bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The arcing and post-arc breakdown characteristics of SF6 generator circuit breaker based on magnetohydrodynamic model
Authors: Yin Jianning , Zhao Yongyong , Zeng Xiaobao , Duan Jiandong
Published: November 2024

The structure of the arc chamber in a generator circuit breaker (GCB) influences the movement characteristics of the arc plasma, which in turn affects the breaking capacity of the GCB. Different arc chamber structures are proposed in this paper. Combined with the principles of fluid dynamics, the arcing characteristics in the different arc chambers are obtained by using magneto-hydro-dynamics (MHD) simulation. To further enhance the dissipation of arc energy, a self-blasting GCB structure with pistons is proposed. The results show that the “funnel” structure can accelerate the gas flow during the arcing and arc extinguishing stages, promoting convection between cold and hot gases. The “funnel” structure results in the smallest arc radius at current zero-crossing, and the probability of post-arc thermal breakdown is the lowest. The thermal breaking capacity of the “rectangular” and “trumpet” structures is 82.38% and 42.73% of that with “funnel” structure, respectively. Comparing the structures with and without pistons, the temperature at the end of the center rod in the self-blasting with pistons decreased by a maximum of 36.43%. The arc energy dissipation of self-blasting GCB is the fastest, which helps to improve the breaking capacity of the GCB. This study can provide a reference for improving the breaking characteristics of GCBs and the reliability of the power system.
Resistive switching behaviors and conduction mechanisms of IGZO/ZnO bilayer heterostructure memristors
Authors: Wang Xiongfeng , Guo Zhenyi , Zheng Weiying , Liu Zhiquan , Liu Tengzhang , Chen Xiaopei , Cai Peimian , Zhang Qiyan , Liao Wugang
Published: November 2024

This study delves into the characterization of IGZO/ZnO bilayer memristors, examining the impact of ZnO thickness and voltage scan rate on device performance. Bilayer memristors with varying ZnO thicknesses were prepared using magnetron sputtering, and their electrical properties were evaluated. The results indicate that a ZnO thickness of 17.3 nm yields optimal device performance, characterized by lower Forming and RESET voltages, reduced operating voltage volatility, higher switching ratios, and excellent cycling endurance and state retention. As the ZnO thickness increases, the Forming and RESET voltages of the devices also increase, the high resistance state volatility increases, and the switching ratio improves, although this is accompanied by greater operating voltage volatility. I–V characteristic measurements conducted at different scan rates revealed that the devices are insensitive to voltage scan rates, exhibiting stable resistive behavior within the range of 0.125–1.0 V/s. Furthermore, the study explores the multi-value storage capability of the bilayer device. To understand the resistive switching mechanism, current conduction mechanism fitting and resistive switching modeling were performed. The findings demonstrate that the device’s current conduction mechanism primarily involves the space-charge-limited current mechanism and Schottky emission mechanism. This research presents a novel approach to developing high-performance memristors, paving the way for their applications in nonvolatile storage and neuromorphic computing.
EBIC studies of minority electron diffusion length in undoped p-type gallium oxide
Authors: Chernyak Leonid , Lovo Seth , Li Jian-Sian , Chiang Chao-Ching , Ren Fan , Pearton Stephen J. , Sartel Corinne , Chi Zeyu , Dumont Yves , Chikoidze Ekaterine , Schulte Alfons , Ruzin Arie , Shimanovich Ulyana
Published: November 2024

Minority carrier diffusion length in undoped p-type gallium oxide was measured at various temperatures as a function of electron beam charge injection by electron beam-induced current technique in situ using a scanning electron microscope. The results demonstrate that charge injection into p-type β-gallium oxide leads to a significant linear increase in minority carrier diffusion length followed by its saturation. The effect was ascribed to trapping of non-equilibrium electrons (generated by a primary electron beam) on metastable native defect levels in the material, which in turn blocks recombination through these levels. While previous studies of the same material were focused on probing a non-equilibrium carrier recombination by purely optical means (cathodoluminescence), in this work, the impact of charge injection on minority carrier diffusion was investigated. The activation energy of ∼0.072 eV, obtained for the phenomenon of interest, is consistent with the involvement of Ga vacancy-related defects.
Identifying influential nodes in social networks from the perspective of attack–defense game
Authors: Hu Wen , Deng Ye , Xiao Yu , Wu Jun
Published: November 2024

Influence spread analysis, a critical component of social network studies, focuses on the patterns and effects of information dissemination among interconnected entities. The core of influence spread analysis is to identify influential nodes that involve two distinct aspects: influence maximization (IM) and influence blocking maximization (IBM). However, when IM and IBM occur simultaneously, identifying influential nodes becomes an intricate decision-making challenge. This study addresses identifying influential nodes in social networks through an attack–defense game perspective, where an attacker maximizes influence and a defender minimizes it. We first develop a two-player static zero-sum game model considering resource constraints. Based on the equilibrium strategy of this game, we redefine the concept of influential nodes from various viewpoints. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real-world networks show that, in most cases, the defender preferentially defends critical nodes, while the attacker adopts the decentralized strategy. Only when resources are unevenly matched do both players tend to adopt centralized strategies. This study expands the connotation of influential nodes and provides a novel paradigm for the social network analysis with significant potential applications.
Artificial selection of two antagonistic E3 ubiquitin ligases finetunes soybean photoperiod adaptation and grain yield
Authors: Wang Fan , Liu Shuangrong , Li Haiyang , Fang Chao , Fang Sijia , Wang Jianhao , Li Shichen , Liu Huan , Du Haiping , Wang Lingshuang , Pei Xinxin , Su Bohong , Sun Zhihui , Li Quan , Dong Lidong , Cheng Qun , Zhao Xiaohui , Liu Baohui , Lu Sijia , Kong Fanjiang , Lin Xiaoya
Published: November 2024

The precise control of flowering time is of utmost importance for crop adaptation to varying environmental conditions and consequently determines grain yield and plant fitness. Soybean
E2
, the homolog of Arabidopsis
GIGANTEA
, is a major locus contributing to high-latitude adaptation and is involved in photoperiod sensitivity. However, due to major effects of
E2
, additional genetic loci controlling soybean flowering and adaptation have historically been masked and difficult to identify. Here, by eliminating the effect of
E2
, we identified a
Tof9
locus controlling flowering in which
ZEITLUPE 2
(
ZTL2
) is the causal gene.
ZTL2
encodes an F-box E3 ubiquitin ligase with homology to Arabidopsis ZEITLUPE and is shown to play a key role in the soybean photoperiodic flowering pathway. ZTL2 physically interacts with E2 to mediate its degradation. Intriguingly, ZTL2 and FKF1, both belong to the F-box-type E3 ubiquitin-ligase family, exhibit opposite roles in regulating soybean flowering. ZTL2 degrades E2, leading to early flowering, while FKF1 stabilizes E2, resulting in delayed flowering. The balance between ZTL2-mediated degradation and FKF1-mediated stabilization enables soybeans to finetune flowering time and maximize grain yield. Field-grown
ztl2
mutants are taller, flower late, and have increased yield parameters.
ZTL2
and
FKF1b
bear contrasting artificial-selection patterns to adapt to different latitudes. This antagonistic regulation is crucial for soybean adaptation to diverse ecological settings and allows plants to fine-tune their flowering time in response to photoperiod and latitudinal changes.
Structural duality enables a single protein to act as a toxin–antidote pair for meiotic drive
Authors: Hua Yu , Zhang Jianxiu , Yang Man-Yun , Ren Jing-Yi , Suo Fang , Liang Lingfei , Dong Meng-Qiu , Ye Keqiong , Du Li-Lin
Published: November 2024

In sexual reproduction, selfish genetic elements known as killer meiotic drivers (KMDs) bias inheritance by eliminating gametes that do not carry them. The selective killing behavior of most KMDs can be explained by a toxin–antidote model, where a toxin harms all gametes while an antidote provides resistance to the toxin in carriers. This study investigates whether and how the KMD element
tdk1
in the fission yeast
Schizosaccharomyces pombe
deploys this strategy. Intriguingly,
tdk1
relies on a single protein product, Tdk1, for both killing and resistance. We show that Tdk1 exists in a nontoxic tetrameric form during vegetative growth and meiosis but transforms into a distinct toxic form in spores. This toxic form acquires the ability to interact with the histone reader Bdf1 and assembles into supramolecular foci that disrupt mitosis in noncarriers after spore germination. In contrast, Tdk1 synthesized during germination of carrier spores is nontoxic and acts as an antidote, dismantling the preformed toxic Tdk1 assemblies. Replacement of the N-terminal region of Tdk1 with a tetramer-forming peptide reveals its dual roles in imposing an autoinhibited tetrameric conformation and facilitating the assembly of supramolecular foci when autoinhibition is released. Moreover, we successfully reconstituted a functional KMD element by combining a construct that exclusively expresses Tdk1 during meiosis (“toxin-only”) with another construct that expresses Tdk1 specifically during germination (“antidote-only”). This work uncovers a remarkable example of a single protein employing structural duality to form a toxin–antidote pair, expanding our understanding of the mechanisms underlying toxin–antidote systems.
The international empirics of management
Authors: Scur Daniela , Ohlmacher Scott , Van Reenen John , Bennedsen Morten , Bloom Nick , Choudhary Ali , Foster Lucia , Groenewegen Jesse , Grover Arti , Hardeman Sjoerd , Iacovone Leonardo , Kambayashi Ryo , Laible Marie-Christine , Lemos Renata , Li Hongbin , Linarello Andrea , Maliranta Mika , Medvedev Denis , Meng Charlotte , Miles Touya John , Mandirola Natalia , Ohlsbom Roope , Ohyama Atsushi , Patnaik Megha , Pereira-López Mariana , Sadun Raffaella , Senga Tatsuro , Qian Franklin , Zimmermann Florian
Published: November 2024

A country’s national income broadly depends on the quantity and quality of workers and capital. But how well these factors are managed within and between firms may be a key determinant of a country’s productivity and its GDP. Although social scientists have long studied the role of management practices in shaping business performance, their primary tool has been individual case studies. While useful for theory-building, such qualitative work is hard to scale and quantify. We present a large, scalable dataset measuring structured management practices at the business level across multiple countries. We measure practices related to performance monitoring, target-setting, and human resources. We document a set of key stylized facts, which we label “the international empirics of management”. In all countries, firms with more structured practices tend to also have superior economic performance: they are larger in scale, are more profitable, have higher labor productivity and are more likely to export. This consistency was not obvious ex-ante, and being able to quantify these relationships is valuable. We also document significant variation in practices across and within countries, which is important in explaining differences in the wealth of nations. The positive relationship between firm size and structured management practices is stronger in countries with more open and free markets, suggesting that stronger competition may allow firms with more structured management practices to grow larger, thereby potentially raising aggregate national income.
Kinetochores grip microtubules with directionally asymmetric strength
Authors: Larson Joshua D. , Heitkamp Natalie A. , Murray Lucas E. , Popchock Andrew R. , Biggins Sue , Asbury Charles L.
Published: November 2024

For accurate mitosis, all chromosomes must achieve “biorientation,” with replicated sister chromatids coupled via kinetochores to the plus ends of opposing microtubules. However, kinetochores first bind the sides of microtubules and subsequently find plus ends through a trial-and-error process; accurate biorientation depends on the selective release of erroneous attachments. Proposed mechanisms for error-correction have focused mainly on plus-end attachments. Whether erroneous side attachments are distinguished from correct side attachments is unknown. Here, we show that side-attached kinetochores are very sensitive to microtubule polarity, gripping sixfold more strongly when pulled toward plus versus minus ends. This directionally asymmetric grip is conserved in human and yeast subcomplexes, and it correlates with changes in the axial arrangement of subcomplexes within the kinetochore, suggesting that internal architecture dictates attachment strength. We propose that the kinetochore’s directional grip promotes accuracy during early mitosis by stabilizing correct attachments even before both sisters have found plus ends.
Detailing organelle division and segregation in Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Verhoef Julie M.J. , Boshoven Cas , Evers Felix , Akkerman Laura J. , Gijsbrechts Barend C.A. , van de Vegte-Bolmer Marga , van Gemert Geert-Jan , Vaidya Akhil B. , Kooij Taco W.A.
Published: November 2024

The malaria-causing parasite, P. falciparum, replicates through schizogony, a tightly orchestrated process where numerous daughter parasites are formed simultaneously. Proper division and segregation of one-per-cell organelles, like the mitochondrion and apicoplast, are essential, yet remain poorly understood. We developed a new reporter parasite line that allows visualization of the mitochondrion in blood and mosquito stages. Using high-resolution 3D imaging, we found that the mitochondrion orients in a cartwheel structure, prior to stepwise, non-geometric division during last-stage schizogony. Analysis of focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy data confirmed these mitochondrial division stages. Furthermore, these data allowed us to elucidate apicoplast division steps, highlighted its close association with the mitochondrion, and showed putative roles of the centriolar plaques in apicoplast segregation. These observations form the foundation for a new detailed mechanistic model of mitochondrial and apicoplast division and segregation during P. falciparum schizogony and pave the way for future studies into the proteins and protein complexes involved in organelle division and segregation.
Auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs in patients with severe Powassan, Usutu, or Ross River virus disease
Authors: Gervais Adrian , Bastard Paul , Bizien Lucy , Delifer Céline , Tiberghien Pierre , Rodrigo Chaturaka , Trespidi Francesca , Angelini Micol , Rossini Giada , Lazzarotto Tiziana , Conti Francesca , Cassaniti Irene , Baldanti Fausto , Rovida Francesca , Ferrari Alessandro , Mileto Davide , Mancon Alessandro , Abel Laurent , Puel Anne , Cobat Aurélie , Rice Charles M. , Cadar Dániel , Schmidt-Chanasit Jonas , Scheid Johannes F. , Lemieux Jacob E. , Rosenberg Eric S. , Agudelo Marianna , Tangye Stuart G. , Borghesi Alessandro , Durand Guillaume André , Duburcq-Gury Emilie , Valencia Braulio M. , Lloyd Andrew R. , Nagy Anna , MacDonald Margaret M. , Simonin Yannick , Zhang Shen-Ying , Casanova Jean-Laurent
Published: November 2024

Arboviral diseases are a growing global health concern. Pre-existing autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) can underlie encephalitis due to West Nile virus (WNV) (∼40% of patients) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE, due to TBE virus [TBEV]) (∼10%). We report here that these auto-Abs can also underlie severe forms of rarer arboviral infections. Auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations of IFN-α2, IFN-β, and/or IFN-ω are present in the single case of severe Powassan virus (POWV) encephalitis studied, two of three cases of severe Usutu virus (USUV) infection studied, and the most severe of 24 cases of Ross River virus (RRV) disease studied. These auto-Abs are not found in any of the 137 individuals with silent or mild infections with these three viruses. Thus, auto-Abs neutralizing type I IFNs underlie an increasing list of severe arboviral diseases due to Flaviviridae (WNV, TBEV, POWV, USUV) or Togaviridae (RRV) viruses transmitted to humans by mosquitos (WNV, USUV, RRV) or ticks (TBEV, POWV).
Electromechanical deformation of biological neurons: an intrinsic marker for label-free functional neuroimaging
Authors: You Hengze , Li Huakun , Ling Tong
Published: November 2024

Membrane potential is fundamental to cell physiology and signaling. Conventional electrode-based electrophysiology has advanced the biophysical understanding of membrane potential and its implications in biological perceptions, cognitive intelligence, and embryonic development, but it necessitates placing an electrode on or near the cell of interest and is inherently invasive and low-throughput. Emerging optical electrophysiology techniques, such as genetically encoded voltage and calcium indicators, allow imaging of neural activity in a large field of view with high spatial resolution. Still, these techniques rely on preloading fluorophores or conducting genetic modifications to generate exogenous optical contrast of voltage changes or functional activities. Electromechanical deformations accompanying cells’ membrane potential changes, which have been observed using modalities such as atomic force microscopy and interferometric imaging, can yield intrinsic contrast for label-free functional neuroimaging without affecting cell viability or other biological functions. This review consolidates experimental evidence of electromechanical deformations across diverse cell types, from mammalian cortical neurons to non-spiking cells, to provide an overview of this phenomenon and gain new perspectives to guide future research in label-free functional neuroimaging.
A universal resist-assisted metal transfer method for 2D semiconductor contacts
Authors: Liu 刘 Xuanye 轩冶 , Li 李 Linxuan 林璇 , Wei 尉 Chijun 驰俊 , Song 宋 Peng 鹏 , Gao 高 Hui 辉 , Wu 吴 Kang 康 , Jiazila 努 Nuertai 尔泰⋅加孜拉 , Sun 孙 Jiequn 杰群 , Guo 郭 Hui 辉 , Yang 杨 Haitao 海涛 , Zhou 周 Wu 武 , Bao 鲍 Lihong 丽宏 , Gao 高 Hong-Jun 鸿钧
Published: November 2024

With the explosive exploration of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors for device applications, ensuring effective electrical contacts has become critical for optimizing device performance. Here, we demonstrate a universal resist-assisted metal transfer method for creating nearly free-standing metal electrodes on the SiO2/Si substrate, which can be easily transferred onto 2D semiconductors to form van der Waals (vdW) contacts. In this method, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) serves both as an electron resist for electrode patterning and as a sacrificial layer. Contacted with our transferred electrodes, MoS2 exhibits tunable Schottky barrier heights and a transition from n-type dominated to ambipolar conduction with increasing metal work functions, while InSe shows pronounced ambipolarity. Additionally, using α-In2Se3 as an example, we demonstrate that our transferred electrodes enhance resistance switching in ferroelectric memristors. Finally, the universality of our method is evidenced by the successful transfer of various metals with different adhesion forces and complex patterns.
Chiral polaritons in semiconductor perovskite metasurface enhanced by bound states in the continuum
Authors: Wang 汪 Dun 顿 , Xiong Albert Y. , Zhang Julia Q. , She 佘 Zengde 增德 , Kang 康 Xiaofeng 晓峰 , Zhu 朱 Ying 莹 , Ghosh Sanjib , Xiong 熊 Qihua 启华
Published: November 2024

The exploration of novel chiral optical platforms holds both fundamental and practical importances, which have shown great promise towards applications in valleytronics, chiral sensing and nanoscopic chiroptics. In this work, we combine two key concepts — chiral bound states in the continuum and exciton polaritons — to showcase a strong chiral response from polaritons. Using the finite element method, we numerically design a CsPbBr3 based metasurface that supports intrinsically chiral bound states in the continuum and verify the chirality by calculating the reflection spectrum and eigen-polarization mapping. We further demonstrate chirality-dependent exciton polariton angular dispersion arising from the strong coupling between the chiral BIC and excitons in CsPbBr3 by simulating the polariton angle-resolved absorption spectrum. Reciprocity analysis reveals that the polariton photoluminescence in different momentum space locations is selectively enhanced by chiral pumping light. Our results suggest a promising first step towards chiral polaritonics.
Novel intrinsic helical cores and MHD dynamo flux pumping evidence in DIII-D
Authors: Boyes W. , Turco F. , Hanson J. , Navratil G.A. , Turnbull A. , Hyatt A. , Luce T. , Meyer W. , Nelson A.O. , Odstrcil T. , Osborne T. , Scotti F. , Welander A. , Wingen A.
Published: November 2024

Evidence of a MHD dynamo brought about by intrinsic helical core structures in negative triangularity (NT) and ITER baseline scenario (IBS) plasmas demonstrates paths to operating tokamaks without seeds for deleterious global MHD modes. A stationary sawtooth- and edge localized mode-free state maintains high performance for long durations in a strong NT shape in the DIII-D tokamak. Disparity between minimum safety factor values predicted by magnetic flux diffusion theory and derived from experiment suggests anomalous flux diffusion by an MHD dynamo, driven by flows associated with quasi-interchange modes. Stability calculations with the GATO code find NT and IBS experimental equilibria unstable to quasi-interchange modes, in agreement with observed saturated activity. IBS discharges with similar magnetic winding structure occupy robust helical core states following a transition from sawtooth instabilities. These states agree with prior modeling of helical core bifurcation thresholds with the VMEC equilibrium code.
Chiral perovskite based metasurface for linear and circular dichroism
Authors: Sharma Vishakha , Kalra Yogita , Sinha Ravindra Kumar
Published: November 2024

Chiral metasurfaces provide ultracompact devices for polarization modification and detection. In this paper, high linear dichroism (LD) and dual band circular dichroism (CD) using superstructural chiral structure with inbuilt resonance cavities based on metal perovskite metal layer is proposed. Under circularly polarised incident waves, the metasurface exhibits a dual-band CD with a maximum value of 0.81. On the other hand, the suggested design also accomplishes efficient LD of 0.95. Additionally, independent control over each resonance wavelength may be attained by modifying parameters inside each resonance cavities. This will significantly contribute to the advancement of tunable dichroic devices and flat polarization optical components in optical integrated systems.
Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
Authors: Zhang Weikang , Hejda Matěj , Al-Taai Qusay Raghib Ali , Owen-Newns Dafydd , Romeira Bruno , Figueiredo José M L , Robertson Joshua , Wasige Edward , Hurtado Antonio
Published: November 2024

We report a multi-modal spiking neuron that allows optical and electronic input and control, and wavelength-multiplexing operation, for use in novel high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing functionalities. The photonic-electronic neuron is built with a micro-scale, nanostructure resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) with photodetection (PD) capability. Leveraging the advantageous intrinsic properties of this RTD-PD system, namely highly nonlinear characteristics, photo-sensitivity, light-induced I–V curve shift, and the ability to deliver excitable responses under electrical and optical inputs, we successfully achieve flexible neuromorphic spike activation and inhibition regimes through photonic-electrical control. We also demonstrate the ability of this RTD-PD spiking sensing-processing neuron to operate under the simultaneous arrival of multiple wavelength-multiplexed optical signals, due to its large PD spectral window (covering the 1310 and 1550 nm telecom wavelength bands). Our results highlight the potential of RTD photonic-electronic neurons to reproduce multiple key excitatory and inhibitory spiking regimes, at high speed (10 s of ns-rate spiking responses, with faster sub-ns regimes theoretically predicted) and low energy (requiring only ∼10 mV and ∼150 µW, electrical and optical input amplitudes, respectively), similar in nature to those commonly found in the biological neurons of the visual system and the brain. This work offers a highly promising approach for the realisation of high-speed, energy-efficient photonic-electronic spiking neurons and spiking neural networks, enabling multi-modal and multi-wavelength operation for sensing and information processing tasks, whilst also yielding enhanced system capacity, performance and parallelism. This work therefore paves the way for innovative high-speed, photonic-electronic, and spike-based neuromorphic sensing and computing systems and artificial intelligence hardware.
Climate response to interhemispheric differences in radiative forcing governed by shortwave cloud feedbacks
Authors: Kaur Harpreet , Bala Govindasamy , Seshadri Ashwin K
Published: November 2024

Understanding the climate response to interhemispheric differences in imposed radiative forcing is crucial for solar radiative modification (SRM) investigations. While previous studies have shown that climate sensitivity to solar insolation changes imposed in the Northern (NH) versus the Southern Hemisphere (SH) is different, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigate the climate response to three different radiative forcing scenarios: globally uniform radiative forcing, radiative forcing imposed only in the NH, and radiative forcing confined only to the SH. We find that the climate sensitivity is larger when forcing is imposed only in the SH. To explain the mechanisms for this, we estimate climate feedbacks using the radiative kernel approach. We find that albedo and Planck feedbacks are insensitive to hemisphere of forcing, and the larger climate sensitivity to the southern hemispheric radiative forcing is primarily due to differences in shortwave cloud feedbacks. Additionally, we examine impacts of interhemispheric differences in radiative forcing on tropical circulation, planetary albedo, and land/sea warming contrast. Our results clearly demonstrate how the intertropical convergence zone moves into the hemisphere where the radiative forcing is larger without maintaining a symmetric planetary albedo. Overall, our study provides insights into climate system responses to interhemispheric differences in radiative forcing caused by forcing agents such as aerosols from volcanic eruptions and human activities, and land cover changes, in addition to solar geoengineering.
World Order in Late Antiquity
Authors: Blachford Kevin
Published: November 2024

The East Romans of Byzantium and the Sasanian Persians competed as geopolitical rivals for over four centuries between 224 and 628 ad. Through a series of intractable conflicts, these two great empires would develop a dual hierarchy that sought to divide the known world between them. Despite competing claims to universal rule, mutual spheres of interest arose as both empires sought to create rules, norms, and standard practices of diplomatic behaviour to regulate their inter-imperial rivalry. Defined by contemporaries as the ‘Two Eyes’ of the Earth, this suzerain order aimed to hierarchically organize those considered ‘barbarians’. This period of late antiquity is rarely considered within the discipline of international relations. Through an English School approach, this work examines the diverse suzerain order of late antiquity as ‘barbarous’ nomadic tribes challenged the hierarchical ambitions of two rival empires who both claimed a unique role in the maintenance of world order.
The New Woman and Technologies of Speed in Fin-de- Siècle Literature
Authors: Chen Eva
Published: November 2024

This book is about the New Woman’s interaction with techno-aided speed through her use of the typewriter and the bicycle. These technologies of speed are among the earliest to be associated with middle-class women, exposing them to the discipline of mechanized speed while also allowing for the construction of a new machine-savvy, sped-up, and energized female subjectivity. Used for women’s office work and daily movement, they demand from their women operators a response and an adaptation to speed right from the beginning. The ability to catch up with, imitate, adjust to, and finally master this mechanized speed is the key to the New Woman’s enlarged freedom in the modern city. By examining New Woman literature penned by George Gissing, H. G. Wells, Grant Allen, Geraldine Edith Mitton, and Mrs. Edward Kennard, and stories and comments published in popular magazines, I look at how mechanized speed works on the New Woman typist and cyclist, first as discipline and coercive control (in typewriting), then as commodity and conspicuous display (in cycling), and finally as rejuvenation and active thrill. Being fast, having speed, and adjusting to the shocks as well as the excitement of techno-aided speed is a crucial part of what makes the New Woman new, as she stakes a claim to modern speed culture as new players.
“Fast Women”
Authors: Chen Eva
Published: November 2024

I discuss the rise of an accelerating modern speed culture and locate the New Woman typist and cyclist as new players in this speed culture. The typewriter and the bicycle are not just twin machines of female emancipation, but also technologies of speed subjecting middle-class women to the discipline of mechanized speed while also allowing for possibilities of a new, modern means of individuation. I discuss women’s traditional alienation from technology and speed, and the pitfalls and excitement facing women as they interact with the typewriter and the bicycle. In this interaction we can see the working of speed along three fronts: that of speed as discipline and tightened control (typewriting), as commodity and conspicuous display (cycling), and as rejuvenation and excitement (typewriting and cycling). Speed is what makes the New Woman new.
“The Literary Piano”
Authors: Chen Eva
Published: November 2024

Typewriting threatens to turn the typewriting girl into a mindless automaton, as its unique “blind” trait means that the fastest speed is achieved by not looking at the lines but working purely from memory and the triggering of appropriate muscles and nerves. But a comparison with the piano, another machine also associated with middle-class women, suggests that agentic creativity can be accelerated by mechanical power. This chapter further considers the perceived polarity between the typewriter girl and the creative writer by reading Allen’s The Type-Writer Girl and some magazine stories. It argues for a less deterministic view of typewriting speed that collapses this polarity and allows for some agentic maneuver and readjustment.
Venus on Wheels
Authors: Chen Eva
Published: November 2024

Speed takes on a new role as commodity and conspicuous display with the rise of commodity culture. This is best incarnated in the New Woman cyclist, her fashionable speeding body an iconic image of the mid-1890s “bicycle craze.” The bicycle was the most widely advertised durable luxury product of the time, and the speeding New Woman cyclist, once so transgressive to conservative eyes, is subsumed under a consumerist framework and equated with glamor, fashion, and middle-class status. Bicycle speed does liberate the New Woman, but its commodification means that a new hierarchy is now in place to differentiate those who are rich and fast from those who are poor and slow. This chapter reads cycling romance, a short-lived, ad-supported literary genre, to examine how the cycling New Woman is glamorized. It then analyses Wells’s The Wheels of Chance and Gissing’s stories to expose the hidden class exclusions behind the New Woman cyclist’s touted progressiveness.
Its Beauty, Danger, and Feverish Thrill
Authors: Chen Eva
Published: November 2024

Speed disciplines and commodifies the New Woman, but speed’s prosthetic extension of human faculties also rejuvenates the New Woman, compensates for these constraints, and fuels a thrilling fantasy of power and transcendence. The New Woman cyclist’s excitement at mastering the adrenaline-packed power of speed and forging a new speed-expanded self is palpable in Allen’s Miss Cayley’s Adventures, Mrs. Edward Kennard’s The Golf Lunatic and His Cycling Wife, and Gissing’s “The Schoolmaster’s Vision.” As women enter speed culture as new players, a new sexual energy is further unleashed that eroticizes speed, an active, aggressive, speed-liberated sexual energy that is traditionally linked with men but is now available to women.
Bladder Symptoms Provoked by Short, Rapid-Acting Loop Diuretics: A Frequent but Often Overlooked Problem
Authors: Wilcox Christopher S , Pourafshar Negiin , Han Karina , Shah Suzanne , Sussman Rachael D , Testani Jeffrey , Packer Milton , Rossignol Patrick , Zannad Faiez , Pitt Bertram , Shah Salim
Published: November 2024

BACKGROUND

Bladder dysfunction entails overactive bladder (OAB) defined as symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, and/or nocturia with or without incontinence if there is no obvious pathology or infection or lower urinary tract symptoms that includes recognized causes of bladder dysfunction.

METHODS

Literature search.

RESULTS

Symptoms of OAB are reported in about 15% of the adult US population. This is increased 2- to 3-fold in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), or the elderly where it often accompanies prescription for short, rapid-acting loop diuretics. However, less than 2% of patients seeking care for OAB receive treatment. The fear of urinary incontinence from short, rapid-acting loop diuretics may contribute to medication nonadherence and less well-controlled, apparently resistant hypertension. The bladder contracts to rapid stretch. Thus, less rapid-acting diuretics such as thiazides or extended-release formulations of loop diuretics may be preferable for those with bladder dysfunction. Alternatively, the use of a mineralocorticosteroid receptor antagonist, angiotensin receptor antagonist/neprilysin inhibitor, or sodium glucose-linked transport type 2 inhibitor may allow a reduction in the dose of a short, rapid-acting loop diuretic for those with bladder dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS

A worsening of symptoms from bladder dysfunction by short, rapid-acting loop diuretics occurs frequently in patients with CVD, CHF, hypertension, and CKD where it can contribute to impaired quality of life and poor adherence and thereby to worsening outcomes.
Astronomy, society and sustainability: how we can help to save the planet
Authors: Whittet D
Published: November 2024

A review of recent initiatives to focus astronomical research on existential threats
Habitat alters biogeographical and evolutionary patterns of body size in freshwater crayfishes
Authors: Graham Zackary A , Richardson Alastair M M
Published: November 2024

Biogeographical patterns explain variation in body size, although the strength and directions of these patterns vary. When researchers account for the micro- or macrohabitats that species inhabit, they often find that biogeographical relationships with body size are modified, especially in taxa that inhabit diverse environments. Freshwater crayfishes are an ideal group in which to study the interaction between habitat, biogeography, and body size, because there are >700 crayfishes that inhabit aquatic environments, semi-terrestrial burrows, and caves. Here, we explore evolution of body size across 452 species of crayfish by considering the interaction between their habitats (aquatic, semi-terrestrial/aquatic, semi-terrestrial, and cave-dwelling) and the mean temperature of their geographical range. We documented 64-fold variation in body length. Aquatic species were the largest and had the greatest variation in body size. Crayfishes that inhabit both semi-terrestrial and aquatic habitats exhibit a weak negative relationship between body size and environmental temperature; solely aquatic species reverse this relationship. Evolutionarily, our ancestral reconstruction suggests that the ancestral crayfish was an aquatic species with a body length of 81.1 mm, which aligns with data from fossil crayfish. Overall, our study highlights how uniting biogeographical and evolutionary approaches improves our ability to explore patterns of animal body size and unearth explanatory mechanisms.
The Parkinson's disease DJ-1/PARK7 gene controls peripheral neuronal excitability and painful neuropathy
Authors: Lee Sang Hoon , Tonello Raquel , Lee Kihwan , Roh Jueun , Prudente Arthur Silveira , Kim Yong Ho , Park Chul-Kyu , Berta Temugin
Published: November 2024

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with well-documented motor symptoms as well as less recognised, but significant, non-motor symptoms. These non-motor symptoms include prodromal pain and peripheral neuropathy, the causes of which are unknown.

We investigated the role of DJ-1/PARK7, a Parkinson's disease-associated gene, in prodromal pain and peripheral neuropathy. Using DJ-1 deficient mice, we conducted comprehensive sensory tests, cutaneous staining, molecular analyses and electrophysiological studies on mouse and human primary sensory neurons from dorsal root ganglia.

We found that these mice exhibited cold hypersensitivity, oxidative stress, and neuropathy of the cutaneous fibres of primary sensory neurones before any motor impairments were observed. Mechanistically, DJ-1 in primary sensory neurones regulated this hypersensitivity and neuropathy via TRPA1 signalling. Interestingly, we discovered that DJ-1 also plays a role in the progression of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathies. Pain and mechanisms associated with these neuropathies were exacerbated in DJ-1 deficient mice but were significantly reduced by the pharmacological activation of DJ-1. Importantly, we also confirmed the expression of DJ-1 and its therapeutic potential in human primary sensory neurons.

Thus, we uncover a peripheral mechanism of DJ-1 and propose that it may serve as a new target for developing therapeutic approaches for Parkinson's disease-linked and other painful neuropathies.
Preparation of conductive bimetallic phthalocyanine with acceptor and their electrocatalytic properties for CO2 reduction
Authors: Takase Satoko , Aritsu Taku , Kamikawa Yuki , Takizawa Toshiyuki , Shimizu Youichi
Published: November 2024

In order to develop a catalyst for electrochemical CO2 reduction with high power efficiency, we prepared molecular crystals with 2 types of metal phthalocyanine. Charge transfer complexes with acceptor were selected as the molecular crystal system to reduce the electrical resistance. Various bimetallic phthalocyanine systems consisting of cobalt phthalocyanine and another metal phthalocyanine were obtained as highly conductive separated stacked charge transfer complexes with iodine as an acceptor. The obtained catalysts for CO2 reduction were evaluated using gas diffusion electrodes. The catalysts containing the bimetallic phthalocyanine system of cobalt and copper phthalocyanines showed higher CO2 reduction current and higher CO production, indicating that the CO2 reduction on cobalt phthalocyanine is enhanced by the H2 formation reaction on copper phthalocyanine.
Technology rhetoric and institutional ownership
Authors: Andreou Panayiotis C , Drivas Kyriakos , Philip Dennis , Wood Geoffrey
Published: November 2024

This article compares actual R&D spend with the managerial rhetoric around technology and innovation contained within corporate disclosures of US-listed firms. We find that, whilst actual R&D spend and patents do not entice institutional investors to increase their stock holdings, firms that espouse technology and innovation in their corporate disclosures are quite successful in drawing in short-term investors. We frame this investor behaviour within the economics of expectation literature. While managers are incentivised to draw in capital, short-horizon investors are less likely to exert due diligence and are rather persuaded by a technology narrative—that is, a ‘gold rush’ effect. This explains our finding that when there is a sudden downturn with stock price crashes, short-term investors rush to withdraw their money from firms that ‘talk tech’. Our findings have implications for managerial rewards systems, especially when these encourage managerial hype.
Ascending aortic length predicts adverse outcomes in type A intramural haematoma
Authors: Chen Zerui , Wu Jinlin , Liu Jie , Song Jiayu , Qiu Hailong , Zhuang Jian
Published: November 2024

OBJECTIVES

Ascending aortic length has recently been recognized as a novel predictor of adverse events in aortic diseases, but its prognostic value in type A intramural haematoma is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association between ascending aortic length and outcomes in patients with type A intramural haematoma initially managed medically.

METHODS

We retrospectively analysed patients with acute type A intramural haematoma. Ascending aortic length was measured by computed tomography. The primary outcome was aortic progression, defined as aortic intervention or aortic-related death.

RESULTS

A total of 98 patients were enrolled. During a median follow-up of 2.6 years, aortic progression occurred in 27 patients (27.6%), i.e. 9 events per 100 patient-years. Patients with ascending aortic length ≥11 cm had significantly higher rates of aortic progression [54.2% (20.9 events per 100 patient-years) vs 18.9% (6.1 events per 100 patient-years), P = 0.001], surgical intervention (45.8% vs 12.2%, P = 0.001) and presence of ulcer-like projection (25.0% vs 2.7%, P = 0.002) compared to those with ascending aortic length <11 cm. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated lower progression-free survival in the ascending aortic length ≥11 cm group (P = 0.0021). Ascending aortic length had a sensitivity of 61.9% and specificity of 77.8% for predicting aortic progression, with an area under the curve of 0.756 (95% confidence interval 0.649–0.862).

CONCLUSIONS

Ascending aortic elongation may identify a high-risk subgroup of acute type A intramural haematoma patients initially managed medically who could potentially benefit from early surgery. Ascending aortic length should be considered in the risk stratification and management of these patients.
Sperm as a speciation phenotype in promiscuous songbirds
Authors: Lifjeld Jan T , Cramer Emily R A , Leder Erica H , Voje Kjetil Lysne
Published: November 2024

Sperm morphology varies considerably among species. Sperm traits may contribute to speciation if they diverge fast in allopatry and cause conspecific sperm precedence upon secondary contact. However, their role in driving prezygotic isolation has been poorly investigated. Here we test the hypothesis that, early in the speciation process, female promiscuity promotes a reduction in overlap in sperm length distributions among songbird populations. We assembled a data set of 20 pairs of populations with known sperm length distributions, a published estimate of divergence time, and an index of female promiscuity derived from extrapair paternity rates or relative testis size. We found that sperm length distributions diverged more rapidly in more promiscuous species. Faster divergence between sperm length distributions was caused by the lower variance in the trait in more promiscuous species, and not by faster divergence of the mean sperm lengths. The reduced variance is presumably due to stronger stabilizing selection on sperm length mediated by sperm competition. If divergent sperm length optima in allopatry causes conspecific sperm precedence in sympatry, which remains to be shown empirically, female promiscuity may promote prezygotic isolation, and rapid speciation in songbirds.
Dominant myosin storage myopathy mutations disrupt striated muscles in Drosophila and the myosin tail–tail interactome of human cardiac thick filaments
Authors: Viswanathan Meera C , Dutta Debabrata , Kronert William A , Chitre Kripa , Padrón Raúl , Craig Roger , Bernstein Sanford I , Cammarato Anthony
Published: November 2024

Myosin storage myopathy (MSM) is a rare skeletal muscle disorder caused by mutations in the slow muscle/β-cardiac myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene. MSM missense mutations frequently disrupt the tail's stabilizing heptad repeat motif. Disease hallmarks include subsarcolemmal hyaline-like β-MHC aggregates, muscle weakness, and, occasionally, cardiomyopathy. We generated transgenic, heterozygous Drosophila to examine the dominant physiological and structural effects of the L1793P, R1845W, and E1883K MHC MSM mutations on diverse muscles. The MHC variants reduced lifespan and flight and jump abilities. Moreover, confocal and electron microscopy revealed that they provoked indirect flight muscle breaks and myofibrillar disarray/degeneration with filamentous inclusions. Incorporation of GFP-myosin enabled in situ determination of thick filament lengths, which were significantly reduced in all mutants. Semiautomated heartbeat analysis uncovered aberrant cardiac function, which worsened with age. Thus, our fly models phenocopied traits observed among MSM patients. We additionally mapped the mutations onto a recently determined, 6 Å resolution, cryo-EM structure of the human cardiac thick filament. The R1845W mutation replaces a basic arginine with a polar-neutral, bulkier tryptophan, while E1883K reverses charge at critical filament loci. Both would be expected to disrupt the core and the outer shell of the backbone structure. Replacing L1793 with a proline, a potent breaker of α-helices, could disturb the coiled-coil of the myosin rod and alter the tail–tail interactome. Hence, all mutations likely destabilize and weaken the filament backbone. This may trigger disease in humans, while potentially analogous perturbations are likely to yield the observed thick filament and muscle disruption in our fly models.
Leveraging a new data resource to define the response of Cryptococcus neoformans to environmental signals
Authors: Kang Yu Sung , Jung Jeffery , Brown Holly L , Mateusiak Chase , Doering Tamara L , Brent Michael R
Published: November 2024

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen with a polysaccharide capsule that becomes greatly enlarged in the mammalian host and during in vitro growth under host-like conditions. To understand how individual environmental signals affect capsule size and gene expression, we grew cells in all combinations of 5 signals implicated in capsule size and systematically measured cell and capsule sizes. We also sampled these cultures over time and performed RNA-seq in quadruplicate, yielding 881 RNA-seq samples. Analysis of the resulting data sets showed that capsule induction in tissue culture medium, typically used to represent host-like conditions, requires the presence of either CO2 or exogenous cyclic AMP. Surprisingly, adding either of these pushes overall gene expression in the opposite direction from tissue culture media alone, even though both are required for capsule development. Another unexpected finding was that rich medium blocks capsule growth completely. Statistical analysis further revealed many genes whose expression is associated with capsule thickness; deletion of one of these significantly reduced capsule size. Beyond illuminating capsule induction, our massive, uniformly collected data set will be a significant resource for the research community.