bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Contemporary status of diagnostic endoluminal ultrasound and optical coherence tomography in the ureter
Authors: Sii Samuel , Bolton Jeremy , Tempo Jake , Bolton Damien
Published: March 2024

Objective

To evaluate via a review of published literature, the efficacy of endoluminal ultrasound (ELUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the following ureteric diseases: urolithiasis, upper tract urothelial carcinoma, stricture disease and pelvic‐ureteric junction obstruction (PUJO).

Patients and methods

Ureteric high‐frequency ELUS provides 360° imaging, to a depth of 20 mm, and has been demonstrated to assess ureteric stricture length, degree of fibrosis and aetiology. OCT produces high‐quality images with a penetration depth of 2 mm. ELUS has proven to be useful at the time of endopyelotomy for PUJO as it can identify crossing vessels, some not detectable on CT angiography, allowing the urologist to avoid these when making their incision. Ureteric ELUS may be utilised for submucosal ureteric stones as they are highly visible. Endoluminal ultrasound may be deployed in the case of known sub‐mucosal urolithiasis when the ureter appears stone‐free. It may help identify sub‐mucosal stones or stones within diverticulum.

Results

Endoluminal ultrasound has been analysed for its use in determining muscle‐invasive urothelial carcinoma of the ureter. The PPV for ≥pT2 was only 16.7% in one study of six patients with MIBC and 76.2% in 21 patients with <pT2 disease. Analysis of OCT for staging UTUC during ureteroscopy and biopsy demonstrated sensitivity for tumour invasion of 100% and specificity of 92%, 83% of lesion staging matched with histological analysis. Imaging analysis did not match histology in three patients with large exophytic tumours that exceeded the OCT depth penetration. Due to its superficial penetration, OCT cannot reliably stage large tumours.

Conclusions

Ureteric ELUS has been reported to be a useful tool in endopyelotomy, urolithiasis and stricture disease. The staging of ureteric urothelial carcinoma remains unsatisfactory with current imaging techniques and biopsy methods, and, based on the current literature, ELUS does not appear to have a strong enough PPV to determine muscle invasion. Ureteric OCT may be a useful tool in the future staging of upper tract urothelial carcinoma, particularly in differentiating the stage of small tumours. Further studies are needed in this area.
Consequences of applying soft‐sell themes in e‐cigarette advertisements
Authors: Velasco Vizcaíno Franklin , Guaita Martínez José Manuel , Martín Martín José María
Published: March 2024

This research uses a multi‐method approach to validate the prominence of soft‐sell themes to advertise e‐cigarettes and to test how this advertising theme influences consumers' attitudes and behaviors. First, the study presents a content analysis identifying the prevalence of soft‐sell themes used as marketing stimuli to advertise e‐cigarettes. Second, a quasi‐experiment tests the effects of a soft‐sell theme ad on consumers' attitudes toward vaping, their intention to try e‐cigarettes, their attitude toward smoking, and maladaptive intentions. This latter effect is relevant to e‐cigarette marketing literature, as it suggests how consumers lose temporal distance of the harmful effects of vaping. Theoretical and practical contributions of these findings are discussed.
Active Components of Pueraria lobata through the MAPK/ERK Signaling Pathway Alleviate Iron Overload in Alcoholic Liver Disease
Authors: Li Xue , Liu Le , Wan Mei‐Xuan , Gong Li‐Min , Su Juan , Xu Li
Published: March 2024

Objective: To delve into the primary active ingredients and mechanism of Pueraria lobata for alleviating iron overload in alcoholic liver disease. Methods: Pueraria lobata‘s potential targets and signaling pathways in treating alcohol‐induced iron overloads were predicted using network pharmacology analysis. Then, animal experiments were used to validate the predictions of network pharmacology. The impact of puerarin or genistein on alcohol‐induced iron accumulation, liver injury, oxidative stress, and apoptosis was assessed using morphological examination, biochemical index test, and immunofluorescence. Key proteins implicated in linked pathways were identified using RT‐qPCR, western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. Results: Network pharmacological predictions combined with animal experiments suggest that the model group compared to the control group, exhibited activation of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, suppression of hepcidin expression, and aggravated iron overload, liver damage, oxidative stress, and hepatocyte death. Puerarin and genistein, the active compounds in Pueraria lobata, effectively mitigated the aforementioned alcohol‐induced effects. No statistically significant disparities were seen in the effects above between the two groups receiving drug therapy. Conclusion: This study preliminarily demonstrated that puerarin and genistein in Pueraria lobata may increase hepcidin production to alleviate alcohol‐induced iron overload by inhibiting the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.
Fault diagnosis with high accuracy and timeliness for semi‐batch crystallization process based on deep learning with multiple pattern representation
Authors: Rao Silin , Wang Ziteng , Wang Jingtao
Published: March 2024

The research on chemical process fault diagnosis has made significant progress, but there is still a big gap in its application to complex practical industrial processes. As for the fault diagnosis of batch crystallization processes, the recently‐proposed dynamic time warping–convolutional neural network (DTW‐CNN) model has achieved a great improvement in the fault diagnosis. However, its fault diagnosis rate (FDR) and timeliness of fault diagnosis are still low, and thus, it needs to improve further before being applied to the practical application. In this paper, a multiple pattern representation–convolutional neural network (MPR‐CNN) model is proposed and applied for the fault diagnosis of a semi‐batch crystallization process. The MPR‐CNN model enables the manual extraction of features with four pattern representation algorithms in the data pre‐processing stage, and generates a three‐dimensional matrix which is used as the training sample and input to the CNN for the formal feature extraction and weight learning. An excellent classification performance, with an average FDR of 97.5%, is achieved. This model is also applied for the fault diagnosis of process data within a shorter period of time after the occurrence of faults. The results indicate that the model could make timely fault diagnosis with a highly stable and accurate performance after the occurrence of a fault.
Biodegradability of Carbon Nano‐Onions by Human Myeloperoxidase and Photo‐Fenton Process
Authors: Swetha K. , Camisasca Adalberto , Bartkowski Michał , Garhwal Akash , Aravind Ananya , Ganesh Prathiksha , Giordani Silvia , Kurapati Rajendra
Published: March 2024

The biodegradability of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) in the environment and organisms needs to be understood, and it is highly essential to estimate their in vivo fate, especially for clinical applications. It is also important to investigate their metabolites formation to fully understand their biocompatibility. Herein, we explored the biodegradability of multilayer fullerenes, better known as carbon nano‐onions (CNOs), by treating them with human myeloperoxidase (hMPO) isolated from the neutrophils, plant enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and the photo‐Fenton (PF) reaction. High‐resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and mass spectrometry (MS) results confirmed that CNOs are not bio‐persistent. Moreover, these results indicate that the oxidized (functionalized) CNOs can undergo faster biodegradation than the pristine CNOs. The possible by‐products of biodegradation of CNOs were characterized using mass spectrometry. An understanding of the biodegradation properties of CNOs and their metabolites is fundamental for future biomedical applications.
Privacy preserving and secure robust federated learning: A survey
Authors: Han Qingdi , Lu Siqi , Wang Wenhao , Qu Haipeng , Li Jingsheng , Gao Yang
Published: March 2024

Federated learning (FL) has emerged as a promising solution to address the challenges posed by data silos and the need for global data fusion. It offers a distributed machine learning framework with privacy‐preserving features, allowing model training without the need to collect user data. However, FL also presents significant security and privacy threats that hinder its widespread adoption. The requirements of privacy and security in FL are inherently conflicting. Privacy necessitates the concealment of individual client updates, while security requires the disclosure of client updates to detect anomalies. While most existing research focused on the privacy and security aspects of FL, very few studies have addressed the compatibility of these two demands. In this work, we aim to bridge this gap by proposing a comprehensive defense scheme that ensures privacy, security, and compatibility in FL. We categorize the existing literature into two key directions: privacy defense and security defense. Privacy defense includes methods based on additive masks, differential privacy, homomorphic encryption, and trusted execution environment, whereas security defense encompasses distance‐, performance‐, clustering‐, and similarity‐based anomaly detection techniques and statistical information‐based anomaly update bypassing techniques when the server is trusted and privacy‐compatible anomaly update detection techniques when the server is not trusted. In addition, this article presents decentralized FL solutions based on blockchain. For each direction, we discuss specific technical solutions, their advantages, and disadvantages. By evaluating various defense methods, we identify the most suitable approach to address the primary challenge of “achieving a secure and robust FL system against malicious adversaries while protecting users' privacy.” We then propose a theoretical reference framework for end‐to‐end protection of privacy and security in FL for the key problem, which summarizes the attack surface of FL systems from the client to the server under the security model where the client and server are malicious. Leveraging the strengths and characteristics of existing schemes, our proposed framework integrates multiple techniques to strike a balance between privacy, usability, and efficiency. This framework serves as a valuable reference and provides insights for future work in the field. Finally, we also provide recommendations for future research directions in this field.
Modified Donor End Caps for Binary‐to‐Ternary WORM Memory Conversion in N‐Heteroaromatic Systems
Authors: Gayathri Ramesh , Akshaya Madanan , Imran Predhanekar Mohamed , Nagarajan Samuthira
Published: March 2024

A series of novel D‐π‐A type organic small molecules have been designed, synthesized, and demonstrated for non‐volatile resistive switching WORM memory application. The electron‐deficient phenazine and quinoxaline units were coupled with various functionalized triphenylamine end caps to explore the structure‐property correlations. The photophysical investigations displayed considerable intramolecular charge transfer, and the electrochemical analysis revealed an optimum band gap of 2.44 to 2.83 eV. These factors and the thin film morphological studies suggest the feasibility of the compounds as better resistive memory devices. All the compounds indicated potent non‐volatile resistive switching memory capabilities with ON/OFF ratios ranging from 103 to 104, and the lowest threshold voltage recorded stands at −0.74 V. A longer retention time of 103 s marks the substantial stability of the devices. The phenazine‐based compounds outperformed the others in terms of memory performance. Exceptionally, the compound with −CHO substituted triphenylamine exhibited ternary memory performance owing to its multiple traps. The resistive switching mechanism for the devices was validated using density functional theory calculations, which revealed that the integrated effect of charge transfer and charge trapping contributes significantly to the resistive switching phenomena.
A Benefit–Risk Conceptual Framework for Biologic Use During Pregnancy: A Mini‐Review
Authors: Bozzi Laura M. , Jacobson Melanie H. , Yost Emily , Sheahan Anna , Cafone Joseph , Komatsu Yosuke , Schwartz Lisa , Levitan Bennett , Nelson Robert M.
Published: March 2024

Recent reports related to in utero exposure of marketed immunosuppressive biologics led to clinical recommendations to delay live vaccinations for infants due to the concern of reduced vaccine effectiveness and/or increased risk of vaccine‐related disease. These delays can increase the risk of children contracting vaccine preventable diseases, yet the alternative cessation of biologics during pregnancy may result in increased autoimmune disease activity for the pregnant person, raising complex benefit–risk (B‐R) considerations and trade‐offs. Our goal is to develop a conceptual framework for B‐R assessment based on the key benefits and risks pregnant people would consider for themselves and their children when continuing (vs. discontinuing) a biologic during pregnancy. The proposed framework defines the decision contexts, key domains and attributes for potential benefits, and risks of biologic use during pregnancy, informed by a literature review of indications for biologics and refined with key clinical stakeholders. The framework includes both the pregnant person taking the biologic and the infant potentially exposed to the biologic in utero, with potential benefit and risk domains and attributes for each participant. To advance this conceptual framework, there are considerations of potential biases and uncertainty of available data that will be imperative to address when quantifying the B‐R framework. For these reasons, we recommend the formation of a consortium to ensure development of a robust, validated framework that can be adopted in the healthcare setting.
Biological shaping as a conservative alternative for crown lengthening: A review
Authors: Alrmali Abdusalam , Melker Daniel , Zalucha Janet , Wang Hom‐Lay
Published: March 2024

Objectives

The perio‐restorative approach to maintaining supracrestal tissue attachment (STA; formerly known as biologic width) is a fundamental goal in modern dentistry. This article aims to review the clinical impact of biologic shaping (BS) as an innovative alternative to traditional crown lengthening procedures, reflecting over two decades of clinical experience.

Material and Methods

As a review paper, it is crucial to highlight that BS stands as a unique approach designed to optimize STA while emphasizing minimal to no removal of supporting bone. The review spans over two decades, consistently demonstrating clinical efficacy and predictability. Remarkably, BS focuses on addressing issues such as root concavities, developmental grooves, irregularities, furcation lips, and CEJ offering a remarkable level of clinical precision.

Results

The reviewed literature underscores that BS has consistently achieved substantial clinical success in fulfilling its objectives. This method presents a biologically sound alternative to traditional crown lengthening, placing a strong emphasis on the preservation of essential bone tissue and the establishment of durable STA.

Conclusions

The results suggest that BS is a logical and biologically driven approach for maintaining STA, making it a promising alternative to traditional crown lengthening. The method offers a predictable and reproducible way to preserve bone tissue while achieving durable STA. This innovation holds great promise in the field of periodontal and restorative dentistry.
Phenotypic variability in the US upland cotton core set for root traits and water use efficiency at the late reproductive stage
Authors: Ghimire Om Prakash , Spivey W. Walker , Kuraparthy Vasu , Campbell B. Todd , Jones Michael , Thomas Joe , Bridges William C. , Narayanan Sruthi
Published: March 2024

To incorporate root traits that improve water use efficiency (WUE) in cotton (Gossypium hirsutumL.) variety development, harnessing the genetic variability for root traits is essential. The objectives of this study were to characterize the US upland cotton core set for root traits and WUE and determine the traits associated with WUE. The core set includes 23 of the 381 accessions of the cotton diversity panel and represents 74% of the allelic diversity in US upland cotton. Plants were grown in polyvinyl chloride columns (125‐cm height, 15‐cm diameter) in a greenhouse in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. Half of the columns contained a synthetic hardpan (1 cm thickness, 300 PSI penetration resistance) at a depth of 25 cm. Plants were harvested when >50% of the population opened bolls. Based on 16 root‐ and shoot‐traits, water use, and WUE, Deltapine 14, Station Miller, and Southland M1 were the best performers, and Toole, Paymaster HS200, Western Stormproof, CD3HCABCUH‐1‐89, and PD 2164 were the poor performers irrespective of the presence or absence of hardpan stress to root growth. The WUE of the core set genotypes was positively correlated with very fine root (diameter <0.25 mm) length, surface area, and volume and total root weight (correlation coefficient ≥0.45). These traits serve as beneficial root traits for developing new varieties with enhanced WUE. The identified genotypes and traits will be valuable for developing the next generation of water‐use‐efficient cotton varieties with a broad genetic base through advanced breeding techniques involving genomic tools and genetic diversity.
Board governance model, institutions, financial performance, and environmental performance: Stakeholder supremacy or coordination problems?
Authors: Ifada Luluk Muhimatul , Hendar Hendar , Mohd Saleh Norman
Published: March 2024

This study aims to determine the mediating effect of environmental performance (EP) on the relationship among the board governance model (BGM, i.e., one‐ or two‐tier board), institutions (regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption), and financial performance (FP). Motivated by the theoretical disputes surrounding the effectiveness of BGM, this study draws upon the supremacy of shareholders versus stakeholder's perspective and the coercive pressure from institutional theory to explain corporate legitimacy practices. Thus far, only a few studies have explored the role of BGM and institutions in a firm's EP and FP. By analyzing 1112 listed firms in emerging markets from 2013 to 2020, this study shows that institutions positively affect EP and FP through a regulatory quality indicator. Specifically, the two‐tier board indicator improves EP at the expense of FP. Despite the increasing pressure to embrace sustainable practices in countries that adopt the one‐tier board model, the formalization of stakeholder supremacy within the two‐tier board structure is considered beneficial. EP does not act as a mediator in the relationship between BGM and FP.
Challenges and Recent Progress on Solid‐State Batteries and Electrolytes, using Qualitative Systematic Analysis. A Short Review
Authors: Pierdoná Antoniolli João Felipe , Grespan Giovani Luiz , Rodrigues Durval
Published: March 2024

The rise in the energy demand, the need to decrease the use of fossil fuels, expanding investments in renewable energy and boosting the electric vehicle market, opens the door to new technologies in clean energy accumulators. Lithium‐ion batteries are the most advanced technology in the market but have safety concerns due to the flammability of the electrolyte, which opens the door to innovations. One of these innovations is the solid‐state batteries (SSB), which, by using solid electrolytes, do not have the flammable risk, bringing safety to users while reaching similar energy and power densities. This work presents a review about SSB, based on qualitative and exploratory research, using the Web of Science (WoS) platform. Keywords used to gather information from the database were “solid state batteries” and “electrolytes”. Only publications from 2018 to 2023 were selected. The main research focus is to solve the challenges posed by the different physical‐chemical phenomena of the SSB. This work focuses on the general comprehension of the SSB batteries, what are the factors that can affect it and the main solutions presented in the literature the last five years.
Innovative Green Alginate‐Cellulose Composite for Light Lanthanides: Experimental Design and Comprehensive Studies on Kinetics, Equilibrium, Thermodynamics, and Reusability
Authors: Fila Dominika , Kołodyńska Dorota
Published: March 2024

Nowadays, there is a great interest in efficient adsorbent development due to the recent demand for lanthanides, which are widely used in high‐tech technology. Alginates, owing to their natural occurrence, gel formation capability, and safety, could be promising feasible adsorbents for lanthanide removal. This study proposes the alginate‐cellulose composite as an ecological, sustainable adsorbent for light lanthanide sorption. The structure, morphology, qualitative and quantitative compositions, average diameter, and pHpzc of the composite were discussed in great detail. Using the batch approach, sorption trials were performed to evaluate the metal sorption performance. The maximum lanthanide accumulation was attained at pH 5.0 and a dosage of 0.05 g. The uptake kinetics are successfully explained by the Ho and McKay model, whereas the equilibrium data is best represented by the Langmuir equation. The presence of Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, Ni(II), and Co(II) did not have any impact on the adsorption capacity. In turn, the presence of Fe(III) ions led to a 15 % reduction in the adsorption. The lanthanide ions were eluted from the adsorbent following the treatment with 0.1 M HNO3. The adsorbent retained over 95 % of its initial adsorption capacity after 6 series of sorption/desorption studies.
Energy‐aware power allocation using Ladybug Beetle Honey Badger Optimization in multiple‐input multiple‐output‐non‐orthogonal multiple access with multiple users
Authors: Sk Khaleelahmed , VenkateswaraRao N.
Published: March 2024

The non‐orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is highly capable of serving multiple users at similar times and frequencies. The power allocation (PA) is widely considered as a main factor in NOMA for efficient communication. Here, the application of multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) is added to NOMA to fulfill demands of enriched spectral efficiencies and extra user data. In this research, the Ladybug Beetle Honey Badger Optimization (LBHBO) is proposed for efficient PA in MIMO‐NOMA. Initially, the received signals from the user are modulated for amplitude and frequency. Then, user grouping is conducted by fuzzy local information c‐means (FLICM) clustering followed by using PA done by proposed LBHBO. This power is then moved to the transmitter and then to the channel estimation process. Moreover, cyclic prefix (CP) removal is carried out that tends to discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Finally, quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) demodulation is performed for reallocated output. Furthermore, LBHBO is formed by combining Ladybug Beetle Optimization (LBO) and Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA). The performance offered by the LBHBO‐PA with maximal values with energy efficiency (EE) of 25.38 Mbits/s, sum rate of 1.29 Mbits/s, and achievable rate of 100.47 Mbits/s.
Disintegration characteristics of sodic–saline loessial soil after freeze–thaw and wet–dry cycles
Authors: Kong Fansheng , Xu Yan , Hu Zhongjun , Du Hua , Zhang Jinsheng , Zhang Zheyuan , Hao Wei
Published: March 2024

Geological hazards such as gully erosion, collapse and slope failure occur frequently in loess areas, which are closely related to the soil disintegration characteristics. Understanding the impact of freeze–thaw and wet–dry action on soil disintegration in the context of climate change is essential to establish effective soil and water conservation strategies and prevent engineering geological hazards in loess areas. In this study, sodic–saline loessial soils with different clay content were subjected to freeze–thaw and wet–dry cycles, followed by aggregate durability tests, direct shear tests and disintegration tests to investigate the effects of the two natural processes on soil disintegration characteristics. The results showed that the samples subjected to freeze–thaw cycles primarily exhibited rapid and stable disintegration, followed by slow disintegration, whereas the samples subjected to wet–dry cycles revealed weight gain, continuous slow disintegration and eventual sudden disintegration. Freeze–thaw action continuously deteriorated the disintegration resistance of soil, while wet–dry action improved the disintegration resistance of soil after the first cycle, and gradually weakened it in subsequent cycles. Statistical analysis showed that, for samples undergoing freeze–thaw cycles, the number of cycles and clay content were positively correlated with the disintegration rate, while the aggregate durability was negatively correlated with the disintegration rate. For samples undergoing wet–dry cycles, the number of cycles had a positive effect on the disintegration rate, while the clay content, shear strength and cohesion had a negative correlation with the disintegration rate. At a certain clay content, there was a positive correlation observed between the surface crack ratio, crack length and width with the disintegration rate of the wet–dry samples, while shear strength and cohesion had a negative correlation with the disintegration rate of both freeze–thaw and wet–dry samples. Furthermore, the study outlined the disintegration mechanism of loessial soils based on internal factors, driving factors, resistance factors and evolutionary factors. This study contributes to the in‐depth understanding of the catastrophic mechanism of geological hazards in cold and arid areas and provides experimental evidence for its control and management.
Facile microwave‐assisted hydrothermal synthesis of zinc phosphate nanocrystals as electrode material for high‐rate performance aqueous and non‐aqueous zinc‐ion batteries
Authors: Agudosi Elochukwu Stephen , Khalid Mohammad , Sanhueza Felipe
Published: March 2024

Exploring suitable and economically efficient cathode materials for zinc‐ion batteries plays a vital role in combating current challenges and achieving practical applications. Herein, Zn3(PO4)2 nanoparticles with exceptional battery properties were produced via microwave‐assisted hydrothermal synthesis. The synthesis was conducted at different microwave heating times (3, 5, 10, and 15 min) at a fixed temperature of 200°C. The structural properties of synthesized Zn3(PO4)2 were studied via XRD, FESEM‐EDS, and TEM studies, while the electrochemical parameters were evaluated through CV, GCD, and EIS in a standard 3‐electrode system with 1 M KOH as an electrolyte at a room temperature. The electrochemical results show that Zn3(PO4)2 synthesized at 10 min microwave heating time reported the best electrochemical performance with a specific capacity value of 38.90 and 31.89 C/g at a scan rate of 10 mV/s and current density of 1 A/g, respectively. Furthermore, a stability test of the synthesized electrode material reported an excellent cyclability of the electrode with 79% retention of the initial value of its specific capacity after 1000 cycles.
Garden cress seeds: a review on nutritional composition, therapeutic potential, and industrial utilization
Authors: Tufail Tabussam , Khan Tehreem , Bader Ul Ain Huma , Morya Sonia , Shah Mohd Asif
Published: March 2024

The growing preference for natural remedies has resulted in increased use of medicinal plants. One of the most significant and varied plants is garden cress (Lepidium sativum), which has large concentrations of proteins, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. It also contains a wide range of bioactive components, including kaempferol glucuronide, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, coumaric acid, caffeic acid, terpenes, glucosinolates, and many more. These substances, which include antioxidant, thermogenic, depurative, ophthalmic, antiscorbutic, antianemic, diuretic, tonic, laxative, galactogogue, aphrodisiac, rubefacient, and emmengogue qualities, add to the medicinal and functional potential of garden cress. An extensive summary of the phytochemical profile and biological activity of garden cress seeds is the main goal of this review. Research showed that garden cress is one of the world's most underutilized crops, even with its nutritional and functional profile. Consequently, the goal of this review is to highlight the chemical and nutritional makeup of Lepidium sativum while paying particular attention to its bioactive profile, various health claims, therapeutic benefits, and industrial applications.
Spatial organization of astrocyte clones: The role of developmental progenitor timing
Authors: Ojalvo‐Sanz Ana Cristina , Pernia‐Solanilla Carolina , López‐Mascaraque Laura
Published: March 2024

Astrocytes represent a diverse and morphologically complex group of glial cells critical for shaping and maintaining nervous system homeostasis, as well as responding to injuries. Understanding the origins of astroglial heterogeneity, originated from a limited number of progenitors, has been the focus of many studies. Most of these investigations have centered on protoplasmic and pial astrocytes, while the clonal relationship of fibrous astrocytes or juxtavascular astrocytes has remained relatively unexplored. In this study, we sought to elucidate the morphological diversity and clonal distribution of astrocytes across adult cortical layers, with particular emphasis on their ontogenetic origins. Using the StarTrack lineage tracing tool, we explored the characteristics of adult astroglial clones derived from single and specific progenitors at various embryonic stages. Our results revealed a heterogeneous spatial distribution of astroglial clones, characterized by variations in location, clonal size, and rostro–caudal dispersion. While a considerable proportion of clones were confined within specific cortical layers, others displayed sibling cells crossing layer boundaries. Notably, we observed a correlation between clone location and developmental stage at earlier embryonic stages, although this relationship diminished in later stages. Fibrous astrocyte clones were exclusively confined to the corpus callosum. In contrast, protoplasmic or juxtavascular clones were located in either the upper or lower cortical layers, with certain clones displayed sibling cells distributed across both regions. Our findings underscore the developmental origins and spatial distribution of astroglial clones within cortical layers, providing new insights into the interplay between their morphology, clonal sizes, and progenitor heterogeneity.
Diagnostic value of neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio to predict recurrent pregnancy loss and abortion; a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hantoushzadeh Sedigheh , Gargar Omid Kohandel , Jafarabady Kyana , Rezaei Mohammad Moein , Asadi Fatemeh , Eshraghi Nasim , Panahi Zahra , Shirdel Saeedeh , Mirzamoradi Masoumeh , Ghaemi Marjan
Published: March 2024

Objective

This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in women with a history of abortion (missed and threatened) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) in comparison with healthy pregnancies.

Methods

Electronic databases including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for NLR and PLR in women who experienced early pregnancy loss up to January 1, 2023 with a combination of proper keywords. Meta‐analysis was done for comparison with three or more studies and summary estimates were measured.

Results

A total of 390 citations were retrieved initially, and after screening, 16 articles were deemed eligible for the final review. Among these, 14 studies underwent meta‐analysis. The meta‐analysis revealed that the standard mean of the NLR was significantly higher in abortion cases compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in the PLR between the pregnancy loss group and the control group.

Conclusion

NLR was significantly higher among RPL patients compared to the control group, according to these data, NLR may be capable of being used in the diagnosis of RPL as an easy, cheap, and accessible modality. Further studies, which take these variables into account, will need to be undertaken to determine the diagnostic value of NLR and PLR in early pregnancy loss.
Thymoquinone protects thioacetamide‐induced chronic liver injury by inhibiting TGF‐β1/Smad3 axis in rats
Authors: Raghunandhakumar Subramanian , Ezhilarasan Devaraj , Shree Harini Karthik
Published: March 2024

Chronic liver injury due to various etiological factors results in excess secretion and accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, leading to scarring of liver tissue and ultimately to hepatic fibrosis. If left untreated, fibrosis might progress to cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Thymoquinone (TQ), an active compound of Nigella sativa, has been reported to exhibit antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory and anticancer activities. Therefore, the effect of TQ against thioacetamide (TAA)‐induced liver fibrosis was assessed in rats. Fibrosis was induced with intraperitoneal administration of TAA (250 mg/kg b.w.) twice a week for 5 weeks. TQ (20 mg/kg b.w.) and silymarin (50 mg/kg b.w.) were orally administered daily for 5 weeks separately in TAA administered groups. Liver dysfunction was reported by elevated liver enzymes, increased oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis upon TAA administration. Our study demonstrated that TQ inhibited the elevation of liver marker enzymes in serum. TQ administration significantly increased antioxidant markers, such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase in the liver tissue of rats. Further, TQ significantly attenuated liver fibrosis, as illustrated by the downregulation of TAA‐induced interleukin‐β, tumour necrosis factor‐α, inducible nitric oxide synthase and fibrosis markers like transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β), α‐smooth muscle actin, collagen‐1, Smad3 and 7. Therefore, these findings suggest that TQ has a promising hepatoprotective property, as indicated by its potential to effectively suppress TAA‐induced liver fibrosis in rats by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation via TGF‐β/Smad signaling.
Degradation of phenol and sulfamethoxazole with persulfate and ozone with nano‐MnO2–biochar composites
Authors: Oh Seok‐Young , Lee Hyungwoo , Ryu Kwang‐Sun
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND

In this study, nano‐MnO2–biochar composites were synthesized as catalysts to promote the oxidation of recalcitrant organic contaminants. MnO2 nanoparticles coated on biochar were hypothesized to enhance the oxidation of phenol and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) using ozone and/or persulfate.

RESULTS

The optimal percentage of MnO2 coating on the surface of biochar was determined, and the synthesis of nano‐MnO2‐coated biochar was confirmed via scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), X‐ray diffraction and EDS line mapping analyses. Compared with oxidation using ozone or persulfate in the presence of either nano‐MnO2 or biochar, the synthesized nano‐MnO2–biochar composite markedly enhanced the oxidation of phenol and SMX. This was probably due to the spreading of MnO2 nanorods on the surface of biochar and the synergistic involvement of nano‐MnO2 and biochar as catalysts. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the involvement of Mn3+ in MnO2 to promote oxidation using ozone or persulfate. The coexistence of ozone and persulfate could also promote oxidation. Hydroxyl radicals (OH•) and persulfate radicals (SO4−•) were major reactive oxygen species for ozone and persulfate systems, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that the synthesized nano‐MnO2–biochar composites may be effective catalysts for various types of advanced oxidation processes in environmental remediation. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
The chromatic number of heptagraphs
Authors: Wu Di , Xu Baogang , Xu Yian
Published: March 2024

A pentagraph is a graph without cycles of length 3 or 4 and without induced cycles of odd length at least 7, and a heptagraph is one without cycles of length less than 7 and without induced cycles of odd length at least 9. Chudnovsky and Seymour proved that every pentagraph is 3‐colorable. In this paper, we show that every heptagraph is 3‐colorable.
Integrating Fréchet distance and AI reveals the evolutionary trajectory and origin of SARS‐CoV‐2
Authors: Wang Anyou
Published: March 2024

A genome, composed of a precisely ordered sequence of four nucleotides (ATCG), encompasses a multitude of specific genome features like AAA motif. Mutations occurring within a genome disrupt the sequential order and composition of these features, thereby influencing the evolutionary trajectories and yielding variants. The evolutionary relatedness between a variant and its ancestor can be estimated by assessing evolutionary distances across a spectrum of genome features. This study develops a novel, alignment‐free algorithm that considers both the sequential order and composition of genome features, enabling computation of the Fréchet distance (Fr) across multiple genome features to quantify the evolutionary status of a variant. Integrating this algorithm with an artificial recurrent neural network (RNN) reveals the quantitative evolutionary trajectory and origin of SARS‐CoV‐2, a puzzle unsolved by alignment‐based phylogenetics. The RNN generates the evolutionary trajectory from Fr data at two levels: genome sequence mutations and organism variants. At the genome sequence level, SARS‐CoV‐2 evolutionarily shortens its genome to enhance its infectious capacity. Mutating signature features, such as TTA and GCT, increases its infectious potential and drives its evolution. At the organism level, variants mutating a single biomarker possess low infectious potential. However, mutating multiple markers dramatically increases their infectious capacity, propelling the COVID‐19 pandemic. SARS‐CoV‐2 likely originates from mink coronavirus variants, with its origin trajectory traced as follows: mink, cat, tiger, mouse, hamster, dog, lion, gorilla, leopard, bat, and pangolin. Together, mutating multiple signature features and biomarkers delineates the evolutionary trajectory of mink‐origin SARS‐CoV‐2, leading to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Quality of life following perioperative optimization with nutritional supplements in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery for cancer: A randomized, placebo‐controlled feasibility clinical trial
Authors: Griffiths Christopher D. , D'Souza Daniel , Rodriguez Felipe , Park Lily J. , Serrano Pablo E.
Published: March 2024

Background

Up to two thirds of patients presenting for abdominal cancer surgery are malnourished pre‐operatively. Perioperative nutritional supplementation has been proposed to improve surgical outcomes, though its effect on quality of life (QoL) is not yet understood.

Methods

A randomized controlled feasibility trial for perioperative nutrition among patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery was conducted. Participants in the intervention group received supplements for 30 days before surgery. Participants completed two QoL questionnaires (EORTC‐QLQ‐C‐30 and FACT‐G) at baseline, then 4 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Participants were compared between and within groups at baseline, Weeks 4, and 12 using t tests. Minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) were considered as a 10‐point worsening from baseline.

Results

Sixty‐six participants were available for analysis in this study, including 33 in the intervention and 30 in the control arms. Baseline demographics were balanced between groups except for different rates of pancreas cancer (36% intervention vs. 9% control) and colorectal cancer (19% intervention vs. 34% control). At baseline, participants in the intervention group had lower overall QoL (59% vs. 77%, p = 0.01), role functioning (72% vs 88%, p = 0.045), and cognitive functioning (79% vs 90%, p = 0.047). Following surgery, role and physical functioning worsened in the control group, without significant differences between groups. Role functioning was persistently worsened at 12 weeks in the control group. The rates of MCIDs were similar between both intervention and control groups.

Discussion

Perioperative nutrition was associated with preservation of QoL in the postoperative period following major abdominal cancer surgery compared to placebo.

Among patients undergoing surgery for cancer, the majority present at high risk for malnutrition. In this placebo‐controlled randomized trial among patients undergoing major abdominal surgery for cancer, preoperative nutrition supplementation was associated with the preservation of QoL in the postoperative period.
Tibia‐first, gap‐balanced patient‐specific alignment restores bony phenotypes and joint line obliquity in a great majority of varus and straight knees and normalises valgus and severe varus deformities
Authors: Graichen Heiko , Avram George Mihai , Strauch Marco , Kaufmann Verena , Hirschmann Michael T.
Published: March 2024

Purpose

The present study focuses on testing the capability of a restricted tibia‐first, gap‐balanced patient‐specific alignment technique (PSA) to restore bony morphology and phenotypes.

Methods

Three‐hundred and sixty‐seven patients were treated with navigated total knee arthroplasty and tibia‐first gap‐balanced PSA technique. Boundaries for medial proximal tibial angle were 86°–92°, mechanical lateral distal femoral angle 86°–92°, and hip–knee–ankle angle 175°–183°. Knees were classified by coronal plane alignment of the knee (CPAK), with subsequent analyses comparing pre‐ and postoperative distributions. Phenotype classification within CPAK groups assessed pre‐ and postoperative distributions.

Results

Preoperatively, the largest CPAK group was type II (30.8%), followed by type I (20.5%) and type V (17.8%). Postoperatively, type II remained the largest group (39%), followed by type V (30%). All groups with varus/valgus deformities (I, III, IV and VI) became smaller. While in straight legs (II, IV), the CPAK was restored in more than 70%–75%, in varus groups (I, IV) in 40%–50% and in valgus (III and VI) in 5%–18%. The joint line obliquity remained the same in the majority of knees (straight >75%; varus 63%–80%; valgus VI 95%), with the exception of CPAK III (40%). The phenotype analysis showed for straight legs a phenotype restoration of 85%, for varus 94% and for valgus 37%. Joint line convergence angle was reduced significantly in all groups from 1.8°–4.3° preoperatively to 0.6°–1.2° postoperatively.

Conclusion

PSA restores bony phenotypes and joint line obliquity in the majority of straight and varus knees, while most of the valgus and extreme varus knees are normalised.

Level of Evidence

Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Incubation of Walleye eggs in Petri dishes
Authors: Voorhees Jill M. , Barnes Michael E.
Published: March 2024

Objective

Eggs of Walleye Sander vitreus are typically incubated in upwelling jars. The relatively large number of eggs required for efficient and effective incubation in each jar, along with the difficulties in accurately quantifying egg survival to fry hatch, inhibits the replication needed for the controlled experimentation of Walleye spawning procedures and egg development. In addition, the use of production-sized incubators for experiments can be problematic because of the risks associated with potentially hazardous treatments on large numbers of eggs. This study evaluated the technique of incubating small numbers of Walleye eggs in Petri dishes.

Methods

Eight treatments were used: (1) 20 eggs/dish with daily water exchanges, (2) 40 eggs/dish with daily water exchanges, (3) 20 eggs/dish with every-other-day water exchanges, (4) 40 eggs/dish with every-other-day water exchanges, (5) 20 eggs/dish with every-third-day water exchanges, (6) 40 eggs/dish with every-third-day water exchanges, (7) 10 eggs/dish with no water exchanges, and (8) 20 eggs/dish with no water exchanges. At the eyed stage of egg development, water in all dishes was exchanged daily; at hatch, water was changed and hatched fry were removed twice daily.

Result

Mean (SE) survival to hatch was 74% (2) and was not significantly different among any of the treatments.

Conclusion

These results indicate that small numbers of Walleye eggs can be successfully incubated in Petri dishes without any water changes before the eyed stage of development, making this a viable technique for use in controlled experiments.
Hydro‐mechanically coupled CEL analyses with effective contact stresses
Authors: Staubach Patrick
Published: March 2024

The coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) method implemented in Abaqus is an established tool for modelling large deformations in numerical geomechanics. As shown in previous work, it can be extended to a hydro‐mechanically coupled scheme by exploiting the similarity of the heat balance equation to the mass balance equation of fluids. However, the distinction between effective and total contact stresses has not been possible in this approach, which hinders its application to problems with interface friction as frictional stresses are calculated based on total normal contact stress. An approach to circumvent this problem is presented in this work. Its relevance is demonstrated by the simulation of vibratory pile driving model tests in water‐saturated sand. The implementation by means of user‐subroutines is available and works for any total‐stress analysis.
Assessing labour freedom in agriculture: Developing world perspective focusing on India
Authors: Das Nimai , Kapoor Rajni
Published: March 2024

This piece of work evaluates the choices and opportunities opened up in rural labour market through institutional reforms and developmental policies fostering agricultural growth and efficiency in developing countries, with a focus on India. It finds that policy reforms on property rights, involving legal approvals of land ownership or partial possession with rental contracts, strengthen bargaining capacity among marginalized groups. Furthermore, an inclusive development policy encompassing the rural sector shapes labour freedom by stabilization of market at desirable wage and employment rates. Considering a case example from an advanced agricultural region in India, this study reveals a positive and significant relationship between intensity of labour freedom and land‐based status of peasant households. The analysis of primary data suggests that labour market reforms, particularly those focused on wage contracts and minimum wage laws, off‐farm jobs and intra‐migration employment opportunities before labourers, are crucial indicators for enhancing labour freedom in rural areas.