Integer Charge Transfer Model-PTCDA on MgO(001)/Ag(001) Probing the Transition from Single to Double Integer Charge Transfer.

For weakly interacting adsorbate/substrate systems, the integer charge transfer (ICT) model describes how charge transfer across interfaces depends on the substrate work function. In particular, work function regimes where no charge transfer occurs (vacuum level alignment) can be distinguished from regions where integer charge transfer by electron tunneling from substrate to adsorbate or vice versa takes place (Fermi level pinning). While the formation of singly integer charged molecular anions and cations of organic semiconductors on various substrates has been well described by this model, the double integer charging regime has so far remained unexplored and experimentally elusive.

Out-of-Pocket Costs Burden in Marketplace Plans for People With Diabetes.

Background: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to expand coverage and increase access to health insurance. Despite the increase of insured individuals, there are a number of concerns about whether coverage and care are affordable. Prior studies document a growing concern with rising premiums and cost-sharing, including deductibles, particularly for those with chronic conditions.

Latent Variable Forests for Latent Variable Score Estimation.

We develop a (LV Forest) algorithm for the estimation of latent variable scores with one or more latent variables. LV Forest estimates unbiased latent variable scores based on (CFA) models with ordinal and/or numerical response variables. Through parametric model restrictions paired with a nonparametric tree-based machine learning approach, LV Forest estimates latent variable scores using models that are unbiased with respect to relevant subgroups in the population.

Biological constraint, evolutionary spandrels and antagonistic pleiotropy.

Maximum lifespan differs greatly between species, indicating that the process of senescence is largely genetically determined. Senescence evolves in part due to antagonistic pleiotropy (AP), where selection favors gene variants that increase fitness earlier in life but promote pathology later. Identifying the biological mechanisms by which AP causes senescence is key to understanding the endogenous causes of aging and its attendant diseases.

Characterization of Effects of mTOR Inhibitors on Aging in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Pharmacological inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway with rapamycin can extend lifespan in several organisms. Although this includes the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, effects in this species are relatively weak and sometimes difficult to reproduce. Here we test effects of drug dosage and timing of delivery to establish the upper limits of its capacity to extend life, and investigate drug effects on age-related pathology and causes of mortality.

Evaluation of OCT biomarker changes in treatment-naive neovascular AMD using a deep semantic segmentation algorithm.

Objectives: To determine real-life quantitative changes in OCT biomarkers in a large set of treatment naive patients in a real-life setting undergoing anti-VEGF therapy. For this purpose, we devised a novel deep learning based semantic segmentation algorithm providing the first benchmark results for automatic segmentation of 11 OCT features including biomarkers for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: Training of a Deep U-net based semantic segmentation ensemble algorithm for state-of-the-art semantic segmentation performance which was used to analyze OCT features prior to, after 3 and 12 months of anti-VEGF therapy.

Antiaging, Brightening, and Antioxidant Efficacy of Fermented Bilberry Extract (): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Strategies for successful aging, including the use of food supplements, are part of the approach to support skin youthfulness. To demonstrate the efficacy of fermented bilberry extract (FBE) against skin aging and uneven complexion, a clinical trial was carried out on 66 subjects with visible "crow's feet" wrinkles, mild-to-moderate skin slackness, and uneven skin tone. The wrinkle depth, skin smoothness (Ra) and roughness (Rz), skin firmness (R0) and elasticity (R2), skin coloration (ITA°), and skin antioxidant capacity were measured before and after 28 (D28), 56 (D56), and 84 (D84) days of product use (either FBE or a placebo).

Sevelamer-Induced Ischemic Enteritis.

Sevelamer, a nonabsorbable dietary phosphate binder, is essential for patients with renal impairment since hyperphosphatemia is associated with an increase in all-cause mortality. Sevelamer is generally well tolerated; however, it is rarely been documented to cause gastrointestinal mucosal injury by forming sevelamer crystals and depositing within the gastrointestinal walls. We present a 35-year-old man with end-stage renal disease on peritoneal dialysis who developed abdominal pain and hematochezia.

Signature of Altered Retinal Microstructures and Electrophysiology in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders Is Associated With Disease Severity and Polygenic Risk.

Background: Optical coherence tomography and electroretinography studies have revealed structural and functional retinal alterations in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). However, it remains unclear which specific retinal layers are affected; how the retina, brain, and clinical symptomatology are connected; and how alterations of the visual system are related to genetic disease risk.

Methods: Optical coherence tomography, electroretinography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging were applied to comprehensively investigate the visual system in a cohort of 103 patients with SSDs and 130 healthy control individuals.

Detecting Differential Item Functioning in Multidimensional Graded Response Models With Recursive Partitioning.

Differential item functioning (DIF) is a common challenge when examining latent traits in large scale surveys. In recent work, methods from the field of machine learning such as model-based recursive partitioning have been proposed to identify subgroups with DIF when little theoretical guidance and many potential subgroups are available. On this basis, we propose and compare recursive partitioning techniques for detecting DIF with a focus on measurement models with multiple latent variables and ordinal response data.

Bento: a toolkit for subcellular analysis of spatial transcriptomics data.

The spatial organization of molecules in a cell is essential for their functions. While current methods focus on discerning tissue architecture, cell-cell interactions, and spatial expression patterns, they are limited to the multicellular scale. We present Bento, a Python toolkit that takes advantage of single-molecule information to enable spatial analysis at the subcellular scale.

Spatially organized cellular communities form the developing human heart.

The heart, which is the first organ to develop, is highly dependent on its form to function. However, how diverse cardiac cell types spatially coordinate to create the complex morphological structures that are crucial for heart function remains unclear. Here we integrated single-cell RNA-sequencing with high-resolution multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization to resolve the identity of the cardiac cell types that develop the human heart.

Disentangling the multiorbital contributions of excitons by photoemission exciton tomography.

Excitons are realizations of a correlated many-particle wave function, specifically consisting of electrons and holes in an entangled state. Excitons occur widely in semiconductors and are dominant excitations in semiconducting organic and low-dimensional quantum materials. To efficiently harness the strong optical response and high tuneability of excitons in optoelectronics and in energy-transformation processes, access to the full wavefunction of the entangled state is critical, but has so far not been feasible.

Benchmarking of Coatings for Cathode Active Materials in Solid-State Batteries Using Surface Analysis and Reference Electrodes.

Fast and reliable evaluation of degradation and performance of cathode active materials (CAMs) for solid-state batteries (SSBs) is crucial to help better understand these systems and enable the synthesis of well-performing CAMs. However, there is a lack of well-thought-out procedures to reliably evaluate CAMs in SSBs. Current approaches often rely on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for the evaluation of degradation.

Versican accumulation drives Nos2 induction and aortic disease in Marfan syndrome via Akt activation.

Thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAAD) is a life-threatening condition associated with Marfan syndrome (MFS), a disease caused by fibrillin-1 gene mutations. While various conditions causing TAAD exhibit aortic accumulation of the proteoglycans versican (Vcan) and aggrecan (Acan), it is unclear whether these ECM proteins are involved in aortic disease. Here, we find that Vcan, but not Acan, accumulated in Fbn1 aortas, a mouse model of MFS.

Dietary supplementation with a wheat polar lipid complex improves skin conditions in women with dry skin and mild-to-moderate skin aging.

Background: Aging, menopause, and seasonal changes alter the lipid composition of the outermost skin layer, the stratum corneum, resulting in dry and itchy skin.

Aims: This clinical trial aimed at evaluating the effects of a wheat polar lipid complex (WPLC) on skin characteristics in women showing dry and wrinkled skin, investigating its effects in a subgroup of postmenopausal women, and assessing if benefits were maintained after supplementation.

Methods: Seventy-two women with dry and wrinkled skin were recruited in this double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study, and allocated to three groups of 24 subjects, each including at least 10 postmenopausal women.

Atopic Dermatitis and Cardiovascular Risk in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Cardiovascular guidelines recommend early screening and preventative treatment for children with chronic inflammatory diseases. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with cardiovascular risk in adults, but data in children are limited. We systematically searched for studies that examined the association between childhood AD and cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes.

Efficacy of a wheat polar lipid complex in reducing hair loss and improving hair growth in healthy women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.

Objective: Hair loss is a major source of psychological distress for affected people. Safe and natural ingredients are therefore needed to help reduce hair loss and stimulate hair growth. This pilot clinical study aimed at exploring the efficacy of a wheat polar lipid complex (WPLC, Ceramosides™), containing sphingolipids and digalactosyl diglycerides, on hair characteristics improvement in women showing acute hair shedding.

Mesoporous Bioactive Glass-Incorporated Injectable Strontium-Containing Calcium Phosphate Cement Enhanced Osteoconductivity in a Critical-Sized Metaphyseal Defect in Osteoporotic Rats.

In this study, the in vitro and in vivo bone formation behavior of mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) particles incorporated in a pasty strontium-containing calcium phosphate bone cement (pS100G10) was studied in a metaphyseal fracture-defect model in ovariectomized rats and compared to a plain pasty strontium-containing calcium phosphate bone cement (pS100) and control (empty defect) group, respectively. In vitro testing showed good cytocompatibility on human preosteoblasts and ongoing dissolution of the MBG component. Neither the released strontium nor the BMG particles from the pS100G10 had a negative influence on cell viability.