bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visual augmentation of deck-landing-ability improves helicopter ship landing decisions
Authors: Thomas Mathieu , Serres Julien R. , Rakotomamonjy Thomas , Ruffier Franck , Morice Antoine H. P.
Published: March 2023

When attempting to land on a ship deck tossed by the sea, helicopter pilots must make sure that the helicopter can develop sufficient lift to be able to safely touchdown. This reminder of affordance theory led us to model and study the affordance of deck-landing-ability, which defines whether it is possible to land safely on a ship deck depending on the helicopter's available lift and the ship’s deck heave movements. Two groups of participants with no piloting experience using a laptop helicopter simulator attempted to land either a low-lifter or a heavy-lifter helicopter on a virtual ship deck by either triggering a pre-programmed lift serving as the descent law if it was deemed possible to land, or aborting the deck-landing maneuver. The deck-landing-ability was manipulated by varying the helicopter's initial altitude and the ship's heave phase between trials. We designed a visual augmentation making visible the deck-landing-ability, and thus enabling participants to maximize the safety of their deck-landing attempts and reduce the number of unsafe deck-landing. The visual augmentation presented here was perceived by participants as a means of facilitating this decision-making process. The benefits were found to have originated from the clear-cut distinction it helped them to make between safe and unsafe deck-landing windows and the display of the optimal time for initiating the landing.
Free androgen index (FAI)’s relations with oxidative stress and insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Rahmatnezhad Leili , Moghaddam-Banaem Lida , Behrouzi Lak Tahereh , Shiva Afshin , Rasuli Javad
Published: March 2023

This study aimed to determine the levels of the free androgen index (FAI) and its association with oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This cross-sectional study was performed on 160 women aged 18–45 years, visiting gynecology clinics of Urmia in northwestern Iran during 2020–2021 who were diagnosed with PCOS and exhibited one of the four phenotypes of PCOS. All the participants underwent clinical examinations, paraclinical tests, and ultrasounds. FAI cut-off point was considered to be 5%. The significance level was set at < 0.05. Among the 160 participants, the prevalence of the four phenotypes was as follows: phenotype A: 51.9%, phenotype B: 23.1%, phenotype C: 13.1%, and phenotype D: 11.9%. High FAI was detected in 30 participants (18.75%). Additionally, It was found that phenotype C had the highest FAI levels among the PCOS phenotypes, with a significant difference between phenotypes A and C (p value = 0.03). IR was observed in 119 (74.4%) of the participants, and the median (interquartile range: IQR) of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels among the participants was 0.64 (0.86) μM/L. In linear regression, the PCOS phenotype (standard beta = 0.198, p-value = 0.008), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels (standard beta = 0.213, p-value = 0.004), and MDA levels (standard beta = 0.266, p-value < 0.001) were significantly related to the FAI level, but the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was not statistically associated with FAI. Thus, in this study, PCOS phenotypes and MDA levels (an indicator of stress oxidative) were significantly related to FAI, but HOMA-IR (the indicator of IR) was not associated with it.
Superanomalous skin-effect and enhanced absorption of light scattered on conductive media
Authors: Vagov A. , Larkin I. A. , Croitoru M. D. , Axt V. M.
Published: March 2023

Light scattering spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying various media, but interpretation of its results requires a detailed knowledge of how media excitations are coupled to electromagnetic waves. In electrically conducting media, an accurate description of propagating electromagnetic waves is a non-trivial problem because of non-local light-matter interactions. Among other consequences, the non-locality gives rise to the anomalous (ASE) and superanomalous (SASE) skin effects. As is well known, ASE is related to an increase in the electromagnetic field absorption in the radio frequency domain. This work demonstrates that the Landau damping underlying SASE gives rise to another absorption peak at optical frequencies. In contrast to ASE, SASE suppresses only the longitudinal field component, and this difference results in the strong polarization dependence of the absorption. The mechanism behind the suppression is generic and is observed also in plasma. Neither SASE, nor the corresponding light absorption increase can be described using popular simplified models for the non-local dielectric response.
Continuous fish muscle cell line with capacity for myogenic and adipogenic-like phenotypes
Authors: Saad Michael K. , Yuen John S. K. , Joyce Connor M. , Li Xinxin , Lim Taehwan , Wolfson Talia L. , Wu Justin , Laird Jason , Vissapragada Sanjana , Calkins Olivia P. , Ali Adham , Kaplan David L.
Published: March 2023

Cell-cultivated fish offers the potential for a more ethical, sustainable, and safe seafood system. However, fish cell culture is relatively understudied in comparison to mammalian cells. Here, we established and characterized a continuous Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) skeletal muscle cell line (“Mack” cells). The cells were isolated from muscle biopsies of fresh-caught fish, with separate isolations performed from two distinct fish. Mack1 cells (cells from the first isolation) were cultured for over a year and subcultured over 130 times. The cells proliferated at initial doubling times of 63.9 h (± 19.1 SD). After a spontaneous immortalization crisis from passages 37–43, the cells proliferated at doubling times of 24.3 h (± 4.91 SD). A muscle phenotype was confirmed through characterization of muscle stemness and differentiation via paired-box protein 7 and myosin heavy chain immunostaining, respectively. An adipocyte-like phenotype was also demonstrated for the cells through lipid accumulation, confirmed via Oil Red O staining and quantification of neutral lipids. New qPCR primers (HPRT, PAX3B, MYOD1, MYOG, TNNT3A, and PPARG) were tailored to the mackerel genome and used to characterize mackerel cell genotypes. This work provides the first spontaneously immortalized fish muscle cell line for research, ideally serving as a reference for subsequent investigation.
Retinal tissue and microvasculature loss in COVID-19 infection
Authors: Kalaw Fritz Gerald P. , Warter Alexandra , Cavichini Melina , Knight Darren , Li Alexandria , Deussen Daniel , Galang Carlo , Heinke Anna , Mendoza Veronica , Borooah Shyamanga , Baxter Sally L. , Bartsch Dirk-Uwe , Cheng Lingyun , Freeman William R.
Published: March 2023

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that permanent capillary damage may underlie the long-term COVID-19 sequela by quantifying the retinal vessel integrity. Participants were divided into three subgroups; Normal controls who had not been affected by COVID-19, mild COVID-19 cases who received out-patient care, and severe COVID-19 cases requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission and respiratory support. Patients with systemic conditions that may affect the retinal vasculature before the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection were excluded. Participants underwent comprehensive ophthalmologic examination and retinal imaging obtained from Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT), and vessel density using OCT Angiography. Sixty-one eyes from 31 individuals were studied. Retinal volume was significantly decreased in the outer 3 mm of the macula in the severe COVID-19 group (p = 0.02). Total retinal vessel density was significantly lower in the severe COVID-19 group compared to the normal and mild COVID-19 groups (p = 0.004 and 0.0057, respectively). The intermediate and deep capillary plexuses in the severe COVID-19 group were significantly lower compared to other groups (p < 0.05). Retinal tissue and microvascular loss may be a biomarker of COVID-19 severity. Further monitoring of the retina in COVID-19-recovered patients may help further understand the COVID-19 sequela.
Application of image processing and transfer learning for the detection of rust disease
Authors: Shahoveisi Fereshteh , Taheri Gorji Hamed , Shahabi Seyedmojtaba , Hosseinirad Seyedali , Markell Samuel , Vasefi Fartash
Published: March 2023

Plant diseases introduce significant yield and quality losses to the food production industry, worldwide. Early identification of an epidemic could lead to more effective management of the disease and potentially reduce yield loss and limit excessive input costs. Image processing and deep learning techniques have shown promising results in distinguishing healthy and infected plants at early stages. In this paper, the potential of four convolutional neural network models, including Xception, Residual Networks (ResNet)50, EfficientNetB4, and MobileNet, in the detection of rust disease on three commercially important field crops was evaluated. A dataset of 857 positive and 907 negative samples captured in the field and greenhouse environments were used. Training and testing of the algorithms were conducted using 70% and 30% of the data, respectively where the performance of different optimizers and learning rates were tested. Results indicated that EfficientNetB4 model was the most accurate model (average accuracy = 94.29%) in the disease detection followed by ResNet50 (average accuracy = 93.52%). Adaptive moment estimation (Adam) optimizer and learning rate of 0.001 outperformed all other corresponding hyperparameters. The findings from this study provide insights into the development of tools and gadgets useful in the automated detection of rust disease required for precision spraying.
Increasing peak intensity of tropical cyclones passing through the Korean Peninsula
Authors: Basconcillo Joseph , Moon Il-Ju
Published: March 2023

An increasing trend along with an abrupt increase in the peak intensity of tropical cyclones (TCs) passing through the Korean Peninsula (KP) are significantly detected from 1981 to 2020 and since 2003, respectively. Here we present observational evidence that such trend and shift are largely attributed with the increased passages of intense TCs in the KP during the mature boreal autumn (i.e., September–October, SO) and linked with the recent shift of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) to its negative phase. A negative PDO during SO is related to environmental changes that are favorable for more intense TC passages in the KP including a weakened East Asian subtropical jet stream, weaker vertical wind shear, warmer subtropical sea surface temperature, and stronger low-level relative vorticity. Such findings are expected to provide new insights on understanding regional TC variability and ultimately, contribute to long range TC prediction initiatives in the KP region.
Magnetic resonance brain volumetry biomarkers of CLN2 Batten disease identified with miniswine model
Authors: Knoernschild Kevin , Johnson Hans J. , Schroeder Kimberly E. , Swier Vicki J. , White Katherine A. , Sato Takashi S. , Rogers Christopher S. , Weimer Jill M. , Sieren Jessica C.
Published: March 2023

Late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2) disease (Batten disease) is a rare pediatric disease, with symptom development leading to clinical diagnosis. Early diagnosis and effective tracking of disease progression are required for treatment. We hypothesize that brain volumetry is valuable in identifying CLN2 disease at an early stage and tracking disease progression in a genetically modified miniswine model. CLN2R208X/R208X miniswine and wild type controls were evaluated at 12- and 17-months of age, correlating to early and late stages of disease progression. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1- and T2-weighted data were acquired. Total intercranial, gray matter, cerebrospinal fluid, white matter, caudate, putamen, and ventricle volumes were calculated and expressed as proportions of the intracranial volume. The brain regions were compared between timepoints and cohorts using Gardner-Altman plots, mean differences, and confidence intervals. At an early stage of disease, the total intracranial volume (− 9.06 cm3), gray matter (− 4.37% 95 CI − 7.41; − 1.83), caudate (− 0.16%, 95 CI − 0.24; − 0.08) and putamen (− 0.11% 95 CI − 0.23; − 0.02) were all notably smaller in CLN2R208X/R208X miniswines versus WT, while cerebrospinal fluid was larger (+ 3.42%, 95 CI 2.54; 6.18). As the disease progressed to a later stage, the difference between the gray matter (− 8.27%, 95 CI − 10.1; − 5.56) and cerebrospinal fluid (+ 6.88%, 95 CI 4.31; 8.51) continued to become more pronounced, while others remained stable. MRI brain volumetry in this miniswine model of CLN2 disease is sensitive to early disease detection and longitudinal change monitoring, providing a valuable tool for pre-clinical treatment development and evaluation.
Charlson comorbidity index applied to shunted idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus
Authors: Klinge Petra M. , Ma Kevin L. , Leary Owen P. , Sastry Rahul A. , Sayied Shanzeh , Venegas Ollin , Brinker Thomas , Gokaslan Ziya L.
Published: March 2023

A series of epidemiological studies have shown the limited life expectancy of patients suffering from idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). In most cases, comorbid medical conditions are the cause of death, rather than iNPH. Though it has also been shown that shunting improves both life quality and lifetime. We sought to investigate the utility of the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) for improved preoperative risk–benefit assessment of shunt surgery in individual iNPH cases. 208 shunted iNPH cases were prospectively investigated. Two in-person follow up visits at 3 and 12 months assessed postoperative clinical status. The correlation of the age adjusted CCI with survival was investigated over the median observation time of 2.37 years (IQR 1.16–4.15). Kaplan Meier statistics revealed that patients with a CCI score of 0–5 have a 5-year survival rate of 87%, compared to only 55% in patients with CCI > 5. Cox multivariate statistics revealed that the CCI was an independent predictor of survival, while common preoperative iNPH scores (modified Rankin Scale (mRS), gait score, and continence score) are not. As expected, mRS, gait, and continence scores improved during the postoperative follow up period, though relative improvement on any of these was not predicted by baseline CCI. The CCI is an easily applicable preoperative predictor of survival time in shunted iNPH patients. The lack of a correlation between the CCI and functional outcome means that even patients with multiple comorbidities and limited remaining lifetime may appreciate benefit from shunt surgery.
Effects of acidifiers on soil greenhouse gas emissions in calcareous soils in a semi-arid area
Authors: Derafshi Mehdi , Asgari Lajayer Behnam , Hassani Akbar , Dell Bernard
Published: March 2023

In most agricultural fields, when soil pH is high, elemental sulfur or sulfuric acid are used to reduce soil pH and increase the availability of macro and micronutrients for optimum crop yield. However, how these inputs impact soil greenhouse gas emissions is unknown. This study aimed to measure the amount of greenhouse gas emissions and pH after the application of various doses of elemental sulfur (ES) and sulfuric acid (SA). Using static chambers, this study quantifies soil greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, N2O, and CH4) for 12 months after the application of ES (200, 400, 600, 800, and 1000 kg ha−1) and SA (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg ha−1) to a calcareous soil (pH 8.1) in Zanjan, Iran. Also, in order to simulate rainfed and dryland farming which are common practices in this area, this study was conducted with and without sprinkler irrigation. Application of ES slowly decreased soil pH (more than half a unit) over the year whereas application of SA temporarily reduced the pH (less than a half unit) for a few weeks. CO2and N2O emissions and CH4uptake were maximum during summer and lowest in winter. Cumulative CO2fluxes ranged from 1859.2 kg−1CO2-C ha−1 year−1in the control treatment to 2269.6 kg CO2-C ha−1 year−1in the 1000 kg ha−1ES treatment. Cumulative fluxes for N2O-N were 2.5 and 3.7 kg N2O-N ha−1 year−1and cumulative CH4uptakes were 0.2 and 2.3 kg CH4-C ha−1 year−1in the same treatments. Irrigation significantly increased CO2and N2O emissions and, depending on the amount of ES applied, decreased or increased CH4uptake. SA application had a negligible effect on GHGs emissions in this experiment and only the highest amount of SA altered GHGs emissions.
Designing and fabrication of electrochemical nano-biosensor for the fast detection of SARS-CoV-2-RNA
Authors: Hussein Heba A. , Hanora Amro , Solyman Samar M. , Hassan Rabeay Y. A.
Published: March 2023

SARS-CoV-2 caused a global panic among populations. Rapid diagnostic procedures for the virus are crucial for disease control. Thus, the designed signature probe from a highly conserved region of the virus was chemically immobilized onto the nanostructured-AuNPs/WO3-screen printed electrodes. Different concentrations of the matched oligonucleotides were spiked to test the specificity of the hybridization affinity whereas the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used for tracking the electrochemical performance. After a full assay optimization, limits of detection and quantification were calculated based on linear regression and were valued at 298 and 994 fM, respectively. Further, the high performance of the fabricated RNA-sensor chips was confirmed after testing the interference status in the presence of the mismatched oligos in one nucleotide and completely one. Worthy to mention that the single-stranded matched oligos can be hybridized to the immobilized probe in 5 min at room temperature. The designed disposable sensor chips are capable of detecting the virus genome directly. Therefore, the chips are a rapid tool for SARS-CoV-2 detection.
Co-drawing of technical and high-performance thermoplastics with glasses via the molten core method
Authors: Strutynski Clément , Voivenel Raphaël , Evrard Marianne , Désévédavy Frédéric , Gadret Gregory , Jules Jean-Charles , Brachais Claire-Hélène , Smektala Frédéric
Published: March 2023

Among the different fundamental aspects that govern the design and development of elongated multimaterial structures via the preform-to-fiber technique, material association methodologies hold a crucial role. They greatly impact the number, complexity and possible combinations of functions that can be integrated within single fibers, thus defining their applicability. In this work, a co-drawing strategy to produce monofilament microfibers from unique glass-polymer associations is investigated. In particular, the molten core-method (MCM) is applied to several amorphous and semi-crystalline thermoplastics for their integration within larger glass architectures. General conditions in which the MCM can be employed are established. It is demonstrated that the classical glass transition temperature compatibility requirements for glass-polymer associations can be overcome, and that other glass compositions than chalcogenides can be thermally stretched with thermoplastics, here oxide glasses are considered. Composite fibers with various geometries and compositional profiles are then presented to illustrate the versatility of the proposed methodology. Finally, investigations are focused on fibers produced from the association of poly ether ether ketone (PEEK) with tellurite and phosphate glasses. It is demonstrated that upon appropriate elongation conditions, the crystallization kinetics of PEEK can be controlled during the thermal stretching and crystallinities of the polymer as low as 9 mass. % are reached in the final fiber. It is believed such novel material associations as well as the ability to tailor material properties within fibers could inspire the development of a new class of hybrid elongated objects with unprecedented functionalities.
Oncogenic epidermal growth factor receptor signal-induced histone deacetylation suppresses chemokine gene expression in human lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Sumimoto Hidetoshi , Takano Atsushi , Igarashi Tomoyuki , Hanaoka Jun , Teramoto Koji , Daigo Yataro
Published: March 2023

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated (mt) lung adenocarcinoma (LA) is refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, the mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. CD8+ T cell infiltration was significantly lower in EGFR-mt than in EGFR-wild-type LA, which was associated with suppression of chemokine expression. Since this T cell-deserted tumor microenvironment may lead to the refractoriness of ICIs against EGFR-mt LA, we investigated the mechanism by focusing on the regulation of chemokine expression. The expression of C-X-C motif ligand (CXCL) 9, 10 and 11, which constitute a gene cluster on chromosome 4, was suppressed under EGFR signaling. The assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) revealed open chromatin peaks near this gene cluster following EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. The histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor recovered the expression of CXCL9, 10 and 11 in EGFR-mt LA. Nuclear HDAC activity, as well as histone H3 deacetylation, were dependent on oncogenic EGFR signaling. Furthermore, the Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT & Tag) assay revealed a histone H3K27 acetylation peak at 15 kb upstream of CXCL11 after treatment with EGFR-TKI, which corresponded to one of the open chromatin peaks detected by ATAC-seq. The data suggest that EGFR-HDAC axis mediates silencing of the chemokine gene cluster through chromatin conformational change, which might be relevant to the ICI resistance by creating T cell-deserted tumor microenvironment. Targeting this axis may develop a new therapeutic strategy to overcome the ICI resistance of EGFR-mt LA.
Effect of sizes of vinyl modified narrow-dispersed silica cross-linker on the mechanical properties of acrylamide based hydrogel
Authors: Karim Md. Rezaul , Harun-Ur-Rashid Mohammad , Imran Abu Bin
Published: March 2023

Polymeric hydrogel with the incorporation of nano to submicro-meter sized materials forms an exhilarating new generation of composite hydrogels. Most of the applications of hydrogels are in aqueous environments in which they swell to a very high degree. This emanates from low density of the polymer chains, making them highly inferior in terms of physical strength and their prospective applications. In order to address the weak mechanical properties, hydrogels have successfully prepared with high tensile strength and toughness by reinforcing the acrylamide (AAm) network with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) modified silica particles (MSiO2) as chemical cross-linker. The MSiO2 cross-linkers are prepared from narrow-dispersed silica particles (SiO2) of 100 nm, 200 nm, and 300 nm diameters to investigate the effect of cross-linker sizes on the mechanical strengths of hydrogels. The presence of MSiO2 remarkably increases the stretching ability and toughness of hydrogels compared to conventional hydrogels. The tensile strength, toughness, and Young’s modulus of the hydrogel decrease from 30 to 11 kPa, 409 to 231 kJ/m3, and 0.16 to 0.11 kPa, respectively, while the SiO2 particle size increase from 100 to 300 nm and the concentration of AAm and MSiO2 (%) are kept constant. The compressive strength and toughness of the hydrogel decrease from 34 to 18 kPa and 6 to 4 kJ/m3, respectively, but the Young’s modulus increases from 0.11 to 0.19 kPa. This work is excellent proof of regulating mechanical strength of hydrogel by adjusting the particle size of MSiO2 cross-linkers.
Inferring router ownership based on the classification of intra- and inter-domain links
Authors: Liu Yan , Zhao Yi , Guo Xiaoyu , Liu Lian
Published: March 2023

Research on router ownership inference is central to many Internet studies, such as network failure diagnosis, network boundary identification, network resilience assessment, and inter-domain congestion detection. The existing router ownership inference method bdrmapIT has relatively few constraints on routers at the end of traceroute paths, resulting in some inference errors. In this paper, a router ownership inference method based on the classification of intra- and inter-domain links is proposed. In this method, the differentiating Internet Protocol (IP) address vector distance feature, the autonomous system relationship feature of the IP link, and the fan-in and fan-out features are designed to support the discrimination of IP link types. The use of additional information derived from the link type enriches the basis for router ownership inference and improves the accuracy of the inference result. Experimental results show that the accuracy reaches 96.4% and 94.6% on the two verification sets, respectively, which is 3.2–11.2% better than the existing typical methods.
Prediction of breast cancer using blood microbiome and identification of foods for breast cancer prevention
Authors: An Jeongshin , Yang Jinho , Kwon Hyungju , Lim Woosung , Kim Yoon-Keun , Moon Byung-In
Published: March 2023

The incidence of breast cancer (BC) is increasing in South Korea, and diet is closely related to the high prevalence of BC. The microbiome directly reflects eating habits. In this study, a diagnostic algorithm was developed by analyzing the microbiome patterns of BC. Blood samples were collected from 96 patients with BC and 192 healthy controls. Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) were collected from each blood sample, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of bacterial EVs was performed. Microbiome analysis of patients with BC and healthy controls identified significantly higher bacterial abundances using EVs in each group and confirmed the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Using this algorithm, animal experiments were performed to determine which foods affect EV composition. Compared to BC and healthy controls, statistically significant bacterial EVs were selected from both groups, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn with a sensitivity of 96.4%, specificity of 100%, and accuracy of 99.6% based on the machine learning method. This algorithm is expected to be applicable to medical practice, such as in health checkup centers. In addition, the results obtained from animal experiments are expected to select and apply foods that have a positive effect on patients with BC.
Nanocomposite formulation for a sustained release of free drug and drug-loaded responsive nanoparticles: an approach for a local therapy of glioblastoma multiforme
Authors: Erthal Luiza C. S. , Shi Yang , Sweeney Kieron J. , Gobbo Oliviero L. , Ruiz-Hernandez Eduardo
Published: March 2023

Malignant gliomas are a type of primary brain tumour that originates in glial cells. Among them, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and the most aggressive brain tumour in adults, classified as grade IV by the World Health Organization. The standard care for GBM, known as the Stupp protocol includes surgical resection followed by oral chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ). This treatment option provides a median survival prognosis of only 16–18 months to patients mainly due to tumour recurrence. Therefore, enhanced treatment options are urgently needed for this disease. Here we show the development, characterization, and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of a new composite material for local therapy of GBM post-surgery. We developed responsive nanoparticles that were loaded with paclitaxel (PTX), and that showed penetration in 3D spheroids and cell internalization. These nanoparticles were found to be cytotoxic in 2D (U-87 cells) and 3D (U-87 spheroids) models of GBM. The incorporation of these nanoparticles into a hydrogel facilitates their sustained release in time. Moreover, the formulation of this hydrogel containing PTX-loaded responsive nanoparticles and free TMZ was able to delay tumour recurrence in vivo after resection surgery. Therefore, our formulation represents a promising approach to develop combined local therapies against GBM using injectable hydrogels containing nanoparticles.
Establishing the contribution of active histone methylation marks to the aging transcriptional landscape of Drosophila photoreceptors
Authors: Jauregui-Lozano Juan , McGovern Sarah E. , Bakhle Kimaya M. , Hagins Arrianna C. , Weake Vikki M.
Published: March 2023

Studies in multiple organisms have shown that aging is accompanied by several molecular phenotypes that include dysregulation of chromatin. Since chromatin regulates DNA-based processes such as transcription, alterations in chromatin modifications could impact the transcriptome and function of aging cells. In flies, as in mammals, the aging eye undergoes changes in gene expression that correlate with declining visual function and increased risk of retinal degeneration. However, the causes of these transcriptome changes are poorly understood. Here, we profiled chromatin marks associated with active transcription in the aging Drosophila eye to understand how chromatin modulates transcriptional outputs. We found that both H3K4me3 and H3K36me3 globally decrease across all actively expressed genes with age. However, we found no correlation with changes in differential gene expression. Downregulation of the H3K36me3 methyltransferase Set2 in young photoreceptors revealed significant changes in splicing events that overlapped significantly with those observed in aging photoreceptors. These overlapping splicing events impacted multiple genes involved in phototransduction and neuronal function. Since proper splicing is essential for visual behavior, and because aging Drosophila undergo a decrease in visual function, our data suggest that H3K36me3 could play a role in maintaining visual function in the aging eye through regulating alternative splicing.
An immune indicator based on BTK and DPEP2 identifies hot and cold tumors and clinical treatment outcomes in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Han Tao , Liu Yafeng , Wu Jing , Bai Ying , Zhou Jiawei , Hu Chunxiao , Zhang Wenting , Guo Jianqiang , Wang Qingsen , Hu Dong
Published: March 2023

In lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), immune heterogeneity of hot and cold tumors has been recognized as one of the major factors affecting immunotherapy and other common treatments. However, there is still a lack of biomarkers that can effectively identify the immunophenotype of cold and hot tumors. First, the immune signatures were obtained based on literature mining, including macrophage/monocyte, IFN-γ response, TGF-β response, IL12 response, lymphocyte activation, and ECM/Dve/immune response. Subsequently, LUAD patients were further clustered into different immune phenotypes based on these immune signatures. Next, the key genes related to the immune phenotypes were screened by WGCNA analysis, univariate analysis, and lasso-cox analysis, and the risk signature was established via the key genes. In additional, we compared the clinicopathological characteristics, drug sensitivity, the abundance of immune infiltration, and the efficacy of immunotherapy and commonly used therapies between patients in the high- and low-risk groups in LUAD. LUAD patients were divided into immune hot phenotype and immune cold phenotype groups. The clinical presentation showed that patients with the immune hot phenotype had higher immunoactivity (including higher MHC, CYT, immune, stromal, ESTIMATE scores, higher abundance of immune cell infiltration, higher abundance of TIL, and enrichment of immune-enriched subtypes) and better survival outcomes than those with the immune cold phenotype. Subsequently, WGCNA analysis, univariate analysis, and lasso-cox analysis identified the genes highly associated with the immune phenotype: BTK and DPEP2. The risk signature, consisting of BTK and DPEP2, is highly correlated with the immune phenotype. High-risk scores were enriched in patients with immune cold phenotype and low-risk scores were enriched in patients with immune hot phenotype. Compared to the high-risk group, the low-risk group had better clinical performance, higher drug sensitivity, and a higher degree of immunoactivity, as well as better efficacy in receiving immunotherapy and common adjuvant therapy. This study developed an immune indicator consisting of BTK and DPEP2 based on the heterogeneity of hot and cold Immunophenotypes of the tumor microenvironment. This indicator has good efficacy in predicting prognosis and assessing the efficacy of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. It has the potential to facilitate personalized and precise treatment of LUAD in the future.
A proficiency assessment of integrating machine learning (ML) schemes on Lahore water ensemble
Authors: Shahid Nazish
Published: March 2023

A synthesis of statistical inference and machine learning (ML) tools has been employed to establish a comprehensive insight of a coarse data. Water components’ data for 16 central distributing locations of Lahore, the capital of second most populated province of Pakistan, has been analyzed to gauge current water stature of the city. Moreover, a classification of surplus-response variables through tolerance manipulation was incorporated to debrief dimension aspect of the data. By the same token, the influence of supererogatory variables’ renouncement through identification of clustering movement of constituents is inquired. The approach of building a spectrum of colluding results through application of comparable methods has been experimented. To test the propriety of each statistical method prior to its execution on a huge data, a faction of ML schemes have been proposed. The supervised learning tools pca, factoran and clusterdata were implemented to establish an elemental character of water at elected locations. A location ‘LAH-13’ was highlighted for containing an out of normal range Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration in the water. The classification of lower and higher variability parameters carried out by Sample Mean (XBAR) control identified a set of least correlated variables pH, As, Total Coliforms and E. Coli. The analysis provided four locations LAH-06, LAH-10, LAH-13 and LAH-14 for extreme concentration propensity. An execution of factoran demonstrated that specific tolerance of independent variability ‘0.005’ could be employed to reduce dimension of a system without loss of fundamental data information. A higher value of cophenetic coefficient, c = 0.9582 provided the validation for an accurate cluster division of similar characteristics’ variables. The current approach of mutually validating ML and SA (statistical analysis) schemes will assist in preparing the groundwork for state of the art analysis (SOTA) analysis. The advantage of our approach can be examined through the fact that the related SOTA will further refine the predictive precision between two comparable methods, unlike the SOTA analysis between two random ML methods. Conclusively, this study featured the locations LAH-03, LAH-06, LAH-12, LAH-13, LAH-14 and LAH-15 with compromised water quality in the region.
Quantum architecture search via truly proximal policy optimization
Authors: Zhu Xianchao , Hou Xiaokai
Published: March 2023

Quantum Architecture Search (QAS) is a process of voluntarily designing quantum circuit architectures using intelligent algorithms. Recently, Kuo et al. (Quantum architecture search via deep
reinforcement learning. arXiv preprint arXiv:2104.07715, 2021) proposed a deep reinforcement learning-based QAS (QAS-PPO) method, which used the Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) algorithm to automatically generate the quantum circuit without any expert knowledge in physics. However, QAS-PPO can neither strictly limit the probability ratio between old and new policies nor enforce well-defined trust domain constraints, resulting in poor performance. In this paper, we present a new deep reinforcement learning-based QAS method, called Trust Region-based PPO with Rollback for QAS (QAS-TR-PPO-RB), to automatically build the quantum gates sequence from the density matrix only. Specifically, inspired by the research work of Wang, we employ an improved clipping function to implement the rollback behavior to limit the probability ratio between the new strategy and the old strategy. In addition, we use the triggering condition of the clipping based on the trust domain to optimize the policy by restricting the policy within the trust domain, which leads to guaranteed monotone improvement. Experiments on several multi-qubit circuits demonstrate that our presented method achieves better policy performance and lower algorithm running time than the original deep reinforcement learning-based QAS method.
Optimization of Cd (II) removal from aqueous solution by natural hydroxyapatite/bentonite composite using response surface methodology
Authors: Desalegn Yiene Molla , Bekele Endrias Adane , Olu Femi Emmanuel
Published: March 2023

Toxic cadmium (Cd) was removed from water using eggshell-based hydroxyapatite (HAp) grafted bentonite (HAp/bentonite) composite through a straightforward chemical synthesis route. The as-prepared adsorbents were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (BET). Optimization of the initial adsorbate concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH, and contact time—all of which affect the adsorption process—was performed using the central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM). 99.3 percent adsorptive removal efficiency was observed at an initial concentration of 61.58 mg/L of Cd (II), with an adsorbent dosage of 1.58 g, a solution pH of 5.88, and a contact time of 49.63 min. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, and the multiple correlation coefficient (R2) was found to be 0.9915 which confirms the significance of the predicted model. The Langmuir isotherm model best represented the adsorption isotherm data, which also predicted a maximum sorption capacity of 125.47 mg/g. The kinetic data were best described by the pseudo-second order model.
Extreme mechanical tunability in suspended MoS2 resonator controlled by Joule heating
Authors: Chiout Anis , Brochard-Richard Cléophanie , Marty Laetitia , Bendiab Nedjma , Zhao Meng-Qiang , Johnson A. T. Charlie , Oehler Fabrice , Ouerghi Abdelkarim , Chaste Julien
Published: March 2023

Nanomechanical resonators are built into phones, as filters or accelerometers, but they lack a knob to effectively tune the frequency at the nanoscale when it’s easy to tune on an octave the tone of a classical musical instrument like a guitar string. Moreover, the control of deformation in nanomaterials, as two-dimensional (2D) materials, to tailor their electronic properties, i.e., straintronic, opens up avenues for applications in force detection, bolometry or quantum emitters. An accurate control of the deformation within these materials is thus necessary to fully exploit their potential. The precise study of deformations in 2D materials involves measurements of vibration modes and nanomechanics. By using a suspended MoS2 membrane heated by the Joule effect, we induce a strong softening of the mechanical resonance frequency as a function of the electrothermal heating, over one octave. A simple electrical tension is used to modulate the thermal mechanical tuning. Its amplitude is very large, greater than 100% modulation for one volt, compared to other approaches on 2D or 1D materials and, moreover, a very wide frequency range is accessible. Finally, we have related a photo-induced softening of the membrane over very long times with the current measurements and a photothermal effect.
Unconventional conductivity increase in multilayer black phosphorus
Authors: Koleśnik-Gray Maria , Meingast Laura , Siebert Martin , Unbehaun Tim , Huf Tobias , Ellrott Günter , Abellán Gonzalo , Wild Stefan , Lloret Vicent , Mundloch Udo , Schwarz Julian , Niebauer Michael , Szabo Maximilian , Rommel Mathias , Hutzler Andreas , Hauke Frank , Hirsch Andreas , Krstić Vojislav
Published: March 2023

Multilayers of so-called 2D van der Waals materials have gained considerable attention as active components of next-generation electronic and optoelectronic technologies, with semiconducting black phosphorus (BP) regarded as one of the most promising systems. The applicability and performance limits of BP in both stand-alone and heterostructure-based multilayer devices are determined by individual flake charge transport properties, which synergistically depend on the number of layers and the strength of interlayer coupling between those. In this work, we study the DC electrical transport characteristics of high-quality BP field-effect devices within a wide range of flake thicknesses at room temperature. The experimental data show a non-trivial increase in conductivity and hole density with a reduced number of layers while maintaining constant field-effect mobility due to the prevalence of electron–phonon scattering. Based on the solution of the 1D Schrödinger–Poisson equation, we find that the observed phenomena are a direct consequence of non-negligible interlayer coupling, which in turn causes a local redistribution of free charge carriers towards the central layers. Our data show that due to the electrostatic conditions at the flake surfaces, a naturally protected 2D hole gas can be encapsulated in flakes as high as 10 nm, which preserves the bulk-like bandgap and effective carrier masses due to the electrostatic environment.
Understanding the impact of heavy ions and tailoring the optical properties of large-area monolayer WS2 using focused ion beam
Authors: Sarcan Fahrettin , Fairbairn Nicola J. , Zotev Panaiot , Severs-Millard Toby , Gillard Daniel J. , Wang Xiaochen , Conran Ben , Heuken Michael , Erol Ayse , Tartakovskii Alexander I. , Krauss Thomas F. , Hedley Gordon J. , Wang Yue
Published: March 2023

Focused ion beam (FIB) is an effective tool for precise nanoscale fabrication. It has recently been employed to tailor defect engineering in functional nanomaterials such as two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), providing desirable properties in TMDC-based optoelectronic devices. However, the damage caused by the FIB irradiation and milling process to these delicate, atomically thin materials, especially in extended areas beyond the FIB target, has not yet been fully characterised. Understanding the correlation between lateral ion beam effects and optical properties of 2D TMDCs is crucial in designing and fabricating high-performance optoelectronic devices. In this work, we investigate lateral damage in large-area monolayer WS2 caused by the gallium focused ion beam milling process. Three distinct zones away from the milling location are identified and characterised via steady-state photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy. The emission in these three zones have different wavelengths and decay lifetimes. An unexpected bright ring-shaped emission around the milled location has also been revealed by time-resolved PL spectroscopy with high spatial resolution. Our findings open up new avenues for tailoring the optical properties of TMDCs by charge and defect engineering via focused ion beam lithography. Furthermore, our study provides evidence that while some localised damage is inevitable, distant destruction can be eliminated by reducing the ion beam current. It paves the way for the use of FIB to create nanostructures in 2D TMDCs, as well as the design and realisation of optoelectrical devices on a wafer scale.
Graphene/MoS2/SiOx memristive synapses for linear weight update
Authors: Krishnaprasad Adithi , Dev Durjoy , Shawkat Mashiyat Sumaiya , Martinez-Martinez Ricardo , Islam Molla Manjurul , Chung Hee-Suk , Bae Tae-Sung , Jung Yeonwoong , Roy Tania
Published: March 2023

Memristors for neuromorphic computing have gained prominence over the years for implementing synapses and neurons due to their nano-scale footprint and reduced complexity. Several demonstrations show two-dimensional (2D) materials as a promising platform for the realization of transparent, flexible, ultra-thin memristive synapses. However, unsupervised learning in a spiking neural network (SNN) facilitated by linearity and symmetry in synaptic weight update has not been explored thoroughly using the 2D materials platform. Here, we demonstrate that graphene/MoS2/SiOx/Ni synapses exhibit ideal linearity and symmetry when subjected to identical input pulses, which is essential for their role in online training of neural networks. The linearity in weight update holds for a range of pulse width, amplitude and number of applied pulses. Our work illustrates that the mechanism of switching in MoS2-based synapses is through conductive filaments governed by Poole-Frenkel emission. We demonstrate that the graphene/MoS2/SiOx/Ni synapses, when integrated with a MoS2-based leaky integrate-and-fire neuron, can control the spiking of the neuron efficiently. This work establishes 2D MoS2 as a viable platform for all-memristive SNNs.
Japanese urban household carbon footprints during early-stage COVID-19 pandemic were consistent with those over the past decade
Authors: Long Yin , Yoshida Yoshikuni , Jiang Yida , Huang Liqiao , Wang Wentao , Mi Zhifu , Shigetomi Yosuke , Kanemoto Keiichiro
Published: March 2023

As urbanization accelerates worldwide, substantial energy and services are required to meet the demand from cities, making cities major contributors to adverse environmental consequences. To bridge the knowledge gap in the absence of fine-grained city-level climate protection measures due to data availability and accuracy, this study provides a detailed carbon emission inventory for analyzing the monthly fluctuations based on citizens’ daily consumption behaviors. Here, carbon emissions embodied in approximately 500 household consumption items were calculated in 47 prefectural-level cities in Japan from 2011 to June 2021. We analyzed the results considering the regional, seasonal, demand, and emission way-specific aspects, and compared the emission before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, the carbon footprints during the pandemic were consistent with the previous level despite downtrends in specific categories. This study provides an example of utilizing city-level emission data to improve household green consumption behavior as references for enriching city-level decarbonization paths.
Enabling connections between a multi-country urban research programme and the practices of an African urban research centre
Authors: Tucker Andrew
Published: March 2023

Significant interest exists within urban scholarship regarding both the need to explore diverse urban situated knowledge while enabling effective forms of global comparison, and the place and utility of new urban science approaches. This article considers such interests in relation to the implementation of a multi-country urban research programme and its interface with the pre-existing interests and methodological practices of an African urban research centre. It suggests, when partners engage dialectically, large-scale research programmes may speak to and help offer new perspectives on local realities as much as local realities may help enrich the frameworks of international large-scale research programmes.