bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indispensability
Authors: Paseau A. C. , Baker Alan
Published: May 2023

Our best scientific theories explain a wide range of empirical phenomena, make accurate predictions, and are widely believed. Since many of these theories make ample use of mathematics, it is natural to see them as confirming its truth. Perhaps the use of mathematics in science even gives us reason to believe in the existence of abstract mathematical objects such as numbers and sets. These issues lie at the heart of the Indispensability Argument, to which this Element is devoted. The Element's first half traces the evolution of the Indispensability Argument from its origins in Quine and Putnam's works, taking in naturalism, confirmational holism, Field's program, and the use of idealisations in science along the way. Its second half examines the explanatory version of the Indispensability Argument, and focuses on several more recent versions of easy-road and hard-road fictionalism respectively.
Language and Cosmos in Greece and Mesopotamia
Authors: Myerston Jacobo
Published: May 2023

Theorizing about language and its place in the world began long before Plato and Aristotle. In this book, Jacobo Myerston traces the trajectories of various proto-linguistic traditions that circulated between Greece and Mesopotamia before the institutionalization of Greek philosophy. By following the threads of transcultural conversations, the author shows the impact of Mesopotamian semantics and hermeneutics on early Greek thinkers. He reconstructs the Greek appropriation of Mesopotamian semantics while arguing that, despite geographical distance and cultural constraints, the Greeks adopted and transformed Babylonian cosmological and linguistic concepts in a process leading to new discoveries. This book covers conceptions of signification present in cuneiform word lists, esoteric syllabaries, commentaries, literary texts like Enuma elish, Gilgamesh, Hesiod's Theogony, and the Homeric Hymns as well as the philosophical commentary preserved in the Derveni papyrus.
True Purposes in Hegel's Logic
Authors: Maraguat Edgar
Published: May 2023

This book addresses a key issue in Hegel's philosophical legacy - his account of purposiveness and teleology - that has often been wrongly criticised and misunderstood. In a re-examination of Hegel's account of purposiveness and teleology, Edgar Maraguat explores its connection with the rest of Hegel's philosophy, traces the influence of Aristotle and Kant on its arguments, and closely analyses its place in Hegel's Science of Logic. The result is a new perspective not only on the nature, spirit and goals of the Logic, but on the whole of Hegel's philosophical legacy, and will appeal to a range of readers in Hegel studies, the history of philosophy, and the history of ideas.
Compositional noise in nozzles with dissipation
Authors: Jain Animesh , Magri Luca
Published: May 2023

We propose a physical model to predict indirect noise generated by the acceleration of compositional inhomogeneities in nozzles with viscous dissipation (non-isentropic nozzles). First, we derive the quasi-one-dimensional equations from the conservation laws of multicomponent flows. Second, we validate the proposed model with the experimental data available in the literature for binary mixtures of four gases. Third, we calculate the nozzle transfer functions for different Helmholtz numbers and friction factors, in both subsonic and supersonic flows with/without shock waves. We show that friction and dissipation have a significant effect on the generation of indirect noise, for which the physical mechanism is identified and explained. Fourth, we find a semi-analytical solution with path integrals, which provides an asymptotic expansion with respect to the Helmholtz number. Fifth, we introduce the compositional-noise scaling factor, which is applied to quickly estimate compositional noise from the knowledge of only one single-component gas transfer function. The approximation error is less than

$1\,\%$

. The proposed low-order model provides accurate estimates of the transfer functions and physical insight into indirect noise for multicomponent gases. This opens up new possibilities to accurately predict, and understand, sound generation in gas turbines.
Multifield intermittency of dust storm turbulence in the atmospheric surface layer
Authors: Zhang Huan , Tan Xuelian , Zheng Xiaojing
Published: May 2023

Dust storms are typical dispersed two-phase atmospheric turbulence involving electrified charged dust particles. Previous observations have demonstrated that clean-air atmospheric turbulence is strongly intermittent. However, the intermittency of the wind velocity, concentration of dust particles with a diameter smaller than

$10\ \mathrm {\mu }{\rm m}$

(PM10) and electric fields, known as multifield intermittency, has not been reported or characterized yet. Here, we quantify the small-scale multifield intermittency of dust storms using datasets obtained from the Qingtu Lake Observation Array and a wavelet-based data analysis technique. The results indicate that the probability density functions of the multifield increments are scale dependent, and the scaling exponents of the multifield structure functions exhibit anomalous scaling, suggesting that the multiple fields in dust storms are also highly intermittent. Specifically, the wind velocity during dust storms appears to be more intermittent as compared with clean-air conditions. Among the multiple fields, the small-scale intermittency is strongest for PM10 dust concentration, moderate for electric fields and weakest for wind velocity. Furthermore, the anomalous scaling of multiple fields is well described by the hierarchical structure theory of turbulence. It is theoretically predicted that the wind velocity displays a one-dimensional filamentary structure, while the PM10 dust concentration and electric fields display two-dimensional sheet-like structures. Finally, after removing the coherent components of the observed time series by the proposed wavelet conditioning statistics, Kolmogorov linear scaling is recovered for the multiple fields, suggesting that small-scale multifield intermittency is caused by the presence of small-scale coherent structures.
On the zero helicity condition for quantum vortex defects
Authors: Belloni Andrea , Ricca Renzo L.
Published: May 2023

In this note we provide an analytical proof of the zero helicity condition for systems governed by the Gross–Pitaevskii equation (GPE). The proof is based on the hydrodynamic interpretation of the GPE, and the direct use of Noether's theorem by applying Kleinert's multi-valued gauge theory. As a by-product we also demonstrate the conservation and quantization of the circulation for the GPE.
Mechanics of removing water from the ear canal: Rayleigh–Taylor instability
Authors: Kim Seungho , Baskota Anuj , Kang Hosung , Jung Sunghwan
Published: May 2023

Water stuck in the ear is a common problem during showering, swimming or other water activities. Having water trapped in the ear canal for a long time can lead to ear infections and possibly result in hearing loss. A common strategy for emptying water from the ear canal is to shake the head, where high acceleration helps remove the water. In this present study, we rationalize the underlying mechanism of water ejection/removal from the ear canal by performing experiments and developing a stability theory. From the experiments, we measure the critical acceleration to remove the trapped water inside different sizes of canals. Our theoretical model, modified from the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, can explain the critical acceleration observed in experiments, which strongly depends on the radius of the ear canal. The resulting critical acceleration tends to increase, especially in smaller ear canals, which indicates that shaking heads for water removal can be more laborious and potentially threatening to children due to their small size of the ear canal compared with adults.
Interaction between coherent and turbulent oscillations in non-reacting and reacting wake flows
Authors: Karmarkar Ashwini , O'Connor Jacqueline
Published: May 2023

The presence of large-scale coherent structures can significantly impact the dynamics of a turbulent flow field and the behaviour of a flame stabilized in that flow. The goal of this study is to analyse how increasing free-stream turbulence can change the response of the flow to longitudinal acoustic excitation of varying amplitudes. We study the flow in the wake of a cylindrical bluff body at both non-reacting and reacting conditions, as the presence of a flame can significantly alter the global stability of the flow. The frequency of longitudinal acoustic excitation is set to match the natural frequency of anti-symmetric vortex shedding for this configuration and we vary the free-stream turbulence using perforated plates upstream of the bluff body. The results show that varying the level of free-stream turbulence can influence not only the amplitude of the coherent flow response, but also the symmetry of vortex shedding in the presence of longitudinal acoustic excitation. Increasing the turbulence intensity can fundamentally change the structure of the time-averaged flow and can directly impact the coherent flow response in two ways. First, increasing turbulence intensity can enhance the amplitude of the natural anti-symmetric vortex shedding mode in the wake. Second, increasing turbulence intensity weakens the symmetric response of the flow to the longitudinal acoustic excitation. In the non-reacting and reacting conditions, both symmetric and anti-symmetric modes are present and are characterized using a spectral proper orthogonal decomposition. We see evidence of interaction between the symmetric and anti-symmetric modes, which leads to an interference pattern in the coherent vorticity response in the shear layers. We conclude by presenting a conceptual model for the influence that turbulence has on these flows.
Hydrodynamics of a swimming batoid fish at Reynolds numbers up to 148 000
Authors: Zhang Dong , Huang Wei-Xi
Published: May 2023

Flow around a tethered model of a swimming batoid fish is studied by using the wall-modelled large-eddy simulation in conjunction with the immersed boundary method. A Reynolds number (

$Re$

) up to 148 000 is chosen, and it is comparable to that of a medium-sized aquatic animal in cruising swimming state. At such a high

$Re$

, we provide, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence of hairpin vortical (HV) structures near the body surface using three-dimensional high-fidelity flow field data. It is observed that such small-scale vortical structures are mainly formed through two mechanisms: the leading-edge vortex (LEV)–secondary filament–HV and LEV–HV transformations in different regions. The HVs create strong fluctuations in the pressure distribution and frequency spectrum. Simulations are also conducted at

$Re=1480$

and 14 800 to reveal the effect of Reynolds number. Variations of the flow separation behaviour and local pressure with

$Re$

are presented. Our results indicate that low-

$Re$

simulations are meaningful when the focus is on the force variation tendency, whereas high-

$Re$

simulations are needed when concerning flow fluctuations and turbulence mechanisms.
The figure of the guide: arctic nature guiding as productive behaviour on Svalbard
Authors: la Cour Eva
Published: May 2023

Drawing from ethnographic participation in a ski excursion among a group of Arctic Nature Guide students on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, this paper explores guiding as a model of practice embedded in relations – material encounters, discursive frictions and collaborative efforts. The article pays attention to practical negotiations and navigations of these relations while making use of historical scholarship on the role of the guide as a basis for theoretical reflections on the role’s mediation activities. More precisely, the paper advocates a “creation-model of mediation” that challenges modernist representational discourse (and conceptualisations of nature) through a recognition of guiding as productive behaviour. Displaying agency in meaning-making and embodying Svalbard’s transient cosmopolitan population, the guide emerges as a figure on ground far from fixed and settled, and as a tool with which to appraise Svalbard as more geo-aesthetical condition than bounded place.
Trying to name what doesn't change: Neural nonresponse to Cognitive Therapy for depression
Authors: Strege Marlene V. , Richey John A. , Siegle Greg J.
Published: May 2023

Background

Theoretical models of neural mechanisms underlying Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) propose that psychotherapy changes neural functioning of prefrontal cortical structures associated with cognitive-control processes (DeRubeis, Siegle, & Hollon, 2008); however, MDD is persistent and characterized by long-lasting vulnerabilities to recurrence after intervention, suggesting that underlying neural mechanisms of MDD remain despite treatment. It follows that identification of treatment-resistant aberrant neural processes in MDD may inform clinical and research efforts targeting sustained remission. Thus, we sought to identify brain regions showing aberrant neural functioning in MDD that either (1) fail to exhibit substantive change (nonresponse) or (2) exhibit functional changes (response) following CBT.

Methods

To identify treatment-resistant neural processes (as well as neural processes exhibiting change after treatment), we collected functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of MDD patients (n = 58) before and after CBT as well as never-depressed controls (n = 35) before and after a similar amount of time. We evaluated fMRI data using conjunction analyses, which utilized several contrast-based criteria to characterize brain regions showing both differences between patients and controls at baseline and nonresponse or response to CBT.

Results

Findings revealed nonresponse in a cerebellar region and response in prefrontal and parietal regions.

Conclusions

Results are consistent with prior theoretical models of CBT's direct effect on cortical regulatory processes but expand on them with identification of additional regions (and associated neural systems) of response and nonresponse to CBT.
Who were the Lelegians? Interrogating affiliations, boundaries and difference in ancient Caria
Authors: Mokrišová Jana
Published: May 2023

Who were the Lelegians? Ancient Greek and Latin texts refer to the Lelegians as an indigenous people, locating them in southwestern Anatolia in a region known in historical times as Caria. Yet attempts to find evidence for the Lelegians ‘on the ground’ have met with questionable success. This paper has two aims. First, it provides an up-to-date picture of the archaeology of ancient Caria and shows that there is little indication of distinctly ‘Lelegian’ forms of material culture during the first millennium BCE. Second, it juxtaposes archaeological evidence with the development of the Lelegian ethnonym and suggests that the idea of a distinct Lelegian identity was retrospectively constructed by the Carians to fulfil the role of an imaginary ‘barbarian other’. This happened in the late Classical and early Hellenistic periods, a time of intensified Carian ethnogenesis, and was a process that responded to and made creative use of earlier Greek knowledge traditions. Finally, this paper argues that a later horizon of Lelegian imagining occurred in modern scholarship of the 19th and 20th centuries. Who, then, were the Lelegians? This article proposes that they were an imaginary people, invented and reinvented over the centuries.
Social Organizations in Rural China: From Autonomy to Governance
Authors: Kan Karita , Ku Hok Bun
Published: May 2023

This article examines the government purchase of social services in China as a window by which to investigate the evolving relations between the party-state and social organizations. Going beyond the conventional focus on state–non-governmental organization (NGO) dynamics in urban areas, we explore the expanded role of social organizations in rural service provision under state-led campaigns of rural modernization. Engaging with institutional theory and the consultative authoritarianism thesis, we argue that NGOs initially operated in an emerging organizational field where they exercised considerable autonomy in setting agendas and designing services. As the party-state's incentives to utilize and co-opt the social work profession grow, however, we observe a trend towards incorporation, wherein social workers now play a bigger role alongside the strengthening of state control over the sector. Through tracing the inception and eventual termination of a decade-long social service project in Guangdong, this article shows how state incorporation might undermine the future role of NGOs in rural development.
Cardiac injury in children with COVID-19
Authors: Herber Joshua M. , Bhumbra Samina S. , Johansen Michael W. , Slaven James E. , Serrano Ryan M.
Published: May 2023

Background:

There is little known about the spectrum of cardiac injury in acute COVID-19 infection in children.

Methods:

A single-centre, retrospective chart analysis was performed. The protocol was deemed IRB exempt. All patients under the age of 21 years admitted from 20 March, 2020 to 22 June, 2021 for acute symptomatic COVID-19 infection or clinical suspicion of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 were included. Past medical history, lab findings, echocardiogram and electrocardiogram/telemetry findings, and clinical outcomes were reviewed.

Results:

Sixty-six patients with MIS-C and 178 with acute COVID-19 were reviewed. Patients with MIS-C had more cardiac testing than those with acute COVID-19. Inflammatory markers were more likely elevated, and function was more likely abnormal on echocardiogram in those with MIS-C with testing performed. Among patients with MIS-C, 17% had evidence of coronary dilation versus 0% in the acute COVID-19 group. One (0.6%) patient with acute COVID-19 had clinically significant electrocardiogram or telemetry findings, and this was in the setting of prior arrhythmias and CHD. Four (6%) patients with MIS-C had clinically significant findings on electrocardiogram or telemetry. Among patients with acute COVID-19, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was required in 0.6% of patients with acute COVID-19, and there was a 2.8% mortality. There were no deaths in the setting of MIS-C.

Conclusions:

Patients with acute COVID-19 and clinical suspicion of cardiac injury had a lower incidence of abnormal laboratory findings, ventricular dysfunction, or significant arrhythmia than those with MIS-C.
Translating and transplanting revolution: the circulation of discourses on the American Revolution between China and Japan
Authors: Chen Fei
Published: May 2023

The American Revolution, as recent studies have shown, was appropriated by Chinese revolutionaries to use in their anti-Manchu propaganda in the early twentieth century. Few scholars have fully recognised Japan's important role in mediating Chinese revolutionaries’ understanding of the American Revolution. This article aims to bridge the gaps in existing scholarship through a close reading of Chinese and Japanese writings on the American Revolution in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I will show that Chinese and Japanese elites’ understanding of the American Revolution was structured by the changing power relations between China, Japan, and the West. Before Chinese and Japanese elites internalised the ideology of Western cultural superiority, the former inspired the latter to see the American Revolution through a Confucian lens. After the ideology of Western cultural superiority became entrenched in Japan, Japanese elites reinterpreted the American Revolution through the lens of Western ideas of liberty, civil rights, and popular sovereignty. Their new interpretation, in turn, inspired Chinese revolutionaries in Meiji Japan to view the American Revolution as a model for their anti-Manchu revolution in the 1900s when the ideology of Western cultural superiority started to take root in China.
Characterization of chickpea cultivars and trait specific germplasm for grain protein content and amino acids composition and identification of potential donors for genetic improvement of its nutritional quality
Authors: Grewal Satvir Kaur , Sharma Kanu Priya , Bharadwaj Rachana D. , Hegde Venkatraman , Sidhu Sukhpreet Kaur , Singh Sarvjeet , Jain Pradeep Kumar , Rasool Souliha , Arya Dev Kumar , Agrawal Pawan Kumar , Mondal Biswajit
Published: May 2023

Ever increasing global population necessitates the need to increase availability of affordable foods with high nutritional quality. Chickpea being the second most important grain legume cultivated worldwide has the great potential to alleviate problems of protein malnutrition and hidden hunger. The objective of the present investigation was to characterize a diverse set of 402 germplasm comprising of more than 100 commercial cultivars widely cultivated and utilized by breeders for grain protein in two contrasting environments to explore the magnitude of natural genotypic diversity present in the cultivated chickpea and the scope for enhancing it and its quality through breeding. The cultivars containing more than 25 to 30.44% grain protein have been found in the study and large scale production of such protein rich cultivars is expected to increase availability as well as consumption of high quality chickpea necessary to overcome all forms of malnutrition. Trait specific germplasm containing grain protein up to 33.56% are also identified for their further utilization as potential donors in the chickpea improvement programme. The amino acid profiling of selected high and low protein containing genotypes showed considerably greater average amino acid score for all the essential amino acids than the WHO recommended requirement values and is comparable to those of the ‘complete protein’ sources of food suggesting that chickpea deserves to be considered as a ‘complete protein’ source.
Spillover effects of financial incentives for providers onto non-targeted patients: daycase surgery in English hospitals
Authors: Britteon Philip , Kristensen Søren Rud , Lau Yiu-Shing , McDonald Ruth , Sutton Matt
Published: May 2023

Background

Incentives for healthcare providers may also affect non-targeted patients. These spillover effects have important implications for the full impact and evaluation of incentive schemes. However, there are few studies on the extent of such spillovers in health care. We investigated whether incentives to perform surgical procedures as daycases affected whether other elective procedures in the same specialties were also treated as daycases.

Data

8,505,754 patients treated for 92 non-targeted procedures in 127 hospital trusts in England between April and March 2016.

Methods

Interrupted time series analysis of the probability of being treated as a daycase for non-targeted patients treated in six specialties where targeted patients were also treated and three specialties where they were not.

Results

The daycase rate initially increased (1.04 percentage points, SE: 0.30) for patients undergoing a non-targeted procedure in incentivised specialties but then reduced over time. Conversely, the daycase rate gradually decreased over time for patients treated in a non-incentivised specialty.

Discussion

Spillovers from financial incentives have variable effects over different activities and over time. Policymakers and researchers should consider the possibility of spillovers in the design and evaluation of incentive schemes.
Phase nonlinearity reduction of a complex receiver having multiple phase correlators
Authors: Sarkar Mahadev , Raghu B. R. , Sivakumar R.
Published: May 2023

This article analyzes and describes phase nonlinearity reduction techniques in detail for ultra wideband complex receivers to qualify airborne system requirements. Phase nonlinearity directly affects the final frequency resolution coming from unknown threats. Thereby, the reduction of phase nonlinearity of all radio frequency (RF) channels including phase correlators is very essential. A simple phase nonlinearity calculation step has been shown in this article without taking the help of any coding (software). A detail excel sheet–based phase nonlinearity calculation has been explained and estimated with examples. Power and phase corrections are especially done to keep the RF response flat over a wide frequency spectrum to enhance better phase linearity. This is done by designing various equalizers with different slope gradients and adjusting power levels by using attenuation pads or reducing feeds by other means. Phase nonlinearity has been kept under control by tracking the phase of mixers, other passive/active components within ±5°, and all the RF channels within ±15°. The power level has been adjusted within P1dB or just beyond the P1dB to keep the harmonic level less, which in turn controls phase nonlinearity in all the active devices. The performance of phase correlators against various power levels has been analyzed to finalize uniform RF and LO power levels (feed) at the input of the phase correlators. The level of uniform feed has been decided after reviewing phase nonlinearity responses of the correlators. Thus, the final resolved frequency become accurate (<3 MHz root mean square). Finally, four receivers have successfully been developed and evaluated over temperature (−40°C to +71°C) and vibration to establish the method for mass production.
RF sensor dedicated to the dielectric characterization of spheroids between 500 MHz and 20 GHz
Authors: Peytral-Rieu Olivia , Dubuc David , Grenier Katia
Published: May 2023

To achieve better accuracy in their investigations, biologists have recently been using three-dimensional models as intermediates between two-dimensional cell culture and the in vivo study of tissues. Some of these models are based on spheroids, which are cellular aggregates retaining many characteristics of in vivo behaviors while being still easy to use and implement in labs. To study such objects, multiple observation techniques can be used according to the objective of the study, including those using electromagnetic waves as nondestructive, noninvasive, and label-free analysis. Low-frequency (<1 MHz) ones are currently under investigation as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. However, unlike microwaves (from 300 MHz to 60 GHz), they cannot penetrate the cell. Furthermore, most of the devices dedicated to microwave dielectric characterization are only focusing on cellular scales lower than spheroids (single cell, cell mats, or suspensions) or on tissues and organs. In this article, a microwave spectroscopy device using a coplanar waveguide adapted to the study of spheroids is presented with the dielectric characterization of fixed spheroids, with capacitance and conductance measurements from 0.5 to 20 GHz, aiming at filling the scale gap in the state of the art.
Asyl, Schutz und Gewalt
Authors: Fischer Carolin
Published: May 2023

Was ist zu diesem Thema bereits bekannt?

Asyl bietet Geflüchteten rechtlichen Schutz vor Gewalt und Verfolgung. Ob Asyl auch eine Grundlage für Gewaltfreiheit und einen lebenswerten Alltag schafft, bleibt fraglich.

Wie wird eine neue Perspektive eingebracht?

Mittels theoretischer Ansätze der sozialwissenschaftlichen Gewaltforschung beleuchtet dieser Beitrag das Zusammenspiel von Asyl, Schutz und Gewalt.

Was sind die Auswirkungen für die Praxis?

Um zu verstehen, wie Gewalt das Leben anerkannter Geflüchteter prägt, ist es wichtig, deren Geschichten zu hören. Dies gelingt nur durch sorgfältigen Beziehungsaufbau und eine akzeptierende wertschätzende Haltung.
Geflüchteten Menschen begegnen
Authors: Laimbacher Sabrina , Gröble Sabrina
Published: May 2023

Was ist zu diesem Thema bekannt?

Eine Flucht bedeutet für Betroffene einen einschneidenden, oft langwierigen Prozess, der mit Entwurzelung, Reisen und Eingliederung an einem neuen Ort einhergeht.

Wie wird eine neue Perspektive eingebracht?

Neben Fluchterlebnissen wirken sich diverse post-migratorische Herausforderungen maßgeblich auf die Alltagsgestaltung und psychische Gesundheit Betroffener aus.

Was sind die Auswirkungen für die Praxis?

Psychiatrische Pflegefachpersonen übernehmen in der Begleitung von Geflüchteten eine zentrale Rolle. Eine sensibilisierte Begegnung und die Entwicklung von transkategorialer Kompetenz fördern das gegenseitige Verständnis füreinander und den Vertrauensaufbau in der Beziehung.
Preexisting Stereotypes and Selection of Counter-Stereotypical Genius	Representations in Entertainment Media
Authors: Mustafaj Matea , Dal Cin Sonya
Published: May 2023

Abstract: Broader, more diverse representation in mass media is frequently imagined as a tool for reduction of harmful stereotypes at scale. Increasingly, entertainment media in the United States feature representations that challenge or counter prevailing stereotypes. However, emergence of a high-choice media environment offers and facilitates the opportunity to be selective about the entertainment one consumes. Using a US sample, we show that entertainment media selection is predicted by preexisting beliefs — greater endorsement of a particular stereotype predicted a decrease in the selection of shows featuring representations challenging that stereotype. Findings indicate that those who could benefit most from these representations are less likely to be exposed to them, undermining the utility of mass media in the widespread reduction of harmful stereotypes.
Evolution of a Cold Intra‐Transform Ridge Segment Through Oceanic Core Complex Splitting and Mantle Exhumation, St. Paul Transform System, Equatorial Atlantic
Authors: Vincent Clément , Maia Marcia , Briais Anne , Brunelli Daniele , Ligi Marco , Sichel Susanna
Published: May 2023

Accretionary processes at mid‐ocean ridge segments with low magma input have seldom been investigated over the long term. The evolution of such magma‐starved segments over time is still largely unknown. We present a study on the structure and evolution of the southernmost intra‐transform ridge segment of the St. Paul Transform Fault System in the Equatorial Mid‐Atlantic Ridge, based on new bathymetry, gravity, and rock sampling data. We show that this area evolves differently from previously described tectonics along ridge segments of similar spreading rate. On the flanks of the axial ridge segment, we observe a succession of structures exhumed by detachment faulting, evolving from east‐facing, long‐lived, corrugated oceanic core complexes (∼6 Ma ago), to short‐lived detachment faults exposing lower crust and mantle rocks and facing alternatively east and west in the more recent part of the segment. The oldest detachment faults have been repeatedly split and partially transferred to the opposite flank through the formation of new detachments into the footwall. The terminations of three old, east‐facing detachments are observed on the east flank of the segment. The westward relocations of the plate boundary appear to compensate for the asymmetry of accretion through detachment faulting, overall creating the same amount of lithosphere on both flanks of the ridge. We interpret the observed changes in the time of the accretionary processes to reflect a decrease of the melt supply over the last ∼6 Myr.
Distinctly Different Dynamical Processes in Maintaining the Intraseasonal NAO+ and NAO−
Authors: Ma Jiwang , Liang X. San
Published: May 2023

Positive feedback between high‐frequency eddies and low‐frequency processes is believed to play an essential role in the NAO evolution. In this study, however, it is found that the previously well‐studied upscale forcing to the intraseasonal scale window is mostly limited during the phase NAO−, but almost disappears during NAO+. The maintenance of the intraseasonal NAO+ is by a strong barotropic instability of the basic flow, which has been overlooked previously. The divergence of the Reynolds stress tensor that decelerates the basic flow is found to account for this asymmetry. For NAO−, there also exist strong interactions between the basic flow and the intraseasonal component, but the energy transfer is in a dipolar form, which, if integrated over space, contributes insignificantly as a whole. These new findings from a dynamics viewpoint shed insight deeper into NAO, a climate mode playing a key role in the Northern Hemisphere warming.
Study on the controllability of the fabrication of single-crystal silicon nanopores/nanoslits with a fast-stop ionic current-monitored TSWE method
Authors: Hong Hao , Wei Jiangtao , Lei Xin , Chen Haiyun , Sarro Pasqualina M. , Zhang Guoqi , Liu Zewen
Published: May 2023

The application of single-crystal silicon (SCS) nanopore structures in single-molecule-based analytical devices is an emerging approach for the separation and analysis of nanoparticles. The key challenge is to fabricate individual SCS nanopores with precise sizes in a controllable and reproducible way. This paper introduces a fast-stop ionic current-monitored three-step wet etching (TSWE) method for the controllable fabrication of SCS nanopores. Since the nanopore size has a quantitative relationship with the corresponding ionic current, it can be regulated by controlling the ionic current. Thanks to the precise current-monitored and self-stop system, an array of nanoslits with a feature size of only 3 nm was obtained, which is the smallest size ever reported using the TSWE method. Furthermore, by selecting different current jump ratios, individual nanopores of specific sizes were controllably prepared, and the smallest deviation from the theoretical value was 1.4 nm. DNA translocation measurement results revealed that the prepared SCS nanopores possessed the excellent potential to be applied in biosensing.
Use of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer multiple myeloma module (EORTC QLQ-MY20): a review of the literature 25 years after development
Authors: Forde K. , Cocks K. , Wells J. R. , McMillan I. , Kyriakou C. ,   EORTC Quality of Life Group
Published: May 2023

The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Multiple Myeloma Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-MY20) was developed in 1996 to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with multiple myeloma. Since its development new therapies have prolonged survival in patients with myeloma and new combination agents are likely to impact HRQoL outcomes and its measurement.

The aim of this review was to explore the use of the QLQ-MY20 and reported methodological issues.

An electronic database search was conducted (1996-June 2020) to identify clinical studies/research that used the QLQ-MY20 or assessed its psychometric properties. Data were extracted from full-text publications/conference abstracts and checked by a second rater.

The search returned 65 clinical and 9 psychometric validation studies. The QLQ-MY20 was used in interventional (n = 21, 32%) and observational (n = 44, 68%) studies and the publication of QLQ-MY20 data in clinical trials increased over time. Clinical studies commonly included relapsed patients with myeloma patients (n = 15, 68%) and assessed a range of combinations therapies.

QLQ-MY20 subscales (disease symptoms [DS], side effects of treatment [SE], future perspectives [FP], body image [BI]) were defined as secondary (n = 12, 55%) or exploratory (n = 7, 32%) trial endpoints, particularly DS (n = 16, 72%) and SE (n = 16, 72%). Validation articles demonstrated that all domains performed well regarding internal consistency reliability (>0.7), test-reset reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > =0.85), internal and external convergent and discriminant validity. Four articles reported a high percentage of ceiling effects in the BI subscale; all other subscales performed well regarding floor and ceiling effects.

The EORTC QLQ-MY20 remains a widely used and psychometrically robust instrument. While no specific problems were identified from the published literature, qualitative interviews are ongoing to ensure new concepts and side effects are included that may arise from patients receiving novel treatments or from longer survival with multiple lines of treatment.
HUNK inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition of CRC via direct phosphorylation of GEF-H1 and activating RhoA/LIMK-1/CFL-1
Authors: Han Xiaoqi , Jiang Siyuan , Gu Yinmin , Ding Lihua , Zhao Enhao , Cao Dongxing , Wang Xiaodong , Wen Ya , Pan Yongbo , Yan Xin , Duan Liqiang , Sun Minxuan , Zhou Tao , Liu Yajuan , Hu Hongbo , Ye Qinong , Gao Shan
Published: May 2023

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with the invasive and metastatic phenotypes in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanisms underlying EMT in CRC are not completely understood. In this study, we find that HUNK inhibits EMT and metastasis of CRC cells via its substrate GEF-H1 in a kinase-dependent manner. Mechanistically, HUNK directly phosphorylates GEF-H1 at serine 645 (S645) site, which activates RhoA and consequently leads to a cascade of phosphorylation of LIMK-1/CFL-1, thereby stabilizing F-actin and inhibiting EMT. Clinically, the levels of both HUNK expression and phosphorylation S645 of GEH-H1 are not only downregulated in CRC tissues with metastasis compared with that without metastasis, but also positively correlated among these tissues. Our findings highlight the importance of HUNK kinase direct phosphorylation of GEF-H1 in regulation of EMT and metastasis of CRC.
Identification of indocyanine green as a STT3B inhibitor against mushroom α-amanitin cytotoxicity
Authors: Wang Bei , Wan Arabella H. , Xu Yu , Zhang Ruo-Xin , Zhao Ben-Chi , Zhao Xin-Yuan , Shi Yan-Chuan , Zhang Xiaolei , Xue Yongbo , Luo Yong , Deng Yinyue , Neely G. Gregory , Wan Guohui , Wang Qiao-Ping
Published: May 2023

The “death cap”, Amanita phalloides, is the world’s most poisonous mushroom, responsible for 90% of mushroom-related fatalities. The most fatal component of the death cap is α-amanitin. Despite its lethal effect, the exact mechanisms of how α-amanitin poisons humans remain unclear, leading to no specific antidote available for treatment. Here we show that STT3B is required for α-amanitin toxicity and its inhibitor, indocyanine green (ICG), can be used as a specific antidote. By combining a genome-wide CRISPR screen with an in silico drug screening and in vivo functional validation, we discover that N-glycan biosynthesis pathway and its key component, STT3B, play a crucial role in α-amanitin toxicity and that ICG is a STT3B inhibitor. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ICG is effective in blocking the toxic effect of α-amanitin in cells, liver organoids, and male mice, resulting in an overall increase in animal survival. Together, by combining a genome-wide CRISPR screen for α-amanitin toxicity with an in silico drug screen and functional validation in vivo, our study highlights ICG as a STT3B inhibitor against the mushroom toxin.
A pesticide and iPSC dopaminergic neuron screen identifies and classifies Parkinson-relevant pesticides
Authors: Paul Kimberly C. , Krolewski Richard C. , Lucumi Moreno Edinson , Blank Jack , Holton Kristina M. , Ahfeldt Tim , Furlong Melissa , Yu Yu , Cockburn Myles , Thompson Laura K. , Kreymerman Alexander , Ricci-Blair Elisabeth M. , Li Yu Jun , Patel Heer B. , Lee Richard T. , Bronstein Jeff , Rubin Lee L. , Khurana Vikram , Ritz Beate
Published: May 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with etiology rooted in genetic vulnerability and environmental factors. Here we combine quantitative epidemiologic study of pesticide exposures and PD with toxicity screening in dopaminergic neurons derived from PD patient induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to identify Parkinson’s-relevant pesticides. Agricultural records enable investigation of 288 specific pesticides and PD risk in a comprehensive, pesticide-wide association study. We associate long-term exposure to 53 pesticides with PD and identify co-exposure profiles. We then employ a live-cell imaging screening paradigm exposing dopaminergic neurons to 39 PD-associated pesticides. We find that 10 pesticides are directly toxic to these neurons. Further, we analyze pesticides typically used in combinations in cotton farming, demonstrating that co-exposures result in greater toxicity than any single pesticide. We find trifluralin is a driver of toxicity to dopaminergic neurons and leads to mitochondrial dysfunction. Our paradigm may prove useful to mechanistically dissect pesticide exposures implicated in PD risk and guide agricultural policy.
Flood hazard potential reveals global floodplain settlement patterns
Authors: Devitt Laura , Neal Jeffrey , Coxon Gemma , Savage James , Wagener Thorsten
Published: May 2023

Flooding is one of the most common natural hazards, causing disastrous impacts worldwide. Stress-testing the global human-Earth system to understand the sensitivity of floodplains and population exposure to a range of plausible conditions is one strategy to identify where future changes to flooding or exposure might be most critical. This study presents a global analysis of the sensitivity of inundated areas and population exposure to varying flood event magnitudes globally for 1.2 million river reaches. Here we show that topography and drainage areas correlate with flood sensitivities as well as with societal behaviour. We find clear settlement patterns in which floodplains most sensitive to frequent, low magnitude events, reveal evenly distributed exposure across hazard zones, suggesting that people have adapted to this risk. In contrast, floodplains most sensitive to extreme magnitude events have a tendency for populations to be most densely settled in these rarely flooded zones, being in significant danger from potentially increasing hazard magnitudes given climate change.
Phase-separation facilitated one-step fabrication of multiscale heterogeneous two-aqueous-phase gel
Authors: Chen Feipeng , Li Xiufeng , Yu Yafeng , Li Qingchuan , Lin Haisong , Xu Lizhi , Shum Ho Cheung
Published: May 2023

Engineering heterogeneous hydrogels with distinct phases at various lengths, which resemble biological tissues with high complexity, remains challenging by existing fabricating techniques that require complicated procedures and are often only applicable at bulk scales. Here, inspired by ubiquitous phase separation phenomena in biology, we present a one-step fabrication method based on aqueous phase separation to construct two-aqueous-phase gels that comprise multiple phases with distinct physicochemical properties. The gels fabricated by this approach exhibit enhanced interfacial mechanics compared with their counterparts obtained from conventional layer-by-layer methods. Moreover, two-aqueous-phase gels with programmable structures and tunable physicochemical properties can be conveniently constructed by adjusting the polymer constituents, gelation conditions, and combining different fabrication techniques, such as 3D-printing. The versatility of our approach is demonstrated by mimicking the key features of several biological architectures at different lengths: macroscale muscle-tendon connections; mesoscale cell patterning; microscale molecular compartmentalization. The present work advances the fabrication approach for designing heterogeneous multifunctional materials for various technological and biomedical applications.
Efficient selective removal of uremic toxin precursor by olefin-linked covalent organic frameworks for nephropathy treatment
Authors: Wei Jinxia , Li Rui , Zhang Penghui , Jin Haiqun , Zhang Zhenjie , Li Yubo , Chen Yao
Published: May 2023

Indoxyl sulfate is a protein-bound uremic toxin synthesized from indole that cannot be efficiently removed by the hemodialysis method and thus becomes a key risk factor for the progression of chronic kidney disease. Here, we develop a non-dialysis treatment strategy to fabricate an ultramicroporous olefin-linked covalent organic framework with high crystallinity in a green and scalable fashion for selectively removing the indoxyl sulfate precursor (i.e., indole) from the intestine. Various analyses show that the resulting material exhibits excellent gastrointestinal fluid stability, high adsorption efficiency, and good biocompatibility. Notably, it realizes the efficient and selective removal of indole from the intestine and significantly attenuates serum indoxyl sulfate level in vivo. More importantly, the selective removal efficacy of indole is substantially higher than that of the commercial adsorbent AST-120 used in the clinic. The present study opens up a new avenue to eliminate indoxyl sulfate by a non-dialysis strategy and further expands the in vivo applications of covalent organic frameworks.
Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 XBB variant derived from recombination of two Omicron subvariants
Authors: Tamura Tomokazu , Ito Jumpei , Uriu Keiya , Zahradnik Jiri , Kida Izumi , Anraku Yuki , Nasser Hesham , Shofa Maya , Oda Yoshitaka , Lytras Spyros , Nao Naganori , Itakura Yukari , Deguchi Sayaka , Suzuki Rigel , Wang Lei , Begum MST Monira , Kita Shunsuke , Yajima Hisano , Sasaki Jiei , Sasaki-Tabata Kaori , Shimizu Ryo , Tsuda Masumi , Kosugi Yusuke , Fujita Shigeru , Pan Lin , Sauter Daniel , Yoshimatsu Kumiko , Suzuki Saori , Asakura Hiroyuki , Nagashima Mami , Sadamasu Kenji , Yoshimura Kazuhisa , Yamamoto Yuki , Nagamoto Tetsuharu , Schreiber Gideon , Maenaka Katsumi ,   The Genotype to Phenotype Japan (G2P-Japan) Consortium, Ito Hayato , Misawa Naoko , Kimura Izumi , Suganami Mai , Chiba Mika , Yoshimura Ryo , Yasuda Kyoko , Iida Keiko , Ohsumi Naomi , Strange Adam P. , Takahashi Otowa , Ichihara Kimiko , Shibatani Yuki , Nishiuchi Tomoko , Kato Marie , Ferdous Zannatul , Mouri Hiromi , Shishido Kenji , Sawa Hirofumi , Hashimoto Rina , Watanabe Yukio , Sakamoto Ayaka , Yasuhara Naoko , Suzuki Tateki , Kimura Kanako , Nakajima Yukari , Nakagawa So , Wu Jiaqi , Shirakawa Kotaro , Takaori-Kondo Akifumi , Nagata Kayoko , Kazuma Yasuhiro , Nomura Ryosuke , Horisawa Yoshihito , Tashiro Yusuke , Kawai Yugo , Irie Takashi , Kawabata Ryoko , Motozono Chihiro , Toyoda Mako , Ueno Takamasa , Hashiguchi Takao , Ikeda Terumasa , Fukuhara Takasuke , Saito Akatsuki , Tanaka Shinya , Matsuno Keita , Takayama Kazuo , Sato Kei
Published: May 2023

In late 2022, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants have become highly diversified, and XBB is spreading rapidly around the world. Our phylogenetic analyses suggested that XBB emerged through the recombination of two cocirculating BA.2 lineages, BJ.1 and BM.1.1.1 (a progeny of BA.2.75), during the summer of 2022. XBB.1 is the variant most profoundly resistant to BA.2/5 breakthrough infection sera to date and is more fusogenic than BA.2.75. The recombination breakpoint is located in the receptor-binding domain of spike, and each region of the recombinant spike confers immune evasion and increases fusogenicity. We further provide the structural basis for the interaction between XBB.1 spike and human ACE2. Finally, the intrinsic pathogenicity of XBB.1 in male hamsters is comparable to or even lower than that of BA.2.75. Our multiscale investigation provides evidence suggesting that XBB is the first observed SARS-CoV-2 variant to increase its fitness through recombination rather than substitutions.