bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive investigation of flood-resilient neighborhoods: the case of Adama City, Ethiopia
Authors: Leta Bikila Merga , Adugna Dagnachew , Wondim Alazar Assefa
Published: January 2024

Adama is the second most populous city in Ethiopia and experiences frequent flash floods that have a detrimental impact on the community’s livelihood. To this effect, this study emphasizes the significance of conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify flood-resilient neighborhoods in Adama City. By considering the existing spatial pattern and morphology that are resilient to urban flooding, the city can enhance its flood management strategies in the future. The findings of this study demonstrate varying levels of spatial connectivity within Adama City. Detailed examination of two neighborhoods identified through space syntax analysis with high and low spatial connectivity revealed important insights into flood resilience. The high-connective neighborhoods exhibited well-interconnected street systems with manageable street spacing, facilitating efficient runoff flow and effective flood management during flooding events. These neighborhoods also had shorter block sizes with frequent intersections, promoting better water drainage and reducing the risk of flooding during heavy rain events. The grid pattern observed in these areas allowed for efficient water runoff through multiple drainage paths, including the street surfaces. On the contrary, neighborhoods with low spatial connectivity exacerbated urban flooding. The lack of connectivity and abundance of dead-end streets posed challenges for flood evacuation during emergencies. Irregular block arrangements disrupted the natural drainage system, aggravating the potential for urban flooding. These findings have implications for other flood-prone areas of neighborhoods in Adama City and similar urban areas in the global south on how human settlements are arranged spatially to mitigate urban flood vulnerability.
A novel oil palm frond magnetic biochar for the efficient adsorption of crystal violet and sunset yellow dyes from aqueous solution: synthesis, kinetics, isotherm, mechanism and reusability studies
Authors: Oyekanmi Abdulrahman Adeleke , Katibi Kamil Kayode , Omar Rohayu Che , Ahmad Akil , Elbidi Moammar , Alshammari Mohammed B. , Shitu Ibrahim Garba
Published: January 2024

This study presented a facile synthesis route via the precipitation method for the production of magnetic biochar from oil palm frond (OPF). The physicochemical characteristics including surface, functional, and magnetic properties of the synthesized magnetic biochar revealed that the surface morphology, porosity, and magnetic properties enhanced its adsorption capacity for the removal of crystal violet (CV) and sunset yellow (SY) from aqueous solution. The saturation magnetization of OPF biochar was found to be 8.41 emu/g, coercivity (Hc) of 83.106 G, and retentivity (Mr) of 1.475 emu/g which implies that OPF magnetic biochar can be facilely separated from aqueous solution. The result also demonstrated superparamagnetic properties which provided suitable magnetic responsive characteristics to an external magnetic field. The interactive effect of the operational conditions of pH, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, and temperature was investigated in a batch adsorption study using the central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM). It was indicated that an increase in adsorbent dosage to 1.0 g/L at a lower initial concentration (50 ppm) conducted at 20 °C favoured optimum removal of CV and SY at pH 11 and 4, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacity ($$q_{\max }$$

q
max

) of 149.03 and 342.47 mg/g was achieved for CV and SY dyes, respectively. The kinetic data proved to be best fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic parameters revealed spontaneous and endothermic reactions. The suitability and sustainability of the magnetic biochar were enhanced by its regeneration potential for effective adsorption of CV and SY after 5 cycles which indicates its outstanding reusability. Hence, OPF magnetic biochar exhibited prospective application for the removal of dyes from wastewater.
Valorization of lignocellulosic platform products based on biorefinery schemes through sequential pretreatments
Authors: Poveda-Giraldo Jhonny Alejandro , Cardona Alzate Carlos Ariel
Published: January 2024

Pretreatments have been identified as the core of lignocellulosic biorefinery design due to biomass fractionation and the influence on subsequent reaction and downstream processes. However, most pretreatments are described as single-step, maximizing the valorization of a side stream. Therefore, sequential pretreatments could better describe the integral valorization of lignocellulosic biomass to obtain platform products that can be further used for value-added products. This work experimentally analyzed the sequential pretreatments for the fractionation of rice husks to obtain individual lignocellulosic fractions. It was demonstrated that the dilute acid-wet air oxidation (DA-WAO) sequence is suitable for biorefinery designs since it is possible to solubilize up to 80% of hemicellulose during the first stage and subsequently fractionate almost 90% of lignin after the second stage, obtaining a pretreated solid with high cellulose content. The isolated lignocellulosic fractions were used as platform products to obtain furfural, levulinic acid, and phenolic compounds. As a main result, yields and conversions were improved when valorizing the cellulose platform based on sequential pretreatment. In contrast, valorizing the black liquor after a combination scheme decreased aldehyde yields such as vanillin and syringaldehyde by 4.8–11.9%. The findings indicate that from the biorefinery approach, sequential pretreatments improve the yield of platform products. Despite the decrease of phenolic compounds, levulinic acid and furfural production is significantly enhanced.
Hydroxypropyl sulfonated starch and Asperlligus oryzae biomass for cationic dye adsorption: characterization, mechanism, sorption modelling
Authors: Hashem A. , Aniagor Chukwunonso O. , Mohamed L. A. , Abdelgawad Abdelrahman M. , Aly A. A.
Published: January 2024

In this work, hydroxypropyl starch sulfate (HPSS) and Aspergillus oryzae (Asp. oryzae) were successfully synthesized and investigated for aqueous methylene blue (MB) adsorption. The as-prepared adsorbents were also characterized extensively using FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDX, and BET surface area analyses to elucidate their functional, textural, and morphological properties. Also, the effects of initial dye concentration, contact time, and pH on the adsorption performance of both adsorbents were systematically investigated. Due to the significant surface area differences, the HPSS recorded a higher maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of 52.41 mg/g at 20 mg/L initial concentration, 60 min, and pH 8.0, while the Asp. oryzae recorded a qmax of 37.26 mg/g at 20 mg/L initial concentration, 60 min, and pH 9.0. Specifically, the –SO3 groups on the HPSS shared some electrostatic affinity with the MB dye cationic center (N+ backbone), while a hydrogen bond is formed between the hydroxyl groups of the starch and N+ backbone of the MB dye. Also, the nitrogen- and oxygen-containing groups on the Asp. oryzae provided active sites for the binding of MB species. Also, the XRD spectra of the loaded HPSS showed a decrease in the sharp crystalline peaks, while no structural changes were observed in the case of loaded Asp. oryzae. Therefore, the effectiveness of the HPSS and Asp. oryzae for adsorbing MB was established in the study.
Stable difference schemes for hyperbolic–parabolic equations with unknown parameter
Authors: Ashyraliyev Maksat , Ashyralyyeva Maral
Published: January 2024

In the present paper, we study the first and second order of accuracy difference schemes for the approximate solution of the inverse problem for hyperbolic–parabolic equations with unknown time-independent source term. The unique solvability of constructed difference schemes and the stability estimates for their solutions are obtained. The proofs are based on the spectral representation of the self-adjoint positive definite operator in a Hilbert space.
Medley deep reinforcement learning-based workload offloading and cache placement decision in UAV-enabled MEC networks
Authors: Ke Hongchang , Wang Hui , Sun Hongbin
Published: January 2024

Internet of Things devices generate a large number of heterogeneous workloads in real-time that require specific application to tackle, and the inability to communicate between devices and communication base stations due to complex scenarios is a thorny issue. Service caching play a key role in managing specific-request workload from devices, and unmanned aerial vehicles with computation and communication functions can effectively solve communication barrier between devices and ground base stations. In addition, the joint optimization of workload offloading and service cache placement is a key issue. Accordingly, we design an unmanned aerial vehicle-enabled mobile edge computing system with multiple devices, unmanned aerial vehicles and edge servers. The proposed framework takes into account the randomness of workload arrival, the time-varying nature of channel states, the limitations of the hosting service caching, and wireless communication blocking. Furthermore, we designed workload offloading and service caching hosting decision-making optimization problems to minimize the long-term weighted average latency and energy consumption costs. To tackle this joint optimization problem, we propose a request-specific workload offloading and service caching decision-making scheme based on the medley deep reinforcement learning scheme. To this end, the proposed scheme is decomposed into two-stage optimization subproblems: the workload offloading decision-making problem and the service caching hosting selection problem. In terms of the first subproblem, we model each device as a learning agent and propose the workloads offloading decision-making scheme based on multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient. For the second subproblem, we present the decentralized double deep Q-learning scheme to tackle the service caching hosting policy. According to the comprehensive experimental results, the proposed scheme is able to converge rapidly on various parameter configurations and whose performance surpasses the other four baseline learning algorithms.
Macroeconomic effects of green recovery programs
Authors: Köppl Angela , Schratzenstaller Margit
Published: January 2024

This paper reviews the literature on (potential) green recovery measures in the context of the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on their macroeconomic effects. We find that spending for renewables and energy efficiency is particularly promising with regard to macroeconomic impacts. Moreover, the empirical evidence suggests that green recovery measures are associated with larger macroeconomic effects compared to conventional non-green recovery spending. We also derive lessons learned with regard to open questions and issues as well as accompanying framework conditions which could enhance a macroeconomically successful implementation of green recovery measures.
Market movement prediction using chart patterns and attention mechanism
Authors: Norasaed Witawat , Siriborvornratanakul Thitirat
Published: January 2024

The new concept of forecasting market movements is introduced to fill the gap in stock price forecasting that uses a fixed time window. The candlestick data are grouped into waves before being input into the Transformer model to capture many different chart patterns and provide longer price movement patterns for better feature extraction. This work is divided into two main parts. The first part is wave extraction, for which we propose a new algorithm for grouping candlestick data into waves. The second part deals with Transformer modeling. The result of this work has shown that the Transformer model trained using wave series can help traders reduce their losses and choose a suitable trading strategy based on the prediction results. The model trading result of the test set has earned about 19.8% (using fixed 1 contract size per order) which is better than using MACD signal which can give earning of 12.5%.
Freedom
Authors: Tallis Raymond
Published: January 2024

The question of free will has preoccupied philosophers for millennia. In recent years the debate has been reinvigorated by the findings of neuroscience and, for some, the notion that we have free will has finally been laid to rest. Not so, says Raymond Tallis. In his quest to reconcile our practical belief in our own agency with our theoretical doubts, Tallis advances powerful arguments for the reality of freedom.

Tallis challenges the idea that we are imprisoned by laws of nature that wire us into a causally closed world. He shows that our capacity to discover and exploit these laws is central to understanding the nature of voluntary action and to reconciling free will with our status as material beings.

Bringing his familiar verve and insight to this deep and most intriguing philosophical question, one that impacts most directly on our lives and touches on nearly every other philosophical problem - of consciousness, of time, of the nature of the natural world, and of our unique place in the cosmos - Tallis takes us to the heart of what we are. By understanding our freedom he reveals our extraordinary nature more clearly.
Minstrels and Minstrelsy in Late Medieval England
Authors: Rastall Richard , Taylor Andrew
Published: January 2024

A major new study piecing together the intriguing but fragmentary evidence surrounding the lives of minstrels to highlight how these seemingly peripheral figures were keenly involved with all aspects of late medieval communities.
“Lavender for Lads”: Smell and Nationalism in the Great War
Authors: Clark Jessica P.
Published: January 2024

In the Great War, home front schemes in support of wartime causes included the making and transportation of what were called smellies: homemade tokens and commercial gifts that invoked supposedly traditional British scents. For volunteers, this entailed the collection and distribution of homemade lavender and verbena bags as an allegedly effective—and practical—means of aiding those injured at the front. For others, like commercial perfumers, this meant the production of scented commodities like lavender water and eau de Cologne for transport to troops overseas. In both cases, supporters mobilized the symbolic power of perfumed items to promote a fictitious version of rural, white, English life that could allegedly be resumed after the conflict. These campaigns obscured the social, racial, gendered, and material realities of war. What resulted was a profoundly limited definition of British smells and, by extension, their idealized British recipients: white, English-born servicemen from across classes. While perfumed gifts were designed to comfort these select recipients and bring a sense of order to the front, accounts of gifts’ production and reception ultimately reveal fractures—and failures—in the deployment of national smells to order the disordered smellscapes of war.
Quaternary climatic events as conditioning factors of hydrogeologic characteristics and salinity in costal aquifers at northern Patagonia, Argentina
Authors: Carol Eleonora , Perdomo Santiago , Tanjal Carolina , Scivetti Nicolás , Alvarez María del Pilar
Published: January 2024

In arid and semiarid coastal areas, freshwater resources are scarce and are frequently affected by salinization processes. The aim of this work is to evaluate the influence of Late Quaternary climatic events on the hydrogeologic characteristics conditioning the distribution of fresh, brackish, and saline ground water in the Holocene and Pleistocene beach ridges in coastal aquifers of northern Patagonia. To achieve this, geologic, geomorphological, geophysical, hydrochemical, and isotopic studies were carried out, which allowed the identification of the hydrolithologic characteristics controlling groundwater salinity in a context of Quaternary geologic–geomorphological–climatic evolution. In Pleistocene beach ridges, it was recognized that the formation of calcretes in an arid period after Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e conditioned the permeability of superficial sediments, strongly decreasing infiltration rates. During the Holocene, beach ridges were deposited and sea water entered the Pleistocene ridges. Subsequently, with the sea-level drop and wetter climatic conditions, rainwater began to infiltrate, recharging the aquifers and displacing seawater, allowing development of freshwater lenses. However, freshwater lenses only developed in Holocene ridges due to the lower permeability of Pleistocene ridges, which determines that in these geoforms, sea water cannot be displaced by rainwater, and therefore groundwater is brackish to saline.
Life history and mitochondrial genomes of Salassinae and Agliinae (Insecta, Lepidoptera): New insights into the loss of cocooning behaviour and phylogeny of Saturniidae
Authors: Zheng Xuhongyi , Xu Zilong , Wang Dong , Zhou Changfa
Published: January 2024

The subfamilies Salassinae and Agliinae are two monogeneric groups of the family Saturniidae. They were regarded as the non-cocooning saturniids in Asia. Since very little information on their life history and mitogenome has been reported, their origin and evolution are still poorly understood. In this study, nature-imitated rearing is used to record the life history of two Aglia and five Salassa species. In addition, four complete mitogenomes are presented, which are the first ones of these two subfamilies. The results show that both Salassinae and Agliinae have lost their cocooning. Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis demonstrates that the subfamily Saturniinae is not monophyletic due to the inclusion of Agliinae and Salassinae.
A NEW ACROSTIC AND TELESTIC AT LAVS PISONIS 227–30?
Authors: Vos Gary P.
Published: January 2024

This article proposes a new acrostic (SAPI) and telestic (SOIS) at Laus Pisonis 227–30. Their position opposite one another is an indication that they are to be read as a single sentence and an admonition to both dedicatee and reader that poet and patron need each other to gain eternal fame. The telestic allows us to reconstruct the poet's usus scribendi of the reflexive possessive pronoun suus.
THE GODS’ DELAY: OVID, HEROIDES 7.21
Authors: Galfré Edoardo
Published: January 2024

This note makes a new argument for van Lennep's conjecture di at Ovid, Heroides 7.21 against the manuscript reading te.
THE STRANGE ABSENCE OF HORT- IN LUCRETIUS
Authors: Pope Michael
Published: January 2024

This note points out and ventures to explain the remarkable absence of both hortus, ‘garden’, and all forms of hortari, ‘urge’, in a poem that seeks to encourage the audience toward the Garden.
Hanging for murder in late colonial Burma
Authors: Brown Ian
Published: January 2024

The first decades of the twentieth century saw a marked rise in the number of recorded murders in British-ruled Burma. The sentence for murder prescribed by the Indian Penal Code—in force in Burma as a province of British India—was death or transportation for life. However, while Burma's murder count was rising sharply, the number of executions taking place in the province's jails remained broadly stable, with perhaps a tendency to fall, and indeed it fell decisively at the end of the 1930s. By that point, a high standard of evidence was being increasingly demanded for conviction for murder and increasingly the death penalty was being imposed only when murder had clearly been premeditated. In other words, in the administration of justice in murder cases, the rule of law had been markedly tightened. The focus in the article will be on the local pressures, on the practices and perspectives of Burma's colonial administration and of the Burmese themselves that led in time to a decisive fall in the number of convicted murderers who were hanged for their crime.
Meristoderes zmaj sp. n., a new species of Kinorhyncha (Cyclorhagida: Echinoderidae) from the Adriatic Sea
Authors: González-Casarrubios Alberto , Sánchez Nuria , Cepeda Diego , Pardos Fernando
Published: January 2024

A new species of the cyclorhagid genus Meristoderes is described. Meristoderes zmaj sp. n. is distinguished from its congeners by its unique arrangement of spines and tubes. It possesses acicular spines on segments 4, 6 and 8 in middorsal position and on segments 6–9 in lateroventral position; and tubes on segment 2 in subdorsal, midlateral and ventrolateral position, on segment 5 in lateroventral position and on segment 10 in laterodorsal position. With the formal description of M. zmaj sp. n., the number of species within the genus is increased to 10. In addition, the appearance of a new species and its accompanying fauna within the North-Eastern Adriatic Sea fauna, extensively studied by Kinorhyncha taxonomists, is discussed.
Disentangling pain and fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome: a resting state connectivity study before and after cognitive behavioral therapy
Authors: van der Schaaf Marieke E. , Geerligs Linda , Toni Ivan , Knoop Hans , Oosterman Joukje M.
Published: January 2024

Background

Fatigue is a central feature of myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), but many ME/CFS patients also report comorbid pain symptoms. It remains unclear whether these symptoms are related to similar or dissociable brain networks. This study used resting-state fMRI to disentangle networks associated with fatigue and pain symptoms in ME/CFS patients, and to link changes in those networks to clinical improvements following cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Methods

Relationships between pain and fatigue symptoms and cortico-cortical connectivity were assessed within ME/CFS patients at baseline (N = 72) and after CBT (N = 33) and waiting list (WL, N = 18) and compared to healthy controls (HC, N = 29). The analyses focused on four networks previously associated with pain and/or fatigue, i.e. the fronto-parietal network (FPN), premotor network (PMN), somatomotor network (SMN), and default mode network (DMN).

Results

At baseline, variation in pain and fatigue symptoms related to partially dissociable brain networks. Fatigue was associated with higher SMN-PMN connectivity and lower SMN-DMN connectivity. Pain was associated with lower PMN-DMN connectivity. CBT improved SMN-DMN connectivity, compared to WL. Larger clinical improvements were associated with larger increases in frontal SMN-DMN connectivity. No CBT effects were observed for PMN-DMN or SMN-PMN connectivity.

Conclusions

These results provide insight into the dissociable neural mechanisms underlying fatigue and pain symptoms in ME/CFS and how they are affected by CBT in successfully treated patients. Further investigation of how and in whom behavioral and biomedical treatments affect these networks is warranted to improve and individualize existing or new treatments for ME/CFS.
ON MODELLING WATER QUALITY WITH STOCHASTIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Authors: MANSOUR MAHMOUD B. A.
Published: January 2024

Based on biochemical kinetics, a stochastic model to characterize wastewater treatment plants and dynamics of river water quality under the influence of random fluctuations is proposed in this paper. This model describes the interaction between dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and is in the form of stochastic differential equations driven by multiplicative Gaussian noises. The stochastic persistence problem for the model of the system is analysed. Further, a numerical simulation of the stationary probability distributions of BOD and OD by approximations of the stochastic process solution is presented. These results have implications for the prediction and control of pollutants.
‘Never cry for food’: food security, poverty, and recurring themes in news media regarding rabbit farming in East Africa
Authors: Johnson Kimberly E. , Hayes Julia , Davidson Patricia , Tinago Chiwoneso B. , Anguyo Geoffrey
Published: January 2024

Rabbit farming is a form of low input agriculture that has potential to address food security and poverty in East Africa and beyond. For low input agriculture, farmers utilize local and affordable farm resources making it accessible across income levels. Understanding barriers and facilitators to rabbit farming could increase effectiveness of this form of low input agriculture in communities struggling with low food security and poverty, particularly for indigenous, smallholder farms. News media is an available source of data about community perceptions and practices on issues such as rabbit farming, food security, and poverty. For this qualitative study, researchers applied a priori and open coding text analysis to examine recurring themes in news media representations regarding perceptions of rabbit farming in East Africa. Results reveal that community members view rabbit farming as a community strategy that promotes better nutrition and food security while reducing poverty. Important themes included how gender and other cultural norms shaped efforts, and the role of sustainability and climate change on farming practices. Further, the easy cultivation of rabbits, funding, and protective policy and support of indigenous smallholder farms were perceived as facilitators for rabbit farming. Finally, investment in infrastructure for market, production, and knowledge-transfer of best production and business practices were considered critical to success for rabbit farmers throughout East Africa.
Direct Observation of the Space Hurricane Disturbed Polar Thermosphere
Authors: Xiu Zhi‐Feng , Ma Yu‐Zhang , Zhang Qing‐He , Xing Zan‐Yang , Zhang Shun‐Rong , Zhang Yong‐Liang , Oksavik Kjellmar , Lyons Larry , Lockwood Michael , Wang Yong
Published: January 2024

The space hurricane is a three‐dimensional magnetic vortex structure with strong flow shears and electron precipitation in the polar cap. This study investigates for the first time how a space hurricane disturbs the polar thermosphere. During the formation and development of the space hurricane, the directional reversal of the horizontal neutral wind and the plasma convection will both be relocated from the poleward auroral oval boundary to the edge of the space hurricane, but the neutral wind responds slower compared to the plasma convection. Strong flow shears in the space hurricane causes enhanced Joule heating in the polar cap, which heats the thermosphere and triggers Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGWs). Statistical results reveal that significant AGWs mainly are located on the dawnside of the space hurricane, suggesting that the space hurricane plays a significant role in ion‐neutral coupling and generation of polar cap AGWs.
Growth and micronutrient status parameters of Nigerian preterm infants consuming preterm formula or breastmilk
Authors: Owolabi Adedotun Joshua , Ayede Idowu Adejumoke , Akinrinoye Olugbenga Oyewumi , Falade Adegoke Gbadegesin , Ajibola Gboyega Bosun , Christopher Ologunore Olufisayo , Arifalo Gregory Olawole , Abiona Ayodele Oladejo , Feskens Edith J. M. , Melse-Boonstra Alida , Schaafsma Anne
Published: January 2024

Background

Moderate-to-late preterm infants (32–34 weeks GA) have increased risk of neonatal morbidities compared to term infants, however dedicated nutritional guidelines are lacking.

Methods

Moderate-to-late preterm infants received a preterm formula (n = 17) or breastmilk (n = 24) from age 2–10 weeks in a non-randomized, open-label observational study. Anthropometric measurements were assessed bi-weekly. Blood concentrations of hemoglobin, ferritin, serum retinol, and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25OHD) were analyzed at age 2 and 10 weeks.

Result

Average growth per day was 14.7 g/kg BW/day in formula-fed and 12.8 g/kg BW/day in breastmilk-fed infants but not different from each other. Length and head circumference in both groups were in line with the median reference values of the Fenton growth chart. At 10 weeks of age, hemoglobin tended to be higher in the formula-fed group (10.2 g/dL vs. 9.6 g/dL, p = 0.053). 25OHD increased in formula- and breastmilk-fed infants from 73.8 to 180.9 nmol/L and from 70.7 to 97.6 nmol/L, respectively. Serum retinol only increased in the formula-fed group (0.63 to 1.02 µmol/L, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Breastfeeding resulted in adequate growth in moderate-late preterm infants but was limiting in some micronutrients. The preterm formula provided adequate micronutrients, but weight gain velocity was higher than the Fenton reference value.

Impact statement

Unfortified breastmilk resulted in adequate growth in weight, length and head circumference in Nigerian moderate to late preterm infants during an study period of 8 weeks, but status of vitamin D, vitamin A and iron needs to be monitored.

The high-energy formula, developed for very preterm infants, resulted in higher growth in body weight in moderate to late preterm infants than the median of the Fenton preterm growth chart.

This study supports the necessity of dedicated nutritional guidelines, and regular monitoring of growth and nutritional status of moderate to late preterm infants.
Slc20a1 and Slc20a2 regulate neuronal plasticity and cognition independently of their phosphate transport ability
Authors: Ramos-Brossier Mariana , Romeo-Guitart David , Lanté Fabien , Boitez Valérie , Mailliet François , Saha Soham , Rivagorda Manon , Siopi Eleni , Nemazanyy Ivan , Leroy Christine , Moriceau Stéphanie , Beck-Cormier Sarah , Codogno Patrice , Buisson Alain , Beck Laurent , Friedlander Gérard , Oury Franck
Published: January 2024

In recent years, primary familial brain calcification (PFBC), a rare neurological disease characterized by a wide spectrum of cognitive disorders, has been associated to mutations in the sodium (Na)-Phosphate (Pi) co-transporter SLC20A2. However, the functional roles of the Na-Pi co-transporters in the brain remain still largely elusive. Here we show that Slc20a1 (PiT-1) and Slc20a2 (PiT-2) are the most abundant Na-Pi co-transporters expressed in the brain and are involved in the control of hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. We reveal that Slc20a1 and Slc20a2 are differentially distributed in the hippocampus and associated with independent gene clusters, suggesting that they influence cognition by different mechanisms. Accordingly, using a combination of molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral analyses, we show that while PiT-2 favors hippocampal neuronal branching and survival, PiT-1 promotes synaptic plasticity. The latter relies on a likely Otoferlin-dependent regulation of synaptic vesicle trafficking, which impacts the GABAergic system. These results provide the first demonstration that Na-Pi co-transporters play key albeit distinct roles in the hippocampus pertaining to the control of neuronal plasticity and cognition. These findings could provide the foundation for the development of novel effective therapies for PFBC and cognitive disorders.
TFEB drives mTORC1 hyperactivation and kidney disease in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Authors: Alesi Nicola , Khabibullin Damir , Rosenthal Dean M. , Akl Elie W. , Cory Pieter M. , Alchoueiry Michel , Salem Samer , Daou Melissa , Gibbons William F. , Chen Jennifer A. , Zhang Long , Filippakis Harilaos , Graciotti Laura , Miceli Caterina , Monfregola Jlenia , Vilardo Claudia , Morroni Manrico , Di Malta Chiara , Napolitano Gennaro , Ballabio Andrea , Henske Elizabeth P.
Published: January 2024

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is caused by TSC1 or TSC2 mutations, leading to hyperactivation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and lesions  in multiple organs including lung (lymphangioleiomyomatosis) and kidney (angiomyolipoma and renal cell carcinoma). Previously, we found that TFEB is constitutively active in TSC. Here, we generated two mouse models of TSC in which kidney pathology is the primary phenotype. Knockout of TFEB rescues kidney pathology and overall survival, indicating that TFEB is the primary driver of renal disease in TSC. Importantly, increased mTORC1 activity in the TSC2 knockout kidneys is normalized by TFEB knockout. In TSC2-deficient cells, Rheb knockdown or Rapamycin treatment paradoxically increases TFEB phosphorylation at the mTORC1-sites and relocalizes TFEB from nucleus to cytoplasm. In mice, Rapamycin treatment normalizes lysosomal gene expression, similar to TFEB knockout, suggesting that Rapamycin’s benefit in TSC is TFEB-dependent. These results change the view of the mechanisms of mTORC1 hyperactivation in TSC and may lead to therapeutic avenues.
Protection against symptomatic dengue infection by neutralizing antibodies varies by infection history and infecting serotype
Authors: Bos Sandra , Graber Aaron L. , Cardona-Ospina Jaime A. , Duarte Elias M. , Zambrana Jose Victor , Ruíz Salinas Jorge A. , Mercado-Hernandez Reinaldo , Singh Tulika , Katzelnick Leah C. , de Silva Aravinda , Kuan Guillermina , Balmaseda Angel , Harris Eva
Published: January 2024

Dengue viruses (DENV1–4) are the most prevalent arboviruses in humans and a major public health concern. Understanding immune mechanisms that modulate DENV infection outcome is critical for vaccine development. Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are an essential component of the protective immune response, yet their measurement often relies on a single cellular substrate and partially mature virions, which does not capture the full breadth of neutralizing activity and may lead to biased estimations of nAb potency. Here, we analyze 125 samples collected after one or more DENV infections but prior to subsequent symptomatic or inapparent DENV1, DENV2, or DENV3 infections from a long-standing pediatric cohort study in Nicaragua. By assessing nAb responses using Vero cells with or without DC-SIGN and with mature or partially mature virions, we find that nAb potency and the protective NT50 cutoff are greatly influenced by cell substrate and virion maturation state. Additionally, the correlation between nAb titer and protection from disease depends on prior infection history and infecting serotype. Finally, we uncover variations in nAb composition that contribute to protection from symptomatic infection differently after primary and secondary prior infection. These findings have important implications for identifying antibody correlates of protection for vaccines and natural infections.
Overcoming resolution attenuation during tilted cryo-EM data collection
Authors: Aiyer Sriram , Baldwin Philip R. , Tan Shi Min , Shan Zelin , Oh Juntaek , Mehrani Atousa , Bowman Marianne E. , Louie Gordon , Passos Dario Oliveira , Đorđević-Marquardt Selena , Mietzsch Mario , Hull Joshua A. , Hoshika Shuichi , Barad Benjamin A. , Grotjahn Danielle A. , McKenna Robert , Agbandje-McKenna Mavis , Benner Steven A. , Noel Joseph A. P. , Wang Dong , Tan Yong Zi , Lyumkis Dmitry
Published: January 2024

Structural biology efforts using cryogenic electron microscopy are frequently stifled by specimens adopting “preferred orientations” on grids, leading to anisotropic map resolution and impeding structure determination. Tilting the specimen stage during data collection is a generalizable solution but has historically led to substantial resolution attenuation. Here, we develop updated data collection and image processing workflows and demonstrate, using multiple specimens, that resolution attenuation is negligible or significantly reduced across tilt angles. Reconstructions with and without the stage tilted as high as 60° are virtually indistinguishable. These strategies allowed the reconstruction to 3 Å resolution of a bacterial RNA polymerase with preferred orientation, containing an unnatural nucleotide for studying novel base pair recognition. Furthermore, we present a quantitative framework that allows cryo-EM practitioners to define an optimal tilt angle during data acquisition. These results reinforce the utility of employing stage tilt for data collection and provide quantitative metrics to obtain isotropic maps.
Multiple redox switches of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease in vitro provide opportunities for drug design
Authors: Funk Lisa-Marie , Poschmann Gereon , Rabe von Pappenheim Fabian , Chari Ashwin , Stegmann Kim M. , Dickmanns Antje , Wensien Marie , Eulig Nora , Paknia Elham , Heyne Gabi , Penka Elke , Pearson Arwen R. , Berndt Carsten , Fritz Tobias , Bazzi Sophia , Uranga Jon , Mata Ricardo A. , Dobbelstein Matthias , Hilgenfeld Rolf , Curth Ute , Tittmann Kai
Published: January 2024

Besides vaccines, the development of antiviral drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 is critical for preventing future COVID outbreaks. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), a cysteine protease with essential functions in viral replication, has been validated as an effective drug target. Here, we show that Mpro is subject to redox regulation in vitro and reversibly switches between the enzymatically active dimer and the functionally dormant monomer through redox modifications of cysteine residues. These include a disulfide-dithiol switch between the catalytic cysteine C145 and cysteine C117, and generation of an allosteric cysteine-lysine-cysteine SONOS bridge that is required for structural stability under oxidative stress conditions, such as those exerted by the innate immune system. We identify homo- and heterobifunctional reagents that mimic the redox switching and inhibit Mpro activity. The discovered redox switches are conserved in main proteases from other coronaviruses, e.g. MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, indicating their potential as common druggable sites.
Sustained rhoptry docking and discharge requires Toxoplasma gondii intraconoidal microtubule-associated proteins
Authors: Dos Santos Pacheco Nicolas , Tell i Puig Albert , Guérin Amandine , Martinez Matthew , Maco Bohumil , Tosetti Nicolò , Delgado-Betancourt Estefanía , Lunghi Matteo , Striepen Boris , Chang Yi-Wei , Soldati-Favre Dominique
Published: January 2024

In Apicomplexa, rhoptry discharge is essential for invasion and involves an apical vesicle (AV) docking one or two rhoptries to a macromolecular secretory apparatus.Toxoplasma gondiiis armed with 10–12 rhoptries and 5-6 microtubule-associated vesicles (MVs) presumably for iterative rhoptry discharge. Here, we have addressed the localization and functional significance of two intraconoidal microtubule (ICMT)-associated proteins instrumental for invasion. Mechanistically, depletion of ICMAP2 leads to a dissociation of the ICMTs, their detachment from the conoid and dispersion of MVs and rhoptries. ICMAP3 exists in two isoforms that contribute to the control of the ICMTs length and the docking of the two rhoptries at the AV, respectively. This study illuminates the central role ICMTs play in scaffolding the discharge of multiple rhoptries. This process is instrumental for virulence in the mouse model of infection and in addition promotes sterile protection againstT. gondiivia the release of key effectors inducing immunity.
Drone-based displacement measurement of infrastructures utilizing phase information
Authors: Ri Shien , Ye Jiaxing , Toyama Nobuyuki , Ogura Norihiko
Published: January 2024

Drone-based inspections provide an efficient and flexible approach to assessing aging infrastructures while prioritizing safety. Here, we present a pioneering framework that employs drone cameras for high-precision displacement measurement and achieves sub-millimeter accuracy, meeting the requirements for on-site inspections. Inspired by the principles of human auditory equilibrium, we have developed an effective scheme using a group of strategical reference markers on the bridge girders to measure structural displacements in the bridge. Our approach integrates the phase-based sampling moiré technique with four degrees-of-freedom geometric modeling to accurately delineate the desired bridge displacements from camera motion-induced displacements. The proposed scheme demonstrates favorable precision with accuracy reaching up to 1/100th of a pixel. Real-world validations further confirmed the reliability and efficiency of this technique, making it a practical tool for bridge displacement measurement. Beyond its current applications, this methodology holds promise as a foundational element in shaping the landscape of future autonomous infrastructure inspection systems.
Dual-plasmonic Au@Cu7S4 yolk@shell nanocrystals for photocatalytic hydrogen production across visible to near infrared spectral region
Authors: Tsao Chun-Wen , Narra Sudhakar , Kao Jui-Cheng , Lin Yu-Chang , Chen Chun-Yi , Chin Yu-Cheng , Huang Ze-Jiung , Huang Wei-Hong , Huang Chih-Chia , Luo Chih-Wei , Chou Jyh-Pin , Ogata Shigenobu , Sone Masato , Huang Michael H. , Chang Tso-Fu Mark , Lo Yu-Chieh , Lin Yan-Gu , Diau Eric Wei-Guang , Hsu Yung-Jung
Published: January 2024

Near infrared energy remains untapped toward the maneuvering of entire solar spectrum harvesting for fulfilling the nuts and bolts of solar hydrogen production. We report the use of Au@Cu7S4 yolk@shell nanocrystals as dual-plasmonic photocatalysts to achieve remarkable hydrogen production under visible and near infrared illumination. Ultrafast spectroscopic data reveal the prevalence of long-lived charge separation states for Au@Cu7S4 under both visible and near infrared excitation. Combined with the advantageous features of yolk@shell nanostructures, Au@Cu7S4 achieves a peak quantum yield of 9.4% at 500 nm and a record-breaking quantum yield of 7.3% at 2200 nm for hydrogen production in the absence of additional co-catalysts. The design of a sustainable visible- and near infrared-responsive photocatalytic system is expected to inspire further widespread applications in solar fuel generation. In this work, the feasibility of exploiting the localized surface plasmon resonance property of self-doped, nonstoichiometric semiconductor nanocrystals for the realization of wide-spectrum-driven photocatalysis is highlighted.
Tunable quantum interferometer for correlated moiré electrons
Authors: Iwakiri Shuichi , Mestre-Torà Alexandra , Portolés Elías , Visscher Marieke , Perego Marta , Zheng Giulia , Taniguchi Takashi , Watanabe Kenji , Sigrist Manfred , Ihn Thomas , Ensslin Klaus
Published: January 2024

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene can host a variety of gate-tunable correlated states – including superconducting and correlated insulator states. Recently, junction-based superconducting moiré devices have been introduced, enabling the study of the charge, spin and orbital nature of superconductivity, as well as the coherence of moiré electrons in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene. Complementary fundamental coherence effects—in particular, the Little–Parks effect in a superconducting ring and the Aharonov–Bohm effect in a normally conducting ring – have not yet been reported in moiré devices. Here, we observe both phenomena in a single gate-defined ring device, where we can embed a superconducting or normally conducting ring in a correlated or band insulator. The Little–Parks effect is seen in the superconducting phase diagram as a function of density and magnetic field, confirming the effective charge of 2e. We also find that the coherence length of conducting moiré electrons exceeds several microns at 50 mK. In addition, we identify a regime characterized by h/e-periodic oscillations but with superconductor-like nonlinear transport.
Overcoming the permeability-selectivity challenge in water purification using two-dimensional cobalt-functionalized vermiculite membrane
Authors: Tian Mengtao , Liu Yi , Zhang Shaoze , Yu Can , Ostrikov Kostya , Zhang Zhenghua
Published: January 2024

Clean water and sanitation are major global challenges highlighted by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Water treatment using energy-efficient membrane technologies is one of the most promising solutions. Despite decades of research, the membrane permeability-selectivity trade-off remains the major challenge for synthetic membranes. To overcome this challenge, here we develop a two-dimensional cobalt-functionalized vermiculite membrane (Co@VMT), which innovatively combines the properties of membrane filtration and nanoconfinement catalysis. The Co@VMT membrane demonstrates a high water permeance of 122.4 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the VMT membrane (1.1 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1). Moreover, the Co@VMT membrane is applied as a nanofluidic advanced oxidation process platform to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for degradation of several organic pollutants (dyes, pharmaceuticals, and phenols) and shows excellent degradation performance (~100%) and stability (for over 107 h) even in real-world water matrices. Importantly, safe and non-toxic effluent water quality is ensured by the Co@VMT membrane/PMS system without brine, which is totally different from the molecular sieving-based VMT membrane with the concentrated pollutants remaining in the brine. This work can serve as a generic design blueprint for the development of diverse nanofluidic catalytic membranes to overcome the persistent membrane permeability-selectivity issue in water purification.
Dynamic coordination engineering of 2D PhenPtCl2 nanosheets for superior hydrogen evolution
Authors: Shao Gonglei , Jing Changfei , Ma Zhinan , Li Yuanyuan , Dang Weiqi , Guo Dong , Wu Manman , Liu Song , Zhang Xu , He Kun , Yuan Yifei , Luo Jun , Dai Sheng , Xu Jie , Zhou Zhen
Published: January 2024

Exploring the dynamic structural evolution of electrocatalysts during reactions represents a fundamental objective in the realm of electrocatalytic mechanism research. In pursuit of this objective, we synthesized PhenPtCl2 nanosheets, revealing a N2-Pt-Cl2 coordination structure through various characterization techniques. Remarkably, the electrocatalytic performance of these PhenPtCl2 nanosheets for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) surpasses that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst across the entire pH range. Furthermore, our discovery of the dynamic coordination changes occurring in the N2-Pt-Cl2 active sites during the electrocatalytic process, as clarified through in situ Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, is particularly noteworthy. These changes transition from Phen-Pt-Cl2 to Phen-Pt-Cl and ultimately to Phen-Pt. The Phen-Pt intermediate plays a pivotal role in the electrocatalytic HER, dynamically coordinating with Cl- ions in the electrolyte. Additionally, the unsaturated, two-coordinated Pt within Phen-Pt provides additional space and electrons to enhance both H+ adsorption and H2 evolution. This research illuminates the intricate dynamic coordination evolution and structural adaptability of PhenPtCl2 nanosheets, firmly establishing them as a promising candidate for efficient and tunable electrocatalysts.
Deep convolutional neural networks to restore single-shot electron microscopy images
Authors: Lobato I. , Friedrich T. , Van Aert S.
Published: January 2024

Advanced electron microscopy techniques, including scanning electron microscopes (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM), and transmission electron microscopes (TEM), have revolutionized imaging capabilities. However, achieving high-quality experimental images remains a challenge due to various distortions stemming from the instrumentation and external factors. These distortions, introduced at different stages of imaging, hinder the extraction of reliable quantitative insights. In this paper, we will discuss the main sources of distortion in TEM and S(T)EM images, develop models to describe them, and propose a method to correct these distortions using a convolutional neural network. We validate the effectiveness of our method on a range of simulated and experimental images, demonstrating its ability to significantly enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. This improvement leads to a more reliable extraction of quantitative structural information from the images. In summary, our findings offer a robust framework to enhance the quality of electron microscopy images, which in turn supports progress in structural analysis and quantification in materials science and biology.