bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comprehensive model for viscoplastic flows in channels with a patterned wall: longitudinal, transverse and oblique flows
Authors: Rahmani H. , Taghavi S.M.
Published: April 2024

We develop a comprehensive model for the creeping Poiseuille Bingham flow in channels equipped with a patterned wall, i.e. decorated with grooves or stripes that may represent a superhydrophobic (SH) or a chemically patterned (CP) surface, respectively, with longitudinal, transverse and oblique groove (stripe) orientations with respect to the applied pressure gradient. We rely on the Navier slip law to model the boundary condition on the slippery grooves. We develop semi-analytical, explicit-form and complementary computational fluid dynamics models, with solutions that have reasonable agreement. In contrast to its Newtonian analogue, a distinct solution for the oblique configuration, with an a priori unknown transform matrix, must be developed due to the viscoplastic nonlinear rheology. Our focus is to systematically analyse the effects of the Bingham number (

$B$

), slip number (

$b$

), groove periodicity length (

$\ell$

), slip area fraction (

$\varphi$

) and groove orientation angle (

$\theta$

), on the slip velocities, effective slip length (

$\chi$

), slip angle difference (

$\theta -s$

), mixing index (

$I_M$

), flow anisotropy and flow regimes. In particular, we demonstrate that, as

$B$

increases, the maximum values of the shear component of

$\chi$

,

$\theta -s$

and

$I_M$

occur progressively at smaller values of

$\theta$

, compared with their Newtonian counterparts.
How Did Nineteenth-Century Singers Care for Their Voice?
Authors: Watt Paul
Published: April 2024

During the nineteenth century, singers had a range of literature available to them for instruction on how to take care of their voice. This literature included the autobiographies and biographies of singers, works by quacks and doctors, recipes, and advertisements. This article demonstrates the degree to which all of this literature potentially played in the promulgation of health regimes for singers to keep their voice in the best possible working order. The article argues that these health regimes were likely based on superstition or medical advice (or both) and operated within a larger context of narratives pertaining to public health throughout the nineteenth century ranging from the need for breathing in quality air to taking certain kinds of baths. The article charts the oral and print sources through which singers took advice on vocal health and hygiene.
From Protest to Child-Rearing: How Movement Politics Shape Socialization Priorities
Authors: ANOLL ALLISON P. , ENGELHARDT ANDREW M. , ISRAEL-TRUMMEL MACKENZIE
Published: April 2024

Classic political behavior studies assert that childhood socialization can contribute to later political orientations. But, as adults consider how to introduce children to politics, what shapes their decisions? We argue socialization is itself political with adults changing their socialization priorities in response to salient political events including social movements. Using Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and race socialization as a case, we show the summer 2020 information environment coupled movement-consistent concepts of race with child-rearing guidance. A survey of white parents after the summer activism suggests that many—but especially Democrats and those near peaceful protest epicenters—prioritized new forms of race socialization. Further, nearly 2 years after the protests’ height, priming BLM changes support for race-related curricular materials among white Americans. Our work casts political socialization in a new light, reviving an old literature, and has implications for when today’s children become tomorrow’s voters.
In the Shadows of Great Men: Retired Leaders and Informal Power Constraints in Autocracies
Authors: Jiang Junyan , Xi Tianyang , Xie Haojun
Published: April 2024

Autocratic leaders differ considerably in how they consolidate power, but what gives rise to these variations remains under-theorized. This article studies how informal political constraints associated with retired leaders shape intra-elite power dynamics. We argue that ageing leaders' efforts to manage the succession problem create an important yet impermanent check on the power of subsequent leaders. To test this argument, we use the massive text corpus of Google Ngram to develop a new measure of power for a global sample of autocratic leaders and elites and employ a research design that leverages within-incumbent variations in former leaders' influence for identification. We show that incumbent leaders' ability to consolidate power becomes more limited when operating in an environment where influential former leaders are present. Further analyses suggest that the presence of former leaders is most effective in reducing incumbents' ability to appoint or remove high-level military and civilian personnel unilaterally. These findings have implications for our understanding of the dynamics of power-sharing and institutional change in autocracies.
Comment choisir son camp. Interroger l'expérience et évaluer les hypothèses dans la Lettre sur les aveugles de Diderot
Authors: Berchielli Laura
Published: April 2024

Dans la Lettre sur les aveugles, Denis Diderot décrit, en se basant sur la physique mathématique, une méthode pour l’évaluation des hypothèses dans des situations où la certitude ne peut pas être atteinte. La thèse de cet article est que l'auteur de la Lettre étend cette méthode aux questions métaphysiques du finalisme et de l'idéalisme. Diderot présente les positions antagonistes de manière telle que la personne lisant le texte est invitée à peser et soupeser les arguments et à choisir celle qui lui paraît la meilleure, ou la plus probable.
The Politics of Pornography Research
Authors: Kutchinsky Berl
Published: April 2024

In his review essay on three recent books on pornography, harms, and politics in Law & Society Review, Steven Childress (1991) has transmitted false information about my criminological research on pornography. Since such misinformation is, in part, responsible for considerable confusion about the outcome of aggregate studies of the effects of pornography on sex crimes, redress is necessary. Misinformation about crucial pornography research may have serious consequences for pornography politics and makes one wonder about the politics of pornography research.
Japan’s Forgotten Korean Forced Laborers: The Search for Hidden Wartime Graves in Hokkaido
Authors: Duró Ágota , Palmer David
Published: April 2024

The return of remains of Korean forced laborers who died in Japan between 1940 and 1945 has been a major controversy for over half a century for Koreans. These deaths reveal the tragic consequences of Japan’s World War II forced labor system. Japan forcefully mobilized nearly 800,000 Koreans who were taken to at least 1,589 worksites in Japan and 381 worksites in Hokkaido. Over 10 percent of all Koreans forcefully mobilized throughout the empire are estimated to have died or disappeared, but the precise number of Korean forced laborers’ deaths inside Japan remains unknown. Until 1989, remains recovered from graves throughout Japan by local people were immediately cremated by Japanese Buddhist priests, making cause of death and precise identities forensically impossible. This account relates the first and only comprehensive effort to exhume Korean forced labor graves without immediate cremation, coordinated by Korean and Japanese activists and academics based in Hokkaido. This effort helped revive a neglected aspect of Korean forced labor history while focusing on the concerns of bereaved Koreans seeking the remains of their lost family members. Nevertheless, the project had serious limitations due to working in a difficult political environment and neglect of forensic science protocols in mass grave excavations and identification. This complex situation prevented identification of victims’ names and cause of death that could have held the Japanese government and companies involved accountable.
Power dynamics in translingual practices for Chinese as a Second Language writing education
Authors: Sun Yachao
Published: April 2024

This study explores the impact of power dynamics – represented by linguistic privilege, learning environment, and identity formation – on translingual practices in Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) writing education. It focuses on a specific case involving Chinese language learners at a Sino-US joint-venture university in China to elucidate these dynamics in a real-life context. The findings revealed how societal expectations, internalized power dynamics, and prevailing language ideologies nurtured perceptions of a diminished Chinese identity and influenced students' language preferences and engagement in CSL writing. The article argues that the decolonization of writing education necessitates critical awareness of power dynamics and the challenges they pose to monolingual ideologies. It also proposes pedagogical strategies to incorporate power dynamics into translingual practices by emphasizing the need to embrace language diversity and fluidity, facilitate translingual identity formation, and employ reflective practices. By raising awareness of power dynamics in translingual practices, educators can empower students to confront the linguistic status quo, promote linguistic justice, and cultivate a more equitable CSL writing education.
Micro-hexapod robot with an origami-like SU-8-coated rigid frame
Authors: Sugimoto Kenjiro , Nagasawa Sumito
Published: April 2024

In recent years, many microrobots have been developed for search applications using swarms in places where humans cannot enter, such as disaster sites. Hexapod robots are suitable for moving over uneven terrain. In order to use micro-hexapod robots for swarm exploration, it is necessary to reduce the robot’s size while maintaining its rigidity. Herein, we propose a micro-hexapod with an SU-8 rigid frame that can be assembled from a single sheet. By applying the SU-8 coating as a structure to the hexapod and increasing the rigidity, the substrate size can be reduced to within 40 mm × 40 mm and the total length when assembled to approximately 30 mm. This enables the integration of the micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) process into small and inexpensive hexapod robots. In this study, we assembled the hexapod with a rigid frame from a sheet created using the MEMS process and evaluated the leg motion.
From Compliance to Care: Qualitative Findings from a Survey of Essential Caregivers in Ontario Long-Term Care Homes
Authors: Conklin James , Dehcheshmeh Maryam Mohammadi , Archibald Douglas , Elliott Jacobi , Hsu Amy , Kothari Anita , Stolee Paul , Sveistrup Heidi
Published: April 2024

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of the care provided by family members and close friends to older people living in long-term care (LTC) homes. Our implementation science team helped three Ontario LTC homes to implement an intervention to allow family members to enter the homes during pandemic lockdowns.

Objective

We used a variety of methods to support the implementation, and this paper reports results from an Ontario-wide survey intended to help us understand the nature of the care provided by family caregivers.

Methods

We administered a survey of essential caregivers in Ontario, and a single open-ended question yielded a substantial qualitative data set that we analysed with a coding and theming procedure that yielded 13 themes.

Findings

The 13 themes reveal deficiencies in Ontario’s LTC sector, attempts to cope with the deficiencies, and efforts to influence change and improvement.

Discussion

Our findings indicate that essential caregivers find it necessary to take on vital roles in order to shore up two significant gaps in the current system: they provide psychosocial and emotional (and sometimes even basic) care to residents, and they play a monitoring and advocacy role to compensate for the failings of the current regulatory compliance regime.
Trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from infancy through early childhood: The roles of perceived financial strain, social support, and intimate partner violence
Authors: Ku Seulki , Werchan Denise M. , Feng Xin , Blair Clancy
Published: April 2024

Although new mothers are at risk of heightened vulnerability for depressive symptoms, there is limited understanding regarding changes in maternal depressive symptoms over the course of the postpartum and early childhood of their child’s life among rural, low-income mothers from diverse racial backgrounds. This study examined distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms among rural low-income mothers during the first five years of their child’s life, at 6, 15, 24, and 58 months, using data from the Family Life Project (N = 1,292). Latent class growth analysis identified four distinct trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms, including Low-decreasing (50%; n = 622), Low-increasing (26%; n = 324), Moderate-decreasing (13%; n = 156), and Moderate-increasing (11%; n = 131) trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression demonstrated that higher perceived financial strain and intimate partner violence, and lower social support predicted higher-risk trajectories (Low-increasing, Moderate-decreasing, and Moderate-increasing) relative to the Low-decreasing trajectory. Compared to the Low-decreasing trajectory, lower neighborhood safety/quietness predicted to the Low-increasing trajectory. Moreover, lower social support predicted the Moderate-increasing trajectory, the highest-risk trajectory, compared to those in Moderate-decreasing. The current analyses underscore the heterogeneity on patterns of depressive symptoms among rural, low-income mothers, and that the role of both proximal and broader contexts contributing to distinct trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms over early childhood.
Likelihood ratio test for the analysis of germination percentages
Authors: Rhie Yongha , Lee Soyeon , Noh Hohsuk
Published: April 2024

The germination percentage (GP) is commonly employed to estimate the viability of a seed population. Statistical methods such as analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression are frequently used to analyse GP data. While ANOVA has a long history of usage, logistic regression is considered more suitable for GP data due to its binomial nature. However, both methods have inherent issues that require attention. In this study, we address previously unexplored challenges associated with these methods and propose the utilization of a likelihood ratio test as a solution. We demonstrate the advantages of employing the likelihood ratio test for GP data analysis through simulations and real data analysis.
A Foot in the Door: The Colonial Section of the German Foreign Office and the Settlement of Germans in Interwar Tanganyika
Authors: Sandler Willeke
Published: April 2024

After 1925, German settlers began to return to the former German East Africa, lost through the Treaty of Versailles and transformed into the British Mandate of Tanganyika. The German Foreign Office's Colonial Section took on a proactive role to facilitate these Germans’ settlement in their former colony, including working with German ministries to release funding and navigating the British administration and settlers on the ground in Tanganyika. While Germany had lost its overseas colonies, these officials, many of whom had served in the pre-war empire, did not view their activity in colonial spaces like Tanganyika as belonging to the past. Officials in the Colonial Section navigated the appearance of political neutrality while also promoting their ‘colonial-political’ goals, hoping to create footholds of Germanness in Tanganyika that would keep open the possibility of future empire.
Making urban memory visible: the on-screen transformation of Beijing’s hutong districts during modernization (1940s–2010s)
Authors: Sun Yiqiao
Published: April 2024

As a vernacular dwelling form, the historical hutong districts in Beijing have represented local people’s traditional ways of living and thinking. However, in recent decades, such urban memories have dissipated as the old cityscape has gradually been overwritten by modernist, international-style designs. To ensure that locality and identity are not forgotten, this article examines the potential role of fiction films as a form of digital ‘lieux de mémoire’ (sites of memory), which not only archives but also evokes nostalgia for memories lost in urban transition. This interdisciplinary study rereads the extensive modernist transformation of Beijing’s historical hutong area through the lens of film (1940s–2010s), and thus brings a humanized, historical insight into this vernacular cityscape by focusing on reviving and strengthening the fading urban qualities.
Job Loss During the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Mactal Ma. Tonirose D. , Teng-Calleja Mendiola , Caringal-Go Jaimee Felice , Zantua Rae Mark S.
Published: April 2024

Abstract: Massive involuntary job loss is one of the most damaging consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a distressful life event, studies revealed how it can adversely impact one’s well-being, especially when challenges are unmanaged. Using phenomenology as its theoretical lens, this study aimed to provide an understanding of the experiences of sudden job loss among 12 Filipino migrant workers through semistructured online interviews. In particular, it explored the difficulties, coping mechanisms, and critical resources that enabled them to deal with the transition from being substantial income earners to jobless individuals. The analysis underscored the need for a concerted response, especially at the government level, to help mitigate the adverse psychological and economic impact of unemployment among migrant workers.
Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Czech Versions of Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA) and Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP)
Authors: Pipová Helena , Petr Kryštof , Dolejš Martin , Kostková Markéta , Suchá Jaroslava , Sonneville Kendrin
Published: April 2024

Abstract: Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate anti-fat attitudes and beliefs among Czech adolescents and develop a Czech version of the Anti-Fat Attitudes Questionnaire (AFA) and Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP). Methods and Participants: A total of 3,345 Czech adolescents aged 11–19 years completed sociodemographics, AFA, and BAOP. Results: The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a three-factor solution and adequate factor validity for AFA. For BAOP, our data did not support the one-factor solution. The bifactor solution that accounted for the negatively formulated items fit, however, the data well. We also found both questionnaires to be invariant by sex. Age was inversely associated with BAOP and AFA Fear of Fat; higher ages were associated with higher AFA Dislike subscale scores. Girls scored higher on AFA Fear of Fat and boys on Dislike and Willpower. Limitations : Only Czech adolescents were included as participants, which could limit the applicability of the results to other age groups or cultural contexts. Furthermore, the use of self-report measurements introduces the potential for response biases. Conclusion: The Czech versions of both questionnaires demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties, but further research is needed to explore the wording effect for BAOP.
Automatically Sketching Auroral Skeleton Structure in All‐Sky Image for Measuring Aurora Arcs
Authors: Wang Qian , Bai Wanying , Zhang Wei , Shi Jinming
Published: April 2024

The auroral arc is the typical track of the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere. A sketch of skeletons for arc‐like aurora is usually used to describe auroral structures, such as vortex, fold and curl structures, etc. With artificial intelligence technologies, sketching auroral skeleton structure (AuroSS) in all‐sky images enables automatic detection and measurement of aurora arcs in very large amounts of ground‐based auroral observation data. The skeleton is a highly characterizing topological structure that has been extensively studied in the field of computer vision. However, AuroSS is not the medial axis of auroral shapes and a large number of accurate AuroSS annotations are not available. It is difficult to detect AuroSS by using an unsupervised or fully‐supervised method. In this paper, we formulate the automatic AuroSS extraction to learn a mapping from an all‐sky auroral image to a ridge style AuroSS. Without accurate AuroSS annotations, emission ridge and coarse localization of aurora are incorporated to generate pseudo‐labels of AuroSS. A series of functional weakly supervised models are trained and cascaded to achieve AuroSS detection. Experimental results on auroral images obtained from all‐sky imagers at Yellow River Station (YRS) show that the detected AuroSS is consistent with that of human visual perception. Based on the obtained AuroSS, the orientations and lengths of auroral arcs can be estimated automatically. By browsing the temporal variation in arc orientation from dusk to dawn, we can acquire synoptic observations of auroral activities at YRS.
Pre‐Eruptive Damage, Weakening and Magma‐Edifice Coupling at Piton De La Fournaise Volcano
Authors: Got Jean‐Luc , Peltier Aline , Marsan David , Ferrazzini Valerie , Brothelande Elodie , Carrier Aurore
Published: April 2024

Eruptions in basaltic volcanoes are often preceded by increasing seismicity and surface deformation, which progressively damage and weaken the volcanic edifice. We show how damage and crack interaction produce the inverse Omori‐Utsu law for earthquakes during pre‐eruptive periods. Rock mass continuity, representing damage, is shown to decrease exponentially with the earthquake number; we interpret it as a general form of the Omori‐Utsu law. Pre‐eruptive earthquake time series are shown to be controlled by heterogeneity distribution, finite‐size effect and crack interaction, and by the feeding system characteristic time. Magma‐edifice coupling is described by state variables that depend on the continuity and the feeding system characteristic time. Pre‐eruptive seismicity of the 2004–2017 24 summit/proximal eruptions of Piton de la Fournaise volcano was well modeled by an inverse Omori‐Utsu law. It allowed identifying two cases: (a) strong crack interaction and earthquake number acceleration, when failure in strong intact rock and finite‐size effects dominate the brittle fracture process; in that case the magma‐edifice interaction power exhibits a maximum before the eruption; (b) weak crack interaction, generating an almost constant earthquake rate and corresponding to a brittle fracture process at constant strain in a weak, fractured rock mass. In this latter case eruptions occurred when the continuity reached a critical value, close to 0.25. Specific times are identified, from the time variations of the state variables; they define estimators that provide values of the eruption time within 10% of the true value in 60%–75% of the cases studied, from the complete time series.
Sound Velocities of Fe‐Si Alloys at Conditions of the Cores of Moon and Mercury
Authors: Li Xiaohong , Han Songsong , Cui Xiaoming , Liu Jin , Hou Mingqiang
Published: April 2024

The species and contents of the light elements within the metallic cores play a crucial role in understanding the structure, thermal state, geodynamo, and evolution of the terrestrial planets and satellites. While silicon (Si) has been considered as a primary candidate light element in the cores of small terrestrial bodies, the sound velocities of face‐centered cubic (fcc) Fe‐Si are rarely investigated. Here we measured the compressional (VP) and shear (VS) wave velocities of Fe alloyed with 3 wt.% and 6 wt.% Si up to 6.3 GPa and 1,273 K using pulse‐echo overlap technique coupled with energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction. The incorporation of Si could increase the VP of body‐centered cubic (bcc) Fe by 0.074(15) km/s and decrease the VS by 0.024(9) km/s with each weight percent Si at 300 K. However, 3 wt.% Si has minimal effect on the VP of fcc‐Fe if not negligible. The incorporation of 6 wt.% Si stabilizes the Fe in mixture bcc and fcc phases at high temperature and increases the VP by 0.59 km/s compared with that of fcc‐Fe. Based on the Apollo seismic observation and VP of Fe and Fe‐Si alloys, Si is unlikely to be the sole light element in the lunar core. The solid core of the Mercury would be in the fcc phase if the Si content is less than 3 wt.% and the VP profiles is 5.65–6.34 km/s. While 6 wt.% Si would stabilize the Mercury's core in mixed bcc and fcc phases, the VP profiles would be 6.17–6.85 km/s.
Neogene‐Recent Reactivation of Pre‐Existing Faults in South‐Central Vietnam, With Implications for the Extrusion of Indochina
Authors: Richard Nicholas , Burberry Caroline M. , Hoang Nguyen , Anh Le Duc , Dinh Sang Q. , Elkins Lynne J.
Published: April 2024

Vietnam contains complex faults coupled with a diffuse igneous province that has been active since the mid‐Miocene. However, existing fault maps demonstrate little consensus over the location of Neogene basalt flows and relative ages of mapped faults, which complicates interpretations of tectonic model for the evolution of Indochina. This paper identifies discrete tectonic blocks within Vietnam and aims to define the Neogene‐Recent tectonic setting and kinematics of south‐central Vietnam by analyzing the orientation, kinematics, and relative ages of faults across each block. Fault ages and relative timing are estimated using cross‐cutting relationships with dated basalt flows and between slickenside sets. Remote sensing results show distinct fault trends within individual blocks that are locally related to the orientations of the basement‐involved block‐bounding faults. Faults observed in the field indicate an early phase of dip‐slip motion and a later phase of strike‐slip motion, recording the rotation of blocks within a stress field. Faulting after the change in motion of the Red River Fault Zone at ∼16 Ma is inferred, as faults cross‐cut basalt flows as young as ∼0.6 Ma. Strike‐slip motion on block‐bounding faults is consistent with rotation and continuous extrusion of each block within south‐central Vietnam. The rotation of the blocks is attributed to the “continuum rubble” behavior of small crustal blocks influenced by upper mantle flow after the collision between India and Eurasia. We infer a robust lithospheric‐asthenospheric coupling in the extrusion model, which holds implications for other regions experiencing extrusion even in the absence of a free surface.
Climate‐Driven Increases in Stream Metal Concentrations in Mineralized Watersheds Throughout the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA
Authors: Manning Andrew H. , Petach Tanya N. , Runkel Robert L. , McKnight Diane M.
Published: April 2024

Increasing stream metal concentrations apparently caused by climate warming have been reported for a small number of mountain watersheds containing hydrothermally altered bedrock with abundant sulfide minerals (mineralized watersheds). Such increases are concerning and could negatively impact downstream ecosystem health, water resources, and mine‐site remediation efforts. However, the pervasiveness and typical magnitude of these trends remain uncertain. We aggregated available streamwater chemistry data collected from late summer and fall over the past 40 years for 22 mineralized watersheds throughout the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Temporal trend analysis performed using the Regional Kendall Test indicates significant regional upward trends of ∼2% of the site median per year for sulfate, zinc, and copper concentrations in the 17 streams affected by acid rock drainage (ARD; median pH ≤ 5.5), equivalent to concentrations roughly doubling over the past 30 years. An examination of potential load trends utilizing streamflow data from eight “index gages” located near the sample sites provides strong support for regionally increasing sulfate and metal loads in ARD‐affected streams, particularly at higher elevations. Declining streamflows are likely contributing to regionally increasing concentrations, but increasing loads appear to be on average an equal or greater contributor. Comparison of selected site characteristics with site concentration trend magnitudes shows the highest correlation for mean annual air temperature and mean elevation (R2 of 0.42 and 0.35, respectively, with all others being ≤0.14). Future research on climate‐driven controlling mechanisms should therefore focus on processes such as melting of frozen ground directly linked to site mean temperature and elevation.
Warming Experiment Explores Consequences of Diminished Snow
Authors: Sidder Aaron
Published: April 2024

The SPRUCE ecosystem in northern Minnesota offered a setting to research exactly how a snowy environment responds to rising temperatures.
Risk factors for infection and outcomes in infants with neonatal encephalopathy: a cohort study
Authors: Odd David , Sabir Hemmen , Jones Simon A. , Gale Chris , Chakkarapani Ela
Published: April 2024

Background

To determine the association between early infection risk factors and short-term outcomes in infants with neonatal encephalopathy following perinatal asphyxia (NE).

Methods

A retrospective population-based cohort study utilizing the National Neonatal Research Database that included infants with NE admitted to neonatal units in England and Wales, Jan 2008–Feb 2018. Exposure: one or more of rupture of membranes >18 h, maternal group B streptococcus colonization, chorioamnionitis, maternal pyrexia or antepartum antibiotics. Primary outcome: death or nasogastric feeds/nil by mouth (NG/NBM) at discharge. Secondary outcomes: organ dysfunction; length of stay; intraventricular hemorrhage; antiseizure medications use.

Results

998 (13.7%) out of 7265 NE infants had exposure to early infection risk factors. Primary outcome (20.3% vs. 23.1%, OR 0.87 (95% CI 0.71–1.08), p = 0.22), death (12.8% vs. 14.0%, p = 0.32) and NG/NBM (17.4% vs. 19.9%. p = 0.07) did not differ between the exposed and unexposed group. Time to full sucking feeds (OR 0.81 (0.69–0.95)), duration (OR 0.82 (0.71–0.95)) and the number of antiseizure medications (OR 0.84 (0.72–0.98)) were lower in exposed than unexposed infants after adjusting for confounders. Therapeutic hypothermia did not alter the results.

Conclusions

Infants with NE exposed to risk factors for early-onset infection did not have worse short-term adverse outcomes.

Impact

Risk factors for early-onset neonatal infection, including rupture of membranes >18 h, maternal group B streptococcus colonization, chorioamnionitis, maternal pyrexia or antepartum antibiotics, were not associated with death or short-term morbidity after cooling for NE.

Despite exposure to risk factors for early-onset neonatal infection, infants with NE reached oral feeds earlier and needed fewer anti-seizure medications for a shorter duration than infants with NE but without such risk factors.

This study supports current provision of therapeutic hypothermia for infants with NE and any risk factors for early-onset neonatal infection.
LIN28B induced PCAT5 promotes endometrial cancer progression and glycolysis via IGF2BP3 deubiquitination
Authors: Wang Bin , Wang Bo , Ma Jian , He Jun-jian , Wang Zi-hao , Li Qing , Ma Xiao-xin
Published: April 2024

Endometrial cancer (EC) cells exhibit abnormal glucose metabolism, characterized by increased aerobic glycolysis and decreased oxidative phosphorylation. Targeting cellular glucose metabolism in these cells could be an effective therapeutic approach for EC. This study aimed to assess the roles of LIN28B, PCAT5, and IGF2BP3 in the glucose metabolism, proliferation, migration, and invasion of EC cells. LIN28B highly expressed in EC, binds and stabilizes PCAT5. PCAT5, overexpressed in EC, and its 1485-2288nt region can bind to the KH1-2 domain of IGF2BP3 to prevent MKRN2 from binding to the K294 ubiquitination site of IGF2BP3, thus stabilizing IGF2BP3. Finally, IGF2BP3 promotes the aerobic glycolysis, proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells by stabilizing the key enzymes of glucose metabolism HK2 and PKM2. Taken together, our data reveal that the LIN28B/PCAT5/IGF2BP3 axis is critical for glucose reprogramming and malignant biological behavior in EC cells. Therefore, targeting this axis may contribute to the development of a novel therapeutic strategy for EC metabolism.
Biogenesis of Rab14-positive endosome buds at Golgi–endosome contacts by the RhoBTB3–SHIP164–Vps26B complex
Authors: Wang Jingru , Xiong Juan , Zhang Shuhan , Li Dongchen , Chu Qingzhu , Chang Weiping , Deng Lin , Ji Wei-Ke
Published: April 2024

Early endosomes (EEs) are crucial in cargo sorting within vesicular trafficking. While cargoes destined for degradation are retained in EEs and eventually transported to lysosomes, recycled cargoes for the plasma membrane (PM) or the Golgi undergo segregation into specialized membrane structures known as EE buds during cargo sorting. Despite this significance, the molecular basis of the membrane expansion during EE bud formation has been poorly understood. In this study, we identify a protein complex comprising SHIP164, an ATPase RhoBTB3, and a retromer subunit Vps26B, which promotes the formation of EE buds at Golgi–EE contacts. Our findings reveal that Vps26B acts as a novel Rab14 effector, and Rab14 activity regulates the association of SHIP164 with EEs. Depletion of SHIP164 leads to enlarged Rab14+EEs without buds, a phenotype rescued by wild-type SHIP164 but not the lipid transfer-defective mutants. Suppression of RhoBTB3 or Vps26B mirrors the effects of SHIP164 depletion. Together, we propose a lipid transport-dependent pathway mediated by the RhoBTB3–SHIP164–Vps26B complex at Golgi–EE contacts, which is essential for EE budding.
Exome-wide analysis implicates rare protein-altering variants in human handedness
Authors: Schijven Dick , Soheili-Nezhad Sourena , Fisher Simon E. , Francks Clyde
Published: April 2024

Handedness is a manifestation of brain hemispheric specialization. Left-handedness occurs at increased rates in neurodevelopmental disorders. Genome-wide association studies have identified common genetic effects on handedness or brain asymmetry, which mostly involve variants outside protein-coding regions and may affect gene expression. Implicated genes include several that encode tubulins (microtubule components) or microtubule-associated proteins. Here we examine whether left-handedness is also influenced by rare coding variants (frequencies ≤ 1%), using exome data from 38,043 left-handed and 313,271 right-handed individuals from the UK Biobank. The beta-tubulin gene TUBB4B shows exome-wide significant association, with a rate of rare coding variants 2.7 times higher in left-handers than right-handers. The TUBB4B variants are mostly heterozygous missense changes, but include two frameshifts found only in left-handers. Other TUBB4B variants have been linked to sensorineural and/or ciliopathic disorders, but not the variants found here. Among genes previously implicated in autism or schizophrenia by exome screening, DSCAM and FOXP1 show evidence for rare coding variant association with left-handedness. The exome-wide heritability of left-handedness due to rare coding variants was 0.91%. This study reveals a role for rare, protein-altering variants in left-handedness, providing further evidence for the involvement of microtubules and disorder-relevant genes.
Highly efficient multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence material toward a BT.2020 deep-blue emitter
Authors: Ochi Junki , Yamasaki Yuki , Tanaka Kojiro , Kondo Yasuhiro , Isayama Kohei , Oda Susumu , Kondo Masakazu , Hatakeyama Takuji
Published: April 2024

An ultrapure deep-blue multi-resonance-induced thermally activated delayed fluorescence material (DOB2-DABNA-A) is designed and synthesized. Benefiting from a fully resonating extended helical π-conjugated system, this compound has a small ΔEST value of 3.6 meV and sufficient spin–orbit coupling to exhibit a high-rate constant for reverse intersystem crossing (kRISC = 1.1 × 106 s–1). Furthermore, an organic light-emitting diode employing DOB2-DABNA-A as an emitter is fabricated; it exhibits ultrapure deep-blue emission at 452 nm with a small full width at half maximum of 24 nm, corresponding to Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.145, 0.049). The high kRISC value reduces the efficiency roll-off, resulting in a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 21.6% at 1000 cd m–2.
Passive frequency comb generation at radiofrequency for ranging applications
Authors: Hussein Hussein M. E. , Kim Seunghwi , Rinaldi Matteo , Alù Andrea , Cassella Cristian
Published: April 2024

Optical frequency combs, featuring evenly spaced spectral lines, have been extensively studied and applied to metrology, signal processing, and sensing. Recently, frequency comb generation has been also extended to MHz frequencies by harnessing nonlinearities in microelectromechanical membranes. However, the generation of frequency combs at radio frequencies (RF) has been less explored, together with their potential application in wireless technologies. In this work, we demonstrate an RF system able to wirelessly and passively generate frequency combs. This circuit, which we name quasi-harmonic tag (qHT), offers a battery-free solution for far-field ranging of unmanned vehicles (UVs) in GPS-denied settings, and it enables a strong immunity to multipath interference, providing better accuracy than other RF approaches to far-field ranging. Here, we discuss the principle of operation, design, implementation, and performance of qHTs used to remotely measure the azimuthal distance of a UV flying in an uncontrolled electromagnetic environment. We show that qHTs can wirelessly generate frequency combs with μWatt-levels of incident power by leveraging the nonlinear interaction between an RF parametric oscillator and a high quality factor piezoelectric microacoustic resonator. Our technique for frequency comb generation opens new avenues for a wide range of RF applications beyond ranging, including timing, computing and sensing.
Involution of brown adipose tissue through a Syntaxin 4 dependent pyroptosis pathway
Authors: Yu Xiaofan , Benitez Gabrielle , Wei Peter Tszki , Krylova Sofia V. , Song Ziyi , Liu Li , Zhang Meifan , Xiaoli Alus M. , Wei Henna , Chen Fenfen , Sidoli Simone , Yang Fajun , Shinoda Kosaku , Pessin Jeffrey E. , Feng Daorong
Published: April 2024

Aging, chronic high-fat diet feeding, or housing at thermoneutrality induces brown adipose tissue (BAT) involution, a process characterized by reduction of BAT mass and function with increased lipid droplet size. Single nuclei RNA sequencing of aged mice identifies a specific brown adipocyte population of Ucp1-low cells that are pyroptotic and display a reduction in the longevity gene syntaxin 4 (Stx4a). Similar to aged brown adipocytes, Ucp1-STX4KO mice display loss of brown adipose tissue mass and thermogenic dysfunction concomitant with increased pyroptosis. Restoration of STX4 expression or suppression of pyroptosis activation protects against the decline in both mass and thermogenic activity in the aged and Ucp1-STX4KO mice. Mechanistically, STX4 deficiency reduces oxidative phosphorylation, glucose uptake, and glycolysis leading to reduced ATP levels, a known triggering signal for pyroptosis. Together, these data demonstrate an understanding of rapid brown adipocyte involution and that physiologic aging and thermogenic dysfunction result from pyroptotic signaling activation.
Patchy and widespread distribution of bacterial translation arrest peptides associated with the protein localization machinery
Authors: Fujiwara Keigo , Tsuji Naoko , Yoshida Mayu , Takada Hiraku , Chiba Shinobu
Published: April 2024

Regulatory arrest peptides interact with specific residues on bacterial ribosomes and arrest their own translation. Here, we analyse over 30,000 bacterial genome sequences to identify additional Sec/YidC-related arrest peptides, followed by in vivo and in vitro analyses. We find that Sec/YidC-related arrest peptides show patchy, but widespread, phylogenetic distribution throughout the bacterial domain. Several of the identified peptides contain distinct conserved sequences near the C-termini, but are still able to efficiently stall bacterial ribosomes in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we identify many arrest peptides that share an R-A-P-P-like sequence, suggesting that this sequence might serve as a common evolutionary seed to overcome ribosomal structural differences across species.
Targeting branched N-glycans and fucosylation sensitizes ovarian tumors to immune checkpoint blockade
Authors: Nie Hao , Saini Pratima , Miyamoto Taito , Liao Liping , Zielinski Rafal J. , Liu Heng , Zhou Wei , Wang Chen , Murphy Brennah , Towers Martina , Yang Tyler , Qi Yuan , Kannan Toshitha , Kossenkov Andrew , Tateno Hiroaki , Claiborne Daniel T. , Zhang Nan , Abdel-Mohsen Mohamed , Zhang Rugang
Published: April 2024

Aberrant glycosylation is a crucial strategy employed by cancer cells to evade cellular immunity. However, it’s unclear whether homologous recombination (HR) status-dependent glycosylation can be therapeutically explored. Here, we show that the inhibition of branched N-glycans sensitizes HR-proficient, but not HR-deficient, epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). In contrast to fucosylation whose inhibition sensitizes EOCs to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy regardless of HR-status, we observe an enrichment of branched N-glycans on HR-proficient compared to HR-deficient EOCs. Mechanistically, BRCA1/2 transcriptionally promotes the expression of MGAT5, the enzyme responsible for catalyzing branched N-glycans. The branched N-glycans on HR-proficient tumors augment their resistance to anti-PD-L1 by enhancing its binding with PD-1 on CD8+ T cells. In orthotopic, syngeneic EOC models in female mice, inhibiting branched N-glycans using 2-Deoxy-D-glucose sensitizes HR-proficient, but not HR-deficient EOCs, to anti-PD-L1. These findings indicate branched N-glycans as promising therapeutic targets whose inhibition sensitizes HR-proficient EOCs to ICB by overcoming immune evasion.
A commensal protozoan attenuates Clostridioides difficile pathogenesis in mice via arginine-ornithine metabolism and host intestinal immune response
Authors: Yang Huan , Wu Xiaoxiao , Li Xiao , Zang Wanqing , Zhou Zhou , Zhou Yuan , Cui Wenwen , Kou Yanbo , Wang Liang , Hu Ankang , Wu Lianlian , Yin Zhinan , Chen Quangang , Chen Ying , Huang Zhutao , Wang Yugang , Gu Bing
Published: April 2024

Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis is a major risk factor for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is recommended for treating CDI. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that Tritrichomonas musculis (T.mu), an integral member of the mouse gut commensal microbiota, reduces CDI-induced intestinal damage by inhibiting neutrophil recruitment and IL-1β secretion, while promoting Th1 cell differentiation and IFN-γ secretion, which in turn enhances goblet cell production and mucin secretion to protect the intestinal mucosa. T.mu can actively metabolize arginine, not only influencing the host’s arginine-ornithine metabolic pathway, but also shaping the metabolic environment for the microbial community in the host’s intestinal lumen. This leads to a relatively low ornithine state in the intestinal lumen in C. difficile-infected mice. These changes modulate C. difficile’s virulence and the host intestinal immune response, and thus collectively alleviating CDI. These findings strongly suggest interactions between an intestinal commensal eukaryote, a pathogenic bacterium, and the host immune system via inter-related arginine-ornithine metabolism in the regulation of pathogenesis and provide further insights for treating CDI.
In-depth correlation analysis between tear glucose and blood glucose using a wireless smart contact lens
Authors: Park Wonjung , Seo Hunkyu , Kim Jeongho , Hong Yeon-Mi , Song Hayoung , Joo Byung Jun , Kim Sumin , Kim Enji , Yae Che-Gyem , Kim Jeonghyun , Jin Jonghwa , Kim Joohee , Lee Yong-ho , Kim Jayoung , Kim Hong Kyun , Park Jang-Ung
Published: April 2024

Tears have emerged as a promising alternative to blood for diagnosing diabetes. Despite increasing attempts to measure tear glucose using smart contact lenses, the controversy surrounding the correlation between tear glucose and blood glucose still limits the clinical usage of tears. Herein, we present an in-depth investigation of the correlation between tear glucose and blood glucose using a wireless and soft smart contact lens for continuous monitoring of tear glucose. This smart contact lens is capable of quantitatively monitoring the tear glucose levels in basal tears excluding the effect of reflex tears which might weaken the relationship with blood glucose. Furthermore, this smart contact lens can provide an unprecedented level of continuous tear glucose data acquisition at sub-minute intervals. These advantages allow the precise estimation of lag time, enabling the establishment of the concept called ‘personalized lag time’. This demonstration considers individual differences and is successfully applied to both non-diabetic and diabetic humans, as well as in animal models, resulting in a high correlation.
Large area single crystal gold of single nanometer thickness for nanophotonics
Authors: Pan Chenxinyu , Tong Yuanbiao , Qian Haoliang , Krasavin Alexey V. , Li Jialin , Zhu Jiajie , Zhang Yiyun , Cui Bowen , Li Zhiyong , Wu Chenming , Liu Lufang , Li Linjun , Guo Xin , Zayats Anatoly V. , Tong Limin , Wang Pan
Published: April 2024

Two-dimensional single crystal metals, in which the behavior of highly confined optical modes is intertwined with quantum phenomena, are highly sought after for next-generation technologies. Here, we report large area (>104 μm2), single crystal two-dimensional gold flakes (2DGFs) with thicknesses down to a single nanometer level, employing an atomic-level precision chemical etching approach. The decrease of the thickness down to such scales leads to the quantization of the electronic states, endowing 2DGFs with quantum-confinement-augmented optical nonlinearity, particularly leading to more than two orders of magnitude enhancement in harmonic generation compared with their thick polycrystalline counterparts. The nanometer-scale thickness and single crystal quality makes 2DGFs a promising platform for realizing plasmonic nanostructures with nanoscale optical confinement. This is demonstrated by patterning 2DGFs into nanoribbon arrays, exhibiting strongly confined near infrared plasmonic resonances with high quality factors. The developed 2DGFs provide an emerging platform for nanophotonic research and open up opportunities for applications in ultrathin plasmonic, optoelectronic and quantum devices.
Extending carbon chemistry at high-pressure by synthesis of CaC2 and Ca3C7 with deprotonated polyacene- and para-poly(indenoindene)-like nanoribbons
Authors: Khandarkhaeva Saiana , Fedotenko Timofey , Aslandukova Alena , Akbar Fariia Iasmin , Bykov Maxim , Laniel Dominique , Aslandukov Andrey , Ruschewitz Uwe , Tobeck Christian , Winkler Björn , Chariton Stella , Prakapenka Vitali , Glazyrin Konstantin , Giacobbe Carlotta , Bright Eleanor Lawrence , Belov Maxim , Dubrovinskaia Natalia , Dubrovinsky Leonid
Published: April 2024

Metal carbides are known to contain small carbon units similar to those found in the molecules of methane, acetylene, and allene. However, for numerous binary systems ab initio calculations predict the formation of unusual metal carbides with exotic polycarbon units, [C6] rings, and graphitic carbon sheets at high pressure (HP). Here we report the synthesis and structural characterization of a HP-CaC2 polymorph and a Ca3C7 compound featuring deprotonated polyacene-like and para-poly(indenoindene)-like nanoribbons, respectively. We also demonstrate that carbides with infinite chains of fused [C6] rings can exist even at conditions of deep planetary interiors ( ~ 140 GPa and ~3300 K). Hydrolysis of high-pressure carbides may provide a possible abiotic route to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Universe.