bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A systematic evaluation of quenching and extraction procedures for quantitative metabolome profiling of HeLa carcinoma cell under 2D and 3D cell culture conditions
Authors: Wang Tong , Wang Xueting , Zhuang Yingping , Wang Guan
Published: February 2023

Metabolic reprogramming has been coined as a hallmark of cancer, accompanied by which the alterations in metabolite levels have profound effects on gene expression, cellular differentiation, and the tumor environment. Yet a systematic evaluation of quenching and extraction procedures for quantitative metabolome profiling of tumor cells is currently lacking. To achieve this, this study is aimed at establishing an unbiased and leakage‐free metabolome preparation protocol for HeLa carcinoma cell. We evaluated 12 combinations of quenching and extraction methods from three quenchers (liquid nitrogen, −40°C 50% methanol, 0.5°C normal saline) and four extractants (−80°C 80% methanol, 0.5°C methanol/chloroform/water [1:1:1 v/v/v], 0.5°C 50% acetonitrile, 75°C 70% ethanol) for global metabolite profiling of adherent HeLa carcinoma cells. Based on the isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) method, gas/liquid chromatography in tandem with mass spectrometry was used to quantitatively determine 43 metabolites including sugar phosphates, organic acids, amino acids (AAs), adenosine nucleotides, and coenzymes involved in central carbon metabolism. The results showed that the total amount of the intracellular metabolites in cell extracts obtained using different sample preparation procedures with the IDMS method ranged from 21.51 to 295.33 nmol per million cells. Among 12 combinations, cells that washed twice with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), quenched with liquid nitrogen, and then extracted with 50% acetonitrile were found to be the most optimal method to acquire intracellular metabolites with high efficiency of metabolic arrest and minimal loss during sample preparation. In addition, the same conclusion was drawn as these 12 combinations were applied to obtain quantitative metabolome data from three‐dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids. Furthermore, a case study was carried out to evaluate the effect of doxorubicin (DOX) on both adherent cells and 3D tumor spheroids using quantitative metabolite profiling. Pathway enrichment analysis using targeted metabolomics data showed that DOX exposure would significantly affect AA metabolism‐related pathways, which might be related to the mitigation of redox stress. Strikingly, our data suggested that compared to two‐dimensional (2D) cells the increased intracellular glutamine level in 3D cells benefited replenishing the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle when the glycolysis was limited after dosing with DOX. Taken together, this study provides a well‐established quenching and extraction protocol for quantitative metabolome profiling of HeLa carcinoma cell under 2D and 3D cell culture conditions. Based on this, quantitative time‐resolved metabolite data can serve to the generation of hypotheses on metabolic reprogramming to reveal its important role in tumor development and treatment.
Chalcogen Bonding Catalysis of the Cloke‐Wilson Rearrangement
Authors: Yuan Xinglong , Bao Lintao , Zhao Zhiguo , Wang Yao
Published: February 2023

The Cloke‐Wilson rearrangement is an important method to construct heterocycles which was conventionally facilitated by strong Lewis acids, Brønsted acids and Lewis bases. A weak interaction catalysis approach to the Cloke‐Wilson rearrangement remains a challenging topic and yet no example is reported. Herein, a chalcogen bonding catalysis method to achieve the Cloke‐Wilson rearrangement is described that involves activation of carbonyl cyclopropanes by double Se⋅⋅⋅O interactions. This chalcogen bonding catalysis approach afforded a wide range of dihydrofurans with good yields, thus establishing an alternative strategy to catalyze the Cloke‐Wilson rearrangement.
Sm and S Co‐doping to Construct Homo‐hetero Cu Catalysts for Synergistic Enhancing CO2 Electroreduction†
Authors: Liu Jiyuan , Li Pengsong , Bi Jiahui , Wang Yong , Zhu Qinggong , Sun Xiaofu , Zhang Jianling , Liu Zhimin , Han Buxing
Published: February 2023

Comprehensive Summary

Copper (Cu) is recognized as one of the most efficient metal catalysts that can perform the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and its surface oxidation state determines the reaction pathway. The Cuδ+ (0 < δ < 1) species, are well known active sites in CO2RR to produce hydrocarbons and oxygenates. However, Cuδ+ active sites are difficult to control, and it is very easy to be reduced to Cu0 under CO2RR operating conditions. Herein, we report a homo‐hetero doping strategy to construct an efficient samarium (Sm) and sulfur (S) co‐doping catalyst (Smx‐CuSy) for CO2RR to formic acid (HCOOH). At optimum conditions, Smx‐CuSy delivered a high HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 92.1% at the current density of 300 mA·cm–2 using 1 mol/L KOH aqueous solution as electrolyte, and the reduction potential was as low as –0.52 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). The co‐doping of Sm and S resulted in excellent CO2RR performance owing to the synergistic effect of the homo‐hetero structure. The homo‐doping of S could effectively adjust the electronic structure of Cu in favor of the formation of abundant Cuδ+ species. The existence of hetero‐Sm species could not only stabilize the Cuδ+ sites, but also increase the concentration of H ions to form a favorable catalytic environment for HCOOH generation.
Comparison of the safety and efficiency of temporary cardiac pacing methods during left bundle branch pacemaker implantation: Femoral vein pacing versus atrial spiral pacing with electrodes placed at the ventricle
Authors: Li Zhenwei , Xu Qingqing , Huangfu Ning , Sun Zewei , Su Jia
Published: February 2023

Background

Left bundle branch pacemakers (LBBPs) can better maintain ventricular electrical synchronization than traditional right ventricular pacing (RVP). Temporary cardiac pacing (TCP) is needed to ensure the safety of the operation in patients undergoing LBBP. Currently, there are two methods of installing TCP in conventional permanent pacemaker implantation. Hypothesis: To evaluate the safety and efficiency of replacing femoral vein pacing with atrial spiral pacing in the right ventricle for temporary cardiac pacing (TCP) during left bundle branch pacemaker (LBBP) implantation.

Method

A total of 179 patients who underwent TCP during LBBP were selected for retrospective analysis from April 2019 to 2021 and divided into two groups: the atrial spiral electrode group (n = 76) and the femoral vein electrode group (n = 103). The following were observed: operation time; radiation dose; radiation time; operation expenses; hospitalization time; pacemaker parameters immediately after the operation and at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the operation; operation complications and femoral vein puncture point complications were observed in the two groups.

Results

Compared to the femoral vein electrode group, the atrial electrode group had significantly lower operation times ([116.86 ± 24.63] versus [128.94 ± 25.27] min, p < 0.05), radiation doses ([805.07 ± 132.94] versus [846.42 ± 87.37] mgy, p < 0.05), and decreased risk of a displaced or dislodged temporary pacing electrode during the operation ([0.00%] versus [4.85%], p < 0.05). The atrial electrode group did not have significant operation costs or material costs associated with femoral vein temporary pacing electrode implantation. In addition, the atrial electrode group did not have an increased risk of pacemaker‐related infections, and the parameters of the pacemaker were unaffected. However, some puncture point complications appeared in the femoral vein electrode group (8 cases of local subcutaneous hematoma, 3 cases of pseudoaneurysms, 3 cases of arteriovenous fistula).

Conclusion

The replacement of the femoral vein pacing electrode with an atrial spiral pacing electrode in the right ventricle for TCP during LBBP implantation was safe and effective.
A cyber‐physical management system for medium‐scale solar‐powered data centers
Authors: Dikaiakos Marios D. , Chatzigeorgiou Nikolas G. , Tryfonos Athanasios , Andreou Andreas , Loulloudes Nicholas , Pallis George , Georgiou George E.
Published: February 2023

The effort to reduce the environmental impact and carbon footprint of data‐center operations has led to the emergence of “green” data centers, which are designed to reduce energy consumption and to increase their use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). Despite the advances demonstrated by hyper‐scale facilities in energy efficiency and the use of green energy, small and medium‐scale data centers, which contribute to over 50% of the total electricity consumption and carbon emissions of the sector, face significant challenges in the adoption and exploitation of RES. In this article, we present the steps taken to transform a medium‐scale, academic data center into a “green” one that uses solar power. In particular, we describe the design and implementation of: (i) a collocated photovoltaic facility and (ii) a cyber‐physical system comprising IoT sensor devices, a microservices platform, and a visualization and analytics dashboard that supports the configuration and monitoring of the infrastructure. Using data collected from the platform and dashboard, we show the environmental and financial advantages derived from this transformation, and the potential that arises from the availability of integrated operational data.
Dynamic suicide topic modelling: Deriving population‐specific, psychosocial and time‐sensitive suicide risk variables from Electronic Health Record psychotherapy notes
Authors: Levis Maxwell , Levy Joshua , Dufort Vincent , Russ Carey J. , Shiner Brian
Published: February 2023

In the machine learning subfield of natural language processing, a topic model is a type of unsupervised method that is used to uncover abstract topics within a corpus of text. Dynamic topic modelling (DTM) is used for capturing change in these topics over time. The study deploys DTM on corpus of electronic health record psychotherapy notes. This retrospective study examines whether DTM helps distinguish closely matched patients that did and did not die by suicide. Cohort consists of United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) between 2004 and 2013. Each case (those who died by suicide during the year following diagnosis) was matched with five controls (those who remained alive) that shared psychotherapists and had similar suicide risk based on VA's suicide prediction algorithm. Cohort was restricted to patients who received psychotherapy for 9+ months after initial PTSD diagnoses (cases = 77; controls = 362). For cases, psychotherapy notes from diagnosis until death were examined. For controls, psychotherapy notes from diagnosis until matched case's death date were examined. A Python‐based DTM algorithm was utilized. Derived topics identified population‐specific themes, including PTSD, psychotherapy, medication, communication and relationships. Control topics changed significantly more over time than case topics. Topic differences highlighted engagement, expressivity and therapeutic alliance. This study strengthens groundwork for deriving population‐specific, psychosocial and time‐sensitive suicide risk variables.
Temperature predicts maximum tree‐species richness and water availability and frost shape the residual variation
Authors: Segovia Ricardo A.
Published: February 2023

The kinetic hypothesis of biodiversity proposes that temperature is the main driver of variation in species richness, given its exponential effect on biological activity and, potentially, on rates of diversification. However, limited support for this hypothesis has been found to date. I tested the fit of this model to the variation of tree‐species richness along a continuous latitudinal gradient in the Americas. I found that the kinetic hypothesis accurately predicts the upper bound of the relationship between the inverse of mean annual temperature (1/kT) and the natural logarithm of species richness, at a broad scale. In addition, I found that water availability and the number of days with freezing temperatures explain part of the residual variation of the upper bound model. The finding of the model fitting on the upper bound rather than on the mean values suggest that the kinetic hypothesis is modeling the variation of the potential maximum species richness per unit of temperature. Likewise, the distribution of the residuals of the upper bound model in function of the number of days with freezing temperatures suggest the importance of environmental thresholds rather than gradual variation driving the observable variation in species richness.
Flowering phenology influences butterfly nectar foraging on non‐native plants in an oak savanna
Authors: Rivest Stephanie A. , Wolkovich E. M. , Kharouba Heather M.
Published: February 2023

The negative impacts of non‐native species have been well documented, but some non‐natives can play a positive role in native ecosystems. One way that non‐native plants can positively interact with native butterflies is by provisioning nectar. Relatively little is known about the role of phenology in determining native butterfly visitation to non‐native plants for nectar, yet flowering time directly controls nectar availability. Here we investigate the phenological patterns of flowering by native and non‐native plants and nectar foraging by native butterflies in an oak savanna on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. We also test whether native butterflies select nectar sources in proportion to their availability. We found that non‐native plants were well integrated into butterfly nectar diets (83% of foraging observations) and that visitation to non‐natives increased later in the season when native plants were no longer flowering. We also found that butterflies selected non‐native flowers more often than expected based on their availability, suggesting that these plants represent a potentially valuable resource. Our study shows that non‐native species have the potential to drive key species interactions in seasonal ecosystems. Management regimes focused on eradicating non‐native species may need to reconsider their aims and evaluate resources that non‐natives provide.
Enhanced Anion‐Derived Inorganic‐Dominated Solid Electrolyte Interphases for High‐Rate and Stable Sodium Storage
Authors: Yu Jinhe , Ren Weicheng , Yu Chang , Wang Zhao , Xie Yuanyang , Qiu Jieshan
Published: February 2023

It is highly desirable for the promising sodium storage possessing high rate and long stable capability, which are mainly hindered by the unstable yet conventional solvent‐derived organic‐rich solid electrolyte interphases. Herein, an electrolyte solvation chemistry is elaborately manipulated to produce an enhanced anion‐derived and inorganic components‐dominated solid electrolyte interphases by introducing a low permittivity (4.33) bis(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl) ether diluent into the sodium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide‐dimethoxyethane‐based high concentration electrolyte to obtain a localized high concentration electrolyte. The bis(2,2,2‐trifluoroethyl) ether breaks the balance of original cation solvation structure and tends to interact with Na+‐coordinated dimethoxyethane solvent rather than Na+ in high concentration electrolyte, leaving an enhanced Coulombic interaction between Na+ and (FSO2)2N−, and more (FSO2)2N− can enter the Na+ solvation shell, forming a further increased number of Na+‐(FSO2)2N−‐dimethoxyethane clusters (from 82.0% for high concentration electrolyte to 94.3% for localized high concentration electrolyte) at a low salt dosage. The preferential reduction of this (FSO2)2N−‐enriched clusters rather than the dimethoxyethane‐dominated Na+ solvation structure produces an enhanced anion‐derived and inorganic components‐dominated solid electrolyte interphases. The reversible charge storage process of Na is decoupled by operando Raman along with a shift of D and G peaks. Benefiting from the enhanced anion‐derived electrode‐electrolyte interface, the commercial hard carbon anode in localized high concentration electrolyte shows a well rate capability (5 A g−1, 70 mAh g−1), cycle performance and stability (85% of initial capacity after 700 cycles) in comparison to that of high concentration electrolyte (68%) and low concentration electrolyte (only 5% after 400 cycles), indicative of uniqueness and superiorities towards stable Na storage.
Sunlight‐ or UVA‐Light‐Mediated Synthesis of Hydroxamic Acids from Carboxylic Acids
Authors: Mountanea Olga G. , Mantzourani Christiana , Kokotou Maroula G. , Kokotos Christoforos G. , Kokotos George
Published: February 2023

The development of light‐mediated methods for synthetic applications is increasingly attracting high interest. We present herein a new photochemical protocol for the synthesis of hydroxamic acids, which constitute an important class of medicinal agents, mainly due to their anticancer properties. The method is mediated by UVA‐light or sunlight and its key point is the generation of a charge transfer complex by the interaction of 4‐dimethylaminopyridine with a halomethane. Various carboxylic acids were directly coupled with O‐protected hydroxylamines, upon irradiation with either LED 370 nm or solar light. A detailed study of the mechanism was carried out by the employment of direct infusion–high resolution mass spectrometry (DI‐HRMS), providing experimental evidence for the formation of various activated species, which may lead to the desired product. The light‐mediated protocol was applied in the synthesis of the drugs Vorinostat and Bufexamac.
Lifestyle risks associated with brain functional connectivity and structure
Authors: Rolls Edmund T. , Feng Ruiqing , Feng Jianfeng
Published: February 2023

Some lifestyle factors are related to health and brain function and structure, but the brain systems involved are incompletely understood. A general linear model was used to test the associations of the combined and separate lifestyle risk measures of alcohol use, smoking, diet, amounts of physical activity, leisure activity, and mobile phone use, with brain functional connectivity with the high resolution Human Connectome Project (HCP) atlas in 19,415 participants aged 45–78 from the UK Biobank, with replication with HCP data. Higher combined lifestyle risk scores were associated with lower functional connectivity across the whole brain, but especially of three brain systems. Low physical, and leisure and social, activity were associated with low connectivities of the somatosensory/motor cortical regions and of hippocampal memory‐related regions. Low mobile phone use, perhaps indicative of poor social communication channels, was associated with low functional connectivity of brain regions in and related to the superior temporal sulcus that are involved in social behavior and face processing. Smoking was associated with lower functional connectivity of especially frontal regions involved in attention. Lower cortical thickness in some of these regions, and also lower subcortical volume of the hippocampus, amygdala, and globus pallidus, were also associated with the sum of the poor lifestyle scores. This very large scale analysis emphasizes how the lifestyle of humans relates to their brain structure and function, and provides a foundation for understanding the causalities that relate to the differences found here in the brains of different individuals.
Health risk factors in Australian Stroke Survivors: A latent class analysis
Authors: Clancy Brigid , Bonevski Billie , English Coralie , Callister Robin , Baker Amanda L. , Collins Clare , Pollack Michael , Magin Parker , Turner Alyna , Faulkner Jack , Guillaumier Ashleigh
Published: February 2023

Issues Addressed

To (i) determine the prevalence of health risk factors (physical activity, diet, alcohol, smoking, blood pressure medication use and mental health) in community‐dwelling stroke survivors; and (ii) examine how these health risk factors cluster, and identify associations with physical functioning, independent living, or sociodemographic factors.

Methods

A secondary analysis of data obtained during a national randomised controlled trial. Participants had experienced stroke and completed a baseline telephone survey on demographic and stroke characteristics, health risk factors, physical functioning and independence in activities of daily living. A latent class analysis was performed to determine health risk profiles. Univariate logistic regressions were performed to identify if participant characteristics were associated with resulting classes.

Results

Data analysed from 399 participants. Two classes of health risk factors were identified: Low Mood, Food & Moves Risk (16% of participants) and Alcohol Use Risk (84% of participants). The Low Mood, Food & Moves Risk group had poorer diet quality, lower physical activity levels and higher levels of depression and anxiety. Lower levels of independence and physical functioning were predictor variables for this group. In contrast, the Alcohol Use Risk group had better physical activity and diet scores, significantly lower probability of depression and anxiety, but a higher probability of risky drinking.

Conclusions

We identified two distinct health risk factor groups in our population.

So What?

Future interventions may benefit from targeting the specific needs and requirements of people who have experienced stroke based on their distinct risk group. Alcohol consumption in poststroke populations requires further attention.
Multimorbidity in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance
Authors: Epstein Mara M. , Zhou Yanhua , Castaneda‐Avila Maira A. , Cohen Harvey J.
Published: February 2023

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a precursor to multiple myeloma, is present in over 5% of adults aged 70 and older, a population with a high prevalence of multimorbidity. MGUS is often diagnosed incidentally when patients seek care for unrelated conditions. Our study sought to examine patterns of multimorbidity among MGUS patients, as overall health may impact patient care and the prioritization of MGUS surveillance. We examined patterns of comorbidities in 429 patients diagnosed with MGUS (2007‐2015) and 1287 matched controls. Twenty‐seven conditions were defined at diagnosis/index date using algorithms developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Chronic Conditions Warehouse. Patterns of common comorbidities were identified individually, in dyads and triads, and compared between MGUS cases and controls. We conducted a latent class analysis to identify comorbidity patterns among cases only. We also examined comorbidity patterns among a subset of 32 MGUS cases who progressed to cancer during the study period. The most common comorbidities among both MGUS cases and controls included hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Anemia (cases: 43%; controls: 16%) and chronic kidney disease (CKD; cases: 36%; controls: 18%), and dyads and triads containing those conditions, were more common among cases. Latent class analysis identified three classes of comorbidity among MGUS cases: hypertension‐hyperlipidemia plus anemia and CKD (31%); low comorbidity burden (17%); and hypertension‐hyperlipidemia alone (52%). The higher prevalence among cases of anemia and CKD, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of, or surveillance for, MGUS, warrants additional investigation.
A portable English translation system through deep learning and internet of things
Authors: Cao Nan
Published: February 2023

Portable English translation systems are increasingly important in daily life. Existing online English translation based on Transformer has become mainstream on the service side. But Transformer loses the ability to capture local dependencies, leading to local syntax errors. The graph convolution operation can fully model the local relationship. Therefore, this paper proposes a new graph embedded Transformer network (GETN) for Portable English translation based on Internet of Things technology. Specifically, the portable device converts the voice signal into text, and then transmits it to the server through Internet technology. By introducing the graph convolution module into the existing Transformer, local relations can be effectively modeled. The results of the existing English grammatical error correction dataset show that the graph‐embedded mechanism can achieve a higher translation effect with fewer parameters and effectively alleviate local syntax errors.
Enhanced 129Xe T1 relaxation in whole blood and in the presence of SPIONs at low magnetic field strengths
Authors: Bryden Nicholas , Atalla Sebastian W. , Kelley Michele , Holmes Leah R. , Branca Rosa T.
Published: February 2023

Purpose

To compare the effect of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) on the T1 of 129Xe and 1H and to measure the relaxation of 129Xe in blood at low and high magnetic field strengths.

Methods

129Xe and 1H T1 relaxometry was performed at low‐ and high‐field strengths in samples containing different SPION concentrations, while imaging was used to compare the contrast obtainable in these two field regimes. In vivo experiments at variable field strengths were performed to determine the depolarization of 129Xe in blood and the feasibility of in vivo dissolved‐phase spectroscopy and imaging at low field.

Results

The SPION relaxivity was substantially greater at low field for 1H, increasing from 0.92 ± 0.06 mM s−1 at 11.7T to 31.5 ± 1.8 mM s−1 at 0.6 mT, and for 129Xe, which increased from 0.13 ± 0.03 mM s−1 at 11.7T to 7.32 ± 0.71 mM s−1 at 2.1 mT. The additional MR signal loss increased from 0.7% at 9.4T to 20.6 ± 4.2% at 0.6 mT for 1H and from −0.7 ± 3.4% at 9.4T to 12.7 ± 3.5% at 2.1 mT for 129Xe. Blood was found to depolarize 129Xe below 3T in a manner inversely proportional to the field strength. In vitro studies at 2.1 mT suggest 129Xe relaxation times below 5 s in blood dilutions as low as 0.4% volume.

Conclusion

SPIONs longitudinal relaxivity increases at low field both for 1H and 129Xe. The depolarization of xenon in blood, which is found to increase below 3T, effectively prevents in vivo dissolved‐phase spectroscopy and imaging at low‐field strengths.
Postmortem treatment of preterm infants at the Gangshang site during the Late Neolithic period, Shandong Province, China
Authors: Yang Zhangqiaochu , Zhang Qiang , Zhu Chao , Xiao Yuni , Sun Bo , Zeng Wen , Guo Lin , Yi Zhixing , Fan Rong , Zhao Yongsheng
Published: February 2023

Jar burial is a particular burial practice generally used in the Neolithic period of China. However, the rarity of finding prenatal individuals limits the ability to study their treatment in jar burial contexts. In this paper, to study the postmortem treatment of this specific age further, we focus on three jar burials of infant individuals excavated in 2021 at the Gangshang site in China, where the skeletal remains were relatively well preserved. The skeletal remains of three well‐preserved individuals are presented into inverted ceramic tripods near the residential area and with a crouched posture. In terms of this condition, we apply the osteometric method to estimate the range and mean of age at death for each individual investigated. Meanwhile, we use micro‐computed tomography (CT) scans to help judge the degree of microbial bioerosion. Besides, histological analysis on skeletal remains combined with the Oxford Histological Index (OHI) assessment allows us to estimate the developmental stage at the time of death by analyzing the results of micro‐CT scans. By using osteometric methods, the results show that the gestational age of the three individuals is 22–26, 24–28, and 22–26 weeks, respectively. The results of the micro‐CT scans indicate that all three fetuses died shortly after birth, or had died in their mother's uterus before birth, with the OHI score of 5. Moreover, we indeed observe infant skeleton remains with no bacterial bioerosion, indicating that it is effective using this method to judge the developmental stage at the time of death with a specific taphonomic environment in the Gangshang site of the Dawenkou culture period. Combined with the placement of the jars in which the three infants were buried, it is believed that this unique placement method was intentional and specific to the infant deaths. These results are instructive for exploring the postmortem treatment of dead infants by ancient residents of the Dawenkou culture period (4200 bc–2600 bc) in Shandong Province, China, and the significance and possible causes of the unique burial type.
Construction of micro/macro‐scale Janus polypeptoid‐based two‐dimensional structures at the air–water interface
Authors: Zhao Yue , Liu Fujun , Wei Yuhan , Sun Jing
Published: February 2023

Janus two‐dimensional (2D) polymeric materials present asymmetric dual surfaces that enable a variety of applications of biosensors, catalysts, drug delivery, etc. This work reports the evaporation‐induced interfacial self‐assembly of amphiphilic block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)‐b‐poly(N‐(2‐phenylethyl) glycine) (PEG‐b‐PNPE) at the air–water interface. The PEG‐b‐PNPE was initially assembled into a monolayer with a uniform thickness of ~2.5 ± 0.1 nm, which was mechanically compressed into a bilayer structure by Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technology as surface pressure is exceeding the critical collapse pressure. Both monolayer and bilayer nanostructure span over hundreds of microns in both dimensions. The surface contact angle of the sample was measured by dynamic/static optical contact angle/interface tensiometer, which showed asymmetric wettability on the air side and the water side. The evolution from a monolayer to a bilayer was further tracked by an atomic force microscope. By the evaporation‐induced interfacial self‐assembly at the air–water interface, we also prepared macroscopic Janus films with a diameter of ~3.5 mm. The obtained micro/macro‐scale 2D materials have potential applications in nanoscience and biomedicine.
Estragole, a potential attractant of the winged melon aphidAphis gossypii
Authors: Shivaramu Subhash , Parepally Saravan Kumar , Byregowda Varun Yennurukadirenahalli , Pagadala Damodaram Kamala Jayanthi , Bhatnagar Anuj , Naga Kailash Chandra , Sharma Sanjeev , Kumar Manoj , Kempraj Vivek
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND

Aphids are sap‐sucking insect pests of economic importance. They exhibit polyphenism, producing two kinds of morphotypes; winged (alate) and wingless (aptera) morphs. While wingless morphs can be controlled by insecticides, winged morphs are a challenge for targeted control measures as they can fly. Although colored sticky traps are used to control and monitor winged aphids, only a small population is trapped, making sticky traps less effective in controlling aphids. Studies have shown that fragrant oils applied to sticky traps increased attraction of sap‐sucking insects like whiteflies and thrips. Here, we tested selected essential oils for their attractiveness to wingedAphis gossypiiin potato fields.

RESULTS

In field assays, selected essential oils with yellow or colorless sticky traps attracted more wingedA. gossypiithan controls. The combination of yellow traps baited with essential oils attracted ~2–3‐fold more wingedA. gossypiithan did colorless traps baited with essential oils. In a multi‐cycle 2 year study, yellow sticky traps baited with basil oil consistently attracted more wingedA. gossypiithan yellow sticky traps baited with lavender, geranium or tea tree oils. In electrophysiological studies, wingedA. gossypii's antennae responded consistently to estragole in basil oil. In olfactometer assays with estragole, wingedA. gossypiispent significantly more time in the treatment arm of the olfactometer than in the control arm, validating estragole's attractiveness. Furthermore, yellow sticky traps baited with pure estragole, in potato fields, attracted similar number of wingedA. gossypiias yellow sticky traps baited with basil oil.

CONCLUSION

Our findings demonstrate the potential of using basil oil as a potential attractant to improve the efficacy of sticky traps in the monitoring and control of winged aphids. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Population pharmacokinetics and exposure–clinical outcome relationship of remdesivir major metabolite GS‐441524 in patients with moderate and severe COVID‐19
Authors: Tamura Ryo , Irie Kei , Nakagawa Atsushi , Muroi Hirohito , Eto Masaaki , Ikesue Hiroaki , Muroi Nobuyuki , Fukushima Shoji , Tomii Keisuke , Hashida Tohru
Published: February 2023

Although remdesivir, a prodrug of nucleoside analog (GS‐441524), has demonstrated clinical benefits in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) treatment, its pharmacokinetics (PKs) in patients with COVID‐19 remain poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, the PKs of remdesivir and its major metabolite, GS‐441524, were evaluated using a population PK (PopPK) approach to understand the PK aspect and exposure–clinical outcome relationship. The serum concentrations of remdesivir and GS‐441524 (102 points in 39 patients) were measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. All patients received 200 mg remdesivir on the first day, followed by 100 mg on 2–5 days, except for one patient who discontinued remdesivir on day 4. The median (range) age, body surface area, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were 70 (42–85), 1.74 m2 (1.36–2.03), and 68 mL/min/1.73 m2 (33–113), respectively. A compartment model with first‐order elimination combined with remdesivir and GS‐441524 was used for nonlinear mixed‐effects model analysis. Remdesivir was rapidly eliminated after infusion, whereas GS‐441524 was eliminated relatively slowly (half‐time = 17.1 h). The estimated apparent clearance (CL) and distribution volume of GS‐441524 were 11.0 L/h (intersubject variability [ISV]% = 43.0%) and 271 L (ISV% = 58.1%), respectively. The CL of GS‐441524 was significantly related to the eGFR (CL × [eGFR/68]0.745). The post hoc area under the curve of GS‐441524 was unrelated to the recovery rate or aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase elevation. Overall, PopPK analysis showed the rapid elimination of remdesivir in the blood, and GS‐441524 accumulation depended on eGFR in patients with COVID‐19. However, no relevance of exposure–clinical outcome was not suggestive of the dose adjustment of remdesivir.
Possible Noncollinear Magnetism and Different Valence State of Manganese Ions in Quasi‐Low‐Dimensional Ludwigites of (Ni,Cu,Mn)3BO5
Authors: Sofronova Svetlana Nikolaevna , Veligzhanin Aleksey , Eremin Evgeniy , Chernyshev Artem V. , Kartashev Andrey , Velikanov Dmitriy
Published: February 2023

The content of transition‐metal ions and their valence state for three compositions of NixCuyMn3−x−yBO5 are estimated by the methods of X‐ray absorption spectroscopy. In all the three compositions, the copper content does not exceed 0.25. One of the compositions has manganese ions both in the trivalent and bivalent states according to the K‐edge position. The calculations of the total energies of various cation‐ordered structures using the software package Wien2K show that copper ions predominately occupy one site, namely, 2(2d). The measurements of the magnetic properties show two types of magnetic transitions in all the three compositions, with one of them being in the range of 60–75 K and the other one at 10 K. Based on the exchange interactions calculated in the framework of the empirical model, magnetic ordering temperatures are estimated for two‐ and three‐sublattice structures and the magnetic transition in the range of 60–75 K is supposed to be connected with magnetic moment ordering in sites 2 and 3.
Revealing the Effect of High Ni Content in Li‐Rich Cathode Materials: Mitigating Voltage Decay or Increasing Intrinsic Reactivity
Authors: Ju Xiaokang , Hou Xu , Liu Zhongqing , Du Leilei , Zhang Li , Xie Tangtang , Paillard Elie , Wang Taihong , Winter Martin , Li Jie
Published: February 2023

Li‐rich layered oxides are considered as one of the most promising cathode materials for secondary lithium batteries due to their high specific capacities, but the issue of continuous voltage decay during cycling hinders their market entry. Increasing the Ni content in Li‐rich materials is assumed to be an effective way to address this issue and attracts recent research interests. However, a high Ni content may induce increased intrinsic reactivity of materials, resulting in severe side reactions with the electrolyte. Thus, a comprehensive study to differentiate the two effects of the Ni content on the cell performance with Li‐rich cathode is carried out in this work. Herein, it is demonstrated that a properly dosed amount of Ni can effectively suppress the voltage decay in Li‐rich cathodes, while over‐loading of Ni, on the contrary, can cause structural instability, Ni dissolution, and nonuniform Li deposition during cycling as well as severe oxygen loss. This work offers a deep understanding on the impacts of Ni content in Li‐rich materials, which can be a good guidance for the future design of such cathodes for high energy density lithium batteries.
Current perceptions and use of paracetamol in dogs among veterinary surgeons working in the United Kingdom
Authors: Bello Alba M. , Dye Charlotte
Published: February 2023

Background

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is recommended as a first‐line drug in the management of pain and pyrexia in humans due to its minor gastrointestinal, renal and vascular side effects.

Objectives

To explore the perceptions and use of paracetamol in dogs by UK veterinarians.

Methods

Veterinarians were invited to complete an online survey. Questions addressed career history, previous use, and personal perceptions of the use of paracetamol in dogs.

Results

A total of 450 veterinarians were included in the survey; 96% (n = 431) of whom worked in small animal practice only. The majority reported a frequency of use of 1–3 times a week (n = 197), with oral dosing being the most common route of administration (n = 440). Only 8 had never prescribed paracetamol. Paracetamol was more commonly used to provide analgesia (n = 431) than for the treatment of pyrexia (n = 292) and was predominantly used as an alternative to NSAIDs (n = 408) or as part of multimodal analgesia (n = 406). Hepatotoxic (n = 311) and gastrointestinal (n = 120) side effects were a common concern, although the majority perceived a low risk of side effects and felt they were likely to be mild if they did occur (n = 279). Only 5% (n = 24) of respondents reported having experienced side effects, with gastrointestinal signs (n = 14) and hepatotoxicity (n = 6) being the most common.

Conclusions

Paracetamol is widely used by veterinarians working in the UK. Most veterinarians have changed their perception on the use of paracetamol over the last decade and consider it to be associated with fewer side effects and with more effective analgesic and antipyretic effects than they had previously believed.
Why Be Euphorically Queer? An Ecological Model of Euphorias’ Influences & Impacts
Authors: Jones Tiffany
Published: February 2023

Expanding on psychological and individualist frames emphasising transgender and gender diverse (TGD) experiences; this chapter supplies a new ecological model of potential influences on the development of euphorias to assist in service applications, everyday lives, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) research. The model adds culturally embedded psycho-social accounts of affect and development from Bronfenbrenner, Erikson, Ahmed, and Butler. It shows euphorias as potentially influenced by what is privileged in individuals’ developmental stages and systems of social and institutional engagements, policy contexts, and cultural norms over time. The chapter argues for being euphorically queer—using erasure, overplay, and transference of happiness onto non-traditional identities and bodies, towards energising responsiveness to LGBTIQ+ and other othered groups’ needs, and against conforming contentedness which stagnates activisms.
Properties of the conformal Yangian in scalar and gauge field theories
Authors: Dokmetzoglou Nikolaos , Dolan Louise
Published: February 2023

Abstract

Properties of the SO(2, n) Yangian acting on scalar and gauge fields are presented. This differential operator representation of the infinite-dimensional extension of the conformal algebra SO(2, n) is proved to satisfy the Serre relation for arbitrary spacetime dimension n for off-shell scalar theory, but only on shell and for n = 4 in the gauge theory. The SO(2, n) Yangian acts simply on the off-shell kinematic invariants (kI + kI+1 + …)2, and it annihilates individual off-shell scalar λϕ3 Feynman tree graphs for n = 6 if the differential operator representation is extended by graph dependent evaluation terms. The SO(2, 4) Yangian level one generators are shown to act in a compact way on pure Yang- Mills gluon tree amplitudes. The action of the Yangian on the scattering polynomials of a CHY formalism is also described.
The cost of an ALP solution to the neutral B-anomalies
Authors: Bonilla J. , de Giorgi A. , Gavela B. , Merlo L. , Ramos M.
Published: February 2023

Abstract

The neutral anomalies in B decays are analysed in terms of the tree-level exchange of an axion-like-particle (ALP), within the effective field theory framework. The complete two-dimensional parameter space for ALP couplings to electrons and muons is explored. The solutions to RK and to the two energy bins of $$ {R}_{K^{\ast }} $$

R

K
∗

are confronted with the impact of ALP exchange on other observables (meson oscillations, leptonic and semileptonic decays of B mesons including searches for new resonances, astrophysical constraints), as well as with the theoretical domain of validity of the effective theory. Solutions based on ALPs heavier than B mesons, or lighter than twice the muon mass, are shown to be excluded. In contrast, the exchange of on-shell ALPs provides solutions to RK and/or $$ {R}_{K^{\ast }} $$

R

K
∗

within 2σ sensitivity which are technically compatible with those constraints. Furthermore, a “golden ALP mass” is identified at the frontier between the two energy bin windows of $$ {R}_{K^{\ast }} $$

R

K
∗

, which could simultaneously explain these two $$ {R}_{K^{\ast }} $$

R

K
∗

anomalies together with RK; this calls for the convenience of different energy binning which would easily clear up this (unlikely) possibility. The impact of smearing on data analysis is also discussed. When loop effects are taken into account, the solutions found can be in addition compatible with the data on the g − 2 of the electron but not simultaneously with those on the g − 2 of the muon. Furthermore, loop effects may require fine-tunings of some coupling values.
Littlest modular seesaw
Authors: de Medeiros Varzielas Ivo , King Steve F. , Levy Miguel
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We present the first complete model of the Littlest Modular Seesaw, based on two right-handed neutrinos, within the framework of multiple modular symmetries, justifying the use of multiple moduli fields which take their values at 3 specific stabilizers of Γ4 ≃ S4, including a new phenomenological possibility. Using a semi-analytical approach, we perform a χ2 analysis of each case and show that good agreement with neutrino oscillation data is obtained, including predictive relations between the leptonic mixing angles and the ratio of light neutrino masses, which non-trivially agree with the experimental values. It is noteworthy that in this very predictive setup, the models fit the global fits of the experimental data remarkably well, both with and without the Super-Kamiokande atmospheric data, for both models presented here. By extending the model to include a weighton and the double cover group $$ {\Gamma}_4^{\prime}\simeq {S}_4^{\prime } $$

Γ
4
′

≃

S
4
′

, we are able to also account for the hierarchy of the charged leptons using modular symmetries, without altering the neutrino predictions.
Engineering small flux superpotentials and mass hierarchies
Authors: Bastian Brice , Grimm Thomas W. , van de Heisteeg Damian
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We study the stabilization of complex structure moduli in Type IIB flux compactifications by using recent general results about the form of the superpotential and Kähler potential near the boundaries of the moduli space. In this process we show how vacua with an exponentially small vacuum superpotential can be realized systematically and understood conceptually within asymptotic Hodge theory. We distinguish two types of vacua realizing such superpotentials that differ by the mass scales of the stabilized moduli. Masses polynomially depending on the moduli arise if the superpotential contains exponential corrections whose existence is required to ensure the non-degeneracy of the moduli space metric. We use the fact that such essential corrections are controlled by asymptotic Hodge theory and have recently been constructed for all one- and two-moduli asymptotic regimes. These insights allow us to obtain new vacua near boundaries in complex structure moduli space that include Seiberg-Witten points. In these examples we find that the scale of the vacuum superpotential can be bounded from below through the exponential of the negative D3-brane tadpole.
Towards the non-perturbative cosmological bootstrap
Authors: Hogervorst Matthijs , Penedones Joao , Vaziri Kamran Salehi
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We study quantum field theory on a de Sitter spacetime dSd+1 background. Our main tool is the Hilbert space decomposition in irreducible unitary representations of its isometry group SO(d + 1, 1). As the first application of the Hilbert space formalism, we recover the Källen-Lehmann spectral decomposition of the scalar bulk two-point function. In the process, we exhibit a relation between poles in the corresponding spectral densities and the boundary CFT data. Moreover, we derive an inversion formula for the spectral density through analytical continuation from the sphere and use it to find the spectral decompisiton for a few examples. Next, we study the conformal partial wave decomposition of the four-point functions of boundary operators. These correlation functions are very similar to the ones of standard conformal field theory, but have different positivity proper- ties that follow from unitarity in de Sitter. We conclude by proposing a non-perturbative conformal bootstrap approach to the study of these late-time four-point functions, and we illustrate our proposal with a concrete example for QFT in dS2.
On triality defects in 2d CFT
Authors: Lu Da-Chuan , Sun Zhengdi
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We consider the triality fusion category discovered in the c = 1 Kosterlitz-Thouless theory [1]. We analyze this fusion category using the tools from the group theoretical fusion category and compute the simple lines, fusion rules and F-symbols. We then studied the physical implication of this fusion category including deriving the spin selection rule, computing the asymptotic density of states of irreducible representations of the fusion category symmetries, and analyzing its anomaly and constraints under the renormalization group flow. There is another set of F-symbols for the fusion categories with the same fusion rule known in the literature [2]. We find these two solutions are different as they lead to different spin selection rules. This gives a complete list of the fusion categories with the same fusion rule by the classification result in [3].
Improved error estimates for the finite volume and the MAC schemes for the compressible Navier–Stokes system
Authors: Feireisl Eduard , Lukáčová-Medvid’ová Mária , She Bangwei
Published: February 2023

We present new error estimates for the finite volume and finite difference methods applied to the compressible Navier–Stokes equations. The main innovative ingredients of the improved error estimates are a refined consistency analysis combined with a continuous version of the relative energy inequality. Consequently, we obtain better convergence rates than those available in the literature so far. Moreover, the error estimates hold in the whole physically relevant range of the adiabatic coefficient.