bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-staged ERO2.0 simulation of material erosion and deposition in recessed mirror assemblies in JET and ITER
Authors: Rode S. , Brezinsek S. , Groth M. , Kirschner A. , Matveev D. , Moser L. , Pitts R.A. , Romazanov J. , Terra A. , Wauters T. , Wiesen S.
Published: June 2024

The deposition/erosion on optical diagnostic components—mirrors—is a critical issue in reactor class devices with long-pulsed high fluence plasma operation. The paper presents results of the three-dimensional Monte–Carlo code ERO2.0 for two diagnostic aperture and first mirror geometries to be deployed in ITER, along with a separate simulation study that aims to replicate results from an experimental first-mirror study carried out on JET. Promisingly, very little plasma and impurity deposition on mirrors for the anticipated plasma durations is found in the ERO2.0 modelling taking into account the current ITER Research Plan and a material mix with beryllium first wall and a tungsten divertor. The post-mortem analysis of mirrors exposed during the experiment and the initial benchmarking efforts on the JET mirror experiment are also broadly consistent, increasing the confidence in predictions for ITER.
Molecules with Spin and Vibronic Coupling Effects: A Computational Perspective
Authors: Sharma Ketan , Vasilyev Oleg A. , Miller Terry A. , Stanton John F.
Published: June 2024

While fundamental to molecular quantum mechanics, limitations of the Born-Oppenheimer Approximation (BOA) have long been known. Nonetheless, calculations that include molecular interactions, such as vibronic coupling and electron spin effects, that violate the BOA have remained a challenge due to their large demand on computational resources. The purpose of this paper is to describe two complementary software programs, SOCJT and XSIM, designed for efficient calculations that include these interactions. The programs are sufficiently general and user friendly that they can be readily applied to a variety of molecules of different symmetries, state degeneracies, and interaction strengths. The programs can typically produce spin-vibronic eigenvalues and eigenvectors with sufficient accuracy for the analysis and interpretation of molecular spectra with features attributable to violations of the BOA. The two programs utilize different matrix representations of the molecular Hamiltonian, with XSIM being Cartesian based and SOCJT being cylindrically based, and their advantages/disadvantages are discussed. Several algorithms can be chosen to obtain the Hamiltonian’s eigenvalues and eigenvectors and their speed and memory usage are compared. Examples of application of SOCJT and XSIM to explain spectral observations for particular molecules are briefly reviewed.
How the Amount of Hartree-Fock Exchange Affects the Observation of the Pseudo Jahn-Teller Effect
Authors: Maley S M , Mawhinney R C
Published: June 2024

Heavy group 14 analogs of planar carbon molecules are well known to prefer bent or pyramidalized geometries. The pseudo Jahn-Teller effect (pJTE) is a general approach to understanding the origin of such molecular geometries. Computationally intensive multi-reference post Hartree-Fock methods are generally required to obtain values relevant to the pJTE. However, an alternative approach, using more computationally efficient density functional theory (DFT) and fitting a model vibronic Hamiltonian, can account for the pJTE parameters. Previous studies have detailed the effect of both integration grid size and exact exchange on various properties including the nature of stationary points (i.e., transition structure v. minimum) on potential energy surfaces but none have addressed the root cause of such discrepancies. In this work we examine two contentious stationary points belonging to planar disilene and 2Si TCNQ from the perspective of the pseudo Jahn-Teller effect (pJTE) using DFT methods. First the planar stationary points are characterized using a variety of model chemistries and integration grids. The effect of the amount of Hartree-Fock exchange is then studied and the usage of DFT for assessing pJT parameters is explored. It is shown that the DFT approach is a viable alternative for determining values relevant to the pJTE. A complementary cusp catastrophe theory approach to the problem is also introduced. Difficulties associated with the DFT-based approach to the study of the pJTE are discussed and changes in the electronic structure are explored using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules.
Multi-state vibronic dynamics of the benzene cation: Combined multi-mode Jahn-Teller and Pseudo Jahn-Teller Effects
Authors: Hannibal Valentin D. , Menger Maximilian F.S.J. , Köppel Horst
Published: June 2024

The multi-state vibronic interactions in the benzene radical cation are investigated theoretically, based on an ab initio quantum dynamical approach. The three lowest doubly degenerate and two lowest non-degenerate electronic states are included, amounting to eight electronic component states and 28 vibrational degrees of freedom. The multi-mode dynamical Jahn-Teller as well as pseudo Jahn-Teller effects are included on an equal footing. This becomes possible by employing the Multiconfigurational Time-Dependent Hartree Method and its multi-layer extension for the wavepacket propagation underlying the dynamical treatment. The results indicate a step wise population transfer from higher to lower-energy electronic states. The transfer between the highest (

E

∼

and

D

∼

states) is extremely fast which is made plausible by their energetic proximity. On the other hand the transfer is not complete and does not comprise the

X

∼

ground state. Rather, a substantial part of the population gets trapped in the lowest excited (

B

∼

) state. The phenomenon is briefly discussed and calls for future work on this intricate dynamical system.
Pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect in deprotonated dimethyl amino phenyl substituted phthalocyanine
Authors: Breza Martin
Published: June 2024

Geometries of dimethyl amino phenyl substituted phtalocyanine deprotonated at two nitrogen atoms [dmaphPc]q, q = -2, -1 and 0, were optimized within the D4h symmetry group and its subgroups. Their excited states were evaluated using the TD-DFT treatment. Using an epikernel principle method based on the symmetries of the imaginary vibrations of the optimized geometries and the symmetries of the corresponding excited states, the symmetry descent paths D4h → D4 for [dmaphPc]2-, D4h → D2 for [dmaphPc]−, and D4h → C2 for [dmaphPc]0 were explained as a consequence of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect.
Jahn-Teller induced microwave spectra of the C70
+ fullerene cation.
Authors: Nemes Laszlo
Published: June 2024

The C70 molecule is apolar. Upon ionization Jahn-Teller effects occur that distort the D5h neutral symmetry to Cs. This point group is polar thus ionization induces a permanent electric dipole moment in C70. The goal of the present calculations is to compute the equilibrium geometry and dipole moment of the C70
+ cation by various DFT methods and to simulate microwave spectra. Using the Gaussian16 quantum chemistry program rotational constants, Cartesian dipole moment components, and the resultant dipole, as well as the Jahn-Teller stabilization energy and the HOMO-LUMO gaps were obtained. The microwave rotational spectra at gas phase temperatures 2.73 K and 10K were simulated using the Pgopher software. These spectra may serve as starting point for laboratory microwave measurements and as screening guide in radio astronomical searches. The static Jahn-Teller effect in C70
+ is the consequence of the mixing of the two highest ground state occupied orbitals, thus it is a pseudo Jahn-Teller effect.
Ultrasonic investigation of the Jahn-Teller effect in BaF2:Cu crystal
Authors: Ofitserova N Yu , Sarychev M N , Zhevstovskikh I V , Ulanov V A , Surikov V T , Averkiev N S , Gudkov V V
Published: June 2024

The present work is an ultrasonic study of the temperature dependence of the dynamic elastic moduli in the single crystal of BaF2 doped with Cu. Similar to the observation in CaF2:Cu2+, the temperature dependence of the real and imaginary parts of the elastic modulus c
44 manifest typical anomalies, which are induced by the Jahn-Teller effect in the T ⊗ (e + t
2) case with orthorhombic or trigonal stable structures. However, in BaF2:Cu, these anomalies are much smaller than in CaF2:Cu2+. We attribute this difference to the lower concentration of the Cu2+ dopants that isovalently replace Ba2+ in the BaF2 matrix. Our study of BaF2:Cu reveals the following relaxation mechanisms: thermal activation, tunneling through the potential energy barrier, and two-phonon relaxation.
Vibronic order and magnetism in cubic 5d
1 double perovskite compounds
Authors: Iwahara Naoya , Huang Zhishuo , Chibotaru Liviu F.
Published: June 2024

Cubic 5d
1 transition metal double perovskites exhibit various multipolar phases, which have not been unvailed within the spin-orbit based theories. A missing piece in the previous theories is the vibronic coupling on each site. In each 5d
1 transition metal sites, four-fold degenerate ground spin-orbit coupled states interact with Jahn-Teller active vibration, which gives rise to the development of the dynamic Jahn-Teller effect. Here, we incorporate the spin-orbit coupling and dynamic Jahn-Teller effect and describe all the ordered states reported for the 5d
1 double perovskites. We defined vibronic quadrupole moment and developed a spin-vibronic quadrupole model from the microscopic interactions in the double perovskites. The spin-vibronic model shows a rich mean-field phase diagram including the ordered phases that never appear in the conventional spin-orbit theories. Various ordered phases develop because the ordering of the vibronic states (vibronic order) gives strong impact on the magnetic orderings. The zero and finite temperature spin-vibronic ordered phases explain the puzzling orderings found in Cs2TaCl6 and Ba2MgReO6.
The Jahn-Teller Effect on One-dimensional Copper-Oxalate Framework Cu(μ-C2O4)[(CH3)2NCH2CH2N(CH3)2]·4H2O
Authors: Zhang Bin , Zhang Yan , Wang Zheming , Wang Dongwei , Sun Yang , Liang Tongling , Zhao Zhijuan , Zhang Xiaoyu , Qu Baolong , Feng Rongjuan , Li Qiaolian , Luo Xiaofei , Liu Mei , Zhang Xueying , Zhu Daoben
Published: June 2024

A one-dimensional copper-oxalate framework is obtained. The Jahn-Teller distorted Cu(II) is octahedrally coordinated by four O from two bisbidentate oxalates and two N from one bidentate N, N, N’ N’-tetramethyldiamine and forms a one-dimensional zigzag chain. There are hydrogen bonds between H2O and oxalate and between H2O. In one of H2O, the geometry of two O–H and two O…H–O bonds is same as tetrahedron of H2O in ice. Ferromagnetic interaction is observed. No long-range ordering is observed above 2 K
Heterogeneity in vegetation recovery rates post-flash droughts across different ecosystems
Authors: Lu Mengge , Sun Huaiwei , Cheng Lei , Li Siyue , Qin Hui , Yi Shanzhen , Zhang Hong , Zhang Wenxin
Published: June 2024

Flash droughts, as sub-seasonal phenomena, are characterized by their rapid onset and significant impact on terrestrial ecosystems. However, understanding how vegetation responds to flash droughts and the mechanisms governing vegetation recovery remains elusive. Here, we analysed the response of vegetation productivity to flash droughts and identified the most relevant drivers controlling vegetation recovery using two soil moisture datasets (ERA5-land and Global Land Data Assimilation System) and two satellite-based vegetation productivity proxies (gross primary productivity, and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence). Our results show that South China and Northeast China stand out as hotspots for flash droughts, with higher frequency and speed. Notably, although the frequency of flash droughts in cropland is relatively low, and their speed is very high, with a median of 10.9% per pentad. Most ecosystems can recover to their normal state within 25 d. Vegetation with shallow roots, such as cropland and grassland, responds rapidly to flash droughts. Ecosystems generally exhibit extended response time with increasing plant rooting depth. The recovery rate of vegetation productivity from flash droughts is mainly controlled by vegetation physiology (decline rate of productivity upon exposure to flash drought) and modulated by flash drought characteristics, especially severity for forests and speed for cropland and grassland. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying vegetation responses to flash droughts.
Flooding exposure accelerated biological aging: a population-based study in the UK
Authors: Wu Yao , Gasevic Danijela , Xu Rongbin , Yang Zhengyu , Yu Pei , Wen Bo , Zhou Guowei , Zhang Yan , Song Jiangning , Liu Hong , Li Shanshan , Guo Yuming
Published: June 2024

Floods have been the most common type of disaster and are expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. Although there is growing evidence on the impacts of floods on human health, none has so far investigated the association between flooding exposure and biological aging acceleration. We collected data from 364 841 participants from the UK Biobank project. Flooding data before baseline were retrieved from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory and linked to each participant. Cumulative flooding exposure within six years before the baseline was calculated. We calculated the two biological aging measures at baseline: PhenoAge and Klemera-Doubal method biological age (KDM-BA) and assessed their associations with flooding exposure using mixed-effects linear regression models. We observed that participants exposed to higher levels of floods were more likely to have accelerated biological aging. The risks associated with flooding exposure could last for several years, with the highest cumulative effect observed over 0–4 years. In the fully adjusted model, per interquartile increase in cumulative flood exposure was associated with an increase of 0.24 years (95% CI: 0.14, 0.34) in PhenoAge acceleration and 0.14 years (95% CI: 0.07, 0.21) in KDM-BA acceleration over lag 0–4 years. The associations were consistent regardless of lifestyles, demographics, and socio-economic status. Our findings suggest that exposure to floods may lead to accelerated biological aging. Our work provides the basis for further understanding of the flood-related health impacts and suggests that public health policies and adaptation measures should be initiated in the short-, medium- and even long-term after flooding.
Summertime compound heat wave and drought events in China: interregional and subseasonal characteristics, and the associated driving factors
Authors: Zeng Jiani , Li Huixin , Sun Bo , Chen Huopo , Wang Huijun , Zhou Botao , Duan Mingkeng
Published: June 2024

This study investigates the characteristics of compound heat wave and drought events (CHDEs) across various subregions of China from 1961 to 2022 by utilizing a monthly probability-based index. The results uncover significant interregional and subseasonal variations. The trend analysis of CHDEs reveals statistically significant increases in most regions of China; however, there is no significant trend in the JiangHuai region throughout the entire summer season. The trends across regions exhibited subseasonal differences, especially in the eastern regions (Northeast China, North China, and South China (SC)). Furthermore, the occurrence of severe CHDEs (SCHDEs) in China has significantly increased in both frequency and extent since the 1990s. Southwest China and eastern Northwest China have witnessed the highest frequency of SCHDEs, while SC has remained relatively unaffected compared to other regions. The occurrences of SCHDE demonstrate a higher frequency occurred in June than in July and August, especially in the southern regions. The local driving factors are further explored. The incidence of CHDEs in eastern China is significantly influenced by anticyclonic circulation anomalies, which span from the upper to the lower troposphere. These anomalies are crucial in shaping the dynamic and moisture conditions necessary for CHDE formation. Their specific locations dictate the unique atmospheric conditions that lead to the regional characteristics of CHDEs across eastern China.
Significant advancement in subseasonal-to-seasonal summer precipitation ensemble forecast skills in China mainland through an innovative hybrid CSG-UNET method
Authors: Lyu Yang , Zhu Shoupeng , Zhi Xiefei , Wang Jingyu , Ji Yan , Fan Yi , Dong Fu
Published: June 2024

Reliable Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) forecasts of precipitation are critical for disaster prevention and mitigation. In this study, an innovative hybrid method CSG-UNET combining the UNET with the censored and shifted gamma distribution based ensemble model output statistic (CSG-EMOS), is proposed to calibrate the ensemble precipitation forecasts from ECMWF over the China mainland during boreal summer. Additional atmospheric variable forecasts and the data augmentation are also included to deal with the potential issues of low signal-to-noise ratio and relatively small sample sizes in traditional S2S precipitation forecast correction. The hybrid CSG-UNET exhibits a notable advantage over both individual UNET and CSG-EMOS in improving ensemble precipitation forecasts, simultaneously improving the forecast skills for lead times of 1–2 weeks and further extending the effective forecast timeliness to ∼4 weeks. Specifically, the climatology-based Brier Skill Scores are improved by ∼0.4 for the extreme precipitation forecasts almost throughout the whole timescale compared with the ECMWF. Feature importance analyze towards CSG-EMOS model indicates that the atmospheric factors make great contributions to the prediction skill with the increasing lead times. The CSG-UNET method is promising in subseasonal precipitation forecasts and could be applied to the routine forecast of other atmospheric and ocean phenomena in the future.
Diversity of the tropical easterly jet’s core location
Authors: Huang Sihua , Wen Zhiping
Published: June 2024

The upper-tropospheric tropical easterly jet (TEJ) is one of the most important systems in modulating the Asian summer monsoon rainfall. In addition to the intensity variability that has been extensively studied, the TEJ’s core experiences remarkable changes in the zonal and meridional directions. The TEJ can be identified as three locational patterns using the cluster analysis: the east, northwest, and southwest modes. The frequencies of the three locational modes exhibit discernable changes on the monthly and the interannual-decadal time scales. While the anomalous zonal divergent circulation with the convergent/divergent center over the tropical Indian Ocean (IO) determines the zonal location of the TEJ’s core, the meridional temperature gradient between the Eurasian continent and the tropical IO distinguishes the meridional location of the TEJ’s core. It reflects the fundamental role of the large-scale east-west and north-south thermal contrasts in the movement of the TEJ’s core location. The variability of the TEJ’s core location has distinct impacts on the summer monsoon precipitation via redistributing the upper-level divergence and modulating the monsoon meridional circulation, especially in South, Southeast, and East Asia. In conjunction with the thermal effect of the Tibetan Plateau, the meridional shift of the TEJ’s core can affect the precipitation along the south slope of the Tibetan Plateau. These findings highlight the cause of the diversified TEJ’s core location and the significant impacts on the summer monsoon rainfall.
Simulation of the degradation behavior of small-molecule solar cells based on p-DTS(FBTTh2)2 as the donor material
Authors: Lastra Gonzalo , Reséndiz Luis , Ramírez-Como Magaly , Balderrama Victor S , Hernández-García Liliana Fernanda , Marsal Lluis F , Cabrera Víctor , Estrada Magali
Published: June 2024

The use of organic solar cells (OSCs), particularly those based on small-molecule materials, has gained recognition as being promising in photovoltaic applications. However, despite notable advances, persistent challenges in relation to the long-term stability and energy-conversion efficiency of these materials continue to pose significant obstacles to their widespread adoption. The aim of this study was to enhance the efficiency and durability of such cells under ambient conditions. To elucidate whether cells with small-molecule donor materials provide higher benefits and opportunities than cells with polymer donor materials, this study compares the electrical parameters of cells with both types of donor materials. OSCs based on 7,7′-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-silolo[3,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(6-fluoro-4-(5′-hexyl-[2,2′-bithiophene]-5-yl)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole): [6,6]-Phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (p-DTS(FBTTh2)2:PC70BM) and Poly [[4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b’]dithiophene-2,6-diyl][3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl]]: [6,6]-Phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7:PC70BM) were manufactured and their electrical characteristics under ambient conditions determined after various time intervals. Numerical simulations based on the metal–insulator–metal (MIM) model were then performed to optimize the performance of the cells and to analyze their internal electrical dynamics in detail. The findings of this study reveal a direct relationship between solar cell degradation and the anode interface, thus enhancing understanding of the degradation mechanisms that occur in OSCs.
Largest ever astronomical camera heads for Chile
Authors: Banks Michael
Published: June 2024

Scientists and engineers have announced the completion of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) – the largest camera ever built.
Europe plans 100-qubit quantum computer
Authors: Boerkamp Martijn
Published: June 2024

Researchers at the Dutch quantum institute QuTech in Delft have announced plans to build Europe’s first 100-quantum bit (qubit) quantum computer.
Brazil joins CERN at last
Authors: Banks Michael
Published: June 2024

Brazil has become the first country from the Americas to join the CERN particle-physics lab near Geneva.
Africa’s quantum future
Authors: Mazhandu Farai , Mafu Mhlambululi
Published: June 2024

Farai Mazhandu and Mhlambululi Mafu argue that quantum technologies can help propel the continent into a new era.
Where boffins began
Authors: Neal Alan
Published: June 2024

A response to Rachel Youngman’s January article about the campaign by the Institute of Physics to persuade journalists to drop the term “boffin”, which it deems an outdated term.
‘Quantum plumbing’ at the nanoscale
Authors: Ball Philip
Published: June 2024

Nanofluidics could be used to purify water, generate energy and build nanoscale machines. But when water flows through a carbon nanotube, classical fluid mechanics breaks down, leading to puzzling experimental findings that researchers have attributed to an effect called “quantum friction”, as Philip Ball explains.
Spin wave excitations in low dimensional systems with large magnetic anisotropy
Authors: Delgado Fernando , Otrokov Mikhail M , Arnau Andrés
Published: June 2024

The low-energy excitation spectrum of a two-dimensional ferromagnetic material is dominated by single-magnon excitations that show a gapless parabolic dispersion relation with the spin wave vector. This occurs as long as magnetic anisotropy and anisotropic exchange are negligible compared to isotropic exchange. However, to maintain magnetic order at finite temperatures in extended systems, it is necessary to have sizable anisotropy to open a gap in the spin wave excitation spectrum. We consider four real two-dimensional systems for which ferromagnetic order at finite temperature has been observed or predicted. Density functional theory calculations of the total energy differences for different spin configurations permit us to extract the relevant parameters and connect them with a spin Hamiltonian. The corresponding values of the Curie temperature are estimated using a simple model and found to be mostly determined by the value of the isotropic exchange. The exchange and anisotropy parameters are used in a toy model of finite-size periodic chains to study the low-energy excitation spectrum, including single-magnon and two-magnon excitations. At low energies, we find that single-magnon excitations appear in the spectrum together with two-magnon excitations. These excitations present a gap that grows particularly for large values of the magnetic anisotropy or anisotropic exchange, relative to the isotropic exchange.
Finetuning foundation models for joint analysis optimization in High Energy Physics
Authors: Vigl Matthias , Hartman Nicole , Heinrich Lukas
Published: June 2024

In this work we demonstrate that significant gains in performance and data efficiency can be achieved in High Energy Physics (HEP) by moving beyond the standard paradigm of sequential optimization or reconstruction and analysis components. We conceptually connect HEP reconstruction and analysis to modern machine learning workflows such as pretraining, finetuning, domain adaptation and high-dimensional embedding spaces and quantify the gains in the example usecase of searches of heavy resonances decaying via an intermediate di-Higgs system to four b-jets. To our knowledge this is the first example of a low-level feature extraction network finetuned for a downstream HEP analysis objective.
Heritage Sites and Wellbeing
Authors: Sayer Faye
Published: June 2024

This chapter examines the impact of heritage sites, especially historic houses, historic estates and buildings, and archaeological sites on visitor subjective wellbeing. It explores the hypothesis that physical engagement in heritage sites, through visiting and participating in experiences within these places, including storied experiences and interpretative narratives, can benefit visitors’ subjective well-being. Through thematic and statistical analysis of quantitative and qualitative data collected from six heritage sites in the United States, United Kingdom, and India, research explored how visiting heritage sites impacts on visitors’ personal and social wellbeing at both a contextual and sector wide level. Through comparative analysis differences and overarching patterns in data between diverse heritage sites, this chapter identified the specific attribute of wellbeing heritage sites changed, and the strategies and practices at these heritage sites which positively impact visitor wellbeing.
Museums, Art Galleries, and Wellbeing
Authors: Sayer Faye
Published: June 2024

This chapter examines how visitor experiences and the nature of presentation and interpretation within museums and art galleries impact visitors’ wellbeing, mental health, and happiness. It assesses case studies of museums and art galleries in the United Kingdom and India using the evaluation methodology set out in the previous chapter to provide quantifiable and qualifiable evidence of the measurable impact of visiting this range of museums and art galleries. It identifies through empirical evidence how different museum and art galleries change visitors’ personal and social wellbeing and seeks to identify common themes and specific wellbeing indicators that these heritage places effect.
Introduction
Authors: Rondel David
Published: June 2024

This introduction advances two central arguments that together animate and give this book its shape. One has to do with anxiety’s amazing variety and heterogeneity. The chapter argues that there is a huge range and diversity of experience associated with anxiety. Anxiety arises in different ways, for different reasons, with different profiles of symptoms and different degrees of belief-dependence. Depending on the context, human beings both recoil from anxiety and actively seek it out. Anxiety can be episodic or more continuous, object-directed or more nebulous, recalcitrant or reflectively endorsed, appropriate to its object in some circumstances and inappropriate in others. The other argument is more methodological. The chapter claims that there is a uniquely philosophical perspective from which to consider anxiety, which is not reducible to scientific, evolutionary, historical, or medical approaches to the subject, but which nevertheless draws on knowledge and insight from those other perspectives.
A New Lap in the Race
Authors: Rondel David
Published: June 2024

This chapter argues there is much to be learned about the nature and meaning of anxiety from Arthur Schopenhauer’s pessimistic philosophy. Schopenhauer was honest—brutally so—in reflecting on the human condition and the suffering inherent in life. It is argued that we can read Schopenhauer’s whole philosophy as a diagnosis of and a response to this suffering. It is also argued that both Schopenhauer’s diagnosis and his response speak volumes about anxiety. About why it might arise and what it feels like when we are in its grip. About how suffering with anxiety can transform us, over time, into more gentle and compassionate people.
To Clear Our Minds of Selfish Care
Authors: Rondel David
Published: June 2024

This chapter describes a philosophical insight about the management of our attention and mental energy—about a kind of practice of attention—from which, it is argued, the anxious sufferer stands to benefit. The insight originates in the work of Irish-born novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch and culminates in a therapeutic conclusion about the peace that can be afforded by directing one’s attention toward a certain kind of good in a certain kind of way. At the heart of Murdoch’s insight is the encouragement to “give attention to nature in order to clear our minds of selfish care.” The chapter tries to make sense of Murdoch’s insight and also to reflect on what it reveals about the formidable therapeutic properties of the natural world, about the peace and inner tranquility that time spent in nature can sometimes provide.
Never Let the Future Disturb You
Authors: Rondel David
Published: June 2024

This chapter considers what the Stoic philosophers might teach us about the nature of anxiety, along with some of the strategies and techniques by which they thought it could be eradicated, or at least more effectively managed. It also considers how Stoic wisdom about anxiety also figures prominently in various forms of psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance-commitment therapy (ACT). The chapter focuses on the ideas of three central Stoic philosophers from the Roman Imperial period: Seneca (tutor and advisor to Nero, the infamously extravagant fifth emperor of the Roman Empire who allegedly “fiddled” while Rome burned), Epictetus (the freed slave and Stoic teacher), and Marcus Aurelius (the last emperor of the Pax Romana).
WHIRLY proteins, multi-layer regulators linking the nucleus and organelles in developmental and stress-induced senescence of plants
Authors: Lin Wenfang , Huang Dongmei , Li Mengsi , Ren Yujun , Zheng Xiangzi , Wu Binghua , Miao Ying
Published: June 2024

Plant senescence is an integrated programme of plant development that aims to remobilize nutrients and energy from senescing tissues to developing organs under developmental and stress-induced conditions. Upstream in the regulatory network, a small family of single-stranded DNA/RNA-binding proteins known as WHIRLYs occupy a central node, acting at multiple regulatory levels and via trans-localization between the nucleus and organelles. In this review, we summarize the current progress on the role of WHIRLY members in plant development and stress-induced senescence. WHIRLY proteins can be traced back in evolution to green algae. WHIRLY proteins trade off the balance of plant developmental senescence and stress-induced senescence through maintaining organelle genome stability via R-loop homeostasis, repressing the transcription at a configuration condition, and recruiting RNA to impact organelle RNA editing and splicing, as evidenced in several species. WHIRLY proteins also act as retrograde signal transducers between organelles and the nucleus through protein modification and stromule or vesicle trafficking. In addition, WHIRLY proteins interact with hormones, reactive oxygen species and environmental signals to orchestrate cell fate in an age-dependent manner. Finally, prospects for further research and promotion to improve crop production under environmental constraints are highlighted.
Widespread gene flow from Betula tianshanica and Betula pendula to Betula microphylla: a rare species from Northwest China
Authors: Ding Junyi , Hua Donglai , Wei Yuangui , Yao Linmei , Wang Nian
Published: June 2024

Understanding the genomic composition of endangered species across its populations is important for conservation and management. Betula microphylla, an endangered species in Northwest China, grows in close proximity to B. tianshanica and B. pendula. However, whether populations of B. microphylla are genetically distinct or introgressed from B. tianshanica and B. pendula remains less clear. Here, we included restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) data for 135 individuals of B. microphylla, B. tianshanica, and B. pendula with RAD data of 87 individuals generated in this study. PCA results identify three genetic clusters, corresponding to B. pendula, B. tianshanica, and B. microphylla. ADMIXTURE analyses show two admixed populations of B. microphylla from B. tianshanica and one admixed population from B. pendula. ABBA-BABA test indicates that the genetic admixture in B. microphylla reflects significant signals of introgression from B. tianshanica and B. pendula. Furthermore, we identified 378 functional genes within the introgressed regions with eight genes related to environmental stress. Conservation strategies to protect genetically distinct populations of B. microphylla from genetic swamping by B. pendula need to be implemented. In addition, ex situ conservation of B. microphylla and conservation efforts towards B. tianshanica should be taken into consideration as the two may represent sister taxa or different subspecies.
Asymmetries of the subthalamic activity in Parkinson’s disease: phase-amplitude coupling among local field potentials
Authors: Bocci Tommaso , Ferrara Rosanna , Albizzati Tommaso , Averna Alberto , Guidetti Matteo , Marceglia Sara , Priori Alberto
Published: June 2024

The role of brain asymmetries of dopaminergic neurons in motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is still undefined. Local field recordings from the subthalamic nucleus revealed some neurophysiological biomarkers of the disease: increased beta activity, increased low-frequency activity and high-frequency oscillations. Phase-amplitude coupling coordinates the timing of neuronal activity and allows determining the mechanism for communication within distinct regions of the brain. In this study, we discuss the use of phase-amplitude coupling to assess the differences between the two hemispheres in a cohort of 24 patients with Parkinson’s disease before and after levodopa administration. Subthalamic low- (12–20 Hz) and high-beta (20–30 Hz) oscillations were compared with low- (30–45 Hz), medium- (70–100 Hz) and high-frequency (260–360 Hz) bands. We found a significant beta-phase-amplitude coupling asymmetry between left and right and an opposite-side-dependent effect of the pharmacological treatment, which is associated with the reduction of motor symptoms. In particular, high coupling between high frequencies and high-beta oscillations was found during the OFF condition (P < 0.01) and a low coupling during the ON state (P < 0.0001) when the right subthalamus was assessed; exactly the opposite happened when the left subthalamus was considered in the analysis, showing a lower coupling between high frequencies and high-beta oscillations during the OFF condition (P < 0.01), followed by a higher one during the ON state (P < 0.01). Interestingly, these asymmetries are independent of the motor onset side, either left or right. These findings have important implications for neural signals that may be used to trigger adaptive deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s and could provide more exhaustive insights into subthalamic dynamics.
Socioeconomic Disparities and the Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance
Authors: Cooper Lauren N , Beauchamp Alaina M , Ingle Tanvi A , Diaz Marlon I , Wakene Abdi D , Katterpalli Chaitanya , Keller Tony , Walker Clark , Blumberg Seth , Kanjilal Sanjat , Chen Jonathan H , Radunsky Alexander P , Most Zachary M , Hanna John J , Perl Trish M , Lehmann Christoph U , Medford Richard J
Published: June 2024

Background

The increased prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections is a significant global health threat, resulting in increased disease, deaths, and costs. The drivers of AMR are complex and potentially impacted by socioeconomic factors. We investigated the relationships between geographic and socioeconomic factors and AMR.

Methods

We collected select patient bacterial culture results from 2015 to 2020 from electronic health records of 2 expansive healthcare systems within the Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, metropolitan area. Among individuals with electronic health records who resided in the 4 most populous counties in Dallas–Fort Worth, culture data were aggregated. Case counts for each organism studied were standardized per 1000 persons per area population. Using residential addresses, the cultures were geocoded and linked to socioeconomic index values. Spatial autocorrelation tests identified geographic clusters of high and low AMR organism prevalence and correlations with established socioeconomic indices.

Results

We found significant clusters of AMR organisms in areas with high levels of deprivation, as measured by the area deprivation index (ADI). We found a significant spatial autocorrelation between ADI and the prevalence of AMR organisms, particularly for AmpC β-lactamase and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, with 14% and 13%, respectively, of the variability in prevalence rates being attributable to their relationship with the ADI values of the neighboring locations.

Conclusions

We found that areas with a high ADI are more likely to have higher rates of AMR organisms. Interventions that improve socioeconomic factors such as poverty, unemployment, decreased access to healthcare, crowding, and sanitation in these areas of high prevalence may reduce the spread of AMR.
The private management of plant disease epidemics: infection levels and social inefficiencies
Authors: Martinez César , Courtois Pierre , Thébaud Gaël , Tidball Mabel
Published: June 2024

Plant disease control is often implemented at the private property level, and problems of cooperation and coordination between landowners can lead to social inefficiencies. Drawing on the private management problem of sharka on Prunus trees, we analyse an epidemic game and its outcomes according to initial infection levels. We show that, depending on the infection level in each farm, the nature of strategic interactions changes drastically, and a wide range of games can occur, including games with multiple or without pure strategy equilibria and games with coordination or anti-coordination patterns. We characterise the epidemic conditions for which private management produces social inefficiency and analyse the properties of uniform and differentiated subsidy schemes to solve it. We conclude with a discussion of the policy implications of the ongoing deregulation of sharka management in France.
Global transcriptome analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa NT06 response to potassium chloride, sodium lactate, sodium citrate, and microaerophilic conditions in a fish ecosystem
Authors: Tomaś Natalia , Myszka Kamila , Wolko Łukasz , Juzwa Wojciech
Published: June 2024

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that recently has been increasingly isolated from foods, especially from minimally processed fish-based products. Those are preserved by the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl) and packaging in a modified atmosphere. However, the current trends of minimizing NaCl content may result in an increased occurrence of P. aeruginosa. NaCl can be replaced with potassium chloride (KCl) or sodium salts of organic acids. Herein, we examined the antimicrobial effects of KCl, sodium lactate (NaL), sodium citrate (NaC), and sodium acetate (NaA) against P. aeruginosa NT06 isolated from fish. Transcriptome response of cells grown in medium imitating a fish product supplemented with KCl and KCl/NaL/NaC and maintained under microaerophilic conditions was analysed. Flow cytometry analysis showed that treatment with KCl and KCl/NaL/NaC resulted in changed metabolic activity of cells. In response to KCl and KCl/NaL/NaC treatment, genes related to cell maintenance, stress response, quorum sensing, virulence, efflux pump, and metabolism were differentially expressed. Collectively, our results provide an improved understanding of the response of P. aeruginosa to NaCl alternative compounds that can be implemented in fish-based products and encourage further exploration of the development of effective methods to protect foods against the P. aeruginosa, underestimate foodborne bacteria.
New robust remote reference estimator using robust multivariate linear regression
Authors: Usui Yoshiya , Uyeshima Makoto , Sakanaka Shin'ya , Hashimoto Tasuku , Ichiki Masahiro , Kaida Toshiki , Yamaya Yusuke , Ogawa Yasuo , Masuda Masataka , Akiyama Takahiro
Published: June 2024

The solution of the remote reference method, a frequently used technique in magnetotelluric (MT) data processing, can be viewed as a product of the two-input–multiple-output relationship between the local electromagnetic field and the reference field at a remote station. By applying a robust estimator to the two-input–multiple-output system, one can suppress the influence of outliers in the local magnetic field as well as those in the local electric field based on regression residuals. Therefore, this study develops a new robust remote reference estimator with the aid of robust multivariate linear regression. By applying the robust multivariate regression S-estimator to the multiple-output system, the present work derives a set of equations for robust estimates of the transfer function, noise variances, and the scale of the Mahalanobis distance simultaneously. The noise variances are necessary for the multivariate analysis to normalize the residuals of dependent variables. The Mahalanobis distance, a distance measure for multivariate data, is a commonly used indicator of outliers in multivariate statistics. By updating those robust estimates iteratively, the new robust remote reference estimator seeks the transfer function that minimizes the robust scale estimate of the Mahalanobis distance. The developed estimator can avoid bias in the MT transfer function even if there are significant noises in the reference magnetic field and handle outlying data more robustly than previously proposed robust remote reference estimators. The authors applied the developed method to a synthetic data set and real-world data. The test results demonstrate that the developed method downweights outliers in the local electric and magnetic fields and gives an unbiased transfer function.
Scm6A: A Fast and Low-cost Method for Quantifying m6A Modifications at the Single-cell Level
Authors: Li Yueqi , Li Jingyi , Li Wenxing , Liang Shuaiyi , Wei Wudi , Chu Jiemei , Lai Jingzhen , Lin Yao , Chen Hubin , Su Jinming , Hu Xiaopeng , Wang Gang , Meng Jun , Jiang Junjun , Ye Li , An Sanqi
Published: June 2024

It is widely accepted that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) exhibits significant intercellular specificity, which poses challenges for its detection using existing m6A quantitative methods. In this study, we introduced Single-cell m6A Analysis (Scm6A), a machine learning-based approach for single-cell m6A quantification. Scm6A leverages input features derived from the expression levels of m6A trans regulators and cis sequence features, and offers remarkable prediction efficiency and reliability. To further validate the robustness and precision of Scm6A, we first applied Scm6A to single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and calculated the m6A levels in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We also applied a winscore-based m6A calculation method to conduct N6-methyladenosine sequencing (m6A-seq) analysis on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells isolated through magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) from the same samples. Notably, the m6A levels calculated by Scm6A exhibited a significant positive correlation with those quantified through m6A-seq in different cells isolated by MACS, providing compelling evidence for Scm6A’s reliability. Additionally, we performed single-cell-level m6A analysis on lung cancer tissues as well as blood samples from patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and demonstrated the landscape and regulatory mechanisms of m6A in different T cell subtypes from these diseases. In summary, Scm6A is a novel, dependable, and accurate method for single-cell m6A detection and has broad applications in the realm of m6A-related research.
Sustaining progress towards universal health coverage amidst a full-scale war: learning from Ukraine
Authors: Habicht Jarno , Hellowell Mark , Kutzin Joe
Published: June 2024

In the aftermath of Russia’s military response to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, the government of Ukraine implemented a package of health financing reforms underpinned by universal health coverage (UHC) principles. By the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the new systems and institutions envisaged in the reforms were largely established. In this Commentary article, we explain how these attributes strengthened the Ukrainian health system’s response to the impacts of the war. Ukraine’s experience highlights the role that health financing arrangements, designed in accordance with UHC principles, can play in strengthening health system resilience.
MdVQ17 negatively regulates apple resistance to Glomerella leaf spot by promoting MdWRKY17-mediated salicylic acid degradation and pectin lyase activity
Authors: Duan Dingyue , Yang Jie , Yi Ran , Dong Qinglong , Shi Mingrui , He Jingxuan , Mao Ke , Ma Fengwang
Published: June 2024

Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) is a fungal disease caused by Colletotrichum fructicola, which severely restricts the yield and quality of apples. Valine–glutamine (VQ) proteins are transcriptional regulators involved in the regulation of plant growth and stress responses. However, little is known about the role of VQ proteins in the biotic stress response in apple. Here, a VQ gene, MdVQ17, that was highly induced by C. fructicola infection was identified. Overexpression of MdVQ17 in apple increased susceptibility to C. fructicola and significantly reduced the salicylic acid content and β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities. Based on yeast two-hybrid screening, MdWRKY17, which promotes susceptibility to C. fructicola, was identified as an MdVQ17-interacting protein. Co-expression of MdVQ17 can promote the binding and transcriptional activation activity of MdWRKY17 on the promoter of Downy Mildew Resistant 6 (MdDMR6), thereby promoting MdWRKY17-mediated salicylic acid degradation. Based on DNA affinity purification sequencing, the pectin lyase-encoding gene MdPL-like was identified as a direct target of MdWRKY17. MdWRKY17 can directly bind to the promoter of MdPL-like and activate its transcription, and the binding and activation of MdWRKY17 on the MdPL-like promoter were significantly enhanced by MdVQ17 co-expression. Functional identification showed that MdPL-like promoted pectin lyase activity and susceptibility to C. fructicola. In sum, these results demonstrate that the MdVQ17-MdWRKY17 module mediates the response to C. fructicola infection by regulating salicylic acid accumulation and pectin lyase activity. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms by which the VQ–WRKY complex modulates plant pathogen defense responses.