bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First clinical experience with esophageal ESD using a novel adjustable traction device
Authors: Miyazaki Kurato , Kato Motohiko , Sasaki Motoki , Iwata Kentaro , Masunaga Teppei , Kubosawa Yoko , Hayashi Yukie , Mizutani Mari , Takatori Yusaku , Matsuura Noriko , Nakayama Atsushi , Takabayashi Kaoru , Nakajima Kiyokazu , Kanai Takanori , Yahagi Naohisa
Published: January 2023

Background and study aims In esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), the effectiveness of traction including clip-thread method has been reported, but it is difficult to adjust the direction of traction. Therefore, we developed a dedicated over-tube type traction device (ENDOTORNADO) that has a working channel and allows traction from any directions by rotating itself. We investigated the clinical feasibility and potential usefulness of this new device in esophageal ESD.

Patients and methods This was a single-center, retrospective study. Six cases of esophageal ESD with ENDOTORNADO from January to March 2022 (tESD group) were compared with 23 cases of conventional esophageal ESD performed by the same operator from January 2019 to December 2021 (cESD group) in terms of clinical treatment outcomes.

Results In all cases, en bloc resection was achieved without intraoperative perforation. The total procedure speed was significantly increased in tESD group (23 vs. 30 mm2/min, P = 0.046). In particular, the submucosal dissection time was significantly reduced to about one-quarter in tESD group (11 vs. 42 min, P = 0.004).

Conclusions ENDOTORNADO creates the adjustable traction from any directions and may have the clinical feasibility. It would be an option for human esophageal ESD.
Personalized endoscopic surveillance and intervention protocols for patients with familial adenomatous polyposis: the European FAP Consortium strategy
Authors: Aelvoet Arthur S. , Pellisé Maria , Bastiaansen Barbara A.J. , van Leerdam Monique E. , Jover Rodrigo , Balaguer Francesc , Kaminski Michal F. , Karstensen John G. , Saurin Jean-Christophe , Hompes Roel , Bossuyt Patrick M.M. , Ricciardiello Luigi , Latchford Andrew , Dekker Evelien ,   European FAP Consortium
Published: January 2023

Background and study aims Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) undergo colectomy and lifelong endoscopic surveillance to prevent colorectal, duodenal and gastric cancer. Endoscopy has advanced significantly in recent years, including both detection technology as well as treatment options. For the lower gastrointestinal tract, current guidelines do not provide clear recommendations for surveillance intervals. Furthermore, the Spigelman staging system for duodenal polyposis has its limitations. We present a newly developed personalized endoscopic surveillance strategy for the lower and upper gastrointestinal tract, aiming to improve the care for patients with FAP. We aim to inform centers caring for FAP patients and encourage the discussion on optimizing endoscopic surveillance and treatment in this high-risk population.

Methods The European FAP Consortium, consisting of endoscopists with expertise in FAP, collaboratively developed new surveillance protocols. The proposed strategy was consensus-based and a result of several consortium meetings, discussing current evidence and limitations of existing systems. This strategy provides clear indications for endoscopic polypectomy in the rectum, pouch, duodenum and stomach and defines new criteria for surveillance intervals. This strategy will be evaluated in a 5-year prospective study in nine FAP expert centers in Europe.

Results We present a newly developed personalized endoscopic surveillance and endoscopic treatment strategy for patients with FAP aiming to prevent cancer, optimize endoscopic resources and limit the number of surgical interventions. Following this new strategy, prospectively collected data in a large cohort of patients will inform us on the efficacy and safety of the proposed approaches.
NOBF4-Mediated Assembly of the Sydnone Imine Scaffold in the Synthesis of Double Nitric Oxide Donors
Authors: Fershtat Leonid L. , Shuvaev Alexander D. , Zhilin Egor S.
Published: January 2023

A direct approach toward the construction of furoxan-sydnone imine double NO-donors involving the NOBF4-mediated nitrosation–cyclization sequence of α-amino nitriles as a key synthetic step was developed. The described protocol excludes the isolation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines, operates broad substrate scope, and enables the preparation of fully substituted sydnone imines linked to the furoxan ring via different linkers or directly through C–C bond. Synthesized library of furoxan-sydnone imine hybrids demonstrated a promising ability to release NO in a wide range of concentrations which is useful for various biomedical insights.
SbCl3-Initiated Csp3
–Csp3
Coupling between N-Aryltetrahydroisoquinolines and Nitroalkanes via the Aerobic Oxidation of sp3
C–H Bond
Authors: Yuan Yu , Jia Xiaodong , Ma Qiyuan , Zhang Shuwei , Li Yuemei , Ding Han , Sun Zheng
Published: January 2023

An SbCl3-initiated Csp3
–Csp3
coupling between N-aryltetrahydroisoquinolines and nitromethanes was realized through the aerobic oxidation of sp
3 C–H bond, providing a series of nitromethylated tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives in high yields. The results exhibited that SbCl3, as a cheap and commercially available reagent, is an efficient initiator to promote the direct functionalization of sp3
C–H bond with broad functional group tolerance, which is potentially applied to a wider range of C–H bond activation reactions.
Term Neonatal Outcomes after Maternal Magnesium Sulfate Treatment for Seizure Prophylaxis
Authors: Chornock Rebecca , Trieu Elissa , Kawakita Tetsuya , Dean Brynley , Overcash Rachael
Published: January 2023

Objective This study aimed to evaluate term neonatal outcomes after maternal magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) treatment for seizure prophylaxis.

Study Design This was a single-site retrospective cohort study of all women with term singleton gestation requiring MgSO4 treatment for seizure prophylaxis and their respective neonatal outcomes from January 2013 through December 2020. Our primary outcome was neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission. We compared outcomes between women treated with MgSO4 for 24 hours or more and women treated with MgSO4 for less than 24 hours prior to delivery. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to calculate adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI), controlling for variables with a p < 0.05 based on bivariable analysis.

Results Of 834 women analyzed, 173 (20.7%) neonates were admitted to the NICU. Women treated with MgSO4 for 24 hours or more compared with women treated with MgSO4 for less than 24 hours were more likely to have neonates admitted to the NICU during their hospitalization (27.3 vs. 18.9%; p = 0.01), neonates requiring immediate NICU admission (24.6 vs. 18.3%; p < 0.01), and NICU admission for neonatal lethargy. After adjusting for covariates, only NICU admission due to neonatal lethargy remained statistically significant (aOR: 4.78 [95% CI: 1.50–15.21]).

Conclusion Prolonged MgSO4 treatment for 24 hours or more was associated with increased odds of term NICU admission due to neonatal lethargy.

Key Points
Benzo-Fused 7-Oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-diol Derivatives as Universal Linkers for Solid-Phase Oligonucleotide Synthesis
Authors: Hari Yoshiyuki , Fuchi Yasufumi , Yamamoto Kazuki , Ito Yuta
Published: January 2023

In solid-phase oligonucleotide (ON) synthesis, especially for 3′-modified ONs, a universal linker attached to a solid support is widely used. In this study, benzo-fused 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-diol derivatives are designed, synthesized, and evaluated as universal linkers. The designed linkers show reactivity comparable to that of a conventional universal linker for releasing the desired ONs. Additionally, these materials exhibit a more robust structure under basic conditions, as generally used in ON synthesis, and hydrophobic properties relative to the conventional universal linker. Notably, when diphenyl-substituted (terphenyl) and phenanthrene-type (PT) linkers are used, cyclic phosphodiesters derived from linker units as byproducts, which are produced by release of ONs from the linker units, are detected in the HPLC chromatograms. The PT linker is applicable to various ON syntheses using controlled pore glass (CPG) and polystyrene (PS) resins. These results demonstrate that the PT linker can serve as an alternative to conventional universal linkers.
Nerf projectiles illustrate atomic scattering in the classroom
Authors: Ikenson Ben
Published: January 2023

Fun experiment setup lures students into the subatomic world
Making biodiesel more environmentally friendly
Authors: Lim Alane
Published: January 2023

Natural antioxidant to reduce nitrous oxide emissions discovered.
Imaging techniques reveal key indicator of metastatic cancer
Authors: Thompson Avery
Published: January 2023

Modern image analysis results in more quantifiable data on protein behavior and a better understanding of cancer development.
Albizia lebbeck leaf extracted natural antioxidant doped biodiesel–diesel blend in low heat rejection diesel engine
Authors: Pandey Krishna Kumar , Murugan S.
Published: January 2023

Natural antioxidants are available in various biomass substances which can be used for improving human health and fuel oxidation stability. This research is aimed at using a natural antioxidant powder obtained from Albizia lebbeck leaves powder to improve the oxidation stability of an optimal Jatropha methyl ester (JME)-diesel blend. Initially, Albizia lebbeck leaves are characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy for their oxidant behavior. The optimal JME diesel blend (JME20) has a mixture of 20% JME and 80% diesel. The antioxidant at different concentrations, viz., 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 ppm, is doped in JME20, and the blends are designated as AL1, AL2, AL3, and AL4, respectively. The test engine is converted to run on the low heat rejection (LHR) mode by coating the piston with a mixture of two different ceramic materials, i.e., yttria-stabilized zirconia and cerium oxide (CeO2), with a thickness of 0.3 mm of the topcoat and 0.15 mm of the bond coat of material NiAl. The emissions, performance, and combustion of the test engine run on antioxidant-doped JME20 fuels in conventional engine operation and LHR mode are evaluated, analyzed, and presented in this paper. Results indicate that, among the four antioxidant-doped JME20 fuels, JME20AL4 gives better performance and lower exhaust emissions. The engine's cylinder pressure and heat release rate are decreased by about 4.7% and 6.4%, respectively, at full load, for JME20 AL4. The delay period and combustion duration of the fuel are improved by about 26.8% and 10.8%, respectively, at maximum load. The NO, HC, and CO emissions are reduced by about 17.3%, 19.3%, and 44.2%, respectively, for JME20 AL4, at maximum load.
Sensitive dependence of the linewidth enhancement factor on electronic quantum effects in quantum cascade lasers
Authors: Franckié Martin , Bertrand Mathieu , Faist Jérôme
Published: January 2023

The linewidth enhancement factor (LEF) describes the coupling between amplitude and phase fluctuations in a semiconductor laser and has recently been shown to be a crucial component for frequency comb formation in addition to linewidth broadening. It necessarily arises from causality, as famously formulated by the Kramers–Kronig relation, in media with nontrivial dependence of the susceptibility on intensity variations. While thermal contributions are typically slow, and thus can often be excluded by suitably designing the dynamics of an experiment, the many quantum contributions are harder to separate. In order to understand and, ultimately, design the LEF to suitable values for frequency comb formation, soliton generation, or narrow laser linewidth, it is, therefore, important to systematically model all these effects. In this comprehensive work, we introduce a general scheme for computing the LEF, which we employ with a nonequilibrium Green's function model. This direct method, based on simulating the system response under varying optical intensity and extracting the dependence of the susceptibility to intensity fluctuations, can include all relevant electronic effects and predicts the LEF of an operating quantum cascade laser to be in the range of 0.1–1, depending on laser bias and frequency. We also confirm that many-body effects, off-resonant transitions, dispersive (Bloch) gain, counter-rotating terms, intensity-dependent transition energy, and precise subband distributions all significantly contribute and are important for accurate simulations of the LEF.
Topology vs localization in synthetic dimensions
Authors: Monaco Domenico , Roussigné Thaddeus
Published: January 2023

Motivated by recent developments in quantum simulation of synthetic dimensions, e.g., in optical lattices of ultracold atoms, we discuss here d-dimensional periodic, gapped quantum systems for d ≤ 4, with a focus on the topology of the occupied energy states. We perform this analysis by asking whether the spectral subspace below the gap can be spanned by smooth and periodic Bloch functions, corresponding to localized Wannier functions in position space. By constructing these Bloch functions inductively in the dimension, we show that if they are required to be orthonormal, then, in general, their existence is obstructed by the first two Chern classes of the underlying Bloch bundle, with the second Chern class characterizing, in particular, the four-dimensional situation. If the orthonormality constraint is relaxed, we show how m occupied energy bands can be spanned by a Parseval frame comprising at most m + 2 Bloch functions.
Effect of stimulation frequency on hippocampal electric field induced by deep-brain magnetic stimulation
Authors: Xu Xiang-yang , Deng Bin , Wang Jiang , Yi Guo-sheng
Published: January 2023

Deep-brain Magnetic Stimulation (DMS) is a noninvasive brain modulation method that improves hippocampal neural activity. The frequency of DMS has a significant effect on the hippocampal induced electric field. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between stimulation frequency and DMS-induced hippocampal electric field. The frequency sensitivity and distribution uniformity of the hippocampal electric field are calculated to quantify this relationship. The results show that the DMS-induced hippocampal electric field has a frequency-dependent property. The frequency sensitivity of the DMS-induced hippocampal electric field in the high frequency band is lower than that in the low frequency band, which corresponds to the low-pass filtering property of the neuron membrane. The frequency sensitivity of DMS-induced hippocampal electric field is highest in the range of 30–40 Hz. The uniformity of the hippocampal electric field induced by a single coil also reaches the highest in the range of 30–40 Hz, while uniformity of the hippocampal electric field induced by multiple-coil increases with increasing frequency. The frequency-dependent property of the DMS-induced hippocampal electric field is positively correlated with the quantity and size of coils, while negatively correlated with the spacing of the coils. This study is of great help in the selection of DMS frequencies and the design of coils.
Wind tunnel and wave flume testing on directionality dynamic responses of a 10 MW Y-shaped semi-submersible wind turbine
Authors: Zheng Shunyun , Li Chao , Wang Peicen , Zhou Shengtao , Xiao Yiqing
Published: January 2023

Y-shaped semi-submersible platforms are typical supporting structures for floating wind turbines. The incompletely symmetric platforms may generate directionality dynamic responses in different wind/wave directions, and unfavorable responses will affect structural safety. Integrated and fine tests should be considered to find the dynamic response mechanisms in wind tunnel and wave flume (WTWF) laboratories. In this paper, the model test scheme of a 10 MW Y-shaped semi-submersible wind turbine with a 1:70 scale ratio is designed in WTWF; besides, the aero-hydro-elastic-servo dynamic numerical model is established on the open-source platform OpenFAST to verify the test results. First, the quality of the wind and wave fields is calibrated. Then, hydrostatic tests, wind-induced tests, wave-induced tests, and wind-wave combined tests are carried out. Finally, the dynamic responses and service performances of the floating wind turbine in different wind/wave directions are analyzed and compared in detail. The results show that the excellent wind and wave fields provide a successful basis for high-accuracy model tests. Wave/wind directions certainly affect the directionality dynamic responses of floating wind turbines. Specifically, the responses of the pitch, tower base loads, and nacelle acceleration in the 0° and 60° wave directions should be paid extra attention to, for its higher responses, which are related to structural safety and power generation efficiency. The directional dynamic responses should be fully determined before structural designs to benefit the operation and maintenance of Y-shaped semi-submersible wind turbines.
Non-Richtmyer–Meshkov instability ejecta production based on shallow bubble collapse
Authors: Maskaly G. R. , Stevens G. D. , La Lone B. M. , Turley W. D. , Staska M. D. , Najjar F. M. , Hartsfield T. M.
Published: January 2023

The study of shock-driven ejecta production has focused on Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) growth from geometric features of the material surface. Extensive study of this mechanism under both single- and multiple-shock conditions has found that the ejected mass tends to be closely associated with the shocked surface phase, and its temperature is not dramatically greater than the hydrodynamic shock temperature of the bulk. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a new ejecta production mechanism that can occur under multiple-shock conditions based on the collapse of bubbles near the free surface of the material. This mechanism produces ejected mass that is much greater in quantity than observed in the RMI case. The particles are much hotter than predicted by the shock Hugoniot state, and the ejected mass does not appear to be strongly dependent upon initial surface finish. The ejecta source extends into the material with no clear remaining free surface. We name this mechanism Shallow Bubble Collapse (SBC) and discuss the conditions under which it activates. We demonstrate resolved modeling methods that enable the calculation, design, and study of SBC as a mechanism and perform a series of experiments to compare with the models. Under some multiple-shock conditions, SBC ejection produces ten times more ejected mass than RMI growth.
Surface plasmon coupling effects on the behaviors of radiative and non-radiative recombination in an InGaN/GaN quantum well
Authors: Yang Shaobo , Wu Shung-Hsiang , Lin Yu-Sheng , Chu Chun-Jui , Yang C. C.
Published: January 2023

Although surface plasmon (SP) coupling has been widely used for enhancing the emission efficiency of an InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) structure, the interplay of the carrier transport behavior in the QW with SP coupling, which is a crucial mechanism controlling the SP-coupling induced QW emission enhancement, is still an issue not well explored yet. To understand the effects of SP coupling on the radiative and non-radiative recombination behaviors of carriers in a QW structure, the temperature-dependent time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopies of two QW samples of different indium contents with surface Ag nanoparticles are studied. A two-single-exponential model is used for calibrating their radiative and non-radiative decay times. The SP coupling process, which transfers carrier energy from a QW into the SP resonance mode for effective radiation and increases the effective radiative recombination rate, produces energy-dependent carrier depletion and, hence, disturbs the quasi-equilibrium condition of carrier distribution. In this situation, a strong carrier transport process occurs targeting a new quasi-equilibrium condition that enhances non-radiative recombination and, hence, reduces the benefit of using the SP coupling technique. To alleviate this problem of SP-coupling induced energy loss, a weak energy-dependent or broad-spectrum SP coupling process is recommended.
Structural and vibrational properties of GdTaO4 under compression: An insight from experiment and first principles simulations
Authors: Banerjee Saheli , Garg Alka B. , Poswal Himanshu K.
Published: January 2023

Polycrystalline GdTaO4, synthesized by solid state reaction route at 1300°C, adopts an M′ fergusonite crystal structure (space group P2/c) with GdO8 and TaO6 as constituent units. The compression behavior of the compound has been investigated in a diamond anvil cell by powder x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic techniques. Both the techniques indicate pressure driven first order isosymmetric phase transition in the compound around 19 GPa. X-ray diffraction data show nearly 6% volume discontinuity at the phase transition and a change in oxygen coordination around the Ta atom from six in the ambient phase to eight in a high pressure phase. Experimental data collected in the process of decompression confirm the reversible nature of phase transition. Bulk modulus obtained by fitting the pressure–volume data to the 3rd-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state shows a higher value of bulk modulus for the high pressure phase compared to the low pressure phase, which is consistent with increased density due to volume collapse at the phase transition. The pressure dependence of unit cell parameters and Raman active modes along with Grüneisen parameters are also reported. Density functional theory based first principles simulations performed on compound corroborate the experimental findings. In low pressure phase, the simulated volumes of the constituent polyhedra under pressure indicate that the major contribution in the bulk modulus comes from lower valence rare earth polyhedra; however, for a high pressure phase, both the polyhedra units (GdO8 and TaO8) have almost similar contribution to the bulk modulus of the compound.
Deep learning model for two-fluid flows
Authors: El Haber George , Viquerat Jonathan , Larcher Aurelien , Alves Jose , Costes Frédéric , Perchat Etienne , Hachem Elie
Published: January 2023

Various industries rely on numerical tools to simulate multiphase flows due to the wide occurrence of this phenomenon in nature, manufacturing processes, or the human body. However, the significant computation burden required for such simulations directs the research interest toward incorporating data-based approaches in the solution loop. Although these approaches returned significant results in various domains, incorporating them in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) field is wrangled by their casting aside of the already known governing constitutional laws along with the natural incompatibility of various models with unstructured irregular discretization spaces. This work suggests a coupling framework, between a traditional finite element CFD solver and a deep learning model, for tackling multiphase fluid flows without migrating the benefits of physics-enriched traditional solvers. The tailored model architecture, along with the coupling framework, allows tackling the required problem with a dynamically adapted unstructured irregular triangular mesh, thus dodging the limitation of traditional convolution neural networks. Moreover, the various ingredients that allowed the model to simulate the complex and computation-demanding Navier–Stokes flow equation, such as relying on a sequential validation dataset while exposing the model training to a noise inherited from the quality of its inferring, along with the proper choice of model inputs, are highlighted and elaborated throughout this paper. To the authors' knowledge, this work is the first of its type to introduce a data-based graph-based approach for solving multiphase flow problems with a level-set interface capturing method.
Exact solutions for flow through porous media with the Klinkenberg effect
Authors: Stastna Marek , Grace Andrew P. , Robinson Travis
Published: January 2023

The effect of gas compressibility during flow through a porous medium modifies the governing equation for pressure, and for low pressures, this leads to the so-called Klinkenberg effect. Darcy’s law remains unchanged, and accounting for the equation of state leads to a parabolic governing equation for pressure. The increased flow rate at low pressure modifies the nonlinearity of this governing equation. We present two broad approaches for constructing exact solutions to the steady state problem. First, geometric reduction is employed to construct exact solutions in Cartesian and polar coordinates. Next, the governing equation is interpreted so that a stream function exists for the flow, and this is used to demonstrate that solutions can only be found when the flow is irrotational. A second, rather broad, class of exact solutions is thus constructed from potential flows and their generalization for variable permeability cases. The latter leads to a non-constant coefficient problem, and we provide both an algorithm illustrating how to use an existing linear numerical solver to solve the nonlinear problem and an explicit exact solution for an annular domain.
Optical-visualized photoacoustic tomographic navigation
Authors: Wang Li , Ke Di , Xin Haishu , Liu Rui , Pan Shu , Xiong Kedi , Yang Sihua
Published: January 2023

The current preoperative vascular imaging methods cannot achieve noninvasive high-resolution imaging of deep-localized vessels. Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) can show microvessels with centimeter depth and submillimeter diameter without the use of contrast agents. Combined with PAT and optical projection technology, the Hessian-matrix-based skin removal algorithm and the target matching method were developed to spatially align the photoacoustic data of subcutaneous blood vessels with the anatomy of real patients and to realize three-dimensional (3D) visualization of blood vessels from the body surface. The optical projection navigation system based on PAT has high spatial resolution (∼135 μm) and temporal resolution (0.1 s). In the rabbit injection experiment, 3D distributions of needle and blood vessel (>100 μm) were obtained by image segmentation, which proved that the method can guide micro plastic injection. Furthermore, healthy volunteers' forehead imaging experiments show that 3D visualization and cross-sectional images of the human forehead clearly show the vascular network and ability of the system to image submillimeter blood vessels with penetration depth (∼10.2 mm). Our work confirms that the method of integrated photoacoustic imaging and optical projection has great potential for noninvasive diagnosis and treatment of clinical blood vessels, opening a path for the application of photonics in medical esthetics.
CMOS-compatible self-aligned 3D memristive elements for reservoir computing systems
Authors: Koroleva Aleksandra A. , Kuzmichev Dmitry S. , Kozodaev Maxim G. , Zabrosaev Ivan V. , Korostylev Evgeny V. , Markeev Andrey M.
Published: January 2023

Neuromorphic capabilities of a self-aligned complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor compatible W/WOx/HfO2/Ru cell in a 3D vertical memristive structure were investigated. We show that the device exhibits nonfilamentary forming-free multilevel resistive switching with gradual resistance change. In addition, the poor retention of a low resistance state allows integration of these structures in architectures that require short-term memory characteristics such as reservoir computing systems. The ability of the device to rely on the temporal sequence of the stream was tested with the digit recognition task. Since a WOx layer was obtained by thermal oxidization and HfO2 and Ru layers were grown by atomic layer deposition methods, the device is suitable for high-density systems with high connectivity within a neural network.
The influence of shape and matrix size on the mechanical properties of the 2D epoxy thin film by Monte Carlo simulation method
Authors: Trong Dung Nguyen , Long Van Cao , Ţălu Ştefan
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we studied the effect of the 2D epoxy thin films’ shape with equilateral triangle and square structures, and matrix size Lx × Ly of (10 × 9), (20 × 19), (30 × 29), and (40 × 39) with equilateral triangle structure and (10 × 10), (20 × 20), (30 × 30), and (40 × 40) with the square structure on their mechanical properties [such as strain (ɛ), stress (σ), Young stress (E), and shear strain (G)] by using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The results show that when the shape of the 2D epoxy thin film is changed from an equilateral triangle structure to a square structure, the values of σ, E, and G decreased sharply. In addition, when the matrix size is increased from (10 × 9) to (20 × 19), (30 × 29), and (40 × 39) with an equilateral triangle structure and from (10 × 10) to (20 × 20), (30 × 30), and (40 × 40) with a square structure, σ slightly increased, but E and G decreased slightly. These results prove that the influence of structure shape on the mechanical properties of the 2D epoxy thin film is very large. The strain stress on the epoxy 2D thin film with an equilateral triangle structure and with a matrix size of (30 × 29) has a value of σ = 63.3 MPa. This result is consistent with the experimental result that σ of bulk epoxy has the maximum value of σmax = 64.76 MPa. The results are the basis for experimental research in future studies on practical applications of epoxy-thin films. In these cases, when thin films with equilateral triangle structures are used in biomedical fields, high stresses are required (such as replacement material for adaxial onion epidermis and fibrin and collagen with low stress).
Effects of helicopter net gunning on the survival and movement behaviour of nilgai antelope
Authors: Baumgardt Jeremy A. , Foley Aaron M. , Sliwa Kathryn M. , DeYoung Randy W. , Ortega-S. J. Alfonso , Hewitt David G. , Campbell Tyler A. , Goolsby John A. , Lohmeyer Kim H.
Published: January 2023

Context Research on large, terrestrial mammals often requires physical captures to attach tags or collars, collect morphological data, and collect biological samples. Choice of capture method should minimise pain and distress to the animal, minimise risk to personnel, and consider whether the method can achieve study objectives without biasing results. Aims We studied how capture via helicopter net-gunning affected survival, post-capture movement patterns, and space use of exotic nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) in southern Texas, USA. Methods We estimated daily survival rates for 101 collared nilgai over 28 days, following 125 captures. We calculated mean daily movement rates and net-squared displacement for 21 recaptured nilgai for 60 days, starting 30 days before capture. Key results The survival probability of 125 nilgai individuals was 0.97 (95% CI = 0.92–0.99) over the 28 days following capture, with the lowest daily survival for the day after capture ( x ¯ WR22049_IE1.gif = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.96–1.00). We observed an increase of ~65% in the mean daily movement rate of 134 m/h on the first 2 days since capture, followed by a period of reduced movement out to the 5th day before returning to pre-capture levels. Analysis of net-squared displacement for 21 nilgai showed that 17 resumed pre-capture space-use patterns within a week, whereas four individuals did not return to the pre-capture range for ≥1 month. Conclusions Capture-related mortality rates for nilgai using helicopter net-gunning in our study (3%) were similar or lower than those reported for similar species captured using the same method. While we were able to detect a period of elevated movement rates, followed by a recovery period of diminished movement as a result of capture, nilgai appeared to return to typical behaviour ~6 days post-capture. Most nilgai in our study also resumed typical space-use patterns within a week of capture; however, our results suggest high individual variability in their response. Implications We recommend using net-gunning from a helicopter as a method for capturing nilgai when conditions and where vegetation and topography allow. We suggest censoring data for a minimum of 7 days following capture for analyses related to survival and movement rates. For analyses relating to space use, we suggest inspecting net-squared displacement or some similar displacement analysis for each animal separately to account for individual variation in response and exclude data accordingly.
Ultrabroadband plasmon driving selective photoreforming of methanol under ambient conditions
Authors: Uddin Nasir , Sun Zhehao , Langley Julien , Lu Haijiao , Cao Pengfei , Wibowo Ary , Yin Xinmao , Tang Chi Sin , Nguyen Hieu T. , Evans Jack D. , Li Xinzhe , Zhang Xiaoliang , Heggen Marc , Dunin-Borkowski Rafal E. , Wee Andrew T. S. , Zhao Haitao , Cox Nicholas , Yin Zongyou
Published: January 2023

Liquid methanol has the potential to be the hydrogen energy carrier and storage medium for the future green economy. However, there are still many challenges before zero-emission, affordable molecular H
2
can be extracted from methanol with high performance. Here, we present noble-metal-free Cu–WC/W plasmonic nanohybrids which exhibit unsurpassed solar H
2
extraction efficiency from pure methanol of 2,176.7 µmol g
−1
 h
−1
at room temperature and normal pressure. Macro-to-micro experiments and simulations unveil that local reaction microenvironments are generated by the coperturbation of WC/W’s lattice strain and infrared-plasmonic electric field. It enables spontaneous but selective zero-emission reaction pathways. Such microenvironments are found to be highly cooperative with solar-broadband-plasmon-excited charge carriers flowing from Cu to WC surfaces for efficient stable CH
3
OH plasmonic reforming with C
3
-dominated liquid products and 100% selective gaseous H
2
. Such high efficiency, without any CO
x
emission, can be sustained for over a thousand-hour operation without obvious degradation.
Production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor gates plasticity in developing visual cortex
Authors: Kaneko Megumi , Stryker Michael P.
Published: January 2023

We have previously shown that recovery of visual responses to a deprived eye during the critical period in mouse primary visual cortex requires phosphorylation of the TrkB receptor for BDNF [M. Kaneko, J. L. Hanover, P. M. England, M. P. Stryker,
Nat. Neurosci.
 
11
, 497–504 (2008)]. We have now studied the temporal relationship between the production of mature BDNF and the recovery of visual responses under several different conditions. Visual cortical responses to an eye whose vision has been occluded for several days during the critical period and is then re-opened recover rapidly during binocular vision or much more slowly following reverse occlusion, when the previously intact fellow eye is occluded in a model of “patch therapy” for amblyopia. The time to recovery of visual responses differed by more than 18 h between these two procedures, but in each, the production of mature BDNF preceded the physiological recovery. These findings suggest that a spurt of BDNF production is permissive for the growth of connections serving the deprived eye to restore visual responses. Attenuation of recovery of deprived-eye responses by interference with TrkB receptor activation or reduction of BDNF production by interference with homeostatic synaptic scaling had effects consistent with this suggestion.
Genome-wide parallelism underlies contemporary adaptation in urban lizards
Authors: Winchell Kristin M. , Campbell-Staton Shane C. , Losos Jonathan B. , Revell Liam J. , Verrelli Brian C. , Geneva Anthony J.
Published: January 2023

Urbanization drastically transforms landscapes, resulting in fragmentation, degradation, and the loss of local biodiversity. Yet, urban environments also offer opportunities to observe rapid evolutionary change in wild populations that survive and even thrive in these novel habitats. In many ways, cities represent replicated “natural experiments” in which geographically separated populations adaptively respond to similar selection pressures over rapid evolutionary timescales. Little is known, however, about the genetic basis of adaptive phenotypic differentiation in urban populations nor the extent to which phenotypic parallelism is reflected at the genomic level with signatures of parallel selection. Here, we analyzed the genomic underpinnings of parallel urban-associated phenotypic change inAnolis cristatellus, a small-bodied neotropical lizard found abundantly in both urbanized and forested environments. We show that phenotypic parallelism in response to parallel urban environmental change is underlain by genomic parallelism and identify candidate loci across theAnolisgenome associated with this adaptive morphological divergence. Our findings point to polygenic selection on standing genetic variation as a key process to effectuate rapid morphological adaptation. Identified candidate loci represent several functions associated with skeletomuscular development, morphology, and human disease. Taken together, these results shed light on the genomic basis of complex morphological adaptations, provide insight into the role of contingency and determinism in adaptation to novel environments, and underscore the value of urban environments to address fundamental evolutionary questions.
The mechanism of thia-Michael addition catalyzed by LanC enzymes
Authors: Ongpipattanakul Chayanid , Liu Shi , Luo Youran , Nair Satish K. , van der Donk Wilfred A.
Published: January 2023

In both eukarya and bacteria, the addition of Cys to dehydroalanine (Dha) and dehydrobutyrine (Dhb) occurs in various biological processes. In bacteria, intramolecular thia-Michael addition catalyzed by lanthipeptide cyclases (LanC) proteins or protein domains gives rise to a class of natural products called lanthipeptides. In eukarya, dehydroamino acids in signaling proteins are introduced by effector proteins produced by pathogens like
Salmonella
to dysregulate host defense mechanisms. A eukaryotic LanC-like (LanCL) enzyme catalyzes the addition of Cys in glutathione to Dha/Dhb to protect the cellular proteome from unwanted chemical and biological activity. To date, the mechanism of the enzyme-catalyzed thia-Michael addition has remained elusive. We report here the crystal structures of the human LanCL1 enzyme complexed with different ligands, including the product of thia-Michael addition of glutathione to a Dhb-containing peptide that represents the activation loop of Erk. The structures show that a zinc ion activates the Cys thiolate for nucleophilic attack and that a conserved His is poised to protonate the enolate intermediate to achieve a net
anti-
addition. A second His hydrogen bonds to the carbonyl oxygen of the former Dhb and may stabilize the negative charge that builds up on this oxygen atom in the enolate intermediate. Surprisingly, the latter His is not conserved in orthologous enzymes that catalyze thia-Michael addition to Dha/Dhb. Eukaryotic LanCLs contain a His, whereas bacterial stand-alone LanCs have a Tyr residue, and LanM enzymes that have LanC-like domains have a Lys, Asn, or His residue. Mutational and binding studies support the importance of these residues for catalysis.
Fluorescence lifetime-based assay reports structural changes in cardiac muscle mediated by effectors of contractile regulation
Authors: Dvornikov Alexey V. , Bunch Thomas A. , Lepak Victoria C. , Colson Brett A.
Published: January 2023

Cardiac muscle contraction is regulated by Ca2+-induced structural changes of the thin filaments to permit myosin cross-bridge cycling driven by ATP hydrolysis in the sarcomere. In congestive heart failure, contraction is weakened, and thus targeting the contractile proteins of the sarcomere is a promising approach to therapy. However, development of novel therapeutic interventions has been challenging due to a lack of precise discovery tools. We have developed a fluorescence lifetime-based assay using an existing site-directed probe, N,N′-dimethyl-N-(iodoacetyl)-N′-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)ethylenediamine (IANBD) attached to human cardiac troponin C (cTnC) mutant cTnCT53C, exchanged into porcine cardiac myofibrils. We hypothesized that IANBD-cTnCT53C fluorescence lifetime measurements provide insight into the activation state of the thin filament. The sensitivity and precision of detecting structural changes in cTnC due to physiological and therapeutic modulators of thick and thin filament functions were determined. The effects of Ca2+ binding to cTnC and myosin binding to the thin filament were readily detected by this assay in mock high-throughput screen tests using a fluorescence lifetime plate reader. We then evaluated known effectors of altered cTnC-Ca2+ binding, W7 and pimobendan, and myosin-binding drugs, mavacamten and omecamtiv mecarbil, used to treat cardiac diseases. Screening assays were determined to be of high quality as indicated by the Z′ factor. We conclude that cTnC lifetime-based probes allow for precise evaluation of the thin filament activation in functioning myofibrils that can be used in future high-throughput screens of small-molecule modulators of function of the thin and thick filaments.
Sarcomere length affects Ca2+ sensitivity of contraction in ischemic but not non-ischemic myocardium
Authors: Tanner Bertrand C.W. , Awinda Peter O. , Agonias Keinan B. , Attili Seetharamaiah , Blair Cheavar A. , Thompson Mindy S. , Walker Lori A. , Kampourakis Thomas , Campbell Kenneth S.
Published: January 2023

In healthy hearts, myofilaments become more sensitive to Ca2+ as the myocardium is stretched. This effect is known as length-dependent activation and is an important cellular-level component of the Frank–Starling mechanism. Few studies have measured length-dependent activation in the myocardium from failing human hearts. We investigated whether ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure results in different length-dependent activation responses at physiological temperature (37°C). Myocardial strips from the left ventricular free wall were chemically permeabilized and Ca2+-activated at sarcomere lengths (SLs) of 1.9 and 2.3 µm. Data were acquired from 12 hearts that were explanted from patients receiving cardiac transplants; 6 had ischemic heart failure and 6 had non-ischemic heart failure. Another 6 hearts were obtained from organ donors. Maximal Ca2+-activated force increased at longer SL for all groups. Ca2+ sensitivity increased with SL in samples from donors (P < 0.001) and patients with ischemic heart failure (P = 0.003) but did not change with SL in samples from patients with non-ischemic heart failure. Compared with donors, troponin I phosphorylation decreased in ischemic samples and even more so in non-ischemic samples; cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) phosphorylation also decreased with heart failure. These findings support the idea that troponin I and cMyBP-C phosphorylation promote length-dependent activation and show that length-dependent activation of contraction is blunted, yet extant, in the myocardium from patients with ischemic heart failure and further reduced in the myocardium from patients with non-ischemic heart failure. Patients who have a non-ischemic disease may exhibit a diminished contractile response to increased ventricular filling.
An omnidirectional seismic image extension
Authors: Kroode Fons ten
Published: January 2023

This paper introduces an operator, which extends the Born operator for the linearized variable density acoustic wave equation. Inspired by angle dependent scattering, I will define it as acting on distributions depending on space and angle coordinates. I will show that it can be written as a weighted integral of space-shift extended operators associated to arbitrary directions after a suitable coordinate transform. I will also formulate conditions under which its normal operator is a pseudo-differential operator. These will be seen to be less restrictive than the ones imposed on horizontal space-shift extended operators in the sense that they allow diving wave paths.
Torr-level, seedless, non-resonant velocity distribution function measurement with a dual-color, single-shot coherent Rayleigh–Brillouin scattering scheme
Authors: Bak Junhwi , Randolph Robert , Gerakis Alexandros
Published: January 2023

A two order of magnitude spectral acquisition improvement in velocity distribution function measurement is demonstrated with a novel single-shot, dual-color coherent Rayleigh–Brillouin scattering (CRBS) scheme. By performing this non-resonant and seedless spectral diagnostic technique, capable of obtaining a spectrum in

∼

300

 ns, we demonstrate accurate temperature (ranging from 300 K to 500 K) and pressure (ranging from 760 Torr down to 1 Torr) measurement capabilities, for a variety of atomic, molecular and multispecies gases. This demonstrated gas thermodynamic characterization capability of the dual-color CRBS scheme over broad ranges of pressure and temperature for a variety of gases is anticipated to be of great interest to a plethora of fields, ranging from aerospace applications to low-temperature plasmas, providing with an accurate measurement of physical properties of neutral particles, for a range of gases.
Precise perturbative predictions from fixed-order calculations
Authors: Yan Jiang , Wu Zhi-Fei , Shen Jian-Ming , Wu Xing-Gang
Published: January 2023

The intrinsic conformality (iCF) is a general property of the renormalizable gauge theory, which ensures the scale invariance of a fixed-order series at each perturbative order. Following the idea of iCF, we suggest a novel single-scale setting approach under the principle of maximum conformality (PMC) with the purpose of removing the conventional renormalization scheme and scale ambiguities. We call this newly suggested single-scale procedure the PMC∞-s approach, in which an overall effectiveαs, and hence an overall effective scale is achieved by identifying the {β0} terms at each order. Its resultant conformal series is scale-invariant and satisfies all renormalization group requirements. The PMC∞-s approach is applicable to any perturbatively calculable observable, and its resultant perturbative series provides an accurate basis for estimating the contribution from the unknown higher-order (UHO) terms. Using the Higgs decay into two gluons up to five-loop quantum chromondynamics (QCD) corrections as an example, we show how the PMC∞-s works, and we obtainΓHPMC∞−sPAA=334.45−7.03+7.07KeVandΓHPMC∞−sB.A.=334.45−6.29+6.34KeV. Here the errors are squared averages of those mentioned in the body of the text. ThePadéapproximation approach (PAA) and the Bayesian approach (BA) have been adopted to estimate the contributions from the UHO terms. We also demonstrate that the PMC∞-s approach is equivalent to our previously suggested single-scale setting approach (PMCs), which also follows from the PMC but treats the {βi} terms from a different point of view. Thus, proper use of the renormalization group equation can provide a solid way to solve the scale-setting problem.
Carrier and phonon transport in 2D InSe and its Janus structures
Authors: Wan Wenhui , Guo Rui , Ge Yanfeng , Liu Yong
Published: January 2023

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) Indium Selenide (InSe) has been receiving much attention in the scientific community due to its reduced size, extraordinary physical properties, and potential applications in various fields. In this review, we discussed the recent research advancement in the carrier and phonon transport properties of 2D InSe and its related Janus structures. We first introduced the progress in the synthesis of 2D InSe. We summarized the recent experimental and theoretical works on the carrier mobility, thermal conductivity, and thermoelectric characteristics of 2D InSe. Based on the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE), the mechanisms underlying carrier or phonon scattering of 2D InSe were discussed in detail. Moreover, the structural and transport properties of Janus structures based on InSe were also presented, with an emphasis on the theoretical simulations. At last, we discussed the prospects for continued research of 2D InSe.