bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphological diversity, phenolic acids, and antioxidant properties in eryngo (Eryngium caucasicum Trautv): Selection of superior populations for agri‐food industry
Authors: Hatami Mehrnaz , Karimi Mahnaz , Aghaee Ahmad , Bovand Fatemeh , Ghorbanpour Mansour
Published: July 2022

Eryngo (Eryngium caucasicum Trautv) a widespread species of the Apiaceae reveals high nutritional value and therapeutic properties due to the significant content of biologically active metabolites such as essential oils, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids. The present study was performed to evaluate the morphological and biochemical variability and antioxidant properties of naturally grown populations of eryngo. One‐way ANOVA showed significant (p < .01) differences in the majority of parameters measured among the studied populations. The range of fresh weight was from 1.3 to 12.0 g/plant, while dry weight varied from 0.01 to 6.0 g/plant. The highest variation was observed for essential oil yield (CV = 205.32%) followed by essential oil content (CV = 126.23%) and chicoric acid content (CV = 71.18%). Total phenolics content varied from 8.85 to 88.15 mg GAE/g extract. Total flavonoids value ranged from 5.41 to 134.40 mg QE/g extract. Rosmarinic acid and chicoric acid contents varied from 0.118–1.234 and 0.014–0.597 μg/g DW, respectively. DPPH free radical scavenging activity varied from 76.12 to 513.5 μg/mL, while it ranged from 156.7 to 477.1 μg/mL with the ferrous ions (Fe2+) chelating assay. Rosmarinic acid and chicoric acid showed a significant and positive correlation (r0.01 = 0.81 and r0.05 = 0.40) with total phenolics, respectively. The Ward dendrogram analysis revealed two different clusters based on the parameters measured, confirming high morpho‐phytochemical variability among the individuals and populations. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed eight PCs which contributed to 99.97% of the overall variance, and leaf length, essential oil content, and antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH and Fe2+ chelating techniques were the most effective attributes for characterizing and selecting the studied population. Based on the traits related to vegetative yield and antioxidant properties, eight individuals from two populations were superior for breeding and/or farming programs.
Nutritional management of urolithiasis in dogs and cats
Authors: Trehy Mary
Published: July 2022

Background: An increasing number of techniques are becoming available for the management of canine and feline uroliths. Some require referral to a specialist hospital and can be costly and/or invasive. When used appropriately, dietary manipulation may reduce the need for such interventions and can delay or prevent urolith recurrence.

Aim of the article: This article focuses on nutritional management options for a variety of urolith types, and outlines the clinical settings in which these options are appropriate.
Playful Multiliteracies: Fan‐Based Literacies' Role in English Language Arts Pedagogy
Authors: Lammers Jayne C. , Magnifico Alecia M. , Wang Anlun
Published: July 2022

Standards and their corresponding assessments have continued to narrow English language arts (ELA) curricula, pushing more playful, creative composition to the margins or to out‐of‐school pursuits. Simultaneously, students enjoy writing creatively in many extracurricular spaces and activities, like fanfiction. Building from research showing that fan‐based literacies align with ELA curriculum, this collective case study explores how three secondary ELA teachers incorporated their professional learning about fandoms into their classrooms. Framed in multiliteracies and theories of play, qualitative data generated through interviews, surveys, and artifact collection were iteratively analyzed to establish themes that illuminate how these teachers valued fan‐based literacies within their curricula. Findings reveal teacher perspectives about fanfiction's role in fostering analytic reading of texts, cultivating creative responses to literature, scaffolding essay writing about real questions, and engaging students in the work of ELA. An argument for centering playful reading and writing in classrooms is presented.
Histomorphology and ultrastructure of the proventriculus of the broad breasted white turkey (Meleagris gallopavo, Linnaeus 1758)
Authors: Madkour Fatma A. , Kandyel Ramadan M.
Published: July 2022

This study aims to examine the functional morphology of the proventriculus of the broad breasted white turkey (BBWT) (Meleagris gallopavo, Linnaeus 1758) using gross anatomy, light microscopy, gross/histomorphometric analysis, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The proventriculus was characterized internally by many elevated papillae with a mound, leafy flower, and lotus flower‐shapes. Each papilla was enclosed by concentrically organized mucosal folds with distinct or indistinct proventricular gland openings on its top. Longitudinal folds and grooves at the junction of the proventriculus with the esophagus exhibited various sized and shaped openings of esophageal glands with irregular outlines. Histologically, the surface epithelium of the proventriculus was covered by a thin layer of cuticle, particularly evident at its junction with the gizzard. The lamina epithelialis and propria, and secretory units of proventricular lobules were infiltrated by aggregations of lymphocytes and lymphoid follicles (nodules). Variably shaped glandular lobules of proventricular glands occupied the submucosa, surrounded by thin strands of smooth muscle fibers derived from muscularis mucosa. Triangular, cuboidal, or columnar‐shaped secretory oxyntico‐peptic cells lined the secretory units. Many telocytes (pyramidal or fusiform‐shaped cell bodies with lengthy telopodes) were observed in interstitial tissue. Further, two types of argyrophilic endocrine cells were identified within the glandular epithelium. The morphology of the M. gallopavo proventriculus reflects its dietary habits and behavior.
Clinical and biochemical distinctions for a metabolite repair disorder caused by NAXD or NAXE deficiency
Authors: Van Bergen Nicole J. , Walvekar Adhish S. , Patraskaki Myrto , Sikora Tim , Linster Carole L. , Christodoulou John
Published: July 2022

The central cofactors NAD(P)H are prone to damage by hydration, resulting in formation of redox‐inactive derivatives designated NAD(P)HX. The highly conserved enzymes NAD(P)HX dehydratase (NAXD) and NAD(P)HX epimerase (NAXE) function to repair intracellular NAD(P)HX. Recently, pathogenic variants in both the NAXD and NAXE genes were associated with rapid deterioration and death after an otherwise trivial fever, infection, or illness in young patients. As more patients are identified, distinct clinical features are emerging depending on the location of the pathogenic variant. In this review, we carefully catalogued the clinical features of all published NAXD deficiency patients and found distinct patterns in clinical presentations depending on which subcellular compartment is affected by the enzymatic deficiency. Exon 1 of NAXD contains a mitochondrial propeptide, and a unique cytosolic isoform is initiated from an alternative start codon in exon 2. NAXD deficiency patients with variants that affect both the cytosolic and mitochondrial isoforms present with neurological defects, seizures and skin lesions. Interestingly, patients with NAXD variants exclusively affecting the mitochondrial isoform present with myopathy, moderate neuropathy and a cardiac presentation, without the characteristic skin lesions, seizures or neurological degeneration. This suggests that cytosolic NAD(P)HX repair may protect from neurological damage, whereas muscle fibres may be more sensitive to mitochondrial NAD(P)HX damage. A deeper understanding of the clinical phenotype may facilitate rapid identification of new cases and allow earlier therapeutic intervention. Niacin‐based therapies are promising, but advances in disease modelling for both NAXD and NAXE deficiency may identify more specific compounds as targeted treatments. In this review, we found distinct patterns in the clinical presentations of NAXD deficiency patients based on the location of the pathogenic variant, which determines the subcellular compartment that is affected by the enzymatic deficiency.
Single-cell immune profiling reveals long-term changes in myeloid cells and identifies a novel subset of CD9+ monocytes associated with COVID-19 hospitalization
Authors: Pandori William J , Padgett Lindsey E , Alimadadi Ahmad , Gutierrez Norma A , Araujo Daniel J , Huh Christine J , Olingy Claire E , Dinh Huy Q , Wu Runpei , Vijayanand Pandurangan , Chee Serena J , Ottensmeier Christian H , Hedrick Catherine C
Published: July 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can result in severe immune dysfunction, hospitalization, and death. Many patients also develop long-COVID-19, experiencing symptoms months after infection. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the immune response to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, gaps remain in our knowledge of how innate immunity influences disease kinetics and severity. We hypothesized that cytometry by time-of-flight analysis of PBMCs from healthy and infected subjects would identify novel cell surface markers and innate immune cell subsets associated with COVID-19 severity. In this pursuit, we identified monocyte and dendritic cell subsets that changed in frequency during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and correlated with clinical parameters of disease severity. Subsets of nonclassical monocytes decreased in frequency in hospitalized subjects, yet increased in the most severe patients and positively correlated with clinical values associated with worse disease severity. CD9, CD163, PDL1, and PDL2 expression significantly increased in hospitalized subjects, and CD9 and 6-Sulfo LacNac emerged as the markers that best distinguished monocyte subsets amongst all subjects. CD9+ monocytes remained elevated, whereas nonclassical monocytes remained decreased, in the blood of hospitalized subjects at 3–4 months postinfection. Finally, we found that CD9+ monocytes functionally released more IL-8 and MCP-1 after LPS stimulation. This study identifies new monocyte subsets present in the blood of COVID-19 patients that correlate with disease severity, and links CD9+ monocytes to COVID-19 progression.
A multimodel ensemble machine learning approach for CMIP6 climate model projections in an Indian River basin
Authors: Dey Aiendrila , Sahoo Debi Prasad , Kumar Rohini , Remesan Renji
Published: July 2022

Multimodel ensemble (MME) approach would help modellers to know the advantages of individual global circulation models (GCMs) and to avoid the weaknesses associated with them, and it would help the river basin modellers to make appropriate modelling decisions. The study highlights the river basin‐scale development of MME as a convenient way to reduce the parameter and structural uncertainties in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) GCMs simulations after identifying the best five CMIP6 GCMs based on the rating metric calculations. Furthermore, the performance of the MME was enhanced by integrating three machine learning algorithms (artificial neural network [ANN], random forest [RF], support vector machine [SVM]). Subsequently, comparative assessment depicted the improved performance in MME‐integrated ML algorithms compared to simple arithmetic mean (SAM) in simulating observed precipitation (P), maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin) over the Damodar River basin (DRB), India. The statistical metrics indicate that the SVM and RF methods yielded better results than SAM and ANN methods, thus selected for future projections. The robustness of the MME‐RF and MME‐SVM approach has also been observed while capturing the spatial pattern as IMD‐observed with well representation of climate indices for both wet and dry seasons. Future projections with MME‐SVM and MME‐RF suggested a possible rise in mean annual P in the range of 1.4–15% and 6.8–39% with an increasing trend in temperature (Tmax, Tmin) under the SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios, respectively. Replicating the spatial pattern of the future climatic variables projections evinced a warmer and drier climate in the southwest part of the DRB for both SSP scenarios during wet and dry season and thence warned a probable drier condition on the southwest part of the DRB in future time slices.
Integrated Photonics Based on Rare‐Earth Ion‐Doped Thin‐Film Lithium Niobate
Authors: Jia Yuechen , Wu Jiangwei , Sun Xiaoli , Yan Xiongshuo , Xie Ranran , Wang Lei , Chen Yuping , Chen Feng
Published: July 2022

Rare‐earth (RE) ion doped crystalline materials have a wide spectrum of applications in lasers, amplifiers, sensors, as well as classical and quantum information processing. The incorporation of RE ions into integrated photonics holds great promise for enriching the designer's toolbox with a view to addressing key performance features not available in existing photonic integration platforms. RE‐ion‐doped thin‐film LiNbO3(also called RE‐ion‐doped lithium‐niobate‐on‐insulator, RE:LNOI), which inherits nearly all the material advantages as well as nanophotonic integration from the LNOI technology, meets the urgent demands for chip‐integrated laser sources, optical amplifiers, and quantum memories based on LNOI photonics. In this article, a timely review is provided on the development of RE:LNOI photonics in terms of ion‐doping techniques, chip‐integrated lasers, and amplifiers, as well as low‐temperature optical characterizations for quantum photonics. To conclude, some well‐noted topics that may shape the future directions in lithium–niobate integrated photonics are discussed.
Dynamics of Spin‐Dependent Polariton–Polariton Interactions in Two‐Dimensional Layered Halide Organic Perovskite Microcavities
Authors: Liu Tian‐Yu , Wang Hai , Song Mu‐Sen , Zhao Le‐Yi , Hu Zi‐Fan , Wang Hai‐Yu
Published: July 2022

Half‐light and half‐matter exciton polaritons have demonstrated profound impacts on coherent quantum phenomena. Two‐dimensional (2D) organic−inorganic perovskite semiconductors, exhibiting large exciton binding energy and spin‐based behavior, are an excellent platform for the study of exciton polaritons at room temperature. However, the implementation of these fascinating coherent phenomena is still constrained by the lack of an understanding of the crucial polariton–polariton interaction effects. Here, an experimental observation of spin‐dependent polariton–polariton interactions in a prototype 2D organic−inorganic perovskite microcavity by circularly polarization‐resolved transient absorption (TA) measurements is reported. A power‐dependent blue shift of the lower polariton bands with the same spin is clearly revealed, whereas the energy band of the polariton bands with the opposite spin is almost not changed. Spectacularly, it is found that the energy band blue shift mainly takes place before the spin depolarization, which provides accurate evidence for the spin‐dependent polariton–polariton interactions. Furthermore, the strong coherent polariton–phonon coupling of perovskite microcavity has also been detected firstly in ultrafast TA dynamics. These results demonstrate that microcavity polaritons inheriting the matter properties from their excitonic constituents exhibit strong nonlinear interactions and pave the way for realizing coherent quantum phenomena at room temperature.
Relationship between the East Atlantic teleconnection pattern and the spring dust storm in northern China. Part‐I: Impacts of components of the atmospheric circulation over Eurasia on dust storm dynamic power—Spring gales
Authors: Gao Tao , Chang An , Yong Mei , Ma Jing , Yang Zelong , Yu Xiao
Published: July 2022

Spring gale is a dynamic power for DSs (DSs), which presents a close connection with the DSs of northern China. Both display declining trends during the past 68 years (1954–2021). In this study, the influencing factors of spring gales and DSs around northern China and possible adjustment functions of the East Atlantic (EA) teleconnection pattern have been investigated. It was found that the major systems controlling spring gales include the North Polar vortex (NPV), mid–high‐latitude blocking highs (BHs), air pressure status of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) over the Eurasian continent, India–Burma trough (IBT) and western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH). Under synthetic atmospheric circulation conditions of an enlarged NPV, lower air pressure over the TP, a strong IBT, and a southeastward‐retreated WPSH, spring gales increase, and the frequency of DS occurrence is increased, and vice versa. Additionally, spring gales are also negatively affected by BHs. The most important is the Baikal BH, which has influence not only in previous seasons but also in the contemporary spring. Furthermore, the NPV and IBT have close negative correlation with the EA pattern, whereas the TP and WPSH have positive correlation with the EA pattern both in previous seasons and in the contemporary spring. A high‐pitched EA pattern results in a strong western current north of Lake Baikal, which may prohibit the expansion of the NPV in the sector of northern China. A shrunk NPV means infrequent cold air attacks and decreased gales and DSs.
Characterization of recycled and virgin polyethylene terephthalate composites reinforced with modified kenaf fibers for automotive application
Authors: Owen Macaulay M. , Achukwu Emmanuel O. , Hazizan Akil Md , Romli Ahmad Z. , Ishiaku Umaru S.
Published: July 2022

The current research has produced engineering plastics composite for automotive applications using waste recycled plastic recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) bottles as the matrix and compounded with chemically modified natural kenaf fibers in comparison with virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) composites under the same processing conditions. Kenaf fibers were surface modified by alkali and epoxy coating treatment methods. The waste RPET bottles which were mechanically recycled were pulverized using a 5 mm mesh size aperture into flakes and melt‐mixed with 10 wt% of short kenaf fibers in a twin‐screw extruder and compression‐molded at 240°С optimized temperature. Mechanical and thermal analyses were performed on both RPET, virgin PET (VPET), and their constituent kenaf composites. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was carried out to assess the composite's morphological characteristics. The results show that both treated (TKF/RPET and TKF/VPET) composites gave higher mechanical properties compared to untreated (KF/RPET and KF/VPET) composites. RPET and its constituent composites show higher impact properties than VPET composites. However, the tensile and flexural strength of VPET composites was higher than that of recycled RPET composites. RPET and VPET showed melting peak temperatures of 252.9°C and 245.8°C respectively. Both treated TKF/RPET and TKF/VPET composites were more thermally stable and decomposed at higher temperatures compared to the untreated composites. The SEM results for both treated composites showed a strong fiber/matrix adhesion with no clear evidence of fiber degradation as compared to untreated composites. It can be concluded that RPET possessed similar thermal properties compared to its virgin counterpart and can serve as a substitute for virgin PET in the composite formulation.
Ultra‐lightweight 3D woven spacer integrated composites with stabilization of dielectric and robust mechanical properties at room and elevated temperatures
Authors: Zheng Liangang , Zhang Kun , Li Wuzhou , Xu Fujun
Published: July 2022

Polymer matrix composites with lightweight, low dielectric constant (ε) and dielectric loss tangent (tan δ), high‐temperature resistance, and excellent mechanical properties are urgently needed in the fields of aviation, aerospace, transportation, and wireless communication services. In this work, 3D woven spacer Kevlar/polyimide composites (3DKPC) with excellent dielectric properties and robust mechanical properties were designed and obtained by combining 3D weaving technology and thermal imidization process. Results show that the volume density of the prepared composites is as low as 0.24 g·cm−3, but its compressive strength can be up to 6.24 MPa. The dielectric constant and loss tangent of 3DKPC at room temperature are extremely low, with the value of ~1.32 and 6.9 × 10−3, respectively. Moreover, the compressive strength retention rate is more than 96% and the dielectric constant can be consistently lower than 1.36 when the temperature increases from 25 to 300°C, demonstrating the outstanding mechanical and dielectric stability of 3DKPC. In addition, as an application example of resulting composites, a microstrip antenna with 3DKPC as the substrate material was designed, followed by the simulation of its electromagnetic properties via High Frequency Structural Simulator. The results display that the gain of the microstrip antenna is 6.2 dB, which is superior to those of many other reported microstrip antennas, indicating that the 3DKPC proposed here has great application potential in aerospace, wireless communication, and other fields.
Preparation and characterization of porous polyimide fibers with electromagnetic wave absorption properties
Authors: Jiang Ming , Lin Daolei , Jia Wei , Du Jiang , Niu Hongqing , Wang Xiaodong , Wu Dezhen
Published: July 2022

The porous polyimide (PI) composite fibers, which exhibit high‐efficiency electromagnetic wave adsorption (EMWA) performance, were successfully fabricated by controlling temperature of the coagulation bath during the wet spinning process. The mechanical properties of composite fiber decreased and average radius of micropores increased gradually with the rise of coagulation bath temperature. In addition, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nano‐Fe3O4 were introduced into the system by in situ polymerization. CNTs and nano‐Fe3O4 contribute to the attenuation of electromagnetic wave (EMW) through microwave absorption and reflection loss (RL), and the porous structure was able to provide multiple reflection paths for incident EMW and achieved higher attenuation. Particularly, when the temperature of coagulation bath was 50°C, the minimum RL (RLmin) value of the PI/CNTs/nano‐Fe3O4 (PI/C‐Fe) composite fibers was demonstrated to be −54.61 dB with the matching thickness of 2.10 mm. The successful preparation of PI/C‐Fe composite fiber in this study pointed out a new direction for the application of PI‐based fiber materials in structural EMWA materials.
Belowground and aboveground herbivory differentially affect the transcriptome in roots and shoots of maize
Authors: Ye Wenfeng , Bustos‐Segura Carlos , Degen Thomas , Erb Matthias , Turlings Ted C. J.
Published: July 2022

Plants recognize and respond to feeding by herbivorous insects by upregulating their local and systemic defenses. While defense induction by aboveground herbivores has been well studied, far less is known about local and systemic defense responses against attacks by belowground herbivores. Here, we investigated and compared the responses of the maize transcriptome to belowground and aboveground mechanical damage and infestation by two well‐adapted herbivores: the soil‐dwelling western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and the leaf‐chewing fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In responses to both herbivores, maize plants were found to alter local transcription of genes involved in phytohormone signaling, primary and secondary metabolism. Induction by real herbivore damage was considerably stronger and modified the expression of more genes than mechanical damage. Feeding by the corn rootworm had a strong impact on the shoot transcriptome, including the activation of genes involved in defense and development. By contrast, feeding by the fall armyworm induced only few transcriptional changes in the roots. In conclusion, feeding by a leaf chewer and a root feeder differentially affects the local and systemic defense of maize plants. Besides revealing clear differences in how maize plants respond to feeding by these specialized herbivores, this study reveals several novel genes that may play key roles in plant–insect interactions and thus sets the stage for in depth research into the mechanism that can be exploited for improved crop protection.

Significance statement

Extensive transcriptomic analyses revealed a clear distinction between the gene expression profiles in maize plants upon shoot and root attack, locally as well as distantly from the attacked tissue. This provides detailed insights into the specificity of orchestrated plant defense responses, and the dataset offers a molecular resource for further genetic studies on maize resistance to herbivores and paves the way for novel strategies to enhance maize resistance to pests.
Effect of Nano‐Copper Chromite on the Thermal Decomposition and Combustion of AP‐Based Solid Propellants
Authors: Gou Bingwang , Kou Yong , Hu Yubing , Zhang Guangpu , Guo Hu , Xiao Lei , Zhao Fengqi , Gao Hongxu , Jiang Wei , Hao Gazi
Published: July 2022

This investigation was devoted to exploring the application performance of nano‐combustion catalyst CuCr2O4 in solid propellants. In this paper, raw CuCr2O4 and nano‐CuCr2O4 prepared by the mechanical grinding method were applied in solid propellants containing ammonium perchlorate (AP), which are ammonium perchlorate/ hydroxy‐terminated polybutadiene propellant (AP/HTPB) and ammonium perchlorate/composite modified double‐base propellant (AP/CMDB). And the scanning electron microscope, displacement volume method, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and strand burner method were employed to characterize the performance of AP‐based solid propellants. The results show that the AP/HTPB propellant has fewer defects on the surface of it due to the presence of nano‐CuCr2O4, but it has no significant effect on the AP/CMDB propellant. Nano‐CuCr2O4 can also significantly increase the density of AP/HTPB propellant and AP/CMDB propellant to 1.736 g/cm3 and 1.633 g/cm3, respectively. Nano‐CuCr2O4 obviously advances the decomposition temperature of AP/HTPB propellant and AP/CMDB propellant, which also increases the apparent heat of decomposition. In addition, the burning rate of nano‐CuCr2O4‐AP/HTPB propellant and nano‐CuCr2O4‐AP/CMDB propellant increased to 1.60 mm/s and 3.23 mm/s, with an increase of 28.3 % and 26.3 %, respectively. Therefore, nano‐CuCr2O4 is expected to be widely used in solid propellants due to its excellent properties.
Low‐Temperature Photoluminescence Investigation of Light‐Induced Degradation in Boron‐Doped CZ Silicon
Authors: Peh Katharina , Lauer Kevin , Flötotto Aaron , Schulze Dirk , Krischok Stefan
Published: July 2022

Light‐induced degradation (LID) in boron‐doped Czochralski grown (CZ) silicon is a severe problem for silicon devices such as solar cells or radiation detectors. Herein, boron‐doped CZ silicon is investigated by low‐temperature photoluminescence (LTPL) spectroscopy. An LID‐related photoluminescence peak is already found while analyzing indium‐doped p‐type silicon samples and is associated with the ASi–Sii defect model. Herein, it is investigated whether a similar peak is present in the spectra of boron‐doped p‐type CZ silicon samples. The presence of change in the photoluminescence signal intensity due to activation of the boron defect is investigated as well. Numerous measurements on boron‐doped samples are made. For this purpose, samples with four different boron doping concentrations are analyzed. The treatments for activation of the boron defect are based on the LID cycle. During an LID cycle, an additional peak or shoulder neither in the areas of the boron‐bound exciton transverse acoustic and nonphonon‐assisted peaks (BTA, BNP) nor in the area of the boron‐bound exciton transverse optical phonon‐assisted peak (BTO) is found. The defect formation also does not lead to a lower photoluminescence (PL) intensity ratio BTO(BE)/ITO(FE).
Optical Property and Stability of Lead‐Free Cs3Sb2Br9 Perovskite Microplatelets Prepared by a Solution Method
Authors: Wu Qin-Qin , Ren Jun , Bao Ning , Shi Chuan-Guo
Published: July 2022

Herein, a solution method is used to synthesize lead‐free Cs3Sb2Br9 perovskite microplatelets. The freshly prepared microplatelets exhibit photoluminescence (PL) peaks at about 420 and 600 nm, when the excitation wavelengths are 325 and 532 nm, respectively. The 420 nm PL band is attributed to the band edge excitonic recombination while the 600 nm PL band originates from radiative defect state. The 600 nm emission is stronger than that of the 420 nm emission, implying the high density of defects and relatively poor crystal quality. Moreover, 2D PL and Raman mappings indicate the presence of defects at the edges. These features suggest the crystal quality, so as the structural stability of the Cs3Sb2Br9 microplatelets obtained by solution method is relatively inferior. During the storage, the Cs3Sb2Br9 microplatelets significantly degrade and the PL rapidly quenches. To improve the stability, a surface capping strategy by oleic acid (OA) is developed. The PL intensity retains more than 80% and the morphology maintains after storage for about one month, demonstrating the improved stability of the OA‐capped Cs3Sb2Br9 microplatelets.
Effects of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) on anthropometric and cardiometabolic indices in overweight and obese patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Tahmasbi Fateme , Araj‐Khodaei Mostafa , Mahmoodpoor Ata , Sanaie Sarvin
Published: July 2022

The worldwide prevalence of obesity is approximately tripled between 1975 and 2016 according to World Health Organization; therefore, obesity is now considered a global pandemic that needs academic and clinical focus. In search of antiobesity agents, Crocus sativus, known widely as saffron, has been praised for its beneficial effects. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted to investigate the weight lowering effect of saffron. Following PRISMA guidelines, several medical databases were comprehensively searched for RCTs with a population consisting of obese individuals. A random‐effects meta‐analysis was used to pool estimates across studies, and standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to synthesize quantitative results. Twenty‐five RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Meta‐analysis showed a nonsignificant decrease for weight (−0.32 kg; CI: −3.15, 2.51; p = 0.82), BMI (−0.06 kg/m2;CI:‐1.04,0.93; p = .91), waist circumference (−1.23 cm; CI: −4.14, 1.68; p = .41), and hip circumference (−0.38 cm; CI: −5.99, 5.23; p = .89) and a significant decrease of waist‐to‐hip ratio (SMD = −0.41; CI: −0.73, −0.09; p = .01; I2 = 0%). The mean difference in fasting blood sugar showed a significant reduction in patients with metabolic syndrome (SMD = −0.30; 95% CI: −0.63, 0.03; p = .07; I2 = 0.37%) but a nonsignificant change in the HbA1C level (WMD = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.41; p = .79). Despite bearing several limitations, mainly as a result of heterogeneity among included studies, the available evidence indicates saffron supplementation shows promising effects on some cardiometabolic factors among overweight to obese patients; however, further investigations and high‐quality evidence are required for more generalizable and comprehensive results.
Prevalence of aortic stenosis and TAVR outcomes in patients with systemic sclerosis‐associated pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Alman Kirsten , Sadd Corey J. , Ravel Amish , Raza Farhan , Chybowski Amy , Runo James R.
Published: July 2022

There is little known about performing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with group 1 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on advanced pulmonary vasodilator therapy. Retrospective cohort study among 90 patients with systemic sclerosis‐associated pulmonary arterial hypertension and systemic sclerosis‐associated pulmonary hypertension (SSc‐PAH/PH) evaluated at a tertiary PH center. The SSc‐PAH/PH cohort was stratified by the presence or absence of aortic stenosis (AS) to identify differences in baseline characteristics, hemodynamics, and long‐term outcomes. Of the 90 SSc‐PAH/PH patients, 13 patients were diagnosed with AS at PH diagnosis and another 6 patients developed AS during the study period. The period prevalence of AS was 21.1% (19/90, 95% confidence interval: 13.2%–30.1%) of which 94.7% was mild (18/19) at diagnosis with mean age at AS diagnosis of 66.3 + 2.2 years. Among AS patients, 31.6% (6/19) progressed to severe AS, five of which underwent TAVR (median age: 70 years) while on advanced PAH therapy. One of the five TAVR patients developed worsening pulmonary hypertension post‐TAVR. The 5‐year survival rate for all AS patients from diagnosis date was 37.2%. There was a high prevalence of AS in this cohort of SSc‐PAH/PH patients, with mean age of onset younger than patients with nonbicuspid aortic valve stenosis. This is the largest series of SSc‐PAH/PH patients on advanced pulmonary vasodilator therapy who underwent TAVR with acceptable early outcomes.
On linear parameter varying control of time‐delayed positive systems
Authors: Rahmanian Farnoosh , Asemani Mohammad Hassan
Published: July 2022

The original purpose of this article is to tackle the stabilizing controller design for linear parameter varying positive systems with multiple delays, in which the considered delays are time‐invariant. The proposed control strategy consists of a parameter varying state‐feedback controller. A complete solution to the design problem is proposed by utilizing a Lyapunov approach. In order to decrease the conservativeness of the controller design, we define a slack variable to prevent the multiplication of the Lyapunov matrices with the system matrices. Moreover, the slack variable is considered as a parameter varying matrix. Finally, the criteria are transformed into linear matrix inequalities. Therefore, sufficient conditions stabilize the closed‐loop system and preserve the positive property. A special case for the mentioned system is the deep brain stimulation system used in the area of Parkinson's treatment. It enables neuroscientists to control abnormal brain activity by implanting electrodes that generate electrical impulses. This system is provided as a practical example to guarantee the effectiveness of the obtained outcomes.
Surface Lattice Perturbation of Electron Transport Layer Reducing Oxygen Vacancies for Positive Photovoltaic Effect
Authors: He Jingshan , Ding Tian , Wu Wenjun
Published: July 2022

For carbon‐based fully printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (FP‐PSCs), due to the serious interfacial defects formed in the uncontrollable crystallization process, modifying the interface between perovskite and electron transport layer is an effective way to enhance their photovoltaic performance. Herein, ultrathin ZrO2 is deposited on the mesoporous TiO2 surface by using spray pyrolysis, and Zr4+ intercalates into the TiO2 surface lattice and works together with Ti4+ and O2− ions. Thanks to this surface lattice perturbation of Zr4+, the reduction of surface oxygen vacancies of TiO2 (electron transport layer) decreases the density of defective states at the TiO2–perovskite interface inhibiting the Shockley–Read–Hall recombination (nonradiative recombination) in the charge cross‐interface transfer. Furthermore, both the open‐circuit voltage and short‐circuit current density are improved significantly. Based on perovskite Cs0.05(FA0.92MA0.08)0.95Pb(I0.92Br0.08)3 for carbon‐based FP‐PSCs, a high power conversion efficiency of 17.81% is obtained. It provides a novel idea and technology for efficient interfacial modification of the electron transport layer for FP‐PSCs.
Efficacy of Pleurotus djamor Zinc Polysaccharide Chewable Tablets against Reproductive Damage Induced by Nonylphenol
Authors: Zhang Mengyu , Wang Wenshuai , Sun Wenxue , Zhang Jianjun , Jia Le
Published: July 2022

This study investigates the efficacy of chewable tablets made from the Pleurotus djamor zinc polysaccharide (PCT‐Zn) against the nonylphenol (NPs) induced male reproductive damage in mice. The trial takes the form of constructing a model by infusing NPs into mice, followed by treatment with PCT‐Zn solution infusion 1 h later, for a total of 8 weeks. It is found that PCT‐Zn shows potential effects on increasing the testicular coefficients, enhancing the antioxidant activities, and inhibiting the apoptotic and inflammatory responses, which indicate that PCT‐Zn has the effect of alleviating the NPs‐induced reproductive damage. The results of the experiment suggest that the P. djamor zinc polysaccharide can be used as a dietary supplement to develop appropriate products to alleviate reproductive damage caused by environmental pollutants.
John Ishmael
Authors: Locke Harvey
Published: July 2022

A highly respected pathologist, a family man and a fully engaged member of the church and community.
Supporting mind and body
Authors: Read Claire
Published: July 2022

Claire Gillvray has dedicated her career to exploring the link between physical and mental wellbeing. Claire Read speaks to her to find out how being active can impact on the mind as well as the body.
Experimental quantification of interfacial convections at the water–nonaqueous‐phase liquid interface in microfluidic systems
Authors: Wismeth Carina , Flury Markus , Baumann Thomas
Published: July 2022

Mass transfer rates at liquid–liquid interfaces are relevant for a broad range of processes in natural and technical systems. The objective of this study was to characterize and quantify convective flow along the interface between water and nonaqueous‐phase liquids (NAPLs). Three NAPLs with different water solubility were used: 1‐heptanol, 1‐octanol, and 1‐nonanol. The convective flow was visualized and recorded in a micromodel setup with fluorescent particles and an epifluorescence microscope. Individual trajectories were evaluated to obtain the statistics of the particle velocities. We observed a fast‐rotating convection current along the NAPL–water interface with a maximum velocity of approximately 1,000 μm s−1 after 10 min. The fluid motion showed a persistent movement in the form of a rolling cell for at least 99 h, but a decreasing rotation speed over time. We attributed the convective flow dynamics to three mechanisms following different kinetic rates: (a) a short‐lived Marangoni flow, (b) a medium‐lived dissolution‐driven flow, and (c) a long‐lived evaporation‐driven flow. Upon initial contact between water and NAPLs, the differences in surface tension caused a rapid Marangoni flow along the interface, which died out quickly as the surface tensions were equilibrated. The Marangoni flow was superseded by a dissolution‐driven flow as the NAPLs dissolved in the aqueous phase. The dissolution‐driven flow dissipated according to a first‐order rate law and died out when the liquids were mutually saturated. Evaporation of water and NAPLs caused a long‐term but slow convective flow. The interaction of these three mechanisms caused enhanced mixing during multiphase transport.
Hopeful Pessimism: The Kantian Mind at the End of All Things
Authors: Chignell Andrew
Published: July 2022

Kant’s third question (“What may I hope?”) is underdiscussed in comparison to the other two, even though he himself took it to be the question that united his efforts in theoretical and practical philosophy. This is largely his own fault: in his discussion of the question he moves quickly from talking about rational hope to discussing the kind of Belief or faith (Glaube) that grounds it. Moreover, the canonical statements of his own moral proof do not seem to give hope any essential role to play. In this chapter I first consider the ways in which pre-Kantian authors muddied the distinction between what we would call “hope” and “expectation.” I then look at how Kant’s views about hope evolve to the point where, by the time of the “End of All Things” essay of 1794, he seems to endorse a kind of hopeful pessimism about our this-worldly situation, at least. I then examine a version of Kant’s moral proof that succeeds in locating a role for hope that is distinct from that of Belief, expectation, optimism, and so on. Finally, I turn to some contemporary work in two very different arenas – Anthropocene scholarship and Christian eschatology – in order to look at how the concepts of hope and optimism are deployed in those contexts. We will see that although some of the recent discourses about the “Good Anthropocene” slip beyond hope into full-blown optimism, most authors working on ecological and environmental topics are careful to keep the attitudes distinct. By contrast, there is a tendency among contemporary theologians to follow earlier Christian authors in slipping beyond mere hope to optimistic faith, and even to full-blown certainty.
Finite Element Model for Wind Comfort Around a Tall Building: A Case Study of Tower of Qazaqstan
Authors: Narbayev Bakdauren , Amanbek Yerlan
Published: July 2022

Pedestrian wind comfort plays an essential role in the urban environment. In our work, we consider a model obtained using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) around a tall building. Our focus is the Tower of Qazaqstan or Abu Dhabi Plaza in Nur-Sultan city (Kazakhstan), which will be the tallest building in Central Asia with a height of 310.8 m. We investigated the effect of the wind velocity on pedestrians by solving the incompressible time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations in the deal.II library by the Finite Element Method (FEM) using the projection method. We present numerical simulation results for various scenarios. It has been found that the velocity profile can vary in the domain that creates different pedestrian comfort conditions including the exceeded category at places dedicated to pedestrian walking.
A Web-Based Dashboard for Estimating the Economic and Ecological Impacts of Land Use Class Changes for Key Land Patches
Authors: Bayram Alper , Marvuglia Antonino
Published: July 2022

The increasing pressure on land coming from the raising needs of a fast-growing population puts public and private landowners and decision makers in front of difficult choices concerning the best use of limited land resources. On one hand, agricultural land and grassland need to be used to support human food requirements. On the other hand, these land uses create trade-offs with other ecosystem functions, assets and services, such as ecological connectivity, biodiversity and natural habitat maintenance. In this paper a prototype web-based dashboard is presented, that aims at allowing a fully-fledged calculation of the economic and environmental trade-offs between different land uses of any land patch (excluding urban areas and infrastructures) and in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. An agent-based model (ABM) coupled with life-cycle assessment (LCA) runs on the background of the dashboard. The coupled model allows the simulation of the farm business and the calculation of the revenues made by farmers in every land patch under different farm management scenarios. Crossing the information coming from the model with other tools would also allow to integrate local environmental trade-offs, such as degradation of local habitats or ecological connectivity, and not only global ones defined in a non-spatialized way. The dashboard has a potentially high value to inform policy, strategies, or specific actions (e.g., environmental stewardship programs that integrate economic convenience as a condition) and has the necessary flexibility to integrate new aspects related to territorial analyses as they become available.
Solving the Hagedorn temperature of AdS5/CFT4 via the Quantum Spectral Curve: chemical potentials and deformations
Authors: Harmark Troels , Wilhelm Matthias
Published: July 2022

Abstract

We describe how to calculate the Hagedorn temperature of$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 4 SYM theory and type IIB superstring theory onAdS5×S5via the Quantum Spectral Curve (QSC) — providing further details on our previous letters [1] and [2]. We solve the QSC equations perturbatively at weak ‘t Hooft couplingλup to seven-loop order and numerically at finite coupling, finding that the perturbative results can be expressed in terms of single-valued harmonic polylogarithms. Moreover, we generalize the QSC to describe the Hagedorn temperature in the presence of chemical potentials. Finally, we show that the Hagedorn temperature in certain deformations of$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 4 SYM theory (real-βandγideformation) agrees with the one in$$ \mathcal{N} $$N= 4 SYM theory at any value ofλ.
Searching for Charged Higgs Bosons via e+e− → H+H− → $$ \overline{c}b\overline{c}b $$ at Linear Colliders
Authors: Hou Wei-Shu , Jain Rishabh , Modak Tanmoy
Published: July 2022

Abstract

We study a search for the charged Higgs boson via e+e−→ H+H−→$$ \overline{c}b\overline{c}b $$

c
¯

b

c
¯

b
at the 500 GeV ILC. In a general two Higgs doublet model without Z2 symmetry, extra Yukawa couplings ρtt and ρtc can drive baryogenesis, but searches at the HL-LHC may still go empty-handed if the couplings are relatively weak. Taking $$ {m}_{H^{+}} $$

m

H
+

≃ mH ≃ mA ≃ 200 GeV, with ρtt, ρtc ∼ 0.1 and no h(125)-H mixing, H+ → $$ c\overline{b} $$
c

b
¯

decay is dominant, and the $$ \overline{c}b\overline{c}b $$

c
¯

b

c
¯

b
final state is likely overwhelmed by QCD background at the LHC. We show that the electroweak production of H+H− at the ILC is discoverable with integrated luminosity of 1 ab−1. Furthermore, we show that $$ {m}_{H^{+}} $$

m

H
+

can be extracted by requiring the two pairs of b and light jets be roughly equal in mass, without assuming the mass value. Thus, ILC can probe low mass Higgs bosons in multijet final states to complement HL-LHC in the future.
Liver-specific deletion of miR-181ab1 reduces liver tumour progression via upregulation of CBX7
Authors: Chen Jinbiao , Zhao Yang , Zhang Fan , Li Jia , Boland Jade A. , Cheng Ngan Ching , Liu Ken , Tiffen Jessamy C. , Bertolino Patrick , Bowen David G. , Krueger Andreas , Lisowski Leszek , Alexander Ian E. , Vadas Mathew A. , El-Omar Emad , Gamble Jennifer R. , McCaughan Geoffrey W.
Published: July 2022

MiR-181 expression levels increased in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared to non-cancerous tissues. MiR-181 has been widely reported as a possible driver of tumourigenesis but also acts as a tumour suppressor. In addition, the miR-181 family regulates the development and function of immune and vascular cells, which play vital roles in the progression of tumours. More complicatedly, many genes have been identified as miR-181 targets to mediate the effects of miR-181. However, the role of miR-181 in the development of primary tumours remains largely unexplored. We aimed to examine the function of miR-181 and its vital mediators in the progression of diethylnitrosamine-induced primary liver cancers in mice. The size of liver tumours was significantly reduced by 90% in global (GKO) or liver-specific (LKO) 181ab1 knockout mice but not in hematopoietic and endothelial lineage-specific knockout mice, compared to WT mice. In addition, the number of tumours was significantly reduced by 50% in GKO mice. Whole-genome RNA-seq analysis and immunohistochemistry showed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition was partially reversed in GKO tumours compared to WT tumours. The expression of CBX7, a confirmed miR-181 target, was up-regulated in GKO compared to WT tumours. Stable CBX7 expression was achieved with an AAV/Transposase Hybrid-Vector System and up-regulated CBX7 expression inhibited liver tumour progression in WT mice. Hepatic CBX7 deletion restored the progression of LKO liver tumours. MiR-181a expression was the lowest and CBX7 expression the highest in iClust2 and 3 subclasses of human HCC compared to iClust1. Gene expression profiles of GKO tumours overlapped with low-proliferative peri-portal-type HCCs. Liver-specific loss of miR-181ab1 inhibited primary liver tumour progression via up-regulating CBX7 expression, but tumour induction requires both hepatic and non-hepatic miR-181. Also, miR-181ab1-deficient liver tumours may resemble low-proliferative periportal-type human HCC.

Graphical abstract