bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Binding modes of methyl α-d-glucopyranoside to an artificial receptor in crystalline complexes
Authors: Köhler Linda , Hübler Conrad , Seichter Wilhelm , Mazik Monika
Published: June 2021

Complexes formed between methyl α-d-glucopyranoside and an artificial receptor represent a valuable source of information about the basic molecular features of carbohydrate recognition.
Facile fabrication of self-assembled nanostructures of vertically aligned gold nanorods by using inkjet printing
Authors: Saito Koichiro , McGehee Keegan , Manabe Kengo , Norikane Yasuo
Published: June 2021

Slow evaporation of a droplet of water/ethylene glycol (EG) mixture allows the fabrication of vertically aligned gold nanorods using inkjet printing.
In silicostudy of natural compounds from sesame against COVID-19 by targeting Mpro, PLproand RdRp
Authors: Allam Ahmed E. , Amen Yhiya , Ashour Ahmed , Assaf Hamdy K. , Hassan Heba Ali , Abdel-Rahman Islam M. , Sayed Ahmed M. , Shimizu Kuniyoshi
Published: June 2021

Natural products and traditional medicine products with known safety profiles are a promising source for the discovery of new drug leads.
Black-to-transparent electrochromic capacitive windows based on conjugated polymers
Authors: Han Minsu , Cho Cheol Hyun , Jang Hwandong , Kim Eunkyoung
Published: June 2021

A black-to-transparent electrochromic (EC) capacitive window was explored for the first time through the combination of a dual EC polymer and capacitive polymer layer, to provide a high transparency (>75%) and large color contrast (65%).
Achieving small non-radiative energy loss through synergically non-fullerene electron acceptor selection and side chain engineering in benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difuran polymer-based organic solar cells
Authors: Zheng Zhi , Li Mengyang , Qin Zhaotong , He Enfang , Yin Yuli , Guo Fengyun , Gao Shiyong , Pang Xinchang , Zhao Liancheng , Tang Zheng , Lu Xinhu , Zhang Yong
Published: June 2021

The energy losses of benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difuran polymers (P-FT and P-FP) with different side chains were systemically investigated by applying two representative electron acceptors (m-ITIC and Y6) in organic solar cells.
Redox-responsive magnetic nanovectors self-assembled from amphiphilic polymer and iron oxide nanoparticles for a remotely targeted delivery of paclitaxel
Authors: Ding Xingwei , Jiang Wenyan , Dong Lina , Hong Can , Luo Zhong , Hu Yan , Cai Kaiyong
Published: June 2021

A biocompatible magnetic nanoplatform based on amphiphilic polymer (HA-SS-PLA) and iron oxide nanoparticles was fabricated for the paclitaxel delivery.
Egg white-derived carbon/magnetic nanoparticles/water-soluble graphene oxide composite with homogeneous structure as an excellent electromagnetic wave absorber
Authors: Xu Pan , He Hongru , Qi Desheng , Fu Linyu , Yue Xigui , Zhu Xuanbo
Published: June 2021

The egg white-derived carbon/magnetic nanoparticles/water-soluble graphene oxide composite absorber (EWC/MNPs/WSGO) has demonstrated great potential for application in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption.
Local Political Dynamics in the Issue of Expansion of Mining Areas in Bone, Indonesia
Authors: Hartaman Nursaleh , Rahman Miftahul , Yusuf Muhammad
Published: June 2021

Local political dynamics emerged due to the proposed changes in spatial and territorial layout in Bone Regency. If passed, the policy would increase the area of the mining area, meanwhile it is feared that additional mining areas will cause environmental damage. The research method used is qualitative by conducting interviews with several sources and making observations at the research location. The results showed that the mining area in Bone Regency which was originally 12 sub-districts will increase to 27 sub-districts if the spatial planning regulations regional regulation is passed. The government believes that increasing the area of the mining area in bone district will have a positive impact on local revenue, but this dynamic continues because there are still some protests from environmental activists. Not only that, the regional regulation on Regional Spatial Planning in Bone Regency also has to wait for synchronization with the spatial planning regulations at the provincial level.
Impact of Sustainable Development of Coastal Areas and Small Islands in Makassar
Authors: Khaerah Nur , Hartaman Nursaleh , Rahman Miftahul
Published: June 2021

Makassar City is a national strategic project development area, namely the construction of the Makassar New Port with the value of the Cooperation contract with Royal Boskalis of 75 million Euros. According to the government’s expectation, Makassar New Port (MNP) can increase import-export activities in eastern Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the impact of economic, socio-cultural, and environmental or ecological aspects. The method used is descriptive qualitative and the data obtained were analyzed using Nvivo12 Plus software. The results of this study found that marine sand mining has an impact and risk of environmental damage, such as decreased environmental carrying capacity, reduced natural resources, biodiversity, and weakened ecosystem integrity. These environmental changes greatly impact the productivity of fish income for fishermen. Fishermen’s catch decreases, of course, this has something to do with changing social and economic conditions of fishermen. The phenomenon that is born is a disharmony that is very prone to causing quarrels in the household. While the economic impact, recorded a total loss of 1,043 fishermen from Kodingareng consisting of Traditional Fishing Gear, fishing rods, nets and arrows reached 80.4 billion rupiahs
New tendencies of sustainable development: providing personal security and quality of life as a new national security paradigm
Authors: Zubchyk Oleh Anatoliyovych , Boichenko Mykhailo Ivanovych , Sytnyk Gryhoriy Petrovych , Levkulych Vasyl Vasyliovych
Published: June 2021

The article is devoted to the analysis of the theoretical foundations of public administration and administration in the field of public security and civil defense as a component of the national security system. Consideration of the problems of civilizational development and national security shows the urgent need to rethink the areas of responsibility of state and civil society, the ratio of hierarchical and network structures in public administration and management. There is also a need to implement a new principle of boosting standards of living, as a prerequisite to ensuring national security, through sustainable development of society and competitiveness of the state itself. It is shown that under the conditions of globalization the state is no longer ensuring security and well-being of its citizens by mere «defending» them from the threats of emergencies. The state must prepare citizens to be able to confront the various globalization-related challenges on their own. Earlier this year, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine submitted a draft national security strategy “Personal Security – National Security” to the President for consideration. In this regard the new model of public administration and administration system in the field of public security and civil defense can be efficient. It is based on the six pillars of public administration. These are «human being / human resource», «organization theory», «policy analysis», «budgeting», «statistics» and «ethics». Such a framework ensures the unity of the system development approach in combination with theory and practice.
The use of ISO standards in the hospitality industry: a comparative analysis of European clusters
Authors: Levkulych Viktoriia , Momot Alexander
Published: June 2021

The article provides a comparative analysis of the use of ISO standards in the hospitality industry among 46 European countries. The study confirms the hypothesis that the more actively ISO 9001 standards are distributed in European countries, the higher is the level of implementation in the hospitality industry and other ISO standards for management systems (ISO 14001, ISO 45001, etc.). The degree of ISO standards distribution can be a non-formal criterion of the degree of population’s involvement in the technological, technical, organizational culture of the European society. The degree of correlation relationship between the Rating of countries by the number of issued ISO 9001 certificates and the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) and Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings of countries is examined. The authors offer the clusterization of the European countries according to three criteria: the number of obtained ISO 9001 certificates; the time of accession to the EU (and the existence of the membership status of countries, candidate countries or potential candidates); the presence of common characteristics according to the technical, socioeconomic, sociological and technological level, as well as moral and ethical norms formed in these countries during the existence of two political and socioeconomic system.
Escherichia coli contamination of groundwater in Metro City, Lampung
Authors: Jannah Qanza Nurul , Putri Gita Lestari
Published: June 2021

Groundwater sources are widely used to supply water for drinking and other domestic purposes in Metro City, Indonesia. The presence of Escherichia coli (E. coli) is an indicator of fecal contamination in the water source. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the level of E. coli contamination in groundwater at Metro City. The analysis was conducted on 253 households in 5 sub-districts using groundwater samples from different types of wells such as boreholes, protected wells, and unprotected wells. The E. coli concentrations were determined using the Colilert-18 method with IDEXX Quanti-Tray 2000 and the results showed the highest levels of contamination were in unprotected wells. E. coli was detected in 71% of water sources with 36% classified as very high risk or above 100 MPN (Most Probable Number)/100ml based on WHO standards. The findings, showed that the protection of water sources has the ability to reduce the risk of contamination.
New Trends in Scientific and Technological revolution (STR) and Transformation of Science and Education Systems in the Paradigm of Sustainable Development
Authors: Yakovleva Olena , Slyusar Vadym , Kushnir Olga , Sabovchyk Antonina
Published: June 2021

Education and science play a key role in the vision and development of a fair, peaceful and sustainable society (global, continental, regional and national). Education is one of the crucial preconditions for the implementation of the UN global strategy “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (“Agenda 2030”). Agenda 2030 sets practical challenges for governments to transform the education system (Education for Sustainable Development).

Developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and intelligent systems are developing rapidly right now, purely now bring benefits (and, at the same time – probable danger and harm), directly now – significantly determine our existence – and will soon determine even more.

When universities argue that 4IR should be given strong and close attention, it means that they can no longer rely only on traditional forms of human thinking and imagination, but also need thinking that depends on algorithmic computations of machines or forms of technology. In this sense, 4IR has changed not only what we do and how we do it, but also who we have become.

The mission of the universities of the XXI century is to form a developed personality, a person of high cultural level, who can act in a situation characterized by significant environmental risks.

Educational institutions must be transformed and improved as institutions that must create and strengthen a safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environment for all members of society. Which, in the end, will help to achieve success in cooperation at all levels – both in education and science, and in society in general.
The Sustainable Aging Health Network in Thailand
Authors: Wataneeyawech Thitima , Onto Patcharuch
Published: June 2021

The objectives of this research were to explore factors related to aging health network and to identify the sustainable aging health network in a community of Thailand. The research design was mixed method that included both qualitative and quantitative research design. The samples were aging people and aging health networks in community. The instruments were the health services network interview form and aging health factors related questionnaire. The data were collected include demographic data, health status, health service for aging. The finding shown that the factors related of aging health were aging age, aging health assessment, aging health security, health examination, aging health care, aging health information,aging health service,aging health activities, and health services barriers. The sustainable aging health network in Thailand depended on community organization related aging health network as follow: District and subdistrict administrative organization 2) Health organzation: Health Promoting Hospital 3)Academic organization :University and educational institute in community. The data from interview from found that the ways to develop sustainable aging health network should have participation of every sectors from all health services network in community of Thailand.
Phase-field modeling and n-point polytope characterization of nanostructured protuberances formed during vapor-deposition of phase-separating alloy films
Authors: Raghavan Rahul , Chen Pei-En , Jiao Yang , Ankit Kumar
Published: June 2021

The formation of surface features, such as grooves, protruding grains, or hillocks, in vapor-deposited phase-separating films is typically attributed to internal residual stresses arising due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the film and the substrate. Even though such protuberances are typically observed on the film’s surface, the current understanding of how interfacial energies and surface contact angles influence this nanostructural evolution is very limited. In view of this knowledge gap, we adopt a three-dimensional phase-field approach to numerically investigate the role of seed morphology and contact angles on the morphological evolution of surface protuberances in phase-separating alloy films. Film nanostructures are quantified using a statistical morphological descriptor, namely, n-point polytope functions, which provides a host of insights into the kinetic pathways while unraveling a hidden length scale correlation present at all contact angles. Finally, we also apply this characterization technique on previously reported micrographs of Cu–Ta and Cu–Mo–Ag films to highlight similarities between our simulation-based findings with those obtained from co-deposition experiments.
Effects of hot spot distance on explosive ignition and reaction growth: A reactive molecular dynamics simulation study
Authors: Liu Ruqin , Wang Shujuan , Huang Xiaona , Wen Yushi , Dai Xiaogan , Wu Yanqing , Huang Fenglei
Published: June 2021

Hot spots resulted from shock-induced void collapse could seriously alter the ignition and initial chemical reactions in heterogeneous explosive crystals. Herein, the influences of hot spot distance on ignition and reaction growth in the crystalline RDX were investigated through reactive molecular dynamics simulations. As two voids collapsed completely, double hot spots occurred at the internal upstream and downstream voids in the crystalline RDX, respectively. The farther hot spot distance could be observed in the bulk RDX with the larger void–void distance. Combined with the resulted chemical fragments analysis, hot spot distance affects the chemical reaction rate but does not alter the initial decomposition mechanism in RDX. The farther hot spot distance results in a faster decomposition degree of RDX molecules, a higher concentration of NO2 liberation, and even greater violent growth for explosive reaction. It is evident that RDX with a longer void–void distance is more sensitive to the present overdriven shock. The farther double hot spots result in more RDX molecules being heated simultaneously and then reacted quickly under the synergetic growth of double hot spots. In terms of the synergetic growth of double hot spots, it is demonstrated that reducing hot spot distance could result in decreasing the high-temperature area ratio in the crystalline RDX exposed to an overdriven insult, avoiding the occurrence of a greater violent scenario. The present study can provide an efficient route to understand the role of hot spot distance in ignition and reaction growth and further evaluate the shock sensitivity of crystalline explosives.
Polarization-induced topological phase transition in zigzag chains composed of metal nanoparticles
Authors: Zhang Meng-Xi , Zhou Zhe , Yan Liang , Zhang Lu , Yan Jie-Yun
Published: June 2021

We theoretically study the topological optical properties in one-dimensional zigzag chains composed of metal nanoparticles. The topological phase transition in the system is realized by controlling the polarization of the external optical field, which is feasible in experiments in contrast with changing the structural parameters. The dipole responses of the system with different bond angles to the external field of arbitrary linear polarization are calculated. It is found that a wide domain of polarization angles is available for a given zigzag chain to observe the polarization-induced topological transition. Different topological phases in the system are checked, which further proves the effectiveness of polarization modulation. The system, an easily implemented platform to study phenomena in topological photonics, might have novel applications in nanoscale optical devices.
Transformation of envelope solitons on a bottom step
Authors: Ducrozet G. , Slunyaev A. V. , Stepanyants Y. A.
Published: June 2021

In this paper, we study the transformation of surface envelope solitons traveling over a bottom step in water of a finite depth. Using the transformation coefficients earlier derived in the linear approximation, we find the parameters of transmitted pulses and subsequent evolution of the pulses in the course of propagation. Relying on the weakly nonlinear theory, the analytic formulas are derived which describe the maximum attainable wave amplitude in the neighborhood of the step and in the far zone. Solitary waves may be greatly amplified (within the weakly nonlinear theory formally, even without a limit) when propagating from relatively shallow water to the deeper domain due to the constructive interference between the newly emerging envelope solitons and the residual quasi-linear waves. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the data of direct numerical modeling of soliton transformation. In particular, more than double wave amplification is demonstrated in the performed simulations.
Cervicovaginal microbiota and women’s health outcomes
Authors: Bryant Ciara J , Burke Catherine , Huston Wilhelmina M
Published: June 2021

The human cervicovaginal microbiome has an important role in the health and homoeostasis of the female reproductive tract. A eubiotic microbiome is typically dominated with lactic acid producing bacteria and is categorised into five community state types. Issues arise when the microbiome becomes dysbiotic, with the microbial composition shifting to contain a greater relative abundance of strict and facultative anaerobes. This shift will lead to several adverse changes in the vaginal environment including compromised epithelial cells, cell death, inflammation, and greater susceptibility to infection. These changes are associated with various adverse outcomes including infections, preterm birth, and infertility. In this review, we discuss how the cervicovaginal microbiome influences these outcomes and possible future directions of treatment and research.
Covid-19 containment policies in Nigeria: the role of conflictual federal–state relations in the fight against the pandemic
Authors: Aniche Ernest Toochi , Iwuoha Victor Chidubem , Obi Kelechukwu Charles
Published: June 2021

This briefing explores how the administrative fight against Covid-19 in Nigeria, particularly the conflictual political economy of federalism in this mono-product/oil-dependent economy, has shaped the making and implementation of virus containment policies and strategies. The analysis shows that the disconnects between the federal and state governments have blocked a harmonised and coordinated containment response. Instead, the measures to manage the pandemic have worsened the already highly conflictual – as well as dependent and centripetal – intergovernmental fiscal relations between federal and state governments, and among state governments.
Lipid droplets and the host–pathogen dynamic: FATal attraction?
Authors: Bosch Marta , Sweet Matthew J. , Parton Robert G. , Pol Albert
Published: June 2021

In the ongoing conflict between eukaryotic cells and pathogens, lipid droplets (LDs) emerge as a choke point in the battle for nutrients. While many pathogens seek the lipids stored in LDs to fuel an expensive lifestyle, innate immunity rewires lipid metabolism and weaponizes LDs to defend cells and animals. Viruses, bacteria, and parasites directly and remotely manipulate LDs to obtain substrates for metabolic energy, replication compartments, assembly platforms, membrane blocks, and tools for host colonization and/or evasion such as anti-inflammatory mediators, lipoviroparticles, and even exosomes. Host LDs counterattack such advances by synthesizing bioactive lipids and toxic nucleotides, organizing immune signaling platforms, and recruiting a plethora of antimicrobial proteins to provide a front-line defense against the invader. Here, we review the current state of this conflict. We will discuss why, when, and how LDs efficiently coordinate and precisely execute a plethora of immune defenses. In the age of antimicrobial resistance and viral pandemics, understanding innate immune strategies developed by eukaryotic cells to fight and defeat dangerous microorganisms may inform future anti-infective strategies.
Relativistic Chiral Description of the 1
S
0 Nucleon–Nucleon Scattering
Authors: Ren Xiu-Lei , Wang Chun-Xuan , Li Kai-Wen , Geng Li-Sheng , Meng Jie
Published: June 2021

Recently, a relativistic chiral nucleon–nucleon interaction was formulated up to leading order, which provides a good description of the phase shifts of J ≤ 1 partial waves [Chin. Phys. C 42 (2018) 014103]. Nevertheless, a separable regulator function that is not manifestly covariant was used in solving the relativistic scattering equation. In the present work, we first explore a covariant and separable form factor to regularize the kernel potential and then apply it to study the simplest but most challenging 1
S
0 channel which features several low-energy scales. In addition to being self-consistent, we show that the resulting relativistic potential can describe quite well the unique features of the 1
S
0 channel at leading order, in particular the pole position of the virtual bound state and the zero amplitude at the scattering momentum ∼ 340 MeV, indicating that the relativistic formulation may be more natural from the viewpoint of effective field theories.
Oxygen vacancy engineering of TaO
x
-based resistive memories by Zr doping for improved variability and synaptic behavior
Authors: Palhares João H Quintino , Beilliard Yann , Alibart Fabien , Bonturim Everton , de Florio Daniel Z , Fonseca Fabio C , Drouin Dominique , Ferlauto Andre S
Published: June 2021

Resistive switching (RS) devices are promising forms of non-volatile memory. However, one of the biggest challenges for RS memory applications is the device-to-device (D2D) variability, which is related to the intrinsic stochastic formation and configuration of oxygen vacancy (VO) conductive filaments (CFs). In order to reduce the D2D variability, control over the formation and configuration of oxygen vacancies is paramount. In this study, we report on the Zr doping of TaO
x
-based RS devices prepared by pulsed-laser deposition as an efficient means of reducing the VO formation energy and increasing the confinement of CFs, thus reducing D2D variability. Our findings were supported by XPS, spectroscopic ellipsometry and electronic transport analysis. Zr-doped films showed increased VO concentration and more localized VOs, due to the interaction with Zr. DC and pulse mode electrical characterization showed that the D2D variability was decreased by a factor of seven, the resistance window was doubled, and a more gradual and monotonic long-term potentiation/depression in pulse switching was achieved in forming-free Zr:TaO
x
devices, thus displaying promising performance for artificial synapse applications.
On persistence properties in weighted spaces for solutions of the fractional Korteweg–de Vries equation
Authors: Riaño Oscar
Published: June 2021

Persistence problems in weighted spaces have been studied for different dispersive models involving non-local operators. Generally, these models do not propagate polynomial weights of arbitrary magnitude, and the maximum decay rate is associated with the dispersive part of the equation. Altogether, this analysis is complemented by unique continuation principles that determine optimal spatial decay. This work is intended to establish the above questions for a weakly dispersive perturbation of the inviscid Burgers equation. More precisely, we consider the fractional Korteweg–de Vries equation, which comprises the Burgers–Hilbert equation and dispersive effects weaker than those of the Benjamin–Ono equation.
Method of nose stretching in Newton’s problem of minimal resistance
Authors: Plakhov Alexander
Published: June 2021

We consider the problem

inf

∫

∫

Ω

(

1
+
|
∇
u

(

x

1

,

x

2

)

|

2

)

−
1

d

x

1

d

x

2

:

the

function

u
:
Ω
→
R

is

concave

and

0
⩽
u

(

x

)

⩽
M
for

all

x
=

(

x

1

,

x

2

)

∈
Ω
=

{

|
x
|
⩽
1

}

(Newton’s problem) and its generalizations. In the paper by Brock, Ferone, and Kawohl (1996) it is proved that if a solution u is C
2 in an open set

U
⊂
Ω

then  det  D
2
u = 0 in

U

. It follows that graph

(

u

)

U

does not contain extreme points of the subgraph of u. In this paper we prove a somewhat stronger result. Namely, there exists a solution u possessing the following property. If u is C
1 in an open set

U
⊂
Ω

then graph

(

u

U

)

does not contain extreme points of the convex body C

u
= {(x, z): x ∈ Ω, 0 ⩽ z ⩽ u(x)}. As a consequence, we have

C

u

=
C
o
n
v

(

Sing

C

u

̄

)

, where SingC

u
denotes the set of singular points of ∂C

u
. We prove a similar result for a generalization of Newton’s problem.
Computing Garsia entropy for Bernoulli convolutions with algebraic parameters
*
Authors: Hare Kevin G , Kempton Tom , Persson Tomas , Sidorov Nikita
Published: June 2021

We introduce a parameter space containing all algebraic integers β ∈ (1, 2] that are not Pisot or Salem numbers, and a sequence of increasing piecewise continuous function on this parameter space which gives a lower bound for the Garsia entropy of the Bernoulli convolution ν

β
. This allows us to show that  dimH(ν

β
) = 1 for all β with representations in certain open regions of the parameter space.
Ground states for fractional linear coupled systems via profile decomposition
*
Authors: de Albuquerque José Carlos , Ferraz Diego , Silva Edcarlos D
Published: June 2021

In this work we study existence and nonexistence of weak and ground state (least energy) solutions for a class of nonlocal linearly coupled elliptic systems. We deal with nonautonomous nonlinearities that may not satisfy any kind of monotonicity, also the related potentials may not have any kind of smoothness. In order to obtain ground states, instead of applying the well known methods of Nehari–Pohozaev manifold, we introduce new arguments and techniques whose are based on a Pohozaev type identity, a concentration-compactness principle and a profile decomposition type result.
Hybrid stars in the light of the merging event GW170817
Authors: Parisi Alessandro , Vásquez Flores C. , Lenzi C. Henrique , Chen Chian-Shu , Lugones Germán
Published: June 2021

We study quark-hadron hybrid stars with sharp phase transitions assuming that phase conversions at the interface are slow. Hadronic matter is described by a set of equations of state (EoS) based on the chiral effective field theory and quark matter by a generic bag model. Due to slow conversions at the interface, there is an extended region of stable hybrid stars with central densities above the density of the maximum mass star. We explore systematically the role of the transition pressure and the energy-density jump Δϵ at the interface on some global properties of hybrid stars, such as the maximum mass, the last stable configuration, and tidal deformabilities. We find that for a given transition pressure, the radius of the last stable hybrid star decreases as Δϵ raises resulting in a larger extended branch of stable hybrid stars. Contrary to purely hadronic stars, the tidal deformability Λ can be either a decreasing or an increasing function of the stellar mass M and for large values of the transition pressure has a very weak dependence on M. Finally, we analyze the tidal deformabilities Λ1 and Λ2 for a binary system with the same chirp mass as GW170817. In the scenario where at least one of the stars in the binary is hybrid, we find that models with low enough transition pressure are inside the 90 % credible region of GW170817. However, these models have maximum masses below 2 M⊙, in disagreement with observations. We also find that the LIGO/Virgo constrain (at 90% level) and the 2 M⊙ requirement can be simultaneously fulfilled in a scenario where all hybrid configurations have masses larger than 1.6 M⊙ and the hadronic EoS is not too stiff, such as several of our hybrid models involving a hadronic EoS of intermediate stiffness. In such scenario hybrid stars may exist in Nature but both objects in GW170817 were hadronic stars.
Passivation and dissociation of P
b-type defects at a-SiO2/Si interface*
Authors: Liu Xue-Hua , Xie Wei-Feng , Liu Yang , Zuo Xu
Published: June 2021

It is well known that in the process of thermal oxidation of silicon, there are P
b-type defects at amorphous silicon dioxide/silicon (a-SiO2/Si) interface due to strain. These defects have a very important impact on the performance and reliability of semiconductor devices. In the process of passivation, hydrogen is usually used to inactivate P
b-type defects by the reaction P
b + H2 → P
bH + H. At the same time, P
bH centers dissociate according to the chemical reaction P
b H → P
b +H. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the balance of the passivation and dissociation. In this work, the reaction mechanisms of passivation and dissociation of the P
b-type defects are investigated by first-principles calculations. The reaction rates of the passivation and dissociation are calculated by the climbing image-nudged elastic band (CI-NEB) method and harmonic transition state theory (HTST). By coupling the rate equations of the passivation and dissociation reactions, the equilibrium density ratio of the saturated interfacial dangling bonds and interfacial defects (P
b, P
b0, and P
b1) at different temperatures is calculated.
Numerical investigation of radio-frequency negative hydrogen ion sources by a three-dimensional fluid model*
Authors: Wang Ying-Jie , Huang Jia-Wei , Zhang Quan-Zhi , Zhang Yu-Ru , Gao Fei , Wang You-Nian
Published: June 2021

A three-dimensional fluid model is developed to investigate the radio-frequency inductively coupled H2 plasma in a reactor with a rectangular expansion chamber and a cylindrical driver chamber, for neutral beam injection system in CFETR. In this model, the electron effective collision frequency and the ion mobility at high E-fields are employed, for accurate simulation of discharges at low pressures (0.3 Pa–2 Pa) and high powers (40 kW–100 kW). The results indicate that when the high E-field ion mobility is taken into account, the electron density is about four times higher than the value in the low E-field case. In addition, the influences of the magnetic field, pressure and power on the electron density and electron temperature are demonstrated. It is found that the electron density and electron temperature in the xz-plane along permanent magnet side become much more asymmetric when magnetic field enhances. However, the plasma parameters in the yz-plane without permanent magnet side are symmetric no matter the magnetic field is applied or not. Besides, the maximum of the electron density first increases and then decreases with magnetic field, while the electron temperature at the bottom of the expansion region first decreases and then almost keeps constant. As the pressure increases from 0.3 Pa to 2 Pa, the electron density becomes higher, with the maximum moving upwards to the driver region, and the symmetry of the electron temperature in the xz-plane becomes much better. As power increases, the electron density rises, whereas the spatial distribution is similar. It can be summarized that the magnetic field and gas pressure have great influence on the symmetry of the plasma parameters, while the power only has little effect.
Long-time evolution of charged grains in plasma under harmonic external force and after being withdrawn
Authors: Guan Miao , Chen Zhi-Dong , Li Meng-Die , Liu Zhong-Mao , Wang You-Mei , Yu Ming-Yang
Published: June 2021

Evolution of the charged grains in a two-dimensional dusty plasma under a spatially harmonic external force, in particular, their long-time behaviors after the force has been withdrawn, is studied by using molecular dynamics simulation. Under an external force and a grain–grain interaction force, initially homogeneously distributed grains can reach a quasi-stationary state in the form of a disk crystal. After the external force is withdrawn, the disk moves initially with its size and shape nearly unchanged until it rapidly stops moving, and eventually the disk grain rotates like a vortex. The time needed to reach the final state increases with the strength of the initial external force increasing.
Increased detector response in optical overfilled measurements due to gas lens formation by nitrogen flow through the entrance aperture
Authors: Askola J , Maham K , Kärhä P , Ikonen E
Published: June 2021

According to our experimental results, a nitrogen flow used to prevent dust and moisture entering a detector may influence measurements performed with trap detectors in overfilled conditions. A stable light source was measured with a wedged trap detector with 4 mm aperture, and the nitrogen flow rate was varied. The nitrogen flow was found to have the largest effect of up to 0.8% on the responsivity of the detector at around 1.0 l min−1 flow rate. The effect of nitrogen flow can be removed down to 0.02% by an added crossflow which removes the nitrogen out of the optical axis. In another experiment, the effect was removed almost completely by changing the flowing gas from nitrogen to synthetic dry air. We also present measurement results that indicate the responsivity changes with nitrogen to be smaller than 0.05% with underfilled beam geometry, even without the added crossflow. Based on simulations, the nitrogen flow through the detector forms a gradient-index type gas lens in front of the detector increasing the effective aperture area and thus the responsivity. In the underfilled measurement geometry there is no light close to the aperture edge which could be refracted inside the detector. Finally, we consider methods to ensure that the responsivity changes due to the gas flow remain below 0.05% in overfilled measurement geometry, without compromising the cleanliness of the detector with too small gas flow rate.
Land carbon-concentration and carbon-climate feedbacks are significantly reduced by nitrogen and phosphorus limitation
Authors: Ziehn T , Wang Y-P , Huang Y
Published: June 2021

We quantify the impact of nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) limitation on land carbon uptake and the sensitivity of this uptake to atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations (land carbon-concentration feedback) and surface air temperature (land-carbon climate feedback). We analyse simulations of the Australian Earth System Model (ACCESS-ESM1.5) with a prescribed 1% yr−1 CO2 increase in three different configurations: (1) without nutrient limitation, (2) with nitrogen limitation only and (3) with nitrogen and phosphorus limitation combined. Our results suggest a reduction in land carbon uptake and feedback strength of about 30% by including nitrogen limitation only. This reduction agrees well with the ensemble mean of models with and without nitrogen limitation from the sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). By adding phosphorus limitation to our model, the response is even stronger with a further 50% reduction for the carbon-concentration feedback and a further 75% reduction for the carbon-climate feedback. We find that the feedback strength in all three nutrient configurations is mostly determined by vegetation productivity (i.e. Net Primary Production) with little contribution from soil heterotrophic respiration. Our simulations show that nutrient limitation has the largest impact in the northern mid latitudes (around 50∘), reducing land carbon uptake by about 50% when accounting for nitrogen and phosphorus limitation combined. The strong response of land carbon uptake and feedback strength to nutrients in our model simulations underlines the importance of including both nitrogen and phosphorus limitation in other Earth System Models in order to derive better estimates of future land carbon uptake and to assess the effectiveness of land-based carbon mitigation.
Non-growing season plant nutrient uptake controls Arctic tundra vegetation composition under future climate
Authors: Riley William J , Mekonnen Zelalem A , Tang Jinyun , Zhu Qing , Bouskill Nicholas J , Grant Robert F
Published: June 2021

Plant growth and distribution in high-latitude tundra ecosystems is strongly limited by nutrient availability and is critical for quantifying centennial-scale carbon-climate interactions. However, land model representations of plant–nutrient interactions are uncertain, leading to poor comparisons with high-latitude observations. Although it has been recognized for decades in the observational community that plants continue to acquire nutrients well past when aboveground activity has ceased, most large-scale land models ignore this process. Here we address the role tundra plant nutrient acquisition during the non-growing season (NGS) has on centennial-scale vegetation growth and dynamics, with a focus on shrub expansion. We apply a well-tested mechanistic model of coupled plant, microbial, hydrological, and thermal dynamics that explicitly represents nutrient acquisition based on plant and microbial traits, thereby allowing a prognostic assessment of NGS nutrient uptake. We first show that the model accurately represents observed seasonality of NGS plant nutrient uptake in a northern Alaskan tundra site. Applying the model across the North America tundra indicates that NGS nutrient uptake is consistent with observations and ranges between ∼5% and 50% of annual uptake, with large spatial variability and dependence on plant functional type. We show that NGS plant nutrient acquisition strongly enhances modeled 21st century tundra shrub growth and expansion rates. Our results suggest that without NGS nutrient uptake, total shrub aboveground dominance would be ∼50% lower, limited primarily by their inability to grow tall enough to maximize their inherent capacity for light competition. Evergreen shrubs would be more strongly affected because of their relatively lower capacity for nutrient remobilization and acquisition compared to deciduous shrubs. Our results highlight the importance of NGS plant and soil processes on high-latitude biogeochemistry and vegetation dynamics and motivate new observations and model structures to represent these dynamics.
Relationship of population migration, crop production pattern, and socioeconomic development: evidence from the early 21st century
Authors: Zhang Yajie , Zhao Jie , Yan Yuxing , Shi Yu , Yu Qiang
Published: June 2021

Global crop production and population distributions have undergone great changes under climate change and socioeconomic development, and have drawn considerable public attention. How to explain the similarity of the migration patterns of crop yield and population density for different countries/regions is still uncertain and worth studying. Here, we estimated the similarity between migrations of main crop caloric yield (i.e. maize, rice, wheat, and soybean) and population density using Fréchet distance, and investigated the regression relationship between Fréchet distance and related climatic and socioeconomic variables for countries/regions with different economic development stages. The results indicated that different countries/regions showed different Fréchet distances during 2000–2015, with a maximum value of 24.44 for Russia and a minimum value of 0.11 for Georgia. For countries/regions with different economic development stages, the built regression models can explain 39%–93% of the variability in the Fréchet distance. Log(land area), log(GDP), and log(land area under cereal production) were always included in regression models and had higher importance in explaining the variability of Fréchet distance. For the model for all countries/regions, both the log(land area) and log(GDP per capita) may positively link to the Fréchet distance. Possible reasons for these results are that countries/regions with high GDP (or GDP per capita) may ease the conflict of land resources between humans and crops to achieve agricultural industrialization, which causes the far connection of the migrations for crop caloric yield and population density. The complicated interactions of crop production, population dynamic, and socioeconomic development should be given greater attention in the future.
Novel negative capacitance, conductance at high and low frequencies in Au/Polypyrrole –MWCNT composite /TiO2/Al2O3/n-Si structure
Authors: Ashery A , Gaballah A E H , M Ahmed Emad
Published: June 2021

The paper presents a new approach based on the appearance of negative capacitance (NC) at high and low frequencies; previously, researchers agreed that NC only occurred at high or low frequencies. For the first time, we synthesized Au/polypyrrole/MWCNT composite/TiO2/Al2O3/n-Si/Al structure for use in electronic and supercapacitor applications. The structural, electrical, and dielectric properties were investigated by x-ray diffraction, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, I-V, and C-V measurements. The results revealed that for all working voltages and temperatures, negative capacitance and conductance occurred at high frequencies between 2 × 107 and 107 Hz. Similarly, the phenomena of negative capacitance occurred at low frequencies (100, 10) Hz. The capacitance-voltage experiments were used to perform the analysis of the variation of capacitance and conductance with frequency, voltage, and temperature. The polypyrrole, MWCNT composite /TiO2/Al2O3/n-Si structure exhibits diode behavior and has a high rectification ratio. I-V measurements were used to investigate ideality factors, barrier height, series and shunt resistance#, and rectification ratio.
Application of an integrated computational antibody engineering platform to design SARS-CoV-2 neutralizers
Authors: Riahi Saleh , Lee Jae Hyeon , Wei Shuai , Cost Robert , Masiero Alessandro , Prades Catherine , Olfati-Saber Reza , Wendt Maria , Park Anna , Qiu Yu , Zhou Yanfeng
Published: June 2021

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, hundreds of new initiatives including studies on existing medicines are running to fight the disease. To deliver a potentially immediate and lasting treatment to current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, new collaborations and ways of sharing are required to create as many paths forward as possible. Here we leverage our expertise in computational antibody engineering to rationally design/engineer three previously reported SARS-CoV neutralizing antibodies and share our proposal towards anti-SARS-CoV-2 biologics therapeutics. SARS-CoV neutralizing antibodies, m396, 80R, and CR-3022 were chosen as templates due to their diversified epitopes and confirmed neutralization potency against SARS-CoV (but not SARS-CoV-2 except for CR3022). Structures of variable fragment (Fv) in complex with receptor binding domain (RBD) from SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2 were subjected to our established in silico antibody engineering platform to improve their binding affinity to SARS-CoV-2 and developability profiles. The selected top mutations were ensembled into a focused library for each antibody for further screening. In addition, we convert the selected binders with different epitopes into the trispecific format, aiming to increase potency and to prevent mutational escape. Lastly, to avoid antibody induced virus activation or enhancement, we suggest application of NNAS and DQ mutations to the Fc region to eliminate effector functions and extend half-life.
Becoming Henry James
Authors: Mizruchi Susan L.
Published: June 2021

‘Becoming Henry James’ presents a biography of Henry James and his family. It also details the start of his writing career that would establish him as among the great fictionalizers of women’s experience and foremost novelists in English. Among the first literary authors to navigate the international publishing scene effectively, James managed to profit from the security of American copyright law and the ambiguity of British law. However, his relationship to the literary marketplace was characteristically ambivalent. What did assist James’s career immensely was the growth of the publishing industry in the post–Civil War period, especially periodical publishing, catalyzed by the expansion and professionalization of advertising.
Horror: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Jones Darryl
Published: June 2021

Horror: A Very Short Introduction argues that horror, while it is often understood as a disreputable popular cultural form, is in fact a major component of human civilization and culture. It is central to many of our foundational ideas, in art, literature, religion, and ritual. Horror is an important part of what it means to be human, and an important means of understanding the world.
There are a number of major recurring themes within horror: monsters, the occult and the supernatural, the body, the mind, and scientific horrors and fears. What does horror look like now, since the millennium? Its preoccupations turn out very much to be our own: corporate control, the online life and its discontents, racial tensions, environmental fears, and the world under plague conditions.