bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuron‐Inspired Time‐of‐Flight Sensing via Spike‐Timing‐Dependent Plasticity of Artificial Synapses
Authors: Park Minseong , Yuan Yuan , Baek Yongmin , Jones Andrew H. , Lin Nicholas , Lee Doeon , Lee Hee Sung , Kim Sihwan , Campbell Joe C. , Lee Kyusang
Published: November 2021

3D sensing is a primitive function that allows imaging with depth information generally achieved via the time‐of‐flight (ToF) principle. However, time‐to‐digital converters (TDCs) in conventional ToF sensors are usually bulky, complex, and exhibit large delay and power loss. To overcome these issues, a resistive time‐of‐flight (R‐ToF) sensor that can measure the depth information in an analog domain by mimicking the biological process of spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity (STDP) is proposed herein. The R‐ToF sensors based on integrated avalanche photodiodes (APDs) with memristive intelligent matters achieve a scan depth of up to 55 cm (≈89% accuracy and 2.93 cm standard deviation) and low power consumption (0.5 nJ/step) without TDCs. The in‐depth computing is realized via R‐ToF 3D imaging and memristive classification. This R‐ToF system opens a new pathway for miniaturized and energy‐efficient neuromorphic vision engineering that can be harnessed in light‐detection and ranging (LiDAR), automotive vehicles, biomedical in vivo imaging, and augmented/virtual reality.
Total Synthesis of Shearinines D and G: A Convergent Approach to Indole Diterpenoids
Authors: Hauser Nicole , Imhof Michael A. , Eichenberger Sarah S. , Kündig Tomas , Carreira Erick M.
Published: November 2021

The first total syntheses of the indole diterpenoids (+)‐shearinine G and D are disclosed. The successful routes rely on late‐stage coupling of two complex fragments. Formation of the challenging trans‐hydrindane motif was accomplished by diastereoselective, intramolecular cyclopropanation. A one‐pot sequence consisting of Sharpless dihydroxylation/Achmatowicz reaction was developed to install the dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane motif. The indenone subunit was accessed by Prins cyclization. Tuning the electronic nature of the substituents on the parent arylcarboxaldehyde allowed access to divergent products that were further transformed into shearinines G and D. Riley‐type oxidation of a bicyclic enone yielded a surprising stereochemical outcome.
Controlled In‐Cell Generation of Active Palladium(0) Species for Bioorthogonal Decaging
Authors: Konč Juraj , Sabatino Valerio , Jiménez‐Moreno Ester , Latocheski Eloah , Pérez Laura Rodríguez , Day Jason , Domingos Josiel B. , Bernardes Gonçalo J. L.
Published: November 2021

Owing to their bioorthogonality, transition metals have become very popular in the development of biocompatible bond‐cleavage reactions. However, many approaches require design and synthesis of complex ligands or formulation of nanoparticles which often perform poorly in living cells. This work reports on a method for the generation of an active palladium species that triggers bond‐cleaving reactions inside living cells. We utilized the water‐soluble Na2PdCl4 as a simple source of PdII which can be intracellularly reduced by sodium ascorbate to the active Pd0 species. Once generated, Pd0 triggers the cleavage of allyl ether and carbamate caging groups leading to the release of biologically active molecules. These findings do not only expand the toolbox of available bioorthogonal dissociative reactions but also provide an additional strategy for controlling the reactivity of Pd species involved in Pd‐mediated bioorthogonal reactions.
A novel UPLC–MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of trigonelline, 4‐hydroxyisoleucine, and diosgenin from Trigonella foenum‐graecum extract: Application to pharmacokinetic study in healthy and type 2 diabetic rats
Authors: Wadhwa Geetika , Krishna Kowthavarapu Venkata , Taliyan Rajeev , Tandon Neeraj , Yadav Satyapal Singh , Banerjee Dipankar , Narwaria Avinash , Katiyar Chandrakant , Dubey Sunil Kumar
Published: November 2021

Trigonelline (TR), 4‐hydroxyisoleucine (4‐HI), and diosgenin (DG) are the main bioactives of the purified standardized extract of the popular plant Trigonella foenum‐graecum L. (TFG), and it has been proven effective for the treatment of various diseases. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the pharmacokinetic parameters of purified standardized T. foenum‐graecum extract in normal and diabetic Wistar rats. The present study has developed and validated a rapid, reliable, and sensitive simultaneous ultra‐performance liquid chromatography MS method to estimate these bioactives. The chromatographic separation was achieved using methanol, acetonitrile, and 0.1% formic acid with the ideal gradient flow system on a BEH Shield RP 18 column. A positive electrospray ionization mode was selected to estimate m/z values of TR (138.14 > 94.63), 4‐HI (148.19 > 74.08), and DG (415.54 > 271.33). The method was robust and reproducible over the linearity range of 60–5000, 6–5000, and 15–5000 ng/mL for TR, 4‐HI, and DG, respectively. Using this novel validated method, we investigated the pharmacokinetic parameters of bioactives using Phoenix WinNonlin version 8.0 (Certera) in normal and diabetic rats. The assay was successfully applied for the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters using noncompartmental analysis. This investigation shows that the absorption rate increased, whereas distribution and elimination processes slowed down in diabetic rats compared with normal rats.
Tailoring the Properties of Optical Force Probes for Polymer Mechanochemistry
Authors: He Siyang , Stratigaki Maria , Centeno Silvia P. , Dreuw Andreas , Göstl Robert
Published: November 2021

Invited for the cover of this issue are Robert Göstl and co‐workers at DWI–Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, RWTH Aachen University and Heidelberg University. The image depicts the tailoring of optical force probes for analyzing polymer materials. Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202102938.
Lactic acidosis, a potential toxicity from drug–drug interaction related to concomitant ribociclib and metformin in preexisting renal insufficiency: A case report
Authors: Lagampan Chalita , Poovorawan Nattaya , Parinyanitikul Napa
Published: November 2021

Background

Ribociclib, one of the cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDK) 4 and 6 inhibitors, in combination with endocrine therapies has been approved in the treatment of hormonal receptor positive, HER‐2 negative metastatic breast cancer worldwide. Long‐term usage of ribociclib with concomitant drugs, potential drug–drug interaction may develop which can limit the therapeutic value of CDK4/6 inhibitor.

Case

A 62‐year‐old with history of non‐insulin dependent diabetic, dyslipidemia, and essential hypertension was diagnosed with HR‐positive, HER‐2 negative metastatic breast cancer and treated with fulvestrant plus ribociclib. Four weeks after administration, elevated serum creatinine was observed, and then severe lactic acidosis with acute respiratory failure was subsequently reported. Ribociclib and fulvestrant were temporarily discontinued. Three days after renal replacement therapy, her clinical was stabilized. Combination ribociclib with metformin resulted in high plasma metformin levels and dangerous consequences. Hence, special precaution should be considered during concomitant treatment with sensitive transporter substrates.

Conclusion

Metformin associated lactic acidosis may potentially occur after combination with ribocilib, an uncommon but lethal complication from the interaction of these drugs, especially in patients who had preexisting renal impairment.
Hard Red Winter Wheat in the Mid‐Atlantic
Authors: Korzekwa Kaine
Published: November 2021

Hard red winter wheat may be ready for its big break in the Mid‐Atlantic region of the United States. After more than two decades of research and development behind the scenes, new varieties and market interest make it poised to become a viable niche crop. While it may not be grown in the same quantities as soft wheat in this region, hard wheat can provide diversity and be a market advantage for growers. Earn 0.5 CEUs in Crop Management by reading the article and taking the quiz at https://bit.ly/2YLqM7m. View all CEUs online at https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning‐Center/Courses.
Soil Properties and Crop–Livestock Integration
Authors: Ernst Matthew
Published: November 2021

Integrated crop–livestock systems (ICLS) bring cattle and cropland together, often incorporating other practices like cover crops, no‐tillage, and diversified crop rotations. New research looks at the soil health and water quality of short‐ and long‐term ICLS, including cover crops and livestock grazing in the Northern Great Plains. Earn 0.5 CEUs in Soil & Water Management by reading the article and taking the quiz at https://bit.ly/3pfkBn9. View all CEUs online at https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning‐Center/Courses.
Facile Synthesis of Amorphous MoCo Lamellar Hydroxide for Alkaline Water Oxidation
Authors: Qian Shengtai , Huang Gang , Zhu Tong , Zhang Yue , Tang Wukui , Yu Ronghai
Published: November 2021

To find an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst with satisfactory catalytic performance and affordable cost is of great importance to the development of many new energy devices. In this work, a simple and effective strategy was developed to synthesize a series of amorphous MoCo lamellar hydroxide through one‐step chemical co‐precipitation. Systematic investigations showed that different functional agents (2‐methylimidazole, NaOH, NH4OH) in the fabrication process resulted in different micromorphology of the catalyst, thus influencing its electrocatalytic performance. Also, adding various amounts of Mo could influence the intrinsic catalytic properties. Samples synthesized with appropriate functional agent addition and optimized Mo addition exhibited amorphous nature and bent nanosheet morphology, as well as highest intrinsic catalytic activity, showing a low overpotential of 290 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 55 mV dec−1 in 1 m KOH solution. Additionally, the catalytic performance of the sample showed just small decay after 50 h chronopotentiometry test and 3000 cyclic voltammetry cycles, exhibiting the ultra‐stable catalytic activity of the catalyst. This work provides a possible large‐scale commercial production strategy of OER catalysts with promising performance and low fabrication cost.
Electrochemical Proton Reduction over Nickel Foam for Z‐Stereoselective Semihydrogenation/deuteration of Functionalized Alkynes
Authors: Valiente Alejandro , Martínez‐Pardo Pablo , Kaur Gurpreet , Johansson Magnus J. , Martín‐Matute Belén
Published: November 2021

Selective reduction strategies based on abundant‐metal catalysts are very important in the production of chemicals. In this paper, a method for the electrochemical semihydrogenation and semideuteration of alkynes to form Z‐alkenes was developed, using a simple nickel foam as catalyst and H3O+ or D3O+ as sources of hydrogen or deuterium. Good yields and excellent stereoselectivities (Z/E up to 20 : 1) were obtained under very mild reaction conditions. The reaction proceeded with terminal and nonterminal alkynes, and also with alkynes containing easily reducible functional groups, such as carbonyl groups, as well as aryl chlorides, bromides, and even iodides. The nickel‐foam electrocatalyst could be recycled up to 14 times without any change in its catalytic properties.
Serological and cellular inflammatory signatures in end‐stage kidney disease and latent tuberculosis
Authors: McLean Milla R , Wragg Kathleen M , Lopez Ester , Kiazyk Sandra A , Ball Terry Blake , Bueti Joe , Kent Stephen J , Juno Jennifer A , Chung Amy W
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Tuberculosis comorbidity with chronic diseases including diabetes, HIV and chronic kidney disease is of rising concern. In particular, latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) comorbidity with end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD) is associated with up to 52.5‐fold increased risk of TB reactivation to active tuberculosis infection (ATBI). The immunological mechanisms driving this significant rise in TB reactivation are poorly understood. To contribute to this understanding, we performed a comprehensive assessment of soluble and cellular immune features amongst a unique cohort of patients comorbid with ESKD and LTBI.

Methods

We assessed the plasma and cellular immune profiles from patients with and without ESKD and/or LTBI (N = 40). We characterised antibody glycosylation, serum complement and cytokine levels. We also assessed classical and non‐classical monocytes and T cells with flow cytometry. Using a systems‐based approach, we identified key immunological features that discriminate between the different disease states.

Results

Individuals with ESKD exhibited a highly inflammatory plasma profile and an activated cellular state compared with those without ESKD, including higher levels of inflammatory antibody Fc glycosylation structures and activated CX3CR1+ monocytes that correlate with increased inflammatory plasma cytokines. Similar elevated inflammatory signatures were also observed in ESKD+/LTBI+ compared with ESKD−/LTBI+, suggesting that ESKD induces an overwhelming inflammatory immune state. In contrast, no significant inflammatory differences were observed when comparing LTBI+ and LTBI− individuals.

Conclusion

Our study highlights the highly inflammatory state induced by ESKD. We hypothesise that this inflammatory state could contribute to the increased risk of TB reactivation in ESKD patients.
Fingerprinting Arctic and North Atlantic Macroalgae with eDNA – Application and perspectives
Authors: Ørberg Sarah B. , Krause‐Jensen Dorte , Geraldi Nathan R. , Ortega Alejandra , Díaz‐Rúa Rubén , Duarte Carlos M.
Published: November 2021

Macroalgae are key primary producers in North Atlantic and Arctic coastal ecosystems, and tracing their fate and distribution is vital to improve our understanding of their ecological role and provision of ecosystem services. Recent advances from environmental DNA (eDNA) have added a new capacity to fingerprint and trace macroalgae. However, further development of resources for amplifying and identifying macroalgal eDNA are much needed. Here, we examined the performance in terms of resolution and specificity of two 18S primers (18S‐V7 and 18S‐V9) recently applied in identifying macroalgae from eDNA. We also built a local barcode database for primer 18S‐V7 with 31 widespread Arctic and North Atlantic macroalgal species to complement the existing DNA databases. Furthermore, we applied metabarcoding of eDNA to identify macroalgae in Arctic marine sediments (Disko Bay, W. Greenland) and evaluated the contributions from our local barcode database. We identified macroalgal DNA from 19 families across 11 orders in surface (0–1 cm, with both primers) and sub‐surface (5–10 cm, with 18S‐V7 primer) sediments. The barcode database developed here with the 18S‐V7 primer improved the identification of unique families, from 16 to 19 families, thereby strengthening the taxonomic assignment possible relative to pre‐existing barcode reference sequences. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of eDNA to resolve contributions of macroalgae in Arctic marine sediments, and enhances the fingerprinting resolution. We thereby document a novel pathway to answer key questions on the ecological role and fate of macroalgae in the Arctic.
Copper‐Catalyzed N1 Coupling of 3‐Aminoindazoles and Related Aminoazoles with Aryl Bromides
Authors: Cyr Patrick , Joseph‐Valcin Eve‐Marline , Boissarie Patrick , Simoneau Bruno , Marinier Anne
Published: November 2021

The N1‐selective arylation of 3‐aminoindazoles using copper catalysis is herein reported. The reaction uses readily accessible aryl bromides as coupling partners, including those from heterocycles, and allows easy access to a broad variety of substituted 3‐aminoindazoles. The methodology was also examined on other aminoazoles of interest for the pharmaceutical industry.
Fundamental Physical Properties of Nontoxic Tin‐Based Formamidinium FASnX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) Hybrid Halide Perovskites: Future Opportunities in Photovoltaic Applications
Authors: Pachori Sanjay , Agarwal Rohit , Prakash Bhanu , Kumari Sarita , Verma Ajay Singh
Published: November 2021

To analyze potential alternatives, the fundamental physical properties such as structural, electronic, optical, elastic, thermoelectric, and thermodynamic parameters of tin‐based formamidinium FASnX3 (X = I, Br, Cl) hybrid halide perovskites by using density functional theory are investigated. The calculated results indicate that these compounds exhibit analogous band gap, considerable thermal and elastic stability, and notable optical properties with high dielectric constant and absorption coefficient, significant hole, and electron conductive behavior. The present research work shows as good absorbers for perovskite solar cells, adding to the validity of FP‐LAPW (full‐potential linearized augmented plane wave) methods, simultaneously enhancing the understanding of these practical hybrid perovskite materials. It may be believed that this study will be of a lot of credit for experimentalists for synthesis and characterization of these materials and will be done experimentally in future times due to the very good properties of photovoltaic applications.
Pd/Gorlos‐Phos‐Catalyzed Chemoselective Amination of Bromophenyl Chlorides with Primary Arylamines
Authors: Duan Xinyu , Song Yulong , Fu Chunling , Ma Shengming
Published: November 2021

With the readily available Gorlos‐Phos as a ligand, halogenated diarylamines were prepared efficiently from Pd‐catalyzed monoamination of bromophenyl chlorides and primary arylamines, tolerating functional groups such as aldehyde, ketone, nitrile, fluorine, sulphonyl and trifluoromethyl groups. The formation of the amination of the C−Cl bond and diamination products were not observed.
Synthesis and Structure Diversity of Half‐Sandwich Rare Earth Dialkynyl Complexes
Authors: Xiong Gang , Tardif Olivier , Nishiura Masayoshi , Bingtao Guan , Hou Zhaomin
Published: November 2021

Half‐sandwich rare‐earth dialkynyl complexes are of much interest in both structure and reactivity but have remained much underexplored to date. Here we report the synthesis and transformation of a new family of half‐sandwich dialkynyl complexes bearing the C5Me4SiMe3 ligand, which exhibited diverse structural features depending on metal ion size, alkyne substituent and with or without THF coordination. The acid‐base reactions between half‐sandwich rare earth dialkyl complexes (C5Me4SiMe3)Ln(CH2SiMe3)2(THF) (Ln=Sc, Y, Lu) and two equivalents of terminal alkynes such as phenylacetylene and trimethylsilylacetylene in THF generally gave the corresponding THF‐coordinated monomeric rare earth dialkynyl complexes, which upon recrystallization from toluene yielded further aggregated alkynyl complexes with partial or full dissociation of the THF ligands. In the case of phenylacetylene, trimeric yttrium and lutetium hexaalkynyl complexes were formed, in which each pair of the metal atoms was bridged by two alkynyl ligands in solid state but the alkynyl ligands underwent rapid site exchange in toluene solution. In the case of trimethylsilylacetylene with yttrium and lutetium, dimeric tetraalkynyl complexes bearing two terminal and two bridging alkynyl ligands were obtained from toluene. In contrast, recrystallization of the scandium trimethylsilylacetylide complex from toluene induced alkynyl coupling and yielded dimeric scandium complex with one butatrienediyl and two alkynyl bridging ligands. Upon dissolution in THF, all the aggregated alkynyl/butatrienediyl complexes were rapidly reconverted to the monomeric dialkynyl complexes as a result of THF coordination to the rare earth metal atoms.
Emerging Trends in Chiral Inorganic Nanostructures
Authors: Lu Jun , Xue Yao , Kotov Nicholas A.
Published: November 2021

The transfer of structural mirror asymmetry from chiral molecules to the inorganic phase at solid‐liquid interfaces enabled rapid development of biomimetic chiral nanoparticles. They can be synthesized and assembled following a variety of chemical methods resulting in the broad family of chiral inorganic nanostructures (CNs). Their chemistry attracted large attention due to marked enhancement of circular dichroism and polarization rotation compared to organic molecules and particles, which opened application prospects in sensing, imaging, catalysis, nonlinear optics, electronics, and medicine. New physical, chemical and biological effects involving CNs such as giant optical activity, mechanical force‐assisted modulation of optical activity, photon‐to‐particle chirality transfer and suppression of amyloid toxicity have been observed. Marked strides toward enhancement of optical asymmetry (g‐factor), engineering dynamic chirality in nanostructures, and spectral range of optical activity of chiral inorganic nanostructures from the ultraviolet to terahertz regions have also been made. Here, we summarize these and other current trends in the research of chiral inorganic nanomaterials and offer our perspective how the fundamental and translational research in this area is likely to develop in the next two decades.
Synthesis and antibacterial activity of novel 1,4‐pentadien‐3‐one derivatives bearing a benzothiazole moiety
Authors: Wang Yihui , Zhou Ran , Sun Nan , He Ming , Wu Yongjun , Xue Wei
Published: November 2021

In search of novel and efficient pesticides to combat increasingly resistant plant bacteria, in this work, 17 novel benzothiazole decorated penta‐1,4‐diene‐3‐one derivatives were designed and synthesized, the structures of all new compounds were systematically characterized via 1H‐NMR, 13C‐NMR, and HRMS. The results of the bioactivity study indicated that some compounds presented efficient antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo) and Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Citri (Xac). Among them, compounds 3i and 3q exhibited the lowest EC50 values of 11.9 and 28.5 μg ml−1 toward Xoo and Xac, respectively, both of them did better than those of thiodiazole copper (109.3 and 87.6 μg ml−1, respectively) and bismerthiazol (73.5 and 55.4 μg ml−1, respectively). Furthermore, SEM images further validated that the target compound 3i could distinctly make cell membrane destruction of Xoo.
Iterative mollifier‐based despiking of the single‐scan Raman spectra
Authors: Korepanov Vitaly
Published: November 2021

Removing cosmic spikes from experimental Raman spectra is highly important for the processing of big datasets. The despiking approaches are at present under active development. Herein, an algorithm is described that can handle the single‐scan spectra and works efficiently for both regular and apodized spectra. It is based on an iterative detection–fitting–subtraction cycle, in which the detection is based on a mollification operation. The approach does not require setting arbitrary threshold parameters for the detection. The efficiency of the algorithm is compared with the state‐of‐the‐art approaches. It is shown that it can remove the spikes at which fails the built‐in device software. The Python code is provided.
Solubilization and release of fragrance agents in the aqueous solution of CO2 switchable surfactants
Authors: Shi Qingzhao , Chai Guobi , Fan Wu , Mao Jian , Xu Xiujuan , Xi Hui , Liu Junhui , Song Yubing , Zhang Qidong
Published: November 2021

This study describes the enhancement in the solubility and controlled‐release of fragrance agents (menthol, four n‐alkanols, and three aromatic esters) using three CO2 switchable surfactants (N‐alkylimidazolium bicarbonates). The surfactants significantly improved the solubility of fragrance agents in water. N‐Dodecylimidazolium bicarbonate was the most effective surfactant to solubilize menthol. A stability test indicated that the surfactant could stably disperse menthol in water. Moreover, the surfactants improved the solubility of n‐alkanols to different levels, however, the solubility of the aromatic esters equally. The release of menthol from the surfactant solution under N2 at different durations of bubbling time, temperatures, and flow velocities were studied.
APA apologizes to communities of color for structural racism, vows change
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: November 2021

Apologizing and accepting responsibility for structural racism is increasingly becoming an important move, as witnessed over the past several months by the actions of two major mental health organizations. The American Psychological Association (APA), the most recent, apologized for its long‐standing contribution to systemic racism. The APA says it will engage in a comprehensive audit of all its equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives and anti‐racism‐related activities.
Colorado identifies free counseling as key to engaging more youths
Authors: Enos Gary
Published: November 2021

Leaders in Colorado believe they have identified a productive strategy for assisting more young people as their mental health needs continue to soar: Take any financial concerns out of the initial decision to pursue help.
NSDUH report finds COVID impacted adults with MI negatively
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: November 2021

A report released last month by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reveals that respondents' mental health had been negatively impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. Additionally, the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) underwent several changes which prevent its findings from being directly comparable to recent past‐year surveys, officials stated.
Bifurcation of limit cycles and isochronous centers on center manifolds for four‐dimensional systems
Authors: Huang Wentao , Gu Jieping , Wang Qinlong , Zegeling André
Published: November 2021

This paper is concerned with the bifurcation of limit cycles and isochronous centers on center manifolds for four‐dimensional nonlinear dynamic systems, which have a pair of purely imaginary eigenvalues and a pair of eigenvalues with negative real part for the Jacobian matrix corresponding to the singularity situated at the origin. In order to investigate the isochronous centers for four‐dimensional systems, a new algorithm to calculate so‐called isochronous constants is given. Moreover, with the calculation of the isochronous constants, the conditions for the existence of an isochronous center are determined in a way which does not need first computing the center manifolds of the four‐dimensional system. Finally, as an application, we investigate a class of quadratic polynomial systems for a model of airfoil and prove that the system can have five small limit cycles around the origin on the center manifold. Moreover, we apply our new methodology to find the sufficient and necessary conditions for the origin to be an isochronous center restricted to the center manifold, illustrating the reliability and availability of the new algorithm.
Evaluating the heterogeneous effect of a modifiable risk factor on suicide: The case of vitamin D deficiency
Authors: Zubizarreta Jose R. , Umhau John C. , Deuster Patricia A. , Brenner Lisa A. , King Andrew J. , Petukhova Maria V. , Sampson Nancy A. , Tizenberg Boris , Upadhyaya Sanjaya K. , RachBeisel Jill A. , Streeten Elizabeth A. , Kessler Ronald C. , Postolache Teodor T.
Published: November 2021

Objectives

To illustrate the use of machine learning methods to search for heterogeneous effects of a target modifiable risk factor on suicide in observational studies. The illustration focuses on secondary analysis of a matched case‐control study of vitamin D deficiency predicting subsequent suicide.

Methods

We describe a variety of machine learning methods to search for prescriptive predictors; that is, predictors of significant variation in the association between a target risk factor and subsequent suicide. In each case, the purpose is to evaluate the potential value of selective intervention on the target risk factor to prevent the outcome based on the provisional assumption that the target risk factor is causal. The approaches illustrated include risk modeling based on the super learner ensemble machine learning method, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) penalized regression, and the causal forest algorithm.

Results

The logic of estimating heterogeneous intervention effects is exposited along with the illustration of some widely used methods for implementing this logic.

Conclusions

In addition to describing best practices in using the machine learning methods considered here, we close with a discussion of broader design and analysis issues in planning an observational study to investigate heterogeneous effects of a modifiable risk factor.
Overweight and cystic fibrosis: An unexpected challenge
Authors: Gabel Megan E. , Fox Claudia K. , Grimes Rachel A. , Lowman John D. , McDonald Catherine M. , Stallings Virginia A. , Michel Suzanne H.
Published: November 2021

Achieving a healthy weight balance has been a central focus of care for people who have cystic fibrosis (CF). Over the years, the emphasis has primarily been on promoting weight gain to optimize pulmonary outcomes. With continued improvements in CF care, including highly effective CF modulators available for many people, the CF community is now experiencing a new challenge: addressing the concern that some people are gaining weight excessively. While at this time, we do not know to what extent overweight and obesity will affect health outcomes for people with CF, it is likely that excessive weight gain may have negative health impacts similar to those seen in the general population. In this paper, we review the history of nutritional guidelines for people with CF, as well as more recent trends toward overweight and obesity for some. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to collaboratively start the oftentimes difficult conversation regarding excessive weight gain, and to identify resources to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight through diet, exercise, and behavioral modification.
Mycobacterial membrane protein Large 3‐like‐family proteins in bacteria, protozoa, fungi, plants, and animals: A bioinformatics and structural investigation
Authors: Malwal Satish R. , Oldfield Eric
Published: November 2021

Lipid transporters play an important role in most if not all organisms, ranging from bacteria to humans. For example, in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the trehalose monomycolate transporter MmpL3 is involved in cell wall biosynthesis, while in humans, cholesterol transporters are involved in normal cell function as well as in disease. Here, using structural and bioinformatics information, we propose that there are proteins that also contain “MmpL3‐like” (MMPL) transmembrane (TM) domains in many protozoa, including Trypanosoma cruzi, as well as in the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, where the fatty acid transporter FarE has the same set of “active‐site” residues as those found in the mycobacterial MmpL3s, and in T. cruzi. We also show that there are strong sequence and predicted structural similarities between the TM proton‐translocation domain seen in the X‐ray structures of mycobacterial MmpL3s and several human as well as fungal lipid transporters, leading to the proposal that there are similar proteins in apicomplexan parasites, and in plants. The animal, fungal, apicomplexan, and plant proteins have larger extra‐membrane domains than are found in the bacterial MmpL3, but they have a similar TM domain architecture, with the introduction of a (catalytically essential) Phe > His residue change, and a Ser/Thr H‐bond network, involved in H+‐transport. Overall, the results are of interest since they show that MMPL‐family proteins are present in essentially all life forms: archaea, bacteria, protozoa, fungi, plants and animals and, where known, they are involved in “lipid” (glycolipid, phospholipid, sphingolipid, fatty acid, cholesterol, ergosterol) transport, powered by transmembrane molecular pumps having similar structures.
Luminescence Characteristics in Hexagonal and Cubic‐Phase GaN on Micropatterned Si(100) Substrate
Authors: Zhou Kehong , Huang Yi , Wang Qi , Yang Wen , Zhang Hongsheng , Liu Bin
Published: November 2021

The luminescence characteristics of the hexagonal GaN (h‐GaN) and cubic GaN (c‐GaN) on micropatterned Si(100) substrates are explored. Microstripes of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells in the cubic and hexagonal phases are grown on V‐grooved Si(100) substrate. The crystal phases are identified by X‐ray diffraction and selective area electron diffraction, which shows the top surface is c‐GaN(001) phase at the center and h‐GaN(101) at the side regions. Then, the energy dispersive X‐ray spectra of the indium content demonstrate the indium content in cubic InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (c‐MQWs) is higher than that in hexagonal InGaN/GaN MQWs (h‐MQWs). In addition, photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence measurements reveal that a cubic InGaN/GaN quantum well has produced longer wavelengths. The c‐MQWs could incorporate higher indium content and realize longer wavelength emissions, which has great potential to realize red light emitting diode.
Complement and microglia dependent synapse elimination in brain development
Authors: Soteros Breeanne M. , Sia Gek Ming
Published: November 2021

Synapse elimination, also known as synaptic pruning, is a critical step in the maturation of neural circuits during brain development. Mounting evidence indicates that the complement cascade of the innate immune system plays an important role in synapse elimination. Studies indicate that excess synapses during development are opsonized by complement proteins and subsequently phagocytosed by microglia which expresses complement receptors. The process is regulated by diverse molecular signals, including complement inhibitors that affect the activation of complement, as well as signals that affect microglial recruitment and activation. These signals may promote or inhibit the removal of specific sets of synapses during development. The complement‐microglia system has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of several developmental brain disorders, suggesting that the dysregulation of mechanisms of synapse pruning may underlie the specific circuitry defects in these diseases. Here, we review the latest evidence on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of complement‐dependent and microglia‐dependent synapse elimination during brain development, and highlight the potential of this system as a therapeutic target for developmental brain disorders.

This article is categorized under:

Neurological Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Neurological Diseases > Stem Cells and Development

Immune System Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology
Non-rational Narain CFTs from codes over F4
Authors: Dymarsky Anatoly , Sharon Adar
Published: November 2021

Abstract

We construct a map between a class of codes over F4 and a family of non-rational Narain CFTs. This construction is complementary to a recently introduced relation between quantum stabilizer codes and a class of rational Narain theories. From the modular bootstrap point of view we formulate a polynomial ansatz for the partition function which reduces modular invariance to a handful of algebraic easy-to-solve constraints. For certain small values of central charge our construction yields optimal theories, i.e. those with the largest value of the spectral gap.
Comparison of foraging tool use in two species of myrmicine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Módra Gábor , Maák István , Lőrincz Ádám , Lőrinczi Gábor
Published: November 2021

Many ant species are known to exhibit foraging tool use, during which ants place various debris items (e.g., pieces of soil, leaves, pine needles, etc.) into liquid food, and then they carry the food-soaked tools back to the nest. In the present study, we compared the tool-using behavior in captive colonies of two closely related myrmicine ants with different feeding preferences:Aphaenogaster subterranea, an omnivorous species, andMessor structor, a mainly granivorous seed-harvester species. We supplied foraging ants with honey-water baits and six types of objects they could use as tools: sand grains, small soil grains, large soil grains, pine needles, leaves, and sponges. We found that the workers ofA. subterraneaboth dropped more tools into honey-water baits and retrieved more of these tools than the workers ofM. structor. WhileA. subterraneapreferred smaller tools over larger ones, tool preferences forM. structordid not differ significantly from random. In addition, tool dropping was significantly faster inA. subterranea, and both the dropping and retrieving of tools began significantly earlier than inM. structor. ForAphaenogasterspecies that regularly utilize and compete for liquid food sources, the ability to efficiently transport liquid food via tools may be more important than it is for seed-harvester ants. Dropping tools into liquids, however, may still be useful for seed-harvester species as a means to supplement diet with liquid food during periods of seed shortage and also to serve as a means of getting rid of unwanted liquids close to the nest.
The significance of a concomitant clavicle fracture in flail chest patients: incidence, concomitant injuries, and outcome of 12,348 polytraumata from the TraumaRegister DGU®
Authors: Bakir Mustafa Sinan , Langenbach Andreas , Pinther Melina , Lefering Rolf , Krinner Sebastian , Grosso Marco , Ekkernkamp Axel , Schulz-Drost Stefan ,   the TraumaRegister DGU
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Isolated clavicle fractures (CF) rarely show complications, but their influence in the thorax trauma of the seriously injured still remains unclear. Some authors associate CF with a higher degree of chest injuries; therefore, the clavicle is meant to be a gatekeeper of the thorax.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU® (project 2017-10) was carried out involving the years 2009–2016 (ISS ≥ 16, primary admission to a trauma center). Cohort formation: unilateral and bilateral flail chest injuries (FC), respectively, with and without a concomitant CF.

Results

73,141 patients (26.5% female) met the inclusion criteria and 12,348 had flail chest injuries (FC; 20.0% CF; 67.7% monolateral FC), 25,425 other rib fractures (17.7% CF), and 35,368 had no rib fractures (6.5% CF). On average, monolateral FC patients were 56.0 ± 17.9 years old and bilateral FC patients were 57.7 ± 19 years old. The ISS in unilateral and bilateral FC were 29.1 ± 11.7 and 42.2 ± 12.9 points, respectively. FC with a CF occurred more frequently with bicycle and motorbike injuries in monolateral FC and pedestrians in bilateral FC injuries and less frequently due to falls. Patients with a CF in addition to a FC had longer hospital and ICU stays, underwent artificially respiration for longer periods, and died less often than patients without a CF. The effects were highly significant in bilateral FC. CF indicates more relevant concomitant injuries of the lung, scapula, and spinal column. Moreover, CF was associated with more injuries of the extremities in monolateral CF.

Conclusion

Due to the relevance of a concomitant CF fracture in FC, diagnostics should focus on finding CFs or rule them out. Combined costoclavicular injuries are associated with a significantly higher degree of thoracic injuries and longer hospital stays.
Lüftungskonzepte in Schulen zur Prävention einer Übertragung hochinfektiöser Viren (SARS-CoV‑2) über Aerosole in der Raumluft
Authors: Birmili Wolfram , Selinka Hans-Christoph , Moriske Heinz-Jörn , Daniels Anja , Straff Wolfgang
Published: November 2021

Aller Kenntnis nach spielen die mit der Atmung ausgeschiedenen Aerosolpartikel eine wichtige Rolle bei der Verbreitung des 2019 erstmalig aufgetretenen Coronavirus SARS-CoV‑2, insbesondere im Rahmen menschlicher Zusammenkünfte in Innenräumen. Diese Arbeit fasst die für den Schulbetrieb relevanten Sachverhalte und Maßnahmen zur Verminderung von Infektionen über den Aerosolpfad zusammen. Eine wichtige Maßnahme ist die Verstärkung der Raumlüftung, d. h. der Austausch möglicherweise kontaminierter Innenraumluft mit Außenluft. Neben der Verminderung der Konzentration infektiöser Aerosole ist Lüftung unabdingbar zur Abfuhr des in Klassenräumen erzeugten Kohlendioxids, der Luftfeuchte und anderer chemischer Stoffe in der Innenraumluft. Unabhängig von Lüftung erweist sich das Tragen von Mund-Nasen-Masken (medizinische Masken bzw. filtrierende Halbmasken) als wirksame Maßnahme. Eine für virushaltige Partikel wirksame Luftreinigung durch feste bzw. mobile Anlagen kann die genannten Maßnahmen unterstützen bzw. in Fällen aushelfen, wenn Räume trotz schlechter Lüftungsmöglichkeit genutzt werden müssen. Der Artikel gibt den Stand des Wissens im Oktober 2021 über verschiedene technische Schutzmaßnahmen wieder, die sich seit Beginn der Pandemie als sinnvoll erwiesen haben, wobei der Fokus auf der Reduzierung von indirekten Infektionen liegt. Neu hinzukommende Varianten von SARS-CoV‑2, der Fortschritt der Impfkampagne bei Kindern und Jugendlichen sowie die Zunahme der allgemeinen Immunität werden möglicherweise eine Neubewertung der Maßnahmen erfordern. Neben kurzfristigen und schnell wirksamen Maßnahmen zum Infektionsschutz erscheint es auch geboten, die in Deutschland existierenden Defizite bei Raum- und Gebäudelüftung an Schulen durch eine langfristige Strategie zu beheben. Im Sinne einer dauerhaften Verbesserung der Innenraumluft und der Prävention gegen künftige luftübertragene Infektionskrankheiten erscheint die zunehmende Ausstattung von Schulen mit fest installierten Lüftungsanlagen bzw. raumlufttechnischen Anlagen – mit Option auf Wärme- und Feuchterückgewinnung – als nachhaltige gesellschaftliche Investition.
Eosinophilic Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Weissler Jonathan C. , Adams Traci N.
Published: November 2021

Recent therapeutic advances in the management of asthma have underscored the importance of eosinophilia and the role of pro-eosinophilic mediators such as IL-5 in asthma. Given that a subset of patients with COPD may display peripheral eosinophilia similar to what is observed in asthma, a number of recent studies have implied that eosinophilic COPD is a distinct entity. This review will seek to contrast the mechanisms of eosinophilia in asthma and COPD, the implications of eosinophilia for disease outcome, and review current data regarding the utility of peripheral blood eosinophilia in the management of COPD patients.
Severe portal and systemic acidosis during CO2-laparoscopy compared to helium or gasless laparoscopy and laparotomy in a rodent model: an experimental study
Authors: Inderbitzin Devdas T. , Mueller Tobias U. , Marti Grischa , Eichenberger Simone , Fellay Benoît , Magnin Jean-Luc , Kraehenbuehl Lukas
Published: November 2021

Background and aims

This experimental study assesses the influence of different gases and insufflation pressures on the portal, central-venous and peripheral-arterial pH during experimental laparoscopy.

Methods

Firstly, 36 male WAG/Rij rats were randomized into six groups (n = 6) spontaneously breathing during anaesthesia: laparoscopy using carbon dioxide or helium at 6 and 12 mmHg, gasless laparoscopy and laparotomy. 45 and 90 min after setup, blood was sampled from the portal vein, vena cava and the common femoral artery with immediate blood gas analysis. Secondly, 12 animals were mechanically ventilated at physiological arterial pH during 90 min of laparotomy (n = 6) or carbon dioxide laparoscopy at 12 mmHg (n = 6) with respective blood gas analyses.

Results

Over time, in spontaneously breathing rats, carbon dioxide laparoscopy caused significant insufflation pressure-dependent portal acidosis (pH at 6 mmHg, 6.99 [6.95–7.04] at 45 min and 6.95 [6.94–6.96] at 90 min, pH at 12 mmHg, 6.89 [6.82–6.90] at 45 min and 6.84 [6.81–6.87] at 90 min; p < 0.05) compared to laparotomy (portal pH 7.29 [7.23–7.30] at 45 min and 7.29 [7.20–7.30] at 90 min; p > 0.05). Central-venous and peripheral-arterial acidosis was significant but less severely reduced during carbon dioxide laparoscopy. Laparotomy, helium laparoscopy and gasless laparoscopy showed no comparable acidosis in all vessels. Portal and central-venous acidosis during carbon dioxide laparoscopy at 12 mmHg was not reversible by mechanical hyperventilation maintaining a physiological arterial pH (pH portal 6.85 [6.84–6.90] (p = 0.004), central-venous 6.93 [6.90–6.99] (p = 0.004), peripheral-arterial 7.29 [7.29–7.31] (p = 0.220) at 90 min; Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test).

Conclusion

Carbon dioxide laparoscopy led to insufflation pressure-dependent severe portal and less severe central-venous acidosis not reversible by mechanical hyperventilation.
AutoMat: automatic differentiation for generalized standard materials on GPUs
Authors: Blühdorn Johannes , Gauger Nicolas R. , Kabel Matthias
Published: November 2021

We propose a universal method for the evaluation of generalized standard materials that greatly simplifies the material law implementation process. By means of automatic differentiation and a numerical integration scheme, AutoMat reduces the implementation effort to two potential functions. By moving AutoMat to the GPU, we close the performance gap to conventional evaluation routines and demonstrate in detail that the expression level reverse mode of automatic differentiation as well as its extension to second order derivatives can be applied inside CUDA kernels. We underline the effectiveness and the applicability of AutoMat by integrating it into the FFT-based homogenization scheme of Moulinec and Suquet and discuss the benefits of using AutoMat with respect to runtime and solution accuracy for an elasto-viscoplastic example.
Record tests to detect non-stationarity in the tails with an application to climate change
Authors: Cebrián Ana C. , Castillo-Mateo Jorge , Asín Jesús
Published: November 2021

The analysis of trends and other non-stationary behaviours at the extremes of a series is an important problem in global warming. This work proposes and compares several statistical tools to analyse that behaviour, using the properties of the occurrence of records in i.i.d. series. The main difficulty of this problem is the scarcity of information in the tails, so it is important to obtain all the possible evidence from the available data. First, different statistics based on upper records are proposed, and the most powerful is selected. Then, using that statistic, several approaches to join the information of four types of records, upper and lower records of forward and backward series, are suggested. It is found that these joint tests are clearly more powerful. The suggested tests are specifically useful in analysing the effect of global warming in the extremes, for example, of daily temperature. They have a high power to detect weak trends and can be widely applied since they are non-parametric. The proposed statistics join the information ofMindependent series, which is useful given the necessary split of the series to arrange the data. This arrangement solves the usual problems of climate series (seasonality and serial correlation) and provides more series to find evidence. These tools are used to analyse the effect of global warming on the extremes of daily temperature in Madrid.