bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of water distribution uniformity of sprinkler irrigation system based on machine learning algorithms
Authors: Elhussiny Khadiga T. , Hassan Ahmed M. , Habssa Ahmed Abu , Mokhtar Ali
Published: November 2023

The coefficients of uniformity Christiansen's uniformity coefficient (CU) and distribution uniformity (DU) are an important parameter for designing irrigation systems, and are an accurate measure for water lose. In this study, three machine learning algorithms Random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGB) and random forest-extreme gradient boosting (XGB-RF) were developed to predict the water distribution uniformity based on operating pressure, heights of sprinkler, discharge, nozzle diameter, wind speed, humidity, highest and lowest temperature for three different impact sprinklers (KA-4, FOX and 2520) for square and triangular system layout based on four scenarios (input combinations). The main findings were; the highest CU value was 86.7% in the square system of 2520 sprinkler under 200 kPa, 0.5 m height and 0.855 m3/h (Nozzle 2.5 mm). Meanwhile, in the triangular system, it was 87.3% under the same pressure and discharge and 1 m height. For applied machine learning, the highest values of R2 were 0.796, 0.825 and 0.929 in RF, XGB and XGB-RF respectively in the first scenario for CU. Moreover, for the DU, the highest values of R2 were 0.701, 0.479 and 0.826 in RF, XGB and XGB-RF respectively in the first scenario. The obtained results revealed that the sprinkler height had the lowest impact on modeling of the water distribution uniformity.
Proteomic analyses identify HK1 and ATP5A to be overexpressed in distant metastases of lung adenocarcinomas compared to matched primary tumors
Authors: Pasternack Helen , Polzer Mirjam , Gemoll Timo , Kümpers Christiane , Sauer Thorben , Lazar-Karsten Pamela , Hinrichs Sofie , Bohnet Sabine , Perner Sven , Dressler Franz Friedrich , Kirfel Jutta
Published: November 2023

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) being the most common type. Genomic studies of LUAD have advanced our understanding of its tumor biology and accelerated targeted therapy. However, the proteomic characteristics of LUAD are still insufficiently explored. The prognosis for lung cancer patients is still mostly determined by the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. Focusing on late-stage metastatic LUAD with poor prognosis, we compared the proteomic profiles of primary tumors and matched distant metastases to identify relevant and potentially druggable differences. We performed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI–MS/MS) on a total of 38 FFPE (formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded) samples. Using differential expression analysis and unsupervised clustering we identified several proteins that were differentially regulated in metastases compared to matched primary tumors. Selected proteins (HK1, ATP5A, SRI and ARHGDIB) were subjected to validation by immunoblotting. Thereby, significant differential expression could be confirmed for HK1 and ATP5A, both upregulated in metastases compared to matched primary tumors. Our findings give a better understanding of tumor progression and metastatic spreads in LUAD but also demonstrate considerable inter-individual heterogeneity on the proteomic level.
Radix-4 CORDIC algorithm based low-latency and hardware efficient VLSI architecture for Nth root and Nth power computations
Authors: Changela Ankur , Kumar Yogesh , Woźniak Marcin , Shafi Jana , Ijaz Muhammad Fazal
Published: November 2023

In this article, a low-complexity VLSI architecture based on a radix-4 hyperbolic COordinate Rotion DIgital Computer (CORDIC) is proposed to compute the $$N{{\rm th}}$$

N
th

root and $$N{{\rm th}}$$

N
th

power of a fixed-point number. The most recent techniques use the radix-2 CORDIC algorithm to compute the root and power. The high computation latency of radix-2 CORDIC is the primary concern for the designers. $$N{{\rm th}}$$

N
th

root and $$N{{\rm th}}$$

N
th

power computations are divided into three phases, and each phase is performed by a different class of the proposed modified radix-4 CORDIC algorithms in the proposed architecture. Although radix-4 CORDIC can converge faster with fewer recurrences, it demands more hardware resources and computational steps due to its intricate angle selection logic and variable scale factor. We have employed the modified radix-4 hyperbolic vectoring (R4HV) CORDIC to compute logarithms, radix-4 linear vectoring (R4LV) to perform division, and the modified scaling-free radix-4 hyperbolic rotation (R4HR) CORDIC to compute exponential. The criteria to select the amount of rotation in R4HV CORDIC is complicated and depends on the coordinates $$X^j$$

X
j

and $$Y^j$$

Y
j

of the rotating vector. In the proposed modified R4HV CORDIC, we have derived the simple selection criteria based on the fact that the inputs to R4HV CORDIC are related. The proposed criteria only depend on the coordinate $$Y^j$$

Y
j

that reduces the hardware complexity of the R4HV CORDIC. The R4HR CORDIC shows the complex scale factor, and compensation of such scale factor necessitates the complex hardware. The complexity of R4HR CORDIC is reduced by pre-computing the scale factor for initial iterations and by employing scaling-free rotations for later iterations. Quantitative hardware analysis suggests better hardware utilization than the recent approaches. The proposed architecture is implemented on a Virtex-6 FPGA, and FPGA implementation demonstrates $$19\%$$

19
%

less hardware utilization with better error performance than the approach with the radix-2 CORDIC algorithm.
Tolerance evaluation and genetic relationship analysis among some economically important chestnut cultivars in Türkiye using drought-associated SSR and EST-SSR markers
Authors: Kara Didem , Orhan Emine
Published: November 2023

The aim of this study was to evaluate drought tolerance and genetic relationships among some important chestnut cultivars for Türkiye by using drought-related genomic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and genic expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. Using five SSR markers, the average number of alleles (avNa), mean heterozygosity (Havp) and polymorphism information content (PIC) were determined to be 9.22, 0.395 and 0.375, respectively. In addition, using eight EST-SSR markers, the values of avNa, Havp and PIC were determined to be 7.75, 0.309 and 0.262, respectively. All microsatellite markers used in this study showed 100% polymorphism among chestnut cultivars. In UPGMA dendrograms obtained with both SSR and EST-SSR markers, the Erfelek and Hacıömer chestnut cultivars were determined to be the most similar cultivars. Some assessments are discussed regarding drought tolerance for specific alleles obtained from the EST-SSR markers GOT045, GOT021, GOT004, FIR094 and VIT033 in chestnut cultivars. Some preliminary results regarding drought tolerance in chestnut cultivars were obtained in our study with the help of these markers. Our study also characterized the genetic relationships among chestnut cultivars of great importance using drought-related character-specific markers.
Discordant pair analysis for sample efficient model evaluation
Authors: Musgrove Donald , Radtke Andrew , Haddad Tarek
Published: November 2023

We present a new technique for assessing the effectiveness of a classification algorithm using discordant pair analysis. This method utilizes a known performance baseline algorithm and a large unlabeled dataset with an assumed class distribution to obtain overall performance estimates by only assessing the subset of examples that the algorithms classify discordantly. Our approach offers an efficient way to evaluate the performance of an algorithm that minimizes the human adjudications needed while also maintaining precision in the evaluation and in some cases improving the evaluation quality by reducing human adjudication errors. This approach is a computationally efficient alternative to the traditional exhaustive method of performance evaluation and has the potential to improve the accuracy of performance estimates. Simulation studies show that the discordant pair method reduces the number of adjudications by over 90%, while maintaining the same level of sensitivity and specificity.
Long-term pulmonary and neurodevelopmental impairment in a fetal growth restriction rabbit model
Authors: Valenzuela Ignacio , Regin Yannick , Gie Andre , Basurto David , Emam Doaa , Scuglia Marianna , Zapletalova Katerina , Greyling Marnel , Deprest Jan , van der Merwe Johannes
Published: November 2023

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) remains one of the main obstetrical problems worldwide, with consequences beyond perinatal life. Animal models with developmental and structural similarities to the human are essential to understand FGR long-term consequences and design novel therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing or ameliorating them. Herein, we described the long-term consequences of FGR in pulmonary function, structure, and gene expression, and characterized neurodevelopmental sequelae up to preadolescence in a rabbit model. FGR was induced at gestational day 25 by surgically reducing placental blood supply in one uterine horn, leaving the contralateral horn as internal control. Neonatal rabbits born near term were assigned to foster care in mixed groups until postnatal day (PND) 21. At that time, one group underwent pulmonary biomechanical testing followed by lung morphometry and gene expression analysis. A second group underwent longitudinal neurobehavioral assessment until PND 60 followed by brain harvesting for multiregional oligodendrocyte and microglia quantification. FGR was associated with impaired pulmonary function and lung development at PND 21. FGR rabbits had higher respiratory resistance and altered parenchymal biomechanical properties in the lungs. FGR lungs presented thicker alveolar septal walls and reduced alveolar space. Furthermore, the airway smooth muscle content was increased, and the tunica media of the intra-acinar pulmonary arteries was thicker. In addition, FGR was associated with anxiety-like behavior, impaired memory and attention, and lower oligodendrocyte proportion in the frontal cortex and white matter. In conclusion, we documented and characterized the detrimental pulmonary function and structural changes after FGR, independent of prematurity, and beyond the neonatal period for the first time in the rabbit model, and describe the oligodendrocyte alteration in pre-adolescent rabbit brains. This characterization will allow researchers to develop and test therapies to treat FGR and prevent its sequelae.
Discriminative machine learning for maximal representative subsampling
Authors: Hauptmann Tony , Fellenz Sophie , Nathan Laksan , Tüscher Oliver , Kramer Stefan
Published: November 2023

Biased population samples pose a prevalent problem in the social sciences. Therefore, we present two novel methods that are based on positive-unlabeled learning to mitigate bias. Both methods leverage auxiliary information from a representative data set and train machine learning classifiers to determine the sample weights. The first method, named maximum representative subsampling (MRS), uses a classifier to iteratively remove instances, by assigning a sample weight of 0, from the biased data set until it aligns with the representative one. The second method is a variant of MRS – Soft-MRS – that iteratively adapts sample weights instead of removing samples completely. To assess the effectiveness of our approach, we induced artificial bias in a public census data set and examined the corrected estimates. We compare the performance of our methods against existing techniques, evaluating the ability of sample weights created with Soft-MRS or MRS to minimize differences and improve downstream classification tasks. Lastly, we demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methods in a real-world study of resilience research, exploring the influence of resilience on voting behavior. Through our work, we address the issue of bias in social science, amongst others, and provide a versatile methodology for bias reduction based on machine learning. Based on our experiments, we recommend to use MRS for downstream classification tasks and Soft-MRS for downstream tasks where the relative bias of the dependent variable is relevant.
The developmental process of suicidal ideation among adolescents: social and psychological impact from a nation-wide survey
Authors: Tintori Antonio , Pompili Maurizio , Ciancimino Giulia , Corsetti Gianni , Cerbara Loredana
Published: November 2023

Suicidal ideation is a multifactorial phenomenon that is increasingly prevalent among adolescents, especially following the impact of Covid 19 pandemic on their mental health. Its analysis necessitates an interdisciplinary approach that simultaneously considers sociological and psychological perspectives, especially looking at the role of interpersonal relationships and structural inequalities. The present study, based on a face-to-face survey conducted with a representative sample of 4288 adolescents, aims to identify the factors that most differentiate individuals with and without suicidal ideation, proposing a descriptive model of development process of this phenomenon with reference to the Italian context. We analysed variables related to socio-demographic status, relational status, social interactions, and psychological well-being using multiple correspondence analysis and logistic regression models. The results provide evidence for the existence of a direct association between negative psychological status and suicidal ideation but clarify that the psychological aspects are associated with sociodemographic characteristics and have their origins in the social sphere.
Attentional, emotional, and behavioral response toward spiders, scorpions, crabs, and snakes provides no evidence for generalized fear between spiders and scorpions
Authors: Landová E. , Štolhoferová I. , Vobrubová B. , Polák J. , Sedláčková K. , Janovcová M. , Rádlová S. , Frynta D.
Published: November 2023

Spiders are among the animals evoking the highest fear and disgust and such a complex response might have been formed throughout human evolution. Ironically, most spiders do not present a serious threat, so the evolutionary explanation remains questionable. We suggest that other chelicerates, such as scorpions, have been potentially important in the formation and fixation of the spider-like category. In this eye-tracking study, we focused on the attentional, behavioral, and emotional response to images of spiders, scorpions, snakes, and crabs used as task-irrelevant distractors. Results show that spider-fearful subjects were selectively distracted by images of spiders and crabs. Interestingly, these stimuli were not rated as eliciting high fear contrary to the other animals. We hypothesize that spider-fearful participants might have mistaken crabs for spiders based on their shared physical characteristics. In contrast, subjects with no fear of spiders were the most distracted by snakes and scorpions which supports the view that scorpions as well as snakes are prioritized evolutionary relevant stimuli. We also found that the reaction time increased systematically with increasing subjective fear of spiders only when using spiders (and crabs to some extent) but not snakes and scorpions as distractors. The maximal pupil response covered not only the attentional and cognitive response but was also tightly correlated with the fear ratings of the picture stimuli. However, participants’ fear of spiders did not affect individual reactions to scorpions measured by the maximal pupil response. We conclude that scorpions are evolutionary fear-relevant stimuli, however, the generalization between scorpions and spiders was not supported in spider-fearful participants. This result might be important for a better understanding of the evolution of spider phobia.
Explaining COVID-19 related mortality disparities in American Indians and Alaska Natives
Authors: Slutske Wendy S. , Conner Karen L. , Kirsch Julie A. , Smith Stevens S. , Piasecki Thomas M. , Johnson Adrienne L. , McCarthy Danielle E. , Nez Henderson Patricia , Fiore Michael C.
Published: November 2023

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals are more likely to die with COVID-19 than other groups, but there is limited empirical evidence to explain the cause of this inequity. The objective of this study was to determine whether medical comorbidities, area socioeconomic deprivation, or access to treatment can explain the greater COVID-19 related mortality among AI/AN individuals. The design was a retrospective cohort study of harmonized electronic health record data of all inpatients with COVID-19 from 21 United States health systems from February 2020 through January 2022. The mortality of AI/AN inpatients was compared to all Non-Hispanic White (NHW) inpatients and to a matched subsample of NHW inpatients. AI/AN inpatients were more likely to die during their hospitalization (13.2% versus 7.1%; odds ratio [OR] = 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48, 2.65) than their matched NHW counterparts. After adjusting for comorbidities, area social deprivation, and access to treatment, the association between ethnicity and mortality was substantially reduced (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.15, 2.22). The significant residual relation between AI/AN versus NHW status and mortality indicate that there are other important unmeasured factors that contribute to this inequity. This will be an important direction for future research.
Improved electrochemical performance of bio-derived plasticized starch/ reduced graphene oxide/ molybdenum disulfide ternary nanocomposite for flexible energy storage applications
Authors: Mahmud Eashika , Islam Muhammad Rakibul
Published: November 2023

A ternary nanocomposite of plasticized starch (PS), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) was prepared via a solution casting process, with MoS2 concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 1.00 wt%. The structural, surface morphological, optical, and electrochemical properties of the nanocomposites were studied. FTIR analysis reveals the formation of new chemical bonds between PS, rGO, and MoS2, indicating strong interactions among them. The XRD analysis showed a reduction in the crystallinity of the nanocomposite from 40 to 21% due to the incorporation of nanofiller. FESEM micrograph showed an increment of the surface roughness due to the incorporation of rGO-MoS2 layers. UV–vis spectroscopy demonstrated a reduction of optical bandgap from 4.71 to 2.90 eV, resulting from enhanced charge transfer between the layers and defect states due to the addition of nanofillers. The incorporation of MoS2 increase the specific capacitance of the PS from 2.78 to 124.98 F g−1 at a current density of 0.10 mA g−1. The EIS analysis revealed that the nanofiller significantly reduces the charge transfer resistance from 4574 to 0 Ω, facilitating the ion transportation between the layers. The PS/rGO/MoS2 nanocomposite also exhibited excellent stability, retaining about 85% of its capacitance up to 10,000 charging-discharging cycles. These biocompatible polymer-based nanocomposites with improved electrochemical performance synthesized from an easy and economical route may offer a promising direction to fabricate a nature-friendly electrode material for energy storage applications.
GPCR molecular dynamics forecasting using recurrent neural networks
Authors: López-Correa Juan Manuel , König Caroline , Vellido Alfredo
Published: November 2023

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large superfamily of cell membrane proteins that play an important physiological role as transmitters of extracellular signals. Signal transmission through the cell membrane depends on conformational changes in the transmembrane region of the receptor, which makes the investigation of the dynamics in these regions particularly relevant. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide a wealth of data about the structure, dynamics, and physiological function of biological macromolecules by modelling the interactions between their atomic constituents. In this study, a Recurrent and Convolutional Neural Network (RNN) model, namely Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM), is used to predict the dynamics of two GPCR states and three specific simulations of each one, through their activation path and focussing on specific receptor regions. Active and inactive states of the GPCRs are analysed in six scenarios involving APO, Full Agonist (BI 167107) and Partial Inverse Agonist (carazolol) of the receptor. Four Machine Learning models with increasing complexity in terms of neural network architecture are evaluated, and their results discussed. The best method achieves an overall RMSD lower than 0.139 Å and the transmembrane helices are the regions showing the minimum prediction errors and minimum relative movements of the protein.
A novel RF-CEEMD-LSTM model for predicting water pollution
Authors: Ruan Jinlou , Cui Yang , Song Yuchen , Mao Yawei
Published: November 2023

Accurate water pollution prediction is an important basis for water environment prevention and control. The uncertainty of input variables and the nonstationary and nonlinear characteristics of water pollution series hinder the accuracy and reliability of water pollution prediction. This study proposed a novel water pollution prediction model (RF-CEEMD-LSTM) to improve the performance of water pollution prediction by combining advantages of the random forest (RF) and Long short-term memory (LSTM) models and Complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD). The experimental results based on measured data show that the proposed RF-CEEMD-LSTM model can accurately predict water pollution trends, with a mean ab-solute percentage error (MAPE) of less than 8%. The RMSE of the RF-CEEMD-LSTM model is reduced by 62.6%, 39.9%, and 15.5% compared to those of the LSTM, RF-LSTM, and CEEMD-LSTM models, respectively, proving that the proposed method has good advantages in predicting non-linear and nonstationary water pollution sequences. The driving force analysis results showed that TN has the most significant impact on water pollution prediction. The research results could provide references for identifying and explaining water pollution variables and improving water pollution prediction method.
Association of accelerometer-measured physical activity intensity, sedentary time, and exercise time with incident Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Liu Mengyi , Gan Xiaoqin , Ye Ziliang , Zhang Yuanyuan , He Panpan , Zhou Chun , Yang Sisi , Zhang Yanjun , Qin Xianhui
Published: November 2023

Evidence regarding the association between physical activity and Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk is generally limited due to the use of self-report questionnaires. We aimed to quantify the separate and combined effects of accelerometer-measured light physical activity (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time and exercise timing with incident PD. 96,422 participants without prior PD and with usable accelerometer data were included from UK Biobank. Time spent in sedentary activity, LPA, MVPA, and exercise timing were estimated using machine learning models. The study outcome was incident PD. Over a median follow-up duration of 6.8 years, 313 participants developed PD. There was a L-shaped association for LPA and MVPA, and a reversed L-shaped association for sedentary time, with the risk of incident PD (all P for nonlinearity < 0.001). Similar trends were found across three time-windows (morning, midday-afternoon, and evening). Compared with those with both low LPA (<3.89 h/day) and low MVPA (<0.27 h/day), the adjusted HR (95% CI) of PD risk was 0.49 (0.36–0.66), 0.19 (0.36–0.66) and 0.13 (0.09–0.18), respectively, for participants with high MVPA only, high LPA only, and both high LPA and high MVPA. Moreover, participants with both low LPA and high sedentary time (≥9.41 h/day) (adjusted HR, 5.59; 95% CI: 4.10–7.61), and those with both low MVPA and high sedentary time (adjusted HR, 3.93; 95% CI: 2.82–5.49) had the highest risk of incident PD. In conclusion, regardless of exercise timing (morning, midday-afternoon, and evening), there was an inverse association for accelerometer-measured MVPA and LPA, and a positive association for sedentary time, with incident PD.
Changes in biodiversity impact atmospheric chemistry and climate through plant volatiles and particles
Authors: Sanaei Anvar , Herrmann Hartmut , Alshaabi Loreen , Beck Jan , Ferlian Olga , Fomba Khanneh Wadinga , Haferkorn Sylvia , van Pinxteren Manuela , Quaas Johannes , Quosh Julius , Rabe René , Wirth Christian , Eisenhauer Nico , Weigelt Alexandra
Published: November 2023

Climate extremes in tandem with biodiversity change affect plant emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds, as a result, the formation of biogenic secondary organic aerosols. The resulting biogenic secondary organic aerosols can have a wide variety of impacts, such as on Earth’s radiative balance or cloud- and precipitation formation. However, at present, it is unclear how changing biodiversity will lead to changes in biogenic volatile organic compound emissions, biogenic secondary organic aerosols and their corresponding effects. We present a conceptual framework of the relationships between biodiversity and biogenic volatile organic compound emissions based on our current mechanistic understanding and combining knowledge from the fields of biology and atmospheric chemistry. Parts of this framework are tested in a case study using a tree diversity experiment. The relative differences in tree monocultures and mixtures show that the overall concentration of biogenic volatile organic compounds decreases with increasing biodiversity, but results for biogenic secondary organic aerosols are mixed and overall non-significant. A deeper understanding of how changing biodiversity influences biogenic organic compound emissions and biogenic secondary organic aerosol formation requires in-depth investigations of microclimate conditions, accurate monitoring of above- and below-ground biotic and abiotic stress, and manipulating stress conditions across long-term biodiversity experiments.
Projective oblique plane structured illumination microscopy
Authors: Chang Bo-Jui , Shepherd Douglas , Fiolka Reto
Published: November 2023

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) can double the spatial resolution of a fluorescence microscope and video rate live cell imaging in a two-dimensional format has been demonstrated. However, rapid implementations of 2D SIM typically only cover a narrow slice of the sample immediately at the coverslip, with most of the cellular volume out of reach. Here, we implement oblique plane structured illumination microscopy (OPSIM) in a projection format to rapidly image an entire cell in a 2D SIM framework. As no mechanical scanning of the sample or objective is involved, this technique has the potential for rapid projection imaging with doubled resolution. We characterize the spatial resolution with fluorescent nanospheres, compare projection and 3D imaging using OPSIM and image mitochondria and ER dynamics across an entire cell at up to 2.7 Hz. To our knowledge, this represents the fastest whole cell SIM imaging to date.
Extraction yield prediction for the large-scale recovery of cannabinoids
Authors: Plommer Hart , Betinol Isaiah O. , Dupree Tom , Roggen Markus , Reid Jolene P.
Published: November 2023

Machine learning techniques typically applied in organic synthesis also extend to the optimization of extractions where the process conditions are even more expensive to evaluate.
Anti-diabetic effects of natural and modified ‘Ganzhou’ navel orange peel pectin on type 2 diabetic mice via gut microbiota
Authors: Du Chao , Zuo Feng , Cao Yang , Zang Yanqing
Published: November 2023

GOP and MGOP ameliorate glucose and lipid metabolism and increase the content of SCFAs in T2DM. In addition, MGOP regulates the composition of gut microbiota, thereby maintaining the balance of gut microbiota by changing the phenotype of bacterial.
Strengthening ethylene-methacrylic acid ionomers with single-boron-based molecules as cross-linkers in dynamic networking
Authors: Wen Peng , Zeng Yang , Zhang Lu , Wang Tao , Cogen Jeffrey M. , Shan Colin Li Pi , Liu Yixuan , Chen Mao
Published: November 2023

This work has developed strengthened ethylene-methacrylic acid ionomers by employing single-boron compounds as readily available cross-linkers.
NMR 1H,19F-based screening of the four stem-looped structure 5_SL1–SL4 located in the 5′-untranslated region of SARS-CoV 2 RNA
Authors: Hymon Daniel , Martins Jason , Richter Christian , Sreeramulu Sridhar , Wacker Anna , Ferner Jan , Patwardhan Neeraj N. , Hargrove Amanda E. , Schwalbe Harald
Published: November 2023

Exploring the benefits and limits of ligand based combined 1H and 19F NMR readout for interaction studies of viral RNAs with small compounds.
Discovery of imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine-containing TAK1 kinase inhibitors with excellent activities against multiple myeloma
Authors: Akwata Desmond , Kempen Allison L. , Lamptey Jones , Dayal Neetu , Brauer Nickolas R. , Sintim Herman O.
Published: November 2023

Increasing activity against TAK1 via “magic” methylation or cyclopropylation.
Evolution of free volume elements in amorphous polymers undergoing uniaxial deformation: a molecular dynamics simulations study
Authors: Wernisch Brendan , Al Otmi Mohammed , Beauvais Egan , Sampath Janani
Published: November 2023

Amorphous polymers are considered promising materials for separation applications due to their excellent transport properties and low fabrication costs.
Springback effect of ambient-pressure-dried silica aerogels: nanoscopic effects of silylation revealed by in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering
Authors: Zemke Fabian , Scoppola Ernesto , Simon Ulla , Bekheet Maged F. , Wagermaier Wolfgang , Gurlo Aleksander
Published: November 2023

During ambient pressure drying of silica aerogels, shrinkage and re-expansion is observed, commonly known as the springback effect. In situ synchrotron X-ray scattering gives insights into the nanostructural evolution of drying gels.
Local modulation of Au/MoS2 Schottky barriers using a top ZnO nanowire gate for high-performance photodetection
Authors: Xiao Yu , Zou Guisheng , Huo Jinpeng , Sun Tianming , Peng Jin , Li Zehua , Shen Daozhi , Liu Lei
Published: November 2023

ZnO nanowires are integrated in a novel gate configuration which can be used for simple and efficient local control of the Schottky barrier and to improve the performances of Schottky photodetectors.
Mediated electron transfer in a photo-bioreactor: continuous flow hydroxylation using cytochrome P450 BM3 in NADPH-free conditions
Authors: Fendri Ali , Valikhani Donya , Pelletier Joelle N.
Published: November 2023

We designed a proof-of-concept photo-bioreactor enabling continuous flow NADPH-free activation of cytochrome P450 BM3 via mediated electron transfer.
Matrix stiffness-dependent microglia activation in response to inflammatory cues: in situ investigation by scanning electrochemical microscopy
Authors: Liu Yulin , Zhang Junjie , Li Yabei , Zhao Yuxiang , Kuermanbayi Shuake , Zhuang Jian , Zhang Hua , Xu Feng , Li Fei
Published: November 2023

SECM was applied to investigate the changes in the redox status, respiratory activity and migration of microglia under a mechanical-inflammatory coupled microenvironment.
A β-barrel-like tetramer formed by a β-hairpin derived from Aβ
Authors: Samdin Tuan D. , Jones Chelsea R. , Guaglianone Gretchen , Kreutzer Adam G. , Freites J. Alfredo , Wierzbicki Michał , Nowick James S.
Published: November 2023

β-Hairpins formed by the β-amyloid peptide Aβ are building blocks of Aβ oligomers.
Defect and interlayer spacing engineering of vanadium selenide for boosting sodium-ion storage
Authors: Feng Wang , Wen Xia , Peng Yanan , Song Luying , Li Xiaohui , Du Ruofan , Yang Junbo , Jiang Yulin , Li Hui , Sun Hang , Huang Ling , He Jun , Shi Jianping
Published: November 2023

We propose a synergistic strategy to boost sodium-ion storage by introducing Se vacancies and tuning the interlayer spacing of VSe2−x. The sodium-ion full cell delivers high specific capacity and unexpected stability with the cycle number exceeding 2400.
Aza-bicyclodiene based photoswitches for molecular solar thermal energy storage
Authors: Sangolkar Akanksha Ashok , Kadiyam Rama Krishna , Pawar Ravinder
Published: November 2023

The effect of N-substitution on the properties of bicyclodienes with different bridge lengths is analysed for energy storage application. The improvement in the properties with N-substitution is more prominent for bicyclodienes with longer bridge.
Arabica Coffee Pulp Cellulose: Isolation, Morphology, and its Capabilities to be Modified into Cellulose Nitrate
Authors: Rizkiansyah Raden Reza , Mardiyati Y. , Hariyanto Arief , Dirgantara Tatacipta
Published: November 2023

Cellulose nitrate was a cellulose derivative applied in various applications, from plastics to solid propellants for military ammunition and rocketry. Environmental impact from using cotton linter or wood as a source of cellulose for cellulose nitrate industry promoting attempt to use agricultural waste as an alternative source of cellulose. Utilizing non-wood agricultural waste is also advantageous to reduce waste accumulation and give economical value. However, specific cellulose properties should also considered to achieve optimum cellulose derivation process into cellulose nitrate through nitration reaction. Coffee pulp waste had potential to be used as source of non-wood cellulose for its abundance, considerable fraction of cellulose content, low economical value, and unique cellulose morphology. In this study, the cellulose from the coffee pulp was isolated through sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide bleaching method, which furthermore evaluated in terms of their morphology, physical properties, and its capabilities to be derived into cellulose nitrate. The result showed that coffee pulp cellulose has crystallinity and surface area around 59.63% and 0.5962 m2/g, respectively which is lower than cotton linter, suggesting advantageous properties for nitration reaction. Nitration to coffee pulp-based cellulose resulted in moderate nitrogen content cellulose nitrate which still suitable for non-military application.
First report of prevalence and assemblage analysis of Giardia duodenalis in pigs from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China
Authors: Song Ya-Fei , Chu Meng-Jie , Huang Fei , Liu Yang , Lu Hui-Hong , Li Si-Ang , Wang Shu-Yan
Published: November 2023

Giardia duodenalis is a common intestinal protozoan that can cause diarrhea and intestinal disease in animals and in humans. However, the prevalence and assemblages of G. duodenalis in pigs from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have not been reported. In this study, a total of 724 fecal samples (201 from nursery pigs, 183 from piglets, 175 from breeding pigs, and 165 from fattening pigs) were obtained in four areas of the region (Nanning, Yulin, Hezhou, and Guigang). The gene of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) of G. duodenalis was amplified by nested PCR. The results show that the prevalence of G. duodenalis in pigs was 3.59% (26/724), of which 14 samples belonged to assemblage A (53.85%) and 12 samples belonged to assemblage E (46.15%). The infection rates of G. duodenalis in Hezhou, Yulin, Nanning, and Guigang were 0%, 0.7%, 10.8% and 1.1%, respectively (χ2 = 45.616, p < 0.01); whereas 5.1% of breeding pigs, 6.0% of piglets, 2.4% of fattening pigs, and 1.0% of nursery pigs were infected with G. duodenalis (χ2 = 8.874, p < 0.05). The SSU rRNA-positive samples were amplified by PCR based on the β-giardin (bg), glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), and triphosphate isomerase (tpi) genes. Ten, eight and seven positive samples were detected, respectively. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the three genetic loci sequences, a multilocus genotyping A1 was found. The findings of this study provide basic data for the development of prevention and control of G. duodenalis infections in pigs and humans in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Vom Abstinenzmonopolismus zur zieloffenen Behandlung suchtbelasteter Menschen
Authors: Körkel Joachim
Published: November 2023

Suchtpatienten sind in Medizinerkreisen unbeliebt 1. Unter Psychotherapeuten dürfte dies nicht anders sein 2. Dazu trägt erheblich das Erleben wiederholten Scheiterns mit dem Abstinenzziel bei. Enttäuschungskaskaden müssten nicht sein, würde man Konsumreduktionsziele von Patienten ernst nehmen und entsprechende Behandlungen dafür vorhalten.
Bewährte und neue Trends in der Behandlung der Alkoholabhängigkeit
Authors: Lindenmeyer Johannes
Published: November 2023

Aktuell erfolgt die Diagnosestellung einer Alkoholabhängigkeit noch nach ICD-10, das aber in Kürze verbindlich durch ICD-11 abgelöst wird. Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über den aktuellen Stand zur Diagnostik und Behandlung der Alkoholabhängigkeit, insbesondere zu den Veränderungen im ICD-11, diskutiert Abstinenz als Therapieziel und stellt aktuelle Ansätze zu Motivierungsstrategien, zur Gruppentherapie und zur Rückfallprävention vor.
Cannabis – die Debatte um die Legalisierung
Authors: Thomasius Rainer , Arnaud Nicolas
Published: November 2023

Infolge der sinkenden Risikowahrnehmung für die Gesundheitsschäden des Cannabiskonsums und der Zunahme riskanter Konsummuster auch im Adoleszentenalter, werden mit der geplanten Cannabisabgabe an Erwachsene die Inanspruchnahmen von cannabisbezogenen Notfall- und Suchtbehandlungen künftig steigen. Die politischen Entscheidungsträger haben eine sehr große Verantwortung übernommen für ein gesundheitspolitisches Experiment mit ungewissem Ausgang.
The impact of climate change and economic development on fisheries in South Africa: a wavelet-based spectral analysis
Authors: Raubenheimer Cheneal , Phiri Andrew
Published: November 2023

This study investigates the influence of climate change and economic development on the patterns of Fisheries catches in South Africa from 1960 to 2021. Our research employs wavelet-based spectral tools to analyse the time–frequency interrelationships among the variables and these methods differ from conventional econometric and statistical techniques which are strictly confined to the time domain. Our findings reveal that economic development has a positive impact on Fisheries whereas there exists a U-shaped correlation between temperature changes and Fisheries, in which the negative effects of climate change on Fisheries have been diminishing since 2010. Additionally, we observe an inverted U-shaped relationship between temperature changes and economic development, whereby climate change began hampering economic growth in the post-2010 period. We conduct a sensitivity analysis by performing partial wavelet coherence analysis to control for (i) economic growth in the temperatures–Fisheries relationship and (ii) temperatures in the economic development–Fisheries relationship. We discover that the former relationship remains unaffected while the latter relationship becomes significantly weaker. Overall, these findings suggest that while Fisheries have displayed resilience to climate change, rising temperatures have hindered economic development, which may potentially impede the future trajectory of Fisheries catches.
Nucleolin binds to and regulates transcription of hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA minichromosome
Authors: Xia Yuchen , Cheng Xiaoming , Nilsson Tobias , Zhang Min , Zhao Gaihong , Inuzuka Tadashi , Teng Yan , Li Yao , Anderson D. Eric , Holdorf Meghan , Liang T. Jake
Published: November 2023

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major public health threat with nearly 300 million people chronically infected worldwide who are at a high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Current therapies are effective in suppressing HBV replication but rarely lead to cure. Current therapies do not affect the HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which serves as the template for viral transcription and replication and is highly stable in infected cells to ensure viral persistence. In this study, we aim to identify and elucidate the functional role of cccDNA-associated host factors using affinity purification and protein mass spectrometry in HBV-infected cells. Nucleolin was identified as a key cccDNA-binding protein and shown to play an important role in HBV cccDNA transcription, likely via epigenetic regulation. Targeting nucleolin to silence cccDNA transcription in infected hepatocytes may be a promising therapeutic strategy for a functional cure of HBV.
Stress-activated friction in sheared suspensions probed with piezoelectric nanoparticles
Authors: Kim Hojin , Esser-Kahn Aaron P. , Rowan Stuart J. , Jaeger Heinrich M.
Published: November 2023

A hallmark of concentrated suspensions is non-Newtonian behavior, whereby the viscosity increases dramatically once a characteristic shear rate or stress is exceeded. Such strong shear thickening is thought to originate from a network of frictional particle–particle contact forces, which forms under sufficiently large stress, evolves dynamically, and adapts to changing loads. While there is much evidence from simulations for the emergence of this network during shear thickening, experimental confirmation has been difficult. Here, we use suspensions of piezoelectric nanoparticles and exploit the strong local stress focusing within the network to activate charge generation. This charging can then be detected in the measured ac conductance and serve as a signature of frictional contact formation. The direct link between stress-activated frictional particle interactions and piezoelectric suspension response is further demonstrated by tracking the emergence of structural memory in the contact network under oscillatory shear and by showing how stress-activated friction can drive mechano-transduction of chemical reactions with nonlinear reaction kinetics. Taken together, this makes the ac conductance of piezoelectric suspensions a sensitive in-situ reporter of the micromechanics associated with frictional interactions.
A dynamical model of growth and maturation in
Drosophila
Authors: Tyson John J. , Monshizadeh Amirali , Shvartsman Stanislav Y. , Shingleton Alexander W.
Published: November 2023

The decision to stop growing and mature into an adult is a critical point in development that determines adult body size, impacting multiple aspects of an adult’s biology. In many animals, growth cessation is a consequence of hormone release that appears to be tied to the attainment of a particular body size or condition. Nevertheless, the size-sensing mechanism animals use to initiate hormone synthesis is poorly understood. Here, we develop a simple mathematical model of growth cessation in
Drosophila melanogaster
, which is ostensibly triggered by the attainment of a critical weight (CW) early in the last instar. Attainment of CW is correlated with the synthesis of the steroid hormone ecdysone, which causes a larva to stop growing, pupate, and metamorphose into the adult form. Our model suggests that, contrary to expectation, the size-sensing mechanism that initiates metamorphosis occurs before the larva reaches CW; that is, the critical-weight phenomenon is a downstream consequence of an earlier size-dependent developmental decision, not a decision point itself. Further, this size-sensing mechanism does not require a direct assessment of body size but emerges from the interactions between body size, ecdysone, and nutritional signaling. Because many aspects of our model are evolutionarily conserved among all animals, the model may provide a general framework for understanding how animals commit to maturing from their juvenile to adult form.
BIOMETRIC CITIZENS in smart cities
Authors: Fawzy Rania Magdi
Published: November 2023

This article addresses the socio-cognitive conceptualizations of the notion of ‘citizenship’ within the space of
smart cities. It discusses how smart cities expos are endowed with ideological bearings that mark a shift in these
conceptualizations. This ideological shift is explored in the policy releases of Barcelona expo media centre 2019/2020 as
retrieved from the Smart City Expo World Congress website. The framework accounts for the socio-cognitive aspects that are brought
to the smart expos’ discussions, reframing it within the paradigms of Posthumanism and neoliberal urbanism. It is found that
citizenship within smart city discourse is characterized by series of subjugating conflations between biovalues and biometrics,
the body, technology, and the city and the citizen. These subjugations are discovered by contesting the metaphors of
CITIZEN-FOCUSED URBANISM, VULNERABLE CITIZENS, and TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONISM with their reframed counterparts of BIOMETRIC
CITIZEN, INFRASTRUCTURE CITIZENSHIP, and TECHNOLOGICAL PATERNALISM.
The aesthetic values of the semiotic choices in Arab protests
Authors: Mohammed Al-Rikaby Ali Badeen
Published: November 2023

This paper examines protest language from the late Arab Spring uprisings, more specifically in Tunisia, Egypt and
Iraq – identified as the “Facebook Upheavals”. It explores the discursive aspects of these processes through which social protest
and dissent are constructed and different forms of communication and expression are mobilized. It also examines how the various
modes of representation and dissemination contribute to shaping and influencing social movements and resistance within the Arab
political context, individually and collectively. On the collective level, the paper explores the discursive construction of
collective identities, the formation of alliances, and the negotiation of power relations within and between different protest
movements. This is done by reporting how discourses are used to challenge dominant narratives, contest oppressive structures, and
then to shape the political landscape in the Arab region.
Subtitling short films to improve writing and translation skills
Authors: Talaván Noa , Rodríguez-Arancón Pilar
Published: November 2023

This paper presents the results of SUBFILM, a teaching innovation project that studied the benefits of reverse
didactic subtitling to improve both foreign language learning writing skills and general translation skills. Didactic subtitling
is to be understood here as the active production of subtitles by the students within a guided online task. SUBFILM made use of
complete short films as basic audiovisual resources, and students of a Translation course within the degree of English Studies at
a Spanish university were asked to subtitle them from Spanish into English over a period of one and a half months. A total of 26
students finished the project, where interdisciplinary individual and collaborative learning were constantly being stressed. A
quasi-experimental research design including diverse data gathering tools has provided sufficient evidence to prove the benefits
of reverse subtitling of complete short films for the enhancement of translation skills and writing production, as well as for
vocabulary and grammar proficiency. Hence, the conclusions derived from the study complement previous research and open new
related paths for didactic subtitling research and practice.