bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure-dependent spin-polarized electron transport in twin-crystal Cu1−xEuxO semiconductors
Authors: Zhang Kewei , Chen Xi , Chuai Mingyan , Zhang Mingzhe
Published: March 2024

The twin crystal structure and Eu atom doping are regarded as the main factors affecting the p-type to n-type transition, the magnetic properties, and the anomalous Hall effect of the twin Cu1−xEuxO structure.
Deep learning-enhanced characterization of bubble dynamics in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers
Authors: Colliard-Granero André , Gompou Keusra A. , Rodenbücher Christian , Malek Kourosh , Eikerling Michael H. , Eslamibidgoli Mohammad J.
Published: March 2024

This study presents a deep learning framework for automated, high-throughput analysis of bubble dynamics in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers, enhancing imaging analysis efficiency.
Highly coordinative molecular cobalt–phthalocyanine electrocatalyst on an oxidized single-walled carbon nanotube for efficient hydrogen peroxide production
Authors: Li Yaoxin , Cheng Haoying , Wang Meilin , Xu Jiaoxing , Guan Lunhui
Published: March 2024

A supramolecular catalyst of cobalt–phthalocyanine on oxidized SWCNT demonstrated a high-level turnover frequency (25.3 ± 0.5 s−1) in H2O2 electrosynthesis, benefiting from the highly coordinative Co–N4O2 atomic structure for electronic optimization.
Achieving ultrahigh uranium/vanadium selectivity of poly(amidoxime) via coupling MXene-enabled strong intermolecular interaction and separated photothermal interface
Authors: Ye Hao , Wu Ming-Bang , Ye Qi-Hui , Wen Rou-Ming , Hu Zhang-Ting , Yao Juming , Zhang Chao
Published: March 2024

Photothermal PAO/MXene nanocomposites are elaborated by manipulating MXene and PAO with preferential molecular configuration and photothermal interface, exhibiting over a 4-fold improvement in uranium/vanadium selectivity.
Improved N2 photo-fixation performance of nanocrystalline TiO2 films by photon localization effects and Fe doping
Authors: Xu Ying-Min , Chen Sheng , Chen Sheng-Li , Wang Ai-Jun
Published: March 2024

The development of clean and sustainable nitrogen-fixing methods has always attracted significant attention for decades.
Development of an electrochemical sensor based on a barium-doped copper oxide anchored carbon black modified glassy carbon electrode for the detection of Metol
Authors: Mariappan Kiruthika , Packiaraj Don Disouza Francis , Chen Tse-Wei , Chen Shen-Ming , Sakthinathan Subramanian , Alagarsamy Saran Vignesh , Al-Mohaimeed Amal M. , Al-onazi Wedad A. , Elshikh Mohamed S , Chiu Te-Wei
Published: March 2024

Barium-doped copper oxide (Ba–CuO) incorporated with carbon black (CB) to form Ba–CuO@CB composite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) used for the detection of Metol (MTL).
Palladium-catalyzed alkyne insertion and rearrangement reaction to synthesize oxindoles from o-iodonitroheteroarenes and alkynes
Authors: Qi Zhenjie , Jia Weijie , Chen Yang , Wang Jingbo , Zhao Yafeng , Wang Zhiqi , Huang Lin , Ji Baojing , Liu Shuai , Jiang Dongfang
Published: March 2024

A novel tandem reaction involving Pd(ii)-catalyzed ortho-C–I bond functionalization, O-atom transfer, [1,2]-aryl shift and deoxygenation of o-iodonitroheteroarenes with alkynes for the synthesis of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles is described.
Constructing an inorganic-rich solid electrolyte interphase by adjusting electrolyte additives for stable Li metal anodes
Authors: Li Minghui , Chen Cai , Luo Hongze , Xu Qingshuai , Yan Keyou , Qiu Yongcai , Zhou Guangmin
Published: March 2024

The SEI formation mechanism in the absence/presence of LiDFP and LiNO3 additives.
Exploring Ir-doped NiFe-LDH nanosheets via a pulsed laser for oxygen evolution kinetics: in situ Raman and DFT insights
Authors: Jung Sieon , Senthil Raja Arumugam , Min Ahreum , Kumar Anuj , Moon Cheol Joo , Jeong Gyeong Hwa , Kim Tae Wu , Choi Myong Yong
Published: March 2024

Herein, we present Ir-doped NiFe-LDH nanosheets synthesized via a pulsed laser irradiation strategy, showing superior electrocatalytic OER kinetics. We investigate the origin of activity in NiFeIr-LDH through in situ/operando Raman and DFT studies.
Pressure-induced superconductivity in van der Waals layered semiconductor SnPSe3
Authors: Qi Mengyao , Chen Weifang , Huang Yanping , Song Hao , Lv Xindeng , Wu Ming , Zhao Wendi , Zhang Lili , Cui Tian
Published: March 2024

The superconductivity related to structural phase transition emerges in van der Waals layered semiconductor SnPSe3 under pressure, which provides an effective way to explore novel superconductors.
Carboxylate trapping engineering to fabricate monodispersed dual-atom iron sites for efficient oxygen reduction
Authors: Chu Hailiang , Wu Yilong , Qiu Shujun , Shao Chunfeng , Xia Yongpeng , Zou Yongjin , Li Baitao , Dai Kai , Sun Lixian
Published: March 2024

Atomically dispersed catalysts with dense accessible Fe–Fe binary active sites supported on hierarchically ordered porous N-doped carbon are prepared via a general carboxylate-assisted strategy and they display drastically enhanced ORR activity.
Te doped 1T/2H-MoSe2 nanosheets with rich defects as advanced anode materials for high-rate sodium ion half/full batteries
Authors: Li Zhiqi , Yan Jiawen , Li Qiming , Xu Ao , Sun Jianchao , Wang Yijing , Zhang Xiaoyu , Sun Xueqin , Jiang Fuyi , Zhou Yanli
Published: March 2024

MoSe2 with a two-dimensional layer-like structure has been considered a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) on account of its high capacity and rich reserves on Earth.
BN-Benzo[b]fluoranthenes: facile synthesis, characterization, and optoelectronic properties
Authors: Wang Yuyi , Liu Siqi , Yang Peng , Shi Tao , Fan Jiawei , Zhou Guijiang , Su Bochao
Published: March 2024

A series of BN-benzo[b]fluoranthenes have been synthesized through straightforward N-directed borylative cyclization.
Introduction to emerging materials for solar energy harvesting
Authors: Tan Joel M. R. , Osterloh Frank E. , Wong Lydia
Published: March 2024

Guest Editors Joel M. R. Tan, Frank E. Osterloh, and Lydia Wong introduce this Journal of Materials Chemistry A themed collection on emerging materials for solar energy harvesting.
Planets similar in size are often dissimilar in interior
Authors: Mamonova E. , Shan Y. , Hatalova P. , Werner S. C.
Published: March 2024

The number of discovered exoplanets now exceeds 5500 allowing statistical analyses of planetary systems. Multi-planet systems are mini-laboratories of planet formation and evolution, and analysing their system architectures can help us to constrain the physics of these processes. Recent works have found evidence of significant intrasystem uniformity in planet properties such as radius, mass, and orbital spacing, collectively termed ‘peas in a pod’ trends. In particular, correlations in radius and mass have been interpreted as implying uniformity in planet bulk density and composition within a system. However, the samples used to assess trends in mass tend to be small and biased. In this paper, we re-evaluate correlations in planet properties in a large sample of systems with at least two planets for which mass and radius have been directly measured, and therefore bulk density can be calculated. Our sample was assembled using the most up-to-date exoplanet catalogue data, and we compute the relevant statistics while using a procedure to ‘weight’ the data points according to measurement precision. We find a moderate correlation in radius and a weak correlation in the densities of adjacent planets. However, masses of neighbouring planets show no overall correlation in our main sample and a weak correlation among pairs of planets similar in size or pairs restricted to Mp<100 M⊕, Rp<10 R⊕. Similarly, we show that the intrasystem dispersion in radius is typically less than that in mass and density. We identify ranges in stellar host properties that correlate with stronger uniformity in pairs of adjacent planets: low Teff for planet masses, and low metallicity and old age for planet densities. Furthermore, we explore whether peas in a pod trends extend into planet compositions or interior structures. For small neighbouring planets with similar radii, we show that their masses and interior structures are often disparate, indicating that even within the same system, similarity in radii is not necessarily a good proxy for similarity in composition or the physical nature of the planets.
Do galaxy mergers prefer under-dense environments?
Authors: Sureshkumar U. , Durkalec A. , Pollo A. , Pearson W. J. , Farrow D. J. , Narayanan A. , Loveday J. , Taylor E. N. , Suelves L. E.
Published: March 2024

Context. Galaxy mergers play a crucial role in galaxy evolution. However, the correlation between mergers and the local environment of galaxies is not fully understood.

Aims. We aim to address the question of whether galaxy mergers prefer denser or less dense environments by quantifying the spatial clustering of mergers and non-mergers. We use two different indicators to classify mergers and non-mergers – classification based on a deep learning technique (f) and non-parametric measures of galaxy morphology, Gini-M20 (g).

Methods. We used a set of galaxy samples in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.15 from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey with a stellar mass cut of log(M⋆/M⊙) > 9.5. We measured and compared the two-point correlation function (2pCF) of the mergers and non-mergers classified using the two merger indicators f and g. We measured the marked correlation function (MCF), in which the galaxies were weighted by f to probe the environmental dependence of galaxy mergers.

Results. We do not observe a statistically significant difference between the clustering strengths of mergers and non-mergers obtained using 2pCF. However, using the MCF measurements with f as a mark, we observe an anti-correlation between the likelihood of a galaxy being a merger and its environment. Our results emphasise the advantage of MCF over 2pCF in probing the environmental correlations.

Conclusions. Based on the MCF measurements, we conclude that the galaxy mergers prefer to occur in the under-dense environments on scales > 50 h−1 kpc of the large-scale structure (LSS). We attribute this observation to the high relative velocities of galaxies in the densest environments that prevent them from merging.
Dynamically cold disks in the early Universe: Myth or reality?
Authors: Kohandel M. , Pallottini A. , Ferrara A. , Zanella A. , Rizzo F. , Carniani S.
Published: March 2024

Context. Theoretical models struggle to reproduce dynamically cold disks with significant rotation-to-dispersion support (Vrot/σ) observed in star-forming galaxies in the early Universe at redshift z > 4.

Aims. We aim to explore the possible emergence of dynamically cold disks in cosmological simulations and to understand whether different kinematic tracers can help reconcile the tension between theory and observations.

Methods. We used 3218 galaxies from the SERRA suite of zoom-in simulations, with 8 ≤ log(M⋆/M⊙) ≤ 10.3 and star formation rates SFR ≤ 128 M⊙/yr, within the 4 ≤ z ≤ 9 range. We generated hyperspectral data cubes for 2 × 3218 synthetic observations of Hα and [CII].

Results. We find that the choice of kinematic tracer strongly influences gas velocity dispersion (σ) estimates. In Hα ([C II]) synthetic observations, we observe a strong (mild) correlation between σ and M⋆. This difference mostly arises for M⋆ > 109 M⊙ galaxies, for which σHα > 2σ[CII] for a significant fraction of the sample. Regardless of the tracer, our predictions suggest the existence of massive (M⋆ > 1010 M⊙) galaxies with Vrot/σ > 10 at z > 4, maintaining cold disks for > 10 orbital periods (∼ 200 Myr). Furthermore, we find no significant redshift dependence for the Vrot/σ ratio in our sample.

Conclusions. Our simulations predict the existence of dynamically cold disks in the early Universe. However, different tracers are sensitive to different kinematic properties. While [C II] effectively traces the thin gaseous disk of galaxies, Hα includes the contribution from ionized gas beyond the disk region, characterized by prevalent vertical or radial motions that may be associated with outflows. We show that Hα halos could be a signature of these galactic outflows. This result emphasizes the importance of combining ALMA and JWST/NIRspec studies of high-z galaxies.
The steady state of intermediate-mass black holes near a supermassive black hole
Authors: Hochart E. , Portegies Zwart S.
Published: March 2024

Aims. Our aim is to investigate the properties of a cluster of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) surrounding a supermassive black hole (SMBH).

Methods. We simulated clusters of equal-mass IMBHs (mIMBH = 103 M⊙) initialised in a shell between 0.15 ≤ r [pc] ≤ 0.25 centred about a SMBH. We explored the influence of the cluster population and SMBH on the merger rate, the ejection rate, and the escape velocity. For MSMBH = 4 × 106 M⊙, we used both a Newtonian and post-Newtonian formalism, going up to the 2.5th order and including cross terms. We ran 40 and 60 simulations per cluster population for either formalism, respectively. For the other two SMBH masses (MSMBH = 4 × 105 M⊙ and MSMBH = 4 × 107 M⊙), we modelled the system only taking into account relativistic effects. In the case of MSMBH = 4 × 105 M⊙, 30 simulations were run per population. For MSMBH = 4 × 107 M⊙ we ran ten simulations per population. The simulations ended once a black hole escaped the cluster, a merger occured, or the system evolved until 100 Myr.

Results. The post-Newtonian formalism accelerates the loss rate of IMBHs compared to the Newtonian formalism. Ejections occur more often for lighter SMBHs while more massive ones increase the rate of mergers. Although relativistic effects allow for circularisation, all merging binaries have e ≳ 0.97 when measured 1 − 2 kyr before the merging event. The strongest gravitational wave signals are often sourced by IMBH-SMBH binaries that eventually merge. Strong signals were suppressed during our Newtonian calculations since, here, the IMBH typically stalls in the vicinity of the SMBH, before being generally ejected via the slingshot mechanism or experiencing a head-on collision. Weaker and more frequent signals are expected from gravitational wave radiation emitted in a flyby. In our post-Newtonian calculations, 30/406 (7.4%) of the gravitational wave events capable of being observed with LISA and μAres were detected as gravitational wave capture binaries with the remaining being in-cluster mergers. Throughout our investigation, no IMBH-IMBH binaries were detected.
Evaluation of the relationship between computed tomography angiography collateral scores and clinical outcome
Authors: Yabalak Ahmet , Ögün Muhammed Nur , Önalan Ayşenur , Yılmaz Murat , Tokmak Hilmiye , Ersoy Sadettin , Bilgili Fatma , Bakkal Tahsin
Published: March 2024

Background The relationship between collateral circulation and prognosis after endovascular treatment in anterior circulation strokes has been reported in many studies.

Objective In this study, we aimed to compare the predictive power of clinical outcome by comparing five different collateral scores that are frequently used.

Methods Among the patients who underwent endovascular treatment in our clinic between November 2019 and December 2021, patients with premorbid mRS < 3, intracranial ICA and/or MCA M1 occlusion, and a pre-procedural multiphase CTA examination were included in the study. Demographic, technical, and duration information about the procedure, major events after the procedure, and clinical outcomes at 3 months were recorded. The mCTA, Tan, Maas, Miteff, and rLMC collateral scores of the patients were evaluated.

Results Clinical outcome at 3 months were good in 37 of the 68 patients included in the study (mRS ≤ 2). Only the mCTA and rLMC collateral scores were statistically significantly higher in those with a good clinical outcome. Significant correlation with 3-month mRS was detected only in mCTA and rLMC scores. Although rLMC and mCTA collateral scores showed a statistically significant association with prognosis, they were not sufficient to be an independent predictor of prognosis.

Conclusion mCTA and rLMC were found to have the highest predictive power of clinical outcome and the highest correlation with the 3-month clinical outcome. Our study suggests that it would be beneficial to develop a new scoring system over multiphase CTA, which combines regional and temporal evaluation, which are the strengths of both collateral scoring.
Coupled nonlinear drift and IAWs in streaming O–H plasma of upper ionosphere
Authors: Shan Shaukat Ali , Saeed Usman , Saleem Hamid
Published: March 2024

Nonlinear structures formed by the coupled drift wave (DW) and ion acoustic waves (IAWs) are studied in a magnetized inhomogeneous collisionless bi-ion plasma with ions shear flow along the ambient magnetic field B=B0ẑ. The electrons are assumed to follow double spectral index (r, q) distribution in which r shows the flat top nature, while q is responsible for the shape of the distribution at the tail. A nonlinear differential equation is derived, and its solutions in the form of double layers (DLs) and solitons are obtained in different limits. It is pointed out that the presence of (0.4%) protons in the oxygen plasma of ionosphere should not be ignored because acoustic speeds corresponding to oxygen and hydrogen ions have small ratio of about four and drift wave frequency may lie in the same range. It is found that only the rarefactive solitons can be formed by the nonlinear DW and IAWs in the inhomogeneous oxygen hydrogen (O–H) plasma. However, the theoretical model predicts that both compressive and rarefactive DLs may be formed. The linear instabilities of low-frequency electrostatic waves due to field-aligned shear flow of ions have also been investigated.
Fabrication and characterization of smart titanium alloy bolt based on high-frequency piezoelectric thin-film
Authors: Zhang Min , Liu Shuang , Zhan Huan , Sun Zhongrui , Qiu Wenping , Ren Guanpin , Li Ru , Xiang Xingjun , Wang Hai
Published: March 2024

We reported here on the fabrication and characterization of a smart titanium alloy bolt based on a high-frequency piezoelectric thin-film sensor. The thin-film sensor was directly deposited on a titanium alloy bolt head with radio frequency magnetron sputtering and characterized by a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. The ultrasonic characteristics of the smart bolt, which include a pure and broad frequency spectrum peaked at 14.81 MHz, high measurement accuracy below 3%, and high repeatability free from some interference from bolt detection position change, were fully characterized. No obvious frequency shift was observed with the increase in axial preload. Based on the mono-wave method [TOF (time of flight) of longitudinal mode wave], TOF change increased linearly with preload force in the range of 0–20 kN. With the increase in temperature from 22 to 150 °C, the TOF linearly increases while the longitudinal wave velocity linearly decreases. The results indicate the prepared smart titanium alloy bolt is suitable as a smart aviation and automotive fastener.
Area-selective deposition of germanium on patterned graphene/monolayer molybdenum disulfide stacks via dipole engineering
Authors: Lee Yeonjoo , Ahmed Towfiq , Wang Xuejing , Pettes Michael T. , Kim Yeonhoo , Park Jeongwon , Yang Woo Seok , Kang Kibum , Hong Young Joon , Kwon Soyeong , Yoo Jinkyoung
Published: March 2024

Heterogeneous integration of two-dimensional materials and the conventional semiconductor has opened opportunities for next-generation semiconductor devices and their processing. Heterogeneous integration has been studied for economical manufacturing by substrate recycling and novel functionalities by a combination of incommensurate materials. However, utilizing the integration requires controlling locations of the integrated architectures. Here, we show area-selective deposition (ASD) of germanium on the graphene/MoS2 stack. Ge nucleation precisely occurred on the surfaces of the patterned graphene/MoS2 stack via dipole engineering. In this study, the growth temperature of ASD of Ge was significantly lower than that based on precursor desorption on SiO2. The first-principles calculations revealed that Ge deposited by ASD on the graphene/MoS2 stack was not affected by charge transfer. This work provides a viable way to utilize atomically thin materials for next-generation semiconductor devices, which can be applicable for “Beyond Moore” and “More Moore” approaches.
Temperature-dependent magnon torque in SrIrO3/NiO/ferromagnetic multilayers
Authors: Zheng Dongxing , Tang Meng , Xu Jingkai , Liu Chen , Li Yan , Chen Aitian , Algaidi Hanin , Alsayafi Fatimah , Chen Maolin , Ma Yinchang , Zhang Senfu , Zhang Linxing , Li Peng , Zhang Xixiang
Published: March 2024

Magnetization switching driven by magnons is a promising technology capable of substantially decreasing energy dissipation and potential damage to spintronic devices. In this study, we investigated the temperature-dependent magnon torque effect in SrIrO3/NiO/ferromagnetic multilayers. It is found that the magnon-mediated damping-like spin–orbit torque (SOT) efficiency decreases with increasing temperature. Enhanced magnon transmission was observed in the vicinity of the blocking temperature of the NiO layer, which can be ascribed to the amplification of damping-like SOT efficiency by the spin fluctuations. More importantly, we have demonstrated that the magnon-mediated SOT is an effective method to manipulate a perpendicular magnetization, particularly using a critical switching current density that is pretty low, as evidenced by ∼ 4 × 105 A/cm2 for SrRuO3/NiO/SrIrO3 trilayers in this study. These findings suggest a promising avenue for the development of highly efficient spintronic devices operable through magnon currents.
Biaxial nematic order in fundamental measure theory
Authors: El Moumane Anouar , te Vrugt Michael , Löwen Hartmut , Wittmann René
Published: March 2024

Liquid crystals consisting of biaxial particles can exhibit a much richer phase behavior than their uniaxial counterparts. Usually, one has to rely on simulation results to understand the phase diagram of these systems since very few analytical results exist. In this work, we apply fundamental measure theory, which allows us to derive free energy functionals for hard particles from first principles and with high accuracy, to systems of hard cylinders, cones, and spherotriangles. We provide a general recipe for incorporating biaxial liquid crystal order parameters into fundamental measure theory and use this framework to obtain the phase boundaries for the emergence of orientational order in the considered systems. Our results provide insights into the phase behavior of biaxial nematic liquid crystals and, in particular, into methods for their analytical investigation.
Phonon transport across GaAs/Ge heterojunctions by nonequilibrium molecular dynamics
Authors: Albrigi Tommaso , Rurali Riccardo
Published: March 2024

Interfaces are ubiquitous in modern electronics and assessing their properties is crucial when it comes to device reliability. Here, we present nonequilibrium molecular dynamics calculations of heat transport across GaAs/Ge heterojunctions. We compute the thermal boundary resistance, considering different interface morphologies, ranging from atomically flat to gradual or rough interfaces. We also discuss the implications for thermal rectification and predict a rectification coefficient as large as 30%.
The conductivity of Nb2O5 enhanced by the triple effect of fluorine doping, oxygen vacancy, and carbon modification for improving the lithium storage performance
Authors: Lin Yuda , Chen Yiheng , Qiu Liting , Zheng Shenghui
Published: March 2024

In view of the inherent pseudocapacitance, rich redox pairs (Nb5+/Nb4+ and Nb4+/Nb3+), and high lithiation potential (1.0–3.0 V vs Li/Li+), Nb2O5 is considered a promising anode material. However, the inherent low electronic conductivity of Nb2O5 limits its lithium storage performance, and the rate performance after carbon modification is still unsatisfactory because the intrinsic conductivity of Nb2O5 has not been substantially improved. In this experiment, taking the improvement of the intrinsic electrical conductivity of Nb2O5 as the guiding ideology, we prepared F-doped Nb2O5@fluorocarbon composites (F–Nb2O5@FC) with a large number of oxygen vacancies by one-step annealing. As the anode electrode of lithium-ion batteries, the reversible specific capacity of F–Nb2O5@FC reaches 150 mA g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 1100 cycles, and the rate performance is particularly outstanding, with a capacity up to 130 mA g−1 at 16 A g−1, which is far superior to other Nb2O5@carbon-based anode electrodes. Compared with other single conductivity sources of Nb2O5@carbon-based composites, the electrical conductivity of F–Nb2O5@FC composites is greatly improved in many aspects, including the introduction of free electrons by F− doping, the generation of oxygen vacancies, and the provision of a three-dimensional conductive network by FC. Through analytical chemistry (work function, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and EIS) and theoretical calculations, it is proved that F–Nb2O5@FC has high electrical conductivity and realizes rapid electron transfer.
Carbon-related donor–acceptor pair transition in the infrared in h-BN
Authors: Almohammad M. , Alemoush Z. , Li J. , Lin J. Y. , Jiang H. X.
Published: March 2024

Experimental studies of intentionally doped impurities for the understanding of conductivity control in hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor are limited but are highly desired for emerging applications of h-BN. We report synthesis by hydride vapor phase epitaxy and comparison photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy studies of intentionally carbon (C)-doped and undoped h-BN semi-bulk crystals. In addition to the well-known C-related emission lines observed previously, a C-impurity-related transition near 1.31 eV consisting of multiple phonon replicas has been observed in C-doped h-BN at room temperature. Phonon replicas involved in the 1.31 eV emission have been identified using polarization resolve PL spectroscopy as the transverse acoustic (TA)/longitudinal acoustic (LA) and out-of-plane optical phonon (ZO) modes at the middle point, T, between the Γ- and K-points in the first Brillouin zone. Based on the agreement between the spectral peak position of the observed dominant emission line at 1.31 eV and the calculated energy-level separation between CB donor (carbon replacing boron) and Ci acceptor (carbon interstitial), the observed IR emission line can be decisively assigned to the donor–acceptor pair (DAP) transition involving the CB donor and Ci acceptor assisted by the intervalley (Κ → Μ) scattering processes. The results reinforce the perception that C impurities form deep-level centers and provided an improved understanding of C impurities in h-BN.
Extinct and extant termites reveal the fidelity of behavior fossilization in amber
Authors: Mizumoto Nobuaki , Hellemans Simon , Engel Michael S. , Bourguignon Thomas , Buček Aleš
Published: March 2024

Fossils encompassing multiple individuals provide rare direct evidence of behavioral interactions among extinct organisms. However, the fossilization process can alter the spatial relationship between individuals and hinder behavioral reconstruction. Here, we report a Baltic amber inclusion preserving a female–male pair of the extinct termite species
Electrotermes affinis
. The head-to-abdomen contact in the fossilized pair resembles the tandem courtship behavior of extant termites, although their parallel body alignment differs from the linear alignment typical of tandem runs. To solve this inconsistency, we simulated the first stage of amber formation, the immobilization of captured organisms, by exposing living termite tandems to sticky surfaces. We found that the posture of the fossilized pair matches trapped tandems and differs from untrapped tandems. Thus, the fossilized pair likely is a tandem running pair, representing the direct evidence of the mating behavior of extinct termites. Furthermore, by comparing the postures of partners on a sticky surface and in the amber inclusion, we estimated that the male likely performed the leader role in the fossilized tandem. Our results demonstrate that past behavioral interactions can be reconstructed despite the spatial distortion of body poses during fossilization. Our taphonomic approach demonstrates how certain behaviors can be inferred from fossil occurrences.
Diverging neural dynamics for syntactic structure building in naturalistic speaking and listening
Authors: Giglio Laura , Ostarek Markus , Sharoh Daniel , Hagoort Peter
Published: March 2024

The neural correlates of sentence production are typically studied using task paradigms that differ considerably from the experience of speaking outside of an experimental setting. In this fMRI study, we aimed to gain a better understanding of syntactic processing in spontaneous production versus naturalistic comprehension in three regions of interest (BA44, BA45, and left posterior middle temporal gyrus). A group of participants (n = 16) was asked to speak about the events of an episode of a TV series in the scanner. Another group of participants (n = 36) listened to the spoken recall of a participant from the first group. To model syntactic processing, we extracted word-by-word metrics of phrase-structure building with a top–down and a bottom–up parser that make different hypotheses about the timing of structure building. While the top–down parser anticipates syntactic structure, sometimes before it is obvious to the listener, the bottom–up parser builds syntactic structure in an integratory way after all of the evidence has been presented. In comprehension, neural activity was found to be better modeled by the bottom–up parser, while in production, it was better modeled by the top–down parser. We additionally modeled structure building in production with two strategies that were developed here to make different predictions about the incrementality of structure building during speaking. We found evidence for highly incremental and anticipatory structure building in production, which was confirmed by a converging analysis of the pausing patterns in speech. Overall, this study shows the feasibility of studying the neural dynamics of spontaneous language production.
Short macrocyclic peptides in sponge genomes
Authors: Lin Zhenjian , Agarwal Vinayak , Cong Ying , Pomponi Shirley A. , Schmidt Eric W.
Published: March 2024

Sponges (Porifera) contain many peptide-specialized metabolites with potent biological activities and significant roles in shaping marine ecology. It is well established that symbiotic bacteria produce bioactive “sponge” peptides, both on the ribosome (RiPPs) and nonribosomally. Here, we demonstrate that sponges themselves also produce many bioactive macrocyclic peptides, such as phakellistatins and related proline-rich macrocyclic peptides (PRMPs). Using the
Stylissa carteri
sponge transcriptome, methods were developed to find sequences encoding 46 distinct RiPP-type core peptides, of which ten encoded previously identified PRMP sequences. With this basis set, the genome and transcriptome of the sponge
Axinella corrugata
was interrogated to find 35 PRMP precursor peptides encoding 31 unique core peptide sequences. At least 11 of these produced cyclic peptides that were present in the sponge and could be characterized by mass spectrometry, including stylissamides A-D and seven previously undescribed compounds. Precursor peptides were encoded in the
A. corrugata
genome, confirming their animal origin. The peptides contained signal peptide sequences and highly repetitive recognition sequence-core peptide elements with up to 25 PRMP copies in a single precursor. In comparison to sponges without PRMPs, PRMP sponges are incredibly enriched in potentially secreted polypeptides, with >23,000 individual signal peptide encoding genes found in a single transcriptome. The similarities between PRMP biosynthetic genes and neuropeptides in terms of their biosynthetic logic suggest a fundamental biology linked to circular peptides, possibly indicating a widespread and underappreciated diversity of signaling peptide post-translational modifications across the animal kingdom.
Fgf10
mutant newts regenerate normal hindlimbs despite severe developmental defects
Authors: Suzuki Miyuki , Okumura Akinori , Chihara Akane , Shibata Yuki , Endo Tetsuya , Teramoto Machiko , Agata Kiyokazu , Bronner Marianne E. , Suzuki Ken-ichi T.
Published: March 2024

In amniote limbs, Fibroblast Growth Factor 10 (FGF10) is essential for limb development, but whether this function is broadly conserved in tetrapods and/or involved in adult limb regeneration remains unknown. To tackle this question, we established
Fgf10
mutant lines in the newt
Pleurodeles waltl
which has amazing regenerative ability. While
Fgf10
mutant forelimbs develop normally, the hindlimbs fail to develop and downregulate FGF target genes. Despite these developmental defects,
Fgf10
mutants were able to regenerate normal hindlimbs rather than recapitulating the embryonic phenotype. Together, our results demonstrate an important role for FGF10 in hindlimb formation, but little or no function in regeneration, suggesting that different mechanisms operate during limb regeneration versus development.
Germline knockout of
Nr2e3
protects photoreceptors in three distinct mouse models of retinal degeneration
Authors: Kolesnikov Alexander V. , Murphy Daniel P. , Corbo Joseph C. , Kefalov Vladimir J.
Published: March 2024

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a common form of retinal dystrophy that can be caused by mutations in any one of dozens of rod photoreceptor genes. The genetic heterogeneity of RP represents a significant challenge for the development of effective therapies. Here, we present evidence for a potential gene-independent therapeutic strategy based on targeting
Nr2e3
, a transcription factor required for the normal differentiation of rod photoreceptors.
Nr2e3
knockout results in hybrid rod photoreceptors that express the full complement of rod genes, but also a subset of cone genes. We show that germline deletion of
Nr2e3
potently protects rods in three mechanistically diverse mouse models of retinal degeneration caused by bright-light exposure (light damage), structural deficiency (rhodopsin-deficient

Rho
−/−

mice), or abnormal phototransduction (phosphodiesterase-deficient
rd10
mice).
Nr2e3
knockout confers strong neuroprotective effects on rods without adverse effects on their gene expression, structure, or function. Furthermore, in all three degeneration models, prolongation of rod survival by
Nr2e3
knockout leads to lasting preservation of cone morphology and function. These findings raise the possibility that upregulation of one or more cone genes in
Nr2e3
-deficient rods may be responsible for the neuroprotective effects we observe.
La construcción metafórica de una pandemia
Authors: Escribano Hernández Asunción
Published: March 2024

En el último siglo, la lingüística cognitiva ha llamado la atención sobre la relevancia de la metáfora como fenómeno cognitivo a la hora de comprender la realidad, a la vez que sobre su capacidad para proyectar una determinada imagen acerca de los conceptos de los que hablamos. De aquí la importancia de su papel en la construcción de los discursos políticos, ya que, con ella, puede mostrarse una visión interesada de lo transmitido. Conscientes de ello, en este estudio hemos analizado las metáforas cognitivas utilizadas por los distintos líderes políticos españoles en sus intervenciones en el Congreso de los Diputados durante la primera ola de la pandemia en 2020. Hemos estudiado las distintas metáforas cognitivas empleadas en sus discursos por los representantes de cada grupo político, y las hemos relacionado con su postura frente a la actuación llevada a cabo por el Gobierno como respuesta a la extensión del coronavirus en nuestro país, especialmente en relación con la declaración del estado de alarma. Así, hemos comprobado cómo los distintos usos de la metáfora se empleaban para legitimar por parte del Gobierno las decisiones tomadas, y por la oposición para estructurar las críticas vertidas frente a las propuestas gubernamentales.
A multi-dimensional analysis of graduate student writing in two applied science disciplines
Authors: Becker Kimberly
Published: March 2024

This article reports on a new Multi-dimensional model of graduate student coursework writing in two applied
science disciplines from a corpus containing 1,108 texts and 2,008,316 words. The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed five
dimensions: (1) Conceptual Information vs. Process-Focused Actions (2) Human/Subjective- vs. Entity/Objective- Focus, (3)
Attitudinal Monoglossia vs. Precisely Measured Information, (4) Social vs. Physical Science Approaches, and (5) Speculative vs.
Finalized Events. The dimensions are analyzed functionally in terms of both register and discipline. The results demonstrate that
course papers exhibit distinct patterns of language use, often attributed to the varying purposes of the texts but also related to
disciplinary ways of knowing. Findings have implications for disciplinary writing research and representativeness of student
writing corpora while contributing to an exploration of register as a continuous construct. The research provides an enhanced
understanding of academic coursework writing for stakeholders such as professors, graduate students, writing consultants. (150
words)
Improving noise characteristics using a modified image pyramid with guided filtering and Bayesian shrinkage threshold in low-dose animal radiography
Authors: Kim Woosung , Shim Jiyong , Lim Younghwan , Cho Hyosung , Han Taehee
Published: March 2024

Radiography is a commonly used diagnostic tool in animal practice to provide clinical
information. The recent market for animal radiography is rapidly growing owing to the increasing
awareness of the welfare of companion animals and the expansion of animal clinics. As the clinical
use of radiography in animal hospitals has grown rapidly, radiologists continuously seek ways to
reduce the radiation dose to animals. This study proposes an effective noise removal method using
a modified image pyramid with guided filtering and Bayesian shrinkage threshold for low-dose
animal radiography. This study aims to model a modified image pyramid-based denoising algorithm
and to confirm its applicability in an animal radiographic system. We conducted an experiment on a
companion dog and cat using a commercially-available veterinary radiographic system and
quantitatively evaluated the image quality using the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and
structural similarity (SSIM). The PSNR and SSIM values measured in the denoised image of the dog
using the proposed denoising algorithm were 39.54 and 0.96, respectively, which are improvements
of approximately 11.3% and 5.5% of the values obtained in the original noisy
image. Consequently, the proposed method is highly efficient in reducing image noise in animal
radiography, thereby improving the image quality.
Preliminary results from the Submarine Gamma Imager
Authors: Ntouskos V. , Tsironis V. , Spanos S. , Antoniou C. , Mallios A. , Karantzalos K.
Published: March 2024

In this work, we present preliminary results of a novel Submarine Gamma Imager (SUGI) being developed based on pixelated CdZnTe detector modules. The instrument, mounted on a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), has been tested in a series of field deployments performed at the hydrothermal fields on the island of Milos, Greece. The analysis of the collected data demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument, while comparison with a reference gamma detector confirms the validity of the results.
A grayscale compression method to segment bone structures for 2D-3D registration of setup images in non-coplanar radiotherapy
Authors: Song Zhiyue , Li Tantan , Zuo Lijing , Song Yongli , Wei Ran , Dai Jianrong
Published: March 2024

Purpose. To evaluate the performance of an automated 2D-3D bone registration algorithm incorporating a grayscale compression method for quantifying patient position errors in non-coplanar radiotherapy. Methods. An automated 2D-3D registration incorporating a grayscale compression method to segment bone structures was proposed. Portal images containing only bone structures (

Portal

bone

) and digitally reconstructed radiographs containing only bone structures (

DRR

bone

) were used for registration. First, the portal image was filtered by a high-pass finite impulse response (FIR) filter. Then the grayscale range of the filtered portal image was compressed. Thresholds were determined based on the difference in gray values of bone structures in the filtered and compressed portal image to obtain

Portal

bone

.

Another threshold was applied to generate

DRR

bone

when the CT image uses the ray-casting algorithm to generate DRR images. The compression performance was assessed by registering the

DRR

bone

with the

Portal

bone

obtained by compressing the portal image into various grayscale ranges. The proposed registration method was quantitatively and visually validated using (1) a CT image of an anthropomorphic head phantom and its portal images obtained in different poses and (2) CT images and pre-treatment portal images of 20 patients treated with non-coplanar radiotherapy. Results. Mean absolute registration errors for the best compression grayscale range test were 0.642 mm, 0.574 mm, and 0.643 mm, with calculation times of 50.6 min, 42.2 min, and 49.6 min for grayscale ranges of 0–127, 0–63 and 0–31, respectively. For the accuracy validation (1), the mean absolute registration errors for couch angles 0°, 45°, 90°, 270°, and 315° were 0.694 mm, 0.839 mm, 0.726 mm, 0.833 mm, and 0.873 mm, respectively. Among the six transformation parameters, the translation error in the vertical direction contributed the most to the registration errors. Visual inspection of the patient registration results revealed success in every instance. Conclusions. The implemented grayscale compression method successfully enhances and segments bone structures in portal images, allowing for accurate determination of patient setup errors in non-coplanar radiotherapy.
Separation of homogeneous connected locally compact spaces
Authors: Valov Vesko
Published: March 2024

We prove that any region

Γ
\Gamma

in a homogeneous

n
n

-dimensional and locally compact separable metric space

X
X

, where

n
≥
2

n\geq 2

, cannot be irreducibly separated by a closed

(
n
−
1
)

(n-1)

-dimensional subset

C
C

with the following property:

C
C

is acyclic in dimension

n
−
1

n-1

and there is a point

b
∈
C
∩
Γ

b\in C\cap \Gamma

having a special local base

B

C
b

\mathcal B_C^b

in

C
C

such that the boundary of each

U
∈

B

C
b

U\in \mathcal B_C^b

is acyclic in dimension

n
−
2

n-2

. In case

X
X

is strongly locally homogeneous, it suffices to have a point

b
∈
C
∩
Γ

b\in C\cap \Gamma

with an ordinary base

B

C
b

\mathcal B_C^b

satisfying the above condition. The acyclicity means triviality of the corresponding Čech cohomology groups. This implies all known results concerning the separation of regions in homogeneous connected locally compact spaces.
The electrophysiologic effects of KCNQ1 extend beyond expression of IKs: evidence from genetic and pharmacologic block
Authors: Wada Yuko , Wang Lili , Hall Lynn D , Yang Tao , Short Laura L , Solus Joseph F , Glazer Andrew M , Roden Dan M
Published: March 2024

Aims

While variants in KCNQ1 are the commonest cause of the congenital long QT syndrome, we and others find only a small IKs in cardiomyocytes from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) or human ventricular myocytes.

Methods and results

We studied population control iPSC-CMs and iPSC-CMs from a patient with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen (JLN) syndrome due to compound heterozygous loss-of-function (LOF) KCNQ1 variants. We compared the effects of pharmacologic IKs block to those of genetic KCNQ1 ablation, using JLN cells, cells homozygous for the KCNQ1 LOF allele G643S, or siRNAs reducing KCNQ1 expression. We also studied the effects of two blockers of IKr, the other major cardiac repolarizing current, in the setting of pharmacologic or genetic ablation of KCNQ1: moxifloxacin, associated with a very low risk of drug-induced long QT, and dofetilide, a high-risk drug. In control cells, a small IKs was readily recorded but the pharmacologic IKs block produced no change in action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD90). In contrast, in cells with genetic ablation of KCNQ1 (JLN), baseline APD90 was markedly prolonged compared with control cells (469 ± 20 vs. 310 ± 16 ms). JLN cells displayed increased sensitivity to acute IKr block: the concentration (μM) of moxifloxacin required to prolong APD90 100 msec was 237.4 [median, interquartile range (IQR) 100.6–391.6, n = 7] in population cells vs. 23.7 (17.3–28.7, n = 11) in JLN cells. In control cells, chronic moxifloxacin exposure (300 μM) mildly prolonged APD90 (10%) and increased IKs, while chronic exposure to dofetilide (5 nM) produced greater prolongation (67%) and no increase in IKs. However, in the siRNA-treated cells, moxifloxacin did not increase IKs and markedly prolonged APD90.

Conclusion

Our data strongly suggest that KCNQ1 expression modulates baseline cardiac repolarization, and the response to IKr block, through mechanisms beyond simply generating IKs.
Resolving syntactic–semantic conflicts: comprehension and processing patterns by deaf Chinese readers
Authors: Cheng Qi , Yan Xu , Yang Lujia , Lin Hao
Published: March 2024

The current study combined sentence plausibility judgment and self-paced reading tasks to examine the comprehension strategies and processing patterns of Chinese deaf individuals when comprehending written Chinese sentences with syntactic–semantic cue conflicts. Similar to findings from previous crosslinguistic studies on deaf readers, the Chinese deaf readers showed great variability in their comprehension strategies, with only 38% robustly relying on syntactic cues. Regardless of their overall comprehension preferences, the deaf readers all showed additional processing efforts as reflected by longer reading time at the verb regions when they relied on the syntactic cues. Those with less robust reliance on syntactic cues also showed longer reading time at the verb regions even when they relied on the semantic cues, suggesting sensitivity to the syntactic cues regardless of the comprehension strategy. These findings suggest that deaf readers in general endure more processing burden while resolving conflicting syntactic and semantic cues, likely due to their overall high reliance on semantic information during sentence comprehension. Increased processing burden thus may contribute to an overall tendency of over-reliance on semantic cues when comprehending sentences with cue conflicts.