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• The cumulative live birth rate after ICSI was similar in couples with severe male factor infertility or normozoospermia. • The number of good-quality embryos did not differ significantly between severe male factor infertility and normozoospermic male. • Transfer of cleavage-stage embryo(s) was a significant (negative) predictor of cumulative live birth. This study evaluated embryological and clinical outcomes in couples with severe male factor infertility versus those with normozoospermia undergoing ICSI and in vitro fertilisation. This multicentre, retrospective cohort study included all couples who had undergone autologous ICSI cycles at My Duc Hospital and My Duc Phu Nhuan Hospital in Vietnam between January 2018 and January 2021 (female age < 35 years and males with severe male factor or normozoospermia based on the World Health Organization 2010 criteria). The primary outcome was the cumulative live birth rate after the first ICSI cycle. A total of 1296 couples were included, including 648 with severe male factor infertility and 648 with normozoospermia. The number of two pronuclei zygotes, embryos, and frozen embryos was significantly lower in couples with severe male factor infertility compared with normozoospermia (p < 0.05). In contrast, there were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to cumulative pregnancy outcomes, including the live birth rate, and secondary outcomes including clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, and miscarriage rate. Severe male factor infertility appeared to have an impact on the fertilisation and early developmental potential of embryos, but sperm quality did not affect cumulative clinical fertility outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their classical work (Sammartino and Caflisch in Commun Math Phys 192(2):463–491, 1998), Caflisch and Sammartino established the inviscid limit and boundary layer expansions of vanishing viscosity solutions to the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations for analytic data on a half-space. The extension to an exterior domain faces a fundamental difficulty that the corresponding linear semigroup may not be contractive in analytic spaces as was the case on the half-space (Nguyen and Nguyen in Arch Ration Mech Anal 230(3):1103–1129, 2018). In this paper, we resolve this open problem for a much larger class of initial data. The resolution is due to the fact that it suffices to propagate solutions that are analytic only near the boundary, following the framework developed in the recent works that involve the boundary vorticity formulation, the analyticity estimates on the Green function, the adapted geodesic coordinates near a boundary, and the Sobolev-analytic iterative scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pemphigus foliaceus is an uncommon autoimmune intraepidermal blistering disease characterized by immunoglobulin (Ig) G autoantibodies that attack desmoglein-1 in the epidermis. There are two predominant forms of pemphigus foliaceus, sporadic and endemic. Sporadic pemphigus foliaceus is known to be more prevalent in middle-aged and elderly people and to be extremely rare in children. Less than 40 nonendemic pediatric pemphigus foliaceus cases have been documented in the literature. This report documents a case of sporadic pemphigus foliaceus in a 3-year-old Vietnamese girl who presented with generalized scaling and crusted erosions over the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular orientation of steroidal side chains at rubbed polyimide (PI) surfaces is studied by sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The main objective is to find a correlation between the molecular structure of the PI film and the liquid crystal alignment on the polymer. Analysis of the SFG spectra shows that rubbing of the polymer film appears to cause conformational changes in the methyl group of the polymer side chain near the steroidal structure. However, rubbing does not significantly influence the orientation of the isopropyl group at the end of the polymer side chain. This shows that the liquid crystal alignment is not correlated with the orientation of the isopropyl group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a quick, simple, green method of converting carbohydrates into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) with the use of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) was reported on. We synthesized 12 DESs for HMF conversion from carbohydrates which were studied under different conditions. Under optimal conditions, oxalic acid and citric acid with a choline chloride-based DES produced a maximum yield of HMF at 59 ± 2% and 62 ± 3% in 5 min at 120 °C, respectively. The efficiency of converting glucose to HMF in a short time (5 min) at 140 °C using CrCl3 with a choline chloride-based DES was around 37 ± 1%, which was higher than in previous work. This study demonstrates the significant potential of DESs as a combination for the continuous catalytic transformation of biomass in the synthesis of platform chemicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compound K (CK) is one of the major metabolites found in mammalian blood and organs following oral administration of Panax plants. CK, also known as minor ginsenoside, can be absorbed in the systemic circulation. It has garnered significant attention in healthcare and medical products due to its pharmacological activities, such as antioxidation, anticancer, antiproliferation, antidiabetics, neuroprotection, and anti-atherogenic activities. However, CK is not found in natural ginseng plants but in traditional chemical synthesis, which uses toxic solvents and leads to environmental pollution during the harvest process. Moreover, enzymatic reactions are impractical for industrial CK production due to low yield and high costs. Although CK could be generated from major ginsenosides, most ginsenosides, including protopanaxatriol-oleanane and ocotillol-type, are not converted into CK by catalyzing β-glucosidase. Therefore, microbial cell systems have been used as a promising solution, providing a safe and efficient approach to CK production. This review provides a summary of various approaches for the production of CK, including chemical and enzymatic reactions, biotransformation by the human intestinal bacteria and endophytes as well as engineered microbes. Moreover, the approaches for CK production have been discussed to improve the productivity of target compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the era of big data, gene-set pathway analyses derived from multi-omics are exceptionally powerful. When preparing and analyzing high-dimensional multi-omics data, the installation process and programing skills required to use existing tools can be challenging. This is especially the case for those who are not familiar with coding. In addition, implementation with high performance computing solutions is required to run these tools efficiently. Methods: We introduce an automatic multi-omics pathway workflow, a point and click graphical user interface to Multivariate Single Sample Gene Set Analysis (MOGSA), hosted on the Cancer Genomics Cloud by Seven Bridges Genomics. This workflow leverages the combination of different tools to perform data preparation for each given data types, dimensionality reduction, and MOGSA pathway analysis. The Omics data includes copy number alteration, transcriptomics data, proteomics and phosphoproteomics data. We have also provided an additional workflow to help with downloading data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium and preprocessing these data to be used for this multi-omics pathway workflow. Results: The main outputs of this workflow are the distinct pathways for subgroups of interest provided by users, which are displayed in heatmaps if identified. In addition to this, graphs and tables are provided to users for reviewing. Conclusion: Multi-omics Pathway Workflow requires no coding experience. Users can bring their own data or download and preprocess public datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium using our additional workflow based on the samples of interest. Distinct overactivated or deactivated pathways for groups of interest can be found. This useful information is important in effective therapeutic targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct conversion of glucose to 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) has been considered a challenging process. In this study, we developed a new method using gadolinium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate (Gd(OTf)3) in combination with Brønsted acidic ionic liquids as a catalytic system to search possibly more environmentally benign process. The reaction was carried out under a continuous-flow system. The one-step isomerization/dehydration of glucose to give the highest HMF with Gd(OTf)3 together with DBU-based Brønsted acidic ionic liquid in a low-cost home-built continuous system. The plausible mechanism was proposed with the Lewis acidic sites of Gd(OTf)3 for the isomerization step and DBU-based Brønsted acidic ionic liquid sites for the dehydration step. The recycling of catalytic system Gd(OTf)3/DBU-based Brønsted acidic ionic liquid in DMSO was examined. Our findings provided a safe and environmental process for the continuous conversion of glucose into HMF. The use of continuous flow for HMF synthesis ensures that the current method can be applied to the large-scale process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of cancer is increasingly made in the pregnant population, thought to be from the increasing average age of pregnancy and the use of prenatal fetal noninvasive screening techniques, leading to incidental detection of cancer in the mother. Complex challenges are associated with imaging, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of cancers in this patient population, which require highly specialized interdisciplinary management. This report discusses the use of multimodality imaging and safety considerations in pregnant patients, reviews the current guidelines for ionizing radiation imaging techniques, and presents a series of commonly and uncommonly encountered cancers in pregnancy with current diagnostic imaging guidelines. The authors also discuss the role of multidisciplinary management and treatment options and provide an overview of therapy‐related considerations in the age of novel anticancer therapies. Plain Language Summary: The diagnosis and management of pregnant patients who have cancer are actively evolving as novel imaging techniques and anticancer therapies are being developed.Radiologically, there are inherent difficulties in balancing the minimization of fetal ionization while acquiring diagnostic quality imaging necessary for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of maternal disease.Standardized imaging protocols are still being developed, with evolving imaging guidelines coupled with rapidly expanding research and development of novel anticancer therapies, which come with their side effects and complications.Caring for this patient population is especially challenging and requires specialized multidisciplinary attention. Cancer during pregnancy is increasingly diagnosed. This article discusses the use of multimodality imaging and safety considerations in pregnant patients as well as treatment options and provides an overview of therapy‐related considerations in the age of novel anticancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer is the second most encountered cancer in pregnant patients. The 2018 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system for cervical cancer updated the staging of primary cervical carcinoma and disease process, with formal incorporation of imaging as a vital source of information in the management process to improve accuracy. Diagnosis and treatment of the pregnant population is a complex interplay of achieving adequate diagnostic information and optimal treatment while minimizing toxicity and risks to the mother and fetus. While novel imaging techniques and anticancer therapies are rapidly developed, much information on the safety and feasibility of different therapies is not yet available in the pregnant population. Therefore, managing pregnant patients with cervical cancer is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the role of interpersonal synchrony between mothers and their 4‐month‐old infants (N = 40) in infant responses to a modified interaction where mothers continually looked and verbalised towards but did not engage with their children. During a natural interaction we observed behavioural synchrony and for a subsample of infants (n = 20) measured change in their salivary oxytocin from before to after the natural interaction. During the modified interaction we observed infant gaze, positive, and negative affect. We found that higher interpersonal synchrony was related to longer infants' social gaze and shorter displays of negative affect during the modified interaction. Increase in infant oxytocin was also associated with longer gaze, but also longer negative and shorter positive affect during the modified interaction. Our results show that interpersonal synchrony allows infants to notice changes in interactions with others, but also helps them to regulate their emotions during such modified exchanges. These findings thus indicate the importance of synchrony experiences with caregivers for the development of early regulatory capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even before infants utter their first words, they engage in highly coordinated vocal exchanges with their caregivers. During these so-called proto-conversations, caregiver–infant dyads use a presumably universal communication structure—turn-taking, which has been linked to favourable developmental outcomes. However, little is known about potential mechanisms involved in early turn-taking. Previous research pointed to interpersonal synchronization of brain activity between adults and preschool-aged children during turn-taking. Here, we assessed caregivers and infants at 4–6 months of age (N = 55) during a face-to-face interaction. We used functional-near infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning to measure dyads' brain activity and microcoded their turn-taking. We also measured infants' inter-hemispheric connectivity as an index for brain maturity and later vocabulary size and attachment security as developmental outcomes potentially linked to turn-taking. The results showed that more frequent turn-taking was related to interpersonal neural synchrony, but the strength of the relation decreased over the course of the proto-conversation. Importantly, turn-taking was positively associated with infant brain maturity and later vocabulary size, but not with later attachment security. Taken together, these findings shed light on mechanisms facilitating preverbal turn-taking and stress the importance of emerging turn-taking for child brain and language development. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Face2face: advancing the science of social interaction'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution of waste and natural waters by antibiotics is a major health issue that induces the development of resistant pathogens. Pollutant may be removed by photocatalysis, yet classical photocatalysis is limited by the short carrier lifetime. Here, we review multicomponent photocatalysts for the synergic degradation of antibiotics. Components include metallic nanoparticles, semiconductors and adsorbents. The synergy of these components provide photocatalysts with advantages such as extended visible-light range with bandgap energy lower than 2.8 eV, improved charge transfer properties, enhanced adsorption capacity and more active reaction sites. The removal of the antibiotics, based on the decrease of the initial concentration, reaches 80–100%, but mineralization is rarely measured in reports. Proposed mechanisms for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics over single and multicomponent photocatalysts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Acute hindlimb ischemia is a peripheral arterial disease that severely affects the patient's health. Injection of stem cells-derived exosomes that promote angiogenesis is a promising therapeutic strategy to increase perfusion and repair ischemic tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of adipose stem cell-derived exosomes injection (ADSC-Exos) in treating acute mouse hindlimb ischemia. Materials and Methods: ADSC-Exos were collected via ultracentrifugation. Exosome-specific markers were analyzed via flow cytometry. The morphology of exosomes was detected by TEM. A dose of 100 ug exosomes/100 ul PBS was locally injected into acute mice ischemic hindlimb. The treatment efficacy was evaluated based on the oxygen saturation level, limb function, new blood vessel formation, muscle structure recovery, and limb necrosis grade. Results: ADSC-exosomes expressed high positivity for markers CD9 (76.0%), CD63 (91.2%), and CD81 (99.6%), and have a cup shape. After being injected into the muscle, in the treatment group, many small and short blood vessels formed around the first ligation and grew down toward the second ligation. The SpO2 level, reperfusion, and recovery of the limb function are more positively improved in the treatment group. On day 28, the muscle's histological structure in the treatment group is similar to normal tissue. Approximately 33.33% of the mice had grade I and II lesions and there were no grade III and IV observed in the treatment group. Meanwhile, in the placebo group, 60% had grade I to IV lesions. Conclusion: ADSC-Exos showed the ability to stimulate angiogenesis and significantly reduce the rate of limb necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bimetallic‐catalyzed oxidative esterification reaction has been conducted between non‐activated C(sp3)–H bonds of symmetric ethers and carboxylic acids with the presence of di‐tert‐butyl peroxide as the oxidant through a cross‐dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) reaction. This approach allows the derivatives of cyclic ether substrates to interact with aromatic acids, giving excellent yields for the formation of α‐acyloxy ethers. The bimetallic organic frameworks catalyst (Fe2Ni‐BDC) that had been synthesized by solvothermal method was successfully utilized for the formation of α‐acyloxy ethers based on the CDC reaction of carboxylic acid with diethylene oxide (approx. 84 % product yield). Besides, this material was also used as catalyst for research scope of benzoic acid containing various substituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senescence is modulated by ORESARA1 (ORE1), a NAC transcription factor that interacts with hormones to fully induce senescence. The At-ore1 gene acts as a suppressor of leaf senescence; however, its exact role in this respect has not been clearly defined. In this study, the function of At-ore1 during leaf senescence was analyzed in soybeans. The precocious leaf senescence of the ore1-1 line was associated with greater chlorophyll loss, leaf necrosis, and redox imbalance in the early vegetative stage during the hyper-accumulation of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) by enhancing the expression of GmNECD3-related ABA synthesis. At-ore1 induced ABA regulation of the H2O2-GmARF2-GmNAC081 signaling circuit, which relays the At-ore1-induced cell death signal mediation to the caspase-1-like vacuolar processing enzyme (VPE) expression, triggering programmed cell death. In contrast, it was found that At-ore1 functions in IAA to delay leaf-senescence-mediated suppression of the expression of ABA, ROS, and senescence-associated gene 39 (GmSAG39). The IAA-induced GmNAC065 expression controls soybean leaves' longevity, as discovered by screening At-ore1 expression in ore1-6 for a more stay-green leaf phenotype by helping to increase seed yields. These results uncover a mechanism that modulates ore1 plants' amplitude expression involved in the ABA/IAA balance in the activation of GmNAC081- or GmNAC065-dependent H2O2 levels, which are crucial in the senescence or delayed leaf senescence of soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymphomatous involvement of the genitourinary system, particularly the kidneys, is commonly detected on autopsies; yet on conventional diagnostic imaging renal lymphoma is significantly underestimated and underreported, in part due to its variable imaging appearance and overlapping features with other conditions. We present a spectrum of typical and atypical appearances of renal lymphoma using multimodality imaging, while reviewing the roles of imaging in the detection, diagnosis, staging, and surveillance of patients with lymphoma. We also illustrate a breadth of benign and malignant entities with similar imaging features confounding the diagnosis of renal lymphoma, emphasizing the role of percutaneous image-guided biopsy. Understanding the spectrum of appearances of renal lymphoma and recognizing the overlapping entities will help radiologists improve diagnostic confidence and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ti-MOF-808(Zr) is synthesized via a microwave-assisted solvothermal method. • Ti-MOF-808(Zr) exhibits remarkable thermal stability (>500 °C) • 4 %Ti-MOF-808(Zr) decomposes 100 % DMNP within 80 s, with a half-life of 14.95 s. • Lewis acid and medium acid influence DMNP hydrolysis efficiency. Nerve agents pose an immediate and severe threat to human health, emphasizing the critical need for catalysts that can rapidly and effectively degrade these agents. Herein, we synthesized Ti-MOF-808(Zr) materials with varying Ti/Zr molar ratio using microwave-assisted solvothermal method. Characterization techniques, including BET analysis, TEM, and TG-DTA, confirmed their outstanding properties, such as a high surface area (1756 m2/g), 100 nm particle size, cubic shape, and remarkable thermal stability exceeding 500 °C. The coexistence of Ti4+ and Zr4+ in the secondary building units or inorganic nodes significantly elevates the number of Lewis and Brønsted acid sites in the bimetallic Ti-MOF-808(Zr), as determined through the TPD-NH 3 and FTIR-CD 3 CN methods. We harnessed the potential of MOF-808(Zr) and Ti-MOF-808(Zr) materials as catalysts for the swift degradation of dimethyl nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP). Remarkably, 4 %Ti-MOF-808(Zr) could degrade DMNP with a half-life of 14.95 s, achieving a complete degradation time within 80 s. We conducted a comprehensive investigation into various factors affecting the DMNP degradation process, including the Ti/Zr molar ratio, catalyst mass, pH, and buffer solution concentration. Notably, our findings reveal that the efficiency of DMNP degradation is profoundly influenced by both the total number of Lewis acid sites and the average acid sites ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The RIG‐I pathway can be activated by RNA containing 5′ triphosphate, leading to type I interferon release and immune activation. Hence, RIG‐I agonists have been used to induce immune responses against cancer as potential immunotherapy. However, delivery of 5′ triphosphorylated RNA molecules as RIG‐I agonists to tumour cells in vivo is challenging due to the susceptibility of these molecules to degradation. In this study, we demonstrate the use of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from red blood cells (RBCs), which are highly amenable for RNA loading and taken up robustly by cancer cells, for RIG‐I agonist delivery. We evaluate the anti‐cancer activity of two novel RIG‐I agonists, the immunomodulatory RNA (immRNA) with a unique secondary structure for efficient RIG‐I activation, and a 5′ triphosphorylated antisense oligonucleotide with dual function of RIG‐I activation and miR‐125b inhibition (3p‐125b‐ASO). We find that RBCEV‐delivered immRNA and 3p‐125b‐ASO trigger the RIG‐I pathway, and induce cell death in both mouse and human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, we observe a significant suppression of tumour growth coupled with increased immune cell infiltration mediated by the activation of RIG‐I cascade after multiple intratumoral injections of RBCEVs loaded with immRNA or 3p‐125b‐ASO. Targeted delivery of immRNA using RBCEVs with EGFR‐binding nanobody administrated via intrapulmonary delivery facilitates the accumulation of RBCEVs in metastatic cancer cells, leading to potent tumour‐specific CD8+ T cells immune response. This contributes to prominent suppression of breast cancer metastasis in the lung. Hence, this study provides a new strategy for efficient RIG‐I agonist delivery using RBCEVs for immunotherapy against cancer and cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of High-Utility Itemset Mining (HUIM) and Frequent Itemset Mining (FIM) is crucial since it explains consumer behavior and offers actionable advice to improve business results. HUIM algorithms have been successfully established to identify high-utility itemsets, including those with negative utilities. The problem with these approaches is that they presume incorrectly that items with negative utility across transactions would always be losses. Products with positive profitability may seem negative when combined with other items to increase sales or reduce inventory. Using strict upper-bound approaches, this paper presents strategies for making database scanning more efficient and reducing the number of prospective candidates. We also prove that it is correct to use the proposed upper-bounds for pruning on several types of items in the database. Based on all the proposed solutions, we develop a novel algorithm to solve this problem efficiently. To demonstrate their efficiency, the algorithms are tested against states-of-art HUIM algorithm on diverse datasets with regard to size and characteristics with unstable negative profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of biomass to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), levulinic acid (LA), formic acid (FA), and other platform chemicals is attracting more attention. In this work, the catalysts were prepared from sugarcane bagasse with H 2 SO 4 (BG-H 2 SO 4) and with p-TsOH (BG-TsOH) containing –SO 3 H, –COOH, and –OH groups on the surface and used for the conversion of sugarcane bagasse into these valuable compounds. The cellulose was extracted from the sugarcane bagasse by an acetate-based ionic liquid and used as a starting material for this conversion. After investigation, the optimal conditions were BG-H 2 SO 4 (50 mg), MnCl 2.4H 2 O (1 mmol), and [DMSO][ChCl] deep eutectic solvent (10 mmol) at 120 °C for 10 h. The highest yields of valuable products were 17.59 % of HMF, 15.92 % of DFF, 20.02 % of FA, and 41.09 % of LA. Catalytic performance was compared to traditional methods using sulfuric acid in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIMCl) ionic liquid. The BG-H 2 SO 4 catalyst could be recovered and reused four times. Based on the study, the combination of BG-H 2 SO 4 , MnCl 2.4H 2 O, and [DMSO][ChCl] demonstrated an efficient and sustainable reaction medium for biomass conversion. Our work will help the scientific community apply revolutionary technologies to sustainably create sophisticated materials with high technological application. [Display omitted] • BG-H 2 SO 4 and BG-TsOH catalysts were synthesized from sugarcane bassage. • Cellulose from sugarcane bagasse was extracted by acetate ionic liquid. • The catalytic system demonstrated to be cost-effective and environmentally friendly. • The total yield was obtained in 97 % (17.59 % HMF, 15.92 % DFF, 20.02 % FA, and 41.09 % LA) in 10 h at 120 °C. • The catalytic system could be recovered and reused four times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent of utilization of magnesium silicate hydrate (MSH) in construction is limited partly because of insufficient data ascertaining the kinetics of its precipitation. Here, MSH grown homogeneously or heterogeneously in the range of magnesium to silicon solution molar concentration ratios, [Mg]/[Si] = 0.5–1.5, and temperature = 25–80 °C was analyzed for its chemical structure and morphology. Infrared spectroscopy and geochemical modeling show that increasing the [Mg]/[Si] ratio results in less silicate polymerization in MSH. Atomic force microscopy reveals the presence of nanoparticles that aggregate and fuse to form films. Oriented attachment of nanoparticles and features indicative of enhanced crystallinity were observed at higher temperatures and longer reaction times. These data provide direct evidence for the persistence of hierarchical structures (i.e., nanoparticles forming 3D microparticles and 2D film layers) at the nanoscale to mesoscale. These findings offer insights into the precise chemical synthesis of MSH and its widespread use as a binder for construction purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-synthetic derivatives of camptothecin, a quinoline alkaloid found in the Camptotheca acuminata tree, are potent anticancer agents. Here we discovered two C. acuminata cytochrome P450 monooxygenases that catalyze regio-specific 10- and 11-oxidations of camptothecin, and demonstrated combinatorial chemoenzymatic C-H functionalizations of the camptothecin scaffold using the new enzymes to produce a suite of anticancer drugs, including topotecan (Hycamtin®) and irinotecan (Camptosar®). This work sheds new light into camptothecin metabolism, and represents greener approaches for accessing clinically relevant camptothecin derivatives. Camptothecin derivatives are precursors of potent anticancer agents, but their biosynthesis remains largely unknown. Here two cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are shown to regiospecifically oxidize camptothecin, yielding 10- and 11- hydroxylated derivatives, which are subsequently used to produce a suite of known anticancer drugs and derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2015, a fast growing number of deep learning–based methods have been proposed for protein–ligand binding site prediction and many have achieved promising performance. These methods, however, neglect the imbalanced nature of binding site prediction problems. Traditional data-based approaches for handling data imbalance employ linear interpolation of minority class samples. Such approaches may not be fully exploited by deep neural networks on downstream tasks. We present a novel technique for balancing input classes by developing a deep neural network–based variational autoencoder (VAE) that aims to learn important attributes of the minority classes concerning nonlinear combinations. After learning, the trained VAE was used to generate new minority class samples that were later added to the original data to create a balanced dataset. Finally, a convolutional neural network was used for classification, for which we assumed that the nonlinearity could be fully integrated. As a case study, we applied our method to the identification of FAD- and FMN-binding sites of electron transport proteins. Compared with the best classifiers that use traditional machine learning algorithms, our models obtained a great improvement on sensitivity while maintaining similar or higher levels of accuracy and specificity. We also demonstrate that our method is better than other data imbalance handling techniques, such as SMOTE, ADASYN, and class weight adjustment. Additionally, our models also outperform existing predictors in predicting the same binding types. Our method is general and can be applied to other data types for prediction problems with moderate-to-heavy data imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we characterized a gene expression system induced by 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) in Pseudomonas denitrificans. The system consists of a putative LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) encoded by hpdR and a LTTR-responsive promoter that positively controls the expression of hpdH, encoding 3-HP dehydrogenase in the presence of 3-HP. In the hpdH-responsive promoter region, two operators exhibiting dyad symmetry and designated O1 and O2 and centered at the −73 and −30 positions, respectively, were located upstream of the hpdH transcription start site. When either O1, O2, or both regions were mutated, the inducibility by the HpdR-3-HP complex was significantly reduced or completely removed, indicating that both sites are required for transcriptional activation. The HpdR protein and its operator sites on hpdH were highly specific for each other, and did not engage in cross-talk with another similar 3-HP-inducible system that is also present in P. denitrificans. This 3-HP-inducible promoter system should be useful in developing biosensors for 3-HP, and/or dynamic gene expression systems for metabolic engineering purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrathoracic involvement with lymphomas is common and manifests lymphadenopathy as well as a wide spectrum of imaging abnormalities in the lungs. Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare extranodal subtype of large B-cell lymphoma that typically involves small blood vessels and is difficult to detect.Methods: Using a computer-assisted search, we identified patients with histopathologically proven IVLBCL in the lungs at Mayo Clinic from 2001 through 2018. Medical records, imaging studies, and pathologic specimens were reviewed.Results: A total of 5 patients were diagnosed with a median age at diagnosis of 68 years (range, 44-73); 4 patients were male. The diagnosis of IVLBCL was achieved by surgical lung biopsy in 3 and at autopsy in 2. At presentation, all 5 patients had dyspnea and systemic symptoms including fever, fatigue, night sweats, and/or weight loss. Chest radiography and computed tomography (CT) failed to demonstrate the diffuse infiltrative process; positron emission tomography (PET) scan performed in 2 patients did not show fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the lungs. Pulmonary function tests obtained in 3 patients showed reduced diffusing capacity in all; transthoracic echocardiography yielded evidence of pulmonary hypertension in 2 of 4 patients. All 3 patients diagnosed antemortem underwent chemotherapy with 1 patient remaining alive at 4 years after diagnosis.Conclusions: IVLBCL is difficult to diagnose given variable and nonspecific clinical presentations. Microvascular disease processes such as IVLBCL should be kept in mind in cases of undiagnosed progressive dyspnea accompanied by systemic symptoms even when imaging studies are unrevealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) has been previously evidenced in mother–child interactions, yet findings concerning father–child interaction are wanting. The current experiment examined whether fathers and their 5‐ to 6‐year‐old children (N = 66) synchronize their brain activity during a naturalistic interaction, and addressed paternal and child factors related to INS. Compared to individual problem solving and rest, father–child dyads showed increased INS in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left temporo‐parietal junction during cooperative problem solving. Furthermore, the father's attitude toward his role as a parent was positively related to INS during the cooperation condition. These results highlight the implication of the father's attitude to parenting in INS processes for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the relationship between the police and the public is a major focus of American police agencies. Community–police dialogues represent a potential avenue to facilitate positive interactions and promote the four pillars of procedural justice (voice, neutrality, respect, and impartiality). Recent funding has allowed one agency to host six community–police dialogues (three with adult community members and three with youth community members). These events allow citizens to participate in a community building circle with police to build community and discuss various concerns relevant to their city. Using pre- and post-test data from dialogue participants, the current study seeks to determine the effects of the community–police dialogue on community perceptions of voice, trust, respect, and empathy towards their police department. Following participation, community members reported a greater willingness to work with police to improve relationships, greater trust and respect towards police officers, and a greater awareness of the challenges faced by police officers. Some key differences emerged depending on the age group of the participant. Similarly, police officers reported higher levels of respect for and trust in the community and greater feelings of respect from residents. These findings highlight the potential for dialogue events to promote procedural justice and enhance community partnerships, especially for youth community members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the boundary layer theory for slightly viscous stationary flows forced by an imposed slip velocity at the boundary. According to the theory of Prandtl (in: International mathematical congress, Heidelberg, 1904; see Gesammelte Abhandlungen II, 1961) and Batchelor (J Fluid Mech 1:177–190, 1956), any Euler solution arising in this limit and consisting of a single “eddy” must have constant vorticity. Feynman and Lagerstrom (in: Proceedings of IX international congress on applied mechanics, 1956) gave a procedure to select the value of this vorticity by demanding a necessary condition for the existence of a periodic Prandtl boundary layer description. In the case of the disc, the choice—known to Batchelor (1956) and Wood (J Fluid Mech 2:77–87, 1957)—is explicit in terms of the slip forcing. For domains with non-constant curvature, Feynman and Lagerstrom give an approximate formula for the choice which is in fact only implicitly defined and must be determined together with the boundary layer profile. We show that this condition is also sufficient for the existence of a periodic boundary layer described by the Prandtl equations. Due to the quasilinear coupling between the solution and the selected vorticity, we devise a delicate iteration scheme coupled with a high-order energy method that captures and controls the implicit selection mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversations are an essential form of communication in daily family life. Specific patterns of caregiver–child conversations have been linked to children's socio-cognitive development and child-relationship quality beyond the immediate family environment. Recently, interpersonal neural synchronization has been proposed as a neural mechanism supporting conversation. Here, we present a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning study looking at the temporal dynamics of neural synchrony during mother–child conversation. Preschoolers (20 boys and 20 girls, M age 5;07 years) and their mothers (M age 36.37 years) were tested simultaneously with fNIRS hyperscanning while engaging in a free verbal conversation lasting for 4 min. Neural synchrony (using wavelet transform coherence analysis) was assessed over time. Furthermore, each conversational turn was coded for conversation patterns comprising turn-taking, relevance, contingency and intrusiveness. Results from linear mixed-effects modeling revealed that turn-taking, but not relevance, contingency or intrusiveness predicted neural synchronization during the conversation over time. Results are discussed to point out possible variables affecting parent–child conversation quality and the potential functional role of interpersonal neural synchronization for parent–child conversation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The flow reactor was employed for fructose dehydration to 5-HMF using acidic ionic liquids. • 1-(4-Sulfobutyl)-3-methylimidazolium bromide resulted in the maximum 5-HMF yield, which was achieved in 68.0% for 5 min. • The method showed environmentally friendly and practical synthesis of HMF. The application of continuous flow reactors for sustainable chemical research and production has attracted much attention. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) has been considered high potential for the production of chemicals and fuels. This work demonstrated the promise of synthesizing 5-HMF with high yield and selectivity using ionic liquids under continuous flow. The effects of temperature, solvent, catalyst activity, catalyst loading, substrate, and large-scale synthesis were investigated to choose the optimal reaction condition. As a result, 1-(4-sulfobutyl)-3-methylimidazolium bromide afforded 5-HMF in the good yield, about 68% in DMSO at 140 °C for 5 min. This approach is not only an eco-friendly pathway but also saves time, which can obtain high efficiency and apply in the large-scale production of 5-HMF from fructose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microwave irradiation from a commercial microwave oven was used for a green, safe, simple, and effective process. • High yield and selectivity of 5-HMF from fructose were obtained using easily accessible and low-cost materials. • An easy method to synthesize efficient carbonaceous catalysts with high surface acidity from an abundant biomass source D-glucose. • The highest 5-HMF yield was achieved in 79.9% for 5 min using CC-oxa with the loading of 1 mg as catalyst in DMSO. Recently, the catalytic conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) has attracted much interest. The idea of a low-cost, sustainable, energy-efficient method is critical to obtain excellent yield and selectivity for the target product 5-HMF. In this work, microwave (MW) irradiation was chosen as a heating source for the conversion of fructose to 5-HMF with the presence of various amorphous carbons containing Brønsted acid sites as catalysts in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a solvent. The catalysts' morphology, surface functional groups, thermal stability, and compositions of the obtained solids were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), elemental mapping, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The effect of solvent, heating technique, MW power, time, and catalytic loading on the reaction was studied thoroughly. The highest 5-HMF yield of 79.9% and 5-HMF selectivity of 79.7% were achieved with the optimal condition. 5-HMF was easily separated using a liquid-liquid extraction procedure with high purity. Moreover, the catalyst can be quickly recovered and reused. MW irradiation has proved to selectively and efficiently promote the formation of 5-HMF with high yield in a short reaction time. A mechanism for the formation 5-HMF from fructose was also proposed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth vanadate, BiVO4, is a visible-light response semiconductor for photocatalysis applications such as organic pollutants degradation, oxygen production and carbon dioxide reduction. However, as a single-phase photocatalyst, BiVO4 efficiency is limited by the unpreferable recombination of the photoexcited electron (e−) and hole (h+). Thus, strategies have been designed to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency by promoting the separation of electrons and holes. This can be done by controling the morphology and crystallographic facets of BiVO4, and by building p–n junction photocatalytic systems with a combination of n-type semiconductors (BiVO4) and p-type semiconductors or a monoclinic–tetragonal heterostructure of BiVO4. In particular, a direct p–n junction photocatalytic system with tetragonal zircon-structured BiVO4 (t-z) and monoclinic scheelite-structured BiVO4 (m-s) combination has recently attracted attention. Here we review the synthesis of the monoclinic–tetragonal heterostructured BiVO4 photocatalyst (m–t BiVO4) by calcination, hydrothermal, microwave-assisted hydrothermal and solvothermal methods. m–t BiVO4 formation and the transmission phase between t-z and m-s are controlled by the calcining temperature, precursor pH, metal doping content, type of solvent, implementation of precursors and reaction conditions. We discuss m–t BiVO4 crystal structure, optical characteristics and photocatalytic principles. Successful formation of BiVO4 crystals with a m-s/t-z heterostructure is based on data from X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS). In the m–t BiVO4 heterostructure, a direct p–n junction photocatalytic system is established. When this system is exposed to visible light, the electrons in the conduction band of m-s BiVO4, a n-type semiconductor, migrate easily to the conduction band of t-z BiVO4, while the holes on valence band of t-z BiVO4, a p-type semiconductor, move to the valence band of m-s BiVO4 through an internal electric field. As a result, the e−/h+ charge carriers are spatially separated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to synthesize and evaluate the photocatalytic activity of bismuth terephthalate material (Bi-BDC) synthesized by solvothermal (ST) and microwave-assisted solvothermal (MW) methods. Differences in the crystal structure and crystal shape were assessed by analytical methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 adsorption/desorption, Raman spectrum, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). From XRD, IR, Raman, and XPS results, the fully crystallized Bi-BDC materials were achieved regardless of the preparation router. Bi-BDC-MW exhibited spherical-like morphologies, producing between stacked lamellar, while Bi-BDC-ST method exhibited a heterogeneous structure. The TGA data indicated that Bi-BDC is thermally stable up to 300 °C, suggesting the excellent thermal stability of Bi-BDC. The surface area and pore volume of Bi-BDC-MW (18 m2/g and 85 × 10−3 cm3/g) are higher than those of Bi-BDC-ST (16 m2/g and 52 × 10−3 cm3/g), which is due to its well-defined lamellar microstructure and homogeneity of the crystals. Compared to Bi-BDC-ST, Bi-BDC-MW has a higher value in the content of oxygen vacancy. Moreover, the photocatalytic efficiency of Bi-BDC-MW was significantly higher than that of Bi-BDC-ST, in which 99.44% rhodamine B (RhB) is removed after 360 min of irradiation. The improved photocatalytic efficiency of Bi-BDC-MW is ascribed to the morphology, specific surface area, and oxygen defects, which exhibited the good separation of electrons and holes, as confirmed by the photoluminescence (PL). The results should open a new approach to enhancing the photocatalytic activity of bismuth terephthalate materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, degradable cross-linked carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated polymer was prepared by a facile route using "click" chemistry. Firstly, copolymers of poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PSM) were functionalized with furfuryl amine and propargyl amine in a simple one-pot reaction to produce furan-alkyne bifunctional PSM copolymers (PSFA). Secondly, the PSFA chains were covalently anchored to the surface of CNTs by the Diels-Alder "click"-type reaction in water under ultrasound assistance affording PSFA/CNTs. Eventually, azide–alkyne cycloaddition click reaction was taken place between the PSFA/CNTs and bis-(azidoethyl)disulfide as a crosslinking agent in the presence of Cu(0)/PMDTA catalyst system. The successful functionalization of CNTs was confirmed by a series of characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The degradable cross-linked PSFA/CNTs could convert hydrophobic to hydrophilic character under reducing environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal osseous neoplasms are frequently encountered and can be challenging when present as solitary lesions. Familiarity with the range of benign and malignant spinal pathology can help the radiologist formulate a comprehensive differential diagnosis. This article focuses on the spectrum of extradural spinal tumors, accounting for the majority of primary spinal tumors, by comparing the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and characteristic imaging appearance of these lesions. The discussion includes the commonly encountered benign lesions, such as vertebral venous vascular malformation and enostosis, as well as malignant lesions including metastases and lymphoma. The article also includes other less-encountered primary spinal tumors such as plasmacytoma, osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, giant cell tumor, eosinophilic granuloma, chordoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and angiosarcoma. Familiarity with the characteristic imaging features can help the radiologist reach an accurate diagnosis and obviate the need for unnecessary invasive procedures such as biopsy and surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic drug‐drug interactions (DDIs), psychotropic drug‐drug interactions (pDDIs) are of particular interest because psychopharmacologic agents mark one of the fastest growing therapeutic drug classes over the past 2 decades, and prescribing multiple psychotropic drugs has become increasingly prevalent in clinical practice. However, the documentation of pDDIs across drug references has lacked consistency. Thus we set out to review the primary evidence directly supporting 58 pDDIs that were uniformly reported as "major" or "contraindicated" in three prominent drug references: Clinical Pharmacology, Micromedex, and Lexicomp. We identified 134 citations from Micromedex in December 2017 and 4251 citations from Medline in March 2018 involving any of the 58 pDDIs. The included articles directly observed a clinical adverse effect or effects on drug plasma concentrations from the concomitant use of the two listed drugs in each pDDI. These articles were classified as controlled studies (e.g., randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, or observational studies) or uncontrolled studies (case reports). A total of 124 studies with 2716 patients were included in this review. Commonly evaluated adverse effects related to the studied pDDIs included decreased effectiveness, central nervous system depression, neurotoxicity, QT‐interval prolongation, and serotonin syndrome. Among the 58 pDDIs, 18 (31%) were not supported by any primary studies. Among the remaining 35 pDDIs supported by studies on clinical adverse effects, only 14 (40%) included evidence from controlled study designs. Only 7 (12.1%) of the 58 pDDIs had evidence from studies with a combined sample size of more than 100 patients. This literature review highlights the poor quality of evidence supporting major or contraindicated psychotropic DDI warnings. Most DDIs lacked support from controlled studies that evaluated clinically significant adverse effects, leaving uncertainty about the clinical relevance of the warning. More postmarketing studies are needed to evaluate the safety of psychotropic combination therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thoracic inlet is located at the crossroads between imaging of the neck and chest. It represents an important anatomic landmark, serving as the central conducting pathway for many vital structures extending from the neck into the chest and vice versa. Many important body systems are located within this region, including the enteric, respiratory, vascular, lymphatic, neurologic, and endocrine systems. A detailed examination of this region is essential when reviewing neck and thoracic imaging. This article will discuss the normal anatomic boundaries of the thoracic inlet and present an image-rich systematic discussion of the non-neoplastic pathology that can occur in this region. The neoplastic pathology of the thoracic inlet will be covered in a companion article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane proteins, the most important drug targets, account for around 30% of total proteins encoded by the genome of living organisms. An important role of these proteins is to bind adenosine triphosphate (ATP), facilitating crucial biological processes such as metabolism and cell signaling. There are several reports elucidating ATP-binding sites within proteins. However, such studies on membrane proteins are limited. Our prediction tool, DeepATP, combines evolutionary information in the form of Position Specific Scoring Matrix and two-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network to predict ATP-binding sites in membrane proteins with an MCC of 0.89 and an AUC of 99%. Compared to recently published ATP-binding site predictors and classifiers that use traditional machine learning algorithms, our approach performs significantly better. We suggest this method as a reliable tool for biologists for ATP-binding site prediction in membrane proteins. In this study, we approach a deep learning technique via convolutional neural network on position specific scoring matrix to identify ATP-binding sites in membrane proteins, which is the most important drug targets. We also addressed the imbalanced dataset issue, which can be seen in most binding site prediction problems. With an MCC of 0.89 and an AUC of 99%, our proposed technique can serve as a powerful tool for biologists to identify ATP-binding sites in membrane proteins. Moreover, this study provides a basis for further research that can enrich a field of applying deep learning in bioinformatics. Image 1 • Many life-essential biology mechanisms can be understood by identifying accurately ATP-binding sites in membrane proteins. • Existing predictors can be used to predict ATP-binding membrane proteins but lack of specificity reduces their potential. • The specific and greatly imbalanced dataset issue of ATP-binding sites in membrane proteins was also address. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane transport proteins and their substrate specificities play crucial roles in various cellular functions. Identifying the substrate specificities of membrane transport proteins is closely related to protein-target interaction prediction, drug design, membrane recruitment, and dysregulation analysis, thus being an important problem for bioinformatics researchers. In this study, we applied word embedding approach, the main cause for natural language processing breakout in recent years, to protein sequences of transporters. We defined each protein sequence based on the word embeddings and frequencies of its biological words. The protein features were then fed into machine learning models for prediction. We also varied the lengths of protein sequence's constituent biological words to find the optimal length which generated the most discriminative feature set. Compared to four other feature types created from protein sequences, our proposed features can help prediction models yield superior performance. Our best models reach an average area under the curve of 0.96 and 0.99, respectively on the 5-fold cross validation and the independent test. With this result, our study can help biologists identify transporters based on substrate specificities as well as provides a basis for further research that enriches a field of applying natural language processing techniques in bioinformatics. In this study, we aimed at identifying the substrate specificities of transport proteins, which is closely related to protein-target interaction prediction, drug design, and dysregulation analysis. We defined each protein sequence based on the word embeddings and frequencies of its biological words. The protein features were then fed into machine learning models for prediction. We also varied the lengths of protein sequence's constituent biological words to find the optimal length which generated the most discriminative feature set. Our final model built based on the best choice of biological word lengths and machine learning algorithms achieves a high average accuracy of 95% and 97%, average area under the curve of 0.96 and 0.99, respectively on the 5-fold cross validation and independent test. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum) is a nutrition-rich product containing antioxidant components and preventive properties against cancer risk. However, there is currently a scarcity of research on processing techniques to diversify products and extend the preservation time of the active compounds in tamarillo. In this study, we focused on developing a cider processing procedure from tamarillo by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Angel RV002). Fermentation conditions, such as the dilution ratio (66 : 34–34 : 66%, w / w), medium pH (3.5–5), total soluble solids (TSS 10–26°Brix), and yeast ratio (0.6–1.2 g/L) were investigated. Ethanol concentration, pH, TSS, titratable acidity, total sugar content, and reducing sugar content were evaluated from day 0 to day 5 of fermentation. At a 50 : 50 (%, w / w) dilution ratio of the tamarillo juice with water, pH 4.5, TSS of 22°Brix, and the addition of yeast 0.6 g/L to the fermentation process, the ethanol concentration reached 7.54 ± 0.11 (%, v / v) after 4 days of fermentation. Additionally, the product maintained a moderately low pH (pH 4.16). The final product exhibited a high sugar content and dissolved nutrients. The results of this study are expected to serve as a basis for the production of tamarillo cider, contributing to the diversification of the product, enhancing the value of tamarillo, and promoting economic development in the region of cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of data mining, high utility itemset mining (HUIM) is a relevant mining task, with the aim of analyzing customer transaction databases. HUIM consists of exploiting the set of items that are often purchased together and yield high profit value. In real-world applications, transaction databases often come with item categorization, stored in a taxonomy. Items in these databases can be clustered into specific categories at higher levels of abstraction. Extracting and analyzing itemsets discovered from different levels of abstraction can provide more useful insights into customer behaviors. However, considering item taxonomy increases the problem's complexity, hence prolonging the execution time needed to explore the search space. Parallelism is thus employed to address this drawback, but previous approaches are not efficient as they only adopt simple scheduling strategies or do not utilize the full capabilities of a multi-core processor. This work introduces three new efficient strategies to significantly boost the performance of the multi-level high utility itemset mining task using multi-core processing. Two new algorithms, called MCML+ and MCML++, are also proposed by adopting the suggested strategies. Extensive experiments on several large databases show that our proposed algorithms have better performance compared to previous approaches in terms of running time and scalability, up to 4.0 times better than the previous parallelized algorithm, the MCML-Miner algorithm; and over 9.0 times faster than the original sequential algorithm, the MLHUI-Miner algorithm. • Parallelism is applied at many parts of the algorithm to improve mining performance. • Adopting Shortest Jobs First strategy to lower average waiting time. • Two new algorithms were developed, namely MCML+ and MCML++ • Evaluating the proposed algorithms on many databases to assess their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,5-Diformylfuran (DFF) is an important chemical that is utilized to synthesize several valuable chemicals. Direct preparation of DFF from plentiful and inexpensive carbohydrates in a one-pot approach is highly desired. Here, we report the development of a heterogeneous sulfonated amorphous carbon-derived sugarcane bagasse combined with KBr as a catalyst system to convert fructose to DFF in a short time and high yield in DMSO. Several reaction conditions, such as the effect of metal bromide, the effect of KBr and carbon-based solid acid catalyst loading, the effect of temperature, the effect of solvent, the effect of substrate, reusability test, and scale-up synthesis, have been investigated. The optimized yield of DFF was 90 ± 3% at 140 °C in DMSO solvent for 5 h. The approach has several outstanding features, including high chemo-selectivity, high yield, low cost, and recyclable catalyst. [Display omitted] • One-pot synthesis of DFF using sulfonated amorphous carbon produced from sugarcane bagasse, KBr, and DMSO has been developed. • The optimized yield of DFF was 90 ± 3% at 140 °C in DMSO solvent for 5 h. • BG-H 2 SO 4 /KBr also exhibited good recycling stability and could be reused three times. • The catalytic system demonstrated to be cost-effective and environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female mate choice can result in direct benefits to the female or indirect benefits through her offspring. Females can increase their fitness by mating with males whose genes encode increased survivorship and reproductive output. Alternatively, male investment in enhanced mating success may come at the cost of reduced investment in offspring fitness. Here, we measure male mating success in a mating arena that allows for male–male, male–female and female–female interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. We then use isofemale line population measurements to correlate male mating success with sperm competitive ability, the number of offspring produced and the indirect benefits of the number of offspring produced by daughters and sons. We find that males from populations that gain more copulations do not increase female fitness through increased offspring production, nor do these males fare better in sperm competition. Instead, we find that these populations have a reduced reproductive output of sons, indicating a potential reproductive trade‐off between male mating success and offspring quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane fusion is vital for cellular function and is generally mediated via fusogenic proteins and peptides. The mechanistic details and subsequently the transition state dynamics of membrane fusion will be dependent on the type of the fusogenic agent. We have previously established the potential of general anesthetics as a new class of fusion triggering agents in model membranes. We employed two-photon excitation fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (TPE-FCCS) to report on vesicle association kinetics and steady-state fluorescence dequenching assays to monitor lipid mixing kinetics. Using halothane to trigger fusion in 110 nm diameter dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) liposomes, we found that lipid rearrangement towards the formation of the fusion stalk was rate limiting. The activation barrier for halothane induced membrane fusion in 110 nm vesicles was found to be ∼40 kJ mol−1. We calculated the enthalpy and entropy of the transition state to be ∼40 kJ mol−1 and ∼180 J mol−1 K−1, respectively. We have found that the addition of halothane effectively lowers the energy barrier for membrane fusion in less curved vesicles largely due to entropic advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We establish the inviscid limit of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on the whole plane R² for initial data having vorticity as a superposition of point vortices and a regular component. In particular, this rigorously justifies the vortex-wave system from the physical Navier-Stokes flows in the vanishing viscosity limit, a model that was introduced by Marchioro and Pulvirenti in the early 90s to describe the dynamics of point vortices in a regular ambient vorticity background. The proof rests on the previous analysis of Gallay in his derivation of the vortex-point system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pd/PdO‐decorated BiVO4 nanoparticles were prepared by two‐step router: (i) monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 nanoparticles were fabricated via the co‐precipitation process in the presence of urea; (ii) Pd/PdO was decorated BiVO4 surface by the combination of by precipitation method and annealing process. The as‐synthesized catalysts were characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis, Raman spectra, X‐ray photoelectron (XPS) spectra, UV‐visible diffuse reflectance (UV‐vis DRS) spectra, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performance of Pd/PdO‐decorated BiVO4 samples exhibited excellent photodegradation of rhodamine B as well as the OH• radical generation under LED light irradiation as a comparison with the bare BiVO4. This excellent outcome is due to the reduced electron/hole recombination of Pd/PdO‐decorated BiVO4 samples, which was confirmed by PL characterization. Therefore, the fabrication of semiconductors with a combination of noble metal/oxides are good candidates for enhancement of their photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thoracic inlet is located at the crossroads between imaging of the neck and chest. It represents an important anatomic landmark, serving as the central conducting pathway for many vital structures extending from the neck into the chest and vice versa. Many important body systems are located within this region, including the enteric, respiratory, vascular, lymphatic, neurologic, and endocrine systems. A detailed examination of this region is essential when reviewing neck and thoracic imaging. This article will discuss the normal anatomic boundaries of the thoracic inlet and present an image-rich systematic discussion of the non-neoplastic pathology that can occur in this region. The neoplastic pathology of the thoracic inlet will be covered in a companion article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their classical work, Sammartino and Caflisch (Commun Math Phys 192(2):433-461, 1998a; Commun Math Phys 192(2):463-491, 1998b) proved the inviscid limit of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for well-prepared data with analytic regularity in the half-space. Their proof is based on the detailed construction of Prandtl’s boundary layer asymptotic expansions. In this paper, we give a direct proof of the inviscid limit for general analytic data without having to construct Prandtl’s boundary layer correctors. Our analysis makes use of the boundary vorticity formulation and the abstract Cauchy-Kovalevskaya theorem on analytic boundary layer function spaces that capture unbounded vorticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]