bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laboratory evaluation of the effect of rice husk fiber on soil properties and behaviors
Authors: Bazuhair Rabeea W.
Published: May 2023

Soil stabilization is usually used to enhance the soil properties and characteristics. Cement or supplementary cementitious materials (SAMs) are used for soil stabilization. Stabilized soil can be used in several civil constructions and structures such as roads bed, roadside stability and slop, and subgrade layers for pavement structures. Also, developing countries use stabilized soil for building houses due to low-cost, energy-efficient, and environment benefits. In this study, compressed earth blocks (CEBs) stabilized with Rice Husk Fiber without the use of cement are utilized to evaluate the effects of Rice Husk Fiber on the soil properties and behaviors. Different percentages of rice husk fiber (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0%) are blended into the moist clay and pit sand mixture. The CEBs were extracted from the soil mixture and dried. CEB cube crushing strength and modulus of rupture were determined in laboratory tests. The effect of rice husk fiber on the fundamental structural properties of CEBs was studied and compared to those that did not contain rice husk fiber. The results show that increasing the amount of rice husk fiber reduced shrinkage, drying time, cube crushing strength, and modulus of rupture by half (50%) as well as load-carrying capacity by 25%. According to existing guidelines, the compressive strength and modulus of rupture of the CEBs presented in this study are sufficient for use in earth buildings.
Generalized Similarity Operator for Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets and its Applications Based on Recognition Principle and Multiple Criteria Decision Making Technique
Authors: Zhou Yi , Ejegwa Paul Augustine , Johnny Samuel Ebimobowei
Published: May 2023

Many complex real-world problems have been resolved based on similarity operators under intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs). Numerous authors have developed intuitionistic fuzzy similarity operators (IFSOs) but with some setbacks, which include imprecise results, omission of hesitation information, misleading interpretations, and outright violations of metric axioms of similarity operator. To this end, this article presents a newly developed similarity operator under IFSs to ameliorate the itemized setbacks noticed with the hitherto similarity operators. To buttress the validity of the new similarity operator, we discuss its properties in alliance with the truisms of similarity. In addition, we discuss some complex decision-making situations involving car purchase selection process, pattern recognition, and emergency management using the new similarity operator based on multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) technique and recognition principle, respectively. Finally, comparative studies are presented to argue the justification of the new similarity operator. In short, the novelty of this work includes the evaluation of the existing IFSOs to isolate their fault lines, development of a new IFSO technique with the capacity to resolve the fault lines in the existing techniques, elaboration of some properties of the newly developed IFSO, and its applications in the solution of disaster control, pattern recognition, and the process of car selection for purchasing purpose based on the recognition principle and MCDM.
Penicillin allergy evaluation in hospitalized patients with hematologic malignancy
Authors: Patel Vima M. , Chu Brian , Hamilton Keith W. , Bellamy Cassandra , Harker Christina , Bryer Joshua S. , Shields Bridget , Hirsh Rebecca L. , Fadugba Olajumoke O. , Micheletti Robert G.
Published: May 2023

A penicillin allergy testing service (PATS) assessed penicillin allergy in patients with hematologic malignancies; 17 patients who met criteria had negative skin testing. Patients who underwent penicillin challenge passed and were delabeled. Of delabeled patients, 87% received and tolerated β-lactams during follow-up. Providers found the PATS valuable.
Preventing the onset of depressive disorders in low-and middle-income countries: An overview
Authors: Cuijpers Pim
Published: May 2023

Depressive disorders constitute an important and costly public health problem and worldwide most of the disease burden is suffered in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Treatments only have limited possibilities to reduce the disease burden of depressive disorders. Prevention may be one of the alternative ways to further reduce the disease burden of depressive disorders. In this paper, the results of a subgroup analysis of a previous meta-analysis on the effect of preventive interventions on the incidence of depressive disorders was undertaken. Only 6% of all trials examining the possibility to prevent the onset of major depression have been conducted in LMICs, and these studies find significantly smaller effects than those in high-income settings. It is too early, therefore, to consider implementing and disseminating preventive interventions in LMICS. However, in optimal conditions and assuming that evidence-based preventive interventions will be developed, investments should be made into treatment, universal, selective and indicated prevention, as well as in social institutions focusing on larger risk factors for mental health problems.
Eccentricity-induced dielectrophoretic migration of a compound drop in a uniform external electric field
Authors: Behera Nalinikanta , Poddar Antarip , Chakraborty Suman
Published: May 2023

Eccentric compound drops, which are ubiquitous in many naturally inspired and engineering systems, can migrate under the sole presence of a uniform electric field, unlike the case of isolated single drops. Here, we report the migration of eccentric compound drops under a uniform electric field, imposed parallel to the line of centres of the constituting drops, by developing an approximate analytical model that applies to low Reynolds number limits under negligible droplet deformation, following axisymmetric considerations. In contrast to the sole influence of the electrohydrodynamic forces that has thus far been established to be emphatic for the eccentric configuration, here we report the additional effects induced by the dielectrophoretic forces to result in decisive manipulation in the drop migration. We show that the relative velocity between the inner and outer drops, which is a function of the eccentricity itself, dictates the dynamical evolution of the eccentricity variation under the competing electrohydrodynamic and dielectrophoretic interactions. This brings out four distinct regimes of the migration characteristics of the two drops based on their relative electro-physical properties. Our results reveal that an increase in eccentricity and the size ratio of the inner and outer droplets may induce monotonic or non-monotonic variation in the drop velocities, depending on the operating regime. We show how the interplay of various properties holds the control of selectively increasing or suppressing the eccentricity with time. These findings open up various avenues of electrically manipulative motion of encapsulated fluidic phases in various applications encompassing engineering and biology.
Viscoelastic effects on the deformation and breakup of a droplet on a solid wall in Couette flow
Authors: Wang Ningning , Li Sheng , Shi Liang , Yuan Xuefeng , Liu Haihu
Published: May 2023

The deformation, movement and breakup of a wall-attached droplet subject to Couette flow are systematically investigated using an enhanced lattice Boltzmann colour-gradient model, which accounts for not only the viscoelasticity (described by the Oldroyd-B constitutive equation) of either droplet (V/N) or matrix fluid (N/V) but also the surface wettability. We first focus on the steady-state deformation of a sliding droplet for varying values of capillary number (

$Ca$

), Weissenberg number (

$Wi$

) and solvent viscosity ratio (

$\beta$

). Results show that the relative wetting area

$A_r$

in the N/V system is increased by either increasing

$Ca$

, or by increasing

$Wi$

or decreasing

$\beta$

, where the former is attributed to the increased viscous force and the latter to the enhanced elastic effects. In the V/N system, however,

$A_r$

is restrained by the droplet elasticity, especially at higher

$Wi$

or lower

$\beta$

, and the inhibiting effect strengthens with an increase of

$Ca$

. Decreasing

$\beta$

always reduces droplet deformation when either fluid is viscoelastic. The steady-state droplet motion is quantified by the contact-line capillary number

$Ca_{cl}$

, and a force balance is established to successfully predict the variations of

$Ca_{cl}/Ca$

with

$\beta$

for each two-phase viscosity ratio in both N/V and V/N systems. The droplet breakup is then studied for varying

$Wi$

. The critical capillary number of droplet breakup monotonically increases with

$Wi$

in the N/V system, while it first increases, then decreases and finally reaches a plateau in the V/N system.
The German Plague: Contagion and Conspiracy in First World War America
Authors: Givens Cameron James
Published: May 2023

During the First World War, the American home front was awash with conspiracy theories alleging that internal German enemies were intentionally spreading disease among both human and animal populations, most egregiously in the case of the influenza epidemic. While false, these stories nonetheless revealed Americans’ shifting relationships to the environment, warfare, and the federal state. They channeled immediate fears over what type of war, and what type of enemy, the nation faced, as well as deeper, Progressive-era anxieties related to the dramatic expansions of government and scientific expertise in American life. As an unexplored vernacular archive, they underline how the war permitted individuals to discuss, denounce, and contest state and scientific authority at this moment in the early twentieth century.
THE SWAN POINT SITE, ALASKA: THE CHRONOLOGY OF A MULTI-COMPONENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN EASTERN BERINGIA
Authors: Reuther Joshua D , Holmes Charles E , Smith Gerad M , Lanoe Francois B , Crass Barbara A , Rowe Audrey G , Wooller Matthew J
Published: May 2023

The Swan Point site in interior Alaska contains a significant multi-component archaeological record dating back to 14,200 cal BP. The site’s radiocarbon (14C) chronology has been presented in scattered publications that mostly focus on specific archaeological periods in Alaska, in particular its terminal Pleistocene components associated with the East Beringian tradition. This paper synthesizes the site’s 14C data and provides sequential Bayesian models for its cultural zones and subzones. The 14C and archaeological record at Swan Point attests that the location was persistently used over the last 14,000 years, even though major changes are evident within regional vegetation and local faunal communities, reflecting long-term trends culminating in Dene-Athabascan history.
Exposure to ultra-processed foods during pregnancy and ultrasound fetal growth parameters
Authors: Lourenço Bárbara Hatzlhoffer , Castro Marcia C. , de Morais Sato Priscila , Neves Paulo Augusto Ribeiro , Vivanco Edwin , Lima Daniel Leal , Cardoso Marly Augusto ,   for the MINA-Brazil Study Group
Published: May 2023

Periconceptional maternal ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption impairs embryonic growth. Impacts of exposure to UPF on distinct components of fetal growth in late pregnancy are unknown. We investigated the influence of frequency of UPF consumption during pregnancy on fetal head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL). This study included 417 live-born singleton pregnancies prospectively followed-up since the antenatal period in the MINA-Brazil Study, with an available ultrasound scan at >24 gestational weeks. Frequency of food groups consumption in the previous month was categorised as no/monthly, weekly or daily. Ultrasound scans were conducted at 27·8 (sd: 1·7) gestational weeks. HC, AC and FL z-scores were calculated for gestational age using the INTERGROWTH-21st Project standards. Simultaneous-quantile regression models were fitted at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of the distribution of each ultrasound parameter according to UPF consumption, with adjustment for potential confounders. Participants were aged on average 24·7 (sd: 6·5) years, 44·8 % were primiparous, and 26·9 % and 24·9 %, respectively, had weekly and daily UPF consumption. Compared with no/monthly intake, daily UPF consumption impaired HC across its distribution, with significant effect sizes varying from –0·24 to –0·40 z-score. Weekly UPF consumption decreased HC at the 90th percentile by –0·39 z-score (95 % CI: –0·78, –0·01) and FL at the 50th percentile by –0·32 z-score (95 % CI: –0·60, –0·04). No association was noted with AC. Frequency of UPF consumption was negatively associated with skeletal components of fetal growth in late pregnancy. Infant body composition may benefit from healthy food practices since pregnancy.
Transformative pedagogy for inclusion and social justice through translanguaging, co-learning, and transpositioning
Authors: Wei Li
Published: May 2023

The idea of translanguaging has disrupted much of the thinking in bilingual education. A common misunderstanding, however, is that translanguaging was intended to be a language teaching strategy. This article seeks to explore what a translanguaging approach to language teaching entails, with specific reference to the education of minoritized and racialized bilingual and multilingual learners in the school systems in English-dominant countries such as the UK. In particular, I highlight the connections with and contributions to the inclusion and social justice agenda that the translanguaging project aims to make. Translanguaging takes one step further from multilingualism in challenging the raciolinguistic ideologies that view bilingual learners as having separate languages and languaging lives. It instead views their racial/ethnic identities and linguistic practices together, that is, their translanguaging being. My main argument here is that to use translanguaging as a pedagogy for inclusion and social justice requires a change of mindset, not just practice – that is, translanguaging pedagogy rather than pedagogical translanguaging – which can be achieved through processes of ‘co-learning’ and ‘transpositioning’.
Multistage approach for trajectory optimization for a wheeled inverted pendulum passing under an obstacle
Authors: Zauner Christian , Gattringer Hubert , Müller Andreas
Published: May 2023

A robotic system constructed as a wheeled inverted pendulum (WIP) serves as an impressive demonstrator, since this kind of system is inherently nonlinear, unstable, and nonminimum phase. These properties may pose several difficulties, when it comes to control and trajectory planning. This paper shows a method for deriving a highly dynamic trajectory compliant with the system dynamics by means of solving an optimal control problem (OCP) using multiple shooting. The assumed task includes that the WIP should pass a height-restricting barrier. This can be achieved by leaning back or forth, in order to reduce the overall height of the WIP. The constraints inherent to the definition of this trajectory are nonconvex due to the shape of the robot. The constraint functions have a local minimum in an infeasible region. This can cause problems when the initial guess is within this infeasible region. To overcome this, a multistage approach is proposed for this special OCP to evade the infeasible local minimum. After solving four stages of subsequent optimization problems, the optimal trajectory is obtained and can be used as feedforward for the real system.
Building State-controlled Volunteering in China
Authors: Hu Ming , Zhang Qianjin , Sidel Mark
Published: May 2023

The dominant role of the authoritarian state in Chinese volunteerism has been noted but little examined in the scholarly literature. This study illuminates the ways in which the Chinese state controls and administers volunteerism and volunteering through a detailed analysis of the governance of volunteering in Beijing. Drawing on participant observation, interviews and archival research, we analyse how Beijing administers volunteering and its structures through the work of its administrative authority for managing volunteering in regulation and public policy, management structure, resources, internal operations, monitoring and evaluation. We argue that Beijing has built a comprehensive apparatus to manage and control volunteering through a Party- and state-controlled, multi-layered and centralized management structure. However, this state corporatist structure carries within it the seeds for over-formal controls and conflicts between official, professional service providers and the increasing number of volunteers throughout Chinese society.
When Beijing Chose Seoul over Pyongyang: China–South Korea Diplomatic Normalization Revisited
Authors: Son Daekwon
Published: May 2023

On 24 August 1992, China finally normalized its diplomatic relations with South Korea, notwithstanding North Korea's protestations. What made Beijing jettison its traditional friendship with Pyongyang and recognize Seoul? What did China want from Sino-South Korea normalization? By extensively unearthing hitherto unknown archival evidence, this paper argues that it was China's security concern about being besieged by pro-Soviet powers, rather than an ideological affinity with North Korea, that delayed Sino-South Korea rapprochement. In the same vein, the study posits that it was the gradual Sino-Soviet reconciliation from 1985 onwards that enabled Beijing to reconcile with Seoul. Furthermore, it argues that in the face of the sudden dissolution of the Eastern bloc and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Beijing hastily sought to secure a cordon sanitaire and foreclose the possibility of the formation of a US–Japan–South Korea anti-China united front by normalizing relations with Seoul.
China's Livestreaming Local Officials: An Experiment in Popular Digital Communications
Authors: Sullivan Jonathan , Zhao Yupei , Wang Weixiang
Published: May 2023

In 2020, hundreds of sub-national government officials and Chinese Communist Party cadres undertook a months-long experiment in livestreaming and social commerce. These sectors are among the most dynamic in the Chinese internet economy and culture, yet Chinese officials have generally resisted engaging with popular and celebrity cultures, even as institutions have begun to expand and modernize their digital operations. Why, then, did a substantial cohort of local officials undertake this experiment? The proximate reason was that they wanted to help local producers hit by the pandemic and to meet their own pending poverty alleviation targets. However, the significance of the case is broader, reflecting the central state and Party's revised thinking on political communications in an era of internet celebrity and self-media and the propensity for local officials to innovate and experiment in the field of digital and popular communication. Investigating empirically how and how effectively livestreaming was employed at the local level helps us to illuminate these dynamics. To facilitate the study, we investigated how officials understood and performed internet celebrity through in-person semi-structured interviews and a three-month virtual ethnographic study.
Adaptive digital predistortion based on Feedback–Wiener Model for aeronautical applications
Authors: Bouazza Tayeb H. C. , Bachir Smail , Pastore Matthieu , Duvanaud Claude
Published: May 2023

In this work, a new adaptive digital predistorter (DPD) is proposed to linearize radio frequency power amplifiers (PA). The DPD structure is composed of two sub-models. A Feedback–Wiener sub-model, describing the main inverse nonlinearities of the PA, combined with a second sub-model based on a memory polynomial (MP) model. The interest of this structure is that only the MP model is identified in real time to compensate deviations from the initial behavior and thus further improve the linearization. The identification architecture combines offline measurement and online parameter estimation with small number of coefficients in the MP sub-model to track the changes in the PA characteristics. The proposed structure is used to linearize a class AB 75 W PA, designed by Telerad society for aeronautical communications in Ultra High Frequency (UHF) / Very High Frequency (VHF) bands. The obtained results, in terms of identification of optimal DPD and the performances of the digital processing, show a good trade-off between linearization performances and computational complexity.
Tabuthema Migräne
Authors: Kubat Heike
Published: May 2023

Was ist zu diesem Thema bekannt?

Die Migräne, eine primäre Kopfschmerzform, ist eine äußerst beeinträchtigende neurobiologische Erkrankung.

Wie wird eine neue Perspektive eingebracht?

Der Fokus liegt auf der Diagnosefindung einer Migräneerkrankung im Zusammenhang mit psychiatrischen Komorbiditäten.

Was sind die Auswirkungen auf die Praxis?

Den diagnostischen Kriterien der Migräne sollte im Kontext der psychiatrischen Pflege vermehrt Beachtung geschenkt werden. Eine gut behandelte Migräne kann die psychiatrische Problematik reduzieren und vice versa.
Salt‐Fingering Under the Thermal‐Wind and Lateral Shears in the Kuroshio Fronts
Authors: Kimura Satoshi , Inoue Ryuichiro , Itoh Sachihiko , Nagai Takeyoshi
Published: May 2023

We apply a linear normal mode stability analysis to identify instability in fronts stable to symmetric instability (SI). SI stable fronts appear in many of our observations in the Kuroshio current. These fronts consist of strong horizontal and vertical temperature and salinity gradients. Our stability analysis considers salt‐fingering instability in the presence of thermal‐wind and lateral shears along the isopycnal, which we term “geostrophic shear salt fingering (GSF).” When GSF grows faster than SI, the energy source is in the geostrophic and lateral shears, similar to SI. The results of the linear stability analysis are applied to evaluate temperature and salinity observations on the east coast of Japan in the Kuroshio current. The majority of our data do not support the growth of SI, as the measurements were taken in the fall when the fronts were stratified. Instead, our data indicate a preference for GSF growth. The total perturbation growth in GSF is determined by the source and sink terms in the scalar variance dissipation rates. The thermal and saline covariance dissipation rate (codissipation rate) serves as the primary energy source, while the thermal and saline variance dissipation rates function as the energy sink. This suggests that the presence of the GSF is detectable in microstructure measurements as patches of high thermal variance dissipation rate along the isopycnal slope at fronts in the absence of SI.
A Dimensionless Parameter for Predicting Convective Self‐Aggregation Onset in a Stochastic Reaction‐Diffusion Model of Tropical Radiative‐Convective Equilibrium
Authors: Biagioli Giovanni , Tompkins Adrian Mark
Published: May 2023

We introduce a minimal stochastic lattice model for the column relative humidity (R) in the tropics, which incorporates convective moistening, horizontal transport and subsidence drying. The probability of convection occurring in a location increases withR, based on Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission observations, providing a positive feedback that could lead to aggregation. We show that the simple model reproduces many aspects of full‐physics cloud resolving model experiments. Depending on model parameter settings and domain size and resolution choices, it can produce both random and aggregated equilibrium states. Clustering occurs more readily with larger domains and coarser resolutions, in agreement with full‐physics models. Using dimensional arguments and fits from empirical data, we derive a dimensionless parameter which we call the aggregation number,Nag, that predicts whether a specific model and experiment setup will result in an aggregated or random state. The parameter includes the moistening feedback strength, the horizontal moisture transport efficiency, the subsidence timescale, the domain size and spatial resolution. Using large ensembles of experiments, we show that the transition between random and aggregated states occurs at a critical value ofNag. We argue thatNagcould help to understand the differences in aggregation states between full‐physics, cloud resolving models, which show little consensus about the robustness of self‐organized patterns, whose emergence appears to be sensitive to the model setup, physics and parameterizations.
Synthesis of Satellite and Surface Measurements, Model Results, and FRAPPÉ Study Findings to Assess the Impacts of Oil and Gas Emissions Reductions on Maximum Ozone in the Denver Metro and Northern Front Range Region in Colorado
Authors: Reddy Patrick J.
Published: May 2023

The Denver Metro/Northern Front Range area has been designated a severe nonattainment area (NAA) for O3. Previous research associated with the 2014 Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment field campaign and a 2017 O3 source apportionment modeling analysis point to north‐south gradients in oil and gas (O&G) impacts on O3, with greater contributions to the north and a dominance of mobile sources to the south. Recent analysis of Atmospheric Infrared Sounder satellite methane enhancement and ethane trends in the area show ∼50% and ∼70% reductions in methane and ethane, respectively, from 2013 to 2020. These are consistent with reductions in O&G volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions estimated in the most recent O3 State Implementation Plan but inconsistent with a timeline of top‐down methane flux estimates for limited periods from 2012 to 2021. Reductions in annual fourth maximum eight‐hour O3 concentrations from 2012 to 2019 are 5 ppb greater at Fort Collins West (FTCW) to the north than at Chatfield Reservoir to the south. Bayesian correlation analyses and partial correlations between FTCW O3 and ethane conditioned for tropospheric NO2 from the Aura satellite Ozone Monitoring Instrument suggest that most of the 9‐ppb reduction here is due to declines in O&G emissions, and 9 ppb is comparable to estimated O&G VOC contributions on high‐concentration days in the northern portion of the study area. The gradient in trends suggests that significant O&G emissions reductions have benefited locations in the central and northern portions of the NAA.
Case Investigation on the Influence of In‐Snow Particles' Size and Composition on the Snow Light Absorption and Albedo
Authors: Wang Xin , Zhang Chunyu , Shi Tenglong , Zhang Daizhou , Zhao Pusheng , Zhao Peng
Published: May 2023

The snow physical parameters are closely related to the sizes, shapes, and chemical composition of light‐absorbing particles (LAPs). By utilizing a computer‐controlled scanning electron microscope software called IntelliSEM‐EPASTM, we first report the measured size‐resolved concentration of soot, dust, and fly ash particles in fresh (wet) and aged (dry deposition) snow samples collected at an industrial city in China during and after a snowfall at intervals of 6–8 days. Due to wet scavenging by seasonal snow, soot and dust particles in snow are absorbed by 69.7% and 30.3% at wavelengths of 550 nm, lowering snow albedo by 0.0089 and 0.0039, respectively. Soot particle size increases slightly during dry deposition, whereas size‐resolved mineral dust does not undergo a significant shift in particle size. These results indicate the essentiality to involve the effects of accurate size and composition of in‐snow LAPs for a better assessment of snow light absorption and reflectance.
IgE-binding monocytes upregulate the coagulation cascade in allergic horses
Authors: Simonin Elisabeth M. , Wagner Bettina
Published: May 2023

IgE-binding monocytes are a rare peripheral immune cell type involved in the allergic response through binding of IgE on their surface. IgE-binding monocytes are present in both healthy and allergic individuals. We performed RNA sequencing to ask how the function of IgE-binding monocytes differs in the context of allergy. Using a large animal model of allergy, equineCulicoideshypersensitivity, we compared the transcriptome of IgE-binding monocytes in allergic and non-allergic horses at two seasonal timepoints: (i) when allergic animals were clinical healthy, in the winter “Remission Phase”, and (ii) during chronic disease, in the summer “Clinical Phase”. Most transcriptional differences between allergic and non-allergic horses occurred only during the “Remission Phase”, suggesting principal differences in monocyte function even in the absence of allergen exposure.F13A1, a subunit of fibrinoligase, was significantly upregulated at both timepoints in allergic horses. This suggested a role for increased fibrin deposition in the coagulation cascade to promote allergic inflammation. IgE-binding monocytes also downregulatedCCR10expression in allergic horses during the “Clinical Phase”, suggesting a defect in maintenance of skin homeostasis, which further promotes allergic inflammation. Together, this transcriptional analysis provides valuable clues into the mechanisms used by IgE-binding monocytes in allergic individuals.
Projected landscape-scale repercussions of global action for climate and biodiversity protection
Authors: von Jeetze Patrick José , Weindl Isabelle , Johnson Justin Andrew , Borrelli Pasquale , Panagos Panos , Molina Bacca Edna J. , Karstens Kristine , Humpenöder Florian , Dietrich Jan Philipp , Minoli Sara , Müller Christoph , Lotze-Campen Hermann , Popp Alexander
Published: May 2023

Land conservation and increased carbon uptake on land are fundamental to achieving the ambitious targets of the climate and biodiversity conventions. Yet, it remains largely unknown how such ambitions, along with an increasing demand for agricultural products, could drive landscape-scale changes and affect other key regulating nature’s contributions to people (NCP) that sustain land productivity outside conservation priority areas. By using an integrated, globally consistent modelling approach, we show that ambitious carbon-focused land restoration action and the enlargement of protected areas alone may be insufficient to reverse negative trends in landscape heterogeneity, pollination supply, and soil loss. However, we also find that these actions could be combined with dedicated interventions that support critical NCP and biodiversity conservation outside of protected areas. In particular, our models indicate that conserving at least 20% semi-natural habitat within farmed landscapes could primarily be achieved by spatially relocating cropland outside conservation priority areas, without additional carbon losses from land-use change, primary land conversion or reductions in agricultural productivity.
Two-colour dissipative solitons and breathers in microresonator second-harmonic generation
Authors: Lu Juanjuan , Puzyrev Danila N. , Pankratov Vladislav V. , Skryabin Dmitry V. , Yang Fengyan , Gong Zheng , Surya Joshua B. , Tang Hong X.
Published: May 2023

Frequency conversion of dissipative solitons associated with the generation of broadband optical frequency combs having a tooth spacing of hundreds of giga-hertz is a topical challenge holding the key to practical applications in precision spectroscopy and data processing. The work in this direction is underpinned by fundamental problems in nonlinear and quantum optics. Here, we present the dissipative two-colour bright-bright and dark-dark solitons in a quasi-phase-matched microresonator pumped for the second-harmonic generation in the near-infrared spectral range. We also found the breather states associated with the pulse front motion and collisions. The soliton regime is found to be typical in slightly phase-mismatched resonators, while the phase-matched ones reveal broader but incoherent spectra and higher-order harmonic generation. Soliton and breather effects reported here exist for the negative tilt of the resonance line, which is possible only via the dominant contribution of second-order nonlinearity.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 facilitates cerebellar parallel fiber glutamate release through PKA signaling in mice in vitro
Authors: Wang Xin-Yuan , Liu Yang , Cao Li-Xin , Li Yu-Zi , Wan Peng , Qiu De-Lai
Published: May 2023

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is mainly secreted by preproglucagon neurons; it plays important roles in modulating neuronal activity and synaptic transmission through its receptors. In the present study, we investigated the effects of GLP-1 on parallel fiber–Purkinje cell (PF-PC) synaptic transmission in mouse cerebellar slices using whole-cell patch-clamp recording and pharmacology methods. In the presence of a γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor antagonist, bath application of GLP-1 (100 nM) enhanced PF-PC synaptic transmission, with an increased amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic synaptic currents (EPSCs) and a decreased paired-pulse ratio. The GLP-1-induced enhancement of evoked EPSCs was abolished by a selective GLP-1 receptor antagonist, exendin 9–39, as well as by the extracellular application of a specific protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, KT5720. In contrast, inhibiting postsynaptic PKA with a protein kinase inhibitor peptide-containing internal solution failed to block the GLP-1-induced enhancement of evoked EPSCs. In the presence of a mixture of gabazine (20 μM) and tetrodotoxin (1 μM), application GLP-1 significantly increased frequency, but not amplitude of miniature EPSCs via PKA signaling pathway. The GLP-1-induced increase in miniature EPSC frequency was blocked by both exendin 9–39 and KT5720. Together, our results indicate that GLP-1 receptor activation enhances glutamate release at PF-PC synapses via the PKA signaling pathway, resulting in enhanced PF-PC synaptic transmission in mice in vitro. These findings suggest that, in living animals, GLP-1 has a critical role in the modulation of cerebellar function by regulating excitatory synaptic transmission at PF-PC synapses.
Foot plantar pressure and centre of pressure trajectory differ between straight and turning steps in infants
Authors: Price Carina , Montagnani Eleonora , Nester Christopher , Morrison Stewart C.
Published: May 2023

Plantar pressure has been used to understand loading on infant feet as gait develops. Previous literature focused on straight walking, despite turning accounting for 25% of infant self-directed steps. We aimed to compare centre of pressure and plantar pressure in walking steps in different directions in infants. Twenty-five infants who were walking confidently participated in the study (aged 449 ± 71 days, 96 ± 25 days after first steps). Plantar pressure and video were recorded whilst five steps per infant were combined for three step types: straight, turning inwards and outwards. Centre of pressure trajectory components were compared for path length and velocity. Pedobarographic Statistical Parametric Mapping explored differences in peak plantar pressure for the three step types. Significant differences were identified primarily in the forefoot with higher peak pressures in straight steps. Centre of pressure path was longer in the medial–lateral direction during turning (outward 4.6 ± 2.3, inward 6.8 ± 6.1, straight 3.5 ± 1.2 cm, p < .001). Anterior–posterior velocity was higher in straight steps and medial–lateral velocity highest turning inwards. Centre of pressure and plantar pressures differ between straight and turning steps with greatest differences between straight and turning. Findings may be attributed to walking speed or a function of turning experience and should influence future protocols.
Prognostic and immunological role of FDX1 in pan-cancer: an in-silico analysis
Authors: Liu Ziqiang , Miao Jinfeng
Published: May 2023

Previous research has demonstrated that ferredoxin 1 (FDX1) contributes to the accumulation of toxic lipoylated dihydrolipoamide S-acetyltransferase (DLAT) and results in cuproptotic cell death. However, the role that FDX1 plays in human cancer prognosis and immunology is still not well understood. The original data was obtained from TCGA and GEO databases and integrated using R 4.1.0. The TIMER2.0, GEPIA, and BioGPS databases were used to explore FDX1 expression. The impact of FDX1 on prognosis was analyzed using the GEPIA and Kaplan–Meier Plotter databases. External validation will be performed using the PrognoScan database. FDX1 expression in different immune and molecular subtypes of human cancers was evaluated using the TISIDB database. The correlation between FDX1 expression and immune checkpoints (ICP), microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor mutational burden (TMB) in human cancers was analyzed using R 4.1.0. The TIMER2.0 and GEPIA databases were used to study the relationship between FDX1 expression and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. With the c-BioPortal database, we investigated the genomic alterations of FDX1. Pathway analysis and assessment of the sensitivity potential of FDX1-related drugs were also performed. Using the UALCAN database, we analyzed the differential expression of FDX1 in KIRC (kidney renal clear cell carcinoma) with different clinical features. Coexpression networks of FDX1 were analyzed using LinkedOmics. In general, FDX1 was expressed differently in different types of cancer in humans. Expression of FDX1 was strongly correlated with patient prognosis, ICP, MSI, and TMB. FDX1 was also participated in immune regulation and the tumor microenvironment. Coexpression networks of FDX1 were primarily involved in oxidative phosphorylation regulation. Pathway analysis revealed that the expression of FDX1 was correlated to cancer-related and immune-related pathways. FDX1 has the potential to serve as a biomarker for pan-cancer prognosis and immunology, as well as a novel target for tumor therapy.
Dual quantum cascade lasers for noninvasive glucose detection using photoacoustic spectroscopy
Authors: Aloraynan Abdulrahman , Rassel Shazzad , Kaysir Md. Rejvi , Ban Dayan
Published: May 2023

The combination of mid-infrared and photoacoustic spectroscopy has shown promising developments as a substitute for invasive glucose detection technology. A dual single-wavelength quantum cascade laser system has been developed using photoacoustic spectroscopy for noninvasive glucose monitoring. Biomedical skin phantoms with similar properties to human skin have been prepared with blood components at different glucose concentrations as test models for the setup. The detection sensitivity of the system has been improved to ± 12.5 mg/dL in the hyperglycemia blood glucose ranges. An ensemble machine learning classifier has been developed to predict the glucose level in the presence of blood components. The model, which was trained with 72,360 unprocessed datasets, achieved a 96.7% prediction accuracy with 100% of the predicted data located in zones A and B of Clarke’s error grid analysis. These findings fulfill both the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada requirements for glucose monitors.
Predicting the potential geographical distribution of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci in India based on climate change projections using MaxEnt
Authors: Karuppaiah V. , Maruthadurai R. , Das Bappa , Soumia P. S. , Gadge Ankush S. , Thangasamy A. , Ramesh S. V. , Shirsat Dhananjay V. , Mahajan Vijay , Krishna Hare , Singh Major
Published: May 2023

Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman, an economically important onion pest in India, poses a severe threat to the domestic and export supply of onions. Therefore, it is important to study the distribution of this pest in order to assess the possible crop loss, which it may inflict if not managed in time. In this study, MaxEnt was used to analyze the potential distribution of T. tabaci in India and predict the changes in the suitable areas for onion thrips under two scenarios, SSP126 and SSP585. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of 0.993 and 0.989 for training and testing demonstrated excellent model accuracy. The true skill statistic value of 0.944 and 0.921, and the continuous Boyce index of 0.964 and 0.889 for training and testing, also showed higher model accuracy. Annual Mean Temperature (bio1), Annual Precipitation (bio12) and Precipitation Seasonality (bio15) are the main variables that determined the potential distribution of T. tabaci, with the suitable range of 22–28 °C; 300–1000 mm and 70–160, respectively. T. tabaci is distributed mainly in India's central and southern states, with 1.17 × 106 km2, covering 36.4% of land area under the current scenario. Multimodal ensembles show that under a low emission scenario (SSP126), low, moderate and optimum suitable areas of T. tabaci is likely to increase, while highly suitable areas would decrease by 17.4% in 2050 20.9% in 2070. Whereas, under the high emission scenario (SSP585), the high suitability is likely to contract by 24.2% and 51.7% for 2050 and 2070, respectively. According to the prediction of the BCC-CSM2-MR, CanESM5, CNRM-CM6-1 and MIROC6 model, the highly suitable area for T. tabaci would likely contract under both SSP126 and SSP585. This study detailed the potential future habitable area for T. tabaci in India, which could help monitor and devise efficient management strategies for this destructive pest.
Nanostructures in Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) for potential therapy
Authors: Zhang Ya-Li , Wang Ya-Lei , Yan Ke , Deng Qi-Qi , Li Fang-Zhou , Liang Xing-Jie , Hua Qian
Published: May 2023

CHMs-derived materials with different nanostructures for various diseases (created with Biorender.com).
Nanogels for bone tissue engineering – from synthesis to application
Authors: Sankaranarayanan Aravind , Ramprasad Anushikaa , Shree Ganesh S. , Ganesh Harini , Ramanathan Bharathi , Shanmugavadivu Abinaya , Selvamurugan Nagarajan
Published: May 2023

This review summarizes the potential of nanogel-based scaffolds to address the needs of bone tissue engineering.
In situ quantitative polymerization of dopamine on dual functional carbon nanotubes as high stability and rate capacity anodes for potassium ion storage
Authors: Fu Yin , Hu Bo , Ma Guozhi , Zhang Ming
Published: May 2023

CNTs with dual functions alleviate the dissolution of PDA during the cycle through π - π stacking effect and enhance the internal conduction of electrons. Provide long cycle life and high capacity for batteries.
A near-infrared and lysosome-targeted BODIPY photosensitizer for photodynamic and photothermal synergistic therapy
Authors: Liu Yan , Gao Jie , Li Hongyu , Yang Mingyan , Lv Jiajia , Zhou Yaping , Yuan Zeli , Li Xinmin
Published: May 2023

A multifunctional BODIPY derivative Lyso-BDP was prepared. It shows near-infrared absorption and emission, photosensitizing activity, lysosomal targeting, and synergistic PDT and PTT effects, and kills cancer cells bothin vitroandin vivo.
Asymmetric binary-acid catalysis: a diastereo- and enantioselective oxa-Nazarov cyclization-Michael addition of conjugated 1,2-diketones
Authors: Tian Yuan , Tang Mengdie , Lian Changshuo , Song Ran , Yang Daoshan , Lv Jian
Published: May 2023

Diastereo- and enantioselective oxa-Nazarov cyclization-Michael addition of conjugated 1,2-diketones was achieved by using asymmetric binary-acid catalysis with chiral phosphoric acid and FeBr3.
Transparent ionic conductive elastomers with high mechanical strength and strong tensile properties for strain sensors
Authors: Xia Wenjuan , Wang Ling , Yu Yijia , Wang Wenjin , Wu Zhaoqiang , Chen Hong
Published: May 2023

Transparent ionic conductive elastomers with high mechanical strength and strong tensile properties were successfully prepared by “one-step” UV irradiation polymerization for strain sensors.
Hydrophilic polyelectrolyte microspheres as a template for poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) synthesis
Authors: Laishevkina Svetlana , Iakobson Olga , Saprykina Natalia , Dobrodumov Anatoly , Chelibanov Vladimir , Tomšík Elena , Shevchenko Natalia
Published: May 2023

The aim of the investigation is to demonstrate the fundamental possibility of PEDOT/polyelectrolyte microspheres interpolymer complexe formation.
High-g-factor phase-matched circular dichroism of second harmonic generation in chiral polar liquids
Authors: Zhao Xiuhu , Li Jinxing , Huang Mingjun , Aya Satoshi
Published: May 2023

We discover a strong phase-matched circular dichroism of second harmonic generation in the emerging polar chiral fluids withg-factor ∼1.8.
Stability enhancement of bi‐directional voltage source converters in modern power systems
Authors: Ghasemi Mohamad Amin , Zarei Seyed Fariborz , Peyghami Saeed
Published: May 2023

In future modern power systems, reliability and resilience could be an extreme challenge caused by the stability issues of the bidirectional power converters (BPCs). The non‐linear dynamics of DC link voltage (DCLV) of BPCs in interaction with the existing linear control schemes may decrease the stability margin and cause operating‐point‐dependent instability issues. Existing approaches may solve this issue by reducing the DCLV control loop bandwidth, which considerably degrades the system performance. To tackle this issue, first, the root cause of the instability challenge is analytically investigated, and then, a non‐linear stabilizer control scheme based on Lyapunov theorem is proposed. Considering the non‐linear dynamic of the BPCs and the interaction between dynamics of DC link voltage and AC currents in the proposed stabilizer, it guarantees the stability of the converter in both directions of power flow and the full range of loading conditions. The performance of the proposed scheme is verified through simulation of the system under various operating conditions, considering uncertainties, disturbances, and short‐circuit events, and comparing it with that of prevalent controllers.
Learning global image representation with generalized‐mean pooling and smoothed average precision for large‐scale CBIR
Authors: Yao Jinliang , Li Yongqing , Yang Bing , Wang Chenrui
Published: May 2023

Content‐based image retrieval (CBIR) is the problem of searching for items in an image database that are similar to the query image. Most of the existing image retrieval methods are trained based on metric learning loss functions (e.g. contrastive loss or triplet loss), however, which require the use of hard sample mining strategies (HMS) to better train the model. The HMS implies that picking out hard positive or negative samples increases the complexity of model training and requires a large amount of additional training time. To address this issue, lessons from recent work are leveraged on representation learning and a model called GS is proposed that combines the state‐of‐the‐art Generalized‐Mean (GeM) pooling and the smoothed average precision (AP). The entire network can be learned end‐to‐end by approximating the non‐differentiable AP function to a differentiable one‐without mining hard samples, only image‐level annotations. A model named GSA is also presented which achieves excellent retrieval performance jointly trained by two various loss functions. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and demonstrate the competitive performance on a common standard image retrieval dataset (Revisited Oxford and Paris).