bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Micro/nano fillers for value‐added polymer composites: A comprehensive review
Authors: Chandran Arulmozhivarman Joseph , Rangappa Sanjay Mavinkere , Suyambulingam Indran , Siengchin Suchart
Published: April 2024

The need for new sustainable engineering materials using polymer composites is evolving every day. Researchers are in a race to develop value‐added products from natural renewable sources and discarded waste materials. Studies indicate several hurdles while trying to provide ecologically friendly materials for product manufacturing over the years. Natural materials are more readily available, biodegradable, more affordable, have less processing health hazards, and are more environmentally friendly than synthetic materials. As the price of commercial polymers decreased, the incorporation of fillers became increasingly necessary for technical reasons.. The market for polymers can actually be expanded by appropriately combining fillers and polymers to produce a wide range of qualities in these two components. This review provides an overview on a variety of organic and inorganic fillers which were incorporated into the polymer composites and their influence on the physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of polymer composites by various characterization methods and their In fact, it is possible to achieve a wide range of qualities in these two components by appropriately combining polymers and fillers, which expands the market for which polymers may be employed.application scopes. This review aims to thoroughly examine and assess various polymer and filler combinations, with a particular emphasis on their potential suitability for a range of engineering and industrial applications. These encompass microelectronics, biomedical fields, flexible electronics, flame retardant uses, food packaging, automotive and aerospace sectors, as well as applications within the construction industry for structural and semi‐structural purposes.

Highlights

New polymer composite engineering materials with long‐term sustainability

Value‐added product development from renewable resources and discarded waste materials.

Provide information to select appropriate reinforcements for composite manufacturing.

Diverse discussion on the application of fillers and their composites.
Verification of forecasted precipitation from Tropical Storm Hermine in the Canary Islands
Authors: Quintero‐Plaza David , González‐Alemán Juan Jesús , Alejo‐Herrera Cristo José , Suárez‐Molina David , González‐Alejandre César , Peñate‐De La Rosa Irene Soledad
Published: April 2024

Tropical Storm Hermine hit the Canary Islands on 24–26 September 2022 as an extremely anomalous tropical cyclone. Hermine formed from an Easterly Wave that travelled from Sudan to the Atlantic. Hermine headed north and interacted with an extratropical trough over the Canary Islands, following the conceptual model of a Predecessor Rain Event, with precipitation characterised mostly by continuous accumulation rather than by convective intensity. In this article, modelled 24h precipitation is verified with spatial methods against satellite and station observations. The performance of the ECMWF high‐resolution model was similar or perhaps even better than a local, higher resolution model.
James Mill and the History of the History of British India
Authors: Singh Kundan , Maheshwari Krishna
Published: April 2024

Apart from the economic drain of wealth that occurs under imperialism, it is the colonizer’s discourse on the colonized that is most insidious. Once set in motion, it has impacted the colonized past and continues to influence and undermine the postcolonial present. One such discourse is James Mill’s History of British India, which has lingering effects on the representation of Ancient India, Hindus, and Hinduism even after two hundred years of its production. This introductory chapter gives a crisp outline of colonialism and postcolonialism and, within that context, discusses the biography of James Mill that led to the writing of the History of British India.
Imagining the Hindus and Hinduism
Authors: Singh Kundan , Maheshwari Krishna
Published: April 2024

The mythical representation of the colonized by the colonizer cannot happen without engaging in fabrications and falsehoods. While accounting for the contentions made by the Francophone postcolonial thinkers on the issue of projection, this chapter builds a new postcolonial theory called the Indian Postcolonial Theory that is applied to show that the contentions of James Mill on Ancient India, Hindus, and Hinduism were a complete fabrication. They were rooted in the socio-political conditions James Mill wanted to transform in his domestic context. When Mill wrote about the Hindu Brahmins and Kshatriyas, he essentially was speaking about the English clergy and aristocrats. He described the Hindu form of governance, laws, and taxation structure in light of the Utilitarian reform of the British socio-political conditions he vehemently sought and clamored for. Mill emptied all the filth that he thought existed in British society onto the Hindu society to create its representation. By putting Mill’s writings in the History next to his writings for the British domestic context, we show as clearly as daylight the nature and degree of Mill’s projections and fabrications on Ancient India, Hinduism, and the Hindu people.
Einführung
Authors: Holztrattner Melanie
Published: April 2024

Etwa seit der Jahrtausendwende steht das frühpädagogische Feld zunehmend im Fokus bildungspolitischer, gesellschaftlicher, programmatischer und wissenschaftlicher Debatten. Im Kontext ökonomischer und wohlfahrtsstaatlicher Überlegungen werden zunehmend Fragen nach der frühen Bildung bearbeitet, die sich im Rahmen des Diskurses um Qualität, Professionalisierung und Akademisierung nachzeichnen lassen.
Empirische Ergebnisse auf Ebene der Einzelfälle
Authors: Holztrattner Melanie
Published: April 2024

Im folgenden Kapitel werden die Ergebnisse der dokumentarischen Analyse auf Einzelfallebene vorgestellt (vgl. methodisch-methodologische Überlegungen in Kap. 3). Die Abschnitte 4.1 bis 4.4 umfassen die detaillierte Darstellung der vier ausgewählten Fälle Atelier, Ritter, Rutsche und Mittagskreis. Jene stehen für unterschiedliche und zugleich „typische“ institutionelle Arrangements in frühpädagogischen Einrichtungen (vgl. Ausführungen zur Fallauswahl in Abschnitt 3.3.2) und wurden jeweils zur Gänze analysiert.
Typenbildung
Authors: Holztrattner Melanie
Published: April 2024

Die in den vorrangegangenen Abschnitten 4.1 bis 4.4 analysierten sowie im Abschnitt 4.5 zusammenfassend dargestellten Fälle bilden – maximal kontrastierend – die Vielschichtigkeit des Alltags in frühpädagogischen Einrichtungen ab: Sie repräsentieren Praktiken in vielfältigen Akteur:innenkonstellationen und realisieren sich vor dem Hintergrund unterschiedlicher raum-zeitlicher Kontexte und institutioneller Arrangements. Allen vier Fällen ist ein (invisibles) Skript inhärent, das von den Akteur:innen aufgerufen und auf vielfältige Weise bearbeitet wird.
Diskussion
Authors: Holztrattner Melanie
Published: April 2024

In den theoretischen Ausführungen in Kapitel 2 des vorliegenden Werks wurde deutlich, dass frühe Kindheit keineswegs als ein deskriptives Konstrukt zu verstehen ist. Sie beruht vielmehr auf normativen, historisch-kulturell gewordenen und gesellschaftlich vermittelten Ordnungsprozessen, (Erziehungs-)Vorstellungen sowie (Kindheits-)Bildern und mündet in einem Muster langen, behüteten Aufwachsens, das Realitätsmächtigkeit zu entfalten vermag (vgl. Abschnitt 2.6.1). Die Bedeutung jenes Musters kann nicht nur für die Sphäre des Privaten – resp. für die Familie – hervorgehoben werden, jene zeigt sich in erheblichem Ausmaß auch für Sphären der Öffentlichkeit – resp. für frühpädagogische Institutionen.
Thalamo-mesencephalic Branches of the Posterior Cerebral Artery: a 3D Rotational Angiography Study
Authors: Rauch Maximilian , Berkefeld Joachim , Klonowski Madleen , Hattingen Elke , Weidauer Stefan
Published: April 2024

Purpose

The thalamo-mesencephalic (TM) branches of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) supply critical structures. Previous descriptions of these vessels are inconsistent and almost exclusively rely on cadaver studies. We aimed to provide a neuroradiological description of TM vessels in vivo based on routine 3D rotational angiographies (3D-RA).

Methods

We analyzed 3D-RAs of 58 patients with pathologies remote from the PCA. PCA-origins were considered. Delineation, origin and number of branches of the collicular artery (CA), the accessory CA (ACA), the posterior thalamoperforating artery (PTA), the thalamogeniculate artery (TGA), and the posterior medial (PMCA) and lateral (PCLA) choroid arteries were assessed. The PTAs were categorized based on Percheron’s suggested classification.

Results

A CA was identified in 84%, an ACA in 20%. The PTA was delineated in 100%. In 27%, PTA anatomy had features of several Percheron types (n = 7) or vessels emanating from a net like origin (n = 9). 26% had a type IIb PTA. A fetal type PCA origin with hypoplastic ipsilateral P1 was observed in 5 cases with type IIa (n = 2) or type IIb (n = 3) PTAs originating from contralateral P1. The TGA was identified in 85% of patients, with ≥ 2 branches in 67%. The PMCA was delineable in 41%, the PLCA in 100%.

Conclusion

The prevalence of a proper “Artery of Percheron” type IIb PTA seems to be higher than previously reported. A fetal type P1-origin may be predictive of a type IIa/b PTA emanating from contralateral P1. 3D-RA may be useful for planning PCA interventions, as impairment of TM branches is a severe risk.
Sociodemographic risk factors for the persistence of harmful alcohol use: a pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies
Authors: Ehrnrooth Anna , Gluschkoff Kia , Jokela Markus , Komulainen Kaisla
Published: April 2024

Purpose

Previous research suggests several sociodemographic risk factors for the persistence of harmful alcohol use. However, the evidence is limited due to short follow-up times, retrospective reporting and samples comprising only people with alcohol dependence. We pooled data from six prospective cohort studies to systematically evaluate whether the sociodemographic risk factors differ between the incidence and persistence of harmful alcohol use.

Methods

Data were from six prospective cohort studies from the US, UK and Japan (n = 28,394). We conducted a two-stage meta-analysis to examine the associations of six sociodemographic risk factors (sex, age, presence of a partner, educational attainment, smoking and psychological distress) with the incidence and persistence of harmful alcohol use. Tests of heterogeneity were used to evaluate whether the associations differ between the incident and persistent use.

Results

Male sex, younger age, higher education, smoking, and psychological distress were associated with a greater risk of both the incidence and the persistence of harmful alcohol use in mutually adjusted models (ORs = 0.97–1.67). There were no differences in the associations of these risk factors with incident and persistent use, except that the association of psychological distress was greater with incident use compared to persistent use (p for heterogeneity < 0.05).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the incidence and persistence of harmful alcohol use share a similar set of sociodemographic risk factors in the general population.
On the dynamic asymptotic dimension of étale groupoids
Authors: Bönicke Christian
Published: April 2024

We investigate the dynamic asymptotic dimension for étale groupoids introduced by Guentner, Willett and Yu. In particular, we establish several permanence properties, including estimates for products and unions of groupoids. We also establish invariance of the dynamic asymptotic dimension under Morita equivalence. In the second part of the article, we consider a canonical coarse structure on an étale groupoid, and compare the asymptotic dimension of the resulting coarse space with the dynamic asymptotic dimension of the underlying groupoid.
Prognostic importance of prognostic nutritional index and modified Glasgow prognostic score in advanced lung cancer with targetable mutation
Authors: Bilgin Burak , Kuralay Yunus , Yucel Sebnem
Published: April 2024

Background

Inflammation and nutrition are important parameters that significantly affect survival in various malignancies. Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) can reflect both inflammatory and nutritional conditions. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of PNI and mGPS in patients who had the targetable mutation and also received targeted therapy.

Materials and Methods

Advanced lung cancer patients with EGFR mutation (mut) and ALK rearrangement were enrolled to study, retrospectively. PNI has with the following formula: 10 × serum albumin (g/dl) + 0.005 × peripheral lymphocyte count (per mm3) and threshold value was accepted as 50. Modified GPS was also calculated using albumin and CRP level and patients were scored as range 0 to 2.

Results

A total of 182 patients enrolled in the study. 132 and 50 of 182 patients had EGFR mut and ALK rearrangement, respectively. PFS was significantly longer in high PNI group in both the EGFR and ALK rearrangement-positive subgroups (P = 0.004 for EGFR mut-positive group; P = 0.017 for ALK rearrangement-positive group). Additionally, PFS was significantly shortened from mGPS 0 to 2 (P =  < 0.001 for EGFR mut-positive group; P = 0.016 for ALK rearrangement-positive group).

Conclusion

Both PNI and mGPS can be used as a reliable, inexpensive, and easily applicable prognostic index in the advanced lung cancer patients who had the targetable mutation and also received targeted therapy.
Parents’ perceptions of their child’s school adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: a person-oriented approach
Authors: Pöysä Sanni , Kiuru Noona , Muotka Joona , Sorkkila Matilda , Palmu Minna , Perander Katarina , Lerkkanen Marja-Kristiina , Pakarinen Eija
Published: April 2024

The present study examined the profiles of parental perceptions of their child’s school adjustment in terms of learning loss and school well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland. Furthermore, the extent to which the profiles differed with respect to the different children and their family characteristics, as well as their parents’ stress about their child’s schooling, were examined. Parents (N = 26,313) completed a questionnaire in spring 2021 concerning parental stress and their children’s schooling. The five-profile solution was identified using latent profile analysis: (1) slightly-higher-than-average-school-adjustment (n = 8198, 31.2%); (2) high-school-adjustment (n = 3017, 11.5%); (3) slightly-lower-than-average-school-adjustment (n = 5025, 19.1%); (4) low-school-adjustment (n = 6777, 25.7%); and (5) mixed-school-adjustment (n = 3296, 12.5%). The low-school-adjustment profile was overrepresented among parents of boys, older children, and children with special education needs as well as among parents with lower education levels, higher numbers of children, and in single-parent households. In addition, the results showed that parental stress about their child’s schooling was associated with their perceptions of their child’s school adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the results demonstrate that parents’ views of their children’s school adjustment varied widely during the COVID-19 pandemic. At schools, particular attention should be given to at-risk families (e.g., families with low education levels and children with special education needs) in which children may be prone to learning loss and low well-being due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AKR1B10 accelerates glycolysis through binding HK2 to promote the malignant progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Cai Ye , Li Huiling , Xie Diya , Zhu Yanan
Published: April 2024

Background

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a rampant oral cavity neoplasm with high degree of aggressiveness. Aldo–keto reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) that is an oxidoreductase dependent on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) has been introduced to possess prognostic potential in OSCC. The present work was focused on specifying the involvement of AKR1B10 in the process of OSCC and its latent functional mechanism.

Methods

AKR1B10 expression in OSCC tissues and cells were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. CCK-8 method, EdU staining, wound healing and transwell assays respectively assayed cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion. Immunofluorescence staining and Western blot evaluated epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) contents, glucose consumption and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) were measured by relevant commercially available kits and Seahorse XF96 Glycolysis Analyzer, severally. The expressions of proteins associated with metastasis and glycolysis were examined with Western blot. Co-IP assay confirmed the binding between AKR1B10 and hexokinase 2 (HK2).

Results

It was observed that AKR1B10 expression was increased in OSCC tissues and cells. After AKR1B10 was knocked down, the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of OSCC cells were all hampered. Additionally, AKR1B10 silencing suppressed glycolysis and bound to HK2 in OSCC cells. Up-regulation of HK2 partially abolished the hampered glycolysis, proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of AKR1B10-silenced OSCC cells.

Conclusion

To sum up, AKR1B10 could bind to HK2 to accelerate glycolysis, thereby facilitating the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of OSCC cells.
Urteilsverzerrungen beim Diagnostizieren von Fehlkonzepten bei Dezimalbrüchen
Authors: Rieu Andreas , Leuders Timo , Loibl Katharina
Published: April 2024

Fehlkonzepte von Lernenden zeigen sich als wiederkehrendes Muster bei der Lösung vergleichbarer Aufgaben. Dabei kann ein systematisch auftretender Fehler nicht immer direkt und eindeutig auf ein Fehlkonzept zurückgeführt werden. Diese akkurate Diagnose ist allerdings notwendig, wenn eine Lehrkraft adaptiven Unterricht durchführen möchte. Für eine akkurate Diagnose müssen diagnostisch relevante Informationen z. B. aus (fehlerhaften) Aufgabenlösungen verarbeitet werden. Bei der Informationsverarbeitung können kognitive Verzerrungen (sog. biases) auftreten; konkret kann die Mehrdeutigkeit der Situation unberücksichtigt bleiben und die nachfolgende Informationsverarbeitung (die Auswahl weiterer Aufgaben und die Interpretation ihres Diagnosepotenzials) nur im Sinne eines angenommen Fehlkonzeptes durchgeführt werden. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht diese Urteilsverzerrung bei diagnostischen Urteilen von angehenden Lehrkräften (N = 79) auf der Ebene der Informationsverarbeitungsprozesse. Zudem wird der Einfluss der Präferenz für Deliberation der urteilenden Person auf diese Informationsverarbeitungsprozesse und deren mögliche Verzerrung untersucht.

Die teilnehmenden Personen bearbeiteten fünf Fallvignetten, in denen sie jeweils mit einer fehlerhaften Lernendenlösung aus dem Bereich Dezimalbruchvergleiche konfrontiert wurden und aufgefordert waren, eine eindeutige Diagnose des vorliegenden Fehlkonzepts zu erstellen. Dazu sollten erste Diagnosehypothesen erstellt und anschließend weitere Aufgaben ausgewählt werden, welche die zu diagnostizierenden Lernenden lösen. Die zur Auswahl stehenden Aufgaben unterschieden sich in ihrer diagnostischen Relevanz. Auf der Grundlage der beschriebenen Modellierung der Urteilsprozesse konnten mit den erhobenen Daten Kategorien der Informationsverarbeitung und der kognitiven Verzerrung (confirmation bias) identifiziert und statistisch unterschieden werden.

Als Prädiktor für eine hohe Urteilsakkuratheit konnte die Verarbeitung relevanter Informationen im Laufe des Diagnoseprozesses, nicht aber die Wahrnehmung der Mehrdeutigkeit der Urteilssituation zu Beginn des Prozesses identifiziert werden. Eine Präferenz für deliberate, also bewusst informationsintegrierende Entscheidungen als Personenmerkmal wirkte sich positiv auf die Anzahl formulierter Mehrfachhypothesen aus, hatte allerdings keinen Einfluss auf die Informationssuche und die Akkuratheit der Enddiagnose.

Die Ergebnisse liefern erste Hinweise auf den Einfluss der Urteilsverzerrung bei Urteilen von angehenden Lehrkräften und geben Impulse für die weitere Forschung zum diagnostischen Denken. Daher werden abschließend mögliche Interventionen zur Reduktion von Urteilsverzerrungen bei angehenden Lehrkräften diskutiert.
Race, Ethnicity, and Other Barriers to Access Dental Care During Pregnancy
Authors: Lee Hyewon , Deshpande Richa , Benn Emma K. T.
Published: April 2024

Background

Historically, women of color showed poorer oral health and lower dental service utilization in the USA. These barriers to dental care during pregnancy included dental coverage, primary language, dental provider availability, safety concerns, affordability of dental care, and perceived oral health benefits during pregnancy.

Methods

The purpose of this study is to examine whether race/ethnicity modified the associations between barriers to accessing dental care and dental service utilization during pregnancy. This cross-sectional study sample included 62,189 women aged 20 and older with a recent birth history in 21 states from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data from 2016 to 2019. We introduced a race/ethnicity by barrier interaction term to our multiple logistic regression models.

Results

After adjusting for other confounders, dental insurance during pregnancy and perceived oral health benefits were associated with 4.0- and 5.6-fold higher odds, respectively, of dental service utilization during pregnancy. Statistically significant effect modification by race/ethnicity was observed in crude and adjusted analyses of the relationship between dental service utilization for all barriers included in the interaction analyses with all adjusted p-values < 0.001.

Conclusion

The interaction analysis found that racial/ethnic disparity in visiting dentists during pregnancy was significant among women who reported these dental barriers. In contrast, such racial/ethnic disparity was substantially attenuated among women who did not report such barriers.

Practical Implications

The observed racial/ethnic disparities could be mitigated by such supporting mechanisms: dental coverage, provider availability and willingness to treat pregnant women, oral health education on the safety of dental care during pregnancy, and affordable dental care costs.
Measuring strength of altruistic motives
Authors: Chan Nathan W. , Knowles Stephen , Peeters Ronald , Wolk Leonard
Published: April 2024

We introduce a novel way to elicit individuals’ strength of altruistic motivation in the context of charitable donations, ranging from pure warm glow to pure altruism. Using the giving-type elicitation task of Gangadharan et al. (2018) and assuming that individuals maximise a Cobb–Douglas impure altruism utility function, as is used in Ottoni-Wilhelm et al. (2017), we can uniquely identify the strength of altruistic motivation for impure altruists, which is typically found to be the largest category of donors. We compare the introduced measure to an alternative survey-based elicitation from Carpenter (2021).
Application of Instrumented Indentation Test and Neural Networks to determine the constitutive model of in-situ austenitic stainless steel components
Authors: Ma Quoc-Phu , Basterrech Sebastián , Halama Radim , Omacht Daniel , Měsíček Jakub , Hajnyš Jiří , Platoš Jan , Petrů Jana
Published: April 2024

Over the last few decades, Instrumented Indentation Test (IIT) has evolved into a versatile and convenient method for assessing the mechanical properties of metals. Unlike conventional hardness tests, IIT allows for incremental control of the indenter based on depth or force, enabling the measurement of not only hardness but also tensile properties, fracture toughness, and welding residual stress. Two crucial measures in IIT are the reaction force (F) exerted by the tested material on the indenter and the depth of the indenter (D). Evaluation of the mentioned properties from F–D curves typically involves complex analytical formulas that restricts the application of IIT to a limited group of materials. Moreover, for soft materials, such as austenitic stainless steel SS304L, with excessive pile-up/sink-in behaviors, conducting IIT becomes challenging due to improper evaluation of the imprint depth. In this work, we propose a systematic procedure for replacing complex analytical evaluations of IIT and expensive physical measurements. The proposed approach is based on the well-known potential of Neural Networks (NN) for data-driven modeling. We carried out physical IIT and tensile tests on samples prepared from SS304L. In addition, we generated multiple configurations of material properties and simulated the corresponding number of IITs using Finite Element Method (FEM). The information provided by the physical tests and simulated data from FEM are integrated into an NN, to produce a parametric mapping that can predict the parameters of a constitutive model based on any given F–D curve. Our physical and numerical experiments successfully demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach.
Mathematical analysis of a within-host dengue virus dynamics model with adaptive immunity using Caputo fractional-order derivatives
Authors: Olayiwola Morufu Oyedunsi , Yunus Akeem Olarewaju
Published: April 2024

Dengue fever poses a significant global health threat, with over 50 million annual infections spanning more than 100 countries. Given the absence of a specific treatment, medical intervention primarily targets symptom alleviation. The present study utilizes a Caputo-type fractional-order derivative operator to investigate and analyze the dynamics of dengue virus spread within a host with adaptive immune responses. The developed model describes and analyzes the dynamics of immune cells, free dengue particles, infected monocytes, and susceptible monocytes in the presence of cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes. A range of analytical methods is employed to probe the fractional-order within-host model. The application of the generalized mean value theorem aids in investigating the model’s solutions, employing positivity and boundedness theory. Furthermore, the Banach fixed-point approach is utilized to establish the existence and uniqueness of solutions. Employing the normalized forward sensitivity approach, the fractional-order system’s response to various model parameters is scrutinized. The study reveals that the dynamics of the viral model are significantly influenced by the transmission rate and parameters representing adaptive immune responses. Numerical simulations underscore the critical role of transmission rates and adaptive immune responses in the model. Additionally, the study examines the impact of memory on the density of susceptible monocytes, infected monocytes, free dengue particles, and immune cells to optimize immune responses. Through simulations, the study illustrates the influence of memory on immune dynamics.
The complex transcriptional regulation of heat stress response in maize
Authors: Ruan Mingxiu , Zhao Heng , Wen Yujing , Chen Hao , He Feng , Hou Xingbo , Song Xiaoqin , Jiang Haiyang , Ruan Yong-Ling , Wu Leiming
Published: April 2024

As one of the most important food and feed crops worldwide, maize suffers much more tremendous damages under heat stress compared to other plants, which seriously inhibits plant growth and reduces productivity. To mitigate the heat-induced damages and adapt to high temperature environment, plants have evolved a series of molecular mechanisms to sense, respond and adapt high temperatures and heat stress. In this review, we summarized recent advances in molecular regulations underlying high temperature sensing, heat stress response and memory in maize, especially focusing on several important pathways and signals in high temperature sensing, and the complex transcriptional regulation of ZmHSFs (Heat Shock Factors) in heat stress response. In addition, we highlighted interactions between ZmHSFs and several epigenetic regulation factors in coordinately regulating heat stress response and memory. Finally, we laid out strategies to systematically elucidate the regulatory network of maize heat stress response, and discussed approaches for breeding future heat-tolerance maize.
Robust Governance in Turbulent Times
Authors: Ansell Christopher , Sørensen Eva , Torfing Jacob , Trondal Jarle
Published: April 2024

This Element aims to build, promote, and consolidate a new social science research agenda by defining and exploring the concepts of turbulence and robustness, and subsequently demonstrating the need for robust governance in turbulent times. Turbulence refers to the unpredictable dynamics that public governance is currently facing in the wake of the financial crisis, the refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, the inflation crisis etc. The heightened societal turbulence calls for robust governance aiming to maintain core functions, goals and values by means of flexibly adapting and proactively innovating the modus operandi of the public sector. This Element identifies a broad repertoire of robustness strategies that public governors may use and combine to respond robustly to turbulence. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Precise mode control of mid-infrared high-power laser diodes using on-chip advanced sawtooth waveguide designs
Authors: Shi Jianmei , Yang Chengao , Chen Yihang , Wang Tianfang , Yu Hongguang , Cao Juntian , Geng Zhengqi , Wang Zhiyuan , Wen Haoran , Tan Hao , Zhang Yu , Jiang Dongwei , Wu Donghai , Xu Yingqiang , Ni Haiqiao , Niu Zhichuan
Published: April 2024

Power scaling in conventional broad-area (BA) lasers often leads to the operation of higher-order lateral modes, resulting in a multiple-lobe far-field profile with large divergence. Here, we report an advanced sawtooth waveguide (ASW) structure integrated onto a wide ridge waveguide. It strategically enhances the loss difference between higher-order modes and the fundamental mode, thereby facilitating high-power narrow-beam emission. Both optical simulations and experimental results illustrate the significant increase in additional scattering loss of the higher-order modes. The optimized ASW lasers achieve an impressive output power of 1.1 W at 4.6 A at room temperature, accompanied by a minimal full width at half maximum lateral divergence angle of 4.91°. Notably, the far-field divergence is reduced from 19.61° to 11.39° at the saturation current, showcasing a remarkable 42% improvement compared to conventional BA lasers. Moreover, the current dependence of divergence has been effectively improved by 38%, further confirming the consistent and effective lateral mode control capability offered by our design.
Decentering the American Empire
Authors: Wiegeshoff Andrea
Published: April 2024

It must have been eight years ago when I read Paul Kramer's article for the first time. Back then, I had just finished my PhD and was developing a new research project thematically located at the intersection of medical, imperial, and global history. One of the particularities of the German academic path when compared to the Anglo-American context is the expectation to embark on a completely different line of inquiry after defending your doctoral dissertation. Postdoctoral researchers venture into an entirely new topic, often take on a new century, and, for good measure, turn to another region of the world. At a time when I was surfacing from a thesis on German post-1945 international history, reading “Power and Connection” was tremendously helpful and instructive in guiding my first steps into the vast terrain of nineteenth-century imperial and colonial history. While its insights into the imperial dimension of U.S. history were fascinating, it was more so its framing of the American case, as a modern empire among others, that led me to the article. Ultimately, this interest evolved into my current project on the policies on epidemics in the nineteenth-century British and American empires. This framing provides the angle for my re-reading of “Power and Connection.” From an imperial historian's perspective, particularly of British imperial history and comparative empire studies, I explore here some of the links between the broader discipline and Kramer's essay up to 2011 when it was published and thereafter.
“Power and Connection:” A “post-colonial” response
Authors: Neptune Harvey R.
Published: April 2024

In 2011, Paul Kramer published a review essay titled “Power and Connection: Imperial Histories of the US in the World.” Thick with conceptual language and historiographical references, the piece is clearly pointed toward a professional audience. Yet beneath its heavy academic garb lay an urgent practical matter. Americanists, Kramer contended, needed to get outside of their innocent nationalistic space and take up the burden of the “imperial” category. And they needed to do so consistently – not conveniently, as a political cry against the declining virtue of the republic.
A Humanitarian Moment? The U.S. Military in Europe, 1943–1946
Authors: Piller Elisabeth
Published: April 2024

The U.S. military is not usually identified as a humanitarian force, and indeed the very concept of military humanitarianism strikes one as a paradox. According to conventional wisdom, at least, modern humanitarianism emerged as a direct response and even an antidote to military violence. As the story goes, Geneva businessman Henri Dunant's efforts to redress the horrors of war after seeing the terrible aftermath of the Battle of Solferino (1859) eventually gave rise to the Geneva Conventions and the Red Cross movement. The two world wars reinforced this violence-breeds-care logic, as the vast scale of wartime suffering generated ever greater humanitarian counter-efforts. By the 1940s, an array of national, international, and supranational organizations increasingly aspired to provide neutral and impartial relief to the victims of war, thereby counteracting, or so they hoped, the violence and partisanship of armed conflict. Even if, on closer inspection, humanitarianism and warfare have always had a more symbiotic relationship—after all, in an era of citizen armies it was only the relative humanization of warfare that guaranteed its survival as an instrument of statecraft—the conceptual divide between the military and the humanitarian remains strong.1
Introduction of the orthogonal mode via the polarization conversion parasitic structure for the isolation enhancement of MIMO patch antennas
Authors: Du Zhonghong , Zhang Xiaohui , Qin Peiyu , Pu Yurong , Xi Xiaoli
Published: April 2024

In this study, a high-isolation multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) microstrip patch antenna (MPA), which utilizes an orthogonal mode cancellation method is proposed. This method employs TM10 and TM01 modes, which are simultaneously excited in the rectangular passive MPA. Initially, a rectangular decoupling structure featuring polarization rotation characteristics is designed. Further studies show that by loading the polarization conversion parasitic structure (PCPS), the electric field of the spatial coupling wave can be transformed from the x-polarized TM10 mode to the y-polarized TM01 mode. Therefore, TM10 and TM01 modes from the excited antenna and decoupling structure are concurrently coupled to the passive antenna, forming an evident weak-field region on the passive antenna. Placing the feeding probe of the passive MPA within the weak-field region prevents signal reception at the port. Consequently, this results in an extremely low mutual coupling of −49 dB at a resonant frequency of 5.8 GHz. Finally, a prototype of the proposed antenna is fabricated and tested, and the measured results closely match the simulated results. Additionally, it is observed that PCPS slightly influences the performance of the MIMO antenna.
Stepwise Subduction Observed at a Front in the Marginal Ice Zone in Fram Strait
Authors: Hofmann Zerlina , von Appen Wilken‐Jon , Kanzow Torsten , Becker Hauke , Hagemann Jonas , Hufnagel Lili , Iversen Morten H.
Published: April 2024

At high latitudes, submesoscale dynamics act on scales of (100 m–1 km) and are associated with the breakdown of geostrophic balance, vertical velocities, and energy cascading to small scales. Submesoscale features such as fronts, filaments, and eddies are ubiquitous in marginal ice zones forced by the large horizontal density gradients. In July 2020, we identified multiple fronts and filaments using a towed undulating vehicle near the sea ice edge in central Fram Strait, the oceanic gateway to the Arctic Ocean between Greenland and Svalbard. Sea ice covered the entire study region 1–2 weeks earlier, and a stratified meltwater layer was present. We observed a front between warm and saline Atlantic Water (AW) and cold and fresh Polar Water (PW) at 30–85 m depth, where we identified a subsurface maximum in chlorophyll fluorescence and other biogeochemical properties extending along the tilted isopycnals down to 75 m, indicating subduction of AW (mixed with meltwater) that had previously occurred. The meltwater layer also featured multiple shallow fronts, one of which exhibited high velocities and a subsurface maximum in chlorophyll fluorescence, possibly indicating subduction of PW below the meltwater layer. The fronts at different depth levels suggest a stepwise subduction process near the ice edge, where water subducts from the surface below the meltwater and then further down along subsurface fronts. The submesoscale features were part of a larger‐scale mesoscale pattern in the marginal ice zone. As sea ice continuously retreats, such features may become more common in the Arctic Ocean.
Long‐Term Response of Peatland Carbon Exchange to Climatic Changes in the Hudson Bay Lowlands
Authors: Balogun Olalekan , Bello Richard , Higuchi Kaz
Published: April 2024

Northern peatlands have been a persistent net sink of atmospheric carbon (C) due to the greater rates of gross primary production (GPP) compared to ecosystem respiration (ER). Global warming has raised concerns about the C sink strength of northern environments. In the vast peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) region of Canada, warming‐induced changes in sea ice dynamics over the Bay have altered its advective influence on the adjacent lowlands. Despite our knowledge of the short‐term C exchange in these peatlands, there remain uncertainties in the long‐term combined response of GPP and ER to climate change. In this study, the satellite‐data‐driven Vegetation Photosynthesis and Respiration Model was employed to investigate the response of peatland GPP, ER, and net ecosystem exchange to temperature and moisture changes. The results show contrasting net CO2 exchange at the two peatland sites over the last 20 years, with the fen acting as a net C source (+24 g C m−2) to the atmosphere and the bog serving as a net C sink (−130 g C m−2). There is ample evidence that a warmer and wetter climate enhanced GPP more than ER, while cooler temperatures weakened the peatland net C sink, regardless of the moisture conditions. Additionally, the advective influence of Hudson Bay on the lowlands produced markedly different C dynamics between offshore and onshore winds, with higher respiration rates (12%–26%) during offshore winds. We discuss the implications for peatland C balance under more frequent onshore winds in the region.
Intersatellite Comparisons of GOES Magnetic Field Measurements
Authors: Rich Frederick J. , Califf Samuel , Loto'aniu Paul T. M. , Coakley Monica , Krimchansky Alexander , Singer Howard J.
Published: April 2024

GOES‐16 and GOES‐17 are the first of NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)‐R series of satellites. Each GOES‐R satellite has a magnetometer mounted on the end (outboard) and one part‐way down a long boom (inboard). This paper demonstrates the relative accuracy and stability of the measurements on a daily and long‐term basis. The GOES‐16 and GOES‐17 magnetic field observations from 2017 to 2020 have been compared to simultaneous magnetic field observations from each other and from the previous GOES‐NOP series satellites (GOES‐13, GOES‐14 and GOES‐15). These comparisons provide assessments of relative accuracy and stability. We use a field model to facilitate the inter‐satellite comparisons at different longitudes. GOES‐16 inboard and outboard magnetometers data suffer daily variations which cannot be explained by natural phenomena. Long‐term‐averaged GOES‐16 outboard (OB) data has daily variations of ±3 nT from average values with one‐sigma uncertainty of ±1.5 nT. Long‐term averaged GOES‐17OB magnetometer data have minimal daily variations. Daily average of the difference between the GOES‐16 outboard or GOES‐17 outboard measurements and the measurements made by another GOES satellite are computed. The long‐term averaged results show the GOES‐16OB and GOES‐17OB measurements have long‐term stability (±2 nT or less) and match measurements from magnetometers on other GOES within limits stated herein. The GOES‐17OB operational offset (zero field value) was refined using the GOES‐17 satellite rotated 180° about the Earth pointing axis (known as a yaw flip).
When Fieldwork Comes Home
Authors: van Deelen Grace
Published: April 2024

The impacts of the 2021 Marshall Fire rippled through a community of Colorado geoscientists, spurring them to action.
Unraveling ferroptosis in osteogenic lineages: implications for dysregulated bone remodeling during periodontitis progression
Authors: Tang Yiqi , Su Sihui , Yu Rongcheng , Liao Chenxi , Dong Zhili , Jia Chengyao , Yau Vicky , Wu Liping , Guo Weimin , Zheng Jinxuan
Published: April 2024

Periodontitis is a highly prevalent disease characterized by inflammation and destruction of tooth-supporting tissues that leads to tooth loss in extreme situations. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms of periodontitis pathogenesis and progression will establish the groundwork for developing effective treatment strategies. Recently, evidence concerning the role of ferroptosis in periodontitis progression has emerged. Osteogenic lineage cells are key regulators of bone remodeling. Osteogenic cell death, as observed in experimental periodontitis models, disrupts the balance between bone resorption and bone formation. However, whether the osteogenic lineage undergoes ferroptosis during periodontitis and the corresponding effect on periodontitis progression remain elusive. Here, we investigated cell-specific ferroptosis within the alveolar bone in a murine periodontitis model. Through immunofluorescence double staining and immunohistochemistry, we identified ferroptotic osteocytes and osteoblasts in inflammatory alveolar bone. Next, in vivo administration of erastin or liproxstatin-1 was conducted to either induce or inhibit ferroptosis, respectively. Severe bone resorption and inflammation, accompanied by increased osteoclast formation and impaired osteogenic potential were detected following ferroptosis activation. Subsequently, we carried out in vitro experiments on osteocytes and further verified that ferroptosis enhanced the osteocytic expression of RANKL and IL-6. These findings suggest that ferroptosis occurring within the osteogenic lineage acts as a catalyst in the progression of periodontitis by stimulating osteoclastogenesis through the secretion of inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting osteoblastic function, providing insights into ferroptosis-induced alterations in microenvironment-based intercellular communication. Ferroptosis is a promising target for controlling inflammation and preventing bone resorption in periodontitis.
Unravelling and reconstructing the biosynthetic pathway of bergenin
Authors: Yan Ruiqi , Xie Binghan , Xie Kebo , Liu Qi , Sui Songyang , Wang Shuqi , Chen Dawei , Liu Jimei , Chen Ridao , Dai Jungui , Yang Lin
Published: April 2024

Bergenin, a rare C-glycoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid with pharmacological properties of antitussive and expectorant, is widely used in clinics to treat chronic tracheitis in China. However, its low abundance in nature and structural specificity hampers the accessibility through traditional crop-based manufacturing or chemical synthesis. In the present work, we elucidate the biosynthetic pathway of bergenin in Ardisia japonica by identifying the highly regio- and/or stereoselective 2-C-glycosyltransferases and 4-O-methyltransferases. Then, in Escherichia coli, we reconstruct the de novo biosynthetic pathway of 4-O-methyl gallic acid 2-C-β-D-glycoside, which is the direct precursor of bergenin and is conveniently esterified into bergenin by in situ acid treatment. Moreover, further metabolic engineering improves the production of bergenin to 1.41 g L−1 in a 3-L bioreactor. Our work provides a foundation for sustainable supply of bergenin and alleviates its resource shortage via a synthetic biology approach.
RinRK1 enhances NF receptors accumulation in nanodomain-like structures at root-hair tip
Authors: Zhou Ning , Li Xiaolin , Zheng Zhiqiong , Liu Jing , Downie J. Allan , Xie Fang
Published: April 2024

Legume-rhizobia root-nodule symbioses involve the recognition of rhizobial Nod factor (NF) signals by NF receptors, triggering both nodule organogenesis and rhizobial infection. RinRK1 is induced by NF signaling and is essential for infection thread (IT) formation in Lotus japonicus. However, the precise mechanism underlying this process remains unknown. Here, we show that RinRK1 interacts with the extracellular domains of NF receptors (NFR1 and NFR5) to promote their accumulation at root hair tips in response to rhizobia or NFs. Furthermore, Flotillin 1 (Flot1), a nanodomain-organizing protein, associates with the kinase domains of NFR1, NFR5 and RinRK1. RinRK1 promotes the interactions between Flot1 and NF receptors and both RinRK1 and Flot1 are necessary for the accumulation of NF receptors at root hair tips upon NF stimulation. Our study shows that RinRK1 and Flot1 play a crucial role in NF receptor complex assembly within localized plasma membrane signaling centers to promote symbiotic infection.
CAR affinity modulates the sensitivity of CAR-T cells to PD-1/PD-L1-mediated inhibition
Authors: Andreu-Saumell Irene , Rodriguez-Garcia Alba , Mühlgrabner Vanessa , Gimenez-Alejandre Marta , Marzal Berta , Castellsagué Joan , Brasó-Maristany Fara , Calderon Hugo , Angelats Laura , Colell Salut , Nuding Mara , Soria-Castellano Marta , Barbao Paula , Prat Aleix , Urbano-Ispizua Alvaro , Huppa Johannes B. , Guedan Sonia
Published: April 2024

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy for solid tumors faces significant hurdles, including T-cell inhibition mediated by the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. The effects of disrupting this pathway on T-cells are being actively explored and controversial outcomes have been reported. Here, we hypothesize that CAR-antigen affinity may be a key factor modulating T-cell susceptibility towards the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. We systematically interrogate CAR-T cells targeting HER2 with either low (LA) or high affinity (HA) in various preclinical models. Our results reveal an increased sensitivity of LA CAR-T cells to PD-L1-mediated inhibition when compared to their HA counterparts by using in vitro models of tumor cell lines and supported lipid bilayers modified to display varying PD-L1 densities. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout (KO) of PD-1 enhances LA CAR-T cell cytokine secretion and polyfunctionality in vitro and antitumor effect in vivo and results in the downregulation of gene signatures related to T-cell exhaustion. By contrast, HA CAR-T cell features remain unaffected following PD-1 KO. This behavior holds true for CD28 and ICOS but not 4-1BB co-stimulated CAR-T cells, which are less sensitive to PD-L1 inhibition albeit targeting the antigen with LA. Our findings may inform CAR-T therapies involving disruption of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway tailored in particular for effective treatment of solid tumors.