bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recovering Surface Slip Distribution Along the Sertengshan Piedmont Fault (Northern China) From Airborne LiDAR Data
Authors: Bi Haiyun , Zheng Wenjun , Zhang Peizhen , Zeng Jiangyuan , Shao Yanxiu , Yao Yunsheng , Lei Qiyun , Peng Hui
Published: August 2022

Slip from paleoearthquakes is preserved in geomorphology in the form of displaced landforms. By recovering the surface slip distribution of displaced landforms along a fault, we can constrain the earthquake rupture histories and recurrence characteristics on the fault, thus benefiting seismic hazard assessment. In this study, 1‐m‐resolution airborne Light Detection and Ranging data were obtained along about 185 km of the Sertengshan Piedmont Fault, which is a dip‐slip normal fault located at the northern margin of the Hetao Graben around the Ordos Block in Northern China. A total of 601 vertical displacements were measured on different geomorphic surfaces along the fault strike. Through statistical analysis of the displacement measurements, it is inferred that at least five to seven large earthquakes have ruptured this fault, displaying a remarkably regular slip increment of ∼2 m. Compared with the slip, the recurrence intervals of paleoearthquakes exposed by previous paleoseismic excavations are less regular, which may be due to the different recording capacity of geomorphic and paleoseismic markers. By recovering the surface slip distributions of several recent events, we identified several large full‐rupture earthquakes that may have broken two adjacent segments together and smaller partial‐rupture events that have ruptured only a part of the segment, thus suggesting a bimodal rupture behavior for the fault. Our estimates indicate that rupturing of the Sertengshan Piedmont Fault may yield a large earthquake of Mw 7.1–7.5, leading to significant seismic hazards in the densely populated Hetao Graben area.
How an Unlikely Friendship Upended Permafrost Myths
Authors: Duncombe Jenessa
Published: August 2022

“Beautifully long arguments” between an American scientist and a Russian researcher helped clarify several fundamental assumptions about permafrost thaw.
Barking up the Right Tree: Using Tree Bark to Track Airborne Particles in School Environment and Link Science to Society
Authors: Leite A. d. S. , Rousse S. , Léon J.‐F. , Trindade R. I. F. , Haoues‐Jouve S. , Carvallo C. , Dias‐Alves M. , Proietti A. , Nardin E. , Macouin M.
Published: August 2022

Children's exposure to air pollution affects both their health and learning skills. Fine and ultrafine particulate matter (PM2.5, PM1), notably issued from traffic sources in urban centers, belong to the most potential harmful health hazards. However their monitoring and the society's awareness on their dangers need to be consolidated. In this study, raising teacher and pupil involvement for air quality improvement in their schools environment is reached through developing a passive monitoring technique (bio‐sensors made of tree bark). The experiment was implemented in two urban elementary schools situated close to a main traffic road of the city of Toulouse (South of France). Magnetic properties, carbonaceous fraction measurements, and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM‐EDX) investigations were realized both on passive bio‐sensors and filters issued from active sampling. We find that traffic is the main PM1 source for both outdoors and indoors at schools. Higher levels of outdoor PM in the school's environments compared to urban background are reached especially in the cold period. The schools proximity to a main traffic source and lack of ventilation are the main causes for observed PM1 accumulation in classrooms. The co‐working experiment with educational teams and pupils shows that the use of bio‐sensors is a driver for children empowerment to air pollution and therefore represents a potential key tool for the teachers though limiting eco‐anxiety. As PM accumulation is observed in many scholar environments across Europe, the proposed methodology is a step toward a better assessment of PM impact on pupil's health and learning skills.
Stability Characteristics of the Mesopause Region Above the Andes
Authors: Yang Fan , Liu Alan Z.
Published: August 2022

We report a detailed analysis of atmospheric stabilities in the mesopause region (85–100 km) based on over 2,000 hr of high‐resolution temperature and horizontal wind measurements made with a Na lidar at the Andes Lidar Observatory, located in Cerro Pachón, Chile (30.25°S, 70.74°W). The square of Brunt–Väisälä frequency and the Richardson number are calculated, and occurrence probabilities of convective and dynamic instabilities are derived. An approach to assess the biases due to measurement uncertainties is used to obtain more accurate occurrence probabilities. The overall occurrence probabilities of convective and dynamic instabilities are 2.7% and 6.7%, respectively. High‐, medium‐, and low‐ frequency gravity wave (GW) contributions to these probabilities are isolated, which show that the high‐frequency GWs contribute most but simultaneous presence of high‐ and medium frequency GWs is much more effective in increasing the probabilities. Convective and dynamic instabilities are mainly generated because of the joint effect of different‐scale GWs. Isolated parts of GWs have much less contribution to the generation of both convective and dynamic instabilities. The dynamic instability is mainly contributed from less stable stratification and large wind shear together. Either factor can lead to about 15% of dynamic instability.
Mass Density Inferred From Toroidal Wave Frequencies and Energization of Low‐Energy Helium Ions During H‐Band EMIC Wave Interval
Authors: Kim Khan‐Hyuk , Takahashi Kazue , Lee Junhyun , Jin Ho , Kwon Jong‐Woo
Published: August 2022

Van Allen Probe A observed strongly enhanced hydrogen (H+) band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves lasting >6 hr without helium (He+) band EMIC wave activity outside the plasmasphere on 23 February 2014. During the H‐band EMIC wave interval, multiharmonic toroidal waves were detected by the spacecraft. We estimated the local mass density using the observed toroidal wave frequencies and background electron number density. It was found that the average ion mass is close to 1. This indicates that the protons are the dominant ion species for the H‐band wave interval. From these observations, we suggest that the cold ion composition plays a major role in determining the spectral properties of EMIC waves. We also observed low‐energy He+ ion flux enhancements associated with the H‐band EMIC waves in the direction perpendicular to the background magnetic field. We discuss how the H‐band waves energize the low‐energy He+ ions in the perpendicular direction.
Large‐Scale Afforestation Enhances Precipitation by Intensifying the Atmospheric Water Cycle Over the Chinese Loess Plateau
Authors: Tian Lei , Zhang Baoqing , Chen Shuoyu , Wang Xuejin , Ma Xiaogang , Pan Baotian
Published: August 2022

Afforestation is an appropriate approach to control soil erosion, but consumes extra water resources. It also exerts feedbacks on local precipitation, affecting the water availability for water‐limited areas. The Chinese Loess Plateau (LP) has implemented the world's largest afforestation program to mitigate severe soil erosion. However, it remains unclear how the atmospheric water cycle responds to large‐scale afforestation under climate change. Here we show that afforestation elevates precipitation in rainy season by intensifying the atmospheric water cycle over the LP. Results show the upward trend of vegetation coverage fraction increased by 3.15% decade−1 and climatological precipitation increased by 54.62 mm after launching the large‐scale afforestation in 1999. Such afforestation also enhanced evapotranspiration by 22.56 mm. We found the moisture inflow and outflow continuously decreased, but more atmospheric moisture was retained since the rate of decline of inflow was less than that of outflow. Using a dynamic precipitation recycling method, we explored changes in precipitation recycling and components of the atmospheric water budget. The precipitation recycling ratio increased from 9.16 ± 0.35 to 10.18 ± 0.28% after the afforestation. Both external and internal branches of the atmospheric water cycle have been strengthened, and their contributions to the increased precipitation are 84.93% and 15.07%, respectively. The afforestation caused a more humid atmosphere, heightened soil moisture‐vegetation‐precipitation feedback, stronger moisture convergence, and more clouds; these changes favored precipitation generation. This study advances the understanding of how afforestation affects regional climate from a precipitation recycling perspective, further assisting decision‐makers to establish sustainable afforestation strategies.
Metabolic adaptation to vitamin auxotrophy by leaf-associated bacteria
Authors: Ryback Birgitta , Bortfeld-Miller Miriam , Vorholt Julia A
Published: August 2022

Auxotrophs are unable to synthesize all the metabolites essential for their metabolism and rely on others to provide them. They have been intensively studied in laboratory-generated and -evolved mutants, but emergent adaptation mechanisms to auxotrophy have not been systematically addressed. Here, we investigated auxotrophies in bacteria isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and found that up to half of the strains have auxotrophic requirements for biotin, niacin, pantothenate and/or thiamine. We then explored the genetic basis of auxotrophy as well as traits that co-occurred with vitamin auxotrophy. We found that auxotrophic strains generally stored coenzymes with the capacity to grow exponentially for 1–3 doublings without vitamin supplementation; however, the highest observed storage was for biotin, which allowed for 9 doublings in one strain. In co-culture experiments, we demonstrated vitamin supply to auxotrophs, and found that auxotrophic strains maintained higher species richness than prototrophs upon external supplementation with vitamins. Extension of a consumer-resource model predicted that auxotrophs can utilize carbon compounds provided by other organisms, suggesting that auxotrophic strains benefit from metabolic by-products beyond vitamins.
Fluoxetine improves bone microarchitecture and mechanical properties in rodents undergoing chronic mild stress – an animal model of depression
Authors: Lam Raymond W. , Wong Hee-Kit , Kumarsing Ramruttun A. , Chua Anna N. , Ho Roger C. , McIntyre Roger S. , Ho Cyrus S.
Published: August 2022

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders associated with reductions in bone mineral density and increased fracture risk. Fluoxetine is a highly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) in the treatment of depression and is reported to be a risk factor for fractures. The present study examined the effect of fluoxetine on bone microarchitecture and the mechanical properties under chronic mild stress (CMS), a rodent model of depression. Thirty-one 6–9 week-old rats were allocated to 4 groups: 1) CMS + fluoxetine group (n = 10), 2) fluoxetine-only group (n = 5), 3) CMS + placebo group (n = 10) and 4) control group (no CMS and treatment) (n = 6). After 16 weeks, bone microarchitecture of the distal femur was analyzed by µCT. Mechanical properties were assessed by the three-point bending test, and antidepressant efficacy was determined by sucrose preference and forced swimming tests. Significant correlations were found between volume of sucrose intake and bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) (p = 0.019) and elastic absorption energy (p = 0.001) in the fluoxetine only group. The fluoxetine-only group showed significantly higher in the second moment of area in y-direction (p = 0.0298), horizontal outer diameter (mm) (p = 0.0488) and average midshaft thickness (mm) (p = 0.00047) than control group. Comparing with the control group, there was a significant reduction in trabecular number (Tb.N) in the CMS + fluoxetine group (p = 0.026) but not the fluoxetine-only group (p > 0.05). Significant increases in trabecular separation were observed in the metaphysis of CMS + placebo (p = 0.003) and CMS + fluoxetine (p = 0.004) groups when compared to the control group but not in the fluoxetine-only group (p > 0.05). During the three-point bending test, the fluoxetine-only group demonstrated significantly higher structural strength than controls (p = 0.04). Micro computed tomography (µCT) slices showed loss of trabecular bone in the metaphysis region of the CMS + fluoxetine and CMS + placebo groups but not the fluoxetine-only and control groups. In an animal model of depression, the adverse effect on the bone microarchitecture was caused by CMS but not by fluoxetine. Without exposure to CMS, fluoxetine significantly increased the cross-sectional area, trabecular bone area, structural strength and osteoblasts / bone area as compared to control condition.
A nanopore interface for higher bandwidth DNA computing
Authors: Zhang Karen , Chen Yuan-Jyue , Wilde Delaney , Doroschak Kathryn , Strauss Karin , Ceze Luis , Seelig Georg , Nivala Jeff
Published: August 2022

DNA has emerged as a powerful substrate for programming information processing machines at the nanoscale. Among the DNA computing primitives used today, DNA strand displacement (DSD) is arguably the most popular, with DSD-based circuit applications ranging from disease diagnostics to molecular artificial neural networks. The outputs of DSD circuits are generally read using fluorescence spectroscopy. However, due to the spectral overlap of typical small-molecule fluorescent reporters, the number of unique outputs that can be detected in parallel is limited, requiring complex optical setups or spatial isolation of reactions to make output bandwidths scalable. Here, we present a multiplexable sequencing-free readout method that enables real-time, kinetic measurement of DSD circuit activity through highly parallel, direct detection of barcoded output strands using nanopore sensor array technology (Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ MinION device). These results increase DSD output bandwidth by an order of magnitude over what is currently feasible with fluorescence spectroscopy.
Oxidative decomposition mechanisms of lithium carbonate on carbon substrates in lithium battery chemistries
Authors: Cao Deqing , Tan Chuan , Chen Yuhui
Published: August 2022

Lithium carbonate plays a critical role in both lithium-carbon dioxide and lithium-air batteries as the main discharge product and a product of side reactions, respectively. Understanding the decomposition of lithium carbonate during electrochemical oxidation (during battery charging) is key for improving both chemistries, but the decomposition mechanisms and the role of the carbon substrate remain under debate. Here, we use an in-situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry-gas chromatography coupling system to quantify the gas evolution during the electrochemical oxidation of lithium carbonate on carbon substrates. Our results show that lithium carbonate decomposes to carbon dioxide and singlet oxygen mainly via an electrochemical process instead of via a chemical process in an electrolyte of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in tetraglyme. Singlet oxygen attacks the carbon substrate and electrolyte to form both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide—approximately 20% of the net gas evolved originates from these side reactions. Additionally, we show that cobalt(II,III) oxide, a typical oxygen evolution catalyst, stabilizes the precursor of singlet oxygen, thus inhibiting the formation of singlet oxygen and consequent side reactions.
Earlier Alzheimer’s disease onset is associated with tau pathology in brain hub regions and facilitated tau spreading
Authors: Frontzkowski Lukas , Ewers Michael , Brendel Matthias , Biel Davina , Ossenkoppele Rik , Hager Paul , Steward Anna , Dewenter Anna , Römer Sebastian , Rubinski Anna , Buerger Katharina , Janowitz Daniel , Binette Alexa Pichet , Smith Ruben , Strandberg Olof , Carlgren Niklas Mattsson , Dichgans Martin , Hansson Oskar , Franzmeier Nicolai
Published: August 2022

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), younger symptom onset is associated with accelerated disease progression and tau spreading, yet the mechanisms underlying faster disease manifestation are unknown. To address this, we combined resting-state fMRI and longitudinal tau-PET in two independent samples of controls and biomarker-confirmed AD patients (ADNI/BioFINDER, n = 240/57). Consistent across both samples, we found that younger symptomatic AD patients showed stronger tau-PET in globally connected fronto-parietal hubs, i.e., regions that are critical for maintaining cognition in AD. Stronger tau-PET in hubs predicted faster subsequent tau accumulation, suggesting that tau in globally connected regions facilitates connectivity-mediated tau spreading. Further, stronger tau-PET in hubs mediated the association between younger age and faster tau accumulation in symptomatic AD patients, which predicted faster cognitive decline. These independently validated findings suggest that younger AD symptom onset is associated with stronger tau pathology in brain hubs, and accelerated tau spreading throughout connected brain regions and cognitive decline.
Mapping effective connectivity of human amygdala subdivisions with intracranial stimulation
Authors: Sawada Masahiro , Adolphs Ralph , Dlouhy Brian J. , Jenison Rick L. , Rhone Ariane E. , Kovach Christopher K. , Greenlee Jeremy, D. W. , Howard III Matthew A. , Oya Hiroyuki
Published: August 2022

The primate amygdala is a complex consisting of over a dozen nuclei that have been implicated in a host of cognitive functions, individual differences, and psychiatric illnesses. These functions are implemented through distinct connectivity profiles, which have been documented in animals but remain largely unknown in humans. Here we present results from 25 neurosurgical patients who had concurrent electrical stimulation of the amygdala with intracranial electroencephalography (electrical stimulation tract-tracing; es-TT), or fMRI (electrical stimulation fMRI; es-fMRI), methods providing strong inferences about effective connectivity of amygdala subdivisions with the rest of the brain. We quantified functional connectivity with medial and lateral amygdala, the temporal order of these connections on the timescale of milliseconds, and also detail second-order effective connectivity among the key nodes. These findings provide a uniquely detailed characterization of human amygdala functional connectivity that will inform functional neuroimaging studies in healthy and clinical populations.
Transposon-activated POU5F1B promotes colorectal cancer growth and metastasis
Authors: Simó-Riudalbas Laia , Offner Sandra , Planet Evarist , Duc Julien , Abrami Laurence , Dind Sagane , Coudray Alexandre , Coto-Llerena Mairene , Ercan Caner , Piscuoglio Salvatore , Andersen Claus Lindbjerg , Bramsen Jesper Bertram , Trono Didier
Published: August 2022

The treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) is an unmet medical need in absence of early diagnosis. Here, upon characterizing cancer-specific transposable element-driven transpochimeric gene transcripts (TcGTs) produced by this tumor in the SYSCOL cohort, we find that expression of the hominid-restricted retrogenePOU5F1Bthrough aberrant activation of a primate-specific endogenous retroviral promoter is a strong negative prognostic biomarker. Correlating this observation, we demonstrate that POU5F1B fosters the proliferation and metastatic potential of CRC cells. We further determine that POU5F1B, in spite of its phylogenetic relationship with the POU5F1/OCT4 transcription factor, is a membrane-enriched protein that associates with protein kinases and known targets or interactors as well as with cytoskeleton-related molecules, and induces intracellular signaling events and the release oftrans-acting factors involved in cell growth and cell adhesion. AsPOU5F1Bis an apparently non-essential gene only lowly expressed in normal tissues, and asPOU5F1B-containing TcGTs are detected in other tumors besides CRC, our data provide interesting leads for the development of cancer therapies.
A global assessment of the mixed layer in coastal sediments and implications for carbon storage
Authors: Song Shasha , Santos Isaac R. , Yu Huaming , Wang Faming , Burnett William C. , Bianchi Thomas S. , Dong Junyu , Lian Ergang , Zhao Bin , Mayer Lawrence , Yao Qingzhen , Yu Zhigang , Xu Bochao
Published: August 2022

The sediment-water interface in the coastal ocean is a highly dynamic zone controlling biogeochemical fluxes of greenhouse gases, nutrients, and metals. Processes in the sediment mixed layer (SML) control the transfer and reactivity of both particulate and dissolved matter in coastal interfaces. Here we map the global distribution of the coastal SML based on excess210Pb (210Pbex) profiles and then use a neural network model to upscale these observations. We show that highly dynamic regions such as large estuaries have thicker SMLs than most oceanic sediments. Organic carbon preservation and SMLs are inversely related as mixing stimulates oxidation in sediments which enhances organic matter decomposition. Sites with SML thickness >60 cm usually have lower organic carbon accumulation rates (<50 g C m−2yr−1) and total organic carbon/specific surface area ratios (<0.4 mg m−2). Our global scale observations reveal that reworking can accelerate organic matter degradation and reduce carbon storage in coastal sediments.
Dynamically stable and amplified circularly polarized excimer emission regulated by solvation of chiral co-assembly process
Authors: Zhang Yuxia , Li Hang , Geng Zhongxing , Zheng Wenhua , Quan Yiwu , Cheng Yixiang
Published: August 2022

Chiral supramolecular assembly has been assigned to be one of the most favorable strategies for the development of excellent circularly polarized luminescent (CPL)-active materials. Herein, we report our study of an achiral boron-containing pyrene (Py)-based chromophore (PyBO) as a circularly polarized excimer emission (CPEE) dye induced by chiral co-assemblies containing chiral binaphthyl-based enantiomers (R/S-M). Chiral co-assembly R/S-M-(PyBO)4 fresh film spin-coated from toluene solution can exhibit orderly nanofibers and strong green CPEE (λem = 512 nm, gem = ±0.45, ΦFL = 51.2 %) resulting from an achiral PyBO excimer. In contrast, only a very weak blue CPL was observed (λem = 461 nm, gem = ±  0.0125, ΦFL = 19.0 %) after 187 h due to PyBO monomer emission as spherulite growth. Interestingly, this kind of chiral co-assembly R-M-(PyBO)4-T film from tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution retains uniform morphology and affords the most stable and strongest CPEE performance (λem = 512 nm, gem = + 0.62, ΦFL = 53.3 %) after 10 days.
Machine-learning assisted design principle search for singlet fission: an example study of cibalackrot
Authors: Weber Fabian , Mori Hirotoshi
Published: August 2022

This work uses quantum chemistry calculations and machine learning to explore design rules for singlet fission in a chemical space of four million indigoid derivatives. We identify ~400,000 derivatives of 2,2′-diethenyl cibalackrot, which theoretically fulfil the energy conditions for exoergic singlet fission above the silicon band gap energy. Probing this database with a random forest classifier, we observe that small substituents with positive mesomeric effects and weak negative inductive effects reinforce the desired energetic conditions when placed at specific positions. Finally, a subset of molecules that reflects the random forest classifier’s rules are investigated for their quantum chemical properties to translate the desirable structural motifs into wavefunction-based design rules. Here, direct correlations between the energetic condition for singlet fission, the biradical character and the charge and triplet spin density in prominent molecular regions are identified, providing insights that may serve as a guide for singlet fission core structure development.
Glucose-lowering effects of orally administered superoxide dismutase in type 2 diabetic model rats
Authors: Guo Jingke , Liu Hangqi , Zhao Dan , Pan Chaoyi , Jin Xuepu , Hu Yujia , Gao Xiaolu , Rao Pingfan , Liu Shutao
Published: August 2022

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is an enzyme found in most food sources, might be a candidate to reduce oxidative damage to intestinal barrier, thereby ameliorating the vicious circle between hyperglycemia and the oxidative damage. Here we report the oral administration of SOD, liposome-embedded SOD (L-SOD), and SOD hydrolysate to type 2 diabetic model rats to confirm this hypothesis. Oxidative damage severity in model rat intestine was indicated by malondialdehyde level, GSSG/GSH ratio, and antioxidant enzyme activity. The damage was significantly repaired by L-SOD. Furthermore, blood glucose and related indexes correlated well not only with oxidative damage results but also with indexes indicating physical intestinal damage such as colon density, H&E staining, immunohistochemical analysis of the tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1 in the colon, as well as lipopolysaccharide and related inflammatory cytokine levels. The order of the magnitude of the effects of these SOD preparations was L-SOD > SOD > SOD hydrolysate. These data indicate that orally administered SOD can exhibit glucose-lowering effect via targeting the intestine of diabetic rats and systemic lipopolysaccharide influx.
Live-attenuated ME49Δcdpk3 strain of Toxoplasma gondii protects against acute and chronic toxoplasmosis
Authors: Wu Minmin , Liu Shutong , Chen Ying , Liu Deng , An Ran , Cai Haijian , Wang Jie , Zhou Nan , Obed Cudjoe , Han Meng , Shen Jilong , Chen Lijian , Du Jian
Published: August 2022

Toxoplasmosis, a common parasitic disease, is caused byToxoplasma gondii, which infects approximately 30% of the world’s population. This obligate intracellular protozoan causes significant economic losses and poses serious public health challenges worldwide. However, the development of an effective toxoplasmosis vaccine in humans remains a challenge to date. In this study, we observed that the knockout of calcium-dependent protein kinase 3 (CDPK3) in the type II ME49 strain greatly attenuated virulence in mice and significantly reduced cyst formation. Hence, we evaluated the protective immunity of ME49Δcdpk3as a live attenuated vaccine against toxoplasmosis. Our results showed that ME49Δcdpk3vaccination triggered a strong immune response marked by significantly elevated proinflammatory cytokine levels, such as IFN-γ, IL-12, and TNF-α, and increased the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes. The high level ofToxoplasma-specific IgG was maintained, with mixed IgG1/IgG2a levels. Mice vaccinated with ME49Δcdpk3were efficiently protected against the tachyzoites of a variety of wild-type strains, including type I RH, type II ME49, Chinese 1 WH3 and Chinese 1 WH6, as well as the cysts of wild-type strains ME49 and WH6. These data demonstrated that ME49Δcdpk3inoculation induced effective cellular and humoral immune responses against acute and chronicToxoplasmainfections with various strains and was a potential candidate to develop a vaccine against toxoplasmosis.
An annotated image dataset of medically and forensically important flies for deep learning model training
Authors: Ong Song-Quan , Ahmad Hamdan
Published: August 2022

Conventional methods to study insect taxonomy especially forensic and medical dipterous flies are often tedious, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. An automated recognition system with image processing and computer vision provides an excellent solution to assist the process of insect identification. However, to the best of our knowledge, an image dataset that describes these dipterous flies is not available. Therefore, this paper introduces a new image dataset that is suitable for training and evaluation of a recognition system involved in identifying the forensic and medical importance of dipterous flies. The dataset consists of a total of 2876 images, in the input dimension (224 × 224 pixels) or as an embedded image model (96 × 96 pixels) for microcontrollers. There are three families (Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Rhiniidae) and five genera (Chrysomya, Lucilia, Sarcophaga, Rhiniinae, Stomorhina), and each class of genus contained five different variants (same species) of fly to cover the variation of a species.
Identification of microstructures critically affecting material properties using machine learning framework based on metallurgists’ thinking process
Authors: Noguchi Satoshi , Wang Hui , Inoue Junya
Published: August 2022

In materials science, machine learning has been intensively researched and used in various applications. However, it is still far from achieving intelligence comparable to that of human experts in terms of creativity and explainability. In this paper, we investigate whether machine learning can acquire explainable knowledge without directly introducing problem-specific information such as explicit physical mechanisms. In particular, a potential of machine learning to obtain the capability to identify a part of material structures that critically affects a physical property without human prior knowledge is mainly discussed. The guide for constructing the machine learning framework adopted in this paper is to imitate human researchers’ process of thinking in the interpretation and development of materials. Our framework was applied to the optimization of structures of artificial dual-phase steels in terms of a fracture property. A comparison of results of the framework with those of numerical simulation based on governing physical laws demonstrated the potential of our framework for the identification of a part of microstructures critically affecting the target property. Consequently, this implies that our framework can implicitly acquire an intuition in a similar way that human researchers empirically attain the general strategy for material design consistent with the physical background.
Spin-Hall conductivity and Hall angle in a two-dimensional system with impurities in the presence of spin–orbit interactions
Authors: Sharma Hemant Kumar , Sil Shreekantha , Chatterjee Ashok
Published: August 2022

We investigate the spin-torque-dependent Spin Hall phenomenon in a two-dimensional tight-binding system in the presence of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit interactions and random static impurities. We employ the Matsubara Green function techniques to calculate the relaxation time caused by the scattering of electrons by impurities. The longitudinal and transverse conductivities are next calculated with the help of the Kubo formalism. We have also calculated the spin Hall angle for the present model and studied its dependence on spin–orbit interactions and impurity strength. Finally, we explore the effect of interplay between the Rashba and Dresselhaus interactions on the spin-Hall effect.
Bidirectional modulation of evoked synaptic transmission by pulsed infrared light
Authors: Zhu Xuedong , Lin Jen-Wei , Sander Michelle Y.
Published: August 2022

Infrared (IR) neuromodulation (INM) has been demonstrated as a novel modulation modality of neuronal excitability. However, the effects of pulsed IR light on synaptic transmission have not been investigated systematically. In this report, the IR light (2 μm) is used to directly modulate evoked synaptic transmission at the crayfish opener neuromuscular junction. The extracellularly recorded terminal action potentials (tAPs) and evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) modulated by localized IR light illumination (500 ms, 3–13 mW) aimed at the synapses are analyzed. The impact of a single IR light pulse on the presynaptic Ca2+ influx is monitored with Ca2+ indicators. The EPSC amplitude is enhanced, and its rising phase is accelerated under relatively low IR light power levels and localized temperature rises. Increasing the IR light power reversibly suppresses and eventually blocks the EPSCs. Meanwhile, the synaptic delay, tAP amplitude, and presynaptic Ca2+ influx decrease monotonously with higher IR light power. It is demonstrated for the first time that IR light illumination has bidirectional effects on evoked synaptic transmission. These results highlight the efficacy and flexibility of using pulsed IR light to directly control synaptic transmission and advance our understanding of INM of neural networks.
Differential biological responses of adherent and non-adherent (cancer and non-cancerous) cells to variable extremely low frequency magnetic fields
Authors: Nezamtaheri Maryam Sadat , Goliaei Bahram , Shariatpanahi Seyed Peyman , Ansari Alireza Madjid
Published: August 2022

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) induces biological effects on different cells through various signaling pathways. To study the impact of the ELF-EMF on living cells under an optimal physiological condition, we have designed and constructed a novel system that eliminates several limitations of other ELF-EMF systems. Apoptosis and cell number were assessed by flow cytometry and the Trypan Blue dye exclusion method, respectively. In vitro cell survival was evaluated by colony formation assay. The distribution of cells in the cell cycle, intracellular ROS level, and autophagy were analyzed by flow cytometer. Suspended cells differentiation was assessed by phagocytosis of latex particles and NBT reduction assay. Our results showed that response to the exposure to ELF-EMF is specific and depends on the biological state of the cell. For DU145, HUVEC, and K562 cell lines the optimum results were obtained at the frequency of 0.01 Hz, while for MDA-MB-231, the optimum response was obtained at 1 Hz. Long-term exposure to ELF-EMF in adherent cells effectively inhibited proliferation by arresting the cell population at the cell cycle G2/M phase and increased intracellular ROS level, leading to morphological changes and cell death. The K562 cells exposed to the ELF-EMF differentiate via induction of autophagy and decreasing the cell number. Our novel ELF-EMF instrument could change morphological and cell behaviors, including proliferation, differentiation, and cell death.
Inclusion of a tannin-rich legume in the diet of beef steers reduces greenhouse gas emissions from their excreta
Authors: O. S. van Cleef Flavia , B. Dubeux José C. , M. Ciriaco Francine , Henry Darren D. , Ruiz-Moreno Martin , M. Jaramillo David , Garcia Liza , S. Santos Erick R. , DiLorenzo Nicolas , B. Vendramini João M. , Naumann Harley D. , Sollenberger Lynn E.
Published: August 2022

The objectives of this study were to determine the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as the isotopic composition of N2O from excreta of beef steers fed ‘AU Grazer’ sericea lespedeza hay [SL; Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don]. Fifteen Brahman × Angus crossbred steers were fed one of three experimental diets: 0, 50, or 100% inclusion of SL into ‘Tifton 85’ bermudagrass hay (Cynodon spp.). Gas sampling occurred on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 18, 25, and 32 after urine or feces application to static chambers for two experimental periods. Effect of the day after feces application (P < 0.001), while day × inclusion of SL interaction was observed in urine (P < 0.001) for all greenhouse gases (GHG) analyzed. Peaks of emission of all GHG in urine and feces occurred in the first days (P < 0.001), with days 3 and 5 being most depleted in 15N-N2O in feces, and days 3, 5, and 7, in urine (P < 0.001). Feeding SL to beef steers was effective in mitigating the emission of GHG from the excreta, but further research is necessary to investigate the mechanisms behind the reductions.
The Conventional Gait Model’s sensitivity to lower-limb marker placement
Authors: Fonseca M. , Bergere M. , Candido J. , Leboeuf F. , Dumas R. , Armand S.
Published: August 2022

Clinical gait analysis supports treatment decisions for patients with motor disorders. Measurement reproducibility is affected by extrinsic errors such as marker misplacement—considered the main factor in gait analysis variability. However, how marker placement affects output kinematics is not completely understood. The present study aimed to evaluate the Conventional Gait Model’s sensitivity to marker placement. Using a dataset of kinematics for 20 children, eight lower-limb markers were virtually displaced by 10 mm in all four planes, and all the displacement combinations were recalculated. Root-mean-square deviation angles were calculated for each simulation with respect to the original kinematics. The marker movements with the greatest impact were for the femoral and tibial wands together with the lateral femoral epicondyle marker when displaced in the anterior–posterior axis. When displaced alone, the femoral wand was responsible for a deviation of 7.3° (± 1.8°) in hip rotation. Transversal plane measurements were affected most, with around 40% of simulations resulting in an effect greater than the acceptable limit of 5°. This study also provided insight into which markers need to be placed very carefully to obtain more reliable gait data.
Enhancing memory capacity by experimentally slowing theta frequency oscillations using combined EEG-tACS
Authors: Aktürk Tuba , de Graaf Tom A. , Güntekin Bahar , Hanoğlu Lütfü , Sack Alexander T.
Published: August 2022

The coupling of gamma oscillation (~ 40+ Hz) amplitude to the phase of ongoing theta (~ 6 Hz) oscillations has been proposed to be directly relevant for memory performance. Current theories suggest that memory capacity scales with number of gamma cycles that can be fitted into the preferred phase of a theta cycle. Following this logic, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may be used to adjust theta cycles (increasing/decreasing theta frequency) to decrease or increase memory performance during stimulation. Here, we used individualized EEG-informed theta tACS to (1) experimentally “slow down” individual theta frequency (ITF), (2) evaluate cognitiveafter effectson a battery of memory and learning tasks, and (3) link the cognitive performance changes to tACS-induced effects on theta-band oscillations as measured by post EEG. We found frequency- and task-specific tACS after effects demonstrating a specific enhancement in memory capacity. This tACS-induced cognitive enhancement was specific to the visual memory task performed immediately after tACS offset, and specific to the ITF-1 Hz (slowing) stimulation condition and thus following a protocol specifically designed to slow down theta frequency to enhance memory capacity. Follow-up correlation analyses in this group linked the enhanced memory performance to increased left frontal-parietal theta-band connectivity. Interestingly, resting-state theta power immediately after tACS offset revealed a theta power increase not for the ITF-1 Hz group, but only for the ITF group where the tACS frequency was ‘optimal’ for entrainment. These results suggest that while individually calibrated tACS at peak frequency maximally modulates resting-state oscillatory power, tACS stimulation slightly below this optimal peak theta frequency is better suited to enhance memory capacity performance. Importantly, our results further suggest that such cognitive enhancement effects can last beyond the period of stimulation and are linked to increased network connectivity, opening the door towards more clinical and applied relevance of using tACS in cognitive rehabilitation and/or neurocognitive enhancement.
Generation of realistic synthetic data using Multimodal Neural Ordinary Differential Equations
Authors: Wendland Philipp , Birkenbihl Colin , Gomez-Freixa Marc , Sood Meemansa , Kschischo Maik , Fröhlich Holger
Published: August 2022

Individual organizations, such as hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and health insurance providers, are currently limited in their ability to collect data that are fully representative of a disease population. This can, in turn, negatively impact the generalization ability of statistical models and scientific insights. However, sharing data across different organizations is highly restricted by legal regulations. While federated data access concepts exist, they are technically and organizationally difficult to realize. An alternative approach would be to exchange synthetic patient data instead. In this work, we introduce the Multimodal Neural Ordinary Differential Equations (MultiNODEs), a hybrid, multimodal AI approach, which allows for generating highly realistic synthetic patient trajectories on a continuous time scale, hence enabling smooth interpolation and extrapolation of clinical studies. Our proposed method can integrate both static and longitudinal data, and implicitly handles missing values. We demonstrate the capabilities of MultiNODEs by applying them to real patient-level data from two independent clinical studies and simulated epidemiological data of an infectious disease.
Structures of L-BC virus and its open particle provide insight into Totivirus capsid assembly
Authors: Grybchuk Danyil , Procházková Michaela , Füzik Tibor , Konovalovas Aleksandras , Serva Saulius , Yurchenko Vyacheslav , Plevka Pavel
Published: August 2022

L-BC virus persists in the budding yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae, whereas other viruses from the familyTotiviridaeinfect a diverse group of organisms including protists, fungi, arthropods, and vertebrates. The presence of totiviruses alters the fitness of the host organisms, for example, by maintaining the killer system in yeast or increasing the virulence ofLeishmania guyanensis. Despite the importance of totiviruses for their host survival, there is limited information aboutTotivirusstructure and assembly. Here we used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structure of L-BC virus to a resolution of 2.9 Å. The L-BC capsid is organized with icosahedral symmetry, with each asymmetric unit composed of two copies of the capsid protein. Decamers of capsid proteins are stabilized by domain swapping of the C-termini of subunits located around icosahedral fivefold axes. We show that capsids of 9% of particles in a purified L-BC sample were open and lacked one decamer of capsid proteins. The existence of the open particles together with domain swapping within a decamer provides evidence thatTotiviridaecapsids assemble from the decamers of capsid proteins. Furthermore, the open particles may be assembly intermediates that are prepared for the incorporation of the virus (+) strand RNA.
Direct observation of heterogeneous formation of amyloid spherulites in real-time by super-resolution microscopy
Authors: Zhang Min , Pinholt Henrik D. , Zhou Xin , Bohr Søren S.-R. , Banetta Luca , Zaccone Alessio , Foderà Vito , Hatzakis Nikos S.
Published: August 2022

Protein misfolding in the form of fibrils or spherulites is involved in a spectrum of pathological abnormalities. Our current understanding of protein aggregation mechanisms has primarily relied on the use of spectrometric methods to determine the average growth rates and diffraction-limited microscopes with low temporal resolution to observe the large-scale morphologies of intermediates. We developed a REal-time kinetics via binding and Photobleaching LOcalization Microscopy (REPLOM) super-resolution method to directly observe and quantify the existence and abundance of diverse aggregate morphologies of human insulin, below the diffraction limit and extract their heterogeneous growth kinetics. Our results revealed that even the growth of microscopically identical aggregates, e.g., amyloid spherulites, may follow distinct pathways. Specifically, spherulites do not exclusively grow isotropically but, surprisingly, may also grow anisotropically, following similar pathways as reported for minerals and polymers. Combining our technique with machine learning approaches, we associated growth rates to specific morphological transitions and provided energy barriers and the energy landscape at the level of single aggregate morphology. Our unifying framework for the detection and analysis of spherulite growth can be extended to other self-assembled systems characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity, disentangling the broad spectrum of diverse morphologies at the single-molecule level.
Stable Southern Hemisphere westerly winds throughout the Holocene until intensification in the last two millennia
Authors: van der Bilt Willem G. M. , D’Andrea William J. , Oppedal Lea T. , Bakke Jostein , Bjune Anne E. , Zwier Maaike
Published: August 2022

The Southern Hemisphere westerly winds sustain the Southern Ocean’s role as one of Earth’s main carbon sinks, and have helped sequester nearly half the anthropogenic CO2 stored in the ocean. Observations show shifts in the vigor of this climate regulator, but models disagree how future change impacts carbon storage due to scarce baseline data. Here, we use the hydrogen isotope ratios of sedimentary lipids to resolve Holocene changes in Southern Hemisphere westerly wind strength. Our reconstruction reveals stable values until ~2150 years ago when aquatic compounds became more 2H-enriched. We attribute this isotope excursion to wind-driven lake water evaporation, and regional paleoclimate evidence shows it marks a trend towards a negative Southern Annular Mode – the Southern Ocean’s main mode of atmospheric variability. Because this shift is unmatched in the past 7000 years, our findings suggest that previously published millennium-long Southern Annular Mode indices used to benchmark future change may not capture the full range of natural variability.
Speciation analysis of both inorganic and organic 129I in seawater and its application in the study of the marine iodine cycle
Authors: Qi Yuanzhi , Matsuzaki Hiroyuki
Published: August 2022

A complete protocol is presented for the speciation analysis of 129I for both inorganic and organic iodine in seawater using coprecipitation and solid-phase extraction (SPE) combined with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS).
A novel virtual synchronous machine implementation and verification of its effectiveness to mitigate renewable generation connection issues at weak transmission grid locations
Authors: Gunasekara Randupama , Muthumuni Dharshana , Filizadeh Shaahin , Kho Denis , Marshall Benjamin , Ponnalagan Bharath , Adeuyi Oluwole D.
Published: August 2022

Large‐scale penetration of renewable resource based generation will displace conventional synchronous machine‐based power generation. This will lower the overall system inertia and will result in lower short circuit levels at point of connection (POC) of renewable resources. Renewable resources such as wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) are interfaced to the power system via power electronic inverters. Operation of inverter‐based equipment under low inertia and low short circuit conditions is challenging. Specific challenges include fault recovery response, unstable oscillatory interactions, and impact on torsional oscillations of thermal generating units. In this paper, the effectiveness of inverters, controlled as a virtual synchronous machine (VSM), to overcome some of these issues is investigated. A battery energy storage system (BESS) inverter is controlled as a VSM. The input signals provided to the BESS inverter are derived from solving the time domain equations of a synchronous machine. The response of exciter, governor, and power system stabilizer (PSS) are also included in the VSM strategy. The dynamic characteristics of the proposed VSM are verified using a single machine infinite bus (SMIB) test model. The effectiveness of the proposed VSM approach to mitigate specific technical challenges is verified by performing dynamic response studies on two test systems. The two test systems represent selected regions of practical power systems with high renewable penetration. The VSM response is compared with a conventional synchronous machine response in all test cases, to demonstrate the close correlation of dynamic response. The simulation results demonstrate that the VSM's response is as expected and is capable of mitigating stability‐related issues due to low system inertia and low short circuit strength.