bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Visible‐light photocatalytic membranes based on heterostructured Fe3O4‐doped g‐C3N4/TiO2 catalysts
Authors: Wang Long , Zhao Liu‐Lin , He Qin‐Yuan , Shao Dan‐Dan , Sun Shi‐Peng , Cao Xue‐Li 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBACKGROUNDDesalination membranes have been widely in demand for separating dyes and salts. However, dyes are easily adsorbed on/in the membranes, deteriorating membrane performance. Coupling photocatalysis and membrane separation might be a promising strategy for efficiently alleviating membrane fouling. Aiming at the defects of single catalyst, this work constructed photocatalytic membranes based on heterostructured Fe3O4‐doped g‐C3N4 (FeCN)/TiO2 catalysts by successively filtrating FeCN aqueous dispersion and titanium butoxide/isopropanol solution on the hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile substrate.RESULTSThe H‐bonds among TiO2, FeCN and substrate lead to excellent load stability of the photoresponsive layer. Due to the low‐potential conduction band and high conductivity of Fe3O4 and the low‐potential conduction band of TiO2 in FeCN/TiO2, electrons can be more easily transferred to guarantee the high separation efficiency of electrons and holes. Hence the membrane not only exhibited superior permeability (104 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and dye desalting performance (Coomassie brilliant blue R250 rejection of >98.80% and NaCl rejection of <7.00%), but also displayed highly efficient and stable dye photodegradation.CONCLUSIONThe degradation efficiency surpassed that reported in the literature in comparable circumstances, and the recovery rate of permeability still reached 89.12% after three fouling–photodegradation cycles. This work provides new opportunities for designing high‐efficiency self‐cleaning membranes to solve membrane fouling based on low‐cost materials. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Semantic segmentation of retinal exudates using a residual encoder–decoder architecture in diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Manan Malik Abdul , Jinchao Feng , Khan Tariq M. , Yaqub Muhammad , Ahmed Shahzad , Chuhan Imran shabir 
Published: May 2023

AbstractExudates are a common sign of diabetic retinopathy, which is a disease that affects the blood vessels in the retina. Early detection of exudates is critical to avoiding vision problems through continuous screening and treatment. In traditional clinical practice, the involved lesions are manually detected using photographs of the fundus. However, this task is cumbersome and time‐consuming and requires intense effort due to the small size of the lesion and the low contrast of the images. Thus, computer‐assisted diagnosis of retinal disease based on the detection of red lesions has been actively explored recently. In this paper, we present a comparison of deep convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures and propose a residual CNN with residual skip connections to reduce the parameter for the semantic segmentation of exudates in retinal images. A suitable image augmentation technique is used to improve the performance of network architecture. The proposed network can robustly segment exudates with high accuracy, which makes it suitable for diabetic retinopathy screening. A comparative performance analysis of three benchmark databases: E‐ophtha, DIARETDB1, and Hamilton Ophthalmology Institute's Macular Edema, is presented. The proposed method achieves a precision of 0.95, 0.92, 0.97, accuracy of 0.98, 0.98, 0.98, sensitivity of 0.97, 0.95, 0.95, specificity of 0.99, 0.99, 0.99, and area under the curve of 0.97, 0.94, and 0.96, respectively.Research Highlights
The research focuses on the detection and segmentation of exudates in diabetic retinopathy, a disease affecting the retina.
Early detection of exudates is important to avoid vision problems and requires continuous screening and treatment.
Currently, manual detection is time‐consuming and requires intense effort.
The authors compare qualitative results of the state‐of‐the‐art convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures and propose a computer‐assisted diagnosis approach based on deep learning, using a residual CNN with residual skip connections to reduce parameters.
The proposed method is evaluated on three benchmark databases and demonstrates high accuracy and suitability for diabetic retinopathy screening.
Single Breath‐Hold MR Elastography for Fast Biomechanical Probing of Pancreatic Stiffness
Authors: van Schelt Anne‐Sophie , Gottwald Lukas M. , Wassenaar Nienke P.M. , Runge Jurgen H. , Sinkus Ralph , Stoker Jaap , Nederveen Aart J. , Schrauben Eric M. 
Published: May 2023

BackgroundPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) stromal disposition is thought to influence chemotherapy efficacy and increase tissue stiffness, which could be quantified noninvasively via MR elastography (MRE). Current methods cause position‐based errors in pancreas location over time, hampering accuracy. It would be beneficial to have a single breath‐hold acquisition.PurposeTo develop and test a single breath‐hold three‐dimensional MRE technique utilizing prospective undersampling and a compressed sensing reconstruction (CS‐MRE).Study TypeProspective.PopulationA total of 30 healthy volunteers (HV) (31 ± 9 years; 33% male) and five patients with PDAC (69 ± 5 years; 80% male).Field Strength/Sequence3‐T, GRE Ristretto MRE.AssessmentFirst, optimization of multi breath‐hold MRE was done in 10 HV using four combinations of vibration frequency, number of measured wave‐phase offsets, and TE and looking at MRE quality measures in the pancreas head. Second, viscoelastic parameters delineated in the pancreas head or tumor of CS‐MRE were compared against (I) 2D and (II) 3D four breath‐hold acquisitions in HV (N = 20) and PDAC patients. Intrasession repeatability was assessed for CS‐MRE in a subgroup of healthy volunteers (N = 15).Statistical TestsTests include repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), Bland–Altman analysis, and coefficients of variation (CoVs). A P‐value <.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOptimization of the four breath‐hold acquisitions resulted in 40 Hz vibration frequency, five wave‐phases, and echo time (TE) = 6.9 msec as the preferred method (4BH‐MRE). CS‐MRE quantitative results did not differ from 4BH‐MRE. Shear wave speed (SWS) and phase angle differed significantly between HV and PDAC patients using 4BH‐MRE or CS‐MRE. The limits of agreement for SWS were [−0.09, 0.10] m/second and the within‐subject CoV was 4.8% for CS‐MRE.Data ConclusionCS‐MRE might allow a single breath‐hold MRE acquisition with comparable SWS and phase angle as 4BH‐MRE, and it may still enable to differentiate between HV and PDAC.Level of Evidence: 2Technical Efficacy Stage: 2
Amino acids induced modulations in linear PEO‐PPO‐PEO triblock copolymer microstructures and its exploration in prototypical drug solubilization
Authors: Chakrabarti Chitralekha , Kakkad Hiral , Desai Sunil , Ray Debes , Aswal Vinod K. , Pillai Sadafara A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThis manuscript explains the effect of biologically important additives on the micellar behavior of an ethylene oxide‐propylene oxide (PEO101‐PPO56‐PEO101) based linear block copolymer, Poloxamer 407.The effect of common pharmaceutical excipients and three vital amino acids viz. alanine, glycine, and lysine (Ala, Gly, and Lys) is examined with the help of cloud point (CP), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques. The drug solubilization ability for the copolymer was checked for two model drugs Quercetin (QCT) and Ibuprofen (IBU) with the help of high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the presence/absence of additives such as Ala, Gly, and Lys. The observed results reveal that higher amino acid concentrations, favor the solubilization of drug which can potentially benefit the use of these biocompatible copolymers in pharmaceutical and biopharma industries.
No association between MTHFR gene C677T/A1298C polymorphisms, serum folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine levels, and prostate cancer in an Algerian population
Authors: Mouhoub‐Terrab Rima , Chibane Abdel Aziz , Khelil Malika 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBackgroundMethylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an important enzyme involved in folate and homocysteine metabolism, which are necessary for DNA methylation and nucleotide synthesis. Genetic polymorphisms that reduce MTHFR activity have been linked to several diseases, including prostate cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether MTHFR polymorphisms, along with serum levels of folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine, are associated with prostate cancer risk in the Algerian population.MethodsA total of 106 Algerian men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer and 125 healthy controls were included in this case‐control study. The MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were analyzed using PCR/RFLP and Real‐Time PCR TaqMan® assays, respectively. Serum levels of folate, total homocysteine, and vitamin B12 were measured using an automatic biochemistry analyzer.ResultsWe found no significant differences in the genotype frequency of A1298C and C677T between prostate cancer patients and controls. Moreover, serum levels of folate, total homocysteine, and vitamin B12 were not significantly associated with prostate cancer risk (p > 0.05). However, age and family history were identified as significant risk factors (OR = 1.178, p = 0.00 and OR = 10.03, p = 0.007, respectively).ConclusionOur study suggests that MTHFR C677T and A1298C, as well as serum levels of folate, total homocysteine, and vitamin B12, are not associated with prostate cancer risk in the Algerian population. However, age and family history are significant risk factors. Further studies with a larger sample size are required to confirm these findings.
Novel Inhibitors of androgen receptor's DNA binding domain identified using an ultra‐large virtual screening
Authors: Radaeva Mariia , Morin Helene , Pandey Mohit , Ban Fuqiang , Guo Maria , LeBlanc Eric , Lallous Nada , Cherkasov Artem 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAndrogen receptor (AR) inhibition remains the primary strategy to combat the progression of prostate cancer (PC). However, all clinically used AR inhibitors target the ligand‐binding domain (LBD), which is highly susceptible to truncations through splicing or mutations that confer drug resistance. Thus, there exists an urgent need for AR inhibitors with novel modes of action. We thus launched a virtual screening of an ultra‐large chemical library to find novel inhibitors of the AR DNA‐binding domain (DBD) at two sites: protein‐DNA interface (P‐box) and dimerization site (D‐box). The compounds selected through vigorous computational filtering were then experimentally validated. We identified several novel chemotypes that effectively suppress transcriptional activity of AR and its splice variant V7. The identified compounds represent previously unexplored chemical scaffolds with a mechanism of action that evades the conventional drug resistance manifested through LBD mutations. Additionally, we describe the binding features required to inhibit AR DBD at both P‐box and D‐box target sites.
Negative Regulation of Innate Immune Signaling by Components of the Button Mushroom Agaricus bisporus
Authors: O'Sullivan Michele , Dempsey Elaine , Case Sarah , Hackett Emer E. , Ledwith Anna E. , Prendeville Hannah , O'Brien Tara , Lewis Faye , Murphy Dearbhla M. , Yadav Supriya , Wilson Jude , Corr Sinead C. , Sheedy Frederick J. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractScope: Mushrooms are valued as an edible and medical resource for millennia. As macrofungi, they possess conserved molecular components recognized by innate immune cells like macrophages, yet unlike pathogenic fungi, they do not trigger the immune system in the same way. That these well‐tolerated foods both avoid immuno‐surveillance and have positive health benefits, highlights the dearth of information on the interactions of mushroom‐derived products with the immune system.Methods and results: Using powders produced from the common white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, it is observed that pre‐treatment of mouse and human macrophages with mushroom powders attenuates innate immune signaling triggered by microbial ligands like LPS and β‐glucans, including NFκB activation and pro‐inflammatory cytokine production. This effect of mushroom powders is observed at lower doses of TLR ligands, suggesting a model of competitive inhibition whereby mushroom compounds bind and occupy innate immune receptors, precluding activation by microbial stimuli. This effect is preserved following simulated digestion of the powders. Moreover, in vivo delivery of mushroom powders attenuates the development of colitis in a DSS‐mouse model.Conclusion: This data highlights an important anti‐inflammatory role for powdered A. bisporus mushrooms, which can be further utilized to develop complementary approaches to modulate chronic inflammation and disease.
Reducing BMI below the obesity threshold in adolescents treated with once‐weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg
Authors: Kelly Aaron S. , Arslanian Silva , Hesse Dan , Iversen Aske Thorn , Körner Antje , Schmidt Signe , Sørrig Rasmus , Weghuber Daniel , Jastreboff Ania M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine how improvement in BMI with the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist semaglutide translated to changes in BMI category in a post hoc analysis of the double‐blind, phase 3a randomized controlled Semaglutide Treatment Effect in People with obesity (STEP) TEENS trial.MethodsAdolescents with obesity received once‐weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg or placebo plus lifestyle intervention, which comprised counseling in healthy nutrition and a goal of 60 minutes of moderate‐ to high‐intensity physical activity per day. Achievement of an improvement in BMI category and attainment of normal‐weight or overweight BMI by week 68 were analyzed using logistic regression models.ResultsIn the overall population, 44.9% of participants receiving semaglutide achieved weight reduction resulting in reclassification to a normal‐weight or overweight BMI category versus 12.1% receiving placebo at week 68 (odds ratio: 22.7; 95% CI: 7.6–67.9). The proportion of semaglutide‐treated participants in obesity class III decreased from 37.3% to 13.6% but increased with placebo. The odds ratio for achieving an improvement of at least one BMI category was significantly greater with semaglutide versus placebo (23.5; 95% CI: 9.9–55.5); an improvement of at least one BMI category was seen in 73.7% of participants receiving semaglutide compared with 19.0% of participants receiving placebo.ConclusionsSemaglutide was highly effective in reducing BMI category. While on treatment, most trial participants' BMI improved by at least one category, and >40% reached a category below the obesity threshold.
Pathogenic variants inPIK3CAare associated with clinical phenotypes of kaposiform lymphangiomatosis, generalized lymphatic anomaly, and central conducting lymphatic anomaly
Authors: Grenier Jeremy M. , Borst Alexandra J. , Sheppard Sarah E. , Snyder Kristen M. , Li Dong , Surrey Lea F. , Al‐Ibraheemi Alyaa , Weber David R. , Treat James R. , Smith Christopher L. , Laje Pablo , Dori Yoav , Adams Denise M. , Acord Michael , Srinivasan Abhay S. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractComplex lymphatic anomalies are debilitating conditions characterized by aberrant development of the lymphatic vasculature (lymphangiogenesis). Diagnosis is typically made by history, examination, radiology, and histologic findings. However, there is significant overlap between conditions, making accurate diagnosis difficult. Recently, genetic analysis has been offered as an additional diagnostic modality. Here, we describe four cases of complex lymphatic anomalies, all withPIK3CAvariants but with varying clinical phenotypes. Identification ofPIK3CAresulted in transition to a targeted inhibitor, alpelisib. These cases highlight the genetic overlap between phenotypically diverse lymphatic anomalies.
Synthesis of microcrystalline cellulose from abaca nonfluorescent flower pistil and its twill weaved fiber‐polyester composites: Viscoelastic, fatigue, and mechanical properties
Authors: Gandhimathi G. , Nagabhooshanam N. , Sambath S. , Sivaraman R. , Murthy K. V. S. R. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe development of microcrystalline cellulose from banana flower pistil and its twill weaved woven abaca polyester composites were studied in this research. The aim of this research was to explore the viscoelastic, fatigue, and mechanical behavior of surface‐treated twill weaved abaca fiber and unsaturated polyester incorporating banana flower pistil cellulose particles for various composite combinations. Hand layup process was used to construct the bio‐composite laminates, which were then tested in accordance with american society for testing and materials (ASTM) standards. The maximum tensile strength and modulus, flexural strength and modulus, Izod impact strength, as well asinter laminar shear strength (ILSS) values by addition of 3.0 vol% of cellulose were about 124 MPa, 4.48 GPa, 163 MPa, 5.36 GPa, 5.33 J/m2, and 27 MPa respectively, whereas composite having 5.0 vol% of cellulose gave better hardness of 82 shore‐D. Incorporation of cellulose by 3.0 vol% with 50 vol% of abaca fiber increases fatigue life counts up to 35,480, 29,039, 24,802, and 18,247 for 25%, 50%, 70%, and 90% of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) respectively. On comparing all other composite combinations, the composite containing 3.0 vol% of cellulose shows the highest storage modulus of up to 5.6 GPa and the lowest loss factor of 0.38. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) fractography shows the improved adhesion between fiber and matrix due to the silane treatment on cellulose and abaca fiber. These novel functional materials could be employed in a large range of applications, including industrial, automobile, electronic and household equipment.
Conceptualizing a resilience research framework at The National Institutes of Health
Authors: Brown LaVerne , Cohen Barbara , Costello Rebecca , Brazhnik Olga , Galis Zorina 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) have recently gathered internal and external input towards a shared understanding of resilience in the wide context of human health and the biomedical sciences that would help accelerate advances in human health and its maintenance. This shared view is that resilience refers in general to a system's capacity to recover, grow, adapt, or resist perturbation from a challenge or stressor. Over time, a system's response to a challenge might show varied degrees of reactions that likely fluctuate in response to the type of challenge (internal and/or external), severity of the challenge, the length of time exposed to the challenge, other external factors and/or biological factors (innate and/or external). We have embarked on this special issue as an opportunity to explore commonalities amongst viewpoints on the science of resilience covered by the various NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) with respect to the characterization of various systems, stressors, outcomes measures and metrics, and interventions and/or protective factors that are shared within each domain and across multiple domains. Here, resilience is characterized broadly by four areas of scientific study: molecular/cellular, physiologic, psychosocial and spiritual, and environmental/community resilience. Each area or domain provides general frameworks for designing studies that may help advance the science of resilience within the context of health maintenance. This special issue will also acknowledge the remaining gaps that impede advancement of the science of resilience and offer considerations for potential next steps towards addressing the research gaps.
Emotion regulation styles and Adolescent adjustment following a COVID‐19 lockdown
Authors: Scharf Nitzan , Benita Moti , Benish‐Weisman Maya 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThis study explored the effect of emotion regulation styles ‐ integrative emotion regulation (IER), suppressive emotion regulation, and dysregulation—on adolescents' psychosocial adjustment following a Covid‐19‐related lockdown. 114 mother‐adolescent dyads were surveyed after lockdown and at two additional time points (three and six months later). Adolescents were aged 10–16 years, 50.9% females. Adolescents reported on their emotion regulation styles. Mothers and adolescents reported on adolescents' well‐being (depressive symptoms, negative and positive emotions) and social behaviour (aggression and prosocial behaviour). Results of multilevel linear growth models showed IER predicted optimal well‐being and social behaviour reported by both mothers and adolescents at baseline and a self‐reported reduction in prosocial behaviours over time. Suppressive emotion regulation predicted reduced self‐reported well‐being after lockdown, evident in higher levels of negative affect and depressive symptoms and reductions in mother‐reported prosocial behaviour over time. Dysregulation predicted reduced well‐being and impaired social behaviour after lockdown, reported by both mothers and adolescents, and a reduction in self‐reported depressive symptoms over time. Results suggest adolescents' adjustment to lockdown was affected by their habitual emotion regulation styles.
Solar‐Driven Production Of Hydrogen Peroxide And Benzaldehyde In Two‐Phase System By An Interface‐Engineered Co9S8‐CoZnIn2S4 Heterostructure
Authors: Li Linqian , Huo Xiaobing , Chen Shipeng , Luo Qiang , Wang Wei , Wang Yifan , Wang Ning 
Published: May 2023

AbstractCoupling the photoproduction of solar fuel and value‐added chemicals is highly attractive, as it maximizes the utilization of incident sunlight and the economic value of photocatalytic reactions. Constructing intimate semiconductor heterojunction for these reactions is highly desirable due to accelerated charge separation at the interfacial contact, but is challenged by material synthesis. Here, an active heterostructure bearing intimate interface, consisting of discrete Co9S8 nanoparticles anchored on cobalt doped ZnIn2S4 using a facile in situ one‐step strategy, can drive photocatalytic co‐production of H2O2 and benzaldehyde from a two‐phase water/benzyl alcohol system with spatial product separation is reported. The heterostructure yields a high production amount of 49.5 and 55.8 mmol L−1 for H2O2 and benzaldehyde under visible‐light soaking, respectively. The synchronous elemental Co doping and intimate heterostructure establishment substantially improve the overall reaction kinetics. Mechanism studies reveal that H2O2 generated in the aqueous phase undergoes photodecomposition forming hydroxyl radical, which is subsequently transferred into the organic phase to oxidize benzyl alcohol into benzaldehyde. This study offers fertile guidelines for creating integrated semiconductors and broadens the avenue toward the coupled production of solar fuels and industrially important chemicals.