bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Traumatic Ulnar Carpal Translocation, Distal Radioulnar Joint Subluxation with Occult Perilunate Injury
Authors: Visser Timothy , Borusiewicz Mikayla , Payatakes Alexander
Published: April 2024

Background Perilunate injuries pose a significant treatment challenge, particularly when initially missed or underestimated. These injuries have a multitude of variations as propagation of the injury may be through ligaments and/or bone, with more recent appreciation given to nondislocated perilunate injuries.

Case Description We present a new variant of perilunate injuries, not dislocated (PLIND). This occult ligamentous perilunate injury was associated with ulnar carpal translocation, radiocarpal subluxation, and distal radioulnar subluxation. The extent of injury was fully appreciated intraoperatively, with only subtle clues present on preoperative exam and imaging, emphasizing the high index of suspicion required to identify these injuries. Clinical outcome at 1-year follow-up was very satisfactory.

Literature Review PLIND consist a distinct subset within the spectrum of perilunate injuries in which there is no observed disruption of the capitolunate relationship. Based on few cases reported in the literature (attributable to their rare occurrence and likely additional lack of awareness surrounding the injury pattern), current recommendations for surgical management include arthroscopic or open approach to appropriately address osseous and ligamentous injuries.

Clinical Relevance Recognition of PLIND injuries is challenging given the lack of frank dislocation of the capitate head on the lunate, as observed in classic perilunate injuries. Heightened clinical suspicion in patients with consistent mechanism and presentation, followed by timely surgical management, may limit sequelae of persistent instability and arthritis. Our case contributed to relevant literature by presenting a previously undescribed PLIND variant combined with radiocarpal instability, ulnar carpal translocation, and distal radioulnar subluxation.
Constructing cultural integration through rhetoric in Modi’s speech in Lumbini, Nepal
Authors: Ghimire Surendra Prasad
Published: April 2024

This article reports how the rhetorical devices and logical argument utilized in the speech of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, delivered in Lumbini, addressing the 2566th birth ceremony of Lord Buddha, assisted him to establish his purpose by persuading the audience. I adopted the concept of rhetoric developed by Aristotle and the notion of argument advanced by Toulmin as a theoretical perspective to analyze his speech. The findings reported that Modi used rhetorical devices and layers of argument to establish religious and cultural relationships between Nepal and India; however, he focused on religions, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism, and excluded the religious and cultural sentiments of people belonging to other religious and cultural backgrounds living in both countries. The finding further revealed that Modi’s seemingly religious rhetoric was directed towards the political mission of promoting relations between Nepal and India by expanding cultural nationalism and establishing the supremacy of Hinduism and Buddhism. This study has greater significance because it adds new insights into the existing literature on rhetoric and communication and provides a clear direction for further analyzing the rhetorical strategy in Modi’s speeches.
A more efficient, cost-effective way to harness renewable energy
Authors: Green Leigh Ann
Published: April 2024

Machine learning-based method determines the optimal design for solar cells.
Biproduct to product: Lignin derived from wood and plants could replace fossil fuels in various applications
Authors: Shapiro Maura
Published: April 2024

Lignin provides structure to plant cell walls and is often removed from wood pulp to make paper, but its wide-ranging potential applications make lignin a desired material.
Large-time lump patterns of Kadomtsev-Petviashvili I equation in a plasma analyzed via vector one-constraint method
Authors: Lin Huian , Ling Liming
Published: April 2024

In plasma physics, the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili I (KPI) equation is a fundamental model for investigating the evolution characteristics of nonlinear waves. For the KPI equation, the constraint method is an effective tool for generating solitonic or rational solutions from the solutions of lower-dimensional integrable systems. In this work, various nonsingular, rational lump solutions of the KPI equation are constructed by employing the vector one-constraint method and the generalized Darboux transformation of the (1 + 1)-dimensional vector Ablowitz–Kaup–Newell–Segur system. Furthermore, we investigate the large-time asymptotic behavior of high-order lumps in detail and discover distinct types of patterns. These lump patterns correspond to the high-order rogue wave patterns of the (1 + 1)-dimensional vector integrable equation and are associated with root structures of generalized Wronskian–Hermite polynomials.
Physics-based 3D simulation of single event transient current in GaN high-electron-mobility transistor and super-heterojunction field-effect transistor
Authors: Song Jianan , Chakravorty Anusmita , Jin Miaomiao , Chu Rongming
Published: April 2024

Physics-based 3D simulations were conducted on a GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) and a super-heterojunction field-effect transistor (SHJFET) to investigate the single event effect mechanism under heavy ion irradiation. Most of the single event transient current in HEMT was attributed to the punch-through effect in the bulk caused by the local increase in electrostatic potential. With improved E-field management and a more favorable potential profile to suppress source electron injection, the SHJFET had a 70% lower transient current peak value compared to the HEMT.
Nature-inspired miniaturized magnetic soft robotic swimmers
Authors: Pramanik R. , Verstappen R. W. C. P. , Onck P. R.
Published: April 2024

State-of-the-art biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery and laparoscopic surgery are extremely challenging because of the small length scales, the requirements of wireless manipulation, operational accuracy, and precise localization. In this regard, miniaturized magnetic soft robotic swimmers (MSRS) are attractive candidates since they offer a contactless mode of operation for precise path maneuvering. Inspired by nature, researchers have designed these small-scale intelligent machines to demonstrate enhanced swimming performance through viscous fluidic media using different modes of propulsion. In this review paper, we identify and classify nature-inspired basic swimming modes that have been optimized over large evolutionary timescales. For example, ciliary swimmers like Paramecium and Coleps are covered with tiny hairlike filaments (cilia) that beat rhythmically using coordinated wave movements for propulsion and to gather food. Undulatory swimmers such as spermatozoa and midge larvae use traveling body waves to push the surrounding fluid for effective propulsion through highly viscous environments. Helical swimmers like bacteria rotate their slender whiskers (flagella) for locomotion through stagnant viscid fluids. Essentially, all the three modes of swimming employ nonreciprocal motion to achieve spatial asymmetry. We provide a mechanistic understanding of magnetic-field-induced spatiotemporal symmetry-breaking principles adopted by MSRS for the effective propulsion at such small length scales. Furthermore, theoretical and computational tools that can precisely predict the magnetically driven large deformation fluid–structure interaction of these MSRS are discussed. Here, we present a holistic descriptive review of the recent developments in these smart material systems covering the wide spectrum of their fabrication techniques, nature-inspired design, biomedical applications, swimming strategies, magnetic actuation, and modeling approaches. Finally, we present the future prospects of these promising material systems. Specifically, synchronous tracking and noninvasive imaging of these external agents during in vivo clinical applications still remains a daunting task. Furthermore, their experimental demonstrations have mostly been limited to in vitro and ex vivo phantom models where the dynamics of the testing conditions are quite different compared the in vivo conditions. Additionally, multi-shape morphing and multi-stimuli-responsive modalities of these active structures demand further advancements in 4D printing avenues. Their multi-state configuration as an active solid-fluid continuum would require the development of multi-scale models. Eventually, adding multiple levels of intelligence would enhance their adaptivity, functionalities, and reliability during critical biomedical applications.
A synaptic transistor based on van der Waals heterojunction HfS2/HfOx/SnS2 with optical modulation properties
Authors: Fang Peijing , He Wenxin , Lin Yu , Lv Wenxing , Yu Zhipeng , Zhang Like , Han Zishuo , Zhan Rongbin , Zeng Zhongming
Published: April 2024

Neuromorphic devices, which break the traditional von Neumann architecture, have attracted much attention for their ability to mimic the perception, learning, and memory functions of the human brain. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are excellent candidates for building neuromorphic devices due to their atomic-level thickness and excellent optoelectronic properties. In this work, we designed a nonvolatile floating-gate synaptic device based on an HfS2/HfOx/SnS2 van der Waals heterostructure. This device exhibits a large memory window of 60 V, based on which synaptic properties, such as an excitatory postsynaptic current, and short-term and long-term plasticity, were simulated. In addition, the long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/D) characteristics of the device can be optically modulated. The device has a low nonlinearity of 0.22 for LTP, and the ratio of the number of effective conductance states was 93.3% under 532 nm illumination; this is an improvement on the levels reported using 2D-material floating-gate devices in recent years. This work offers the possibility of future applications of optoelectronic synaptic devices.
Thermocapillary motion of a solid cylinder near a liquid–gas interface: Janus geometry
Authors: Arslanova A. , Natale G. , Fransen S. , Reddy N. , Clasen C. , Fransaer J.
Published: April 2024

In this work, an analytical model is developed for the thermocapillary propulsion of a solid cylinder near a convective liquid–gas interface. Thermocapillarity originates from the temperature-induced surface tension gradients at the liquid–gas interface when the surface temperature of a cylinder residing near the interface differs from the liquid phase. In this work, we consider Janus cylinders with piece-wise constant surface temperatures or heat fluxes. In the former case, we addressed the Gibbs' phenomenon induced by the points of discontinuity. The developed procedure allowed us to study the dynamics of the general case of cylinders with different surface ratios of piece-wise constant temperatures and find the configurations inducing the largest velocities. Most Janus configurations result in motion of the cylinder parallel to the liquid–gas interface. The efficiency of the propulsion parallel to the liquid–gas interface is of the same order of magnitude as the propulsion efficiency of an isotropic cylinder normal to the interface. Considering the emerging interest of scientific community in mechanisms beyond the catalytically induced propulsion, this study may help to shed light on new ways to modulate the propulsion.
Machine learning approach to detect dynamical states from recurrence measures
Authors: Thakur Dheeraja , Mohan Athul , Ambika G. , Meena Chandrakala
Published: April 2024

We integrate machine learning approaches with nonlinear time series analysis, specifically utilizing recurrence measures to classify various dynamical states emerging from time series. We implement three machine learning algorithms: Logistic Regression, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machine for this study. The input features are derived from the recurrence quantification of nonlinear time series and characteristic measures of the corresponding recurrence networks. For training and testing, we generate synthetic data from standard nonlinear dynamical systems and evaluate the efficiency and performance of the machine learning algorithms in classifying time series into periodic, chaotic, hyperchaotic, or noisy categories. Additionally, we explore the significance of input features in the classification scheme and find that the features quantifying the density of recurrence points are the most relevant. Furthermore, we illustrate how the trained algorithms can successfully predict the dynamical states of two variable stars, SX Her and AC Her, from the data of their light curves. We also indicate how the algorithms can be trained to classify data from discrete systems.
Enhancement of spin–orbit torque and magnetization switching by Pt100–xWx alloy in Co-based films
Authors: Liang Hongming , Li Kuo , Xu Mingyang , Zhang Yao , Liu Peiqiao , Wang Sizhe , Sun Zhiwen , Yang Ruizhi , Yu Guanghua , Li Minghua
Published: April 2024

Alloying heavy metals (HMs) has been an effective method for enhancing the efficiency of spin–orbit torque. In this study, we demonstrate that Pt100−xWx/Pt/Co/Ta multilayers still maintain perpendicular magnetic anisotropy after high-temperature annealing. Doping tungsten (W) into HM platinum (Pt) at the bottom of a Pt/Co/Ta multilayer significantly increases the spin Hall angle (θSH) and reduces the critical switching current density (Jc). The harmonic Hall test results show that the θSH of the Pt88W12 alloy film is approximately 0.29, which is higher than that of the pure Pt film (0.15). The magnetization switching test reveals that the Jc of Pt94W6 alloy film is approximately 4.892 × 106 A/cm2, which is 51.9% lower than that of the pure Pt film. This study offers a valuable method for reducing power consumption and enhancing the efficiency of related application devices.
Asymmetric optical properties and bandgap shift of pre-strained flexible ZnO films
Authors: Liu Jiamin , Zhou Zhikang , Gu Honggang , Zhu Jinlong , Jiang Hao , Liu Shiyuan
Published: April 2024

Strain engineering has been extensively explored to modulate the various intrinsic properties of flexible inorganic semiconductor films. However, experimental characterization of tensile and compressive strain-induced modulation of optoelectronic properties and their differences has not been easily implemented in flexible inorganic semiconductor films. Herein, the strain-dependent structural, optical, and optoelectronic properties of flexible ZnO films under pre-tensile and pre-compressive strains are systemically investigated by a Mueller matrix ellipsometry-based quantitative characterization method combined with x-ray diffraction and first-principle calculation. With extended prestress-driven deposition processing under bi-direction bending modes, pre-tensile and pre-compressive strains with symmetric magnitudes can be achieved in flexible ZnO films, which allows precise observation of the strain-driven asymmetric modulation of optoelectronic properties. When the applied prestrain varies approximately equally from 0% (baseline) to −0.99% (compression) and 1.07% (tensility), respectively, the relative changes for the c-axis lattice constant are 0.0133 and 0.0104 Å, respectively. Meanwhile, the dependence factors of the bandgap energy on the pre-compression and pre-tensile strains were determined as −0.0099 and −0.0156 eV/%, respectively, and the complex refractive index also presents an asymmetric varying trend. With the help of the strain–stress analysis and the first-principle calculation, the intriguing asymmetric strain-optical modulation effect could be attributed to the biaxial strain mechanism and the difference in the deformation potential between the two prestrain modes. These systematic investigation consequences are thus promising as a basis for the booming applications of the flexible inorganic semiconductor ensemble.
Primary dendrite growth within binary Fe71Ge29 eutectic alloy under duplex levitation states
Authors: Hou N. S. , Geng D. L. , Jin Y. J. , Yan P. X. , Wei B.
Published: April 2024

The primary β-Fe3Ge2 dendrite growth kinetics within liquid Fe71Ge29 eutectic alloy was studied by both acoustic levitation and electrostatic levitation techniques, with maximum experimental undercoolings of 130 and 143 K, respectively. At small undercoolings, (α1 + β-Fe3Ge2) eutectic growth proceeded and then transformed to lamellar (ε-Fe3Ge + β-Fe3Ge2) microstructure by peritectoid reaction. Once liquid undercooling reached 56 K, β primary phase started to nucleate preferentially and its maximum growth velocity attained 13.5 mm/s at 143 K undercooling. By acoustic levitation processing, β dendrites were distributed inside the alloy droplet. Under electrostatic levitation state, β dendrites were distributed both at the periphery and within the interior of alloy droplet, and their volume fraction was significantly higher than that under acoustic levitation. Numerical simulation results indicated that a duplex flow was induced by alloy droplet shape oscillation and acoustic streaming. The flow exhibited maximum intensity near the alloy surface, which inhibited the achievement of larger undercoolings during acoustic levitation.
The transient discharge circuit analysis of single-turn coil
Authors: Ge Aoming , Pan Ziying , Liu Shaobo , Lv Yiliang , Peng Tao
Published: April 2024

Single-turn coil (STC) is a destructive pulse magnet aiming at a 100–300 T ultra-high magnetic field. A transient discharge circuit model considering the coupling of electromagnetic diffusion and conductor deformation is proposed, and the transient coil impedance characteristics are investigated. The results show that the coil resistance first decreases and then increases due to electromagnetic diffusion and temperature rise, respectively, while the coil inductance always increases because of the conductor’s outward motion. By comparison, the simulation results are consistent with the experimental data, and the correctness of the model is validated.
Mass transfer of solute in an oscillating flow in a two-dimensional channel
Authors: Bushueva Anastasya , Polezhaev Denis
Published: April 2024

The effective diffusion of a solute in a rectangular two-dimensional channel is experimentally studied. We experimentally examine the effective diffusion of Rhodamine B dissolved in water oscillating in a rectangular Hele–Shaw cell. The concentration of Rhodamine B in water is measured by the intensity of its fluorescence emission. In particular, we consider two problems: (i) effective diffusion of solute in water oscillating in a two-dimensional rectangular channel (Hele–Shaw cell) and (ii) effective diffusion of solute in pores between monosized hard spheres randomly packed in a rectangular Hele–Shaw cell. It is revealed that the rate of solute mass transfer exceeds the molecular diffusion rate in both cases. It has been demonstrated that when water oscillates between parallel walls, diffusion is accelerated by Taylor dispersion with the effective diffusion coefficient Deff exceeding the molecular diffusion coefficient Dm by 1–2 orders of magnitude. The effective diffusion coefficient Deff depends only on the relative amplitude but not on the frequency of the fluid oscillations in the studied range of frequencies and amplitudes. When the fluid oscillates in the pores of the porous medium, solute transport is faster than in the case of Taylor dispersion. Here, the effective diffusion coefficient depends on both the frequency and amplitude of oscillations. The analysis shows that the experimental data obtained at various frequencies and amplitudes of oscillations are consistent with the relation Deff/Dm∼Pe2 (Pe is the Peclet number). We suggest that the enhanced solute mass transfer is associated with the time-averaged fluid flows that arise due to spatial heterogeneity of the amplitude of water oscillations in the pores between randomly packed hard spheres.
Investigation of the spreading of a liquid metal droplet under a vertical magnetic field
Authors: Zhou Jiandong , Cheng Zixin , Tang Yuhao , Yang Juancheng
Published: April 2024

In the liquid metal divertor of a magnetic confinement fusion device, the spreading characteristics of the liquid metal are crucial for ensuring the stable operation of the divertor. This study has experimentally investigated the spreading characteristics of a GaInSn alloy droplet on a solid substrate under a strong vertical magnetic field, with the magnetic field intensity ranging from 0 to 2.5 T. First, several parameters of the droplet, such as droplet shape, spreading factor, dynamic contact angle, spreading velocity, and rebound behavior after impacting, were studied without a magnetic field. The fitting relationship between maximum spreading factor βmax and Weber number We was obtained and has been compared with the scaling laws from the literature. Furthermore, the effect of the vertical magnetic field on those parameters has been investigated systematically. Quantitative results on βmax and the maximum spreading time tDmax, varied with the Hartmann number (Ha) and the We number, provide a comprehensive understanding of the spreading dynamics. The specific relationship between βmax and We number under different magnetic field intensities (B) shows that a vertical magnetic field has a great inhibiting effect on liquid metal droplet spreading. Finally, the influence of oxidation on droplet spreading characteristics also has been studied. These basic findings are important for the application of liquid metal on a divertor/limiter in a fusion reactor, offering a theoretical reference engineering design.
Promoting effect of lanthanum doping on photovoltaic performance of CZTSSe solar cells
Authors: Luo Zhengjun , Yu Lei , Zheng Tingting , Dong Xiaofei , Yang Fengxia , Chen Jiangtao , Zhang Xuqiang , Zhao Yun , Li Yan
Published: April 2024

A large open-circuit voltage (VOC) deficit is the major challenge hindering the efficiency improvement of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. Cation substitution, or doping, is usually an effective strategy to achieve carrier regulation and improve efficiency. In this work, we developed a rare-earth element lanthanum (La) doped CZTSSe thin-film solar cell by directly introducing La3+ ions into the CZTS precursor solution. Such a proposed La doping approach could effectively enhance light harvesting, adjust the bandgap, and increase the electron diffusion length. Furthermore, appropriate concentrations of La doping can reduce harmful defect cluster. Benefiting from the La doping, the VOC significantly increases from 431 to 497 mV. Consequently, the power conversion efficiency is enhanced significantly from 6.54% (VOC = 431 mV, JSC = 25.50 mA/cm2, FF = 58.28%) for the reference cell to 10.21% (VOC = 497 mV, JSC = 35.20 mA/cm2, FF = 58.41%) for the optimized La-doped cell. This research provides a new direction for enhancing the performance of CZTSSe cells, offering promising prospects for the future of CZTSSe thin-film solar cells.
A three-dimensional coupled structure triboelectric nanogenerator for vertical and horizontal mechanical energy harvesting and fitness gait monitoring
Authors: Luo Cheng , Li Hai
Published: April 2024

Recently, the self-powered monitoring device used for wearable sensors has attracted attention from various industries. It is worth noting that previous self-powered sensors were mostly focused on unidirectional sensing and monitoring, and few sensors can achieve both longitudinal and transverse sensing functions simultaneously. Here, we designed an arched and stacked coupling structure triboelectric nanogenerator (AS-TENG) to harvest horizontal and vertical mechanical energy. Meanwhile, the AS-TENG can simultaneously achieve sensing effects on longitudinal pressure and transverse pulling force. According to the results, the pulling force sensing sensitivity of AS-TENG can reach 2.415 V N−1, and the pressure sensing sensitivity of AS-TENG can arrive at 2.78 V N−1. Furthermore, under longitudinal 6 Hz mechanical motion excitation, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short circuit current (Isc) of AS-TENG can reach 28.21 μA and 173.25 V, respectively. The transfer charge (Qsc) of AS-TENG can arrive at 169.7 nC. The AS-TENG can achieve a maximum output power of 2.02 mW at a 3 MΩ load. Moreover, the sensing signal pulse width of AS-TENG can reach 180 ms, which is higher than the traditional arch structure’s 110 ms, indicating the unique advantages of AS-TENG in future fitness monitoring. This study provides a 3D triboelectric multi-directional sensor that will serve the fields of intelligent wearable fitness and sports.
Senolytic and senomorphic agent procyanidin C1 alleviates structural and functional decline in the aged retina
Authors: Liu Yidan , Liu Xiuxing , Chen Xuhao , Yang Zhenlan , Chen Jianqi , Zhu Weining , Li Yangyang , Wen Yuwen , Deng Caibin , Gu Chenyang , Lv Jianjie , Ju Rong , Zhuo Yehong , Su Wenru
Published: April 2024

Increased cellular senescence burden contributes in part to age-related organ dysfunction and pathologies. In our study, using mouse models of natural aging, we observed structural and functional decline in the aged retina, which was accompanied by the accumulation of senescent cells and senescence-associated secretory phenotype factors. We further validated the senolytic and senomorphic properties of procyanidin C1 (PCC1) both in vitro and in vivo, the long-term treatment of which ameliorated age-related retinal impairment. Through high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we comprehensively characterized the retinal landscape after PCC1 administration and deciphered the molecular basis underlying the senescence burden increment and elimination. By exploring the scRNA-seq database of age-related retinal disorders, we revealed the role of cellular senescence and the therapeutic potential of PCC1 in these pathologies. Overall, these results indicate the therapeutic effects of PCC1 on the aged retina and its potential use for treating age-related retinal disorders.
Class IIa HDAC4 and HDAC7 cooperatively regulate gene transcription in Th17 cell differentiation
Authors: Cheung Ka Lung , Zhao Li , Sharma Rajal , Ghosh Anurupa Abhijit , Appiah Michael , Sun Yifei , Jaganathan Anbalagan , Hu Yuan , LeJeune Alannah , Xu Feihong , Han Xinye , Wang Xueting , Zhang Fan , Ren Chunyan , Walsh Martin J. , Xiong Huabao , Tsankov Alexander , Zhou Ming-Ming
Published: April 2024

Class II histone deacetylases (HDACs) are important in regulation of gene transcription during T cell development. However, our understanding of their cell-specific functions is limited. In this study, we reveal that class IIa Hdac4 and Hdac7 (Hdac4/7) are selectively induced in transcription, guiding the lineage-specific differentiation of mouse T-helper 17 (Th17) cells from naive CD4
+
T cells. Importantly, Hdac4/7 are functionally dispensable in other Th subtypes. Mechanistically, Hdac4 interacts with the transcription factor (TF) JunB, facilitating the transcriptional activation of Th17 signature genes such as
Il17a/f
. Conversely, Hdac7 collaborates with the TF Aiolos and Smrt/Ncor1-Hdac3 corepressors to repress transcription of Th17 negative regulators, including
Il2
, in Th17 cell differentiation. Inhibiting Hdac4/7 through pharmacological or genetic methods effectively mitigates Th17 cell–mediated intestinal inflammation in a colitis mouse model. Our study uncovers molecular mechanisms where HDAC4 and HDAC7 function distinctively yet cooperatively in regulating ordered gene transcription during Th17 cell differentiation. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic strategy of targeting HDAC4/7 for treating Th17-related inflammatory diseases, such as ulcerative colitis.
Structural and functional reorganization of inhibitory synapses by activity-dependent cleavage of neuroligin-2
Authors: Xu Na , Cao Ran , Chen Si-Yu , Gou Xu-Zhuo , Wang Bin , Luo Hong-Mei , Gao Feng , Tang Ai-Hui
Published: April 2024

Recent evidence has demonstrated that the transsynaptic nanoscale organization of synaptic proteins plays a crucial role in regulating synaptic strength in excitatory synapses. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this transsynaptic nanostructure in inhibitory synapses still remains unclear and its impact on synapse function in physiological or pathological contexts has not been demonstrated. In this study, we utilized an engineered proteolysis technique to investigate the effects of acute cleavage of neuroligin-2 (NL2) on synaptic transmission. Our results show that the rapid cleavage of NL2 led to impaired synaptic transmission by reducing both neurotransmitter release probability and quantum size. These changes were attributed to the dispersion of RIM1/2 and GABA
A
receptors and a weakened spatial alignment between them at the subsynaptic scale, as observed through superresolution imaging and model simulations. Importantly, we found that endogenous NL2 undergoes rapid MMP9-dependent cleavage during epileptic activities, which further exacerbates the decrease in inhibitory transmission. Overall, our study demonstrates the significant impact of nanoscale structural reorganization on inhibitory transmission and unveils ongoing modulation of mature GABAergic synapses through active cleavage of NL2 in response to hyperactivity.
HYPK: A marginally disordered protein sensitive to charge decoration
Authors: Firouzbakht Arash , Haider Austin , Gaalswyk Kari , Alaeen Sepehr , Ghosh Kingshuk , Gruebele Martin
Published: April 2024

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that lie close to the empirical boundary separating IDPs and folded proteins in Uversky’s charge–hydropathy plot may behave as “marginal IDPs” and sensitively switch conformation upon changes in environment (temperature, crowding, and charge screening), sequence, or both. In our search for such a marginal IDP, we selected Huntingtin-interacting protein K (HYPK) near that boundary as a candidate; PKIα, also near that boundary, has lower secondary structure propensity; and Crk1, just across the boundary on the folded side, has higher secondary structure propensity. We used a qualitative Förster resonance energy transfer-based assay together with circular dichroism to simultaneously probe global and local conformation. HYPK shows several unique features indicating marginality: a cooperative transition in end-to-end distance with temperature, like Crk1 and folded proteins, but unlike PKIα; enhanced secondary structure upon crowding, in contrast to Crk1 and PKIα; and a cross-over from salt-induced expansion to compaction at high temperature, likely due to a structure-to-disorder transition not seen in Crk1 and PKIα. We then tested HYPK’s sensitivity to charge patterning by designing charge-flipped variants including two specific sequences with identical amino acid composition that markedly differ in their predicted size and response to salt. The experimentally observed trends, also including mutants of PKIα, verify the predictions from sequence charge decoration metrics. Marginal proteins like HYPK show features of both folded and disordered proteins that make them sensitive to physicochemical perturbations and structural control by charge patterning.
SHP2 regulates GluA2 tyrosine phosphorylation required for AMPA receptor endocytosis and mGluR-LTD
Authors: Lee Sanghyeon , Kim Jungho , Ryu Hyun-Hee , Jang Hanbyul , Lee DoEun , Lee Seungha , Song Jae-man , Lee Yong-Seok , Ho Suh Young
Published: April 2024

Posttranslational modifications regulate the properties and abundance of synaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors that mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. During long-term depression (LTD), protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) dephosphorylate tyrosine residues in the C-terminal tail of AMPA receptor GluA2 subunit, which is essential for GluA2 endocytosis and group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-dependent LTD. However, as a selective downstream effector of mGluRs, the mGluR-dependent PTP responsible for GluA2 tyrosine dephosphorylation remains elusive at Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA1 synapses. In the present study, we find that mGluR5 stimulation activates Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2) by increasing phospho-Y542 levels in SHP2. Under steady-state conditions, SHP2 plays a protective role in stabilizing phospho-Y869 of GluA2 by directly interacting with GluA2 phosphorylated at Y869, without affecting GluA2 phospho-Y876 levels. Upon mGluR5 stimulation, SHP2 dephosphorylates GluA2 at Y869 and Y876, resulting in GluA2 endocytosis and mGluR-LTD. Our results establish SHP2 as a downstream effector of mGluR5 and indicate a dual action of SHP2 in regulating GluA2 tyrosine phosphorylation and function. Given the implications of mGluR5 and SHP2 in synaptic pathophysiology, we propose SHP2 as a promising therapeutic target for neurodevelopmental and autism spectrum disorders.
Liver cancer development driven by the AP-1/c-Jun~Fra-2 dimer through c-Myc
Authors: Bakiri Latifa , Hasenfuss Sebastian C. , Guío-Carrión Ana , Thomsen Martin K. , Hasselblatt Peter , Wagner Erwin F.
Published: April 2024

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death. HCC incidence is on the rise, while treatment options remain limited. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular pathways involved in HCC development has become a priority to guide future therapies. While previous studies implicated the Activator Protein-1 (AP-1) (Fos/Jun) transcription factor family members c-Fos and c-Jun in HCC formation, the contribution of Fos-related antigens (Fra-) 1 and 2 is unknown. Here, we show that hepatocyte-restricted expression of a single chain c-Jun~Fra-2 protein, which functionally mimics the c-Jun/Fra-2 AP-1 dimer, results in spontaneous HCC formation in c-Jun~Fra-2hepmice. Several hallmarks of human HCC, such as cell cycle dysregulation and the expression of HCC markers are observed in liver tumors arising in c-Jun~Fra-2hepmice. Tumorigenesis occurs in the context of mild inflammation, low-grade fibrosis, and Pparγ-driven dyslipidemia. Subsequent analyses revealed increased expression of c-Myc, evidently under direct regulation by AP-1 through a conserved distal 3′ enhancer. Importantly, c-Jun~Fra-2-induced tumors revert upon switching off transgene expression, suggesting oncogene addiction to the c-Jun~Fra-2 transgene. Tumors escaping reversion maintained c-Myc and c-Myc target gene expression, likely due to increased c-Fos. Interfering with c-Myc in established tumors using the Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal motif inhibitor JQ-1 diminished liver tumor growth in c-Jun~Fra-2 mutant mice. Thus, our data establish c-Jun~Fra-2hepmice as a model to study liver tumorigenesis and identify the c-Jun/Fra-2-Myc interaction as a potential target to improve HCC patient stratification and/or therapy.
On point-ahead angle control strategies for TianQin
Authors: Wang Dezhi , Zhang Xuefeng , Duan Hui-Zong
Published: April 2024

Pointing-related displacement noises are crucial in space-based gravitational wave detectors, where point-ahead angle control of transmitted laser beams may contribute significantly. For TianQin that features a geocentric concept, the circular high orbit design with a nearly fixed constellation plane gives rise to small variations of the point-ahead angles within ±25 nrad in-plane and ±10 nrad off-plane, in addition to a static bias of 23 µrad predominantly within the constellation plane. Accordingly, TianQin may adopt fixed-value compensation for the point-ahead angles and absorb the small and slow variations into the pointing biases. To assess the in-principle feasibility, the far-field tilt-to-length (TTL) coupling effect is discussed, and preliminary requirements on far-field wavefront quality are derived, which have taken into account of TTL noise subtraction capability in post processing. The proposed strategy has benefits in simplifying the interferometry design, payload operation, and TTL noise mitigation for TianQin.
Cycle-to-cycle switching endurance variability in vertically aligned nanocrystalline molybdenum disulfide: computational insights
Authors: Turfanda Aykut , Ünlü Hilmi
Published: April 2024

We propose a model to depict abrupt transient changes in the endurance test results of a resistive switching device comprising vertically oriented layers of nanocrystalline transition metal dichalcogenide layers with respect to the substrate. We aim to relate and understand the so-called resistance drift occurring in the endurance test results with our model, which is further tested using density functional theory simulations. We conclude that the relationship between resistance drift and skin effect is dominated by alternating electric current resistance and surface resistance. These results are crucial for understanding the resistance drift occurring in several resistive switching devices operating based on defects and ions.
Flexural and acoustic phonon-drag thermopower and electron energy loss rate in silicene
Authors: Ansari Meenhaz , Ashraf S S Z , Tripathi P , Ahmad A
Published: April 2024

We have performed a comprehensive numerical and analytical examination of two crucial transport aspects in silicene: the phonon-drag thermopower,

S
p

, and the electron’s energy loss rate,

F

e

. Specifically, our investigation is centered on their responses to out-of-plane flexural phonons and in-plane acoustic phonons in silicene, a two-dimensional allotrope of silicon as a function of electron temperature,

T
,

and electron concentration,

n
,

upto the room temperature. It is found that the calculated quantities have a non-monotonic dependence for the phonon modes for both parameters

(

T

 and 

n

)

considered while analytical results predict definite dependencies up to the complete low-temperature Bloch–Gruneisen (BG) regime. To provide a more comprehensive picture, we contrast the complete numerical outcomes with the approximated analytical BG results, revealing a convergence within a specific range of temperature and carrier concentration. In light of this convergence, we put forth suggestions to elucidate the underlying factors responsible for this behavior. A comparison based on the magnitude of the calculated quantities can be made from the figures between the two considered phonon modes, which clearly shows that the out-of-plane flexural phonons are effective throughout the considered temperature range. This observation leads us to posit that the dominating contribution of the out-of-plane flexural phonon modes hinges upon the deformation potential constant and phonon energy associated with the phonon mode. Our study carries significant implications for estimating the electrical and thermal properties of silicene and provides valuable insights for the development of devices based on silicene-based technologies.
DFSA-DAN: dynamic fusion of statistical metric and adversarial learning for domain adaptation network based intelligent fault diagnosis
Authors: Shao Yining , Zheng Xiaorong , He Zhiwei , Gao Mingyu , Nie Jiahao
Published: April 2024

The advancement of deep transfer learning has motivated research into the realization of intelligent fault diagnosis schemes for rolling bearing. Nevertheless, existing research rarely provides further insight into the importance of statistical distance metric-based methods and adversarial learning-based methods in domain adaptation, and the commonly used feature extractors are more difficult to extract features suitable for domain transformation. In this paper, a dynamic fusion of statistical metric and adversarial learning for domain adaptation network is proposed to achieve a dynamic measure of the importance of different domain adaptation methods. This new model utilizes a local maximum mean discrepancy metric to adjust the conditional distribution and adversarial training to adjust the marginal distribution between domains. Meanwhile, to assess the importance of the two distributions, a dynamic adaptation factor is introduced for dynamic evaluation. In addition, to extract features that are more suitable for domain transformation, the model incorporates a dual depth convolutional path with an attention mechanism as a feature extractor, enabling multi-scale feature extraction. Experimental results demonstrate the model’s superior generalization capability and robustness, enabling effective cross-domain fault diagnosis in diverse scenarios.
Investigation on the fusion reliability and cluster consistency of multivariable entropy method
Authors: Guo Hang , Wang Xianzhi , Ma Hongbo , Chen Gaige , Li Yongbo
Published: April 2024

Recent researches have shown that the multivariable entropy based feature extraction method can obtain better diagnosis results for fault diagnosis of planetary gearbox. However, the nature properties of multivariable entropy have still not been deeply explored: the reliability of multi-source information fusion and cluster consistency for the same fault signal. These two properties will affect the accuracy of fault diagnosis based on multivariate entropy. This paper aims to reveal the nature properties of multivariate entropy. Firstly, a rigid-flexible coupling dynamic model of a planetary gearbox is conducted to establish a pure test environment. Then the generated vibration signals are used to evaluate the fusion reliability and cluster consistency of multivariable entropy. Additionally, a new multivariable entropy feature extraction method called variational embedding refined composite multiscale diversity entropy (veRCMDE) is proposed. Finally, the simulation and experiment results show that high fusion reliability and high cluster consistency enable multivariate entropy to extract more valuable features, and the proposed veRCMDE performs the best in all experiments.
Fault diagnosis of axial piston pump based on multi-source subdomain adaptation and sensor data fusion
Authors: Tang Hongbin , Gong Yangchun , Zhou Jingnan
Published: April 2024

The axial piston pump is the core component in hydraulic systems. Its condition monitoring and fault diagnosis are crucial to ensure the safe and reliable operation of hydraulic systems. However, most of the existing fault diagnosis methods for axial piston pumps use the same working condition data. In actual operation, axial piston pump often experience varying loads, and the collected data is typically correlated but has different distributions. Therefore, a transfer learning method of multi-source subdomain adaptation and sensor fusion (MSASF) is proposed for fault diagnosis of axial piston pump. The proposed MSASF has three modules, a shared feature extraction module, a domain-specific feature extraction module and an output decision module. Firstly, the adaptive weighted fusion of multi-sensor data features is realized by the shared feature extraction module and the common features of multi-source heterogeneous data are extracted. Secondly, in the domain-specific feature extraction module, multi-branch network is used to extract features of each pair of source and target domains and the local maximum mean difference is utilized to align the sub-domain distribution of each pair of source and target domains. Finally, in the output decision module, the distribution distance between each pair of source domain and target domain is calculated using maximum mean discrepancy to obtain its weighted score. Combined with the classification output of each source domain, the final diagnosis decision is made. A dataset was constructed for the axial piston pump design fault experiment, and four sets of transfer tasks were designed to compare with those of seven classic methods. The experimental results showed that the proposed MSASF method exhibits a superior domain adaptation effect and fault diagnosis performance.
CaSnLi-YOLO: construction site multi-target detection method based on improved YOLOv5s
Authors: Hao Fei , Zhang Tianqi , He Guanghong , Dou Ruofei , Meng Chao
Published: April 2024

To address the problem of the frequent occurrence of major casualties during construction, a lightweight multi-target detection model based on YOLOv5s, named CaSnLi-you only look once (YOLO), was proposed for the detection of multiple targets consisting of construction workers and various mechanical equipment at construction sites. In this study, the introduction of the coordinate attention mechanism along with DWConv and C3Ghost based on GhostNet, enhanced the expression and detection accuracy of the model, effectively reducing the number of parameters. Considering the environmental characteristics of construction sites, a detection box filtering strategy based on soft non-maximum suppression was employed, to effectively alleviate the issue of missed detections of occluded targets. Experimental results demonstrate the significant superiority of the proposed CaSnLi-YOLO over current mainstream detection models, such as faster region-based convolutional neural network and single-shot detector. The proposed CaSnLi-YOLO has a parameter number of 5.96 × 106, which is 15.2% less than that of the original YOLOv5s model, further improving precision, recall rate, mAP@0.5, and mAP@0.5:0.95 by 0.6%, 0.6 %, 0.2%, and 2.3%, respectively. The improved YOLOv5s model proposed in this study achieved significant improvements in multi-target detection at construction sites. The model demonstrated effective enhancements while significantly reducing parameter count and is expected to be deployed in small-edge devices for real-time security monitoring at construction sites.
Magnetic targeting and pH-microwave dual responsive Janus mesoporous silica nanoparticles for drug encapsulation and delivery
Authors: He Yuhai , Wang Chen , Wu Qiuhua , Zhang Guolin
Published: April 2024

In this paper, a new Janus-structured nano drug delivery carrier Fe3O4@TiO2&mSiO2 was designed and synthesized, which consisted of a spherical head and a closely connected rod. The head was a nanocomposite of core/shell structure with magnetic spinel ferric tetraoxide core and anatase titanium dioxide shell (Fe3O4@TiO2), and the rod was ordered mesoporous silica (mSiO2). The nanocarriers showed excellent magnetic targeting capability (saturation magnetization, 25.18 emu g−1). The core/shell heads endowed the carriers with fine microwave responsiveness. The pore volume of mesoporous nanocarriers was 0.101 cm3 g−1, and the specific surface area was 489.0 m2 g−1. Anticancer drug doxorubicin could be loaded in the mesoporous of the carriers to form Fe3O4@TiO2&mSiO2-DOX. The drug loading capacity was 10.4%. Fe3O4@TiO2&mSiO2-DOX exhibited acid-sensitive and microwave-sensitive release properties along with good bio-compatibility. Fe3O4@TiO2&mSiO2 Janus nanoparticles are expected to be ideal drug carriers.