julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Carbon oxidation with sacrificial anodes to inhibit O2evolution in membrane-less bioelectrochemical systems for microbial electrosynthesis
2022-08-25

Abstract Microbial electrosynthesis is an emerging biosynthesis technology that produces value-added chemicals and fuels and, at the same time, reduces the environmental carbon footprint. However, constraints, such as low current densities and high inner resistance, disfavor this technology for industrial-scale purposes. The cathode performance has been strongly improved in recent years, while the anode performance has not been given enough attention despite its importance in closing the electric circuit. For traditional water electrolysis, O 2 is produced at the anode, which is toxic to the anaerobic autotrophs that engage in microbial electrosynthesis. To overcome O 2 toxicity in conventional microbial electrosynthesis, the anode and the cathode chamber have been separated by an ion-exchange membrane to avoid contact between the microbes and O 2 . However, ion-exchange membranes increase the maintenance costs and compromise the production efficiency by introducing an additional internal resistance. Furthermore, O 2 is inevitably transferred to the catholyte due to diffusion and electro-osmotic fluxes that occur within the membrane. Here, we proved the concept of integrating carbon oxidation with sacrificial anodes and microbes to simultaneously inhibit the O 2 evolution reaction (OER) and circumvent membrane application, which allows microbial electrosynthesis to proceed in a single chamber. The carbon-based anodes performed carbon oxidation as the alternative reaction to the OER. This enables microbial electrosynthesis to be performed with cell voltages as low as 1.8-2.1 V at 10 A·m -2 . We utilized Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH in a single-chamber Bioelectrochemical system (BES) with the best performing carbon-based anode ( i . e ., activated-carbon anode with soluble iron) to achieve a maximum cathode-geometric CH 4 production rate of 27.3 L·m -2 ·d -1 , which is equal to a volumetric methane production rate of 0.11 L·L -1 ·d -1 in our BES, at a coulombic efficiency of 99.4%. In this study, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH was majorly limited by sulfur that inhibited electromethanogenesis. However, this proof-of-concept study allows microbial electrosynthesis to be performed more energy-efficiently and can be immediately utilized for research purposes in microbial electrosynthesis.
Data: What is conservation paleobiology? Tracking 20 years of development
2022-08-25

&lt;p&gt;Survey and literature review data supporting the manuscript:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Dillon et a (in review)&nbsp;What is conservation paleobiology? Tracking 20 years of development, &lt;em&gt;Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
Retinol and Retinol Binding Protein 4 Levels and Cardiometabolic Disease Risk
2022-08-26

Background: Despite mechanistic studies linking retinol and RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4) to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D), epidemiological evidence is still conflicting. We investigated whether conflicting results of previous studies may be explained by differences in the association of retinol and RBP4 with cardiometabolic risk across subgroups with distinct sex, hypertension state, liver, or kidney function. Methods: We used case-cohorts nested in the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition)-Potsdam cohort (N=27 548) comprising a random sample of participants (n=2500) and all physician-verified cases of incident CVD (n=508, median follow-up time 8.2 years) and T2D (n=820, median follow-up time 6.3 years). We estimated nonlinear and linear multivariable-adjusted associations between the biomarkers and cardiometabolic diseases by restricted cubic splines and Cox regression, respectively, testing potential interactions with hypertension, liver, and kidney function. Additionally, we performed 2-sample Mendelian Randomization analyses in publicly available data. Results: The association of retinol with cardiometabolic risk was modified by hypertension state ( P interaction CVD&lt;0.001; P interaction T2D&lt;0.001). Retinol was associated with lower cardiometabolic risk in participants with treated hypertension (hazard ratio per SD [95% CI]: CVD, 0.71 [0.56–0.90]; T2D, 0.81 [0.70–0.94]) but with higher cardiometabolic risk in normotensive participants (CVD, 1.32 [1.06–1.64]; T2D, 1.15 [0.98–1.36]). Our analyses also indicated a significant interaction between RBP4 and hypertension on CVD risk ( P interaction=0.04). Regarding T2D risk, we observed a u-shaped association with RBP4 in women ( P nonlinearity=0.01, P effect=0.02) and no statistically significant association in men. The biomarkers’ interactions with liver or kidney function were not statistically significant. Hypertension state-specific associations for retinol concentrations with cardiovascular mortality risk were replicated in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a hypertension-dependent relationship between plasma retinol and cardiometabolic risk and complex interactions of RBP4 with sex and hypertension on cardiometabolic risk.
The TonB‐dependent uptake of pyrroloquinoline‐quinone (PQQ) and secretion of gluconate by Escherichia coli K‐12
2022-08-26

Abstract Glucose is taken up by Escherichia coli through the phosphotransferase system (PTS) as the preferred carbon source. PTS mutants grow with glucose as a carbon source only in the presence of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ), which is needed as a redox cofactor for the glucose dehydrogenase Gcd. The membrane‐anchored Gcd enzyme oxidises glucose to gluconolactone in the periplasm. For this reaction to occur, external supply of PQQ is required as E. coli is unable to produce PQQ de novo. Growth experiments show that PqqU (previously YncD) is the TonB‐ExbBD‐dependent transporter for PQQ through the outer membrane. PQQ protected the cells from the PqqU‐dependent phage IsaakIselin (Bas10) by competition for the receptor protein. As a high affinity uptake system, PqqU allows E. coli to activate Gcd even at surrounding PQQ concentrations of about 1 nmoL/L. At about 30‐fold higher PQQ concentrations, the activation of Gcd gets PqqU independent. Due to its small size, Pqq may also pass the outer membrane through porins. The PQQ‐dependent production of gluconate has been demonstrated in many plant growth‐promoting bacteria that solubilise phosphate minerals in the soil by secreting this acid. Under phosphate limiting conditions also E. coli induces the glucose dehydrogenase and secretes gluconate, even in absence of PTS, that is, even when the bacterium is unable to grow on glucose without PQQ.
Case report: Novel SCN4A variant associated with a severe congenital myasthenic syndrome/myopathy phenotype
2022-08-26

We present a now 18-year-old female patient with a severe congenital myopathy phenotype, originally diagnosed as mitochondrial myopathy, however later revealed to constitute a SCN4A -related myopathy based on genetic testing. After birth, floppiness, bradycardia and respiratory insufficiency ensued, and moderately reduced mitochondrial complex I activity was found in muscle tissue (tested at 3 weeks and 3 years of age, respectively). She was treated with riboflavin, carnitine, creatine and a ketogenic diet. At the age of 13 years, whole exome sequencing challenged the initial diagnosis by identifying two (compound heterozygous) SCN4A variants affecting the highly conserved voltage sensor and pore regions of the voltage-gated sodium channel Na V 1.4: a known pathogenic loss of function (LOF) variant [c.4360C&amp;gt;T; p.(Arg1454Trp)] and a novel variant of uncertain significance [c.3615C&amp;gt;G; p.(Asn1205Lys)]. For this novel variant, a LOF effect was predicted by in silico , clinical and functional evidence from paralog human sodium channels, and the variant was accordingly classified as likely pathogenic. The patient's phenotype is in line with the few published cases of autosomal recessive SCN4A -related myopathy. There was limited benefit from treatment with salbutamol and acetazolamide, while pyridostigmine caused side effects at a minor dose. This report highlights the importance of genetic testing in severe myopathies particularly in regard to treatment options and the value of paralog information in evaluating ion channel variations.
Renewable energy transition in Senegal? Exploring the dynamics of emerging paths to a sustainable energy system
2022-08-26

Research into the transition of energy systems has attracted considerable attention in recent years from a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. From evolutionary economic geography (EEG), scholars have emphasized the processes underlying the formation of new energy paths in energy system transitions. These processes have been well studied in Global North countries, but insights into the processes shaping the energy transition in sub-Saharan Africa are still limited. This study provides a contribution to fill that gap by exploring the emerging energy paths in Senegal through the lens of EEG, using the framework of regional path creation processes to analyze qualitative interview data from 17 experts in the Senegalese energy sector. Senegal is an instructive country to study, as its energy sector is undergoing substantial reform that has accelerated the deployment of large-scale renewable energy projects in recent years. The study uncovers three parallel evolving energy paths stemming from path transplantation, indigenous path creation, and path upgrading. Each path differs greatly in its legitimation and in the role of institutions as enablers. These results not only contribute to the ongoing scientific debate; but also provide insights for development agencies, national and regional institutions, NGOs and private actors involved in the Senegalese energy system.
Parametrically enhanced interactions and nonreciprocal bath dynamics in a photon-pressure Kerr amplifier
2022-08-26

Photon-pressure coupling between two superconducting circuits is a promising platform for investigating radiation-pressure coupling in distinct parameter regimes and for the development of radio-frequency (RF) quantum photonics and quantum-limited RF sensing. Here, we implement photon-pressure coupling between two superconducting circuits, one of which can be operated as a parametric amplifier. We demonstrate a Kerr-based enhancement of the photon-pressure single-photon coupling rate and an increase of the cooperativity by one order of magnitude in the amplifier regime. In addition, we observe that the intracavity amplification reduces the measurement imprecision of RF signal detection. Last, we demonstrate that RF mode sideband cooling is unexpectedly not limited to the effective amplifier mode temperature arising from quantum noise amplification, which we interpret in the context of nonreciprocal heat transfer between the two circuits. Our results demonstrate how Kerr amplification can be used as resource for enhanced photon-pressure systems and Kerr cavity optomechanics.
Secure Service Function Chaining in the Context of Zero Trust Security
2022-08-26

Service Function Chaining (SFC) enables dynamic steering of traffic through a set of service functions based on classification of packets, allowing network operators fine-grained and flexible control of packet flows. New paradigms like Zero Trust (ZT) pose additional requirements to the security of network architectures. This includes client authentication, confidentiality, and integrity throughout the whole network, while also being able to perform operations on the unencrypted payload of packets. However, these requirements are only partially addressed in existing SFC literature. Therefore, we first present a comprehensive analysis of the security requirements for SFC architectures. Based on this analysis, we propose a concept towards the fulfillment of the requirements while maintaining the flexibility of SFC. In addition, we provide and evaluate a proof of concept implementation, and discuss the implications of the design choices.
Validation of the Liver Transplant Risk Score in Europe
2022-08-26

The Liver Transplant Risk Score (LTRS) is a simple clinical instrument developed to predict post liver transplant outcomes based on patient characteristics measured at the time of listing. The LTRS was developed using data of adult patients transplanted in the United States. In this study, we validated the performance of the LTRS in a cohort of patients transplanted in Europe.
Endovascular treatment of acute tandem lesions in patients with mild anterior circulation stroke
2022-08-26

Background In patients with mild strokes the risk–benefit ratio of endovascular treatment (EVT) for tandem lesions has yet to be evaluated outside of current guideline recommendations. This study investigates the frequency as well as procedural and safety outcomes in daily clinical practice. Methods Using data from the German Stroke Registry-Endovascular Treatment (GSR-ET) we analyzed patients with anterior circulation stroke due to tandem-lesions and mild deficits. These patients were defined as ≤5 on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Recanalization was assessed with the modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Scale (mTICI). Early neurological and long-term functional outcomes were assessed with the NIHSS change and modified Rankin scale (mRS), respectively. Safety assessment included periprocedural complications and the rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). Results A total of 61 patients met the inclusion criteria and were treated endovascularly for tandem lesions. The median age was 68 (IQR:59–76) and 32.9% (20) were female. Patients were admitted to the hospital with a median NIHSS score of 4 (IQR:2–5) and a median Alberta Stroke Programme Early CT Score (ASPECTS) of 9 (IQR:8–10). Successful recanalization (mTICI 2b-3) was observed in 86.9% (53). NIHSS decreased non-significantly (p=0.382) from baseline to two points (IQR:1–9) at discharge. Excellent (mRS≤1) and favorable (mRS≤2) long-term functional outcome at 90-days was 55.8% (29) and 69.2% (36), respectively. Mortality rates at 90-days were 9.6% (5) and sICH occurred in 8.2% (5). Conclusions EVT for tandem lesions in patients with mild anterior circulation stroke appears to be feasible but may lead to increased rates of sICH. Further studies comparing endovascular with best medical treatment (BMT) especially investigating the risk of periprocedural hemorrhagic complications, are needed.
Single-cell transcriptomic profiling in inherited retinal degeneration reveals distinct metabolic pathways in rod and cone photoreceptors
2022-08-26

Abstract The cellular mechanisms underlying hereditary photoreceptor degeneration are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to systematically map the transcriptional changes that occur in the degenerating mouse retina at the single cell level. To this end, we employed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and retinal degeneration-1 ( rd1 ) mice to profile the impact of the disease mutation on the diverse retinal cell types during early post-natal development. The transcriptome data allowed to annotate 43,979 individual cells grouped into 20 distinct retinal cell types. We further characterized cluster-specific metabolic and biological changes in individual cell types. Our results highlight Ca 2+ -signaling as relevant to hereditary photoreceptor degeneration. Though metabolic reprogramming in retina, known as ‘Warburg effect’, has been documented, further metabolic changes were noticed in rd1 mice. Such metabolic changes in rd1 mutation was likely regulated through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. By combining single-cell transcriptomes and immunofluorescence staining, our study revealed cell type-specific changes in gene expression, as well as interplay between Ca 2+ induced cell death and metabolic pathways.
Measuring the speed of light in liquids with a smartphone
2022-08-26

The LIDAR sensor built into many smartphones and tablets (mainly iOS devices) can be used to measure the speed of light in water and other transparent media to demonstrate that speed of light depends on the substance it travels through. This adds another feature to the vast opportunities using smartphones in physics education.
Time perception at resting state and during active motion: The role of anxiety and depression
2022-08-26

Our study implies the importance of distinguishing between clinical and subclinical severity of psychiatric symptoms when considering the association between motion intensity, time perception, anxiety and depression. Potential transdiagnostic relevance of resting state motion intensity is also addressed.
Case Report: MRI, CEUS, and CT Imaging Features of Metanephric Adenoma with Histopathological Correlation and Literature Review
2022-08-26

The metanephric adenoma is an extremely rare, benign, embryonal-epithelial neoplasm of the kidney and has a good prognosis with appropriate treatment. It can present at any age and is often asymptomatic. Histologically, the lesion is well established; however, there have been only a few cases described with available detailed imaging findings, most of them with large renal masses typically depicted by computed tomography (CT). This case report includes imaging of contrast-enhanced MRI, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and CT, and thus adds to the information available, potentially promoting a nephron-sparing clinical pathway. We report on the clinical presentation, imaging, histopathological diagnosis, and treatment data of a 27-year-old female, in whom an incidental, symptomatic kidney tumor was detected. CT, CEUS, and MRI showed a suspicious unifocal renal lesion with inhomogeneous enhancement, which was indistinguishable from renal cell carcinoma. After laparoscopic resection, a metanephric adenoma with microscopically partially glandular, partially nest-like solid growth and without distinctive atypia was diagnosed pathohistologically. Immunohistochemistry results were positive for Wilms Tumor 1 and CD57 and negative for EMA and CK7: 2–3% positive cells in MIB1 coloring. At 3-month and 1-year follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and imaging showed no recurrence of renal masses or metastases.
A tunable macroscopic quantum system based on two fractional vortices
2022-08-26

Abstract We propose a tunable macroscopic quantum system based on two fractional vortices. Our analysis shows that two coupled fractional vortices pinned at two artificially created κ discontinuities of the Josephson phase in a long Josephson junction can reach the quantum regime where coherent quantum oscillations arise. For this purpose we map the dynamics of this system to that of a single particle in a double-well potential. By tuning the κ discontinuities with injector currents, we are able to control the parameters of the effective double-well potential as well as to prepare a desired state of the fractional vortex molecule. The values of the parameters derived from this model suggest that an experimental realization of this tunable macroscopic quantum system is possible with today's technology.
Loss of symmetric cell division of apical neural progenitors drivesDENND5A-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy
2022-08-26

Abstract Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are a heterogenous group of epilepsies in which altered brain development leads to developmental delay and seizures, with the epileptic activity further negatively impacting neurodevelopment. Identifying the underlying cause of DEEs is essential for progress toward precision therapies. Here we describe a group of individuals with biallelic variants in DENND5A and determine that variant type is correlated with disease severity. We demonstrate that DENND5A interacts with MUPP1 and PALS1, components of the Crumbs apical polarity complex, which is required for both neural progenitor cell identity and the ability of these stem cells to divide symmetrically. Induced pluripotent stem cells lacking DENND5A fail to undergo symmetric cell division during neural induction and have an inherent propensity to differentiate into neurons, and transgenic DENND5A mice, with phenotypes like the human syndrome, have an increased number of neurons in the adult subventricular zone. Disruption of symmetric cell division following loss of DENND5A results from misalignment of the mitotic spindle in apical neural progenitors. A subset of DENND5A is localized to centrosomes, which define the spindle poles during mitosis. Cells lacking DENND5A orient away from the proliferative apical domain surrounding the ventricles, biasing daughter cells towards a more fate-committed state and ultimately shortening the period of neurogenesis. This study provides a mechanism behind DENND5A -related DEE that may be generalizable to other developmental conditions and provides variant-specific clinical information for physicians and families.
Reassessment of Surgical Procedures for Complex Obstructive Genital Malformations: A Case Series on Different Surgical Approaches
2022-08-26

The objective of this case series was to describe different uterus-preserving surgical approaches and outcomes in patients with complex obstructive Müllerian duct malformation caused by cervical and/or vaginal anomalies. A retrospective analysis was performed including patients undergoing uterovaginal anastomosis (n = 6) or presenting for follow-up (n = 2) at the Department for Gynecology at the University of Tuebingen between 2017 and 2022. Uterovaginal anastomosis was performed with a one-step combined vaginal and laparoscopic approach (method A), a two-step/primary open abdominal approach with primary vaginal reconstruction followed by abdominal uterovaginal anastomosis after vaginal epithelization (method B) or an attempted one-step approach followed by secondary open abdominal uterovaginal anastomosis due to reobstruction (method A/B). Patients presented at a mean age of 15 years. Two patients were treated by method A, four by method B and two by method A/B. Functional anastomosis was established in seven of eight patients, with normal vaginal length in all patients. Concerning uterovaginal anastomosis, the primary open abdominal approach with or without previous vaginal reconstruction seems to have a higher success rate with fewer procedures and should be implemented as standard surgical therapy for complex obstructive genital malformations including the cervix.
Self-supervised learning for automated anatomical tracking in medical image data with minimal human labeling effort
2022-08-27

We conclude that automated tracking of anatomical structures on time-resolved medical image data with minimal human labeling effort is feasible using SSL and can provide superior results compared to conventional and deep learning OF-based methods.