bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender-Based Variations in Medicare Reimbursements Among Different Surgical Subspecialties
Authors: Munir Muhammad Musaab , Dillhoff Mary , Tsai Susan , Collins Courtney , Dedhia Priya , Pawlik Timothy M.
Published: July 2024

Importance

Gender inequities and limited representation are an obstacle to surgical workforce diversification. There has been limited examination of gender-based disparities in billing practices among surgeons.

Objective

To evaluate variations in practice metrics and billing practices among female and male surgeons and identify factors associated with gender disparities in Medicare reimbursements.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective cross-sectional study used publicly available Medicare Fee-for-Service Provider Utilization and Payment data from January to December 31, 2021, to identify demographics, annual services provided, and financial payments and charges for general surgeons, surgical oncologists, and colorectal surgeons. Data were analyzed from November 2023 to February 2024.

Exposure

The primary exposure of interest was surgeon gender (ie, female or male).

Main Outcomes and Measures

The annual total submitted charges and payments submitted in 2021 by female and male surgeons were assessed. Additionally, the total number and types of services provided each year and the number of beneficiaries treated were examined. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of surgeon gender with payments, number of services, and beneficiaries.

Results

A total of 20 549 general surgeons (5036 [24.5%] female; 15 513 [75.5%] male), 1065 surgical oncologists (450 [42.3%] female; 615 [57.7%] male), and 1601 colorectal surgeons (432 [27.0%] female; 1169 [73.0%] male) were included. Across all surgical subspecialties, female surgeons billed fewer mean (SE) Medicare charges (general surgeons: 30.1% difference; $224 934.80 [$3846.97] vs $321 868.50 [$3933.57]; surgical oncologists: 27.5% difference; $277 901.70 [$22 857.37] vs $382 882.90 [$19 566.06]; colorectal surgeons: 21.7% difference; $274 091.70 [$10 468.48] vs $350 146.10 [$8741.66]; all P < .001) and received significantly lower mean (SE) reimbursements (general surgeons: 29.0% difference; $51 787.61 [$917.91] vs $72 903.12 [$890.35]; surgical oncologists: 23.6% difference; $57 945.18 [$3853.28] vs $75 778.22 [$2622.75]; colorectal surgeons: 24.5% difference; $63 117.01 [$2248.10] vs $83 598.53 [$1934.77]; all P < .001). On multivariable analysis, a reimbursement gap remained across all 3 surgical subspecialties (general surgeons: –$14 963.46 [95% CI, –$18 822.27 to –$11 104.64] [P < .001]; surgical oncologists: –$8354.69 [95% CI, –$15 018.12 to –$1691.25] [P = .01]; colorectal surgeons: –$4346.73 [95% CI, –$7660.15 to –$1033.32] [P = .01]).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study, there was considerable gender-based variation in practice patterns and reimbursement among different surgical subspecialties serving the Medicare population. Differences in mean payment per service were associated with variations in billing and coding strategies among female and male surgeons.
Futility of Up-Front Resection for Anatomically Resectable Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Crippa Stefano , Malleo Giuseppe , Mazzaferro Vincenzo , Langella Serena , Ricci Claudio , Casciani Fabio , Belfiori Giulio , Galati Sara , D’Ambra Vincenzo , Lionetto Gabriella , Ferrero Alessandro , Casadei Riccardo , Ercolani Giorgio , Salvia Roberto , Falconi Massimo , Cucchetti Alessandro
Published: July 2024

Importance

There are currently no clinically relevant criteria to predict a futile up-front pancreatectomy in patients with anatomically resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Objectives

To develop a futility risk model using a multi-institutional database and provide unified criteria associated with a futility likelihood below a safety threshold of 20%.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective study took place from January 2010 through December 2021 at 5 high- or very high-volume centers in Italy. Data were analyzed during April 2024. Participants included consecutive patients undergoing up-front pancreatectomy at the participating institutions.

Exposure

Standard management, per existing guidelines.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcome measure was the rate of futile pancreatectomy, defined as an operation resulting in patient death or disease recurrence within 6 months. Dichotomous criteria were constructed to maintain the futility likelihood below 20%, corresponding to the chance of not receiving postneoadjuvant resection from existing pooled data.

Results

This study included 1426 patients. The median age was 69 (interquartile range, 62-75) years, 759 patients were male (53.2%), and 1076 had head cancer (75.4%). The rate of adjuvant treatment receipt was 73.7%. For the model construction, the study sample was split into a derivation (n = 885) and a validation cohort (n = 541). The rate of futile pancreatectomy was 18.9% (19.2% in the development and 18.6% in the validation cohort). Preoperative variables associated with futile resection were American Society of Anesthesiologists class (95% CI for coefficients, 0.68-0.87), cancer antigen (CA) 19.9 serum levels (95% CI, for coefficients 0.05-0.75), and tumor size (95% CI for coefficients, 0.28-0.46). Three risk groups associated with an escalating likelihood of futile resection, worse pathological features, and worse outcomes were identified. Four discrete conditions (defined as CA 19.9 levels-adjusted-to-size criteria: tumor size less than 2 cm with CA 19.9 levels less than 1000 U/mL; tumor size less than 3 cm with CA 19.9 levels less than 500 U/mL; tumor size less than 4 cm with CA 19.9 levels less than 150 U/mL; and tumor size less than 5 cm with CA 19.9 levels less than 50 U/mL) were associated with a futility likelihood below 20%. Both disease-free survival and overall survival were significantly longer in patients fulfilling the criteria.

Conclusions and relevance

In this study, a preoperative model (MetroPancreas) and dichotomous criteria to determine the risk of futile pancreatectomy were developed. This might help in selecting patients for up-front resection or neoadjuvant therapy.
Biomimetic Spider Silk by Crosslinking and Functionalization with Multiarm Polyethylene Glycol
Authors: Romaņuks Viktors , Fridmanis Jēkabs , Schmuck Benjamin , Bula Anna Līna , Lends Alons , Senkane Kristine , Leitis Gundars , Gaidukovs Sergejs , Smits Krisjanis , Rising Anna , Smits Gints , Jaudzems Kristaps
Published: July 2024

Spider silk is renowned for its exceptional mechanical properties, surpassing those of other natural and many synthetic fibers. Yet, replicating its remarkable properties through synthetic production remains a challenge. The variability in the mechanical properties of synthetic spider silks lacking protective coatings, exacerbated by factors such as spinning conditions and humidity levels, poses an additional challenge, impacting their application potential. Bioconjugation offers a versatile synthetic method to modify protein structures, enhancing their pharmacokinetics, solubility, stability, and immune response. In particular, polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐ylation has emerged as a successful strategy with numerous marketed PEG–protein conjugates. This study introduces synthetic spider silk—multiarm PEG bioconjugates, facilitating spidroin crosslinking, and chemical functionalization while retaining a biomimetic spinning approach. Two different examples demonstrate the potential of this approach to improve the fiber's tensile strength and extensibility, respectively, both leading to an increased toughness modulus. Furthermore, the approach could allow the tuning of fiber mechanical properties without developing a new mini‐spidroin construct and fiber coating with lipids attached to multiarm PEG, potentially mitigating the impact of environmental conditions on synthetic spider silk fibers.
Underwater Acoustic Camouflage by Wettability Transition on Laser Textured Superhydrophobic Metasurfaces
Authors: Mezzapesa Francesco P. , Gaudiuso Caterina , Volpe Annalisa , Ancona Antonio , Mauro Salvatore , Buogo Silvano
Published: July 2024

The superhydrophobicity of submerged surfaces typically pertains to the trapped air film at the liquid–solid interface, subject to wettability transitions from a Cassie–Baxter state to more unstable states that gradually collapse to high retention regimes, which are energetically more favorable. In this work, the dynamic evolution of those transient metastable states is correlated to the underwater acoustic performance of laser textured superhydrophobic surfaces, resolving the dependence of the ultrasound spectral response with the immersion time to capture the genuine contribution of the hierarchical subwavelength morphology, regardless of the air layer effects. Acoustic wave attenuation of the incident ultrasound energy is extensively quantified in transmission, accounting for instantaneous broadband sound blocking (>30 dB) within the spectral range 0.5–1.5 MHz. As a result of the air layer detachment with the immersion time, transmission coefficients increase accordingly, while acoustic fields in reflection unexpectedly evolve toward stealthiness and naïve acoustic camouflage, mostly ascribable to dissipative mechanisms at air layer interfaces. The intrinsic decay of the air layer effect is tentatively determined at different frequencies, since quantitative understanding of the transient lifetime governing underwater surface wettability is critical to design stable superhydrophobic character of laser induced subwavelength metastructures on the most promising acoustic materials – from eco‐friendly natural to artificial.
Chiral Twist Interface Modulation Enhances Thermoelectric Properties of Tellurium Crystal
Authors: Abbey Stanley , Jang Hanhwi , Frimpong Brakowaa , Nguyen Van Quang , Park Jong Ho , Park Su‐Dong , Cho Sunglae , Jung Yeon Sik , Hong Ki‐Ha , Oh Min‐Wook
Published: July 2024

Manipulating the grain boundary and chiral structure of enantiomorphic inorganic thermoelectric materials facilitates a new degree of freedom for enhancing thermoelectric energy conversion. Chiral twist mechanisms evolve by the screw dislocation phenomenon in the nanostructures; however, contributions of such chiral transport have been neglected for bulk crystals. Tellurium (Te) has a chiral trigonal crystal structure, high band degeneracy, and lattice anharmonicity for high thermoelectric performance. Here, Sb‐doped Te crystals are grown to minimize the severe grain boundary effects on carrier transport and investigate the interface of chiral Te matrix and embedded achiral Sb2Te3 precipitates, which induce unusual lattice twists. The low grain boundary scattering and conformational grain restructuring provide electrical‐favorable semicoherent interfaces. This maintains high electrical conductivity leading to a twofold increase in power factor compared to polycrystal samples. The embedded Sb2Te3 precipitates concurrently enable moderate phonon scattering leading to a remarkable decrease in lattice thermal conductivity and a high dimensionless figure of merit (zT) of 1.1 at 623 K. The crystal growth and chiral atomic reorientation unravel the emerging benefits of interface engineering as a crucial contributor to effectively enhancing carrier transport and minimizing phonon propagation in thermoelectric materials.
Crystal Facets‐Activity Correlation for Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Compositional Complex Alloys
Authors: Zhao Hui‐Feng , Yao Jun‐Qing , Wang Ya‐Song , Gao Niu , Zhang Tao , li Li , Liu Yuyao , Chen Zheng‐Jie , Peng Jing , Liu Xin‐Wang , Yu Hai‐Bin
Published: July 2024

Compositional complex alloys, including high and medium‐entropy alloys (HEAs/MEAs) have displayed significant potential as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), but their structure‐activity relationship remains unclear. In particular, the basic question of which crystal facets are more active, especially considering the surface reconstructions, has yet to be answered. This study demonstrates that the lowest index {100} facets of FeCoNiCr MEAs exhibit the highest activity. The underlying mechanism associated with the {100} facet's low in‐plane density, making it easier to surface reconstruction and form amorphous structures containing the true active species is uncovered. These results are validated by experiments on single crystals and polycrystal MEAs, as well as DFT calculations. The discoveries contribute to a fundamental comprehension of MEAs in electrocatalysis and offer physics‐based strategies for developing electrocatalysts.
Influence of crop management on stability rye yield and some grain quality traits
Authors: Ghafoor A. Z. , Wijata M. , Rozbicki J. , Krysztofik R. , Banaszak K. , Karim H. , Derejko A. , Studnicki M.
Published: July 2024

The study explored the performance of hybrid and population rye (Secale cereale) cultivars under two different crop management intensities in Poland: moderate‐intensity and high‐intensity management. The focus was grain yield, grain quality, yield components, and variety stability in two growing seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) at three locations. Hybrid cultivars consistently yielded higher grain yields (9.81 t ha−1) than population cultivars (7.90 t ha−1), with increase of 24.9%. However, hybrid cultivars had lower protein content (8.94%) than population cultivars (9.77%). Spike number was the most influential factor on yield, followed by 1000‐grain weight and grains per spike, regardless of cultivar type. Hybrid cultivars displayed a lower degree of stability as assessed using the ranking sum of the Shukla variance and the multi‐trait stability index. Hybrid cultivars were strongly dependent on resistance to fungal diseases, including Septoria (Mycosphaerella graminicola), and increased stability under moderate‐intensity management. Resistance to soil acidification became more important for cultivar stability under high‐intensity management.
SiC whisker/AgNWs/TPU composite film with asymmetric structure for low‐reflection electromagnetic interference shielding
Authors: Wu Bozhen , Yu Yujing , Wu Peng , Wu Yidong , Huang Jiang , Song Xuejiao
Published: July 2024

The design and preparation of lightweight and flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding composites with high efficiency and low reflection are critical to the electronic field. First, silver nanowires (AgNWs) were vacuum filtered on the electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibrous film. Then, by combining the adhesive with the electrospun silicon carbide nanowhisker (SiCnw) @TPU composite fibrous film, the asymmetric EMI shielding composite films with high electromagnetic shielding efficiency (EMI SE) and low incident power were obtained. The lower AgNWs‐TPU layer provides the primary EMI SE, and the upper SiCnw@TPU fibrous film is used for electromagnetic wave absorption. This unique asymmetric structure, the synergistic effect of SiCnw's particular absorbing function and the excellent conductivity of the AgNWs layer make the film show high overall SE (SET = 55.18 dB). In order to improve the absorption effect of the composite film, the number of layers of SiCnw@TPU was adjusted, resulting in a final reflection coefficient value as low as 0.55. This work proposes a new strategy for developing EMI shielding composite films with high efficiency and low reflection, serving as a reference.
Enhancing the mechanical properties of self‐healing polyurethane via chemical crosslinking
Authors: Chenyuan Zhang , Zhiqiang Liu , Zhijia Zhang , Wenjun Zhou , Songsong Zhang , Guojun Wang , Qiang Wang , Teng Ma , Lin Wang , Hao Wei
Published: July 2024

Self‐healing research based on commercial polymeric materials (such as polyurethane) is beneficial to sustainable development by prolonging the life of materials. However, developing polymeric materials that integrate robust mechanical properties with self‐healing ability at ambient temperature remains a formidable challenge. The formation of polymeric materials by physically and chemically dual crosslinking structures is a powerful method to improve mechanical properties. Herein, a series of dual crosslinking self‐healing polyurethane have been designed and successfully synthesized by incorporating 2‐ureido‐4[1H]‐pyrimidinone (UPy) units and triethanolamine (TEOA) into the polymer networks. Relying on the reinforcement of chemical crosslinking which is induced by TEOA, the resulting polyurethane exhibited robust strength of 10.3 MPa and elongation at break of 569.4%, which are quite prominent compared with previous reports. At the same time, the recombination of hydrogen bonds makes the polyurethane with UPy structure achieve rapid self‐healing after 24 h at 40°C and the strength recovered to 4.98 MPa. This work provided a novel way to fabricate sustainable polyurethane with robust mechanical properties.
Efficient preparation of cellulose nanocrystals and regulation of cholesteric liquid crystals for advanced anti‐counterfeiting
Authors: Li Haiming , Gui Xiaohui , Wan Zhouyuanye , Qi Yungeng , Wang Shiyu , Zhang Hongjie , Niu Meihong , Guo Yanzhu
Published: July 2024

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can self‐assemble to form cholesteric liquid crystal, which make it one of the most promising optical materials at present. CNCs can be produced by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. It is found that hydrolysis conditions influence the existing form of reaction components and their reaction activities, which leads to different reaction routes and mechanisms under varied reaction conditions, with CNCs of varied quality produced. High‐quality CNC with more uniform particle size could be prepared at a critical acid concentration of 64 wt%, which was used to study the formation process of CNC liquid crystal and the structure regulation of cholesteric liquid crystal. By adjusting the drying temperature and adding a small molecule of water‐soluble chitosan (WSC) can well regulate cholesteric liquid crystal and change the pitch of a film, and the reflection wavelength can be redshifted, thus enriching texture patterns and creating distinctive color. Suitable addition of WSC can enhance the multi‐domain effect during liquid crystal formation process and finally creates more colorful film with fine texture. The rich and tunable liquid crystal characteristics endowed by WSC addition is irreplicable and artistic, which helps to realize the great potential application of the composite film in advanced anti‐counterfeiting.
The structure of the γ‐TuRC at the microtubule minus end – not just one solution
Authors: Gao Qi , Vermeulen Bram J. A. , Würtz Martin , Shin Hyesu , Erdogdu Dilara , Zheng Anjun , Hofer Florian W. , Neuner Annett , Pfeffer Stefan , Schiebel Elmar
Published: July 2024

In cells, microtubules (MTs) assemble from α/β‐tubulin subunits at nucleation sites containing the γ‐tubulin ring complex (γ‐TuRC). Within the γ‐TuRC, exposed γ‐tubulin molecules act as templates for MT assembly by interacting with α/β‐tubulin. The vertebrate γ‐TuRC is scaffolded by γ‐tubulin‐interacting proteins GCP2‐6 arranged in a specific order. Interestingly, the γ‐tubulin molecules in the γ‐TuRC deviate from the cylindrical geometry of MTs, raising the question of how the γ‐TuRC structure changes during MT nucleation. Recent studies on the structure of the vertebrate γ‐TuRC attached to the end of MTs came to varying conclusions. In vitro assembly of MTs, facilitated by an α‐tubulin mutant, resulted in a closed, cylindrical γ‐TuRC showing canonical interactions between all γ‐tubulin molecules and α/β‐tubulin subunits. Conversely, native MTs formed in a frog extract were capped by a partially closed γ‐TuRC, with some γ‐tubulin molecules failing to align with α/β‐tubulin. This review discusses these outcomes, along with the broader implications.
A review of applied behavior analysis within the criminal justice system
Authors: McDonald Emily R. , Hanson Robbie J.
Published: July 2024

Mass incarceration rates have become a financial burden on the country and in 2023, the United States was faced with one of the highest recidivism rates worldwide, with approximately 44% of individuals returning to prison within a year of their release. Although various programs are available to incarcerated individuals and for those considered at risk for offending, access to these programs varies by jurisdiction and the effectiveness in preventing offenses, reducing recidivism, and fostering rehabilitation is not entirely known. In response to recidivism and incarceration rates, there has been a plea for a change in the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on involving behavior analysts. However, the extent of the application of behavior‐analytic interventions within the criminal justice system in the research literature is unclear. Thus, the purpose of the current review was to examine the existing experimental literature to determine the state of this research topic.
ProteinFlow: An advanced framework for feature engineering in protein data analysis
Authors: Mi Yanlin , Marcu Stefan‐Bogdan , Yallapragada Venkata V. B. , Tabirca Sabin
Published: July 2024

In the burgeoning field of proteins, the effective analysis of intricate protein data remains a formidable challenge, necessitating advanced computational tools for data processing, feature extraction, and interpretation. This study introduces ProteinFlow, an innovative framework designed to revolutionize feature engineering in protein data analysis. ProteinFlow stands out by offering enhanced efficiency in data collection and preprocessing, along with advanced capabilities in feature extraction, directly addressing the complexities inherent in multidimensional protein data sets. Through a comparative analysis, ProteinFlow demonstrated a significant improvement over traditional methods, notably reducing data preprocessing time and expanding the scope of biologically significant features identified. The framework's parallel data processing strategy and advanced algorithms ensure not only rapid data handling but also the extraction of comprehensive, meaningful insights from protein sequences, structures, and interactions. Furthermore, ProteinFlow exhibits remarkable scalability, adeptly managing large‐scale data sets without compromising performance, a crucial attribute in the era of big data.
Enhancing sustainable supply chains through traceability, transparency and stakeholder collaboration: A quantitative analysis
Authors: Garcia‐Torres Sofia , Rey‐Garcia Marta , Sáenz Josune
Published: July 2024

Traceability and transparency are essential for sustainability in complex global supply chains (SCs), but they remain elusive goals in practice. Scholars and practitioners consistently advocate collaboration amongst SC stakeholders as a means of enhancing them, yet little is known regarding their interrelation and contribution to sustainability. We adopt the SC practice‐based view (SCPV) to propose and test an explanatory model elucidating how to deploy collaboration, traceability and transparency to achieve triple bottom line (TBL) performance within global SCs. Focusing on the paramount example of complex fashion‐apparel SCs, we analyse the insights gained from 139 suppliers—typically ignored in favour of focal firms—using Partial Least Squares Structural Equations Modelling. Our results provide a concrete battery of not‐necessarily complex or inimitable activities empirically proven to help put traceability and transparency into practice to achieve TBL performance. The SCPV approach contends that everyday practices, activities and relationships amongst SC stakeholders underpin TBL performance.
The search for an optimal tissue‐engineered urethra model for clinical application based on preclinical trials in male animals: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Chepelova Natalia , Sagitova Guzel , Munblit Daniel , Suvorov Aleksandr , Morozov Andrey , Shpichka Anastasia , Glybochko Peter , Timashev Peter , Butnaru Denis
Published: July 2024

Tissue engineering has emerged as a promising avenue for reconstructive urology, though only a limited number of tissue‐engineered urethral constructs have advanced to clinical testing. Presently, there exists a dearth of agreement regarding the most promising constructs deserving of implementation in clinical practice. The objective of this review was to provide a comprehensive analysis of preclinical trials findings of a tissue‐engineered urethra and to identify the most promising constructs for future translation into clinical practice. A systematic search of the Pubmed, Scopus, and PMC databases was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Manuscripts published in English between 2015 and 2022, reporting on the methodology for creating a tissue‐engineered urethra, assessing the regenerative potential of the scaffold in a male animal model, and evaluating the clinical and histological outcomes of treatment, were included. A total of 48 manuscripts met the inclusion criteria, with 12 being eligible for meta‐analysis. Meta‐analysis revealed no significant benefit of any matrix type in terms of complication rates. However, acellular matrices demonstrated significant advantage over cellular matrices in case of no postoperative stricture formation (odds ratio = 0.06 [95% CI 0.01; 0.23], p < 0.01). Among all subgroups (animal models and scaffold types), the usage of acellular matrices resulted in advantageous effects. The meta‐regression analysis did not show a significant impact of defect length (β1 = −0.02 [−0.28; 0.23], p = 0.86). We found that decellularized materials may carry less relevance for urethral reconstruction due to unfavorable preclinical outcomes. Natural polymers, used independently or with synthetic materials, resulted in better postoperative outcomes in animals compared to purely synthetic constructs. Acellular scaffolds showed promising outcomes, matching or exceeding cellular constructs. However, more studies are needed to confirm their clinical effectiveness.
Lymph node metastasis in early invasive lung adenocarcinoma: Prediction model establishment and validation based on genomic profiling and clinicopathologic characteristics
Authors: Guo Wei , Lu Tong , Song Yang , Li Anqi , Feng Xijia , Han Dingpei , Cao Yuqin , Sun Debin , Gong Xiaoli , Li Chengqiang , Jin Runsen , Du Hailei , Chen Kai , Xiang Jie , Hang Junbiao , Chen Gang , Li Hecheng
Published: July 2024

Background

The presence of lymph node (LN) metastasis directly affects the treatment strategy for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) has been widely used in patients with advanced LUAD to identify targeted genes, while early detection of pathologic LN metastasis using NGS has not been assessed.

Methods

Clinicopathologic features and molecular characteristics of 224 patients from Ruijin Hospital were analyzed to detect factors associated with LN metastases. Another 140 patients from Huashan Hospital were set as a test cohort.

Results

Twenty‐four out of 224 patients were found to have lymph node metastases (10.7%). Pathologic LN‐positive tumors showed higher mutant allele tumor heterogeneity (p < 0.05), higher tumor mutation burden (p < 0.001), as well as more frequent KEAP1 (p = 0.001), STK11 (p = 0.004), KRAS (p = 0.007), CTNNB1 (p = 0.017), TP53, and ARID2 mutations (both p = 0.02); whereas low frequency of EGFR mutation (p = 0.005). A predictive nomogram involving male sex, solid tumor morphology, higher T stage, EGFR wild‐type, and TP53, STK11, CDKN2A, KEAP1, ARID2, KRAS, SDHA, SPEN, CTNNB1, DICER1 mutations showed outstanding efficiency in both the training cohort (AUC = 0.819) and the test cohort (AUC = 0.780).

Conclusion

This study suggests that the integration of genomic profiling and clinical features identifies early‐invasive LUAD patients at higher risk of LN metastasis. Improved identification of LN metastasis is beneficial for the optimization of the patient's therapy decisions.
Optimal timing of staged percutaneous coronary intervention after subintimal tracking and re‐entry: Rationale and design of the subintimal tracking and re‐entry with deferred stenting study
Authors: Hirai Taishi , Kearney Kathleen , Azzalini Lorenzo , Salisbury Adam C. , Stone Nancy , Gosch Kensey L. , Pershad Ashish , Nicholson William , Lombardi William , Wyman R. Michael , Davies Rhian , Grantham J. Aaron ,   STAR Study Group
Published: July 2024

Background

Ten to fifteen percent of chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) are unsuccessful in contemporary practice. Subintimal tracking and re‐entry (STAR) (one form of “investment procedure”) with staged reattempt and stenting may further increase the ultimate success and safety of CTO as a bailout strategy. The optimal timing for staged stenting after STAR is unknown.

Methods and Results

We designed a six‐center, prospective randomized trial with a planned enrollment of 150 patients where STAR is utilized in case of impending failure. The primary aim is to evaluate the optimal timing of the staged PCI after STAR by randomizing the timing to earlier (5–7 weeks) versus later (12–14 weeks) staged PCI. The primary endpoint of the study is the technical success rate of the staged procedure. The secondary endpoints include: (1) the rate of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 3 flow at the start of staged intervention, (2) rate of partial technical and procedural success of the staged procedure, (3) rate of in‐hospital and 12‐month major cardiac and cerebrovascular adverse events, and (4) change in patient‐reported quality at 30 days, 6 months, and 12 months assessed by Seattle Angina Questionnaire.

Conclusion

This study will ascertain the optimal timing of staged stenting after bail‐out STAR approach in contemporary CTO PCI (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05089864).
Synthesis and Development of Inverse‐Type Nucleoside Diarylethene Photoswitches
Authors: Hendrich Christoph M. , Reinschmidt Martin , Büllmann Simon M. , Kolmar Theresa , Jäschke Andres
Published: July 2024

Nucleosidic diarylethenes (DAEs) have evolved from an emerging class of photochromes into a well‐established option for integrating photochromic functionalities into biological systems. However, a comprehensive understanding of how chemical structure influences their photochromic properties remains essential. While structural features, such as an inverse connection between the aryl residues and the ethene bridge, are well‐documented for classical DAEs, their application to nucleosidic DAEs has been underexplored. In this study, we address this gap by developing three distinct types of inverse nucleosidic DAEs–semi‐inverse thiophenes, semi‐inverse uridines and inverse uridines. We successfully synthesized these compounds and conducted comprehensive analyses of their photostationary states, thermal stability, reversibility, and reaction quantum yields. Additionally, we conducted an in‐depth comparison of their photochromic properties with those of their normal‐type counterparts. Among the synthesized compounds, seven semi‐inverse thiophenes exhibited the most promising characteristics. Notably, these compounds demonstrated excellent fatigue resistance, with up to 96 % retention of photochromic activity over 40 switching cycles, surpassing the performance of all comparable nucleosidic DAEs reported to date. These findings hold significant promise for future applications in various fields.
Concentration Controlling of Carboxylic Ester‐Based Electrolyte for Low Temperature Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Gao Song , Wang Kang , Wang Liying , Yang Xijia , Yang Yue , Xiu Wencui , Li Xuesong , Lü Wei
Published: July 2024

Low temperature has been a major challenge for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) to maintain satisfied electrochemical performance, and the main reason is the deactivation of electrolyte with the decreasing temperature. To address this point, in present work, we develop a low‐temperature resistant electrolyte which includes ethyl acetate (EA) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) as solvent and lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB) as the primary lithium salt. Due to the preferential decomposition of LiDFOB and FEC, a solid electrolyte interface rich in LiF is formed on the lithium metal anodes (LMAs) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes, contributing to higher stability and rapid desolvation of Li+ ions. The batteries with the optimized electrolyte can undergo cycling tests at −40 °C, with a capacity retention of 83.9 % after 200 cycles. Furthermore, the optimized electrolyte exhibits excellent compatibility with both LCO cathodes and graphite (Gr) anodes, enabling a Gr/LCO battery to maintain a capacity retention of 90.3 % after multiple cycles at −25 °C. This work proposes a cost‐effective electrolyte that can activate potential LIBs in practical scenarios, especially in low‐temperature environments.
Skeletal Editing by Hypervalent Iodine Mediated Nitrogen Insertion
Authors: Gupta Anjali , Bhatti Pratibha , Laha Joydev K. , Manna Srimanta
Published: July 2024

Hypervalent iodine reagents are versatile and readily accessible reagents that have been extensively applied in contemporary synthesis in modern organic chemistry. Among them, iodonitrene (ArI=NR), is a powerful reactive species, widely used for a single‐nitrogen‐atom insertion reaction, and skeletal editing to construct N‐heterocycles. Skeletal editing with reactive iodonitrene components has recently emerged as an exciting approach in modern chemical transformation. These reagents have been extensively used to produce biologically relevant heterocycles and functionalized molecular architectures. Recently, the insertion of a nitrogen‐atom into hydrocarbons to generate N‐heterocyclic compounds using hypervalent iodine reagents has been a significant focus in the field of molecular editing reactions. In this review, we discuss the rapidly emerging field of nitrene insertion, including skeletal editing and nitrogen insertion, using hypervalent iodine reagents to access nitrogen‐containing heterocycles, and the current mechanistic understanding of these processes.
Building 3D Crosslinked Graphene‐MXene Nanoarchitectures Decorated with MoS2 Quantum Dots Enables Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Feng Ying , Xue Ya , Shen Binfeng , Yang Lu , He Haiyan , Jiang Quanguo , Ying Guobing , Huang Huajie
Published: July 2024

Although MoS2 quantum dots with abundant edge sites have been regarded as promising eletrode materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), their electrocatalytic capacity still requires improvements in actual applications. Herein. we demonstrate a controllable and robust bottom‐up approach to build 3D crosslinked graphene‐Ti3C2Tx MXene frameworks decorated with MoS2 quantum dots (MQD/RGO‐MX) via a convenient co‐assembly process. The novel structural design gives the MQD/RGO‐MX nanoarchitectures a series of superior textural attributes, including 3D interconnected networks, continuous meso‐ and macropores, well‐dispersed quantum dots, ameliorative electronic configuration, and excellent electrical conductivity. Accordingly, the resulting hybrid nanoarchitectures express superior electrocatalytic properties in terms of a low onset potential of only 45 mV, a small Tafel slope of 61 mV dec−1 as well as a long service life towards the HER, which make it quite competitive against bare MoS2 quantum dots, MXene as well as binary MQD/RGO and MQD/MXene electrocatalysts.
Exploring biomedical applications with silver and copper nanotechnology
Authors: Li Xue‐Qian , Xie Shao‐Lei , Xie Hui‐Dong , Shen Meng‐Qi , Ma Zhen‐Hui , Liu Hu
Published: July 2024

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics has accelerated the emergence of bacterial resistance, making the treatment of common infections increasingly difficult and challenging. This has led to a rise in infection rates, worsened patient outcomes, and heightened mortality risks. In response, researchers have been exploring new antimicrobial strategies, with metal nanomaterials of controllable shape and size gaining significant attention for their unique antibacterial properties. Among these, silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) nanomaterials (NMs) stand out for their wide applications in biomedical materials due to their effective antimicrobial mechanisms when used as drugs. Ag and Cu NMs, exemplifying metal biomaterials, showcase broad‐spectrum antibacterial capabilities, durable antimicrobial effects, low toxicity, and reduced likelihood of developing drug resistance. Moreover, they are known to promote angiogenesis, making them exceptionally suitable for biomaterial applications. This review underscores the significance of Ag and Cu NMs in the biomedical sector, detailing their applications and the promising role they play as medical materials. Our aim is to encourage further exploration and utilization of Ag and Cu NMs in biomaterials and industrial production sectors.
Nuclei and Tracts in the Telencephalon of Crocodiles: Identification and Characterization Using an Organizational Scheme Applicable to Other Reptiles
Authors: Pritz Michael B.
Published: July 2024

The telencephalon of reptiles has been suggested to be the key to understanding the evolution of the forebrain. Nevertheless, a meaningful framework to organize the telencephalon in any reptile has, with rare exception, yet to be presented. To address this gap in knowledge, the telencephalon was investigated in two species of crocodiles. A variety of morphological stains were used to examine tissue in transverse, horizontal, and sagittal planes of sections. Besides providing a description of individual nuclei, brain parts were organized based on two features. One was related to two fixed, internal structures: the lateral ventricle and the dorsal medullary lamina. The other was the alignment of neurons into either layers, cortex, or not, nucleus. Viewed from this perspective, all structures, with limited exceptions, could be accurately placed within the telencephalon regardless of the plane of section. Furthermore, this framework can be applied to other reptiles. A further extension of this scheme suggests that all structures in the telencephalon could be grouped into one of two categories: pallial or basal.
Growth Mediated Disassembly of Cucurbit[8]uril Cross‐linked Static Cubic Self‐assembly of Silver Nanoparticles
Authors: Dalal Sancharika , Sadhu Kalyan K.
Published: July 2024

Static self‐assembly resides in thermodynamically stable global minima of the energy landscape, whereas dynamic self‐assembly occupies local minima of the energy profile and remains in the ordered state for a limited time via dissipation of energy to surroundings. This makes the spatiotemporal control over the assembly and disassembly mechanism easily controllable in the case of dynamic self‐assembly. However, due to the higher thermal stability of static self‐assembly, it is very challenging to perform reverse engineering on these types of systems. Herein we report growth reaction‐based reversal of static silver cubes obtained via cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) crosslinked self‐assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNP). The AgNP building units with variable CB[8] surface coverage have been used as seeds onto which deposition of gold via growth reaction has been performed. The disassembly of supracube structure has been controlled by the formation of [AuCl4]−–CB[8] complex and successive reduction of [AuCl4]− to Au0 on the surface of the seed. The resulting monodispersed isotropic nanoparticles, formed from the CB[8] based cubic self‐assembly after growth, exhibit Au−Ag bimetallic nature. Quenching of the fluorogenic response from the hydrophobic dye coumarin‐7, added after growth, suggests direct interaction with the metallic nanoparticle surface after disassembly and thereby confirms successful growth reaction mediated reversal of self‐assembly.
Global regularity for critical SQG in bounded domains
Authors: Constantin Peter , Ignatova Mihaela , Nguyen Quoc‐Hung
Published: July 2024

We prove the existence and uniqueness of global smooth solutions of the critical dissipative SQG equation in bounded domains in . We introduce a new methodology of transforming the single nonlocal nonlinear evolution equation in a bounded domain into an interacting system of extended nonlocal nonlinear evolution equations in the whole space. The proof then uses the method of the nonlinear maximum principle for nonlocal operators in the extended system.
Impact of Priority Review Voucher Eligibility on Research and Development of Medical Countermeasures
Authors: Wang Stephanie , Hahn Georg , Kesselheim Aaron S.
Published: July 2024

The priority review voucher was established to incentivize research and development of treatments for traditionally underfunded diseases and was extended to medical countermeasures from 2016 to 2023, despite limited evidence of an association between the voucher program and increased product development. To determine whether the voucher program has incentivized initiation of new medical countermeasures in clinical trials, we created three cohorts of material threats: (i) COVID‐19, (ii) opioid pharmaceutical‐based agents, and (iii) all others. Using the Citeline Trialtrove database, we determined the number of medical countermeasures initiated in clinical trials from 2009–2016 and 2017–2023. Eligibility of COVID‐19 products for the voucher was confirmed with the issuance of a voucher for remdesivir in October 2020, so we compared January 2020–October 2020 to November 2020–July 2023. We fit two Poisson models—before and after voucher creation—within each cohort. Among COVID‐19 medical countermeasures, there was a decrease in the proportion of drugs initiated before (4.5%; 95% CI, 1.0 to 8.3%) vs. after voucher eligibility (−5.1%; 95% CI, −6.1 to −4.0%) (P = 0.01). Among opioid pharmaceutical‐based agents medical countermeasures, the rate of new drugs initiated did not change from 2009–2016 (8.1%, 95% CI, −4.4 to 22.6%) to 2017–2023 (5.6%; 95% CI, −3.2 to 15.2%) (P = 0.82). Among all other medical countermeasures, the rate of new drugs initiated also did not change from 2009–2016 (6.6%; 95% CI, −5.6 to 20.8%) to 2017–2023 (−14.8%; 95% CI, −29.2 to 2.0%) (P = 0.15). The priority review voucher program was not associated with stimulating new clinical testing of investigational medical countermeasures.
Boosting the Formation of Brønsted Acids on Flame‐made WOx/ZrO2 for Glucose Conversion
Authors: Zhang Wenwen , Wang Zichun , Marianov Aleksei , Zhu Yuxiang , Wang Lizhuo , Castignolles Patrice , Gaborieau Marianne , Baiker Alfons , Huang Jun , Jiang Yijiao
Published: July 2024

Tungstate‐zirconium oxide catalysts (WOx/ZrO2) with much higher concentrations of Brønsted acid sites (BAS) and a bigger ratio of Brønsted to Lewis acid sites (B/L) than achievable by conventional impregnation (IM) were synthesized using single‐step flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). The rapid quenching and short residence time inherent to FSP prevent the accumulation of W atoms on the ZrO2 support and thus provide an excellent surface dispersion of WOx species. As a result, FSP‐made WOx/ZrO2 (FSP‐WOx/ZrO2) has a much higher surface concentration of three‐dimensional Zr‐WOx clusters than corresponding materials prepared by conventional impregnation (IM‐WOx/ZrO2). The coordination of W‐OH to the unsaturated Zr4+ sites in these clusters results in a remarkable decrease of the concentration of Lewis acid sites (LAS) on the surface of ZrO2 and promotes the formation of bridging W−O(H)‐Zr hydroxyl groups acting as BAS. FSP‐WOx/ZrO2 possesses ~80 % of BAS and a B/L ratio of around 4, while IM‐WOx/ZrO2 exhibits ~50 % BAS and a B/L ratio of around 1. These catalysts were evaluated in the dehydration of glucose to 5‐hydroxylmethylfurfural (HMF). The catalytic study demonstrated that the B/L ratio plays a crucial role in glucose conversion, virtually independent of the total acidity of the catalysts. The best catalyst, FSP‐WOx/ZrO2 with a W/Zr ratio of 1/10 affords nearly 100 % glucose conversion and an HMF selectivity of 56–69 %, comparable to some homogenous catalysts.
Discrepancies between the stated contents and analytical findings for electronic cigarette liquid products: Identification of the new cannabinoid, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabihexol acetate
Authors: Watanabe Shimpei , Murakami Takaya , Muratsu Seiji , Fujiwara Hiroyuki , Nakanishi Toshio , Seto Yasuo
Published: July 2024

A number of synthetic cannabinoids have been appearing in the recreational drug market for more than a decade. Recent additions are so‐called semi‐synthetic cannabinoids, and they structurally closely resemble the main psychoactive component of cannabis, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol. Knowledge of new (semi‐)synthetic cannabinoids is essential to help identify them in authentic forensic case samples. Therefore, the aim of the study was to examine two commercially available electronic cigarette liquid products claiming to contain cannabinoids and characterize the structures of the main compounds. The liquid products were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), GC–quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (GC‐QTOF‐MS), and liquid chromatography–high‐resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS). In product A, typical cannabinoids (cannabidiol, cannabigerol, and cannabinol) and terpenes (α‐caryophyllene and β‐caryophyllene) were identified by comparison with reference materials. An unknown peak was isolated by semi‐preparative high‐performance LC, analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and identified to be Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabihexol acetate (Δ9‐THCH‐O). To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the identification of Δ9‐THCH‐O in commercially available products. Another compound estimated as cannabihexol acetate was also detected. In product B, cannabidiol, cannabinol, α‐caryophyllene, and β‐caryophyllene were identified, while two unknown peaks were estimated as tetrahydrocannabidiol isomers. Despite products A and B being labeled to contain “60% HHCPM” and “80% 10‐OH‐HHC,” respectively, no such compounds were detected. The findings of this study could help detect Δ9‐THCH‐O in case samples and highlight the need to keep monitoring commercial products to identify new drugs, while warning that the package labels cannot be trusted.
Population genomics and distribution modeling revealed the history and suggested a possible future of the endemic Agave aurea (Asparagaceae) complex in the Baja California Peninsula
Authors: Klimova Anastasia , Gutíerrez‐Rivera Jesús , Ortega‐Rubio Alfredo , Eguiarte Luis E.
Published: July 2024

Agaves are an outstanding arid‐adapted group of species that provide a unique chance to study the influence of multiple potential factors (i.e., geological and ecological) on plant population structure and diversification in the heterogeneous environment of the Baja California Peninsula. However, relatively little is known about the phylogeography of the endemic agave species of this region. Herein, we used over 10,000 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spatial data from the Agave aurea species complex (i.e., A. aurea ssp. aurea, A. aurea ssp. promontorii, and A. aurea var. capensis) to resolve genetic relationships within this complex and uncover fine‐scale population structure, diversity patterns, and their potential underlying drivers. Analyses resolved low genetic structure within this complex, suggesting that A. aurea is more likely to represent several closely related populations than separate species or varieties/subspecies. We found that geographical and historical ecological characteristics—including precipitation, latitude, and past climatic fluctuations—have played an important role in the spatial distribution of diversity and structure in A. aurea. Finally, species distribution modeling results suggested that climate change will become critical in the extinction risk of A. aurea, with the northernmost population being particularly vulnerable. The low population genetic structure found in A. aurea is consistent with agave's life history, and it is probably related to continuity of distribution, relatively low habitat fragmentation, and dispersion by pollinators. Together, these findings have important implications for management and conservation programs in agave, such as creating and evaluating protected areas and translocating and augmentation of particular populations.