bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scale recurrence lemma and dimension formula for Cantor sets in the complex plane
Authors: T. DE A. MOREIRA CARLOS GUSTAVO , ZAMUDIO ESPINOSA ALEX MAURICIO
Published: March 2024

We prove a multidimensional conformal version of the scale recurrence lemma of Moreira and Yoccoz [Stable intersections of regular Cantor sets with large Hausdorff dimensions. Ann. of Math. (2)154(1) (2001), 45–96] for Cantor sets in the complex plane. We then use this new recurrence lemma, together with Moreira’s ideas in [Geometric properties of images of Cartesian products of regular Cantor sets by differentiable real maps. Math. Z.303 (2023), 3], to prove that under the right hypothesis for the Cantor sets
$K_1,\ldots ,K_n$
and the function
$h:\mathbb {C}^{n}\to \mathbb {R}^{l}$
, the following formula holds:
$$ \begin{align*}HD(h(K_1\times K_2 \times \cdots\times K_n))=\min \{l,HD(K_1)+\cdots+HD(K_n)\}.\end{align*} $$
Impact of lipid emulsions in parenteral nutrition on platelets: a literature review
Authors: Kisioglu Betul , Tamer Funda
Published: March 2024

Lipid emulsions are essential components of parenteral nutrition solutions that provide energy and essential fatty acids. The complexity of the formulations of lipid emulsions may lead to adverse outcomes such as platelet reactivity and changes in platelet aggregation and related coagulation. Platelets are responsible for haemostasis; they activate and demonstrate morphological changes upon extracellular factors to maintain blood fluidity and vascular integrity. Although parenteral nutrition lipid emulsions are generally found safe with regard to modulation of platelet activity, studies are still accumulating. Thus, this review aims to investigate platelet-related changes by parenteral nutrition lipid emulsions in human studies. Studies have pointed out patients at risk of bleeding and increased platelet aggregation responses due to the administration of lipid emulsions. Lipid emulsions may further benefit patients at high risk of thrombosis due to anti-thrombotic effects and should be cautiously used in patients with thrombocytopenia. The reported platelet-related changes might be associated with the fatty acid change in the plasma membranes of platelets following changes in platelet synthesis and plasma levels of eicosanoids. In conclusion, studies investigating platelets and parenteral nutrition should be supported to minimize the adverse effects and to benefit from the potential protective effects of parenteral nutrition lipid emulsions.
From intention to action – cultivating future-ready One Health agents of change
Authors: Stephen Craig , Wilcox Alana , Provencher Jennifer
Published: March 2024

We used a narrative literature review to identify attributes of One Health practitioners who can close the gap between intention and action to protect and promote health in this era of polycrises. The intention in this essay was to instigate discourse that challenges the current state of One Health teaching and practice, thus helping us reflect on how to future-ready One Health. One Health researchers and practitioners must become agents of change who accelerate and amplify innovations that promote One Health as a settings-based approach to advance interspecies and intergenerational health equity. This essay outlines how future readiness and disruption are intertwined and proposes that One Health training needs to cultivate curiosity, agility and convergence thinking to create future-ready researchers and practitioners. Institutional systems that can support future-ready One Health agents of change will need to be attentive to mechanisms that close the knowing-to-doing gap and promote crossing barriers. Game changing One Health requires greater investment in cross-cutting capacities and ideas that will make it easier to see what is working and for whom. At the heart of this issue is the need to mainstream concepts of fairness and redistribution of the health resources between people, animals, and settings.
Dynamic aberrances of substantia nigra-relevant coactivation patterns in first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Deng Lihong , Wei Wei , Qiao Chunxia , Yin Yubing , Li Xiaojing , Yu Hua , Jian Lingqi , Ma Xiaohong , Zhao Liansheng , Wang Qiang , Deng Wei , Guo Wanjun , Li Tao
Published: March 2024

Background

Although dopaminergic disturbances are well-known in schizophrenia, the understanding of dopamine-related brain dynamics remains limited. This study investigates the dynamic coactivation patterns (CAPs) associated with the substantia nigra (SN), a key dopaminergic nucleus, in first-episode treatment-naïve patients with schizophrenia (FES).

Methods

Resting-state fMRI data were collected from 84 FES and 94 healthy controls (HCs). Frame-wise clustering was implemented to generate CAPs related to SN activation or deactivation. Connectome features of each CAP were derived using an edge-centric method. The occurrence for each CAP and the balance ratio for antagonistic CAPs were calculated and compared between two groups, and correlations between temporal dynamic metrics and symptom burdens were explored.

Results

Functional reconfigurations in CAPs exhibited significant differences between the activation and deactivation states of SN. During SN activation, FES more frequently recruited a CAP characterized by activated default network, language network, control network, and the caudate, compared to HCs (F = 8.54, FDR-p = 0.030). Moreover, FES displayed a tilted balance towards a CAP featuring SN-coactivation with the control network, caudate, and thalamus, as opposed to its antagonistic CAP (F = 7.48, FDR-p = 0.030). During SN deactivation, FES exhibited increased recruitment of a CAP with activated visual and dorsal attention networks but decreased recruitment of its opposing CAP (F = 6.58, FDR-p = 0.034).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that neuroregulatory dysfunction in dopaminergic pathways involving SN potentially mediates aberrant time-varying functional reorganizations in schizophrenia. This finding enriches the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia from the perspective of brain dynamics.
Enlightened and Counter-Revolutionary: Revisiting the Origins of Galician Ruthenian Nation-Building
Authors: Hen-Konarski Tomasz
Published: March 2024

This article offers an alternative focus for the study of the Ruthenian (Ukrainian) nation-building in early Austrian Galicia. It portrays elite Greek Catholic churchmen who made political claims about a self-standing Ruthenian nation already in the first decade of the nineteenth century. It argues that their political innovations were enabled by the ambitious state-building projects implemented in the second half of the eighteenth century by the Austrian government, most importantly new seminaries that cultivated an ethos of state service among Catholic clergymen. The early Ruthenian nationalism espoused by Greek Catholic prelates neither aspired to mobilize masses nor ascribed much importance to language rights, the kernel of nationalist struggles in later periods. It was rather a polemical device deployed to legitimize their rejection of the Polish national allegiance, associated with dynamically evolving republican traditions. By locating the Galician Ruthenian case in a regional comparative perspective, the article outlines the broader significance of this interpretation, interrogating some received wisdoms about the so-called non-historical nationalisms of Central and Eastern Europe.
Gendering Late Medieval Habsburg Dynastic Politics: Maximilian I and His Social Networks
Authors: Lutter Christina
Published: March 2024

While gender history has developed into a powerful branch of premodern history, we still know little about gender relations around Maximilian I. One reason is that research concentrated for a long time on the individual personality of the emperor without paying much attention to the manifold relations among men and women that in fact contributed to establishing his rule. Another reason is the specific constellations of Maximilian's relationships with his wives Mary of Burgundy and Bianca Maria Sforza, with his daughter Margaret of Austria and grand-daughter Mary of Hungary, which have been mostly discussed in the framework of their personal courts and regional politics and less in a wider comparative perspective. Against the backdrop of recent approaches to dynastic politics, role models, and agency, I will, first, discuss the gendered dimensions of Maximilian's dynastic politics in their wider geo-political and socio-cultural context. I will, second, move beyond a focus on key dynastic actors to take into account personal networks as fundamental for any type of premodern rule. Following court ladies and female servants and the social networks they were part of I will outline the interrelations between social ascent, office, and the politics of kinship and gender at court.
Gendered repartnering in later life: structural and processual dimensions of the transition into new relationships
Authors: Bischoff Luisa
Published: March 2024

Against the backdrop of demographic change and the pluralisation of living arrangements, the article focuses on repartnering after widowhood, divorce and separation in older age in Germany. While theoretically framing repartnering as a lifecourse transition, the question arises of how later-life relationships form in relation to gender- and ageing-specific as well as structural and processual dimensions. Since previous research indicates that there are gender-specific patterns when repartnering in older age which differ from repartnering in middle age, the article explicitly accounts for gendered ageing and attitudes towards ageing. Using data from the German Ageing Survey (1996–2017), longitudinal hybrid panel regressions are modelled for 3,653 respondents, 11,628 observations and 179 new relationships. I propose to understand within-effects as processual and between-effects as structural dimensions of repartnering. The results for the structural dimensions show that the likelihood of repartnering is higher for men and for individuals with more negative attitudes towards ageing. The results for the processual dimensions show how repartnering becomes less likely the older one gets and the more positive one's attitudes towards ageing become. The interaction term for gender and ageing shows that ageing has a stronger influence on the likelihood to repartner for women than for men. Additionally, the findings reveal a difference between forms of singlehood: in the short term, repartnering is less likely for divorced or separated individuals than for widowed individuals, whereas the opposite effect shows in the long term. In sensitising the lifecourse perspective with gender- and ageing-specific concepts and analytically separating processual and structural dimensions, this article demonstrates the importance of gendered ageing and of the linkage between relationship transitions. Applying hybrid panel models to lifecourse transitions in older age reveals the processual dynamic and structural embeddedness of repartnering in older age.
Measuring multidimensional heterogeneity in emergent social phenomena
Authors: Toscani Giuseppe
Published: March 2024

Measuring inequalities in a multidimensional framework is a challenging problem, which is common to most field of science and engineering. Nevertheless, despite the enormous amount of researches illustrating the fields of application of inequality indices, and of the Gini index in particular, very few consider the case of a multidimensional variable. In this paper, we consider in some details a new inequality index, based on the Fourier transform, that can be fruitfully applied to measure the degree of inhomogeneity of multivariate probability distributions. This index exhibits a number of interesting properties that make it very promising in quantifying the degree of inequality in datasets of complex and multifaceted social phenomena.
The role of phonology in non-native word learning: Evidence from cross-situational statistical learning
Authors: Ge Yuxin , Monaghan Padraic , Rebuschat Patrick
Published: March 2024

Adults often encounter difficulty perceiving and processing sounds of a second language (L2). In order to acquire word-meaning mappings, learners need to determine what the language-relevant phonological contrasts are in the language. In this study, we examined the influence of phonology on non-native word learning, determining whether the language-relevant phonological contrasts could be acquired by abstracting over multiple experiences, and whether awareness of these contrasts could be related to learning. We trained English- and Mandarin-native speakers with pseudowords via a cross-situational statistical learning task (CSL). Learners were able to acquire the phonological contrasts across multiple situations, but similar-sounding words (i.e., minimal pairs) were harder to acquire, and words that contrast in a non-native suprasegmental feature (i.e., Mandarin lexical tone) were even harder for English-speakers, even with extended exposure. Furthermore, awareness of the non-native phonology was not found to relate to learning.
Do Women Politicians Know More about Women’s Policy Preferences? Evidence from Canada
Authors: Franceschet Susan , Lucas Jack , Rayment Erica
Published: March 2024

This study draws together theories of women’s substantive representation and research on politicians’ knowledge of constituent preferences. We ask whether politicians are better at predicting their constituents’ policy preferences when they share the same gender. In doing so, we contribute to knowledge about the mechanisms underlying substantive representation. Using original surveys of 3,750 Canadians and 867 elected politicians, we test whether politicians correctly perceive gender gaps in their constituents’ policy preferences and whether women politicians are better at correctly identifying the policy preferences of women constituents. Contrary to expectations from previous research, we do not find elected women to be better at predicting the preferences of women constituents. Instead, we find that all politicians — regardless of their gender — perform better when predicting women’s policy preferences and worse when predicting men’s preferences. The gender of the constituent matters more than the gender of the politician.
Lösungsorientierte Maltherapie
Authors: Egger Bettina , Merz Jörg
Published: March 2024

Maltherapien gehen häufig davon aus, dass das Gemalte als Ausdruck inneren Geschehens interpretiert werden muss. Aber das Malen selbst verändert die Psyche. Das angeleitete und unterstützte Malen von Bildern, die schwierige und belastende Gefühle und Lebenssituationen versinnbildlichen, ermöglicht Heilung und Erleichterung und entwickelt neue Lebensperspektiven. Das neuartige Verfahren der Lösungsorientierte Maltherapie steuert und verändert Emotionen durch Veränderungen am Bild.
Automated Bedform Identification—A Meta‐Analysis of Current Methods and the Heterogeneity of Their Outputs
Authors: Scheiber Leon , Zomer Judith , Wang Li , Cisneros Julia , Gutierrez Ronald R. , Lefebvre Alice
Published: March 2024

Ongoing efforts to characterize underwater dunes have led to a considerable number of freely available tools that identify these bedforms in a (semi‐)automated way. However, these tools differ with regard to their research focus and appear to produce results that are far from unequivocal. We scrutinize this assumption by comparing the results of five recently published dune identification tools in a comprehensive meta‐analysis. Specifically, we analyze dune populations identified in three bathymetries under diverse flow conditions and compare the resulting dune characteristics in a quantitative manner. Besides the impact of underlying definitions, it is shown that the main heterogeneity arises from the consideration of a secondary dune scale, which has a significant influence on statistical distributions. Based on the quantitative results, we discuss the individual strengths and limitations of each algorithm, with the aim of outlining adequate fields of application. However, the concerted bedform analysis and subsequent combination of results have another benefit: the creation of a benchmarking data set which is inherently less biased by individual focus and therefore a valuable instrument for future validations. Nevertheless, it is apparent that the available tools are still very specific and that end‐users would profit by their merging into a universal and modular toolbox.
North Atlantic Temperature Change Across the Eocene‐Oligocene Transition From Clumped Isotopes
Authors: Kocken Ilja J. , Nooteboom Peter D. , van der Veen Kasper , Coxall Helen K. , Müller Inigo A. , Meckler A. Nele , Ziegler Martin
Published: March 2024

The Eocene‐Oligocene transition (EOT) (∼34 Ma) is marked by the rapid development of a semi‐permanent Antarctic ice‐sheet, as indicated by ice‐rafted debris and a 1–1.5‰ increase in deep sea δ18O. Proxy reconstructions indicate a drop in atmospheric CO2 and global cooling. How these changes affected surface ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic and ocean water stratification remains poorly constrained. In this study, we apply clumped‐isotope thermometry to well‐preserved planktonic foraminifera, that are associated with lower mixed‐layer to subthermocline dwelling depths from the drift sediments at international ocean discovery program Site 1411, Newfoundland, across four intervals bracketing the EOT. The thermocline/lower mixed‐layer dwelling foraminifera record a cooling of 1.9 ± 3.5 K (mean ± 95% CI) across the EOT. While the cooling amplitude is similar to previous sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions, absolute temperatures (Eocene 20.0 ± 2.9°C, Oligocene 18.0 ± 2.2°C) appear colder than previous organic proxy reconstructions for the northernmost Atlantic extrapolated to this location. We discuss seasonal bias, recording depth, and appropriate consideration of paleolatitudes, all of which complicate the comparison between SST reconstructions and model output. Our subthermocline dwelling foraminifera record a larger cooling across the EOT (Eocene 19.0 ± 3.5°C, Oligocene 13.0 ± 3.2°C, cooling of 5.5 ± 4.6 K) than foraminifera from the thermocline/lower mixed‐layer, consistent with global cooling and an increase in ocean stratification which may be related to the onset or intensification of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.
Learned Regularizations for Multi‐Parameter Elastic Full Waveform Inversion Using Diffusion Models
Authors: Taufik Mohammad H. , Wang Fu , Alkhalifah Tariq
Published: March 2024

Elastic full waveform inversion (EFWI) promises to account for the Earth's elastic nature and corresponding reflectivity, which is often disregarded in the commonly used acoustic FWI. However, EFWI usually requires a more sophisticated recording apparatus (beyond the usual single‐component data). Even in the presence of multicomponent recordings, an empirical formulation that relates the elastic parameters is usually employed. Such approximations, thus, render the inverted elastic parameters (and their relationship) hostage to our assumptions. To overcome these limitations, we introduce learned regularization using diffusion models. Specifically, we first train the (unsupervised) diffusion model to understand the coupling relationship of the distribution of the elastic parameters and use the trained model in the inversion process with a negligible additional computational cost. To fully realize the effect of our regularization and to mimic a realistic scenario, the vertical component of the particle velocity is used to invert the elastic parameters. Unlike other learned (deep) regularizers, diffusion models offer a unique conditional capability that suits the nature of an FWI process (going from low to high frequency) while maintaining the problem‐agnostic feature of such regularizers. Numerical experiments, ranging from synthetic to land field data, show that our framework solves the illumination effects from an imperfect acquisition setup and provides more realistic elastic parameter ratios than the conventional EFWI. We also empirically demonstrate that, unlike traditional regularization schemes, our framework converges to better model estimates that fit the observed data better.
Acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 contributes to a better prognosis for liver cancer by switching acetate-glucose metabolism
Authors: Jung Kyung Hee , Lee Sujin , Kim Han Sun , Kim Jin-Mo , Lee Yun Ji , Park Min Seok , Seo Myeong-Seong , Lee Misu , Yun Mijin , Park Sunghyouk , Hong Soon-Sun
Published: March 2024

Acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2)-dependent acetate usage has generally been associated with tumorigenesis and increased malignancy in cancers under nutrient-depleted conditions. However, the nutrient usage and metabolic characteristics of the liver differ from those of other organs; therefore, the mechanism of ACSS2-mediated acetate metabolism may also differ in liver cancer. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ACSS2 in liver cancer and acetate metabolism, the relationships between patient acetate uptake and metabolic characteristics and between ACSS2 and tumor malignancies were comprehensively studied in vitro, in vivo and in humans. Clinically, we initially found that ACSS2 expression was decreased in liver cancer patients. Moreover, PET-CT imaging confirmed that lower-grade cancer cells take up more 11C-acetate but less 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG); however, this trend was reversed in higher-grade cancer. Among liver cancer cells, those with high ACSS2 expression avidly absorbed acetate even in a glucose-sufficient environment, whereas those with low ACSS2 expression did not, thereby showing correlations with their respective ACSS2 expression. Metabolomic isotope tracing in vitro and in vivo revealed greater acetate incorporation, greater lipid anabolic metabolism, and less malignancy in high-ACSS2 tumors. Notably, ACSS2 downregulation in liver cancer cells was associated with increased tumor occurrence in vivo. In human patient cohorts, patients in the low-ACSS2 subgroup exhibited reduced anabolism, increased glycolysis/hypoxia, and poorer prognosis. We demonstrated that acetate uptake by ACSS2 in liver cancer is independent of glucose depletion and contributes to lipid anabolic metabolism and reduced malignancy, thereby leading to a better prognosis for liver cancer patients.
Deep-potential enabled multiscale simulation of gallium nitride devices on boron arsenide cooling substrates
Authors: Wu Jing , Zhou E , Huang An , Zhang Hongbin , Hu Ming , Qin Guangzhao
Published: March 2024

High-efficient heat dissipation plays critical role for high-power-density electronics. Experimental synthesis of ultrahigh thermal conductivity boron arsenide (BAs, 1300 W m−1K−1) cooling substrates into the wide-bandgap semiconductor of gallium nitride (GaN) devices has been realized. However, the lack of systematic analysis on the heat transfer across the GaN-BAs interface hampers the practical applications. In this study, by constructing the accurate and high-efficient machine learning interatomic potentials, we perform multiscale simulations of the GaN-BAs heterostructures. Ultrahigh interfacial thermal conductance of 260 MW m−2K−1 is achieved, which lies in the well-matched lattice vibrations of BAs and GaN. The strong temperature dependence of interfacial thermal conductance is found between 300 to 450 K. Moreover, the competition between grain size and boundary resistance is revealed with size increasing from 1 nm to 1000 μm. Such deep-potential equipped multiscale simulations not only promote the practical applications of BAs cooling substrates in electronics, but also offer approach for designing advanced thermal management systems.
Dynamic three-dimensional structures of a metal–organic framework captured with femtosecond serial crystallography
Authors: Kang Jaedong , Lee Yunbeom , Lee Seonggon , Ki Hosung , Kim Jungmin , Gu Jain , Cha Yongjun , Heo Jun , Lee Kyung Won , Kim Seong Ok , Park Jaehyun , Park Sang-Youn , Kim Sangsoo , Ma Rory , Eom Intae , Kim Minseok , Kim Jeongho , Lee Jae Hyuk , Ihee Hyotcherl
Published: March 2024

Crystalline systems consisting of small-molecule building blocks have emerged as promising materials with diverse applications. It is of great importance to characterize not only their static structures but also the conversion of their structures in response to external stimuli. Femtosecond time-resolved crystallography has the potential to probe the real-time dynamics of structural transitions, but, thus far, this has not been realized for chemical reactions in non-biological crystals. In this study, we applied time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography (TR-SFX), a powerful technique for visualizing protein structural dynamics, to a metal–organic framework, consisting of Fe porphyrins and hexazirconium nodes, and elucidated its structural dynamics. The time-resolved electron density maps derived from the TR-SFX data unveil trifurcating structural pathways: coherent oscillatory movements of Zr and Fe atoms, a transient structure with the Fe porphyrins and Zr6 nodes undergoing doming and disordering movements, respectively, and a vibrationally hot structure with isotropic structural disorder. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using TR-SFX to study chemical systems.
Diurnal warming rectification in the tropical Pacific linked to sea surface temperature front
Authors: Cronin Meghan F. , Zhang Dongxiao , Wills Samantha M. , Reeves Eyre J. E. Jack , Thompson LuAnne , Anderson Nathan
Published: March 2024

Sharp and rapid changes in the sea surface temperature (SST) associated with fronts and the diurnal cycle can drive changes in the atmospheric boundary-layer stability and circulation. Here we show how a one-dimensional surface ocean model forced with either high-resolution or daily averaged surface fluxes can be used to distinguish diurnal versus frontal SST anomalies observed from an uncrewed surface vehicle. The model, forced with daily satellite fluxes, shows that the diurnal warming is largest within the equatorial Pacific cold tongue of SST. The strong persistent SST front north of the cold tongue is evident in both the oceanic and atmospheric boundary-layer stability scales and, as a consequence, in the magnitude of the diurnal ocean warming. Using SST, barometric pressure and surface wind measurements from moorings at 0°, 95° W and 2° N, 95° W, we show that the front in the SST diurnal warming results in a weakened SST front in the afternoon and a corresponding reduced meridional gradient in the barometric pressure that appears to contribute to a diurnal pulsing of the surface meridional winds. To the extent that these modulate the surface branch of the Hadley cell, these diurnal variations may have remote impacts.
Quantum interference enhances the performance of single-molecule transistors
Authors: Chen Zhixin , Grace Iain M. , Woltering Steffen L. , Chen Lina , Gee Alex , Baugh Jonathan , Briggs G. Andrew D. , Bogani Lapo , Mol Jan A. , Lambert Colin J. , Anderson Harry L. , Thomas James O.
Published: March 2024

Quantum effects in nanoscale electronic devices promise to lead to new types of functionality not achievable using classical electronic components. However, quantum behaviour also presents an unresolved challenge facing electronics at the few-nanometre scale: resistive channels start leaking owing to quantum tunnelling. This affects the performance of nanoscale transistors, with direct source–drain tunnelling degrading switching ratios and subthreshold swings, and ultimately limiting operating frequency due to increased static power dissipation. The usual strategy to mitigate quantum effects has been to increase device complexity, but theory shows that if quantum effects can be exploited in molecular-scale electronics, this could provide a route to lower energy consumption and boost device performance. Here we demonstrate these effects experimentally, showing how the performance of molecular transistors is improved when the resistive channel contains two destructively interfering waves. We use a zinc-porphyrin coupled to graphene electrodes in a three-terminal transistor to demonstrate a >104 conductance-switching ratio, a subthreshold swing at the thermionic limit, a >7 kHz operating frequency and stability over >105 cycles. We fully map the anti-resonance interference features in conductance, reproduce the behaviour by density functional theory calculations and trace back the high performance to the coupling between molecular orbitals and graphene edge states. These results demonstrate how the quantum nature of electron transmission at the nanoscale can enhance, rather than degrade, device performance, and highlight directions for future development of miniaturized electronics.
Physics-assisted machine learning for THz time-domain spectroscopy: sensing leaf wetness
Authors: Koumans Milan , Meulendijks Daan , Middeljans Haiko , Peeters Djero , Douma Jacob C. , van Mechelen Dook
Published: March 2024

Signal processing techniques are of vital importance to bring THz spectroscopy to a maturity level to reach practical applications. In this work, we illustrate the use of machine learning techniques for THz time-domain spectroscopy assisted by domain knowledge based on light–matter interactions. We aim at the potential agriculture application to determine the amount of free water on plant leaves, so-called leaf wetness. This quantity is important for understanding and predicting plant diseases that need leaf wetness for disease development. The overall transmission of 12,000 distinct water droplet patterns on a plastized leaf was experimentally acquired using THz time-domain spectroscopy. We report on key insights of applying decision trees and convolutional neural networks to the data using physics-motivated choices. Eventually, we discuss the generalizability of these models to determine leaf wetness after testing them on cases with increasing deviations from the training set.
Visualization of bone formation in sheep’s middle ear by using fluorochrome sequential labelling (FSL)
Authors: Kemper Max , Kluge Anne , Ney Michael , Beleites Thomas , Zeidler-Rentzsch Ines , Keil Christiane , Zahnert Thomas , Neudert Marcus
Published: March 2024

One factor for the lacking integration of the middle ear stapes footplate prosthesis or the missing healing of stapes footplate fractures could be the known osteogenic inactivity. In contrast, it was recently demonstrated that titanium prostheses with an applied collagen matrix and immobilised growth factors stimulate osteoblastic activation and differentiation on the stapes footplate. Regarding those findings, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of bone regeneration including bone remodeling in the middle ear. Ten one-year-old female merino sheep underwent a middle ear surgery without implantation of middle ear prostheses or any other component for activating bone formation. Post-operatively, four fluorochromes (tetracycline, alizarin complexion, calcein green and xylenol orange) were administered by subcutaneous injection at different time points after surgery (1 day: tetracycline, 7 days: alizarin, 14 days: calcein, 28 days: xylenol). After 12 weeks, the temporal bones including the lateral skull base were extracted and histologically analyzed. Fluorescence microscopy analysis of the entire stapes with the oval niche, but in particular stapes footplate and the Crura stapedis revealed evidence of new bone formation. Calcein was detected in all and xylenol in 60% of the animals. In contrast, tetracycline and alizarin could only be verified in two animals. The authors were able to demonstrate the osseoregenerative potential of the middle ear, in particular of the stapes footplate, using fluorescence sequence labelling.
Single-cell RNA sequencing unveils tumor heterogeneity and immune microenvironment between subungual and plantar melanoma
Authors: Wang Panpan , Ma Yangyang , Zhao Yige , Li Yong , Tang Chenyu , Wang Shiwen , Jin Sha , Wang Jiaqi , Zhu Mengyan , Xie Bo , Wang Ping
Published: March 2024

Acral melanoma (AM) is a subtype of melanoma with high prevalence in East Asians. AM is characterized by greater aggressiveness and lower survival rates. However, there are still fewer studies on immune mechanisms of AM especially subungual melanoma (SM) versus non-subungual melanoma (NSM). In order to explore tumor heterogeneity and immune microenvironment in different subtypes of AM, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to 24,789 single cells isolated from the SM and plantar melanoma (PM) patients. Aspects of tumor heterogeneity, melanocytes from PM and SM had significant differences in gene expression, CNV and pathways in which tumor-associated such as NF-kb and Wnt were involved. Regarding the immune microenvironment, PM contained more fibroblasts and T/NK cells. The EPHA3-EFNA1 axis was expressed only in cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) and melanocytes of PM, and the TIGIT-NECTIN2 axis was expressed in both AM subtypes of T/NK cells and melanocytes. Altogether, our study helps to elucidate the tumor heterogeneity in AM subpopulations and provides potential therapeutic targets for clinical research.
Attenuation of A(H7N9) influenza virus infection in mice exposed to cigarette smoke
Authors: Fukuyama Satoshi , Shoemaker Jason E. , Zhao Dongming , Nagajima Noriko , Tomita Yuriko , Maemura Tadashi , da Silva Lopes Tiago Jose , Watanabe Tokiko , Yamayoshi Seiya , Hasegawa Hideki , Kawaoka Yoshihiro
Published: March 2024

Influenza A(H7N9) virus showed high pathogenicity in humans when it emerged in 2013. Cigarette smoke (CS) causes pulmonary diseases including bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. Although habitual smoking is thought to increase the risk of severe seasonal influenza virus infection, its effect on A(H7N9) virus infection is poorly understood. Here, we employed a mouse model of long-term exposure to CS to investigate the effect of CS on the pathogenicity of A(H7N9) virus infection. Unexpectedly, body weight loss for mice exposed to CS was milder than that for mock-treated mice upon A(H7N9) virus infection. CS exposure improved the survival rate of A(H7N9) virus-infected mice even though virus titers and pathological changes in the lungs were not significantly different between CS-exposed and control mice. Microarray analysis showed that CS-exposure activates cytokine/chemokine activity, immune response, and cell cycle activities that resemble reactivities against A(H7N9) virus infection. Therefore, under conditions where cytokine and chemokine expression in the lungs is already high due to CS exposure, the enhanced expression of cytokines and chemokines caused by A(H7N9) virus infection might be less harmful to the organs compared to the rapid increase in cytokine and chemokine expression in the air-exposed mice due to the infection. CS may thus induce immunoregulatory effects that attenuate severe pulmonary disease during A(H7N9) virus infection. However, these findings do not support CS exposure due to its many other proven negative health effects.
Jump-starting life: balancing transposable element co-option and genome integrity in the developing mammalian embryo
Authors: Oomen Marlies E , Torres-Padilla Maria-Elena
Published: March 2024

Remnants of transposable elements (TEs) are widely expressed throughout mammalian embryo development. Originally infesting our genomes as selfish elements and acting as a source of genome instability, several of these elements have been co-opted as part of a complex system of genome regulation. Many TEs have lost transposition ability and their transcriptional potential has been tampered as a result of interactions with the host throughout evolutionary time. It has been proposed that TEs have been ultimately repurposed to function as gene regulatory hubs scattered throughout our genomes. In the early embryo in particular, TEs find a perfect environment of naïve chromatin to escape transcriptional repression by the host. As a consequence, it is thought that hosts found ways to co-opt TE sequences to regulate large-scale changes in chromatin and transcription state of their genomes. In this review, we discuss several examples of TEs expressed during embryo development, their potential for co-option in genome regulation and the evolutionary pressures on TEs and on our genomes.
Theoretical Understanding and Insights on Flexible Metal–Organic Frameworks
Authors: Vanduyfhuys L. , Wahiduzzaman M. , Rogge S. M. J. , Maurin G. , van Speybroeck V.
Published: March 2024

The field of flexible metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) has opened an era of intriguing applications. This chapter gives a status on the theoretical understanding and insights in flexible MOFs. First, a classification of various types of flexibility is given encompassing local and spatially extended phenomena, and transformations maintaining bond integrity of inducing bond breaking. Next, the key elements of a modelling exercise are given, which include building structural models for MOFs representative for realistic materials, a theoretical description of the potential energy surface with quantum mechanical, force field, machine learning potentials or coarse grained based methods, deriving macroscopic thermodynamic and kinetic observables based on statistical physics and thermodynamics. Then, various representative modelling studies on prototypical flexible MOFs are discussed highlighting transformations triggered by various stimuli, inducing various flexibility modes, and connecting them with experiment. The chapter ends with the formulation of some perspectives related to the ambition to model flexibility in realistic MOFs on longer length and time scales, including spatial heterogeneities and being composed of elements for which advanced electronic structure methods are necessary. Further advances will benefit from synergies between theoreticians experimentalists and scientists from other fields like quantum physics, data science, spectroscopy, and imaging.
Carbon-reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites Against Infectious Diseases
Authors: Parhi Biswajit , Bharatiya Debasrita , Biswal Anuradha , Swain Sarat K.
Published: March 2024

Infectious diseases consistently pose challenges for the frontline sectors and at the same time may cause havoc in the social sector. Pathogenic microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and protozoa are the main culprits in the history of pandemics and epidemics. The year 2019 witnessed the biggest pandemic ever in history, caused by SARS-CoV-19 microbes whose existence remains between living and non-living species. Long before tackling the problems caused by microorganisms, researchers were continuously working in different areas of science and technology. In this perspective, targeted vaccines and drugs have been successfully administered for medical use. During the last two decades, nanoscience and nanotechnology have been strongly involved in the design of nanomaterials for effective use as drugs or vaccines against infectious diseases. In this regard, nanocomposites play a major role in high pharmacological and mechanical responses. Designing biodegradable and biocompatible nanocomposites with excellent bioactivity has always attracted the attention of the pharma industry owing to the burgeoning occurrence of new infectious diseases. Further, carbon-reinforced polymer nanocomposites have gained importance in the fight against infectious diseases owing to their high antimicrobial efficacy. In this chapter, the properties and uses of carbon-reinforced polymer nanocomposites with potential pharmacological activity are discussed in detail in the context of different classifications of infectious agents.
Sustainable Nanomaterials for Mosquito-based Infectious Disease Control
Authors: Gollavelli Ganesh , Gedda Gangaraju , Ling Yong-Chien
Published: March 2024

Dengue, malaria, and cholera are infectious diseases spread by mosquitoes that pose a serious risk of illness to billions of people worldwide. Since there is no specific treatment for some of these diseases, eliminating their related vectors is the only strategy to reduce the risk of infection. For the control of these diseases, nanotechnology-based therapeutic agents with nanoformulations are currently gaining in popularity. Potential uses for metal nanoparticles (NPs) produced using an environmentally benign method from plant extracts have been suggested as mosquitocides. Metal NPs can be made sustainably in a rapid, inexpensive, and waste-free manner. This chapter describes the preparation and characterization of Ag, Au, ZnO, TiO2, and other nanomaterials from various parts of plant extracts and their mechanism of killing mosquitoes.
Sustainable Nanomaterials and Diagnosis for Arboviral Infections
Authors: Mariappan Vignesh , Srinivasan Rajesh , Paul Surendra Manoharan , Pillai Agieshkumar Balakrishna
Published: March 2024

Arbovirus infections are becoming a more significant and common public health issue across the globe. In particular, the incidence and epidemic of dengue have increased considerably in tropical and subtropical regions, and other arboviruses such as Zika and chikungunya have caused major outbreaks in recent years. Most of the time, these viruses cause influenza-like symptoms, but an infected individual can progress into a severe or life-debilitating condition with an unknown mechanism. At present, there is no point-of-care system for the early prediction of disease severity in arboviral infections. The current trends in the applications of the use of nanoparticles to develop novel vaccines, formulations, diagnostic kits, and treatments for infectious diseases have attracted much attention as an innovative and alternative solution to solving significant problems in infectious diseases caused by viruses. Therefore, upgrading the prognosis and diagnosis approach with nanotechnology could enhance bio-surveillance and rapid viral detection. The goal of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive review of the disease manifestations due to arbovirus infection and to fill knowledge gaps in nano-based diagnosis/prognosis.
Emerging ferroelectric materials ScAlN: applications and prospects in memristors
Authors: Yang Dong-Ping , Tang Xin-Gui , Sun Qi-Jun , Chen Jia-Ying , Jiang Yan-Ping , Zhang Dan , Dong Hua-Feng
Published: March 2024

The research found that after doping with rare earth elements, a large number of electrons and holes will be produced on the surface of AlN, which makes the material have the characteristics of spontaneous polarization.
Understanding the effects of ethanol on the liposome bilayer structure using microfluidic-based time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Maeki Masatoshi , Kimura Niko , Okada Yuto , Shimizu Kazuki , Shibata Kana , Miyazaki Yusuke , Ishida Akihiko , Yonezawa Kento , Shimizu Nobutaka , Shinoda Wataru , Tokeshi Manabu
Published: March 2024

We investigated ethanol-induced structural changes in liposomes on a time scale from microseconds to tens of seconds using a microfluidic-based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement system coupled with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.
First-principles calculations on monolayer WX2 (X = S, Se) as an effective drug delivery carrier for anti-tuberculosis drugs
Authors: Mahmud Khaled , Yashir Taki , Zubair Ahmed
Published: March 2024

Targeted drug delivery nanostructures for anti-tuberculosis drugs were proposed by utilizing previously unexplored 2D TMD materials highlighting the enormous potential of nanomaterials in nanomedicine.
Genetically engineered cell-derived nanovesicles for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: He Shan , Zhao Zongmin
Published: March 2024

The emergence of genetically engineered extracellular vesicles has marked a new epoch in cancer immunotherapy, presenting substantial clinical potentials.
Durable dielectric switching and photo-responsivity in a Dion–Jacobson hybrid perovskite semiconductor
Authors: Wang Peng , Li Xinling , Ye Huang , Guan Qianwen , Wang Yifei , Geng Yaru , Zhang Chengshu , Li Hang , Luo Junhua
Published: March 2024

D–J phase perovskite (BDA)MA2Pb3Br10 reveals excellent photo-responsivity antifatigue merits and remarkable switching stability.
Implementing l-DNA analogs as mirrors of PCR reactant hybridization state: theoretical and practical guidelines for PCR cycle control
Authors: Spurlock Nicholas , Gabella William E. , Nelson Dalton J. , Evans David T. , Pask Megan E. , Schmitz Jonathan E. , Haselton Frederick R.
Published: March 2024

Hybridization kinetics of DNA are explored and applied to improve accuracy of annealing in sensitive PCR reactions through l-DNA hybridization-based cycling control.
An on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS method for quantification of nucleobases and nucleosides present in biological fluids
Authors: Liu Yi-Ming , Wang Shuguan , Dickenson Amani , Mao Jinghe , Bai Xiaolin , Liao Xun
Published: March 2024

A facile on-line SPE-LC-MS/MS method for quantification of nucleobases and nucleosides in urine and saliva.
Breaking Sabatier's vertex via switching the oxygen adsorption configuration and reaction pathway on dual active sites for acidic oxygen reduction
Authors: Guo Pan , Liu Bo , Tu Fengdi , Dai Yunkun , Zhang Ziyu , Xia Yunfei , Ma Miao , Zhang Yunlong , Zhao Lei , Wang Zhenbo
Published: March 2024

Switching the oxygen adsorption configuration and reaction pathway breaks Sabatier's vertex and achieves an extraordinary acidic oxygen reduction performance.
Acoustic modulation and non-contact atomization of droplets based on the Fabry–Pérot resonator
Authors: Li Jingjun , Wang Xiukun , Yang Fan , Sun Yadong , Zhang Lei
Published: March 2024

A non-contact ultrasonic atomization based on the Fabry–Pérot resonator is proposed to obtain atomized droplets with a reduced droplet diameter and concentrated droplet distributions.
Interplay between the oxidation process and cytotoxic effects of antimonene nanomaterials
Authors: Congost-Escoin Pau , Lucherelli Matteo Andrea , Oestreicher Víctor , García-Lainez Guillermo , Alcaraz Marta , Mizrahi Martín , Varela Maria , Andreu Inmaculada , Abellán Gonzalo
Published: March 2024

Study of three antimony-based nanomaterials' behaviour in biological conditions and the influence of the synthesis on their oxidation state and stability in this environment.
NH3 plasma-etching-derived porous N-doped carbon nanotubes with FeP nanoparticles and intrinsic carbon defects for boosting oxygen reduction in rechargeable Zn–air batteries
Authors: Chen Bing , Zhou Minjie , Zhang Na , Deng Xianglin , Yang HaiHua
Published: March 2024

The formation of intrinsic carbon defects and phase engineered FeP nanoparticles regulated by NH3 plasma etching significantly enhanced the oxygen reduction reaction performance of N-doped carbon nanotubes.
Modulating Mn self-reduction and multimodal luminescence in CaSb2O6 through La3+ doping for quadruple-mode dynamic anti-counterfeiting and optical temperature sensing applications
Authors: Long Fenzhong , Xie Lu , Fu Jiawei , Shan Kaian , Fei Huihui , Zhang Xinmin
Published: March 2024

The co-doping La3+strategy was employed to modulate Mn self-reduction and multimodal luminescence in CaS2O6:Mn. CaS2O6:Mn has potential application in optical anti-counterfeiting and high-sensitivity temperature sensing applications.
Reactivity of α-diazo sulfonium salts: rhodium-catalysed ring expansion of indenes to naphthalenes
Authors: Timmann Sven , Wu Tun-Hui , Golz Christopher , Alcarazo Manuel
Published: March 2024

Cyclopropyl-substituted sulfonium salts are obtained by Rh-catalysed addition of α-diazo dibenzothiophenium salts to olefins. When indenes are used as substrates, initially formed cyclopropyl rings open with concomitant elimination of dibenzothiophene, enabling access to 2-substituted naphthalenes.
Unlocking the potential of open-tunnel oxides: DFT-guided design and machine learning-enhanced discovery for next-generation industry-scale battery technologies
Authors: Datta Joy , Koratkar Nikhil , Datta Dibakar
Published: March 2024

Lithium–ion batteries (LIBs) are ubiquitous in everyday applications.