bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Polymer-Based Drilling Fluid Additives Performance Under Harsh Subsurface Conditions
Authors: Alafnan Saad
Published: June 2022

Drilling fluids are designed carefully to yield filter cakes with good performance. Fine-scale assessments have revealed that the filter cake has two distinct layers: an internal layer that is close to the surface and an external layer that is close to the drilling fluid. Polymer additives have been used as lost circulation materials. They provide the means to bridge spaces in the rock in order to minimize the fluid invasion and formation damage. The performance of the polymer-based filter cake changes under harsh, high-temperature subsurface conditions. It is difficult to extract the polymer layer while maintaining its integrity so that it can be used in experimental assessments. Molecular simulation offers an alternative means of performing a thorough evaluation of the polymer layer at high temperatures. In this study, three common polymer additives, starch, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and sodium polyacrylate (SPA), were re-created on a computational platform. The structures were subjected to a thorough analysis to extract various characteristics such as their mechanical strengths and interactions with the drilling fluid base (i.e., water). The results revealed that the three polymers maintain reasonable integrity at temperatures up to 400 K (starch and SPA) and 350 K (CMC). The yield strength of the starch decreased from 0.37 GPa to 0.21 GPa as the temperature increased from 300 K to 450 K, while it decreased from 0.66 to 0.38 for the SPA at the same range of temperature. The toughness of the starch and polyacrylate decreased by half within this temperature range. The temperature had a more pronounced impact on the stability of the CMC structure. Considering three polymers with different chemical characteristics allowed to show that the integrity of a polymer is linked to its molecular structure. The findings reported in this paper cast additional light on high-temperature polymer additive performance. The framework established in this study can be applied to other additives to support optimized drilling operations.
Dynamic Analysis of Downhole Tool String in Uplift and Downshoot Motion
Authors: Qin Xing , Liu Yongsheng
Published: June 2022

Running various downhole tools in extended reach wells is usually very important for well operations in the oil production engineering. The various bottlenecks due to high drags or irregular boreholes are always the main reasons for tool resistance. Failure to reach target depth often has a profound consequence on well deliverability and overall cost. In this paper, we proposed an “uplift and downshoot” method to run the tool string. In this method, the tool may first be raised to a certain height (raising process), and then lowered quickly so that the tool “falls” from this height at a relatively fast velocity to help rush through the stuck points. The soft string model considering the effects of lowering velocity is established to simulate the tool falling process. By solving the tool axial acceleration in each falling interval with energy conservation, the axial force and acceleration distributed in the tool string during the entire running process can be determined. A case study of lowering measuring instruments in the completion of tubular of a water injection well is analyzed by the proposed method. In the assumed two situations with and without stuck points, the tool is lifted 15 m to simulate the rush through the process. Velocity and acceleration of every lowing height under different stuck resistances are drawn and listed to judge the tool passability. This work provides a way to run downhole tools and a matched theoretical method to help field operators lower downhole tools efficiently.
Scalable synthesis of supported catalysts using fluidized bed atomic layer deposition
Authors: Lu Zheng , Yanguas-Gil Angel , Kang Donghyeon , Darapaneni Pragathi , Mane Anil U. , Marshall Christopher L. , Elam Jeffrey W.
Published: June 2022

Overcoating layers deposited on the surface of heterogeneous catalysts using atomic layer deposition (ALD) have been shown to increase catalyst activity, lifetime, and selectivity. In this study, we performed Al2O3 ALD and Pd ALD in a commercial fluidized bed reactor on high surface area mesoporous powder supports to create overcoated catalysts with high precursor utilization. We investigated the reaction mechanism for both Al2O3 ALD and Pd ALD using in situ mass spectrometry and developed a mathematical model to understand the precursor saturation behaviors. We characterized the catalyst samples using a variety of techniques to measure the surface area, porosity, composition, and surface chemistry of the overcoated catalysts. Finally, we used propane dehydrogenation as a probe reaction to evaluate the performance of the catalysts prepared by fluidized bed ALD.
Dynamics of Bacterial Composition and Association with Quality Formation and Biogenic Amines Accumulation during Fish Sauce Spontaneous Fermentation
Authors: Ma Xinxiu , Sang Xue , Yan Congyang , Zhang Yanan , Bi Jingran , Zhang Gongliang , Hao Hongshun , Hou Hongman
Published: June 2022

Traditional fermentation of fish sauce is mainly carried out by complex microbial communities from raw anchovies and processing environments. However, it is still unclear how the environmental microbiota influences the quality and the safety of fish sauce products.
Evaluation of Metagenomic and Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Workflows for Detection of Respiratory Pathogens from Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Specimens
Authors: Gaston David C. , Miller Heather B. , Fissel John A. , Jacobs Emily , Gough Ethan , Wu Jiajun , Klein Eili Y. , Carroll Karen C. , Simner Patricia J.
Published: June 2022

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows applied to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid specimens could enhance the detection of respiratory pathogens, although optimal approaches are not defined. This study evaluated the performance of the Respiratory Pathogen ID/AMR (RPIP) kit (Illumina, Inc.) with automated Explify bioinformatic analysis (IDbyDNA, Inc.), a targeted NGS workflow enriching specific pathogen sequences and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) markers, and a complementary untargeted metagenomic workflow with in-house bioinformatic analysis.
FUBP3 Degrades the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Nucleocapsid Protein and Induces the Production of Type I Interferon
Authors: Dong Sujie , Kong Ning , Wang Chunmei , Li Youwen , Sun Dage , Qin Wenzhen , Zhai Huanjie , Zhai Xueying , Yang Xinyu , Ye Chenqian , Ye Manqing , Liu Changlong , Yu Lingxue , Zheng Hao , Tong Wu , Yu Hai , Zhang Wen , Tong Guangzhi , Shan Tongling
Published: June 2022

PEDV refers to the alphacoronavirus that is found globally and has re-emerged recently, causing severe financial losses. In PEDV infection, the host activates various host restriction factors to maintain innate antiviral responses to suppress virus replication.
Antibiotic Minimal Selective Concentrations and Fitness Costs during Biofilm and Planktonic Growth
Authors: Hjort Karin , Fermér Elin , Tang Po-Cheng , Andersson Dan I.
Published: June 2022

Our understanding of how and where antibiotic resistance is selected in response to antibiotic exposure is still limited, and this is particularly true for selective processes when bacteria are growing in biofilms, arguably the most significant mode of growth of bacteria in human and animal infections as well as in other settings. In this study, we compared how different types of resistant
E. coli
strains were selected in response to antibiotic exposure during planktonic and biofilm growth.
Monocyte Transcriptional Responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Associate with Resistance to Tuberculin Skin Test and Interferon Gamma Release Assay Conversion
Authors: Simmons Jason D. , Dill-McFarland Kimberly A. , Stein Catherine M. , Van Phu T. , Chihota Violet , Ntshiqa Thobani , Maenetje Pholo , Peterson Glenna J. , Benchek Penelope , Nsereko Mary , Velen Kavindhran , Fielding Katherine L. , Grant Alison D. , Gottardo Raphael , Mayanja-Kizza Harriet , Wallis Robert S. , Churchyard Gavin , Boom W. Henry , Hawn Thomas R.
Published: June 2022

After heavy
M. tuberculosis
exposure, the events that determine why some individuals resist TST/IGRA conversion are poorly defined. Enrichment of the TNF signaling gene set among RSTR monocytes from multiple distinct cohorts suggests an important role for the monocyte TNF response in determining this alternative immune outcome.
Cultured Bacteria Provide Insight into the Functional Potential of the Coral-Associated Microbiome
Authors: Li Jie , Zou Yiyang , Yang Jian , Li Qiqi , Bourne David G. , Sweet Michael , Liu Cong , Guo Anjie , Zhang Si
Published: June 2022

Microbes underpin the health of corals which are the building blocks of diverse and productive reef ecosystems. Studying the culturable fraction of coral-associated bacteria has received less attention in recent times than using culture-independent molecular methods.
Comprehensive Assessment of Functional Effects of Commonly Used Sugar Substitute Sweeteners on
Ex Vivo
Human Gut Microbiome
Authors: Sun Zhongzhi , Wang Wenju , Li Leyuan , Zhang Xu , Ning Zhibin , Mayne Janice , Walker Krystal , Stintzi Alain , Figeys Daniel
Published: June 2022

The human gut microbiome is closely related to human health. Sugar substitute sweeteners as commonly used food additives are increasingly consumed and have potential impacts on microbiome functionality.
Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular mortality across the spectrum of aortic stenosis
Authors: Coisne Augustin , Montaigne David , Ninni Sandro , Lamblin Nicolas , Lemesle Gilles , Delsart Pascal , Filiot Alexandre , Andrey Paul , Balaye Pierre , Butruille Laura , Decoin Raphael , Woitrain Eloise , Granada Juan F , Staels Bart , Bauters Christophe
Published: June 2022

Objective

Current data regarding the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on cardiovascular mortality in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) are restricted to severe AS or aortic valve replacement (AVR) trials. We aimed to investigate cardiovascular mortality according to DM across the entire spectrum of outpatients with AS.

Methods

Between May 2016 and December 2017, patients with mild (peak aortic velocity=2.5–2.9 m/s), moderate (3–3.9 m/s) and severe (≥4 m/s) AS graded by echocardiography were included during outpatient cardiology visits in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in France and followed-up for modes of death between May 2018 and August 2020.

Results

Among 2703 patients, 820 (30.3%) had DM, mean age was 76±10.8 years with 46.6% of women and a relatively high prevalence of underlying cardiovascular diseases. There were 200 cardiovascular deaths prior to AVR during the 2.1 years (IQR 1.4–2.7) follow-up period. In adjusted analyses, DM was significantly associated with cardiovascular mortality (HR=1.40, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.89; p=0.029). In mild or moderate AS, the cardiovascular mortality of patients with diabetes was similar to that of patients without diabetes. In severe AS, DM was associated with higher cardiovascular mortality (HR=2.65, 95% CI 1.50 to 4.68; p=0.001). This was almost exclusively related to a higher risk of death from heart failure (HR=2.61, 95% CI 1.15 to 5.92; p=0.022) and sudden death (HR=3.33, 95% CI 1.28 to 8.67; p=0.014).

Conclusion

The effect of DM on cardiovascular mortality varied across AS severity. Despite no association between DM and outcomes in patients with mild/moderate AS, DM was strongly associated with death from heart failure and sudden death in patients with severe AS.
Innate immune receptor signaling induces transient melanoma dedifferentiation while preserving immunogenicity
Authors: Thier Beatrice , Zhao Fang , Stupia Simone , Brüggemann Alicia , Koch Johannes , Schulze Nina , Horn Susanne , Coch Christoph , Hartmann Gunther , Sucker Antje , Schadendorf Dirk , Paschen Annette
Published: June 2022

Background

Immune-stimulatory agents, like agonists of the innate immune receptor RIG-I, are currently tested in clinical trials as an intratumoral treatment option for patients with unresectable melanoma, aiming to enhance anti-tumor T cell responses. Switching of melanoma toward a dedifferentiated cell state has recently been linked to T cell and therapy resistance. It remains to be determined whether RIG-I agonists affect melanoma differentiation, potentially leading to T cell resistance.

Methods

Patient metastases-derived melanoma cell lines were treated with the synthetic RIG-I agonist 3pRNA, and effects on tumor cell survival, phenotype and differentiation were determined. Transcriptomic data sets from cell lines and metastases were analyzed for associations between RIG-I (DDX58) and melanoma differentiation markers and used to define signaling pathways involved in RIG-I-driven dedifferentiation. The impact of 3pRNA-induced melanoma dedifferentiation on CD8 T cell activation was studied in autologous tumor T cell models.

Results

RIG-I activation by 3pRNA induced apoptosis in a subpopulation of melanoma cells, while the majority of tumor cells switched into a non-proliferative cell state. Those persisters displayed a dedifferentiated cell phenotype, marked by downregulation of the melanocytic lineage transcription factor MITF and its target genes, including melanoma differentiation antigens (MDA). Transition into the MITFlow/MDAlow cell state was JAK-dependent, with some cells acquiring nerve growth factor receptor expression. MITFlow/MDAlow persisters switched back to the proliferative differentiated cell state when RIG-I signaling declined. Consistent with our in vitro findings, an association between melanoma dedifferentiation and high RIG-I (DDX58) levels was detected in transcriptomic data from patient metastases. Notably, despite their dedifferentiated cell phenotype, 3pRNA-induced MITFlow/MDAlow persisters were still efficiently targeted by autologous CD8 tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that RIG-I signaling in melanoma cells drives a transient phenotypic switch toward a non-proliferative dedifferentiated persister cell state. Despite their dedifferentiation, those persisters are highly immunogenic and sensitive toward autologous TILs, challenging the concept of melanoma dedifferentiation as a general indicator of T cell resistance. In sum, our findings support the application of RIG-I agonists as a therapeutic tool for the generation of long-term clinical benefit in non-resectable melanoma.
Cyclic voltammetric studies of electron transfer reactions associated with bioactive iron–KA complexation at different biological pH
Authors: Zahid Kanwal , Perveen Shazia , Nisar Shazia , Fatima Nasreen
Published: June 2022

This study explores electrochemical interactions of a pharmaceutical drug, kojic acid (5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4 H-pyran-4-one, KA), with bioactive iron Fe(III) at different pH systems by using cyclic voltammetric technique. For this study, buffers relevant to physiological pH of blood and digestive system have been selected. Bioactive iron was found to form an electroactive complex [Fe(III)L3] in the presence of KA at all studied pH, whereas electrochemical behavior of KA was also changed by complex formation. This electrochemical investigation reveals that under the experimental conditions, [Fe(III)L3] complex undergoes a diffusion controlled, one electron redox process that is quasi-reversible in nature. It was also found that [Fe(III)L3] complex undergoes coupled chemical reaction according to EC (an electron transfer reaction followed by a chemical reaction) mechanism, and this interaction is pH dependent. Modified Nicholson and Shain, Gileadi, and Kochi methods were used to determine standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant ( k0) of [Fe(III)L3] complex. It was found to be in the range of 10−3 to 10−5 cm/s.
Investigation of Gamow–Teller strength of 186Hg within deformed pn-QRPA
Authors: Nabi Jameel-Un , Ullah Asim , Kabir Abdul , Muneem Abdul , Böyükata Mahmut
Published: June 2022

Recently, the total absorption gamma spectroscopy technique was used to determine the Gamow–Teller (GT) distribution of β-decay of 186Hg. It was concluded that the best description of the measured data was obtained with dominantly prolate components for both parent 186Hg and daughter 186Au. Motivated by the recent findings, we investigate the effect of nuclear deformation on the energy distribution of the GT strength of the decay of 186Hg into 186Au within the framework of proton–neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) based on the deformed Nilsson potential. To do the needful, we first calculate the energy levels and shape prediction of 186Hg within the interacting boson model. The computed GT strength distribution satisfied the model-independent Ikeda sum rule 100% (99.98%) for the prolate (oblate) case. Based on the strength distributions, the deformed pn-QRPA model with separable interaction prefers a prolate shape for the ground state of 186Hg and supports the shape coexistence for this nucleus.
Early time behavior of spatial and momentum anisotropies in a kinetic approach to nuclear collisions
Authors: Borrell Marc , Borghini Nicolas
Published: June 2022

We derive a general formula for the early time dependence of a phase space distribution evolving according to the kinetic Boltzmann equation. Assuming that the early evolution of the system created in high-energy nuclear collisions can be described by kinetic theory, we calculate the scaling behaviors for the onset of various characteristics of the transverse dynamics. In particular, we show that the scaling behavior of the anisotropic flow coefficients $$v_n$$

v
n

at early times does not depend on the details of the collision kernel or the system composition, while at the same time it differs from the prediction of fluid dynamics.
Density functional theory: The structural, electronic, optical, mechanical, and vibrational properties of bulk and Te-doped SnSe2
Authors: Tse Geoffrey
Published: June 2022

This work performs a computational prediction on SnSe2 and Te-doped bilayer material. Doping the Te element onto SnSe2 can lead to a decrease in bandgap [Formula: see text] energy (from 1.95 eV to 0.94 eV) and cause a drop in both conduction band (CB) and valence band (VB), apart from the valence band maximum (VBM). This may lead to an increase in electrical conductivity. The decrease in [Formula: see text] parameter may result in an impact on electronic effective mass and transport properties when the SnSe2 bilayer is doped with Te. A redshift observed on both the optical absorption and the dielectric constant plots may suggest that a tensile force could be possibly induced when we dope the SnSe2 compound. The identical elastic constants of C[Formula: see text] and C[Formula: see text] evaluated could describe the nature of the close-packed hexagonal bilayer. Finally, the ductility slightly increases when we mix the Te element onto the SnSe2 alloy. It is also worth noting that both SnSe2 and Te-doped are dynamically stable, according to the phonon dispersion.
Earnings Management and the Reputation of Nomads Around IPOs: The Experience of the UK Alternative Investment Market
Authors: Alhadab Mohammad
Published: June 2022

The research problem

We examined whether the reputation of the nominated advisor (Nomad) impacts the accrual and real earnings management of initial public offering (IPO) firms on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange in the UK.

Motivation and theoretical reasoning

While the role of Nomads on the AIM is a significant determinant in ensuring the integrity of the financial reporting quality of their advisee firms, to date, there has been no analysis of the impact of Nomads on such reporting activities.

The test hypothesis

The main hypothesis of this study tested whether IPO firms that appoint a more reputable Nomad exhibit a lower level of accrual-based and real-based earnings management during the IPO.

Target population

The initial sample of this study consisted of all IPO firms that went public on the AIM between January 1998 and December 2008. After restricting the sample to non-financial IPO firms with the necessary data available to estimate accrual and real earnings management and Nomad reputation, the final sample consisted of 432 IPO firms that are backed by 80 Nomads over the sample period.

Adopted methodology

Two real earnings management activities were examined: sales-based manipulation and discretionary expenses–based manipulation. Discretionary accruals were estimated as a proxy of accrual earnings management. To construct the unweighted index of Nomad reputation (NOMAD), data were manually collected for the number of IPOs backed by a Nomad, proceeds of IPOs backed by the Nomad, the Nomad’s age, and the Nomad’s credit score.

Analyses

Following prior research, several techniques and regressions were employed to test the hypothetical relation between Nomad reputation and accrual and real earnings management. As for robustness, both Heckman and instrumental variable (IV) regressions were used to control for sample selection bias, and a three-stage least squares (3SLS) estimation approach was used to test for the two-way interaction between Nomad reputation and earnings management.

Findings

This paper found evidence that more reputable Nomads on the AIM play a significant role in constraining the use of accrual-based and real-based earnings management during the IPO year by their advisee IPO firms. This is also the first evidence on the significant role of reputable financial institutions and intermediaries in monitoring the financial reporting quality in less regulated markets such as the AIM in the UK.
Double-folding and thrust-front geometries associated with the Timanian and Caledonian orogenies in the Varanger Peninsula, Finnmark, North Norway
Authors: Gabrielsen Roy H. , Roberts David , Gjelsvik Tone , Sygnabere Trond Olav , Hassaan Muhammad , Faleide Jan Inge
Published: June 2022

On Varanger Peninsula, the roughly NW–SE-trending Trollfjorden–Komagelva Fault Zone separates Neoproterozoic successions that accumulated in a shallow-marine platformal domain to the SW of the fault from deep-marine basinal to deltaic sediments to the NE. In Ediacaran time the fault scarp acted as a buttress in a period of basinal inversion during the top-to-the-SW, contractional Timanian orogeny. During the subsequent, top-to-the-SE to -ESE, polyphase Caledonian orogenesis the fault acted as a dextral strike-slip megafracture and lateral ramp. In the northeastern terrane, Timanian and Caledonian fold interference has produced several examples of double-folding and intersecting cleavages. In the southwestern terrane, the Lower Allochthon Gaissa Thrust Belt overlies the Parautochthon, below which a 45 km long deformation front has been mapped. Tectonic shortening within this frontal zone varies from top-to-the-SSE in the west to top-to-the-ESE in the east. Imbricate thrust sheets disrupt the succession in the northeastern terrane, below which a floor décollement is speculated to emerge as a frontal fault along a prominent footwall of the precursor fault that acted on the seabed in outermost Varangerfjorden. By use of potential field data, the Caledonian structures on Varanger can be followed to the north into the Barents Sea where the nappe pile in the pre-Carboniferous basement reaches a thickness of several kilometres.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Fold-and-thrust belts collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/fold-and-thrust-belts
GDESA: Greedy Diversity Encoder with Self-attention for Search Results Diversification
Authors: Qin Xubo , Dou Zhicheng , Zhu Yutao , Wen Ji-Rong
Published: June 2022

Search result diversification aims to generate diversified search results so as to meet the various information needs of users. Most of those existing diversification methods greedily select the optimal documents one-by-one comparing with the selected document sequences. Due to the fact that the information utilities of the candidate documents are not independent, a model based on greedy document selection may not produce the global optimal ranking results. To address this issue, some work proposes to model global document interactions regardless of whether a document is selected, which is inconsistent with actual user behavior. In this article, we propose a new supervised diversification framework as an ensemble of global interaction and document selection. Based on a self-attention encoder-decoder structure and an RNN-based document selection component, the model can simultaneously leverage both the global interactions among all the documents and the interactions between the selected sequence and each unselected document. This framework is called Greedy Diversity Encoder with Self-Attention (GDESA). Experimental results show that GDESA outperforms previous methods that rely just on global interactions, and our further analysis demonstrates that using both global interactions and document selection is necessary and beneficial.
Generalized Funnelling: Ensemble Learning and Heterogeneous Document Embeddings for Cross-Lingual Text Classification
Authors: Moreo Alejandro , Pedrotti Andrea , Sebastiani Fabrizio
Published: June 2022

Funnelling(Fun) is a recently proposed method for cross-lingual text classification (CLTC) based on a two-tier learning ensemble for heterogeneous transfer learning (HTL). In this ensemble method, 1st-tier classifiers, each working on a different and language-dependent feature space, return a vector of calibrated posterior probabilities (with one dimension for each class) for each document, and the final classification decision is taken by a meta-classifier that uses this vector as its input. The meta-classifier can thus exploit class-class correlations, and this (among other things) givesFunan edge over CLTC systems in which these correlations cannot be brought to bear. In this article, we describeGeneralized Funnelling(gFun), a generalization ofFunconsisting of an HTL architecture in which 1st-tier components can be arbitraryview-generating functions, i.e., language-dependent functions that each produce a language-independent representation (“view”) of the (monolingual) document. We describe an instance ofgFunin which the meta-classifier receives as input a vector of calibrated posterior probabilities (as inFun) aggregated to other embedded representations that embody other types of correlations, such as word-class correlations (as encoded byWord-Class Embeddings), word-word correlations (as encoded byMultilingual Unsupervised or Supervised Embeddings), and word-context correlations (as encoded bymultilingual BERT). We show that this instance ofgFunsubstantially improves overFunand over state-of-the-art baselines by reporting experimental results obtained on two large, standard datasets for multilingual multilabel text classification. Our code that implementsgFunis publicly available.
Saliva Diagnostics
Authors: Nonaka Taichiro , Wong David T.W.
Published: June 2022

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death, and early detection of this disease is crucial for increasing survival rates. Although cancer can be diagnosed following tissue biopsy, the biopsy procedure is invasive; liquid biopsy provides an alternative that is more comfortable for the patient. While blood, urine, and cerebral spinal fluid can all be used as a source of liquid biopsy, saliva is an ideal source of body fluid that is readily available and easily collected in the most noninvasive manner. Characterization of salivary constituents in the disease setting provides critical data for understanding pathophysiology and the evaluation of diagnostic potential. The aim of saliva diagnostics is therefore to develop a rapid and noninvasive detection of oral and systemic diseases that could be used together with compact analysis systems in the clinic to facilitate point-of-care diagnostics.
The Awesome Power of Human Genetics of Infectious Disease
Authors: Gibbs Kyle D. , Schott Benjamin H. , Ko Dennis C.
Published: June 2022

Since the identification of sickle cell trait as a heritable form of resistance to malaria, candidate gene studies, linkage analysis paired with sequencing, and genome-wide association (GWA) studies have revealed many examples of genetic resistance and susceptibility to infectious diseases. GWA studies enabled the identification of many common variants associated with small shifts in susceptibility to infectious diseases. This is exemplified by multiple loci associated with leprosy, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which illuminate genetic architecture and implicate pathways underlying pathophysiology. Despite these successes, most of the heritability of infectious diseases remains to be explained. As the field advances, current limitations may be overcome by applying methodological innovations such as cellular GWA studies and phenome-wide association (PheWA) studies as well as by improving methodological rigor with more precise case definitions, deeper phenotyping, increased cohort diversity, and functional validation of candidate loci in the laboratory or human challenge studies.
The Fe2O3 (0001) Surface Under Electroreduction Conditions: A DFT Study of L-Cysteine Adsorption
Authors: Maheshwari Sharad , Li Yawei , Janik Michael J.
Published: June 2022

Local catalyst surface structure and environment can play a significant role towards catalytic activity and selectivity. Surface functionalization using organic additives, such as amino acid chains or peptides, can alter surface properties. Density Functional Theory calculations are used to evaluate the potential dependent surface stability of different terminations of the Fe2O3 (0001) surface. Adsorption of L-Cysteine in different redox states and through different binding modes (carboxylic: O-Fe, amine: N-Fe and thiol: S-Fe) is evaluated. At moderate electrochemical reducing conditions, Fe2O3(0001) exposes a partially reduced termination with both surface H atoms and undercoordinated Fe atoms in the outermost layer. L-Cysteine adsorption occurs most preferentially through carboxylic acid, O-Fe, binding and does not significantly alter the relative surface stability of different surface terminations. A partially reduced surface with L-Cysteine functionalization will be stable under electroreduction conditions. Stable functionalization of an oxide material through amino acid chains or peptide adsorption may provide an additional design lever to develop improved catalytic systems.
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Nitrogen-Doped and Sulfur-Doped Multilayer Graphene for Use in Bifunctional Oxygen Electrodes
Authors: Yuasa Masayoshi , Tanaka Miu , Shimizu Masayo , Yoshida Mamia
Published: June 2022

Nitrogen-doped and sulfur-doped mechanochemically synthesized multilayer graphene (N-doped and S-doped MSMG) were prepared by planetary ball-milling, and they were used in bifunctional gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Graphite, melamine, and elemental sulfur were used as raw materials. The surface area-normalized linear sweep voltammograms revealed that the N-doped and S-doped MSMG have higher intrinsic ORR/OER activity than the undoped MSMG. When the MSMG samples were used in GDEs, the N-doped and S-doped MSMG showed higher OER activity but lower ORR activity than the undoped MSMG. We analyzed the relationship between the specific surface area, intrinsic ORR/OER activity, and ORR/OER activity of GDEs and found that both the intrinsic ORR activity and surface area are important in the fabrication of GDEs with high ORR activity and that the intrinsic OER activity rather than the surface area is important in the fabrication of GDEs with high OER activity. The GDE fabricated from the S-doped MSMG showed the highest ORR/OER bifunctional activity among the MSMG-based GDEs, and its ORR/OER bifunctional activity was higher than the GDEs fabricated from other materials, such as reduced graphene oxide and electroconductive oxides.
Preparation and Characterization of p-Type Copper Gallium Oxide (CuGaO2) Thin Films by Dual Sputtering Using Cu and Ga2O3 Targets
Authors: Saikumar Ashwin Kumar , Sundaresh Sreeram , Sundaram Kalpathy B.
Published: June 2022

For the first time, this research focuses on the deposition and characterization of radio frequency (RF) sputtered p-type CuGaO2 thin films using the dual-target sputtering technique with Cu and Ga2O3 targets. The sputtering power to the Cu target was varied from 5 W to 50 W while having the Ga2O3 sputtering power constant at 200 W. The deposited films were subsequently annealed at two different annealing temperatures of 800 °C and 900 °C in N2 ambiance. The effects of variation in Cu sputtering power and annealing temperature on structural, optical, and electrical properties of CuGaO2 thin films are reported in this work. Single-phase CuGaO2 was confirmed in films deposited with Cu sputtering power of 25 W by XRD analysis. XPS analysis revealed a near stoichiometric composition ratio of Cu:Ga in films deposited with Cu sputtering power of 25 W. The optical studies were performed in 200 nm–800 nm wavelengths on all the post-deposition annealed films. The optical transmission was found to decrease with an increase in Cu sputtering power. The optical bandgap was found to be between 3.3 and 4.6 eV. Single-phase CuGaO2 film was p-type with a resistivity of 60 Ω-cm. This resistivity value is one of the lowest ever reported values identified from CuGaO2 thin films.
Neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and extracellular vesicle responses during the Navy Special Warfare Screener Selection Course
Authors: Beckner Meaghan E. , Conkright William R. , Mi Qi , Martin Brian , Sahu Amrita , Flanagan Shawn D. , Ledford Andrew K. , Wright Martin , Susmarski Adam , Ambrosio Fabrisia , Nindl Bradley C.
Published: June 2022

Military operational stress is known to increase adrenal hormones and inflammatory cytokines, while decreasing hormones associated with the anabolic milieu and neuroendocrine system. Less is known about the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a form of cell-to-cell communication, in military operational stress and their relationship to circulating hormones. The purpose of this study was to characterize the neuroendocrine, cytokine, and EV response to an intense. 24-h selection course known as the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Screener and identify associations between EVs and cytokines. Blood samples were collected the morning of and following the NSW Screener in 29 men (18-26 yr). Samples were analyzed for concentrations of cortisol, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), neuropeptide-Y (NPY), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), α-klotho, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), and interleukins (IL) -1β, -6, and -10. EVs stained with markers associated with exosomes (CD63), microvesicles (VAMP3), and apoptotic bodies (THSD1) were characterized using imaging flow cytometry and vesicle flow cytometry. The selection event induced significant changes in circulating BDNF (−43.2%), IGF-I (−24.6%), TNFα (+17.7%), and IL-6 (+13.6%) accompanied by increases in intensities of THSD1+ and VAMP3+ EVs (all P < 0.05). Higher concentrations of IL-1β and IL-10 were positively associated with THSD1+ EVs ( P < 0.05). Military operational stress altered the EV profile. Surface markers associated with apoptotic bodies were positively correlated with an inflammatory response. Future studies should consider a multiomics assessment of EV cargo to discern canonical pathways that may be mediated by EVs during military stress.
Green Supply Chain Decisions and Revenue‐Sharing Contracts under Manufacturers’ Overconfidence
Authors: Zhou Hui , Liu Lu , Jiang Weifan , Li Shengsheng
Published: June 2022

Overconfidence is a prevalent and potentially catastrophic behaviour in judgment and decision‐making. In this paper, we define manufacturers’ overconfidence as a belief bias that they overestimate the impact of product greenness on demand and the accuracy of demand uncertainty. We build a game theory model based on overconfident beliefs, address the decisions of product greenness and price, and discuss the impact of manufacturers’ overconfidence on supply chain decisions and profits. For the adverse effects brought by overconfidence, we further investigate whether revenue‐sharing contracts can coordinate green supply chains. We find three new insights. (1) Manufacturers’ overconfidence leads to higher product greenness, a higher wholesale price, and a greater retail price, but resulting in lower profits. (2) Under the cooperation based on revenue‐sharing contracts, product greenness is greater, and wholesale price is lower than the case without cooperation. The greenness increases with the manufacturer’s overconfidence, but counter‐intuitively, the wholesale price is not affected by overconfidence. (3) Both the overconfident manufacturer and the retailer have an incentive to reach a revenue‐sharing contract. Retailers benefit from collaboration, and overconfident manufacturers assume that retailers can make more profit through revenue sharing, but this model does not exist.
Sensing Techniques on Determination of Chlorine Gas and Free Chlorine in Water
Authors: Janudin Nurjahirah , Kasim Noor Azilah Mohd , Knight Victor Feizal , Halim Norhana Abdul , Noor Siti Aminah Mohd , Ong Keat Khim , Yunus Wan Md Zin Wan , Norrrahim Mohd Nor Faiz , Misenan Muhammad Syukri Mohamad , Razak Mas Amira Idayu Abdul , Ahmad Muhammad Zamharir , Yaacob Mohd Hanif
Published: June 2022

Chlorine gas is a greenish-yellow gas that is one of the most utilized gases in numerous industrial fields. It has been categorized as a choking agent that can threaten human, animal, and environmental safety. Currently, development of highly sensitive, selective, and precise chlorine sensors receives much attention. This review focuses on several sensing techniques used for chlorine gas and free chlorine in water. The fundamental working principles, as well as the sensing mechanisms of chlorine detection covering spectrophotometric, electrochemical, and optical techniques, are described. A comparison of various sensing materials is also discussed. Finally, an overview of the future improvements needed of high-performance chlorine sensors was suggested.
Construction Method of Industrial College in Vocational Colleges Based on Cluster Analysis Algorithm
Authors: Liu Xiaorong
Published: June 2022

In the context of the combination of industry and education, the construction of industrial colleges in vocational colleges can drive the scientific development of specialty settings in colleges and universities, and promote the way for colleges to expand students’ practical teaching under the teaching of theoretical knowledge, and it is also an effective way for students to stimulate their learning enthusiasm and innovation enthusiasm. Colleges and universities can increase the direction and characteristics of specialist settings in colleges while enhancing instructors’ professional level through school-business collaboration, and growing measures of talent training in colleges and universities plays a significant guiding role. The way to set up industrial colleges in vocational colleges reflects the development characteristics of talent training mode in the new era, and it is also an effective way to meet the practical training of students and the actual needs of society. It is a new school running mode of transforming productivity, cooperation, and mutual benefit, which is very worthy of promotion and development. This paper analyzes the problems existing in the construction of industrial colleges in vocational colleges in China and finds out the corresponding solutions. A path method of industrial college construction in vocational colleges based on the cluster analysis algorithm is proposed. The validity of this model is verified by experiments, which lays a foundation for the construction of industrial colleges in vocational colleges.
Therapeutic Effect of Astragali Radix Extract Injection Combined with Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrotic Rats
Authors: Du Quanyu , Wu Xuanyu , An Liping , Zhou Rui , Xiao Xiang , Wu Cheng , Wang Fei , Yang Han
Published: June 2022

Pulmonary fibrosis is a serious disease for which effective drugs are unavailable. Here, we treated rat models of bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis with Astragali Radix extract injection (AI) combined with or without bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). We injected rats intratracheally with BLM and transplanted BMSCs via tail vein injection 15 days later. We also intraperitoneally injected AI daily from days 15 to 28. Changes in lung pathology and function, as well as the levels of matrix metalloproteinases, collagen, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), and cluster of differentiation 90 (CD90) were assessed. The results revealed that compared with the BLM group, groups treated with ARE and BMSCs (alone or combined) reduced the expression levels of TGF-β1 and collagens I and III, ameliorated pathological lung fibrotic damage, and improved lung function. The expression levels of MMP-1, MMP-3, and MMP-9 were reduced by either AI or BMSCs alone, whereas those of MMP-3, MMP-9, TIMP-1, CXCL12, and CD90 were elevated by combined AI and BMSCs compared with the BLM group. Overall, these findings demonstrated that AI and BMSCs both can reduce damage caused by PF in rats and that AI altered the expression of chemokines and surface markers in BMSCs.
Plantosphere: Next Generation Adaptive and Smart Agriculture System
Authors: Verma Abhishek , Agrawal Manas , Gupta Kartik , Jamshed Aatif , Mishra Anurag , Khatter Harsh , Gupta Gopal , Neupane Sanjeev Chandra
Published: June 2022

Around 75% of the population in India is engaged in agriculture and farming. The sustainability of every economy is based on agriculture. It has a major influence on financial growth and fundamental transformation in the long run. Artificial intelligence will usher in a revolution in agricultural operations in the future. This revolution has protected crops from being negatively affected by a variety of factors such as climate change, soil porosity, and water availability. Crop monitoring, soil management, and insect identification, to name a few examples, are all conceivable uses of artificial intelligence in agriculture. The primary purpose of artificial intelligence is to close the knowledge gap that exists between inventors and farmers. Detecting disease and monitoring plant health are two of the most difficult challenges in sustainable farming. As a result, image processing technology must be used to detect plant sickness at an early stage. Photographic capture, preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, and sickness categorization are all part of the procedure. In reality, computer image processing was used long before human eyes were able to detect the signs and symptoms of the disease. Taking into account the climatic conditions in various parts of the world. Climate change directly affects crop output. Several soil and atmospheric characteristics are detected to anticipate the optimal crop. Sedimentation is measured by soil parameters such as pH and moisture. Today, a platform that allows farmers to advertise their products is in high demand. This paper proposes a system where farmers sell directly to clients, bypassing wholesalers and traders. A predictive analytics solution is required to maximize the farmer’s profit.
Security Control of Denial-of-Service Attacks in Cyber-Physical Systems Based on Dynamic Feedback
Authors: Wang Yihe , Hu Bo , Pan Xiao , Xu Tingting , Sun Qiuye
Published: June 2022

With the integration and development of multiple disciplines, as well as a large amount of research on multilevel interconnection networks, wireless sensor networks have become a new access point and have attracted widespread attention worldwide. However, limited by the characteristics of the wireless sensor network itself, the energy problem has repeatedly restricted its function, which needs to be solved urgently. This paper mainly improves the Geographical and Energy-Aware Routing (GEAR) based on cyber-physical systems and energy-aware routing protocols, which reduces the resource consumption of network nodes, achieves network power balance, and further extends the system life cycle. Although the open sharing of the network layer makes CPS more efficient in actual use, it also increases the risks faced by CPS. Among these potential risks, cyberattacks have become the main security problem that CPS must solve with the greatest destructive power. Among them, Denial of Service (DoS) is the simplest and most destructive type of network attack. We can allow the system to reject normal requests for sending and receiving data using the network resources of the communication channel, thereby performing security control. From the perspective of control, this paper studies the security control of CPS in DOS attacks. Firstly, considering the diversity of CPS packet loss factors, assuming that there is an upper limit on the probability characteristics of the total number of packet loss development, the Markov process of inherent packet loss and the Markov process of DoS attack satisfying this constraint are analyzed, and the above two independent packet loss factors are described on this basis. Two independent packet loss factor descriptions are given in the following. In this paper, through the research of wireless sensor networks, it is applied to the cyber-physical system and the cyber-physical system is further improved.
Action Recognition Using Action Sequences Optimization and Two-Stream 3D Dilated Neural Network
Authors: Xiong Xin , Min Weidong , Han Qing , Wang Qi , Zha Cheng
Published: June 2022

Effective extraction and representation of action information are critical in action recognition. The majority of existing methods fail to recognize actions accurately because of interference of background changes when the proportion of high-activity action areas is not reinforced and by using RGB flow alone or combined with optical flow. A novel recognition method using action sequences optimization and two-stream fusion network with different modalities is proposed to solve these problems. The method is based on shot segmentation and dynamic weighted sampling, and it reconstructs the video by reinforcing the proportion of high-activity action areas, eliminating redundant intervals, and extracting long-range temporal information. A two-stream 3D dilated neural network that integrates features of RGB and human skeleton information is also proposed. The human skeleton information strengthens the deep representation of humans for robust processing, alleviating the interference of background changes, and the dilated CNN enlarges the receptive field of feature extraction. Compared with existing approaches, the proposed method achieves superior or comparable classification accuracies on benchmark datasets UCF101 and HMDB51.