bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Complete photonic bandgap in silicon nitride slab assisted by effective index difference between polarizations
Authors: Ma Can , Hou Jin , Yang Chunyong , Shi Ming , Chen Shaoping
Published: May 2022

The slab effective index difference between the transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) polarizations was utilized to obtain complete photonic bandgap (CPBG) in a silicon nitride (SixNy) photonic crystal slab. For this, coincident frequency range in the TE photonic bandgap (PBG) and TM PBG, which denotes the CPBGs of the slab, must be found with the same structure. Through adjusting the effective index pair of TE and TM polarizations by changing the thickness of the SixNy core layer, and also optimizing the structure parameters within the photonic crystal plane, a large normalized CPBG of 5.62% was theoretically obtained in a slab of SixNy with a refractive index of 2.5. Moreover, based on the obtained CPBG, a microcavity which could support both TE and TM polarization was theoretically demonstrated. The cavity modes for different polarizations were both well confined, which proved the reliability of the CPBG. In addition, using the same method, the lowest refractive index of SixNy on silica slab for a CPBG could be extended to as low as 2. The results indicate that there is potential for development of various high-performance CPBG devices based on SixNy slab technology.

Graphical Abstract
Association of Depressive Symptoms in Late Adolescence and School Dropout
Authors: Askeland Kristin Gärtner , Bøe Tormod , Sivertsen Børge , Linton Steven J. , Heradstveit Ove , Nilsen Sondre Aasen , Hysing Mari
Published: May 2022

The present study investigated the association between symptoms of depression in late adolescence and completion of upper secondary school, taking symptoms of ADHD and conduct disorder, and parental education into account. The study is based on the youth@hordaland-survey, conducted in Western Norway in 2012. A total of 9157 adolescents (aged 16–19 years, 53% girls) consented to participation and registry linkage and comprised the sample of the present study. Symptoms of depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder were based on adolescent self-report. Information on parental education, grade point average (GPA), and upper secondary school completion was retrieved from the National Education Database. In the sample, 14.8% had not completed upper secondary education within 5 years. Symptoms of depression were associated with higher odds of failure to graduate within 5 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.50). The association was attenuated but remained significant when adjusting for symptoms of ADHD, conduct disorder, and parental education. Adolescents reporting high levels of both depression and conduct disorder had the highest odds of dropout (AOR = 4.15). GPA partially mediated the association between symptoms of depression and dropout. The results show a consistent, but small association between symptoms of depression in late adolescence and failure to complete upper secondary education within five years. Given the high rate of depressive symptoms in the adolescent population, it is important to identify protective factors that promote school functioning and graduation for adolescents experiencing such symptoms.
Co-designing models for the communication of genomic results for rare diseases: a comparative study in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom
Authors: Costa Alessia , Franková Věra , Robert Glenn , Macek Milan , Patch Christine , Alexander Elizabeth , Arellanesova Anna , Clayton-Smith Jill , Hunter Amy , Havlovicová Markéta , Pourová Radka , Pritchard Marie , Roberts Lauren , Zoubková Veronika , Metcalfe Alison
Published: May 2022

The communication of genomic results to patients and families with rare diseases raise distinctive challenges. However, there is little evidence about optimal methods to communicate results to this group of service users. To address this gap, we worked with rare disease families and health professionals from two genetic/genomic services, one in the United Kingdom and one in the Czech Republic, to co-design that best meet their needs. Using the participatory methodology of Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD), we conducted observations of clinical appointments (n=49) and interviews with family participants (n=23) and health professionals (n=22) to gather their experience of sharing/receiving results. The findings informed a facilitated co-design process, comprising 3 feedback events at each site and a series of meetings and remote consultations. Participants identified a total of four areas of current service models in need of improvement, and co-designed six prototypes of quality improvement interventions. The main finding was the identification of post-test care as the shared priority for improvement for both health professionals and families at the two sites. Our findings indicate the need to strengthen the link between diagnostics (whether or not a pathogenic variant is found) and post-test care, including psychosocial and community support. This raises implications for the reconfigurations of genomic service models, the redefinition of professional roles and responsibilities and the involvement of rare disease patients and families in health care research.
Sustainable wastewater management from shale oil production wells: emerging opportunities and barriers
Authors: Wang Zeqi , Akhavan Milad , Kashkouli Mohammad Nabi Ilani , Opulencia Maria Jade Catalan , Huy Dinh Tran Ngoc , Van Tuan Pham , Davarpanah Afshin
Published: May 2022

During the production from shale oil formations, the produced water has been dedicated to different procedures such as chemical enhanced oil recoveries, drilling mud making (e.g., for various purposes of lubrication and cooling) and hydraulic fracturing. One of the main challenges of wastewater treatment corresponds to (TDS) total dissolved solids. To measure the required water needed for different processes, it is necessary to proceed with every step saving and then make an average to calculate the required freshwater. In this regard, we have selected five different oil wells with the same rock and reservoir characteristics. SOW#3 has the highest rate of treatment (26%) and SOW#1 has the minimum treated wastewater during hydraulic fracturing processes. It corresponds to the large volume of solid and oil particles, which remained in the treatment devices. However, it is observed that SOW#1 has the highest rate of treatment (32%) and SOW#4 has the minimum treated wastewater (14%) in chemical enhanced oil recovery methods. On the other hand, SOW#3 has the highest rate of treatment (27%) and SOW#5 has the minimum treated wastewater from drilling mud preparation and other well facilities. It is observed that SOW#1 has the highest rate of treatment (27%) and SOW#5 has the minimum saving water during hydraulic fracturing processes, SOW#1 has the highest rate of treatment (38%) and SOW#4 has the minimum saving water (9%).
Preparation of mesoporous activated carbon from novel African walnut shells (AWS) for deltamethrin removal: kinetics and equilibrium studies
Authors: Oba Oluwasuyi Ayobami , Pasaoglulari Aydinlik Nur
Published: May 2022

Novel African walnut shell (AWS) was treated and improved as an agricultural waste by-product to produce high surface area activated carbon via chemical activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH) to achieve extremely effective adsorptive characteristics for deltamethrin removal. The adsorbent (KOHAWS) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, and pH point of zero charge (PHPZC). Batch sorption experiments were investigated to study the effect of pH, initial concentration and contact time, sorbent dosage, and agitation speed. The results reveal that the experimental data fitted well with Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.997) with maximum adsorption capacity at 57.64 mg g−1and the kinetics of the sorption follows the pseudo-first-order model (R2 = 0.995). The sorption of deltamethrin onto KOHAWS reveals a high removal efficiency of 98.2%. The findings show that the novel AWS has excellent regeneration and reusability properties and may be used to remove pesticides from aqueous solutions instead of conventional activated carbon.
Flood hazard assessment and mapping using GIS integrated with multi-criteria decision analysis in upper Awash River basin, Ethiopia
Authors: Hagos Yonas Gebresilasie , Andualem Tesfa Gebrie , Yibeltal Mesenbet , Mengie Mequanent Abathun
Published: May 2022

Floods have destroyed people’s lives as well as social and environmental assets. Flooding is becoming more severe and frequent as a result of climate change and an increase in human-induced land-use changes, which puts pressure on river channels and causes changes in river morphology. The study was aimed to assess flood danger and map inundation areas in Ethiopia’s Teji watershed, which is prone to flooding. The basic flood-producing factors in this study were derived from soil, slope, elevation, drainage-density and land use land cover data. The opinions of public institutions and expert decisions were gathered to determine the weight of the factors in the analytic hierarchy process. The collected data were processed using the ArcGIS environment and the analytic hierarchy method to produce a flood danger map. According to the findings of this study, approximately 43.28 and 13.09% of the area were vulnerable to high and very high flood risk zones, respectively. As a result, flood prediction, early warning and management practices could be implemented on a regular and sustainable basis.
The Effects of Defensive Medicine in Physician–Patient Dynamics: An Agent-Based Approach
Authors: Delpini Danilo , Russu Paolo
Published: May 2022

We analyze different scenarios of defensive medicine in a novel framework based on game theory and network analysis, where links in the network represent healing relationships between a physician and a patient. The physician should choose between providing the optimal treatment or an inferior one, which can amount to practicing defensive medicine. The patient should choose whether to litigate or not if an adverse event occurs. A major result of such analysis is that the steady state does not depend on the litigiousness of the initial system or the initial distribution of strategies among physicians or the distribution of patients over physicians. Moreover, reaching a virtuous steady state or an entirely defensive one appears to be independent of the fact that patients take into account the quality of treatments directly or they rely merely on popularity when choosing their physicians.
Chloroplast genome of the invasive Pyrus calleryana underscores the high molecular diversity of the species
Authors: Nowicki Marcin , Huff Matthew L. , Staton Margaret E. , Trigiano Robert N.
Published: May 2022

The complete chloroplast genome of Pyrus calleryana (GenBank OM541581.1) was developed by de novo assembly from whole-genome sequencing data. Reference-guided (P. phaeocarpa) read mapping and assembly were followed by annotation and phylogenetic comparisons. The 159,965 bp P. calleryana chloroplast genome represented 36.56% GC content with a classical quadripartite architecture and two inverted repeats regions (IRs; each 26,392 bp) separating the large single-copy region (LSC; 87,942 bp) and the small single-copy region (SSC; 19.239 bp). In total, 125 unique features were annotated in that genome, including 83 protein coding genes, 38 tRNA coding genes, and 4 rRNA coding genes. Phylogenetic analyses based on the whole chloroplast genome sequences placed the P. calleryana among other Rosaceae plants, specifically among the Asian species of Pyrus.
Design Charts for Geogrid-Reinforced Granular Working Platform for Heavy Tracked Plants over Clay Subgrade
Authors: Chua Boon Tiong , Abuel-Naga Hossam , Nepal Kali Prasad
Published: May 2022

This study investigates the bearing capacity of a geogrid-reinforced granular working platform for heavy tracked plants on clay subgrade using a 2D plane strain finite element method. It substantially extends a case study investigated by incorporating wider soil parameters, depth-to-width ratios and geogrid stiffness modulus. The developed models are first verified by comparing them with the published literature and found to be in good agreement. The parametric modelling results are then used to develop a comprehensive set of design charts with non-dimensional parameters, bearing capacity ratio verses shear strength ratio, so that they can be directly used by practitioners. With the help of a design example, minimum design thickness of the granular working platform is compared and benchmarked with other established design methods. The results show that the proposed design charts and methods are comparable and provide reasonable predictions for the bearing capacity and working platform design thicknesses. A design example shows that thickness of the geogrid-reinforced granular base could be reduced from 1.2 to 55.6% for different geogrid strengths whereas the reduction is very nominal for soft geogrids ranging from only 1.2 to 3.0%.
Influence of peritoneal dialysis catheter type on dislocations and laxative use: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Sabiu Gianmarco , Heidempergher Marco , De Salvo Cristina , Orani Maria Antonietta , Tricella Chiara , Gallieni Maurizio
Published: May 2022

Background

There is currently no consensus regarding the optimal type of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter. Although few studies showed that weighted catheters result in lower complication rates and superior long-term outcomes than non-weighted catheters, there are no studies on the use of laxatives linked to catheter malfunction, a patient-related outcome potentially affecting the quality of life. Thus, we compared the burden of acute and chronic laxative use in a cohort of PD patients having either weighted or non-weighted catheters.

Methods

We performed a single-center, retrospective, observational study in two renal units, comparing acute and chronic laxative therapy related to catheter drainage failure in a cohort of 74 PD patient,s divided by peritoneal dialysis catheter type. In addition, we evaluated the number of patients who experienced minor and major dislocations, catheter-related infection rate, hospitalization for catheter malfunctioning, episodes of catheter repositioning, and dropout from PD.

Results

Laxative use was significantly more common among patients in the non-weighted catheter group (acute: 30.3% vs. 9.8%, p = 0.03; chronic: 36.4% vs. 12.2%; p≤0.02). Furthermore, weighted catheters were superior to non-weighted catheters for all the secondary outcomes (dislocations: 12.2% vs. 45.5%; p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Weighted self-locating catheters have lower drainage failure, thus reducing the need and burden of acute and chronic laxative use among PD patients.

Graphical abstract
Are universal ethics necessary? And possible? A systematic theory of universal ethics and a code for global moral education
Authors: Winkler Enno A.
Published: May 2022

This paper analyzes the political, philosophical, societal, legal, educational, biological, psychological and technological reasons why there is an urgent need for basic intercultural and interfaith ethics in the world and whether it is possible to formulate a valid code of such ethics. It is shown that universal ethics could be founded on natural law, which can be understood in both religious and secular ways. Alternatively, universal ethics could be based on a single supreme principle that is independent of worldview and culture: human dignity. In accordance with these concepts, a minimalist and normative code of essential, self-evident universal ethical principles and norms is proposed. The implementation of universal ethics in society is a long-term political task that could be achieved by including universal ethics in the compulsory school curriculum of all countries and in the UNESCO agenda of Global Citizen Education.
Urinary catheterization management after vaginal prolapse surgery: A national survey among Chinese urogynecologists and nurses
Authors: Chen Yiqian , Liang Yi , Li Xiaodan , Sun Xiuli , Wang Jianliu
Published: May 2022

Background

Urinary catheterization after vaginal prolapse surgery can cause inconvenience for patients, elevate the risk of urinary tract infections, and potentially prolong the hospitalization. In China, there is no consensus on the optimal time to remove the urinary catheter after vaginal prolapse surgery. Thus, it will be valuable to gain insight into the nationwide catheterization management after the vaginal prolapse surgery.

Methods

From March to May 2020, an online questionnaire was shared and purposive non-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit the participants. The urogynecologists currently performing vaginal prolapse surgery and involved nurses were included in this study.

Results

1363 urogynecologists and 436 nurses responded and 99.5% of them reported using transurethral indwelling catheters (TIC) for post-operative bladder drainage in their practices. The duration of initial catheterization after vaginal prolapse surgery was generally 1–7 days, with a median duration of 3 days for anterior colporrhaphy (AC) and anterior & posterior colporrhaphy (APC), and 2 days for other procedures. For the same type of surgery, the median duration of catheterization varied by region. For AC, it was shorter by 1 day in West China and South China (P ​< ​0.001); for PC, it was 2 days in most regions, while 1 day in East China (P ​< ​0.05); and for APC, it was 3 days in most regions, while 4 days in Northeast China (P ​< ​0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in duration of catheterization in hospital levels.

Conclusions

The findings suggested that duration of catheterization after prolapse surgery varied greatly in China, potentially resulting in unnecessary prolonging of catheterization. Well-designed studies are urgently needed to optimize catheterization management after vaginal prolapse surgery in China.
An experimental investigation of turbulent free-surface flows over a steep permeable bed
Authors: Rousseau G. , Ancey C.
Published: May 2022

Steep streams involve shallow, supercritical turbulent flows over a permeable bed made up of coarse particles. They usually exhibit higher flow resistance and stronger mass and momentum exchanges between the stream and subsurface flow than low-gradient streams. Describing their flow dynamics using generalised Manning–Strickler equations has led to empirical relationships with weak predictive power (errors between predictions and data of over one order of magnitude). We studied shallow turbulent flows by employing a mesoscopic approach based on the double-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. More specifically, we were concerned with the possibility of modelling the turbulent and dispersive shear stress equations using simple algebraic equations. To that end, we studied shallow, supercritical turbulent flows over a sloping bed made up of randomly packed spherical particles. Using visualisation techniques based on particle velocimetry imaging and refractive index matched scanning, we were able to reconstruct the velocity field throughout the bed and stream, far from the sidewalls, and estimate the contributions of the dispersive and turbulent shear stresses to the total shear stress. The dispersive shear stress represented less than 20 % of the turbulent shear stress, but because it was concentrated within a thin layer (called the roughness layer) where it outweighed the turbulent shear stress, it had a significant influence on the mean velocity profile. We proposed an algebraic closure equation for dispersive shear stress, based on the mixing-length model used for turbulent shear stress, and we found that it captured closely the mean-velocity and turbulence-intensity profiles of shallow flows over horizontal or sloping permeable beds. Our data suggest that flow dynamics was affected largely by turbulence damping, drag forces and dispersion within the roughness layer, which may explain why steep streams differ from low-gradient streams.
Associations of dietary patterns and pre-eclampsia: a matched case–control study
Authors: Zhu Yongjian , Liu Yanhua , Fu Wenjun , Zeng Fangfang , Cao Yuan , Dou Weifeng , Duan Dandan , Chen Yuming , Lyu Quanjun , Zhao Xianlan
Published: May 2022

Little is known about the effects of dietary patterns on prevalent pre-eclampsia in Chinese population. This study aimed to investigate the associations between dietary patterns and the odds of pre-eclampsia among Chinese pregnant women. A 1:1 age- and gestational week-matched case–control study was conducted between March 2016 and February 2019. A total of 440 pairs of pre-eclampsia cases and healthy controls were included. Dietary intakes were assessed by a seventy-nine-item FFQ and subsequently grouped into twenty-eight distinct groups. Factor analysis using the principal component method was adopted to derive the dietary patterns. Conditional logistic regression was used to analyse the associations of dietary patterns with prevalent pre-eclampsia. We identified four distinct dietary patterns: high fruit-vegetable, high protein, high fat-grain and high salt-sugar. We found that high fruit-vegetable dietary pattern (quartile (Q)4v. Q1, OR 0·71, 95 % CI 0·55, 0·92,Ptrend= 0·013) and high protein dietary pattern (Q4v. Q1, OR 0·72, 95 % CI 0·54, 0·95,Ptrend= 0·011) were associated with a decreased odds of pre-eclampsia in Chinese pregnant women. Whereas high fat-grain dietary pattern showed a U-shaped association with pre-eclampsia, the lowest OR was observed in the third quartile (Q3v. Q1, OR 0·75, 95 % CI 0·57, 0·98,Ptrend= 0·111). No significant association was observed for high salt-sugar dietary pattern. In conclusion, pregnancy dietary pattern characterised by high fruit-vegetable or high protein was found to be associated with a reduced odds of pre-eclampsia in Chinese pregnant women.
Interspecies politics and the global rat: Ecology, extermination, experiment
Authors: Youatt Rafi
Published: May 2022

Rats tend to thrive wherever humans do. In recent centuries, the growth of human populations around the planet has meant the growth of a nearly equivalent global population of rats, particularly in cities, where they thrive on trash, food scraps, and infrastructure, and widely stymie human efforts to get rid of them. This forced coexistence has inspired a wide range of human responses, ranging from revulsion and extermination efforts as vermin, to religious veneration and use as experimental lab animals. At the same time, the political figure of the rat has played a constitutive role in violence and experimentation against human populations who are deemed as rat-like. To understand these linked dynamics, the article frames the idea of interspecies internationality, against both Anthropocene and geopolitical readings of the planetary condition. It then elaborates three axes around which rat assemblages have been formed – exterminative, experimental, and ecological. The article concludes by arguing that the rat, as interspecies figure of politics and as living creature, allows us to understand important dynamics around the generation of disposable life, political difference, and conditions of coexistence, in ways that are critical to the entwined politics of life on the planet.
The applicability of international humanitarian law to acts of violence perpetrated by unidentified armed individuals in the Sahel: The case of Burkina Faso
Authors: Kienou Sanwé Médard
Published: May 2022

Burkina Faso has suffered attacks most often attributed to unidentified armed individuals. These attacks occur in an area which is under the influence of terrorist groups as well as criminal groups. Instability does not stem from a prior armed conflict, but from a continuous deterioration resulting from unclaimed attacks. The challenge then is to know whether international humanitarian law (IHL) can apply in a context where the perpetrators of violence are not identified. This requires visiting the conditions of applicability of IHL in non-international armed conflict to assess their relevance in a context of production of violence without identification of the perpetrators.
Cues of Collective Threat Increase Salience of Positive Ingroup Agency-Related Traits
Authors: Soral Wiktor , Kofta Mirosław
Published: May 2022

Abstract. Three studies investigated the influence of collective threat on the importance of agency- and communion-related traits used in ingroup perception. Study 1 ( N = 137) investigated how cues of such threat affect reaction times when individuals are asked to ascribe agentic or communal traits to their ingroup. Study 2 ( N = 96) and Study 3 ( N = 337) examined the role of social identification in response to a collective threat. The results suggest that cues of threat may lead to preferential processing of positive (but not negative) ingroup agency over ingroup communion, the effect particularly likely among highly identified individuals. Perceiving the ingroup as an agentic collective may thus act as a buffer that assists in managing threat-related emotions.
Focus of the IPCC Assessment Reports Has Shifted to Lower Temperatures
Authors: Jehn Florian U. , Kemp Luke , Ilin Ekaterina , Funk Christoph , Wang Jason R. , Breuer Lutz
Published: May 2022

We focus on how different global temperature increases represented in IPCC reports have shifted over time. While the first four assessment reports had a roughly equal focus on temperatures above and below 2°C, the more recent fifth and sixth assessment reports have a considerably stronger focus on warming below 2°C. This is concerning as warming above 2°C is more likely given current emissions trajectories and is more influential on climate risk assessments.
Carbon and Water Cycling in Two Rubber Plantations and a Natural Forest in Mainland Southeast Asia
Authors: Wang Xueqian , Blanken Peter D. , Kasemsap Poonpipope , Petchprayoon Pakorn , Thaler Philippe , Nouvellon Yann , Gay Frédéric , Chidthaisong Amnat , Sanwangsri Montri , Chayawat Chompunut , Chantuma Pisamai , Sathornkich Jate , Kaewthongrach Rungnapa , Satakhun Duangrat , Phattaralerphong Jessada
Published: May 2022

Rubber plantations have rapidly replaced natural forests (NFs) in Mainland Southeast Asia, yet the relevant impacts on the terrestrial carbon cycle remain uncertain especially with an increase in drought frequency. Our study compared eddy‐covariance measurements of carbon and water fluxes from two rubber monoculture plantations (at a northern marginal site and a southern traditional plantation site) with a second‐growth NF between 2015 and 2018, and their responses to a prolonged drought during 2015/2016. The NF had higher light use efficiency, water use efficiency and gross primary productivity (GPP, 2.94 ± 0.41 kg C m−2 yr−1) than the northern rubber (NR) monoculture (2.45 ± 0.17 kg C m−2 yr−1), while lower ecosystem carbon use efficiency (eCUE) caused a lower net ecosystem productivity (NEP, 0.75 ± 0.25 kg C m−2 yr−1) compared to the plantation (1.19 ± 0.22 kg C m−2 yr−1). Drought decreased the NF eCUE by 23% with significant carbon uptake restrictions across multiple seasons, while the rubber GPP reduction was only substantial in the warm‐dry season with an overall 17% decline in eCUE. The NR site's GPP was mainly controlled by soil water content throughout the year. Higher light availability offset the negative effect of drier conditions on the rubber GPP, resulting in larger carbon uptake compared to the southern plantation (GPP, 2.12 ± 0.12 kg C m−2 yr−1; NEP, 1.07 ± 0.14 kg C m−2 yr−1). In contrast, the NF GPP was mainly restricted by vapor pressure deficit, especially during the drought.
A metasurface-based light-to-microwave transmitter for hybrid wireless communications
Authors: Zhang Xin Ge , Sun Ya Lun , Zhu Bingcheng , Jiang Wei Xiang , Yu Qian , Tian Han Wei , Qiu Cheng-Wei , Zhang Zaichen , Cui Tie Jun
Published: May 2022

Signal conversion plays an important role in many applications such as communication, sensing, and imaging. Realizing signal conversion between optical and microwave frequencies is a crucial step to construct hybrid communication systems that combine both optical and microwave wireless technologies to achieve better features, which are highly desirable in the future wireless communications. However, such a signal conversion process typically requires a complicated relay to perform multiple operations, which will consume additional hardware/time/energy resources. Here, we report a light-to-microwave transmitter based on the time-varying and programmable metasurface integrated with a high-speed photoelectric detection circuit into a hybrid. Such a transmitter can convert a light intensity signal to two microwave binary frequency shift keying signals by using the dispersion characteristics of the metasurface to implement the frequency division multiplexing. To illustrate the metasurface-based transmitter, a hybrid wireless communication system that allows dual-channel data transmissions in a light-to-microwave link is demonstrated, and the experimental results show that two different videos can be transmitted and received simultaneously and independently. Our metasurface-enabled signal conversion solution may enrich the functionalities of metasurfaces, and could also stimulate new information-oriented applications.
A serotonergic biobehavioral signature differentiates cocaine use disorder participants administered mirtazapine
Authors: Ma Liangsuo , Cunningham Kathryn A. , Anastasio Noelle C. , Bjork James M. , Taylor Brian A. , Arias Albert J. , Riley Brien P. , Snyder Andrew D. , Moeller F. Gerard
Published: May 2022

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) patients display heterogenous symptoms and unforeseeable responses to available treatment approaches, highlighting the need to identify objective, accessible biobehavioral signatures to predict clinical trial success in this population. In the present experiments, we employed a task-based behavioral and pharmacogenetic-fMRI approach to address this gap. Craving, an intense desire to take cocaine, can be evoked by exposure to cocaine-associated stimuli which can trigger relapse during attempted recovery. Attentional bias towards cocaine-associated words is linked to enhanced effective connectivity (EC) from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) to hippocampus in CUD participants, an observation which was replicated in a new cohort of participants in the present studies. Serotonin regulates attentional bias to cocaine and the serotonergic antagonist mirtazapine decreased activated EC associated with attentional bias, with greater effectiveness in those CUD participants carrying the wild-type 5-HT2CR gene relative to a 5-HT2CR single nucleotide polymorphism (rs6318). These data suggest that the wild-type 5-HT2CR is necessary for the efficacy of mirtazapine to decrease activated EC in CUD participants and that mirtazapine may serve as an abstinence enhancer to mitigate brain substrates of craving in response to cocaine-associated stimuli in participants with this pharmacogenetic descriptor. These results are distinctive in outlining a richer “fingerprint” of the complex neurocircuitry, behavior and pharmacogenetics profile of CUD participants which may provide insight into success of future medications development projects.
Glutathione prevents high glucose-induced pancreatic fibrosis by suppressing pancreatic stellate cell activation via the ROS/TGFβ/SMAD pathway
Authors: Zhang Jitai , Bai Juan , Zhou Qian , Hu Yuxin , Wang Qian , Yang Lanting , Chen Huamin , An Hui , Zhou Chuanzan , Wang Yongyu , Chen Xiufang , Li Ming
Published: May 2022

The activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) is the key mechanism of pancreatic fibrosis, which can lead to β-cell failure. Oxidative stress is an important risk factor for PSC activation. There is no direct evidence proving if administration of glutathione can inhibit fibrosis and β-cell failure. To explore the role of glutathione in pancreatic fibrosis and β-cell failure induced by hyperglycaemia, we established a rat model of pancreatic fibrosis and β-cell failure. The model was founded through long-term oscillating glucose (LOsG) intake and the setup of a sham group and a glutathione intervention group. In vitro, rat PSCs were treated with low glucose, high glucose, or high glucose plus glutathione to explore the mechanism of high glucose-induced PSC activation and the downstream effects of glutathione. Compared with sham rats, LOsG-treated rats had higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in peripheral leukocytes and pancreatic tissue while TGFβ signalling was upregulated. In addition, as the number of PSCs and pancreatic fibrosis increased, β-cell function was significantly impaired. Glutathione evidently inhibited the upregulation of TGFβ signalling and several unfavourable outcomes caused by LOsG. In vitro treatment of high glucose for 72 h resulted in higher ROS accumulation and potentiated TGFβ pathway activation in PSCs. PSCs showed myofibroblast phenotype transformation with upregulation of α-SMA expression and increased cell proliferation and migration. Treatment with either glutathione or TGFβ pathway inhibitors alleviated these changes. Together, our findings suggest that glutathione can inhibit PSC activation-induced pancreatic fibrosis via blocking ROS/TGFβ/SMAD signalling in vivo and in vitro.
Fluorescence microscopic visualization of functionalized hydrogels
Authors: Zhong Jinpan , Zhao Tianyi , Liu Mingjie
Published: May 2022

Functionalized hydrogels play an important part in chemistry, biology, and material science due to their unique microstructures. Characterization of these microstructures is the fundamental issue to improve the optical, mechanical, and biochemical performance of functionalized hydrogels. With the rapid development of fluorescence microscopy, a growing number of researchers have attempted to utilize this easily operated, noninvasive, and high-contrast technique to visualize the fine microstructure of hydrogels. Integration of a confocal system into fluorescence microscopy allows the sectioning and reconstruction of 3D hydrogel networks. The live recording function offers in situ and real-time images of dynamic behaviors within hydrogels. The development of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has significantly promoted imaging quality from the submicron scale to the nanoscale. Based on these spectacular achievements, we reviewed the recent advances in fluorescence microscopic visualization of internal morphologies, mechanical properties, and dynamic structural changes. The scope of this review is to provide inspiration for researchers in chemistry, material science, and biology to study and fabricate functionalized hydrogels with the assistance of fluorescence microscopic visualization.
Mechanically resilient integrated electronics realized using interconnected 2D gold-nanosheet elastomeric electrodes
Authors: Heo Seojun , Jeong Seongsik , Kim Kyeong-Hwan , Kim Hae-Jin
Published: May 2022

With the growing interest in wearable devices in recent decades, considerable effort has been devoted to developing mechanical elastomeric devices such as sensors, transistors, logic circuits, and integrated circuits. To successfully implement elastomeric devices subjected to large mechanical deformations or stretching, all the components, including conductors, semiconductors, and dielectrics, must have high stability and mechanical sustainability. Elastomeric conductors, which exhibit excellent electrical performances under mechanical deformations, are key components of elastomeric devices. Herein, we prepared fully elastomeric electrodes based on interconnected 2D gold nanosheets (AuNSs) to develop mechanically resilient integrated electronics. The AuNS elastomeric electrodes exhibited a sheet resistance of less than 2 Ω/sq under 50% stretching and sustained 100,000 stretching–releasing cycles. These electrodes with a dedicated design were used in combination with elastomeric semiconductors of P3HT nanofibrils in the PDMS elastomer (P3NF/PDMS) and an ion gel as a dielectric to realize elastomeric transistors, inverters, and NOR and NAND logic gates. Additionally, an elastomeric 8 × 8 transistor array that can sustain various types of mechanical stimuli was successfully demonstrated. Furthermore, the elastomeric electronic devices implemented on a soft robot showed no interfering performances during robot gripping motion. The proposed framework is expected to aid in the rapid development and broaden the application scope of soft electronics.
Genomic prediction of cotton fibre quality and yield traits using Bayesian regression methods
Authors: Li Zitong , Liu Shiming , Conaty Warren , Zhu Qian-Hao , Moncuquet Philippe , Stiller Warwick , Wilson Iain
Published: May 2022

Genomic selection or genomic prediction (GP) has increasingly become an important molecular breeding technology for crop improvement. GP aims to utilise genome-wide marker data to predict genomic breeding value for traits of economic importance. Though GP studies have been widely conducted in various crop species such as wheat and maize, its application in cotton, an essential renewable textile fibre crop, is still significantly underdeveloped. We aim to develop a new GP-based breeding system that can improve the efficiency of our cotton breeding program. This article presents a GP study on cotton fibre quality and yield traits using 1385 breeding lines from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO, Australia) cotton breeding program which were genotyped using a high-density SNP chip that generated 12,296 informative SNPs. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to identify the models and data sources (i.e. genomic and pedigree) that produce the highest prediction accuracies; and (2) to assess the effectiveness of GP as a selection tool in the CSIRO cotton breeding program. The prediction analyses were conducted under various scenarios using different Bayesian predictive models. Results highlighted that the model combining genomic and pedigree information resulted in the best cross validated prediction accuracies: 0.76 for fibre length, 0.65 for fibre strength, and 0.64 for lint yield. Overall, this work represents the largest scale genomic selection studies based on cotton breeding trial data. Prediction accuracies reported in our study indicate the potential of GP as a breeding tool for cotton. The study highlighted the importance of incorporating pedigree and environmental factors in GP models to optimise the prediction performance.
Transmon platform for quantum computing challenged by chaotic fluctuations
Authors: Berke Christoph , Varvelis Evangelos , Trebst Simon , Altland Alexander , DiVincenzo David P.
Published: May 2022

From the perspective of many-body physics, the transmon qubit architectures currently developed for quantum computing are systems of coupled nonlinear quantum resonators. A certain amount of intentional frequency detuning (‘disorder’) is crucially required to protect individual qubit states against the destabilizing effects of nonlinear resonator coupling. Here we investigate the stability of this variant of a many-body localized phase for system parameters relevant to current quantum processors developed by the IBM, Delft, and Google consortia, considering the cases of natural or engineered disorder. Applying three independent diagnostics of localization theory — a Kullback–Leibler analysis of spectral statistics, statistics of many-body wave functions (inverse participation ratios), and a Walsh transform of the many-body spectrum — we find that some of these computing platforms are dangerously close to a phase of uncontrollable chaotic fluctuations.
Competition contributes to both warm and cool range edges
Authors: Lyu Shengman , Alexander Jake M.
Published: May 2022

Competition plays an important role in shaping species’ spatial distributions. However, it remains unclear where and how competition regulates species’ range limits. In a field experiment with plants originating from low and high elevations and conducted across an elevation gradient in the Swiss Alps, we find that both lowland and highland species can better persist in the presence of competition within, rather than beyond, their elevation ranges. These findings suggest that competition helps set both lower and upper elevation range limits of these species. Furthermore, the reduced ability of pairs of lowland or highland species to coexist beyond their range edges is mainly driven by diminishing niche differences; changes in both niche differences and relative fitness differences drive weakening competitive dominance of lowland over highland species with increasing elevation. These results highlight the need to account for competitive interactions and investigate underlying coexistence mechanisms to understand current and future species distributions.
Ataluren binds to multiple protein synthesis apparatus sites and competitively inhibits release factor-dependent termination
Authors: Huang Shijie , Bhattacharya Arpan , Ghelfi Mikel D. , Li Hong , Fritsch Clark , Chenoweth David M. , Goldman Yale E. , Cooperman Barry S.
Published: May 2022

Genetic diseases are often caused by nonsense mutations, but only one TRID (translation readthrough inducing drug), ataluren, has been approved for clinical use. Ataluren inhibits release factor complex (RFC) termination activity, while not affecting productive binding of near-cognate ternary complex (TC, aa-tRNA.eEF1A.GTP). Here we use photoaffinity labeling to identify two sites of ataluren binding within rRNA, proximal to the decoding center (DC) and the peptidyl transfer center (PTC) of the ribosome, which are directly responsible for ataluren inhibition of termination activity. A third site, within the RFC, has as yet unclear functional consequences. Using single molecule and ensemble fluorescence assays we also demonstrate that termination proceeds via rapid RFC-dependent hydrolysis of peptidyl-tRNA followed by slow release of peptide and tRNA from the ribosome. Ataluren is an apparent competitive inhibitor of productive RFC binding, acting at or before the hydrolysis step. We propose that designing more potent TRIDs which retain ataluren’s low toxicity should target areas of the RFC binding site proximal to the DC and PTC which do not overlap the TC binding site.
Distinctive molecular features of regenerative stem cells in the damaged male germline
Authors: La Hue M. , Liao Jinyue , Legrand Julien M. D. , Rossello Fernando J. , Chan Ai-Leen , Vaghjiani Vijesh , Cain Jason E. , Papa Antonella , Lee Tin Lap , Hobbs Robin M.
Published: May 2022

Maintenance of male fertility requires spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) that self-renew and generate differentiating germ cells for production of spermatozoa. Germline cells are sensitive to genotoxic drugs and patients receiving chemotherapy can become infertile. SSCs surviving treatment mediate germline recovery but pathways driving SSC regenerative responses remain poorly understood. Using models of chemotherapy-induced germline damage and recovery, here we identify unique molecular features of regenerative SSCs and characterise changes in composition of the undifferentiated spermatogonial pool during germline recovery by single-cell analysis. Increased mitotic activity of SSCs mediating regeneration is accompanied by alterations in growth factor signalling including PI3K/AKT and mTORC1 pathways. While sustained mTORC1 signalling is detrimental for SSC maintenance, transient mTORC1 activation is critical for the regenerative response. Concerted inhibition of growth factor signalling disrupts core features of the regenerative state and limits germline recovery. We also demonstrate that the FOXM1 transcription factor is a target of growth factor signalling in undifferentiated spermatogonia and provide evidence for a role in regeneration. Our data confirm dynamic changes in SSC functional properties following damage and support an essential role for microenvironmental growth factors in promoting a regenerative state.
Dynamic magnetic field alignment and polarized emission of semiconductor nanoplatelets in a liquid crystal polymer
Authors: Kim Dahin , Ndaya Dennis , Bosire Reuben , Masese Francis K. , Li Weixingyue , Thompson Sarah M. , Kagan Cherie R. , Murray Christopher B. , Kasi Rajeswari M. , Osuji Chinedum O.
Published: May 2022

Reconfigurable arrays of 2D nanomaterials are essential for the realization of switchable and intelligent material systems. Using liquid crystals (LCs) as a medium represents a promising approach, in principle, to enable such control. In practice, however, this approach is hampered by the difficulty of achieving stable dispersions of nanomaterials. Here, we report on good dispersions of pristine CdSe nanoplatelets (NPLs) in LCs, and reversible, rapid control of their alignment and associated anisotropic photoluminescence, using a magnetic field. We reveal that dispersion stability is greatly enhanced using polymeric, rather than small molecule, LCs and is considerably greater in the smectic phases of the resulting systems relative to the nematic phases. Aligned composites exhibit highly polarized emission that is readily manipulated by field-realignment. Such dynamic alignment of optically-active 2D nanomaterials may enable the development of programmable materials for photonic applications and the methodology can guide designs for anisotropic nanomaterial composites for a broad set of related nanomaterials.
Genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Ghana from 2020-2021
Authors: Morang’a Collins M. , Ngoi Joyce M. , Gyamfi Jones , Amuzu Dominic S. Y. , Nuertey Benjamin D. , Soglo Philip M. , Appiah Vincent , Asante Ivy A. , Owusu-Oduro Paul , Armoo Samuel , Adu-Gyasi Dennis , Amoako Nicholas , Oliver-Commey Joseph , Owusu Michael , Sylverken Augustina , Fenteng Edward D. , M’cormack Violette V. , Tei-Maya Frederick , Quansah Evelyn B. , Ayivor-Djanie Reuben , Amoako Enock K. , Ogbe Isaac T. , Yemi Bright K. , Osei-Wusu Israel , Mettle Deborah N. A. , Saiid Samirah , Tapela Kesego , Dzabeng Francis , Magnussen Vanessa , Quaye Jerry , Opurum Precious C. , Carr Rosina A. , Ababio Patrick T. , Abass Abdul-Karim , Akoriyea Samuel K. , Amoako Emmanuella , Kumi-Ansah Frederick , Boakye Oliver D. , Mibut Dam K. , Odoom Theophilus , Ofori-Boadu Lawrence , Allegye-Cudjoe Emmanuel , Dassah Sylvester , Asoala Victor , Asante Kwaku P. , Phillips Richard O. , Osei-Atweneboana Mike Y. , Gyapong John O. , Kuma-Aboagye Patrick , Ampofo William K. , Duedu Kwabena O. , Ndam Nicaise T. , Bediako Yaw , Quashie Peter K. , Amenga-Etego Lucas N. , Awandare Gordon A.
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the fastest evolving pandemics in recent history. As such, the SARS-CoV-2 viral evolution needs to be continuously tracked. This study sequenced 1123 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from patient isolates (121 from arriving travellers and 1002 from communities) to track the molecular evolution and spatio-temporal dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Ghana. The data show that initial local transmission was dominated by B.1.1 lineage, but the second wave was overwhelmingly driven by the Alpha variant. Subsequently, an unheralded variant under monitoring, B.1.1.318, dominated transmission from April to June 2021 before being displaced by Delta variants, which were introduced into community transmission in May 2021. Mutational analysis indicated that variants that took hold in Ghana harboured transmission enhancing and immune escape spike substitutions. The observed rapid viral evolution demonstrates the potential for emergence of novel variants with greater mutational fitness as observed in other parts of the world.