bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transitioning surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) into the forensic drug chemistry and toxicology laboratory: Current and future perspectives
Authors: Ott Colby E. , Arroyo Luis E.
Published: April 2023

Applications and advances in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have grown over the last several years, demonstrating improvements in sensitivity and selectivity. Applications for SERS‐related techniques have been explored in many analytical disciplines including forensic applications. Drug chemistry and toxicology may benefit from the growth of SERS since many methods have demonstrated high sensitivity, potential for quantitative analysis, and portable instrumentation for onsite testing. SERS techniques have been developed using many substrates including nanoparticles and colloids; microfluidic devices; paper‐based substrates; electrodes; and wearable/flexible devices. These methods take advantage of the SERS phenomenon, providing more potential applications for Raman analysis and overcoming the traditional challenges of the technique. This is desirable for forensic drug chemistry applications which require screening and confirmatory approaches and analysis of mixtures with low weight percent contributions of analytes, as well as forensic toxicology, where matrix interferences, sensitivity requirements, and a growing introduction of novel drug entities pose challenges. Several chemometric approaches have been applied to Raman data to improve identification, classification, and quantification. These advances position SERS for incorporation into forensic chemistry laboratories. While some SERS applications are available commercially, widespread use of SERS in practicing forensic laboratories remains limited. Due to the requirements for use of analytical techniques in the courtroom, future studies for SERS should revolve around the assessment of validation parameters common in other analytical methods. SERS techniques that are rapid, simple, and inexpensive may be more quickly adapted for forensic testing, where use as advanced screening techniques is a clear avenue of research.

This article is categorized under:

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Controlled and Emerging Drug Compounds

Toxicology > New Psychoactive Substances

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods
Confidence in public institutions is critical in containing the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Adamecz Anna , Szabó‐Morvai Ágnes
Published: April 2023

This paper investigates the relative importance of confidence in public institutions to explain cross‐country differences in the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. We find that a 1 SD increase (e.g., the actual difference between the United States and Finland) in confidence is associated with 56.3% fewer predicted deaths per million inhabitants. Confidence in public institutions is one of the most important predictors of deaths attributed to COVID‐19, compared to country‐level measures of health risks, the health system, demographics, economic and political development, and social capital. We show for the first time that confidence in public institutions encompasses more than just the unobserved quality of health or public services in general. If confidence only included the perceived quality, it would be associated with other health and social outcomes such as breast cancer recovery rates or imprisonment as well, but this is not the case. Moreover, our results indicate that fighting a pandemic requires citizens to cooperate with their governments, and willingness to cooperate relies on confidence in public institutions.
Understanding the Influence of Local Physical Stimuli on Chondrocyte Behavior
Authors: Kim Byumsu , Bonassar Lawrence J.
Published: April 2023

Investigating the mechanobiology of chondrocytes is challenging due to the complex micromechanical environment of cartilagetissue. The innate zonal differences and poroelastic properties of the tissue combined with its heterogeneous composition create spatial- and temporal-dependent cell behavior, which further complicates the investigation. Despite the numerous challenges, understanding the mechanobiology of chondrocytes is crucial for developing strategies for treating cartilage related diseases as chondrocytes are the only cell type within the tissue. The effort to understand chondrocyte behavior under various mechanical stimuli has been ongoing over the last 50 years. Early studies examined global biosynthetic behavior under unidirectional mechanical stimulus. With the technological development in high-speed confocal imaging techniques, recent studies have focused on investigating real-time individual and collective cell responses to multiple / combined modes of mechanical stimuli. Such efforts have led to tremendous advances in understanding the influence of local physical stimuli on chondrocyte behavior. In addition, we highlight the wide variety of experimental techniques, spanning from static to impact loading, and analysis techniques, from biochemical assays to machine learning, that have been utilized to study chondrocyte behavior. Finally, we review the progression of hypotheses about chondrocyte mechanobiology and provide a perspective on the future outlook of chondrocyte mechanobiology.
Multiscale In Silico Modeling of Cartilage Injuries
Authors: Korhonen Rami K. , Eskelinen Atte S. A. , Orozco Gustavo A. , Esrafilian Amir , Florea Cristina , Tanska Petri
Published: April 2023

Injurious loading of the joint can be accompanied by articular cartilage damage and trigger inflammation. However, it is not well-known which mechanism controls further cartilage degradation, ultimately leading to post-traumatic osteoarthritis. For personalized prognostics, there should also be a method that can predict tissue alterations following joint and cartilage injury. This chapter gives an overview of experimental and computational methods to characterize and predict cartilage degradation following joint injury. Two mechanisms for cartilage degradation are proposed. In (1) biomechanically driven cartilage degradation, it is assumed that excessive levels of strain or stress of the fibrillar or non-fibrillar matrix lead to proteoglycan loss or collagen damage and degradation. In (2) biochemically driven cartilage degradation, it is assumed that diffusion of inflammatory cytokines leads to degradation of the extracellular matrix. When implementing these two mechanisms in a computational in silico modeling workflow, supplemented by in vitro and in vivo experiments, it is shown that biomechanically driven cartilage degradation is concentrated on the damage environment, while inflammation via synovial fluid affects all free cartilage surfaces. It is also proposed how the presented in silico modeling methodology may be used in the future for personalized prognostics and treatment planning of patients with a joint injury.
Gene Delivery to Chondrocytes
Authors: Nagelli Christopher V. , Evans Christopher H. , De la Vega Rodolfo E.
Published: April 2023

Delivering genes to chondrocytes offers new possibilities both clinically, for treating conditions that affect cartilage, and in the laboratory, for studying the biology of chondrocytes. Advances in gene therapy have created a number of different viral and non-viral vectors for this purpose. These vectors may be deployed in an ex vivo fashion, where chondrocytes are genetically modified outside the body, or by in vivo delivery where the vector is introduced directly into the body; in the case of articular and meniscal cartilage in vivo delivery is typically by intra-articular injection. Ex vivo delivery is favored in strategies for enhancing cartilage repair as these can be piggy-backed on existing cell-based technologies, such as autologous chondrocyte implantation, or used in conjunction with marrow-stimulating techniques such as microfracture. In vivo delivery to articular chondrocytes has proved more difficult, because the dense, anionic, extra-cellular matrix of cartilage limits access to the chondrocytes embedded within it. As Grodzinsky and colleagues have shown, the matrix imposes strict limits on the size and charge of particles able to diffuse through the entire depth of articular cartilage. Empirical observations suggest that the larger viral vectors, such as adenovirus (~100 nm), are unable to transduce chondrocytes in situ following intra-articular injection. However, adeno-associated virus (AAV; ~25 nm) is able to do so in horse joints. AAV is presently in clinical trials for arthritis gene therapy, and it will be interesting to see whether human chondrocytes are also transduced throughout the depth of cartilage by AAV following a single intra-articular injection. Viral vectors have been used to deliver genes to the intervertebral disk but there has been little research on gene transfer to chondrocytes in other cartilaginous tissues such as nasal, auricular or tracheal cartilage.
Mechanical Articular Cartilage Injury Models and Their Relevance in Advancing Therapeutic Strategies
Authors: Kurz Bodo , Hart Melanie L. , Rolauffs Bernd
Published: April 2023

This chapter details how Alan Grodzinsky and his team unraveled the complex electromechanobiological structure-function relationships of articular cartilage and used these insights to develop an impressively versatile shear and compression model. In this context, this chapter focuses (i) on the effects of mechanical compressive injury on multiple articular cartilage properties for (ii) better understanding the molecular concept of mechanical injury, by studying gene expression, signal transduction and the release of potential injury biomarkers. Furthermore, we detail how (iii) this was used to combine mechanical injury with cytokine exposure or co-culture systems for generating a more realistic trauma model to (iv) investigate the therapeutic modulation of the injurious response of articular cartilage. Impressively, Alan Grodzinsky’s research has been and will remain to be instrumental in understanding the proinflammatory response to injury and in developing effective therapies that are based on an in-depth understanding of complex structure-function relationships that underlay articular cartilage function and degeneration.
Introduction – Education, Competence Development and Career Trajectories
Authors: Blossfeld Hans-Peter , Blossfeld Gwendolin Josephine , Weinert Sabine
Published: April 2023

A lifespan perspective on development and education and corresponding longitudinal studies have long been proposed scientifically in many disciplines. However, even in the 2000s, little was known about education as a lifelong process or about the cumulative and interactive effects of learning that takes place in different educational settings across the lifespan and comprehensive longitudinal studies were rare. The German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) was therefore designed to provide longitudinal data on educational trajectories and competence development from infancy to old age, and to make it possible to examine inter- and intraindividual changes and pathways in relation to family, educational institutions, workplaces, private life, and individual characteristics of the target persons. The data also addresses the institutions of the German educational system such as crèches and preschools, primary and secondary schools, vocational training, tertiary education, and opportunities of further learning in adulthood. It further enables the analysis of relevant monetary and non-monetary returns to education over the life course. The chapter briefly introduces important features of the multi-cohort sequence design of the NEPS and discusses the relevance of longitudinal data. Furthermore, it outlines Germany as a special case by introducing specific features of the German education system as well as some international comparative findings. Finally, an overview of the following chapters is given.
Low-Achieving School-Leavers in Germany: Who Are They and Where Do They Go?
Authors: Holtmann Anne Christine , Menze Laura , Solga Heike
Published: April 2023

In light of educational expansion in Germany, school-leavers with a lower secondary school certificate or less are at risk of being left behind. In this chapter, we first compare their parental resources, cognitive skills, and non-cognitive skills to those of school-leavers with an intermediate school certificate. Second, we investigate whether these low achievers can improve their educational attainment after school by either catching up on school certificates or entering vocational training. We analyse their transitions to vocational education using “With” hier streichen sequence analyses. Using data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we show that although low-achieving school-leavers are, on average, not as well-endowed with agentic and social resources as other groups, they are otherwise quite heterogeneous. Many have similar cognitive and non-cognitive skills to school-leavers with an intermediate school certificate who usually manage to enter vocational training. However, this potential often remains undiscovered, because considerable proportions of low achievers do not improve their school certificates and do not manage to enter vocational education—even several years after leaving school. We also show that transition patterns vary by school type, with students from special needs schools being especially disadvantaged compared to those from regular schools.
Occupational Sex Segregation and its Consequences for the (Re-)Production of Gender Inequalities in the German Labour Market
Authors: Kleinert Corinna , Leuze Kathrin , Bächmann Ann-Christin , Gatermann Dörthe , Hägglund Anna Erika , Rompczyk Kai
Published: April 2023

In Germany, the structuring principle connecting the educational system and the labour market is occupations. In theory, this occupational principle is gender-neutral, because both women and men are channelled into jobs according to the occupations for which they are trained. In practice, however, it means that patterns of occupational sex segregation in the education system are reproduced in the labour market. As a consequence, occupational sex segregation has important consequences for the subsequent employment biographies and life courses of women and men. In this chapter, we study the relevance of occupational sex segregation for the (re-)production of gender inequalities in the German labour market. More specifically, we examine long-term trends in occupational sex segregation, how occupational sex segregation is causally linked to other occupational characteristics, how these occupational characteristics translate into gender inequalities regarding non-monetary labour market outcomes, and how these occupational characteristics affect the gender wage gap.
Ethnic Differences in Social Capital Mobilization at the Transition to Vocational Training in Germany
Authors: Roth Tobias , Weißmann Markus
Published: April 2023

In this chapter, we provide an in-depth analysis of the differences between students with and without a migration background in Germany in mobilising social capital during the transition to vocational education and training (VET) after lower secondary education. Besides retrospective information, we analyse (hypothetical) prospective information. Furthermore, we distinguish between different kinds of social contacts and different types of support. Using data from the first five waves of starting cohort 4 (9th graders) of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) we find that students rely heavily on their social contacts, with parents playing the most important role. Regarding general information and support, we find only small ethnic differences in the mobilization of non-institutional social contacts. In contrast, adolescents with a migration background tend to receive specific assistance less often from relatives outside the nuclear family and substantively less often from parents. Our results suggest that the general motivation of non-institutional social contacts to provide support at the transition to VET does not differ between natives and migrants, but that the ability of these ties to provide more specific, instrumental assistance depends on their receiving-country-specific resources and thus on their migration history.
Quality of Early Learning Environments: Measures, Validation, and Effects on Child Development
Authors: Weinert Sabine , Attig Manja , Linberg Anja , Vogel Franziska , Rossbach Hans-Günther
Published: April 2023

Individual differences and disparities in educationally relevant competencies and skills evolve from the very beginning of a child’s life. This chapter focuses on early learning environments as an important basis for acquiring those competencies and skills that depend and impact on education. Drawing on the Newborn Cohort Study of the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS-SC1) and additional validation studies, we address and empirically evaluate different quality measures of parenting behaviour and extrafamilial childcare along with their effects on early child outcomes. Results highlight the importance of considering differentiated measures of early learning environments such as indicators of cognitive-verbal stimulation or parental responsive emotional support from the very beginning, because these relate differentially to various domains of early child development. Furthermore, although different facets of interaction quality are associated with socio-economic family characteristics (SES), they relate to each other only moderately. In addition, we report on the validity and effects of quality measures of early external childcare in the NEPS-SC1 and discuss the emergence of individual differences and SES-related disparities in early child development.
Erhebung und Reduktion der Abfallproduktion im Augenoperationsbereich
Authors: Lever Mael , Smetana Nicolai , Bechrakis Nikolaos E. , Foerster Andreas
Published: April 2023

Hintergrund

Der Gesundheitssektor steht aufgrund der gesundheitlichen Folgen des Klimawandels vor neuen Herausforderungen. Gleichzeitig trägt dieser selbst zur schweren Klimabilanz unserer Gesellschaft bei. Die erhebliche Produktion von Abfällen durch Krankenhäuser ist hierfür ein wichtiger Aspekt. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Masse an Abfall, die durch Augenoperationen anfällt, zu quantifizieren und – als Optimierungsmaßnahme – den Effekt der Glastrennung zu evaluieren.

Material und Methoden

Über 2 Wochen wurde der Abfall, der durch Augenoperationen im Operationsbereich der Universitätsklinik anfiel, gewogen. Eine erneute 2‑wöchige Erhebung erfolgte nach Einführung der Trennung von Glas vom Restabfall. Die gewonnenen Daten wurden zwischen den 2 Zeiträumen sowie nach Abfall- (Rest- und Wertstoffabfall) und Eingriffsart (intra-, extraokular) vergleichend analysiert. Durch Anwendung von regionalen Abfallentsorgungskosten war auch ein ökonomischer Vergleich möglich.

Ergebnisse

Im ersten Messzeitraum (196 Eingriffe) fielen insgesamt 549,6 kg Abfall an, 87 % (478,3 kg) davon als Restabfall, entsprechend 14,3 t Gesamtabfall jährlich. Durch intraokulare Eingriffe fielen durchschnittlich 80 % mehr Abfall an als durch extraokulare Eingriffe: 18,1 ± 3,9 respektive 11,4 ± 4,0 kg pro Tag und Operationssaal. Durch die Trennung von Glas aus dem Restabfall konnte im zweiten Messzeitraum (197 Eingriffe) die Restabfallmasse um 7,2 % reduziert werden. Da die Entsorgung von Glas in Essen kostenlos ist, entstand hierdurch ein geringer ökonomischer Vorteil (hochgerechnet 112 € jährlich).

Schlussfolgerung

Die Menge an Abfall, die durch Augenoperationen entsteht, ist erheblich, mit einem überwiegenden Anteil an nicht wiederverwertbarem Restabfall. Vor allem intraokulare Eingriffe sind für die Abfallmengen verantwortlich. Einfache Maßnahmen wie die Trennung von Glas sind hilfreich und günstig, um die Menge an Restabfall zu reduzieren.

Graphic abstract
Citric Acid Leaching of Industrial BOF Slags
Authors: Boehm Andreas , Hartig Gerald , Schinnerl Georg
Published: April 2023

About 800,000 t of BOF slag are generated per year during the steel production process by Austrian steel plants of voestalpine. Austrian legislative authorities restrict the use as recycling construction material in road building to the bituminous binder course, which additionally includes a lifetime responsibility of the producer for possible future contaminants that currently have not been considered.

Alternative routines of recycling of BOF slag are thus addressed in a project of K1-MET within the COMET funding program of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), financed by the Austrian government and industry. Selective leaching processes are investigated by the Chair of Mineral Processing, Montanuniversität Leoben to recover the iron bearing oxides contained in the slag (i.e. magnesio wuestite, Ca- and Mg ferrites) with the lowest amount of phosphorous possible, which is contained in larnite (dicalciumsilicate) only.

Common mineral processing methods obtained only poor results due to intergrowth conditions. Selective leaching of P containing larnite by citric acid may provide an alternative.

Systematic tests for optimum leaching conditions concerning optimum mass ratio of agent to industrial slag, volume of eluate, leaching time, leaching temperature, and pH were performed. As the acid consumption is comparatively high, a special effort was spent on the regeneration of citric acid.
A decade of aging in healthy older adults: longitudinal findings on cerebrovascular and cognitive health
Authors: Weijs Ralf W. J. , Oudegeest-Sander Madelijn H. , Vloet Janneke I. A. , Hopman Maria T. E. , Claassen Jurgen A. H. R. , Thijssen Dick H. J.
Published: April 2023

Research suggests an association between cerebrovascular health and cognitive decline, but previous work is limited by its cross-sectional nature or short (< 1–2 years) follow-up. Our aim was to examine, across 10 years of follow-up in healthy older adults, changes in cerebrovascular health and their relationship with subjective memory complaints as an early marker of cognitive decline. Between 2008 and 2010, twenty-eight healthy older adults (69 ± 4 years) underwent baseline blood pressure and transcranial Doppler measurements to assess middle cerebral artery blood velocity (MCAv), cerebrovascular resistance index (CVRi), and measures of cerebral autoregulation (CA). After 9–12 years of follow-up, these measurements were repeated, and presence of memory complaints was evaluated. Linear mixed-model analyses explored effects of aging on cerebrovascular parameters and whether memory complaints were associated with cerebrovascular changes. Across a median follow-up of 10.9 years, no changes in MCAv, CVRi, or CA were found. At baseline, these parameters were not different between subjects with (n = 15) versus without (n = 13) memory complaints. During follow-up, subjects with memory complaints showed larger decreases in MCAv (− 10% versus + 9%, P = 0.041) and increases in CVRi (+ 26% versus − 9%, P = 0.029) compared to other peers without memory complaints, but no distinct changes in CA parameters (P > 0.05). Although a decade of aging does not lead to deterioration in cerebral blood flow or autoregulation, our findings suggest that reductions in cerebral blood flow and increases in cerebrovascular resistance are associated with early subjective cognitive decline.
Benzenesulfonic acid-grafted UIO-66 with improved hydrophobicity as a stable Brønsted acid catalyst
Authors: Kou Zongliang , Sun Guanlun , Ding Qiuyan , Li Hong , Gao Xin , Fan Xiaolei , Ou Xiaoxia , Pan Qinhe
Published: April 2023

Hydrothermal and catalytic stability of UIO-66 MOFs with defective structures are critical aspects to be considered in their catalytic applications, especially under the conditions involving water, moisture and/or heat. Here, we report a facile strategy to introduce the macromolecular acid group to UIO-66 to improve the stability of the resulting UIO-66—PhSO3H MOF in aqueous phase catalysis. In detail, UIO-66—PhSO3H was obtained by grafting benzenesulfonic acid on the surface of the pristine UIO-66 to introduce the hydrophobicity, as well as the Brønsted acidity, then assessed using catalytic hydrolysis of cyclohexyl acetate (to cyclohexanol) in water. The introduction of hydrophobic molecules to UIO-66 could prevent the material from being attacked by hydroxyl polar molecules effectively, explaining its good structural stability during catalysis. UIO-66—PhSO3H promoted the conversion of cyclohexyl acetate at ca. 87%, and its activity and textural properties were basically intact after the cyclic stability tests. The facile modification strategy can improve the hydrothermal stability of UIO-66 significantly, which can expand its catalytic applications in aqueous systems.
Modular supervisory control for multi-floor manufacturing processes
Authors: Koumboulis Fotis N. , Fragkoulis Dimitrios G. , Michos Aristides A.
Published: April 2023

Due to space availability limitations and high land costs, there is an increasing development of multi-floor manufacturing (MFM) systems in urban and industrial areas. The problem of coordination in a multi-floor manufacturing process, in the Ramadge Wonham framework, is introduced. The manufacturing chain of each floor and the elevator system are modeled in the form of finite deterministic automata. The models of the multi-floor manufacturing process are parametric with respect to the number of floors and the number of manufacturing machines on each floor. The coordination desired performance is formulated in the form of desired regular languages in analytic forms. The languages are realized by appropriate supervisors in the form of finite deterministic automata. The models of the supervisors are also parametric with respect to the number of floors and the number of manufacturing machines on each floor. The total control of the coordination of the multi-floor manufacturing process is accomplished via a modular supervisory control architecture. The complexity of the supervisors as well as the complexity of the total modular supervisory architecture are determined in analytic forms with respect to the number of floors and the number of manufacturing machines on each floor. The special case of a two floor manufacturing process is presented as an illustrative example.
30 Jahre Nanobodies: Neues von kleinen Helfern mit großem Potenzial
Authors: Wagner Teresa R. , Burgstaller Sandra , Frecot Desiree I. , Lukowski Robert , Rothbauer Ulrich
Published: April 2023

2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the discovery of single-domain antibody fragments in camelids, better known as nanobodies. This was the starting point for their tremendous success story in biomedicine. Here we highlight recent advances in the development of nanobodies for the detection of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, as biosensors for monitoring extracellular metabolites and as tracer molecules for non-invasive imaging of immune cells.
Primatenspezifische Gene als Determinanten der Neokortexmorphologie
Authors: Esiyok Nesil , Tynianskaia Lidiia , Heide Michael
Published: April 2023

The neocortex is the brain structure that is characteristic of all mammals. Primates in particular have a distinct neocortex, which is attributed to their high cognitive performances. However, there are significant differences in the morphology of the neocortex between different primate species. Here, we present an overview of primate neocortex development and the functional analysis of genes regulating the activity of cortical progenitor cells, which primarily underlie neocortex morphology.
Molekulare Pinzetten als Breitbandinhibitor viraler Infektionen
Authors: Weil Tatjana , Münch Jan
Published: April 2023

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic once again highlighted the constant threat posed by viruses. Specific therapeutics are highly warranted, but their development is time consuming and cost intensive. Broad-spectrum antivirals provide a promising option for fast application to treat circulating or newly emerged viruses. Here, we introduce molecular tweezers as broad-spectrum antivirals, which abrogate viral infection by directly targeting the viral membrane. Furthermore, we discuss the current stage of tweezer development to fight SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses.
Bakterielle Cellulose — ein Netzwerk gestaltet von drei Cellulosesynthasen
Authors: Bimmer Martin , Liebl Wolfgang , Ehrenreich Armin
Published: April 2023

Besides plants also some bacterial genera are able to synthesize cellulose in remarkably high quantities. Bacterial cellulose from the acetic acid bacterium Komagataeibacter hansenii has a big advantage supporting its use as multifunctional and sustainable material — it is free of non-cellulosic components, unlike cellulose of plant origin. Based on marker-free in frame deletions, we propose a model where cellulose fibers released by the main cellulose synthase (BcsAB1) are modified by two additional cellulose synthases.
Mechanismen und Herausforderungen des Bewegungssehens
Authors: Thurn Freya , Silies Marion
Published: April 2023

Motion cues are essential to guide animal behavior. The emergence of direction-selective signals, a hallmark of motion vision, has long been considered a paradigmatic computation. The core circuits underlying motion computation have recently been solved. This now allows us to investigate how visual circuits handle dynamic changes in the environment, such as keeping vision stable while encountering fast changes in luminance, or the encoding of complex motion patterns generated by self-motion.
Upregulation of TMEM40 is associated with the malignant behavior and promotes tumor progression in cervical cancer
Authors: Zhang Zhen-Fei , Liu Fang , Zhang Han-Rong , Liu Bing , Zheng Shu-Qian , Ye Wan-Qian , Ding Jia-Nan , Zhou Ze-Jie , Luo Hui-Xian , Wu Fang , Guo Xuan-Min , Zhou Jue-Yu , Guo Yong-Hui
Published: April 2023

Objective

Recent studies indicated that transmembrane protein 40 (TMEM40) is associated with several types of cancers but is not clear in cervical cancer (CC). The study aimed to examine the role of TMEM40 in CC and related mechanisms.

Methods

The expression of TMEM40 in CC tissues and cell lines was studied with western blot and real-time quantitative RT-PCR. The effect of TMEM40 on proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8, EdU and colony formation assay. The migration, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis of CC cells were studied with wound healing, transwell assays and flow cytometry. Tumor growth was evaluated in vivo using a xenogenous subcutaneously implant model.

Results

The results revealed that the TMEM40 elevation in CC tissues and cell lines was closely correlated with tumor size and lymph node metastasis in clinical patients. Upregulation of TMEM40 with OE-TMEM40 vector promoted the invasion, migration and proliferation, inhibited the apoptosis and led to distinct S cell cycle arrest in CC cell lines. Silencing TMEM40 with shRNA inhibited the invasion, migration and proliferation, promoted apoptosis and led to a G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in CC cell lines. Silence of TMEM40 downregulated the expression of c-MYC, Cyclin D1, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), but in contrast, activated p53 and several apoptosis related proteins such as p53, Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and PARP1. In addition, TMEM40 silencing dramatically decreased tumor growth in mice models.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrates that TMEM40 upregulation can be a potential prognostic biomarker and contribute to CC development.
Selection of straw waste reinforced sustainable polymer composite using a multi-criteria decision-making approach
Authors: Singh Tej , Fekete Imre , Jakab Sándor Kálmán , Lendvai László
Published: April 2023

The valorization of straw waste as a sustainable and eco-friendly resource in polymer composites is critical for resource recycling and environmental preservation. Therefore, many research works are being carried out regarding the development of wheat straw-based polymer composites to identify the reinforcing potential of these sustainable resources. In this study, three different sizes of wheat straw fibers (60–120 mesh, 35–60 mesh, and 18–35 mesh) were used, and their different ratios (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20% by weight) were systematically investigated for the physical and mechanical properties of polypropylene-based sustainable composites. The results indicated that the evaluated composites’ properties are strongly dependent on the quantity and size of the utilized wheat straw. Therefore, a preference selection index was applied to rank the developed sustainable polymer composites to select the best composition. Various properties of the composite materials were considered as criteria for ranking the alternatives, namely tensile strength and modulus, flexural stress at conventional deflection and flexural modulus, impact strength, density, water absorption, material cost, and carbon footprint. The decision-making analysis suggests the alternative with wheat straw content of 20 wt.% (35–60 mesh size) dominating the performance by maximizing the beneficial criteria and minimizing the non-beneficial criteria, making it the most suitable alternative. This study will significantly help formulation designers to deal with the amount and size issues when developing polymeric composites.
Theorizing seafarers’ participation and learning in an evolving maritime workplace: an activity theory perspective
Authors: Narayanan Saratkumar C. , Emad Gholam Reza , Fei Jiangang
Published: April 2023

This paper presents the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) or simply activity theory (AT) as a suitable framework to theorize seafarers’ learning in a technologically evolving shipboard environment. The recent increase in the digitalization and automation onboard ships is introduced with the aim of enhancing maritime safety and efficiency. However, maritime incidents and accidents continue to occur when seafarers overwhelmed by the complexity of novel technologies and automated tools, often fail to recognize and timely respond to developing hazards. The fundamental changes in the shipboard workplaces and the seafarers’ need for interaction with smart tools calls for a fresh look at cognitive and learning processes and situated action onboard ships. The activity theory provides a theoretical lens that affords a holistic, socio-technical perspective on the inter-dependent elements of a collective shipboard learning activity system. Any misalignment among the elements of this activity system or between itself and other relevant activity systems may result in contradictions. Resolving such contradictions becomes essential for achieving the desired outcome, i.e., competent seafarers who can safely operate highly digitalized future ships.
Ion–Electron Coupling Enables Ionic Thermoelectric Material with New Operation Mode and High Energy Density
Authors: He Yongjie , Li Shaowei , Chen Rui , Liu Xu , Odunmbaku George Omololu , Fang Wei , Lin Xiaoxue , Ou Zeping , Gou Qianzhi , Wang Jiacheng , Ouedraogo Nabonswende Aida Nadege , Li Jing , Li Meng , Li Chen , Zheng Yujie , Chen Shanshan , Zhou Yongli , Sun Kuan
Published: April 2023

Ionic thermoelectrics (i-TE) possesses great potential in powering distributed electronics because it can generate thermopower up to tens of millivolts per Kelvin. However, as ions cannot enter external circuit, the utilization of i-TE is currently based on capacitive charge/discharge, which results in discontinuous working mode and low energy density. Here, we introduce an ion–electron thermoelectric synergistic (IETS) effect by utilizing an ion–electron conductor. Electrons/holes can drift under the electric field generated by thermodiffusion of ions, thus converting the ionic current into electrical current that can pass through the external circuit. Due to the IETS effect, i-TE is able to operate continuously for over 3000 min. Moreover, our i-TE exhibits a thermopower of 32.7 mV K−1 and an energy density of 553.9 J m−2, which is more than 6.9 times of the highest reported value. Consequently, direct powering of electronics is achieved with i-TE. This work provides a novel strategy for the design of high-performance i-TE materials.
Skin-Inspired Ultra-Tough Supramolecular Multifunctional Hydrogel Electronic Skin for Human–Machine Interaction
Authors: Chen Kun , Liang Kewei , Liu He , Liu Ruonan , Liu Yiying , Zeng Sijia , Tian Ye
Published: April 2023

Multifunctional supramolecular ultra-tough bionic e-skin with unique durability for human–machine interaction in complex scenarios still remains challenging. Herein, we develop a skin-inspired ultra-tough e-skin with tunable mechanical properties by a physical cross-linking salting-freezing-thawing method. The gelling agent (β-Glycerophosphate sodium: Gp) induces the aggregation and binding of PVA molecular chains and thereby toughens them (stress up to 5.79 MPa, toughness up to 13.96 MJ m−3). Notably, due to molecular self-assembly, hydrogels can be fully recycled and reprocessed by direct heating (100 °C for a few seconds), and the tensile strength can still be maintained at about 100% after six recoveries. The hydrogel integrates transparency (> 60%), super toughness (up to 13.96 MJ m−3, bearing 1500 times of its own tensile weight), good antibacterial properties (E. coli and S. aureus), UV protection (Filtration: 80%–90%), high electrical conductivity (4.72 S m−1), anti-swelling and recyclability. The hydrogel can not only monitor daily physiological activities, but also be used for complex activities underwater and message encryption/decryption. We also used it to create a complete finger joint rehabilitation system with an interactive interface that dynamically presents the user’s health status. Our multifunctional electronic skin will have a profound impact on the future of new rehabilitation medical, human–machine interaction, VR/AR and the metaverse fields.
Vitality loss of beech: a serious threat to Fagus sylvatica in Germany in the context of global warming
Authors: Langer Gitta Jutta , Bußkamp Johanna
Published: April 2023

In the light of ongoing climate change, European beech trees face a loss of vitality due to an expected increase in the frequency of droughts, exacerbated by prolonged periods of high temperatures and solar radiation. Such conditions increase the predisposition to European beech splendour beetle attacks, and trigger sunburn, fungal infections and complex diseases. As a result, European beech forests are seriously threatened by climate change. Following prolonged and repeated periods of exceptional drought since 2018, European beech decline have been observed in several regions of Germany and Europe. Vitality losses, in some cases severe, of due to the extraordinarily warm, dry summers of 2018 and 2019 have been observed and investigated in several regions of Germany. The first symptoms of vitality loss of European beech associated with severe signs of crown dieback were recorded in midsummer 2018. Mortality of branches and individual trees was often associated with sunburn, bark necrosis and bleeding spots of sap flux. The first signs of mortality were observed locally in predisposed stands in autumn 2018. The stem stability and break resistance of affected trees were significantly reduced. To elucidate the complex interactions involved, the occurrence of vitality loss of European beech and associated causative agents were examined in north-western Germany. Disease symptoms of individual trees were studied, associated fungi (endophytes, plant pathogens and saprobes) were isolated and identified. Frequent potentially severe pathogens included Neonectria coccinea, Diplodia corticola and D. mutila. The presented cases of disease were the first, where D. corticola was recorded on beech. In addition, inoculation tests were used to assess the potential roles of Botryosphaeria species in the observed symptomatology.
Lesson Enactments: Maintenance in Everyday Educational Practice
Authors: Mörtsell Sara
Published: April 2023

This article explores lesson enactments as co-constitutive of human-technology relationality in everyday schooling, rather than neutral backdrops for educational activities. In doing so, the article introduces maintenance as its key concept, drawing on insights from maintenance studies and actor-network theory (ANT). Being both theoretically and empirically informed, maintenance means reconsidering lessons, and digital technologies, as part of lively and vulnerable objects achieved in sociomaterial practices and not merely stable in function and use. The empirical case of lesson enactments comes from fieldwork with an upper secondary school in Sweden during Covid-19. The article analyses situations of maintenance with online class calls and scheduling meetings. Herein, lessons turn into a topic of concern and mechanisms of maintenance enact educational order and prevent disorder. The article demonstrates how putting maintenance to work articulates and identifies so far neglected and mundane practices with digital technology in education. In light of this, the article argues for recognising maintenance in educational practice as too long overshadowed by use, reinforced by a persistent user-technology dichotomy. Finally, the article discusses how maintenance invites reconsiderations of the dominant before-after debate that the Covid-19 pandemic attracts and calls attention to the mundane maintenance of lessons regardless of breakdowns.
Statistical signals of copying are robust to time- and space-averaging
Authors: Youngblood Mason , Miton Helena , Morin Olivier
Published: April 2023

Cattle brands (ownership marks left on animals) are subject to forces influencing other graphic codes: the copying of constituent parts, pressure for distinctiveness and pressure for complexity. The historical record of cattle brands in some US states is complete owing to legal registration, providing a unique opportunity to assess how sampling processes leading to time- and space-averaging influence our ability to make inferences from limited datasets in fields like archaeology. In this preregistered study, we used a dataset of ~81,000 Kansas cattle brands (1990–2016) to explore two aspects: (1) the relative influence of copying, pressure for distinctiveness and pressure for complexity on the creation and diffusion of brand components; and (2) the effects of time- and space-averaging on statistical signals. By conducting generative inference with an agent-based model, we found that the patterns in our data are consistent with copying and pressure for intermediate complexity. In addition, by comparing mixed and structured datasets, we found that these statistical signals of copying are robust to, and possibly boosted by, time- and space-averaging.
Projecting robot dynamics onto trajectories
Authors: Pfeiffer Friedrich
Published: April 2023

Machines and mechanisms realize processes, from the shaping process of a milling machine and the motion process of an automotive system to the trajectory realization of a robot. The dynamics of a machine generated by a properly chosen set of constraints in combination with an appropriate drive system is designed to meet the prescribed requirements of the process, which is done by projecting the machine equations of motion on the process dynamics. We get a set of nonlinear relations, which represent the machine motion in terms of the required process motion. A well-known example is the projection of arbitrary many robot degrees of freedom (DOFs) on a given path resulting in a set of nonlinear equations with one DOF only, the path coordinate s. Application of this idea can be used to construct a mobility space
$(\ddot{s}, \dot{s}, s)$
for any combination of coordinates and constraints. The paper presents a corresponding approach for n-link robots by applying multibody system theory. Method might be interesting for layout of machines and mechanisms. Practical aspects are discussed, and an example is given.
Surgical repair of the anomalous aortic origin of the coronary arteries: a single-center experience
Authors: Cicek Murat , Onalan Mehmet Akif , Ilker Yucel , Ozkok Sercin , Ozdemir Fatih , Yurdakok Okan , Aydemir Numan Ali , Sasmazel Ahmet
Published: April 2023

Objective:

Anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. The aim of this study was to present our experience with patients who underwent surgery for the anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery.

Methods:

This was a retrospective review of our experience with patients who had anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery from 2019 to 2022.

Results:

Seven patients were managed for anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery, including five males and two females. The median age of the patients were 16 years (IQR, 14.5–26 years). Five patients had anomalous aortic origin of the right coronary artery and two patients had anomalous aortic origin of the left coronary artery. Five patients were treated surgically, one patient refused surgical treatment despite myocardial ischaemia symptoms, and the other one was not operated because she had no symptoms. Two patients underwent pulmonary root anterior translocation and left main coronary artery unroofing procedure, one patient underwent right coronary artery unroofing procedure, one patient underwent pulmonary artery lateral translocation procedure, and the last patient underwent right coronary artery osteal translocation procedure. The post-operative mortality or myocardial infarction was not observed in any patient. Patients were followed for a median of 10 months (IQR, 6.75–20.5 months) after repair.

Conclusion:

The data suggest that surgical repair of anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery can be performed confidently and can be very effective for relieving myocardial ischaemia symptoms. Different surgical techniques can be used in anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery according to the course and origin of the coronary arteries. To the our knowledge, pulmonary root anterior translocation and coronary artery unroofing procedure were performed for the first time in the literature.
What's the ideal World Health Organization (WHO)?
Authors: Wenham Clare , Davies Sara E.
Published: April 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) is tasked with the ‘attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health’, yet, it is widely struggling to meet this mandate, and COVID-19 has revealed significant limitations of the organisation. Despite clear guidance provided by the institution as to how best to respond to the pathogen, many governments departed from WHO's guidance in their response efforts. Is this a new crisis for WHO? Does WHO need to restore its legitimacy in the eyes of the global community? As renewed calls for changes to WHO emerge, in this perspective we lay out the obstacles WHO face to become the WHO ‘we’ need. The assumption is that UN member states need an empowered and well-funded organisation. Yet, many years of discussion of reform of WHO have failed to lead to meaningful change, and glaring challenges remain in its financing, governance and politics, which are considered in turn. The reality may be that we have the WHO that UN member states need – one that can provide guidance and advice, but also take criticism for health governance failures when states want to avoid blame or responsibility. We discuss this, by analysing three key areas of WHO'S challenges: mandate and scope; structure, governance and money and domestic vs international.