An introduction to the Item Response Warehouse (IRW): A resource for enhancing data usage in psychometrics.

The Item Response Warehouse (IRW) is a collection and standardization of a large volume of item response datasets in a free and open-source platform for researchers. We describe key elements of the data standardization process and provide a brief description of the over 900 datasets in the current iteration of the IRW (version 28.2).

Weight-independent amelioration of adipokine profile by enavogliflozin, a selective SGLT2 inhibitor, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Background And Objective: The metabolic benefits of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in clinical application are well established; however, there is dearth of knowledge on their impact on adipokine regulation. This study investigated the effect of enavogliflozin on adiponectin and leptin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated changes in serum adiponectin and leptin over 24 weeks.

Valproic Acid Inhibits RhoA-Mediated Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Contraction.

Background: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play an important role in regulating vessel diameter and blood pressure. Dysregulation of VSMC contraction contributes to the development of coronary and post-subarachnoid hemorrhagic (SAH) vasospasms. We investigated the molecular mechanisms by which valproic acid (VPA) inhibits Ras homolog family member A (RhoA)-mediated VSMC contraction in rat VSMCs and isolated aortas.

Interplay between MRI-based axon diameter and myelination estimates in macaque and human brain.

Axon diameter and myelin thickness affect the conduction velocity of action potentials in the nervous system. Imaging them non-invasively with MRI-based methods is, thus, valuable for studying brain microstructure and function. Electron microscopy studies suggest that axon diameter and myelin thickness are closely related to each other.

human neurite exchange time imaging at 500 mT/m diffusion gradients: Neurite exchange time imaging on Connectome 2.0.

Evaluating tissue microstructure and membrane integrity in the living human brain through diffusion-water exchange imaging is challenging due to requirements for a high signal-to-noise ratio and short diffusion times dictated by relatively fast exchange processes. The goal of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging of tissue micro-geometries and water exchange within the brain gray matter using the state-of-the-art Connectome 2.0 scanner equipped with an ultra-high-performance gradient system (maximum gradient strength=500 mT/m, maximum slew rate=600 T/m/s).

Longitudinal changes in cortical cell body and neurite density in people with multiple sclerosis.

Detecting neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration prior to cortical atrophy and subsequent clinical disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been challenging due to limited sensitivity on MRI. Our aim was to assess longitudinal changes in cortical cell body and neurite density related to lesion formation and atrophy using high-gradient diffusion MRI. In this longitudinal study, nine people with MS underwent 3 T high-gradient diffusion MRI at baseline and follow-up (median 5 years).

Ultra-high gradient connectomics and microstructure MRI scanner for imaging of human brain circuits across scales.

Defining the connectome, the complete matrix of structural connections between the nervous system nodes, is a challenge for human systems neuroscience due to the range of scales that must be bridged. Here we report the design of the Connectome 2.0 human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to perform connectomics at the mesoscopic and microscopic scales with strong gradients for in vivo human imaging.

Accompanying Structural Transformations in Polarity Switching of Heavily Doped Conjugated Polymers.

Despite significant recent advancements in highly functional organic semiconductors (OSCs), the n-type OSCs reported to date lag behind their p-type counterparts in terms of long-term environmental stability. As an alternative approach to n-type materials, a few p-type polymers have been shown to undergo dramatic transitions in their charge carrier polarity to n-type through transition metal-incorporated Lewis acid doping. Although the concept of polarity switching is promising, its unclear chemical origin-particularly from a materials science perspective-limits its potential as an n-type counterpart.

Effects of laser beam profiles on the microstructure and magnetic properties of L-PBF soft magnetic alloys.

The growing demand for environmentally sustainable technologies has intensified research into high-frequency motors and transformers, where Fe-Si soft magnetic alloys play a crucial role due to their exceptional magnetic properties. However traditional manufacturing methods limit geometric freedom and degrade alloy performance capabilities, hindering the development of advanced applications. To overcome these issues, laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) offers a promising route by enabling complex shapes, yet mitigating eddy current losses remains challenging at elevated frequencies.

Visualizing cortical laminar architecture in the living human brain using next-generation ultra-high-gradient diffusion MRI.

Characterizing cortical laminar microstructure is essential for understanding human brain function. Leveraging the next-generation Connectome MRI scanner (maximum gradient strength = 500mT/m, slew rate = 600T/m/s), we characterized cortical laminar cytoarchitecture and myeloarchitecture through cortical depth-dependent analyses of soma and neurite density imaging (SANDI) metrics derived from diffusion MRI, enhanced by a super-resolution technique. SANDI revealed distinct laminar profiles: intra-soma signal fraction peaked at ~ 55% cortical depth, while intra-neurite signal fraction increased toward deeper layers, consistent with histological patterns.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and X-Ray Imaging Properties of Ultrasmall Lanthanide Oxide (Ln = Eu, Gd, and Tb) Nanoparticles Synthesized via Thermal Decomposition.

Owing to their 4f electrons and high atomic numbers, lanthanide (Ln) elements impart lanthanide oxide (LnO) nanoparticles with excellent biomedical imaging properties. This study reports synthesis for three types of ultrasmall and monodisperse LnO nanoparticles (Ln = Eu, Gd, and Tb) via thermal decomposition in oleylamine at 280 °C, followed by ligand exchange with citric acid (CA) to produce water-dispersible, CA-grafted LnO nanoparticles with high colloidal stability. The resulting CA-grafted LnO nanoparticles had average diameters of approximately 2 nm.

A 3D vascularized tumor spheroid microfluidic platform for head and neck cancer research: new insights.

Conventional in vitro cancer models often fail to replicate the complexity of the tumor microenvironment. We have developed a 3D micro-engineered vascularized organoid chip (VOC) platform to enhance the physiological relevance of in vivo tumor models. This platform incorporates patient-derived tumor spheroids from head and neck cancer patients, providing a more accurate simulation of the native tumor microenvironment.

Colloidal-quantum-dot nanolaser oscillating at a bound-state-in-the-continuum with planar surface topography for a high -factor.

Solution-based optical gain materials offer a cost-effective path to coherent light sources. Further, bound states in the continuum (BICs) have garnered great interest owing to their diverging quality () factors. Therefore, a hybrid of these - a solution-based material for optical gain and a BIC structure for the lasing mode - should constitute an ideal form factor for low-cost and low-threshold nanolasers.

In vivo cortical microstructure mapping using high-gradient diffusion MRI accounting for intercompartmental water exchange effects.

In recent years, mapping tissue microstructure in the cortex using high gradient diffusion MRI has received growing attention. The Soma And Neurite Density Imaging (SANDI) explicitly models the soma compartment in the cortex assuming impermeable membranes. As such, it does not account for diffusion time dependence due to water exchange in the estimated microstructural properties, as neurites in gray matter are much less myelinated than in white matter.

Effect of Chewing Hardness on Cognitive-Associated Brain Regions Activation.

Introduction And Aims: Recent findings suggest a potential correlation between mastication and cognitive processes. However, the comprehensive investigation into the neurobiological mechanisms of masticatory control, such as the impact of chewing hardness, on cognitive function, remains incomplete. This study aims to investigate the impact of chewing hardness, as an aspect of masticatory control, on cognitive function by examining brain activation patterns during hard and soft chewing conditions.

Wearable Standalone Sensing Systems for Smart Agriculture.

Monitoring crops' biotic and abiotic responses through sensors is crucial for conserving resources and maintaining crop production. Existing sensors often have technical limitations, measuring only specific parameters with limited reliability and spatial or temporal resolution. Wearable sensing systems are emerging as viable alternatives for plant health monitoring.

Advanced Exosome Isolation through Electrophoretic Oscillation-Assisted Tangent-Flow Ultrafiltration with a PVDF-Fiber-Coated SiN Nanofilter.

This study introduces a comprehensive approach to enhancing SiN nanofilters for exosome isolation from bovine milk using the electrophoretic oscillation-assisted tangent-flow ultrafiltration (EPOTF) process. Reinforcing the nanofilter with electro-spun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) fibers significantly improved durability under high-pressure conditions, withstanding nearly 2.8 times greater pressures than nonreinforced nanofilters.

Microbiome-emitted scents activate olfactory neuron-independent airway-gut-brain axis to promote host growth in Drosophila.

While it is now accepted that the microbiome has strong impacts on animal growth promotion, the exact mechanism has remained elusive. Here we show that microbiome-emitted scents contain volatile somatotrophic factors (VSFs), which promote host growth in an olfaction-independent manner in Drosophila. We found that inhaled VSFs are readily sensed by olfactory receptor 42b non-neuronally expressed in subsets of tracheal airway cells, enteroendocrine cells, and enterocytes.

"Popping the Ion-Basket": Enhancing Thermoelectric Performance of Conjugated Polymers by Blending with Latently Dissociable Perovskite Quantum Dots.

A novel additive method to boost the Seebeck coefficient of doped conjugated polymers without a significant loss in electrical conductivity is demonstrated. Perovskite (CsPbBr) quantum dots (QDs) passivated by ligands with long alkyl chains are mixed with a conjugated polymer in a solution phase to form polymer-QD blend films. Solution sequential doping of the blend film with AuCl solution not only doped the conjugated polymer but also decomposed the QDs, resulting in a doped conjugated polymer film embedded with separated ions dissociated from the QDs.

human neurite exchange imaging (NEXI) at 500 mT/m diffusion gradients.

Evaluating tissue microstructure and membrane integrity in the living human brain through diffusion-water exchange imaging is challenging due to requirements for a high signal-to-noise ratio and short diffusion times dictated by relatively fast exchange processes. The goal of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of imaging of tissue micro-geometries and water exchange within the brain gray matter using the state-of-the-art Connectome 2.0 scanner equipped with an ultra-high-performance gradient system (maximum gradient strength=500 mT/m, maximum slew rate=600 T/m/s).

In vivo evidence for cell body loss in cortical lesions in people with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To quantify alterations in soma and neurite density imaging measures within and surrounding cortical lesions in people with multiple sclerosis using in vivo high-gradient diffusion MRI.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 41 people with multiple sclerosis and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent 3 T high-gradient diffusion MRI. Cortical lesions were segmented on artificial intelligence-enabled double inversion recovery images.

Effect of chewing hard material on boosting brain antioxidant levels and enhancing cognitive function.

Introduction: Chewing has been reported to enhance cognitive function through the increase in cerebral blood flow. However, the mechanisms linking cerebral blood flow increase to metabolic changes in the brain affecting cognition remain unclear. We hypothesized that glutathione (GSH) plays a pivotal role in these mechanisms.

Neural correlates of thought-action fusion and their associations with rumination in patients with major depressive disorder.

Thought-action fusion (TAF) is the metacognitive belief that the power of thoughts can have real-life consequences, often inducing unpleasant inner experiences and recruiting coping strategies such as rumination. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of TAF and their associations with rumination in depression. A total of 37 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 37 healthy controls (HCs) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging with a TAF induction task and psychological assessments.

Fire performance of CFRP-strengthened piloti-type columns with fire-resistant materials during standard fire exposure.

This paper presents a numerical investigation into the fire endurance of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)-strengthened columns, shielded with fire-resistant materials, in piloti-type reinforced concrete buildings. The strengthened column, equipped with a fire protection system, underwent exposure to the ASTM E119 standard time-temperature curve for a duration of 4 h. To comprehensively evaluate the thermal and structural performance of the strengthened column at elevated temperatures and substantiate the effectiveness of the fire protection system, a fully coupled thermal-stress analysis was conducted.