bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving physical activity and screen time in Australian Outside School Hours Care: Study protocol
Authors: Maher Carol , Christian Hayley , Nathan Nicole , Okely Anthony , Bogomolova Svetlana , Lewis Lucy K. , Cliff Dylan P. , Esterman Adrian , Milte Rachel , Rosenkranz Richard R. , Curtis Rachel G. , Brinsley Jacinta , Ferguson Ty , Virgara Rosa , Richardson Mandy , Brannelly Kylie , Stanley Rebecca , Schranz Natasha , Campbell Perry , Weaver R. Glenn , Noetel Michael , Wolfenden Luke
Published: August 2024

Background

Children’s physical activity and screen time behaviours impact their physical health and well-being. In Australia, less than half of children meet daily physical activity recommendations and only one-third meet daily screen time recommendations. Nearly half a million Australian school children aged 5-12 attend Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) weekly, activities undertaken at OSHC play a key role in meeting these recommendations. Currently, physical activity and screen time practices in OSHC vary and lack policy guidance. The Activated OSHC program is a policy-based intervention that supports OSHC services to implement the physical activity and screen time guidelines.

Methods

192 OSHC services across Australia will be recruited. 96 services will be randomly allocated to receive the Activated OSHC program. OSHC coordinators will complete online surveys examining physical activity and screen time scheduling, cost, acceptability, and feasibility. Primary outcome; changes in the proportion of intervention and control services meeting OSHC sector physical activity and screen time guidelines, and secondary outcomes; changes in children’s physical activity and screen time behaviours; changes in staff behaviour will be assessed using mixed-effects regression models.

Discussion

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of the Activated OSHC program on children’s physical activity and screen time.

Impact

Recent Australian research in Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) has identified significant inconsistency in practices related to physical activity and screen time, compounded by an absence of explicit policy guidance.

The Activated OSHC program is a policy-based intervention that supports OSHC services to implement the Australian OSHC physical activity and screen time guidelines.

This study will assess the implementation and effectiveness of the Activated OSHC program in an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type 2 trial design.

Implementation of outside school hours care sector physical activity and screen time guidelines may improve children’s physical activity and screen time behaviours.
Monkeypox virus protein H3L induces injuries in human and mouse
Authors: Chen Shaoxian , Huang Guiping , Liu Juli
Published: August 2024

Monkeypox virus (MPV) is known to inflict injuries and, in some cases, lead to fatalities in humans. However, the underlying mechanisms responsible for its pathogenicity remain poorly understood. We investigated functions of MPV core proteins, H3L, A35R, A29L, and I1L, and discovered that H3L induced transcriptional perturbations and injuries. We substantiated that H3L upregulated IL1A expression. IL1A, in consequence, caused cellular injuries, and this detrimental effect was mitigated when countered with IL1A blockage. We also observed that H3L significantly perturbed the transcriptions of genes in cardiac system. Mechanistically, H3L occupied the promoters of genes governing cellular injury, leading to alterations in the binding patterns of H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 histone marks, ultimately resulting in expression perturbations. In vivo and in vitro models confirmed that H3L induced transcriptional disturbances and cardiac dysfunction, which were ameliorated when IL1A was blocked or repressed. Our study provides valuable insights into comprehensive understanding of MPV pathogenicity, highlights the significant roles of H3L in inducing injuries, and potentially paves the way for the development of therapeutic strategies targeting IL1A.
TCP1 expression alters the ferroptosis sensitivity of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtypes by stabilising ACSL4 and influences patient prognosis
Authors: Zhang Shuxia , Wang Jin , Huang Guanxiang , Xiao Xueting , Xu Shujuan , Weng Ping , Wang Yiting , Tian Huiyun , Huang Huifang , Chen Yuanzhong
Published: August 2024

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an invasive lymphoma with substantial heterogeneity, can be mainly categorised into germinal centre B-cell-like (GCB) and non-GCB subtypes. DLBCL cells are highly susceptible to ferroptosis, which offers an effective avenue for treating recurrent and refractory DLBCL. Moreover, various heat shock proteins are involved in regulating the sensitivity of tumour cells to ferroptosis. Among these proteins, tailless complex polypeptide 1 (TCP1), a subunit of chaperonin-containing T-complex protein-1 (CCT), plays a role in tumour proliferation and survival. Therefore, we explored the role of TCP1 in different DLBCL subtypes, the sensitivity of GCB and non-GCB subtypes to the ferroptosis inducer RAS-selective lethal small molecule 3 (RSL3), and the underlying molecular mechanism. In GCB cells, TCP1 promoted RSL3-induced ferroptosis. Notably, TCP1 could bind with acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4), a key enzyme regulating lipid composition and facilitating ferroptosis, to reduce its ubiquitination and degradation. This interaction activated the ACSL4/LPCAT3 signalling pathway and promoted ferroptosis in the GCB subtype. However, in the non-GCB subtype, TCP1 did not act as a positive regulator but served as a predictor of an unfavourable prognosis in patients with non-GCB. In conclusion, our results suggest that in DLBCL, high TCP1 expression enhances the sensitivity of GCB tumour cells to ferroptosis and serves as a marker of poor prognosis in patients with non-GCB DLBCL.
UK Reproducibility Network open and transparent research practices survey dataset
Authors: Hughes-Noehrer Lukas , Aubert Bonn Noémie , De Maria Marcello , Evans Thomas Rhys , Farran Emily K. , Fortunato Laura , Henderson Emma L. , Jacobs Neil , Munafò Marcus R. , Stewart Suzanne L. K. , Stewart Andrew J.
Published: August 2024

Openness and transparency in the research process are a prerequisite to the production of high quality research outputs. Efforts to maximise these features have substantially accelerated in recent years, placing open and transparent research practices at the forefront of funding and related priorities, and encouraging investment in resources and infrastructure to enable such practices. Despite these efforts, there has been no systematic documentation of current practices, infrastructure, or training and resources that support open and transparent research in the UK. To address this gap, we developed and conducted the Open and Transparent Research Practices survey, a large-scale audit study completed by research-active staff in UK research institutions to better understand existing practices, needs, support, and barriers faced when implementing open and transparent research. The data presented here capture responses from over 2,500 research-active staff based at 15 institutions affiliated with the UK Reproducibility Network. The data provide a snapshot of open research practices that can be used to identify barriers, training needs, and areas that require greater investments.
Enhancing colorectal cancer histology diagnosis using modified deep neural networks optimizer
Authors: Elshamy Reham , Abu-Elnasr Osama , Elhoseny Mohamed , Elmougy Samir
Published: August 2024

Optimizers are the bottleneck of the training process of any Convolutionolution neural networks (CNN) model. One of the critical steps when work on CNN model is choosing the optimal optimizer to solve a specific problem. Recent challenge in nowadays researches is building new versions of traditional CNN optimizers that can work more efficient than the traditional optimizers. Therefore, this work proposes a novel enhanced version of Adagrad optimizer called SAdagrad that avoids the drawbacks of Adagrad optimizer in dealing with tuning the learning rate value for each step of the training process. In order to evaluate SAdagrad, this paper builds a CNN model that combines a fine- tuning technique and a weight decay technique together. It trains the proposed CNN model on Kather colorectal cancer histology dataset which is one of the most challenging datasets in recent researches of Diagnose of Colorectal Cancer (CRC). In fact, recently, there have been plenty of deep learning models achieving successful results with regard to CRC classification experiments. However, the enhancement of these models remains challenging. To train our proposed model, a learning transfer process, which is adopted from a pre-complicated defined model is applied to the proposed model and combined it with a regularization technique that helps in avoiding overfitting. The experimental results show that SAdagrad reaches a remarkable accuracy (98%), when compared with Adaptive momentum optimizer (Adam) and Adagrad optimizer. The experiments also reveal that the proposed model has a more stable training and testing processes, can reduce the overfitting problem in multiple epochs and can achieve a higher accuracy compared with previous researches on Diagnosis CRC using the same Kather colorectal cancer histology dataset.
Estimating the strength of bi-axially loaded track and channel cold formed composite column using different AI-based symbolic regression techniques
Authors: Ebid Ahmed M. , El-Aghoury Mohamed A. , Onyelowe Kennedy C. , Ors Dina M.
Published: August 2024

Steel construction is increasingly using thin-walled profiles to achieve lighter, more cost-effective structures. However, analyzing the behavior of these elements becomes very complex due to the combined effects of local buckling in the thin walls and overall global buckling of the entire column. These factors make traditional analytical methods difficult to apply. Hence, in this research work, the strength of bi-axially loaded track and channel cold formed composite column has been estimated by applying three AI-based symbolic regression techniques namely (GP), (EPR) and (GMDH-NN). These techniques were selected because their output models are closed form equations that could be manually used. The methodology began with collecting a 90 records database from previous researches and conducting statistical, correlation and sensitivity analysis, and then the database was used to train and validate the three models. All the models used local and global slenderness ratios (λ, λc, λt) and relative eccentricities (ex/D, ey/B) as inputs and (F/Fy) as output. The performances of the developed models were compared with the predicted capacities from two design codes (AISI and EC3). The results showed that both design codes have prediction error of 33% while the three developed models showed better performance with error percent of 6%, and the (EPR) model is the simplest one. Also, both correlation and sensitivity analysis showed that the global slenderness ratio (λ) has the main influence on the strength, then the relative eccentricities (ex/D, ey/B) and finally the local slenderness ratios (λc, λt).
Infection Inspection: using the power of citizen science for image-based prediction of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli treated with ciprofloxacin
Authors: Farrar Alison , Feehily Conor , Turner Piers , Zagajewski Alexander , Chatzimichail Stelios , Crook Derrick , Andersson Monique , Oakley Sarah , Barrett Lucinda , El Sayyed Hafez , Fowler Philip W. , Nellåker Christoffer , Kapanidis Achillefs N. , Stoesser Nicole
Published: August 2024

Antibiotic resistance is an urgent global health challenge, necessitating rapid diagnostic tools to combat its threat. This study uses citizen science and image feature analysis to profile the cellular features associated with antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli. Between February and April 2023, we conducted the Infection Inspection project, in which 5273 volunteers made 1,045,199 classifications of single-cell images from five E. coli strains, labelling them as antibiotic-sensitive or antibiotic-resistant based on their response to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. User accuracy in image classification reached 66.8 ± 0.1%, lower than our deep learning model's performance at 75.3 ± 0.4%, but both users and the model were more accurate when classifying cells treated at a concentration greater than the strain’s own minimum inhibitory concentration. We used the users’ classifications to elucidate which visual features influence classification decisions, most importantly the degree of DNA compaction and heterogeneity. We paired our classification data with an image feature analysis which showed that most of the incorrect classifications happened when cellular features varied from the expected response. This understanding informs ongoing efforts to enhance the robustness of our diagnostic methodology. Infection Inspection is another demonstration of the potential for public participation in research, specifically increasing public awareness of antibiotic resistance.
Selective nanosecond laser removal of retinal pigment epithelium for cell therapy
Authors: Nguyen Van Phuc , Karoukis Athanasios J. , Hu Justin , Wei Zhuying , Yang Dongshan , Fahim Abigail T. , Wang Xueding , Paulus Yannis M.
Published: August 2024

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells play a crucial role in the health of the retina, and their dysfunction is associated with various ocular diseases. The transplantation of RPE cells has been proposed as a potential treatment for numerous degenerative diseases, including geographic atrophy from macular degeneration. However, current models to induce RPE damage in animal models prior to transplantation involve mechanical scraping, chemical administration, or laser photocoagulation techniques, which can damage the overlying neurosensory retina. This study aims to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of nanosecond duration laser treatment to safely remove large areas of RPE cells without causing damage to the adjacent tissue or affecting the retinal architecture. Twelve pigmented rabbits were treated with a nanosecond laser on each eye at a laser energy ranging from 200 to 800 nJ with a treated area of 5 × 5 mm2. Human induced pluripotent stem cells-differentiated to RPE (hiPSC-RPE) cells labeled with indocyanine green (ICG), an FDA approved dye, were transplanted subretinally into the damaged RPE areas at day 14 post-laser treatment. The RPE atrophy and hiPSC-RPE cell survival was evaluated and monitored over a period of 14 days using color photography, fluorescein angiography (FA), photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. All treated eyes demonstrated focal RPE loss with a success rate of 100%. The injured RPE layers and the transplanted hiPSC-RPE cells were visualized in three dimensions using PAM and OCT. By performing PAM at an optical wavelength of 700 nm, the location of hiPSC-RPE cells were identified and distinguished from the surrounding RPE cells, and the induced PA signal increased up to 18 times. Immunohistochemistry results confirmed the grafted hiPSC-RPE replaced regions of RPE damage. This novel technique has the potential to serve as an animal model of RPE degeneration, to improve models of RPE transplantation, and may help accelerate translation of this therapeutic strategy for clinical use.
Derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio has the potential to predict safety and outcomes of durvalumab after chemoradiation in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Sugimoto Akira , Kaneda Hiroyasu , Yoshimoto Naoki , Nagata Kenji , Fujii Tatsuo , Michimoto Koichi , Ueno Shunsuke , Kamimori Takao , Ishii Yoshie , Sakagami Mai , Inokuchi Haruo , Shibuya Keiko , Mizutani Megumi , Nagamine Hiroaki , Nakahama Kenji , Matsumoto Yoshiya , Tani Yoko , Sawa Kenji , Kawaguchi Tomoya
Published: August 2024

The usefulness of the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) and its dynamics before/after durvalumab consolidation therapy to predict safety or efficacy remains unclear. We retrospectively reviewed patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with durvalumab consolidation therapy after chemoradiotherapy (D group) or chemoradiotherapy alone (non-D group) at multiple institutions. We investigated the association between dNLR, or its dynamics, and pneumonitis, checkpoint inhibitor-related pneumonitis (CIP), irAEs, and efficacy. Ninety-eight and fifty-six patients were enrolled in the D and non-D groups, respectively. The dNLR at baseline was significantly lower in patients who experienced irAEs or CIP than in those who did not. The low dNLR group, 28 days following durvalumab consolidation therapy (dNLR28 ≤ 3), demonstrated longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than the high dNLR group (dNLR28 > 3) (PFS, hazard ratio [HR] 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22–0.88, p = 0.020; OS, HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.16–0.94, p = 0.037). Among patients with high dNLR at baseline (dNLR > 3), the dNLR28 ≤ 3 group showed longer PFS than the dNLR28 > 3 group (p = 0.010). The dNLR is a predictive factor for irAEs and CIP in patients receiving durvalumab consolidation therapy. The dNLR at 28 days after durvalumab consolidation therapy and its dynamics predict favorable outcomes.
Novel druggable space in human KRAS G13D discovered using structural bioinformatics and a P-loop targeting monoclonal antibody
Authors: Jungholm Oscar , Trkulja Carolina , Moche Martin , Srinivasa Sreesha P. , Christakopoulou Maria-Nefeli , Davidson Max , Reymer Anna , Jardemark Kent , Fogaça Rafaela Lenza , Ashok Anaswara , Jeffries Gavin , Ampah-Korsah Henry , Strandback Emilia , Andréll Juni , Nyman Tomas , Nouairia Ghada , Orwar Owe
Published: August 2024

KRAS belongs to a family of small GTPases that act as binary switches upstream of several signalling cascades, controlling proliferation and survival of cells. Mutations in KRAS drive oncogenesis, especially in pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancers (CRC). Although historic attempts at targeting mutant KRAS with small molecule inhibitors have proven challenging, there are recent successes with the G12C, and G12D mutations. However, clinically important RAS mutations such as G12V, G13D, Q61L, and A146T, remain elusive drug targets, and insights to their structural landscape is of critical importance to develop novel, and effective therapeutic concepts. We present a fully open, P-loop exposing conformer of KRAS G13D by X-ray crystallography at 1.4–2.4 Å resolution in Mg2+-free phosphate and malonate buffers. The G13D conformer has the switch-I region displaced in an upright position leaving the catalytic core fully exposed. To prove that this state is druggable, we developed a P-loop-targeting monoclonal antibody (mAb). The mAb displayed high-affinity binding to G13D and was shown using high resolution fluorescence microscopy to be spontaneously taken up by G13D-mutated HCT 116 cells (human CRC derived) by macropinocytosis. The mAb inhibited KRAS signalling in phosphoproteomic and genomic studies. Taken together, the data propose novel druggable space of G13D that is reachable in the cellular context. It is our hope that these findings will stimulate attempts to drug this fully open state G13D conformer using mAbs or other modalities.
Hedgehog components are overexpressed in a series of liver cancer cases
Authors: Sales Caroline Brandi Schlaepfer , Dias Rosane Borges , de Faro Valverde Ludmila , Bomfim Larissa M. , Silva Lais Almeida , de Carvalho Nanashara C. , Bastos Jorge Luiz Andrade , Tilli Tatiana Martins , Rocha Gisele Vieira , Soares Milena Botelho Pereira , de Freitas Luiz Antonio Rodrigues , Gurgel Rocha Clarissa A. , Bezerra Daniel P.
Published: August 2024

Liver cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), are the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, representing a global public health problem. This study evaluated nine patients with HCC. Six of the cases involved hepatic explants, and three involved hepatic segmentectomy for tumor resection. Eight out of nine tumors were HCC, with one being a combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma tumor. Conventional markers of hepatocellular differentiation (Hep Par-1, arginase, pCEA, and glutamine synthetase) were positive in all patients, while markers of hepatic precursor cells (CK19, CK7, EpCAM, and CD56) were negative in most patients, and when positive, they were detected in small, isolated foci. Based on in silico analysis of HCC tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we found that Hedgehog (HH) pathway components (GLI1, GLI2, GLI3 and GAS1) have high connectivity values (module membership > 0.7) and are strongly correlated with each other and with other genes in biologically relevant modules for HCC. We further validated this finding by analyzing the gene expression of HH components (PTCH1, GLI1, GLI2 and GLI3) in our samples through qPCR, as well as by immunohistochemical analysis. Additionally, we conducted a chemosensitivity analysis using primary HCC cultures treated with a panel of 18 drugs that affect the HH pathway and/or HCC. Most HCC samples were sensitive to sunitinib. Our results offer a comprehensive view of the molecular landscape of HCC, highlighting the significance of the HH pathway and providing insight into focused treatments for HCC.
In-depth experimental search for a coupling between gravity and electromagnetism with steady fields
Authors: Tajmar M. , Kößling M. , Neunzig O.
Published: August 2024

Any means to control gravity like electromagnetism is currently out of reach by many orders of magnitude even under extreme laboratory conditions. Some often poorly executed experiments or pseudoscience theories appear from time to time claiming for example anomalous forces from capacitors that suggest a connection between the two fields. We developed novel and high resolution horizontal-, vertical- and rotation-balances that allow to test electric devices completely shielded and remotely controlled under high vacuum conditions to perform the first in-depth search for such a coupling using steady fields. Our testing included a variety of capacitors of different shapes and compositions as well as for the first-time solenoids and tunneling currents from Zener diodes and varistors. A comprehensive coupling-scheme table was used to test almost all combinations including capacitors and solenoids with permittivity and permeability gradients as well as capacitors and varistors within crossed magnetic fields. We also tested a crossed-coil producing helical magnetic field lines as well as interactions between a pair of shielded toroidal coils to look for proposed extensions to Maxwell’s equations. No anomalous forces or torques down to the nano-Newton or nano-Newton-Meter range were found providing new limits many orders of magnitude below previous assessments ruling out claims or theories and providing a basis for future research on the topic.
Design of a self-regulating mRNA gene circuit
Authors: Dykeman Eric C.
Published: August 2024

Protein expression in vivo is predominately controlled via regulatory feedback mechanisms that adjust the level of mRNA transcription. However for positive sense single-stranded RNA viruses, protein expression is often controlled via secondary structural elements, such as internal ribosomal entry sites, that are encoded within the mRNA. The self-regulation of mRNA translation observed in this class of viruses suggests that it may be possible to design mRNAs that self-regulate their protein expression, enabling the creation of mRNAs for vaccines and other synthetic biology applications where protein levels in the cell can be tightly controlled without feedback to a transcriptional mechanism. As a proof of concept, I design a polycistronic mRNA based on bacteriophage MS2, where the upstream gene is capable of repressing synthesis of the downstream gene. Using a computational tool that simulates ribosome kinetics and the co-translational folding of the mRNA in response, I show that mutations to the mRNA can be identified which enhance the efficiency of the translation and the repression of the downstream gene. The results of this study open up the possibility of designing bespoke mRNA gene circuits in which the amount of protein synthesised in cells are self-regulated for therapeutic or antigenic purposes.
Whole genome sequencing analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals circulating strain types and drug-resistance mutations in the Philippines
Authors: Wang Linfeng , Lim Dodge R. , Phelan Jody E. , Reyes Lorenzo T. , Palparan Alma G. , Sanchez Maria Guileane C. , Asuncion Louella Abigail A. , Tujan Ma. Angelica A. , Medado Inez Andrea P. , Daga Chona Mae A. , Llames Jo-Hannah S. , Mitarai Satoshi , Murase Yoshiro , Morishige Yuta , Ang Concepcion F. , Malabad John Carlo M. , Montoya Jaime C. , Hafalla Julius C. , Campino Susana , Hibberd Martin L. , Ama Cecilia G. , Basilio Ramon P. , La Paz Eva Maria Cutiongoco-De , Clark Taane G.
Published: August 2024

The Philippines is a high-incidence country for tuberculosis, with the increasing prevalence of multi- (MDR-TB) and extensively-drug (XDR-TB) resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains posing difficulties to disease control. Understanding the genetic diversity of circulating strains can provide insights into underlying drug resistance mutations and transmission dynamics, thereby assisting the design of diagnostic tools, including those using next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms. By analysing genome sequencing data of 732 isolates from Philippines drug-resistance survey collections spanning from 2011 to 2019, we found that the majority belonged to lineages L1 (531/732; 72.5%) and L4 (European-American; n = 174; 23.8%), with the Manila strain (L1.2.1.2.1) being the most prominent (475/531). Approximately two-thirds of isolates were found to be at least MDR-TB (483/732; 66.0%), and potential XDR-TB genotypic resistance was observed (3/732; 0.4%), highlighting an emerging problem in the country. Genotypic resistance was highly concordant with laboratory drug susceptibility testing. By finding isolates with (near-)identical genomic variation, five major clusters containing a total of 114 isolates were identified: all containing either L1 or L4 isolates with at least MDR-TB resistance and spanning multiple years of collection. Closer inspection of clusters revealed transmission in prisons, some involving isolates with XDR-TB, and mutations linked to third-line drug bedaquiline. We have also identified previously unreported mutations linked to resistance for isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and fluoroquinolones. Overall, this study provides important insights into the genetic diversity, transmission and circulating drug resistance mutations of M. tuberculosis in the Philippines, thereby informing clinical and surveillance decision-making, which is increasingly using NGS platforms.
Simultaneous removal of endotoxins, inflammatory mediators and uremic toxins in ICU patients with septic shock: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Theisen Benjamin E. , Lichtenstern Christoph , Nusshag Christian , Tan Benjamin , Hölle Tobias , Weigand Markus A. , Kalenka Armin , Fiedler-Kalenka Mascha O.
Published: August 2024

Sepsis, one of the leading causes of death, is still lacking specific treatment. OXIRIS (BAXTER, Deerfield, IL, USA) is the first device allowing combined removal of endotoxins, inflammatory mediators and uremic toxins, alongside fluid balance control. Available data is very limited. This retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study of adult patients with septic shock aimed to evaluate septic shock duration and mortality in patients treated with either standard of care renal replacement therapy (RRT) or RRT with combined hemoadsorption, who were admitted to the interdisciplinary surgical intensive care unit at Heidelberg University Hospital during the years 2018 through 2021. Main outcomes were duration of shock, thirty-day mortality and plasma interleukin-6 levels before and after initiation of hemoadsorption. Included were 117 patients (female, 33%; male 67%); median age: 67 (16) years. After matching: 42 patients (female, 33%; male, 67%); mean age: 59.1 ± 13.8 years. There was no statistically significant difference in septic shock duration (p = 0.94; hazard ratio (HR) 0.97 (95% CI, 0.48–1.97)). Thirty-day survival analysis showed a non-statistically significant survival difference. (p = 0.063; HR 0.43 (95% CI, 0.17–1.09)). A post-hoc 90-day survival analysis revealed statistically significant longer survival and lower death hazard ratio in patients treated with RRT + HA (p = 0.037; HR = 0.42 (95% CI, 0.18–0.99). In conclusion, RRT with combined hemoadsorption of endotoxins, inflammatory mediators and uremic toxins is a modality worth further investigation.
Transcriptome profiling of pediatric extracranial solid tumors and lymphomas enables rapid low-cost diagnostic classification
Authors: Opoku Kofi B. , Santiago Teresa , Kumar Priya , Roush Sophia M. , Fedoriw Yuri , Tomoka Tamiwe , Leventaki Vasiliki , Furtado Larissa V. , Bhakta Nickhill , Alexander Thomas B. , Wang Jeremy R.
Published: August 2024

Approximately 80% of pediatric tumors occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where diagnostic tools essential for treatment decisions are often unavailable or incomplete. Development of cost-effective molecular diagnostics will help bridge the cancer diagnostic gap and ultimately improve pediatric cancer outcomes in LMIC settings. We investigated the feasibility of using nanopore whole transcriptome sequencing on formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE)-derived RNA and a composite machine learning model for pediatric solid tumor diagnosis. Transcriptome cDNA sequencing was performed on a heterogenous set of 221 FFPE and 32 fresh frozen pediatric solid tumor and lymphoma specimens on Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ sequencing platforms. A composite machine learning model was then used to classify transcriptional profiles into clinically actionable tumor types and subtypes. In total, 95.6% and 89.7% of pediatric solid tumors and lymphoma specimens were correctly classified, respectively. 71.5% of pediatric solid tumors had prediction probabilities > 0.8 and were classified with 100% accuracy. Similarly, for lymphomas, 72.4% of samples that had prediction probabilities > 0.6 were classified with 97.6% accuracy. Additionally, FOXO1 fusion status was predicted accurately for 97.4% of rhabdomyosarcomas and MYCN amplification was predicted with 88% accuracy in neuroblastoma. Whole transcriptome sequencing from FFPE-derived pediatric solid tumor and lymphoma samples has the potential to provide clinical classification of both tissue lineage and core genomic classification. Further expansion, refinement, and validation of this approach is necessary to explore whether this technology could be part of the solution of addressing the diagnostic limitations in LMIC.
Sexual dimorphism in the structural colours of the wings of the black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)
Authors: Rebora Manuela , Piersanti Silvana , Romani Aldo , Kovalev Alexander , Gorb Stanislav , Salerno Gianandrea
Published: August 2024

The black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) plays a significant role at the larval stage in the circular economy due to its ability to convert organic waste into valuable products for energy, food, feed, and agricultural applications. Many data are available on larval development and biomass generation, but basic research on this species is lacking and little is known about adult biology, in particular about the cues involved in sexual recognition. In the present study, using various instruments (stereomicroscope, scanning and transmission electron microscope, hyperspectral camera and spectrophotometer), wing ultrastructure of both sexes was analysed, reflectance and transmission spectra of the wings were measured and behavioural bioassays were carried out to measure male response to specific visual stimuli. The collected data showed the existence of sexual dimorphism in the wings of H. illucens due to iridescent structural colouration generated by a multilayer of melanin located in the dorsal lamina of the central part of the wing. Wing sexual dimorphism is particularly evident regarding the strong emission of blue light of female wings. Blue colour induces in males a strong motivation to mate. The obtained results can help to improve and optimize the breeding techniques of BSF.
Structure–function relationship of phase-separated liposomes containing diacylglycerol analogues
Authors: Papadopoulou Panagiota , Arias-Alpizar Gabriela , Weeda Pim , Poppe Thijs , van Klaveren Niels , Slíva Tomas , Aschmann Dennis , van Os Winant , Zhang Yun , Moradi Mohammad-Amin , Sommerdijk Nico , Campbell Frederick , Kros Alexander
Published: August 2024

In the present study, liposomes consisting of DSPC and DOaG molecular analogues were assessed for their phase-separated morphology (cryoTEM), stability (DLS) and in vivo biodistribution (targeting the brain endothelial cells of zebrafish embryos).
Impact of inorganic/organic nanomaterials on the immune system for disease treatment
Authors: Han Jing , Mao Kuirong , Yang Yong-Guang , Sun Tianmeng
Published: August 2024

Nanoparticles have been widely developed for immune regulation. This review summarizes the effects of inorganic/organic nanoparticles, and composite nanoparticles on immune system diseases.
Increasing the Earth's albedo: the Köhler equation at sea
Authors: Katz J. I.
Published: August 2024

Increasing marine haze and clouds has been considered as a possible means of increasing the Earth's albedo.
Strain-induced electrification-based flexible nanogenerator for efficient harvesting from ultralow-frequency vibration energy at 0.5–0.01 Hz
Authors: Moon Joonkyeong , Lee Seoung-Ki , Im Busi , Byun Doyoung , Cho Dae-Hyun
Published: August 2024

The demand for self-powered devices, particularly in biomedical and wearable technology, emphasizes efficient powering from ultralow-frequency vibrations.
Removal of Pb-based compounds mediated by graphene oxide-like materials obtained from Sargassum: unravelling key features of their interaction using density functional theory and spectroscopic methods
Authors: Gutierrez-Ojeda Sandra Julieta , Martínez-Flores Rocío , Pareja-Rodríguez Raúl , Rodriguez-Gattorno Geonel , Ponce-Pérez Rodrigo , Moreno-Armenta María G. , Guerrero-Sánchez Jonathan
Published: August 2024

Graphene oxide obtained from biomass possesses a rich variety of properties and applications. Sargassum, a macroalgae abundant in the Caribbean Sea, has been proposed as a viable and cost-effective biomass.
Photodynamic therapy with NIR-II probes: review on state-of-the-art tools and strategies
Authors: Yang Yiqian , Jiang Shaohua , Stanciu Stefan G. , Peng Hao , Wu Aiguo , Yang Fang
Published: August 2024

The current state-of-the art on NIR-II-activated photosensitizers and their applications for the deep tumor treatment, as well as recent efforts that combine NIR-II activated PDT with other complementary therapeutic routes.
Cobalt and nitrogen co-doped hollow periodic mesoporous organosilica spheres activated by potassium chloride for selective oxidation of ethylbenzene
Authors: Li Jingwen , Lan Yingying , Yi Chengfeng , Liu Zhigang
Published: August 2024

The activation of KCl increased the specific surface area of the catalyst and exposed more metal active sites.
Visible-light-promoted selenylation/cyclization of o-(1-alkynyl) benzoates to access seleno-substituted isocoumarins
Authors: Ren Mei-Lin , Gong Xi-Rui , Chen Yan-Yan , Xu Yan-Li
Published: August 2024

A simple and efficient method to access 4-selenyl-isocoumarin derivatives through visible-light-promoted selenylation/cyclization of o-(1-alkynyl) benzoates has been developed.
Catalytic polymerization of isoprene using an ultrahigh active iron(ii) complex with an ortho-modified 1,10-phenanthroline ligand, access to a thermal plastic rubber
Authors: Ge Jiajia , Chen Binghui , Gong Dirong
Published: August 2024

Bidentate N,N-ligands have played a vital role in the iron-mediated polymerization of 1,3-diene over the past few decades.
Copper-catalyzed oxidative dehydrogenative [3 + 2] annulation of oximes with α-amino ketones: entry to 3-aminopyrroles
Authors: Liu Yan-Yun , Hu Ming , Li Jin-Heng
Published: August 2024

An unprecedented copper-catalyzed oxidative dehydrogenative [3 + 2] annulation of oximes with α-amino ketones involving dehydroxylation toward 3-aminopyrroles is disclosed.
Review on polyaniline-based nanocomposite heterogeneous catalysts for catalytic reduction of hazardous water pollutants
Authors: Meena Parmeshwar Lal , Surela Ajay Kumar
Published: August 2024

Water contamination by highly toxic substances has generated serious ecological disturbances and health problems for humans. Catalytic reductive removal of water contaminants using PANI based heterogeneous catalysts is an effective technique.
Electrophoretic deposition of polyvinyl alcohol, C–H NRs along with moringa on an SS substrate for orthopedic implant applications
Authors: Ghazanfar Esha , Marwat Mohsin Ali , Batool Syeda Ammara , Anwar Areeb , Abdullah Syed Muhammad , Din Zia Ud , Humayun Muhammad , Bououdina Mohamed , Abo-Elnasr Al-Badrawy , Ali Hafiz Tauqeer
Published: August 2024

Schematic, SEM images, and antibacterial study of calcium hydrate nanorods and its composite coating.
Impact of lanthanum ion exchange and steaming dealumination on middle distillate production using nanosized Y zeolite catalysts in hydrocracking reactions
Authors: Mendoza Carlos , Manrique Cecilia , Echavarría Adriana
Published: August 2024

Catalysts based on dealuminated nanosized Y zeolites with a larger size and lanthanide nanosized Y zeolite with a smaller size yielded more middle distillates.
Highly stable color-tunable organic long-persistent luminescence from a single-component exciplex copolymer for in vitro antibacterial
Authors: Li Hui , Li Xiaoye , Su Haoran , Zhang Shuman , Tan Cheng , Chen Cheng , Zhang Xin , Huang Jiani , Gu Jie , Li Huanhuan , Xie Gaozhan , Dong Heng , Chen Runfeng , Tao Ye
Published: August 2024

Developing exciplex-based organic long-persistent luminescence (OLPL) materials with high stability is very important but remains a formidable challenge in a single-component system.
Modular synthesis of α-branched secondary alkylamines via visible-light-mediated carbonyl alkylative amination
Authors: Smith Milo A. , Kang Ryan J. D. , Kumar Roopender , Roy Biswarup , Gaunt Matthew J.
Published: August 2024

A multicomponent method for the synthesis of α-branched secondary alkylamines is described. The method provides expedited access to saturated N-heterocycles, and enables selective alkylation of primary amines over cyclic secondary amines.
Highly enantioselective synthesis of both enantiomers of tetrahydroquinoxaline derivatives via Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation
Authors: Xu Ana , Ren Lanxing , Huang Junrong , Zhu Yuxiang , Wang Gang , Li Chaoyi , Sun Yongqiang , Song Lijuan , You Hengzhi , Chen Fen-Er
Published: August 2024

A novel solvent-controlled asymmetric hydrogenation protocol was developed. Both enantiomers of chiral THQs were efficiently synthesised with excellent enantioselectivities. Mechanistic studies reveal the origin of the enantioselectivity.
Catalytic dehydrogenative synthesis of α,β-unsaturated secondary amides without external oxidants
Authors: An Shaokang , Lai Guoyin , Liu Wenbo H.
Published: August 2024

A simple and chemo-selective dehydrogenative synthesis of α,β-conjugated secondary amides is developed without any external oxidant. The selectivity of this dehydrogenative transformation is controlled by a putative α-lactam intermediate.
Effect of washing on nickel-rich NCMs: methodology to quantify the lithium/proton-exchange kinetics, the inserted protons, and the structural changes
Authors: Oswald Stefan , Wilhelm Rebecca , Kratky Tim , Szentmiklósi László , Maróti Boglárka , Harsányi Ildikó , Hallweger Sebastian A. , Kieslich Gregor , Günther Sebastian , Gasteiger Hubert A.
Published: August 2024

This study quantifies the lithium/proton exchange by five independent techniques, also characterizing proton distribution, inflicted structural changes, and thermal stability.
Unraveling extraordinary magnetoresistance in GdFe2Al10: a comprehensive exploration of transport and magnetism for technological applications
Authors: Pal Koustav , Dey Suman , Das I.
Published: August 2024

Recent advances in science and technology highlight the profound impact of magnetoresistance (MR) in various fields, including magnetic data storage and magnetic sensors.
Chiral cadmium–amine complexes for stimulating non-linear optical activity and photoluminescence in solids based on aurophilic stacks
Authors: Boidachenko Kseniia , Liberka Michal , Wang Junhao , Tokoro Hiroko , Ohkoshi Shin-ichi , Chorazy Szymon
Published: August 2024

Cd(ii) complexes with chiral amines play a dual role in materials incorporating aurophilic stacks, first, in breaking the symmetry to generate NLO activity, and second, in governing the Au⋯Au distances to give tunable charge transfer luminescence.
A method for simulating powdering of silicone rubber composite insulator in coastal areas
Authors: Liang Tian , Zhang Zhijin , Jiang Xingliang , Hu Jianlin , Hu Qin
Published: August 2024

In recent years, the powdering phenomenon often has been found in suspension composite insulators operating in outdoor environments, and there is currently a gap in research on the composition and formation process of powdered substance. A method for simulating powdering of silicone rubber (SiR) in a high humidity salt‐fog environment is proposed, and the obtained powder is compared with the natural powder. Test results show that the powder obtained from artificial environments is similar to the natural powder in coastal areas, which proves that this method is reasonable to simulate the powdering process. Powdered substances are generally composed of two types of substances, Type I is an inorganic filler and its dehydration product and Type II is a small molecular siloxane. The average particle size of artificial powder is 8–10 μm, while that of natural powder is 3–5 μm. All the dielectric properties of powdered SiR decreased, and after 12 h of ageing, the dielectric properties of the artificial sample were close to those in coastal areas, and the element composition was also similar. Aluminium hydroxide (Al(OH)3) crystals were detected in both powders. The change trend of the characteristic functional groups in the infrared spectrum of the artificial powder is consistent with that of the natural powder, but the degree of molecular chain bond destruction is lower.
Improved protection for colour images via invertible colour‐to‐grey, image distortion, and visible‐imperceptible watermarking
Authors: Fragoso‐Navarro Eduardo , Garcia‐Ugalde Francisco , Cedillo‐Hernandez Manuel
Published: August 2024

Invertible colour‐to‐grey algorithms protect the colour of an image against illegal usage and distribution. These schemes hide the colour information into a grayscale version of the image, making colour recovery without proper authorization challenging. A previous study proposed the incorporation of content security by distorting the protected image to hinder illegal structure restoration. This work addresses the limitations of this method, significantly improving both processing time and the quality of the recovered colour image. Specifically, processing times are reduced from 45 h to 9 s, and the mean PSNR value is increased by up to 2.23 dB. Furthermore, this proposal achieves competitive results compared to existing approaches that do not implement content security, obtaining mean peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) values above 42.32 dB and 0.992, respectively. Finally, quantitative results are supported by visual comparisons.
Swin‐fisheye: Object detection for fisheye images
Authors: Zhang Dawei , Yang Tingting , Zhao Bokai
Published: August 2024

Fisheye cameras have been widely used in autonomous navigation, visual surveillance, and automatic driving. Due to severe geometric distortion, fisheye images cannot be processed effectively by conventional methods. The existing object detection algorithms cannot better detect the small targets or the objects with large distortion in the fisheye images. The size and scene of available fisheye datasets (such as WoodScape and VOC‐360) cannot satisfy the training of robust network models. Herein, the authors propose Swin‐Fisheye, an end‐to‐end object detection algorithm based on Swin Transformer. A feature pyramid module based on deformable convolution (DFPM) is designed to obtain richer contextual information from the multi‐scale feature maps. In addition, a projection transformation algorithm (PTA) is proposed, which can convert rectilinear images into fisheye images more accurately, and then create a fisheye image dataset (COCO‐Fish). The results of extensive experiments conducted on VOC‐360, WoodScape, and COCO‐Fish demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can achieve satisfactory results compared with state‐of‐the‐art methods.
SARO‐MB3‐BiGRU: A novel model for short‐term traffic flow forecasting in the context of big data
Authors: Wang Haoxu , Wang Zhiwen , Li Long , Yang Kangkang , Zeng Jingxiao , Zhao Yibin , Zhang Jindou
Published: August 2024

In order to further improve the accuracy of short‐term traffic flow prediction on designated sections of highways, a combined prediction model is designed in this paper to predict the traffic flow on designated sections of highways. Firstly, for the shortcomings of artificial rabbits optimization (ARO) algorithm, sine cosine ARO (SARO) is proposed by incorporating sine cosine algorithm (SCA) idea into ARO, and introducing the non‐linear sinusoidal learning factor. Secondly, three mobile inverted bottleneck convolution (MBConv) modules are utilized to form the MB3 module, and with BiGRU are utilized to form the MB3‐BiGRU combined prediction model. Finally, the MB3‐BiGRU model is optimized by SARO to achieve short‐term prediction of traffic flow. The analysis results show that using the United Kingdom highway dataset as the data source, the SARO‐MB3‐BiGRU presented in this paper reduces the root mean squared error (RMSE) by 32.58%, the mean absolute error (MAE) by 30.25%, and the decision coefficient (R2) reaches 0.96729, as compared to BiGRU. Compared with other common models and algorithms, the SARO has good solving capabilities and versatility, and the SARO‐MB3‐BiGRU model has been greatly improved in terms of prediction accuracy and generalization ability, which has better prediction ability and engineering reference value.