bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An exploration of engineering instructors' pedagogical adaptations early in the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Manierre Matthew J. , DeWaters Jan , Rivera Seema , Whalen Martha 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackgroundMany instructors made an emergency shift to online teaching during the Spring 2020 semester. There is reason to expect that instructors would have dramatically changed their pedagogy and teaching philosophies. At the same time, there are reasons that engineering instructors might be hesitant to introduce some changes to their courses.Purpose/HypothesisThis study explores pedagogical and philosophical adaptations using instructors' accounts of emergency remote teaching during the Spring 2020 semester.Design/MethodIn‐depth interviews with six engineering instructors were conducted to examine their teaching experiences and the way they responded to the online transition. Interview transcripts were analyzed for general themes and commonalities.ResultsInstructors made many changes during the transition, some of which were general and others individualized after a problem came to their attention. However, other changes were uncommon or even avoided, in particular, reducing content difficulty and shifting their teaching philosophies. Our interviews suggest several explanations for their choices, including the degree to which course design rendered change unnecessary, or the influence of the instructors' existing skillset, their desire to protect the validity of grades, and their sense of the scope of engineering pedagogy.ConclusionsThese interviews contribute to our understanding of how the emergency transition to online teaching impacted engineering instructors and how instructors might improve resilience during future crises. The conceptual tools and thought processes elucidated by this study can inform future analyses. Further research should pursue comparisons with other disciplines and consider the long‐term effects of pandemic teaching.
The identification of novel small extracellular vesicle (sEV) production modulators using luciferase‐based sEV quantification method
Authors: Yamamoto Aki , Takahashi Yuki , Inuki Shinsuke , Nakagawa Shumpei , Nakao Kodai , Ohno Hiroaki , Doi Masao , Takakura Yoshinobu 
Published: September 2022

AbstractSmall extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are nano‐sized vesicles secreted from various cells that contain bioactive metabolites and function as key regulators for intercellular communication. sEVs modulate diverse biological and pathological processes in the body, and the amount of circulating sEVs has been reported to correlate with certain disease progression. Therefore, the identification of small molecular compounds that can control sEV production may become a novel therapeutic strategy. In this study, a rapid, highly sensitive sEV quantification method utilizing fusion proteins consisting of Gaussia luciferase (gLuc) reporter protein and sEV markers (CD63 and CD82) was developed. A total of 480 compounds were screened to identify potent inducers and inhibitors of gLuc activity. Two novel compounds, KPYC08425 and KPYC12163, showed significant and dose‐dependent changes in gLuc activity with minimal cytotoxicity based on the LDH assay. The efficacy of these two compounds was further evaluated by protein quantification of the isolated sEVs. Further evaluation of KPYC12163 suggested that the autolysosomal pathway may be involved in its inhibitory effect on sEV production.
When cultural services and biodiversity matter most: Gaining a deeper insight into badlands ecosystem services preferences
Authors: Martínez‐Paz José M. , Albaladejo‐García José A. , Alcon Francisco 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMost dryland ecosystems are characterised by a low ecosystem services (ES) provision, being socially perceived as lacking in cultural and regulating ES. This is the case of the badlands, highly eroded arid ecosystems without vegetation, which have been extensively analysed from a physical point of view, but hardly studied from the point of view of the benefits they provide to society. This paper aimed to determine the social preferences for and the relative importance of the ES provided by badlands. To achieve this objective, a representative sample of the population was taken from the Region of Murcia (Spain), a semiarid Mediterranean area with an abundant presence of these ecosystems. This study area is of additional interest for the provision of ES derived from agroecosystems. The contingent ranking method was used to identify aspects such as the utility provided by the different types of ES and the social well‐being derived from different management policies to be implemented. The results show a preference of the population for cultural ES and biodiversity in the badlands. Given that the implementation of badlands ES protection and a management policy based on the maintenance of agricultural ES are the two strategies that yield the highest social well‐being, the provisioning and regulating ES derived from agroecosystems in the area should be evaluated simultaneously, given the trade‐off that can occur between the two ecosystems. These results provide dryland ecosystem managers with a view of soil erosion management that is different from the traditional one, since it promotes not only its control, but also a greater presence of educational and recreational activities.
Demographic differences in the treatment of unilateral vocal fold paralysis
Authors: Patel Mit A. , Bock Jonathan M. , Blumin Joel H. , Friedland David R. , Adams Jazzmyne A. , Tong Ling , Osinski Kristen I. , Luo Jake 
Published: September 2022

AbstractObjectiveTo determine the impact of patient demographics and social determinants of health on treatment pathways for unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) at a tertiary laryngology clinic.Study designRetrospective medical record review.MethodsPatient demographics (age, gender, race, ethnicity, and insurance status) were extracted for adults diagnosed with UVFP between 2009 and 2019. Odds ratios for the associations between sociodemographic factors and UVFP treatment pathways were determined by chi‐square analyses.ResultsA total of 1490 UVFP diagnoses were identified during the study period with the majority being female (58%), White (85%), non‐Hispanic (97%), and publicly insured (54%). Five treatment pathways were identified: observation, injection laryngoplasty, voice therapy, laryngeal framework surgery/thyroplasty, and reinnervation surgery. There were 538 patients who underwent observation, 512 injection laryngoplasty, 366 voice therapy, 136 thyroplasty, and 26 laryngeal reinnervation surgery. Males were more likely to undergo injection laryngoplasty than females (OR 1.32; CI 1.08–1.61), whereas females were more likely to undergo voice therapy (OR 1.39; CI 1.09–1.76). Patients with public insurance (OR 1.48; CI 1.03–2.14) and Hispanics (OR 2.60; CI 1.18–5.72) were more likely to undergo thyroplasty. Patients who underwent reinnervation surgery were younger than those in other treatment pathways (median: 39.1 years vs. 50.7–56.1 years).ConclusionsGender, ethnicity, and insurance status were significantly associated with specific UVFP treatment pathways. Patients with public insurance were more likely to undergo surgical intervention than voice therapy. This data overall supports differences in care pathway utilization for UVFP based on social determinants of health.Level of evidenceLevel IV.
A Robust Strategy for Photoinitiated Macromolecular Thiol‐Ene Radical Coupling Reaction with High‐Efficiency Based on a RAFT‐Generated Thiol‐Terminated PDPA Reactant
Authors: Yan Lei , Liu Yuyang , Wang Zhiwen , Liu Huan 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThiol‐ene radical coupling reaction exhibits high chemical selectivity and rapid kinetics. In particular, the experiment of photoinitiated reaction has the advantages of facile operation and short reaction time. However, there are few reports on its application in macromolecular thiol‐ene coupling reaction in the presence of polymeric chains containing amine moieties. On the one hand, an amine agent itself may be involved in photoreaction; and on the other hand, amine moieties can create an alkaline environment, which may retard thiol‐ene radical reaction. In this paper, a well‐defined A(B‐L)2 type miktoarm star copolymer unit is investigated and synthesized, together with further A(B‐L)2C type one, by employing macromolecular thiol‐ene radical coupling reactions. In two copolymers, A, B, and C are poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), poly(2‐(diisopropylamino) ethyl methacrylate) (PDPA), and poly(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) arms, respectively, and L is terpyridine (tpy) ligand group and locates at the end of B arm. Especially, the synthesis of A(B‐L)2 type molecular architecture involved that a PDPA reactant (tpy‐PDPA‐SH) contains both a thiol end‐group and pendant tertiary amine moieties. Herein, such a macromolecular thiol‐ene radical coupling reaction is investigated and a robust synthesis strategy is reported.
An extension operator for Sobolev spaces with mixed weights
Authors: Hansen Markus , Schneider Cornelia , Szemenyei Flóra Orsolya 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWe provide an extension operator for weighted Sobolev spaces on polyhedral cones K involving a mixture of weights, which measure the distance to the vertex and the edges of the cone, respectively. Our results are based on Stein's extension operator for Sobolev spaces and generalize previous results of the first author.
Spring‐infusors: How a simple and small solution can create king‐sized complexity
Authors: Laird Pamela , Burr Charlotte , Gill Fenella J. , Schultz André 
Published: September 2022

AbstractAimThe aims of the study were to investigate family and hospital staff views about the use of spring‐infusor devices for administration of intravenous antibiotic medications, to examine if the device is acceptable and feasible and to map a process for implementation.DesignA qualitative study with a pragmatist approach, within a larger, mixed methods knowledge translation study.MethodsData were collected by semi‐structured interviews with patients who have cystic fibrosis and their parents and focus groups and interviews with hospital staff. Interviews were concluded when no new themes were identified. Thematic analysis and process mapping was undertaken.ResultsSix parents, nine children and 30 staff were interviewed. Families preferred spring‐infusors. Staff knowledge, experience and attitudes toward spring‐infusor use was varied. All staff acknowledged that their role is to support patient‐centred care. Spring‐infusors are preferred by families and clinicians above other IV administration devices but misconceptions about spring‐infusor use and numerous procedural challenges reduced their use.
Nucleation of electro‐active β and γ‐phases in P(VDF−HFP) for manufacturing energy harvesting device and self powered weight measuring device
Authors: Sk Asadullah , Adhikary Prakriti , Haldar Prabir Kr. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractHighly electro‐active P(VDF−HFP)/Cu2+ films having more than 99% electro‐active phase was prepared by a simple solution casting method. We used this electro‐active polymer to make piezoelectric generators (PGs). These PGs can instantly light several LEDs just by repeated finger tapping. Using a bridge rectifier, by repeated finger tapping, capacitors were charged successfully by using these PGs. It is observed that when different people walk over these PGs they produce different voltage signals, indicating that these can be used as weight measuring device and in the field of intelligence. These indicate that there is potential for PGs to be used as self‐powered devices where mechanical vibrations can be utilized. Dielectric property of the polymer is also improved. This fabrication process of PGs is very easy and the cost of production is also very low. In our work, we have used very cheap salt as filler and got a very high amount (99%) of electro‐active phases. Also, we have got a very high piezoelectric output voltage (40 Volts) just by finger tapping on the simple device that we fabricated by using the polymer film.
Modeling psychological well‐being among abdominal and pelvic cancer patients: The roles of total pain, meaning in life, and coping
Authors: Krok Dariusz , Telka Ewa , Zarzycka Beata 
Published: September 2022

AbstractObjectiveRelationships between pain and well‐being are mediated by a variety of factors. This study examines a serial mediating role of meaning in life and coping in the relationship of total pain with psychological well‐being in abdominal and pelvic cancer (APC) patients. Total pain is understood in terms of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual components interacting upon one another.MethodsAdult patients diagnosed with the APC (N = 333) who were undergoing radiotherapy/chemotherapy treatment in two inpatient units of university hospitals completed questionnaires measuring total pain, psychological well‐being, meaning in life, and coping. SEM analysis was used to examine serial mediation effects.ResultsAll the dimensions of total pain were negatively associated with presence of meaning, coping strategies, and psychological well‐being. In contrast, the pain dimensions were positively associated with search for meaning. Presence of meaning, search for meaning, emotion‐ and meaning‐focused coping were serial mediators in the relationship between total pain and psychological well‐being.ConclusionsOur results strongly suggests that a holistic examination of pain among patients with cancer is important for several reasons. They also indicate that psychological well‐being is significantly influenced by the serial interplay of personal meaning structures and coping abilities.
Type II congenital pulmonary airway malformation with primary ciliary dyskinesia in a 4‐year‐old child: A case report
Authors: Li Li , Liu Rou , Wang Yuanxiang , Wang Wenjian 
Published: September 2022

AbstractA congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) combined with primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) has not been described in literature. Herein, we described the case of a 4‐year‐old boy who presented to us with recurrent productive cough and rhinorrhea for 2 years. High resolution computed tomography of the thorax revealed multiple, cystic, transparent shadows of different sizes near the posterior thoracic cavity in the lower lobe of the left lung. Thoracoscopic segmentectomy was carried out and histology confirmed a type II CPAM. Whole‐exome sequencing revealed a compound heterozygous mutation (c.10568+1G>A, c.9484delG) in the DNAH11 gene associated with PCD that originated from the boy's mother and father, respectively. This report showed that when a child with CPAM presents with a productive cough and recurrent sinusitis, irrespective of situs inversus, PCD should be suspected. Genetic testing can aid in diagnosis.
Thermodynamic coupling between neighboring binding sites in homo‐oligomeric ligand sensing proteins from mass resolved ligand‐dependent population distributions
Authors: Li Weicheng , Norris Andrew S. , Lichtenthal Katie , Kelly Skyler , Ihms Elihu C. , Gollnick Paul , Wysocki Vicki H. , Foster Mark P. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractHomo‐oligomeric ligand‐activated proteins are ubiquitous in biology. The functions of such molecules are commonly regulated by allosteric coupling between ligand‐binding sites. Understanding the basis for this regulation requires both quantifying the free energy ΔG transduced between sites, and the structural basis by which it is transduced. We consider allostery in three variants of the model ring‐shaped homo‐oligomeric trp RNA‐binding attenuation protein (TRAP). First, we developed a nearest‐neighbor statistical thermodynamic binding model comprising microscopic free energies for ligand binding to isolated sites ΔG0, and for coupling between adjacent sites, ΔGα. Using the resulting partition function (PF) we explored the effects of these parameters on simulated population distributions for the 2N possible liganded states. We then experimentally monitored ligand‐dependent population shifts using conventional spectroscopic and calorimetric methods and using native mass spectrometry (MS). By resolving species with differing numbers of bound ligands by their mass, native MS revealed striking differences in their ligand‐dependent population shifts. Fitting the populations to a binding polynomial derived from the PF yielded coupling free energy terms corresponding to orders of magnitude differences in cooperativity. Uniquely, this approach predicts which of the possible 2N liganded states are populated at different ligand concentrations, providing necessary insights into regulation. The combination of statistical thermodynamic modeling with native MS may provide the thermodynamic foundation for a meaningful understanding of the structure–thermodynamic linkage that drives cooperativity.
Structure determination of an unstable macromolecular complex enabled by nanobody‐peptide bridging
Authors: Lorentzen Josefine , Pedersen Dennis Vestergaard , Gadeberg Trine Amalie Fogh , Andersen Gregers Rom 
Published: September 2022

AbstractStructure determination of macromolecular complexes is challenging if subunits can dissociate during crystallization or preparation of electron microscopy grids. We present an approach where a labile complex is stabilized by linking subunits though introduction of a peptide tag in one subunit that is recognized by a nanobody tethered to a second subunit. This allowed crystal structure determination at 3.9 Å resolution of the highly non‐globular 320 kDa proconvertase formed by complement components C3b, factor B, and properdin. Whereas the binding mode of properdin to C3b is preserved, an internal rearrangement occurs in the zymogen factor B von Willebrand domain type A domain compared to the proconvertase not bound to properdin. The structure emphasizes the role of two noncanonical loops in thrombospondin repeats 5 and 6 of properdin in augmenting the activity of the C3 convertase. We suggest that linking of subunits through peptide specific tethered nanobodies represents a simple alternative to approaches like affinity maturation and chemical cross‐linking for the stabilization of large macromolecular complexes. Besides applications for structural biology, nanobody bridging may become a new tool for biochemical analysis of unstable macromolecular complexes and in vitro selection of highly specific binders for such complexes.
Differential impact of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling on tumor initiation and progression in animal models of prostate cancer
Authors: Wang Shuaibin , Zhang Chao , Xu Zhifang , Chen Michael H. , Yu Haiyan , Wang Lizhong , Liu Runhua 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway is essential for initiation and progression of prostate cancer. However, there has been no a comprehensive comparison for the role of these signaling nodes in prostate tumor initiation and progression.MethodsWith genetically engineered animal models, we compared the impact of prostate‐specific deletions of Pten, Tsc1, and Tsc2 and activation of Akt1 on tumor initiation and progression. Also, we assessed the expression and genetic alterations of PTEN, AKT1, TSC1, and TSC2 in human primary prostate cancers.ResultsFor the genetically engineered mice, prostate conditional knockout (cKO) of Pten, Tsc1, and Tsc2 led to initiation and progression of mouse prostatic neoplasia hyperplasia (mPIN). Akt1 transgenic mice developed more aggressive mPINs than mice with Tsc1 or Tsc2 single‐cKO, but the effect was more moderate than that for Pten single‐cKO or Tsc1/Tsc2 double‐cKO mice. Functional analyses showed that Pten single‐cKO, AKT1 activation, and Tsc1/Tsc2 double‐cKO induced cell proliferation more than Tsc1 or Tsc2 single‐cKO, but only Pten single‐cKO and AKT1 activation reduced epithelial adhesion. All cKO or AKT1 activation enhanced the phosphorylation of p‐S6 (S235/236) but only Pten single‐cKO and Tsc1/Tsc2 double‐cKO enhanced the phosphorylation of p‐AKT (S473) and p‐4EBP1 (T37/46/70). In human prostate cancers, PTEN, but not AKT1, TSC1, or TSC2 had frequent genetic alterations. However, as key signaling nodes, AKT1, TSC1, and TSC2 may be responsible for PTEN loss‐mediated tumor initiation and progression.ConclusionOur results for genetically engineered mouse models suggest a differential role of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling nodes in prostate cancer initiation and progression, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unaddressed.
An adaptive biomarker basket design in phase II oncology trials
Authors: Liu Shufang , Takeda Kentaro , Rong Alan 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThe phase II basket trial in oncology is a novel design that enables the simultaneous assessment of treatment effects of one anti‐cancer targeted agent in multiple cancer types. Biomarkers could potentially associate with the clinical outcomes and re‐define clinically meaningful treatment effects. It is therefore natural to develop a biomarker‐based basket design to allow the prospective enrichment of the trials with the adaptive selection of the biomarker‐positive (BM+) subjects who are most sensitive to the experimental treatment. We propose a two‐stage phase II adaptive biomarker basket (ABB) design based on a potential predictive biomarker measured on a continuous scale. At Stage 1, the design incorporates a biomarker cutoff estimation procedure via a hierarchical Bayesian model with biomarker as a covariate (HBMbc). At Stage 2, the design enrolls only BM+ subjects, defined as those with the biomarker values exceeding the biomarker cutoff within each cancer type, and subsequently assesses the early efficacy and/or futility stopping through the pre‐defined interim analyses. At the end of the trial, the response rate of all BM+ subjects for each cancer type can guide drug development, while the data from all subjects can be used to further model the relationship between the biomarker value and the clinical outcome for potential future research. The extensive simulation studies show that the ABB design could produce a good estimate of the biomarker cutoff to select BM+ subjects with high accuracy and could outperform the existing phase II basket biomarker cutoff design under various scenarios.
Adaptive robust asymptotic tracking control of nonaffine nonlinear systems
Authors: Wang Shubo 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThis article investigates the barrier lyapunov function‐based adaptive robust control scheme for nonaffine nonlinear systems with unknown system dynamics. First, the nonaffine system is converted into affine system via a combination of first‐order filter and coordinate transformation, then a high‐gain observer is utilized to reconstruct the immeasurable states of the derived affine system. Second, a robust integral of the sign of the error (RISE) is incorporated into the control design to reject the unknown dynamics. Third, a barrier lyapunov function based design method is used to ensure that the input vector to the parameter estimation remain within a predefined region. Then, an adaptive robust control scheme with only one adaptive parameter by using the upper bound estimation is developed. Finally, numerical simulations validate the efficacy of the developed control scheme.