bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Negative capacitors and inductors enabling wideband waveguide metatronics
Authors: Qin Xu , Fu Pengyu , Yan Wendi , Wang Shuyu , Lv Qihao , Li Yue 
Published: November 2023

AbstractWaveguide metatronics, known as an advanced platform of metamaterial-inspired circuits, provides a promising paradigm for millimeter-wave and terahertz integrated circuits in future fifth/sixth generation (5/6G) communication systems. By exploiting the structural dispersion properties of waveguides, a lumped type of waveguide integrated elements and circuits could be developed in deep subwavelength scales with intrinsic low loss and low crosstalk. In this study, we focus on constructing negative capacitors and inductors for waveguide metatronics, effectively expanding the operating frequency range of waveguide integrated circuits. The incorporation of negative elements enables wideband impedance matching in waveguide, which have been both theoretically explored and experimentally validated within the waveguide metatronics paradigm. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the negative elements can also be realized in the optical domain through the utilization of a silicon waveguide with photonic crystal cladding, indicating the feasibility and universality of wideband waveguide metatronics. The negative lumped elements could boost the progress of the waveguide metatronic technique, achieving superior performance on the conventional lumped circuits within waveguides that solely rely on positive elements.
Dissecting the human leptomeninges at single-cell resolution
Authors: Kearns Nicola A. , Iatrou Artemis , Flood Daniel J. , De Tissera Sashini , Mullaney Zachary M. , Xu Jishu , Gaiteri Chris , Bennett David A. , Wang Yanling 
Published: November 2023

AbstractEmerging evidence shows that the meninges conduct essential immune surveillance and immune defense at the brain border, and the dysfunction of meningeal immunity contributes to aging and neurodegeneration. However, no study exists on the molecular properties of cell types within human leptomeninges. Here, we provide single nuclei profiling of dissected postmortem leptomeninges from aged individuals. We detect diverse cell types, including unique meningeal endothelial, mural, and fibroblast subtypes. For immune cells, we show that most T cells express CD8 and bear characteristics of tissue-resident memory T cells. We also identify distinct subtypes of border-associated macrophages (BAMs) that display differential gene expressions from microglia and express risk genes for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), as nominated by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We discover cell-type-specific differentially expressed genes in individuals with Alzheimer’s dementia, particularly in fibroblasts and BAMs. Indeed, when cultured, leptomeningeal cells display the signature of ex vivo AD fibroblasts upon amyloid-β treatment. We further explore ligand-receptor interactions within the leptomeningeal niche and computationally infer intercellular communications in AD. Thus, our study establishes a molecular map of human leptomeningeal cell types, providing significant insight into the border immune and fibrotic responses in AD.
Structure and function of the EA1 surface layer of Bacillus anthracis
Authors: Sogues Adrià , Fioravanti Antonella , Jonckheere Wim , Pardon Els , Steyaert Jan , Remaut Han 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax, a deadly disease mostly affecting wildlife and livestock, as well as representing a bioterrorism threat. Its cell surface is covered by the mutually exclusive S-layers Sap and EA1, found in early and late growth phases, respectively. Here we report the nanobody-based structural characterization of EA1 and its native lattice contacts. The EA1 assembly domain consists of 6 immunoglobulin-like domains, where three calcium-binding sites structure interdomain contacts that allow monomers to adopt their assembly-competent conformation. Nanobody-induced depolymerization of EA1 S-layers results in surface defects, membrane blebbing and cell lysis under hypotonic conditions, indicating that S-layers provide additional mechanical stability to the cell wall. Taken together, we report a complete model of the EA1 S-layer and present a set of nanobodies that may have therapeutic potential against Bacillus anthracis.
N-acetylcysteine: a novel approach to methaemoglobinaemia in normothermic liver machine perfusion
Authors: Clarke George , Mao Jingwen , Fan Yiyu , Hann Angus , Gupta Amita , Nutu Anisa , Buckel Erwin , Kayani Kayani , Murphy Nicholas , Bangash Mansoor N. , Casey Anna L. , Wootton Isla , Lawson Alexander J. , Dasari Bobby V. M. , Perera M. Thamara P. R. , Mergental Hynek , Afford Simon C. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractExtended duration of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) provides opportunities to resuscitate suboptimal donor livers. This intervention requires adequate oxygen delivery typically provided by a blood-based perfusion solution. Methaemoglobin (MetHb) results from the oxidation of iron within haemoglobin and represents a serious problem in perfusions lasting > 24 h. We explored the effects of anti-oxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the accumulation of methaemoglobin. NMP was performed on nine human donor livers declined for transplantation: three were perfused without NAC (no-NAC group), and six organs perfused with an initial NAC bolus, followed by continuous infusion (NAC group), with hourly methaemoglobin perfusate measurements. In-vitro experiments examined the impact of NAC (3 mg) on red cells (30 ml) in the absence of liver tissue. The no-NAC group sustained perfusions for an average of 96 (range 87–102) h, universally developing methaemoglobinaemia (≥ 2%) observed after an average of 45 h, with subsequent steep rise. The NAC group was perfused for an average of 148 (range 90–184) h. Only 2 livers developed methaemoglobinaemia (peak MetHb of 6%), with an average onset of 116.5 h. Addition of NAC efficiently limits formation and accumulation of methaemoglobin during NMP, and allows the significant extension of perfusion duration.
Outcome of COVID-19 in Egyptian living-donor kidney transplant recipients and relation to maintenance immunosuppressive drugs: a pilot study
Authors: ElNahid Maggie Said , Issac Marianne Samir Makboul , Sadek Khaled Marzouk 
Published: November 2023

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in kidney transplant recipients is a subject of much debate and became of interest to nephrologists amidst the pandemic. The main concerns are the influence of the chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs, the viral-related risk of acute rejection, and the long-term outcome of allograft function. This single-center prospective study included kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19 infection. Patients were maintained on immunosuppressive regimens. The severity of disease was defined as oxygen saturation < 94%, the need for hospitalization and/or hemodialysis, the occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI), and mortality. Seventeen patients (54.8%) required hospital admission, four patients needed hemodialysis (12.9%), twelve patients (38.7%) had AKI, and three patients died (9.7%). Oxygen saturation < 94% showed a positive correlation with the presence of diabetes (p value 0.031) and a negative correlation with the maintenance steroid dose (p value 0.046). A negative correlation existed between the need for hemodialysis and average Cyclosporin level (p value 0.019) and between the need for hospitalization and average Tacrolimus level (p value 0.046). Severity of disease was associated with the presence of lymphopenia (p value 0.042), the cumulative steroid dose (p value 0.001), increased serum levels of LDH (p value 0.010), Ferritin (p value 0.020), AST (p value 0.047), and ALT (p value 0.006) and D-dimer levels more than 0.5 mg/L (p value 0.038). This study highlighted that the immunocompromised state of renal transplant recipients may not be regarded as a disadvantage in the setting of COVID-19 infection. Studies on a larger scale are needed to validate these results.
Measuring skill via player dynamics in football dribbling
Authors: Brink Lukas , Ha Seung Kyun , Snowdon Jack , Vidal-Codina Ferran , Rauch Bobby , Wang Fan , Wu David , López-Felip Maurici A. , Clanet Christophe , Hosoi Anette E. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractAlthough a myriad of studies have been conducted on player behavior in football, in-depth studies with structured theory are rare due to the difficulty in quantifying individual player skills and team strategies. We propose a physics-based mathematical model that describes football players’ movements during dribbling situations, parameterized by the attacker aggressiveness, the defender hesitance and the top speed of both players. These player- and situation-specific parameters are extracted by fitting the model to real player trajectories from Major League Soccer games, and enable the quantification of player dribbling attributes and decisions beyond classical statistics. We show that the model captures the essential dribbling dynamics, and analyze how differences between parameters in varying game situations provide valuable insights into players’ behavior. Lastly, we quantitatively study how changes in the player’s parameters impact dribbling performance, enabling the model to provide scientific guidance to player training, scouting and game strategy development.
Innovative technology for evaluation of sperm DNA double-strand breaks diagnoses male factor infertility and prevents reproductive failures
Authors: Wang Tse-En , Lee Chun-I. , Huang Chun-Chia , Tsao Hui-Mei , Chang Hui-Chen , Chang Li-Sheng , Chang T. Arthur , Lee Maw-Sheng , Hsu Cheng-Teng 
Published: November 2023

AbstractNeutral comet assay has been available for two decades to evaluate sperm double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, its clinical usability is limited due to its complex and time-consuming procedure, as well as the lack of a standardized scoring system. The aim of this study was to: develop a rapid diagnostic method for DSBs, Sperm DNA Fragmentation Releasing Assay (SDFR), and explore the association between DSBs and reproductive outcomes. We pioneered the use of polyacrylamide (PA) for embedding sperm chromatin and optimized the porosity of PA to be between 10 and 13%. The refined PA network allowed the trapping of DSBs, which dispersed halo on an immunological slide; in contrast, intact chromatin failed to develop a halo. A strong correlation was showed between reproducible values obtained from SDFR and neutral comet assay. SDFR were responsive to dose-/time-dependent simulated DSBs, indicating high sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, we conducted a retrospective study of couples with embryonic aneuploidy screening, and recording DSB profiles of the male partners. Our findings revealed that DSB enabled to predict embryonic aneuploidy whereas basic semen parameters did not. In conclusion, SDFR offers a rapid and user-friendly approach for evaluating DSBs, with potential implications for predictive healthcare in reproductive medicine.
Comparison of complications between laparoscopic and open gastrectomies for early gastric cancer by a nationwide propensity score-matched cohort study
Authors: Song Jeong Ho , Min Jae-Seok ,   Information Committee of the Korean Gastric Cancer Association
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe safety of laparoscopic gastrectomy compared with that of open surgery for the treatment of early gastric cancer (EGC) is unidentified on a national scale. We aimed to compare the morbidity between laparoscopic and open gastrectomies for pathological T1 gastric cancer based on nationwide survey data. Data of 14,076 patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery obtained from the 2019 Korean Gastric Cancer Association-led nationwide survey were used. For patients with pathological T1 gastric cancer, the clinical characteristics were compared between the laparoscopic and open gastrectomy groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to match the baseline characteristics of the groups. Among the 7765 patients with pathological T1 gastric cancer who underwent open or laparoscopic gastrectomy, 612 pairs were matched. After balancing the baseline characteristics, the laparoscopic gastrectomy group had a significantly longer operative time, less blood loss, greater number of harvested lymph nodes, shorter hospital stays, and comparable morbidity, compared with the open gastrectomy group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.709, respectively). The surgical approach was not a risk factor for postoperative complication in logistic regression analysis. The PSM analysis with the 2019 Korean nationwide survey data demonstrated that laparoscopic gastrectomy showed comparable morbidity with open gastrectomy for EGC.
Plasma essential fatty acid on hospital admission is a marker of COVID-19 disease severity
Authors: Mazurak Vera C. , Rivas-Serna Irma Magaly , Parsons Sarah R. , Monirujjaman Md , Maybank Krista E. , Woo Stanley K. , Rewa Oleksa G. , Cave Andrew J. , Richard Caroline , Clandinin M. Thomas 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIt is important for allocation of resources to predict those COVID patients at high risk of dying or organ failure. Early signals to initiate cellular events of host immunity can be derived from essential fatty acid metabolites preceding the cascade of proinflammatory signals. Much research has focused on understanding later proinflammatory responses. We assessed if remodelling of plasma phospholipid content of essential fatty acids by the COVID-19 virus provides early markers for potential death and disease severity. Here we show that, at hospital admission, COVID-19 infected subjects who survive exhibit higher proportions of C20:4n-6 in plasma phospholipids concurrent with marked proinflammatory cytokine elevation in plasma compared to healthy subjects. In contrast, more than half of subjects who die of this virus exhibit very low C18:2n-6 and C20:4n-6 content in plasma phospholipids on hospital admission compared with healthy control subjects. Moreover, in these subjects who die, the low level of primary inflammatory signals indicates limited or aberrant stimulation of host immunity. We conclude that COVID-19 infection results in early fundamental remodelling of essential fatty acid metabolism. In subjects with high mortality, it appears that plasma n-6 fatty acid content is too low to stimulate cellular events of host immunity.
Effects of heavy metal exposure during pregnancy on birth outcomes
Authors: Zinia Sabrina Shafi , Yang Ki-Hyeok , Lee Eun Ju , Lim Myoung-Nam , Kim Jeeyoung , Kim Woo Jin ,   Ko-CHENS Study group, Park Choonghee , Kim Hyun Jeong , Jung Soon-Won , Hong Sooyeon , Jung A-Ra , Lee Jueun , Do Yu Seung , Hwang Namkyoung , Jeong Dong Jin , Seo Heung Won , Kim Hae Soon , Lee Myeongjee , Park Eun Kyo , Lee Seulbi , Kook Hoon , Baek Hee Jo , Moon Jai Dong , Park Won Ju , Shin Myung-Geun , Paik Ki-Chung , Kwon Ho-Jang , Lim Myung-Ho , Yoo Seung Jin , Bae Sanghyuk , Hong Young-Seoub , Kim Yu-Mi , Seo Jeong-Wook , Kim Myo Jing , Chueh Hee Won , Lim Dae Hyun , Kim Jeong Hee , Park Joohye , Kim Donghyun , So Hye Ju , Hong Sung-Chul , Lee Keun Hwa , Kim Su-Young , Na Sunghun , Choung Ji Tae , Yoo Young , Seo Sung Chul , Kang Hyeonju , Jang Ji Yeon , Jung Minyoung , Chun Se-Jin , Kim Young-Min , Kim Jihyun , Lim Youn-Hee , Park Joong Shin , Park Chan-Wook , Shin Choong Ho , Woo Kuck Hyeun , Choi SungYong , Kim Jin Kyung , Yang Wonho , Hur Jongil , Park Myung-Sook , Choi Kyung-Hwa , Lee Seung-Hwa , Oh Inbo , Lee Jiho , Sim Chang Sun 
Published: November 2023

AbstractExposure to heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury poses serious health risks to pregnant women because of their high toxicity. In this study, we investigated the associations of heavy metal exposure with birth outcomes of Korean infants. Data of 5,215 women between 2015 and 2019 were analyzed. This study was part of the Korean Children’s Environmental Health (Ko-CHENS) study. Linear regression and logistic regression analyses were used to examine effects of concentrations of lead, cadmium, and mercury on birth weight, small for gestational age, and large for gestational age after adjusting for maternal age groups, parity, infant sex, education, income, smoking, drinking, body mass index, stillbirth, premature birth, diabetes, hypertension, and gestational diabetes. Besides adjusting for these covariates, each metal was mutually adjusted to estimate birth weight and large for gestational age status. Maternal cadmium concentrations during early pregnancy (β =  − 39.96; 95% confidence interval (CI): − 63.76, − 16.17) and late pregnancy (β =  − 37.24; 95% CI − 61.63, − 12.84) were significantly associated with birth weight. Cadmium levels during early pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.637; 95% CI 0.444, 0.912) were also associated with large for gestational age status. Our findings suggest that prenatal cadmium exposure, even at a low level of exposure, is significantly associated with low birth weight.
Extreme pubic hair removal as a potential risk factor for recurrent urinary tract infections in women
Authors: Galbarczyk Andrzej , Marcinkowska Urszula M. , Klimek Magdalena , Jasienska Grazyna 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infections experienced by women. Previously, scalp and facial hair in men have been shown to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Here we hypothesize that having hairy genitalia might protect women from UTI. This study investigated grooming habits and occurrence of UTIs in the past 12 months in 2409 women (aged 18–45). Women who reported removing all their pubic hair at least weekly were defined as extreme groomers (66.8%). We collected additional information on covariates including age, having a first UTI at or before age 15, spermicide use, having a new sex partner, and frequency of sexual intercourse during the past year. Extreme grooming was not associated with the risk of being diagnosed with UTI (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.90–1.52), but was associated with a higher risk of recurrent UTIs, defined as three or more UTIs within 12 months (OR = 3.09, 95% CI = 1.35–7.06), after controlling for age, history of UTIs, and sexual practices. Other studies have found that hygienic purposes are the most common motivations for pubic hair removal. These results suggest that along with their pubes, women may be getting rid of important microbial niche and protection against recurrent UTIs.
Neurocomputational mechanisms of biased impression formation in lonely individuals
Authors: Bellucci Gabriele , Park Soyoung Q. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSocial impressions are fundamental in our daily interactions with other people but forming accurate impressions of our social partners can be biased to different extents. Loneliness has previously been suggested to induce biases that hinder the formation of accurate impressions of others for successful social bonding. Here, we demonstrated that despite counterfactual evidence, negative first impressions bias information weighting, leading to less favorable trustworthiness beliefs. Lonely individuals did not only have more negative expectations of others’ social behavior, but they also manifested a stronger weighting bias. Reduced orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activity was associated with a stronger weighting bias in lonelier individuals and mediated the relationship between loneliness and this weighting bias. Importantly, stronger coupling between OFC and temporoparietal junction compensated for such effects, promoting more positive trustworthiness beliefs especially in lonelier individuals. These findings bear potential for future basic and clinical investigations on social cognition and the development of clinical symptoms linked to loneliness.
Correction of a homoplasmic mitochondrial tRNA mutation in patient-derived iPSCs via a mitochondrial base editor
Authors: Chen Xiaoxu , Chen Mingyue , Zhu Yuqing , Sun Haifeng , Wang Yue , Xie Yuan , Ji Lianfu , Wang Cheng , Hu Zhibin , Guo Xuejiang , Xu Zhengfeng , Zhang Jun , Yang Shiwei , Liang Dong , Shen Bin 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPathogenic mutations in mitochondrial DNA cause severe and often lethal multi-system symptoms in primary mitochondrial defects. However, effective therapies for these defects are still lacking. Strategies such as employing mitochondrially targeted restriction enzymes or programmable nucleases to shift the ratio of heteroplasmic mutations and allotopic expression of mitochondrial protein-coding genes have limitations in treating mitochondrial homoplasmic mutations, especially in non-coding genes. Here, we conduct a proof of concept study applying a screened DdCBE pair to correct the homoplasmic m.A4300G mutation in induced pluripotent stem cells derived from a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. We achieve efficient G4300A correction with limited off-target editing, and successfully restore mitochondrial function in corrected induced pluripotent stem cell clones. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using DdCBE to treat primary mitochondrial defects caused by homoplasmic pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations.
Highly‐efficient optically transparent planarized transmit‐arrays using heterogeneous unit cells
Authors: Jiang Yangbin , Wu Xin Yu , Jiang Zhi Hao , Cai Longzhu , Hong Wei 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTwo K‐band optically‐transparent (OT) transmit‐arrays (TAs) are proposed and demonstrated, which realize pencil beam and flat‐top beam, respectively. Based on the equivalent circuit analysis approach, the TA unit cells are designed using cascaded low‐loss cyclic olefin copolymer substrates and transparent conductor films with a 360° phase shifting and a total panel thickness of 0.46λ0. Phase compensation and an intersection approach are utilized to synthesize the pencil beam TA, with an aperture efficiency of 39.2%, and flat‐top beam TA, respectively. Both TAs are fabricated and characterized, showing a good agreement between the simulated and measured results. The pencil beam TA achieves a peak gain of 31.8 dBi with an 1‐dB gain bandwidth of 6.5%, while the flat‐top beam TA realizes a peak gain of 20.3 dBi with an 1.8‐dB beamwidth of 13°. The verified OT TAs can be useful candidates for communication and satellite applications in the 5G millimetre‐wave band.