bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of poly lactic‐co‐glycolic acid‐coated β‐tricalcium phosphate for alveolar ridge preservation: A multicenter randomized controlled trial
Authors: Saito Hanae , Couso‐Queiruga Emilio , Shiau Harlan J. , Stuhr Sandra , Prasad Hari , Allareddy Trishul V. , Reynolds Mark A. , Avila‐Ortiz Gustavo
Published: September 2020

Background

Alveolar ridge preservation via socket grafting (ARP‐SG) is indicated to attenuate physiologic alveolar bone resorption as a consequence of tooth extraction. However, a specific bone grafting material that is patently superior has not been identified yet. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the efficacy of a moldable alloplastic graft, Poly Lactic‐Co‐Glycolic Acid‐Coated β‐Tricalcium Phosphate (PLGA‐β‐TCP), for ARP purposes [Group A] compared to freeze‐dried bone allograft (FDBA) particles covered with a rapidly absorbable collagen dressing (RACD) (Group B) in function of a panel of radiographic, histomorphometric, and implant‐related outcomes.

Methods

Patients in need of extraction of a single posterior tooth (premolar or molar) and subsequent replacement with a dental implant were recruited and randomly allocated into one of the two treatment groups. Follow‐up visits took place at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks. Cone‐beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans were obtained at baseline and at 16 weeks. Sites were re‐entered at 20 weeks for bone core biopsy harvesting and subsequent implant placement. After delivery of the final implant‐supported restoration, follow‐up visits were scheduled at 6 and 12 months to monitor peri‐implant tissue health and marginal bone levels using standardized intraoral periapical radiographs.

Results

A total of 45 patients were initially enrolled in the study, of whom 43 received an implant and 32 completed the study. Healing was uneventful in all sites after ARP‐SG and implant placement. No site required bone augmentation to allow for implant placement. CBCT scan analyses showed no statistically significant differences between groups in terms of reduction of horizontal width, midbuccal / midlingual height and ridge volume. Histomorphometric assessments revealed a statistically significant difference between both groups in terms of mineralized tissue formation (Group A = 27.0% ± 22.1% versus Group B = 38.2% ± 12.5%; P < 0.05). On the contrary, no significant differences were observed regarding percent of remaining bone grafting material and non‐mineralized tissue. No implant failed throughout the study period and marginal bone level change was negligible in both groups.

Conclusions

Although a higher proportion of mineralized tissue was associated with the use of FDBA+RACD compared to PLGA‐β‐TCP alone, both ARP‐SG approaches rendered comparable outcomes in terms of maintenance of alveolar bone dimensions, feasibility of implant placement, implant survival, and peri‐implant bone level stability up to 12 months post‐loading.
Bone demineralization improves onlay graft consolidation: A histological study in rat calvaria
Authors: Carvalho Érika B.S. , Veronesi Giovana F. , Manfredi Gustavo G.P. , Damante Carla A. , Sant'Ana Adriana C.P. , Greghi Sebastião L.A. , Zangrando Mariana S.R. , Consolaro Alberto , Rezende Maria L.R.
Published: September 2020

Background

Previous data suggest that bone demineralization may promote bone graft consolidation as well as proliferation and differentiation of pre‐osteoblasts, but the biological mechanisms involved in this process need to be clarified. This study investigated the effects of bone demineralization with citric acid (CA) and tetracycline (TCN) on the repair of onlay bone grafts.

Methods

Onlay bone grafts were performed on the calvaria of 126 Wistar rats. The contacting surfaces between bone graft and receptor bone bed were demineralized for 15, 30, and 60 seconds with TCN (50 mg/mL), or 10% CA, (pH 1), constituting the following test groups (n = 18): TCN15, TCN30, TCN60, CA15, CA30, and CA60. Control grafts (C) were performed without demineralization (n = 18). After 7, 30, and 60 days, biopsies were obtained for quantitative and qualitative histological analysis (a = 6).

Results

Demineralization accelerated the bone repair early from 7 days of healing. Higher percentage area of newly formed bone was observed in CA15 and TCN60 groups when compared to C in all evaluation periods (P = 0.02). At 30 days, C specimens had lower percentage of consolidated surfaces than TCN60, TCN30 and CA15 (P = 0.0015). At 60 days, CA15, CA60, and TCN60 presented bone surfaces almost completely filled by newly formed bone, against about 75% in C specimens (P = 0.0015).

Conclusions

Both CA and TCN were effective in accelerating osteogenesis at the interface between bone grafts and receptor bone beds, especially when applied for 15 seconds and 60 seconds, respectively.
Increasing nutrient stress reduces the efficiency of energy transfer through planktonic size spectra
Authors: Atkinson Angus , Lilley Martin K.S. , Hirst Andrew G. , McEvoy Andrea J. , Tarran Glen A. , Widdicombe Claire , Fileman Elaine S. , Woodward E. Malcolm S. , Schmidt Katrin , Smyth Tim J. , Somerfield Paul J.
Published: September 2020

Size‐spectral approaches quantify the efficiency of energy transfer through food webs, but theory and field studies disagree over how changes in temperature, nutrients, and extreme weather impact on this efficiency. We address this at two scales: via 6 years of weekly sampling of the plankton size spectrum at the Plymouth L4 shelf sea site, and via a new, global‐scale, meta‐analysis of aquatic size spectra. The time series showed that with summertime nutrient starvation, the energy transfer efficiency from picoplankton to macroplankton decreased (i.e., steepening slopes of the size spectra). This reflected increasing dominance by small cells and their microbial consumers. The extreme storms in winter 2013/2014 caused high metazoan mortality, steep size‐spectral slopes, and reduced plankton biomass. However, recovery was within months, demonstrating an inbuilt resilience of the system. Both L4 and our meta‐analysis showed steep slopes of normalized size spectra (median −1.11). This reflects much lower values, either of trophic transfer efficiency (3.5%) or predator–prey mass ratio (569), compared to commonly quoted values. Results from the meta‐analysis further showed that to represent energy transfer faithfully, size spectra are best constructed in units of carbon mass and not biovolume, and span a mass range of > 107. When this range is covered, both the meta‐analysis and time series show a dome‐shaped relationship between spectral slopes and plankton biomass, with steepening slopes under increasingly oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions. This suggests that ocean warming could decrease the efficiency of energy transfer through pelagic food webs via indirect effects of increasing stratification and nutrient starvation.
The Hanf number in the strictly stable case
Authors: Shelah Saharon
Published: September 2020

We associateHanf numbersto triples whereTandT1are theories andpis a type. We show that the Hanf number for the property: “there is a modelM1of which omitsp, but is saturated” is larger than the Hanf number of but smaller than the Hanf number of whenTis stable with . In fact, surprisingly, we even characterise the Hanf number of when we fix whereTis a first order complete (and stable), and demand .
Mechanochromic Polymers That Recognize the Duration of the Mechanical Stimulation via Multiple Mechanochromism
Authors: Ishizuki Kuniaki , Aoki Daisuke , Otsuka Hideyuki
Published: September 2020

Mechanochromic polymers can be used as stress‐ and damage‐detecting sensors in polymeric materials, given that mechanical stimuli can be visualized by color changes. Although many types of mechanochromic polymers have been reported so far, there are only few examples on their further functionalization based on multiple color changes (multicolor mechanochromism). Herein, preliminary results are reported on the use of multicolor mechanochromism to detect the duration of the mechanical stimulation by simply mixing white powders of two mechanochromic polystyrene samples that contain a different radical‐type mechanochromophore at the midpoint of each polymer chain and thus exhibit different colors in response to mechanical stimuli. The mechanosensitivity can be tuned via the polymer length and shape, and a combination of these two types of mechanochromic polymers allows detecting the duration with multicolor mechanochromism, i.e., a color change from white to blue upon short exposure to grinding and a color change from white to gray upon longer exposure to grinding. Electron paramagnetic resonance and solid‐state UV–vis measurements support the mechanism proposed for this multiple mechanochromism.
Flexible Self‐Repairing Materials for Wearable Sensing Applications: Elastomers and Hydrogels
Authors: Li Shaonan , Zhou Xing , Dong Yanmao , Li Jihang
Published: September 2020

Flexible pressure and strain sensors have great potential for applications in wearable and implantable devices, soft robots, and artificial skin. The introduction of self‐healing performance has made a positive contribution to the lifetime and stability of flexible sensors. At present, many self‐healing flexible sensors with high sensitivity have been developed to detect the signal of organism activity. The sensitivity, reliability, and stability of self‐healing flexible sensors depend on the conductive network and mechanical properties of flexible materials. This review focuses on the latest research progress of self‐healing flexible sensors. First, various repair mechanisms of self‐healing flexible materials are reviewed because these mechanisms contribute to the development of self‐healing flexible materials. Then, self‐healing elastomer flexible sensor and self‐healing hydrogel flexible sensor are introduced and discussed respectively. The research status and problems to be solved of these two types of flexible sensors are discussed in detail. Finally, this rapidly developing and promising field of self‐healing flexible sensors and devices is prospected.
RETRACTED: Forensic applications and genetic characterization of Liaoning Han population revealed by extended set of autosomal STRs
Authors: Du Jiang , Diao Yefang , Rakha Allah , Ameen Fuad , AlKahtani Muneera D. F. , Adnan Atif
Published: September 2020

Background

Microsatellites or short tandem repeats (STRs) are considered the gold standard for forensic investigations and autosomal STRs are used for routine forensic personal identification.

Aim

To provide a precise population database on an extended set of STRs which has never been done before and explore the forensic characteristics of 20 autosomal STRs.

Subjects and methods

In the current study, we explored the genetic characteristics of 20 STRs loci in 1138 unrelated Han individuals using Goldeneye® 20A multiplex amplification system kit in the Liaoning Han population. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis based on the Nei's standard genetic distance was performed between the Han population and other relevant populations.

Results

A total of 253 alleles were observed while allelic frequencies ranged from 0.00043 to 0.5369. The combined discrimination power was 99.99999999999999999999789% and the combined exclusion power was 99.999998231%. Most of the loci were in HWE while only five pairs were out of LE. Population genetic analysis showed that the Han population has similarities with other East Asian populations.

Conclusion

GoldenEyeTM 20A kit detects high diversity in the Liaoning Han population. These STRs which are part of this kit can be used for forensic investigations. Population genetic analysis showed that the Han population is different from the minority populations of Xinjiang.
Modified Commercial Fish Trap to Help Eliminate Salmonid Bycatch Mortality
Authors: Tuohy Adrian M. , Skalski John R. , Jorgenson Aaron T.
Published: September 2020

The utility of commercial salmonid Oncorhynchus spp. traps in the U.S. Pacific Northwest was recently revisited for the first time in decades to enable selective harvesting of hatchery-origin salmonids while reducing mortality of Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed salmonids. Modifications to historical gear designs resulted in dramatic improvements in salmonid bycatch survival rates relative to conventional commercial gears in the lower Columbia River. Expanding upon this work, an experimental commercial fish trap was further modified to largely eliminate net contact, air exposure, handling, and crowding of fish. Studies were conducted from May to November 2019 in the lower Columbia River to estimate survival of bycatch and evaluate potential benefits from the modified passive capture design. Analyzed through two separate survival estimation techniques, the modified trap demonstrated no detectable effect on salmon release survival and a significant improvement over the previous prototype design. Estimated through a paired release–recapture methodology, the relative survival effect of catch and release compared to controls over a 400-km migration was 1.017 (SE^ = 0.032) for adult Sockeye Salmon O. nerka. For adult Coho Salmon O. kisutch that were held captive for a 48-h postrelease period, estimated survival (S) was 1.000 (lower 95% confidence limit: S ≥ 0.978). These results suggest that trap modifications can be made to significantly reduce bycatch mortality of ESA-listed salmonids and provide increased opportunity for harvest of hatchery-origin salmonids.
Reuse polyester/cotton blend fabrics to prepare fiber reinforced composite: Fabrication, characterization, and interfacial properties evaluation
Authors: Chen Yuan , Wu Xiaoqing , Wei Junfu , Wu Hailiang , Fang Jing
Published: September 2020

Substantial amount of polyethylene terephthalate/cotton (PET/cotton) blend fabrics have been handled as waste especially in recent decades on account of the technological barrier and/or low economic benefit of recycling PET from PET/cotton fabrics. Herein, a facile and effective approach was utilized to modify PET/cotton fabrics with co‐deposition of polyethyleneimine (PEI) and catechol (CCh) to improve the interfacial bonding of fiber‐matrix. The surface morphology and composition of fabrics were investigated by FESEM, ATR/FTIR, and XPS. Meanwhile, the surface properties were analyzed via dynamic contact angle. The results indicated that the PEI‐CCh co‐deposition aggregates were modified onto fabric surface through the synergy of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π‐π stacking. Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and interfacial shear strength (IFSS) of modified PET/cotton reinforced composites were 39.71% and 50.25% higher than that of untreated PET/cotton reinforced composites, respectively. Furthermore, the enhancement mechanisms of composites are systematically discussed.
The influence of air–sea coupling on forecasts of the 2016 Indian summer monsoon and its intraseasonal variability
Authors: Valdivieso Maria , Peatman Simon C. , Klingaman Nicholas P.
Published: September 2020

Daily initialized coupled and uncoupled numerical weather prediction (NWP) forecasts from the global Met Office Unified Model (MetUM) are compared for the 2016 Indian summer monsoon. Three MetUM configurations are used: atmosphere only (ATM), coupled to a mixed‐layer ocean model (KPP), and coupled to a dynamical ocean model (NEMO). The analysis focuses on the impact of air–sea coupling, particularly in the Bay of Bengal (BoB), on NWP for monsoon rainfall. Seasonal‐mean biases in all three configurations are highly consistent and driven by errors in atmospheric processes. Rainfall is initially overestimated over India, but underestimated over the BoB, the latter associated with too much short‐wave radiation and too little cloud cover in MetUM. The excess short‐wave radiation (>40 W·m−2 over the northwest BoB) is partially compensated by additional latent cooling, primarily due to overestimated surface wind speeds. In NEMO and KPP, coupling improves the timing of intraseasonal active and break phases over India, primarily the end of these phases, which are systematically too late in ATM. NEMO and KPP show a more realistic intraseasonal local phase relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall throughout the BoB, but no configuration reproduces the observed significant lagged relationship between BoB SST and Indian rainfall. The lack of this relationship may be partly attributed to weak heat flux feedbacks to northern BoB SST, with the forecast short‐wave feedback having systematically the wrong sign (positive) compared to satellite radiation, and thus contributing to SST warming at all lead times. Based on these MetUM forecasts, there is a limited impact of coupling on NWP for monsoon rainfall, both for the mean rainfall and intraseasonal variability. Further research to improve NWP for monsoon rainfall should focus on reducing MetUM atmospheric systematical biases.
Mitomycin-C treatment during differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopamine neurons reduces proliferation without compromising survival or function in vivo
Authors: Hiller Benjamin M. , Marmion David J. , Gross Rachel M. , Thompson Cayla A. , Chavez Carrie A. , Brundin Patrik , Wakeman Dustin R. , McMahon Christopher W. , Kordower Jeffrey H.
Published: September 2020

Nongenetic methodologies to reduce undesirable proliferation would be valuable when generating dopamine neurons from stem cells for transplantation in Parkinson's disease (PD). To this end, we modified an established method for controlled differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into midbrain dopamine neurons using two distinct methods: omission of FGF8 or the in-process use of the DNA cross-linker mitomycin-C (MMC). We transplanted the cells to athymic rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions and monitored long-term survival and function of the grafts. Transplants of cells manufactured using MMC had low proliferation while still permitting robust survival and function comparable to that seen with transplanted dopamine neurons derived using genetic drug selection. Conversely, cells manufactured without FGF8 survived transplantation but exhibited poor in vivo function. Our results suggest that MMC can be used to reduce the number of proliferative cells in stem cell-derived postmitotic neuron preparations for use in PD cell therapy.
Dual‐Targeting Peptides RGD10‐NGR9‐Conjugated Lanthanide Nanoparticle@Polydopamine as Upconversion Nanoprobes for In Vivo Imaging of Lung Cancer
Authors: Cao Jingxue , Zhang Li , Ding Xi , Liu Di , Su Bo , Shi Jingyun
Published: September 2020

Near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence‐guided surgery is a developing field in precision medicine for cancer treatment. However, traditional NIR fluorescent reagents have limitations including lower sensitivity and specificity for tumor delineation, as well as insufficient photostability and tissue penetration depth. Herein, an improved dual‐targeting lanthanide‐doped NIR‐to‐visible upconversion nanoprobe is constructed for fluorescent imaging of lung cancer. The nanoprobes (UCNP@P‐RGD‐NGR) are synthesized by preparing polydopamine‐coated NaYF4:Yb/Tm@NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) and conjugating them with dual‐targeting peptides RGD10‐NGR9, which are designed to target both integrin αvβ3/αvβ5 and aminopeptidase N receptors on tumor cells. The monodispersed core–shell nanoprobe is rod‐shaped (≈32 nm in minor axis) with ultrathin polydopamine shell (≈2 nm) under transmission electron microscopy. The absorption spectrum and upconversion luminescence properties of the nanoprobes are identified by spectrometry. Toxicity analysis on cellular and animal experiments suggests the nanoprobes are well biocompatible. UCNP@P‐RGD‐NGR can specifically target A549 cancer cells as revealed by competitive cell binding assay and ICP‐MS. Imaging studies in vivo with BALB/c nude mice bearing tumor xenografts demonstrate that UCNP@P‐RGD‐NGR can delineate tumor from surrounding normal tissues with strong upconversion blue–violet luminescence. This dual‐targeting nanoprobe shows great potential for clinical application for NIR fluorescence surgical navigation of lung cancer.
Ultra‐Steep Slope Impact Ionization Transistors Based on Graphene/InAs Heterostructures
Authors: Liu Yuan , Guo Jian , Song Wenjing , Wang Peiqi , Gambin Vincent , Huang Yu , Duan Xiangfeng
Published: September 2020

With the continued scaling of transistors, there is a growing trend for developing steep slope transistors with subthreshold swing (SS) below Boltzmann limitation (kT/q). To this end, impact ionization metal oxide semiconductor (I‐MOS) transistors are attractive for a unique combination of high ON‐state current density, small hysteresis, and ultra‐steep SS slope. However, the performance of I‐MOS is generally limited by the relatively thick depletion region and large operation voltage required for the activation of impact ionization (typically >5 V). Herein, a high‐performance I‐MOS is constructed by van der Waals integrating single‐crystal InAs film with graphene. Due to the low bandgap of InAs as well as the semi‐metallic nature of graphene, the InAs/graphene I‐MOS demonstrates a low operation voltage of 1.5 V, high ON‐state current of 230 μA μm−1, steep SS <0.6 mV dec−1, and large ON–OFF ratio >106 at temperature below 200 K. Furthermore, a negative transconductance and steep current oscillation is observed in the subthreshold regime, and a device working mechanism is proposed for this novel phenomenon. This study not only pushes the performance limit of I‐MOS but also defines a general pathway to van der Waals heterostructures between conventional III–V compound semiconductors and novel 2D materials for unconventional device functions.
High‐Mobility Organic Light‐Emitting Semiconductors and Its Optoelectronic Devices
Authors: Liu Yanwei , Guo Yunlong , Liu Yunqi
Published: September 2020

An organic light‐emitting transistor (OLET) integrates the field‐effect trans‐conductance characteristics of an organic field‐effect transistor (OFET) and the electric‐injection light‐emitting properties of an organic light‐emitting diode (OLED). The corresponding active layer of the device achieves controllable photoelectric coupling conversions. Therefore, a new method is theoretically provided for studying the carrier transmission characteristics and exciton emission theory. Furthermore, the integrated device characteristics of OLETs render their potential to advanced display technology, multifunctional optoelectronics, and electrically pumped organic lasers. However, OLET devices are yet to meet industrial requirements, mainly due to limitations in material performance and device fabrication techniques. Herein the basic factors that influence the mobility and luminescence properties of semiconducting materials are outlined and recent reports on OLET devices with a focus on material design, device fabrication, and operational mechanisms are summarized. More specifically, new functional optoelectronic devices based on high‐mobility emissive materials are described, including OFET–OLED active circuits based on the same active material, optical switching devices, and organic field‐effect optical waveguides. Herein, new insight into material design and device fabrication, which may be of great interest to scientists working in the field, is provided.
Influence of SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, and Na2O on the elevated temperature performance of alkali‐activated treated palm oil fuel ash‐based mortar
Authors: Mijarsh Mustafa Juma A. , Megat Johari Megat A. , Abu Bakar Badorul H. , Ahmad Zainal A. , Zeyad Abdullah M.
Published: September 2020

The mechanical, physical, and chemical changes due to oxides molar ratios (SiO2/Al2O3 and SiO2/CaO), and various Na2O concentrations of treated palm oil fuel ash (TPOFA)‐based alkali‐activated mortar (AAM) after being exposed to different elevated temperatures up to 1,000°C were investigated. The source materials (SMs) and alkaline activator (AA) were used as the main base material to produce the AAM. The SMs consist of TPOFA with and without mineral additives (Ca(OH)2, Al(OH)3, and silica fume (SF)). The AA was characterized by various Na2O concentrations of 7.1, 6.0, and 5.5% relative to the AAB weight. The results indicated that the relative compressive strength (CS) improved significantly from 9.20 to 34.62% after being exposed to 800°C. This was mainly due to the decrease in the total oxide's ratio of SiO2/Al2O3 and SiO2/CaO from 14.84 and 6.98% to 4.27 and 2.03%, respectively. The relative CS has increased from 0.0 to 101.38% after exposed to 1,000°C when Na2O concentration reduced from 7.1 to 5.5%. This was due to the formation of more N–A–S–H and C–A–S–H gel binders as indicated at 28 days, which were transformed to nepheline (NaAl(SiO4)) and wollastonite (CaSiO3) phases after exposure to 800°C and 1,000°C, respectively.
Shh‐Yap signaling controls hepatic ductular reactions in CCl4‐induced liver injury
Authors: Jin Lifang , Huang Huarong , Ni Jian , Shen Jiayuan , Liu Zuping , Li Lijing , Fu Shengmin , Yan Junyan , Hu Baowei
Published: September 2020

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) exposure can induce hepatic ductular reactions. To date, however, the related mechanism remains largely unknown. Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and Yes‐associated protein (Yap) signaling are correlated with liver injury and regeneration. Herein, we investigated the role of Shh and Yap signaling in the fate of ductular reaction cells in CCl4‐treated livers and the possible mechanisms. Wild‐type and Shh‐EGFP‐Cre male mice were exposed to CCl4 (2 mL/kg), and then treated with or without the Shh signaling inhibitor Gant61. The level of liver injury, proliferation of ductular reaction cells, and expression levels of mRNA and protein related to the Shh and Yap signaling components were assessed. Results showed that CCl4 treatment induced liver injury and promoted activation and proliferation of ductular reaction cells. In addition, CCl4 induced the expression of Shh ligands in hepatocytes, accompanied by activation of Shh and Yap1 signaling in the liver. Furthermore, administration of Gant61 ameliorated liver regeneration, inhibited hepatic ductular reactions, and decreased Shh and Yap1 signaling activity. Thus, Shh‐Yap1 signaling appears to play an integral role in the proliferation of ductular reaction cells in CCl4‐induced liver injury. This study should improve our understanding of the mechanism of CCl4‐induced liver injury and ductular reactions and provide support for future investigations on liver disease therapy.
PM2.5‐induced pulmonary inflammation via activating of the NLRP3/caspase‐1 signaling pathway
Authors: Jia Hui , Liu Yang , Guo Dan , He Wei , Zhao Long , Xia Shuyue
Published: September 2020

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5)‐induced pulmonary inflammation has become a public concern in recent years. In which, the activation of the NLRP3/caspase‐1 pathway was closely related to the inflammatory response of various diseases. However, the promotion effect of the NLRP3/caspase‐1 pathway on PM2.5‐induced pulmonary inflammation remains largely unclear. Here, our data showed that PM2.5 exposure caused lung injury in the mice by which inflammatory cell infiltration occurred in lung and alveolar structure disorder. Meanwhile, the exposure of human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) to PM2.5 resulted in suppressed cell viability, as well as elevated cell apoptosis. Moreover, a higher level of inflammatory cytokine and activation of the NLRP3/caspase‐1 pathway in PM2.5‐induced inflammation mice models and 16HBE cells. Mechanistically, pretreatment with MCC950, a NLRP3/caspase‐1 pathway inhibitor, prevented PM2.5‐induced lung injury, inflammatory response, and the number of inflammatory cells in BALFs, as well as promoted cell viability and decreased inflammatory cytokine secretion. Collectively, our findings indicated that the NLRP3/caspase‐1 pathway serves a vital role in the pathological changes of pulmonary inflammation caused by PM2.5 exposure. MCC950 was expected to be the therapeutic target of PM2.5 inhalation mediated inflammatory diseases.
About Lanthanoid Fluoride Selenide Oxoselenotantalates with the Composition Ln3F2Se2TaO4 (Ln = La – Nd)
Authors: Grossholz Hagen , Buyer Constantin , Lotter Sebastian M. A. , Wolf Sarah , Schleid Thomas
Published: September 2020

After solid‐state reactions of the light lanthanoid metals, their oxides and fluorides as well as selenium in sealed tantalum ampoules with sodium chloride as a fluxing agent at 850 °C for 8 days needle‐shaped single crystals of Ln3F2Se2TaO4 (Ln = La – Nd) were obtained. They crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnma analogous to La3F2Se2NbO4 with a = 1133–1120 pm, b = 400–393 pm and c = 1812–1778 pm (Ln = La – Nd) for Z = 4 as the first known quinary lanthanoid(III) oxoselenotantalates(V) with fluoride and selenide anions. The three crystallographically different Ln3+ cations are all surrounded by nine anions (O2–, F– and Se2–) each. Tantalum resides in an octahedral chalcogen coordination by forming trans‐vertex oxygen‐connected [TaO5Se]7– polyhedra, which build up chains 1∞{[TaOV2/2Ot3/1Set1/1]5–} along [010]. The sites of the four crystallographically different oxygen atoms and the two distinct fluoride anions were established by bond‐valence calculations. One fluorine and three oxygen atoms are surrounded tetrahedrally by cations, while another fluoride and oxide anion exhibit just triangular non‐planar coordination spheres. The two independent Se2– anions have five or six cationic neighbors.
Torsional Newton Cartan gravity from non-relativistic strings
Authors: Gallegos A.D. , Gürsoy U. , Zinnato N.
Published: September 2020

Abstract

We study propagation of closed bosonic strings in torsional Newton-Cartan geometry based on a recently proposed Polyakov type action derived by dimensional reduction of the ordinary bosonic string along a null direction. We generalize the Polyakov action proposal to include matter, i.e. the 2-form and the 1-form that originates from the Kalb- Ramond field and the dilaton. We determine the conditions for Weyl invariance which we express as the beta-function equations on the worldsheet, in analogy with the usual case of strings propagating on a pseudo-Riemannian manifold. The critical dimension of the TNC space-time turns out to be 25. We find that Newton’s law of gravitation follows from the requirement of quantum Weyl invariance in the absence of torsion. Presence of the 1-form requires torsion to be non vanishing. Torsion has interesting consequences, in particular it yields a mass term and an advection term in the generalized Newton’s law. U(1) mass invariance of the theory is an important ingredient in deriving the beta functions.
Extended super BMS algebra of celestial CFT
Authors: Fotopoulos Angelos , Stieberger Stephan , Taylor Tomasz R. , Zhu Bin
Published: September 2020

Abstract

We study two-dimensional celestial conformal field theory describing four- dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
=1 supergravity/Yang-Mills systems and show that the underlying symmetry is a supersymmetric generalization of BMS symmetry. We construct fermionic conformal primary wave functions and show how they are related via supersymmetry to their bosonic partners. We use soft and collinear theorems of supersymmetric Einstein-Yang- Mills theory to derive the OPEs of the operators associated to massless particles. The bosonic and fermionic soft theorems are shown to form a sequence under supersymmetric Ward identities. In analogy with the energy momentum tensor, the supercurrents are shadow transforms of soft gravitino operators and generate an infinite-dimensional super- symmetry algebra. The algebra of $$ {\mathfrak{sbms}}_4 $$

sbms
4

generators agrees with the expectations based on earlier work on the asymptotic symmetry group of supergravity. We also show that the supertranslation operator can be written as a product of holomorphic and anti-holomorphic supercurrents.
Thermal sensitivity of cell metabolism of different Antarctic fish species mirrors organism temperature tolerance
Authors: Lannig Gisela , Tillmann Anette , Howald Sarah , Stapp Laura S.
Published: September 2020

Despite cold adaptation, Antarctic fish show lower growth than expected from the van’t Hoff’s Q10rule. Protein synthesis is one of the main energy-consuming processes, which is downregulated under energy deficiency. Considering the effect of temperature on growth performance, we tested if temperature-dependent cellular energy allocation to protein synthesis correlates with temperature-dependent whole-animal growth and thus thermal tolerance. Cell respiration and energy expenditure for protein synthesis were determined in hepatocytes of the circumpolar-distributed Antarctic eelpoutPachycara brachycephalumafter warm acclimation (0 °C vs 5 °C) and, of two notothenioids the sub-AntarcticLepidonotothen squamifronsand the high-Antarctic icefishChionodraco hamatus. We used intermittent-flow respirometry to analyse cellular response to acute warming from 5 to 10 °C (P. brachycephalum) and from 1 to 5 °C (L. squamifrons, C. hamatus). Warming-induced rise in respiration was similar between 0- and 5 °C-acclimatedP. brachycephalumand betweenL. squamifronsandC. hamatus. Irrespective of acclimation, warming decreased energy expenditure for protein synthesis inP. brachycephalum, which corresponds to reduced whole-animal growth at temperatures > 5 °C. Warming doubled energy expenditure for protein synthesis inL. squamifronsbut had no effect onC. hamatusindicating thatL. squamifronsmight benefit from warmer waters. The species-specific temperature effect on energy expenditure for protein synthesis is discussed to mirror thermal sensitivity of whole-animal growth performance, thereby paralleling the degree of cold adaptation. Clearly more data are necessary including measurements at narrower temperature steps particularly forC. hamatusand an increased species’ number per ecotype to reinforce presented link between cellular and whole-animal thermal sensitivity.
Incumbent Stakeholder Management Performance and New Entry
Authors: Laplume André , Walker Kent , Zhang Zhou , Yu Xin
Published: September 2020

Instrumental stakeholder theory seeks to explain how managing stakeholders effectively can yield competitive advantage for incumbent firms. We extend instrumental stakeholder theory to explain and predict future competition operationalized as new entrepreneurial entries. Our study is among the first to empirically examine the relationships between aggregate stakeholder management performance and the entrepreneurial entries of individuals. Using a combined U.S. dataset from 2003 to 2013 from the Kinder, Lydenberg and Domini (KLD) Index, Compustat, and Kauffman’s Entrepreneurship Survey, we find support for three hypotheses. First, higher levels of stakeholder management performance are related to lower rates of entrepreneurial entry. Second, a curvilinear relationship exists between stakeholder management performance and entrepreneurial entry, where both low and very high stakeholder management performance increase entrepreneurial entry. Third, the greater the variance in stakeholder management performance across stakeholders, the more entrepreneurial entry. Our findings suggest that managing for stakeholders can help to avoid future competition. We add an entrepreneurship lens to the business ethics of stakeholder theory showing how incumbent stakeholder management performance shapes opportunities for entrepreneurs, a largely neglected stakeholder group.
The Impact of Foreign Technology and Embodied R&D on Productivity in Internationally Oriented and High-Technology Industries in Egypt, 2006–2009
Authors: Elkomy Shimaa , Ingham Hilary , Read Robert
Published: September 2020

This paper investigates the domestic productivity and spillover effects of foreign technology and embodied R&D on Egyptian manufacturing industries, 2006 to 2009. It also analyses the heterogeneous sectoral effects of technology transfer by focusing specifically on the productivity effects on highly internationalized and technology-intensive industries. These are expected to have greater absorptive capacity with respect to foreign technology and therefore larger productivity effects because of their greater exposure to foreign competition and greater technological capacity respectively. This study is the first to analyse the efficiency effects of foreign technology by classifying industries in this manner. It finds that foreign technology and embodied R&D have positive and significant industry-specific effects on domestic productivity and TFP in technology-intensive industries but that these are weaker in internationally oriented industries. The study suggests that only technological-intensive industries in Egypt have sufficient absorptive capacity to assimilate foreign technology effectively. The paper’s findings highlight the key role of foreign technology in domestic productivity growth, subject to the absorptive capacity of the domestic labour force, and the need for improved policies to promote the domestic benefits of technology transfer through the accumulation of local technological competences.
A suite of 19F based relaxation dispersion experiments to assess biomolecular motions
Authors: Overbeck Jan H. , Kremer Werner , Sprangers Remco
Published: September 2020

Proteins and nucleic acids are highly dynamic bio-molecules that can populate a variety of conformational states. NMR relaxation dispersion (RD) methods are uniquely suited to quantify the associated kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. Here, we present a consistent suite of 19F-based CPMG, on-resonance R1ρ and off-resonance R1ρ RD experiments. We validate these experiments by studying the unfolding transition of a 7.5 kDa cold shock protein. Furthermore we show that the 19F RD experiments are applicable to very large molecular machines by quantifying dynamics in the 360 kDa half-proteasome. Our approach significantly extends the timescale of chemical exchange that can be studied with 19F RD, adds robustness to the extraction of exchange parameters and can determine the absolute chemical shifts of excited states. Importantly, due to the simplicity of 19F NMR spectra, it is possible to record complete datasets within hours on samples that are of very low costs. This makes the presented experiments ideally suited to complement static structural information from cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography with insights into functionally relevant motions.

Graphic abstract
The Link between Parental Support and Adolescent Negative Mood in Daily Life: between-Person Heterogeneity in within-Person Processes
Authors: Janssen Loes H. C. , Elzinga Bernet M. , Verkuil Bart , Hillegers Manon H. J. , Keijsers Loes
Published: September 2020

Lack of parental support is related to more adolescent negative mood. However, little is known about how fluctuations of parental support relate to fluctuations of negative mood within adolescents in daily life. The current study aimed to elucidate these processes at a day to day micro-level and examined to which extent adolescents would differ in the association between perceived parental support and adolescent negative mood. The sample consisted of 242 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 13.82, 63.2% female) who completed ecological momentary assessments of 3 weeks 3 months apart. Results from the multilevel regression analyses showed that, on average, adolescents experienced higher levels of negative mood on days when they perceived their parents to be less supportive. Substantial individual differences were found in this association, however, these were partially explained by the level of depressive symptoms and perceived parental intrusiveness. These findings suggest that advice on parental support should be tailored to the unique characteristics of the adolescent.
An image inpainting method for object removal based on difference degree constraint
Authors: Zhang Lei , Chang Minhui
Published: September 2020

In the inpainting method for object removal, SSD (Sum of Squared Differences) is commonly used to measure the degree of similarity between the exemplar patch and the target patch, which has a very important impact on the restoration results. Although the matching rule is relatively simple, it is likely to lead to the occurrence of mismatch error. Even worse, the error may be accumulated along with the process continues. Finally some unexpected objects may be introduced into the target region, making the result unable to meet the requirements of visual consistency. In view of these problems, we propose an inpainting method for object removal based on difference degree constraint. Firstly, we define the MSD (Mean of Squared Differences) and use it to measure the degree of differences between corresponding pixels at known positions in the target patch and the exemplar patch. Secondly, we define the SMD (Square of Mean Differences) and use it to measure the degree of differences between the pixels at known positions in the target patch and the pixels at unknown positions in the exemplar patch. Thirdly, based on MSD and SMD, we define a new matching rule and use it to find the most similar exemplar patch in the source region. Finally, we use the exemplar patch to restore the target patch. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively prevent the occurrence of mismatch error and improve the restoration effect.
Root growth and presence of Rhizophagus irregularis distinctly alter substrate hydraulic properties in a model system with Medicago truncatula
Authors: Pauwels Richard , Jansa Jan , Püschel David , Müller Anja , Graefe Jan , Kolb Steffen , Bitterlich Michael
Published: September 2020

Aim

We investigated how substrate hydraulic properties respond to the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in root-containing and root-free substrate zones in aMedicago truncatula-Rhizophagus irregularismodel system.

Methods

Before planting, two compartments constructed from standard soil sampling cores (250 cm3) were implanted into non-mycorrhizal and mycorrhizal pots containing a sand-zeolite-soil mix. One compartment allowed root penetration (1 mm mesh cover) and the other only hyphal ingrowth (42 μm mesh cover). After eight weeks of growth under maintenance of moist conditions, the cores were subjected to water retention measurements. Additionally, we measured water retention of bare substrates before and after drying events to check for successful maintenance of moist conditions in pots.

Results

Drying of bare substrates decreased water retention, but planting at least sustained it. The parameters of water retention models responded linearly to root morphological traits across mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal substrates. Hyphae-only colonization comparatively affected the course of water retention in ways that suggest increased pore space heterogeneity while maintaining water storage capacity of substrates.

Conclusions

Hence, water contents corresponded to different substrate matric potentials in non-mycorrhizal and mycorrhizal pots. We conclude that changes to water retention in AMF colonized substrates can contribute to a widely observed phenomenon, i.e. that mycorrhizal plants differ in their moisture stress response from non-mycorrhizal plants.
Friend or Foe?: Bernard Williams and Political Constitutionalism
Authors: Mac Amhlaigh Cormac S
Published: September 2020

This article looks at Bernard Williams’s relevance to particular debates in constitutional theory about the legitimacy of two competing models of institutional design: political constitutionalism which endorses giving the final say on the meaning of constitutional rights to legislatures; and legal constitutionalism which endorses giving the final say on the meaning of rights to courts. Recent defences of political constitutionalism have made claims about the realism of their accounts when compared with legal constitutionalism and have co-opted Bernard Williams’s realism to support their case. This article examines these claims, concluding that these accounts of political constitutionalism rely on a distinctly non-Williamsian form of political moralism in that they assume a legitimacy for political constitutionalism which is prior to politics and political disagreement. It offers an alternative defence of political constitutionalism, a partial defence, which, it argues, is closer to the realism of Bernard Williams than these accounts.
A systematic revision of the genus Neopterygosoma Fajfer, 2019 (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) with the description of a new species
Authors: Fajfer Monika
Published: September 2020

A systematic revision of the scale mites of the genusNeopterygosomaFajfer, 2019 (Acariformes: Pterygosomatidae) formerly placed in the genusPterygosomaPeters, 1849, is presented. Two new natural species groups are established: thechilensisgroup for species found on Chilean liolaemid lizards (Sauria: Liolaemidae) and thepatagonicagroup forN.patagonica(Dittmar de la Cruz, Morando & Avila, 2004) found on severalLiolaemusspp. from Argentina. A neotype ofN.patagonicais designated. A leg chaetotaxy model for tarsi-coxae I–IV is proposed for the genus. A key to all species ofNeopterygosomais provided and a full list ofNeopterygosomaspp. with their updated host associations and distribution data is compiled. Additionally, a new species,N. schroederin. sp. found onLiolaemus schroederiMüller & Hellmich, is described, including for the first time, description and illustrations of the immature stages of a species ofNeopterygosoma.
On the Performance of the Node Control Volume Finite Element Method for Modeling Multi-phase Fluid Flow in Heterogeneous Porous Media
Authors: Abd Abdul Salam , Abushaikha Ahmad S.
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we critique the performance of the node control volume finite element (NCVFE) method for modeling multi-phase fluid flow in heterogeneous media. The NCVFE method solves for the pressure at the vertices of elements and a control volume mesh is constructed around them. Material properties are defined on elements, while transport is simulated on the control volumes. These two meshes are not aligned producing inaccurate results and artificial fluid smearing when modeling multi-phase fluid flow in heterogeneous media. We perform numerical tests to quantify and visualize the extent of this artificial fluid smearing in domains with different material properties. The domains are composed of tetrahedron finite elements. Large artificial fluid smearing is observed in coarse meshes; however, it decreases with the increase in mesh resolution. These findings prompt the use of high-resolution meshes for the method and the need for development of novel numerical methods to address this unphysical flow.
Benchmarking the Robustness of Semantic Segmentation Models with Respect to Common Corruptions
Authors: Kamann Christoph , Rother Carsten
Published: September 2020

When designing a semantic segmentation model for a real-world application, such as autonomous driving, it is crucial to understand the robustness of the network with respect to a wide range of image corruptions. While there are recent robustness studies for full-image classification, we are the first to present an exhaustive study for semantic segmentation, based on many established neural network architectures. We utilize almost 400,000 images generated from the Cityscapes dataset, PASCAL VOC 2012, and ADE20K. Based on the benchmark study, we gain several new insights. Firstly, many networks perform well with respect to real-world image corruptions, such as a realistic PSF blur. Secondly, some architecture properties significantly affect robustness, such as a Dense Prediction Cell, designed to maximize performance on clean data only. Thirdly, the generalization capability of semantic segmentation models depends strongly on the type of image corruption. Models generalize well for image noise and image blur, however, not with respect to digitally corrupted data or weather corruptions.