bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The bright and dark sides of the Dark Triad traits among senior managers: effects on organizational commitment
Authors: Cesinger Beate , Gundolf Katherine , Hughes Mathew , Khedhaouria Anis , Montani Francesco
Published: August 2022

Senior managers play a fundamental role in organizations. They shape organizational strategy and culture, set the mission, including opportunities for new markets, and construct the business models. Their commitment to the organization is vital to organizational performance, yet research on personality traits of senior managers and their commitment to organizations is limited. Drawing on self-affirmation theory, we investigate the consequences of senior managers’ ‘Dark Triad Traits’ (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) for their organizational commitment. We use the three-component model developed by Allen and Meyer (J Occup Psychol 63:1–18, 1990) to distinguish affective, continuance, and normative commitment. Our findings from a dataset of 394 senior French managers collected between 2017 and 2018 show that narcissism positively affects continuance commitment and normative commitment. This study contributes to a neglected stream of research investigating the relationship between Dark Triad traits and organizational commitment; contributes to ‘destigmatizing’ Dark Triad traits, often considered problematic for individuals; and adds to the minimal research currently on manager personality and organizational commitment.
Heuristic pricing rules not requiring knowledge of the price response function
Authors: Gahler Daniel , Hruschka Harald
Published: August 2022

Heuristic rules are appropriate, if a decision maker wants to set the price of a new product or of a product, whose past price variation is low, and budget limitations prevent the use of marketing experiments or customer surveys. Whereas such rules are not guaranteed to provide the optimal price, generated profits should be as close as possible to their optimal values. We investigate eleven pricing rules that do not require that a decision maker knows the price response function and its parameters. We consider monopolistic market situations, in which sales depend on the price of the respective product only. A Monte Carlo simulation that is more comprehensive than extant attempts found in the literature, serves to evaluate these rules. The best performing rules either hold price changes between periods constant or make them dependent on the previous absolute price difference. These rules also outperform purely random price setting, which we use as benchmark. On the other hand, rules based on arc elasticities or on a loglinear approximation to sales and prices, turn out to be even worse than random price setting. In the conclusion, we discuss how heuristic pricing rules may be extended to deal with product line pricing, additional marketing variables (e.g., advertising, sales promotion, and sales force) and a duopolistic market situation.
Li2TiO3 Dopant and Phosphate Coating Improve the Electrochemical Performance of LiCoO2 at 3.0–4.6 V
Authors: Shi Baozhao , Feng Jiangli , Liu Jing , Zhou Yanan , Zhang Jinli , Li Wei
Published: August 2022

A sol–gel tandem with a solid-phase modification procedure was developed to synthesize Li2TiO3-doped LiCoO2 together with phosphate coatings (denoted as LCO-Ti/P), which possesses excellent high-voltage performance in the range of 3.0–4.6 V. The characterizations of X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy illustrated that the modified sample LCO-Ti/P had the dopant of monoclinic Li2TiO3 and amorphous Li3PO4 coating layers. LCO-Ti/P has an initial discharge capacity of 211.6 mAh/g at 0.1 C and a retention of 85.7% after 100 cycles at 1 C and 25 ± 1 °C between 3.0 and 4.6 V. Nyquist plots reflect that the charge transfer resistance of LCO-Ti/P after 100 cycles at 1 C is much lower than that of the spent LCO, which benefits Li-ion diffusion. Density functional theory calculations disclose the superior lattice-matching property of major crystal planes for Li2TiO3 and LiCoO2, the lower energy barriers for Li-ion diffusion in Li2TiO3, and the suppressed oxygen release performance resulting from phosphate adsorption. This work provides useful guidance on the rational design of the high-voltage performance of modified LiCoO2 materials in terms of lattice-matching properties aside from the phosphate coating to reduce the energy barriers of Li-ion diffusion and enhance cycling stability.
NO-Donation Increases Visceral Circulation in a Porcine Model of Abdominal Hypertension
Authors: Skoog Per , Seilitz Jenny , Oikonomakis Ioannis , Hörer Tal M. , Nilsson Kristofer F.
Published: August 2022

Intraabdominal hypertension (IAH) is negative for outcome after intensive care. Little research has focused on medical intervention to improve visceral circulation during IAH. A nitric oxide (NO)-donor was compared with placebo in 25 pigs; each pig was randomized into three groups: PDNO (NO-donor), Control (placebo), or Sham. IAH was induced by CO2 insufflation to 30 mmHg. Sham group had surgical preparation only. Blood gases, invasive venous and arterial blood pressure, intestinal microcirculation and superior mesenteric blood flow were measured. The PDNO group had significantly increased intestinal microcirculation compared with Controls during IAH (last hour, P = 0.009). The mean arterial pressure and abdominal perfusion pressures (APP) were decreased, and the cardiac index were increased in the PDNO group. Also, systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances were lower in the PDNO group compared with Controls. These experimental findings indicate that NO should be further explored with potential application to improve intestinal microcirculation in IAH patients.
Aeroelastic method to investigate nonlinear elastic wing structures
Authors: Bramsiepe Kjell , Klimmek Thomas , Krüger Wolf-Reiner , Tichy Lorenz
Published: August 2022

Stiffness directions of wing structures are already part of the optimisation in aircraft design. Aircraft like the A350 XWB and the Boeing 787 mainly consist of such composite material, whose stiffness directions can be optimised. To proceed with this stiffness optimisation, the aim of this work is to modify and optimise also the linear stress-strain relation. On that account, the Hooke’s law is exchanged by a multi-linear formulation to analyse any nonlinear elastic structural technology on wing structures. The wing structures, which are used to investigate the nonlinear behaviour, are deduced from a mid-range and a long-range aircraft configuration. These wings are analysed with an extended beam method and coupled with a VLM solution to calculate the aeroelastical loading. The proposed beam method is capable of analysing any multi-linear wing structure technology. A degressive structural behaviour shows up a good potential to reduce the bending moment which is one of the main drivers of the structural weight.
Augmentation and prediction of wick solar still productivity using artificial neural network integrated with tree–seed algorithm
Authors: Sharshir S. S. , Abd Elaziz M. , Elsheikh A.
Published: August 2022

This study introduces a modified artificial neural network (ANN) model based on the tree–seed algorithm (ANN-TSA) to predict the freshwater yield of conventional and developed wick solar stills. The proposed method depends on improving the performance of the ANN through finding the optimal weights of the neurons (elementary units in an ANN) using the TSA. The use of developed wick solar still (DWSS) with copper basin results in increasing the freshwater productivity by about 50% compared with that of conventional wick solar still (CWSS) with steel basin. Then, the proposed ANN-TSA method is utilized to predict the hourly productivity (HP) of CWSS with steel basin and DWSS with copper basin. The real recorded data of the system were used to train the developed models. The predicted HP results of the CWSS and DWSS using ANN-TSA as well as ANN were compared with the experimental results obtained. The present study proves that ANN-TSA can be used as an effective tool to predict the HP of the CWSS and DWSS better than the ANN based on different statistical criteria (R2, RMSE, MRE, and MAE).
Extension of a coupled mooring–viscous flow solver to account for mooring–joint–multibody interaction in waves
Authors: Jiang Changqing , el Moctar Ould
Published: August 2022

To account for nonlinear wave–structure interaction, mooring dynamics and the associated viscous flow effects, a coupled mooring–viscous flow solver was formerly developed and validated (Jiang et al. in Mar Struct 72:783, 2020a, Validation of a dynamic mooring model coupled with a RANS solver). This paper presents an extension of the coupled mooring–viscous flow solver to solve mooring dynamics interacting with an articulated multibody offshore system. The presently extended solver is verified by comparing the predicted motions of and loads on a moored floating box to those obtained from the formerly validated solver, which was aimed for solving mooring dynamics interacting with a single floating body. The almost identical results obtained from both solvers verify the presently developed multi-module coupling technique for solving the mooring dynamics and articulated multibody dynamics in a coupled manner. Apart from the code comparison and verification, the numerical predictions are also validated against experimental tank measurements both for a single body and an articulated multibody. The good agreements between the numerical predictions and the experimental measurements validate the presently extended solver, where wave-induced body motions together with loads acting on mooring lines and joint connections were examined. Developed as an open-source tool, the extended solver shows a potential of the coupled methodology for analyzing an articulated multibody offshore system, moored with various mooring configurations in extreme sea states, which goes beyond the state of the art.
Algorithms for optimal min hop and foremost paths in interval temporal graphs
Authors: Jain Anuj , Sahni Sartaj K.
Published: August 2022

Path problems are fundamental to the study of graphs. Temporal graphs are graphs in which the edges connecting the vertices change with time. Min hop paths problem in a temporal graph is the problem of finding time respecting paths from source vertex to every destination vertex such that the path goes through minimum number of edges. Foremost paths problem in a temporal graph requires to find time respecting paths that arrive at the destination vertices at earliest possible time. In this paper we present algorithms to find min hop paths and foremost paths in interval temporal graphs. These algorithms are benchmarked against the fastest algorithms known for foremost and min-hop paths by Wu et al. (IEEE Trans Knowl Data Eng 28(11):2927–2942, 2016a. https://doi.org/10.1109/TKDE.2016.2594065) that work on contact sequence temporal graph model. On the available test data, our foremost path algorithm provides a speedup of up to 1800 over the fastest algorithm for contact sequence graphs; the speedup for our min-hop algorithm is up to 6700. We also demonstrate that interval temporal graph model on which our algorithms work represents a superset of contact sequence temporal graphs. We show that path problems exist that are NP-hard in interval temporal graph model but polynomial in the contact sequence temporal graph model in terms of the number of vertices and edges in the input graph. This is due to the fact that the contact sequence graph model may require much larger number of edges than the corresponding interval temporal graph to represent a given temporal graph.
Seismic fragility analysis of concrete pile-supported wharves based on single-degree-of-freedom model
Authors: Feng Yunfen , Gao Shufei
Published: August 2022

This study proposes a new procedure to predict the seismic fragility curves of concrete pile-supported wharf based on an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model. The SDOF model is utilized to substitute the practical wharf structure during probabilistic seismic demand analysis for reducing the computational cost and complexity. The trilinear backbone cure and Pivot hysteresis model, whose parameters are determined by the pushover analysis of actual wharf, are incorporated in the SDOF model to represent hysteresis characteristics and strength degradation of wharf. To validate the reasonability of the proposed procedure, two case studies are conducted by comparing the difference of fragility curves developed from actual wharf and its equivalent SDOF model based on the cloud method. The results show that the curves are located very closely on the graph, and the curve of SDOF model is generally above that of actual wharf, which indicates that the SDOF model may provide a conservative assessment for fragility analysis of wharf.
The grasshopper and the ant: Chinese teenagers and their representation of Italian people
Authors: Berti Chiara , Potì Silvia , Passini Stefano , Di Fabio Fiorinda
Published: August 2022

The aim of this exploratory study is to provide a better understanding of the representation shared by Chinese teenagers in Italy about Italian people. As research into migrants’ attitudes toward the host culture and society is rare, this study aims to bridge this gap. In 2016, 22 low-income first and second-generation Chinese teenagers living in an Italian city were interviewed. Analysis of their narratives, performed with T-Lab, a text mining software, produced three thematic clusters: “value differences”, the most relevant, which highlights the contrast between the perceived Chinese ethics of sacrifice versus the Italian propensity for leisure; “peer relationships and school life” which points at difficulties and opportunities in the integration process; while in the “stereotypes and prejudices” cluster, a kaleidoscopic vision of others as enemies emerges.
Negative Learning Ant Colony Optimization for MaxSAT
Authors: Nurcahyadi Teddy , Blum Christian , Manyà Felip
Published: August 2022

Recently, a new negative learning variant of ant colony optimization (ACO) has been used to successfully tackle a range of combinatorial optimization problems. For providing stronger evidence of the general applicability of negative learning ACO, we investigate how it can be adapted to solve the Maximum Satisfiability problem (MaxSAT). The structure of MaxSAT is different from the problems considered to date and there exists only a few ACO approaches for MaxSAT. In this paper, we describe three negative learning ACO variants. They differ in the way in which sub-instances are solved at each algorithm iteration to provide negative feedback to the main ACO algorithm. In addition to using IBM ILOG CPLEX, two of these variants use existing MaxSAT solvers for this purpose. The experimental results show that the proposed negative learning ACO variants significantly outperform the baseline ACO as well as IBM ILOG CPLEX and the two MaxSAT solvers. This result is of special interest because it shows that negative learning ACO can be used to improve over the results of existing solvers by internally using them to solve smaller sub-instances.
The Politics Of Beauty
Authors: Shell Susan Meld
Published: August 2022

This Element examines the entirety of Kant's Critique of Taste (in Part One of the Critique of Judgment) with particular emphasis on its political and moral aims. Kant's critical treatment of aesthetic judgment is both an extended theoretical response to influential predecessors and contemporaries, including Rousseau and Herder, and a practical intervention in its own right meant to nudge history forward at a time of civilizational crisis. Attention to these themes helps resolve a number of puzzles, both textual and philosophic, including the normative force and meaning of judgments of taste, and the relation between natural and artful beauty.
Deep Learning of Detecting Ionospheric Precursors Associated With M ≥ 6.0 Earthquakes in Taiwan
Authors: Tsai T. C. , Jhuang H. K. , Ho Y. Y. , Lee L. C. , Su W. C. , Hung S. L. , Lee K. H. , Fu C. C. , Lin H. C. , Kuo C. L.
Published: August 2022

A short‐term (30 days before an earthquake) prediction of an earthquake is a big challenge in seismology. As a first step, we apply deep learning to the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) data between 2003 and 2014 to detect the seismo‐ionospheric precursors of M ≥ 6.0 earthquakes in Taiwan. The bidirectional Long Short‐Term Memory (Bi‐LSTM) network is employed to use observed input data (features) to obtain the sequential TEC variations. The five input features are sequential vectors of TEC, the geomagnetic index Dst, the solar activity index F10.7, sunspot number (SSN), and solar emission index Lyman‐α. The daily values of F10.7, SSN, and Lyman‐α are converted into hourly values, depending on the solar elevation angle. The calculated hourly TEC variations can be more precisely predicted with this data conversion. We calculate the normalized difference of errors between two 15‐day adjacent stages as the “relative error”. Three trained models with the best discrimination between the relative errors of earthquake and no‐earthquake cases are chosen as classifiers. These three classifiers are then used to have a majority vote to declare whether the 30‐day period is related to the preparation of an earthquake or not. The results show that all 22 positive cases (earthquakes) are successfully predicted, giving a true positive rate of 100%. Among the 19 negative cases (normal cases), 10 of them are true negative.” Overall, a high accuracy of 78.05% is obtained.
A Case Study of Midlatitude Noctilucent Clouds and Its Relationship to the Secondary‐Generation Gravity Waves Over Tropopause Inversion Layer
Authors: Miao Jiaxuan , Gao Haiyang , Kou Leilei , Zhang Yehui , Li Yan , Chu Zhigang , Bu Lingbing , Wang Zhen
Published: August 2022

A sporadic case of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) was observed unexpectedly on the night of the 6–7 July 2020 in Beijing (40°2′N, 115°30′E). The noticeable wavy structures and observed ambient temperature (135.54K at the mesosphere and lower thermosphere [MLT]), both indicated that the increase in temperature oscillations could be the cold phase of gravity waves (GWs). The reasons for NLC formation were analyzed based on the observations and model data sets in our study. The real‐time synoptic analysis revealed that there were GWs originally generated by a squall line in the troposphere. Due to the blocked effect of a stable tropopause inversion layer (TIL), the GWs broke, leading to strong energy dissipation near the TIL. The reverse ray tracing analysis between the TIL and NLCs' layer revealed the travel distance (206.88 km) and time (49.91 min) of GWs. These findings show that the turbulence over the TIL (at approximately 14.64 km) excited secondary GWs, which propagated upwards toward the mesosphere and probably interacted with diurnal and semi‐diurnal tides. The cold phase of the larger‐amplitude waves can provide optimal conditions for NLCs forming. Our study highlights the significance of dynamic coupling mechanisms regarding the effects from troposphere to MLT thermal conditions and offers a case study for the increasing occurrences of NLCs at midlatitudes.
Endothelial PDGF-BB/PDGFR-β signaling promotes osteoarthritis by enhancing angiogenesis-dependent abnormal subchondral bone formation
Authors: Cui Zhuang , Wu Hangtian , Xiao Ye , Xu Ting , Jia Junjie , Lin Hancheng , Lin Rongmin , Chen Kun , Lin Yihuang , Li Kaiqun , Wu Xiaohu , Li Changjun , Yu Bin
Published: August 2022

The mechanisms that coordinate the shift from joint homeostasis to osteoarthritis (OA) remain unknown. No pharmacological intervention can currently prevent the progression of osteoarthritis. Accumulating evidence has shown that subchondral bone deterioration is a primary trigger for overlying cartilage degeneration. We previously found that H-type vessels modulate aberrant subchondral bone formation during the pathogenesis of OA. However, the mechanism responsible for the elevation of H-type vessels in OA is still unclear. Here, we found that PDGFR-β expression, predominantly in the CD31hiEmcnhi endothelium, was substantially elevated in subchondral bones from OA patients and rodent OA models. A mouse model of OA with deletion of PDGFR-β in endothelial cells (ECs) exhibited fewer H-type vessels, ameliorated subchondral bone deterioration and alleviated overlying cartilage degeneration. Endothelial PDGFR-β promotes angiogenesis through the formation of the PDGFR-β/talin1/FAK complex. Notably, endothelium-specific inhibition of PDGFR-β by local injection of AAV9 in subchondral bone effectively attenuated the pathogenesis of OA compared with that of the vehicle-treated controls. Based on the results from this study, targeting PDGFR-β is a novel and promising approach for the prevention or early treatment of OA.
Multi-target action of β-alanine protects cerebellar tissue from ischemic damage
Authors: Kopach Olga , Rusakov Dmitri A. , Sylantyev Sergiy
Published: August 2022

Brain ischemic stroke is among the leading causes of death and long-term disability. New treatments that alleviate brain cell damage until blood supply is restored are urgently required. The emerging focus of anti-stroke strategies has been on blood-brain-barrier permeable drugs that exhibit multiple sites of action. Here, we combine single-cell electrophysiology with live-cell imaging to find that β-Alanine (β-Ala) protects key physiological functions of brain cells that are exposed to acute stroke-mimicking conditions in ex vivo brain preparations. β-Ala exerts its neuroprotective action through several distinct pharmacological mechanisms, none of which alone could reproduce the neuroprotective effect. Since β-Ala crosses the blood-brain barrier and is part of a normal human diet, we suggest that it has a strong potential for acute stroke treatment and facilitation of recovery.
Long noncoding RNA LINC00239 inhibits ferroptosis in colorectal cancer by binding to Keap1 to stabilize Nrf2
Authors: Han Yuying , Gao Xiaoliang , Wu Nan , Jin Yirong , Zhou He , Wang Weijie , Liu Hao , Chu Yi , Cao Jiayi , Jiang Mingzuo , Yang Suzhen , Shi Yanting , Xie Xin , Chen Fulin , Han Ying , Qin Wen , Xu Bing , Liang Jie
Published: August 2022

Ferroptosis, a novel regulated cell death induced by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, plays an important role in tumor development and drug resistance. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with various types of cancer. However, the precise roles of many lncRNAs in tumorigenesis remain elusive. Here we explored the transcriptomic profiles of lncRNAs in primary CRC tissues and corresponding paired adjacent non-tumor tissues by RNA-seq and found that LINC00239 was significantly overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues. Abnormally high expression of LINC00239 predicts poorer survival and prognosis in colorectal cancer patients. Concurrently, we elucidated the role of LINC00239 as a tumor-promoting factor in CRC through in vitro functional studies and in vivo tumor xenograft models. Importantly, overexpression of LINC00239 decreased the anti-tumor activity of erastin and RSL3 by inhibiting ferroptosis. Collectively, these data suggest that LINC00239 plays a novel and indispensable role in ferroptosis by nucleotides 1–315 of LINC00239 to interact with the Kelch domain (Nrf2-binding site) of Keap1, inhibiting Nrf2 ubiquitination and increasing Nrf2 protein stability. Considering the recurrence and chemoresistance constitute the leading cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC), ferroptosis induction may be a promising therapeutic strategy for CRC patients with low LINC00239 expression.
Deep learning image segmentation reveals patterns of UV reflectance evolution in passerine birds
Authors: He Yichen , Varley Zoë K. , Nouri Lara O. , Moody Christopher J. A. , Jardine Michael D. , Maddock Steve , Thomas Gavin H. , Cooney Christopher R.
Published: August 2022

Ultraviolet colouration is thought to be an important form of signalling in many bird species, yet broad insights regarding the prevalence of ultraviolet plumage colouration and the factors promoting its evolution are currently lacking. In this paper, we develop a image segmentation pipeline based on deep learning that considerably outperforms classical (i.e. non deep learning) segmentation methods, and use this to extract accurate information on whole-body plumage colouration from photographs of >24,000 museum specimens covering >4500 species of passerine birds. Our results demonstrate that ultraviolet reflectance, particularly as a component of other colours, is widespread across the passerine radiation but is strongly phylogenetically conserved. We also find clear evidence in support of the role of light environment in promoting the evolution of ultraviolet plumage colouration, and a weak trend towards higher ultraviolet plumage reflectance among bird species with ultraviolet rather than violet-sensitive visual systems. Overall, our study provides important broad-scale insight into an enigmatic component of avian colouration, as well as demonstrating that deep learning has considerable promise for allowing new data to be brought to bear on long-standing questions in ecology and evolution.
Degenerate boundaries for multiple-alternative decisions
Authors: Baker Sophie-Anne , Griffith Thom , Lepora Nathan F.
Published: August 2022

Integration-to-threshold models of two-choice perceptual decision making have guided our understanding of human and animal behavior and neural processing. Although such models seem to extend naturally to multiple-choice decision making, consensus on a normative framework has yet to emerge, and hence the implications of threshold characteristics for multiple choices have only been partially explored. Here we consider sequential Bayesian inference and a conceptualisation of decision making as a particle diffusing in n-dimensions. We show by simulation that, within a parameterised subset of time-independent boundaries, the optimal decision boundaries comprise a degenerate family of nonlinear structures that jointly depend on the state of multiple accumulators and speed-accuracy trade-offs. This degeneracy is contrary to current 2-choice results where there is a single optimal threshold. Such boundaries support both stationary and collapsing thresholds as optimal strategies for decision-making, both of which result from stationary representations of nonlinear boundaries. Our findings point towards a normative theory of multiple-choice decision making, provide a characterisation of optimal decision thresholds under this framework, and inform the debate between stationary and dynamic decision boundaries for optimal decision making.
Atomic partial wave meter by attosecond coincidence metrology
Authors: Jiang Wenyu , Armstrong Gregory S. J. , Tong Jihong , Xu Yidan , Zuo Zitan , Qiang Junjie , Lu Peifen , Clarke Daniel D. A. , Benda Jakub , Fleischer Avner , Ni Hongcheng , Ueda Kiyoshi , van der Hart Hugo W. , Brown Andrew C. , Gong Xiaochun , Wu Jian
Published: August 2022

Attosecond chronoscopy is central to the understanding of ultrafast electron dynamics in matter from gas to the condensed phase with attosecond temporal resolution. It has, however, not yet been possible to determine the timing of individual partial waves, and steering their contribution has been a substantial challenge. Here, we develop a polarization-skewed attosecond chronoscopy serving as a partial wave meter to reveal the role of each partial wave from the angle-resolved photoionization phase shifts in rare gas atoms. We steer the relative ratio between different partial waves and realize a magnetic-sublevel-resolved atomic phase shift measurement. Our experimental observations are well supported by time-dependent R-matrix numerical simulations and analytical soft-photon approximation analysis. The symmetry-resolved, partial-wave analysis identifies the transition rate and phase shift property in the attosecond photoelectron emission dynamics. Our findings provide critical insights into the ubiquitous attosecond optical timer and the underlying attosecond photoionization dynamics.
Revealing the spatiotemporal complexity of the magnitude distribution and b-value during an earthquake sequence
Authors: Herrmann Marcus , Piegari Ester , Marzocchi Warner
Published: August 2022

The Magnitude–Frequency-Distribution (MFD) of earthquakes is typically modeled with the (tapered) Gutenberg–Richter relation. The main parameter of this relation, theb-value, controls the relative rate of small and large earthquakes. Resolving spatiotemporal variations of theb-value is critical to understanding the earthquake occurrence process and improving earthquake forecasting. However, this variation is not well understood. Here we present remarkable MFD variability during the complex 2016/17 central Italy sequence using a high-resolution earthquake catalog. Isolating seismically active volumes (‘clusters’) reveals that the MFD differed in nearby clusters, varied or remained constant in time depending on the cluster, and increased inb-value in the cluster where the largest earthquake eventually occurred. These findings suggest that the fault system’s heterogeneity and complexity influence the MFD. Our findings raise the question “b-value of what?”: interpreting and using MFD variability needs a spatiotemporal scale that is physically meaningful, like the one proposed here.
Proteolytic processing induces a conformational switch required for antibacterial toxin delivery
Authors: Bartelli Nicholas L. , Passanisi Victor J. , Michalska Karolina , Song Kiho , Nhan Dinh Q. , Zhou Hongjun , Cuthbert Bonnie J. , Stols Lucy M. , Eschenfeldt William H. , Wilson Nicholas G. , Basra Jesse S. , Cortes Ricardo , Noorsher Zainab , Gabraiel Youssef , Poonen-Honig Isaac , Seacord Elizabeth C. , Goulding Celia W. , Low David A. , Joachimiak Andrzej , Dahlquist Frederick W. , Hayes Christopher S.
Published: August 2022

Many Gram-negative bacteria use CdiA effector proteins to inhibit the growth of neighboring competitors. CdiA transfers its toxic CdiA-CT region into the periplasm of target cells, where it is released through proteolytic cleavage. The N-terminal cytoplasm-entry domain of the CdiA-CT then mediates translocation across the inner membrane to deliver the C-terminal toxin domain into the cytosol. Here, we show that proteolysis not only liberates the CdiA-CT for delivery, but is also required to activate the entry domain for membrane translocation. Translocation function depends on precise cleavage after a conserved VENN peptide sequence, and the processed ∆VENN entry domain exhibits distinct biophysical and thermodynamic properties. By contrast, imprecisely processed CdiA-CT fragments do not undergo this transition and fail to translocate to the cytoplasm. These findings suggest that CdiA-CT processing induces a critical structural switch that converts the entry domain into a membrane-translocation competent conformation.
A brainstem monosynaptic excitatory pathway that drives locomotor activities and sympathetic cardiovascular responses
Authors: Koba Satoshi , Kumada Nao , Narai Emi , Kataoka Naoya , Nakamura Kazuhiro , Watanabe Tatsuo
Published: August 2022

Exercise including locomotion requires appropriate autonomic cardiovascular adjustments to meet the metabolic demands of contracting muscles, yet the functional brain architecture underlying these adjustments remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate brainstem circuitry that plays an essential role in relaying volitional motor signals, i.e., central command, to drive locomotor activities and sympathetic cardiovascular responses. Mesencephalic locomotor neurons in rats transmit central command-driven excitatory signals onto the rostral ventrolateral medulla at least partially via glutamatergic processes, to activate both somatomotor and sympathetic nervous systems. Optogenetic excitation of this monosynaptic pathway elicits locomotor and cardiovascular responses as seen during running exercise, whereas pathway inhibition suppresses the locomotor activities and blood pressure elevation during voluntary running without affecting basal cardiovascular homeostasis. These results demonstrate an important subcortical pathway that transmits central command signals, providing a key insight into the central circuit mechanism required for the physiological conditioning essential to maximize exercise performance.
High-entropy intermetallics on ceria as efficient catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane using CO2
Authors: Xing Feilong , Ma Jiamin , Shimizu Ken-ichi , Furukawa Shinya
Published: August 2022

The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane using CO2 (CO2-ODP) is a promising technique for high-yield propylene production and CO2 utilization. The development of a highly efficient catalyst for CO2-ODP is of great interest and benefit to the chemical industry as well as net zero emissions. Here, we report a unique catalyst material and design concept based on high-entropy intermetallics for this challenging chemistry. A senary (PtCoNi)(SnInGa) catalyst supported on CeO2 with a PtSn intermetallic structure exhibits a considerably higher catalytic activity, C3H6 selectivity, long-term stability, and CO2 utilization efficiency at 600 °C than previously reported. Multi-metallization of the Pt and Sn sites by Co/Ni and In/Ga, respectively, greatly enhances propylene selectivity, CO2 activation ability, thermal stability, and regenerable ability. The results obtained in this study can promote carbon-neutralization of industrial processes for light alkane conversion.
Distinct colon mucosa microbiomes associated with tubular adenomas and serrated polyps
Authors: Avelar-Barragan Julio , DeDecker Lauren , Lu Zachary N. , Coppedge Bretton , Karnes William E. , Whiteson Katrine L.
Published: August 2022

Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly and third most common cancer in the world. Its development is heterogenous, with multiple mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Two distinct mechanisms include the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and the serrated pathway. The gut microbiome has been identified as a key player in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence, but its role in serrated carcinogenesis is less clear. In this study, we characterized the gut microbiome of 140 polyp-free and polyp-bearing individuals using colon mucosa and fecal samples to determine if microbiome composition was associated with each of the two key pathways. We discovered significant differences between the microbiomes of colon mucosa and fecal samples, with sample type explaining 10–15% of the variation observed in the microbiome. Multiple mucosal brushings were collected from each individual to investigate whether the gut microbiome differed between polyp and healthy intestinal tissue, but no differences were found. Mucosal aspirate sampling revealed that the microbiomes of individuals with tubular adenomas and serrated polyps were significantly different from each other and polyp-free individuals, explaining 1–4% of the variance in the microbiome. Microbiome composition also enabled the accurate prediction of subject polyp types using Random Forest, which produced an area under curve values of 0.87–0.99. By directly sampling the colon mucosa and distinguishing between the different developmental pathways of colorectal cancer, our study helps characterize potential mechanistic targets for serrated carcinogenesis. This research also provides insight into multiple microbiome sampling strategies by assessing each method’s practicality and effect on microbial community composition.
Heuristic bounds on superconductivity and how to exceed them
Authors: Hofmann Johannes S. , Chowdhury Debanjan , Kivelson Steven A. , Berg Erez
Published: August 2022

What limits the value of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is a question of great fundamental and practical importance. Various heuristic upper bounds onTchave been proposed, expressed as fractions of the Fermi temperature,TF, the zero-temperature superfluid stiffness,ρs(0), or a characteristic Debye frequency,ω0. We show that while these bounds are physically motivated and are certainly useful in many relevant situations, none of them serve as a fundamental bound onTc. To demonstrate this, we provide explicit models whereTc/TF(with an appropriately definedTF),Tc/ρs(0), andTc/ω0are unbounded.
Ultrafast coherent interlayer phonon dynamics in atomically thin layers of MnBi2Te4
Authors: Bartram F. Michael , Leng Yu-Chen , Wang Yongchao , Liu Liangyang , Chen Xue , Peng Huining , Li Hao , Yu Pu , Wu Yang , Lin Miao-Ling , Zhang Jinsong , Tan Ping-Heng , Yang Luyi
Published: August 2022

The atomically thin MnBi2Te4 crystal is a novel magnetic topological insulator, exhibiting exotic quantum physics. Here we report a systematic investigation of ultrafast carrier dynamics and coherent interlayer phonons in few-layer MnBi2Te4 as a function of layer number using time-resolved pump-probe reflectivity spectroscopy. Pronounced coherent phonon oscillations from the interlayer breathing mode are directly observed in the time domain. We find that the coherent oscillation frequency, the photocarrier and coherent phonon decay rates all depend sensitively on the sample thickness. The time-resolved measurements are complemented by ultralow-frequency Raman spectroscopy measurements, which both confirm the interlayer breathing mode and additionally enable observation of the interlayer shear mode. The layer dependence of these modes allows us to extract both the out-of-plane and in-plane interlayer force constants. Our studies not only reveal the interlayer van der Waals coupling strengths, but also shed light on the ultrafast optical properties of this novel two-dimensional material.
Real-world effectiveness of a social-psychological intervention translated from controlled trials to classrooms
Authors: Chen Patricia , Teo Dennis W. H. , Foo Daniel X. Y. , Derry Holly A. , Hayward Benjamin T. , Schulz Kyle W. , Hayward Caitlin , McKay Timothy A. , Ong Desmond C.
Published: August 2022

Social-psychological interventions have raised the learning and performance of students in rigorous efficacy trials. Yet, after they are distributed “in the wild” for students to self-administer, there has been little research following up on their translational effectiveness. We used cutting-edge educational technology to tailor, scale up, and track a previously-validated Strategic Resource Use intervention among 12,065 college students in 14 STEM and Economics classes. Students who self-administered this “Exam Playbook” benefitted by an average of 2.17 percentage points (i.e., a standardized effect size of 0.18), compared to non-users. This effect size was 1.65 percentage points when controlling for college entrance exam scores and 1.75 [−1.88] for adding [dropping] the Exam Playbook in stratified matching analyses. Average benefits differed in magnitude by the conduciveness of the class climate (including peer norms and incentives), gender, first-generation status, as well as how often and how early they used the intervention. These findings on how, when, and who naturally adopts these resources address a need to improve prediction, translation, and scalability of social-psychological intervention benefits.
Principal Component Analyses (PCA)-based findings in population genetic studies are highly biased and must be reevaluated
Authors: Elhaik Eran
Published: August 2022

Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a multivariate analysis that reduces the complexity of datasets while preserving data covariance. The outcome can be visualized on colorful scatterplots, ideally with only a minimal loss of information. PCA applications, implemented in well-cited packages like EIGENSOFT and PLINK, are extensively used as the foremost analyses in population genetics and related fields (e.g., animal and plant or medical genetics). PCA outcomes are used to shape study design, identify, and characterize individuals and populations, and draw historical and ethnobiological conclusions on origins, evolution, dispersion, and relatedness. The replicability crisis in science has prompted us to evaluate whether PCA results are reliable, robust, and replicable. We analyzed twelve common test cases using an intuitive color-based model alongside human population data. We demonstrate that PCA results can be artifacts of the data and can be easily manipulated to generate desired outcomes. PCA adjustment also yielded unfavorable outcomes in association studies. PCA results may not be reliable, robust, or replicable as the field assumes. Our findings raise concerns about the validity of results reported in the population genetics literature and related fields that place a disproportionate reliance upon PCA outcomes and the insights derived from them. We conclude that PCA may have a biasing role in genetic investigations and that 32,000-216,000 genetic studies should be reevaluated. An alternative mixed-admixture population genetic model is discussed.
Improvement in fruit yield and tolerance to salinity of tomato plants fertigated with micronutrient amounts of iodine
Authors: Kiferle Claudia , Gonzali Silvia , Beltrami Sara , Martinelli Marco , Hora Katja , Holwerda Harmen Tjalling , Perata Pierdomenico
Published: August 2022

Iodine is an essential micronutrient for humans, but its role in plant physiology was debated for nearly a century. Recently its functional involvement in plant nutrition and stress-protection collected the first experimental evidence. This study wanted to examine in depth the involvement of iodine in tomato plant nutrition, also evaluating its potential on salt stress tolerance. To this end, iodine was administered at dosages effective for micronutrients to plants grown in different experimental systems (growth chamber and greenhouse), alone or in presence of a mild-moderate NaCl-salinity stress. Plant vegetative fitness, fruit yield and quality, biochemical parameters and transcriptional activity of selected stress-responsive genes were evaluated. In unstressed plants, iodine increased plant growth and fruit yield, as well as some fruit qualitative parameters. In presence of salt stress, iodine mitigated some of the negative effects observed, according to the iodine/NaCl concentrations used. Some fruit parameters and the expressions of the stress marker genes analyzed were affected by the treatments, explaining, at least in part, the increased plant tolerance to the salinity. This study thus reconfirms the functional involvement of iodine in plant nutrition and offers evidence towards the use of minute amounts of it as a beneficial nutrient for crop production.
Osteogenic transdifferentiation of primary human fibroblasts to osteoblast-like cells with human platelet lysate
Authors: Cayami Ferdy K. , Claeys Lauria , de Ruiter Ruben , Smilde Bernard J. , Wisse Lisanne , Bogunovic Natalija , Riesebos Elise , Eken Lyra , Kooi Irsan , Sistermans Erik A. , Bravenboer Nathalie , Pals Gerard , Faradz Sultana M. H. , Sie Daoud , Eekhoff E. Marelise W. , Micha Dimitra
Published: August 2022

Inherited bone disorders account for about 10% of documented Mendelian disorders and are associated with high financial burden. Their study requires osteoblasts which play a critical role in regulating the development and maintenance of bone tissue. However, bone tissue is not always available from patients. We developed a highly efficient platelet lysate-based approach to directly transdifferentiate skin-derived human fibroblasts to osteoblast-like cells. We extensively characterized our in vitro model by examining the expression of osteoblast-specific markers during the transdifferentiation process both at the mRNA and protein level. The transdifferentiated osteoblast-like cells showed significantly increased expression of a panel of osteogenic markers. Mineral deposition and ALP activity were also shown, confirming their osteogenic properties. RNA-seq analysis allowed the global study of changes in the transcriptome of the transdifferentiated cells. The transdifferentiated cells clustered separately from the primary fibroblasts with regard to the significantly upregulated genes indicating a distinct transcriptome profile; transdifferentiated osteoblasts also showed significant enrichment in gene expression related to skeletal development and bone mineralization. Our presented in vitro model may potentially contribute to the prospect of studying osteoblast-dependent disorders in patient-derived cells.
Influence of long-term intensive use of irrigated meadow-chernozem soil on the biological activity and productivity of the arable layer
Authors: Shuliko Natalia Nikolaevna , Khamova Olga Fedorovna , Timokhin Artem Yur’yevich , Boiko Vasiliy Sergeyevich , Tukmacheva Elena Vasilevna , Krempa Anna
Published: August 2022

The research was carried out on the territory of the Russian Federation in the forest-steppe region of the south Western Siberia (Omsk state), in the long-term (43 years) stationary experiment. Sprinkling was used for irrigation in the experiment. The number of different physiological groups of microorganisms, the cellulolytic activity of the soil, and nitrification capacity were determined under the sowing of an eight-field grain-grass crop rotation (perennial grasses (Bunias orientalis L. + Bromopsis inermis L. + Galega orientalis Lam. 6–8 years old), spring barley Hordeum vulgare Leyss.—variety Sasha). Immobilization processes predominated in the soil under the sowed crops, it contributes to the preservation of soil organic matter (mineralization coefficient SAA/MPA < 1). The highest transformation ratio of soil organic matter, i.e. increased conversion of plant residues into organic matter, was noted with applying nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers (N60P60) under the barley. The combination of irrigation factors and the use of mineral fertilizers (N30-60P60) were contributed to the growth of the microorganisms’ population, the amplification of decomposition of cellulose, and improvement of nitrification capacity in the soil. The perennial irrigation of the meadow-chernozem soil and the application of intensive technology of cultivation of crops in crop rotation stimulated the growth of the microorganisms’ population and didn’t detriment the ecological state of the soil.