bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental and computational analysis of SnSx encapsulated into carbonized chitosan as electrode material for potassium ion batteries
Authors: Nowak Andrzej P. , Rokicińska Anna , Wang Zhilong , Prześniak-Welenc Marta , Zarach Zuzanna , Tao Kehao , Roda Daria , Szkoda Mariusz , Trzciński Konrad , Li Jinjin , Kuśtrowski Piotr
Published: December 2024

Tin sulphide compounds (SnSx, x = 1, 2) are potential anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their characteristic layered structure, high theoretical capacity, non-toxicity and low production cost. However, they suffer from significant volume changes resulting in poor performance of such anodes. In this work incorporation of SnSx into the carbon structure was expected to overcome these disadvantages. Two SnS-based electrode materials encapsulated into chitosan, as a natural carbon source, are fabricated by two different synthesis routes: (a) solvothermal, and (b) solvothermal followed by pyrolysis. The results indicate that the synthesis route is a crucial factor affecting the composition and electrochemical performance of the negative electrode. The electrode material, exhibiting a high reversible capacity (304 mAh/g at 50 mA/g), and good rate capability (128 mAh/g at 1000 mA/g for 500 cycles) is produced by the solvothermal method. The relationship between specific capacity and synthesis procedure is analyzed using the results obtained from XRD, XPS. Additionally, density functional theory is employed to provide deeper insights into the underlying mechanisms governing the electrochemical performance of the SnSx@C electrode materials.
Effects of minipuberty disruption on the expression of sexual behavior in female mice
Authors: Torres Thomas , Parmentier Caroline , Guigon Céline J. , Mhaouty-Kodja Sakina , Naulé Lydie
Published: December 2024

Sex steroids influence early organization of neural structures involved in expression of sexual behavior. A critical perinatal period during which testosterone surges occur has been identified in male rodents. Data are lacking for females, whose ovarian activity starts later in the postnatal period. Minipuberty has been described in female as a first postnatal period of gonadotropic axis activation. We transiently disrupted the minipubertal period, using daily injections of GnRH antagonist or aromatase inhibitor. The results showed unchanged puberty initiation and mild disturbance of estrus cyclicity. Minor modifications of some components of sexual behavior (olfactory preference, ability to attract male) were observed, but had no impact on lordosis behavior. Interestingly, letrozole-treated female mice showed increased anxiety state level at adulthood. This period therefore does not seem to be a key organizational window for female sexual behavior but appears to participate in the organization of neural structures involved in anxiety-related behavior.
VPS28 regulates triglyceride synthesis via ubiquitination in bovine mammary epithelial cells
Authors: Liu Lily , Wang Jinhai , Zheng Xianrui , Zhang Qin
Published: December 2024

VPS28 (vacuolar protein sorting 28) is a subunit of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) and is involved in ubiquitination. Ubiquitination is a critical system for protein degradation in eukaryotes. Considering the recent findings on the role of ubiquitination in the regulation of lipid metabolism, we hypothesized that VPS28 might affect the expression of genes involved in milk fat synthesis. To test this hypothesis, we modulated VPS28 expression in the bovine mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T) and measured the effects on triglyceride (TG) synthesis using lentivirus-mediated techniques. The results showed that VPS28 knockdown significantly upregulated the levels of the fatty acid transporter CD36 molecule (CD36) and adipose differentiation-related protein (ADFP), leading to increased TG and fatty acid production, along with elevated ubiquitin (UB) levels, while reducing proteasome activity. In contrast, VPS28 overexpression increased CD36 levels while not significantly affecting ADFP or TG levels, with a trend toward reduced lipid droplets and increased UB expression and proteasome activity. In addition, inhibition of the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the endosomal-lysosomal pathway using epoxomicin and chloroquine, respectively, further increased CD36, ADFP, and TG levels, thereby enhancing cell viability. These in vitro findings were validated in vivo in a mouse model, where VPS28 knockdown increased mammary CD36, ADFP, UB expression, TG content, and lipid droplets without pathological changes in mammary tissue or blood TG alterations. These results confirm the pivotal role of VPS28 in regulating TG synthesis via the ubiquitination pathway, offering novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of milk fat production in a bovine cell model.
Hemodynamic comparisons of different shunt positions and geometrical model simplification strategies in the simulation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS)
Authors: Yang Liu , Zhang Yitao , Wang Tianqi
Published: December 2024

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a widely used surgery for portal hypertensive patients, whose potential postoperative complications are closely related to the hemodynamic condition of the portal venous system. The selection of shunt position in the surgery may affect the postoperative hemodynamics; however, it is difficult for clinical studies to investigate the influence. Therefore, this study aims to employ the computational model simulating TIPS to compare the hemodynamic differences resulting from different shunt positions, and also to investigate the influences of different geometrical model simplification strategies used in the TIPS simulation. For this purpose, the clinical data of two representative patients were retrospectively collected, based on which, the computational hemodynamic models of the portal venous systems after TIPS were constructed, incorporating three typical shunt positions (i.e. shunt at the left/main/right portal vein) and three types of geometrical model simplification. Results showed that among the models with different shunt positions, the area-averaged flow velocity magnitudes in the shunts were very similar, while the model with shunt at the main portal vein showed the lowest postoperative portal pressure and the smallest area of high wall shear stress near the portal venous bifurcation. Among the models using different geometrical model simplification strategies, the simulated blood pressures at the main portal veins were very similar, but showed marked differences near the shunt inlets. Moreover, the area-averaged flow velocity magnitudes in the shunts were almost the same, while the velocity distributions differed a lot, leading to the different spatial distributions of wall shear stress near the portal venous bifurcations and shunt walls. These results on one hand suggested that placing the shunt at the main portal vein is more beneficial for the patient; on the other hand, they proved the feasibility of utilizing simplified model to save computational cost without losing the accuracy when the pressure at the main portal vein is mainly focused on. These findings would assist clinical decision-making and promote more accurate and efficient TIPS simulations.
Thrust-dominated unilateral rupture of a blind listric fault associated with the 2024 Hualien earthquake
Authors: Zheng Ao , Yu Xiangwei , Bai Chengyuan , Xu Wenbin , Qian Jiaqi , Zhang Wenbo , Chen Xiaofei
Published: December 2024

The 2024 Hualien Mw 7.4 earthquake struck the Longitudinal Valley, which accommodates the partial collision between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. As the most significant event in Taiwan since the 1999 Chi-Chi Mw 7.6 earthquake, it presents a distinct opportunity for investigating the current rupture behavior related to the northern Longitudinal Valley. The spatiotemporal rupture process of the Hualien earthquake is reconstructed through the analysis of geodetic and seismic observations. We demonstrate that the Hualien earthquake occurs on a blind listric fault, manifesting as a unilateral rupture primarily extending toward the NNE. The slip distribution exhibits a compact pattern dominated by the thrust faulting. As indicated by the increased Coulomb failure stress, the 2022 Chihshang Mw 6.5 and Mw 6.9 earthquakes cause a triggering effect on the Hualien earthquake. The Hualien earthquake also promotes the occurrence of a seismic swarm at the southernmost tip of its rupture area.
The effect of push frequency and stroke time on wheelchair maneuverability among wheelchair tennis athletes on hard tennis court
Authors: Esak Ajitkumar , Hamzaid Nur Azah , See Edelene , Khoo Selina
Published: December 2024

Wheelchair propulsion is a fundamental skill in wheelchair sports, particularly in wheelchair tennis. To achieve optimal mobility during wheelchair athletic performance, it is essential to consider propulsion techniques. This study examines the effect of push frequency and stroke duration on wheelchair maneuverability, measured by velocity during propulsion, among wheelchair tennis athletes. The athletes (N = 9; 5 elite and 4 novice) performed three tests; namely the comfortable speed propulsion test, sprint test and round-trip test; with and without holding their racquet, over their hard court. Results revealed that push frequency had positive correlation with propulsion velocity (r = 0.840, p < 0.001) while stroke time was negatively correlated with velocity (r = -0.859, p < 0.001). Propulsion performance between elite and novice wheelchair athletes, and between propelling with and without racquet were also reflected through these parameters. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) had significantly positive but low correlation with velocity and push frequency, and significant negative correlation with stroke time. This study could serve as a recommendation for wheelchair tennis athletes and coaches in planning their training protocols and techniques.
A homoleptic rare-earth-metal tetramethylindate
Authors: Wetzel Philipp , Maichle-Mössmer Cäcilia , Anwander Reiner
Published: December 2024

The donor-assisted conversion of Ln(AlMe4)3 into thermally labile Ln(InMe4)3 is dependent on the size of the rare-earth-metal centre.
Influence of aqueous solutions of 2-(tetrafluoro(trifluoromethyl)-λ6-sulfanyl-ethan-1-ol (CF3SF4–ethanol) on the stabilization of the secondary structure of melittin: comparison with aqueous trifluoroethanol using molecular dynamics simulations and circular dichroism experiments
Authors: Biswas Samadrita , Pathak Nilavra , Sutherland Leah , Chen Alan A. , Welch John T.
Published: December 2024

The influence of fluoroalcohols on peptide folding was studied.
Exploring the bonding in alkaline earth halides AeX− (Ae = Be–Ba, X = F–I) from Fermi hole localization and QTAIM perspectives
Authors: Rincon Luis , Bedoya Valeria , Seijas Luis E. , Rodríguez Vladimir , Zambrano Cesar , Torres F. Javier
Published: December 2024

The quadruple bond in [Re2Cl8]2- is characeterized by the presence of four well-defined electron localization basins around the Re–Re bond axis. This feature is not observed in the [AeX]− (Ae = Be–Ba, X = F–I) systems.
Impact of cerium doping on the peroxidase-like activity of metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Gao Yang , Liu Weisheng
Published: December 2024

Schematic diagram of the Ce-doped MOF nanozymes that mimic the peroxidase enzyme. The corresponding mechanistic cycle is also shown.
Automated electrochemical oxygen sensing using a 3D-printed microfluidic lab-on-a-chip system
Authors: Kaufman Daniel , Winkler Steffen , Heuer Christopher , Shibli Ahed , Snezhko Alexander , Livshits Gideon I. , Bahnemann Janina , Ben-Yoav Hadar
Published: December 2024

A 3D-printed optical-electrochemical microfluidic device able to automatically flow and measure dissolved oxygen in physiologically relevant levels.
Triazolinedione-functionalized isoprene rubber composites with self-adhesion via cross-linking with zinc dimethacrylate
Authors: Kotani Kyohei , Kitamura Yuji , Tsunoda Katsuhiko , Takahashi Akira , Otsuka Hideyuki
Published: December 2024

This paper reports a new method for cross-linking rubbers and its application to direct adhesion, by introducing triazolinedione moieties into a polyisoprene followed by adding zinc dimethacrylate with the aim of forming dissociative cross-links.
In-plane aligned doping pattern in electrospun PEI/MBene nanocomposites for high-temperature capacitive energy storage
Authors: Fan Sidi , Ai Ding , Zhang Wenqi , Yang Rui , Shen Guangyi , Yang Xiao , Cheng Yonghong , Yu Xiang
Published: December 2024

To achieve superior energy storage performance in dielectric polymer films, it is crucial to balance three key properties: high dielectric constant, high breakdown strength, and low dielectric loss.
Polyacrylamide/sodium alginate-based carbon nanocomposite conductive hydrogels for wearable flexible devices
Authors: Meng Lingling , Liu Da , Liu En , Ding Shijie , Li Weihao
Published: December 2024

A double network hydrogel based on polyacrylamide and sodium alginate showed excellent mechanical properties, good conductivity and a stable sensing response. The flexible sensor assembled by the hydrogel can be used for motion monitoring.
Two-dimensional squishy glass: yielding under oscillatory shear
Authors: Ghosh Sayantan , Nayak Rahul , Vemparala Satyavani , Chaudhuri Pinaki
Published: December 2024

Yielding of 2D glassy bidisperse, deformable polymer rings under oscillatory shear shows a strong interplay of shape-deformation and translation, governed by ring stiffness, driving plasticity.
Life cycle assessment of industry wastewater treatment plant: a case study in Vietnam
Authors: Tran Hung Van , Phan Hao Anh , Bui Ha Manh
Published: December 2024

This study employs Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of wastewater treatment systems in industrial zones of Vietnam.
Manganese cobalt sulfide-doped fibrous sulfurized polyacrylonitrile for high-rate and long-life lithium–sulfur batteries
Authors: Wang Jiayu , Zhao Xiangyang , Zou Qingli , Wei Min
Published: December 2024

Manganese cobalt sulfide-doped fibrous sulfurized polyacrylonitrile with an increased graphitization degree and stable cathode electrolyte interphase shows fast electronic and ionic conductivity and improved kinetics.
High-temperature atomic layer deposition of HfO2 film with low impurity using a novel Hf precursor
Authors: Park Jae Chan , Choi Chang Ik , Jeon Woong Pyo , Thi Ngoc Van Tran , Kim Woo-Hee , Ahn Ji-Hoon , Shong Bonggeun , Park Tae Joo
Published: December 2024

HfO2 film was grown using a novel Hf precursor, FuHf(NMe2)3. Physicochemical and electrical properties were improved at high temperature compared to film grown using the CpHf(NMe2)3 precursor, and it was verified by theoretical calculations.
Which is more faithful, seeing or saying? Multimodal sarcasm detection exploiting contrasting sentiment knowledge
Authors: Chen Yutao , Shi Shumin , Huang Heyan
Published: December 2024

Using sarcasm on social media platforms to express negative opinions towards a person or object has become increasingly common. However, detecting sarcasm in various forms of communication can be difficult due to conflicting sentiments. In this paper, we introduce a contrasting sentiment‐based model for multimodal sarcasm detection (CS4MSD), which identifies inconsistent emotions by leveraging the CLIP knowledge module to produce sentiment features in both text and image. Then, five external sentiments are introduced to prompt the model learning sentimental preferences among modalities. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of verbal descriptions embedded in illustrations and incorporate additional knowledge‐sharing modules to fuse such image‐like features. Experimental results demonstrate that our model achieves state‐of‐the‐art performance on the public multimodal sarcasm dataset.
Mechanism and suppression of breaking overvoltage of DC circuit breakers
Authors: Qu Lu , Yu Zhangqing , Gan Zhizheng , Yan Xin , Jiang Cheng , Huang Yulong , Li Mingshen , Feng Jian
Published: December 2024

The occurrence of breaking overvoltage in a DC circuit breaker (DCCB) poses a potential threat to the safe operation of a DC grid. Based on the structure of the ±10 kV three‐terminal DC distribution network, this paper sets up the medium‐voltage DCCB and formulates a fault protection strategy. Additionally, a simulation model of the system is developed to analyse the overvoltage characteristics within the DC distribution network across different nodes and fault conditions. By examining the factors that influence breaking overvoltage, this paper unravels the fundamental mechanisms associated with DCCB‐related overvoltage generation. Furthermore, the paper suggests measures to alleviate DCCB overvoltage. These insights provide a theoretical and technical basis for the design and operation of DCCBs within DC distribution networks.
An approach to distributed asynchronous multi‐sensor fusion utilising data compensation algorithm
Authors: Wang Kuiwu , Zhang Qin , Jin Zhenlu , Fu Xiaolong
Published: December 2024

Multi‐sensor networks often encounter challenges such as inconsistent sampling times among local sensors and data loss during transmission. To address these issues, this paper employs a data loss compensation strategy to reconstruct missing data information. It designs the state estimation of local sensors utilising iterative state equations, leveraging multistep prediction techniques to estimate sensor states at unsampled points, thereby transforming the asynchronous sensor network system into a synchronous one. Furthermore, the projection theorem is applied to determine the fusion weights of local sensors, grounded on the principle of square‐averaging significance. Ultimately, data information pertaining to the same target is fused through arithmetic averaging, guided by distance correlation. Simulation outcomes demonstrate that the proposed algorithm balances estimation accuracy with communication overhead, achieved by designing an optimal number of communication iterations.
CircTLK1 Knockdown Alleviates Cell Inflammation and Apoptosis by Regulating Elavl1/Nox4 Axis in Neonatal Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury in Mice
Authors: Li Hongxia , Li Jiansheng , Zhang Jin
Published: December 2024

Objective Septic acute lung injury (ALI) is a common complication of sepsis with high morbidity and mortality but lacks specific treatment. This study aimed to elucidate the role of circular RNA TLK1 (circTLK1) in neonatal septic ALI.

Study Design Murine cecal slurry was used to induce neonatal sepsis-induced ALI model in vivo. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to detect the pathological changes in lung tissues. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce neonatal sepsis-induced ALI model in vitro. The levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) detection kit was used to detect LDH activity. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry detected cell viability and apoptosis. The genes' expression was measured by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot. The relationship between circTLK1 and Elavl1 or Elavl1 and Nox4 was detected using RNA immunoprecipitation assay.

Results Our results illustrated that circTLK1 was highly expressed in neonatal sepsis-induced ALI model, and circTLK1 knockdown alleviated cell inflammation and apoptosis in neonatal sepsis-induced ALI model. Similarly, we found that circTLK1 knockdown alleviated neonatal sepsis-induced ALI. Mechanically, circTLK1 mediated Elavl1 binding to Nox4 messenger RNA and increased its stability. Functionally, circTLK1 knockdown alleviated cell inflammation and apoptosis by regulating Nox4 in the neonatal sepsis-induced ALI model.

Conclusion CircTLK1 knockdown alleviated cell inflammation and apoptosis by the Elavl1/Nox4 axis in neonatal sepsis-induced ALI. Our research provided a novel direction for the treatment of neonatal sepsis-induced ALI.

Key Points
Straightforward Synthesis of Unnatural α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acid Derivatives Using Readily Accessible Building Blocks
Authors: Tomohara Keisuke , Nose Takeru , Nambu Hisanori
Published: December 2024

Unnatural α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids have played a privileged role in drug discovery campaigns, and the development of their efficient synthetic methods has thus received continuous attention. This account describes our originally developed synthetic methods to obtain α,α-disubstituted α-amino acid derivatives using readily accessible building blocks.

1 Introduction

2 Asymmetric Synthesis of α,α-Disubstituted α-Aryl α-Amino Acid
Derivatives via ‘Memory of Chirality’

3 Synthesis of Natural-Product-Derived α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acid Derivatives by Chemical Engineering of Natural Product Extracts

4 One-Pot Synthesis of α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acid Derivatives by Ammonia-Ugi Reaction

5 Conclusions
Má consolidação em fratura autoestabilizada de tipo II do processo odontoide com subluxação atlantoaxial anterior crônica em paciente neurologicamente intacto: Relato de caso
Authors: Gomez-Rios Juan Carlos , Uribe-Alpizar Claudio , Reyes-Sanchez Alejandro , García-Ramos Carla Lisette , Rosales-Olivarez Luis Miguel , Zárate-Kalfópulos Baron
Published: December 2024

As luxações atlanto-occipitais com fraturas de tipo II do processo odontoide são raras, com relato de sete casos a cada 784 lesões da coluna cervical superior. Sua incidência é inferior a 0,3% e estas lesões estão relacionadas a uma alta taxa de morbidade e mortalidade. As fraturas de C2 mais comuns são no processo odontoide, representando 7% dos casos. Essas fraturas são classificadas por Anderson e D'Alonso de acordo com seu nível e o maior índice de pseudoartrose foi observado na zona II. Até 85% dessas lesões são causadas por acidentes automobilísticos. Não há consenso quanto ao tratamento ideal dos casos agudos. Realizamos anamnese completa e exame físico em nossa instituição. Fizemos uma revisão sistemática de relatos de casos com as palavras-chave “malunion of odontoid process + chronic atlantoaxial subluxation” (má consolidação do processo odontoide + subluxação atlantoaxial crônica) em quatro bases de dados diferentes e uma análise comparativa dos casos encontrados. Não observamos casos idênticos ao do nosso relato. Nove relatos de casos semelhantes foram publicados; as principais diferenças foram a pseudoartrose do processo odontoide, as alterações neurológicas em pacientes sintomáticos e o consequente tratamento cirúrgico.

É raro observar um paciente com fratura do processo odontoide de tipo II, consolidação viciosa e subluxação atlantoaxial anterior estável sem alterações neurológicas. Decidimos pela conduta expectante com acompanhamento anual.
Resultados a longo prazo após 18 anos de fixação artroscópica de fratura articular da escápula: Relato de caso
Authors: Ramos Carlos Henrique , Barbosa Rafaella Monteiro , Gomes Yasmin Netto Costa , Paula Ana Luisa Garcia de , Gulicz Laysla Danyela Coradin
Published: December 2024

A redução e fixação das fraturas articulares da cavidade glenoidal pela técnica artroscópica causam pouco trauma cirúrgico, possibilitando o diagnóstico complementar e tratamento de eventuais lesões associadas (capsulares, ligamentares e/ou tendinosas), sendo demonstrados resultados promissores até o momento. Os autores relatam um caso de fratura glenoidal tipo III de Ideberg, associada à fratura da clavícula distal, submetida a redução e fixação óssea percutânea (fios de K) assistida pela técnica artroscópica. Descrevem a técnica e o resultado após 18 anos de acompanhamento, com a avaliação clínica realizada segundo critérios funcionais do score University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) e o estudo radiográfico. O resultado foi considerado excelente/satisfatório, com paciente assintomático ao longo do tempo e ausência de alterações radiográficas relevantes. Apesar do manejo de fraturas da glenoide pela artroscopia ainda estar em evolução, apresenta-se como boa alternativa de tratamento em relação à abordagem aberta, especialmente nas fraturas de menor complexidade.
Minimally Invasive Placement of Cannulated Headless Compression Screws for Reduction of Sacroiliac Luxation in 14 Cats
Authors: de Jong Lars , Proot Joachim Lucas Jozef , Pillin Lorenzo Josepha Paul , Janssens Luc August Adèle
Published: December 2024

Objective To describe percutaneous fluoroscopy-guided placement of self-drilling, self-tapping, 3.0 mm cannulated headless compression screws (HCS) for surgical reduction of sacroiliac luxation (SIL) in cats, and to document clinical outcome.

Materials and Methods Medical records of cats with SIL, managed by percutaneous fluoroscopy-guided placement of a 3.0 mm HCS, were reviewed. Short-term outcome was assessed by clinical examination and radiographs. Long-term outcome was assessed using an owner questionnaire.

Results A total of 14 cats, with 17 SIL (11 unilateral and 3 bilateral), were included. Mean postoperative sacroiliac joint reduction was 85%, median sacral purchase was 63% for unilateral and 38% for bilateral HCS, and pelvic canal diameter ratio and hemipelvic canal width ratio were satisfactory in all cases. At follow-up, all cats exhibited satisfactory clinical improvement. Radiographic assessment revealed no implant-related complications of the unilateral HCS; however, screw loosening was observed in 3/6 of bilateral HCS. Owner satisfaction was good, with 10/11 of owners being very satisfied and 1/11 being satisfied.

Clinical Significance Percutaneous fluoroscopy-guided placement of a 3.0 mm HCS is a safe and effective method for unilateral surgical reduction of SIL in cats. Further studies are needed to establish the most appropriate procedure to treat bilateral SIL.
Von Meyerberg Complexes: An Underrecognized Predisposing Factor for Focal Nodular Hyperplasia–Like Lesions
Authors: Rastogi Ruchi , Aggarwal Bharat , Gupta Subhash , Agarwal Komal , Chugh Bhuvan
Published: December 2024

Von Meyerberg complexes (VMCs), also termed as biliary hamartomas, are common ductal plate malformations and are considered as benign incidental findings. These are occasionally discovered in histopathological examination or on imaging in individuals being investigated for an unrelated issue and do not warrant any active intervention. However, it is important to recognize that sometimes VMCs can predispose to malignant masses or rarely to hypervascular benign masses as in present case, causing diagnostic dilemma.
Observation of the threshold field of the paramagnetic effect in the intermediate state of a superconductor
Authors: Frolov V. A.
Published: December 2024

It is demonstrated experimentally that in order to produce the paramagnetic effect in a cylindrical superconductor, transformed into the intermediate state by a current flowing along it, a longitudinal magnetic field exceeding some threshold value is required. Contamination of the metal lowers the threshold value. The existence of a threshold field proves the validity of the London model of the intermediate state of a cylinder carrying a current.
New effects in the absorption of sound by metals in a strong magnetic field in the presence of topological restructuring of electron orbits
Authors: Slutskin A. A. , Sharshanov A. Ya.
Published: December 2024

Resonant absorption of longitudinal sound in a pure metal in a strong magnetic field H is studied for the case when the tilting of H away from a surface perpendicular to one of the reciprocal lattice vectors by a small angle θ gives rise to a transition from open periodic electron trajectories to strongly elongated closed trajectories. It is shown that in the limit Tθ ≪ τ (Tθ is the return period of the electron along an elongated orbit, τ is the electron mean free flight time) the longitudinal (along H) dynamics of the electron is qualitatively restructured. For ql ≫ 1 (q is the wave vector of the sound, l is the electron mean free path length), this leads to anomalously rapid oscillations in the dependence of the coefficient of absorption of sound on θ and H. In addition, it turns out that for angles in the range qlθ ≪ 1 the absorption of sound loses its collisionless character, in spite of the smallness of the parameter 1/ql. An investigation of the indicated anomalies enables obtaining new information on the electronic energy spectrum of the metal.
Sound propagation in two-dimensional metals
Authors: Klimenko Yu. A. , Kopeliovich A. I.
Published: December 2024

Electronic damping and renormalization of the sound velocity for metals with a cylindrical Fermi surface (layered metals), in which the electron-phonon relaxation has a specific two-dimensional character,1 are studied. The usually used τ approximation is inapplicable even for high (ωτ ≫l) frequencies of the sound propagating in the plane of the two-dimensional layers: relaxation occurs in several stages, whose times differ substantially. It is shown that the effects of the spatial and temporal dispersion in sound propagation become significant at much lower frequencies than in a three-dimensional metal, and they are of a different character. In particular, resonance absorption is qualitatively different from Landau absorption: it is sensitive to the relaxation processes, and it depends not only on the temperature but also on the frequency, and in an unusual manner also. The renormalization of the sound velocity is anomalously large and also sensitive to the scattering processes. Thus the study of sound propagation is an additional (to the electrical conductivity) method with appreciable advantages for studying two-dimensional effects in electron-phonon relaxation. It is shown that absorption and renormalization of the velocity increase substantially as the angle between the wave vectors of the sound and the normal vector to the plane of the two-dimensional layers decreases.
Possibility of direct studies of Fermi-surface singularities by observation of ballistic electrons
Authors: Kosevich A. M.
Published: December 2024

The paper substantiates the fundamental possibility of observing enhanced electron beams emitted by a point contact in directions predetermined by specific lines on the Fermi surface (lines of parabolic points).
Low-temperature instability of plastic flow of crystals
Authors: Bronina E. M. , Nechiporenko I. N.
Published: December 2024

The process of localized plastic deformation of crystals and instability criteria have been obtained for low-temperature plastic flow of crystals.
Effect of the temperature and pressure on the transport properties of the superconducting ceramic BaPb1−xBixO3
Authors: Svistunov V. M. , Revenko Yu. F. , Moiseev D. P. , Postnikov V. M. , Gaevskis A. P.
Published: December 2024

The temperature and pressure dependences of the critical current, the current-voltage characteristics, and the conductivity of samples of the ceramic BaPb1−xBixO3 (BPB), obtained under different technological conditions, are investigated for purposes of studying the barrier characteristics of the intergrain boundaries of granulated metal-oxide superconductors with the structure of perovskite in the formation of the transport properties. It is found that the Josephson and single-particle tunneling effects depend strongly on the resistivity of the samples, determining the strength of the intergrain coupling. In the strong-coupling limit synchronization encompasses the entire current-conducting chain of the percolation network of the sample. Increasing the resistance of the material destroys the synchronization of the links and gives rise to an increasing influence of proximity effects in the IVC and in the dependence Ic(T), while in the weak coupling limit it gives rise to reentrant phenomena in the dependences Ic(T) and R(T). In the state of single-particle tunneling the characteristic features of the quasiparticle density of states are reflected in the IVC. On the basis of the results obtained it is concluded that the surface layers of the granules make the determining contribution to the resistance of the sample and two principal conduction mechanisms, on whose ratio the observed effects depend, are pointed out: tunneling through the Schottky barrier and hopping along localized impurity states. The pressure increases the potential of the Schottky barrier and causes the surface (usually amorphous) layer of the BPB granules to become metallized.
Superconductivity effects in granular indium films with strong electron localization
Authors: Belevtsev B. I. , Komnik Yu. F. , Fomin A. V.
Published: December 2024

A minimum of the electrical resistance below the superconducting transition temperature Tc was observed in granular indium films exhibiting activated conductivity above Tc. The influence of electric and magnetic fields on this effect is studied. The experimental data indicate that the resistance minimum is determined by competition between hopping conductivity and Josephson tunneling between granules. A qualitative explanation of the nature of this phenomenon is proposed.
Anomalous skin effect in multichannel specular reflection of conduction electrons from the surface
Authors: Ustinov V. V. , Khusainov D. Z.
Published: December 2024

Asymptotic formulas for the electric current density accompanying the anomalous skin effect in a semibounded metal with an atomically smooth surface and a complicated anisotropic electron dispersion law, admitting the existence of multichannel specular reflection (MSR) processes, are obtained based on the quantum-mechanical theory of linear response. The expression for the current density is presented in the form of a sum of two terms, one of which is written in terms of the probabilities of Umklapp processes at the surface and admits a quasiclassical interpretation, while the second is of a purely quantum nature and is significant if the wavelength of the effective (glancing along the surface) electrons, characterizing their motion along the normal to the boundary, is comparable to the depth of the skin layer. The formulas obtained are used to calculate the surface impedance of the metal in the presence of an anomalous skin effect in the form of a series in powers of the parameter of the degree of anomalousness. Taking into account the angular dependence of the probabilities of multichannel reflection leads to the fact that the contribution of MSR to the impedance appears in the terms of the expansion of the impedance whose relative magnitude is determined by the ratio of the depth of the skin layer to the mean-free path length.
Phenomenological description of exchange relaxation processes in antiferromagnets
Authors: Bar’yakhtar V. G.
Published: December 2024

Expressions are obtained for the exchange relaxation terms in the equations of motion for the magnetization and antiferromagnetism vectors in antiferromagnets and ferrites. The dissipative function is found. It is shown that from the general equations of motion for antiferromagnets in the dissipation-free approximation two relations are obtained between the time derivatives of the magnetization and antiferromagnetism vectors, thanks to which only two branches of the spin waves are realized. The decay of spin waves, calculated according to the microscopic and phenomenological theories, are compared. The mobility of the domain boundaries in antiferromagnets is calculated taking into account the exchange relaxation.
Description of the crisis of He II nonfilm boiling on the basis of a boundary-layer model
Authors: Bekboev M. T.
Published: December 2024

We propose a boundary-layer model of He II consisting of a retarded normal component. This is shown to cause an He I layer to form on the heating surface. It is posulated in the first approximation that a nonfilm boiling crisis occurs when this layer reaches a state on the saturation curve. The corresponding temperature drop, calculated on the basis of the proposed model, is found to be in fair agreement with available experimental data.
Leaf Na+ effects and multi-trait GWAS point to salt exclusion as the key mechanism for reproductive stage salinity tolerance in rice
Authors: de Ocampo Marjorie P , Tam Bui Phuoc , Egdane James A , Chebotarov Dmytro , Doi Kazuyuki , Yamauchi Akira , Ismail Abdelbagi M , Henry Amelia , Mitsuya Shiro
Published: December 2024

Background and Aims

Since salinity stress may occur across stages of rice (Oryza sativa) crop growth, understanding the effects of salinity at the reproductive stage is important, although it has been much less studied than at the seedling stage.

Methods

Lines from the Rice Diversity Panel 1 (RDP1) and the 3000 Rice Genomes (3KRG) were used to screen morphological and physiological traits, map loci controlling salinity tolerance through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and identify favourable haplotypes associated with reproductive stage salinity tolerance.

Key Results

Salt exclusion was identified as the key tolerance mechanism in this study, based on reduced panicle length as flag leaf Na+ increased and a lack of effect of trimming the leaves on genotypic rankings in the salinity treatment. Since larger biomass showed a negative effect on the number of filled grains in multiple experiments, future studies should investigate the effect of whole-plant transpiration levels on salt uptake. In addition to genome-wide significant peaks identified in the single-trait GWAS analyses, six loci showed colocations for multiple traits across experiments. Among these colocating loci, three candidate loci that exhibited favourable haplotypes were also characterized to be involved in co-expression networks, among which apoplast and cell wall functions had been annotated, further highlighting the role of salt exclusion.

Conclusion

The loci identified here could be considered as potential sources for improving reproductive stage salinity tolerance in rice.
Nanovesicles derived from edible plants: a new player that contributes to the function of foods
Authors: Yamasaki Masao , Yamasaki Yumi , Oshima Tatsuya
Published: December 2024

Nano-sized vesicles are ubiquitous in vegetables, fruits, and other edible plants. We have successfully prepared nanovesicles (NVs) from over 150 edible plants. These results suggest that the daily intake of NVs from various foods and their roles in food function are promising novel approaches for explaining the health-promoting properties of edible plants. These vesicles contain RNAs, including miRNAs, similar to extracellular NVs, which play pivotal roles in cell-cell communication. Intriguingly, NVs also contain phytochemicals such as polyphenols and carotenoids that are specific to each edible plant. In conclusion, these dietary NVs have the potential to serve as functional packages to deliver RNAs or phytochemicals to target cells across species from plants to humans.
VarNMF: Non-negative Probabilistic Factorization with Source Variation
Authors: Fallik Ela , Friedman Nir
Published: December 2024

Motivation

Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) is a powerful tool often applied to genomic data, to identify non-negative latent components that constitute linearly mixed samples. It is useful when the observed signal combines contributions from multiple sources, such as cell types in bulk measurements of heterogeneous tissue. NMF accounts for two types of variation between samples—disparities in the proportions of sources and observation noise. However, in many settings, there is also a non-trivial variation between samples in the contribution of each source to the mixed samples.

Results

We present VarNMF, a probabilistic extension of NMF that explicitly models this source variation. We show that by modeling sources as non-negative distributions, we can recover source variation directly from mixed samples without observing any of the sources directly. We apply VarNMF to a cell-free ChIP-seq dataset of two cancer cohorts and a healthy cohort, demonstrating that VarNMF provides a better estimation of the data distribution. Moreover, VarNMF extracts cancer-associated source distributions that decouple the tumor characteristics from the amount of tumor contribution, and identify patient-specific disease behaviors. This decomposition highlights the inter-tumor variability that is obscured in the mixed samples.

Availability

Code is available at https://github.com/Nir-Friedman-Lab/VarNMF. cfChIP data is based on Sadeh et al. (2021) (publicly available data) and Fialkoff et al. (2022) (provided through authors).

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Journal Name online.
Racemization of chiral sulfoxide using an immobilized oxovanadium catalyst
Authors: Nishio Tomoya , Shigemitsu Hajime , Kida Toshiyuki , Akai Shuji , Kanomata Kyohei
Published: December 2024

Racemization of optically active compounds is an essential process in asymmetric transformations such as dynamic kinetic resolution and deracemization. In this study, the racemization of chiral sulfoxides under mild thermal conditions was realized using a novel silica-gel-supported oxovanadium catalyst. Specifically, we screened reaction conditions, analyzed the substrate scope, and conducted mechanistic studies of the silica-gel-supported oxovanadium-catalyzed racemization of sulfoxides. The racemization reaction has a wide substrate scope, including alkyl aryl sulfoxides and diaryl sulfoxides. The catalyst could be reused by exploiting its heterogeneous nature. Mechanistic studies suggested that racemization proceeds via the formation of a radical cation intermediate mediated by the oxovanadium(V)/(IV) redox cycle.
Orientation and alignment control of LDH-containing composite membranes using magnetic processes and their anion conductivity
Authors: Yamato Masafumi , Shinada Yuki , Ushijima Eizo , Takahashi Kohki
Published: December 2024

Orientation control of layered double hydroxide (LDH) was attempted using magnetic crystalline anisotropy, and alignment control was explored through magnetic dipole interactions. Under an external magnetic field, Mg–Al LDH and Ni–Al LDH oriented, and the LDH composite membrane prepared in the magnetic field showed enhanced anion conductivity in the direction parallel to the LDH layer plane. In Ni–Al LDH, a connected structure was observed due to magnetic dipole interactions; however, improved anion conductivity was not observed, likely due to improper orientation.
Cationic nickel(II) complexes bearing a phenalenyl-based tridentate ligand
Authors: Kodama Takuya , Noguchi Hikaru , Tsurugi Hayato , Tobisu Mamoru
Published: December 2024

Cationic nickel(II) complexes featuring a phenalenyl-based N,N,N-tridentate ligand were synthesized and characterized. Their structural and electronic properties were examined using electronic absorption spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements, X-ray diffraction, and theoretical calculations. Additionally, the chemical reduction and photo-induced reactivity of related complexes were investigated.
Verifiable attribute-based multi-keyword ranked search scheme in blockchain
Authors: Chen Yang , Zhao Chunlu , Pan Jin , Liu Yang
Published: December 2024

In recent years, cloud storage has gradually become a promising tool for providing data sharing and data storage services with privacy protection. However, to enable users to search over encrypted data and to enable data owners to perform fine-grained search authorization on their encrypted files is still a great challenge. Although attribute-based keyword search (ABKS) is a well-received solution to the challenge, the direct adoption of the traditional ABKS schemes in cloud storage suffers two issues. The first problem is the lack of integrity verification of search results. That is, the users cannot verify whether the server has actually performed a search without compromise. The second issue is that the retrieval modes of most ABKS schemes are not flexible enough. Aiming at the above two issues, a verifiable ABKS scheme is proposed herein. Besides, we proposed security definitions for two types of adversaries and proved that the proposed scheme is verifiable and able of resisting outside keyword guessing attack and chosen keyword attack. Finally, we carried out all-round simulations with actual data set, showing that the proposed scheme has advantage in efficiency over other similar schemes.
Vessel re-identification by a hierarchical perceptual aggregation network with inclination-aware attention
Authors: Cao Yuetian , Liu Jin , Yu Zijun , Li Xingye , Wei Lai , Wu Zhongdai
Published: December 2024

Vessel re-identification (re-ID) is a crucial task in maritime supervision, enhancing maritime safety and improving the maritime situational awareness system. However, distinct from land-based scenarios involving vehicles or pedestrians, vessels, as enormous rigid bodies situated in the dynamic marine environment, face unique challenges such as significant variations in the scale of discriminative features and unpredictable sway. Furthermore, there is a limited number of publicly available datasets for vessel re-ID in complex backgrounds. In this paper, to overcome these challenges, a novel Hierarchical Perceptual Aggregation Network with Inclination-Aware Attention (HPAN-IAA) is proposed. HPAN-IAA comprises two main modules: the Hierarchical Perceptual Aggregation Block (HPAB) and the Inclination-Aware Attention Block (IAAB). Specifically, in HPAB, a hierarchical perceptual function is introduced to decompose visual information of vessels into discriminative features at multiple levels. These feature maps with different levels of detail from diverse network layers are then fused together by concatenation, resulting in a comprehensive feature representation that effectively integrates information across various scales. Conversely, to address the irregular variations and random omissions in discriminative feature distribution caused by unpredictable vessel sway, in IAAB, the Channel Collaborative Attention Module and the Pyramidal Spatial Attention Module are designed to adaptively extract potential discriminative features within each channel and spatial dimension, enhancing model’s ability in effectively extracting and utilizing irregularly changing discriminative features. Moreover, we propose a novel vessel re-ID dataset—VesselReID-2258. Extensive experiments conducted on VesselReID-2258 and the publicly available dataset VesselReID demonstrate that HPAN-IAA outperforms the current state-of-the-art methods,achieving superior performance with mean Average Precision scores of 0.861 and 0.823.
MAPBFT: multilevel adaptive PBFT algorithm based on discourse and reputation models
Authors: Wen Xin , Yang Xiaohui
Published: December 2024

The traditional practical Byzantine fault tolerance (PBFT) consensus algorithm has limitations due to its failure to consider node credibility and its static structure, leading to reduced adaptability and increased communication overhead, particularly when dealing with Byzantine nodes. To address these issues, we propose a multilevel adaptive practical Byzantine fault tolerance algorithm (MAPBFT) based on PBFT and incorporating adaptive techniques, including a discourse power mechanism. MAPBFT initially uses a reputation model to evaluate node parameters such as past performance, reliability, availability, and response delay, providing predictive insights for the adaptive algorithm. The adaptive algorithm then employs a multi-layer perceptron to predict the reputation scores of nodes. This enables the selection of high-reputation nodes for consensus participation, narrowing the consensus scope, and reducing communication overhead. Finally, discourse power is distributed differentially based on node reputation scores. The consensus advancement criterion is modified to a threshold achieved through accumulated discourse power, focusing the system on high-reputation nodes and enhancing consensus efficiency and resistance against malicious nodes. We conducted experiments to validate MAPBFT’s performance and compared it with PBFT and APBFT. Experimental results demonstrate that MAPBFT enhances throughput, reduces response delay and communication overhead, and improves security, outperforming the other protocols.