bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nanoscale Borate Coating Network Stabilized Iron Oxide Anode for High‐Energy‐Density Bipolar Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Dong Wujie , Zhao Yantao , Cai Mingzhi , Dong Chenlong , Ma Wenqin , Pan Jun , Lv Zhuoran , Dong Hang , Dong Yanhao , Tang Yufeng , Huang Fuqiang
Published: January 2023

High‐capacity metal oxides based on non‐toxic earth‐abundant elements offer unique opportunities as advanced anodes for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). But they often suffer from large volumetric expansion, particle pulverization, extensive side reactions, and fast degradations during cycling. Here, an easy synthesis method is reported to construct amorphous borate coating network, which stabilizes conversion‐type iron oxide anode for the high‐energy‐density semi‐solid‐state bipolar LIBs. The nano‐borate coated iron oxide anode has high tap density (1.6 g cm−3), high capacity (710 mAh g−1 between 0.5 – 3.0 V, vs Li/Li+), good rate performance (200 mAh g−1 at 50 C), and excellent cycling stability (≈100% capacity resention over 1,000 cycles at 5 A g−1). When paired with high‐voltage cathode LiCoO2, it enables Cu current collector‐free pouch‐type classic and bipolar full cells with high voltage (7.6 V with two stack layers), achieving high energy density (≈350 Wh kg−1), outstanding power density (≈6,700 W kg−1), and extended cycle life (75% capacity retention after 2,000 cycles at 2 C), superior to the state‐of‐the‐art high‐power LIBs using Li4Ti5O12 anode. The design and methodology of the nanoscale polyanion‐like coating can be applied to other metal oxides electrode materials, as well as other electrochemical materials and devices.
Improved Cycling of Li||NMC811 Batteries under Practical Conditions by a Localized High‐Concentration Electrolyte
Authors: Guo Feng , Chen Xi , Hou Yuhan , Wei Wenshuo , Wang Zhicheng , Yu Hao , Xu Jingjing
Published: January 2023

Li||NMC811 battery, with lithium‐metal (high specific capacity and low redox potential) as anode and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NMC811) as cathode, has been widely accepted to be a good candidate as one of the high‐energy‐density batteries. However, its cyclability needs improvement to fulfill the requirement for its future commercial use, especially under practical conditions. Electrolyte plays a key role in improving the cycling performance of Li||NMC811 batteries, where a high voltage/electrochemical window and good stability with the electrodes of the electrolyte are required. Herein, a localized high‐concentration electrolyte with an additive of lithium difluoro(oxalate)borate (LiDFOB) is reported that improves the cycling performance of Li||NMC811 cells under crucial conditions with Li foil thickness of 50 µm, cathode areal loading of 4 mAh cm−2, the areal capacity ratio between the negative and positive electrodes (N/P ratio) of 2.6 and the electrolyte/cell capacity ratio (E/C ratio) of 3.0 g (Ah)−1. These cells can maintain 80% of the capacity after 195 cycles.
Engineering Under‐Coordinated Active Sites with Tailored Chemical Microenvironments over Mosaic Bismuth Nanosheets for Selective CO2 Electroreduction to Formate
Authors: Sheng Youwei , Guo Yiyi , Yu Hongjie , Deng Kai , Wang Ziqiang , Li Xiaonian , Wang Hongjing , Wang Liang , Xu You
Published: January 2023

Selective electrochemical reduction of CO2 into fuels or chemical feedstocks is a promising avenue to achieve carbon‐neutral goal, but its development is severely limited by the lack of highly efficient electrocatalysts. Herein, cation‐exchange strategy is combined with electrochemical self‐reconstruction strategy to successfully develop diethylenetriamine‐functionalized mosaic Bi nanosheets (mBi‐DETA NSs) for selective electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to formate, delivering a superior formate Faradaic efficiency of 96.87% at a low potential of −0.8 VRHE. Mosaic nanosheet morphology of Bi can sufficiently expose the under‐coordinated Bi active sites and promote the activation of CO2 molecules to form the OCHO−* intermediate. Moreover, in situ attenuated total reflectance infrared spectra further corroborate that surface chemical microenvironment modulation of mosaic Bi nanosheets via DETA functionalization can improve CO2 adsorption on the catalyst surface and stabilize the key intermediate (OCHO−*) due to the presence of amine groups, thus facilitate the CO2‐to‐HCOO− reaction kinetics and promote formate formation.
Sb‐Mediated Tuning of Growth‐ and Exciton Dynamics in Entirely Catalyst‐Free GaAsSb Nanowires
Authors: Jeong Hyowon W. , Ajay Akhil , Yu Haiting , Döblinger Markus , Mukhundhan Nitin , Finley Jonathan J. , Koblmüller Gregor
Published: January 2023

Vapor‐liquid‐solid (VLS) growth is the mainstream method in realizing advanced semiconductor nanowires (NWs), as widely applied to many III‐V compounds. It is exclusively explored also for antimony (Sb) compounds, such as the relevant GaAsSb‐based NW materials, although morphological inhomogeneities, phase segregation, and limitations in the supersaturation due to Sb strongly inhibit their growth dynamics. Fundamental advances are now reported here via entirely catalyst‐free GaAsSb NWs, where particularly the Sb‐mediated effects on the NW growth dynamics and physical properties are investigated in this novel growth regime. Remarkably, depending on GaAsSb composition and nature of the growth surface, both surfactant and anti‐surfactant action is found, as seen by transitions between growth acceleration and deceleration characteristics. For threshold Sb‐contents up to 3–4%, adatom diffusion lengths are increased ≈sevenfold compared to Sb‐free GaAs NWs, evidencing the significant surfactant effect. Furthermore, microstructural analysis reveals unique Sb‐mediated transitions in compositional structure, as well as substantial reduction in twin defect density, ≈tenfold over only small compositional range (1.5–6% Sb), exhibiting much larger dynamics as found in VLS‐type GaAsSb NWs. The effect of such extended twin‐free domains is corroborated by ≈threefold increases in exciton lifetime (≈4.5 ns) due to enlarged electron‐hole pair separation in these phase‐pure NWs.
Ultrathin Hollow Co/N/C Spheres from Hyper‐Crosslinked Polymers by a New Universal Strategy with Boosted ORR Efficiency
Authors: Zhan Zhen , Yu Junchen , Li Shuqing , Yi Xiaoxuan , Wang Jingyu , Wang Shaolei , Tan Bien
Published: January 2023

Porous carbon materials with hollow structure, on account of the extraordinary morphology, reveal fascinating prospects in lithium‐ion batteries, electrocatalysis, etc. However, collapse in ultrathin carbon spheres due to insufficient rigidity in such thin materials obstructs further enhanced capability. Based on hyper‐crosslinked polymers (HCPs) with sufficient pore structure and rigid framework, a new bottom‐up strategy is proposed to construct SiO2@HCPs directly from aromatic monomers. Heteroatom and function groups can be facilely introduced to the skeleton. The thickness of HCPs’ wall can be tuned from 9 to 20 nm, which is much thinner than that of hollow sphere synthesized by the traditional method, and the sample with a thickness of 20 nm shows the highest surface area of 1633 m2 g−1. The oxygen reduction reaction is conducted and the CoNHCS electrocatalysts with an ultrathin thickness of 5 nm display higher half‐wave potential than those of bulk samples, even better than commercial Pt/C electrode. On account of the hollow structure, the relative current density loss of electrocatalysts is only 4.1% in comparison with 27.7% in Pt/C electrode during the 15 000 s test, indicating an obvious higher long‐term stability. The new strategy to construct hollow HCPs may shed light on efficient chemical catalysis, drug delivery, and electrocatalysis.
Self‐Terminating Surface Reconstruction Induced by High‐Index Facets of Delafossite for Accelerating Ammonia Oxidation Reaction Involving Lattice Oxygen
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Jiang Huimin , Yan Liting , Zhao Yanchao , Yang Lingzhi , Fu Qiuju , Li Dawei , Zhang Jun , Zhao Xuebo
Published: January 2023

Ammonia (NH3) is a promising hydrogen (H2) carrier for future carbon‐free energy systems, due to its high hydrogen content and easiness to be liquefied. Inexpensive and efficient catalysts for ammonia electro‐oxidation reaction (AOR) are desired in whole ammonia‐based energy systems. In this work, ultrasmall delafossite (CuFeO2) polyhedrons with exposed high‐index facets are prepared by a one‐step NH3‐assisted hydrothermal method, serving as AOR pre‐catalysts. The high‐index CuFeO2 facet is revealed to facilitate surface reconstruction into active Cu‐doped FeOOH nanolayers during AOR processes in ammonia alkaline solutions, which is driven by the favorable Cu leaching and terminates as the 2p levels of internal lattice oxygen change. The reconstructed heterostructures of CuFeO2 and Cu‐doped FeOOH effectively activate the dehydrogenation steps of NH3 and exhibit a potential improvement of 260 mV for electrocatalytic AOR at 10 mA cm−2 compared to the pre‐restructured phase. Further, density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that a lower energy barrier of the rate‐determining step (*NH3 to *NH2) is presented on high‐index CuFeO2 facets covered with Cu‐doped FeOOH nanolayers. Innovatively, lattice oxygen atoms in Fe‐based oxides and oxyhydroxide are involved in the dehydrogenation steps of AOR as a proton acceptor, broadening the horizons for rational designs of AOR catalysts.
Entropy‐Driven Ultrafast Ion Conduction Via Confining Organic Plastic Crystals in Ordered Nanochannels of Covalent Organic Frameworks
Authors: Wang Jing , Liu Lili , Liu Yukun , Zhang Xian‐Ming , Li Juan
Published: January 2023

Low conductivity over a wide temperature region due to ultra‐slow ion migration dynamics is a key issue in the field of solid‐state electrolytes (SSE), which needs to be solved and improved. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a rapidly growing class of porous crystalline materials, emerge as a new research hotspot in the field of SSEs. This is due to their homogeneously dispersed sites and well‐defined pathways for ion diffusion, demonstrating great advantages over conventional non‐porous solids. Herein, a composite solid electrolyte by confining organic ionic plastic crystal (OIPC) in the 1D ordered nanochannels of COFs as the host matrix for solid‐state lithium‐ion conduction, is reported. Due to the loss of coupling between PBu4+ cations and TFSI− anions, the cation–anion interaction is weakened; and thus, the lithium‐ion transportation is facilitated. As a result, the COF‐confining OIPC SSEs show ultra‐high lithium‐ion conductivity of 0.048 S cm−1 at 30 °C and 0.021 S cm−1 at the extremely low temperature of −30 °C. The dynamic origin of this fast ion conduction is characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and variable temperature solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.
Boosting Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Nitroaromatic via Synergy of Hydrogen Spillover and Preferential Adsorption on Magnetically Recoverable Pt@Fe2O3
Authors: Yue Guichu , Yu Yu , Li Shuai , Li Huaike , Gao Songwei , Wang Yaqiong , Guo Wei , Wang Nü , Li Xiuling , Cui Zhimin , Cao Changyan , Jiang Lei , Zhao Yong
Published: January 2023

It is highly desired but challenging to design high performance catalyst for selective hydrogenation of nitro compounds into amino compounds. Herein, a boosting chemoselective hydrogenation strategy on Pt@Fe2O3is proposed with gradient oxygen vacancy by synergy of hydrogen spillover and preferential adsorption. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the nitro is preferentially adsorbed onto oxygen vacancy of Pt@Fe2O3, meanwhile, the H2dissociated on Pt nanoparticles and then spillover to approach the nitro for selective hydrogenation (>99% conversion of 4‐nitrostyrene, > 99% selectivity of 4‐aminostyrene, TOF of 2351 h−1). Moreover, the iron oxide support endows the catalyst magnetic retrievability. This high activity, selectivity, and easy recovery strategy provide a promising avenue for selective hydrogenation catalysis of various nitroaromatic.
DevOps: Is there a gap between education and industry?
Authors: Sánchez‐Cifo Miguel Ángel , Bermejo Pablo , Navarro Elena
Published: January 2023

DevOps has been identified by industry as one of the cornerstones of their development process. It is not just a set of tools but a set of principles and practices to build an efficient team improving the communication and collaboration. Its importance has greatly impacted even hiring processes being DevOps Engineer among the most recruited jobs according to LinkedIn. But it is not clear whether universities have noticed the magnitude this movement has attained in industry, despite the need of higher education and industry building up advances together. This led us to determine whether there is a gap between the training provided by higher education and the one expected from industry. For this aim, a questionnaire, defined after a careful review of the literature, has been run worldwide to answer the four research questions. The analysis arose several conclusions, such as higher prevalence of use than of training for most of the analyzed technological practices, except for those related to architecture, probably due to the migration cost these require. It was also found that the two practices with higher prevalence in industry, feedback and limit‐WIP, are scarcely trained in higher education. These conclusions provide interesting advice for future adaptations of computer science degrees.
The impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the globalization on how automotive assessments will be performed in the future
Authors: Sameh Samer , Meza Selina , Ekert Damjan , Messnarz Richard
Published: January 2023

Until 2019 the VDA (German Automotive Association) did not accept online assessments. Then the pandemic of COVID‐19 led to a situation where for a certain time, travel and cooperation on site were not allowed any more. The VDA then allowed online assessments and hybrid assessments. Hybrid means that part of the assessment team is on place and part of the team is online connected. However, also full online assessments were allowed. In 2022, the impact of COVID‐19 decreased and still the online setup of assessments maintained. This paper will discuss this situation and outline a study from Valeo, which gives feedback about these online assessments and their effectiveness.
Antireflection Coatings Based on Randomly Oriented ZnO Nanowires
Authors: Tamulevičius Tomas , Laurikėnas Paulius , Juodėnas Mindaugas , Mardosaitė Rasa , Abakevičienė Brigita , Pereyra Carlos Javier , Račkauskas Simas
Published: January 2023

Glass is the most widely used transparent material for photovoltaic (PV) panels. Unfortunately, the glass introduces an additional interface and therefore optical losses, which can be mitigated using antireflection (AR) coatings. This article reports a scalable method to prepare AR coatings from ZnO nanowires (NWs) sorted by their size. The measured AR performance depends on the coating coverage and ZnO NW size, which is explained by scattering and absorption cross section simulations. Randomly oriented and size fractioned ZnO NWs with an average diameter of 19–30 nm and lengths of 121–273 nm demonstrate increased transmittance and decreased reflectance compared to a glass substrate in case of low coverage. The experimental PV modules with ZnO NW coatings show an 1.2% increase of the short circuit current. A strategy to decouple ZnO NW synthesis from AR coating preparation allows to tune NW reflectance and other optical properties by varying the length, diameter, and orientation of the constituent NWs. The proposed AR coating made from size‐sorted nanomaterials is not limited to ZnO and the method could be adapted to other materials and nanostructures.
Spectroscopic Evidence of Intraband Gap States in α‐SnWO4 Photoanodes Introduced by Interface Oxidation
Authors: Schnell Patrick , Fernandez Erwin , Obata Keisuke , Rojas Jennifer Velázquez , Favaro Marco , Dittrich Thomas , van de Krol Roel , Abdi Fatwa F.
Published: January 2023

α‐SnWO4 is an emerging photoelectrode material for photoelectrochemical water splitting, with several promising properties such as the favorable bandgap of 1.9 eV and suitable positions of the valence and conduction band. However, a major challenge remains: unprotected α‐SnWO4 undergoes surface passivation that blocks further charge transfer, and α‐SnWO4 electrodes that are covered with a protection/catalytic overlayer (e.g., NiOx, CoOx) show limited photovoltage. Earlier studies reveal that interfacial oxidation occurs due to the deposition of the overlayer. This negatively impacts the photovoltage that can be extracted, which is attributed to Fermi‐level pinning at the interface. The exact origin of this Fermi‐level pinning mechanism, however, remains unclear. In the present study, a combination of surface photovoltage analysis and hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to elucidate the electronic structure of the α‐SnWO4/oxide interface. Both techniques offer compelling and consistent evidence for the presence of a defect state that is energetically located within the bandgap energy of α‐SnWO4 and is likely responsible for the Fermi‐level pinning.
In Situ Study the Dynamics of Blade‐Coated All‐Polymer Bulk Heterojunction Formation and Impact on Photovoltaic Performance of Solar Cells
Authors: Yao Nannan , Fan Qunping , Genene Zewdneh , Liu Heng , Xia Yuxin , Wen Guanzhao , Yuan Yusheng , Moons Ellen , van Stam Jan , Zhang Wei , Lu Xinhui , Wang Ergang , Zhang Fengling
Published: January 2023

All‐polymer solar cells (all‐PSCs) have achieved impressive progress by employing acceptors polymerized from well performing small‐molecule non‐fullerene acceptors. Herein, the device performance and morphology evolution in blade‐coated all‐PSCs based on PBDBT:PF5–Y5 blends prepared from two different solvents, chlorobenzene (CB), and ortho‐xylene (o‐XY) are studied. The absorption spectra in CB solution indicate more ordered conformation for PF5–Y5. The drying process of PBDBT:PF5–Y5 blends is monitored by in situ multifunctional spectroscopy and the final film morphology is characterized with ex situ techniques. Finer‐mixed donor/acceptor nanostructures are obtained in CB‐cast film than that in o‐XY‐cast ones, corresponding to more efficient charge generation in the solar cells. More importantly, the conformation of polymers in solution determines the overall film morphology and the device performance. The relatively more ordered structure in CB‐cast films is beneficial for charge transport and reduced non‐radiative energy loss. Therefore, to achieve high‐performance all‐PSCs with small energy loss, it is crucial to gain favorable aggregation in the initial stage in solution.
X‐ray Computed Tomography Characterization of Slag Crust and the Effect of Bubbles and Metallic Iron in Slag on Heat Transfer to Copper Stave
Authors: Wang Cui , Ma Hengbao , Liu Yanxiang , Zhang Jianliang , Zong Yanbing , Zhang Lei , Fan Xiaoyue
Published: January 2023

Understanding the heat transfer properties of the slag crust is critical to the safe operation of copper staves. The distribution of metallic iron and bubbles in the slag crust is detected by X‐ray computed tomography. The thermal conductivity of the slag crust is modified based on an effective thermal conductivity model and laser thermal conductivity measurements to predict the effect of metallic iron and bubbles on the heat transfer in the slag crust. The results show that the average volume fractions of metallic iron and air bubbles in the slag crust are 3% and 4.5%, respectively. The measured value is consistent with the trend of the effective thermal conductivity calculation model, and the calculation result of the Maxwell–Eucken effective thermal conductivity model is very accurate. Variations in the volume fraction of metallic iron in the slag crust have a greater effect on the thickness of the slag crust, while variations in the volume fraction of bubbles have a smaller effect on the thickness of the slag crust. It is recommended to keep it between 10 and 30 mm in blast furnace production to help improve the operational life of the copper stave.
Effect of Heat Treatment Processes on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Spray‐Formed 440C Martensitic Stainless Steel
Authors: Rodríguez Vania M. , López-Morelos Víctor Hugo , Nadimpalli Venkata Karthik , Bue Pedersen David , Ruiz Alberto , Somers Marcel A. J.
Published: January 2023

Herein, 440C martensitic stainless steel (440C MSS) is manufactured by spray forming (SF) technology. Microstructural and mechanical properties such as strength, ductility, and toughness are evaluated after quenching and tempering–partitioning (Q–TP) and quenching–intercritical–quenching–tempering (Q–IQ–T) heat treatments. The microstructural features that control the deformation and fracture behavior of the heat‐treated specimens are discussed. The experimental results show that after austenitizing at 1050 °C, the material exhibits no apparent plastic deformation before fracture. However, specimens austenitized above 1050 °C and the specimen subjected to Q–IQ–T exhibit an improvement in the tensile properties by showing an elastic–plastic transition that is related to the strain‐induced martensitic transformation of retained austenite formed during the Q–TP process and to a decrease in the volume fraction of martensite with increasing austenitizing temperature. Also, it is observed that the strain hardening rate decreases with increasing austenitizing temperature. Furthermore, the stress–strain data suggest that the Q–IQ–T heat treatment effectively improves the toughness and ductility of the steel without compromising strength. The results indicate that the mechanical response of the SF‐440C MSS can be tailored by adjusting the heat treatment parameters to enable better design for industrial applications.
Effect of Isothermal Treatment on Microstructure and Performance of Micro/Nanostructure 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel Prepared by Aluminothermic Reaction
Authors: Zheng Yuehong , Zhu Sijia , He Tiannan , La Peiqing , Zhan Faqi , Zhu Min , Xu Shipeng
Published: January 2023

Using an appropriate heat treatment process to control the precipitation of the σ phase, while regulating the alloy structure and grain size, is one of the effective ways to obtain good comprehensive properties of duplex stainless steel (DSS). Herein, the feasibility and preparation parameters of micro/nanostructure 2205 DSS prepared by the aluminothermic reaction are explored. The microstructure and properties are further controlled by isothermal treatment at 1000 °C for a different time. The results show that the volume percentages of α and γ phases in the 1.0 h isothermal treated steel obtain a maximum value and a minimum value, corresponding to 60% and 36%, respectively. The evolution of microstructure with isothermal treatment also affects the content and morphology of the precipitated σ phase, which changes from continuous precipitation to granular precipitation at the α/γ phase boundaries, and its volume percentage obtains a minimum value when the isothermal treatment is performed for 1.0 h. With the increase of heat treatment time, the average grain size and volume fraction of nanocrystals increase gradually. Corresponding to the changes in microstructure and grain size, the maximum values of Vickers hardness and tensile properties of the alloy are obtained after 1.0 h isothermal treatment.
Effect of Magnesium Treatment and Cooling Method on Manganese Sulfide in U75V Heavy‐Rail Steel Deoxidized by Si–Mn
Authors: Zhuo Chao , Zhang Yulei , Zhao Zirong , Hao Xiaoshuai , Wu Huajie , Sun Yanhui
Published: January 2023

The effect of magnesium (Mg) on the morphology of sulfides in silicon–manganese deoxidized low‐sulfur and low‐aluminum steels is investigated by adding different amounts of nickel–magnesium (Ni–Mg) alloy to a heavy‐rail steel U75V melt and cooling the melt from 1600 °C to room temperature under different conditions. Herein, the effects of Mg content and cooling rate on MnS inclusions are investigated. It is indicated that with an increase in the Mg content in molten steel from 0 to 64 ppm, the main composition of inclusions changes following the path of CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 → MgO–Al2O3–MnS → MgO–MnS–MgS. Mg significantly inhibits the precipitation of long‐strip MnS and can decrease the average size and aspect ratio of the inclusions. Under furnace cooling, when Mg is 41 ppm, the minimum aspect ratio of the inclusions is 1.61. The higher the cooling rate, the smaller the inclusion size; however, compared to water and furnace coolings, with cooling rates of 126.3 and 0.12 °C s−1, respectively, the inclusion aspect ratio of the air‐cooling conditions with a cooling rate of 67.7 °C s−1 is low. Finally, thermal simulations verify the effect of Mg treatment on the suppression of MnS deformation during rolling.
End‐Point Dynamic Control Model for 260 Tons BOF Steelmaking Based on PWWTSVR and LWOA
Authors: Wang Miao , Li Shengli , Gao Chuang , Ai Xingang , Zhai Baopeng
Published: January 2023

The control of end‐point carbon content and temperature is very important for basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking. Herein, to improve the control precision of the BOF end‐point, a new dynamic control model of the BOF end‐point is proposed. First, based on the samples of low‐carbon steel collected from the steel plant, a prediction model of BOF end point is established by using projection wavelet weighted twin support vector regression (PWWTSVR). It is indicated in the simulation results that the error bound of carbon content and temperature are 0.005 wt% and 10 °C, respectively, and the hit rates of the prediction models are 92% and 90%. Moreover, a double hit rate of 84% is higher than the other five prediction models. Based on the PWWTSVR prediction model, a Lévy‐flying whale optimization algorithm (LWOA) is used to optimize the objective function to establish the control model. The control model shows that the mean absolute error of the end‐blow oxygen volume calculated by the model is 75.0201 Nm3, which is smaller by comparing the other two control models. The proposed control model can provide efficient guidance for on‐site smelting personnel.
Reconstructing Tumor Microenvironment Using Photoresponsive Cyanobacteria to Reversal Chemoresistance for Robust Chemotherapy
Authors: He Huamei , Zhu Denghui , Ma Aiqing , Ren Jian , Chen Ze , Ran Hui , Li Zhaozhen , Qin Ruiqing , Liang Ruijing , Liu Lanlan , Cai Lintao
Published: January 2023

The solid tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in tumor biological behavior, development, and chemoresistance. Herein, a promising strategy is reported to remodel the TME and combat chemoresistance by employing the photoresponsive cyanobacteria (Synechococcus 7942, Syne). Syne exhibits inherent motility and enhanced permeability and retention effects to penetrate deep into the tumor. Under a 660 nm laser irradiation, Syne keeps a controllable, continuous, and robust O2 production ability through photosynthesis to alleviate tumor hypoxia and reduce monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) expression and exerts a gentle photodynamic effect by generating reactive oxidative species (ROS) in situ. In addition, adequate O2 supplement and ROS can not only facilitate intracellular doxorubicin (DOX) accumulation but also increase the drug sensitivity of tumor cells by downregulating the expression of chemoresistance‐related genes (e.g., heat shock factor‐1, mutant P53, and P‐glycoprotein). Compared with free DOX treatment, photoresponsive Syne with laser irradiation facilitates the deep penetration and accumulation of DOX in the tumor. Importantly, this Syne‐boosted chemotherapy achieves 100% survival in mice and complete tumor ablation with no evident systemic toxicity over a span of 90 days. Overall, this study presents a new insight and strategy to overcome chemotherapeutic resistance and eliminate tumors.
Uncertainty quantification for deep neural networks: An empirical comparison and usage guidelines
Authors: Weiss Michael , Tonella Paolo
Published: January 2023

Deep neural networks (DNN) are increasingly used as components of larger software systems that need to process complex data, such as images, written texts, audio/video signals. DNN predictions cannot be assumed to be always correct for several reasons, amongst which the huge input space that is dealt with, the ambiguity of some inputs data, as well as the intrinsic properties of learning algorithms, which can provide only statistical warranties. Hence, developers have to cope with some residual error probability. An architectural pattern commonly adopted to manage failure prone components is thesupervisor, an additional component that can estimate the reliability of the predictions made by untrusted (e.g., DNN) components and can activate an automated healing procedure when these are likely to fail, ensuring that the deep learning‐based system (DLS) does not cause damages, despite its main functionality being suspended.

In this paper, we consider DLS that implement a supervisor by means of uncertainty estimation. After overviewing the main approaches to uncertainty estimation and discussing their pros and cons, we motivate the need for a specific empirical assessment method that can deal with the experimental setting in which supervisors are used, where accuracy of the DNN matters only as long as the supervisor lets the DLS continue to operate. Then we present a large empirical study conducted to compare the alternative approaches to uncertainty estimation. We distilled a set of guidelines for developers that are useful to incorporate a supervisor based on uncertainty monitoring into a DLS.
Different proportions of dried Vernonia amygdalina leaves and wheat bran mixture supplementation on feed intake, digestibility and body weight change of Arsi–Bale sheep fed with natural pasture hay as basal diet
Authors: Adugna Wondimu , Ayele Shashie , Addis Mesganaw
Published: January 2023

Background

Animal feed shortage in quality and quantity, and escalating costs of agro‐industrial by‐products to supplement crop residues and natural pasture hay urged to look for alternative feed supplements. Vernonia amygdalina leaf is one of the potential feed resources to supplement poor quality feeds in ruminant feeding.

Objectives

This experiment was designed to evaluate effects of supplementing dried V. amygdalina leaves (DVL) and wheat bran (WB) mixture on feed intake, digestibility, body weight change and economic feasibility of Arsi–Bale sheep fed with natural pasture hay as basal diet.

Methods

Twenty intact yearling male sheep with an initial body weight (IBW) of 18.85 ± 0.95 kg (mean ± SD) were stratified into five blocks (four animals per block) based on their IBW and kept for 90 days of feeding and 10 days of digestibility trials. Four treatment diets comprised ad libitum hay (control, T1) and ad libitum hay plus daily supplementation of 300 g dry matter (DM) in a ratio of 2DVL:1WB (T2), 1DVL:1WB (T3) and 1DVL:2WB (T4), and the treatment feeds were randomly assigned to each animal within a block. Data were subjected to the analysis of variance using the GLM procedure of SAS (version 9.1).

Results

The results showed that the crude protein contents of hay, DVL and WB were 9.4%, 21.5% and 15.5%, respectively. Supplementation improved (p < 0.0001) DM intake (DMI), apparent nutrient digestibility, average daily gain (ADG) and economic return. Sheep supplemented with two parts of DVL and one part of WB resulted significantly (p<0.0001) the highest DMI, DM and nutrient digestibility and a better feed conversion ratio. Consequently, they resulted highest ADG and net return.

Conclusions

Sheep fed with a basal diet of natural pasture hay supplemented with two parts of DVL and one part of WB is economical to improve body weight of Arsi–Bale sheep.
Correction to: Inoculating Students Against Conspiracy Theories: The Case of Covid-19
Authors: Bailin Sharon , Battersby Mark
Published: January 2023

The original version of the book was inadvertently published with an incorrect chapter title as "Inoculating students again conspiracy theories: The case of Covid-19". It has now been corrected as "Inoculating students against conspiracy theories: The case of Covid-19".The chapter and book have been updated with the changes
Information Flow Simulations in Multi-dimensional and Dynamic Systems
Authors: Righi Riccardo
Published: January 2023

The relevance of nodes with respect to the position they have in a network is often investigated with centrality measures. In particular, in cases where it is specifically meaningful to consider nodes’ ability to cumulate and convey information, like in economic systems, betweenness centrality is one of the most pertinent options because of its underlying concept. However, this statistic presents two limitations. First, as it relies on the computation of shortest paths, it is grounded on a binary topological evaluation: every time a node is not located in the shortest path between two other nodes, it gains no score at all in its centrality (even if it is located on a path just one step longer). Second, betweenness centrality does not allow the direct analysis of multi-dimensional and dynamic networks: it has to be computed one dimension and one instant at a time, and this causes problems of comparability in case of weighted connections. The scope and the originality of this work is to design a network model that makes it possible to solve these issues. The proposed Dynamic Multi-Layer Network (DMLN) allows the structural representation of the multi-dimensional and dynamic properties of nodes’ interactions. Then, this allows the computation of a metric that, based on Infomap random walks, assesses the level of information cumulated and conveyed by nodes in any moment and in any dimension of interaction. Importantly, this is performed without relying on a binary evaluation, and by jointly taking into account what occurred in all the dimensions and during the entire period, in which the system is observed. We present and discuss an implementation based on ICT worldwide trade of goods and services in the period 2004–2014.
Obstacles on the Pathway Towards Chemical Programmability Using Agglomerations of Droplets
Authors: Schneider Johannes Josef , Faggian Alessia , Matuttis Hans-Georg , Barrow David Anthony , Li Jin , Holler Silvia , Casiraghi Federica , Sanahuja Lorena Cebolla , Hanczyc Martin Michael , Eschle Patrik , Weyland Mathias Sebastian , Flumini Dandolo , Eggenberger Hotz Peter , Füchslin Rudolf Marcel
Published: January 2023

We aim at planning and creating specific agglomerations of droplets to study synergic communication using these as programmable units. In this paper, we give an overview of preliminary obstacles for the various research issues, namely of how to create droplets, how to set up droplet agglomerations using DNA technology, how to prepare them for confocal microscopy, how to make a computer see droplets on photos, how to analyze networks of droplets, how to perform simulations mimicking experiments, and how to plan specific agglomerations of droplets.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Droplet Recognition by a “Shootout”-Heuristics
Authors: Matuttis Hans-Georg , Holler Silvia , Casiraghi Federica , Schneider Johannes Josef , Faggian Alessia , Füchslin Rudolf Marcel , Hanczyc Martin Michael
Published: January 2023

We explain how to optimize the image analysis of mixed clusters of red and green droplets in solvents with various degrees of sharpness, brightness, contrast and density. The circular Hough Transform is highly efficient for separated circles with reasonable background contrast, but not for large amounts of partially overlapping shapes, some of them blurred, as in the images of our dense droplet suspensions. We explain why standard approaches for image improvement fail and present a “shootout” approach, where already detected circles are masked, so that the removal of sharp outlines improves the relative optical quality of the remaining droplets. Nevertheless, for intrinsic reasons, there are limits to the accuracy of data which can be obtained on very dense clusters.
Geometric Restrictions to the Agglomeration of Spherical Particles
Authors: Schneider Johannes Josef , Barrow David Anthony , Li Jin , Weyland Mathias Sebastian , Flumini Dandolo , Eggenberger Hotz Peter , Füchslin Rudolf Marcel
Published: January 2023

Within the scope of the European Horizon 2020 project ACDC – Artificial Cells with Distributed Cores to Decipher Protein Function, we aim at the development of a chemical compiler governing the three-dimensional arrangement of droplets, which are filled with various chemicals. Neighboring droplets form bilayers containing pores through which chemicals can move from one droplet to its neighbors. When achieving a desired three-dimensional configuration of droplets, we can thus enable gradual biochemical reaction schemes for various purposes, e.g., for the production of some desired macromolecules for pharmaceutical purposes. In this paper, we focus on geometric restrictions to possible arrangements of droplets. We present analytic results for the buttercup problem and a heuristic optimization method for the kissing number problem, which we then apply to find (quasi) optimum values for a bidisperse kissing number problem, in which the center sphere exhibits a larger radius.
Investigating Lorentz Invariance Violation with the long baseline experiment P2O
Authors: Fiza Nishat , Chowdhury Nafis Rezwan Khan , Masud Mehedi
Published: January 2023

Abstract

One of the basic propositions of quantum field theory is Lorentz invariance. The spontaneous breaking of Lorentz symmetry at a high energy scale can be studied at low energy extensions like the Standard model in a model-independent way through effective field theory (EFT). The present and future Long-baseline neutrino experiments can give a scope to observe such a Planck-suppressed physics of Lorentz invariance violation (LIV). A proposed long baseline experiment, Protvino to ORCA (dubbed “P2O”) with a baseline of 2595 km, is expected to provide good sensitivities to unresolved issues, especially neutrino mass ordering. P2O can offer good statistics even with a moderate beam power and runtime, owing to the very large (~ 6 Mt) detector volume at KM3NeT/ ORCA. Here we discuss in detail, how the individual LIV parameters affect neutrino oscillations at P2O and DUNE baselines at the level of probability and derive analytical expressions to understand interesting degeneracies and other features. We estimate ∆χ2 sensitivities to the LIV parameters, analyzing their correlations among each other, and also with the standard oscillation parameters. We calculate these results for P2O alone and also carry out a combined analysis of P2O with DUNE. We point out crucial features in the sensitivity contours and explain them qualitatively with the help of the relevant probability expressions derived here. Finally we estimate constraints on the individual LIV parameters at 95% confidence level (C.L.) intervals stemming from the combined analysis of P2O and DUNE datasets, and highlight the improvement over the existing constraints. We also find out that the additional degeneracy induced by the LIV parameter aee around −22 × 10−23 GeV is lifted by the combined analysis at 95% C.L.
Anapole moment of Majorana fermions and implications for direct detection of neutralino dark matter
Authors: Ibarra Alejandro , Reichard Merlin , Nagai Ryo
Published: January 2023

Abstract

For Majorana fermions the anapole moment is the only allowed electromagnetic multipole moment. In this work we calculate the anapole moment induced at one-loop by the Yukawa and gauge interactions of a Majorana fermion, using the pinch technique to ensure the finiteness and gauge-invariance of the result. As archetypical example of a Majorana fermion, we calculate the anapole moment for the lightest neutralino in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model, and specifically in the bino, wino and higgsino limits. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications of the anapole moment for the direct detection of dark matter in the form of Majorana fermions.
Symbology for elliptic multiple polylogarithms and the symbol prime
Authors: Wilhelm Matthias , Zhang Chi
Published: January 2023

Abstract

Elliptic multiple polylogarithms occur in Feynman integrals and in particular in scattering amplitudes. They can be characterized by their symbol, a tensor product in the so-called symbol letters. In contrast to the non-elliptic case, the elliptic letters themselves satisfy highly non-trivial identities, which we discuss in this paper. Moreover, we introduce the symbol prime, an analog of the symbol for elliptic symbol letters, which makes these identities manifest. We demonstrate its use in two explicit examples at two-loop order: the unequal-mass sunrise integral in two dimensions and the ten-point double-box integral in four dimensions. Finally, we also report the result of the polylogarithmic nine-point double-box integral, which arises as the soft limit of the ten-point integral.
The scalar singlet extension of the Standard Model: gravitational waves versus baryogenesis
Authors: Ellis John , Lewicki Marek , Merchand Marco , No José Miguel , Zych Mateusz
Published: January 2023

Abstract

We study the possible gravitational wave signal and the viability of baryogenesis arising from the electroweak phase transition in an extension of the Standard Model (SM) by a scalar singlet field without a ℤ2 symmetry. We first analyze the velocity of the expanding true-vacuum bubbles during the phase transition, confirming our previous finding in the unbroken ℤ2 symmetry scenario, where the bubble wall velocity can be computed from first principles only for weak transitions with strength parameters α ≲ 0.05, and the Chapman-Jouguet velocity defines the maximum velocity for which the wall is stopped by the friction from the plasma. We further provide an analytical approximation to the wall velocity in the general scalar singlet scenario without ℤ2 symmetry and test it against the results of a detailed calculation, finding good agreement. We show that in the singlet scenario with a spontaneously broken ℤ2 symmetry, the phase transition is always weak and we see no hope for baryogenesis. In contrast, in the case with explicit ℤ2 breaking there is a region of the parameter space producing a promising baryon yield in the presence of CP violating interactions via an effective operator involving the singlet scalar and the SM top quarks. Yet, we find that this region yields unobservable gravitational waves. Finally, we show that the promising region for baryogenesis in this model may be fully tested by direct searches for singlet-like scalars in di-boson final states at the HL-LHC, combined with present and future measurements of the electron electric dipole moment.
Effective Field Theory islands from perturbative and nonperturbative four-graviton amplitudes
Authors: Bern Zvi , Herrmann Enrico , Kosmopoulos Dimitrios , Roiban Radu
Published: January 2023

Abstract

Theoretical data obtained from physically sensible field and string theory models suggest that gravitational Effective Field Theories (EFTs) live on islands that are tiny compared to current general bounds determined from unitarity, causality, crossing symmetry, and a good high-energy behavior. In this work, we present explicit perturbative and nonperturbative 2 → 2 graviton scattering amplitudes and their associated low-energy expansion in spacetime dimensions D ≥ 4 to support this notion. Our new results include a first example of gravity weakly coupled to a nonperturbative effective action. We show that, at energies below the mass of its nonperturbative matter, the D = 4, $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 1 supersymmetric field theory in the confined phase lies on the same islands identified using four-dimensional perturbative models based on string theory and minimally-coupled matter circulating a loop. Furthermore, we generalize the previous four-dimensional perturbative models based on string theory and minimally-coupled massive spin-0 and spin-1 states circulating in the loop to D dimensions. Remarkably, we again find that the low-energy EFT coefficients lie on small islands. These results offer a useful guide towards constraining possible extensions of Einstein gravity.
Axionic Festina Lente
Authors: Guidetti Veronica , Righi Nicole , Venken Gerben , Westphal Alexander
Published: January 2023

Abstract

The swampland conjecture known as Festina Lente (FL) imposes a lower bound on the mass of all charged particles in a quasi-de Sitter space. In this paper, we propose the aFL (axionic Festina Lente) bound, an extension of FL to axion-like particles arising from type II string theory. We find that the product of the instanton action and the axion decay constant is bounded from below by the vacuum energy. This is achieved indirectly, using dimensional reduction on Calabi-Yau threefolds, and translating the FL result for dipoles into a purely geometric bound. We discuss axionic black holes evolution, and aFL constraints on Euclidean wormholes, showing that the gravitational arguments leading to the FL bound for U(1) charged particles cannot be directly applied to axions. Moreover, we discuss phenomenological implications of the aFL bound, including constraints on string inflation models and the axion-photon coupling via kinetic mixing.
Contributions to the muon g − 2 from a three-form field
Authors: Huang Da , Tang Yong , Wu Yue-Liang
Published: January 2023

Abstract

We examine contributions to the muon dipole moment g − 2 from a 3-form field Ω, which naturally arises from many fundamental theories, such as the string theory and the hyperunified field theory. In particular, by calculating the one-loop Feynman diagram, we have obtained the leading-order Ω-induced contribution to the muon g − 2, which is found to be finite. Then we investigate the theoretical constraints from perturbativity and unitarity. Especially, the unitarity bounds are yielded by computing the tree-level μ+μ− scattering amplitudes of various initial and final helicity configurations. As a result, despite the strong unitarity bounds imposed on this model of Ω, we have still found a substantial parameter space which can accommodates the muon g − 2 data.
Approaching Developable Surfaces Through Shadow and Penumbra
Authors: Martín-Pastor Andrés , González-Quintial Francisco
Published: January 2023

This paper enquires into the relationship between the rigorous graphic construction of penumbra and shadow and the idea of a developable surface circumscribed to two cores (whether these are curves or surfaces). The first rigorously constructed graphic representations of shadow and penumbra appearing in different historical treatises are contextualised and contrasted with the first works addressing the mathematical description of such surfaces. We describe how artisans and artists have employed physical and mechanical models to construct circumscribed developable surfaces, examining both their formal exploration and constructive formalisation. Next we extrapolate the mechanisms for generating circumscribed surfaces to digital and parametric models. The two procedures presented here evince the existing geometric limits of this way of generating a surface, thus influencing its constructive applications. Lastly, several examples of ephemeral architecture based on such procedures are offered, in which the digital design and manufacturing of experimental pavilions with circumscribed developable surfaces are addressed.