bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Density control of GaN nanowires at the wafer scale using self-assembled SiN
x
patches on sputtered TiN(111)
Authors: Auzelle T , Oliva M , John P , Ramsteiner M , Trampert A , Geelhaar L , Brandt O
Published: June 2023

The self-assembly of heteroepitaxial GaN nanowires using either molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) or metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) mostly results in wafer-scale ensembles with ultrahigh (>10 μm−2) or ultralow (<1 μm−2) densities, respectively. A simple means to tune the density of well-developed nanowire ensembles between these two extremes is generally lacking. Here, we examine the self-assembly of SiN
x
patches on TiN(111) substrates which are eventually acting as seeds for the growth of GaN nanowires. We first found that if prepared by reactive sputtering, the TiN surface is characterized by {100} facets for which the GaN incubation time is extremely long. Fast GaN nucleation is only obtained after deposition of a sub-monolayer of SiN
x
atoms prior to the GaN growth. By varying the amount of pre-deposited SiN
x
, the GaN nanowire density could be tuned by three orders of magnitude with excellent uniformity over the entire wafer, bridging the density regimes conventionally attainable by direct self-assembly with MBE or MOVPE. The analysis of the nanowire morphology agrees with a nucleation of the GaN nanowires on nanometric SiN
x
patches. The photoluminescence analysis of single freestanding GaN nanowires reveals a band edge luminescence dominated by excitonic transitions that are broad and blue shifted compared to bulk GaN, an effect that is related to the small nanowire diameter and to the presence of a thick native oxide. The approach developed here can be principally used for tuning the density of most III–V semiconductors nucleus grown on inert surfaces like 2D materials.
Branched-gallium phosphide nanowires seeded by palladium nanoparticles
Authors: Bermeo Marie , Franzen Sara M , Hetherington Crispin , Johansson Jonas , Messing Maria E
Published: June 2023

Palladium nanoparticles were produced by a chemical reagent-free and versatile method called spark ablation with control over particle size and density. These nanoparticles were used as catalytic seed particles for gallium phosphide nanowire growth by metalorganic vapour-phase epitaxy. Controlled growth of GaP nanowires using significantly small Pd nanoparticles between 10 and 40 nm diameter was achieved by varying several growth parameters. Low V/III ratios below 2.0 promote higher Ga incorporation into the Pd nanoparticles. Moderate growth temperatures under 600 °C avoid kinking and undesirable GaP surface growth. In addition, a second batch of palladium nanoparticles of concentration up to 1000 particles μm−2 was deposited onto the GaP nanowires. Subsequently, three-dimensional nanostructures evolved, with branches growing along the surface of the GaP nanowires. The GaP nanowires revealed a zinc blende structure with multiple twinning and a PdGa phase at the tip of the nanowires and branches.
Vertical and porous MoS2-CoS2 heterojunction nanosheet arrays as highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen and hydrogen evolutions
Authors: Ju Meina , Zhou Peng , Li Ziting , Zhao Yuxin , Chen Xiaoshuang , Wang Jinping , Yang Rui , Zuo Chunling
Published: June 2023

Highly efficient water electrolytic agents are restricted by the lack of cheap and Earth-abundant catalysts that can manipulate at unharsh conditions and be prepared with a simple procedure. Here, hierarchically vertical and porous MoS2-CoS2 heterojunction nanosheet arrays are designed and fabricated. The MoS2-CoS2 nanosheets are composed of ultrasmall nanocrytallites with the dimension of ∼62 nm. This special and novel architecture presents synergistic properties to create excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), where high density active sites generated by ultrasmall nanocrytallites with heterostructures, and the vertical and porous structure accelerates electrolyte transport with luxuriant channels while this hierarchically collaborative framework guarantees completely exposed active sites to electrolytes. This electrode shows low overpotentials of 295 and 103 mV at 10 mA cm−2, small Tafel slopes of 70 and 78 mV dec−1, and long stability for OER and HER, respectively. This work indicates that vertical and porous heterojunction nanosheet arrays with hierarchically ultrasmall secondary nanostructures are a promising catalyst for widespread application.
Tuning of defects in vertical ZnO/CuO axial nanowire for efficient UV-A photodetection
Authors: Daimary Sudem , Chetri Priyanka , Dhar Jay Chandra
Published: June 2023

Vertical ZnO/CuO axial nanowire (NW) arrays were fabricated by using glancing angle deposition technique inside the Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. A post annealing treatment of vertical ZnO/CuO axial NWs was performed in air from 200 °C to 900 °C temperature. Field emission scanning electron microscope imaging shows vertically well aligned NW structure. X-ray diffraction analysis showed improvement in crystalline structure, with increasing annealing with 400 °C sample showing the minimum dislocation density. The annealed sample at 400 °C (in air) shows high photoresponse as compared to other samples signifying reduction in defect states as also observed from photoluminescence analysis. The 400 °C sample showed the highest photocapacitance owing to the improvement in the interface. Moreover, the annealed vertical ZnO/CuO axial NW arrays at 400 °C showed a large responsivity (R) of 2.52 A W−1, specific detectivity (D*) of 5.14 × 1011 Jones and noise equivalent power as low as 6.54 pW at +4 V respectively. Furthermore, the annealed 400 °C device showed fast response with equal rise and fall time of 0.02 ms at +4 V.
A 3D COF constructed by interlayer crosslinking of 2D COF as cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Wang Yingming , Li Mingkai , Wen Tianzhuo , Gu Guoxian
Published: June 2023

The design and construction of three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (3D COF) remains a major challenge, and it is necessary to explore new strategies to synthesize 3D COF with ideal structure. Here, we utilize two-dimensional covalent organic framework (2D COF) with allyl side chain to achieve interlayer crosslinking through olefin metathesis reaction, thereby constructing a 3D COF with cage-like structures. This new material named CAGE-COF has larger specific surface area and more open pore structure than the original 2D COF. The cathode material with CAGE-COF retained 78.7% of its initial capacity after 500 cycles, and the fading rate is 0.04% each cycle.
Homogenization of the linearized ionic transport equations in random porous media
Authors: Mikelić Andro , Piatnitski Andrey
Published: June 2023

In this paper we obtain the homogenization results for a system of partial differential equations describing the transport of a N-component electrolyte in a dilute Newtonian solvent through a rigid random disperse porous medium. We present a study of the nonlinear Poisson–Boltzmann equation in a random medium, establish convergence of the stochastic homogenization procedure and prove well-posedness of the two-scale homogenized equations. In addition, after separating scales, we prove that the effective tensor satisfies the so-called Onsager properties, that is the tensor is symmetric and positive definite. This result shows that the Onsager theory applies to random porous media. The strong convergence of the fluxes is also established. In the periodic case homogenization results for the mentioned system have been obtained in Allaire et al (2010 J. Math. Phys.
51 123103).
Iterative multiple instance learning for weakly annotated whole slide image classification
Authors: Zhou Yuanpin , Che Shuanlong , Lu Fang , Liu Si , Yan Ziye , Wei Jun , Li Yinghua , Ding Xiangdong , Lu Yao
Published: June 2023

Objective. Whole slide images (WSIs) play a crucial role in histopathological analysis. The extremely high resolution of WSIs makes it laborious to obtain fine-grade annotations. Hence, classifying WSIs with only slide-level labels is often cast as a multiple instance learning (MIL) problem where a WSI is regarded as a bag and tiled into patches that are regarded as instances. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel MIL method for classifying WSIs with only slide-level labels in histopathology analysis. Approach. We propose a novel iterative MIL (IMIL) method for WSI classification where instance representations and bag representations are learned collaboratively. In particular, IMIL iteratively finetune the feature extractor with selected instances and corresponding pseudo labels generated by attention-based MIL pooling. Additionally, three procedures for robust training of IMIL are adopted: (1) the feature extractor is initialized by utilizing self-supervised learning methods on all instances, (2) samples for finetuning the feature extractor are selected according to the attention scores, and (3) a confidence-aware loss is applied for finetuning the feature extractor. Main results. Our proposed IMIL-SimCLR archives the optimal classification performance on Camelyon16 and KingMed-Lung. Compared with the baseline method CLAM, IMIL-SimCLR significantly outperforms it by 3.71% higher average area under curve (AUC) on Camelyon16 and 4.25% higher average AUC on KingMed-Lung. Additionally, our proposed IMIL-ImageNet achieve the optimal classification performance on TCGA-Lung with the average AUC of 96.55% and the accuracy of 96.76%, which significantly outperforms the baseline method CLAM by 1.65% higher average AUC and 2.09% higher average accuracy respectively. Significance. Experimental results on a public lymph node metastasis dataset, a public lung cancer diagnosis dataset and an in-house lung cancer diagnosis datasets show the effectiveness of our proposed IMIL method across different WSI classification tasks compared with other state-of-the-art MIL methods.
Breakdown and quasi-DC phase of a nanosecond discharge: Comparison of optical emission spectroscopy measurements with numerical simulations
Authors: Lepikhin N D , Kuhfeld J , Donkó Z , Luggenhölscher D , Czarnetzki U
Published: June 2023

A nanosecond atmospheric pressure plasma jet operated in pure nitrogen is studied by spatially and temporally resolved optical emission spectroscopy complementing the companion paper (Kuhfeld et al 2023 Plasma Sources Sci. Technol.
32 084001), where the discharge is investigated by means of Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo collisions (PIC/MCC) simulations and fluid models. Two temporal phases of the evolution of the discharge are identified: a fast breakdown and a quasi-DC phase. It is shown that during the breakdown phase several ionization waves develop, while after the breakdown the discharge has a structure similar to DC glow discharges, in agreement with the modeling predictions. The results of the measurements of the spatial-temporal dynamics of the light emission are compared with the distribution of densities of the

N

2
+

(

B

2

Σ
u
+

)

and

N

2

(

C

3

Π
u

)

states reconstructed from the PIC/MCC simulations. A good agreement is demonstrated.
Study on the fundamental factors of the property evolution of a 300 mm polycrystalline trap-rich layer
Authors: Dai Rongwang , Liu Yun , Wang Ziwen , Li Minghao , Wei Tao , Xue Zhongying , Wei Xing
Published: June 2023

The geometry and resistivity of the trap-rich layer are key parameters for 300 mm trap-rich silicon-on-insulator (TR-SOI) wafers. In this paper, the evolution of the warpage and resistivity of poly-Si layers grown by atmospheric chemical vapor deposition with deposition temperature has been studied. The ability to quantify the surface grain size of undoped poly-Si was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, electron backscattering diffraction, and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD). With a resolution scale of several nanometers, the fine grains on the surface of poly-Si are accurately identified by TKD. It is confirmed that the decrease in compressive stress with deposition temperature is caused by the lower ratio of (110) grain orientation and the reduction of fine grains on the surface. However, when stress is released, the random grain boundaries (GBs) of poly-Si change into coincidence site lattice low-Σ GBs with low recombination activity, which greatly lowers the film bulk resistivity and reduces its capacity to trap charges. Thus, a process window for the manufacturing of 300 mm TR-SOI wafers is created by balancing the degradation of resistivity in the process of using deposition temperature to seek improvements in poly-Si warpage.
Optical solitons of improved perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation with cubic-quintic-septic and triple-power laws in optical metamaterials
Authors: Cinar Melih , Cakicioglu Hasan , Secer Aydin , Ozisik Muslum , Bayram Mustafa
Published: June 2023

Purpose. This paper aims to extract optical solitons of improved perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equations (IP-NLSE) with cubic-quintic-septic (CQS) and a triple-power law (TP-law) using the new Kudryashov and the extended sinh-Gordon equation expansion (eShGEE) methods. Methodology. First, we apply a wave transformation to the studied equations to generate the nonlinear ordinary differential equation (NLODE) form. Next, by computing the balancing constant in the NLODE form, we use the new Kudryashov and eShGEE methods to obtain the equation’s solution in the NLODE form. We get an algebraic equation system on the NLODE by replacing the suggested solution function and its derivatives in the NLODE form. With the help of the solutions of the system, we are able to determine the appropriate solution sets for unknown parameters. Substituting these sets and wave transforms into the proposed solution functions by the new Kudryashov and eShGEE methods, we get the solutions for the problems under investigation. Findings. We have successfully obtained soliton solutions for the considered equations and plotted 3D and 2D graphs of the derived solution functions. In addition to obtaining the soliton solutions, we present some graphical investigation of the impact of the parameters in the considered equations. Originality. To our best knowledge, the improved perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equations with CQS and a triple-power law have not been studied before. It is also innovative to examine how the equation’s parameters affect the soliton’s behavior. In this regard, the study’s findings are novel, and it is anticipated that they will advance research in the area.
Structural, optical and magnetic properties of Ni1-2xMgxRuxO nanoparticles
Authors: Al Boukhari J , Bitar Z , Azab A A , Awad R
Published: June 2023

Ni1-2xMgxRuxO (x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08) nanoparticles were synthesized via the coprecipitation method. The prepared NiO nanoparticles are characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) that reveal the successful codoping and assure the thermal stability of the samples beyond 550 ˚C. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) confirms the formation of the NiO cubic structure with RuO2 secondary phase that appears at high codoping concentrations. As the codoping concentration increases, the lattice parameter increases and crystallite size decreases. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show slightly agglomerated pseudo-spherical nanoparticles. Energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), X-ray photo-induced spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy reveal the elemental composition and deviation from perfect stoichiometry. UV–vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies are utilized to study the optical properties, where Ni0.84Mg0.08Ru0.08O nanoparticles show the highest direct band gap energy and lowest Urbach energy and electron-phonon interaction. Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) shows single domain nanoparticles, such that the coercivity and magnetocrystalline anisotropy decrease as the size decreases. The bound magnetic polaron model was utilized to investigate the weak ferromagnetism exhibited by the prepared Ni1-2xMgxRuxO nanoparticles.
Tailoring topological corner states in photonic crystals by near- and far-field coupling effects
Authors: Zhang 张 Zhao-Jian 兆健 , Lan 兰 Zhi-Hao 智豪 , Chen 陈 Huan 欢 , Yu 于 Yang 洋 , Yang 杨 Jun-Bo 俊波
Published: June 2023

We explore the behaviors of optically coupled topological corner states in supercell arrays composed of photonic crystal rods, where each supercell is a second-order topological insulator. Our findings indicate that the coupled corner states possess nondegenerate eigenfrequencies at the Γ point, with coupled dipole corner states excited resonantly by incident plane waves and displaying a polarization-independent characteristic. The resonance properties of coupled dipole corner states can be effectively modulated via evanescently near-field coupling, while multipole decomposition shows that they are primarily dominated by electric quadrupole moment and magnetic dipole moment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these coupled corner states can form surface lattice resonances driven by diffractively far-field coupling, leading to a dramatic increase in the quality factor. This work introduces more optical approaches to tailoring photonic topological states, and holds potential applications in mid-infrared topological micro-nano devices.
Food system emissions: a review of trends, drivers, and policy approaches, 1990–2018
Authors: Cerutti Nicola , Lamb William F , Crippa Monica , Leip Adrian , Solazzo Efisio , Tubiello Francesco N , Minx Jan C
Published: June 2023

The food system, spanning from pre-production processes to post-production stages, is responsible for about one third of global greenhouse gas emissions and requires significant mitigation efforts to prevent dangerous levels of global warming. This article summarises trends and drivers of global food system emissions from 1990 to 2018. We highlight regional diversity in patterns of food system emissions and identify the highest global emitters. While food system emissions have stabilised in some regions and countries, global emissions are increasing, with growth in certain sectors and countries outweighing the handful of cases where sustained emissions reductions have been realised. Emissions from livestock rearing account for a large portion of global emissions, and the contribution of post-production emissions is steadily increasing in all regions. We also provide an overview of food system policies at the national level, mapping them to each emissions segment. This highlights the significant shortfall in policy activity required to address the challenge of climate change mitigation in general, and the impacts of livestock and post-production emissions in particular. Our work lays the groundwork for addressing specific country-level questions on optimal policy pathways to achieve emission reductions.
Single-atom doped graphene for hydrogen evolution reactions
Authors: Hu Huimin , Choi Jin-Ho
Published: June 2023

Atomic doping is a widely used technique to modify the electronic properties of two-dimensional materials for various applications. In this study, we investigate the catalytic properties of single-atom doped graphene as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) using first-principles calculations. We consider several elements, including Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, P, As, and Sb, which were interstitially doped into single and double C vacancies in graphene. Our density functional theory calculations show that all the considered doped graphene, except for As-doped graphene, can be highly active for HER, with hydrogen adsorption free energies (ΔG
H*) close to the optimal value (ΔG
H* = 0), ranging from −0.19 to 0.11 eV. Specifically, ΔG
H* of Al, Ga, In, and Ge are much closer to zero when doped in the single vacancy than in the double vacancy. In contrast, ΔG
H* of Sb and Sn are much closer to zero in the double vacancy. Si and P have ΔG
H* values close to the optimum in both vacancies. Interestingly, the vacancy numbers play a crucial role in forming orbital hybridizations, resulting in distinct electronic distributions for most dopants. As a result, a few doped graphenes show distinctive ferrimagnetic and ferromagnetic orders, which is also an important factor for determining the strength of H adsorption. These findings have important implications for designing graphene-based HER catalysis.
Hydrophobic durability and anti-corrosion of plasma nitriding layer: Evolution mechanisms of corrosion behavior under variations in local hydrochemistry
Authors: Zhao Minghan , Chen Dongxu , Jin Jiaying , Kang Hongwei , Wang Qian , Zhao Zhuo , Zhou Yanwen , Zhao Tan
Published: June 2023

Mechanisms for the effects of nitrogen on the durability of hydrophobic and corrosion resistance of modified layers prepared on the surface of AH32 steel by plasma nitriding have been investigated. It was found that plasma nitriding can significantly improve the hydrophobicity of AH32 steel. All the contact angles (CAs) of the AH32 steel with 1 h, 3 h and 5 h nitriding were higher than 120°, which had excellent hydrophobicity. The acidification degree of the solution within the nitriding layer’s micro-zone was effectively reduced due to the dissolution of nitrogen. The micro-nano structures of the nitriding layers corroded severely after 15 days of exposure to NaCl solution. When the nitriding time is extended to 5 h, the acidification degree of the solution was intensified due to the enhanced blocking effect, and the nitrogen in the nitriding layer saturated that cannot provide enough nitrogen ions to offset the acidification of the solution, so the durability decreased instead. In comparison, the modified layer with 3 h nitriding in this study had the best durability and long-term service protective effect on AH32 steel.
Research on the impact of mandrels in titanium tubes during tube continuous rolling
Authors: Li Chao , Shuang Yuanhua , Chen Jianxun , Zhou Yan , Wang Chen , Chen Chen , Gou Yujun , Dong Bowen
Published: June 2023

Tube continuous rolling (TCR) is a beneficial method for the production of titanium pipes due to its high efficiency and shorter process, with the mandrel playing a crucial role. The present study delved into the mechanism of the mandrel and its impact on the TCR process, through comprehensive analyses that included numerical simulations and experimental tests. The following conclusions were drawn: as the mandrel diameter coefficient increases, the area of the front slip zone gradually expands, and the tension changes from tensile stress to compressive stress. Additionally, the temperature exhibited an overall downward trend, while the strain distribution at the groove vertex and taper became more uneven. Concerning metallographic structure, instances where the mandrel diameter coefficient increases led to elongated, recrystallized grains at the groove vertex. The twinning quantity at the groove taper increased initially and then decreased, indicating a deformation mechanism shift from twinning to slip.
Foliar application of glycine betaine to ameliorate lead toxicity in barley plants by modulating antioxidant enzyme activity and biochemical parameters
Authors: Sharma Jyoti , Kumar Sandeep , Kumar Vikram , Singh Pooja , Khyalia Pradeep , Verma Shivani , Saini Sakshi , Sharma Asha
Published: June 2023

Lead (Pb) toxicity is a major problem in agricultural soil that negatively affects plant growth and development. Glycine betaine (GB) is an effective compatible solute that resists abiotic stress and plays an important role to mitigate various stresses. The present study is the first of its kind on the application of GB to mitigate Pb toxicity on barley cultivars. To elucidate the role of GB in mitigating Pb toxicity of three concentrations (15 mM, 25 mM, and 35 mM) in two barley varieties (BH-959 and BH-946) with and without foliar application of GB (2 mM) was examined. The study found that increasing Pb concentration significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the level of primary metabolites viz. photosynthetic pigments, protein, and carbohydrates in both cultivars upto 42.4%, 38.4% and 39% respectively. However malondialdehyde content, proline content, and antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, CAT, and POX) were found to increased significantly (p < 0.05) as compared to control treatment upto 83.4%, 83.2% and 51% respectively. In contrast, the application of GB led to significantly (p < 0.05) improved physio-biochemical parameters as well as antioxidant enzyme activity (53%) and reduced oxidative stress along with malondialdehyde content (14.42%) in both varieties. An increment in these parameters revealed that exogenous application of GB (2 mM) significantly improves Pb (up to 35 mM) toxicity in barley plants and its use may be beneficial for crops susceptible to Pb toxicity to improve growth and yield.
Dynamical influence of MJO phases on the onset of Indian monsoon
Authors: Lenka S , Gouda Krushna Chandra , Devi Rani , Joseph C M
Published: June 2023

There is a need to understand the onset of monsoon dynamics as the date of onset of monsoon (DOM) is an important parameter in framing all the policy for the imminent season like crop choice, sowing schedule, disaster management, power distribution etc It is observed that the interannual variability of the DOM in India is about 7–8 days, making it more challenge to predict this at long lead. The MJO phases are linked with the different convection centres and hence, influences the global circulation process and the rainfall. In this paper the dynamical influence of the different phases of MJO are being quantified on DOM and its progress in continental India by using the multi-source atmospheric and oceanic parameters like wind structure, outgoing longwave radiation (OLR), sea surface temperature (SST). The linkage of the active and inactive phases of MJO along with the favourable conditions for DOM is obtained by using the pentad analysis of associated parameters in different clusters for both the wet and dry phases of MJO along with the strength for the period 1980–2018. Also the dynamics are studied for the early, normal and late onset years separately to understand the relation better. It is inferred that the wet (dry) phase leads to early (late) monsoon onset over Kerala (MOK) in India. To address the progress of monsoon the DOM in Rajasthan (MOR) is considered and the rainfall anomalies during MOK-MOR period are linked to the MJO phases. It is inferred that the wet MJO phase with negative OLR anomaly triggers the fast progress of monsoon over India. This understanding will surely help operational researchers and the NWP modellers for improving the methodologies for the advanced and accurate prediction of DOM.
Water quality modeling and prediction of water supply plants in low-temperature and low-turbidity periods by using black box artificial intelligence models
Authors: Wang Xin , Liu Dongmei , Tao Zhe
Published: June 2023

The treatment of low-temperature and low-turbidity water, together with the control of operating parameters, is a big problem in water treatment. In this study, the daily monitoring data of one water supply plant from 2021 to 2022 was used to predict the effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) during low temperature and turbid periods by using black box artificial intelligence models (AI), such as Support Vector Regression (SVR), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF) and Backpropagation Neural Network (BP). The results of a single model show that the DT model has better results than the other single models. In ensemble modeling, the performance of single artificial intelligence models can be improved by using neural network integration. In the validation phase, the ensemble model can improve the prediction accuracy by about 15%. At the same time, the model also obtained a reliable prediction effect in the same region, water source, and the process of the water supply plant.
Well-Posedness of Steady-State Bingham Type System by a Quasi Variational-Hemivariational Approach
Authors: Migórski Stanisław , Dudek Sylwia
Published: June 2023

A stationary incompressible Navier-Stokes equation with a nonmonotone slip boundary condition in a bounded domain for a Bingham type fluid is studied. The weak formulation of the fluid problem leads to a new class of elliptic quasi variational-hemivariational inequality with constraints. The boundary condition represents a generalization of the no leak condition, and a multivalued and nonmonotone version of a nonlinear Navier-Fujita frictional slip condition. The analysis provides results on existence and uniqueness of solution to the quasi variational-hemivariational inequality, and on continuous dependence of the solution on the data. The proofs profit from results of nonsmooth analysis, the theory of pseudomonotone operators, and a fixed point argument.
Trichomes in the megadiverse genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae): a revised classification, identification parameters and standardized terminology
Authors: Pinto-Silva Natânia Pereira , De Souza Katiúscia Freire , Marques Silva Otávio Luis , Vitarelli Narah Costa , Da Paixão Noronha Pereira Amanda , Soares Deborah Aragão , Sodré Rodolfo Carneiro , Medeiros Débora , Caruzo Maria Beatriz Rossi , Carneiro Torres Daniela Santos , Da Silva Marcos José , Meira Renata Maria Strozi Alves , Riina Ricarda , Feio Ana Carla
Published: June 2023

Trichomes are key functional traits that protect plants against abiotic stresses, herbivores and pathogens. In addition to their ecological roles, trichomes show high morphological variability in many lineages, providing useful characters for species characterization and taxon delimitation. Here, we focus on trichomes in Croton, a megadiverse genus (c. 1200 spp.) of Euphorbiaceae, in which these structures are ubiquitous and exhibit significant variation in form, location on the plant body, density and function. Owing to their functional and taxonomic relevance and the current need for further standardization of their terminology and classification, we revised previous trichome classifications used in the genus. We also provide new trichome data by expanding taxon sampling and using different methodological approaches in plant anatomy to improve understanding of the structural patterns of the trichome types present in the genus. On the basis of our results and literature review, we propose a new classification for trichomes in Croton based on well-defined parameters; this clarifies existing redundancies, is consistent with anatomical evidence and can be easily updated as new types are revealed in future surveys. This contribution will improve communication among taxonomists and promote more meaningful morphological comparability across systematics studies, including those focusing on morphological evolution and functional traits.
Surgical procedures: are we working to capacity?
Authors: Murphy Lisa , Andrawis Madonna , Beatty Paula , Costa Blasco Marta , Doyle Claire , Long Amy , McFeely Orla , O’Mahony Sarah , Wolinska Anna , Tobin Anne-Marie
Published: June 2023

In this report, we examine the issue of consent for surgical procedures in patients who may have impaired cognition, and therefore may not have the mental capacity to provide consent. As the average age of our population continues to rise, we need to be cognizant of this when performing surgical procedures within dermatology. To explore how often doctors perform capacity assessments, we conducted a survey, which highlights the need to further incorporate this topic into dermatology training programmes, so that clinicians are equipped with the necessary skills to assess patients’ capacity to provide consent.
The alpha-2A-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism modulates gray matter structural networks, visual memory, and inhibitory cognitive control in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Chen Ying , Cao Hengyi , Pan Nanfang , Long Yajing , Zhou Jinbo , Zhou Chunfeng , Wang Yi , Gong Qiyong
Published: June 2023

The ADRA2A-1291 C > G polymorphism and deficits in visual memory and inhibitory control were associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study aimed to examine whether the ADRA2A G/G genotype affected gray matter (GM) networks in ADHD and whether these gene–brain modulations were associated with cognitive function in ADHD. Seventy-five drug-naïve ADHD children and 70 healthy controls were recruited. The GM networks were obtained based on areal similarities of GM, and network topological properties were analyzed using graph theory. Visual memory and inhibitory control were assessed by the visual memory test and the Stroop test, respectively. SNP genotyping of rs1800544 was performed. A significant interaction between ADHD diagnosis and gene polymorphism was observed in the nodal degree of the left inferior parietal lobule and left inferior (opercular) frontal gyrus. In the ADHD group, nodal efficiency in the left inferior (orbital) frontal gyrus in ADHD with G/G was lower than that in ADHD without G/G. Moreover, the ADRA2A-modulated alterations in nodal properties were associated with visual memory and inhibitory control. Our findings provide novel gene–brain behavior association evidence that GM network alterations, especially in the frontoparietal loop, were related to visual memory and inhibitory control in ADHD children with ADRA2A-G/G.
Characterizing the hypertensive cardiovascular phenotype in the UK Biobank
Authors: Elghazaly Hussein , McCracken Celeste , Szabo Liliana , Malcolmson James , Manisty Charlotte H , Davies Alun H , Piechnik Stefan K , Harvey Nicholas C , Neubauer Stefan , Mohiddin Saidi A , Petersen Steffen E , Raisi-Estabragh Zahra
Published: June 2023

Aims

To describe hypertension-related cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) phenotypes in the UK Biobank considering variations across patient populations.

Methods and results

We studied 39 095 (51.5% women, mean age: 63.9 ± 7.7 years, 38.6% hypertensive) participants with CMR data available. Hypertension status was ascertained through health record linkage. Associations between hypertension and CMR metrics were estimated using multivariable linear regression adjusting for major vascular risk factors. Stratified analyses were performed by sex, ethnicity, time since hypertension diagnosis, and blood pressure (BP) control. Results are standardized beta coefficients, 95% confidence intervals, and P-values corrected for multiple testing. Hypertension was associated with concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (increased LV mass, wall thickness, concentricity index), poorer LV function (lower global function index, worse global longitudinal strain), larger left atrial (LA) volumes, lower LA ejection fraction, and lower aortic distensibility. Hypertension was linked to significantly lower myocardial native T1 and increased LV ejection fraction. Women had greater hypertension-related reduction in aortic compliance than men. The degree of hypertension-related LV hypertrophy was greatest in Black ethnicities. Increasing time since diagnosis of hypertension was linked to adverse remodelling. Hypertension-related remodelling was substantially attenuated in hypertensives with good BP control.

Conclusion

Hypertension was associated with concentric LV hypertrophy, reduced LV function, dilated poorer functioning LA, and reduced aortic compliance. Whilst the overall pattern of remodelling was consistent across populations, women had greater hypertension-related reduction in aortic compliance and Black ethnicities showed the greatest LV mass increase. Importantly, adverse cardiovascular remodelling was markedly attenuated in hypertensives with good BP control.
Redefining cardiac damage staging in aortic stenosis: the value of GLS and RVAc
Authors: Gutierrez-Ortiz Eva , Olmos Carmen , Carrión-Sanchez Irene , Jiménez-Quevedo Pilar , Nombela-Franco Luis , Párraga Rocío , Gil-Abizanda Sandra , Mahía Patricia , Luaces María , de Agustín José Alberto , Islas Fabián
Published: June 2023

Aims

Cardiac damage staging has been postulated as a prognostic tool in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The aims of our study are (i) to validate cardiac damage staging systems previously described to stratify patients with aortic stenosis (AS), (ii) to identify independent risk factors for 1-year mortality in patients with severe AS undergoing TAVR, and (iii) to develop a novel staging model and compare its predictive performance to that of the above mentioned.

Methods and results

Patients undergoing TAVR from 2017 to 2021 were included in a single-centre prospective registry. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in all patients before TAVR. Logistic and Cox’s regression analysis were used to identify predictors of 1-year all-cause mortality. In addition, patients were classified based on previously published cardiac damage staging systems, and the predictive performance of the different scores was measured.

Four hundred and ninety-six patients (mean age 82.1 ± 5.9 years, 53% female) were included. Mitral regurgitation (MR), left ventricle global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) and right ventricular-arterial coupling (RVAc) were independent predictors of all-cause 1-year mortality. A new classification system with four different stages was developed using LV-GLS, MR, and RVAc. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.66 (95% confidence interval 0.63–0.76), and its predictive performance was superior compared with the previously published systems (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Cardiac damage staging might have an important role in patients’ selection and better timing for TAVR. A model that includes LV-GLS, MR, and RVAc may help to improve prognostic stratification and contribute to better selection of patients undergoing TAVR.
Physical exercise volume, type, and intensity and risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease: a mediation analysis
Authors: Bonekamp Nadia E , May Anne M , Halle Martin , Dorresteijn Jannick A N , van der Meer Manon G , Ruigrok Ynte M , de Borst Gert J , Geleijnse Johanna M , Visseren Frank L J , Koopal Charlotte
Published: June 2023

Aims

To estimate the relation between physical exercise volume, type, and intensity with all-cause mortality and recurrent vascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to quantify to what extent traditional cardiovascular risk factors mediate these relations.

Methods and results

In the prospective UCC-SMART cohort (N = 8660), the associations of clinical endpoints and physical exercise volume (metabolic equivalent of task hours per week, METh/wk), type (endurance vs. endurance + resistance), and intensity (moderate vs. vigorous) were estimated using multivariable-adjusted Cox models. The proportion mediated effect (PME) through body mass index, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, and systemic inflammation was assessed using structural equation models. Sixty-one percent of patients (73% male, age 61 ± 10 years, >70% receiving lipid-lowering and blood pressure–lowering medications) reported that they did not exercise. Over a median follow-up of 9.5 years [interquartile range (IQR) 5.1–14.0], 2256 deaths and 1828 recurrent vascular events occurred. The association between exercise volume had a reverse J-shape with a nadir at 29 (95% CI 24–29) METh/wk, corresponding with a HR 0.56 (95% CI 0.48–0.64) for all-cause mortality and HR 0.63 (95% CI 0.55–0.73) for recurrent vascular events compared with no exercise. Up to 38% (95% CI 24–61) of the association was mediated through the assessed risk factors of which insulin sensitivity (PME up to 12%, 95% CI 5–25) and systemic inflammation (PME up to 18%, 95% CI 9–37) were the most important.

Conclusion

Regular physical exercise is significantly related with reduced risks of all-cause mortality and recurrent vascular events in patients with CVD. In this population with high rates of lipid-lowering and blood pressure­–lowering medication use, exercise benefits were mainly mediated through systemic inflammation and insulin resistance.
Trends in ST-elevation myocardial infarction hospitalization among young adults: a binational analysis
Authors: Moledina Saadiq M , Matetic Andrija , Weight Nicholas , Rashid Muhammad , Sun Louise , Fischman David L , Van Spall Harriette G C , Mamas Mamas A
Published: June 2023

Background

ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) is typically associated with increased age, but there is an important group of patients who suffer from STEMI under the age of 50 who are not well characterized in studies.

Methods and results

We analysed results from Myocardial Ischemia National Audit Project (MINAP) from the United Kingdom (UK) between 2010 and 2017 and the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the United States of America (USA) between 2010 and 2018. After exclusion criteria, there were 32 719 STEMI patients aged ≤50 from MINAP, and 238 952 patients’ ≤50 from the NIS. We analysed temporal trends in demographics, management, and mortality. The proportion of females increased, 15.6% (2010–2012) to 17.6% (2016–2017) (UK) and 22.8% (2010–2012) to 23.1% (2016–2018) (USA). The proportion of white patients decreased, from 86.7% (2010) to 79.1% (2017) (UK) and 72.1% (2010) to 67.1% (2017) (USA). Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) rates increased in UK (2010–2012: 89.0%, 2016–2017: 94.3%), while decreased in USA (2010–2012: 88.9%, 2016–2018: 86.2% (USA). After adjusting for baseline characteristics and management strategies, there was no difference in all-cause mortality in the UK in 2016–2017 compared to 2010–2012 (OR:1.21, 95% CI:0.60–2.40), but there was a decrease in the USA in 2016–2018 compared to 2010–2012 (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.79–0.90).

Conclusion

The demographics of young STEMI patients have temporally changed in the UK and USA, with increased proportions of females and ethnic minorities. There was a significant increase in the frequency of diabetes mellitus over the respective time periods in both countries.
Quorum sensing architecture network in Escherichia coli virulence and pathogenesis
Authors: Mayer Celia , Borges Anabela , Flament-Simon Saskia-Camille , Simões Manuel
Published: June 2023

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative commensal bacterium of the normal microbiota of humans and animals. However, several E. coli strains are opportunistic pathogens responsible for severe bacterial infections, including gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections. Due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant serotypes that can cause a wide spectrum of diseases, E. coli is considered one of the most troublesome human pathogens worldwide. Therefore, a more thorough understanding of its virulence control mechanisms is essential for the development of new anti-pathogenic strategies. Numerous bacteria rely on a cell density-dependent communication system known as quorum sensing (QS) to regulate several bacterial functions, including the expression of virulence factors. The QS systems described for E. coli include the orphan SdiA regulator, an autoinducer-2 (AI-2), an autoinducer-3 (AI-3) system, and indole, which allow E. coli to establish different communication processes to sense and respond to the surrounding environment. This review aims to summarise the current knowledge of the global QS network in E. coli and its influence on virulence and pathogenesis. This understanding will help to improve anti-virulence strategies with the E. coli QS network in focus.
Natural variation in codon bias and mRNA folding strength interact synergistically to modify protein expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Wienecke Anastacia N , Barry Margaret L , Pollard Daniel A
Published: June 2023

Codon bias and mRNA folding strength (mF) are hypothesized molecular mechanisms by which polymorphisms in genes modify protein expression. Natural patterns of codon bias and mF across genes as well as effects of altering codon bias and mF suggest that the influence of these 2 mechanisms may vary depending on the specific location of polymorphisms within a transcript. Despite the central role codon bias and mF may play in natural trait variation within populations, systematic studies of how polymorphic codon bias and mF relate to protein expression variation are lacking. To address this need, we analyzed genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data for 22 Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates, estimated protein accumulation for each allele of 1,620 genes as the log of protein molecules per RNA molecule (logPPR), and built linear mixed-effects models associating allelic variation in codon bias and mF with allelic variation in logPPR. We found that codon bias and mF interact synergistically in a positive association with logPPR, and this interaction explains almost all the effects of codon bias and mF. We examined how the locations of polymorphisms within transcripts influence their effects and found that codon bias primarily acts through polymorphisms in domain-encoding and 3′ coding sequences, while mF acts most significantly through coding sequences with weaker effects from untranslated regions. Our results present the most comprehensive characterization to date of how polymorphisms in transcripts influence protein expression.
Chinese visions of self and Other: the international politics of noses
Authors: Callahan William A
Published: June 2023

How does China view the world? While much has been written about how China's international relations are best seen as intercultural relations that do not exclude the Other, this article examines how self/Other relations are visualized in terms of the human face in China, in particular through iconic images that construct the Chinese self with and against foreigners with large noses. It employs interpretivist methods to consider the interplay of social relations and international relations in order to see how ‘external appearance’ and ‘external relations’ inform each other in Chinese theory and practice. It mobilizes the classical Chinese concept ‘deep-set eyes and high-bridged nose’ to compare iconic Chinese images of noses from the Tang dynasty, the Korean War, and twenty-first century China and Taiwan. This critical juxtaposition shows how foreigners are visualized as both friends and enemies in a hierarchical social system. The article's use of visual International Relations (IR) methods enables us to re-examine foreign affairs as a site of affective politics, and thus appreciate how China's ideological world-view resonates with how its artists, scholars and officials aesthetically view the world. This is a concern for IR scholars because world-views shape how foreign policy-makers frame foreign policy problems—and thus foreign policy solutions.
Designing Adaptive, Mixed-Mode HCI Research for Resilience
Authors: Verma Nitin , Fleischmann Kenneth R , Koltai Kolina S
Published: June 2023

We describe the design of a mixed-mode study that illustrates an adaptive approach to conducting HCI research. This mixed-mode approach is resilient to circumstances created by public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We based our study around a web-based survey instrument that was used both online (N = 205) and in an HCI lab (N = 29). Both modalities offer their respective advantages and limitations but complement each other to paint a picture that could not be obtained with either modality by itself. We believe that this approach may be timely and helpful for HCI researchers who moved to online data collection during the pandemic and are looking for ways to augment that data with lab data. This study design provides a potential template for mixed-mode research that can be resilient to future societal crises.