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Structural neuroimaging data have been used to compute an estimate of the biological age of the brain (brain-age) which has been associated with other biologically and behaviorally meaningful measures of brain development and aging. The ongoing research interest in brain-age has highlighted the need for robust and publicly available brain-age models pre-trained on data from large samples of healthy individuals. To address this need we have previously released a developmental brain-age model. Here we expand this work to develop, empirically validate, and disseminate a pre-trained brain-age model to cover most of the human lifespan. To achieve this, we selected the best-performing model after systematically examining the impact of seven site harmonization strategies, age range, and sample size on brain-age prediction in a discovery sample of brain morphometric measures from 35,683 healthy individuals (age range: 5-90 years; 53.59% female). The pre-trained models were tested for cross-dataset generalizability in an independent sample comprising 2101 healthy individuals (age range: 8-80 years; 55.35% female) and for longitudinal consistency in a further sample comprising 377 healthy individuals (age range: 9-25 years; 49.87% female). This empirical examination yielded the following findings: (1) the accuracy of age prediction from morphometry data was higher when no site harmonization was applied; (2) dividing the discovery sample into two age-bins (5-40 and 40-90 years) provided a better balance between model accuracy and explained age variance than other alternatives; (3) model accuracy for brain-age prediction plateaued at a sample size exceeding 1600 participants. These findings have been incorporated into CentileBrain (https://centilebrain.org/#/brainAGE2), an open-science, web-based platform for individualized neuroimaging metrics.

We developed various retention programs to support first-year engineering students who start behind their cohort in terms of the Calculus sequence. We focused on increasing the persistence of these students via counseling along with opportunities for students to regain cohort status. Although the retention program evolved, we retained enough of the main elements to (a) develop a sustainable retention program, (b) draw generalizable conclusions, and (c) identify areas for more study. Overall, the assessment data supports our initial hypothesis that catching up academically with one's cohort is an important part of helping students to persist in an engineering major.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) plays a central role in energy conversion and storage technologies. A promising alternative to precious metal catalysts are non-precious metal doped carbons. Considerable efforts have been devoted to cobalt-doped carbonized polyacrylonitrile catalysts, but the optimization of their catalytic performance remains a key challenge. We have proposed a multifunctional active metal source strategy based on the cobalt complex with the ligand containing pyridine and azo-fragments. This complex simultaneously provides the nitrogenous environment for the Co atoms and acts as a blowing agent due to N2 extrusion, thus increasing the surface area and porosity of the material. This strategy provided the catalysts with a high surface area and pore volume, combined with the greater fraction of Co-N clusters, and a lesser amount and smaller size of Co metal particles compared to conventionally prepared catalysts, resulting in improved catalytic performance. In addition to strict 4-electron ORR kinetics and 383 mV overpotential, the novel catalysts exhibit limiting current values close to the Pt/C benchmark and greatly overcome the Pt in methanol tolerance. These results demonstrate the critical role of metal source structure and carbonization parameters in tailoring the structural and electrochemical properties of the catalysts.

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.

Introduction. The assessment of specific IgG antibodies to RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2 and their quantitation permit to calculate the intensity of immunity to COVID-19, i.e. to determine the level of immunity to infection, the risk of infection, the severity of the disease, as well as the ability to prevent death. Meanwhile, the protective level of antibodies is not determined. Therefore, determining the nature of immunity and quantitation of IgG antibodies to RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2 make it possible to assess the effectiveness of preventive measures and correct them in a timely manner. The aim is to determine the presence of IgG antibodies to RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2, their concentrations, and the nature of humoral immunity in different age and occupational groups of employees in a closed-type hospital after the completed vaccination with "Gam-Covid-Vac" vaccine. Materials and methods. The blood sera of 310 members of medical staff who received a full course of immunization with the "Gam-Covid-Vac" vaccine were tested using "SARS-CoV-2-ELISA-IgG" kit according to instructions provided in 21.20.23-004-28597318-2020, RU No. RZN 2021/15898. IgG antibodies to RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2 were quantitated against WHO standard NIBSC 20/136. Results. Specific IgG antibodies to RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2 were found in 92.9% of the examined individuals, including 67.4% having hybrid immunity (both vaccine- and infection- induced), and 25.5% having post-vaccination immunity after immunization with the "Gam-Covid-Vac" vaccine; 7.1% participants were nonimmune. A higher level of IgG antibodies to RBD Spike SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the group of individuals with hybrid immunity (p 0.01). Only 11.6% of employees had a protective antibody level of more than 300 BAU/ml. Discussion. Most employees with hybrid immunity were identified in the older age groups and in the junior medical staff. The results of this serological study, taking into account the age and professional aspects, can serve as the basis for adjusting preventive measures in medical institutions.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) plays a central role in energy conversion and storage technologies. A promising alternative to precious metal catalysts are non-precious metal doped carbons. Considerable efforts have been devoted to cobalt-doped carbonized polyacrylonitrile catalysts, but the optimization of their catalytic performance remains a key challenge. We have proposed a multifunctional active metal source strategy based on the cobalt complex with the ligand containing pyridine and azo-fragments. This complex simultaneously provides the nitrogenous environment for the Co atoms and acts as a blowing agent due to N2 extrusion, thus increasing the surface area and porosity of the material. This strategy provided the catalysts with a high surface area and pore volume, combined with the greater fraction of Co-N clusters, and a lesser amount and smaller size of Co metal particles compared to conventionally prepared catalysts, resulting in improved catalytic performance. In addition to strict 4-electron ORR kinetics and 383 mV overpotential, the novel catalysts exhibit limiting current values close to the Pt/C benchmark and greatly overcome the Pt in methanol tolerance. These results demonstrate the critical role of metal source structure and carbonization parameters in tailoring the structural and electrochemical properties of the catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recent approval of mRNA vaccines for emergency use against COVID-19 is likely to promote rapid development of mRNA-based vaccines targeting a wide range of infectious diseases. Compared to conventional approaches, this vaccine modality promises comparable potency while substantially accelerating the pace of development and deployment of vaccine doses. Already demonstrated successfully for single antigen vaccines such as for COVID-19, this technology could be optimized for complex multi-antigen vaccines. Herein, utilizing multiple influenza antigens, we demonstrated the suitability of the mRNA therapeutic (MRT) platform for such applications. Seasonal influenza vaccines have three or four hemagglutinin (HA) antigens of different viral subtypes. In addition, influenza neuraminidase (NA), a tetrameric membrane protein, is identified as an antigen that has been linked to protective immunity against severe viral disease. We detail the efforts in optimizing formulations of influenza candidates that use unmodified mRNA encoding full-length HA or full-length NA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). HA and NA mRNA-LNP formulations, either as monovalent or as multivalent vaccines, induced strong functional antibody and cellular responses in non-human primates and such antigen-specific antibody responses were associated with protective efficacy against viral challenge in mice.

Abstract Emergency use authorization of COVID vaccines has brought hope to mitigate pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there remains a need for additional effective vaccines to meet the global demand and address the potential new viral variants. mRNA technologies offer an expeditious path alternative to traditional vaccine approaches. Here we describe the efforts to utilize an mRNA platform for rational design and evaluations of mRNA vaccine candidates based on the spike (S) glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. Several mRNA constructs of S-protein, including wild type, a pre-fusion stabilized mutant (2P), a furin cleavage-site mutant (GSAS) and a double mutant form (2P/GSAS), as well as others, were tested in animal models for their capacity to elicit neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). The lead 2P/GSAS candidate was further assessed in dose-ranging studies in mice and Cynomolgus macaques, and for efficacy in a Syrian golden hamster model. The selected 2P/GSAS vaccine formulation, designated MRT5500, elicited potent nAbs as measured in neutralization assays in all three preclinical models and more importantly, protected against SARS-CoV-2-induced weight loss and lung pathology in hamsters. In addition, MRT5500 elicited TH1-biased responses in both mouse and non-human primate (NHP), thus alleviating a hypothetical concern of potential vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory diseases known associated with TH2-biased responses. These data position MRT5500 as a viable vaccine candidate for entering clinical development.

The practice of assessing and grading students on their ability to demonstrate proficiency related to a standard has grown significantly in K-12 settings over the past decade. This article invites teacher educators to consider how to respond to this trend by examining an approach for preparing teacher candidates to participate effectively in proficiency-based systems. The process of integrating a proficiency-based grading strand into one undergraduate assessment course for elementary teacher candidates is described to illustrate how an approach advocated in the K-12 environment may be adapted to a higher education setting. Reflections on both the challenges and the benefits of the adaptation suggest that approaching course design from a proficiency-based perspective, while perhaps most valuable in a course that builds candidates' assessment literacy, can also enhance teacher educators' efforts to design purposeful course experiences in other arenas.

Structure of the pore network of the soil controls many processes in the soil. Soil moistening have a profound impact on soil structure, which may affect a soil functions. This dataset presents the non-destructive three-dimensional (3D) visualization of the same soil sample under two different saturation conditions: air-dried and saturated beyond the field capacity [1]. The data were obtained by X-ray computed tomography and stored as three-dimensional 8-bit grayscale arrays. Two reconstructed images of the same sample were produced for future research. This dataset provides a valuable and unique insight for the qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The aim of this work is to highlight the possibility of energy gains through heat recovery in an industrial plant. It was carried out in a poultry slaughterhouse, which, within its processes, consumes a very high amount of energy in various forms. It shows the usage of steam, its purpose, and why there is currently such a strong dependence on this resource. Alternatives were found for complete replacement of this energy input. In addition to the heat recovery from lubricating oil of air compressors and from refrigerant desuperheating processes after the discharge of the refrigeration compressors, the most interesting alternative was a water heater powered by mixed fuel. The mass of the proposed fuel mixture was 90% made of wood chip with 10% centrifuged sludge from the company effluent treatment station. From measurements made in the productive process relative to the consumption of water for sanitation, and from the availability of residual heat from processes, a water heater working with the mentioned fuel mixture has been proposed, reaching a payback of the investment predicted up to 3 years and 7 months. The project ensured the supply of hot water without using steam at a lower cost, which also achieved significant environmental gains.

Both tight and specific binding of folded biological mRNA is required for gene silencing by oligonucleotide gene therapy agents. However, this is fundamentally impossible using the conventional oligonucleotide probes according to the affinity/specificity dilemma. This study addresses this problem for cleaving folded RNA by using multicomponent agents (dubbed 'DNA nanomachine' or DNM). DNMs bind RNA by four short RNA binding arms, which ensure tight and highly selective RNA binding. Along with the improved affinity, DNM maintain the high sequence selectivity of the conventional DNAzymes. DNM enabled up to 3‐fold improvement in DNAzymes catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) by facilitating both RNA substrate binding and product release steps of the catalytic cycle. This study demonstrates that multicomponent probes organized in sophisticated structures can help to achieve the balance between affinity and selectivity in recognizing folded RNA and thus creates a foundation for applying complex DNA nanostructures derived by DNA nanotechnology in gene therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the chromatography-free synthesis of 2-hydroxy-3-octyloxybenzaldehyde by the alkylation of 2,3-dihydroxybenzaldehyde as a promising precursor for new SalEn-type complexes with transition metals. The structure of the product is elucidated by means of 1H and 13C-NMR spectra, high-resolution mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (ESI-HRMS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Salen-type complexes with transition metals and corresponding polymers attract great scientific interest due to their high electrochemical properties and potential for use as part of next generation organic energy storage devices. Because of their good conductivity but relatively low capacity, energy-intensive additives such as quinones or TEMPO fragments can significantly enhance the capacitive characteristics of the electrode materials. Herein, we report a preparation of precursor for a modified Salen-type complex, the substituted 2,3-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde by butoxy linkers with TEMPO fragment using alkylation reaction. The resulting product was characterized by the 1H and 13C, COSY, HMBC, HSQC nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ESI–high resolution mass spectrometry (ESI–HRMS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The reported approach opens the way for easy modification of Salen-type complexes in order to increase their specific characteristics.

Multipodal salicylaldehydes have attracted much scientific interest as scaffolds for the construction of multinuclear complexes, as well as metal and covalent organic frameworks. Herein, we report a preparation of 4′,4′′′,4′′′′′-nitrilotris(4-methoxy-[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-carbaldehyde), a direct precursor for the tripodal salicylaldehyde with triphenylamine core. The structure of the product was confirmed by molecular spectroscopy. The reported approach may be broadened over a variety of multipodal salicylaldehydes.

Esse estudo se propõe a analisar o monitoramento estratégico presente nos documentos de Planejamento de Desenvolvimento Institucional (PDI) de duas instituições educacionais do estado de Santa Catarina, contrastado com a percepção de seus respectivos gestores. A pesquisa, de cunho qualitativo, procura analisar interpretativamente dois casos específicos por meio de entrevistas com os gestores responsáveis e documentos dos respectivos planejamentos institucionais. Como resultado, foi evidenciado que em ambos os casos há ausência de consenso no tocante ao documento responsável por conter as respectivas estratégias institucionais. Ademais, verificaram-se aspectos que facilitam a execução de estratégias do planejamento institucional, tais como: sistema de acompanhamento; participação das pessoas; e alinhamento entre os documentos institucionais de planejamento. Por outro lado, também destacaram-se características que dificultam a execução de estratégias, tais como: a indefinição de responsabilidades; ausência de indicadores; e resistência à mudança.

The need for environmentally benign portable energy storage drives research on organic batteries and catalytic systems. These systems are a promising replacement for commonly used energy storage devices that rely on limited resources such as lithium and rare earth metals. The redox-active TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-yl) fragment is a popular component of organic systems, as its benefits include remarkable electrochemical performance and decent physical properties. TEMPO is also known to be an efficient catalyst for alcohol oxidation, oxygen reduction, and various complex organic reactions. It can be attached to various aliphatic and conductive polymers to form high-loading catalysis systems. The performance and efficiency of TEMPO-containing materials strongly depend on the molecular structure, and thus rational design of such compounds is vital for successful implementation. We discuss synthetic approaches for producing electroactive polymers based on conductive and non-conductive backbones with organic radical substituents, fundamental aspects of electrochemistry of such materials, and their application in energy storage devices, such as batteries, redox-flow cells, and electrocatalytic systems. We compare the performance of the materials with different architectures, providing an overview of diverse charge interactions for hybrid materials, and presenting promising research opportunities for the future of this area.

Este artigo se propõe a discorrer sobre algumas das principais definições de qualidade aplicadas à educação superior a partir dos anos 1990, tanto por autores brasileiros quanto estrangeiros, de modo a elucidar o dissenso presente no tema e dispor de uma definição da “qualidade” em relação à educação. Para alcançar tais objetivos, esta pesquisa se utilizou de metodologia qualitativa de cunho descritivo, possibilitada por um estudo bibliográfico de diversas fontes, principalmente artigos científicos sobre o tema da qualidade na educação superior. Como resultado, constatou-se uma composição multidimensional de qualidade que aborda tanto características instrumentais, presentes em fatores objetivos e regulatórios, quanto substantivas, pautadas em elementos subjetivos e simbólicos, quando aplicada na educação superior. Também foram observadas diferenças paradigmáticas entre as abordagens brasileiras e estrangeiras, apresentando a qualidade uma ênfase teórica no contexto brasileiro e uma abordagem prática no contexto estrangeiro.

Electroactive polymer materials are known to play important roles in a vast spectrum of modern applications such as in supercapacitors, fuel cells, batteries, medicine, and smart materials, etc. They are usually divided into two main groups: first, conducting π-conjugated organic polymers, which conduct electricity by cation-radicals delocalized over a polymer chain; second, redox polymers, which conduct electricity via an electron-hopping mechanism. Polymer materials belonging to these two main groups have been thoroughly studied and their thermodynamic and kinetic models have been built. However, in recent decades a lot of mixed-type materials have been discovered and investigated. To the best of our knowledge, a thermodynamic-based description of conducting redox polymers (CRPs) has not been provided yet. In this work, we present a thermodynamic model for voltammetric responses of conducting redox polymers. The derived model allows one to extract thermodynamic parameters of a CRP including the polaron delocalization degree and redox active groups interaction constant. The model was verified with voltammetric experiments on three recently synthesized CRPs and showed a satisfactory predictive ability. The simulated data are in good agreement with the experiment. We believe that developing theoretical descriptions for CRPs and other types of electroactive materials with the ability to simulate their electrochemical responses may help in future realization of new systems with superior characteristics for electrochemical energy storage, chemical sensors, pharmacological applications, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a methodology for a numerical analysis of three-dimensional tomographic images in this paper. The methodology is based on integral geometry, topology, and morphological analysis methods. It involves calculating cumulative and non-cumulative pore size distributions of Minkowski functionals and Betti numbers. We investigated 13 samples in dry and wet (saturated beyond the field capacity) conditions within different horizons of the Phaeozem albic. For samples of the arable horizon, an increase in the Euler characteristic was observed in the process of wetting. For samples from the A2, AB and B2 horizons, the Euler-Poincare characteristic decreased during wetting. It has been proven that both Betti numbers (number of isolated pores and number of “tunnels”) decrease with swelling of the AB and B2 horizons at a depth of 20–90 cm. For samples from the arable horizon, another dependence was observed: A Betti number of zero increased first but decreased during wetting. Based on the change in topological characteristics, two methods of changing the topology of the void space of the soil were demonstrated. The above-described quantitative changes of proposed parameters of pore space tomographic images prove the possibility and progressiveness of their usage for the pore space transformation estimate.

An investigation of the interaction principles of nucleic acids and nanoparticles is a priority for the development of theoretical and methodological approaches to creating bionanocomposite structures, which determines the area and boundaries of biomedical use of developed nanoscale devices. «Nucleic acid—magnetic nanoparticle» type constructs are being developed to carry out the highly efficient detection of pathogens, create express systems for genotyping and sequencing, and detect siRNA. However, the data available on the impact of nanoparticles on the behavior of siRNA are insufficient. In this work, using nanoparticles of two classical oxides of inorganic chemistry (magnetite (Fe3O4) and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles), and widely used gold nanoparticles, we show their effect on the rate of siRNA hybridization. It has been determined that magnetite nanoparticles with a positive charge on the surface increase the rate of siRNA hybridization, while negatively charged magnetite and silica nanoparticles, or positively charged gold nanoparticles, do not affect hybridization rates (HR).