bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deviant peer affiliation mediates the prospective association from impulsivity to alcohol use in late adolescence
Authors: Wilhoit Sarah A. , Goodnight Jackson A.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Previous research has found that impulsivity and deviant peer affiliation predict alcohol use among adolescents. However, it remains unclear to what extent these risk factors predict alcohol use in conjunction with one another, and to what extent they predict over and above correlated risk factors, such as pre‐existing externalizing problems and sociodemographic characteristics. The present study tested the hypothesis that deviant peer affiliation would mediate the prospective association between impulsivity and alcohol use in adolescence (ages 13–18 years), controlling for a wide range of family and child‐level covariates.

Methods

Analyses were conducted using data from 2318 participants from the Longitudinal Cohort Study of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Participants were approximately 9, 12, or 15 years of age at wave 1 of the study, with waves 2 and 3 taking place at approximately 2‐year intervals. The sample composition was 50.3% male, 46.1% Hispanic, 35.6% Black, non‐Hispanic, 14.4% White, non‐Hispanic, and 3.9% other race/ethnicity.

Results

Results from path analyses indicated that the prospective association between impulsivity and alcohol use was mediated by peer deviance, but only for the oldest (age 15) cohort.

Conclusions

Findings from the present study suggest that despite impulsivity being a dispositional characteristic, its effects on alcohol use in later adolescence are achieved through a social pathway, via affiliation with deviant peers. It further suggests that this pathway, especially the link from impulsivity to affiliation with deviant peers, may not operate until late adolescence. Findings suggest that alcohol use may be prevented or reduced among impulsive adolescents by reducing their exposure to delinquent peers.
Release of drugs used in the treatment of osteoporosis from zeolites with divalent ions—Influence of the type of ion and drug on the release profile
Authors: Sandomierski Mariusz , Jakubowski Marcel , Ratajczak Maria , Pokora Monika , Zielińska Monika , Voelkel Adam
Published: December 2022

Bisphosphonates are drugs that are used to treat osteoporosis that causes the low mineral density of the bones. These drugs can be delivered in several ways, but each method has disadvantages. Materials with high potential as carriers of these drugs are zeolites with divalent ions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of divalent cations (calcium, magnesium, zinc) and drug type (risedronate, zoledronate) on sorption and release of the drug for osteoporosis. It was proved that drug sorption occurs on all zeolites presented in this work. Risedronate sorption was highest in zinc zeolite and lowest in calcium zeolite. In the case of zoledronate, sorption was most effective in magnesium zeolite and the least effective in zinc zeolite. Very large differences in drug release profiles were also observed. Risedronate was released several times longer than zoledronate. The diversity of the results indicates that the examined materials can be used in different types of drug delivery systems. They can be used, for example, intravenously or in the form of implants due to the different release profiles. Furthermore, the proposed carriers also release magnesium and calcium ions which are used in the prevention of osteoporosis, and zinc ions which have antibacterial properties.
Population Pharmacokinetics and Exposure‐Response for Dapirolizumab Pegol From a Phase 2b Trial in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Acharya Chayan , Magnusson Mats O. , Vajjah Pavan , Oliver Ruth , Zamacona Miren
Published: December 2022

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic, autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and organ damage. Dapirolizumab pegol inhibits CD40 ligand (CD40L) and is currently undergoing phase 3 trials for the treatment of SLE. To describe the pharmacokinetic characteristics of dapirolizumab pegol and the relationship between exposure and probability of achieving a British Isles Lupus Assessment Group‐based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) response, a population pharmacokinetic (popPK) model and an exposure‐response model were developed, based on results of the phase 2b trial (RISE; NCT02804763) of dapirolizumab pegol in SLE. Dapirolizumab pegol pharmacokinetics were found to be dose proportional and well described by a 2‐compartment model with first‐order elimination from the central compartment. In the popPK model, body weight was the only significant covariate. The average concentration of dapirolizumab pegol, derived from the popPK model, was incorporated into the exposure‐response model. Overall, the exposure‐response model showed that treatment with dapirolizumab pegol increased the probability of transitioning from BICLA “Nonresponder” to “Responder.” No significant covariates on BICLA responder status were identified. Notably, the half maximal effective concentration was greater for the transition from “Responder” to “Nonresponder” (150 µg/mL) than the transition from “Nonresponder” to “Responder” (12 µg/mL), indicating that sustained dapirolizumab pegol concentrations may be required to maintain BICLA response. In conclusion, dapirolizumab pegol pharmacokinetics were as expected for a PEGylated molecule and results from the exposure‐response model indicate that a favorable dapirolizumab pegol effect was identified for both BICLA “Nonresponder” to “Responder” and “Responder” to “Nonresponder” transition probabilities.
COVID–19ワクチン接種後に副腎クリーゼ，たこつぼ心筋症を発症しショックとなり多腺性自己免疫症候群2型の診断に至った1例(A patient with post COVID–19 vaccination presented with convulsions and cardiogenic shock due to adrenal crisis and Takotsubo cardiomyopathy diagnosed with autoimmune polyendocrine syndromes type II and Addison’s disease)
Authors: 晶子 久下 , 幸治 森下 , 慎平 朝田 , 啓太 中堤 , 渉 高山 , 英美 木内 , 康裕 大友
Published: December 2022

若年時にバセドウ病，白斑病の既往のある49歳女性。COVID–19ワクチン接種後からめまい，嘔気，体動困難が出現し，5日後に意識障害，心原性ショック状態で救急搬送された。低ナトリウム血症に伴う重症意識障害，たこつぼ心筋症の診断で，挿管人工呼吸管理，電解質補正，大動脈バルーンパンピングを含む心不全治療を開始した。副腎不全を鑑別に直ちにステロイド補充を開始したところ全身状態は改善傾向となり，第7病日に抜管した。状態回復後の内分泌機能精査で，原発性副腎機能不全，多腺性自己免疫症候群2型の診断に至った。副腎クリーゼは初発だと診断がつきづらいが，重症意識障害やたこつぼ心筋症を合併し致命的となりうる重症病態であり，早期ステロイド補充が救命に不可欠である。今回，COVID–19ワクチン接種を契機に初発の副腎クリーゼを発症したが，集学的治療を行い救命しえた多腺性自己免疫症候群2型の1例を経験したため報告する。
救急外来における小児魚骨異物症例の臨床的特徴(Clinical characteristics of accidental fish bone ingestion in children)
Authors: 侑画 神谷 , 由典 松岡 , 大介 水 , 葉子 浅香 , 孝一 有吉
Published: December 2022

魚骨による咽頭異物（以下，魚骨異物）は救急外来で頻繁に遭遇するが，小児にかかる診療内容をまとめた報告はみられない。本研究では，小児の魚骨異物症例の診療実態を明らかにすることを目的とする。2013年から2017年の5年間に，魚骨異物を主訴に救急外来を受診した15歳以下の小児を対象とし記述検討を行った。全115例が対象となり，年齢中央値は5歳（四分位，3−8）であった。約8割の症例は口腔内観察のみで終了し，追加検査は21例（18.3%）において施行されていた。追加検査はX線が6例，CTが2例，鼻咽喉ファイバーが13例であり，それぞれ年齢を考慮して施行される傾向にあった。異物摘出については，魚骨が発見された40例中38例で成功しており，救急医による摘出34例，耳鼻咽喉科医による摘出4例であった。その後の経過は，救急外来で魚骨を視認できなかった，または摘出できなかった77例中，71例で電話での追跡が可能であった。翌日再受診を要したものが3例，それ以外は数日で症状は軽快し，重篤な合併症は認めなかった。小児の魚骨異物症例は，多くの症例が口腔内観察のみで診察が終了し，診断的な追加検査を必要としなかった。救急外来から帰宅する際は，重篤な合併症は稀であり自然に症状が消失することを伝え，同程度以上の症状が持続する場合には，合併症を考慮し耳鼻咽喉科受診を指示することが適切である。
宿便性閉塞壊死大腸炎を疑う症例に対する治療戦略に関する検討(Examination of treatment strategy for patients with suspected stercoral obstructive colitis)
Authors: 友紀 番匠谷 , 誠人 小林 , 惟人 高須 , 元博 菊川 , 太 永嶋
Published: December 2022

【目的】宿便性閉塞性大腸炎は，身体所見や画像所見が非特異的で，結腸壊死の評価に難渋することが少なくない。宿便性閉塞性大腸炎の手術適応と手術戦略を明らかにする。【対象】宿便性閉塞性大腸炎30例を，結腸壊死の有無で2群にわけ，バイタルサイン，腹部所見，CT所見，血液検査などを比較し，壊死の予測因子を調べた。また手術症例において，壊死の進行頻度と，CT所見と壊死範囲の比較から，手術戦略について検討した。【結果】壊死群15例，非壊死群15例で，腹膜刺激徴候の有無，CT所見（腹水・脂肪織濃度上昇など）は，2群で有意差はなかった。来院時のshock index（1.10 vs.0.83，p=0.01）と血液検査の乳酸値［8.3 vs. 3.8（mmol/L），p<0.01］で有意差を認め，乳酸のカットオフ値は5.8mmol/L（AUC 0.862，95%信頼区間0.727–0.996）であった。また手術症例は18例で，うち4例で壊死の進行を認めた。壊死範囲はCTの腸管拡張範囲と84.6%で一致した。【結語】宿便性閉塞性大腸炎の結腸壊死の有無は，腹部所見，CT所見から判断するのは難しく，血液ガス所見が有用である。乳酸値5.8mmol/L以上の場合，壊死を疑い試験開腹を考慮する必要がある。拡張腸管は壊死のリスクが高く，拡張腸管が残る場合は，二期的手術で壊死進行の有無を確認することが望ましい。
Yukl, G. A., & Gardner, W. L. (2020). Leadership in Organizations. Pearson Education, Inc.
Authors: Aggarwal Jyoti
Published: December 2022

Leadership in Organizations is a recent book authored by well known leadership scholars Drs. Gary Yukl and William Gardner. Their book attempts to bridge the gap in scholarship and practice by incorporating the process and practice of leadership for those in any organizations. Using a theoretical approach to teaching the reader about the concepts of leadership, the book then teaches how to practically apply the concepts in real‐ world situations for optimal results. While the book lacks specificity in the discussion of leadership approach styles, it does provide compresive explanations combined with practical instructions for leadership students and practitioners.
Construction of vitamin D delivery system based on pine nut oil Pickering emulsion: effect of phenols
Authors: Zhao Xinlei , Yang Xue , Bao Yihong , Guo Yang , Luo Jiayuan , Jiang Shilong , Zhang Wei
Published: December 2022

BACKGROUND

The food industry has begun to develop foods fortified with unsaturated fatty acids; however, the susceptibility of pine nut oil to oxidation and other properties limits its use in food production. Researchers often inhibit the oxidation of oil by adding antioxidants. After the combination of polyphenols and proteins, the complex formed can improve or enhance the performance of the emulsion when it stabilizes the emulsion. Encapsulating, protecting, and controlling the release behavior of vitamin D (VD) during digestion through an emulsion delivery system can effectively overcome limitations such as easy degradation during processing and storage. This research uses tannic acid, gallic acid, tea polyphenol, and vanillic acid to prepare Pickering emulsions, and the type of phenolic compound is explored by multi‐dimensional characterization and the amount of emulsion.

RESULTS

The influence of traits, microstructure, stability, VD load application, and effect on the emulsion matrix's encapsulation rate and bioaccessibility is studied. A method was investigated to enhance the oxidative stability of whey protein isolate‐stabilized emulsions by introducing phenol. Pickering emulsions could be obtained in the presence of phenol, while the type of phenol played a relatively important role, probably because the mechanism involved interactions between particles. Viscosity and creaming stability of emulsions increased with crosslinking of phenol in emulsions. In addition, the presence of phenol in emulsions significantly increased the bioaccessibility of encapsulated VD after in vitro digestion.

CONCLUSION

The method presented in this study was important for improving the oxidative stability of pine nut oil emulsions, expanding the application of pine nut oil in the food industry, and providing the theoretical and application basis of application and active substance emulsion delivery systems. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy (HIOC) for Stage IVa thymic malignancy may improve 5‐year disease‐free survival
Authors: Dolan Daniel P. , Polhemus Emily , Lee Daniel N. , Mazzola Emanuele , Jaklitsch Michael T. , Wee Jon O. , Bueno Raphael , Swanson Scott J. , White Abby
Published: December 2022

Background and Objectives

Stage IVa thymic malignancy has limited treatments. This study evaluated whether hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy (HIOC) after radical resection of Stage IVa thymic malignancy improves survival.

Methods

All patients who underwent resection, with or without HIOC, for Stage IVa thymic malignancy at a single center from 1990 to 2021 were reviewed.

Results

Thirty‐four patients were identified; 22 surgery‐only versus 12 surgery and HIOC (60 min cisplatin regimen 175 mg/m2). Demographics and comorbidities were similar between groups. Three patients in each group were carcinomas; remainder were thymomas. Thirty‐two patients underwent attempted macroscopic complete resection; 22 operations succeeded, 68.8%. Significant complications were similar between groups, 18.2% surgery‐only versus 25.0% HIOC, p = 0.68. Median time to recurrence trended longer for HIOC patients (42.9 vs. 32.9 months in surgery‐only, p = 0.77). Overall survival, 5‐year, was similar (75.8% HIOC vs. 76.2% surgery‐only, p = 0.91). On stratified analysis, thymoma patients with macroscopic complete resection and HIOC experienced similar 5‐year Overall (80.0% vs. 100.0% surgery‐only, p = 0.157) but longer trending 5‐year disease‐free (85.7% vs. 40.0%, p = 0.18) and 5‐year locoregional recurrence‐free survival (85.7% vs. 68.6%, p = 0.75).

Conclusions

This retrospective cohort study treating Stage IVa thymic malignancy with radical pleurectomy, with or without HIOC, found addition of HIOC‐signaled delayed recurrence and improved disease‐free survival.
The influence of posttraumatic stress disorder treatment on anxiety sensitivity: Impact of prolonged exposure, sertraline, and their combination
Authors: Luciano Matthew T. , Norman Sonya B. , Allard Carolyn B. , Acierno Ron , Simon Naomi M. , Szuhany Kristin L. , Baker Amanda W. , Stein Murray B. , Martis Brian , Tuerk Peter W. , Rauch Sheila A. M. ,   for the PROGrESS Study Team
Published: December 2022

Trauma‐informed beliefs often decrease during posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. This may also extend to anxiety sensitivity (AS), defined as a fear of anxiety‐related sensations and beliefs that anxiety is dangerous and/or intolerable. However, little is known about how AS changes during exposure‐based and psychopharmacological PTSD treatments. Further, high AS may be a risk factor for diminished PTSD symptom improvement and increased treatment dropout. To better understand how AS impacts and is impacted by PTSD treatment, we conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial with a sample of 223 veterans (87.0% male, 57.5% White) with PTSD from four U.S. sites. Veterans were randomized to receive prolonged exposure (PE) plus placebo (n = 74), sertraline plus enhanced medication management (n = 74), or PE plus sertraline (n = 75). Veterans answered questions about PTSD symptoms and AS at baseline and 6‐, 12‐, 24‐, 36‐, and 52‐week follow‐ups. High baseline AS was related to high levels of PTSD severity at 24 weeks across all conditions, β = .244, p = .013, but did not predict dropout from exposure‐based, β = .077, p = .374, or psychopharmacological therapy, β = .009, p = .893. AS also significantly decreased across all three treatment arms, with no between‐group differences; these reductions were maintained at the 52‐week follow‐up. These findings suggest that high AS is a risk factor for attenuated PTSD treatment response but also provide evidence that AS can be improved by both PE and an enhanced psychopharmacological intervention for PTSD.
Comparison of Reflux Symptom Score versus Reflux Symptom Index in screening laryngopharyngeal reflux
Authors: Zhang Chun , Liu Zhi , Zhang Jinhong , Wang Xiaoyu , Wang Jiasen , Zhao Jing , Li Jinrang , Liu LianLian
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To compare the screening value of the Reflux Symptom Score (RSS) and the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) for laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

Methods

All included patients attending the Department of Otolaryngology at the Sixth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from February 2022 to August 2022, completed the RSS and the RSI and underwent 24‐hour hypopharyngeal‐esophageal multichannel intraluminal impedance‐pH (24 h HEMII‐pH) monitoring. The results of 24 h HEMII‐pH were used as a diagnostic criterion for LPR, consistency between two questionnaires (RSS, RSI) and 24 h HEMII‐pH was compared by the weighted Cohen's kappa statistic and the screening value of RSS and RSI for LPR was compared by receiver operating characteristics analysis.

Results

A total of 77 patients, 58 males, and 19 females, were included. The Kappa values of between RSS, RSI, and 24 h HEMII‐pH were 0.663 (p < 0.001) and 0.213 (p < 0.05), respectively. The sensitivity of RSS and RSI were 92.8% and 48.2%, respectively, the specificity was 71.4% and 80.9%. The negative predictive value and positive predictive value of RSI were 36.9%, 87.1%, and that of RSS were 78.9%, 89.6%. The area under curve of the RSS (0.783; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.75) is significantly higher than RSI (0.633; 95% CI = 0.72, 0.90).

Conclusion

The RSS has a higher consistency and better screening value for LPR compared to RSI. In addition, the RSS includes more reflux symptoms, which may reduce the number of missed diagnoses in patients with LPR to some extent.

Level of Evidence

3 Laryngoscope, 133:2104–2109, 2023
Chemical Approaches for the Preparation of Bacteria – Nano/Microparticle Hybrid Systems
Authors: Bader Lisa Patricia Elisabeth , Klok Harm‐Anton
Published: December 2022

Bacteria represent a class of living cells that are very attractive carriers for the transport and delivery of nano‐ and microsized particles. The use of cell‐based carriers, such as for example bacteria, may allow to precisely direct nano‐ or microsized cargo to a desired site, which would greatly enhance the selectivity of drug delivery and allow to mitigate side effects. One key step towards the use of such nano‐/microparticle – bacteria hybrids is the immobilization of the cargo on the bacterial cell surface. To fabricate bacteria – nano‐/microparticle biohybrid microsystems, a wide range of chemical approaches are available that can be used to immobilize the particle payload on the bacterial cell surface. This article presents an overview of the various covalent and noncovalent chemistries that are available for the preparation of bacteria – nano‐/microparticle hybrids. For each of the different chemical approaches, an overview will be presented that lists the bacterial strains that have been modified, the type and size of nanoparticles that have been immobilized, as well as the methods that have been used to characterize the nanoparticle‐modified bacteria.
Interprofessional weaning boards for invasively ventilated patients in intensive care units: Qualitative interview study with healthcare professionals in Germany
Authors: von Schumann Selina , Ullrich Charlotte , Weis Aline , Wensing Michel , Litke Nicola
Published: December 2022

Numbers of mechanically ventilated patients are increasing worldwide. Weaning Boards could support weaning from the ventilator by facilitating interprofessional consultations between Weaning Centers and nonpneumological intensive care units. This study, which is linked to the project Prevention of invasive Ventilation, aimed to explore the design and implementation of future Weaning Boards. Semistructured interviews were conducted with physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and physiotherapists of intensive care units and Weaning Centers in Baden‐Wuerttemberg, Germany. Participants were asked to share their views on (a) required characteristics of Weaning Boards and (b) the current care of weaning patients in their wards. Qualitative data analysis included inductive and deductive steps referring to the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. The 14 interviewed healthcare professionals addressed characteristics of future Weaning Boards including (a) preconditions, (b) procedure, (c) interprofessional participants, (d) type of performance, and (d) time frame. Identified determinants for successful implementation were related to (a) individual characteristics of healthcare professionals, (b) ward characteristics, and (c) healthcare system characteristics. Weaning Boards could be a useful tool to advance knowledge sharing between professionals, improve education about weaning protocols, and support patient‐oriented care. The implementation of Weaning Boards can be influenced by individual characteristics of participating professionals, difficulties in the interaction between professional groups, the present workplace culture, and the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic.
Generating crosslinking network in XNBR based on copper (I)–carboxylate interaction
Authors: Wajge Suraj W. , Das Chayan
Published: December 2022

Carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR) is crosslinked via metal–ligand coordination bond by simple mixing and compounding as an alternate to chemically rich traditional vulcanization route. Basis of the generation of reversible non‐covalent crosslinks, in the rubber matrix, is copper (I)–carboxylate metal–ligand interaction that is evidenced by XPS, FTIR, and rheological studies. At low copper content (5 phr), self‐healing property is exhibited by the composite while adequate mechanical strength is obtained at higher copper content (20 phr). For 20 phr filled composite (XNBR–Cu20), the tensile strength reaches up to 5.41 ± 0.28 MPa, which is almost 19 times higher than that of pure XNBR (0.29 ± 0.02 MPa). On the other hand, tensile strength is not so high (1.95 ± 0.20 MPa) for composite XNBR–Cu5, however, this one shows the self‐healing efficiency of around 75% for the first cycle, 71% for second cycle, and 56% for the third cycle. The positive shift of glass transition temperature (Tg) takes place with the increasing content of copper (I)–carboxylate crosslinking that is caused by the lowering in segmental mobility of the rubber chains. Reversible nature of the metal–ligand coordination, recoverability, and hysteresis in the XNBR–Cu (I) composite are studied by cyclic stress–strain loading. The CuCl content greatly influences the inherent crosslinking nature of the elastomeric network and the ultimate properties of the composites.
Optical coherence tomography of the pulmonary arteries in children with congenital heart diseases: A systematic review
Authors: Sun Ling , Jiang Qiuping , Xie Yumei , Wang Shushui , Zhang Zhiwei
Published: December 2022

Importance

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high‐resolution intravascular imaging tool and has shown promise for providing real‐time quantitative and qualitative descriptions of pulmonary vascular structures in vivo in adult pulmonary hypertension (PH), while not popular in pediatric patients with congenital heart diseases (CHD).

Objective

The aim of this review is to summarize all the available evidence on the use of OCT for imaging pulmonary vascular remodeling in pediatric patients.

Methods

We conducted the systematic literature resources (Cochran Library database, Medline via PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Knowledge) from January 2010 to December 2021 and the search terms were “PH”, “child”, “children”, “pediatric”, “OCT”, “CHD”, “pulmonary vessels”, “pulmonary artery wall”. Studies in which OCT was used to image the pulmonary vessels in pediatric patients with CHD were considered for inclusion.

Results

Five studies met the inclusion criteria. These five papers discussed the study of OCT in the pulmonary vasculature of different types of CHD, including common simple CHD, complex cyanotic CHD, and Williams‐Beuren syndrome. In biventricular anatomy, pulmonary vascular remodeling was primarily reflected by pulmonary intima thickening from two‐dimensional OCT. In single‐ventricle anatomy, due to the state of hypoxia, the morphology of pulmonary vessels was indirectly reflected by the number and shape of nourishing vessels from three‐dimensional OCT.

Interpretation

OCT may be an adequate imaging procedure for the demonstration of pulmonary vascular structures and provide additional information in pediatric patients.
DisCanVis: Visualizing integrated structural and functional annotations to better understand the effect of cancer mutations located within disordered proteins
Authors: Deutsch Norbert , Pajkos Mátyás , Erdős Gábor , Dosztányi Zsuzsanna
Published: December 2022

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play important roles in a wide range of biological processes and have been associated with various diseases, including cancer. In the last few years, cancer genome projects have systematically collected genetic variations underlying multiple cancer types. In parallel, the number and different types of disordered proteins characterized by experimental methods have also significantly increased. Nevertheless, the role of IDPs in various types of cancer is still not well understood. In this work, we present DisCanVis, a novel visualization tool for cancer mutations with a special focus on IDPs. In order to aid the interpretation of observed mutations, genome level information is combined with information about the structural and functional properties of proteins. The web server enables users to inspect individual proteins, collect examples with existing annotations of protein disorder and associated function or to discover currently uncharacterized examples with likely disease relevance. Through a REST API interface and precompiled tables the analysis can be extended to a group of proteins.
Structure–aromaticity–reactivity relationship of one‐ and two‐dimensional polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polyborazines
Authors: Liu Ziyi , Zhou Qiang , Zhu Lihan , Wang Dongqi
Published: December 2022

Both graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) have found their application in catalysis and electronic devices owing to their unique π electronic nature. However, it remains unclear on how their sizes and growing modes influence their electronic properties. In order to extensively understand their structure–property relationship to stimulate and assist potential applications, in this work, the electronic structures of the polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polyborazines (boron nitride nanosheets, BNNSs) were analyzed by means of density functional theory calculations to investigate how the one‐ and two‐dimensional growth of their building blocks, benzene and borazine, respectively, may modulate/govern their aromaticity and reactivities. The analysis shows that the aromaticity and reactivity of PAHs exhibit significant response to their geometries, while the properties of BNNSs show strong localization nature and are nearly size‐independent. This unique nature of BNNSs is different from both the organic polyaromatic molecules and the inorganic metal/metal oxides whose reactivity may be significantly enhanced upon modulating their sizes, and offers implications in the design of new materials grafted by BNNS for manipulatable electronic properties. This study also brings caution on the application of widely used aromaticity descriptors, and shows that in general the descriptors derived from electronic structure are more reliable.
B‐cell lymphoma‐2 family proteins‐activated proteases as potential therapeutic targets for influenza A virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2: Killing two birds with one stone?
Authors: Soni Sourabh , Mebratu Yohannes A.
Published: December 2022

The COVID‐19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has led to a global health emergency. There are many similarities between SARS‐CoV‐2 and influenza A virus (IAV); both are single‐stranded RNA viruses infecting airway epithelial cells and have similar modes of replication and transmission. Like IAVs, SARS‐CoV‐2 infections poses serious challenges due to the lack of effective therapeutic interventions, frequent appearances of new strains of the virus, and development of drug resistance. New approaches to control these infectious agents may stem from cellular factors or pathways that directly or indirectly interact with viral proteins to enhance or inhibit virus replication. One of the emerging concepts is that host cellular factors and pathways are required for maintaining viral genome integrity, which is essential for viral replication. Although IAVs have been studied for several years and many cellular proteins involved in their replication and pathogenesis have been identified, very little is known about how SARS‐CoV‐2 hijacks host cellular proteins to promote their replication. IAV induces apoptotic cell death, mediated by the B‐cell lymphoma‐2 (Bcl‐2) family proteins in infected epithelia, and the pro‐apoptotic members of this family promotes viral replication by activating host cell proteases. This review compares the life cycle and mode of replication of IAV and SARS‐CoV‐2 and examines the potential roles of host cellular proteins, belonging to the Bcl‐2 family, in SARS‐CoV‐2 replication to provide future research directions.
Effect of Stabilization Treatment on Size and Properties of Austempered M50 Steel
Authors: Wei Yinghua , Yu Xingfu , Wang Shuai , Ren Wen , Su Yong , Zhao Wenzeng , Wang Quanzhen
Published: December 2022

By using SU‐8010 thermal field scanning electron microscope, JEM‐2100 transmission electron microscope, MHRS‐150 Rockwell hardness tester and X‐ray diffractometer to observe the microstructure and detect residual stress, and the measurement of the hardness and the tensile properties, the effect of stabilization treatment on the microstructure, size change, and mechanical properties of the austempered M50 steel is studied. Results show that the residue of austenite and the carbides precipitated during the bainite transformation after austempering lead to lattice shrinkage, which reduces the size of the bearing ring. The release of quenching stress after tempering increases the size. During austempering and tempering, the size fluctuates between −0.29 and 0.23 mm. After the bearing ring is stabilized for 3 times, the precipitation of filamentous carbides reaches the maximum, and the number of carbides does not increase obviously after 5 times of stabilization. The size fluctuation range is −0.9 to 0.7 μm. After M50 steel is stabilized, the transformation of residual austenite to martensite and the precipitation of carbides increase the hardness, and the coarsening of carbides reduces the ductility. The tensile strength increases from 2550 to 2650 MPa, which is related to the dispersion strengthening of carbides and their pinning effect on dislocations.
Mechanical properties and uniaxial constitutive model of fiber‐reinforced coral aggregate concrete
Authors: Deng Zhiheng , Zhou Youwei , Jiang Jiasheng , Huang Xiaopei , Liu Bing
Published: December 2022

This article studied the mechanical properties and constitutive model of fiber‐reinforced coral aggregate concrete (FRCAC). The test results show that basalt fibers, carbon fibers, and polypropylene fibers (BFs, CFs, and PFs) can enhance the cube compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of coral aggregate concrete (CAC), but there are optimum contents. The optimal content of BFs, CFs, and PFs are 0.8%, 1.5%, and 0.3%, respectively. Fibers increase slightly the elastic modulus of FRCAC. The peak stress, peak strain, and ultimate strain of CAC can be improved by fibers, and the improvement effect is CFs, BFs, and PFs in descending order. According to the experimental results, a damage constitutive model suitable for FRCAC was proposed, which can efficiently indicate the stress–strain relationship of FRCAC. The damage parameter in the model can predict the damage evolution process of FRCAC.
An improved 1D reactive Bürger–Diehl settler model for secondary settling tank denitrification
Authors: Kirim Gamze , Torfs Elena , Vanrolleghem Peter A.
Published: December 2022

An improved 1D reactive settler model is pursued in order to increase the understanding of reactive settling processes and obtain a better prediction of the nitrogen mass balance in wastewater treatment systems. The developed model is based on the 1D Bürger–Diehl settler model with compression function and the Activated Sludge Model No. 1 biological reactions. Specific attention was paid in the model development phase to optimal selection of settling velocity functions and integration of the correct clarifier geometry. A unique measurement campaign was carried out with different operational scenarios to quantify the denitrification in a secondary settling tank. A detailed step‐wise calibration effort demonstrated that by choosing an appropriate settling velocity function (power‐law structure) and considering the true clarifier geometry allows to accurately capture the biomass concentration profile, total sludge mass, sludge blanket height, and the reaction rates. The resulting model is able to accurately describe total suspended solids (TSS) and nitrate concentration profiles throughout a settling tank under different operational conditions. As such the model can be applied in further scenario analysis and system optimization.

Practitioner Points

A unique measurement campaign was carried out to obtain detailed data for a reactive settler model development.

A 1‐D reactive settler model is developed based on the Bürger–Diehl framework including ASM1 biokinetics and the clarifier geometry.

An extensive calibration and model selection effort was performed. The model accurately predicts measured concentration profiles in the settling tank.

The developed model can be integrated in a plant‐wide model to properly calculate the nitrogen mass balance of a WRRF.
Multifunctional plant virus nanoparticles: An emerging strategy for therapy of cancer
Authors: Azizi Mehdi , Shahgolzari Mehdi , Fathi‐Karkan Sonia , Ghasemi Maryam , Samadian Hadi
Published: December 2022

Cancer therapy requires sophisticated treatment strategies to obtain the highest success. Nanotechnology is enabling, revolutionizing, and multidisciplinary concepts to improve conventional cancer treatment modalities. Nanomaterials have a central role in this scenario, explaining why various nanomaterials are currently being developed for cancer therapy. Viral nanoparticles (VNPs) have shown promising performance in cancer therapy due to their unique features. VNPs possess morphological homogeneity, ease of functionalization, biocompatibility, biodegradability, water solubility, and high absorption efficiency that are beneficial for cancer therapy applications. In the current review paper, we highlight state‐of‐the‐art properties and potentials of plant viruses, strategies for multifunctional plant VNPs formulations, potential applications and challenges in VNPs‐based cancer therapy, and finally practical solutions to bring potential cancer therapy one step closer to real applications.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology

Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus‐Based Structures
Introduction: Realising Linguistic, Cultural and Educational Rights Through Non-Territorial Autonomy
Authors: Smith David J. , Dodovski Ivan
Published: December 2022

This volume brings together a body of expertise gathered within ENTAN—European Non-Territorial Autonomy Network (www.entan.org), a European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action dedicated to analysing the concept of Non-Territorial Autonomy (NTA) and its potential to accommodate the needs of different ethno-cultural and ethnolinguistic communities within a single state framework. Associated in terms of its origins with ideas developed by Austrian Social Democrats Karl Renner and Otto Bauer during the final years of the Habsburg Empire, NTA was originally conceived as a way of resolving rival group-based claims for territorial sovereignty.
Cultural Autonomy, Safe Haven or Window-Dressing? Institutions Maintained by Minority Self-Governments in Hungary
Authors: Dobos Balázs
Published: December 2022

In the history of national cultural autonomy (NCA) in Hungary, the emphasis since the mid-2000s has been placed on institutionalisation, with the aim of establishing, or taking over and maintaining various cultural and educational institutions with appropriate budget support by the minority self-governments (MSGs), the local variants of NCA. However, in practice this remained mostly on paper in the 1990s. But now there are hundreds of institutions—kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, dormitories, museums, libraries, theatres, research institutes, etc.—that are run by minorities. In this way, MSGs have become main actors in implementing linguistic, cultural and educational minority rights in the country.

This is all the more important because recent experiences have shown that the transmission of minority languages ​​and identities in families is now largely interrupted, and minority educational institutions have an increasingly important role to play. However, this has been somewhat controversial, and still characterises minorities to varying extents, with those previously recognised in the communist era remaining in better positions with their pre-existing networks of institutions. It has only been possible for the establishment of these institutions, recognised later under the 1993 Minority Act, to begin in the last two decades. In some places, the idea of MSGs taking over existing institutions met resistance from the local populations, especially parents. In other places, especially during the Orbán governments in the 2010s, such a takeover became a kind of escape route so that the school in the municipality would neither be closed, nor continue to be maintained by the state or the churches. It has also been a question of how these minority schools perform on a variety of indicators, and thus whether it is worthwhile for parents to enrol their children. In addition, some ‘institutions’, especially certain ‘research centres’ employing only one person, cannot be considered real institutions. To address the issues above, the major aim of the study is to introduce and analyse the complex process of institutionalisation, and to summarise and evaluate its experiences, especially with regard to the impact of these institutions on the linguistic, cultural and educational rights of minorities.
Sustaining Natural Resources in African Agriculture: What Have We Learned in the Past Two Decades?
Authors: Place Frank
Published: December 2022

Calls for increased attention to natural resource management (NRM) in African agriculture have been around for many decades. They became more vocal around the turn of the century following decades of poor yield growth and emerging data showing concerns about land quality and productivity. In recent years, these intensified further with the specter of climate change and continuing rural population growth challenging agricultural systems on the continent. Researchers have responded to these challenges, advancing research frameworks and hypotheses, deploying more research tools, and conducting more studies. However, it is unclear that all this response has significantly advanced our state of knowledge on the extent and nature of land degradation in agricultural land, the particular practices that work in different socioeconomic contexts, and how best to induce their uptake by households facing different priorities and constraints. This chapter will motivate this conclusion and offer options for moving forward in some of these topical areas.
How Can We Achieve Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa? The Case of Tanzania
Authors: Nakano Yuko , Magezi Eustadius Francis
Published: December 2022

How can we achieve a rice Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa? In this chapter, we evaluate the progress of the rice Green Revolution and discuss potential policy interventions to achieve it in Tanzania. For these purposes, we summarize four studies that have been conducted by the authors. Especially, we focus on the effectiveness of irrigation, agricultural training, and microcredit for technology adoption and productivity enhancement of rice cultivation. We found a high potential for the rice Green Revolution in Tanzania and that it can be achievable with proper policy interventions. We propose irrigation development and agricultural training as effective means to achieve the rice Green Revolution in Tanzania.
A UFO? Assessment of System of Rice Intensification from the Agricultural Economics Perspective
Authors: Takahashi Kazushi
Published: December 2022

There has been a heated debate among researchers over the impact of a set of new rice-growing cultivation methods, known as the system of rice intensification (SRI). Farmers’ field-level observations showed that the yield of SRI was more than that of conventional management practices. However, these observations were criticized because of the lack of scientific bases. Indeed, well-managed experimental fields showed no yield gains in SRI practice. In an attempt to reconcile these conflicting observations, this chapter revisits the yield potential of SRI by reviewing recent empirical evidence in agricultural economics that employs a rigorous estimation strategy. All the papers reviewed consistently showed a positive and statistically significant impact on rice yield. Thus, I argue that the yield potential of SRI may be real and not something like an agronomic unconfirmed field observation (UFO) that was once cynically expressed to evoke an unidentified flying object. In addition, I argue that careful management practice exemplified by SRI is important for improving rice yield, which has also played a crucial role in the rice Green Revolution in Asia.
Fifty Years of Research on Land Tenure Policies and Land Markets: What Are the Major Lessons?
Authors: Holden Stein T.
Published: December 2022

This study makes a broad review of important contributions by economists to the understanding of land and labor contracts in agriculture and the analyses of major land tenure reforms in the twentieth century. Possible disincentive effects associated with share tenancy received much attention in the early theoretical literature and have later been scrutinized empirically with the availability of better data and better methods. With the development of better impact assessment methods and the experimental revolution in economics, land tenure reforms have increasingly also been assessed based on stronger data and better methods. However, using random treatments in such institutional reforms may neither be feasible nor recommendable in many cases. Still, experimental approaches may be used to investigate short-term impacts and help to reveal otherwise unobservable variables, such as risk preferences and trustworthiness, that affect land and labor contracts. With a good understanding of important contextual characteristics and new and better data, land tenure and land policies remain a vibrant and important area of research for applied economists. Rural transformation and adaptation to climate change put new pressures on rural factor markets and land tenure institutions in economies where shocks and pervasive market imperfections remain important challenges.
From rotating to charged black holes and back again
Authors: Aalsma Lars , Shiu Gary
Published: December 2022

Abstract

The mild form of the Weak Gravity Conjecture (WGC) requires higher derivative corrections to extremal charged black holes to increase their charge-to-mass ratio. This allows decay via emission of a smaller extremal black hole. In this paper, we investigate if similar constraints hold for extremal rotating black holes. We do so by considering the leading higher derivative corrections to the four-dimensional Kerr black hole and five-dimensional Myers-Perry black hole. We use a known mapping of these rotating solutions to a four-dimensional non-rotating dyonic Kaluza-Klein black hole and impose the WGC on this charged solution. Going back again to the rotating solutions, this fixes the sign of the corrections to the rotating extremality bounds. The sign of the corrections is non-universal, depending on the black hole under consideration. We argue that this is not at odds with black hole decay, because of the presence of a superradiant instability that persists in the extremal limit. When this instability is present, the WGC is implied for the four-dimensional charged black hole.
Super-resonant dark matter
Authors: Csáki Csaba , Gomes Andrew , Hochberg Yonit , Kuflik Eric , Langhoff Kevin , Murayama Hitoshi
Published: December 2022

Abstract

We introduce Super-Resonant Dark Matter, a model of self-interacting dark matter based on the low energy effective theory of supersymmetric QCD. The structure of the theory ensures a resonant enhancement of the self-interactions of the low energy mesons, since their mass ratio is set by the number of colors and flavors. The velocity dependence of the resonantly enhanced self-interactions allows such theories to accommodate puzzles in small scale structure that arise from dark matter halos of different sizes. The dark matter mass is then predicted to be around 3–4 MeV, with its abundance set by freeze-in via a kinetically mixed dark photon.
Poisson-Lie T-duality defects and target space fusion
Authors: Demulder Saskia , Raml Thomas
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Topological defects have long been known to encode symmetries and dualities between physical systems. In the context of string theory, defects have been intensively studied at the level of the worldsheet. Although marked by a number of pioneering milestones, the target space picture of defects is much less understood. In this paper, we show, at the level of the target space, that Poisson-Lie T-duality can be encoded as a topological defect. With this result at hand, we can postulate the kernel capturing the Fourier-Mukai transform associated to the action of Poisson-Lie T-duality on the RR-sector. Topological defects have the remarkable property that they can be fused together or, alternatively, with worldsheet boundary conditions. We study how fusion of the proposed generalised T-duality topological defect consistently leads to the known duality transformations for boundary conditions. Finally, taking a step back from generalised T-duality, we tackle the general problem of understanding the effect of fusion at the level of the target space. We propose to use the framework of Dirac geometry and formulate the fusion of topological defects and D-branes in this language.
Genetic variation in the Y chromosome and sex-biased DNA methylation in somatic cells in the mouse
Authors: Batdorj Enkhjin , AlOgayil Najla , Zhuang Qinwei Kim-wee , Galvez Jose Hector , Bauermeister Klara , Nagata Kei , Kimura Tohru , Ward Monika A. , Taketo Teruko , Bourque Guillaume , Naumova Anna K.
Published: December 2022

Several lines of evidence suggest that the presence of the Y chromosome influences DNA methylation of autosomal loci. To better understand the impact of the Y chromosome on autosomal DNA methylation patterns and its contribution to sex bias in methylation, we identified Y chromosome dependent differentially methylated regions (yDMRs) using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing methylation data from livers of mice with different combinations of sex-chromosome complement and gonadal sex. Nearly 90% of the autosomal yDMRs mapped to transposable elements (TEs) and most of them had lower methylation in XY compared to XX or XO mice. Follow-up analyses of four reporter autosomal yDMRs showed that Y-dependent methylation levels were consistent across most somatic tissues but varied in strains with different origins of the Y chromosome, suggesting that genetic variation in the Y chromosome influenced methylation levels of autosomal regions. Mice lacking the q-arm of the Y chromosome (B6.NPYq-2) as well as mice with a loss-of-function mutation in Kdm5d showed no differences in methylation levels compared to wild type mice. In conclusion, the Y-linked modifier of TE methylation is likely to reside on the short arm of Y chromosome and further studies are required to identify this gene.