bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Automatic localization of target point for subthalamic nucleus‐deep brain stimulation via hierarchical attention‐UNet based MRI segmentation
Authors: Rui‐Qiang Liu , Xiao‐Dong Cai , Ren‐Zhe Tu , Cai‐Zi Li , Wei Yan , Dou‐Dou Zhang , Lin‐Xia Xiao , Wei‐Xin Si
Published: September 2022

Background

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN‐DBS) is an effective treatment for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, the outcome of this surgery is highly dependent on the accurate placement of the electrode in the optimal target of STN.

Purpose

In this study, we aim to develop a target localization pipeline for DBS surgery, considering that the heart of this matter is to achieve the STN and red nucleus segmentation, a deep learning‐based automatic segmentation approach is proposed to tackle this issue.

Methods

To address the problems of ambiguous boundaries and variable shape of the segmentation targets, the hierarchical attention mechanism with two different attention strategies is integrated into an encoder–decoder network for mining both semantics and fine‐grained details for segmentation. The hierarchical attention mechanism is utilized to suppress irrelevant regions in magnetic resonance (MR) images while build long‐range dependency among segmentation targets. Specifically, the attention gate (AG) is integrated into low‐level features to suppress irrelevant regions in an input image while highlighting the salient features useful for segmentation. Besides, the self‐attention involved in the transformer block is integrated into high‐level features to model the global context. Ninety‐nine brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were collected from 99 patients with Parkinson's disease undergoing STN‐DBS surgery, among which 80 samples were randomly selected as the training datasets for deep learning training, and ground truths (segmentation masks) were manually generated by radiologists.

Results

We applied five‐fold cross‐validation on these data to train our model, the mean results on 19 test samples are used to conduct the comparison experiments, the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), Jaccard (JA), sensitivity (SEN), and HD95 of the segmentation for STN are 88.20%, 80.32%, 90.13%, and 1.14 mm, respectively, outperforming the state‐of‐the‐art STN segmentation method with 2.82%, 4.52%, 2.56%, and 0.02 mm respectively. The source code and trained models of this work have been released in the URL below: https://github.com/liuruiqiang/HAUNet/tree/master.

Conclusions

In this study, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the hierarchical attention mechanism for building global dependency on high‐level semantic features and enhancing the fine‐grained details on low‐level features, the experimental results show that our method has considerable superiority for STN and red nucleus segmentation, which can provide accurate target localization for STN‐DBS.
The Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study‐3 (NEMESIS‐3): Objectives, methods and baseline characteristics of the sample
Authors: ten Have Margreet , Tuithof Marlous , van Dorsselaer Saskia , Schouten Frederiek , de Graaf Ron
Published: September 2022

Objectives

NEMESIS‐3 (Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study‐3) is a psychiatric epidemiological cohort study of the Dutch general population that replicates and expands on two previous NEMESIS‐studies conducted in 1996–1999 and 2007–2018 respectively. The main aims of NEMESIS‐3 are to provide up‐to‐date information on the prevalence, incidence, course and consequences of mental disorders, their risk indicators, and to study the relevant time trends. This paper gives an overview of the objectives and methods of NEMESIS‐3, especially of the recently completed first wave, and describes the sample characteristics.

Methods

NEMESIS‐3 is based on a multistage, stratified random sampling of individuals aged 18–75 years. Face‐to‐face interviews were laptop computer‐assisted and held at the respondent's home. A slightly modified Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) version 3.0 was used to assess both Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‐IV (DSM‐IV) and DSM‐5 mental disorders. Two follow‐up waves are planned three and six years after baseline.

Results

In the first wave, performed from November 2019 to March 2022, 6194 individuals were interviewed: 1576 respondents before and 4618 respondents during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The average interview duration was 91 min and the response rate was 54.6%. The sample consisted of 50.4% women and had a mean age of 47.9 years. The sample was reasonable nationally representative, although some sociodemographic groups were somewhat underrepresented.

Conclusions

Despite the COVID‐19 restrictions, we were able to build a large and comprehensive dataset of good quality, permitting us to investigate the latest trends in mental health status, various new topics related to mental health, and the extent to which the pandemic has had an effect on the population's mental health.
Changes in hedonic hunger and food reward after a similar weight loss induced by a very low‐energy diet or bariatric surgery
Authors: Aukan Marthe Isaksen , Brandsæter Ingrid Øfsti , Skårvold Silje , Finlayson Graham , Nymo Siren , Coutinho Silvia , Martins Catia
Published: September 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to compare changes in hedonic hunger and food reward in individuals with severe obesity achieving 10% to 15% weight loss with a very low‐energy diet (VLED) alone or VLED and bariatric surgery.

Methods

Patients scheduled for sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) initiated a VLED 2 weeks prior to surgery and continued the diet for 8 weeks postoperatively. BMI‐matched controls underwent a VLED for 10 weeks. Hedonic hunger was assessed with the Power of Food Scale, and food reward with the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire, pre and post intervention.

Results

A total of 44 participants completed the study: 15 SG, 14 RYGB, and 15 controls (61%, 79% and 69% females, respectively; BMI: 40.5 ± 0.5 kg/m2; age: 43.9 ± 1.4 years). Average weight loss was 18.3 ± 0.6 kg (16%), comprising 13.5 ± 0.5 kg fat mass, with no significant differences between groups. Similar reductions in hedonic hunger were observed in all groups. Overall, food reward was similarly reduced in SG and RYGB groups, whereas controls showed little or no change.

Conclusions

Independent of modality, weight loss seems to reduce hedonic hunger, but bariatric surgery leads to several additional favorable changes in food reward and preferences.
Understanding farmers' reasons behind mitigation decisions is key in supporting their coexistence with wildlife
Authors: Vogel Susanne Marieke , Songhurst Anna Catherine , McCulloch Graham , Stronza Amanda
Published: September 2022

Coexistence between wildlife and farmers can be challenging and can endanger the lives of both, prompting the provisioning of mitigation methods by governments and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs). However, provision of materials, demonstration of the effectiveness of methods or willingness to uptake a method do not predict uptake of methods.

We used ethnographic decision models to understand how farmers' work through the decisions of uptake or non‐uptake of methods to mitigate crop consumption by elephants, and how the government and NGOs can either enable or impede the ability of farmers to protect themselves and their crops.

While farmers were motivated to use methods if they received or could afford to buy materials and they believed in the effectiveness of the methods, they still did not use them if they considered a method to be dangerous, or issues with elephants not to be severe enough, or when the supply of materials or income was not sufficient. Methods were not even considered by farmers if they lacked awareness or knowledge of the method. Government departments and NGOs enabled farmers to mitigate elephant crop consumption by providing opportunities for cash income, and providing materials and knowledge. Yet, there was disparity between the materials farmers received and methods they wished to adopt.

One‐off inputs of materials did not result in sustainable use of mitigation methods. We see an opportunity for governmental departments or NGOs to stimulate logistics (e.g. roads and retail) to increase availability of mitigation materials since this promoted farmer autonomy. We also highlight the importance of empowering farmers by facilitating within community sharing of mitigation ideas and increasing knowledge about the effectiveness of promising wildlife conscious farming, as despite promising farmer testimonies, only a few farmers used these techniques.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Carbon fiber modified by attapulgite for preparing ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene composite with enhanced thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties
Authors: Meng Zhaojie , Wang Yunxia , Liu Hao , Yan Fengyuan
Published: September 2022

The attapulgite nanofibers (ATP) were grafted on the surface of carbon fibers (CF) by polyetherimide (PEI) with long chain to reinforce the thermal, mechanical properties, and fretting wear resistance of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene. The results showed that the surface roughness of CF modified by ATP nanofibers were highly increased. Meanwhile, the thermal, mechanical, and tribological properties of the ATP‐PEI‐CF/UPE composite were significantly improved, especially the enhancement in heat distortion temperature, compressive modulus, and wear resistance. The improvement mechanisms of the corresponding properties were mainly attributed to the increase of mechanical interlocking of the matrix and the hybrid fillers, which could not only transfer the load and heat applied to the matrix to the fibers, but also impede the friction damage of the matrix during fretting wear process.
Construction of soft polyurethane cushioning composites based on integral fabric air layer: Reaching new levels in compression and cushioning behaviors
Authors: Li Ting‐Ting , Zang Kelei , Liu Peiyao , Wang Yan Ting , Hu Xianjin , Wang Xiaomeng , Lou Ching‐Wen , Lin Jia‐Horng
Published: September 2022

In order to prepare a cushioning composite with good resilience and compressibility, the 3D fabric was perforated into a hexagonal honeycomb, high elasticity porous polyurethane foam was used as substrate, and the air layer structure was encapsulated with the packaging film. By changing the hexagonal side length and wall thickness of the honeycomb structure, the integral fabric air layer polyurethane buffer composite was prepared. The properties of the structure were studied, and its compressive capacity under different compressive strains was analyzed. The results show that the mechanical properties of polyurethane foam were improved after adding the integral fabric air layer structure. When the composite HPU‐R1L2 (polyurethane cushioning composites with 1 cm side length and 2 cm wall thickness of hexagonal honeycomb) was compressed to 75%, its compressive capacity was 8.24 times that of PU (Polyurethane foam with 2.5% bentonite). The prepared composite HPU‐R1L1 (Polyurethane cushioning composites with 1 cm side length and 1 cm wall thickness of hexagonal honeycomb) absorbed 96.7% of the energy in the dynamic impact test, indicating that the composite cushioning performance was stronger than that of polyurethane foam. The HPU composites based on the synergistic reinforcement strategy of polyurethane foam and monolithic fabric air‐layer structures are an excellent candidate in the field of commodity packaging and personal protection.
Genetic effects of Red Lettuce Leaf genes on red coloration in leaf lettuce under artificial lighting conditions
Authors: Wada Kaede C. , Inagaki Noritoshi , Sakai Hiroaki , Yamashita Hiroto , Nakai Yusuke , Fujimoto Zui , Yonemaru Jun‐ichi , Itoh Hironori
Published: September 2022

Some cultivars of lettuce accumulate anthocyanins, which act as functional food ingredients. Leaf lettuce has been known to be erratic in exhibiting red color when grown under artificial light, and there is a need for cultivars that more stably exhibit red color in artificial light cultivation. In this study, we aimed to dissect the genetic architecture for red coloring in various leaf lettuce cultivars grown under artificial light. We investigated the genotype of Red Lettuce Leaf (RLL) genes in 133 leaf lettuce strains, some of which were obtained from publicly available resequencing data. By studying the allelic combination of RLL genes, we further analyzed the contribution of these genes to producing red coloring in leaf lettuce. From the quantification of phenolic compounds and corresponding transcriptome data, we revealed that gene expression level‐dependent regulation of RLL1 (bHLH) and RLL2 (MYB) is the underlying mechanism conferring high anthocyanin accumulation in red leaf lettuce under artificial light cultivation. Our data suggest that different combinations of RLL genotypes cause quantitative differences in anthocyanin accumulation among cultivars, and some genotype combinations are more effective at producing red coloration even under artificial lighting.
Structure and dynamics of livelihoods in rural India: A panel data analysis
Authors: Dey Sagarika
Published: September 2022

The paper uses panel data from two rounds of the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS) to evaluate the trends in rural livelihoods in India during 2005–2012. Although the macrostructure of rural livelihoods did not seem to change during the period under consideration, livelihoods remained in a state of flux with about 57% of the households changing their livelihood strategy at least once between 2005 and 2012. Most of these transitions occurred from one low‐paying strategy to another. There was also an increasing trend towards marginalisation of labor which is evident from the fact that cultivation, which was the most widely pursued strategy in 2005, was relegated to the second spot while casual wage‐based labor emerged as the most dominant livelihood strategy in 2012. Household assets played a predominant role in influencing both the current choice of livelihoods and in determining livelihood transitions. Education and financial inclusion were found to be extremely potent in aiding households in moving out from low‐paying strategies, and also in preventing a downward slide along the livelihood curve. Significant variations in livelihood conditions were observed across states with households in Western and Southern India adopting more vulnerable strategies.
EMuS – A Pulsed Muon Facility for Multidisciplinary Research
Authors: Tang Jing-Yu , Yuan Ye , Ye Bang-Jiao , Zhu Zi‐An , Hou Zhi-Long , Vassilopoulos Nikolaos , Tang Jian , Chen Yu , Chen Yu-Kai , Deng Chang-Dong , Dong Jing-Yu , Fan Rui-Rui , He Chong-Chao , Hong Yang , Huang Jin-Shu , Li Yang , Meng Xiang-Wei , Pan Zi-Wen , Song Ying-Peng , Sun Ji-Lei , Wang Li-Jiao , Wang Meng-Lin , Wang Peng-Cheng , Xie Zong-Tai , Yadav Nitin , Yan Zhao-Hui , Yuan Ling , Zhang Gang , Zhang Wen‐Qing , Zhao Guang , Zhou Lu-Ping , Zhou Zhi-Hao , Zhu Dong-Hui
Published: September 2022

A pulsed muon facility (the so‐called EMuS) at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) has been studied since 2007. It aims for multidisciplinary applications but with a focus on those based on muon spin rotation/relaxation/resonance techniques. As a standalone facility, EMuS will take about 5% or 25 kW of the total beam power (500 kW) from the CSNS‐II accelerator complex. Two schemes have been designed: the baseline scheme is based on an inner conical target in graphite and superconducting solenoids for the capture and transport of pions and muons; the simplified scheme is based on a conventional thick target and room‐temperature magnets for transport. With the former, multiple kinds of muon beams can be provided, from surface muons, decay muons, negative muons, to low‐energy muons. Mainly surface muons are available with the simplified scheme. With a number of novel design concepts such as forward capture of pions/muons from a target station based on superconducting solenoids and triple spatial beam splitting of a muon beam, the design aspects of EMuS are presented here. The wide application potential and the R&D progress are also included.
Impacts of seasonally frozen ground on streamflow recession in the Red River of the North Basin
Authors: Tahmasebi Nasab Mohsen , Berg Sergey S. , Comba Luca , Sellner Bryce , Epperson Carter
Published: September 2022

The projected rising temperatures due to climate change can alter the frozen ground's duration and thickness in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere, leading to changes in surface and subsurface contributions to streamflow. The initial step in understanding the impacts of the changing climate on the hydrologic response of the cold climate watersheds is to investigate the effects of the cold climate processes (e.g., freeze–thaw processes) on watershed response. However, complexities associated with the spatiotemporal data collection of cold climate processes have limited the capabilities of hydrologic models in simulating cold climate watershed responses. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of seasonally frozen soil on the streamflow recession in the Red River of the North Basin (RRB). To the best of our knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts to quantify the impacts of frozen soil on the storage‐discharge relationship of the RRB. We define a set of hypotheses to evaluate how cold climate processes influence the surface and subsurface flow paths and affect the linearity/non‐linearity of the storage‐discharge relationship in spring and summer. The results confirmed that the cold climate processes control the recession behavior of the RRB. It was found that the streamflow discharge is linearly related to the storage during spring, whereas during summer, the relationship was less linear. Statistical analyses revealed that the antecedent winter soil temperature and snowpack control the seasonal dynamics of hydrograph recession. Particularly, results indicated a more linear storage‐discharge relationship for antecedent winters characterized by colder soil temperatures and larger snowpack. These findings highlight the importance of the cold climate hydrologic processes in cold climate basins such as the RRB.
Tackling climate change under time‐poverty: Cooperatives as temporal pacers
Authors: Vermeire Jacob , Crucke Saskia , Mutesi Josephine , Vinck Annelies
Published: September 2022

We help to unravel how smallholder farmers in agricultural cooperatives can address the consequences of climate change. Climate change‐oriented actions often pose an extra challenge to cooperative members in time‐poverty, that is, to those who have no choice but to work long hours yet remain consumption poor. Tackling climate change requires future‐oriented action toward unpredictable events, whereas time‐poverty requires people to deal with the bare necessities of the present. Through a qualitative inductive study of Rwandan smallholder farmers in agricultural cooperatives, we observe that climate change increases time‐poverty, especially for women, and that smallholder farmers are hesitant to invest their time in making climate change adaptations. We find that smallholder farmers can overcome these challenges through membership of agricultural cooperatives, which can help in pacing climate change actions.
Bulk Level Synthesis of Solid Silver Nanocatalyst: Green Mediated Approach
Authors: Rama Krishnan Raji , Rama Chandran Shine , Johnson Elizabath , Raveendrakurup Rohith , Kakkadath Hariharan Prema
Published: September 2022

The synthesis of silver nano particles has acquired more attention in terms of its applicability in various fields including medicine, environmental, electronics and energy. Owing to its exceptionally good catalytic activity, this particular study is focused on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in bulk scale, free from capping agents. Apart from the conventional colloidal green synthesis, the silver nanoparticles were synthesized in solid form using a cheap green medium lime fruit extract. The green mediated sol‐gel auto combustion method eliminates the use of hazardous reducing agents and tedious purification processes. The structure, morphology and purity of the synthesized material were explored through various analytical techniques. TEM studies revealed that the synthesized silver nanoparticles were spherical in shape with average particle size of 8 nm. The potential of the silver nanoparticle as a catalyst towards reduction of organic compounds and dye degradation was established by conducting nitrophenol reduction and methylene blue degradation as a basic reaction. The nanoparticles were found to have effectively catalysed the reduction of p‐nitrophenol and degradation of methylene blue with the aid of sodium borohydride as reducing agent. It may open up new path for the chemical free synthesis of crystalline silver nanoparticles with enhanced catalytic property.
Property Comparison of Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenides (MoS2, MoSe2 and MoTe2) and Their Applicability as Electrochemical Biosensors for Glucose Detection
Authors: Wang Jiameng , Chen Baohua , Zhang Wuyi , Wu Yifeng , Chen Lanlan , Wen Jia , Yan Hongyuan
Published: September 2022

Two‐dimensional transition‐metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted widespread interests owing to their attractive physical and chemical properties. In particular, they are especially attractive in the field of electrochemical biosensors. In this study, the properties of TMDs ((molybdenum sulfide (MoS2), molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) and molybdenum telluride (MoTe2)) on the glucose sensing were explored and compared. Exfoliated MoS2, MoSe2 and MoTe2 nanosheets with basically the same size were fabricated through controlling the ultrasonic power. The structure and morphological characteristics of MoS2, MoSe2 and MoTe2 were examined through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and powder X‐ray diffractometer. Electrochemical properties were analyzed through cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. Results showed that all the three kinds of TMDs can enhance the electroconductibility of the electrodes. When incorporated into the construction of electrochemical biosensors for glucose detection, all of the three kinds of exfoliated TMDs modified electrodes possessed achieved analytical requirements of selectivity, wide linear ranges, as well as low limits of detection and quantification. In particular, MoS2‐based biosensor generated a higher specificity and lower detection limit than that of MoSe2 and MoTe2. This is imperative to showcase the real potential of TMDs in electrochemical biosensors.
Hydrothermally Derived Hierarchical CuO Nanoflowers as an Efficient Photocatalyst and Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Naaz Farha , Sharma Akanksha , Shahazad Mohd , Ahmad Tokeer
Published: September 2022

Fabrication of an efficient, economic and earth‐abundant nanocatalyst for H2 production is the centre of attraction in renewable energy technology, but it is still a massive task. In present work, we report a facile modified hydrothermal route to synthesize hierarchical CuO nanoflowers as a noble metal free, proficient photo and electrocatalyst for hydrogen generation. Electrochemical studies were performed over as‐synthesized CuO nanoflowers in both acidic and alkaline medium to record both HER and OER responses. An enhanced HER activity with an overpotential of 1.02 V at −10 mA/cm2 cathodic current density and OER activity with an onset potential at around 1.01 V, respectively, superior to the art of HER and OER bi‐catalyst. Photocatalytic H2 evolution performance exhibits the significant production of 16 mmol/g−1cat in time interval of 8 hours in the presence of Na2S/Na2SO3 sacrificial agent.
Novel Zinc Ferrite Anchored Graphene Oxide Magnetic Nanocomposite for Photocatalytic Degradation of Textile Dyes
Authors: Patar Shyamalee , Kumar Bhuyan Balin , Konwar Madhabi , Mahanta Baishali , Saikia Pranjal , Kanti Guha Ankur , Jyoti Borthakur Lakhya
Published: September 2022

A simple co‐precipitation method has been adopted for the preparation of magnetically separable graphene zinc ferrite nanocomposite for highly efficient photocatalytic degradation of malachite green, fast green and eriochrome black T under visible light irradiation. The anchoring of zinc ferrite nanoparticles on graphene sheets not only inhibits the agglomeration of zinc ferrite nanoparticles but also decreases the band gap from 1.93 to 1.40 eV. The composite exhibits superior degradation efficiency in presence of hydrogen peroxide for all dyes under study. The dye degradation follows a pseudo first‐order reaction. The photocatalyst showed excellent performance even in the presence of highly concentrated inorganic salts and for a wide range of pH values. The composite retains its degradation capacity up to ten cycles. The composite described here can find potential applications for effective wastewater remediation from textile industries.
Synthesis and Biological Activity of Functionally Substituted Pyrimidine and Pyran Derivatives on the Basis of Isatylidene Malononitriles
Authors: Naghiyev Farid , Mamedov Ibrahim , Askerov Rizvan , Taslimi Parham , Poustforoosh Alireza
Published: September 2022

In this study, it was shown that pyrimidine and imidazopyridine derivatives were obtained from the multicomponent reaction of isatylidene malononitriles with malononitrile and diamines at room temperature. Also, the interaction of 2‐(5‐bromo‐2‐oxoindoline‐3‐ylidene)with malononitrile and benzoyl acetone (or ethyl‐4‐chlorine‐acetoacetate) was carried out and the formation of the corresponding pyran derivatives was observed.The structure of the synthesized compounds was confirmed by 1H, 13CNMR spectroscopy and X‐ray analysis. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor compounds recorded as important therapeutic drugs for the therapy of Alzheimer's disease. Also, novel complexes effectively inhibited AChE enzyme, with Ki values in the range of 4.56 to 8.21 μM. For this enzyme, it was obtained with IC50 values in the range of 4.04 to 9.85 μM. For α‐glycosidase enzyme the most effective Ki values were for 4 a and 10 compounds with Ki values of 31.48 and 32.63 μM, respectively. The molecular docking study was employedto investigate of chemical activities and interaction of synthesized compounds with low Ki in the presence of AChE, butyrylcholinesterase, and α‐Glycosidase. The results revealed that some of the compounds, like compound 9 have a good binding affinity to AChE with a docking score of −6.243 (kcal/mol). This compound can affect the enzyme activity by attachment to essential residues of the catalytic domain of the enzyme. The ADME/T analysis was also performed and revealed that compounds have the potential to be utilized as medicine.
Structure‐Activity Relationships of a Ni‐MOF, a Ni‐MOF‐rGO, and pyrolyzed Ni/C@rGO Structures for Sodium‐ ion Batteries
Authors: Haroon Haamid , Wahid Malik , Majid Kowsar
Published: September 2022

MOF (Metal‐Organic Framework) based materials have attracted recent interest as‐ anode materials for Alkali‐ ion batteries. However, the insertion reaction that dictates the alkali ion storage in the MOFs being a conversion reaction depicts the drastic drop in cycling and rate stabilities. Herein we report a low‐ temperature twinning of a representative Ni‐MOF with rGO (reduced graphene oxide) by low‐ temperature processing and through an intermediate physical mixing method to enhance the electrochemical anodic performance of the parent pristine Ni‐based MOF that is Ni‐MOF. The uniqueness of this process is that low‐ temperature processing (300 °C) ensures that the identity of MOF is maintained but generates intimate contacts between the Ni‐MOF and thermally reduced GO (Graphene Oxide). The Ni‐MOF@rGO composite so achieved has delivered a considerably enhanced rate and cycling stability with a capacity of 385 mAhg−1 (100 mAg−1) which stays consistent till 400 charge‐ discharge cycles against the pristine MOF which degrades to 272 mAg−1 in just 250 cycles. The rate enhancements at higher currents are also substantial with the Ni‐MOF@rGO composite depicting the capacity of 205 mAhg−1 at 1 Ag−1 as against the capacity of 113 mAhg−1 for pristine Ni‐MOF. The Ni‐MOF@ rGO also depicts a considerably enhanced performance compared to carbonized (600 °C and 800 °C) control samples.
Facile, Cost Effective and Eco‐friendly Approach to Synthesize Bio‐MnO2 Nanosphered Thin Filmfor all Solid‐State Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitor
Authors: Chavan Rutuja , Kamble Gokul , Kashale Anil , Kolekar Sanjay , Sathe Bhaskar , Ghule Anil
Published: September 2022

Herein, we are reporting biomediated synthesis of MnO2 nanospheres thin film via facile Rotational Chemical Bath Deposition, wherein, the extract acquired by dousing Bengal gram beans (Cicer arietinum L.) in water, undeniably considered as kitchen squander is utilized as a medium for the reaction. The golden‐colored extract used as a medium contains pectin which acts as a size controlling and stabilizing agent and results in a uniform MnO2nanosphere deposition onto the substrate. Furthermore, for better comparison, the MnO2 was also synthesized without using extract. The Bio‐MnO2 thin film shows excellent results when compared with MnO2synthesized without extract. Additionally, a flexible Bio‐MnO2//Fe2O3‐based asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device was fabricated. The ASC exhibited a specific capacitance of 123.5 F g−1 at 5 mA cm−2current density at a potential window of 1.8 V. The device demonstrated high energy and power density with good cyclic life maintained up to 2000 cycles.
A Green and Easy Large Scale Method for Obtaining Graphene Nanoplatelets by Steam Explosion and Ultrasonic Exfoliation
Authors: Pérez‐Ramírez Eduardo E. , Ramos‐Galicia Lourdes , de la Luz‐Asunción Miguel , Saucedo‐Rivalcoba Verónica , Martínez‐Hernández Ana L. , Rubio‐Rosas Efraín , Velasco‐Santos Carlos
Published: September 2022

A novel physical process to obtain graphene nanoplatelets consisting of two principal steps, steam explosion and ultrasonic exfoliation, is proposed. This approach requires only water; nevertheless, the pressure and temperature conditions in the steam explosion equipment contribute to the delamination of the graphite complemented with an ultrasonic step. Moreover, two kinds of source material were tested: highly pyrolytic oriented graphite and a lower oriented graphite. Infrared and energy dispersive x‐ray spectroscopies analysis confirmed additional functional groups were not generated in any of the treated materials. X‐ray diffraction showed that graphene nanoplatelets obtained in this work are conformed by 20–30 nm of thickness, also corroborated with atomic force microscopy. According to Raman results, graphene nanoplatelets possess a high structural quality which is similar to the initial graphite. Hence, this process represents a viable option to obtain graphene nanoplatelets through an easy, green and large‐scalable route.
Microwave‐Assisted Reductive Amination of 2‐Carboxybenzaldehydes with Amines for the Synthesis of N‐Substituted Isoindolin‐1‐one
Authors: Muvvala Subhashini , Kumari Krishnaiah , Miriyala Venkatesh , Mogili Padma , Chidara Sridhar , Maddirala Shambabu Joseph , Saxena Abhishek , Behera Manoranjan
Published: September 2022

Microwave‐assisted, transition metal free methodology for the synthesis of N‐substituted isoindolin‐1‐one from 2‐carboxybenzaldehydes with various amines by reductive amination reaction using formic acid has been described. This method is relatively simple, benign and safe which tolerates a variety of functional groups.
Borderline Metal Centers on Nonporous Metal‐Organic Framework Nanowire Boost Fast Li‐Ion Interfacial Transport of Composite Polymer Electrolyte
Authors: Xu Jianqi , Ma Guixin , Wang Ning , Zhao Simin , Zhou Jisheng
Published: September 2022

Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) fillers are emerging for composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs). Enhancing Lewis acid–base interaction (LABI) among MOFs, polymer and Li‐salt is expected to promote Li+‐transport. However, it is unclear how to customize a strong LABI interface. The large surface‐area of classical MOFs also interferes with clarifying the LABI influence on Li+‐transport. Herein, Bi3+ as metal centers to design colloidal‐dispersed nonporous MOFs (Bi/HMT‐MOFs) nanowire with a surface‐area of only 17.13 m2 g−1 to prepare polyethylene oxide (PEO)‐based CPEs (BMCPE) is chosen. The nonporous feature can exclude the surface‐area effect on Li+‐transport. More interestingly, Bi3+ is a typical borderline acid, which can interact with both hard‐basic PEO and soft‐basic Li‐salt anion. Accordingly, Bi/HMT‐MOFs are uniformly dispersed in the BMCPE to form a strong LABI interface with PEO and Li‐salt, promoting Li‐salt dissociation and providing rapid Li+‐transport channels. Despite the ultralow surface‐area of Bi/HMT‐MOFs, BMCPE exhibits significantly enhanced ion‐conductivity and Li+ transference number, which completely rival traditional MOFs‐filled CPEs. BMCPE also enables symmetric and full cells with excellent high‐rate performance and long‐term cycling stability. In contrast, when Bi3+ sites are obscured, electrochemical performances are obviously decreased. Therefore, employing borderline metal centers will be an effective strategy to construct a LABI interface for high‐performance MOFs‐filled CPEs.
On the Device Physics of High‐Efficiency Ternary Solar Cells
Authors: Upreti Tanvi , Wang Yuming , Gao Feng , Kemerink Martijn
Published: September 2022

Mixing a third compound into the active layer of an organic bulk heterojunction solar cell to form a ternary system has become an established way to improve performance. Various models, based on different assumptions regarding the active layer morphology and the energetics, have been proposed but there is neither consensus on the applicability of the various assumptions to different experimental systems, nor on the actual device physics of these, mostly qualitative, models. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used to investigate the role of morphology and relative energy levels of the constituent materials. By comparing with experimental current–voltage characteristics, a consistent picture arises when the (minority) third compound is predominantly incorporated between the other (majority) compounds and has energy levels that are intermediate to those of the binary host. Even if morphologically imperfect, the resulting energy cascade promotes charge separation and reduces recombination, leading to higher fill factors and short‐circuit current densities. The open‐circuit voltage sits between that of the binary extremes, in agreement with data from an extensive literature review. This leads to selection criteria for third compounds in terms of energetics and miscibility that promote the formation of a cascade morphology in real and energy space.
Situated and dynamic versus declarative and static forms of pedagogical content knowledge: An evaluation of the differences in test reactions and performance
Authors: She Jianyun , Chan Kennedy Kam Ho
Published: September 2022

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is an important target of science teacher knowledge assessment. Most studies that have assessed the PCK across a large sample of science teachers used a text‐based approach to elicit and assess the more declarative and static form of teachers' PCK. Recently, small‐scale qualitative studies have adopted a novel video‐based approach to characterize the more situated and dynamic form of PCK underpinning a teacher's in‐the‐moment pedagogical reasoning. In this relatively large‐scale mixed‐methods study, these two approaches to assessing PCK were compared. Specifically, a counterbalanced design was adopted to compare the test scores of 147 Grade 7 biology teachers in a video‐based PCK test with those of the same teachers in a text‐based PCK test with the same content. A subgroup of teachers (N = 30) with different levels of PCK was interviewed to further understand their reactions to the test and how these might have affected their test performance. The results of paired‐samples t tests showed that the teachers' PCK scores in the two types of test were significantly correlated, but their scores were significantly lower in the video‐based test. In terms of teacher reactions, although the teachers considered both types of test to be fair, they regarded the video‐based test as more authentic and more closely related to their job demands. The teachers reported putting more effort into the video‐based test and feeling more immersed and engaged, but also experiencing greater cognitive demand and a higher level of anxiety. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the cognitive demand perceived by the teachers significantly predicted their PCK scores in the video‐based test. The findings have implications for the valid design of video‐based PCK tests.
Use of fecal DNA to estimate black bear density in an urban‐wildland interface
Authors: Owen‐Ramos Julia D. , Sanchez Camilo J. , Blair Shelly , Holm Sara , Furnas Brett J. , Sacks Benjamin N.
Published: September 2022

American black bears (Ursus americanus) commonly habituate to human resources in regions of urban‐wildland interface, which frequently leads to human‐wildlife conflict. Monitoring bear densities is important to inform management, yet traditional density estimation methods may not be practical in such areas. Minimally or noninvasive genetic tools offer a potential solution, but the most common sampling method employs barbed‐wire hair snares and scented lure, which can pose dangers to people and pets. Fecal DNA, which is less invasive, has been used successfully for many species, but has not been commonly used for ursids in the United States. We conducted a pilot study from July–September 2018 to assess the feasibility of using fecal DNA in a spatial capture‐recapture analysis to estimate black bear density in the Lake Tahoe Basin in California, a region of high‐human density compared to other urban‐wildland interface localities in the United States, where bears pose significant nuisance problems. The use of fecal DNA allowed us to sample in both urban and wildland areas with minimal disturbance to the surrounding community. Based on 142 genotyped samples from 101 distinct individuals, we estimated an abundance of 0.84 bears/km2(95% CI = 0.58–1.21 bears/km2), which was similar to a previous capture‐recapture estimate in the study area and represents one of the highest densities reported for black bears. More generally, our findings indicated that fecal DNA capture‐recapture approaches provide a feasible means of estimating black bear densities in areas where hair sampling may be impractical.
Conscience and the Moral Insight
Authors: Goodpaster Kenneth E.
Published: September 2022

This chapter offers an introduction to the field of ethics and the central place of conscience within it. To explicate the idea of conscience, I draw upon the work of nineteenth-century Harvard philosopher Josiah Royce. Royce understood conscience as the product of a certain insight, what he called the moral insight, which he defined as “the realization of one’s neighbor, in the full sense of the word realization; the resolution to treat him unselfishly.” I then go on to illustrate parallels to Royce’s moral insight in the works of Plato, Jean Piaget, Hannah Arendt, Joseph Ratzinger, and Anthony DeMello. This is followed by a discussion of the work of Jonathan Haidt aimed at tracing the universality of conscience across cultures and strategies for putting conscience into action—even in a pluralistic society. I wrap up this chapter with two subsections: (a) some structural remarks about the field of ethics, anticipating the theme of Chap. 3: Can a corporation have a conscience? and (b) two serious objections to the very idea of treating corporations as morally responsible entities. This chapter is an organic part of a larger work about the overall contribution of Kenneth Goodpaster to the field of applied ethics and is best read in the context of that larger work.
Time, Privacy, Robustness, Accuracy: Trade-Offs for the Open Vote Network Protocol
Authors: El Orche Fatima-Ezzahra , Géraud-Stewart Rémi , Rønne Peter B. , Bana Gergei , Naccache David , Ryan Peter Y. A. , Biroli Marco , Dervishi Megi , Waltsburger Hugo
Published: September 2022

The open vote network ( [10]) is a secure two-round multi-party protocol facilitating the computation of a sum of integer votes without revealing their individual values. This is done without a central authority trusted for privacy, and thus allows decentralised and anonymous decision-making efficiently. As such, it has also been implemented in other settings such as financial applications, see e.g. [15, 17].

An inherent limitation of is its lack of robustness against denial-of-service attacks, which occur when at least one of the voters participates in the first round of the protocol but (maliciously or accidentally) not in the second. Unfortunately, such a situation is likely to occur in any real-world implementation of the protocol with many participants. This could incur serious time delays from either waiting for the failing parties and perhaps having to perform extra protocol rounds with the remaining participants.

This paper provides a solution to this problem by extending with mechanisms tolerating a number of unresponsive participants, the basic idea being to run several sub-elections in parallel. The price to pay is a carefully controlled privacy loss, an increase in computation, and a statistical loss in accuracy, which we demonstrate how to measure precisely.
Controlling Continuous Locomotion in Virtual Reality with Bare Hands Using Hand Gestures
Authors: Schäfer Alexander , Reis Gerd , Stricker Didier
Published: September 2022

Moving around in a virtual world is one of the essential interactions for Virtual Reality (VR) applications. The current standard for moving in VR is using a controller. Recently, VR Head Mounted Displays integrate new input modalities such as hand tracking which allows the investigation of different techniques to move in VR. This work explores different techniques for bare-handed locomotion since it could offer a promising alternative to existing freehand techniques. The presented techniques enable continuous movement through an immersive virtual environment. The proposed techniques are compared to each other in terms of efficiency, usability, perceived workload, and user preference.
Radiative corrections to the forward-backward asymmetry in e+e− → π+π−
Authors: Colangelo Gilberto , Hoferichter Martin , Monnard Joachim , de Elvira Jacobo Ruiz
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We present a calculation of the C-odd radiative corrections to e+e−→ π+π− in a dispersive formalism, concentrating on the leading pion-pole contribution in the virtual box diagrams. In particular, we show how the effect of a general pion vector form factor in the loop integral can be incorporated in a model-independent way and how the cancellation of infrared singularities proceeds in this case. The numerical results, dominated by the infrared enhanced contributions, indicate significant corrections beyond scalar QED, essentially confirming recent findings in generalized vector-meson-dominance models.
Generalized symmetries and Noether’s theorem in QFT
Authors: Benedetti Valentin , Casini Horacio , Magán Javier M.
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We show that generalized symmetries cannot be charged under a continuous global symmetry having a Noether current. Further, only non-compact generalized symmetries can be charged under a continuous global symmetry. These results follow from a finer classification of twist operators, which naturally extends to finite group global symmetries. They unravel topological obstructions to the strong version of Noether’s theorem in QFT, even if under general conditions a global symmetry can be implemented locally by twist operators (weak version). We use these results to rederive Weinberg-Witten’s theorem within local QFT, generalizing it to massless particles in arbitrary dimensions and representations of the Lorentz group. Several examples with local twists but without Noether currents are described. We end up discussing the conditions for the strong version to hold, dynamical aspects of QFT’s with non-compact generalized symmetries, scale vs conformal invariance in QFT, connections with the Coleman-Mandula theorem and aspects of global symmetries in quantum gravity.
Anomaly-free ALP from non-Abelian flavor symmetry
Authors: Han C. , López-Ibáñez M. L. , Melis A. , Vives O. , Yang J. M.
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Motivated by the XENON1T excess in electron-recoil measurements, we investigate the prospects of probing axion-like particles (ALP) in lepton flavor violation experiments. In particular, we identify such ALP as a pseudo-Goldstone from the spontaneous breaking of the flavor symmetries that explain the mixing structure of the Standard Model leptons. We present the case of the flavor symmetries being a non-Abelian U(2) and the ALP originating from its U(1) subgroup, which is anomaly-free with the Standard Model group. We build two explicit realistic examples that reproduce leptonic masses and mixings and show that the ALP which is consistent with XENON1T anomaly could be probed by the proposed LFV experiments.
SMEFT analysis of mW
Authors: Bagnaschi Emanuele , Ellis John , Madigan Maeve , Mimasu Ken , Sanz Veronica , You Tevong
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We use the Fitmaker tool to incorporate the recent CDF measurement of mW in a global fit to electroweak, Higgs, and diboson data in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) including dimension-6 operators at linear order. We find that including any one of the SMEFT operators $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
HWB, $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
HD, $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
ℓℓ or $$ {\mathcal{O}}_{H\ell}^{(3)} $$

O

H
ℓ

3

with a non-zero coefficient could provide a better fit than the Standard Model, with the strongest pull for $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
HD and no tension with other electroweak precision data. We then analyse which tree-level single-field extensions of the Standard Model could generate such operator coefficients with the appropriate sign, and discuss the masses and couplings of these fields that best fit the CDF measurement and other data. In particular, the global fit favours either a singlet Z′ vector boson, a scalar electroweak triplet with zero hypercharge, or a vector electroweak triplet with unit hypercharge, followed by a singlet heavy neutral lepton, all with masses in the multi-TeV range for unit coupling.