bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Cancer: A Prospective Study
Authors: Navi Babak B. , Sherman Carla P. , Genova Richard , Mathias Ryna , Lansdale Kelsey N. , LeMoss Natalie M. , Wolfe Julia , Skakodub Anna , Kamel Hooman , Tagawa Scott T. , Saxena Ashish , Ocean Allyson J. , Soff Gerald A. , DeSancho Maria T. , Iadecola Costantino , Elkind Mitchell S.V. , Peerschke Ellinor , Zhang Cenai , DeAngelis Lisa M.
Published: May 2021

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke with cancer.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cross‐sectional study from 2016 to 2020 at 2 hospitals. We enrolled 3 groups of 50 adult participants each. The main group included patients with active solid tumor cancer and acute ischemic stroke. The control groups included patients with acute ischemic stroke only or active cancer only. The patients with stroke‐only and patients with cancer‐only were matched to the patients with cancer‐plus‐stroke by age, sex, and cancer type, if applicable. The outcomes were prespecified hematological biomarkers and transcranial Doppler microemboli detection. Hematological biomarkers included markers of coagulation (D‐dimer and thrombin‐antithrombin), platelet function (P‐selectin), and endothelial integrity (thrombomodulin, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 [sICAM‐1], and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 [sVCAM‐1]). Hematological biomarkers were compared between groups using the Kruskal‐Wallis and Wilcoxon Rank‐Sum tests. In multivariable linear regression models, we adjusted for race, number of stroke risk factors, smoking, stroke severity, and antithrombotic use. Transcranial Doppler microemboli presence was compared between groups using chi‐square tests.

Results

Levels of all study biomarkers were different between groups. In univariate between‐group comparisons, patients with cancer‐plus‐stroke had higher levels of D‐dimer, sICAM‐1, sVCAM‐1, and thrombomodulin than both control groups; higher levels of thrombin‐antithrombin than patients with cancer‐only; and higher levels of P‐selectin than patients with stroke‐only. Findings were similar in multivariable analyses. Transcranial Doppler microemboli were detected in 32% of patients with cancer‐plus‐stroke, 16% of patients with stroke‐only, and 6% of patients with cancer‐only (p = 0.005).

Interpretation

Patients with cancer‐related stroke have higher markers of coagulation, platelet, and endothelial dysfunction, and more circulating microemboli, than matched controls. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:159–169
Effects of crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers with crosslinking agent containing ester and amide groups on the properties of cementitious systems
Authors: Lin Xiuju , Pang Hao , Wei Daidong , Liao Bing
Published: May 2021

Herein, crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers were synthesized using acrylic acid, sodium methylallyl sulfonate and methyl polyethylene glycol acrylate as monomers, and monomers that contain either ester or amide groups as crosslinking agents. The superplasticizers that were synthesized from the ester‐ and amide‐based crosslinking agents were respectively denoted as SP‐E and SP‐N. In addition, a series of performance characterizations were carried out to explore the influence of different functional groups in crosslinking agents on the performance of superplasticizers. Fluidity test results showed that the dispersibility and fluidity retention of cement pastes treated with the SP‐E were better than those of cement pastes treated with SP‐N. Meanwhile, the viscosity of the sample containing SP‐E was lower than that containing SP‐N. In addition, the amount of the two superplasticizers that had become adsorbed onto the surfaces of cement particles also differed, and in this case the adsorption capacity of SP‐E was greater than that of SP‐N. X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy tests showed that the ester‐group based SP‐E superplasticizers promoted cement hydration to a greater degree than that was achieved with their amide‐bearing SP‐N counterparts. This study would provide valuable insight for the development of crosslinked polycarboxylate superplasticizers.
Ex situ growing out of early stages of wild seahorses: Envisioning conservation options for threatened populations
Authors: Luzzatto Diego C. , Estalles María L.
Published: May 2021

Rafting has been proposed as a dispersive mechanism for some species of seahorses. Juvenile Hippocampus patagonicus rafting on the sea surface have been reported. This life stage has high mortality in nature due to ecological and environmental factors usually affecting juvenile planktonic teleosts (e.g. predation).

In this study, 50 juvenile seahorses were captured while rafting at the beginning of the reproductive season (December). They were grown out under a standard protocol in a recirculating aquaculture system for 120 days until they reached maturity.

During this period, only three seahorses died (6%). Mature seahorses were 65 ± 7 mm average height and showed variable coloration and pigmentation pattern (n = 47; 94%).

The availability of juvenile seahorses during the reproductive season and their high survival performance ex situ highlight the feasibility of developing protocols in which juvenile seahorses serve as a novel source of broodstock.
Distributed cooperative control for parallel direct current–direct current buck converters based on multi‐agent consensus theory
Authors: Zhu Min , Wang He , Cheng Yingying , Jia Ruting , Yu Miao
Published: May 2021

The voltage regulation and power sharing for parallel direct current–direct current (DC–DC) buck converters is studied in this paper by using the multi‐agent consensus theory. At the first step, the control problem of parallel DC–DC buck converters is modeled as the consensus problem of multi‐agent system. Different from the most existing algorithms for parallel DC–DC buck converters, a new distributed cooperative control algorithm is proposed to implement plug‐and‐play and to enhance the system's flexibility. For the current‐loop, a finite‐time control algorithm is employed to improve the dynamic response for the current tracking. The rigors stability analysis is given and the simulation result is presented.
A large‐scale community intervention to change gender perceptions in rural Ethiopia
Authors: Visser Maretha , Jansen van Rensburg Madri , Garforth Laura , Tefera Nebiat
Published: May 2021

This paper reports on our participatory multi‐faceted community‐wide intervention to change gender perceptions and encourage support for girls' education to improve their school attendance and performance. The intervention involved community and education stakeholders in implementing a context‐specific multi‐faceted intervention to improve opportunities for girls in 123 primary schools in the rural Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia. We implemented a repeated‐measures quasi‐experimental design in a sample of 30 schools (15 project and 15 control schools) to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness. Over 3 years we assessed gender perceptions of a cohort of 750 Grade 6 girls, their parents and teachers in project and control schools. In addition, participative group discussions were conducted with various stakeholders. In project schools, we recorded significant changes (e.g., provision of sanitary pads, counselling, tutorial classes and community involvement). Teachers and parents reported improved gender attitudes and support for girls' education; while girls' self‐esteem scores and educational aspirations increased. The findings showed a change in community perceptions of the value of girls' education and some evidence of increased equality in gender perceptions. We concluded that these systemic changes marked the start of a long‐term change process. This intervention showed the value of a participatory approach in a systemic community intervention. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.
Deep boundary‐aware semantic image segmentation
Authors: Wu Huisi , Li Yifan , Chen Le , Liu Xueting , Li Ping
Published: May 2021

While extensive research efforts have been made in semantic image segmentation, the state‐of‐the‐art methods still suffer from blurry boundaries and mismatched objects due to the insufficient multiscale adaptability. In this paper, we propose a two‐branch convolutional neural network (CNN) approach to capture the multiscale context and the boundary information with the two branches, respectively. To capture the multiscale context, we propose to embed self‐attention mechanism to the atrous spatial pyramid pooling network. To capture the boundary information, we propose to fuse the low‐level features in boundary feature extraction for refining the extracted boundaries via a feature fusion layer (FFL). With FFL, our method can improve the segmentation result with clearer boundaries. A new loss function is proposed which contains a segmentation loss and a boundary loss. Experiments show that our method can predict the boundaries of objects more clearly and have better performance for small‐scale objects.
Demethyleneberberine promotes apoptosis and suppresses TGF‐β/Smads induced EMT in the colon cancer cells HCT‐116
Authors: Wang Zehao , Wang Lixia , Shi Boya , Sun Xiuli , Xie Yinrong , Yang Haonan , Zi Chengting , Wang Xuanjun , Sheng Jun
Published: May 2021

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumours in the world. Recent reports have revealed natural products displayed inhibition on colon cancer potential by suppressing transforming growth factor‐β/Smads induced epidermal‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this article, 12 kinds of natural berberine analogues were screened for their effects on the inhibition of the colon cancer cells, the results showed that demethyleneberberine (DM‐BBR) exhibited an interesting and potential effect on inducing the apoptosis of HCT‐116 cells with drug concentrations of 6, 12 and 18 μM. Particularly, DM‐BBR reversed the EMT process by inhibiting the expression of p‐Smad2 and p‐Smad3 in the transforming growth factor‐β/Smads signal pathway, up‐regulated pro‐apoptotic protein cleaved caspase‐9, and blocked cell cycle at the S phase and increasing the expression of cyclin proteins P27 and P21. Taken together, these findings suggested that DM‐BBR could promote apoptosis and suppress TGF‐β/Smads induced EMT in the colon cancer cells HCT‐116.
Needle tract seeding following percutaneous biopsy of pediatric head and neck sarcoma: A case report
Authors: You Peng , Haynes David Aaron , Desai Sudhen , Dimachkieh Amy , Chelius Daniel
Published: May 2021

This case report demonstrates the possibility of sarcoma biopsy needle track seeding from FNA/Core Needle Biopsy during the workup of a pediatric head and neck mass. Though not currently widely practiced in head and neck tumors, surgeons may consider placing biopsy tracks in the area of planned resection for suspected head and neck malignancies as is more common in approaches to extremity sarcoma.
Fetal ultrasound diagnosis allows effective early postnatal treatment of hematometrocolpos
Authors: Kwache Iliya , Meher Shireen , Balogun Moji , Ewer Andrew K. , Toldi Gergely
Published: May 2021

Fetal hematometrocolpos is a rare finding with an incidence of 1 in 16 000 female births. We present a case of fetal hematometrocolpos managed exclusively by prenatal and postnatal ultrasound scans allowing for effective immediate postnatal surgical treatment.
Successful low‐dose chemotherapy for refractory Epstein‐Barr virus—related post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a child with Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome
Authors: Xi Bixin , Zhou Chen , Zhang Yu
Published: May 2021

We report the first case of a 12‐year‐old boy with Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome who developed CD20‐weakly expressed and CD30‐highly expressed Epstein‐Barr virus–related post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder refractory to rituximab treatment. The patient was effectively and safely treated with personalized low‐dose chemotherapy and subsequently remained in complete remission for 1 year.
Natural expulsion of a sharp iron nail: Right main bronchus to the alimentary tract: A case report
Authors: Poudyal Prasanta , Tripathi Prashant , Guragain Rajendra Prasad Sharma , Rayamajhi Pabina , Gyawali Bigyan Raj
Published: May 2021

A young girl inhaled a pointed iron nail into the right main bronchus. However, both rigid bronchoscopy and oesophagoscopy failed to locate the nail. Surprisingly, it was detected in the abdomen by C‐arm and was expelled uneventfully while defecating two days later.
Successful treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis due to Aspergillus fumigatus in a child affected by systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report from Northeastern Iran
Authors: Kashefi Elham , Seyedi Seyed Javad , Zomorodian Kamiar , Zare Shahrabadi Zahra , Zarrinfar Hossein
Published: May 2021

A6‐year‐old girl affected to systemic lupus erythematosus with symptoms of fever, weakness, and lethargy, cough, chest pain, and abnormalchest x‐ray. The isolated Aspergillus fumigatus was identified using partial calmodulin gene sequencing. Gradual improvement was observed onday 19 of treatment with amphotericinB (50 mg /day).
Gastric perforation caused by secondary systemic amyloidosis
Authors: Yamamoto Hiroto , Yokota Akihiko , Suzuki Noriyuki , Tachibana Mitsuhiro , Tsutsumi Yutaka
Published: May 2021

Amyloid A amyloidosis secondary to chronic inflammation involves systemic organs and tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract. In the present case, massive amyloid deposit caused gastric perforation. IgM co‐deposition in the glomeruli was another finding of note.
Fetomaternal hemorrhage occurred in one fetus of dichorionic twin pregnancy
Authors: Sagawa Kei , Suzuki Shunji
Published: May 2021

Key Clinical Message

In a twin pregnancy, it may be difficult to notice the decreased fetal movements, which is one of the main symptoms of fetomaternal hemorrhage, in one fetus due to the movements of the other fetus.
Ultra‐delayed post‐FTRD resection bleeding
Authors: Zimmer Vincent
Published: May 2021

Non‐exposed endoscopic full‐thickness resection (EFTR) has gained much momentum in streamlining the treatment of difficult‐to‐resect colorectal lesions. As a reiteration of the over‐the‐scope clip (OTSC) platform device‐assisted EFTR combines resection with defect closure, thus perforation and/or bleeding are uncommon complications.
Porous Silica Coated Ceria as a Switch in Tandem Oxidative Dehydrogenation and Dry Reforming of Ethane with CO2
Authors: Li Yingchun , Li Linyi , Sun Wenjing , Chen Congmei , Luo Shizhong , Shen Jun , Jiang Chengfa , Jing Fangli
Published: May 2021

The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane using CO2 as soft oxidant for the production of ethylene, possesses the features of valorization of light alkane and utilization of greenhouse gas. Although a significant challenge, the control of the reaction extent can provide a potential on‐purpose ethylene technology. In the present paper, CeO2 is proposed to be a promising catalyst, while the deep oxidation process of dry reforming is preferred. The SiO2 coated CeO2 catalyst can render the reaction more selective towards ethylene. Through high sensitivity low energy ion scattering spectroscopy, findings were made that SiO2 only partially covered CeO2 in the Si0.1CeO2 sample, in which the ethylene selectivity was 2.7 times as high as that of the bulk CeO2 based on the same conversion level. Further, density functional theory calculations also demonstrated that the presence of the SiO2 layer was more conducive to the desorption of ethylene.
The location of optimal object colors with more than two transitions
Authors: Burns Scott A.
Published: May 2021

The chromaticity diagram associated with the 1931 2° CIE color‐matching functions is shown to be slightly non‐convex. While having no impact on practical colorimetric computations, the non‐convexity does have a significant impact on the shape of some optimal object color reflectance distributions located on the outer surface of the object color solid. Instead of the usual two‐transition Schrödinger form, many optimal colors exhibit higher transition counts. A linear programming formulation is developed and is used to locate where these higher‐transition optimal object colors reside on the object color solid surface. The regions of higher‐transition count appear to have a point‐symmetric, complementary structure. The high‐transition behavior is shown to be largely absent in more modern color‐matching functions, such as the recent “physiologically‐relevant” color‐matching functions transformed from cone fundamentals.
Efficient decentralized access control for secure data sharing in cloud computing
Authors: Liu Tonglai , Wu Jigang , Li Jiaxing , Li Jingyi , Li Yidong
Published: May 2021

Access control is an important technique in information security that allows legitimate users to gain access to and prevent unauthorized users from getting access to resources in a system. The restriction between access from a user and a shared file of the data owner can be determined by the access policy. In most existing access control models, it is assumed that all entities, including users, the third party, and cloud service provider (CSP), are in the same trust domain. However, in cloud computing environments, it is usually assumed that the CSP cannot be fully trusted, and the data owner (DO) is desired to have the absolute initiative to control data access. This article proposes a blockchain‐based access control scheme for cloud computing, in which the DO maintains an access matrix to describe the access policy. Then, the public keys of all nodes and the access matrix are stored in the blockchain, to ensure the security of the proposed scheme. The DOs can encrypt the large shared files once using a symmetric key in a long time. And they also can encrypt the symmetric key in parallel using the public key of authorized users in a short time. Security analysis proves that the proposed scheme is able to prevent outsourced files from unauthorized access and collusion attack. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the existing baselines in terms of overheads on computation and storage. On average, the computation overhead of the proposed scheme is lower than that of the scheme SVPAC, PpBAC, and Timely CP‐ABE by 25.37%, 45.46%, and 36.44%, respectively. The communication overhead of the proposed scheme is lower than that of the scheme Timely CP‐ABE by 17.16%, and it is more secure, although it is higher than that of the scheme SVPAC and PpBAC by 5.88% and 39.05%. And the storage overhead of the proposed scheme is lower than that of the scheme SVPAC, PpBAC, and Timely CP‐ABE by 59.36%, 20.25%, and 61.88%, respectively.
Embryonic development of the camouflaging dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis
Authors: Montague Tessa G. , Rieth Isabelle J. , Axel Richard
Published: May 2021

Background

The dwarf cuttlefish Sepia bandensis, a camouflaging cephalopod from the Indo‐Pacific, is a promising new model organism for neuroscience, developmental biology, and evolutionary studies. Cuttlefish dynamically camouflage to their surroundings by altering the color, pattern, and texture of their skin. The skin's “pixels” (chromatophores) are controlled by motor neurons projecting from the brain. Thus, camouflage is a visible representation of neural activity. In addition to camouflage, the dwarf cuttlefish uses dynamic skin patterns for social communication. Despite more than 500 million years of evolutionary separation, cuttlefish and vertebrates converged to form limbs, camera‐type eyes and a closed circulatory system. Moreover, cuttlefish have a striking ability to regenerate their limbs. Interrogation of these unique biological features will benefit from the development of a new set of tools. Dwarf cuttlefish reach sexual maturity in 4 months, they lay dozens of eggs over their 9‐month lifespan, and the embryos develop to hatching in 1 month.

Results

Here, we describe methods to culture dwarf cuttlefish embryos in vitro and define 25 stages of cuttlefish development.

Conclusion

This staging series serves as a foundation for future technologies that can be used to address a myriad of developmental, neurobiological, and evolutionary questions.
Plant community responses to grassland restoration efforts across a large‐scale precipitation gradient
Authors: Watson D. Fraser , Houseman Gregory R. , Jameson Mary Liz , Jensen William E. , Reichenborn Molly M. , Morphew Alex R. , Kjaer Esben L.
Published: May 2021

Identifying how plant species diversity varies across environmental gradients remains a controversial topic in plant community ecology because of complex interactions among putative factors. This is especially true for grasslands where habitat loss has limited opportunities for systematic study across broad spatial scales. Here we overcome these limitations by examining restored plant community responses to a large‐scale precipitation gradient under two common Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) restoration approaches. The two restoration strategies examined were CP2, which seeds a relatively low number of species, and CP25, which seeds a higher number of species. We sampled plant communities on 55 CRP fields distributed along a broad precipitation gradient (410–1,170 mm mean annual precipitation) spanning 650 km within the grassland biome of North America. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was the most important predicator of plant species richness and had a positive, linear response across the gradient. To a lesser degree, restoration practices also played a role in determining community diversity. The linear increase in species richness across the precipitation gradient reflects the species pool increase from short to tallgrass prairie communities and explained most of the richness variation. These findings provide insight into the diversity constraints and fundamental drivers of change across a large‐scale gradient representing a wide variety of grassland habitats. Across a broad environmental gradient, initial planting differences between restoration practices had lower effects on plant diversity than expected. This suggests that new strategies are needed to effectively establish diverse plant communities on large‐scale restorations such as these.
Measurement of the amplitude and phase of the electrophoretic and electroosmotic mobility based on fast single‐particle tracking
Authors: Amer Cid Íngrid , Ussembayev Yera Ye , Neyts Kristiaan , Strubbe Filip
Published: May 2021

The electrophoretic mobility of micron‐scale particles is of crucial importance in applications related to pharmacy, electronic ink displays, printing, and food technology as well as in fundamental studies in these fields. Particle mobility measurements are often limited in accuracy because they are based on ensemble averages and because a correction for electroosmosis needs to be made based on a model. Single‐particle approaches are better suited for examining polydisperse samples, but existing implementations either require multiple measurements to take the effect of electroosmosis into account or are limited in accuracy by short measurement times. In this work, accurate characterization of monodisperse and polydisperse samples is achieved by measuring the electrophoretic mobility on a particle‐to‐particle basis while suppressing electroosmosis. Electroosmosis can be suppressed by measuring in the middle of a microchannel while applying an AC voltage with a sufficiently high frequency. An accurate measurement of the electrophoretic mobility is obtained by analyzing the oscillating particle motion for per particle with a high‐speed camera measuring at , synchronized to the applied electric field. Attention is paid to take into account the effect of the rolling shutter and the non‐uniform sampling in order to obtain the accurate amplitude and phase of the electrophoretic mobility. The accuracy of method is experimentally verified and compared with a commercial apparatus for polystyrene microspheres in water. The method is further demonstrated on a range of particle materials and particle sizes and for a mixture of positively and negatively charged particles.
In situ and operando force‐based atomic force microscopy for probing local functionality in energy storage materials
Authors: Gao Qiang , Tsai Wan‐Yu , Balke Nina
Published: May 2021

Electrochemical energy storage is the key enabling component of electric vehicles and solar‐/wind‐based energy technologies. The enhancement of energy stored requires the detailed understanding of charge storage mechanisms and local electrochemical and electromechanical phenomena over a variety of length scales from atoms to full cells. Classical electrochemical techniques, such as voltammetry, represent the macroscopic electrochemical properties, and consequently do not allow to extract important information about local electrochemical reactions, ions adsorption, intercalations, and transport. Understanding, controlling, and tuning the local electrochemical functionalities in functional energy materials require in situ/operando techniques which limit the use of structural and functional characterization techniques that provide local information. Here, force‐based atomic force microscopies (AFMs) have provided novel insights into locally probing electrochemical mechanisms on tens of nanometer and even molecular length scales and provide a viable pathway to probe electrochemical processes in situ/operando. In this review, we highlight the contributions in the development and application of force‐based AFM methods to elucidate the local charge storage mechanism in a variety of energy‐related materials. We will focus in particular on methods or AFM modalities in a liquid electrolyte environment.
Highly stable Ni/ZnO‐Al2O3 adsorbent promoted by TiO2 for reactive adsorption desulfurization
Authors: Liu Bowen , Bai Peng , Wang Yang , Dong Zhun , Wu Pingping , Mintova Svetlana , Yan Zifeng
Published: May 2021

The reactive adsorption desulfurization is an important and efficient technology for the ultra‐deep desulfurization of gasoline. The performance of an adsorbent is vital for the efficiency of the reactive adsorption desulfurization process. The formation of inert spinels is commonly recognized for the deactivation of adsorbents. In this work, TiO2 was incorporated in the Ni/ZnO‐Al2O3 adsorbent to inhibit the formation of the spinel phase. The TiO2 formed a stable protection layer on the surface of Al2O3, which prevented the interaction between Al2O3 and ZnO, inhibiting the formation of the ZnAl2O4 spinel phase. The introduction of TiO2 significantly improved the stability of the adsorbents during cyclic hydrothermal treatments, while the sulfur capacity slightly dropped. Characterization results revealed that TiO2 was homogeneously dispersed on the surface of Al2O3 support and the incorporation of TiO2 could maintain a certain amount of Lewis acid sites in the adsorbents, which are favorable for the adsorption of organo‐sulfur compounds.

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Deciphering seismic and normal‐force fluctuation signatures of debris flows: An experimental assessment of effects of flow composition and dynamics
Authors: de Haas Tjalling , Åberg Amanda S. , Walter Fabian , Zhang Zhen
Published: May 2021

Debris flows are gravity‐driven mass movements that are common natural hazards in mountain regions worldwide. Previous work has shown that measurements of ground vibrations are capable of detecting the timing, speed, and location of debris flows. A remaining question is to what extent additional flow properties, such as grain‐size distribution and flow depth can be inferred reliably from seismic data. Here, we experimentally explore the relation of seismic vibrations and normal‐force fluctuations with debris‐flow composition and dynamics. We use a 5.4 m long and 0.3 m wide channel inclined at 20°, equipped with a geophone plate and force plate. We show that seismic vibrations and normal‐force fluctuations induced by debris flows are strongly correlated, and that both are affected by debris‐flow composition. We find that the effects of the large‐particle distribution on seismic vibrations and normal‐force fluctuations are substantially more pronounced than the effects of water fraction, clay fraction, and flow volume, especially when normalized by flow depth. We further show that for flows with similar coarse‐particle distributions seismic vibrations and normal‐force fluctuations can be reasonably well related to flow depth, even if total flow volume, water fraction, and the size distribution of fines varies. Our experimental results shed light on how changes in large‐particle, clay, and water fractions affect the seismic and force‐fluctuation signatures of debris flows, and provide important guidelines for their interpretation.
Analysis of the suspected cancer‐causing potassium bromate additive in bread samples available on the market in and around Dhaka City in Bangladesh
Authors: Mahmud Syed Sadman , Moni Mukta , Imran Abu Bin , Foyez Tahmina
Published: May 2021

Bread is one of the most popular foods consumed worldwide. It is a very popular foodstuff consumed in almost every house in Bangladesh as breakfast. Bread is prepared predominantly from flour to meet the daily carbohydrate demand and enhances its overall nutrition value using various ingredients. Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is an alluring additive to improve bread quality by bread makers. But due to the well‐known toxic and carcinogenic effect, certain levels of KBrO3 residue are not suitable for bread, and it is therefore forbidden in many countries. The key objective of this study is to evaluate the safety status of bread in Dhaka City and its proximity to Bangladesh. Twenty‐one randomly collected bread samples were tested in this study from different bakeries or shops in and around Dhaka City. The levels of KBrO3 were analyzed spectrophotometrically, and the maximum concentration found in the bread sample was 9.29 μg/g. A total of 67% of collected bread samples showed elevated levels of KBrO3 relative to the allowable amount prescribed by various Food and Drug Administration worldwide. KBrO3 is toxic to consumers and could endanger their health over continuous regular consumption and thus need to be monitored strictly.
RNAi‐mediated suppression of vimentin or glial fibrillary acidic protein prevents the establishment of Müller glial cell hypertrophy in progressive retinal degeneration
Authors: Hippert Claire , Graca Anna B. , Basche Mark , Kalargyrou Aikaterini A. , Georgiadis Anastasios , Ribeiro Joana , Matsuyama Ayako , Aghaizu Nozie , Bainbridge James W. , Smith Alexander J. , Ali Robin R. , Pearson Rachael A.
Published: May 2021

Gliosis is a complex process comprising upregulation of intermediate filament (IF) proteins, particularly glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin, changes in glial cell morphology (hypertrophy) and increased deposition of inhibitory extracellular matrix molecules. Gliosis is common to numerous pathologies and can have deleterious effects on tissue function and regeneration. The role of IFs in gliosis is controversial, but a key hypothesized function is the stabilization of glial cell hypertrophy. Here, we developed RNAi approaches to examine the role of GFAP and vimentin in vivo in a murine model of inherited retinal degeneration, the Rhodopsin knockout (Rho−/−) mouse. Specifically, we sought to examine the role of these IFs in the establishment of Müller glial hypertrophy during progressive degeneration, as opposed to (more commonly assessed) acute injury. Prevention of Gfap upregulation had a significant effect on the morphology of reactive Müller glia cells in vivo and, more strikingly, the reduction of Vimentin expression almost completely prevented these cells from undergoing degeneration‐associated hypertrophy. Moreover, and in contrast to studies in knockout mice, simultaneous suppression of both GFAP and vimentin expression led to severe changes in the cytoarchitecture of the retina, in both diseased and wild‐type eyes. These data demonstrate a crucial role for Vimentin, as well as GFAP, in the establishment of glial hypertrophy and support the further exploration of RNAi‐mediated knockdown of vimentin as a potential therapeutic approach for modulating scar formation in the degenerating retina.
Classification of patient‐ and clinician‐generated secure messages using a theory‐based taxonomy
Authors: Heisey‐Grove Dawn , Rathert Cheryl , McClelland Laura E , Jackson Kevin , DeShazo Jonathan
Published: May 2021

Background

As secure electronic message exchange increases between patients and clinicians, we must explore and understand how patients and clinicians use those messages to communicate between clinical visits.

Objective

To present the application of a taxonomy developed specifically to code secure message content in a way that allows for identification of patient and clinician communication functions demonstrated to be associated with patients' intermediate and health outcomes.

Method

We randomly sampled 1031 patients who sent and received 18 309 messages and coded those messages with codes from our taxonomy. We present the prevalence of each taxon (ie, code) within the sample.

Results

The most common taxon among initial patient‐generated messages were Information seeking (29.09%), followed by Scheduling requests (27.91%), and Prescription requests (23.09%). Over half of subsequent patient‐generated messages included responses to clinic staffs' questions (58.31%). Six in 10 clinic staff responses included some form of Information sharing with process‐based responses being most common (32.81%). A third of all clinician‐generated messages (36.28%) included acknowledgement or some level of fulfilment of a patient's task‐oriented request. Clinic staff sought information from patients in 20.54% of their messages.

Conclusion

This taxonomy is the first step toward examining whether secure messaging communication can be associated with patients' health outcomes. Knowing which content is positively associated with outcomes can support training of, and targeted responses from, clinicians with the goal of generating message content designed to improve outcomes.

Patient Contribution

This study is based on analyses of patient‐initiated secure message threads.
Study of mixed convection flow of power‐law fluids in a skewed lid‐driven cavity
Authors: Thohura Sharaban , Molla Md. Mamun , Sarker M. M. Alam , Paul Manosh C.
Published: May 2021

This study conducts a numerical simulation of mixed (combined) convective non‐Newtonian fluid flow inside a two‐dimensional cavity (skewed) having a moving lid. The upper and bottom extremities of the cavity with different temperatures and two insulated side walls cause natural convection. Moreover, the forced convection is maintained by the motion of the lid with constant velocity. The governing equations are nondimensionalized with appropriate transformations and then transformed into curvilinear coordinates. A finite volume numerical procedure with a collocated grid arrangement is used to solve these equations. Comparisons with previously reported results are carried out, which shows an excellent agreement. Non‐Newtonian behaviors such as pseudo‐plastic (shear‐thinning) and dilatant (shear‐thickening) are considered using the power‐law model, and thus the power‐law index is chosen accordingly. A wide range of the governing dimensionless parameters which affect the mixed convection flow inside the skewed cavity, including Grashof number (), Richardson number (), Reynolds number ( = 100 and 400), and power‐law index (). The Prandtl number ( = 10) is fixed and the skew angles (, and ) are considered for acute, right‐angle, and obtuse angles. The obtained numerical outcomes of the study are shown graphically and also in tabular form for vertical and horizontal velocities, streamlines, isotherms, temperature distributions, and the rate of heat transfer and insight physics of the flow features, are discussed thereafter. It can be concluded that the rate of heat transfer in the present case is sensitive to the skew‐angle as well as power‐law index, and the maximum heat transfer occurs in the case of dilatant (shear‐thickening) fluid.
Interteaching: How much does each component increase its efficacy?
Authors: Jimenez Stephanie T. , Gayman Catherine M.
Published: May 2021

Although interteaching has been shown to improve students' understanding of course material in a multitude of classroom studies, only one laboratory study investigating it has been published. In that study, interteaching led to significantly higher scores on a quiz compared to other teaching methods. The goal of the present study was to add to the laboratory literature in this area by determining which components of interteaching are important for students' academic success. A pretest/posttest design was used in which participants were randomly assigned to experience 1 of 4 conditions: 1) reading; 2) reading plus prep guide; 3) reading, prep guide, plus group discussion; or 4) reading, prep guide, group discussion, plus clarifying lecture. The results demonstrated that condition 3 produced the highest improvement in test scores, implying that the group discussion was integral to producing positive academic outcomes.
Calcium phosphate‐based composite cement: Impact of starch type and starch pregelatinization on its physicochemical properties and performance in the vertebral fracture surgical models in vitro
Authors: Tian Yixing , Liu Huiling , He Linwei , Zhang Rui , Lu Qifeng , Liu Chun , Dang Ningqi , Hu Hui , Ma Xuan , Chen Dandan , Sun Haolin , Zhou Huan , Yang Lei , Bai Yanjie , Yang Huilin
Published: May 2021

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC) modified with native and pregelatinized normal corn and waxy maize starches was studied. Effects of starch pregelatinization and starch type on the physicochemical properties of CPC were investigated. CPC modified with pregelatinized normal corn starch (CPB‐PNC) or pregelatinized waxy maize starch (CPB‐PW) was evaluated by two vertebral fracture surgical models in vitro. Both granular and pregelatinized starches significantly improved the setting times and injectability of CPC, but only the pregelatinized starches improved the anti‐collapsibility and compressive strength of CPC significantly. CPB‐PW, whose micro‐structure was compact and uniform, showed the best physicochemical properties. Addition of starch did not inhibit the hydro‐reaction of CPC. Unmodified CPC had very poor dispersibility and could not apply in the tests of the surgical models. Pregelatinized starch especially waxy maize starch improved the dispersibility of CPC and showed good dispersion area, volume, improved pull‐out force and maximum torque in the Sawbones sponge model. Similarly, in the minimally invasive kyphoplasty model, CPB‐PNC and CPB‐PW could disperse in the osteoporotic sheep vertebrae and improve the compressive strength of the sheep vertebral body. In conclusion, starch pregelatinization and starch botanical source affect the physicochemical properties of CPC significantly. Bone cements modified by different starches also performed differently in surgical models for osteoporotic vertebral fracture. Pregelatinized waxy maize starch may be a better candidate for CPC modification comparing to the pregelatinized normal corn starch.
Synthesis of BiPO4/SnO2 heterojunction for the photocatalytic degradation of RhB under visible light emitting diode irradiation
Authors: Zhao Hong‐jian , Wu Ren‐Jang , Yu Zhe , Han Xin‐ning , Zhao Wen‐Xia , Ma Fu
Published: May 2021

In this study, BiPO4 was synthesized in ethylene glycol and water as solvents under room temperature. To the BiPO4 suspension, Na2SnO3∙3H2O and hydrochloric acid were added in order to prepare a BiPO4/SnO2 heterojunction composite photocatalyst. Analyses by X‐ray powder diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed that there is a strong chemical bond between BiPO4 and SnO2 as the SnO2 species gets attached to the BiPO4 sheet. Also, the band gap was narrowed, which greatly improved the visible light absorption of the BiPO4/SnO2 composite. The 1:2BiPO4/SnO2 composite showed excellent photocatalytic degradation efficiency. The degradation rate of Rhodamine B was found to be 92.38% in 50 min, and the corresponding reaction rate was estimated to be 80 times greater than that of BiPO4.
Circular RNA hsa_circ_0001874 is an indicator for gastric cancer
Authors: Ye Qihua , Qi Changlei , Xi Mengting , Ye Guoliang
Published: May 2021

Background

Recent studies have indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel endogenous RNAs whose 5′ and 3′ ends are covalently linked and play critical roles in gastric carcinogenesis. However, the significance of circRNA hsa_circ_0001874 in gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear.

Methods

Therefore, we first detected hsa_circ_0001874 levels in GC cell lines and tissues and analyzed their potential correlation with clinicopathological factors. Then, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was established to evaluate its clinical value. Finally, we further predicted the biological functions of this molecule by bioinformatics analysis.

Results

Our data showed that as an indicator, hsa_circ_0001874 expression was significantly decreased in 78.02% (71/91) of the GC patients. Combined with clinicopathological factors, the hsa_circ_0001874 level was strongly associated with cell differentiation (p < 0.001), tumor stage (p = 0.005), invasion (p = 0.024), lymphatic metastasis (p = 0.023), and CEA level (p < 0.001) in GC tissues. The area under the curve (AUC) was up to 0.673, with a sensitivity and specificity of 61.54% and 68.13%, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis showed that hsa_circ_0001874 harbors miR‐593‐5p, miR‐103a‐3p, and miR‐107 seed sequences to regulate these three miRNAs and downstream target genes and exert its various biological functions in the carcinogenesis and progression of GC.

Conclusion

In summary, these data suggest that hsa_circ_0001874 is an indicator of GC and plays a significant role in gastric carcinogenesis and progression.
Effect of necrotrophic fungus and PGPR on the comparative histochemistry of Vigna radiata by using multiple microscopic techniques
Authors: Javed Sidra , Javaid Arshad , Hanif Uzma , Bahadur Saraj , Sultana Shazia , Shuaib Muhammad , Ali Sajjad
Published: May 2021

Rapid advances in the field of pathogen detection have opened new opportunities and better understanding for their management approaches. Aim of this study was to elucidate histopathological observations of different tissues affected by Macrophomina phaseolina and to observe the defense responses of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in mungbean plants. Sections of the stem and root were prepared and stained with ferric chloride, Lugol's iodine and Wiesner's reagent and were then observed under multiple microscopic techniques. Results revealed that both pathogen and PGPR produce responses on the plant that include colonization of xylem vessels by hyphae and sclerotia, hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the cells, destruction of xylem fibers and amyloplasts in parenchymatous cells; and production of gels by the plant were observed. There was a significant increase in lignin and phenolic compounds deposition in stem and root sections of PGPR treated and non‐treated mungbean plants. Whereas the soil amended with PGPR showed very less to no starch production. Moreover, production of gels and gums were also observed in both stem and root sections. Compared to light microscopy, scanning electron microscope provided greater depth of focus and resolution of the pathogen attack on plant tissues, associated bacteria. As a whole, the data demonstrated that inoculation of PGPR can be an effective strategy to stimulate plant growth and they could significantly activate disease resistance against M. phaseolina.
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1/2 blockade locks dendritic cells in the semimature state associated with FA deprivation by favoring FAO
Authors: Nguyen-Phuong Thuy , Chung Hyunwoo , Jang Jiyun , Kim Jung-Sik , Park Chung-Gyu
Published: May 2021

Immunometabolism is rising as an intriguing topic that reveals the connection between immune cell function and metabolic processes. Especially, fatty acid metabolism plays an essential role in the dendritic cells (DCs) during the differentiation and maturation period. We questioned whether regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylases 1 and 2-(ACC1/2), the core enzymes of fatty acid synthesis (FAS), would control DC function. Here, we report that blocking ACC1/2 to prevent FAS during DC maturation switched their cellular metabolism into fatty acid oxidation to fuel oxidative phosphorylation. This action turned DCs to utilize exogenous fatty acids to sustain their basal energy demand and maintain a stable cellular respiration rate. Coincidentally, under the ACC1/2 inhibitor treatment, LPS-treated DCs exhibited a semimaturation phenotype with a maturation-resistance feature, with decreased expression of costimulatory molecules including CD86 and CD40, along with the reduction of IL-12 and IL-6. The migratory capability of DCs has been known to relate to the glycolysis pathway, and here we showed that the ACC1/2 blockade did not affect the expression of CCR7 and DC migration. Furthermore, we found that under the ACC1/2 blocking condition, DCs pulsed with OVA failed to activate OVA-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation even though their antigen uptake capacity was intact. Together, our data suggest ACC1/2 as a promising target to control DC fate.
GABAergic signaling in human and murine NK cells upon challenge withToxoplasma gondii
Authors: Bhandage Amol K , Friedrich Laura M , Kanatani Sachie , Jakobsson-Björkén Simon , Escrig-Larena J Ignacio , Wagner Arnika K , Chambers Benedict J , Barragan Antonio
Published: May 2021

Protective cytotoxic and proinflammatory cytokine responses by NK cells impact the outcome of infections by Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite in humans and other vertebrates. However, T. gondii can also sequester within NK cells and downmodulate their effector functions. Recently, the implication of GABA signaling in infection and inflammation-related responses of mononuclear phagocytes and T cells has become evident. Yet, the role of GABAergic signaling in NK cells has remained unknown. Here, we report that human and murine NK cells synthesize and secrete GABA in response to infection challenge. Parasitized NK cells secreted GABA, whereas activation stimuli, such as IL-12/IL-18 or parasite lysates, failed to induce GABA secretion. GABA secretion by NK cells was associated to a transcriptional up-regulation of GABA synthesis enzymes (glutamate decarboxylases [GAD65/67]) and was abrogated by GAD inhibition. Further, NK cells expressed GABA-A receptor subunits and GABA signaling regulators, with transcriptional modulations taking place upon challenge with T. gondii. Exogenous GABA and GABA-containing supernatants from parasitized dendritic cells (DCs) impacted NK cell function by reducing the degranulation and cytotoxicity of NK cells. Conversely, GABA-containing supernatants from NK cells enhanced the migratory responses of parasitized DCs. This enhanced DC migration was abolished by GABA-A receptor antagonism or GAD inhibition and was reconstituted by exogenous GABA. Jointly, the data show that NK cells are GABAergic cells and that GABA hampers NK cell cytotoxicity in vitro. We hypothesize that GABA secreted by parasitized immune cells modulates the immune responses to T. gondii infection.
The Role of Lung Ultrasound in Low‐Resource Settings During the Coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) Pandemic
Authors: Cappa Giovanni , Secco Gianmarco , Nganso Andi , Ruzga Ron , Perlini Stefano
Published: May 2021

Lung ultrasound (LUS) has proven to be a helpful diagnostic tool for evaluating lung involvement in respiratory pathologies. The usage of this imaging technique became even more widespread during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. The latest generation ultrasound scanners are conveniently portable and this permits ultrasound examinations to be performed even in extreme environments where no other diagnostic tool is available. Our team has developed the first guide that assists the clinician while operating in low‐resource settings, in managing a SARS‐CoV‐2 patient based on the clinical examination and the LUS findings.