bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oxygen enhances antiviral innate immunity through maintenance of EGLN1-catalyzed proline hydroxylation of IRF3
Authors: Liu Xing , Tang Jinhua , Wang Zixuan , Zhu Chunchun , Deng Hongyan , Sun Xueyi , Yu Guangqing , Rong Fangjing , Chen Xiaoyun , Liao Qian , Jia Shuke , Liu Wen , Zha Huangyuan , Fan Sijia , Cai Xiaolian , Gui Jian-Fang , Xiao Wuhan
Published: April 2024

Oxygen is essential for aerobic organisms, but little is known about its role in antiviral immunity. Here, we report that during responses to viral infection, hypoxic conditions repress antiviral-responsive genes independently of HIF signaling. EGLN1 is identified as a key mediator of the oxygen enhancement of antiviral innate immune responses. Under sufficient oxygen conditions, EGLN1 retains its prolyl hydroxylase activity to catalyze the hydroxylation of IRF3 at proline 10. This modification enhances IRF3 phosphorylation, dimerization and nuclear translocation, leading to subsequent IRF3 activation. Furthermore, mice and zebrafish with Egln1 deletion, treatment with the EGLN inhibitor FG4592, or mice carrying an Irf3 P10A mutation are more susceptible to viral infections. These findings not only reveal a direct link between oxygen and antiviral responses, but also provide insight into the mechanisms by which oxygen regulates innate immunity.
LSD1 inhibition circumvents glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting of male mice
Authors: Cai Qingshuang , Sahu Rajesh , Ueberschlag-Pitiot Vanessa , Souali-Crespo Sirine , Charvet Céline , Silem Ilyes , Cottard Félicie , Ye Tao , Taleb Fatima , Metzger Eric , Schuele Roland , Billas Isabelle M. L. , Laverny Gilles , Metzger Daniel , Duteil Delphine
Published: April 2024

Synthetic glucocorticoids (GC), such as dexamethasone, are extensively used to treat chronic inflammation and autoimmune disorders. However, long-term treatments are limited by various side effects, including muscle atrophy. GC activities are mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), that regulates target gene expression in various tissues in association with cell-specific co-regulators. Here we show that GR and the lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) interact in myofibers of male mice, and that LSD1 connects GR-bound enhancers with NRF1-associated promoters to stimulate target gene expression. In addition, we unravel that LSD1 demethylase activity is required for triggering starvation- and dexamethasone-induced skeletal muscle proteolysis in collaboration with GR. Importantly, inhibition of LSD1 circumvents muscle wasting induced by pharmacological levels of dexamethasone, without affecting their anti-inflammatory activities. Thus, our findings provide mechanistic insights into the muscle-specific GC activities, and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting GR co-regulators to limit corticotherapy-induced side effects.
A substitutional quantum defect in WS2 discovered by high-throughput computational screening and fabricated by site-selective STM manipulation
Authors: Thomas John C. , Chen Wei , Xiong Yihuang , Barker Bradford A. , Zhou Junze , Chen Weiru , Rossi Antonio , Kelly Nolan , Yu Zhuohang , Zhou Da , Kumari Shalini , Barnard Edward S. , Robinson Joshua A. , Terrones Mauricio , Schwartzberg Adam , Ogletree D. Frank , Rotenberg Eli , Noack Marcus M. , Griffin Sinéad , Raja Archana , Strubbe David A. , Rignanese Gian-Marco , Weber-Bargioni Alexander , Hautier Geoffroy
Published: April 2024

Point defects in two-dimensional materials are of key interest for quantum information science. However, the parameter space of possible defects is immense, making the identification of high-performance quantum defects very challenging. Here, we perform high-throughput (HT) first-principles computational screening to search for promising quantum defects within WS2, which present localized levels in the band gap that can lead to bright optical transitions in the visible or telecom regime. Our computed database spans more than 700 charged defects formed through substitution on the tungsten or sulfur site. We found that sulfur substitutions enable the most promising quantum defects. We computationally identify the neutral cobalt substitution to sulfur ($${\rm{Co}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{S}}}}}}}}}^{0}$$

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) and fabricate it with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The $${\rm{Co}}_{{{{{{{{\rm{S}}}}}}}}}^{0}$$

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0

electronic structure measured by STM agrees with first principles and showcases an attractive quantum defect. Our work shows how HT computational screening and nanoscale synthesis routes can be combined to design promising quantum defects.
Probing the surface charge of condensates using microelectrophoresis
Authors: van Haren Merlijn H. I. , Visser Brent S. , Spruijt Evan
Published: April 2024

Biomolecular condensates play an important role in cellular organization. Coacervates are commonly used models that mimic the physicochemical properties of biomolecular condensates. The surface of condensates plays a key role in governing molecular exchange between condensates, accumulation of species at the interface, and the stability of condensates against coalescence. However, most important surface properties, including the surface charge and zeta potential, remain poorly characterized and understood. The zeta potential of coacervates is often measured using laser doppler electrophoresis, which assumes a size-independent electrophoretic mobility. Here, we show that this assumption is incorrect for liquid-like condensates and present an alternative method to study the electrophoretic mobility of coacervates and in vitro condensate models by microelectrophoresis and single-particle tracking. Coacervates have a size-dependent electrophoretic mobility, originating from their fluid nature, from which a well-defined zeta potential is calculated. Interestingly, microelectrophoresis measurements reveal that polylysine chains are enriched at the surface of polylysine/polyaspartic acid complex coacervates, which causes the negatively charged protein ɑ-synuclein to adsorb and accumulate at the interface. Addition of ATP inverts the surface charge, displaces ɑ-synuclein from the surface and may help to suppress its interface-catalyzed aggregation. Together, these findings show how condensate surface charge can be measured and altered, making this microelectrophoresis platform combined with automated single-particle tracking a promising characterization technique for both biomolecular condensates and coacervate protocells.
HBO1 catalyzes lysine lactylation and mediates histone H3K9la to regulate gene transcription
Authors: Niu Ziping , Chen Chen , Wang Siyu , Lu Congcong , Wu Zhiyue , Wang Aiyuan , Mo Jing , Zhang Jianji , Han Yanpu , Yuan Ye , Zhang Yingao , Zang Yong , He Chaoran , Bai Xue , Tian Shanshan , Zhai Guijin , Wu Xudong , Zhang Kai
Published: April 2024

Lysine lactylation (Kla) links metabolism and gene regulation and plays a key role in multiple biological processes. However, the regulatory mechanism and functional consequence of Kla remain to be explored. Here, we report that HBO1 functions as a lysine lactyltransferase to regulate transcription. We show that HBO1 catalyzes the addition of Kla in vitro and intracellularly, and E508 is a key site for the lactyltransferase activity of HBO1. Quantitative proteomic analysis further reveals 95 endogenous Kla sites targeted by HBO1, with the majority located on histones. Using site-specific antibodies, we find that HBO1 may preferentially catalyze histone H3K9la and scaffold proteins including JADE1 and BRPF2 can promote the enzymatic activity for histone Kla. Notably, CUT&Tag assays demonstrate that HBO1 is required for histone H3K9la on transcription start sites (TSSs). Besides, the regulated Kla can promote key signaling pathways and tumorigenesis, which is further supported by evaluating the malignant behaviors of HBO1- knockout (KO) tumor cells, as well as the level of histone H3K9la in clinical tissues. Our study reveals HBO1 serves as a lactyltransferase to mediate a histone Kla-dependent gene transcription.
Single-cell analyses reveal transient retinal progenitor cells in the ciliary margin of developing human retina
Authors: Dorgau Birthe , Collin Joseph , Rozanska Agata , Zerti Darin , Unsworth Adrienne , Crosier Moira , Hussain Rafiqul , Coxhead Jonathan , Dhanaseelan Tamil , Patel Aara , Sowden Jane C. , FitzPatrick David R. , Queen Rachel , Lako Majlinda
Published: April 2024

The emergence of retinal progenitor cells and differentiation to various retinal cell types represent fundamental processes during retinal development. Herein, we provide a comprehensive single cell characterisation of transcriptional and chromatin accessibility changes that underline retinal progenitor cell specification and differentiation over the course of human retinal development up to midgestation. Our lineage trajectory data demonstrate the presence of early retinal progenitors, which transit to late, and further to transient neurogenic progenitors, that give rise to all the retinal neurons. Combining single cell RNA-Seq with spatial transcriptomics of early eye samples, we demonstrate the transient presence of early retinal progenitors in the ciliary margin zone with decreasing occurrence from 8 post-conception week of human development. In retinal progenitor cells, we identified a significant enrichment for transcriptional enhanced associate domain transcription factor binding motifs, which when inhibited led to loss of cycling progenitors and retinal identity in pluripotent stem cell derived organoids.
Programming viscoelastic properties in a complexation gel composite by utilizing entropy-driven topologically frustrated dynamical state
Authors: Wang Gui Kang , Yang Yi Ming , Jia Di
Published: April 2024

Hydrogel composites in an aqueous media with viscoelastic properties and elastic modulus that can be precisely tailored are desirable to mimic many biological tissues ranging from mucus, vitreous humor, and nucleus pulposus as well as build up biosensors. Without altering the chemistry, tuning the physical interactions and structures to govern the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels is indispensable for their applications but quite limited. Here we design a complexation gel composite and utilize the physical principle of topologically frustrated dynamical state to tune the correlated structures between the guest polycation chains and negatively charged host gels. We precisely quantify the mesh size of the host gel and guest chain size. By designing various topologically correlated structures, a viscoelastic moduli map can be built up, ranging from tough to ultrasoft, and from elastic-like with low damping properties to viscous-like with high damping properties. We also tune the swelling ratio by using entropy effect and discover an Entropy-driven Topologically Isovolumetric Point. Our findings provide essential physics to understand the relationship between entropy-driven correlated structures and their viscoelastic properties of the complexation hydrogel composites and will have diverse applications in tissue engineering and soft biomaterials.
No evidence for an association of voxel-based morphometry with short-term non-motor outcomes in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Loehrer Philipp Alexander , Schumacher Wibke , Jost Stefanie T. , Silverdale Monty , Petry-Schmelzer Jan Niklas , Sauerbier Anna , Gronostay Alexandra , Visser-Vandewalle Veerle , Fink Gereon R. , Evans Julian , Krause Max , Rizos Alexandra , Antonini Angelo , Ashkan Keyoumars , Martinez-Martin Pablo , Gaser Christian , Ray Chaudhuri K. , Timmermann Lars , Baldermann Juan Carlos , Dafsari Haidar S. ,   On behalf of EUROPAR and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society Non-Motor Parkinson’s Disease Study Group
Published: April 2024

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an established therapy in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Motor and non-motor outcomes, however, show considerable inter-individual variability. Preoperative morphometry-based metrics have recently received increasing attention to explain treatment effects. As evidence for the prediction of non-motor outcomes is limited, we sought to investigate the association between metrics of voxel-based morphometry and short-term non-motor outcomes following STN-DBS in this prospective open-label study. Forty-nine PD patients underwent structural MRI and a comprehensive clinical assessment at preoperative baseline and 6-month follow-up. Voxel-based morphometry was used to assess associations between cerebral volume and non-motor outcomes corrected for multiple comparisons using a permutation-based approach. We replicated existing results associating volume loss of the superior frontal cortex with subpar motor outcomes. Overall non-motor burden, however, was not significantly associated with morphometric features, limiting its use as a marker to inform patient selection and holistic preoperative counselling.
Modelling the impact of different irrigation regimes and mulching on strawberry crop growth and water use in the arsenic-contaminated Bengal basin
Authors: Biswas Benukar , Ghosh Tridiv , Chakraborty Debashis , Banerjee Saon , Mandal Baidya Nath , Saha Sarathi
Published: April 2024

Replacement of water-intensive winter rice with strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) may restrict groundwater extraction and improve water productivity and sustainability of agricultural production in the arsenic-contaminated Bengal basin. The potential of strawberry cultivation in terms of yield obtained and water use efficiency need to be evaluated under predominant soil types with mulch applications. Water-driven model AquaCrop was used to predict the canopy cover, soil water storage and above-ground biomass of strawberry in an arsenic-contaminated area in the Bengal basin. After successful calibration and validation over three seasons, AquaCrop was used over a range of management scenarios (nine drip-irrigation × three soil types × four mulch materials) to identify the best irrigation options for a drip-irrigated strawberry crop. The most appropriate irrigation of 176 mm for clay loam soil in lowland and 189 mm for sandy clay loam in medium land rice areas and the use of organic mulch from locally available jute agrotextile improved 1.4 times higher yield and 1.7 times higher water productivity than that of without mulch. Strawberry can be introduced as an alternative crop replacing rice in non-traditional upland and medium land areas of the arsenic-contaminated Bengal basin with 88% lower groundwater extraction load and better economic return to farmers.
Construction of a high-density genetic map based on large-scale marker development in Coix lacryma-jobi L. using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (slaf-seq)
Authors: Yang Chenglong , Ban Xiuwen , Zhou Mingqiang , Zhou Yu , Luo Kai , Yang Xiaoyu , Li Zhifang , Liu Fanzhi , Li Qing , Luo Yahong , Zhou Xiang , Lei Jing , Long Peilin , Wang Jian , Guo Jianchun
Published: April 2024

Coix lacryma-jobi L. is one of the most economically and medicinally important corns. This study constructed a high-density genetic linkage map of C. lacryma-jobi based on a cross between the parents 'Qianyi No. 2' × 'Wenyi No. 2' and their F2 progeny through high-throughput sequencing and the construction of a specific-locus amplified fragment (SLAF) library. After pre-processing, 325.49 GB of raw data containing 1628 M reads were obtained. A total of 22,944 high-quality SLAFs were identified, among which 3952 SLAFs and 3646 polymorphic markers met the requirements for the construction of a genetic linkage map. The integrated map contained 3605 high-quality SLAFs, which were grouped into ten genetic linkage groups. The total length of the map was 1620.39 cM, with an average distance of 0.45 cM and an average of 360.5 markers per linkage group. This report presents the first high-density genetic map of C. lacryma-jobi. This map was constructed using an F2 population and SLAF-seq approach, which allows the development of a large number of polymorphic markers in a short period. These results provide a platform for precise gene/quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, map-based gene separation, and molecular breeding in C. lacryma-jobi. They also help identify a target gene for tracking, splitting quantitative traits, and estimating the phenotypic effects of each QTL for QTL mapping. They are of great significance for improving the efficiency of discovering and utilizing excellent gene resources of C. lacryma-jobi.
Anti-Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 3 ϒ (PvMSP3 ϒ) antibodies upon natural infection
Authors: Kuamsab Napaporn , Putaporntip Chaturong , Kakino Azumi , Kosuwin Rattiporn , Songsaigath Sunisa , Tachibana Hiroshi , Jongwutiwes Somchai
Published: April 2024

Merozoite surface protein 3 of Plasmodium vivax (PvMSP3) contains a repertoire of protein members with unique sequence organization. While the biological functions of these proteins await elucidation, PvMSP3 has been suggested to be potential vaccine targets. To date, studies on natural immune responses to this protein family have been confined to two members, PvMSP3α and PvMSP3β. This study analyzed natural IgG antibody responses to PvMSP3γ recombinant proteins derived from two variants: one containing insert blocks (CT1230nF) and the other without insert domain (NR25nF). The former variant was also expressed as two subfragment proteins: one encompassing variable domain I and insert block A (CT1230N) and the other spanning from insert block B to conserved block III (CT1230C). Serum samples were obtained from 246 symptomatic vivax malaria patients in Tak (n = 50) and Ubon Ratchathani (n = 196) Provinces. In total, 176 (71.5%) patients could mount antibodies to at least one recombinant PvMSP3γ antigen. IgG antibodies directed against antigens CT1230nF, CT1230N, CT1230C and NR25nF occurred in 96.6%, 61.4%, 71.6% and 68.2% of samples, respectively, suggesting the widespread occurrence of B-cell epitopes across PvMSP3γ. The rates of seropositivity seemed to correlate with the number of previous malaria episodes. Isotype analysis of anti-PvMSP3γ antibodies has shown predominant cytophilic subclass responses, accounting for 75.4–81.7% for IgG1 and 63.6–77.5% for IgG3. Comparing with previous studies in the same cohort, the numbers of serum samples reactive to antigens derived from P. vivax merozoite surface protein 9 (PvMSP9) and thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (PvTRAP) were higher than those to PvMSP3γ, being 92.7% and 87.0% versus 71.5%, respectively. Three (1.22%) serum samples were nonresponsive to all these malarial proteins. Nevertheless, the relevance of naturally acquired antibodies to PvMSP3γ in host protection requires further studies.
A novel customizing knowledge graph evaluation method for incorporating user needs
Authors: Zhang Ying , Xiao Gang
Published: April 2024

Knowledge graphs are now widely used in various domains, including Question-and-answer systems, intelligent search and recommendation systems, and intelligent decision-making systems. However, knowledge graphs inevitably contain inaccurate and incomplete knowledge during the creation process, which leads to a reduction in the usefulness of knowledge graphs. Therefore, to assess the usefulness of knowledge graphs based on specific application requirements, quality assessment is particularly important. Among them, accuracy assessment, as a necessary dimension, reflects the degree of correctness of the triples. However, in the actual assessment process, the existing assessment methods do not consider the user’s needs and do not implement the concept of “Fitness for Use”. Meanwhile, it takes a lot of labor cost to evaluate the accuracy of large-scale knowledge graphs. Therefore, to ensure the accuracy of the assessment in a cost-saving way while meeting the needs of users, we propose and implement a novel accuracy assessment method that focuses on the requirements of users by designing an effective sampling method to obtain accurate assessment results that are more practical and instructive for users. Finally, the performance of our proposed method is evaluated by comparing it with the real accuracy rate, and the experimental results show that the accuracy rate obtained by the proposed method is very close to the real accuracy rate, and the sample size is minimized.
Position of Fovea Palatinae relative to the vibrating line in various soft palate classifications among Jordanian edentulous population
Authors: Elmanaseer Wijdan R. , Alamoush Rasha A. , Alsoleihat Firas , AL-Omiri Mahmoud K.
Published: April 2024

This study aims to examine the relationship between the locations of Fovea Palatinae and the posterior vibrating line in different classes of soft palate angulation (House Classification), accordingly determine its reliability as a landmark and a tool for determining the posterior limit of the maxillary complete denture. 280 completely edentulous patients with normal healthy mucosa from both genders were randomly selected. The House classification of the soft palate angulation was identified and recorded as Class I, II, or III. Phonation was used to determine the position of the vibrating line. The Fovea Palatinae was then marked. Then, the distance between the Fovea Palatinae and the vibrating line was measured and recorded. Finally, the relative position of the Fovea Palatinae to the vibrating line was recorded as being anterior, posterior, or on the vibrating line. The Chi Square test, the effect size measures (Eta and Cramer’s V tests), The Spearman’s Rho rank correlation test, and multinominal logistic regression analysis were utilized to analyse the data. House classification percentages were measured among people whose Fovea Palatinae was detectable; Class II palate was the most prevalent (47.14%), followed by Class I (43.93%), and then Class III (8.93%). Based on vibrating line position, 129 (58%) had a vibrating line anterior to Fovea Palatinae, 57 (26%) on the Fovea Palatinae, 36 (16%) posterior to Fovea Palatinae, and in 58 (21%) Fovea Palatinae were not detected. The mean distance between the vibrating line and Fovea Palatinae was 3.66 ± 1.6 mm anteriorly and 2.97 ± 1.36 mm posteriorly. No significant differences were found between males and females in regard to House classification and vibrating line position. The odds of having the fovea posterior to the vibrating line would increase by 5% for each year increase in the age (P = 0.035, odds ratio = 1.050). Class II House classification of the soft palate was found to be the most prevalent among the study participants. Also, the vibrating line was anterior to the Fovea Palatinae in the majority of cases. The odds of having the fovea posterior to the vibrating line would increase by age. The Fovea Palatinae could be considered a useful guide for locating the vibrating line.
Hyper-N-glycosylated SEL1L3 as auto-antigenic B-cell receptor target of primary vitreoretinal lymphomas
Authors: Elbert Michelle , Neumann Frank , Kiefer Maximilian , Christofyllakis Konstantinos , Balensiefer Benedikt , Kos Igor , Carbon Gabi , Kaddu-Mulindwa Dominic , Bittenbring Joerg Thomas , Fadle Natalie , Regitz Evi , Fend Falko , Bonzheim Irina , Thurner Lorenz , Bewarder Moritz
Published: April 2024

Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) is a rare subtype of DLBCL and can progress into primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). To investigate the role of chronic antigenic stimulation in PVRL, we cloned and expressed B-cell receptors (BCR) from PVRL patients and tested for binding against human auto-antigens. SEL1L3, a protein with multiple glycosylation sites, was identified as the BCR target in 3/20 PVRL cases. SEL1L3 induces proliferation and BCR pathway activation in aggressive lymphoma cell lines. Moreover, SEL1L3 conjugated to a toxin killed exclusively lymphoma cells with respective BCR-reactivity. Western Blot analysis indicates the occurrence of hyper-N-glycosylation of SEL1L3 at aa 527 in PVRL patients with SEL1L3-reactive BCRs. The BCR of a PVRL patient with serum antibodies against SEL1L3 was cloned from a vitreous body biopsy at diagnosis and of a systemic manifestation at relapse. VH4-04*07 was used in both lymphoma manifestations with highly conserved CDR3 regions. Both BCRs showed binding to SEL1L3, suggesting continued dependence of lymphoma cells on antigen stimulation. These results indicate an important role of antigenic stimulation by post-translationally modified auto-antigens in the genesis of PVRL. They also provide the basis for a new treatment approach targeting unique lymphoma BCRs with ultimate specificity.
Multi-stage progressive detection method for water deficit detection in vertical greenery plants
Authors: Deng Fei , Liu Xuan , Zhou Peng , Shen Jianglin , Huang Yuanxiang
Published: April 2024

Detecting the water deficit status of vertical greenery plants rapidly and accurately is a significant challenge in the process of cultivating and planting greenery plants. Currently, the mainstream method involves utilizing a single target detection algorithm for this task. However, in complex real-world scenarios, the accuracy of detection is influenced by factors such as image quality and background environment. Therefore, we propose a multi-stage progressive detection method aimed at enhancing detection accuracy by gradually filtering, processing, and detecting images through a multi-stage architecture. Additionally, to reduce the additional computational load brought by multiple stages and improve overall detection efficiency, we introduce a Swin Transformer based on mobile windows and hierarchical representations for feature extraction, along with global feature modeling through a self-attention mechanism. The experimental results demonstrate that our multi-stage detection approach achieves high accuracy in vertical greenery plants detection tasks, with an average precision of 93.5%. This represents an improvement of 19.2%, 17.3%, 13.8%, and 9.2% compared to Mask R-CNN (74.3%), YOLOv7 (76.2%), DETR (79.7%), and Deformable DETR (84.3%), respectively.
The influence of different load distribution considering geometric error on the fatigue life of ball screw
Authors: Wu Qin , Li Jianxiong , Liu Jun , Wang Xinglian
Published: April 2024

The ball screw pair is a precision drive component that converts rotary motion into linear motion. In practical applications, because the feed system usually has rotational torque and geometric errors, it may increase the contact load of the ball screw pair and reduce the fatigue life. In order to study the influence of different loads and geometric errors on the maximum contact load and fatigue life of ball screw pairs, the following research work was carried out. Firstly, based on the composite load and rotational torque, the ball load distribution model is established, and the accuracy of the model is verified by finite element modeling analysis. Then, the influence of different composite loads, rotation times and geometric errors (including ball size error, lead error and raceway tooth profile error) on the ball load distribution is analyzed. Finally, the influence of compound load, rotating torque and geometric error on the fatigue life of ball screw pairs is studied. The results show that the rotational torque and lead error have a great influence on the load distribution and fatigue life of the ball, and the influence of lead error on load distribution is greater than that of dimension error and tooth profile error. The fatigue life of the ball screw pair with non-uniform load distribution is shorter than that of the ball screw pair with uniform load distribution.
Energy trade tempers Nile water conflict
Authors: Etichia Mikiyas , Basheer Mohammed , Bravo Ruben , Gutierrez Jose , Endegnanew Atsede , Gonzalez Jose M. , Hurford Anthony , Tomlinson James , Martinez Eduardo , Panteli Mathaios , Harou Julien J.
Published: April 2024

The demand for energy, water and food in Africa continues to increase, resulting in growing pressure on contentious multisector resource systems like the River Nile. The ongoing dispute over Nile resources could become a zero-sum game if addressed from a water-centric viewpoint. Understanding how energy system management impacts water infrastructure introduces new opportunities to solve water conflicts. Although benefit-sharing of water resources in the Nile Basin has been promoted to counteract water volume disputes, it has not yielded actionable solutions to the toughest negotiations over the past two decades. Here we develop a detailed and integrated energy–river basin system simulator of 13 East African countries, including the Nile Basin, and show how new electricity trade agreements between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt could help resolve the ongoing water dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The results show that increasing energy trade can reduce Egyptian water deficits, reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions, increase hydropower generation in all three countries, reduce energy curtailment in Sudan and increase Ethiopia’s financial returns from electricity. This study underscores how spatial quantification of river–energy system interdependencies can help decision-makers find actionable multisector benefit-sharing solutions.
Holistic food safety evaluation of herbs: methods for the determination of organic and inorganic trace contaminants in Moringa stenopetala as a case study
Authors: Machado Ignacio , Gérez Natalia , Bertón Analía , Heinzen Horacio , Cesio María Verónica
Published: April 2024

Moringa stenopetala is considered a superfood due to the many bioactive compounds that it provides to the diet.
Recent research on material-based methods for isolation of extracellular vesicles
Authors: Chen Mengxi , Li Jiaxi , Lin Yujie , Li Xiaowei , Yu Yuanyuan , Zhou Shenyue , Xu Fang , Zhang Qi , Zhang Haiyang , Wang Weipeng
Published: April 2024

A schematic diagram of material-based isolation methods for EVs.
Two decades of ceria nanoparticle research: structure, properties and emerging applications
Authors: Othman Ali , Gowda Akshay , Andreescu Daniel , Hassan Mohamed H. , Babu S. V. , Seo Jihoon , Andreescu Silvana
Published: April 2024

This review encompasses advances made in the development of cerium oxide nanoparticles, their structure, properties, and translation in catalysis, chemical mechanical planarization, sensing, environmental remediation and biomedicine.
Polyetherimide (PEI) nanocomposite with WS2 nanotubes
Authors: Babai Dotan , Pinkas Iddo , Naveh Doron , Tenne Reshef
Published: April 2024

Nanocomposite fibers of polyetherimide with axially aligned WS2 nanotubes were synthesized and studied. Increased nanotubes content notably enhanced strain hardening. Post-strain analysis unveiled nanocrystalline film surrounding the WS2 nanotubes.
In vitro evaluation of microneedle strength: a comparison of test configurations and experimental insights
Authors: Harieth Alrimawi Bilal , Lee Jing Yi , Ng Keng Wooi , Goh Choon Fu
Published: April 2024

Importance of experimental configurations for in vitro mechanical evaluation of microneedle arrays as the first-line investigation of skin insertion potential.
Iridium(iii)-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of planar chiral emissive materials through C–H activation
Authors: Liu Wenjing , Ji Honghan , Duan Wenzeng , Wang Huaiwei , Huo Yanmin , Huang Xianqiang , Duan Pengfei
Published: April 2024

Pioneering the synthesis of 4-aryl-5-carboxy[2.2]paracyclophanes through C(sp2)–H activation, we constructed distinct small organic molecules possessing circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with high quantum yields of up to 0.42.
Multiconfigurational actinide nitrides assisted by double Möbius aromaticity
Authors: Lin Xuhui , Lu Xiaoli , Tang Shenghui , Wu Wei , Mo Yirong
Published: April 2024

Actinide nitride An2N2 (An = U, Pa, Th and Ac) clusters were characterized by a new family of double Möbius aromaticity, which enables unpaired electrons spin-freely to localize on actinides or form chemical bonds with ligands.
Coupling deep eutectic solvents with innovative extraction techniques towards plant derived bioactive compositions
Authors: Kyriakoudi Anastasia , Radojčić Redovniković Ivana , Vidović Senka , Radošević Kristina , Andreou Thanos , Mourtzinos Ioannis , Cvjetko Bubalo Marina
Published: April 2024

This review outlines the evolution, current status, and future trends in utilizing DESs as extraction solvents with innovative techniques to recover valuable compounds from natural sources for diverse laboratory and industrial applications.
Synthesis and characterization of magnetic carbonaceous materials from bamboo waste and investigation of their adsorption capability for cesium ions
Authors: Ogata Fumihiko , Nagai Noriaki , Ogawa Taiki , Uematsu Yugo , Saenjum Chalermpong , Tanei Shigeharu , Kawasaki Naohito
Published: April 2024

In this work, we prepared a series of magnetic carbonaceous materials (CB200F, CB400F, CB600F, CB800F, and CB1000) from waste bamboo (RB) for the removal of cesium ions from water.
A region feature fusion network for point cloud and image to detect 3D object
Authors: Shi Yanjun , Ma Longfei , Li Jiajian , Wang Xiaocong , Yang Yu
Published: April 2024

Sensor fusion is very important for collaborative intelligent systems. A regional feature fusion network called ReFuNet for detecting 3D Object is proposed. It is difficult to detect distant or small objects accurately for the sparsity of LiDAR point cloud. The LiDAR point cloud and camera image information to solve the problem of point cloud sparsity is used, which can integrate image‐rich semantic information to enhance point cloud features. Also, the authors’ ReFuNet method segments the possible areas of objects by the results of 2D image detection. A cross‐attention mechanism adaptively fuses image and point cloud features within the areas. Then, the authors’ ReFuNet uses fused features to predict the 3D bounding boxes of objects. Experiments on the KITTI 3D object detection dataset showed that the authors’ proposed fusion method effectively improved the performance of 3D object detection.
Greening of processes in soil cultivation
Authors: Lipkovich Igor , Egorova Irina , Petrenko Nadezhda , Saaya Sai-Suu , Zalyakaeva Dinara , Akhmetshin Stanislav
Published: April 2024

The article analyzes the factors affecting the soil, which directly affect the yield. Modern domestic agricultural machinery mainly has technical and technological solutions that make it possible to significantly advance in the direction of ecological balance of the impact of crop production on soils. These include non-fallow, combined techniques of basic and pre-sowing tillage, as well as the use of a new complex of heavy agrophilic running systems of heavy mobile power facilities.
Comparison of pneumatic sowing machines by the number of seeds in the slots of the discs and the distance between the slots
Authors: Saidova Mukhayyokhon , Tursunbaev Sarvar , Boltaeva Mohichekhra , Isakulova Nilufar
Published: April 2024

This article compares the pneumatic seeders currently in use. The comparison results provide the following indicators specifying the number of seedlings in the clusters, the distance between the clusters, the width of the clusters and the length of the clusters. Based on the results obtained from 3 sowing machines selected for clustering sowing of seeds, it was determined that it is advisable to improve the sowing disc in order to improve it so that the indicators of the sowing machine in 3 variants exceed the indicators of other devices.
Improving service agricultural and forestry machinery
Authors: Sivakov Vladimir , Zaikin Anatoly , Borovaya Kristina , Andronov Alexandr , Akhmadiev Almaz , Sakhapov Rustem
Published: April 2024

The possible improvement of service maintenance for various agricultural and forestry equipment, which determines the economic efficiency of the enterprise, is considered. The main types of vehicle diagnostic systems using a diagnostic scanner, dealership and manufacturer are given. It has been established that there is a tendency for the machine manufacturer to constantly monitor the main indicators of the machine (both technical and operational) by collecting information, analyzing it and transferring it to the dealer for prompt setup or repair using specialized software, which allows maintaining the equipment in working condition, without causing serious breakdowns and downtime. It is shown that in the case of using equipment from different manufacturers, an enterprise is faced with the problem of the complexity of using information about the machines in use within the framework of a unified information system. To solve this problem, it is proposed to use specially developed maintenance and repair management systems with their integration into a unified digital environment of the enterprise, based on the use of the ERP standard.
Theoretical study of the process of grain materials grinding in agriculture machinery
Authors: Alijanov Djabpar , Abdurokhmonov Shavkatjon , Usmonov Kamoliddin , Kamalov Azatbay , Baimakhanov Kenzhemirza
Published: April 2024

This paper outlines the findings of theoretical investigations into the grain materials grinding process in agriculture, focusing on the particle breakdown occurring at the moving edge of the rotor groove relative to the fixed edge of the stator. The choice of grinding methods is influenced by the processed feed, its intended purpose, the adopted feed preparation technology, and the specific farm animals involved. The study highlights the significant variations in the grinding process due to differences in dimensional characteristics and strength properties of grain materials, which impact the selection of working chamber parameters and operating modes. The paper introduces a hexagonal rotary crusher design and technological scheme, which offers the flexibility to adjust the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the working elements, energy of the process, and grinding quality within a wide range. Further research on the system dynamics requires experimental studies of grain material grinders utilizing diverse destruction methods. This study aims to advance understanding of the grain materials grinding process and optimize feed processing techniques for improved livestock productivity and product quality.
Evaluation of the coupling forces of the spindle roller with the drive belts to improve the cotton harvester
Authors: Shoumarova Muhayyo , Abdillayev Tulagen , Yusupov Sherzod , Begjanov Amirbek
Published: April 2024

This article investigates the optimization of coupling forces between spindle rollers and drive belts in vertical spindle cotton harvesters, aiming to enhance harvesting efficiency and completeness. Traditional vertical spindle machines face limitations in collecting cotton from bushes, primarily due to inferior spindle-belt interactions compared to horizontal spindle counterparts. Challenges arise from variable traction capacity in friction drives, exacerbated by diminished contact angles between rollers and conventional V-belts. To address these issues, experiments were conducted comparing traditional V-belts with ribbed belts, demonstrating superior traction capabilities of ribbed belts. A novel roller design, coupled with ribbed belts, showcased significantly higher clamping forces, indicating enhanced performance potential. The experimental setup involved a custom-built bench for measuring adhesion forces, providing empirical data supporting the superiority of ribbed belts. The findings suggest that adopting ribbed belts with appropriate roller designs can significantly improve traction and operational stability in spindle drive systems. This research contributes to advancing mechanical engineering knowledge, offering insights into optimizing friction drive systems for enhanced performance and productivity in cotton harvesting machinery and other industrial applications.
The method of dispersion analysis of droplets using mini droplet cards for resource-saving agricultural technologies
Authors: Irisov Khusniddin , Gorlova Irina , Khudaev Ibrokhim
Published: April 2024

The article protection of agricultural crops and gardens from various diseases and pests, chemical feeding of crops, fight against weeds, defoliation processes, traditional dispersion analysis of highly dispersed droplets formed by resource-efficient and high-performance sprayers, determination of the distribution pattern of drops in a dynamic line for a long time in order to simplify this process, to save time spent on computational work, it is proposed to use templated miniature drop cards for dispersion analysis. Mathematical-statistical analysis was performed on the basis of the collected dynamic series of tiny drop cards. In this case, the arithmetic mean value of the indicators, the mean square deviation, the coefficient of variation, the shift values for the dynamic series, the differential function of the probability of each interval for the Weibull distribution law in assessing the reliability level of highly dispersed drops, the theoretical distribution R(xi) and the expected theoretical distribution of drops in the interval (mi) probability is determined. Empirical and theoretical graphs of the Weibull distribution law are presented.
Theoretical and experimental study of primary cocoon processing
Authors: Samandarov Doston , Sultanova Shakhnoza , Safarov Jasur , Pulatov Murod , Jumaev Botir
Published: April 2024

This study is aimed at studying the influence of basic parameters such as the power of ultrasonic waves, the power of infrared radiation, the drying temperature, the drying time and the drying kinetics of cocoons. We used two special methods to kill and dry the cocoons: infrared and combined (infrared-ultrasound). The results obtained indicate that the cocoon drying process as a whole can be controlled by the period of speed decline. With the infrared method, the drying speed increased with increasing temperature, while the power of infrared radiation did not have a strong effect on the killing process. Ultrasound has shown its positive potential in the primary cocoon processing.
Theoretical and practical aspects of the air exchange process when feeding cotton into the pipes of the carrier device
Authors: Sarimsakov Olimjon , Kadirova Feruza
Published: April 2024

The scholarly literature on the transfer of cotton to an air-assisted carrier is thoroughly examined in this article. The theoretical foundation for the procedure of transferring cotton to an air-assisted carrier device was developed based on the findings of nzary and practical work. The movement trajectories of cotton in the distance to the pipe and inside the pipe were measured when raw materials were transmitted to the starting part of the pipe of the carrier device using air at different starting speeds. Cotton moves in the first section of the pipe and then progressively transitions into the rectilinear movement in this instance, as is theoretically demonstrated.
Transmission shaft and its parameters for feed choppers in agriculture
Authors: Borotov Atkham , Bon Thomas , Sattarov Narmurod , Jumatov Yakubbay , Ashurov Nurali , Sadullaev Jakhongir , Ernazarov Karim
Published: April 2024

The article presents the results of research on the selection of a transmission shaft of an optimal design for a small-sized, simple-constructed crushing device and theoretical determination of its parameters. According to the analysis of rectangular, trapezoidal, oval, tubular and conical transmission rods, trapezoidal rods have an optimal construction. Such rods ensure the convenient transmission of the stalks to be crushed, as well as compression of the material from both sides, accumulation and transmission. For this reason, we adopt a trapezoidal transmission line to the blue stem feed shredder. Based on the results of the theoretical research of transmission rods, it was determined that the stalks transmitted from the rod to the crusher depend on the shape of the rod and some parameters. According to theoretical studies, in order to transfer the crushed feed to the device and its supply channels with a comfortable and low resistance, the length of its transfer chute should be 65 cm, the width of the front part of the chute should be 40 cm, the width of the part connected to the supply chute should be 20 cm, and the slope of the chute should be 27°.
Analysis of quality indicators of oils during continuous heating before deodorization
Authors: Marchenkova Svetlana , Kulagina Liudmila , Kulagina Tatiana , Yenutina Tamara , Khudonogov Sergey , Zaytceva Elena
Published: April 2024

The article concerns various types of heating of vegetable oils before deodorization in a continuous process. Experimental methods were used to analyze changes in the physicochemical properties of the samples under study. The main attention is paid to the analysis of changes in the quality characteristics of vegetable oil depending on the type of heater and heating time. The article highlights studies of the main quality indicators, on the basis of which it was concluded that during induction heating the changes occurring in oils are significantly different compared to using a resistance heater.
Increasing the adhesion laminated films based on polyimide to the surface
Authors: Pavlov Vladimir
Published: April 2024

Polyimide film is widely used in various fields of industry, ranging from space technology to microelectronics. The widespread use of the film is due to its high thermal stability, low dielectric constant and good mechanical strength. However, the polyimide film also has a serious disadvantage that prevents its use in a number of applications, namely, a relatively low surface energy, manifested in the low adhesive strength of the film’s compounds with other polymers and metals. Currently, a number of surface modification methods of polyimide film are known to improve adhesive properties of the surface without changing the properties of material thickness. The existing methods of polyimide film surface modification can be divided into two large groups: chemical, “wet” methods and “dry” ion-beam and plasma methods. The article presents the results of studies of polyimide adhesion changes depending on the methods of plasma treatment.
Scientific and production substantiation of the effectiveness of the product for dry hoof baths
Authors: Tarasova Evgenya , Khuzin Damir , Mingaleev Danil , Yusupov Sultan , Potekhina Ramziya , Bykova Polina , Lukina Guliya , Erokhondina Marina , Tremasova Anna
Published: April 2024

This paper presents the results of a study of the adsorption activity of a developed complex product for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the distal extremities of cattle and its effectiveness with individual and group use using the method of dry hoof baths in a number of agricultural enterprises with tethered and freestall housing of cattle. It was shown that the developed product has a porous structure and a wide range of adsorption. The main cause of infection causing mass lesions of the fingers and hooves of cattle in the surveyed agricultural enterprises was an increase in the threshold number of the diversity of saprophytic and opportunistic microorganisms transmitted directly from one animal to another. Associations of bacteria and micromycetes determined the cause of the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases of the fingers and hooves. The test results of the developed complex product, which includes inorganic adsorbents and active substances with pronounced fungicidal, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties indicate the possibility of its introduction into the system of control measures with diseases of fingers and hooves in disadvantaged agricultural enterprises with both tethered and free-stall livestock keeping.