bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Telomerase activity, relative telomere length, and longevity in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)
Authors: A Yun , Shi Shangli , Sun Shoujiang , Jing Yuanyuan , Li Zili , Zhang Xiaoyan , Li Xiaolong , Wu Fang 
Published: October 2022

Background
Medicago sativa L. ‘Qingshui’ is a valuable rhizomatous forage germplasm resource. We previously crossed Qingshui with the high-yielding Medicago sativa L. ‘WL168’ and obtained novel rhizomatous hybrid strains (RSA-01, RSA-02, and RSA-03). Telomere dynamics are more accurate predictors of survival and mortality than chronological age. Based on telomere analyses, we aimed to identify alfalfa varieties with increased stamina and longevity for the establishment of artificial grazing grasslands.

Methods
In this study, we performed longitudinal analysis of telomerase activity and relative telomere length in five alfalfa varieties (Qingshui, WL168, RSA-01, RSA-02, and RSA-03) at the age of 1 year and 5 years to examine the relationship among telomerase activity, rate of change in relative telomere length, and longevity. We further aimed to evaluate the longevity of the examined varieties. Telomerase activity and relative telomere length were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively.

Results
We observed significant differences in telomerase activity between plants aged 1 year and those aged 5 years in all varieties except WL168, and the rate of change in telomerase activity does not differ reliably with age. As telomerase activity and relative telomere length are complex phenomena, further studies examining the molecular mechanisms of telomere-related proteins are needed. Relative telomere lengths of Qingshui, WL168, RSA-01, RSA-02, and RSA-03 in plants aged 5 years were higher than those aged 1 year by 11.41, 11.24, 9.21, 10.23, and 11.41, respectively. Relative telomere length of alfalfa tended to increase with age. Accordingly, alfalfa varieties can be classified according to rate of change in relative telomere length as long-lived (Qingshui, WL168, and RSA-03), medium-lived (RSA-02) and short-lived (RSA-01). The differences in relative telomere length distances of Qingshui, WL168, RSA-01, RSA-02, and RSA-03 between plants aged 1 and 5 years were 10.40, 13.02, 12.22, 11.22, and 13.25, respectively. The largest difference in relative telomere length was found between Qingshui and RSA-02 at 2.20. Our findings demonstrated that relative telomere length in alfalfa is influenced by genetic variation and age, with age exerting a greater effect.
Use of and Retention on Video, Telephone, and In-Person Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Frost Madeline C. , Zhang Lan , Kim H. Myra , Lin Lewei (Allison) 
Published: October 2022

ImportanceThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted policy changes to allow increased telehealth delivery of buprenorphine, a potentially lifesaving medication for opioid use disorder (OUD). It is unclear how characteristics of patients who access different treatment modalities (in-person vs telehealth, video vs telephone) vary, and whether modality is associated with retention—a key indicator of care quality.ObjectivesTo compare patient characteristics across receipt of different treatment modalities and to assess whether modality was associated with retention during the year following COVID-19–related policy changes.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in the national Veterans Health Administration. Participants included patients who received buprenorphine for OUD during March 23, 2020, to March 22, 2021. Analyses examining retention were stratified by buprenorphine initiation time (year following COVID-19–related changes; prior to COVID-19–related changes).ExposuresPatient characteristics; treatment modality (at least 1 video visit, at least 1 telephone visit but no video, only in-person).Main Outcomes and MeasuresTreatment modality; 90-day retention.ResultsAmong 17 182 patients, 7094 (41.3%) were aged 30 to 44 years and 6251 (36.4%) were aged 45 to 64 years; 15 835 (92.2%) were male, 14 085 (82.0%) were White, and 16 292 (94.8%) were non-Hispanic; 6547 (38.1%) had at least 1 video visit, 8524 (49.6%) had at least 1 telephone visit but no video visit, and 2111 (12.3%) had only in-person visits. Patients who were younger, male, Black, unknown race, Hispanic, non–service connected, or had specific mental health/substance use comorbidities were less likely to receive any telehealth. Among patients who received telehealth, those who were older, male, Black, non–service connected, or experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability were less likely to have video visits. Retention was significantly higher for patients with telehealth compared with only in-person visits regardless of initiation time (for initiated in year following COVID-19–related changes: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.12-1.53; for initiated prior to COVID-19–related changes: aOR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.08-1.39). Among patients with telehealth, higher retention was observed in those with video visits compared with only telephone for patients who initiated in the year following COVID-19 (aOR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.26-1.71).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study, many patients accessed buprenorphine via telephone and some were less likely to have any video visits. These findings suggest that discontinuing or reducing telephone access may disrupt treatment for many patients, particularly groups with access disparities such as Black patients and those experiencing homelessness. Telehealth was associated with increased retention for both new and continuing patients.
Rates of Surgical Consultations After Emergency Department Admission in Black and White Medicare Patients
Authors: Roberts Sanford E. , Rosen Claire B. , Keele Luke J. , Wirtalla Christopher J. , Syvyk Solomiya , Kaufman Elinore J. , Reilly Patrick M. , Neuman Mark D. , McHugh Matthew D. , Kelz Rachel R. 
Published: October 2022

ImportanceA surgical consultation is a critical first step in the care of patients with emergency general surgery conditions. It is unknown if Black Medicare patients and White Medicare patients receive surgical consultations at similar rates when they are admitted from the emergency department.ObjectiveTo determine whether Black Medicare patients have similar rates of surgical consultations when compared with White Medicare patients after being admitted from the emergency department with an emergency general surgery condition.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis was a retrospective cohort study that took place at US hospitals with an emergency department and used a computational generalization of inverse propensity score weight to create patient populations with similar covariate distributions. Participants were Medicare patients age 65.5 years or older admitted from the emergency department for an emergency general surgery condition between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2018. The analysis was performed during February 2022. Patients were classified into 1 of 5 emergency general surgery condition categories based on principal diagnosis codes: colorectal, general abdominal, hepatopancreatobiliary, intestinal obstruction, and upper gastrointestinal.ExposuresBlack vs White race.Main Outcomes and MeasuresReceipt of a surgical consultation after admission from the emergency department with an emergency general surgery condition.ResultsA total of 1 686 940 patients were included in the study. Of those included, 214 788 patients were Black (12.7%) and 1 472 152 patients were White (87.3%). After standardizing for medical and diagnostic imaging covariates, Black patients had 14% lower odds of receiving a surgical consultation (odds ratio [OR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.85-0.87) with a risk difference of −3.17 (95% CI, −3.41 to −2.92). After standardizing for socioeconomic covariates, Black patients remained at an 11% lower odds of receiving a surgical consultation compared with similar White patients (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.88-0.90) with a risk difference of −2.49 (95% CI, −2.75 to −2.23). Additionally, when restricting the analysis to Black patients and White patients who were treated in the same hospitals, Black patients had 8% lower odds of receiving a surgical consultation when compared with White patients (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90-0.93) with a risk difference of −1.82 (95% CI, −2.18 to −1.46).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, Black Medicare patients had lower odds of receiving a surgical consultation after being admitted from the emergency department with an emergency general surgery condition when compared with similar White Medicare patients. These disparities in consultation rates cannot be fully attributed to medical comorbidities, insurance status, socioeconomic factors, or individual hospital-level effects.
Expansion of the Veterans Health Administration Network and Surgical Outcomes
Authors: Graham Laura A. , Schoemaker Lena , Rose Liam , Morris Arden M. , Aouad Marion , Wagner Todd H. 
Published: October 2022

ImportanceThe US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Choice Program (VCP) expanded health care access to community settings outside the VA for eligible patients. Little is known about the effect of VCP on access to surgery and postoperative outcomes. Since its initiation, care coordination issues, which are often associated with adverse postoperative outcomes, have been reported. Research findings on the association of VCP and postoperative outcomes are limited to only a few select procedures and have been mixed, potentially due to bias from unmeasured confounding.ObjectiveTo investigate the association of the VCP with access to surgery and postoperative outcomes using a nonrandomized controlled regression discontinuity design (RDD) to reduce the impact of unmeasured confounders.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis was a nonrandomized RDD study of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Participants included veterans enrolled in the VHA who required surgery between October 1, 2014, and June 1, 2019.InterventionsThe VCP, which expanded access to VA-paid community care for eligible veterans living 40 miles or more from their closest VA hospital.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPostoperative emergency department visits, inpatient readmissions, and mortality at 30 and 90 days.ResultsA total of 615 473 unique surgical procedures among 498 427 patients (mean [SD] age, 63.0 [12.9] years; 450 366 male [90.4%]) were identified. Overall, 94 783 procedures (15.4%) were paid by the VHA, and the proportion of VHA-paid procedures varied by procedure type. Patients who underwent VA-paid procedures were more likely to be women (9209 [12.7%] vs men, 38 771 [9.1%]), White race (VA paid, 54 544 [74.4%] vs VA provided, 310 077 [73.0%]), and younger than 65 years (VA paid, 36 054 [49.1%] vs 229 411 [46.0%] VA provided), with a significantly lower comorbidity burden (mean [SD], 1.8 [2.2] vs 2.6 [2.7]). The nonrandomized RDD revealed that VCP was associated with a slight increase of 0.03 in the proportion of VA-paid surgical procedures among eligible veterans (95% CI, 0.01-0.05; P = .01). However, there was no difference in postoperative mortality, readmissions, or emergency department visits.Conclusions and RelevanceExpanded access to health care in the VHA was associated with a shift in the performance of surgical procedures in the private sector but had no measurable association with surgical outcomes. These findings may assuage concerns of worsened patient outcomes resulting from care coordination issues when care is expanded outside of a single health care system, although it remains unclear whether these additional procedures were appropriate or improved patient outcomes.
Maximizing Ion Permselectivity in MXene/MOF Nanofluidic Membranes for High‐Efficient Blue Energy Generation
Authors: Zhou Jiale , Hao Junran , Wu Rong , Su Liying , Wang Jie , Qiu Ming , Bao Bin , Ning Chengyun , Teng Chao , Zhou Yahong , Jiang Lei 
Published: October 2022

AbstractBoth ion permeability and selectivity of membranes are crucial for nanofluidic behavior. However, it remains a long‐standing challenge for 2D materials to balance these two factors for osmotic energy harvesting. Herein, the MXene/metal–organic framework (MOF) hybrid membranes are reported to realize efficient ion‐permselective nanofluidic system, leading to high‐performance osmotic power generator. In the system, zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) is deposited onto the MXene surface and intercalated between the MXene nanosheets by electropolymerization approach. The angstrom‐sized windows of ZIF‐8 layer act as ion selectivity filters, endowing the membrane with high cation selectivity by size effect. The intercalation of ZIF‐8 crystals, reduces the interspacing of MXene, therefore, not only enhancing the ion permeability by shortening the ion transport pathway through the membrane, but also further improving the selectivity by increasing the overlap effect of electric‐double layer. The maximum power density reaches up to 48.05 W m−2 under 500‐fold salinity gradient with a high permeability (1263.3 A m−2), and a high selectivity of 0.906 at 50‐fold is obtained. This study provides a facile method to fabricate nanofluidic 2D membranes with both high ion permeability and selectivity for water nexus energy conversion.
Porphyrin Centered Paclitaxel Tetrameric Prodrug Nanoassemblies as Tumor‐Selective Theranostics for Synergized Breast Cancer Therapy
Authors: Ma Xiaodong , Wang Pengfei , Wu Qiwei , Zhou Junnian , Wang Dongqing , Yadav Deependra , Zhang Hongbo , Zhang Yuezhou 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAlthough having undergone decades of development, nanoparticulate drug delivery vehicles for efficient cancer therapy remain a challenge, confined by low drug loading, instability, and poor cancer tissue selectivity. A self‐assembled prodrug, the combination of prodrug strategy and the self‐assembly merits, represents a special chemical entity which spontaneously organizes into supramolecular composites with defined architecture, therefore also providing a strategy to develop new medications. Paclitaxel (PTX) is still among the most generally prescribed chemotherapeutics in oncology but is restricted by poor solubility. Although photodynamic therapy, with its noninvasive features and barely developed drug resistance, signifies an alternative tool to suppress life‐threatening cancer, sole use hardly fulfills its potential. To this end, a reduction‐activatable heterotetrameric prodrug with the photosensitizer is synthesized, then formulated into self‐assembled nanoparticles (NPs) for tumor imaging and combined chemo‐ and photodynamic therapy. Coating the NPs with amphiphilic polymer distearylphosphatidylethanolamine‐polyethylene glycol‐arginine‐glycine‐aspartate (DSPE‐PEG‐RGD) offers high stability and enables cancer tissue targeting. The as‐prepared NPs enlighten disease cells and reveal more potent cytotoxicity comparing to PTX and the photosensitizer alone. Furthermore, the NPs selectively accumulates into tumors and synergistically inhibits tumor proliferation with reduced side effects in mice.
Inhibition of Pro‐Survival Autophagy Induced by Rare‐Earth Nanocomposites for Promoting Photothermal Therapy of Visualized Tumors
Authors: Peng Shanshan , Wang Lizhen , Liu Lin , Song Liang , Shi Junpeng , Zheng Hanrun , Xu Jixuan , Rong Rui , Zhang Yun 
Published: October 2022

AbstractManipulation of autophagic processes has emerged as a promising strategy for synergizing nanoagent‐mediated photothermal therapy (PTT). Most of the current studies focus on improving PTT efficacy by inhibiting pro‐survival autophagy induced by the heat generated from the photothermal process. However, autophagy induced by the nanoagents is usually ignored, which may weaken the effect of autophagy‐mediated efficacy improvement in PTT if induced autophagy is pro‐death. Therefore, this work aims at developing a nanoagent that is able to induce heat‐synergetic pro‐survival autophagy to optimize the efficacy of PTT. An approach is developed to coat carbon layer, polyethylenimine (PEI), and folic acid (FA) on NaYF4:Er,Yb,Nd@NaNdF4 (DCNPs@C@PEI@FA, DCPF) nanoparticles successively, giving access to the nanoagent to induce pro‐survival autophagy. The synthetic imaging‐guided photothermal nanoagent displays outstanding targeting ability and biocompatibility based on the surface modification of PEI and FA. By using an autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, a conspicuously synergistic effect on DCPF‐mediated PTT in vitro and in vivo tumor models (HeLa) is achieved. A promising strategy is presented here to enhance the efficacy of imaging‐guided PTT by modulating the autophagy induced by the nanoagent.
In situ Observation of Structural Evolution and Phase Engineering of Amorphous Materials during Crystal Nucleation
Authors: Han Xiao , Wu Geng , Ge Yiyao , Yang Shaokang , Rao Dewei , Guo Zhiyan , Zhang Yan , Yan Muyu , Zhang Haoran , Gu Lin , Wu Yuen , Lin Yue , Zhang Hua , Hong Xun 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe nucleation pathway determines the structures and thus properties of formed nanomaterials, which is governed by the free energy of the intermediate phase during nucleation. The amorphous structure, as one of the intermediate phases during nucleation, plays an important role in modulating the nucleation pathway. However, the process and mechanism of crystal nucleation from amorphous structures still need to be fully investigated. Here, in situ aberration‐corrected high‐angle annular dark‐field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF‐STEM) is employed to conduct real‐time imaging of the nucleation of ultrathin amorphous nanosheets (NSs). The results indicate that their nucleation contains three distinct stages, i.e., aggregation of atoms, crystallization to form lattice‐expanded nanocrystals, and relaxation of the lattice‐expanded nanocrystals to form final nanocrystals. In particular, the crystallization processes of various amorphous materials are investigated systematically to form corresponding nanocrystals with unconventional crystalline phases, including face‐centered‐cubic (fcc) Ru, hexagonal‐close‐packed (hcp) Rh, and a new intermetallic IrCo alloy. In situ electron energy‐loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis unveils that the doped carbon in the original amorphous NSs can migrate to the surface during the nucleation process, stabilizing the obtained unconventional crystal phases transformed from the amorphous structures, which is also proven by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Dense Local Triplet States and Steric Shielding of a Multi‐Resonance TADF Emitter Enable High‐Performance Deep‐Blue OLEDs
Authors: Cheon Hyung‐Jin , Woo Seung‐Je , Baek Seung‐Hyun , Lee Jeong‐Hwan , Kim Yun‐Hi 
Published: October 2022

AbstractMulti‐resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR‐TADF) molecules based on boron and nitrogen atoms are emerging as next‐generation blue emitters for organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to their narrow emission spectra and triplet harvesting properties. However, intermolecular aggregation stemming from the planar structure of typical MR‐TADF molecules that leads to concentration quenching and broadened spectra limits the utilization of the full potential of MR‐TADF emitters. Herein, a deep‐blue MR‐TADF emitter, pBP‐DABNA‐Me, is developed to suppress intermolecular interactions effectively. Furthermore, photophysical investigation and theoretical calculations reveal that adding biphenyl moieties to the core body creates dense local triplet states in the vicinity of S1 and T1 energetically, letting the emitter harvest excitons efficiently. OLEDs based on pBP‐DABNA‐Me show a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 23.4% and a pure‐blue emission with a Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinate of (0.132, 0.092), which are maintained even at a high doping concentration of 100 wt%. Furthermore, by incorporating a conventional TADF sensitizer, deep‐blue OLEDs with a CIE value of (0.133, 0.109) and an extremely high EQE of 30.1% are realized. These findings provide insight into design strategies for developing efficient deep‐blue MR‐TADF emitters with fast triplet upconversion and suppressed self‐aggregation.
Graphene/Quantum Dot Heterostructure Photodetectors: From Material to Performance
Authors: Zhang Mao‐Kun , Liu Wei‐Di , Gong You‐Pin , Liu Qingfeng , Chen Zhi‐Gang 
Published: October 2022

AbstractOwing to its high carrier mobility, electrical conductivity, and thermal/chemical stability, graphene is an ideal candidate material for photodetection. However, the weak light absorption of graphene significantly limits its practical applications in photodetectors. Quantum dots, with strong light‐absorption capacity and well‐adjustable band gap, are widely hybridized with graphene to realize wide‐range and intense light absorption for effective photodetection. A detailed literature review on graphene/quantum dot heterostructure photodetectors is in urgent need to clearly point out the fundamentals, material synthesis methods, and performance engineering strategies. Here, first, the significance of graphene/quantum dot heterostructure photodetectors, from the mechanism to performance indicators, is systematically discussed. Second, different synthesis methodologies for the graphene/quantum dot heterostructure are overviewed. Additionally, the engineering strategies, including surface treatment, chemical doping, and size modification, to tune the photoelectric performance are critically commented. Finally, challenges and outlook for the development of graphene/quantum dot heterostructure photodetectors are pointed out.
Mississippi state and county level yield gap in corn production
Authors: Dhillon Jagman , Li Xiaofei , Bheemanahalli Raju , Reed Vaughn 
Published: October 2022

AbstractContinuous corn (Zea mays L.) yield increases are required to promote economic development and support a larger population. Reducing the existing yield gaps is a potential strategy to accomplish this goal. The objective of this study was to evaluate yield trends, and gaps at different production levels in Mississippi using data from 2012 to 2021. Production levels considered were Mississippi yield contest (Yc), Mississippi State University hybrid testing trials under irrigation (Yp) and dryland (Yw), and actual yield (Ya) from USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Since 2012, Yc, Yp, and Ya are stagnant, and Yw has a nonsignificant positive trend. Averaged over 10 yr, a yield gap of 5.6 Mg ha−1 between Yc and Ya, 4.1 Mg ha−1 between Yp and Ya, and 2.0 Mg ha−1 between Yw and Ya were noted at state level. Existing yield gap underlines current production limitations and necessitates adoption of improved agronomic practices.Core Ideas

In the last 10 yr, contest yield, potential yield, and actual yield in Mississippi have been stagnant.
State level yield gap ranges between 2.0 to 5.6 Mg ha‐1 at different levels.
Washington County showed the lowest (25.9%) and Lee County (48.8%) the highest yield gap in Mississippi.