bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Buying Taiwan? The Limitations of Mainland Chinese Cross-Strait Direct Investments as a Tool of Economic Statecraft
Authors: Lee Chun-Yi , Knoerich Jan
Published: August 2023

Chinese cross-border investments are often assumed to be state driven and a tool of Beijing's economic statecraft. However, corresponding evidence remains inconclusive. This article examines mainland Chinese direct investments in Taiwan and finds that they are not particularly effective tools of economic statecraft. Their excessive politicization and the sheer possibility that investments could be used for Beijing's economic statecraft resulted in a considerable pushback by Taiwan's government, bureaucrats and civil society against large and sensitive investments. The agency enjoyed by Taiwan hindered Beijing from deploying cross-Strait direct investments for political purposes, and Beijing has not openly promoted or supported such investments in Taiwan. Moreover, cross-border direct investments are by nature less exploitable for political purposes because they involve company-level commercial and entrepreneurial decisions. This sets them apart from other forms of economic statecraft, such as sanctions or trade restrictions, where the state has greater influence. Mainland Chinese companies have had limited commercial interests in Taiwan, and the investments that have been made there do not appear to have triggered significant political or security externalities. These findings suggest more generally that foreign direct investment might not be particularly effective as a tool of economic statecraft.
Psychological symptom burden associated with malignant wounds: Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study
Authors: Takamizawa Shigemasa , Ishiki Hiroto , Oyamada Shunsuke , Takeda Yuma , Kiuchi Daisuke , Amano Koji , Matsuda Yosuke , Yokomichi Naosuke , Kohara Hiroyuki , Suzuki Kozue , Satomi Eriko , Mori Masanori
Published: August 2023

Objectives

Patients with malignant wounds suffer from physical and psychological symptom burden. Despite psychological support being required, the impact of malignant wounds on patients’ psychological distress is poorly investigated. We evaluated psychological distress associated with malignant wounds for patients at their end of life.

Methods

This study used the secondary analysis of the results of a large prospective cohort study, which investigated the dying process among patients with advanced cancer in 23 palliative care units in Japan. The primary outcome of this study was the prevalence of moderate to severe psychological symptom burden, evaluated by the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale (IPOS)-feeling at peace scores of 2–4. In addition, the factors affecting psychological symptoms were investigated. The quality of death was also evaluated upon death using the Good Death Scale score.

Results

Out of the total 1896 patients, 156 had malignant wounds (8.2%). Malignant wounds were more common in female and young people. The breast, head, and neck were the most prevalent primary sites. More patients with malignant wounds had IPOS-feeling at peace scores of 2–4 than patients without malignant wounds (41.0% vs. 31.3%, p = 0.024). Furthermore, psychological distress was associated with moderate to severe IPOS-pain and the frequency of dressing changes. The presence of malignant wounds did not affect the quality of death.

Significance of results

This study showed increased psychological distress due to malignant wounds. Patients with malignant wounds require psychological support in addition to the treatment of physical symptoms for maintaining their quality of life.
Who is Flexible and Adaptive in Everyday Life?
Authors: Vylobkova Valentina , Heintz Sonja
Published: August 2023

Abstract. Background: How flexible people react to changes, and adapt their behavior and plans, seems to be crucial in modern society. Nevertheless, no common conceptualization of flexibility exists in the psychological literature. Our work contributes to the scientific understanding of flexibility as a personality trait and offers a novel flexibility questionnaire. Methods and Results: An explorative study ( N = 279) examined three individual-difference concepts of flexibility and their relations with the Big Five personality traits. The results suggested that flexibility consists of predictability, adaptability, and orderliness can be assessed with 24 items (FS-24) and is distinguishable from the Big Five. A confirmatory study ( N = 188) replicated the three flexibility components and showed good test–retest reliability for the FS-24. Convergent and discriminant validity of the instruments need further scrutiny. Limitations: The present study is limited due to self-reports, and the specificity and size of the sample, which could be addressed in future studies. Conclusions: The FS-24 showed promising psychometric properties. The questionnaire has useful applications in personality research, organizational development, and counseling.
Can Archean Impact Structures Be Discovered? A Case Study From Earth's Largest, Most Deeply Eroded Impact Structure
Authors: Huber M. S. , Kovaleva E. , Rae A. S. P. , Tisato N. , Gulick S. P. S.
Published: August 2023

The record of terrestrial impact events is incomplete with no Archean impact structures discovered, despite the expected abundance of collisions that must have occurred. Because no Archean impact structures have been identified, the necessary conditions to preserve an impact structure longer than 2 Byr are unknown. One significant effect of shock metamorphism is that the physical properties of the target rocks change, resulting in distinctive geophysical signatures of impact structures. To evaluate the preservation potential of impact structures, we evaluate the deeply eroded Proterozoic Vredefort impact structure to examine the changes in physical properties and the remnant of the geophysical signature and compare the results with the well‐preserved Chicxulub impact structure. The major structural features of Vredefort are similar to the expected profile of the Chicxulub structure at a depth of 8–10 km. The Vredefort target rocks, while shocked, do not preserve measurable changes in their physical properties. The gravity signature of the impact structure is minor and is controlled by the remnant of the collapsed transient crater rim and the uplifted Moho surface. We anticipate that erosion of the Vredefort structure by an additional 1 km would remove evidence of impact, and regardless of initial size, erosion by >10 km would result in the removal of most of the evidence for any impact structure from the geological record. This study demonstrates that the identification of geologically old (i.e., Archean) impact structures is limited by a lack of geophysical signatures associated with deeply eroded craters.
Increased Summer European Heatwaves in Recent Decades: Contributions From Greenhouse Gases‐Induced Warming and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation‐Like Variations
Authors: Luo Binhe , Luo Dehai , Zhuo Wenqing , Xiao Cunde , Dai Aiguo , Simmonds Ian , Yao Yao , Diao Yina , Gong Tingting
Published: August 2023

Summer heatwaves over Europe, which can cause many deaths and severe damage, have become increasingly frequent over central and eastern Europe and western Russia in recent decades. In this paper, we estimate the contributions of the warming due to increased greenhouse gases (GHG) and nonlinear variations correlated with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) to the observed heatwave trend over Europe during 1980–2021, when the GHG‐induced warming over Europe exhibits a linear trend. It is found that GHG‐induced warming contributes to ∼57% of the European heatwave trend over 1980–2021, while the cold‐to‐warm phase shift of the AMO‐like variations accounts for ∼43% of the trend via the intensification of midlatitude North Atlantic jet. The recent trend of heatwaves over western and northern Europe is mainly due to GHG‐induced warming, while that over central and eastern Europe and western Russia is primarily related to the combined effect of the AMO‐like variations and GHG‐induced warming. To some extent, GHG‐induced warming is an amplifier of the increasing trend of recent AMO‐related European heatwaves. Moreover, European blocking (Ural blocking, UB) is shown to contribute to 55% (42%) of the AMO‐related heatwave trend via the influence of midlatitude North Atlantic jet. In the presence of a strong North Atlantic jet during the recent warm AMO phase, UB events concurrent with positive‐phase North Atlantic Oscillation can cause intense, persistent and widespread heatwaves over Europe such as that observed in the summer of 2022.
Spatial Scale Dependence of Tropical Cyclone Damage Function: Evidence From the Mainland of China
Authors: Tang Rumei , Wu Jidong , Ding Wei , Nie Juan
Published: August 2023

Tropical cyclone (TC) damage function (DF) is widely used to model TC‐event level damage and thus assess the TC risk for a country or region. The scalability of these DFs at more localized scales, such as the province scale, has not been systematically explored. We use a unique Chinese data set to examine the damage at the TC‐event scale and province scale. Our results show that the parameters and performance of TC DF are spatially dependent. For a sigmoidal DF, the parameter dependence is manifested by a flatter curve calibrated on the TC‐event scale compared to the province scale. In the case of a power‐law DF, the dependence of its parameters is evident in the statistically more significant coefficients of the explanatory variables that are aggregated to the TC‐event scale, compared to the province scale. Performance comparison results further reveal that the scale dependence of performance is related to the type of DF. Integrating hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, the power‐law DF complements the typical sigmoidal DF, producing more accurate estimates of direct economic loss and annual average damage at both the TC‐event and province scales. However, its performance, compared to that of the sigmoidal DF, is more influenced by the scale at which it is calibrated. Our findings elucidate scale‐related research questions in TC risk assessment, offer insights into the selection of DFs, and inspire the future prospect of using multiple DFs to reduce the functional uncertainty.
The Attachment Process of Negative Connecting Leader to the Lateral Surface of Downward Positive Leader in a Positive Cloud‐To‐Ground Lightning Flash
Authors: Qi Qi , Wu Bin , Lyu Weitao , Ma Ying , Chen Lyuwen , Lyu Fanchao , Gao Yan
Published: August 2023

Using high‐speed video cameras operating with framing rates of 20 and 50 kiloframes per second, we captured an attachment process during a positive cloud‐to‐ground flash, which demonstrates the connection of the negative connecting leader (NCL) to the lateral surface of the downward positive leader (DPL) for the first time. When the NCL was initiated, the tip of the DPL had passed the initiation position of the NCL for about 50 m. A common streamer zone (CSZ) was observed when the three‐dimensional distance between the NCL tip and the lateral surface of DPL was about 30 m. It is remarkable to note that a luminous segment (space stem/leader) with a length of about 7 m was captured within the CSZ during the attachment process. The connection between the NCL tip and the lateral surface of the DPL was caused by the development of the CSZ and its inner space leader.
Mechanistic insights into the dual role of CCAR2/DBC1 in cancer
Authors: Kim Hwa Jin , Moon Sue Jin , Kim Jeong Hoon
Published: August 2023

Cell cycle and apoptosis regulator 2 (CCAR2), also known as deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1), has been recently identified as a master regulator of transcriptional processes and plays diverse roles in physiology and pathophysiology, including as a regulator of apoptosis, DNA repair, metabolism, and tumorigenesis. CCAR2 functions as a coregulator of various transcription factors and a critical regulator of numerous epigenetic modifiers. Based on its ability to stimulate apoptosis by activating and stabilizing p53, CCAR2 was initially considered to be a tumor suppressor. However, an increasing number of studies have shown that CCAR2 also functions as a tumor-promoting coregulator by activating oncogenic transcription factors and regulating the enzymatic activity of epigenetic modifiers, indicating that CCAR2 may play a dual role in cancer progression by acting as a tumor suppressor and tumor promoter. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the dual tumor-suppressing and oncogenic roles of CCAR2 in cancer. We discuss CCAR2 domain structures, its interaction partners, and the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates the activities of transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers.
Phosphoinositides and intracellular calcium signaling: novel insights into phosphoinositides and calcium coupling as negative regulators of cellular signaling
Authors: Oh Byung-Chul
Published: August 2023

Intracellular calcium (Ca2+) and phosphoinositides (PIPs) are crucial for regulating cellular activities such as metabolism and cell survival. Cells maintain precise intracellular Ca2+ and PIP levels via the actions of a complex system of Ca2+ channels, transporters, Ca2+ ATPases, and signaling effectors, including specific lipid kinases, phosphatases, and phospholipases. Recent research has shed light on the complex interplay between Ca2+ and PIP signaling, suggesting that elevated intracellular Ca2+ levels negatively regulate PIP signaling by inhibiting the membrane localization of PIP-binding proteins carrying specific domains, such as the pleckstrin homology (PH) and Ca2+-independent C2 domains. This dysregulation is often associated with cancer and metabolic diseases. PIPs recruit various proteins with PH domains to the plasma membrane in response to growth hormones, which activate signaling pathways regulating metabolism, cell survival, and growth. However, abnormal PIP signaling in cancer cells triggers consistent membrane localization and activation of PIP-binding proteins. In the context of obesity, an excessive intracellular Ca2+ level prevents the membrane localization of the PIP-binding proteins AKT, IRS1, and PLCδ via Ca2+-PIPs, contributing to insulin resistance and other metabolic diseases. Furthermore, an excessive intracellular Ca2+ level can cause functional defects in subcellular organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), lysosomes, and mitochondria, causing metabolic diseases. This review explores how intracellular Ca2+ overload negatively regulates the membrane localization of PIP-binding proteins.
Electrical programmable multilevel nonvolatile photonic random-access memory
Authors: Meng Jiawei , Gui Yaliang , Nouri Behrouz Movahhed , Ma Xiaoxuan , Zhang Yifei , Popescu Cosmin-Constantin , Kang Myungkoo , Miscuglio Mario , Peserico Nicola , Richardson Kathleen , Hu Juejun , Dalir Hamed , Sorger Volker J.
Published: August 2023

Photonic Random-Access Memories (P-RAM) are an essential component for the on-chip non-von Neumann photonic computing by eliminating optoelectronic conversion losses in data links. Emerging Phase-Change Materials (PCMs) have been showed multilevel memory capability, but demonstrations still yield relatively high optical loss and require cumbersome WRITE-ERASE approaches increasing power consumption and system package challenges. Here we demonstrate a multistate electrically programmed low-loss nonvolatile photonic memory based on a broadband transparent phase-change material (Ge2Sb2Se5, GSSe) with ultralow absorption in the amorphous state. A zero-static-power and electrically programmed multi-bit P-RAM is demonstrated on a silicon-on-insulator platform, featuring efficient amplitude modulation up to 0.2 dB/μm and an ultralow insertion loss of total 0.12 dB for a 4-bit memory showing a 100× improved signal to loss ratio compared to other phase-change-materials based photonic memories. We further optimize the positioning of dual microheaters validating performance tradeoffs. Experimentally we demonstrate a half-a-million cyclability test showcasing the robust approach of this material and device. Low-loss photonic retention-of-state adds a key feature for photonic functional and programmable circuits impacting many applications including neural networks, LiDAR, and sensors for example.
Delayed step-by-step decompression with DSF alleviates skeletal muscle crush injury by inhibiting NLRP3/CASP-1/GSDMD pathway
Authors: Li Ning , Wang Xinyue , Wang Yuru , Wang Pengtao , Sun Na , Chen Jiale , Han Lu , Li Zizheng , Fan Haojun , Gong Yanhua
Published: August 2023

Crush injury (CI) is a common disease in earthquake and traffic accidents. It refers to long-term compression that induces ischemia and hypoxia injury of skeletal muscle rich parts, leading to rupture of muscle cells and release of contents into the blood circulation. Crush syndrome (CS) is the systemic manifestation of severe, traumatic muscle injury. CI rescue faces a dilemma. Ischemic reperfusion due to decompression is a double-edged sword for the injured. Death often occurs when the injured are glad to be rescued. Programmed cell death (PCD) predominates in muscle CI or ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, the function and mechanism of pyroptosis and apoptosis in the pathogenesis of skeletal muscle injury in CI remain elusive. Here, we identified that pyroptosis and apoptosis occur independently of each other and are regulated differently in the injured mice’s skeletal muscle of CI. While in vitro model, we found that glucose-deprived ischemic myoblast cells could occur pyroptosis. However, the cell damage degree was reduced if the oxygen was further deprived. Then, we confirmed that delayed step-by-step decompression of CI mice could significantly reduce skeletal muscle injury by substantially inhibiting NLRP3/Casp-1/GSDMD pyroptosis pathway but not altering the Casp-3/PARP apoptosis pathway. Moreover, pyroptotic inhibitor DSF therapy alone, or the combination of delayed step-by-step decompression and pyroptotic inhibitor therapy, significantly alleviated muscle injury of CI mice. The new physical stress relief and drug intervention method proposed in this study put forward new ideas and directions for rescuing patients with CI, even CS-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI).
VAPB-mediated ER-targeting stabilizes IRS-1 signalosomes to regulate insulin/IGF signaling
Authors: Gao Xiu Kui , Sheng Zu Kang , Lu Ye Hong , Sun Yu Ting , Rao Xi Sheng , Shi Lin Jing , Cong Xiao Xia , Chen Xiao , Wu Hao Bo , Huang Man , Zheng Qiang , Guo Jian-sheng , Jiang Liang Jun , Zheng Li Ling , Zhou Yi Ting
Published: August 2023

The scaffold protein IRS-1 is an essential node in insulin/IGF signaling. It has long been recognized that the stability of IRS-1 is dependent on its endomembrane targeting. However, how IRS-1 targets the intracellular membrane, and what type of intracellular membrane is actually targeted, remains poorly understood. Here, we found that the phase separation-mediated IRS-1 puncta attached to endoplasmic reticulum (ER). VAPB, an ER-anchored protein that mediates tethers between ER and membranes of other organelles, was identified as a direct interacting partner of IRS-1. VAPB mainly binds active IRS-1 because IGF-1 enhanced the VAPB-IRS-1 association and replacing of the nine tyrosine residues of YXXM motifs disrupted the VAPB-IRS-1 association. We further delineated that the Y745 and Y746 residues in the FFAT-like motif of IRS-1 mediated the association with VAPB. Notably, VAPB targeted IRS-1 to the ER and subsequently maintained its stability. Consistently, ablation of VAPB in mice led to downregulation of IRS-1, suppression of insulin signaling, and glucose intolerance. The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-derived VAPB P56S mutant also impaired IRS-1 stability by interfering with the ER-tethering of IRS-1. Our findings thus revealed a previously unappreciated condensate-membrane contact (CMC), by which VAPB stabilizes the membraneless IRS-1 signalosome through targeting it to ER membrane.
Hexanary blends: a strategy towards thermally stable organic photovoltaics
Authors: Paleti Sri Harish Kumar , Hultmark Sandra , Han Jianhua , Wen Yuanfan , Xu Han , Chen Si , Järsvall Emmy , Jalan Ishita , Villalva Diego Rosas , Sharma Anirudh , Khan Jafar. I. , Moons Ellen , Li Ruipeng , Yu Liyang , Gorenflot Julien , Laquai Frédéric , Müller Christian , Baran Derya
Published: August 2023

Non-fullerene based organic solar cells display a high initial power conversion efficiency but continue to suffer from poor thermal stability, especially in case of devices with thick active layers. Mixing of five structurally similar acceptors with similar electron affinities, and blending with a donor polymer is explored, yielding devices with a power conversion efficiency of up to 17.6%. The hexanary device performance is unaffected by thermal annealing of the bulk-heterojunction active layer for at least 23 days at 130 °C in the dark and an inert atmosphere. Moreover, hexanary blends offer a high degree of thermal stability for an active layer thickness of up to 390 nm, which is advantageous for high-throughput processing of organic solar cells. Here, a generic strategy based on multi-component acceptor mixtures is presented that permits to considerably improve the thermal stability of non-fullerene based devices and thus paves the way for large-area organic solar cells.
Robust phenotyping of highly multiplexed tissue imaging data using pixel-level clustering
Authors: Liu Candace C. , Greenwald Noah F. , Kong Alex , McCaffrey Erin F. , Leow Ke Xuan , Mrdjen Dunja , Cannon Bryan J. , Rumberger Josef Lorenz , Varra Sricharan Reddy , Angelo Michael
Published: August 2023

While technologies for multiplexed imaging have provided an unprecedented understanding of tissue composition in health and disease, interpreting this data remains a significant computational challenge. To understand the spatial organization of tissue and how it relates to disease processes, imaging studies typically focus on cell-level phenotypes. However, images can capture biologically important objects that are outside of cells, such as the extracellular matrix. Here, we describe a pipeline, Pixie, that achieves robust and quantitative annotation of pixel-level features using unsupervised clustering and show its application across a variety of biological contexts and multiplexed imaging platforms. Furthermore, current cell phenotyping strategies that rely on unsupervised clustering can be labor intensive and require large amounts of manual cluster adjustments. We demonstrate how pixel clusters that lie within cells can be used to improve cell annotations. We comprehensively evaluate pre-processing steps and parameter choices to optimize clustering performance and quantify the reproducibility of our method. Importantly, Pixie is open source and easily customizable through a user-friendly interface.
Patrilocality and hunter-gatherer-related ancestry of populations in East-Central Europe during the Middle Bronze Age
Authors: Chyleński Maciej , Makarowicz Przemysław , Juras Anna , Krzewińska Maja , Pospieszny Łukasz , Ehler Edvard , Breszka Agnieszka , Górski Jacek , Taras Halina , Szczepanek Anita , Polańska Marta , Włodarczak Piotr , Lasota-Kuś Anna , Wójcik Irena , Romaniszyn Jan , Szmyt Marzena , Kośko Aleksander , Ignaczak Marcin , Sadowski Sylwester , Matoga Andrzej , Grossman Anna , Ilchyshyn Vasyl , Yahodinska Maryna O. , Romańska Adriana , Tunia Krzysztof , Przybyła Marcin , Grygiel Ryszard , Szostek Krzysztof , Dabert Miroslawa , Götherström Anders , Jakobsson Mattias , Malmström Helena
Published: August 2023

The demographic history of East-Central Europe after the Neolithic period remains poorly explored, despite this region being on the confluence of various ecological zones and cultural entities. Here, the descendants of societies associated with steppe pastoralists form Early Bronze Age were followed by Middle Bronze Age populations displaying unique characteristics. Particularly, the predominance of collective burials, the scale of which, was previously seen only in the Neolithic. The extent to which this re-emergence of older traditions is a result of genetic shift or social changes in the MBA is a subject of debate. Here by analysing 91 newly generated genomes from Bronze Age individuals from present Poland and Ukraine, we discovered that Middle Bronze Age populations were formed by an additional admixture event involving a population with relatively high proportions of genetic component associated with European hunter-gatherers and that their social structure was based on, primarily patrilocal, multigenerational kin-groups.
Genetic inhibition of CARD9 accelerates the development of atherosclerosis in mice through CD36 dependent-defective autophagy
Authors: Zhang Yujiao , Vandestienne Marie , Lavillegrand Jean-Rémi , Joffre Jeremie , Santos-Zas Icia , Lavelle Aonghus , Zhong Xiaodan , Le Goff Wilfried , Guérin Maryse , Al-Rifai Rida , Laurans Ludivine , Bruneval Patrick , Guérin Coralie , Diedisheim Marc , Migaud Melanie , Puel Anne , Lanternier Fanny , Casanova Jean-Laurent , Cochain Clément , Zernecke Alma , Saliba Antoine-Emmanuel , Mokry Michal , Silvestre Jean-Sebastien , Tedgui Alain , Mallat Ziad , Taleb Soraya , Lenoir Olivia , Vindis Cécile , Camus Stéphane M. , Sokol Harry , Ait-Oufella Hafid
Published: August 2023

Caspase recruitment-domain containing protein 9 (CARD9) is a key signaling pathway in macrophages but its role in atherosclerosis is still poorly understood. Global deletion of Card9 in Apoe-/- mice as well as hematopoietic deletion in Ldlr-/- mice increases atherosclerosis. The acceleration of atherosclerosis is also observed in Apoe-/-Rag2-/-Card9-/- mice, ruling out a role for the adaptive immune system in the vascular phenotype of Card9 deficient mice. Card9 deficiency alters macrophage phenotype through CD36 overexpression with increased IL-1β production, increased lipid uptake, higher cell death susceptibility and defective autophagy. Rapamycin or metformin, two autophagy inducers, abolish intracellular lipid overload, restore macrophage survival and autophagy flux in vitro and finally abolish the pro-atherogenic effects of Card9 deficiency in vivo. Transcriptomic analysis of human CARD9-deficient monocytes confirms the pathogenic signature identified in murine models. In summary, CARD9 is a key protective pathway in atherosclerosis, modulating macrophage CD36-dependent inflammatory responses, lipid uptake and autophagy.
Machine-learning-assisted material discovery of oxygen-rich highly porous carbon active materials for aqueous supercapacitors
Authors: Wang Tao , Pan Runtong , Martins Murillo L. , Cui Jinlei , Huang Zhennan , Thapaliya Bishnu P. , Do-Thanh Chi-Linh , Zhou Musen , Fan Juntian , Yang Zhenzhen , Chi Miaofang , Kobayashi Takeshi , Wu Jianzhong , Mamontov Eugene , Dai Sheng
Published: August 2023

Porous carbons are the active materials of choice for supercapacitor applications because of their power capability, long-term cycle stability, and wide operating temperatures. However, the development of carbon active materials with improved physicochemical and electrochemical properties is generally carried out via time-consuming and cost-ineffective experimental processes. In this regard, machine-learning technology provides a data-driven approach to examine previously reported research works to find the critical features for developing ideal carbon materials for supercapacitors. Here, we report the design of a machine-learning-derived activation strategy that uses sodium amide and cross-linked polymer precursors to synthesize highly porous carbons (i.e., with specific surface areas > 4000 m2/g). Tuning the pore size and oxygen content of the carbonaceous materials, we report a highly porous carbon-base electrode with 0.7 mg/cm2 of electrode mass loading that exhibits a high specific capacitance of 610 F/g in 1 M H2SO4. This result approaches the specific capacitance of a porous carbon electrode predicted by the machine learning approach. We also investigate the charge storage mechanism and electrolyte transport properties via step potential electrochemical spectroscopy and quasielastic neutron scattering measurements.
Quadrupolar excitons and hybridized interlayer Mott insulator in a trilayer moiré superlattice
Authors: Lian Zhen , Chen Dongxue , Ma Lei , Meng Yuze , Su Ying , Yan Li , Huang Xiong , Wu Qiran , Chen Xinyue , Blei Mark , Taniguchi Takashi , Watanabe Kenji , Tongay Sefaattin , Zhang Chuanwei , Cui Yong-Tao , Shi Su-Fei
Published: August 2023

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) moiré superlattices, owing to the moiré flatbands and strong correlation, can host periodic electron crystals and fascinating correlated physics. The TMDC heterojunctions in the type-II alignment also enable long-lived interlayer excitons that are promising for correlated bosonic states, while the interaction is dictated by the asymmetry of the heterojunction. Here we demonstrate a new excitonic state, quadrupolar exciton, in a symmetric WSe2-WS2-WSe2trilayer moiré superlattice. The quadrupolar excitons exhibit a quadratic dependence on the electric field, distinctively different from the linear Stark shift of the dipolar excitons in heterobilayers. This quadrupolar exciton stems from the hybridization of WSe2valence moiré flatbands. The same mechanism also gives rise to an interlayer Mott insulator state, in which the two WSe2layers share one hole laterally confined in one moiré unit cell. In contrast, the hole occupation probability in each layer can be continuously tuned via an out-of-plane electric field, reaching 100% in the top or bottom WSe2under a large electric field, accompanying the transition from quadrupolar excitons to dipolar excitons. Our work demonstrates a trilayer moiré system as a new exciting playground for realizing novel correlated states and engineering quantum phase transitions.
Cullin-associated and neddylation-dissociated protein 1 (CAND1) alleviates NAFLD by reducing ubiquitinated degradation of ACAA2
Authors: Huang Xiang , Liu Xin , Li Xingda , Zhang Yang , Gao Jianjun , Yang Ying , Jiang Yuan , Gao Haiyu , Sun Chongsong , Xuan Lina , Zhao Lexin , Song Jiahui , Bao Hairong , Zhou Zhiwen , Li Shangxuan , Zhang Xiaofang , Lu Yanjie , Zhong Xiangyu , Yang Baofeng , Pan Zhenwei
Published: August 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disorder with high morbidity and mortality. The current study aims to explore the role of Cullin-associated and neddylation-dissociated protein 1 (CAND1) in the development of NAFLD and the underlying mechanisms. CAND1 is reduced in the liver of NAFLD male patients and high fat diet (HFD)-fed male mice. CAND1 alleviates palmitate (PA) induced lipid accumulation in vitro. Hepatocyte-specific knockout of CAND1 exacerbates HFD-induced liver injury in HFD-fed male mice, while hepatocyte-specific knockin of CAND1 ameliorates these pathological changes. Mechanistically, deficiency of CAND1 enhances the assembly of Cullin1, F-box only protein 42 (FBXO42) and acetyl-CoA acyltransferase 2 (ACAA2) complexes, and thus promotes the ubiquitinated degradation of ACAA2. ACAA2 overexpression abolishes the exacerbated effects of CAND1 deficiency on NAFLD. Additionally, androgen receptor binds to the −187 to −2000 promoter region of CAND1. Collectively, CAND1 mitigates NAFLD by inhibiting Cullin1/FBXO42 mediated ACAA2 degradation.
Sequential roles for red blood cell binding proteins enable phased commitment to invasion for malaria parasites
Authors: Hart Melissa N. , Mohring Franziska , DonVito Sophia M. , Thomas James A. , Muller-Sienerth Nicole , Wright Gavin J. , Knuepfer Ellen , Saibil Helen R. , Moon Robert W.
Published: August 2023

Invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) by Plasmodium merozoites is critical to their continued survival within the host. Two major protein families, the Duffy binding-like proteins (DBPs/EBAs) and the reticulocyte binding like proteins (RBLs/RHs) have been studied extensively in P. falciparum and are hypothesized to have overlapping, but critical roles just prior to host cell entry. The zoonotic malaria parasite, P. knowlesi, has larger invasive merozoites and contains a smaller, less redundant, DBP and RBL repertoire than P. falciparum. One DBP (DBPα) and one RBL, normocyte binding protein Xa (NBPXa) are essential for invasion of human RBCs. Taking advantage of the unique biological features of P. knowlesi and iterative CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, we determine the precise order of key invasion milestones and demonstrate distinct roles for each family. These distinct roles support a mechanism for phased commitment to invasion and can be targeted synergistically with invasion inhibitory antibodies.
Strain-enhanced electrical performance in stretchable semiconducting polymers
Authors: Zhou Qing , Wang Zhihui , Yan Yongkun , Yang Longfei , Chi Kai , Wu Yangjiang , Li Wenhao , Yi Zhiying , Liu Yunqi , Zhao Yan
Published: August 2023

Intrinsically stretchable semiconducting polymers are promising candidates for developing wearable electronics, but remain underdeveloped because the correlation between the microstructural evolution during stretching and the resultant charge transport is not clearly understood. In this study, we clarify the impact of molecular orientation on the dynamic performance of stretched semiconducting polymers, controlling molecular orientations via solvent-dependent spin-coating. We found that strain-enhanced electrical performance is feasible by quelling disorders within the face-on-packed aggregates. Strain facilitates 3D ordering in face-on-packed films, but increase the π-π orientation disorders and lamellar dislocation in the edge-on analogue, which contribute inversely to the charge transport. Consequently, the face-on samples maintain strain-resistant energetic disorder and a 1.5× increase in on-current, achieving a 10-times-higher retention than the edge-on analogue upon 100% strain. Furthermore, we developed a reliable way for measuring the photoelectrical stretchability of semiconducting polymer. This study contributes to developing high-performance stretchable semiconducting polymers.
Reduced mammillary body volume in individuals with a schizophrenia diagnosis: an analysis of the COBRE data set
Authors: Milczarek Michal M. , Gilani Syed Irtiza A. , Lequin Maarten H. , Vann Seralynne D.
Published: August 2023

While the frontal cortices and medial temporal lobe are well associated with schizophrenia, the involvement of wider limbic areas is less clear. The mammillary bodies are important for both complex memory formation and anxiety and are implicated in several neurological disorders that present with memory impairments. However, little is known about their role in schizophrenia. Post-mortem studies have reported a loss of neurons in the mammillary bodies but there are also reports of increased mammillary body volume. The findings from in vivo MRI studies have also been mixed, but studies have typically only involved small sample sizes. To address this, we acquired mammillary body volumes from the open-source COBRE dataset, where we were able to manually measure the mammillary bodies in 72 individuals with a schizophrenia diagnosis and 74 controls. Participant age ranged from 18 to 65. We found the mammillary bodies to be smaller in the patient group, across both hemispheres, after accounting for the effects of total brain volume and gender. Hippocampal volumes, but not subiculum or total grey matter volumes, were also significantly lower in patients. Given the importance of the mammillary bodies for both memory and anxiety, this atrophy could contribute to the symptomology in schizophrenia.
Influence of lifestyle factors with the outcome of menstrual disorders among adolescents and young women in West Bengal, India
Authors: Dhar Shrinjana , Mondal Kousik Kr. , Bhattacharjee Pritha
Published: August 2023

Menstruation is a natural phenomenon for every female, starting from adolescents to menopausal age. Any disturbances in menstrual patterns can eventually affect one’s physical as well as psychological health which in turn hamper the quality of life of women. Several factors including genetic predisposition as well as lifestyle modifications adversely affect normal menstrual patterns. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the prevalence of menstrual disorders among adolescents and young women as well as the associated risk factors. A cross-sectional random survey was conducted from January 2020 to January 2022 in various schools and colleges. A structured questionnaire was prepared which include anthropometric details, demographic information, and lifestyle patterns. The data were extracted for further statistical analysis. In the overall study population, the prevalence of PCOS, Dysmenorrhea, Menorrhagia, Polymenorrhea, Hypomenorrhea and the irregular menstrual cycle was found at 14.14%, 15.14%, 6.29%, 3.70%, 5.16% and 44.83% respectively. The mean BMI of the study population was 19.949 ± 4.801 kg/m2 and the mean WHr was 0.872 ± 0.101, indicating a moderate to high risk of metabolic disorder among the study population. Increased BMI, short sleep, and sedentary and vigorous physical activity can contribute to the risk of developing menstrual disorders. Unhealthy food habits are a major risk factor for menstrual disorders. Lifestyle modifications like healthy food habits, sleeping patterns, physical activity, etc. can effectively reduce the risk of menstrual disorders and also cut down the severity of more complex health problems. In-depth biochemical and molecular analysis is required to identify specific biomarkers.
Exome-wide association study of treatment-resistant depression suggests novel treatment targets
Authors: Shah Shrey B. , Peddada Teja N. , Song Christopher , Mensah Maame , Sung Heejong , Yavi Mani , Yuan Peixiong , Zarate Carlos A. , Mickey Brian J. , Burmeister Margit , Akula Nirmala , McMahon Francis J.
Published: August 2023

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a severe form of major depressive disorder (MDD) with substantial public health impact and poor treatment outcome. Treatment outcome in MDD is significantly heritable, but genome-wide association studies have failed to identify replicable common marker alleles, suggesting a potential role for uncommon variants. Here we investigated the hypothesis that uncommon, putatively functional genetic variants are associated with TRD. Whole-exome sequencing data was obtained from 182 TRD cases and 2021 psychiatrically healthy controls. After quality control, the remaining 149 TRD cases and 1976 controls were analyzed with tests designed to detect excess burdens of uncommon variants. At the gene level, 5 genes, ZNF248, PRKRA, PYHIN1, SLC7A8, and STK19 each carried exome-wide significant excess burdens of variants in TRD cases (q < 0.05). Analysis of 41 pre-selected gene sets suggested an excess of uncommon, functional variants among genes involved in lithium response. Among the genes identified in previous TRD studies, ZDHHC3 was also significant in this sample after multiple test correction. ZNF248 and STK19 are involved in transcriptional regulation, PHYIN1 and PRKRA are involved in immune response, SLC7A8 is associated with thyroid hormone transporter activity, and ZDHHC3 regulates synaptic clustering of GABA and glutamate receptors. These results implicate uncommon, functional alleles in TRD and suggest promising novel targets for future research.
Terrorist attacks sharpen the binary perception of “Us” vs. “Them”
Authors: Jović Milan , Šubelj Lovro , Golob Tea , Makarovič Matej , Yasseri Taha , Krstićev Danijela Boberić , Škrbić Srdjan , Levnajić Zoran
Published: August 2023

Terrorist attacks not only harm citizens but also shift their attention, which has long-lasting impacts on public opinion and government policies. Yet measuring the changes in public attention beyond media coverage has been methodologically challenging. Here we approach this problem by starting from Wikipedia’s répertoire of 5.8 million articles and a sample of 15 recent terrorist attacks. We deploy a complex exclusion procedure to identify topics and themes that consistently received a significant increase in attention due to these incidents. Examining their contents reveals a clear picture: terrorist attacks foster establishing a sharp boundary between “Us” (the target society) and “Them” (the terrorist as the enemy). In the midst of this, one seeks to construct identities of both sides. This triggers curiosity to learn more about “Them” and soul-search for a clearer understanding of “Us”. This systematic analysis of public reactions to disruptive events could help mitigate their societal consequences.
Machine learning prediction and classification of behavioral selection in a canine olfactory detection program
Authors: Eyre Alexander W. , Zapata Isain , Hare Elizabeth , Serpell James A. , Otto Cynthia M. , Alvarez Carlos E.
Published: August 2023

There is growing interest in canine behavioral research specifically for working dogs. Here we take advantage of a dataset of a Transportation Safety Administration olfactory detection cohort of 628 Labrador Retrievers to perform Machine Learning (ML) prediction and classification studies of behavioral traits and environmental effects. Data were available for four time points over a 12 month foster period after which dogs were accepted into a training program or eliminated. Three supervised ML algorithms had robust performance in correctly predicting which dogs would be accepted into the training program, but poor performance in distinguishing those that were eliminated (~ 25% of the cohort). The 12 month testing time point yielded the best ability to distinguish accepted and eliminated dogs (AUC = 0.68). Classification studies using Principal Components Analysis and Recursive Feature Elimination using Cross-Validation revealed the importance of olfaction and possession-related traits for an airport terminal search and retrieve test, and possession, confidence, and initiative traits for an environmental test. Our findings suggest which tests, environments, behavioral traits, and time course are most important for olfactory detection dog selection. We discuss how this approach can guide further research that encompasses cognitive and emotional, and social and environmental effects.
Statistical inferences under step stress partially accelerated life testing based on multiple censoring approaches using simulated and real-life engineering data
Authors: Rahman Ahmadur , Kamal Mustafa , Khan Shahnawaz , Khan Mohammad Faisal , Mustafa Manahil SidAhmed , Hussam Eslam , Atchadé Mintodê Nicodème , Al Mutairi Aned
Published: August 2023

Evaluating the lifespan distribution of highly reliable commodities under regular use is exceedingly difficult, time consuming, and extremely expensive. As a result of its ability to provide more failure data faster and at a lower experimental cost, accelerated life testing has become increasingly important in life testing studies. In this article, we concentrate on parametric inference for step stress partially life testing utilizing multiple censored data based on the Tampered Random Variable model. Under normal stress circumstances, the lifespan of the experimental units is assumed to follow the Nadarajah–Haghighi distribution, with and being the shape and scale parameters, respectively. Maximum likelihood estimates for model parameters and acceleration factor are developed using multiple censored data. We build asymptotic confidence intervals for the unknown parameters using the observed Fisher information matrix. To demonstrate the applicability of the different methodologies, an actual data set based on the timings of subsequent failures of consecutive air conditioning system failures for each member of a Boeing 720 jet aircraft fleet is investigated. Finally, thorough simulation studies utilizing various censoring strategies are performed to evaluate the estimate procedure performance. Several sample sizes were studied in order to investigate the finite sample features of the considered estimators. According to our numerical findings, the values of mean squared errors and average asymptotic confidence intervals lengths drop as sample size increases. Furthermore, when the censoring level is reduced, the considered estimates of the parameters approach their genuine values.
Long-range linkage effects in adapting sexual populations
Authors: Rouzine Igor M.
Published: August 2023

In sexual populations, closely-situated genes have linked evolutionary fates, while genes spaced far in genome are commonly thought to evolve independently due to recombination. In the case where evolution depends essentially on supply of new mutations, this assumption has been confirmed by mathematical modeling. Here I examine it in the case of pre-existing genetic variation, where mutation is not important. A haploid population with$$N$$Ngenomes,$$L$$Lloci, a fixed selection coefficient, and a small initial frequency of beneficial alleles$${f}_{0}$$f0is simulated by a Monte-Carlo algorithm. When the number of loci,L, is larger than a critical value of$${\text{4log}}^{2} \left( {Nf_{0} } \right),$$4log2Nf0,simulation demonstrates a host of linkage effects that decrease neither with the distance between loci nor the number of recombination crossovers. Due to clonal interference, the beneficial alleles become extinct at a fraction of loci$$1-2\mathrm{log}\left(N{f}_{0}\right)/{L}^{0.5}$$1-2logNf0/L0.5. Due to a genetic background effect, the substitution rate varies broadly between loci, with the fastest value exceeding the one-locus limit by the factor of$${[{L}^{0.5}/\mathrm{log}\left(Ns\right)]}^{0.75}.$$[L0.5/logNs]0.75.Thus, the far-situated parts of a long genome in a sexual population do not evolve as independent blocks. A potential link between these findings and the emergence of new Variants of Concern of SARS-CoV-2 is discussed.
Evaluation of in vitro biocompatibility of human pulp stem cells with allogeneic, alloplastic, and xenogeneic grafts under the influence of extracellular vesicles
Authors: Heitzer Marius , Zhao Qun , Greven Johannes , Winnand Philipp , Zhang Xing , Bläsius Felix Marius , Buhl Eva Miriam , Wolf Michael , Neuss Sabine , Hildebrand Frank , Hölzle Frank , Modabber Ali
Published: August 2023

Therapies using dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) or stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown promising applications for bone tissue engineering. This in vitro experiment evaluated the joint osteogenic capability of DPSCs and EVs on alloplastic (maxresorp), allogeneic (maxgraft), and xenogeneic (cerabone) bone grafts. We hypothesize that osteogenic differentiation and the proliferation of human DPSCs vary between bone grafts and are favorable under the influence of EVs. DPSCs were obtained from human wisdom teeth, and EVs derived from DPSCs were isolated from cell culture medium. DPSCs were seeded on alloplastic, allogeneic, and xenogeneic bone graft substitutes for control, and the same scaffolds were administered with EVs in further groups. The cellular uptake of EVs into DPSC cells was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Cell vitality staining and calcein acetoxymethyl ester staining were used to evaluate cell attachment and proliferation. Cell morphology was determined using scanning electron microscopy, and osteogenic differentiation was explored by alkaline phosphatase and Alizarin red staining. Within the limitations of an in vitro study without pathologies, the results suggest that especially the use of xenogeneic bone graft substitutes with DPSCS and EVs may represent a promising treatment approach for alveolar bone defects.