bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous determination of six α‑dicarbonyl compounds in traditional Chinese medicines using high‐performance liquid chromatography‐fluorescence detector with pre‐column derivatization
Authors: Xu Qianqian , Yin Yi , Liu Ye , Ma Qianyun , Chen Xiangming , Zhao Juanjuan
Published: August 2023

A reliable method for determination of six α‐dicarbonyl compounds in traditional Chinese medicines was first developed and validated by high‐performance liquid chromatography‐fluorescence detector with pre‐column derivatization. α‐Dicarbonyl compounds in traditional Chinese medicines were extracted and derivatized with 2,3‐diaminaphthalene. The derivatization procedure of six α‐dicarbonyl compounds was confirmed by high‐resolution mass spectrometry. The limits of quantitation for six α‐dicarbonyl compounds ranged from 3.70 × 10−3 to 2.21 × 10−2 μM. The established method showed good linearity (regression coefficient > 0.9990), precision (relative standard deviation < 3.37%), and high recovery (97.8%∼113.1%). The developed method was successfully applied to detect the six α‐dicarbonyl compounds in traditional Chinese medicines. The result exhibited six α‐dicarbonyl compounds was found in the 15 kinds of traditional Chinese medicines, which suggested us that the determination of α‐dicarbonyl compounds should be paid more attention in the quality control of traditional Chinese medicines.
Exploring trajectories in transdiagnostic behavior therapy
Authors: Gros Daniel F. , Saulnier Kevin G. , Allan Nicholas P.
Published: August 2023

Transdiagnostic treatments have been designed to target common processes for clusters of disorders. One such treatment, transdiagnostic behavior therapy (TBT), targets avoidance across emotional disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders, and has demonstrated efficacy in randomized controlled trials. The current study was designed to examine whether distinct treatment trajectories would emerge in a sample of 112 veterans receiving TBT and whether diagnostic comorbidity, baseline levels of several transdiagnostic risk factors, or treatment engagement influence trajectory membership. Growth mixture modeling revealed three distinct trajectories across depression, ds = 0.55–1.09; PTSD ds = −0.07–1.43; and panic disorder symptoms, ds = −0.13–1.09. Notably, for PTSD and panic disorder symptoms, separate classes for responders and nonresponders emerged among participants with high baseline symptom levels. Findings for the risk factors suggested that PTSD and panic nonresponders evidenced significantly higher behavioral avoidance at baseline and reduced engagement in treatment procedures and homework completion compared to responders. Together, the findings provide additional support for the use of TBT in the treatment of emotional disorders, including PTSD. Potential adaptations are discussed for patients with significantly elevated behavioral avoidance to improve treatment engagement and related outcomes.
Thermal regimes of groundwater‐ and lake‐fed headwater streams differ in their response to climate variability
Authors: Hudson Danielle T. , Leach Jason A. , Houle Daniel
Published: August 2023

Stream thermal regimes are being altered by climate change with consequences for aquatic organisms. Most documented long‐term changes in stream temperature are from large rivers. We know less about water temperature trends for small headwater streams, especially those found in northern landscapes that contain small lakes. We analyzed 36 yr of stream temperature observations from a long‐term watershed study in Ontario, Canada, to understand how headwater streams are responding to climate variability. We found that groundwater‐fed (GWF) and lake‐fed (LF) streams exhibit contrasting responses, as GWF streams warmed in the spring (0.19–0.60°C per decade) and LF streams warmed in the fall (0.39–0.72°C per decade). Both stream types exhibited weak temperature trends in summer and winter. These results highlight that a stream network perspective that includes headwater streams and small lakes, and accounts for seasonal changes in thermal regimes, is important for understanding aquatic ecosystem response to climate variability.
∂H$\bm{\partial }\mathbf {H}$: Differentiable Holography
Authors: Chen Ni , Wang Congli , Heidrich Wolfgang
Published: August 2023

Over the past decade, the field of holography has gained significant ground due to advances in computational imaging. However, the utilization of computational tools is hampered by the mismatch between experimental setups and the conceptual model. Differentiable holography (), a novel framework for automatically self‐calibrating experimental imperfections in inverse holographic imaging, is presented here. The technique is demonstrated on auto‐focused complex field imaging from a single intensity‐only inline hologram.
Recyclability Studies on Poly(lactic acid)/Poly(butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) (PLA/PBSA) Biobased and Biodegradable Films
Authors: Coltelli Maria‐Beatrice , Aliotta Laura , Fasano Gianluca , Miketa Filip , Brkić Filip , Alonso Rafael , Romei Marco , Cinelli Patrizia , Canesi Ilaria , Gigante Vito , Lazzeri Andrea
Published: August 2023

Poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate‐co‐adipate) (PLA/PBSA) blends are found promising for film packaging applications because of their flexibility, resistance, and compostability. Industrially extruded granules and films based on PLA and containing different amounts of PBSA are reprocessed through mini‐extrusion, to simulate recycling, and tested in terms of their melt flow rate as a function of PBSA content. Moreover, pure PLA commercial granules and the film produced extruding the PLA/PBSA 60/40 blend are reprocessed several times by injection molding and characterized in terms of melt flow rate, mechanical properties, thermal properties, and color as a function of injection molding cycles. The variation in melt fluidity and thermo‐mechanical properties is negligible up to 3 injection molding cycles for both pure PLA granules and PLA/PBSA blend. In the case of blend the change in color (yellowing and darkening) is more evident and slight local compositional change in injection molded items can be evidenced as well as a slight decrease in PBS crystallinity as a function of injection molding cycles. Nevertheless, in applications where these aspects are not critical, these materials can be recycled by extrusion or injection molding before being composted, thus prolonging their life cycle and storing carbon in them as longer as possible.
Brain MRI in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy with Richardson's Syndrome and Variant Phenotypes
Authors: Wattjes Mike P. , Huppertz Hans‐Jürgen , Mahmoudi Nima , Stöcklein Sophia , Rogozinski Sophia , Wegner Florian , Klietz Martin , Apostolova Ivayla , Levin Johannes , Katzdobler Sabrina , Buhmann Carsten , Quattrone Andrea , Berding Georg , Brendel Matthias , Barthel Henryk , Sabri Osama , Höglinger Günter , Buchert Ralph ,   for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: August 2023

Background

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to support the diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). However, the value of visual descriptive, manual planimetric, automatic volumetric MRI markers and fully automatic categorization is unclear, particularly regarding PSP predominance types other than Richardson's syndrome (RS).

Objectives

To compare different visual reading strategies and automatic classification of T1‐weighted MRI for detection of PSP in a typical clinical cohort including PSP‐RS and (non‐RS) variant PSP (vPSP) patients.

Methods

Forty‐one patients (21 RS, 20 vPSP) and 46 healthy controls were included. Three readers using three strategies performed MRI analysis: exclusively visual reading using descriptive signs (hummingbird, morning‐glory, Mickey‐Mouse), visual reading supported by manual planimetry measures, and visual reading supported by automatic volumetry. Fully automatic classification was performed using a pre‐trained support vector machine (SVM) on the results of atlas‐based volumetry.

Results

All tested methods achieved higher specificity than sensitivity. Limited sensitivity was driven to large extent by false negative vPSP cases. Support by automatic volumetry resulted in the highest accuracy (75.1% ± 3.5%) among the visual strategies, but performed not better than the midbrain area (75.9%), the best single planimetric measure. Automatic classification by SVM clearly outperformed all other methods (accuracy, 87.4%), representing the only method to provide clinically useful sensitivity also in vPSP (70.0%).

Conclusions

Fully automatic classification of volumetric MRI measures using machine learning methods outperforms visual MRI analysis without and with planimetry or volumetry support, particularly regarding diagnosis of vPSP, suggesting the use in settings with a broad phenotypic PSP spectrum. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
Promoter hypermethylation of RARB and GSTP1 genes in plasma cell‐free DNA as breast cancer biomarkers in Peruvian women
Authors: Danos Pierina , Giannoni‐Luza Stefano , Murillo Carrasco Alexis Germán , Acosta Oscar , Guevara‐Fujita Maria Luisa , Cotrina Concha José Manuel , Guerra Miller Henry , Pinto Oblitas Joseph , Aguilar Cartagena Alfredo , Araujo Jhajaira M. , Fujita Ricardo , Buleje Sono José Luis
Published: August 2023

Background

Promoter hypermethylation is one of the enabling mechanisms of hallmarks of cancer. Tumor suppressor genes like RARB and GSTP1 have been reported as hypermethylated in breast cancer tumors compared with normal tissues in several populations. This case–control study aimed to determine the association between the promoter methylation ratio (PMR) of RARB and GSTP1 genes (separately and as a group) with breast cancer and its clinical‐pathological variables in Peruvian patients, using a liquid biopsy approach.

Methods

A total of 58 breast cancer patients and 58 healthy controls, matched by age, participated in the study. We exacted cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) from blood plasma and converted it by bisulfite salts. Methylight PCR was performed to obtain the PMR value of the studied genes. We determined the association between PMR and breast cancer, in addition to other clinicopathological variables. The sensitivity and specificity of the PMR of these genes were obtained.

Results

A significant association was not found between breast cancer and the RARB PMR (OR = 1.90; 95% CI [0.62–6.18]; p = 0.210) or the GSTP1 PMR (OR = 6.57; 95% CI [0.75–307.66]; p = 0.114). The combination of the RARB + GSTP1 PMR was associated with breast cancer (OR = 2.81; 95% CI [1.02–8.22]; p = 0.026), controls under 50 years old (p = 0.048), patients older than 50 (p = 0.007), and postmenopausal (p = 0.034). The PMR of both genes showed a specificity of 86.21% and a sensitivity of 31.03%.

Conclusion

Promoter hypermethylation of RARB + GSTP1 genes is associated with breast cancer, older age, and postmenopausal Peruvian patients. The methylated promoter of the RARB + GSTP1 genes needs further validation to be used as a biomarker for liquid biopsy and as a recommendation criterion for additional tests in asymptomatic women younger than 50 years.
In silico validation revealed the role of SCN5A mutations and their genotype–phenotype correlations in Brugada syndrome
Authors: Pham Hung Manh , Dang Duy Phuong , Ta Thanh Dat , Le Thi Phuong , Phan Dinh Phong , Trinh Hoai An , Tran Tuan Viet , Luong Thi Lan Anh , Nguyen Ha Minh , Bui The‐Hung , Tran Thinh Huy , Ta Thanh Van , Tran Van‐Khanh
Published: August 2023

Background

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a rare genetic disease that causes sudden cardiac death (SCD) and arrhythmia. SCN5A pathogenic variants (about 30% of diagnosed patients) are responsible for BrS.

Aims

Lack of knowledge regarding molecular characteristics and the correlation between genotype and phenotype interfere with the risk stratification and finding the optimal treatment in Vietnam. Therefore, we identified SCN5A variants and evaluated the genotype–phenotype correlation of BrS on 117 Vietnamese probands.

Materials and Methods

The clinical characteristics and blood samples of BrS patients were collected. To determine SCN5A variants, Sanger sequencing was conducted, and subsequently, these variants were analyzed by bioinformatic tools.

Results

In this cohort, the overall rate of detected variants in SCN5A was 25.6%, which could include both pathogenic and benign variants. In genetic testing, 21 SCN5A variants were identified, including eight novels and 15 published variants. Multiple bioinformatic tools were used to predict variant effect with c.551A>G, c.1890+14G>A, c.3338C>T, c.3578G>A, and c.5484C>T as benign, while other variants were predicted as disease‐causing. The family history of SCD (risk ratio [RR] = 4.324, 95% CI: 2.290–8.269, p < 0.001), syncope (RR = 3.147, 95% CI: 1.668–5.982, p = 0.0004), and ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (RR = 3.406, 95% CI: 1.722–5.400, p = 0.0035) presented a significantly higher risk in the SCN5A (+) group, consisting of individuals carrying any variant in the SCN5A gene, compared to SCN5A (−) individuals.

Conclusion

The results contribute to clarifying the impact of SCN5A variants on these phenotypes. Further follow‐up studies need to be carried out to understand the functional effects of these SCN5A variants on the severity of BrS.
The Protective Effect of Pumpkin and Fermented Whey Mixture against AFB1 and OTA Immune Toxicity In Vitro. A Transcriptomic Approach
Authors: Frangiamone Massimo , Lozano Manuel , Cimbalo Alessandra , Lazaro Alvaro , Font Guillermina , Manyes Lara
Published: August 2023

Scope

The aim of the study is to investigate in Jurkat cells the possible beneficial effect of pumpkin (P) and fermented milk whey (FW) mixture against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) induced alterations in gene expression profile.

Methods and results

Human T cells are exposed for 7 days to digested bread extracts containing P‐FW mixture along with AFB1 and OTA, individually and in combination. The results of RNA sequencing show that AFB1 P‐FW exposure resulted in 34 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) while 3450 DEGs are found in OTA P‐FW exposure and 3264 DEGs in AFB1‐OTA P‐FW treatment. Gene ontology analysis reveals biological processes and molecular functions related to immune system and inflammatory response. Moreover, PathVisio analysis points to eicosanoid signaling via lipoxygenase as the main pathway altered by AFB1 P‐FW exposure whereas interferon signaling is the most affected pathway after OTA P‐FW and AFB1‐OTA P‐FW treatments.

Conclusions

The mitigation of genes and inherent pathways typically associated with the inflammatory response suggest not only the anti‐inflammatory and protective role of P‐FW mixture but also their possible application in food industry to counteract AFB1 and OTA toxic effects on human and animal health.
Physiotherapists' views and experiences of health literacy in clinical practice
Authors: Simkins Joanna , Breakwell Richard , Kumar Kanta
Published: August 2023

Objective

Using a qualitative design, this study aimed to explore the experience of physiotherapists' supporting patient health literacy in clinical practice, gain an understanding of their conceptualisation of health literacy, and make recommendations for improving health literacy support in clinical practice.

Methods

Convenience sampling via social media was used to recruit eight participants who were all physiotherapists practicing in the United Kingdom. Semi‐structured interviews took place on Zoom during the second Covid‐19 lockdown. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed, coded, and thematically analysed to uncover physiotherapists’ views on health literacy, experiences of supporting patients with health literacy and opinions and recommendations for practice.

Results

Of the eight participants, five were female and the mean years of clinical experience as a qualified physiotherapist was 5.8. Four main themes were identified: physiotherapists' conceptualisation of health literacy, identification of health literacy and skills required to support patients, training and barriers to providing health literacy‐sensitive care and recommendations for improvement.

Conclusion

The findings highlighted that physiotherapists identified a patient's health literacy abilities by picking up tacit clues throughout their consultations and they pre‐dominantly viewed health literacy as the ability to read, write and communicate effectively. They reported having a limited exposure to health literacy training and recommended raising awareness and education as key to improve practice.
Genetic analysis reveals a complex mosaic of admixture in Brook Trout in a historically fragmented watershed
Authors: Lamy Jared B. , O'Donnell Brigid C. , Villamagna Amy M. , Morrill Tyson R. , Nugent Ben J. , Hoekwater Joshua C.
Published: August 2023

Objective

Assess how historical fragmentation in the form of perched culverts impacts Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis genetic diversity and differentiation in the Beebe River watershed (central New Hampshire), the site of a major culvert removal project in 2017.

Methods

We collected genetic samples from Brook Trout one year prior to (2016), and two years following (2018 and 2019) culvert removal from six tributaries in the watershed. We used two analytical approaches, STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components, to determine the degree to which admixture was occurring and the levels of genetic diversity in the sampled populations. We also compared pairwise FST values to measure the genetic differentiation between tributaries.

Result

The analysis revealed that the tributaries with impassable culverts (GR1, GR3, and GR5) exhibited a distinct genetic cluster, indicating genetic homogeneity. In contrast, the tributaries without barriers (GR2, ECR1, and GR4) showed a mixture of individuals assigned to multiple genetic clusters, indicating genetic admixture and high diversity. Culvert outlet drop heights correlated with the level of genetic differentiation and diversity. Culvert replacement did not immediately result in significant changes in the genetic composition of the Brook Trout populations. Fish in tributaries with culverts remained genetically distinct from those in other tributaries even two years after culvert removal.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that historical fragmentation caused by culverts has influenced the population genetic structure of Brook Trout in the Beebe River watershed. Culvert replacement did not lead to immediate changes in genetic composition, suggesting that other factors, such as prespawning behavior and geomorphological disturbances, may have limited fish movement and spawning after culvert removal. The findings highlight the importance of considering the specific characteristics of culverts and their interactions with habitat conditions in assessing their impacts on genetic connectivity.
WKGM: weighted k‐space generative model for parallel imaging reconstruction
Authors: Tu Zongjiang , Liu Die , Wang Xiaoqing , Jiang Chen , Zhu Pengwen , Zhang Minghui , Wang Shanshan , Liang Dong , Liu Qiegen
Published: August 2023

Deep learning based parallel imaging (PI) has made great progress in recent years to accelerate MRI. Nevertheless, it still has some limitations: for example, the robustness and flexibility of existing methods are greatly deficient. In this work, we propose a method to explore the k‐space domain learning via robust generative modeling for flexible calibrationless PI reconstruction, coined the weighted k‐space generative model (WKGM). Specifically, WKGM is a generalized k‐space domain model, where the k‐space weighting technology and high‐dimensional space augmentation design are efficiently incorporated for score‐based generative model training, resulting in good and robust reconstructions. In addition, WKGM is flexible and thus can be synergistically combined with various traditional k‐space PI models, which can make full use of the correlation between multi‐coil data and realize calibrationless PI. Even though our model was trained on only 500 images, experimental results with varying sampling patterns and acceleration factors demonstrate that WKGM can attain state‐of‐the‐art reconstruction results with the well learned k‐space generative prior.
Volunteer omnichannel behavior in nonprofit organizations: Key antecedents and implications for management
Authors: Mato‐Santiso Vanessa , Rey‐García Marta , Sanzo‐Pérez María José
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this research consists of identifying the antecedents that may influence the adoption of omnichannel behavior by volunteers. This behavior can be understood as the interchangeable use of online and offline channels, providing volunteers with multiple contact points with nonprofit organizations. To this end, we first propose a conceptual model based on Clary et al.'s motivations framework and other relevant literature. Second, we test our model through quantitative‐based research, employing an online questionnaire with a representative sample of 7822 volunteers working for the Spanish Red Cross. We then carry out a hierarchical cluster analysis to group similar volunteers into clusters according to the use they make of the different offline and online channels, followed by an ordered logistic regression analysis to test the hypotheses proposed. First, two volunteer profiles are identified: offline‐oriented volunteers with low or no omnichannel behavior, and online‐oriented volunteers with high or very high omnichannel behavior. Second, our results suggest that some types of motivations among volunteers (understanding the nonprofit, career or employment opportunities, the advice of family, friends, and acquaintances, and protective reasons), as well as the sense of belonging, perceived usefulness of new technologies, social influence and having feedback channels, all positively influence the adoption of omnichannel behavior by volunteers. Additionally, our findings reveal different effects for the two clusters identified. Finally, and using a contingency approach, implications for nonprofit–volunteer relationship management are drawn.
Robust integral controller design based on composite nonlinear feedback in uncertain systems with constrained inputs and external disturbances
Authors: Badruh Hamid , Ghaffari Valiollah , Jahromi Amin Torabi
Published: August 2023

In this article, to enhance the transient performances in constrained uncertain systems, a control technique based on linear matrix inequality (LMI) is characterized to the robust integral composite nonlinear feedback (CNF) controller design. To achieve this aim, considering the inputs limitations and the uncertainties, the regulation is transformed into a minimization subjected to several LMIs. Solving an optimization in real‐time, the gains of the controller are calculated. So, the regulation and the disturbance rejection are effectively handled employing the presented control law. Compared with the existing integral methodology, the provided simulations validate the applicability of the robust integral CNF control law in uncertain systems.
Letermovir for Cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Chen Teaghan T. , David Alexandria P. , Barthelmess Erin K. , MacBrayne Christine E.
Published: August 2023

Background

Letermovir (LTV), an antiviral with exclusive activity against Cytomegalovirus (CMV), is approved for prophylaxis of CMV infection and disease in adult hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients. The use of LTV in the pediatric HCT population is off‐label, and has limited literature to support its use.

Procedure

This was a single‐center, retrospective, matched (1:1 LTV:non‐LTV) cohort study of allogeneic HCT recipients transplanted at Children's Hospital Colorado from 2015 to 2022. The primary endpoint was clinically significant CMV DNAemia (defined as a CMV viral load >1000 copies/mL or any CMV DNAemia leading to preemptive treatment) through 6 months post transplant. Secondary outcomes included time to clinically significant CMV DNAemia, drug adverse effects, and dose adjustments of concomitant cyclosporine and voriconazole (known drug interactions).

Results

We compared 41 patients who received LTV prophylaxis to 41 patients who received no CMV prophylaxis. There was less clinically significant CMV DNAemia through D+180 in the LTV group (9.8% vs. 17.0%, p = .33). Overall, LTV was well tolerated, and 87.8% of patients experienced no adverse effects related to the drug. There was no observed pattern in LTV effect on cyclosporine serum concentrations, but LTV was associated with decreased voriconazole trough levels.

Conclusions

In this retrospective study, the use of LTV prophylaxis in pediatric stem cell patients was associated with reduced clinically significant CMV DNAemia through D+180.
Psychosexual functioning in cancer survivorship: What the pediatric oncologist needs to know
Authors: Frederick Natasha N. , Lehmann Vicky , Ahler Astrid , Carpenter Kristen , Cherven Brooke , Klosky James L. , Nahata Leena , Quinn Gwendolyn P.
Published: August 2023

Sexual health may be disrupted in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) both during and after cancer treatment, irrespective of whether they are diagnosed in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. Unfortunately, oncology providers often underestimate the relevance of psychosexual issues for AYAs and underprioritize sexual health throughout treatment and survivorship. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide information on (a) the etiology of psychosexual dysfunction in childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer patients and young adult survivors of childhood cancer; (b) strategies for communicating and evaluating potential sexual health issues of AYA patients/survivors; and (c) guidance for the practicing pediatric oncologist on how to address sexual health concerns with patients.
Novel advancements in additive manufacturing of PLA: A review
Authors: Odera Raphael Stone , Idumah Chistopher Igwe
Published: August 2023

Three‐dimensional (3‐D) printing technology (3‐DPT) also referred to as additive manufacturing (AM) has advanced rapidly and is vastly used in varying manufacturing fields because of the minimization of waste materials and the ability to form complex geometrical shapes from micro‐ to macroscale. Nowadays, additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged extensively in varying engineering, architectural, medical, industrial, and manufacturing fields. Four‐dimensional (4‐D) printing technology (4‐DPT) synergizes 3‐DPT with stimuli‐sensitive materials and has garnered wide attention for smart additive fabrication. More so, 4‐DPT has displayed great prospects in numerous engineering applications including origami actuators, drug transport, robotics, smart clothing, and adaptive metamaterials. Hence, this elucidation presents recent advances in PLA additive manufacturing (3‐DPT) and applications. Insight into 4‐DPT is also presented.
Synthesis, characterization and performance of new 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane derivatives in anion exchange membranes
Authors: Coppola Roxana Elisabeth , D'Accorso Norma Beatriz , Abuin Graciela Carmen
Published: August 2023

Anion exchange membranes have aroused much interest for use in electrolyzers and alkaline fuel cells. In this work, two double‐charged anion exchange membranes based on poly(2,5‐benzimidazole) and poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) prepared by the casting method are reported. The effect of two different quaternizing agents based on 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) was evaluated. These membranes were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, SEM, TGA, water contact angle, swelling ratio, KOH and water uptake, ionic exchange capacity and ionic conductivity. The results showed that the length of the alkyl chain has a strong effect on the membrane properties. A good performance in a zero‐gap water alkaline electrolyzer was obtained for the membrane based on the butyl derivate of DABCO (BDABCO). © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Clinical study of multifactorial diagnosis in prostate biopsy
Authors: Li Jialei , Wang Kexin , Li Song , Wu Pengsheng , Wang Xiangpeng , He Yi , Tang Wenrui
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To study the feasibility of using an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) on multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) in combination with conventional clinical information.

Methods

A retrospective study cohort with 505 patients was collected, with complete information on age (≤60, 60–80, and >80 years), PSA (≤4, 4–10, and >10 ng/dL), and pathology results. The patients with ISUP group >2 were classified as csPCa, and the patients with ISUP = 1 or no evidence of prostate cancer were classified as non‐csPCa. The diagnosis of mpMRI was made by experienced radiologists following the prostate imaging reporting and data system (PIRADS ≤ 2, PIRADS = 3, and PIRADS > 3). The mpMRI images were processed by a homemade AI algorithm, and the AI results were obtained as positive or negative for csPCa. Two logistic regression models were fitted, with pathological findings as the dependent variable, that is, a conventional model and an AI model. The conventional model used age, PSA, and PIRADS as the independent variables. The AI model took the AI result and the abovementioned clinical information as the independent variables. The predicted probability of the patients from the conventional model and the AI model were used to test the prediction efficacy of the models. The DeLong test was performed to compare differences in the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) between the conventional model and the AI model.

Results

In total, 505 patients were included in the study; 280 were diagnosed with csPCa, and 225 were non‐csPCa. The median age was 72.0 (67.0, 76.0) years, with a median PSA value of 13.0 (7.46, 27.5) ng/dL. Statically significant differences were found in age, PSA, PIRADS score and AI results between the csPCa and non‐csPCa groups (all p < 0.001). In the multivariable regression models, all the variables were independently associated with csPCa. The conventional model (R2 = 0.361) and the AI model (R2 = 0.474) were compared with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and showed statistically significant differences (χ2 = 63.695, p < 0.001). The AUC of the ROC curve for the conventional model was 0.782 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.742–0.823), which was less than the AUC of the AI model with statistical significance (0.849 [95% CI: 0.815–0.883], p < 0.001).

Conclusion

In combination with routine clinical information, such as age, PSA, and PIRADS category, adding information from the AI algorithm based on mpMRI could improve the diagnosis of csPCa.
Blueberries infected with the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum fioriniae release odors that repel Drosophila suzukii
Authors: Rering Caitlin C , Quadrel Amanda , Urbaneja‐Bernat Pablo , Beck John J , Ben‐Zvi Yahel , Khodadadi Fatemeh , Aćimović Srđan G , Rodriguez‐Saona Cesar
Published: August 2023

BACKGROUND

Spotted‐wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, is a serious pest of thin‐skinned fruits. Alternative methods to control this pest are needed to reduce insecticide use, including new repellents. Previous research demonstrated that D. suzukii adults use odor cues to avoid blueberries infected with the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum fioriniae, which causes the disease anthracnose. To identify novel D. suzukii repellents, we investigated the volatile emission from experimentally‐infected fruit, which were inoculated with C. fioriniae isolates in the laboratory, and from field‐collected fruit, which were naturally infected and harvested from a field. We then tested the pathogen‐induced volatiles on D. suzukii adult behavior.

RESULTS

Volatile emission was similar between all five C. fioriniae strains, with good agreement between experimentally‐infected and field‐collected berries. In total, 14 volatiles were found to be more abundant in infected versus uninfected fruit headspace. In multiple‐choice bioassays, nine of the 14 volatiles elicited repellency responses from adult D. suzukii. These nine volatiles were further evaluated in dual choice assays, where all nine reduced fly capture by 43–96% compared to the control. The most repellent compounds tested were the esters ethyl butanoate and ethyl (E)‐but‐2‐enoate, which were more or equally repellent to the known D. suzukii repellents 1‐octen‐3‐ol, geosmin, and 2‐pentylfuran. Dose–response assays identified concentration‐dependent effects on D. suzukii repellency and oviposition when applied individually and consistent aversion observed across doses of a 1:1 blend.

CONCLUSION

We report two repellents from C. fioriniae‐infected blueberries that could be useful semiochemicals for the behavioral manipulation of D. suzukii in the field. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Forced degradation study of baricitinib and structural characterization of its degradation impurities by high‐resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Authors: Chaganti Sowmya , Dhiman Vivek , Madhyanapu Golla Vijaya , K R Roshitha , Khemchandani Rahul , Samanthula Gananadhamu
Published: August 2023

Rationale

Baricitinib (BARI), an inhibitor of Janus kinases 1 and 2 (JAK 1/2), is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and COVID‐19. The present study focuses on establishing the forced degradation behavior of BARI under different degradation conditions (hydrolysis, oxidation, and photolysis) following International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines of Q1A (R2)—Stability testing of new drug substances and products and Q1B—Photostability testing of new drug substances and products. This study helps in monitoring the quality and safety of BARI and its product development.

Methods

Prior to conducting the study, the in silico degradation profile of BARI was predicted by Zeneth. Reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography employing a gradient program was used for the identification and separation of degradation impurities with an InertSustain C8 column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phases used were 10 mM ammonium formate (pH 2.89) and acetonitrile. High‐resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was used for the structural elucidation of the degradation impurities.

Results

BARI was labile to hydrolytic (acidic, basic, and neutral) and photolytic degradation conditions which yielded 10 new degradation impurities and it was stable under oxidative (H2O2) conditions. The separated degradation impurities were characterized by HRMS and the respective degradation pathways were proposed. The generated information helped to propose a mechanism for the formation of the degradation impurities. Additionally, one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used for the characterization of two major degradation impurities.

Conclusion

The forced degradation study of BARI was carried out in accordance with ICH Q1A and Q1B guidelines, which resulted in the formation of 10 new degradation impurities. In our analysis, three degradation impurities were matching with the Zeneth predictions. In silico tools, DEREK Nexus® and SARAH Nexus®, were used for predicting the toxicity and mutagenicity of BARI and its degradation impurities. Overall, this study sheds light on BARI's safety monitoring and storage circumstances.
Metabolic profiling of the flower of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl. in rats using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry with data mining strategy
Authors: Zhou Huixian , Huang Xinxin , Tan Ting , Luo Yun
Published: August 2023

Rationale

The flower of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl. (FCAVA), an edible tea and herbal medicine with anti‐obesity effect, has attracted great attention in China. The structural elucidation of chemical components in FCAVA has been realized in our previous work. It is well known that metabolic profiling provided a structural basis to discover potential anti‐obesity ingredients in FCAVA. Nevertheless, there are no reports about in vivo metabolic profiles of FCAVA. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively identify in vivo substances of FCAVA.

Methods

The identification of in vivo substances of FCAVA remains a challenge due to the strong interference of complex chemical components, biological matrices and metabolite isomers. In this work, ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐QTOF‐MS/MS) analysis with a data mining strategy was established and applied for the metabolic profiling of FCAVA in rats. The data mining strategy, including diagnostic product ions and neutral loss filtering, improved structural elucidation of xenobiotics in rats after oral administration of FCAVA.

Results

A total of 228 xenobiotics, including 80 prototypes (10 unambiguous confirmed with reference standards) and 148 metabolites, were tentatively characterized in rat plasma, urine and fecal samples. Among them, 35 xenobiotics were found in plasma, 124 in urine and 156 in feces. The main biotransformation pathway of FCAVA metabolism was deglycosylation, methylation, glucuronidation and sulfation. The main compounds absorbed into the blood were neohesperidin and naringin, which have been reported to show significant anti‐obesity effect.

Conclusions

Collectively, this present study would be conducive to the discovery of active ingredients of FCAVA for the treatment of obesity and the development of quality control of FCAVA.
Nonconservative adaptive practical predefined‐time sliding mode tracking of uncertain robotic manipulators
Authors: Sai Huayang , Xu Zhenbang , Cui Jingkai
Published: August 2023

In this article, a nonconservative predefined‐time sliding mode control (SMC) scheme and an adaptive practical predefined‐time SMC scheme are proposed for trajectory tracking of uncertain robotic manipulators. The nonconservative predefined‐time SMCer can achieve strong predefined‐time stability of a class of second‐order systems without dynamic uncertainties and disturbances. Nonetheless, even in the dynamic uncertainties and disturbances, we show that the studied scheme provides a nonconservative upper bound of settling time. Moreover, considering the unknown coupling uncertainty of the robotic system, adaptive laws are proposed to estimate the upper bound of the coupling uncertainty. Based on the proposed practical predefined‐time stability criterion, the designed adaptive practical predefined‐time SMCer is shown that the tracking error of the system can converge to a neighborhood of the origin within a predefined time, and the proposed controller weakens the chattering and no prior knowledge of the upper bound of the system uncertainty is required. Several simulation examples are conducted to show the feasibility of the proposed controller, especially evaluating the robustness and the nonconservative settling time.
Geometry‐based flipper motion planning for articulated tracked robots traversing rough terrain in real‐time
Authors: Chen Bailiang , Huang Kaihong , Pan Hainan , Ren Haoran , Chen Xieyuanli , Xiao Junhao , Wu Wenqi , Lu Huimin
Published: August 2023

Tracked robots operating on rough terrain are often equipped with controllable flippers to help themselves overcome large obstacles or gaps. How to automate the control of these auxiliary flippers to achieve autonomous traversal remains an open question, which still necessitates inefficient manual teleoperation in practice. To tackle this problem, this article presents a geometry‐based motion planning method for an articulated tracked robot to self‐control its flippers during autonomous or semiautonomous traversal over rough terrain in urban search and rescue environments. The proposed method is developed by combining dynamic programming with a novel geometry‐based pose prediction method of high computational efficiency, which is applicable for typical challenging rescue terrains, such as stairs, Stepfields, and rails. The efficient pose prediction method allows us to make thousands of predictions about the robot poses at future locations for given flipper configurations within the onboard sensor range. On the basis of such predictions, our method evaluates the entire discretized configuration space and thereby determines the optimal flipper motion online for a smooth traversal over the terrain. The overall planning algorithm is tested with both simulated and real‐world robots and compared with a reinforcement‐learning‐based method using the RoboCup Rescue Robot League standard testing scenarios. The experimental results show that our method enables the robots to automatically control the flippers, successfully go over challenging terrains, and outperform the baseline method in passing smoothness and robustness to different terrains.
Deep learning‐based crop row detection for infield navigation of agri‐robots
Authors: de Silva Rajitha , Cielniak Grzegorz , Wang Gang , Gao Junfeng
Published: August 2023

Autonomous navigation in agricultural environments is challenged by varying field conditions that arise in arable fields. State‐of‐the‐art solutions for autonomous navigation in such environments require expensive hardware, such as Real‐Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System. This paper presents a robust crop row detection algorithm that withstands such field variations using inexpensive cameras. Existing data sets for crop row detection do not represent all the possible field variations. A data set of sugar beet images was created representing 11 field variations comprised of multiple grow stages, light levels, varying weed densities, curved crop rows, and discontinuous crop rows. The proposed pipeline segments the crop rows using a deep learning‐based method and employs the predicted segmentation mask for extraction of the central crop using a novel central crop row selection algorithm. The novel crop row detection algorithm was tested for crop row detection performance and the capability of visual servoing along a crop row. The visual servoing‐based navigation was tested on a realistic simulation scenario with the real ground and plant textures. Our algorithm demonstrated robust vision‐based crop row detection in challenging field conditions outperforming the baseline.
Exploring functional flow heterogeneity in regulated flow regime: Fish species turnover along hydraulic gradients in an artificial waterway network
Authors: Ohira Mitsuru , Fukuda Shinji
Published: August 2023

Humans have altered river flows leading to a loss of connection with floodplain habitats. The expansion of agriculture in floodplains has resulted in landscapes dominated by irrigated farmland. A key challenge in water management is to conserve existing ecological communities and habitat heterogeneity, while simultaneously maintaining engineered infrastructure for agriculture. In this study, we focused on an artificial channel network for irrigation with a regulated flow regime and its function as habitat for various fish species. Differences in hydraulic conditions among channels and compositional changes in fish species were examined to clarify functional flow heterogeneity. Analyzed using pairwise Simpson dissimilarity among sampling reaches, species turnover was positively associated with Froude number (flow intensity) differences at intermediate discharges, and with differences in cross‐sectional areas (flow magnitude) at low discharges. Drastic changes in inflows should be considered for the effective conservation of flow heterogeneity, even under a regulated flow regime. Improved engineering design to manage the hydraulic environment is one option for maintaining the ecological value of lateral waterbodies in human‐dominated landscapes. Our findings provide insights into the importance of functional flow heterogeneity to conserve fish species diversity.
SDGs trade‐offs associated with voluntary sustainability standards: A case study from the coffee sector in Costa Rica
Authors: Rubio‐Jovel Karla , Sellare Jorge , Damm Yannic , Dietz Thomas
Published: August 2023

The transition toward a more sustainable agricultural production has become an essential step in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), launched by the United Nations in 2015. Voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) have been proposed as a useful governance tool for guiding this transition. Thus, this article uses a case study from the coffee sector in Costa Rica to assess the contribution of VSSs to the achievement of the SDGs. We rely on panel data from coffee producers captured between 2017 and 2019 to carry out this assessment. Results of the statistical analysis suggest that VSSs alone are not enough to promote a transition to a more sustainable coffee production, as trade‐offs between the contributions of VSSs to the different SDGs emerge. If the VSSs are to promote sustainable practices among producers while ensuring socioeconomic benefits for producers, workers, and their families, implementation modifications are required.
Instrumental variable analysis for cost outcome: Application to the effect of primary care visit on medical cost among low‐income adults
Authors: Gao Dexiang , Hu Junxiao , Bradley Cathy J. , Yang Fan
Published: August 2023

Medical cost data often consist of zero values as well as extremely right‐skewed positive values. A two‐part model is a popular choice for analyzing medical cost data, where the first part models the probability of a positive cost using logistic regression and the second part models the positive cost using a lognormal or Gamma distribution. To address the unmeasured confounding in studies on cost outcome under two‐part models, two instrumental variable (IV) methods, two‐stage residual inclusion (2SRI) and two‐stage prediction substitution (2SPS) are widely applied. However, previous literature demonstrated that both the 2SRI and the 2SPS could fail to consistently estimate the causal effect among compliers under standard IV assumptions for binary and survival outcomes. Our simulation studies confirmed that it continued to be the case for a two‐part model, which is another nonlinear model. In this article, we develop a model‐based IV approach, Instrumental Variable with Two‐Part model (IV2P), to obtain a consistent estimate of the causal effect among compliers for cost outcome under standard IV assumptions. In addition, we develop sensitivity analysis approaches to allow the evaluation of the sensitivity of the causal conclusions to potential quantified violations of the exclusion restriction assumption and the randomization of IV assumption. We apply our method to a randomized cash incentive study to evaluate the effect of a primary care visit on medical cost among low‐income adults newly covered by a primary care program.