bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient Electromagnetic Wave Absorption and Thermal Infrared Stealth in PVTMS@MWCNT Nano-Aerogel via Abundant Nano-Sized Cavities and Attenuation Interfaces
Authors: Ma Haoyu , Fashandi Maryam , Rejeb Zeineb Ben , Ming Xin , Liu Yingjun , Gong Pengjian , Li Guangxian , Park Chul B.
Published: November 2023

Pre-polymerized vinyl trimethoxy silane (PVTMS)@MWCNT nano-aerogel system was constructed via radical polymerization, sol–gel transition and supercritical CO2 drying. The fabricated organic–inorganic hybrid PVTMS@MWCNT aerogel structure shows nano-pore size (30–40 nm), high specific surface area (559 m2 g−1), high void fraction (91.7%) and enhanced mechanical property: (1) the nano-pore size is beneficial for efficiently blocking thermal conduction and thermal convection via Knudsen effect (beneficial for infrared (IR) stealth); (2) the heterogeneous interface was beneficial for IR reflection (beneficial for IR stealth) and MWCNT polarization loss (beneficial for electromagnetic wave (EMW) attenuation); (3) the high void fraction was beneficial for enhancing thermal insulation (beneficial for IR stealth) and EMW impedance match (beneficial for EMW attenuation). Guided by the above theoretical design strategy, PVTMS@MWCNT nano-aerogel shows superior EMW absorption property (cover all Ku-band) and thermal IR stealth property (ΔT reached 60.7 °C). Followed by a facial combination of the above nano-aerogel with graphene film of high electrical conductivity, an extremely high electromagnetic interference shielding material (66.5 dB, 2.06 mm thickness) with superior absorption performance of an average absorption-to-reflection (A/R) coefficient ratio of 25.4 and a low reflection bandwidth of 4.1 GHz (A/R ratio more than 10) was experimentally obtained in this work.
Twisted Integration of Complex Oxide Magnetoelectric Heterostructures via Water-Etching and Transfer Process
Authors: Yang Guannan , Dong Guohua , Zhang Butong , Xu Xu , Zhao Yanan , Hu Zhongqiang , Liu Ming
Published: November 2023

Highlights

The (001)-oriented ferromagnetic La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 films are stuck onto the (011)-oriented ferroelectric single-crystal 0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.3PbTiO3 substrate with 0° and 45° twist angle.

By applying a 7.2 kV cm−1 electric field, the coexistence of uniaxial and fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy is observed in 45° Sample, while a typical uniaxial anisotropy is found in 0° Sample.

Abstract

Manipulating strain mode and degree that can be applied to epitaxial complex oxide thin films have been a cornerstone of strain engineering. In recent years, lift-off and transfer technology of the epitaxial oxide thin films have been developed that enabled the integration of heterostructures without the limitation of material types and crystal orientations. Moreover, twisted integration would provide a more interesting strategy in artificial magnetoelectric heterostructures. A specific twist angle between the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic oxide layers corresponds to the distinct strain regulation modes in the magnetoelectric coupling process, which could provide some insight in to the physical phenomena. In this work, the La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (001)/0.7Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.3PbTiO3 (011) (LSMO/PMN-PT) heterostructures with 45º and 0º twist angles were assembled via water-etching and transfer process. The transferred LSMO films exhibit a fourfold magnetic anisotropy with easy axis along LSMO < 110 >. A coexistence of uniaxial and fourfold magnetic anisotropy with LSMO [110] easy axis is observed for the 45° Sample by applying a 7.2 kV cm−1 electrical field, significantly different from a uniaxial anisotropy with LSMO [100] easy axis for the 0° Sample. The fitting of the ferromagnetic resonance field reveals that the strain coupling generated by the 45° twist angle causes different lattice distortion of LSMO, thereby enhancing both the fourfold and uniaxial anisotropy. This work confirms the twisting degrees of freedom for magnetoelectric coupling and opens opportunities for fabricating artificial magnetoelectric heterostructures.
Klammer zu
Authors: Eiden-Offe Patrick
Published: November 2023

In loser Analogie zur Geschichte der autonomen Bewegung plädiert der Beitrag für die literaturwissenschaftliche Ausarbeitung eines post-autonomen Literaturbegriffs – wobei auch die ästhetischen Wertungskriterien der Wissenschaftler*innen überarbeitet werden sollten. Mit »post-autonom« soll hier der reflektierte Austrag einiger Paradoxien des Autonomen selbst verstanden werden.
Herausforderungen hybrider Arbeitsmodelle in KMU im Vergleich zu Großunternehmen
Authors: Bath Johanna , Rieger Kathrin , Kolodziej Vanessa
Published: November 2023

Hybride Arbeitsmodelle gelten als Zukunft der Arbeit. Demnach beschäftigt sich die vorliegende Forschungsarbeit mit der Untersuchung hybrider Arbeitsmodelle im Hinblick auf deutsche kleine und mittlere Unternehmen (KMU) im Vergleich zu Großbetrieben. Mithilfe einer multi-methodischen Studie, bestehend aus einer Umfrage und qualitativen Experteninterviews, wird evaluiert, in welchem Maß hybride Arbeitsmodelle in KMU bereits etabliert sind und welche Herausforderungen sie dabei bewältigen müssen. Zusätzlich wird betrachtet, ob soziodemografische Faktoren wie Alter, Geschlecht oder Rolle im Unternehmen einen Einfluss auf hybrides Arbeiten haben.

Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Etablierung von hybriden Arbeitsmodellen in KMU im Gegensatz zu Großbetrieben weniger vorangeschritten ist. KMUs stehen vor vielfältigen Herausforderungen, die beispielsweise auf unzureichende Digitalisierung oder traditionellere Strukturen zurückzuführen sind. Insbesondere die Unternehmenskultur sowie die Rolle im Unternehmen und der Einfluss der Führungskraft spielen eine wichtige Rolle.

Praktische Relevanz: Der Großteil vorliegender Literatur zum Thema New Work und Hybride Arbeit legt den Fokus auf die Gesamtbetrachtung aller Unternehmensgrößen oder auf Großbetriebe. Aufgrund der spezifischen Merkmale, wie beispielsweise eingeschränkter Ressourcenzugang, können Ergebnisse von Großbetrieben kaum auf KMU übertragen werden. Demnach gibt diese Arbeit eine Orientierung, wie hybride Arbeitsmodelle in KMU sinnvoll und gewinnbringend umgesetzt werden und welche Herausforderungen auftreten.
Vorgeschichte, Geschichte und Gegenwart der Empathie
Authors: Wendler Hannes
Published: November 2023

Die Empathie zählt zu den paradigmatischen Untersuchungsgebieten der Psychologie. Im zeitgenössischen Diskurs macht sich dennoch vermehrt ein Bewusstsein breit, dass die geschichtliche Aufarbeitung des Empathiediskurses mangelhaft ist, was sich auch heutzutage noch in theoretischen Engpässen bemerkbar macht. Die vorliegende Untersuchung stellt einige historische Hintergründe bereit und nimmt Einteilungen vor, die den Empathiediskurs überschaubar machen sollen. Zunächst wird die Begriffsgeschichte von der „Einfühlung“ über „empathy“ hin zu der „Empathie“ betrachtet. Anschließend wird die Ideengeschichte in eine vorgeschichtliche Betrachtung der Romantik und des britischen Empirismus, eine geschichtliche Betrachtung von Vischers Ästhetik und Lipps Psychologie und eine zeitgenössische Betrachtung von Theorie‑, Simulations‑, Hybriden- und phänomenologischen Theorien untergliedert und entwickelt.
Differences in healthcare structures, processes and outcomes of neighbouring European countries: the example of Germany and the Netherlands
Authors: Schwettmann Lars , Hamprecht Axel , Seeber Gesine H. , Pichler Stefan , Voss Andreas , Ansmann Lena , Hoffmann Falk
Published: November 2023

Although healthcare systems across Europe face rather similar challenges, their organization varies widely. Even neighbouring countries substantially differ with respect to healthcare structures, processes, and resulting outcomes. Focusing on Germany and the Netherlands as examples of such neighbouring countries, this paper will first identify and discuss similarities and major differences between both systems on the macro-level of healthcare. It further argues that it is often unknown how these differences trickle down to individual healthcare organizations, providers, patients or citizens, i.e., to the meso- and micro-level of healthcare. Hence, in a second step, potential implications of macro-level differences are described by considering the examples of total hip arthroplasty, antibiotic prescription practices and resistance, and nursing home care in Germany and the Netherlands. The paper concludes with an outlook on how these differences can be studied using the example of the project “Comparison of healthcare structures, processes and outcomes in the Northern German and Dutch cross-border region” (CHARE-GD). It further discusses potential prospects and challenges of corresponding cross-national research.
Solution of the Basel Problem in the Framework of Distribution Theory
Authors: Aste Andreas
Published: November 2023

A simple proof of Euler’s formula which states that the sum of the reciprocals of all natural numbers squared equals $$\zeta (2)=\pi ^2/6$$

ζ

(
2
)

=

π
2

/
6

is presented based on the distribution theory introduced by Laurent Schwartz. Additional identities are obtained as a byproduct of the derivation.
Artificial intelligence in design education: evaluating ChatGPT as a virtual colleague for post-graduate course development
Authors: Meron Yaron , Tekmen Araci Yasemin
Published: November 2023

This article explores the ability of ChatGPT to function as a virtual colleague in helping to design materials for higher education design students. Using a self-study methodology, two university educators attempted to collaborate with ChatGPT to create course materials targeted at higher education design students, before reflecting on its strengths and weaknesses during the process. Contextualising ChatGPT as the latest acute example of digital disruptors that design practices and processes have faced, the authors evaluated its current and potential threats and opportunities for the creation of design-focused learning content. The authors found that ChatGPT was a competent partner with regard to saving time, structuring textual content and documentation, and as a brainstorming tool. However, ChatGPT’s weaknesses included content generation that was often generic, usually requiring much human prompting, cajoling, and manual editing to produce desirable outcomes. Overall, ChatGPT was found to excel at its stated functionality as a language model, with some potentially useful functionality for the creation of higher education design course materials and outlines, as well as limitations. The reflections discussed can be used to inform design educators who may want to work with ChatGPT when designing course materials. However, acknowledging limitations and potential ethical challenges, the authors’ caution that educators may have to evaluate for themselves whether ChatGPT’s potential advantages outweigh its disadvantages.
Event end-state encoding in 13-month-olds—completed and non-completed events are different
Authors: He Angela Xiaoxue , Arunachalam Sudha
Published: November 2023

Young children sometimes incorrectly interpret verbs that have a “result” meaning, such as understanding ‘fill’ to refer to adding liquid to a cup rather than filling it to a particular level. Given cross-linguistic differences in how event components are realized in language, past research has attributed such errors to non-adultlike event-language mappings. In the current study, we explore whether these errors have a non-linguistic origin. That is, when children view an event, is their encoding of the event end-state too imprecise to discriminate between events that do versus do not arrive at their intended endpoints? Using a habituation paradigm, we tested whether 13-month-old English-learning infants (N = 86) discriminated events with different degrees of completion (e.g., draw a complete triangle versus draw most of a triangle). Results indicated successful discrimination, suggesting that sensitivity to the precise event end-state is already in place in early infancy. Thus, our results rule out one possible explanation for children’s errors with change-of-state predicates—that they do not notice the difference between end-states that vary in completion.
Leibniz's Moral Psychology of an Evil Person
Authors: Vargas Evelyn , Roinila Markku
Published: November 2023

Our focus in this article concerns Leibniz's views on evil. Our goal is to examine which are the consequences of his conception of moral agency for the moral psychology of the genuinely evil person. For Leibniz, moral failure is an epistemic error since it involves some false practical judgement. Moral maxims may be represented in blind or symbolic cognitions, but then moral agents can misrepresent the evil consequences of their behaviour. Finally, we discuss Leibniz's view on habits that may help virtuous persons strive for perfection but also enable evil persons to continue sinning.
End-effector path tracking of a 14 DOF Rover Manipulator System in CG-Space framework
Authors: Katiyar Shubhi , Dutta Ashish
Published: November 2023

In order to resolve redundancy and path planning of a high DOF mobile manipulator using conventional approaches like Jacobian and a pseudoinverse method, researchers face the limitation of computational load and delay in response. If such kind of mobile manipulator is traversing the rough terrain, then conventional methods become too costly to implement due to the handling of redundant joints, obstacles, and wheel-terrain interaction. A few optimization-based redundancy resolution approaches try incorporating wheel-terrain interaction but fail in real-time response. This paper describes a 14 DOF Rover Manipulator System’s end-effector path-tracking approach using CG-Space framework to incorporate wheel-terrain interaction. CG-Space means the center of gravity (CG) locus of the Rover. The Rover’s CG is calculated while traversing over 3D terrain using a multivariable optimization method and a 3D point cloud image of the actual terrain and stored as CG-Space over the given terrain. First of all, we decide which part of the system moves to track the path, that is, arm or Rover, depending upon the manipulator’s work volume and manipulability measure restrictions. The next task is to obtain the Rover pose according to the end-effector path using a simple arm’s inverse kinematic solution between the CG-Space and end-effector task space without resolving redundancy. Meanwhile, obstacles and non-traversable regions are avoided in CG-Space. On diverse 3D terrains, simulation and experimental results support the suggested CG-Space framework for end-effector tracking.
Dynamic HTA for digital health solutions: opportunities and challenges for patient-centered evaluation
Authors: Brönneke Jan B. , Herr Annika , Reif Simon , Stern Ariel D.
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Germany’s 2019 Digital Healthcare Act (Digitale-Versorgung-Gesetz, or DVG) created a number of opportunities for the digital transformation of the healthcare delivery system. Key among these was the creation of a reimbursement pathway for patient-centered digital health applications (digitale Gesundheitsanwendungen, or DiGA). Worldwide, this is the first structured pathway for “prescribable” health applications at scale. As of October 10, 2023, 49 DiGA were listed in the official directory maintained by Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM); these are prescribable by physicians and psychotherapists and reimbursed by the German statutory health insurance system for all its 73 million beneficiaries. Looking ahead, a major challenge facing DiGA manufacturers will be the generation of the evidence required for ongoing price negotiations and reimbursement. Current health technology assessment (HTA) methods will need to be adapted for DiGA.

Methods

We describe the core issues that distinguish HTA in this setting: (i) explicit allowance for more flexible research designs, (ii) the nature of initial evidence generation, which can be delivered (in its final form) up to one year after becoming reimbursable, and (iii) the dynamic nature of both product development and product evaluation. We present the digital health applications in the German DiGA scheme as a case study and highlight the role of RWE in the successful evaluation of DiGA on an ongoing basis.

Results

When a DiGA is likely to be updated and assessed regularly, full-scale RCTs are infeasible; we therefore make the case for using real-world data and real-world evidence (RWE) fordynamicHTAs.

Conclusions

Continous evaluation using RWD is a regulatory innovation that can help improve the quality of DiGAs on the market.
“Fine dining” in the Roman provinces: an interdisciplinary study of a peristyle house kitchen at the legionary camp of Vindonissa, Switzerland
Authors: Häberle Simone , Deschler-Erb Sabine , Flück Matthias , Rentzel Philippe , Schlumbaum Angela , Vandorpe Patricia
Published: November 2023

The peristyle house kitchen in the legionary camp at Vindonissa is one of the few examples of a Mediterranean-style kitchen with a raised hearth in the northwestern provinces. The exceptional preservation of the kitchen made possible an interdisciplinary investigation combining archaeological, archaeobiological, and micromorphological analyses in order to reconstruct dietary and food-processing practices, kitchen maintenance, and waste disposal management in a 1st-c. CE legionary camp household in Germania Superior. The kitchen infrastructure, the large ceramic inventory, and the amphorae finds together indicate a sophisticated cuisine and also food preparation for a large number of people, most likely by servants. The archaeobiological finds provide evidence that the diet was strongly Roman influenced and luxurious. These results confirm that the diet and in general the whole lifestyle of military members was strongly determined by military rank. The house was most likely inhabited by a high-ranking officer of the 11th legion.
Death and Taxonomies: Bringing Certainty to Legal Language
Authors: Laird Alice , Snell Katy
Published: November 2023

Taxonomies are key to creating certainty in language across the legal landscape. In this article Alice Laird and Katy Snell of Howard Kennedy examine why taxonomies are still important in the age of AI. They also discuss how they have built on their expertise on taxonomies for the benefit of their firm, and how they have become involved with a cross firm project called noslegal.
Evapotranspiration of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) in maize, soybean, and fallow under subsurface drip and center-pivot irrigation systems
Authors: Mausbach Jasmine , Irmak Suat , Kukal Meetpal S. , Karnik Kelsey , Sarangi Debalin , Jhala Amit J.
Published: November 2023

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) is a major biotic constraint in agronomic cropping systems in the United States. While crop–weed competition models offer a beneficial tool for understanding and predicting crop yield losses, within these models, certain weed biological characteristics and their responses to the environment are unknown. This limits understanding of weed growth in competition with crops under different irrigation methods and how competition for soil moisture affects crop growth parameters. This research measured the effect of center-pivot irrigation (CPI) and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) on the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) of A. palmeri grown in maize (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], and fallow subplots. Twelve A. palmeri plants were alternately transplanted 1 m apart in the middle two rows of maize, soybean, and fallow subplots under CPI and SDI in 2019 and 2020 in south-central Nebraska. Maize, soybean, and fallow subplots without A. palmeri were included for comparison. Soil-moisture sensors were installed at 0-0.30, 0.30-0.60, and 0.60-0.90-m soil depths next to or between three A. palmeri and crop plants in each subplot. Soil-moisture data were recorded hourly from the time of A. palmeri transplanting to crop harvest. The results indicate differences in A. palmeri ETa between time of season (early, mid-, and late season) and crop type across 2019 and 2020. Although irrigation type did not affect subplot data, the presence of A. palmeri had an impact on subplot ETa across both years, which can be attributed to the variable relationship between volumetric soil water content (VWC) and ETa throughout the growing season due to advancing phenological stages and management practices. This study provides important and first-established baseline data and information about A. palmeri evapotranspiration and its relation to morphological features for future use in mechanistic crop–weed competition models.
Breeding allelopathy in cereal rye for weed suppression
Authors: Rebong Democrito , Henriquez Inoa Shannon , Moore Virginia M. , Reberg-Horton S. Chris , Mirsky Steven , Murphy J. Paul , Leon Ramon G.
Published: November 2023

Rapid increase in the hectarage and agricultural systems that use cover cropping for soil conservation and improvement, soil moisture retention, and weed management has highlighted the need to develop formal breeding programs for cover crop species. Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) is preferred by many growers due to high biomass production and weed-suppression potential, which is believed to be partially due to allelopathy. Rye germplasm exhibits large variability in allelopathic activity, which could be used to breed rye with enhanced weed suppression. Here, we provide an overview of rye history and breeding and describe a strategy to develop rye lines with increased allelopathic activity. The discussion focuses on ways to deal with important challenges to achieving this goal, including obligate cross-pollination and its consequent high segregation levels and the need to quantify allelopathic activity under field conditions. This review seeks to encourage weed scientists to collaborate with plant breeders and promote the development of cover crop cultivars better suited to reduce weed populations.
Future Extreme Precipitation in Summer Will Become More Widespread in China Depending on Level of Warming
Authors: Yu R. , Zhai P. M. , Li W.
Published: November 2023

In this study, CMIP6 and single model initial‐condition large ensemble (SMILE) simulations were applied to reveal possible changes in the spatial coverage (RSC) of summer extreme precipitation (≥99th percentile) in China. Four different approaches were applied to provide a comprehensive assessment of RSC changes. Results indicate that the trend of RSC in summer for the period 1961–2020 in China is underestimated by raw simulations of CMIP6 multi‐model ensembles. Further analyses suggest that the confidence in model simulations reflecting the observed change can be improved based on the two observation constraint approaches and SMILE‐based approach. In addition, the reliability of the spatial distribution can also be improved. Projection results indicate that the RSC of summer extreme precipitation increases consistently with the increment of global warming across the different approaches. Among them, the results based on observational constraints and the SMILE‐based approach show enhanced reliability and present larger RSC changes than by directly using CMIP6 ensembles. In conclusion, extreme precipitation in summer is expected to become more widespread in China as the level of global warming increases.
A Decade of Data‐Driven Water Budgets: Synthesis and Bibliometric Review
Authors: Moyers Kelley , Sabie Robert , Waring Emily , Preciado Jorge , Naughton Colleen C. , Harmon Thomas , Safeeq Mohammad , Torres‐Rua Alfonso , Fernald Alexander , Viers Joshua H.
Published: November 2023

Scarce water resources across the globe have prompted the development of data‐driven water budgets to account for and distribute limited water more effectively across various land uses and purposes. Data‐driven approaches for estimating individual water budget components have been extensively developed and subsequently reviewed (e.g., evapotranspiration, precipitation, groundwater, surface water, runoff), but the state of the art of data‐driven approaches for estimating and integrating complete water budgets has not been the subject of a review paper to our knowledge. In this review, we fill this void by reviewing 81 systematically identified publications from the last decade (2012–2022) on data‐driven water budget approaches. We describe the current state of measurements and data products for data‐driven water budgets for various spatiotemporal scales. Our analysis suggests that spatiotemporal parameters drive the approach for data‐driven water budgets, with larger spatiotemporal scales relying more on satellite remote sensing data products and smaller spatiotemporal scales relying more on ground‐based monitoring. The incorporation of satellite remote sensing data products and ground‐based monitoring was common across various spatiotemporal scales and enabled the estimation of complete water budgets in areas of limited data availability. We conclude that improved reporting of simplifying assumptions, uncertainty analysis methods, and data sources are required for the alignment of water budget estimations between resource managers at varied spatiotemporal scales. Our review calls for the standardization of data‐driven water budget reporting protocols to improve the interpretability of data‐driven water budgets across decision‐makers working at various spatiotemporal scales.
Wide. Open. Science.
Authors: Micalizio Caryl-Sue
Published: November 2023

This month, we explore how researchers are advancing and expanding the reach of Earth and space sciences.
Multi‐Model Prediction of West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Disease With Machine Learning for Identification of Important Regional Climatic Drivers
Authors: Holcomb Karen M. , Staples J. Erin , Nett Randall J. , Beard Charles B. , Petersen Lyle R. , Benjamin Stanley G. , Green Benjamin W. , Jones Hunter , Johansson Michael A.
Published: November 2023

West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of mosquito‐borne illness in the continental United States (CONUS). Spatial heterogeneity in historical incidence, environmental factors, and complex ecology make prediction of spatiotemporal variation in WNV transmission challenging. Machine learning provides promising tools for identification of important variables in such situations. To predict annual WNV neuroinvasive disease (WNND) cases in CONUS (2015–2021), we fitted 10 probabilistic models with variation in complexity from naïve to machine learning algorithm and an ensemble. We made predictions in each of nine climate regions on a hexagonal grid and evaluated each model's predictive accuracy. Using the machine learning models (random forest and neural network), we identified the relative importance and variation in ranking of predictors (historical WNND cases, climate anomalies, human demographics, and land use) across regions. We found that historical WNND cases and population density were among the most important factors while anomalies in temperature and precipitation often had relatively low importance. While the relative performance of each model varied across climatic regions, the magnitude of difference between models was small. All models except the naïve model had non‐significant differences in performance relative to the baseline model (negative binomial model fit per hexagon). No model, including the ensemble or more complex machine learning models, outperformed models based on historical case counts on the hexagon or region level; these models are good forecasting benchmarks. Further work is needed to assess if predictive capacity can be improved beyond that of these historical baselines.
Latitudinal Variations in Methane Abundance, Aerosol Opacity and Aerosol Scattering Efficiency in Neptune's Atmosphere Determined From VLT/MUSE
Authors: Irwin P. G. J. , Dobinson J. , James A. , Wong M. H. , Fletcher L. N. , Roman M. T. , Teanby N. A. , Toledo D. , Orton G. S. , Pérez‐Hoyos S. , Sánchez‐Lavega A. , Simon A. , Morales‐Juberias R. , de Pater I.
Published: November 2023

Spectral observations of Neptune made in 2019 with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile have been analyzed to determine the spatial variation of aerosol scattering properties and methane abundance in Neptune's atmosphere. The darkening of the South Polar Wave at ∼60°S, and dark spots such as the Voyager 2 Great Dark Spot is concluded to be due to a spectrally dependent darkening (λ < 650 nm) of particles in a deep aerosol layer at ∼5 bar and presumed to be composed of a mixture of photochemically generated haze and H2S ice. We also note a regular latitudinal variation of reflectivity at wavelengths of very low methane absorption longer than ∼650 nm, with bright zones latitudinally separated by ∼25°. This feature, which has similar spectral characteristics to a discrete deep bright spot DBS‐2019 found in our data, is found to be consistent with a brightening of the particles in the same ∼5‐bar aerosol layer at λ > 650 nm. We find the properties of an overlying methane/haze aerosol layer at ∼2 bar are, to first‐order, invariant with latitude, while variations in the opacity of an upper tropospheric haze layer reproduce the observed reflectivity at methane‐absorbing wavelengths, with higher abundances found at the equator and also in a narrow “zone” at 80°S. Finally, we find the mean abundance of methane below its condensation level to be 6%–7% at the equator reducing to ∼3% south of ∼25°S, although the absolute abundances are model dependent.
Single-lens dynamic $$z$$-scanning for simultaneous in situ position detection and laser processing focus control
Authors: Du Xiaohan , Florian Camilo , Arnold Craig B.
Published: November 2023

Existing auto-focusing methods in laser processing typically include two independent modules, one for surface detection and another for $$z$$
z
-axis adjustment. The latter is mostly implemented by mechanical $$z$$
z
stage motion, which is up to three orders of magnitude slower than the lateral processing speed. To alleviate this processing bottleneck, we developed a single-lens approach, using only one high-speed $$z$$
z
-scanning optical element, to accomplish both in situ surface detection and focus control quasi-simultaneously in a dual-beam setup. The probing beam scans the surface along the $$z$$
z
-axis continuously, and its reflection is detected by a set of confocal optics. Based on the temporal response of the detected signal, we have developed and experimentally demonstrated a dynamic surface detection method at 140–350 kHz, with a controlled detection range, high repeatability, and minimum linearity error of 1.10%. Sequentially, by synchronizing at a corresponding oscillation phase of the $$z$$
z
-scanning lens, the fabrication beam is directed to the probed $$z$$
z
position for precise focus alignment. Overall, our approach provides instantaneous surface tracking by collecting position information and executing focal control both at 140–350 kHz, which significantly accelerates the axial alignment process and offers great potential for enhancing the speed of advanced manufacturing processes in three-dimensional space.
Mechanistic insights into the alterations and regulation of the AKT signaling pathway in diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Li Jiayuan , Chen Kuangqi , Li Xiang , Zhang Xuhong , Zhang Liyue , Yang Qianjie , Xia Yutong , Xie Chen , Wang Xiawei , Tong Jianping , Shen Ye
Published: November 2023

In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR), diabetes-related hyperglycemia directly inhibits the AKT signaling pathway by increasing oxidative stress or inhibiting growth factor expression, which leads to retinal cell apoptosis, nerve proliferation and fundus microvascular disease. However, due to compensatory vascular hyperplasia in the late stage of DR, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT cascade is activated, resulting in opposite levels of AKT regulation compared with the early stage. Studies have shown that many factors, including insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), VEGF and others, can regulate the AKT pathway. Disruption of the insulin pathway decreases AKT activation. IGF-1 downregulation decreases the activation of AKT in DR, which abrogates the neuroprotective effect, upregulates VEGF expression and thus induces neovascularization. Although inhibiting VEGF is the main treatment for neovascularization in DR, excessive inhibition may lead to apoptosis in inner retinal neurons. AKT pathway substrates, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), forkhead box O (FOXO), glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3)/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), are a research focus. mTOR inhibitors can delay or prevent retinal microangiopathy, whereas low mTOR activity can decrease retinal protein synthesis. Inactivated AKT fails to inhibit FOXO and thus causes apoptosis. The GSK-3/Nrf2 cascade regulates oxidation and inflammation in DR. NF-κB is activated in diabetic retinas and is involved in inflammation and apoptosis. Many pathways or vital activities, such as the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, interact with the AKT pathway to influence DR development. Numerous regulatory methods can simultaneously impact the AKT pathway and other pathways, and it is essential to consider both the connections and interactions between these pathways. In this review, we summarize changes in the AKT signaling pathway in DR and targeted drugs based on these potential sites.
Direct-acting antiviral resistance of Hepatitis C virus is promoted by epistasis
Authors: Zhang Hang , Quadeer Ahmed Abdul , McKay Matthew R.
Published: November 2023

Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) provide efficacious therapeutic treatments for chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, emergence of drug resistance mutations (DRMs) can greatly affect treatment outcomes and impede virological cure. While multiple DRMs have been observed for all currently used DAAs, the evolutionary determinants of such mutations are not currently well understood. Here, by considering DAAs targeting the nonstructural 3 (NS3) protein of HCV, we present results suggesting that epistasis plays an important role in the evolution of DRMs. Employing a sequence-based fitness landscape model whose predictions correlate highly with experimental data, we identify specific DRMs that are associated with strong epistatic interactions, and these are found to be enriched in multiple NS3-specific DAAs. Evolutionary modelling further supports that the identified DRMs involve compensatory mutational interactions that facilitate relatively easy escape from drug-induced selection pressures. Our results indicate that accounting for epistasis is important for designing future HCV NS3-targeting DAAs.
Antiferromagnetic topological insulator with selectively gapped Dirac cones
Authors: Honma A. , Takane D. , Souma S. , Yamauchi K. , Wang Y. , Nakayama K. , Sugawara K. , Kitamura M. , Horiba K. , Kumigashira H. , Tanaka K. , Kim T. K. , Cacho C. , Oguchi T. , Takahashi T. , Ando Yoichi , Sato T.
Published: November 2023

Antiferromagnetic (AF) topological materials offer a fertile ground to explore a variety of quantum phenomena such as axion magnetoelectric dynamics and chiral Majorana fermions. To realize such intriguing states, it is essential to establish a direct link between electronic states and topology in the AF phase, whereas this has been challenging because of the lack of a suitable materials platform. Here we report the experimental realization of the AF topological-insulator phase in NdBi. By using micro-focused angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we discovered contrasting surface electronic states for two types of AF domains; the surface having the out-of-plane component in the AF-ordering vector displays Dirac-cone states with a gigantic energy gap, whereas the surface parallel to the AF-ordering vector hosts gapless Dirac states despite the time-reversal-symmetry breaking. The present results establish an essential role of combined symmetry to protect massless Dirac fermions under the presence of AF order and widen opportunities to realize exotic phenomena utilizing AF topological materials.
ATP synthase evolution on a cross-braced dated tree of life
Authors: Mahendrarajah Tara A. , Moody Edmund R. R. , Schrempf Dominik , Szánthó Lénárd L. , Dombrowski Nina , Davín Adrián A. , Pisani Davide , Donoghue Philip C. J. , Szöllősi Gergely J. , Williams Tom A. , Spang Anja
Published: November 2023

The timing of early cellular evolution, from the divergence of Archaea and Bacteria to the origin of eukaryotes, is poorly constrained. The ATP synthase complex is thought to have originated prior to the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) and analyses of ATP synthase genes, together with ribosomes, have played a key role in inferring and rooting the tree of life. We reconstruct the evolutionary history of ATP synthases using an expanded taxon sampling set and develop a phylogenetic cross-bracing approach, constraining equivalent speciation nodes to be contemporaneous, based on the phylogenetic imprint of endosymbioses and ancient gene duplications. This approach results in a highly resolved, dated species tree and establishes an absolute timeline for ATP synthase evolution. Our analyses show that the divergence of ATP synthase into F- and A/V-type lineages was a very early event in cellular evolution dating back to more than 4 Ga, potentially predating the diversification of Archaea and Bacteria. Our cross-braced, dated tree of life also provides insight into more recent evolutionary transitions including eukaryogenesis, showing that the eukaryotic nuclear and mitochondrial lineages diverged from their closest archaeal (2.67-2.19 Ga) and bacterial (2.58-2.12 Ga) relatives at approximately the same time, with a slightly longer nuclear stem-lineage.
High proton conductivity within the ‘Norby gap’ by stabilizing a perovskite with disordered intrinsic oxygen vacancies
Authors: Saito Kei , Yashima Masatomo
Published: November 2023

Proton conductors are attractive materials with a wide range of potential applications such as proton-conducting fuel cells (PCFCs). The conventional strategy to enhance the proton conductivity is acceptor doping into oxides without oxygen vacancies. However, the acceptor doping results in proton trapping near dopants, leading to the high apparent activation energy and low proton conductivity at intermediate and low temperatures. The hypothetical cubic perovskite BaScO2.5 may have intrinsic oxygen vacancies without the acceptor doping. Herein, we report that the cubic perovskite-type BaSc0.8Mo0.2O2.8 stabilized by Mo donor-doing into BaScO2.5 exhibits high proton conductivity within the ‘Norby gap’ (e.g., 0.01 S cm−1 at 320 °C) and high chemical stability under oxidizing, reducing and CO2 atmospheres. The high proton conductivity of BaSc0.8Mo0.2O2.8 at intermediate and low temperatures is attributable to high proton concentration, high proton mobility due to reduced proton trapping, and three-dimensional proton diffusion in the cubic perovskite stabilized by the Mo-doping into BaScO2.5. The donor doping into the perovskite with disordered intrinsic oxygen vacancies would be a viable strategy towards high proton conductivity at intermediate and low temperatures.
Deep-sea origin and depth colonization associated with phenotypic innovations in scleractinian corals
Authors: Campoy Ana N. , Rivadeneira Marcelo M. , Hernández Cristián E. , Meade Andrew , Venditti Chris
Published: November 2023

The deep sea (>200 m) is home to a surprisingly rich biota, which in some cases compares to that found in shallow areas. Scleractinian corals are an example of this – they are key species in both shallow and deep ecosystems. However, what evolutionary processes resulted in current depth distribution of the marine fauna is a long-standing question. Various conflicting hypotheses have been proposed, but few formal tests have been conducted. Here, we use global spatial distribution data to test the bathymetric origin and colonization trends across the depth gradient in scleractinian corals. Using a phylogenetic approach, we infer the origin and historical trends in directionality and speed of colonization during the diversification in depth. We also examine how the emergence of photo-symbiosis and coloniality, scleractinian corals’ most conspicuous phenotypic innovations, have influenced this process. Our results strongly support an offshore-onshore pattern of evolution and varying dispersion capacities along depth associated with trait-defined lineages. These results highlight the relevance of the evolutionary processes occurring at different depths to explain the origin of extant marine biodiversity and the consequences of altering these processes by human impact, highlighting the need to include this overlooked evolutionary history in conservation plans.
Cobalt-catalyzed aminoalkylative carbonylation of alkenes toward direct synthesis of γ-amino acid derivatives and peptides
Authors: Wang Le-Cheng , Yuan Yang , Zhang Youcan , Wu Xiao-Feng
Published: November 2023

γ-Amino acids and peptides analogues are common constituents of building blocks for numerous biologically active molecules, pharmaceuticals, and natural products. In particular, γ-amino acids are providing with better metabolic stability than α-amino acids. Herein we report a multicomponent carbonylation technology that combines readily available amides, alkenes, and the feedstock gas carbon monoxide to build architecturally complex and functionally diverse γ-amino acid derivatives in a single step by the implementation of radical relay catalysis. This transformation can also be used as a late-stage functionalization strategy to deliver complex, advanced γ-amino acid products for pharmaceutical and other areas.
Design and fabrication of a stable Ni-PTFE-SiC superhydrophobic anticorrosive coating by electrodeposition
Authors: Liu Jianguo , Fang Xiuting , Ma Huixiang , Cheng Jie , Xing Xiao , Cui Gan , Li Zili
Published: November 2023

Superhydrophobic coatings show great application potential in many fields, but they have not been widely used due to poor stability. A Ni-PTFE-SiC composite coating was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the Ni-PTFE-SiC coating structure was designed by molecular dynamics simulations. The feasibility of superhydrophobic effect of this structure and the adsorption stability of the composite coatings were proved. This approach can also be used to avoid trial and errors when selecting other similar candidate substances. Then, the Ni-PTFE-SiC superhydrophobic coatings were successfully prepared by composite electrodeposition, with the water contact angle of more than 155° and the sliding angle of close to 0°. The effects of current density, deposition time and nanoparticle concentration on the wettability and morphology of the coatings were also investigated. Through comparative experiments, the best preparation parameters were: PTFE 14 g L−1, SiC 6 g L−1, primary current density 7 A dm−² (10 min) and secondary current density 15 A dm−² (5 min). This preparation method doesn’t need additional modification with low surface energy substances like the traditional preparation process, and greatly improves the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and durability of the coatings.
Shotgun metagenomes from productive lakes in an urban region of Sweden
Authors: Rodríguez-Gijón Alejandro , Hampel Justyna J. , Dharamshi Jennah , Bertilsson Stefan , Garcia Sarahi L.
Published: November 2023

Urban lakes provide multiple benefits to society while influencing life quality. Moreover, lakes and their microbiomes are sentinels of anthropogenic impact and can be used for natural resource management and planning. Here, we release original metagenomic data from several well-characterized and anthropogenically impacted eutrophic lakes in the vicinity of Stockholm (Sweden). Our goal was to collect representative microbial community samples and use shotgun sequencing to provide a broad view on microbial diversity of productive urban lakes. Our dataset has an emphasis on Lake Mälaren as a major drinking water reservoir under anthropogenic impact. This dataset includes short-read sequence data and metagenome assemblies from each of 17 samples collected from eutrophic lakes near the greater Stockholm area. We used genome-resolved metagenomics and obtained 2378 metagenome assembled genomes that de-replicated into 514 species representative genomes. This dataset adds new datapoints to previously sequenced lakes and it includes the first sequenced set of metagenomes from Lake Mälaren. Our dataset serves as a baseline for future monitoring of drinking water reservoirs and urban lakes.
Two-sample mendelian randomization analysis investigates ambient fine particulate matter's impact on cardiovascular disease development
Authors: Liang Xiao , Liang Lianjing , Fan Yuchao
Published: November 2023

PM2.5, a key component of air pollution, significantly threatens public health. Cardiovascular disease is increasingly associated with air pollution, necessitating more research. This study used a meticulous two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the potential causal link between elevated PM2.5 levels and 25 types of cardiovascular diseases. Data sourced from the UK Biobank, focusing on individuals of European ancestry, underwent primary analysis using Inverse Variance Weighting. Additional methods such as MR-Egger, weighted median, Simple mode, and Weighted mode provided support. Sensitivity analyses assessed instrument variable heterogeneity, pleiotropy, and potential weak instrument variables. The study revealed a causal link between PM2.5 exposure and higher diagnoses of Atherosclerotic heart disease (primary or secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0307 [1.0103–1.0516], p-value = 0.003 and OR [95% CI] 1.0179 [1.0028–1.0333], p-value = 0.0202) and Angina pectoris (primary or secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0303 [1.0160–1.0449], p-value = 3.04e−05 and OR [95% CI] 1.0339 [1.0081–1.0603], p-value = 0.0096). Additionally, PM2.5 exposure increased the likelihood of diagnoses like Other forms of chronic ischaemic heart disease (secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0193 [1.0042–1.0346], p-value = 0.0121), Essential hypertension (secondary, OR [95% CI] 1.0567 [1.0142–1.1010], p-value = 0.0085), Palpitations (OR [95% CI] 1.0163 [1.0071–1.0257], p-value = 5e−04), and Stroke (OR [95% CI] 1.0208 [1.0020–1.0401], p-value = 0.0301). Rigorous sensitivity analyses confirmed these significant findings' robustness and validity. Our study revealed the causal effect between higher PM2.5 concentrations and increased cardiovascular disease risks. This evidence is vital for policymakers and healthcare providers, urging targeted interventions to reduce PM2.5 levels.