Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observation of nonlinear planar Hall effect in magnetic-insulator–topological-insulator heterostructures

Interfacing topological insulators (TIs) with magnetic insulators (MIs) has been widely used to study the interaction between topological surface states and magnetism. Previous transport studies typically interpret the suppression of weak antilocalization or appearance of the anomalous Hall effect as signatures of magnetic proximity effect (MPE) imposed to TIs. Here, we report the observation of nonlinear planar Hall effect (NPHE) in Bi 2 Se 3 films grown on MI thulium and yttrium iron garnet (TmIG and YIG) substrates, which is an order of magnitude larger than that in Bi 2 Se 3 grown on nonmagnetic gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrate. The nonlinear Hall resistance in TmIG/Bi 2 Se 3 depends linearly on the external magnetic field, while that in YIG/Bi 2 Se 3 exhibits an extra hysteresis loop around zero field. The magnitude of the NPHE is found to scale inversely with carrier density. We speculate the observed NPHE is related to the MPE-induced exchange gap opening and out-of-plane spin textures in the TI surface states, which may be used as an alternative transport signature of the MPE in MI/TI heterostructures.
The transcriptomic signature of responses to larval crowding in Drosophila melanogaster

Intraspecific competition at the larval stage is an important ecological factor affecting life‐history, adaptation and evolutionary trajectory in holometabolous insects. However, the molecular pathways underpinning these ecological processes are poorly characterized. We reared Drosophila melanogaster at three egg densities (5, 60, and 300 eggs/mL) and sequenced the transcriptomes of pooled third‐instar larvae. We also examined emergence time, egg‐to‐adult viability, adult mass, and adult sex‐ratio at each density. Medium crowding had minor detrimental effects on adult phenotypes compared to low density and yielded 24 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including several chitinase enzymes. In contrast, high crowding had substantial detrimental effects on adult phenotypes and yielded 2107 DEGs. Among these, upregulated gene sets were enriched in sugar, steroid and amino acid metabolism as well as DNA replication pathways, whereas downregulated gene sets were enriched in ABC transporters, taurine, Toll/Imd signaling, and P450 xenobiotics metabolism pathways. Overall, our findings show that larval crowding has a large consistent effect on several molecular pathways (i.e., core responses) with few pathways displaying density‐specific regulation (i.e., idiosyncratic responses). This provides important insights into how holometabolous insects respond to intraspecific competition during development.
Two‐year outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve‐in‐valve implantation in degenerated surgical valves

Transcatheter aortic valve‐in‐valve implantation (ViV‐TAVI) has emerged in recent years as a safe alternative to redo surgery in high‐risk patients. Although early results are encouraging, data beyond short‐term outcomes are lacking. Herein, we aimed to assess the 2‐year outcomes after ViV‐TAVI.
Clinical preferences and treatment attitudes among urologists, gynecologists, and geriatricians: An independent online questionnaire survey for comparison of treatment choices in the management of overactive bladder

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common clinical problem with associated morbidities both in men and women. Although real‐life management strategies have been examined among urologists (URO), treatment choices may differ between different specialties. In the present study, an online survey was conducted to determine and compare the management strategies and clinical preferences of UROs, obstetricians/gynecologists (OB/GYN), and geriatricians (GER) in the treatment of OAB in their daily practices.
Crimprev info n°17bis - Comparing crime data based on general population surveys with police figures of recorded crimes

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Gromov-Witten theory, Hurwitz numbers, and Matrix models, I

The main goal of the paper is to present a new approach via Hurwitz numbers to Kontsevich's combinatorial/matrix model for the intersection theory of the moduli space of curves. A secondary goal is to present an exposition of the circle of ideas involved: Hurwitz numbers, Gromov-Witten theory of the projective line, matrix integrals, and the theory of random trees. Further topics will be treated in a sequel.
High Glucose and Carbonyl Stress Impair HIF-1-Regulated Responses and the Control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Macrophages

People living with diabetes who are also infected with M. tuberculosis are more likely to develop tuberculosis disease (TB). Why diabetic patients have an increased risk for developing TB is not well understood. ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of developing tuberculosis (TB), but the mechanisms behind diabetes-TB comorbidity are still undefined. Here, we studied the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), a main regulator of metabolic and inflammatory responses, in the outcome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM). We observed that M. tuberculosis infection of BMM increased the expression of HIF-1α and HIF-1-regulated genes. Treatment with the hypoxia mimetic deferoxamine (DFO) further increased levels of HIF-1-regulated immune and metabolic molecules and diminished the intracellular bacterial load in BMM and in the lungs of infected mice. The expression of HIF-1-regulated immunometabolic genes was reduced, and the intracellular M. tuberculosis levels were increased in BMM incubated with high-glucose levels or with methylglyoxal (MGO), a reactive carbonyl compound elevated in DM. In line with the in vitro findings, high M. tuberculosis levels and low HIF-1-regulated transcript levels were found in the lungs from hyperglycemic Leprdb/db compared with wild-type mice. The increased intracellular M. tuberculosis growth and the reduced expression of HIF-1-regulated metabolic and inflammatory genes in BMM incubated with MGO or high glucose were reverted by additional treatment with DFO. Hif1a-deficient BMM showed ablated responses of immunometabolic transcripts after mycobacterial infection at normal or high-glucose levels. We propose that HIF-1 may be targeted for the control of M. tuberculosis during DM. IMPORTANCE People living with diabetes who are also infected with M. tuberculosis are more likely to develop tuberculosis disease (TB). Why diabetic patients have an increased risk for developing TB is not well understood. Macrophages, the cell niche for M. tuberculosis, can express microbicidal mechanisms or be permissive to mycobacterial persistence and growth. Here, we showed that high glucose and carbonyl stress, which mediate diabetes pathogenesis, impair the control of intracellular M. tuberculosis in macrophages. Infection with M. tuberculosis stimulated the expression of genes regulated by the transcription factor HIF-1, a major controller of the responses to hypoxia, resulting in macrophage activation. High glucose and carbonyl compounds inhibited HIF-1 responses by macrophages. Mycobacterial control in the presence of glucose or carbonyl stress was restored by DFO, a compound that stabilizes HIF-1. We propose that HIF-1 can be targeted to reduce the risk of developing TB in people with diabetes.
Under which circumstances do family SMES achieve high growth? A behavioural perspective

High-growth firms contribute disproportionately to the creation of employment, wealth and economic development on a global basis. Yet, knowledge of the circumstances under which such growth patterns occur is limited, and the findings with regard to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are inconclusive. Adopting the behavioural agency model, we analyse the effect of family control and related nuances (i.e. degree of family ownership and presence of a family chief executive officer (CEO)) on SME growth. Furthermore, we argue that the type of slack resources and their availability are a crucial organisational contingency when investigating high growth in SMEs. Using a sample of 39,631 European SMEs over a 13-year period, we find that family firms are less likely to achieve high growth compared to non-family firms; having a family CEO further reduces this likelihood. Instead, at higher (vs lower) levels of family ownership, the probability of family firms achieving high growth increases. Furthermore, the availability of high- and low-discretion slack resources influences these relationships. Our study advances current understanding of high growth in general, and family firms in particular.
Design and validation of inert homemade explosive simulants for ground penetrating radar

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) identified a requirement for inert simulants to act as improvised, or homemade, explosives (IEs) when training on, or evaluating, ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems commonly used in the detection of buried landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In response, Defence R and D Canada (DRDC) initiated a project to develop IE simulant formulations using commonly available inert materials. These simulants are intended to approximate the expected GPR response of common ammonium nitrate-based IEs, in particular ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) and ammonium nitrate/aluminum (ANAl). The complex permittivity over the range of electromagnetic frequencies relevant to standard GPR systems was measured for bulk quantities of these three IEs that had been fabricated at DRDC Suffield Research Centre. Following these measurements, published literature was examined to find benign materials with both a similar complex permittivity, as well as other physical properties deemed desirable - such as low-toxicity, thermal stability, and commercial availability - in order to select candidates for subsequent simulant formulation. Suitable simulant formulations were identified for ANFO, with resulting complex permittivities measured to be within acceptable limits of target values. These IE formulations will now undergo end-user trials with CAF operators in order to confirm their utility. Investigations into ANAl simulants continues. This progress report outlines the development program, simulant design, and current validation results.
Cadmium fractionation in soils affected by organic matter application: Transfer of cadmium to cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) tissues

Elevated cadmium (Cd) concentrations in cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) beans have concerned chocolate consumers worldwide because of the potential detrimental human health effects. Compost application on the soil surface could modify the labile Cd in soils and yet it could enhance Cd bound to humic and fulvic acids, forming an organo-metallic complex that could reduce the availability of Cd to plants. This study investigated the effect of surface compost applications at two rates, the chemistry and fractionation of Cd at two soil depths, and the relationship of these soil Cd pools with plant uptake. The research was carried out on four Ecuadorian cacao farms. The compost was applied at 6.25 Mg·ha−1 (low) and 12.5 Mg·ha−1 (high) per annum. There was also a control treatment with no compost application. Soil samples were collected at two depths, surface (0–5 cm) and below surface (5–20 cm). Leaf samples and cacao pots were collected from each treatment. Soil Cd was fractionated into five operational pools. Additionally, the Cd-bound to fulvic acids and humic acids in soils were extracted separately. The EDTA-extractable fraction showed the highest concentration of Cd at both depths. Cadmium bound to fulvic acids was higher in compost-applied soils than in the control (p < 0.05) in all farms. Leaf and bean-Cd were negative and significantly correlated with the Cd extracted by EDTA, NaOH, HNO3, and FA-Cd pools. The mobility of Cd in soils cultivated with cacao, based on plant uptake, was strongly associated with the soils’ chemical characteristics, especially pH and SOC. The surface application of organic matter facilitates the redistribution of Cd in soil fractions, mainly in EDTA-, NaOH-, and HNO3-extractable fractions, suggesting a reduction in Cd soil–plant transfer via adsorption or complexation processes. Apparently, the application of high-quality compost, i.e., high FA content, could aid in mitigating Cd contamination in cacao orchards. Experiments on perennial crops merit a longer evaluation time to better assess the changes in plant-Cd.
Multiple resonance type thermally activated delayed fluorescence by dibenzo [1,4] azaborine derivatives

We studied the photophysical and electroluminescent (EL) characteristics of a series of azaborine derivatives having a pair of boron and nitrogen aimed at the multi-resonance (MR) effect. The computational study with the STEOM-DLPNO-CCSD method clarified that the combination of a BN ring-fusion and a terminal carbazole enhanced the MR effect and spin-orbit coupling matrix element (SOCME), simultaneously. Also, we clarified that the second triplet excited state (T2) plays an important role in efficient MR-based thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). Furthermore, we obtained a blue–violet OLED with an external EL quantum efficiency (EQE) of 9.1%, implying the presence of a pronounced nonradiative decay path from the lowest triplet excited state (T1).
Aggregation behavior of nanoparticles: Revisiting the phase diagram of colloids

Surface functionalization of metal nanoparticles (NPs), e.g., using peptides and proteins, has recently attracted a considerable attention in the field of design of therapeutics and diagnostics. The possibility of diverse functionalization allows them to selectively interact with proteins, while the metal core ensures solubility, making them tunable therapeutic agents against diseases due to mis-folding or aggregation. On the other hand, their action is limited by possible self-aggregation, which could be, however, prevented based on the full understanding of their phase diagram as a function of the environmental variables (temperature, ionic strength of the solution, concentration) and intrinsic characteristics (size, charge, amount, and type of functional groups). A common modeling strategy to study the phase behavior is to represent the NPs as spheres interacting via effective potentials implicitly accounting for the solvation effects. Their size put the NPs into the class of colloids, albeit with particularly complex interactions including both attractive and repulsive features, and a consequently complex phase diagram. In this work, we review the studies exploring the phases of these systems starting from those with only attractive or repulsive interactions, displaying a simpler disperse-clustered-aggregated transitions. The phase diagram is here interpreted focusing on the universal aspects, i.e., those dependent on the general feature of the potentials, and available data are organized in a parametric phase diagram. We then consider the potentials with competing attractive short range well and average-long-range repulsive tail, better representing the NPs. Through the proper combination of the attractive only and repulsive only potentials, we are able to interpret the appearance of novel phases, characterized by aggregates with different structural characteristics. We identify the essential parameters that stabilize the disperse phase potentially useful to optimize NP therapeutic activity and indicate how to tune the phase behavior by changing environmental conditions or the NP chemical–physical properties.
Guanine inhibits the growth of human glioma and melanoma cell lines by interacting with GPR23

Guanine-based purines (GBPs) exert numerous biological effects at the central nervous system through putative membrane receptors, the existence of which is still elusive. To shed light on this question, we screened orphan and poorly characterized G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs), selecting those that showed a high purinoreceptor similarity and were expressed in glioma cells, where GBPs exerted a powerful antiproliferative effect. Of the GPRs chosen, only the silencing of GPR23, also known as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) 4 receptor, counteracted GBP-induced growth inhibition in U87 cells. Guanine (GUA) was the most potent compound behind the GPR23-mediated effect, acting as the endpoint effector of GBP antiproliferative effects. Accordingly, cells stably expressing GPR23 showed increased sensitivity to GUA. Furthermore, while GPR23 expression was low in a hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl-transferase (HGPRT)-mutated melanoma cell line showing poor sensitivity to GBPs, and in HGPRT-silenced glioma cells, GPR23-induced expression in both cell types rescued GUA-mediated cell growth inhibition. Finally, binding experiments using [3H]-GUA and U87 cell membranes revealed the existence of a selective GUA binding (KD = 29.44 ± 4.07 nM; Bmax 1.007 ± 0.035 pmol/mg prot) likely to GPR23. Overall, these data suggest GPR23 involvement in modulating responses to GUA in tumor cell lines, although further research needs to verify whether this receptor mediates other GUA effects.
The optimal exercise modality and intensity for hemodialysis patients incorporating Bayesian network meta-analysis and systematic review

Background: Physical inactivity is highly prevalent in patients with hemodialysis, and a large body of evidence reported the positive effect of different exercise modalities on their health outcomes. However, the effective dosage of exercise for hemodialysis patients still requires verification. Objective: We aimed to determine the most effective exercise intensity and modality for improvements in physical function, blood pressure control, dialysis adequacy, and health-related quality of life for hemodialysis patients. Design: Systematic review with network meta-analysis of randomized trials. Data sources: Five electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Scopus) were searched for randomized controlled trials. Data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted by two authors independently. Data were analyzed by the R (version.3.6.2) and the Stata (version.15.0). Result: We included 1893 patients involving four exercise modalities and six exercise intensities. Combined training (aerobic exercise plus resistance exercise) has been the top-ranking exercise modality for improving the 6-min walk test (6MWT) (surface under the cumulative ranking curve analysis (SUCRA) score, 90.63), systolic blood pressure control (SUCRA score, 77.35), and diastolic pressure control (SUCRA score, 90.56). Moreover, the top-ranking exercise intensity was moderate–vigorous for 6MWT (SUCRA score, 82.36), systolic blood pressure (SUCRA score, 77.43), and diastolic blood pressure (SUCRA score, 83.75). Regarding dialysis adequacy and health-related quality of life, we found no exercise modality or intensity superior to the placebo. Conclusion: This network meta-analysis indicated that combined training and moderate–vigorous intensity might be the most effective interventions to improve 6MWT and blood pressure control. This finding helps further guide clinical exercise prescriptions for hemodialysis patients. Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd. york.ac. uk/PROSPERO/], identifier [CRD42021268535].
Identification of phases in scale-free networks

There is a pressing need for a description of complex systems that includes considerations of the underlying network of interactions, for a diverse range of biological, technological and other networks. In this work relationships between second-order phase transitions and the power laws associated with scale-free networks are directly quantified. A unique unbiased partitioning of complex networks (exemplified in this work by software architectures) into high- and low-connectivity regions can be made. Other applications to finance and aerogels are outlined.
Targeting the critical source areas of phosphorus based on hydrological sensitive area delineation to control nonpoint source pollution in watersheds

To pursue higher agricultural output, farmers have invested heavily in fertilizers, pesticides and other factors of production, which inevitably causes agricultural nonpoint source pollution (ANPSP) and seriously restricted the sustainable development of global agriculture. Accurate and efficient integrated prevention and control of ANPSP requires scientific identification of critical source areas and influencing factors of nonpoint source pollution, which is particularly important in geographic conditions where steep-slope agriculture dominates and landscape features are complex. In this study, a typical small watershed in the mountainous area of the Three Gorges Reservoir area was selected, and the risk of nonpoint source phosphorus loss in the watershed was assessed using the Phosphorus Index (PI) on the basis of Soil Topographic Index (STI) prediction of runoff production area in the watershed. Finally, the critical source areas (CSAs) for its loss were identified. The results showed that the area of hydrologically sensitive areas in the watershed was approximately 22.87% of the total study area, with an area of 37.05 hm2. The hydrology of variable source areas within hydrologically sensitive areas plays a dominant role and is more likely to produce runoff and increase the risk of agricultural nonpoint source phosphorus pollution. The results of PI analysis showed that the risk of phosphorus loss was low in most areas of the watershed (45.77%), the areas at high risk of phosphorus loss accounted for 29.33% of the entire watershed with an area of 47.52 hm2, and tea plantation was the most dominant land use type. The critical source area of nonpoint source phosphorus output accounts for 5.47% of the watershed area and is mainly distributed along the watershed system, 82.55% of which is tea plantation. Compared with the traditional phosphorus index evaluation system, this method is important for the accurate identification of critical source areas of nonpoint source pollutants, for strengthening the efficient prevention, control and management of ANPSP, and for improving the utilization rate of arable land as well as land management and sustainable development of watersheds.
Grandiflolines A–F, new anti-inflammatory diterpenoid alkaloids isolated from Delphinium grandiflorum

Delphinium grandiflorum L. (family Ranunculaceae), one of the most important and widely distributed Delphinium species, has received considerable interest due to its extremely high medicinal value. The discovery of novel metabolites from D. grandiflorum supported and broadened its application as an herbal medicine. In this study, the whole herb of D. grandiflorum was phytochemically investigated to obtain fourteen C19-lycaconitine-type diterpenoid alkaloids (1–14), including six undescribed alkaloids, grandiflolines A–F (1–6). The structural elucidation of them was accomplished by detailed spectroscopic analyses, mainly including HR-MS, 1D and 2D NMR (1H–1H COSY, NOESY, HMBC and HSQC), and IR spectra. New alkaloids 1–3 and 5 possess a characteristic △2,3 functional group in the A ring, while compounds 5 and 6 feature a rare OH-16 substituent. In addition, known compounds 7–12 were isolated from D. grandiflorum for the first time. Moreover, according to its medicinal use, new alkaloids 1–6 were estimated for their potential in vitro anti-inflammatory effects, and some of them exhibited inhibitory effects on NO production in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Our work enriched the chemical diversity of D. grandiflorum and the genus Delphinium and presented beneficial information for further investigations.