bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emerging Thrombotic Disorders Associated with Virus-Based Innovative Therapies: From VITT to AAV Gene Therapy–Related Thrombotic Microangiopathy
Authors: Benemei Silvia , Gatto Francesca , Marcucci Rossella , Gresele Paolo
Published: September 2024

Gene therapy is a promising therapeutic approach for treating life-threatening disorders. Despite the clinical improvements observed with gene therapy, immune responses either innate or adaptive against the vector used for gene delivery, can affect treatment efficacy and lead to adverse reactions. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and small vessel occlusion known to be elicited by several drugs, that has been recently reported as an adverse event of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy. TMA encompasses a heterogenous group of disorders, its classification and underlining mechanisms are still uncertain, and still lacks validated biomarkers. The identification of predictors of TMA, such as vector dose and patient characteristics, is a pressing need to recognize patients at risk before and after AAV-based gene therapy administration. This review aims to explore the literature on TMA associated with AAV-based gene therapy in the larger context of TMA (i.e., hemolytic-uremic syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and other drug-related TMAs). Considering the wide attention recently gained by another TTS associated with a non-gene therapy viral platform (adenovirus, AV COVID-19 vaccine), namely vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT), AAV gene therapy–related TMA mechanisms will be discussed and differentiated from those of VITT to avoid recency bias and favor a correct positioning of these two recently emerged syndromes within the heterogenous group of drug-related TTS. Finally, the review will discuss strategies for enhancing the safety and optimize the management of AAV-based gene therapy that is emerging as an efficacious therapeutic option for disparate, severe, and often orphan conditions.
Topological recursion of the Weil–Petersson volumes of hyperbolic surfaces with tight boundaries
Authors: Budd Timothy , Zonneveld Bart
Published: September 2024

The Weil–Petersson volumes of moduli spaces of hyperbolic surfaces with geodesic boundaries are known to be given by polynomials in the boundary lengths. These polynomials satisfy Mirzakhani’s recursion formula, which fits into the general framework of topological recursion. We generalize the recursion to hyperbolic surfaces with any number of special geodesic boundaries that are required to be tight. A special boundary is tight if it has minimal length among all curves that separate it from the other special boundaries. The Weil–Petersson volume of this restricted family of hyperbolic surfaces is shown again to be polynomial in the boundary lengths. This remains true when we allow conical defects in the surface with cone angles in (0, π) in addition to geodesic boundaries. Moreover, the generating function of Weil–Petersson volumes with fixed genus and a fixed number of special boundaries is polynomial as well, and satisfies a topological recursion that generalizes Mirzakhani’s formula. This work is largely inspired by recent works by Bouttier, Guitter, and Miermont [Ann. Henri Lebesgue 5, 1035–1110 (2022)] on the enumeration of planar maps with tight boundaries. Our proof relies on the equivalence of Mirzakhani’s recursion formula to a sequence of partial differential equations (known as the Virasoro constraints) on the generating function of intersection numbers. Finally, we discuss a connection with Jackiw–Teitelboim (JT) gravity. We show that the multi-boundary correlators of JT gravity with defects are expressible in the tight Weil–Petersson volume generating functions, using a tight generalization of the JT trumpet partition function.
Rescaling transformations and the Grothendieck bound formalism in a single quantum system
Authors: Vourdas A.
Published: September 2024

The Grothedieck bound formalism is studied using “rescaling transformations,” in the context of a single quantum system. The rescaling transformations enlarge the set of unitary transformations (which apply to isolated systems), with transformations that change not only the phase but also the absolute value of the wavefunction, and can be linked to irreversible phenomena (e.g., quantum tunneling, damping and amplification, etc). A special case of rescaling transformations are the dequantisation transformations, which map a Hilbert space formalism into a formalism of scalars. The Grothendieck formalism considers a “classical” quadratic form C(θ) which takes values less than 1, and the corresponding “quantum” quadratic form Q(θ) which takes values greater than 1, up to the complex Grothendieck constant kG. It is shown that Q(θ) can be expressed as the trace of the product of θ with two rescaling matrices, and C(θ) can be expressed as the trace of the product of θ with two dequantisation matrices. Values of Q(θ) in the “ultra-quantum” region (1, kG) are very important, because this region is classically forbidden [C(θ) cannot take values in it]. An example with Q(θ)∈(1,kG) is given, which is related to phenomena where classically isolated by high potentials regions of space, communicate through quantum tunneling. Other examples show that “ultra-quantumness” according to the Grothendieck formalism (Q(θ)∈(1,kG)), is different from quantumness according to other criteria (like quantum interference or the uncertainty principle).
Measurement of Stark-split beam and carbon charge exchange emissions for simultaneous B-field and temperature/rotation analysis at DIII-D
Authors: Albosta R. , Geiger B. , McKee G. , Marchuk O. , Gallenberger T. , Khabanov F. , Den Hartog D.
Published: September 2024

A set of two newly designed, single-channel Czerny–Turner spectrometers has been deployed at the DIII-D tokamak for measurements of the motional Stark effect (MSE) split beam emission and the C6+ (CVI) carbon charge exchange recombination (CER) emission at high spectral (δλ = 0.13 nm) and temporal (1–5 kHz) resolution. High throughput optics (f/# = 2.8) allow for good signal-to-noise at high time resolution using fast EMCCD detectors. The MSE emission allows for spectral fitting of the magnitude and direction of the local B-field, while the carbon emission yields local ion temperature and toroidal rotation information. To reduce so-called Doppler broadening of the MSE emission, a new channel-specific variable lens-masking approach has been developed. Experimental data collected from the 2023 DIII-D experimental campaign demonstrate the signal quality and instrument fidelity for both diagnostic measurements. Moreover, initial CER data analysis shows a clear evolution of the toroidal rotation during edge localized modes. Initial progress on the advanced MSE model, including a new validated ray-trace model of the DIII-D collection optics, is shown via sensitivity analysis.
Tungsten donors doping in β-gallium oxide single crystal
Authors: Li Baizhong , Qi Hongji , Ahmed A. M. , Sai Qinglin , Pan Mingyan , Xia Changtai , Mohamed H. F.
Published: September 2024

Crystal structure, Raman spectra, electrical properties, and photoluminescence of unintentionally doped (UID) and W-doped β-Ga2O3 (W:β-Ga2O3) crystals grown using the optical floating zone technique were investigated. Based on the experimental data, W6+ ions substitute Ga3+ ions mainly in the octahedral lattice site, as revealed by the Raman spectroscopic assessment of W:β-Ga2O3 crystals. The carrier concentration of 0.10 mol. % W:β-Ga2O3 (3.92 × 1018 cm3) is more than forty times that of UID crystal (9.55 × 1016 cm3). In addition, the resistivity and mobility of 0.10 mol. % W: β-Ga2O3 decreased from 0.603 to 0.032 Ω cm and 153.1 to 126 cm−2 V−1 s−1, respectively. The transmittance of W:β-Ga2O3 crystals decreases with increasing W content (0.01, 0.05, and 0.10 mol. %) but remains high in the visible wavelength range. Three distinct emissions are observed in the photoluminescence spectra: two blue emissions and a UV band emission. These bands are owing to the −1 charge states of Ga(I) vacancies (VGa1−) at the octahedral site, the −1 charge states of gallium and oxygen vacancy pairs (VGa + VO)1−, as well as the recombination of self-trapped holes (STHs) are confined between two O(II)-s sites, respectively.
Surface wettability and capillary flow of water in nanoslits of two-dimensional hexagonal-boron nitride
Authors: Lu Ya-Wun , Chang Hsin-Yu , Tsao Heng-Kwong , Sheng Yu-Jane
Published: September 2024

The wettability and imbibition dynamics of water within 2-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanochannels were investigated through nanoscale molecular dynamics simulations. Results from the sessile drop and liquid plug methods indicate that the contact angle on h-BN is notably lower than that on graphene, with single-layer h-BN exhibiting greater hydrophobicity compared to multilayer h-BN. The disjoining pressure in liquid nanoplug was calculated to validate the Young–Laplace equation. During the imbibition process, the penetration length follows l2 = Slt. Simultaneously, the decrease in internal energy (ΔE) follows ΔE = −SEt1/2. While the Lucas–Washburn expression (l2 ∼ wt) can capture such behavior, it does not account for the dependence on channel width (w), where w = Nb, with N denoting the number of h-BN sheets and b the thickness. In wide nanoslits (N > 4), the penetration velocity decreases as the channel width increases. The final ΔE converge to the same value, and SE2/Sl remains constant. In narrow nanoslits (N ≤ 4), the penetration velocity does not decrease consistently with channel width. The final ΔE does not converge to a consistent value for N = 1, 1.5, and 2, and SE exhibits distinct trends with Sl. Comparisons reveal that water in h-BN nanochannels exhibits a notably higher imbibition velocity than in graphene due to differences in the driving force.
On the active flow control in maglev train safety under crosswinds: Analysis of leeward suction and blowing action
Authors: Guo Zi-Jian , Guo Zhan-Hao , Chen Zheng-Wei , Zeng Guang-Zhi , Xu Jun-Qi
Published: September 2024

The design speed of high-speed maglev trains is much higher than that of wheel-rail trains, and they will be subject to more operational safety threats under complex wind conditions. The present study uses the improved delayed detached eddy simulation method based on the shear stress transfer k–ω turbulence model to explore the effect of active flow control on the aerodynamic lateral force of a maglev train and examines the main aerodynamic performance differences caused by two active control forms (suction and blowing airflow), involving multiple active flow speeds. In the current scenario, blowing can reduce the lateral force coefficient of the head car by up to 15% while greatly increasing its transient instability, which can be attributed to direct and indirect changes in pressure distribution near the air slots and a larger range of the leeward surface. The suction is believed to suppress the downstream motion of the main vortex on the leeward side of the maglev train and weaken the turbulent kinetic energy of the wake, while the blowing effect reduces the dominance of the main vortex. The application of blowing is proved as an effective means of reducing the risk of operating a maglev train in a crosswind environment, while it requires a careful consideration of both train safety and energy efficiency.
Polymer-assisted crystal growth regulation and defect passivation for efficient perovskite solar cells
Authors: Liu Jing , Cai Wanxian , Shang Wenzhe , Li Wenrui , Wang Shuhong , Cai Wanqing , Shi Yantao , Wang Yudi
Published: September 2024

Despite the ongoing breakthroughs in power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the presence of inherent defects in perovskite films remains the predominant hurdle impeding the further progress of this promising photovoltaic technology. Herein, we propose a straightforward yet highly effective additive strategy to passivate the bulk defects of perovskite films. Specifically, based on the two-step deposition method, a functional polymer poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOXA) was introduced into the PbI2 precursor solution, facilitating the formation of the PbI2-dimethyl sulfoxide phase. This solvate facilitates subsequent intercalation reactions with organic cations, resulting in the formation of high-quality perovskite films. Additionally, due to its abundant active sites and larger molecular size, PEOXA forms a three-dimensional network structure at the perovskite grain boundaries, effectively connecting the grains and suppressing ion migration. The C = O groups in PEOXA passivate the uncoordinated Pb2+ defects at the grain boundaries, inhibiting non-radiative charge recombination in the bulk. As a result, the device PCE increased from 22.02% to 24.27%. Furthermore, the PEOXA-based PSCs exhibited excellent operational stability, retaining 86% of the initial efficiency after continuous operation for 1500 h.
FicD sensitizes cellular response to glucose fluctuations in mouse embryonic fibroblasts
Authors: Gulen Burak , Blevins Aubrie , Kinch Lisa N. , Servage Kelly A. , Stewart Nathan M. , Gray Hillery F. , Casey Amanda K. , Orth Kim
Published: September 2024

During homeostasis, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) maintains productive transmembrane and secretory protein folding that is vital for proper cellular function. The ER-resident HSP70 chaperone, binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP), plays a pivotal role in sensing ER stress to activate the unfolded protein response (UPR). BiP function is regulated by the bifunctional enzyme filamentation induced by cyclic-AMP domain protein (FicD) that mediates AMPylation and deAMPylation of BiP in response to changes in ER stress. AMPylated BiP acts as a molecular rheostat to regulate UPR signaling, yet little is known about the molecular consequences of FicD loss. In this study, we investigate the role of FicD in mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) response to pharmacologically and metabolically induced ER stress. We find differential BiP AMPylation signatures when comparing robust chemical ER stress inducers to physiological glucose starvation stress and recovery. Wildtype MEFs respond to pharmacological ER stress by down-regulating BiP AMPylation. Conversely, BiP AMPylation in wildtype MEFs increases upon metabolic stress induced by glucose starvation. Deletion of FicD results in widespread gene expression changes under baseline growth conditions. In addition, FicD null MEFs exhibit dampened UPR signaling, altered cell stress recovery response, and unconstrained protein secretion. Taken together, our findings indicate that FicD is important for tampering UPR signaling, stress recovery, and the maintenance of secretory protein homeostasis.
An analog of the pendulum/rotor system with elementary solutions
Authors: Robinett R W
Published: September 2024

We explore a novel one-dimensional model potential, V(x), which mimics many aspects of the classic pendulum/rotor system, including low- and high-energy limits which are exactly solvable, as well as a divergent period separating the two. Using energy methods, the classical period, T(E), is evaluated in closed form for all values of the energy (0 < E < ∞) in terms of simple logarithmic functions, in contrast to the pendulum/rotor system where the results require elliptic integrals. We find an unexpected duality between the exact expressions for the period on either side of the divergence. Using both energy methods, and a Newton’s law differential equation approach, we present closed form expressions for trajectory solutions, x(t) and p(t) = mv(t) (or the linear momentum), in terms of hyperbolic functions, which explicitly give the same values for T(E).
Classification and analysis of simple pendulum using artificial neural network approach
Authors: Wadhwa Adya , Wadhwa Ajay
Published: September 2024

We describe an artificial neural network (ANN) for analyzing damped oscillations in a simple pendulum system by using a machine learning (ML) algorithm. We have first shown how to construct a simple ANN consisting of three layers-input, hidden and output, with each layer being composed of neurons representing a relevant feature of the oscillating pendulum. The train and test datasets for the ANN have been taken from the experimental data collected by using the methodology of a previously communicated work. A ML optimization algorithm called stochastic gradient descent has been employed in the neural network to predict the type of pendulum according to the values of the mass, size and damping coefficient of the pendulum.
A microlocal and visual comparison of 2D Kirchhoff migration formulas in seismic imaging*
Authors: Ganster Kevin , Todd Quinto Eric , Rieder Andreas
Published: September 2024

The termKirchhoff migrationrefers to a collection of approximate linearized inversion formulas for solving the inverse problem of seismic tomography which entails reconstructing the Earth’s subsurface from reflected wave fields. A number of such formulas exists, the first dating from the 1950 s. As far as we know, these formulas have not yet been mathematically compared with respect to their imaging properties. This shortcoming is to be alleviated by the present work: we systematically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the formulas in 2D from a microlocal point of view. To this end we consider the corresponding imaging operators in an unified framework as pseudodifferential or Fourier integral operators. Numerical examples illustrate the theoretical insights and allow a visual comparison of the different formulas.
Symmetry-controlled SrRuO3/SrTiO3/SrRuO3 magnetic tunnel junctions: spin polarization and its relevance to tunneling magnetoresistance
Authors: Samanta Kartik , Tsymbal Evgeny Y
Published: September 2024

Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), that consist of two ferromagnetic electrodes separated by an insulating barrier layer, have non-trivial fundamental properties associated with spin-dependent tunneling. Especially interesting are fully crystalline MTJs where spin-dependent tunneling is controlled by the symmetry group of wave vector. In this work, using first-principles quantum-transport calculations, we explore spin-dependent tunneling in fully crystalline SrRuO3/SrTiO3/SrRuO3 (001) MTJs and predict tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of nearly 3000%. We demonstrate that this giant TMR effect is driven by symmetry matching (mismatching) of the incoming and outcoming Bloch states in the SrRuO3 (001) electrodes and evanescent states in the SrTiO3 (001) barrier. We argue that under the conditions of symmetry-controlled transport, spin polarization, whatever definition is used, is not a relevant measure of spin-dependent tunneling. In the presence of diffuse scattering, however, e.g. due to localized states in the band gap of the tunnel barrier, symmetry matching is no longer valid and TMR in SrRuO3/SrTiO3/SrRuO3 (001) MTJs is strongly reduced. Under these conditions, the spin polarization of the interface transmission function becomes a valid measure of TMR. These results provide an important insight into understanding and optimizing TMR in all-oxide MTJs.
ESMDNN-PPI: a new protein–protein interaction prediction model developed with protein language model of ESM2 and deep neural network
Authors: Li Yane , Wang Chengfeng , Gu Haibo , Feng Hailin , Ruan Yaoping
Published: September 2024

Protein–protein interaction (PPI) plays an important role in the biological process. While, there are limitations of long spend time and high labor cost in traditional lab based PPIs detection approaches. Although many computation-based methods have been proposed for prediction of PPIs, achieving high predictive performance and overcoming low generalization performance remain challenging issues. This study developed a novel PPIs prediction method by combining protein language model (PLM) of ESM2 and deep neural network, which show high predictive and generalization performance. Specifically, after protein-coding of protein sequence, the PLM of ESM2 is embedded. Then pre-training weight which trained on human dataset was transferred to other species dataset. The generalization of the model we established is tested on four independent datasets. The results show that values of area under precision–recall curve (AUPR) and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve achieved 93.06% and 98.69% on human dataset respectively. AUPR values achieved 87.54%, 84.95%, 81.99%, and 66.23% on datasets of Mus musculus, Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which are higher of 13.61%–78.78%, 11.35%–75.71%, 12.76%–73.1% and 11.77%–56.94% than multilayer perceptron + convolutional neural network (MLP + CNN), MLP + gated recurrent unit (GRU) and MLP + CNN + GRU based models on these four dataset respectively. The results indicate that this PPIs prediction method we developed can extract features that better characterize the nature of PPIs with protein sequence, and achieving a high predictive and generalization performance for predicting PPIs.
MAFNet: a two-stage multiple attention fusion network for partial-to-partial point cloud registration
Authors: Chen Xinyu , Luo Jiahui , Ren Yan , Cui Tong , Zhang Meng
Published: September 2024

3D point cloud registration is a critical technology in the fields of visual measurement and robot automation processing. In actual large-scale industrial production, the accuracy of point cloud registration directly affects the quality of automated welding processes. However, most existing methods are confronted with serious challenges such as the failure of partial-to-partial point cloud model registration when facing robot automatic processing guidance and error analysis work. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel two-stage network architecture for point cloud registration, which aims at robot pose adjustment and visual guidance in the field of automated welding by using 3D point cloud data. Specifically, we propose a neighborhood-based multi-head attention module in the coarse registration stage. The neighborhood information of each point can be aggregated through focusing on different weight coefficients of multi-head inputs. Then the spatial structure features which is used to establish the overlapping constraint of point clouds are obtained based on above neighborhood information. In the fine registration stage, we propose the similarity matching removal module based on multiple attention fusion features to explore deeper features from different aspects. By using deep fusion features to guide the similarity calculation, the interference of non-overlapping points is removed to achieve the finer registration. Eventually, we compare and analyze the proposed method with the SOTA ones through several error metrics and overlap estimation experiments based on the ModelNet40 dataset. The test results indicate that our method, relative to other mainstream techniques, achieves lower error rates and the most superior accuracy of 98.61% and recall of 98.37%. To demonstrate the generalization performance of proposed algorithm, extensive experiments on the Stanford 3D Scanning Repository, 7-Scenes and our own scanning dataset using partially overlapping point clouds individually under clean and noisy conditions show the validity and reliability of our proposed registration network.
Monocular visual detection of coal flow rate in scraper conveyor based on template matching background differencing
Authors: Zheng Guangyu , Ding Hua , Dong Xiaoxin , Li Ning , Zhang Junhu , Zhao Junhu , Wang Bao
Published: September 2024

The monitoring of coal flow is a crucial aspect of the intelligent regulation and control of comprehensive mining equipment. In recent years, machine vision technology has become a mainstream method for quickly and efficiently extracting coal flow information. However, the majority of research in this field has focused on belt conveyors, with relatively limited investigation into the use of this technology with scraper conveyors. In order to address the need for monitoring coal flow in scraper conveyors, a monocular visual detection method of coal flow rates based on template matching-background differencing is proposed. First, the region of interet in the images captured using a monocular camera mounted at a specific location is quickly identified using an enhanced template matching method. Second, the image motion region is segmented using interframe and background differencing. Finally, the coal flow rate is calculated on the basis of the number of pixel points in the segmented image. Experimental verification is performed using scraper conveyor test bench and real underground data. The results demonstrate that the proposed coal flow detection method is capable of achieving real-time detection of coal flow in scraper conveyor and provides a theoretical basis for the monitoring of coal flow of the scraper conveyor.
Observation of internal transport barrier evolution in ELMy H-mode plasma in the EAST
Authors: Yu L , Li G S , Wu M Q , Zhou Z , Zhang T , Wu X H , Geng K N , Li G Q , Ye K X , Huang J , Zhou Z Q , Yang S Q , Ma J Y , Wen F , Chu Y Q , Zang Q , Li Y Y , Zhao H L , Gao X
Published: September 2024

Research shows that there is an asynchronous evolution process between the internal transport barriers (ITBs) formed in three channels (ion temperature, electron temperature, and density). Under the condition of a low toroidal magnetic field (

B
t

∼ 1.6 T), the electron density ITB is the easiest to implement through the fueling effect of the first neutral beam injection with the least heating power. However, the

n
e

ITB appears to be independent of heating power. The ion temperature ITB can be formed without reaching the threshold power under the condition of strong E × B shear flow, while maintaining ITBs in ion and electron channels simultaneously requires higher heating power. Moreover, the foot of the

T
i

ITB formed in the strong E × B shear case is located outside that in the fishbone case, while the ITB strength remains almost unchanged. The fishbone activities do not always occur prior to ITB formation, as our previous results have shown, suggesting that there may be no direct relationship between the physical process of ITB triggering and fishbone activities.
The effect of Bi3+ doping on the structural, magnetic, dielectric, optical, and photocatalytic efficiency of Mg-Ni ferrite nanoparticles
Authors: Al-Bassami N S
Published: September 2024

Ferrite nanoparticles with the general formula Mg0.7Ni0.3BixFe2-xO4 (MNB) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1, Δx = 0.02) were prepared by the citrate combustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed the spinel single-phase with crystallite size varied from 30.68 to 43.74 ± 0.01 nm. Scanning electron microscopes with elemental mapping conformed to the nano-nature of the MNB samples with all the constituents present without secondary elements. The sample Mg0.7Ni0.3Bi0.02Fe1.98O4 has the highest saturation magnetization of 31.06 ± 0.01 emu g−1. The sample Mg0.7Ni0.3Bi0.08Fe1.92O4 has the lowest coercivity of 31.06 ± 0.01 G. The high-frequency response of the MNB nanoferrites allows them to be used at frequencies around 6.48± 0.01–6.87± 0.01 GHz. The nanoferrite Mg0.7Ni0.3Bi0.1Fe1.9O4 has notable dielectric parameters at 300 K and 50 Hz: the highest dielectric constant (747.93 with enhancing ratio 371%) and the highest conductivity (26.14 μ(Ω.m)−1 with enhancing ratio 288%). The Mg0.7Ni0.3Bi0.08Fe1.92O4 sample has a loss of 8.65 with an enhancing ratio of 56.79% compared to the loss of the pristine Mg0.7Ni0.3Fe2O4 sample of 15.23. Diffuse reflectance (DR) spectroscopy showed an irregular trend for the band gap values with increasing Bi3+ content, where the nanoferrite Mg0.7Ni0.3Bi0.1Fe1.9O4 had the lowest energy gap of 2 eV. The sample Mg0.7Ni0.3Bi0.1Fe1.9O4 exhibited the maximum photodegradation efficiency (96.16%) for rhodamine B (RhB) dye, with outstanding stability after five cycles (96.16, 95.92, 95.71, 95.56, and 95.23%, respectively). The current work has shown the capability to customize ferrite MNB for soft ferrite applications and to eliminate hazardous RhB from water.
A deep learning approach to improve signal quality: spike denoising for reliable sorting using transformer networks
Authors: Lotfi Mohammad Amin , Daliri Mohammad Reza
Published: September 2024

Accurate sorting is critical in neural signal processing. This paper presents a spike denoising method using a transformer network for enhanced spike sorting. Accurate spike sorting involves identifying and isolating signals generated by individual neurons from recordings obtained from multiple neurons. A transformer is a deep learning model that uses self-attention to differentially weight the significance of each part of the input data. Transformer networks consist of two main parts: the Encoder and the Decoder. The Encoder is made up of encoding layers that iteratively map the input to a new space, while the Decoder contains decoding layers that generate a denoised signal from the output of the Encoder. The aim of this paper is to present a supervised sorting model that could isolate the raw spike waveforms to their fired neurons with higher accuracies, leveraging the attention mechanism in the proposed model. The developed approach utilizes the transformer network to increase the accuracy of detecting the main source of spikes. Additionally, this method extracts the main spike source in cases of overlapped spikes. To assess our model’s performance, we tested it on two public datasets. The first dataset was designed to evaluate the model’s ability to handle noise, while the second dataset presented challenges for spike classification, making it a suitable test for our model’s capabilities. Our model outperformed other existing models on both datasets. Our model achieved an average classification accuracy of 99.85% on the simulated dataset and 95.06% on the experimental dataset, outperforming other models. These results suggest that our model is well-suited for handling noise and difficult spike classification scenarios and is superior to other currently available models.
Stability and vibration control of electrostatically excited functionally graded microresonator using nonlinear observer based sliding mode controller
Authors: Kar Uttam Kumar , Srinivas J
Published: September 2024

The dynamic stability analysis of microsystems is an important aspect in understanding the critical operating regions under different excitations. Present study proposes an observer-based adaptive back-stepping sliding mode controller (ABSMC) model to control and stabilize an electrostatically excited functionally graded microresonator. The dynamic model of a microsystem subjected to random disturbances is derived using modified couple stress theory and Euler–Bernoulli’s beam model. The effective material properties are obtained from Mori-Tanaka scheme and the equations of motion are derived using Hamilton principle and solved by Galerkin’s method. A trained neural network estimator predicts the disturbances and the adaptive back-stepping sliding mode controller is designed for improving the system stability. The results of the proposed controller are compared with conventional sliding mode control (SMC) and proportional-derivative (PD) control solutions and it is found that ABSMC reduces settling time and input control force by 52.42% and 88.40%, respectively, with minimal chattering. The proposed control methodology effectively extends the travelling range of FG microsystems within and beyond the pull-in voltage.
Enhancement of carrier concentration in chemical bath deposited copper sulfide (CuxS) thin film by post-growth annealing treatment
Authors: Sabat Somesh , Gartia Anurag , Sahoo Kiran Kumar , Biswal Sameer Ranjan , Pradhan Diana , Kar Jyoti Prakash
Published: September 2024

Copper sulfide thin films (CuxS, 1 ≤ x ≤ 2), owing to their unique optical and electrical properties, have attracted enormous attention in recent research. As one of the chalcogenide semiconductors, CuxS is used in several applications such as chemical sensors, photo-absorbing layers, photovoltaics, and lithium-ion batteries. In this study, copper sulfide thin film (CuxS; where 1 ≤ x ≤ 2) has been deposited by the chemical bath deposition method (CBD) at 27 °C with the molar ratio for copper and sulfur as 1:5, respectively. The structural, compositional, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of as-deposited and annealed CuxS thin films are investigated. From XRD plots, the presence of a mixture of two co-existing polycrystalline phases is observed, i. e. covellite phase with CuS stoichiometry and digenite phase with Cu1.8S stoichiometry up to an annealing temperature of 200 °C. At higher annealing temperatures, i.e. at 300 °C and 400 °C, the phase of CuxS thin film gets completely converted to digenite phase with Cu1.8S stoichiometry and chalcocite phase with Cu2S stoichiometry respectively. There is an enhancement in the crystallinity of CuxS thin film with an increase in annealing temperature as confirmed by XRD and Raman results. The optical bandgap of CuxS thin film is found to be decreased from 2.81 eV to 1.66 eV with an increase in the annealing temperature. The CuxS thin films are found to be p-type in nature, and the film annealed at 400 °C possesses the highest carrier concentration as revealed from the Hall effect measurement. This study aims to investigate the improvement of electrical properties of CuxS thin film with the variation in annealing temperature for optoelectronic applications such as photodetector.
rADSC-loaded tubular units composed of multilayer electrospun membranes promoted bone regeneration of critical-sized skull defects
Authors: Jiang Huamin , Lin Zhaoyi , Li Jinze , Song Ting , Zang Hongyun , Li Pengwen , Li Jiarun , Hou Wenyi , Zhou Jianhua , Li Yan
Published: September 2024

Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have considerable potential for bone regeneration. However, their performance is limited by a lack of scaffolds that adequately mimic the hierarchical structure of bone to promote proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of ADSCs. In this study, nanofiber membranes composed of polycaprolactone, poly(lactide-co-glycolide), and hydroxyapatite (HAp) were prepared via electrospinning, and the membranes curled after responding to temperature stimuli in an aqueous solution. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observations indicated that needle-like HAp nanoparticles with an average diameter of 57 ± 39 nm and a length–diameter ratio of 7.4 ± 1.56 were entrapped in the nanofiber matrix and did not affect the surface morphology of fibers. After cutting and deformation, the nanofibers changed from straight to bent, and the diameters increased; they were 1105 ± 200 nm for BPLG85-H and 1120 ± 199 nm for BPLG80-H. Additionally, tubular units with a single layer (BPLG-H(1.5)) or multiple layers (BPLG-H(3.5)) were obtained by controlling the initial shape and size of the membranes. rADSCs on the concave surface of BPLG-H(3.5) proliferated faster and exhibited better osteogenic activity than those on the convex side of BPLG-H(3.5) and both surfaces of BPLG-H(1.5), which was correlated with the higher expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein 2. Additionally, rADSCs on both units maintained osteogenic activity after storage at -80 °C for 20 d. In rat skull defect (diameter of 8 mm) models, rADSC-loaded BPLG-H(3.5) units fixed using gelatin hydrogel (ADSC@BHM) exhibited 84.1 ± 6.6% BV/TV after implantation for 12 weeks, which was 155.6% higher than that of the Blank group. H&E and Masson’s staining results demonstrated that there was more bone regeneration at the defect center of ADSC@BHM than in the BHM and Blank groups. In conclusion, rADSC-loaded BPLG-H(3.5) with an osteon-mimic structure provides a potential strategy to repair bone defects.
The prolyl isomerase FKBP11 is a secretory translocon accessory factor
Authors: DiGuilio Amanda , Cheng Ben , Zhong Frank , Jha Roshan , Wan Yu , Anghel S. Andrei , Hu Hong , Shishkova Evgenia , Ji Zhe , Coon Joshua J. , Keenan Robert J.
Published: September 2024

Eukaryotic cells encode thousands of secretory and membrane proteins, many of which are cotranslationally translocated into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Nascent polypeptides entering the ER encounter a network of molecular chaperones and enzymes that facilitate their folding. A rate-limiting step for some proteins is the trans-to- cis isomerization of the peptide bond between proline and the residue preceding it. The human ER contains six prolyl isomerases, but the function, organization, and substrate range of these proteins is not clear. Here we show that the metazoan-specific, prolyl isomerase FKBP11 binds to ribosome–translocon complexes (RTCs) in the ER membrane, dependent on its single transmembrane domain and a conserved, positively charged region at its cytosolic C-terminus. High-throughput mRNA sequencing shows selective engagement with ribosomes synthesizing secretory and membrane proteins with long translocated segments, and functional analysis shows reduced stability of two such proteins, EpCAM and PTTG1IP, in cells depleted of FKBP11. We propose that FKBP11 is a translocon accessory factor that acts on a broad range of soluble secretory and transmembrane proteins during their synthesis at the ER.
Earthquake and Undeception
Authors: Brickhouse Anna
Published: September 2024

The Introduction lays out the book’s central premises and arguments while defining some of its key terms, including elsewhere catastrophe and undeception. More than fire, flood, or its sea-born twin the hurricane, earthquake is the exemplary elsewhere catastrophe—the disaster that must always happen far away or be forgotten—because it is an enduring figure both for the world-negating violence of colonialism and for the potential eruption of a world built on conquest. The rending of earthquake figures conquest itself but also the literal instability of occupied grounds, an instability recognized in Indigenous knowledges of earthquake. Earthquake is both a recurrent eruptive force and a provocation for disparate modes of critical engagement with the long and catastrophic history of the Americas. The Introduction concludes with a summary of the book’s eight chapters.
The Settler Colonial Sublime
Authors: Brickhouse Anna
Published: September 2024

This chapter turns to Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur as early American literature’s preeminent theorist and enactor of the sublime’s intricate geographic displacements. The chapter begins with Crèvecoeur’s “Rock of Lisbon” essay, which contemplates a panoramic view of Lisbon in the aftermath of its great earthquake that is key to the later emergence of the author’s new national figure and concomitant affect. Crèvecoeur’s early writings elaborate a predatory optimism upheld by temperate opposition to the supposed torrid zones of the globe: from the US South to colonial South America to the imagined reaches of the African wilderness. The settler sublime and the new happiness that it produces derive from a doubled experience of place, from the distance between a geography where catastrophe is destined to occur and the presumed American safety from earthquake and all it portends: revolution of the enslaved, Indigenous repossession of the land, and their catastrophic figurations.
The Seismic Civil War
Authors: Brickhouse Anna
Published: September 2024

This chapter examines disparate visions of the Civil War across a cluster of writings that define the US South by the distant southerly locations of catastrophe. Frederick Douglass is a preeminent theorist of seismicity, understanding the national tendency toward earthquake amnesia, and seeking an aesthetic mode that could make visible the vast seismic terrain of the slave-holding South. Emily Dickinson pursued earthquake as a figure for limning the relation between surface and depth, and for imagining what can and cannot be seen based on a northern viewer location. Mark Twain fled from the seismic US South only to experience literal earthquake in the West, responding to the San Francisco earthquake while manifesting his own version of earthquake amnesia. The chapter concludes with José Martí’s essay on the Charleston earthquake of 1886, a work that glances prophetically at the seismic future of the twentieth- and twenty-first-century Americas.
The effect of supported metal Species on soot oxidation over PGM/CeO2-ZrO2
Authors: Kubo Hitoshi , Ohshima Yusuke , Kato Shunsuke , Saitoh Noriyuki , Yoshizawa Noriko , Nakagoe Osamu , Tanabe Shuji
Published: September 2024

Herein is studied the soot oxidation over platinum group metal oxide/CeO2–ZrO2 (PGM/CZ) catalysts. The ability to capture gas-phase oxygen was in sequence of Ru/CZ > Rh/CZ > Ir/CZ > Pt/CZ > Pd/CZ. A soot oxidation test by TG-DTA showed that Ru/CZ, Rh/CZ, and Ir/CZ are highly active catalysts. It was found that there is a good correlation between the ability to capture gas-phase oxygen and soot oxidation activity. TEM observation revealed that soot oxidation mainly occurs at the interface between soot and CZ surfaces. The Ea values and soot oxidation test using labelled oxygen suggest that highly active catalysts oxidize soot by CZ lattice oxygen. For Ir/CZ, soot oxidation at 270 °C occurred due to the reduction by soot. Ru/CZ and Rh/CZ captured gas-phase oxygen spontaneously below 250 °C, resulting in soot oxidation at 270 °C. H2-TPR results suggest that the reactivity of lattice oxygen in the CZ surface, improved by PGM, is also related to soot oxidation activity. This suggests that the ability to capture gas-phase oxygen and the reactivity of lattice oxygen in the CZ surface determine the soot oxidation activity, and that Ru, Rh, and Ir have the effect of enhancing these properties.
Organization, conservation, and diversity of biosynthetic gene clusters in Bacillus sp. BH32 and its closest relatives in the Bacillus cereus group
Authors: Belaouni Hadj Ahmed , Yekkour Amine , Zitouni Abdelghani , Meklat Atika
Published: September 2024

This study explores the organization, conservation, and diversity of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) among Bacillus sp. strain BH32, a plant-beneficial bacterial endophyte, and its closest nontype Bacillus cereus group strains. BGC profiles were predicted for each of the 17 selected strains using antiSMASH, resulting in the detection of a total of 198 BGCs. We quantitatively compared the BGCs and analysed their conservation, distribution, and evolutionary relationships. The study identified both conserved and singleton BGCs across the studied Bacillus strains, with minimal variation, and discovered two major BGC synteny blocks composed of homologous BGCs conserved within the B. cereus group. The identified BGC synteny blocks provide insight into the evolutionary relationships and diversity of BGCs within this complex group.
Beliefs of Pentecostal pastors on the use of antiretroviral treatment among Pentecostal Christians living with HIV in a suburb of Cape Town-South Africa: a community health systems lens
Authors: Azia Ivo Nchendia , Nyembezi Anam , Carelse Shernaaz , Mukumbang Ferdinand C
Published: September 2024

The global public health community accepts antiretroviral therapy (ART) for controlling and managing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, within some communities, claims of faith or miraculous healing of HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) by Pentecostal pastors continue to spark controversies. This paper reports on an exploratory qualitative study to explore the beliefs held by Pentecostal pastors regarding the use of ART among Pentecostal Christians who are living with HIV. Twenty (20) purposively selected Pentecostal pastors from two informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, participated in the study. Open-ended, semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews were conducted on their religious beliefs concerning ART adherence. Interviews were conducted in English, audiotaped and transcribed verbatim before being imported into the Atlas.ti 2023 software program for thematic data analysis. Since our study was guided by the relational community health system model a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis was used. Two contrasting themes about the influence of the religious beliefs of Pentecostal pastors were identified. The first theme and its associated subthemes highlight the lack of basic HIV and ART knowledge among pastors. Consequently, these pastors tend to nudge their Christians to rely more on faith and spiritual healing at the expense of adherence to ART. The second theme and its related sub-themes suggest that some pastors possess some basic HIV knowledge and understand the role of ART and how it works. This group of pastors advise their congregants to use ART and other healthcare services in tandem with spiritual rituals, faith and prayers. Our findings highlight the need for functional community-based structures, such as community health committees and health facility management committees, in settings where complex interaction within the belief systems, practices and norms of some stakeholders can influence people’s health-seeking behaviours such as adherence to chronic medications like ART.
Increased Proportions of Invasive Pneumococcal Disease Cases Among Adults Experiencing Homelessness Sets the Stage for New Serotype 4 Capsular-Switch Recombinants
Authors: Beall Bernard , Chochua Sopio , Metcalf Ben , Lin Wuling , Tran Theresa , Li Zhongya , Li Yuan , Bentz Meghan L , Sheth Mili , Osis Gunars , McGee Lesley
Published: September 2024

Background

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) identified increased serotype 4 invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), particularly among adults experiencing homelessness (AEH).

Methods

We quantified increased proportions of IPD cases in AEH during 2016–2022. Employing genomic-based characterization of IPD isolates, we identified serotype-switch variants. Recombinational analyses were used to identify the genetic donor and recipient strain that generated a serotype 4 progeny strain. We performed phylogenetic analyses of the serotype 4 progeny and of the serotype 12F genetic recipient to determine genetic distances.

Results

We identified a cluster of 30 highly related (0–21 nucleotide differences) IPD isolates recovered during 2022–2023, corresponding to a serotype 4 capsular-switch variant. This strain arose through a multifragment recombination event between serotype 4/ST10172 and serotype 12F/ST220 parental strains. Twenty-five of the 30 cases occurred in Oregon. Of 29 cases with known residence status, 16 occurred in AEH. Variant emergence coincided with a 2.6-fold increase (57 to 148) of cases caused by the serotype 4/ST10172 donor lineage in 2022 compared to 2019 and its first appearance in Oregon. Most serotypes showed sequential increases of AEH IPD/all IPD ratios during 2016–2022 (eg, for all serotypes combined, 247/2198, 11.2% during 2022 compared to 405/5317, 7.6% for 2018–2019, P < .001). Serotypes 4 and 12F each caused more IPD than any other serotype in AEH during 2020–2022 (207 combined case isolates accounting for 38% of all IPD in AEH).

Conclusions

Expansion and increased transmission of serotypes 4 and 12F among adults potentially led to recent genesis of an impactful hybrid serotype-switch variant.