bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the extent human milk folate is buffered against maternal malnutrition and infection in drought‐stricken northern Kenya
Authors: Fujita Masako , Wander Katherine , Tran Tin , Brindle Eleanor
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Folate is an essential nutrient fundamental to human growth and development. Human milk maintains high folate content across the maternal folate status range, suggesting buffering of milk folate with prioritized delivery to milk at the expense of maternal depletion. We investigated whether and how the extent of this buffering may diminish under prolonged nutritional and/or disease stress, while taking into consideration infants' varying vulnerability to malnutrition‐related morbidity/mortality.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study analyzed milk specimens from northern Kenyan mothers (n = 203), surveyed during a historic drought and ensuing food shortage. Multiple regression models for folate receptor‐α (FOLR1) in milk were constructed. Predictors included maternal underweight (BMI < 18.5), iron‐deficiency anemia (hemoglobin <12 g/dl and dried‐blood‐spot transferrin receptor >5 mg/L), folate deficiency (hyperhomocysteinemia, homocysteine >12 or 14 μmol/L), inflammation (serum C‐reactive protein >5 mg/L), infant age and sex, and mother‐infant interactions.

Results

In adjusted models, milk FOLR1 was unassociated with maternal underweight, iron‐deficiency anemia and inflammation. FOLR1 was positively associated with maternal folate deficiency, and inversely associated with infant age. There was interaction between infant age and maternal underweight, and between infant sex and maternal folate deficiency, predicting complex changes in FOLR1.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that mothers buffer milk folate against their own nutritional stress even during a prolonged drought; however, the extent of this buffering may vary with infant age, and, among folate‐deficient mothers, with infant sex. Future research is needed to better understand this variability in maternal buffering of milk folate and how it relates to folate status in nursing infants.
Stereoselective Access to Tetra‐ and Tri‐Substituted Fluoro‐ and Chloro‐Borylalkenes via Boron‐Wittig Reaction
Authors: Han Seungcheol , Lee Yeosan , Jung Yujin , Cho Seung Hwan
Published: August 2022

Reported herein is the efficient synthesis of tetra‐ and tri‐substituted (Z)‐fluoro‐ and (Z)‐chloro‐borylalkenes by the Boron–Wittig reaction of ketones and aldehydes with bench‐top stable halo‐diborylmethanes. The substrate scope is broad and the Boron–Wittig reaction proceeds from a diverse range of ketones and aldehydes including biologically relevant molecules with fluoro‐ or chloro‐diborylmethanes, providing tetra‐ and tri‐substituted (Z)‐fluoro‐ and (Z)‐chloro‐borylalkenes in good yields with high stereoselectivity. The utilities of the obtained (Z)‐fluoro‐ and (Z)‐chloro‐borylalkenes are highlighted by further modifications to afford fluoroalkene derivatives or all‐carbon substituted alkene.
One‐step flame retardant/hydrophobic finishing on cotton fabric with ammonium salt of hexamethylenediamine ‐ N, N, N′, N′ ‐ tetra (methylphosphonic acid) doped silica sol
Authors: Xing Lili , Wang Yirong , Cheng Jin , Li Aijing , Gu Jiali , Dong Xue , Chen Guoqiang , Xing Tieling
Published: August 2022

With the rapid development of textile technology, single‐function textile finishing is difficult to meet the current needs of people for textiles. Textiles with flame retardancy, superhydrophobicity, UV resistance, and other functions are increasingly favored by people. At present, most of the preparation processes of multifunctional textiles are complex and time‐consuming. In this work, a flame retardant hexamethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphate ammonium salt of hexamethylenediamine ‐ N, N, N′, N′ ‐ tetra (methylphosphonic acid) (AHDTMPA) was synthesized using hexamethylenediamine tetramethylene phosphate (HDTMPA) and urea with aqueous solution as solvent. Then AHDTMPA and cetyltrimethoxysilane were added into the solution with methyl trimethoxysilane (MTMOS) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as precursors to obtain a multifunctional sol. Finally, the multifunctional cotton fabric can be obtained by immersing the cotton fabric in the multifunctional sol in one‐step. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) and water contact angle (WCA) value of the finished cotton fabric was 27.6% and 131.4°, respectively. The FT‐IR characterization results and the SEM analysis verified the synthesis of AHDTMPA. The micro calorimeter combustion (MCC) and thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis indicated that the finished samples had less heat release capacity and less weight loss. The smoke density test showed good smoke suppression of the finished cotton fabric. Moreover, the whiteness of finished samples was nearly unchanged. In this work, the flame retardant and hydrophobic multi‐functional cotton fabric was prepared by one‐step, and the method is simple and efficient. The prepared functional cotton fabrics can be widely used in home textile fabrics, automotive interior fabrics, clothing fabrics, flags, tents, and protective clothing.
Targeted brain delivery of RVG29‐modified rifampicin‐loaded nanoparticles for Alzheimer's disease treatment and diagnosis
Authors: Zhou Ruiyi , Zhu Lihong , Zeng Zhaohao , Luo Rixin , Zhang Jiawei , Guo Rui , Zhang Lei , Zhang Qunying , Bi Wei
Published: August 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an aging‐related neurodegenerative disease. The main pathological features of AD are β‐amyloid protein (Aβ) deposition and tau protein hyperphosphorylation. Currently, there are no effective drugs for the etiological treatment of AD. Rifampicin (RIF) is a semi‐synthetic broad‐spectrum antibiotic with anti‐β‐amyloid deposition, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐apoptosis, and neuroprotective effects, but its application in AD treatment has been limited for its strong hydrophobicity, high toxicity, short half‐life, low bioavailability, and blood–brain barrier hindrance. We designed a novel brain‐targeted and MRI‐characteristic nanomedicine via loading rabies virus protein 29 (RVG29), rifampicin, and Gd on poly (l‐lactide) nanoparticles (RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29). The cytotoxicity assay demonstrated that RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 had favorable biocompatibility and security. Fluorescence imaging in vivo showed that PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 could deliver rifampicin into the brain by enhancing cellular uptake and brain targeting performance, leading to improvement of the bioavailability of rifampicin. In in vivo study, RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 improved the spatial learning and memory capability of APP/PS1 mice in the Morris water maze, as compared to rifampicin. Immunofluorescence, TEM, immunoblotting, and H&E staining revealed that RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 reduced Aβ deposition in hippocampal and cortex of APP/PS1 mice, improved the damage of synaptic ultrastructure, increased the expression level of PSD95 and SYP, as well as reduced the necrosis of neurons. These findings suggest that RIF@PLA‐PEG‐Gd/Mal‐RVG29 may be an effective strategy for the treatment of AD.
Merging of ventral fibers at adhesions drives the remodeling of cellular contractile systems in fibroblasts
Authors: Narasimhan Shwetha , Holmes William R. , Kaverina Irina
Published: August 2022

Ventral stress fibers (VSFs) are contractile actin fibers dynamically attached to cell‐matrix focal adhesions. VSFs are critical in cellular traction force production and migration. VSFs vary from randomly oriented short, thinner fibers to long, thick fibers that span along the whole long axis of a cell. De novo VSF formation was shown to occur by cortical actin mesh condensation or by crosslinking of dorsal stress fibers and transverse arcs at the cell front. However, the formation of long VSFs that extend across the whole cell axis is not well understood. Here, we report a novel phenomenon of VSF merging in migratory fibroblast cells, which is guided by mechanical force balance and contributes to VSF alignment along the long cell axis. The mechanism of VSF merging involves two steps: connection of two ventral fibers by an emerging myosin II bridge at an intervening adhesion and intervening adhesion dissolution. Our data indicate that these two steps are interdependent: slow adhesion disassembly leads to the slowing of the myosin bridge formation. Cellular data and computational modeling show that the contact angle between merging fibers decides successful merging, with shallow angles leading to merge failure. Our data and modeling further show that merging increases the share of uniformly aligned long VSFs, likely contributing to directional traction force production. Thus, we characterize merging as a process for dynamic reorganization of VSFs with functional significance for directional cell migration.
A Basic Guide to the Growth and Manipulation of the Blast Fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae
Authors: Molinari Camilla , Talbot Nicholas J.
Published: August 2022

The blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, is a devastating plant pathogen that threatens global food security. The social and economic importance of blast disease has contributed to this filamentous fungus becoming a model organism for the study of host‐pathogen interactions. Availability of the complete genome sequences of many strains of the pathogen, as well as rice and wheat cultivars, coupled with the tractability of M. oryzae to classical and molecular genetic manipulation have contributed to its widespread study. Although M. oryzae has been extensively investigated for the past two decades, procedures for storing, maintaining, and manipulating the blast fungus in the laboratory had not been compiled and updated. As a consequence, there is considerable disparity in how the fungus is stored and manipulated between studies. In this article, we present a collection of protocols providing clear explanations of how to preserve filter stocks of M. oryzae; how to grow the fungus in both liquid and solid media; how to extract genomic DNA from fungal mycelium; how to induce appressorium formation on coverslips for visualization and tissue collection; and how to perform two distinct types of plant infection assay for virulence assessment. By sharing our most used laboratory procedures, we aim to address some of the knowledge gaps in current M. oryzae protocols and contribute to uniformity and robustness in studies by the Magnaporthe research community. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Storage of M. oryzae strains

Basic Protocol 2: Revival and regular maintenance of M. oryzae cultures in solid medium

Alternate Protocol 1: Regular maintenance of M. oryzae cultures in liquid medium

Basic Protocol 3: Genomic DNA extraction from M. oryzae mycelium

Alternate Protocol 2: Quick DNA extraction from M. oryzae mycelium

Basic Protocol 4: M. oryzae induction of appressorium development on glass coverslips for microscopy

Alternate Protocol 3: M. oryzae induction of appressorium development on glass coverslips for tissue collection

Basic Protocol 5: M. oryzae rice infection assay through spray inoculation

Alternate Protocol 4: M. oryzae leaf‐drop plant infection assay
A recursive reinforced blockchain performance evaluation and improvement architecture: Maximising diversity to improve scalability
Authors: Liu Lin , Tsai Wei‐Tek , Liu Mingsheng , Gao Ze , Ji Shumei , Peng Hao , Bhuiyan Zakirul Alam
Published: August 2022

Nowadays, Blockchain technology has received widespread attention because of its ability to effectively solve the trust problem in transactions. However, the throughput of crypto currency using Blockchain technology has never been comparable to that of centralized payment institutions. The fundamental reason is the architecture of the Blockchain itself, and the existing methods often focus on the part of the Blockchain but lack the overall control. In this paper, we design, a novel Recursively Reinforced Blockchain Architecture Search (BORAS) architecture, from the perspective of the overall structure of the Blockchain, which can search the various attributes of the various levels in a adaptive manner, aiming at selecting the best configuration in a dynamical environment. First, we introduce a recursive and scalable reinforcement learning framework, to find the optimal block size and block interval of the Blockchain, so as to improve the throughput of the Blockchain system. Second, we add the selection scheme of consensus algorithm to the dynamic space and also use the framework to select the optimal consensus mechanism to realize the optimal configuration of the Blockchain system in the dynamic environment. Third, we adopt a recursive method, which greatly reduces the time complexity required for the optimal configuration of the Blockchain system and improves the configuration efficiency. Comprehensive experiments on three representative Blockchain platforms demonstrate that BOBAS can consistently improve the throughput, while also reducing latency, with remarkable and efficient performances.
Genomics reveals the history of a complex plant invasion and improves the management of a biological invasion from the South African–Australian biotic exchange
Authors: Byrne Dennis , Scheben Armin , Scott John K. , Webber Bruce L. , Batchelor Kathryn L. , Severn‐Ellis Anita A. , Gooden Ben , Bell Karen L.
Published: August 2022

Many plants exchanged in the global redistribution of species in the last 200 years, particularly between South Africa and Australia, have become threatening invasive species in their introduced range. Refining our understanding of the genetic diversity and population structure of native and alien populations, introduction pathways, propagule pressure, naturalization, and initial spread, can transform the effectiveness of management and prevention of further introductions. We used 20,221 single nucleotide polymorphisms to reconstruct the invasion of a coastal shrub, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata (bitou bush) from South Africa, into eastern Australia (EAU), and Western Australia (WAU). We determined genetic diversity and population structure across the native and introduced ranges and compared hypothesized invasion scenarios using Bayesian modeling. We detected considerable genetic structure in the native range, as well as differentiation between populations in the native and introduced range. Phylogenetic analysis showed the introduced samples to be most closely related to the southern‐most native populations, although Bayesian analysis inferred introduction from a ghost population. We detected strong genetic bottlenecks during the founding of both the EAU and WAU populations. It is likely that the WAU population was introduced from EAU, possibly involving an unsampled ghost population. The number of private alleles and polymorphic SNPs successively decreased from South Africa to EAU to WAU, although heterozygosity remained high. That bitou bush remains an invasion threat in EAU, despite reduced genetic diversity, provides a cautionary biosecurity message regarding the risk of introduction of potentially invasive species via shipping routes.
The effect of climate change on Arcto‐Tertiary Mexican beech forests: Exploring their past, present, and future distribution
Authors: Ames‐Martínez Fressia N. , Luna‐Vega Isolda , Dieringer Gregg , Rodríguez‐Ramírez Ernesto C.
Published: August 2022

Fagus mexicana Martínez (Mexican beech) is an endangered Arcto‐Tertiary Geoflora tree species that inhabit isolated and fragmented tropical montane cloud forests in eastern Mexico. Exploring past, present, and future climate change effects on the distribution of Mexican beech involves the study of spatial ecology and temporal patterns to develop conservation plans. These are key to understanding the niche conservatism of other forest communities with similar environmental requirements. For this study, we used species distribution models by combining occurrence records, to assess the distribution patterns and changes of the past (Last Glacial Maximum), present (1981–2010), and future (2040–2070) periods under two climate scenarios (SSP 3‐7.0 & SSP 5‐8.5). Next, we determined the habitat suitability and priority conservation areas of Mexican beech as associated with topography, land cover use, distance to the nearest town, and environmental variables. By considering the distribution of Mexican beech during different periods and under different climate scenarios, our study estimated that high‐impact areas of Mexican beech forests were restricted to specific areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental that constitute refugia from the Last Glacial Maximum. Regrettably, our results exhibited that Mexican beech distribution has decreased 71.3% since the Last Glacial Maximum and this trend will for the next 50 years, migrating to specific refugia at higher altitudes. This suggests that the states of Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Puebla will preserve the habitat suitability features as ecological refugia, related to high moisture and north‐facing slopes. For isolated and difficult‐to‐access areas, the proposed methods are powerful tools for relict‐tree species, which deserve further conservation.
Effects of condensed tannins on behavior and performance of a specialist aphid on aspen
Authors: Rodríguez Bárbara Díez , Kloth Karen J. , Albrectsen Benedicte Riber
Published: August 2022

Genes involved in plant defences against herbivores and pathogens are often highly polymorphic. This is a putative sign that balancing selection may have operated reciprocally on the hosts and their herbivores. Spatial and temporal variations (for example, in soil nutrients and the plants' ontogenetic development) may also modulate resistance traits, and thus selection pressures, but have been largely overlooked in theories of plant defences. Important elements of defences in Populus tremula (hereafter aspen) are phenolic compounds, including condensed tannins (CTs). Concentrations of CTs vary considerably with both variations in external factors and time, but they are also believed to provide genotype‐dependent resistance, mainly against chewing herbivores and pathogens. However, evidence of their contributions to resistance is sparse. Detailed studies of co‐evolved plant–herbivore associations could provide valuable insights into these contributions. Therefore, we examined correlations between CT levels in aspen leaves and both the feeding behavior and reproduction of the specialist aspen leaf aphid (Chaitophorus tremulae) in varied conditions. We found that xylem sap intake and probing difficulties were higher on genotypes with high‐CT concentrations. However, aphids engaged in more nonprobing activities on low‐CT genotypes, indicating that CTs were not the only defence traits involved. Thus, high‐CT genotypes were not necessarily more resistant than low‐CT genotypes, but aphid reproduction was generally negatively correlated with local CT accumulation. Genotype‐specific resistance ranking also depended on the experimental conditions. These results support the hypothesis that growth conditions may affect selection pressures mediated by aphids in accordance with balancing selection theory.
Active season body mass patterns of little brown and northern myotis bats
Authors: Balzer Evan W. , Grottoli Adam D. , Burns Lynne E. , Broders Hugh G.
Published: August 2022

Animals are expected to adjust their behavioral patterns to improve fitness outcomes, such as fecundity or offspring survival. For long‐lived hibernators, decisions made in each annual cycle may reflect considerations not just for concurrent survival and reproduction but also the pressure to maximize overwinter survival and future reproductive success. We examined how these elements manifest themselves in the body mass variation patterns of North American northern latitude temperate bats, whose size and roosting habits present considerable monitoring challenges. We characterized and compared the summer and fall mass variation patterns of little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and northern myotis (M. septentrionalis) from a historic dataset. In summer, the estimated date of parturition was strongly associated with spring foraging conditions (low wind, low precipitation, and warm temperatures), and mass gain associated with female reproduction conferred considerable differentiation between the mass variation patterns of females and males. In fall, differences were most apparent among species, although adults exhibited a greater capacity for rapid mass gain than juveniles. These results demonstrate how reproductive constraints and interannual survival have important influences on the behavior of temperate bats. Future work should seek to quantify the fitness benefits of patterns identified in this study, such as the rate of prehibernation mass gain.
Building communities of teaching practice and data‐driven open education resources with NEON faculty mentoring networks
Authors: Naithani Kusum , Jones Megan , Grayson Kristine L.
Published: August 2022

With the growing availability and accessibility of big data in ecology, we face an urgent need to train the next generation of scientists in data science practices and tools. One of the biggest barriers for implementing a data‐driven curriculum in undergraduate classrooms is the lack of training and support for educators to develop their own skills and time to incorporate these principles into existing courses or develop new ones. Alongside the research goals of the NEON, providing education and training are key components for building a community of scientists and users equipped to utilize large‐scale ecological and environmental data. To address this need, the NEON data education fellows program formed as a collaborative faculty mentoring network (FMN) between scientists from NEON and university faculty interested in using NEON data and resources in their ecology classrooms. Like other FMNs, this group has two main goals: (1) to provide tools, resources, and support for faculty interested in developing data‐driven curriculum and (2) to make teaching materials that have been implemented and tested in the classroom available as open educational resources for other educators. We hosted this program using an open education and collaboration platform from the Quantitative Undergraduate Biology Education and Synthesis (QUBES) project. Here, we share lessons learned from facilitating five FMN cohorts and emphasize the successes, pitfalls, and opportunities for developing open education resources through community‐driven collaborations.
Policy integration in urban living labs: Delivering multi‐functional blue‐green infrastructure in Antwerp, Dordrecht, and Gothenburg
Authors: Willems Jannes J. , Kuitert Lizet , Van Buuren Arwin
Published: August 2022

Policy integration required for delivering multi‐functional blue‐green infrastructure (BGI) is difficult to achieve, because environmental policymaking is characterised by sectoral responsibilities and institutional structures that hinder collaboration. Both theory and practice consider urban living labs (ULLs) as promising vehicles for policy integration, as ULLs can overcome institutional structures. This article presents a framework that assesses how the urban living lab can contribute to policy integration in BGI projects and applies this to three case studies in Antwerp (Belgium), Dordrecht (the Netherlands), and Gothenburg (Sweden). Our findings demonstrate that ULLs can enhance policy integration through defining integrative aims, creating shared accountability structures, and assigning a clear problem owner with authority. ULLs can equally hinder policy integration because their dependence on sectoral funding results in narrowed‐down goals. Moreover, their experimental, non‐committal position gives them limited power to pull down institutional structures. Thus, ULLs do not automatically enhance policy integration in BGI projects.
Cardiac sarcoidosis and giant cell myocarditis after COVID‐19 infection
Authors: Bollano Entela , Polte Christian Lars , Mäyränpää Mikko I. , Oldfors Anders , Bergh Niklas , Lehtonen Jukka , Kandolin Riina
Published: August 2022

Patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 have varying manifestations of cardiac involvement. We report four patients presenting with symptomatic cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) or giant cell myocarditis (GCM) 1–8 months after mild COVID‐19. All patients received immunosuppressive therapy and improved gradually within the following months. The possible temporal association between the CS/GCM and COVID‐19 infection might suggest that COVID‐19 could be a trigger for granulomatous myocarditis.
Ligand Exchange Triggered Photosensitizers – Bodipy‐Tagged NHC‐Metal Complexes for Conversion of 3O2 to 1O2
Authors: Popov Stepan , Plenio Herbert
Published: August 2022

A new imidazolium salt 3⋅HI with 8‐Bodipy as one N‐aryl substituent was synthesized from 8‐chloro‐Bodipy and imidazole followed by alkylation with iPrI. NHC‐metal complexes [CuCl(3)], [AuCl(3)], [Pd(allyl)Cl(3)] and [MCl(cod)(3)] and [MCl(CO)2(3)] (M=Rh, Ir) were synthesized and the X‐ray crystal structure of [IrCl(CO)2(3)] determined. The donation of NHC 3 was determined via IR (ν(CO) and cyclic voltammetry (Ir(I/II) redox potential). The photosensitizing properties of the complexes for the generation of 1O2 were quantified observing singlet oxygen quantum yield of up to Φs.o.=0.63. [IrCl(cod)(3)] displays poor Φs.o.=0.09, but, following a simple ligand exchange reaction of cod by two CO [IrCl(CO)2(3)], a pronounced increase to Φs.o.=0.63 is observed.
A review of healthy aging in China, 2000–2019
Authors: Zhao Litao
Published: August 2022

In 2021, China became an aged society when the share of its elderly population (age 65 years and above) exceeded 14%. In China, as in other upper‐middle‐income and high‐income countries, life expectancy gains are increasingly concentrated at older ages with below‐average health and economic activity. Governments worldwide are hence actively pursuing healthy and productive aging. Healthy aging by some measures is taking place. Similar with other upper‐middle‐income countries, China's young old in their 60s are healthier than the same age group two decades ago. The picture is more complex for the older age group (70 years and above). Although there is a substantial decline in leading disease burdens such as stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diseases such as Alzheimer's and other dementia are on the rise. To meet the challenge of a rapidly aging population, China's healthy aging agenda should improve its multipronged approach that seeks to promote healthy lifestyles, enhance the healthcare system, create age‐friendly communities, and tackle socioeconomic and health disparities.
Granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor attenuates liver damage by M2 macrophage polarization and hepatocyte proliferation in alcoholic hepatitis in mice
Authors: Cho Yeonhee , Joshi Radhika , Lowe Patrick , Copeland Christopher , Ribeiro Marcelle , Morel Caroline , Catalano Donna , Szabo Gyongyi
Published: August 2022

Massive inflammation and liver failure are main contributors to the high mortality in alcohol‐associated hepatitis (AH). In recent clinical trials, granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF) therapy improved liver function and survival in patients with AH. However, the mechanisms of G‐CSF‐mediated beneficial effects in AH remain elusive. In this study, we evaluated effects of in vivo G‐CSF administration, using a mouse model of AH. G‐CSF treatment significantly reduced liver damage in alcohol‐fed mice even though it increased the numbers of liver‐infiltrating immune cells, including neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes. Moreover, G‐CSF promoted macrophage polarization toward an M2‐like phenotype and increased hepatocyte proliferation, which was indicated by an increased Ki67‐positive signal colocalized with hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF‐4α) and cyclin D1 expression in hepatocytes. We found that G‐CSF increased G‐CSF receptor expression and resulted in reduced levels of phosphorylated β‐catenin in hepatocytes. In the presence of an additional pathogen‐associated molecule, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is significantly increased in the circulation and liver of patients with AH, the G‐CSF‐induced hepatoprotective effects were abolished in alcohol‐fed mice. We still observed increased Ki67‐positive signals in alcohol‐fed mice following G‐CSF treatment; however, Ki67 and HNF‐4α did not colocalize in LPS‐challenged mice. Conclusion: G‐CSF treatment increases immune cell populations, particularly neutrophil counts, and promotes M2‐like macrophage differentiation in the liver. More importantly, G‐CSF treatment reduces alcohol‐induced liver injury and promotes hepatocyte proliferation in alcohol‐fed mice. These data provide new insights into the understanding of mechanisms mediated by G‐CSF and its therapeutic effects in AH.
The future risk of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is low among patients with incidental anti‐mitochondrial antibodies but without baseline PBC
Authors: Duan Weijia , Chen Sha , Li Shuxiang , Lv Tingting , Li Buer , Wang Xiaoming , Wang Yu , Zhao Xinyan , Ma Hong , Ou Xiaojuan , You Hong , Jia Jidong
Published: August 2022

Anti‐mitochondrial autoantibodies (AMAs) are highly specific for the diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) but are also occasionally found in other diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the incidence of and predictors for PBC development in AMA‐positive patients with other liver or non‐liver diseases at baseline. In this retrospective study, we screened patients who tested positive for AMA and/or anti‐mitochondrial M2 antibody (AMA‐M2) at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, from October 2005 to January 2017. They were categorized by their diagnosis at the baseline as patients with PBC or non‐PBC cases. We followed up on the non‐PBC cases through telephone interviews and reviewing of medical records to obtain laboratory results and clinical outcomes. In total, 139 patients were AMA‐positive but did not fulfill the diagnostic criteria of PBC at baseline, including 51 patients with non‐PBC liver diseases and 88 cases with non‐liver diseases. The titers of AMA‐M2, alkaline phosphatase, gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase, and immunoglobulin M were significantly higher in patients with PBC compared to those with non‐PBC liver diseases and non‐liver diseases. After a median follow‐up of 4.6 (interquartile range: 2.4–7.6) years, 4.3% (6 of 139) developed PBC, with an accumulative 5‐year incidence rate of 4.2%. None of the patients with non‐PBC liver diseases developed PBC, whereas the 5‐year incidence rate of PBC was 7.8% among 88 patients with non‐liver diseases. Lower alanine aminotransferase and higher immunoglobulin M were independent predictors for developing PBC. Conclusion: Our results suggest a low risk of developing PBC over time in AMA‐positive patients with other liver and non‐liver diseases.
Arousing employee pro‐environmental behavior: A synergy effect of environmentally specific transformational leadership and green human resource management
Authors: Tu Yu , Li Yiqiong , Zuo Wenchao
Published: August 2022

Employee proactive pro‐environmental behavior (PEB) has been increasingly emphasized as an essential behavior benefiting the environment and organizational sustainability. Nevertheless, both scholars and practitioners need a fuller yet nuanced understanding of the antecedents and boundary condition of PEB. Drawing from theories of cue consistency and proactivity, we advance an interaction perspective to explain how environmentally specific transformational leadership (ESTL) as guidance and green human resource management (GHRM) as normative practices interact to arouse employee PEB and how three fine‐grained proactive psychological states of green self‐efficacy, environmental self‐accountability, and environmental passion transmit these effects. Two lab experiments constructively offered causal support for our main hypotheses, and a multilevel, multiphase, and multisource field study verified our integrative model and enhanced the generalizability of conclusions. Results indicated that in addition to the direct positive effects, organization‐level GHRM, and individual‐level ESTL also showed a synergy effect in predicting employee PEB. Three differentiated proactive psychological states positively linked the underlying processes, especially in the high‐GHRM context. The findings highlight a multilevel antecedent framework of employee PEB and provide a useful attempt to answer the lingering debate about interactions between leadership and human resource management systems.
Joint calibration of S&P 500 and VIX options under local stochastic volatility models
Authors: Zhou Zhiqiang , Xu Wei , Rubtsov Alexey
Published: August 2022

It is extremely challenging to design a model calibrating both SPX and VIX option prices. A long‐standing conjecture due to Julien Guyon is that it may not be possible to calibrate these two quantities with a continuous model. So far, most studied continuous time models are affine, so we investigate the conjecture among 14 well‐known non‐affine local stochastic volatility models in this article. First, we propose a unified efficient willow tree method for S&P500 and VIX option pricing under non‐affine models. Second, we compare the joint calibration performance on these 14 models on the S&P500 and VIX option prices data from 2006 to 2019. We find that the VIX option price data can provide extra information of the variance dynamics of the models, and the non‐affine structure and the volatility with linear, rather than square‐root, diffusion process provide a better fit for the both data sets than the affine counterparts. Among the 14 stochastic models, the SABR model provides the best in‐ and out‐of‐sample performance (in terms of mean square error) regardless of the state of the economy. Nevertheless, even for the best‐fitted SABR model, the relative error on the VIX option is still around 18%, still quite significant. Therefore, we found the non‐affine and local volatility structure improve the joint calibration but are still far from satisfactory.
Will lithium‐sulfur batteries be the next beyond‐lithium ion batteries and even much better?
Authors: Sun Jianguo , Wang Tuo , Gao Yulin , Pan Zhenghui , Hu Runpeng , Wang John
Published: August 2022

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) are undoubtedly the current working‐horse in almost all portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and even large‐scale stationary energy storage. Given the problems faced by LIBs, a big question arises as to which battery(ies) would be the “Beyond LIBs” batteries. Among the front‐runners, lithium‐sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been extensively pursued owing to their intrinsically high energy density and extremely low cost. Despite the steady and sometimes exciting progress reported on sulfur chemistry and cell performance at laboratory scales over the past decade, one of the major bottlenecks is the poor cyclability. In this perspective, we examine the key challenges and opportunities faced by LSBs, as well as approaches at the materials, electrode/electrolyte and cell integration levels that can be taken to transform LSBs from a front‐runner to a real leading champion in the pursuit of the “Beyond LIBs”. While the key new mechanistic insights are very important, we propose a set of the near‐future research directions for both the liquid and solid state LSBs, where the currently on‐going parallel pursuits of both liquid and solid LSBs will be converging. The “liquid current” will gradually be taken over by “solid future” in the expected LSBs commercialization in the coming decade.

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Instrumental‐variable estimation of exponential‐regression models with two‐way fixed effects with an application to gravity equations
Authors: Jochmans Koen , Verardi Vincenzo
Published: August 2022

This paper introduces instrumental‐variable estimators for exponential‐regression models that feature two‐way fixed effects. These techniques allow us to develop a theory‐consistent approach to the estimation of cross‐sectional gravity equations that can accommodate the endogeneity of policy variables. We apply this approach to a dataset in which the policy decision of interest is the engagement in a free‐trade agreement. We explore ways to exploit the transitivity observed in the formation of trade agreements to construct instrumental variables with considerable predictive ability. Within a bilateral model, the use of these instruments has strong theoretical foundations. We obtain point estimates of the partial effect of a preferential‐trade agreement on trade volume that range between 20% and 30% and find no statistical evidence of endogeneity.
Can charcoal hemoperfusion treatment be an option for pediatric MIS‐C patients? A single‐center experience in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Varol Fatih , Guney Sahin Ebru , Cengiz Mehmet , Kilic Aziz , Altas Zeynep Meva , Guven Sirin , Çam Halit
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS‐C) is a hyper‐inflammatory disorder that develops following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and has clinical signs that overlap with Kawasaki disease. Immunomodulatory treatments can be used in these patients. One of the alternative treatments reported in the literature is hemoperfusion therapy. In this study, we aim to evaluate our experience of charcoal hemoperfusion therapy in children admitted and followed up with a diagnosis of MIS‐C at our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Material and Methods

We performed a retrospective evaluation of children diagnosed with MIS‐C and children treated with charcoal hemoperfusion who are admitted to our PICU.

Results

Among 49 MIS‐C patients, hemoperfusion therapy was performed on 14 patients. Duration of hospitalization, duration of invasive/non‐invasive ventilation, VIS, OFI, PRİSM 3 scores, and mortality rates were significantly higher in the charcoal hemoperfusion group before treatment. In patients who did not respond to conventional therapies, we observed a statistically significant decrease in the need for inotrope and invasive mechanical ventilation support and statistically significant improvements in clinical indicators after hemoperfusion therapy.

Discussion

In our study, we observed a significant clinical and laboratory improvement by charcoal hemoperfusion in our MIS‐C patients who had a severe clinical course and multiple organ failure.

Conclusion

In our opinion, this study is the first report regarding the use of charcoal hemoperfusion therapy in MIS‐C patients, and the choice of charcoal hemoperfusion as an initial or rescue therapy is needed to be investigated in large patient groups both in children and adults who are diagnosed with COVID‐19 and MIS‐C.
Discovery of promising cholinesterase inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease treatment through DFT, docking, and molecular dynamics studies of eugenol derivatives
Authors: Nour Hassan , Abdou Achraf , Belaidi Salah , Jamal JamalEddine , Elmakssoudi Abdelhakim , Dakir Mohamed , Chtita Samir
Published: August 2022

Cholinesterase enzymes are promising drug targets for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, the activity inhibition of these acetylcholine‐degrading enzymes leads to improved neurocognitive function. The present work, attempted to identify eugenol derivatives possibly capable of inhibiting the acetylcholine enzymes, by implementing density functional theory (DFT), docking and molecular dynamics methods. The investigated compounds exhibited moderate to high affinity toward the target proteins with free binding energy values ranging from −6.3 to −11.5 kcal/mol. The best ligands in terms of binding energy were evaluated for their pharmacokinetic properties. Furthermore, molecular dynamics studies were performed to assess the stability under aqueous environment of ligands having shown good pharmacokinetic properties. The obtained results revealed that 4‐alkyl‐2‐methoxyphenyl 3‐bromobenzoate strongly tended to act as dual inhibitor of Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase, leading to a good alternative for the treatment of AD. The highlighting of this study can be of great support for the Alzheimer treatment development.
Impact of Multiple Concomitant CYP3A Inhibitors on Venetoclax Pharmacokinetics: A PBPK and Population PK‐Informed Analysis
Authors: Mukherjee Dwaipayan , Brackman Deanna J. , Suleiman Ahmed A. , Zha Jiuhong , Menon Rajeev M. , Salem Ahmed Hamed
Published: August 2022

Venetoclax is an approved, orally bioavailable, B‐cell lymphoma type 2 (BCL‐2) inhibitor that is primarily metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A). Polypharmacy is common in patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia or chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and although venetoclax exposure has been well characterized with 1 concomitant CYP3A inhibitor, complex drug–drug interactions (DDIs) involving more than 1 inhibitor have not been systematically evaluated. Here, we aimed to describe the potential impact of multiple concomitant CYP3A inhibitors on venetoclax pharmacokinetics (PK) using physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) and population PK modeling. The modeling approaches were informed by clinical data in the presence of single or multiple CYP3A inhibitors, and the effects of 1 or more inhibitors were systematically considered within these modeling frameworks. The PBPK modeling approach was independently validated against clinical data involving more than 1 CYP3A inhibitor along with CYP3A substrates other than venetoclax. Both approaches indicated that combining a strong CYP3A inhibitor with another competitive CYP3A inhibitor does not seem to result in any additional increase in venetoclax exposure, beyond what would be expected with a strong inhibitor alone. This suggests that the current dose reductions recommended for venetoclax would be appropriate even when 2 or more CYP3A inhibitors are taken concomitantly. However, the results indicate that the involvement of time‐dependent inhibition might lead to additional inhibitory effects over and above the effect of a single strong CYP3A inhibitor. Thus, the clinical management of such interactions must consider the underlying mechanism of the interactions.
Sludge retention time effects on recovery of soluble organic matters via polyhydroxyalkanoate storage in contact stabilization process under feast/famine regime
Authors: Sun Feng‐Long , Cui You‐Wei , Jian Li , Yao Jia‐Lin
Published: August 2022

BACKGROUND

Contact stabilization (CS) can be used to capture organic matters from wastewater. However, CS is less efficient in capturing soluble organic matters (SOMs). Recovery of SOMs is required to minimize carbon emission and to maximize organic recovery from wastewater.

RESULTS

SOMs were recovered by applying a feast/famine (F/F) regime in a CS process. Sludge retention time (SRT) was found to regulate the recovery efficiency of SOMs. At a SRT of 4 d, 44.7% of the removed soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) in wastewater was recovered and stored into intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), leading to 12.8% decrease of CO2 emission in comparison with the conventional activated sludge process. The storage of PHA in waste sludge harvested at a SRT of 4 d significantly increased the methane yield (187.3 ± 5.9 mL (g VSS)−1). The dominant bacteria performing SOM recovery in CS belonged to the genera Tessaracoccus, norank_f__Caldilineaceacea, unclassified_f__Microbacteriaceae and Flavobacterium.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated that applying F/F regime in a CS process can recover SOMs via PHA storage. The regulation of SRT can enhance SCOD recovery. The study provides a solution to enhance SOM recovery from wastewater instead of being oxidized into CO2. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Highlights

SCOD can be recovered via PHA by applying F/F regime in CS mode.

The optimum SRT of 4 d resulted 44.7% SCOD recovery via PHA storage.

PHA‐accumulating bacteria belonged to four genera.

Anaerobic digestion of sludge resulted in a 17.6% higher CH4 yield.

CO2 emission decreased 12.8% compared with conventional activated sludge process.
Reexamining nodality in equivalence classes
Authors: Chand Gabriel , Edwards Timothy L.
Published: August 2022

Equivalence classes are defined according to the substitutability, or functional similarity, of the stimuli within a stimulus class. Several studies have demonstrated that the degree of functional similarity between stimuli in a class is dependent, in part, upon the number of nodes (intervening stimuli) between the stimuli. Higher nodal number is related to lower functional similarity. This effect is referred to as “nodality.” There are three key factors that have not been simultaneously controlled for in the relevant studies: priming effects, reinforcement during training, and multiple stimulus functions of stimuli (sample, comparison, or both). In the present experiment, controlling for these factors, two 6‐member, 4‐node equivalence classes were established, and a within‐class preference assessment was used to evaluate nodality. Of 12 participants, five achieved criterion accuracy (90%) during testing. These participants demonstrated nodality, showing preference for stimuli that were nodally proximal to a sample in the preference test. When distal comparisons were chosen, participants took longer, on average, to make the selection compared to selections of proximal stimuli. These findings are consistent with earlier studies demonstrating nodality, which suggests that nodality is a robust phenomenon and not an artifact of the factors that were controlled for in the present study.
Storm types in Bangladesh: duration, intensity and area of intra‐daily wet events
Authors: Moron Vincent , Acharya Nachiketa , Hassan S. M. Quamrul
Published: August 2022

We explore the characteristics of 96,190 wet events (WEs) defined as consecutive 3‐hourly rainfall ≥ 1 mm/3 hr from a network of 34 stations across Bangladesh. Nearly 60% (5%) of WEs last ≤ 3 (≥ 15) hr. The WEs are dynamically clustered into four “canonical” storm types (STs), mostly discretized by their duration, but also their mean and maximal intensity. While durations, total amounts and wet contiguous areas of WEs are positively related, their mean intensity is nearly independent of them. Approximately 60% of WEs are associated with ST#1, characterized by short and small WEs and very low rainfall amounts (usually <10 mm), ~30% of WEs are associated with either (ST#2) short/small WEs but with intense rainfall, probably mostly related to scattered thunderstorms or (ST#3) longer/larger WEs but with less intense rainfall. The last ST (ST#4) is rare (~6%), related to very long durations and large wet areas and includes the wettest WEs. It is especially frequent over southeastern Bangladesh. ST#2–ST#4 contribute almost equally to the local‐scale total amount of rainfall (27–29% each in mean) while ST#1, despite its individual low rainfall amount, still includes ~15% of it. ST#2 (ST#4) is related to the highest probability of occurrence of 3‐hourly (daily) extremes. ST#4 occurrence is the most impacted by synoptic Indian lows/depressions as well as the main modes of intra‐seasonal variation, while ST#1 and ST#2 are also significantly impacted by intra‐seasonal modes but in reverse manner than ST#4.