bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community invasion resistance is influenced by interactions between plant traits and site productivity
Authors: Tortorelli Claire M. , Kerns Becky K. , Krawchuk Meg A.
Published: March 2022

Plant communities are predicted to be more resistant to invasion if they are highly productive, harbor species with similar functional traits to invaders, or support species with high competitive potential. However, the strength of competition may decrease with increasing abiotic stress if species more heavily invest in traits that confer stress tolerance over competitive ability, potentially influencing community trait–resistance relationships. Recent research examining how community traits influence invasion resistance has been predominantly focused on single vegetation types, and results between studies are often conflicting. Few studies have evaluated the extent to which abiotic factors and community traits interact to influence invasion along vegetation gradients. Here, we use an in situ seed addition experiment to examine how above‐ and below‐ground plant traits and vegetation type interact to influence community resistance to invasion by a recently introduced annual grass,Ventenata dubia, along a productivity gradient in eastern Oregon, USA. To measure invasion resistance, we evaluatedV. dubiabiomass in seeded subplots with varying trait compositions across three vegetation types situated along a productivity gradient: scab‐flats (sparsely vegetated dwarf‐shrublands), low sage‐steppe, and ephemeral wet meadows. Trait–resistance relationships were highly context dependent. In wet meadows (the most productive sites), resistance to invasion increased with increasing resident biomass and as community weighted mean trait values for specific leaf area, fine‐to‐total root volume, and height become more similar toV. dubia's trait values, although these relationships were relatively weak. We did not find evidence that neighboring species influenced invasion resistance in less productive vegetation types, in contrast to our expectations that facilitative interactions may increase with decreasing productivity as posited by the stress‐gradient hypothesis. UnlikeV. dubia, which heavily invaded all three vegetation types, introduced species with similar trait values, includingBromus tectorum, were not abundant throughout the study area demonstratingV. dubia's unique ability to take advantage of available resources. Our results illustrate how community traits and site productivity interact to influence community resistance to invasion and highlight that communities with lower overall biomass and few functionally similar species toV. dubiamay be at the greatest risk for invasion.
A case report of human infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in Israel
Authors: Grupel Daniel , Lustig Yaniv , Brosh‐Nissimov Tal
Published: March 2022

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is an often‐overlooked cause for viral meningitis but can have severe consequences in certain clinical situations. We present the first documented infection by LCMV in Israel. The epidemiology of LCMV is evolving with a potential for a worldwide endemicity due to the widespread presence of the natural host. Increased awareness and testing are required to identify this virus and screening of certain populations (e.g., organ donors) should be considered.
Evaluations of the sixth phase of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project model performance on precipitation over Southeast Asia based on the moisture budget
Authors: Liu Senfeng , Raghavan Srivatsan V. , Nguyen Ngoc Son , Ona Bhenjamin Jordan
Published: March 2022

This study evaluated the performance of the climatological precipitation over Southeast Asia using an ensemble of 48 global climate models/earth system models from the sixth phase of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) suite of experiments. Multi‐source observational data sets were used to evaluate the historical simulation data of the CMIP6 ensembles towards the semi‐year mean of precipitation during November–April (NDJFMA) and May–October (MJJASO). The results indicate that the CMIP6 models were able to reproduce the large‐scale monsoonal features. Precipitation is overestimated over most eastern ocean areas in NDJFMA and over most areas in MJJASO. In terms of the ensemble bias and inter‐model uncertainty, the diagnosis of moisture budget indicates the dominant item is the dynamic convergence and the other important items have dynamic advection and evaporation. The main types of pattern bias were examined through the inter‐model empirical orthogonal function analysis, which is correlated with the global sea surface temperature and moisture flux. The climatological evaluation yielded a higher pattern correlation and a lower root‐mean square error in NDJFMA than MJJASO. Most of the models have greater standard deviations among the spatial grids than observations, especially in NDJFMA. The models with higher resolutions showed a better performance than those with lower resolutions. A model performance index is defined for the convenient comparison, the best three models are CNRM‐CM6‐1, EC‐Earth3‐Veg and NorESM2‐MM, and the worst three are INM‐CM4‐8, AWI‐ESM‐1‐1‐LR and MCM‐UA‐1‐0. This evaluation study provided useful analytics in understanding model behaviour and processes related to rainfall mechanisms which could be further examined in high‐resolution downscaling experiments in future studies.
Bounding 2d functions by products of 1d functions
Authors: Dorais François , Hathaway Dan
Published: March 2022

Given sets and a regular cardinal μ, let be the statement that for any function , there are functions and such that for all , . In , the statement is false. However, we show the theory (which is implied by + “” + “ω1 is measurable”) implies that for every there is a such that in some inner model, κ is measurable with Mitchell order .
Gene interaction analysis of psoriasis in Chinese Han population
Authors: Xu Qiongqiong , Zheng Xiaodong , Mao Yiwen , Chen Weiwei , Chen Shirui , Zhang Hui , Zhen Qi , Li Bao , Yong Liang , Ge Huiyao , Yu Yafen , Zhang Ruixue , Cao Lu , Cheng Hui , Wang Wenjun , Sun Liangdan
Published: March 2022

Background/aims

Psoriasis is a chronic immune‐mediated inflammatory skin disease characterized by excessive proliferation of keratinocytes. It has a strong genetic predisposition; gene‐gene interactions are important genetic models for common diseases. In this study, we explore pair‐wise interactions among SNPs contributing to psoriasis susceptibility.

Methods

We first performed gene interactions with exome‐sequencing, next, we analyzed gene interactions combining the exome sequencing data with the targeted sequencing data. After we sequenced HLA region, we analyzed gene interactions including HLA regions and non‐HLA regions.

Results

We found interactions between HLA regions were significant. We observed significant interactions between HLA‐C*06:02 and rs118179173 (snp31443520; p = 8.21 × 10−20, OR = 0.22) and between HLA‐C*06:02 and HLA‐B:AA67 (p = 1.22 × 10−12, OR = 0.45).

Conclusion

This study provides evidence that HLA is the most important susceptibility region on the risk of psoriasis and interactions that occur in this region are still significant.
Global solvability and asymptotic behavior in a two‐species chemotaxis system with two chemicals
Authors: Yang Hongying , Tu Xinyu , Yang Li
Published: March 2022

This paper deals with a two‐species chemotaxis system with Lotka–Volterra competitive kineticsunder homogeneous Neumann boundary condition in a smooth domain , where the parameters , and are positive constants for . Under appropriate regularity assumptions on the initial data, we obtain that the system possesses a globally bounded weak solution. Furthermore, we establish the asymptotic stabilization of this weak solution by constructing suitable energy functions in both coexistence and extinction cases.
Finding quality in quantitative methods: The case of food forestry in the Netherlands
Authors: Roodhof Anna M. , Veen Esther J.
Published: March 2022

In current nature valuation efforts, sociocultural values are often overlooked. Calls for the importance of including these values often advise to use a mixed‐method approach; however, restrictions concerning budget and time often prevent researchers from doing so. In this study we offer a compromise—a questionnaire that aims to capture sociocultural values of nature as closely as possible. It was created as part of the Dutch National Monitoring Programme Food Forests (Nationaal Monitoringsprogramma Voedselbossen [NMVB]), hence pertaining to food forestry (FF) in the Netherlands. We used three strategies. First, we reviewed literature on nature valuation frameworks to establish the constructs for the questionnaire, finding that the survey needs to be sensitive to a plurality of worldviews. Second, we consulted survey methodology to accommodate for this plurality and to minimize nonresponse and measurement error. Third, we tested the questionnaire extensively. Our final questionnaire combines closed‐ and open‐ended questions to examine sociocultural values from different angles to allow participants to elaborate on previously given answers in their own words and to captivate participants, prompting continued attentiveness. We believe that the questionnaire‐creation process can be inspiring to other researchers. Moreover, we call upon them to use our questionnaire and to continuously evaluate and revise it in the process.
Seismic vulnerability assessment of minor Italian urban centres: development of urban fragility curves
Authors: Sandoli A. , Calderoni B. , Lignola G. P. , Prota A.
Published: March 2022

This paper presents a novel hybrid-based methodology devoted to develop urban fragility curves and damage probability matrices to predict likelihood seismic damage scenarios for small and medium Italian urban centres, considering URM buildings only. The concept of urban fragility curve consists of a single curve mean-representative of the seismic fragility of an entire area accounting for the combinations of building classes and their percentage, then they differ from those typological. The methodology has been developed with reference to Rocca di Mezzo, a small Italian urban centre located in the central Apennine area, Italy. Based on CarTiS inventory, building classes have been firstly recognized and urban fragility curves, representative for damage scenarios at Ultimate Limit State, developed. To predict damage scenarios from low to high-intensity earthquakes, an approach to define multi-damage urban fragility curves and damage probability matrices has been also presented. To this aim, a damage scale suffered by building classes has been defined by converting the final outcomes of the AeDES form (used in Italy for post-earthquake surveys) in the damage levels provided by the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS98). Data coming from urban fragility curves have been compared with the actual damage scenario recorded in Rocca di Mezzo after the 2009 L’Aquila’s earthquake, in terms of both peak-ground acceleration and Mecalli-Cancani-Sieberg scale. The achieved results showed a good accordance between theoretical predictions and actual damage scenarios, coherent also with the damage scenarios occurred in other Italian historical centres hit by severe earthquakes over the years. Thus, the methodology can provide a first important indicator to support the development of emergently plans devoted to identify priority of interventions in such areas particularly vulnerable with respect to others.
Mutational spectrum of breast cancer susceptibility genes among women ascertained in a cancer risk clinic in Northeast Brazil
Authors: Felix Gabriela E. S. , Guindalini Rodrigo Santa Cruz , Zheng Yonglan , Walsh Tom , Sveen Elisabeth , Lopes Taisa Manuela Machado , Côrtes Juliana , Zhang Jing , Carôzo Polyanna , Santos Irlânia , Bonfim Thaís Ferreira , Garicochea Bernardo , Toralles Maria Betânia Pereira , Meyer Roberto , Netto Eduardo Martins , Abe-Sandes Kiyoko , King Mary-Claire , de Oliveira Nascimento Ivana Lucia , Olopade Olufunmilayo I.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

There is a paucity of data on the spectrum and prevalence of pathogenic variants among women of African ancestry in the Northeast region of Brazil.

Methods

We performed BROCA panel sequencing to identify inherited loss-of-function variants in breast cancer susceptibility genes among 292 Brazilian women referred to a single institution cancer risk assessment program.

Results

The study included a convenient cohort of 173 women with invasive breast cancer (cases) and 119 women who were cancer-free at the time of ascertainment. The majority of the women self-reported as African-descended (67% for cases and 90.8% for unaffected volunteers). Thirty-seven pathogenic variants were found in 36 (20.8%) patients. While the spectrum of pathogenic variants was heterogeneous, the majority (70.3%) of the pathogenic variants were detected in high-risk genes BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, and TP53. Pathogenic variants were also found in the ATM, BARD1, BRIP1, FAM175A, FANCM, NBN, and SLX4 genes in 6.4% of the affected women. Four recurrent pathogenic variants were detected in 11 patients of African ancestry. Only one unaffected woman had a pathogenic variant in the RAD51C gene. Different risk assessment models examined performed well in predicting risk of carrying germline loss-of-function variants in BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 in breast cancer cases.

Conclusion

The high prevalence and heterogenous spectrum of pathogenic variants identified among self-reported African descendants in Northeast Brazil is consistent with studies in other African ancestry populations with a high burden of aggressive young onset breast cancer. It underscores the need to integrate comprehensive cancer risk assessment and genomic testing in the management of newly diagnosed Black women with breast cancer across the African Diaspora, enabling improved cancer control in admixed underserved and understudied populations.
Identifying gender disparities in research performance: the importance of comparing apples with apples
Authors: Nygaard Lynn P. , Aksnes Dag W. , Piro Fredrik Niclas
Published: March 2022

Many studies on research productivity and performance suggest that men consistently outperform women. However, women and men are spread unevenly throughout the academy both horizontally (e.g., by scientific field) and vertically (e.g., by academic position), suggesting that aggregate numbers (comparing all men with all women) may reflect the different publication practices in different corners of the academy rather than gender per se. We use Norwegian bibliometric data to examine how the “what” (which publication practices are measured) and the “who” (how the population sample is disaggregated) matter in assessing apparent gender differences among academics in Norway. We investigate four clusters of indicators related to publication volume, publication type, authorship, and impact or quality (12 indicators in total) and explore how disaggregating the population by scientific field, institutional affiliation, academic position, and age changes the gender gaps that appear at the aggregate level. For most (but not all) indicators, we find that gender differences disappear or are strongly reduced after disaggregation. This suggests a composition effect, whereby apparent gender differences in productivity can to a considerable degree be ascribed to the composition of the group examined and the different publication practices common to specific groups. We argue that aggregate figures can exaggerate some gender disparities while obscuring others. Our study illustrates the situated nature of research productivity and the importance of comparing men and women within similar academic positions or scientific fields—of comparing apples with apples—when using bibliometric indicators to identify gender disparities in research productivity.
Who cares if we’re not fully real? Comments on Kris McDaniel’s The Fragmentation of Being
Authors: Eklund Matti
Published: March 2022

In part ofThe Fragmentation of Being, Kris McDaniel discusses the possibility that we—persons—are not fully real, and the normative upshot of this. The broader metaphysical context is a view on which different things have different degrees of being and what is discussed is the possibility that persons do not have the maximal degree of being. McDaniel thinks that this has a problematic normative upshot: we would not matter. I do not agree. Here I go through some reasons for thinking that the possible metaphysical view discussed does not have the normative upshot that McDaniel thinks it has.
Relatively robust decisions
Authors: Weber Thomas A.
Published: March 2022

It is natural for humans to judge the outcome of a decision under uncertainty as a percentage of an ex-post optimal performance. We propose a robust decision-making framework based on a relative performance index. It is shown that if the decision maker’s preferences satisfy quasisupermodularity, single-crossing, and a nondecreasing log-differences property, the worst-case relative performance index can be represented as the lower envelope of two extremal performance ratios. The latter is used to characterize the agent’s optimal robust decision, which has implications both computationally and for obtaining closed-form solutions. We illustrate our results in an application which compares the performance of relative robustness to solutions that optimize worst-case payoffs, maximum absolute regret, and expected payoffs under a Laplacian prior.
Systematizing the lexicon of platforms in information systems: a data-driven study
Authors: Bartelheimer Christian , zur Heiden Philipp , Lüttenberg Hedda , Beverungen Daniel
Published: March 2022

While the Information Systems (IS) discipline has researched digital platforms extensively, the body of knowledge appertaining to platforms still appears fragmented and lacking conceptual consistency. Based on automated text mining and unsupervised machine learning, we collect, analyze, and interpret the IS discipline’s comprehensive research on platforms—comprising 11,049 papers spanning 44 years of research activity. From a cluster analysis concerning platform concepts’ semantically most similar words, we identify six research streams on platforms, each with their own platform terms. Based on interpreting the identified concepts vis-à-vis the extant research and considering a temporal perspective on the concepts’ application, we present a lexicon of platform concepts, to guide further research on platforms in the IS discipline. Researchers and managers can build on our results to position their work appropriately, applying a specific theoretical perspective on platforms in isolation or combining multiple perspectives to study platform phenomena at a more abstract level.
An end-to-end data-driven optimization framework for constrained trajectories
Authors: Dewez Florent , Guedj Benjamin , Talpaert Arthur , Vandewalle Vincent
Published: March 2022

Many real-world problems require to optimize trajectories under constraints. Classical approaches are often based on optimal control methods but require an exact knowledge of the underlying dynamics and constraints, which could be challenging or even out of reach. In view of this, we leverage data-driven approaches to design a new end-to-end framework which is dynamics-free for optimized and realistic trajectories. Trajectories are here decomposed on function basis, trading the initial infinite dimension problem on a multivariate functional space for a parameter optimization problem. Then a maximum a posteriori approach which incorporates information from data is used to obtain a new penalized optimization problem. The penalized term narrows the search on a region centered on data and includes estimated features of the problem. We apply our data-driven approach to two settings in aeronautics and sailing routes optimization. The developed approach is implemented in the Python library PyRotor.
Public Trust in Latin America's Courts: Do Institutions Matter?
Authors: De Micheli David , Taylor Whitney K.
Published: March 2022

Despite the integral role of the judiciary to democracy, and the importance of judicial trust for judicial system performance, we know relatively little about the bases of public trust in this institution. How does institutional quality affect judicial trust? We explore this question in the context of Latin America, using a multilevel data set comprising survey data spanning 2001 to 2016 and country-level institutional and economic factors. We find that the effects of institutional quality on judicial trust are highly circumscribed. Factors like rule of law and corruption impact the judicial trust of only the best-educated survey respondents. Among the broader public, however, judicial trust is shaped more strongly by individuals' subjective economic and regime evaluations, as well as one's personal experiences with the judiciary.
Framing as an Information Control Strategy in Times of Crisis
Authors: Xia Shouzhi , Huang Huang , Zhang Dong
Published: March 2022

How can authoritarian regimes effectively control information to maintain regime legitimacy in times of crisis? We argue that media framing constitutes a subtle and sophisticated information control strategy in authoritarian regimes and plays a critical role in steering public opinion and cultivating an image of competent government during a tremendous crisis. Using structural topic models (STM), we conduct a textual analysis of more than 4,600 news reports produced by seven Chinese media outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that Chinese media, instructed by the propaganda authorities, used a heroism frame to feature frontline medics’ sacrifices when saving others in need and resorted to a contrast frame to highlight the poor performance of the United States in the fight against COVID-19. We also show that both state and commercial media outlets used these two frames, though the tone of commercial media coverage was generally more moderate than the state media version.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Niger Delta: Past, Present and Future Challenges
Authors: Tamuno Paul Samuel
Published: March 2022

Multinational oil companies adopted corporate social responsibility as a means of addressing the challenges of their relationship with the Niger Delta communities, which had been turbulent for several decades as a result of the ecological devastation of the Niger Delta region. This article analyses the challenges of implementing corporate social responsibility in the Niger Delta, from the inception of the Nigerian oil industry to the present day. Using the experiences of multinational oil companies in the Niger Delta as a case study, the article explores the extent to which multinational oil companies operating in developing countries are increasingly assuming roles that are not traditional corporate roles, to compensate for the bad governance and poor regulatory standards in these countries. The article also provides recommendations for what the Nigerian government can do to develop corporate social responsibility and make it more effective.
Barentsburg and Longyearbyen in times of socioeconomic transition: Residents’ perceptions of community viability
Authors: Olsen Julia , Vlakhov Andrian , Wigger Karin A.
Published: March 2022

Geopolitical interventions since the end of the 1980s—such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, a decline in the activities of state-owned coal companies, and governmental initiatives to increase tourism activities—have affected the community viability of two main settlements on Svalbard: Barentsburg and Longyearbyen. This paper explores how the residents of these settlements (with different cultural backgrounds) perceive the effects of socioeconomic transitions on community viability. The analysis of qualitative interviews with residents of Barentsburg (n= 62) and Longyearbyen (n= 36) reveals the residents’ perceptions of the pace of the transition and the changing community composition. New types of commercial activities, such as tourism, contribute to local value creation and socioeconomic development but come with concerns grounded in community fluctuation, environmental protection, economic prioritisation, and power relationships. Compared to Longyearbyen, Barentsburg has undergone relatively minor demographic and social changes and remains stable in terms of culture, language, and management practices. We conclude that the viability of Longyearbyen and Barentsburg during the transition was affected by community dynamics and fluctuations, social relationships within and between communities, and local institutional practices.
The significance of formative assessment for pupils’ spiral progression in English lower secondary school group composing
Authors: Booth Nikki
Published: March 2022

The notion of the spiral for progression and development is familiar both in general educational discourse and in the domain of music education. This brief article considers the spiral within the context of lower secondary school group composing in England. Through the use of examples taken from two schools in the English midlands, it argues that formative assessment is a key process for enhancing spiral-like musical learning.
Impact of Stratospheric Aerosol Geoengineering on Extreme Precipitation and Temperature Indices in West Africa Using GLENS Simulations
Authors: Alamou E. A. , Zandagba J. E. , Biao E. I. , Obada E. , Da‐Allada C. Y. , Bonou F. K. , Pomalegni Y. , Baloitcha E. , Tilmes S. , Irvine P. J.
Published: March 2022

This study assesses changes in extremes precipitation and temperature in West Africa under a high greenhouse gas scenario, that is, a representative concentration pathway 8.5, and under a scenario of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering (SAG) deployment using the NCAR Community Earth System Model version 1. We use results from the Geoengineering Large Ensemble simulations (GLENS), where SAG is deployed to keep global surface temperatures at present day values. This impact study evaluates changes in some of the extreme climate indices recommended by the Expert Team Monitoring on Climate Change Detection and Indices. The results indicate that SAG would effectively keep surface temperatures at present day‐conditions across a range of indices compared to the control (CRTL) period, including Cold days, Cold nights and Cold Spell Duration Indicator which show no significant increase compared to the CRTL period. Regarding the extremes precipitation, GLENS shows mostly a statistically significant increase in annual precipitation and statistically significant decrease in the number of heavy and very heavy precipitation events relative to the CRTL period in some regions of Gulf of Guinea. In the Sahel, we notice a mix of statistically significant increase and decrease in Max 1‐day and Max 5‐days precipitation amount relative to the CRTL period at the end of the 21st century when large amounts of SAG has been applied. The changes in extreme precipitation indices are linked to changes in Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, NINO3.4 and Indian Ocean Dipole and these changes in extreme precipitation are driven by change in near surface specific humidty and atmospheric circulation.
Efficacy and antitumor activity of a mutant type of interleukin 2
Authors: Dehghan Rada , Beig Parikhani Arezoo , Zeinali Sirous , Shokrgozar Mohamadali , Amanzadeh Amir , Ajdary Soheila , Ahangari Cohan Reza , Talebkhan Yeganeh , Behdani Mahdi
Published: March 2022

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an important cytokine in survival, expansion, function of CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells in immunotherapy of melanoma and renal cell carcinomas. Its severe toxicity following binding to its high affinity IL-2 receptor alpha (IL-2Rα) has restricted its application in cancer patients. In the present study, we investigated the antitumor efficacy and cytotoxicity of a mutated human IL-2 previously designed by selective amino acid substitutions, and its reduced affinity towards high-affinity IL-2Rα (CD25) was approved compared to the wild type IL-2 (wtIL-2). Furthermore, their ability to induce PBMC cell proliferation, and interferon-gamma secretion was compared. The mutant IL-2 also represented higher antitumor activity and more efficient cytotoxicity than wild type hIL-2. The developed mutant IL-2 can be an alternative tool in IL-2 associated immunotherapy of various cancers.
Charge transport in the spatially correlated exponential random energy landscape: effect of the nonpositive correlation function
Authors: Novikov Sergey
Published: March 2022

Charge transport in amorphous semiconductors having the exponential density of state and negative spatial correlation of random energies strongly differs from the usual picture of the transport in the exponential DOS.
Azobenzene photoisomerization probes cell membrane viscosity
Authors: Magni Arianna , Bondelli Gaia , Paternò Giuseppe M. , Sardar Samim , Sesti Valentina , D’Andrea Cosimo , Bertarelli Chiara , Lanzani Guglielmo
Published: March 2022

We demonstrate that the isomerization reaction of a membrane-targeting azobenzene can probe the lipid membrane viscosity.
Microfluidic electrode array chip for electrical stimulation-mediated axonal regeneration
Authors: Kim Ji Woon , Choi Yoon Young , Park Si-Hyung , Ha Jang Ho , Lee Hee Uk , Kang Taewook , Sun Woong , Chung Bong Geun
Published: March 2022

The precise manipulation of the neural stem cell (NSC)-derived neural differentiation is still challenging, and there is a technological barrier to regulate the axonal regeneration in a controlled manner.
Reactivity-based chemical-genetic study of protein kinases
Authors: Rezende Miranda Renata , Zhang Chao
Published: March 2022

In this review, we describe the development and application of chemical-genetic strategies that feature the use of covalent inhibitors targeting cysteine residues to dissect the cellular functions of individual protein kinases.
Selective luminescent sensing of metal ions and nitroaromatics over a porous mixed-linker cadmium(ii) based metal–organic framework
Authors: Debnath Rakesh , Bhowmick Rahul , Ghosh Pameli , Biswas Saptarshi , Koner Subratanath
Published: March 2022

A potential luminescent sensor based on porous metal organic framework for the detection of metal ions (Al3+, Fe3+ or Cr3+) and nitro-explosive, 2,4,6-tri-nitrophenol has been discovered. MOF is capable of detecting aqueous phase analyte through luminescent sensing.
Tetrahedral DNA-directed core-satellite assembly as SERS sensor for mercury ions at the single-particle level
Authors: Feng Ning , Shen Jingjing , Li Chang , Zhao Qianqian , Fodjo Essy Kouadio , Zhang Lei , Chen Shufen , Fan Quli , Wang Lianhui
Published: March 2022

We have designed a single-particle detection assay for quantifying Hg2+ by DFM-correlated Raman spectroscopy. A tetrahedral DNA-directed core-satellite nanostructure is used as the SERS probe.
Photocatalytic Markovnikov-type addition and cyclization of terminal alkynes leading to 4-sulfonyl quinoline-2(1H)-ones
Authors: Zhai Yu-Lin , Zhou Hui , Liu Qing-Quan , Leng Bo-Rong , Zhang Zixian , Li Jia-Zhuo , Wang De-Cai , Zhu Yi-Long
Published: March 2022

A novel and convenient photocatalytic cyclization of terminal alkynes for the construction of 4-sulfonylquinoline-2(1H)-ones by radical Markovnikov addition/6-endo-trig cyclization/selective C(O)–CF3 bond cleavage was disclosed.
Crystalline radical cations of bis-BN-based analogues of Thiele's hydrocarbon
Authors: Xie Zhuofeng , Dai Yuyang , Bao Manling , Feng Zhongtao , Wang Wenjuan , Liu Chunmeng , Wang Xinping , Su Yuanting
Published: March 2022

Radical cations of air-stable bis-BN-based analogues of Thiele's hydrocarbon have been isolated.
Preparation and characterization of a newly constructed multifunctional Co(ii)–organic framework: proton conduction and adsorption of Congo red in aqueous medium
Authors: Zhao Yanzhu , Zhu Peizhi , Pan Lingwei , Xie Yiqing , Ng Seik Weng , Zhang Kou-Lin
Published: March 2022

The efficient adsorption of CR over Co-MOF 1 as well as the pH-dependent proton-conducting mechanism of the composite Co-MOF–Nafion membrane.
Torsional chirality and molecular recognition: the homo and heterochiral dimers of thenyl and furfuryl alcohol
Authors: Juanes Marcos , Saragi Rizalina Tama , Pérez Cristóbal , Enríquez Lourdes , Jaraíz Martín , Lesarri Alberto
Published: March 2022

Torsional chirality of furfuryl and thenyl alcohols is detected by formation of homo and heterochiral dimers in the cooled conditions of a jet expansion.
The quantum size and spin–orbit coupling effects in BiVO4 with several atomic layers studied by density functional theory
Authors: Liu Taifeng , Zheng Yongqiang
Published: March 2022

The conduction band and valence band edges of the bulk, (001) and (101) slabs of BiVO4 with different Bi layer thickness with and without the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effect.
Magnetic anisotropy of transition metal and lanthanide ions in pentagonal bipyramidal geometry
Authors: Sutter Jean-Pascal , Béreau Virginie , Jubault Valentin , Bretosh Kateryna , Pichon Céline , Duhayon Carine
Published: March 2022

The magnetic anisotropy associated with a pentagonal bipyramidal coordination sphere is examined on the basis of experimental and theoretical investigations; effects of crystal field, structural distortion, and second coordination sphere are discussed.
Nuisance small molecules under a machine-learning lens
Authors: Rodrigues Tiago
Published: March 2022

Nuisance molecules plague bioactivity screens. Machine learning can assist in identifying and flagging such entities.
Mixing chemo- and biocatalysis for rare monosaccharide production by combining aldolase and N-heterocyclic carbene gold catalysts
Authors: Gastaldi Cédric , Mekhloufi Ghozlene , Forano Claude , Gautier Arnaud , Guérard-Hélaine Christine
Published: March 2022

Environmentally friendly hybrid-catalysis involving an aldolase and an N-heterocyclic carbene gold catalyst for the one-pot preparation, with total atom economy, of various high added value monosaccharides from simple and achiral reagents.
A highly crosslinked, mesoporous poly(ionic liquid) containing salen–Pd for efficient, eco-friendly Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions
Authors: Tian Yabing , Xing Chen , Wang Wenxiang , Zhang Shiguo , Zhang Yan
Published: March 2022

Mesoporous poly(ionic liquid) obtained by hyper-crosslinking of a salen-containing poly(ionic liquid) can efficiently catalyze Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions with excellent recyclability under an air atmosphere in 50% aqueous ethanol.
Amido-trihydroquinoline ligated rare-earth metal complexes for polymerization of isoprene
Authors: Huo Yanchen , Hu Xiang , Wang Jixing , Hu Hongfan , Shi Xiaochao
Published: March 2022

In combination with a borate, the amido-trihydroquinoline ligated rare-earth metal complexes (Ln = Y, Lu) showed moderate catalytic activities for isoprene polymerization to generate 1,4-enriched polyisoprenes.
The low-temperature simultaneous detoxification of NO and CO over precious metal-free nanocomposite metal oxides
Authors: Kerkar R. D. , Salker A. V.
Published: March 2022

The high performance of a Co–Cu–Mn catalyst for NO–CO redox conversion was demonstrated, which is attributed to the formation of CuO species that interact with one another to produce high synergy in the Co–Cu–Mn oxide system.
An injectable self-healing CS/PDA–AgNPs hybrid hydrogel for mild and highly-efficient photothermal sterilization
Authors: Gan Ying , Lin Chen , Zhu Hao , Cheng Xuedan , Liu Chaoqun , Shi Jiahua
Published: March 2022

An injectable self-healing hybrid hydrogel was constructed for combating bacterial infection under mild photothermal conditions.
Nanostructured zirconia@reduced graphene oxide based ultraefficient nanobiosensing platform for food toxin detection
Authors: Chauhan Dipti , Kumar Yogesh , Chandra Ramesh , Kumar Suveen
Published: March 2022

Schematic representation of the fabrication steps of the BSA/anti-AFB1/APTES/nZrO2@RGO/ITO immunoelectrode.
Dynamic acoustic emission analysis of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells
Authors: Bethapudi V. S. , Hinds G. , Shearing P. R. , Brett D. J. L. , Coppens M.-O.
Published: March 2022

This study measures acoustic activity from a PEM fuel cell as a dynamic response during potentiostatic and galvanostatic operations of the cell.
Enantioselective Dearomative Alkynylation of Chromanones: Opportunities and Obstacles
Authors: Mattson Anita E. , Guan Yong , Buivydas Tadas , Lalisse Remy F. , Ali Rameez , Hadad Christopher M.
Published: March 2022

A catalytic and highly enantioselective dearomative alkynylation of chromanones has been discovered that enables the construction of biologically relevant tertiary ether stereogenic centers. This methodology is robust, accommodating a variety of alkynes and chromanones. More than 40 substrates tested gave rise to >90% ee. Computational studies have indicated that the optimal indanyl ligand identified for most cases likely affords a network of supportive, non-covalent interactions that drive the enantioselective nature of the reaction.
Artificial intelligence-assisted staging in Barrett’s carcinoma
Authors: Knabe Mate , Welsch Lukas , Blasberg Tobias , Müller Elisa , Heilani Myriam , Bergen Christoph , Herrmann Eva , May Andrea
Published: March 2022

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to detect neoplasia and interpret endoscopic images. The T stage of Barrett’s carcinoma is a major criterion for subsequent treatment decisions. Although endoscopic ultrasound is still the standard for preoperative staging, its value is debatable. Novel tools are required to assist with staging, to optimize results. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of T stage of Barrett’s carcinoma by an AI system based on endoscopic images.

Methods 1020 images (minimum one per patient, maximum three) from 577 patients with Barrett’s adenocarcinoma were used for training and internal validation of a convolutional neural network. In all, 821 images were selected to train the model and 199 images were used for validation.

Results AI recognized Barrett’s mucosa without neoplasia with an accuracy of 85 % (95 %CI 82.7–87.1). Mucosal cancer was identified with a sensitivity of 72 % (95 %CI 67.5–76.4), specificity of 64 % (95 %CI 60.0–68.4), and accuracy of 68 % (95 %CI 64.6–70.7). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for early Barrett’s neoplasia < T1b sm2 were 57 % (95 %CI 51.8–61.0), 77 % (95 %CI 72.3–80.2), and 67 % (95 %CI 63.4–69.5), respectively. More advanced stages (T3/T4) were diagnosed correctly with a sensitivity of 71 % (95 %CI 65.1–76.7) and specificity of 73 % (95 %CI 69.7–76.5). The overall accuracy was 73 % (95 %CI 69.6–75.5).

Conclusions The AI system identified esophageal cancer with high accuracy, suggesting its potential to assist endoscopists in clinical decision making.
Chronic giant cranial diploe hematoma in hemophiliac
Authors: gong weizhao , Wang Hanshi , jiang taipeng , zuo dahui
Published: March 2022

Cranial diploe hematoma is a hematoma that occurs between the inner and outer layer of the skull and is often in infants and young children. Hemophilia A is an inherited X-linked bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) . Epidemiological survey results show that the prevalence of hemophilia in 24 provinces and cities in China is 2.73/100,000, while only about 5% of patients are registered . Hemophilia is mainly characterized by bleeding, which can occur anywhere in the pa-tient's body and manifest as intracranial, gastrointestinal, or pharyngeal bleeding, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. This article shares a case of a patient with he-mophilia A complicated by a chronic giant diploe hematoma.
Overcoming divergence: managing expectations from organisers and members in community supported agriculture in Switzerland
Authors: Vaderna Claudia , Home Robert , Migliorini Paola , Roep Dirk
Published: March 2022

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a producer–consumer union that aims to shift the predominant paradigm in agriculture towards a model based on social justice, fairness, and participation. However, the long-term existence of CSA initiatives, and their ability to build the social capital envisioned by the initiators, can be challenged by a struggle to generate a sufficient income for a fair salary to be paid to the producer. This study aimed to explore the main challenges faced by eight CSAs in Switzerland, along with the pathways they used to address them. The expectations and perceptions of organisers were collected through in-depth photo elicitation interviews, which were analysed using grounded theory. The perspective of members was evaluated using a quantitative survey with 254 responses. The results showed that organisers are often filled with enthusiastic ideas but experience a sense of deflation when they realise that the members follow a more pragmatic approach. The information flow from members to the organisers leading them to new insights for adjustments, is a key component in overcoming divergence between the expectations of members and organisers. Involving members in administration and fieldwork lowers the workload of the organisers and fosters informal social interactions and mutual understanding, which leads to an increase in social capital. Focusing on local embeddedness and co-creation between members and organisers, thus allowing a dynamic evolution of the CSA, was found to be more beneficial for the long-term existence of the CSA than rigidly trying to implement the initial vision of the organisers.
Thermal transport in silver-coated polymer sphere composites by the bidirectional 3ω method
Authors: Sandell Susanne , Wang Thorstein , Chávez-Ángel Emigdio , Kristiansen Helge , Zhang Zhiliang , He Jianying
Published: March 2022

The bidirectional 3ω method is an electrothermal technique that is commonly used to obtain the thermal conductivity of materials such as liquids, biological samples, and pastes. In this work, an epoxy-based adhesive was filled with monodisperse 10 μm polymethyl methacrylate spheres coated with silver thin films (AgPS), such that a metallic network that dominated the thermal transport was formed through the composite. The bidirectional 3ω method was used to obtain the thermal conductivity of the conductive adhesive at different volume fractions of AgPS. For 50 vol.% AgPS, corresponding to 3.4 vol.% silver, the thermal conductivity was 2.03±0.21 W m−1 K−1. The results show that the thermal conductivity is strongly correlated with the AgPS volume fraction, while maintaining a volume fraction of silver far below the commercial silver paste, which has typical filler fractions of 40 vol.% silver. The results of this work were compared to thermal measurements of the same material by other techniques, and advantages and disadvantages of the methods were finally discussed.
Combining localized orbital scaling correction and Bethe–Salpeter equation for accurate excitation energies
Authors: Li Jiachen , Jin Ye , Su Neil Qiang , Yang Weitao
Published: March 2022

We applied localized orbital scaling correction (LOSC) in Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE) to predict accurate excitation energies for molecules. LOSC systematically eliminates the delocalization error in the density functional approximation and is capable of approximating quasiparticle (QP) energies with accuracy similar to or better than GW Green’s function approach and with much less computational cost. The QP energies from LOSC, instead of commonly used G0W0 and evGW, are directly used in BSE. We show that the BSE/LOSC approach greatly outperforms the commonly used BSE/G0W0 approach for predicting excitations with different characters. For the calculations of Truhlar–Gagliardi test set containing valence, charge transfer, and Rydberg excitations, BSE/LOSC with the Tamm–Dancoff approximation provides a comparable accuracy to time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and BSE/evGW. For the calculations of Stein CT test set and Rydberg excitations of atoms, BSE/LOSC considerably outperforms both BSE/G0W0 and TDDFT approaches with a reduced starting point dependence. BSE/LOSC is, thus, a promising and efficient approach to calculate excitation energies for molecular systems.
Descriptor-free unsupervised learning method for local structure identification in particle packings
Authors: Wang Yutao , Deng Wei , Huang Zhaohui , Li Shuixiang
Published: March 2022

Local structure identification is of great importance in many scientific and engineering fields. However, mathematical and supervised learning methods mostly rely on specific descriptors of local structures and can only be applied to particular packing configurations. In this work, we propose an improved unsupervised learning method, which is descriptor-free, for local structure identification in particle packing. The point cloud is used as the input of the improved method, which directly comes from spatial positions of particles and does not rely on specific descriptors. The improved method constructs an autoencoder based on the point cloud network combined with Gaussian mixture models for dimension reduction and clustering. Numerical examples show that the improved method performs well in local structure identification of quasicrystal disk and sphere packings, achieving comparable accuracy with previous methods. For disordered packings, which have been considered having nearly no local structures, the improved method identifies a nontrivial seven-neighbor motif in the maximally dense random packing of disks and finds acentric structural motifs in the random close packing of spheres, which demonstrate the ability on identification of new and unknown local structures. The improved unsupervised learning method would help obtain information from massive simulation and experimental results as well as devising new order parameters for particle packings.
High-power quasi-cw semiconductor lasers (1060 nm) with an ultra-wide emitting aperture
Authors: Slipchenko S.O. , Romanovich D.N. , Kapitonov V.A. , Bakhvalov K.V. , Pikhtin N.A. , Kop’ev P.S.
Published: March 2022

High-power quasi-cw semiconductor lasers with an emitting aperture 800 μm wide and a continuous p-contact are developed. Laser operation with a pulse duration of 1 ms, a repetition rate of 10 Hz, and a maximum peak power of 87 W at a wavelength 1060 – 1070 nm is demonstrated under pumping by current pulses with am amplitude of 97 A. Experimental estimates show that overheating of the active region at the end of the laser pulse at a current of 97 A may reach 36.7 °C.
A model for the formation of complex coupling coefficients in a ring resonator of a laser gyroscope
Authors: Petrukhin E.A. , Bessonov A.S.
Published: March 2022

A model of the interference of fields from backscattering point sources in a ring optical resonator is presented. Examples of calculations of complex coupling coefficients in ring resonators of laser gyroscopes are given. Comparison of the calculation results with the results of model experiments demonstrates good agreement and makes it possible to determine dissipative and conservative backscattering components of individual resonator mirrors. The possibilities of reducing the dissipative and conservative backscattering components in the process of ring resonator alignment are discussed.