bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
N-doped carbon dots as robust fluorescent probes for the rapid detection of hypochlorite
Authors: Wang Kai , Ru Zongling , Shi Jiwei , Zhu Yuezhao , Yang Liguo , Wei Mengxue , Xiao Mengli , Liu Nana , Wang Fang
Published: September 2022

N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) with high quantum yield (67%), which could act as robust fluorescent probes for the detection of free chlorine in local tap water with rapid response and accurate measurement, were efficiently prepared.
An expeditious synthesis of 6,7-dihydrodibenzo[b,j][4,7] phenanthroline derivatives as fluorescent materials
Authors: George Kevin , Kannadasan Sathananthan
Published: September 2022

A rapid method has been developed for the synthesis of 13,14-dimethyl-6,7-dihydrodibenzo[b,j][4,7]phenanthroline derivatives (3a–d) through the Friedländer condensation of 2-aminoarylketone with 1,4-cyclohexanedione under neat conditions usingp-TSA.
Expanding new chemistry of aza-boracyclophanes with unique dipolar structures, AIE and redox-active open-shell characteristics
Authors: Jia Yawei , Li Pengfei , Liu Kanglei , Li Chenglong , Liu Meiyan , Di Jiaqi , Wang Nan , Yin Xiaodong , Zhang Niu , Chen Pangkuan
Published: September 2022

We have achieved the synthesis of new B/N doped macrocycles by stitching oligoarylamine pentamers using arylborane acceptor segments. They exhibit open-shell radical species and AIE under ambient conditions.
Heteroarylation of unactivated C–H bonds suitable for late-stage functionalization
Authors: Miller Austin S. , Alexanian Erik J.
Published: September 2022

The late-stage introduction of diverse heterocycles onto complex small molecules enables efficient access to new medicinally relevant compounds.
A Sn-stabilized Cuδ+electrocatalyst toward highly selective CO2-to-CO in a wide potential range
Authors: Tan Xingxing , Guo Weiwei , Liu Shoujie , Jia Shunhan , Xu Liang , Feng Jiaqi , Yan Xupeng , Chen Chunjun , Zhu Qinggong , Sun Xiaofu , Han Buxing
Published: September 2022

Sn-stabilized Cuδ+electrocatalysts have been prepared, achieving highly selective CO2-to-CO in a wide potential range. The modifier Sn could tune the electronic structure of Cu, resulting in high reactivity and selectivity for CO production.
Programmable mismatch-fueled high-efficiency DNA signal amplifier
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Long , Li Sha-Sha , Liu Wei-Wei , Kong Ling-Qi , Chai Ya-Qin , Yuan Ruo
Published: September 2022

We proposed an ingenious mismatch-enhanced catalytic multiple-arm DNA junction assembly (M-CMDJA) which possesses more negative reaction standard free energy (ΔG) as the driving force, resulting in quite high conversion efficiency and much faster reaction speed.
A meso-scale model of clay matrix: the role of hydration transitions in geomechanical behavior
Authors: Asadi Farid , Zhu Hua-Xiang , Vandamme Matthieu , Roux Jean-Noël , Brochard Laurent
Published: September 2022

A new meso-scale granular model of swelling clay is proposed from a purely bottom-up approach based on molecular simulation data. It is able to capture the complex hydro-mechanics with unprecedented details about the elementary mechanisms.
Applying the HSAB design principle to the 3.5 V-class all-solid-state Li-ion batteries with a chloride electrolyte
Authors: Tanibata Naoto , Takimoto Shuta , Aizu Shin , Takeda Hayami , Nakayama Masanobu
Published: September 2022

The hard and soft acid–base (HSAB) based-material design is instructive for electrode/electrolyte material combinations, which enables high-voltage operation in all-solid-state Li-ion secondary batteries.
Enhanced solar water splitting of BiVO4photoanodes byin situsurface band edge modulation
Authors: Song Kai , Hou Huilin , Gong Chuangchuang , Gao Fengmei , Zhang Dongdong , Zhi Fang , Yang Weiyou , He Fang
Published: September 2022

In this work, the surface band edge of the BiVO4photoanode is modulated by anin situgas-phase cation exchange method, in which some of the Bi atoms on the surface are replaced by V atoms to form a V-rich surface.
Experimental results and technique evaluation based on correlation function for a backup protection of synchronous generator stator windings
Authors: Mahmoud Ragab Abd Allah , Elwakil Ehab Serry
Published: September 2022

Unbalanced loads and faults cause power quality problems in power grids, which may lead to system elements failure, particularly to synchronous generators. Faults detection and identification of the disturbance severity level are essential in the grids. Important equipment are often protected with dual protection systems. A backup protection operates and trips appropriate circuit breaker(s) only if the main protection fails to detect the disturbance presence or miss opening the breakers. This paper proposes a backup protection scheme for detecting and evaluating the disruption severity of voltage and current signals for protecting the synchronous generators. This scheme is based on a numerical technique of correlation applied for the electrical signals to detect and assess the fault situation. Different fault types are experimentally conducted on a motor‐generator set to test the proposed algorithm effectiveness using Data Acquisition Card (DAC) and LABVIEW software. The scheme has proven to be successful for fault detection and assessment. The algorithm has shown high reliability at various faults and operating conditions. Moreover, the practical results reveal that the scheme is able to evaluate the severity degree of disturbances/unbalances, and it is effective and secure considering the acceptable overloading, harmonics and temporary faults in power grids.
Ammonia characterisation of dense cores in the Rosette Molecular Cloud
Authors: Bőgner R. , Csengeri T. , Montillaud J. , Wienen M. , Schneider N. , Wyrowski F. , Motte F. , Tóth L. V.
Published: September 2022

Context. The Rosette molecular cloud complex is a well-known Galactic star-forming region with a morphology pointing towards triggered star formation. The distribution of its young stellar population and the gas properties point to the possibility that star formation is globally triggered in the region.

Aims. We focus on the characterisation of the most massive pre- and protostellar cores distributed throughout the molecular cloud in order to understand the star formation processes in the region.

Methods. We observed a sample of 33 dense cores, identified in Herschel continuum maps, with the Effelsberg 100-m telescope. Using NH3 (1,1) and (2,2) measurements, we characterise the dense core population, computing rotational and gas kinetic temperatures and NH3 column density with multiple methods. We also estimated the gas pressure ratio and virial parameters to examine the stability of the cores. Using results from Berschel data, we examined possible correlations between gas and dust parameters.

Results. Ammonia emission is detected towards 31 out of the 33 selected targets. We estimate kinetic temperatures to be between 12 and 20 K, and column densities within the 1014−2 × 1015 cm−2 range in the selected targets. Our virial analysis suggests that most sources are likely to be gravitationally bound, while the line widths are dominated by non-thermal motions. Our results are compatible with large-scale dust temperature maps suggesting that the temperature decreases and column density increases with distance from NGC 2244 except for the densest protoclusters. We also identify a small spatial shift between the ammonia and dust peaks in the regions most exposed to irradiation from the nearby NGC 2244 stellar cluster. However, we find no trends in terms of core evolution with spatial location, in the prestellar to protostellar core abundance ratio, or the virial parameter.

Conclusions. Star formation is more likely based on the primordial structure of the cloud in spite of the impact of irradiation from the nearby cluster, NGC 2244. The physical parameters from the NH3 measurements suggest gas properties in between those of low- and high-mass star-forming regions, suggesting that the Rosette molecular cloud could host ongoing intermediate-mass star formation, and is unlikely to form high-mass stars.
Optimal Investment Strategy of Defined Contribution Pension Based on Bequest Motivation and Loss Aversion
Authors: XUE Juan , WANG Chuanyu , WANG Lan
Published: September 2022

Under the S-shaped utility of loss aversion, this paper considers the bequest motivation of pension plan participants, random salary income before retirement and the substitution rate between receiving pension benefits after retirement and wages before retirement, and studies the optimal investment strategy of defined contribution (DC) pension. Assuming that pension funds can invest in a financial market consisting of three assets (risk-free asset cash, rolling bonds and stocks), inflation is considered by discount. Under the S-shaped utility, the Lagrange method is used to find the terminal optimal surplus of pensions in retirement, so as to find the terminal optimal wealth, and then the martingale method is used to find the optimal wealth process and investment strategy. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is carried out on the the influence of bequest motivation and loss aversion on the optimal investment strategy of DC pension.
Ernährung bei Krebs: geeignet zur Vorbeugung und
Therapie?
Authors: Arends Jann
Published: September 2022

Die richtige Versorgung mit Nährstoffen und Energieträgern ist
lebensnotwendig; gleichzeitig beeinflusst sie aber auch das Risiko, an Krebs zu
erkranken. Der Einfluss der Kost- und Lebensmittelauswahl –
z. B. in Form von Fast-Food oder allgemein einer
„westlichen“ Ernährung – hat allerdings eine
begrenztere und geringere Wirkung als eine mit einem deutlichen Krebsrisiko
behaftete Überernährung. Da das
ernährungsabhängige Risiko wahrscheinlich durch die Entwicklung
eines metabolischen Syndroms vermittelt wird, spielt regelmäßige
anstrengende körperliche Bewegung eine wichtige schützende
Rolle.

Bei einer fortgeschrittenen Krebserkrankung besteht durch eine Vielzahl von
Faktoren ein hohes Risiko für die Entstehung einer
Mangelernährung; tritt zusätzlich eine tumorassoziierte
systemische Inflammation als metabolische Abwehrreaktion des Körpers
auf, so verstärkt die resultierende Katabolie den Gewichts- und
Körperzellverlust und kompliziert die ernährungstherapeutische
Behandlung. Empfohlen werden für diese Situation eine ausreichende
Versorgung mit Energie und Nährstoffen, ein regelmäßiges
– aber verträgliches – Muskeltraining und
unterschiedliche Ansätze zur Dämpfung der metabolisch bedingten
Katabolie.
Nahrung bei Krebs aus integrativmedizinischer Sicht
Authors: Martin David
Published: September 2022

In der Ernährungsmedizin wird oft unterschieden zwischen
Quantität als „Energieaufnahme sowie die Menge
essenzieller Nährstoffe relativ zum individuellen Bedarf“, und
Qualität als „die Zusammensetzung der Nahrung in Bezug
auf die nicht-essenziellen Bestandteile“ (Artikel von Jann Arends, S. 100).
Dies stellt die Qualität in die zweite Reihe, wie es seit Hume in der
Wissenschaft insgesamt über Jahrhunderte üblich zu sein scheint
1. Dabei ist es durchaus interessant
festzustellen, dass die auf Quantität einzelner Nahrungsbestandteile
orientierten Untersuchungen kaum Hinweise auf den Zusammenhang zwischen Nahrung und
Krebserkrankungen geben. Es gibt zwar Hinweise, dass z. B. eine zu niedrige
Vitamin-D-Konzentration mit Krebs assoziiert ist. Dies könnte daran liegen,
dass Menschen mit einem niedrigen Vitamin-D-Spiegel zu wenig Bewegung im Freien
haben, denn Vitamin-D-Zugaben senken nicht das Krebsrisiko. Auch
Nahrungsmittelzusätze sind eher mit einer erhöhten Krebsinzidenz
assoziiert (Jann Arends). Verstörend finde ich, dass es wohl keine
zuverlässigen prospektiven, populationsbezogenen Daten zum Einfluss von
Pestiziden auf Tumorinzidenzen gibt (Jann Arends), obwohl diese in vielen
Fällen im Tierexperiment karzinogen wirken und es inzwischen bessere
Alternativen als Pestizide bei der Nahrungsmittelerzeugung gibt 2.
Update Mammakarzinom 2022 Teil 1 – Brustkrebs in frühen Krankheitsstadien
Authors: Welslau Manfred , Müller Volkmar , Lüftner Diana , Schütz Florian , Stickeler Elmar , Fasching Peter A. , Janni Wolfgang , Thomssen Christoph , Witzel Isabell , Fehm Tanja N. , Belleville Erik , Bader Simon , Seitz Katharina , Untch Michael , Thill Marc , Tesch Hans , Ditsch Nina , Lux Michael P. , Aktas Bahriye , Banys-Paluchowski Maggie , Schneeweiss Andreas , Harbeck Nadia , Würstlein Rachel , Hartkopf Andreas D. , Wöckel Achim , Seliger Barbara , Massa Chiara , Kolberg Hans Christian
Published: September 2022

Die Erkenntnisse über die Behandlung von Mammakarzinompatientinnen mit frühen Krankheitsstadien haben im letzten Jahr deutlich zugenommen. Abemaciclib, Olaparib und Pembrolizumab sind neue Medikamente mit einer guten Wirksamkeit bei den entsprechenden Patientinnengruppen. Jedoch sind einige Fragestellungen nach wie vor unbeantwortet. Insbesondere welchen Patientinnen unnötige Therapien erspart werden können, ist bei prämenopausalen Patientinnen mit einem hormonrezeptorpositiven Mammakarzinom weiterhin unklar. Die Frage, inwieweit eine Chemotherapie einen direkten zytotoxischen Effekt auf den Tumor hat oder eher dadurch wirkt, dass die Ovarfunktion durch die Chemotherapie reduziert wird, könnte wegweisend sein. Dieser Patientinnengruppe kann möglicherweise eine Chemotherapie erspart bleiben. Neue, bislang experimentelle Biomarker-Analysemethoden, wie die räumliche Analyse der Genexpression (spatial transcriptomics), halten nach und nach Einzug in die großen randomisierten Phase-III-Studien, wie die NeoTRIPStudie. Dies führt wiederum zum besseren Verständnis der prädiktiven Faktoren neuer Therapien, zum Beispiel der Immuntherapie. Diese Übersichtsarbeit fasst die wissenschaftlichen Neuerungen der aktuellen Kongresse wie dem San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2021, aber auch von kürzlich veröffentlichten Publikationen zusammen.
Avaliação da reprodutibilidade intra- e interobservador da nova classificação AO/OTA para fraturas distais do rádio comparada com a classificação de Fernandez
Authors: Carula Beatriz Canhoto , Giostri Giana Silveira , Bebber Fabiana , Batista Marianna Fergutz dos S. , Silva Flaviana Busignani da , Novak Eduardo Murilo
Published: September 2022

Objetivo Avaliar a confiabilidade e a reprodutibilidade inter- e intraobservadores da nova classificação AO/OTA 2018 para fraturas distais do rádio e compará-la com o sistema classificatório de Fernandez.

Métodos Foi aplicado um questionário no software Qualtrics em 10 especialistas em cirurgia da mão que classificaram 50 radiografias de fraturas distais de rádio de acordo com as classificações de Fernandez e AO/OTA 2018 e, posteriormente, indicaram seu tratamento. Esse questionário foi aplicado em tempo T0 e repetido após 4 semanas (t1). Analisou-se a média de concordância entre as respostas e confiabilidade e reprodutibilidade inter- e intraobservadores utilizando os índices kappa.

Resultados A concordância média interobservador para a classificação de Fernandez foi de 76,4, e de 59,2% para a AO/OTA 2018. A concordância intraobservador foi de 77,3 e 56,6%, respectivamente. O índice de kappa inter- e intraobservador para a classificação de Fernandez foram de 0,57 e de 0,55, respectivamente, e a classificação AO/OTA 2018 obteve 0,34 e 0,31, respectivamente.

Conclusão A classificação AO/OTA 2018 mostrou uma reprodutibilidade intra- e interobservadores baixa quando comparada à classificação de Fernandez. Porém, ambas as classificações apresentam índices intra- e interobservadores baixos. Embora a classificação de Fernandez não tenha obtido resultados excelentes, ela permanece com melhor concordância para o uso rotineiro.
Avaliação dos fatores de risco relacionados ao tempo de internação e às complicações pós-operatórias em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total primária do joelho
Authors: Oliveira Filipe Marques de , Costa Lauro Augusto Veloso , Bastos Angelo Mártyres Pedreira de Albuquerque , Paião Isabela Dias , Ferretti Mário , Lenza Mário
Published: September 2022

Objetivo Avaliar os fatores de risco relacionados a um tempo de internação mais longo e às complicações pós-operatórias precoces (primeiros 30 dias após a cirurgia) em pacientes submetidos a artroplastia total do joelho (ATJ).

Materiais e Métodos Este é um estudo transversal com coleta de dados de pacientes submetidos a ATJ em um hospital privado entre 2015 e 2019. Os seguintes dados foram coletados: idade, gênero, índice de massa corporal, e comorbidades clínicas. Também coletamos dados intraoperatórios, como o grau na classificação da American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) e a duração da cirurgia, além do tempo de internação, as complicações pós-operatórias, e a readmissão em 30 dias. Os possíveis fatores de risco associados a um tempo de internação mais longo e às taxas de complicações pós-operatórias foram investigados por meio de modelos estatísticos.

Resultados Os pacientes mais velhos, com graus mais elevados na classificação da ASA ou que sofreram complicações pós-operatórias, ficaram internados por mais tempo. Para cada aumento em um ano de idade, esperamos que o tempo de internação seja multiplicado por 1,008 (intervalo de confiança de 95% [IC95%]: 1,004 a 1,012; p < 0,001). Em pacientes de grau III na classificação da ASA, espera-se que o tempo seja multiplicado por 1,297 (IC95%: 1,083 a 1,554; p = 0,005) em comparação com pacientes de grau I. Em pacientes com complicações pós-operatórias, espera-se que o tempo seja multiplicado por 1,505 (IC95%: 1,332 a 1,700; p < 0,001) em comparação com pacientes sem complicações.

Conclusão Este estudo demonstrou que, em pacientes submetidos a ATJ primária, características pré-operatórias, como idade avançada e grau ≥ III na classificação da ASA, e o desenvolvimento de complicações pós-operatórias predizem o aumento do tempo de internação hospitalar de forma independente.
Extra-Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (EGIST) in the Pelvis Mimicking Retroperitoneal Sarcoma
Authors: El-Helou Etienne , Chamma Linda , Mazraani Houssam Bashir , Sebaaly Delivrance , Chamma Omar Georges , Naccour Jessica , Haddad Marwan M. , Lichaa Dani , Alam Houssam
Published: September 2022

Extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors (EGISTs) are rare mesenchymal tumors accounting for less than 1% of total gastrointestinal tumors. They tend to be aggressive and have a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, there is a lack of data or controversial data due to its scarcity. Therefore, we report a case of pelvic EGIST misdiagnosed as retroperitoneal sarcoma. We opted for surgical management followed by adjuvant oral chemotherapy with imatinib.
Device improves reproducibility of red blood cell deformation measurements
Authors: Johnson-Groh Mara
Published: September 2022

Sinusoidal shear flow generator may lead to a technique for clinical diagnoses of blood diseases.
Microfluidic wearable electrochemical sweat sensors for health monitoring
Authors: Ramachandran Balaji , Liao Ying-Chih
Published: September 2022

Research on remote health monitoring through wearable sensors has attained popularity in recent decades mainly due to aging population and expensive health care services. Microfluidic wearable sweat sensors provide economical, non-invasive mode of sample collection, important physiological information, and continuous tracking of human health. Recent advances in wearable sensors focus on electrochemical monitoring of biomarkers in sweat and can be applicable in various fields like fitness monitoring, nutrition, and medical diagnosis. This review focuses on the evolution of wearable devices from benchtop electrochemical systems to microfluidic-based wearable sensors. Major classification of wearable sensors like skin contact-based and biofluidic-based sensors are discussed. Furthermore, sweat chemistry and related biomarkers are explained in addition to integration of microfluidic systems in wearable sweat sensors. At last, recent advances in wearable electrochemical sweat sensors are discussed, which includes tattoo-based, paper microfluidics, patches, wrist band, and belt-based wearable sensors.
Divisive normalization is an efficient code for multivariate Pareto-distributed environments
Authors: Bucher Stefan F. , Brandenburger Adam M.
Published: September 2022

Divisive normalization is a canonical computation in the brain, observed across neural systems, that is often considered to be an implementation of the efficient coding principle. We provide a theoretical result that makes the conditions under which divisive normalization is an efficient code analytically precise: We show that, in a low-noise regime, encoding ann-dimensional stimulus via divisive normalization is efficient if and only if its prevalence in the environment is described by a multivariate Pareto distribution. We generalize this multivariate analog of histogram equalization to allow for arbitrary metabolic costs of the representation, and show how different assumptions on costs are associated with different shapes of the distributions that divisive normalization efficiently encodes. Our result suggests that divisive normalization may have evolved to efficiently represent stimuli with Pareto distributions. We demonstrate that this efficiently encoded distribution is consistent with stylized features of naturalistic stimulus distributions such as their characteristic conditional variance dependence, and we provide empirical evidence suggesting that it may capture the statistics of filter responses to naturalistic images. Our theoretical finding also yields empirically testable predictions across sensory domains on how the divisive normalization parameters should be tuned to features of the input distribution.
Dipole-driven interlude of mesomorphism in polyelectrolyte solutions
Authors: Jia Di , Muthukumar Murugappan
Published: September 2022

Uniformly charged polyelectrolyte molecules disperse uniformly in aqueous electrolyte solutions, due to electrostatic repulsion between them. In stark contrast to this well-established result of homogeneous polyelectrolyte solutions, we report a phenomenon where an aqueous solution of positively charged poly(L-lysine) (PLL) exhibits precipitation of similarly charged macromolecules at low ionic strength and a homogeneous solution at very high ionic strength, with a stable mesomorphic state of spherical aggregates as an interlude between these two limits. The precipitation at lower ionic strengths that is orthogonal to the standard polyelectrolyte behavior and the emergence of the mesomorphic state are triggered by the presence of a monovalent small organic anion, acrylate, in the electrolyte solution. Using light scattering, we find that the hydrodynamic radius

R
h

of isolated PLL chains shrinks upon a decrease in electrolyte (NaBr) concentration, exhibiting the “anti-polyelectrolyte effect.” In addition,

R
h

of the aggregates in the mesomorphic state depends on PLL concentration

c
p

according to the scaling law,

R

h

~

c

p

1
/
6

. Furthermore, at higher PLL concentration, the mesomorphic aggregates disassemble by a self-poisoning mechanism. We conjecture that all these findings can be attributed to both intra- and interchain dipolar interactions arising from the transformation of polycationic PLL into a physical polyzwitterionic PLL at higher concentrations of acrylate. The reported phenomenon of PLL exhibiting dipole-directed assembly of mesomorphic states and the anti-polyelectrolyte effect are of vital importance toward understanding more complex situations such as coacervation and formation of biomolecular condensates.
Human neutrophil peptides 1-3 protect the murine urinary tract from uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
challenge
Authors: Canas Jorge J. , Liang Dong , Saxena Vijay , Hooks Jenaya , Arregui Samuel W. , Gao Hongyu , Liu Yunlong , Kish Danielle , Linn Sarah C. , Bdeir Khalil , Cines Douglas B. , Fairchild Robert L. , Spencer John D. , Schwaderer Andrew L. , Hains David S.
Published: September 2022

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are critical to the protection of the urinary tract of humans and other animals from pathogenic microbial invasion. AMPs rapidly destroy pathogens by disrupting microbial membranes and/or augmenting or inhibiting the host immune system through a variety of signaling pathways. We have previously demonstrated that alpha-defensins 1-3 (
DEFA1A3
) are AMPs expressed in the epithelial cells of the human kidney collecting duct in response to uropathogens. We also demonstrated that DNA copy number variations in the
DEFA1A3
locus are associated with UTI and pyelonephritis risk. Because
DEFA1A3
is not expressed in mice, we utilized human
DEFA1A3
gene transgenic mice (

DEFA
4/4

) to further elucidate the biological relevance of this locus in the murine urinary tract. We demonstrate that the kidney transcriptional and translational expression pattern is similar in humans and the human gene transgenic mouse upon uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(UPEC) stimulus in vitro and in vivo. We also demonstrate transgenic human

DEFA
4/4

gene mice are protected from UTI and pyelonephritis under various UPEC challenges. This study serves as the foundation to start the exploration of manipulating the
DEFA1A3
locus and alpha-defensins 1-3 expression as a potential therapeutic target for UTIs and other infectious diseases.
Human sperm TMEM95 binds eggs and facilitates membrane fusion
Authors: Tang Shaogeng , Lu Yonggang , Skinner Will M. , Sanyal Mrinmoy , Lishko Polina V. , Ikawa Masahito , Kim Peter S.
Published: September 2022

Tmem95
encodes a sperm acrosomal membrane protein, whose knockout has a male-specific sterility phenotype in mice.
Tmem95
knockout murine sperm can bind to, but do not fuse with, eggs. How TMEM95 plays a role in membrane fusion of sperm and eggs has remained elusive. Here, we utilize a sperm penetration assay as a model system to investigate the function of human TMEM95. We show that human TMEM95 binds to hamster egg membranes, providing evidence for a TMEM95 receptor on eggs. Using X-ray crystallography, we reveal an evolutionarily conserved, positively charged region of TMEM95 as a putative receptor-binding surface. Amino acid substitutions within this region of TMEM95 ablate egg-binding activity. We identify monoclonal antibodies against TMEM95 that reduce the number of human sperm fused with hamster eggs in sperm penetration assays. Strikingly, these antibodies do not block binding of sperm to eggs. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence for a specific, receptor-mediated interaction of sperm TMEM95 with eggs and suggest that this interaction may have a role in facilitating membrane fusion during fertilization.
Discovering design principles of collagen molecular stability using a genetic algorithm, deep learning, and experimental validation
Authors: Khare Eesha , Yu Chi-Hua , Gonzalez Obeso Constancio , Milazzo Mario , Kaplan David L. , Buehler Markus J.
Published: September 2022

Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in humans, providing crucial mechanical properties, including high strength and toughness, in tissues. Collagen-based biomaterials are, therefore, used for tissue repair and regeneration. Utilizing collagen effectively during materials processing ex vivo and subsequent function in vivo requires stability over wide temperature ranges to avoid denaturation and loss of structure, measured as melting temperature (Tm). Although significant research has been conducted on understanding how collagen primary amino acid sequences correspond to Tmvalues, a robust framework to facilitate the design of collagen sequences with specific Tmremains a challenge. Here, we develop a general model using a genetic algorithm within a deep learning framework to design collagen sequences with specific Tmvalues. We report 1,000 de novo collagen sequences, and we show that we can efficiently use this model to generate collagen sequences and verify their Tmvalues using both experimental and computational methods. We find that the model accurately predicts Tmvalues within a few degrees centigrade. Further, using this model, we conduct a high-throughput study to identify the most frequently occurring collagen triplets that can be directly incorporated into collagen. We further discovered that the number of hydrogen bonds within collagen calculated with molecular dynamics (MD) is directly correlated to the experimental measurement of triple-helical quality. Ultimately, we see this work as a critical step to helping researchers develop collagen sequences with specific Tmvalues for intended materials manufacturing methods and biomedical applications, realizing a mechanistic materials by design paradigm.
Discovery of prolactin-like in lamprey: Role in osmoregulation and new insight into the evolution of the growth hormone/prolactin family
Authors: Gong Ningping , Ferreira-Martins Diogo , Norstog Jessica L. , McCormick Stephen D. , Sheridan Mark A.
Published: September 2022

We used a representative of one of the oldest extant vertebrate lineages (jawless fish or agnathans) to investigate the early evolution and function of the growth hormone (GH)/prolactin (PRL) family. We identified a second member of the GH/PRL family in an agnathan, the sea lamprey (
Petromyzon marinus
). Structural, phylogenetic, and synteny analyses supported the identification of this hormone as prolactin-like (PRL-L), which has led to added insight into the evolution of the GH/PRL family. At least two ancestral genes were present in early vertebrates, which gave rise to distinct GH and PRL-L genes in lamprey. A series of gene duplications, gene losses, and chromosomal rearrangements account for the diversity of GH/PRL-family members in jawed vertebrates. Lamprey PRL-L is produced in the proximal pars distalis of the pituitary and is preferentially bound by the lamprey PRL receptor, whereas lamprey GH is preferentially bound by the lamprey GH receptor. Pituitary PRL-L messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were low in larvae, then increased significantly in mid-metamorphic transformers (stage 3); thereafter, levels subsided in final-stage transformers and metamorphosed juveniles. The abundance of PRL-L mRNA and immunoreactive protein increased in the pituitary of juveniles under hypoosmotic conditions, and treatment with PRL-L blocked seawater-associated inhibition of freshwater ion transporters. These findings clarify the origin and divergence of GH/PRL family genes in early vertebrates and reveal a function of PRL-L in osmoregulation of sea lamprey, comparable to a role of PRLs that is conserved in jawed vertebrates.
Phonological features of Caijia that are notable from a diachronic perspective
Authors: Lee Man Hei
Published: September 2022

This study sets out several phonological features in Caijia that are notable from a diachronic point of view. The Caijia language is an endangered language spoken in northwestern Guìzhōu, China. It was first formally documented in the early 1980s and is generally viewed as a Sinitic language. Some aspects of Caijia phonology are noteworthy from the perspective of historical phonology. There exist features which cannot be accounted for in terms of Middle Chinese (MC), such as the retention of the contrast between Old Chinese (OC) T-type and L-type onsets in words with d- or dr- in Middle Chinese. Moreover, Caijia also demonstrates features which are observed or preserved in Middle Chinese, but absent in mainstream modern Sinitic varieties, including the retention of bilabial stops in words with initials Fēi/Fū/Fèng. This study will also explore the implications certain phonological features have for the classification of Caijia in the Sinitic clade and examine the relationship between Caijia and Bai.
Carbon erosion/deposition on the divertor of W7-X during the operational period OP 1.2b
Authors: Mayer M. , Balden M. , Brezinsek S. , Burwitz V.V. , Cupak C. , Dhard C.P. , Elgeti S. , Corominas M. Guitart , Hiret P. , Kandler M. , Naujoks D. , Schmidt-Dencker J.-H. , Ruset C. , Saramela T.B. , Silva T.F.
Published: September 2022

Carbon net erosion and deposition at the test divertor unit (TDU) of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) were measured for the discharge period OP 1.2b in the year 2018 using 18 specially prepared target elements in all 10 TDUs. These had lengths between 30 and 60 cm and were coated with marker layers for erosion/deposition investigations of 5–10 μm carbon on top of about 300 nm molybdenum. The marker layer thicknesses were measured by elastic backscattering spectrometry (EBS) before and after plasma exposure using 2.5 MeV protons; the surface morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam cross-sectioning (FIB), the surface roughness was determined using a two-dimensional optical profiler. Plasma-exposed surfaces were considerably smoother than unexposed surfaces with decreased mean roughness and a shift of the inclination angle distribution towards lower values. The erosion on the 10 TDUs was unequal within a factor of about two. During the discharge period in total 20.4 ± 5.7 g carbon was eroded from the 10 TDUs. Adjacent to the strike line some deposition of carbon was observed. Compared to the discharge period OP 1.2a in the year 2017, the net carbon erosion rate dropped by a factor of 5–6 due to regular boronizations, which reduced the oxygen (and subsequently also the carbon) content in the plasma by 1–2 orders of magnitude. The significance of erosion/deposition processes for long-pulse discharges is discussed.
Early-onset trend in European summer caused by Greenland topographic effect
Authors: Son Jun-Hyeok , Kim Nam-Hoon , Kim Go-Un , Chu Jung-Eun , Park Jae-Heung , Kwon Jae-il , Heo Ki-Young
Published: September 2022

Global heating, which is considered irreversible at least for the near future, causes various climate crises directly affecting human life. Accordingly, European countries have been afflicted by frequent heatwaves in summer. Convolutional neural network deep learning models have revealed the lengthening of the European summer over the past 42 years. Here we show that the early onset of summer is responsible for this climatic trend. In late May, an anti-cyclonic circulation anomaly strengthens over the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the adjoining Atlantic Ocean, causing significant temperature increases across Western Europe, Iceland, and around the Barents Sea. The intensification of the mid-latitude westerly wind impinging on Greenland seems to be responsible for strengthening the anomalous circulation change via topographically forced stationary Rossby wave responses. As the westerly wind intensification is ensued by further global heating, summer will begin earlier, and thus more frequent European heatwaves are expected to occur.
Flexible conductivity-temperature-depth-strain (CTDS) sensor based on a CNT/PDMS bottom electrode for underwater sensing
Authors: He Qipei , Zhang Wenqiang , Sheng Tianyu , Gong Zheng , Dong Zihao , Zhang Deyuan , Jiang Yonggang
Published: September 2022

Marine hydrological information has a significant impact on human development and the utilization of the oceans, which can be monitored with underwater sensors. In the past, ocean research has relied on the use of bulky underwater recorders and sensory telemetry networks. In this study, an integrated flexible sensor is developed for underwater conductivity, temperature, depth, and strain detection. Platinum resistance sensors were used for temperature and strain measurements, conductivity sensors with interdigitated electrodes were used for salinity measurements, and capacitive pressure sensors for depth measurements. Two kinds of flexible capacitive pressure sensors were fabricated with a carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane (CNT/PDMS) bottom electrode and copper/polyimide (Cu/PI) bottom electrode. The sensor with the CNT/PDMS bottom electrode outperformed the sensor with the Cu/PI bottom electrode over a wide pressure range (<5 MPa) and showed stable capacitance up to 1000 cycles. COMSOL simulations also support our experimental results with high sensitivity of the sensor with a CNT/PDMS bottom electrode. The integrated flexible sensor is durable and lightweight, making it ideal for use as a stationary monitoring sensor or for attachment to a variety of marine animals.
Is the problem or the solution riskier? Predictors of carbon tax policy support
Authors: Hasanaj Valon , Stadelmann-Steffen Isabelle
Published: September 2022

Climate change is posing significant threats to human societies and developmental prospects. Governments continue to design and propose comprehensive climate policies aimed at tackling the climate crisis but often fail to successfully implement them. One reason is that securing public support for such policy instruments has proven to be challenging. While public opinion research has often documented a positive correlation between beliefs in climate change and policy support, it has also become clear that the presence of such beliefs is in many situations not enough for policy support. This is the starting point of our study in which we delve deeper into the link between climate change beliefs and policy support by specifically integrating risk perceptions related to climate change but also related to policy solutions. Empirically, we leverage survey data from the United States and Switzerland and employ the random forest technique to further explore the mechanisms that link climate change beliefs, risk perceptions, and policy support. We use the case of carbon taxation, which is considered a particularly effective instrument by ecological economists but seems to be particularly unpopular politically. The results of this study suggest that beliefs and risk perceptions are very important predictors of support for carbon tax policies. Furthermore, they unveil the strongest predictors and specific patterns that generate the highest support in the United States and Switzerland.
Technicians’ perception of pharmacist leadership behaviors on their own commitment and turnover intention
Authors: Desselle Shane P , Wasem Valerie , Hosseini Sina , Hohmeier Kenneth C , Woodyard Ashley , McKeirnan Kimberly C
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To evaluate technicians’ perceptions of how they are supported and supervised by pharmacists through assessment of various components of pharmacists’ leadership behaviors in developing the technician workforce. Additional objectives included evaluating levels of pharmacy technician uncertainty about their future, job commitment, and turnover intention in relation to perceived pharmacist leadership behaviors.

Methods

This study employed a cross-sectional design involving administration of an online questionnaire survey. The target population was technicians certified through the National Healthcareer Association. The questionnaire was disseminated to a random, nationwide sample of 3,000 technicians. It solicited responses to an adapted version of the Multifactorial Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), a 29-item instrument for measuring the frequency of observed pharmacist supervisory behaviors, which are categorized as transactional, transformative, or both. The questionnaire also inquired as to respondents’ levels of future uncertainty, profession commitment, organization commitment, and turnover intentions.

Results

Responses were acquired from 882 certified pharmacy technicians, who reported their observance of pharmacy supervisory behaviors, as measured by the adapted MLQ, with moderate frequency. Higher technician-reported levels of transformative leadership behavior by pharmacists were associated with lower levels of future uncertainty, greater profession and organization commitment, and diminished turnover intentions.

Conclusion

Pharmacists’ supervisory behaviors, namely transformative leadership behaviors, may be impactful to pharmacy technicians’ attitudes and work-related outcomes. The pharmacy profession’s leaders and educators might consider these results in educating current and future pharmacists so as to improve the workplace and, potentially, organizational and profession-wide outcomes in the delivery of care.
A Well-Outfitted Militia: German–American Translations of the Second Amendment and Original Public Meaning
Authors: Kinney Brandon
Published: September 2022

This article seeks to uncover the original public meaning of the Second Amendment by scrutinizing unusual and previously unexamined sources: German–American translations of the Bill of Rights during the Founding Era. Translations offer a unique perspective of political culture, because they served as thoughtful analysis and contextual commentary on the source text. Using six German–American translations in the Founding Era, this article argues that the public understanding of the Second Amendment during the Founding Era was one that recognized the individual right to own firearms for individual use unconnected to militia service as well as a constitutional endorsement of an armed population as the best bulwark to preserve the liberty of the national people. Though the exact text of the translations differ across publishers and states, they retain thematic and syntactic similarities that suggest a public consensus over the meaning of the text. The notion that the Second Amendment protects an individual right rather than a collective one is borne out by additional translations well into the mid-nineteenth century. Printers adjusted their translations of the amendment after the militia as a military institution had fallen into disuse but preserved or strengthened the clause protecting the individual right to arms rather than letting it ‘fall silent’.
A Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial of Vigabatrin in the Management of Acute Alcohol Withdrawal
Authors: Williams James , Collins Lisa , Norman Amanda , O’Neill Helen , Lloyd-Jones Martyn , Ogden Edward , Bonomo Yvonne , Pastor Adam
Published: September 2022

Objective

To undertake a double blinded randomised placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy of vigabatrin, a GABA-transaminase inhibitor, as a benzodiazepine sparing agent in the management of acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a residential setting.

Methods

We enrolled 120 patients with alcohol use disorder who were randomly assigned to either treatment with vigabatrin (2g/day for 4 days) or placebo. The primary outcome was defined as the number of participants in each treatment arm needing diazepam for withdrawal management. A secondary outcome prespecified was the total dose of diazepam received by participants in each treatment arm. Participants were recruited on admission to a residential withdrawal unit at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne from December 2014 to April 2019.

Results

No significant difference was observed in the number of participants requiring benzodiazepines during their residential withdrawal stay with 44 participants (78.6%) in placebo arm requiring at least one dose of diazepam compared to 38 (66.7%) in vigabatrin arm (p = .156). An 18.1% difference was observed between the proportion of participants who received a total dose of >100mg of diazepam during their residential withdrawal stay in placebo arm (32.1%), compared to vigabatrin arm (14.0%, p = .022). There were higher rates of reported adverse events in placebo arm with nine (15.0%) participants reporting adverse events compared with two (3.3%) participants in vigabatrin arm (p = .027).

Conclusion

Vigabatrin significantly reduced the number of participants requiring >100mg diazepam over the course of their alcohol withdrawal and was associated with a reduction in adverse effects when compared to placebo.
TOSCA: an automated Tumor Only Somatic CAlling workflow for somatic mutation detection without matched normal samples
Authors: Del Corvo Marcello , Mazzara Saveria , Pileri Stefano A
Published: September 2022

Motivation

Accurate classification of somatic variants in a tumor sample is often accomplished by utilizing a paired normal tissue sample from the same patient to enable the separation of private germline mutations from somatic variants. However, a paired normal sample is not always available, making a reliable somatic variant calling more challenging. In silico screening of variants against public or private databases and other filtering approaches are often used in absence of a paired normal sample. Nevertheless, difficulties in performing a tumor-only calling with sufficient accuracy and lack of open-source software have limited their applications in clinical research.

Results

To address these limitations, we developed TOSCA, the first automated tumor-only somatic calling workflow in whole-exome sequencing and targeted panel sequencing data which performs an end-to-end analysis from raw read files, via quality checks, alignment and variant calling to functional annotation, databases filtering, tumor purity and ploidy estimation and variant classification. Application of our workflow to tumor-only data provides estimates of somatic and germline variants that are consistent with results from paired analyses.

Availability and implementation

TOSCA is a Snakemake-based workflow and freely available at https://github.com/mdelcorvo/TOSCA.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
149. LOCAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE TO GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX: ASSOCIATION OF GENE EXPRESSION OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES WITH MULTICHANNEL INTRALUMINAL PH-IMPEDANCE DATA
Authors: Morozov Sergey , Sentsova Tatyana
Published: September 2022

Expression of inflammatory cytokines’ genes may take part in pathophysiology of different forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Aim: to explore the expression of inflammatory cytokines’ genes in esophageal mucosa in patients with erosive esophagitis and non-erosive forms of gastroesophageal reflux disease and its association with data of esophageal multichannel intraluminal pH-impedance measurements.

This was a single-center prospective study. Esophageal mucosa samples were taken from lower part of the esophagus during endoscopy. Expression of IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, TNFA, TLR4, GATA3, CD68, beta-2 macroglobulin genes in esophageal mucosa was assessed with ImmunoQuantex assays. Multichannel intraluminal esophageal pH-impedance (MII-pH) studies performed to all the participants. Diagnosis of GERD was confirmed by the results of MII-pH data. Patients were allocated to erosive esophagitis (EE) or non-erosive GERD groups (NERD). Non-symptomatic subjects with normal endoscopy and MII-pH results served as a control. Spearman rank correlation was used to asses association of genes expression and results of MII-pH.

Data of 60 patients with GERD and 10 subjects of the control group were available for the analysis. Higher expression of IL-18 (5.89 ± 0.4 vs 5.28 ± 1.1, p = 0.04) and GATA3 (2.92 ± 0.86 vs 2.23 ± 0.96, p = 0.03) genes was found in EE group compared to NERD. Expression of IL-1β, IL-18, TNFA, and TLR4 genes was lower (P < 0.05) in the control group compared to EE and NERD. Esophageal acid exposure correlated with the expression of IL-1β (R = 0.29), IL-18 (R = 0.31), TNFA (R = 0.35), GATA3 (R = 0.34), TLR4 (R = 0.29), CD68 (R = 0.37) genes. Mean esophageal рН correlated inversely with the expressions of IL-18, TNFA, GATA3, TLR4, CD68 genes.

In patients with erosive esophagitis, local expression of interleukin 18 and GATA3 transcription factor genes was higher compared to subjects with non-erosive form of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Esophageal acid exposure correlated directly with expression of IL-1β, IL-18, TNFA, TLR4, CD68 and B2M genes. Inverse correlation revealed between expression of IL-18, TNFA, GATA3, TLR4 CD68 genes and mean esophageal pH.