bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nodulation competitiveness and diversification of symbiosis genes in common beans from the American centers of domestication
Authors: Aguilar O. Mario , Collavino Mónica M. , Mancini Ulises
Published: March 2022

Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean), having a proposed Mexican origin within the Americas, comprises three centers of diversification: Mesoamerica, the southern Andes, and the Amotape-Huancabamba Depression in Peru-Ecuador. Rhizobium etli is the predominant rhizobium found symbiotically associated with beans in the Americasalthough closely related Rhizobium phylotypes have also been detected. To investigate if symbiosis between bean varieties and rhizobia evolved affinity, firstly nodulation competitiveness was studied after inoculation with a mixture of sympatric and allopatric rhizobial strains isolated from the respective geographical regions. Rhizobia strains harboring nodC types α and $$\upgamma$$
γ
, which were found predominant in Mexico and Ecuador, were comparable in nodule occupancy at 50% of each in beans from the Mesoamerican and Andean gene pools, but it is one of those two nodC types which clearly predominated in Ecuadorian-Peruvian beans as well as in Andean beans nodC type $$\upgamma$$
γ
predominated the sympatric nodC type δ. The results indicated that those beans from Ecuador-Peru and Andean region, respectively exhibited no affinity for nodulation by the sympatric rhizobial lineages that were found to be predominant in bean nodules formed in those respective areas. Unlike the strains isolated from Ecuador, Rhizobium etli isolated from Mexico as well from the southern Andes was highly competitive for nodulation in beans from Ecuador-Peru, and quite similarly competitive in Mesoamerican and Andean beans. Finally, five gene products associated with symbiosis were examined to analyze variations that could be correlated with nodulation competitiveness. A small GTPase RabA2, transcriptional factors NIN and ASTRAY, and nodulation factor receptors NFR1 and NFR5- indicated high conservation but NIN, NFR1 and NFR5 of beans representative of the Ecuador-Peru genetic pool clustered separated from the Mesoamerican and Andean showing diversification and possible different interaction. These results indicated that both host and bacterial genetics are important for mutual affinity, and that symbiosis is another trait of legumes that could be sensitive to evolutionary influences and local adaptation.
Antifungals influence the immune-related transcriptomic landscape of human monocytes after Aspergillus fumigatus infection
Authors: Henry Benoît , Klement William , Gohir Wajiha , Aguilar Claire , Husain Shahid
Published: March 2022

The heterogeneity of clinical responses to antifungals in aspergillosis is partially understood. We hypothesized that besides direct antifungal effects, these discrepancies may be related to different immunomodulatory profiles. Human THP-1 monocytes were coincubated in vitro with Aspergillus fumigatus and variable concentrations of voriconazole (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/l), caspofungin (1 and 2 mg/l), amphotericin B deoxycholate (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/l) and liposomal amphotericin B (1, 2 and 3 mg/l). After 6 h of coincubation, total cellular RNA was extracted, converted into cDNA, and transcription of 84 genes involved in antifungal immunity was measured through RT-qPCR. The presence of A. fumigatus was the main driver of the global immune-related transcriptomic response. After Aspergillus infection, thirty genes were upregulated, while 19 genes were downregulated. Discrepancies across antifungals were also evident; voriconazole-containing conditions showed similar reaction to natural infection, while the use of liposomal Amphotericin B significantly decreased the inflammatory response. Chemokines (notably CCL20 and CXCL2) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1A, IL1B, IL23, G-CSF) exhibited the most pronounced differences across antifungals. Pattern recognition receptors and adaptor protein transcription were minimally affected. Protein–protein-interaction network analysis showed that IL23A played a dominant role in upregulated genes. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that cytokine-cytokine receptor integration, TNF signaling pathways and Toll-like receptor pathways were highly involved. This exploratory study confirms the heterogeneous immunomodulatory role of antifungals. Overall, voriconazole appears to maintain an early pro-inflammatory response seen in natural infection. Assessment of immunomodulatory response with clinical response may provide a better rationale for differences observed across antifungals.
Robust all-electrical topological valley filtering using monolayer 2D-Xenes
Authors: Jana Koustav , Muralidharan Bhaskaran
Published: March 2022

We propose a realizable device design for an all-electrical robust valley filter that utilizes spin protected topological interface states hosted on monolayer 2D-Xene materials with large intrinsic spin–orbit coupling. In contrast with conventional quantum spin-Hall edge states localized around the X-points, the interface states appearing at the domain wall between topologically distinct phases are either from the K or $$K^{\prime}$$

K

′

points, making them suitable prospects for serving as valley-polarized channels. We show that the presence of a large band-gap quantum spin-Hall effect enables the spatial separation of the spin–valley locked helical interface states with the valley states being protected by spin conservation, leading to robustness against short-range nonmagnetic disorder. By adopting the scattering matrix formalism on a suitably designed device structure, valley-resolved transport in the presence of nonmagnetic short-range disorder for different 2D-Xene materials is also analyzed in detail. Our numerical simulations confirm the role of spin–orbit coupling in achieving an improved valley filter performance with a perfect quantum of conductance attributed to the topologically protected interface states. Our analysis further elaborates clearly the right choice of material, device geometry and other factors that need to be considered while designing an optimized valleytronic filter device.
Clathrin-nanoparticles deliver BDNF to hippocampus and enhance neurogenesis, synaptogenesis and cognition in HIV/neuroAIDS mouse model
Authors: Vitaliano Gordana D. , Kim Jae K. , Kaufman Marc J. , Adam Christopher W. , Zeballos Gonzalo , Shanmugavadivu Abinaya , Subburaju Sivan , McLaughlin Jay P. , Lukas Scott E. , Vitaliano Franco
Published: March 2022

Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes the growth, differentiation, maintenance and survival of neurons. These attributes make BDNF a potentially powerful therapeutic agent. However, its charge, instability in blood, and poor blood brain barrier (BBB) penetrability have impeded its development. Here, we show that engineered clathrin triskelia (CT) conjugated to BDNF (BDNF-CT) and delivered intranasally increased hippocampal BDNF concentrations 400-fold above that achieved previously with intranasal BDNF alone. We also show that BDNF-CT targeted Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and increased TrkB expression and downstream signaling in iTat mouse brains. Mice were induced to conditionally express neurotoxic HIV Transactivator-of-Transcription (Tat) protein that decreases BDNF. Down-regulation of BDNF is correlated with increased severity of HIV/neuroAIDS. BDNF-CT enhanced neurorestorative effects in the hippocampus including newborn cell proliferation and survival, granule cell neurogenesis, synaptogenesis and increased dendritic integrity. BDNF-CT exerted cognitive-enhancing effects by reducing Tat-induced learning and memory deficits. These results show that CT bionanoparticles efficiently deliver BDNF to the brain, making them potentially powerful tools in regenerative medicine.
Characterisation of PDGF-BB:PDGFRβ signalling pathways in human brain pericytes: evidence of disruption in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Smyth Leon C. D. , Highet Blake , Jansson Deidre , Wu Jane , Rustenhoven Justin , Aalderink Miranda , Tan Adelie , Li Susan , Johnson Rebecca , Coppieters Natacha , Handley Renee , Narayan Pritika , Singh-Bains Malvindar K. , Schweder Patrick , Turner Clinton , Mee Edward W. , Heppner Peter , Correia Jason , Park Thomas I.-H. , Curtis Maurice A. , Faull Richard L. M. , Dragunow Mike
Published: March 2022

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB):PDGF receptor-β (PDGFRβ) signalling in brain pericytes is critical to the development, maintenance and function of a healthy blood-brain barrier (BBB). Furthermore, BBB impairment and pericyte loss in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is well documented. We found that PDGF-BB:PDGFRβ signalling components were altered in human AD brains, with a marked reduction in vascularPDGFB. We hypothesised that reduced PDGF-BB:PDGFRβ signalling in pericytes may impact on the BBB. We therefore tested the effects of PDGF-BB on primary human brain pericytes in vitro to define pathways related to BBB function. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we dissected distinct aspects of the PDGF-BB response that are controlled by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt pathways. PDGF-BB promotes the proliferation of pericytes and protection from apoptosis through ERK signalling. In contrast, PDGF-BB:PDGFRβ signalling through Akt augments pericyte-derived inflammatory secretions. It may therefore be possible to supplement PDGF-BB signalling to stabilise the cerebrovasculature in AD.
KPT330 improves Cas9 precision genome- and base-editing by selectively regulating mRNA nuclear export
Authors: Cui Yan-ru , Wang Shao-jie , Ma Tiancheng , Yu Peihong , Chen Jun , Guo Taijie , Meng Genyi , Jiang Biao , Dong Jiajia , Liu Jia
Published: March 2022

CRISPR-based genome engineering tools are associated with off-target effects that constitutively active Cas9 protein may instigate. Previous studies have revealed the feasibility of modulating Cas9-based genome- and base-editing tools using protein or small-molecule CRISPR inhibitors. Here we screened a set of small molecule compounds with irreversible warhead, aiming to identifying small-molecule modulators of CRISPR-Cas9. It was found that selective inhibitors of nuclear export (SINEs) could efficiently inhibit the cellular activity of Cas9 in the form of genome-, base- and prime-editing tools. Interestingly, SINEs did not function as direct inhibitors to Cas9, but modulated Cas9 activities by interfering with the nuclear export process of Cas9 mRNA. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, SINEs represent the first reported indirect, irreversible inhibitors of CRISPR-Cas9. Most importantly, an FDA-approved anticancer drug KPT330, along with other examined SINEs, could improve the specificities of CRISPR-Cas9-based genome- and base editing tools in human cells. Our study expands the toolbox of CRISPR modulating elements and provides a feasible approach to improving the specificity of CRISPR-Cas9-based genome engineering tools.
Active optomechanics
Authors: Yu Deshui , Vollmer Frank
Published: March 2022

Cavity optomechanics explores the coupling between optical and mechanical modes mediated by the radiation pressure force. Unlike the passive scheme, the active optomechanics with optical gain directly imposes the mechanical motion upon the lasing dynamics, unveiling the intrinsic properties determined by the system itself. Here we numerically explore the general characteristics of the active optomechanics. The effects of the mechanical oscillation on the macroscopic laser include introducing multiple unstable regimes in the lasing phase, shifting the laser central frequency, broadening the laser spectrum, and degrading the laser frequency stability. Reducing the optical gain down to one active atom highlights the quantum nature of atom–cavity and photon–phonon interactions. The one-atom optomechanical microlaser does not only emit nonclassical photons but also generate nonclassical photon–phonon pairs. Our work extends the cavity optomechanics to the active fashion, paving the way towards optomechanical light sources for photonic integrated circuits, on-chip quantum communication, and biosensing.
Realization of ultrathin waveguides by elastic metagratings
Authors: Hu Yabin , Zhang Yunhao , Su Guangyuan , Zhao Meiying , Li Bing , Liu Yongquan , Li Zheng
Published: March 2022

Guiding classical waves has inspired a wealth of nontrivial physics and significant applications. To date, a robust and compact way to guide energy flux traveling along an arbitrary, prescheduled trajectory in a uniform medium is still a fundamental challenge. Here we propose and experimentally realize a generic framework of ultrathin waveguides for omnidirectional wave trapping and efficient routing. The metagrating-based waveguide can totally suppress all high-order parasitic diffractions to route guided elastic waves without leakage. The proposed waveguide protype works in a broad frequency range under a full-angle radiated source. An analytical slab-waveguide model is presented to predict and tailor the diffracted patterns. Compared with existing methods based on topological edge states or defected metamaterials, our meta-waveguide strategy exhibits absolute advantages in compact size, robust performance, and easy fabrication, which may provide a design paradigm for vibration and noise control, energy harvesting, microfluidics, wave steering in acoustics and other waves.
Manufacturing polymeric porous capsules
Authors: Contini Claudia , Hu Wenyi , Elani Yuval
Published: March 2022

The review paper outlines the current state-of-the-art strategies adopted to fabricate polymeric porous capsules which represent a novel supramolecular construct that broadens the applicability and versatility of self-assembled polymeric systems.
Recent advances in transition-metal-catalyzed carbene insertion to C–H bonds
Authors: He Yuan , Huang Zilong , Wu Kaikai , Ma Juan , Zhou Yong-Gui , Yu Zhengkun
Published: March 2022

This review summarizes the recent advance in transition-metal-catalyzed carbene insertion to C–H bonds, forming diverse C–C bonds.
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of new thalidomide–donepezil hybrids as neuroprotective agents targeting cholinesterases and neuroinflammation
Authors: Cristancho Ortiz Cindy Juliet , de Freitas Silva Matheus , Pruccoli Letizia , Fonseca Nadur Nathália , de Azevedo Luciana Luíza , Kümmerle Arthur Eugen , Guedes Isabella Alvim , Dardenne Laurent Emmanuel , Leomil Coelho Luiz Felipe , Guimarães Marcos J. , da Silva Fernanda M. R. , Castro Newton , Gontijo Vanessa Silva , Rojas Viviana C. T. , de Oliveira Merelym Ketterym , Vilela Fabiana Cardoso , Giusti-Paiva Alexandre , Barbosa Gisele , Lima Lídia Moreira , Pinheiro Gabriela Beserra , Veras Letícia Germino , Mortari Márcia Renata , Tarozzi Andrea , Viegas Claudio
Published: March 2022

A new series of eight multifunctional thalidomide–donepezil hybrids were synthesized based on the multi-target-directed ligand strategy and evaluated as potential neuroprotective, cholinesterase inhibitors and anti-neuroinflammatory agents against neurodegenerative diseases.
A novel strategy for programmable DNA tile self-assembly with a DNAzyme-mediated DNA cross circuit
Authors: Gao Siqi , Wu Ranfeng , Zhang Qiang
Published: March 2022

The proposed strategy promotes the controllability and modularization of trigger elements, realizes programmable molecular self-assembly, and has broad applications for the construction of DNA nanodevices.
Chiral dihydroxytetraphenylene-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of boronic acids to β-enaminones
Authors: Yao En-Ze , Chai Guo-Li , Zhang Ping , Zhu Bo , Chang Junbiao
Published: March 2022

An efficient (S)-2,15-Cl2-DHTP-catalyzed enantioselective conjugate addition of organic boronic acids to β-enaminones has been developed.
Efficient CO2 conversion to CO using chemical looping over Co–In oxide
Authors: Makiura Jun-Ichiro , Kakihara Sota , Higo Takuma , Ito Naoki , Hirano Yuichiro , Sekine Yasushi
Published: March 2022

Co-modified In oxide (Co/In2O3) can be an effective material for CO2 conversion to CO by reverse water-gas shift via chemical-looping (RWGS-CL) at low temperatures.
Os(ii) complexes for catalytic anticancer therapy: recent update
Authors: Kushwaha Rajesh , Kumar Ashish , Saha Souvik , Bajpai Sumit , Yadav Ashish Kumar , Banerjee Samya
Published: March 2022

Hope for the future: Os(ii)-based catalysts for catalyzing various in-cell transformations to create intracellular redox and metabolic disorder as a next generation anticancer mechanism.
Rh(iii)-Catalyzed spiroannulation of ketimines with cyclopropenonesviasequential C–H/C–C bond activation
Authors: Hu Hong , Li Bin-Shi , Xu Jing-Lei , Sun Wei , Wang Yong , Sun Meng
Published: March 2022

An unprecedented Rh(iii)-catalyzed [3+3]-spiroannulation of ketimines with cyclopropenones to access spiro[4,5]dienones has been developed.
Synthesis and disassembly of an organometallic polymer comprising redox-active Co4S4 clusters and Janus biscarbene linkers
Authors: Gillen Jonathan H. , Moore Connor A. , Vuong My , Shajahan Juvairia , Anstey Mitchell R. , Alston Jeffrey R. , Bejger Christopher M.
Published: March 2022

Discrete Co4S4 clusters can be reversibly crosslinked into redox-active frameworks using Janus bis-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands.
Importance of raw material features for the prediction of flux growth of Al2O3 crystals using machine learning
Authors: Yamada Tetsuya , Watanabe Takanori , Hatsusaka Kazuaki , Yuan Jianjun , Koyama Michihisa , Teshima Katsuya
Published: March 2022

We evaluated the role of raw-material features for machine-learning prediction of the flux crystal growth of Al2O3 in MoO3 based on 185 types of growth trials.
A thermodynamic criterion for the choice of flux and its validity in NaBO2-fluxed β-BaB2O4 crystal growth
Authors: Luo Wen , Wan Songming , Jiang Shengjie , Li Bin
Published: March 2022

This work provides a promising theoretical methodology to solve the most fundamental problem in flux crystal growth.
3D nanoporous NiCoP as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolyte
Authors: Zhou Qi , Wang Denghui
Published: March 2022

3D nanoporous NiCoP properly inherits the dealloyed double-continuous nanoporous structure, enables fast charge transfer, and fully reflects its inherent activity.
Polymerization with the Cu(i)-catalyzed Doyle–Kirmse reaction of bis(allyl sulfides) and bis(α-diazoesters)
Authors: Fu Zihao , Zhou Qi , Xiao Yiyang , Wang Jianbo
Published: March 2022

The Doyle–Kirmse reaction of α-diazoester and allyl sulfide has been developed into a polymerization process for the first time, affording a series of unique sulfur-containing polymers with molecular weights up to 23.7 kDa in good yields.
Thermally activated delayed fluorescence of carbazole-benzophenone dendrimers with bulky substituents
Authors: Albrecht Ken , Hisamura Eri , Furukori Minori , Nakayama Yasuo , Hosokai Takuya , Nakao Kohei , Ikebe Hiroki , Nakayama Akira
Published: March 2022

Carbazole-benzophenone dendrimers with bulky terminal substituents were synthesized, and the influence of the terminal structure was revealed, i.e., the terminal structure could suppress concentration quenching and tune the TADF properties.
Plate-like MFI crystal growth achieved by guanidine compounds
Authors: Shang Zhengyun , Chen Yong , Zhang Lejian , Zhu Xiaoxiao , Wang Xinping , Shi Chuan
Published: March 2022

The modifier not only changed the crystals’ morphology, but also enabled more Al or Ti to be incorporated into the MFI framework.
Selective separation of uranyl ions from some lanthanide elements using a promising β-enaminoester ligand by cloud point extraction
Authors: Abdallah A. B. , Youins Adel M. , El-Kholany Mohamed R.
Published: March 2022

For uranyl extraction, a distinctive chelating ligand, namely ethyl 2-amino-6-hydroxy-5-(4-methoxyphenyldiazenyl)-4-phenyl-4H-benzo[f]chromene-3-carboxylate, has been synthesized and characterized using FT-IR, NMR, and ESI-MS.
Development of new 2-piperidinium-4-styrylcoumarin derivatives with large Stokes shifts as potential fluorescent labels for biomolecules
Authors: Eustáquio Raquel , Prates Ramalho João P. , Caldeira Ana T. , Pereira António
Published: March 2022

New 2-piperidinium-4-styrylcoumarin derivatives, with large Stokes shifts and high fluorescence quantum yields, as potential fluorescent labels for biomolecules.
Auto-QChem: an automated workflow for the generation and storage of DFT calculations for organic molecules
Authors: Żurański Andrzej M. , Wang Jason Y. , Shields Benjamin J. , Doyle Abigail G.
Published: March 2022

This perspective describes Auto-QChem, an automatic, high-throughput and end-to-end DFT calculation workflow that computes chemical descriptors for organic molecules.
Protecting group free glycosylation: one-pot stereocontrolled access to 1,2-trans glycosides and (1→6)-linked disaccharides of 2-acetamido sugars
Authors: Qiu Xin , Garden Anna L. , Fairbanks Antony J.
Published: March 2022

Un-protected 2-acetamido sugars are stereoselectively converted into 1,2-trans glycosides and (1→6)-linked disaccharides without any protecting groups. Reaction proceeds via intermediate oxazolines which react with acceptors under acid catalysis.
Overexpression of prothymosin-α in glioma is associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis
Authors: Kumar Anurag , Kumar Vikas , Arora Mohit , Kumar Manish , Ammalli Prajwal , Thakur Bhaskar , Prasad Jitender , Kumari Sarita , Sharma Mehar Chand , Kale Shashank Sharad , Chauhan Shyam S.
Published: March 2022

Prothymosin-α (PTMA), a nuclear protein, is strikingly associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in many cancers. However, no information about its clinical relevance in glioma was available. Therefore in the present study, we evaluated the prognostic utility of this protein in a cohort of 81 glioma patients. The PTMA expression was assessed by immunohistochemical analysis, quantitative PCR, and Western blotting. Furthermore, the association of PTMA with clinicopathological features and molecular alterations were assessed in the patient cohort and validated in multiomics datasets, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; n=667) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA; n=1013). We observed an increase in PTMA expression with increasing histological grades of this malignancy. PTMA immunostaining also displayed a strong positive association with the MIB-1 index. Univariate analysis revealed a superior prognostic value of PTMA to predict overall survival (OS) as compared with the routinely used markers (p53, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 (IDH1), α-thalassemia/intellectual disability syndrome X-linked (ATRX), and Ki-67). Interestingly, in Cox regression analysis it emerged as an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 13.71, 95% CI = 5.96–31.52, P<0.0001). Thus, our results demonstrate the potential prognostic utility of PTMA in glioma which may prove useful in the management of this deadly malignancy.
Chronische oder schwere Darmerkrankung und Immundefekt: Manchmal ist es doch ein Kolibri
Authors: Weber Katrin , Zeißig Yvonne , Haag Cornelie , Schmelz Renate , Pazmandi Julia , Kalinichenko Artem , Boztug Kaan , Zeißig Sebastian , Aust Daniela , Laass Martin W. , Schuetz Catharina
Published: March 2022

Bei der Abklärung chronischer Darmerkrankungen sollte in bestimmten Fällen auch an einen primären (=angeborenen) Immundefekt (PID) gedacht werden. PIDs sind selten, aber mindestens 10 % der Betroffenen entwickeln eine Darmentzündung. Patienten mit einer chronisch-entzündlichen Darmentzündung (CED) aufgrund eines PID haben oft extraintestinale Manifestationen und sprechen auf die konventionelle Therapie oft nicht oder nur ungenügend an. Die frühkindliche Manifestation einer CED und bestimmte intestinale und extraintestinale Manifestationen können wegweisend für einen PID sein. Für einen kleinen Teil der monogenetisch verursachten Immundefekte wurde gezeigt, dass sie gezielt medikamentös behandelt oder durch eine allogene Stammzelltransplantation sogar geheilt werden können. Dafür ist eine frühzeitige und gezielte Diagnostik notwendig. Dieser Beitrag soll exemplarisch zeigen, wann klinische – sowohl gastrointestinale als auch extraintestinale – Zeichen und Befunde eine
immunologische und gegebenenfalls genetische Diagnostik erfordern.
Kaum Fälle aus der Männermedizin?
Authors: Albrecht Daniela
Published: March 2022

Vermutlich lag es auf der Hand, dass es bei dieser Thematik schwierig werden
könnte, Autoren zu finden: Männermedizin. In der
langjährigen Geschichte der AHZ ließ sich keine Ausgabe hierzu
aufspüren. Jackpot, dachte ich, was für ein wichtiges Thema und wie
weit gefächert, da sollten sich doch mindestens 2 oder 3 Hefte
füllen lassen. Aber weit gefehlt. Natürlich können Sie
einwenden, dass die Fallauswahl auch geringer ist, da Männer seltener eine
homöopathische Behandlung in Anspruch nehmen – und dann nicht
zwingend bei urologischen Problemen. Aber haben wir nicht alle urologische
Fälle, die es wert sind, veröffentlicht zu werden? Offensichtlich
eher nicht.
Kindergastroenterologische und hepatologische Versorgung in Deutschland: Ergebnisse einer deutschlandweiten Umfrage
Authors: Zernickel Maria , Krahl Andreas , Buderus Stephan , Hach Sascha , Melchior Ralph , Saadi Slim , Dammann Soehnke , Classen Martin , Posovszky Carsten
Published: March 2022

Einleitung Kinder und Jugendliche mit chronischen Magen-, Darm-, Pankreas-, und Lebererkrankungen benötigen eine altersgerechte und qualifizierte Behandlung. Anhand einer repräsentativen Umfrage wird die strukturelle und personelle ambulante und stationäre Versorgung von Kindern mit chronischen Magen-, Darm-, Pankreas- und Lebererkrankungen in Deutschland analysiert.

Methodik 319 Kliniken für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin sowie 50 kindergastroenterologische Praxen in Deutschland wurden eingeladen, an der anonymen Online-Umfrage über EFS Survey teilzunehmen. Es wurden die Struktur der Einrichtungen, Weiterbildungsbefugnisse, Kooperationen, Behandlungs- bzw. Betreuungsdaten und eine Einschätzung des Versorgungsbedarfs systematisch erfasst und deskriptiv ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse An der Umfrage haben 81 Kliniken und 10 Praxen teilgenommen. Fast zwei Drittel der Kliniken (n=52) erbringen ambulante kindergastroenterologische Leistungen. Meist bis zu 10 (25,4%) oder 20 Stunden/Woche (33,8%). Ein Viertel der Kliniken bietet keine Sprechstunden an. Der ambulante Versorgungsbedarf kann von zwei Dritteln der Institutionen nicht gedeckt werden. Die Hälfte aller Kliniken gab an, dass der stationäre kindergastroenterologische Versorgungsbedarf gedeckt werden kann. Ein Drittel kann diesen jedoch nicht abdecken und nur selten gibt es ungenutzte Kapazitäten. 35 Kliniken (43,2%) verfügen über eine Weiterbildungsbefugnis gemäß Landesärztekammer (n=33) und/oder sind Weiterbildungszentrum der Gesellschaft für pädiatrische Gastroenterologie und Ernährung (GPGE) (n=18).

Schlussfolgerung Es besteht sowohl ein ambulantes als auch stationäres Versorgungsdefizit in der Kinder- und Jugendgastroenterologie. Dieses resultiert unter anderem aus den ökonomischen Rahmenbedingungen und Personalmangel. Gut ausgebildete Fachärzt*innen mit Spezialisierung in Kinder- und Jugendgastroenterologie werden für eine flächendeckende qualifizierte Versorgung weiterhin benötigt. Zukünftige Studien sollten auch den kindergastroenterologischen Versorgungsbedarf aus Sicht anderer Gruppen einbeziehen, wie betroffener Patienten*innen, internistischer Gastroenterolog*innen und niedergelassener Kinder- und Jugendärzt*innen.
Circulating Thrombomodulin: Release Mechanisms, Measurements, and Levels in Diseases and Medical Procedures
Authors: Boron Mallorie , Hauzer-Martin Tiffany , Keil Joseph , Sun Xue-Long
Published: March 2022

Thrombomodulin (TM) is a type-I transmembrane protein that is mainly expressed on endothelial cells and plays important roles in many biological processes. Circulating TM of different forms are also present in biofluids, such as blood and urine. Soluble TM (sTM), comprised of several domains of TM, is the major circulating TM which is generated by either enzymatic or chemical cleavage of the intact protein under different conditions. Under normal conditions, sTM is present in low concentrations (<10 ng/mL) in the blood but is elevated in several pathological conditions associated with endothelial dysfunction such as cardiovascular, inflammatory, infection, and metabolic diseases. Therefore, sTM level has been examined for monitoring disease development, such as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recently. In addition, microvesicles (MVs) that contain membrane TM (MV-TM) have been found to be released from activated cells which also contribute to levels of circulating TM in certain diseases. Several release mechanisms of sTM and MV-TM have been reported, including enzymatic, chemical, and TM mutation mechanisms. Measurements of sTM and MV-TM have been developed and explored as biomarkers in many diseases. In this review, we summarize all these advances in three categories as follows: (1) release mechanisms of circulating TM, (2) methods for measuring circulating TM in biological samples, and (3) correlation of circulating TM with diseases. Altogether, it provides a whole picture of recent advances on circulating TM in health and disease.
Impact of turbulence and secondary flow on the water surface in partially filled pipes
Authors: Liu Yan , Stoesser Thorsten , Fang Hongwei
Published: March 2022

Large eddy simulations (LESs) of turbulent flow in partially filled pipes at various filling degrees are conducted to investigate the response of the water surface to the turbulence and the secondary flow below it. LESs are validated first using experimental and direct numerical simulation data. At increasing water depth, the magnitude of water surface fluctuations increases with increasing strength of the main secondary flow. Visualizations of the instantaneous water surface and the turbulent flow underneath reveal that thin surface waves are generated by flow meandering in the shallower case, whereas surface waves in the deeper cases are influenced by the vertical velocity fluctuation. Pre-multiplied spectra of the water surface fluctuation, h′, provide further evidence of the origin of the surface waves. In the shallow flow, the peak frequency of the h′ spectra is consistent with the peak frequency of the u′ and v′ spectra, while for deeper flows, it agrees more with the w′ spectra. Furthermore, the transport patterns of the surface waves are investigated by the wavenumber-frequency spectra. Three types of surface waves are observed in the wavenumber-frequency spectra, i.e., (1) convective waves with phase velocity equaling the surface velocity, (2) irrotational dispersive gravity-capillary waves, and (3) stationary waves caused by secondary currents.
Disordered ensembles of strongly coupled single-molecule plasmonic picocavities as nonlinear optical metamaterials
Authors: Herrera Felipe , Litinskaya Marina
Published: March 2022

We propose to use molecular picocavity ensembles as macroscopic coherent nonlinear optical devices enabled by nanoscale strong coupling. For a generic picocavity model that includes molecular and photonic disorder, we derive theoretical performance bounds for coherent cross-phase modulation signals using weak classical fields of different frequencies. We show that strong coupling of the picocavity vacua with a specific vibronic sideband in the molecular emission spectrum results in a significant variation of the effective refractive index of the metamaterial relative to a molecule-free scenario due to a vacuum-induced Autler–Townes effect. For a realistic molecular disorder model, we demonstrate that cross-phase modulation of optical fields as weak as 10 kW/cm2 is feasible using dilute ensembles of molecular picocavities at room temperature, provided that the confined vacuum is not resonantly driven by the external probe field. Our work paves the way for the development of plasmonic metamaterials that exploit strong coupling for optical state preparation and quantum control.
Near-field radiation analysis and thermal contact radius determination in the thermal conductivity measurement based on SThM open-loop system
Authors: Liu Zihan , Feng Yanhui , Qiu Lin
Published: March 2022

With the rapid development of materials science, plenty of materials with micro-nano structures are emerging in various fields due to their outstanding physical properties. In order to fulfill the needs of micro-nano-scale thermal measurement, a series of thermophysical characterization methods have been evolving. In this article, a measurement method based on the Scanning Thermal Microscopy open-loop system is proposed to realize nano-scale thermal conductivity characterization. Both forward and backward thermal contact radius are measured. The heat transfer tunnel raised by the near-field radiation is calculated to be 1.73 × 10−14 W/K as the upper limit, which can be neglected compared to the total value. The total thermal conductance between tip and sample was calibrated as 1.8 × 10−6 W/K by several standard bulk samples, and thermal conductivity varies from 0.28 to 237 Wm−1 K−1.
Modulation of ionic current rectification direction for biomimetic aluminum oxide membrane by surface modification
Authors: Jung Jaehoon , Kim Jongyoung , Lee Joonho , Oh Yeon-Wha , Jung Sanghee , Kang Il-Suk , Choi Kiwoon
Published: March 2022

A biomimetic aluminum oxide membrane having asymmetric channels with a minimum diameter of 20 nm, a maximum diameter of 80 nm, and a length of 5 µm was prepared using square pulse anodization. The membrane effectively permitted transfer of anions only and showed an ionic current rectification characteristic with a rectification ratio of 2.4. After the sulfonic acid group was introduced by surface modification, the membrane effectively permitted transfer of cations only and showed a rectification ratio of 2.7. This modulation of the ionic current rectification direction was consistent with the theoretical prediction through the numerical analysis of 2D models. These findings present a convenient method to control ion transport for the ion exchange membrane.
How to produce confidence intervals instead of confidence tricks: Representative sampling for molecular simulations of fluid self-diffusion under nanoscale confinement
Authors: Li Yuanhao , Wang Gerald J.
Published: March 2022

Ergodicity (or at least the tantalizing promise of it) is a core animating principle of molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations: Put simply, sample for long enough (in time), and you will make representative visits to states of a system all throughout phase space, consistent with the desired statistical ensemble. However, one is not guaranteed a priori that the chosen window of sampling in a production run is sufficiently long to avoid problematically non-ergodic observations; one is also not guaranteed that successive measurements of an observable are statistically independent of each other. In this paper, we investigate several particularly striking and troublesome examples of statistical correlations in MD simulations of nanoconfined fluids, which have profound implications on the quantification of uncertainty for transport phenomena in these systems. In particular, we show that these correlations can lead to confidence intervals on the fluid self-diffusion coefficient that are dramatically overconfident and estimates of this transport quantity that are simply inaccurate. We propose a simple approach—based on the thermally accelerated decorrelation of fluid positions and momenta—that ameliorates these issues and improves our confidence in MD measurements of nanoconfined fluid transport properties. We demonstrate that the formation of faithful confidence intervals for measurements of self-diffusion under nanoscale confinement typically requires at least 20 statistically independent samples, and potentially more depending on the sampling technique used.
Self-similar solutions for resistive diffusion, Ohmic heating, and Ettingshausen effects in plasmas of arbitrary β
Authors: Farrow G. , Chittenden J. P. , Kagan G.
Published: March 2022

Magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) approaches, such as the MagLIF experiment, use magnetic fields in dense plasma to suppress cross-field thermal conduction, attempting to reduce heat loss and trap alpha particles to achieve ignition. However, the magnetic field can introduce other transport effects, some of which are deleterious. An understanding of these processes is thus crucial for accurate modeling of MIF. We generalize past work exploiting self-similar solutions to describe transport processes in planar geometry and compare the model to the radiation-magnetohydrodynamics (MHDs) code Chimera. We solve the 1D extended MHD equations under pressure balance, making no assumptions about the ratio of magnetic and thermal pressures in the plasma. The resulting ordinary differential equation (ODE) boundary value problem is solved using a shooting method, combining an implicit ODE solver and a Newton–Raphson root finder. We show that the Nernst effect dominates over resistive diffusion in high β plasma, but its significance is reduced as the β decreases. On the other hand, we find that Ettingshausen and Ohmic heating effects are dominant in low β plasma and can be observable in even order unity β plasma, though in the presence of a strong temperature gradient heat conduction remains dominant. We then present a test problem for the Ohmic heating and Ettingshausen effects which will be useful to validate codes modeling these effects. We also observe that the Ettingshausen effect plays a role in preventing temperature separation when Ohmic heating is strong. Neglecting this term may lead to overestimates for the electron temperature at a vacuum–plasma interface, such as at the edge of a z-pinch. The model developed can be used to provide test problems with arbitrary boundary conditions for magnetohydrodynamics codes with the ability to freely switch on terms to compare their individual implementations.
Mesoporous Mn-based multi-component metal oxide for fast chemical warfare agent degradation
Authors: Wu Yao , Kong Lingce , Zhang Xiuling , Guo Yueting , Sun Yaxin , Zhao Chonglin , Chen Wenming , Zuo Yanjun , Li Congju
Published: March 2022

Protection against harmful chemical compounds is a major social concern, especially chemical warfare agents (CWAs) that are easy to synthesize and can cause mass casualties. The metal oxides with large surface area, porous structures, and a large number of active sites have shown outstanding performance for the adsorption and decontamination of CWAs. However, single-component metal oxides show a lower degradation rate for chemical warfare agents. Here, we demonstrate a convenient homogeneous hydrolysis method for the synthesis of mesoporous manganese-based multi-component metal oxides. Our strategy enables Ce or/and Zr to be doped into the δ-MnO2 structure during the forming process, remarkably enlarging the surface area and providing rich active sites for CWA catalysis. The as-synthesized multi-component metal oxides exhibit excellent performance for the CWA degradation. It is surprising to find that the best degree of removal of mustard gas (HD), soman (GD), and the VX nerve agent (VX) is 90.60%, 87.32%, and 100%, respectively, reaction with multi-component samples in 4 h, 2.92-fold increase to HD, 8.28-fold increase to GD, and 1.67-fold increase to VX contrast with undoped δ-MnO2. This work may provide an avenue for developing new generation chemical warfare agent decontamination materials and other catalysts.
Crystallization and phase transitions of C6H6:C6F6 complex under extreme conditions using laser-driven shock
Authors: Mohan Ashutosh , Chaurasia S. , Pasley John
Published: March 2022

The C6H6:C6F6 cocrystal is one of the simplest organic cocrystals with a molecule having a C–F bond and without any hydrogen bonding. It has a crystal structure very different from its constituents, C6H6 and C6F6, and its higher melting point indicates its increased stability relative to these two materials. So far, no studies are available on the phase transitions of this interesting adduct under dynamic compression. In this study, we present the findings of phase transitions of an equimolar mixture of C6H6:C6F6 observed under rapid shock compression at pressures of up to 4.15 GPa using time-resolved Raman spectroscopy. The compression is driven by a 2 J Nd:YAG laser with an 8 ns pulse length. Four prominent modes at 370 cm−1 (ν10F mode), 443 cm−1 (ν6F mode), 560 cm−1 (ν1F mode), and 991 cm−1 (ν1H mode) exhibit a blue shift with scaling factors of 2.41, 2.26, 2.39, and 2.67 cm−1/GPa, respectively. The liquid → solid-I phase transition is observed at around 0.49 GPa shock pressure. The second phase transition from solid-I → solid-VI is observed between 1.32 and 2.60 GPa, and no signature of the solid-V phase is observed unlike in the case of static compression[Wang et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 120, 29510 (2016)]. Another phase transition solid-VI → solid-VII is observed between 3.9 and 4.15 GPa. The shock velocities in the sample at two laser intensities, 1.47 GW/cm2 (300 mJ) and 2.46 GW/cm2 (500 mJ), are calculated by measuring the intensity ratio of Raman modes emerging from the shocked region to that of the whole sample and are 3.13 and 4.05 km/s, respectively. To compare with the experimental results, 1D radiation hydrodynamics simulations are also performed. The experimental and simulated shock velocities are in good agreement. The mode Grüneisen parameter for the ν1H, ν1F, ν6F, ν10F, and ν10' F modes are γi = 0.011(2), 0.022(2), 0.011(1), 0.024(3), and 0.379(14), respectively.
Analytical gradients for nuclear–electronic orbital multistate density functional theory: Geometry optimizations and reaction paths
Authors: Yu Qi , Schneider Patrick E. , Hammes-Schiffer Sharon
Published: March 2022

Hydrogen tunneling plays a critical role in many biologically and chemically important processes. The nuclear–electronic orbital multistate density functional theory (NEO-MSDFT) method was developed to describe hydrogen transfer systems. In this approach, the transferring proton is treated quantum mechanically on the same level as the electrons within multicomponent DFT, and a nonorthogonal configuration interaction scheme is used to produce delocalized vibronic states from localized vibronic states. The NEO-MSDFT method has been shown to provide accurate hydrogen tunneling splittings for fixed molecular systems. Herein, the NEO-MSDFT analytical gradients for both ground and excited vibronic states are derived and implemented. The analytical gradients and semi-numerical Hessians are used to optimize and characterize equilibrium and transition state geometries and to generate minimum energy paths (MEPs), for proton transfer in the deprotonated acetylene dimer and malonaldehyde. The barriers along the resulting MEPs are lower when the transferring proton is quantized because the NEO-MSDFT method inherently includes the zero-point energy of the transferring proton. Analysis of the proton densities along the MEPs illustrates that the proton density can exhibit symmetric or asymmetric bilobal character associated with symmetric or slightly asymmetric double-well potential energy surfaces and hydrogen tunneling. Analysis of the contributions to the intrinsic reaction coordinate reveals that changes in the C–O bond lengths drive proton transfer in malonaldehyde. This work provides the foundation for future reaction path studies and direct nonadiabatic dynamics simulations of a wide range of hydrogen transfer reactions.
Silicon-Family Materials and Waveguides
Authors: Su Yikai , Zhang Yong
Published: March 2022

The optical properties of three silicon-family materials—silicon, silicon nitride, and silica—are introduced. These materials have attracted tremendous interest from academia and industry and gained widespread applications. This chapter discusses the optical properties of these materials. In parallel to the silicon-family materials, other new opto-electronic materials have emerged, such as 2D materials, thin-film lithium niobate, and alumina. Hybrid integration with these materials on the silicon platform is of great interest to achieve new functions or superior performances. Subsequently, we examine the optical waveguide properties made of silicon-family materials and hybrid materials, covering the waveguide dimension, losses, and dispersion. In detail, we discuss nano-scale silicon wire waveguides, silicon nitride waveguides, multi-layer waveguides, micro-scale GeO2-doped silica waveguides, graphene–silicon waveguides, thin-film lithium niobate on silicon, and alumina on silicon for applications ranging from the infrared to the ultra violet regimes.
Estimating dead fine fuel moisture content of forest surface, based on wireless sensor network and back-propagation neural network
Authors: Lei Wei-Dong , Yu Ying , Li Xing-Hui , Xing Jian
Published: March 2022

The dead fine fuel moisture content (FFMC) in forest affects the occurrence and spread of forest fires. Therefore, the estimation of surface dead FFMC plays an important role in forest fire behaviour, fire management and fire danger assessment. However, there are some challenges with current FFMC measurement methods. Modelling using meteorological variables may be a very potential method to achieve remote real-time FFMC estimation. A surface dead FFMC estimation method based on wireless sensor network (WSN) and back-propagation (BP) neural network was proposed. The WSN can realise the acquisition of microclimate data. The BP neural network can use these data to establish multiple FFMC estimation models for different terrain conditions and dead fuel types. The ability of these models to estimate FFMC at four different terrain sampling sites was evaluated. The results suggested that the dead FFMC can be estimated with some degree of accuracy. The correlation coefficients of the estimation results at the four sampling sites were all greater than 0.9, and the mean square errors were all less than 1. The method can be well applied to forest surface dead FFMC estimation and early fire danger assessment, which has practical significance for the rational allocation of fire fighting resources.
Rapid and label-free detection of Aflatoxin-B1 via microfluidic electrochemical biosensor based on manganese (III) oxide (Mn3O4) synthesized by co-precipitation route at room temperature
Authors: Singh Avinash Kumar , Dhiman Tarun Kumar , Lakshmi G B V S , Raj Rishi , Jha Sandeep Kumar , Solanki Pratima R
Published: March 2022

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic mycotoxin, naturally occurring in food items, and it causes several types of lethal diseases. Therefore, a rapid and convenient detection method for AFB1 is the first step toward overcoming the effect of AFB1. The current work presents the development of an efficient microfluidic electrochemical-based biosensor using tri-manganese tetroxide nanoparticles (Mn3O4 nps) for AFB1 detection. The Mn3O4 nps were synthesized at room temperature through the co-precipitation route. Its phase purity, structural and morphological studies have been characterized through x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The mask-less UV-lithography was carried out to fabricate the three-electrode chip and microfluidic channel of the microfluidic electrochemical biosensing system. The designed microfluidic immunosensor (BSA/Ab-AFB1/Mn3O4/ITO) was fabricated using the three-electrode chip, microfluidic channel in poly-dimethyl siloxane. The fabricated sensor exhibited the 3.4 μA ml ng−1 cm−2 sensitivity and had the lowest lower detection limit of 0.295 pg ml−1 with the detection range of 1 pg ml−1 to 300 ng ml−1. Additionally, the spiked study was also performed with this immunoelectrode and a recovery rate was obtained of 108.2%.