bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the architecture of starch granules revealed by iodine vapor binding and lintnerization. Part 1: Microscopic examinations
Authors: Bertoft Eric , Annor George , Vamadevan Varatharajan , Lin Amy Hui‐Mei
Published: July 2024

Structural nature of glucan chains in the amorphous part of granular starch was examined by iodine vapor treatment and lintnerization. Four iodine‐stained amylose‐containing normal starches and their waxy counterparts were examined under a microscope before, during, and after lintnerization. The presence of amylose retarded the lintnerization rate. The degree of retardation correlated with the structural type of the amylopectin component, suggesting that potato amylopectin (type 4 structure) interacts with amylose in the granules, whereas in barley granules (type 1 structure) the interaction is very weak. The inclusion complexes with iodine were not degraded by the acid treatment. Therefore, the iodine‐glucan chain complex formation could be used to study the structural nature of the flexible, amorphous parts of the starch granules. Indeed, at the end of lintnerization, when 20%–30% of the granules remained, substantial amounts of blue‐stained complexes were washed out from the granules especially from amylose‐containing barley and maize starch, but also from both normal and waxy cassava and potato starch. The complexation with iodine did not affect the rate of lintnerization. This suggested that single helical structures were present during lintnerization also in the absence of iodine and this conformation was the reason for the acid resistance.
Engineering of Rieske dioxygenase variants with improved cis‐dihydroxylation activity for benzoates
Authors: Betts Phillip C. , Blakely Spencer J. , Rutkowski Bailey N. , Bender Brandon , Klingler Cole , Froese Jordan T.
Published: July 2024

Rieske dioxygenases have a long history of being utilized as green chemical tools in the organic synthesis of high‐value compounds, due to their capacity to perform the cis‐dihydroxylation of a wide variety of aromatic substrates. The practical utility of these enzymes has been hampered however by steric and electronic constraints on their substrate scopes, resulting in limited reactivity with certain substrate classes. Herein, we report the engineering of a widely used member of the Rieske dioxygenase class of enzymes, toluene dioxygenase (TDO), to produce improved variants with greatly increased activity for the cis‐dihydroxylation of benzoates. Through rational mutagenesis and screening, TDO variants with substantially improved activity over the wild‐type enzyme were identified. Homology modeling, docking studies, molecular dynamics simulations, and substrate tunnel analysis were applied in an effort to elucidate how the identified mutations resulted in improved activity for this polar substrate class. These analyses revealed modification of the substrate tunnel as the likely cause of the improved activity observed with the best‐performing enzyme variants.
Enzyme purification and sustained enzyme activity for pharmaceutical biocatalysis by fusion with phase‐separating intrinsically disordered protein
Authors: Li Xinyi , Kuchinski Liam M. , Park Augene , Murphy Grant S. , Soto Karla Camacho , Schuster Benjamin S.
Published: July 2024

In recent decades, biocatalysis has emerged as an important alternative to chemical catalysis in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Biocatalysis is attractive because enzymatic cascades can synthesize complex molecules with incredible selectivity, yield, and in an environmentally benign manner. Enzymes for pharmaceutical biocatalysis are typically used in their unpurified state, since it is time‐consuming and cost‐prohibitive to purify enzymes using conventional chromatographic processes at scale. However, impurities present in crude enzyme preparations can consume substrate, generate unwanted byproducts, as well as make the isolation of desired products more cumbersome. Hence, a facile, nonchromatographic purification method would greatly benefit pharmaceutical biocatalysis. To address this issue, here we have captured enzymes into membraneless compartments by fusing enzymes with an intrinsically disordered protein region, the RGG domain from LAF‐1. The RGG domain can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation, forming liquid condensates triggered by changes in temperature or salt concentration. By centrifuging these liquid condensates, we have successfully purified enzyme‐RGG fusions, resulting in significantly enhanced purity compared to cell lysate. Furthermore, we performed enzymatic reactions utilizing purified fusion proteins to assay enzyme activity. Results from the enzyme assays indicate that enzyme‐RGG fusions purified by the centrifugation method retain enzymatic activity, with greatly reduced background activity compared to crude enzyme preparations. Our work focused on three different enzymes—a kinase, a phosphorylase, and an ATP‐dependent ligase. The kinase and phosphorylase are components of the biocatalytic cascade for manufacturing molnupiravir, and we demonstrated facile co‐purification of these two enzymes by co‐phase separation. To conclude, enzyme capture by RGG tagging promises to overcome difficulties in bioseparations and biocatalysis for pharmaceutical synthesis.
Recent Advances on CO2 Electrochemical Reduction over Cu‐Based Nanocrystals
Authors: Xue Fei , Lai Xiaofei , Xu Yong
Published: July 2024

The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has recently attracted increasing attention of chemists for converting CO2 to value‐added chemicals with the assistance of electrical energy. Over the past decades, substantial efforts have been devoted to CO2RR, however, this process still suffers the challenges of uphill energy barrier, high overpotential, and poor selectivity to target product due to the thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness of CO2. Among those catalysts, Cu has been widely used for CO2RR to produce hydrocarbons with relatively high efficiency in spite of the poor selectivity to products. Therefore, it is highly desired to developed highly active and selective Cu‐based catalysts for CO2RR. This mini‐review will summarize the recent advances on CO2RR over Cu‐based nanocrystals (NCs) with a special focus on the control of selectivity of product via surface modification. We hope this mini‐review will motivate chemists to develop efficient catalysts for CO2RR, and also promote fundamental research on catalyst design in heterogeneous catalysis.
Carbon Dots for Hydrogen Production. How Do They Work?
Authors: Stagi Luigi
Published: July 2024

Carbon Dots (CDs) have gained significant attention for their fascinating optical properties, potential applications, and puzzling structural challenges. In the last decade, CDs have become the focal point in many photocatalysis studies, either as independent systems or combined with other established photocatalysts. CDs play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of heterostructures for overall water splitting, hydrogen (HER), and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In these “Concepts,” we briefly explore the structure of CDs, highlighting their critical aspects, including their role within heterostructures, composition, the presence of fluorophores, and the interaction between the graphitic core and surface functional groups. We will also examine how these factors impact their photocatalytic properties, particularly in the context of future research on H₂ production.
Polyarylene‐Based Anion Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cells
Authors: Tao Ran , Shao Minhua , Kim Yoonseob
Published: July 2024

Anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) is an emerging and promising technology that can help realize a carbon‐neutral, sustainable economy. Also, compared to the proton exchange membrane counterpart, AEMFC can achieve comparable cell outputs with lower costs due to the applicability of non‐platinum group metal electrocatalysts for the reaction on the electrodes’ surfaces. However, the wide application of the AEMFCs has been impeded by the unsatisfactory stability and performance of the hydroxide‐conductive membranes in the past. Recently researchers have made breakthroughs using polyarylene (PA)‐based AEMs. This article summarizes the recent advances of a class of AEMs with aromatic backbone without ether bonds, mainly synthesized by Friedel–Crafts polycondensation. Such PA‐based AEMs showed high chemical/mechanical stabilities and ionic conductivity, and even the fuel cell with those AEMs showed impressive peak power density of up to 2.58 W cm−2. In this concept article, we classify major strategies for making PA‐based AEMs to show the recent trends, highlight synthesis, characterization, and properties, and provide a brief outlook.
DNA Hierarchical Superstructures from Micellar Units: Stiff Hydrogels and Anisotropic Nanofibers
Authors: Dore Michael D. , Laurent Quentin , Lachance‐Brais Christophe , Das Trishalina , Luo Xin , Sleiman Hanadi F.
Published: July 2024

Supramolecular materials have been assembled using a wide range of interactions, including the hydrophobic effect, DNA base‐pairing, and hydrogen bonding. Specifically, DNA amphiphiles with a hydrophobic building block self‐assemble into diverse morphologies depending on the length and composition of both blocks. Herein, we take advantage of the orthogonality of different supramolecular interactions – the hydrophobic effect, Watson‐Crick‐Franklin base pairing and RNA kissing loops – to create hierarchical self‐assemblies with controlled morphologies on both the nanometer and the micrometer scales. Assembly through base‐pairing leads to the formation of hybrid, multi‐phasic hydrogels with high stiffness and self‐healing properties. Assembly via hydrophobic core interactions gives anisotropic, discrete assemblies, where DNA fibers with one sequence are terminated with DNA spheres bearing different sequences. This work opens new avenues for the bottom‐up construction of DNA‐based materials, with promising applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and the creation of complex DNA structures from a minimum array of components.
Das Gift war vor dem Stachel da
Authors: Tetsch Larissa
Published: July 2024

Stechimmen sind eine wehrhafte Gruppe von Hautflüglern: Bienen, Wespen und viele Ameisen besitzen einen Stachel, der darauf spezialisiert ist, ein potentes Gift in die Beute oder einen Feind zu injizieren. Ein groß angelegter Genomvergleich hat nun aber gezeigt, dass auch Hautflügler, die noch keinen Stachel besitzen, ein sehr ähnliches Gift produzieren. Parasitäre Pflanzenwespen manipulieren damit den Stoffwechsel von Nadelbäumen, in deren Holz sie ihre Eier ablegen.
Papillary Muscle Infarction by Cardiac MRI in Patients With Mitral Regurgitation
Authors: Hou Jie , Sun Yu , Wang Huishan , Zhang Libo , Yang Benqiang
Published: July 2024

Background

Papillary muscle (PM) infarction (PMI) detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is associated with poor outcomes. Whether PM parameters provide more value for mitral regurgitation (MR) management currently remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the prognostic value of PMI using CMR in patients with MR.

Methods

Between March 2018 and July 2023, we retrospectively enrolled 397 patients with MR undergoing CMR. CMR was used to detect PMI qualitatively and quantitively. We also collected baseline clinical, echocardiography, and follow‐up data.

Results

Of the 397 patients with MR (52.4 ± 13.9 years), 117 (29.5%) were assigned to the PMI group, with 280 (70.5%) in the non‐PMI group. PMI was demonstrated more in the posteromedial PM (PM‐PM, 98/117) than in the anterolateral PM (AL‐PM, 45/117). Compared with patients without PMI, patients with PMI had a decreased AL‐PM (41.5 ± 5.4 vs. 45.6 ± 5.3)/PM‐PM diastolic length (35.0 ± 5.2 vs. 37.9 ± 4.0), PM‐longitudinal strain (LS, 20.4 ± 6.1 vs. 24.9 ± 4.6), AL‐PM‐LS (19.7 ± 6.8 vs. 24.7 ± 5.6)/PM‐PM‐LS (21.2 ± 7.9 vs. 25.2 ± 6.0), and increased inter‐PM distance (25.7 ± 8.0 vs. 22.7 ± 6.2, all p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analyses identified male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 3.65, 95% confidence interval = 1.881−7.081, p < 0.001) diabetes mellitus (OR/95% CI/p = 2.534/1.13–5.68/0.024), AL‐PM diastolic length (OR/95% CI/p = 0.841/0.77–0.92/< 0.001), PM‐PM diastolic length (OR/95% CI/p = 0.873/0.79–0.964/0.007), inter‐PM distance (OR/95% CI/p = 1.087/1.028–1.15/0.003), AL‐PM‐LS (OR/95% CI/p = 0.892/0.843–0.94/< 0.001), and PM‐PM‐LS (OR/95% CI/p = 0.95/0.9–0.992/0.021) as independently associated with PMI. Over a 769 ± 367‐day follow‐up, 100 (25.2%) patients had arrhythmia. Cox regression analyses indicated that PMI (hazard ratio [HR]/95% CI/p = 1.644/1.062–2.547/0.026), AL‐PM‐LS (HR/95% CI/p = 0.937/0.903–0.973/0.001), and PM‐PM‐LS (HR/95% CI/p = 0.933/0.902–0.965/< 0.001) remained independently associated with MR.

Conclusions

The CMR‐derived PMI and LS parameters improve the evaluation of PM dysfunction, indicating a high risk for arrhythmia, and provide additive risk stratification for patients with MR.
Glucagon‐Like Peptide‐1 Receptor Agonists and Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients With and Without Diabetes: A Meta‐Analysis of Randomized‐Controlled Trials
Authors: Hosseinpour Alireza , Sood Aayushi , Kamalpour Jahangir , Zandi Ehsan , Pakmehr SeyedAbbas , Hosseinpour Hamidreza , Sood Akshit , Agrawal Ankit , Gupta Rahul
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1 RAs) have shown encouraging results regarding cardiovascular outcomes mainly in patients with diabetes. In the present study, we compared the efficacy of GLP‐1 RAs in cardiovascular events between patients with and without diabetes.

Methods

After finding eligible studies assessing the impact of GLP‐1 RAs on cardiovascular events in patients with and without diabetes using a systematic search, we performed a meta‐analysis on randomized‐controlled trials (RCTs) comparing cardiovascular outcomes between patients taking GLP‐1 RAs and placebo stratified by the presence or absence of diabetes. Relative risk (RR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were set as the reporting effect size using the random‐effects model.

Results

A total of 24 RCTs (50 033 with GLP‐1 RAs and 44 514 with placebo) were included. Patients on GLP‐1 RAs had lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.82−0.93), cardiovascular death (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82−0.94), myocardial infarction (MI) (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77−0.97), stroke (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.80−0.92), and hospitalization for heart failure (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83−0.98). Both subgroups were shown to be effective in terms of MACE and mortality. Nondiabetic patients had decreased risk of hospitalization for heart failure and MI, whereas the diabetic subgroup had marginally nonsignificant efficacy.

Conclusion

The findings of this meta‐analysis indicated that patients who are overweight/obese but do not have diabetes have a comparable reduction in the risk of adverse cardiovascular events as those with diabetes. These results need to be confirmed further by large‐scale randomized trials in the future.
Description of the local hemodynamic environment in intracranial aneurysm wall subdivisions
Authors: Karnam Yogesh , Mut Fernando , Yu Alexander K. , Cheng Boyle , Amin‐Hanjani Sepideh , Charbel Fady T. , Woo Henry H. , Niemelä Mika , Tulamo Riikka , Jahromi Behnam Rezai , Frösen Juhana , Tobe Yasutaka , Robertson Anne M. , Cebral Juan R.
Published: July 2024

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) pose severe health risks influenced by hemodynamics. This study focuses on the intricate characterization of hemodynamic conditions within the IA walls and their influence on bleb development, aiming to enhance understanding of aneurysm stability and the risk of rupture. The methods emphasized utilizing a comprehensive dataset of 359 IAs and 213 IA blebs from 268 patients to reconstruct patient‐specific vascular models, analyzing blood flow using finite element methods to solve the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations, the segmentation of aneurysm wall subregions and the hemodynamic metrics wall shear stress (WSS), its metrics, and the critical points in WSS fields were computed and analyzed across different aneurysm subregions defined by saccular, streamwise, and topographical divisions. The results revealed significant variations in these metrics, correlating distinct hemodynamic environments with wall features on the aneurysm walls, such as bleb formation. Critical findings indicated that regions with low WSS and high OSI, particularly in the body and central regions of aneurysms, are prone to conditions that promote bleb formation. Conversely, areas exposed to high WSS and positive divergence, like the aneurysm neck, inflow, and outflow regions, exhibited a different but substantial risk profile for bleb development, influenced by flow impingements and convergences. These insights highlight the complexity of aneurysm behavior, suggesting that both high and low‐shear environments can contribute to aneurysm pathology through distinct mechanisms.
Physicochemical and Adsorption Properties of Nanoporous Activated Biocarbons from Thermochemical Treatment of Horsetail Herb
Authors: Wiśniewska Małgorzata , Nowicki Piotr , Urban Teresa , Gun'ko Volodymyr M.
Published: July 2024

In this study, the adsorption characteristics of novel activated biocarbons prepared from horsetail herb (a popular and troublesome weed) by physical activation (using carbon dioxide) and chemical one (using phosphoric(V) acid) in the process of simultaneous proteins immobilization in multicomponent solutions were examined. The carbon materials were characterized in terms of their porous structure, acidic‐basic properties, and surface morphology. The binding mechanisms of such proteins as bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LSZ), differing in internal stability, were determined alone and in their blends. This was done based on the comprehensive analysis of the results of adsorption/desorption, surface, electrokinetic and stability measurements. These experiments were carried out over a wide pH range of 3–11. They included the following issues: (1) determination of the protein adsorbed/desorbed amounts on/from a surface of activated biocarbons; (2) study of the kinetics of these processes; (3) examination of the macromolecules impact on the surface charge density and zeta potential of the carbon materials; and (4) determination of the suspension stability and size of aggregates formed in the examined systems. The analysis of the obtained results indicated the differences in the binding mechanism of both proteins that is of key importance for their simultaneous immobilization on activated biocarbons surface in the soil environment.
Enhancing External Control Arm Analyses through Data Calibration and Hybrid Designs
Authors: Schneeweiss Sebastian
Published: July 2024

Almost all external control arm analyses to contextualize findings of a single arm trial struggle with two key issues: the lack of baseline randomization, and equally important, the difference in data collection between the experimental arm with its primary data collection, and the external control arm using secondary data. We illustrate the data calibration design to remedy issues arising from differential measurements in the two arms, and discuss the hybrid design that expands an underpowered randomized internal control arm with real‐world data to mitigate the lack of randomization of the external control arm. We show how the two approaches fit into an evidence‐development strategy that naturally builds on the incremental insights gained.
Environmental performance and firm performance in Europe: The moderating role of board governance
Authors: Dohrmann Marcel , Martinez‐Blasco Monica , Moring Andreas , Margarit Jordi Cuadros
Published: July 2024

This research presents novel insights into the relationship between environmental performance and firm performance, focusing on the moderating role of board governance. Unlike the single‐dimensional examination in previous studies, we examine five board variables collectively in our moderator analysis. Employing ordinary least squares regression and a series of robustness tests, we investigate 582 European listed firms across various industries from 2016 to 2021. Our findings reveal a positive influence of environmental performance on firm performance, measured by Tobin's Q and ROA. Furthermore, we find that board independence, gender diversity and audit committee independence moderate this relationship. To address potential endogeneity issues, we employ GMM modelling. This study significantly contributes to the environmental performance and firm performance literature by offering evidence on the moderating role of board mechanisms. Moreover, it offers valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners, highlighting the need to monitor corporate boards for improved environmental and financial outcomes.
Highly Efficient and Reversible Carbon Dioxide Capture by Carbanion‐Functionalized Ionic Liquids
Authors: Zhang Zhaowei , Mao Weiqi , Wang Kaili , Jiang Lili , Wang Shenyao , Li Haoran , Wang Congmin
Published: July 2024

Due to the active unstable nature of carbon anions, it is challenging to develop carbanion‐functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) for efficient and reversible carbon dioxide (CO2) capture. Here, a series of carbanion‐based ILs with large conjugated structures were designed and a promising system was achieved through tuning the nucleophilicity of carbanions and screening the cation. The ideal carbanion‐functionalized IL trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium N,N‐diethycyanoacetoamide ([P66614][DECA]) showed equimolar chemisorption of CO2 ( up to 0.98 mol CO2/mol IL) under ambient pressure and excellent absorption rate. What′s more, the combined CO2 can be released easily, leading to excellent reversibility due to high stability of anion conjugated structures. More importantly, the presence of water had negligible effect on the absorption capacity, which makes it potential to be applied to the CO2 capture in industrial flue gas. The chemisorption mechanism of the carbanion and CO2 was confirmed by spectroscopic investigations and DFT calculations, where carboxylic acid product was formed through proton transfer after the carbanions reacted with CO2. Considering that high capacity, quick rate as well as excellent reversibility, these carbanion‐functionalized ILs should certainly represent competitive candidates for further scale up and practical application in CO2 capture.
Unique practices in teaching affective learning in a higher education applied curriculum
Authors: Mais‐Thompson Evora , Brown Byron , Paul Nanibala
Published: July 2024

Affective learning is important for the holistic development of students. Yet, not much is reported about how it is achieved in the higher education classroom. The purpose of this paper was to appraise the Hospitality and Tourism Management curriculum and pedagogical practices being utilized to deliver affective learning outcomes in Community Colleges in Jamaica. Adopting a qualitative tradition, involving analysis of the hospitality and tourism curriculum documents and personal interviews of 35 purposively selected academic and non‐academic participants, the study found that while affective learning practices were infused in pedagogy, the educational activities were not linked to clearly defined learning outcomes in the formal curriculum. Cognitive learning outcomes dominated the formal curriculum. Students' access to affective learning experience was facilitated through an improvised informal curriculum, that is, learning experiences that occurred outside the planned curriculum. The article theorized that design flaws in the planned curriculum contributed to the experience. This research has implications for staff professional development, practical‐based subject curriculum design and for standard setters who monitor alignment between higher education and industry requirements.
Assessing students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties through multiple diagnostic assessments
Authors: Kuo Nai‐Cheng , Wahl Heather , McKinney Wendy , Thompson McKenzie , Roberson Nicole , Mattison Thomas , Ray Megan
Published: July 2024

This article aims to assist practitioners in understanding dyslexia and other reading difficulties and assessing students' learning needs. We describe the essential components of language and literacy, universal screening, diagnostic assessments, curriculum‐based measurement and eligibility determination. We then introduce four diagnostic assessments as examples, including norm‐referenced assessments (i.e. the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing second edition and the Woodcock‐Johnson IV Tests of Achievement) and criterion‐referenced assessments (i.e. the Gallistel‐Ellis Test of Coding Skills and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Finally, We use a makeup case as a concrete example to illustrate how multiple diagnostic assessments are recorded and how the results can be used to inform intervention and eligibility for special education services.
Neural Responses to Auditory Food Stimuli Following Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Binge‐Eating Disorder
Authors: Chao Ariana M. , Agarwal Khushbu , Zhou Yingjie , Grilo Carlos M. , Gur Ruben C. , Joseph Paule , Shinohara Russell T. , Richmond Therese S. , Wadden Thomas A.
Published: July 2024

Objective

Adults with binge‐eating disorder (BED), compared with those without BED, demonstrate higher blood‐oxygen–level‐dependent (BOLD) response to food cues in reward‐related regions of the brain. It is not known whether cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can reverse this reward system hyperactivation. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessed changes in BOLD response to binge‐eating cues following CBT versus wait‐list control (WLC).

Method

Females with BED (N = 40) were randomized to CBT or WLC. Participants completed assessments at baseline and 16 weeks including measures of eating and appetite and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure BOLD response while listening to personalized scripts of binge‐eating and neutral‐relaxing cues. Data were analyzed using general linear models with mixed effects.

Results

Overall retention rate was 87.5%. CBT achieved significantly greater reductions in binge‐eating episodes than WLC (mean ± standard error decline of 14.6 ± 2.7 vs. 5.7 ± 2.8 episodes in the past 28 days, respectively; p = 0.03). CBT and WLC did not differ significantly in changes in neural responses to binge‐eating stimuli during the fMRI sessions. Compared with WLC, CBT had significantly greater improvements in reward‐based eating drive, disinhibition, and hunger as assessed by questionnaires (ps < 0.05).

Discussion

CBT was effective in reducing binge eating, but, contrary to our hypothesis, CBT did not improve BOLD response to auditory binge‐eating stimuli in reward regions of the brain. Further studies are needed to assess mechanisms underlying improvements with CBT for BED.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03604172
Insights into breast health issues in women's rugby
Authors: Wakefield‐Scurr Joanna , St John Edward , Bibby Kilian , Renwick Nichola , Smith Neal , Hobbs Samantha , Brown Nicola
Published: July 2024

World RugbyTM supports dedicated women's welfare, injury surveillance and medical/technical interventions, yet breast health has received limited attention. This article aims to provide insights into breast health issues in rugby, including breast impacts and injuries. We discuss how breast anatomy and position may be problematic in rugby. Breast volume relates to body size, which may be increasing in women's rugby, suggesting increased breast surface area and mass, potentially increasing injury risk. Breast health issues in rugby have been reported previously, with 58% of contact footballers (including rugby) experiencing breast injuries. There are damaging effects related to these breast health issues, with breast impacts often causing pain and swelling. Breast impacts may lead to haematomas, cysts and fat necrosis which can calcify over time making them difficult to distinguish from breast carcinoma, causing further investigation and anxiety. In sport, poor bra fit and insufficient support are associated with pain, skin strain and performance decrements. This article reports the potential implications of these breast health issues on performance in rugby. Recent breast‐related projects supported by rugby communities may address recommendations identified in the literature for robust breast injury classifications, updated injury surveillance systems and prospective data collection on breast injury prevalence, severity and impact in rugby. These data should inform breast injury care pathways and intervention research, including evidence‐based bra design. Understanding the implications of breast impacts on tissue properties, health and wellbeing is vital. Finally, data should inform rugby‐specific breast education, raising awareness of this aspect of athlete health.
Clinical characteristics and multimodal imaging can help diagnosing and treating mild malformation of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia and epilepsy
Authors: Dimova Petia S. , Metodiev Dimitar , Todorov Tihomir , Todorova Albena , Gabrovski Kaloyan , Karazapryanov Peter , Penkov Marin , Todorov Yuri , Milenova Yoana , Stoyanova Denitza , Minkin Krassimir
Published: July 2024

Objective

Mild malformation of cortical development with oligodendroglial hyperplasia and epilepsy (MOGHE) is a recently described, histopathologically and molecularly defined (SLC35A2‐mutated) type of cortical malformation. Although increasingly recognized, the diagnosis of MOGHE remains a challenge. We present the characteristics of the first six patients diagnosed in Bulgaria, with the aim to facilitate identification, proper presurgical evaluation, and surgical treatment approach in this disease.

Methods

Revision of histopathological specimens of 202 patients operated on for drug‐resistant focal epilepsy identified four cases with MOGHE. Another two were suggested, based on clinical characteristics and subsequently, were histologically confirmed. Sanger SLC35A2 sequencing on paraffin‐embedded or fresh‐frozen brain tissue was performed. Analysis of seizure types, neuropsychological profiles, electroencephalographic (EEG), imaging features and epilepsy surgery outcomes was done.

Results

Three out of the six cases (50%) harbored pathogenic SLC35A2 mutations. One patient had a heterozygous somatic variant with uncertain significance. Clinical characteristics included epilepsy onset in infancy (in 100% under 3 years of age), multiple seizure types, and moderate or severe intellectual/developmental delay. Epileptic spasms with hypsarrhythmia on EEG were the initial seizure type in five patients. The subsequent seizure types resembled those in Lennox–Gastaut syndrome. The majority of the patients (n = 4) presented prominent and persisting autistic features. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multilobar (n = 6) and bilateral (n = 3) lesions, affecting the frontal lobes (n = 5; bilaterally in three) and characterized by increased signal on T2/fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR). Voxel‐based morphometric MRI post‐processing and positron emission tomography helped determining the localization and extent of the lesions and presumed epileptogenic zones. After surgery, four patients (66.7%) were seizure‐free ≥2 years. Interestingly, all seizure‐free patients carried somatic SLC35A2‐alterations.

Significance

Epileptic spasms, early prominent neuropsychological disturbances, MRI‐T2/FLAIR hyperintense lesions with cortico‐subcortical blurring, frequently multilobar and especially frontal, can preoperatively help to suspect MOGHE. Epilepsy surgery is still the only successful treatment option in MOGHE.
The role of ceria in promoting Ni catalysts supported on phosphate‐modified zirconia for the partial oxidation of methane
Authors: Abahussain Abdulaziz A. M. , Al‐Fatesh Ahmed S. , Vadodariya Dharmesh M. , Abu‐Dahrieh Jehad K. , Banabdwin Khaled M. , Alarifi Naif , Ibrahim Ahmed A. , Fakeeha Anis H. , Abasaeed Ahmed E. , Kumar Rawesh
Published: July 2024

The catalytic partial oxidation of methane (POM) is aimed at the mitigation of CH4 (a highly potent greenhouse gas) from the environment and the synthesis of syngas with a high H2/CO ratio. Herein, to enhance the POM reaction, Ni‐supported phosphate‐modified‐zirconia were synthesized with promotor “Ce” to achieve high H2/CO ratio (2.4–3.2). The catalysts were characterized by surface area and porosity, X‐ray diffraction, RAMAN, temperature‐programmed experiments (TPR, CO2‐TPD, and TPO), and TEM. Increasing the ceria addition over 10Ni/PO4 + ZrO2 resulted in lower crystallinity, higher dispersion of active sites, and enhanced the surface area of catalyst. The unique and prominent reducibility and basicity of NiO‐species and surface oxide ions, respectively, are particularly notable at 4 wt.% ceria loading. At a reaction temperature of 600°C, the highest concentration of active sites and a unique concentration of moderate strength basic sites can be achieved with 4 wt.% ceria loading over 10Ni/PO4 + ZrO2. This leads to 44% conversion of CH4, 36% yield of H2, 35% yield of CO2, and H2/CO ratio of 3.16 for the POM reaction. The cyclic H2TPR‐O2TPO‐H2TPR experiment confirms the reorganization of the active site towards high temperature under oxidizing gas O2 and reducing gas H2 gas stream during the POM reaction.
DFT simulations of photovoltaic parameters of dye‐sensitized solar cells with new efficient sensitizer of indolo[3, 2‐b]carbazole complexes
Authors: Khan Muhammad Usman , Anwar Abida , Hassan Abrar Ul , Alshehri Saad M. , Sohail Amir
Published: July 2024

Developing economical and high‐performing sensitizers is crucial in advancing dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and optoelectronics. This research paper explores the potential of novel red light‐absorbing organic dyes based on Indolo[3,2‐b]carbazole (ICZ) as the donor applied in co‐sensitizer‐free DSSCs for breakthroughs in photovoltaic (PV) applications. DFT and TD‐DFT based computational methods were employed to calculate the conduction band levels, electron injection capabilities, and power conversion efficiency (PCE) of metal‐free organic dyes (ICZ1–ICZ9) having D‐A‐π‐A architecture. Comprehensive analyses included NBO, DOS, FMO, ICT, MEP, binding energy, and TDM analysis. Quantum chemical calculations of the structural, photochemical, and electrochemical properties, as well as the key parameters, reveals that all the designed dyes could be an excellent candidate for high‐efficiency DSSCs due the small energy gap (2.130–1.947 eV), longer wavelength absorption (759.47–520.63 nm), longer lifetimes (15.65–6.67 ns), a lower ΔGreg (0.29–0.14 eV), a significant dipole moment changes (31.489–16.195D), LHE (0.95‐0.46), the large qCT (0.962–0.689), small DCT (7.657, 4.897 Å), and VOC (1.13–0.86 eV). This quantum simulation showed that, when compared to reference D8, the photovoltaic dyes ICZ8, ICZ2, and ICZ7 are recognized as being eye‐catching. Furthermore, dye@(TiO2)9 cluster model results demonstrate promising prospects for enhancing the photovoltaic (PV) performance of ICZ1–ICZ9 dyes by electron injection and conduction band (CB) engineering. This study will help the experimentalists for developing ICZ‐based PVs as more efficient and sustainable energy solutions.
Eco‐geographic and sexual variation of the ribcage in Homo sapiens
Authors: López‐Rey José M. , D'Angelo del Campo Manuel D. , Seldes Verónica , García‐Martínez Daniel , Bastir Markus
Published: July 2024

Up to now, Allen and Bergmann's rules have been studied in modern humans by analyzing differences in limb length, height, or body mass. However, there are no publications studying the effects of latitude in the 3D configuration of the ribcage. To assess this issue, we digitally reconstructed the ribcages of a balanced sample of 109 adult individuals of global distribution. Shape and size of the ribcage was quantified using geometric morphometrics. Our results show that the ribcage belonging to tropical individuals is smaller and slenderer compared to others living in higher latitudes, which is in line with Allen and Bergmann's rules and suggests an allometric relationship between size and shape. Although sexual dimorphism was observed in the whole sample, significant differences were only found in tropical populations. Our proposal is that, apart from potential sexual selection, avoiding heat loss might be the limiting factor for sexual dimorphism in cold‐adapted populations.
Implementation of an Arts at Home program for people living with dementia: Learnings from key stakeholders
Authors: O'Connor Claire M. C. , Poulos Roslyn G. , Heldon Michelle , Preti Costanza , Beattie Elizabeth , Poulos Christopher J.
Published: July 2024

Issue Addressed

This study explores experiences of people with dementia and family carers who participated in an Arts on Prescription at Home (AoP@Home) program, artists who delivered the AoP@Home program and the managers who coordinated the AoP@Home programs.

Methods

Semi structured interviews were conducted with the three stakeholder groups to explore experiences around implementation of AoP@Home. Interview questions were specific to each stakeholder group, and designed to capture the varied experiences around coordinating, delivering and participating in AoP@Home programs when delivered as a standard service offering. Qualitative content analysis was applied to evaluate the transcripts.

Results

A total of 13 stakeholders participated in interviews: four people living with dementia and four family carers, three artists and two AoP program managers. Three overarching themes emerged across the stakeholder groups: ‘what worked well’, ‘challenges’ and ‘moving forward’.

Conclusions

AoP@Home has potential as an important offering for community‐dwelling people with dementia who may no longer be able to access group‐based community programs. As AoP@Home is expanded, ongoing implementation monitoring and quality improvement will be essential to ensure maximal applicability of the program across the community aged care sector.

So What?

The implementation of a new AoP@home service has been examined, and finds consumer satisfaction (person with dementia and their carer), and support from staff (artists and program managers). The novel nature of the service, however, requires considerable work to educate service referrers about the service and its benefits.
X‐ray‐ultraviolet–visible‐near‐infrared photoresponses realized in a lead‐free hybrid perovskite ferroelectric through light‐induced ferro‐pyro‐phototronic effect
Authors: Fu Dongying , Ma Yanli , Wu Shufang , Pan Lin , Wang Qi , Zhao Ruifang , Zhang Xian‐Ming , Luo Junhua
Published: July 2024

Due to the built‐in electric field induced by spontaneous polarization in hybrid perovskite (HP) ferroelectrics, the devices based on them exhibit excellent performance in self‐powered photodetection. However, most of the self‐powered photodetector are made of lead‐based HP ferroelectrics and have a relatively narrow photoresponse waveband. Although lead‐free HPs solve the problem of lead toxicity, their optoelectronic performance is inferior to that of lead‐based HPs and photoresponse waveband is limited by its optical band gap, which hinders their further application. To solve this problem, herein, a lead‐free HP ferroelectric (HDA)BiI5 (HDA is hexane‐1,6‐diammonium) with large spontaneous polarization shows an enhanced photocurrent and achieves x‐ray‐ultraviolet–visible‐near‐infrared (x‐ray‐UV–Vis–NIR) photoresponse through the ferro‐pyro‐phototronic (FPP) effect. The ferroelectric, pyroelectric, and photovoltaic characteristics coupled together in a single‐phase (HDA)BiI5 ferroelectric is an effective way to improve the performance of the devices. What is particularly attractive is that the FPP effect not only improves the optoelectronic performance of (HDA)BiI5, but also achieves broadband photoresponses beyond its optical absorption range. Especially, the current boosting with an exceptional contrast of ~1100% and 2400% under 520 and 637 nm, respectively, which is associated with FPP effect. Meanwhile, single crystal self‐powered photodetector based on (HDA)BiI5 also exhibit significant FPP effects even under high‐energy x‐ray, which owns an outstanding sensitivity of 170.7 μC Gy−1 cm−2 and a lower detection limit of 266 nGy s−1 at 0 V bias. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the coupling of multiple physical effects and improve device performance based on lead‐free HP ferroelectrics.

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Convolutional neural networks can detect orthostatic hypotension in Parkinson's disease using resting‐state functional near‐infrared spectroscopy data
Authors: Lee Seung Hyun , Paik Seung‐Ho , Kang Shin‐Young , Phillips Zephaniah , Kim Jung Bin , Kim Byung‐Jo , Kim Beop‐Min
Published: July 2024

Neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) often adversely affect the vascular system, leading to alterations in blood flow patterns. Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is used to monitor hemodynamic changes via signal measurement. This study investigated the potential of using resting‐state fNIRS data through a convolutional neural network (CNN) to evaluate PD with orthostatic hypotension. The CNN demonstrated significant efficacy in analyzing fNIRS data, and it outperformed the other machine learning methods. The results indicate that judicious input data selection can enhance accuracy by over 85%, while including the correlation matrix as an input further improves the accuracy to more than 90%. This study underscores the promising role of CNN‐based fNIRS data analysis in the diagnosis and management of the PD. This approach enhances diagnostic accuracy, particularly in resting‐state conditions, and can reduce the discomfort and risks associated with current diagnostic methods, such as the head‐up tilt test.
Reactivation by novel pyridinium oximes of rat serum and skeletal muscle acetylcholinesterase inhibited by organophosphates
Authors: Bennett Joshua P. , Meek Edward C. , Chambers Janice E.
Published: July 2024

The treatment of organophosphate (OP) anticholinesterases currently lacks an effective oxime reactivator of OP‐inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which can penetrate the blood‐brain barrier (BBB). Our laboratories have synthesized novel substituted phenoxyalkyl pyridinium oximes and tested them for their ability to promote survival of rats challenged with lethal doses of nerve agent surrogates. These previous studies demonstrated the ability of some of these oximes to promote 24‐h survival to rats challenged with a lethal level of highly relevant surrogates for sarin and VX. The reactivation of OP‐inhibited AChE in peripheral tissues was likely to be a major contributor to their efficacy in survival of lethal OP challenges. In the present study, twenty of these novel oximes were screened in vitro for reactivation ability for AChE in rat skeletal muscle and serum using two nerve agent surrogates: phthalimidyl isopropyl methylphosphonate (PIMP, a sarin surrogate) and 4‐nitrophenyl ethyl methylphosphonate (NEMP, a VX surrogate). The oximes demonstrated a range of 23%–102% reactivation of AChE in vitro across both tissue types. Some of the novel oximes tested in the present study demonstrated the ability to more effectively reactivate AChE in serum than the currently approved oxime, 2‐PAM. Therefore, some of these novel oximes have the potential to reverse AChE inhibition in peripheral target tissues and contribute to survival efficacy.
Pharmacokinetics of Human Plasma‐Derived Antithrombin in Pediatric Patients Supported on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Authors: Jung Dawoon , Procaccini David , Roem Jennifer , Patel Ankur , Ng Derek K. , Bembea Melania M. , Gobburu Jogarao V. S.
Published: July 2024

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support of critically ill pediatric patients is associated with increased risk of thromboembolic events, and unfractionated heparin is used commonly for anticoagulation. Given reports of acquired antithrombin (AT) deficiency in this patient population and associated concern for heparin resistance, AT activity measurement and off‐label AT replacement have become common in pediatric ECMO centers despite limited optimal dosing regimens. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pediatric ECMO patients (0 to <18 years) at a single academic center to characterize the pharmacokinetics (PK) of human plasma‐derived AT. We demonstrated that a two‐compartment turnover model appropriately described the PK of AT, and the parameter estimates for clearance, central volume, intercompartmental clearance, peripheral volume, and basal AT input under non‐ECMO conditions were 0.338 dL/h/70 kg, 38.5 dL/70 kg, 1.16 dL/h/70 kg, 40.0 dL/70 kg, and 30.4 units/h/70 kg, respectively. Also, ECMO could reduce bioavailable AT by 50% resulting in 2‐fold increase of clearance and volume of distribution. To prevent AT activity from falling below predetermined thresholds of 50% activity in neonates and 80% activity in older infants and children, we proposed potential replacement regimens for each age group, accompanied by therapeutic drug monitoring.
Validity and reproducibility of the ARL‐RSI score to assess psychological readiness before returning to sport after lateral ankle sprain
Authors: Picot Brice , Grimaud Olivier , Rauline Gauthier , Haidar Ibrahim , Moussa Mohamad K. , Hardy Alexandre
Published: July 2024

Purpose

Although multiple scales exist to evaluate psychological readiness before returning to sport post‐lateral ankle sprain (LAS), no score has been validated specifically for LAS or chronic ankle instability. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of the ankle ligament reconstruction‐return to sport injury (ALR‐RSI) scale in assessing psychological readiness after LAS and its ability to identify patients who can return to their preinjury level.

Methods

A total of 64 patients (35 females and 29 males; 33.8 ± 13.2 years) who recently experienced an acute LAS were included in this study. All patients participated in a predictive validation component of the study and were assessed at 2 and 4 months following an LAS. The ALR‐RSI was completed twice by 20 patients at a 7‐day interval to evaluate the reliability of the score in patients suffering from LAS.

Results

The ALR‐RSI was significantly (p < 0.001) and positively correlated with the other scores. The correlation was strong with the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Sports: r = 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78–0.83) and moderate with the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (r = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.60–0.78) and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Activities of Daily Living Scores (r = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.51–0.72). Two‐month ALR‐RSI scores had good ability for predicting nonreturners at 4 months (area under the curve = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.6–0.9; p = 0.005). A Youden index of 0.51 was observed at an ALR‐RSI score of 46%, corresponding to a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 83%. Test–retest reliability of the ALR‐RSI was excellent, with an ICC of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96–0.99), a standard error of measurement of 3.02% and a minimum detectable change of 8.37%.

Conclusions

The results of the current study validated the ALR‐RSI as an important questionnaire to assess psychological readiness to return to sport after LAS.

Level of Evidence

Level II prospective cohort study.