bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Empagliflozin reduces arrhythmogenic effects in rat neonatal and human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and improves cytosolic calcium handling at least partially independent of NHE1
Authors: Silva dos Santos Danúbia , Turaça Lauro Thiago , Coutinho Keyla Cristiny da Silva , Barbosa Raiana Andrade Quintanilha , Polidoro Juliano Zequini , Kasai-Brunswick Tais Hanae , Campos de Carvalho Antonio Carlos , Girardi Adriana Castello Costa
Published: May 2023

The antidiabetic agent class of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors confer unprecedented cardiovascular benefits beyond glycemic control, including reducing the risk of fatal ventricular arrhythmias. However, the impact of SGLT2 inhibitors on the electrophysiological properties of cardiomyocytes exposed to stimuli other than hyperglycemia remains elusive. This investigation tested the hypothesis that the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin (EMPA) affects cardiomyocyte electrical activity under hypoxic conditions. Rat neonatal and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes incubated or not with the hypoxia-mimetic agent CoCl2 were treated with EMPA (1 μM) or vehicle for 24 h. Action potential records obtained using intracellular microelectrodes demonstrated that EMPA reduced the action potential duration at 30%, 50%, and 90% repolarization and arrhythmogenic events in rat and human cardiomyocytes under normoxia and hypoxia. Analysis of Ca2+ transients using Fura-2-AM and contractility kinetics showed that EMPA increased Ca2+ transient amplitude and decreased the half-time to recover Ca2+ transients and relaxation time in rat neonatal cardiomyocytes. We also observed that the combination of EMPA with the Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) inhibitor cariporide (10 µM) exerted a more pronounced effect on Ca2+ transients and contractility than either EMPA or cariporide alone. Besides, EMPA, but not cariporide, increased phospholamban phosphorylation at serine 16. Collectively, our data reveal that EMPA reduces arrhythmogenic events, decreases the action potential duration in rat neonatal and human cardiomyocytes under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, and improves cytosolic calcium handling at least partially independent of NHE1. Moreover, we provided further evidence that SGLT2 inhibitor-mediated cardioprotection may be partly attributed to its cardiomyocyte electrophysiological effects.
Renal denervation reverses ventricular structural and functional remodeling in failing rabbit hearts
Authors: Huang Ting-Chun , Lo Li-Wei , Chou Yu-Hui , Lin Wei-Lun , Chang Shih-Lin , Lin Yenn-Jiang , Liu Shin-Huei , Cheng Wen-Han , Liu Ping-Yen , Chen Shih-Ann
Published: May 2023

Renal denervation (RDN) suppresses the activity of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and inflammatory cytokines, leading to the prevention of cardiac remodeling. Limited studies have reported the effects of renal denervation on ventricular electrophysiology. We aimed to use optical mapping to evaluate the effect of RDN on ventricular structural and electrical remodeling in a tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy rabbit model. Eighteen rabbits were randomized into 4 groups: sham control group (n = 5), renal denervation group receiving RDN (n = 5), heart failure group receiving rapid ventricular pacing for 1 month (n = 4), and RDN-heart failure group (n = 4). Rabbit hearts were harvested for optical mapping. Different cycle lengths were paced (400, 300, 250, 200, and 150 ms), and the results were analyzed. In optical mapping, the heart failure group had a significantly slower epicardial ventricular conduction velocity than the other three groups. The RDN-heart failure, sham control, and RDN groups had similar velocities. We then analyzed the 80% action potential duration at different pacing cycle lengths, which showed a shorter action potential duration as cycle length decreased (P for trend < 0.01), which was consistent across all groups. The heart failure group had a significantly longer action potential duration than the sham control and RDN groups. Action potential duration was shorter in the RDN-heart failure group than the heart failure group (P < 0.05). Reduction of conduction velocity and prolongation of action potential duration are significant hallmarks of heart failure, and RDN reverses these remodeling processes.
Research on production capacity planning method of open-pit coal mine
Authors: Liu Guangwei , Guo Weiqiang , Chai Senlin , Li Jiaming
Published: May 2023

Reasonable production capacity is related to the economic benefits of an open-pit coal mine. This study analyzes the relationship between the working face length, the annual advancing speed and the production capacity. It constructs a production capacity function relationship model. Take the Baorixile open-pit coal mine as an example. The remaining unmined parts are divided into four regions, and the range of production capacity in each region is analyzed by the established model and the determined respectively. On this basis, three mining district division plans are proposed. By analyzing and comparing the stripping ratio, mining life of the district, fault influence, difficulty of transition connection in the mining districts, the convenience of transportation system layout and other indexes of each plan, Plan 3 is determined to be the optimal plan. The production capacity planning results of each mining district in this plan are as follows: the production capacity of the 3rd mining district is 30–35 Mt/a; the production capacity of the 4th mining district in Region 1 is 20–31 Mt/a, and the production capacity in Region 2 is 24–33 Mt/a; the production capacity of the 5th mining district is 20–27 Mt/a.
Land–atmosphere feedbacks contribute to crop failure in global rainfed breadbaskets
Authors: Li Hao , Keune Jessica , Smessaert Femke , Nieto Raquel , Gimeno Luis , Miralles Diego G.
Published: May 2023

Global crop yields are highly dependent on climate variability, with the largest agricultural failures frequently occurring during extremely dry and hot years. Land–atmosphere feedbacks are thought to play a crucial role in agricultural productivity during such events: precipitation deficits cause soil desiccation, which reduces evaporation and enhances sensible heating from the land surface; the amplified local temperatures and moisture deficits can be detrimental to crop yield. While this impact of local land–atmosphere feedbacks on agricultural productivity has recently been reported, the dependency of crop yields on upwind regions remains understudied. Here, we determine the spatio-temporal origins of moisture and heat over the world’s largest 75 rainfed breadbaskets, and illustrate the crop yield dependency on upwind regions. Further, we disentangle the role of local and upwind land–atmosphere interactions on anomalous moisture and heat transport during low-yield years. Our results indicate that crop failure increases on average by around 40% when both upwind and local land–atmosphere feedbacks cause anomalously low moisture and high heat transport into the breadbaskets. The impact of upwind land–atmosphere feedbacks on productivity deficits is the largest in water-limited regions, which show an increased dependency on moisture supply from upwind land areas. Better understanding these upwind–downwind dependencies in agricultural regions can help develop adaptation strategies to prevent food shortage in a changing climate.
Prosodic signatures of ASD severity and developmental delay in preschoolers
Authors: Godel Michel , Robain François , Journal Fiona , Kojovic Nada , Latrèche Kenza , Dehaene-Lambertz Ghislaine , Schaer Marie
Published: May 2023

Atypical prosody in speech production is a core feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that can impact everyday life communication. Because the ability to modulate prosody develops around the age of speech acquisition, it might be affected by ASD symptoms and developmental delays that emerge at the same period. Here, we investigated the existence of a prosodic signature of developmental level and ASD symptom severity in a sample of 74 autistic preschoolers. We first developed an original diarization pipeline to extract preschoolers’ vocalizations from recordings of naturalistic social interactions. Using this novel approach, we then found a robust voice quality signature of ASD developmental difficulties in preschoolers. Furthermore, some prosodic measures were associated with one year later outcome in participants who had not acquired speech yet. Altogether, our results highlight the potential benefits of automatized diarization algorithms and prosodic metrics for digital phenotyping in psychiatry, helping clinicians establish early diagnosis and prognosis.
ImmuneBuilder: Deep-Learning models for predicting the structures of immune proteins
Authors: Abanades Brennan , Wong Wing Ki , Boyles Fergus , Georges Guy , Bujotzek Alexander , Deane Charlotte M.
Published: May 2023

Immune receptor proteins play a key role in the immune system and have shown great promise as biotherapeutics. The structure of these proteins is critical for understanding their antigen binding properties. Here, we present ImmuneBuilder, a set of deep learning models trained to accurately predict the structure of antibodies (ABodyBuilder2), nanobodies (NanoBodyBuilder2) and T-Cell receptors (TCRBuilder2). We show that ImmuneBuilder generates structures with state of the art accuracy while being far faster than AlphaFold2. For example, on a benchmark of 34 recently solved antibodies, ABodyBuilder2 predicts CDR-H3 loops with an RMSD of 2.81Å, a 0.09Å improvement over AlphaFold-Multimer, while being over a hundred times faster. Similar results are also achieved for nanobodies, (NanoBodyBuilder2 predicts CDR-H3 loops with an average RMSD of 2.89Å, a 0.55Å improvement over AlphaFold2) and TCRs. By predicting an ensemble of structures, ImmuneBuilder also gives an error estimate for every residue in its final prediction. ImmuneBuilder is made freely available, both to download (https://github.com/oxpig/ImmuneBuilder) and to use via our webserver (http://opig.stats.ox.ac.uk/webapps/newsabdab/sabpred). We also make available structural models for ~150 thousand non-redundant paired antibody sequences (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7258553).
Ca2+ efflux facilitated by co-transport of inorganic phosphate anion in the H+/Ca2+ antiporter YfkE
Authors: Niu Wei , Zhou Wenchang , Lu Shuo , Vu Trung , Jayaraman Vasanthi , Faraldo-Gómez José D. , Zheng Lei
Published: May 2023

Ca2+ is an important signaling messenger. In microorganisms, fungi, and plants, H+/Ca2+ antiporters (CAX) are known to play key roles in the homeostasis of intracellular Ca2+ by catalyzing its efflux across the cell membrane. Here, we reveal that the bacterial CAX homolog YfkE transports Ca2+ in two distinct modes: a low-flux H+/Ca2+ exchange mode and a high-flux mode in which Ca2+ and phosphate ions are co-transported (1:1) in exchange for H+. Coupling with phosphate greatly accelerates the Ca2+ efflux activity of YfkE. Our studies reveal that Ca2+ and phosphate bind to adjacent sites in a central translocation pathway and lead to mechanistic insights that explain how this CAX alters its conserved alpha-repeat motifs to adopt phosphate as a specific “transport chaperon” for Ca2+ translocation. This finding uncovers a co-transport mechanism within the CAX family that indicates this class of proteins contributes to the cellular homeostasis of both Ca2+ and phosphate.
KLF11 regulates lung adenocarcinoma ferroptosis and chemosensitivity by suppressing GPX4
Authors: Zhao Guangyin , Liang Jiaqi , Shan Guangyao , Gu Jie , Xu Fengkai , Lu Chunlai , Ma Teng , Bi Guoshu , Zhan Cheng , Ge Di
Published: May 2023

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent non-apoptotic cell death, has been shown to play a vital role in tumor proliferation and chemotherapy resistance. Here, we report that KLF11 inhibits lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cell proliferation and promotes chemotherapy sensitivity by participating in the GPX4-related ferroptosis pathway. Through an RNA-sequence screen from LUAD cells pretreatment with ferroptosis inducers (FINs), we discovered that KLF11 expression was significantly higher in FINs-treated cells, suggesting that KLF11 may be involved in ferroptosis. Overexpression of KLF11 promoted LUAD cells to undergo ferroptosis alterations. Meanwhile, upregulation of KLF11 expression also inhibited cell proliferation and increased chemosensitivity, whereas knockout of KLF11 did the opposite. With ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq, we identified GPX4 as a downstream target of KLF11. Through ChIP-qPCR and dual luciferase assay, we clarified that KLF11 binds to the promoter region of GPX4 and represses its transcription. Restored GPX4 expression antagonized the ability of KLF11 to promote ferroptosis, increase chemotherapy sensitivity and inhibit cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, KLF11 declined in LUAD and its low expression was associated with reduced patient survival. Our findings established the function of KLF11 to promote ferroptosis in LUAD, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation and enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy.
Tumor-intrinsic sensitivity to the pro-apoptotic effects of IFN-γ is a major determinant of CD4+ CAR T-cell antitumor activity
Authors: Boulch Morgane , Cazaux Marine , Cuffel Alexis , Guerin Marion V. , Garcia Zacarias , Alonso Ruby , Lemaître Fabrice , Beer Alexander , Corre Béatrice , Menger Laurie , Grandjean Capucine L. , Morin Florence , Thieblemont Catherine , Caillat-Zucman Sophie , Bousso Philippe
Published: May 2023

CD4+ T cells and CD4+ chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells display highly variable antitumor activity in preclinical models and in patients; however, the mechanisms dictating how and when CD4+ T cells promote tumor regression are incompletely understood. With the help of functional intravital imaging, we report that interferon (IFN)-γ production but not perforin-mediated cytotoxicity was the dominant mechanism for tumor elimination by anti-CD19 CD4+ CAR T cells. Mechanistically, mouse or human CD4+ CAR T-cell-derived IFN-γ diffused extensively to act on tumor cells at distance selectively killing tumors sensitive to cytokine-induced apoptosis, including antigen-negative variants. In anti-CD19 CAR T-cell-treated patients exhibiting elevated CAR CD4:CD8 ratios, strong induction of serum IFN-γ was associated with increased survival. We propose that the sensitivity of tumor cells to the pro-apoptotic activity of IFN-γ is a major determinant of CD4+ CAR T-cell efficacy and may be considered to guide the use of CD4+ T cells during immunotherapy.
A review on terpenes for treatment of gastric cancer: current status and nanotechnology-enabled future
Authors: Attri Komal , Sharda Deepinder , Chudasama Bhupendra , Mahajan Roop L. , Choudhury Diptiman
Published: May 2023

Depicts the basic green synthesis process for making natural terpene-based nano-formulations from the extract obtained from different plant parts, including flowers, fruits, roots, stems, and leaves, and their mode of action on tumor cells.
Design potential and future prospects of lead-free halide perovskites in photovoltaic devices
Authors: Afroz Mohammad Adil , Singh Anupriya , Gupta Ritesh Kant , Garai Rabindranath , Tailor Naveen Kumar , Yukta  , Choudhary Shivani , Sharma Bhavna , Mahajan Prerna , Padha Bhavya , Verma Sonali , Arya Sandeep , Gupta Vinay , Akin Seckin , Prochowicz Daniel , Tavakoli Mohammad Mahdi , Singh S. P. , Iyer Parameswar K. , Yadav Pankaj , Hu Hanlin , De Goutam , Satapathi Soumitra
Published: May 2023

The recent advances in lead-free perovskites (LFP) for solar cell applications have been discussed and their properties are compared with lead-based perovskites. In addition, reasons for low efficiency of LFP have been comprehensively discussed.
Cobalt/aluminum co-substitution in a LiNi0.9Mn0.1O2layered cathode for improving kinetics
Authors: Xiao Zhiming , Zhang Bao , He Xinyou , Ou Xing
Published: May 2023

We report the improved kinetic mechanism of a nickel-rich LiNi0.84Mn0.10Co0.03Al0.03O2cathode prepared by a wet co-precipitation process.
Activatable BODIPY-chromene NIR-II probes with small spectral crosstalk enable high-contrast in vivo bioimaging
Authors: Zhang Liao , Yan Chenxu , Zhang Yutao , Ma Dun , Huang Jialiang , Zhao Zijun , Tao Yining , Liu Caiqi , Li Juan , Zhu Wei-Hong , Guo Zhiqian
Published: May 2023

We design a novel “crossbreeding” NIR-II dye, which can serve as a platform for activatable NIR-II probes with small spectral crosstalk, thereby succeeding in imaging H2O2 in an APAP-induced liver injury model with high signal-to-background ratio.
In situ evaluation of in vivo sialylation with a dual-color imaging strategy
Authors: Zhao Shiya , Yang Yuanjiao , Wang Yuru , Liu Huipu , Ju Huangxian , Chen Yunlong
Published: May 2023

A dual-color imaging strategy achieves in situ semiquantitative evaluation of the in vivo sialylation difference between tumor and normal tissues.
A homogeneity study on (Ce,Gd)3Ga2Al3O12 crystal scintillators grown by an optical floating zone method and a traveling solvent floating zone method
Authors: Wu Tong , Wang Ling , Shi Yun , Zhang Qian , Xiong Yifei , Yuan Qiang , Li Tongtong , Ma Kaicheng , Wang Hui , Fang Jinghong , Ni Jinqi , He Huan , Zhou Zhenzhen , Liu Qian , Yu Jianding , Zou Jun
Published: May 2023

1 at% Ce3+-doped Gd3Ga2Al3O12 (GGAG) single crystals were grown by an optical floating zone (OFZ) method and a traveling solvent floating zone (TSFZ) method.
Gold-based nanostructures for efficient NIR-II photothermal conversion: hybridizing nanoplates with solid/hollow nanospheres
Authors: Tao Xian-Sen , Wu Shiyue , Ma Yanyun , Li Xiaoyu , Sun Haoyu , Wang Yi , Zheng Yiqun
Published: May 2023

Gold-based hybrid nanostructures including the structural components of nanoplates and hollow nanospheres are preparedviaa stepwise seeded growth, showing strong absorption in the NIR-II region and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency.
Computational simulation-driven discovery of novel zeolite-like carbon materials as seawater desalination membranes
Authors: Meng Kun , Li Xiuhan , Niu Yutao , Zhang Changhong , Yu Xiaohua , Rong Ju , Hou Hongying , Chen Hui
Published: May 2023

Inspired by porous structure of zeolites and promising adsorption property of carbon, a novel 2D carbon-based desalination membrane has been designed, which demonstrates great potential for desalination applications.
Site-specific ammonia adsorption and transduction on a naphthalimide derivative molecule – a complementary analysis involving ab initio calculation and experimental verification
Authors: Tiwari Aditya , Fernandes Rikitha S. , Dey Nilanjan , Kanungo Sayan
Published: May 2023

This work presents the first density functional theory (DFT) calculation and experimental verification-based complementary approach for analyzing ammonia (NH3) adsorption/interaction in different sites of naphthalene diimide derivative molecules.
Low-dimensional high entropy oxide (FeCoCrMnNi)3O4 for supercapacitor applications
Authors: Yin Yi , Zhang Wei-Bin , Zhang Xian-Li , Theint Myat Myintzu , Yang Jing-Lei , Yang Ze-Qin , Li Jia-Jun , Liang Shan , Ma Xue-Jing
Published: May 2023

The high entropy oxide (FeCoCrMnNi)3O4 with layered fold structures provides good active sites for electrochemical reactions and owns a wide range of potential window, which makes it has further applications in supercapacitors.
A broadband near-infrared Cr3+-doped phosphor applied to near-infrared light-emitting diodes: enhanced luminescence and thermal stability by annealing
Authors: Tan Tao , Pang Ran , Wang Shangwei , Wu Haiyan , Wang Jiutian , Zhang Su , Li Chengyu , Zhang Hongjie
Published: May 2023

A novel phosphor, Li2Mg3SnO6:Cr3+, developed by an annealing design strategy, exhibits excellent quantum efficiency and better thermal stability. The Li2Mg3SnO6:0.03Cr3+ sample exhibits broadband NIR emission with a FWHM of 201 nm.
Conformational dynamicity in a copper(ii) coordination complex
Authors: Griffin Paul J. , Dake Matthew J. , Remolina Alesandro D. , Olshansky Lisa
Published: May 2023

We report the synthesis and characterization of [CuCl(dpaSMe)]+/0, where structural dynamics upon oxidation to CuII were assessed via X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, and EPR spectroscopy.
Dual-response fluorescence sensing of H2PO4− and CO32− using AJP filter paper based on a pH-stable CdII-based luminescent metal–organic framework
Authors: Cao Xiao-Qin , Li Qiang , Yao Shu-Li , Zhong Li-qin , Cao Lei , Chen Yong-Qiang , Liu Sui-Jun
Published: May 2023

A CdII-based MOF could be viewed as a fluorescence red-shifted dual-response sensor for H2PO4− and CO32−, which can also be identified by aerosol jet print filter paper, light-emitting diode beads and luminescent films.
Influence of 1,3-diacylglycerol on physicochemical and digestion properties of nanoemulsions and its enhancement of encapsulation and bioaccessibility of hydrophobic nobiletin
Authors: Feng Konglong , Duan Yashan , Zhang Huiting , Xiao Jie , Ho Chi-Tang , Huang Qingrong , Cao Yong
Published: May 2023

1,3-Diacylglycerol oil, a functional structured lipid, was used to encapsulate high-loading hydrophobic nobiletin and could enhance the bioaccessibility of nobiletin in nanoemulsions.
Sustainable preparation of oxidized graphitic material from wheat straw using a deep eutectic solvent for superactivity of cellulase
Authors: Kaur Harmandeep , Singh Manpreet , Singh Kuldeep , Kumar Arvind , Kang Tejwant Singh
Published: May 2023

Relatively greener methods for the direct and single-step conversion of abundantly available biomass into an oxidized graphitic material should be developed for promoting the utilization of such materials in different applications.
Facile design of renewable lignin copolymers by photoinitiated RAFT polymerization as Pickering emulsion stabilizers
Authors: Liu Jingyi , Shi Xiaoyu , Ma Lin , Zhang Daihui , Lai Chenhuan , Wang Chunpeng , Li Mi , Ragauskas Arthur J. , Chu Fuxiang , Xu Yuzhi
Published: May 2023

As the richest aromatic renewable resource, lignin has attracted significant attention for fabricating various materials.
Open multi-organ communication device for easy interrogation of tissue slices
Authors: Delong Lauren M. , Ross Ashley E.
Published: May 2023

We present an open-welled multi-organ communication device compatible with fluorescence imaging and electrochemical sensing. We demonstrate an immune response in the mesenteric lymph node in response to communication with an inflamed Peyer's patch.
Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of indole-modified tamoxifen relatives as potent anticancer agents
Authors: Ertugrul Berrak , Aytatli Abdulmelik , Karatas Omer Faruk , Saracoglu Nurullah
Published: May 2023

Modulation of existing drugs is an attractive strategy to improve the efficacy of cancer therapies. We modulated tamoxifen (TMX) by replacing theC-phenyl ring in its backbone with an indole or oxindole and analyzed its anticancer potential.
Tunable electronic and magnetic properties of planar and corrugated phases of two-dimensional metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Wang Ran , He Chaozheng , Chen Weixing
Published: May 2023

The two phases of Ni3HTB, orthogonal corrugated and hexagonal planar, lead to differences in their electronic properties and magnetic properties. In addition, biaxial strain and molecular adsorption can modulate the phase transition.
Advancements in theoretical and experimental investigations on diamane materials
Authors: Liu Bowen , Emmanuel Emilia , Liang Tao , Wang Bin
Published: May 2023

We summarize the recent theoretical and experimental studies on diamane in its pristine form and functionalized with substituents in terms of atomic structure, synthesis strategies, physical properties, and potential technological applications.
A cooling-driven self-adaptive and removable hydrogel coupled with combined chemo-photothermal sterilization for promoting infected wound healing
Authors: Cao Jun , Zhang Tao , Zhu Wei , Li Hou-Bin , Shen Ai-Guo
Published: May 2023

A thermoreversible hydrogel dressing with good shape adaptability, adhesiveness, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities, provascularization, and on-demand removability for infected wound healing.
Advances and challenges in symmetrical solid oxide electrolysis cells: materials development and resource utilization
Authors: Gu Jiamin , Zhang Xiaoxin , Zhao Yunxia , Alodhayb Abdullah , Sun Yifei , Bu Yunfei
Published: May 2023

Symmetrical solid oxide electrolysis cells (S-SOECs) have gained attention due to their easier operation. This article reviews the latest achievements of S-SOEC to enhance its practical application capabilities.
Direct access to β-arylketoesters by NHC/photoredox catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation–carbonylation of styrenes
Authors: Liu Yaomei , Wu Zuming , Li Wenjing , Zhang Mengjiao , Zhang Youhui , Deng Shuqin , Fan Shilu , Zhu Yanwu , Feng Yi-Si
Published: May 2023

We report herein a dicarbonylation of styrenes with aryl fluorides and potassium 2-ethoxy-2-oxoacetate by cooperative NHC and photoredox catalysis with good functional group tolerance and moderate to high yields.
In silico design of copper-based alloys for ammonia synthesis from nitric oxide reduction accelerated by machine learning
Authors: Feng Jie , Ji Yujin , Li Youyong
Published: May 2023

The NORR performances of copper alloys are investigated. Cu@Cu3Ni and Cu2Ni2@Cu3Ni are found to have low limiting potentials and kinetic barriers, and excellent NH3 selectivity, and Ni is demonstrated as the optimal non-noble-metal alloy element.
Low-temperature tolerant poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) gel polymer electrolytes for rechargeable zinc–air batteries
Authors: Cui Jiayao , Labbe Matthew , Chung Hyun-Joong , Ivey Douglas G.
Published: May 2023

Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are emerging materials for Zn–air batteries (ZABs), since the GPE can act as a combined electrolyte and separator in the battery.
Investigating the role of interstitial water molecules in copper hexacyanoferrate for sodium-ion battery cathodes
Authors: Kim Donghyeon , Choi Ahreum , Park Changhyun , Kim Min-Ho , Lee Hyun-Wook
Published: May 2023

The electrochemical performance of prussian blue analogues (PBAs) can be determined by the number of interstitial water molecules in the channels, which inhibits the insertion and diffusion of sodium-ions in an aqueous electrolyte system.
H2S-removing UiO-66 MOFs for sensitized antibacterial therapy
Authors: Huo Shaohu , Xie Qianhui , Zhang Min , Jiang Zitong , Fu Ling , Li Wenhong , Bian Chenrong , Wu Kaile , Zhu Yulin , Nie Xuan , Ding Shenggang
Published: May 2023

An antibiotic enhancer Gm@UiO-66-MA can sensitize antibiotic and reduce antibiotic tolerance by selectively removing bacterial H2S through a Michael addition reaction.
Verification of serialising instructions for security against transient execution attacks
Authors: Ponugoti Kushal K. , Srinivasan Sudarshan K. , Mathure Nimish
Published: May 2023

Transient execution attacks such as Spectre and Meltdown exploit speculative execution in modern microprocessors to leak information via cache side‐channels. Software solutions to defend against many transient execution attacks employ the lfence serialising instruction, which does not allow instructions that come after the lfence to execute out‐of‐order with respect to instructions that come before the lfence. However, errors and Trojans in the hardware implementation of lfence can be exploited to compromise the software mitigations that use lfence. The aforementioned security gap has not been identified and addressed previously. The authors provide a formal method solution that addresses the verification of lfence hardware implementation. The authors also show how hardware Trojans can be designed to circumvent lfence and demonstrate that their verification approach will flag such Trojans as well. The authors have demonstrated the efficacy of our approach using RSD, which is an open source RISC‐V based superscalar out‐of‐order processor.
A new design approach for reduction of force ripple in permanent magnet flux‐switching linear motor
Authors: Zhang Zongsheng , Wang Hao , Chen Hong
Published: May 2023

To reduce the force ripple of the permanent magnet flux‐switching linear motor (PMFSLM), a new design approach is suggested by the authors. The detent force is redefined as the composite force of the thrust of the single action of permanent magnet and armature current. In the design approach, both the improved E‐shaped PMFSLM primary module and secondary contain two units. The magnetisation direction of the permanent magnet in the two primary module units is opposite, but the two units share the same armature coil. The two units design eliminates the even number harmonics of the phase back‐EMF and decreases the period of detent force. Through the design of the skewed secondary, the detent force is eliminated completely, and simultaneously, the odd‐order harmonics are significantly weakened. The results of finite element analysis (FEA) show that the force ripple of the PMFSLM decreases significantly. Prototype experimental results are in good agreement with FEA results. The study results verify the effectiveness and practicability of the new design approach of PMFSLM for reducing the force ripple.
Recent advances in multipactor physics and mitigation
Authors: Iqbal Asif , Wen De‐Qi , Verboncoeur John , Zhang Peng
Published: May 2023

Recent progress made in the prediction, characterisation, and mitigation of multipactor discharge is reviewed for single‐ and two‐surface geometries. First, an overview of basic concepts including secondary electron emission, electron kinetics under the force law, multipactor susceptibility, and saturation mechanisms is provided, followed by a discussion on multipactor mitigation strategies. These strategies are categorised into two broad areas – mitigation by engineered devices and engineered radio frequency (rf) fields. Each approach is useful in different applications. Recent advances in multipactor physics and engineering during the past decade, such as novel multipactor prediction methods, understanding space charge effects, schemes for controlling multipacting particle trajectories, frequency domain analysis, high frequency effects, and impact on rf signal quality are presented. In addition to vacuum electron multipaction, multipactor‐induced ionization breakdown is also reviewed, and the recent advances are summarised.
Multilane freeway merging control via trajectory optimization in a mixed traffic environment
Authors: Han Lei , Zhang Lun , Guo Weian
Published: May 2023

Merging activities at freeway merging areas can cause significant recurrent and non‐recurrent bottleneck congestion due to vehicles’ mandatory lateral conflicts. The Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs), with their capabilities of real‐time communication and precise trajectory control, hold great potential to prevent or mitigate such critical conflicts at merging areas. However, the performance of CAVs may be impaired by the imbalance of lane flow distribution, and non‐cooperative movements of Human‐driven Vehicles (HDVs) in the mixed traffic environment (i.e. traffic mixed with CAVs and HDVs). In this paper, a novel two‐level hierarchical traffic control framework for multilane merging areas under the mixed traffic environment is developed. Note that this paper assumes that the merging sequence is determined by the high control level and focuses on the low level of the control framework. The low control level not only establishes a trajectory optimization strategy for CAVs with lane‐changing optimization and cooperative merging control, but includes a human‐like merging strategy for HDVs. First, to balance downstream lane flow distribution and provide sufficient merging space for on‐ramp vehicles, a lane‐changing optimization method is proposed to choose a certain number of designated mainline CAVs to perform early lane changes at the upstream mainline. Second, a cooperative merging control method is presented to optimize the longitudinal trajectories of both mainline and on‐ramp CAVs while accounting for the movement of HDVs. Third, Gipps car‐following model and heuristic control are combined to represent the HDVs’ merging maneuvers. The proposed algorithm simulates and performs merging maneuvers at a typical two‐lane freeway merging area and verifies it in various scenarios considering demand level, demand splits and CAV Penetration Rate (PR). The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively facilitate merging operations, reduce the Total Travel Time (TTT), and increase the Average Travel Speeds (ATS) compared to other merging algorithms. Specifically, compared to the case of using only cooperative merging control method, the proposed algorithm can further reduce TTT by 25.5% and increase ATS by 33.38%. When PR gradually increased, the control performance of the proposed algorithm can be further improved.
A novel e‐bike energy management for improvement of the rider metabolism
Authors: Ebnealipour Sohrab , Masih‐Tehrani Masoud , Nazemian Hossein
Published: May 2023

In this study, a switch controller manages the power‐sharing between the battery and human mode to improve the rider's metabolism and manage the battery SOC. The main idea is to optimize this power source switching element for changing the status to reach a trade‐off between lack of tiredness and keeping the SOC high. Calorie burning is closely related to the rider's physical characteristics. In this paper, these parameters are investigated to calculate calorie burning. When the electric‐powered mode is activated, the SOC level comes down. When the human‐powered mode is activated, the human power source provides energy. The model converts the bicycle speed into the rider's heart rate and then changes it into burned calories based on some equations. These equations are obtained by poly fitting after experiments. This optimization causes 33.5% and 50% burning calorie reduction in Cleaveland and Portuguese driving cycles. Also, in the Portuguese driving cycle, the battery usage percentage decreases 39.56% from to 20.54% after optimization; therefore, the burning calorie decreases 265.84 Kcal to 176.83 Kcal.
Preparation for an unsupervised massive analysis of SPHERE high-contrast data with PACO
Authors: Chomez A. , Lagrange A.-M. , Delorme P. , Langlois M. , Chauvin G. , Flasseur O. , Dallant J. , Philipot F. , Bergeon S. , Albert D. , Meunier N. , Rubini P.
Published: May 2023

Context. Despite tremendous progress in the detection and characterization of extrasolar planetary systems in the last 25 yr, we have not pinpointed any Solar System analogues. In particular, Jupiter-like planets (either mature or old) are barely detectable beyond 5 au with indirect techniques and they are still out of the reach of direct imaging techniques.

Aims. Our study is aimed at a search for exoplanets throughout the whole ESO/VLT-SPHERE archive with an improved and unsupervised data analysis algorithm that could allow us to detect massive giant planets at 5 au. To prepare, test, and optimize our approach, we gathered a sample of 24 solar-type stars observed with SPHERE using angular and spectral differential imaging modes.

Methods. We used PACO, a recently developed new-generation algorithm that has been shown to outperform classical methods. We also improved the SPHERE pre-reduction pipeline and optimized the outputs of PACO to enhance the detection performance. We developed custom-built spectral prior libraries to optimize the detection capability of the ASDI mode for both IRDIS and IFS.

Results. Compared to previous works conducted with more classical algorithms, the contrast limits we derived with PACO are more reliable and significantly improved, especially at short angular separations, where a gain by a factor ten has been obtained between 0.2 and 0.5 arcsec. Under good observing conditions, planets down to 5 MJup, orbiting at 5 au could be detected around stars within 60 parsec. We identified two exoplanet candidates that will require a follow-up to test for a common proper motion.

Conclusions. In this work, we use a small sample to demonstrate the benefits of PACO in terms of achievable contrast and of control of the confidence levels. In addition, we have developed custom tools to take full advantage of this algorithm and to quantity the total error budget on the estimated astrometry and photometry. This work paves the way towards an end-to-end, homogeneous, and unsupervised massive re-reduction of archival direct imaging surveys in the quest for new exo-Jupiters.
A panoptic view of the Taurus molecular cloud
Authors: Soler J. D. , Zucker C. , Peek J. E. G. , Heyer M. , Goldsmith P. F. , Glover S. C. O. , Molinari S. , Klessen R. S. , Hennebelle P. , Testi L. , Colman T. , Benedettini M. , Elia D. , Mininni C. , Pezzuto S. , Schisano E. , Traficante A.
Published: May 2023

We present a study of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of interstellar dust derived from stellar extinction observations toward the Taurus molecular cloud (MC) and its relation with the neutral atomic hydrogen (H I) emission at 21 cm wavelength and the carbon monoxide 12CO and 13CO emission in the J = 1 → 0 transition. We used the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) method to match the morphology in a 3D reconstruction of the dust density (3D dust) and the distribution of the gas tracers’ emission. The result of the HOG analysis is a map of the relationship between the distances and radial velocities. The HOG comparison between the 3D dust and the H I emission indicates a morphological match at the distance of Taurus but an anticorrelation between the dust density and the H I emission, which uncovers a significant amount of cold H I within the Taurus MC. The HOG study between the 3D dust and 12CO reveals a pattern in radial velocities and distances that is consistent with converging motions of the gas in the Taurus MC, with the near side of the cloud moving at higher velocities and the far side moving at lower velocities. This convergence of flows is likely triggered by the large-scale gas compression caused by the interaction of the Local Bubble and the Per-Tau shell, with Taurus lying at the intersection of the two bubble surfaces.
Analysis of the economic effects of China-Japan tariff concessions on Mechanical and electrical products under RCEP framework Based on the SMART model
Authors: Sun Yanlin , Zhang Jiajia
Published: May 2023

Based on the partial equilibrium model, this paper uses the SMART model to simulate the economic effects of different tariff concessions between China and Japan on both Chinese and Japanese Mechanical and electrical products under the RCEP framework. The results of the study show that China obtains larger trade effects relative to Japan after the RCEP comes into effect, because 91.3% of the Mechanical and electrical products exported from Japan to China have been liberalized before the RCEP comes into effect, and the Mechanical and electrical products exported from Japan to China are fully liberalized after the RCEP comes into effect, while China sets a transition period for tariff concessions and maintains a benchmark tariff for Mechanical and electrical products exported from Japan. China has not fully liberalized its exports of E&E products to China even after the transition period of tariff concessions. Therefore, if China fully liberalizes its E&E products to Japan based on reciprocal tariffs, China will gain more trade creation effect than trade diversion effect. Although a trade agreement would lower the tariff revenue of both countries, the economic welfare effect would be further enhanced. Finally, this paper proposes relevant policies and recommendations.
Policy suggestions for optimizing the New Nationwide System From the perspective of “156 Projects”
Authors: Liu Xuan
Published: May 2023

“156 Projects”, a massive funded effort that harnesses the nation’s resources, is the foundation of the industrialization of the New China. Quantitative research on the longand short-term impacts on regional and national industrialization is required in order to appropriately analyze China’s early industrialization strategies and validate the theory of economic development with Chinese characteristics.
Study on the Identification of Corporate Financial Fraud Pathways -- Evidence from Systems Engineering Theory
Authors: Guo Lingxin , Ma Yuxin , Peng Xinyu , Li Jinyi , Wang Ying
Published: May 2023

To study the relevant factors affecting corporate financial fraud and the interaction between factors, this paper extracts 19 factors affecting corporate financial fraud from 5 aspects. Then it divides the hierarchy using the interpretative structural modeling (ISM) respectively to clarify the logical relationships and calculate the values of dependency and driving force jointly with the Fuzzy MICMAC (MICMAC) to categorize the indicators affecting financial fraud. We found that: 6 indicators, such as profit and tax mismatch, are the key factors influencing corporate financial fraud and will directly lead to fraud; 6 indicators, such as income and long-term asset variation, have a high degree of correlation with other indicators and a wide range of influence on fraud; 7 indicators such as excessive managerial power, have a low probability of being influenced by other factors but have a higher probability of influencing other factors. Combining the research results with the actual situation, we finally provide suggestions for solving corporate financial fraud from 3 perspectives.
Implications of Teacher Motivation in the Digital Age: Does Teacher Motivation Contribute to the Adoption of E-Learning Tools
Authors: Načinović Braje Ivana , Topčić Josip
Published: May 2023

Modern technology has changed the traditional education system as we know it. This has been especially evident during the pandemic, when, as an emergency response to COVID-19 lockdown, the wave of intense digitalization of education and teaching methods spread around the world. However, e-learning tools have been developing intensively ever since 1990s and many teachers used them before, and continued to use them after the lockdown. This paper tests whether educators’ motivational factors are in any way related to the use of new digital tools in classrooms. Empirical research was conducted among 140 elementary school teachers in Croatia.
What are the risks of financial management under the digital transformation of enterprises? Evidence from systems engineering
Authors: Cao Wencong
Published: May 2023

Digitalization is rewriting the track of economic development and becoming a new driving force for economic growth. It is of great significance for enterprises to better complete digital transformation to scientifically and rationally understand the key indicators and their interrelationships in financial management risks. This paper constructs the index system of enterprise financial management risk under the background of digital transformation, uses the interpretative structural model (ISM) to calculate and analyze the adjacency matrix, obtains the hierarchical division of influencing factors, summarizes the internal pointing relationship between the index factors at all levels, and then uses the cross influence matrix multiplication (MICMAC) to calculate the driving-dependence relationship of each factor to judge its attribute category. This paper summarizes a relatively complete and comprehensive financial management risk impact path with the help of ISM-MICMAC method, and provides a scientific and reasonable countermeasure for enterprises that are about to or undergoing digital transformation to better avoid financial management risks.
A study on the impact of environmental information disclosure on corporate financial performance
Authors: Wang Liuxu
Published: May 2023

Based on the analysis of relevant enterprise data from 2018 to 2022, this study found that environmental information disclosure has a positive effect on enterprise financial performance, and investor sentiment plays a mediating role in environmental information disclosure on enterprise financial performance, and put forward relevant suggestions on how to improve enterprise financial performance through environmental information disclosure and investor sentiment.
Influencing factors of firm innovation in cooperative network based on meta-analysis
Authors: Zhu Yajie , Wang Jinfeng
Published: May 2023

To address the problem of inconsistent empirical results in the literature on factors influencing corporate innovation, this paper uses meta-analysis to analyze 60 empirical research papers with 17,911 independent samples. It was found that a total of 12 factors significantly affect firm innovation, with trust having the highest degree of influence and structural hole having the lowest degree of influence. It was also found that industry type, location factor and performance type have moderating effects on corporate innovation and its influencing factors. This paper sorts out the influencing factors of corporate innovation, which to a certain extent solves the problem of inconsistent findings in related studies and provides some reference for the subsequent innovation activities of enterprises.
Substantial Innovation or Strategic Innovation: The Influence of ESG Performance on Corporate Innovation Strategy
Authors: Liu Xiuping
Published: May 2023

The effectiveness of ESG performance in promoting corporate innovation has been widely demonstrated. However, a significant research gap remains unexplored that prior scholars have neglected the research into the influence of ESG performance on corporate innovation strategy. Using the sample of China’s A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2020, this paper analyzes the influence of ESG performance on corporate innovation strategy. It is found that ESG performance can promote substantial innovation and strategic innovation in different degrees. Further analyses show that ESG performance can promote substantial innovation more than strategic one. Therefore, while pursuing upgrading and transformation, corporations should pay more attention to the influence of ESG performance on innovation strategies, and promote a virtuous circle of long-term development of corporations.
Willingness to Pay for Uncertainty among Consumers
Authors: Liu Virginia
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we report on the result of interviews conducted among consumers of blind boxes. First, the definition of blind boxes, are the products which contain uncertain single good inside along a series, which means uncertainty plays an important role in the product, and consumers might get the ones they didn’t really desire in a series. We perform qualitative analysis of their responses that 60% of interviewers experienced or liked buying blind boxes as well as providing reasons like anticipation, interested in uncertainty, and introduced their different personalities. We find that consumers have a willingness to pay for uncertainty, and also find that personality types and gender are very important in determining people’s preferences about blind boxes. and provide suggestions to marketers about effective marketing practices.
Product features that hit consumers’ pain points may lead to reduced willingness to pay
Authors: Wang Yizhuo
Published: May 2023

The pain point is a specific form of consumer demand and a concept that has been widely used in marketing business strategies in recent years. Pain points arise when consumers have put in enough effort to achieve their goals but have little effect. In this paper, the concept of the pain-feature matching effect is proposed by combining past research on consumer pain points and consumers’ attitudes with pain point targeting features. It is predicted that consumers’ willingness to pay may decrease significantly when the product feature matches their pain point to a high degree. This hypothesis was tested through a questionnaire experiment: by assigning products with different pain scenarios and features, the conclusion was judged based on different feedback data from participants. The results show that consumers’ willingness to pay decreases when there is high pain-feature matching. This finding adds to the theory of the effectiveness of consumer pain marketing and provides guidance to retailers on how to effectively promote product features in their business activities.