bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Screening and identification of LMNB1 and DLGAP5, two key biomarkers in gliomas
Authors: Zhou Ding , Wang Mengmeng , Zhang Yu , Wang Kai , Zhao Min , Wang Yan , Wang Xu , Yu Rutong , Zhou Xiuping
Published: May 2021

Glioma is the most common primary cancer in the central nervous system. Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy over the past decades, the prognosis of glioblastoma patients remains poor. We aim to identify robust gene signatures to better understand the complex molecular mechanisms and to discover potential novel molecular biomarkers for glioma. By exploring GSE16011, GSE4290 and GSE50161 data in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we screened out 380 differentially expressed genes between non-tumor and glioma tissues, and further selected 30 hub genes through the Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) plug-in in Cytoscape. In addition, LMNB1 and DLGAP5 were selected for further analyses due to their high expression in gliomas and were verified by using our cohort. Our study confirmed that LMNB1 and DLGAP5 were up-regulated in gliomas, and patients with high expression of LMNB1 or DLGAP5 had poor survival rate. Furthermore, silence of LMNB1 and DLGAP5 inhibited the proliferation of glioma cells. Together, LMNB1 and DLGAP5 were two potentially novel molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of glioma.
Interaction between time-varying tone inharmonicity, fundamental frequency and spectral shape affects felt tension and timbral semantics
Authors: Zacharakis Asterios , Pastiadis Konstantinos
Published: May 2021

Musically induced tension has been the subject of thorough study in the music cognition literature but its relationship with timbre is still poorly investigated. This study examines how the dynamic variation of a tone’s inharmonicity may affect a number of auditory qualities, namely brightness, roughness and mass along with felt tension under different acoustical conditions (i.e., F0, spectral shape and type of inharmonicity). Fifty-six musically trained participants gave real-time continuous ratings on eight time-varying stimuli upon the aforementioned qualities. Static ratings over the initial purely harmonic parts of the stimuli were also obtained by a subgroup of the listening panel. The fundamental frequency exhibits the strongest influence on the responses of the four qualities, followed by the type of inharmonicity and the spectral shape to a lesser degree. The profile patterns of mass and brightness proved to be strong predictors for tension profile patterns while the roughness profile magnitudes show a significant main effect on the magnitude of tension profiles. Overall, these results demonstrate that time-varying inharmonicity affects continuous responses on both timbral semantics and tension, while indicating that felt tension may be influenced by underlying timbral qualities in a dynamic context.
Digitale Chancen für Medizin und Physiotherapie
Authors: Pförringer Dominik , Back David , Matusiewicz David
Published: May 2021

Obwohl sich die Digitalisierung im Gesundheitswesen seit Beginn der Corona-Pandemie beschleunigt hat, gibt es noch manche Defizite. An einer weiteren Entwicklung führt jedoch kein Weg vorbei, und es gibt auch schon manche Angebote, die erahnen lassen, was zukünftig möglich sein wird.
Social Media Use in COPD Patients in Germany and Switzerland
Authors: Heimel Markus , Jat Hamida , Basch Sarah , Gutzwiller Florian S. , Biehl Volker , Eckert Jörg H.
Published: May 2021

Use of social media and the Internet has changed the information-seeking behaviour and exchange of experience and information by patients. Passive observation of such online interaction between patients (social media listening) is conducted in order to understand the burden of the disease, symptom perception, and expectations from a patient perspective. For most conditions, it remains to be established how representative the social media user community is for the overall patient population. In this study, we describe internet and social media use in a population of 570 COPD patients from Germany and Switzerland. This study population is a good representation of the overall patient population in Germany and Switzerland with regards to socioeconomic data. Patients were analyzed in an exploratory fashion whether usage of the Internet to obtain disease-specific information and exchanging on COPD via social media is associated with or is independent from certain socioeconomic criteria. About three-fourths of patients indicated using the Internet to search information about COPD and about a third of patients indicated using social media to exchange with others about their disease. Results indicated that among the patients using the Internet to seek information and among those sharing information via social media, patients with very severe COPD (GOLD stage 4) were overrepresented versus milder forms of the disease. Similarly, patients with more advanced educational background were also overrepresented in the groups using social media and Internet in relation to COPD. Differences in mean age were statistically significant, but surprisingly small between social media users and non-users. No relationship with regards to social media and Internet use for COPD were observed for domiciling situation and sex.
COVID-19 and Atrial Fibrillation in Older Patients: Does Oral Anticoagulant Therapy Provide a Survival Benefit?—An Insight from the GeroCovid Registry
Authors: Fumagalli Stefano , Trevisan Caterina , Del Signore Susanna , Pelagalli Giulia , Volpato Stefano , Gareri Pietro , Mossello Enrico , Malara Alba , Monzani Fabio , Coin Alessandra , Bellelli Giuseppe , Zia Gianluca , Antonelli Incalzi Raffaele ,   for the GeroCovid Working Group
Published: May 2021

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most frequent arrhythmia of older patients, associates with serious thromboembolic complications and high mortality. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severely affects aged subjects, determining an important prothrombotic status. The aim of this study was to evaluate mortality-related factors in older AF patients with COVID-19.

Methods Between March and June 2020, we enrolled ≥60 year-old in-hospital COVID-19 patients (n = 806) in GeroCovid, a multicenter observational study promoted by the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine.

Results The prevalence of AF was 21.8%. In-hospital mortality was higher in the AF group (36.9 vs. 27.5%, p = 0.015). At admission, 51.7, 10.2, and 38.1% of AF cases were taking, respectively, oral anticoagulants (OACs), antiplatelet agents, and no antithrombotic therapy. During hospitalization, 51% patients switched to low-molecular-weight heparins. AF patients who survived were younger (81 ± 8 vs. 84 ± 7 years; p = 0.002) and had a lower CHA2DS2-VASc score (3.9 ± 1.6 vs. 4.4 ± 1.3; p = 0.02) than those who died. OAC use before (63.1 vs. 32.3%; p < 0.001) and during hospitalization (34.0 vs. 12.7%; p = 0.002) was higher among survivors. At multivariable analysis, lower age, higher self-sufficiency, less severe initial COVID-19 presentation, and the use of vitamin K antagonists (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03–0.84) or direct OACs (OR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.08–0.56) at admission, or the persistence of OAC during hospitalization (OR = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01–0.24), were associated with a lower chance of in-hospital death.

Conclusion AF is a prevalent and severe condition in older COVID-19 patients. Advanced age, dependency, and relevant clinical manifestations of disease characterized a worse prognosis. Preadmission and in-hospital anticoagulant therapies were positively associated with survival.
Validation of Freehand Cervical Pedicle Screw Placement in Subaxial Spine Using the “Burcev Technique”: A Cadaveric Study
Authors: Jain Mantu , Sahu Rabi N. , Gaikwad Manisha R. , Panda Sashikanta , Tirpude Amit , Bag Nerbadyswari D.
Published: May 2021

The present study attempted to validate the “Burcev freehand method” based on anatomical observations in Indian cadavers. The study was conducted on 32 cervical pedicle screws (CPSs) that were placed in four cadavers by the authors according to the “freehand technique,” described by Burcev et al, without the aid of fluoroscopy and the trajectory verified by computed tomography scans. The screws were designated as satisfactory, permissible, or unacceptable. Descriptive variables were represented in number and percentages, continuous variables were represented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Of the 32 CPSs placed, 24 (75%) exhibited a satisfactory position, 1 (3%) exhibited a permissible position, and 7 (22%) exhibited an unacceptable position. Of the seven CPSs in the unacceptable group, four exhibited a lateral breach and three exhibited a medial breach, whereas the CPS in the permissible group exhibited a medial breach. The overall angle with contralateral lamina in the horizontal plane in terms of mean ± SD was 175.43 ± 2.82, 169.49, and 169.65 ± 6.46 degrees in the satisfactory, permissible, and unacceptable groups, respectively. In the sagittal plane, the screws exhibited an angle of 88.15 ± 3.56 degrees. No breach was observed superiorly or inferiorly. The “Burcev technique” is replicable with similar results in cadavers. Further studies must be conducted in a clinical setting to ensure its safety.
Laser-induced synchrotron self-absorption probed with detailed simulations
Authors: Johnson-Groh Mara
Published: May 2021

Particle-in-cell simulations help describe gamma ray emission and absorption at the surface of dense, strongly irradiated plasmas.
Biofabrication of tissue engineering vascular systems
Authors: Zhang Qiao , Bosch-Rué Èlia , Pérez Román A. , Truskey George A.
Published: May 2021

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among persons aged 65 and older in the United States and many other developed countries. Tissue engineered vascular systems (TEVS) can serve as grafts for CVD treatment and be used as in vitro model systems to examine the role of various genetic factors during the CVD progressions. Current focus in the field is to fabricate TEVS that more closely resembles the mechanical properties and extracellular matrix environment of native vessels, which depends heavily on the advance in biofabrication techniques and discovery of novel biomaterials. In this review, we outline the mechanical and biological design requirements of TEVS and explore the history and recent advances in biofabrication methods and biomaterials for tissue engineered blood vessels and microvascular systems with special focus on in vitro applications. In vitro applications of TEVS for disease modeling are discussed.
Development of a multi-channel 320 GHz interferometer for high density plasma measurement in Heliotron J
Authors: Ohshima S. , Zhang P. , Kume H. , Deng C. , Miyashita A. , Kobayashi S. , Okada H. , Minami T. , Kado S. , Adulsiriswad P. , Qiu D. , Luo M. , Matoike R. , Suzuki T. , Konoshima S. , Mizuuchi T. , Nagasaki K.
Published: May 2021

We report the development of a new interferometer with two stable, high-power, 320 GHz solid-state sources in Heliotron J. A heterodyne Michelson interferometer optical scheme is employed. Two solid-state oscillators are utilized as sources with a fixed frequency at 320 GHz and frequency tunable of 312–324 GHz. Quasi-optical techniques are used for beam transmission. The beam is elongated in the vertical direction with two off-axis parabolic mirrors and injected into the plasma as a sheet beam for the multi-channel measurement (>5 ch.). Passing through the plasma, the beam is reflected at a retroreflector-array installed at the vacuum chamber wall. The retroreflector-array is a bunch of retroreflector structures, which can suppress the beam refraction caused by plasma without much space inside a vacuum chamber unlike a single retroreflector and can facilitate the system design. The source, detectors, and the retroreflector-array are tested to evaluate their basic performance on a tabletop experiment.
Direct comparison of amplitude and geometric measures of spectral inhomogeneity using phase-cycled 2D-IR spectroscopy
Authors: Duan Rong , Mastron Joseph N. , Song Yin , Kubarych Kevin J.
Published: May 2021

Two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy provides access to equilibrium dynamics with the extraction of the frequency-fluctuation correlation function (FFCF) from the measured spectra. Several different methods of obtaining the FFCF from experimental spectra, such as the center line slope (CLS), ellipticity, phase slope, and nodal line slope, all depend on the geometrical nature of the 2D line shape and necessarily require spectral extent in order to achieve a measure of the FFCF. Amplitude measures, on the other hand, such as the inhomogeneity index, rely only on signal amplitudes and can, in principle, be computed using just a single point in a 2D spectrum. With a pulse shaper-based 2D-IR spectrometer, in conjunction with phase cycling, we separate the rephasing and nonrephasing signals used to determine the inhomogeneity index. The same measured data provide the absorptive spectrum, needed for the CLS. Both methods are applied to two model molecular systems: tungsten hexacarbonyl (WCO6) and methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl [Cp′Mn(CO)3, MCMT]. The three degenerate IR modes of W(CO)6 lack coherent modulation or noticeable intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR) and are used to establish a baseline comparison. The two bands of the MCMT tripod complex include intraband coherences and IVR as well as likely internal torsional motion on a few-picosecond time scale. We find essentially identical spectral diffusion, but faster, non-equilibrium dynamics lead to differences in the FFCFs extracted with the two methods. The inhomogeneity index offers an advantage in cases where spectra are complex and energy transfer can mimic line shape changes due to frequency fluctuations.
Heisenberg uncertainty of spatially gated electromagnetic fields
Authors: Chernyak Vladimir Y. , Mukamel Shaul
Published: May 2021

A Heisenberg uncertainty relation is derived for spatially-gated electric ΔE and magnetic ΔH field fluctuations. The uncertainty increases for small gating sizes, which implies that in confined spaces, the quantum nature of the electromagnetic field must be taken into account. Optimizing the state of light to minimize ΔE at the expense of ΔH and vice versa should be possible. Spatial confinements and quantum fields may alternatively be realized without gating by interaction of the field with a nanostructure. Possible applications include nonlinear spectroscopy of nanostructures and optical cavities and chiral signals.
A self-powered sensor for drill pipe capable of monitoring rotation speed and direction based on triboelectric nanogenerator
Authors: Zhou Qing , Huang He , Wu Chuan , Wen Guojun , Liu Bin
Published: May 2021

The rotation speed and direction of the drill pipe are the key parameters to control the drilling process, which need to be measured in real-time. Here, a self-powered drill pipe sensor that can measure the rotation speed and direction based on the triboelectric nanogenerators is proposed in this research. The basic working principle is that the single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator will output the sawtooth signal during the rotation of the drill pipe, so the rotation speed can be measured by counting the signal pulse frequency, and then, the rotation direction can be realized by judging the direction of the tooth tip of the sawtooth signals. Test results show that the measurement range is 0–1000 rpm, the measurement error is less than 4%, the sensitivity is 0.0167 Hz/rpm, and the linearity is 3.5%. Further tests show that the maximum output voltage, current, and power are 21 V, 900 nA, and 3.35 μW, respectively, when a 107 Ω load resistance is connected in series. In addition, the working condition reliability tests show that the working temperature is less than 150 °C and the working relative humidity is less than 90%, with high reliability, which is very suitable for the drilling environments.
A prediction model for vertical turbulence momentum flux above infinite wind farms
Authors: Ge Mingwei , Yang Haoze , Zhang Huan , Zuo Yingtao
Published: May 2021

Large wind farms can significantly change the vertical layered structures and some of the statistical characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The vertical turbulence momentum flux (VTMF) above a wind farm, which quantifies the vertical transport of the ABL, is important to meteorological simulation and power absorption of the wind farm. However, we still lack a fast prediction model for the VTMF. To this end, a suite of large-eddy simulations (LESs) is performed for infinite wind farms with various turbine positionings. We show that, in the outer layer above a wind farm, the VTMF normalized by the wind farm's equivalent frictional velocity exhibits a linear relationship with height, which agrees well with the linear law for the canonical rough wall. In contrast, in both the wake layer and the inner layer, the VTMF is significantly dependent on the turbine positionings. Consequently, a prediction model for the VTMF in the outer layer of the ABL is proposed only using the mean velocity in the inner layer of the ABL (below the wind rotors). The kinetic energy transport downward to wind farms is also calculated using the proposed model.
Some elements for a history of the dynamical systems theory
Authors: Letellier Christophe , Abraham Ralph , Shepelyansky Dima L. , Rössler Otto E. , Holmes Philip , Lozi René , Glass Leon , Pikovsky Arkady , Olsen Lars F. , Tsuda Ichiro , Grebogi Celso , Parlitz Ulrich , Gilmore Robert , Pecora Louis M. , Carroll Thomas L.
Published: May 2021

Writing a history of a scientific theory is always difficult because it requires to focus on some key contributors and to “reconstruct” some supposed influences. In the 1970s, a new way of performing science under the name “chaos” emerged, combining the mathematics from the nonlinear dynamical systems theory and numerical simulations. To provide a direct testimony of how contributors can be influenced by other scientists or works, we here collected some writings about the early times of a few contributors to chaos theory. The purpose is to exhibit the diversity in the paths and to bring some elements—which were never published—illustrating the atmosphere of this period. Some peculiarities of chaos theory are also discussed.
Modeling of dusty gas flows due to plume impingement on a lunar surface
Authors: Chinnappan Arun K. , Kumar Rakesh , Arghode Vaibhav K.
Published: May 2021

A novel, two-way coupled, dusty-gas flow model has been developed in the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) framework and employed for the dust-dispersion study on lunar surface. In this model, the gas–gas collisions are modeled probabilistically, whereas, grain–grain interactions are computed deterministically. Most importantly, the gas–grain interactions are modeled in a two-way coupled manner through the consideration of momentum and energy exchange between the two phases. The proposed model is validated against the two-phase theoretical relations for a zero-dimensional simulation. The computational model is used to study the dust dispersion problem due to plume impingement on lunar surface. The influence of particle diameter and hovering altitudes on gas and grain phases, and dust transportation are analyzed in the modified DSMC framework. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the two-way coupled gas–grain interaction model is discussed in relation to the one-way coupled model.
Decomposition of rock micro-fracture signals based on a singular value empirical mode decomposition algorithm
Authors: Guili Peng , Xianguo Tuo , Huailiang Li , Yong Liu , Tong Shen , Jing Lu
Published: May 2021

Rock burst early warning technology is currently applied mainly in microseismic monitoring. Rock burst signals indicate the micro-fracture phenomena of a rock and can transmit earthquake waves through the rock before they are finally received by a detector. A characteristic decomposition of rock micro-fracture signals was conducted by the singular value Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) algorithm to effectively decompose the characteristic signals of a rock micro-fracture from mixed microseismic signals, with a low signal to noise ratio to ensure prediction precision. When comparing the proposed method with wavelet decomposition and EMD, it was found that the local characteristics of the signals were retained effectively. The proposed algorithm was verified by applying it in a laboratory simulation and to the decomposition of microseismic signals from a hydro-power station. It was concluded that the improved algorithm had a better decomposition precision than wavelet decomposition and EMD decomposition and could effectively separate the characteristic signals of micro-earthquakes. This could provide a significant basis for the identification of the abnormal microseismic signals of rock micro-fractures as well as a pre-warning of rock fractures. It is therefore of practical significance to study rock fracture early warning technology.
Manipulation of toroidal-spiral particles internal structure by fluid flow
Authors: Leon Plata Paola A. , Nitsche Ludwig C. , Liu Ying
Published: May 2021

We report on the precise manipulation of the fine structures of toroidal-spiral particles (TSPs) generated by a self-assembly process of droplet sedimentation at low Reynolds numbers in a miscible bulk solution followed by solidification. The biocompatible polymeric TSP can serve as a device for drug delivery and in vivo therapeutic cell expansion, activation, and delivery, for which highly tunable and reproducible structures are essential to design dosages and release kinetics. TSP formation can be divided into two stages: initial infusion of the drop vs its subsequent sedimentation, deformation, and entrainment of the surrounding bulk solution. The infusion rate affects the drop shape and tail length. These two features represent crucial initial conditions for subsequent shape evolution, which determines the overall morphology of the TSP and fine structure of the internal channel. Our computer simulations of drop dynamics add a new capability to the swarm-of-Stokeslets technique: unequal viscosities of the drop and bulk phases (i.e., non-unit viscosity ratio). During sedimentation, the density difference between the droplet and the bulk solution played a more pronounced role than the viscosity ratio, which was revealed both by experimental observations and numerical simulations. Understanding the fundamental hydrodynamics and developing a flow map will ultimately aid in the design of TSPs with tunable empty channels toward drug delivery and cell encapsulation.
Ab initio random structure searching for battery cathode materials
Authors: Lu Ziheng , Zhu Bonan , Shires Benjamin W. B. , Scanlon David O. , Pickard Chris J.
Published: May 2021

Cathodes are critical components of rechargeable batteries. Conventionally, the search for cathode materials relies on experimental trial-and-error and a traversing of existing computational/experimental databases. While these methods have led to the discovery of several commercially viable cathode materials, the chemical space explored so far is limited and many phases will have been overlooked, in particular, those that are metastable. We describe a computational framework for battery cathode exploration based on ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS), an approach that samples local minima on the potential energy surface to identify new crystal structures. We show that by delimiting the search space using a number of constraints, including chemically aware minimum interatomic separations, cell volumes, and space group symmetries, AIRSS can efficiently predict both thermodynamically stable and metastable cathode materials. Specifically, we investigate LiCoO2, LiFePO4, and LixCuyFz to demonstrate the efficiency of the method by rediscovering the known crystal structures of these cathode materials. The effect of parameters, such as minimum separations and symmetries, on the efficiency of the sampling is discussed in detail. The adaptation of the minimum interatomic distances on a species-pair basis, from low-energy optimized structures to efficiently capture the local coordination environment of atoms, is explored. A family of novel cathode materials based on the transition-metal oxalates is proposed. They demonstrate superb energy density, oxygen-redox stability, and lithium diffusion properties. This article serves both as an introduction to the computational framework and as a guide to battery cathode material discovery using AIRSS.
Fusion yield of plasma with velocity-space anisotropy at constant energy
Authors: Kolmes E. J. , Mlodik M. E. , Fisch N. J.
Published: May 2021

Velocity-space anisotropy can significantly modify fusion reactivity. The nature and magnitude of this modification depends on the plasma temperature, as well as the details of how the anisotropy is introduced. For plasmas that are sufficiently cold compared to the peak of the fusion cross section, anisotropic distributions tend to have higher yields than isotropic distributions with the same thermal energy. At higher temperatures, it is instead isotropic distributions that have the highest yields. However, the details of this behavior depend on exactly how the distribution differs from an isotropic Maxwellian. This paper describes the effects of anisotropy on fusion yield for the class of anisotropic distribution functions with the same energy distribution as a 3D isotropic Maxwellian and compares those results with the yields from bi-Maxwellian distributions. In many cases, especially for plasmas somewhat below reactor-regime temperatures, the effects of anisotropy can be substantial.
Substantial and simultaneous reduction of major electron traps and residual carbon in homoepitaxial GaN layers
Authors: Kimura Takeshi , Konno Taichiro , Fujikura Hajime
Published: May 2021

The presence of large amounts of electron traps together with residual carbon, as well as their trade-off relationship, is an obstacle to fabricating next-generation GaN-based power devices using the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) method. Using the hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method, we have overcome all of the aforementioned obstacles. In a previous study, we realized GaN homoepitaxial layers with greater purity than the best MOCVD-grown layers by removing quartz components from the high-temperature region of the HVPE apparatus. In the present study, the concentration of residual carbon was further reduced to less than 3 × 1014 cm−3 by removing carbon components near the wafer. In addition, the concentrations of major electron traps widely observed in homoepitaxial GaN layers were substantially reduced to the 1012–1013 cm−3 range via further modification of the HVPE conditions/apparatus to suppress etching of a stainless-steel flange of the HVPE reactor. The results imply that stainless-steel-related impurities such as Fe and Cr are the most likely cause of the major electron traps although native point defects have long been considered their origin. The resultant GaN layers, which showed substantially improved optical and electrical properties, did not exhibit a trade-off relationship between the concentrations of carbon and electron traps.
Pulsed laser-induced dewetting and thermal dewetting of Ag thin films for the fabrication of Ag nanoparticles
Authors: Ly Linh Quy , Fulton Alison Joy , Bonvicini Stephanie Nicole , Shi Yujun
Published: May 2021

Two different dewetting methods, namely pulsed laser-induced dewetting (PLiD)—a liquid-state dewetting process and thermal dewetting (TD)—a solid-state dewetting process, have been systematically explored for Ag thin films (1.9–19.8 nm) on Si substrates for the fabrication of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and the understanding of dewetting mechanisms. The effect of laser fluence and irradiation time in PLiD and temperature and duration in TD were investigated. A comparison of the produced Ag NP size distributions using the two methods of PLiD and TD has shown that both produce Ag NPs of similar size with better size uniformity for thinner films (<6 nm), whereas TD produced bigger Ag NPs for thicker films (≥8–10 nm) as compared to PLiD. As the film thickness increases, the Ag NP size distributions from both PLiD and TD show a deviation from the unimodal distributions, leading to a bimodal distribution. The PLiD process is governed by the mechanism of nucleation and growth of holes due to the formation of many nano-islands from the Volmer−Weber growth of thin films during the sputtering process. The investigation of thickness-dependent NP size in TD leads to the understanding of void initiation due to pore nucleation at the film-substrate interface. Furthermore, the linear dependence of NP size on thickness in TD provides direct evidence of fingering instability, which leads to the branched growth of voids.
Design optimization of silicon-based 1.55 μm InAs/InGaAs quantum dot square microcavity lasers with output waveguides
Authors: Yang Yuanqing , Wang Jun , Zhu Lina , Chen Weirong , Wu Guofeng , Wang Haijing , Jia Yanxing , Huang Yongqing , Ren Xiaomin , Luo Shuai , Ji Haiming
Published: May 2021

We optimize the structure of a silicon-based InAs/InGaAs quantum dot square microcavity laser with an output waveguide structure. By designing a new laser structure, the emission wavelength is extended to 1550 nm. We investigate the structure parameters that affect the quality factor and optical mode of the square microcavity, including the side length of the microcavity, the width of the output waveguide, the cladding layer thickness and the etching depth. By connecting the output waveguide at the edge-midpoint of the square microcavity, both the unidirectional emission and mode selectivity can be obtained, which avoids mode competition. The 1550 nm wavelength single-mode laser is beneficial and has reat significance for the development of silicon-based optoelectronic integration.
EEG-based auditory attention decoding using speech-level-based segmented computational models
Authors: Wang Lei , Wu Ed X , Chen Fei
Published: May 2021

Objective. Auditory attention in complex scenarios can be decoded by electroencephalography (EEG)-based cortical speech-envelope tracking. The relative root-mean-square (RMS) intensity is a valuable cue for the decomposition of speech into distinct characteristic segments. To improve auditory attention decoding (AAD) performance, this work proposed a novel segmented AAD approach to decode target speech envelopes from different RMS-level-based speech segments. Approach. Speech was decomposed into higher- and lower-RMS-level speech segments with a threshold of −10 dB relative RMS level. A support vector machine classifier was designed to identify higher- and lower-RMS-level speech segments, using clean target and mixed speech as reference signals based on corresponding EEG signals recorded when subjects listened to target auditory streams in competing two-speaker auditory scenes. Segmented computational models were developed with the classification results of higher- and lower-RMS-level speech segments. Speech envelopes were reconstructed based on segmented decoding models for either higher- or lower-RMS-level speech segments. AAD accuracies were calculated according to the correlations between actual and reconstructed speech envelopes. The performance of the proposed segmented AAD computational model was compared to those of traditional AAD methods with unified decoding functions. Main results. Higher- and lower-RMS-level speech segments in continuous sentences could be identified robustly with classification accuracies that approximated or exceeded 80% based on corresponding EEG signals at 6 dB, 3 dB, 0 dB, −3 dB and −6 dB signal-to-mask ratios (SMRs). Compared with unified AAD decoding methods, the proposed segmented AAD approach achieved more accurate results in the reconstruction of target speech envelopes and in the detection of attentional directions. Moreover, the proposed segmented decoding method had higher information transfer rates (ITRs) and shorter minimum expected switch times compared with the unified decoder. Significance. This study revealed that EEG signals may be used to classify higher- and lower-RMS-level-based speech segments across a wide range of SMR conditions (from 6 dB to −6 dB). A novel finding was that the specific information in different RMS-level-based speech segments facilitated EEG-based decoding of auditory attention. The significantly improved AAD accuracies and ITRs of the segmented decoding method suggests that this proposed computational model may be an effective method for the application of neuro-controlled brain–computer interfaces in complex auditory scenes.
Facile room-temperature synthesis of cobalt sulphide for efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Zhao Siyu , Yang Manni , Tan Yeshu , Brett Dan J L , He Guanjie , Parkin Ivan P
Published: May 2021

The electrolysis of water is one of the most promising strategies to produce renewable fuels and it is important to develop an energy-conserving, low-cost and easily prepared electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, Ni foam supported Co4S3 (Co4S3/NF) was fabricated by a facile one-step approach at room temperature and exhibited excellent OER performance in alkaline media. Specifically, the Co4S3/NF electrocatalysts showed a small overpotential of only 340 mV to reach a current density of 100 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 71.6 mV dec−1 in alkaline media. More importantly, excellent stability was achieved under a constant current density of 100 mA cm−2 for 100 h and the OER performance of the catalyst was improved after 1400 cycles of linear sweep voltammetry tests in alkaline media. Furthermore, the underpinning mechanism of action was studied by measuring the change of valence states for different elements to elucidate the structural evolution and active species during the electrocatalytic process.
On induction of class functions
Authors: Lusztig G.
Published: May 2021

Let

G
G

be a connected reductive group defined over a finite field

F

q

\mathbf {F}_q

and let

L
L

be a Levi subgroup (defined over

F

q

\mathbf {F}_q

) of a parabolic subgroup

P
P

of

G
G

. We define a linear map from class functions on

L
(

F

q

)

L(\mathbf {F}_q)

to class functions on

G
(

F

q

)

G(\mathbf {F}_q)

. This map is independent of the choice of

P
P

. We show that for large

q
q

this map coincides with the known cohomological induction (whose definition involves a choice of

P
P

).
The Purpose of a State
Authors: Endicott Timothy
Published: May 2021

In a contribution to a symposium on Nick Barber’s book, The Principles of Constitutionalism, I argue that Barber is right to explain the principles of constitutionalism by reference to the purpose of a state, but I defend a restatement of that purpose. Barber says that it is to advance the well-being of the citizens. I argue that the purpose is more open-ended: it is to make the political community a good one. The state has duties that are not grounded in the well-being of its citizens, and it may legitimately pursue good public purposes that do not advance its citizens’ well-being. The state is for its citizens, not primarily in the sense that it is there to make them better off, but in the sense that it is a way for citizens (and not for outsiders) to act as an organized community.
Efficient Multi-Signature Scheme Using Lattice
Authors: Kansal Meenakshi , Singh Amit Kumar , Dutta Ratna
Published: May 2021

With the help of a multi-signature scheme, we can reduce the cost of storage and bandwidth in case of many signers signing the same message. Therefore, multi-signature schemes can be used in bitcoin to reduce the size of a blockchain. In this paper, we propose a lattice-based multi-signature scheme with the following highlighted features. Our lattice-based multi-signature scheme supports signature compression and public key aggregation. The only existing lattice-based multi-signature scheme by Kansal and Dutta (Africacrypt, 2020) that supports both signature compression and public key aggregation has communication and storage cost $\widetilde{\mathcal{O}}(n^2)$, whereas our communication and storage cost is $\mathcal{O}(n)$. Our multi-signature scheme is in the plain public key model where the special registration of the public key is not necessary and it is secure under the rogue key attack. Our multi-signature scheme is secure under the hardness of ring short integer solution problem in the random oracle model.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a clinical and genomics update
Authors: Pelegrin Andreu Coello , Palmieri Mattia , Mirande Caroline , Oliver Antonio , Moons Pieter , Goossens Herman , van Belkum Alex
Published: May 2021

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global medical priority that needs urgent resolution. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a versatile, adaptable bacterial species with widespread environmental occurrence, strong medical relevance, a diverse set of virulence genes and a multitude of intrinsic and possibly acquired antibiotic resistance traits. Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a wide variety of infections and has an epidemic-clonal population structure. Several of its dominant global clones have collected a wide variety of resistance genes rendering them multi-drug resistant (MDR) and particularly threatening groups of vulnerable individuals including surgical patients, immunocompromised patients, Caucasians suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) and more. AMR and MDR especially are particularly problematic in P. aeruginosa significantly complicating successful antibiotic treatment. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of P. aeruginosa can be cumbersome due to its slow growth or the massive production of exopolysaccharides and other extracellular compounds. For that reason, phenotypic AST is progressively challenged by genotypic methods using whole genome sequences (WGS) and large-scale phenotype databases as a framework of reference. We here summarize the state of affairs and the quality level of WGS-based AST for P. aeruginosa mostly from clinical origin.
The role of Mig1, Mig2, Tup1 and Hap4 transcription factors in regulation of xylose and glucose fermentation in the thermotolerant yeastOgataea polymorpha
Authors: Kurylenko Olena , Ruchala Justyna , Kruk Barbara , Vasylyshyn Roksolana , Szczepaniak Justyna , Dmytruk Kostyantyn , Sibirny Andriy
Published: May 2021

Glucose is a preferred carbon source for most living organisms. The metabolism and regulation of glucose utilization are well studied mostly for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Xylose is the main pentose sugar released from the lignocellulosic biomass, which has a high potential as a renewable feedstock for bioethanol production. The thermotolerant yeast Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha, in contrast to S. cerevisiae, is able to metabolize and ferment not only glucose but also xylose. However, in non-conventional yeasts, the regulation of glucose and xylose metabolism remains poorly understood. In this study, we characterize the role of transcriptional factors Mig1, Mig2, Tup1 and Hap4 in the natural xylose-fermenting yeast O. polymorpha. The deletion of MIG1 had no significant influence on ethanol production either from xylose or glucose, however the deletion of both MIG1 and MIG2 reduced the amount of ethanol produced from these sugars. The deletion of HAP4-A and TUP1 genes resulted in increased ethanol production from xylose. Inversely, the overexpression of HAP4-A and TUP1 genes reduced ethanol production during xylose alcoholic fermentation. Thus, HAP4-A and TUP1 are involved in repression of xylose metabolism and fermentation in yeast O. polymorpha and their deletion could be a viable strategy to improve ethanol production from this pentose.
Aggregating large-scale databases for PubMed author name disambiguation
Authors: Zhang Li , Huang Yong , Yang Jinqing , Lu Wei
Published: May 2021

Objective

PubMed has suffered from the author ambiguity problem for many years. Existing studies on author name disambiguation (AND) for PubMed only used internal metadata for development. However, some of them are incomplete (eg, a large number of names are only abbreviated and their full names are not available) or less discriminative. To this end, we present a new disambiguation method, namely AggAND, by aggregating information from external databases.

Materials and Methods

We address this issue by exploring Microsoft Academic Graph, Semantic Scholar, and PubMed Knowledge Graph to enhance the built-in name metadata, and extend the internal metadata with some external and more discriminative metadata.

Results

Experimental results on enhanced name metadata demonstrate comparable performance to 3 author identifier systems, as well as show superiority over the original name metadata. More importantly, our method, AggAND, incorporating both enhanced name and extended metadata, yields F1 scores of 95.80% and 93.71% on 2 datasets and outperforms the state-of-the-art method by a large margin (3.61% and 6.55%, respectively).

Conclusions

The feasibility and good performance of our methods not only help better understand the importance of external databases for disambiguation, but also point to a promising direction for future AND studies in which information aggregated from multiple bibliographic databases can be effective in improving disambiguation performance. The methodology shown here can be generalized to broader bibliographic databases beyond PubMed. Our code and data are available online (https://github.com/carmanzhang/PubMed-AND-method).
Jurisdictional Conflicts between Investment Treaty and Commercial Arbitration—The Role of Lis Pendens
Authors: Pathak Harshad
Published: May 2021

The domain of international investment law is evolving. Today, an increasing number of treaty claims filed against states are based on allegations of a breach of contract. Investment treaty tribunals also tend to affirm jurisdiction over such claims, routinely ignoring that the underlying contract may contain an arbitration agreement in favour of commercial arbitration. This tendency creates a potential jurisdictional conflict between a commercial and investment treaty arbitration proceeding; ripe for investors to exploit. In this context, this article explores the different ways in which investment treaty tribunals have created this jurisdictional conflict. On such basis, it assesses the ameliorative potential of the principle of lis pendens in international arbitration, and whether this potential can be realized in a timely manner.
Forest Farming: Who Wants In?
Authors: Trozzo Katie E , Munsell John F , Chamberlain James L , Gold Michael A , Niewolny Kim L
Published: May 2021

Forest farming is an agroforestry practice defined as the intentional cultivation of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) underneath a forest canopy. Forest farming perspectives and preferences among family forest owners are generally understudied, particularly in Appalachia, where many marketable native NTFPs species are found. We surveyed Appalachian family forest owners in 14 Southwest Virginia counties about their interest in forest farming and likelihood of leasing land for this purpose. We also asked about the owner’s residency and historical connection to the region as well as contemporary land uses, and identified the following types of uses: absentee and vacationers, newcomers, longtime farming residents, and longtime nonfarming residents. We mailed 1,040 surveys and 293 were returned (28.9%). Forty-five percent were interested or extremely interested in forest farming and 36% were likely or extremely likely to lease land. Rates of interest in forest farming and leasing were similar across owner types, suggesting broad appeal among family forest owners.
The “Con” in Conspiracy: Racial Violence as Political Assassination in Suzan-Lori Parks’s Topdog/Underdog
Authors: Lem-Smith Timothy
Published: May 2021

This article argues that Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer-prize winning play Topdog/Underdog (1999) mobilizes a conspiracy theory concept of anti-black violence in America. The highly discursive play depicts a pair of black brothers named Lincoln and Booth as they banter, argue, and compete with each other over games of three-card monte. In the final scene of the play, the brothers fulfil the destiny inscribed in their names: Booth shoots and kills his brother Lincoln after a dispute over their meager inheritance. The play frames this final act of brutal fratricide as a form of political assassination in order to activate the rescaling that comes with a conspiracy theory lexicon: Topdog/Underdog formulates a generative and radically resistant conspiratorial conception of anti-black violence that ultimately enables a genuine confrontation with the origins and structures of racialized oppression. The play thus belongs to a lineage of works by black writers that have wielded a paranoid aesthetic in order to galvanize a revolutionary opposition to the structures of racial oppression. This tradition includes authors such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Richard Wright, and, most explicitly, John A. Williams, whose novel The Man Who Cried I Am (1967) emerges in the article as a precedent for the conspiratorial racial politics of Parks’s play. In its own interpretation of paranoid anti-racist critique, Topdog/Underdog elaborates a concept of conspiracy without intentionality whose hierarchies, despite being beyond the parameters of any single individual or collective entity’s agency, can nonetheless be undermined and, ultimately, toppled.
Quasi-periodic oscillations and long-term orbital period variation of the eclipsing dwarf nova EM Cyg
Authors: Liu Wei , Qian Sheng-Bang , Zhi Qi-Jun , Han Zhong-Tao , Wang Qi-Shan , Dong Ai-Jun
Published: May 2021

EM Cyg is an eclipsing dwarf nova with an orbital period above the period gap of cataclysmic variables. Based on the whole outburst of EM Cyg observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) from 2019 July 18–August 14, the evolution of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in EM Cyg was investigated. A QPO with a period of about 1000 s was found during both outburst and quiescence. In addition, we found another QPO with a period of about 500 s, which was present during the outburst but disappeared as the outburst ended. QPOs should be caused by the activity of the accretion disc. Using the data obtained during the outburst, we analysed the characteristics of the light curves and found that the eclipsing depth increased and the light-minimum moment earlier during the outburst. In addition, with the new eclipse times obtained by TESS and from our observations, an O − C diagram for this system was produced. According to the O − C analysis, the orbital period is increasing at a rate of $\dot{P} = 1.66(\pm 0.36) \times 10^{-8}\, \mathrm{d\,yr^{-1}}$. There is a cyclic variation in the O − C curve that might be caused by the light-traveltime effect. A third body may exist in the EM Cyg system with the mass $m_3\sin {i{^{\prime }}} = 0.097(\pm 0.000\,35) \, \mathrm{M}_{\odot }$.