bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes of the gene expression in silkworm larvae and Cordyceps militaris at late stages of the pathogenesis
Authors: Kato Tatsuya , Nishimura Konomi , Misu Sadahiko , Ikeo Kazuho , Park Enoch Y.
Published: September 2022

Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogenic fungus that forms its fruiting body. The gene expression change in C. militaris and silkworm larvae were analyzed using RNA‐seq to investigate the relationship of C. militaris with the host, silkworm larvae before the death by mycosis. At 144 h after the injection of C. militaris conidia, genes encoding proteases, protease inhibitors, and cuticle proteins in the fat body of silkworm larvae were upregulated, but genes encoding lipoproteins and other proteins in hemolymph were downregulated. On the other hand, at 168 h after the injection of C. militaris conidia, genes encoding amino acid and oligopeptide transporters and permeases in C. militaris were upregulated, suggesting that C. militaris may use peptides and amino acids in silkworm larvae as a nutrient to grow in vivo. Additionally, one gene cluster composed of genes putatively involved in the degradation of phenolic substrates was also upregulated. The addition of 4,5‐dichlorocatechol, an inhibitor of catechol 1,2‐dioxygenase, inhibited the in vivo growth of C. militaris, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. These results also suggest that the expression of the gene cluster may be crucial for the in vivo growth of C. militaris and entomopathogenic fungi. This study will clarify how C. militaris grows in insect hosts by avoiding host's immune systems.
Flexible Carbon Sponge Electrodes for All Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries
Authors: Lv Yunhui , Pan Zhefei , Zhou Xuelong , Xiong Ningxin , Wang Fang , Li Yongliang , Wu Qixing
Published: September 2022

In the present work, a flexible carbon sponge is experimentally characterized and proposed as an alternative electrode for advanced vanadium redox flow batteries. Such an electrode is prepared via directly carbonizing the commercially‐available and inexpensive melamine formaldehyde resin sponge in argon, to inherit the well‐defined and three‐dimensional bi‐continuous architecture of the melamine sponge with 99.6% porosity and 40 μm average pore size. By applying the carbon sponges as the electrodes, it is demonstrated that the vanadium flow battery at 200 mA cm−2 can yield an energy efficiency of 77.9%, significantly higher than that with commonly‐used graphite felt electrodes (72.9%). After a thermal treatment in air, the energy efficiency of carbon sponge can further be improved to 81.2% at mA cm−2 due to introduction of favorable oxygen containing functionalities. The operating stability with the carbon sponge is proven by a 200 cycling test with minor efficiency decay.
High‐Voltage and Fast‐Charge Electrolytes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Wan Shuang , Ma Weiting , Xiao Ying , Chen Shimou
Published: September 2022

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and fast‐charge capability are urgently required for the ever‐growing demands for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. To achieve this demand, as one of the important components, electrolytes are required to work well at a high voltage to fulfill the good performance of high energy density batteries and facilitate the fast‐charge process. In this review, we mainly focus on the electrolytes design for LIBs under high‐voltage and fast‐charge conditions. The bottlenecks and the typical resolving strategies referring to lithium salts, solvents, solid electrolyte interface, additives and solvent structures in electrolytes are presented in detail. Finally, we propose the challenges regarding electrolytes design insight and inspiration for LIBs under the two conditions to give a better guide for the rationale design of the high energy density and fast‐charge devices in the future applications.
Unexpected new insights into DNA clamp loaders
Authors: Li Huilin , O'Donnell Mike , Kelch Brian
Published: September 2022

Clamp loaders are pentameric AAA+ assemblies that use ATP to open and close circular DNA sliding clamps around DNA. Clamp loaders show homology in all organisms, from bacteria to human. The eukaryotic PCNA clamp is loaded onto 3′ primed DNA by the replication factor C (RFC) hetero‐pentameric clamp loader. Eukaryotes also have three alternative RFC‐like clamp loaders (RLCs) in which the Rfc1 subunit is substituted by another protein. One of these is the yeast Rad24‐RFC (Rad17‐RFC in human) that loads a 9‐1‐1 heterotrimer clamp onto a recessed 5′ end of DNA. Recent structural studies of Rad24‐RFC have discovered an unexpected 5′ DNA binding site on the outside of the clamp loader and reveal how a 5′ end can be utilized for loading the 9‐1‐1 clamp onto DNA. In light of these results, new studies reveal that RFC also contains a 5′ DNA binding site, which functions in gap repair. These studies also reveal many new features of clamp loaders. As reviewed herein, these recent studies together have transformed our view of the clamp loader mechanism.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells‐derived exosomes mediate nuclear receptor coactivator‐3 expression in osteoblasts by delivering miR‐532‐5p to influence osteonecrosis of the femoral head development
Authors: Lan XiaoYong , Ma HaiPing , Xiong YiPin , Zou LingFeng , Yuan Zhen , Xiao YuHong
Published: September 2022

Exosomes (Exo) originated from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have therapeutic impacts on osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH), and microRNA (miR)‐532‐5p has been confirmed to participate in ONFH progression. In the research, it was figured out whether BMSCs‐Exo could relieve ONFH by delivering miR‐532‐5p. MG‐63 cells were treated with DEX to construct an ONFH cell model in vitro. The effects of Exo and miR‐532‐5p on the cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content, and apoptosis of BMSCs were detected. The ONFH rat model was established, and the effect of BMSCs‐Exo delivering miR‐532‐5p on the pathological damage of ONFH rats was evaluated. Changes in nuclear receptor coactivator‐3 (NCOA3) and apoptotic proteins were assessed by western blot. The relationship between miR‐532‐5p and NCOA3 was verified by dual luciferase reporter experiments. miR‐532‐5p was elevated in vivo and in vitro ONFH‐models, while NCOA3 expression was reduced. Overexpression of miR‐532‐5p aggravated DEX toxicity in osteoblasts, decreased cell viability, and promoted apoptosis. Knockdown of miR‐532‐5p made Exo further attenuate the toxic effect of DEX on osteoblasts and inhibited apoptosis. The protective effect of miR‐532‐5p‐delivering Exo on osteoblasts was reversed by NCOA3 silencing. In addition, in vivo experiments also confirmed that knockdown of miR‐532‐5p enhanced the therapeutic effect of Exo on ONFH rats. This study demonstrates that miR‐532‐5p‐delivering BMSCs‐Exo inhibits osteoblast viability and promote apoptosis by targeting NCOA3, thereby aggravating ONFH development.
Inhibition of MDFI attenuates proliferation and glycolysis ofHelicobacter pylori‐infected gastric cancer cells by inhibiting Wnt/β‐catenin pathway
Authors: Mi Chen , Zhao Yan , Ren Li , Zhang Dan
Published: September 2022

MyoD family inhibitor (MDFI) is a myogenic transcription factor regulatory protein. MDFI has been proven to be upregulated and to promote cell proliferation in colorectal cancer. However, the role of MDFI in gastric cancer (GC) is unclear. In this study, MDFI expression in GC tissues and cell lines was examined by quantitative real‐time PCR and western blot. Cell Counting Kit‐8 assay, clone formation assay, and 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine assay were used to evaluate GC cell proliferation. Glycolysis was assessed by measuring glucose consumption and lactate and ATP production using commercial assay kits. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of glycolytic key proteins and Wnt/β‐catenin pathway proteins. To activate Wnt/β‐catenin signaling, GC cells were treated with CHIR‐99021. We found that MDFI expression was increased in GC tumor tissues and cells with a positive correlation with poor survival. Knockdown of MDFI inhibited the increase in GC cell proliferation and glycolysis induced byHelicobacter pylori.Helicobacter pyloriinfection promoted MDFI expression and activated Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. What is more, activation of the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway remarkably reversed the effect of knocking down MDFI on GC cells. Further studies found that MDFI participated in GC cell proliferation and glycolysis by regulating the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway, thereby affecting the development of GC. In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time that knockdown of MDFI inhibited the increase in GC cell proliferation and glycolysis by regulating the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway. MDFI may be a new target for the clinical treatment of GC.
Procedural and long‐term outcome among patients undergoing expedited trans‐catheter aortic valve replacement
Authors: Berkovitch Anat , Segev Amit , Guetta Victor , Finkelstein Ariel , Kornowski Ran , Danenberg Haim , Fefer Paul , Assa Hana Vaknin , Konigstein Maayan , Merdler Ilan , Perlman Gidon , Maor Elad , Carmiel Rivka , Planer David , Banai Ariel , Shuvy Mony , Assali Abid R. , Orvin Katia , Barbash Israel M.
Published: September 2022

Objective

Patients with rapidly deteriorating clinical status due to severe aortic stenosis are often referred for expedited transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Data regarding the outcome of such interventions is limited. We aimed to evaluate the outcome of patients undergoing expedited TAVR.

Design and Setting

Data were derived from the Israeli Multicenter Registry.

Subjects

Subjects were divided into two groups based on procedure urgency: patients who were electively hospitalized for the procedure (N = 3140) and those who had an expedited TAVR (N = 142). Procedural and periprocedural complication rates were significantly higher among patients with an expedited indication for TAVR compared to those having an elective procedure: valve malposition 4.6% versus 0.6% (p < 0.001), procedural cardiopulmonary resuscitation 4.3% versus 1.0% (p = 0.007), postprocedure myocardial infarction 2.0% versus 0.4% (p = 0.002), and stage 3 acute kidney injury 3.0% versus 1.1%, (p < 0.001). Patients with expedited indication for TAVR had significantly higher in hospital mortality (5.6% vs. 1.4%, p = 0.003). Kaplan–Meier's survival analysis showed that patients undergoing expedited TAVR had higher 3‐year mortality rates compared to patients undergoing an elective TAVR procedure (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis found that patients with expedited indication had fourfolds increased risk of in‐hospital mortality (odds ratio: 4.07, p = 0.001), and nearly twofolds increased risk of mortality at 3‐year (hazard ratio: 1.69, p = 0.001) compared to those having an elective procedure.

Conclusion

Patients with expedited indications for TAVR suffer from poor short‐ and long‐term outcomes. It is important to characterize and identify these patients before the deterioration to perform TAVR in a fast‐track pathway to minimize their procedural risk.
Two‐year outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve‐in‐valve implantation in degenerated surgical valves
Authors: Abushouk Abdelrahman I. , Abdelfattah Omar , Gad Mohamed M. , Saad Anas , Hariri Essa , Isogai Toshiaki , Shekhar Shashank , Reed Grant W. , Puri Rishi , Yun James , Vargo Patrick R. , Weiss Aaron J. , Burns Daniel , Unai Shinya , Popovic Zoran , Harb Serge C. , Krishnaswamy Amar , Svensson Lars G. , Johnston Douglas R. , Kapadia Samir R.
Published: September 2022

Background

Transcatheter aortic valve‐in‐valve implantation (ViV‐TAVI) has emerged in recent years as a safe alternative to redo surgery in high‐risk patients. Although early results are encouraging, data beyond short‐term outcomes are lacking. Herein, we aimed to assess the 2‐year outcomes after ViV‐TAVI.

Methods

Patients undergoing ViV‐TAVI for degenerated surgical valves between 2013 and 2019 at the Cleveland Clinic were reviewed. The coprimary endpoints were all‐cause mortality and congestive heart failure (CHF) hospitalizations. We used time‐to‐event analyses to assess the primary outcomes. Further, we measured the changes in transvalvular gradients and the incidence of structural valve deterioration (SVD).

Results

One hundred and eighty‐eight patients were studied (mean age = 76 years; 65% males). At 2 years of follow‐up, all‐cause mortality and CHF hospitalizations occurred in 15 (8%) and 28 (14.9%) patients, respectively. On multivariable analysis, the postprocedural length of stay was a significant predictor for both all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01, 1.19) and CHF hospitalization (HR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.27). However, the internal diameter of the surgical valve was not associated with significant differences in both primary endpoints. For hemodynamic outcomes, nine patients (4.8%) developed SVD. The mean and peak transvalvular pressure gradients remained stable over the follow‐up period.

Conclusion

ViV‐TAVI for degenerated surgical valves was associated with favorable 2‐year clinical and hemodynamic outcomes. Further studies are needed to better understand the role of ViV‐TAVI as a treatment option in the life management of aortic valve disease.
Photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac using hybridMIL‐53(Al)@TiO2andMIL‐53(Al)@ZnOcatalysts
Authors: Karami Abdollah , Shomal Reem , Sabouni Rana , Murtaza Sana Z. M. , Ghommem Mehdi
Published: September 2022

In this work, TiO2and ZnO were incorporated successfully into a MIL‐53(Al) metal–organic framework (MOF) to form nanocomposites via a facile post‐modification technique. The hybrid MIL‐53(Al)@TiO2and MIL‐53(Al)@ZnO were characterized by several characterization tests. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR), and field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) analyses showed evidence of the successful incorporation of TiO2and ZnO within the MIL‐53(Al) framework. The thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis demonstrated the excellent thermal stability of MIL‐53(Al)@TiO2and MIL‐53(Al)@ZnO, while diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) determined the direct optical band gaps of MIL‐53(Al)@ZnO and MIL‐53(Al)@TiO2to be 3.24 and 3.34 eV, respectively. The composites were also tested for the photocatalytic degradation of diclofenac (DCF) as a micropollutant. The DCF degradation efficiency of the photocatalysts was ranked in the following order: MIL‐53(Al)@TiO2 > MIL‐53(Al) > TiO2 > ZnO > MIL‐53(Al)@ZnO. The incorporation of TiO2enhanced the optical properties of MIL‐53 (Al), which was confirmed with the superior photodegradation efficiency of MIL‐53(Al)@TiO2(>85% in 2 h) as compared to the pristine MIL‐53(Al) (around 80% in 2 h). The improvement in the photodegradation of the hybrid‐MOF is mostly associated with the possible dual function of the adsorption and photodegradation mechanisms. The reusability of MIL‐53(Al) and its composites was inspected over 3 cycles of photodegradation experiments with DCF. The photocatalytic activity of MIL‐53(Al)@TiO2remained unchanged (>90%), while for MIL‐53(Al) and MIL‐53(Al)@ZnO a slight drop was observed over three cyclic degradation experiments. Fluorescence measurements revealed that the hydroxyl radical is an important reactive oxygen species produced by all the photocatalysts that aid in the photodegradation of DCF. Furthermore, the kinetic modelling of the photoreaction identified a second‐order kinetics for all catalysts. Experiments with scavengers showed that hydroxyl radicals played a major role in the photocatalytic process, and it was found that only 2 h of treatment was sufficient to obtain a considerable chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of 58%.
Adherence with cardiovascular medications and the outcomes in patients with coronary arterial disease: “Real‐world” evidence
Authors: Chen Chen , Li Xiaoqing , Su Yuhao , You Zhigang , Wan Rong , Hong Kui
Published: September 2022

Background

Cardiovascular medications are vital for the secondary prevention of coronary arterial disease (CAD). However, the effect of cardiovascular medication may depend on the optimal adherence of the patients. This meta‐analysis aims to determine the magnitude of adherence to vascular medications that influences the absolute and relative risks (RRs) of mortality in patients with CAD in real‐world settings.

Methods

The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE databases were searched through March 1, 2022. Prospective studies reporting association as RR and 95% confidence interval between cardiovascular medication adherence and any cardiovascular events and/or all‐cause mortality in patients with CAD were included. A one‐stage robust error meta‐regression method was used to summarize the dose‐specific relationships.

Results

A total of 18 studies were included. There is a significant inverse linear association between cardiovascular medication adherence and cardiovascular events (pnonlinearity = .68) or mortality (pnonlinearity = .82). The exposure‐effect analysis showed that an improvement of 20% cardiovascular medication adherence was associated with 8% or 12% lower risk of any cardiovascular events or mortality, respectively. In subgroup analysis, the benefit was observed in adherence of stain (RR: 0.90, for cardiovascular events, RR: 0.85, for mortality), angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI)/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB)(RR: 0.90, for mortality), and antiplatelet agent (RR: 0.89 for mortality) but not in beta‐blocker (RR: 0.90, p = .14, for cardiovascular events, RR: 0.97, p = .32 for mortality). Estimated absolute differences per 1 million individuals per year for mortality associated with 20% improvement were 175 cases for statin, 129 cases for antiplatelet, and 117 cases for ACEI/ARB.

Conclusion

Evidence from the real word showed poor adherence to vascular medications contributes to a considerable proportion of all cardiovascular disease events and mortality in patients with CAD.
Crop yield forecasting by long short‐term memory network with Adam optimizer and Huber loss function in Andhra Pradesh, India
Authors: Dwaram Jayanarayana Reddy , Madapuri Rudra Kumar
Published: September 2022

In recent times, crop yield prediction gains more attention among researchers communities to expand food production. In this article, an effort is done for crop yield prediction in Andhra Pradesh state (India), because AP highly contributes to the Indian economy. Especially, the crop yield prediction is done for Western Godavari, Prakasam, Guntur, Srikakulam, Krishna, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh (India) by estimating the rainfall based on the attributes: average temperature, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, and velocity potential. After collecting the data from the Telangana agricultural report (2017–2018), the collected data are preprocessed utilizing the min‐max normalization technique, which is effective in preserving the relationship among data. The normalized data are classified using long short term memory network with Adam optimizer and Huber loss function. The proposed classifier has adaptive learning rates for dissimilar parameters by identifying the first and second‐moment gradient estimation so it has better computational effectiveness, unlike other classifiers. The proposed classifier predicts each site in the collected dataset into one of the three crops: rice, sugarcane, and onion. Finally, the agriculture experts validate the obtained results of the proposed model.
Extracellular vesicle expansion of PMIS‐miR‐210 expression inhibits colorectal tumour growth via apoptosis and an XIST/NME1 regulatory mechanism
Authors: Eliason Steven , Hong Liu , Sweat Yan , Chalkley Camille , Cao Huojun , Liu Qi , Qi Hank , Xu Hongwei , Zhan Fenghuang , Amendt Brad A.
Published: September 2022

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a high mortality rate, and therapeutic approaches to treat these cancers are varied and depend on the metabolic state of the tumour. Profiles of CRC tumours have identified several biomarkers, including microRNAs. microRNA‐210 (miR‐210) levels are directly correlated with CRC survival. miR‐210 expression is higher in metastatic colon cancer cells versus non‐metastatic and normal colon epithelium. Therefore, efficient methods to inhibit miR‐210 expression in CRC may provide new advances in treatments.

Methods

Expression of miRs was determined in several metastatic and non‐metastatic cell lines. miR‐210 expression was inhibited using PMIS‐miR‐210 in transduced cells, which were transplanted into xenograft mice. In separate experiments, CRC tumours were allowed to grow in xenograft mice and treated with therapeutic injections of PMIS‐miR‐210. Molecular and biochemical experiments identified several new pathways targeted by miR‐210 inhibition.

Results

miR‐210 inhibition can significantly reduce tumour growth of implanted colon cancer cells in xenograft mouse models. The direct administration of PMIS‐miR‐210 to existing tumours can inhibit tumour growth in both NSG and Foxn1nu/j mouse models and is more efficacious than capecitabine treatments. Tumour cells further transfer the PMIS‐miR‐210 inhibitor to neighbouring cells by extracellular vesicles to inhibit miR‐210 throughout the tumour. miR‐210 inhibition activates the cleaved caspase 3 apoptotic pathway to reduce tumour formation. We demonstrate that the long non‐coding transcript XIST is regulated by miR‐210 correlating with decreased XIST expression in CRC tumours. XIST acts as a competing endogenous RNA for miR‐210, which reduces XIST levels and miR‐210 inhibition increases XIST transcripts in the nucleus and cytoplasm. The increased expression of NME1 is associated with H3K4me3 and H3K27ac modifications in the NME1 proximal promoter by XIST.

Conclusion

Direct application of the PMIS‐miR‐210 inhibitor to growing tumours may be an effective colorectal cancer therapeutic.
The positive regulatory loop of TCF4N/p65 promotes glioblastoma tumourigenesis and chemosensitivity
Authors: Hu Yaling , Zhang Bo , Lu Peihua , Wang Jingying , Chen Cheng , Yin Ying , Wan Quan , Wang Jingjing , Jiao Jiantong , Fang Xiangming , Pu Zhening , Gong Lingli , Ji Li , Zhu Lingpeng , Zhang Rui , Zhang Jia , Yang Xusheng , Wang Qing , Huang Zhaohui , Zou Jian
Published: September 2022

Background

NF‐κB signaling is widely linked to the pathogenesis and treatment resistance in cancers. Increasing attention has been paid to its anti‐oncogenic roles, due to its key functions in cellular senescence and the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Therefore, thoroughly understanding the function and regulation of NF‐κB in cancers is necessary prior to the application of NF‐κB inhibitors.

Methods

We established glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines expressing ectopic TCF4N, an isoform of the β‐catenin interacting transcription factor TCF7L2, and evaluated its functions in GBM tumorigenesis and chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo. In p65 knock‐out or phosphorylation mimic (S536D) cell lines, the dual role and correlation of TCF4N and NF‐κB signaling in promoting tumorigenesis and chemosensitivity was investigated by in vitro and in vivo functional experiments. RNA‐seq and computational analysis, immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assay, minigene splicing assay and luciferase reporter assay were performed to identify the underlying mechanism of positive feedback regulation loop between TCF4N and the p65 subunit of NF‐κB. A eukaryotic cell‐penetrating peptide targeting TCF4N, 4N, was used to confirm the therapeutic significance.

Results

Our results indicated that p65 subunit phosphorylation at Ser 536 (S536) and nuclear accumulation was a promising prognostic marker for GBM, and endowed the dual functions of NF‐κB in promoting tumorigenesis and chemosensitivity. p65 S536 phosphorylation and nuclear stability in GBM was regulated by TCF4N. TCF4N bound p65, induced p65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation, inhibited its ubiquitination/degradation, and subsequently promoted NF‐κB activity. p65 S536 phosphorylation was essential for TCF4N‐led senescence‐independent SASP, GBM tumorigenesis, tumor stem‐like cell differentiation and chemosensitivity. Activation of p65 was closely connected to alterative splicing of TCF4N, a likely positive feedback regulation loop between TCF4N and p65 in GBM. 4N increased chemosensitivity, highlighting a novel anti‐cancer strategy.

Conclusion

Our study defined key roles of TCF4N as a novel regulator of NF‐κB through mutual regulation with p65 and provided a new avenue for GBM inhibition.
Warming reverses directionality in the richness–abundance relationship in ephemeral Mediterranean plant communities
Authors: Madrigal‐González Jaime , Luzuriaga Arantzazu L. , Escudero Adrián , Ferrandis Pablo , Calatayud Joaquín
Published: September 2022

Recent findings in forests worldwide have demonstrated how directionality in the richness–abundance causality shifts along global climate gradients: The so‐called more‐species hypothesis (richness determines abundance) prevails in Earth's most productive climates, whereas the opposite, the so‐called more‐individuals hypothesis (abundance determines richness), is more likely to prevail in climatically harsh conditions. Since temporal variability is the norm, a critical question is whether this directionality shift is also a function of temporal climatic fluctuations locally. Here, we analyze whether directionality in the richness–abundance relationship is contingent on temporal variability over 10 annual consecutive realizations in ephemeral plant assemblages. Our results support the idea that the more‐species hypothesis prevailed in the most benign years, whereas the more‐individuals hypothesis did so during less productive years, which were significantly linked to the warmest years. These results support the idea that rising temperatures can reverse directionality in the richness–abundance relationship in these annual plant communities, and therefore, climate warming can have a significant effect on the relationship between diversity and ecosystem functions, such as productivity, by altering the prevalence of primary mechanisms involved in species assembly.
IL‐4/IL‐13‐producing ILC2s are required for timely control of intestinal helminth infection in mice
Authors: Varela Filipa , Symowski Cornelia , Pollock Jonathan , Wirtz Stefan , Voehringer David
Published: September 2022

Infection of mice with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb) serves as a model for human hookworm infection affecting about 600 million people world‐wide. Expulsion of Nb from the intestine requires IL‐13‐mediated mucus secretion from goblet cells and activation of smooth muscles cells. Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are a major cellular source of IL‐13 but it remains unclear whether IL‐13 secretion from ILC2s is required for Nb expulsion. Here, we compared the immune response to Nb infection in mixed bone marrow chimeras with wild‐type or IL‐4/IL‐13‐deficient ILC2s. ILC2‐derived IL‐4/IL‐13 was required for recruitment of eosinophils to the lung but had no influence of systemic eosinophil levels. In the small intestine, goblet cell hyperplasia and tuft cell accumulation was largely dependent on IL‐4/IL‐13 secretion from ILC2s. This further translated to higher eggs counts and impaired worm expulsion in mice with IL‐4/IL‐13‐deficient ILC2s. Overall, we demonstrate that ILC2s constitute a non‐redundant source of IL‐4/IL‐13 required for protective immunity against primary Nb infection.
Identical‐location Transmission Electron Microscopy of Pt Nanoparticle Electrocatalysts Using Iridium‐coated Au Grids for Fuel Cell Durability Tests Simulating Start‐up and Shutdown Conditions
Authors: Miyabayashi Keiko , Shirayama Yodai , Surabhi Gupta , Tatsuoka Hirokazu
Published: September 2022

In an identical‐location TEM (IL‐TEM) analysis of an electrocatalyst, an Au grid is usually selected owing to its chemical stability under potential cycling conditions. A potential cycle between 1.0 and 1.5 V is applied to the catalyst‐cast Au grid for cathode durability testing that simulates the start‐up and shutdown conditions of fuel cells. Because of the redox potential of Au (1.36 V vs. RHE), the grid dissolves and redeposits on the catalyst under the applied potential, making it complicated to evaluate the catalyst nanoparticle shape and size after degradation. We fabricated an Au grid coated with an iridium oxide layer (Ir‐coated Au grid) to suppress the dissolution of Au. The Ir‐coated Au grid with carbon support was compared to the Au grid to confirm the effect of the iridium oxide layer. No Au deposition was observed, even after 3000 cycles at 60 °C for the Ir‐coated Au grid, but Au was deposited on carbon on the Au grid after 1000 cycles. Consequently, the alkylamine‐modified Pt nanoparticle catalyst (unwashed catalyst) was observed along with the Ir‐coated Au grid using IL‐TEM under durability tests simulating start‐up and shutdown conditions. A catalyst with less alkylamine content was prepared by butylamine washing (washed catalyst) and observed using IL‐TEM for comparison. The Pt nanoparticles of the washed catalyst aggregated and changed their morphology after 1000 cycles, while the alkylamine‐modified nanoparticles of the unwashed catalyst almost maintained their original size and shape up to 1000 cycles. The Ir‐coated gold grids allow proper IL‐TEM analysis of catalysts in durability tests without the interference of Au dissolution.
Forecasting carbon dioxide emission price using a novel mode decomposition machine learning hybrid model of CEEMDAN‐LSTM
Authors: Yun Po , Huang Xiaodi , Wu Yaqi , Yang Xianzi
Published: September 2022

Global carbon dioxide emissions have become a great threat to economic sustainability and human health. The carbon market is recognized as the most promising mean to curb carbon emissions, furthermore, carbon price forecasting will promote the role of the carbon market in emissions reduction and achieve reduction targets at lower economic costs for emission entities. However, there are still some technical problems in carbon price prediction, such as mode mixing and larger reconstruction error for the traditional empirical mode decomposition‐type models. Therefore, the innovation of this paper is constructing a novel carbon price prediction model of complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN)‐long short‐term memory (LSTM), that combines the advantages of CEEMDAN in decomposing the multiscale time‐frequency carbon price signals and the LSTM model in fitting the financial signals. The results show the proposed CEEMDAN‐LSTM model has significant accuracy in predicting the complex carbon price signals. The prediction error and expectation indicators of root mean square error, mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error, and direction accuracy are 0.638342, 0.448695, 0.015666, and 0.687631, respectively, which is better than other benchmark models. Further evidence convince that the short‐term forecasting performance is superior to the long‐term and medium‐term performance. That evidence concludes that the proposed model is a reliable method to reveal the carbon price‐driving mechanism from the point of multiscale time‐frequency characteristics. Particularly, short‐term forecasting is more accurate and can provide a valuable technical reference for reduction entities and green financial companies to judge the market situation and formulate quantitative transactions.
Can wine quality be predicted by small volatile compounds? A study based on performance of wine show entries and their volatile profiles
Authors: Luo Jiaqiang , Zhang Pangzhen , Loo Yit Tao , Ma Jiayu , Wu Shanshan , Marriott Philip J. , Howell Kate
Published: September 2022

It is widely recognized that wine aroma critically influences wine quality, yet the extent to which volatile compound composition in wine determines wine quality has proven difficult to define, beyond the negative influence of taint compounds. While some relationships between concentration of volatile aroma compounds and wine quality have been made, this has been usually based on single molecules, in laboratory wines and without reference to experienced wine panels. Here, we collected and analysed 157 commercial Shiraz wines from a competitive show over 2 years. We found significant (P < .05) correlations between specific volatiles and the panel's wine quality scores. However, these correlations were not always consistent between years. We could not explain medals given to wine entries solely based on multivariate analysis of their composite volatile composition. Here, we suggest that aroma determination in judging wine quality does not completely explain the assessment of wine, and appearance (colour, clarity) and taste may be more influential factors. There are considerable practical difficulties in establishing a convincing wine quality prediction model based on analysis of volatile compounds alone.
Giemsa‐negative chromosome bands preferentially recombine in cancer‐associated translocations and gene fusions
Authors: Mandahl Nils , Mitelman Felix
Published: September 2022

Chromosome abnormalities, in particular translocations, and gene fusions are hallmarks of neoplasia. Although both have been recognized as important drivers of cancer for decades, our knowledge of the characterizing features of the cytobands involved in recombinations is poorly understood. The present study, based on a comparative analysis of 10 442 translocation breakpoints and 30 762 gene fusions comprising 13 864 protein‐coding genes, is the most comprehensive evaluation of the interactions of cytobands participating in the formation of such rearrangements in cancer. The major conclusion is that although large G‐negative, gene‐rich bands are most frequently involved, the greatest impact was seen for staining properties. Thus, 60% of the recombinations leading to the formation of both translocations and fusion genes take place between two G‐negative bands whereas only about 10% involve two G‐positive bands. There is compelling evidence that G‐negative bands contain more genes than dark staining bands and it has previously been shown that breakpoints involved in structural chromosome rearrangements and in gene fusions preferentially affect gene‐rich bands. The present study not only corroborates these findings but in addition demonstrates that the recombination processes favor the joining of two G‐negative cytobands and that this feature may be a stronger factor than gene content. It is reasonable to assume that the formation of translocations and fusion genes in cancer cells, irrespective of whether they have a pathogenetically significant impact or not, may be mediated by some underlying mechanisms that either favor the origin or provide a selective advantage for recombinations of G‐negative cytobands.
An empirical Bayes approach to improving population‐specific genetic association estimation by leveraging cross‐population data
Authors: Hsu Li , Kooperberg Anna , Reiner Alexander P. , Kooperberg Charles
Published: September 2022

Populations of non‐European ancestry are substantially underrepresented in genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). As genetic effects can differ between ancestries due to possibly different causal variants or linkage disequilibrium patterns, a meta‐analysis that includes GWAS of all populations yields biased estimation in each of the populations and the bias disproportionately impacts non‐European ancestry populations. This is because meta‐analysis combines study‐specific estimates with inverse variance as the weights, which causes biases towards studies with the largest sample size, typical of the European ancestry population. In this paper, we propose two empirical Bayes (EB) estimators to borrow the strength of information across populations although accounting for between‐population heterogeneity. Extensive simulation studies show that the proposed EB estimators are largely unbiased and improve efficiency compared to the population‐specific estimator. In contrast, even though the meta‐analysis estimator has a much smaller variance, it yields significant bias when the genetic effect is heterogeneous across populations. We apply the proposed EB estimators to a large‐scale trans‐ancestry GWAS of stroke and demonstrate that the EB estimators reduce the variance of the population‐specific estimator substantially, with the effect estimates close to the population‐specific estimates.
Labor supply and informal care responses to health shocks within couples: Evidence from the UK
Authors: Macchioni Giaquinto Annarita , Jones Andrew M. , Rice Nigel , Zantomio Francesca
Published: September 2022

Shocks to health have been shown to reduce labor supply for the individual affected. Less is known about household self‐insurance through a partner's response. Previous studies have presented inconclusive empirical evidence on the existence of a health‐related Added Worker Effect, and results limited to labor and income responses. We use UK longitudinal data to investigate within households both the labor supply and informal care responses of an individual to the event of an acute health shock to their partner. Relying on the unanticipated timing of shocks, we combine Coarsened Exact Matching and Entropy Balancing algorithms with parametric analysis and exploit lagged outcomes to remove bias from observed confounders and time‐invariant unobservables. We find no evidence of a health‐related Added Worker Effect but a significant and sizable Informal Carer Effect. This holds irrespective of spousal labor market position or household financial status and ability to purchase formal care provision, suggesting that partners' substitute informal care provision for time devoted to leisure activities.
Knockdown of interleukin‐6 plays a neuroprotective role against hypoxia‐ischemia in neonatal rats via inhibition of caspase 3 and Bcl‐2‐associated X protein signaling pathway
Authors: Yang Xiu , Liao Ke‐Han , Deng Isaac B. , Zhang Lan‐Chun
Published: September 2022

This study aimed to investigate the role of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) in the pathogenesis of neonatal hypoxic‐ischemic encephalopathy (NHIE). Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats were used for the establishment of hypoxic‐ischemic (HI) model. The Zea‐Longa scoring was used to evaluate the extent of the neurological deficits. Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining was used to measure the volume of infarction in the brain following HI protocol. The expression of IL‐6 in the cortex and/or hippocampus at multiple time points after HI was examined by immunohistochemistry, western blotting and immunofluorescence. Moreover, small interfering RNAs (siRNA) were used to inhibit the expression of IL‐6 in‐vitro and in‐vivo, and the concomitant expression of the Bcl‐2 associated X protein (BAX) and caspase 3 was also measured. HI induced a significant brain damage, and these pathological changes were accompanied by IL‐6 upregulation which was found localized in cortical neurons. The inhibition of IL‐6 expression fostered neuronal and axonal growth, and a reduction in cellular apoptosis in cortical neuronal cultures, and cortex and hippocampus of neonatal rats. The expression of apoptotic markers such as BAX and caspase 3 was closely associated with IL‐6. Downregulation of IL‐6 could ameliorate HI‐induced deficiencies by mediating the expression of caspase 3 and BAX.
The role of vaginal progesterone for preterm birth prevention in women with threatened labor and shortened cervix diagnosed after 24 weeks of pregnancy
Authors: Kabiri Doron , Raif Nesher Dror , Luxenbourg Danielle , Rottenstreich Amihai , Rosenbloom Joshua I. , Ezra Yosef , Yagel Simcha , Porat Shay , Romero Roberto
Published: September 2022

Objective

To determine whether vaginal progesterone treatment for women with a short cervix, diagnosed after 24 weeks of pregnancy, reduces preterm birth rates.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study that included women with a singleton pregnancy, threatened preterm labor, and a short cervix measured between 24+0 and 33+6 weeks. Women who received vaginal progesterone were compared with women who did not receive progesterone. The primary outcome was spontaneous preterm birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Results

Patients who received vaginal progesterone had a lower rate of preterm delivery at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy (18.2% [22/121] versus 28.9% [73/253]; adjusted hazard ratio 0.50; 95% confidence interval 0.28–0.73, P = 0.001). The diagnosis‐to‐delivery interval was significantly greater in patients who received progesterone than in those who did not—median time to delivery in weeks: 8.2 (interquartile range [IQR] 6.2–9.8) versus 6.6 (4.8–8.8), (P < 0.001). The frequency of neonatal intensive care unit admission was significantly lower in patients who received progesterone than in those who did not (8.3% [10/121] versus 16.2% [41/253], P = 0.04).

Conclusions

The administration of vaginal progesterone to patients with an episode of threatened premature labor and a short cervix presenting after 24 weeks of pregnancy was associated with lower rates of premature births.
Front Cover Image
Authors: Ma Yanan , Cheng Yongfa , Wang Jian , Fu Si , Zhou Mengjun , Yang Yue , Li Baowen , Zhang Xin , Nan Ce‐Wen
Published: September 2022

The highly sensitive and degradable piezoresistive pressure sensor was constructed by coating Ti3C2Tx MXene flakes with different degrees of in situ oxidation onto the paper substrates using the dipping‐drying method. In situ oxidation tunes the intrinsic resistance and expands the interlayer distance of MXene nanosheets, which regulates the sensitivity of the sensor. It is found that the partially oxidized MXene‐based pressure sensor demonstrates remarkably higher sensitivity (28.43 kPa−1) than those of pristine MXene, over‐oxidized MXene, and state‐of‐the‐art paper‐based pressure sensors. (DOI: 10.1002/inf2.12328)

image
Label‐free bacteria identification for clinical applications
Authors: Dafna Eliran , Gannot Israel
Published: September 2022

We have developed a system for bacteria identification based on absorption spectroscopy in the mid‐infrared spectral range. The data collected are analyzed with a deep learning algorithm. It is based on a neural‐network model which takes one‐dimensional signal vectors and outputs a probability score of identification of a bacterium type by extracting micro and macro scale features, using convolutions and nonlinear operations. The results are achieved in real time and do not require any offline postprocessing. The study was done on 12 of the most common bacteria usually seen in clinical microbiology laboratories. The system sensitivity is 0.94 ± 0.04, with a specificity of 0.95 ± 0.02. The system can be extended to additional bacterium types and variants with no change to its hardware or software, but only updating the model's parameters. The system's accuracy, size, ease of operation and low cost make it suitable for use in any type of clinical setting.
The inflammatory cellular feature in the peripheral blood of chronic subdural hematoma patients
Authors: Fan Yibing , Wu Di , Zhang Xinjie , Jiang Weiwei , Nie Meng , Liu Xuanhui , Xiang Tangtang , Liu Mingqi , Chen Yupeng , Feng Dongyi , Huang Jinhao , Gao Chuang , Jiang Rongcai
Published: September 2022

Background

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common neurosurgical disease with an increasing incidence. The absorption route of CSDH is not clear. Whether inflammatory factors enter the peripheral blood and cause systemic reactions is unknown.

Methods

We screened 105 CSDH patients and 105 control individuals. Their clinical characteristics and blood routine results were collected and compared. The blood routine changes of CSDH patients before and after treatment were compared. Age‐stratified analysis was performed due to age may affect the inflammatory markers.

Results

The white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, neutrophil percentage, neutrophil‐lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), and platelet to lymphocyte count ratio (PLR) of CSDH patients before treatment were within the normal range, while were significantly higher than the control individuals (p < 0.001). The absolute lymphocyte count and lymphocyte percentage of control individuals were higher than those of patients (p < 0.001). The inflammatory cells in patients of different age groups were similar. After the patient was cured, the white blood cell count, the absolute value and percentage of neutrophils decreased (p < 0.05), while the number of monocytes increased.

Conclusions

CSDH caused slight systemic inflammatory responses in the peripheral blood, implying that there is a non‐hematologic route for the absorption of hematoma.
A longitudinal study of social, religious, and spiritual capital and physical and emotional functioning in a national sample of African–Americans
Authors: Clark Eddie M. , Ma Lijing , Williams Beverly R. , Ghosh Debarchana , Park Crystal L. , Schulz Emily , Woodard Nathaniel , Knott Cheryl L.
Published: September 2022

The present study builds on prior research by examining the moderating relationships between different types of capital on physical functioning, emotional functioning, and depressive symptoms using a 2.5‐year longitudinal design with a national sample of African–American adults. Results indicated a significant T1 social capital × T1 religious capital interaction such that among low T1 religious capital participants, those with high T1 social capital had lower T2 physical functioning than those with lower T1 social capital. There was also a marginally significant T1 social capital × T1 spiritual capital interaction suggesting that among low T1 spiritual capital participants, those with higher T1 social capital reported a decline in depressive symptoms compared to those with lower T1 social capital. Future research and implications for intervention and policy development are discussed.
Removal of amoxicillin and ampicillin using manganese dioxide/montmorillonite composite
Authors: Valovicova Vera , Plevova Eva , Vallova Silvie , Vaculikova Lenka , Smykalova Aneta , Napruszewska Bogna D , Serwicka Ewa M , Dolinska Silvia
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND

Clay‐based materials represent great potential for the development of efficient and environmentally friendly sorbents. The study focuses on a laboratory‐obtained manganese dioxide/montmorillonite (MnO2/MMT) composite for removal of two types of antibiotics – amoxicillin (AMX) and ampicillin (AMP) – from aqueous solution.

RESULTS

The composite was successfully prepared using a reduction procedure involving the reaction between potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) to form MnO2 followed by the addition of MMT. X‐ray analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were performed for characterization of physicochemical and structural properties, simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry for estimation of thermal stability and high‐performance liquid chromatography for determination of antibiotic equilibrium concentrations in aqueous solution. The precipitated MnO2 component, manifested by long fibers, corresponded to the tunnel structure of cryptomelane. In the case of MnO2/MMT it is evident that MnO2 developed short fibers with the participation of the MMT matrix. The thermal data suggested that the MnO2 phase upon contact with the clay support showed better thermal stability. The final decomposition of Mn2O3 was shifted to higher temperature of 985 °C. Adsorption procedure in a batch regimen showed sufficient sorption ability for both antibiotics with over 90% efficiency. For AMP the value of qmax was about 45 mg g−1 and for AMX it was only 21 mg g−1.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provided valuable information for the design of a potentially inexpensive clay‐based adsorbent and demonstrated the removal of two types of broad‐spectrum β‐lactam antibiotics from aqueous solution to a sufficient degree. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).