bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Targeting of phagolysosomes containing conidia of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus with polymeric particles
Authors: González Katherine , Gangapurwala Gauri , Alex Julien , Vollrath Antje , Cseresnyés Zoltán , Weber Christine , Czaplewska Justyna A. , Hoeppener Stephanie , Svensson Carl-Magnus , Orasch Thomas , Heinekamp Thorsten , Guerrero-Sánchez Carlos , Figge Marc Thilo , Schubert Ulrich S. , Brakhage Axel A.
Published: December 2022

Conidia of the airborne human-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus are inhaled by humans. In the lung, they are phagocytosed by alveolar macrophages and intracellularly processed. In macrophages, however, conidia can interfere with the maturation of phagolysosomes to avoid their elimination. To investigate whether polymeric particles (PPs) can reach this intracellular pathogen in macrophages, we formulated dye-labeled PPs with a size allowing for their phagocytosis. PPs were efficiently taken up by RAW 264.7 macrophages and were found in phagolysosomes. When macrophages were infected with conidia prior to the addition of PPs, we found that they co-localized in the same phagolysosomes. Mechanistically, the fusion of phagolysosomes containing PPs with phagolysosomes containing conidia was observed. Increasing concentrations of PPs increased fusion events, resulting in 14% of phagolysosomes containing both conidia and PPs. We demonstrate that PPs can reach conidia-containing phagolysosomes, making these particles a promising carrier system for antimicrobial drugs to target intracellular pathogens.

Key points

• Polymer particles of a size larger than 500 nm are internalized by macrophages and localized in phagolysosomes.

• These particles can be delivered to Aspergillus fumigatus conidia-containing phagolysosomes of macrophages.

• Enhanced phagolysosome fusion by the use of vacuolin1 can increase particle delivery.
Intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structures promote patient survival and immunotherapy response in head neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Liu Zhonglong , Meng Xiaoyan , Tang Xiao , Zou Weili , He Yue
Published: December 2022

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) hold the potential role in the prediction of immunotherapy response in several clinical trials. TLSs in head neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have been investigated through IHC analysis, whereas there is no TLS gene signature to evaluate the level of TLS neogenesis. We here proposed a TLS signature containing 13 chemokines and determined TLS-hi and TLS-low groups in HNSCC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas. TLS-hi condition signified a better overall survival. A more inflamed immune infiltrative landscape was identified in the TLS-hi tumors characterized by higher proportion of T cells, TCR/BCR activation and antigen processing. High level of TLSs has a determined role in the clinical significance of T cells. Interesting discovery was that innate lymphoid cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts were positively associated with TLS neogenesis in TME of HNSCC. Furthermore, by integrated TLSs with stromal cells and score, immune cells and score, TMB and malignant cells, we proposed a novel HNSCC TME classifications (HNSCC-TCs 1–5), unravelling the counteracted role of stromal cells and score in inflamed immune landscape, which may provide a novel stromal targeted modality in HNSCC therapy. Finally, we verified that TLS statue is an ideal predictor for immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Current study indicated that the TLSs serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and predictor for immunotherapy, which may provide directions to the current investigations on immunotherapeutic strategies for HNSCC.
Risk of postpartum depressive symptoms is influenced by psychological burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic and dependent of individual stress coping
Authors: Meister Sarah , Dreyer Eva-Maria , Hahn Laura , Thomann Marilena , Keilmann Lucia , Beyer Susanne , Mayer Clarissa , Prins Gwendolin , Hasbargen Uwe , Mahner Sven , Jeschke Udo , Kolben Thomas , Burges Alexander
Published: December 2022

Purpose

There are different studies worldwide, which have shown a higher risk of mental disorders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One aim of this study was to identify influencing factors of the psychological burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on the development of postpartum depression. Further, the role of individual stress and coping strategies was analyzed in this context.

Materials and methods

Between March and October 2020, 131 women in obstetric care at the LMU Clinic Munich completed a questionnaire at consecutive stages during their perinatal period. The times set for the questionnaire were before birth, 1 month, 2 months, and 6 months after birth. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate the psychological burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For this a modified version of the Stress and coping inventory (SCI) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used.

Results

We could show that the psychological burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the EPDS score 1, 2 and 6 months after birth. In addition, the prenatal stress and individual coping strategies affected the EPDS and the burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic before and after birth significantly.

Conclusion

An association of the psychological burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic with the risk of developing postpartum depressive symptoms could be shown in this study. In this context, the separation of the partner and the family was recognized as an important factor. Furthermore, the SCI was identified as an effective screening instrument for identifying mothers with an increased risk of postpartum depression. Hereby allowing primary prevention by early intervention or secondary prevention by early diagnosis.
Anterior surgical treatment for cervical degenerative radiculopathy: a prediction model for non-success
Authors: Mjåset Christer , Solberg Tore K. , Zwart John-Anker , Småstuen Milada C. , Kolstad Frode , Grotle Margreth
Published: December 2022

Purpose

By using data from the Norwegian Registry for Spine Surgery, we wanted to develop and validate prediction models for non-success in patients operated with anterior surgical techniques for cervical degenerative radiculopathy (CDR).

Methods

This is a multicentre longitudinal study of 2022 patients undergoing CDR surgery and followed for 12 months to find prognostic models for non-success in neck disability and arm pain using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Model performance was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and a calibration test. Internal validation by bootstrapping re-sampling with 1000 repetitions was applied to correct for over-optimism. The clinical usefulness of the neck disability model was explored by developing a risk matrix for individual case examples.

Results

Thirty-eight percent of patients experienced non-success in neck disability and 35% in arm pain. Loss to follow-up was 35% for both groups. Predictors for non-success in neck disability were high physical demands in work, low level of education, pending litigation, previous neck surgery, long duration of arm pain, medium-to-high baseline disability score and presence of anxiety/depression. AUC was 0.78 (95% CI, 0.75, 0.82). For the arm pain model, all predictors for non-success in neck disability, except for anxiety/depression, were found to be significant in addition to foreign mother tongue, smoking and medium-to-high baseline arm pain. AUC was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.64, 0.72).

Conclusion

The neck disability model showed high discriminative performance, whereas the arm pain model was shown to be acceptable. Based upon the models, individualized risk estimates can be made and applied in shared decision-making with patients referred for surgical assessment.
Cortical Deficits are Correlated with Impaired Stereopsis in Patients with Strabismus
Authors: Xi Sida , Zhou Yulian , Yao Jing , Ye Xinpei , Zhang Peng , Wen Wen , Zhao Chen
Published: December 2022

In this study, we explored the neural mechanism underlying impaired stereopsis and possible functional plasticity after strabismus surgery. We enrolled 18 stereo-deficient patients with intermittent exotropia before and after surgery, along with 18 healthy controls. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected when participants viewed three-dimensional stimuli. Compared with controls, preoperative patients showed hypoactivation in higher-level dorsal (visual and parietal) areas and ventral visual areas. Pre- and postoperative activation did not significantly differ in patients overall; patients with improved stereopsis showed stronger postoperative activation than preoperative activation in the right V3A and left intraparietal sulcus. Worse stereopsis and fusional control were correlated with preoperative hypoactivation, suggesting that cortical deficits along the two streams might reflect impaired stereopsis in intermittent exotropia. The correlation between improved stereopsis and activation in the right V3A after surgery indicates that functional plasticity may underlie the improvement of stereopsis. Thus, additional postoperative strategies are needed to promote functional plasticity and enhance the recovery of stereopsis.
Sensor-based jump detection and classification with machine learning in trampoline gymnastics
Authors: Woltmann Lucas , Hartmann Claudio , Lehner Wolfgang , Rausch Paul , Ferger Katja
Published: December 2022

The task of the judge of difficulty in trampoline gymnastics is to check the elements and difficulty values entered on the competition cards and the difficulty of each element according to a numeric system. To do this, the judge must count all somersaults and twists for each jump during a routine and thus record the difficulty of the routine. This assessment can be automated with the help of inertial measurement units (IMUs) and facilitate the judges’ task during the competition. Currently, there is no known reliable method for the automated detection and recognition of the various elements to determine the difficulty of an exercise in trampoline gymnastics. Accordingly, a total of 2076 jumps and 50 different jump types were recorded over the course of several training sessions. In the first instance, 10 different jump types were used to train different machine learning (ML) models. Eight ML models were used for the automatic jump classification. Supervised learning approaches include a naive classifier, deep feedforward neural network, convolutional neural network, k‑nearest neighbors, Gaussian naive Bayes, support-vector classification, gradient boosting classifier, and stochastic gradient descent. When all classifiers were compared for accuracy, i.e., how many jumps were correctly detected by the ML model, the deep feedforward neural network and the convolutional neural network provided the best matches with 96.4 and 96.1%, respectively. The findings of this study will help to develop the automated classification of sensor-based data to support the judge and, simultaneously, for automated training logging.
Atorvastatin improves cisplatin sensitivity through modulation of cholesteryl ester homeostasis in breast cancer cells
Authors: Zipinotti dos Santos Diandra , Santos Guimaraes Isabella dos , Hakeem-Sanni Mariam F. , Cochran Blake J. , Rye Kerry-Anne , Grewal Thomas , Hoy Andrew J. , Rangel Leticia B. A.
Published: December 2022

Background

Acquired treatment resistance is a significant problem in breast cancer management, and alterations in lipid metabolism have been proposed to contribute to the development of drug resistance as well as other aspects of tumor progression. The present study aimed to identify the role of cholesterol metabolism in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell response to cisplatin (CDDP) treatment in the acute setting and in a model of CDDP resistance.

Methods

MCF-7 (luminal A), MDA-MB-231 (triple-negative) and CDDP-resistant MDA-MB-231 (MDACR) cell lines were grown in the presence or absence of CDDP in combination with atorvastatin (ATV), lipid depletion or low-density lipoprotein loading and were analyzed by a variety of biochemical and radiometric techniques.

Results

Co-administration of CDDP and ATV strongly reduced cell proliferation and viability to a greater extent than CDDP alone, especially in MDA-MB-231 cells. These findings were associated with reduced cholesteryl ester synthesis and storage in MDA-MB-231 cells. In MDACR cells, acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT-1) was upregulated compared to naïve MDA-MB-231 cells and ATV treatment restored CDDP sensitivity, suggesting that aberrant ACAT-1 expression and associated changes in cholesterol metabolism contribute to CDDP resistance in MDA-MB-231 cells.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that the elevated susceptibility of MDA-MB-231 cells to co-administration of CDDP and ATV, is associated with an increased reliance on cholesteryl ester availability. Our data from these cell culture-based studies identifies altered cholesterol homeostasis as an adaptive response to CDDP treatment that contributes to aggressiveness and chemotherapy resistance.
Compound Knowledge Graph-Enabled AI Assistant for Accelerated Materials Discovery
Authors: Aggour Kareem S. , Detor Andrew , Gabaldon Alfredo , Mulwad Varish , Moitra Abha , Cuddihy Paul , Kumar Vijay S.
Published: December 2022

Materials scientists are facing increasingly challenging multi-objective performance requirements to meet the needs of modern systems such as lighter-weight and more fuel-efficient aircraft engines, and higher heat and oxidation-resistant steam turbines. While so-called second wave statistical machine learning techniques are beginning to accelerate the materials development cycle, most materials science applications are data-deprived when compared to the vastness and complexity of the search space of possible solutions. In line with DARPA’s vision of third wave AI approaches, we believe a combination of data-driven statistical machine learning and domain knowledge will be required to achieve a true revolution in materials discovery. To that end, we envision and have begun reducing to practice a system that fuses three forms of knowledge—factual scientific knowledge, physics-based and/or data-driven analytical models, and domain expert knowledge—into a single ‘Compound Knowledge Graph’ in which contextual reasoning and adaptation can be performed to answer increasingly complex questions. We believe this Compound Knowledge Graph-based system can be the nucleus of a collaborative AI assistant that supports stateful natural language back-and-forth dialogs between materials scientists and the AI to accelerate the development and discovery of new materials. This paper details our vision, summarizes our progress to date on a steam turbine blade coating use case, and outlines our thoughts on the key challenges in making this vision a reality.
Summing $$\mu (n)$$: a faster elementary algorithm
Authors: Helfgott Harald Andrés , Thompson Lola
Published: December 2022

We present a new elementary algorithm that takes $$ \textrm{time} \ \ O_\epsilon \left( x^{\frac{3}{5}} (\log x)^{\frac{8}{5}+\epsilon } \right) \ \ \textrm{and} \ \textrm{space} \ \ O\left( x^{\frac{3}{10}} (\log x)^{\frac{13}{10}} \right) $$

time

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)

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and

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(measured bitwise) for computing $$M(x) = \sum _{n \le x} \mu (n),$$

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=

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x

μ

(
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,

where $$\mu (n)$$

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is the Möbius function. This is the first improvement in the exponent of x for an elementary algorithm since 1985. We also show that it is possible to reduce space consumption to $$O(x^{1/5} (\log x)^{5/3})$$

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x

1
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5

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by the use of (Helfgott in: Math Comput 89:333–350, 2020), at the cost of letting time rise to the order of $$x^{3/5} (\log x)^2 \log \log x$$

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.
A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed? Analysis of the Willingness to Share Self-Produced Electricity During a Long-lasting Power Outage
Authors: Kurz Konstantin , Bock Carolin , Knodt Michèle , Stöckl Anna
Published: December 2022

Will private households owning a photovoltaic system share their electricity during a long-lasting power outage? Prior research has shown that our energy systems need to become more resilient by using dispersed energy sources—a role that could well be performed by these private photovoltaic systems, but only if their owners decide to share the produced electricity, and not consume it themselves. Considering the potential of this approach, it is indispensable to better understand incentives and motives that facilitate such cooperative behaviour. Drawing on theories of social dilemmas as well as prosocial behaviour, we hypothesize that both, structural solutions such as increased rewards as well as individual motives such as empathy-elicited altruism and norms predict cooperation. We test these hypotheses against a dataset of 80 households in Germany which were asked about their sharing behaviour towards four different recipient groups. We show that the effectiveness of motives differs significantly across recipient groups: Individual (intrinsic) motivations such as empathy-elicited altruism and altruistic norms serve as a strong predictor for cooperative behaviour towards related recipients as well as critical infrastructure, whereas higher rewards partially even reduce cooperation depending on the donor’s social value orientation. For the recipient groups neighbours and public infrastructure, no significant effect for any of the tested incentives is found. Contributing to literature on social dilemmas and energy resilience, these results demonstrate the relevance of individual rather than structural incentives for electricity sharing during a power outage to render our energy provision more resilient. Practical implications for policymakers are given.
Variability in the inorganic composition of colored acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene and polylactic acid filaments used in 3D printing
Authors: Peloquin Derek M. , Rand Logan N. , Baumann Eric J. , Gitipour Ali , Matheson Joanna , Luxton Todd P.
Published: December 2022

Fused filament fabrication is a 3D printing technique that has gained widespread use from homes to schools to workplaces. Thermoplastic filaments, such as acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA), are extruded at temperatures near their respective glass transition temperature or melting point, respectively. Little has been reported on the inorganic elemental composition and concentrations present in these materials or the methods available for extracting that information. Because inorganic constituents may be included in the aerosolized particulates emitted during the printing process, identifying elements that could be present and at what specific concentrations is critical. The objective of the current research is to determine the range of metals present in thermoplastic filaments along with their relative abundance and chemical speciation as a function of polymer type, manufacturer, and color. A variety of filaments from select manufacturers were digested using a range of techniques to determine the optimal conditions for metal extraction from ABS and PLA polymers. The extraction potential for each method was quantified using by ICP-MS analysis. When possible, further characterization of the chemical composition of the filaments was investigated using X-ray Absorption spectroscopy to determine chemical speciation of the metal. Optimal digestion conditions were established using a high temperature, high pressure microwave-assisted acid digestion method to produce the most complete and repeatable extraction results. The composition and abundance of metals in the filaments varied greatly as a function of polymer, manufacturer, and color. Potential elements of concern present in the filaments at elevated concentration included that could pose a respiratory risk included Si, Al, Ti, Cu, Zn, and Sn. XAS analysis revealed a mixture of metal oxides, mineral, and organometallic compounds were present in the filaments that were being used to increase opaqueness impart color (dyes), polymeric catalysts, and flame retardants. This work shows that a variety of metals are present in the starting materials used for 3D printing and depending on their partitioning into 3D printed products and byproducts as well as the exposure route, may pose a health risk which merits further investigation.
Linearized layering method for stress intensity factor determination
Authors: Storm Bradley , Abou-Hanna Jeries J.
Published: December 2022

This paper looks to reduce the complexity of determining stress intensity factors while maintaining high levels of accuracy by the use of a linearized layering approach. Many techniques for stress intensity factor determination exist, but they can be limited by conservative results, requiring too many user parameters, or by being too computationally intensive. Multiple notch geometries with various crack lengths were investigated in this study to better understand the effectiveness of the proposed method. By linearizing the average stresses in radial layers around the crack opening, stress intensity factors were found to have error ranging from −10.03 to 8.94% when compared to analytically exact solutions. This approach proved to be a robust and efficient method of accurately determining stress intensity factors.
Transient coupled thermo-elasticity analysis of a temperature-dependent thick-walled cylinder under cyclic thermo-mechanical loads
Authors: Elfar Mohamed , Sedaghati Ramin , Abdelsalam Ossama R.
Published: December 2022

Several studies have reported the solution of the classical coupled thermo-elasticity for thick-walled cylinders under different boundary conditions; however very limited studies have been conducted on the analysis of temperature-dependent thick-walled cylinders under cyclic nonlinear boundary conditions. Therefore, this study investigates the transient response of temperature-dependent thick-walled cylinders under cyclic nonlinear thermo-mechanical loads based on classical coupled thermo-elasticity. Also, it studies the impact of considering temperature-dependent material properties (TDMP) and temperature-independent material properties (TIMP) hypotheses on the accuracy of the results. The governing equations of the classical nonlinear coupled thermo-elasticity are numerically solved based on the finite-difference method, namely the Crank-Nicolson method. Then, an experimental setup is designed to further investigate the impact of considering TDMP and TIMP through a temperature measurement of the outer surface of a machine gun barrel under burst shooting. It has been found that considering TIMP overestimates the residual temperature and residual stress values through the cylinder thickness compared with TDMP. Moreover, based on the temperature measurement, TDMP estimates results with higher accuracy of 7% than TIMP.
Improving order-picking response time at retail warehouse: a case of sugar company
Authors: Alqahtani Ammar Y.
Published: December 2022

Reducing customer response time, lowering overall logistic costs, and raising customer service standards are all partly attributable to innovative methods for increasing order-picking efficiency. This paper focuses on the storage allocation issue to determine the optimal stock-keeping-unit (SKU) inventory level and the storage assignment problem to place SKUs in the most efficient locations. In this research, we describe a hierarchical top-down technique for merging separate decision-making processes related to allocation and assignment. In this example, we use the suggested method, and show how the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) yields useful insights for solving the case study at hand. The Radio Shuttle, a rack system with the best evaluation and the shortest product retrieval time, was put forth as an alternative. The proposed solution was estimated to save 50 h of travel time and 48 h of lost work time.
Insights into the use of polyepichlorohydrin polymer in lithium battery energy storage/conversion devices: review
Authors: Amogne Negese Yazie , Ayele Delele Worku , Habtu Nigus Gabbiye , Thothadri Ganesh , Dagnew Mehary
Published: December 2022

In this paper, the up-to-date state of polyepichlorohydrin-based electrolytes is reviewed. Research works are persistently ongoing to develop free-standing solid polymer electrolytes with exceptional performances and stabilities that can suit the needs of present and next-generation technologies. Polyepichlorohydrin (PECH), for example, is one of the polymer hosts under consideration due to its ether electron donor groups that deliver coordinating spots for cation transport as well as alkyl chloride groups for changing its surface character. Because of this structure, PECH has certain incredible characteristics including small glass transition temperature (Tg), tremendous flexibility, as well as the power to form complexation with diverse salts. Furthermore, the alkyl chloride groups serve as a location for surface modification of the polymer via nucleophilic substitution reactions, resulting in surface changes or bulk properties. As a result, the PECH in chemically modified or pristine form is an emerging option that has been researched and is being considered for use in energy storage devices. This paper reviews the latest studies on the improvements of PECH-based electrolytes for lithium-based battery storage systems. The synthesis methods of PECH polymer, types of lithium batteries, and opportunities and challenges of lithium batteries have been presented briefly. Findings on PECH-based electrolytes have been presented and discussed thoroughly. Lastly, the paper presents, battery performance needs, and cation transportation mechanisms as well as future prospects for the advancement of PECH electrolytes in the field of storage systems.

Article Highlights

The alkyl chloride groups of polyepichlorohydrin polymer play a significant role in modifying the characteristics of the polymer through chemical reactions.

The inherent characteristics of PECH-based polymers including their amorphousity, glass transition temperature, functionality, and others can be altered via chemical and physical means.

The impressive electrochemical characteristics of PECH-based electrolytes make them a viable option for energy storage/conversion devices applications as electrolytes.
Biochar Amendment in Combination with Endophytic Bacteria Stimulates Photosynthetic Activity and Antioxidant Enzymes to Improve Soybean Yield Under Drought Stress
Authors: Nawaz Fahim , Rafeeq Rashid , Majeed Sadia , Ismail Muhammad Shoaib , Ahsan Muhammad , Ahmad Khawaja Shafique , Akram Ahsan , Haider Ghulam
Published: December 2022

The beneficial effects of biochar (BC) and plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR) to increase crop yields under harsh environments have been widely reported. However, the knowledge on the synergistic effects of BC and PGPR to induce drought tolerance in oilseeds is scant. In the present study, the effects of cotton sticks derived BC together with PGPR strains (Paraburkholderia phytofirmans and Bacillus sp.) were examined in water-stressed soybean plants. Initially, the BC application rates (1% and 2%) for soybean were optimized in a pilot experiment (experiment I), and the most effective level (1%) was selected for further studies together with PGPR in the second experiment. The soybean plants were raised in pots under semi-controlled conditions and were subjected to drought stress (25–30% water holding capacity) at pod formation stage. In comparison with control, the drought-mediated decrease in photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange characteristics was markedly lower in BC and PGPR-treated plants. However, the maximum increase in photosynthetic (12–30%) and the enzymatic antioxidant activities (5–20%) was recorded in plants treated with BC + P. phytofirmans, whereas no further significant increase was observed in plants treated with combined BC and Bacillus sp. under water deficit conditions. Similarly, the combined BC and P. phytofirmans application considerably increased the grain yield (14%) under drought stress conditions. We conclude that the combined application of BC + P. phytofirmans could be utilized as an effective strategy to improve soybean yield in dry arid regions.
Urbanization diseconomies in China: roles of temporary migrant workers in foreign direct investment location
Authors: Huang Hao
Published: December 2022

This paper investigates whether temporary migrant workers still attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in China nowadays after they played a strong magnet role for FDI in the last century. This paper tests the hypothesis that foreign firms reduce investments to avoid urbanization diseconomies from temporary migrants when China is experiencing rapid urbanization in the 2000s, with the urbanization rate raised from 36% in 2000 to 59% in 2017. This research employs spatial statistics and analyses to examine the change in the spatial inequality of temporal migrant workers and FDI. This research also uses regression models to investigate whether temporary migrant workers still attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in China nowadays. Temporary migrants are increasingly concentrated in the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Bohai Rim Region of the eastern region, and Chengdu in the western region. The results indicate that a one-person increase in temporary migrant workers is associated with 259 dollars decrease in FDI, suggesting that FDI might reduce with increased migrants to avoid urbanization diseconomies from these cities, helping policymakers develop urbanization and migration policies to optimize labor allocation and promote industrial upgrading, developing peripheral cities.
Competitive Equilibrium Always Exists for Combinatorial Auctions with Graphical Pricing Schemes
Authors: Brandenburg Marie-Charlotte , Haase Christian , Tran Ngoc Mai
Published: December 2022

We show that a competitive equilibrium always exists in combinatorial auctions with anonymous graphical valuations and pricing, using discrete geometry. This is an intuitive and easy-to-construct class of valuations that can model both complementarity and substitutes, and to our knowledge, it is the first class besides gross substitutes that have guaranteed competitive equilibrium. We prove through counter-examples that our result is tight, and we give explicit algorithms for constructing competitive pricing vectors. We also give extensions to multi-unit combinatorial auctions (also known as product-mix auctions). Combined with theorems on graphical valuations and pricing equilibrium of Candogan, Ozdagar and Parrilo, our results indicate that quadratic pricing is a highly practical method to run combinatorial auctions.
Impact of high temperature on PV productivity in hot desert climates
Authors: Hashim Samah M. , Hassan Rayan I.
Published: December 2022

Hot dry climate regions enjoy high solar irradiation, albeit with high ambient temperatures. These two factors have a contradictory effect on the power generated from PV systems. This work studies the combined effect of high ambient temperature and high irradiation on the net performance of PV systems. The study is based on monitoring a grid-connected 5 kW PV system installed on the rooftop of the Energy Research Center of the University of Khartoum, Sudan. The performance was monitored by meteorological and power measurement equipment from April 2017 to March 2018. The results showed stable power output from the PV system with an average final yield of 4.57 kWh/kWp and a 0.21 standard deviation from this average value. The stability in power output is due to the compensation of the efficiency degradation due to high temperature by high irradiation in summer. This is combined with the relatively low irradiation in winter compensated by the low temperature effect in winter. The annual deviation of the temperature and irradiation is small in Khartoum due to its proximity to the equator. The semi desert climate, offers Khartoum notably few annual cloudy hours. These characteristics were compared with the annual performance of other countries with different climates. The conclusion from this work on hot dry regions is that despite the negative effect of temperature, the annual output power from the system tends to be stable due to the substitution contributed by the regionally high radiation and the relatively cool winter climate.
A Discrete Elements Study of the Frictional Behavior of Fault Gouges
Authors: Papachristos E. , Stefanou I. , Sulem J.
Published: December 2022

A series of discrete elements simulations is presented for the study of fault gouges' frictional response. The gouge is considered to have previously undergone ultra‐cataclastic flow and long‐time consolidation loading. We explore the effect of different particle characteristics such as size, polydispersity, and also shearing velocities on gouge's response under the conditions met in the seismogenic zone. Monte‐Carlo analyses suggest that the local stick‐slip events disappear when averaging over a large number of numerical samples. Moreover, the apparent material frictional response remains almost unaffected by the spatial randomness of particles' position and by the particle's size distribution. On the contrary, the mean particle size controls the formation and thickness of the observed shear bands, which appear after the peak friction is met. Furthermore, the apparent friction evolution fits well to an exponential decay law with slip, which involves a particle size dependent critical slip distance. For the studied conditions and depth, the shearing velocity is found to play a secondary role on the apparent frictional response of the gouge, which highlights the importance of analyses involving multiphysics for studying the rheology of fault gouges. Besides improving the understanding of the underlying physics of the problem, the above findings are also useful for deriving pertinent constitutive models in the case of modeling with continuum theories.
Mixed Signals From the Stable Isotope Composition of Precipitation and Plant Waxes in the Northern Tropical Andes
Authors: Pérez‐Angel Lina C. , Sepúlveda Julio , Montes Camilo , Smith Jamila J. , Molnar Peter , González‐Arango Catalina , Snell Kathryn E. , Dildar Nadia
Published: December 2022

We evaluate the efficacy of the stable isotope composition of precipitation and plant waxes as proxies for paleoaltimetry and paleohydrology in the northern tropical Andes. We report monthly hydrogen (δ2Hp) and oxygen (δ18Op) isotope values of precipitation for an annual cycle, and hydrogen isotope values of plant waxes (δ2Hwax) obtained from modern soils along the eastern and western flanks of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. δ2Hp, δ18Op, as well as the unweighted mean δ2Hwax values of n‐C29, n‐C31, and n‐C33 n‐alkanes in the eastern flank show a dependence on elevation (R2 = 0.90, 0.82, and 0.65, respectively). In stark contrast, the stable isotope compositions of neither precipitation nor plant waxes from the western flank correlate with elevation (R2 < 0.23), on top of a negligible (p‐value >0.05) correlation between δ2Hwax and δ2Hp. In general, δ2Hwax values along the eastern flank of the Eastern Cordillera seem to follow the trend of a simple Rayleigh distillation process that is consistent with studies elsewhere on the eastern side of the Andes in South America. Neither δ2Hp nor δ18Op, and therefore δ2Hwax, offer reliable estimates of past elevations in the western flank, due perhaps to water vapor source mixing, evaporation overprint, contrasting plant communities, and/or differences in evapotranspiration. Thus, δ2Hwax is only reliable for paleohydrology and paleoaltimetry reconstructions on the eastern flank of the Andes, whereas interpretations based on δ2Hp and/or δ18Op west of the highest point of the Eastern Cordillera need to consider mixing of moisture sources in addition to precipitation amount.
Data-driven discovery of dimensionless numbers and governing laws from scarce measurements
Authors: Xie Xiaoyu , Samaei Arash , Guo Jiachen , Liu Wing Kam , Gan Zhengtao
Published: December 2022

Dimensionless numbers and scaling laws provide elegant insights into the characteristic properties of physical systems. Classical dimensional analysis and similitude theory fail to identify a set of unique dimensionless numbers for a highly multi-variable system with incomplete governing equations. This paper introduces a mechanistic data-driven approach that embeds the principle of dimensional invariance into a two-level machine learning scheme to automatically discover dominant dimensionless numbers and governing laws (including scaling laws and differential equations) from scarce measurement data. The proposed methodology, called dimensionless learning, is a physics-based dimension reduction technique. It can reduce high-dimensional parameter spaces to descriptions involving only a few physically interpretable dimensionless parameters, greatly simplifying complex process design and system optimization. We demonstrate the algorithm by solving several challenging engineering problems with noisy experimental measurements (not synthetic data) collected from the literature. Examples include turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection, vapor depression dynamics in laser melting of metals, and porosity formation in 3D printing. Lastly, we show that the proposed approach can identify dimensionally homogeneous differential equations with dimensionless number(s) by leveraging sparsity-promoting techniques.
Slowest possible replicative life at frigid temperatures for yeast
Authors: Laman Trip Diederik S. , Maire Théo , Youk Hyun
Published: December 2022

Determining whether life can progress arbitrarily slowly may reveal fundamental barriers to staying out of thermal equilibrium for living systems. By monitoring budding yeast’s slowed-down life at frigid temperatures and with modeling, we establish that Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and a global gene-expression speed quantitatively determine yeast’s pace of life and impose temperature-dependent speed limits - shortest and longest possible cell-doubling times. Increasing cells’ ROS concentration increases their doubling time by elongating the cell-growth (G1-phase) duration that precedes the cell-replication (S-G2-M) phase. Gene-expression speed constrains cells’ ROS-reducing rate and sets the shortest possible doubling-time. To replicate, cells require below-threshold concentrations of ROS. Thus, cells with sufficiently abundant ROS remain in G1, become unsustainably large and, consequently, burst. Therefore, at a given temperature, yeast’s replicative life cannot progress arbitrarily slowly and cells with the lowest ROS-levels replicate most rapidly. Fundamental barriers may constrain the thermal slowing of other organisms’ lives.
An RNA sponge controls quorum sensing dynamics and biofilm formation in Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Huber Michaela , Lippegaus Anne , Melamed Sahar , Siemers Malte , Wucher Benjamin R. , Hoyos Mona , Nadell Carey , Storz Gisela , Papenfort Kai
Published: December 2022

Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) acting in concert with the RNA chaperone Hfq are prevalent in many bacteria and typically act by base-pairing with multiple target transcripts. In the human pathogenVibrio cholerae, sRNAs play roles in various processes including antibiotic tolerance, competence, and quorum sensing (QS). Here, we use RIL-seq (RNA-interaction-by-ligation-and-sequencing) to identify Hfq-interacting sRNAs and their targets inV. cholerae. We find hundreds of sRNA-mRNA interactions, as well as RNA duplexes formed between two sRNA regulators. Further analysis of these duplexes identifies an RNA sponge, termed QrrX, that base-pairs with and inactivates the Qrr1-4 sRNAs, which are known to modulate the QS pathway. Transcription ofqrrXis activated by QrrT, a previously uncharacterized LysR-type transcriptional regulator. Our results indicate that QrrX and QrrT are required for rapid conversion from individual to community behaviours inV. cholerae.
Neural precursor cells tune striatal connectivity through the release of IGFBPL1
Authors: Butti Erica , Cattaneo Stefano , Bacigaluppi Marco , Cambiaghi Marco , Scotti Giulia Maria , Brambilla Elena , Ruffini Francesca , Sferruzza Giacomo , Ripamonti Maddalena , Simeoni Fabio , Cacciaguerra Laura , Zanghì Aurora , Quattrini Angelo , Fesce Riccardo , Panina-Bordignon Paola , Giannese Francesca , Cittaro Davide , Kuhlmann Tanja , D’Adamo Patrizia , Rocca Maria Assunta , Taverna Stefano , Martino Gianvito
Published: December 2022

The adult brain retains over life endogenous neural stem/precursor cells (eNPCs) within the subventricular zone (SVZ). Whether or not these cells exert physiological functions is still unclear. In the present work, we provide evidence that SVZ-eNPCs tune structural, electrophysiological, and behavioural aspects of striatal function via secretion of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-like 1 (IGFBPL1). In mice, selective ablation of SVZ-eNPCs or selective abrogation of IGFBPL1 determined an impairment of striatal medium spiny neuron morphology, a higher failure rate in GABAergic transmission mediated by fast-spiking interneurons, and striatum-related behavioural dysfunctions. We also found IGFBPL1 expression in the human SVZ, foetal and induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived NPCs. Finally, we found a significant correlation between SVZ damage, reduction of striatum volume, and impairment of information processing speed in neurological patients. Our results highlight the physiological role of adult SVZ-eNPCs in supporting cognitive functions by regulating striatal neuronal activity.
Interplay of defect levels and rare earth emission centers in multimode luminescent phosphors
Authors: Zhou Xinquan , Ning Lixin , Qiao Jianwei , Zhao Yifei , Xiong Puxian , Xia Zhiguo
Published: December 2022

Multimode luminescence generally involves tunable photon emissions in response to various excitation or stimuli channels, which demonstrates high coding capacity and confidentiality abilities for anti-counterfeiting and encryption technologies. Integrating multimode luminescence into a single stable material is a promising strategy but remains a challenge. Here, we realize distinct long persistent luminescence, short-lived down/upconversion emissions in NaGdTi2O6:Pr3+, Er3+ phosphor by emloying interplay of defect levels and rare earth emission centers. The materials show intense colorful luminescence statically and dynamically, which responds to a wide spectrum ranging from X-ray to sunlight, thermal disturbance, and mechanical force, further allowing the emission colors manipulable in space and time dimensions. Experimental and theoretical approaches reveal that the Pr3+ ↔ Pr4+ valence change, oxygen vacancies and anti-site TiGd defects in this disordered structure contributes to the multimode luminescence. We present a facile and nondestructive demo whose emission color and fade intensity can be controlled via external manipulation, indicating promise in high-capacity information encryption applications.
Dysregulated thrombospondin 1 and miRNA-29a-3p in severe COVID-19
Authors: Kim In Soo , Lee Sung-Gwon , Shin Seul Gi , Jeong Hyeongseok , Sohn Kyung Mok , Park Ki-Sun , Silwal Prashanta , Cheon Shinhye , Kim Jungok , Kym Sungmin , Kim Yeon-Sook , Jo Eun-Kyeong , Park Chungoo
Published: December 2022

Although nearly a fifth of symptomatic COVID-19 patients suffers from severe pulmonary inflammation, the mechanism of developing severe illness is not yet fully understood. To identify significantly altered genes in severe COVID-19, we generated messenger RNA and micro-RNA profiling data of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from five COVID-19 patients (2 severe and 3 mild patients) and three healthy controls (HC). For further evaluation, two publicly available RNA-Seq datasets (GSE157103 and GSE152418) and one single-cell RNA-Seq dataset (GSE174072) were employed. Based on RNA-Seq datasets, thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) and interleukin-17 receptor A (IL17RA) were significantly upregulated in severe COVID-19 patients’ blood. From single-cell RNA-sequencing data, IL17RA level is increased in monocytes and neutrophils, whereas THBS1 level is mainly increased in the platelets. Moreover, we identified three differentially expressed microRNAs in severe COVID-19 using micro-RNA sequencings. Intriguingly, hsa-miR-29a-3p significantly downregulated in severe COVID-19 was predicted to bind the 3′-untranslated regions of both IL17RA and THBS1 mRNAs. Further validation analysis of our cohort (8 HC, 7 severe and 8 mild patients) showed that THBS1, but not IL17RA, was significantly upregulated, whereas hsa-miR-29a-3p was downregulated, in PBMCs from severe patients. These findings strongly suggest that dysregulated expression of THBS1, IL17RA, and hsa-miR-29a-3p involves severe COVID-19.
Repair of postoperative defects of oral cancer with submental island flaps based on vascular pedicles of different states: a multicenter retrospective study
Authors: Zhao Jiuzhou , Zeng Wen , Li Ke , Huang Jing , Tong Michael C. F. , Deng Lifei , Zhang Xiangmin
Published: December 2022

Submental island flap has certain advantages in repairing postoperative defects of oral cancer, and it can often achieve similar or even better effects compared with those of the free tissue flap. In this study, according to the different characteristics of patients and postoperative defects of oral cancer, submental island flaps with different states of vascular pedicle were prepared, and its repair methods, safety, and clinical effects in treating postoperative defects of oral cancer were investigated. 83 patients with oral cancer who met the inclusion criteria were selected. According to the different characteristics of the patients and postoperative defects of oral cancer, the traditional submental island flap vascular pedicle was modified into three different states: submental artery perforator flap, vascular pedicled flap with the anterior belly of digastric muscle but without the submandibular gland (SIF with anterior belly of DM), and vascular pedicled flap with the anterior belly of the digastric muscle and the submandibular gland (SIF with anterior belly of DM and SG). The types of the submental artery and the drainage vein, flap survival, and complications, were observed. The flap was successfully harvested for all patients, and the submental artery could be found or separated for all of them, with the venous drainage to the internal jugular vein in 57 (57/83, 68.67%), to the external jugular vein in 18 (18/83, 21.69%), and to the anterior jugular vein in eight (8/83, 9.64%) cases. Submental artery perforator flap was used for 11 cases, complete necrosis occurred in two cases (2/11, 18.18%), partial necrosis occurred in one case (1/11, 9.09%); SIF with anterior belly of DM was used for 49 cases, complete necrosis occurred in one case (1/49, 2.04%), partial necrosis occurred in four cases (4/49, 8.16%); SIF with anterior belly of DM and SG was used for 23 cases, including chimeric flap combining the submental island flap and the submandibular gland used for 15 cases, there were no cases of complete or partial necrosis. Submental island flap was effective in repairing postoperative defects of oral cancer. Submental island flaps with three different states of vascular pedicle could repair oral cancer-affected tissues with different defect characteristics.