bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative imaging of vesicle–protein interactions reveals close cooperation among proteins
Authors: Cha Minkwon , Jeong Sang Hyeok , Jung Jaehun , Baeg Yoonjin , Park Sung‐Soo , Bae Seoyoon , Lim Chan Seok , Park Jun Hyuk , Lee Jie‐Oh , Gho Yong Song , Oh Seung Wook , Shon Min Ju
Published: April 2023

Membrane‐bound vesicles such as extracellular vesicles (EVs) can function as biochemical effectors on target cells. Docking of the vesicles onto recipient plasma membranes depends on their interaction with cell‐surface proteins, but a generalizable technique that can quantitatively observe these vesicle–protein interactions (VPIs) is lacking. Here, we describe a fluorescence microscopy that measures VPIs between single vesicles and cell‐surface proteins, either in a surface‐tethered or in a membrane‐embedded state. By employing cell‐derived vesicles (CDVs) and intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) as a model system, we found that integrin‐driven VPIs exhibit distinct modes of affinity depending on vesicle origin. Controlling the surface density of proteins also revealed a strong support from a tetraspanin protein CD9, with a critical dependence on molecular proximity. An adsorption model accounting for multiple protein molecules was developed and captured the features of density‐dependent cooperativity. We expect that VPI imaging will be a useful tool to dissect the molecular mechanisms of vesicle adhesion and uptake, and to guide the development of therapeutic vesicles.
Effects of ultrasound on the oxidation and structure of myofibrillar protein in the presence or absence of soybean oil
Authors: Zhou Lei , Zhang Ruyu , Zhang Jian , Yin Yantao , Wei Lanlan , Xing Lujuan , Zhang Wangang
Published: April 2023

BACKGROUND

Ultrasound is widely used as a novel non‐thermal processing technique to improve protein properties. In recent decades, applying ultrasound‐assisted emulsification (UAE) to produce protein‐stabilized emulsion has attracted people's attention. Instead of applying ultrasound to treat a single protein solution, UAE treatment refers to the use of sonication to a mixture of protein and oil. The purpose of this study was to compare the different effects of ultrasound treatment on the properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) in the presence or absence of soybean oil. A suitable sonication power was selected based on the change in emulsion properties.

RESULTS

300 W sonication power was selected because of its most effectively decreased emulsion droplet size and increased absolute zeta potential. Sonication more significantly increased the protein carbonyl content and disulfide bonds of the MP–soybean oil sample compared with the MP sample. Due to the presence of oil, ultrasound could unfold more protein molecules, illustrated by a lower α‐helix content and intrinsic fluorescence intensity, and a higher surface hydrophobicity. Results of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry illustrated that sonication enhanced the myosin heavy chain and actin content at the soybean oil interface as well as accelerated the myosin light chain to separate from myosin in the MP–soybean oil system.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound treatment could lead to a higher level of protein oxidation and greater protein molecule exposure in the MP in the presence of oil system than in the oil‐free MP system. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Promotive role of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A isoform 3 in ovarian cancer cell growth and aerobic glycolysis through the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 signaling
Authors: Bai Sha‐Sha , Yan Li‐Wei , Liu Chun‐Hui
Published: April 2023

Ovarian cancer (OC) represents one of the most detrimental gynecological malignancies. RNA‐binding protein eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A isoform 3 (EIF4A3) is well‐regarded as a definitive oncogene that contributes to the development of multiple malignant tumors. This study sought to elucidate the molecular mechanism of EIF4A3 in OC growth and aerobic glycolysis by regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) mRNA stability. We determined the EIF4A3 and PDK4 expression levels in OC cell lines and normal ovarian epithelial cells, and subsequently evaluated the cell viability and colony formation by cell counting kit‐8 and colony formation assays. The degree of cell aerobic glycolysis was evaluated by measurements of lactic acid production, glucose intake, adenosine triphosphate level, extracellular oxygen consumption, and protein levels of pyruvate kinase isozymes M2 and hexokinase‐2. Afterwards, we verified the binding of EIF4A3 and PDK4 mRNA via RNA immunoprecipitation, and determined the mRNA stability after actinomycin D treatment. Finally, a series of rescue experiments was performed with pcDNA3.1‐PDK4. EIF4A3 and PDK4 were upregulated in OC cells. Silencing EIF4A3 obstructed cell proliferation and aerobic glycolysis, while the same was annulled by EIF4A3 overexpression. Mechanically, EIF4A3 could bind to PDK4 mRNA to stabilize its mRNA and upregulate its protein levels. PDK4 overexpression inverted the inhibitory role of silencing EIF4A3 in proliferation and aerobic glycolysis. Overall, our findings highlighted that EIF4A3 induced OC progression by stabilizing PDK4 mRNA.
Laryngotracheal Reconstruction Outcomes in Children Born Extremely Premature
Authors: Blumenthal Daniel , Leonard James A. , Habib Andy , Behzadpour Hengameh , Espinel Alexandra , Preciado Diego
Published: April 2023

Introduction

There has been a notable increase in the number of neonates born 28 weeks gestational age or younger in the United States. Many of these patients require tracheostomy early in life and subsequent laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR). Although extremely premature infants often undergo LTR, there is no known study to date examining their post‐surgical outcomes.

Objectives

To compare decannulation rates, time to decannulation and complication rates between LTR patients born extremely premature to those born preterm and term.

Methods

We identified 179 patients treated at a stand‐alone tertiary children's hospital who underwent open airway reconstruction from 2008 to 2021. A Chi Squared test was used to detect differences in categorical clinical data between the groups of patients. A Mann–Whitney test was used to analyze continuous data within these same groups. Time to decannulation analysis was performed using Kaplan Meier analysis and evaluated with log‐rank and Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

Children born extremely premature were more likely to incur complications following LTR (OR = 2.363, p = 0.005, CI 1.295–4.247). There was no difference in time to decannulation (p = 0.0543, Log‐rank) or rate of decannulation (OR = 0.4985, p = 0.05, CI 0.2511–1.008). Extremely premature infants were more likely to be treated with an anterior and posterior grafts (OR = 2.471, p = 0.004, CI 1.297–4.535) and/or an airway stent (OR = 3.112, p < 0.001, CI 1.539–5.987).

Conclusion

Compared with all other patients, extremely premature infants have equivalent decannulation success, but are at an increased risk for complications following LTR.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 133:3608–3614, 2023
Influence of snow and meteorological conditions on snow‐avalanche deposit volumes and consequences for road‐network vulnerability
Authors: Kern Hippolyte , Jomelli Vincent , Eckert Nicolas , Grancher Delphine , Deschatres Michael , Arnaud‐Fassetta Gilles
Published: April 2023

Snow avalanches are a major component of the mountain cryosphere that frequently create road obstructions. Deposit characteristics determine the extent of damage to the road infrastructures and the period of disruption of the road network, but the factors controlling snow‐deposit volumes remain largely unknown. This study investigates the influence of meteorological and snowpack conditions on snow‐avalanche deposits and road‐network vulnerability based on 1986 deposit volumes from 182 paths located in two regions of the French Alps between 2003 and 2017: the Guil and Haute‐Maurienne valleys. During the period, 195 avalanches impacted the road network in these areas, leading to major disruptions. In the Haute‐Maurienne, correlations between deposit volumes and meteorological and snowpack conditions are high in winter. However, the relationships differ with path elevation and orientation. Results do not show any significant relationship between volumes and meteorological or snowpack conditions for the spring season. Focusing on deposits that disturbed the road network in winter and spring reveals a distinct influence of meteorological and snow variables compared to the overall dataset, with snowfall intensity as the predominant control variable of deposit volumes leading to road cuts. When the same analysis is conducted by considering Guil valley separately or by aggregating the Haute‐Maurienne with Guil valley area data, results do not show any significant relationship, highlighting the specific local nature of relations between deposit volumes and meteorological and snowpack conditions.
High Porosity Poly(ether ketone ketone): Influence of Solvents on Foam Properties
Authors: Rusakov Dmitrii , Menner Angelika , Bismarck Alexander
Published: April 2023

Poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) is a semicrystalline high‐performance polymer with exceptional mechanical properties, high continuous operation temperature, and is insoluble in most common solvents. Porous PEKK, desired for biomedical applications, is produced by a high‐temperature thermally induced phase separation process using PEKK solutions in two high boiling aprotic solvents, 4‐phenylphenol and 9‐fluorenone, with concentrations up to 20 wt.%. It is demonstrated that the solvent choice has a pronounced influence on the phase separation behavior, which determines the foam morphology, physical and mechanical properties of PEKK foams. Porous PEKK with porosities ranging from 70% to 90%, specific surface areas up to 194 m2 g−1 and elastic moduli ranging from 35 to 100 MPa are produced.
TMT's technical orientation and ambidextrous innovation capability in digital transformation age
Authors: Yang Zhong‐hai , Xu Meng , Xiu Xue , Li Gao‐bo
Published: April 2023

This study examines the effects of technical orientation of the top management team (TMT) on ambidextrous innovation capability in the digital transformation age. Our baseline results document a positive relationship between TMTs' technical orientation and ambidextrous innovation capability. While digital transformation significantly enhances the positive relationship between TMTs' technical orientation and radical innovation capability, it is not correlated with the positive relationship between TMTs' technical orientation and incremental innovation capability. We discuss the heterogeneity of state ownership, revealing that while TMTs' technical orientation enhances the ambidextrous innovation capability in Chinese state‐owned enterprises (SOEs), it is not correlated with Chinese non‐SOEs. In Chinese SOEs, digital transformation enhances the positive relationship between TMTs' technical orientation and ambidextrous innovation capability, but no correlation is observed in Chinese non‐SOEs.
Penetrative convection in a bi‐disperse porous medium
Authors: Arnone Giuseppe , Capone Florinda , De Luca Roberta , Massa Giuliana
Published: April 2023

The present paper investigates penetrative convection in a bi‐disperse porous medium. In particular, penetrative convection is modeled via a quadratic dependence on the temperature for the fluid density. For the problem under examination, convection can occur only through a secondary stationary motion since the validity of the principle of exchange of stabilities is proved. Via linear instability analysis of the conduction solution, the critical Rayleigh number for the onset of penetrative convection is determined. Moreover, the nonlinear stability is investigated via weighted energy method. In order to analyze the behavior of the stability and instability thresholds, numerical simulations are performed through Chebyshev‐
method, proving the stabilizing effect of the upper boundary layer temperature on the onset of convective motion.
p$$ p $$‐Adic phase transitions for countable state Potts model
Authors: Mukhamedov Farrukh , Khakimov Otabek
Published: April 2023

The statistical mechanical models with finitely many spin values have several applications in many areas of natural science. One of the most studied models is the Potts model, which has a rich structure of physical phenomena. However, countable analog of the mentioned model has not been deeply studied yet. In the present paper, we are going to construct generalized
‐adic Gibbs measures (for the countable state
‐adic Potts model on a Cayley tree) by investigating non‐linear
‐adic dynamical systems on the sequence spaces. The provided study offers the existence of the strong phase transition for the model.
Automated isocenter optimization approach for treatment planning for gyroscopic radiosurgery
Authors: Stapper Carolin , Gerlach Stefan , Hofmann Theresa , Fürweger Christoph , Schlaefer Alexander
Published: April 2023

Background

Radiosurgery is a well‐established treatment for various intracranial tumors. In contrast to other established radiosurgery platforms, the new ZAP‐X® allows for self‐shielding gyroscopic radiosurgery. Here, treatment beams with variable beam‐on times are targeted towards a small number of isocenters. The existing planning framework relies on a heuristic based on random selection or manual selection of isocenters, which often leads to a higher plan quality in clinical practice.

Purpose

The purpose of this work is to study an improved approach for radiosurgery treatment planning, which automatically selects the isocenter locations for the treatment of brain tumors and diseases in the head and neck area using the new system ZAP‐X®.

Methods

We propose a new method to automatically obtain the locations of the isocenters, which are essential in gyroscopic radiosurgery treatment planning. First, an optimal treatment plan is created based on a randomly selected nonisocentric candidate beam set. The intersections of the resulting subset of weighted beams are then clustered to find isocenters. This approach is compared to sphere‐packing, random selection, and selection by an expert planner for generating isocenters. We retrospectively evaluate plan quality on 10 acoustic neuroma cases.

Results

Isocenters acquired by the method of clustering result in clinically viable plans for all 10 test cases. When using the same number of isocenters, the clustering approach improves coverage on average by 31 percentage points compared to random selection, 15 percentage points compared to sphere packing and 2 percentage points compared to the coverage achieved with the expert selected isocenters. The automatic determination of location and number of isocenters leads, on average, to a coverage of 97 ± 3% with a conformity index of 1.22 ± 0.22, while using 2.46 ± 3.60 fewer isocenters than manually selected. In terms of algorithm performance, all plans were calculated in less than 2 min with an average runtime of 75 ± 25 s.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the feasibility of an automatic isocenter selection by clustering in the treatment planning process with the ZAP‐X® system. Even in complex cases where the existing approaches fail to produce feasible plans, the clustering method generates plans that are comparable to those produced by expert selected isocenters. Therefore, our approach can help reduce the effort and time required for treatment planning in gyroscopic radiosurgery.
Seeking consultation for urinary incontinence: Behaviours and barriers among Jordanian women
Authors: Mahfouz Ismaiel Abu , Blanker Marco H. , Asali Fida , Mehaisen Lama Al , Mahfouz Salem Abu , Siyam Samaa , Al‐Attar Mais
Published: April 2023

Introduction

The rates of seeking consultation for urinary incontinence (UI) and the barriers against consultations vary among countries and study populations and are influenced by various factors such as embarrassment, perception of illness, resources and culture.

Objectives

To study healthcare‐seeking behaviours and barriers among Jordanian women.

Methods

Between 1 March 2020 and 15 April 2020, we conducted a cross‐sectional online survey among women 18 years of age or more who have UI and have access to the internet. We collected women's characteristics, UI types, severity, bother, seeking consultation behaviours and barriers. Logistic regression analyses were used to study the variables associated with seeking consultation.

Results

The data of 1454 women with a mean age (SD) of 41.5 (11.5) years were analysed. Mixed UI was the most common type (56.3%), while 43.8% of the participants sought consultation, and 33.8% waited 1 year before seeking consultation. The most common barriers were embarrassment (52.2%), considering UI as a normal occurrence with ageing (41.5%), and limited expectations of improvement from treatment (42.0%). The most common barriers vary according to UI type. Embarrassment was the most commonly reported barrier by women with mixed UI (29.4%), UI as normal with ageing was mostly considered by women with stress UI (11.5%) and treatment for UI is going to be expensive was expressed by women with mixed UI (19.4%).

Seeking consultation decreased among women with more educational achievement (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–0.87) with university graduates doing so less than women with high school or less educational achievement. Additionally, seeking consultation was more among women who were aware of a family member with UI (aOR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.03–2.01) compared to women who were not. Also, multiparous women (aOR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.19–2.77) sought consultation more than nulliparous women.

Seeking a consultation was more among women who were bothered by the impact of UI on various daily activities, namely, household activities (aOR: 1.42; 95% CI: 0.85–2.37), prayers (aOR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.07–2.71) and sex life (aOR: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.45–4.21) compared to women who were not bothered. Seeking a consultation was less among women who reported embarrassment as a barrier (aOR: 0.534; 95% CI: 0.34–0.84) compared to women who were not embarrassed.

Conclusion

Four in 10 women with UI sought care, but with a considerable delay between the onset of symptoms and actual care seeking. These outcomes could be explained by the impact of various barriers. Additionally, barriers might vary in different cultures and countries, so culture‐sensitive questionnaires should be considered when healthcare‐seeking consultations and barriers are studied.
Femtosecond Spectroscopy on a Dibenzophenazine‐Cored Macrocycle Exhibiting Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence
Authors: Thom Kristoffer A. , Nolden Oliver , Weingart Oliver , Izumi Saika , Minakata Satoshi , Takeda Youhei , Gilch Peter
Published: April 2023

The photophysics of a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitting macrocycle consisting of two dibenzo[a,j]phenazine acceptor moieties bridged by two N,N,N’,N’‐tetraphenylene‐1,4‐diamine donor units was scrutinized in solution by steady‐state and time‐resolved spectroscopy. The fluorescence lifetime of the compound proved to be strongly solvent‐dependent. It ranges from 6.3 ns in cyclohexane to 34 ps in dimethyl sulfoxide. In polar solvents the fluorescence decay is predominantly due to internal conversion. In non‐polar ones radiative decay and intersystem crossing contribute. Contrary to the behaviour in polymer matrices (S. Izumi et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 1482) the excited state decay is not predominantly due to prompt and delayed fluorescence. The solvent‐dependent behaviour is analyzed with the aid of quantum chemical computations.
Sabatolimab (MBG453) model‐informed drug development for dose selection in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia and solid tumors
Authors: Xu Siyan , Zhang Na , Rinne Mikael L. , Sun Haiying , Stein Andrew M.
Published: April 2023

Sabatolimab is a novel immunotherapy with immuno‐myeloid activity that targets T‐cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain‐3 (TIM‐3) on immune cells and leukemic blasts. It is being evaluated for the treatment of myeloid malignancies in the STIMULUS clinical trial program. The objective of this analysis was to support the sabatolimab dose‐regimen selection in hematologic malignancies. A population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) model was fit to patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, which included acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (including intermediate‐, high‐, and very high‐risk per Revised International Prognostic Scoring System), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. The PopPK model, together with a predictive model of sabatolimab distribution to the bone marrow and binding to TIM‐3 was used to predict membrane‐bound TIM‐3 bone marrow occupancy. In addition, the total soluble TIM‐3 (sTIM‐3) kinetics and the pharmacokinetic (PK) exposure‐response relationship in patients with hematologic malignancies were examined. At intravenous doses above 240 mg Q2w and 800 mg Q4w, we observed linear PK, a plateau in the accumulation of total sTIM‐3, and a flat exposure‐response relationship for both safety and efficacy. In addition, the model predicted membrane‐bound TIM‐3 occupancy in the bone marrow was above 95% in over 95% of patients. Therefore, these results support the selection of the 400 mg Q2w and 800 mg Q4w dosing regimens for the STIMULUS clinical trial program.
Theoretical Study of Stability of Halogen‐Defective Trihalide Monolayers: Cases of AlI3, AsI3, and IrBr3
Authors: Lu Leran , Botella Romain , Cao Wei
Published: April 2023

A theoretical study is conducted with three MX monolayer 2D materials (AlI, AsI, and IrBr) on their electronic properties and how a halogen monovacancy affects their thermostability. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are run to obtain the band structures and phonon dispersions for both pristine and defective structures. It is shown that AlI and AsI have indirect bandgaps of and  eV, respectively. IrBr has a direct bandgap of  eV. Phonon dispersions indicate that they are all thermodynamically stable in pristine state, but their defective counterparts are not. Ab‐initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations are conducted for defective ones to further investigate their stability. It is found that AlI3 and AsI3 layers are decomposed while IrBr3 layer is bent. Further investigations are conducted by analyzing the bond energies and bond lengths of the three materials. It shows that AlI and AsI have lower bond energy and longer bond length, which makes them dissociated at the ambient temperature while higher bond energy and shorter bond length keep IrBr stabilized and enable its displacive phase transition in displacive limit.
Molecular mechanisms of action and chemosensitization of tumor cells in ovarian cancer by phytochemicals: A narrative review on pre‐clinical and clinical studies
Authors: Barboza Josianne Rocha , Pereira Francisco Assis Nascimento , Vasconcelos Cleydlenne Costa , de Sousa Ribeiro Maria Nilce , Lopes Alberto Jorge Oliveira
Published: April 2023

Ovarian cancer is the second‐leading cause of death among women with cancer of the genital tract. Currently, drugs derived from platinum and taxanes constitute the majority of ovarian cancer treatments. Patients undergoing this chemotherapy are susceptible to cumulative toxic effects and resistance to chemotherapy. Therefore, it is crucial to identify treatment options that are both more effective and better tolerated by patients. Phytochemicals in this context are plant‐derived chemicals with antitumor activity that can be used as therapeutic or adjuvant agents in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Consequently, the purpose of this literature review is to demonstrate through existing pre‐clinical and clinical trials the potential of phytochemicals in the treatment of ovarian cancer, the mechanisms of action involved, and to contribute to the development of new therapeutic options for ovarian cancer. For this review, the databases PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and ClinicalTrials.gov were queried between 2010 and 2022 using terms such as “ovarian cancer,” “phytochemicals,” “phenolic compounds,” “terpenes,” and “alkaloids.” The present review summarized the possible molecular mechanisms of action by which phytochemicals, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, diterpenes, triterpenes, saponins, and alkaloids, inhibit this type of cancer, specifically the ability of phytochemicals to induce cell growth regulation, apoptosis, oxidative stress reduction, anti‐angiogenesis, and chemosensitization of tumors in ovarian cancer. As their action and cellular mechanism have already been demonstrated in several pre‐clinical trials, the phytochemicals identified in our study have the potential to be investigated for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Through pre‐clinical and clinical trials, our study demonstrates the potential of phytochemicals in the treatment of ovarian cancer, contributing to the development of novel therapeutic options for ovarian cancer.
The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the birth experiences of women attending a postnatal discussion service in the UK
Authors: Capatina Nadejda , Parker‐Farthing Claire , Gillings Daniella , Aiken Catherine E.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the perinatal mental health of women. The aim of this study is to understand the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on birth experiences of women attending postnatal discussions.

Methods

Retrospective cohort of 434 women attending postnatal discussion appointments at a single obstetrics centre in Cambridge, UK. Data were extracted from electronic medical records. Pre‐COVID (January 2019–October 2019) and COVID (January 2021–October 2021) periods were designated.

Results

The percentage of women seeking postnatal discussion appointments was not different between the COVID 4.1% vs. 3.9% pre‐COVID period (relative risk [RR] = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.88, 1.27), nor was the percentage of women reporting negative birth experiences during COVID 75% vs. 77% pre‐COVID (RR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.88, 1.09). There was a higher rate of mental health issues antenatally during the COVID period 27.1% vs. 16.6% (RR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.12, 2.37) in the pre‐COVID period, but not postnatally COVID 24.9% vs. 30.2% pre‐COVID (RR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.61, 1.12). There was an increase in the number of women giving birth without their partner present during COVID 6.1% vs. 2.4% during pre‐COVID (RR = 2.51, 95% CI: 0.92, 6.85) and reduced birth‐related trauma rates reported by partners during COVID 4.8% vs. 11.7% pre‐COVID (RR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.82).

Conclusion

There was no increase in the rate of women attending our service who reported negative birth experiences or postnatal mental health issues. However, there were important impacts of the pandemic on antenatal mental health and partner involvement. Our findings could help guide maintenance of safe and considerate maternity services under exceptional conditions.
Report of the General Committee: 25
Authors: Wilson Karen L.
Published: April 2023

Decisions of the General Committee are reported on proposals and requests in Reports 62 and 72 of the Permanent Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants (NCVP), Report 23 of the Permanent Nomenclature Committee for Algae (NCA), and Report 15 of the Permanent Nomenclature Committee for Fossils (NCFoss).
Heteroatom Doping Promoting CoP for Driving Water Splitting
Authors: Cheng Wenjing , Yang Huimin , Wang Tingjian , He Xiaoyan , Tian Lin , Li Zhao
Published: April 2023

CoP nanomaterials have been extensively regarded as one of the most promising electrocatalysts for overall water splitting due to their unique bifunctionality. Although the great promise for future applications, some important issues should also be addressed. Heteroatom doping has been widely acknowledged as a potential strategy for improving the electrocatalytic performance of CoP and narrowing the gap between experimental study and industrial applications. Recent years have witnessed the rapid development of heteroatom‐doped CoP electrocatalysts for water splitting. Aiming to provide guidance for the future development of more effective CoP‐based electrocatalysts, we herein organize a comprehensive review of this interesting field, with the special focus on the effects of heteroatom doping on the catalytic performance of CoP. Additionally, many heteroatom‐doped CoP electrocatalysts for water splitting are also discussed, and the structure‐activity relationship is also manifested. Finally, a systematic conclusion and outlook is well organized to provide direction for the future development of this interesting field.
Fabrication ofShearing‐Motion‐TypeTactile Display Mechanism UsingSMA Thick‐FilmActuators and Coil Springs Array
Authors: Sato Hayato , Maruyama Akira , Saito Ryo , Mineta Takashi
Published: April 2023

A shearing‐motion‐type microelectromechanical system (MEMS) tactile display mechanism was fabricated to provide a shear vibration stimulus to the fingertip. It consisted of shrinking shape memory alloy (SMA) thick‐film actuators and a supporting coil spring array. The SMA actuator array was designed and fabricated using a flash‐evaporated SMA film (10 μm thick) on a mirror‐polished Cu substrate. The coil spring was successfully arrayed on a glass substrate with an SU‐8 circular array pattern. The glass substrate with the coils was bonded to the SMA substrate to complete the shearing‐motion mechanism. During the bonding process, the SMA actuators were initially elongated by the coil springs. The generated amplitude and force of the fabricated mechanism were characterized when the SMA actuator was heated by applying a pulsed current to be shrank by the shape recovery effect. The fabricated shearing‐motion mechanism successfully generated large amplitude of 41 μm (around 80 μm in reciprocal motion) and force of 22 mN at a driving frequency of 1 Hz. At 20 Hz, an amplitude of 23 μm and force of 10 mN were obtained even though they were reduced owing to the low thermal response. At both driving frequencies, the obtained amplitudes and forces seems to be sufficient for tactile stimulation to finger skin. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Study on the Generation of Carbon Particles in Oil and its Effect on the Breakdown Characteristics of Oil‐Paper Insulation
Authors: Zhang Zhanlong , Pan Xiaomei , Dong Zijian , Zhong Jiarong , Wang Xuemeng
Published: April 2023

The partial discharge in the converter transformer will cause the carbonization of the insulating paper. The high concentration of free carbon particles generated from the insulating paper during the operation of the converter transformer will cause partial discharge, which will aggravate the insulation performance deterioration. For the bi‐directional interaction of carbon particles and partial discharge, the mechanism of insulating paper carbonization caused by partial discharge and the effect of carbon particles on the dielectric strength of oil paper are studied. In this paper, we construct a simulation system of amorphous cellulose to study the carbonization mechanism of insulating paper from the microscopic level. Furthermore, we build a DC voltage experimental platform to carry out partial discharge damage tests of oil‐paper insulation models and to measure the changes in the breakdown voltage with different carbon particle concentrations and diameters. The results show that partial discharge speeds up the cleavage rate of cellulose, generates low molecular hydrocarbon gas and water molecules, and the carbon atoms rearrange into PAH‐like molecules with aliphatic side chains. The surface of the insulating paper will carbonize, then form free carbon particles after peeling off. Afterward, the carbon particles in insulating oil accumulate in the high electric field area and attach to the insulating paper, which will cause electric field distortion and reduce the dielectric strength of oil‐paper insulation. With the increase of carbon particle concentration and diameter, the breakdown voltage of oil‐paper insulation decreases gradually. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Identifying potential targets for lung cancer intervention by analyzing the crosstalk of cancer‐associated fibroblasts and immune and metabolism microenvironment
Authors: Wei Shiyou , Bao Minwei , Zhu Yuming , Zhang Wentian , Jiang Lei
Published: April 2023

Background

Cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been reported to play a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment and progression.

Methods

The data used in this study were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases, and all analyses were performed using R software.

Results

We first quantified the CAFs infiltration through single sample gene set enrichment analysis in the TCGA and combined GEO cohort (GSE30219, GSE37745, and GSE50081). Our result showed that patients with high levels of CAF infiltration were associated with worse clinical features and poor prognosis. Immune microenvironment analysis indicated that high CAF infiltration might result in increased infiltration of immune cells, including aDC, B cells, CD8+ T cells, cytotoxic cells, DC, eosinophils, iDC, macrophages, mast cells, neutrophils, NK CD56dim cells, NK cells, pDC, and T cells. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between CAFs and M2 macrophages, while a negative correlation was found between CAFs and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Kaplan‐Meier survival curves indicated that glycerophospholipid metabolism was a protective factor against lung cancer. Biological enrichment analysis showed that pathways such as allograft rejection, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, KRAS signaling, TNF‐α signaling, myogenesis, IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling, IL2/STAT5 signaling were upregulated in the patients with high CAF infiltration. Moreover, patients with high CAF infiltration had a lower proportion of immunotherapy responders. Genome analysis showed that low CAFs infiltration was associated with high genome instability. We identified FGF5 and CELF3 as key genes involved in the interaction between CAFs, M2 macrophages, and glycerophospholipid metabolism, and further analyzed FGF5. In vitro experiments showed that FGF5 promoted the proliferation, invasion and migration of lung cancer cells and was primarily localized in the nucleoli fibrillar center.

Conclusions

Our study provides novel insights into the roles of CAFs in lung cancer progression and the underlying crosstalk of tumor metabolism and immune microenvironment.
EPN3 plays oncogenic role in non‐small cell lung cancer by activating the JAK1/2‐STAT3 pathway
Authors: Meng Jiguang , Zhang Chunyang , Zhu Nengyang , Zhang Caiyun , Liu Meng , Han Zhihai , Li Yongqun
Published: April 2023

The effect of Epsin 3 (EPN3) on non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not yet been clearly elucidated. This study identified the exact function of EPN3 on NSCLC progression. EPN3 expression in NSCLC patients were analyzed based on the Cancer Genome Atlas database. Kaplan–Meier analysis was implemented to research the effect of EPN3 on patients' survival. EPN3 expression in clinical tissues of 62 NSCLC cases was monitored by real‐time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and Western blot. A549 and H1299 cells were transfected with EPN3 shRNA and treated by RO8191 (20 μM). Proliferation was researched by cell counting kit‐8 and 5‐ethnyl‐2 deoxyuridine assays. Apoptosis was monitored by flow cytometry. Migration and invasion was assessed by Transwell experiment. EPN3 effect on A549 cell in vivo growth was researched using nude mice. RO8191 (200 μg) was intratumoral injected into mice. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot was implemented to monitor protein expression in cells and xenograft tumor tissues. EPN3 was abnormally up‐regulated in NSCLC patients and cells, indicating a lower overall survival. Loss of EPN3 weakened proliferation, migration and invasion, induced apoptosis, and repressed epithelial‐mesenchymal transition in NSCLC cells. Loss of EPN3 inactivated the JAK1/2‐STAT3 pathway in NSCLC cells. RO8191 treatment reversed the inhibition of EPN3 knockdown on the malignant phenotype of NSCLC cells. RO8191 intratumoral injection reversed the suppression of EPN3 silencing on NSCLC cell in vivo growth. EPN3 acted as an oncogene in NSCLC via activating the JAK1/2‐STAT3 pathway. EPN3 may be a promising target for NSCLC treatment.
Histaminergic neurotransmission in aging and Alzheimer's disease: A review of therapeutic opportunities and gaps
Authors: Satpati Abhijit , Neylan Thomas , Grinberg Lea T.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorderfeaturing a brain accumulation of extracellular β‐amyloidplaques (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tautangles (NFTs). Although cognitive decline is a disease‐defining symptom of AD, sleep dysfunction, a common symptom often preceding cognitive decline, hasrecently gained more attention as a core AD symptom. Polysomnography and othersleep measures show sleep fragmentation with shortening of N3 sleep togetherwith excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and sundowning as the main findings in AD patients. The latter reflects dysfunction of the wake‐promoting neurons (WPNs), including histaminergic neurons (HAN) located in thetuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) of the posterior hypothalamus, which projectunmyelinated axons to various parts of the brain. Histamine's role in cognitionand arousal is broadly recognized. Selective targeting of histaminergic subtype‐3 and 4 receptors show therapeutic potential in rodent models of AD andaging.

Method

Based on PubMed, Scopus, and google scholar databases search, this review summarizes the current knowledge on the histaminergic system in AD and aging, its therapeutic potential in AD, and highlight areas where moreresearch is needed.

Results

Animal studies have demonstrated that pharmacological manipulation of histaminergic receptors or histamine supplementation improves cognition in AD models. However, measurements of HA or HA metabolite levels in the human brainand CSF present contradictory reports due to either lack of power or controls for known confounders.

Discussion

Systemic studies including broad age, sex, neuropathological diagnosis, and disease stage are warranted to fill the gap in our current understanding of the histaminergic neurotransmitter/neuromodulator system in humans, especially age‐related changes, and therapeuticpotential of histamine in AD‐related dysfunction.
Multi‐ligand functionalized blood‐to‐tumor sequential targeting strategies in the field of glioblastoma nanomedicine
Authors: Martins Cláudia , Sarmento Bruno
Published: April 2023

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an unmet clinical need characterized by a standard of care (SOC) 5‐year survival rate of only 5%, and a treatment mostly palliative. Significant hurdles in GBM therapies include an effective penetration of therapeutics through the brain protective barrier, namely the blood–brain barrier (BBB), and a successful therapeutic delivery to brain‐invading tumor cells post‐BBB crossing. These hurdles, along with the poor prognosis and critical heterogeneity of the disease, have shifted attention to treatment modalities with capacity to precisely and sequentially target (i) BBB cells, inducing blood‐to‐brain transport, and (ii) GBM cells, leading to a higher therapeutic accumulation at the tumor site. This sequential targeting allows therapeutic molecules to reach the brain parenchyma and compromise molecular processes that support tumor cell invasion. Besides improving formulation and pharmacokinetics constraints of drugs, nanomedicines offer the possibility of being surface functionalized with multiple possibilities of targeting ligands, while delivering the desired therapeutic cargos to the biological sites of interest. Targeting ligands exploit the site‐specific expression or overexpression of specific molecules on BBB and GBM cells, triggering brain plus tumor transport. Since the efficacy of single‐ligand functionalized nanomedicines is limited due to the GBM anatomical site (brain) and disease complexity, this review presents an overview of multi‐ligand functionalized, BBB and GBM sequentially‐ and dual‐targeted nanomedicines reported in literature over the last 10 years. The role of the BBB in GBM progression, treatment options, and the multiple possibilities of currently available targeting ligands will be summarized.

This article is categorized under:

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease
Scenario-Based Foresight in the Age of Digital Technologies and AI
Authors: Ködding Patrick , Koldewey Christian , Dumitrescu Roman
Published: April 2023

Scenario-based foresight is used less and less in the corporate world despite continued high satisfaction with the obtained results. In the age of digitalization, many companies feel increasingly forced to short-termism instead of strategic planning. However, emerging digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), represent a promising approach to cope with the traditional challenges of scenario-based foresight as well as new challenges added by digitalization. Therefore, this work-in-progress paper identifies and analyzes use cases for scenario-based foresight with digital technologies employing a systematic analysis of the relevant literature.

In the paper at hand, we show that the use of digital technologies for improving the performance of scenario-based foresight is an emerging field. We identify 14 so-called use cases, i.e., unique goal-oriented applications of digital technologies for scenario-based foresight. In general, the use cases show that currently digital technologies can enhance, not substitute the capabilities of scenario-based foresight practitioners. Digital technologies primarily support the analysis of large amounts of data, e.g., for collecting futuristic data and identifying key influence factors. However, activities that require implicit knowledge and creativity, like the interpretation of scenarios, are currently still left to humans.
Collaborative Work Enabled by Immersive Environments
Authors: Mayer Anjela , Chardonnet Jean-Rémy , Häfner Polina , Ovtcharova Jivka
Published: April 2023

Digital transformation facilitates new methods for remote collaboration while shaping a new understanding of working together. In this chapter, we consider global collaboration in the context of digital transformation, discuss the role of Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVEs) within the transformation process, present an overview of the state of CVEs and go into more detail on significant challenges in CVEs by providing recent approaches from research.
Jet-veto resummation at N3LLp + NNLO in boson production processes
Authors: Campbell John M. , Ellis R. Keith , Neumann Tobias , Seth Satyajit
Published: April 2023

Abstract

Vetoing energetic jet activity is a crucial tool for suppressing backgrounds and enabling new physics searches at the LHC, but the introduction of a veto scale can introduce large logarithms that may need to be resummed. We present an implementation of jet-veto resummation for color-singlet processes at the level of N3LLp matched to fixed-order NNLO predictions. Our public code MCFM allows for predictions of a single boson, such as Z/γ*, W± or H, or with a pair of vector bosons, such as W+W−, W±Z or ZZ. The implementation relies on recent calculations of the soft and beam functions in the presence of a jet veto over all rapidities, with jets defined using a sequential recombination algorithm with jet radius R. However one of the ingredients that is required to reach full N3LL accuracy is only known approximately, hence N3LLp. We describe in detail our formalism and compare with previous public codes that operate at the level of NNLL. Our higher-order predictions improve significantly upon NNLL calculations by reducing theoretical uncertainties. We demonstrate this by comparing our predictions with ATLAS and CMS results.
Phase diagram of holographic thermal dense QCD matter with rotation
Authors: Zhao Yan-Qing , He Song , Hou Defu , Li Li , Li Zhibin
Published: April 2023

Abstract

We study the rotation effects of the hot and dense QCD matter in a non-perturbative regime by the gauge/gravity duality. We use the gravitational model that is designated to match the state-of-the-art lattice data on the thermal properties of (2+1)-flavor QCD and predict the location of the critical endpoint and the first-order phase transition line at large baryon chemical potential without rotation. After introducing the angular velocity via a local Lorentz boost, we investigate the thermodynamic quantities for the system under rotation in a self-consistent way. We find that the critical temperature and baryon chemical potential associated with the QCD phase transition decrease as the angular velocity increases. Moreover, some interesting phenomena are observed near the critical endpoint. We then construct the 3-dimensional phase diagram of the QCD matter in terms of temperature, baryon chemical potential, and angular velocity. As a parallel investigation, we also consider the gravitational model of SU(3) pure gluon system, for which the 2-dimensional phase diagram associated with temperature and angular velocity has been predicted. The corresponding thermodynamic quantities with rotation are investigated.
Maximal Operators, Littlewood–Paley Functions and Variation Operators Associated with Nonsymmetric Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Operators
Authors: Almeida Víctor , Betancor Jorge J. , Quijano Pablo , Rodríguez-Mesa Lourdes
Published: April 2023

In this paper, we establish $$L^p$$

L
p

boundedness properties for maximal operators, Littlewood–Paley functions and variation operators involving Poisson semigroups and resolvent operators associated with nonsymmetric Ornstein–Uhlenbeck operators. We consider the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck operators defined by the identity as the covariance matrix and having a drift given by the matrix $$-\lambda (I+R)$$

-
λ
(
I
+
R
)

, being $$\lambda >0$$

λ
>
0

and R a skew-adjoint matrix. The semigroups associated with these Ornstein–Uhlenbeck operators are the basic building blocks of all the normal Ornstein–Uhlenbeck semigroups.
The impact of sodomy law repeals on crime
Authors: Ciacci Riccardo , Sansone Dario
Published: April 2023

We exploit variations in the timing of decriminalization of same-sex sexual intercourse across US states to estimate the impact of these law changes on crime through difference-in-differences and event study models. We provide the first evidence that sodomy law repeals led to a decline in the number of arrests for disorderly conduct, prostitution, and other sex offenses. Moreover, in line with the hypothesis that sodomy law repeals enhanced mental health and lessened minority stress, we show that these repeals led to a reduction in arrests for drug and alcohol consumption.