bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reanimating the strangled rivers of Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Brierley Gary J. , Hikuroa Daniel , Fuller Ian C. , Tunnicliffe Jon , Allen Kristiann , Brasington James , Friedrich Heide , Hoyle Jo , Measures Richard
Published: December 2022

Contemporary management practices have artificially confined (strangled) river systems in Aotearoa New Zealand to support intensified land use in riparian areas. These practices work against nature, diminishing the functionality and biodiversity values of living rivers, and associated socio‐cultural relations with rivers. River confinement can accentuate flood risk by promoting development in vulnerable locations and limiting the flexibility to adapt to changing climate, prospectively accentuating future disasters. To date, uptake of space‐to‐move management interventions that seek to address such shortcomings is yet to happen in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is despite the fact that such practices directly align with Māori (indigenous) conceptualizations of rivers as indivisible, living entities. Treaty of Waitangi obligations that assert Māori rights alongside colonial rights of a settler society provide an additional driver for uptake of space‐to‐move initiatives. This article outlines a biophysical prioritization framework to support the development and roll out of space‐to‐move interventions in ways that work with the character, behavior, condition, and evolutionary trajectory (recovery potential) of each river system in Aotearoa.

This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change
A One Pass Streaming Algorithm for Finding Euler Tours
Authors: Glazik Christian , Schiemann Jan , Srivastav Anand
Published: December 2022

Given an undirected graphGonnnodes andmedges in the form of a data stream we study the problem of finding an Euler tour inG. Our main result is the first one-pass streaming algorithm computing an Euler tour ofGin the form of an edge successor function with only$\mathcal O(n\log (n))$O(nlog(n))RAM, which is optimal for this setting (e.g. Sun and Woodruff (2015)). Since the output size can be much larger, we use a write-only tape to gradually output the solution. The previously best-known result for finding Euler tours in data streams is implicitly given by the W-stream algorithm of Demetrescu et al. (2010) using$\mathcal O(m/n)$O(m/n)passes under the same RAM limitation. Our approach is to partition the edges into edge-disjoint cycles and to merge the cycles until a single Euler tour is achieved. In the streaming environment such a merging is far from being obvious as the limited RAM allows the processing of only a constant number of cycles at once. This enforces merging of cycles that partially are no longer present in RAM. We solve this problem with a new edge swapping technique, for which storing two certain edges per node is sufficient to merge tours without having all tour edges in RAM. The mathematical key is to model tours and their merging in an algebraic way, where certain equivalence classes represent subtours. This quite general approach might be of interest also in other routing problems.
Habitat factors influencing the breeding birds on animal farms: can modern agricultural infrastructure be good for birds?
Authors: Golawski Artur , Kasprzykowski Zbigniew , Mitrus Cezary , Rzępała Mirosław , Szczypiński Piotr , Kot Henryk
Published: December 2022

In large parts of Europe biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has experienced strong declines over the past decades because of land-use change and intensification of cultivation methods, but more recently also due to modernization of villages. One of the aspects of modernization is the arising of large specialized poultry and pig farms. Our study carried out in central and east-central Poland focused on the role of habitats within 101 animal farms in relation to bird species richness and number of pairs. We also compared the density of some bird species on farms and in neighbouring villages to determine the importance of the farm environment for the birds. Species richness increased with the number of buildings, the number of trees and the presence of piles of rubble. The number of pairs increased with the number of trees, and the presence of ponds and piles of rubble. Many-times higher densities on farms than in surrounding villages of several species were noteworthy: Black Redstart, Northern Wheatear, White Wagtail and Crested Lark. Animal farms are an important refuge for several species, including those belonging to drastically declining farmland species. Despite the opinion that the modernization of the villages is having a disastrous effect on the avifauna, the modernization may also have positive aspects for some bird species.
Evaluating the Subjective Orgasm Experience Through Sexual Context, Gender, and Sexual Orientation
Authors: Muñoz-García Laura Elvira , Gómez-Berrocal Carmen , Sierra Juan Carlos
Published: December 2022

The subjective orgasm experience (SOE) is the psychological perception of orgasm sensations and closely related to sexual health. Here, SOE was studied through the context in which it is experienced (sexual relationships and solitary masturbation), gender, and sexual orientation. For this purpose, data were collected from 4255 people (1927 men and 2328 women) of different sexual orientations (heterosexual = 1545; bisexual = 1202; and gay = 1508) who completed two versions of the Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS) for both contexts (i.e., sexual relationships and solitary masturbation) along with a socio-demographic questionnaire. Results showed that the ORS in the context of solitary masturbation is an instrument invariant by gender and sexual orientation. Significant differences in SOE were found by context: it was more intense in the context of sexual relationships (vs. solitary masturbation); by gender: women (vs. men) reported greater intensity; and by sexual orientation, with heterosexual people (vs. gay and bisexual people) having a more intense experience.
SMSG: Profiling-Free Parallelism Modeling for Distributed Training of DNN
Authors: Wang Haoran , Tachon Thibaut , Li Chong , Robert Sophie , Limet Sébastien
Published: December 2022

The increasing size of deep neural networks (DNNs) raises a high demand for distributed training. An expert could find good hybrid parallelism strategies, but designing suitable strategies is time and labor-consuming. Therefore, automating parallelism strategy generation is crucial and desirable for DNN designers. Some automatic searching approaches have recently been studied to free the experts from the heavy parallel strategy conception. However, these approaches all rely on a numerical cost model, which requires heavy profiling results that lack portability. These profiling-based approaches cannot lighten the strategy generation work due to the non-reusable profiling value. Our intuition is that there is no need to estimate the actual execution time of the distributed training but to compare the relative cost of different strategies. We propose SMSG (Symbolic Modeling for Strategy Generation), which analyses the cost based on the communication and computation semantics. With SMSG, the parallel cost analyses are decoupled from hardware characteristics. SMSG defines cost functions for each kind of operator to quantitatively evaluate the amount of data for computation and communication, which eliminates the heavy profiling tasks. Besides, SMSG introduces how to apply functional transformation by using the Third Homomorphism theorem to control the high searching complexity. Our experiments show that SMSG can find good hybrid parallelism strategies to generate an efficient training performance similar to the state of the art. Moreover, SMSG covers a wide variety of DNN models with good scalability. SMSG provides good portability when changing training configurations that a profiling-based approach cannot.
Agriculture in the Ancient Maya Lowlands (Part 1): Paleoethnobotanical Residues and New Perspectives on Plant Management
Authors: Morell-Hart Shanti , Dussol Lydie , Fedick Scott L.
Published: December 2022

We focus on pre-Columbian agricultural regimes in the Maya Lowlands, using new datasets of archaeological wood charcoal, seeds, phytoliths, and starch grains; biological properties of plants; and contemporary Indigenous practices. We address inherited models of agriculture in the lowlands: the limitations of the environment (finding more affordances than anticipated by earlier models); the homogeneity of agricultural strategies (finding more heterogeneity of strategies across the lowlands than a single rigid template); the centrality of maize in agriculture (finding more reliance on root crops and tree crops than historically documented); the focus on the milpa system as food base (finding more agroforestry, homegardening, horticulture, and wild resource management than previously documented); the dominance of swidden strategies in agricultural practices (finding more diverse practices than accounted for in most models); and the foregrounding of maize crop failure in collapse models (finding more evidence of resilience and sustainable agricultural practices than predicted).
Diffusion Imaging of Sport-related Repetitive Head Impacts—A Systematic Review
Authors: Koerte Inga K. , Wiegand Tim L. T. , Bonke Elena M. , Kochsiek Janna , Shenton Martha E.
Published: December 2022

Repetitive head impacts (RHI) are commonly observed in athletes participating in contact sports such as American football, ice hockey, and soccer. RHI usually do not result in acute symptoms and are therefore often referred to as subclinical or “subconcussive” head impacts. Epidemiological studies report an association between exposure to RHI and an increased risk for the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) has emerged as particularly promising for the detection of subtle alterations in brain microstructure following exposure to sport-related RHI. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of studies investigating the effects of exposure to RHI on brain microstructure using dMRI. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to determine studies that met inclusion and exclusion criteria across three databases. Seventeen studies were identified and critically evaluated. Results from these studies suggest an association between white matter alterations and RHI exposure in youth and young adult athletes. The most consistent finding across studies was lower or decreased fractional anisotropy (FA), a measure of the directionality of the diffusion of water molecules, associated with greater exposure to sport-related RHI. Whether decreased FA is associated with functional outcome (e.g., cognition) in those exposed to RHI is yet to be determined. This review further identified areas of importance for future research to increase the diagnostic and prognostic value of dMRI in RHI and to improve our understanding of the effects of RHI on brain physiology and microstructure.
Intra-list similarity and human diversity perceptions of recommendations: the details matter
Authors: Jesse Mathias , Bauer Christine , Jannach Dietmar
Published: December 2022

The diversity of the generated item suggestions can be an important quality factor of a recommender system. In offline experiments, diversity is commonly assessed with the help of the intra-list similarity (ILS) measure, which is defined as the average pairwise similarity of the items in a list. The similarity of each pair of items is often determined based on domain-specific meta-data, e.g., movie genres. While this approach is common in the literature, it in most cases remains open if a particular implementation of the ILS measure is actually a valid proxy for the human diversity perception in a given application. With this work, we address this research gap and investigate the correlation of different ILS implementations with human perceptions in the domains of movie and recipe recommendation. We conducted several user studies involving over 500 participants. Our results indicate that the particularities of the ILS metric implementation matter. While we found that the ILS metric can be a good proxy for human perceptions, it turns out that it is important to individually validate the used ILS metric implementation for a given application. On a more general level, our work points to a certain level of oversimplification in recommender systems research when it comes to the design of computational proxies for human quality perceptions and thus calls for more research regarding the validation of the corresponding metrics.
Measuring Structural Racism and Its Association with Racial Disparities in Firearm Homicide
Authors: Siegel Michael , Rieders Madeline , Rieders Hannah , Moumneh Jinan , Asfour Julia , Oh Jinseo , Oh Seungjin
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Structural racism is strongly related to racial health disparities. However, surprisingly few studies have developed empirical tools to measure structural racism. In addition, the few measures that have been employed have only considered structural racism at the neighborhood level. To expand upon previous studies, this paper uses a novel measure to measure structural racism at the county level for the non-Hispanic Black population.

Methods

We used confirmatory factor analysis to create a model to measure the latent construct of structural racism for 1181 US counties. The model included five indicators across five dimensions: racial segregation, incarceration, educational attainment, employment, and economic status/wealth. Structural equation modeling and factor analysis were used to generate factor scores that weighted the indicators in order to produce the best model fit. The resulting factor scores represented the level of structural racism in each county. We demonstrated the utility of this measure by demonstrating its strong correlation with Black-White disparities in firearm homicide rates.

Results

Our calculations revealed striking geographic differences across counties in the magnitude of structural racism, with the highest values generally being observed in the Midwest and Northeast. Structural racism was significantly associated with higher Black firearm homicide rates, lower White homicide rates, and a higher Black-White racial disparity in firearm homicide.

Conclusions

These new measures can be utilized by researchers to relate structural racism to racial health disparities at the county level.
An assessment of subject-comprehension and subject-command attained through digital learning platforms
Authors: Shahid Nazish
Published: December 2022

A synthesized investigation, employing graphical and analytical approach, has been conducted to examine inadequacy of electronic education and limitations posed by transformative mode of learning from students’ perspective. Moreover, the breadth of subject understanding through digital mode and students’ preference for physical or electronic mode of learning in the future were examined. A descriptive analysis was executed through R programming for the obtained numeric-characteristic statistics. For computational analysis of the data to determine proportion of deteriorating virtual-assessment performance attributed to conditioned subject-command, a machine learning approach of interaction-regression is adopted. It is implied through the obtained results that a majority of students felt discontented at not being able to achieve optimized learning outcomes post-virtual-attendance of study programs. It is also concluded that blended influence of online learning and partial subject-command resulted in insufficient assessment performance. Additionally, the current study highlights the importance of need-based adaptations to facilitate automated mode of learning and virtual platforms’ uniform access to students.
Euthanasia for the Elderly: Multiple Geriatric Syndromes and Unbearable Suffering According to Dutch Euthanasia Review Committees
Authors: Buijsen Martin
Published: December 2022

The public debate on voluntary termination of life by elderly people, which has been an intensely controversial subject in the Netherlands for some time, has centered around the issue of “completed life” in recent years. In 2016, an ad hoc governmental advisory committee concluded that the already existing Euthanasia Act provided sufficient scope to resolve most of the problems related to the issue. Most of the older adults who feel they no longer have anything to look forward to in their lives and who have developed a wish to die as a result would be able to invoke this Act. Partly for this reason, the committee considered broadening the legal options relating to assisted suicide undesirable. Analysis of the assessment practice of the regional euthanasia review committees reveals that the room for interpretation offered by the Euthanasia Act is indeed considerable.
Top Research Priorities in Prehospital Care in Spain
Authors: Castro Delgado Rafael , Alvarez Gonzalez Kimberly , Cernuda Martinez Jose Antonio , Cuartas Alvarez Tatiana , Arcos Gonzalez Pedro
Published: December 2022

Objective:

The objective is to identify research priorities in prehospital care in Spain.

Method:

This was a Delphi-type study of three rounds with a panel of experts made up of members of the Red de Investigación en Emergencias Prehospitalarias (RINVEMER; Prehospital Emergency Research Network) Network and the Sociedad Española de Medicina de Urgencias y Emergencias (SEMES; Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine) Emergency Secretariat. In the first round, each participant identified up to 15 priorities. In the second round, they scored the 30 thematic areas on a Likert scale. In the third round, they ordered and scored from one to ten the first ten priorities among those that obtained a median greater than or equal to four in the second round. After adding the assigned scores, the ten priorities with the highest total score were obtained.

Results:

The ten identified research priorities were: special clinical codes and time-dependent conditions; mass-casualty incident (MCI) coordination and management; innovation in Emergency Medical Services (EMS); human factor in decision making; triage, analysis, and management of calls in the Emergency Call Center; new technologies, telemedicine, and emergencies; adverse events, clinical safety, and quality in emergencies; cardiac arrest; continuous education and training (methodology, quality, and evaluation); and big data and emergencies.

Conclusions:

The research priorities perceived by emergency professionals are related to clinical care and organizational aspects of EMS, in addition to the need to incorporate innovative aspects and new data analysis technologies.
Magnetic Field Conditions Upstream of Ganymede
Authors: Vogt Marissa F. , Bagenal Fran , Bolton Scott J.
Published: December 2022

Jupiter's magnetic field is tilted by ∼10° with respect to the planet's spin axis, and as a result the Jovian plasma sheet passes over the Galilean satellites at the jovigraphic equator twice per planetary rotation period. The plasma and magnetic field conditions near Ganymede's magnetosphere therefore change dramatically every ∼5 hr, creating a unique magnetosphere‐magnetosphere interaction, and on longer time scales as evidenced by orbit‐to‐orbit variations. In this paper, we summarize the typical magnetic field conditions and their variability near Ganymede's orbit as observed by the Galileo and Juno spacecraft. We fit Juno data from orbit 34, which included the spacecraft's close Ganymede flyby in June 2021, to a current sheet model and show that the magnetospheric conditions during orbit 34 were very close to the historical average. Our results allow us to infer the upstream conditions at the time of the Juno Ganymede flyby.
Properties and Acceleration Mechanisms of Electrons Up To 200 keV Associated With a Flux Rope Pair and Reconnection X‐Lines Around It in Earth's Plasma Sheet
Authors: Sun Weijie , Turner Drew L. , Zhang Qile , Wang Shan , Egedal Jan , Leonard Trevor , Slavin James A. , Hu Qiang , Cohen Ian J. , Genestreti Kevin , Poh Gangkai , Gershman Daniel J. , Smith Andrew , Le Guan , Nakamura Rumi , Giles Barbara L. , Ergun Robert E. , Burch James L.
Published: December 2022

The properties and acceleration mechanisms of electrons (<200 keV) associated with a pair of tailward traveling flux ropes and accompanied reconnection X‐lines in Earth's plasma sheet are investigated with MMS measurements. Energetic electrons are enhanced on both boundaries and core of the flux ropes. The power‐law spectra of energetic electrons near the X‐lines and in flux ropes are harder than those on flux rope boundaries. Theoretical calculations show that the highest energy of adiabatic electrons is a few keV around the X‐lines, tens of keV immediately downstream of the X‐lines, hundreds of keV on the flux rope boundaries, and a few MeV in the flux rope cores. The X‐lines cause strong energy dissipation, which may generate the energetic electron beams around them. The enhanced electron parallel temperature can be caused by the curvature‐driven Fermi acceleration and the parallel electric potential. Betatron acceleration due to the magnetic field compression is strong on flux rope boundaries, which enhances energetic electrons in the perpendicular direction. Electrons can be trapped between the flux rope pair due to mirror force and parallel electric potential. Electrostatic structures in the flux rope cores correspond to potential drops up to half of the electron temperature. The energetic electrons and the electron distribution functions in the flux rope cores are suggested to be transported from other dawn‐dusk directions, which is a 3‐dimensional effect. The acceleration and deceleration of the Betatron and Fermi processes appear alternately indicating that the magnetic field and plasma are turbulent around the flux ropes.
The hypertension cascade of care in the midst of conflict: the case of the Gaza Strip
Authors: Abu Hamad Bassam A. , Jamaluddine Zeina , Safadi Gloria , Ragi Marie-Elizabeth , Ahmad Raeda El Sayed , Vamos Eszter P. , Basu Sanjay , Yudkin John S. , Jawad Mohammed , Millett Christopher , Ghattas Hala
Published: December 2022

Although hypertension constitutes a substantial burden in conflict-affected areas, little is known about its prevalence, control, and management in Gaza. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and correlates of hypertension, its diagnosis and control among adults in Gaza. We conducted a representative, cross-sectional, anonymous, household survey of 4576 persons older than 40 years in Gaza in mid-2020. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, anthropometric, and blood pressure measurements. Hypertension was defined in anyone with an average systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg or average diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg from two consecutive readings or a hypertension diagnosis. The mean age of participants was 56.9 ± 10.5 years, 54.0% were female and 68.5% were Palestinian refugees. The prevalence of hypertension was 56.5%, of whom 71.5% had been diagnosed. Hypertension was significantly higher among older participants, refugees, ex-smokers, those who were overweight or obese, and had other co-morbidities including mental illnesses. Two-thirds (68.3%) of those with hypertension were on treatment with one in three (35.6%) having their hypertension controlled. Having controlled hypertension was significantly higher in females, those receiving all medications for high blood pressure and those who never or rarely added salt to food. Investing in comprehensive but cost-effective initiatives that strengthen the prevention, early detection and timely treatment of hypertension in conflict settings is critical. It is essential to better understand the underlying barriers behind the lack of control and develop multi-sectoral programs to address these barriers.
Invasive fungal diseases impact on outcome of childhood ALL – an analysis of the international trial AIEOP-BFM ALL 2009
Authors: Lehrnbecher Thomas , Groll Andreas H. , Cesaro Simone , Alten Julia , Attarbaschi Andishe , Barbaric Draga , Bodmer Nicole , Conter Valentino , Izraeli Shai , Mann Georg , Möricke Anja , Niggli Felix , Schrappe Martin , Stary Jan , Zapotocka Ester , Zimmermann Martin , Elitzur Sarah
Published: December 2022

In children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), risk groups for invasive fungal disease (IFD) with need for antifungal prophylaxis are not well characterized, and with the advent of new antifungal compounds, current data on outcome are scarce. Prospectively captured serious adverse event reports of children enrolled in the international, multi-center clinical trial AIEOP-BFM ALL2009 were screened for proven/probable IFD, defined according to the updated EORTC/MSG consensus definitions. In a total of 6136 children (median age 5.2 years), 224 proven/probable IFDs (65 yeast and 159 mold) were reported. By logistic regression, the risk for proven/probable IFDs was significantly increased in children ≥12 years and those with a blast count ≥10% in the bone marrow on day 15 (P < 0.0001 each). Proven/probable IFDs had a 6-week and 12-week mortality of 10.7% and 11.2%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, the hazard ratio for event-free and overall survival was significantly increased for proven/probable IFD, age ≥12 years, and insufficient response to therapy (P < 0.001, each). Our data define older children with ALL and those with insufficient treatment-response at high risk for IFD. As we show that IFD is an independent risk factor for event-free and overall survival, these patients may benefit from targeted antifungal prophylaxis.
A key role of the WEE1-CDK1 axis in mediating TKI-therapy resistance in FLT3-ITD positive acute myeloid leukemia patients
Authors: Massacci Giorgia , Venafra Veronica , Latini Sara , Bica Valeria , Pugliese Giusj Monia , Graziosi Simone , Klingelhuber Felix , Krahmer Natalie , Fischer Thomas , Mougiakakos Dimitrios , Boettcher Martin , Perfetto Livia , Sacco Francesca
Published: December 2022

The insertion site of the internal tandem duplications (ITDs) in the FLT3 gene affects the sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients with the ITD in the tyrosine kinase domain lack effective therapeutic options. Here, to identify genotype-driven strategies increasing the TKI therapy efficacy, we developed SignalingProfiler, a strategy supporting the integration of high-sensitive mass spectrometry-based (phospho)proteomics, RNA sequencing datasets with literature-derived signaling networks. The approach generated FLT3-ITD genotype-specific predictive models and revealed a conserved role of the WEE1-CDK1 axis in TKIs resistance. Remarkably, pharmacological inhibition of the WEE1 kinase synergizes and strengthens the pro-apoptotic effect of TKIs therapy in cell lines and patient-derived primary blasts. Finally, we propose a new molecular mechanism of TKIs resistance in AML and suggest the combination of WEE1 inhibitor and TKI as a therapeutic option to improve patients clinical outcome.
The role of PPARγ in prostate cancer development and progression
Authors: Hartley Andrew , Ahmad Imran
Published: December 2022

Advanced and metastatic prostate cancer is often incurable, but its dependency on certain molecular alterations may provide the basis for targeted therapies. A growing body of research has demonstrated that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is amplified as prostate cancer progresses. PPARγ has been shown to support prostate cancer growth through its roles in fatty acid synthesis, mitochondrial biogenesis, and co-operating with androgen receptor signalling. Interestingly, splice variants of PPARγ may have differing and contrasting roles. PPARγ itself is a highly druggable target, with agonists having been used for the past two decades in treating diabetes. However, side effects associated with these compounds have currently limited clinical use of these drugs in prostate cancer. Further understanding of PPARγ and novel techniques to target it, may provide therapies for advanced prostate cancer.
An RNA-targeting CRISPR–Cas13d system alleviates disease-related phenotypes in Huntington’s disease models
Authors: Morelli Kathryn H. , Wu Qian , Gosztyla Maya L. , Liu Hongshuai , Yao Minmin , Zhang Chuangchuang , Chen Jiaxu , Marina Ryan J. , Lee Kari , Jones Krysten L. , Huang Megan Y. , Li Allison , Smith-Geater Charlene , Thompson Leslie M. , Duan Wenzhen , Yeo Gene W.
Published: December 2022

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal, dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by CAG trinucleotide expansion in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Since the reduction of pathogenic mutant HTT messenger RNA is therapeutic, we developed a mutant allele-sensitive CAGEX RNA-targeting CRISPR–Cas13d system (Cas13d–CAGEX) that eliminates toxic CAGEX RNA in fibroblasts derived from patients with HD and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. We show that intrastriatal delivery of Cas13d–CAGEX via an adeno-associated viral vector selectively reduces mutant HTT mRNA and protein levels in the striatum of heterozygous zQ175 mice, a model of HD. This also led to improved motor coordination, attenuated striatal atrophy and reduction of mutant HTT protein aggregates. These phenotypic improvements lasted for at least eight months without adverse effects and with minimal off-target transcriptomic effects. Taken together, we demonstrate proof of principle of an RNA-targeting CRISPR–Cas13d system as a therapeutic approach for HD, a strategy with implications for the treatment of other dominantly inherited disorders.
Microwave-assisted synthesis of biodiesel by a green carbon-based heterogeneous catalyst derived from areca nut husk by one-pot hydrothermal carbonization
Authors: Yadav Gaurav , Yadav Nidhi , Ahmaruzzaman Md.
Published: December 2022

In this study, we have synthesized a solid acid catalyst by areca nut husk using low temperature hydrothermal carbonization method. The fabricated catalyst has enhanced sulfonic actives sites (3.12%) and high acid density (1.88 mmol g−1) due to –SO3H, which are used significantly for effective biodiesel synthesis at low temperatures. The chemical composition and morphology of the catalyst is determined by various techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy disruptive spectroscopy (EDS), Mapping, Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), CHNS analyzer, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analyzer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Acid–base back titration method was used to determine the acid density of the synthesized material. In the presence of the as-fabricated catalyst, the conversion of oleic acid (OA) to methyl oleate reached 96.4% in 60 min under optimized conditions (1:25 Oleic acid: methanol ratio, 80 °C, 60 min, 9 wt% catalyst dosage) and observed low activation energy of 45.377 kJ mol−1. The presence of the porous structure and sulfonic groups of the catalyst contributes to the high activity of the catalyst. The biodiesel synthesis was confirmed by gas-chromatography mass spectrometer (GC–MS) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The reusability of the catalyst was examined up to four consecutive cycles, yielding a high 85% transformation of OA to methyl oleate on the fourth catalytic cycle.
An improved prognostic model for predicting the mortality of critically ill patients: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Zhang Xianming , Yang Rui , Tan Yuanfei , Zhou Yaoliang , Lu Biyun , Ji Xiaoying , Chen Hongda , Cai Jinwen
Published: December 2022

A simple prognostic model is needed for ICU patients. This study aimed to construct a modified prognostic model using easy-to-use indexes for prediction of the 28-day mortality of critically ill patients. Clinical information of ICU patients included in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database were collected. After identifying independent risk factors for 28-day mortality, an improved mortality prediction model (mionl-MEWS) was constructed with multivariate logistic regression. We evaluated the predictive performance of mionl-MEWS using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), internal validation and fivefold cross validation. A nomogram was used for rapid calculation of predicted risks. A total of 51,121 patients were included with 34,081 patients in the development cohort and 17,040 patients in the validation cohort (17,040 patients). Six predictors, including Modified Early Warning Score, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lactate, international normalized ratio, osmolarity level and metastatic cancer were integrated to construct the mionl-MEWS model with AUROC of 0.717 and 0.908 for the development and validation cohorts respectively. The mionl-MEWS model showed good validation capacities with clinical utility. The developed mionl-MEWS model yielded good predictive value for prediction of 28-day mortality in critically ill patients for assisting decision-making in ICU patients.
Redshifted and thermally bistable one-way quantitative hemithioindigo-derived photoswitches enabled by isomer-specific excited state intramolecular proton transfer
Authors: Krell-Jørgensen Mikkel , Zulfikri Habiburrahman , Bonnevie Magnus Grage , Bro Frederik Simonsen , Dohn Asmus Ougaard , Laraia Luca
Published: December 2022

We report bistable indole-containing hemithioindigos (HTIs) with one-way quantitative photoswitching properties, as well as highly redshifted bipyrrole-containing HTIs inspired by conductive polymers.
Cascade energy transfer augmented circular polarization in photofluorochromic cholesteric texture
Authors: Ren Chao , Zhao Tonghan , Shi Yonghong , Duan Pengfei
Published: December 2022

In a dynamically changing chiral environment, chirality and excited energy transfer are described in a self-organized cholesteric texture. The cascade energy transfer process appears to turn “on” and “off” in response to external light stimuli.
Effect of CO2 on the crystallization of poly(lactic acid) homo-crystallites via influencing the crystal structure of stereocomplex crystallites
Authors: Peng Qianyun , Li Shaojie , Liu Feng , Liao Xia , Li Guangxian
Published: December 2022

Under CO2, inducing and competing crystallization of SCs on HCs was in situ investigated for the first time.
Dealloying/exsolution-induced nanoporous perovskite oxides anchored with alloy nanoparticles for the oxygen evolution reaction
Authors: Cui Yu , Chao Yang , Lin Jianbin , Ke Wenxue , He Xin , Chen Mei , Zhang Chi
Published: December 2022

The exsolution of dealloying/annealing-derived nanoporous La0.9CoxFe1−xO3 generated Co–Fe nanoparticle-anchored perovskite hybrids. The exsolved perovskite oxides present improved oxygen evolution reaction activity.
A density functional theory study of a water gas shift reaction on Ag(111): potassium effect
Authors: Wang Yan-Xin , Zhang Hai-Li , Wu Hai-Shun , Jia Jian-Feng
Published: December 2022

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are executed to investigate the effect of a potassium (K) promoter on the activity of the water gas shift reaction (WGSR) over an Ag(111) surface.
Toward a new definition of surface energy for late transition metals
Authors: Boucher Alexandre , Jones Glenn , Roldan Alberto
Published: December 2022

Transition metal surface energy prediction independently of size and morphology based on geometric descriptors.
Brave new surfactant world revisited by thermoalkalophilic lipases: computational insights into the role of SDS as a substrate analog
Authors: Shehata Mohamed , Ünlü Aişe , Iglesias-Fernández Javier , Osuna Sílvia , Sezerman O Ugur , Timucin Emel
Published: December 2022

SDS binds to the catalytic cleft of a thermostable lipase and partially opens its closed lid.
Influence of interfacial water and cations on the oxidation of CO at the platinum/ionic liquid interface
Authors: Ratschmeier Björn , Roß Gina , Kemna Andre , Braunschweig Björn
Published: December 2022

Electrooxidation of CO monolayers on Pt(111) in contact with different RTILs and water concentrations were investigated by in situ sum-frequency generation spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy.
Choline chloride–formic acid mixture as a medium for the reduction of pertechnetates – electrochemical and spectroscopic studies
Authors: Połomski Damian , DiBlasi Nicole A. , Dardenne Kathy , Gaona Xavier , Czerwinski Kenneth , Chotkowski Maciej
Published: December 2022

Ionic species containing technetium with an oxidation state lower than +7 are very important for nuclear medicine and industry. Application of new choline-based electrolytes for the reduction of TcO4- prevents the formation of undesired TcO2.
Metal–organic framework-derived advanced oxygen electrocatalysts as air-cathodes for Zn–air batteries: recent trends and future perspectives
Authors: Kundu Aniruddha , Kuila Tapas , Murmu Naresh Chandra , Samanta Prakas , Das Srijib
Published: December 2022

This review highlights the recent noteworthy developments of metal–organic framework-derived nanomaterials for Zn–air battery applications.
Preparation of porous CoMoO4+ NiMoO4nanosheets with high capacitance by a sol–gel method and freezing method
Authors: Wang Jing , Wang Gang , Fan Licai , Hao Jian , Yang Liu
Published: December 2022

The porous sheet structure prepared by a sol–gel method and freezing method has excellent electrochemical properties.
The second coordination sphere effect of benzothiophene groups enhances chain transfer in ethylene (co)oligomerization
Authors: Fan Huijun , Chang Guanru , Wang Hui , Dai Shengyu
Published: December 2022

The second coordination sphere effect of benzothiophene groups could facilitate the chain transfer in iminopyridyl Ni(ii)/Pd(ii)-catalyzed ethylene (co)oligomerization, in contrast to the phenomenon observed in the corresponding α-diimine system.
Retraction: Magnetic polydopamine decorated with Mg–Al LDH nanoflakes as a novel bio-based adsorbent for simultaneous removal of potentially toxic metals and anionic dyes
Authors: Li Jie , Fan Qiaohui , Wu Yijin , Wang Xiangxue , Chen Changlun , Tang Zhiyong , Wang Xiangke
Published: December 2022

Retraction of ‘Magnetic polydopamine decorated with Mg–Al LDH nanoflakes as a novel bio-based adsorbent for simultaneous removal of potentially toxic metals and anionic dyes’ by Jie Li et al., J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 1737–1746, https://doi.org/10.1039/C5TA09132B.
Starch-based shape memory sponge for rapid hemostasis in penetrating wounds
Authors: Huang Zhenhua , Wu Juan , Zhao Yujiao , Zhang Dong , Tong Laiqiang , Gao Fan , Liu Changsheng , Chen Fangping
Published: December 2022

In this paper, a shape memory sponge (SQG) with antibacterial, degradable and injectable properties was prepared, which can be used in penetrating wounds.
In situ vulcanization synthesis of CuInS2 nanosheet arrays for a memristor with a high on–off ratio and low power consumption
Authors: Hu Zijun , Cao Fa , Yan Tingting , Su Li , Fang Xiaosheng
Published: December 2022

The ternary copper indium sulfide nanosheet arrays fabricated by the one-step, low-cost in situ vulcanization method demonstrate high memory performance, exhibiting great application potential in image storage.
The Anti-inflammatory Effects of Isoflavonoids from Radix Astragali in Hepatoprotective Potential against LPS/D-gal-induced Acute Liver Injury
Authors: Aobulikasimu Nuerbiye , Zheng Dan , Guan Peipei , Xu Lixiao , Liu Bo , Li Minglei , Huang Xueshi , Han Li
Published: December 2022

Radix Astragali (RA) is an important Traditional Chinese Medicine widely used in the treatment of various diseases, such as pneumonia, atherosclerosis, diabetes, kidney and liver fibrosis.
The role of isoflavonoids from RA in the treatment of liver injury remains unclear. The study aimed to explore hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of isoflavonoids from
Astragalus mongholicus. Network pharmacological analysis showed that RA had a multi-target regulating effect on alleviating liver injury and inhibiting inflammation through its active
ingredients, among which isoflavones were closely related to its key molecular targets. The anti-inflammatory and liver protection effects of isoflavonoids of RA were investigated using
lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells in vitro and LPS/D-galactosamine (D-gal)-induced acute liver injury mice in vivo. The experimental results showed that
methylnissolin (ML) and methylnissolin-3-O-β-D-glucoside (MLG) presented more notable anti-inflammatory effects. Both of them suppressed the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines,
such as iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo investigation demonstrated that ML markedly meliorated liver injury in
LPS/D-gal-induced mice. Western blot results revealed that ML and MLG down-regulated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines via NF-κB signaling pathway. The isoflavonoids,
methylnissolin (ML), and methylnissolin-3-O-β-D-glucoside (MLG), play a vital role in the hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of RA.
500 °C operation of β-Ga2O3 field-effect transistors
Authors: Islam Ahmad E. , Sepelak Nicholas P. , Liddy Kyle J. , Kahler Rachel , Dryden Daniel M. , Williams Jeremiah , Lee Hanwool , Gann Katie , Popp Andreas , Leedy Kevin D. , Hendricks Nolan S. , Brown Jeff. L. , Heller Eric R. , Wang Weisong , Zhu Wenjuan , Thompson Michael O. , Chabak Kelson D. , Green Andrew J.
Published: December 2022

We demonstrated 500 °C operation of field-effect transistors made using ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor β-Ga2O3. Metal–semiconductor field-effect transistors were fabricated using epitaxial conductive films grown on an insulating β-Ga2O3 substrate, TiW refractory metal gates, and Si-implanted source/drain contacts. Devices were characterized in DC mode at different temperatures up to 500 °C in vacuum. These variable-temperature measurements showed a reduction in gate modulation of the drain current due to an increase in gate leakage across the gate/semiconductor Schottky barrier. Devices exhibited a reduction in transconductance with increasing temperature; despite this, drain current increased with temperature due to a reduction in threshold voltage caused by the de-trapping of electrons from deep-level traps. Devices also showed negligible change in semiconductor epitaxy and source/drain contacts, hence demonstrated recovery to their room-temperature electrical properties after the devices were tested intermittently at different high temperatures in vacuum. The mechanism of gate leakage was also explored, which implicated the presence of different conduction mechanisms at different temperatures and gate electric fields.
Temperature dependence of germanium vacancy centers in high-quality diamond after 300 keV ion implantation
Authors: Wang Ruozheng , Wang Liang , Peng Bo , Fu Jiao , Huangfu Chenyang , Bai Hao , Zhang Yufei , Yu Cui , Wang Kaiyue , Wang Hong-Xing
Published: December 2022

In this work, the temperature dependence of diamond GeV centers that were formed by germanium (Ge) ion implantation and annealed in a hydrogen atmosphere at 1000 °C was investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy. It was found that the intensity of the GeV centers had a thermal quenching effect with the increase in temperature, and the activation energy was fitted at 62.32 meV. Then, the laser power dependence was mainly dependent on radiative recombination so that the diamond GeV center intensity increased with the laser power. Furthermore, the electron-phonon coupling and thermal softening effect were found between Ge ions and vacancies chemical bonds, which made the GeV center peak position red shift with the increase of temperature. Finally, the FWHM of the diamond GeV center exhibited both homogeneous (Lorentzian component) and inhomogeneous broadening (Gaussian component) at 80–280 K, indicating that the Lorentzian component was dominant in the FWHM of the GeV center.
Interaction of propagating spin waves with extended skyrmions
Authors: Mansell Rhodri , Schaffers Taddäus , Holländer Rasmus B. , Qin Huajun , van Dijken Sebastiaan
Published: December 2022

Active control of propagating short-wavelength spin waves in perpendicularly magnetized materials is promising for designing nanoscale magnonic devices. One method of manipulating spin waves on the nanoscale is through their interaction with magnetic textures, an example of which is the magnetic skyrmion—a particle-like topological object stabilized in thin film heterostructures by the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. In this paper, the interaction between spin waves and skyrmions is studied using micromagnetic simulations. The magnetic parameters chosen are similar to those found experimentally, leading to a skyrmion with an extended core of reversed magnetization. The effect of a propagating spin wave on the skyrmion is to cause the emission of a secondary spin wave by the skyrmion. At low frequencies, where the incoming spin wave wavelength is much larger than the skyrmion, this leads to a nearly circular re-emitted spin wave. The pattern of emission becomes increasingly complex at higher frequencies as the wavelength becomes similar to the skyrmion size due to the complex excitation of the extended core. The emitted spin wave profile can be controlled by altering the size of the skyrmion through the magnitude of the DMI, providing a method of tuning the system.
Topological origins of yielding in short-ranged weakly attractive colloidal gels
Authors: Mangal Deepak , Nabizadeh Mohammad , Jamali Safa
Published: December 2022

Yielding of the particulate network in colloidal gels under applied deformation is accompanied by various microstructural changes, including rearrangement, bond rupture, anisotropy, and reformation of secondary structures. While much work has been done to understand the physical underpinnings of yielding in colloidal gels, its topological origins remain poorly understood. Here, employing a series of tools from network science, we characterize the bonds using their orientation and network centrality. We find that bonds with higher centralities in the network are ruptured the most at all applied deformation rates. This suggests that a network analysis of the particulate structure can be used to predict the failure points in colloidal gels a priori.
Tantalum microwave resonators with ultra-high intrinsic quality factors
Authors: Shi Lili , Guo Tingting , Su Runfeng , Chi Tianyuan , Sheng Yifan , Jiang Junliang , Cao Chunhai , Wu Jingbo , Tu Xuecou , Sun Guozhu , Chen Jian , Wu Peiheng
Published: December 2022

We acquire tantalum thin film in its α phase (α-Ta) using direct-current magnetron sputtering. According to x-ray diffraction results, 110-Ta is dominant. Quarter-wavelength coplanar waveguide resonators are fabricated with the α-Ta film and characterized at millikelvin in a dilution refrigerator. In the single photon regime, an intrinsic quality factor (Qi) up to 3×106 is obtained in these resonators. At high power, Qi rises to 6×106. Moreover, we also fabricate an array with 7 × 7 lumped element resonators using the α-Ta film. The array shows excellent uniformity. At high power, Qis of all pixels exceed 1×106. In the single photon regime, Qis of over 90% pixels exceed 1×106. Superconducting quantum computing and ultrasensitive electromagnetic wave detectors will benefit a lot from devices based on the α-Ta film.