bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ultrafast melting and recovery of collective order in the excitonic insulator Ta2NiSe5
Authors: Bretscher Hope M. , Andrich Paolo , Telang Prachi , Singh Anupam , Harnagea Luminita , Sood A. K. , Rao Akshay
Published: March 2021

The layered chalcogenide Ta2NiSe5 has been proposed to host an excitonic condensate in its ground state, a phase that could offer a unique platform to study and manipulate many-body states at room temperature. However, identifying the dominant microscopic contribution to the observed spontaneous symmetry breaking remains challenging, perpetuating the debate over the ground state properties. Here, using broadband ultrafast spectroscopy we investigate the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of Ta2NiSe5 and demonstrate that the transient reflectivity in the near-infrared range is connected to the system’s low-energy physics. We track the status of the ordered phase using this optical signature, establishing that high-fluence photoexcitations can suppress this order. From the sub-50 fs quenching timescale and the behaviour of the photoinduced coherent phonon modes, we conclude that electronic correlations provide a decisive contribution to the excitonic order formation. Our results pave the way towards the ultrafast control of an exciton condensate at room temperature.
Trans-illumination intestine projection imaging of intestinal motility in mice
Authors: Wang Depeng , Zhang Huijuan , Vu Tri , Zhan Ye , Malhotra Akash , Wang Pei , Chitgupi Upendra , Rai Aliza , Zhang Sizhe , Wang Lidai , Huizinga Jan D. , Lovell Jonathan F. , Xia Jun
Published: March 2021

Functional intestinal imaging holds importance for the diagnosis and evaluation of treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Currently, preclinical imaging of intestinal motility in animal models is performed either invasively with excised intestines or noninvasively under anesthesia, and cannot reveal intestinal dynamics in the awake condition. Capitalizing on near-infrared optics and a high-absorbing contrast agent, we report the Trans-illumination Intestine Projection (TIP) imaging system for free-moving mice. After a complete system evaluation, we performed in vivo studies, and obtained peristalsis and segmentation motor patterns of free-moving mice. We show the in vivo typical segmentation motor pattern, that was previously shown in ex vivo studies to be controlled by intestinal pacemaker cells. We also show the effects of anesthesia on motor patterns, highlighting the possibility to study the role of the extrinsic nervous system in controlling motor patterns, which requires unanesthetized live animals. Combining with light-field technologies, we further demonstrated 3D imaging of intestine in vivo (3D-TIP). Importantly, the added depth information allows us to extract intestines located away from the abdominal wall, and to quantify intestinal motor patterns along different directions. The TIP system should open up avenues for functional imaging of the GI tract in conscious animals in natural physiological states.
A mussel-inspired film for adhesion to wet buccal tissue and efficient buccal drug delivery
Authors: Hu Shanshan , Pei Xibo , Duan Lunliang , Zhu Zhou , Liu Yanhua , Chen Junyu , Chen Tao , Ji Ping , Wan Qianbing , Wang Jian
Published: March 2021

Administration of drugs via the buccal route has attracted much attention in recent years. However, developing systems with satisfactory adhesion under wet conditions and adequate drug bioavailability still remains a challenge. Here, we propose a mussel-inspired mucoadhesive film. Ex vivo models show that this film can achieve strong adhesion to wet buccal tissues (up to 38.72 ± 10.94 kPa). We also demonstrate that the adhesion mechanism of this film relies on both physical association and covalent bonding between the film and mucus. Additionally, the film with incorporated polydopamine nanoparticles shows superior advantages for transport across the mucosal barrier, with improved drug bioavailability (~3.5-fold greater than observed with oral delivery) and therapeutic efficacy in oral mucositis models (~6.0-fold improvement in wound closure at day 5 compared with that observed with no treatment). We anticipate that this platform might aid the development of tissue adhesives and inspire the design of nanoparticle-based buccal delivery systems.
Impact of artificial light at night on diurnal plant-pollinator interactions
Authors: Giavi Simone , Fontaine Colin , Knop Eva
Published: March 2021

Artificial light at night has rapidly spread around the globe over the last decades. Evidence is increasing that it has adverse effects on the behavior, physiology, and survival of animals and plants with consequences for species interactions and ecosystem functioning. For example, artificial light at night disrupts plant-pollinator interactions at night and this can have consequences for the plant reproductive output. By experimentally illuminating natural plant-pollinator communities during the night using commercial street-lamps we tested whether light at night can also change interactions of a plant-pollinator community during daytime. Here we show that artificial light at night can alter diurnal plant-pollinator interactions, but the direction of the change depends on the plant species. We conclude that the effect of artificial light at night on plant-pollinator interactions is not limited to the night, but can also propagate to the daytime with so far unknown consequences for the pollinator community and the diurnal pollination function and services they provide.
Recovery of complete genomes and non-chromosomal replicons from activated sludge enrichment microbial communities with long read metagenome sequencing
Authors: Arumugam Krithika , Bessarab Irina , Haryono Mindia A. S. , Liu Xianghui , Zuniga–Montanez Rogelio E. , Roy Samarpita , Qiu Guanglei , Drautz–Moses Daniela I. , Law Ying Yu , Wuertz Stefan , Lauro Federico M. , Huson Daniel H. , Williams Rohan B. H.
Published: March 2021

New long read sequencing technologies offer huge potential for effective recovery of complete, closed genomes from complex microbial communities. Using long read data (ONT MinION) obtained from an ensemble of activated sludge enrichment bioreactors we recover 22 closed or complete genomes of community members, including several species known to play key functional roles in wastewater bioprocesses, specifically microbes known to exhibit the polyphosphate- and glycogen-accumulating organism phenotypes (namelyCandidatusAccumulibacter andDechloromonas, andMicropruina,DefluviicoccusandCandidatusContendobacter, respectively), and filamentous bacteria (Thiothrix) associated with the formation and stability of activated sludge flocs. Additionally we demonstrate the recovery of close to 100 circularised plasmids, phages and small microbial genomes from these microbial communities using long read assembled sequence. We describe methods for validating long read assembled genomes using their counterpart short read metagenome-assembled genomes, and assess the influence of different correction procedures on genome quality and predicted gene quality. Our findings establish the feasibility of performing long read metagenome-assembled genome recovery for both chromosomal and non-chromosomal replicons, and demonstrate the value of parallel sampling of moderately complex enrichment communities to obtaining high quality reference genomes of key functional species relevant for wastewater bioprocesses.
Contaminant organisms recorded on plant product imports to South Africa 1994–2019
Authors: Saccaggi Davina L. , Arendse Melanie , Wilson John R. U. , Terblanche John S.
Published: March 2021

Biosecurity interception records are crucial data underlying efforts to predict and manage pest and pathogen introductions. Here we present a dataset containing information on imported plant products inspected by the South African Department of Agriculture’s laboratories between 1994 and 2019 and the contaminant organisms found on them. Samples were received from border inspectors as either propagation material (e.g. plants) or material for immediate use (e.g. fruit). Material for immediate use was further divided into two sample categories, depending on if contaminants were seen/suspected by the border official or not: intervention or audit samples. The final dataset consists of 25,279 records, of which 30% tested positive (i.e. had at least one contaminant) and 13% had multiple contaminants. Of the 13,731 recorded contaminants, fungi (41%), mites (37%) and insects (19%) were most common. This dataset provides insight into the suite of taxa transported along the plant import pathway and provides an important resource for analyses of contaminant organisms in international trade, which can inform strategies for risk assessment, pathway management and biosecurity protocols.
Analysis of the frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms in cytokine genes in patients with New Onset Diabetes After Transplant
Authors: Jahromi Mohamed , Al-Otaibi Torki , Ashry Gheith Osama , Farouk Othman Nashwa , Mahmoud Tarek , Nair Parasad , A-Halim Medhat , Aggarwal Parul , Messenger Grace , Chu Philip , De Serres Sacha A. , Azzi Jamil R.
Published: March 2021

New Onset Diabetes After Transplantation (NODAT) is a serious metabolic complication. While β-cell dysfunction is considered the main contributing factor in the development of NODAT, the precise pathogenesis is not well understood. Cytokines are thought to be involved in the inflammation of islet β-cells in diabetes; however, few studies have investigated this hypothesis in NODAT. A total of 309 kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) were included in this study. An association between kidney transplants, and the development of diabetes after transplant (NODAT) was investigated. Comparison was made between KTRs who develop diabetes (NODAT cases) or did not develop diabetes (control), using key cytokines, IL-6 G (− 174)C, macrophage mediator; IL-4 C (− 490)T, T helper (Th)-2 cytokine profile initiator; Th-1 cytokine profile initiator interferon-γ T (+ 874) A gene and TGF β1 C (+ 869) T gene polymorphisms were investigated. The genes were amplified using well-established polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques in our laboratory. Compared to the AA and AT genotypes of interferon gamma (IFNG), there was a strong association between the TT genotype of IFNG and NODAT kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) versus non-NODAT KTRs (p = 0.005). The AA genotype of IFNG was found to be predominant in the control group (p = 0.004). Also, significant variations of IL6 G (− 174) C, IL-4 C (− 590) T, interferon-γ T (+ 874) A gene and transforming growth factor β1 C (+ 869) T may contribute to NODAT. Our data is consistent with theTh-1/T-reg pathway of immunity. Further larger pan Arab studies are required to confirm our findings.
Altered left atrial 4D flow characteristics in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the absence of apparent remodeling
Authors: Demirkiran Ahmet , Amier Raquel P. , Hofman Mark B. M. , van der Geest Rob J. , Robbers Lourens F. H. J. , Hopman Luuk H. G. A. , Mulder Mark J. , van de Ven Peter , Allaart Cornelis P. , van Rossum Albert C. , Götte Marco J. W. , Nijveldt Robin
Published: March 2021

The pathophysiology behind thrombus formation in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is very complex. This can be due to left atrial (LA) flow changes, remodeling, or both. We investigated differences for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived LA 4D flow and remodeling characteristics between paroxysmal AF patients and patients without cardiac disease. In this proof-of-concept study, the 4D flow data were acquired in 10 patients with paroxysmal AF (age = 61 ± 8 years) and 5 age/gender matched controls (age = 56 ± 1 years) during sinus rhythm. The following LA and LA appendage flow parameters were obtained: flow velocity (mean, peak), stasis defined as the relative volume with velocities < 10 cm/s, and kinetic energy (KE). Furthermore, LA global strain values were derived from b-SSFP cine images using dedicated CMR feature-tracking software. Even in sinus rhythm, LA mean and peak flow velocities over the entire cardiac cycle were significantly lower in paroxysmal AF patients compared to controls [(13.1 ± 2.4 cm/s vs. 16.7 ± 2.1 cm/s, p = 0.01) and (19.3 ± 4.7 cm/s vs. 26.8 ± 5.5 cm/s, p = 0.02), respectively]. Moreover, paroxysmal AF patients expressed more stasis of blood than controls both in the LA (43.2 ± 10.8% vs. 27.8 ± 7.9%, p = 0.01) and in the LA appendage (73.3 ± 5.7% vs. 52.8 ± 16.2%, p = 0.04). With respect to energetics, paroxysmal AF patients demonstrated lower mean and peak KE values (indexed to maximum LA volume) than controls. No significant differences were observed for LA volume, function, and strain parameters between the groups. Global LA flow dynamics in paroxysmal AF patients appear to be impaired including mean/peak flow velocity, stasis fraction, and KE, partly independent of LA remodeling. This pathophysiological flow pattern may be of clinical value to explain the increased incidence of thromboembolic events in paroxysmal AF patients, in the absence of actual AF or LA remodeling.
Crosses with spelt improve tolerance of South Asian spring wheat to spot blotch, terminal heat stress, and their combination
Authors: Pandey Ajeet Kumar , Mishra Vinod Kumar , Chand Ramesh , Navathe Sudhir , Budhlakoti Neeraj , Srinivasa Jayasudha , Sharma Sandeep , Joshi Arun Kumar
Published: March 2021

Spot blotch and terminal heat are two of the most important stresses for wheat in South Asia. A study was initiated to explore the use of spelt (Triticum spelta) to improve tolerance to these stresses in spring wheat (T. aestivum). We assessed 185 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from the cross T. spelta (H + 26) × T. aestivum (cv. HUW234), under the individual stresses and their combination. H + 26 showed better tolerance to the single stresses and also their combination; grain yield in RILs was reduced by 21.9%, 27.7% and 39.0% under spot blotch, terminal heat and their combined effect, respectively. However, phenological and plant architectural traits were not affected by spot blotch itself. Multivariate analysis demonstrated a strong negative correlation between spikelet sterility and grain yield under spot blotch, terminal heat and their combination. However, four recombinant lines demonstrated high performance under both stresses and also under their combined stress. The four lines were significantly superior in grain yield and showed significantly lower AUDPC than the better parent. This study demonstrates the potential of spelt wheat in enhancing tolerance to spot blotch and terminal heat stresses. It also provides comprehensive evidence about the expression of yield and phenological traits under these stresses.
Laguerre-Gaussian modes generated vector beam via nonlinear magneto-optical rotation
Authors: Ghaderi Goran Abad Mohsen , Mahmoudi Mohammad
Published: March 2021

Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams contain a helical phase front with a doughnut-like intensity profile. We use the LG beam to introduce a rather simple method for generation of a vector beam (VB), a beam with spatially-dependent polarization in the beam cross section, via the nonlinear magneto-optical rotation (NMOR). We consider the NMOR of the polarization of a linearly polarized probe field passing through an inverted Y-type four-level quantum system interacting with a LG control field and a static magnetic field. It is shown that the polarization of the transmitted field is spatially distributed by the orbital angular momentum (OAM) of the LG control field, leading to generation of the VB with azimuthally symmetric polarization distribution. We show that the polarization and intensity distributions of the VB spatially vary by changing the OAMs of the LG control field. Moreover, the radial index of the LG control field has a major role in more spatially polarization distributing of the VB. It is shown that the intensity of the generated VBs in different points of the beam cross section can be controlled by the OAM as well as the radial index of the LG control field. However, the VB with highly spatially distributed can be generated for higher values of the radial index of LG control field. The analytical calculations determine the contribution of the different nonlinear (cross-Kerr effect) phenomena on the generation of the VB. We show that the VB is mainly generated via birefringence induced by the applied fields. Finally, we use asymmetric LG (aLG) beams for making the VBs with asymmetric polarization distribution. It is shown that by applying aLG beams, the azimuthal symmetry of the polarization distribution breaks and the asymmetric polarization distribution can be controlled by OAM and radial index of the aLG control field. The obtained results may find more interesting applications in fiber/free space optical communication to enhance the capacity of the information transmission.
Detection of horizontal gene transfer in the genome of the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta
Authors: Matriano Danielle M. , Alegado Rosanna A. , Conaco Cecilia
Published: March 2021

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT), the movement of heritable materials between distantly related organisms, is crucial in eukaryotic evolution. However, the scale of HGT in choanoflagellates, the closest unicellular relatives of metazoans, and its possible roles in the evolution of animal multicellularity remains unexplored. We identified at least 175 candidate HGTs in the genome of the colonial choanoflagellateSalpingoeca rosettausing sequence-based tests. The majority of these were orthologous to genes in bacterial and microalgal lineages, yet displayed genomic features consistent with the rest of theS. rosettagenome—evidence of ancient acquisition events. Putative functions include enzymes involved in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, cell signaling, and the synthesis of extracellular matrix components. Functions of candidate HGTs may have contributed to the ability of choanoflagellates to assimilate novel metabolites, thereby supporting adaptation, survival in diverse ecological niches, and response to external cues that are possibly critical in the evolution of multicellularity in choanoflagellates.
Optical coherence tomography features of the repair tissue following RPE tear and their correlation with visual outcomes
Authors: Romano Francesco , Parrulli Salvatore , Battaglia Parodi Maurizio , Lupidi Marco , Cereda Matteo , Staurenghi Giovanni , Invernizzi Alessandro
Published: March 2021

To assess the optical coherence tomography (OCT) features of the repair tissue after retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tear in neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Retrospective, observational study. Medical and imaging records of patients that developed tears after starting anti-VEGF treatment and with at least 12 months of follow-up were reviewed. OCT reflectivity of the RPE-subretinal hyperreflective tissue (SHT) complex was measured at 6, 12 and 18 months (when available). Reflectivity of the adjacent unaffected RPE-Bruch’s membrane was taken as internal reference. Other variables: grade and rip occurrence (early/late); number of intravitreal injections; type of macular neovascularization; sub-macular hemorrhage (SMH) at onset. Forty-nine eyes (age: 76.1 ± 7.0 years; VA: 0.54 ± 0.27 LogMAR) were included. Thirty-eight eyes had OCT signs of healing during the follow-up, with 21 showing SMH at baseline. Final VA positively correlated with the number of injections and negatively correlated with the RPE-SHT reflectivity and the presence of SMH (p < 0.001). Reflectivity of the RPE-SHT complex was positively associated with time and SMH at baseline (p < 0.05). In our study, most eyes showed signs of tissue repair after RPE tear. The reflectivity of repair tissue, the SMH presence and the number of anti-VEGF injections appeared to be major predictors of visual outcomes.
Control of the nanosized defect network in superconducting thin films by target grain size
Authors: Aye Moe Moe , Rivasto Elmeri , Khan Mukarram Zaman , Rijckaert Hannes , Salojärvi Esko , Haalisto Christopher , Mäkilä Ermei , Palonen Heikki , Huhtinen Hannu , Van Driessche Isabel , Paturi Petriina
Published: March 2021

A nanograined YBCO target, where a great number of grain boundaries, pores etc. exist, is shown to hold an alternative approach to future pulsed laser deposition based high-temperature superconductor thin film and coated conductor technologies. Although the nanograined material is introduced earlier, in this work, we comprehensively demonstrate the modified ablation process, together with unconventional nucleation and growth mechanisms that produces dramatically enhanced flux pinning properties. The results can be generalized to other complex magnetic oxides, where an increased number of defects are needed for modifying their magnetic and electrical properties, thus improving their usability in the future technological challenges.
Trial by trial EEG based BCI for distress versus non distress classification in individuals with ASD
Authors: Eldeeb Safaa , Susam Busra T. , Akcakaya Murat , Conner Caitlin M. , White Susan W. , Mazefsky Carla A.
Published: March 2021

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is often accompanied by impaired emotion regulation (ER). There has been increasing emphasis on developing evidence-based approaches to improve ER in ASD. Electroencephalography (EEG) has shown success in reducing ASD symptoms when used in neurofeedback-based interventions. Also, certain EEG components are associated with ER. Our overarching goal is to develop a technology that will use EEG to monitor real-time changes in ER and perform intervention based on these changes. As a first step, an EEG-based brain computer interface that is based on an Affective Posner task was developed to identify patterns associated with ER on a single trial basis, and EEG data collected from 21 individuals with ASD. Accordingly, our aim in this study is to investigate EEG features that could differentiate between distress and non-distress conditions. Specifically, we investigate if the EEG time-locked to the visual feedback presentation could be used to classify between WIN (non-distress) and LOSE (distress) conditions in a game with deception. Results showed that the extracted EEG features could differentiate between WIN and LOSE conditions (average accuracy of 81%), LOSE and rest-EEG conditions (average accuracy 94.8%), and WIN and rest-EEG conditions (average accuracy 94.9%).
Seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus in risk populations and blood donors in a referral hospital in the south of Brazil
Authors: Costa Marisa Boff , Gouvêa Michele Soares Gomes , Chuffi Samira , Dellavia Gustavo Hirata , Ornel Felipe , Von Diemen Lísia , Kessler Félix , Pinho João Renato Rebello , Álvares-da-Silva Mário Reis
Published: March 2021

The prevalence of anti-hepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies has a high heterogeneity worldwide. South American data are still scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HEV in populations at risk in comparison to blood donors (BD). A cross-sectional study was carried out in adults of different risk populations including crack users (CK), residents in a low income area (LIA), cirrhotic (CIR) and liver transplant patients (LT) compared with BD. The WANTAI HEV ELISA test was used and real-time PCR (in-house for screening and ALTONA as confirmatory test) for HEV RNA screening. A total of 400 participants were included. Anti-HEV IgG was positive in 19.5% of the total sample, reaching the highest rate in the CIR group, 22.5%, followed by CK, LT, and LIA (20%, 18.7%, and 17.5%, respectively). The prevalence found in BD individuals was of 18.7% (p = NS). Anti-HEV IgM was positive in only 1.5% of the sample (6/400). No blood or stools samples were positive for HEV RNA. The seroprevalence reported is among the highest rates ever found in Brazil. Considering the intense diagnostic investigation, data show that HEV circulation is more common that might be expected in our country.
The role of c-Met and VEGFR2 in glioblastoma resistance to bevacizumab
Authors: Carvalho Bruno , Lopes José Manuel , Silva Roberto , Peixoto Joana , Leitão Dina , Soares Paula , Fernandes Ana Catarina , Linhares Paulo , Vaz Rui , Lima Jorge
Published: March 2021

Dismal prognosis of glioblastoma (GBM) prompts for the identification of response predictors and therapeutic resistance mechanisms of current therapies. The authors investigated the impact of c-Met, HGF, VEGFR2 expression and microvessel density (MVD) in GBM patients submitted to second-line chemotherapy with bevacizumab. Immunohistochemical expression of c-Met, HGF, VEGFR2, and MVD was assessed in tumor specimens of GBM patients treated with bevacizumab, after progression under temozolomide. Survival analysis was evaluated according to the expression of the aforementioned biomarkers. c-Met overexpression was associated with a time-to-progression (TTP) after bevacizumab of 3 months (95% CI, 1.5–4.5) compared with a TTP of 7 months (95% CI, 4.6–9.4) in patients with low or no expression of c-Met (p = 0.05). VEGFR2 expression was associated with a TTP after bevacizumab of 3 months (95% CI, 1.8–4.2) compared with a TTP of 7 months (95% CI, 5.7–8.3) in patients with no tumoral expression of VEGFR2 (p = 0.009). Concomitant c-Met/VEGFR2 overexpression was associated with worse overall survival (13 months) compared with concomitant c-Met/VEGFR2 negative expression (19 months; p = 0.025). Our data support the hypothesis that c-Met and VEGFR2 overexpression have a role in the development of glioblastoma early resistance and might predict poorer responses to anti-angiogenic therapies.
Factors associated with resolution of type-2 diabetes mellitus after sleeve gastrectomy in obese adults
Authors: Salman Ahmed Abdallah , Salman Mohamed Abdalla , Marie Mohamed A. , Rabiee Ahmed , Helmy Mona Youssry , Tourky Mohamed Sabry , Qassem Mohamed Gamal , Shaaban Hossam El-Din , Sarhan Mohamed D.
Published: March 2021

Many bariatric procedures are more effective for improving type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than conventional pharmacotherapy. The current research evaluated factors linked to complete and partial remission or improvement of T2DM after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). The current prospective study included all diabetic patients who were submitted LSG between January 2015 and June 2018 and completed a 2-year follow-up period. Patients were assessed at baseline and 2 years after LSG. This work comprised of 226 diabetic cases. Two years after LSG, 86 patients (38.1%) achieved complete remission of DM, and 24 (10.6%) reached partial remission. Only 14 patients (6.2%) showed no change in their diabetic status. On univariate analysis, age ≤ 45 years, duration of diabetes ≤ 5 years, use of a single oral antidiabetic, HbA1c ≤ 6.5%, HOMA-IR ≤ 4.6, C-peptide > 2.72 ng/mL, and BMI ≤ 40 kg/m2 predicted complete remission. The independent predictors of complete remission were age ≤ 45 years, duration of diabetes ≤ 5 years, use of a single oral antidiabetic, HOMA-IR ≤ 4.6, and C-peptide > 2.72 ng/mL. A combined marker of young age, short duration of DM, and low HOMA-IR predicted complete remission with sensitivity 93% and specificity 82%. Independent predictors of complete remission of T2DM after LSG were younger age, shorter duration, single oral antidiabetic, lower HOMA-IR, and higher C-peptide.
Electronegative very-low-density lipoprotein induces brain inflammation and cognitive dysfunction in mice
Authors: Lin Ying-Shao , Liu Ching-Kuan , Lee Hsiang-Chun , Chou Mei-Chuan , Ke Liang-Yin , Chen Chu-Huang , Chen Shiou-Lan
Published: March 2021

Epidemiologic studies have indicated that dyslipidemia may facilitate the progression of cognitive dysfunction. We previously showed that patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) had significantly higher plasma levels of electronegative very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) than did healthy controls. However, the effects of electronegative-VLDL on the brain and cognitive function remain unclear. In this study, VLDL isolated from healthy volunteers (nVLDL) or patients with MetS (metVLDL) was administered to mice by means of tail vein injection. Cognitive function was assessed by using the Y maze test, and plasma and brain tissues were analyzed. We found that mice injected with metVLDL but not nVLDL exhibited significant hippocampus CA3 neuronal cell loss and cognitive dysfunction. In mice injected with nVLDL, we observed mild glial cell activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus CA3. However, in mice injected with metVLDL, plasma and brain TNF-α and Aβ-42 levels and glial cell activation in the mPFC and whole hippocampus were higher than those in control mice. In conclusion, long-term exposure to metVLDL induced levels of TNF-α, Aβ-42, and glial cells in the brain, contributing to the progression of cognitive dysfunction. Our findings suggest that electronegative-VLDL levels may represent a new therapeutic target for cognitive dysfunction.
The relationship between rice consumption and glioma: a case–control study in adults
Authors: Shahrestani Maryam Aghababaie , Saneei Parvane , Shayanfar Mehdi , Mohammad-Shirazi Minoo , Sharifi Giuve , Sadeghi Omid , Esmaillzadeh Ahmad
Published: March 2021

Previous studies have shown the effect of refined grains on various cancers; however, data on the link between rice consumption and brain cancer are scarce. We aimed to investigate the relationship between rice consumption and glioma in Iranian adults. Current hospital-based case–control study was done in Tehran between 2009 and 2011. Cases were individuals with pathologically confirmed glioma in a maximally 1 month of the disease diagnosis (n = 128). Controls were individuals, aged between 20 and 75 years, who were hospitalized or were outpatients referred to other wards of the same hospital (n = 256). Cases and controls were frequently matched in terms of age and gender. Usual dietary intakes of participants, including rice consumption, during the preceding year were examined using a Block-format validated semi-quantitative 126-item food frequency questionnaire. Compared with participants in the lowest tertile of rice consumption (< 181 g/day), those in the highest tertile (≥ 279 g/day) had 2.47 times greater chance for having glioma (OR: 2.47, 95% CI 1.44–4.23). This relationship was also seen when potential confounders including demographic variables, energy and dietary intakes as well as body mass index were taking into account; such that individuals in the top tertile of rice consumption had 2.46 times greater odds of glioma compared with those in the bottom tertile (OR: 2.46, 95% CI 1.01–5.97). We found that rice consumption was positively associated with risk of glioma in adults. Further prospective studies are required to confirm this finding.
Radiofrequency remote control of thermolysin activity
Authors: Collins Christian B. , Riskowski Ryan A. , Ackerson Christopher J.
Published: March 2021

The majority of biological processes are regulated by enzymes, precise control over specific enzymes could create the potential for controlling cellular processes remotely. We show that the thermophilic enzyme thermolysin can be remotely activated in 17.76 MHz radiofrequency (RF) fields when covalently attached to 6.1 nm gold coated magnetite nanoparticles. Without raising the bulk solution temperature, we observe enzyme activity as if the solution was 16 ± 2 °C warmer in RF fields—an increase in enzymatic rate of 129 ± 8%. Kinetics studies show that the activity increase of the enzyme is consistent with the induced fit of a hot enzyme with cold substrate.
AptaNet as a deep learning approach for aptamer–protein interaction prediction
Authors: Emami Neda , Ferdousi Reza
Published: March 2021

Aptamers are short oligonucleotides (DNA/RNA) or peptide molecules that can selectively bind to their specific targets with high specificity and affinity. As a powerful new class of amino acid ligands, aptamers have high potentials in biosensing, therapeutic, and diagnostic fields. Here, we present AptaNet—a new deep neural network—to predict the aptamer–protein interaction pairs by integrating features derived from both aptamers and the target proteins. Aptamers were encoded by using two different strategies, including k-mer and reverse complement k-mer frequency. Amino acid composition (AAC) and pseudo amino acid composition (PseAAC) were applied to represent target information using 24 physicochemical and conformational properties of the proteins. To handle the imbalance problem in the data, we applied a neighborhood cleaning algorithm. The predictor was constructed based on a deep neural network, and optimal features were selected using the random forest algorithm. As a result, 99.79% accuracy was achieved for the training dataset, and 91.38% accuracy was obtained for the testing dataset. AptaNet achieved high performance on our constructed aptamer-protein benchmark dataset. The results indicate that AptaNet can help identify novel aptamer–protein interacting pairs and build more-efficient insights into the relationship between aptamers and proteins. Our benchmark dataset and the source codes for AptaNet are available in: https://github.com/nedaemami/AptaNet.
Intercalation and delamination of Ti2SnC with high lithium ion storage capacity
Authors: Wu Haijiang , Zhu Jiale , Liu Liang , Cao Kequan , Yang Dan , Gong Chen , Lei Hao , Hang Hongyan , Yao Wei , Xu Jianguang
Published: March 2021

Ultrathin Ti2SnC nanosheets were obtained via intercalation and delamination of their bulk counterparts in DMSO. Benefitting from their holes and few-layer structure, Ti2SnC nanosheets exhibit a high specific capacity which increased significantly with cycling.
Free-standing electrochemically coated MoSx based 3D-printed nanocarbon electrode for solid-state supercapacitor application
Authors: Ghosh Kalyan , Pumera Martin
Published: March 2021

Room temperature electrochemical deposition of transition metal chalcogenide (MoSx) on 3D-printed nanocarbon fibers based electrodes for custom shaped solid-state supercapacitor.
Dynamics of mechanically bonded macrocycles in radial hetero[4]catenane isomers
Authors: Ng Antony Wing Hung , Leung Yu Hin , Au-Yeung Ho Yu
Published: March 2021

A pair of radial [4]catenane isomers interlocked with two CB[6]s and one β-CD is reported. Due to the different positions of the tightly bound CB[6]s, shuttling dynamics of the β-CD between the two biphenyl stations are different in the isomers.
Dynamic observation and motion tracking of individual gold atoms with HAADF-STEM imaging
Authors: Wang Wei , Cai Wei
Published: March 2021

The tracked trajectories give direct visualization of individual atoms' movements, and the number of tracked atoms in each frame is quantified.
Formate-driven catalysis and mechanism of an iridium–copper complex for selective aerobic oxidation of aromatic olefins in water
Authors: Shimoyama Yoshihiro , Kitagawa Yasutaka , Ohgomori Yuji , Kon Yoshihiro , Hong Dachao
Published: March 2021

A hetero-dinuclear IrIII–CuII complex with two adjacent sites was employed as a catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of aromatic olefins driven by formate and promoted by a hydrophobic interaction in water.
High-kdielectrics for 4H-silicon carbide: present status and future perspectives
Authors: Siddiqui Amna , Khosa Rabia Yasmin , Usman Muhammad
Published: March 2021

Unleashing the true merits of high-κdielectrics for 4H-SiC by taking a closer look at the morphological, structural, interfacial, and electrical behavior of the high-κdielectric/4H-SiC system.
Oral administration of EGCG solution equivalent to daily achievable dosages of regular tea drinkers effectively suppresses miR483-3p induced metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in mice
Authors: Kang Qingzheng , Tong Yin , Gowd Vemana , Wang Mingfu , Chen Feng , Cheng Ka-Wing
Published: March 2021

EGCG suppresses miR483-3p induced metastasis of HCC cells through epigenetic modulation of miR483-3p expression and antioxidation.
Catalysis based on ferroelectrics: controllable chemical reaction with boosted efficiency
Authors: Wan Tsz Lok , Ge Lei , Pan Yangli , Yuan Qinghong , Liu Lei , Sarina Sarina , Kou Liangzhi
Published: March 2021

Ferroelectric catalysts possess the advantages of boosted catalytic efficiency as a result of polarization, which suppresses electron–hole pair recombination, and superior selectivityviathe ferroelectric switch.
Tetracycline catalytic photodegradation with mesoporous phosphated TiO2: characterization, process optimization and degradation pathway
Authors: Yuan Huayu , Su Qi , Wang Yuehu , Li Jiang , Liu Baojun , Li Yancheng , Wu Pan
Published: March 2021

The prepared P-TiO2 has a perfect degradation effect on TC (99.16%) due to the loading of phosphate. The impact of multiple factors and the best degradation conditions were obtained by RSM. The possible degradation pathways of TC were proposed also.
Development of effective potassium acetate extractant
Authors: Zakrzewski Maciej , Załubiniak Dominika , Piątek Piotr
Published: March 2021

Structurally simple, heteroditopic receptor is capable of extracting hydrophilic potassium acetate and other carboxylate salts from water to organic phase.
In situ hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin over Ni–Co–P/HAP with formic acid as a hydrogen source
Authors: Duan Mingxing , Cheng Qingyan , Wang Mingming , Wang Yanji
Published: March 2021

A new noble metal-free Ni–Co–P/HAP amorphous alloy catalyst was developed, and it showed excellent catalytic activity for in situ hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin to 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol with formic acid as a hydrogen source.
Preparation and reactions of polyfunctional magnesium and zinc organometallics in organic synthesis
Authors: Kremsmair Alexander , Harenberg Johannes H. , Schwärzer Kuno , Hess Andreas , Knochel Paul
Published: March 2021

Polyfunctional Mg and Zn organometallics can be prepared from organic halides by metal insertions, halogen/metal-exchanges or metalations with TMP-bases. These intermediates can be used in new cross-couplings, aminations or continuous flow set-ups.
Manganese vacancy-confined single-atom Ag in cryptomelane nanorods for efficient Wacker oxidation of styrene derivatives
Authors: Yang Hongling , Zhang Xun , Yu Yi , Chen Zheng , Liu Qinggang , Li Yang , Cheong Weng-Chon , Qi Dongdong , Zhuang Zewen , Peng Qing , Chen Xin , Xiao Hai , Chen Chen , Li Yadong
Published: March 2021

Manganese vacancy-confined single-atom Ag in cryptomelane nanorods efficiently catalyses Wacker oxidation of styrene derivatives.
Synthesis of aza-quaternary centers via Pictet–Spengler reactions of ketonitrones
Authors: Lynch-Colameta Tessa , Greta Sarah , Snyder Scott A.
Published: March 2021

Despite the array of advances that have been made in Pictet–Spengler chemistry, particularly as it relates to the synthesis of β-carboline derivatives of both natural and designed origin, the ability to use such reactions to generate aza-quaternary centers remains limited.
Precise patterning of single crystal arrays of organic semiconductors by a patterned microchannel dip-coating method for organic field-effect transistors
Authors: Wang Chaoqiang , Lu Zhengjun , Deng Wei , Zhao Wanqin , Lu Bei , Xiao Jie , Zhang Xiujuan , Jie Jiansheng , Zhang Xiaohong
Published: March 2021

A patterned microchannel dip-coating method was developed for achieving high-quality organic single crystal arrays, ensuring the fabrication of discrete organic field-effect transistor arrays with a high average mobility of 1.5 cm2V−1s−1.
Organic photoelectric materials for X-ray and gamma ray detection: mechanism, material preparation and application
Authors: Chen Mingxi , Wang Cong , Hu Wenping
Published: March 2021

This review investigates the recent research of X-ray and gamma-ray detection based on organic thin films, single crystals, polymers and liquid materials, including the advantages, bottlenecks encountered, and possible solutions in the future.
The liquid crystal Click procedure for oligothiophene-tethered phthalocyanines – self-assembly, alignment and photocurrent
Authors: Dechant Moritz , Lehmann Matthias , Uzurano Genya , Fujii Akihiko , Ozaki Masanori
Published: March 2021

The Click process for oligothienyl star mesogens generates triple nanosegregated columnar LCs – partial homeotropic alignment leads to increased photocurrents.
End‐to‐End Multi‐Domain and Multi‐Step Jamming Prediction in Wireless Communications
Authors: Su Zhe , Qi Nan , Jia Luliang , Chen Jiaxin , Liu Yijia , Sun Wen
Published: March 2021

In this letter, the problem of jamming data prediction in wireless communications is investigated. Both time and frequency domains are considered to construct the multi‐domain historical jamming data tensor. Besides, due to the perceiver's limited ability, false alarm data and missing detection data are considered. Two neural network prediction models are proposed to predict the jammers' future actions based on deep learning techniques. One is the multi‐variate long‐short‐term‐memory (multi‐variate LSTM) model, and the other is the 2‐D convolutional long‐short‐term‐memory model. Simulation results show that the proposed models have better prediction accuracy and robustness than the benchmark method.
Covert communications with channel inversion power control in uplink NOMA systems
Authors: Wang Maochun , Tu Jia , Wang Meng , Wang Yida , Shi Hui , Yang Weiwei
Published: March 2021

Covert communications hide the very existence of wireless transmissions and thus can address privacy and security issues in non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems. In this paper, we investigate covert communications in uplink NOMA systems with channel inversion power control (CIPC), where a public user's transmission is exploited to confuse a warden's detection on a covert user's communication behaviour. More precisely, the public link with CIPC causes the channel uncertainty of received signals at the warden. Specifically, the warden's detection error probability is derived and a guideline to make the optimal choice of CIPC parameters to obtain the maximum covert rate is proposed. The analysis and simulation results show that the covert rate is restricted by the interference between two users when the public user's CIPC parameter is relatively large.
Inertia emulation with incorporating the concept of virtual compounded DC machine and bidirectional DC–DC converter for DC microgrid in islanded mode
Authors: Pishbahar Hesam , Moradi CheshmehBeigi Hassan , Piri Yengijeh Navid , Bagheri Shokoofeh
Published: March 2021

Independence in energy generation, attention to environmental issues, limited fossil fuel sources, and easy access to renewable energy sources have led governments, industry, and engineering to use renewable energy sources for decades. Meanwhile, microgrids for residential, commercial, industrial, and military purposes are widely used using these resources. However, the use of these sources in microgrids is associated with the challenges of uncertainty and lack of inertia. Therefore, by using energy storage systems in DC microgrids, the mentioned challenges can be overcome by emulating inertia. The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual compounded DC machine (VCDCM). The governing equations of the compounded DC machine have been accurately studied and the desired characteristics of this machine have been used to emulate inertia through the control of the buck‐boost converter connected to the energy storage systems in the concept of VCDCM. Proposed scheme; in an islanded microgrid with maximum components and standards required; Simulated in the Simulink/MATLAB environment. The results obtained under different scenarios confirm the ability of the proposed scheme to stabilize the DC bus voltage. The magnitude of DC bus voltage deviation from the reference value when an error occurs has resulted in a significant reduction compared to conventional schemes.
Design and verification of an effective state‐of‐charge estimator for thermal energy storage
Authors: Morales Sandoval Daniel A. , De La Cruz Loredo Iván , Bastida Héctor , Badman Jordan J. R. , Ugalde‐Loo Carlos E.
Published: March 2021

Thermal energy storage (TES) is widely used in district heating and cooling systems (DHCS) to act as a buffer between the supply and demand schedules. The adequate control of charging and discharging modes of TES may improve the overall performance of a DHCS and, to this end, an effective regulation of its state‐of‐charge (SoC) is required. However, the calculation of SoC depends on the availability and accuracy of temperature measurements. A model‐based observer for the calculation of the SoC of water‐based TES tanks is presented. A dynamic model of a one‐dimensional stratified water tank is adopted to develop the observer. Its effectiveness is assessed through ‘model‐in‐the‐loop’ cosimulations, with the observer and the feedback control system being implemented in MATLAB/Simulink and a high‐fidelity water tank component available in Apros being used as the plant model. Simulation results considering three different system configurations demonstrate that the model‐based observer accurately estimates the temperature distribution within the tank, leading to an effective SoC computation and control—even in the case of sensor failure or upon limited sensor availability.
A time error correction method based on virtual power for parallel simulation of power system
Authors: Liu Keyan , Meng Xiaoli , Ye Xueshun , Gong Zhen , Kang Wei , Kang Zhongjian
Published: March 2021

The simulation of complex power grid adopts the method of model segmentation. The system is divided into two or more subsystems. Each subsystem is calculated and solved in different computing units. Because the simulation model runs on different hardware, the time synchronization between subsystems may bring errors and stability problems. In this paper, a time synchronization method based on virtual power is proposed. It is assumed that there is a virtual load composed of resistance and inductance between different simulation subsystems, and two identical voltage sources are set at both terminals of the virtual load. When there is no time error between the subsystems, the power consumed by the virtual load should be zero, otherwise virtual power will be generated. The virtual power is sent to the PI regulator as the error signal, and the output of the regulator is used as the time error correction signal of the subsystem until the virtual power is zero, so as to realize the clock synchronization between multiple computers. In this paper, the theoretical analysis and implementation method of this time synchronization scheme are given in detail, and the simulation results show that the method is correct.