bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Principles of carbon nanotube dielectrophoresis
Authors: Li Wenshan , Hennrich Frank , Flavel Benjamin S. , Dehm Simone , Kappes Manfred , Krupke Ralph
Published: January 2021

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) describes the motion of suspended objects when exposed to an inhomogeneous electric field. It has been successful as a method for parallel and site-selective assembling of nanotubes from a dispersion into a sophisticated device architecture. Researchers have conducted extensive works to understand the DEP of nanotubes in aqueous ionic surfactant solutions. However, only recently, DEP was applied to polymer-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in organic solvents due to the availability of ultra-pure SWCNT content. In this paper, the focus is on the difference between the DEP in aqueous and organic solutions. It starts with an introduction into the DEP of carbon nanotubes (CNT-DEP) to provide a comprehensive, in-depth theoretical background before discussing in detail the experimental procedures and conditions. For academic interests, this work focuses on the CNT-DEP deposition scheme, discusses the importance of the electrical double layer, and employs finite element simulations to optimize CNT-DEP deposition condition with respect to the experimental observation. An important outcome is an understanding of why DEP in organic solvents allows for the deposition and alignment of SWCNTs in low-frequency and even static electric fields, and why the response of semiconducting SWCNTs (s-SWCNTs) is strongly enhanced in non-conducting, weakly polarizable media. Strategies to further improve CNT-DEP for s-SWCNT-relevant applications are given as well. Overall, this work should serve as a practical guideline to select the appropriate setting for effective CNT DEPs.
Successful retrograde transvenous embolization under balloon occlusion for rectal arteriovenous malformation
Authors: Jubashi Amane , Yamaguchi Daisuke , Nagatsuma Goshi , Inoue Suma , Tanaka Yuichiro , Yoshioka Wataru , Hino Naoyuki , Morisaki Tomohito , Ario Keisuke , Fukui Kenichiro , Ishimaru Hideki , Tsunada Seiji
Published: January 2021

A 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of frequent hematochezia. Colonoscopy exhibited a submucosal tumor-like lesion in the lower rectum. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed a rectal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) on the right side wall of the lower rectum. The feeder was the superior rectal artery, with early venous return. Embolization of the draining vein and feeding artery of the AVM with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate under balloon occlusion was planned. Angiography of the superior rectal artery showed the nidus in the rectum with early venous return of contrast material. The portal vein was punctured percutaneously under ultrasound guidance, and a balloon catheter advanced to the distal part of the superior rectal vein. Venography under balloon occlusion showed the outflow vein and nidus. Transvenous and transarterial nidus embolization with N-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate under balloon occlusion was then performed. Since the embolization, there have been no further episodes of bleeding. There is no established treatment for AVMs. Successful treatment requires targeting and eradication of the nidus. We successfully performed embolization therapy for a rectal AVM via a retrograde transvenous approach. This technique may be suitable for completely eradicating the nidus without the risk of embolism.
Interannual variability of larval fish assemblages associated with water masses in winter in the Taiwan Strait during 2007–2013
Authors: Chen Yu-Kai , Pan Chia-Yi , Wang Yi-Chen , Tseng Hsiu-Ju , Su Bo-Kun , Lee Ming-An
Published: January 2021

In this study, the interannual variations of ichthyoplankton assemblages in the Taiwan Strait (TS) during the winters of 2007–2013 were determined. The cold China Coastal Current (CCC) and Mixed China Coastal Water (MCCW) intruded into the TS and impinged with the warm Kuroshio Branch Current (KBC) with annual variations. Consequently, the ichthyoplankton community in the TS was mainly structured into two assemblages characterized by differing environmental conditions. The composition of the warm KBC assemblage was relatively stable and was characterized by Diaphus B and Bregmaceros spp. By contrast, the cold MCCW assemblage demonstrated considerable variations over the years, with demersal Gobiidae and Scorpaenidae families considered the most representative. In addition, Benthosema pterotum and Trichiurus spp. were common in both KBC and MCCW assemblages. The distribution of the KBC assemblage demonstrated sharp boundaries in the frontal zones, whereas changes in the assemblage structure between the frontal zones were gradual for the MCCW assemblage, particularly when demersal taxa were dominant. Sea surface temperature and salinity were most strongly associated with variability in the assemblage structure during the study period. Thus, this paper provides a better understanding of long-term larval fish dynamics during winter in the TS.
Alginate and its application to tissue engineering
Authors: Sahoo Deepti Rekha , Biswal Trinath
Published: January 2021

Alginate is a polysaccharide of natural origin, which shows outstanding properties of biocompatibility, gel forming ability, non-toxicity, biodegradability and easy to process. Due to these excellent properties of alginate, sodium alginate, a hydrogel form of alginate, oxidized alginate and other alginate based materials are used in various biomedical fields, especially in drug delivery, wound healing and tissue engineering. Alginate can be easily processed as the 3D scaffolding materials which includes hydrogels, microcapsules, microspheres, foams, sponges, and fibers and these alginate based bio-polymeric materials have particularly used in tissue healing, healing of bone injuries, scars, wound, cartilage repair and treatment, new bone regeneration, scaffolds for the cell growth. Alginate can be easily modified and blended by adopting some physical and chemical processes and the new alginate derivative materials obtained have new different structures, functions, and properties having improved mechanical strength, cell affinity and property of gelation. This can be attained due to combination with other different biomaterials, chemical and physical crosslinking, and immobilization of definite ligands (sugar and peptide molecules). Hence alginate, its modified forms, derivative and composite materials are found to be more attractive towards tissue engineering. This article provides a comprehensive outline of properties, structural aspects, and application in tissue engineering.
Correction to: State-of-the-art in plant component flow-induced vibration (FIV)
Authors: Miwa Shuichiro , Hibiki Takashi
Published: January 2021

The article “State-of-the-art in plant component flow-induced vibration (FIV)” written by Shuichiro Miwa and Takashi Hibiki, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 20 August 2019 without open access. After publication in Volume 2, Issue 1, page 1–12, the author(s) decided to opt for Open Choice and to make the article an open access publication. Therefore, the copyright of the article has been changed to © The Author(s) 2020 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Correction to: Effect of interfacial drag force model on code prediction for upward adiabatic two-phase bubbly flow in vertical channels
Authors: Hibiki Takashi , Ozaki Tetsuhiro
Published: January 2021

The article “Effect of interfacial drag force model on code prediction for upward adiabatic two-phase bubbly flow in vertical channels” written by Takashi Hibiki and Tetsuhiro Ozaki, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 04 January 2020 without open access. After publication in Volume 2, Issue 4, page 212–224, the author(s) decided to opt for Open Choice and to make the article an open access publication. Therefore, the copyright of the article has been changed to © The Author(s) 2020 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, duplication, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Estimating the density of a small population of leopards (Panthera pardus) in central Iran using multi-session photographic‐sampling data
Authors: Farhadinia Mohammad S. , Behnoud Pouyan , Hobeali Kaveh , Mousavi Seyed Jalal , Hosseini-Zavarei Fatemeh , Gholikhani Navid , Akbari Hasan , Braczkowski Alexander , Eslami Morteza , Moghadas Peyman , Macdonald David W.
Published: January 2021

West Asian drylands host a number of threatened large carnivores, including the leopard (Panthera pardus) which is limited generally to areas with low primary productivity. While conservation efforts have focused on these areas for several decades, reliable population density estimates are missing for many of them. Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) methodology is a widely accepted population density estimation tool to monitor populations of large carnivores and it incorporates animal movement in the statistical estimation process. We employed multi-session maximum-likelihood SECR modeling to estimate the density of a small population of leopard in a mountainous environment surrounded by deserts in central Iran. During 6724 camera trap nights, we detected 8 and 5 independent leopards in 2012 and 2016 sessions, respectively. The top-performing model produced density estimates of 1.6 (95% CI = 0.9–2.9) and 1.0 (95% CI = 0.6–1.6) independent leopards/100 km2 in 2012 and 2016, respectively. Both sex and season had substantial effects on spatial scale (σ), with larger movements recorded for males, and during winter. The estimates from our density estimation exercise represent some of the lowest densities across the leopard global range and strengthen the notion that arid habitats support low densities of the species. These small populations are vulnerable to demographic stochasticity, and monitoring temporal changes in their population density and composition is a critical tool in assisting conservation managers to better understand their population performance.
Aristotle on Thought and Feeling
Authors: Gottlieb Paula
Published: January 2021

Aristotle's discussion of the motivation of the good person is both complicated and cryptic. Depending on which passages are emphasized, he may seem to be presenting a Kantian style view according to which the good person is and ought to be motivated primarily by reason, or a Humean style view according to which desires and feelings are or ought to be in charge. In this book, Paula Gottlieb argues that Aristotle sees the thought, desires and feelings of the good person as interdependent in a way that is sui generis, and she explains how Aristotle's concept of choice (prohairesis) is an innovative and pivotal element in his account. Gottlieb's interpretation casts light on Aristotle's account of moral education, on the psychology of good, bad and half-bad (akratic) people, and on the aesthetic and even musical side to being a good person.
A Multicultural Entrapment
Authors: Karayanni Michael
Published: January 2021

The religion and state debate in Israel has overlooked the Palestinian-Arab religious communities and their members, focusing almost exclusively on Jewish religious institutions and norms and Jewish majority members. Because religion and state debates in many other countries are defined largely by minority religions' issues, the debate in Israel is anomalous. Michael Karayanni advances a legal matrix that explains this anomaly by referencing specific constitutional values. At the same time, he also takes a critical look at these values and presents the argument that what might be seen as liberal and multicultural is at its core just as illiberal and coercive. In making this argument, A Multicultural Entrapment suggests a set of multicultural qualifications by which one should judge whether a group based accommodation is of a multicultural nature.
Hitler's Fatal Miscalculation
Authors: Schmider Klaus H.
Published: January 2021

Hitler's decision to declare war on the United States has baffled generations of historians. In this revisionist new history of those fateful months, Klaus H. Schmider seeks to uncover the chain of events which would incite the German leader to declare war on the United States in December 1941. He provides new insights not just on the problems afflicting German strategy, foreign policy and war production but, crucially, how they were perceived at the time at the top levels of the Third Reich. Schmider sees the declaration of war on the United States not as an admission of defeat or a gesture of solidarity with Japan, but as an opportunistic gamble by the German leader. This move may have appeared an excellent bet at the time, but would ultimately doom the Third Reich.
Just War and Ordered Liberty
Authors: Miller Paul D.
Published: January 2021

When is war just? What does justice require? If we lack a commonly-accepted understanding of justice – and thus of just war – what answers can we find in the intellectual history of just war? Miller argues that just war thinking should be understood as unfolding in three traditions: the Augustinian, the Westphalian, and the Liberal, each resting on distinct understandings of natural law, justice, and sovereignty. The central ideas of the Augustinian tradition (sovereignty as responsibility for the common good) can and should be recovered and worked into the Liberal tradition, for which human rights serves the same function. In this reconstructed Augustinian Liberal vision, the violent disruption of ordered liberty is the injury in response to which force may be used and war may be justly waged. Justice requires the vindication and restoration of ordered liberty in, through, and after warfare.
Adherence to Personal Protective Equipment Guidelines During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Health Care Personnel in the United States
Authors: Darwish Oliver A. , Aggarwal Ayushi , Karvar Mehran , Ma Chenhao , Haug Valentin , Wu Mengfan , Orgill Dennis P. , Panayi Adriana C.
Published: January 2021

Objectives:

Protecting frontline health care workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Through an online survey, we demonstrated variable adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) PPE guidelines among health care personnel (HCP).

Methods:

CDC guidelines for optimal and acceptable PPE usage in common situations faced by frontline health care workers were referenced to create a short online survey. The survey was distributed to national, statewide, and local professional organizations across the United States and to HCP, using a snowball sampling technique. Responses were collected between June 15 and July 17, 2020.

Results:

Responses totaling 2245 were received from doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, and medical technicians in 44 states. Eight states with n > 20 (Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington) and a total of 436 responses are included in the quantitative analysis. Adherence to CDC guidelines was observed to be highest in the scenario of patient contact when COVID-19 was not suspected (86.47%) and lowest when carrying out aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) (42.47%).

Conclusions:

Further research is urgently needed to identify the reasons underlying variability between professions and regions to pinpoint strategies for maximizing adherence and improving the safety of HCPs.
THE Σ1-DEFINABLE UNIVERSAL FINITE SEQUENCE
Authors: HAMKINS JOEL DAVID , WILLIAMS KAMERYN J.
Published: January 2021

We introduce the
$\Sigma _1$
-definable universal finite sequence and prove that it exhibits the universal extension property amongst the countable models of set theory under end-extension. That is, (i) the sequence is
$\Sigma _1$
-definable and provably finite; (ii) the sequence is empty in transitive models; and (iii) if M is a countable model of set theory in which the sequence is s and t is any finite extension of s in this model, then there is an end-extension of M to a model in which the sequence is t. Our proof method grows out of a new infinitary-logic-free proof of the Barwise extension theorem, by which any countable model of set theory is end-extended to a model of
$V=L$
or indeed any theory true in a suitable submodel of the original model. The main theorem settles the modal logic of end-extensional potentialism, showing that the potentialist validities of the models of set theory under end-extensions are exactly the assertions of S4. Finally, we introduce the end-extensional maximality principle, which asserts that every possibly necessary sentence is already true, and show that every countable model extends to a model satisfying it.
ON A FABRIC OF KISSING CIRCLES
Authors: ČERŇANOVÁ VIERA
Published: January 2021

Applying circle inversion on a square grid filled with circles, we obtain a configuration that we call a fabric of kissing circles. We focus on the curvature inside the individual components of the fabric, which are two orthogonal frames and two orthogonal families of chains. We show that the curvatures of the frame circles form a doubly infinite arithmetic sequence (bi-sequence), whereas the curvatures in each chain are arranged in a quadratic bi-sequence. We also prove a sufficient condition for the fabric to be integral.
Effects of riboflavin supplementation on performance, nutrient digestion, rumen microbiota composition and activities of Holstein bulls
Authors: Wu H. M. , Zhang J. , Wang C. , Liu Q. , Guo G. , Huo W. J. , Chen L. , Zhang Y. L. , Pei C. X. , Zhang S. L.
Published: January 2021

To investigate the influences of dietary riboflavin (RF) addition on nutrient digestion and rumen fermentation, eight rumen cannulated Holstein bulls were randomly allocated into four treatments in a repeated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Daily addition level of RF for each bull in control, low RF, medium RF and high RF was 0, 300, 600 and 900 mg, respectively. Increasing the addition level of RF, DM intake was not affected, average daily gain tended to be increased linearly and feed conversion ratio decreased linearly. Total tract digestibilities of DM, organic matter, crude protein (CP) and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) increased linearly. Rumen pH decreased quadratically, and total volatile fatty acids (VFA) increased quadratically. Acetate molar percentage and acetate:propionate ratio increased linearly, but propionate molar percentage and ammonia-N content decreased linearly. Rumen effective degradability of DM increased linearly, NDF increased quadratically but CP was unaltered. Activity of cellulase and populations of total bacteria, protozoa, fungi, dominant cellulolytic bacteria, Prevotella ruminicola and Ruminobacter amylophilus increased linearly. Linear increase was observed for urinary total purine derivatives excretion. The data suggested that dietary RF addition was essential for rumen microbial growth, and no further increase in performance and rumen total VFA concentration was observed when increasing RF level from 600 to 900 mg/d in dairy bulls.
Bohr phenomenon for operator-valued functions
Authors: Bhowmik Bappaditya , Das Nilanjan
Published: January 2021

We establish Bohr inequalities for operator-valued functions, which can be viewed as analogues of a couple of interesting results from scalar-valued settings. Some results of this paper are motivated by the classical flavour of Bohr inequality, while others are based on a generalized concept of the Bohr radius problem.
What can experimental studies of bias tell us about real-world group disparities?
Authors: Cesario Joseph
Published: January 2021

This article questions the widespread use of experimental social psychology to understand real-world group disparities. Standard experimental practice is to design studies in which participants make judgments of targets who vary only on the social categories to which they belong. This is typically done under simplified decision landscapes and with untrained decision-makers. For example, to understand racial disparities in police shootings, researchers show pictures of armed and unarmed Black and White men to undergraduates and have them press “shoot” and “don't shoot” buttons. Having demonstrated categorical bias under these conditions, researchers then use such findings to claim that real-world disparities are also due to decision-maker bias. I describe three flaws inherent in this approach, flaws which undermine any direct contribution of experimental studies to explaining group disparities. First, the decision landscapes used in experimental studies lack crucial components present in actual decisions (missing information flaw). Second, categorical effects in experimental studies are not interpreted in light of other effects on outcomes, including behavioral differences across groups (missing forces flaw). Third, there is no systematic testing of whether the contingencies required to produce experimental effects are present in real-world decisions (missing contingencies flaw). I apply this analysis to three research topics to illustrate the scope of the problem. I discuss how this research tradition has skewed our understanding of the human mind within and beyond the discipline and how results from experimental studies of bias are generally misunderstood. I conclude by arguing that the current research tradition should be abandoned.
Screw Dynamic Modeling and Novel Composite Error-Based Second-order Sliding Mode Dynamic Control for a Bilaterally Symmetrical Hybrid Robot
Authors: Qin Qiuyue , Gao Guoqin
Published: January 2021

In this research, a dynamic model is first established based on screw theory and the principle of virtual work for a bilaterally symmetrical hybrid robot. By combining a novel composite error (NCE) with second-order nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode (SONFTSM) control method, a NCE-based SONFTSM dynamic control method is further presented to guarantee better trajectory tracking performance and synchronization performance simultaneously. The asymptotic convergence of proposed errors and the stability of the proposed control method have been proved theoretically. Finally, the simulation and experiment are implemented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
Dietary patterns associated with subclinical atherosclerosis: a cross-sectional analysis of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) study
Authors: Gorgulho Bartira , Alves Mariane A , Teixeira Juliana A , Santos Roberta O , de Matos Sheila Alvim , Bittencourt Marcio Sommer , Benseñor Isabela , Lotufo Paulo , Marchioni Dirce Maria
Published: January 2021

Objective:

To identify dietary patterns associated with subclinical atherosclerosis measured as coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Design:

Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health. Dietary data were assessed using a FFQ, and a principal component factor analysis was used to derive the dietary patterns. Scree plot, eigenvalues > 1 and interpretability were considered to retain the factors. CAC was measured using a computed tomography scanner and an electrocardiography-gated prospective Ca score examination and was categorised into three groups based on the CAC score: 0, 1–100 and >100 Agatston units. Multinomial regression models were conducted for dietary patterns and CAC severity categories.

Setting:

Brazil, São Paulo, 2008–2010.

Participants:

Active and retired civil servants who lived in São Paulo and underwent a CAC exam were included (n 4025).

Results:

Around 10 % of participants (294 men, 97 women) had a detectable CAC (>0), 6·5 % (182 men, 73 women) had a CAC of 1–100 and 3·5 % (110 men, 23 women) had a CAC > 100. Three dietary patterns were identified: convenience food, which was positively associated with atherosclerotic calcification; plant-based and dairy food, which showed no association with CAC; and the traditional Brazilian food pattern (rice, legumes and meats), which was inversely associated with atherosclerotic calcification.

Conclusions:

Our results showed that a dietary pattern consisting of traditional Brazilian foods could be important to reducing the risk of atherosclerotic calcification and prevent future cardiovascular events, whereas a convenience dietary pattern was positively associated with this outcome.
Income disparity in school readiness and the mediating role of perinatal maternal mental health: a longitudinal birth cohort study
Authors: Law E. C. , Aishworiya R. , Cai S. , Bouvette-Turcot A.-A. , Broekman B. F. P. , Chen H. , Daniel L. M. , Gluckman P. D. , Shek L. P. C. , Tay S. K. H. , Chong Y. S. , Koh G. C.-H. , Meaney M. J.
Published: January 2021

Aims

There is compelling evidence for gradient effects of household income on school readiness. Potential mechanisms are described, yet the growth curve trajectory of maternal mental health in a child's early life has not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to examine the relationships between household incomes, maternal mental health trajectories from antenatal to the postnatal period, and school readiness.

Methods

Prospective data from 505 mother–child dyads in a birth cohort in Singapore were used, including household income, repeated measures of maternal mental health from pregnancy to 2-years postpartum, and a range of child behavioural, socio-emotional and cognitive outcomes from 2 to 6 years of age. Antenatal mental health and its trajectory were tested as mediators in the latent growth curve models.

Results

Household income was a robust predictor of antenatal maternal mental health and all child outcomes. Between children from the bottom and top household income quartiles, four dimensions of school readiness skills differed by a range of 0.52 (95% Cl: 0.23, 0.67) to 1.21 s.d. (95% CI: 1.02, 1.40). Thirty-eight percent of pregnant mothers in this cohort were found to have perinatal depressive and anxiety symptoms in the subclinical and clinical ranges. Poorer school readiness skills were found in children of these mothers when compared to those of mothers with little or no symptoms. After adjustment of unmeasured confounding on the indirect effect, antenatal maternal mental health provided a robust mediating path between household income and multiple school readiness outcomes (χ2 126.05, df 63, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.031, CFI = 0.980, SRMR = 0.034).

Conclusions

Pregnant mothers with mental health symptoms, particularly those from economically-challenged households, are potential targets for intervention to level the playing field of their children.
A Bayesian approach to estimating the population prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders using multiple measures
Authors: Edwards Jordan , Pananos A. Demetri , Thind Amardeep , Stranges Saverio , Chiu Maria , Anderson Kelly K.
Published: January 2021

Aims

There is currently no universally accepted measure for population-based surveillance of mood and anxiety disorders. As such, the use of multiple linked measures could provide a more accurate estimate of population prevalence. Our primary objective was to apply Bayesian methods to two commonly employed population measures of mood and anxiety disorders to make inferences regarding the population prevalence and measurement properties of a combined measure.

Methods

We used data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health linked to health administrative databases in Ontario, Canada. Structured interview diagnoses were obtained from the survey, and health administrative diagnoses were identified using a standardised algorithm. These two prevalence estimates, in addition to data on the concordance between these measures and prior estimates of their psychometric properties, were used to inform our combined estimate. The marginal posterior densities of all parameters were estimated using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC), a Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique. Summaries of posterior distributions, including the means and 95% equally tailed posterior credible intervals, were used for interpretation of the results.

Results

The combined prevalence mean was 8.6%, with a credible interval of 6.8–10.6%. This combined estimate sits between Bayesian-derived prevalence estimates from administrative data-derived diagnoses (mean = 7.4%) and the survey-derived diagnoses (mean = 13.9%). The results of our sensitivity analysis suggest that varying the specificity of the survey-derived measure has an appreciable impact on the combined posterior prevalence estimate. Our combined posterior prevalence estimate remained stable when varying other prior information. We detected no problematic HMC behaviour, and our posterior predictive checks suggest that our model can reliably recreate our data.

Conclusions

Accurate population-based estimates of disease are the cornerstone of health service planning and resource allocation. As a greater number of linked population data sources become available, so too does the opportunity for researchers to fully capitalise on the data. The true population prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders may reside between estimates obtained from survey data and health administrative data. We have demonstrated how the use of Bayesian approaches may provide a more informed and accurate estimate of mood and anxiety disorders in the population. This work provides a blueprint for future population-based estimates of disease using linked health data.
Understanding the common mechanisms of heart and skeletal muscle wasting in cancer cachexia
Authors: Rausch Valentina , Sala Valentina , Penna Fabio , Porporato Paolo Ettore , Ghigo Alessandra
Published: January 2021

Cachexia is a severe complication of cancer that adversely affects the course of the disease, with currently no effective treatments. It is characterized by a progressive atrophy of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue, resulting in weight loss, a reduced quality of life, and a shortened life expectancy. Although the cachectic condition primarily affects the skeletal muscle, a tissue that accounts for ~40% of total body weight, cachexia is considered a multi-organ disease that involves different tissues and organs, among which the cardiac muscle stands out for its relevance. Patients with cancer often experience severe cardiac abnormalities and manifest symptoms that are indicative of chronic heart failure, including fatigue, shortness of breath, and impaired exercise tolerance. Furthermore, cardiovascular complications are among the major causes of death in cancer patients who experienced cachexia. The lack of effective treatments for cancer cachexia underscores the need to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Increasing evidence links the wasting of the cardiac and skeletal muscles to metabolic alterations, primarily increased energy expenditure, and to increased proteolysis, ensuing from activation of the major proteolytic machineries of the cell, including ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis and autophagy. This review aims at providing an overview of the key mechanisms of cancer cachexia, with a major focus on those that are shared by the skeletal and cardiac muscles.
Reprogramming immunosuppressive myeloid cells by activated T cells promotes the response to anti-PD-1 therapy in colorectal cancer
Authors: Chen Jing , Sun Hong-Wei , Yang Yan-Yan , Chen Hai-Tian , Yu Xing-Juan , Wu Wen-Chao , Xu Yi-Tuo , Jin Li-Lian , Wu Xiao-Jun , Xu Jing , Zheng Limin
Published: January 2021

Overcoming local immunosuppression is critical for immunotherapy to produce robust anti-tumor responses. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are key regulators of immunosuppressive networks and promote tumor progression. However, it remains unclear whether and how tumor-infiltrating MDSCs are shaped in response to anti-PD-1 treatment and what their impact on therapeutic efficacy is in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, the levels of infiltrating MDSCs were significantly higher in the non-responding organoids and were selectively reduced in the responding group, with MDSCs showing increased apoptosis and attenuated functional activity after anti-PD-1 treatment. A negative correlation between T-cell activation and MDSC function was also observed in fresh human CRC tissues. Mechanistic studies revealed that autocrine IFN-α/β upregulated TRAIL expression on activated T cells to elicit MDSC apoptosis via the TRAIL–DR5 interaction and acted synergistically with TNF-α to inhibit MDSC function of suppressing the T-cell response through the JNK-NMDAR-ARG-1 pathway. Moreover, blockade of IFN-α/β and TNF-α abolished the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment by preserving the frequency and suppressive activity of infiltrating MDSCs in a CRC mouse model. This result suggested that reprogramming MDSCs by IFN-α/β and TNF-α from activated T cells was necessary for successful anti-PD-1 treatment and might serve as a novel strategy to improve the response and efficacy of anticancer therapy.
Mechanical single-molecule potentiometers with large switching factors from ortho-pentaphenylene foldamers
Authors: Li Jinshi , Shen Pingchuan , Zhen Shijie , Tang Chun , Ye Yiling , Zhou Dahai , Hong Wenjing , Zhao Zujin , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: January 2021

Molecular potentiometers that can indicate displacement-conductance relationship, and predict and control molecular conductance are of significant importance but rarely developed. Herein, single-molecule potentiometers are designed based on ortho-pentaphenylene. The ortho-pentaphenylene derivatives with anchoring groups adopt multiple folded conformers and undergo conformational interconversion in solutions. Solvent-sensitive multiple conductance originating from different conformers is recorded by scanning tunneling microscopy break junction technique. These pseudo-elastic folded molecules can be stretched and compressed by mechanical force along with a variable conductance by up to two orders of magnitude, providing an impressively higher switching factor (114) than the reported values (ca. 1~25). The multichannel conductance governed by through-space and through-bond conducting pathways is rationalized as the charge transport mechanism for the folded ortho-pentaphenylene derivatives. These findings shed light on exploring robust single-molecule potentiometers based on helical structures, and are conducive to fundamental understanding of charge transport in higher-order helical molecules.
Biomimetic selenocystine based dynamic combinatorial chemistry for thiol-disulfide exchange
Authors: Canal-Martín Andrea , Pérez-Fernández Ruth
Published: January 2021

Dynamic combinatorial chemistry applied to biological environments requires the exchange chemistry of choice to take place under physiological conditions. Thiol-disulfide exchange, one of the most popular dynamic combinatorial chemistries, usually needs long equilibration times to reach the required equilibrium composition. Here we report selenocystine as a catalyst mimicking Nature’s strategy to accelerate thiol-disulfide exchange at physiological pH and low temperatures. Selenocystine is able to accelerate slow thiol-disulfide systems and to promote the correct folding of an scrambled RNase A enzyme, thus broadening the practical range of pH conditions for oxidative folding. Additionally, dynamic combinatorial chemistry target-driven self-assembly processes are tested using spermine, spermidine and NADPH (casting) and glucose oxidase (molding). A non-competitive inhibitor is identified in the glucose oxidase directed dynamic combinatorial library.
Thermal resistivity and hydrodynamics of the degenerate electron fluid in antimony
Authors: Jaoui Alexandre , Fauqué Benoît , Behnia Kamran
Published: January 2021

Detecting hydrodynamic fingerprints in the flow of electrons in solids constitutes a dynamic field of investigation in contemporary condensed matter physics. Most attention has been focused on the regime near the degeneracy temperature when the thermal velocity can present a spatially modulated profile. Here, we report on the observation of a hydrodynamic feature in the flow of quasi-ballistic degenerate electrons in bulk antimony. By scrutinizing the temperature dependence of thermal and electric resistivities, we detect a size-dependent departure from the Wiedemann-Franz law, unexpected in the momentum-relaxing picture of transport. This observation finds a natural explanation in the hydrodynamic picture, where upon warming, momentum-conserving collisions reduce quadratically in temperature both viscosity and thermal diffusivity. This effect has been established theoretically and experimentally in normal-state liquid 3He. The comparison of electrons in antimony and fermions in 3He paves the way to a quantification of momentum-conserving fermion-fermion collision rate in different Fermi liquids.
Exposure to natural hazard events unassociated with policy change for improved disaster risk reduction
Authors: Nohrstedt Daniel , Mazzoleni Maurizio , Parker Charles F. , Di Baldassarre Giuliano
Published: January 2021

Natural hazard events provide opportunities for policy change to enhance disaster risk reduction (DRR), yet it remains unclear whether these events actually fulfill this transformative role around the world. Here, we investigate relationships between the frequency (number of events) and severity (fatalities, economic losses, and affected people) of natural hazards and DRR policy change in 85 countries over eight years. Our results show that frequency and severity factors are generally unassociated with improved DRR policy when controlling for income-levels, differences in starting policy values, and hazard event types. This is a robust result that accounts for event frequency and different hazard severity indicators, four baseline periods estimating hazard impacts, and multiple policy indicators. Although we show that natural hazards are unassociated with improved DRR policy globally, the study unveils variability in policy progress between countries experiencing similar levels of hazard frequency and severity.
Sulfur monoxide dimer chemistry as a possible source of polysulfur in the upper atmosphere of Venus
Authors: Pinto Joseph P. , Li Jiazheng , Mills Franklin P. , Marcq Emmanuel , Evdokimova Daria , Belyaev Denis , Yung Yuk L.
Published: January 2021

The abundance of SO dimers (SO)2 in the upper atmosphere of Venus and their implications for the enigmatic ultraviolet absorption has been investigated in several studies over the past few years. However, the photochemistry of sulfur species in the upper atmosphere of Venus is still not well understood and the identity of the missing ultraviolet absorber(s) remains unknown. Here we update an existing photochemical model of Venus’ upper atmosphere by including the photochemistry of SO dimers. Although the spectral absorption profile of SO dimers fits the unknown absorber, their abundance is found to be too low for them to contribute significantly to the absorption. It is more likely that their photolysis and/or reaction products could contribute more substantively. Reactions of SO dimers are found to be important sources of S2O, and possibly higher order SnO species and polysulfur, Sn. All of these species absorb in the critical ultraviolet region and are expected to be found in both the aerosol and gas phase. indicating that in-situ high resolution aerosol mass spectrometry might be a useful technique for identifying the ultraviolet absorber on Venus.
Structure and dynamics of the drug-bound bacterial transporter EmrE in lipid bilayers
Authors: Shcherbakov Alexander A. , Hisao Grant , Mandala Venkata S. , Thomas Nathan E. , Soltani Mohammad , Salter E. A. , Davis James H. , Henzler-Wildman Katherine A. , Hong Mei
Published: January 2021

The dimeric transporter, EmrE, effluxes polyaromatic cationic drugs in a proton-coupled manner to confer multidrug resistance in bacteria. Although the protein is known to adopt an antiparallel asymmetric topology, its high-resolution drug-bound structure is so far unknown, limiting our understanding of the molecular basis of promiscuous transport. Here we report an experimental structure of drug-bound EmrE in phospholipid bilayers, determined using 19F and 1H solid-state NMR and a fluorinated substrate, tetra(4-fluorophenyl) phosphonium (F4-TPP+). The drug-binding site, constrained by 214 protein-substrate distances, is dominated by aromatic residues such as W63 and Y60, but is sufficiently spacious for the tetrahedral drug to reorient at physiological temperature. F4-TPP+ lies closer to the proton-binding residue E14 in subunit A than in subunit B, explaining the asymmetric protonation of the protein. The structure gives insight into the molecular mechanism of multidrug recognition by EmrE and establishes the basis for future design of substrate inhibitors to combat antibiotic resistance.
Coulomb interactions between dipolar quantum fluctuations in van der Waals bound molecules and materials
Authors: Stöhr Martin , Sadhukhan Mainak , Al-Hamdani Yasmine S. , Hermann Jan , Tkatchenko Alexandre
Published: January 2021

Mutual Coulomb interactions between electrons lead to a plethora of interesting physical and chemical effects, especially if those interactions involve many fluctuating electrons over large spatial scales. Here, we identify and study in detail the Coulomb interaction between dipolar quantum fluctuations in the context of van der Waals complexes and materials. Up to now, the interaction arising from the modification of the electron density due to quantum van der Waals interactions was considered to be vanishingly small. We demonstrate that in supramolecular systems and for molecules embedded in nanostructures, such contributions can amount to up to 6 kJ/mol and can even lead to qualitative changes in the long-range van der Waals interaction. Taking into account these broad implications, we advocate for the systematic assessment of so-called Dipole-Correlated Coulomb Singles in large molecular systems and discuss their relevance for explaining several recent puzzling experimental observations of collective behavior in nanostructured materials.
Catalytic activity of graphene-covered non-noble metals governed by proton penetration in electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction
Authors: Hu Kailong , Ohto Tatsuhiko , Nagata Yuki , Wakisaka Mitsuru , Aoki Yoshitaka , Fujita Jun-ichi , Ito Yoshikazu
Published: January 2021

Graphene-covering is a promising approach for achieving an acid-stable, non-noble-metal-catalysed hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Optimization of the number of graphene-covering layers and the density of defects generated by chemical doping is crucial for achieving a balance between corrosion resistance and catalytic activity. Here, we investigate the influence of charge transfer and proton penetration through the graphene layers on the HER mechanisms of the non-noble metals Ni and Cu in an acidic electrolyte. We find that increasing the number of graphene-covering layers significantly alters the HER performances of Ni and Cu. The proton penetration explored through electrochemical experiments and simulations reveals that the HER activity of the graphene-covered catalysts is governed by the degree of proton penetration, as determined by the number of graphene-covering layers.
Author Correction: Ketamine disinhibits dendrites and enhances calcium signals in prefrontal dendritic spines
Authors: Ali Farhan , Gerhard Danielle M. , Sweasy Katherine , Pothula Santosh , Pittenger Christopher , Duman Ronald S. , Kwan Alex C.
Published: January 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20634-x
Author Correction: High-resolution sampling of beam-driven plasma wakefields
Authors: Schröder S. , Lindstrøm C. A. , Bohlen S. , Boyle G. , D’Arcy R. , Diederichs S. , Garland M. J. , Gonzalez P. , Knetsch A. , Libov V. , Niknejadi P. , Põder Kris , Schaper L. , Schmidt B. , Sheeran B. , Tauscher G. , Wesch S. , Zemella J. , Zeng M. , Osterhoff J.
Published: January 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20676-1
Author Correction: Optotracing for selective fluorescence-based detection, visualization and quantification of live S. aureus in real-time
Authors: Butina Karen , Tomac Ana , Choong Ferdinand X. , Shirani Hamid , Nilsson K. Peter R. , Löffler Susanne , Richter-Dahlfors Agneta
Published: January 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-020-00179-z
Publisher Correction: Quantitative image analysis of microbial communities with BiofilmQ
Authors: Hartmann Raimo , Jeckel Hannah , Jelli Eric , Singh Praveen K. , Vaidya Sanika , Bayer Miriam , Rode Daniel K. H. , Vidakovic Lucia , Díaz-Pascual Francisco , Fong Jiunn C. N. , Dragoš Anna , Lamprecht Olga , Thöming Janne G. , Netter Niklas , Häussler Susanne , Nadell Carey D. , Sourjik Victor , Kovács Ákos T. , Yildiz Fitnat H. , Drescher Knut
Published: January 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-021-00863-6.
Extracellular vesicle-associated repetitive element DNAs as candidate osteosarcoma biomarkers
Authors: Cambier Linda , Stachelek Kevin , Triska Martin , Jubran Rima , Huang Manyu , Li Wuyin , Zhang Jianying , Li Jitian , Cobrinik David
Published: January 2021

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor in children and young adults. Despite that high-risk factors have been identified, no test for early detection is available. This study aimed to identify circulating nucleic acid sequences associated with serum extracellular vesicle (EV) preparations at the time of OS diagnosis, as a step towards an OS early detection assay. Sequencing of small nucleic acids extracted from serum EV preparations revealed increased representation of diverse repetitive element sequences in OS patient versus control sera. Analysis of a validation cohort using qPCR of PEG-precipitated EV preparations revealed the over-representation of HSATI, HSATII, LINE1-P1, and Charlie 3 at the DNA but not RNA level, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) ≥ 0.90. HSATI and HSATII DNAs co-purified with EVs prepared by precipitation and size exclusion chromatography but not by exosome immunocapture, indicative of packaging in a non-exosomal complex. The consistent over-representation of EV-associated repetitive element DNA sequences suggests their potential utility as biomarkers for OS and perhaps other cancers.