bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Substrate-engaged type III secretion system structures reveal gating mechanism for unfolded protein translocation
Authors: Miletic Sean , Fahrenkamp Dirk , Goessweiner-Mohr Nikolaus , Wald Jiri , Pantel Maurice , Vesper Oliver , Kotov Vadim , Marlovits Thomas C.
Published: March 2021

Many bacterial pathogens rely on virulent type III secretion systems (T3SSs) or injectisomes to translocate effector proteins in order to establish infection. The central component of the injectisome is the needle complex which assembles a continuous conduit crossing the bacterial envelope and the host cell membrane to mediate effector protein translocation. However, the molecular principles underlying type III secretion remain elusive. Here, we report a structure of an active Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium needle complex engaged with the effector protein SptP in two functional states, revealing the complete 800Å-long secretion conduit and unraveling the critical role of the export apparatus (EA) subcomplex in type III secretion. Unfolded substrates enter the EA through a hydrophilic constriction formed by SpaQ proteins, which enables side chain-independent substrate transport. Above, a methionine gasket formed by SpaP proteins functions as a gate that dilates to accommodate substrates while preventing leaky pore formation. Following gate penetration, a moveable SpaR loop first folds up to then support substrate transport. Together, these findings establish the molecular basis for substrate translocation through T3SSs and improve our understanding of bacterial pathogenicity and motility.
Shallow distance-dependent triplet energy migration mediated by endothermic charge-transfer
Authors: Lai Runchen , Liu Yangyi , Luo Xiao , Chen Lan , Han Yaoyao , Lv Meng , Liang Guijie , Chen Jinquan , Zhang Chunfeng , Di Dawei , Scholes Gregory D. , Castellano Felix N. , Wu Kaifeng
Published: March 2021

Conventional wisdom posits that spin-triplet energy transfer (TET) is only operative over short distances because Dexter-type electronic coupling for TET rapidly decreases with increasing donor acceptor separation. While coherent mechanisms such as super-exchange can enhance the magnitude of electronic coupling, they are equally attenuated with distance. Here, we report endothermic charge-transfer-mediated TET as an alternative mechanism featuring shallow distance-dependence and experimentally demonstrated it using a linked nanocrystal-polyacene donor acceptor pair. Donor-acceptor electronic coupling is quantitatively controlled through wavefunction leakage out of the core/shell semiconductor nanocrystals, while the charge/energy transfer driving force is conserved. Attenuation of the TET rate as a function of shell thickness clearly follows the trend of hole probability density on nanocrystal surfaces rather than the product of electron and hole densities, consistent with endothermic hole-transfer-mediated TET. The shallow distance-dependence afforded by this mechanism enables efficient TET across distances well beyond the nominal range of Dexter or super-exchange paradigms.
Loss of Quaking RNA binding protein disrupts the expression of genes associated with astrocyte maturation in mouse brain
Authors: Sakers Kristina , Liu Yating , Llaci Lorida , Lee Scott M. , Vasek Michael J. , Rieger Michael A. , Brophy Sean , Tycksen Eric , Lewis Renate , Maloney Susan E. , Dougherty Joseph D.
Published: March 2021

Quaking RNA binding protein (QKI) is essential for oligodendrocyte development as myelination requires myelin basic protein mRNA regulation and localization by the cytoplasmic isoforms (e.g., QKI-6). QKI-6 is also highly expressed in astrocytes, which were recently demonstrated to have regulated mRNA localization. Here, we define the targets of QKI in the mouse brain via CLIPseq and we show that QKI-6 binds 3′UTRs of a subset of astrocytic mRNAs. Binding is also enriched near stop codons, mediated partially by QKI-binding motifs (QBMs), yet spreads to adjacent sequences. Using a viral approach for mosaic, astrocyte-specific gene mutation with simultaneous translating RNA sequencing (CRISPR-TRAPseq), we profile ribosome associated mRNA from QKI-null astrocytes in the mouse brain. This demonstrates a role for QKI in stabilizing CLIP-defined direct targets in astrocytes in vivo and further shows that QKI mutation disrupts the transcriptional changes for a discrete subset of genes associated with astrocyte maturation.
High-fidelity single-shot readout of single electron spin in diamond with spin-to-charge conversion
Authors: Zhang Qi , Guo Yuhang , Ji Wentao , Wang Mengqi , Yin Jun , Kong Fei , Lin Yiheng , Yin Chunming , Shi Fazhan , Wang Ya , Du Jiangfeng
Published: March 2021

High fidelity single-shot readout of qubits is a crucial component for fault-tolerant quantum computing and scalable quantum networks. In recent years, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond has risen as a leading platform for the above applications. The current single-shot readout of the NV electron spin relies on resonance fluorescence method at cryogenic temperature. However, the spin-flip process interrupts the optical cycling transition, therefore, limits the readout fidelity. Here, we introduce a spin-to-charge conversion method assisted by near-infrared (NIR) light to suppress the spin-flip error. This method leverages high spin-selectivity of cryogenic resonance excitation and flexibility of photoionization. We achieve an overall fidelity > 95% for the single-shot readout of an NV center electron spin in the presence of high strain and fast spin-flip process. With further improvements, this technique has the potential to achieve spin readout fidelity exceeding the fault-tolerant threshold, and may also find applications on integrated optoelectronic devices.
Crystallization of CsPbBr3 single crystals in water for X-ray detection
Authors: Peng Jiali , Xia Chelsea Q. , Xu Yalun , Li Ruiming , Cui Lihao , Clegg Jack K. , Herz Laura M. , Johnston Michael B. , Lin Qianqian
Published: March 2021

Metal halide perovskites have fascinated the research community over the past decade, and demonstrated unprecedented success in optoelectronics. In particular, perovskite single crystals have emerged as promising candidates for ionization radiation detection, due to the excellent opto-electronic properties. However, most of the reported crystals are grown in organic solvents and require high temperature. In this work, we develop a low-temperature crystallization strategy to grow CsPbBr3 perovskite single crystals in water. Then, we carefully investigate the structure and optoelectronic properties of the crystals obtained, and compare them with CsPbBr3 crystals grown in dimethyl sulfoxide. Interestingly, the water grown crystals exhibit a distinct crystal habit, superior charge transport properties and better stability in air. We also fabricate X-ray detectors based on the CsPbBr3 crystals, and systematically characterize their device performance. The crystals grown in water demonstrate great potential for X-ray imaging with enhanced performance metrics.
Disrupting upstream translation in mRNAs is associated with human disease
Authors: Lee David S. M. , Park Joseph , Kromer Andrew , Baras Aris , Rader Daniel J. , Ritchie Marylyn D. , Ghanem Louis R. , Barash Yoseph
Published: March 2021

Ribosome-profiling has uncovered pervasive translation in non-canonical open reading frames, however the biological significance of this phenomenon remains unclear. Using genetic variation from 71,702 human genomes, we assess patterns of selection in translated upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in 5’UTRs. We show that uORF variants introducing new stop codons, or strengthening existing stop codons, are under strong negative selection comparable to protein-coding missense variants. Using these variants, we map and validate gene-disease associations in two independent biobanks containing exome sequencing from 10,900 and 32,268 individuals, respectively, and elucidate their impact on protein expression in human cells. Our results suggest translation disrupting mechanisms relating uORF variation to reduced protein expression, and demonstrate that translation at uORFs is genetically constrained in 50% of human genes.
Metabolic responses to mild cold acclimation in type 2 diabetes patients
Authors: Remie Carlijn M. E. , Moonen Michiel P. B. , Roumans Kay H. M. , Nascimento Emmani B. M. , Gemmink Anne , Havekes Bas , Schaart Gert , Kornips Esther , Joris Peter J. , Schrauwen-Hinderling Vera B. , Hoeks Joris , Kersten Sander , Hesselink Matthijs K. C. , Phielix Esther , Lichtenbelt Wouter D. van Marken , Schrauwen Patrick
Published: March 2021

Mild cold acclimation for 10 days has been previously shown to markedly improve insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here we show in a single-arm intervention study (Trialregister.nl ID: NL4469/NTR5711) in nine patients with type 2 diabetes that ten days of mild cold acclimation (16–17 °C) in which observable, overt shivering was prevented, does not result in improved insulin sensitivity, postprandial glucose and lipid metabolism or intrahepatic lipid content and only results in mild effects on overnight fasted fat oxidation, postprandial energy expenditure and aortic augmentation index. The lack of marked metabolic effects in this study is associated with a lack of self-reported shivering and a lack of upregulation of gene expression of muscle activation or muscle contraction pathways in skeletal muscle and suggests that some form of muscle contraction is needed for beneficial effects of mild cold acclimation.
Molecular structure retrieval directly from laboratory-frame photoelectron spectra in laser-induced electron diffraction
Authors: Sanchez A. , Amini K. , Wang S.-J. , Steinle T. , Belsa B. , Danek J. , Le A. T. , Liu X. , Moshammer R. , Pfeifer T. , Richter M. , Ullrich J. , Gräfe S. , Lin C. D. , Biegert J.
Published: March 2021

Ubiquitous to most molecular scattering methods is the challenge to retrieve bond distance and angle from the scattering signals since this requires convergence of pattern matching algorithms or fitting methods. This problem is typically exacerbated when imaging larger molecules or for dynamic systems with little a priori knowledge. Here, we employ laser-induced electron diffraction (LIED) which is a powerful means to determine the precise atomic configuration of an isolated gas-phase molecule with picometre spatial and attosecond temporal precision. We introduce a simple molecular retrieval method, which is based only on the identification of critical points in the oscillating molecular interference scattering signal that is extracted directly from the laboratory-frame photoelectron spectrum. The method is compared with a Fourier-based retrieval method, and we show that both methods correctly retrieve the asymmetrically stretched and bent field-dressed configuration of the asymmetric top molecule carbonyl sulfide (OCS), which is confirmed by our quantum-classical calculations.
Near-ideal van der Waals rectifiers based on all-two-dimensional Schottky junctions
Authors: Zhang Xiankun , Liu Baishan , Gao Li , Yu Huihui , Liu Xiaozhi , Du Junli , Xiao Jiankun , Liu Yihe , Gu Lin , Liao Qingliang , Kang Zhuo , Zhang Zheng , Zhang Yue
Published: March 2021

The applications of any two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor devices cannot bypass the control of metal-semiconductor interfaces, which can be severely affected by complex Fermi pinning effects and defect states. Here, we report a near-ideal rectifier in the all-2D Schottky junctions composed of the 2D metal 1 T′-MoTe2 and the semiconducting monolayer MoS2. We show that the van der Waals integration of the two 2D materials can efficiently address the severe Fermi pinning effect generated by conventional metals, leading to increased Schottky barrier height. Furthermore, by healing original atom-vacancies and reducing the intrinsic defect doping in MoS2, the Schottky barrier width can be effectively enlarged by 59%. The 1 T′-MoTe2/healed-MoS2 rectifier exhibits a near-unity ideality factor of ~1.6, a rectifying ratio of >5 × 105, and high external quantum efficiency exceeding 20%. Finally, we generalize the barrier optimization strategy to other Schottky junctions, defining an alternative solution to enhance the performance of 2D-material-based electronic devices.
Lasso-grafting of macrocyclic peptide pharmacophores yields multi-functional proteins
Authors: Mihara Emiko , Watanabe Satoshi , Bashiruddin Nasir K. , Nakamura Nozomi , Matoba Kyoko , Sano Yumi , Maini Rumit , Yin Yizhen , Sakai Katsuya , Arimori Takao , Matsumoto Kunio , Suga Hiroaki , Takagi Junichi
Published: March 2021

Protein engineering has great potential for devising multifunctional recombinant proteins to serve as next-generation protein therapeutics, but it often requires drastic modifications of the parental protein scaffolds e.g., additional domains at the N/C-terminus or replacement of a domain by another. A discovery platform system, called RaPID (Random non-standard Peptides Integrated Discovery) system, has enabled rapid discovery of small de novo macrocyclic peptides that bind a target protein with high binding specificity and affinity. Capitalizing on the optimized binding properties of the RaPID-derived peptides, here we show that RaPID-derived pharmacophore sequences can be readily implanted into surface-exposed loops on recombinant proteins and maintain both the parental peptide binding function(s) and the host protein function. We refer to this protein engineering method as lasso-grafting and demonstrate that it can endow specific binding capacity toward various receptors into a diverse set of scaffolds that includes IgG, serum albumin, and even capsid proteins of adeno-associated virus, enabling us to rapidly formulate and produce bi-, tri-, and even tetra-specific binder molecules.
Datasets of seed mucilage traits for Arabidopsis thaliana natural accessions with atypical outer mucilage
Authors: Cambert Mireille , Berger Adeline , Sallé Christine , Esling Stéphanie , Charif Delphine , Cadoret Tudel , Ralet Marie-Christine , North Helen M. , Rondeau-Mouro Corinne
Published: March 2021

The seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana become encapsulated by a layer of mucilage when imbibed. This polysaccharide-rich hydrogel is constituted of two layers, an outer layer that can be easily extracted with water and an inner layer that must be examined in situ in order to study its properties and structure in a non-destructive manner or disintegrated through hydrolysis or physical means in order to analyze its constituents. Mucilage production is an adaptive trait and we have exploited 19 natural accessions previously found to have atypical and varied outer mucilage characteristics. A detailed study using biochemical, histological and Time-Domain NMR analyses has been used to generate three related datasets covering 33 traits measured in four biological replicates. This data will be a rich resource for genetic, biochemical, structural and functional analyses investigating mucilage constituent polysaccharides or their role as adaptive traits.
Publisher Correction: Parkinson’s disease prognostic scores for progression of cognitive decline
Authors: Gramotnev Galina , Gramotnev Dmitri K. , Gramotnev Alexandra
Published: March 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Exchange-bias and magnetic anisotropy fields in core–shell ferrite nanoparticles
Authors: Silva F. G. , Depeyrot J. , Raikher Yu. L. , Stepanov V. I. , Poperechny I. S. , Aquino R. , Ballon G. , Geshev J. , Dubois E. , Perzynski R.
Published: March 2021

Exchange bias properties of MnFe$$_2$$

2

O$$_4$$

4

@$$\gamma$$
γ
–Fe$$_2$$

2

O$$_3$$

3

core–shell nanoparticles are investigated. The measured field and temperature dependencies of the magnetization point out a well-ordered ferrimagnetic core surrounded by a layer with spin glass-like arrangement. Quasi-static SQUID magnetization measurements are presented along with high-amplitude pulse ones and are cross-analyzed by comparison against ferromagnetic resonance experiments at 9 GHz. These measurements allow one to discern three types of magnetic anisotropies affecting the dynamics of the magnetic moment of the well-ordered ferrimagnetic NP’s core viz. the easy-axis (uniaxial) anisotropy, the unidirectional exchange-bias anisotropy and the rotatable anisotropy. The uniaxial anisotropy originates from the structural core–shell interface. The unidirectional exchange-bias anisotropy is associated with the spin-coupling at the ferrimagnetic/spin glass-like interface; it is observable only at low temperatures after a field-cooling process. The rotatable anisotropy is caused by partially-pinned spins at the core/shell interface; it manifests itself as an intrinsic field always parallel to the external applied magnetic field. The whole set of experimental results is interpreted in the framework of superparamagnetic theory, i.e., essentially taking into account the effect of thermal fluctuations on the magnetic moment of the particle core. In particular, it is found that the rotatable anisotropy of our system is of a uniaxial type.
ROCK inhibitors enhance the production of large lipid-enriched 3D organoids of 3T3-L1 cells
Authors: Ida Yosuke , Hikage Fumihito , Ohguro Hiroshi
Published: March 2021

Since the recent discovery of prostaglandin-associated peri-orbitopathy, a great deal of interest has developed concerning the side effects of anti-glaucoma medications toward periocular fatty tissue, especially their adipogenesis. Two- or three-dimension (2D or 3D) cultures of the 3T3-L1 cells were employed to elucidate the effects of the Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase inhibitor (ROCK-i) the anti-glaucoma drug, Ripasudil, and other ROCK-i, such as Y27632 on adipogenesis. Ultrastructure by electron microscopy and physical stiffness measurements by a micro-squeezer demonstrated the 3D organoids had essentially matured during the 7-day culture. The effects of ROCK-i on 3D organoid sizes, lipid staining, the mRNA expression of adipogenesis related genes, Pparγ, Cebpa and Leptin, and extracellular matrix (ECM) including collagen (COL) 1, 4 and 6, and fibronectin, and physical stiffness were then conducted. Upon adipogenesis, the sizes, lipid staining and mRNA expressions of adipogenesis related genes, Col 4 and Col 6 were dramatically increased, and were further enhanced by ROCK-i. Micro-squeezer analysis demonstrated that adipogenesis resulted in a marked less stiffed 3D organoid and this was further enhanced by ROCK-i. Our present study indicates that ROCK-i significantly enhanced the production of large lipid-enriched 3T3-L1 3D organoids.
Effects of work organization on the occurrence and resolution of sleep disturbances among night shift workers: a longitudinal observational study
Authors: Lee Seungho , Park Jae Bum , Lee Kyung-Jong , Ham Seunghon , Jeong Inchul
Published: March 2021

This study aimed to investigate the association between work organization and the trajectories of insomnia patterns among night shift workers in a hospital. The health examination data of hospital workers, recorded from January 2014 to December 2018, were collected; 6765 records of 2615 night shift workers were included. Insomnia was defined as a score of ≥ 15 on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Participants were categorized into five groups according to insomnia patterns derived from the analysis of their ISI scores. Work organization and socio-demographic characteristics were also investigated. Generalized estimating equation models and linear mixed models were constructed to analyze the longitudinal data. Of the total participants, 53.0% reported insomnia at least once during the follow-up period. The lack of nap opportunities and work-time control was associated with the occurrence of insomnia, whereas more than 5 years of shift work experience was related to the resolution of insomnia. All work-related factors were significantly related to insomnia risk; however, the effects were not significant in the sustained insomnia group. Although sleep problems are inevitable in night shift workers, well-designed work schedules and better work organization can help reduce the occurrence of insomnia among them.
Experimental evaluation of bamboo fiber/particulate coconut shell hybrid PVC composite
Authors: Adediran Adeolu A. , Akinwande Abayomi A. , Balogun Oluwatosin A. , Olasoju O. S. , Adesina Olanrewaju S.
Published: March 2021

Bamboo fibers (BF) treated in 1.3 Molar NaOH and particulate coconut shell (PCS) sieved to − 45 µm were incorporated into polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix towards improving the properties of PVC composite for ceiling boards and insulating pipes which sags and degrade with time needing improvement in properties. The process was carried out via compression moulding applying 0.2 kPa pressure and carried out at a temperature of 170 °C. Composites developed were grouped according to their composition. Groups A, B, C, and D were infused with 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt% PCS at constant amount, respectively. Each group was intermixed with a varying proportions of BF (0–30 wt% at 5% interval). Tests carried out on the samples produced revealed that the yield strength, modulus of elasticity, flexural strength, modulus of rupture were enhanced with increasing BF proportion from 0 to 30 wt% BF at 2 wt% constant PCS input. Thermal and electrical properties trended downward as the fiber content reduced even as the hardness was enhanced with PCS/BF intermix which was also reflected in the wear loss index. Impact strength was highest on the infix of 4 wt% PCS and 15 wt% BF. Compressive strength was better boasted with increasing fiber and PCS amount but 8 wt% PCS amounted to depreciation in trend. It was generally observed that PCS performed optimally at 2 wt% incorporation while beyond that resulted in lowering of strength. Blending of the two variable inputs; 0–30 wt% BF and 2 wt% PCS presented better enhancement in properties.
Deformable airfoil using hybrid of mixed integration electrolysis and fluids chemical reaction (HEFR) artificial muscle technique
Authors: Zakeri Ramin , Zakeri Reza
Published: March 2021

In this research, by inspiration of natural myosin motion in artificial muscle contraction, a new method for changing the thickness of an airfoil has been proposed by hybrid of mixed integration electrolysis module and chemical reaction (HEFR) of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 (s)) and acetic acid (CH3COOH (l)). The mentioned method has the ability to create pressure in the fluid in a short time and fast transfer without delay due to the integration of the method in the fluid transfer tube to soft sealed skin. With soft sealed skin swelling and movement of solid skeletal structure, the force is transmitted to the desired mechanism. First, for a single of soft skin and solid structure, remarkable displacement over time in the various loading condition (by the inflation tester) has been investigated. It is shown that the proposed mechanism is capable of moving 246 g during 3 s with total mechanism weight of 10 g. In the following, the mechanism is developed into a symmetrical rhombus (set of soft skin-solid structure) with the ability to contract and expand to provide variable airfoil thickness. The proposed mechanism has the ability to move in the horizontal and vertical axis (expansion and contraction) in lower than 5 s by applying the HEFR technique. Such a mechanism is mounted on a symmetrical airfoil and has the ability to change the airfoil thickness with the appropriate response time. The proposed mechanism can be used in various industrial applications such as robotics.
Physical properties and water absorption kinetics of three varieties of Mucuna beans
Authors: Oyedeji Ajibola B. , Sobukola Olajide P. , Green Ezekiel , Adebo Oluwafemi A.
Published: March 2021

The physical properties and water absorption kinetics of three varieties of Mucuna beans (Mucuna pruriens, Mucuna rajada and Mucuna veracruz) were determined in this study. Physical properties including length, width, thickness, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, porosity, bulk density, area, volume and one thousand seed mass were calculated while hydration kinetics was studied by soaking Mucuna beans in water at 30 °C, 40 °C and 50 °C and measuring water uptake at 9 h interval. Peleg’s equation was used to model the hydration characteristics and Arrhenius equation was used to describe the effect of temperature on Peleg’s rate constant k1 and to obtain the activation energies for soaking. Significant variations were observed in almost all the physical properties of the different varieties, however, there were no significant differences (p < 0.05) in their thicknesses and bulk densities. The effectiveness of fit of Peleg’s model (R2) increased with increase in soaking temperature. Peleg’s rate constant k1 decreased with increase in soaking temperature while k2 increased with temperature increase. Activation energies of Mucuna pruriens, Mucuna rajada and Mucuna veracruz were 1613.24 kJ/mol, 747.95 kJ/mol and 2743.64 kJ/mol, respectively. This study provides useful information about the properties of three varieties of Mucuna beans that could be of importance to processors and engineers for process design and optimization.
Publisher Correction: Dated phylogeny suggests early Neolithic origin of Sino-Tibetan languages
Authors: Zhang Hanzhi , Ji Ting , Pagel Mark , Mace Ruth
Published: March 2021

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Retraction Note: Synthesis and characterization of trimeric phosphazene based ionic liquids with tetrafluoroborate anions and their thermal investigations
Authors: Karadağ Ahmet , Akbaş Hüseyin , Destegül Ali , Çakırlar Çiğdem , Yerli Yusuf , Kılıç Zeynel , Sen Fatih
Published: March 2021

Editor's Note: this Article has been retracted; the Retraction Note is available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85542-6.
Non-responder phenotype reveals apparent microbiome-wide antibiotic tolerance in the murine gut
Authors: Diener Christian , Hoge Anna C. H. , Kearney Sean M. , Kusebauch Ulrike , Patwardhan Sushmita , Moritz Robert L. , Erdman Susan E. , Gibbons Sean M.
Published: March 2021

Broad spectrum antibiotics cause both transient and lasting damage to the ecology of the gut microbiome. Antibiotic-induced loss of gut bacterial diversity has been linked to susceptibility to enteric infections. Prior work on subtherapeutic antibiotic treatment in humans and non-human animals has suggested that entire gut communities may exhibit tolerance phenotypes. In this study, we validate the existence of these community tolerance phenotypes in the murine gut and explore how antibiotic treatment duration or a diet enriched in antimicrobial phytochemicals might influence the frequency of this phenotype. Almost a third of mice exhibited whole-community tolerance to a high dose of theβ-lactam antibiotic cefoperazone, independent of antibiotic treatment duration or dietary phytochemical amendment. We observed few compositional differences between non-responder microbiota during antibiotic treatment and the untreated control microbiota. However, gene expression was vastly different between non-responder microbiota and controls during treatment, with non-responder communities showing an upregulation of antimicrobial tolerance genes, like efflux transporters, and a down-regulation of central metabolism. Future work should focus on what specific host- or microbiome-associated factors are responsible for tipping communities between responder and non-responder phenotypes so that we might learn to harness this phenomenon to protect our microbiota from routine antibiotic treatment.
Method for extraction of nanoscale plastic debris from soil
Authors: Abdolahpur Monikh Fazel , Doornhein Nikki , Romeijn Stefan , Vijver Martina G. , Peijnenburg Willie J. G. M.
Published: March 2021

Sample preparation for nanoscale plastic debris extraction from soil using europium doped polystyrene nanoscale particles (Eu-Ps NP).
AgBi(SO4)(IO3)2: aliovalent substitution induces structure dimensional upgrade and second harmonic generation enhancement
Authors: Liu Hongming , Wu Qingchen , Liu Lili , Lin Zheshuai , Halasyamani P. Shiv , Chen Xingguo , Qin Jingui
Published: March 2021

AgBi(SO4)(IO3)2, a Bi-containing 3D sulfate iodate with a similar favorable nonlinear optical framework and enhanced SHG effect, was designed from a 2D iodate by [SO4]2− replacing [IO3]−.
Controlling radiolysis chemistry on the nanoscale in liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Lee Juhan , Nicholls Daniel , Browning Nigel D. , Mehdi B. Layla
Published: March 2021

When high-energy electrons from scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) are interacting with the liquid, the vast majority of the chemical reactions that are observed are induced by the radiolysis breakdown of the liquid molecules.
Hesperetin ameliorates hepatic oxidative stress and inflammationviathe PI3K/AKT-Nrf2-ARE pathway in oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells and a rat model of high-fat diet-induced NAFLD
Authors: Li Jingda , Wang Tianqi , Liu Panpan , Yang Fuyuan , Wang Xudong , Zheng Weilong , Sun Wenlong
Published: March 2021

Hesperetin as a major bioflavonoid in citrus fruits improves NAFLD by suppressing hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation.
Protective effects of a unique combination of nutritionally active ingredients on risk factors and gene expression associated with atherosclerosis in C57BL/6J mice fed a high fat diet
Authors: Moss Joe W. E. , Williams Jessica O. , Al-Ahmadi Wijdan , O'Morain Victoria , Chan Yee-Hung , Hughes Timothy R. , Menendez-Gonzalez Juan B. , Almotiri Alhomidi , Plummer Sue F. , Rodrigues Neil P. , Michael Daryn R. , Ramji Dipak P.
Published: March 2021

A combination of nutritionally active ingredients containing omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, flavanols and phytosterols produce many beneficial effects on atherosclerosis-associated risk factors and gene expression in mice fed a high fat diet.
Understanding nano-engineered particle–cell interactions: biological insights from mathematical models
Authors: Johnston Stuart T. , Faria Matthew , Crampin Edmund J.
Published: March 2021

We review mathematical models and experimental reporting standards for quantification of interactions between nano-engineered particles and biological systems.
Revisiting lignin: a tour through its structural features, characterization methods and applications
Authors: Melro Elodie , Filipe Alexandra , Sousa Dora , Medronho Bruno , Romano Anabela
Published: March 2021

A pedagogical overview of the main extraction procedures and structural features, characterization methods and state-of-the-art applications.
An optic-fiber graphene field effect transistor biosensor for the detection of single-stranded DNA
Authors: Zhang Yanan , Ding Yue , Li Can , Xu Huaqiang , Liu Chunxiang , Wang Jingjing , Ma Yong , Ren Junfeng , Zhao Yuefeng , Yue Weiwei
Published: March 2021

Herein, a graphene field effect transistor (GFET) was constructed on an optical fiber end face to develop an integrated optical/electrical double read-out biosensor, which was used to detect target single-stranded DNA (tDNA).
A portable signal-on self-powered aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of sulfadimethoxine based on dual amplification of a capacitor and biphotoelectrodes
Authors: Chen Yingxu , Gao Jie , Yao Xiaoling , Yan Kai , Zhang Jingdong
Published: March 2021

A portable self-powered sensor is constructed for on-site detection of sulfadimethoxine with high sensitivity improved by biphotoelectrodes and a capacitor.
Covalent and non-covalent binding free energy calculations for peptidomimetic inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease
Authors: Awoonor-Williams Ernest , Abu-Saleh Abd Al-Aziz A.
Published: March 2021

This work employs rigorous absolute binding free energy calculations and QM/MM methods to calculate the total binding energy of two recently crystallized peptidomimetic covalent inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Mprotarget.
A SERS-active capillary for direct molecular trace detection in liquids
Authors: Sun Zhoutao , Kang Chen , Fang Xiaohui , Liu Hongmei , Guo Jinxin , Zhang Xinping
Published: March 2021

Direct molecular trace SERS detection in liquids was performed simply using a capillary without pre-functionalization. Grazing incidence and multimode interference ensure excitation and accumulation of the longitudinal Raman signal.
Thermal conductivity of individual Si and SiGe epitaxially integrated NWs by scanning thermal microscopy
Authors: Sojo Gordillo Jose Manuel , Gadea Diez Gerard , Pacios Pujadó Mercè , Salleras Marc , Estrada-Wiese Denise , Dolcet Marc , Fonseca Luis , Morata Alex , Tarancón Albert
Published: March 2021

Thermal conductivity measurement of integrated high aspect ratio nanostructures has been demonstrated using spatially-resolved scanning thermal microscopy. Thermal conductivities of integrated individual Si and SiGe nanowires were measured.
Construction of ring-based architectures via ring-expansion cationic polymerization and post-polymerization modification: design of cyclic initiators from divinyl ether and dicarboxylic acid
Authors: Kusuyama Naoyuki , Daito Yuji , Kubota Hiroyuki , Kametani Yuki , Ouchi Makoto
Published: March 2021

Topologically unique polymers such as tadpole and figure-eight polymers were synthesized via ring-expansion cationic polymerization (RECP) of vinyl ether with a functionalized cyclic initiator, followed by post-polymerization modification (PPM) reactions.
Surface-control enhanced crater-like electrode in a gelatin/polyvinyl alcohol/carbon composite for biodegradable multi-modal sensing systems with human-affinity
Authors: Sun Jingzhe , Ahn Dahye , Kim Junseo , Ahn Seongcheol , Hwang Jum Soo , Kwon Joo Youl , Lee Jae Soo , Oh Jung Moon , Nam Kiyoung , Park Jong-Jin
Published: March 2021

The pore formation mechanism and variation of pore size in gelatin–PVA–carbon system was studied. As pore size changes, different conductivity, strain and air/light transmittance can meet the needs of human-affinity and biodegradable applications.
Correction: Synergistic effects of magnetic drug targeting using a newly developed nanocapsule and tumor irradiation by ultrasound on CT26 tumors in BALB/c mice
Authors: Shakeri-Zadeh Ali , Khoee Sepideh , Shiran Mohammad-Bagher , Sharifi Ali Mohammad , Khoei Samideh
Published: March 2021

Correction for ‘Synergistic effects of magnetic drug targeting using a newly developed nanocapsule and tumor irradiation by ultrasound on CT26 tumors in BALB/c mice’ by Ali Shakeri-Zadeh et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015, 3, 1879–1887, DOI: 10.1039/C4TB01708K.
Aligned packaging of in situ grown CsPbBr3 nanorods within polystyrene nanofibers for enhanced polarized luminescence properties
Authors: Fu Hui , Hou Huilin , Fang Zhi , Chen Chaoyi , Yang Weiyou , Li Junqi , Zheng Jinju
Published: March 2021

We report a strategy for aligned packaging of in situ grown CsPbBr3 nanorods within polystyrene nanofibers for enhanced polarized luminescence properties, whose polarization ratio is 2.6 times that of the conventional counterpart.
Magnetism of elemental two-dimensional metals
Authors: Ren Yinti , Hu Liang , Shao Yangfan , Hu Yijian , Huang Li , Shi Xingqiang
Published: March 2021

The magnetic properties of 45 2D metals are explored using first-principles calculations. Of the 45 2D metals, 18 are found to be magnetic due to a coordination number decrease and the energy band narrowing of the out-of-plane d orbitals.
An improved path splitting strategy on successive cancellation list decoder for polar codes
Authors: Peng Yunlong , Bao Jingyun , Liu Xingcheng
Published: March 2021

The performance of the cyclic redundancy check aided successive cancellation list (CA‐SCL) decoder for polar codes exceeds that of the Turbo codes and the Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes adopted in the World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) proposal. However, CA‐SCL decoder has a high computational complexity, resulting in a long time delay and high memory complexity. In order to alleviate this problem, an improved path splitting strategy on successive cancellation list (IPSS‐SCL) decoder was proposed, which can significantly reduce the average list size. The influence of splitting on CA‐SCL decoder was analysed at first and a new selective splitting criterion using the Gaussian approximation method was proposed according to the analysis. In addition, a path contraction mechanism based on the location estimation of the correct path was proposed to further reduce the average number of unnecessary candidate paths. Compared with existing path splitting strategies, simulation results show that the proposed IPSS‐SCL decoding algorithm can reduce the average computational complexity significantly over the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with almost no performance loss.
Optimized localization of sensor nodes in 3D WSNs using modified learning enthusiasm‐based teaching learning based optimization algorithm
Authors: Singh Prabhjot , Mittal Nitin
Published: March 2021

Localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is used to determine the coordinates of the sensor nodes deployed in the sensing field. It is the process that determines the location of the target nodes relative to the location of deployed anchor nodes. These anchor nodes are deployed at known locations having GPS installed in them. However, mostly in all 3D applications, the area under observation may have a complexity in the sensing environment. In this work, a modified learning enthusiasm‐based teaching learning based optimization algorithm (LebTLBO) is proposed to deal with the 3D localization problem using single anchor and moving target nodes in anisotropic network with DOI 0.01. LebTLBO is a metaheuristic inspired by the classroom teaching and learning method of teaching learning based optimization algorithm. An improved LebTLBO algorithm aims to achieve enhanced performance by balancing the exploration and exploitation capabilities of conventional LebTLBO to improve its global performance. On the CEC2019 benchmark functions, the suggested technique is assessed, and computational findings show that it provides promising outcomes over other competitive algorithms. Also, mLebTLBO outperforms well in terms of localization error in 3D environment. The proposed technique is useful to cope up in case of rescue operations.
Application of the mixed effects model for analysing photovoltaic datasets and interpreting into meaningful insights
Authors: Le Ngoc Thien , Asdornwised Widhyakorn , Chaitusaney Surachai , Benjapolakul Watit
Published: March 2021

Energy power studies commonly apply the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method in data analysis context to find the significant difference among many compared groups or to evaluate the impact of an influential factor. However, most of the datasets in these studies are time series data or longitudinal data, which are collected from the same object over some periods. Therefore, violating the independent assumption of ANOVA is the error commonly made. This leads to the misinterpretation of the comparison tests. In this article, this problem is solved by providing the application of mixed effects model (MEM) as a viable alternative to the ANOVA. In detail, two models based on MEM are proposed to analyse the time series data of micro‐inverter PV stations located in Concord city, Massachusetts, USA. In the first scenario, the average models are implemented to compare the seasonal variation of monthly yield taking into account the effects of shading conditions and different orientations. In the second scenario, the linear regression model based on MEM is implemented to estimate and compare the decline rate in a 6‐year period of PV stations. The analysis results have shown that the models based on MEM performs better than ANOVA in interpreting raw time‐series dataset into meaningful insights.
Generative adversarial image super‐resolution network for multiple degradations
Authors: Lin Hong , Fan Jing , Zhang Yangyi , Peng Dewei
Published: March 2021

The existing single image super‐resolution methods based on deep learning cannot handle multiple degradations well, and the generated image tends to be blurred and over‐smoothed due to poor generalisation ability. In this study, the authors propose a method based on a generative adversarial network (GAN) to deal with multiple degradations. In the generator network, blur kernel and noise level are used as input through dimensionality stretching strategy preprocessing to make full use of prior knowledge. In addition, three discriminators with different scales are used in the discriminator network to pay attention to the reconstruction of image details while focusing on the global consistency of the image. For the problems of vanishing gradient and mode collapse existing in GAN‐based methods, a gradient penalty term is added in the loss function. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed method not only can handle multiple degradations to obtain state‐of‐the‐art performance, but also deliver visually credible results in real scenes.
Fast and robust superpixel generation method
Authors: Zhang Yongxia , Guo Qiang , Zhang Yongsheng , Zhang Caiming
Published: March 2021

Superpixel segmentation approach, as a preprocessing step in computer vision tasks, groups pixels into perceptually coherence atomic regions to replace the pixel grid in images and reduce the primitives and redundancy of subsequent works. In this study, the authors proposed a fast and robust superpixel generation method based on non‐iterative framework with the constraint of linear path. They collected neighbouring pixels as the initial superpixels one by one in the conventional order at first. To make the superpixels attach to the most object boundaries well and robust to noise, they defined a new distance measurement between pixels and superpixel seeds by considering the colour difference of pixels in the neighbourhood and along the linear path from the pixel to the seed. Meanwhile, they proposed a new way to set parameters adaptively based on the intrinsic quality of images. Then, they refined the initial superpixels by merging the smallest ones until the number of superpixel meets the expectation. The experimental results on clean and noisy images demonstrate that the proposed method is effective and presents a competitive performance in computational efficiency with the state‐of‐the‐art real‐time method.
Enhancing topic clustering for Arabic security news based on k‐means and topic modelling
Authors: Alharbi Adel R. , Hijji Mohammad , Aljaedi Amer
Published: March 2021

The internet has become one of the main sources of news spread as it unleashed the information dissemination space, where the news websites express opinions on entities while also reporting on recent or unusual security risks. Recently, many research studies have focused on sentimental reflection on the views and impressions of people utilising natural language processing and analytical linguistics. Therefore, we have collected corpus from popular Arabic websites that publish articles related to recent security issues, and we provide light weight preprocessing techniques where data is term matrix is transformed. We also present an intensive lexical‐driven data analysis with visualised data views, as our topic modelling technique can effectively extract significant topics from all the collected text from different websites. Our experiments validate the k‐means clustering algorithm with and without the latent Dirichlet allocation topic modelling method, and we adopted various validation techniques to measure the topic clustering internally and externally. As shown in the experiments' results, our proposed combined method has a high round index rate of 87.2%, with a large number of topics and clusters.
The impact of polarization‐maintaining and multimode fibre lengths on strain and temperature sensitivities of single‐mode–multimode–polarization‐maintaining–multimode–single‐mode‐based fibre optic sensors
Authors: Wei Jinpeng , Wu Tianyin , Zhang Fan , Shao Laipeng , Lu Hanglin , Hu Junhui
Published: March 2021

A fibre loop mirror sensor is proposed and demonstrated for strain and temperature measurements in experiment. In these schemes, fibre loop mirrors are constructed with single‐mode‐multimode‐polarization‐maintaining‐multimode‐single‐mode optical fibre (SMPMS) structures. The strain and temperature characteristics of the sensor, depending on the lengths of multimode fibre (MMF) and polarization‐maintaining fibre (PMF), are studied in the experiment. The results indicate that PMF and MMF lengths have less impact on strain sensitivity but a remarkable impact on temperature sensitivity, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis. The best strain and temperature sensitivities of an SMPMS structure sensor can reach up to 39.0 pm/με and 2.366 nm/°C, respectively. The sensors have the merits of easy fabrication, cost‐efficiency and high temperature sensitivity and are quite suitable for fields requiring high‐precision measurement.
Application of rotating coupling time‐step finite element method in synchronous generators’ internal faults simulation
Authors: Xiao Shiyong , Ge Baojun , Liu Zhihui , Tao Dajun
Published: March 2021

A precise simulation of the internal faults of synchronous generators is very important for designing the main protection scheme; therefore, it is necessary to propose an accurate model. The time‐step finite element method is quite qualified for analysing problems related to the transient electromagnetic field, including the internal faults of synchronous generators. This paper presents a new time‐step method, which employs a rotation coupling technique to handle rotor motion. By using this technique, the rotor remains stationary during the process of the simulation, and the motion problem becomes simple and can be conveniently implemented with a programming process. Simulation and experimental results for the internal faults of an experimental machine are compared to verify the accuracy of the rotation coupling time‐step method. Moreover, a 300 MW salient pole synchronous generator is used as an example, and the transient process of this generator during internal faults is simulated. The air gap flux density, fault currents, damper windings eddy current losses, and core dynamic electromagnetic force are investigated in detail to reveal the fault characteristics more clearly and provide a basis for designing protection schemes.
Experimental evaluation of an energy storage system for medium voltage distribution grids enabling solid‐state substation functionality
Authors: Klumpner Christian , Rashed Mohamed , De Dipankar , Patel Chintan , Asher Greg
Published: March 2021

“Smart grids” is a new concept of managing the power transfer in modern grids that will rely not only on the on‐line processing of a variety of consumption and generation power data but will also need new hardware to facilitate a flexible and efficient conversion and storage of electrical power to maintain grid stability under fast changing operating conditions. This paper presents the results of the experimental evaluation of a 1.5MJ/25kW energy storage system connected directly to a medium voltage grid to provide fast and flexible grid control capabilities. The demonstrator consists of a supercapacitor stack connected to a low‐voltage DC bus via interleaved converters whilst connection to the medium voltage grid is done either via a low voltage inverter and step‐up 50Hz transformer or via a cascaded modular multilevel converter fed by dual active bridge converters isolated by medium frequency transformers. The experimental features demonstrated are fast power peak levelling, reactive current injection, grid fault ride through whilst maintaining a high round trip efficiency over a wide power range. The concept on which the demonstrator was designed facilitated the implementation of the solid‐state substation with integrated energy storage concept that can further increase flexibility and reliability of future grids.