bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fitness effects of CRISPR endonucleases in Drosophila melanogaster populations
Authors: Langmüller Anna M , Champer Jackson , Lapinska Sandra , Xie Lin , Metzloff Matthew , Champer Samuel E , Liu Jingxian , Xu Yineng , Du Jie , Clark Andrew G , Messer Philipp W
Published: September 2022

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 provides a highly efficient and flexible genome editing technology with numerous potential applications ranging from gene therapy to population control. Some proposed applications involve the integration of CRISPR/Cas9 endonucleases into an organism’s genome, which raises questions about potentially harmful effects to the transgenic individuals. One example for which this is particularly relevant are CRISPR-based gene drives conceived for the genetic alteration of entire populations. The performance of such drives can strongly depend on fitness costs experienced by drive carriers, yet relatively little is known about the magnitude and causes of these costs. Here, we assess the fitness effects of genomic CRISPR/Cas9 expression in Drosophila melanogaster cage populations by tracking allele frequencies of four different transgenic constructs that allow us to disentangle ‘direct’ fitness costs due to the integration, expression, and target-site activity of Cas9, from fitness costs due to potential off-target cleavage. Using a maximum likelihood framework, we find that a model with no direct fitness costs but moderate costs due to off-target effects fits our cage data best. Consistent with this, we do not observe fitness costs for a construct with Cas9HF1, a high-fidelity version of Cas9. We further demonstrate that using Cas9HF1 instead of standard Cas9 in a homing drive achieves similar drive conversion efficiency. These results suggest that gene drives should be designed with high-fidelity endonucleases and may have implications for other applications that involve genomic integration of CRISPR endonucleases.
Variable paralog expression underlies phenotype variation
Authors: Bailon-Zambrano Raisa , Sucharov Juliana , Mumme-Monheit Abigail , Murry Matthew , Stenzel Amanda , Pulvino Anthony T , Mitchell Jennyfer M , Colborn Kathryn L , Nichols James T
Published: September 2022

Human faces are variable; we look different from one another. Craniofacial disorders further increase facial variation. To understand craniofacial variation and how it can be buffered, we analyzed the zebrafish mef2ca mutant. When this transcription factor encoding gene is mutated, zebrafish develop dramatically variable craniofacial phenotypes. Years of selective breeding for low and high penetrance of mutant phenotypes produced strains that are either resilient or sensitive to the mef2ca mutation. Here, we compared gene expression between these strains, which revealed that selective breeding enriched for high and low mef2ca paralog expression in the low- and high-penetrance strains, respectively. We found that mef2ca paralog expression is variable in unselected wild-type zebrafish, motivating the hypothesis that heritable variation in paralog expression underlies mutant phenotype severity and variation. In support, mutagenizing the mef2ca paralogs, mef2aa, mef2b, mef2cb, and mef2d demonstrated modular buffering by paralogs. Specifically, some paralogs buffer severity while others buffer variability. We present a novel, mechanistic model for phenotypic variation where variable, vestigial paralog expression buffers development. These studies are a major step forward in understanding the mechanisms of facial variation, including how some genetically resilient individuals can overcome a deleterious mutation.
Mountain gorillas maintain strong affiliative biases for maternal siblings despite high male reproductive skew and extensive exposure to paternal kin
Authors: Grebe Nicholas M , Hirwa Jean Paul , Stoinski Tara S , Vigilant Linda , Rosenbaum Stacy
Published: September 2022

Evolutionary theories predict that sibling relationships will reflect a complex balance of cooperative and competitive dynamics. In most mammals, dispersal and death patterns mean that sibling relationships occur in a relatively narrow window during development and/or only with same-sex individuals. Besides humans, one notable exception is mountain gorillas, in which non-sex-biased dispersal, relatively stable group composition, and the long reproductive tenures of alpha males mean that animals routinely reside with both maternally and paternally related siblings, of the same and opposite sex, throughout their lives. Using nearly 40,000 hr of behavioral data collected over 14 years on 699 sibling and 1235 non-sibling pairs of wild mountain gorillas, we demonstrate that individuals have strong affiliative preferences for full and maternal siblings over paternal siblings or unrelated animals, consistent with an inability to discriminate paternal kin. Intriguingly, however, aggression data imply the opposite. Aggression rates were statistically indistinguishable among all types of dyads except one: in mixed-sex dyads, non-siblings engaged in substantially more aggression than siblings of any type. This pattern suggests mountain gorillas may be capable of distinguishing paternal kin but nonetheless choose not to affiliate with them over non-kin. We observe a preference for maternal kin in a species with a high reproductive skew (i.e. high relatedness certainty), even though low reproductive skew (i.e. low relatedness certainty) is believed to underlie such biases in other non-human primates. Our results call into question reasons for strong maternal kin biases when paternal kin are identifiable, familiar, and similarly likely to be long-term groupmates, and they may also suggest behavioral mismatches at play during a transitional period in mountain gorilla society.
Counting people inside a region-of-interest in CCTV footage with deep learning
Authors: Pardamean Bens , Abid Faizal , Cenggoro Tjeng Wawan , Elwirehardja Gregorius Natanael , Muljo Hery Harjono
Published: September 2022

In recent years, the performance of people-counting models has been dramatically increased that they can be implemented in practical cases. However, the current models can only count all of the people captured in the inputted closed circuit television (CCTV) footage. Oftentimes, we only want to count people in a specific Region-of-Interest (RoI) in the footage. Unfortunately, simple approaches such as covering the area outside of the RoI are not applicable without degrading the performance of the models. Therefore, we developed a novel learning strategy that enables a deep-learning-based people counting model to count people only in a certain RoI. In the proposed method, the people counting model has two heads that are attached on top of a crowd counting backbone network. These two heads respectively learn to count people inside the RoI and negate the people count outside the RoI. We named this proposed method Gap Regularizer and tested it on ResNet-50, ResNet-101, CSRNet, and SFCN. The experiment results showed that Gap Regularizer can reduce the mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and grid average mean error (GAME) of ResNet-50, which is the smallest CNN model, with the highest reduction of 45.2%, 41.25%, and 46.43%, respectively. On shallow models such as the CSRNet, the regularizer can also drastically increase the SSIM by up to 248.65% in addition to reducing the MAE, RMSE, and GAME. The Gap Regularizer can also improve the performance of SFCN which is a deep CNN model with back-end features by up to 17.22% and 10.54% compared to its standard version. Moreover, the impacts of the Gap Regularizer on these two models are also generally statistically significant (P-value < 0.05) on the MOT17-09, MOT20-02, and RHC datasets. However, it has a limitation in which it is unable to make significant impacts on deep models without back-end features such as the ResNet-101.
BMSC-derived exosomal miR-27a-3p and miR-196b-5p regulate bone remodeling in ovariectomized rats
Authors: Lai Guohua , Zhao Renli , Zhuang Weida , Hou Zuoxu , Yang Zefeng , He Peipei , Wu Jiachang , Sang Hongxun
Published: September 2022

Background

In the bone marrow microenvironment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-derived exosomal miRNAs play an important role in bone formation and bone resorption, although the pathogenesis has yet to be clarified.

Methods

BMSC-derived exosomes from ovariectomized rats (OVX-Exo) and sham-operated rats (Sham-Exo) were co-cultured with bone marrow-derived macrophages to study their effects on osteoclast differentiation. Next-generation sequencing was utilized to identify the differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) between OVX-Exo and Sham-Exo, while target genes were analyzed using bioinformatics. The regulatory effects of miR-27a-3p and miR-196b-5p on osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs and osteoclast differentiation were verified by gain-of-function and loss-of-function analyses.

Results

Osteoclast differentiation was significantly enhanced in the OVX-Exo treatment group compared to the Sham-Exo group. Twenty DE-miRNAs were identified between OVX-Exo and Sham-Exo, among which miR-27a-3p and miR-196b-5p promoted the expressions of osteogenic differentiation markers in BMSCs. In contrast, knockdown of miR-27a-3p and miR-196b-5p increased the expressions of osteoclastic markers in osteoclast. These 20 DE-miRNAs were found to target 11435 mRNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses revealed that these target genes were involved in several biological processes and osteoporosis-related signaling pathways.

Conclusion

BMSC-derived exosomal miR-27a-3p and miR-196b-5p may play a positive regulatory role in bone remodeling.
Epicardial Adipose Tissue as Predictor of Coronary Artery Disease. A New Parameter to Stratify Cardiovascular Risk?
Authors: Creta Victoria , Higa Claudio , Masson Walter
Published: September 2022

The association between visceral adipose tissue and cardiovascular disease has been clearly established. Likewise, it has been determined that ectopic adiposity is associated with a higher cardiovascular risk compared to subcutaneous adiposity. In this context, multiple investigations have evaluated the role of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) in cardiovascular disease. EAT is located between the myocardial surface and the visceral layer of the pericardium, and can be quantified by noninvasive techniques such as echocardiography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. The EAT is not simply a storage organ. Currently, it is considered to be a metabolically active tissue capable of secreting multiple adipokines that act through different paracrine, endocrine, vasocrine and/or autocrine signaling pathways. Current evidence suggests that EAT may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease, as well as being associated with its severity and progression. In this sense, some authors have postulated EAT as a new cardiovascular risk factor and as a potential therapeutic target. The aim of this review is to analyze the association between EAT and cardiovascular disease, mainly coronary artery disease.
Insights into the Titania (TiO2) Photocatalysis on the Removal of Phthalic Acid Esters (PAEs) in Water
Authors: Mohd Tubillah Norfarahim , Chandren Sheela
Published: September 2022

In this era of globalization, plastic is regarded as one of the most versatile innovations, finding its uses ranging from packaging, automotive, agriculture, and construction to the medical and pharmaceutical industries. Unfortunately, the single-use nature of plastics leads to ecological and environmental problems. Among conventional disposal management of plastic waste are landfilling dumping, incineration, and recycling. However, not all plastic waste goes into disposal management and ends up accumulating in lakes, rivers, and seas. In the aquatic environment, the action of photochemical weathering plastics has resulted in the release of chemical additives such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs), an important plasticizer added to plastic products to improve their softness, flexibility, and durability. Nowadays, PAEs have been ubiquitously detected in our environment and numerous organisms are exposed to PAEs to some extent. As PAEs carry endocrine disruptive and carcinogenicity properties, an urgent search for the development of an efficient and effective method to remove PAEs from the environment is needed. As a viable option, titania (TiO2) photocatalysis is a promising tool to combat the PAEs contamination in our environment owing to its high photocatalytic activity, cost-effectiveness, and its ability to totally mineralize PAEs into carbon dioxide and water. Hence, this paper aims to highlight the concerning issue of the contamination of PAEs in our aquatic environments and the summary of the removal of PAEs by TiO2 photocatalysis. This review concerning the significance of knowledge on environmental PAEs would hopefully spark huge interest and future development to tackle this plastic-associated pollutant. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Being Prepared and Preparing the Students for the Central Exam with Distance Education
Authors: YÜKSEK Faruk , ÜNSAL Serkan
Published: September 2022

The aim of this research is to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of being prepared and preparing the students for central exams with distance education according to the perceptions of teachers and students. The research was carried out in the phenomenology (phenomenology) pattern, one of the qualitative research designs. The study groups of the research consisted of 15 teachers working in different types of high schools in the central districts of Kahramanmaraş province in the 2020-2021 academic year and preparing students for the Higher Education Institutions Examinations with distance education and 91 students preparing for the same exam. In the study, semi-structured interview form and open-ended questionnaire form developed by the researchers were used to collect data. Data collection was carried out in 9 different high schools in four months. Content analysis was used to analyze the obtained data. In the research, it has been concluded that preparing students for central exams with distance education provides advantages to the teacher in many respects; eliminating waste of time, providing material diversity, providing equality of opportunity and opportunity, and facilitating the solution of questions. In addition, it has been concluded that preparing students for central exams with distance education offers advantages in terms of leaving more time to prepare for the exam, not interrupting the study, being suitable for individual differences, less stress, being suitable for self-directed learning, providing a comfortable working environment and providing a richness of content. According to the results of the research, it can be ensured that the digital content that students and teachers can use in distance education can be enriched and students can benefit from guidance services more effectively.
Comparison of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors vs Glucagonlike Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists and Incidence of Dry Eye Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan
Authors: Su Yu-Chen , Hung Jia-Horung , Chang Kai-Cheng , Sun Chi-Chin , Huang Yi-Hsun , Lee Chaw-Ning , Hung Ming-Jui , Lai Chi-Chun , Shao Shih-Chieh , Lai Edward Chia-Cheng
Published: September 2022

Importance

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been found to improve low-grade systemic and tissue inflammation; however, the association between SGLT2 inhibitor use and the incidence of dry eye disease (DED) has not been explored.

Objective

To investigate the association between SGLT2 inhibitor use and dry eye disease in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Design, Setting, and Participants

A retrospective cohort analysis of the largest multi-institutional electronic medical records database in Taiwan was conducted to identify patients with T2D newly receiving SGLT2 inhibitors or glucagonlike peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) from 2016 to 2018. Data analysis was performed from March 1 to May 31, 2022. Propensity scores with inverse probability of treatment weighting were generated to enable homogeneous comparisons between the 2 groups.

Exposures

Treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1 RAs.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Incident dry eye disease, which was defined by clinical diagnoses, plus the related drug prescription. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios with 95% CIs for the risk of DED.

Results

A total of 10 038 and 1077 T2D patients newly receiving SGLT2 inhibitors (mean [SD] age, 59.5 [12.1] years; 5689 [56.7%] men) or GLP-1 RAs (mean [SD] age, 58.5 [41.2] years; 587 [54.5%] men), respectively, were included in the analysis. The incidence of DED was lower in patients newly receiving SGLT2 inhibitors (9.0 events per 1000 person-years) compared with those receiving GLP-1 RAs (11.5 events per 1000 person-years), yielding a hazard ratio of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.68-0.89). Subgroup analyses indicated that the lowered DED risks associated with SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with T2D were similar across different age, sex, blood glucose level, and kidney function groups. Results from the sensitivity analyses (including the propensity score–matching approach, on-treatment analyses, and different follow-up periods of 1, 2, and 3 years) were similar to the main analyses.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings of this study suggest that patients with T2D newly receiving SGLT2 inhibitors may have a lower risk for DED compared with those receiving GLP-1 RAs. Prospective studies are needed to analyze these results.
Unraveling the Transcriptomic Signatures of Homologous Recombination Deficiency in Ovarian Cancers
Authors: Lee Jae Jun , Kang Hyun Ju , Kim Stephanie S. , Charton Clémentine , Kim Jinho , Lee Jin‐Ku
Published: September 2022

Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is a crucial driver of tumorigenesis by inducing impaired repair of double‐stranded DNA breaks. Although HRD possibly triggers the production of numerous tumor neoantigens that sufficiently stimulate and activate various tumor‐immune responses, a comprehensive understanding of the HRD‐associated tumor microenvironment is elusive. To investigate the effect of HRD on the selective enrichment of transcriptomic signatures, 294 cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas‐Ovarian Cancer project with both RNA‐sequencing and SNP array data are analyzed. Differentially expressed gene analysis and network analysis are performed to identify HRD‐specific signatures. Gene‐sets associated with mitochondrial activation, including enhanced oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos), are significantly enriched in the HRD‐high group. Furthermore, a wide range of immune cell activation signatures is enriched in HRD‐high cases of high‐grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). On further cell‐type‐specific analysis, M1‐like macrophage genes are significantly enriched in HRD‐high HGSOC cases, whereas M2‐macrophage‐related genes are not. The immune‐response‐associated genomic features, including tumor mutation rate, neoantigens, and tumor mutation burdens, correlated with HRD scores. In conclusion, the results of this study highlight the biological properties of HRD, including enhanced energy metabolism, increased tumor neoantigens and tumor mutation burdens, and consequent exacerbation of immune responses, particularly the enrichment of M1‐like macrophages in HGSOC cases.
Bio‐Sourced Intumescent Nanocoating
Authors: Smith Dallin L. , Vest Natalie A. , Rodriguez-Melendez Danixa , Palen Bethany , Grunlan Jaime C.
Published: September 2022

Nylon–cotton blended fabric (NYCO), commonly used in military uniforms and workwear for its comfort and resilience, presents an inherent fire risk due to its high flammability and high heat release. There are few effective flame retardant treatments for NYCO that are environmentally benign and maintain the hand of the fabric. To solve this problem, a layer‐by‐layer (LbL)‐assembled 15 quadlayer (QL) coating, consisting of chitosan (CH), phytic acid (PA), and tannic acid (TA), is applied to NYCO. Individually pairing TA or PA with CH is not self‐extinguishing, but they work synergistically in the QL system to create an effective intumescent coating. This completely bio‐sourced, water‐based coating self‐extinguishes in a vertical flame test (ASTM D6413), with only 16.6% weight added to NYCO, yielding 91% postburn residue and a 51% decrease in peak heat release rate. This novel coating provides an opportunity to replace environmentally questionable flame retardant treatments with a fully sustainable system.
Blade‐Coated Solar Minimodules of Homogeneous Perovskite Films Achieved by an Air Knife Design and a Machine Learning‐Based Optimization
Authors: Ramírez Edwin Alexander , Velásquez Juan Pablo , Flórez Alejandra , Montoya Juan Felipe , Betancur Rafael , Jaramillo Franklin
Published: September 2022

Perovskite solar technology stands on three different pillars: efficiency, stability, and processability. Focusing on processability, the field demands the achievement of optoelectronic grade active layers with high uniformity fabricated by industry‐compatible methods. Herein, the design and implementation of an air knife on a blade coating deposition system, which allows controlling the evaporation rate of the solvents improving the crystallization and uniformity of perovskite films in a p–i–n device are reported. The effect of doctor blade operational parameters is studied using image analysis combined with a machine learning method to identify the most relevant processing variables leading to a uniform perovskite layer with optimal thickness. After implementing the air knife system and finding the best processing conditions, a special perovskite solar minimodule enabling the evaluation of single inner subcells is fabricated. These perovskite subcells reach an average efficiency of 10.1% and remarkably all the subcells deviate less than 20% from this value over a large‐area substrate. These results demonstrate the promising potential of this fabrication method for low cost and high deposition rate photovoltaic devices, which is on the path to mass production.
Hybrid Nanostructures and Stabilized Mechanical Properties of High‐Entropy Alloy Induced by Warm Laser Shock Peening
Authors: Shu Tan , Hu Nan , Yuan Jun , Liu Feng , Cheng Gary J.
Published: September 2022

Recently, the manufacture of high‐entropy‐alloy (HEA) parts by selective laser melting (SLM) has been extensively studied. However, the problems of high tensile residual stress, undesirable microstructure, and unstable mechanical properties in HEA parts caused by SLM process are difficult to be solved simultaneously. Herein, a warm laser shock peening (WLSP) process is used to obtain high strength, stable mechanical property, and favorable residual stress in SLMed FeNiCrCo HEA by regulating the microstructure in material. Experimental and simulation results show that WLSP treatment can induce high‐density dislocations and nanotwins in the HEA, resulting in a 39.4% increase in the surface strength of the HEA. Moreover, because of the high atomic kinetic energy brought by high temperature in WLSP processing, WLSP‐treated sample has higher density of dislocations and nanotwins than the sample treated by the LSP process at room temperature (RLSP), resulting in higher surface strength and better mechanical stability of the WLSP‐treated HEA. Meanwhile, the WLSP treatment enables the tensile residual stress generated in the SLM process to be transformed into compressive residual stress, which can enhance the fatigue performance of the HEA. Therefore, WLSP has great potential in obtaining SLMed HEAs with excellent mechanical properties.
Study of Energy Absorption Characteristics and Deformation Mechanism of Stretching–Bending Synergistic Lattices Under Dynamic Compression
Authors: Yang Zhongliang , Liu Hui , Wu Qi , Long Lianchun
Published: September 2022

The 3D lattice structures have the characteristics of lightweight and high strength, showing good energy absorption characteristics under impact loads. Herein, stretching–bending synergistic lattices are constructed, with the macroscopic backbone in the stretching‐dominated configuration and the mesoscopic cells in the bending‐dominated configuration. The lattices organically combine the two deformation mechanisms of stretching dominant and bending dominant to exhibit high specific strength and excellent specific energy absorption. The particular deformation model and energy absorption characteristics of the stretching–bending synergistic lattices are analyzed. The dynamic compression response of the structure is found to have a unique stress climbing mechanism, which is the critical factor in enhancing its energy absorption ability. The backbone is the main part of structural energy absorption. By changing the relative density of the backbone, the yield strength and specific energy absorption of the stretching–bending synergistic lattices can be increased by more than 78% and 142%, respectively, than the uniform lattices with the same relative density. The hierarchical structure of the stretching backbone and bending cells provides a new approach for the design of impact‐resistant structures.
Rational Molecular Design Enables Efficient Blue TADF−OLEDs with Flexible Graphene Substrate
Authors: Sharif Parisa , Alemdar Eda , Ozturk Soner , Caylan Omer , Haciefendioglu Tugba , Buke Goknur , Aydemir Murat , Danos Andrew , Monkman Andrew P. , Yildirim Erol , Gunbas Gorkem , Cirpan Ali , Oral Ahmet
Published: September 2022

Observation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in conjugated systems redefined the molecular design approach to realize highly efficient organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) in the early 2010s. Enabling effective reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) by minimizing the difference between singlet and triplet excited state energies (ΔEST) is proven to be a widely applicable and fruitful approach, which results in remarkable external quantum efficiencies (EQE). The efficacy of RISC in these systems is mainly dictated by the first‐order mixing coefficient (λ), which is proportional to spin‐orbit coupling (HSO) and inversely proportional to ΔEST. While minimizing ΔEST has been the focus of the OLED community over the last decade, the effect of HSO in these systems is largely overlooked. Here, molecular systems with increased HSO are designed and synthesized by substituting selected heteroatoms of high‐performance TADF materials with heavy‐atom selenium. A new series of multicolor TADF materials with remarkable EQEs are achieved. One of these materials, SeDF‐B, results in pure blue emission with EQEs approaching 20%. Additionally, flexible graphene‐based electrodes are developed for OLEDs and revealed to have similar performance as standard indium tin oxide (ITO) in most cases. These devices are the first report of TADF based OLEDs that utilize graphene‐based anodes.
A Nanoporous Carbon‐MXene Heterostructured Nanocomposite‐Based Epidermal Patch for Real‐Time Biopotentials and Sweat Glucose Monitoring
Authors: Zahed Md Abu , Sharifuzzaman Md , Yoon Hyosang , Asaduzzaman Md , Kim Dong Kyun , Jeong Seonghoon , Pradhan Gagan Bahadur , Shin Young Do , Yoon Sang Hyuk , Sharma Sudeep , Zhang Shipeng , Park Jae Yeong
Published: September 2022

Despite substantial progress in the development of wearable and flexible monitoring systems that conform to the epidermis, most designs focus on either physiological signs such as the electrocardiogram (ECG) results, respiration rate, or metabolites, and ignore the dynamic fluctuations of pH and temperature in sweat during on‐body tests. An advanced butterfly‐inspired hybrid epidermal biosensing (bi‐HEB) patch is presented here, which is interfaced with a custom‐developed miniaturized monitoring system. The patch incorporates a novel transducing layer of nanoporous carbon and MXene (NPC@MXene) for sensitive and durable detection of biomarkers in sweat. The bi‐HEB patch is composed of a glucose biosensor accompanied by pH and temperature sensors to precisely quantify glucose as well as two biopotential electrodes, allowing real‐time recording of electrophysiological (EP) signals. The NPC@MXene‐based glucose biosensor demonstrates an excellent sensitivity of 100.85 µAmm−1 cm−2 within physiological levels (0.003−1.5 mm), and variations in pH and temperature during on‐body perspiration monitoring are calibrated by employing a correction approach. In parallel, the EP electrodes exhibit skin‐electrode contact impedance and biopotential signals similar to those of conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes. Finally, the bi‐HEB patch integrated wearable system is used to accurately monitor sweat glucose and ECG of human subjects participating in indoor physical activities.
Bioactive Iridium Nanoclusters with Glutathione Depletion Ability for Enhanced Sonodynamic‐Triggered Ferroptosis‐Like Cancer Cell Death
Authors: Nie Tongtong , Zou Weijuan , Meng Zheying , Wang Longchen , Ying Tao , Cai Xiaojun , Wu Jianrong , Zheng Yuanyi , Hu Bing
Published: September 2022

Ferroptosis is a regulated form of necrotic cell death that involves the accumulation of lipid peroxide (LPO) species in an iron‐ and reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐dependent manner. Previous investigations have reported that ferroptosis‐based cancer therapy can overcome the limitations of traditional therapeutics targeting the apoptosis pathway. However, it is still challenging to enhance the antitumor efficacy of ferroptosis due to intrinsic cellular regulation. In this study, a ferroptosis‐inducing agent, i.e., chlorin e6 (Ce6)‐conjugated human serum albumin–iridium oxide (HSA‐Ce6‐IrO2, HCIr) nanoclusters, is developed to achieve sonodynamic therapy (SDT)‐triggered ferroptosis‐like cancer cell death. The sonosensitizing role of both Ce6 and IrO2 within the HCIr nanoclusters exhibits highly efficient 1O2 generation capacity upon ultrasound stimulation, which promotes the accumulation of LPO and subsequently induces ferroptosis. Meanwhile, the HCIr can deplete glutathione (GSH) by accelerating Ir (IV)–Ir (III) transition, which further suppresses the activity of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) to enhance the ferroptosis efficacy. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, it is demonstrated that HCIr possesses tremendous capacity to reduce the intracellular GSH content, which enhances SDT‐triggered ferroptosis‐like cancer cell death. Thus, an iridium‐nanoclusters‐based ferroptosis‐inducing agent is developed, providing a promising strategy for inducing ferroptosis‐like cancer cell death.
Tuning the Dynamics of Viral‐Factories‐Inspired Compartments Formed by Peptide–RNA Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation
Authors: Katzir Itai , Haimov Elvira , Lampel Ayala
Published: September 2022

Viral factories are intracellular microcompartments formed by mammalian viruses in their host cells, and contain necessary machinery for viral genome replication, capsid assembly, and maturation, thus serving as “factories” for formation of new viral particles. Recent evidence suggests that these compartments are formed by liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of viral proteins and nucleic acids and present dynamic properties. In this work, inspired by the remarkable functionalities of viral factories, dynamic compartments that are formed by complexation between a minimalistic, disordered peptide and RNA are designed. By systematic studies using sequence variants it is shown that the material properties of the compartments can be modulated by changes to the peptide sequence, at the single amino acid level. Moreover, by taking this approach to the next step, liquid compartments with light‐induced tunable dynamics are developed. The results demonstrate that the material properties of liquid droplets can be temporally regulated by increasing peptide polarity and charge, and that these changes can be further utilized for controlled partitioning and release of payloads from the compartments.
NiO–Co3O4–rGO as a Multicomponent Transition Metal Oxide Nanocatalyst for Ultra‐level Detection of Nitrite in Beef and Tap Water Samples
Authors: Askari Nahid , Baghizadeh Amin , Beheshti‐Marnani Amirkhosro , Askari Mohammad Bagher , Di Bartolomeo Antonio
Published: September 2022

The detection of nitrite as a challenging compound in food industries has always been a necessity. To this purpose, herein, two transition metal oxide‐based nanocatalysts, NiO–Co3O4 (NC) and its reduced graphene hybridized form, NiO–Co3O4–rGO (NCR), are synthesized by a hydrothermal method and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDAX) mapping. The synthesized materials are exploited to modify a glassy carbon electrode and fabricate an effective sensor for nitrite detection in real samples through differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). NCR shows excellent sensitivity (40.44 µA per dec), very low limit of detection (20 × 10‐9 m), significant accuracy, and good stability at the wide range of nitrite ions (100–500 × 10‐9 m) in real samples.
Charge Distribution Controls On‐Target Separation of Low Nucleophilicity Anions in Layered Double Hydroxides
Authors: Sudare Tomohito , Tamura Shuhei , Kashiwazaki Maru , Nakamura Yuki , Kawaguchi Kenta , Shiiba Hiromasa , Fujisawa Kazunori , Tipplook Mongkol , Tanaka Hideki , Hayashi Fumitaka , Teshima Katsuya
Published: September 2022

Host–guest chemistry principles and mechanisms have been exploited to separate harmful and valuable ionic species. However, separating low nucleophilicity anions using these protocols is difficult due to weak host–guest interactions. Herein, using layered double hydroxides (LDHs), it is demonstrated that guest–guest interactions considerably influence the separation of a low nucleophilicity nitrate. LDHs exhibit considerably low nitrate ion storage capacities due to the co‐precipitation synthesis method. Hence, a topochemical reaction is applied to control the cation arrangement in the LDHs. Structural analyses determine that a hexagonal cation arrangement is facilitated. Isotherm analysis reveals that the obtained LDHs improve the capacity up to 250% of that of typical less‐ordered LDHs. Finally, further isotherm analysis in combination with theoretical calculations, it is revealed that the hexagonal arrangement effectively facilitates a stable guest–guest interactions—hydrogen‐bond between the interlayer nitrate ions and water molecules, which contributes to high ion‐storage.
The Emergence of Reversible–Deactivation Radical Polymerization in 3D Printing
Authors: Bobrin Valentin A. , Zhang Jin , Corrigan Nathaniel , Boyer Cyrille
Published: September 2022

The majority of materials 3D printed using vat photopolymerization techniques are prepared by uncontrolled polymerization methods and cannot be easily modified to introduce additional functionality; these materials can be considered as effectively “dead” materials. Fortunately, a suite of photocontrolled reversible–deactivation radical polymerization (photoRDRP) techniques is recently implemented in 3D printing. In addition to their fast polymerization rate and oxygen tolerance, the high livingness imparted by photoRDRP methods is beginning to disrupt the field of 3D printing by providing access to materials with advanced properties, including on‐demand editing of surface and bulk properties, self‐healing, and control over nanostructuration and mechanical properties. This mini‐review analyzes the development of photoRDRP techniques in the field of photoinduced 3D printing with an emphasis on the advanced and highly tailorable materials possible through these techniques.
Photoaligned Chiral Liquid Crystal Grating with Hysteresis Switching
Authors: Nys Inge , Berteloot Brecht , Neyts Kristiaan
Published: September 2022

Metastable topological states are known to arise when chiral liquid crystal (CLC) is infiltrated in a geometry with strong confinement. This study demonstrates an alternative approach to obtain multistable states, by combining patterned surface anchoring with CLC in a less confined geometry. Long pitch CLC is introduced between two 1D periodically rotating anchoring patterns at the top and bottom substrate with perpendicular rotation direction. Voltage‐induced switching is observed by polarizing optical microscopy and diffraction measurements. For some voltages two different stable topological states appear and electrical switching between these two states occurs via a hysteresis loop. The chirality in the LC material induces the formation of a new topological state at low voltages, which is not observed in nonchiral LC cells with the same anchoring configuration. Hysteresis switching between different optical states may find applications in low‐power devices with internal memory.
Sulfur Reduction Reaction in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: Mechanisms, Catalysts, and Characterization
Authors: Zhou Lei , Danilov Dmitri L. , Qiao Fen , Wang Junfeng , Li Haitao , Eichel Rüdiger‐A. , Notten Peter H. L.
Published: September 2022

Lithium–sulfur batteries are one of the most promising alternatives for advanced battery systems due to the merits of extraordinary theoretical specific energy density, abundant resources, environmental friendliness, and high safety. However, the sluggish sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) kinetics results in poor sulfur utilization, which seriously hampers the electrochemical performance of Li–S batteries. It is critical to reveal the underlying reaction mechanisms and accelerate the SRR kinetics. Herein, the critical issues of SRR in Li–S batteries are reviewed. The conversion mechanisms and reaction pathways of sulfur reduction are initially introduced to give an overview of the SRR. Subsequently, recent advances in catalyst materials that can accelerate the SRR kinetics are summarized in detail, including carbon, metal compounds, metals, and single atoms. Besides, various characterization approaches for SRR are discussed, which can be divided into three categories: electrochemical measurements, spectroscopic techniques, and theoretical calculations. Finally, the conclusion and outlook part gives a summary and proposes several key points for future investigations on the mechanisms of the SRR and catalyst activities. This review can provide cutting‐edge insights into the SRR in Li–S batteries.
Super‐Fast and Super‐Long‐Life Rechargeable Zinc Battery
Authors: Khodayar Navid , Noori Abolhassan , Rahmanifar Mohammad S. , Shabangoli Yasin , Baghervand Afshin , El‐Kady Maher F. , Hassani Nasim , Chang Xueying , Neek‐Amal Mehdi , Kaner Richard B. , Mousavi Mir F.
Published: September 2022

Despite their low cost, safety, environmentally friendliness, and intrinsic non‐flammable nature, the widespread application of aqueous rechargeable zinc‐based batteries has been held back by their low coulombic efficiency and the notorious dendritic growth at the zinc‐based anodes, along with the fast capacity fading of the cathodes. Herein, an aqueous Zn superbattery that consists of a mixed ZnCO3 MnCO3 grafted onto a graphene aerogel (ZMG) negative electrode and a nanotubular sulfidated NiCoFe layered double hydroxide (LDHS) positive electrode is reported. The alkaline ZMG││LDHS superbattery delivers an excellent capacity and a superb rate capability (356 mA h g−1cathode (89 mA h g−1total mass) at 12 A g−1; 108 mA h g−1cathode at 300 A g−1), extremely high specific energy and power (568 W h kg−1cathode or 15.8 mW h cm−3, 429 kW kg−1cathode or 11.9 W cm−3), along with a high output voltage (1.8 V). The device also exhibits unprecedented cycling stability (99.2% capacity retention after 17,000 cycles at 100% depth of discharge) thanks to an electrochemical pulse‐driven regenerative mechanism.
Gold Decorated Hydroxyapatite–CeO2 Enabled Surface Frustrated Lewis Pairs for CO Oxidation
Authors: Guo Jiuli , Song Rui , Li Zehao , Pan Donghui , Xie Haijiao , Ba Yantao , Xie Ming , Fan Shijiao , Yang Xuedong , Zhang Haibo , Yu Huanhuan , Zhang Shoumin , Du Jimin , He Le , Wang Lu
Published: September 2022

The activation of molecular oxygen (O2) holds the fundamental step for reaction mechanism of carbon monoxide oxidation. Surface frustrated Lewis pairs (SFLPs) with sterically hindered Lewis acid–base pairs are proven to activate small molecules, such as hydrogen. However, the activation of molecular O2 on SFLPs remains unexplored. Herein, the construction of SFLPs in Au decorated hydroxyapatite (HAP)–CeO2 heterojunction is reported. The coordinately unsaturated Lewis acidic Ce3+ and the Lewis basic OH− group in HAP enable the activation of O2 molecules to –Ce3+ species for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. The active site is identified based on the comprehensive in situ electron paramagnetic resonance, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, X‐Ray absorption spectroscopy, and theoretical simulation. The results provide a new strategy to construct SFLPs sites for O2 molecule activation and the subsequent CO oxidation.
The Role of Cation Vacancies in GeSe: Stabilizing High‐Symmetric Phase Structure and Enhancing Thermoelectric Performance
Authors: Duan Bingcai , Zhang Yihua , Yang Quanxin , Li Yugeng , Cheng Jiahui , Zhang Chaohua , Li Junqin , Liu Fusheng , Hu Lipeng
Published: September 2022

Enhancing crystal symmetry is perceived as the most efficacious strategy to improve the thermoelectric performance of GeSe. Although multicomponent alloying is commonly employed to increase crystal symmetry, the excessive point defects inevitably degrade the carrier mobility. Herein, a new and promising strategy is proposed to stabilize the high‐symmetric rhombohedral GeSe by intentionally introducing cation vacancies. Specially, three compositional series of GeSe(InSe)u, GeSe(InTe)v, and GeSe(InTe3/2)x are studied to highlight the pivotal role of cation vacancy in upgrading crystal symmetry. It is demonstrated that sole In substitution cannot change the crystal structure, InTe alloying obtains orthorhombic and rhombohedral composite phases, and adding InTe3/2 with cation vacancies enables exclusively rhombohedral GeSe. Regarding the electrical properties, rhombohedral GeSe has higher carrier concentration, carrier mobility, density‐of‐state effective mass, and hence superior power factor compared to orthorhombic GeSe. Meanwhile, cation vacancies hinder the heat propagation and significantly reduce the lattice thermal conductivity. Further doping the GeSe(InTe3/2)0.15 with trace Pb to eliminate the residual orthorhombic phase results in a peak zT ≈ 0.76 at 773 K in rhombohedral Ge0.97Pb0.03Se(InTe3/2)0.15. These results confirm the validity of cation vacancies in stabilizing high‐symmetric crystal structures of GeSe system and similar strategy can be extrapolated to other low‐symmetry materials.
A multicenter cohort study on mapping of lymph node metastasis for splenic flexural colon cancer
Authors: Watanabe Jun , Kanemitsu Yukihide , Suwa Hirokazu , Kakeji Yoshihiro , Ishihara Soichiro , Shinto Eiji , Ozawa Heita , Suto Takeshi , Kawamura Junichiro , Fujita Fumihiko , Itabashi Michio , Ohue Masayuki , Ike Hideyuki , Sugihara Kenichi ,   The Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum
Published: September 2022

Aim

There have been no reports of searching for metastases to lymph nodes along the accessory middle colic artery (aMCA). The aim of this study was to investigate the metastasis rate of the aMCA for splenic flexural colon cancer.

Methods

Patients with histologically proven colon carcinoma located in the splenic flexure, clinically diagnosed as stage I‐III were eligible for this study. Patients were retrospectively and prospectively enrolled. The primary endpoint was frequency of lymph node metastasis to the aMCA (station 222‐acc and 223‐acc). The secondary endpoint was the frequency of lymph node metastasis to the middle colic artery (MCA) (station 222‐lt and 223) and left colic artery (LCA) (station 232 and 253).

Results

Between January 2013 and February 2021, a total of 153 consecutive patients were enrolled. The location of the tumor was 58% in the transverse colon and 42% in the descending colon. Lymph node metastases were observed in 49 cases (32%). The presence of aMCA rate was 41.8% (64 cases). The metastasis rates of stations 221, 222‐lt, and 223 were 20.0%, 1.6%, and 0%, and stations 231, 232, and 253 were 21.4%, 1.0%, and 0%, respectively. The metastasis rates of stations 222‐acc and 223‐acc were 6.3% (95% confidence interval: 1.7%‐15.2%) and 3.7% (95% confidence interval: 0.1%‐19%), respectively.

Conclusions

This study identified the distribution of lymph node metastases from splenic flexural colon cancer. If the aMCA is present, this vessel should be targeted for dissection, taking into account the frequency of lymph node metastasis.
Newborn screening and the recommended uniform screening panel: Optimal submissions and suggested improvements based on an advocacy organization's decade‐long experience
Authors: Ellinwood N. Matthew
Published: September 2022

The National MPS Society, Inc., founded in 1974, is a rare disease advocacy non‐profit with a tripartite mission addressing the needs of the mucopolysaccharidosis and mucolipidosis communities through advocacy, research, and family and patient support. The Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) of conditions for newborn screening (NBS), legislatively mandated in 2008, was implemented in 2010 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HSS), through the adoption of 29 core conditions. Since its inception the RUSP has grown to 35 core conditions. Each addition followed a defined nomination process that has itself undergone further definition over time. Since the adoption of the RUSP, the Society has nominated two conditions that have been approved by the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Children and Newborns (ACHDNC) and forwarded to the Secretary of HSS for inclusion on the RUSP. This history places the Society in a position to reflect on the process of successfully nominating conditions. Additionally, the Society is well placed by this experience to provide observations on the RUSP process. We will highlight best practices for pending and future nominations and reflect on potential improvements to the process and infrastructure of NBS, the RUSP, and the ACHDNC.
Regional Precuneus Cortical Hyperexcitability in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
Authors: Casula Elias P. , Borghi Ilaria , Maiella Michele , Pellicciari Maria C. , Bonnì Sonia , Mencarelli Lucia , Assogna Martina , D'Acunto Alessia , Di Lorenzo Francesco , Spampinato Danny A. , Santarnecchi Emiliano , Martorana Alessandro , Koch Giacomo
Published: September 2022

Objective

Neuronal excitation/inhibition (E/I) imbalance is a potential cause of neuronal network malfunctioning in Alzheimer's disease (AD), contributing to cognitive dysfunction. Here, we used a novel approach combining transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to probe cortical excitability in different brain areas known to be directly involved in AD pathology.

Methods

We performed TMS‐EEG recordings targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l‐DLPFC), the left posterior parietal cortex (l‐PPC), and the precuneus (PC) in a large sample of patients with mild‐to‐moderate AD (n = 65) that were compared with a group of age‐matched healthy controls (n = 21).

Results

We found that patients with AD are characterized by a regional cortical hyperexcitability in the PC and, to some extent, in the frontal lobe, as measured by TMS‐evoked potentials. Notably, cortical excitability assessed over the l‐PPC was comparable between the 2 groups. Furthermore, we found that the individual level of PC excitability was associated with the level of cognitive impairment, as measured with Mini‐Mental State Examination, and with corticospinal fluid levels of Aβ42.

Interpretation

Our data provide novel evidence that precuneus cortical hyperexcitability is a key feature of synaptic dysfunction in patients with AD. The current results point to the combined approach of TMS and EEG as a novel promising technique to measure hyperexcitability in patients with AD. This index could represent a useful biomarker to stage disease severity and evaluate response to novel therapies. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:371–383