Phenotypic pleiotropy of missense variants in human B cell confinement receptor P2RY8.

Missense variants can have pleiotropic effects on protein function, and predicting these effects can be difficult. We performed near-saturation deep mutational scanning of P2RY8, a G protein-coupled receptor that promotes germinal center B cell confinement. We assayed the effect of each variant on surface expression, migration, and proliferation.

Automated classification of chondroid tumor using 3D U-Net and radiomics with deep features.

Classifying chondroid tumors is an essential step for effective treatment planning. Recently, with the advances in computer-aided diagnosis and the increasing availability of medical imaging data, automated tumor classification using deep learning shows promise in assisting clinical decision-making. In this study, we propose a hybrid approach that integrates deep learning and radiomics for chondroid tumor classification.

Formulation of a dry powder for inhalation combining ciclesonide and indacaterol maleate using spray drying.

Dry powders for inhalation are evolving to address the challenge of maximizing lung deposition, with growing interest in carrier-free formulations shaping future therapies. This study focuses on developing an inhalation powder with optimal properties, combining ciclesonide and indacaterol, a combination treatment for asthma not yet available on the market. Using spray-drying technology with cyclodextrins, ultra-flying microparticles aim to be produced to enhance aerosolization and therapeutic efficacy.

Phenotypic pleiotropy of missense variants in human B cell-confinement receptor P2RY8.

Missense variants can have pleiotropic effects on protein function and predicting these effects can be difficult. We performed near-saturation deep mutational scanning of P2RY8, a G-protein-coupled receptor that promotes germinal center B cell confinement. We assayed the effect of each variant on surface expression, migration, and proliferation.

Breakdown of the Static Dielectric Screening Approximation of Coulomb Interactions in Atomically Thin Semiconductors.

Coulomb interactions in atomically thin materials are remarkably sensitive to variations in the dielectric screening of the environment, which can be used to control exotic quantum many-body phases and engineer exciton potential landscapes. For decades, static or frequency-independent approximations of the dielectric response, where increased dielectric screening is predicted to cause an energy redshift of the exciton resonance, have been sufficient. These approximations were first applied to quantum wells and were more recently extended with initial success to layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs).

Six-Body and Eight-Body Exciton States in Monolayer WSe_{2}.

In the archetypal monolayer semiconductor WSe_{2}, the distinct ordering of spin-polarized valleys (low-energy pockets) in the conduction band allows for studies of not only simple neutral excitons and charged excitons (i.e., trions), but also more complex many-body states that are predicted at higher electron densities.

Spin/valley pumping of resident electrons in WSe and WS monolayers.

Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides are ideal materials to control both spin and valley degrees of freedom either electrically or optically. Nevertheless, optical excitation mostly generates excitons species with inherently short lifetime and spin/valley relaxation time. Here we demonstrate a very efficient spin/valley optical pumping of resident electrons in n-doped WSe and WS monolayers.

Cost-Effectiveness of Multitarget Stool DNA Testing vs Colonoscopy or Fecal Immunochemical Testing for Colorectal Cancer Screening in Alaska Native People.

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of multitarget stool DNA testing (MT-sDNA) compared with colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for Alaska Native adults.

Patients And Methods: A Markov model was used to evaluate the 3 screening test effects over 40 years. Outcomes included colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality, costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs).

Pivotal Role of Heteroatoms in Improving the Corrosion Inhibition Ability of Thiourea Derivatives.

1,3-Diphenyl-2-thiourea (DPTU) and 1-phenyl-3-(2-pyridyl)-2-thiourea (PPTU) were selected as the researched subject for investigating the effect of heteroatoms on the low carbon steel corrosion inhibition ability. Results from the potentiodynamic polarization measurements (PPM) indicate that the addition of a nitrogen atom in the benzene ring increases the corrosion inhibition efficiency of PPTU (97.2%), being higher than that of DPTU (93.

Skull Fracture Patterns and Morphologies Among Fatal Motorcycle Traffic Accident Victims in Vietnam.

We aim to describe morphological structures of skull fractures and relevant factors in motorcycle accident victims in Vietnam. This work represents a retrospective cross-sectional study based on forensic reports of fatal motorcycle accident victims. Between January 2013 and August 2019, a total of 226 fatal motorcycle accident patients with skull fracture diagnoses were enrolled.

Performing Group Difference Testing on Graph Structured Data From GANs: Analysis and Applications in Neuroimaging.

Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have emerged as a powerful generative model in computer vision. Given their impressive abilities in generating highly realistic images, they are also being used in novel ways in applications in the life sciences. This raises an interesting question when GANs are used in scientific or biomedical studies.

Valley phonons and exciton complexes in a monolayer semiconductor.

The coupling between spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom plays an important role in a wide range of fundamental phenomena. Monolayer semiconducting transitional metal dichalcogenides have emerged as an outstanding platform for studying these coupling effects. Here, we report the observation of multiple valley phonons - phonons with momentum vectors pointing to the corners of the hexagonal Brillouin zone - and the resulting exciton complexes in the monolayer semiconductor WSe.

Theoretical Study for Exploring the Diglycoside Substituent Effect on the Antioxidative Capability of Isorhamnetin Extracted from .

Radical-scavenging activity of isorhamnetin () and its diglycosides, named isorhamnetin-3,5'--β--diglucoside () and isorhamnetin-3,7--β--diglucoside () extracted from , has been studied through three main antioxidant pathways: hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer followed by proton transfer, and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET). All thermodynamic parameters related to these radical-scavenging mechanisms were computed at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory both in the gas phase and in solution. The results suggest that HAT is the predominant mechanism in the gas phase, while SPLET is supported in an aqueous environment.

Virtual Trions in the Photoluminescence of Monolayer Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides.

Photoluminescence experiments from monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides often show that the binding energy of trions is conspicuously similar to the energy of optical phonons. This enigmatic coincidence calls into question whether phonons are involved in the radiative recombination process. We address this problem, unraveling an intriguing optical transition mechanism.

Dynamical screening in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides and its manifestations in the exciton spectrum.

Monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (ML-TMDs) offer exciting opportunities to test the manifestations of many-body interactions through changes in the charge density. The two-dimensional character and reduced screening in ML-TMDs lead to the formation of neutral and charged excitons with binding energies orders of magnitude larger than those in conventional bulk semiconductors. Tuning the charge density by a gate voltage leads to profound changes in the optical spectra of excitons in ML-TMDs.

Synthesis and Characterization of Advanced Nanomaterials: Tin-Doped Indium Oxide (ITO) and Platinium Deposited on Tin-Doped Indium Oxide (Pt/ITO).

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and platinum nanoparticles deposited on ITO. For different calcination temperatures, the tin-doped indium oxide nanoparticles (ITO NPs) were synthesized successfully by a nonaqueous sol-gel method with indium acetylacetonate and tin bis(acetylacetonate) dichloride in oleylamine as the precursors. The ITO sample that calcinated at 500 °C exhibited a spherical morphology with a narrow range of the particle size distribution (15-20 nm).

Core-Shell Fe@SiO₂ Nanoparticles Synthesized via Modified Stober Method for High Activity in Cr(VI) Reduction.

In this paper, Fe@SiO2 nanoparticles (α-Fe nanoparticles coated with SiO2 shell) were synthesized at room temperature using the modified Stöber method combined with potassium borohydride (KBH4) reduction process. The present study depicts the facile synthesis of Fe@SiO2 without the presence of surfactants and stabilizers. In this experiment, KBH4 acted both as a reducing agent for iron salt and a catalyst for hydrolysis and polycondensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS).

DFT study of the interactions between thiophene-based corrosion inhibitors and an Fe cluster.

Understanding the physicochemical properties of corrosion inhibitors and their chemical interactions with metal surfaces is crucial to the design of improved (i.e., more efficient) corrosion inhibitors.

Delays in treatment intensification with oral antidiabetic drugs and risk of microvascular and macrovascular events in patients with poor glycaemic control: An individual patient simulation study.

Aims: To use the Archimedes model to estimate the consequences of delays in oral antidiabetic drug (OAD) treatment intensification on glycaemic control and long-term outcomes at 5 and 20 years.

Materials And Methods: Using real-world data, we modelled a cohort of hypothetical patients with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥8%, on metformin, with no history of insulin use. The cohort included 3 strata based on the number of OADs taken at baseline.

Utilization of services provided by village based ethnic minority midwives in mountainous villages of Vietnam.

Introduction: Since 2011, the Vietnam's Ministry of Health implemented the ethnic minority midwives (EMMs) scheme in order to increase the utilization of maternal health services by women from ethnic minorities and those living in hard-to-reach mountainous areas. This paper analyzes the utilization of antenatal, delivery, and postpartum care provided by EMMs and reports the key determinants of utilization of EMM services as perceived by service users.

Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered in 2015 to all mothers (n=320) who gave birth to a live-born during a 1-year period in 31 villages which had EMM in two provinces, Dien Bien and Kon Tum.

Carrier screening by next-generation sequencing: health benefits and cost effectiveness.

Background: Compared with conventional genotyping, which typically tests for a limited number of mutations, next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) provides increased accuracy for carrier screening. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost effectiveness of carrier screening using NGS versus genotyping for 14 of the recessive disorders for which medical society guidelines recommend screening.

Methods: Data from published literature, population surveys, and expert opinion were used to develop a decision tree model capturing decisions and outcomes related to carrier screening and reproductive health.

Spin Manipulation in Graphene by Chemically Induced Pseudospin Polarization.

Spin manipulation is one of the most critical challenges to realize spin-based logic devices and spintronic circuits. Graphene has been heralded as an ideal material to achieve spin manipulation, but so far new paradigms and demonstrators are limited. Here we show that certain impurities such as fluorine adatoms, which locally break sublattice symmetry without the formation of strong magnetic moment, could result in a remarkable variability of spin transport characteristics.

Spin dynamics and relaxation in graphene dictated by electron-hole puddles.

The understanding of spin dynamics and relaxation mechanisms in clean graphene, and the upper time and length scales on which spin devices can operate, are prerequisites to realizing graphene-based spintronic technologies. Here we theoretically reveal the nature of fundamental spin relaxation mechanisms in clean graphene on different substrates with Rashba spin-orbit fields as low as a few tens of μeV. Spin lifetimes ranging from 50 picoseconds up to several nanoseconds are found to be dictated by substrate-induced electron-hole characteristics.

Screening for Colorectal Cancer Using a Multitarget Stool DNA Test: Modeling the Effect of the Intertest Interval on Clinical Effectiveness.

Background: A multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) test was recently approved for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening for men and women, aged ≥ 50 years, at average risk of CRC. The guidelines currently recommend a 3-year interval for mt-sDNA testing in the absence of empirical data. We used clinical effectiveness modeling to project decreases in CRC incidence and related mortality associated with mt-sDNA screening to help inform interval setting.

Temporal and spatial assessment of river surface water quality using multivariate statistical techniques: a study in Can Tho City, a Mekong Delta area, Vietnam.

The present study is an evaluation of temporal/spatial variations of surface water quality using multivariate statistical techniques, comprising cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA) and discriminant analysis (DA). Eleven water quality parameters were monitored at 38 different sites in Can Tho City, a Mekong Delta area of Vietnam from 2008 to 2012. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped the 38 sampling sites into three clusters, representing mixed urban-rural areas, agricultural areas and industrial zone.