bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carbon–cement supercapacitors as a scalable bulk energy storage solution
Authors: Chanut Nicolas , Stefaniuk Damian , Weaver James C. , Zhu Yunguang , Shao-Horn Yang , Masic Admir , Ulm Franz-Josef
Published: July 2023

The large-scale implementation of renewable energy systems necessitates the development of energy storage solutions to effectively manage imbalances between energy supply and demand. Herein, we investigate such a scalable material solution for energy storage in supercapacitors constructed from readily available material precursors that can be locally sourced from virtually anywhere on the planet, namely cement, water, and carbon black. We characterize our carbon-cement electrodes by combining correlative EDS–Raman spectroscopy with capacitance measurements derived from cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments using integer and fractional derivatives to correct for rate and current intensity effects. Texture analysis reveals that the hydration reactions of cement in the presence of carbon generate a fractal-like electron-conducting carbon network that permeates the load-bearing cement-based matrix. The energy storage capacity of this space-filling carbon black network of the high specific surface area accessible to charge storage is shown to be an intensive quantity, whereas the high-rate capability of the carbon-cement electrodes exhibits self-similarity due to the hydration porosity available for charge transport. This intensive and self-similar nature of energy storage and rate capability represents an opportunity for mass scaling from electrode to structural scales. The availability, versatility, and scalability of these carbon-cement supercapacitors opens a horizon for the design of multifunctional structures that leverage high energy storage capacity, high-rate charge/discharge capabilities, and structural strength for sustainable residential and industrial applications ranging from energy autarkic shelters and self-charging roads for electric vehicles, to intermittent energy storage for wind turbines and tidal power stations.
Elevated α5 integrin expression on myeloid cells in motor areas in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a therapeutic target
Authors: Chiot Aude , Roemer Shanu F. , Ryner Lisa , Bogachuk Alina , Emberley Katie , Brownell Dillon , Jimenez Gisselle A. , Leviten Michael , Woltjer Randall , Dickson Dennis W. , Steinman Lawrence , Ajami Bahareh
Published: July 2023

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal disease affecting upper and lower motor neurons. Microglia directly interact with motor neurons and participate in the progression of ALS. Single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF) analysis revealed prominent expression of α5 integrin in microglia and macrophages in a superoxide dismutase-1 G93A mouse model of ALS (SOD1
G93A
). In postmortem tissues from ALS patients with various clinical ALS phenotypes and disease duration, α5 integrin is prominent in motor pathways of the central and peripheral nervous system and in perivascular zones associated with the blood–brain barrier. In SOD1
G93A
mice, administration of a monoclonal antibody against α5 integrin increased survival compared to an isotype control and improved motor function on behavioral testing. Together, these findings in mice and in humans suggest that α5 integrin is a potential therapeutic target in ALS.
Collaborative writing in face-to-face and computer-mediated L2 settings
Authors: Zhang Meixiu , Li Mimi
Published: July 2023

In this chapter, we synthesize the methodological
approaches, research techniques, analytic frameworks, and research
practices in existing collaborative writing (CW) empirical research.
We start with an overview of both the predominant and emerging
research techniques in existing CW literature, and then examine how
the four major components of face-to-face and computer-mediated
collaborative writing have been analyzed in prior research: peer
interaction, revisions, patterns of collaboration, and written
products. In reviewing the various analytic frameworks, we identify
possible ways in which they may complement each other. Lastly, we
review the research practices in this area, noting aspects in need
of further consideration. We conclude this chapter by discussing
noticeable methodological patterns and calling for more
methodological discussion in this domain.
Do task repetition and pretask focus on form instruction impact
collaborative writing performance?
Authors: Calzada Asier , García Mayo María del Pilar
Published: July 2023

This study examines the influence of task
repetition (TR) and pretask focus on form instruction (FFI) on
written collaborative production. Eighty-five low-proficiency EFL
children carried out a dictogloss task twice: one targeting the 3rd
person singular present “‑s”, and the other aiming at the possessive
determiners “his/her”. Participants were divided into three
different conditions: individual, collaborative, and pretask
FFI + collaborative. Their written output was analyzed for
complexity and accuracy, and overall text quality was gauged with an
analytic rubric. The results did not reveal an advantage for the
collaborative groups over the individuals. However, TR and
collaboration increased grammatical accuracy while pretask FFI
appeared to foster more accurate use of the target forms.
Pedagogical and research implications are discussed.
Urban Panamanian English
Authors: Laliberté Catherine
Published: July 2023

Urban Panamanian English presents the first detailed account of the English used by the descendants of the Afro-Caribbean builders of the Panama Canal. It offers an up-to-date sociolinguistic account of the Panamanian West Indian community of Panama City and Colón, including empirical coverage of the advanced state of language shift taking place among bilinguals. The book also showcases spoken interview data and takes stock of the variety’s grammatical features. In particular, it provides an advanced quantitative study of variation in the use of verbal -s which contributes to longstanding discussions regarding the principles constraining this variable in Englishes world-wide. This work of documentation and description richly complements existing research on Panamanian Creole English and spotlights Panama as part and parcel of the English-speaking Caribbean. As such, this book is of interest to all scholars and students of language contact, variation, and change.
Multimodality deep learning radiomics nomogram for preoperative prediction of malignancy of breast cancer: a multicenter study
Authors: Wu Peiyan , Jiang Yan , Xing Hanshuo , Song Wenbo , Cui Xinwu , Wu Xing long , Xu Guoping
Published: July 2023

Background. Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer diagnosed in women worldwide. Accurately and efficiently stratifying the risk is an essential step in achieving precision medicine prior to treatment. This study aimed to construct and validate a nomogram based on radiomics and deep learning for preoperative prediction of the malignancy of breast cancer (MBC). Methods. The clinical and ultrasound imaging data, including brightness mode (B-mode) and color Doppler flow imaging, of 611 breast cancer patients from multiple hospitals in China were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into one primary cohort (PC), one validation cohort (VC) and two test cohorts (TC1 and TC2). A multimodality deep learning radiomics nomogram (DLRN) was constructed for predicting the MBC. The performance of the proposed DLRN was comprehensively assessed and compared with three unimodal models via the calibration curve, the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristics and the decision curve analysis. Results. The DLRN discriminated well between the MBC in all cohorts [overall AUC (95% confidence interval): 0.983 (0.973–0.993), 0.972 (0.952–0.993), 0.897 (0.823–0.971), and 0.993 (0.977–1.000) on the PC, VC, test cohorts1 (TC1) and test cohorts2 TC2 respectively]. In addition, the DLRN performed significantly better than three unimodal models and had good clinical utility. Conclusion. The DLRN demonstrates good discriminatory ability in the preoperative prediction of MBC, can better reveal the potential associations between clinical characteristics, ultrasound imaging features and disease pathology, and can facilitate the development of computer-aided diagnosis systems for breast cancer patients. Our code is available publicly in the repository at https://github.com/wupeiyan/MDLRN.
Nonlinear microtearing modes in MAST and their stochastic layer formation
Authors: Giacomin M , Dickinson D , Kennedy D , Patel B S , Roach C M
Published: July 2023

First nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of microtearing modes in the core of a MAST case are performed on two surfaces of the high-collisionality discharge used in Valovič et al (2011 Nucl. Fusion
51 073045) to obtain the favorable energy confinement scaling with collisionality,

τ
E

∝

ν
∗

−
1

. On the considered surfaces microtearing modes dominate linearly at binormal length scales of the order of the ion Larmor radius. While the effect of electron collision frequency is moderate in linear simulations, a strong dependence on this parameter is found in nonlinear simulations at

r

/

a
=
0.5

, where r and a are the surface and tokamak minor radius, respectively. The dynamics of magnetic islands generated by microtearing modes is analysed, showing that the radial extent of the stochastic region caused by islands overlapping plays an important role in determining the saturation level of the microtearing mode driven heat flux. Local nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations show that the microtearing mode driven heat flux,

Q
e

M
T
M

, is largely dominated by magnetic flutter and depends strongly on the magnetic shear,

s
ˆ

. Comparing two surfaces,

r

/

a
=
0.5

and

r

/

a
=
0.6

, reveals that

Q
e

M
T
M

is negligible at

r

/

a
=
0.5

(

s
ˆ

=
0.34

), with the electron temperature gradient (ETG) driven heat flux,

Q
e

E
T
G

, comparable to the experimental electron heat flux,

Q
e

e
x
p

, while

Q
e

M
T
M

is significantly larger and comparable to

Q
e

E
T
G

and

Q
e

e
x
p

at

r

/

a
=
0.6

(

s
ˆ

=
1.1

). Microtearing modes cause more experimentally significant transport in higher

s
ˆ

regions and may influence (together with ETG modes) the observed scaling of energy confinement time with collisionality (Valovič et al 2011 Nucl. Fusion
51 073045).
Boost the photocatalytic hydrogen production of the nanocomposites conducting polypyrrole modified with metal oxide (CuO)
Authors: Atta A , Abdeltwab E , Negm H , Alshammari Alhulw H , Abdelhamied M M , Ahmed Ashour M , Rabia Mohamed
Published: July 2023

This study explores the use of a PPy/CuO nanocomposite films for photocatalytic hydrogen production from wastewater, which is a significant avenue for solar energy applications. The photocatalyst is prepared using a simple in situ polymerization method on a glass substrate, and is found to exhibit high photocatalytic H2 evolution activity without the need for any co-catalyst. The structure of the PPy and CuO components is confirmed through XRD, TEM, FTIR and XPS analyses. The SEM indicates that CuO nanoparticles cause a homogenous PPy morphology due to the reduction of the accumulation by incorporation of CuO in PPy. The composite is found to have optical absorption spectra covering the UV, Vis, and near IR regions, with a band gap of 1.92 eV making it suitable as a photoelectrode for hydrogen production. The effect of light/dark, on/off chopped light, and monochromatic wavelengths on the photocatalytic activity is studied, and the electrode is found to exhibit a strong response to light under different monochromatic wavelengths that match its optical absorbance behavior. The photocurrent density values obtained are 3.7, 3.4, 2.9, and 0.45 μA cm−2 under 340, 440, 540, and 730 nm, respectively. The study is low-cost and holds promise for the production of hydrogen gas from wastewater.
Surface modification and helium release of tungsten irradiated by 40 keV helium ions
Authors: Xia Tongjun , Jiang Zhenyu , Shi Yongzhi , Ren Xinyu , Zhang Wenjie , Wang Meiqi , Liang Lisha , Zhu Kaigui
Published: July 2023

The effects of grain boundaries and surface roughness on tungsten irradiated by 40 keV He ions with a flux of 1.6 × 1017 He+/(m2s) to a fluence of 6.6 × 1021 He m−2 at room temperature were investigated. It was found that rough surfaces can suppress the surface blistering on tungsten. This may be due to the grooves appeared on rough tungsten limiting crack growth, resulting in the release of helium. However, the influence of grain boundaries on denseness of blistering was not obvious except the difference in blistering cap. The number of blister with detached cap on large grain tungsten samples (LGW, with the grain size of ∼50 μm) is more than that on small grain tungsten samples (SGW, with the grain size of ∼5 μm). In addition, the effect of grain boundaries on helium retention in tungsten cannot be ignored. The total He release from SGW was 2.56 × 1021 He m−2, which was smaller than the value (4.10 × 1021 He m−2) of LGW.
Dynamical friction in gravitational atoms
Authors: Tomaselli Giovanni Maria , Spieksma Thomas F.M. , Bertone Gianfranco
Published: July 2023

Due to superradiant instabilities, clouds of ultralight bosons can spontaneously grow around rotating black holes, creating so-called “gravitational atoms”. In this work, we study their dynamical effects on binary systems. We first focus on open orbits, showing that the presence of a cloud can increase the cross section for the dynamical capture of a compact object by more than an order of magnitude. We then consider closed orbits and demonstrate that the backreaction of the cloud's ionization on the orbital motion should be identified as dynamical friction. Finally, we study for the first time eccentric and inclined orbits. We find that, while ionization quickly circularizes the binary, it barely affects the inclination angle. These results enable a more realistic description of the dynamics of gravitational atoms in binaries and pave the way for dedicated searches with future gravitational wave detectors.
First H- beam extracted from the non-caesiated external RF-coil ion source at ISIS
Authors: Lawrie S. , Abel R. , Cahill C. , Faircloth D. , Macgregor J. , Speed J. , Tarvainen O.
Published: July 2023

A high power, high duty-cycle, non-caesiated negative hydrogen ion source is in
development at the ISIS pulsed spallation neutron and muon facility. Stable operation of an
inductively-coupled plasma pulsing at 50 Hz, 1 ms, 70 kW has been perfected with no apparent
lifetime issues. Novel features compared to similar H- sources include a very low power
microwave ignition gun, an adjustable permanent magnet filter field and multiple large 3D-printed
components. This paper details the initial commissioning efforts required to generate a beam. An
H- beam current of 10 mA was extracted on the first try in pure volume-production
mode. Parameter sweeps and optimisation to reach the required 35 mA were put on hold to address
ancillary equipment problems. Mitigation of RF pickup required major mechanical changes such as
additional screening and magnetic shielding. Extraction voltage holding capabilities were
investigated to cope with co-extracted electron current loading in excess of 0.7 A. Preliminary
studies of the biased plasma electrode current showed that co-extracted electrons could be
suppressed by increasing the magnetic filter field and gas flow.
Extended characterization of alpha particles via laser-induced p-11B fusion reaction in silicon hydrogenated boron-doped thin targets
Authors: Milluzzo G. , Belloni F. , Petringa G. , Scuderi V. , Giuffrida L. , Velyhan A. , Verona C. , Picciotto A. , Rosinski M. , Catalano R. , Crivellari M. , Dostal J. , Dudzak R. , Juha L. , Krasa J. , Krupka M. , Krůs M. , Lanzalone G. , Leanza R. , Litrico C.G. , Pfeizer M. , Schillaci F. , Tudisco S. , Margarone D. , Cirrone G.A.P.
Published: July 2023

The nuclear fusion channel of the p-11B reaction producing α particles with
multi-MeV kinetic energies was induced by a sub-nanosecond laser pulse focused onto 10 μm
thick boron-doped thin targets at intensities of ∼ 1016 W/cm2. A full
characterization in terms of α particle flux and angular distribution was performed thanks
to the simultaneous use of several diagnostics (time-of-flight detectors, nuclear track detectors,
and Thomson Parabola spectrometers), which enabled to measure key features of particles produced
both in the backward (target front side) and forward (target rear side) directions. Maximum
 α particle flux and cut-off energy were recorded at small detection angles with respect to
the target normal in the backward direction. The maximum kinetic energy shown by the
 α-particles produced in the nuclear fusion reaction was ascribable to a post-accelerating
transient electric field present in the laser-generated plasma, in agreement with our previous
preliminary results.
Predicting Particulate Matter (PM10) during High Particulate Event (HPE) using Quantile Regression in Klang Valley, Malaysia
Authors: Rahim N A A A , Noor N Mohamed , Jafri I A Mohd , Ramli N , Kamaruddin M A , Deák G
Published: July 2023

Particulate matter (PM10) is the key indicator of air quality index (API) during high particulate event (HPE). The presence of PM10 is believed to have an adverse effect on human health and environment. Therefore, the prediction of future PM10 concentration is very important because it can aid the local authorities to implement precautionary actions to limit the impact of air pollution. This study aims to compare the performances of two predictive models, which include Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Quantile Regression (QR) in predicting the next-day PM10 concentration during HPE. The hourly dataset of PM10 concentration with other trace gases and weather parameters at Kelang and Petaling Jaya from the year of historic haze event in Malaysia (1997, 2005, 2013 and 2015) were obtained from Department of Environment (DOE) Malaysia. Three performance measures namely Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Normalised Absolute Error (NAE) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) were calculated to evaluate the performances of the predictive models. From the results, QR model at quantile 0.3 and 0.6 was chosen as the best predictive tools for predicting the next day PM10 concentration during haze event in Kelang and Petaling Jaya, respectively. showed better performance for the prediction of next-day PM10 concentration in Kelang. These results indicate that QR can be used as one of predictive tool to forecast air pollution concentration especially during unusual condition of air quality.
Differential Display Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (DDRT-PCR) for Grey Oyster Mushroom Samples Grown with Acoustic Sound Treatment
Authors: Song Tham Khai , Zamri Norsahira Ezrin Mohd , Ibrahim Roshita , Mohtar Johan Ariff , Abbas Hartinee , Rahman Ahmad Mukhlis Abdul
Published: July 2023

Grey oyster mushroom is the most often farmed and marketed type of mushroom for household consumption in Malaysia. The mushroom cultivation takes a long time due to its complicated mycelium growth. Several treatments were introduced such as acoustic sound treatment to increase the growth rate and quality of the crop, but there is no in-depth study regarding the genetic expression of the genes affected. This study aims to evaluate the Differential Display Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (DDRT-PCR) for grey oyster mushroom samples grown with acoustic sound treatment. The mushroom was subjected to the treatment and the RNA was extracted from the mushroom samples and converted into cDNA before undergoing DDRT-PCR. Ten Differential Expressed Transcripts (DETs) that were successfully identified based on the differences between the intensity and absence of amplicons were sent for gene sequencing and BLAST through the NCBI database to obtain relevant results regarding the possible gene annotation. Seven out of ten DETs hit potential genes encoding for housekeeping and structural and development functions. The results showed that acoustic sound treatment did affect the expression of certain genes differently as captured by DDRT-PCR analyses and offers new ideas for the development of ecological agriculture.
Viability Study on Fly Ash and Bottom Ash from Combustion Waste
Authors: Ibrahim Norlia Mohamad , Mohamed Syakirah Afizah , Amat Roshazita Che , Rahim Nur Liza , Zailani Warid Wazien Ahmad , Rahim Mustaqqim Abdul , Laslo Lucian , Ismail Khairul Nizar
Published: July 2023

The substitution or addition of new supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) in the production of variety of construction materials has gained much interest. One of the examples of SCM is incineration ash which consist of fly ash (FA) and bottom ash (BA) which are the residues from the ignition of biomass and can brings applicable ecological advantages. However, the properties of this new materials need to be investigated to ensure its full potential can be developed. Therefore, this study is initiated to identify the characteristics of incineration ash from local source in Malaysia. To identify the elemental components of ashes, most widely method was adopted which is using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). The quantity of unburned carbon in fly ash is measured by loss on ignition, which has a major influence on the product’s characteristics. In addition, specific gravity and density were also determined and comparison has been made with cement. In this study it was found out that XRF results shows that both FA and BA consist of the same mineral composition with OPC majorly in silica, aluminium, calcium, and iron which makes is suitable to be used in the concrete. For LOI, the value for BA is much higher compared with FA due to the amount of unburnt carbon in its original compositions and the incomplete burning due to insufficient contact time in the furnace. Based on the result obtained for LOI, the average LOI value for FA and BA is 17.33 % and 44.67 %, respectively. As expected, for the specific gravity and density, FA having the lowest specific gravity and density. The density obtained for FA is 755 kg/m3 and for BA is 593 kg/m3. Overall, the use of incineration ash can be fully investigated by exploring other parameter that influence the performance of construction materials.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) Application as Risk Mitigation Strategies in Building Refurbishment Project Life Cycle
Authors: Ishak Nurfadzillah , Azizan Muhammad Azizi , Ibrahim Fazdliel Aswad , Rahim Nur Soleha Abdul , Zawawi Emma Marinie Ahmad , Anuar Nur Hidayah Khairul , Shohime Nor Suraya
Published: July 2023

Towards the implementation of inclusive sustainable cities development as one of the Sustainable Development Goals, the imbalance ratio of existing buildings to new construction became overwhelming challenges. Therefore, refurbishment of existing buildings is considered the possible solution to minimizes the environmental impact and upgrading the performance of an existing building to meet new requirements. However, building refurbishment is well-known as a project that comprehends riskier compared to new building projects which lead to limited applicability in current risk management implementation. Thus, in line with an era of digitization construction of the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0), the traditional risk management needs improvement from a manual basis to magnifying efficiency using integration of Building Information Modelling (BIM) application. BIM is defined as an advanced technology that assists construction players to produce, communicate, and analyse building models by providing visual tools and a set of data. Therefore, the objective of this research is to identify the potential building refurbishment risk categories and to determine the most critical project lifecycle phase in implementing the BIM applications in order to mitigate the potential building refurbishment project risk. Also, to discover the relationship strength between these two variables. The quantitative method is applied by using a questionnaire form to the certified BIM experts. This research contributes a solid understanding and useful guideline for future practice reference and improvement within the Building Refurbishment Project.
Electronic materials for solution-processed TFTs
Authors: Acharya Vishwas , Agarwal Kushagra , Mondal Sandip
Published: July 2023

Sol–gel processed thin-film transistors (TFTs) have emerged as a promising technology for next-generationelectronics. TFTs are widely used as switching devices in a various applications, like sensors, displays, memory, and logic circuits. The use of solution process technology offers several advantages, such as low cost, simple process, high throughput, homogeneity, and excellent compositional control. The solution-based fabrication process enables the deposition of thin films on a wide range of substrates, including flexible and curved surfaces. Recently, significant progress has been made in the field of oxide semiconductors and oxide dielectrics for solution-processed TFTs. These developments have led to improved device performance, including higher operating voltage, mobility, and on/off current ratio, among other factors. In this article, we discuss the progress made in the development of oxide semiconductors and oxide dielectrics for sol–gel processed TFTs. This study aims to present a comprehensive understanding of the latest advancements in sol–gel processed TFTs. First, we present comprehensive summary of the key parameters of solution-processed metal oxides that are critical for building high-performance thin film transistors (TFTs), including sol–gel derived binary and ternary metal oxide dielectrics and semiconductors. Following that a detailed performance analysis of solution-processed TFTs in terms of their operating voltage, mobility, and on/off current ratio (Ion/Ioff), among other factors has been summarized. Afterward, the applications of solution-processed TFTs fabricated using various techniques (e.g., spin coating, screen printing, and inkjet printing) are also discussed. We explore the function of sol–gel processed high-k dielectrics and the challenges associated with their growth for fabrication of high-performance TFTs. Finally, the future perspectives on how to improve the performance of solution-processed TFTs. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the potential of solution-processed materials for use in next-generation portable electronics.
Public preferences for phasing-out fossil fuels in the german building and transport sectors
Authors: Tröndle Tim , Annaheim Jasmin , Hoppe Janna , Hanger-Kopp Susanne , Patt Anthony
Published: July 2023

In most of Europe, the decarbonisation of the building and transport sectors lags behind emission targets. Achieving full decarbonisation requires not only the diffusion of net-zero emission technologies but also the phase-out of technologies that emit greenhouse gases (GHG). However, implementing policy changes in these sectors can have an immediate and significant impact on people’s day-to-day life, leading to a higher risk of political backlash, as exemplified by the yellow vest movement in France. In this study, we investigate public preferences for phase-out policy packages in both sectors in Germany by conducting two conjoint experiments with 1,777 respondents in March 2022. Respondents collectively evaluated a total of 17,770 policy packages per sector, specifically targeting the phase-out of fossil fuel-based heating systems and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). We find that respondents favour earlier phase-out dates for both technologies, but the type of preferred instruments varies: while regulatory instruments like bans are preferred for heating systems, economic instruments like taxes are preferred for ICEVs. These preferences are even more pronounced in people most concerned about climate change. In addition, we find that people with higher knowledge about sector emissions tend to demonstrate higher acceptance of policy interventions and that supportive measures significantly enhance the attractiveness of policy packages. Our findings can inform the design of phase-out policy packages, potentially increasing their acceptability and political feasibility.
Essence of independence: Hodge theory of matroids since June Huh
Authors: Eur Christopher
Published: July 2023

Matroids are combinatorial abstractions of independence, a ubiquitous notion that pervades many branches of mathematics. June Huh and his collaborators recently made spectacular breakthroughs by developing a Hodge theory of matroids that resolved several long-standing conjectures in matroid theory. We survey the main results in this development and ideas behind them.
Pollen viabilities and gene expression profiles across Musa genomes
Authors: Mingmanit Yonlada , Boonsrangsom Thanita , Sujipuli Kawee , Ratanasut Kumrop , Inthima Phithak
Published: July 2023

Banana (Musa spp.) is a major global economic fruit crop. However, cross-pollination from other Musa cultivars grown in nearby plantations results in seeded fruit that exceeds market demand. This study investigated pollen viability and germination and examined the expression profiles of pollen development-related genes across seven Musa genomes (AA, BB, AAA, BBB, AAB, ABB and ABBB). Twenty-three Musa cultivars were assessed for pollen viability using lacto-aceto-orcein and triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining methods. Results revealed that pollen viability obtained from both methods was significantly different among all the studied cultivars. Cultivars carrying BB (diploid) genomes had higher viability percentages than AA (diploid), AAA, BBB, AAB and ABB (triploid) and ABBB (tetraploid) genomes. Germination of the studied cultivars was also investigated on pollen culture medium, with results showing significant differences between the pollen of each cultivar. The best germinating cultivar was TKM (11.0 %), carrying BB genome. Expression profiles of pollen development-related genes by RT–qPCR indicated that both TPD1A and MYB80 genes were highly expressed in triploid Musa genomes but the PTC1 gene showed down-regulated expression, resulting in non-viable pollen. Pollen viability, pollen germination and pollen development-related genes differed across Musa cultivars. This knowledge will be useful for the selection of male parents for Musa cross-breeding programs. Pollen viability should also be considered when planning Musa production to avoid seeded fruit.
Smaller Hippocampal Volume Is Associated With Reduced Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children With Cancer and Survivors Following a Brief Novel Martial Arts-Based Intervention
Authors: Evanski Julia M , Iadipaolo Allesandra , Ely Samantha L , Zundel Clara G , Gowatch Leah C , Bhogal Amanpreet , Owens Zazai , Cohen Cindy , Goldberg Elimelech , Bluth Martin H , Taub Jeffrey , Harper Felicity W K , Rabinak Christine A , Marusak Hilary A
Published: July 2023

Purpose

Children with cancer and survivors frequently report posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), which are associated with volumetric changes in stress-sensitive brain regions, including the hippocampus.

Methods

We examined the impact of a novel, 4-week martial-arts-based meditative intervention on cancer-related PTSS in 18 pediatric patients and survivors and whether baseline hippocampal volumes correlate with PTSS severity and/or PTSS changes over time.

Results

Overall, PTSS did not significantly change from baseline to post-intervention. Smaller hippocampal volume was correlated with more severe re-experiencing PTSS at baseline, and greater reductions in PTSS post-intervention.

Conclusions

Together, hippocampal volume may be a biomarker of PTSS severity and intervention response. Identifying hippocampal volume as a potential biomarker for PTSS severity and intervention response may allow for more informed psychosocial treatments.
scDeepInsight: a supervised cell-type identification method for scRNA-seq data with deep learning
Authors: Jia Shangru , Lysenko Artem , Boroevich Keith A , Sharma Alok , Tsunoda Tatsuhiko
Published: July 2023

Annotation of cell-types is a critical step in the analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data that allows the study of heterogeneity across multiple cell populations. Currently, this is most commonly done using unsupervised clustering algorithms, which project single-cell expression data into a lower dimensional space and then cluster cells based on their distances from each other. However, as these methods do not use reference datasets, they can only achieve a rough classification of cell-types, and it is difficult to improve the recognition accuracy further. To effectively solve this issue, we propose a novel supervised annotation method, scDeepInsight. The scDeepInsight method is capable of performing manifold assignments. It is competent in executing data integration through batch normalization, performing supervised training on the reference dataset, doing outlier detection and annotating cell-types on query datasets. Moreover, it can help identify active genes or marker genes related to cell-types. The training of the scDeepInsight model is performed in a unique way. Tabular scRNA-seq data are first converted to corresponding images through the DeepInsight methodology. DeepInsight can create a trainable image transformer to convert non-image RNA data to images by comprehensively comparing interrelationships among multiple genes. Subsequently, the converted images are fed into convolutional neural networks such as EfficientNet-b3. This enables automatic feature extraction to identify the cell-types of scRNA-seq samples. We benchmarked scDeepInsight with six other mainstream cell annotation methods. The average accuracy rate of scDeepInsight reached 87.5%, which is more than 7% higher compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Modelling and optimization of combined heat and power system in microgrid based on renewable energy
Authors: Smaisim Ghassan F , Abed Azher M , Hadrawi Salema K , Majdi Hasan Sh. , Shamel Ali
Published: July 2023

Due to the short distance between the sources of production and consumption, microgrids (MGs) have received considerable attention because these systems involve fewer losses and waste less energy. And another advantage of MGs is that renewable energy sources can be widely used because these resources are not fully available and can provide a part of the required power. The purpose of this research is to model the MG considering the production sources of microturbines, gas turbines and internal combustion engines. Renewable energies such as wind turbines (WTs) and photovoltaic (PV) cells have been used to provide part of the required power and, because of the lack of access to renewable energy sources at all times, energy reserves such as batteries and fuel cells (FCs) have been considered. The power of the microturbine, gas turbine, internal combustion engine, FC and battery in this system is 162, 150, 90, 100 and 225 kW, respectively. After modelling the studied system, optimization was done using the imperialist competitive algorithm to minimize production costs and provide maximum thermal and electrical loads. The maximum production power for PVs is equal to 0.6860 MWh and at this time this value for WTs is equal to 0.3812 MWh, in which case the excess electricity produced will be sold to the grid.
Comparative study of energetic potential from anaerobic digestion and direct combustion of date palm wastes
Authors: Lahboubi Nabila , Kerrou Omar , Sarh Brahim , Boushaki Toufik , Belandria Veronica , El Khattabi Yasser , El Bari Hassan
Published: July 2023

This work aims to evaluate the technical and environmental feasibility of converting date palm waste from a Moroccan oasis into energy. In this study, two different scenarios were analysed. The first proposed scenario is the valorization of the date palm substrates using direct combustion (thermochemical conversion) to produce energy. The second proposed scenario is the valorization of the substrates using combined anaerobic digestion of the substrate and direct combustion of the digestate. In this study, two different date palm wastes are: empty fruit bunch (EFB) and palm leaflet (PL). The experimental lower heating values of the digestates studied are 12.93 and 12.71 MJ/kg, respectively. The results show that using Scenario 1, the estimated output energies for the EFB and PL waste were 1.13 and 1.17 MWh, respectively. Using Scenario 2, the EFB and PL output energies were 1.27 and 1.39 MWh, respectively. The study revealed that the combined process is possible as an alternative way to produce energy. Furthermore, combining anaerobic digestion and direct combustion of lignocellulosic waste can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Super Structure Fault-Tolerance Assessment of the Generalized Hypercube
Authors: Shu Chang , Wang Yan , Fan Jianxi , Wang Guijuan
Published: July 2023

Fault-tolerant performance of a network is the prerequisite and guarantee for the normal operation of a network, which is often characterized by connectivity. Let $H$ denote a connected subgraph of $G$ and $H^{*}$ denote the union of the set of all connected subgraphs of $H$ and the set of the trivial graph. Super $H$-connectivity (resp. super $H^{*}$-connectivity) satisfies the conditions of both super connectivity and $H$-structure connectivity (resp. $H$-substructure connectivity). These two kinds of new connectivity provide a new metric to measure the fault-tolerance of the network, that is, the super structure fault-tolerance. The generalized hypercube $G(m_{r}, m_{r-1},..., m_{1})$ is a universal topology of interconnection networks that contains other commonly used topologies and it has been applied in many data center networks because of its excellent qualities. In this paper, we research the super structure fault-tolerance of $G(m_{r}, m_{r-1},..., m_{1})$ by studying super $H$-connectivity $\kappa ^{\prime}(G|H)$ and super $H^{*}$-connectivity $\kappa ^{\prime}(G|H^{*})$ for $H\in \{K_{1,M},\ C_{3},\ C_{4},\ K_{4}\}$.
KEFSAR: A Solar-Aware Routing Strategy For Rechargeable IoT Based On High-Accuracy Prediction
Authors: Ma Dongchao , Wang Dongmei , Huang Xiaofu , Hu Yuekun , Ma Li
Published: July 2023

The high energy density of solar energy gives wireless sensor networks advantages in outdoor monitoring applications. However, long-term stable monitoring is challenging due to frequent weather changes, shading by buildings and trees, etc. The existing research usually uses two technologies to solve the above problems: (1) the energy prediction algorithm, and (2) the energy-aware routing strategy. However, in an actual deployment, frequent weather changes can significantly reduce the accuracy of the existing prediction algorithms. When using the algorithms as the support for energy-aware routing, the network lifetime is less than ideal. The existing routing strategies are in need of further improvement. Because of its lack of environmental adaptability, nodes consume energy quickly and have a high mortality rate. Therefore, aiming at the long-term stability of solar wireless sensor networks, this paper proposes a prediction algorithm based on classification and recurrent neural networks, and integrates the shadow judgement method from our previous research to correct the predicted values. Furthermore, we propose a routing optimization model that can flexibly adjust the target according to the solar intensity. The experimental results show that the prediction and routing scheduling algorithm can significantly improve the energy prediction accuracy (30–50%) and prolong the network lifetime (10–42%) in outdoor small sensor scenarios.
FAM210A regulates mitochondrial translation and maintains cardiac mitochondrial homeostasis
Authors: Wu Jiangbin , Subbaiah Kadiam C Venkata , Hedaya Omar , Chen Si , Munger Joshua , Tang Wai Hong Wilson , Yan Chen , Yao Peng
Published: July 2023

Aims

Mitochondria play a vital role in cellular metabolism and energetics and support normal cardiac function. Disrupted mitochondrial function and homeostasis cause a variety of heart diseases. Fam210a (family with sequence similarity 210 member A), a novel mitochondrial gene, is identified as a hub gene in mouse cardiac remodelling by multi-omics studies. Human FAM210A mutations are associated with sarcopenia. However, the physiological role and molecular function of FAM210A remain elusive in the heart. We aim to determine the biological role and molecular mechanism of FAM210A in regulating mitochondrial function and cardiac health in vivo.

Methods and results

Tamoxifen-induced αMHCMCM-driven conditional knockout of Fam210a in the mouse cardiomyocytes induced progressive dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure, ultimately causing mortality. Fam210a deficient cardiomyocytes exhibit severe mitochondrial morphological disruption and functional decline accompanied by myofilament disarray at the late stage of cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, we observed increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, disturbed mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduced respiratory activity in cardiomyocytes at the early stage before contractile dysfunction and heart failure. Multi-omics analyses indicate that FAM210A deficiency persistently activates integrated stress response, resulting in transcriptomic, translatomic, proteomic, and metabolomic reprogramming, ultimately leading to pathogenic progression of heart failure. Mechanistically, mitochondrial polysome profiling analysis shows that FAM210A loss of function compromises mitochondrial mRNA translation and leads to reduced mitochondrial-encoded proteins, followed by disrupted proteostasis. We observed decreased FAM210A protein expression in human ischaemic heart failure and mouse myocardial infarction tissue samples. To further corroborate FAM210A function in the heart, AAV9-mediated overexpression of FAM210A promotes mitochondrial-encoded protein expression, improves cardiac mitochondrial function, and partially rescues murine hearts from cardiac remodelling and damage in ischaemia-induced heart failure.

Conclusion

These results suggest that FAM210A is a mitochondrial translation regulator to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis and normal cardiomyocyte contractile function. This study also offers a new therapeutic target for treating ischaemic heart disease.
Effect of high-fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse on the prevention of demineralized lesions during orthodontic treatment: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Enerbäck Hanna , Lövgren Mai Lin , Strömberg Nicklas , Westerlund Anna
Published: July 2023

Objective

To evaluate the effect of high-fluoride mouth rinse and high-fluoride toothpaste on the development of demineralized lesions (DLs) during orthodontic treatment.

Trial design

Three-armed parallel-group randomized controlled trial.

Methods

The trial was performed with 270 adolescent orthodontic patients. Randomization was performed in blocks of 30, enrolling the patients into one of the following groups: the fluoride mouth rinse (FMR) group receiving 0.2% sodium fluoride (NaF) mouth rinse plus 1450 ppm fluoride (F) toothpaste; high-fluoride toothpaste (HFT) group receiving 5000 ppm F toothpaste; and the Control (CTR) group receiving 1450 ppm F toothpaste. Inclusion criteria were patients scheduled for treatment in both arches with fixed appliances and age between 12 and 20 years. The primary outcome variable was the proportion of participants with at least one new demineralized lesion as assessed on digital photos taken before and after treatment, analysed by a blinded clinician. The analysis included all teeth or teeth in the aesthetic zone, i.e. all central incisors, lateral incisors, and canines. A random sample of 30 participants was assessed to check intra- and inter-reliability. For pairwise comparison between groups, Fisher’s non-parametric permutation test was used for continuous variables. Blinding was employed during the caries registration and data analysis.

Recruitment

October 2010 to December 2012

Results

In total, 270 patients were randomized, of which 22 were excluded during treatment. Therefore, 248 participants were included in the study. The number of patients with an increase of ≥1 DL, including only central- and lateral incisors and canines, during orthodontic treatment, was significantly lower in the HFT group, 51/85 60%, compared to the CTR group, 64/82 78%, RR 0.77 (CI 0.62; 0.95), P = .01 and in the FMR group, 47/81 58%, compared to the CTR group, RR 0.74 (CI 0.60; 0.92), P < .01.

Conclusions

To prevent demineralized lesions in the aesthetic zone, high-fluoride mouth rinse and high-fluoride toothpaste may be recommended.

Limitations

The protocol was not registered, and the present study did not use a double-blinded design.
BigSeqKit: a parallel Big Data toolkit to process FASTA and FASTQ files at scale
Authors: Piñeiro César , Pichel Juan C
Published: July 2023

Background

High-throughput sequencing technologies have led to an unprecedented explosion in the amounts of sequencing data available, which are typically stored using FASTA and FASTQ files. We can find in the literature several tools to process and manipulate those type of files with the aim of transforming sequence data into biological knowledge. However, none of them are well fitted for processing efficiently very large files, likely in the order of terabytes in the following years, since they are based on sequential processing. Only some routines of the well-known seqkit tool are partly parallelized. In any case, its scalability is limited to use few threads on a single computing node.

Results

Our approach, BigSeqKit, takes advantage of a high-performance computing–Big Data framework to parallelize and optimize the commands included in seqkit with the aim of speeding up the manipulation of FASTA/FASTQ files. In this way, in most cases, it is from tens to hundreds of times faster than several state-of-the-art tools. At the same time, our toolkit is easy to use and install on any kind of hardware platform (local server or cluster), and its routines can be used as a bioinformatics library or from the command line.

Conclusions

BigSeqKit is a very complete and ultra-fast toolkit to process and manipulate large FASTA and FASTQ files. It is publicly available at https://github.com/citiususc/BigSeqKit.