bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sum-frequency generation at interfaces: A Fresnel story. I. Designing high contrast in two interface systems
Authors: Busson Bertrand
Published: July 2023

When a homogeneous film of finite thickness is optically probed, interference due to multiple reflections modulates in amplitude the electric field of light. For optical processes located only at the interfaces between two media, as is common for Sum-Frequency Generation (SFG), interference also modulates the contrast between signals generated at the entrance and exit planes of the film. We introduce a universal formalism for Fresnel factors, which bear all the information about interference, valid at any point in a three-layer system and for the three beams involved in the SFG process. Their analysis provides general rules for obtaining a high contrast. In particular, we define four configurations leading to the cancellation of the SFG response from the entrance side of the film when its thickness or the angles of incidence are tuned. Cancellation conditions depend on the polarization of light and follow simple analytical rules, leading to a straightforward experimental implementation. Such a selective cancellation makes it possible to independently measure single components of the nonlinear susceptibility, for example, in a ppp experiment and to separate surface from bulk response by combining a few measurements.
Self-sustaining levitation of droplets above a liquid pool
Authors: Ivanova N. A. , Klyuev D. S.
Published: July 2023

In this Letter, we report the phenomenon of self-sustaining and long-term (>103 s) levitation of millimeter-sized droplets of a variety of liquids without any external forces. The droplet levitation is enabled by solutocapillary convection in the liquid pool, which occurs due to the surface tension gradient originating from non-uniform distribution of vapor molecules from the droplet at the pool surface. The droplet lifetime can be adjusted by adding the droplet liquid into the pool. The maximum levitation duration is achieved at a concentration that reduces the evaporation rate of the droplets and increases the solutocapillary flow in the pool. Such self-sustaining droplet levitation occurs under ambient conditions and can be used as an effective tool for studying the activity of viruses and microorganisms as they are transferred in airborne aerosols.
Efficient charge to spin conversion in iridium oxide thin films
Authors: Sahoo Biswajit , Frano Alex , Fullerton Eric. E.
Published: July 2023

Many 5d transition metal oxides have a unique electronic structure, where the density of states near the Fermi level is dominated by only 5d electrons with strong spin–orbit coupling. IrO2, a Dirac nodal line semi-metal, is the simplest of these oxides. The presence of 5d electrons and gap opening of Dirac nodal lines via strong spin–orbit coupling allows for the hybridization of the 5d electrons of the oxide with the itinerant d electrons of a ferromagnet, while simultaneously increasing the intrinsic spin Hall effect. We report large charge-to-spin conversion in thin films of this material using spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance experiments. By independently performing line shape analysis and linewidth modulation experiments, we conclusively determine the spin Hall angle of optimized IrO2 films to be ∼8 times larger than that of Pt.
Study on the electricity spot market trading mechanism considering the proportion of renewable energy consumption quota
Authors: Yang Yujian , Jiang Yuewen
Published: July 2023

The challenge of harmonizing the integration of renewable energy in market-driven transactions and assured accommodations presents a predicament in the development of China's electricity spot market. Moreover, as renewable energy penetration escalates, the issue of reserve undeliverability due to transmission congestion diminishes the power system's capacity to utilize renewable energy resources. To address this concern, this study introduces a secondary clearing mechanism for the electricity spot market, taking into account the proportion of renewable energy consumption quotas. Based on the first clearing, when renewable curtailment occurs, the bid pricing of abandoned power units undergoes flexible adjustment through the optimization of the price correction coefficient, followed by the execution of a secondary clearing utilizing the revised bidding information to fulfill the stipulations of the renewable energy consumption quota ratio. Drawing on the outcomes of the two-stage clearing, an incentive-compatible settlement compensation mechanism is proposed to preserve the impartiality of the market operator. The spot market clearing model accounts for the transmission safety margin, effectively mitigating the likelihood of transmission congestion, reserve inaccessibility, and renewable energy curtailment issues in real-time dispatching. Finally, a modified IEEE 30-bus system serves to substantiate the efficacy of the proposed market mechanism.
Quantifying the influence of fracture parameters on flow behavior and pressure propagation in complex networks of discrete fractures within low-permeability reservoirs
Authors: Song Xiankun , Liu Yuetian , Fan Pingtian , Liu Xinju
Published: July 2023

Fractures in low and ultra-low permeability reservoirs create a complex network, affecting fluid flow patterns and pressure propagation. However, limited research exists on fluid flow patterns and the impact of fracture properties on pressure within these networks. To address this, we introduce fracture shadow area and fracture penetration ratio concepts derived from studying single fracture reservoirs. Using a sophisticated model of a complex fracture network, we analyze how various fracture properties influence fluid flow patterns and reservoir pressure. Fractures are classified into five categories based on the development level. Through orthogonal experiments and multiple regression methods, we derive a formula that quantifies the pressure influence. We find that longer and denser cracks enhance fluid exchange and pressure propagation capacity. Moreover, increasing crack opening expands the area of pressure drop. Notably, fractures aligned with pressure propagation significantly decrease reservoir pressure. The hierarchical sequence of crack traits with the greatest influence is identified as crack length, crack opening, crack density, and crack angle. Our findings shed light on the intricate relationship between fracture properties and pressure dynamics.
Spontaneous near-inertial wave generation from mesoscale eddy: Nonlinear forcing mechanism
Authors: Zhao Bo , Liu Zhiliang , Xu Zhenhua , Yin Baoshu , Zheng Quanan
Published: July 2023

The spontaneous generation of near-inertial waves (NIWs) from quasi-geostrophic mesoscale eddies in a stratified fluid is investigated and the process and mechanism clarified by numerical modeling and a theoretical analysis. Mesoscale eddies, as slow balance flows, are inevitably accompanied by unbalanced near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) in their long period evolution. A mesoscale eddy supplies kinetic energy to NIOs through its interaction with perturbations, which exist universally in the world oceans. Afterward, NIWs are generated spontaneously via the nonlinear coupling of the eddy and NIOs. The baroclinicity of mesoscale eddies is an essential condition of this spontaneous NIW generation mechanism. The resonance of the NIWs and NIOs enables the internal wave continuum to be dominated by NIWs, which share the same horizontal wavenumbers with the eddy. After generation, the NIWs radiate energy toward the eddy center and remain stationary as a whole, relative to the propagating eddy. Generally, an anticyclonic mesoscale eddy can emit much stronger NIWs than does a cyclonic eddy. The NIW intensity strengthens exponentially with the Rossby number. The essence of this spontaneous NIW generation mechanism is the nonlinear interaction between slow balance flows and the accompanying fast motions. It represents an effective pathway for mesoscale eddy energy sinks and makes a non-negligible contribution to the global NIW energy.
Correlations of spin splitting and orbital fluctuations due to 1/f charge noise in the Si/SiGe quantum dot
Authors: Kȩpa M. , Cywiński Ł. , Krzywda J. A.
Published: July 2023

Fluctuations in electric fields can change the position of a gate-defined quantum dot (QD) in a semiconductor heterostructure. In the presence of magnetic field gradient, these stochastic shifts of electron's wavefunction lead to fluctuations of electron's spin splitting. The resulting spin dephasing due to charge noise limits the coherence times of spin qubits in isotopically purified Si/SiGe quantum dots. We investigate the spin splitting noise caused by such a process due to microscopic motion of charges at the semiconductor-oxide interface. We compare effects of isotropic and planar displacement of the charges and estimate their densities and typical displacement magnitudes that can reproduce experimentally observed spin splitting noise spectra. We predict that for a defect density of 1010 cm−2, visible correlations between noises in spin splitting and in energy of electron's ground state in the quantum dot are expected.
Deep learning reconstruction of pressure fluctuations in supersonic shock–boundary layer interaction
Authors: Poulinakis Konstantinos , Drikakis Dimitris , Kokkinakis Ioannis William , Spottswood S. Michael
Published: July 2023

The long short-term memory deep-learning model is applied to supersonic shock–boundary layer interaction flow. The study aims to show how near-wall pressure fluctuations can be reconstructed from reduced (under-sampled) datasets of pressure signals. Predicting pressure fluctuations from reduced datasets could allow predictions using less expensive simulations and experiments. The training of the deep learning model is based on direct numerical simulations of supersonic ramp flows, focusing on the regions upstream of and around the shock–boundary layer interaction region. During the pre-processing stage, cubic spline functions increase the fidelity of the sparse signals and feed them to the long-short memory model for an accurate reconstruction. Comparisons are also carried out for different sparsity factors and assess the model's accuracy both qualitatively through the pressure signals and quantitatively using the root mean square error and the power spectra. The deep learning predictions are promising and can be extended to include other aerodynamic or aeroelastic parameters of interest.
On-chip topological THz biosensors
Authors: Navaratna Nikhil , Tan Yi Ji , Kumar Abhishek , Gupta Manoj , Singh Ranjan
Published: July 2023

On-chip terahertz (THz) biosensors have enormous potential in advancing the development of integrable devices for real-time, label-free, and noninvasive detection of proteins, DNA, and cancerous tissue. However, high absorption of THz waves by water necessitates evanescent field-based biosensing. The conventional on-chip THz biosensors with small mode confinement volumes and scaling sensitivity to defects severely limit the interaction of analyte with the electromagnetic field. Here, we reveal a topological waveguide cavity system with topologically protected propagating interfacial modes, exhibiting evanescent waves with an out-of-plane field extent of 0.3λ0, where λ0 is the wavelength corresponding to the cavity resonance frequency. Our experiments involving biomolecule detection and leaf-hydration monitoring show that the near-field of high-Q topological cavity resonances accurately detects minute frequency shifts over extended periods, facilitating real-time sensing and monitoring of biological matter. Implementation of topologically protected evanescent fields in waveguide-cavity systems will enhance on-chip THz biosensing.
A state-of-the-art review of flows past confined circular cylinders
Authors: Nguyen Quang Duy , Lu Wilson , Chan Leon , Ooi Andrew , Lei Chengwang
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we have reviewed the state-of-the-art of research on flow past a circular cylinder symmetrically placed between two parallel plates separated by a finite distance. Such flow, referred to as a confined flow or flow past a confined cylinder in this study, is characterized by the blockage ratio—the ratio of the cylinder diameter to the distance between the plates. Confined flows are common in engineering systems, but the interest in studying flows over confined cylinders was motivated by the need to correct unavoidable blockage effects in physical experiments for unconfined cylinders. A very early work on this topic was published in 1944. Since then, interest has gradually expanded to understanding the wake dynamics and hydrodynamic properties of confined cylinders at different blockage ratios. The emergence and further developments of the Computational Fluid Dynamics and Particle Image Velocimetry techniques have enabled researchers to unveil important and complex features of confined flows, such as the two-dimensional to three-dimensional flow transition, the analogy of the separated shear layers to mixing layers, different vortex shedding modes, and the asymmetry of confined flows at high blockage ratios. To date, there has been no systematic review dedicated to confined flows. The present review fills the gap and is aimed to provide a comprehensive account of relevant studies including a historical perspective of the studies, significant research findings, and most recent advancement of the knowledge. Further, we have also identified a number of research gaps for further investigations.
A gas dynamic perspective on particle lifting in electrostatic discharge-like devices using multiphase particle-in-cell approach
Authors: Marayikkottu Vijayan Akhil , A. Levin Deborah
Published: July 2023

Although particle–laden electrostatic discharges are widely used in laboratories as well as in industrial applications, the mechanism of particle lifting for particles initially at rest in such highly unsteady systems is not well understood. A multiphase gas–particle solver is developed using the multiphase particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) approach to emulate the interaction of a compressible shock-dominated gas phase with the dense particle phase. First, the two-way coupled solver is initially used to study the interaction of a planar traveling shock with a vertical curtain of particulates. The gas and particle phase evolution was found to be in good agreement with a similar experimental study in Ling et al. [Phys. Fluids 24, 113301 (2012)]. Second, the MP-PIC code is used to study the interaction of an expanding blast wave with a thick bed of particles. The simulation considered forces such as quasi-steady drag, pressure-gradient, added-mass, Saffman, and Magnus forces. We observe that the vertical liftoff particles close to the shock impingement point in this configuration are associated with the quasi-steady drag, pressure gradient, and added-mass forces. Also, the Saffman lift and Magnus forces contribute to lifting particles located radially farther away from the shock impingement point. In addition, the study finds a decrease in particle lifting efficiency with decreasing plasma kernel length and shock strength.
Multiple quantum filtered nuclear magnetic resonance of 23Na+ in uniformly stretched and compressed hydrogels
Authors: Elliott S. J. , Eykyn T. R. , Kuchel P. W.
Published: July 2023

Stretching or compressing hydrogels creates anisotropic environments that lead to motionally averaged alignment of embedded guest quadrupolar nuclear spins such as 23Na+. These distorted hydrogels can elicit a residual quadrupolar coupling that gives an oscillation in the trajectories of single quantum coherences (SQCs) as a function of the evolution time during a spin-echo experiment. We present solutions to equations of motion derived with a Liouvillian superoperator approach, which encompass the coherent quadrupolar interaction in conjunction with relaxation, to give a full analytical description of the evolution trajectories of rank-1 (T^1±1), rank-2 (T^2±1), and rank-3 (T^3±1) SQCs. We performed simultaneous numerical fitting of the experimental 23Na nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra and rank-2 (T^2±1) and rank-3 (T^3±1) SQC evolution trajectories measured in double and triple quantum filtered experiments, respectively. We estimated values of the quadrupolar coupling constant CQ, rotational correlation time τC, and 3 × 3 Saupe order matrix. We performed simultaneous fitting of the analytical expressions to the experimental data to estimate values of the quadrupolar coupling frequency ωQ/2π, residual quadrupolar coupling ωQ/2π, and corresponding spherical order parameter S0*, which showed a linear dependence on the extent of uniform hydrogel stretching and compression. The analytical expressions were completely concordant with the numerical approach. The insights gained here can be extended to more complicated (biological) systems such as 23Na+ bound to proteins or located inside and outside living cells in high-field NMR experiments and, by extension, to the anisotropic environments found in vivo with 23Na magnetic resonance imaging.
MicroRNA-335-5p suppresses voltage-gated sodium channel expression and may be a target for seizure control
Authors: Heiland Mona , Connolly Niamh M. C. , Mamad Omar , Nguyen Ngoc T. , Kesavan Jaideep C. , Langa Elena , Fanning Kevin , Sanfeliu Albert , Yan Yan , Su Junyi , Venø Morten T. , Costard Lara S. , Neubert Valentin , Engel Tobias , Hill Thomas D. M. , Freiman Thomas M. , Mahesh Arun , Tiwari Vijay K. , Rosenow Felix , Bauer Sebastian , Kjems Jørgen , Morris Gareth , Henshall David C.
Published: July 2023

There remains an urgent need for new therapies for treatment-resistant epilepsy. Sodium channel blockers are effective for seizure control in common forms of epilepsy, but loss of sodium channel function underlies some genetic forms of epilepsy. Approaches that provide bidirectional control of sodium channel expression are needed. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small noncoding RNAs which negatively regulate gene expression. Here we show that genome-wide miRNA screening of hippocampal tissue from a rat epilepsy model, mice treated with the antiseizure medicine cannabidiol, and plasma from patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy, converge on a single target—miR-335-5p. Pathway analysis on predicted and validated miR-335-5p targets identified multiple voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Intracerebroventricular injection of antisense oligonucleotides against miR-335-5p resulted in upregulation ofScn1a,Scn2a, andScn3ain the mouse brain and an increased action potential rising phase and greater excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in brain slice recordings, consistent with VGSCs as functional targets of miR-335-5p. Blocking miR-335-5p also increased voltage-gated sodium currents andSCN1A, SCN2A, andSCN3Aexpression in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. Inhibition of miR-335-5p increased susceptibility to tonic-clonic seizures in the pentylenetetrazol seizure model, whereas adeno-associated virus 9-mediated overexpression of miR-335-5p reduced seizure severity and improved survival. These studies suggest modulation of miR-335-5p may be a means to regulate VGSCs and affect neuronal excitability and seizures. Changes to miR-335-5p may reflect compensatory mechanisms to control excitability and could provide biomarker or therapeutic strategies for different types of treatment-resistant epilepsy.
A periplasmic phospholipase that maintains outer membrane lipid asymmetry in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Guest Randi L. , Lee Michael J. , Wang Wei , Silhavy Thomas J.
Published: July 2023

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is unique in both structure and function. The surface-exposed outer leaflet is composed of lipopolysaccharide, while the inner leaflet is composed of glycerophospholipids. This lipid asymmetry creates mechanical strength, lowers membrane permeability, and is necessary for virulence in many pathogens. Glycerophospholipids that mislocalize to the outer leaflet are removed by the Mla pathway, which consists of the outer membrane channel MlaA, the periplasmic lipid carrier MlaC, and the inner membrane transporter MlaBDEF. The opportunistic pathogen
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
has two proteins of the MlaA family: PA2800 and PA3239. Here, we show that PA2800 is part of a canonical Mla pathway, while PA3239 functions with the putative lipase PA3238. While loss of either pathway individually has little to no effect on outer membrane integrity, loss of both pathways weakens the outer membrane permeability barrier and increases production of the secondary metabolite pyocyanin. We propose that mislocalized glycerophospholipids are removed from the outer leaflet by PA3239 (renamed MlaZ), transferred to PA3238 (renamed MlaY), and degraded. This pathway streamlines recycling of glycerophospholipid degradation products by removing glycerophospholipids from the outer leaflet prior to degradation.
ChatGPT outperforms crowd workers for text-annotation tasks
Authors: Gilardi Fabrizio , Alizadeh Meysam , Kubli Maël
Published: July 2023

Many NLP applications require manual text annotations for a variety of tasks, notably to train classifiers or evaluate the performance of unsupervised models. Depending on the size and degree of complexity, the tasks may be conducted by crowd workers on platforms such as MTurk as well as trained annotators, such as research assistants. Using four samples of tweets and news articles (n= 6,183), we show that ChatGPT outperforms crowd workers for several annotation tasks, including relevance, stance, topics, and frame detection. Across the four datasets, the zero-shot accuracy of ChatGPT exceeds that of crowd workers by about 25 percentage points on average, while ChatGPT’s intercoder agreement exceeds that of both crowd workers and trained annotators for all tasks. Moreover, the per-annotation cost of ChatGPT is less than $0.003—about thirty times cheaper than MTurk. These results demonstrate the potential of large language models to drastically increase the efficiency of text classification.
Effects of residual nonlinearities on the modulational instability of three-component Bose–Einstein condensates
Authors: Mohanraj P , Sivakumar R
Published: July 2023

We study the modulation instability in a three-component Bose–Einstein condensate and the impact of higher-order interactions brought on by shape-dependent confinement. Using the modified Gross–Pitaevskii equation that accounts for the higher-order residual nonlinearity and the linear stability method, we analyze the dispersion relations and the gain spectrum for instability. In particular, we investigate the role of higher-order interactions over the MI in miscible and immiscible condensates. The observed MI spectrum shows a new regime for soliton generation in a ternary mixture of Bose–Einstein condensates. Our results show that the residual nonlinearity can effectively control the MI gain profile in both miscible and immiscible condensates. This allows one manipulate the MI in a ternary mixture of Bose–Einstein condensates to control the dynamics.
Quantum phase fluctuation of pointer state in a post-selected measurement system
Authors: Bayen Dolan Krishna
Published: July 2023

Post-selected measurement is used as a fundamental axiom in quantum optics. Here, a standard model of post-selected measurement with the input coherent pointer state is considered and the influence of weak value parameters on the quantum phase distribution function is studied on the basis of some analytical calculations. On the other hand, the effects of post-selected measurement on quantum phase fluctuations of the input coherent pointer states have been investigated, where the Barnett-Pegg formalism for the measured phase operators is assumed. It has been observed that the quantum phase fluctuations depend on some parameters such as the coupling strength, average value of input photon number, phase angle of the input coherent pointer state and two fundamental parameters of the complex weak value. Lastly, the presence of nonclassical effect is also checked for different parameters of quantum phase fluctuations.
M3+/NaTiO3/PVA–chitosan nanocomposites (M = Ga, Ce, Nd or Er): novel solid polymer electrolytes for supercapacitors
Authors: Alanazi Tarek I , El Sayed Adel M
Published: July 2023

Designing flexible and thermally stable solid polymer-electrolyte (SPE) -based green materials for energy storage devices is an interesting approach from environmental and technological points of view. In this paper, NaTiO3 (ST) nanofibers of diameters in the range of 4.88–9.48 nm were hydrothermally prepared and loaded into the poly(vinyl alcohol)–chitosan (PVA–Ch) bio-blend via solution casting. Additionally, the obtained nanocomposite solution was mixed with Ga3+ and rare Earths (Ce3+, Nd3+, or Er3+) for preparing novel solid polymer electrolyte films. XRD results indicated the semicrystalline nature of all samples, and the degree of crystallinity decreased after loading these additives. FE-SEM and EDS were used to investigate the surface morphology, fracture cross-section and the elemental chemical composition. FTIR analysis confirmed the complexation and complete dissociation of the salts inside the blend. UV–vis spectroscopy showed that the optical band gap of the films was reduced from 4.4 eV to 3.5 eV, and the refractive index is in the range of 2.376–2.648. The thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the samples are thermally stable until 200 °C, and the maximum decomposition occurs in the temperature range 255–300 °C. In addition, four endothermic peaks were detected in the differential scanning calorimetry thermograms. Dielectric properties were measured in the fRequency range of 100 Hz–8.0 MHz and at temperatures in the range of 30–120 °C. The dielectric constant and ac conductivity were greatly improved due to doping with ST and mixing the salts. The small dielectric loss associated with the improvements in the dielectric constant and ac conductivity suggest the use of the ST/blend and salts/ST/blend films for energy storage devices and related applications.
symmetry restoration at high baryon density*
Authors: Li Jianing , Gui Jin , Zhuang Pengfei
Published: July 2023

We study the relation between chiral and

symmetries in the quark-meson model. Although quarks and mesons are described in mean field approximation, the topological susceptibility characterizing the

breaking comprises two components: one controlled by the condensate and the other by the meson fluctuation. The

restoration is governed by the competition of these components. In a hot medium, the condensates melt. However, the fluctuation is enhanced. Therefore, the

symmetry cannot be solely restored via the temperature effect. Nevertheless, the baryon density reduces the condensates and fluctuation, and thereby, the

symmetry can only be restored in a dense or dense and hot medium. The strange condensate plays a weak role in the susceptibility, and the chiral and

symmetry restorations occur almost at the same critical point.
Critical Ising system testing of high-quality random number generators
Authors: Zhu Dongjie , Lin Yun , Sun Guoya , Wang Fuming , Zhao Mingyang , Chen Yanwei , Duan Jizheng
Published: July 2023

Specialized hardware implemented on field programmable gate array (FPGA) is used to simulate critical 2D Ising lattices up to 40962. Four mainstream, high-quality pseudorandom number generators (PRNGs) including Xorshift, Mersenne Twister, Xorwow, and ALFG are tested on this system, and three of them are found to misbehave with different degree of confidence levels. It is observed that PRNGs with quality issues tend to misbehave in critical Ising systems and the ones with bigger issues start to misbehave in smaller critical Ising systems and vice versa. The size at which a PRNG misbehaves is proposed as a measure of a PRNG’s quality.
Inclusion, Exclusion, and Marginalization of Group Deviants
Authors: Marques José , Pinto Isabel R.
Published: July 2023

Basic concepts and important processes about groups’ reactions to deviance, such as group affiliation, social norms, deviance, and its consequences for groups and behavior of their members, have largely been conceptualized by social psychological and sociological theoretical frameworks: the small group framework, the social identification framework, and the collective solidarity framework. Subjective group dynamics theory articulates between these frameworks on the understanding of antecedents and consequences of group reaction to deviance. Punishment or derogation of deviant ingroup members stems from an interplay between an intergroup descriptive focus and an intragroup prescriptive focus that are adopted by group members when faced by ingroup deviance in intergroup contexts. Ingroup deviants contribute negatively to individuals’ social identity, and they are punished or derogated, which may materialize in terms of negative evaluations and/or marginalization and social exclusion. However, normative individuals’ reactions to ingroup deviants are protective of the group’s identity and its norms, not because the group is purged from its deviants but rather because in derogating and punishing them, normative members strengthen their ingroup identification, their commitment to the norms the deviants have violated, and, ultimately, reinforce group cohesiveness and the solidarity among ingroup members. Derogation and punishment of ingroup deviants would therefore function as an ultimate device to ensure normative members’ social inclusion.
Archaeology of Christianity in Ethiopia and Eritrea
Authors: Tribe Tania C.
Published: July 2023

Christianity entered Ethiopia via the Kingdom of Aksum in the 4th century ad, within the context of the international trade linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean during the 1st to 7th centuries. Adopted by King ‘Ezana and the Aksumite elite, it gradually spread among the general population of the Ethiopian and Eritrean highlands. This social process intensified after the 5th century with the arrival of numerous missionaries from the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Archaeologically, this process is manifested through changes in the form, decoration, and use of objects; for example, crosses began to appear on Aksumite coins and ceramics, were used as pendants, or were inscribed on pre-Christian sites of symbolic and ritual importance. The Christianization process also expressed itself through the adaptation of old temples to the new practices and the appearance of rock-hewn churches, often in a basilica form. Indigenous types of round architecture would also gradually become common practice. During the Middle Ages, Christianization accompanied the emergence of the state and the construction of rulership in large areas of the Ethiopian highlands. Two main Christian dynasties emerged at that time: the Zagwe, based in and around the monumental architectural complex of Lalibäla, comprising eleven rock-hewn structures that all now function as churches; and the Solomonic dynasty, whose first ruler, Yəkunno Amlak, had his family domains on the Wadla plateau, centered around the cave church of Wašša Mika’el. This was located twenty-three miles southeast of Lalibäla, carved into an outcrop of rock in the middle of a broad valley surrounded by low hills and containing friezes of hunting and herding scenes in low relief, suggesting the space had been occupied prior to its conversion to a Christian church, as well as a cycle of religious wall paintings dateable to the 13th century. More distant regions of Ethiopia, such as southern Šäwa and parts of the provinces of Bägemdər and Goǧǧam, were only Christianized as late as the 14th and 15th centuries.
Assessments in Education
Authors: Sievertsen Hans Henrik
Published: July 2023

Assessments like standardized tests and teacher evaluations are central elements of educational systems. Assessments affect the behaviour of students, teachers, parents, schools, and policymakers through at least two channels: The information channel and the incentive channel. Students use the information to adjust study effort and to guide their course selection. Schools and teachers use information from assessments to evaluate teaching quality and the effectiveness of the applied methods. Educational programs use information from assessment results to sort students in educational programs and employers use the results as signals of productivity in their hiring decisions. Finally, policymakers use assessments in accountability systems to reward or penalize schools, and parents use information from assessment results to select schools. The incentive channel is a natural consequence of the information channel: Students are incentivized to work hard and do well in assessments to get access to educational programs and jobs. Teachers and schools are incentivized to do well to receive rewards or avoid punishments in accountability systems. The information channel is important for ensuring the most efficient human capital investments: students learn about the returns and costs of effort investments and about their abilities and comparative advantages. Teachers and schools learn about the most effective teaching methods. However, because of the strong incentives linked to assessments, both students and teachers might focus on optimizing assessment results at the cost of learning. Students might for example select tracks that maximize their grades instead of selecting tracks aligned with their interests and comparative advantages. Understanding the implications of assessments for the behaviour of students, parents, teachers, and schools is therefore necessary to achieve the overall goals of the educational system. Because education affects lifetime earnings, health, and well-being and assessments play an important role in individuals’ educational careers, assessments are also important for efficiency and equity across domains. Biases in assessments and the heterogeneity in access to assessments are sources of inequality in education according to gender, origin, and socioeconomic background. Finally, because assessment results also carry important consequences for individuals’ educational opportunities and in the labor market, they are a source of stress and reduced well-being.
The Fall of the Inca Empire
Authors: Covey R. Alan
Published: July 2023

Popular accounts of the European invasion of the Inca Empire emphasize a single event—Francisco Pizarro’s capture of the Inca warlord Atahuallpa at Cajamarca on November 16, 1532—as a definitive moment of conquest. Historical and archaeological scholarship tells a more complicated story. Recent studies of the Incas have shown their empire to be less powerful than once believed, relying on the cooperation of powerful men and women whose personal and family interests did not always align with the policies of the state. When the ruler Huayna Capac died suddenly in a pandemic that swept through the central Andes, the ensuing sovereign crisis intensified factionalism and provincial resistance, culminating in a devastating civil war in which Atahuallpa and his army of frontier veterans triumphed. After unsuccessful voyages of exploration, Pizarro and his men entered Inca territory in this uncertain atmosphere, intent on plundering and colonizing the Andes. Encouraged by provincial lords, they sought out Atahuallpa, captured him, and held him for ransom. With the most powerful Inca lord a prisoner, Andean elites quickly pivoted to formulate new tactics for gaining or holding onto power. For several years, the invaders looked less like conquerors and more like Inca allies or subjects who quickly grafted themselves onto existing power structures. Although there was fierce resistance to Spanish plundering in the mid-1530s, Pizarro and his companions survived because of their alliances with Inca nobles and other Andean elites, who accepted the status of a subject nobility. As Spanish monarchs claimed Inca sovereignty, the imperial titles (Inca and Coya) became entwined with the Spanish nobility, but the legacy of the Inca continued to inspire ordinary Andean people to resist Spanish colonial rule.
Muslims in Brazil
Authors: Elmaleh Omri
Published: July 2023

Muslims have been settling and integrating in Brazilian colonial, slaveholding, and democratic societies for almost half a millennium. The chronicles of Islam in Brazil and its enduring heritage are less defined and more unknown to many audiences. Greater scholarly attention is needed, not only to enrich and develop the study of Islam in Brazil but also to better disseminate the premise that Islam is not new to Brazil, as previously thought. In the early 21st century, although only 0.09 percent of the total population, Muslims have become an integral part of the multicultural landscape of modern-day Brazil. Despite the small numbers, studies have shown that for five hundred years Islam has been present, forgotten, revived, and reclaimed in the chronicles of colonial and contemporary Brazil. Thematically and chronologically, Islam took shape in Terra do Brasil during four time periods spanning over five centuries of distinctive historical, social, political, and cultural contexts. Islam in Brazil—and the Americas as a whole—follows four different historical moments: pre-Columbian and early colonial contacts, the transatlantic slave trade, Arab immigration, and conversion to Islam.
Verb Positions and Basic Clause Structure in Germanic
Authors: Zwart Jan-Wouter
Published: July 2023

The syntax of the modern Germanic languages is characterized by a word order pattern whereby the finite verb appears to the immediate right of the first constituent (“verb second” or V2). In canonical verb-second languages (German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish), verb second is limited to main clauses, yielding a main-embedded clause asymmetry, characteristic of the syntax of many Germanic languages. In the standard generative analysis, dating from the 1970s, the derivation of the verb-second pattern involves two ordered steps: (a) verb movement to the complementizer position C and (b) phrasal movement of an arbitrary constituent to the specifier position of the complementizer phrase. While this analysis remains a popular starting point for generative treatments of Germanic verb second, later developments have posed serious problems for the approach. These developments include (a) the articulation of a more detailed structure of the functional domain of the clause, providing a range of possible landing sites for the finite verb in verb-second clauses; (b) higher standards of descriptive and explanatory adequacy, necessitating well-motivated triggers for each individual movement step; (c) the development of the minimalist program, involving a sharper definition of what counts as syntactic operations, allowing for the possibility that certain processes previously considered syntactic are now better regarded as post-syntactic linearization processes; and (d) the widening of the empirical scope of verb-second research, including a range of related phenomena (such as verb-first or verb-third orders) not easily accommodated within the traditional frame. These developments make the study of verb second an exciting field in current syntactic theory, in which the varied and well-studied phenomena of Germanic continue to provide a fertile ground for the advancement of theory and description.
Extending a Gendered Lens to Reduce Disaster- and Climate-Related Risk in Southern Africa
Authors: Forbes-Biggs Kylah , Lortan Darren
Published: July 2023

The social construct of gender has been used to perpetuate an uneven treatment of women and men in various contexts and settings. Lessons learned through understanding this inequality and its role in shaping the differential impact of hazards and disasters on women and girls have led to the acknowledgment that their unique vulnerabilities and strengths need to be incorporated into planning and policy to reduce disaster- and climate-related risk. Notwithstanding these achievements, this incorporation into planning and policy has engendered little meaningful change at community and household levels. This focus on women and girls has had the further unintended consequence of overlooking the vulnerabilities experienced by those who do not necessarily identify as male or female and by those who may be prone to discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation. Certain aspects influencing the lived experiences of gender and sexual minorities are different from those of heterosexual women and girls. While some of the differential treatment they encounter may overlap, many of the discriminating practices target these gender and sexual minorities. The sentiments of others who advocate for extending the gendered lens approach employed in disaster and climate change research are echoed to include all within the continuum of gender and sexual minorities. Reported experiences of some these communities are explored in the context of disaster and climate change, drawing on lessons learned from their accounts. The focus is on the southern African geographical region, where gender inequality is predominant, and the growing threats posed by a changing climate and increasing hazard frequency and magnitude, exacerbate the vulnerabilities that the population may already be exposed to. This gendered-lens approach to the study of disaster- and climate-related risk is a purposeful examination of inequality across the gendered continuum intended to encourage inclusive planning, policy, and practice that are necessary for broader systemic change and foregrounding transformative action.
Mapping of long stretches of highly conserved sequences in over 6 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes
Authors: Kumar Akhil , Kaushal Rishika , Sharma Himanshi , Sharma Khushboo , Menon Manoj B , P Vivekanandan
Published: July 2023

We identified 11 conserved stretches in over 6.3 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes including all the major variants of concerns. Each conserved stretch is ≥100 nucleotides in length with ≥99.9% conservation at each nucleotide position. Interestingly, six of the eight conserved stretches in ORF1ab overlapped significantly with well-folded experimentally verified RNA secondary structures. Furthermore, two of the conserved stretches were mapped to regions within the S2-subunit that undergo dynamic structural rearrangements during viral fusion. In addition, the conserved stretches were significantly depleted for zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP) binding sites, which facilitated the recognition and degradation of viral RNA. These highly conserved stretches in the SARS-CoV-2 genome were poorly conserved at the nucleotide level among closely related β-coronaviruses, thus representing ideal targets for highly specific and discriminatory diagnostic assays. Our findings highlight the role of structural constraints at both RNA and protein levels that contribute to the sequence conservation of specific genomic regions in SARS-CoV-2.
Time to reconsider skin cancer-related follow-up visits
Authors: Smak Gregoor Anna M , van Egmond Sven , Nijsten Tamar E C , Wakkee Marlies
Published: July 2023

BCC, cSCC and melanoma have very intense follow-up schedules, which are mostly based on expert opinion and on recurrence rates. We found that as the incidence of skin cancer rises it is followed by a three-to-eightfold larger number of follow-up consultations, depending on the type of skin cancer, which will seriously impact dermatological care capacity. A reconsideration and further evaluation of the follow-up schedules will be necessary to keep dermatological care accessible to all patients.
Increasing melanoma incidence and survival trend shifts with improved melanoma-specific survival between 1990 and 2020 in Sweden
Authors: Vikström Sofi , Mikiver Rasmus , Lapins Jan , Nielsen Kari , Vassilaki Ismini , Lyth Johan , Isaksson Karolin , Eriksson Hanna
Published: July 2023

Background

Melanoma-specific survival (MSS) is heterogenous between stages and is highly dependent on the T stage for primary localized disease. New systemic therapies for metastatic cutaneous melanoma (CM) have been introduced since 2012 in Sweden.

Objectives

To analyse the incidence and MSS time trends between 1990 and 2020 in Sweden.

Methods

Nationwide, population-based and prospectively collected clinico-pathological data on invasive CM from the Swedish Melanoma Registry (SweMR) were analysed for survival trends between 1990 and 2020 using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs).

Results

In total, 77 036 primary invasive CMs were diagnosed in 70 511 patients in Sweden between 1990 and 2020. The 5-year MSS [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 88.9% (88.3–89.4) for 1990–2000, 89.2% (88.7–89.6) for 2001–2010 and 93.0% (92.7–93.9) for 2011–2020. The odds ratios for being diagnosed with nodular melanoma (vs. superficial spreading melanoma) was significantly reduced by 20% (2001–2010) and by 46% (2011–2020) vs. the reference period 1990–2000. Overall, the MSS improved over both diagnostic periods (2001–2010 and 2011–2020) vs. the reference period 1990–2000 among men and women, respectively [HRmen: 2001–2010: 0.89 (95% CI 0.82–0.96) and 2011–2020: 0.62 (95% CI 0.56–0.67); HRwomen: 2001–2010: 0.82 (95% CI 0.74–0.91) and 2011–2020: 0.62 (95% CI 0.56–0.70)]. The risk of death from CM was significantly lower in all age groups for both men and women in the most recent diagnostic period (2011–2020 vs.1990–2000).

Conclusions

The results emphasize the improved MSS among men and women in Sweden. The MSS improvements, specifically for the period 2011–2020, may be correlated to the introduction of new systemic therapies and are here shown for the first time in detail for Sweden.
Epidermolysis bullosa simplex caused by a rare homozygous mutation in the EXPH5 gene
Authors: Olbrich Henning , Hotz Alrun , Fischer Judith , Shimanovich Iakov
Published: July 2023

Recurrent blister formation in children may be a sign of hereditary epidermolysis bullosa even if no salient family history can be elicited. In a case of a 5-year-old boy with recurrent occasional skin blistering, we diagnosed epidermolysis bullosa simplex and found a causative rare homozygous mutation in EXPH5. Precise molecular genetic analysis is a prerequisite for the accurate diagnosis and adequate counselling of affected families.
Pathophysiology of the right ventricle in health and disease: an update
Authors: Tello Khodr , Naeije Robert , de Man Frances , Guazzi Marco
Published: July 2023

The contribution of the right ventricle (RV) to cardiac output is negligible in normal resting conditions when pressures in the pulmonary circulation are low. However, the RV becomes relevant in healthy subjects during exercise and definitely so in patients with increased pulmonary artery pressures both at rest and during exercise. The adaptation of RV function to loading rests basically on an increased contractility. This is assessed by RV end-systolic elastance (Ees) to match afterload assessed by arterial elastance (Ea). The system has reserve as the Ees/Ea ratio or its imaging surrogate ejection fraction has to decrease by more than half, before the RV undergoes an increase in dimensions with eventual increase in filling pressures and systemic congestion. RV-arterial uncoupling is accompanied by an increase in diastolic elastance. Measurements of RV systolic function but also of diastolic function predict outcome in any cause pulmonary hypertension and heart failure with or without preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Pathobiological changes in the overloaded RV include a combination of myocardial fibre hypertrophy, fibrosis and capillary rarefaction, a titin phosphorylation-related displacement of myofibril tension–length relationships to higher pressures, a metabolic shift from mitochondrial free fatty acid oxidation to cytoplasmic glycolysis, toxic lipid accumulation, and activation of apoptotic and inflammatory signalling pathways. Treatment of RV failure rests on the relief of excessive loading.