bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optogenetic control of neural activity: The biophysics of microbial rhodopsins in neuroscience
Authors: Piatkevich Kiryl D. , Boyden Edward S.
Published: October 2023

Optogenetics, the use of microbial rhodopsins to make the electrical activity of targeted neurons controllable by light, has swept through neuroscience, enabling thousands of scientists to study how specific neuron types contribute to behaviors and pathologies, and how they might serve as novel therapeutic targets. By activating a set of neurons, one can probe what functions they can initiate or sustain, and by silencing a set of neurons, one can probe the functions they are necessary for. We here review the biophysics of these molecules, asking why they became so useful in neuroscience for the study of brain circuitry. We review the history of the field, including early thinking, early experiments, applications of optogenetics, pre-optogenetics targeted neural control tools, and the history of discovering and characterizing microbial rhodopsins. We then review the biophysical attributes of rhodopsins that make them so useful to neuroscience – their classes and structure, their photocycles, their photocurrent magnitudes and kinetics, their action spectra, and their ion selectivity. Our hope is to convey to the reader how specific biophysical properties of these molecules made them especially useful to neuroscientists for a difficult problem – the control of high-speed electrical activity, with great precision and ease, in the brain.
From Neoliberal Dreams to Precarity: Micro-Entrepreneurs and Family Debt in Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Satybaldieva Elmira , Sanghera Balihar
Published: October 2023

This article argues that precarity partly arises from the growth of household debt in the age of rentier capitalism. It examines the mechanisms of neoliberal finance and its debt-based economic growth model in shaping precarious work and life in Kyrgyzstan. The unequal social relationship between lenders and borrowers generates considerable economic dispossession, appropriation, precarity, and harm. For debt-ridden micro-entrepreneurs, some of the pressures and consequences of debt are acutely felt within their family context, where members struggle to negotiate and ameliorate the impact. By drawing on three case studies of a small farmer, a bakery owner, and a petty trader turned petty producer, the article examines how usurious interest loans plunged them and their families into distress, insecurity, fear, loss, and powerlessness. The first-person accounts of these micro-entrepreneurs-cum-borrowers explain how debt was produced and experienced, and how it was inseparable from the country's rentier capitalist transformation. The study also draws on twenty-nine semi-structured interviews with financial institutions and thirty-three semi-structured interviews with borrowers conducted in Kyrgyzstan.
Controlling Bazaar, Fighting Precarity, and Producing the Nation
Authors: Kudaibergen Diana T.
Published: October 2023

This article focuses on production cycles of traditional embroidery making (yaka) in Turkmenistan. In Turkmenistan, yaka is a key element in the national dress for women's everyday wear and since the process of the embroidery making is often handmade, the distribution of yaka and the networks of producing and dealing this essential apparel offer a rich ethnographic context. The article focuses on the study of resellers and dealers who control the market flow and the precarious labor of those women who produce this highly valued handmade product in villages and households and then resell them at the major bazaar hubs in the central cities. At each stage, there is a quality, price and “tradition” control—whether the product adheres to the constructed but widely shared idea of the “national dress.” These relations are also imbued with logics of the gendered economy of respect for work and mutual help given the precarious circumstances of each individual yaka-maker. Yaka-making is seen by many women as a way out of financial crises, but it becomes a cycle of precarity based on the trends, demands, and forms of the formal dress requirement in the state institutions to which female clients have to adhere to when choosing the product. What influences the market flows in trends, supply, and everyday profit? How do women regulate the market from within despite the growing precarity? Studying these internal power relations will help us reveal how cultural and social control stems from the precisely political and male domination and how the rules of the game in that field are guided by completely different gendered and labor principles on the ground.
Designing Competition Clauses in Preferential Trade Agreements
Authors: Wang Zhiyuan
Published: October 2023

Competition policy is one important aspect of trade liberalization. However, when examining preferential trade agreements (PTAs), a major type of policy tools to liberalize trade, competition provisions are revealed not to be uniformly distributed across these treaties. What explains the variation in the design of competition clauses in PTAs? Borrowing insights from the rational design of international institutions and combining them with those from treaty ratification and policy diffusion literatures, I identify five major causal mechanisms through which competition provisions are incorporated into PTAs. In evaluating them, I employ a range of operationalization techniques to capture the proposed mechanisms. A treaty-level analysis of 319 PTAs over the period 1960–2015 lends strong and robust support to most of the hypothesized relationships. By integrating theoretical frameworks across international political economy literatures with that from law and economics scholarship, this study demonstrates the utility of political science thinking to the real-world international law-making.
Design and analysis of an energy selective rasorber
Authors: Yan Kun , Wang Yi , Min Xiaofan , Tang Lei , Xia Yu , Li You
Published: October 2023

By combining the technique of energy selective surface and frequency selective rasorber, an energy selective rasorber is proposed, which performs selective energy protection in the low communication frequency band (0.8–2 GHz) and wave-absorbing property in the high-frequency band (6–18 GHz). The design consists of two layers, of which the bottom one contains a lumped diode structure for energy selection function in the transmission band, while together with the top layer, they perform a wideband wave absorbing function. The simulated and measured results agree well with each other, and both show good absorption in 6–18 GHz and energy-selective property around 1.86 GHz. That is, when the incident power changes from −30 to 14 dBm, the reflection coefficient changes from below −22 dB to above −2 dB, while the transmission coefficient changes from above −3 dB to below −17 dB.
Building strong health and career trajectories through translational research
Authors: O’Leary M. Elizabeth , White Marina , Nihouarn Sigurdardottir Julie , Scott Hailey , Jaramillo-Ospina Angela Marcela , Bake Shameena , Connor Kristin L.
Published: October 2023

Translational research (TR) is the movement of fundamental scientific discoveries into healthcare settings and population health policy, and parallels the goals of DOHaD research. Unfortunately, there is little guidance on how to become a translational researcher. To understand the opinions of DOHaD trainees towards TR, we conducted a workshop at the DOHaD World Congress 2022. We found that trainees were enthusiastic for their work to have translational impact, and that they feel that holistic, multidisciplinary solutions may lead to more generalisable research. However, there lacks support for TR career pathways, which may stall the execution of the long-term vision of the DOHaD agenda. We put forward recommendations for trainees to clarify their purpose in pursuing TR and for seeking relevant people and patronages to support their training paths. For mentors, training institutions, and scientific societies, we recommend developing TR-specific programmes, and implementing training opportunities, networking events, and funding to support these endeavours.
The Effects of Implicit Theories on Body Weight Information Avoidance
Authors: Hagerman Charlotte J. , Stock Michelle L. , Post Stacy , Macura Zeljka , Moore Philip J. , Dodge Tonya , Wirtz Philip W.
Published: October 2023

Abstract. Regular self-weighing is associated with more effective weight control, yet many individuals avoid weight-related information. Implicit theories about weight, or perceptions of how malleable weight is, predict more effortful weight management and may also influence weight-related information avoidance. Participants ( N = 209) were randomly assigned to read an article stressing an incremental theory of weight (i.e., weight is malleable), an article stressing an entity theory (i.e., weight is fixed), or to a control condition. We then examined their self-reported preference to avoid their body composition (i.e., body fat, weight, and muscle composition), their willingness to have their body composition measured during the lab visit, and their eating and exercise intentions. There were no notable differences across conditions, but higher self-reported incremental beliefs predicted less self-reported avoidance of body composition. The findings suggest that implicit theories may influence weight-related information avoidance, but a brief manipulation is not powerful enough to create meaningful change.
Probabilistic Risk Assessment of the Economy‐Wide Impacts From a Changing Wildfire Climate on a Regional Rural Landscape
Authors: Monge Juan J. , Dowling Leslie J. , Wegner Simon , Melia Nathanael , Cheon Pascal E. S. , Schou Wayne , McDonald Garry W. , Journeaux Phil , Wakelin Steve J. , McDonald Nicola
Published: October 2023

A warmer and drier future combined with rising population trends will result in increased wildfire risk. The design of robust mitigation/adaptation strategies requires the assessment of the economy‐wide risks from potentially more frequent large wildfire events under different futures. This study uses a novel interdisciplinary approach by integrating wildfire climate and land‐use forecasts into probabilistic and simulation models of wildfires to estimate direct impacts using damage curves and indirect impacts as lost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) using a computable general equilibrium model. Based on the financial concept of Value at Risk, a probabilistic measure of extreme economy‐wide impacts was developed using GDP as the representative metric, namely “GDP at Risk (G@R),” under various climatic and socio‐economic scenarios. Using the new metric in the Waikato, New Zealand as a case study, due its primary industries' national relevance, it was identified that there is a 5% probability that the region will experience GDP losses greater or equal to NZ$0.1–1.2 billion (similar to the regional GDP growth in 2021) over a 48‐year period from future potential large wildfires affecting vulnerable primary industries. The regional impacts result in larger national GDP losses by a factor of 5 due to the high dependence of downstream sectors on the regional primary industries. While “G@R” estimates are similar across socio‐economic scenarios, there are no discernible patterns when compared across midcentury climate scenarios. The approach developed could be used to assess the consequences from afforestation projects, driven by mitigation policies, and adaptation strategies to reduce wildfire risk.
Potential Impacts of Energy and Vehicle Transformation Through 2050 on Oxidative Stress‐Inducing PM2.5 Metals Concentration in Japan
Authors: Kayaba Satoko , Kajino Mizuo
Published: October 2023

The impacts of renewable energy shifting, passenger car electrification, and lightweighting through 2050 on the atmospheric concentrations of PM2.5 total mass and oxidative stress‐inducing metals (PM2.5‐Fe, Cu, and Zn) in Japan were evaluated using a regional meteorology–chemistry model. The surface concentrations of PM2.5 total mass, Fe, Cu, and Zn in the urban area decreased by 8%, 13%, 18%, and 5%, respectively. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been considered to have no advantage in terms of non‐exhaust PM emissions by previous studies. This is because the disadvantages (heavier weight increases tire wear, road wear, and resuspention) offset the advantages (regenerative braking system (RBS) reduces brake wear). However, the future lightweighting of drive battery and body frame were estimated to reduce all non‐exhaust PM. Passenger car electrification only reduced PM2.5 concentration by 2%. However, Fe and Cu concentrations were more reduced (−8% and −13%, respectively) because they have high brake wear‐derived and significantly reflects the benefits of BEV's RBS. The water‐soluble fraction concentration of metals (induces oxidative stress in the body) was estimated based on aerosol acidity. The reduction of SOx, NOx, and NH3 emissions from on‐road and thermal power plants slightly changed the aerosol acidity (pH ± 0.2). However, it had a negligible effect on water‐soluble metal concentrations (maximum +2% for Fe and +0.5% for Cu and Zn). Therefore, the metal emissions reduction was more important than gaseous pollutants in decreasing the water‐soluble metals that induces respiratory oxidative stress and passenger car electrification and lightweighting were effective means of achieving this.
Astrocytes in human central nervous system diseases: a frontier for new therapies
Authors: Verkhratsky Alexei , Butt Arthur , Li Baoman , Illes Peter , Zorec Robert , Semyanov Alexey , Tang Yong , Sofroniew Michael V.
Published: October 2023

Astroglia are a broad class of neural parenchymal cells primarily dedicated to homoeostasis and defence of the central nervous system (CNS). Astroglia contribute to the pathophysiology of all neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental to disorder outcome. Pathophysiological changes in astroglia can be primary or secondary and can result in gain or loss of functions. Astroglia respond to external, non-cell autonomous signals associated with any form of CNS pathology by undergoing complex and variable changes in their structure, molecular expression, and function. In addition, internally driven, cell autonomous changes of astroglial innate properties can lead to CNS pathologies. Astroglial pathophysiology is complex, with different pathophysiological cell states and cell phenotypes that are context-specific and vary with disorder, disorder-stage, comorbidities, age, and sex. Here, we classify astroglial pathophysiology into (i) reactive astrogliosis, (ii) astroglial atrophy with loss of function, (iii) astroglial degeneration and death, and (iv) astrocytopathies characterised by aberrant forms that drive disease. We review astroglial pathophysiology across the spectrum of human CNS diseases and disorders, including neurotrauma, stroke, neuroinfection, autoimmune attack and epilepsy, as well as neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, metabolic and neuropsychiatric disorders. Characterising cellular and molecular mechanisms of astroglial pathophysiology represents a new frontier to identify novel therapeutic strategies.
Land use conversion increases network complexity and stability of soil microbial communities in a temperate grassland
Authors: Cornell Carolyn R , Zhang Ya , Ning Daliang , Xiao Naijia , Wagle Pradeep , Xiao Xiangming , Zhou Jizhong
Published: October 2023

Soils harbor highly diverse microbial communities that are critical to soil health, but agriculture has caused extensive land use conversion resulting in negative effects on critical ecosystem processes. However, the responses and adaptations of microbial communities to land use conversion have not yet been understood. Here, we examined the effects of land conversion for long-term crop use on the network complexity and stability of soil microbial communities over 19 months. Despite reduced microbial biodiversity in comparison with native tallgrass prairie, conventionally tilled (CT) cropland significantly increased network complexity such as connectivity, connectance, average clustering coefficient, relative modularity, and the number of species acting at network hubs and connectors as well as resulted in greater temporal variation of complexity indices. Molecular ecological networks under CT cropland became significantly more robust and less vulnerable, overall increasing network stability. The relationship between network complexity and stability was also substantially strengthened due to land use conversion. Lastly, CT cropland decreased the number of relationships between network structure and environmental properties instead being strongly correlated to management disturbances. These results indicate that agricultural disturbance generally increases the complexity and stability of species “interactions”, possibly as a trade-off for biodiversity loss to support ecosystem function when faced with frequent agricultural disturbance.
Nutrient supplementation by genome-eroded Burkholderia symbionts of scale insects
Authors: Michalik Anna , Bauer Eugen , Szklarzewicz Teresa , Kaltenpoth Martin
Published: October 2023

Hemipterans are known as hosts to bacterial or fungal symbionts that supplement their unbalanced diet with essential nutrients. Among them, scale insects (Coccomorpha) are characterized by a particularly large diversity of symbiotic systems. Here, using microscopic and genomic approaches, we functionally characterized the symbionts of two scale insects belonging to the Eriococcidae family, Acanthococcus aceris and Gossyparia spuria. These species host Burkholderia bacteria that are localized in the cytoplasm of the fat body cells. Metagenome sequencing revealed very similar and highly reduced genomes (<900KBp) with a low GC content (~38%), making them the smallest and most AT-biased Burkholderia genomes yet sequenced. In their eroded genomes, both symbionts retain biosynthetic pathways for the essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, lysine, arginine, histidine, phenylalanine, and precursors for the semi-essential amino acid tyrosine, as well as the cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase MetH. A tryptophan biosynthesis pathway is conserved in the symbiont of G. spuria, but appeared pseudogenized in A. aceris, suggesting differential availability of tryptophan in the two host species’ diets. In addition to the pathways for essential amino acid biosynthesis, both symbionts maintain biosynthetic pathways for multiple cofactors, including riboflavin, cobalamin, thiamine, and folate. The localization of Burkholderia symbionts and their genome traits indicate that the symbiosis between Burkholderia and eriococcids is younger than other hemipteran symbioses, but is functionally convergent. Our results add to the emerging picture of dynamic symbiont replacements in sap-sucking Hemiptera and highlight Burkholderia as widespread and versatile intra- and extracellular symbionts of animals, plants, and fungi.
Alkaline shear-thinning micro-nanocomposite hydrogels initiate endogenous TGFβ signaling for in situ bone regeneration
Authors: Niu Yuting , Yang Zhen , Yang Yang , Wang Xu , Zhang Ping , Lv Longwei , Wang Sainan , Liu Yan , Liu Yunsong , Zhou Yongsheng
Published: October 2023

Recruiting endogenous stem cells to bone defects without stem cell transplantation and exogenous factor delivery represents a promising strategy for bone regeneration. Herein, we develop an alkaline shear-thinning micro-nanocomposite hydrogel (10-MmN), aiming to alkaline-activate endogenous TGFβ1 and achieve in situ bone regeneration. It contains polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified gelatin, laponite nanoplatelets (LAP), a bicarbonate buffer with a pH of 10, and gelatin microspheres (MSs). PEI-modified gelatin plays a pivotal role in hydrogel fabrication. It endows the system with sufficient positive charges, and forms a shear-thinning nanocomposite matrix in the pH 10 buffer (10-mN) with negatively charged LAP via electrostatic gelation. For biological functions, the pH 10 buffer dominates alkaline activation of endogenous serum TGFβ1 to recruit rat bone marrow stem cells through the Smad pathway, followed by improved osteogenic differentiation. In addition, MSs are incorporated into 10-mN to form 10-MmN, and function as substrates to provide good attachment sites for the recruited stem cells and facilitate further their osteogenic differentiation. In a rat critical-sized calvarial defect model, 10-MmN exhibits excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrogel infusion and retention in bone defects with flexible shapes and active bleeding. Importantly, it repairs ~95% of the defect areas in 3 months by recruiting TGFβR2+ and CD90+CD146+ stem cells, and promoting cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. The present study provides a biomaterial-based strategy to regulate alkalinity in bone defects for the initiation of endogenous TGFβ signaling, which can be extended to treat other diseases.
Prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus using machine learning from birth cohort data of the Japan Environment and Children's Study
Authors: Watanabe Masahiro , Eguchi Akifumi , Sakurai Kenichi , Yamamoto Midori , Mori Chisato ,   The Japan Environment Children’s Study (JECS) Group, Kamijima Michihiro , Yamazakii Shin , Ohya Yukihiro , Kishi Reiko , Yaegashi Nobuo , Hashimoto Koichi , Mori Chisato , Ito Shuichi , Yamagata Zentaro , Inadera Hidekuni , Nakayama Takeo , Sobue Tomotaka , Shima Masayuki , Kageyama Seiji , Suganuma Narufumi , Ohga Shoichi , Katoh Takahiko
Published: October 2023

Recently, prediction of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using artificial intelligence (AI) from medical records has been reported. We aimed to evaluate GDM-predictive AI-based models using birth cohort data with a wide range of information and to explore factors contributing to GDM development. This investigation was conducted as a part of the Japan Environment and Children's Study. In total, 82,698 pregnant mothers who provided data on lifestyle, anthropometry, and socioeconomic status before pregnancy and the first trimester were included in the study. We employed machine learning methods as AI algorithms, such as random forest (RF), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), and support vector machine (SVM), along with logistic regression (LR) as a reference. GBDT displayed the highest accuracy, followed by LR, RF, and SVM. Exploratory analysis of the JECS data revealed that health-related quality of life in early pregnancy and maternal birthweight, which were rarely reported to be associated with GDM, were found along with variables that were reported to be associated with GDM. The results of decision tree-based algorithms, such as GBDT, have shown high accuracy, interpretability, and superiority for predicting GDM using birth cohort data.
Fe–Pd nanoflakes decorated on leached graphite disks for both methanol and formic acid electrooxidation with excellent electrocatalytic performance
Authors: Mojarrad Amir , Sabzi Reza E. , Faraji Masoud
Published: October 2023

This paper introduces a unique and simple method for fabricating of inexpensive electrocatalysts for use in direct methanol fuel cells. The leached Fe1–Pd1 NFs/graphite (leached Fe1–Pd1/graphite) disk electrode was successfully obtained via uniform dispersion of Zn powder into the matrix of commercial graphite powder (98%), pressing under optimized pressure followed by the treatment in H2SO4 solution containing Fe+2 and Pd+2 cations, leading to the partial leaching out of Zn from graphite matrix, as well as partial electroless substitution of Fe–Pd nanoflakes with Zn metal. Based on the morphology studies, binary Fe–Pd nanoflakes with a large surface area uniformly dispersed on the leached graphite disk. The leached Fe–Pd/G disk showed the exceptional electrocatalytic activity toward methanol and formic acid oxidation without electrocatalyst poisoning being observed, in contrast to the leached Pd/graphite and leached Fe/graphite disks. This is due to the high surface area, and synergistic effect of Pd and Fe. The findings of this work may be used for the mass manufacture of graphite-based disks for commercial fuel cell applications using available graphite powders. The linear range of washed Fe1–Pd1/G electrocatalyst for measuring methanol was about 0.1–1.3 M, and its detection limit was calculated at about 0.03 M. Furthermore, the linear range of the nanocatalyst for measuring formic acid was about 0.02–0.1 M, and its detection limit was calculated at about 0.006 M.
Overexpression of TPL2 may be a predictor of good prognosis in patients with breast invasive ductal carcinoma
Authors: Yu Qin , Wan Dan , Fu Rong , Li Feng , Zhang Yutao
Published: October 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical significance and roles of tumor progression locus 2 (TPL2) and peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerase 1 (Pin1) in the occurrence and development of breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TPL2 and Pin1 in human breast tissues, which included normal breast tissues (Normal), tissues with fibrocystic changes (FCC), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and IDC. The roles of TPL2 and Pin1 in the occurrence and development of IDC, as well as the correlation between their expression levels and clinicopathological parameters, were analyzed. Compared with Normal and FCC groups, the overexpression of TPL2 and Pin1 was significantly increased in DCIS and IDC groups (DCIS vs Normal: P = 0.002/P < 0.001; IDC vs Normal: P = 0.007/P = 0.003; DCIS vs. FCC: P = 0.008/P = 0.004; IDC vs. FCC: P = 0.04/P = 0.043). The expression levels of TPL2 and Pin1 were positively correlated in DCIS and IDC groups (P = 0.001, P = 0.011). In the IDC group, the Ki67 level in the TPL2 overexpression group was significantly lower than that in the TPL2 low expression group (P = 0.02). The TPL2 overexpression rate was significantly higher in IDC with histological grades 1–2 than that in IDC with histological grade 3 (P = 0.029). The TPL2 overexpression rate in IDC with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage I was significantly higher than that in IDC with TNM stages II–III (P = 0.035). We conclude that TPL2 and Pin1 may synergistically promote the occurrence and development of IDC, but TPL2 overexpression may be an early molecular event in IDC development. TPL2 overexpression is significantly related with IDC with lower malignancy or earlier TNM stage, suggesting that the prognosis of IDC patients with TPL2 overexpression may be better and TPL2 overexpression may be a predictor of good prognosis in IDC.
Investigating the Cuprates as a platform for high-order Van Hove singularities and flat-band physics
Authors: Markiewicz Robert S. , Singh Bahadur , Lane Christopher , Bansil Arun
Published: October 2023

Beyond the two-dimensional saddle-point Van Hove singularities (VHSs) with logarithmic divergences in the density of states, recent studies have identified higher-order VHSs with faster-than-logarithmic divergences that can amplify electron correlation effects. Here we show that the cuprate high-Tc superconductors harbor high-order VHSs in their electronic spectra and unveil a new correlation that the cuprates with high-order VHSs display higher Tc’s. Our analysis indicates that the normal and higher-order VHSs can provide a straightforward new marker for identifying propensity of a material toward the occurrence of correlated phases such as the excitonic insulators and supermetals. Our study suggests cuprates and related high-Tc superconductors as materials for exploring the interplay between high-order VHSs, superconducting transition temperatures, and electron correlation effects.
Enhanced thermoelectric performance via quantum confinement in a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor for thermal management
Authors: Oxandale Samuel W. , Reinke Charles , Das Suprem R. , El-Kady Ihab
Published: October 2023

The performance of thermoelectric devices is gauged by the dimensionless figure of merit $${{{{{\boldsymbol{ZT}}}}}}$$
ZT
. Improving $${{{{{\boldsymbol{ZT}}}}}}$$
ZT
has proven to be a formidable challenge given the interdependence of its constitutive quantities, namely Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and temperature. Here, we use quantum confinement to decouple Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity to demonstrate an order of magnitude quantum-based enhancement to the thermoelectric figure of merit $${{{{{\boldsymbol{ZT}}}}}}$$
ZT
in complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. While most quantum-based enhancement is done through physical confinement using two-dimensional materials, our approach uses electrical confinement. Because of this, our device is more robust than the two-dimensional materials currently used. We further articulate that improvement by as much as a factor of 50 could be achieved in a practical setting. Our approach further provides a path for monolithic integration of on-chip coolers and energy scavengers with virtually no deviation from the fabrication flow of standard electronics.
Graphene Quantum Dots-based Nanocomposites as Fluorescence Sensors
Authors: Rahimpour Elaheh , Azad Bita , Jouyban Abolghasem
Published: October 2023

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have attracted growing interest thanks to their physically and chemically stable properties resulting from their intrinsic inert carbon units. They have been widely studied in recent years for optical sensing purposes owing to their non-toxic and biologically inert nature, which puts them in the category of environmentally friendly materials. Composite formation is a well-known technique to modulate the structural, chemical, and electronic features of GQDs, improving their application in various fields. Today, many different types of GQDs-based nanocomposites are synthesized and validated for the determination and analysis of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. This chapter summarizes advances in preparing and applying GQDs-based nanocomposites as fluorescence sensors. After a general introduction, this review is divided into four parts. In the first part, various types of GQDs-based nanocomposites are classified and explained in detail. The second part reviews the different methods used for the synthesis of these nanocomposites and the third describes their structural and optical properties from the fluorescence sensing point of view. Finally, the fourth part covers studies on the application of various GQD-based nanocomposites as fluorescence sensors for the quantification of targeted analytes. The conclusion section gives the current challenges and perspectives of GQDs-based nanocomposites for (bio)sensing.
Graphene-based Nanocomposite Sensors for Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Elgiddawy Nada , El-Raheem Hany Abd , Husseiny Samah , El Rouby C. Waleed M. A.
Published: October 2023

The creation of innovative, fast, highly selective and sensitive biosensors for pathogen detection is essential for medical diagnostics, food safety screening, and monitoring of environmental pollution. Graphene and its derivatives are currently the subject of intense interest and are utilized extensively in biosensors. Aside from their superior mechanical characteristics, thermal stability, and electrical conductivity, graphene and its derivatives can be functionalized with different bioactive elements, enabling them to be included in enhanced biosensors for microorganism detection. In this chapter, a variety of graphene-based biosensors as well as approaches to their design and biofunctionalization are discussed. In addition, the fundamentals of electrochemical and fluorescence detection techniques of pathogenic bacteria using graphene-based nanocomposites are illuminated. Finally, the current problems and challenges of some critical issues with graphene-based biosensors as well as future directions for developments in the field are also discussed.
Graphene-based Nanocomposites for Detection of Small Biomolecules (AA, DA, UA, and Trp)
Authors: Moammeri Ali , Rezapoor-Fashtali Zahra , Samadi Amirmasoud , Abbasi Parisa , Azimi Shamim , Akbarzadeh Iman , Mostafavi Ebrahim
Published: October 2023

Medical diagnostics have been expanded to new dimensions by graphene and its derivatives due to their unique chemical and physical characteristics, including excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, a large specific surface area, and easy biofunctionalization combined with low fabrication costs. Thereby, graphene-based materials have been widely used as a promising nanoplatform for nano-scale sensor and biosensor fabrication. Moreover, the molecular structures of graphene-based materials, especially oxygenated functional groups, facilitate their chemical functionalization and enable combining graphene-based nanoparticles with other inorganic and organic nanomaterials, biological polymers, and quantum dots to form a wide range of nanocomposites with improved sensitivity and selectivity for sensor applications. This chapter focuses on the synthesis and characterization of graphene-based nanocomposites for quantitative detection of significant small biomolecules, including uric acid (UA), ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), and tryptophan (Trp), in human metabolism. It also updates readers with recent advances and scientific progress in using graphene-based nanocomposites in sensing and biosensing applications. Finally, the future prospects of graphene-based biosensor development, along with their challenges and potential answers, are discussed.
Oxygen-carrying acid-responsive Cu/ZIF-8 for photodynamic antibacterial therapy against cariogenic Streptococcus mutans infection
Authors: Wang Ruifeng , Pan Qiyuan , Li Fang , Guo Jingying , Huo Yaru , Xu Chao , Xiong Manwen , Cheng Ziyong , Liu Min , Lin Jun
Published: October 2023

Acid-induced demineralization caries is the most common oral microbial infectious disease. O2-Cu/ZIF-8@Ce6/ZIF-8@HA (OCZCH) as an intelligent acid-responsive photosensitive nanomaterial, was chosen to adapt to the acidic caries microenvironment for inactivating Streptococcus mutans.
Multilayer nanocomposites with ultralow loadings of nanofillers exhibiting superb capacitive energy storage performance
Authors: Cheng Yu , Feng Yu , Pan Zhongbin , Wang Peng , Liu Jinjun , Liang Liang , Yu Jinhong , Zhai Jiwei , Wang Qing
Published: October 2023

Multilayered nanocomposites with ultra-low loading of nanofillers exhibit ultrahigh comprehensive energy storage performances, excellent dielectric stability and reliability.
Synthesis of double Z-scheme CdS/Bi2O2CO3/BiOCl heterojunction photocatalysts for degradation of rhodamine B under visible light
Authors: Li Yueyi , Liu Yuehui , Liu Xuguang , Li Xia
Published: October 2023

A novel double heterojunction structure provides rapid electron transfer paths, which can degrade rhodamine B efficiently.
A focus on penetration index – a new descriptor of chemical bonding
Authors: Grochala Wojciech
Published: October 2023

Electron clouds surrounding atoms interpenetrate in a molecule, due to weak van der Waals interactions or formation of a genuine chemical bond. Now, Alvarez and Echeverría have suggested a simple descriptor of how deep this interpenetration is, and called it a penetration index, i.
Enhancer target prediction: state-of-the-art approaches and future prospects
Authors: Umarov Ramzan , Hon Chung-Chau
Published: October 2023

Enhancers are genomic regions that regulate gene transcription and are located far away from the transcription start sites of their target genes. Enhancers are highly enriched in disease-associated variants and thus deciphering the interactions between enhancers and genes is crucial to understanding the molecular basis of genetic predispositions to diseases. Experimental validations of enhancer targets can be laborious. Computational methods have thus emerged as a valuable alternative for studying enhancer–gene interactions. A variety of computational methods have been developed to predict enhancer targets by incorporating genomic features (e.g. conservation, distance, and sequence), epigenomic features (e.g. histone marks and chromatin contacts) and activity measurements (e.g. covariations of enhancer activity and gene expression). With the recent advances in genome perturbation and chromatin conformation capture technologies, data on experimentally validated enhancer targets are becoming available for supervised training of these methods and evaluation of their performance. In this review, we categorize enhancer target prediction methods based on their rationales and approaches. Then we discuss their merits and limitations and highlight the future directions for enhancer targets prediction.
Chemo-dynamical tagging in the outskirts: The origins of stellar substructures in the Magellanic Clouds
Authors: Muñoz César , Monachesi Antonela , Nidever David L. , Majewski Steven R. , Cheng Xinlun , Olsen Knut , Choi Yumi , Zivick Paul , Geisler Douglas , Almeida Andres , Muñoz Ricardo R. , Nitschelm Christian , Roman-Lopes Alexandre , Lane Richard R. , Fernández-Trincado José G.
Published: October 2023

We present the first detailed chemical analysis from APOGEE-2S observations of stars in six regions of recently discovered substructures in the outskirts of the Magellanic Clouds extending to 20° from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) center. We also present, for the first time, the metallicity and α-abundance radial gradients of the LMC and the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) out to 11° and 6°, respectively. Our chemical tagging includes 13 species including light, α-, and Fe-peak elements. We find that the abundances of all of these chemical elements in stars populating two regions in the northern periphery, along the northern “stream-like” feature, show good agreement with the chemical patterns of the LMC, and thus likely have an LMC origin. For substructures located in the southern periphery of the LMC we find more complex chemical and kinematical signatures, indicative of a mix of LMC-like and SMC-like populations. The southern region closest to the LMC shows better agreement with the LMC, whereas that closest to the SMC shows a much better agreement with the SMC chemical pattern. When combining this information with 3D kinematical information for these stars, we conclude that the southern region closest to the LMC likely has an LMC origin, whereas that closest to the SMC has an SMC origin and the other two southern regions have a mix of LMC and SMC origins. Our results add to the evidence that the southern substructures of the LMC periphery are the product of close interactions between the LMC and SMC, and thus likely hold important clues that can constrain models of their detailed dynamical histories.
Evaluation of impulse noise reduction in hearing aids with technical measurements and ratings of discomfort
Authors: Husstedt Hendrik , Hilgerdenaar Wiebke , Frenz Marlitt , Denk Florian , Tchorz Jürgen
Published: October 2023

Short, impulse-like sounds such as slamming of a door or rattle of dishes can be uncomfortable for hearing aid users. Therefore, many hearing aids provide impulse (or transient) noise reduction (INR) that should reduce loud and short sounds without impairing desired signals. In this work, we want to address the question whether hearing aid users require this type of signal processing to experience impulse sounds similarly as normal-hearing listeners. For this purpose, we evaluated INR in six commercially available hearing aids with technical measurements and with test subjects. During the technical evaluation, we presented seven different impulse signals to the hearing aids attached to a head and torso simulator (HATS) and determined the C-weighted peak sound pressure levels (LC,peak) at the output in different configurations. For the evaluation with test subjects, the discomfort of the same impulse sounds was rated by 24 hearing-impaired and 20 normal-hearing subjects. All subjects rated the discomfort unaided, and the hearing-impaired subjects also while successively wearing all six hearing aids with and without activated INR. As a main conclusion, hearing aid users without INR did not experience more discomfort compared to normal-hearing listeners for most of the impulse signals tested including the most uncomfortable ones, but INR further reduced experienced discomfort. Moreover, the technical measurements were correlated with the subjective ratings on discomfort.
Necessary conditions for local controllability of a particular class of systems with two scalar controls
Authors: Giraldi Laetitia , Lissy Pierre , Moreau Clément , Pomet Jean-Baptiste
Published: October 2023

We consider control-afflne systems with two scalar controls, such that one control vector field vanishes at an equilibrium state. We state two necessary conditions for local controllability around this equilibrium, involving the iterated Lie brackets of the system vector fields, with controls that are either bounded, small in L∞ or small in W1,∞. These results are illustrated with several examples.
The effect of immunotherapy on the state of the antioxidant system in radiation damage in rats
Authors: Gainullin Ruslan , Plotnikova Edie , Shakurov Mulanur , Frolov Alexey , Mayorova Ekaterina , Matveeva Elena , Sharifullina Dina
Published: October 2023

Immunotropic drugs (such as sera, blood plasma and immunoglobulins) have polyfunctional activity with anti-infectious, antitoxic, homeostasis-regulating properties. Based on this, we conducted the present study with the purpose to evaluate the therapeutic effect of anti-cadmium -anti-radiation serum (AARS) on the level of radiation-chemical damage. Modeling of experimental radiation-chemical damage was carried out by preliminary 4-time subcutaneous injection of cadmium chloride solution (CdCl2) at doses of 1/500 LD50, followed by radiation exposure of 90 outbred white rats at doses of 7.0 and 9.0 Gy (LD50 and LD100, respectively). It was found that a single subcutaneous injection of TDC at a dose of 25 mg/kg of live weight 24 hours after the combined radiation-toxic damage had a radioprotective and antitoxic effect, increasing the survival rate of animals affected by lethal doses of CdCl2 and γ-rays. Increase in the survival rate of animals treated with the test agent after exposure to two-factor damage was due to inhibition of the concentration of BFR-active toxic compounds and reciprocal increase in the synthesis of metallothioneins and SOD. Thus, the use of immunotropic agent of anti-cadmium anti-radiation serum (AARS) after exposure to two-factor combined radiation-chemical damage provided 90% survival rate by induction of increased formation of metallothioneins and SOD, inhibition of redox-cycled toxic radicals formation and neutralization of cadmium toxicity with the help of anti-cadmium antibodies.
Comparative characteristics of undercarriage systems as criteria for selecting a power tool for risky farming zones
Authors: Surin Roman , Marshanin Evgeniy , Shchitov Sergey , Kuznetsov Evgeniy , Krivutsa Zoya
Published: October 2023

The basis of modern machine and tractor fleet of industrial and agricultural tractors are power vehicles with caterpillar and wheeled undercarriage systems of various design. The article considers the summary parametric and factorial characteristics of wheeled and tracked power vehicles used in field and transport works under the conditions of the Amur region. The criteria of formation of their traction and traction properties are analysed, the ways of slipping reduction, reduction of vertical load of machine-tractor unit on the soil and application of agricultural machinery in the period of overwatering are given. The results of research on the application of mobile energy means in conditions of overwatering in the cultivation of agricultural crops, where their main advantages and disadvantages are reflected, the directions of choice of energy means for application in agricultural production technologies in conditions of weak bearing capacity of soils are substantiated. It is established that the use of tracked energy means having high traction and traction properties, when they are aggregated with wide-catch machines in the fields of the region, will be more effective in the periods of work, when there is a significant precipitation. At the same time, wheeled energy means will also be in demand in the natural-climatic conditions of the Amur region as the most universal means, structurally suitable for performing the majority of agricultural field operations as a part of tractor-transport aggregate. In this regard, the expediency of equipping the production-industrial complex and means of mechanisation of farms and agricultural enterprises of the region with power vehicles with different undercarriage systems in accordance with the used and scientifically substantiated regional system of machines and technologies is substantiated.
Some data on prevalence of microscopic fungi in conditions of the Republic of Tatarstan
Authors: Samerkhanov Il‘nur , Artemeva Elena , Kantyukova Elena , Sedykh Tatyana , Sattarov Vener
Published: October 2023

Research on plant feedstock for farm animals and poultry is now a pressing issue. Seeding with field isolates occurs in the soil layer in the autumn period. The infestation of isolates remains in the form of spores on crop residues during the winter period. The research aimed to conduct a mycological assessment of the field isolates prevalence in soil, green mass, and agricultural products in the farms of the Agricultural Production Cooperative [APC] “Tukaya” of the Baltasinsky district, the Agricultural firm “Archa” of the Arsky district, and the APC “Kubnya” of the Kaibitsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. The mycological screening was carried out in the specialized laboratories of the Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety. To determine the toxicity, a biotesting method based on the survival rate of ciliated cultures was used after one hour of exposure in the extract of the studied product. The climatic conditions of the spring-summer period of 2020 were characterized by increased humidity in combination with temperature changes. In the research, a spread of fungi of the genus Fusarium (F. oxysporum, F. graminearum F. sporitrichioides), Penicillium (P.notatum, P.glaucum, P.chusodepim, P. expansium) was detected in crops. And fungi of the genus Aspergillus were more often sown in grain feeds (A.fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger). During the determination of toxicity, it was found that all the objects studied: soil, green mass, and feed are non-toxic, the survival rate of infusoria was 86%–100%. The authors recommend conducting regular feed screening and taking preventive measures that will make it possible to prevent the spread of aggressive field isolates in the agricultural complexes of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Monitoring of the genetic specifications of the reindeer of Chukotka
Authors: Vitomskova E.A. , Bryzgalov G.Y.
Published: October 2023

The aim of the work was to monitor the genetic characteristics of the Chukchi reindeer populations. The development of an effective breeding system, rational use and protection of genetic resources in the populations of the Chukchi reindeer determined the relevance of this work. During 2013-2020, 8 populations were studied - Vayegi, Chaunsky, Vozrozhdeniye, Amguema, Pioneer, Khatyrskaya, Kanchalansky, Ostrovnaya - of different pasture-geographic regions. The material for molecular genetic studies was 1002 samples of muscles and plucks of the deer auricle. Analytical work was carried out in the All-Russian Research Institute of Breeding DNA analysis laboratory. The most common fragments of medium length in the Chukchi breed are loci №. 3 (240-330 bp), 5 (350-430 bp), 6 (440-520 bp), 7 (520-570 bp) (15.38-13.17%). The indicator of the expected heterozygosity in all populations is at a high level: 0.844-0.891. For the first time, a significant amount of information has been obtained on the genetic characteristics of the populations of domestic reindeer in Chukotka - the most remote and vast peninsula of Russia, which is of current scientific and practical importance for the further improvement of selection and breeding work in reindeer breeding.