bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improvement of structural quality of AlN layers grown on c-plane sapphire substrate by metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy using post-growth annealing with trimethylgallium
Authors: Imura Masataka , Inaba Hideki , Mano Takaaki , Ishida Nobuyuki , Uesugi Fumihiko , Kuroda Yoko , Nakayama Yoshiko , Takeguchi Masaki , Koide Yasuo
Published: January 2022

AlN layers were grown on a c-plane sapphire substrate by metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) at 1350 °C. The structural quality of the grown AlN layers was drastically improved by post-growth annealing in mixed hydrogen, ammonia, and trimethylgallium ambiance at 1350 °C. As a first step, we grew the AlN layers exhibiting a double-domain structure with an in-plane rotation angle of ∼4°. Then, the domain structure was changed from double to single by the post-growth annealing. After 20 min post-growth annealing, the surface possessed an atomically flat step-and-terrace structure with a root-mean-square value of ∼0.11 nm measured across 5 × 5 µm2. The full-width at half maximum values for 0002 and 101̄4 AlN reflections using x-ray diffraction were as small as ∼75 and ∼280 arcsec, respectively. Since this work provides a simple continuous MOVPE growth procedure to improve the structural quality of AlN/sapphire, it is advantageous to the industrial fabrication of AlxGa1−xN-based ultraviolet light-emitters.
Critical temperature and magnetic properties of new 2D lattice model with double hexagonal symmetry: Monte Carlo study
Authors: Naji Sufyan , Murshed Mohammad N. , Ahlam M. A. , El Sayed Mohamed E. , Samir Ahmed , Dormosh Adnan
Published: January 2022

Here, we present a theoretical study of a new statistical lattice model based on a double hexagonal structure associated with G2 symmetry. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we study the magnetic properties of the Ising-1/2 model with spin values σ = ±1 residing on the sites of our double hexagonal lattice. In particular, we calculate and analyze the thermal behavior of the total and partial magnetizations as well as the corresponding susceptibilities for different lattice sizes. The present study shows that the total and partial magnetizations vanish at the same critical temperature. This vanishing is continuous, indicating that the type of the transition is a second order. With the help of the finite-size scaling analysis, we estimate the critical transition temperature related to the uniform coupling interaction value equals one. Our findings reflect a good estimation of the critical temperature, TC that is equal to 2.976∓0.004JkB. The obtained critical temperature of our presented model can be found between the critical temperatures of hexagonal and triangular lattice models.
Engineered ultraviolet InGaN/AlGaN multiple-quantum-well structures for maximizing cathodoluminescence efficiency
Authors: Zheng Haiyang , Sharma Vijay Kumar , Tsai Pingchieh , Zhang Yiping , Lu Shunpeng , Zhang Xueliang , Tan Swee Tiam , Demir Hilmi Volkan
Published: January 2022

We demonstrate a systematic way to understand and select the accelerating voltage for maximizing cathodoluminescence (CL) by correlating the carrier diffusion length with the efficiency of ultraviolet (UV) InGaN/AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs). We showed that the absorption of MQWs benefits from the absorbed energy within the diffusion length below the MQWs. With this understanding, we have achieved good agreement between the experimental data of and the Monte Carlo (CASINO) simulations on the dependence of acceleration voltage and QW number on InGaN/AlGaN MQW structures. These findings indicate that CL-based UV generation from carefully engineered III-N MQW structures with an appropriate number of QWs is highly promising. The understanding and application of this work can be extended to electron-beam pumped devices emitting in deep-UV (200–280 nm) wavelengths.
Extensive species diversification and marked geographic phylogenetic structure in the Mesoamerican genus
Authors: Gutiérrez-Rodríguez Jorge , Zaldívar-Riverón Alejandro , Weissman David B. , Vandergast Amy G.
Published: January 2022

The Jerusalem cricket subfamily Stenopelmatinae is distributed from south-western Canada through the western half of the United States to as far south as Ecuador. Recently, the generic classification of this subfamily was updated to contain two genera, the western North American Ammopelmatus, and the Mexican, and central and northern South American Stenopelmatus. The taxonomy of the latter genus was also revised, with 5, 13 and 14 species being respectively validated, declared as nomen dubium and described as new. Despite this effort, the systematics of Stenopelmatus is still far from complete. Here, we generated sequences of the mitochondrial DNA barcoding locus and performed two distinct DNA sequence-based approaches to assess the species’ limits among several populations of Stenopelmatus, with emphasis on populations from central and south-east Mexico. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships among representative species of the main clades within the genus using nuclear 3RAD data and carried out a molecular clock analysis to investigate its biogeographic history. The two DNA sequence-based approaches consistently recovered 34 putative species, several of which are apparently undescribed. Our estimates of phylogeny confirmed the recent generic update of Stenopelmatinae and revealed a marked phylogeographic structure within Stenopelmatus. Based on our results, we propose the existence of four species-groups within the genus (the faulkneri, talpa, Central America and piceiventris species-groups). The geographic distribution of these species-groups and our molecular clock estimates are congruent with the geological processes that took place in mountain ranges along central and southern Mexico, particularly since the Neogene. Our study emphasises the necessity to continue performing more taxonomic and phylogenetic studies on Stenopelmatus to clarify its actual species richness and evolutionary history in Mesoamerica.
Gravitational wave trispectrum in the axion-SU(2) model
Authors: Fujita Tomohiro , Murai Kai , Obata Ippei , Shiraishi Maresuke
Published: January 2022

We study the trispectrum of the gravitational waves (GWs) generated through the dynamics of an axionic spectator field and SU(2) gauge fields during inflation.
In non-Abelian gauge theory, the gauge fields have four-point self-interactions, which induce the tree-level GW trispectrum.
We formulate this type of the GW trispectrum including the non-dynamical contributions and evaluate it in the equilateral limit as a unique signal of this model.
We find that the ratio of the GW trispectrum to the cube of the scalar power spectrum can be as large as 𝒪(106) in the viable parameter space, which could be captured in the CMB observations.
Bouncing with shear: implications from quantum cosmology
Authors: Rajeev Karthik , Mondal Vikramaditya , Chakraborty Sumanta
Published: January 2022

We consider the introduction of anisotropy in a class of bouncing models of cosmology. The presence of anisotropy often spells doom on bouncing models, since the energy density due to the anisotropic stress outweighs that of other matter components, as the universe contracts. Different suggestions have been made in the literature to resolve this pathology, classically. Here, we introduce a family of bouncing models, in which the shear density can be tuned to either allow or forbid classical bouncing scenarios. Following which, we show that quantum cosmological considerations can drastically change the above scenario. Most importantly, we find that quantum effects can enable a bounce, even when the anisotropic stress is large enough to forbid the same classically. We employ the solutions of the appropriate mini-superspace Wheeler-deWitt equation for homogeneous, but anisotropic cosmologies, with the boundary condition that the universe is initially contracting. Intriguingly, the solution to the Wheeler-deWitt equation exhibit an interesting phase transition-like behaviour, wherein, the probability to have a bouncing universe is precisely unity before the shear density reaches a critical value and then starts to decrease abruptly as the shear density increases further. We verified our findings using the tools of the Lorentzian quantum cosmology, along with the application of the Picard-Lefschetz theory. In particular, the semi-classical probability for bounce has been re-derived from the imaginary component of the on-shell effective action, evaluated at the complex saddle points. Implications and future directions have also been discussed.
Rotating Kerr-Newman space-times
in metric-affine gravity
Authors: Bahamonde Sebastian , Gigante Valcarcel Jorge
Published: January 2022

We present new rotating vacuum configurations endowed with both dynamical torsion and nonmetricity fields in the framework of Metric-Affine gauge theory of gravity. For this task, we consider scalar-flat Weyl-Cartan geometries and obtain an axisymmetric Kerr-Newman solution in the decoupling limit between the orbital and the spin angular momentum. The corresponding Kerr-Newman-de Sitter solution is also compatible with a cosmological constant and additional electromagnetic fields.
Radiative capture of proton by 9Be(p, γ)10B at low energy
Authors: Kabir Abdul , Nabi Jameel-Un , Sagheer Sumair , Rashid Laiba
Published: January 2022

Radiative capture p + 9Be → 10B + γ at energies bearing astrophysical importance is a key process for the spectroscopic study of 10B. In this work, we consider the radiative capture cross-section for the 9Be(p, γ)10B within the framework of the potential model and the R-matrix method for the multi-entrance channel cases. In certain cases, when the potential fails, therefore, the R-matrix approach is better to use for the description of partial components of the cross-section that have sharp or broad resonances. For all possible electric and magnetic dipole transitions, partial components of the astrophysical S-factor are computed. The computed value of the total S-factor at zero energy is consistent with the reported results.
The New Wuqing 70 m Radio Telescope and Measurements of Main Electronic Properties in the X-band
Authors: Kong De-Qing , Li Chun-Lai , Zhang Hong-Bo , Su Yan , Liu Jian-Jun , Zhu Xin-Ying , Li Jun-Duo , Xue Xi-Ping , Li Chen
Published: January 2022

The new Wuqing 70 m radio telescope is first used for the downlink data reception in the first Mars exploration mission of China, and will be used for the other deep space communications and radio astronomical observations in the future. The main specifications and measurement results of some properties in the X-band are introduced in this paper, such as pointing calibration, gain and efficiency, system noise temperature, system equivalent flux density, and variations with elevation. The 23 parameters pointing calibration model considering the atmospheric refraction correction in real time is presented in the telescope, and the pointing accuracy reaches 5.″70 in azimuth direction and 6.″07 in elevation direction for different weather conditions. More than 62% efficiencies are achieved at full elevation range, and more than 70% in the mid-elevation. The system equivalent flux density of the X-band in the mid-elevation reaches 26 Jy.
A self-consistent multi-component model of plasma turbulence and kinetic neutral dynamics for the simulation of the tokamak boundary
Authors: Coroado A. , Ricci P.
Published: January 2022

A self-consistent model is presented for the simulation of a multi-component plasma in the tokamak boundary. A deuterium plasma is considered, with the plasma species that include electrons, deuterium atomic ions and deuterium molecular ions, while the deuterium atoms and molecules constitute the neutral species. The plasma and neutral models are coupled via a number of collisional interactions, which include dissociation, ionization, charge-exchange and recombination processes. The derivation of the three-fluid drift-reduced Braginskii equations used to describe the turbulent plasma dynamics is presented, including its boundary conditions. The kinetic advection equations for the neutral species are also derived, and their numerical implementation discussed. The first results of multi-component plasma simulations carried out by using the global Braginskii solver (GBS) code are then presented and analyzed, being compared with results obtained with the single-component plasma model.
A seven-bend-achromat lattice option for the HALF storage ring
Authors: Xu J. , Ren Z. , Yang P. , Liu G. , Bai Z.
Published: January 2022

The Hefei Advanced Light Facility (HALF) is a soft X-ray
diffraction-limited storage ring being designed with an energy of
about 2.2 GeV and an emittance goal of less than 100 pm·rad.
The present HALF lattice is a modified hybrid six-bend-achromat
(6BA) lattice with a long and a short straight section in each
cell. In this paper, a 7BA lattice is designed for HALF as a
promising option, which follows the main feature of hybrid 7BA
lattice, but to have a compact configuration and lower emittance,
all bends in this lattice are combined-function bends and reverse
bends. The designed HALF storage ring has a circumference of
388.8 m and 20 identical cells. Two solutions with different
betatron tunes are studied for this lattice. One with smaller tunes
has better nonlinear dynamics performance allowing for off-axis
injection, which has a natural emittance of 67 pm·rad. The
other with larger tunes has very small beta functions at the
straight section as well as lower natural emittance of 59
pm·rad, which can enhance the brightness of insertion device
(ID) radiation. The intra-beam scattering effect and ID radiation
properties are also presented in this paper.
A perturbative CFT dual for pure NS–NS AdS3 strings
Authors: Eberhardt Lorenz
Published: January 2022

We construct a conformal field theory dual to string theory on AdS3 with pure NS–NS flux. It is given by a symmetric orbifold of a linear dilaton theory deformed by a marginal operator from the twist-2 sector. We compute two- and three-point functions on the CFT side to 4th order in conformal perturbation theory at large N. They agree with the string computation at genus 0, thus providing ample evidence for a duality. We also show that the full spectra of both short and long strings on the CFT and the string side match. The duality should be understood as perturbative in N
−1.
On the derivation of the Landau–Lifshitz frame in relativistic kinetic theory
Authors: Hwang Byung-Hoon
Published: January 2022

The Landau–Lifshitz frame has been widely used to represent the macroscopic quantities of relativistic hydrodynamics in the presence of the dissipative process. In this paper, we derive the Landau–Lifshitz frame in the near-equilibrium regime under self-contained assumptions that do not require comparison with the Eckart frame. And then we revisit the relativistic BGK model proposed by Anderson and Witting to provide an application example of the Landau–Lifshitz frame.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of transition zone in laser additive manufacturing of TC4/AlSi12 bimetal structure
Authors: Jing Zhicheng , Liu Xiangyu , Li Lin , Wang Wenbo , Xu Guojian , Chang Lili
Published: January 2022

Ti/Al bimetallic structure (BS) has a good development prospect and broader application potential in aerospace engineering. Considering the limitation that dissimilar welding is only applicable to the thin plate, it is necessary to explore a new manufacturing process for Ti/Al BS. In this study, a TC4/AlSi12 BS was prepared by laser additive manufacturing (LAM). TC4 zone, AlSi12 zone and transition zone were formed in the LAM process. Due to the sufficient diffusion reaction, the transition zone with a width of about 0.8 mm was obtained. At the same time, a few micro-cracks were found in the transition zone. The microstructure and phase composition of the transition zone had been emphatically studied. Research results showed that the presence of Si element made the phase composition of the transition zone more complicated. The structure evolution from TC4 to AlSi12 was: α-Ti → Ti3Al → TiAl+(TiAl+Si) → Ti5Si3 → TiAl3+(α-Al+Si) → α-Al+Si+TiAl3+(α-Al+Si) → α-Al+Si+(α-Al+Si). The hardness distribution of BS was uneven, with the highest value reaching 524 HV. The tensile strength of the TC4/AlSi12 BS was about 110Mpa, and the fracture location was located in the transition zone.
Estimating Gibbs partition function with quantum Clifford sampling
Authors: Wu Yusen , Wang Jingbo B
Published: January 2022

The partition function is an essential quantity in statistical mechanics, and its accurate computation is a key component of any statistical analysis of quantum systems and phenomena. However, for interacting many-body quantum systems, its calculation generally involves summing over an exponential number of terms and can thus quickly grow to be intractable. Accurately and efficiently estimating the partition function of its corresponding system Hamiltonian then becomes the key in solving quantum many-body problems. In this paper we develop a hybrid quantum–classical algorithm to estimate the partition function, utilising a novel quantum Clifford sampling technique. Note that previous works on the estimation of partition functions require

O

(

1
/
ϵ

Δ

)

-depth quantum circuits (Srinivasan et al 2021 IEEE Int. Conf. on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE) pp 112–22; Montanaro 2015 Proc. R. Soc. A 471 20150301), where Δ is the minimum spectral gap of stochastic matrices and ϵ is the multiplicative error. Our algorithm requires only a shallow

O

(

1

)

-depth quantum circuit, repeated

O

(

n
/

ϵ

2

)

times, to provide a comparable ϵ approximation. Shallow-depth quantum circuits are considered vitally important for currently available noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices.
Structure and photophysics of rubrene–tetracene blends
Authors: Zeiser Clemens , Berges Adam J , Rammler Tim , Munko Frederik , Meixner Alfred J , Bardeen Christopher J , Broch Katharina
Published: January 2022

The application potential of singlet fission (SF), describing the spontaneous conversion of an excited singlet into two triplets, underlines the necessity to independently control SF rates, energetics and the optical band gap. Heterofission, whereby the singlet splits into triplets on chemically distinct chromophores, is a promising approach to control the above-mentioned parameters, but its details are not yet fully understood. Here, we investigate the photophysics of blends of two prototypical SF chromophores, tetracene (TET) and rubrene (RUB) using time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy and time-correlated single photon counting to explore the potential for heterofission in combinations of endothermic SF chromophores.
MIMOSA2: a metabolic network-based tool for inferring mechanism-supported relationships in microbiome-metabolome data
Authors: Noecker Cecilia , Eng Alexander , Muller Efrat , Borenstein Elhanan
Published: January 2022

Motivation

Recent technological developments have facilitated an expansion of microbiome–metabolome studies, in which samples are assayed using both genomic and metabolomic technologies to characterize the abundances of microbial taxa and metabolites. A common goal of these studies is to identify microbial species or genes that contribute to differences in metabolite levels across samples. Previous work indicated that integrating these datasets with reference knowledge on microbial metabolic capacities may enable more precise and confident inference of microbe–metabolite links.

Results

We present MIMOSA2, an R package and web application for model-based integrative analysis of microbiome–metabolome datasets. MIMOSA2 uses genomic and metabolic reference databases to construct a community metabolic model based on microbiome data and uses this model to predict differences in metabolite levels across samples. These predictions are compared with metabolomics data to identify putative microbiome-governed metabolites and taxonomic contributors to metabolite variation. MIMOSA2 supports various input data types and customization with user-defined metabolic pathways. We establish MIMOSA2’s ability to identify ground truth microbial mechanisms in simulation datasets, compare its results with experimentally inferred mechanisms in honeybee microbiota, and demonstrate its application in two human studies of inflammatory bowel disease. Overall, MIMOSA2 combines reference databases, a validated statistical framework, and a user-friendly interface to facilitate modeling and evaluating relationships between members of the microbiota and their metabolic products.

Availability and implementation

MIMOSA2 is implemented in R under the GNU General Public License v3.0 and is freely available as a web server at http://elbo-spice.cs.tau.ac.il/shiny/MIMOSA2shiny/ and as an R package from http://www.borensteinlab.com/software_MIMOSA2.html.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Inferring gene regulatory network via fusing gene expression image and RNA-seq data
Authors: Li Xuejian , Ma Shiqiang , Liu Jin , Tang Jijun , Guo Fei
Published: January 2022

Motivation

Recently, with the development of high-throughput experimental technology, reconstruction of gene regulatory network (GRN) has ushered in new opportunities and challenges. Some previous methods mainly extract gene expression information based on RNA-seq data, but the associated information is very limited. With the establishment of gene expression image database, it is possible to infer GRN from image data with rich spatial information.

Results

First, we propose a new convolutional neural network (called SDINet), which can extract gene expression information from images and identify the interaction between genes. SDINet can obtain the detailed information and high-level semantic information from the images well. And it can achieve satisfying performance on image data (Acc: 0.7196, F1: 0.7374). Second, we apply the idea of our SDINet to build an RNA-model, which also achieves good results on RNA-seq data (Acc: 0.8962, F1: 0.8950). Finally, we combine image data and RNA-seq data, and design a new fusion network to explore the potential relationship between them. Experiments show that our proposed network fusing two modalities can obtain satisfying performance (Acc: 0.9116, F1: 0.9118) than any single data.

Availability and implementation

Data and code are available from https://github.com/guofei-tju/Combine-Gene-Expression-images-and-RNA-seq-data-For-infering-GRN.
Revisiting the thermoregulation hypothesis of osteoderms: a study of the crocodilianPaleosuchus palpebrosus(Crocodilia: Alligatoridae)
Authors: Inacio Veenstra Linda Lissethe , Broeckhoven Chris
Published: January 2022

The functional significance of osteoderms—ossified bony structures in the dermis—has been a topic of discussion for many years in biological sciences. Although a protective function has received significant attention in the past, evidence is accumulating that osteoderms might play an important role during physiological activities, specifically thermoregulation. Previous studies have shown that, in crocodilians, the temperature of the skin overlying the osteoderms differs from that of the non-ossified skin during basking. The direction of these differences, however, appears to vary among studies, warranting the re-evaluation of a potential thermoregulatory function. In this study, we explored the thermal benefits of osteoderm expression in dwarf caimans (Paleosuchus palpebrosus). We compared the difference in dorsal and lateral skin temperatures (ΔT) between individuals with fully developed osteoderms and those devoid of any osteoderms, under three different temperature gradients. Our results show that although significant differences in ΔT are present between individuals and between temperature gradients, they do not relate to the expression of osteoderms. The findings of the present study question the thermoregulatory role that osteoderms play in P. palpebrosus, and vertebrates in general, and we put forward a series of alternative (physiological) hypotheses explaining their enigmatic nature.
Co-expression network analysis of frontal cortex during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Beck John S , Madaj Zachary , Cheema Calvin T , Kara Betul , Bennett David A , Schneider Julie A , Gordon Marcia N , Ginsberg Stephen D , Mufson Elliott J , Counts Scott E
Published: January 2022

Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its putative prodromal stage, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), involve the dysregulation of multiple candidate molecular pathways that drive selective cellular vulnerability in cognitive brain regions. However, the spatiotemporal overlap of markers for pathway dysregulation in different brain regions and cell types presents a challenge for pinpointing causal versus epiphenomenal changes characterizing disease progression. To approach this problem, we performed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis and STRING interactome analysis of gene expression patterns quantified in frontal cortex samples (Brodmann area 10) from subjects who died with a clinical diagnosis of no cognitive impairment, aMCI, or mild/moderate AD. Frontal cortex was chosen due to the relatively protracted involvement of this region in AD, which might reveal pathways associated with disease onset. A co-expressed network correlating with clinical diagnosis was functionally associated with insulin signaling, with insulin (INS) being the most highly connected gene within the network. Co-expressed networks correlating with neuropathological diagnostic criteria (e.g., NIA-Reagan Likelihood of AD) were associated with platelet-endothelium-leucocyte cell adhesion pathways and hypoxia-oxidative stress. Dysregulation of these functional pathways may represent incipient alterations impacting disease progression and the clinical presentation of aMCI and AD.
Frequency-dependent genetic modulation of neuronal oscillations: a combined transcriptome and resting-state functional MRI study
Authors: Liu Siyu , Zhang Cun , Meng Chun , Wang Rui , Jiang Ping , Cai Huanhuan , Zhao Wenming , Yu Yongqiang , Zhu Jiajia
Published: January 2022

Neuronal oscillations within certain frequency bands are assumed to associate with specific neural processes and cognitive functions. To examine this hypothesis, transcriptome-neuroimaging spatial correlation analysis was applied to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 793 healthy individuals and gene expression data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. We found that expression measures of 336 genes were correlated with fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in the slow-4 band (0.027–0.073 Hz), whereas there were no expression-fALFF correlations for the other frequency bands. Furthermore, functional enrichment analyses showed that these slow-4 fALFF-related genes were mainly enriched for ion channel, synaptic function, and neuronal system as well as many neuropsychiatric disorders. Specific expression analyses demonstrated that these genes were specifically expressed in brain tissue, in neurons, and during the late stage of cortical development. Concurrently, the fALFF-related genes were linked to multiple behavioral domains, including dementia, attention, and emotion. In addition, these genes could construct a protein–protein interaction network supported by 30 hub genes. Our findings of a frequency-dependent genetic modulation of spontaneous neuronal activity may support the concept that neuronal oscillations within different frequency bands capture distinct neurobiological processes from the perspective of underlying molecular mechanisms.
Genetically encoded voltage indicator revealed differential effects of hyperosmotic stress on yeast plasma membrane potential imposed by different stress conditions
Authors: Limapichat Walrati
Published: January 2022

Cells can be affected by several causes of osmotic stress by which they were forced to tolerate and adapt. An essential aspect of adaptation is ion regulation, and many insights into such complex processes can be obtained through measurement of plasma membrane potential (PMP) of cells during the stress. We recently established genetically encoded voltage indicator proteins which could be utilized to report yeast PMP change in real time. In this work, we employed this method to monitor early change in PMP of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae with intact cell wall, immediately following hyperosmotic up-shock due to various stress agents. The results pointed to differential effects of NaCl, sorbitol, and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 6000. Yeast PMP was more responsive toward PEG 6000 than NaCl and sorbitol at comparable osmotic pressure, and PEG 6000 stimulated the largest response magnitude, followed by sorbitol and NaCl, respectively. After prolonged treatments, PEG 6000 also instigated distinct cell morphology from NaCl and sorbitol. Accordingly, this study presents new evidence supporting multiple pathways underlying yeast adaptation to varying hyperosmotic conditions, enabled through the optical physiology approach. Our findings promote better understanding of yeast cellular response to hyperosmotic stress, with tenable relevance to the physiologically-related plant cells.
Marine habitat mapping to support the use of conservation and anti-trawl structures in Kep Province, Cambodia
Authors: Strong J A , Wardell C , Haïssoune A , Jones A L , Coals L
Published: January 2022

The marine habitats within the Kep Archipelago, Cambodia, support species of conservation importance and commercial value. Despite the area being designated a Marine Fisheries Management Area (equivalent to a Marine Protected Area locally), illegal trawling has continued to damage vulnerable habitats within the region. To augment the protection of the designated area, Conservation and Anti Trawl Structures (CATS) have been deployed locally. These structures can snare the nets of illegal trawlers and provide a hard substratum for coral colonization. A sidescan sonar survey and ground truthing campaign was used to precisely locate the 40 CATS deployed and produce maps of the important benthic habitats in the area. Due to the challenging coastal environment and minimal available infrastructure, this study used small, rechargeable or low-power (12 V), and low-cost habitat mapping equipment to map the approximate extent of several benthic habitats of conservation interest. The area and type of habitat protected by CATS has been estimated by combining the marine habitat map with the precise locations of the deployed CATS. It is hoped that this information will help inform local management decisions, such as optimizing the placement of future CATS.
Stability-Indicating New RP-UPLC Method for Simultaneous Determination of a Quaternary Mixture of Paracetamol, Pseudoephedrine, Chlorpheniramine, and Sodium Benzoate in (Cold–Flu) Syrup Dosage Form
Authors: Mohamed Mahmoud A
Published: January 2022

Background

A combination of paracetamol, pseudoephedrine, chlorpheniramine, and sodium benzoate in (Cold–Flu) 1,2,3 Syrup dosage form is specified for the treatment of common cold and flu symptoms.

Objective

The functional role of this study is to develop a novel, reliable, and selective stability-indicating reversed-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) method for simultaneous identification of a quaternary mixture of paracetamol, pseudoephedrine, chlorpheniramine, and sodium benzoate in (Cold–Flu) 1,2,3 Syrup dosage form.

Method

The specific method is accomplished using an Acquity UPLC HSS T3 C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm), 1.8 µm particle size with pore size 100 Å, utilizing a mixture of purified water–methanol–trifluoroacetic acid (72.5:27.5:1.5, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The column void volume is 1.15 min. UPLC detection is adjusted at 205 nm using a photodiode array detector.

Results

Calibration curves are obtained in the linearity ranges: 25–500 µg/mL for paracetamol, 10–50 µg/mL for pseudoephedrine, 0.5–5 µg/mL for chlorpheniramine, and 3–30 µg/mL for sodium benzoate with a correlation coefficient > 0.9992. The mean recovery of the developed method is tested and shows good recovery results between 99–101%; selectivity and forced degradation studies are investigated as per the International Council for Harmonisation Guidelines and no interference is detected due to degradation peaks.

Conclusion

The proposed stability-indicating UPLC method for simultaneous determination of the three drugs, paracetamol, pseudoephedrine, and chlorpheniramine, with a preservative sodium benzoate in (Cold–Flu) 1,2,3 Syrup dosage form is successfully accomplished, developed, and validated, and can be easily used in the analysis of drugs in pure or dosage form.

Highlights

The novelty of the current research work lies in the development of the UPLC method for simultaneous determination of a quaternary mixture of paracetamol, pseudoephedrine, chlorpheniramine, and sodium benzoate in (Cold–Flu) 1,2,3 Syrup dosage form.
Trypanosomatids Associated in the Alimentary Canal of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
Authors: Grodowitz Michael J , Gundersen-Rindal Dawn E , Elliott Brad , Evans Richard , Sparks Michael E , Reed Darcy A , Miles Godfrey P , Allen Margaret L , Perring Thomas M
Published: January 2022

Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) is an invasive pest of economically important crops in the United States. During physiological investigations of B. hilaris, a flagellated protozoan was discovered in the alimentary canal of many specimens. This manuscript characterizes the morphology and molecular identification of the trypanosomatid, which appears similar to trypanosomatids identified in other stink bug species. It has been identified as a species in the Blastocrithidia genus based on morphological characteristics and molecular analyses.
The Differential Effects of Malpractice Reform: Defensive Medicine in Obstetrics
Authors: Cano-Urbina Javier , Montanera Daniel
Published: January 2022

Recent studies argue that different types of patients are affected differently by changes in malpractice pressure. We argue that defensive medicine causes these differential effects. Our theoretical model predicts that reduced malpractice pressure decreases health care spending among patients with good access to care, but increases spending among those with poor access. We test this theory by estimating the effects of tort reforms on birth by cesarean section. Reduced malpractice pressure through collateral source rule reform decreases C-section rates by 4.75% for mothers with timely initiation of prenatal care. On the other hand, reduced pressure through noneconomic damages caps increase C-section rates by 7.59% for mothers without timely initiation. These findings are consistent with defensive medicine. Further investigation suggests that reduced pressure improves access to care for vulnerable populations and reduces utilization among well-served consumers. These findings explain the literature’s conflicting assessments of defensive medicine, despite its practice being widespread.
Falciform ligament torsion as a rare aetiology of the acute abdomen
Authors: O’Connor Adam , Sabri Shariq , Solkar Maseera , Ramzan Amaila , Solkar Mamoon
Published: January 2022

The falciform ligament is a remnant of the embryonic ventral mesentery containing the obliterated umbilical vein and round ligament. It extends from the umbilicus to the superior aspect of the diaphragm. We report about a 53-year-old fit and well patient who presented with acute upper abdominal pain with tenderness to palpation. Ultrasound scan was unremarkable, but blood tests revealed raised inflammatory markers. Thus, computed tomography was performed. This demonstrated acute torsion and fat necrosis of the falciform ligament, which was the aetiology of the upper abdominal pain. Such pathology is rare with 23 previously reported cases. Conservative management is usually proposed, but on occasion, surgical intervention may be warranted in cases that do not respond to initial supportive measures. We describe this case to demonstrate a rare cause of a common presentation to the surgical service.
A novel technique for forehead and eyebrow reconstruction using a temporal hairline flap combined with a free forearm flap: a report of two cases
Authors: Hihara Masakatsu , Hikiami Rina , Mitsui Toshihito , Kakudo Natsuko , Okamoto Maki , Kuro Atsuyuki , Kusumoto Kenji
Published: January 2022

We herein report a novel technique for managing large forehead skin defects that include the eyebrows and upper eyelid. Case 1 was of a 55-year-old woman with an eccrine carcinoma (T2N0M0) at the right forehead, resulting in a skin defect 15 cm in diameter. Case 2 was of an 81-year-old man with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (T1a N0M0) at the left forehead, resulting in a skin defect 18 cm in diameter. A pedicled temporal hairline flap and free forearm flap were combined and placed on the defect, and good eyebrows and forehead morphology was ultimately achieved.
The legal regime for assignment of interests in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector: a critique of Moni Pulo vs Brass Exploration, DPR’s 2014 and 2021 Guidelines and the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021
Authors: Adaralegbe Bayo
Published: January 2022

Nigeria discovered oil in 1956. The Petroleum Act of 1969 that for a long time regulated the upstream petroleum sector was obsolete. This was manifest in respect of the legal regime for the transfer of upstream assets and interests. Under this regime only direct transfer of Oil Licenses or Leases were regulated. Change in control situations of Oil License or Lease holders or a merger/acquisition were not regulated. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s legislative organ, like most of the developing world where there has been political instability due to military intervention, has not been able to respond swiftly to fast-paced developments in the industry. The Petroleum Industry Act has taken some 20 years from conception to passage. In that period, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that regulated the industry found creative ways to regulate the industry in light of the failure of the National Assembly. This included issuing regulations regarding transfer of interests in the upstream sector. The judiciary was not left out and at least one case came up for determination in this regard. This article argues that case law on this point and DPR’s intervention through regulation are wrong in law and section 95 of the new Petroleum Industry Act has saved the situation.
A Labelling Semantics and Strong Admissibility for Weighted Argumentation Frameworks
Authors: Bistarelli Stefano , Taticchi Carlo
Published: January 2022

Argumentation Theory provides tools for both modelling and reasoning with controversial information and is a methodology that is often used as a way to give explanations to results provided using machine learning techniques. In this context, labelling-based semantics for Abstract Argumentation Frameworks (AFs) allow for establishing the acceptability of sets of arguments, dividing them into three partitions: in, out and undecidable (instead of classical Dung acceptable and not acceptable sets). This kind of semantics have been studied only for classical AFs, while the more powerful weighted and preference-based frameworks have not been studied yet. In this paper, we define a novel labelling semantics for Weighted Argumentation Frameworks (WAFs), extending and generalizing the crisp one, and we provide some insights towards a definition of strong admissibility for WAFs.
Spectral-timing of AGN ionized outflows with Athena
Authors: Juráňová A , Costantini E , Uttley P
Published: January 2022

Spectral-timing techniques have proven valuable in studying the interplay between the X-ray corona and the accretion disc in variable active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Under certain conditions, photoionized outflows emerging from central AGN regions also play a role in the observable spectral-timing properties of the nuclear components. The variable ionizing flux causes the intervening gas to ionize or recombine, resulting in a time-dependent absorption spectrum. Understanding the spectral-timing properties of these outflows is critical not only for the determination of their role in the AGN environment but also for the correct interpretation of timing signatures of other AGN components. In this paper, we test the capabilities of the Athena X-IFU instrument in studying the spectral and spectral-timing properties of a black hole system displaying a variable outflow. We take the narrow-line Seyfert 1 IRAS 13224−3809 as a test case. Our findings show that while the non-linear response of the absorbing medium can result in complex behaviour of time lags, the resulting decrease in the coherence can be used to constrain gas density and distance to the central source. Ultimately, modelling the coherence spectra of AGN outflows may constitute a valuable tool in studying the physical properties of the outflowing gas.
Linking deep CO2 outgassing to cratonic destruction
Authors: Wang Zhao-Xue , Liu Sheng-Ao , Li Shuguang , Liu Di , Liu Jingao
Published: January 2022

Outgassing of carbon dioxide from the Earth's interior regulates the surface climate through deep time. Here we examine the role of cratonic destruction in mantle CO2 outgassing via collating and presenting new data for Paleozoic kimberlites, Mesozoic basaltic rocks and their mantle xenoliths from the eastern North China Craton (NCC), which underwent extensive destruction in the early Cretaceous. High Ca/Al and low Ti/Eu and δ26Mg are widely observed in lamprophyres and mantle xenoliths, which demonstrates that the cratonic lithospheric mantle (CLM) was pervasively metasomatized by recycled carbonates. Raman analysis of bubble-bearing melt inclusions shows that redox melting of the C-rich CLM produced carbonated silicate melts with high CO2 content. The enormous quantities of CO2 in these magmas, together with substantial CO2 degassing from the carbonated melt–CLM reaction and crustal heating, indicate that destruction of the eastern NCC resulted in rapid and extensive mantle CO2 emission, which partly contributed to the early Cretaceous greenhouse climate episode.
Regional aid policies after Brexit: 2nd edition
Authors: Bell David
Published: January 2022

This article revisits the issue of UK regional policy 5 years after the Brexit referendum. Though the mechanisms to replace EU regional investment funds are not yet in place, much has changed both in terms of understanding, and of policy relating to regional development, in the post-Brexit UK. These changes include the acknowledgement of wide regional variations in productivity and the UK government commitment to the ‘levelling up’ agenda. This has led to a number of policy initiatives, including revision of the Green Book and new funding intended to support ‘levelling up’. In addition, Brexit has necessitated the introduction of legislation to regulate the UK internal market. Its particular form may undermine the current constitutional settlement.
Impact of Hospital-Based Rehabilitation Services on Discharge to the Community by Value-Based Payment Programs After Joint Replacement Surgery
Authors: Kumar Amit , Roy Indrakshi , Warren Meghan , Shaibi Stefany D , Fabricant Maximilian , Falvey Jason R , Vashist Amit , Karmarkar Amol M
Published: January 2022

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of hospital-based rehabilitation services on community discharge rates after hip and knee replacement surgery according to hospital participation in value-based care models: bundled payments for care improvement (BPCI) and comprehensive care for joint replacement (CJR). The secondary objective was to determine whether community discharge rates after hip and knee replacement surgery differed by participation in these models.

Methods

A secondary analysis of Medicare fee-for-service claims was conducted for beneficiaries 65 years of age or older who underwent hip and knee replacement surgery from 2016 to 2017. Independent variables were hospital participation in value-based programs categorized as: (1) BPCI, (2) CJR, and (3) non-BPCI/CJR; and total minutes per day of hospital-based rehabilitation services categorized into tertiles. The primary outcome variable was discharged to the community versus discharged to institutional post-acute care settings. The association between rehabilitation amount and community discharge among BPCI, CJR, and non-BPCI/CJR hospitals was adjusted for patient-level clinical and hospital characteristics.

Results

Participation in BPCI or CJR was not associated with community discharge. This analysis found a dose–response relationship between the amount of rehabilitation services and odds of community discharge. Among those who received a hip replacement, this relationship was most pronounced in the BPCI group; compared with the low rehabilitation category, the medium category had odds ratio (OR) = 1.28 (95% CI = 1.17 to 1.41), and the high category had OR = 1.90 (95% CI = 1.71 to 2.11). For those who received a knee replacement, there was a dose–response relationship in the CJR group only; compared with the low rehabilitation category, the medium category had OR = 1.21 (95% CI = 1.15 to 1.28), and the high category had OR = 1.56 (95% CI = 1.46 to 1.66).

Conclusion

Regardless of hospital participation in BPCI or CJR models, higher amounts of rehabilitation services delivered during acute hospitalization is associated with a higher likelihood of discharge to community following hip and knee replacement surgery.

Impact

In the era of value-based care, frontloading of rehabilitation care is vital for improving patient-centered health outcomes in acute phases of lower extremity joint replacement.
Equity Risk Premium Predictability from Cross-Sectoral Downturns
Authors: Faias José Afonso , Zambrano Juan Arismendi
Published: January 2022

We illustrate the role of left tail dependence—left tail mean (LTM)—in equity risk premium (ERP) predictability. LTM measures the average of pairwise left tail dependency among major equity sectors incorporating shocks imperceptible at the aggregate level. LTM, as well as the variance risk premium, significantly predicts the ERP in and out of sample, which is not the case with commonly used predictors. We find this predictability is the result of procyclical shocks’ reversals in a stable business cycle. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on ERP predictability. (JEL G10, G12, G14)
Perichondrial progenitor cells promote proliferation and chondrogenesis of mature chondrocytes
Authors: Ho Chien-Liang , Huang Lynn L H , Shieh Shyh-Jou
Published: January 2022

Autologous chondrocytes (C cells) are effective sources of cell therapy for engineering cartilage tissue to repair chondral defects, such as degenerative arthritis. The expansion of cells with C cell characteristics has become a major challenge due to inadequate donor sites and poor proliferation of mature C cells. The perichondrial progenitor cells (P cells) from the cambium layer of the perichondrium possessed significantly higher mesenchymal stem cell markers than C cells. In the transwell co-culture system, P cells increased the passaging capacity of C cells from P6 to P9, and the cell number increased 128 times. This system increased the percentage of Alcian blue-positive C cells from 40% in P6 to 62% in P9, contributing about 198 times more Alcian blue-positive C cells than the control group. C cells co-cultured with P cells also exhibited higher proliferation than C cells cultured with P cell-conditioned medium. Similar results were obtained in nude mice that were subcutaneously implanted with C cells, P cells or a mixture of the two cell types, in which the presence of both cells enhanced neocartilage formation in vivo. In aggregate, P cells enhanced the proliferation of C cells in a dose–dependent manner and prolonged the longevity of mature C cells for clinical applications.