive validation of this new approach is presented considering two different stochastic ground motion models.
Entropy generation analysis for mixed convective flow of Casson fluid in a vertical microchannel with the influence of nonlinear radiation by maintaining inconstant viscosity
Authors: Manthesha  , Jayaprakash M. C. , Patil Mallikarjun B.
Published: June 2022

The study of entropy generation in the fluid flow has great importance in the field of engineering. The present analysis is to investigate the entropy production in Casson fluid flow in a vertically placed porous‐filled microchannel. The flow is influenced by the nonlinear radiation and exponential heat source. Viscosity is kept varying throughout the flow. The equations which govern the considered flow are nonlinear and are nondimensionalized by considering the appropriate nondimensional variables. The flow problem is tackled by converting the ordinary differential equation (ODE) by assigning the new variables. The flow problem is tackled by using the effective mechanism which involves the finite difference technique by converting the equations into a set of first‐order ODE. The results attained are discussed using the graphs. It is noted that by maintaining the lesser values for the Casson parameter and mixed convection parameter, entropy production can be reduced. The Bejan number profile has the highest magnitude for the variation of mixed convection parameter and the same is found to be less for the nonlinear radiation parameter.
Methods and technologies for spatial analysis of regional ecosystems based on the watershed approach
Authors: Erunova Marina G. , Yakubailik Oleg E.
Published: June 2022

The watershed management approach is an efficient tool for organizing and implementing natural resource management at the regional and interregional levels. Statistical processing of watershed information contributes to a comprehensive assessment of the environment of the river watersheds at different hierarchical levels. The purpose of this work is to use spatial analysis and data simulation for assessing the state of ecosystems in hydrologically defined geographical areas such as watersheds. The minimal watersheds of the “pilot” territory of four watersheds in Eastern Siberia with an average area of approximately 1ha are used as elementary territorial units. For each watershed, spatial analysis tools form a set of attributes of unique natural characteristics, which are obtained using ground and satellite data. Such a set of attributes can be used to assess the state of the territory employing various methods of mathematical modeling and statistical and cluster analysis. Watershed modeling of the territory was carried out based on the MERIT Hydro digital elevation model. Based on Terra MODIS satellite information, data on temperature, vegetation indices, and vegetation cover were obtained for each watershed. The NASA Global Precipitation Measurement reanalysis data were used to generate the data on accumulated precipitation for all elementary watersheds. Analysis of the seasonal dynamics of the surface temperature in the study area was made, and statistical distributions of temperature variations during the year were obtained for each watershed. Effective temperature sum was calculated. Statistical values and average annual characteristics of trends in several vegetation indices were obtained for each watershed. The necessary methods and technologies for generating, storing, and processing data on each watershed have been developed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:972–979. © 2021 SETAC
How are the youth? A brief‐longitudinal study on symptoms, alexithymia and expressive suppression among Italian adolescents during COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Pace Cecilia Serena , Rogier Guyonne , Muzi Stefania
Published: June 2022

Studies documented the negative consequences on adolescents' mental health of the stay‐at‐home measures adopted in reaction to the COVID‐19 outbreak. However, few contributions focused on the psychopathological trajectories after the end of these stressful measures or investigated the moderating role of this context in the relationship linking psychological symptoms with emotion regulation. This brief longitudinal study was performed with two measurement times: during the severe lockdown (T1), and when the restrictive measures were relaxed (T2). Ninety‐three community adolescents (45% boys; Mage = 14.94 years, SD = 1.64) completed the Youth Self Report, the Social Media Disorder Scale, the Binge Eating Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 items. Except for binge eating and externalising symptoms, all variables significantly decreased between T1 and T2. The relationship between expressive suppression and binge eating scores significantly decreased across time whereas the link between alexithymia and internalising symptoms increased with time. The study supported the idea that low‐risk adolescents experienced psychological relief from the relaxation of stay‐at‐home measures. Results suggest the importance of considering contextual factors when explaining the role of expressive suppression and alexithymia in binge eating and internalising symptoms among adolescents.
Mitochondrial transport and metabolism of the major methyl donor and versatile cofactor S‐adenosylmethionine, and related diseases: A review†
Authors: Monné Magnus , Marobbio Carlo M. T. , Agrimi Gennaro , Palmieri Luigi , Palmieri Ferdinando
Published: June 2022

S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM) is a coenzyme and the most commonly used methyl‐group donor for the modification of metabolites, DNA, RNA and proteins. SAM biosynthesis and SAM regeneration from the methylation reaction product S‐adenosyl‐L‐homocysteine (SAH) take place in the cytoplasm. Therefore, the intramitochondrial SAM‐dependent methyltransferases require the import of SAM and export of SAH for recycling. Orthologous mitochondrial transporters belonging to the mitochondrial carrier family have been identified to catalyze this antiport transport step: Sam5p in yeast, SLC25A26 (SAMC) in humans, and SAMC1‐2 in plants. In mitochondria SAM is used by a vast number of enzymes implicated in the following processes: the regulation of replication, transcription, translation, and enzymatic activities; the maturation and assembly of mitochondrial tRNAs, ribosomes and protein complexes; and the biosynthesis of cofactors, such as ubiquinone, lipoate, and molybdopterin. Mutations in SLC25A26 and mitochondrial SAM‐dependent enzymes have been found to cause human diseases, which emphasizes the physiological importance of these proteins.
Epithelial cell attachment and adhesion protein expression on novel in sol TiO2 coated zirconia and titanium alloy surfaces
Authors: Riivari Sini , Närvä Elisa , Kangasniemi Ilkka , Willberg Jaana , Närhi Timo
Published: June 2022

An adequate mucosal attachment is important when it comes to preventing peri‐implant inflammation. The aim of this study was to compare epithelial cell adhesion and adhesion protein expression on in sol TiO2‐coated and non‐coated zirconia and titanium alloy surfaces. Fifty‐six zirconia and titanium discs were cut, and half of them were coated with bioactive TiO2‐coating. To study the epithelial cell attachment, human gingival keratinocytes were cultivated on discs for 1, 3, 6, and 24 h. The cell proliferation was detected by cultivating cells for 1, 3, and 7 days. In addition, the levels of adhesion proteins laminin y2, integrin α6, β4, vinculin, and paxillin were detected with Western Blot method. Furthermore, high‐resolution imaging of the actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion proteins was established. Longer‐term cell culture (1–7 days) revealed higher cell numbers on the coated zirconia and titanium discs compared to non‐coated discs. The difference was statistically significant (p < .05) after 24 h on coated zirconia and after 3 and 7 days on coated titanium discs compared to non‐coated discs. Clear induction in the protein levels of laminin y2 and integrin α6 were detected on both coated samples, meanwhile integrin β4 were clearly induced on coated titanium alloy. The microscope evaluation showed significantly increased cell spreading on the coated discs. According to this study, the in sol induced TiO2‐coating increases keratinocyte attachment and the expression of adhesion proteins on coated zirconia and titanium in vitro. Consequently, the coating has potential to enhance the mucosal attachment on implant surfaces.
Cover crop management practices to promote soil health and climate adaptation: Grappling with varied success from farmer and researcher observations
Authors: Gutknecht Jessica , Journey Ann , Peterson Hikaru , Blair Hava , Cates Anna
Published: June 2022

Soil health is a pathway through which farm and environmental outcomes can be improved together on agricultural landscapes, and management to improve soil health is increasingly recognized as a strategy for agricultural producers to adapt to climate change–related impacts such as erosion and flooding. Many incentive programs exist or are in development to support the adoption of practices that promote soil health for these reasons, but few on‐farm trials have compared the intersections of farmer versus researcher observations of soil health or of soil health compared with climate adaptation. The purpose of our study was to assess soil health outcomes and adaptation to simulated climate change in response to cover cropping on working farms enrolled in a Minnesota Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)–funded Environmental Quality Incentives Program. This incentive program required the inclusion of diverse cover crop mixtures into existing farm crop rotations. We conducted farmer surveys, NRCS protocol field soil assessments, and NRCS‐recommended laboratory assays on farms from across the state of Minnesota in a paired design comparing fields on the same or adjacent farms of the same soil mapping unit. Although 85% of farmers reported improvements in soil attributes or productivity, most field and laboratory assessments produced a high amount of variability in responsiveness to cover cropping. Despite this variability, we saw a significant decrease in bare ground and significant increases in earthworm counts, cellobiohydrolase microbial activity, and the Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS). Although researcher measurements did not show improvement in physical characteristics or infiltration other than the VESS field assessment, 67% of farmers reported improvements to the physical structure of the soil, associated with improved outcomes such as earlier planting dates and consistent crop growth across fields. When more than five species of cover crops were present, the percentage of reported improvements increased to >80%. We also found no significant improvement to climate change adaptation measured by nutrient or sediment loss after a simulated storm event. Together, our results suggest that adding a diverse annual cover crop mix to increase continuous cover can improve characteristics associated with soil health and that there needs to be a stronger focus in understanding variation in realized soil health outcomes on farms, including more co‐creation of research with farmer partners.
Interventions for malnutrition in hospitalized adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Uhl Stacey , Siddique Shazia M. , Bloschichak Aaron , McKeever William , D'Anci Kristen , Leas Brian , Mull Nikhil K. , Compher Charlene , Lewis James D. , Wu Gary D. , Tsou Amy Y.
Published: June 2022

Background

Malnutrition is associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized adults. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of hospital‐initiated interventions for patients with malnutrition.

Methods

Data sources included MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library from January 1, 2000 to June 3, 2021. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing interventions for hospitalized adults diagnosed or identified as at‐risk for malnutrition using malnutrition screening and diagnostic assessment tools. Individual reviewers extracted study data and performed quality checks for accuracy. Meta‐analysis was conducted using a random‐effects model with variance correction. We assessed the overall strength of evidence at the outcome level. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool.

Results

We found 11 RCTs that assessed two types of interventions: specialized nutrition care (8 RCTs) and increased protein provision (3 RCTs). The pooled findings of 11 RCTs found moderate strength of evidence that specialized nutrition care and increased protein provision reduced mortality by 21% (relative risk [RR]: 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63–0.98; absolute risk reduction [ARR]: −0.02, 95% CI: −0.03 to −0.00). Pooled estimates indicated a nonsignificant decrease of 0.18 days in the length of stay (9 RCTs) and a 10% reduction in readmissions (7 RCTs). No eligible RCTs assessed parenteral or enteral nutrition.

Conclusion

Certain malnutrition‐focused hospital‐initiated interventions (e.g., specialized nutrition care and increased protein provision) reduce mortality and may improve the quality of life among patients at risk for or diagnosed with malnutrition. Future trials are needed to assess the effectiveness of parenteral and enteral nutrition.
A highly powerful nonspecific strategy to reduce COVID‐19 deaths
Authors: Chen Ji‐Ming , Li Guo‐Hui , Ji Yu‐Fei , Sun Ming‐Hui , Gong Huan‐Yu , Chen Rui‐Xu , Chen Ji‐Wang
Published: June 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic caused by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 remains risky worldwide. We elucidate here that good IDM (isolation, disinfection, and maintenance of health) is powerful to reduce COVID‐19 deaths based on the striking differences in COVID‐19 case fatality rates among various scenarios. IDM means keeping COVID‐19 cases away from each other and from other people, disinfecting their living environments, and maintaining their health through good nutrition, rest, and treatment of symptoms and pre‐existing diseases (not through specific antiviral therapy). Good IDM could reduce COVID‐19 deaths by more than 85% in 2020 and more than 99% in 2022. This is consistent with the fact that good IDM can minimize co‐infections and maintain body functions and the fact that COVID‐19 has become less pathogenic (this fact was supported with three novel data in this report). Although IDM has been frequently implemented worldwide to some degree, IDM has not been highlighted sufficiently. Good IDM is relative, nonspecific, flexible, and feasible in many countries, and can reduce deaths of some other relatively mild infectious diseases. IDM, vaccines, and antivirals aid each other to reduce COVID‐19 deaths. The IDM concept and strategy can aid people to improve their health behavior and fight against COVID‐19 and future pandemics worldwide.
Workplace gossip: An integrative review of its antecedents, functions, and consequences
Authors: Sun Tianjun , Schilpzand Pauline , Liu Yihao
Published: June 2022

The workplace gossip construct is currently divergently interpreted by organizational scholars, with perceptions of its origins, functions, and impacts varying widely. In this comprehensive narrative review, we seek to provide much needed clarity around the often studied and frequently demonstrated employee behavior of workplace gossip by synthesizing gossip studies conducted during the past four decades in both the organization and psychology literatures. The first section of our review considers measures, designs, and theoretical frameworks featured in these studies. In the second section, we consolidate and integrate research findings from the extant literatures into three emerging categories of gossip antecedents (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational antecedents), four categories of gossip functions (information exchange, ego enhancement, social integration, and social segregation), and three categories of gossip consequences (consequences for gossip senders/recipients, for gossip targets, and beyond the triads). In the last section, we propose an integrative model to guide future investigations on the antecedents, functions, and consequences of workplace gossip. Our review aims to provide a clear overview of existing gossip research across the organization and psychology literatures and to highlight several important trends to open up various opportunities for future impactful workplace gossip scholarship.
Distribution of ammonia oxidizers and their role in N2O emissions in the reservoir riparian zone
Authors: Li Tingting , Wang Xiaoyan , Huang Jingyu , Wang Yubing , Song Shuang
Published: June 2022

As a transitional boundary between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, the riparian zone is considered a hotspot for N2O production because of the active nitrogen processes. Ammoxidation is an important microbial pathway for N2O production, but the distribution of ammonia oxidizers under different land‐use types in the reservoir riparian zone and what role they played in N2O emissions are still not clear. We investigated spatiotemporal distributions of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) and their role in N2O emissions in different land‐use types along the riparian zone of Miyun Reservoir: grassland, sparse woods, and woodland. We found significant differences in both AOA abundance and AOB diversity indices among land‐use types. AOA and AOB communities were significantly separated by different land‐use types. The main drivers to determine the distribution of ammonia‐oxidizing microbial community were soil water content, NH4+, NO3−, and total organic carbon (TOC). In situ N2O flux was highest in woodland with a mean value of 12.28 μg/m2·h, and it was substantially decreased by 121% and 123% in sparse woods and grassland. TOC content was decreased by 20% and 40% in sparse woods and grassland compared with woodland, and it was significantly positively correlated with in situ N2O flux. Meanwhile, AOB diversity indices were significantly correlated with in situ N2O flux. These results showed that the heterogeneity of physicochemical properties among different land‐use types affected the community of AOA and AOB in riparian zones. AOB not AOA, and community diversity rather than abundance, played a role in N2O emissions.
Development of an ensemble Bayesian inference‐based copula approach for bivariate risk evaluation of extreme precipitation under climate change
Authors: Sun Li , Sun Jie , Li Yongping , Suo Cai , Liu Jing , Gao Pangpang
Published: June 2022

In this study, an ensemble Bayesian inference‐based copula approach (EBICA) has been proposed to evaluate the joint risk of extreme precipitation indices under climate change. EBICA incorporates GCMs, quantile delta mapping‐based bias correction method, Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC)‐based Bayesian inference method, and copula functions into an integration, where 17 GCMs and 3 copulas are explored EBICA can reflect the inherent uncertainties in GCM and copula selections, as well as deal with the uncertainty caused by copula parameters when modelling the dependent structures. Ensemble results of GCMs and copulas are also analysed to promote the projection accuracy of dynamic features of extreme precipitation (characterized by precipitation intensity, very heavy precipitation amount and frequency, and maximum 1 or 5‐day precipitation amount). EBICA is then applied to Fujian Province to investigate climate change impacts on extreme precipitation during 2021–2099. Major findings can be summarized as (a) GCM is the primary source of uncertainties that impacts extreme precipitation projection, and the ensemble of GCMs suggests that climate change would exacerbate future precipitation intensity, amount, and frequency over Fujian Province; (b) mountainous area in Fujian is more easily encountered with very heavy precipitation amount and coastal area is more easily faced with maximum 1‐day or consecutive 5‐day precipitation under climate change; (c) Fujian Province would averagely encounter with shorter co‐occurrence period of [SDII, R95p] and [R20mm, R95p], corresponding to higher risk level in very heavy precipitation amount and frequency, especially in the north part. Generally, these findings could help lay the foundation for forecasting and warning of extreme precipitation events and reducing associated risk losses.
The observed connection between the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation and the persistence of the North Atlantic Oscillation in boreal winter
Authors: Cai Qingyu , Ma Tianjiao , Chen Wen , Wei Ke , Pogoreltsev Alexander I. , Koval Andrey V.
Published: June 2022

This study reveals that the persistence of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during boreal winter is closely linked to the phase of the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO) at 30 hPa for the period 1958–2020. Our results show that the early winter (i.e., November–December) NAO signal tends to persist into the subsequent January in the easterly phase of the QBO (EQBO). However, in the westerly phase of the QBO (WQBO) there is hardly connection between the early winter and the subsequent January NAO signals. Further analysis suggests that there is stronger stratosphere–troposphere connection and stronger amplitude of the NAO during the early winters of the EQBO compared to those of the WQBO. A stronger NAO in the EQBO tends to induce enhanced positive feedback of air–sea interaction, which may contribute to a prolonged signal of the NAO. Specifically, significant surface heat flux anomalies over the high‐latitude and subtropical regions of North Atlantic induced by a stronger early winter NAO may trigger a tripolar pattern of anomalous sea surface temperature in the North Atlantic in the subsequent January. And this anomalous SST pattern may have a feedback on the atmosphere to strength the anomalous NAO by changing the atmospheric baroclinicity and synoptic eddy activities. In contrast, the NAO in the early winters of the WQBO tends to have a weaker amplitude and be confined to the troposphere. This weaker NAO is shown to induce a weaker air–sea interaction in the North Atlantic, and tends not to favour a prolonged NAO.
Topologically‐Protected Single‐Photon Sources with Topological Slow Light Photonic Crystal Waveguides
Authors: Kuruma Kazuhiro , Yoshimi Hironobu , Ota Yasutomo , Katsumi Ryota , Kakuda Masahiro , Arakawa Yasuhiko , Iwamoto Satoshi
Published: June 2022

Slow light waveguides are advantageous for implementing high‐performance single‐photon sources required for scalable operation of integrated quantum photonic circuits (IQPCs), though such waveguides are known to suffer from propagation loss due to backscattering. A way to overcome the drawback is to use topological photonics, in which robust waveguiding in topologically‐protected optical modes has recently been demonstrated. Here, single‐photon sources are reported using single quantum dots (QDs) embedded in topological slow light waveguides based on valley photonic crystals. Purcell‐enhanced single‐photon emission is demonstrated from a QD into a topological slow light mode with a group index over 20 and its robust propagation even under the presence of sharp bends. These results pave the way for the realization of robust and high‐performance single‐photon sources indispensable for IQPCs.
Crystallizable Aliphatic Chains Enhanced Covalent Adaptable Networks: Fast Reprocessing and Improved Performance
Authors: Liu Yanlin , Yu Zhen , Xu Xiwei , Wang Binbo , Feng Hongzhi , Li Pengyun , Zhu Jin , Ma Songqi
Published: June 2022

Covalent adaptable networks (CANs) exhibit recyclability such as reprocessing, but it's a challenge to address the contradiction between reprocessing rate and performance. Here, pendent aliphatic chain anhydride monoesters are innovatively introduced into epoxy CANs based on transesterification, which efficiently accelerates the reprocessing without sacrificing thermal and mechanical properties. The transesterification rate is raised on account of the flexible aliphatic chain‐promoted segment movement and dynamic transfer auto‐catalysis. When the carbon number reflecting the length of the pendent chain is 12, the epoxy CAN exhibits the fastest stress relaxation or reprocessing. Computation via molecular dynamics simulation demonstrates that the increased segmental mobility from the pendent aliphatic chains contributes to enhanced reprocessability. Interestingly, the crystallization of the pendent aliphatic chains maintains or even improves the thermal and mechanical properties. Thus, introducing a flexible and crystallizable aliphatic side chain is an innovative and efficient approach to accelerate dynamic reactions and network arrangement while improving performance.
Small molecules as modulators of regulated cell death against ischemia/reperfusion injury
Authors: Chen Dan‐Qian , Guo Yan , Li Xin , Zhang Guo‐Qiang , Li Ping
Published: June 2022

Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury contributes to disability and mortality worldwide. Due to the complicated mechanisms and lack of proper therapeutic targets, few interventions are available that specifically target the pathogenesis of IR injury. Regulated cell death (RCD) of endothelial and parenchymal cells is recognized as the promising intervening target. Recent advances in IR injury suggest that small molecules exhibit beneficial effects on various RCD against IR injury, including apoptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and parthanatos. Here, we describe the mechanisms behind these novel promising therapeutic targets and explain the machinery powering the small molecules. These small molecules exert protection by targeting endothelial or parenchymal cells to alleviate IR injury. Therapies of the ideal combination of small molecules targeting multiple cell types have shown potent synergetic therapeutic effects, laying the foundation for novel strategies to attenuate IR injury.
Changes in teacher attitudes relating to climate science
Authors: White P. Troy , Wolf Kattlyn J. , Johnson‐Maynard Jodi
Published: June 2022

The establishment of the Next Generation Science Standards brought climate science into standards‐based education. However, teachers face challenges implementing these standards, including a lack of resources and textbooks, which may not accurately describe climate science or the forces driving those changes. A climate science workshop was conducted to give teachers an agriculturally based climate change curriculum. Using agriculture as the context for teaching about climate change provided teachers with opportunities to tie local, real‐world climate change examples to their students’ lives. Teachers attending the workshop expressed similar opinions to the general population ranging from climate change denial to alarm before receiving the training. Teachers’ opinions relating to climate science changed following the presentation of climate science presented as an integrated component of modern agronomic production. Teachers appreciated receiving facts and being allowed to decide for themselves about the severity of the changing climate. Contrary to what teachers reported anticipating, communities considered skeptical of climate change claims were accepting of an agriculturally based curriculum presenting climate change and adaptation as scientific facts void of political agendas.
Metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma: Evidence of the impact of radiotherapy on survival. A retrospective single‐center experience
Authors: Ferrari Andrea , Bergamaschi Luca , Chiaravalli Stefano , Livellara Virginia , Sironi Giovanna , Nigro Olga , Puma Nadia , Gattuso Giovanna , Morosi Carlo , Gasparini Patrizia , Caccavo Roberta , Pecori Emilia , Alessandro Ombretta , Vennarini Sabina , Gandola Lorenza , Massimino Maura , Casanova Michela
Published: June 2022

Background

The prognosis for patients with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) remains largely unsatisfactory despite the adoption of intensive multimodal therapy. To assess the role of different treatments adopted over the years, we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients <21 years old with metastatic RMS, treated from 1990 to 2020 at a referral center for pediatric sarcomas.

Methods

Patients were treated using a multimodal approach that included surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy (both high‐dose chemotherapy and maintenance therapy in some cases). The type of radiotherapy administered was categorized as radical (to all sites of disease); partial (to at least one, but not all sites of disease); or none. A landmark analysis was used to examine the impact of radiotherapy on survival, that is, patients who had an event before day 221 were excluded from the analysis.

Results

The series included 80 patients. Event‐free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates at 5 years were 17.3% and 21.3%, respectively. Survival was significantly associated with radiotherapy to metastatic sites, and with the radiotherapy category. In particular, 5‐year EFS and OS rates were 70.6% and 76.0% for patients given radical radiotherapy, and 4.8% and 10.7%, respectively, for those given partial radiotherapy or none. Using the Cox multivariable analysis, OS correlated significantly with radiotherapy category.

Conclusions

While confirming the poor overall outcome of patients with metastatic RMS, this study identified radiotherapy—when given to all sites of disease (including metastases)—as the main variable influencing survival.
More is simpler: Decomposition of ligand‐binding affinity for proteins being disordered
Authors: Wang Xiaohui , Chong Bin , Sun Zhaoxi , Ruan Hao , Yang Yingguang , Song Pengbo , Liu Zhirong
Published: June 2022

In statistical mechanics, it is well known that the huge number of degrees of freedom does not complicate the problem as it seems, but actually greatly simplifies the analysis (e.g., to give a Boltzmann distribution). Here, we reveal that the ensemble averaging from the vast conformations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) greatly simplifies the nature of binding affinity, which can be reliably decomposed into a sum of the ligandability of IDP and the capacity of ligand. Such an unexpected regularity is applied to facilitate the virtual screening upon IDPs. It also provides essential insight in understanding the specificity difference between IDPs and conventional ordered proteins since the specificity is caused by deviation from the baseline behavior of protein–ligand binding.
Mechanisms underlying the impact and interaction of temperature and UV‐B on the hatching of spider mite and phytoseiid mite eggs
Authors: Yuan Lifeng , Osakabe Masahiro
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND

A spider mite control method using night‐time ultraviolet (UV)‐B irradiation was recently developed for strawberry greenhouses (UV method). The control effect of this UV method is negatively affected by increasing temperature. Tetranychus urticae eggs are more resistant to a single dose of UV‐B irradiation than Neoseiulus californicus eggs. By contrast, N. californicus can better survive nightly UV‐B irradiation with the UV method compared with T. urticae. To elucidate the mechanism underlying these phenomena, we explored the hypotheses that higher temperature promotes photoenzymatic repair (PER) and that mortality is determined by UV‐B susceptibility in the embryonic stage exposed to UV‐B.

RESULTS

PER efficacy was not promoted by increasing temperature. The lowest hatchability (around zero) of T. urticae eggs after a single dose of UV‐B irradiation (0.288 and 0.432 kJ m−2) without photoreactivation was seen in the morphogenesis stages between “cleavage ended” and “eye points became colored”. Based on these results, we developed a linear function of daily UV‐B irradiance and deviation of cumulative irradiance during vulnerable embryonic developmental phases from 50% lethal dose (LD50) after a single dose of UV‐B irradiation. The difference between T. urticae and N. californicus and changes in UV‐B vulnerability due to temperature could be explained by this simple relationship.

CONCLUSION

Slower development in T. urticae than N. californicus in nature and developmental delay under low temperatures increase the ovicidal effects of the UV method. This shows the advantage of the simultaneous use of the UV method and biological control, contributing to the development of integrated pest management. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Efficacy of hot water treatment for postharvest control of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, in French beans
Authors: Mwando Nelson L , Ndlela Shepard , Subramanian Sevgan , Mohamed Samira A , Meyhöfer Rainer
Published: June 2022

Background

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, is a quarantine pest of French beans that requires phytosanitary treatment to meet quarantine requirements for strict lucrative markets. In this study, the efficacy of hot water treatment against F. occidentalis eggs and its effects on the postharvest physicochemical quality parameters of French beans was evaluated.

Results

The immersion time of 8.01 min (95% critical limits CL 7.77–8.24) was predicted by the probit model as the minimum time required to achieve a 99.9968% control level. Confirmatory tests with a large number of F. occidentalis eggs were performed to validate the estimated time to achieve probit‐9 control level, and there were no survivors from the 50 103 eggs treated. Likewise, none of the 55 364 eggs exposed to 45 ± 0.2 °C for 7 min (observational time) survived. The effect of the treatment schedule on French beans quality parameters was assessed and there were no differences in weight loss, moisture content, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, and reducing sugars between treated and untreated samples.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that hot water treatment (at 45 ± 0.2 °C for a duration of 8.01 min is an effective phytosanitary treatment for the control of Frankliniella occidentalis on French beans, with no significant impact on pods quality. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
Analyzing Time‐Average Excitation Rate Among Quantum Dot Eigenstates Triggered by Time‐Dependent Noise Strength
Authors: Datta Swarnab , Arif Sk. Md. , Roy Debi , Ghosh Manas
Published: June 2022

Present investigation rigorously explores the time‐average excitation rate (TAER) of ground‐state electronic population of GaAs quantum dot (QD) to the excited eigenstates. The QD confinement potential contains Gaussian impurity (the dopant) and Gaussian white noise (GWN). GWN can be categorized as either additive or multiplicative depending upon its way of attachment to the doped QD. The excitation occurs as soon as the noise strength begins fluctuating with time in periodic or random manner. The study highlights the coupled influence of the varying physical quantity, presence/absence of noise, the mode of attachment of noise to QD, and the nature of time‐fluctuation of the noise strength (periodic/random), and finally harnesses and tailors the features of the TAER profiles. The TAER plots unveil steady rise, steady fall, maximization (linked with the emergence of large nonlinear optical response), minimization, and saturation (linked with dynamic freezing). The findings appear to be significant in the practical usage of QD‐based devices.
Understanding proton transfer in non‐aqueous biopolymers based on helical peptides: A quantum mechanical study
Authors: Bian Jiang , Cruz Anthony , López‐Morales Gabriel , Kyrylenko Anton , McGregor Donna , López Gustavo E.
Published: June 2022

Histidine (an imidazole‐based amino acid) is a promising building block for short aromatic peptides containing a proton donor/acceptor moiety. Previous studies have shown that polyalanine helical peptides substituted at regular intervals with histidine residues exhibit both structural stability as well as high proton affinity and high conductivity. Here, we present first‐principle calculations of non‐aqueous histidine‐containing 310‐, α‐, and π‐helices and show that they are able to form hydrogen‐bonded networks mimicking proton wires that have the ability to shuttle protons via the Grotthuss shuttling mechanism. The formation of these wires enhances the stability of the helices, and our structural characterizations confirm that the secondary structures are conserved despite distortions of the backbones. In all cases, the helices exhibit high proton affinity and proton transfer barriers on the order of 1–4 kcal/mol. Zero‐point energy calculations suggest that for these systems, ground state vibrational energy can provide enough energy to cross the proton transport energy barrier. Additionally, ab initio molecular dynamics results suggests that the protons are transported unidirectionally through the wire at a rate of ~2 Å every 20 fs. These results demonstrate that efficient deprotonation‐controlled proton wires can be formed using non‐aqueous histidine‐containing helical peptides.