bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying Neighborhood Effects on Geohazard Adaptation in Mountainous Rural Areas of China: A Spatial Econometric Model
Authors: Peng Li , Tan Jing
Published: December 2023

In mountainous rural settlements facing the threat of geohazards, local adaptation is a self-organizing process influenced by individual and group behaviors. Encouraging a wide range of local populations to embrace geohazard adaptation strategies emerges as a potent means of mitigating disaster risks. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether neighbors influence individuals’ adaptation decisions, as well as to unravel the mechanisms through which neighborhood effects exert their influence. We employed a spatial Durbin model and a series of robustness checks to confirm the results. The dataset used in this research came from a face-to-face survey involving 516 respondents residing in 32 rural settlements highly susceptible to geohazards. Our empirical results reveal that neighborhood effects are an important determinant of adaptation to geohazards. That is, a farmer’s adaptation decision is influenced by the adaptation choices of his/her neighbors. Furthermore, when neighbors adopt adaptation strategies, the focal individuals may also want to adapt, both because they learn from their neighbors’ choices (social learning) and because they tend to abide by the majority’s choice (social norms). Incorporating neighborhood effects into geohazard adaptation studies offers a new perspective for promoting disaster risk reduction decision making.
Engineering Nano/Microscale Chiral Self-Assembly in 3D Printed Constructs
Authors: Esmaeili Mohsen , Akbari Ehsan , George Kyle , Rezvan Gelareh , Taheri-Qazvini Nader , Sadati Monirosadat
Published: December 2023

Helical hierarchy found in biomolecules like cellulose, chitin, and collagen underpins the remarkable mechanical strength and vibrant colors observed in living organisms. This study advances the integration of helical/chiral assembly and 3D printing technology, providing precise spatial control over chiral nano/microstructures of rod-shaped colloidal nanoparticles in intricate geometries. We designed reactive chiral inks based on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspensions and acrylamide monomers, enabling the chiral assembly at nano/microscale, beyond the resolution seen in printed materials. We employed a range of complementary techniques including Orthogonal Superposition rheometry and in situ rheo-optic measurements under steady shear rate conditions. These techniques help us to understand the nature of the nonlinear flow behavior of the chiral inks, and directly probe the flow-induced microstructural dynamics and phase transitions at constant shear rates, as well as their post-flow relaxation. Furthermore, we analyzed the photo-curing process to identify key parameters affecting gelation kinetics and structural integrity of the printed object within the supporting bath. These insights into the interplay between the chiral inks self-assembly dynamics, 3D printing flow kinematics and photo-polymerization kinetics provide a roadmap to direct the out-of-equilibrium arrangement of CNC particles in the 3D printed filaments, ranging from uniform nematic to 3D concentric chiral structures with controlled pitch length, as well as random orientation of chiral domains. Our biomimetic approach can pave the way for the creation of materials with superior mechanical properties or programable photonic responses that arise from 3D nano/microstructure and can be translated into larger scale 3D printed designs.
Bring’s curve: old and new
Authors: Braden Harry W. , Disney-Hogg Linden
Published: December 2023

Bring’s curve, the unique Riemann surface of genus 4 with automorphism group $$S_5$$

S
5

, has many exceptional properties. We review, give new proofs of, and extend a number of these including giving the complete realisation of the automorphism group for a plane curve model, identifying a new elliptic quotient of the curve and the modular curve $$X_0(50)$$

X
0

(
50
)

, providing a complete description of the orbit decomposition of the theta characteristics, and identifying the unique invariant characteristic with the divisor of the Szegő kernel. In achieving this we have used modern computational tools in Sagemath, Macaulay2, and Maple, for which notebooks demonstrating calculations are provided.
Influence of concrete type on rigid pavement behavior under static loads
Authors: Salama Magdy I. , Elayat Amal , Reda Mahmoud , Elsamak Galal
Published: December 2023

It is thought that rigid pavements are more expensive than flexible pavements. However, when taking into account the element of durability, it was found that rigid pavements are less expensive than flexible pavements and have a service life up to 20 years. The flexible pavements are more suitable for the areas with weak subsoil and poor drainage, but it has a negative impact on the environment. This research presents an experimental and numerical study to explore the behavior of rigid pavement made of different types of concrete under the influence of static loads. The recent experimental study consists of six slabs with dimensions of 600 × 600 × 60 mm made of different types of concrete. Such types are normal-strength concrete (NSC), high-strength concrete (HSC) and strain hardening cementitious composites (SHCC). Based on the findings of this study, it is evident that the slab constructed with SHCC exhibits a 76.6% greater bearing capacity compared to the NSC slab. Regarding cost-effectiveness, the HSC slab was identified as the most economically advantageous option. A point to be noted is that the numerical model using the Abaqus program succeeded in modeling the experimental tested slabs.
Quantum Algorithms for Charged Particle Track Reconstruction in the LUXE Experiment
Authors: Crippa Arianna , Funcke Lena , Hartung Tobias , Heinemann Beate , Jansen Karl , Kropf Annabel , Kühn Stefan , Meloni Federico , Spataro David , Tüysüz Cenk , Yap Yee Chinn
Published: December 2023

The LUXE experiment is a new experiment in planning in Hamburg, which will study quantum electrodynamics at the strong-field frontier. LUXE intends to measure the positron production rate in this unprecedented regime using, among others, a silicon tracking detector. The large number of expected positrons traversing the sensitive detector layers results in an extremely challenging combinatorial problem, which can become computationally expensive for classical computers. This paper investigates the potential future use of gate-based quantum computers for pattern recognition in track reconstruction. Approaches based on a quadratic unconstrained binary optimisation and a quantum graph neural network are investigated in classical simulations of quantum devices and compared with a classical track reconstruction algorithm. In addition, a proof-of-principle study is performed using quantum hardware.
Anatomical and cytological studies on the cotton leaf worm spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) larva infected with some bio-insecticides
Authors: Badr Suzan M. S. , Darwish A. M. Aziza
Published: December 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of recommended LC50 concentration of three commercial bio insecticides; (Protecto® (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki), Viruset® (Spodoptera littoralis NPV), Profect® (Btk & SpliNPV) on fat body and internal organs of the spodoptera littoralis larva treated with these bio insecticides. The treated larvae were dissected and examined under the converted microscope and transmission electron microscope. Results showed that the three compounds have significant effect on fat bodies and internal organs of larva. The greatest effect was observed by the profect compound followed by protecto and viruset. The combination of bacteria and virus increased the amount of fat body compared with suing virus and bacteria individually. Thus, our findings indicated that the combination of bacteria and virus increased the efficiency of each other.
Violent conflict and the child quantity–quality tradeoff
Authors: Karki Nepal Apsara , Halla Martin , Stillman Steven
Published: December 2023

We show that the exposure to war-related violence increases the quantity of children temporarily, with permanent negative consequences for the quality of the current and previous cohorts. Our empirical evidence is based on Nepal, which experienced a 10 year long civil conflict of varying intensity. We exploit that villages affected by the conflict had the same trend in fertility as non-affected villages prior to the onset of conflict and employ a difference-in-differences estimator. We find that women in affected villages increased their fertility during the conflict by 19%, while child height-for-age declined by 10%. Supporting evidence suggests that the temporary fertility increase was the main pathway leading to reduced child height, as opposed to direct impacts of the conflict.
Distortions in focusing laser pulses due to spatio-temporal couplings: an analytic description
Authors: Steiniger Klaus , Dietrich Fabia , Albach Daniel , Bussmann Michael , Irman Arie , Loeser Markus , Pausch Richard , Püschel Thomas , Sauerbrey Roland , Schöbel Susanne , Schramm Ulrich , Siebold Mathias , Zeil Karl , Debus Alexander
Published: December 2023

In ultra-short laser pulses, small changes in dispersion properties before the final focusing mirror can lead to severe pulse distortions around the focus and therefore to very different pulse properties at the point of laser–matter interaction, yielding unexpected interaction results. The mapping between far- and near-field laser properties intricately depends on the spatial and angular dispersion properties as well as the focal geometry. For a focused Gaussian laser pulse under the influence of angular, spatial and group-delay dispersion, we derive analytical expressions for its pulse-front tilt, duration and width from a fully analytic expression for its electric field in the time–space domain obtained with scalar diffraction theory. This expression is not only valid in and near the focus but also along the entire propagation distance from the focusing mirror to the focus. Expressions relating angular, spatial and group-delay dispersion before focusing at an off-axis parabola, where they are well measurable, to the respective values in the pulse’s focus are obtained by a ray tracing approach. Together, these formulas are used to show in example setups that the pulse-front tilts of lasers with small initial dispersion can become several tens of degrees larger in the vicinity of the focus while being small directly in the focus. The formulas derived here provide the analytical foundation for observations previously made in numerical experiments. By numerically simulating Gaussian pulse propagation and measuring properties of the pulse at distances several Rayleigh lengths off the focus, we verify the analytic expressions.
“Basically, it’s a History of the Russian State”: Russocentrism, Etatism, and the Ukrainian Question in Stalin’s Editing of the 1937 Short History of the USSR
Authors: Brandenberger David
Published: December 2023

Joseph Stalin and the Soviet party leadership launched a major propaganda campaign in 1931 that called for a new approach to Soviet history, not only for scholars and pedagogues but for society as a whole. A veritable “search for a usable past,” this initiative was to bolster the authority and legitimacy of the state and rally the population together in patriotic unity by connecting the prerevolutionary past to the Stalinist present. When this new historical line was finally unveiled in 1937, it challenged earlier Soviet sloganeering on subjects like nationalism, imperialism, and colonialism. This article examines how Stalin attempted to reconcile his new “usable past” with these other ideological priorities, focusing on a case study of the so-called Ukrainian question within the context of the USSR’s broader reevaluation of tsarist-era imperialism and colonial policy.
The “Shop Girl” and White Nationalism: White Working-class Women and Femininity in Johannesburg Department Stores, 1930s–1970s
Authors: Kenny Bridget
Published: December 2023

Based on media stories and union campaigns, this paper tracks the discourses from the 1930s to the 1970s around the ‘shop girl’ in Johannesburg. It argues that the shop girl was a figure of white femininity that complicates the now extensive literature on white women in South Africa through its reproduction of the enduring tension of class difference. Through archival research and interviews, the paper shows how the ‘shop girl’ contributed to an ideology of white nationalism, focused more traditionally around motherhood and domesticity. The embodied labor of white women workers in Johannesburg both relied on their femininity and ensured that the affective labor of service work was a site of contradiction and contestation with white middle class women consumers. Class difference could therefore be contained within the semiotics of white nationhood through the site of consumption and retailing.
Scholars Come for the Archbishop: the Afterlife of Archbishop Wulfstan of York, 1023–2023
Authors: Rabin Andrew
Published: December 2023

The purpose of this article is to provide a synoptic view of what Patrick Wormald has aptly called the ‘rather odd’ history of Wulfstan scholarship. In doing so, it will also consider how our understanding of Wulfstan and his writings has been shaped by the historical reliance on stylistic analysis, both as an objective instrument to reconstruct his canon and as a methodological practice subject to personal biases, ideological trends and historical circumstances. Beginning with a discussion of ways that the study of Wulfstan’s style has framed our understanding of both his canon and authorial identity, this article then traces the evolution of Wulfstan scholarship from the sixteenth century to the present. It will conclude with a brief discussion of one of Wulfstan’s least-studied works, the homily On Various Misfortunes (Be mistlican belimpan), to suggest some possible avenues for future study.
Reliable strategies for implementing model-based navigation on fixed-wing drones
Authors: Laupré Gabriel , Pirlet Lucas , Skaloud Jan
Published: December 2023

A relatively novel approach of autonomous navigation employing platform dynamics as the primary process model raises new implementational challenges. These are related to: (i) potential numerical instabilities during longer flights; (ii) the quality of model self-calibration and its applicability to different flights; (iii) the establishment of a global estimation methodology when handling different initialisation flight phases; and (iv) the possibility of reducing computational load through model simplification. We propose a unified strategy for handling different flight phases with a combination of factorisation and a partial Schmidt–Kalman approach. We then investigate the stability of the in-air initialisation and the suitability of reusing pre-calibrated model parameters with their correlations. Without GNSS updates, we suggest setting a subset of the state vector as ‘considered’ states within the filter to remove their estimation from the remaining observations. We support all propositions with new empirical evidence: first in model-parameter self-calibration via optimal smoothing and second through applying our methods on three test flights with dissimilar durations and geometries. Our experiments demonstrate a significant improvement in autonomous navigation quality for twelve different scenarios.
Effect of tomato, tomato-derived products and lycopene on metabolic inflammation: from epidemiological data to molecular mechanisms
Authors: Landrier Jean-François , Breniere Thomas , Sani Léa , Desmarchelier Charles , Mounien Lourdes , Borel Patrick
Published: December 2023

The goal of this narrative review is to summarise the current knowledge and limitations related to the anti-inflammatory effects of tomato, tomato-derived products and lycopene in the context of metabolic inflammation associated to cardiometabolic diseases. The potential of tomato and tomato-derived product supplementation is supported by animal and in vitro studies. In addition, intervention studies provide arguments in favour of a limitation of metabolic inflammation. This is also the case for observational studies depicting inverse association between plasma lycopene levels and inflammation. Nevertheless, current data of intervention studies are mixed concerning the anti-inflammatory effect of tomato and tomato-derived products and are not in favour of an anti-inflammatory effect of pure lycopene in humans. From epidemiological to mechanistic studies, this review aims to identify limitations of the current knowledge and gaps that remain to be filled to improve our comprehension in contrasted anti-inflammatory effects of tomato, tomato-derived products and pure lycopene.
The Spiritualist Ear
Authors: Spinner Codee
Published: December 2023

During the nineteenth century, many heard the afterlife before they could see it. These clairaudient forays took place in the context of spiritualism, a religious movement that facilitated communication between the living and the dead. Although the senses were important to spiritualism, sound was especially crucial for developing cosmologies of the afterlife. Sound can have powerful affective effects, especially in the realm of religion. In the case of spiritualism, however, notions of sound are complicated because of the inclusion of clairaudient and acousmatic sounds. This article analyzes spiritualist soundscapes in terms of acoustemologies, using personal narratives and instructional materials to demonstrate how spiritualists developed a sense of space through sound. Not only does my analysis demonstrate the importance of sound to these spiritual communities, but it also shows that spiritualist conceptions of sound require a special understanding of the nature of sound.
Increasing Large Wildfire in the Eastern United States
Authors: Donovan Victoria M. , Crandall Raelene , Fill Jennifer , Wonkka Carissa L.
Published: December 2023

Large wildfires are increasing across numerous regions of the globe. While the West has remained a primary focus of wildfire research and resources in the U.S., recent signals suggest that wildfire risk is increasing in the eastern U.S. as well. We conducted an in‐depth assessment of large (>200 ha) wildfire regime characteristics (size, number, total hectares burned, seasonality, probability of occurrence, and ignition source) over a 36‐year period across the Eastern Temperate Forests of the U.S. to quantify geographic patterns in large‐wildfire regime and identify changing spatio‐temporal large wildfire patterns. We found increases in large wildfire size, occurrence, number, and total hectares burned in the southern and eastern regions of the Eastern Temperate Forests. In contrast, large wildfires declined or were minimal in northern ecoregions. We demonstrate increasing large wildfires across some of the most populated regions of the United States.
Integrating climate change induced flood risk into future population projections
Authors: Shu Evelyn G. , Porter Jeremy R. , Hauer Mathew E. , Sandoval Olascoaga Sebastian , Gourevitch Jesse , Wilson Bradley , Pope Mariah , Melecio-Vazquez David , Kearns Edward
Published: December 2023

Flood exposure has been linked to shifts in population sizes and composition. Traditionally, these changes have been observed at a local level providing insight to local dynamics but not general trends, or at a coarse resolution that does not capture localized shifts. Using historic flood data between 2000-2023 across the Contiguous United States (CONUS), we identify the relationships between flood exposure and population change. We demonstrate that observed declines in population are statistically associated with higher levels of historic flood exposure, which may be subsequently coupled with future population projections. Several locations have already begun to see population responses to observed flood exposure and are forecasted to have decreased future growth rates as a result. Finally, we find that exposure to high frequency flooding (5 and 20-year return periods) results in 2-7% lower growth rates than baseline projections. This is exacerbated in areas with relatively high exposure to frequent flooding where growth is expected to decline over the next 30 years.
Roll-to-plate 0.1-second shear-rolling process at elevated temperature for highly aligned nanopatterns
Authors: Cho Junghyun , Oh Jinwoo , Bang Joona , Koh Jai Hyun , Jeong Hoon Yeub , Chung Seungjun , Son Jeong Gon
Published: December 2023

The shear-rolling process is a promising directed self-assembly method that can produce high-quality sub−10 nm block copolymer line-space patterns cost-effectively and straightforwardly over a large area. This study presents a high temperature (280 °C) and rapid (~0.1 s) shear-rolling process that can achieve a high degree of orientation in a single process while effectively preventing film delamination, that can be applied to large-area continuous processes. By minimizing adhesion, normal forces, and ultimate shear strain of the polydimethylsiloxane pad, shearing was successfully performed without peeling up to 280 °C at which the chain mobility significantly increases. This method can be utilized for various high-χ block copolymers and surface neutralization processes. It enables the creation of block copolymer patterns with a half-pitch as small as 8 nm in a unidirectional way. Moreover, the 0.1-second rapid shear-rolling was successfully performed on long, 3-inch width polyimide flexible films to validate its potential for the roll-to-roll process.
Hydrophobically gated memristive nanopores for neuromorphic applications
Authors: Paulo Gonçalo , Sun Ke , Di Muccio Giovanni , Gubbiotti Alberto , Morozzo della Rocca Blasco , Geng Jia , Maglia Giovanni , Chinappi Mauro , Giacomello Alberto
Published: December 2023

Signal transmission in the brain relies on voltage-gated ion channels, which exhibit the electrical behaviour of memristors, resistors with memory. State-of-the-art technologies currently employ semiconductor-based neuromorphic approaches, which have already demonstrated their efficacy in machine learning systems. However, these approaches still cannot match performance achieved by biological neurons in terms of energy efficiency and size. In this study, we utilise molecular dynamics simulations, continuum models, and electrophysiological experiments to propose and realise a bioinspired hydrophobically gated memristive nanopore. Our findings indicate that hydrophobic gating enables memory through an electrowetting mechanism, and we establish simple design rules accordingly. Through the engineering of a biological nanopore, we successfully replicate the characteristic hysteresis cycles of a memristor and construct a synaptic device capable of learning and forgetting. This advancement offers a promising pathway for the realization of nanoscale, cost- and energy-effective, and adaptable bioinspired memristors.
Bias-free driven ion assisted photoelectrochemical system for sustainable wastewater treatment
Authors: Dang Qi , Zhang Wei , Liu Jiqing , Wang Liting , Wu Deli , Wang Dejin , Lei Zhendong , Tang Liang
Published: December 2023

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems have emerged as a prominent renewable energy-based technology for wastewater treatment, offering sustainable advantages such as eliminating dependence on fossil fuels or grid electricity compared to traditional electrochemical treatment methods. However, previous PEC systems often overlook the potential of ions present in wastewater as an alternative to externally applied bias voltage for enhancing carrier separation efficiency. Here we report a bias-free driven ion assisted photoelectrochemical (IAPEC) system by integration of an electron-ion acceptor cathode, which leverages its fast ion-electron coupling capability to significantly enhance the separation of electrons and holes at the photoanode. We demonstrate that Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) can serve as robust and reversible electron-ion acceptors that provide reaction sites for photoelectron coupling cations, thus driving the hole oxidation to produce strong oxidant free radicals at photoanode. Our IAPEC system exhibits superior degradation performance in wastewater containing chloride medium. This indicates that, in addition to the cations (e.g., Na+) accelerating the electron transfer rate, the presence of Cl– ions further enhance efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment. This work highlights the potential of utilizing abundant sodium chloride in seawater as a cost-effective additive for wastewater treatment, offering crucial insights into the use of local materials for effective, low-carbon, and sustainable treatment processes.
Asynchronous domain dynamics and equilibration in layered oxide battery cathode
Authors: Xue Zhichen , Sharma Nikhil , Wu Feixiang , Pianetta Piero , Lin Feng , Li Luxi , Zhao Kejie , Liu Yijin
Published: December 2023

To improve lithium-ion battery technology, it is essential to probe and comprehend the microscopic dynamic processes that occur in a real-world composite electrode under operating conditions. The primary and secondary particles are the structural building blocks of battery cathode electrodes. Their dynamic inconsistency has profound but not well-understood impacts. In this research, we combine operando coherent multi-crystal diffraction and optical microscopy to examine the chemical dynamics in local domains of layered oxide cathode. Our results not only pinpoint the asynchronicity of the lithium (de)intercalation at the sub-particle level, but also reveal sophisticated diffusion kinetics and reaction patterns, involving various localized processes, e.g., chemical onset, reaction front propagation, domains equilibration, particle deformation and motion. These observations shed new lights onto the activation and degradation mechanisms of state-of-the-art battery cathode materials.
Transient fertilization of a post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin with dissolved phosphate by clay minerals
Authors: Fru Ernest Chi , Bahri Jalila Al , Brosson Christophe , Bankole Olabode , Aubineau Jérémie , El Albani Abderrazzak , Nederbragt Alexandra , Oldroyd Anthony , Skelton Alasdair , Lowhagen Linda , Webster David , Fantong Wilson Y. , Mills Benjamin J. W. , Alcott Lewis J. , Konhauser Kurt O. , Lyons Timothy W.
Published: December 2023

Marine sedimentary rocks deposited across the Neoproterozoic Cryogenian Snowball interval, ~720-635 million years ago, suggest that post-Snowball fertilization of shallow continental margin seawater with phosphorus accelerated marine primary productivity, ocean-atmosphere oxygenation, and ultimately the rise of animals. However, the mechanisms that sourced and delivered bioavailable phosphate from land to the ocean are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate a causal relationship between clay mineral production by the melting Sturtian Snowball ice sheets and a short-lived increase in seawater phosphate bioavailability by at least 20-fold and oxygenation of an immediate post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin. Bulk primary sediment inputs and inferred dissolved seawater phosphate dynamics point to a relatively low marine phosphate inventory that limited marine primary productivity and seawater oxygenation before the Sturtian glaciation, and again in the later stages of the succeeding interglacial greenhouse interval.
Clinical evaluation of a web-based personalized recommendation system with electronic health record interface to optimize healthcare resources during SARS-CoV-2 surges
Authors: Thieme Alexander Henry , Gertler Maximilian , Piening Brar Christian , Maechler Friederike , Benzler Justus , Hartmann Claudia , Heumann Peter , Seybold Joachim , Kirchberger Valerie , Budach Volker , Mockenhaupt Frank , Mittermaier Mirja
Published: December 2023

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the German healthcare system faced challenges of efficiently allocating testing resources. To address this, we developed an open-source personalized recommendation system (PRS) called “CovApp”. The PRS utilized a questionnaire to estimate the risk of infection, provided personalized recommendations such as testing, self-isolation, or quarantine, and featured QR code data transmission to electronic health records. The PRS served up to 2.5 million monthly users and received 67,000 backlinks from 1800 domains. We clinically evaluated the PRS at the SARS-CoV-2 testing facility at Charité and observed a 21.7% increase in patient throughput per hour and a 22.5% increase in patients per day. Patients using the PRS were twice as likely to belong to the High Risk group eligible for testing (18.6% vs. 8.9%, p < 0.0001), indicating successful compliance with CovApp’s recommendations. CovApp served as a digital bridge between the population and medical staff and significantly improved testing efficiency. As an open-source platform, CovApp can be readily customized to address emerging public health crises. Further, given the EHR interface, the app is of great utility for other applications in clinical settings.
Genetically predicted 486 blood metabolites concerning risk of systemic lupus erythematosus: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zhao Li , Wu Ruonan , Wu Zewen , Liu Xinling , Li Jingxuan , Zhang Liyun , Zhang Shuqiu
Published: December 2023

Metabolic abnormalities constitute a significant characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We utilised a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) study to evaluate the potential causal association between 486 blood metabolites and SLE. Exposure data at the metabolite level were extracted from 7824 European Genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Preliminary analysis utilised SLE GWAS data from FinnGen. The primary method for causal analysis relied on random inverse variance weighting (IVW). To ensure robustness, sensitivity analyses included the Cochran Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, and leave-one-out analysis. Steiger testing and linkage disequilibrium score regression were employed to validate the identified metabolites. This study identified 12 metabolites, comprising six known chemical structures: 1,5-anhydroglucitol(1,5-AG) [odds ratio (OR) = 0.100, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.015–0.773, P = 0.027), gamma-glutamylthreonine (OR = 0.077, 95% CI: 0.010–0.574, P = 0.012), 5-dodecenoate(12:1n7) (OR = 0.205, 95% CI: 0.061–0.685, P = 0.010), linoleoylglycerophosphoethanolamine * (OR = 0.159, 95% CI: 0.027–0.933, P = 0.044), erythrose (OR = 88.331,95% CI:1.098–63.214, P = 0.040) and 1-, adrenate (22:4n6) (OR = 9.876, 95% CI: 1.753–55.639, P = 0.001)]. Additionally, we found associations between SLE and six unknown chemical structures: X-06351 (OR = 0.071, 95% CI: 0.006–0.817, P = 0.034), X-10810 (OR = 4.268 95% CI: 1.260–14.459, P = 0.020), X-11412 (OR = 5.418 95% CI: 1.068–27.487, P = 0.041), X-11905 (OR = 0.551, 95%CI: 0.304–0.997, P = 0.049), X-12038 (OR = 0.178 95%CI: 0.032–0.988, P = 0.045), X-12217 (OR = 0.174 95%CI: 0.044–0.680, P = 0.014). This study offers evidence supporting a causal relationship between SLE and 12 circulating metabolites, six of which have known chemical structures and six that remain unidentified. These findings introduce a new perspective for further exploration of SLE mechanisms.
pH/redox responsive size‐switchable intelligent nanovehicle for tumor microenvironment targeted DOX release
Authors: Badparvar Fahimeh , Marjani Ahmad Poursattar , Salehi Roya , Ramezani Fatemeh
Published: December 2023

Tumor microenvironment (TME) targeted strategy could control the drug release in tumor cells more accurately and creates a new opportunity for enhanced site-specific targeted delivery. In this study, (PAA-b-PCL-S-S-PCL-b-PAA) copolymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with size-switchable ability and dual pH/redox-triggered drug release behavior were designed to significantly promote cancer uptake (cell internalization of around 100% at 30 min) and site-specific targeted doxorubicin (DOX) delivery in MDA-MB-231 tumor cells. NPs surface charge was shifted from − 17.8 to − 2.4 and their size shrunk from 170.3 to 93 nm in TME. The cell cycle results showed that DOX-loaded NPs showed G2/M (68%) arrest, while free DOX showed sub-G1 arrest (22%). Apoptosis tests confirmed that the cells treated with DOX-loaded NPs showed a higher amount of apoptosis (71.6%) than the free DOX (49.8%). Western blot and RT-PCR assays revealed that the apoptotic genes and protein levels were significantly upregulated using the DOX-loaded NPs vs. the free DOX (Pvalue < 0.001). In conclusion, dual pH/redox-responsive and size-switchable DOX-loaded NPs developed here showed outstanding anti-tumoral features compared with free DOX that might present a prospective platform for tumor site-specific accumulation and drug release that suggest further in vivo research.
Bacillus G7 improves adaptation to salt stress in Olea europaea L. plantlets, enhancing water use efficiency and preventing oxidative stress
Authors: Galicia-Campos Estrella , García-Villaraco Ana , Montero-Palmero Ma. Belén , Gutiérrez-Mañero F. Javier , Ramos-Solano Beatriz
Published: December 2023

In addition to genetic adaptative mechanisms, plants retrieve additional help from the surrounding microbiome, especially beneficial bacterial strains (PGPB) that contribute to plant fitness by modulating plant physiology to fine-tune adaptation to environmental changes. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which the PGPB Bacillus G7 stimulates the adaptive mechanisms of Olea europaea plantlets to high-salinity conditions, exploring changes at the physiological, metabolic and gene expression levels. On the one hand, G7 prevented photosynthetic imbalance under saline stress, increasing the maximum photosynthetic efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and energy dissipation (NPQ) and protecting against photooxidative stress. On the other hand, despite the decrease in effective PSII quantum yield (ΦPSII), net carbon fixation was significantly improved, resulting in significant increases in osmolytes and antioxidants, suggesting an improvement in the use of absorbed energy. Water use efficiency (WUE) was significantly improved. Strong genetic reprogramming was evidenced by the transcriptome that revealed involvement of the ABA-mediated pathway based on upregulation of ABA synthesis- and ABA-sensing-related genes together with a strong downregulation of the PLC2 phosphatase family, repressors of ABA-response elements and upregulation of ion homeostasis-related genes. The ion homeostasis response was activated faster in G7-treated plants, as suggested by qPCR data. All these results reveal the multitargeted improvement of plant metabolism under salt stress by Bacillus G7, which allows growth under water limitation conditions, an excellent trait to develop biofertilizers for agriculture under harsh conditions supporting the use of biofertilizers among the new farming practices to meet the increasing demand for food.
Characterization of a novel RNAi yeast insecticide that silences mosquito 5-HT1 receptor genes
Authors: Mysore Keshava , Njoroge Teresia M. , Stewart Akilah T. M. , Winter Nikhella , Hamid-Adiamoh Majidah , Sun Longhua , Feng Rachel Shui , James Lester D. , Mohammed Azad , Severson David W. , Duman-Scheel Molly
Published: December 2023

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which regulate numerous intracellular signaling cascades that mediate many essential physiological processes, are attractive yet underexploited insecticide targets. RNA interference (RNAi) technology could facilitate the custom design of environmentally safe pesticides that target GPCRs in select target pests yet are not toxic to non-target species. This study investigates the hypothesis that an RNAi yeast insecticide designed to silence mosquito serotonin receptor 1 (5-HTR1) genes can kill mosquitoes without harming non-target arthropods. 5-HTR.426, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain that expresses an shRNA targeting a site specifically conserved in mosquito 5-HTR1 genes, was generated. The yeast can be heat-inactivated and delivered to mosquito larvae as ready-to-use tablets or to adult mosquitoes using attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs). The results of laboratory and outdoor semi-field trials demonstrated that consumption of 5-HTR.426 yeast results in highly significant mortality rates in Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex mosquito larvae and adults. Yeast consumption resulted in significant 5-HTR1 silencing and severe neural defects in the mosquito brain but was not found to be toxic to non-target arthropods. These results indicate that RNAi insecticide technology can facilitate selective targeting of GPCRs in intended pests without impacting GPCR activity in non-targeted organisms. In future studies, scaled production of yeast expressing the 5-HTR.426 RNAi insecticide could facilitate field trials to further evaluate this promising new mosquito control intervention.
Multi-objective design and optimization of squeezed branch pile based on orthogonal test
Authors: Wang Ziqi , Zhao Cunbao , Zhang Wenyue
Published: December 2023

In recent years, the emergence of the squeezed branch pile has presented a new avenue for civil engineering, offering a distinctive structure and favorable mechanical characteristics. Squeezed branch piles have strong compressive, uplift, and horizontal load resistance capabilities. Due to the existence of discs, the geometric parameters of squeezed branch piles are abundant but important. This article selects number of discs, disc diameter, disc squeeze angle, and disc spacing as the main influencing factors on the bearing capacity of squeezed branch piles and conducts a qualitative analysis of their mechanical properties. The aim of this article is to analyze the different bearing performances of squeezed branch piles through orthogonal experimental design, simulate test conditions using finite element software ABAQUS, obtain relevant data, and finally determine the weight ranking and optimal combination of influencing factors through range analysis to provide better guidance for engineering practices. Through multi-objective optimization design, six optimization objectives including compressive performance, compressive economic efficiency, uplift performance, uplift economic efficiency, maximum horizontal displacement and maximum bending moment of pile body were analyzed. The analysis methods used included comprehensive balance method, queue scoring method, principal component analysis method, entropy weight method, and analytic hierarchy process. The conclusions obtained are similar, and based on the judgment, the squeezed branch pile with 4 discs, disc diameter of 2.5D, disc squeeze angle of 35°, and disc spacing of 3D is considered as the optimal combination under consideration of all optimization objectives.
A nomogram model for predicting 5-year risk of prediabetes in Chinese adults
Authors: Hu Yanhua , Han Yong , Liu Yufei , Cui Yanan , Ni Zhiping , Wei Ling , Cao Changchun , Hu Haofei , He Yongcheng
Published: December 2023

Early identification is crucial to effectively intervene in individuals at high risk of developing pre-diabetes. This study aimed to create a personalized nomogram to determine the 5-year risk of pre-diabetes among Chinese adults. This retrospective cohort study included 184,188 participants without prediabetes at baseline. Training cohorts (92,177) and validation cohorts (92,011) were randomly assigned (92,011). We compared five prediction models on the training cohorts: full cox proportional hazards model, stepwise cox proportional hazards model, multivariable fractional polynomials (MFP), machine learning, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) models. At the same time, we validated the above five models on the validation set. And we chose the LASSO model as the final risk prediction model for prediabetes. We presented the model with a nomogram. The model's performance was evaluated in terms of its discriminative ability, clinical utility, and calibration using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, decision curve analysis, and calibration analysis on the training cohorts. Simultaneously, we also evaluated the above nomogram on the validation set. The 5-year incidence of prediabetes was 10.70% and 10.69% in the training and validation cohort, respectively. We developed a simple nomogram that predicted the risk of prediabetes by using the parameters of age, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FBG), triglycerides (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and serum creatinine (Scr). The nomogram's area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.7341 (95% CI 0.7290–0.7392) for the training cohort and 0.7336 (95% CI 0.7285–0.7387) for the validation cohort, indicating good discriminative ability. The calibration curve showed a perfect fit between the predicted prediabetes risk and the observed prediabetes risk. An analysis of the decision curve presented the clinical application of the nomogram, with alternative threshold probability spectrums being presented as well. A personalized prediabetes prediction nomogram was developed and validated among Chinese adults, identifying high-risk individuals. Doctors and others can easily and efficiently use our prediabetes prediction model when assessing prediabetes risk.
Acid phosphatase-like proteins, a biogenic amine and leukotriene-binding salivary protein family from the flea Xenopsylla cheopis
Authors: Lu Stephen , Andersen John F. , Bosio Christopher F. , Hinnebusch B. Joseph , Ribeiro José M.
Published: December 2023

The salivary glands of hematophagous arthropods contain pharmacologically active molecules that interfere with host hemostasis and immune responses, favoring blood acquisition and pathogen transmission. Exploration of the salivary gland composition of the rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, revealed several abundant acid phosphatase-like proteins whose sequences lacked one or two of their presumed catalytic residues. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive characterization of the tree most abundant X. cheopis salivary acid phosphatase-like proteins. Our findings indicate that the three recombinant proteins lacked the anticipated catalytic activity and instead, displayed the ability to bind different biogenic amines and leukotrienes with high affinity. Moreover, X-ray crystallography data from the XcAP-1 complexed with serotonin revealed insights into their binding mechanisms.
Spatiotemporal high-resolution mapping of biological production in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Pan Xianliang L. , Lai Xiangxing , Makabe Ryosuke , Hirano Daisuke , Watanabe Yutaka W.
Published: December 2023

The Southern Ocean is considered to play an important role in the global biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients. It is still unclear how biological production there impacts climate change owing to the remarkable gap between the current and the ideal state of research. Here, we proposed a new concept of combining Neural Network based parameterization of dissolved inorganic carbon with Biogeochemical Argo floats, showing simultaneously spatiotemporal distributions of net community production and resupply of carbon from the deep ocean based on the dissolved inorganic carbon change. It indicated a total net community production of 4.1 ± 0.3 Pg-C year−1 over the Southern Ocean, which accounts for 45% of global annual oceanic carbon export and is 20% higher than the previous estimates. Furthermore, net community production in the Southern Ocean has decreased by 0.8% year−1 since the 2010s, indicating that it may be contributing as positive feedback to global warming.
Winter snow cover influences growing-season vegetation productivity non-uniformly in the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Liu Hao , Xiao Pengfeng , Zhang Xueliang , Chen Siyong , Wang Yunhan , Wang Wenye
Published: December 2023

Ongoing changes in snow cover significantly affect vegetation productivity, but the actual effect of snow cover remains unclear due to a poor understanding of its lagged effect. Here, we used multisource datasets to investigate the lagged effect of snow cover on vegetation productivity in Northern Hemisphere ( > 40°N) ecosystems from 2000 to 2018. We found a widespread lagged effect of snow cover ( > 40%, P < 0.05) on growing season vegetation productivity (mean ~73-day lag). The effect of snow cover on vegetation productivity was underestimated by over 10% of the areas without considering regional lagged time differences. A longer lagged effect generally occurred in warm and humid areas, and areas with increased lagged time (66%) were greater than those with decreased trends. Moreover, changes in lagged effect were strongly driven by climate factors, followed by soil and topography factors. These findings emphasize the need to consider lagged time differences of snow cover when investigating snow-vegetation productivity interactions.
Concurrent gliomas in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Sahm Katharina , Kessler Tobias , Eisele Philipp , Ratliff Miriam , Sperk Elena , König Laila , Breckwoldt Michael O. , Seliger Corinna , Mildenberger Iris , Schrimpf Daniel , Herold-Mende Christel , Zeiner Pia S. , Tabatabai Ghazaleh , Meuth Sven G. , Capper David , Bendszus Martin , von Deimling Andreas , Wick Wolfgang , Sahm Felix , Platten Michael
Published: December 2023

Background

Concurrent malignant brain tumors in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) constitute a rare but paradigmatic phenomenon for studying neuroimmunological mechanisms from both molecular and clinical perspectives.

Methods

A multicenter cohort of 26 patients diagnosed with both primary brain tumors and multiple sclerosis was studied for disease localization, tumor treatment-related MS activity, and molecular characteristics specific for diffuse glioma in MS patients.

Results

MS neither predisposes nor protects from the development of gliomas. Patients with glioblastoma WHO grade 4 without isocitratdehydrogenase (IDH) mutations have a longstanding history of MS, whereas patients diagnosed with IDH-mutant astrocytoma WHO grade 2 receive multiple sclerosis diagnosis mostly at the same time or later. Concurrent MS is associated with a lesser extent of tumor resection and a worse prognosis in IDH-mutant glioma patients (PFS 32 vs. 64 months, p = 0.0206). When assessing tumor-intrinsic differences no distinct subgroup-defining methylation pattern is identified in gliomas of MS patients compared to other glioma samples. However, differential methylation of immune-related genetic loci including human leukocyte antigen locus on 6p21 and interleukin locus on 5q31 is found in MS patients vs. matched non-MS patients. In line, inflammatory disease activity increases in 42% of multiple sclerosis patients after brain tumor radiotherapy suggesting a susceptibility of multiple sclerosis brain tissue to pro-inflammatory stimuli such as ionizing radiation.

Conclusions

Concurrent low-grade gliomas should be considered in multiple sclerosis patients with slowly progressive, expansive T2/FLAIR lesions. Our findings of typically reduced extent of resection in MS patients and increased MS activity after radiation may inform future treatment decisions.