bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Weak Makes It Powerful: The Role of Cognate Small Molecules as an Alloy Donor in 2D/1A Ternary Fullerene Solar Cells for Finely Tuned Hierarchical Morphology in Thick Active Layers
Authors: Fan Qunping , Liu Tao , Zhang Ming , Su Wenyan , Méndez‐Romero Ulises A. , Yang Tao , Geng Xinjian , Hou Lintao , Yu Donghong , Liu Feng , Yan He , Wang Ergang
Published: January 2020

Herein, a novel small molecule donor is first developed, FSM6, which is a cognate molecule to BTR possessing similar molecular structure with comparable optical absorption but different crystallinity. The efficient fullerene‐type ternary small molecular solar cells (SMSCs) based on an alloy donor of BTR and FSM6 in a thick film of 250 nm reveal the improved hierarchical phase separation morphology and molecular structural order of ternary active layers with improved crystallinity of the key donor component BTR. Furthermore, FSM6 as the key third component also plays a role of charge transfer accelerator in ternary SMSCs. As a result, the optimal ternary SMSCs based on BTR:FSM6:PC71BM achieve a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 10.21% with the synergistically improved open‐circuit voltage of 0.950 V, short‐circuit current density of 13.85 mA cm−2, and fill factor of 77.6%, in comparison with either the binary SMSCs of BTR:PC71BM (PCE = 9.37%) or FSM6:PC71BM (PCE = 8.00%). This work provides a promising methodology to optimize device morphology for high‐performance ternary SMSCs by combining two cognate small molecules with similar absorption spectra but different crystallinity as an alloy donor.
Big Fish, Small Pond: The Effect of Rank at Entry on Postsecondary Outcomes
Authors: Payne A. Abigail , Smith Justin
Published: January 2020

We study whether a student's rank in her program of study in university affects short‐ and longer‐term educational outcomes. Using student‐level administrative data from four universities across many cohorts, we show that ranking higher compared to students in the same program in the same year has a positive effect on grade point average and lowers the probability of switching programs at the end of the first year, but has small effects on credit completion, departures, and degree attainment. Our results suggest that being the big fish in the small pond produces moderate advantages in higher education.
Resistance of corroded RC beams: Extending fib Model Code 2010 models
Authors: Coronelli Dario
Published: January 2020

The residual resistance of corroded reinforced concrete members depends on steel and concrete cross section loss and deterioration of material properties for steel, concrete, and bond. The paper considers these phenomena in models for resistance calculations, starting from the cross section and stress field models in Model Code 2010. The aim of this study is to develop models proposed by Coronelli et al., using a recently proposed approach by Blomfors et al. to model bond of corroded reinforcement based on the Model Code 2010 bond stress–slip relation. Flexure, shear, and anchorage resistance of corroded reinforced concrete beams are studied. The verification is carried out by comparison with tests on corroded beams with different shear span‐to‐depth ratios. The bond deterioration leads to changes in the inclination of the stress fields in B regions and anchorage failures. The reduced resistance and the changes of the failure modes caused by the deterioration phenomena are captured by the modeling approach.
Physical virology: From virus self‐assembly to particle mechanics
Authors: Buzón Pedro , Maity Sourav , Roos Wouter H.
Published: January 2020

Viruses are highly ordered supramolecular complexes that have evolved to propagate by hijacking the host cell's machinery. Although viruses are very diverse, spreading through cells of all kingdoms of life, they share common functions and properties. Next to the general interest in virology, fundamental viral mechanisms are of growing importance in other disciplines such as biomedicine and (bio)nanotechnology. However, in order to optimally make use of viruses and virus‐like particles, for instance as vehicle for targeted drug delivery or as building blocks in electronics, it is essential to understand their basic chemical and physical properties and characteristics. In this context, the number of studies addressing the mechanisms governing viral properties and processes has recently grown drastically. This review summarizes a specific part of these scientific achievements, particularly addressing physical virology approaches aimed to understand the self‐assembly of viruses and the mechanical properties of viral particles. Using a physicochemical perspective, we have focused on fundamental studies providing an overview of the molecular basis governing these key aspects of viral systems.

This article is categorized under:

Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus‐Based Structures

Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology
The electroweak effective field theory from on-shell amplitudes
Authors: Durieux Gauthier , Kitahara Teppei , Shadmi Yael , Weiss Yaniv
Published: January 2020

Abstract

We apply on-shell methods to the bottom-up construction of electroweak amplitudes, allowing for both renormalizable and non-renormalizable interactions. We use the little-group covariant massive-spinor formalism, and flesh out some of its details along the way. Thanks to the compact form of the resulting amplitudes, many of their properties, and in particular the constraints of perturbative unitarity, are easily seen in this formalism. Our approach is purely bottom-up, assuming just the standard-model electroweak spectrum as well as the conservation of electric charge and fermion number. The most general massive three-point amplitudes consistent with these symmetries are derived and studied in detail, as the primary building blocks for the construction of scattering amplitudes. We employ a simple argument, based on tree-level unitarity of four-point amplitudes, to identify the three-point amplitudes that are non-renormalizable at tree level. This bottom-up analysis remarkably reproduces many low-energy relations implied by electroweak symmetry through the standard-model Higgs mechanism and beyond it. We then discuss four-point amplitudes. The gluing of three-point amplitudes into four-point amplitudes in the massive spinor helicity formalism is clarified. As an example, we work out the ψ
c
ψ Zh amplitude, including also the non-factorizable part. The latter is an all-order expression in the effective-field-theory expansion. Further constraints on the couplings are obtained by requiring perturbative unitarity. In the ψ
c
ψ Zh example, one for instance obtains the renormalizable-level relations between vector and fermion masses and gauge and Yukawa couplings. We supplement our bottom-up derivations with a matching of three- and fourpoint amplitude coefficients onto the standard-model effective field theory (SMEFT) in the broken electroweak phase. This establishes the correspondence with the usual Lagrangian approach and paves the way for SMEFT computations in the on-shell formalism.
Application of the new at-column dilution (ACD) modulator for the two-dimensional RP×HILIC analysis of Buddleja davidii
Authors: Chen Yingzhuang , Montero Lidia , Luo Jiang , Li Junjie , Schmitz Oliver J.
Published: January 2020

The focus of this study was the analysis of the complex chemical composition from different parts of Buddleja davidii, whose species are commonly known as ornamental plants and herbal medicines in many countries. As an herbal medicine, it has been utilized for stroke treatments, headache, wound healing, neurological disorder, etc. However, the understanding of its chemical matrices is still insufficient. Therefore, an online two-dimensional reversed phase liquid chromatography x hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (RPLCxHILIC) system coupled with mass spectrometry was applied for further detailed investigation of the chemical constituents in Buddleja dividii. In this two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) method, a new at-column dilution (ACD) modulator was introduced in the 2D-LC system to solve the incompatibility problem of the mobile phase between two dimensions, which resulted in a 2D-LC analysis with high orthogonality. For the root extract, as one of the analyzed samples, the optimization of the 1D and 2D gradients was carried out carefully. With this new modulator, much better peak separation and better peak shape were achieved compared to two-dimensional liquid chromatography system using a traditional standard (TS) modulator. With a similar approach, the other four parts of Buddleja davidii were well separated. Comparing the different analyzed parts, flowers and leaves showed the most complex profiles. MS and MS/MS data were obtained successfully, which demonstrated the potential of the proposed RPLCxHILIC-MS system in the constituents’ analysis of herbal medicine. However, due to the lack of reported reference information, 24 compounds could be tentatively identified.
Comparison Between Endoscopic Vacuum Therapy and Conventional Treatment for Leakage After Rectal Resection
Authors: Kühn Florian , Janisch Florian , Schwandner Frank , Gock Michael , Wedermann Nicole , Witte Maria , Klar Ernst , Schiffmann Leif
Published: January 2020

Background

Anastomotic leakage after rectal resection represents a severe complication for the patient and requires an early and appropriate management. Endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT) has become the treatment of choice for anastomotic leakage after rectal resection in several institutions in Germany, and commercially available systems are currently distributed in approximately 30 countries worldwide. However, there is no evidence that EVT is superior to any other treatment for anastomotic leakage after rectal resection.

Methods

Twenty‐one patients treated with EVT for anastomotic leakage after rectal resection were retrospectively compared to a historical cohort of 41 patients that received conventional treatment. Primary endpoints were death, treatment success and long‐term preservation of intestinal continuity. Secondary endpoints were length of hospital stay and duration of treatment.

Results

There was no difference in mortality (p = 0.624). The intention‐to‐treat analysis showed a significantly higher success rate of EVT compared to conventional treatment (95.2% vs. 65.9%, p = 0.011). EVT was associated with preservation of intestinal continuity in a significant higher percentage of patients than patients undergoing conventional treatment (86.7% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.001). Conventional treatment tended to a shorter length of hospital stay (31.1 vs. 42.2 days, p = 0.066) but with no difference in overall duration of treatment. Time until closing of a diverting stoma did not differ between groups (10.2 months in the EVT group vs. 9.4 months in the conventional treatment group, p = 0.721).

Conclusion

According to this retrospective study, conventional therapy and EVT are both options for the treatment of anastomotic leakage after rectal resection. EVT might be more effective in terms of definite healing and preservation of intestinal continuity.
Determinism, Physical Possibility, and Laws of Nature
Authors: Gyenis Balázs
Published: January 2020

We call attention to different formulations of how physical laws relate to what is physically possible in the philosophical literature, and argue that it may be the case that determinism fails under one formulation but reigns under the other. Whether this is so depends on our view on the nature of laws, and may also depend on the inter-theoretical relationships among our best physical theories, or so shall we argue.
The Cultural Politics of ‘Implementation Science’
Authors: Boulton Richard , Sandall Jane , Sevdalis Nick
Published: January 2020

Despite the growing profile of ‘implementation science’, its status as a field of study remains ambiguous. Implementation science originates in the evidence-based movement and attempts to broaden the scope of evidence-based medicine to improve ‘clinical effectiveness’ and close the ‘implementation gap’. To achieve this agenda, implementation science draws on methodologies from the social sciences to emphasise coherence between qualitative and quantitative approaches. In so doing, we ask if this is at the expense of ignoring the dominating tendencies of the evidence-based movement and consider if some of the methodologies being drawn on should be considered irreconcilable with evidence-based methodologies.
An Upscaled Model for Permeable Biofilm in a Thin Channel and Tube
Authors: Landa-Marbán David , Bødtker Gunhild , Kumar Kundan , Pop Iuliu S. , Radu Florin A.
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we derive upscaled equations for modeling biofilm growth in porous media. The resulting macroscale mathematical models consider permeable multi-species biofilm including water flow, transport, detachment and reactions. The biofilm is composed of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), water, active bacteria and dead bacteria. The free flow is described by the Stokes and continuity equations, and the water flux inside the biofilm by the Brinkman and continuity equations. The nutrients are transported in the water phase by convection and diffusion. This pore-scale model includes variations in the biofilm composition and size due to reproduction of bacteria, production of EPS, death of bacteria and shear forces. The model includes a water–biofilm interface between the free flow and the biofilm. Homogenization techniques are applied to obtain upscaled models in a thin channel and a tube, by investigating the limit as the ratio of the aperture to the length $$\varepsilon$$ε of both geometries approaches to zero. As $$\varepsilon$$ε gets smaller, we obtain that the percentage of biofilm coverage area over time predicted by the pore-scale model approaches the one obtained using the effective equations, which shows a correspondence between both models. The two derived porosity–permeability relations are compared to two empirical relations from the literature. The resulting numerical computations are presented to compare the outcome of the effective (upscaled) models for the two mentioned geometries.
Objects and Events: an Investigation into their Identification
Authors: Baratella Riccardo
Published: January 2020

John goes out for a walk. If John endures and his walk perdures, they are different entities. However, what if both John and his walk perdure? Is John’s walk identical to his relevant temporal part? Some philosophers answer in the affirmative. Their motivations rest on ontological parsimony and the quest for clear-cut identity criteria for existing things. By contrast, one of the most widely accepted theories of events – the theory of events as property-exemplifications – allows us to formulate an argument to the effect that objects’ temporal parts are distinct from the events they participate in: theAIDargument, as I shall call it. In this paper, I argue that accepting austere nominalism is the best strategy a supporter of the identification between events and temporal parts of objects can take in order to resist theAIDargument.
Detection of Damaged Stop Lines on Public Roads by Focusing on Piece Distribution of Paired Edges
Authors: Ito Takuma , Tohriyama Kyoichi , Kamata Minoru
Published: January 2020

In this study, a system for detecting stop lines on roads with damaged paint is developed to enhance a digital map localization system. Existing methods to detect stop lines focus on features such as straight edges and adequate size; however, these methods are not suitable to be used in rural areas because the paint of stop lines on the roads is damaged sometimes. In addition, lane marks, which are focused on by other existing methods, are often not present on actual roads in rural areas. Thus, to enable the detection of stop lines in the absence of conditions necessary for using the abovementioned features, we focus on pieces of faint features of damaged stop lines. First, we extract the positive and negative edges from an inverse perspective mapped image of the camera input by using a Sobel filter. Next, we verify the pairs of positive and negative edges from the trinarized edge image by confirming the width between both edges. Subsequently, we detect the candidates of stop lines by analyzing the distribution of the line segments extracted by the Hough transformation. In addition, we combine the data of the estimated driving distance and the result of detection of the preceding vehicles with the proposed system to prevent false detections in terms of bicycle crossing lanes and preceding vehicles. The damaged stop lines are detected eventually using these processes. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we collect driving data on actual public roads. The results of offline evaluations confirm that the proposed system can detect all target stop lines without any false detections, at a reasonable speed. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the realization of intelligent vehicles on community roads.
Leaf shape influences the scaling of leaf dry mass vs. area: a test case using bamboos
Authors: Lin Shuyan , Niklas Karl J. , Wan Yawen , Hölscher Dirk , Hui Cang , Ding Yulong , Shi Peijian
Published: January 2020

Key message

A highly significant and positive scaling relationship between bamboo leaf dry mass and leaf surface area was observed; leaf shape (here, represented by the quotient of leaf width and length) had a significant influence on the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area.

Context

The scaling of leaf dry mass vs. leaf area is important for understanding how plants effectively intercept sunlight and invest carbon to do so. However, comparatively few, if any, studies have focused on whether leaf shape influences this scaling relationship.

Aims

In order to explore the effects of leaf shape on the scaling relationship between leaf dry mass and area, we examined 101 species, varieties, forms, and cultivars of bamboo growing in China and identified the relationship between the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area and leaf shape. This taxon was used because its leaf shape is conserved across species and, therefore, easily quantified.

Methods

Ten thousand and forty-five leaves from 101 bamboo species, varieties, forms, and cultivars growing in China were collected, and leaf dry mass, the quotient of leaf width and length, leaf area, and leaf dry mass per unit area were measured. The effect of leaf shape that can be easily quantified using the quotient of leaf width and length on the relevant and ecologically important scaling exponents was explored using this data base.

Results

Leaf dry mass and area differed significantly across bamboo genera, and even within the same genus. However, a statistically robust log-log linear and positive scaling relationship was observed for mass and area with a 1.115 scaling exponent (95% CI = 1.107, 1.122; r2 = 0.907). Leaf shape had a significant influence on the numerical values of the scaling exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area. When the median of the quotient of leaf width and length was below 0.125, the numerical value of the scaling exponent increased with increasing quotient of leaf width and length. When the median of the quotient of leaf width and length was above 0.125, the scaling exponent numerically decreased toward 1.0.

Conclusion

We show, for the first time, that a significant relationship exists between leaf shape and the numerical values of scaling exponents governing the scaling of leaf dry mass with respect to leaf area. In addition, we show that with the quotient of leaf width and length increasing mean LMA increases, which implies a negative correlation between mean LMA and the estimated exponent of leaf dry mass vs. area for the grouped data based on the sorted quotients of leaf width and length.
Suppression of magnetism and Seebeck effect in Na0.875CoO2 induced by SbCo dopants
Authors: Assadi M. H. N. , Mele Paolo , Fronzi Marco
Published: January 2020

We examined the electronic property of Sb-doped Na0.785CoO2using density functional calculations based on GGA+Uformalism. We demonstrated that Sb dopants were the most stable when replacing Co ions within the complex Na0.875CoO2lattice structure. We also showed that the SbCodopants adopted the + 5 oxidation state introducing two electrons into the host Na0.875CoO2compound. The newly introduced electrons recombined with holes that were borne on Co4+sites that had been created by sodium vacancies. The elimination of Co4+species, in turn, rendered Na0.875(Co0.9375Sb0.0625)O2non-magnetic and diminished the compound’s thermoelectric effect. Furthermore, the SbCodopants tended to aggregate with the Na vacancies keeping a minimum distance. The conclusions drawn here can be generalised to other highly oxidised dopants in NaxCoO2that replace a Co.
State of the Art in Alcohol Sensing with 2D Materials
Authors: Boroujerdi Ramin , Abdelkader Amor , Paul Richard
Published: January 2020

Since the discovery of graphene, the star among new materials, there has been a surge of attention focused on the monatomic and monomolecular sheets which can be obtained by exfoliation of layered compounds. Such materials are known as two-dimensional (2D) materials and offer enormous versatility and potential. The ultimate single atom, or molecule, thickness of the 2D materials sheets provides the highest surface to weight ratio of all the nanomaterials, which opens the door to the design of more sensitive and reliable chemical sensors. The variety of properties and the possibility of tuning the chemical and surface properties of the 2D materials increase their potential as selective sensors, targeting chemical species that were previously difficult to detect. The planar structure and the mechanical flexibility of the sheets allow new sensor designs and put 2D materials at the forefront of all the candidates for wearable applications. When developing sensors for alcohol, the response time is an essential factor for many industrial and forensic applications, particularly when it comes to hand-held devices. Here, we review recent developments in the applications of 2D materials in sensing alcohols along with a study on parameters that affect the sensing capabilities. The review also discusses the strategies used to develop the sensor along with their mechanisms of sensing and provides a critique of the current limitations of 2D materials-based alcohol sensors and an outlook for the future research required to overcome the challenges.
What composes desirable formal at-home elder care? An analysis for multiple service combinations
Authors: Sugawara Shinya
Published: January 2020

I estimate the relationship between combinations of multiple services for formal at-home elder care and health status. As a reasonable substitute for expensive institutional care, at-home formal elderly care is gaining popularity in developed countries. Because at-home care is composed of many small and complementary services, the relationship between multiple service combinations and health status requires analysis. However, the high dimensionality of these combinations makes estimation difficult. This study employs a regression analysis using care service combinations as cross-dummy explanatory variables. To reduce the combination dimensions, I select the combinations that are purchased jointly by a sufficient number of the elderly using basket analysis. I apply this method to claims data for Japanese long-term care, for which the social insurance program has resulted in the emergence of a market that offers many care services for the elderly. The empirical results show that only 200 combinations of 14 at-home care services are used by more than 0.03% of the insured in Japan. Of these combinations, rehabilitation services have a considerable positive correlation with the health status of the elderly. However, their use is limited owing to regional disparities in the location of such services.
It's time to rethink DDoS protection
Authors: Reynolds Roy
Published: January 2020

When you think of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, chances are you conjure up an image of an overwhelming flood of traffic that incapacitates a network. This kind of cyber attack is all about overt, brute force used to take a target down. Some hackers are a little smarter, using DDoS as a distraction while they simultaneously attempt a more targeted strike, as was the case with a Carphone Warehouse hack in 2015. 1 But in general, DDoS isn't subtle.

Retailers are having to rethink how they approach distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection following the rise of a stealthier incarnation of the threat.

There has been a significant increase in small-scale DDoS attacks and a corresponding reduction in conventional large-scale events. The hacker’s aim is to remain below the conventional ‘detect and alert’ threshold that could trigger a DDoS mitigation strategy. Roy Reynolds of Vodat International explains the nature of the threat and the steps organisations can take to protect themselves.
Targeted cyber attacks: how to mitigate the increasing risk
Authors: Bunker Guy
Published: January 2020

In the past year, it has felt as if cyber security breaches have rarely been out of the press, with more and more reports of organisations and individuals becoming victims of targeted attacks. Sainsbury's, Uber and Argos are just three examples of companies out of more than 100 who fell victim to this summer's Capital One breach. 1 This high-profile hack has led to a potential fine of $500m for the financial giant and the hacker in question has been charged with five years’ imprisonment and over £200,000 in fines.
Age differences in false memories for visual scenes and the effect of prior recall
Authors: Dang Xixi , Zhu Bi , Chen Chuansheng , Li Xin
Published: January 2020

This study investigated age differences in false memory for visual scenes and the effect of immediate recall on subsequent recognition. Eighty children (7–9 years), 74 adolescents (14–16 years), 92 young adults (19–26 years) and 82 older adults (50–80 years) studied four visual scenes and then took a recognition test after either a free-recall task or a filler task. Results showed an age-related decline in false recognition for visual scenes, but this trend was eliminated when participants were asked to free-recall before recognition. Prior recall decreased false recognition in children, but increased false recognition in older adults. Across the lifespan, adolescents had the loosest criterion, children had the lowest false recall, and prior recall increased true recognition in older adults.
Baseline diet modifies the effects of dietary change
Authors: Pickering R. T. , Bradlee M. L. , Singer M. R. , Moore L. L.
Published: January 2020

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) in previous clinical trials. In the PREMIER study, an established behavioural intervention, with or without DASH, promoted greater weight loss than an advice-only control group, but effects of the DASH intervention on BP were weaker. In these analyses, PREMIER data were used to evaluate whether change in dairy product or fruit and vegetable (FV) intake during the first six intervention months impacted changes in weight and/or BP. Study participants were classified as having low or high intakes of dairy products (<1·5 v. ≥1·5 servings/d) and FV (<5 v. ≥5 servings/d) at baseline and 6 months. For dairy products, in particular, participants with higher baseline intakes tended to decrease their intakes during the intervention. In these analyses, subjects consuming <1·5 dairy servings/d at baseline whose intake increased during the intervention lost more weight than those whose intake decreased or remained low throughout (10·6 v. 7·0 pounds (4·8 v. 3·2 kg) lost, respectively, P = 0·002). The same was true for FV intake (11·0 v. 5·9 pounds (5·0 v. 2·7 kg) lost, P < 0·001). We also found synergistic effects of dairy products and FV on weight loss and BP reduction. Specifically, subjects who increased their intakes of dairy products and also consumed ≥5 servings of FV/d lost more weight and had greater reductions in BP than other groups; in addition, higher FV intakes had the greatest benefit to BP among those consuming more dairy products. These results provide evidence that the DASH pattern was most beneficial to individuals whose baseline diet was less consistent with DASH.
Dietary taurine stimulates the hepatic biosynthesis of both bile acids and cholesterol in the marine teleost, tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes)
Authors: Xu Houguo , Zhang Qinggong , Kim Shin-Kwon , Liao Zhangbin , Wei Yuliang , Sun Bo , Jia Linlin , Chi Shuyan , Liang Mengqing
Published: January 2020

Taurine (TAU) plays important roles in the metabolism of bile acids, cholesterol and lipids. However, little relevant information has been available in fish where TAU has been identified as a conditionally essential nutrient. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary TAU on the metabolism of bile acids, cholesterol and lipids in tiger puffer, which is both an important aquaculture species and a good research model, having a unique lipid storage pattern. An 8-week feeding trial was conducted in a flow-through seawater system. Three experimental diets differed only in TAU level, that is, 1·7, 8·2 and 14·0 mg/kg. TAU supplementation increased the total bile acid content in liver but decreased the content in serum. TAU supplementation also increased the contents of total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in both liver and serum. The hepatic bile acid profile mainly includes taurocholic acid (94·48 %), taurochenodeoxycholic acid (4·17 %) and taurodeoxycholic acid (1·35 %), and the contents of all these conjugated bile acids were increased by dietary TAU. The hepatic lipidomics analysis showed that TAU tended to decrease the abundance of individual phospholipids and increase those of some individual TAG and ceramides. The hepatic mRNA expression study showed that TAU stimulated the biosynthesis of both bile acids and cholesterol, possibly via regulation of farnesoid X receptor and HDL metabolism. TAU also stimulated the hepatic expression of lipogenic genes. In conclusion, dietary TAU stimulated the hepatic biosynthesis of both bile acids and cholesterol and tended to regulate lipid metabolism in multiple ways.
The Ulli Beier Archives at the Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU), Nigeria, and a Summary of Holdings
Authors: Oluwafunminiyi RAHEEM
Published: January 2020

The Centre for Black Culture and International Understanding (CBCIU) was established on 7 January 2009. Located behind the Osun State Secretariat, southwest Nigeria, the CBCIU prides itself on being the inheritor of the archival estate of Ulli Beier, the late German connoisseur and African culture enthusiast. Housed in its Archive and Documentation Room/Unit, this repository contains very rich archival materials that include over 700 photographs with carefully preserved negatives and slides all dating back to the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, and thousands of works of literature published between 1921 and the 2000s on virtually all aspects of Yoruba art, culture, philosophy and intellectual history. Based on fieldwork conducted at the CBCIU in 2018 and 2019, this study embarks on three mutually-connected transactions. First, it examines Ulli Beier's ‘cultural border-crossings’ into Yorubaland, particularly in Osogbo, southwest Nigeria, where his diverse cultural interactions facilitated the revival of a diminishing culture. Second, the study discusses the genesis of the CBCIU dating back to Ulli Beier's emergence in Nigeria in 1950. Third, it analyses what it means for the CBCIU to inherit an invaluable material legacy. This is done by giving an account of the inventories and a summary of the holdings in the Archives. While the Archive forms the very nucleus of what the CBCIU stands for, I argue that this agency serves as a worthy inheritor of a material legacy that continually seeks cultural relevance and perpetuity.
Unusual Lessons Learned from the SL9 Radio Observations and their Potential Consequences to Earth's Radiation Belts
Authors: de Pater Imke , Brecht Stephen H.
Published: January 2020

Motivated by the editor's request to write a Radio Science paper as part of the AGU Grand Challenge series, we decided to use our work on radio observations of the 1994 impact of comet D/Shoemaker‐Levy 9 (SL9) on Jupiter. Our intention is to relate this work to potential consequences for Earth. The scenario being considered is an asteroid on a direct impact path to Earth, and the consequences of shattering it into pieces small enough to not hit Earth's surface. Such fragments would explode in the atmosphere, and because there are numerous such explosions, the ionosphere and trapped radiation (van Allen) belts might be significantly modified, as occurred with SL9.
Mechanisms of Long‐Term Variability and Recent Trend of Salinity Along 137°E
Authors: Ogata Tomomichi , Nonaka Masami
Published: January 2020

To investigate the mechanisms for observed features along 137°E, such as freshening trends since the 1990s and decadal variability, the spatial pattern of salinity anomalies at σθ = 25.4 kg m−3 isopycnal surfaces and their variability were investigated based on ocean general circulation model (OGCM) outputs. While sea surface salinity (SSS) is restored to its climatology in the OGCM, the model captures recent salinity trends and meridionally coherent interannual to decadal variability at 137°E. The trend signal seems to be traced back over the eastern North Pacific (around 30°N, 160°W). Despite the limited SSS variability, the meridional shift of the outcrop line caused by sea surface temperature variation is found to determine the decadal spiciness variability subducting on the isopycnal surface at σθ = 25.4 kg m−3, that is, warm‐saltier anomalies with a southward shift and cold‐fresh anomalies with a northward shift as colder‐fresher water distributes to the north at the sea surface. Furthermore, we conducted tracer experiments with/without mesoscale eddies to examine possible roles of mesoscale eddies in the propagation of spiciness anomalies. Tracers diffuse across the mean stream line by mesoscale eddies and spread from 10°N to 25°N. However, in the tracer experiment with steady mean flow (i.e., without mesoscale eddies), the center of the tracer propagates along the mean stream line and does not diffuse across the mean stream line. This suggests that mesoscale eddies are important for the synchronized salinity trend and variability found from 10°N to 30°N.
Trends in Physical Properties at the Southern New England Shelf Break
Authors: Harden B. E. , Gawarkiewicz G. G. , Infante M.
Published: January 2020

We analyze 11 years (2003–2013) of repeat temperature and salinity sections from across the New England shelf break south of Cape Cod during early summer (June–July). The mean sections resolved the shelf break front which supports the Shelf Break Jet, a vital component of the regional circulation. Individual sections showed a great deal of variability associated with meanders in the shelf break front consistent with previous studies in the region. Over the 11 year record, the shelf region (inshore of the 100 m isobath) warmed by 0.26 °C yr
, with the majority of this warming occurring shallower than 20 m (0.58 °C yr
). The full‐depth trend agrees well with previous studies of shelf warming to the north and the south of our study region. The temperature and salinity of the offshore edge of the Cold Pool Water on the shelf did not change significantly during this period. The surface warming on the shelf resulted in a decrease in near‐surface density of 0.12 kg m
 yr
and an increase in stratification between 10 and 15 m of
 s
 yr
. Offshore of the shelf break, the Slope Water also warmed and became more saline by 0.21 °C yr
and 0.04 yr
respectively, resulting in a maximal reduction in density of 0.01 kg m
 yr
. In the Shelf Break Front, there is some evidence of freshening and a reduction in density, which may have resulted from an offshore shift in the Cold Pool but the statistical significance is small.
Wet and Dry Nitrogen Depositions in the Pearl River Delta, South China: Observations at Three Typical Sites With an Emphasis on Water‐Soluble Organic Nitrogen
Authors: Yu Xu , Pan Yuepeng , Song Wei , Li Sheng , Li Dan , Zhu Ming , Zhou Huaishan , Zhang Yanli , Li Dejun , Yu Jianzhen , Wang Xuemei , Wang Xinming
Published: January 2020

Inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition in China is among the highest in the world, yet organic N deposition in the country has not been well constrained. In this study, wet and dry depositions of both organic and inorganic N were observed for 2 years at three contrasting sites (urban‐rural‐forest) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, South China. Determined annual total dissolved N (TDN) deposition rates were 39.8, 33.8, and 52.0 kg N ha−1 year−1 at the urban, rural, and forest sites, respectively. The contributions of NO3−‐N, NH4+‐N, and water‐soluble organic N (WSON) to total N deposition were 26.7–37.8%, 34.6–40.9%, and 26.1‐32.3%, respectively. Wet N deposition accounted for about 54–68% in total N deposition at the sites. It is worth noting that the deposition rates of WSON in the PRD were among the highest in developed regions in the world. In wet depositions, the concentrations and proportions of WSON were significantly higher during the harvest seasons, especially at the non‐urban sites, mainly due to enhanced biomass burning in the period. In dry deposition, the seasonal pattern of WSON was inconsistent with that of NO3−‐N or NH4+‐N. Biological/soil organic N might be the important sources of WSON in dry deposition. Our results suggest that WSON contributed significantly to atmospheric N deposition in the PRD and more attentions should be paid to the WSON to get a true picture of N depositions and its impacts on the ecosystem.
Carbon System Simulation in the Pearl River Estuary, China: Mass Fluxes and Transformations
Authors: Liang B. , Hu J. T. , Li S. Y. , Ye Y. X. , Liu D. H. , Huang J.
Published: January 2020

A carbon cycle model is built to describe the behavior of carbon materials in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), China. The distributions and transformations of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and particulate organic carbon (POC) are simulated in the water column and sediment for the year 2006. The terrestrial carbon input is the dominant factor that determines the seasonal variation of carbon, while physical and biochemical processes contribute to the spatial‐temporal circulation of carbon. The simulation results reveal that the PRE acts as a net source for atmospheric CO2 throughout the year, and it buffers the export of DIC from the river and sediment to the adjacent system via the DIC consumption by primary production. As a consequence of biochemical processes, the PRE exports more organic carbon to the sediment and adjacent marine ecosystems than the amount that it receives from upstream river reaches. POC burial in sediment and refractory DOC export to the adjacent marine ecosystems are the main carbon fixation pathways in the PRE. The total amount of carbon fixation in PRE is estimated 6.92 × 1010 mol C year−1. Carbon fixation analysis shows that (1) 20.4% of the POC deposited into sediment is fixed through burial, while the remaining continues to participate in the circulation of carbon materials, and (2) the combined effects of river discharge and monsoon dominate the amount and direction of refractory DOC exports.
Late Eocene–Oligocene High Relief Paleotopography in the North Central Tibetan Plateau: Insights From Detrital Zircon U–Pb Geochronology and Leaf Wax Hydrogen Isotope Studies
Authors: Lin Jie , Dai Jin‐Gen , Zhuang Guangsheng , Jia Guodong , Zhang Laiming , Ning Zijie , Li Yalin , Wang Chengshan
Published: January 2020

The knowledge of provenance and paleoelevation of late Cretaceous‐Cenozoic terrestrial basins is crucial in discriminating different topography growth models for Tibetan Plateau. The Hoh Xil Basin is located in the north central Tibetan Plateau, and its thick sediments provide an excellent record for investigating the growth history of Tibetan Plateau. Here we present an integrated study by applying detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and leaf wax n‐alkane hydrogen isotope analysis to the Yaxicuo Group in the Tuotuohe subbasin of the southern Hoh Xil Basin. Maximum depositional age from the youngest detrital zircon U–Pb ages, along with previous palynological data, indicates that the Yaxicuo Group was deposited during late Eocene–Oligocene. Provenance analysis shows that the Yaxicuo Group was mainly sourced from the northern Qiangtang and Songpan‐Ganzi terranes. Detrital zircon age spectra of the Yaxicuo Group samples show 33–50 Ma age group in the Tuotuohe subbasin, which is distinctive from those in the Erdaogou subbasin to the north, suggestive of formation of watershed within the Hoh Xil Basin and the tectonic transition from foreland to hinterland basin. The most negative leaf wax hydrogen isotope value yields an estimate of paleoelevation of ~4 km, which records the high elevation of the source regions in the northern Qiangtang. We argue that sedimentary record of the Yaxicuo Group with the interpreted transition from foreland to hinterland basin is the result of the northward propagation of the upper crustal shortening, which in combination with other deep processes caused the surface uplift of the Hoh Xil Basin.
Integrating Physical and Financial Approaches to Manage Environmental Financial Risk on the Great Lakes
Authors: Meyer Eliot S. , Foster Benjamin T. , Characklis Gregory W. , Brown Casey , Yates Andrew J.
Published: January 2020

Physical and financial approaches each provide different benefits for managing environmental financial risks. Index insurance contracts, a financial approach, have been proposed for managing numerous environmental financial risks. A method for testing when and how physical (dredging) and financial risk management strategies (index insurance) could be deployed in tandem to maximize improvements in utility for commercial shippers on the Great Lakes is developed using principles from the benefit‐cost analysis and expected utility theory. Using a utility function with a decreasing marginal utility of income explicitly models the risk aversion of commercial shippers. The probabilistic nature of future revenue and costs is modeled and combined with the utility function to determine a Net Option Value. This value represents the maximum amount commercial shippers would pay more than the cost for reduced variability in net revenues. Results indicate that while the Net Option Value for dredging exceeds the potential benefits of using insurance contracts alone, the combination of dredging and insurance can improve overall utility with less cost than dredging alone. The strong autocorrelation in lake levels over long periods reduces the value of index insurance, such that the results show a potential lower bound of the value of combining physical and financial approaches in highly variable systems.
Haplotyping the Vitis collinear core genome with rhAmpSeq improves marker transferability in a diverse genus
Authors: Zou Cheng , Karn Avinash , Reisch Bruce , Nguyen Allen , Sun Yongming , Bao Yun , Campbell Michael S. , Church Deanna , Williams Stephen , Xu Xia , Ledbetter Craig A. , Patel Sagar , Fennell Anne , Glaubitz Jeffrey C. , Clark Matthew , Ware Doreen , Londo Jason P. , Sun Qi , Cadle-Davidson Lance
Published: January 2020

Transferable DNA markers are essential for breeding and genetics. Grapevine (Vitis) breeders utilize disease resistance alleles from congeneric species ~20 million years divergent, but existing Vitis marker platforms have cross-species transfer rates as low as 2%. Here, we apply a marker strategy targeting the inferred Vitis core genome. Incorporating seven linked-read de novo assemblies and three existing assemblies, the Vitis collinear core genome is estimated to converge at 39.8 Mb (8.67% of the genome). Adding shotgun genome sequences from 40 accessions enables identification of conserved core PCR primer binding sites flanking polymorphic haplotypes with high information content. From these target regions, we develop 2,000 rhAmpSeq markers as a PCR multiplex and validate the panel in four biparental populations spanning the diversity of the Vitis genus, showing transferability increases to 91.9%. This marker development strategy should be widely applicable for genetic studies in many taxa, particularly those ~20 million years divergent.
Functionalization of remote C(sp3)-H bonds enabled by copper-catalyzed coupling of O-acyloximes with terminal alkynes
Authors: Li Zhaodong , Torres-Ochoa Rubén O. , Wang Qian , Zhu Jieping
Published: January 2020

Transition metal catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling of terminal alkynes with aryl(vinyl) (pseudo)halides has been successfully extended to alkyl halides for the synthesis of functionalized internal alkynes. The direct alkynylation of remote unfunctionalized sp3 carbon by terminal alkynes remains difficult to realize. We report herein an approach to this synthetic challenge by developing two catalytic remote sp3 carbon alkynylation protocols. In the presence of a catalytic amount of Cu(I) salt and a tridentate ligand (tBu3-terpyridine), O-acyloximes derived from cycloalkanones and acyclic ketones are efficiently coupled with terminal alkynes to afford a variety of γ- and δ-alkynyl nitriles and γ-alkynyl ketones, respectively. These reactions proceed through a domino sequence involving copper-catalyzed reductive generation of iminyl radical followed by radical translocation via either β-scission or 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT) and copper-catalyzed alkynylation of the resulting translocated carbon radicals. The protocols are applicable to complex natural products.
Author Correction: Signatures of Mottness and Hundness in archetypal correlated metals
Authors: Deng Xiaoyu , Stadler Katharina M. , Haule Kristjan , Weichselbaum Andreas , von Delft Jan , Kotliar Gabriel
Published: January 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
A chromosome-level reference genome of the hornbeam, Carpinus fangiana
Authors: Yang Xiaoyue , Wang Zefu , Zhang Lei , Hao Guoqian , Liu Jianquan , Yang Yongzhi
Published: January 2020

Betulaceae, the birch family, comprises six living genera and over 160 species, many of which are economically valuable. To deepen our knowledge of Betulaceae species, we have sequenced the genome of a hornbeam, Carpinus fangiana, which belongs to the most species-rich genus of the Betulaceae subfamily Coryloideae. Based on over 75 Gb (~200x) of high-quality next-generation sequencing data, we assembled a 386.19 Mb C. fangiana genome with contig N50 and scaffold N50 sizes of 35.32 kb and 1.91 Mb, respectively. Furthermore, 357.84 Mb of the genome was anchored to eight chromosomes using over 50 Gb (~130x) Hi-C sequencing data. Transcriptomes representing six tissues were sequenced to facilitate gene annotation, and over 5.50 Gb high-quality data were generated for each tissue. The structural annotation identified a total of 27,381 protein-coding genes in the assembled genome, of which 94.36% were functionally annotated. Additionally, 4,440 non-coding genes were predicted.