bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of Offsite Power Recovery Modeling in United States Nuclear Power Plants
Authors: Ma Zhegang , Smith Curtis L. , Johnson Nancy E.
Published: July 2020

Loss of offsite power (LOOP) can have a major, adverse impact on a nuclear power plant's (NPP) ability to achieve and maintain safe shutdown conditions. The time required for subsequent restoration of offsite power after a LOOP event occurred and the probabilities of LOOP events exceeding various durations (or LOOP non‐recovery probabilities) are important inputs to NPP probabilistic risk assessments (PRA). This paper reviews the analysis of LOOP events at United States commercial NPPs conducted by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This paper presents the current LOOP recovery modeling that estimates probabilities of LOOP events exceeding various durations (or LOOP non‐recovery probabilities) based on operating experience. NPPs use these LOOP results in PRA models for various risk‐informed activities. Finally, this paper provides the LOOP non‐recovery probability results for the four LOOP categories: plant‐centered, switchyard‐centered, grid‐related, and weather‐related with LOOP recovery data from 1988 to 2018.
Nitroxide‐enhanced MRI of cardiovascular oxidative stress
Authors: Shah Soham A. , Cui Sophia X. , Waters Christopher D. , Sano Soichi , Wang Ying , Doviak Heather , Leor Jonathan , Walsh Kenneth , French Brent A. , Epstein Frederick H.
Published: July 2020

Background

In vivo imaging of oxidative stress can facilitate the understanding and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. We evaluated nitroxide‐enhanced MRI with 3‐carbamoyl‐proxyl (3CP) for the detection of myocardial oxidative stress.

Methods

Three mouse models of cardiac oxidative stress were imaged, namely angiotensin II (Ang II) infusion, myocardial infarction (MI), and high‐fat high‐sucrose (HFHS) diet‐induced obesity (DIO). For the Ang II model, mice underwent MRI at baseline and after 7 days of Ang II (n = 8) or saline infusion (n = 8). For the MI model, mice underwent MRI at baseline (n = 10) and at 1 (n = 8), 4 (n = 9), and 21 (n = 8) days after MI. For the HFHS‐DIO model, mice underwent MRI at baseline (n = 20) and 18 weeks (n = 13) after diet initiation. The 3CP reduction rate, Kred, computed using a tracer kinetic model, was used as a metric of oxidative stress. Dihydroethidium (DHE) staining of tissue sections was performed on Day 1 after MI.

Results

For the Ang II model, Kred was higher after 7 days of Ang II versus other groups (p < 0.05). For the MI model, Kred, in the infarct region was significantly elevated on Days 1 and 4 after MI (p < 0.05), whereas Kred in the noninfarcted region did not change after MI. DHE confirmed elevated oxidative stress in the infarct zone on Day 1 after MI. After 18 weeks of HFHS diet, Kred was higher in mice after diet versus baseline (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Nitroxide‐enhanced MRI noninvasively quantifies tissue oxidative stress as one component of a multiparametric preclinical MRI examination. These methods may facilitate investigations of oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease and related therapies.
Excellent ONO passivation on phosphorus and boron diffusion demonstrating a 25% efficient IBC solar cell
Authors: Kho Teng Choon , Fong Kean Chern , Stocks Matthew , McIntosh Keith , Franklin Evan , Phang Sieu Pheng , Liang Wensheng , Blakers Andrew
Published: July 2020

This work presents results of a laboratory‐scale interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cell with an independently measured efficiency of 25.0%, featuring open‐circuit voltage of 716 mV, short‐circuit current of 43.0 mA.cm−2 and fill factor of 81.0%. Notably, the high efficiency was achieved based on significant improvements resulting from the optimised cell structure, excellent SiO2‐SiNx‐SiOx (ONO) surface passivation, detailed bulk lifetime management strategy and improved random pyramid texturing. Experimental details and analysis of the individual improvements over prior work are presented in‐depth.
AdS2 type-IIA solutions and scale separation
Authors: Lüst Dieter , Tsimpis Dimitrios
Published: July 2020

Abstract

In this note we examine certain classes of solutions of IIA theory without sources, of the form AdS2× ℳ(1) × ⋯ × ℳ(n), where ℳ(i) are Riemannian spaces. We show that large hierarchies of curvatures can be obtained between the different factors, however the absolute value of the scalar curvature of AdS2 must be of the same order or larger than the absolute values of the scalar curvatures of all the other factors.
Revolutionary poetry and liquid crystal chemistry: Herman Gorter, Ada Prins and the interface between literature and science
Authors: Zwart Hub
Published: July 2020

In the Netherlands, the poet Herman Gorter (1864–1927) is mostly known as the author of the neo-romantic poem May and the “sensitivistic” Poems, but internationally he became famous as a propagandist of radical Marxism: the author of influential brochures and of an “open letter” to comrade W.I. Lenin in 1920. During the 1890s, Gorter became increasingly dissatisfied with his poetry, considering it as ego-centric, disinterested and “bourgeois”, unconnected with what was happening in the real (material-political) world. He wanted to put his poetry on a scientific footing, notably by endorsing a dialectical materialist worldview. In the communist society he envisioned, science would become poetry and poetry would become science. In his opus magnum Pan (11,000 lines of verse, published in 1916), two terms are rather prominent, namely heelal (“universe”) and kristal (“crystal”). These signifiers not only reflect important themes, but also two friendships which began around 1900, namely with prominent astronomer and marxist Anton Pannekoek (who studied the universe) and with Ada Prins, the first woman in the Netherlands who acquired a PhD in chemistry, specialised in liquid crystal research. Whereas Ada Prins is mostly remembered as one of Gorter’s secret lovers, she was first and foremost his educated guide into the complex and enigmatic world of twentieth-century chemistry research. Liquid crystal chemistry became an important source of inspiration for Gorter’s work and the main objective of this paper is to demonstrate her influence on Gorter’s Pan as a scientific poem After presenting the two heroes of this paper, and their work in poetry and chemistry respectively, I will analyse the role of liquid crystals in Herman Gorter’s Pan, highlighting important connections with Ada Prins’ research into liquid crystal chemistry.
New alliances in global environmental governance: how intergovernmental treaty secretariats interact with non-state actors to address transboundary environmental problems
Authors: Hickmann Thomas , Elsässer Joshua Philipp
Published: July 2020

The past few years have witnessed a growing interest among scholars and policy-makers in the interplay of international bureaucracies with civil society organizations, non-profit entities, and the private sector. Authors concerned with global environmental politics have made considerable progress in capturing this phenomenon. Nevertheless, we still lack in-depth empirical knowledge on the precise nature of such institutional interlinkages across governance levels and scales. Building upon the concept oforchestration, this article focuses on the relationship between specific types of international bureaucracies and actors other than the nation-state. In particular, we investigate how the secretariats of the three Rio Conventions reach out to non-state actors in order to exert influence on the outcome of international environmental negotiations. Our analysis demonstrates that the three intergovernmental treaty secretariats utilize various styles of orchestration in their relation to non-state actors and seek to push the global responses to the respective transboundary environmental problems forward. This article points to a recent trend towards a direct collaboration between these secretariats and non-state actors which gives rise to the idea that new alliances between these actors are emerging in global environmental governance.
Green building in China
Authors: Shen Yayun , Faure Michael
Published: July 2020

Green buildings can play a role in helping countries meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Green building can provide an important contribution to sustainability, for example, by improving energy efficiency, by improving indoor air quality, and by effective waste treatment. In practice, we see that there is an increasing interest in various forms of green building. However, the existing literature has not identified the role of law in promoting green building. It is, moreover, striking that green building has taken off in a rather impressive manner in China. Although generally there are still huge environmental problems with which China is confronted, for many years already China has been engaged in green building. This paper wants to examine what explains the relative success of green building in China; What specific legal instruments can be used to promote green building; and what lessons can be drawn more generally from experience in China? The paper uses the theory of smart regulation (Gunningham/Grabosky) and the economic analysis of law to examine the importance of different instruments in promoting green building. The paper comes to two key results, being that no single instrument in itself is optimal to promote green building as a result of which a smart mix needs to be designed to promote green building; moreover, for the specific case of China, it is the large government involvement in the economy that has been able to jump-start green building. The Chinese government has, on the one hand, mandated green building in government projects, but on the other hand, also used market-based instruments (like subsidies and public procurement) to promote green building.
An extended energy balance method for resonance prediction in forced response of systems with non-conservative nonlinearities using damped nonlinear normal mode
Authors: Sun Yekai , Vizzaccaro Alessandra , Yuan Jie , Salles Loïc
Published: July 2020

The dynamic analysis of systems with nonlinearities has become an important topic in many engineering fields. Apart from the forced response analyses, nonlinear modal analysis has been successfully extended to such non-conservative systems thanks to the definition of damped nonlinear normal modes. The energy balance method is a tool that permits to directly predict resonances for a conservative system with nonlinearities from its nonlinear modes. In this work, the energy balance method is extended to systems with non-conservative nonlinearities using the concept of the damped nonlinear normal mode and its application in a full-scale engineering structure. This extended method consists of a balance between the energy loss from the internal damping, the energy transferred from the external excitation and the energy exchanged with the non-conservative nonlinear force. The method assumes that the solution of the forced response at resonance bears resemblance to that of the damped nonlinear normal mode. A simplistic model and full-scale structure with dissipative nonlinearities and a simplistic model showing self-excited vibration are tested using the method. In each test case, resonances are predicted efficiently and the computed force–amplitude curves show a great agreement with the forced responses. In addition, the self-excited solutions and isolas in forced responses can be effectively detected and identified. The accuracy and limitations of the method have been critically discussed in this work.
Explaining Increased Contestation in the 2018 State Legislative Elections
Authors: Myers Adam S.
Published: July 2020

State legislative elections in the United States have long exhibited relatively low contestation rates. Between 2002 and 2016, for example, the percentage of state legislative seats fully contested by the two major parties in even-year elections never reached more than 63.6% and was as low as 54.6%.1 Indeed, some states always see fewer than one third of their legislative seats contested. It is not surprising that local media around the country routinely lament the low level of competition in statehouse races.2
Turning Rights into Ballots: The Uneven Integration of Women into Electoral Politics after Suffrage
Authors: Wolbrecht Christina , Corder J. Kevin
Published: July 2020

After a more than seven-decade battle, American women secured the right to vote in August 1920. The struggle for women to have a voice in elections was not over, however. The Nineteenth Amendment states that “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” The amendment gives Congress the power to enforce the law by appropriate legislation. It does not, however, empower or charge any government office or actor with ensuring that women can and do cast ballots. This article argues that this reality, often taken for granted, has serious implications for both the incorporation of women into the electorate and the representation of their political interests.
The State Legislative Elections of 2018: Symposium Introduction
Authors: Klarner Carl E.
Published: July 2020

This symposium consists of six articles that examine the 2018 state legislative elections. The first article by Adam S. Myers sets the stage by highlighting the unprecedented level of contestation in state legislative elections, especially by Democratic candidates.
The impact of nanoscale compositional variation on the properties of amorphous alloys
Authors: Gemma Ryota , Baben Moritz to , Pundt Astrid , Kapaklis Vassilios , Hjörvarsson Björgvin
Published: July 2020

The atomic distribution in amorphous FeZr alloys is found to be close to random, nevertheless, the composition can not be viewed as being homogenous at the nm-scale. The spatial variation of the local composition is identified as the root of the unusual magnetic properties in amorphous $$\hbox {Fe}_{1-x}\hbox {Zr}_{x}$$Fe1-xZrx alloys. The findings are discussed and generalised with respect to the physical properties of amorphous and crystalline materials.
Molecular neuroanatomy of anorexia nervosa
Authors: Howard Derek , Negraes Priscilla , Voineskos Aristotle N. , Kaplan Allan S. , Muotri Alysson R. , Duvvuri Vikas , French Leon
Published: July 2020

Anorexia nervosa is a complex eating disorder with genetic, metabolic, and psychosocial underpinnings. Using genome-wide methods, recent studies have associated many genes with the disorder. We characterized these genes by projecting them into reference transcriptomic atlases of the prenatal and adult human brain to determine where these genes are expressed in fine detail. We found that genes from an induced stem cell study of anorexia nervosa cases are expressed at higher levels in the lateral parabrachial nucleus. Although weaker, expression enrichment of the adult lateral parabrachial is also found with genes from independent genetic studies. Candidate causal genes from the largest genetic study of anorexia nervosa to date were enriched for expression in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. We also found an enrichment of anorexia nervosa associated genes in the adult and fetal raphe and ventral tegmental areas. Motivated by enrichment of these feeding circuits, we tested if these genes respond to fasting in mice hypothalami, which highlighted the differential expression of Rps26 and Dalrd3. This work improves our understanding of the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa by suggesting disturbances in subcortical appetitive circuits.
Tract-specific analysis improves sensitivity of spinal cord diffusion MRI to cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Pisharady Pramod Kumar , Eberly Lynn E. , Cheong Ian , Manousakis Georgios , Guliani Gaurav , Clark H. Brent , Bathe Mark , Walk David , Lenglet Christophe
Published: July 2020

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a late-onset fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and the spinal cord. Corticospinal tract degeneration is a defining feature of ALS. However, there have been very few longitudinal, controlled studies assessing diffusion MRI (dMRI) metrics in different fiber tracts along the spinal cord in general or the corticospinal tract in particular. Here we demonstrate that a tract-specific analysis, with segmentation of ascending and descending tracts in the spinal cord white matter, substantially increases the sensitivity of dMRI to disease-related changes in ALS. Our work also identifies the tracts and spinal levels affected in ALS, supporting electrophysiologic and pathologic evidence of involvement of sensory pathways in ALS. We note changes in diffusion metrics and cord cross-sectional area, with enhanced sensitivity to disease effects through a multimodal analysis, and with strong correlations between these metrics and spinal components of ALSFRS-R.
Transcriptome-wide association study for restless legs syndrome identifies new susceptibility genes
Authors: Akçimen Fulya , Sarayloo Faezeh , Liao Calwing , Ross Jay P. , Oliveira Rachel De Barros , Dion Patrick A. , Rouleau Guy A.
Published: July 2020

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological condition, with a prevalence of 5–15% in Central Europe and North America. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified some common risk regions for RLS, the causal genes have yet to be fully elucidated. We conducted a transcriptome-wide association study involving 15,126 RLS cases and 95,725 controls, from the most recent meta-analysis of GWAS, and gene expression weights of GTEx v7 and the CMC dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tissue panels. We identified 13 associations (in 8 independent loci) at the transcriptome-wide significant level, of which 6 were not implicated in the previous GWAS: SKAP1, SLC36A1, CCDC57, FN3KRP, NCOA6/TRPC4AP. A fine-mapping approach prioritized CMTR1, RP1-153P14.5, PRPF6, and PPP3R1 – to our knowledge, the latter of which is the first RLS-associated gene directly implicated in dopaminergic pathways. Overall, our findings highlight the power of integrating gene expression data with GWAS to prioritize putative causal genes for functional follow-up studies.
Spontaneous redox continuum reveals sequestered technetium clusters and retarded mineral transformation of iron
Authors: Boglaienko Daria , Soltis Jennifer A. , Kukkadapu Ravi K. , Du Yingge , Sweet Lucas E. , Holfeltz Vanessa E. , Hall Gabriel B. , Buck Edgar C. , Segre Carlo U. , Emerson Hilary P. , Katsenovich Yelena , Levitskaia Tatiana G.
Published: July 2020

The sequestration of metal ions into the crystal structure of minerals is common in nature. To date, the incorporation of technetium(IV) into iron minerals has been studied predominantly for systems under carefully controlled anaerobic conditions. Mechanisms of the transformation of iron phases leading to incorporation of technetium(IV) under aerobic conditions remain poorly understood. Here we investigate granular metallic iron for reductive sequestration of technetium(VII) at elevated concentrations under ambient conditions. We report the retarded transformation of ferrihydrite to magnetite in the presence of technetium. We observe that quantitative reduction of pertechnetate with a fraction of technetium(IV) structurally incorporated into non-stoichiometric magnetite benefits from concomitant zero valent iron oxidative transformation. An in-depth profile of iron oxide reveals clusters of the incorporated technetium(IV), which account for 32% of the total retained technetium estimated via X-ray absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. This corresponds to 1.86 wt.% technetium in magnetite, providing the experimental evidence to theoretical postulations on thermodynamically stable technetium(IV) being incorporated into magnetite under spontaneous aerobic redox conditions.
Covalent organic frameworks-based paper solid phase microextraction combined with paper spray mass spectrometry for highly enhanced analysis of tetrabromobisphenol A
Authors: Zhang Guanglu , Ding Tong , Shi Qian , Jiang Zhongyao , Niu Yaxin , Zhang Minmin , Tong Lili , Chen Zhenzhen , Tang Bo
Published: July 2020

COFs-based paper solid phase microextraction-paper spray mass spectrometry was developed for tetrabromobisphenol A detection with enhanced analysis performance.
Analysis of 1-aminoisoquinoline using the signal amplification by reversible exchange hyperpolarization technique
Authors: Jeong Hye Jin , Min Sein , Jeong Keunhong
Published: July 2020

1-aminoisoquinoline (1-AIQ), is successfully hyperpolarized in diverse solvent systems using SABRE. Additionally, the polarization transfer mechanism of 1-AIQ is explained by comparing to pyridine using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Ultrasensitive determination of ractopamine based on dual catalytic signal amplification by Pd nanocubes and HRP using a flow injection chemiluminescence immunoassay
Authors: Pei Yingqi , Zhang Jing , Wu Kang , Deng Anping , Li Jianguo
Published: July 2020

A rapid and highly sensitive flow injection chemiluminescence immunoassay was developed to detect ractopamine residues in pork products.
Transmission electron microscopy characterization of low temperature boron doped silicon epitaxial films
Authors: Noircler Guillaume , Chrostowski Marta , Larranaga Melvyn , Drahi Etienne , Roca i Cabarrocas Pere , de Coux Patricia , Warot-Fonrose Bénédicte
Published: July 2020

Transmission electron microscopy techniques to better understand growth mechanisms and annealing of low temperature silicon epitaxy. HRTEM: thickness measurement, crystal morphology, and defect study. GPA (image processing): strain field analysis.
Distonic radical anion species in cysteine oxidation processes
Authors: Qin Zhengbo , Hou Gao-Lei , Yang Zheng , Valiev Marat , Wang Xue-Bin
Published: July 2020

In contrast to the first reversible oxidation step being associated with sulfinate species, a novel distonic radical anion, •OS–CH2CH(NH2)–COO− has been identified with an inverted SOMO–HOMO energy order that can be restored via protonation.
A DFT study for CO2 hydrogenation on W(111) and Ni-doped W(111) surfaces
Authors: Zhang Minhua , Yin Song , Chen Yifei
Published: July 2020

The first-step hydrogenation of CO2 to methanol via HCOO route, COOH route, and RWGS + CO-hydro route on NixW(111) (x = 0, 1, 3) has been studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Decomposition of the simplest ketohydroperoxide in the ozonolysis of ethylene
Authors: Genossar Nadav , Porterfield Jessica P. , Baraban Joshua H.
Published: July 2020

The ozonolysis of ethylene is proposed for the first time to lead to glyoxal via hydroperoxyacetaldehyde (HPA).
Visible light-promoted synthesis of organic carbamates from carbon dioxide under catalyst- and additive-free conditions
Authors: Cheng Ruixiang , Qi Chaorong , Wang Lu , Xiong Wenfang , Liu Hongjian , Jiang Huanfeng
Published: July 2020

A visible light-promoted process for the synthesis of organic carbamates from carbon dioxide was developed under catalyst- and additive-free conditions.
One-pot reductive amination of carboxylic acids: a sustainable method for primary amine synthesis
Authors: Coeck Robin , De Vos Dirk E.
Published: July 2020

Recyclable ruthenium–tungsten catalysts perform excellently for the direct reductive amination of carboxylic acids, with up to 96% yield.
What triggers dye adsorption by metal organic frameworks? The current perspectives
Authors: Shahnawaz Khan M. , Khalid Mohd , Shahid M.
Published: July 2020

This review highlights the current progress in the chemistry of MOFs and their dye adsorption mechanisms.
Controlled retention and drainage of microfibrillated cellulose in continuous paper production
Authors: Karim Zoheb , Svedberg Anna
Published: July 2020

In the current study, an attempt has been made to scale up microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) reinforced paper using a pilot scale experimental paper machine (XPM) in continuous mode.
The Utility of Speech-Language Biomarkers to Predict Oral Feeding Outcomes in the Premature Newborn
Authors: Bartolome Ruby , Kaneko-Tarui Tomoko , Maron Jill , Zimmerman Emily
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Successful oral feeding and speech emergence are dependent upon the coordination of shared oral muscles and facial nerves. We aimed to determine if the speech-associated genes,

forkhead box P2
(FOXP2)
, contactin-associated protein-like 2
(CNTNAP2
), glutamate receptor, ionotropic, N-methyl D-aspartate 2A
(GRIN2A)
,

and
neurexin 1,
were detectable in neonatal saliva and could predict feeding outcomes in premature newborns.

Method

In this prospective, observational, preliminary study, saliva collected from 51 premature infants (gestational ages: 30–34 6/7 weeks) at different stages of oral feeding development underwent gene expression analysis. Binary (+/–) expression profiles were explored and examined in relation to days to achieve full oral feeds.

Results

GRIN2A
and
neurexin 1
rarely amplified in neonatal saliva and were not informative. Infants who amplified
FOXP2
but not
CNTNAP2
at the start of oral feeds achieved oral feeding success 3.20 (95% CI [−2.5, 8.9]) days sooner than other gene combinations.

Conclusions

FOXP2
and
CNTNAP2
may be informative in predicting oral feeding outcomes in newborns. Salivary analysis at the start of oral feeding trials may inform feeding outcomes in this population and warrants further investigation.
Non-oxidative Energy Supply Correlates with Lactate Transport and
Removal in Trained Rowers
Authors: Maciejewski Hugo , Bourdin Muriel , Féasson Léonard , Dubouchaud Hervé , Messonnier Laurent André
Published: July 2020

This study aimed to test if the non-oxidative energy supply (estimated by the
accumulated oxygen deficit) is associated with an index of muscle lactate
accumulation during exercise, muscle monocarboxylate transporter content and the
lactate removal ability during recovery in well-trained rowers. Seventeen rowers
completed a 3-min all-out exercise on rowing ergometer to estimate the
accumulated oxygen deficit. Blood lactate samples were collected during the
subsequent passive recovery to assess individual blood lactate curves, which
were fitted to the bi-exponential time function:
La(t)= [La](0)+A1·(1–e–γ
1
t)+A2·(1–e–γ
2
t), where the velocity constants γ1 and
γ2 (min–1) denote the lactate exchange
and removal abilities during recovery, respectively. The accumulated oxygen
deficit was correlated with the net amount of lactate released from the
previously active muscles (r =0.58, P<0.05), the monocarboxylate
transporters MCT1 and MCT4 (r=0.63, P<0.05) and
γ2 (r=0.55, P<0.05).
γ2 and the lactate release rate at exercise completion
were negatively correlated with citrate synthase activity. These findings
suggest that the capacity to supply non-oxidative energy during supramaximal
rowing exercise is associated with muscle lactate accumulation and transport, as
well as lactate removal ability.
Impact of Physical Education on Changes in Students’
Emotional Competence: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Cho Ooksang
Published: July 2020

The theoretical background related to how physical activity positively influences
children and adolescents’ brain function for social and emotional
competency has been stably structured. However, according to our review of the
literature, no study has synthetically analyzed physical education interventions
that produce positive outcomes related to learners’ emotional status.
Therefore, the aim of the study was to systematically analyze the effectiveness
of physical education interventions designed to improve students’
emotional ability. In October 2017, we searched electronic research databases
for intervention studies that analyzed the impact of school physical education
on students’ emotional changes. We assessed the risk of bias, extracted
data, and conducted meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of physical
education intervention. From an initial pool of 1200 non-duplicate records, 12
studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The effectiveness of school-based
physical education was analyzed by calculating standard mean difference. Based
on the results of the meta-analysis, students in intervention conditions changed
their psychological conditions compared with students in usual practice
conditions (standardized mean difference=0.30, 95% confidence
interval=− 0.05−0.66). Physical and sport
education for children and adolescents has positively influenced changes in
their emotional conditions.
Exercise-induced Nitric Oxide Contributes to Spatial Memory and
Hippocampal Capillaries in Rats
Authors: Qi Yingqiang , Wang Sanrong , Luo Yanmin , Huang Wei , Chen Linmu , Zhang Yi , Liang Xin , Tang Jing , Zhang Yang , Zhang Lei , Chao Fenglei , Gao Yuan , Zhu Yanqing , Tang Yong
Published: July 2020

Exercise has been argued to improve cognitive function in both humans and
rodents. Angiogenesis significantly contributes to brain health, including
cognition. The hippocampus is a crucial brain region for cognitive function.
However, studies quantifying the capillary changes in the hippocampus after
running exercise are lacking. Moreover, the molecular details underlying the
effects of running exercise remain poorly understood. We show that
endogenous nitric oxide contributes to the beneficial effects of running
exercise on cognition and hippocampal capillaries. Four weeks of running
exercise significantly improved spatial memory ability and increased the
number of capillaries in the cornu ammonis 1 subfield and dentate gyrus of
Sprague-Dawley rats. Running exercise also significantly increased nitric
oxide synthase activity and nitric oxide content in the rat hippocampus.
After blocking the synthesis of endogenous nitric oxide by lateral
ventricular injection of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a nonspecific
nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, the protective effect of running exercise
on spatial memory was eliminated. The protective effect of running exercise
on angiogenesis in the cornu ammonis 1 subfield and dentate gyrus of rats
was also absent after nitric oxide synthase inhibition. Therefore, during
running excise, endogenous nitric oxide may contribute to regulating spatial
memory ability and angiogenesis in cornu ammonis 1 subfield and dentate
gyrus of the hippocampus.
A De Novo BSCL2 Gene S90L Mutation in a Progressive Tetraparesis with Urinary Dysfunction and Corpus Callosum Involvement
Authors: Ramos-Lopes Joana , Ribeiro Joana , Laço Mário , Alves Cristina , Matos Anabela , Costa Cármen
Published: July 2020

A Silver syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant spastic paraparesis in which spasticity of the lower limbs is accompanied by amyotrophy of the small hand muscles. The causative gene is the Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy 2 (BSCL2), which is related to a spectrum of neurological phenotypes. In the current study, we presented a 14-year-old male with a slowly progressive spastic paraparesis with urinary incontinence that later on exhibited atrophy and weakness in the thenar and dorsal interosseous muscles. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed discrete atrophy of the corpus callosum isthmus and an extended next-generation sequencing panel identified a de novo heterozygous mutation in BSCL2 gene, c.269C > T p.(S90L). Various clinical expression and incomplete penetrance of BSCL2 gene mutations complicate the establishment of a genetic etiology for these cases. Therefore, Silver syndrome should be included in the differential diagnosis if the initial presentation is a spastic paraparesis by urinary involvement with childhood-onset, even with MRI atypical findings. This report described the first Iberian Silver syndrome case carrying a de novo c.269C > T p. (S90L) BSCL2 gene mutation.
What science can do for democracy: a complexity science approach
Authors: Eliassi-Rad Tina , Farrell Henry , Garcia David , Lewandowsky Stephan , Palacios Patricia , Ross Don , Sornette Didier , Thébault Karim , Wiesner Karoline
Published: July 2020

Political scientists have conventionally assumed that achieving democracy is a one-way ratchet. Only very recently has the question of “democratic backsliding” attracted any research attention. We argue that democratic instability is best understood with tools from complexity science. The explanatory power of complexity science arises from several features of complex systems. Their relevance in the context of democracy is discussed. Several policy recommendations are offered to help (re)stabilize current systems of representative democracy.
Effects of interstitial C atoms on magnetostructural transformation and magnetocaloric effect in MnNi0.77Fe0.23GeCx compounds
Authors: Zhou He , Zhang Hu , Liu Fengxia , Cong Daoyong , Zhang Yingli , Long Yi
Published: July 2020

In this study, the influence of interstitial C atoms on the magnetostructural transformation and magnetocaloric effect in MnNi0.77Fe0.23GeCx (x = 0, 0.02, and 0.03) compounds has been investigated. The introduction of C atoms into the interstitial sites of the MnNi0.77Fe0.23Ge compounds leads to the enhanced stability of the orthorhombic phase, thus enhancing the structural transition temperature. Moreover, the critical field of antiferromagnetic (AFM)–ferromagnetic (FM) conversion significantly decreases following C atom incorporation. Therefore, it can be inferred that C atoms can promote the AFM–FM conversion in the TiNiSi-type orthorhombic phase. The MnNi0.77Fe0.23GeCx compound with x = 0.02 exhibits a large magnetocaloric effect due to the ferromagnetic magnetostructural transition. Furthermore, for the compound with x = 0.03, a table-like magnetocaloric effect is observed around room temperature owing to the coupling of the martensitic and metamagnetic transitions, which confirms the wide working temperature range and a large refrigerant capacity.
Theoretical analysis of an anion-πcomplex: I−·C6F6
Authors: Liu Zhang-yun , Chen Zheng , Xu Xin
Published: July 2020

Recently, Anstöter and co-workers [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 141, 6132 (2019)] have provided the first photoelectron spectroscopic determination of the anion-π bond strength (De) using iodide-hexafluorobenzene (I−·C6F6) as the archetypical system. In combination with an equation-of-motion coupled cluster theory, namely EOM-IP-CCSD(dT), using Dunning’s aug-cc-pVDZ (aVDZ) basis set, De in I−·C6F6 was found to be −0.53 eV with an uncertainty less than 0.03 eV. The interaction was claimed to arise for a large part from correlation forces (41%) with only a 23% contribution from electrostatic forces. In the present work, we performed the coupled-cluster with single and double and perturbative triple excitations, CCSD(T), calculations. We found that CCSD(T)/aVDZ can have an uncertainty up to 0.113 eV due to the basis set incompleteness. Our calculations disclosed that the previous calculations on the electrostatic contribution are concealed by the contributions from the exchange and Pauli repulsion. The electrostatic contribution is actually determinant, being more than double of the correlation contribution in the I−·C6F6 complex at the equilibrium binding distance.
Global model for pulsed inductively coupled plasma sources: Effect of edge-to-center density ratio and electron heating
Authors: Kwon Deuk-Chul , Yu Dong-Hun , Kwon Hyoungcheol , Im Yeon Ho , Lee Hyo-Chang
Published: July 2020

The volume-averaged global plasma model has been widely used to analyze the characteristics of plasma, although the spatial variation of plasma parameters cannot be obtained from it. It has also been used to obtain temporal plasma parameters for pulsed plasma sources. In this work, we analyzed the effect of an edge-to-center density ratio (h factor) and an electron heating model on the plasma parameters in pulsed plasma simulations using the global model for Ar discharges. In most previous pulse simulations using the global model, the h factor has been applied to pulse conditions in the same way it has been applied to radio frequency, and the power absorbed by the electrons was assumed to be equal to the applied power. However, in this work, we considered a time-varying h factor and determined the absorbed power using an analytical electron heating model, solving the spatially averaged transport equations in a self-consistent manner. We found that a decreased h factor increases the plasma density and consequently changes the time dependence of the electron temperature. In addition, the overshoot of the electron temperature is limited at the beginning of the pulse power-on in the self-consistent electron heating model. Our results are of great relevance with respect to the analysis of plasma parameters.
Measurement and prediction of kinematic viscosity for linear ethers
Authors: Liesen Nicholas T. , Palermo Gabriel A. , Kusaka Isamu , Egusa Shunji
Published: July 2020

Using the methods of equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics alongside capillary viscometer experiments, we explore differences between united and all-atom models of a series of linear ethers. The models are based on two transferable force fields, and changes in viscosity and diffusion are studied across a wide range of temperatures and shear rates. We analyze diffusivity and viscosity data by means of the rotational relaxation time and Arrhenius equation. Rotational relaxation times are calculated explicitly from the ether chain’s end-to-end vectors, and self-diffusion values are calculated from the mean square displacement. We find an increase in orientational alignment as temperature drops in both models and consistent differences in activation energies across the models and experiment. A clear relationship is observed between viscosity, rotational relaxation time, and diffusion time. These time constants also impact the reliability of the viscosity value determined by the Green–Kubo method. We also study the trends in zero-shear viscosity as chain length increases and force field performance relative to experiment as this length changes.
Visible-light photocatalysis and charge carrier dynamics of elemental crystalline red phosphorus
Authors: Jing Lin , Zhu Ruixue , Ng Yun Hau , Hu Zhuofeng , Teoh Wey Yang , Phillips David Lee , Yu Jimmy C.
Published: July 2020

Elemental red phosphorus (red P) is a new class of photocatalysts with a desirable bandgap of ∼1.7 eV and has a strong visible-light response. Here, we show that the efficiency of red P is limited by severe electron trapping at deep traps that are intrinsic to the different crystal facets of the red P. To overcome this, we synthesized the red P/RGO (reduced graphene oxide) composite in a one-step ampoule chemical vapor deposition synthesis that formed a conducive interface between the red P photocatalyst and the RGO acceptor for efficient interfacial charge transport. As substantiated through photoelectrochemical characterization and ultrafast (femtoseconds) transient absorption spectroscopy, the interfacing with RGO provided a rapid pathway for the photocharges in red P to be interfacially separated, thereby circumventing the slower the charge trapping process. As a result, up to a sevenfold increase in the photocatalytic hydrogen production rate (apparent quantum yield = 3.1% at 650 nm) was obtained for the red P/RGO relative to the pristine red P.
Lessons learnt: crop-seed cleaning reduces weed-seed contamination in Western Australian grain samples
Authors: Owen Mechelle J. , Powles Stephen B.
Published: July 2020

Weeds are a major contributing factor to crop yield loss. Weed control is regularly practiced during the growing season, with many growers making a conscious effort to minimise weed-seed return to the soil seedbank during the cropping program. However, growers may be unintentionally introducing weed seeds through sowing of contaminated crop seed. Using samples of crop seed obtained from 29 growers across two Western Australian grain-growing regions, 81 samples were hand-cleaned to determine weed-seed contamination levels. Of those samples, 41% were weed-free, and in the remaining 59%, the main contaminant was Lolium rigidum (annual ryegrass), occurring in 49% of contaminated samples. Crop type and cleaning method had significant effects on the level of weed-seed contamination, with barley having higher levels of contamination than other crops, and professional contractors providing lower contamination than other methods of cleaning. However, any seed-cleaning method provided significantly cleaner grain samples than no seed cleaning. This study established that crop-seed contamination was evident on Western Australian farms and that growers may be unintentionally sowing weed seeds with their crops. Seed cleaning combined with judicious paddock selection and weed-seed removal during the growing season can lead to weed-free crop seed.
Respect for community as a moral norm (El respeto a la comunidad como norma moral) ((El respeto a la comunidad como norma moral))
Authors: Rodríguez-Pérez Armando
Published: July 2020

Psychology has traditionally distinguished between the moral norms associated with individual rights and the social conventions associated with good manners and respect for others. However, the crisis caused by COVID-19 is generating a displacement in the moral status of these two types of norms by enhancing the importance of community-related norms. The new Moral Foundations Theory helps explain these changes.
Structure and Equivalence
Authors: Barrett Thomas William
Published: July 2020

It has been suggested that we can tell whether two theories are equivalent by comparing the structure that they ascribe to the world. If two theories posit different structures, then they must be inequivalent. The aim of this article is to evaluate the extent to which this desideratum holds for the different standards of equivalence that are currently on the table.
Ultra-smooth ultrathin silver films deposited on acid treated Silicon substrates
Authors: Asad Muhammad , Jalil Sohail A , ElKabbash Mohamed , Guo Chunlei
Published: July 2020

Fabrication of smooth noble metal ultrathin films is crucial to many optical and electronic devices. However, the metals’ adatom-adatom cohesive force is usually stronger than the adatom-substrate adhesive force leading to a Vollmer-Weber, island-like, growth mode. This phenomenon imposes limitations on the surface smoothness and minimum (percolation) thickness necessary to obtain a smooth film. Here, we demonstrate a facile method to fabricate ultra-smooth ultrathin silver (Ag) films on silicon via physical vapor deposition. By removing the oxide layer on silicon substrates using a hydrofluoric acid treatment, Ag atoms bind strongly to the energetically favorable silicon atoms leading to smooth Ag films. We compare the results for Ag deposited on HF treated and untreated Si substrates for different Ag thicknesses. Our results show that HF acid treatment and annealing lead to a significant reduction in the surface roughness (∼0.5 nm), narrower peak-to-valley height distribution, and higher Kurtosis. Continuous Ag films were obtained down to Ag thickness of 5 nm. We expect our results to play a crucial role in minimizing electronic and optical losses for optoelectronic, plasmonic and optical metamaterial devices.
OPUS-TASS: a protein backbone torsion angles and secondary structure predictor based on ensemble neural networks
Authors: Xu Gang , Wang Qinghua , Ma Jianpeng
Published: July 2020

Motivation

Predictions of protein backbone torsion angles (ϕ and ψ) and secondary structure from sequence are crucial subproblems in protein structure prediction. With the development of deep learning approaches, their accuracies have been significantly improved. To capture the long-range interactions, most studies integrate bidirectional recurrent neural networks into their models. In this study, we introduce and modify a recently proposed architecture named Transformer to capture the interactions between the two residues theoretically with arbitrary distance. Moreover, we take advantage of multitask learning to improve the generalization of neural network by introducing related tasks into the training process. Similar to many previous studies, OPUS-TASS uses an ensemble of models and achieves better results.

Results

OPUS-TASS uses the same training and validation sets as SPOT-1D. We compare the performance of OPUS-TASS and SPOT-1D on TEST2016 (1213 proteins) and TEST2018 (250 proteins) proposed in the SPOT-1D paper, CASP12 (55 proteins), CASP13 (32 proteins) and CASP-FM (56 proteins) proposed in the SAINT paper, and a recently released PDB structure collection from CAMEO (93 proteins) named as CAMEO93. On these six test sets, OPUS-TASS achieves consistent improvements in both backbone torsion angles prediction and secondary structure prediction. On CAMEO93, SPOT-1D achieves the mean absolute errors of 16.89 and 23.02 for ϕ and ψ predictions, respectively, and the accuracies for 3- and 8-state secondary structure predictions are 87.72 and 77.15%, respectively. In comparison, OPUS-TASS achieves 16.56 and 22.56 for ϕ and ψ predictions, and 89.06 and 78.87% for 3- and 8-state secondary structure predictions, respectively. In particular, after using our torsion angles refinement method OPUS-Refine as the post-processing procedure for OPUS-TASS, the mean absolute errors for final ϕ and ψ predictions are further decreased to 16.28 and 21.98, respectively.

Availability and implementation

The training and the inference codes of OPUS-TASS and its data are available at https://github.com/thuxugang/opus_tass.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
High sodium intake, glomerular hyperfiltration, and protein catabolism in patients with essential hypertension
Authors: Rossitto Giacomo , Maiolino Giuseppe , Lerco Silvia , Ceolotto Giulio , Blackburn Gavin , Mary Sheon , Antonelli Giorgia , Berton Chiara , Bisogni Valeria , Cesari Maurizio , Seccia Teresa Maria , Lenzini Livia , Pinato Alessio , Montezano Augusto , Touyz Rhian M , Petrie Mark C , Daly Ronan , Welsh Paul , Plebani Mario , Rossi Gian Paolo , Delles Christian
Published: July 2020

Aims

A blood pressure (BP)-independent metabolic shift towards a catabolic state upon high sodium (Na+) diet, ultimately favouring body fluid preservation, has recently been described in pre-clinical controlled settings. We sought to investigate the real-life impact of high Na+ intake on measures of renal Na+/water handling and metabolic signatures, as surrogates for cardiovascular risk, in hypertensive patients.

Methods and results

We analysed clinical and biochemical data from 766 consecutive patients with essential hypertension, collected at the time of screening for secondary causes. The systematic screening protocol included 24 h urine (24 h-u-) collection on usual diet and avoidance of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system-confounding medications. Urinary 24 h-Na+ excretion, used to define classes of Na+ intake (low ≤2.3 g/day; medium 2.3–5 g/day; high >5 g/day), was an independent predictor of glomerular filtration rate after correction for age, sex, BP, BMI, aldosterone, and potassium excretion [P = 0.001; low: 94.1 (69.9–118.8) vs. high: 127.5 (108.3–147.8) mL/min/1.73 m2]. Renal Na+ and water handling diverged, with higher fractional excretion of Na+ and lower fractional excretion of water in those with evidence of high Na+ intake [FENa: low 0.39% (0.30–0.47) vs. high 0.81% (0.73–0.98), P < 0.001; FEwater: low 1.13% (0.73–1.72) vs. high 0.89% (0.69–1.12), P = 0.015]. Despite higher FENa, these patients showed higher absolute 24 h Na+ reabsorption and higher associated tubular energy expenditure, estimated by tubular Na+/ATP stoichiometry, accordingly [Δhigh–low = 18 (12–24) kcal/day, P < 0.001]. At non-targeted liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry plasma metabolomics in an unselected subcohort (n = 67), metabolites which were more abundant in high versus low Na+ intake (P < 0.05) mostly entailed intermediates or end products of protein catabolism/urea cycle.

Conclusion

When exposed to high Na+ intake, kidneys dissociate Na+ and water handling. In hypertensive patients, this comes at the cost of higher glomerular filtration rate, increased tubular energy expenditure, and protein catabolism from endogenous (muscle) or excess exogenous (dietary) sources. Glomerular hyperfiltration and the metabolic shift may have broad implications on global cardiovascular risk independent of BP.