bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond the promise: implementing ethical AI
Authors: Eitel-Porter Ray
Published: October 2020

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications can and do have unintended negative consequences for businesses if not implemented with care. Specifically, faulty or biased AI applications risk compliance and governance breaches and damage to the corporate brand. These issues commonly arise from a number of pitfalls associated with AI development, which include rushed development, a lack of technical understanding, and improper quality assurance, among other factors. To mitigate these risks, a growing number of organisations are working on ethical AI principles and frameworks. However, ethical AI principles alone are not sufficient for ensuring responsible AI use in enterprises. Businesses also require strong, mandated governance controls including tools for managing processes and creating associated audit trails to enforce their principles. Businesses that implement strong governance frameworks, overseen by an ethics board and strengthened with appropriate training, will reduce the risks associated with AI. When applied to AI modelling, the governance will also make it easier for businesses to bring their AI deployments to scale.
Which Duties of Beneficence Should Agents Discharge on Behalf of Principals? A Reflection through Shareholder Primacy
Authors: Mejia Santiago
Published: October 2020

Scholars who favor shareholder primacy usually claim either that managers should not fulfill corporate duties of beneficence or that, if they are required to fulfill them, they do so by going against their obligations to shareholders. Distinguishing between structurally different types of duties of beneficence and recognizing the full force of the normative demands imposed on managers reveal that this view needs to be qualified. Although it is correct to think that managers, when acting on behalf of shareholders, are not required to fulfill wide duties of charity, they are nevertheless required to fulfill a variety of narrow duties of beneficence. What is more, the obligation to fulfill these duties arises precisely because they are acting on behalf of shareholders. As such, this article 1) refines our understanding of the duties of corporate beneficence and 2) helps to identify which duties of beneficence are imposed on managers when they are acting on behalf of shareholders.
Ethics of the Attention Economy: The Problem of Social Media Addiction
Authors: Bhargava Vikram R. , Velasquez Manuel
Published: October 2020

Social media companies commonly design their platforms in a way that renders them addictive. Some governments have declared internet addiction a major public health concern, and the World Health Organization has characterized excessive internet use as a growing problem. Our article shows why scholars, policy makers, and the managers of social media companies should treat social media addiction as a serious moral problem. While the benefits of social media are not negligible, we argue that social media addiction raises unique ethical concerns not raised by other, more familiar addictive products, such as alcohol and cigarettes. In particular, we argue that addicting users to social media is impermissible because it unjustifiably harms users in a way that is both demeaning and objectionably exploitative. Importantly, the attention-economy business model of social media companies strongly incentivizes them to perpetrate this wrongdoing.
Facebook isn't free: zero-price companies overcharge consumers with data
Authors: SUMMERS MATT
Published: October 2020

The emergence of dominant companies that don't charge money to their primary consumers poses serious challenges to current antitrust law around the world. This paper suggests an approach to regulating these ‘zero-price’ companies that considers the data consumers give up to use them as the ‘price’ they pay. The ‘data as price’ model acts as a starting point to assess whether consumers are being ‘overcharged’ by Facebook in the status quo compared to how much data they would give up in a more competitive social media landscape. By surveying thousands of participants and assessing a litany of relevant behavioural considerations, this paper finds that customers are overpaying for Facebook, and that this may come at a serious welfare cost to millions of consumers. While further analysis is warranted, there is substantial cause for concern, and for critical re-evaluation of the standards generally used by antitrust regulators around the world to regulate companies such as Facebook.
Rethinking the Decentralization of Legislative Organization and its Implications for Policymaking: Evidence from Taiwan
Authors: Huang Isaac Shih-hao , Sheng Shing-yuan
Published: October 2020

It can be challenging for a democratic government to effectively make policies that address crucial national problems. While a bulk of literature reports that many democracies have overcome this challenge through centralization of legislative organization, few studies have explained why legislative decentralization that allegedly impairs policymaking performance would take place. Drawing on Taiwan's experience and over 13,000 legislative bills proposed in Taiwan's parliament between 1993 and 2012, this article demonstrates that the legislative decentralization during the onset of Taiwan's democratization slightly revived the policymaking performance of a near-paralysed parliament. Like drinking poison to quench the thirst, myopic politicians may opt for legislative decentralization as an instant remedy to ease severe legislative obstruction, despite the unfavourable consequences that the resulting decentralized legislative organization may eventually bring about. These findings shed new light on the evolution of legislative organization and account for the difficulties in policymaking facing developing democracies.
D3-MODULES VERSUSD4-MODULES – APPLICATIONS TO QUIVERS
Authors: D′ESTE GABRIELLA , KESKİN TÜTÜNCÜ DERYA , TRIBAK RACHID
Published: October 2020

A moduleMis called aD4-module if, wheneverAandBare submodules ofMwithM=A⊕Bandf:A→Bis a homomorphism with Imfa direct summand ofB, then Kerfis a direct summand ofA. The class ofD4-modules contains the class ofD3-modules, and hence the class of semi-projective modules, and so the class of Rickart modules. In this paper we prove that, over a commutative Dedekind domainR, for anR-moduleMwhich is a direct sum of cyclic submodules,Mis direct projective (equivalently, it is semi-projective) iffMisD3 iffMisD4. Also we prove that, over a prime PI-ring, for a divisibleR-moduleX,Xis direct projective (equivalently, it is Rickart) iffX⊕XisD4. We determine someD3-modules andD4-modules over a discrete valuation ring, as well. We give some relevant examples. We also provide several examples onD3-modules andD4-modules via quivers.
Relationship between jumping to conclusions and clinical outcomes in people at clinical high-risk for psychosis
Authors: Catalan Ana , Tognin Stefania , Kempton Matthew J. , Stahl Daniel , Salazar de Pablo Gonzalo , Nelson Barnaby , Pantelis Christos , Riecher-Rössler Anita , Bressan Rodrigo , Barrantes-Vidal Neus , Krebs Marie-Odile , Nordentoft Merete , Ruhrmann Stephan , Sachs Gabriele , Rutten Bart P. F. , van Os Jim , de Haan Lieuwe , van der Gaag Mark ,   EU-GEI High Risk Study, Valmaggia Lucia R. , McGuire Philip
Published: October 2020

Background

Psychosis is associated with a reasoning bias, which manifests as a tendency to ‘jump to conclusions’. We examined this bias in people at clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) and investigated its relationship with their clinical outcomes.

Methods

In total, 303 CHR subjects and 57 healthy controls (HC) were included. Both groups were assessed at baseline, and after 1 and 2 years. A ‘beads’ task was used to assess reasoning bias. Symptoms and level of functioning were assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States scale (CAARMS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), respectively. During follow up, 58 (16.1%) of the CHR group developed psychosis (CHR-T), and 245 did not (CHR-NT). Logistic regressions, multilevel mixed models, and Cox regression were used to analyse the relationship between reasoning bias and transition to psychosis and level of functioning, at each time point.

Results

There was no association between reasoning bias at baseline and the subsequent onset of psychosis. However, when assessed after the transition to psychosis, CHR-T participants showed a greater tendency to jump to conclusions than CHR-NT and HC participants (55, 17, 17%; χ2 = 8.13, p = 0.012). There was a significant association between jumping to conclusions (JTC) at baseline and a reduced level of functioning at 2-year follow-up in the CHR group after adjusting for transition, gender, ethnicity, age, and IQ.

Conclusions

In CHR participants, JTC at baseline was associated with adverse functioning at the follow-up. Interventions designed to improve JTC could be beneficial in the CHR population.
‘Diplomacy is a feminine art’: Feminised figurations of the diplomat
Authors: Towns Ann E.
Published: October 2020

The aim of this article is to examine whether and how diplomacy may be gendered, symbolically and rhetorically, using US representations of diplomacy as a case. Prior scholarship on gender and contemporary diplomacy is sparse but has shown that the symbolic figure of ‘the diplomat’ has come to overlap tightly with ‘man’ and be associated with traits often attributed to masculinity. Inspired by queer international relations methods, relying on the concept of ‘figuration’ and focused on US news media and biographies of diplomats from the past decade, this article uncovers and examines a palette of feminised figurations also at play in US representations of diplomacy, including the diplomat as ‘the “soft” non-fighter’, ‘the relationship builder’, ‘the gossip’, ‘the cookie-pusher’, and ‘the fancy Frenchman’. These feminised figurations alternate between configuring the diplomat as a woman and – more commonly – a (feminised) man. The analysis complicates rather than displaces existing claims, highlighting the importance of attention to slippages and challenges to dominant masculinised subject positions.
Introduction: Confronting the Covid-19 Epidemic and Control: Reports and Reflections from China
Authors: Ning Wang
Published: October 2020

Early in 2020, while we were preparing for the Chinese lunar calendar’s New Year’s Day and Spring Festival on 25 January, the Covid-19 first appeared in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province and one of China’s biggest cities. The virus quickly spread through the entire country, causing thousands of people to lose their lives and many more to be hospitalized or quarantined. As a natural disaster suddenly appearing in the present world, the virus is a kind of revenge of nature upon human beings, who have exhausted the earth’s natural resources, ill-treated nature, and sometimes continued eating wild animals during the past few decades, as the grand project of modernity led to a process of globalization. The Butterfly Effect of this Black Swan, the coronavirus, set off a global upheaval. In China itself, through the joint efforts of ordinary people and medical personnel as well as central and local government intervention, the virus was effectively contained. Cases imported from abroad still flare up now and again though, and the epidemic escalates globally. Since this is a global health emergency, it should be contained by global governance.
Habitable worlds of merging stars
Authors: Shevchenko Ivan I.
Published: October 2020

It is shown that W UMa-type and SX Phe-type stellar populations are both perfectly and uniquely suited for maintaining hyper-effective biopolymer chain reactions (BCR) on their planets once the planet is in the stellar habitable zone. W UMa-type stars are known to be contact binaries, and SX Phe-type stars are presumably post-binaries, i.e., products of stellar mergers. In case of the contact binaries, the eclipse-driven periodic heating/cooling of planetary surfaces has period-amplitude parameters that perfectly satisfy stringent conditions for maintaining BCR-like reactions. In case of the post-binaries, the stars pulsate with periods and amplitudes also perfectly suited for maintaining the reactions. Therefore, the ‘W UMa – SX Phe’ metamorphosis (from a contact binary to a post-binary, via the merger) seems to provide a potential biosystem reboot on planets in these systems.
NATURALISM
Authors: Ward Keith
Published: October 2020

My argument is that naturalism is too restricted and dogmatic an account of the many different sorts of entities and explanations that we employ in trying to understand our world. It is a faith rather than a mode of inquiry.
NATURALISM VERSUS THEISM IS A FALSE DILEMMA
Authors: Law Stephen
Published: October 2020

This article argues that it is a mistake to assume that atheism entails naturalism, that naturalism is what leads someone to embrace atheism, and that atheists must sign up to a ‘naturalistic world-view’.
Anxiety Gremlins: mixed methods sequential explanatory evaluation of a CBT group intervention for children
Authors: Meek Christopher , Redstone Lucy , Moghaddam Nima
Published: October 2020

Although research evidence supports the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety in children, it is important to examine practice-based evidence of effectiveness in typical clinical contexts. This study evaluated a CBT group intervention – ‘Anxiety Gremlins’ – for childhood anxiety. Participants were 36 children (19 boys, 17 girls) aged 8–13, referred for anxiety symptoms at a UK NHS service. The 8-session intervention included six child sessions (2 h) and two parent sessions (1 h). Self-report outcome measures of anxiety symptoms, life functioning and therapeutic relationships were used to measure change pre- and post-intervention. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with group facilitators and analysed through deductive content analysis to identify barriers and facilitators to change. No substantive differences were found between aggregated scores on pre- versus post-intervention outcome measures. Reliable change in anxiety symptoms was identified in 10 children (31%), with five improvers and five deteriorators. Interviews with facilitators identified disruption in group flow, lack of facilitator time to prepare and reflect, and the complexity of clients as hindering factors. Children meeting like-minded peers to share their stories and high engagement in the therapeutic process were helpful factors. Anxiety Gremlins did not demonstrate effectiveness on outcome measures, and this contrasted with clinical opinion. Recommendations were made for the service to revisit the intervention content and the method for recruiting children to the group – as complexity/co-morbidity was linked to poorer outcomes. Future research could explore fidelity to an adapted intervention and include interviews with children and their parents.

Key learning aims

After reading this paper the reader should be able to:

(1)

Understand how instances of CBT practice can be robustly evaluated using a mixed-methods approach, including analyses of change at both group and individual levels.

(2)

Understand critical considerations when adapting ‘evidence-based’ CBT interventions for routine practice.

(3)

Appreciate that aggregative group-level analyses can mask clinically important differences in individual CBT outcomes.
Ecological resource availability: a method to estimate resource budgets for a sustainable economy
Authors: Desing Harald , Braun Gregor , Hischier Roland
Published: October 2020

Non-technical summary

Resources are the basis of our economy and their provision causes major shares of the global environmental burdens, many of which are beyond safe limits today. In order to be sustainable, our economy needs to be able to operate within those boundaries. As resources are the physical ‘currency’ of our economy, we present a method that allows translating Earth system boundaries into resource budgets. This ecological resource availability determines the global annual production of a resource that can be considered absolutely sustainable. The budgets can be managed like financial budgets, bringing absolute environmental limits one step closer to decision-makers.
A Bayesian Logistic Regression for Probabilistic Forecasts of the Minimum September Arctic Sea Ice Cover
Authors: Horvath Sean , Stroeve Julienne , Rajagopalan Balaji , Kleiber William
Published: October 2020

This study introduces a Bayesian logistic regression framework that is capable of providing skillful probabilistic forecasts of Arctic sea ice cover, along with quantifying the attendant uncertainties. The presence or absence of ice (absence defined as ice concentration below 15%) is modeled using a categorical regression model, with atmospheric, oceanic, and sea ice covariates at 1‐ to 7‐month lead times. The model parameters are estimated in a Bayesian framework, thus enabling the posterior predictive probabilities of the minimum sea ice cover and parametric uncertainty quantification. The model is fitted and validated to September minimum sea ice cover data from 1980 through 2018. Results show overall skillful forecasts of the minimum sea ice cover at all lead times, with higher skills at shorter lead times, along with a direct measure of forecast uncertainty to aide in assessing the reliability.
Scientists Claim a More Accurate Method of Predicting Solar Flares
Authors: Hornyak Tim
Published: October 2020

Supercomputer 3D modeling of magnetic fields could help mitigate damage from geomagnetic storms.
Ancient Ruins Reveal 8th Century Earthquake in Sea of Galilee
Authors: Learn Joshua
Published: October 2020

Research into past seismic activity shows northeast Israel is still vulnerable to large quakes.
Acidobacteria are active and abundant members of diverse atmospheric H2-oxidizing communities detected in temperate soils
Authors: Giguere Andrew T , Eichorst Stephanie A , Meier Dimitri V , Herbold Craig W , Richter Andreas , Greening Chris , Woebken Dagmar
Published: October 2020

Significant rates of atmospheric dihydrogen (H2) consumption have been observed in temperate soils due to the activity of high-affinity enzymes, such as the group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase. We designed broadly inclusive primers targeting the large subunit gene (hhyL) of group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenases for long-read sequencing to explore its taxonomic distribution across soils. This approach revealed a diverse collection of microorganisms harboring hhyL, including previously unknown groups and taxonomically not assignable sequences. Acidobacterial group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes were abundant and expressed in temperate soils. To support the participation of acidobacteria in H2 consumption, we studied two representative mesophilic soil acidobacteria, which expressed group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenases and consumed atmospheric H2 during carbon starvation. This is the first time mesophilic acidobacteria, which are abundant in ubiquitous temperate soils, have been shown to oxidize H2 down to below atmospheric concentrations. As this physiology allows bacteria to survive periods of carbon starvation, it could explain the success of soil acidobacteria. With our long-read sequencing approach of group 1h [NiFe]-hydrogenase genes, we show that the ability to oxidize atmospheric levels of H2 is more widely distributed among soil bacteria than previously recognized and could represent a common mechanism enabling bacteria to persist during periods of carbon deprivation.
Rapid evolution destabilizes species interactions in a fluctuating environment
Authors: Rodríguez-Verdugo Alejandra , Ackermann Martin
Published: October 2020

Positive species interactions underlie the functioning of ecosystems. Given their importance, it is crucial to understand the stability of positive interactions over evolutionary timescales, in both constant and fluctuating environments; e.g., environments interrupted with periods of competition. We addressed this question using a two-species microbial system in which we modulated interactions according to the nutrient provided. We evolved in parallel four experimental replicates of species growing in isolation or together in consortia for 200 generations in both a constant and fluctuating environment with daily changes between commensalism and competition. We sequenced full genomes of single clones isolated at different time points during the experiment. We found that the two species coexisted over 200 generations in the constant commensal environment. In contrast, in the fluctuating environment, coexistence broke down when one of the species went extinct in two out of four cases. We showed that extinction was highly deterministic: when we replayed the evolution experiment from an intermediate time point we repeatably reproduced species extinction. We further show that these dynamics were driven by adaptive mutations in a small set of genes. In conclusion, in a fluctuating environment, rapid evolution destabilizes the long-term stability of positive pairwise interactions.
Searching for causal relationships of glioma: a phenome-wide Mendelian randomisation study
Authors: Saunders Charlie N. , Cornish Alex J. , Kinnersley Ben , Law Philip J. , Houlston Richard S. ,   Collaborators, Claus Elizabeth B. , Il’yasova Dora , Schildkraut Joellen , Barnholtz-Sloan Jill S. , Olson Sara H. , Bernstein Jonine L. , Lai Rose K. , Chanock Stephen , Rajaraman Preetha , Johansen Christoffer , Jenkins Robert B. , Melin Beatrice S. , Wrensch Margaret R. , Sanson Marc , Bondy Melissa L.
Published: October 2020

Background

The aetiology of glioma is poorly understood. Summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) can be used in a Mendelian randomisation (MR) phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) to search for glioma risk factors.

Methods

We performed an MR-PheWAS analysing 316 phenotypes, proxied by 8387 genetic variants, and summary genetic data from a GWAS of 12,488 glioma cases and 18,169 controls. Causal effects were estimated under a random-effects inverse-variance-weighted (IVW-RE) model, with robust adjusted profile score (MR-RAPS), weighted median and mode-based estimates computed to assess the robustness of findings. Odds ratios per one standard deviation increase in each phenotype were calculated for all glioma, glioblastoma (GBM) and non-GBM tumours.

Results

No significant associations (P < 1.58 × 10−4) were observed between phenotypes and glioma under the IVW-RE model. Suggestive associations (1.58 × 10−4 < P < 0.05) were observed between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with all glioma (ORSD = 3.91, P = 9.24 × 10−3) and GBM (ORSD = 4.86, P = 3.23 × 10−2), but the association was primarily driven by the TERT variant rs2736100. Serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and plasma HbA1C showed suggestive associations with glioma (ORSD = 1.11, P = 1.39 × 10−2 and ORSD = 1.28, P = 1.73 × 10−2, respectively), both associations being reliant on single genetic variants.

Conclusions

Our study provides further insight into the aetiological basis of glioma for which published data have been mixed.
Prophage exotoxins enhance colonization fitness in epidemic scarlet fever-causing Streptococcus pyogenes
Authors: Brouwer Stephan , Barnett Timothy C. , Ly Diane , Kasper Katherine J. , De Oliveira David M. P. , Rivera-Hernandez Tania , Cork Amanda J. , McIntyre Liam , Jespersen Magnus G. , Richter Johanna , Schulz Benjamin L. , Dougan Gordon , Nizet Victor , Yuen Kwok-Yung , You Yuanhai , McCormick John K. , Sanderson-Smith Martina L. , Davies Mark R. , Walker Mark J.
Published: October 2020

The re-emergence of scarlet fever poses a new global public health threat. The capacity of North-East Asian serotype M12 (emm12)Streptococcus pyogenes(group AStreptococcus, GAS) to cause scarlet fever has been linked epidemiologically to the presence of novel prophages, including prophage ΦHKU.vir encoding the secreted superantigens SSA and SpeC and the DNase Spd1. Here, we report the molecular characterization of ΦHKU.vir-encoded exotoxins. We demonstrate that streptolysin O (SLO)-induced glutathione efflux from host cellular stores is a previously unappreciated GAS virulence mechanism that promotes SSA release and activity, representing the first description of a thiol-activated bacterial superantigen. Spd1 is required for resistance to neutrophil killing. Investigating single, double and triple isogenic knockout mutants of the ΦHKU.vir-encoded exotoxins, we find that SpeC and Spd1 act synergistically to facilitate nasopharyngeal colonization in a mouse model. These results offer insight into the pathogenesis of scarlet fever-causing GAS mediated by prophage ΦHKU.vir exotoxins.
HIF-2α is indispensable for regulatory T cell function
Authors: Hsu Tzu-Sheng , Lin Yen-Lin , Wang Yu-An , Mo Shu-Ting , Chi Po-Yu , Lai Alan Chuan-Ying , Pan Hsuan-Yin , Chang Ya-Jen , Lai Ming-Zong
Published: October 2020

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and HIF-2α are master transcription factors that regulate cellular responses to hypoxia, but the exact function in regulatory T (Treg) cells is controversial. Here, we show that Treg cell development is normal in mice with Foxp3-specific knockout (KO) of HIF-1α or HIF-2α. However, HIF-2α-KO (but not HIF-1α-KO) Treg cells are functionally defective in suppressing effector T cell-induced colitis and inhibiting airway hypersensitivity. HIF-2α-KO Treg cells have enhanced reprogramming into IL-17-secreting cells. We show crosstalk between HIF-2α and HIF-1α, and that HIF-2α represses HIF-1α expression. HIF-1α is upregulated in HIF-2α-KO Treg cells and further deletion of HIF-1α restores the inhibitory function of HIF-2α-KO Treg cells. Mice with Foxp3-conditional KO of HIF-2α are resistant to growth of MC38 colon adenocarcinoma and metastases of B16F10 melanoma. Together, these results indicate that targeting HIF-2α to destabilize Treg cells might be an approach for regulating the functional activity of Treg cells.
An avian cortical circuit for chunking tutor song syllables into simple vocal-motor units
Authors: Mackevicius Emily L. , Happ Michael T. L. , Fee Michale S.
Published: October 2020

How are brain circuits constructed to achieve complex goals? The brains of young songbirds develop motor circuits that achieve the goal of imitating a specific tutor song to which they are exposed. Here, we set out to examine how song-generating circuits may be influenced early in song learning by a cortical region (NIf) at the interface between auditory and motor systems. Single-unit recordings reveal that, during juvenile babbling, NIf neurons burst at syllable onsets, with some neurons exhibiting selectivity for particular emerging syllable types. When juvenile birds listen to their tutor, NIf neurons are also activated at tutor syllable onsets, and are often selective for particular syllable types. We examine a simple computational model in which tutor exposure imprints the correct number of syllable patterns as ensembles in an interconnected NIf network. These ensembles are then reactivated during singing to train a set of syllable sequences in the motor network.
Accelerated knowledge discovery from omics data by optimal experimental design
Authors: Wang Xiaokang , Rai Navneet , Merchel Piovesan Pereira Beatriz , Eetemadi Ameen , Tagkopoulos Ilias
Published: October 2020

How to design experiments that accelerate knowledge discovery on complex biological landscapes remains a tantalizing question. We present an optimal experimental design method (coined OPEX) to identify informative omics experiments using machine learning models for both experimental space exploration and model training. OPEX-guided exploration of Escherichia coli’s populations exposed to biocide and antibiotic combinations lead to more accurate predictive models of gene expression with 44% less data. Analysis of the proposed experiments shows that broad exploration of the experimental space followed by fine-tuning emerges as the optimal strategy. Additionally, analysis of the experimental data reveals 29 cases of cross-stress protection and 4 cases of cross-stress vulnerability. Further validation reveals the central role of chaperones, stress response proteins and transport pumps in cross-stress exposure. This work demonstrates how active learning can be used to guide omics data collection for training predictive models, making evidence-driven decisions and accelerating knowledge discovery in life sciences.
High-power lithium–selenium batteries enabled by atomic cobalt electrocatalyst in hollow carbon cathode
Authors: Tian Hao , Tian Huajun , Wang Shijian , Chen Shuangming , Zhang Fan , Song Li , Liu Hao , Liu Jian , Wang Guoxiu
Published: October 2020

Selenium cathodes have attracted considerable attention due to high electronic conductivity and volumetric capacity comparable to sulphur cathodes. However, practical development of lithium-selenium batteries has been hindered by the low selenium reaction activity with lithium, high volume changes and rapid capacity fading caused by the shuttle effect of polyselenides. Recently, single atom catalysts have attracted extensive interests in electrochemical energy conversion and storage because of unique electronic and structural properties, maximum atom-utilization efficiency, and outstanding catalytic performances. In this work, we developed a facile route to synthesize cobalt single atoms/nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon (CoSA-HC). The cobalt single atoms can activate selenium reactivity and immobilize selenium and polyselenides. The as-prepared selenium-carbon (Se@CoSA-HC) cathodes deliver a high discharge capacity, a superior rate capability, and excellent cycling stability with a Coulombic efficiency of ~100%. This work could open an avenue for achieving long cycle life and high-power lithium-selenium batteries.
Inference of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 reveals hidden super-spreading events during the early outbreak phase
Authors: Wang Liang , Didelot Xavier , Yang Jing , Wong Gary , Shi Yi , Liu Wenjun , Gao George F. , Bi Yuhai
Published: October 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in late 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and spread globally in months, sparking worldwide concern. However, it is unclear whether super-spreading events occurred during the early outbreak phase, as has been observed for other emerging viruses. Here, we analyse 208 publicly available SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences collected during the early outbreak phase. We combine phylogenetic analysis with Bayesian inference under an epidemiological model to trace person-to-person transmission. The dispersion parameter of the offspring distribution in the inferred transmission chain was estimated to be 0.23 (95% CI: 0.13–0.38), indicating there are individuals who directly infected a disproportionately large number of people. Our results showed that super-spreading events played an important role in the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Prognostic impact of serum levels of EGFR and EGFR ligands in early-stage breast cancer
Authors: Kjær Ina Mathilde , Olsen Dorte Aalund , Brandslund Ivan , Bechmann Troels , Jakobsen Erik Hugger , Bogh Søren Bie , Madsen Jonna Skov
Published: October 2020

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its ligands are involved in cancer pathogenesis. The emerging role of treatments co-targeting the EGFR system in breast cancer has increased the need to identify companion biomarkers. The aim of this study is to investigate whether pretreatment serum levels of EGFR and EGFR ligands in early-stage breast cancer patients might provide prognostic information as a stepping stone for further investigation. The study, which included 311 early-stage breast cancer patients, investigated associations between preoperative serum levels of EGFR and EGFR ligands (epidermal growth factor, heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HBEGF), amphiregulin, transforming growth factor-α and betacellulin) and survival. Cutoffs were determined using Youden’s method, and overall survival (OS) and invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) were evaluated using Cox regression. Preoperative S-EGFR < 60.3 ng/mL was associated with shorter OS and IDFS in both univariate analyses and when adjusting for standard prognostic factors (p < 0.05). Preoperative S-HBEGF < 21.4 pg/mL was associated with shorter OS in both univariate and multivariate analyses, whereas association with shorter IDFS could only be demonstrated in the univariate analysis. In conclusion, our study demonstrated shorter survival in early-stage breast cancer patients who had low pretreatment levels of either S-EGFR or S-HBEGF.
Heavy metal pollution and risk assessment by the battery of toxicity tests
Authors: Khan Mohd. Shahnawaz , Javed Mehjbeen , Rehman Md. Tabish , Urooj Maryam , Ahmad Md. Irshad
Published: October 2020

The current study was carried out on dominant fish Oreochromis niloticus and water collected from the polluted Yamuna River, Agra, India. The heavy metals in water, recorded as follows: Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Cd and all were found to be above the prescribed limits. According to metal pollution index, exposed muscle (49.86), kidney (47.68) and liver (45.26) have been recorded to have higher bioaccumulation. The blood biochemical analysis of exposed O. niloticus indicated significant increase in activities of aspartate aminotransferase (+ 343.5%), alkaline phosphatase (+ 673.6%), alanine aminotransferase (+ 309.1%), and creatinine (+ 494.3%) over the reference. However, a significant decrease in albumin (A): globulins (G) ratio (− 87.86%) was observed. Similarly, the exposed fish also showed significant increase in total leucocyte count (+ 121%), differential leucocyte count, respiratory burst (+ 1175%), and nitric oxide synthase (+ 420%). The histological examination of liver and kidney showed tissue injury. Moreover, micronuclei (0.95%), kidney shaped nuclei (1.2%), and lobed nuclei (0.6%) along with DNA damage in the form of mean tail length in the liver (20.7 µm) and kidney (16.5 µm) was observed in the exposed O. niloticus. Potential health risk assessments based on estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient, hazard index, and target cancer risk indicated health risks associated with the consumption of these contaminated fishes. In conclusion, the present study showed that exposure to heavy metals contaminated water can alter immunological response; induce histopathological alterations and DNA damage in the studied fish. The consumption of this contaminated water or fish could have serious impact on human health.
The COVID-19 social media infodemic
Authors: Cinelli Matteo , Quattrociocchi Walter , Galeazzi Alessandro , Valensise Carlo Michele , Brugnoli Emanuele , Schmidt Ana Lucia , Zola Paola , Zollo Fabiana , Scala Antonio
Published: October 2020

We address the diffusion of information about the COVID-19 with a massive data analysis on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Gab. We analyze engagement and interest in the COVID-19 topic and provide a differential assessment on the evolution of the discourse on a global scale for each platform and their users. We fit information spreading with epidemic models characterizing the basic reproduction number $$R_0$$

R
0

for each social media platform. Moreover, we identify information spreading from questionable sources, finding different volumes of misinformation in each platform. However, information from both reliable and questionable sources do not present different spreading patterns. Finally, we provide platform-dependent numerical estimates of rumors’ amplification.
Alligators in the big city: spatial ecology of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) at multiple scales across an urban landscape
Authors: Beal Eli R. , Rosenblatt Adam E.
Published: October 2020

Urbanization impacts wildlife, yet research has been limited to few taxa. American alligators (Alligatormississippiensis) are apex predators that have received minimal attention within urban areas. We investigated potential effects of urban land use on alligators through surveys of relative alligator abundance in nine tributaries of the lower St. Johns River within Jacksonville, FL. We then explored the potential effects of urban development on alligator spatial distribution and habitat selection at coarse and fine scales. At the coarse scale, we found no correlation between percent developed land and alligator abundance across tributaries; instead, salinity was the primary driver. However, at the fine scale alligators preferred habitats with more open water and vegetated shorelines and avoided anthropogenic structure. Surprisingly, only one of 93 sighted individuals was an adult. Hunting and nuisance alligator data suggests that adults are relatively rare in Jacksonville because they have been targeted for removal. Thus, smaller alligators still occupy urban habitats because they are not targeted and face no competition from adults. Increasing urbanization and human activity may further degrade alligator habitats and limit the distribution of breeding adults, potentially leading to local population declines.
Compatibility of endoclips in the gastrointestinal tract with magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Shin Dong Yeol , Park Sumi , Kim Ain , Kim Eung-Sam , Jeon Han Ho
Published: October 2020

There are no clear guidelines on the compatibility between endoclips that remain in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 3T (T) MRI on endoclips placed in excised pig tissues. Two types of endoclips were assessed: Olympus EZ (HX-610-135L) and QuickClip Pro (HZ-202LR). We assessed tissue damage or perforation and detachment of endoclips under 3T MRI magnetic field. We also evaluated the magnitude of force required to detach the endoclips from the porcine tissue. We measured the magnetic force acting on the Olympus EZ clips. QuickClip Pro clips were used as a control in this study. There was no tissue damage and no detachment of the endoclips (Olympus EZ and QuickClip Pro) during 3T MRI. The force required to detach the Olympus EZ clips ranged from 0.9 to 3.0 N. The translational magnetic force acting on the endoclips was 3.18 × 10–3 N. Ex vivo experiments showed that the magnetic field generated by 3T MRI did not cause tissue damage or perforation and did not detach the endoclips. Olympus EZ clips and QuickClip Pro clips in the GI tract appear to be safe during 3T MRI.
Identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and machine learning techniques
Authors: Uysal Ciloglu Fatma , Saridag Ayse Mine , Kilic Ibrahim Halil , Tokmakci Mahmut , Kahraman Mehmet , Aydin Omer
Published: October 2020

Herein, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combined with supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques were used for the identification of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus.
Development of chalcone-based derivatives for sensing applications
Authors: Gupta Ankush , Garg Shelly , Singh Harminder
Published: October 2020

In this review, design strategies, sensing mechanism, and sensing performance of ion chemosensors based on various chalcone derivatives are described using extensive examples. We believe that this review provides valuable information for researchers of related areas.
Formal [5+1] annulation reactions of dielectrophilic peroxides: facile access to functionalized dihydropyrans
Authors: Zhong Chen , Yin Qi , Zhao Yukun , Li Qinfeng , Hu Lin
Published: October 2020

Peroxides, functioning as unique five-atom bielectrophilic synthons, enable the new [5+1] annulation reactions to access dihydropyrans in high yields.
Substituent effects of auxiliary ligands in mononuclear dibenzoylmethane DyIII/ErIII complexes: single-molecule magnetic behavior and luminescence properties
Authors: Liu Shan-Shan , Liu Bin , Ding Man-Man , Meng Yin-Shan , Jing Jia-Hui , Zhang Yi-Quan , Wang Xincheng , Lin Shijing
Published: October 2020

The single-molecule magnetic behavior and luminescence of [(dbm)3Ln(dmbipy)] and [(dbm)2Ln(dmobipy)(NO3)] are significantly modified by replacing the substituents of auxiliary ligands.
Towards standard electrolytes for sodium-ion batteries: physical properties, ion solvation and ion-pairing in alkyl carbonate solvents
Authors: Monti Damien , Jónsson Erlendur , Boschin Andrea , Palacín M. Rosa , Ponrouch Alexandre , Johansson Patrik
Published: October 2020

In-depth physico-chemical and molecular characterization of EC:DMC Na+-electrolytes is provided while we observed several DMC conformers in the solvation shells.
Deuteron NMR investigation on orientational order parameter in polymer dispersed liquid crystal elastomers
Authors: Rešetič Andraž , Milavec Jerneja , Domenici Valentina , Zupančič Blaž , Bubnov Alexej , Zalar Boštjan
Published: October 2020

Orientational order parameter of magnetically aligned liquid crystal elastomer particles suspended in a cured silicone matrix is assessed using2H-NMR spectroscopy. Obtained results correspond well with the composite's thermomechanical response.
A coarse-grain force field based on quantum mechanics (CGq FF) for molecular dynamics simulation of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-b-PCL) micelles
Authors: Sadeghi Maryam S. , Moghbeli Mohammad Reza , Goddard William A.
Published: October 2020

Application of the novel quantum based coarse grained force field (CGq FF) for formation of a micelle from 250 chains of 2000 Dalton CG-MePEG23-b-PCL9 block copolymer in water at 310.15 K.
Spatial/temporal distribution and multi-pathway cancer risk assessment of trihalomethanes in low TOC and high bromide groundwater
Authors: Ates Nuray , Kaplan-Bekaroglu Sehnaz Sule , Dadaser-Celik Filiz
Published: October 2020

This study aims (1) to determine seasonal and spatial distribution of THMs in chlorinated groundwater containing low levels of organic matter (0.4–0.8 mg L−1) and low to high levels of bromine (40–380 μg L−1), and (2) to evaluate the multi-route cancer risks associated with THMs.
Recent progress and challenges in solution blow spinning
Authors: Gao Yuan , Zhang Jun , Su Ying , Wang Hang , Wang Xiao-Xiong , Huang Lin-Peng , Yu Miao , Ramakrishna Seeram , Long Yun-Ze
Published: October 2020

In the past 30 years, researchers have worked towards reducing the size of ordinary three-dimensional (3D) materials into 1D or 2D materials in order to obtain new properties and applications of these low-dimensional systems.
What determines the performance of lanthanide-based ratiometric nanothermometers?
Authors: Jia Mochen , Sun Zhen , Zhang Mingxuan , Xu Hanyu , Fu Zuoling
Published: October 2020

This work unifies the metrics of lanthanide-based LIR nanothermometers, rectifies previous misunderstanding of Sa, and provides detailed guidance.
Mechanoelectrochemical issues involved in current lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Gao Yang , Zheng Feng , Wang Dajiang , Wang Bin
Published: October 2020

This review summarizes the recent innovative efforts of battery electrode materials from a mechanical perspective to elucidate the mechanoelectrochemical issues involved in current lithium-ion batteries.
Entropic factors and structural motifs of triblock-terpolymer-based patchy nanoparticles
Authors: Moreno Nicolas , Sutisna Burhannudin , Fried Eliot
Published: October 2020

Herein, we provide a geometrical and entropic generalization that explains and streamlines the hierarchical design of soft-patchy nanoparticles.
Correction: Photothermal conversion of gold nanoparticles for uniform pulsed laser warming of vitrified biomaterials
Authors: Liu Yilin , Kangas Joseph , Wang Yiru , Khosla Kanav , Pasek-Allen Jacqueline , Zhan Li , Saunders Aaron , Oldenburg Steven , Bischof John
Published: October 2020

Correction for ‘Photothermal conversion of gold nanoparticles for uniform pulsed laser warming of vitrified biomaterials’ by Yilin Liu et al., Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 12346–12356, DOI: 10.1039/D0NR01614D.
Overcharging of polyelectrolyte complexes: an entropic phenomenon
Authors: Ghasemi Mohsen , Friedowitz Sean , Larson Ronald G.
Published: October 2020

Adsorption of excess polyelectrolyte (PE) by a polyelectrolyte complex coacervate (PEC), which leads to overchanging of the PEC, is mainly an entropic process.
Electroosmosis as a probe for electrostatic correlations
Authors: Palaia Ivan , Telles Igor M. , dos Santos Alexandre P. , Trizac Emmanuel
Published: October 2020

Ionic correlations affect electroosmosis in planar salt-free channels. Electroosmotic flow can then be used as a calibrated measurement of electrostatic coupling and channel surface charge.
The interplay of phenotype and genotype inCryptococcus neoformansdisease
Authors: Altamirano Sophie , Jackson Katrina M. , Nielsen Kirsten
Published: October 2020

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening meningitis primarily in immunocompromised individuals. In order to survive and proliferate during infection, C. neoformans must adapt to a variety of stresses it encounters within the host. Patient outcome depends on the interaction between the pathogen and the host. Understanding the mechanisms that C. neoformans uses to facilitate adaptation to the host and promote pathogenesis is necessary to better predict disease severity and establish proper treatment. Several virulence phenotypes have been characterized in C. neoformans, but the field still lacks a complete understanding of how genotype and phenotype contribute to clinical outcome. Furthermore, while it is known that C. neoformans genotype impacts patient outcome, the mechanisms remain unknown. This lack of understanding may be due to the genetic heterogeneity of C. neoformans and the extensive phenotypic variation observed between and within isolates during infection. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of how the various genotypes and phenotypes observed in C. neoformans correlate with human disease progression in the context of patient outcome and recurrence. We also postulate the mechanisms underlying the genetic and phenotypic changes that occur in vivo to promote rapid adaptation in the host.
Thermohydraulic characteristics and entropy analysis of a novel clockwise and anti-clockwise twisted sinusoidal wavy micro-channel under pulsating inlet condition
Authors: Bhattacharyya Suvanjan , Das Sampad Gobinda , Chattopadhyay Himadri
Published: October 2020

Heat transfer performance of microchannel are becoming an important area of research with the current fast growing scenario of high speed computing and miniaturized electronic devices. These devices pile up large amount of heat accompanied by smaller surface area to release it. The current work examines unsteady, laminar flow heat transfer inside a novel twisted sinusoidal wavy microchannel. The channel with square cross section is wavy in nature as well as twisted. The first half portion of the channel is twisted clockwise, whereas the twist in the remaining part is having counterclockwise twist. The novel geometry promotes mixing of fluid layers leading to transport augmentation. The inlet pulsation follows sinusoidal pattern in time. The thermal performance parameter of the proposed novel geometry was assessed within a Reynolds number range of 1–100. Both the pulsation amplitude and Strouhal number are varied during the course of this study. To solve the governing equations, a finite volume based method was utilized. The Nusselt number data shows significant enhancement for the sinusoidal inlet velocity as compared to that of the steady case, i.e. without inlet flow pulsation. The performance enhancement criterion combining heat transfer and pressure drop shows significant improvement over steady flow case as well as for one-way twisted tube. Entropy generation, which is the measure of dissipated energy, is also reported in the present work.