bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The influence of the increasing use of assisted reproduction technologies on the recent growth in fertility in Czechia
Authors: Kocourková Jiřina , Šťastná Anna , Burcin Boris
Published: July 2023

This study aims to enhance the understanding of how the increasing use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has contributed to the increase in the total fertility rate (TFR) and to further delaying childbearing. Moreover, it addresses the gap in the methodology concerning the quantification of the effect of ART on fertility postponement. Czechia is one of few countries that are able to serve for the study of the demographic impacts of ART. ART and non-ART fertility rates were calculated using unique data on all children born in Czechia. Excluding mothers who received cross-border reproductive care, the proportion of ART live births in Czechia has not exceeded 4%. However, without ART the TFR would have stood at just 1.65 instead of 1.71 in 2020. ART significantly contributed to a reduction in childlessness and to the increase in fertility rates at ages over 35. Applying the decomposition method, the contribution of the use of ART to delaying childbearing between 2013 and 2020 was 4%. The findings have important policy implications. ART has the potential to support fertility recovery in the context of delayed childbearing. The findings served to alleviate concerns about the contribution of ART to the further undesired delay of childbearing.
Cytomegalovirus and Epstein–Barr virus co-infected young and middle-aged adults can have an aging-related T-cell phenotype
Authors: Hofstee Marloes I. , Cevirgel Alper , de Zeeuw-Brouwer Mary-Lène , de Rond Lia , van der Klis Fiona , Buisman Anne-Marie
Published: July 2023

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is known to alter circulating effector memory or re-expressing CD45RA+ (TemRA) T-cell numbers, but whether Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) does the same or this is amplified during a CMV and EBV co-infection is unclear. Immune cell numbers in blood of children and young, middle-aged, and senior adults (n = 336) were determined with flow cytometry, and additional multivariate linear regression, intra-group correlation, and cluster analyses were performed. Compared to non-infected controls, CMV-seropositive individuals from all age groups had more immune cell variance, and CMV+ EBV− senior adults had more late-differentiated CD4+ and CD8+ TemRA and CD4+ effector memory T-cells. EBV-seropositive children and young adults had a more equal immune cell composition than non-infected controls, and CMV− EBV+ senior adults had more intermediate/late-differentiated CD4+ TemRA and effector memory T-cells than non-infected controls. CMV and EBV co-infected young and middle-aged adults with an elevated BMI and anti-CMV antibody levels had a similar immune cell composition as senior adults, and CMV+ EBV+ middle-aged adults had more late-differentiated CD8+ TemRA, effector memory, and HLA-DR+ CD38− T-cells than CMV+ EBV− controls. This study identified changes in T-cell numbers in CMV- or EBV-seropositive individuals and that some CMV and EBV co-infected young and middle-aged adults had an aging-related T-cell phenotype.
Humans recognize affective cues in primate vocalizations: acoustic and phylogenetic perspectives
Authors: Debracque C. , Slocombe K. E. , Clay Z. , Grandjean D. , Gruber T.
Published: July 2023

Humans are adept at extracting affective information from vocalizations of humans and other animals. However, the extent to which human recognition of vocal affective cues of other species is due to cross-taxa similarities in acoustic parameters or the phylogenetic closeness between species is currently unclear. To address this, we first analyzed acoustic variation in 96 affective vocalizations, taken from agonistic and affiliative contexts, of humans and three other primates—rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), chimpanzees and bonobos (Pan troglodytes and Pan paniscus). Acoustic analyses revealed that agonistic chimpanzee and bonobo vocalizations were similarly distant from agonistic human voices, but chimpanzee affiliative vocalizations were significantly closer to human affiliative vocalizations, than those of bonobos, indicating a potential derived vocal evolution in the bonobo lineage. Second, we asked 68 human participants to categorize and also discriminate vocalizations based on their presumed affective content. Results showed that participants reliably categorized human and chimpanzee vocalizations according to affective content, but not bonobo threat vocalizations nor any macaque vocalizations. Participants discriminated all species calls above chance level except for threat calls by bonobos and macaques. Our results highlight the importance of both phylogenetic and acoustic parameter level explanations in cross-species affective perception, drawing a more complex picture to the origin of vocal emotions.
Genomic features of Klebsiella isolates from artisanal ready-to-eat food production facilities
Authors: Crippa Cecilia , Pasquali Frédérique , Rodrigues Carla , De Cesare Alessandra , Lucchi Alex , Gambi Lucia , Manfreda Gerardo , Brisse Sylvain , Palma Federica
Published: July 2023

Increasing reports on K. pneumoniae strains with antimicrobial resistance and virulence traits from food and farm animals are raising concerns about the potential role of Klebsiella spp. as a foodborne pathogen. This study aimed to report and characterize Klebsiella spp. isolates from two artisanal ready-to-eat food (soft cheese and salami) producing facilities, and to track similar genotypes in different ecological niches. Over 1170 samples were collected during the whole production chain of different food batches. The overall Klebsiella prevalence was 6%. Strains were classified into the three Klebsiella species complexes: K. pneumoniae (KpSC, n = 17), K. oxytoca (KoSC, n = 38) and K. planticola (KplaSC, n = 18). Despite high genetic diversity we found in terms of known and new sequence types (STs), core genome phylogeny revealed clonal strains persisting in the same processing setting for over 14 months, isolated from the environment, raw materials and end-products. Strains showed a natural antimicrobial resistance phenotype-genotype. K. pneumoniae strains showed the highest virulence potential, with sequence types ST4242 and ST107 strains carrying yersiniabactin ybt16 and aerobactin iuc3. The latter was detected in all K. pneumoniae from salami and was located on a large conjugative plasmid highly similar (97% identity) to iuc3+ plasmids from human and pig strains circulating in nearby regions of Italy. While identical genotypes may persist along the whole food production process, different genotypes from distinct sources in the same facility shared an iuc3-plasmid. Surveillance in the food chain will be crucial to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the circulation of Klebsiella strains with pathogenic potential.
Enhancing LED spectral output with perylene dye-based remote phosphor
Authors: Trisno Jonathan , Neo Darren C. J. , Ong Maxine M. X. , Ng Ray J. H. , Tan Christina Y. L. , Lee Isabelle S. H. , Chu Hong Son , Teo Ee Jin
Published: July 2023

LEDs offer a wide range of spectral output with high efficiencies. However, the efficiencies of solid-state LEDs with green and yellow wavelengths are rather low due to the lack of suitable direct bandgap materials. Here, we introduce and develop perylene-enhanced green LEDs that produce a higher wall-plug efficiency of 48% compared to 38% for a solid-state green LED. While the wall-plug efficiency of the perylene-enhanced red LED is still lower than that of a solid-state red LED, we demonstrate that remote phosphor colour converters are effective solutions for targeted spectral tuning across the visible spectrum for horticultural lighting. In this work, we retrofit existing white LEDs and augment photosynthesis via spectral output tuning to achieve a higher red-to-blue ratio. Our results show a significant improvement in plant growth by up to 39%, after a 4-month growth cycle. We observe no visible degradation of the colour converter even under continuous illumination with a current of 400 mA. This opens up new opportunities for using perylene-based colour converters for tuneable illumination with high brightness.
A new bin size index method for statistical analysis of multimodal datasets from materials characterization
Authors: Jiang Tao , Luo Shengmin , Wang Dongfang , Li Yucheng , Wu Yongkang , He Li , Zhang Guoping
Published: July 2023

This paper presents a normalized standard error-based statistical data binning method, termed “bin size index” (BSI), which yields an optimized, objective bin size for constructing a rational histogram to facilitate subsequent deconvolution of multimodal datasets from materials characterization and hence the determination of the underlying probability density functions. Totally ten datasets, including four normally-distributed synthetic ones, three normally-distributed ones on the elasticity of rocks obtained by statistical nanoindentation, and three lognormally-distributed ones on the particle size distributions of flocculated clay suspensions, were used to illustrate the BSI’s concepts and algorithms. While results from the synthetic datasets prove the method’s accuracy and effectiveness, analyses of other real datasets from materials characterization and measurement further demonstrate its rationale, performance, and applicability to practical problems. The BSI method also enables determination of the number of modes via the comparative evaluation of the errors returned from different trial bin sizes. The accuracy and performance of the BSI method are further compared with other widely used binning methods, and the former yields the highest BSI and smallest normalized standard errors. This new method particularly penalizes the overfitting that tends to yield too many pseudo-modes via normalizing the errors by the number of modes hidden in the datasets, and also eliminates the difficulty in specifying criteria for acceptable values of the fitting errors. The advantages and disadvantages of the new method are also discussed.
Analysis of convolutional neural networks reveals the computational properties essential for subcortical processing of facial expression
Authors: Lim Chanseok , Inagaki Mikio , Shinozaki Takashi , Fujita Ichiro
Published: July 2023

Perception of facial expression is crucial for primate social interactions. This visual information is processed through the ventral cortical pathway and the subcortical pathway. However, the subcortical pathway exhibits inaccurate processing, and the responsible architectural and physiological properties remain unclear. To investigate this, we constructed and examined convolutional neural networks with three key properties of the subcortical pathway: a shallow layer architecture, concentric receptive fields at the initial processing stage, and a greater degree of spatial pooling. These neural networks achieved modest accuracy in classifying facial expressions. By replacing these properties, individually or in combination, with corresponding cortical features, performance gradually improved. Similar to amygdala neurons, some units in the final processing layer exhibited sensitivity to retina-based spatial frequencies (SFs), while others were sensitive to object-based SFs. Replacement of any of these properties affected the coordinates of the SF encoding. Therefore, all three properties limit the accuracy of facial expression information and are essential for determining the SF representation coordinate. These findings characterize the role of the subcortical computational processes in facial expression recognition.
Cascading effects of drought in Xilin Gol temperate grassland, China
Authors: Ma Jingzhao , Gao Jingmin
Published: July 2023

In the context of global climate change, the cascading risk of compound natural hazards is becoming increasingly prominent. Taking Xilin Gol grassland as study area, we used the Mann–Kendall trend method, the maximum Pearson correlation coefficient method, and Partial least squares structural equations modeling to detect the characteristics of spatiotemporal pattern changes of the three types of droughts. The propagation characteristics and the cascade effects among the three types of droughts was also identified. The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index, standardized evapotranspiration drought index, and soil moisture index were selected as indicators of meteorological drought, ecohydrological drought, and soil drought, respectively. The results show that the warm and dry trend in Xilin Gol grassland was obvious in the past 30 years. The seasonal propagation of different drought was prominent, with stronger spread relationships in summer. Persistent meteorological drought was more likely to trigger the other two types of droughts. The intensity and range both increased during the propagation from meteorological drought to ecohydrological drought. The cascade effect was differed in different time scales. The multi-year persistent climatic drought has an overwhelming cascade effect on soil drought and ecohydrological drought. For seasonal or annual drought, vegetation cover change has an amplifying or mitigating impact on the cascade effect, where soil moisture, evapotranspiration (ET), and their relationship all play important roles. In eastern areas with better vegetation cover, the reduction of vegetation in the early stage aggravated the cascading effect of meteorological drought to ecohydrological drought through reducing ET. In the northwestern sparsely vegetated areas, ET was mainly influenced by meteorological factors, and the cascade effect of meteorological factors to ecohydrological drought was more obvious than that of soil drought.
The anterior insular cortex processes social recognition memory
Authors: Min Ji-You , Park Sanggeon , Cho Jeiwon , Huh Yeowool
Published: July 2023

Impaired social abilities are characteristics of a variety of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and bipolar disorder. Studies consistently implicated the relationship between the anterior insular cortex (aIC) and social ability, however, how the aIC involves in processing specific subtypes of social ability was uninvestigated. We, therefore, investigated whether the absence or presence of the aIC affects the social behaviors of mice. We found that electrolytic lesions of the aIC specifically impaired mice’s ability to recognize a novel stranger mouse, while the sociability of the aIC-lesioned mice was intact. Interestingly, the aIC-lesioned mice were still distinguished between a mouse that had been housed together before the aIC lesion and a novel mouse, supporting that retrieval of social recognition memory may not involve the aIC. Additional behavioral tests revealed that this specific social ability impairment induced by the aIC lesion was not due to impairment in olfaction, learning and memory, locomotion, or anxiety levels. Together our data suggest that the aIC is specifically involved in processing social recognition memory, but not necessarily involved in retrieving it.
Influence of extent of surgical resection on post-hepatectomy shoulder pain: an observational study
Authors: Yang Yuecheng , Zhang Yunkui , Dai ShengLing , Wang Lu , Zhang Jun
Published: July 2023

Shoulder pain frequently follows hepatectomy. However, the influence of surgical procedures on shoulder pain is unclear. In this observational study, patients who underwent hepatectomy were enrolled in Shanghai Cancer Center. Shoulder pain and surgical pain were assessed using the numeric rating scale 2 days after surgery. The incidence of shoulder pain was the outcome of the cohort study. Nested case–control analyses were further applied. Three hundred and twelve patients were finally enrolled in this study. Nested case–control analysis showed that there were no significant differences in the number of surgical segments between the two groups (P = 0.09). In addition, minor hepatectomy did not reduce the incidence of shoulder pain compared with major hepatectomy (P = 0.37). The drainage volume within 2 days after surgery was significantly more in those patients with shoulder pain (P = 0.017). In open surgery, surgical sites involving the right anterior lobe (OR (95% CI) 2.021 (1.075, 3.802), P = 0.029) and right posterior lobe (OR (95% CI) 2.322 (1.193, 4.522), P = 0.013) were both independent risk factors for shoulder pain. Left shoulder pain also occurred in patients who did not receive left lateral hepatectomy. The preventive phrenic nerve block was not suitable for post-hepatectomy shoulder pain. Stronger preventative intervention should be used in those high-risk patients.
Intramolecular interaction kinetically regulates fibril formation by human and mouse α-synuclein
Authors: Ohgita Takashi , Kono Hiroki , Morita Izumi , Oyama Hiroyuki , Shimanouchi Toshinori , Kobayashi Norihiro , Saito Hiroyuki
Published: July 2023

Regulation of α-synuclein (αS) fibril formation is a potent therapeutic strategy for αS-related neurodegenerative disorders. αS, an intrinsically disordered 140-residue intraneural protein, comprises positively charged N-terminal, hydrophobic non-amyloid β component (NAC), and negatively charged C-terminal regions. Although mouse and human αS share 95% sequence identity, mouse αS forms amyloid fibrils faster than human αS. To evaluate the kinetic regulation of αS fibrillation, we examined the effects of mismatched residues in human and mouse αS on fibril formation and intramolecular interactions. Thioflavin T fluorescence assay using domain-swapped or C-terminal-truncated αS variants revealed that mouse αS exhibited higher nucleation and fibril elongation than human αS. In mouse αS, S87N substitution in the NAC region rather than A53T substitution is dominant for enhanced fibril formation. Fӧrester resonance energy transfer analysis demonstrated that the intramolecular interaction of the C-terminal region with the N-terminal and NAC regions observed in human αS is perturbed in mouse αS. In mouse αS, S87N substitution is responsible for the perturbed interaction. These results indicate that the interaction of the C-terminal region with the N-terminal and NAC regions suppresses αS fibril formation and that the human-to-mouse S87N substitution in the NAC region accelerates αS fibril formation by perturbing intramolecular interaction.
Productivity gains in vegetables from rice husk biochar application in nutrient-poor soils in Timor-Leste
Authors: Williams Rob , Belo Joao Bosco , Lidia Julieta , Soares Salvador , Ribeiro Decio , Moreira Celestino L. , Almeida Luis , Barton Louise , Erskine William
Published: July 2023

Response to fertilisation with biochar is greatest in field crops on acidic tropical soils, but limited information is available for vegetable crops. As a case-study using vegetable production in Timor-Leste, we assessed if biochar alleviates nutritional constraints to vegetables in low-nutrient soils. Field trials on vegetable crops were conducted with fertiliser combinations of rice husk biochar, phosphate and local fertiliser at three sites. A pot soil incubation trial of biochar was undertaken with soil from the acid site, where rice husk biochar had a larger effect on productivity than the other fertilisers in chili pepper, tomato and soybean with an average yield increase with biochar of 230% over control. Combining phosphate with biochar augmented the yield over biochar alone in chili pepper, tomato and soybean. At neutral and alkaline sites, fertilisation with biochar lifted mean yield over the control. Soil constraints alleviated by fertiliser were primarily from P and Zn deficiencies. Marked increases in vegetable yields, among the highest globally, were achieved with fertilisation with biochar individually and in combination with phosphate in low nutrient soil in Timor-Leste. Clearly, rice husk biochar is a promising avenue to fertilise the soil with P and Zn and increase crop productivity in Timor-Leste.
SNP application improves drought tolerance in soybean
Authors: Zhou Qi , Tian Yumei , Li Xiaomei , Wu Zihao , Wang Xiyue , Dong Shoukun
Published: July 2023

As an important bioactive molecule, nitric oxide (NO) can effectively alleviate the effects of drought stress on crops. However, it is still unclear whether it can increase the stress resistance of soybean. Therefore, in this study, our objective was to explore the effect of exogenous NO application on the physiological characteristics of soybean seedlings under drought stress. As test material, two soybean varieties, HN65 and HN44, were used, while sodium nitroprusside (SNP) of 100 μmol L−1, 200 μmol L−1, 500 μmol L−1, 1000 μmol L−1 served as an exogenous NO donor, and PEG-6000 as an osmotic regulator to simulate drought stress. The effects of irrigation with different SNP concentrations for different days on the physiological characteristics of the soybean seedlings under drought conditions were then investigated. The results obtained showed that the activities of antioxidant enzymes, osmotic regulator contents, as well as the abscisic acid and salicylic acid contents of the plant leaves increased with increasing SNP concentration and treatment time. However, we observed that excessively high SNP concentrations decreased the activities of key nitrogen metabolism enzymes significantly. This study provides a theoretical basis for determining a suitable exogenous NO concentration and application duration. It also highlights strategies for exploring the mechanism by which exogenous NO regulates crop drought resistance.
The role of TOP2A in immunotherapy and vasculogenic mimicry in non-small cell lung cancer and its potential mechanism
Authors: Wu Jiatao , Zhang Lei , Li Wenjuan , Wang Luyao , Jia Qianhao , Shi Fan , Li Kairui , Liao Lingli , Shi Yuqi , Wu Shiwu
Published: July 2023

Type IIA topoisomerase (TOP2A) is significantly associated with malignant tumor development, invasion, treatment and its prognosis, and has been shown to be a therapeutic target against cancer. In contrast, the role of TOP2A in the immunotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer as well as in Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and its potential mechanisms are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TOP2A in proliferation, skeleton regulation, motility and VM production in non-small cell lung cancer and its mechanisms by using bioinformatics tools and molecular biology experiments. Subgroup analysis showed that the low-risk group had a better prognosis, while the high-risk group was positively correlated with high tumor mutational load, M1-type macrophage infiltration, immune checkpoint molecule expression, and immunotherapy efficacy. As confirmed by further clinical specimens, the presence of TOP2A and VM was significantly and positively correlated with poor prognosis. Our study established a model based on significant co-expression of TOP2A genes, which significantly correlated with mutational load and immunotherapy outcomes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Further mechanistic exploration suggests that TOP2A plays an important role in immunotherapy and VM formation in NSCLC through upregulation of Wnt3a and PD-L1 expression.
ASC- and caspase-1-deficient C57BL/6 mice do not develop demyelinating disease after infection with Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus
Authors: Li Dandan , Bühler Melanie , Runft Sandra , Gerold Gisa , Marek Katarzyna , Baumgärtner Wolfgang , Strowig Till , Gerhauser Ingo
Published: July 2023

Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) induces an acute polioencephalomyelitis and a chronic demyelinating leukomyelitis in SJL mice. C57BL/6 (B6) mice generally do not develop TMEV-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) due to virus elimination. However, TMEV can persist in specific immunodeficient B6 mice such as IFNβ−/− mice and induce a demyelinating process. The proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 are activated by the inflammasome pathway, which consists of a pattern recognition receptor molecule sensing microbial pathogens, the adaptor molecule Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), and the executioner caspase-1. To analyze the contribution of the inflammasome pathway to the resistance of B6 mice to TMEV-IDD, ASC- and caspase-1-deficient mice and wild type littermates were infected with TMEV and investigated using histology, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and Western Blot. Despite the antiviral activity of the inflammasome pathway, ASC- and caspase-1-deficient mice eliminated the virus and did not develop TMEV-IDD. Moreover, a similar IFNβ and cytokine gene expression was found in the brain of immunodeficient mice and their wild type littermates. Most importantly, Western Blot showed cleavage of IL-1β and IL-18 in all investigated mice. Consequently, inflammasome-dependent activation of IL-1β and IL-18 does not play a major role in the resistance of B6 mice to TMEV-IDD.
Electrochemical reduction of 5-benzylidene thiazolidine-2,4-diones: a greener approach to the preparation of glitazone APIs
Authors: de Castro Pedro P. , Martins Guilherme M. , Gomes Ronewalber B. , Simoso Guilherme B. , Amarante Giovanni W. , Brocksom Timothy J. , de Oliveira Kleber T.
Published: July 2023

A greener, simple and safe methodology for the chemoselective reduction of benzylidene thiazolidine-2,4-diones and heterocycles is described. To demonstrate the synthetic utility of this transformation, Pioglitazone API was prepared in 81% yield.
Ferrocene catalyzed redox-neutral difunctionalization of alkenes using cycloketone oxime esters: access to distal imido-nitriles
Authors: Golagani Durga , Ajmeera Sriram , Erb William , Mongin Florence , Akondi Srirama Murthy
Published: July 2023

A ferrocene catalyzed difunctionalization of aryl alkenes using cycloketone oxime esters as bifunctional reagents is reported.
A UOF based on a cyclotriphosphazene skeleton: fluorescence sensing of different substituted aldehydes and NACs
Authors: Xiao Yao , You Zi-Xin , Guan Qing-lin , Sun Li-Xian , Xing Yong-Heng , Bai Feng-Ying
Published: July 2023

A luminescent UOF based on cyclotriphosphazene polycarboxylic acids was prepared, and it can sense aromatic chemicals in the solution and vapor states.
Enhancing acid–base–water ternary aerosol nucleation with organic acid: a case of tartaric acid
Authors: Wang Chunyu , Zhao Jiayun , Chen Xiaoju , Zhang Renyi , Jiang Shuai
Published: July 2023

Quantum chemical calculations indicate tartaric acid (TA) is likely to participate in hydrated SA and (SA)(base) clustering and promote subsequent growth.
First-principles based Monte Carlo modeling of the magnetization of oxygen-deficient Fe-substituted SrTiO3
Authors: Florez Juan M. , Solis Miguel A. , Cortés Estay Emilio A. , Morell E. Suárez , Ross Caroline A.
Published: July 2023

Tuning Fe-substituted SrTiO3 magnetization during deposition by using oxygen pressure: hybrid first-principles based Monte Carlo sampling of oxygen vacancies among Fe-cation arrangements.
Optical spectroscopy as a tool for studying the solution chemistry of neodymium(iii)
Authors: Nawrocki Patrick R. , Sørensen Thomas Just
Published: July 2023

The field of lanthanide luminescence is in this review consolidated with the terminology of molecular photophysics. The optical spectra of neodymium(iii) are used as the reference point and some aspects of this wonderful element are discussed.
Frustrated Lewis pair chemistry of CO
Authors: Stephan Douglas W.
Published: July 2023

This review discusses the application of FLPs to the capture, reactivity, and reduction of CO. These developments illustrate an alternative strategy to advance the reactivity of CO.
Heterogeneous gold-catalyzed Sandmeyer coupling of aryldiazonium salts with sodium bromide or thiols for constructing C–Br and C–S bonds
Authors: Li Jiajia , Zeng Jiajun , Hao Wenyan , Cai Mingzhong
Published: July 2023

A recyclable gold-catalyzed Sandmeyer coupling of aryldiazonium salts with NaBr or thiols for forming C–Br and C–S bonds is described.
Mg doping of NiMn-LDH with a three-dimensional porous morphology for an efficient supercapacitor
Authors: Zhang Biao , Yang Ying , Cai Jingliang , Hou Xiaolong , Yi Caini , Liao Xuan , Liu Yuping , Chen Changguo , Yu Danmei , Zhou Xiaoyuan
Published: July 2023

NiMnMg-LDH with three-dimensional porous morphology formed by flower-like small balls made up of nanosheets exhibits excellent specific capacity and cycling stability due to the raise of specific surface area and electrical conductivity by doping Mg.
Electrochemical production of methyltetrahydrofuran, a biofuel for diesel engines
Authors: Stankovic Mia D. , Sperryn Jessica F. , Delima Roxanna S. , Rupnow Connor C. , Rooney Michael B. , Stolar Monika , Berlinguette Curtis P.
Published: July 2023

Methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) can be derived from non-edible biomass and used to replace diesel fuel. This work highlights the selective MTHF production from electrochemically-driven furfural hydrogenation.
Thermal-controlled cellular uptake of “hot” nanoparticles
Authors: Chen Haibo , Dong Xuewei , Ou Luping , Ma Chiyun , Yuan Bing , Yang Kai
Published: July 2023

The thermal-controlled membrane wrapping effect of irradiated nanoparticles is investigated with nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, which is helpful to regulate endocytosis by using the coupling between heating and particle properties.
Insulin–cobalt core–shell nanoparticles for receptor-targeted bioimaging and diabetic wound healing
Authors: Sharda Deepinder , Choudhury Diptiman
Published: July 2023

Diabetic wounds represent a major issue in medical care and need advanced therapeutic and tissue imaging systems for better management.
Effect of redox reactions on the thermoluminescence characteristics of Cu-doped NaLi2PO4 phosphors
Authors: Bai Bhuli , Sahare P. D.
Published: July 2023

Change in colour after annealing at different temperatures: (a and d): NaLi2PO4:Cu(ii) and NaLi2PO4:Cu(i) in air, (b and e) NaLi2PO4:Cu(ii) and NaLi2PO4:Cu(i) in 10% H2, (c and f) NaLi2PO4:Cu(ii) and NaLi2PO4:Cu(i) in CO/CO2, respectively.
Exploring novel aryl/heteroaryl-isosteres of phenylthiazole against multidrug-resistant bacteria
Authors: Omara Mariam , Hagras Mohamed , Elsebaie Mohamed M. , Abutaleb Nader S. , Nour El-Din Hanzada T. , Mekhail Maria O. , Attia Ahmed S. , Seleem Mohamed N. , Sarg Marwa T. , Mayhoub Abdelrahman S.
Published: July 2023

Twenty-three compounds of novel phenylthiazole derivatives were synthesized utilizing the Suzuki coupling reaction. Antibacterial activity in an in vivo model against MRSA USA300 was evaluated, as it reduced the burden of MRSA USA300 in skin-infected mice.
Multicolor tunable bright photoluminescence in Ca2+/Mg2+ modified Eu3+ doped ZnGa2O4 phosphors under UV excitation for solid state lighting applications
Authors: Monika  , Yadav R. S. , Bahadur A. , Rai Shyam Bahadur
Published: July 2023

The Eu3+/Mg2+/Ca2+ doped and co-doped ZnGa2O4 phosphors give blue and red emissions, which are enhanced via Mg2+/Ca2+ doping. They also show better color tunability and thermal stability.
Mechanics of dynamic and deformable DNA nanostructures
Authors: Li Ruixin , Madhvacharyula Anirudh S. , Du Yancheng , Adepu Harshith K. , Choi Jong Hyun
Published: July 2023

DNA nanotechnology has produced various static, dynamic, and deformable structures by engineering DNA molecules. Their structural mechanics and deformation behaviors are of great interest for developing functionalities and applications.
The borderless world of chemical bonding across the van der Waals crust and the valence region
Authors: Echeverría Jorge , Alvarez Santiago
Published: July 2023

Easily calculated from an interatomic distance, a penetration index provides more precise information on the degree of interaction between two atoms than the distance itself. Applications to many fields of chemistry and types of bonding are discussed.
Tuning the crosslinking and degradation of hyaluronic acid/gelatin hydrogels using hydrogen peroxide for muscle cell sheet fabrication
Authors: Elvitigala Kelum Chamara Manoj Lakmal , Mubarok Wildan , Sakai Shinji
Published: July 2023

Hyaluronic acid/gelatin composite hydrogels with properties tuned by controlling the exposure time to H2O2 show great promise as platforms for muscle cell sheet fabrication.
Troger's base polymeric membranes for CO2 separation: a review
Authors: Xu Qingbo , Xin Bingru , Wei Jing , Ma Yulei , Qing Zikang , Feng Chao , Yi Shouliang , Li Nanwen , Li Kai , Wang Fei , Zhao Jie , Yang Lin , Yao Lu , Jiang Wenju , Dai Yiyang , Dai Zhongde
Published: July 2023

The Troger's base (TB) polymer has been considered as promising CO2 separation membrane materials and have been intensively studied. In the current work, progress of TB polymeric membranes for CO2 separation is summarized and analyzed.
Biogenic amine sensors using organic π-conjugated materials as active sensing components and their commercialization potential
Authors: Grant Michael J. , Wolfe Kathryn M. , Harding Cayley R. , Welch Gregory C.
Published: July 2023

This paper highlights the use of conjugated organic materials to construct sensors for the detection of biogenic amines released from decomposing food stuffs.
Achieving excellent thermostable red emission in singly Mn2+-doped near-zero thermal expansion (NZTE) material Li2Zn3(P2O7)2
Authors: Liu Qin , Dang Peipei , Zhang Guodong , Molokeev Maxim S. , Polyutov Sergey P. , Lian Hongzhou , Cheng Ziyong , Li Guogang , Lin Jun
Published: July 2023

A red-emitting phosphor Li2Zn3−x(P2O7)2:Mn2+ is reported with excellent thermal stability (97%@150 °C) in the stable coordination environment of a near-zero-thermal-expansion (NZTE) lattice.
An insight into Capella (α Aurigae): From the extent of core overshoot to its evolutionary history
Authors: Marini E. , Ventura C. , Tailo M. , Ventura P. , Dell’Agli F. , Castellani M.
Published: July 2023

Context. The binary star α Aurigae (otherwise known as Capella) is extremely important to understanding the core hydrogen and helium burning phases of stars, as its primary star is likely evolving through the core helium burning phase. Moreover, the masses of the star’s two components are ∼2.5 M⊙ and ∼2.6 M⊙, meaning they fall into a mass range in which the extension of the core overshoot during the main sequence phase is uncertain.

Aims. We aim to derive the extent of the core overshoot experienced during the core burning phases and to test the efficiency of the convective transport of energy in the external envelope of Capella by comparing results from stellar evolution modelling with the results from observations.

Methods. We considered evolutionary tracks calculated expressly for the present work, that is, for the primary and secondary stars of Capella. We determined the extent of the extra mixing from the core during the main sequence evolution and the age of the system by requiring that the effective temperatures and surface gravities of the model stars reproduce those derived from the observations at the same epoch. We further checked the consistency between the observed and predicted surface chemistry of the stars.

Results. The consistency between results from stellar evolution modelling and the observations of Capella is found when extra mixing from the core is assumed, the extent of the extra-mixed zone being of the order of 0.25 HP. The age of the system is estimated to be 710 Myr. These results allow the observed surface chemistry to be well reproduced, particularly the recent determination of the 12C/13C ratio based on Large Binocular Telescope and Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope observations.
The effects of estimating a photoionization parameter within a physics-based model using data assimilation
Authors: Hodyss Daniel , Allen Douglas R. , Tyndall Daniel , Caffrey Peter , McDonald Sarah E.
Published: July 2023

Data assimilation (DA) is the process of merging information from prediction models with noisy observations to produce an estimate of the state of a physical system. In ionospheric physics-based models, the solar ionizing irradiance is commonly estimated from a solar index like F10.7. The goal of this work is to provide the fundamental understanding necessary to appreciate how a DA algorithm responds to estimating an external parameter driving the model’s interpretation of this solar ionizing irradiance. Therefore, in this work we allow the DA system to find the F10.7 value that delivers the degree of photoionization that leads to a predicted electron density field that best matches the observations. To this end, we develop a heuristic model of the ionosphere along the magnetic equator that contains physics from solar forcing and recombination/plasma diffusion, which allows us to explore the impacts of strongly forced system dynamics on DA. This framework was carefully crafted to be both linear and Gaussian, which allows us to use a Kalman filter to clearly see how: (1) while recombination acts as a sink on the information in the initial condition for ionospheric field variables, recombination does not impact the information in parameter estimates in the same way, (2) when solar forcing dominates the electron density field, the prior covariance matrix becomes dominated by its leading eigenvector whose structure is directly related to that of the solar forcing, (3) estimation of parameters for forcing terms leads to a time-lag in the state estimate relative to the truth, (4) the performance of a DA system in this regime is determined by the relative dominance of solar forcing and recombination to that of the smaller-scale processes and (5) the most impactful observations on the electron density field and on the solar forcing parameter are those observations on the sunlit side of the ionosphere. These findings are then illustrated in a full physics-based ionospheric model using an ensemble Kalman filter DA scheme.
Esophageal Atresia Associated with Congenital Duodenal Obstruction: Turkish Esophageal Atresia Registry (TEAR) Evaluation
Authors: Durakbaşa Çiğdem Ulukaya , Soyer Tutku , İlhan Hüseyin , Oztan Mustafa Onur , Uzunlu Osman , Firinci Binali , Özcan Rahşan , Oral Akgun , Ciftci Ilhan , Ozcakir Esra , Akkoyun Ibrahim , Güney Doğuş , Ozden Onder , Gul Cengiz , Ozcan Coskun , Parlak Ayse , Aydın Emrah
Published: July 2023

Introduction Coexistent congenital duodenal obstruction and esophageal atresia (EA) is known to have significant morbidity and mortality. Management strategies are not well-defined for this association. The data from the Turkish EA registry is evaluated.

Materials and Methods A database search was done for the years 2015 to 2022.

Results Among 857 EA patients, 31 (3.6%) had congenital duodenal obstruction. The mean birth weight was 2,104 (± 457) g with 6 babies weighing less than 1,500 g. Twenty-six (84%) had type C EA. The duodenal obstruction was complete in 15 patients and partial in 16. Other anomalies were detected in 27 (87%) patients. VACTERL-H was present in 15 (48%), anorectal malformation in 10 (32%), a major cardiac malformation in 6 (19%), and trisomy-21 in 3 (10%). Duodenal obstruction diagnosis was delayed in 10 (32%) babies for a median of 7.5 (1–109) days. Diagnosis for esophageal pathologies was delayed in 2. Among 19 babies with a simultaneous diagnosis, 1 died without surgery, 6 underwent triple repair for tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF), EA, and duodenal obstruction, and 3 for TEF and duodenal obstruction in the same session. A staged repair was planned in the remaining 9 patients. In total, 15 (48%) patients received a gastrostomy, the indication was long-gap EA in 8. Twenty-five (77%) patients survived. The cause of mortality was sepsis (n = 3) and major cardiac malformations (n = 3).

Conclusion Congenital duodenal obstruction associated with EA is a complex problem. Delayed diagnosis is common. Management strategies regarding single-stage repairs or gastrostomy insertions vary notably depending on the patient characteristics and institutional preferences.
Reflections Towards the Future of Medical Informatics
Authors: Haux Reinhold
Published: July 2023

Objective: To provide guidance on the future development and role of medical informatics, or biomedical and health informatics, in form of reflections.

Method: To report on the author’s previous activities as a medical informatician, which spans almost half a century. It began in 1973 when he started to study medical informatics. In 1978, more than four decades ago, his professional work started. He retired at the end of summer semester 2021. This was the occasion to prepare this farewell lecture.

Results: In twenty reflections, thoughts are presented on professional careers (R1 – ‘places’), on medical informatics as discipline (R2 – ‘interdisciplinarity’, R3 – ‘focuses’, R4 – ‘affiliations’), on research (R5 – ‘duality’, R6 – ‘confluences’, R7 – ‘correlations’, R8 – ‘collaboration’), on education (R9 – ‘community’, R10 – ‘competencies’, R11 – ‘approaches’), on academic self-governance (R12 – ‘autonomy’), on engagement (R13 – ‘Sisyphos’, R14 – ‘professional societies’, R15 – ‘respect’, R16 – ‘tightrope walk’), and on good scientific practice (R17 – ‘time invariants’, R18 – ‘Zeitgeist’, R19 – ‘knowledge gain’, R20 – ‘exercising’).

Conclusions: It has been a pleasure for me to participate in medical informatics activities for almost fifty years. During that time, there have been significant advances, including in medicine and in informatics, and also in medical informatics itself. And now it is the turn of others. While keeping in mind that tradition is not preserving the ashes, but passing on the fire, this report with its reflections may be of some help.
Informatics for your Gut: at the Interface of Nutrition, the Microbiome, and Technology
Authors: Cooper Kate , Clarke Martina , Clayton Jonathan B.
Published: July 2023

Background: A significant portion of individuals in the United States and worldwide experience diseases related to or driven by diet. As research surrounding user-centered design and the microbiome grows, movement of the spectrum of translational science from bench to bedside for improvement of human health through nutrition becomes more accessible. In this literature survey, we examined recent literature examining informatics research at the interface of nutrition and the microbiome.

Objectives: The objective of this survey was to synthesize recent literature describing how technology is being applied to understand health at the interface of nutrition and the microbiome focusing on the perspective of the consumer.

Methods: A survey of the literature published between January 1, 2021 and October 10, 2022 was performed using the PubMed database and resulting literature was evaluated against inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results: A total of 139 papers were retrieved and evaluated against inclusion and exclusion criteria. After evaluation, 45 papers were reviewed in depth revealing four major themes: (1) microbiome and diet, (2) usability,(3) reproducibility and rigor, and (4) precision medicine and precision nutrition.

Conclusions: A review of the relationships between current literature on technology, nutrition and the microbiome, and self-management of dietary patterns was performed. Major themes that emerged from this survey revealed exciting new horizons for consumer management of diet and disease, as well as progress towards elucidating the relationship between diet, the microbiome, and health outcomes. The survey revealed continuing interest in the study of diet-related disease and the microbiome and acknowledgement of needs for data re-use, sharing, and unbiased and rigorous measurement of the microbiome. The literature also showed trends toward enhancing the usability of digital interventions to support consumer health and home management, and consensus building around how precision medicine and precision nutrition may be applied in the future to improve human health outcomes and prevent diet-related disease.
B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia Presenting with an Isoderivative Philadelphia Chromosome—A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Mansoor Neelum , Maqsood Sidra , Zehra Syeda Ambareen , Bakri Imad
Published: July 2023

The Philadelphia chromosome is seen in 5% of pediatric and 25 to 50% of adult cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is linked to aggressive illness with a dismal prognosis. Additional chromosomal abnormalities are not prevalent with translocation 9;22; nevertheless, isochromosome derivative [ider(22)] with this translocation is rarely recorded in the literature. This is the third instance of ider(22) in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Bone marrow chromosome analysis by G-banding showed 46,XX,t(9;22)(q34;q11.2)[6]/46,XX,ider(22)(q10)t(9;22)(q34;q11.2)[14]. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis for BCR::ABL1 fusion showed 40% of interphase cells with two and 35% with three fusion signals that were in concordance with the karyotype. The patient was categorized as National Cancer Institute (NCI) high-risk (HR) and started with HR chemotherapy according to Children's Oncology Group (COG) protocol. Postinduction remission assessment by flow cytometry showed 2.6% measurable residual disease. The case highlights significance of cytogenetic analysis despite availability of advanced techniques like FISH. The prognostic significance of concurrent ider22(q10) with t(9;22) is yet to be explored.
Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disk Extrusion in Dogs: Do Onset of Clinical Signs, Time of Surgery, and Neurological Grade Matter?
Authors: Compagnone Krizia , A. Upchurch David , Pompermaier Elisa , Motta Luca
Published: July 2023

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the influence of time between the beginning of clinical signs, presentation and decompression, and combinations of several factors on the outcome and recovery of dogs undergoing surgery for thoracolumbar intervertebral disk extrusion (IVDE).

Study Design In all, 433 client-owned dogs treated for IVDE between 2016 and 2020 were reviewed for signalment, neurological grade, rate of onset, duration of clinical signs, and surgical variables. Time from presentation to surgery was divided into three categories: S1 (0–12 hours), S2 (12–24 hours), and S3 (>24 hours). These variables were investigated to determine their influence on the return of pain sensation, urinary continence, ambulation and overall outcome.

Results A significant association was found between an acute onset of clinical signs, worse neurological grade at presentation and poorer outcomes. There was a significant difference between S1, S2, and S3 in neurological grade at presentation (p < 0.001) and at discharge (p < 0.001); however, the latter was no longer significant when adjusted for the grade at presentation (p = 1,000). Disk fenestration was associated with a faster return to ambulation (p = 0.033). Duration of clinical signs and time of surgery did not correlate with the time to recovery and return of pain sensation, urinary continence, or ambulation.

Conclusion Dogs presented with severe neurological status and/or rapid onset of clinical signs were operated on more promptly, but their outcomes were also poorer. There was no significant evidence for a better outcome when surgery was not delayed.
Coping with a crisis: business interest group coalitions in the wake of the financial crisis
Authors: Gatto Laura
Published: July 2023

The global financial crisis resulted in a re-examination of the business sector as a whole and its lobbying activity. Nevertheless, research has not analysed the impact that the global financial crisis had on the coalitions within the business interest group community. This article describes in detail how coalitions within the business interest group community have emerged in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. I focus my attention on the Swiss case because of the importance of its financial sector as well as its neo-corporatist system. The empirical approach consists of a process tracing on three policy areas: financial regulation, tax policy and corporate governance, which is elaborated through an extensive document analysis and 28 in-depth interviews. The advocacy coalition framework is used to analyse business interest groups’ beliefs. The findings suggest that different beliefs materialise, especially in the field of financial regulation and partially in tax policy.