Newark Hospital

Abstract Healthy articular cartilage can sustain near-frictionless motion within the joint; in vivo friction coefficients fall well within the superlubricity regime (<0.01). However, despite nearly a century of study, the mechanisms underpinning these behaviors remain unclear. This uncertainty has been compounded by how cartilage's operating conditions have been defined and extended to explant testing approaches, resulting in drastically varied tribological responses. To address these discrepancies, we compared friction coefficients results from a comprehensive set of historical cartilage explant tribology studies, and from new data evaluating testing configuration (stationary contact area [SCA] vs convergent SCA [cSCA]) and lubricant choice (phosphate-buffered saline [PBS] vs. synovial fluid [SF]) on friction. These data demonstrate that the SCA, the most common testing configuration utilized, consistently reports friction greater than the migrating contact area (MCA) and cSCA configurations. Intriguingly, while the SCA and MCA are almost universally slid at sub-physiological speeds (∼1mm/s), the cSCA has routinely been tested at greater, and more physiologically consistent speeds (∼60mm/s). Nevertheless, SF drives noticeable reductions in friction within both SCA and cSCA studies. Importantly, particularly in vivo, only rapidly slid, SF-lubricated cSCA cartilage explants reliably demonstrate biofidelic friction (<0.005), indicating that hydrodynamic-related phenomena must not be discounted in cartilage lubrication. Collectively, these results underscore the need to further probe mechanisms of sustained cartilage superlubricity, a key finding only recently replicated via the cSCA configuration. Such knowledge will be crucial to understanding the true lubrication capacity of articular cartilage.

Figure 2 Baseline peripheral cytokines that significantly differed between Black and White patients.Comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, with p values adjusted for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg method

Background The 10x Genomics Visium and Xenium platform and assays are now providing sub cellular resolution and mapping transcripts to the tissue morphology to study complex biology from whole transcriptomics to precisely targeted gene panels.These assays are of great significance to clinical research in precision medicine and biomarker discovery.However, third party validations on reproducibility, orthogonal concordance, specificity and sensitivity raise questions that are critical to their use.At BioChain Institute Inc. (BioChain), we are running a series of tests on Xenium v1 as well as Visium Cytassist v2 chemistry, using multiple human carcinoma FFPE tissues to address the specificity and sensitivity questions of these platforms.Methods FFPE tissues from BioChain's repository were screened for quality assessment by our pathologist and molecular scientists for tumor content above 30% as well as the RNA quality.Human carcinoma tissues from Breast, Colon, and Lung with high DV200 scores were selected.An array was constructed with these tissues to fit the Xenium slide's imageable area.Two serial sections were used for the Xenium v1 run per 10x Genomics' protocol.The Off-the shelf Human Multi-Tissue and Cancer Panel was used for targeting 377 genes.After the completion of the Xenium assay, these slides were used for H&E staining and imaging followed by Visium v2 assay on the same section.The H&E images were annotated by the pathologist and integrated with Xenium images using Xenium Explorer.The data was sub-sampled for the different regions per pathologist's annotations of stroma, tumor and immune cell regions.Data from these regions were compared between the serial sections processed using Xenium and Visium platforms to evaluate specificity of selected markers and per gene sensitivity.Sensitivity of Xenium data versus the Visium data was also compared for these specific regions. ResultsWe have previously demonstrated reproducibility of Xenium data between serial sections prepared by different operators as well as concordance between the two assays performed on the same section.In this study, we focus on assessing specificity of gene expression and per gene detection sensitivity through the integration of pathologist annotations of the morphology and spatial gene expression data across multiple types of carcinomas.Conclusions Our findings show the sensitivity and specificity of Xenium and Visium assays to delve further into the heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment and patient stratification for precision medicine and biomarker discovery studies.

Oliarus pinicolus Osborn, 1926 is a little-known planthopper described from western Cuba on Cuban pine (Pinus cubensis). As part of a review of the sprawling New World cixiid genus Melanoliarus Fennah, 1945, the species is herein redescribed and illustrated for the first time, including the male terminalia. After comparison to similar species in the region, we transfer the species to Nivcentia Holzinger, 2004, as Nivcentia pinicolus comb. nov., based on characteristics of the male terminalia and provide an amended description of the genus. We also designate a lectotype for Oliarus pinicolus to ensure the stability of the species concept described here. A checklist of Antillean Pentastirini is included with taxonomic comments on the species and genera of the region. The pentastirine species of Cuba are illustrated.

In a pre-registered survey linked to this paper (Exploring the relationships between psychological variables and loot box engagement, part 1: pre-registered hypotheses), we confirmed bivariate associations between engagement with loot boxes (purchasable randomized rewards in video games) and measures of problem gambling, problem video gaming, impulsivity, gambling cognitions, experiences of game-related 'flow', psychological distress and reduced wellbeing. However, these variables have complex relationships, so to gain further insights, we analysed the dataset (1495 gamers who purchase loot boxes and 1223 purchasers of non-randomized content) in a series of Bayesian mixed-effects multiple regressions with a zero-inflation component. The results challenge some well-established results in the literature, including associations between loot box engagement and problematic gambling measures, instead suggesting that this relationship might be underpinned by shared variance with problem video gaming and gambling-related cognitions. An entirely novel discovery revealed a complex interaction between experiences of flow and loot box engagement. Distress and wellbeing are both (somewhat contradictorily) predictive of participants engaging with loot boxes, but neither correlate with increasing loot box risky engagement/spend (among those who engage). Our findings unravel some of the nuances underpinning loot box engagement, yet remain consistent with narratives that policy action on loot boxes will have benefits for harm minimization.

Aerobic exercise can elicit positive effects on neuroplasticity and cognitive executive function but is poorly understood after stroke. We tested the effect of 4 weeks of aerobic exercise training on inhibitory and facilitatory elements of cognitive executive function and electroencephalography markers of cortical inhibition and facilitation. We investigated relationships between stimulus-evoked cortical responses, blood lactate levels during training, and aerobic fitness postintervention. Twelve individuals with chronic (>6 months) stroke completed an aerobic exercise intervention (40 minutes, 3×/wk). Electroencephalography and motor response times were assessed during congruent (response facilitation) and incongruent (response inhibition) stimuli of a Flanker task. Aerobic fitness capacity was assessed as o2peak during a treadmill test pre- and postintervention. Blood lactate was assessed acutely (<1 minute) after exercise each week. Cortical inhibition (N2) and facilitation (frontal P3) were quantified as peak amplitudes and latencies of stimulus-evoked electroencephalographic activity over the frontal cortical region. Following exercise training, the response inhibition speed increased while response facilitation remained unchanged. A relationship between earlier cortical N2 response and faster response inhibition emerged postintervention. Individuals who produced higher lactate during exercise training achieved faster response inhibition and tended to show earlier cortical N2 responses postintervention. There were no associations between o2peak and metrics of behavioral or neurophysiologic function. These preliminary findings provide novel evidence for selective benefits of aerobic exercise on inhibitory control during the initial 4-week period after initiation of exercise training and implicate a potential therapeutic effect of lactate on poststroke inhibitory control.

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Darshika Tomer is first author on ‘ A new mechanism of fibronectin fibril assembly revealed by live imaging and super-resolution microscopy’, published in JCS. Darshika conducted the research described in this article while a postdoc in Dr Sophie Astrof's lab at Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, where she was interested in growth and differentiation signaling pathways and how they are manipulated under normal and disease scenarios.

BACKGROUND The H1N2 Coronovirus, commonly referred to as COVID-19, has devastated economies, education, personal well-being, and many other aspects of human life. Screening, therapeutics, and vaccines are necessary to combat the virus as are preventative measures such as mask wearing and social distancing. While most health agencies agree these basic behaviors reduce the transmission of COVID-19, efforts to improve the assessment of these behaviors are lacking. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to create a direct observation video method [Viral Transmission (VT)-scan] for assessing COVID-19 transmission behaviors and related personal (e.g., weight status) and environmental (e.g., place – crosswalk) factors, examine the reliability of VT-scan and apply VT-scan in a case study. METHODS A wearable video device (WVD) was used to obtain videos along a 4.69 mi pre-determined route that coursed through educational, retail/business, and residential areas. Videos were collected on one weekday/wk over a seven-wk period between 11:15 a.m. and 12:19 p.m. Week 1 videos were used to examine the reliability of VT-scan while videos from weeks two to seven were used for the case study. Information on mask wearing, physical distancing, surface/face touching, and personal and environmental factors were was extracted from the videos by trained reviewers according to a set of comprehensive rules. RESULTS At total of 129 and 916 people were described for the pilot and case studies, respectively. All outcomes displayed good to excellent intra- and inter-reliability with ICCs ranging from 0.836 to 0.997. Further, significant (p&lt;0.001) Kappa statistics were found for all outcomes and no differences in geolocations were noted between reviews. In the case study, most people described were 18-30 y of age (72.5%), white (81.1%), and normal weight (80.7%). The majority had a mask (60.8%) but 22.1% of them wore it improperly, 45.4% were not physical distancing, and 27.6% were simultaneously mask and physical distancing non-compliant. Transmission behaviors varied by demographics with white, overweight/obese males least likely to be mask-compliant and white, overweight/obese females least likely to practice physical distancing. Certain environments (e.g. crosswalks) were identified as “hot spots” or areas where higher rates of adverse transmission behaviors occurred. CONCLUSIONS This study introduces a reliable method for obtaining objective data on COVID-19 transmission behaviors and related factors. It may be especially useful for describing micro-scale (localized) level data for use in agent-based modeling and policy formation/adjustment.

The cross-coupling of aryl esters has emerged as a powerful platform for the functionalization of otherwise inert acyl C-O bonds in chemical synthesis and catalysis. Herein, we report a combined experimental and computational study on the acyl Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of aryl esters mediated by well-defined, air- and moisture-stable Pd(II)-NHC precatalysts [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2. We present a comprehensive evaluation of [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 precatalysts and compare them with the present state-of-the-art [(Pd(NHC)allyl] precatalysts bearing allyl-type throw-away ligands. Most importantly, the study reveals [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 as the most reactive precatalysts discovered to date in this reactivity manifold. The unique synthetic utility of this unconventional O-C(O) cross-coupling is highlighted in the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals and sequential chemoselective cross-coupling, providing access to valuable ketone products by a catalytic mechanism involving Pd insertion into the aryl ester bond. Furthermore, we present a comprehensive study of the catalytic cycle by DFT methods. Considering the clear advantages of [Pd(NHC)(μ-Cl)Cl]2 precatalysts on several levels, including facile one-pot synthesis, superior atom-economic profile to all other Pd(II)-NHC catalysts, and versatile reactivity, these should be considered as the 'first-choice' catalysts for all routine applications in ester O-C(O) bond activation.