bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Label‐free quantitative proteomic analysis of extracellular vesicles released from fibroblasts derived from patients with spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Roberto Justin , Poulin Kathy L. , Parks Robin J. , Vacratsis Panayiotis O.
Published: April 2021

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder that represents a significant cause of infant mortality. SMA is characterized by reduced levels of the Survival Motor Neuron protein leading to the loss of alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain stem as well as defects in peripheral tissues such as skeletal muscle and liver. With progress in promising therapies such as antisense oligonucleotide and gene replacement, there remains a need to better understand disease subtypes and develop biomarkers for improved diagnostics and therapeutic monitoring. In this study, we have examined the utility of extracellular vesicles as a source of biomarker discovery in patient‐derived fibroblast cells. Proteome examination utilizing data‐independent acquisition and ion mobility mass spectrometry identified 684 protein groups present in all biological replicates tested. Label‐free quantitative analysis identified 116 statistically significant protein alterations compared to control cells, including several known SMA biomarkers. Protein level differences were also observed in regulators of Wnt signaling and Cajal bodies. Finally, levels of insulin growth factor binding protein‐3 were validated as being significantly higher in extracellular vesicles isolated from SMA cells. We conclude that extracellular vesicles represent a promising source for SMA biomarker discovery as well as a relevant constituent for advancing our understanding of SMA pathophysiology.
Light‐Assisted Resistive Switching Memory Device with Reduced SET/RESET Voltage Using Sol–Gel TiO2 on Al‐Doped ZnO Electrode
Authors: Ghosh Shuvaraj , Basak Durga
Published: April 2021

Herein, light‐assisted resistive switching (RS) characteristic of low‐cost sol–gel TiO2 film‐based metal–insulator–metal (MIM) configuration using Al‐doped ZnO (AZO) as the bottom electrode is demonstrated. Unprecedentedly, instead of the costly transparent conducting electrode such as tin‐doped indium oxide, AZO electrode is exploited in this study due to its dual role as a transparent and an additional oxygen vacancy (VO)‐rich electrode. The Al/TiO2/AZO device shows electroforming free bipolar RS characteristics, which can be explained by the formation (rupture) of conducting filaments composed of VO. The memory window is increased three times under the blue light illumination compared to dark conditions. Interestingly, the SET and RESET voltages are decreased from 5.2 to 4.5 V and −3.9 to −3.3 V, respectively, under the blue light illumination with respect to the dark condition. The enhancement in the RS effect under the blue light illumination is explained in terms of the photoresponsive properties of TiO2. The MIM device exhibits good switching repeatability with stable retention characteristics, making them attractive for next‐generation nonvolatile resistive random access memory devices.
Electrical Activation of Interstitial Ni in Cu‐Doped Si
Authors: Yarykin Nikolai , Weber Jörg
Published: April 2021

Modifications of the deep‐level spectrum of copper‐doped Si due to the interaction with mobile nickel species are studied using the deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Laplace‐DLTS techniques. The neutral interstitial nickel atoms () are introduced at near room temperatures by etching in a Ni‐contaminated KOH aqueous solution. Two levels similar to the donor and acceptor levels of substitutional nickel are observed to form as a result of the copper−nickel interaction. Analysis of the depth profiles leads to a tentative conclusion that the levels belong to atoms, which are influenced by a nearby copper−nickel complex. The disturbed defects are formed via intermediate electrically active Ni−Cu complexes.
Valence Band Structure of Chalcogenide Obtained by X‐Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Etching Technique
Authors: Jia Shujing , Shi Nannan , Shen Jiabin , Wu Renjie , Liu Qi , Song Zhitang , Zhu Min
Published: April 2021

Chalcogenide glass, such as GeSe, has been widely used in the selector device for high‐density vertically stackable memory application due to their nonlinear electrical property. The electronic structure of the valence band, from which the nature of the bonding, the short‐range structure, and the Fermi level can be obtained, is of great importance to understand their unique electrical behavior. However, the surface oxidation issue makes it difficult to obtain the accurate valence band structure by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Herein, XPS depth profiles using the combination of the monatomic and cluster ion etching are performed to determine the valence band structures of amorphous Ge–Se films capped with a thin carbon layer. The completely different etching behavior dependent on composition in the depth profiles may be closely associated with the intrinsic bonding configurations of the amorphous films. After obtaining the fresh surface, the intrinsic valence band structures of amorphous Ge–Se samples demonstrate the different bonding behavior and short‐range structure. Most importantly, the Fermi level of amorphous GexSe100−x compounds is also determined.
Finite Element Modeling of Auxetic Warp‐Knitted Fabric Made of Re‐entrant Geometry
Authors: Zhao Shuaiquan , Chen Yu , Chang Yuping , Hu Hong
Published: April 2021

Auxetic fabrics are those with a negative Poisson's ratio and have received increasing attention in recent years. In our previous study, a series of auxetic warp‐knitted fabrics were developed based on re‐entrant geometry and their auxetic effects were experimentally investigated. Unlike weft‐knitted fabrics, the preparation and production process of warp‐knitted fabrics are very complicated and time consuming. However, finite element (FE) method offers an efficient way to simulate and predict their auxetic behavior without conducting the manufacturing process and experimental tests. Herein, an FE study of auxetic warp‐knitted fabric structures is conducted. The FE models are established from the geometry of a real fabric and compared with the experimental results. It is shown that the variation trends of Poisson's ratio agree well between the simulation and experiment. Although simulation results are slightly different from the experimental ones, it still proves feasible for predicting auxetic effects of auxetic fabrics using the FE models. It is expected that this research can offer a useful method to model and simulate the deformation behavior of auxetic warp‐knitted fabrics, providing a guide for the design and development of more novel auxetic fabric structures.
Computation of Mostar index for some graph operations
Authors: Akhter Shehnaz , Iqbal Zahid , Aslam Adnan , Gao Wei
Published: April 2021

Very recently, a novel bond‐additive topological descriptor named as the Mostar index has been proposed as a measure of peripherality in networks and graphs. In this article, we compute the Mostar index of generalized Hierarchical product, lexicographic product, Cartesian product, corona product, join, subdivision vertex‐edge join and Indu–Bala products of graphs and apply these results to determine the Mostar index of some types of nanostructures and chemical graphs. As an application, we give the explicit expressions for the Mostar index of various nanostructures and chemical graphs.
Designing Nanostructured Metal Chalcogenides as Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries
Authors: Regulacio Michelle D. , Nguyen Dan‐Thien , Horia Raymond , Seh Zhi Wei
Published: April 2021

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) are regarded as promising candidates for beyond‐lithium‐ion batteries owing to their high energy density. Moreover, as Mg metal is earth‐abundant and has low propensity for dendritic growth, RMBs have the advantages of being more affordable and safer than the currently used lithium‐ion batteries. However, the commercial viability of RMBs has been negatively impacted by slow diffusion kinetics in most cathode materials due to the high charge density and strongly polarizing nature of the Mg2+ ion. Nanostructuring of potential cathode materials such as metal chalcogenides offers an effective means of addressing these challenges by providing larger surface area and shorter migration routes. In this article, a review of recent research on the design of metal chalcogenide nanostructures for RMBs’ cathode materials is provided. The different types and structures of metal chalcogenide cathodes are discussed, and the synthetic strategies through which nanostructuring of these materials can be achieved are described. An organized summary of their electrochemical performance is also presented, along with an analysis of the current challenges and future directions. Although particular focus is placed on RMBs, many of the nanostructuring concepts that are discussed here can be carried forward to other next‐generation energy storage systems.
Selective CO2‐to‐CH4 Photoconversion in Aqueous Solutions Catalyzed by Atomically Dispersed Copper Sites Anchored on Ultrathin Graphdiyne Oxide Nanosheets
Authors: Wu Siyao , Ji Yangqi , Wang Lei , Wu Xiaojun , Xu Hangxun
Published: April 2021

Photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into chemical fuels using sunlight represents an intriguing approach to simultaneously address energy and environmental issues. However, steering the reaction pathways during the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to selectively produce desirable hydrocarbon fuels such as methane (CH4) remains a significant challenge. Meanwhile, suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction is extremely difficult when the photocatalytic process is carried out in aqueous solutions. Herein, ultrathin graphdiyne oxide nanosheets prepared by oxidizing and exfoliating from as‐synthesized graphdiyne are used to activate coordinated Cu2+ sites without using additional organic ligands for selective reduction of CO2 to CH4 in aqueous solutions. It is shown that the reaction selectivity toward CH4 and CO production can reach 87% and 13%, respectively, whereas the hydrogen evolution reaction can be completely inhibited. The atomically anchored Cu2+ ions can effectively trap photogenerated electrons and serve as active sites for the selective CO2‐to‐CH4 conversion. Considering the rich coordination chemistry of polymer materials, the methodology presented in this study can be extended to prepare various polymer‐based photocatalysts with precisely engineered metallic centers toward the selective reduction of CO2 to chemical fuels.
Rapid Acidic Media Growth of Cs3Bi2Br9 Halide Perovskite Platelets for Photocatalytic Toluene Oxidation
Authors: Dai Yitao , Tüysüz Harun
Published: April 2021

Organic ligands with long carbon chains have been widely utilized to mediate the growth of halide perovskite crystals with tunable morphologies. However, the presence of these surfactants on the surface of halide perovskites limits their performance in photocatalytic conversion applications. Herein, a rapid synthetic protocol to prepare Cs3Bi2Br9 platelets with clean surfaces and controllable thickness in a dilute H2SO4 solution after a quick cooling process in liquid nitrogen or mixtures of dry ice is reported. Electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction reveal the preferential exposure of (00l) facets in Cs3Bi2Br9 platelets with variable thickness from 100 to 500 nm. Infrared spectroscopy hints that the selective chemisorption of ethyl acetoacetate on (00l) facets of bismuth perovskites regulates the growth of the crystals. These novel lead‐free halide perovskite platelets can drive the photo‐oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde with high selectivity (≥88%) and stability over 36 h.
The Important Contribution of Social Knowledge to International Development
Authors: Christoffersen Leif E.
Published: April 2021

This essay will reflect on how the contribution of sociology and anthropology enrich the practice of economic development and broader sustainable development aimed at reducing poverty. It decribes the context and reasons why in the early 1970s the World Bank decided to create the first in-house position of a professional sociologist within its central staff. From a tentative experiment starting at the individual scale, a process emerged that built a strong and respected community of development sociologists and anthropologists that has become influential in the World Bank. They produced enduring changes in the Bank’s thinking, policies, operations, and ethics. They brought a distinct body of social knowledge and methods that they practiced and advocated both in-house and internationally. Under their call for Putting People First, they substantially broadened the Bank’s development paradigm.
Putting People First in Practice: Indonesia and the Kecamatan Development Program
Authors: Guggenheim Scott
Published: April 2021

Michael Cernea’s key insight was that the core concepts of sociology and anthropology—social organization, culture, participation, and symbolic construction—could improve the quality and effectiveness of development. His key achievement was in the fact that he and the people he inspired were able to bridge the gap between analyst and practitioner to show that these anthropological and sociological concepts really could make a difference in how development affected the poor. In this article, I’ll do my best to use describe my own journey from naïve graduate student to World Bank team leader for the Kecamatan Development Program, one of the world’s earliest and largest community development programs.
The Road to Achieving a Critical Mass of Sociologists and Anthropologists in the World Bank
Authors: Weiss Charles
Published: April 2021

A succession of dominant academic and applied disciplines influenced the intellectual paradigm, policies, and lending operations of the World Bank before, during and immediately after the presidency of Robert McNamara. The account that I document below about one part of this disciplinary succession and intellectual expansion of the World Bank’s outlook is based on the author’s work in the Bank between 1971 and 1986, during which I served as the Bank’s first Science and Technology Adviser.
Social Analysis in the World Bank
Authors: Evans Huw , Herfkens Eveline , Jacoby Ruth , Piercy Jan
Published: April 2021

The World Bank’s mission has important environmental and social implications. These issues are of acute concern to our shareholders, as well as to civil society in both developed and developing countries. We believe that the World Bank now has moved significantly towards procedures and expertise to address environmental dimensions of its work. However, we are very concerned at the slow progress in establishing equivalent strengths in social analysis, which is essential to the Bank’s objective of reducing poverty in an equitable and cost-effective manner.
Neuropsychologische und Magnetresonanztomographie(MRT)-Diagnostik bei sekundär progredienter Multipler Sklerose
Authors: Penner I.-K. , Gass A. , Schreiber H. , Wattjes M. P.
Published: April 2021

Hintergrund

Die Multiple Sklerose ist im longitudinalen Verlauf oft ein Krankheitskontinuum mit initial schubförmig-remittierender Phase (RRMS) und späterer sekundärer Progredienz (SPMS). Die meisten bisher zugelassenen Therapien sind bei SPMS nicht ausreichend wirksam. Die frühe Erkennung der SPMS-Konversion ist daher entscheidend für die Therapiewahl. Wichtige Entscheidungshilfen können dabei die Testung kognitiver Teilleistungen und die Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT) sein.

Ziel der Arbeit

Darstellung der Bedeutung kognitiver Testungen und von MRT-Untersuchungen für Prädiktion und Erfassung der SPMS-Konversion. Ausarbeitung von Strategien der Verlaufsbeobachtung und Therapiesteuerung in der Praxis, insbesondere in der ambulanten Versorgung.

Material und Methoden

Übersichtsarbeit auf Basis einer unsystematischen Literaturrecherche.

Ergebnisse

Standardisierte kognitive Testung kann für die frühe SPMS-Diagnose hilfreich sein und die Verlaufsbewertung erleichtern. Eine jährliche Anwendung sensitiver Screeningtests wie Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) und Brief Visual Memory Test-Revised (BVMT‑R) oder der Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS)-Testbatterie ist empfehlenswert. Persistierende inflammatorische Aktivität im MRT in den ersten drei Jahren der Erkrankung sowie das Vorhandensein kortikaler Läsionen sind prädiktiv für eine SPMS-Konversion. Ein standardisiertes MRT-Monitoring auf Merkmale einer progressiven MS kann den klinisch und neurokognitiv begründeten SPMS-Verdacht stützen.

Diskussion

Die interdisziplinäre Versorgung von MS-Patienten durch klinisch versierte Neurologen, unterstützt durch neuropsychologische Testung und MRT, hat einen hohen Stellenwert für die SPMS-Prädiktion und Diagnose. Letztere erlaubt eine frühe Umstellung auf geeignete Therapien, da bei SPMS andere Interventionen als für die RRMS notwendig sind. Nach erfolgter medikamentöser Umstellung erlaubt die klinische, neuropsychologische und bildgebende Vigilanz ein stringentes Monitoring auf neuroinflammatorische und -degenerative Aktivität sowie Therapiekomplikationen.
The evolution of intracranial aneurysm treatment techniques and future directions
Authors: Lee Keng Siang , Zhang John J. Y. , Nguyen Vincent , Han Julian , Johnson Jeremiah N. , Kirollos Ramez , Teo Mario
Published: April 2021

Treatment techniques and management guidelines for intracranial aneurysms (IAs) have been continually developing and this rapid development has altered treatment decision-making for clinicians. IAs are treated in one of two ways: surgical treatments such as microsurgical clipping with or without bypass techniques, and endovascular methods such as coiling, balloon- or stent-assisted coiling, or intravascular flow diversion and intrasaccular flow disruption. In certain cases, a single approach may be inadequate in completely resolving the IA and successful treatment requires a combination of microsurgical and endovascular techniques, such as in complex aneurysms. The treatment option should be considered based on factors such as age; past medical history; comorbidities; patient preference; aneurysm characteristics such as location, morphology, and size; and finally the operator’s experience. The purpose of this review is to provide practicing neurosurgeons with a summary of the techniques available, and to aid decision-making by highlighting ideal or less ideal cases for a given technique. Next, we illustrate the evolution of techniques to overcome the shortfalls of preceding techniques. At the outset, we emphasize that this decision-making process is dynamic and will be directed by current best scientific evidence, and future technological advances.
The Application of Maultsby’s Rational Behavior Therapy in Psychosis – A Case Report
Authors: Kałwa Agnieszka , Wirga Mariusz , Wirga Aleksandra H.
Published: April 2021

The purpose of this paper is to present the applicability of Rational Behavior Therapy (RBT) for a patient with psychosis. RBT is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by an American psychiatrist, Maxie C. Maultsby, Jr. RBT teaches rational self-counseling to achieve emotive and behavioral goals, reduce distress and the symptoms of the disease, improve functioning, improve treatment adherence, and prevent relapse. The challenges in applying cognitive behavior therapy in psychosis are described. We report the case of a 17-year-old patient who had been recently diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 criteria, presenting with recurrent psychotic symptoms and suicidal ideation. Over 1.5 years, the patient was treated in an outpatient setting with antipsychotic medications and, intermittently, with RBT-based psychotherapy (by the first author). The therapy process was interrupted periodically due to temporary improvements in the patient’s status, non-adherence, or relapses, including one episode requiring hospitalization. Nevertheless, the treatment eventually resulted in a long-lasting remission. We present examples of the RBT techniques used in this therapeutic process and highlight this treatment modality’s unique features which support patients utilizing rational self-counseling skills to become more independent in coping with their problems. We emphasize that patients with a mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder also suffer from learned emotional disturbances that are amenable to treatment with cognitive-behavior therapies like RBT. In conclusion, we submit that with its self-counseling properties, RBT offers non-intrusive ways of helping people experiencing psychotic symptoms as part of their diagnosis and in prodromal or non-diagnostic states.
Accounting for groups: the dynamics of intragroup deliberation
Authors: Alexander J. McKenzie , Morley Julia
Published: April 2021

In a highly influential work, List and Pettit (Group Agency: The Possibility, Design, and Status of Corporate Agents, Oxford University Press, 2011) draw upon the theory of judgement aggregation to offer an argument for the existence of nonreductive group agents; they also suggest that nonreductive group agency is a widespread phenomenon. In this paper, we argue for the following two claims. First, that the axioms they consider cannot naturally be interpreted as either descriptive characterisations or normative constraints upon group judgements, in general. This makes it unclear how the List and Pettit argument is to apply to real world group behaviour. Second, by examining empirical data about how group judgements are made by a powerful international regulatory board, we show how each of the List and Pettit axioms can be violated in ways which are straightforwardly explicable at the level of the individual. This suggests that group agency may best be understood as a pluralistic phenomenon, where close inspection of the dynamics of intragroup deliberation can reveal that whatprima facieappears to be a nonreductive group agent is, in fact, reducible.
Collective Oscillations in Coupled-Cell Systems
Authors: Chen Kuan-Wei , Shih Chih-Wen
Published: April 2021

We investigate oscillations in coupled systems. The methodology is based on the Hopf bifurcation theorem and a condition extended from the Routh–Hurwitz criterion. Such a condition leads to locating the bifurcation values of the parameters. With such an approach, we analyze a single-cell system modeling the minimal genetic negative feedback loop and the coupled-cell system composed by these single-cell systems. We study the oscillatory properties for these systems and compare these properties between the model with Hill-type repression and the one with protein-sequestration-based repression. As the parameters move from the Hopf bifurcation value for single cells to the one for coupled cells, we compute the eigenvalues of the linearized systems to obtain the magnitude of the collective frequency when the periodic solution of the coupled-cell system is generated. Extending from this information on the parameter values, we further compute and compare the collective frequency for the coupled-cell system and the average frequency of the decoupled individual cells. To compare these scenarios with other biological oscillators, we perform parallel analysis and computations on a segmentation clock model.
Obesity in Prader–Willi syndrome: physiopathological mechanisms, nutritional and pharmacological approaches
Authors: Muscogiuri G. , Barrea L. , Faggiano F. , Maiorino M. I. , Parrillo M. , Pugliese G. , Ruggeri R. M. , Scarano E. , Savastano S. , Colao A. ,   RESTARE
Published: April 2021

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder caused by the lack of expression of genes on the paternally inherited chromosome 15q11.2-q13 region. The three main genetic subtypes are represented by paternal 15q11-q13 deletion, maternal uniparental disomy 15, and imprinting defect. Clinical picture of PWS changes across life stages. The main clinical characteristics are represented by short stature, developmental delay, cognitive disability and behavioral diseases. Hypotonia and poor suck resulting in failure to thrive are typical of infancy. As the subjects with PWS age, clinical manifestations such as hyperphagia, temperature instability, high pain threshold, hypersomnia and multiple endocrine abnormalities including growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone deficiencies, hypogonadism and central adrenal insufficiency due to hypothalamic dysfunction occur. Obesity and its complications are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in PWS. Several mechanisms for the aetiology of obesity in PWS have been hypothesized, which include aberration in hypothalamic pathways of satiety control resulting in hyperphagia, disruption in hormones regulating appetite and satiety and reduced energy expenditure. However, despite the advancement in the research field of the genetic basis of obesity in PWS, there are contradictory data on the management. Although it is mandatory to adopt obesity strategy prevention from infancy, there is promising evidence regarding the management of obesity in adulthood with current obesity drugs along with lifestyle interventions, although the data are limited. Therefore, the current manuscript provides a review of the current evidence on obesity and PWS, covering physiopathological aspects, obesity-related complications and conservative management.
Experimental Investigation of the Rail Pressure Fluctuations Correlated with Fuel Properties and Injection Settings
Authors: Coratella Carlo , Parry Lewis , Li Yanfei , Xu Hongming
Published: April 2021

Injection-induced rail pressure fluctuations are proven to cause nonuniform spray development. These fluctuations are also responsible for generating lower injection pressures, to the detriment of jet penetration length and break-up timing. Despite the vast literature dealing with such issues, several aspects of rail pressure fluctuations remain unclear. Additionally, the need for compliance with the emission legislation has shed light on the potential of alternative fuels, which represent a pathway for sustainable mobility. This scenario has motivated the present study dealing with the assessment of the time history of rail pressure correlated with fuel properties. Tests have been performed using a last-generation common rail injection equipment under various injection settings, employing diesel and 2-methylfuran-diesel blend. This paper describes the research activity and aims to provide new insights into the correlation of rail pressure fluctuations with fuel properties.
Comparison of two methods for evaluating lower urinary tract symptoms in cervical cancer patients following radical hysterectomy
Authors: An Fang , Wang Sha , Wang Zhiqi , Wu Lingying , Lv Qiubo , Lv Aiming , Wen Hongwu , Han Jinsong , Wu Yumei , Gao Yunong , Liu Qing , Wang Sumei , Li Hongxia , Wang Luwen , Wang Yanlong , Wu Ruifang , Li Huan , Sun Xiuli
Published: April 2021

Objective

To compare the degree of agreement and consistency of urodynamic studies (UDS) with low urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) questionnaires for evaluating LUTS in cervical cancer patients following radical hysterectomy (RH) and pelvic lymphadenectomy.

Methods

From January 2012 to March 2015, 204 cervical cancer patients who underwent RH in 13 hospitals were evaluated using the Incontinence Questionnaire-Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-FLUTS) and the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS). Urodynamic tests were also performed on these patients during the same period.

Results

Study participants’ age ranged from 23 to 75 years, with a mean (standard deviation) of 48.0 ​± ​9.3 years. Using questionnaires, the prevalence of patients with LUTS symptoms, including storage symptoms, voiding symptoms, stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB) was 86.3%, 77.0%, 62.7%, 52.9% and 14.7%, respectively. For UDS, the corresponding prevalence was 89.7%, 70.1%, 66.7%, 46.6% and 13.2%, respectively. The diagnostic concordance of questionnaires and UDS for storage symptoms, voiding symptoms, SUI and OAB was 79.9%, 66.7%, 66.7%, 57.4% and 79.9%, respectively. For voiding symptoms, the correlation coefficient was 0.272, which was higher than that of storage symptoms, SUI and OAB.

Conclusions

In cervical cancer patients who have undergone RH, there was a moderate degree of agreement between UDS and symptom questionnaires in evaluating LUTS, but the consistency was poor. Medical personnel should be adequately trained in UDS to ensure LUTS are adequately diagnosed in patients.
MIM2021 virtual conference overview
Authors: Capus Joseph
Published: April 2021

The 2021MIM Conference and PIM Tutorial went virtual because of COVID. Traditional format was still followed, with speakers and attendance from around the world. Interesting new studies of MIM process aspects were presented, as well as further details of investigations on a wide range of both MIM and 3-D printed materials.
The Look of the Past
Authors: Jordanova Ludmilla
Published: April 2021

How can we use visual and material culture to shed light on the past? Ludmilla Jordanova offers a fascinating and thoughtful introduction to the role of images, objects and buildings in the study of past times. Through a combination of thematic chapters and essays on specific artefacts – a building, a piece of sculpture, a photographic exhibition and a painted portrait – she shows how to analyse the agency and visual intelligence of artists, makers and craftsmen and make sense of changes in visual experience over time. Generously illustrated and drawing on numerous examples of images and objects from 1600 to the present, this is an essential guide to the skills that students need in order to describe, analyse and contextualise visual evidence. The Look of the Past will encourage readers to think afresh about how they, like people in the past, see and interpret the world around them.
Atmospheric Ammonia Measurements Over a Coastal Salt Marsh Ecosystem Along the Mid‐Atlantic U.S.
Authors: Lichiheb Nebila , Heuer Mark , Hicks Bruce B , Saylor Rick , Vargas Rodrigo , Vázquez‐Lule Alma , St. Laurent Kari , Myles LaToya
Published: April 2021

Measurements of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) concentrations and fluxes are limited in coastal regions in the eastern U.S. In this study, continuous and high temporal resolution measurements (5s) of atmospheric NH3 concentrations were recorded using a cavity ring‐down spectrometer in a temperate tidal salt marsh at the St Jones Reserve (Dover, DE). Micrometeorological variables were measured using an eddy covariance system which is part of the AmeriFlux network (US‐StJ). Soil, plant, and water chemistry were also analyzed to characterize the sources and sinks of atmospheric NH3. A new analytical methodology was used to estimate the average ecosystem‐scale diurnal cycle of NH3 fluxes by replicating the characteristics of a chamber experiment. This virtual chamber approach estimates positive surface fluxes in continuing strongly stable conditions when mixing with the air above is minimal. Our findings show that tidal water level may have a significant impact on NH3 emissions from the marsh. The largest fluxes were observed at low tide when more soil was exposed. While it is expected that NH3 fluxes will peak when the air temperature maximizes, high tide occurred concurrently with midday peaks in solar irradiance led to a decrease in NH3 fluxes. Furthermore, soil, plant, and water chemistry measurements underpinning the NH3 concentrations and fluxes lead us to conclude that this coastal wetland ecosystem can act as either a sink or a source of NH3. Such measurements provide novel data on which we can base reliable parameterizations to simulate NH3 emissions from coastal salt marsh ecosystems using surface‐atmosphere transfer models.
An Improved Gridded Bathymetric Data Set and Tidal Model for the Maldives Archipelago
Authors: Rasheed Shuaib , Warder Simon C. , Plancherel Yves , Piggott Matthew D.
Published: April 2021

The Maldives faces a unique range of environmental challenges. While the country is almost entirely dependent upon oceanic resources with more than 99% of the area covered by ocean, the absence of a suitable bathymetric map of the seafloor of the Maldives severely limits the adoption and application of modern scientific methods for the prediction of both physical and biological oceanic processes across the country. Here, we present a new bathymetric data set for the country based upon accumulating data from various sources and demonstrate that the synthesis of these provides a far more accurate representation of the shallow water areas of the region than currently available products. We also show that the new bathymetric data set is of sufficiently high resolution to model tidal flows across the archipelago for the first time. The new bathymetric data set provides numerous opportunities to better understand oceanic flow, associated physical and biogeochemical processes, and their correlation to one another across the Maldives archipelago.
Impacts of the Assimilation of Satellite Sea Surface Temperature Data on Volume and Heat Budget Estimates for the North Sea
Authors: Chen W. , Schulz‐Stellenfleth J. , Grayek S. , Staneva J.
Published: April 2021

Mechanisms controlling the heat budget of the North Sea are investigated based on a combination of satellite sea surface temperature measurements and numerical model simulations. Lateral heat fluxes across the shelf edge and into the Baltic Sea as well as vertical ocean‐atmosphere heat exchange are considered. A 3‐D variational (3DVAR) data assimilation (DA) scheme is applied, which contains assumed model error correlations that depend on the mixed layer depth derived from a coupled circulation/ocean wave model. The analysis balances pressure gradients introduced by temperature modifications. Significant hydrodynamic model response to DA was found, which should be considered in the heat budget estimations. The observed change of the current velocity field decreases the lateral advective volume/heat exchanges between the North Sea and the Atlantic, yielding an increased heat flux from the Atlantic into the North Sea and more heat flux from the sea to the atmosphere. The largest DA impact on volume/heat transport is in the Norwegian Channel, where the dominant process is Eulerian transport, followed by tidal pumping and wind pumping. Further analysis reveals an acceleration of the along‐shelf current at the northern edge of the North Sea, a decrease in the horizontal pressure gradient from the Atlantic to the North Sea, and a reduction of the Eulerian transport of volume/heat outward the North Sea. Furthermore, the coupling between the circulation model and the wave model has significant impacts on lateral heat advection in the DA run, which is due to the wave impact on the mixed layer depth.
Growing Atmospheric Emissions of Sulfuryl Fluoride
Authors: Gressent A. , Rigby M. , Ganesan A. L. , Prinn R. G. , Manning A. J. , Mühle J. , Salameh P. K. , Krummel P. B. , Fraser P. J. , Steele L. P. , Mitrevski B. , Weiss R. F. , Harth C. M. , Wang R. H. , O'Doherty S. , Young D. , Park S. , Li S. , Yao B. , Reimann S. , Vollmer M. K. , Maione M. , Arduini J. , Lunder C. R.
Published: April 2021

The potent greenhouse gas sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) is increasingly used as a fumigant, replacing methyl bromide, whose structural and soil fumigation uses have been phased out under the Montreal Protocol. We use measurements on archived air samples and in situ observations from the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) and a box model of the global atmosphere to show a global increase of SO2F2 mole fraction from 0.3 ± 0.02 to 2.5 ± 0.08 ppt along with a global increase in emissions from 0.5 ± 0.4 Gg yr−1 to 2.9 ± 0.4 Gg yr−1 from 1978 to 2019. Based on a hybrid model incorporating bottom‐up industry data and a top‐down downscaling approach, we estimate the spatial distribution and trend in SO2F2 regional emissions between 2000 and 2019 and propose that the global emissions increase is driven by the growing use of SO2F2 in structural fumigation in North America and in postharvest treatment of grains and other agricultural products worldwide.
Mimicry of a Conceptual Hydrological Model (HBV): What's in a Name?
Authors: Jansen Koen F. , Teuling Adriaan J. , Craig James R. , Dal Molin Marco , Knoben Wouter J. M. , Parajka Juraj , Vis Marc , Melsen Lieke A.
Published: April 2021

Models that mimic an original model might have a different model structure than the original model, that affects model output. This study assesses model structure differences and their impact on output by comparing 7 model implementations that carry the name HBV. We explain and quantify output differences with individual model structure components at both the numerical (e.g., explicit/implicit scheme) and mathematical level (e.g., lineair/power outflow). It was found that none of the numerical and mathematical formulations of the mimicking models were (originally) the same as the benchmark, HBV‐light. This led to small but distinct output differences in simulated streamflow for different numerical implementations (KGE difference up to 0.15), and major output differences due to mathematical differences (KGE median loss of 0.27). These differences decreased after calibrating the individual models to the simulated streamflow of the benchmark model. We argue that the lack of systematic model naming has led to a diverging concept of the HBV‐model, diminishing the concept of model mimicry. Development of a systematic model naming framework, open accessible model code and more elaborate model descriptions are suggested to enhance model mimicry and model development.
Revisiting the Recent Dust Trends and Climate Drivers Using Horizontal Visibility and Present Weather Observations
Authors: Xi Xin
Published: April 2021

This study revisits the use of surface weather observations from the NOAA Integrated Surface Database to examine the most recent dust trends and climate drivers in the context of multidecadal dust variability, following a critical assessment of the data completeness, temporal continuity, and cross‐variable consistency of horizontal visibility and present weather reports. The global mean dust event frequency has increased at 0.02% yr−1 from 1986 to 2019, driven by recent intensified activity resulting in a reversal of the previously reported declining dust trend over 1984–2012. Correlation analysis suggests that soil moisture has a lagged effect on the global dustiness with a maximum r = −0.3 when soil moisture leads by 14 months. North Africa experienced increased dust activity in the last decade (2010–2019), due to reduced soil moisture and enhanced wind speed following the transition of the North Atlantic Oscillation from strong negative to recurring positive phases in 2011. The Middle East had a significant decline of dust production since 2015 following the amelioration of a decade‐long drought in the Tigris‐Euphrates basin, as the climate shifts to more El Niño‐like conditions as well as positive and weak negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation phases. East Asian dust variability is primarily driven by wind, which explains the negative trend from 1986 to 1997 and the absence of significant trends during the past two decades. This study constitutes an initial effort in creating a homogenized weather station‐based data set for characterizing dust‐climate connections on local and global scales.
An integrative drug repositioning framework discovered a potential therapeutic agent targeting COVID-19
Authors: Ge Yiyue , Tian Tingzhong , Huang Suling , Wan Fangping , Li Jingxin , Li Shuya , Wang Xiaoting , Yang Hui , Hong Lixiang , Wu Nian , Yuan Enming , Luo Yunan , Cheng Lili , Hu Chengliang , Lei Yipin , Shu Hantao , Feng Xiaolong , Jiang Ziyuan , Wu Yunfu , Chi Ying , Guo Xiling , Cui Lunbiao , Xiao Liang , Li Zeng , Yang Chunhao , Miao Zehong , Chen Ligong , Li Haitao , Zeng Hainian , Zhao Dan , Zhu Fengcai , Shen Xiaokun , Zeng Jianyang
Published: April 2021

The global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires an urgent need to find effective therapeutics for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we developed an integrative drug repositioning framework, which fully takes advantage of machine learning and statistical analysis approaches to systematically integrate and mine large-scale knowledge graph, literature and transcriptome data to discover the potential drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2. Our in silico screening followed by wet-lab validation indicated that a poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor, CVL218, currently in Phase I clinical trial, may be repurposed to treat COVID-19. Our in vitro assays revealed that CVL218 can exhibit effective inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 replication without obvious cytopathic effect. In addition, we showed that CVL218 can interact with the nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-CoV-2 and is able to suppress the LPS-induced production of several inflammatory cytokines that are highly relevant to the prevention of immunopathology induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection.
RNA-induced liquid phase separation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein facilitates NF-κB hyper-activation and inflammation
Authors: Wu Yaoxing , Ma Ling , Cai Sihui , Zhuang Zhen , Zhao Zhiyao , Jin Shouheng , Xie Weihong , Zhou Lingli , Zhang Lei , Zhao Jincun , Cui Jun
Published: April 2021

The ongoing 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has posed a worldwide pandemic and a major global public health threat. The severity and mortality of COVID-19 are associated with virus-induced dysfunctional inflammatory responses and cytokine storms. However, the interplay between host inflammatory responses and SARS-CoV-2 infection remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein, the major structural protein of the virion, promotes the virus-triggered activation of NF-κB signaling. After binding to viral RNA, N protein robustly undergoes liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), which recruits TAK1 and IKK complex, the key kinases of NF-κB signaling, to enhance NF-κB activation. Moreover, 1,6-hexanediol, the inhibitor of LLPS, can attenuate the phase separation of N protein and restrict its regulatory functions in NF-κB activation. These results suggest that LLPS of N protein provides a platform to induce NF-κB hyper-activation, which could be a potential therapeutic target against COVID-19 severe pneumonia.
The olfactory route is a potential way for SARS-CoV-2 to invade the central nervous system of rhesus monkeys
Authors: Jiao Li , Yang Yun , Yu Wenhai , Zhao Yuan , Long Haiting , Gao Jiahong , Ding Kaiyun , Ma Chunxia , Li Jingmei , Zhao Siwen , Wang Haixuan , Li Haiyan , Yang Mengli , Xu Jingwen , Wang Junbin , Yang Jing , Kuang Dexuan , Luo Fangyu , Qian Xingli , Xu Longjiang , Yin Bin , Liu Wei , Liu Hongqi , Lu Shuaiyao , Peng Xiaozhong
Published: April 2021

Neurological manifestations are frequently reported in the COVID-19 patients. Neuromechanism of SARS-CoV-2 remains to be elucidated. In this study, we explored the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism via our established non-human primate model of COVID-19. In rhesus monkey, SARS-CoV-2 invades the CNS primarily via the olfactory bulb. Thereafter, viruses rapidly spread to functional areas of the central nervous system, such as hippocampus, thalamus, and medulla oblongata. The infection of SARS-CoV-2 induces the inflammation possibly by targeting neurons, microglia, and astrocytes in the CNS. Consistently, SARS-CoV-2 infects neuro-derived SK-N-SH, glial-derived U251, and brain microvascular endothelial cells in vitro. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence of SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion in the NHP model, which provides important insights into the CNS-related pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2.
Phenotypic and genetic markers of psychopathology in a population-based sample of older adults
Authors: Gard Arianna M. , Ware Erin B. , Hyde Luke W. , Schmitz Lauren L. , Faul Jessica , Mitchell Colter
Published: April 2021

Although psychiatric phenotypes are hypothesized to organize into a two-factor internalizing–externalizing structure, few studies have evaluated the structure of psychopathology in older adults, nor explored whether genome-wide polygenic scores (PGSs) are associated with psychopathology in a domain-specific manner. We used data from 6003 individuals of European ancestry from the Health and Retirement Study, a large population-based sample of older adults in the United States. Confirmatory factor analyses were applied to validated measures of psychopathology and PGSs were derived from well-powered genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Genomic SEM was implemented to construct latent PGSs for internalizing, externalizing, and general psychopathology. Phenotypically, the data were best characterized by a single general factor of psychopathology, a factor structure that was replicated across genders and age groups. Although externalizing PGSs (cannabis use, antisocial behavior, alcohol dependence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) were not associated with any phenotypes, PGSs for major depressive disorder, neuroticism, and anxiety disorders were associated with both internalizing and externalizing phenotypes. Moreover, the variance explained in the general factor of psychopathology increased by twofold (from 1% to 2%) using the latent internalizing or latent one-factor PGSs, derived using weights from Genomic Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), compared with any of the individual PGSs. Collectively, results suggest that genetic risk factors for and phenotypic markers of psychiatric disorders are transdiagnostic in older adults of European ancestry. Alternative explanations are discussed, including methodological limitations of GWAS and phenotypic measurement of psychiatric outcome in large-scale population-based studies.
The association between latent trauma and brain structure in children
Authors: Jeong Hee Jung , Durham E. Leighton , Moore Tyler M. , Dupont Randolph M. , McDowell Malerie , Cardenas-Iniguez Carlos , Micciche Emily T. , Berman Marc G. , Lahey Benjamin B. , Kaczkurkin Antonia N.
Published: April 2021

The developing brain is marked by high plasticity, which can lead to vulnerability to early life stressors. Previous studies indicate that childhood maltreatment is associated with structural aberrations across a number of brain regions. However, prior work is limited by small sample sizes, heterogeneous age groups, the examination of one structure in isolation, the confounding of different types of early life stressors, and not accounting for socioeconomic status. These limitations may contribute to high variability across studies. The present study aimed to investigate how trauma is specifically associated with cortical thickness and gray matter volume (GMV) differences by leveraging a large sample of children (N = 9270) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study (ABCD Study®). A latent measure of trauma exposure was derived from DSM-5 traumatic events, and we related this measure of trauma to the brain using structural equation modeling. Trauma exposure was associated with thinner cortices in the bilateral superior frontal gyri and right caudal middle frontal gyrus (pfdr-values < .001) as well as thicker cortices in the left isthmus cingulate and posterior cingulate (pfdr-values ≤ .027), after controlling age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Furthermore, trauma exposure was associated with smaller GMV in the right amygdala and right putamen (pfdr-values ≤ .048). Sensitivity analyses that controlled for income and parental education were largely consistent with the main findings for cortical thickness. These results suggest that trauma may be an important risk factor for structural aberrations, specifically for cortical thickness differences in frontal and cingulate regions in children.