Modulating the behavior of ethyl cellulose-based oleogels: The impact food-grade amphiphilic small molecules on structural, mechanical, and rheological properties

This work evaluates the ability of various lipid-based amphiphilic small molecules (ASMs) to modulate the mechanical and rheological properties of oleogels principally structured by ethyl cellulose (EC). Six ASMs varying in the chemical structure of their polar headgroups were used to produce EC-ASM oleogels. Stearic acid (StAc), monoacylglycerol (MAG), sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL), and citric acid esters of monoglycerides (CITREM) all provided a dramatic enhancement in gel strength, while lactic acid (LACTEM) and acetic acid (ACETEM) esters produced only a marginal increase. Those additives which crystallized above 20 °C displayed pronounced changes in their network organization and crystal morphology in the presence of EC. Differences in the solid/liquid phase change behavior were also observed in select samples using differential scanning calorimetry. Both the small and large amplitude oscillatory shear responses were dependent on the ASM which was dependent on the chemistry of the headgroup, crystal network organization, and ability to plasticize the polymer network. The extent of thixotropic recovery was largely dependent on the polarity of functional groups in the ASMs, but was also influenced by the formation of a secondary crystal network. In general, ASMs which formed larger, system-spanning crystal networks (MAG, StAc) produced more brittle gels, while the highly hydrophilic, charged headgroup of SSL promoted a homogeneous distribution of small crystals, resulting in a tougher material. In the absence of a crystal network, stronger polar species in the ASM headgroup produced higher gel strength and increased elasticity. Thus, both ASM chemical structure and crystallization properties strongly contribute to the functionality of the resulting combined oleogelator systems

Benefit of Varying Navigation Strategies in Robot Teams

Inspired by recent human studies, this paper investigates the benefits of employing varying navigation strategies in robot teams. We explore how mixed navigation strategies impact task completion time, environment exploration, and overall system effectiveness in multi-robot systems. Experiments were conducted in a simulated rectangular environment using Clearpath PR2 robots and evaluated different navigation strategies observed in humans: 1) Route (RT) knowledge where agents follow a predefined path, 2) Survey (SW) knowledge where agents take the shortest path while avoiding obstacles, 3) Mixed strategies with varying proportions, such as 40% RT and 60% SW (0.4RT 0.6SW) and 60% RT and 40% SW (0.6RT 0.4SW), and 4) An additional strategy where agents switch from RT to SW 10% of the time (0.9RT 0.1SW). While SW strategy is the most time-efficient, RT strategy covers more of the environment. Mixed strategies offer a balanced trade-off. These findings highlight the advantages of variability in navigation strategies, suggesting benefits in both biological and robotic populations. Additionally, we have observed that human participants in a similar study would start on a route, and then 10% of the time switch to survey. Therefore, we investigate a 90% Route 10% Survey (0.9RT 0.1SW) strategy for individual team members. While a pure Survey strategy is the most efficient regarding time taken and a pure Route strategy covers more of the environment, a mixture of strategies appears to be a beneficial tradeoff between time taken to complete a mission and area coverage. These results highlight the advantages of population variability, suggesting potential benefits in both biological and robotic populations

An optimized fractionation method reveals insulin-induced membrane surface localization of GLUT1 to increase glycolysis in LβT2 cells

Insulin is an important regulator of whole-body glucose homeostasis. In insulin sensitive tissues such as muscle and adipose, insulin induces the translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the cell membrane, thereby increasing glucose uptake. However, insulin also signals in tissues that are not generally associated with glucose homeostasis. In the human reproductive endocrine axis, hyperinsulinemia suppresses the secretion of gonadotropins from gonadotrope cells of the anterior pituitary, thereby linking insulin dysregulation to suboptimal reproductive health. In the mouse, gonadotropes express the insulin receptor which has the canonical signaling response of IRS, AKT, and mTOR activation. However, the functional outcomes of insulin action on gonadotropes are unclear. Here, we demonstrate through use of an optimized cell fractionation protocol that insulin stimulation of the LβT2 gonadotropic cell line results in the unexpected translocation of GLUT1 to the plasma membrane. Using our high purity fractionation protocol, we further demonstrate that though Akt signaling in response to insulin is intact, insulin-induced translocation of GLUT1 occurs independently of Akt activation in LβT2 cells

Proteome-wide association studies for blood lipids and comparison with transcriptome-wide association studies

Blood lipid traits are treatable and heritable risk factors for heart disease, a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have discovered hundreds of variants associated with lipids in humans, most of the causal mechanisms of lipids remain unknown. To better understand the biological processes underlying lipid metabolism, we investigated the associations of plasma protein levels with total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in blood. We trained protein prediction models based on samples in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and applied them to conduct proteome-wide association studies (PWASs) for lipids using the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (GLGC) data. Of the 749 proteins tested, 42 were significantly associated with at least one lipid trait. Furthermore, we performed transcriptome-wide association studies (TWASs) for lipids using 9,714 gene expression prediction models trained on samples from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in MESA and 49 tissues in the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. We found that although PWASs and TWASs can show different directions of associations in an individual gene, 40 out of 49 tissues showed a positive correlation between PWAS and TWAS signed p values across all the genes, which suggests high-level consistency between proteome-lipid associations and transcriptome-lipid associations

COVID-19 in California Community Colleges: College Responses, College Resources, and Student Outcomes

In Spring 2020, colleges across the nation swiftly transitioned their operations—including both classes and student support services—to remote delivery on an emergency basis in response to the crisis posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. While prior research has documented that the transition was associated with decrements in student outcomes, there remains limited understanding of the organizational factors that might have mitigated these negative associations during the pandemic. Drawing on administrative data from the California Community College system, along with a novel survey conducted among distance education leaders, our study reveals that the degree of declines in course completion and course passing rates varied based on pre-COVID online education resources (such as the ratio of distance education personnel to students and the availability of pre-COVID professional development programs in online learning): Colleges with greater pre-COVID online resources experienced more modest declines in student performance. To a lesser extent, we also found that declines in student performance during the onset of the pandemic varied depending on the responses implemented in reaction to the pandemic, such as the extent of technology delivery to students. The implications of our findings extend to the realm of planning for the continuity of operations in potential future crises

Surgical management of a lateral sphenoid sinus encephalocele: 2-Dimensional operative video.

Encephaloceles are considered rare with an approximate incidence of 1 in 35,000, and sphenoid encephaloceles are even more uncommon.2 Two types of sphenoid encephaloceles exist: medial perisellar encephaloceles, and lateral sphenoidal encephaloceles. Surgical correction of the lateral sphenoid recess encephalocele is achieved via one of two endoscopic approaches: extended sphenoidotomy or transpterygopalatine. Extended sphenoidotomy is preferred if the angle between the access door and lateral extension of bone defect is greater than 35°1. Otherwise, the transpterygopalatine approach is used. Intraoperative video demonstrating an extended sphenoidotomy approach to correcting a lateral recess sphenoidal encephalocele has not previously been published. Here we present a case of a 41-year-old female who presented with meningitis, a cerebrospinal fluid leak, and an incidental sphenoid mass. Brain MRI redemonstrated the mass in the sphenoid sinus consistent with an encephalocele occupying Sternbergs Canal. The patient consented to the procedure. The video demonstrates the skull base approach, encephalocele extraction, collagen inlay, and nasal septal bone and vascularized pedicled nasoseptal flap placement. Postoperative imaging confirmed the placement of the collagen inlay and nasal septal bone autograft. The patient recovered from surgery and was discharged on post-operative day 3 with no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak recurrence. Postoperative follow up demonstrated viable nasoseptal graft without evidence of CSF leak. For patients with favorable anatomy, an extended sphenoidotomy approach to lateral sphenoid sinus encephalocele resection is a preferred alternative to the transpterygoid approach. This surgical video demonstrates the technique for managing lateral sphenoid sinus encephaloceles occupying Sternbergs canal, including endonasal approach, encephalocele resection and posterior sphenoid wall repair

XOLARIS: A 24-Month, Prospective, Natural History Study of 201 Participants with Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator-Associated X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the understanding of the natural disease progression of retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR)-associated X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP). DESIGN: A multicenter, prospective, observational natural history study over 24 months. PARTICIPANTS: Male participants aged ≥7 years with a pathogenic variant in the RPGR gene, a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) score of ≥34 ETDRS letters, and a mean 68-loci retinal sensitivity (assessed by microperimetry) of 0.1 to 20 decibels (dB). METHODS: Participants were divided into subgroups based on their BCVA score at baseline: 34 to 73 (lower BCVA) or ≥74 (higher BCVA) ETDRS letters. There were 7 visits over 24 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change from baseline in BCVA, retinal sensitivity, low luminance visual acuity (LLVA), fixation stability, contrast sensitivity, visual field, anatomical measures, 25-item Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25), intraocular pressure, and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: Overall, 201 participants were included. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age was 30.3 (11.9) years in the lower BCVA subgroup (n = 170) and 27.7 (10.1) years in the higher BCVA subgroup (n = 31). The study eye baseline mean (SD) BCVA scores were 59.4 (10.30) and 77.3 (3.95) in the lower and higher BCVA subgroups, respectively; the lower BCVA subgroup had lower retinal sensitivity in the study eye at baseline than the higher BCVA subgroup. Over 24 months, there were small observed changes in BCVA, retinal sensitivity, LLVA, fixation, contrast sensitivity, and fundus photography findings. There were observed mean (SD) changes at 24 months in the lower and higher BCVA subgroups of -1.01 (4.67) and 0.03 (5.83) dB-steradians in the volume of full-field hill of vision, -330.6 (869.51) and -122.7 (22.01) μm in distance from foveal center to the nearest border of preserved fundus autofluorescence, -104.3 (277.80) and -207.1 (171.01) μm in central ellipsoid width, and -2.8 (9.7) and -0.6 (7.6) in VFQ-25 composite score, respectively. There was 1 death from completed suicide. There were no ocular serious adverse events, and most AEs were mild/moderate. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of the slow natural progression of XLRP over 24 months in both subgroups and provides important functional, anatomical, and safety data. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article

Efficient separation of carbon dioxide and methane in high-pressure and wet gas mixtures using Zr-MOF-808

The capture and separation of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been the focus of a plethora of research in order to mitigate its emissions and contribute to global development. Given that CO2 is commonly found in natural gas streams, there have been efforts to seek more efficient materials to separate gaseous mixtures such as CO2/CH4. However, there are only a few reports regarding adsorption processes within pressurized systems. In the offshore scenario, natural gas streams still exhibit high moisture content, necessitating a greater understanding of processes in moist systems. In this article, a metal-organic framework synthesis based on zirconium (MOF-808) was carried out through a conventional solvothermal method and autoclave for the adsorption of CO2 and CH4 under different temperatures (45–65 °C) and pressures up to 100 bar. Furthermore, the adsorption of humid CO2 was evaluated using thermal analyses. The MOF-808 synthesized in autoclave showed a high surface area (1502 m2/g), a high capacity for CO2 adsorption at 50 bar and 45 °C and had a low selectivity to capture CH4 molecules. It also exhibited a fine stability after five cycles of CO2 adsorption and desorption at 50 bar and 45 °C − as confirmed by structural post-adsorption analyses while maintaining its adsorption capacity and crystallinity. Furthermore, it can be observed that the adsorption capacity increased in a humid environment, and that the adsorbent remained stable after adsorption cycles in the presence of moisture. Finally, it was possible to confirm the occurrence of physisorption processes through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses, thus validating the choice of mild temperatures for regeneration and contributing to the reduction of energy consumption in processing plants