bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Machine learning methods to predict presence of residual cancer following hysterectomy
Authors: Ganguli Reetam , Franklin Jordan , Yu Xiaotian , Lin Alice , Heffernan Daithi S.
Published: February 2022

Surgical management for gynecologic malignancies often involves hysterectomy, often constituting the most common gynecologic surgery worldwide. Despite maximal surgical and medical care, gynecologic malignancies have a high rate of recurrence following surgery. Current machine learning models use advanced pathology data that is often inaccessible within low-resource settings and are specific to singular cancer types. There is currently a need for machine learning models to predict non-clinically evident residual disease using only clinically available health data. Here we developed and tested multiple machine learning models to assess the risk of residual disease post-hysterectomy based on clinical and operative parameters. Data from 3656 hysterectomy patients from the NSQIP dataset over 14 years were used to develop models with a training set of 2925 patients and a validation set of 731 patients. Our models revealed the top postoperative predictors of residual disease were the initial presence of gross abdominal disease on the diaphragm, disease located on the bowel mesentery, located on the bowel serosa, and disease located within the adjacent pelvis prior to resection. There were no statistically significant differences in performances of the top three models. Extreme gradient Boosting, Random Forest, and Logistic Regression models had comparable AUC ROC (0.90) and accuracy metrics (87–88%). Using these models, physicians can identify gynecologic cancer patients post-hysterectomy that may benefit from additional treatment. For patients at high risk for disease recurrence despite adequate surgical intervention, machine learning models may lay the basis for potential prospective trials with prophylactic/adjuvant therapy for non-clinically evident residual disease, particularly in under-resourced settings.
Predictive model of pheochromocytoma based on the imaging features of the adrenal tumours
Authors: Araujo-Castro Marta , García Centeno Rogelio , Robles Lázaro Cristina , Parra Ramírez Paola , Gracia Gimeno Paola , Rojas-Marcos Patricia Martín , Fernández-Ladreda Mariana Tomé , Percovich Hualpa Juan Carlos , Sampedro Núñez Miguel , López-García María-Carmen , Lamas Cristina , Álvarez Escolá Cristina , Calatayud Gutiérrez María , Blanco Carrera Concepción , de Miguel Novoa Paz , Valdés Gallego Nuria , Hanzu Felicia , Marazuela Mónica , Mora Porta Mireia , Mínguez Ojeda César , García Gómez Muriel Isabel , Escobar-Morreale Héctor F. , Valderrabano Pablo
Published: February 2022

The purpose of our study was to develop a predictive model to rule out pheochromocytoma among adrenal tumours, based on unenhanced computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. We performed a retrospective multicentre study of 1131 patients presenting with adrenal lesions including 163 subjects with histological confirmation of pheochromocytoma (PHEO), and 968 patients showing no clinical suspicion of pheochromocytoma in whom plasma and/or urinary metanephrines and/or catecholamines were within reference ranges (non-PHEO). We found that tumour size was significantly larger in PHEO than non-PHEO lesions (44.3 ± 33.2 versus 20.6 ± 9.2 mm respectively; P < 0.001). Mean unenhanced CT attenuation was higher in PHEO (52.4 ± 43.1 versus 4.7 ± 17.9HU; P < 0.001). High lipid content in CT was more frequent among non-PHEO (83.6% versus 3.8% respectively; P < 0.001); and this feature alone had 83.6% sensitivity and 96.2% specificity to rule out pheochromocytoma with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC-ROC) of 0.899. The combination of high lipid content and tumour size improved the diagnostic accuracy (AUC-ROC 0.961, sensitivity 88.1% and specificity 92.3%). The probability of having a pheochromocytoma was 0.1% for adrenal lesions smaller than 20 mm showing high lipid content in CT. Ninety percent of non-PHEO presented loss of signal in the “out of phase” MRI sequence compared to 39.0% of PHEO (P < 0.001), but the specificity of this feature for the diagnosis of non-PHEO lesions low. In conclusion, our study suggests that sparing biochemical screening for pheochromocytoma might be reasonable in patients with adrenal lesions smaller than 20 mm showing high lipid content in the CT scan, if there are no typical signs and symptoms of pheochromocytoma.
Evaluation of the antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of endophytic fungi extracts from mangrove plants Rhizophora stylosa and R. mucronata
Authors: Zhou Jing , Feng Zhao , Zhang Wenfang , Xu Jing
Published: February 2022

Mangrove endophytic fungi are tolerant to numerous stresses and are inevitably capable of exhibiting excellent biological activity by producing impressive numbers of metabolites with special biological functions, based on previous work on the biological potential of mangrove-derived endophytic fungi. To obtain marked antimicrobial and cytotoxic fermentation products of culturable endophytic fungi from mangrove forests, our research evaluated the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of crude extracts of endophytic fungi from Rhizophora stylosa and Rhizophora mucronata. Forty-six fungal isolates were cultured on four different media, namely, dextrose agar (PDA), Czapek’s agar (CZA), rice medium (RM) and grain medium (GM) and harvested by ethyl acetate solvent at 40 days. The extracts were tested for antimicrobial activity by the microdilution method against the gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas adaceae (PA), gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis (EF), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and pathogenic fungus Monilia albicans (MA). The cytotoxic activity of the extracts was evaluated by MTT assay using A549 human lung cancer cells, HeLa human cervical carcinoma cells, and HepG2 human hepatocellular cells. The results showed that rice medium could promote the secretion of antimicrobial and antitumour secondary metabolites of endophytic fungi in comparison with other cultivation media. Seventeen strains (68%) from R. stylosa exhibited inhibitory effects on indicators, especially N. protearum HHL46, which could inhibit the growth of four microbes with MIC values reaching 0.0625 mg/mL. Fifteen strains (71.4%) from R. mucronata displayed activities against human pathogenic microbes; in particular, Pestalotiopsis sp. HQD6 and N. protearum HQD5 could resist the growth of four microbes with MIC values ranging from 0.015 to 1 mg/mL. In the cytotoxicity assay, the extracts of 10 strains (40%), 9 strains (40%) and 13 strains (52%) of R. stylosa and 13 strains (61.9%), 10 strains (47.6%) and 10 strains (47.6%) of R. mucronata displayed cytotoxicity against A549, HeLa and HepG2 cancer cells with cell viability values ≤ 50%. Neopestalotiopsis protearum HHL46, Phomopsis longicolla HHL50, Botryosphaeria fusispora HQD83, Fusarium verticillioides HQD48 and Pestalotiopsis sp. HQD6 displayed significant antitumour activity with IC50 values below 20 μg/mL. These results highlighted the antimicrobial and antitumour potential of endophytic fungi from R. stylosa and R. mucronata and the possibility of exploiting their antimicrobial and cytotoxic agents.
Novel connections and physical implications of thermal metamaterials with imperfect interfaces
Authors: Chen Tungyang , Lin Jun-Hong
Published: February 2022

Thermal metamaterials are of great importance in advanced energy control and management. Previous studies mainly focused on interfaces with perfect bonding conditions. In principle, imperfectness always exists across interface and the effect is intriguingly important with small-length scales. This work reports the imperfect interface effect in thermal metamaterials thoroughly. Low conductivity- and high conductivity-type interfaces are considered. We show that an object can always be made thermally invisible, with the effect of imperfect interface, as that of a homogeneous background material. This unprecedented condition is derived in an exact and analytic form, systematically structured, with much versatile and physical implications. Conditions for thermal shielding and enhancements are analytically found and numerically exemplified, highlighting the specific role of material and geometric parameters. We find that both types of interfaces are complementing with each other which, all together, will constitute a full spectrum to achieve the thermal invisibility. The analytic finding offers a general perception that adds to the understanding of heat transport mechanism across interfaces in thermal metamaterials, in ways that drastically distinct from that of ideal interfaces. This finding opens up new possibilities for the control and management of thermal metamaterials with imperfect bonding interfaces.
Quantifying fish otolith mineralogy for trace-element chemistry studies
Authors: Wood R. Seth , Chakoumakos Bryan C. , Fortner Allison M. , Gillies-Rector Kat , Frontzek Matthias D. , Ivanov Ilia N. , Kah Linda C. , Kennedy Brian , Pracheil Brenda M.
Published: February 2022

Otoliths are frequently used to infer environmental conditions or fish life history events based on trace-element concentrations. However, otoliths can be comprised of any one or combination of the three most common polymorphs of calcium carbonate—aragonite, calcite, and vaterite—which can affect the ecological interpretation of otolith trace-element results. Previous studies have reported heterogeneous calcium carbonate compositions between left and right otoliths but did not provide quantitative assessments of polymorph abundances. In this study, neutron diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify and quantify mineralogical compositions of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha otolith pairs. We found mineralogical compositions frequently differed between otoliths in a pair and accurate calcium carbonate polymorph identification was rarely possible by visual inspection alone. The prevalence of multiple polymorphs in otoliths is not well-understood, and future research should focus on identifying otolith compositions and investigate how variations in mineralogy affect trace-element incorporation and potentially bias environmental interpretations.
Artificial intelligence enabled automated diagnosis and grading of ulcerative colitis endoscopy images
Authors: Sutton Reed T. , Zai͏̈ane Osmar R. , Goebel Randolph , Baumgart Daniel C.
Published: February 2022

Endoscopic evaluation to reliably grade disease activity, detect complications including cancer and verification of mucosal healing are paramount in the care of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC); but this evaluation is hampered by substantial intra- and interobserver variability. Recently, artificial intelligence methodologies have been proposed to facilitate more objective, reproducible endoscopic assessment. In a first step, we compared how well several deep learning convolutional neural network architectures (CNNs) applied to a diverse subset of 8000 labeled endoscopic still images derived from HyperKvasir, the largest multi-class image and video dataset from the gastrointestinal tract available today. The HyperKvasir dataset includes 110,079 images and 374 videos and could (1) accurately distinguish UC from non-UC pathologies, and (2) inform the Mayo score of endoscopic disease severity. We grouped 851 UC images labeled with a Mayo score of 0–3, into an inactive/mild (236) and moderate/severe (604) dichotomy. Weights were initialized with ImageNet, and Grid Search was used to identify the best hyperparameters using fivefold cross-validation. The best accuracy (87.50%) and Area Under the Curve (AUC) (0.90) was achieved using the DenseNet121 architecture, compared to 72.02% and 0.50 by predicting the majority class (‘no skill’ model). Finally, we used Gradient-weighted Class Activation Maps (Grad-CAM) to improve visual interpretation of the model and take an explainable artificial intelligence approach (XAI).
Time trend and Bayesian mapping of multiple myeloma incidence in Sardinia, Italy
Authors: Broccia Giorgio , Carter Jonathan , Ozsin-Ozler Cansu , Meloni Federico , Pilia Ilaria , De Matteis Sara , Cocco Pierluigi
Published: February 2022

A few reports have described increasing trends and spatial distribution of multiple myeloma (MM). We used a validated database including the 1606 cases of MM diagnosed in Sardinia in 1974–2003 to explore its time trend, and we applied Bayesian methods to plot MM probability by administrative unit on the regional map. Over the 30 years of observation, the MM standardized incidence rate (standard world population, all ages) was 2.17 × 10–5 (95% CI 2.01–2.34), 2.29 (95% CI 2.06–2.52) among men, and 2.06 (95% CI 1.83–2.28) among women. MM incidence increased by 3.3%/year in 1974–2003, in both males and females, particularly among the elderly and in the high incidence areas. Areas at risk tended to cluster in the north-eastern part of the region. A higher proportion of elderly in the resident population, but not socioeconomic factors, nor livestock farming, was associated with higher incidence rates. The steep upward time trend and the spatial clustering of MM suggest interactions between genetic and environmental determinants that might be more efficiently investigated in the areas at risk.
A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of oral hydroxyurea for transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia
Authors: Yasara Nirmani , Wickramarathne Nethmi , Mettananda Chamila , Silva Ishari , Hameed Nizri , Attanayaka Kumari , Rodrigo Rexan , Wickramasinghe Nirmani , Perera Lakshman , Manamperi Aresha , Premawardhena Anuja , Mettananda Sachith
Published: February 2022

Hydroxyurea is an antimetabolite drug that induces fetal haemoglobin in sickle cell disease. However, its clinical usefulness in β-thalassaemia is unproven. We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydroxyurea in transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia. Sixty patients were assigned 1:1 to oral hydroxyurea 10–20 mg/kg/day or placebo for 6 months by stratified block randomisation. Hydroxyurea treatment did not alter the blood transfusion volume overall. However, a significantly higher proportion of patients on hydroxyurea showed increases in fetal haemoglobin percentage (89% vs. 59%; p < 0.05) and reductions in erythropoietic stress as measured by soluble transferrin receptor concentration (79% vs. 40%; p < 0.05). Based on fetal haemoglobin induction (> 1.5%), 44% of patients were identified as hydroxyurea-responders. Hydroxyurea-responders, required significantly lower blood volume (77 ± SD27ml/kg) compared to hydroxyurea-non-responders (108 ± SD24ml/kg; p < 0.01) and placebo-receivers (102 ± 28ml/kg; p < 0.05). Response to hydroxyurea was significantly higher in patients with HbE β-thalassaemia genotype (50% vs. 0%; p < 0.01) and Xmn1 polymorphism of the γ-globin gene (67% vs. 27%; p < 0.05). We conclude that oral hydroxyurea increased fetal haemoglobin percentage and reduced erythropoietic stress of ineffective erythropoiesis in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia. Hydroxyurea reduced the transfusion burden in approximately 40% of patients. Response to hydroxyurea was higher in patients with HbE β-thalassaemia genotype and Xmn1 polymorphism of the γ-globin gene.
A novel isothermal method for amplification of long specific amplicon from linear template
Authors: Park Gun-Soo , Maeng Jin-Soo
Published: February 2022

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods have been successfully developed and applied for diagnostic purpose, especially for detection of pathogens. However, amplicon size of such methods is relatively short (< 500 bp) to limit their application for long amplicon production that can be used for various downstream applications including genomic surveillance of pathogens. To fill the gap, we developed a method for specific amplification of kilobases-long target sequence from RNA templates. This method, named CREA, utilizes sequence specific recombination of Cre recombinase to generate circular intermediate template for subsequent RCA reaction. CREA with SARS-CoV-2 spike template could amplify ~ 2.9 kb target and up to ~ 1.9 kb amplicon was able to produce in sufficient amount for general cloning. Each step of CREA procedure was thoroughly analyzed to provide directions for further optimizations. Furthermore, we evaluated a variation of CREA which utilized DNA ligase.
Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of apolipoprotein A1 and B with glycosylated hemoglobin in Chinese adults
Authors: Dong Hongli , Ni Wenqing , Bai Yamin , Yuan Xueli , Zhang Yan , Zhang Hongmin , Sun Yuanying , Xu Jian
Published: February 2022

Apolipoproteins exert a key role on glucose metabolism; however, scarce data have examined the relationship between apolipoproteins and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in Chinese adults. This study determined the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of serum Apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and the ApoB/A1 ratio with HbA1c in Chinese adults. A total of 1448 subjects (584 men and 864 women) aged 54.8 years were included in a baseline survey, and the concentrations of Apo and HbA1c were measured. A total of 826 participants were followed up approximately once after 3.94 ± 0.62 years. In cross-sectional analysis, serum ApoA1 was inversely associated with HbA1c, while ApoB and the ApoB/A1 ratio were positively associated with HbA1c. After further adjusting for the potential covariates, a higher ApoA1 was associated with lower HbA1c (Quartile 4 [Q4] vs. Q1 = 5.673% vs. 5.796%, P-trend = 0.014). In contrast, positive association of ApoB concentration and the ApoB/A1 ratio with HbA1c level were showed (Q4 vs. Q1 = 5.805% vs. 5.589% for ApoB; Q4 vs. Q1 = 5.841% vs. 5.582% for ApoB/A1 ratio). The longitudinal results showed no significant associations of ApoA1, ApoB levels and the ApoB/A1 ratio with HbA1c changes (all P-trends > 0.05). Path analysis suggested that body mass index did not have mediating effect on Apo-HbA1c association. Our findings revealed that higher ApoA1, lower ApoB concentrations and the ApoB/A1 ratio were associated with lower HbA1c level in Chinese adults.
Health-focused conversational agents in person-centered care: a review of apps
Authors: Parmar Pritika , Ryu Jina , Pandya Shivani , Sedoc João , Agarwal Smisha
Published: February 2022

Health-focused apps with chatbots (“healthbots”) have a critical role in addressing gaps in quality healthcare. There is limited evidence on how such healthbots are developed and applied in practice. Our review of healthbots aims to classify types of healthbots, contexts of use, and their natural language processing capabilities. Eligible apps were those that were health-related, had an embedded text-based conversational agent, available in English, and were available for free download through the Google Play or Apple iOS store. Apps were identified using 42Matters software, a mobile app search engine. Apps were assessed using an evaluation framework addressing chatbot characteristics and natural language processing features. The review suggests uptake across 33 low- and high-income countries. Most healthbots are patient-facing, available on a mobile interface and provide a range of functions including health education and counselling support, assessment of symptoms, and assistance with tasks such as scheduling. Most of the 78 apps reviewed focus on primary care and mental health, only 6 (7.59%) had a theoretical underpinning, and 10 (12.35%) complied with health information privacy regulations. Our assessment indicated that only a few apps use machine learning and natural language processing approaches, despite such marketing claims. Most apps allowed for a finite-state input, where the dialogue is led by the system and follows a predetermined algorithm. Healthbots are potentially transformative in centering care around the user; however, they are in a nascent state of development and require further research on development, automation and adoption for a population-level health impact.
Tract-specific statistics based on diffusion-weighted probabilistic tractography
Authors: Reid Andrew T. , Camilleri Julia A. , Hoffstaedter Felix , Eickhoff Simon B.
Published: February 2022

Diffusion-weighted neuroimaging approaches provide rich evidence for estimating the structural integrity of white matter in vivo, but typically do not assess white matter integrity for connections between two specific regions of the brain. Here, we present a method for deriving tract-specific diffusion statistics, based upon predefined regions of interest. Our approach derives a population distribution using probabilistic tractography, based on the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI) Enhanced Rockland sample. We determine the most likely geometry of a path between two regions and express this as a spatial distribution. We then estimate the average orientation of streamlines traversing this path, at discrete distances along its trajectory, and the fraction of diffusion directed along this orientation for each participant. The resulting participant-wise metrics (tract-specific anisotropy; TSA) can then be used for statistical analysis on any comparable population. Based on this method, we report both negative and positive associations between age and TSA for two networks derived from published meta-analytic studies (the “default mode” and “what-where” networks), along with more moderate sex differences and age-by-sex interactions. The proposed method can be applied to any arbitrary set of brain regions, to estimate both the spatial trajectory and DWI-based anisotropy specific to those regions.
The Antarctic Weddell seal genome reveals evidence of selection on cardiovascular phenotype and lipid handling
Authors: Noh Hyun Ji , Turner-Maier Jason , Schulberg S. Anne , Fitzgerald Michael L. , Johnson Jeremy , Allen Kaitlin N. , Hückstädt Luis A. , Batten Annabelle J. , Alfoldi Jessica , Costa Daniel P. , Karlsson Elinor K. , Zapol Warren M. , Buys Emmanuel S. , Lindblad-Toh Kerstin , Hindle Allyson G.
Published: February 2022

The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) thrives in its extreme Antarctic environment. We generated the Weddell seal genome assembly and a high-quality annotation to investigate genome-wide evolutionary pressures that underlie its phenotype and to study genes implicated in hypoxia tolerance and a lipid-based metabolism. Genome-wide analyses included gene family expansion/contraction, positive selection, and diverged sequence (acceleration) compared to other placental mammals, identifying selection in coding and non-coding sequence in five pathways that may shape cardiovascular phenotype. Lipid metabolism as well as hypoxia genes contained more accelerated regions in the Weddell seal compared to genomic background. Top-significant genes wereSUMO2andEP300; both regulate hypoxia inducible factor signaling. Liver expression of four genes with the strongest acceleration signals differ between Weddell seals and a terrestrial mammal, sheep. We also report a high-density lipoprotein-like particle in Weddell seal serum not present in other mammals, including the shallow-diving harbor seal.
Drone honey bees are disproportionately sensitive to abiotic stressors despite expressing high levels of stress response proteins
Authors: McAfee Alison , Metz Bradley N. , Milone Joseph P. , Foster Leonard J. , Tarpy David R.
Published: February 2022

Drone honey bees (Apis mellifera) are the obligate sexual partners of queens, and the availability of healthy, high-quality drones directly affects a queen’s fertility and productivity. Yet, our understanding of how stressors affect adult drone fertility, survival, and physiology is presently limited. Here, we investigated sex biases in susceptibility to abiotic stressors (cold stress, topical imidacloprid exposure, and topical exposure to a realistic cocktail of pesticides). We found that drones (haploid males) were more sensitive to cold and imidacloprid exposure than workers (sterile, diploid females), but the cocktail was not toxic at the concentrations tested. We corroborated this lack of cocktail toxicity with in-hive exposures via pollen feeding. We then used quantitative proteomics to investigate protein expression profiles in the hemolymph of topically exposed workers and drones, and found that 34 proteins were differentially expressed in exposed drones relative to controls, but none were differentially expressed in exposed workers. Contrary to our hypothesis, we show that drones express surprisingly high baseline levels of putative stress response proteins relative to workers. This suggests that drones’ stress tolerance systems are fundamentally rewired relative to workers, and susceptibility to stress depends on more than simply gene dose or allelic diversity.
Population genomic signatures of the oriental fruit moth related to the Pleistocene climates
Authors: Cao Li-Jun , Song Wei , Chen Jin-Cui , Fan Xu-Lei , Hoffmann Ary Anthony , Wei Shu-Jun
Published: February 2022

The Quaternary climatic oscillations are expected to have had strong impacts on the evolution of species. Although legacies of the Quaternary climates on population processes have been widely identified in diverse groups of species, adaptive genetic changes shaped during the Quaternary have been harder to decipher. Here, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of the oriental fruit moth and compared genomic variation among refugial and colonized populations of this species that diverged in the Pleistocene. High genomic diversity was maintained in refugial populations. Demographic analysis showed that the effective population size of refugial populations declined during the penultimate glacial maximum (PGM) but remained stable during the last glacial maximum (LGM), indicating a strong impact of the PGM rather than the LGM on this pest species. Genome scans identified one chromosomal inversion and a mutation of the circadian gene Clk on the neo-Z chromosome potentially related to the endemicity of a refugial population. In the colonized populations, genes in pathways of energy metabolism and wing development showed signatures of selection. These different genomic signatures of refugial and colonized populations point to multiple impacts of Quaternary climates on adaptation in an extant species.
Spectroscopic characterization of two peroxyl radicals during the O2-oxidation of the methylthio radical
Authors: Wu Zhuang , Shao Xin , Zhu Bifeng , Wang Lina , Lu Bo , Trabelsi Tarek , Francisco Joseph S. , Zeng Xiaoqing
Published: February 2022

The atmospheric oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) yields sulfuric acid and methane sulfonic acid (MSA), which are key precursors to new particles formed via homogeneous nucleation and further cluster growth in air masses. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical studies have suggested that the oxidation of DMS involves the formation of the methylthio radical (CH3S•), followed by its O2-oxidation reaction via the intermediacy of free radicals CH3SOx• (x = 1–4). Therefore, capturing these transient radicals and disclosing their reactivity are of vital importance in understanding the complex mechanism. Here, we report an optimized method for efficient gas-phase generation of CH3S• through flash pyrolysis ofS-nitrosothiol CH3SNO, enabling us to study the O2-oxidation of CH3S• by combining matrix-isolation spectroscopy (IR and UV–vis) with quantum chemical computations at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pV(X + d)Z (X = D and T) level of theory. As the key intermediate for the initial oxidation of CH3S•, the peroxyl radical CH3SOO• forms by reacting with O2. Upon irradiation at 830 nm, CH3SOO• undergoes isomerization to the sulfonyl radical CH3SO2• in cryogenic matrixes (Ar, Ne, and N2), and the latter can further combine with O2to yield another peroxyl radical CH3S(O)2OO• upon further irradiation at 440 nm. Subsequent UV-light irradiation (266 nm) causes dissociation of CH3S(O)2OO• to CH3SO2•, CH2O, SO2, and SO3. The IR spectroscopic identification of the two peroxyl radicals CH3SOO• and CH3S(O)2OO• is also supported by18O- and13C-isotope labeling experiments.
Representative community divisions of networks
Authors: Kirkley Alec , Newman M. E. J.
Published: February 2022

Methods for detecting community structure in networks typically aim to identify a single best partition of network nodes into communities, often by optimizing some objective function, but in real-world applications there may be many competitive partitions with objective scores close to the global optimum and one can obtain a more informative picture of the community structure by examining a representative set of such high-scoring partitions than by looking at just the single optimum. However, such a set can be difficult to interpret since its size can easily run to hundreds or thousands of partitions. In this paper we present a method for analyzing large partition sets by dividing them into groups of similar partitions and then identifying an archetypal partition as a representative of each group. The resulting set of archetypal partitions provides a succinct, interpretable summary of the form and variety of community structure in any network. We demonstrate the method on a range of example networks.
Community-based rangeland management in Namibia improves resource governance but not environmental and economic outcomes
Authors: Coppock D. Layne , Crowley Luke , Durham Susan L. , Groves Dylan , Jamison Julian C. , Karlan Dean , Norton Brien E. , Ramsey R. Douglas
Published: February 2022

Classic theories suggest that common pool resources are subject to overexploitation. Community-based resource management approaches may ameliorate tragedy of the commons effects. Here we use a randomized evaluation in Namibia’s communal rangelands to study a comprehensive four-year program to support community-based rangeland and cattle management. We find that the program led to persistent and large improvements for eight of thirteen indices of social and behavioral outcomes. Effects on rangeland health, cattle productivity and household economics, however, were either negative or nil. Positive impacts on community resource management may have been offset by communities’ inability to control grazing by non-participating herds and inhibited by an unresponsive rangeland sub-system. This juxtaposition, in which measurable improvements in community resource management did not translate into better outcomes for households or rangeland health, demonstrates the fragility of the causal pathway from program implementation to intended socioeconomic and environmental outcomes. It also points to challenges for improving climate change–adaptation strategies.
Aerobic exercise improves episodic memory in late adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Aghjayan Sarah L. , Bournias Themistokles , Kang Chaeryon , Zhou Xueping , Stillman Chelsea M. , Donofry Shannon D. , Kamarck Thomas W. , Marsland Anna L. , Voss Michelle W. , Fraundorf Scott H. , Erickson Kirk I.
Published: February 2022

Background

Aerobic exercise remains one of the most promising approaches for enhancing cognitive function in late adulthood, yet its potential positive effects on episodic memory remain poorly understood and a matter of intense debate. Prior meta-analyses have reported minimal improvements in episodic memory following aerobic exercise but have been limited by restrictive inclusion criteria and infrequent examination of exercise parameters.

Methods

We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to determine if aerobic exercise influences episodic memory in late adulthood (M = 70.82 years) and examine possible moderators. Thirty-six studies met inclusion criteria, representing data from 2750 participants.

Results

Here we show that aerobic exercise interventions are effective at improving episodic memory (Hedges’g = 0.28;p = 0.002). Subgroup analyses revealed a moderating effect of age (p = 0.027), with a significant effect for studies with a mean age between 55–68 but not 69–85. Mixed-effects analyses demonstrated a positive effect on episodic memory among studies with a high percentage of females (65–100%), participants with normal cognition, studies reporting intensity, studies with a no-contact or nonaerobic physical activity control group, and studies prescribing >3900 total minutes of activity (range 540–8190 min).

Conclusions

Aerobic exercise positively influences episodic memory among adults ≥55 years without dementia, with larger effects observed among various sample and intervention characteristics—the clearest moderator being age. These results could have far-reaching clinical and public health relevance, highlighting aerobic exercise as an accessible, non-pharmaceutical intervention to improve episodic memory in late adulthood.
Gd(iii)-Based inorganic polymers, metal–organic frameworks and coordination polymers for magnetic refrigeration
Authors: Zhong Xiang , Hu Jun-Jie , Yao Shu-Li , Zhang Rui-Jie , Wang Jin-Jin , Cai Ding-Gui , Luo Tong-Kai , Peng Yan , Liu Sui-Jun , Wen He-Rui
Published: February 2022

Gd(iii)-based molecular magnetorefrigerants are reviewed and discussed in detail, with an emphasis on the synthetic strategy towards good stability and large magnetocaloric effect.
Ligand exchange among iodine(i) complexes
Authors: Yu Shilin , Ward Jas S.
Published: February 2022

The ligand exchange behavior among iodine(i) complexes was comprehensively investigated via the stoichiometric combination of two homoleptic iodine(i) complexes.
Beneficial effects of eugenol supplementation on gut microbiota and hepatic steatosis in high-fat-fed mice
Authors: Rodrigues Marina , Bertoncini-Silva Caroline , Joaquim Anderson Gregorio , Machado Cássia Dias , Ramalho Leandra Náira Zambelli , Carlos Daniela , Fassini Priscila Giacomo , Suen Vivian Marques Miguel
Published: February 2022

Due to the increase in the prevalence of obesity, new therapies have emerged and eugenol has been shown to be beneficial in metabolic changes and gut microbiota.
Status and advances of deep eutectic solvents for metal separation and recovery
Authors: Yuan Ziwen , Liu Hang , Yong Wai Fen , She Qianhong , Esteban Jesús
Published: February 2022

Deep eutectic solvents show interesting prospects as more sustainable alternatives for metal separation and recovery.
A sustainable gateway to access 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthene scaffoldsviaa surface-engineered halloysite-based magnetically responsive catalyst
Authors: Arora Bhavya , Sharma Shivani , Dutta Sriparna , Sharma Aditi , Yadav Sneha , Rana Pooja , Rana Pooja , Sharma R. K.
Published: February 2022

A covalently modified, surface-engineered Cu(ii)@DCH@CPTMS@MHNT nanocatalyst is synthesized, which showed incredible catalytic activity in accessing a library of xanthene scaffolds.
Fabrication of a stable CdS photoanode for photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction under visible-light irradiation
Authors: Higashi Masanobu , Tanaka Itsuki , Amao Yutaka , Yoshida Tomoko
Published: February 2022

A CdS photoanode with a smooth surface can stably oxidize [Fe(CN)6]4− by densely forming K2Cd[Fe(CN)6] on the CdS surface during photocorrosion.
The difference between photo-iniferter and conventional RAFT polymerization: high livingness enables the straightforward synthesis of multiblock copolymers
Authors: Lehnen Anne-Catherine , Kurki Jan A. M. , Hartlieb Matthias
Published: February 2022

The impact of reversible deactivation in photo-inifierter RAFT polymerization on control and livingness of the process is investigated. The findings are used to create multiblock copolymers with high molecular weight and efficient chain extension.
Chiral graphene-based supramolecular hydrogels toward tumor therapy
Authors: Wang Xueqian , Wu Beibei , Zhang Yaqian , Feng Chuanliang
Published: February 2022

d-Phenylalanine-based (DPFEG) hydrogel co-assembled with GO and its handedness reversal induced the selective delivery of chiral anticancer drugs under IR irradiation for tumor therapy.
Bipolarithizole A, an antifungal phenylthiazole-sativene merosesquiterpenoid from the potato endophytic fungus Bipolaris eleusines
Authors: Ai Hong-Lian , Shi Bao-Bao , Li Wei , He Juan , Li Zheng-Hui , Feng Tao , Liu Ji-Kai
Published: February 2022

Bipolarithizole A (1) is a phenylthiazole-sativene sesquiterpenoid hybrid isolated from the fungus Bipolaris eleusines. It shows anti-pathogenic fungi activity against Rhizoctonia solani with an MIC value of 16 μg mL−1.
Selective covalent capture of collagen triple helices with a minimal protecting group strategy
Authors: Yu Le Tracy , Hartgerink Jeffrey D.
Published: February 2022

A minimal protecting group strategy is developed to allow selective covalent capture of collagen-like triple helices. This allows stabilization of this critical fold while preserving charge–pair interactions critical for biological applications.
Asymmetric β-arylation of cyclopropanols enabled by photoredox and nickel dual catalysis
Authors: Wang Jianhua , Li Xiaoxun
Published: February 2022

An asymmetric β-arylation of cyclopropanols with aryl bromides was enabled by enantioselective photoredox and nickel dual catalysis.
DNA dynamics in complex coacervate droplets and micelles
Authors: Bos Inge , Brink Eline , Michels Lucile , Sprakel Joris
Published: February 2022

DNA can be mixed with oppositely charged homopolymers or diblock copolymers to form respectively complex coacervate droplets or complex coacervate core micelles. We study the chain length effect on the dynamics of these complex coacervate structures.
Membrane phosphatidylserine allosterically regulates the cytosolic phospholipase A2 activityviaan electrostatic-switch mechanism
Authors: Geng Feng , Zhang Guangxu , Wang Yadi , Lü Junhong
Published: February 2022

Experimental and theoretical approaches suggest an electrostatic-switch allosteric mechanism for cytosolic phospholipase A2 activation on the cell membrane interface under the inflammatory state.
Photocatalytic activity enhancement of Cu2O cubes functionalized with 2-ethynyl-6-methoxynaphthalene through band structure modulation
Authors: Patra Anindya Sundar , Kao Jui-Cheng , Chan Shang-Ju , Chou Po-Jung , Chou Jyh-Pin , Lo Yu-Chieh , Huang Michael H.
Published: February 2022

Inert Cu2O cubes become photocatalytically active with 2E-6-MN functionalization. The molecule-derived bands within the band gap of Cu2O and charge density distribution over the molecule contribute to the photocatalytic activity appearance.
A ZIF-67 derived Co3O4 dodecahedron shaped microparticle electrode based extended gate field-effect transistor for non-enzymatic glucose detection towards the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus
Authors: Kuppuswamy Guru Prasad , Pushparaj Kishore , Surya Velappa Jayaraman , Varadharaj Eswaramoorthy K. , Senthil Kumar Shanmugam , Di Natale Corrado , Sivalingam Yuvaraj
Published: February 2022

The present study focuses on non-enzymatic glucose detection using an extended gate field-effect transistor (EGFET) based on zeolitic imidazole framework-67 (ZIF-67) derived cobalt tetraoxide (Co3O4) dodecahedron shaped microparticles.
Three-dimensional nano-folded transition-metal oxide electrode materials for high-performing electrochemical energy-storage devices
Authors: Chen Wanjun , Li Xingpeng , Feng Wenjing , Zhou Wei , Liang Zengteng , Zhang Yongheng , Gengzang Duojie , Zhang Guoheng , Chen Qiong , Wang Peiyu , Jiao Haiyan , Deng Xiaoyan , Zhang Shengguo
Published: February 2022

We have developed a fast and scalable dynamic thermal oxidation route to fabricate a 3D nano-folded transition-metal oxide with a well-defined structure, which exhibits a superior electrochemical performance as an electrode material.
Retraction: Synergistic action of star-shaped Au/Ag nanoparticles decorated on AgFeO2 for ultrasensitive SERS detection of a chemical warfare agent on real samples
Authors: Barveen Nazar Riswana , Wang Tzyy-Jiann , Chang Yu-Hsu
Published: February 2022

Retraction of ‘Synergistic action of star-shaped Au/Ag nanoparticles decorated on AgFeO2 for ultrasensitive SERS detection of a chemical warfare agent on real samples’ by Nazar Riswana Barveen et al., Anal. Methods, 2020, 12, 1342–1352, DOI: 10.1039/C9AY02347J.
An overview of metal-free sustainable nitrogen-based catalytic knoevenagel condensation reaction
Authors: Johari Suzaimi , Johan Mohd Rafie , Khaligh Nader Ghaffari
Published: February 2022

An overview of recent developments in green sustainable metal-free and nitrogen-based catalytic knoevenagel condensation reaction.
Expression of concern: LncRNA CASC2 inhibits autophagy and promotes apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells via regulating the miR-214/TRIM16 axis
Authors: Fisher Laura
Published: February 2022

Expression of concern for ‘LncRNA CASC2 inhibits autophagy and promotes apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells via regulating the miR-214/TRIM16 axis’ by Qian Li et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 40846–40855, DOI: 10.1039/c8ra09573f.
Ni-promoted MoS2 in hollow zeolite nanoreactors: enhanced catalytic activity and stability for deep hydrodesulfurization
Authors: Kang Xin , Wang Dongxu , Liu Jiancong , Tian Chungui , Xu He , Xu Jialu , Fu Honggang
Published: February 2022

Hollow ZSM-5 zeolites can act as a nanoreactor to confine the growth of small-sized NiMoSX catalysts and facilitate the mass transfer of reactants and products, which enhances their catalytic activity and stability for deep hydrodesulfurization.
LoRa based intelligent soil and weather condition monitoring with internet of things for precision agriculture in smart cities
Authors: Singh Dushyant Kumar , Sobti Rajeev , Jain Anuj , Malik Praveen Kumar , Le Dac‐Nhuong
Published: February 2022

Urbanization is expected to hold about 50% of the world population by 2050 and there will be stress on available resources including food and freshwater. Further, inefficient utilization of irrigation water possesses additional challenges and it is predicted that by 2050, India will face shortage of freshwater resources. Urban agriculture and Precision Agriculture are the possible solutions in smart cities for the predicted challenges providing food security and safety, sustainable life in cities. Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning (ML) are the possible solutions to smart cities' farming. Agricultural activities such as irrigation of plants, rain and drought conditions monitoring supported by IoT and ML succour farmers to righteous decision on agriculture activities. A detailed study is carried out on the role, opportunities, and different aspects of smart cities, urban farming, communication technologies, IoT and ML with respect to agriculture. The article presents the design of intelligent irrigation system based on soil and weather conditions. The soil and weather parameters are selected through various research articles in Agriculture 4.0 and ML. The article also juxtapositions the designed weather station with the various patents developed. The system developed in this article provides a cost‐effective and state‐of‐the‐art solution to local weather monitoring.
Superpixel segmentation algorithm based on local network modularity increment
Authors: Liu Tianli , Dai Fang , Guo Wenyan , Zhao Fengqun , Wang Junfeng , Wang Xiaoxia
Published: February 2022

Superpixel segmentation is a kind of image preprocessing technology and a popular research direction in image processing. The purpose of superpixel segmentation is to reduce the complexity of image processing. The most widely applied Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) superpixel segmentation algorithm has high operating efficiency. However, under‐segmentation is prone to occur when the number of given superpixel regions is too small. In order to improve the segmentation accuracy, the superpixel segmentation algorithm based on local network modularity increment (LocalNet) from the perspective of network community detection is proposed here. The adjacency network is constructed according to the colour similarity of image pixels, the local community centre is found by the degree of network nodes, and the local network structure of the community is constructed. The modularity increment is employed as the boundary constraint to improve the segmentation accuracy of superpixel segmentation. Through the experimental comparison with the SLIC algorithm, its improved algorithm, and the algorithm proposed in recent years, the results show that our LocalNet algorithm significantly improves in segmentation accuracy Furthermore, the segmentation effect has obvious advantages under the premise that the segmentation speed is not much different from that of the other five algorithms.
Mathematical model for forwarding packets in communication network
Authors: Hussein Samaa A. I. , Zaki Fayez W. , Ashour Mohammed M.
Published: February 2022

The software‐defined networking (SDN) represents the future backbone of the Internet. In general, to understand the performance and the limitation of SDN is a prerequisite for deploying these networks and making the most of their resources. For achieving that goal, this paper discusses the difference between traditional networks and SDN over wide area network (WAN) where an accurate queuing model of packet forwarding is proposed to measure the performance of many factors affecting the system, such as response time, service rate, utilization, throughput and delay through a vEdge router. Additionally, it focusses for studying algebraic estimates of the probability distribution of the system states. The Matrix‐Geometric solution procedure of a phase‐type distribution queue with first‐in, first‐out (FIFO) discipline is used. The analysis results indicate that the proposed queuing model gives a more accurate approximation for software‐defined WAN (SD‐WAN) controller system performance than the present, where this solution shows that the most important results are benefits of centralized management of SD‐WAN, an increase in bandwidth through separating the control plan from the data plan, thus reducing volume operations in the data plan, a delay and an increase in packet transfer speed. Additionally, it improves business performance and diminishes budget.
Parameter identification of direct‐drive permanent magnet synchronous generator based on EDMPSO‐EKF
Authors: Xiao Qianghui , Liao Kaixian , Shi Chuandong , Zhang Yang
Published: February 2022

Aiming at the problem that extended Kalman filter (EKF) is difficult to determine the appropriate system and measurement noise matrices in parameter identification of direct‐drive permanent magnet synchronous generator (D‐PMSG), a parameter identification method of D‐PMSG based on mean particle swarm optimization with extreme disturbance (EDMPSO)‐EKF is proposed. Firstly, by analysing the principle of EKF, a dual‐thread identification model is established, then the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is improved to jump out of the local optimum by adding extremum interference and taking average extremum, and a suitable fitness function is designed. Finally, the improved PSO algorithm is applied to the adaptive optimization of EKF system noise matrix and measurement noise matrix, and the system performs the parameter identification after obtaining the optimal noise matrix. The simulation and experiment results show that the proposed method has better convergence speed and can more accurately identify the parameters of stator resistance, inductance and flux linkage, and it has better identification accuracy and generalization ability than the traditional method.