bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Acidic Oxygen Containing Groups Located on the Surface of Graphene Oxide (GO) on the Carbonation of Tricalcium Silicate (C3S) Based on Boehm's‐Theorem
Authors: Yaseen Sarah Abduljabbar , Yiseen Ghadah Abdaljabar , Li Zongjin
Published: January 2023

In various cementitious materials, the carbonation of tricalcium silicate (C3S) by the acidic oxygen‐containing groups located on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) can support cutting down the CO2 emissions, in addition to the formation of different crystalline CaCO3. The current work investigates the direct chemical reaction of dry‐C3S with 0.4 % GO solution and the mechanism of CH and CSH carbonation depending on the concept of Boehme's‐theorem. FTIR‐spectroscopy has been utilized to demonstrate and identify the effective transitions in the formulation of portlandite (Ca(OH)2), calcium‐silicate‐hydrate (CaO ⋅ SiO2 ⋅ H2O), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) polymorphs during the reaction. This paper clarifies the relationship between XRD peak intensity and morphologies of CaCO3 crystals resulting from using various weights of dry‐C3S. Thus, the XRD peak intensity of CaCO3 varies according to their morphologies. XRD‐Rietveld Refinement has examined the quantity percentages of the crystalline phases. The differences in the dissociation temperature (TGA) illustrate the possible variation in the structure and properties of CaCO3 crystals formed during the carbonation of CH and CSH. SEM with different magnifications was selected to observe the prevalent morphology of vaterite, aragonite, and calcite crystalline phases during the transformation process.
Polyanion‐Type Na3V2(PO4)2F3@rGO with High‐Voltage and Ultralong‐Life for Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries
Authors: Guan Jieduo , Huang Qiaofeng , Shao Lianyi , Shi Xiaoyan , Zhao DongDong , Wang Liubin , Sun Zhipeng
Published: January 2023

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted much interest in the next generation of energy storage devices because of their elevated safety and inexpensive price. Polyanionic materials have been considered as underlying cathodes owing to the high voltage, large ionic channels and fast ionic kinetics. However, the low electronic conductivity limits their cycling stability and rate performance. Herein, mesoporous Na3V2(PO4)2F3 (N3VPF) nanocuboids with the size of 80–220 nm cladded by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been successfully prepared to form 3D composite (N3VPF@rGO) by a novel and fast microwave hydrothermal with subsequent calcination strategy. The enhanced conductivity, strengthened pseudocapacitive behaviors, enlarged DZn2+, and stable structure guarantee N3VPF@rGO with splendid Zn2+ storage performance, such as high capacity of 126.9 mAh g‐1 at 0.5 C (1 C = 128 mA g‐1), high redox potentials at 1.48/1.57 V, high rate capacity of 93.9 mAh g‐1 at 20 C (short charging time of 3 mins) and extreme cycling stability with capacity decay of 0.0074% per cycle after 5000 cycles at 15 C. The soft package batteries also present preeminent performance, demonstrating the practical application values. In situ X‐ray diffraction, ex situ transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal a reversible Zn2+ insertion/extraction mechanism.
The Suez Canal: Forthcoming Strategic and Geopolitical Challenges
Authors: Chorev Shaul
Published: January 2023

The Suez Canal is a strategic narrow route (chokepoint), and a geostrategic link between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, en route to the Indian Ocean more broadly. The chapter examines the general strategic and geopolitical characteristics of the Suez Canal; the challenges, opportunities, and threats that Egypt, the country that owns, controls, and operates the canal, is likely to face over the coming decades; and how it might also influence the entire Eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the global supply chains. The stability of the Egyptian regime is the most important factor for any economic benefit provided by the Suez Canal, as well as for any efforts to secure it and make it more accessible to two-way traffic. Egypt’s efforts to secure shipping should not be limited to the Suez Canal alone. The Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea are afflicted with many security threats, most notably piracy, which decrease the attractiveness of shipping through the Canal. In economic terms, Egypt should continue to develop the economic zone around the Canal, by investment and creation of jobs. Given its strategic and economic importance, Egypt should strive to turn this region from a periphery to a center.
China and the Suez Canal—Politics, Economy, and Logistics
Authors: Gonen Ehud
Published: January 2023

The relations between China and Egypt are good and open, based on common economic and political interests as well as a deep mutual cultural appreciation since both China and Egypt are part of the four great river civilizations of the ancient world (The four civilizations are China and the Yang Cha River, Egypt and the Nile River, the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent and the Ganges River, and Mesopotamia and the Euphrates and Tigres rivers.). Egypt, even during Mao Zedong’s rule in China (1949–1976), enjoyed Chinese support as part of China’s support for the bloc of non-identifying countries, including East African countries such as Sudan, and benefited from the development of China–Africa relations.
Freedom of Navigation in the Suez Canal and the Channels: Law of the Sea
Authors: Spanier Benny
Published: January 2023

The chapter examines the status of international canals and straits connecting Two Parts of the High Seas under the Law of the Sea. Strait is a natural phenomenon, while a canal is artificial. At the same time, having a similar role and designation—a passage between seas—one could assume that their legal status, as far as freedom of navigation is concerned, would be the same. Straits have been extensively and comprehensively dealt with over the years by littoral nations, and today there is a complete and innovative chapter on this subject in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. However, the Convention is silent on canals. In the first part of the chapter, the terms “strait” and “canal” will be defined with an emphasis on the Suez Canal with regard to the right to freedom of navigation. The second part will describe the development of the right to freedom of navigation in the Suez Canal and the straits. One can see that while with straits there has been, over the years, a process of development with regard to navigation rights in the Law of the Sea, this is not the case with regard to canals subject to specific conventions, and specifically, the Suez Canal. The third part of the chapter will be devoted to a discussion leading to some conclusions on the differences between the two passages, which will assess whether these differences have future significance in the particular context of the Suez Canal.
International Law and Freedom of Navigation Through the Suez Canal
Authors: Sabel Robbie
Published: January 2023

The Chapter commences with a study of the text and the application of the 1888 Constantinople Convention by which the Ottoman Empire agreed to apply a special regime to the Suez Canal. The Chapter continues with an analysis of the Egyptian Government's nationalization of the Canal and its statements as to the continued application of the Constantinople Convention. The next issue examined is Egypt's denial of the use of the Canal to Israeli ships and to cargoes bound for Israel. The Chapter gives the Egyptian legal justifications for this embargo based on the rights of belligerency, the language of the 1888 Convention and the 1949 Egypt-Israel Armistice Agreement. The Chapter describes the counter-legal arguments based on the cessation of belligerency, principles of the Law of the Sea, and relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. The Chapter concludes with a description of how the issue with Israel was solved in the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
A physical analysis of summertime North American heatwaves
Authors: Yu Bin , Lin Hai , Mo Ruping , Li Guilong
Published: January 2023

This study examines the dominant heatwave variability over North America (NA), extracted from an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis of summertime monthly warm extreme index anomalies over 1959–2021. The principal mode features a dipole structure with a large area of anomaly over northwestern NA and an anomaly of opposite sign over the southern U.S. The corresponding principal component is associated with a large-scale atmospheric wave train extending from the North Pacific to North America (NP-NA) and a northeastward injection of moisture from the subtropical western Pacific towards western NA, which are key factors in supporting the NA heatwave variability. The NP-NA wave train can be systematically reinforced and supported by synoptic-scale eddies, and may also be forced by an anomalous convection over the tropical-subtropical western Pacific. Surface radiation heating directly contributes to surface temperature anomalies and is dominated by anomalous downwelling shortwave and longwave radiations. In association with a positive phase of the heatwave variability, the NP-NA wave train brings an anticyclonic anomaly over northern NA, leading to anomalous descent, reduced total cloud cover and below-normal precipitation and surface relative humidity over northern NA. Over northwestern NA, the anomalous subsidence causes air to warm through compression. Reduced cloud cover results in increased downward shortwave radiation that is a key contributor to surface radiation heating. In addition, increase in vertically integrated water vapour through the moisture injection from the North Pacific collocates with tropospheric warming. The atmosphere has more water vapor holding capability and acts as a greenhouse gas to absorb longwave radiation, leading to increased downward longwave radiation that is the second major contributor to surface radiation heating. Processes with circulation and surface radiation anomalies of opposite signs will likewise lead to the negative heatwave variability.
Longer duration of initial invasive mechanical ventilation is still a crucial risk factor for moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in very preterm infants: a multicentrer prospective study
Authors: Dou Cong , Yu Yong-Hui , Zhuo Qing-Cui , Qi Jian-Hong , Huang Lei , Ding Yan-Jie , Yang De-Juan , Li Li , Li Dan , Wang Xiao-Kang , Wang Yan , Qiao Xin , Zhang Xiang , Zhang Bing-Jin , Jiang Hai-Yan , Li Zhong-Liang , Reddy Simmy
Published: January 2023

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and focus on discussing its relationship with the duration of initial invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) in very preterm neonates less than 32 weeks of gestational age (GA).

Methods

We performed a prospective cohort study involving infants born at 23–31 weeks of GA who were admitted to 47 different neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitals in China from January 2018 to December 2021. Patient data were obtained from the Sina-northern Neonatal Network (SNN) Database.

Results

We identified 6538 very preterm infants, of whom 49.5% (3236/6538) received initial IMV support, and 12.6% (823/6538) were diagnosed with moderate-to-severe BPD symptoms. The median duration of initial IMV in the moderate-to-severe BPD group was 26 (17–41) days, while in the no or mild BPD group, it was 6 (3–10) days. The incidence rate of moderate-to-severe BPD and the median duration of initial IMV were quite different across different GAs. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the onset of moderate-to-severe BPD was significantly associated with the duration of initial IMV [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.97; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–2.67], late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Conclusion

In this multicenter cohort study, the duration of initial IMV was still relatively long in very premature infants, and the longer duration of initial IMV accounts for the increased risk of moderate-to-severe BPD.
Mollusc shell detritus affects benthic subtidal community dynamics in the Northern Wadden Sea
Authors: Armonies Werner , Buschbaum Christian , Mielck Finn , Rick Johannes
Published: January 2023

A shallow subtidal area in the northern Wadden Sea was monitored over 17 years (from 2003 to 2019) for sediment parameters and macrobenthic fauna. Due to the sheltered position of the study area, sediment composition remained rather stable with only minor annual and seasonal variations in sediment granulometry. An intermittend storm (‘Kyrill’) had no significant effect on sediment composition parameters; the construction of an artificial dune along the southern border of the study area had minor transient but no lasting effects on sediment composition. Faunal species richness and total abundance showed the typical seasonality with minimum abundance in late winter and a peak after recruitment in summer. Variations between years in autumn (post-recruitment) abundances were best explained by the number of days with a seawater temperature <1°C during the preceding winter. Temperature during other seasons, salinity, chlorophyll concentration and NAO showed no significant correlations with total abundance, nor did storm (‘Kyrill’) or construction of the artificial dune. Within-site faunal variability was best explained by water depth and velocity of the tidal currents while sediment granulometry was of minor importance. However, the amount of bivalve shell detritus mixed with the sandy sediment proved to be the strongest covariant of species numbers, total abundance, and species-specific abundances. At the sediment surface, shells provide the only anchorage for epibenthic species which in turn attract associated fauna. Shells inside the sediment hamper movement of infaunal predators and epibenthic predators are handicapped in rooting about for prey. Thus, shell material is a highly significant structural factor for the macrozoobenthos in these shallow waters. In a future with increasing ocean acidification, the availability of benthos as a food source for higher trophic levels will depend on the balance between pH-driven shell destruction and the compensatory power of shell-building species.
Biodegradable, UV absorber and thermal stable bioplastic films from waxy corn starch/polyvinyl alcohol blends
Authors: Yahia Ramadan , Owda Medhat E. , Abou-Zeid Ragab E. , Abdelhai F. , El-Gamil Hesham Y. , Abdo Abdullah M. , Ali Ali A.
Published: January 2023

Chemically modified waxy corn starch is a promising material for biodegradable bioplastic synthesis. This work is to study the film performance and microbial enzymatic biodegradation of the film made from chemically modified waxy corn starch according to the effect of pre-gelatinization and cardanol oil with various ratios as a mixed plasticizer with sorbitol. The preparation of biodegradable bioplastic films from waxy maize acetylated di-starch adipate (WADA) and waxy maize pregelatinized acetylated di-starch adipate (PWADA) blended with polyvinyl alcohol polymer using sorbitol and cardanol oil mixture as plasticizers were performed. Characterization of biodegradability by enzymes mixture of (alpha-amylase and glucoamylase) and soil burial test. The weight loss reached 96% and the degradation percentage reached 95.5% of PWADA and these results were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than WADA; as proved by high-performance liquid chromatography, increasing osmolality is evidence of the degradation as measured by the osmometer and the physical appearance of the film indicated complete degradation after 21 days. The film morphology, chemical structure, crystallinity, transparency, and thermal stability were studied using a scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transformed infrared, X-ray diffraction, UV–Vis spectrophotometer, and thermal gravimetric analysis. As a result, under the electron microscope, PWADA films had a more homogenous surface. The films’ infra-red spectra showed similar patterns, indicating identical chemical structures. Waxy maize starch has an A-type crystalline structure and after the thermoplasticization, the X-ray diffractogram showed new peaks appeared at 2θ of 13.2°, 19.5°, and 20.8°, which attributed to a V-type crystal pattern. The addition of cardanol oil restricts the transmission of light in the UV region by 250 nm by 69 and 63.4%, respectively, indicating UV absorber films. Furthermore, adding oil to (PWADA) and (WADA) films increased onset deterioration from 272 to 318 °C and from 317 to 320 °C, indicating that their thermal stability is improved. The water uptake rate and water vapor permeability increase after the pre-gelatinization of WADA films without cardanol but slightly decrease after the addition of cardanol oil. Also, pre-gelatinization decreases the elongation by 33.3% while increasing the strength by 10.5% of the films. Hence, waxy-modified maize starch film has the potential to be a biodegradable, thermal stable, and UV absorber film in packaging material.
Regional difference in multi-psychotropic drug prescription in Japan and its associated factors: an ecological study using national health insurance claims data
Authors: Okui Tasuku , Nakashima Naoki
Published: January 2023

Background

In Japan, regulations preventing the prescriptions of various types of psychotropic drugs have become stricter in recent years. However, the areas where multi-psychotropic drug prescriptions are common and the geographic factors that contribute to the regional difference, have not been studied. In this study, we used data from all claims in Japan to examine regional differences in the prescription for multi-psychotropic drugs using an ecological study.

Methods

The National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan Open data in 2019 were used. The outcome was the number of prescriptions for four or more different types of anxiolytics and hypnotics as well as for three or more of the same kind of psychotropic drugs (any one of anxiolytics, hypnotics, antipsychotics, antidepressants) for outpatients in each area. Among the 335 secondary medical areas in Japan, the data on 331 areas were used in the analysis. The standardized claim ratio (SCR), an indicator of the number of this multi-psychotropic drug prescription, correcting for regional differences in distribution of population by age and sex, was calculated for each of the secondary medical areas. The spatial cluster detection technique was used to locate a cluster of high-SCR areas. Furthermore, factors associated with regional differences in the SCRs were examined by a spatial statistics model.

Results

North Japanese regions tend to have high SCRs, and 13 areas in Hokkaido were identified as the most likely cluster (cluster with the highest likelihood ratio) for multi-psychotropic drug prescription. Furthermore, a spatial regression analysis revealed that the proportion of people with lower educational levels, the total number of prescriptions per capita, and the number of physicians working in psychiatric departments per capita were statistically positively associated with the SCR for the prescription of multiple psychotropic drugs.

Conclusions

It was suggested that socioeconomic and medical characteristics of areas are related to the regional variation in the multi-psychotropic drug prescriptions, however, further research using individual-level data is required to confirm these results.
Reasons for Reinforcing the Regulation of Chemicals in Europe
Authors: Millstone Erik , Clausing Peter
Published: January 2023

The European Commission’s 2020 draft Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability set the ambitious goal of achieving a “Toxic-Free Environment”. Those ambitions were harshly criticised by a team based in Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (or BfR); they claimed that toxicological risks from chemicals had already been minimised and were optimally regulated. This paper outlines evidence to support the Commission’s implication that the European Union’s chemicals regulatory regime is suboptimal. It also criticises the BfR team’s contentions by reference to empirical findings (eg concerning tumours, congenital anomalies and the toxicity of mixtures) and by disentangling their conceptual confusions.
Imperial Schemes: Empire and the Rise of the British Business-State, 1914–1939
Authors: Kumekawa Ian
Published: January 2023

During and after World War I, British businessmen made major inroads in political, administrative, and policymaking circles. In so doing, they forged a nexus of power, the business-state, that aligned the interests of big business with the state’s imperial aspirations. Well before the widespread acceptance of the concept of the national economy, there was a common understanding in London that what was good for British business, especially industry, was good for the economic health of the country and empire. The result was that after World War I, the state aggressively helped British commercial interests.
Double coset Markov chains
Authors: Diaconis Persi , Ram Arun , Simper Mackenzie
Published: January 2023

LetGbe a finite group. Let$H, K$be subgroups ofGand$H \backslash G / K$the double coset space. IfQis a probability onGwhich is constant on conjugacy classes ($Q(s^{-1} t s) = Q(t)$), then the random walk driven byQonGprojects to a Markov chain on$H \backslash G /K$. This allows analysis of the lumped chain using the representation theory ofG. Examples include coagulation-fragmentation processes and natural Markov chains on contingency tables. Our main example projects the random transvections walk on$GL_n(q)$onto a Markov chain on$S_n$via the Bruhat decomposition. The chain on$S_n$has a Mallows stationary distribution and interesting mixing time behavior. The projection illuminates the combinatorics of Gaussian elimination. Along the way, we give a representation of the sum of transvections in the Hecke algebra of double cosets, which describes the Markov chain as a mixture of Metropolis chains. Some extensions and examples of double coset Markov chains withGa compact group are discussed.
Recurrent multi-cameral cardiac myxomas in a child with Carney complex
Authors: Burgos Oscar Ballivián , Albrecht Ericka Perez , Robles Jesus Pozo , Mondaca Raquel Barron , Soto Rodrigo , Karl Tom R.
Published: January 2023

Cardiac myxoma is a relatively rare tumour, usually solitary, that occurs primarily in the left atrium of adults, but comprises only 30% of cardiac tumours in children. We recently treated a 12-year-old girl with multiple recurrent myxomas in three cardiac chambers(following surgical resection 3 years earlier). Genomic analysis showed the PKAR1A mutation typical for Carney complex
Introduction—Recalling the Recall: Reflections on California's Recent Political Adventure
Authors: Bowler Shaun , Cain Bruce
Published: January 2023

“Maybe we ought to recall him?” Ted Costa to Mark Abernathy, telephone conversation, November 17th, 2002 (comment of Mark Abernathy, IGS Berkeley Oct 18th).
English architecture in 1963: a newly rediscovered view from Germany
Authors: Ossa-Richardson Anthony
Published: January 2023

This article provides an English translation of an unpublished German typescript found in the archive of the architect Julius Posener in the Akademie der Kunst, Berlin. Posener, a professor of architectural history at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste (HBK), travelled with a colleague and fifteen students to England for a fortnight in March 1963. They met several prominent architects, saw a wide selection of their current and recently completed works, and attended events at the Architectural Association school. The typescript is an account of the trip that he wrote up from notes in his diary on 29 March, two days after their return. Posener, who had previously spent almost a decade teaching architecture in London, proves to have been a sympathetic observer of the scene, eager to compare and contrast what he saw in England with contemporary work in Germany; his account evokes subtle disagreements between himself and his colleague on conceptual and historical points, and gives us an insight into the day-to-day workings of Denys Lasdun’s office, the Architectural Association, the London County Council, and the Building Research Station in Garston.
Sedimentary Accumulation of Black Carbon on the East Coast of The United States
Authors: Wulandari Ita , Katz Samuel , Kelly Roger Patrick , Robinson Rebecca S. , Lohmann Rainer
Published: January 2023

The occurrence, trends and sources of soot black carbon (BC) in coastal sediments are poorly understood, particularly during the Anthropocene. Two sediment cores, covering the last ∼100 years from the US East Coast, off North Carolina and in the Florida Straits, were analyzed for organic carbon (OC), BC fluxes and BC sources. BC fluxes were 0.1 g cm−2 year−1 at both sites and accounted for 8%–22% of total OC. Carbon stable isotope values indicated OC to be of marine origin, while the BC was mostly terrestrially derived, C3‐plant material. Radiocarbon values revealed BC originating mostly from fossil fuels or pre‐aged carbon (fraction modern of 14%–31%) at North Carolina, while in the Florida Strait the BC was mostly derived from biomass burning (fraction modern of 70%–74%), in‐line with continental (NC) or marine (FS) air mass origins. Ratios of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons broadly supported different BC sources at the two sites.
Deep Learning Parameterization of the Tropical Cyclone Boundary Layer
Authors: Wang Le‐Yi , Tan Zhe‐Min
Published: January 2023

The research on tropical cyclone (TC) relieson numerical models and simulations, with the currently widely used boundary layer parameterization posing a significant challenge on accurately predicting turbulent mixing. However, machine learning has opened up new possibilities for boundary layer sub‐grid process parameterization. In this study, a deep‐learning parameterization scheme for the TC boundary layer (DeepBL) on predicting turbulent flux is proposed. DeepBL comprises a one‐dimensional convolutional structure that relies on a small number of learnable parameters that accomplishes an error reduction compared to the standard fully connected neural networks. Furthermore, a nonlinear transformation scheme is introduced to alleviate the training data's skewness and improve the DeepBL performance by affording a smaller prediction error. Specifically, the output data of a large‐eddy simulation of an idealized TC are used to train, validate, and test DeepBL, affording significantly better performance than the YSU scheme in the Weather Research and Forecast model. Interpretability analysis on DeepBL demonstrates that the deep‐learning parameterization scheme is physically reasonable.
Experimental demonstration of separating the wave‒particle duality of a single photon with the quantum Cheshire cat
Authors: Li Jia-Kun , Sun Kai , Wang Yan , Hao Ze-Yan , Liu Zheng-Hao , Zhou Jie , Fan Xing-Yan , Chen Jing-Ling , Xu Jin-Shi , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: January 2023

As a fundamental characteristic of physical entities, wave‒particle duality describes whether a microscopic entity exhibits wave or particle attributes depending on the specific experimental setup. This assumption is premised on the notion that physical properties are inseparable from the objective carrier. However, after the concept of the quantum Cheshire cats was proposed, which makes the separation of physical attributes from the entity possible, the premise no longer holds. Furthermore, an experimental demonstration of the separation of the wave and particle attributes inspired by this scenario remains scarce. In this work, we experimentally separated the wave and particle attributes of a single photon by exploiting the quantum Cheshire cat concept for the first time. By applying a weak disturbance to the evolution of the system, we achieve an effect similar to the quantum Cheshire cat and demonstrated the separation of the wave and particle attributes via the extraction of weak values. Our work provides a new perspective for the in-depth understanding of wave‒particle duality and promotes the application of weak measurements in fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
The intestinal permeability marker FITC-dextran 4kDa should be dosed according to lean body mass in obese mice
Authors: Voetmann Louise M. , Rolin Bidda , Kirk Rikke K. , Pyke Charles , Hansen Axel K.
Published: January 2023

Aims

To investigate the influence of the dose in the FITC-Dextran 4kDa (FD-4) permeability test in an obese mouse model, we tested the bodyweight dose regimen and a lean body mass-based dose regimen in high fat diet (HFD) mice and low fat diet (LFD) mice. We hypothesized that the FD-4 permeation result would be dose-dependent.

Methods

The two dose regimens were compared in HFD and LFD mice. Furthermore, we conducted a dose-response study to test the effect of a low or high dose of FD-4 in weight-stratified lean mice. Gene analysis of tight junctions was also carried out.

Results

The FD-4 intestinal permeability test was dose-dependent as we found a significant increase in plasma levels of FD-4 in obese mice with the bodyweight dose regimen. However, this difference was not detectable with the lean body mass dose regimen, even with variability-adjusted group sizes. However, the qPCR analysis revealed a decrease in tight junction gene expression in obese mice. Furthermore, we found a dose-dependent significant increase in FD-4 measured in plasma samples in lean mice. No significant difference in intestinal weight was observed between lean and obese mice.

Conclusion

Evaluation of the intestinal permeability by FD-4 with the typical bodyweight dose regimen in obese mice will be confounded by the significant difference in dose given when compared to a lean control group. If the test dose is based on lean body mass, no significant difference in intestinal permeability is observed, even with large group sizes. Furthermore, we showed a dose-dependent difference in plasma FD-4 levels in lean mice. Therefore, we conclude that the dose should be based on lean body mass for the FD-4 permeability test if mice with considerable obesity differences are to be compared or to use another test with fixed doses.
Quadrupolar 23Na+ NMR relaxation as a probe of subpicosecond collective dynamics in aqueous electrolyte solutions
Authors: Chubak Iurii , Alon Leeor , Silletta Emilia V. , Madelin Guillaume , Jerschow Alexej , Rotenberg Benjamin
Published: January 2023

Nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry represents a powerful tool for extracting dynamic information. Yet, obtaining links to molecular motion is challenging for many ions that relax through the quadrupolar mechanism, which is mediated by electric field gradient fluctuations and lacks a detailed microscopic description. For sodium ions in aqueous electrolytes, we combine ab initio calculations to account for electron cloud effects with classical molecular dynamics to sample long-time fluctuations, and obtain relaxation rates in good agreement with experiments over broad concentration and temperature ranges. We demonstrate that quadrupolar nuclear relaxation is sensitive to subpicosecond dynamics not captured by previous models based on water reorientation or cluster rotation. While ions affect the overall water retardation, experimental trends are mainly explained by dynamics in the first two solvation shells of sodium, which contain mostly water. This work thus paves the way to the quantitative understanding of quadrupolar relaxation in electrolyte and bioelectrolyte systems.
Enhanced chiroptic properties of nanocomposites of achiral plasmonic nanoparticles decorated with chiral dye-loaded micelles
Authors: Zhao Tonghan , Meng Dejing , Hu Zhijian , Sun Wenjing , Ji Yinglu , Han Jianlei , Jin Xue , Wu Xiaochun , Duan Pengfei
Published: January 2023

The development of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-active materials with both large luminescence dissymmetry factor (glum) and high emission efficiency continues to be a major challenge. Here, we present an approach to improve the overall CPL performance by integrating triplet-triplet annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC) with localized surface plasmon resonance. Dye-loaded chiral micelles possessing TTA-UC ability are designed and attached on the surface of achiral gold nanorods (AuNRs). The longitudinal and transversal resonance peaks of AuNRs overlap with the absorption and emission of dye-loaded chiral micelles, respectively. Typically, 43-fold amplification of glum value accompanied by 3-fold enhancement of upconversion are obtained simultaneously when Au@Ag nanorods are employed in the composites. More importantly, transient absorption spectra reveal a fast accumulation of spin-polarized triplet excitons in the composites. Therefore, the enhancement of chirality-induced spin polarization should be in charge of the amplification of glum value. Our design strategy suggests that combining plasmonic nanomaterials with chiral organic materials could aid in the development of chiroptical nanomaterials.
Gut colonisation with multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae worsens Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection
Authors: Le Guern Rémi , Grandjean Teddy , Stabler Sarah , Bauduin Marvin , Gosset Philippe , Kipnis Éric , Dessein Rodrigue
Published: January 2023

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are spreading rapidly in hospital settings. Asymptomatic CPE gut colonisation may be associated with dysbiosis and gut-lung axis alterations, which could impact lung infection outcomes. In this study, in male C57BL/6JRj mice colonised by CPE, we characterise the resulting gut dysbiosis, and analyse the lung immune responses and outcomes of subsequent Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection. Asymptomatic gut colonisation by CPE leads to a specific gut dysbiosis and increases the severity of P. aeruginosa lung infection through lower numbers of alveolar macrophages and conventional dendritic cells. CPE-associated dysbiosis is characterised by a near disappearance of the Muribaculaceae family and lower levels of short-chain fatty acids. Faecal microbiota transplantation restores immune responses and outcomes of lung infection outcomes, demonstrating the involvement of CPE colonisation-induced gut dysbiosis in altering the immune gut-lung axis, possibly mediated by microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids.
Scalable and robust quantum computing on qubit arrays with fixed coupling
Authors: Le N. H. , Cykiert M. , Ginossar E.
Published: January 2023

We propose a scheme for scalable and robust quantum computing on two-dimensional arrays of qubits with fixed longitudinal coupling. This opens the possibility for bypassing the device complexity associated with tunable couplers required in conventional quantum computing hardware. Our approach is based on driving a subarray of qubits such that the total multi-qubit Hamiltonian can be decomposed into a sum of commuting few-qubit blocks, and efficient optimisation of the unitary evolution within each block. The driving pulses are optimised to implement a target gate on the driven qubits, and at the same time identity gates on the neighbouring undriven qubits, cancelling any unwanted evolution due to the constant qubit-qubit interaction. We show that it is possible to realise a universal set of quantum gates with high fidelity on the basis blocks, and by shifting the driving pattern one can realise an arbitrary quantum circuit on the array. Allowing for imperfect Hamiltonian characterisation, we use robust optimal control to obtain fidelities around 99.99% despite 1% uncertainty in the qubit-qubit and drive-qubit couplings, and a detuning uncertainty at 0.1% of the qubit-qubit coupling strength. This robust feature is crucial for scaling up as parameter uncertainty is significant in large devices.
Trend of anticoagulant therapy in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation considering risks of cerebral infarction and bleeding
Authors: Tsuji Noriko , Takahashi Yoshimitsu , Sakai Michi , Ohtera Shosuke , Kaneyama Junji , Cho Kosai , Kato Genta , Ohtsuru Shigeru , Nakayama Takeo
Published: January 2023

The introduction of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) has greatly changed the use of anticoagulant therapy in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (Af). Therefore, this study aimed to examine changes in the proportions of oral anticoagulant prescriptions in patients with non-valvular Af aged ≥ 65 years, taking into consideration the risk of cerebral infarction and bleeding. Anticoagulant prescriptions in outpatients aged ≥ 65 years with Af were temporally analyzed using the nationwide claims database in Japan. Trends in anticoagulant prescriptions were examined according to cerebral infarction and bleeding risk. The proportion of anticoagulant prescriptions for 12,076 Af patients increased from 41% in 2011 to 56% in 2015. An increase in DOAC prescriptions was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of anticoagulant prescriptions in each group according to the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores. The proportion of anticoagulant prescriptions for patients with a high risk of developing cerebral infarction and bleeding showed a marked increase. Trends in anticoagulant prescriptions in Af patient with a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥ 2 and HAS-BLED scores ≥ 3 showed a marked increase in DOAC prescriptions. The widespread use of DOACs greatly changes the profile the prescription of anticoagulant therapy in patients with Af.
Whole genome sequence characterization of Aspergillus terreus ATCC 20541 and genome comparison of the fungi A. terreus
Authors: Wu Hung-Yi , Mortensen Uffe Hasbro , Chang Fang-Rong , Tsai HsinYuan
Published: January 2023

Aspergillus terreus is well-known for lovastatin and itaconic acid production with biomedical and commercial importance. The mechanisms of metabolite formation have been extensively studied to improve their yield through genetic engineering. However, the combined repertoire of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes), cytochrome P450s (CYP) enzymes, and secondary metabolites (SMs) in the different A. terreus strains has not been well studied yet, especially with respect to the presence of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). Here we present a 30 Mb whole genome sequence of A. terreus ATCC 20541 in which we predicted 10,410 protein-coding genes. We compared the CAZymes, CYPs enzyme, and SMs across eleven A. terreus strains, and the results indicate that all strains have rich pectin degradation enzyme and CYP52 families. The lovastatin BGC of lovI was linked with lovF in A. terreus ATCC 20541, and the phenomenon was not found in the other strains. A. terreus ATCC 20541 lacked a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (AnaPS) participating in acetylaszonalenin production, which was a conserved protein in the ten other strains. Our results present a comprehensive analysis of CAZymes, CYPs enzyme, and SM diversities in A. terreus strains and will facilitate further research in the function of BGCs associated with valuable SMs.
Exploratory regression modeling for flood susceptibility mapping in the GIS environment
Authors: Fenglin Wang , Ahmad Imran , Zelenakova Martina , Fenta Assefa , Dar Mithas Ahmad , Teka Afera Halefom , Belew Amanuel Zewdu , Damtie Minwagaw , Berhan Marshet , Shafi Sebahadin Nasir
Published: January 2023

Understanding the temporal and spatial patterns of flood in the Awash River basin, which is located in Ethiopia’s Afar region, is crucial. The Awash basin was picked because it is continuously in danger both spatially and temporally. The likelihood of flooding was assessed using eight independent variables: elevation, slope, rainfall, drainage density, land use, soil type, wetness index, and lineament density. Each constituent was assigned a weight based on its susceptibility to the danger, which was classified into four classifications. Exploratory regression analysis showed that the existing land use is the main factor influencing flood susceptibility. For the GIS domain, a total of 31 models were built using exploratory regression. Model number 31 was found to be the best fit model, having the highest Adjusted R2 value of 0.8 and the lowest Akaike’s Information criterion value of 1536.8. The spatial autocorrelation tool’s Z score and p-value for the standard residuals are, respectively, 0.7 and 0.4, indicating that they were neither clustered nor scattered. The geographic breadth of flood susceptibility and risk is thoroughly examined in this paper, as is the significance of spatial planning in the Awash basin.
A home-made pipette droplet microfluidics rapid prototyping and training kit for digital PCR, microorganism/cell encapsulation and controlled microgel synthesis
Authors: Chen Liao , Zhang Chenguang , Yadav Vivek , Wong Angela , Senapati Satyajyoti , Chang Hsueh-Chia
Published: January 2023

Droplet microfluidics offers a platform from which new digital molecular assay, disease screening, wound healing and material synthesis technologies have been proposed. However, the current commercial droplet generation, assembly and imaging technologies are too expensive and rigid to permit rapid and broad-range tuning of droplet features/cargoes. This rapid prototyping bottleneck has limited further expansion of its application. Herein, an inexpensive home-made pipette droplet microfluidics kit is introduced. This kit includes elliptical pipette tips that can be fabricated with a simple DIY (Do-It-Yourself) tool, a unique tape-based or 3D printed shallow-center imaging chip that allows rapid monolayer droplet assembly/immobilization and imaging with a smart-phone camera or miniature microscope. The droplets are generated by manual or automatic pipetting without expensive and lab-bound microfluidic pumps. The droplet size and fluid viscosity/surface tension can be varied significantly because of our particular droplet generation, assembly and imaging designs. The versatility of this rapid prototyping kit is demonstrated with three representative applications that can benefit from a droplet microfluidic platform: (1) Droplets as microreactors for PCR reaction with reverse transcription to detect and quantify target RNAs. (2) Droplets as microcompartments for spirulina culturing and the optical color/turbidity changes in droplets with spirulina confirm successful photosynthetic culturing. (3) Droplets as templates/molds for controlled synthesis of gold-capped polyacrylamide/gold composite Janus microgels. The easily fabricated and user-friendly portable kit is hence ideally suited for design, training and educational labs.
Investigation of structural and neurobiochemical differences in brains from high-performance and native hen breeds
Authors: Kasperek Kornel , Jaworska-Adamu Jadwiga , Krawczyk Aleksandra , Rycerz Karol , Buszewicz Grzegorz , Przygodzka Dominika , Wójcik Grzegorz , Blicharska Eliza , Drabik Kamil , Czech Anna , Wlazło Łukasz , Ossowski Mateusz , Rozempolska-Rucińska Iwona
Published: January 2023

Selection of livestock has not only led to changes in the level of their performance but also modified their behavior. As a result, within a single species, we have to deal with different behaviors of different breeds. In our study, we assumed that the different behaviors within a species are due to differences in the morphology and physiology of behavior-related systems. Two breeds of hens were used as a model: the highly reactive, fearful and high-performance Leghorn breed and proactive, unselected Green-legged Partridge breed. The higher reactivity and fearfulness of Leghorn hens in comparison to the Green-legged Partridge breed may be related to the greater number of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus and anterior hypothalamus and the higher content of zinc and iron in the brain, as these elements are involved in neuronal conduction and myelination processes. The reactive behaviours of Green-legged Partridge hens may be associated with the lower number of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus and the anterior hypothalamus and the higher concentration of dopamine and copper ions in the brain. The analyses confirmed the hypothesis of the existence of interbreed differences in the morphology and physiology of behaviour-related systems, which most probably emerged through unintentional and correlated selection towards high production performance. Consequently, attention should be drawn that the selection of a given genotype (breed) towards a specific environment could lead to creation of highly specialised lines that may not achieve homeostasis in every maintenance system.
Finger vein recognition based on bilinear fusion of multiscale features
Authors: Ma Bin , Wang Kaixuan , Hu Yueli
Published: January 2023

Finger veins are widely used in various fields due to their high safety. Existing finger vein recognition methods have some shortcomings, such as low recognition accuracy and large model size. To address these shortcomings, a multi-scale feature bilinear fusion network (MSFBF-Net) was designed. First, the network model extracts the global features and local detail features of the finger veins and performs linear fusion to obtain second-order features with richer information. Then, the mixed depthwise separable convolution replaces the ordinary convolution, which greatly reduces the computational complexity of the network model. Finally, a multiple attention mechanism (MAM) suitable for finger veins was designed, which can simultaneously extract the channel, spatial, directional, and positional information. The experimental results show that the method is very effective, and the accuracy of the two public finger vein databases is 99.90% and 99.82%, respectively.
Different impact on health outcomes of long-term care insurance between urban and rural older residents in China
Authors: Liu Paicheng , Yang Youlang , Yang Yuxuan , Cheng Jianxin
Published: January 2023

Long-term care insurance (LTCI) is garnering attention internationally and is being considered a public policy in a growing number of countries. Previous research has focused on the effects of LTCI in developed countries, ignoring the health outcomes of developing countries, especially in rural regions. Therefore, this study investigates whether different impact on health outcomes is present in the effects of LTCI between urban and rural residents in China. We employed a quasi-experimental design with data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey. The specific implementation time of each pilot city was sorted according to the LTCI policy texts, dividing these pilot cities into the treatment group and control group. Finally, difference-in-differences analyses were utilized to evaluate the health effects of LTCI between urban and rural residents, and the health effect in urban areas was further tested. The implementation of LTCI has effectively enhanced the self-rating health (SRH) of the entire group of residents; however, this effect may only be significant for the urban group. In particular, LTCI can increase the SRH of urban residents by 0.377 units compared to the urban residents without LTCI (P < 0.01). The result of the placebo effect test further verifies that LTCI could improve the health of residents to some extent. In China, LTCI may have triggered different impacts on health outcomes between urban and rural residents, and may not improve the SRH of rural residents and only prove efficacious for urban residents. Government and policy-makers should give more attention to the rural group as it needs long-term care the most.