bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bdh1 overexpression ameliorates hepatic injury by activation of Nrf2 in a MAFLD mouse model
Authors: Xu Bu-tuo , Teng Fang-yuan , Wu Qi , Wan Sheng-rong , Li Xin-yue , Tan Xiao-zhen , Xu Yong , Jiang Zong-zhe
Published: February 2022

In 2020, a group of experts officially suggested metabolic dysfunction associated with fatty liver disease “MAFLD” as a more appropriate overarching term than NAFLD, indicating the key role of metabolism in fatty liver disease. Bdh1, as the rate-limiting enzyme of ketone metabolism, acts as an important metabolic regulator in liver. However, the role of Bdh1 in MAFLD is unclear. In this study, we used the transgenic db/db mice as a MAFLD mouse model and observed the downregulated expression of Bdh1 in fatty liver. In addition, expression of Bdh1 was also reduced by palmitic acid (PA) treatment in LO2 cells. Bdh1 knockdown led to ROS overproduction and ROS-induced inflammation and apoptosis in LO2 cells, while Bdh1 overexpression protected LO2 cells from lipotoxicity by inhibiting ROS overproduction. Mechanistically, Bdh1-mediated βOHB metabolism inhibits ROS overproduction by activation of Nrf2 through enhancement of metabolic flux composed of βOHB-AcAc-succinate-fumarate. Notably, adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated Bdh1 overexpression successfully reversed the hepatic function indexes, fibrosis, inflammation, and apoptosis in fatty livers from db/db mice. In conclusion, our study revealed a Bdh1-mediated molecular mechanism in pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction related liver disease and identified Bdh1 as a novel potential therapeutic target for MAFLD.
GLOBathy, the global lakes bathymetry dataset
Authors: Khazaei Bahram , Read Laura K. , Casali Matthew , Sampson Kevin M. , Yates David N.
Published: February 2022

Waterbodies (natural lakes and reservoirs) are a critical part of a watershed’s ecological and hydrological balance, and in many cases dictate the downstream river flows either through natural attenuation or through managed controls. Investigating waterbody dynamics relies primarily on understanding their morphology and geophysical characteristics that are primarily defined by bathymetry. Bathymetric conditions define stage-storage relationships and circulation/transport processes in waterbodies. Yet many studies oversimplify these mechanisms due to unavailability of the bathymetric data. We developed a novel GLObal Bathymetric (GLOBathy) dataset of 1.4+ million waterbodies to align with the well-established global dataset, HydroLAKES. GLOBathy uses a GIS-based framework to generate bathymetric maps based on the waterbody maximum depth estimates and HydroLAKES geometric/geophysical attributes of the waterbodies. The maximum depth estimates are validated at 1,503 waterbodies, making use of several observed data sources. We also provide estimations for head-Area-Volume (h-A-V) relationships of the HydroLAKES waterbodies, driven from the bathymetric maps of the GLOBathy dataset. The h-A-V relationships provide essential information for water balance and hydrological studies of global waterbody systems.
The organization of the movement depends mainly on the anticipation of its sensory and emotional consequences
Authors: Vernazza-Martin S. , Ferrel-Chapus C. , Fautrelle L. , Lachaud L. , Dru V.
Published: February 2022

Two sources of emotions influence directed actions, namely, those associated with the environment and those that are consequences of the action. The present study examines the impact of these emotions on movement preparation. It invokes theories from psychology, i.e., ideomotor theory and motor control's cognitive approach through movement analysis. In addition to their action readiness, emotions related to the environment can interfere with actions directed towards a goal. However, intentional action involves a goal that will cause satisfaction when achieved. While most studies consider each emotion's influence separately, few studies confront them to study their respective impact. In the current study, thirty-two right-handed young adults reach for a left target with a stylus that will reduce or enlarge an emotional picture that is initially present (nontarget stimulus). Kinematic analyses show that anticipating the pointing's emotional consequences impacts the final pointing position. All other results emphasize the impact of reducing or enlarging on the preparation and control of movement depending on the direction of movement. The emotional consequences of the action is a weighting factor that is relevant to the action goal and subject's intention, but it is less important than the action's visual consequences.
Gradient association between pulmonary tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus among households with a tuberculosis case: a contact tracing-based study
Authors: Guo Shengqiong , Lei Shiguang , Li Jinlan , Li Ling , Chen Huijuan , Chongsuvivatwong Virasakdi
Published: February 2022

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) remain high morbidity and mortality, especially when they are comorbid with each other. Screening for diabetes mellitus in tuberculosis is essential as the incidence and mortality of DM in the population with PTB are higher than in the general people. We aimed to examine the gradient association of tuberculosis on developing DM, the additional yield and the number needed to screen (NNS) to find a new diabetes case. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 801 tuberculosis cases and 972 household contacts in Guizhou, China, from April 2019 to October 2020. After screening for PTB among contacts, all participants were screened for DM and interviewed. Kendall’s tau-b test and proportional odds logistic regression analysis were applied to identify the gradient associations. Among the 1773 subjects, the additional yield of screening was 21.8%. The NNSs of the non-PTB group, the sputum-culture negative and positive groups were 50, 60 and 113, respectively. The gradient incremental establishment of DM and PTB were positively correlated. The general trend on the gradient of DM significantly increased with the gradient increase of PTB. Age 35 years and over, excessive edible oil intake and DM family history were identified as significant predictors of diabetes. Integrated screening for DM targeted to different gradients of PTB combined with associated factors is necessitated to achieve a higher additional yield.
Impact of COVID-19 on food insecurity using multiple waves of high frequency household surveys
Authors: Dasgupta Shouro , Robinson Elizabeth J. Z.
Published: February 2022

In response to the rapid spread of COVID-19, governments across the globe have implemented local lockdowns that have led to increased unemployment and have disrupted local and international transport routes and supply chains. Whilst such efforts aim to slow or stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they have also resulted in increased food insecurity, whether due to reduced incomes or increased food prices. This is the first paper to track food insecurity and its determinants during the pandemic using multi-country and multi-wave evidence. Using data from 11 countries and up to 6 waves of High-Frequency Phone Survey data (household-level surveys) on COVID-19 and its impacts, we use a fixed-effects linear probability model to investigate the socioeconomic determinants of food insecurity during the pandemic for each country using household-level data over multiple waves. We control for socioeconomic characteristics including gender and education of the household head; income and poverty status of the households during the pandemic; safety nets in the form of cash and food assistance; coping strategies adopted by households; and price effects of major food items. Our findings suggest that cash safety nets appear to have been more effective than food in terms of reducing food insecurity during the pandemic; and that those particularly hard hit are female headed-households (highest in Malawi: 0.541, 95% CI 0.516, 0.569; lowest in Cambodia: 0.023, 95% CI 0.022, 0.024), the less educated (highest in Djibouti: − 0.232, 95% CI − 0.221, − 0.244; lowest in Nigeria: 0.006, 95% CI − 0.005, − 0.007), and poorer households (highest in Mali: 0.382, 95% CI 0.364, 0.402; lowest in Chad: 0.135, 95% CI 0.129, 0.142). In line with the existing literature, our results show that, even controlling for income loss and poverty status, those households who had to borrow rather than rely on savings had a higher probability of suffering from food insecurity. Distinct differences in the efficacy of safety nets across the 11 countries, and the differential impact of the pandemic on different groups within societies, suggest in-depth country-specific studies are needed to understand why some countries have coped better than others. Our paper highlights the importance of improving household resilience to future systemic crises, and using evidence-based best practice in the design of relevant policy instruments.
Single cell RNA sequencing reveals differentiation related genes with drawing implications in predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in gliomas
Authors: Zhou Zijian , Wei JinHong , Yang Zeruo , Bao Yue , Jiang Wenbo , Lu Bin , Wang Weimin , Li Luo
Published: February 2022

Differentiation states of glioma cells correlated with prognosis and tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) in patients with gliomas. We aimed to identify differentiation related genes (DRGs) for predicting the prognosis and immunotherapy response in patients with gliomas. We identified three differentiation states and the corresponding DRGs in glioma cells through single-cell transcriptomics analysis. Based on the DRGs, we separated glioma patients into three clusters with distinct clinicopathological features in combination with bulk RNA-seq data. Weighted correlation network analysis, univariate cox regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis were involved in the construction of the prognostic model based on DRGs. Distinct clinicopathological characteristics, TIME, immunogenomic patterns and immunotherapy responses were identified across three clusters. A DRG signature composing of 12 genes were identified for predicting the survival of glioma patients and nomogram model integrating the risk score and multi-clinicopathological factors were constructed for clinical practice. Patients in high-risk group tended to get shorter overall survival and better response to immune checkpoint blockage therapy. We obtained 9 candidate drugs through comprehensive analysis of the differentially expressed genes between the low and high-risk groups in the model. Our findings indicated that the risk score may not only contribute to the determination of prognosis but also facilitate in the prediction of immunotherapy response in glioma patients.
Classification of subtypes including LCNEC in lung cancer biopsy slides using convolutional neural network from scratch
Authors: Yang Jung Wook , Song Dae Hyun , An Hyo Jung , Seo Sat Byul
Published: February 2022

Identifying the lung carcinoma subtype in small biopsy specimens is an important part of determining a suitable treatment plan but is often challenging without the help of special and/or immunohistochemical stains. Pathology image analysis that tackles this issue would be helpful for diagnoses and subtyping of lung carcinoma. In this study, we developed AI models to classify multinomial patterns of lung carcinoma; ADC, LCNEC, SCC, SCLC, and non-neoplastic lung tissue based on convolutional neural networks (CNN or ConvNet). Four CNNs that were pre-trained using transfer learning and one CNN built from scratch were used to classify patch images from pathology whole-slide images (WSIs). We first evaluated the diagnostic performance of each model in the test sets. The Xception model and the CNN built from scratch both achieved the highest performance with a macro average AUC of 0.90. The CNN built from scratch model obtained a macro average AUC of 0.97 on the dataset of four classes excluding LCNEC, and 0.95 on the dataset of three subtypes of lung carcinomas; NSCLC, SCLC, and non-tumor, respectively. Of particular note is that the relatively simple CNN built from scratch may be an approach for pathological image analysis.
High sensitivity Troponins In Patients with elevated prohormone of beta natriuretic peptide and acute heart failure (HIGH TRIP Trial)
Authors: Alhejily Wesam A.
Published: February 2022

In patients presented to emergency rooms, Pro hormone of Natriuretic Peptide (Pro BNP) essay is overly sensitive test to rule out heart failure but less specific in predicting outcomes in follow-ups, in this study we ought to find the added value of High Sensitivity cardiac Troponin I (Hs-cTn I), in patients presented acutely with heart failure and its impact on mortality when Pro BNP is highly elevated. Prospective cohort study, inclusion criteria were age above 18 and clearly positive NT Pro BNP > 1000 pg/ml, with 12 months follow up period, primary end point was mortality from heart failure, secondary endpoint was need for rehospitalization. 95 patients were enrolled, divided into overt and non-overt pulmonary edema groups. Mean (Pro BNP) was 6184 and 5927 pg/ml and mean (Hs-cTn I) were 19.27 and 0.17 ng/ml respectively, Mean Ejection fraction was 48 ± 7 and 47 ± 7 for each group sequentially. Mortality rate was 4 (13%) in the higher Hs-c Tn I group, and 1 (1.6%) in the low troponin level group p = .03, odd ratio was 8.5, 95% CI (0.9–80). Need for re-hospitalization was present in 12 (38%) Vs 7 (8%) patients, p = .0081, odd ratio 4.8, 95% CI (1.7–14.2). In COX proportional hazard analysis, only Hs-cTn I was a significant predictor of poor outcome in this high-risk cohort with p = 0.0001. Adding (Hs-cTrop I) assay to the panel of laboratory testing, in patients presented to ER with acute heart failure and with high Pro-BNP > 1000, may further predicts mortality and rehospitalization rate.
Shared genomic architecture between COVID-19 severity and numerous clinical and physiologic parameters revealed by LD score regression analysis
Authors: Byun Jinyoung , Han Younghun , Walsh Kyle M. , Park Amy S. , Bondy Melissa L. , Amos Christopher I.
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced broad clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic infection to hospitalization and death. Despite progress from genomic and clinical epidemiology research, risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 are incompletely understood and identification of modifiable risk factors is desperately needed. We conducted linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSR) analysis to estimate cross-trait genetic correlation between COVID-19 severity and various polygenic phenotypes. To attenuate the genetic contribution of smoking and BMI, we further conducted sensitivity analyses by pruning genomic regions associated with smoking/BMI and repeating LDSR analyses. We identified robust positive associations between the genetic architecture of severe COVID-19 and both BMI and smoking. We observed strong positive genetic correlation (rg) with diabetes (rg = 0.25) and shortness of breath walking on level ground (rg = 0.28) and novel protective associations with vitamin E (rg = − 0.53), calcium (rg = − 0.33), retinol (rg = − 0.59), Apolipoprotein A (rg = − 0.13), and HDL (rg = − 0.17), but no association with vitamin D (rg = − 0.02). Removing genomic regions associated with smoking and BMI generally attenuated the associations, but the associations with nutrient biomarkers persisted. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the shared genetic architecture of COVID-19 severity and numerous clinical/physiologic parameters. Associations with blood and plasma-derived traits identified biomarkers for Mendelian randomization studies to explore causality and nominates therapeutic targets for clinical evaluation.
The laccase mediator system at carbon nanotubes for anthracene oxidation and femtomolar electrochemical biosensing
Authors: Sorrentino Ilaria , Carrière Marie , Jamet Hélène , Stanzione Ilaria , Piscitelli Alessandra , Giardina Paola , Le Goff Alan
Published: February 2022

The unprecedented role of carbon nanotubes in promoting and sensing enzymatic oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by laccases enables femtomolar detection of anthracene.
The yin and yang of intracellular delivery of amphipathic optical probes using n-butyl charge masking
Authors: Agarwal Hitesh K. , Janicek Radoslav , Zhao Jun , Sambath Karthik , Egger Marcel , Niggli Ernst , Ellis-Davies Graham C. R.
Published: February 2022

The size of the caging chromophore conditions the ability of intracellular cargo delivery and esterase charge unmasking.
Mechanistic insights of cycling stability of ferrocene catholytes in aqueous redox flow batteries
Authors: Luo Jian , Hu Maowei , Wu Wenda , Yuan Bing , Liu T. Leo
Published: February 2022

Thermal and photolytic degradation pathways for water soluble ferrocene cathode electrolytes are elucidated in aqueous redox flow batteries. Design principles are presented to develop advanced coordination complex redox active electrolytes for energy storage.
Towards rational nanomaterial design by predicting drug–nanoparticle system interaction vs. bacterial metabolic networks
Authors: Diéguez-Santana Karel , Rasulev Bakhtiyor , González-Díaz Humberto
Published: February 2022

Information fusion (IF), perturbation theory (PT), and machine learning (ML) algorithm (IFPTML) allows for nanomaterial design by predicting the interactions of drug–nanoparticle systems vs. metabolic networks of bacteria.
Radical-mediated thiol–ene ‘click’ reactions in deep eutectic solvents for bioconjugation
Authors: Nolan Mark D. , Mezzetta Andrea , Guazzelli Lorenzo , Scanlan Eoin M.
Published: February 2022

Herein, we report the first application of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) in radical-mediated hydrothiolation reactions.
Spectroscopy analysis of the active component of chromia-alumina dehydrogenation catalysts
Authors: Bekmukhamedov Giyjaz , Igo Alexander , Tuktarov Rustem , Morozov Vladimir , Egorova Svetlana , Kozhevin Alexander , Lamberov Alexander , Yakhvarov Dmitry
Published: February 2022

The Ag1Raman spectral line was used for the determination of the stress distribution in the active component of chromia-alumina catalysts.
A multifunctional luminescent material based on quinoxaline and triphenylamine groups: polymorphism, mechanochromic luminescence, and applications in high-efficiency fluorescent OLEDs
Authors: Wen Zhengjie , Yang Tingting , Zhang Di , Wang Zhengqin , Dong Shufan , Xu Huixia , Miao Yanqin , Zhao Bo , Wang Hua
Published: February 2022

TQT exhibits multifunctional luminescence characteristics, such as polymorphism and mechanochromic, with potential application in OLEDs. An extremely high photoluminescence quantum yield of 96.5% is achieved in CBP: TQT-G doped film.
Nucleation mechanism of GaN crystal growth on porous GaN/sapphire substrates
Authors: Liu Lei , Zhang Xu , Wang Shouzhi , Wang Guodong , Yu Jiaoxian , Hu Xiaobo , Xu Qingjun , Xu Xiangang , Zhang Lei
Published: February 2022

This paper describes the nucleation mechanism of GaN crystal growth on porous GaN/sapphire substrates. The growth behavior of epitaxially grown GaN on porous substrates is studied in detail for the first time at the nucleation stage.
Deep Q‐network application for optimal energy management in a grid‐tied solar PV‐Battery microgrid
Authors: Muriithi Grace , Chowdhury Sunetra
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a deep Q‐network (DQN) technique to optimally manage energy resources in a microgrid in which the algorithm learns tasks in the same way as humans do. Every move the agent makes in the environment generates feedback which then motivate the agent to learn more about the environment and perform far more intelligent steps later in its learning stages. This paper proposes a DQN‐based energy management system that learns system uncertainties, including load demand, grid prices and volatile renewable power supply to ensure that energy is optimally dispatched in such a setting. The method uses experience replay and target network to increase learning speed and improve stability in previous research. The performance of the system is evaluated with slow, medium, and fast fluctuating load profiles and their combinations and also with different sets of actions. The system is designed to minimize both grid transactional costs and battery degradation costs. Results shows that the proposed system successfully learns from experience to raise the battery state of charge and optimally shift loads from a one‐time instance, reducing aggregate peak load and cost of energy purchased from the utility grid while maximizing revenue from energy exported to the grid.
Evaluating Children and Adolescents with Suspected Exercise Induced
Asthma: Real Life Data
Authors: Dreßler Melanie , Donath Helena , Quang Thao Uyen , Hutter Martin , Trischler Jordis , Zielen Stefan , Schulze Johannes , Blümchen Katharina
Published: February 2022

Objective Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) occurs frequently in
children and adolescents and may be a sign of insufficient asthma control. EIB
is often evaluated by respiratory symptoms, spirometry, eNO measurement and
methacholine testing (MCT) instead of time consuming exercise test. Aim of this
study was to analyse the amount of patients for which an exercise challenge in a
cold chamber (ECC) was needed for a clear EIB diagnosis, to characterize EIB
phenotypes and the incidence of exercise induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) in
a large cohort of patients with EIB.

Methods A retrospective analysis was performed in 595 children and
adolescents (mean age 12.1 years) with suspected EIB from January 2014 to
December 2018. Complete data sets of skin prick test, spirometry, eNO and MCT
were available from 336 patients.

Results An ECC to confirm the EIB diagnosis was performed in 125
(37.2%) of patients. Three EIB phenotypes were detected: group 1: EIB
without allergic sensitization (n=159); group 2: EIB with other than
house dust mite (HDM) sensitization (n=87) and group 3: EIB with HDM
sensitization (n=90). MCT and eNO showed significant differences between
the subgroups: An eNO>46 ppb and/or a MCT<0.1 mg
was found in 23.9% vs. 50.6% vs. 57.8% in group
1–3, respectively. Significantly more patients suffered from EILO in
group 1 compared to group 2 and 3 (n=13 vs. n=1).

Conclusion EIB without sensitization is as often as EIB with
sensitization. In patients without sensitization, EILO has to be considered as a
possible cause of symptoms during exercise.
Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Minimally Invasive CABG Management in COPD
Authors: Assmann Anna Kathrin , Lichtenberg Artur , Assmann Alexander
Published: February 2022

Background Off-pump multi-arterial minimally invasive coronary surgery via anterolateral mini-thoracotomy has become a feasible and safe procedure.

Case Description We report on a 61-year-old patient with a coronary one-vessel disease with severely stenotic left anterior descending artery and diagonal branch, additionally suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with severely impaired lung function. Using a fan technique allowing for double lung ventilation, the patient was successfully operated grafting both internal thoracic arteries via a left anterolateral mini-thoracotomy.

Conclusion Anaortic, minimally invasive off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting is an excellent technique to achieve myocardial revascularization with both internal thoracic arteries even in patients with impaired lung function.
Stimmen zum Koalitionsvertrag: Geteiltes Echo
Authors: Kucera Martin
Published: February 2022

Die neue Ampelkoalition setzt in ihrem Koalitionsvertrag viele Signale, den Reformstau etwa bei den Krankenhausstrukturen, in der Pflege, bei der Digitalisierung und Krankenhausfinanzierung aufzulösen. Wir haben namhafte Akteure des Gesundheitswesens um ihre Einschätzung der Vorhaben gebeten. Ihre Bilanz fällt zwiespältig aus.
SiAl composite feedhorn arrays for astrophysical applications: Cryogenic material properties
Authors: Ali Aamir M. , Essinger-Hileman Thomas , Marriage Tobias , Appel John W. , Bennett Charles L. , Berkeley Matthew R. , Bulcha Berhanu , Chuss David T. , Dahal Sumit , Denis Kevin L. , Rostem Karwan , U-Yen Kongpop , Wollack Edward J. , Zeng Lingzhen
Published: February 2022

A study investigating the physical properties and use of the SiAl composite Controlled Expansion 7 (CE7) for the packaging of silicon bolometric detectors for millimeter-wave astrophysical applications at cryogenic temperatures is presented. The existing interfaces to such detectors are typically made of either ductile metals or micro-machined silicon. As a composite of Si and Al, we find that CE7 exhibits properties of both in ways that may be advantageous for this application. This exploration of the physical properties of CE7 reveals: (a) superconductivity below a critical transition temperature, Tc ∼ 1.2 K; (b) a thermal contraction profile much closer to Si than metal substrates; (c) the relatively low thermal conductivity anticipated for a superconductor, which can be improved by Au-plating; and (d) the feasibility of machining mechanical features with tolerances of ∼25 µm. We further discuss the use of CE7 in the cosmology large angular scale surveyor telescope array, which deployed CE7 in several of its detector focal planes.
Fast atom-trap analysis of 39Ar with isotope pre-enrichment
Authors: Tong Amin L. , Gu Ji-Qiang , Jia Ze-Hua , Yang Guo-Min , Hu Shui-Ming , Jiang Wei , Lu Zheng-Tian , Ritterbusch Florian , Sun Liang-Ting
Published: February 2022

We demonstrate fast analysis of 39Ar/Ar at the 10−16 level using a mass spectrometer for isotope pre-enrichment and an atom trap for counting. An argon gas sample first passes through a dipole mass separator that reduces the dominant isotope 40Ar by two orders of magnitude while preserving both the rare tracer isotope 39Ar and a minor stable isotope 38Ar for control purposes. Measurements of both natural and enriched samples with atom trap trace analysis demonstrate that the 39Ar/38Ar ratios change less than 10%, while the overall count rates of 39Ar are increased by one order of magnitude. By overcoming the analysis-speed bottleneck, this advance will benefit large-scale applications of 39Ar dating in the earth sciences, particularly for mapping ocean circulation.
Physics-based compact modeling of electro-thermal memristors: Negative differential resistance, local activity, and non-local dynamical bifurcations
Authors: Brown Timothy D. , Kumar Suhas , Williams R. Stanley
Published: February 2022

Leon Chua's Local Activity theory quantitatively relates the compact model of an isolated nonlinear circuit element, such as a memristor, to its potential for desired dynamical behaviors when externally coupled to passive elements in a circuit. However, the theory's use has often been limited to potentially unphysical toy models and analyses of small-signal linear circuits containing pseudo-elements (resistors, capacitors, and inductors), which provide little insight into required physical, material, and device properties. Furthermore, the Local Activity concept relies on a local analysis and must be complemented by examining dynamical behavior far away from the steady-states of a circuit. In this work, we review and study a class of generic and extended one-dimensional electro-thermal memristors (i.e., temperature is the sole state variable), re-framing the analysis in terms of physically motivated definitions and visualizations to derive intuitive compact models and simulate their dynamical behavior in terms of experimentally measurable properties, such as electrical and thermal conductance and capacitance and their derivatives with respect to voltage and temperature. Within this unified framework, we connect steady-state phenomena, such as negative differential resistance, and dynamical behaviors, such as instability, oscillations, and bifurcations, through a set of dimensionless nonlinearity parameters. In particular, we reveal that the reactance associated with electro-thermal memristors is the result of a phase shift between oscillating current and voltage induced by the dynamical delay and coupling between the electrical and thermal variables. We thus, demonstrate both the utility and limitations of local analyses to understand non-local dynamical behavior. Critically for future experimentation, the analyses show that external coupling of a memristor to impedances within modern sourcing and measurement instruments can dominate the response of the total circuit, making it impossible to characterize the response of an uncoupled circuit element for which a compact model is desired. However, these effects can be minimized by proper understanding of the Local Activity theory to design and utilize purpose-built instruments.
Transient mixing behavior of a supercritical fluid injected into supercritical and subcritical environments
Authors: Wanstall C. Taber , Bittle Joshua A. , Agrawal Ajay K.
Published: February 2022

Transient, near-field mixing of a supercritical fluid injected into supercritical and subcritical environments is investigated experimentally. Fuel (propane) from a 100 μm diameter Bosch diesel injector is injected into a high-pressure test rig with a steady flow of heated, low-velocity nitrogen to control the ambient pressure and temperature. The fuel supply pressure is approximately 190 bar, allowing short injections lasting 3–4 ms to be performed in quick succession to acquire statistically significant datasets to represent the unsteady fuel–air mixing. Two test cases with the same ambient density and injector inlet pressure and temperature were chosen in an attempt to isolate effects of mixture phase behavior. Microscopic rainbow Schlieren deflectometry (RSD) is used for visualization and quantitative data acquisition. In the case of the supercritical ambient, the injector inlet and exit and ambient conditions are all supercritical. The RSD analysis reveals a mixing process similar to the single phase fluid mixing, though condensation is also observed locally, and can be explained by the adiabatic mixing theory presented in the paper. For the subcritical ambient case, the injector inlet is supercritical, but the injector exit and ambient conditions are both subcritical. The results show a rapid expansion in the near-field promoting mixing between propane and nitrogen. At downstream locations, significant condensation is also observed as predicted by the adiabatic mixing theory. The supercritical ambient case exhibited longer and narrower jet penetration compared to the subcritical ambient case.
Ionic liquid crystal elastomers-based flexible organic electrochemical transistors: Effect of director alignment of the solid electrolyte
Authors: Hemantha Rajapaksha C. P. , Paudel Pushpa Raj , Kodikara P. M. Sineth G. , Dahal Drona , Dassanayake Thiloka M. , Kaphle Vikash , Lüssem Björn , Jákli Antal
Published: February 2022

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have attracted great attention since their discovery in 1984 due to their flexibility and biocompatibility. Although an intense focus has been put on the design of new organic semiconductors, fewer efforts are directed toward the development of optimized electrolytes. However, the electrolyte is an integral part of OECTs and strongly influences the transient responses of these devices. Also, best performing OECTs currently use liquid electrolytes, but there is a growing need for solid electrolytes, as they can be easily integrated into wearable devices. In this paper, we demonstrate that ionic liquid crystal elastomers (iLCEs) can be used as solid electrolytes of flexible, substrate-free organic electrochemical transistors. We introduce the alignment of the director of the liquid crystal elastomers as a new parameter to tune and improve both steady state and transient responses. The normalized maximum transconductance gm/w of the most sensitive iLCE was found to be the highest (7 Sm−1) among all solid state-based OECTs.
Electromechanical behaviors in piezotronic quantum wells based on a quantum-corrected phenomenological theory
Authors: Li Nian , Fang Kai , Li Peng , Chen Feng , Qian Zhenghua , Kolesov Vladimir , Kuznetsova Iren
Published: February 2022

Piezotronic devices have attracted a great deal of attention due to their potential applications in self-powered tactile sensing, nano-device memory, human-electronic interface, etc. As the size of piezotronic devices shrinks, some interesting quantum effects begin to appear. In this paper, we establish a theory oriented to the engineering application of piezoelectric semiconductors, called quantum-corrected phenomenological (QCP) theory, by coupling the density-gradient theory and the linear piezoelectricity theory through Gauss's law. For numerical verification, we specifically studied the electromechanical behaviors in GaN/AlGaN heterostructure quantum wells (QWs) with both infinite and finite barrier height. The results of electron density, electric potential, and quantum potential are provided, and their dependence on the doping density, the applied stress, and the Al mole fraction is investigated. Some interesting quantum effects are revealed, and their influencing mechanisms are well investigated from a macroscopic perspective. Not only do the conclusions drawn in this paper enrich the fundamental understanding of the piezotronic effect in a QW structure, but also the proposed QCP theory can serve as a valuable tool for future device engineering.
Slow coarsening of ultra-confined phase-separated glass thin films
Authors: Bouteille B. , Fonné J. T. , Burov E. , Gouillart E. , Henry H. , Montigaud H. , Jop P. , Vandembroucq D.
Published: February 2022

Diffusion-driven coarsening of droplets is a classical subject in statistical physics, yet coarsening kinetics in confined systems have received little attention. We report here on the coarsening of droplets in thin (50–200 nm) films of phase-separated barium borosilicate glasses. In this ultra-confined geometry where at most one droplet is observed within the film thickness, droplets grow like a power-law of time with an exponent about 0.17 significantly smaller than that of the one of Ostwald ripening (1/3) characteristic of bulk coarsening. We complement these experimental results with two-dimensional Cahn–Hilliard numerical simulations of diffusion, where a wider range of parameters can be varied. In simulations, we recover a slow coarsening behavior in ultra-confined geometry. We explain the anomalous scaling exponent of simulations by ultraconfined geometry, which imposes a different scaling with time of the radius of a droplet and the distance between droplets. In the experimental system, diffusive transport also becomes less efficient with time compared to the bulk case with an additional change of geometry compared to simulations. Flattening of droplets with time is indeed observed, which we attribute to strong variations of the diffusion coefficient with the local matrix composition. We finally propose a simple model assuming a spatial localization of the diffusion paths to account for this effect.
Pressure-induced two-dimensional to three-dimensional structural phase transition in 2H-type layered lead iodide PbI2
Authors: Ding Junfeng , Cheng Peng , Ye Tingting , Xu Wan , Zeng Hong , Yao Deyuan , Pan Xiaomei , Zhang Jie
Published: February 2022

2H-type lead iodide (PbI2) is a two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductor and has recently received considerable attention as a precursor for lead halide perovskite solar cells. Although the pressure-induced structural phase transitions of PbI2 have been investigated for several decades, the detailed crystalline structure of PbI2 at high pressure is still elusive because of lacking in situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. In this report, in situ Raman spectra and XRD patterns of 2H-PbI2 under pressure have been investigated in a diamond-anvil cell. Both Raman spectra and XRD patterns provide consistent evidence for two structural phase transitions upon compression at approximately 0.58 and 2.6 GPa. The XRD patterns suggest that the complete pressure-driven phase transition sequence of PbI2 up to 20 GPa is two-dimensional hexagonal 2H-P3¯m1→polytype 4H-P3m1→three-dimensional (3D) orthorhombic Pnma. The uncovered 2D to 3D structural transition in 2H-PbI2 advances the understanding of structural stability of 2H-type layered semiconductors and lead halide perovskite.
Drag and lift forces acting on linear and irregular agglomerates formed by spherical particles
Authors: Chen Sheng , Chen Pinzhuo , Fu Jianhong
Published: February 2022

Nano- and micrometer particles tend to stick together to form agglomerates in the presence of attractions. An accurate calculation of the drag and lift forces on an agglomerate is a key step for predicting the sedimentation rate, the coagulation rate, the diffusion coefficient, and the mobility of the agglomerate. In this work, particle-resolved direct numerical simulation is used to calculate the drag and lift forces acting on linear and irregular agglomerates formed by spherical particles. For linear agglomerates, the drag coefficient CD follows the sine squared function of the incident angle. The ratio between CD of a linear agglomerate and that for a sphere increases with the agglomerate size, and the increasing rate is a function of the Reynolds number and the incident angle. Based on this observation, explicit expressions are proposed for CD of linear agglomerates at two reference incident angles, 60° and 90°, from which CD at any incident angle can be predicted. A new correlation is also proposed to predict the lift coefficient CL for linear agglomerates. The relative errors for the drag and lift correlations are ∼2.3% and ∼4.3%, respectively. The drag coefficient for irregular agglomerates of arbitrary shape is then formulated based on the sphericity and the crosswise sphericity of agglomerates with a relative error of ∼4.0%. Finally, the distribution of the lift coefficient for irregular agglomerates is presented, which is non-Gaussian and strongly depends on the structure. The mean values and the standard deviations of CL can be well correlated with the Reynolds number.
Noise-oriented quantum optical gyrometry
Authors: Krasionov I.I. , Il’ichev L.V.
Published: February 2022

By the example of an optical gyroscope scheme, a new method for improving the accuracy of phase measurements is considered. In the rotation-recording Mach – Zehnder interferometer, a two-mode squeezed vacuum is used as an input state. This does not allow realising the traditional scheme, since the average value of the difference signal at the output is always zero. However, it is shown that information about the magnitude of the rotation angular velocity of the instrument reference frame is contained in the noise level of the difference signal. The possibility of reaching the Heisenberg limit of the measurement accuracy is demonstrated.
Induction of hypocalcaemia and evaluation of reticuloruminal motility using a three-axis accelerometer
Authors: Choi Woojae , Ro Younghye , Kim Dohee , Hong Leegon , Kim Danil
Published: February 2022

Context Reticuloruminal motility, which is continuous and regular, is essential for digestive activity, but some functional abnormalities can appear in cattle with several metabolic disorders. Particularly in periparturient dairy cows, decreased blood calcium concentrations induce deterioration of rumen motility as well as the risk of reproductive disorders. Aims This study aimed to evaluate reticuloruminal motility using a bolus-type biosensor incorporated with a three-axis accelerometer (3XA) following induction of hypocalcaemia by infusion of ethylenediamine–tetraacetic acid disodium salt dihydrate (Na2EDTA) solution. Methods In the 2 × 2 crossover experiment, six non-pregnant and non-lactating cows were assigned to each of the treatment (TRE) and control (CON) groups and infused for 1 h with 13% Na2EDTA solution and physiological saline respectively. The cylindrical biosensor was fed and placed in the reticulum before the experiment, and the three acceleration values of each cow were recorded and transmitted wirelessly. Considering the device shape, the reticuloruminal motility was represented as the vector value (V2) calculated with each change in X- and Z-axis acceleration over time. Key results Plasma calcium concentrations were measured to confirm hypocalcaemia, and the average was significantly decreased to 1.23 mmol/L at 1 h in TRE. The mean V2 value was significantly decreased in TRE compared with CON, from 1 to 2 h after Na2EDTA infusion. Conclusion 3XA was able to detect a change in reticuloruminal motility caused by hypocalcaemia. The use of 3XA in cattle will allow for rapid treatment of hypocalcaemia or other metabolic disorders that reduce productivity. Implications The 3XA inserted into the reticulum of a dairy cow detected a decrease in reticuloruminal motility wirelessly caused by induced hypocalcaemia.
Corrigendum to: Distribution and foraging by non-breeding Caspian Terns on a large temperate estuary of south-western Australia – preliminary investigations
Authors: Stockwell Susie , Greenwell Claire N. , Dunlop James N. , Loneragan Neil R.
Published: February 2022

This study investigates the distribution, abundance, and foraging ecology of Caspian Terns, Hydroprogne caspia, during 5 months of their non-breeding season, in the Peel-Harvey Estuary, south-western Australia. Observations were carried out at 20 sites around the estuary and 6 main areas (13 sites) where terns were abundant. Terns were observed every hour over 5h time-blocks in the morning, midday, and afternoon, and the number of birds, number of birds foraging and time spent foraging were recorded for 10min on the hour. From the 760h of observation, a single overnight roosting site was identified in November, where a maximum of 147 birds were counted in February, after which time the roosting site appeared to shift. The total number of terns, foragers and proportion of time foraging varied amongst the six areas and foraging activity differed amongst times of day. Two areas, both characterised by large, sandy spits adjacent to shallow water, one adjacent to a river mouth and one near an ocean channel, were particularly important for terns and their foraging. Foraging activity was higher in the morning than at other times of day. Although salinity, air temperature, water temperature and wind speed were correlated with the total terns, foragers and proportion of time foraging, the correlations accounted for <25% of the total variation explained. The results of this study provide information for evaluating the use of Caspian Terns as bio-indicators of the Peel-Harvey Estuary and highlights the importance of this system during the non-breeding period.
Single-molecule optofluidic microsensor with interface whispering gallery modes
Authors: Yu Xiao-Chong , Tang Shui-Jing , Liu Wenjing , Xu Yinglun , Gong Qihuang , Chen You-Ling , Xiao Yun-Feng
Published: February 2022

Significance

Optical microresonators have emerged as promising platforms for label-free detection of molecules. However, approaching optimum sensitivity is hindered due to the weak tail of evanescent fields. Here, we report the implementation of the interface modes for ultrasensitive sensing in a microbubble resonator. With the electromagnetic field peaked at the interface between the optical resonator and the analyte solution, interface modes enable sensing of biomolecules with a detection limit of 0.3 pg/cm
2
. Single-molecule detection is further demonstrated using the plasmonic-enhanced interface modes. In addition, intrinsically integrated into a microfluidic channel, the sensor exhibits ultrasmall sample consumption down to 10 pL, providing an automatic platform for biomedical analysis.
Cullin neddylation inhibitor attenuates hyperglycemia by enhancing hepatic insulin signaling through insulin receptor substrate stabilization
Authors: Chen Cheng , Gu Lijie , Matye David J. , Clayton Yung-Dai , Hasan Mohammad Nazmul , Wang Yifeng , Friedman Jacob E. , Li Tiangang
Published: February 2022

Significance

Hepatic insulin resistance is a well-recognized cause of hepatic glucose overproduction and fasting hyperglycemia in fatty liver disease and type-2 diabetes. Here, we have discovered that pharmacological inhibition of cullin neddylation by NAE1 inhibitor enhances hepatic insulin signaling and lowers blood glucose in mice. Hepatic neddylation inhibition delays cullin-RING E3 ligase–mediated insulin receptor substrate protein degradation and thus directly targets a key pathogenic defect underlying hepatic insulin resistance. This finding suggests that targeting cullin neddylation may be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating hyperglycemia.
A polarization scheme that resolves cross-peaks with transient absorption and eliminates diagonal peaks in 2D spectroscopy
Authors: Farrell Kieran M. , Yang Nan , Zanni Martin T.
Published: February 2022

Two-dimensional (2D) optical spectroscopy contains cross-peaks that are helpful features for determining molecular structure and monitoring energy transfer, but they can be difficult to resolve from the much more intense diagonal peaks. Transient absorption (TA) spectra contain transitions similar to cross-peaks in 2D spectroscopy, but in most cases they are obscured by the bleach and stimulated emission peaks. We report a polarization scheme, <0°,0°,+θ
2
(t
2
),-θ
2
(t
2
)>, that can be easily implemented in the pump-probe beam geometry, used most frequently in 2D and TA spectroscopy. This scheme removes the diagonal peaks in 2D spectroscopies and the intense bleach/stimulated emission peaks in TA spectroscopies, thereby resolving the cross-peak features. At zero pump-probe delay, θ
2
= 60° destructively interferes two Feynman paths, eliminating all signals generated by field interactions with four parallel transition dipoles, and the intense diagonal and bleach/stimulated emission peaks. At later delay times, θ
2
(t
2
) is adjusted to compensate for anisotropy caused by rotational diffusion. When implemented with TA spectroscopy or microscopy, the pump-probe spectrum is dominated by the cross-peak features. The local oscillator is also attenuated, which enhances the signal two times. This overlooked polarization scheme reduces spectral congestion by eliminating diagonal peaks in 2D spectra and enables TA spectroscopy to measure similar information given by cross-peaks in 2D spectroscopy.
The Neogrammarian hypothesis and pandemic irregularity*
Authors: Blust Robert
Published: February 2022

At least three types of sound change (prenasalization of obstruents, lenition of obstruents, conversion of labial consonants to the corresponding labiovelars) are widespread in the Austronesian language family as sporadic innovations. What marks these off as different from more familiar types of irregularity is their repeated occurrence across hundreds of related languages, a phenomenon that can conveniently be called “pandemic irregularity.” All attempts to find an explanation for why pandemic irregularities occur in terms of possibly unrecognized affixation, conditioning, borrowing, or unfinished processes, have proven futile. In particular, it is stressed that pandemic irregularity in sound change is fundamentally different from “lexical diffusion”, and deserves to be recognized in its own right as a process that works against the general application of the regularity hypothesis.