bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thin-film PMUTs: a review of over 40 years of research
Authors: Roy Kaustav , Lee Joshua En-Yuan , Lee Chengkuo
Published: July 2023

Thin-film PMUTs have been important research topics among microultrasound experts, and a concise review on their research progress is reported herein. Through rigorous surveying, scrutinization, and perception, it has been determined that the work in this field began nearly 44 years ago with the primitive development of functional piezoelectric thin-film materials. To date, there are three major companies commercializing thin-film PMUTs on a bulk scale. This commercialization illustrates the extensive contributions made by more than 70 different centers, research institutes, and agencies across 4 different continents regarding the vast development of these devices’ design, manufacturing, and function. This review covers these important contributions in a short yet comprehensive manner; in particular, this paper educates readers about the global PMUT outlook, their governing design principles, their manufacturing methods, nonconventional yet useful PMUT designs, and category-wise applications. Crucial comparison charts of thin-film piezoelectric material used in PMUTs, and their categorically targeted applications are depicted and discussed to enlighten any MEMS designer who plans to work with PMUTs. Moreover, each relevant section features clear future predictions based on the author’s past knowledge and expertise in this field of research and on the findings of a careful literature survey. In short, this review is a one-stop time-efficient guide for anyone interested in learning about these small devices.
Deconvolution volumetric additive manufacturing
Authors: Orth Antony , Webber Daniel , Zhang Yujie , Sampson Kathleen L. , de Haan Hendrick W. , Lacelle Thomas , Lam Rene , Solis Daphene , Dayanandan Shyamaleeswari , Waddell Taylor , Lewis Tasha , Taylor Hayden K. , Boisvert Jonathan , Paquet Chantal
Published: July 2023

Volumetric additive manufacturing techniques are a promising pathway to ultra-rapid light-based 3D fabrication. Their widespread adoption, however, demands significant improvement in print fidelity. Currently, volumetric additive manufacturing prints suffer from systematic undercuring of fine features, making it impossible to print objects containing a wide range of feature sizes, precluding effective adoption in many applications. Here, we uncover the reason for this limitation: light dose spread in the resin due to chemical diffusion and optical blurring, which becomes significant for features ⪅0.5 mm. We develop a model that quantitatively predicts the variation of print time with feature size and demonstrate a deconvolution method to correct for this error. This enables prints previously beyond the capabilities of volumetric additive manufacturing, such as a complex gyroid structure with variable thickness and a fine-toothed gear. These results position volumetric additive manufacturing as a mature 3D printing method, all but eliminating the gap to industry-standard print fidelity.
Atomically precise nanoclusters predominantly seed gold nanoparticle syntheses
Authors: Qiao Liang , Pollard Nia , Senanayake Ravithree D. , Yang Zhi , Kim Minjung , Ali Arzeena S. , Hoang Minh Tam , Yao Nan , Han Yimo , Hernandez Rigoberto , Clayborne Andre Z. , Jones Matthew R.
Published: July 2023

Seed-mediated synthesis strategies, in which small gold nanoparticle precursors are added to a growth solution to initiate heterogeneous nucleation, are among the most prevalent, simple, and productive methodologies for generating well-defined colloidal anisotropic nanostructures. However, the size, structure, and chemical properties of the seeds remain poorly understood, which partially explains the lack of mechanistic understanding of many particle growth reactions. Here, we identify the majority component in the seed solution as an atomically precise gold nanocluster, consisting of a 32-atom Au core with 8 halide ligands and 12 neutral ligands constituting a bound ion pair between a halide and the cationic surfactant: Au32X8[AQA+•X-]12 (X = Cl, Br; AQA = alkyl quaternary ammonium). Ligand exchange is dynamic and versatile, occurring on the order of minutes and allowing for the formation of 48 distinct Au32 clusters with AQAX (alkyl quaternary ammonium halide) ligands. Anisotropic nanoparticle syntheses seeded with solutions enriched in Au32X8[AQA+•X-]12 show narrower size distributions and fewer impurity particle shapes, indicating the importance of this cluster as a precursor to the growth of well-defined nanostructures.
Genetic variation in the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus shapes the human antibody repertoire
Authors: Rodriguez Oscar L. , Safonova Yana , Silver Catherine A. , Shields Kaitlyn , Gibson William S. , Kos Justin T. , Tieri David , Ke Hanzhong , Jackson Katherine J. L. , Boyd Scott D. , Smith Melissa L. , Marasco Wayne A. , Watson Corey T.
Published: July 2023

Variation in the antibody response has been linked to differential outcomes in disease, and suboptimal vaccine and therapeutic responsiveness, the determinants of which have not been fully elucidated. Countering models that presume antibodies are generated largely by stochastic processes, we demonstrate that polymorphisms within the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus (IGH) impact the naive and antigen-experienced antibody repertoire, indicating that genetics predisposes individuals to mount qualitatively and quantitatively different antibody responses. We pair recently developed long-read genomic sequencing methods with antibody repertoire profiling to comprehensively resolve IGH genetic variation, including novel structural variants, single nucleotide variants, and genes and alleles. We show that IGH germline variants determine the presence and frequency of antibody genes in the expressed repertoire, including those enriched in functional elements linked to V(D)J recombination, and overlapping disease-associated variants. These results illuminate the power of leveraging IGH genetics to better understand the regulation, function, and dynamics of the antibody response in disease.
Description of lipase producing novel yeast species Debaryomyces apis f.a., sp. nov. and a modified pH indicator dye-based method for the screening of lipase producing microorganisms
Authors: Kumari Alka , Mihooliya Kanti N. , Sahoo Debendra K. , Bhattacharyya Mani S. , Prasad Gandham S. , Pinnaka Anil Kumar
Published: July 2023

Four yeast strains were isolated from the gut of stingless bee, collected in Churdhar, Himachal Pradesh, India. Physiological characterization, morphological examination, and sequence analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) genes, internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and D1/D2 domain of the large subunit rRNA gene revealed that the four strains isolated from the gut of stingless bee belonged to the Debaryomyces clade. Strain CIG-23HT showed sequence divergence of 7.5% from Debaryomyces nepalensis JCM 2095T, 7.8% from Debaryomyces udenii JCM 7855T, and Debaryomyces coudertii JCM 2387T in the D1/D2 domain. In the ITS region sequences, strain CIG-23HT showed a 15% sequence divergence from Debaryomyces nepalensis JCM 2095T and Debaryomyces coudertii JCM 2387T. In 18S rRNA gene sequence, the strain CIG-23HT showed 1.14% sequence divergence from Debaryomyces nepalensis JCM 2095 and and Debaryomyces coudertii JCM 2387, and 0.83% sequence divergence from Debaryomyces hansenii NRRL Y-7426. Strain CIG-23HT can utilize more carbon sources than closely related species. The findings suggest that strain CIG-23HT is a novel species of the genus Debaryomyces, and we propose to name it as Debaryomyces apis f.a., sp. nov. The holotype is CBS 16297T, and the isotypes are MTCC 12914T and KCTC 37024T. The MycoBank number of Debaryomyces apis f.a., sp. nov. is MB836065. Additionally, a method using cresol red and Bromothymol blue pH indicator dyes was developed to screen for lipase producers, which is more sensitive and efficient than the currently used phenol red and rhodamine B dye-based screening methods, and avoids the problem of less differentiable zone of hydrolysis.
Anaesthesia by intravenous propofol reduces the incidence of intra-operative gastric electrical slow-wave dysrhythmias compared to isoflurane
Authors: Aghababaie Zahra , Wang Tim Hsu-Han , Nisbet Linley A. , Matthee Ashton , Dowrick Jarrah , Sands Gregory B. , Paskaranandavadivel Niranchan , Cheng Leo K. , O’Grady Gregory , Angeli-Gordon Timothy R.
Published: July 2023

Gastric motility is coordinated by bioelectrical slow-wave activity, and abnormal electrical dysrhythmias have been associated with nausea and vomiting. Studies have often been conducted under general anaesthesia, while the impact of general anaesthesia on slow-wave activity has not been studied. Clinical studies have shown that propofol anaesthesia reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) compared with isoflurane, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of two anaesthetic drugs, intravenous (IV) propofol and volatile isoflurane, on slow-wave activity. In vivo experiments were performed in female weaner pigs (n = 24). Zolazepam and tiletamine were used to induce general anaesthesia, which was maintained using either IV propofol (n = 12) or isoflurane (n = 12). High-resolution electrical mapping of slow-wave activity was performed. Slow-wave dysrhythmias occurred less often in the propofol group, both in the duration of the recorded period that was dysrhythmic (propofol 14 ± 26%, isoflurane 43 ± 39%, P = 0.043 (Mann–Whitney U test)), and in a case-by-case basis (propofol 3/12, isoflurane 8/12, P = 0.015 (Chi-squared test)). Slow-wave amplitude was similar, while velocity and frequency were higher in the propofol group than the isoflurane group (P < 0.001 (Student’s t-test)). This study presents a potential physiological biomarker linked to recent observations of reduced PONV with IV propofol. The results suggest that propofol is a more suitable anaesthetic for studying slow-wave patterns in vivo.
An exploratory study on the association between serotonin and sleep breathing disorders
Authors: Wieckiewicz Mieszko , Martynowicz Helena , Lavigne Gilles , Lobbezoo Frank , Kato Takafumi , Winocur Efraim , Wezgowiec Joanna , Danel Dariusz , Wojakowska Anna , Mazur Grzegorz , Smardz Joanna
Published: July 2023

This exploratory observational study aimed to evaluate whether the blood levels of serotonin and enzymes involved in serotonin synthesis are associated with sleep breathing parameters. A total of 105 patients were included in this study, who were subjected to single-night polysomnography with simultaneous audio–video recordings. Peripheral blood samples were collected to estimate the serum levels of serotonin, tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), and aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). Results showed a negative correlation between blood serotonin levels, and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) (p = 0.027), central apnea (p = 0.044) and obstructive apnea (OA) (p = 0.032) scores. Blood TPH1 levels were negatively correlated with average (p = 0.003) and minimal saturation (p = 0.035) and positively correlated with apnea–hypopnea index (p = 0.010), OA (p = 0.049), and hypopnea index (p = 0.007) scores. A tendency to sleep-disordered breathing seemed to co-occur with lower blood serotonin and higher TPH1 levels.

Clinical Trial Registration :www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04214561
Free viewing biases for complex scenes in preschoolers and adults
Authors: Linka Marcel , Sensoy Özlem , Karimpur Harun , Schwarzer Gudrun , de Haas Benjamin
Published: July 2023

Adult gaze behaviour towards naturalistic scenes is highly biased towards semantic object classes. Little is known about the ontological development of these biases, nor about group-level differences in gaze behaviour between adults and preschoolers. Here, we let preschoolers (n = 34, age 5 years) and adults (n = 42, age 18–59 years) freely view 40 complex scenes containing objects with different semantic attributes to compare their fixation behaviour. Results show that preschool children allocate a significantly smaller proportion of dwell time and first fixations on Text and instead fixate Faces, Touched objects, Hands and Bodies more. A predictive model of object fixations controlling for a range of potential confounds suggests that most of these differences can be explained by drastically reduced text salience in pre-schoolers and that this effect is independent of low-level salience. These findings are in line with a developmental attentional antagonism between text and body parts (touched objects and hands in particular), which resonates with recent findings regarding ‘cortical recycling’. We discuss this and other potential mechanisms driving salience differences between children and adults.
Critical assessment of emissions, costs, and time for last-mile goods delivery by drones versus trucks
Authors: Raghunatha Aishwarya , Lindkvist Emma , Thollander Patrik , Hansson Erika , Jonsson Greta
Published: July 2023

Electric drones as an autonomous mode of transport are scaling up to transform last-mile goods delivery, raising an urgent need for assessing impacts of drone transport from a systems perspective. In this paper, we conduct systems analyses to assess the environmental, economic, and delivery time impact of large drones for delivery scenarios to pick-up centers between mid-size cities predominantly in rural areas, and deliveries within city limits compared with electric and diesel trucks. Results show that large drones have lower emissions than diesel trucks for deliveries in rural areas and that drones don’t compete with electric trucks, mainly due to the high energy demand required for take-off and landing for each delivery. Furthermore, we show that electric drones are an economically more cost-effective option than road-bound transport modes such as diesel and electric trucks due to the high degree of automation, and also provide the fastest delivery times. Our analysis provides unique insights that drones can address rapid electrification and emergency applications due to low costs, high flexibility, and fast operations. However, for regulators and practitioners to realize it as an emission-friendly option it is necessary to determine the optimal size of drones, particularly for use cases in urban areas, avoid very low landings for deliveries, and have home deliveries instead of pick-up points.
The soft rock can promote the improvement of aeolian sandy soil in Mu Us Sandy Land, China
Authors: Guo Zhen , Li Juan , Zhang Yang , Wang Huanyuan , Li Wanying
Published: July 2023

This study focuses on the significance of improving the land degradation of Mu Us Sandy Land to increase cultivated land area and promote ecological green development. The research objects were four kinds of mixed soils, and rhizosphere soils were collected during the crop harvesting period. The volume ratio of soft rock to sand was 0:1 (control check, CK), 1:5 (composite soil one, PS1), 1:2 (composite soil two, PS2), and 1:1 (composite soil three, PS3). The results showed that the large aggregates were primarily mechanically stable aggregates, while the small aggregates were mainly water-stable aggregates. The soft rock promoted the increase of clay and silt content in sandy soil, and the soil texture changed from sand to loam. The contents of organic matter, available phosphorus, and available potassium increased significantly under PS2 and PS3 treatments, but there was no significant difference between them. Total nitrogen had no significant difference among treatments. Actinobaciota, Proteobateria, and Chloroflexi were the dominant bacteria in rhizosphere soil, accounting for about 75% of all microorganisms. At the Genus level, the soft rock contributes to richer species composition. The diversity index, evenness index, and richness index was higher in PS1, and the available phosphorus and available potassium content promoted the increase of diversity. Therefore, when the proportion of soft rock and sand compound soil is between 1: 5 and 1: 2, it can be used as an important basis and technical parameter for Mu Us Sandy Land improvement.
Association between CYP2B6 genetic variability and cyclophosphamide therapy in pediatric patients with neuroblastoma
Authors: Mangó Katalin , Fekete Ferenc , Kiss Ádám Ferenc , Erdős Réka , Fekete János Tibor , Bűdi Tamás , Bruckner Edit , Garami Miklós , Micsik Tamás , Monostory Katalin
Published: July 2023

Cyclophosphamide, an oxazaphosphorine prodrug is frequently used in treatment of neuroblastoma, which is one of the most prevalent solid organ malignancies in infants and young children. Cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) is the major catalyst and CYP2C19 is the minor enzyme in bioactivation and inactivation pathways of cyclophosphamide. CYP-mediated metabolism may contribute to the variable pharmacokinetics of cyclophosphamide and its toxic byproducts leading to insufficient response to the therapy and development of clinically significant side effects. The aim of the study was to reveal the contribution of pharmacogenetic variability in CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 to the treatment efficacy and cyclophosphamide-induced side effects in pediatric neuroblastoma patients under cyclophosphamide therapy (N = 50). Cyclophosphamide-induced hematologic toxicities were pivotal in all patients, whereas only moderate hepatorenal toxicity was developed. The patients’ CYP2B6 metabolizer phenotypes were associated with the occurrence of lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and monocytopenia as well as of liver injury, but not with kidney or urinary bladder (hemorrhagic cystitis) toxicities. Furthermore, the patients’ age (< 1.5 years, P = 0.03) and female gender (P ≤ 0.02), but not CYP2B6 or CYP2C19 metabolizer phenotypes appeared as significant prognostic factors in treatment outcomes. Our results may contribute to a better understanding of the impact of CYP2B6 variability on cyclophosphamide-induced side effects.
Rapid and accurate taxonomic classification of cpn60 amplicon sequence variants
Authors: Ren Qingyi , Hill Janet E
Published: July 2023

The “universal target” region of the gene encoding the 60 kDa chaperonin protein (cpn60, also known as groEL or hsp60) is a proven sequence barcode for bacteria and a useful target for marker gene amplicon-based studies of complex microbial communities. To date, identification of cpn60 sequence variants from microbiome studies has been accomplished by alignment of queries to a reference database. Naïve Bayesian classifiers offer an alternative identification method that provides variable rank classification and shorter analysis times. We curated a set of cpn60 barcode sequences to train the RDP classifier and tested its performance on data from previous human microbiome studies. Results showed that sequences accounting for 79%, 86% and 92% of the observations (read counts) in saliva, vagina and infant stool microbiome data sets were classified to the species rank. We also trained the QIIME 2 q2-feature-classifier on cpn60 sequence data and demonstrated that it gives results consistent with the standalone RDP classifier. Successful implementation of a naïve Bayesian classifier for cpn60 sequences will facilitate future microbiome studies and open opportunities to integrate cpn60 amplicon sequence identification into existing analysis pipelines.
An affordable and semiautomated approach as a novel strategy for the extraction of DNA using magnetic ionic liquids followed by real time-polymerase chain reaction
Authors: Ferreira Neto Luiz Carlos , Alves Mônica Silva , Prichula Janira , Agnes Grasiela , de Oliveira Tiago Franco , Trentin Danielle , Merib Josias
Published: July 2023

A simple and straightforward methodology using magnetic ionic liquids was proposed for high throughput DNA extraction using a multiwell platform followed by real time polymerase chain reaction.
A local dark tea – Liubao tea – extract exhibits remarkable performance in oral tissue regeneration, inflammation relief and oral microbiota reconstruction
Authors: Zhou Su , Bao Zhelu , Ma Shicheng , Ou Cansong , Hu Hao , Yang Yunyun , Feng Xinyu , Pan Yani , Gong Shuying , Fan Fangyuan , Chen Ping , Chu Qiang
Published: July 2023

LTE exhibited remarkable performance in oral tissue regeneration, inflammation relief and oral flora reconstruction.
A simple, sustainable route to flexible microporous carbon cloth for energy storage applications
Authors: Alkhaldi Thria , Blankenship L. Scott , Mokaya Robert
Published: July 2023

Activated carbon cloth can be synthesised through a simple carbonisation and activation process, and its porosity tuned to either carbon dioxide capture or methane storage.
All-inorganic Mn2+-doped metal halide perovskite crystals for the late-time detection of X-ray afterglow imaging
Authors: Wu Sijian , Yuan Lifang , Chen Geng , Peng Chaoyue , Jin Yahong
Published: July 2023

We prepared Mn2+-doped cadmium-based perovskite crystals with scintillation and afterglow properties towards high-resolution real-time and time-lapse X-ray imaging.
Bifunctional CuS/Cl-terminated greener MXene electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen production by water splitting
Authors: Sarfraz Bilal , Mehran Muhammad Taqi , Shahzad Faisal , Hussain Sajjad , Naqvi Salman Raza , Khan Hassnain Abbas , Mahmood Khalid
Published: July 2023

Metal sulfides and MXene compsoites are the propitious candidates for electrochemical water splitting due to their superior conductivity and ample active sites.
Hollow nanostructured NiO particles as an efficient electrode material for lithium-ion energy storage properties
Authors: Hwang Young Geun , Nulu Venugopal , Nulu Arunakumari , Sohn Keun Yong
Published: July 2023

A facile non-aqueous chemical approach was employed for the synthesis of NiO porous hollow structures by using an easily water washable template. These hollow particles are greatly beneficial to the Li-ion battery and Li-ion hybrid supercapacitors.
Pulsatile Perfusion during Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Literature Review
Authors: Tan Aileen , Newey Caroline , Falter Florian
Published: July 2023

The use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in cardiac surgery has often been associated with postoperative organ dysfunction. Roller and centrifugal pumps produce non-pulsatile flow (NPF) by default, and this still is the most widely used mode of perfusion. The development of pulsatile pumps has allowed comparisons to be made with NPF. Pulsatile flow (PF) mimics the arterial pulse generated by the heart and is thought to be more physiological by some. This review aims to examine the proposed mechanisms behind the potential physiological benefits of PF during CPB and to summarize the current clinical evidence. MEDLINE and EMBASE were used to identify articles published over a 25 year period from 1995 to 2020. A literature review was conducted to determine the effects of PF on organ functions. A total of 44 articles were considered. Most of the articles published on PF were randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, there was a wide variation in study methodology, method of pulse generation and how pulsatility was measured. Most of the evidence in favor of PF showed a marginal improvement on renal and pulmonary outcomes. In these studies, pulsatility was generated by an intra-aortic balloon pump. In conclusion, there is a lack of good quality RCTs that can inform on the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of PF. Further research is required in order to draw a conclusion with regards to the benefits of PF on organ function.
Nitric Oxide on Extracorporeal Life Support-Circuit Modifications for a Safe Therapy
Authors: O’Meara Carlisle , Timpa Joseph , Peek Giles , Sindelar Melissa , Ross Jenny , Raper Justin , Byrnes Jonathan W.
Published: July 2023

Nitric oxide (NO) incorporation into the sweep gas of the extracorporeal life support (ECLS) circuit has been proposed as a strategy to ameliorate the insults caused by the systemic inflammatory response. This technical study describes circuit modifications allowing nitric oxide to be incorporated into the circuit and describing and validating the oxygenator sweep flow rates necessary to achieve consistent safe delivery of the therapy. For patients requiring sweep rates less than 2 L/min, a simplified setup, incorporating a pressure relief valve/low flow meter in the gas delivery line, was placed in line between the blender/NO injector module and the NO sampling port/oxygenator. This setup allows titration of sweep to low flows without the need to blend in CO2while maintaining the manufacturer recommendation of a minimum 2 L/min of sweep gas to safely deliver NO without nitric dioxide (NO2) buildup. This setup was tested three times at three different FiO2rates and eleven different desired low sweep flows to test for reproducibility and safety to build an easy-to-follow chart for making gas flow changes. For patients requiring oxygenator sweep rates greater than 2 L/min, the pressure relief valve/low flow meter apparatus is not needed. Maintaining consistent sweep rate and nitric oxide delivery is required in order to utilize this therapy in ECLS. We demonstrated gas delivery across all flow rates. There were no issues delivering 20 parts per million of NO and negligible NO2detection. The results from testing this setup were used to provide the specialist a chart at which to set the low flow meter to produce the desired flow rate at which the patient needs. This has been used clinically on 15 ECLS patients with success.
Military spending crowding out health and education spending: which views are valid in Egypt?
Authors: Elish Eman , Ahmed Hossam Eldien , AboElsoud Mostafa E.
Published: July 2023

This study examines the relationship between government spending, specifically military spending, government spending on health, government spending on education, and economic growth in Egypt over the period from 1980 to 2021. The paper utilizes a Granger causality test to detect the directional relationship between spending components and GDP growth. Furthermore, an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, including error-correction models, was established to determine the long- and short-term relationships among these variables. The study contrasts Wagner’s versus Keynes’s views of the government spending relationship with economic growth, with a greater emphasis on Keynes’s argument for military spending enhancing economic growth. While previous studies have investigated the relationship between aggregate spending and economic growth from a single or two-way direction of causality, the present study contributes to the literature by exploring the possibility of military spending crowding out spending on health and education and detecting this causality and dynamic relationship. The empirical results support the Keynesian view of causality from all government spending components to economic growth. However, short- and long-term analyses revealed a negative relationship between military spending and economic growth. Moreover, the short-term impact of government spending on education and health on economic growth is negative, but positive in the long-term. Finally, the causality test revealed that military spending influences health and education spending. Additionally, a unidirectional relationship exists between military spending and health expenditure, which requires further research. The policy implication of this study shows that although spending is exogenous to economic growth, it does not align with the Keynesian view of inducing growth. Instead, spending has negative current and future implications for economic development.
Determining factors and alternatives for the career development of women executives: a multicriteria decision model
Authors: Martín-Peña María Luz , Cachón-García Cristina R. , De Vicente y Oliva María A.
Published: July 2023

Despite advances in women’s access to managerial positions, the glass ceiling still restricts women’s participation in corporate decision-making. Theoretical studies have examined the determining factors and career alternatives for women’s professional development to understand the roots of this problem. However, analysis aimed at establishing the causal relationships and exploring the implications of this phenomenon is missing from the literature. To fill this gap, this paper provides an overview of the determinants of the career development of women executives and explores how these factors influence their alternatives for professional development. A sample of Spanish women executives is examined using multicriteria decision techniques, and associations are established between factors and alternatives for women executives’ career development. This paper contributes to the topic of gender in management literature by enhancing the theoretical foundations and empirical validation surrounding the phenomenon of the glass ceiling. It has managerial implications in providing companies with an empirical basis for understanding the orientation of women’s career development.
The dual-competitive parallel kinetic model with an efficient optimization algorithm for describing polymer pyrolysis accurately
Authors: Zhang Tao , Huang Yanan , Niu Bo , Zhang Yayun , Long Donghui
Published: July 2023

Thermal analysis is an important method to evaluate the thermal stability of polymer materials; however, efficiently describing the complex pyrolysis process of polymers remains a great challenge. In this paper, a new dual-competitive parallel-reaction kinetics model is proposed for describing the thermogravimetric lines of material pyrolysis processes. In the proposed method, peak analysis, dual-competitive reaction form, and parallel reaction mechanism are combined to build the kinetic model of resin polymer pyrolysis. The model includes peak-determined reaction components, and each reaction component is divided into two competitive reactions. The two competitive reactions are obtained by conducting initial peak analysis and subsequent global parameter optimization. The rebuilt thermogravimetric line via the proposed model agrees well with the experimental data, with few reaction compositions and low computational cost. In addition, the pyrolysis of synthetic polymers and natural biomass are also successfully described by the model with high accuracy. This work provides an updated kinetic model for describing polymer pyrolysis accurately, which may advance the thermal analysis in developing polymers of complex pyrolysis behavior.
Addendum for: Solar cell parameter accuracy improvement, via refinement of the Co-Content function. Part 1: theoretical analysis (2022 Eng. Res. Express
4 015022)
Authors: Rangel-Kuoppa Victor Tapio
Published: July 2023

This paper is an addendum to reference Rangel-Kuoppa 2022 Eng. Res. Express 4 015022), in which the application of Co-Content function

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HiC4D: forecasting spatiotemporal Hi-C data with residual ConvLSTM
Authors: Liu Tong , Wang Zheng
Published: July 2023

The Hi-C experiments have been extensively used for the studies of genomic structures. In the last few years, spatiotemporal Hi-C has largely contributed to the investigation of genome dynamic reorganization. However, computationally modeling and forecasting spatiotemporal Hi-C data still have not been seen in the literature. We present HiC4D for dealing with the problem of forecasting spatiotemporal Hi-C data. We designed and benchmarked a novel network and named it residual ConvLSTM (ResConvLSTM), which is a combination of residual network and convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM). We evaluated our new ResConvLSTM networks and compared them with the other five methods, including a naïve network (NaiveNet) that we designed as a baseline method and four outstanding video-prediction methods from the literature: ConvLSTM, spatiotemporal LSTM (ST-LSTM), self-attention LSTM (SA-LSTM) and simple video prediction (SimVP). We used eight different spatiotemporal Hi-C datasets for the blind test, including two from mouse embryogenesis, one from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, three embryogenesis datasets from different species and two non-embryogenesis datasets. Our evaluation results indicate that our ResConvLSTM networks almost always outperform the other methods on the eight blind-test datasets in terms of accurately predicting the Hi-C contact matrices at future time-steps. Our benchmarks also indicate that all of the methods that we benchmarked can successfully recover the boundaries of topologically associating domains called on the experimental Hi-C contact matrices. Taken together, our benchmarks suggest that HiC4D is an effective tool for predicting spatiotemporal Hi-C data. HiC4D is publicly available at both http://dna.cs.miami.edu/HiC4D/ and https://github.com/zwang-bioinformatics/HiC4D/.
The comparable tumour microenvironment in sporadic andNF2-related schwannomatosis vestibular schwannoma
Authors: Gregory Grace E , Jones Adam Paul , Haley Michael J , Hoyle Christopher , Zeef Leo A H , Lin I-Hsuan , Coope David J , King Andrew T , Evans D Gareth , Paszek Pawel , Couper Kevin N , Brough David , Pathmanaban Omar N
Published: July 2023

Bilateral vestibular schwannoma is the hallmark of NF2-related schwannomatosis, a rare tumour predisposition syndrome associated with a lifetime of surgical interventions, radiotherapy and off-label use of the anti-angiogenic drug bevacizumab. Unilateral vestibular schwannoma develops sporadically in non-NF2-related schwannomatosis patients for which there are no drug treatment options available. Tumour-infiltrating immune cells such as macrophages and T-cells correlate with increased vestibular schwannoma growth, which is suggested to be similar in sporadic and NF2-related schwannomatosis tumours. However, differences between NF2-related schwannomatosis and the more common sporadic disease include NF2-related schwannomatosis patients presenting an increased number of tumours, multiple tumour types and younger age at diagnosis. A comparison of the tumour microenvironment in sporadic and NF2-related schwannomatosis tumours is therefore required to underpin the development of immunotherapeutic targets, identify the possibility of extrapolating ex vivo data from sporadic vestibular schwannoma to NF2-related schwannomatosis and help inform clinical trial design with the feasibility of co-recruiting sporadic and NF2-related schwannomatosis patients. This study drew together bulk transcriptomic data from three published Affymetrix microarray datasets to compare the gene expression profiles of sporadic and NF2-related schwannomatosis vestibular schwannoma and subsequently deconvolved to predict the abundances of distinct tumour immune microenvironment populations. Data were validated using quantitative PCR and Hyperion imaging mass cytometry. Comparative bioinformatic analyses revealed close similarities in NF2-related schwannomatosis and sporadic vestibular schwannoma tumours across the three datasets. Significant inflammatory markers and signalling pathways were closely matched in NF2-related schwannomatosis and sporadic vestibular schwannoma, relating to the proliferation of macrophages, angiogenesis and inflammation. Bulk transcriptomic and imaging mass cytometry data identified macrophages as the most abundant immune population in vestibular schwannoma, comprising one-third of the cell mass in both NF2-related schwannomatosis and sporadic tumours. Importantly, there were no robust significant differences in signalling pathways, gene expression, cell type abundance or imaging mass cytometry staining between NF2-related schwannomatosis and sporadic vestibular schwannoma. These data indicate strong similarities in the tumour immune microenvironment of NF2-related schwannomatosis and sporadic vestibular schwannoma.
Annuloplasty effect of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair with MitraClip system on multiple degenerative mitral regurgitations
Authors: Fukutomi Motoki , Onishi Takayuki , Sasaki Haruka , Tobaru Tetsuya
Published: July 2023

Background

Previous reports have shown a mitral annuloplasty-like effect after MitraClip, i.e. a shortening of the anterior-posterior diameter of mitral valve annulus. However, the clinical benefit of this phenomenon is unclear.

Case summary

An 87-year-old woman with multiple degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR) jets, including a central-medial jet and a lateral jet, underwent MitraClip procedure. After a single clip implantation, anterior-posterior diameter of mitral annulus was shortened and both MR jets were significantly reduced.

Discussion

Even in the case of multiple MR jets, a single clip deployment with the MitraClip system may provide an acceptable MR reduction if the clip shows the mitral annuloplasty effect.
The eukaryome of African children is influenced by geographic location, gut biogeography, and nutritional status
Authors: Vonaesch Pascale , Billy Vincent , Mann Allison E , Morien Evan , Habib Azimdine , Collard Jean-Marc , Dédé Michel , Kapel Nathalie , Sansonetti Philippe J , Parfrey Laura Wegener ,   for the Afribiota Investigators, Barbot-Trystram Laurence , Barouki Robert , Bastaraud Alexandra , Collard Jean-Marc , Doria Maria , Duffy Darragh , Finlay B Brett , Djorie Serge Ghislain , Giles-Vernick Tamara , Hasan Milena , Godje Bolmbaye Privat , Gody Jean-Chrysostome , Hunald Francis Allen , Kapel Nathalie , Lombart Jean-Pierre , Manirakiza Alexandre , Nigatoloum Synthia Nazita , Parfrey Laura Wegener , Raharimalala Lisette , Rakotondrainipiana Maheninasy , Randremanana Rindra , Randriamizao Harifetra Mamy Richard , Randrianirina Frédérique , Robinson Annick , Rubbo Pierre-Alain , Sansonetti Philippe , Schaeffer Laura , Gouandjika-Vassilache Ionela , Vonaesch Pascale , Vondo Sonia Sandrine , Vigan-Womas Inès
Published: July 2023

Eukaryotes have historically been studied as parasites, but recent evidence suggests they may be indicators of a healthy gut ecosystem. Here, we describe the eukaryome along the gastrointestinal tract of children aged 2–5 years and test for associations with clinical factors such as anaemia, intestinal inflammation, chronic undernutrition, and age. Children were enrolled from December 2016 to May 2018 in Bangui, Central African Republic and Antananarivo, Madagascar. We analyzed a total of 1104 samples representing 212 gastric, 187 duodenal, and 705 fecal samples using a metabarcoding approach targeting the full ITS2 region for fungi, and the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene for the overall eukaryome. Roughly, half of all fecal samples showed microeukaryotic reads. We find high intersubject variability, only a handful of taxa that are likely residents of the gastrointestinal tract, and frequent co-occurrence of eukaryotes within an individual. We also find that the eukaryome differs between the stomach, duodenum, and feces and is strongly influenced by country of origin. Our data show trends towards higher levels of Fusarium equiseti, a mycotoxin producing fungus, and lower levels of the protist Blastocystis in stunted children compared to nonstunted controls. Overall, the eukaryome is poorly correlated with clinical variables. Our study is of one of the largest cohorts analyzing the human intestinal eukaryome to date and the first to compare the eukaryome across different compartments of the gastrointestinal tract. Our results highlight the importance of studying populations across the world to uncover common features of the eukaryome in health.
Comparative transcriptomics and gene expression divergence associated with homoploid hybrid speciation in Argyranthemum
Authors: White Oliver W , Reyes-Betancort Alfredo , Carine Mark A , Chapman Mark A
Published: July 2023

Ecological isolation is increasingly thought to play an important role in speciation, especially for the origin and reproductive isolation of homoploid hybrid species. However, the extent to which divergent and/or transgressive gene expression changes are involved in speciation is not well studied. In this study, we employ comparative transcriptomics to investigate gene expression changes associated with the origin and evolution of two homoploid hybrid plant species, Argyranthemum sundingii and A. lemsii (Asteraceae). As there is no standard methodology for comparative transcriptomics, we examined five different pipelines for data assembly and analysing gene expression across the four species (two hybrid and two parental). We note biases and problems with all pipelines, and the approach used affected the biological interpretation of the data. Using the approach that we found to be optimal, we identify transcripts showing DE between the parental taxa and between the homoploid hybrid species and their parents; in several cases, putative functions of these DE transcripts have a plausible role in ecological adaptation and could be the cause or consequence of ecological speciation. Although independently derived, the homoploid hybrid species have converged on similar expression phenotypes, likely due to adaptation to similar habitats.
Association between SARS-CoV-2 Symptoms, Ct Values, and Serological Response in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Healthcare Personnel
Authors: Farnsworth Christopher W , O’Neil Caroline A , Dalton Claire , McDonald David , Vogt Lucy , Hock Karl , Arter Olivia , Wallace Meghan A , Muenks Carol , Amor Mostafa , Alvarado Kelly , Peacock Kate , Jolani Kevin , Fraser Victoria J , Burnham Carey-Ann D , Babcock Hilary M , Budge Phillip J , Kwon Jennie H
Published: July 2023

Background

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are effective at reducing symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19. Limited studies have compared symptoms, threshold cycle (Ct) values from reverse transcription (RT)-PCR testing, and serological testing results between previously vaccinated vs unvaccinated populations with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods

Healthcare personnel (HCP) with a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test within the previous 14 to 28 days completed surveys including questions about demographics, medical conditions, social factors, and symptoms of COVID-19. Ct values were observed, and serological testing was performed for anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) and anti-Spike (anti-S) antibodies at enrollment and 40 to 90 days later. Serological results were compared to HCP with no known SARS-CoV-2 infection and negative anti-N testing.

Results

There were 104 unvaccinated/not fully vaccinated and 77 vaccinated HCP with 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine at time of infection. No differences in type or duration of symptoms were reported (P = 0.45). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) Ct was 21.4 (17.6–24.6) and 21.5 (18.1–24.6) for the unvaccinated and vaccinated HCP, respectively. Higher anti-N IgG was observed in unvaccinated HCP (5.08 S/CO, 3.08–6.92) than vaccinated (3.61 signal to cutoff ratio [S/CO], 2.16–5.05). Anti-S IgG was highest among vaccinated HCP with infection (34 285 aribitrary units [AU]/mL, 17 672–61 775), followed by vaccinated HCP with no prior infection (1452 AU/mL, 791–2943), then unvaccinated HCP with infection (829 AU/mL, 290–1555). Anti-S IgG decreased 1.56% (0.9%–1.79%) per day in unvaccinated and 0.38% (0.03%–0.94%) in vaccinated HCP.

Conclusions

Vaccinated HCP infected with SARS-CoV-2 reported comparable symptoms and had similar Ct values relative to unvaccinated. However, vaccinated HCP had increased and prolonged anti-S and decreased anti-N response relative to unvaccinated.
Chromatographic Techniques for Assessment of Bisoprolol Fumarate and Perindopril Arginine in Solid Formulations under Various Stress Conditions and Application to Six Sigma, Content Uniformity, and Comparative Dissolution Approaches
Authors: Mahmoud Osama A , Omran Ahmed A , Binsaleh Ammena Y , Almalki Manal A , Mohamed Mahmoud A
Published: July 2023

Background

Antihypertensives bisoprolol fumarate (BIS) and perindopril arginine (PER) were simultaneously determined in their pure, bulk, and combined tablet dosage form.

Objective

This study develops a novel, reproducible, and accurate Reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and Reversed phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) with photodiode array detection techniques, which were then applied to in vitro dissolution studies.

Methods

The first RP-HPLC method relied on isocratic elution using a mobile phase of methanol–0.05 M phosphate buffer pH 2.6 (1 + 1, by volume), and separation was performed using a Thermo Hypersil C8 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). Ion-pair UPLC was the second method. An acceptable resolution was achieved using an RP-C18 chromatographic column, Agilent Eclipse (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm), with a mobile phase containing 0.005 M sodium 1-heptane sulfonate–triethylamine (64 + 1 + 35, by volume), adjusted with phosphoric acid to a pH of 2.0. RP-HPLC used a 1.0 mL/min flow rate, while UPLC used 0.5 mL/min, and the two methods used detection at 210 nm.

Results

Calibration curves of BIS and PER were linear for RP-HPLC and RP-UPLC methods at 0.5-15 and 0.5-40 μg/mL, respectively. BIS and PER had RP-UPLC LODs of 0.22 and 0.10 μg/mL, respectively, and LOQs of 0.68 and 0.31 μg/mL, respectively. As a result, the approach has been effectively applied to in vitro dissolution testing for drugs in generic and reference products, showing that the two products are comparable. The Six Sigma approach was implemented to compare the recommended and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) procedures, which both exhibited process capability index (Cpk) >1.33. A content uniformity test demonstrated that the drugs in their dosage form met the acceptance limit (85–115%). The degradation products were reliably distinguished from pure drugs for a range of retention times.

Conclusion

In their commercial drug product, the proposed method could be used in QC laboratories for concurrent testing, content uniformity, and in vitro dissolution investigations of BIS and PER. The methods were successfully validated per International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines.

Highlights

This study is innovative since it is the first to establish and validate specific and reproducible UPLC and HPLC methods for the concurrent quantitation of the studied drugs in their binary mixture and application to lean Six Sigma, content uniformity, and comparative dissolution approaches.
From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to a Pandemic Treaty: Will a Right to Medicines Forever be ‘Under Construction’?
Authors: Forman Lisa
Published: July 2023

Global disparities in access to COVID-19 vaccines have illuminated long-standing tensions between intellectual property rights and the right to health. Debates over solutions to these disparities have focused on a waiver to the TRIPS Agreement and a prospective pandemic treaty which will attempt to regulate the impact of intellectual property rights on access to essential pandemic health goods. These disparities and debates underscore the imperative for effective legal solutions capable of addressing the restrictive impact of intellectual property rights on the affordability and production of essential health products. Yet from a legal perspective, a claim for affordable medicines is at its essence a fundamental human right, especially that of the right to health. While the right to health has long been entrenched within international human rights law, the legal and political force of a right to medicines is less clear. Accordingly, this article broadly analyses the legal and political state of play of a right to medicines in international law. It proceeds in the following ways: (1) it explores how health fits into the conceptual foundations of human rights; (2) it considers evidence from international law and policy of the legal and political emergence of a right to medicines as part of rights to health and science; (3) it considers the implications of the TRIPS waiver and of a prospective pandemic treaty for the development of this right; (4) it concludes with thoughts about what these developments imply for the legal and political force of a right to medicines in international law.