bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax: moving beyond dental health outcomes and service utilisation
Authors: Sowa P. Marcin , Birch Stephen
Published: August 2022

Despite considerable academic and policy interest in the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), its extra-health implications remain largely unexplored. We investigated the impact of an SSB tax on school absenteeism due to improved dental health, in a framework that accounted for the distribution of the benefit. We designed a quantitative, decision-analytic model that synthesised existing evidence in the areas of dental epidemiology, public health and economics, and simulated causal mechanisms that lead to changes in school attendance in Australian children and adolescents aged 6–17, in a tax vs no tax scenarios. Introducing a 20% sales tax on SSBs would result in a 0.73% (95% confidence interval: 0.38; 1.10), or 4684 (2412; 7071) days per year nationwide, reduction in school absences attributable to dental health reasons. While positive impacts would be seen across the board, the distribution of benefit was favourable towards boys, older teens and those from lower socio-economic status. Our study highlights the need for, and the viability of, quantifying distributions of direct and indirect consequences of public health policy. Despite modest effect size, the equity profile of SSB tax, the long-lasting benefits of educational gains, and potential synergies with other interventions, make it an attractive option for policymakers to consider.
Scientists Bring Forests into the Internet of Things
Authors: Hornyak Tim
Published: August 2022

Armed with $10.5 million in funding, researchers will deploy novel sensors for real-time data assimilation and modeling of how changes in climate are affecting woodlands.
Statistics of Whistler‐Mode Waves in the Near‐Earth Plasma Sheet
Authors: Gao L. , Vainchtein D. , Artemyev A. V. , Zhang X.‐J.
Published: August 2022

Electromagnetic whistler‐mode waves are among the wave modes mainly responsible for energetic electron scattering and acceleration in the inner magnetosphere and near‐Earth plasma sheet. Although whistler‐driven electron precipitation significantly contributes to diffuse aurora at large L‐shells of ∼9–13, all existing empirical models of whistler‐mode waves are limited to the inner magnetosphere, at L < 9. This study aims to utilize more than 10 years of Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms observations to investigate main properties of whistler‐mode waves in the near‐Earth plasma sheet. We reveal relations between wave intensity and characteristics of the anisotropic electron population. We showed that in 99% of whistler wave events, the observed , mean wave frequency 〈f〉, and wave spectrum width Δf are consistent with expectations from the quasi‐linear theory of wave‐particle resonant interactions. Based on these statistics, we built an empirical model of , 〈f〉, and Δf as a function of L‐shell and MLT. This model extends existing inner magnetosphere models to a higher L‐shell range.
Observation of the hyperfine structure and anticrossings of hyperfine levels in the luminescence spectra of LiYF4:Ho3+
Authors: Boldyrev Kirill N. , Malkin Boris Z. , Popova Marina N.
Published: August 2022

Resolved hyperfine structure and narrow inhomogeneously broadened lines in the optical spectra of a rare-earth-doped crystal are favorable for the implementation of various sensors. Here, a well-resolved hyperfine structure in the photoluminescence spectra of LiYF4:Ho single crystals and the anticrossings of hyperfine levels in a magnetic field are demonstrated using a self-made setup based on a Bruker 125HR high-resolution Fourier spectrometer. This is the first observation of the resolved hyperfine structure and anticrossing hyperfine levels in the luminescence spectra of a crystal. The narrowest spectral linewidth is only 0.0022 cm−1. This fact together with a large value of the magnetic g factor of several crystal-field states creates prerequisites for developing magnetic field sensors, which can be in demand in modern quantum information technology devices operating at low temperatures. Very small random lattice strains characterizing the quality of a crystal can be detected using anticrossing points.
Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study
Authors: Cavanna Federico , Muller Stephanie , de la Fuente Laura Alethia , Zamberlan Federico , Palmucci Matías , Janeckova Lucie , Kuchar Martin , Pallavicini Carla , Tagliazucchi Enzo
Published: August 2022

The use of low sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics (“microdosing”) has gained popularity in recent years. Although anecdotal reports claim multiple benefits associated with this practice, the lack of placebo-controlled studies severely limits our knowledge of microdosing and its effects. Moreover, research conducted in standard laboratory settings could fail to capture the motivation of individuals engaged or planning to engage in microdosing protocols, thus underestimating the likelihood of positive effects on creativity and cognitive function. We recruited 34 individuals starting to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis), one of the materials most frequently used for this purpose. Following a double-blind placebo-controlled experimental design, we investigated the acute and short-term effects of 0.5 g of dried mushrooms on subjective experience, behavior, creativity (divergent and convergent thinking), perception, cognition, and brain activity. The reported acute effects were significantly more intense for the active dose compared to the placebo, but only for participants who correctly identified their experimental condition. These changes were accompanied by reduced EEG power in the theta band, together with preserved levels of Lempel-Ziv broadband signal complexity. For all other measurements there was no effect of microdosing except for few small changes towards cognitive impairment. According to our findings, low doses of psilocybin mushrooms can result in noticeable subjective effects and altered EEG rhythms, but without evidence to support enhanced well-being, creativity and cognitive function. We conclude that expectation underlies at least some of the anecdotal benefits attributed to microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms.
Human-specific gene CT47 blocks PRMT5 degradation to lead to meiosis arrest
Authors: Li Chao , Feng Yuming , Fu Zhenxin , Deng Junjie , Gu Yue , Wang Hanben , Wu Xin , Huang Zhengyun , Zhu Yichen , Liu Zhiwei , Huang Moli , Wang Tao , Hu Shijun , Yao Bing , Zeng Yizhun , Zhou Chengji J. , Brown Steve D. M. , Liu Yi , Vidal-Puig Antonio , Dong Yingying , Xu Ying
Published: August 2022

Exploring the functions of human-specific genes (HSGs) is challenging due to the lack of a tractable genetic model system. Testosterone is essential for maintaining human spermatogenesis and fertility, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we identified Cancer/Testis Antigen gene family 47 (CT47) as an essential regulator of human-specific spermatogenesis by stabilizing arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5). A humanized mouse model revealed that CT47 functions to arrest spermatogenesis by interacting with and regulating CT47/PRMT5 accumulation in the nucleus during the leptotene/zygotene-to-pachytene transition of meiosis. We demonstrate that testosterone induces nuclear depletion of CT47/PRMT5 and rescues leptotene-arrested spermatocyte progression in humanized testes. Loss of CT47 in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) by CRISPR/Cas9 led to an increase in haploid cells but blocked the testosterone-induced increase in haploid cells when hESCs were differentiated into haploid spermatogenic cells. Moreover, CT47 levels were decreased in nonobstructive azoospermia. Together, these results established CT47 as a crucial regulator of human spermatogenesis by preventing meiosis initiation before the testosterone surge.
A Ctnnb1 enhancer regulates neocortical neurogenesis by controlling the abundance of intermediate progenitors
Authors: Wang Junbao , Wang Andi , Tian Kuan , Hua Xiaojiao , Zhang Bo , Zheng Yue , Kong Xiangfei , Li Wei , Xu Lichao , Wang Juan , Li Zhiqiang , Liu Ying , Zhou Yan
Published: August 2022

β-catenin-dependent canonical Wnt signaling plays a plethora of roles in neocortex (Ncx) development, but its function in regulating the abundance of intermediate progenitors (IPs) is elusive. Here we identified neCtnnb1, an evolutionarily conserved cis-regulatory element with typical enhancer features in developing Ncx. neCtnnb1 locates 55 kilobase upstream of and spatially close to the promoter of Ctnnb1, the gene encoding β-catenin. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated activation or interference of the neCtnnb1 locus enhanced or inhibited transcription of Ctnnb1. neCtnnb1 drove transcription predominantly in the subventricular zone of developing Ncx. Knock-out of neCtnnb1 in mice resulted in compromised expression of Ctnnb1 and the Wnt reporter in developing Ncx. Importantly, knock-out of neCtnnb1 lead to reduced production and transit-amplification of IPs, which subsequently generated fewer upper-layer Ncx projection neurons (PNs). In contrast, enhancing the canonical Wnt signaling by stabilizing β-catenin in neCtnnb1-active cells promoted the production of IPs and upper-layer Ncx PNs. ASH2L was identified as the key trans-acting factor that associates with neCtnnb1 and Ctnnb1’s promoter to maintain Ctnnb1’s transcription in both mouse and human Ncx progenitors. These findings advance understanding of transcriptional regulation of Ctnnb1, and provide insights into mechanisms underlying Ncx expansion during development.
Single-cell analysis reveals differences among iNKT cells colonizing peripheral organs and identifies Klf2 as a key gene for iNKT emigration
Authors: Wang Jie , Loveless Ian , Adrianto Indra , Liu Tingting , Subedi Kalpana , Wu Xiaojun , Hossain Md Moazzem , Sebzda Eric , Zhou Li , Mi Qing-Sheng
Published: August 2022

Invariant natural killer T cell (iNKT) subsets are differentially distributed in various immune organs. However, it remains unclear whether iNKT cells exhibit phenotypical and functional differences in different peripheral organs and how thymic iNKT cells emigrate to peripheral organs. Here, we used single-cell RNA-seq to map iNKT cells from peripheral organs. iNKT1 cells from liver, spleen, and lymph node appear to have distinct phenotypic profiles and functional capabilities. However, iNKT17 transcriptomes were comparable across peripheral organs. In addition, by integrating data with a thymic iNKT cell study, we uncovered a transient population of recent thymic emigrants, a cluster of peripheral iNKT cells with high expression of transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 2 (Klf2). Deletion of Klf2 led to a severe impairment of iNKT differentiation and migration. Our study revealed that iNKT subsets are uniquely distributed in peripheral organs with some inter-local tissue variation, especially for iNKT1 cell, and identified Klf2 as a rheostat for iNKT cell migration and differentiation.
Coarse sea spray inhibits lightning
Authors: Pan Zengxin , Mao Feiyue , Rosenfeld Daniel , Zhu Yannian , Zang Lin , Lu Xin , Thornton Joel A. , Holzworth Robert H. , Yin Jianhua , Efraim Avichay , Gong Wei
Published: August 2022

The known effects of thermodynamics and aerosols can well explain the thunderstorm activity over land, but fail over oceans. Here, tracking the full lifecycle of tropical deep convective cloud clusters shows that adding fine aerosols significantly increases the lightning density for a given rainfall amount over both ocean and land. In contrast, adding coarse sea salt (dry radius > 1 μm), known as sea spray, weakens the cloud vigor and lightning by producing fewer but larger cloud drops, which accelerate warm rain at the expense of mixed-phase precipitation. Adding coarse sea spray can reduce the lightning by 90% regardless of fine aerosol loading. These findings reconcile long outstanding questions about the differences between continental and marine thunderstorms, and help to understand lightning and underlying aerosol-cloud-precipitation interaction mechanisms and their climatic effects.
Comprehensive genomic and epigenomic analysis in cancer of unknown primary guides molecularly-informed therapies despite heterogeneity
Authors: Möhrmann Lino , Werner Maximilian , Oleś Małgorzata , Mock Andreas , Uhrig Sebastian , Jahn Arne , Kreutzfeldt Simon , Fröhlich Martina , Hutter Barbara , Paramasivam Nagarajan , Richter Daniela , Beck Katja , Winter Ulrike , Pfütze Katrin , Heilig Christoph E. , Teleanu Veronica , Lipka Daniel B. , Zapatka Marc , Hanf Dorothea , List Catrin , Allgäuer Michael , Penzel Roland , Rüter Gina , Jelas Ivan , Hamacher Rainer , Falkenhorst Johanna , Wagner Sebastian , Brandts Christian H. , Boerries Melanie , Illert Anna L. , Metzeler Klaus H. , Westphalen C. Benedikt , Desuki Alexander , Kindler Thomas , Folprecht Gunnar , Weichert Wilko , Brors Benedikt , Stenzinger Albrecht , Schröck Evelin , Hübschmann Daniel , Horak Peter , Heining Christoph , Fröhling Stefan , Glimm Hanno
Published: August 2022

The benefit of molecularly-informed therapies in cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is unclear. Here, we use comprehensive molecular characterization by whole genome/exome, transcriptome and methylome analysis in 70 CUP patients to reveal substantial mutational heterogeneity with TP53, MUC16, KRAS, LRP1B and CSMD3 being the most frequently mutated known cancer-related genes. The most common fusion partner is FGFR2, the most common focal homozygous deletion affects CDKN2A. 56/70 (80%) patients receive genomics-based treatment recommendations which are applied in 20/56 (36%) cases. Transcriptome and methylome data provide evidence for the underlying entity in 62/70 (89%) cases. Germline analysis reveals five (likely) pathogenic mutations in five patients. Recommended off-label therapies translate into a mean PFS ratio of 3.6 with a median PFS1 of 2.9 months (17 patients) and a median PFS2 of 7.8 months (20 patients). Our data emphasize the clinical value of molecular analysis and underline the need for innovative, mechanism-based clinical trials.
Steering the multiexciton generation in slip-stacked perylene dye array via exciton coupling
Authors: Hong Yongseok , Rudolf Maximilian , Kim Munnyon , Kim Juno , Schembri Tim , Krause Ana-Maria , Shoyama Kazutaka , Bialas David , Röhr Merle I. S. , Joo Taiha , Kim Hyungjun , Kim Dongho , Würthner Frank
Published: August 2022

Dye arrays from dimers up to larger oligomers constitute the functional units of natural light harvesting systems as well as organic photonic and photovoltaic materials. Whilst in the past decades many photophysical studies were devoted to molecular dimers for deriving structure-property relationship to unravel the design principles for ideal optoelectronic materials, they fail to accomplish the subsequent processes of charge carrier generation or the detachment of two triplet species in singlet fission (SF). Here, we present a slip-stacked perylene bisimide trimer, which constitutes a bridge between hitherto studied dimer and solid-state materials, to investigate SF mechanisms. This work showcases multiple pathways towards the multiexciton state through direct or excimer-mediated mechanisms by depending upon interchromophoric interaction. These results suggest the comprehensive role of the exciton coupling, exciton delocalization, and excimer state to facilitate the SF process. In this regard, our observations expand the fundamental understanding the structure-property relationship in dye arrays.
Small-world complex network generation on a digital quantum processor
Authors: Jones Eric B. , Hillberry Logan E. , Jones Matthew T. , Fasihi Mina , Roushan Pedram , Jiang Zhang , Ho Alan , Neill Charles , Ostby Eric , Graf Peter , Kapit Eliot , Carr Lincoln D.
Published: August 2022

Quantum cellular automata (QCA) evolve qubits in a quantum circuit depending only on the states of their neighborhoods and model how rich physical complexity can emerge from a simple set of underlying dynamical rules. The inability of classical computers to simulate large quantum systems hinders the elucidation of quantum cellular automata, but quantum computers offer an ideal simulation platform. Here, we experimentally realize QCA on a digital quantum processor, simulating a one-dimensional Goldilocks rule on chains of up to 23 superconducting qubits. We calculate calibrated and error-mitigated population dynamics and complex network measures, which indicate the formation of small-world mutual information networks. These networks decohere at fixed circuit depth independent of system size, the largest of which corresponding to 1,056 two-qubit gates. Such computations may enable the employment of QCA in applications like the simulation of strongly-correlated matter or beyond-classical computational demonstrations.
Fundamental investigations on the sodium-ion transport properties of mixed polyanion solid-state battery electrolytes
Authors: Deng Zeyu , Mishra Tara P. , Mahayoni Eunike , Ma Qianli , Tieu Aaron Jue Kang , Guillon Olivier , Chotard Jean-Noël , Seznec Vincent , Cheetham Anthony K. , Masquelier Christian , Gautam Gopalakrishnan Sai , Canepa Pieremanuele
Published: August 2022

Lithium and sodium (Na) mixed polyanion solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries display some of the highest ionic conductivities reported to date. However, the effect of polyanion mixing on the ion-transport properties is still not fully understood. Here, we focus on Na1+xZr2SixP3−xO12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 3) NASICON electrolyte to elucidate the role of polyanion mixing on the Na-ion transport properties. Although NASICON is a widely investigated system, transport properties derived from experiments or theory vary by orders of magnitude. We use more than 2000 distinct ab initio-based kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to map the compositional space of NASICON over various time ranges, spatial resolutions and temperatures. Via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements on samples with different sodium content, we find that the highest ionic conductivity (i.e., about 0.165 S cm–1 at 473 K) is experimentally achieved in Na3.4Zr2Si2.4P0.6O12, in line with simulations (i.e., about 0.170 S cm–1 at 473 K). The theoretical studies indicate that doped NASICON compounds (especially those with a silicon content x ≥ 2.4) can improve the Na-ion mobility compared to undoped NASICON compositions.
Sources of dehydration fluids underneath the Kamchatka arc
Authors: Shu Yunchao , Nielsen Sune G. , Le Roux Veronique , Wörner Gerhard , Blusztajn Jerzy , Auro Maureen
Published: August 2022

Fluids mediate the transport of subducted slab material and play a crucial role in the generation of arc magmas. However, the source of subduction-derived fluids remains debated. The Kamchatka arc is an ideal subduction zone to identify the source of fluids because the arc magmas are comparably mafic, their source appears to be essentially free of subducted sediment-derived components, and subducted Hawaii-Emperor Seamount Chain (HESC) is thought to contribute a substantial fluid flux to the Kamchatka magmas. Here we show that Tl isotope ratios are unique tracers of HESC contribution to Kamchatka arc magma sources. In conjunction with trace element ratios and literature data, we trace the progressive dehydration and melting of subducted HESC across the Kamchatka arc. In succession, serpentine (<100 km depth), lawsonite (100–250 km depth) and phengite (>250 km depth) break down and produce fluids that contribute to arc magmatism at the Eastern Volcanic Front (EVF), Central Kamchatka Depression (CKD), and Sredinny Ridge (SR), respectively. However, given the Tl-poor nature of serpentine and lawsonite fluids, simultaneous melting of subducted HESC is required to explain the HESC-like Tl isotope signatures observed in EVF and CKD lavas. In the absence of eclogitic crust melting processes in this region of the Kamchatka arc, we propose that progressive dehydration and melting of a HESC-dominated mélange offers the most compelling interpretation of the combined isotope and trace element data.
Ribosome impairment regulates intestinal stem cell identity via ZAKɑ activation
Authors: Silva Joana , Alkan Ferhat , Ramalho Sofia , Snieckute Goda , Prekovic Stefan , Garcia Ana Krotenberg , Hernández-Pérez Santiago , van der Kammen Rob , Barnum Danielle , Hoekman Liesbeth , Altelaar Maarten , Zwart Wilbert , Suijkerbuijk Saskia Jacoba Elisabeth , Bekker-Jensen Simon , Faller William James
Published: August 2022

The small intestine is a rapidly proliferating organ that is maintained by a small population of Lgr5-expressing intestinal stem cells (ISCs). However, several Lgr5-negative ISC populations have been identified, and this remarkable plasticity allows the intestine to rapidly respond to both the local environment and to damage. However, the mediators of such plasticity are still largely unknown. Using intestinal organoids and mouse models, we show that upon ribosome impairment (driven by Rptor deletion, amino acid starvation, or low dose cyclohexamide treatment) ISCs gain an Lgr5-negative, fetal-like identity. This is accompanied by a rewiring of metabolism. Our findings suggest that the ribosome can act as a sensor of nutrient availability, allowing ISCs to respond to the local nutrient environment. Mechanistically, we show that this phenotype requires the activation of ZAKɑ, which in turn activates YAP, via SRC. Together, our data reveals a central role for ribosome dynamics in intestinal stem cells, and identify the activation of ZAKɑ as a critical mediator of stem cell identity.
Zika vector competence data reveals risks of outbreaks: the contribution of the European ZIKAlliance project
Authors: Obadia Thomas , Gutierrez-Bugallo Gladys , Duong Veasna , Nuñez Ana I. , Fernandes Rosilainy S. , Kamgang Basile , Hery Liza , Gomard Yann , Abbo Sandra R. , Jiolle Davy , Glavinic Uros , Dupont-Rouzeyrol Myrielle , Atyame Célestine M. , Pocquet Nicolas , Boyer Sébastien , Dauga Catherine , Vazeille Marie , Yébakima André , White Michael T. , Koenraadt Constantianus J. M. , Mavingui Patrick , Vega-Rua Anubis , Veronesi Eva , Pijlman Gorben P. , Paupy Christophe , Busquets Núria , Lourenço-de-Oliveira Ricardo , De Lamballerie Xavier , Failloux Anna-Bella
Published: August 2022

First identified in 1947, Zika virus took roughly 70 years to cause a pandemic unusually associated with virus-induced brain damage in newborns. Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti, and secondarily, Aedes albopictus, both colonizing a large strip encompassing tropical and temperate regions. As part of the international project ZIKAlliance initiated in 2016, 50 mosquito populations from six species collected in 12 countries were experimentally infected with different Zika viruses. Here, we show that Ae. aegypti is mainly responsible for Zika virus transmission having the highest susceptibility to viral infections. Other species play a secondary role in transmission while Culex mosquitoes are largely non-susceptible. Zika strain is expected to significantly modulate transmission efficiency with African strains being more likely to cause an outbreak. As the distribution of Ae. aegypti will doubtless expand with climate change and without new marketed vaccines, all the ingredients are in place to relive a new pandemic of Zika.
Electronic structure factors and the importance of adsorbate effects in chemisorption on surface alloys
Authors: Saini Shikha , Halldin Stenlid Joakim , Abild-Pedersen Frank
Published: August 2022

The chemisorption energy is an integral aspect of surface chemistry, central to numerous fields such as catalysis, corrosion, and nanotechnology. Electronic-structure-based methods such as the Newns-Anderson model are therefore of great importance in guiding the engineering of material surfaces with optimal properties. However, existing methods are inadequate for interpreting complex, multi-metallic systems. Herein, we introduce a physics-based chemisorption model for alloyed transition metal surfaces employing primarily metald-band properties that accounts for perturbations in both the substrate and adsorbate electronic states upon interaction. Importantly, we show that adsorbate-induced changes in the adsorption site interact with its chemical environment leading to a second-order response in chemisorption energy with thed-filling of the neighboring atoms. We demonstrate the robustness of the model on a wide range of transition metal alloys with O, N, CH, and Li adsorbates yielding a mean absolute error of 0.13 eV versus density functional theory reference chemisorption energies.
Towards an extension of equivalent system mass for human exploration missions on Mars
Authors: Ho Davian , Makrygiorgos Georgios , Hill Avery , Berliner Aaron J.
Published: August 2022

NASA mission systems proposals are often compared using an equivalent system mass (ESM) framework, wherein all elements of a technology to deliver an effect—its components, operations, and logistics of delivery—are converted to effective masses, which has a known cost scale in space operations. To date, ESM methods and the tools for system comparison largely fail to consider complexities stemming from multiple transit and operations stages, such as would be required to support a crewed mission to Mars, and thus do not account for different mass equivalency factors during each period and the inter-dependencies of the costs across the mission segments. Further, ESM does not account well for the differential reliabilities of the underlying technologies. The uncertainty in the performance of technology should incur an equivalent mass penalty for technology options that might otherwise provide a mass advantage. Here we draw attention to the importance of addressing these limitations and formulate the basis of an extension of ESM that allows for a direct method for analyzing, optimizing, and comparing different mission systems. We outline a preliminary example of applying extended ESM (xESM) through a techno-economic calculation of crop-production technologies as an illustrative case for developing offworld biomanufacturing systems.
Water stable and matrix addressable OLED fiber textiles for wearable displays with large emission area
Authors: Song Hayoung , Song Young Jin , Hong Jinwook , Kang Ki Suk , Yu Sera , Cho Ha-Eun , Kim Jae-Hun , Lee Sung-Min
Published: August 2022

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) fibers with favorable electroluminescence properties and interconnectable pixel configurations have represented the potential for wearable electronic textile displays. Nevertheless, the current technology of OLED fiber-based textile displays still leaves to be desired due to several challenges, including limited emission area and lack of encapsulation systems. Here we present a fibrous OLED textile display that can attain a large emission area and long-term stability by implementing addressable networks comprised of integrated phosphorescence OLED fibers and by designing multilayer encapsulations. The integrated fiber configuration offers decoupled functional fiber surfaces for an interconnectable 1-dimensional OLED pixel array and a data-addressing conductor. Tailored triadic metal/ultrathin oxide/polymer multilayer enables not only the oxygen/water permeation inhibition but also the controllable conductive channels of dielectric antifuses. Together with reliable bending stability, the long-term operation of OLED textiles in water manifests the feasibility of the present device concept toward water-resistant full-emitting-area fibrous textile displays.
Hardness and corrosion behavior of an Al-2Mn alloy with both microstructural and chemical gradients
Authors: Sun Qingqing , He Jing , Chen Jiabo , Chen Chunhong , Guo Xiaokai , Cao Fahe , Wang Shuai
Published: August 2022

An Al–2Mn binary alloy with gradient microstructure and chemistry near its surface was fabricated by combining surface mechanical treatment and post-ageing treatment. TEM results indicate that the minimum grain size of the topmost surface layer is below 100 nm. As revealed by SIMS results, Mn is depleted in the surface layer with ~2 μm in thickness, which is due to the “short-circuit” diffusion along grain boundaries and dislocation pipes. Microhardness and corrosion testing results revealed that both hardness and corrosion resistance increase substantially with this gradient design. XPS and Mott–Schottky results demonstrate that the oxide film of the gradient Al–Mn alloy is thinner and denser than that of the coarse-grained sample. Our design method of obtaining gradient distribution both in microstructure and chemistry near metal surface lights a pathway for overcoming the trade-off between properties such as strength and corrosion in 3000 series Al alloys.
Vertically migrating phytoplankton fuel high oceanic primary production
Authors: Wirtz Kai , Smith S. Lan , Mathis Moritz , Taucher Jan
Published: August 2022

Marine net primary production (NPP) is remarkably high given the typical vertical separation of 50–150 m between the depth zones of light and nutrient sufficiency, respectively. Here we present evidence that many autotrophs bridge this gap through downward and upward migration, thereby facilitating biological nutrient pumping and high rates of oceanic NPP. Our model suggests that phytoplankton vertical migration (PVM) fuels up to 40% (>28 tg yr−1 N) of new production and directly contributes 25% of total oceanic NPP (herein estimated at 56 PgC yr−1). Confidence in these estimates is supported by good reproduction of seasonal, vertical and geographic variations in NPP. In contrast to common predictions, a sensitivity study of the PVM model indicates higher NPP under global warming when enhanced stratification reduces physical nutrient transport into the surface ocean. Our findings suggest that PVM is a key mechanism driving marine biogeochemistry and therefore requires consideration in global carbon budgets.
A simultaneous electroencephalography and eye-tracking dataset in elite athletes during alertness and concentration tasks
Authors: Pei Xinzhen , Xu Guiying , Zhou Yunhui , Tao Luna , Cui Xiaozhu , Wang Zhenyu , Xu Bingru , Wang An-Li , Zhao Xi , Dong Haijun , An Yan , Cao Yang , Li Ruxue , Hu Honglin , Yu Yuguo
Published: August 2022

The dataset of simultaneous 64-channel electroencephalography (EEG) and high-speed eye-tracking (ET) recordings was collected from 31 professional athletes and 43 college students during alertness behavior task (ABT) and concentration cognitive task (CCT). The CCT experiment lasting 1–2 hours included five sessions for groups of the Shooting, Archery and Modern Pentathlon elite athletes and the controls. Concentration targets included shooting target and combination target with or without 24 different directions of visual distractors and 2 types of music distractors. Meditation and Schulte Grid trainings were done as interventions. Analysis of the dataset aimed to extract effective biological markers of eye movement and EEG that can assess the concentration level of talented athletes compared with same-aged controls. Moreover, this dataset is useful for the research of related visual brain-computer interfaces.
A dataset of mentorship in bioscience with semantic and demographic estimations
Authors: Ke Qing , Liang Lizhen , Ding Ying , David Stephen V. , Acuna Daniel E.
Published: August 2022

Mentorship in science is crucial for topic choice, career decisions, and the success of mentees and mentors. Typically, researchers who study mentorship use article co-authorship and doctoral dissertation datasets. However, available datasets of this type focus on narrow selections of fields and miss out on early career and non-publication-related interactions. Here, we describe Mentorship, a crowdsourced dataset of 743176 mentorship relationships among 738989 scientists primarily in biosciences that avoids these shortcomings. Our dataset enriches the Academic Family Tree project by adding publication data from the Microsoft Academic Graph and “semantic” representations of research using deep learning content analysis. Because gender and race have become critical dimensions when analyzing mentorship and disparities in science, we also provide estimations of these factors. We perform extensive validations of the profile–publication matching, semantic content, and demographic inferences, which mostly cover neuroscience and biomedical sciences. We anticipate this dataset will spur the study of mentorship in science and deepen our understanding of its role in scientists’ career outcomes.
ExAgBov: A public database of annotated variations from hundreds of bovine whole-exome sequencing samples
Authors: Raz Rotem , Roth Zvi , Gershoni Moran
Published: August 2022

Large reference datasets of annotated genetic variations from genome-scale sequencing are essential for interpreting identified variants, their functional impact, and their possible contribution to diseases and traits. However, to date, no such database of annotated variation from broad cattle populations is publicly available. To overcome this gap and advance bovine NGS-driven variant discovery and interpretation, we obtained and analyzed raw data deposited in the SRA public repository. Short reads from 262 whole-exome sequencing samples of Bos Taurus were mapped to the Bos Taurus ARS-UCD1.2 reference genome. The GATK best practice workflow was applied for variant calling. Comprehensive annotation of all recorded variants was done using the Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor (VEP). An in-depth analysis of the population structure revealed the breeds comprising the database. The Exomes Aggregate of Bovine- ExAgBov is a comprehensively annotated dataset of more than 20 million short variants, of which ~2% are located within open reading frames, splice regions, and UTRs, and more than 60,000 variants are predicted to be deleterious.
Long-term outcomes of conventional and novel steroid replacement therapy on bone health in primary adrenal insufficiency
Authors: Guarnotta Valentina , Di Stefano Claudia , Giordano Carla
Published: August 2022

Steroids affect bone health causing osteoporosis and fractures. The study aims to compare dual-release hydrocortisone (DR-HC) and conventional steroids on bone metabolism in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI). Thirty-five patients with PAI on conventional steroids (group A) and 35 patients switched to DR-HC (group B), consecutively referred at our hospital, were evaluated at baseline and after 18, 36 and 60 months of treatment. After 60 months of follow-up, patients in group A had a significant increase in body mass index (p = 0.004) and waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.026) and a significant decrease in osteocalcin (p = 0.002), bone alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.029), lumbar spine bone mass density (BMD) T and Z scores (p < 0.001 andp = 0.001, respectively) and vertebral fractures rate (p = 0.021) than baseline. By contrast, patients in group B had a significant decrease in WC (p = 0.047) and increase in bone alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.019), lumbar spine BMD T score (p = 0.032), femoral neck BMD T and Z scores (p = 0.023 andp = 0.036, respectively) than baseline. Long-term conventional steroid replacement therapy is associated with a decrease in BMD, notably at lumbar spine, and increase in vertebral fractures rate. By contrast, DR-HC treatment is associated with improvement of BMD.
Modeling geographical invasions of Solenopsis invicta influenced by land-use patterns
Authors: Lin Chia-Hsien , Liu Yi-Huei , Huang Rong-Nan , Lin Chung-Chi , Liu Helen Kang-Huey , Wen Tzai-Hung
Published: August 2022

Research into geographical invasions of red imported fire ants (RIFAs) by anthropogenic disturbances has received much attention. However, little is known about how land-use change and the characteristics of roads with different land-use types are associated with the risk of RIFA successful invasion or remaining at the highest level of invasion (RIFA SIRH). Furthermore, it was often assumed in prior studies that the risk of RIFA SIRH had a linear association with the independent variables. However, a linear relationship may not reflect the actual circumstances. In this study, we applied linear and nonlinear approaches to assess how land-use types, distance from the nearest road, different land-use types, and spatial factors affect the risk of RIFA SIRH. The results showed that agricultural land, land for transportation usage, and areas that had undergone land-use change from 2014 to 2017 had greater odds of RIFA invasion than natural land cover. We also identified land for transportation usage and the area of land-use change from 2014 to 2017, had more than 60% of RIFA SIRH within 350 m and 150 m from the nearest road. This study provided important insights into RIFA invasions in an isolated island and the areas of control strategies implemented.
Fresh-marketable tomato yields enhanced by moderate weed control and suppressed fruit dehiscence with woodchip mulching
Authors: Horimoto Sakae , Fukuda Kazuaki , Yoshimura Jin , Ishida Atsushi
Published: August 2022

The use of plastic film imposes various environmental risks in agroecosystems. The replacement of plastics with organic materials for mulching has been suggested to enhance the sustainability of agroecosystems. However, whether woodchip mulch can be used for annual crops needs to be verified. We examined the effects of mulberry woodchip mulches on tomato-fruit yields over two successive years. Mulberry is the unique food plant of silkworms, and it will be better if its pruned shoots can be recycled rather than incinerated as waste. Setting three treatments, including woodchip mulch, weed-free and weedy (i.e., unweeded) treatments, we compared the amounts of fresh-marketable and unmarketable tomato fruits. The yields of fresh-marketable tomato fruits in the woodchip mulch treatment were significantly 16–57% higher than those in the weed-free treatment and comparable to those in the weedy treatment. The yields of unmarketable dehiscent tomato fruits in the weed-free treatment were significantly 46–86% higher than those of the other two treatments. The woodchip mulches extensively suppressed the weed density, while the grown weeds became large, preventing strong sunlight exposure and dehiscence of tomato fruits. Current results suggest that woodchips could be a possible alternative to plastics, facilitating climate change mitigation with agroforestry practices.
Analysis of environmental factors using AI and ML methods
Authors: Haq Mohd Anul , Ahmed Ahsan , Khan Ilyas , Gyani Jayadev , Mohamed Abdullah , Attia El-Awady , Mangan Pandian , Pandi Dinagarapandi
Published: August 2022

The main goal of this research paper is to apply a deep neural network model for time series forecasting of environmental variables. Accurate forecasting of snow cover and NDVI are important issues for the reliable and efficient hydrological models and prediction of the spread of forest. Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) model for the time series forecasting of snow cover, temperature, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) are studied in this research work. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are widely used for forecasting time series due to their adaptive computing nature. LSTM and Recurrent neural networks (RNN) are some of the several architectures provided in a class of ANN. LSTM is a kind of RNN that has the capability of learning long-term dependencies. We followed a coarse-to-fine strategy, providing reviews of various related research materials and supporting it with the LSTM analysis on the dataset of Himachal Pradesh, as gathered. Environmental factors of the Himachal Pradesh region are forecasted using the dataset, consisting of temperature, snow cover, and vegetation index as parameters from the year 2001–2017. Currently, available tools and techniques make the presented system more efficient to quickly assess, adjust, and improve the environment-related factors analysis.
Discriminators of pseudoprogression and true progression in high-grade gliomas: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Taylor Chris , Ekert Justyna O. , Sefcikova Viktoria , Fersht Naomi , Samandouras George
Published: August 2022

High-grade gliomas remain the most common primary brain tumour with limited treatments options and early recurrence rates following adjuvant treatments. However, differentiating true tumour progression (TTP) from treatment-related effects or pseudoprogression (PsP), may critically influence subsequent management options. Structural MRI is routinely employed to evaluate treatment responses, but misdiagnosis of TTP or PsP may lead to continuation of ineffective or premature cessation of effective treatments, respectively. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses method. Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched for methods applied to differentiate PsP and TTP, and studies were selected using pre-specified eligibility criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of included studies were summarised. Three of the identified methods were compared in a separate subgroup meta-analysis. Thirty studies assessing seven distinct neuroimaging methods in 1372 patients were included in the systematic review. The highest performing methods in the subgroup analysis were DWI (AUC = 0.93 [0.91–0.95]) and DSC-MRI (AUC = 0.93 [0.90–0.95]), compared to DCE-MRI (AUC = 0.90 [0.87–0.93]). 18F-fluoroethyltyrosine PET (18F-FET PET) and amide proton transfer-weighted MRI (APTw-MRI) also showed high diagnostic accuracy, but results were based on few low-powered studies. Both DWI and DSC-MRI performed with high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating PsP from TTP. Considering the technical parameters and feasibility of each identified method, the authors suggested that, at present, DSC-MRI technique holds the most clinical potential.
A generalized framework for elliptic curves based PRNG and its utilization in image encryption
Authors: AbdElHaleem Sherif H. , Abd-El-Hafiz Salwa K. , Radwan Ahmed G.
Published: August 2022

In the last decade, Elliptic Curves (ECs) have shown their efficacy as a safe fundamental component in encryption systems, mainly when used in Pseudorandom Number Generator (PRNG) design. This paper proposes a framework for designing EC-based PRNG and maps recent PRNG design techniques into the framework, classifying them as iterative and non-iterative. Furthermore, a PRNG is designed based on the framework and verified using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) statistical test suite. The PRNG is then utilized in an image encryption system where statistical measures, differential attack measures, the NIST statistical test suite, and system key sensitivity analysis are used to demonstrate the system's security. The results are good and promising as compared with other related work.
A hybrid greedy political optimizer with fireworks algorithm for numerical and engineering optimization problems
Authors: Dong Jian , Zou Heng , Li Wenyu , Wang Meng
Published: August 2022

This paper proposes a novel hybrid optimization algorithm named GPOFWA, which integrates political optimizer (PO) with fireworks algorithm (FWA) to solve numerical and engineering optimization problems. The original PO uses subgroup optimal solutions such as party leaders and constituency winners to guide the movement of the search agent. However, the number of such subgroup optimal solutions is limited, which leads to insufficient global exploration capabilities of PO. In addition, the recent past-based position updating strategy (RPPUS) of PO lacks effective verification of the updated candidate solutions, which reduces the convergence speed of the algorithm. The proposed hybrid algorithm uses the spark explosion mechanism in FWA to perform explosion spark and Gauss explosion spark operations on the subgroup optimal solutions (party leader and constituency winner) respectively based on the greedy strategy, which optimizes the subgroup optimal solution and enhances the exploitative ability of the algorithm. Moreover, Gaussian explosion sparks are also used to correct the candidate solutions after RPPUS, which makes up for the shortcomings of the original PO. In addition, a new subgroup optimal solution called the Converged Mobile Center (CMC) based on two-way consideration is designed to guide the movement of search agents and maintain the population diversity. We test the presented hybrid algorithm on 30 well-known benchmark functions, CEC2019 benchmark functions and three engineering optimization problems. The experimental results show that GPOFWA is superior to many statE−of-thE−art methods in terms of the quality of the resulting solution.
Mindfulness meditation increases default mode, salience, and central executive network connectivity
Authors: Bremer Benno , Wu Qiong , Mora Álvarez María Guadalupe , Hölzel Britta Karen , Wilhelm Maximilian , Hell Elena , Tavacioglu Ebru Ecem , Torske Alyssa , Koch Kathrin
Published: August 2022

Recent research has begun to identify the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of mindfulness meditation training (MMT) on health and cognition. However, little is known about the effects of MMT on the global interplay of large-scale networks (LSNs) in the brain. In the present study, healthy, meditation-naïve adults (N = 46) underwent resting state fMRI prior to and upon completing 31 days of MMT or an active control intervention. Independent component analysis, sliding time window, and seed-based correlation analyses were performed to assess training-related changes in functional connectivity (FC) within and between networks with relevance to mindfulness meditation. Across sliding time window analyses and seed-based correlation analyses, we found increased FC between nodes of the default mode network (DMN) and nodes of the salience network (SN) in participants of the MMT. Seed-based correlation analyses revealed further connectivity increases between the SN and key regions of the central executive network (CEN). These results indicate, that, among multiple LSNs, one month of mindfulness meditation effectively increases interconnectivity between networks of the triple network model (DMN, SN, CEN), hereby introducing a potential mechanistic concept underlying the beneficial impact of MMT.

Clinical trial registration: This study is listed as a clinical trial on the ISRCTN registry with trial ID ISRCTN95197731 (date of first registration: 15/02/2022).
Design of LED lighting system using solar powered PV cells for a proposed business complex
Authors: Nag Sayan Kumar , Gangopadhyay Tarun Kumar
Published: August 2022

The paper outlines the concepts and design of an upcoming stand-alone solar photovoltaic system to supply the energy needs of a new proposed business complex. The purpose of this study is to develop a prediction method for the use of solar energy for commercial purposes. Firstly, the annual energy demand for the illumination and utilities in a business complex is calculated. LED lights are considered in the complex for the illumination to minimize the cost of energy. Based on the load estimation, the number of solar panels are predicted as 6097, to generate the power for the proposed area. Secondly, the important part of the design in the estimation of solar radiation and optimal tilt angle of a photovoltaic panel has been calculated for the maximum energy harvest. In this case the optimal tilt angle is 49.34°. The installation of PV panels for optimal and feasible operation is also predicted. The calculated parameters are used in a simulation with a software to test their practicality in the business complex. The technique is used to determine the amount of energy produced and system’s performance ratio. A cost estimate is also provided for the solar PV system. In the end, an analysis of these simulations and estimations is presented.