bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trimannose-coupled antimiR-21 for macrophage-targeted inhalation treatment of acute inflammatory lung damage
Authors: Beck Christina , Ramanujam Deepak , Vaccarello Paula , Widenmeyer Florenc , Feuerherd Martin , Cheng Cho-Chin , Bomhard Anton , Abikeeva Tatiana , Schädler Julia , Sperhake Jan-Peter , Graw Matthias , Safi Seyer , Hoffmann Hans , Staab-Weijnitz Claudia A. , Rad Roland , Protzer Ulrike , Frischmuth Thomas , Engelhardt Stefan
Published: July 2023

Recent studies of severe acute inflammatory lung disease including COVID-19 identify macrophages to drive pulmonary hyperinflammation and long-term damage such as fibrosis. Here, we report on the development of a first-in-class, carbohydrate-coupled inhibitor of microRNA-21 (RCS-21), as a therapeutic means against pulmonary hyperinflammation and fibrosis. MicroRNA-21 is among the strongest upregulated microRNAs in human COVID-19 and in mice with acute inflammatory lung damage, and it is the strongest expressed microRNA in pulmonary macrophages. Chemical linkage of a microRNA-21 inhibitor to trimannose achieves rapid and specific delivery to macrophages upon inhalation in mice. RCS-21 reverses pathological activation of macrophages and prevents pulmonary dysfunction and fibrosis after acute lung damage in mice. In human lung tissue infected with SARS-CoV-2 ex vivo, RCS-21 effectively prevents the exaggerated inflammatory response. Our data imply trimannose-coupling for effective and selective delivery of inhaled oligonucleotides to pulmonary macrophages and report on a first mannose-coupled candidate therapeutic for COVID-19.
Monoclonal antibody levels and protection from COVID-19
Authors: Stadler Eva , Burgess Martin T. , Schlub Timothy E. , Khan Shanchita R. , Chai Khai Li , McQuilten Zoe K. , Wood Erica M. , Polizzotto Mark N. , Kent Stephen J. , Cromer Deborah , Davenport Miles P. , Khoury David S.
Published: July 2023

Multiple monoclonal antibodies have been shown to be effective for both prophylaxis and therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here we aggregate data from randomized controlled trials assessing the use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) in preventing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. We use data on the in vivo concentration of mAb and the associated protection from COVID-19 over time to model the dose-response relationship of mAb for prophylaxis. We estimate that 50% protection from COVID-19 is achieved with a mAb concentration of 96-fold of the in vitro IC50 (95% CI: 32—285). This relationship provides a tool for predicting the prophylactic efficacy of new mAb and against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Finally, we compare the relationship between neutralization titer and protection from COVID-19 after either mAb treatment or vaccination. We find no significant difference between the 50% protective titer for mAb and vaccination, although sample sizes limited the power to detect a difference.
Discovery and rational engineering of PET hydrolase with both mesophilic and thermophilic PET hydrolase properties
Authors: Hong Hwaseok , Ki Dongwoo , Seo Hogyun , Park Jiyoung , Jang Jaewon , Kim Kyung-Jin
Published: July 2023

Excessive polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste causes a variety of problems. Extensive research focused on the development of superior PET hydrolases for PET biorecycling has been conducted. However, template enzymes employed in enzyme engineering mainly focused onIsPETase and leaf-branch compost cutinase, which exhibit mesophilic and thermophilic hydrolytic properties, respectively. Herein, we report a PET hydrolase fromCryptosporangium aurantiacum(CaPETase) that exhibits high thermostability and remarkable PET degradation activity at ambient temperatures. We uncover the crystal structure ofCaPETase, which displays a distinct backbone conformation at the active site and residues forming the substrate binding cleft, compared with other PET hydrolases. We further develop aCaPETaseM9variant that exhibits robust thermostability with aTmof 83.2 °C and 41.7-fold enhanced PET hydrolytic activity at 60 °C compared withCaPETaseWT.CaPETaseM9almost completely decompose both transparent and colored post-consumer PET powder at 55 °C within half a day in a pH-stat bioreactor.
A small area model to assess temporal trends and sub-national disparities in healthcare quality
Authors: Allorant Adrien , Fullman Nancy , Leslie Hannah H. , Sarr Moussa , Gueye Daouda , Eliakimu Eliudi , Wakefield Jon , Dieleman Joseph L. , Pigott David , Puttkammer Nancy , Reiner Robert C.
Published: July 2023

Monitoring subnational healthcare quality is important for identifying and addressing geographic inequities. Yet, health facility surveys are rarely powered to support the generation of estimates at more local levels. With this study, we propose an analytical approach for estimating both temporal and subnational patterns of healthcare quality indicators from health facility survey data. This method uses random effects to account for differences between survey instruments; space-time processes to leverage correlations in space and time; and covariates to incorporate auxiliary information. We applied this method for three countries in which at least four health facility surveys had been conducted since 1999 – Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania – and estimated measures of sick-child care quality per WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) guidelines at programmatic subnational level, between 1999 and 2020. Model performance metrics indicated good out-of-sample predictive validity, illustrating the potential utility of geospatial statistical models for health facility data. This method offers a way to jointly estimate indicators of healthcare quality over space and time, which could then provide insights to decision-makers and health service program managers.
Electrochemical synthesis of biaryls by reductive extrusion from N,N’-diarylureas
Authors: Stammers Ellie , Parsons Chris D. , Clayden Jonathan , Lennox Alastair J. J.
Published: July 2023

The synthesis of biaryl compounds by the transition-metal free coupling of arenes is an important contemporary challenge, aiming to avoid the toxicity and cost profiles associated with the metal catalysts commonly used in the synthesis of these pharmaceutically relevant motifs. In this paper, we describe an electrochemical approach to the synthesis of biaryls in which aniline derivatives are coupled through the formation and reduction of a temporary urea linkage. The conformational alignment of the arenes in theN,N’-diaryl urea intermediates promotes C-C bond formation following single-electron reduction. Our optimized conditions are suitable for the synthesis of a variety of biaryls, including sterically hindered examples carrying ortho-substituents, representing complementary reactivity to most metal catalysed methods.
Knowledge-enhanced visual-language pre-training on chest radiology images
Authors: Zhang Xiaoman , Wu Chaoyi , Zhang Ya , Xie Weidi , Wang Yanfeng
Published: July 2023

While multi-modal foundation models pre-trained on large-scale data have been successful in natural language understanding and vision recognition, their use in medical domains is still limited due to the fine-grained nature of medical tasks and the high demand for domain knowledge. To address this challenge, we propose an approach called Knowledge-enhanced Auto Diagnosis (KAD) which leverages existing medical domain knowledge to guide vision-language pre-training using paired chest X-rays and radiology reports. We evaluate KAD on four external X-ray datasets and demonstrate that its zero-shot performance is not only comparable to that of fully supervised models but also superior to the average of three expert radiologists for three (out of five) pathologies with statistical significance. Moreover, when few-shot annotation is available, KAD outperforms all existing approaches in fine-tuning settings, demonstrating its potential for application in different clinical scenarios.
Cancer cell-mitochondria hybrid membrane coated Gboxin loaded nanomedicines for glioblastoma treatment
Authors: Zou Yan , Sun Yajing , Wang Yibin , Zhang Dongya , Yang Huiqing , Wang Xin , Zheng Meng , Shi Bingyang
Published: July 2023

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains the most lethal malignant tumours. Gboxin, an oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor, specifically restrains GBM growth by inhibiting the activity of F0F1 ATPase complex V. However, its anti-GBM effect is seriously limited by poor blood circulation, the blood brain barrier (BBB) and non-specific GBM tissue/cell uptake, leading to insufficient Gboxin accumulation at GBM sites, which limits its further clinical application. Here we present a biomimetic nanomedicine (HM-NPs@G) by coating cancer cell-mitochondria hybrid membrane (HM) on the surface of Gboxin-loaded nanoparticles. An additional design element uses a reactive oxygen species responsive polymer to facilitate at-site Gboxin release. The HM camouflaging endows HM-NPs@G with unique features including good biocompatibility, improved pharmacokinetic profile, efficient BBB permeability and homotypic dual tumour cell and mitochondria targeting. The results suggest that HM-NPs@G achieve improved blood circulation (4.90 h versus 0.47 h of free Gboxin) and tumour accumulation (7.73% ID/g versus 1.06% ID/g shown by free Gboxin). Effective tumour inhibition in orthotopic U87MG GBM and patient derived X01 GBM stem cell xenografts in female mice with extended survival time and negligible side effects are also noted. We believe that the biomimetic Gboxin nanomedicine represents a promising treatment for brain tumours with clinical potential.
Wastewater-based epidemiology predicts COVID-19-induced weekly new hospital admissions in over 150 USA counties
Authors: Li Xuan , Liu Huan , Gao Li , Sherchan Samendra P. , Zhou Ting , Khan Stuart J. , van Loosdrecht Mark C. M. , Wang Qilin
Published: July 2023

Although the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emergency status is easing, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect healthcare systems globally. It is crucial to have a reliable and population-wide prediction tool for estimating COVID-19-induced hospital admissions. We evaluated the feasibility of using wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to predict COVID-19-induced weekly new hospitalizations in 159 counties across 45 states in the United States of America (USA), covering a population of nearly 100 million. Using county-level weekly wastewater surveillance data (over 20 months), WBE-based models were established through the random forest algorithm. WBE-based models accurately predicted the county-level weekly new admissions, allowing a preparation window of 1-4 weeks. In real applications, periodically updated WBE-based models showed good accuracy and transferability, with mean absolute error within 4-6 patients/100k population for upcoming weekly new hospitalization numbers. Our study demonstrated the potential of using WBE as an effective method to provide early warnings for healthcare systems.
Intra-gastric phytoliths provide evidence for folivory in basal avialans of the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota
Authors: Wu Yan , Ge Yong , Hu Han , Stidham Thomas A. , Li Zhiheng , Bailleul Alida M. , Zhou Zhonghe
Published: July 2023

Angiosperms became the dominant plant group in early to middle Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems, coincident with the timing of the earliest pulse of bird diversification. While living birds and angiosperms exhibit strong interactions across pollination/nectivory, seed dispersal/frugivory, and folivory, documentation of the evolutionary origins and construction of that ecological complexity remains scarce in the Mesozoic. Through the first study of preserved in situ dietary derived phytoliths in a nearly complete skeleton of the early diverging avialan clade Jeholornithidae, we provide direct dietary evidence that Jeholornis consumed leaves likely from the magnoliid angiosperm clade, and these results lend further support for early ecological connections among the earliest birds and angiosperms. The broad diet of the early diverging avialan Jeholornis including at least fruits and leaves marks a clear transition in the early evolution of birds in the establishment of an arboreal (angiosperm) herbivore niche in the Early Cretaceous occupied largely by birds today. Morphometric reanalysis of the lower jaw of Jeholornis further supports a generalized morphology shared with other herbivorous birds, including an extant avian folivore, the hoatzin.
Modulating p38 MAPK signaling by proteostasis mechanisms supports tissue integrity during growth and aging
Authors: Yuan Wang , Weaver Yi M. , Earnest Svetlana , Taylor Clinton A. , Cobb Melanie H. , Weaver Benjamin P.
Published: July 2023

The conserved p38 MAPK family is activated by phosphorylation during stress responses and inactivated by phosphatases. C. elegans PMK-1 p38 MAPK initiates innate immune responses and blocks development when hyperactivated. Here we show that PMK-1 signaling is enhanced during early aging by modulating the stoichiometry of non-phospho-PMK-1 to promote tissue integrity and longevity. Loss of pmk-1 function accelerates progressive declines in neuronal integrity and lysosome function compromising longevity which has both cell autonomous and cell non-autonomous contributions. CED-3 caspase cleavage limits phosphorylated PMK-1. Enhancing p38 signaling with caspase cleavage-resistant PMK-1 protects lysosomal and neuronal integrity extending a youthful phase. PMK-1 works through a complex transcriptional program to regulate lysosome formation. During early aging, the absolute phospho-p38 amount is maintained but the reservoir of non-phospho-p38 diminishes to enhance signaling without hyperactivation. Our findings show that modulating the stoichiometry of non-phospho-p38 dynamically supports tissue-homeostasis during aging without hyper-activation of stress response.
Spin selection in atomic-level chiral metal oxide for photocatalysis
Authors: Ai Minhua , Pan Lun , Shi Chengxiang , Huang Zhen-Feng , Zhang Xiangwen , Mi Wenbo , Zou Ji-Jun
Published: July 2023

The spin degree of freedom is an important and intrinsic parameter in boosting carrier dynamics and surface reaction kinetics of photocatalysis. Here we show that chiral structure in ZnO can induce spin selectivity effect to promote photocatalytic performance. The ZnO crystals synthesized using chiral methionine molecules as symmetry-breaking agents show hierarchical chirality. Magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopic and magnetic conductive-probe atomic force microscopic measurements demonstrate that chiral structure acts as spin filters and induces spin polarization in photoinduced carriers. The polarized carriers not only possess the prolonged carrier lifetime, but also increase the triplet species instead of singlet byproducts during reaction. Accordingly, the left- and right-hand chiral ZnO exhibit 2.0- and 1.9-times higher activity in photocatalytic O2 production and 2.5- and 2.0-times higher activities in contaminant photodegradation, respectively, compared with achiral ZnO. This work provides a feasible strategy to manipulate the spin properties in metal oxides for electron spin-related redox catalysis.
Genome assembly of the Korean intertidal mud-creeper Batillaria attramentaria
Authors: Patra Ajit Kumar , Ho Phuong-Thao , Jun Siyeong , Lee Seung Jae , Kim Yuseob , Won Yong-Jin
Published: July 2023

Batillaridae is a common gastropod family that occurs abundantly in the shallow coastal zone of the intertidal mudflats of the northwest Pacific Ocean, Australasia, and North America. In this family, Batillaria attramentaria is known for its biological invasion and colonization in estuarine and intertidal zones. It can endure and adapt the harsh intertidal conditions such as frequent temperature alteration, salinity, and air exposure. Therefore, we sequenced and assembled this Korean batillariid genome to get insight into its intertidal adaptive features. Approximately 53 Gb of DNA sequences were generated, and 863 scaffolds were assembled into a draft genome of 0.715 Gb with 97.1% BUSCO completeness value. A total of 40,596 genes were predicted. We estimated that B. attramentaria and Conus consors diverged about 230 million years ago (MYA) based on the phylogenetic analysis of closely related gastropod species. This genome study sets the footstep for genomics studies among native and introduced Batillaria populations and the Batillaridae family members.
Relationship between biomechanics and energy cost in graded treadmill running
Authors: Lemire Marcel , Faricier Robin , Dieterlen Alain , Meyer Frédéric , Millet Grégoire P.
Published: July 2023

The objective of this study was to determine whether the relationships between energy cost of running (Cr) and running mechanics during downhill (DR), level (LR) and uphill (UR) running could be related to fitness level. Nineteen athletes performed four experimental tests on an instrumented treadmill: one maximal incremental test in LR, and three randomized running bouts at constant speed (10 km h−1) in LR, UR and DR (± 10% slope). Gas exchange, heart rate and ground reaction forces were collected during steady-state. Subjects were split into two groups using the median Cr for all participants. Contact time, duty factor, and positive external work correlated with Cr during UR (all, p < 0.05), while none of the mechanical variables correlated with Cr during LR and DR. Mechanical differences between the two groups were observed in UR only: contact time and step length were higher in the economical than in the non-economical group (both p < 0.031). This study shows that longer stance duration during UR contributes to lower energy expenditure and Cr (i.e., running economy improvement), which opens the way to optimize specific running training programs.
Techniques to produce and evaluate realistic multivariate synthetic data
Authors: Heine John , Fowler Erin E. E. , Berglund Anders , Schell Michael J. , Eschrich Steven
Published: July 2023

Data modeling requires a sufficient sample size for reproducibility. A small sample size can inhibit model evaluation. A synthetic data generation technique addressing this small sample size problem is evaluated: from the space of arbitrarily distributed samples, a subgroup (class) has a latent multivariate normal characteristic; synthetic data can be generated from this class with univariate kernel density estimation (KDE); and synthetic samples are statistically like their respective samples. Three samples (n = 667) were investigated with 10 input variables (X). KDE was used to augment the sample size in X. Maps produced univariate normal variables in Y. Principal component analysis in Y produced uncorrelated variables in T, where the probability density functions were approximated as normal and characterized; synthetic data was generated with normally distributed univariate random variables in T. Reversing each step produced synthetic data in Y and X. All samples were approximately multivariate normal in Y, permitting the generation of synthetic data. Probability density function and covariance comparisons showed similarity between samples and synthetic samples. A class of samples has a latent normal characteristic. For such samples, this approach offers a solution to the small sample size problem. Further studies are required to understand this latent class.
The effect of cobalt/copper ions on the structural, thermal, optical, and emission properties of erbium zinc lead borate glasses
Authors: Taha Eman O. , Saeed Aly
Published: July 2023

A host glass network of 70B2O3–10Pb3O4–18ZnO–2Er2O3 (ErCoCu1) was proposed and the impact of 1 mol% of Co or/and Cu ions on its structural, thermal, optical, and green emission properties was studied extensively. The X-ray diffraction spectra confirmed the amorphous structure of the produced glasses. Density and density-based parameters behavior showed that the Co or/and Cu ions fill the interstitial positions of the proposed ErCoCu1 network, causing its compactness. Both ATR-FTIR and Raman Spectra affirmed the formation of the fundamental structural units of the borate network, B–O–B linkage, BO3, and BO4. Additionally, the penetration of Co or/and Cu ions inside the ErCoCu1 converts the tetrahedral BO4 units to triangle BO3 causing its richness by non-bridging oxygens. The addition of Co or/and Cu reduces the glass transition temperature as a result of the conversion of the BO4 to BO3 units. Optical absorption spectra for the host glass ErCoCu1 showed many of the distinguished absorption bands of the Er3+ ion. Penetration of Co ion generates two broadbands referring to the presence of Co2+ ions in both tetrahedral and octahedral coordination and Co3+ ions in the tetrahedral coordination. In the Cu-doped glasses, the characteristic absorption bands of Cu2+ and Cu+ were observed. A green emission was generated from the ErCoCu1 glass under 380 nm excitation wavelength. Moreover, no significant effect of Co or/and Cu on the emission spectra was recorded. The considered glasses had appropriate properties qualifying them for optoelectronics and nonlinear optics applications.
Prospective epigenome and transcriptome analyses of cord and peripheral blood from preterm infants at risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Authors: Cho Hye-Youn , Wang Xuting , Campbell Michelle R. , Panduri Vijayalakshmi , Coviello Silvina , Caballero Mauricio T. , Bennett Brian D. , Kleeberger Steven R. , Polack Fernando P. , Ofman Gaston , Bell Douglas A.
Published: July 2023

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a prevalent chronic lung disease of prematurity with limited treatment options. To uncover biomarkers of BPD risk, this study investigated epigenetic and transcriptomic signatures of prematurity at birth and during the neonatal period at day 14 and 28. Peripheral blood DNAs from preterm infants were applied to methylation arrays and cell-type composition was estimated by deconvolution. Covariate-adjusted robust linear regression elucidated BPD- and prolonged oxygen (≥ 14 days) exposure-associated CpGs. RNAs from cord and peripheral blood were sequenced, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for BPD or oxygen exposure were determined. Estimated neutrophil–lymphocyte ratios in peripheral blood at day 14 in BPD infants were significantly higher than nonBPD infants, suggesting an heightened inflammatory response in developing BPD. BPD-DEGs in cord blood indicated lymphopoiesis inhibition, altered Th1/Th2 responses, DNA damage, and organ degeneration. On day 14, BPD-associated CpGs were highly enriched in neutrophil activation, infection, and CD4 + T cell quantity, and BPD-DEGs were involved in DNA damage, cellular senescence, T cell homeostasis, and hyper-cytokinesis. On day 28, BPD-associated CpGs along with BPD-DEGs were enriched for phagocytosis, neurological disorder, and nucleotide metabolism. Oxygen supplementation markedly downregulated mitochondrial biogenesis genes and altered CpGs annotated to developmental genes. Prematurity-altered DNA methylation could cause abnormal lymphopoiesis, cellular assembly and cell cycle progression to increase BPD risk. Similar pathways between epigenome and transcriptome networks suggest coordination of the two in dysregulating leukopoiesis, adaptive immunity, and innate immunity. The results provide molecular insights into biomarkers for early detection and prevention of BPD.
A novel multiplex qPCR‑HRM assay for the simultaneous detection of four abortive zoonotic agents in cattle, sheep, and goats
Authors: Modise Boitumelo M. , Mpoloka Sununguko W. , Settypalli Tirumala B. K. , Hyera Joseph , Natale Alda , Ceglie Letizia , Gcebe Nomakorinte , Marobela-Raborokgwe Chandapiwa , Viljoen Gerrit J. , Cattoli Giovanni , Lamien Charles E.
Published: July 2023

Abortifacient pathogens induce substantial economic losses in the livestock industry worldwide, and many of these pathogens are zoonotic, impacting human health. As Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii, Leptospira spp., and Listeria monocytogenes cause abortion, rapid differential molecular diagnostic tests are needed to facilitate early and accurate detection of abortion to establish effective control measures. However, the available molecular methods are laborious, time-consuming, or costly. Therefore, we developed and validated a novel multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method based on high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis to simultaneously detect and differentiate four zoonotic abortifacient agents in cattle, goats, and sheep. Our HRM assay generated four well-separated melting peaks allowing the differentiation between the four zoonotic abortifacients. Out of 216 DNA samples tested, Brucella spp. was detected in 45 samples, Coxiella burnetii in 57 samples, Leptospira spp. in 12 samples, and Listeria monocytogenes in 19 samples, co-infection with Brucella spp. and Coxiella burnetii in 41 samples, and 42 samples were negative. This assay demonstrated good analytical sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. This is a valuable rapid, cost-saving, and reliable diagnostic tool for detecting individual and co-infections for zoonotic abortifacient agents in ruminants.
In vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial evaluation of sugar-modified nucleoside analogues
Authors: Bege Miklós , Singh Vigyasa , Sharma Neha , Debreczeni Nóra , Bereczki Ilona , Poonam  , Herczegh Pál , Rathi Brijesh , Singh Shailja , Borbás Anikó
Published: July 2023

Drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infections are a major burden on the population and the healthcare system. The establishment of Pf resistance to most existing antimalarial therapies has complicated the problem, and the emergence of resistance to artemisinin derivatives is even more concerning. It is increasingly difficult to cure malaria patients due to the limited availability of effective antimalarial drugs, resulting in an urgent need for more efficacious and affordable treatments to eradicate this disease. Herein, new nucleoside analogues including morpholino-nucleoside hybrids and thio-substituted nucleoside derivatives were prepared and evaluated for in vitro and in vivo antiparasitic activity that led a few hits especially nucleoside-thiopyranoside conjugates, which are highly effective against Pf3D7 and PfRKL-9 strains in submicromolar concentration. One adenosine derivative and four pyrimidine nucleoside analogues significantly reduced the parasite burden in mouse models infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Importantly, no significant hemolysis and cytotoxicity towards human cell line (RAW) was observed for the hits, suggesting their safety profile. Preliminary research suggested that these thiosugar-nucleoside conjugates could be used to accelerate the antimalarial drug development pipeline and thus deserve further investigation.
Flavour Development in Cheese
Authors: Lemus Muñoz Freddy Mauricio , Qian Michael
Published: July 2023

Microorganisms and enzymes cause the carbohydrates, lipids, and caseins in milk to undergo biochemical reactions during production and aging of cheese, producing an array of flavourful compounds. The conditions during the manufacturing steps greatly affect these reactions, which in turn affect the flavours in the final product. This chapter explains how glycolysis, lipolysis, and proteolysis arise in cheese, the factors affecting the development of volatile compounds responsible for aroma and flavour, focusing on Cheddar, and the techniques employed to analyse these compounds. Important volatile compounds found in Cheddar, Camembert, and blue cheese are listed.
Cheese Rheology and Texture
Authors: Tunick Michael H.
Published: July 2023

Scientists use rheology to study the flow and deformation of cheese, and sensory analyses to obtain information about cheese texture. Rheological techniques encompass empirical, imitative, and fundamental tests. Texture profile analysis is the most popular imitative technique, and fundamental tests include uniaxial compression, small amplitude oscillatory shear, and torsion tests. Sensory tests involve trained and untrained panels who use or develop lexicons of texture terms. This chapter describes these techniques, relates the chemistry of cheese to the results, and discusses correlations between instrumental and sensory data.
Production, Consumption, and Nutritive Value of Cheeses from Cows and Other Mammals
Authors: Park Young W.
Published: July 2023

Cheese has been historically known as a nutritious and energy-rich food in the human diet, containing many nutrients and bioactive compounds. Unlike most other dairy products, the per capita consumption of cheese is increasing, and cheese has a healthy and positive image in many markets and among consumers around the world. Cheese is a rich source of essential nutrients, particularly proteins, bioactive peptides, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. In addition, ripened cheese is free of lactose, which makes it suitable for the nutrition of lactose-intolerant individuals. Cheese contains high levels of essential amino acids which contribute to growth and development of the human body. Cheese also has a high calcium content, which contributes to the formation and maintenance of strong bones and teeth, and also reduces blood pressure and helps in losing weight in combination with low-energy diets. Significant quantities of bioactive peptides in cheese lower blood pressure, and conjugated linoleic acid and sphingolipids may have anti-carcinogenic properties. Most varieties of cheese have a higher protein : fat ratio compared to other major foods, where cheese is especially significant in the human diet and nutrition in Western countries.
Determination of copper(ii) and lead(ii) ions in dairy products by an efficient and green method of heat-induced homogeneous liquid–liquid microextraction based on a deep eutectic solvent
Authors: Jabbari Servin , Sorouraddin Saeed Mohammad , Farajzadeh Mir Ali , Fathi Ali Akbar
Published: July 2023

In this study, a new homogeneous liquid–liquid microextraction method using a deep eutectic solvent has been developed for the extraction of Cu(ii) and Pb(ii) ions in dairy products.
Platinum nanoparticles on 3D graphene-like zeolite-templated carbon for benzene hydrogenation
Authors: Rastegar Somayeh F. , Pilar Radim , Moravkova Jaroslava , Sadovska Galina , Parvulescu Vasile I. , Pastvova Jana , Plsek Jan , Kaucky Dalibor , Kostkova Nikola , Sazama Petr
Published: July 2023

The 3D porous structure of zeolite-templated carbon characterized by a very high surface area enables the preparation of metal supported catalysts with a very high concentration and good accessibility of all active centers.
Atom-precise silver–palladium bimetallic clusters on carbon supports as selective hydrogenation catalysts
Authors: Sulaiman Kazeem O. , Scott Robert W. J.
Published: July 2023

Ag24Pd1(SR)18 clusters are more active than their Ag25 counterparts, and they are highly selective hydrogenation catalysts for alkynol substrates.
Hybrid multifunctionalized mesostructured stellate silica nanoparticles loaded with β-diketonate Tb3+/Eu3+ complexes as efficient ratiometric emissive thermometers working in water
Authors: Pelluau Tristan , Sene Saad , Ali Lamiaa M. A. , Félix Gautier , Manhes Faustine , Carneiro Neto Albano N. , Carlos Luis D. , Albela Belén , Bonneviot Laurent , Oliviero Erwan , Gary-Bobo Magali , Guari Yannick , Larionova Joulia
Published: July 2023

The synthesis and properties of efficient ratiometric nanothermometers based on mesoporous stellate nanoparticles functionalized with an acetylacetonate derivative and loaded with β-diketonate-Tb3+/Eu3+ complexes working in water, PBS or cells.
Metal–organic framework derived inverse opal type 3D graphitic carbon for highly stable lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Kumar Nitish , Pathak Prakash Kumar , Salunkhe Rahul R.
Published: July 2023

3D Graphitic Carbons: Towards stable anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
MOF-derived single-atom catalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis in metal–air batteries
Authors: Li Le , Zhu Qianyi , Han Meijun , Tu Xiaobin , Shen Ying
Published: July 2023

A comprehensive review regarding MOF-derived SACs for the applications in metal–air batteries has been well summarized.
Deep learning-assisted analysis of HRTEM images of crystalline nanoparticles
Authors: Zhu Xiaoyang , Mao Yu , Liu Jizi , Chen Yi , Chen Chuan , Li Yan , Huang Xiao , Gu Ning
Published: July 2023

An advanced analysis method is proposed for extracting crystal features from HRTEM images based on a 2D fast Fourier transform and U-Net based deep learning model.
Ru-catalyzed C–H activation/cyclization of oximes with sulfoxonium ylides to access isoquinolines
Authors: Yang Darun , Xu Hongyan , Zhang Xuejun , Hu Yuntao , Huang Decai , Zhao Huaiqing
Published: July 2023

An external oxidant free Ru(ii)-catalyzed C–H activation followed by an intermolecular annulation between oximes and sulfoxonium ylides has been developed, which displays a broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance.
Porous organic cages for gas separations
Authors: Wang Wenjing , Su Kongzhao , Yuan Daqiang
Published: July 2023

This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements made in gas separations utilizing porous organic cages (POCs).
Rapid screening of unprecedented sesquiterpenes with distinctive ring skeletons from Daphne aurantiaca employing an integrated strategy
Authors: Dong Shu-Hui , Han Jin-Ling , Chang Xin-Yu , Lian Mei-Ya , Zhang Xin , Liu Xiao-Ling , Bai Ming , Huang Xiao-Xiao , Song Shao-Jiang
Published: July 2023

Unprecedented sesquiterpenoid scaffolds, furnished by unexpected carbon–carbon linkage formation or cleavage, were targeted and isolated from Daphne aurantiaca following an integrated strategy.
Highly enantioselective Rh-catalyzed asymmetric reductive dearomatization of multi-nitrogen polycyclic pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines
Authors: Xie Chaochao , Xiao Guiying , Guo Qianling , Wu Xiaoxue , Zi Guofu , Ding Wanjian , Hou Guohua
Published: July 2023

A highly enantioselective Rh-catalyzed reductive dearomatization of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines has been realized for the first time by two strategies to afford chiral 4,5,6,7-tetrahydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines with excellent enantioselectivities, up to 98% ee.
Pyridinium-furfuryl-modified granular agro-waste adsorbent for orthophosphate recovery
Authors: Steiger Bernd G. K. , Wilson Lee D.
Published: July 2023

In this study, a granular composite comprised of 50% oat hulls (Oh), 10% kaolinite (K), and 40% modified chitosan (Chi) was crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (ECH) and subsequently functionalized with pyridinium.
A pilot in vivo study: potential ovarian cancer therapeutic by placental extracellular vesicles
Authors: Chen Xinyue , Tijono Sofian , Tsai Bridget , Chamley Lawrence William , Ching Lai-Ming , Chen Qi
Published: July 2023

The biological links between cancer and pregnancy are of interest due to parallel proliferative, immunosuppressive, and invasive mechanisms between tumour and placental cells. However, the proliferation and invasion of placental cells are strictly regulated. The understanding of this regulation is largely unknown. Placental extracellular vesicles (EVs) may play an important role in this regulation, as placental EVs are known to contribute to maternal adaptation, including adaptation of the vascular and immune systems. We have previously reported that placental EVs significantly inhibited ovarian cancer cell proliferation by delaying the progression of the cell cycle. We, therefore, performed this pilot in vivo study to investigate whether placental EVs can also inhibit ovarian tumour growth in a SKOV-3 human tumour xenograft model. A single intraperitoneal injection of placental EVs at 15 days post tumour implantation, significantly inhibited the growth of the tumours in our in vivo model. Signs of cellular necrosis were observed in the ovarian tumour tissues, but not in other organs collected from mice that had been treated with placental EVs. Expression of receptor-interacting kinase 1 (RIPK1) and mixed linkage kinase domain-like (MLKL), which are mediators of necroptosis were not observed in our xenografted tumours. However, extensive infiltration of CD169+ macrophages and NK cells in ovarian tumour tissues collected from placental micro-EVs treated mice were observed. We demonstrate here that inhibition of ovarian tumour growth in our xenograft model by placental EVs involves cellular necrosis and infiltration of CD169+ macrophages and NK cells into the tumour tissues.
Maternal voluntary wheel running modulates glucose homeostasis, the gut microbiota and its derived fecal metabolites in offspring
Authors: Zhang Ling , Zou Wenyu , Hu Yongyan , Wu Honghua , Gao Ying , Zhang Junqing , Zheng Jia
Published: July 2023

Maternal overnutrition can dramatically increase the susceptibility of offspring to metabolic diseases, whereas maternal exercise may improve glucose metabolism in offspring. However, the underlying mechanism programming the intergenerational effects of maternal exercise on the benefits of glucose metabolism has not been fully elaborated. C57BL/6 female mice were randomly assigned to four subgroups according to a diet and exercise paradigm before and during pregnancy as follows: NC (fed with normal chow diet and sedentary), NCEx (fed with normal chow diet and running), HF (fed with high-fat diet and sedentary), and HFEx (fed with high-fat diet and running). Integrative 16S rDNA sequencing and mass spectrometry-based metabolite profiling were synchronously performed to characterize the effects of maternal exercise on the gut microbiota composition and metabolite alterations in offspring. Maternal exercise, acting as a natural pharmaceutical intervention, prevented deleterious effects on glucose metabolism in offspring. 16S rDNA sequencing revealed remarkable changes in the gut microbiota composition in offspring. Metabolic profiling indicated multiple altered metabolites, which were enriched in butanoate metabolism signaling in offspring. We further found that maternal exercise could mediate gene expression related to intestinal gluconeogenesis in offspring. In conclusion, our study indicated that maternal running significantly improved glucose metabolism in offspring and counteracted the detrimental effects of maternal high-fat feeding before and during pregnancy. We further demonstrated that maternal voluntary wheel running could integratively program the gut microbiota composition and fecal metabolite changes and then regulate butanoate metabolism and mediate intestinal gluconeogenesis in offspring.
The role of IFN-γ-signalling in response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy
Authors: Wong Chun Wai , Huang Yang Yu , Hurlstone Adam
Published: July 2023

Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors, widely known as immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICBT), is now the fourth pillar in cancer treatment, offering the chance of durable remission for patients with advanced disease. However, ICBT fails to induce objective responses in most cancer patients with still others progressing after an initial response. It is necessary, therefore, to elucidate the primary and acquired resistance mechanisms to ICBT to improve its efficacy. Here, we highlight the paradoxical role of the cytokine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in ICBT response: on the one hand induction of IFN-γ signalling in the tumour microenvironment correlates with good ICBT response as it drives the cellular immune responses required for tumour destruction; nonetheless, IFN-γ signalling is implicated in ICBT acquired resistance. We address the negative feedback and immunoregulatory effects of IFN-γ signalling that promote immune evasion and resistance to ICBT and discuss how these can be targeted pharmacologically to restore sensitivity or circumvent resistance.
FRDet: Few‐shot object detection via feature reconstruction
Authors: Chen Zhihao , Mao Yingchi , Qian Yong , Pan Zhenxiang , Xu Shufang
Published: July 2023

State‐of‐the‐art object detection models rely on large‐scale datasets for training to achieve good precision. Without sufficient samples, the model can suffer from severe overfitting. Current explorations in few‐shot object detection are mainly divided into meta‐learning‐based methods and fine‐tuning‐based methods. However, existing models do not focus on how feature maps should be processed to present more accurate regions of interest (RoIs), leading to many non‐supporting RoIs. These non‐supporting RoIs can increase the burden of subsequent classification and even lead to misclassification. Additionally, catastrophic forgetting is inevitable in both few‐shot object detection models. Many models classify directly in low‐dimensional spaces due to insufficient resources, but this transformation of the data space can confuse some categories and lead to misclassification. To address these problems, the Feature Reconstruction Detector (FRDet) is proposed, a simple yet effective fine‐tune‐based approach for few‐shot object detection. FRDet includes a region proposal network (RPN) based on channel attention and space attention called Multi‐Attention RPN (MARPN) and a head based on feature reconstruction called Feature Reconstruction Head (FRHead). MARPN utilizes channel attention to suppress non‐supporting classes and spatial attention to enhance support classes based on Attention RPN, resulting in fewer but more accurate RoIs. Meanwhile, FRHead utilizes support features to reconstruct query RoI features through a closed‐form solution, allowing for a comprehensive and fine‐grained comparison. The model was validated on the PASCAL VOC, MS COCO, FSOD, and CUB200 datasets and achieved better results.
Test‐driven development, engagement in activity, and maintainability: An empirical study
Authors: Ren Wei , Barrett Stephen
Published: July 2023

The software engineering community aims to achieve and maintain high‐efficient software engineering practical activities. One of the techniques used for this purpose is Test‐Driven Development (TDD), which is a cyclic and test‐centered development method positively related to maintainability, which may vary depending on the context and application. Previous research has indicated that TDD's benefits on maintainability may be due to the improved focus on coding and testing activities. However, limited research has investigated the role of engagement in software quality. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between TDD methods, engagement level in development activities, and maintainability. The primary research questions addressed in this study are does following TDD methods improve the engagement level in development activities? And does a higher engagement level leads to better maintainability? The study employs a statistical analysis technique, regression analysis to explore the research questions. The results show that TDD behaviours improve the engagement level, and engaging in development activities has a significant positive impact on maintainability. Additionally, the study finds that the positive impact of focussing on testing, such as writing more test cases, is more pronounced compared to coding activities. Our study adds to current software engineering literature that not only personal expertise but the engagement level in the development process are associated with software quality and calls for the emphasis on developer's engagement.
Guided wave signal‐based sensing and classification for small geological structure
Authors: Sun Hongyu , Song Jiao , Zhou Shanshan , Liu Qiang , Lu Xiang , Qi Mingming
Published: July 2023

Sensing, Computing and Communication Integration (SC2) is widely believed as a new enabling technology. A non‐negative tensor sparse factorisation (NTSF) algorithm based on tensor analysis is proposed for sensing and classification of Small Geological Structure in coal mines. Utilising this method, advanced detection of geological anomalies hidden in coal seams was achieved. The morphological properties of geological anomalies in coal seams and the propagation characteristics of guided waves were first thoroughly studied. A three‐dimensional (3D) medium geometry model was developed for a complicated coal seam with Goaf, collapse column, scouring zone, and tiny fault based on COMSOL Multiphysics. On this model, the third‐order tensors data was constructed. Then, the TUCKER‐based NTSF algorithm was employed for feature extraction and classification. To achieve multi‐dimensional feature, the two‐dimensional data in the form of a matrix is collected, and a multiplicative update method is introduced to update the algorithm iteratively. Finally, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) multi‐classifier with Gaussian radial basis kernel function is selected for classification of Small Geological Structure. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy based on the NTSF and SVM is as high as 97.33%, which demonstrates that the proposed algorithm is suitable for Sensing and Classification of Small Geological Structure in coal mines.
Adaptation of the rapid near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy technique to determine the mass fraction of protein and moisture in gluten-free bakery products
Authors: Kukin Mikhail , Lavrenteva Natalia , Nutchina Maria , Martirosyan Vladimir
Published: July 2023

Analysis of protein in food products is typically performed using a time-consuming and labor-intensive Kjeldahl method. The NIR method is allowed to determine the mass fraction of not only protein, but also moisture, fat, and sugar in one sample within 2 min. The NIR method is indirect; therefore, appropriate calibration models should be developed for each group of analyzed products. We performed a series of laboratory baking tests for gluten-free bakery products; the protein content in the products varied and depended on the ingredients included into the formula: rice, buckwheat and corn flour, starch and soy isolate. Continuous spectra were recorded using a NIR analyzer that operates in the wavelength range from 1400 to 2500 nm. It was shown that after validation for a specific device, the developed calibration models yield the root-mean-square deviation of 0.29 when determining the protein mass fraction and that of 0.46 when determining the moisture mass fraction.
Biodegradation of organic compounds in wastewater
Authors: Salishcheva Olesya , Burlachenko Anastasia , Tarasova Yuliya , Moldagulova Natalia , Yustratov Vladimir
Published: July 2023

Biodegradation is a sustainable and efficient method for removing organic pollutants from the aquatic environment. We studied the biological purification of aqueous solutions from betaine organic matter under the action of bacterial strains of the genus Pseudomonas and determined the rate of decomposition in the presence of chloride ions and heavy metal cations. The bacteria showed lower activity in the presence of salts of heavy metals and performed more efficiently in the presence of chloride ions. Almost complete degradation of organic matter was observed on the 21st day. Thus, these strains of microorganisms can be used as decomposers of organic betaine compounds.
Optimization method for the drive of a multipurpose single-bucket loader with a transforming working body
Authors: Isakov Kuttubek , Madanbekov Nurzhan , Altybaev Amanbek , Chopoev Arstanbek , Omurbekov Chyngyz
Published: July 2023

In this article discusses the relevance of the development and creation of a multipurpose single-bucket loader with a transforming working body with the reduction of the branches of the national economy, where machines and equipment with dump and bucket working bodies are successfully operated when performing basic construction and installation budget-forming works. Also, an analysis of the difference between a transforming working body and an adapting working body with fundamental differences is given, since there are no similar working bodies in the world with the ability to move from one type to another, like traditional separately existing road construction machines. As noted above, due to the design features of the proposed loader, the construction with descriptions given in detail with schematically and in the form of a calculation scheme, as well as the method of force calculation with obtaining a standard dynamic equation.