bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic diversity and capsaicinoid content of chilli pepper landraces (Capsicum spp.) from the Yucatan Peninsula
Authors: Castillo-Aguilar C. C. , López Castilla L. C. , Pacheco N. , Cuevas-Bernardino J. C. , Garruña R. , Andueza-Noh R. H.
Published: April 2021

Mexico has a wealth of plant genetic resources, including Capsicum species. In southern Mexico, specifically in the western part of the Yucatan Peninsula, Maya farmers have preserved a great diversity of chilli pepper landraces of C. annuum, C. frutescens and C. chinense. However, the morphological diversity, capsaicinoid content, conservation status and potential use of these species have not been studied. To fill this gap and generate information to support the conservation and use of these species, we characterized the phenotypic diversity and capsaicinoid content for nine chilli pepper landraces from the western Yucatan Peninsula by assessing 15 quantitative and 39 qualitative traits for 10 plants of each landrace. For quantitative variables, two groups of chilli pepper landraces were obtained by principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Group I was formed by Rosita, Bobo, Dulce, Xcat'ik1, Xcat'ik2 and Verde landraces; Group II included the Maax, Bolita and Pico Paloma landraces. For qualitative variables, three groups of chilli pepper landraces were obtained; Group I included Dulce, Bobo, Xcat'ik1, Xcat'ik2 and Verde landraces, Group II only included the Rosita landrace, and Group III included Maax, Bolita and Pico Paloma landraces. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array (UPLC-PDA) quantification of capsaicinoids indicated higher values in landraces Rosita (14,062.3 μg/g D.W), Bolita (5928.1 μg/g D.W), Maax (3438.4 μg/g D.W) and Pico Paloma (3138.9 μg/g D.W). The Yucatan chilli pepper landraces provide valuable diverse germplasm for morphological characteristics and capsaicinoid content that can be used in breeding and conservation programmes.
Creative Learning and Policy Ideas: The Global Rise of Green Growth
Authors: Allan Bentley B. , Meckling Jonas O.
Published: April 2021

Ideas play an important role in policy change. Theories of policy change, including rational and bounded learning, bracket what needs to be explained: the creation of new ideas. We develop a theory of creative learning in international organizations (IOs). It posits that IO officials respond to new problems and state practices by creating novel concepts and policy ideas. New ideas help officials to manage multiple pressures in their organization’s strategic situation. They enable officials to mediate principal demands while seeking to mobilize client states. We theorize three modes of creative learning that generate new ideas:conceptual combination,translation, andrepurposing. Empirically, we explain a major change in global environmental policy: the rise of green growth ideas among major IOs, including the OECD, the UN, and the World Bank. Green growth ideas include new arguments drawn from Keynesian and Schumpeterian economics, which claim that environmental policies can drive economic growth. We show how these ideas were a creative response to the problem of climate change and emerging state interventions in support of clean energy. Our theory of creative learning applies beyond IOs to domestic politics and takes on added significance in times of transformative change that challenge the scripts of policymaking.
Saving Judicial Independence: A Threat to the Preliminary Ruling Mechanism?
Authors: Reyns Charlotte
Published: April 2021

Admissibility of questions for preliminary ruling – Independence of courts and tribunals in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union as Dorsch Consult criterion under Article 267 TFEU – Independence of courts and tribunals in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union as element of the Rule of Law value under Article 19 TEU – Structural inadmissibility of questions for preliminary ruling as perverse consequence of the attempts to safeguard independence of the EU judiciary
WATCHING AND SEEING
Authors: Okechukwu Amaka
Published: April 2021

This article explores grassroots practices of community safety and security in Brooklyn, New York through a framework that centers the abolitionist practices imbedded in Black neighborhood collective action. Literature on safety and security often conflates the two concepts, not considering how grounded applications of the two may produce different outcomes and approaches to community well-being. Additionally, we know little about how Black communities build safety and security from the ground up. And while academic scholarship on abolition provides a robust theoretical foundation, more examples of how communities could and do employ police abolition are needed. Utilizing archival research and oral history interviews, I argue that a crisis of police legitimacy compelled alternatives to formal policing in New York City during the urban crisis, or the postwar period of massive urban divestment and hyper-ghettoization. These efforts included masculinized security practices such as neighborhood patrols and protests, while community safety practices included forms of neighborhood sociality grounded in feminized and queer relationships of care and concern. These efforts, which critiqued institutional racism and neglect and emerged from the indigenous knowledge base and social networks of community members, provide considerations for recovering abolitionist practices in Black neighborhood collective action and implications for building alternatives to policing. This article contributes to literature on Black communities, collective action, and abolition by offering an intersectional analysis of the various ways Black social and political engagement centers on practices of safety and security and does not always fixate on conscripting a police response.
Organising Research and Development for evidence-informed health care: some universal characteristics and a case study from the UK
Authors: Culyer Anthony J. , Chalkidou Kalipso
Published: April 2021

Research and Development (R&D) in health and health care has several intriguing characteristics which, separately and in combination, have significant implications for the ways in which it is organised, funded and managed. We review the characteristics, some of which apply under most circumstances and others of which may be context-specific, explore their implications for the organisation and management of health-related R&D, and illustrate the main features from the UK experience in the 1990s.
Inline pseudoelliptic waveguide filters using asymmetric Iris coupled transverse rectangular ridge resonators
Authors: Chaudhary Muhammad Anis , Ahmed Muhammad Mansoor
Published: April 2021

In this work, a new structure for the implementation of inline pseudoelliptic waveguide filters using non-resonating modes, based on asymmetric iris coupled transverse rectangular ridge resonators has been proposed. The basic structure is comprised of a ridge that is always centered and transverse to the waveguide center axis and has the ability to create a transmission zero (TZ) above or below the passband without involving any rotation of the ridge, thus enabling quicker design of the resulting filters by allowing the use of more efficient analysis tools like FEST3D, in addition to the more general purpose methods like HFSS. A centered ridge enables the ease of manufacturing through machining. The proposed structure makes use of rectangular waveguide's dominant TE10 mode as a non-resonating mode to create an alternate energy path from source to load, thus realizing a TZ, while the asymmetric irises excite the ridge resonator, enabling the overall structure to act as a singlet capable of producing both a pole and a TZ. A third-order filter with one TZ and a fifth-order filter with two TZs have been designed and manufactured. Measured results show good consistency with the simulated data, validating the viability of the proposed structure.
Gut lumen formation defect can cause intestinal atresia: evidence from histological studies of human embryos and intestinal atresia septum
Authors: Liu Xuelai , Hao Peiyu , Lui Vincent Chi Hang , Xie Xianghui , Li Yingchao , Song Yanbiao , Li Long , Jin Zhe-Wu
Published: April 2021

Intestinal atresia (IA), a common cause of neonatal intestinal obstruction, is a developmental defect, which disrupts the luminal continuity of the intestine. Here, we investigated (i) the process of lumen formation in human embryos; and (ii) how a defective lumen formation led to IA. We performed histological and histochemical study on 6–10 gestation week human embryos and on IA septal regions. To investigate the topology of embryonic intestine development, we conducted 3D reconstruction. We showed that a 6–7th gestation week embryonic gut has no lumen, but filled with mesenchyme cells and vacuoles of a monolayer of epithelial cells. A narrow gut lumen was formed by gestation week-9, the gut was filled with numerous vacuoles of different sizes, some vacuoles were merging with the developing embryonic gut wall. At gestation week-10, a prominent lumen was developed, only few vacuoles were present and were merging with the intestine wall. At IA septal regions, vacuoles were located in the submucous layer, covered by a single layer of epithelium without glandular structure, and surrounded with fibrous tissue. The mucosal epithelium was developed with lamina propria and basement membrane, but the submucosa and the longitudinal smooth muscle layers were not properly developed. Hence, the vacuoles in IA septum could represent a remnant of vacuoles of embryonic gut. In conclusion, the fusion of vacuoles with the developing intestine wall associates with the disappearance of vacuoles and gut lumen formation in human embryos, and perturbation of these developmental events could lead to IA.
Direct continuous electromyographic control of a powered prosthetic ankle for improved postural control after guided physical training: A case study
Authors: Fleming Aaron , Huang Stephanie , Buxton Elizabeth , Hodges Frank , Huang He Helen
Published: April 2021

Despite the promise of powered lower limb prostheses, existing controllers do not assist many daily activities that require continuous control of prosthetic joints according to human states and environments. The objective of this case study was to investigate the feasibility of direct, continuous electromyographic (dEMG) control of a powered ankle prosthesis, combined with physical therapist-guided training, for improved standing postural control in an individual with transtibial amputation. Specifically, EMG signals of the residual antagonistic muscles (i.e. lateral gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior) were used to proportionally drive pneumatical artificial muscles to move a prosthetic ankle. Clinical-based activities were used in the training and evaluation protocol of the control paradigm. We quantified the EMG signals in the bilateral shank muscles as well as measures of postural control and stability. Compared to the participant’s daily passive prosthesis, the dEMG-controlled ankle, combined with the training, yielded improved clinical balance scores and reduced compensation from intact joints. Cross-correlation coefficient of bilateral center of pressure excursions, a metric for quantifying standing postural control, increased to .83(±.07) when using dEMG ankle control (passive device: .39(±.29)). We observed synchronized activation of homologous muscles, rapid improvement in performance on the first day of the training for load transfer tasks, and further improvement in performance across training days (p = .006). This case study showed the feasibility of this dEMG control paradigm of a powered prosthetic ankle to assist postural control. This study lays the foundation for future study to extend these results through the inclusion of more participants and activities.
Volcano Clustering Promoted by the Cessation of Back‐Arc Spreading and Ensuing Nascent Lithospheric Drips
Authors: Lee Changyeol , Wada Ikuko
Published: April 2021

In Northeast Japan and Izu‐Bonin, arc volcanoes form in clusters or as cross‐arc chains. Their occurrence emphasizes the non‐uniform distributions of sub‐arc temperature and fluids that control the spacing of arc volcanoes. Here, using 3‐D numerical models, we show that the cessation of back‐arc spreading promotes volcano clustering by triggering the formation of nascent lithospheric drips – downward protrusions of cold and dense lithosphere‐adjacent to the thinned back‐arc lithosphere. The nascent drips interfere with the flow of the hot asthenospheric mantle from the back‐arc toward the arc, leading to gradual development of alternating hot and cold regions beneath the arc. The results indicate that along‐arc variation in the sub‐arc mantle temperature is largest not during back‐arc spreading but after its cessation, explaining the time offset by several million years between back‐arc spreading and volcano clustering in Northeast Japan and Izu‐Bonin.
Multidecadal Variability in Mediterranean Sea Surface Temperature and Its Sources
Authors: Yan Xiaoqin , Tang Youmin
Published: April 2021

The multidecadal variability in Mediterranean Sea surface temperature (MSMV) exerts important climate impacts on both the Mediterranean region and remote areas at hemispheric scales and has long been identified in previous studies. However, its key region and source are still unclear. For the first time, we show that the key region of the MSMV is in the eastern Mediterranean, where the MSMV can persist throughout the year. The MSMV in the central and western Mediterranean occurs mainly in summer. Comparison of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) indices shows that the cumulative NAO index has a better consistency with the MSMV, suggesting that the MSMV most likely results from the cumulative effect of NAO atmospheric forcing on ocean circulation in the Mediterranean Sea. The stable lag relationship between the cumulative NAO index and the MSMV provides a natural indicator for the decadal prediction of the MSMV.
Natural and Experimental Constraints on a Flow Law for Dislocation‐Dominated Creep in Wet Quartz
Authors: Lusk Alexander D. J. , Platt John P. , Platt Jason A.
Published: April 2021

We present a flow law for dislocation‐dominated creep in wet quartz derived from compiled experimental and field‐based rheological data. By integrating the field‐based data, including independently calculated strain rates, deformation temperatures, pressures, and differential stresses, we add constraints for dislocation‐dominated creep at conditions unattainable in quartz deformation experiments. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) statistical analysis computes internally consistent parameters for the generalized flow law:  = Aσne−(Q+VP)/RT. From this initial analysis, we identify different effective stress exponents for quartz deformed at confining pressures above and below ∼700 MPa. To minimize the possible effect of confining pressure, compiled data are separated into “low‐pressure” (<560 MPa) and “high‐pressure” (700–1,600 MPa) groups and reanalyzed using the MCMC approach. The “low‐pressure” data set, which is most applicable at midcrustal to lower‐crustal confining pressures, yields the following parameters: log(A) = −9.30 ± 0.66 MPa−n−r s−1; n = 3.5 ± 0.2; r = 0.49 ± 0.13; Q = 118 ± 5 kJ mol−1; and V = 2.59 ± 2.45 cm3 mol−1. The “high‐pressure” data set produces a different set of parameters: log(A) = −7.90 ± 0.34 MPa−n−r s−1; n = 2.0 ± 0.1; r = 0.49 ± 0.13; Q = 77 ± 8 kJ mol−1; and V = 2.59 ± 2.45 cm3 mol−1. Predicted quartz rheology is compared to other flow laws for dislocation creep; the calibrations presented in this study predict faster strain rates under geological conditions by more than 1 order of magnitude. The change in n at high confining pressure may result from an increase in the activity of grain size sensitive creep.
Dielectric Resonator Negative Group Delay Circuit
Authors: Gu Taochen , Wan Fayu , Thakur Preeti , Thakur Atul , Lalléchère Sébastien , Rahajandraibe Wenceslas , Ravelo Blaise
Published: April 2021

This study investigates an innovative theory on design of dielectric resonator (DR) based negative group delay (NGD) microwave circuit. The NGD circuit is mainly constituted by a cylindrical bulk of DR as a coupling element with a microstrip line. The developed theory is analytically established from the S‐parameters modeling of this innovative DR NGD topology. The NGD analysis and synthesis equations are formulated by considering the key parameters of the DR NGD cell. The NGD existence condition as a function of the DR and microstrip line parameters is also introduced. The behavioral response of the bandpass NGD function is verified with different designed proof‐of‐concepts (POCs). The developed NGD DR topology was validated with original circuit design by commercial simulations and experimentations with insertion and reflection losses lower than 4 and 10 dB, respectively. The POC prototypes operate with low attenuation losses in mono band and dual bands up to 10 GHz. Single NGD cells with DR coupled with “I” and “U” shape microstrip lines operating at different central frequencies were designed and implemented. Then, dual‐band NGD circuits operating at approximately 2.5 and 5 GHz were also tested. The possibility to widen the NGD bandwidth with double DR NGD circuits was investigated.
The Limits of Homogenization: What Hydrological Dynamics can a Simple Model Represent at the Catchment Scale?
Authors: Wen Hang , Brantley Susan L. , Davis Kenneth J. , Duncan Jonathan M. , Li Li
Published: April 2021

Large‐scale models often use a single grid to represent an entire catchment assuming homogeneity; the impacts of such an assumption on simulating evapotranspiration (ET) and streamflow remain poorly understood. Here, we compare hydrological dynamics at Shale Hills (PA, USA) using a complex model (spatially explicit, >500 grids) and a simple model (spatially implicit, two grids using “effective” parameters). We asked two questions: What hydrological dynamics can a simple model reproduce at the catchment scale? What processes does it miss by ignoring spatial details? Results show the simple model can reproduce annual runoff ratios and ET, daily discharge peaks (e.g., storms, floods) but not discharge minima (e.g., droughts) under dry conditions. Neither can it reproduce different streamflow from the two sides of the catchment with distinct land surface characteristics. The similar annual runoff ratios between the two models indicate spatial details are not as important as climate in reproducing annual scale ET and discharge partitioning. Most of the calibrated parameters in the simple model are within the ranges in the complex model, except that effective porosity has to be reduced to 40% of the average porosity from the complex model. The form of the storage‐discharge relationship is similar. The effective porosity in the simple model however represents the dynamic and mobile water storage in the effective drainage area of the complex model that connects to the stream and contributes to high streamflow; it does not represent the passive, immobile water storage in the often disconnected uphill areas. This indicates that an additional uphill functioning unit is needed in the simple model to simulate the full spectrum of high‐low streamflow dynamics in natural catchments.
Quantifying Overestimated Permafrost Extent Driven by Rock Glacier Inventory
Authors: Cao Bin , Li Xin , Feng Min , Zheng Donghai
Published: April 2021

Rock glaciers (RGs) are normally used as “ground‐truth” observations to indicate the presence of permafrost, and hence extensively used in training permafrost distribution models. However, the unique structure and composition of RGs enhance ground cooling effects, leading to more favorable conditions for permafrost presence than in adjacent ground. We therefore hypothesized and confirmed that permafrost extent is overestimated using RG‐driven models. The results indicate that the permafrost zonation index was overestimated by about 8.4%–13.1% in a model driven by RG observations compared to a model using in situ measurements of permafrost presence/absence. The bias is particularly pronounced in discontinuous permafrost region, where it is thought to be highly sensitive to climate change, resulting in about a 41.8%–90.8% overestimation in permafrost region and 7.0%–18.6% misclassification. In order to better use the large RG datasets available to understand permafrost conditions, we provide a method to correct this bias in a fundamental model.
Buoyancy and Wind Driven Changes in Subantarctic Mode Water During 2004–2019
Authors: Xu Lixiao , Ding Yang , Xie Shang‐Ping
Published: April 2021

The Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) is a thick low‐stratified subsurface water mass located north of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and it is important for heat uptake. How the SAMW has changed and what drives that change remain to be quantified. By synthesizing observations, eddy‐resolving ocean model hindcasts and climate model simulations, we show that the SAMW has become warmer, fresher, lighter, and weaker in recent decades. As revealed by partially coupled model experiments, the SAMW core has remained at a constant depth since 2004 due to a balance between the enhanced wind stress curl, which deepens the SAMW core, and the buoyancy gain, which shallows the core. The lightening and weakening of the SAMW mainly result from the increased surface buoyancy gain due to climate warming, while the enhanced westerlies play a secondary role in slowing this trend. As greenhouse warming continues, the increased stratification will keep weakening the SAMW.
Water Solubility in Fe‐Bearing Wadsleyite at Mantle Transition Zone Temperatures
Authors: Fei Hongzhan , Katsura Tomoo
Published: April 2021

Wadsleyite can store significant amounts of H2O in its crystal structure as hydroxyl. However, H2O solubility in Fe‐bearing wadsleyite remains poorly constrained at mantle transition zone temperatures. Previous studies (e.g., Demouchy et al., 2005 [https://doi.org/10.2138/am.2005.1751]; Litasov et al., 2011 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-010-0382-3]) focused primarily on Fe‐free systems, which do not represent the Earth's interior because Fe may affect the H2O solubility. Here, we investigated the temperature dependence of H2O solubility in Fe‐bearing and Fe‐free wadsleyite at 1500–2100 K. The results indicate that H2O solubility in Fe‐bearing wadsleyite is higher than in Fe‐free samples at 1800–1900 K, corresponding to transition zone geotherm, but there is no clear Fe content dependence in the Fe‐bearing samples. Wadsleyite can contain approximately 1.0 wt.% H2O at transition zone temperatures. The H2O solubility in wadsleyite is lower than ringwoodite along a plume geotherm, which may result in dehydration melting at the 520‐km discontinuity by upwelling flow in plumes.
Impact Gardening on Ceres
Authors: Costello E. S. , Ghent R. R. , Lucey P. G.
Published: April 2021

We model impact gardening on Ceres and find that it is orders of magnitude less intense than impact gardening on Earth's Moon. At Ceres' equator, gardening is too shallow to compete with sublimation as a control on the depth to ice. At high latitudes, impact gardening will disturb the top centimeter of ice over 1 Ga but could not contribute to the disruption of thick ice deposits. Because impact gardening is weak on Ceres compared to the Moon, we also predict that the meter and smaller scale surface texture of Ceres may be significantly different from the lunar surface. Regolith may be much thinner on Ceres and the top meter may be significantly less dominated by fine‐grained regolith material.
An Analytical Model for the Permeability in Hydrate‐Bearing Sediments Considering the Dynamic Evolution of Hydrate Saturation and Pore Morphology
Authors: Wang Qilin , Chen Xiongyu , Zhang Lunxiang , Wang Ziming , Wang Dayong , Dai Sheng
Published: April 2021

Hydrate‐saturation‐dependent permeability in sediments is largely affected by the pore morphology of hydrate. Hydrate pore morphology evolves from a single pore habit, which depends on its formation conditions, toward a sophisticated hybrid habit with increased hydrate saturation. Resulted permeability reduction curves in hydrate‐bearing sediments are diverse and lack universal models. By using a two‐parameter logistic function to link microscale hydrate pore habit evolution with macroscale permeability variations, this study establishes a pore‐morphology‐weighted permeability model that well captures the permeability evolution in hydrate‐bearing sediments at various conditions. The universality of this model is validated and the values of the two parameters in the model are calibrated using published laboratory and pressure core data. This newly proposed model offers a mechanistic understanding of the permeability in hydrate‐bearing sediments and an elegant expression that can be implemented in reservoir simulators for field‐scale gas production estimation.
Role of the nervous system in cancers: a review
Authors: Wang Huan , Zheng Qiming , Lu Zeyi , Wang Liya , Ding Lifeng , Xia Liqun , Zhang Hao , Wang Mingchao , Chen Yicheng , Li Gonghui
Published: April 2021

Nerves are important pathological elements of the microenvironment of tumors, including those in pancreatic, colon and rectal, prostate, head and neck, and breast cancers. Recent studies have associated perineural invasion with tumor progression and poor outcomes. In turn, tumors drive the reprogramming of neurons to recruit new nerve fibers. Therefore, the crosstalk between nerves and tumors is the hot topic and trend in current cancer investigations. Herein, we reviewed recent studies presenting direct supporting evidences for a better understanding of nerve–tumor interactions.
The XZZX surface code
Authors: Bonilla Ataides J. Pablo , Tuckett David K. , Bartlett Stephen D. , Flammia Steven T. , Brown Benjamin J.
Published: April 2021

Performing large calculations with a quantum computer will likely require a fault-tolerant architecture based on quantum error-correcting codes. The challenge is to design practical quantum error-correcting codes that perform well against realistic noise using modest resources. Here we show that a variant of the surface code—the XZZX code—offers remarkable performance for fault-tolerant quantum computation. The error threshold of this code matches what can be achieved with random codes (hashing) for every single-qubit Pauli noise channel; it is the first explicit code shown to have this universal property. We present numerical evidence that the threshold even exceeds this hashing bound for an experimentally relevant range of noise parameters. Focusing on the common situation where qubit dephasing is the dominant noise, we show that this code has a practical, high-performance decoder and surpasses all previously known thresholds in the realistic setting where syndrome measurements are unreliable. We go on to demonstrate the favourable sub-threshold resource scaling that can be obtained by specialising a code to exploit structure in the noise. We show that it is possible to maintain all of these advantages when we perform fault-tolerant quantum computation.
Adiabatic quantum state transfer in a semiconductor quantum-dot spin chain
Authors: Kandel Yadav P. , Qiao Haifeng , Fallahi Saeed , Gardner Geoffrey C. , Manfra Michael J. , Nichol John M.
Published: April 2021

Semiconductor quantum-dot spin qubits are a promising platform for quantum computation, because they are scalable and possess long coherence times. In order to realize this full potential, however, high-fidelity information transfer mechanisms are required for quantum error correction and efficient algorithms. Here, we present evidence of adiabatic quantum-state transfer in a chain of semiconductor quantum-dot electron spins. By adiabatically modifying exchange couplings, we transfer single- and two-spin states between distant electrons in less than 127 ns. We also show that this method can be cascaded for spin-state transfer in long spin chains. Based on simulations, we estimate that the probability to correctly transfer single-spin eigenstates and two-spin singlet states can exceed 0.95 for the experimental parameters studied here. In the future, state and process tomography will be required to verify the transfer of arbitrary single qubit states with a fidelity exceeding the classical bound. Adiabatic quantum-state transfer is robust to noise and pulse-timing errors. This method will be useful for initialization, state distribution, and readout in large spin-qubit arrays for gate-based quantum computing. It also opens up the possibility of universal adiabatic quantum computing in semiconductor quantum-dot spin qubits.
The Botrytis cinerea Crh1 transglycosylase is a cytoplasmic effector triggering plant cell death and defense response
Authors: Bi Kai , Scalschi Loredana , Jaiswal Namrata , Mengiste Tesfaye , Fried Renana , Sanz Ana Belén , Arroyo Javier , Zhu Wenjun , Masrati Gal , Sharon Amir
Published: April 2021

Crh proteins catalyze crosslinking of chitin and glucan polymers in fungal cell walls. Here, we show that the BcCrh1 protein from the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea acts as a cytoplasmic effector and elicitor of plant defense. BcCrh1 is localized in vacuoles and the endoplasmic reticulum during saprophytic growth. However, upon plant infection, the protein accumulates in infection cushions; it is then secreted to the apoplast and translocated into plant cells, where it induces cell death and defense responses. Two regions of 53 and 35 amino acids are sufficient for protein uptake and cell death induction, respectively. BcCrh1 mutant variants that are unable to dimerize lack transglycosylation activity, but are still able to induce plant cell death. Furthermore, Arabidopsis lines expressing the bccrh1 gene exhibit reduced sensitivity to B. cinerea, suggesting a potential use of the BcCrh1 protein in plant immunization against this necrotrophic pathogen.
Probing bacterial cell wall growth by tracing wall-anchored protein complexes
Authors: Sun Yi-Jen , Bai Fan , Luo An-Chi , Zhuang Xiang-Yu , Lin Tsai-Shun , Sung Yu-Cheng , Shih Yu-Ling , Lo Chien-Jung
Published: April 2021

The dynamic assembly of the cell wall is key to the maintenance of cell shape during bacterial growth. Here, we present a method for the analysis of Escherichia coli cell wall growth at high spatial and temporal resolution, which is achieved by tracing the movement of fluorescently labeled cell wall-anchored flagellar motors. Using this method, we clearly identify the active and inert zones of cell wall growth during bacterial elongation. Within the active zone, the insertion of newly synthesized peptidoglycan occurs homogeneously in the axial direction without twisting of the cell body. Based on the measured parameters, we formulate a Bernoulli shift map model to predict the partitioning of cell wall-anchored proteins following cell division.
Late Pleistocene South American megafaunal extinctions associated with rise of Fishtail points and human population
Authors: Prates Luciano , Perez S. Ivan
Published: April 2021

In the 1970s, Paul Martin proposed that big game hunters armed with fluted projectile points colonized the Americas and drove the extinction of megafauna. Around fifty years later, the central role of humans in the extinctions is still strongly debated in North American archaeology, but little considered in South America. Here we analyze the temporal dynamic and spatial distribution of South American megafauna and fluted (Fishtail) projectile points to evaluate the role of humans in Pleistocene extinctions. We observe a strong relationship between the temporal density and spatial distribution of megafaunal species stratigraphically associated with humans and Fishtail projectile points, as well as with the fluctuations in human demography. On this basis we propose that the direct effect of human predation was the main factor driving the megafaunal decline, with other secondary, but necessary, co-occurring factors for the collapse of the megafaunal community.
Advances in healthcare wearable devices
Authors: Iqbal Sheikh M. A. , Mahgoub Imadeldin , Du E , Leavitt Mary Ann , Asghar Waseem
Published: April 2021

Wearable devices have found numerous applications in healthcare ranging from physiological diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and muscle disorders to neurocognitive disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other psychological diseases. Different types of wearables are used for this purpose, for example, skin-based wearables including tattoo-based wearables, textile-based wearables, and biofluidic-based wearables. Recently, wearables have also shown encouraging improvements as a drug delivery system; therefore, enhancing its utility towards personalized healthcare. These wearables contain inherent challenges, which need to be addressed before their commercialization as a fully personalized healthcare system. This paper reviews different types of wearable devices currently being used in the healthcare field. It also highlights their efficacy in monitoring different diseases and applications of healthcare wearable devices (HWDs) for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Additionally, current challenges and limitations of these wearables in the field of healthcare along with their future perspectives are also reviewed.
All urban areas’ energy use data across 640 districts in India for the year 2011
Authors: Tong Kangkang , Nagpure Ajay Singh , Ramaswami Anu
Published: April 2021

India is the third-largest contributor to global energy-use and anthropogenic carbon emissions. India’s urban energy transitions are critical to meet its climate goals due to the country’s rapid urbanization. However, no baseline urban energy-use dataset covers all Indian urban districts in ways that align with national totals and integrate social-economic-infrastructural attributes to inform such transitions. This paper develops a novel bottom-up plus top-down approach, comprehensively integrating multiple field surveys and utilizing machine learning, to model All Urban areas’ Energy-use (AllUrE) across all 640 districts in India, merged with social-economic-infrastructural data. Energy use estimates in this AllUrE-India dataset are evaluated by comparing with reported energy-use at three scales: nation-wide, state-wide, and city-level. Spatially granular AllUrE data aggregated nationally show good agreement with national totals (<2% difference). The goodness-of-fit ranged from 0.78–0.95 for comparison with state-level totals, and 0.90–0.99 with city-level data for different sectors. The relatively strong alignment at all three spatial scales demonstrates the value of AllUrE-India data for modelling urban energy transitions consistent with national energy and climate goals.
UWB-gestures, a public dataset of dynamic hand gestures acquired using impulse radar sensors
Authors: Ahmed Shahzad , Wang Dingyang , Park Junyoung , Cho Sung Ho
Published: April 2021

In the past few decades, deep learning algorithms have become more prevalent for signal detection and classification. To design machine learning algorithms, however, an adequate dataset is required. Motivated by the existence of several open-source camera-based hand gesture datasets, this descriptor presents UWB-Gestures, the first public dataset of twelve dynamic hand gestures acquired with ultra-wideband (UWB) impulse radars. The dataset contains a total of 9,600 samples gathered from eight different human volunteers. UWB-Gestures eliminates the need to employ UWB radar hardware to train and test the algorithm. Additionally, the dataset can provide a competitive environment for the research community to compare the accuracy of different hand gesture recognition (HGR) algorithms, enabling the provision of reproducible research results in the field of HGR through UWB radars. Three radars were placed at three different locations to acquire the data, and the respective data were saved independently for flexibility.
Developing a non-destructive metabarcoding protocol for detection of pest insects in bulk trap catches
Authors: Batovska Jana , Piper Alexander M. , Valenzuela Isabel , Cunningham John Paul , Blacket Mark J.
Published: April 2021

Metabarcoding has the potential to revolutionise insect surveillance by providing high-throughput and cost-effective species identification of all specimens within mixed trap catches. Nevertheless, incorporation of metabarcoding into insect diagnostic laboratories will first require the development and evaluation of protocols that adhere to the specialised regulatory requirements of invasive species surveillance. In this study, we develop a multi-locus non-destructive metabarcoding protocol that allows sensitive detection of agricultural pests, and subsequent confirmation using traditional diagnostic techniques. We validate this protocol for the detection of tomato potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) and Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia) within mock communities and field survey traps. We find that metabarcoding can reliably detect target insects within mixed community samples, including specimens that morphological identification did not initially detect, but sensitivity appears inversely related to community size and is impacted by primer biases, target loci, and sample indexing strategy. While our multi-locus approach allowed independent validation of target detection, lack of reference sequences for 18S and 12S restricted its usefulness for estimating diversity in field samples. The non-destructive DNA extraction proved invaluable for resolving inconsistencies between morphological and metabarcoding identification results, and post-extraction specimens were suitable for both morphological re-examination and DNA re-extraction for confirmatory barcoding.
A study of differential circRNA and lncRNA expressions in COVID-19-infected peripheral blood
Authors: Wu Yingping , Zhao Tiejun , Deng Riqiang , Xia Xiaoping , Li Bin , Wang Xunzhang
Published: April 2021

To conquer the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 virus, a large number of studies have been carried out on COVID-19 infection, transmission and treatment. However, few studies have been conducted from the perspectives of circRNA and lncRNA, which are known to be involved in regulating many life activities, such as immune tolerance and immune escapes, and hence may provide invaluable information in the emerging COVID-19 infection and recurrence. Moreover, exosomes has been reported to play an important role in COVID-19 recurrence, and thus may interact with the expression of circRNA and lncRNA. In this work, we sequenced circRNA, lncRNA and mRNA from recurrent COVID-19 patients and healthy people, and compared the differences. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis show that differentially expressed circRNA and lncRNA are mainly involved in the regulation of host cell cycle, apoptosis, immune inflammation, signaling pathway and other processes. The comparison to exosomes related databases shows that there are 114 differentially expressed circRNA, and 10 differentially expressed lncRNA related to exosomes. These studies provide reference for exploring circRNA and lncRNA to study the infection mechanism of COVID-19, their diagnostic and therapeutic values, as well as the possibility to employ them as biomarkers.
Thyroid hormone receptor α1 acts as a new squamous cell lung cancer diagnostic marker and poor prognosis predictor
Authors: Mohamed Fatma El Zahraa A. , Abdelaziz Ali Omar , Kasem Ahmed Hussein , Ellethy Tarek , Gayyed Mariana F.
Published: April 2021

Lung cancer is considered the major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Unfortunately, all chemotherapy regimens used in lung cancer treatment showed nearly the same efficacy. Finding a new therapeutic target that can be used as an alternative after the failure of or in association with chemotherapy to improve the prognosis is an urgent demand. Up to date, it is Known that thyroid hormones (THs) and Thyroid hormone receptors (THRs) control the progression of several types of tumours. Nevertheless, their role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. This study investigated the expression of THRα1 in NSCLC cases and its correlation to tumour clinicopathological parameters to shed new light on the relevance of THRα1 in lung cancer. Immunohistochemistry utilizing THRα1 antibody was performed on tissue sections obtained from 80 patients diagnosed with NSCLC. We also investigated the expression of THRα gene in Microarrays of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) patients by using GEO data sets on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. We showed, for the first time, the expression of THRα1 in NSCLC. Intermediate and high THRα1 expressions were detected in (25% and 66.7%) of SCC cases respectively. High THRα1 expression was associated with shorter OS. On the other hand, 86.7% of AC cases revealed low THRα1 expression. Inflammatory cells in SCC cases showed high THRα1 expression. By analysing GEO data sets, a significant increase in THRα gene expression was found in SCC compared to AC cases. Our study underscores the possibility of using THRα1 expression not only as a prognostic marker, but also as an innovative diagnostic additive tool for lung SCC, which could be tested as a potential therapeutic target for SCC in the future.
Lerf–Klinowski-type models of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide are robust in analyzing non-covalent functionalization with porphyrins
Authors: Siklitskaya Alexandra , Gacka Ewelina , Larowska Daria , Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka Marta , Malolepszy Artur , Stobiński Leszek , Marciniak Bronisław , Lewandowska-Andrałojć Anna , Kubas Adam
Published: April 2021

Graphene-based nanohybrids are good candidates for various applications. However, graphene exhibits some unwanted features such as low solubility in an aqueous solution or tendency to aggregate, limiting its potential applications. On the contrary, its derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO), have excellent properties and can be easily produced in large quantities. GO/RGO nanohybrids with porphyrins were shown to possess great potential in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen production, pollutant photodegradation, optical sensing, or drug delivery. Despite the rapid progress in experimental research on the porphyrin-graphene hybrids some fundamental questions about the structures and the interaction between components in these systems still remain open. In this work, we combine detailed experimental and theoretical studies to investigate the nature of the interaction between the GO/RGO and two metal-free porphyrins 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TAPP) and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl) porphyrin (TPPH)]. The two porphyrins form stable nanohybrids with GO/RGO support, although both porphyrins exhibited a slightly higher affinity to RGO. We validated finite, Lerf–Klinowski-type (Lerf et al. in J Phys Chem B 102:4477, 1998) structural models of GO ($$\hbox {C}_{59}\hbox {O}_{26}\hbox {H}_{26}$$

C
59

O
26

H
26

) and RGO ($$\hbox {C}_{59}\hbox {O}_{17}\hbox {H}_{26}$$

C
59

O
17

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26

) and successfully used them in ab initio absorption spectra simulations to track back the origin of experimentally observed spectral features. We also investigated the nature of low-lying excited states with high-level wavefunction-based methods and shown that states’ density becomes denser upon nanohybrid formation. The studied nanohybrids are non-emissive, and our study suggests that this is due to excited states that gain significant charge-transfer character. The presented efficient simulation protocol may ease the properties screening of new GO/RGO-nanohybrids.
Fear of hypoglycaemia among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Wang Yanhao , Zeng Zihuan , Ding Jie , Yuan Ruizhu , Wang Ruiding , Zhang You , Bai Liyao , Yu Huan , Tang Jiao
Published: April 2021

To investigate the fear of hypoglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), to identify factors related to this fear, and thus to provide evidence for clinical assessment. A total of 385 patients with T2DM who were admitted to the departments of endocrinology in five tertiary grade-A hospitals in Chongqing, China were included in this study. A questionnaire for general information and a Chinese version of Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS) were used to collect the data. The average total score on the HFS was 71.67 ± 17.06 (HFS-W was 38.15 ± 10.57; HFS-B was 33.52 ± 9.54).The three items with the highest average score for HFS-W were not recognising low blood glucose (BG), not having food available, experiencing a hypoglycaemic episode alone, and for HFS-B were eating large amount of snacks, measuring BG six or more times per day, and keeping BG > 150 mmol/L. Regressions showed that number of hospitalisations for T2DM, receiving health education on diabetes, age and hypoglycaemia history because of T2DM were associated with fear of hypoglycaemia (all p < 0.05). Fear of hypoglycaemia in hospitalised patients with T2DM was strongly associated with diabetes health education, hospitalisation for diabetes, age, and hypoglycaemia history. Medical professionals should attach importance to the specific psychological interventions, health education on diabetes and the early prevention of hypoglycaemia or diabetic complications for patients with T2DM to reduce the fear of hypoglycaemia and improve their health status.
Effects of temperature and phytoplankton community composition on subitaneous and resting egg production rates of Acartia omorii in Tokyo Bay
Authors: Tsunashima Ayumi , Itoh Hiroshi , Katano Toshiya
Published: April 2021

To clarify the effects of temperature and phytoplankton community composition on Acartia omorii (Copepoda: Calanoida) egg production, its abundance and egg production rates were investigated from 2016 to 2018 in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Abundance was high from March to May (> 3.0 × 104 individuals m−3) and low or undetected from late June to December (≤ 0.4 × 104 individuals m−3). In 2018, most eggs were subitaneous until April; diapause eggs appeared in May when the water temperature exceeded 20 °C. The weight-specific egg production rate (SEPR, Cegg Cfemale−1 day−1) had two peaks. In the first peak in January, > 90% of eggs were subitaneous; in contrast, in the second peak in May, 60% of eggs were unhatched, including diapause eggs. The first peak of subitaneous eggs may contribute to planktonic population development from March to May. In contrast the second peak of diapause eggs probably enhances their recurrence in the next winter. Multiple regression analysis revealed that subitaneous SEPR showed a negative response, whereas diapause SEPR showed a positive response to temperature. Subitaneous SEPR positively correlated with the proportion of small diatoms in phytoplankton carbon biomass, whereas unhatched SEPR positively correlated with the proportion of inedible preys in large diatoms and dinoflagellates. Edible diatoms may induce subitaneous egg production, whereas low-food availability may induce diapause egg production. These results suggest that phytoplankton composition and water temperature have strong impacts on the dynamics of A. omorii via egg production.