bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for new renal scarring in children with vesicoureteral reflux receiving continuous antibiotic prophylaxis
Authors: Su Dequan , Zhuo Zhiqiang , Zhang Jinqiang , Zhan Zhuqin , Huang Honglin
Published: January 2024

To investigate the risk factors for new renal scarring (NRS) in children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) receiving continuous antibiotic prophylaxis (CAP). This was a single-center cohort study. The clinical data of 140 children with grade I–V VUR receiving CAP were analyzed. In this study, exposure variables were sex, younger age at the initial diagnosis of UTI ≤ 12 months, the occurrence of breakthrough urinary tract infection (BT-UTI), high-grade VUR, bilateral VUR, etiology, presence of renal scarring at the initial diagnosis and ultrasound abnormalities. The outcome was NRS. A total of 140 children were included in the risk factor analysis of NRS, 73 of whom experienced NRS, an incidence rate of 52.14%. Multivariate Cox regression suggested that the presence of renal function impairment after the initial diagnosis of UTI (OR 3.411, 95% CI 1.5751–6.646) and the occurrence of BT-UTI while receiving CAP (OR 1.995, 95% CI 1.089–2.958) were independent risk factors for NRS. Multivariate Cox regression showed that high-grade VUR had no significant effects on NRS (OR 0.940, 95% CI 0.462–1.912, P = 0.864). No significant difference was identified in multivariate Cox regression analysis in the IV–V group (vs I–III group) (OR 0.960, 95% CI 0.565–1.633, P = 0.960). Renal function impairment after the initial diagnosis of UTI and the occurrence of BT-UTI while receiving CAP were independent risk factors for NRS. Neither univariate analysis nor multivariate analysis found a correlation between VUR grade and NRS.
Individualized monitoring of longitudinal heading exposure in soccer
Authors: Kenny Rebecca , Elez Marko , Clansey Adam , Virji-Babul Naznin , Wu Lyndia C.
Published: January 2024

There is growing concern that repetitive soccer headers may have negative long-term consequences on brain health. However, inconsistent and low-quality heading exposure measurements limit past investigations of this effect. Here we conducted a comprehensive heading exposure analysis across all players on a university women’s soccer team for over two calendar years (36 unique athletes), quantifying both game and practice exposure during all in-season and off-season periods, with over ten thousand video-confirmed headers. Despite an average of approximately 2 headers per day, players’ daily exposures ranged from 0 to 45 headers, accumulating to highly variable total exposure of 2–223 headers over each in-season/off-season period. Overall, practices and off-season periods accounted for 70% and 45% of headers, respectively. Impact sensor data showed that heading kinematics fell within a tight distribution, but sensors could not capture full heading exposure due to factors such as compliance. With first-of-its-kind complete heading exposure data, we recommend exposure assessments be made on an individual level and include practice/off-season collection in addition to games and competitive seasons. Commonly used group statistics do not capture highly variable exposures, and individualized complete heading exposure tracking needs to be incorporated in future study designs for confirming the potential brain injury risk associated with soccer heading.
Revealing the mechanistic interactions of profenofos and captan pesticides with serum protein via biophysical and computational investigations
Authors: Phopin Kamonrat , Ruankham Waralee , Prachayasittikul Supaluk , Prachayasittikul Virapong , Tantimongcolwat Tanawut
Published: January 2024

Profenofos (PF) and captan (CT) are among the most utilized organophosphorus insecticides and phthalimide fungicides, respectively. To elucidate the physicochemical and influential toxicokinetic factors, the mechanistic interactions of serum albumin and either PF or CT were carried out in the current study using a series of spectroscopy and computational analyses. Both PF and CT could bind to bovine serum albumin (BSA), a representative serum protein, with moderate binding constants in a range of 103–104 M−1. The bindings of PF and CT did not induce noticeable BSA’s structural changes. Both pesticides bound preferentially to the site I pocket of BSA, where the hydrophobic interaction was the main binding mode of PF, and the electrostatic interaction drove the binding of CT. As a result, PF and CT may not only induce direct toxicity by themselves, but also compete with therapeutic drugs and essential substances to sit in the Sudlow site I of serum albumin, which may interfere with the pharmacokinetics and equilibrium of drugs and other substances causing consequent adverse effects.
Multimodal classification of Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment using custom MKSCDDL kernel over CNN with transparent decision-making for explainable diagnosis
Authors: Adarsh V. , Gangadharan G. R. , Fiore Ugo , Zanetti Paolo
Published: January 2024

The study presents an innovative diagnostic framework that synergises Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) with a Multi-feature Kernel Supervised within-class-similar Discriminative Dictionary Learning (MKSCDDL). This integrative methodology is designed to facilitate the precise classification of individuals into categories of Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and Cognitively Normal (CN) statuses while also discerning the nuanced phases within the MCI spectrum. Our approach is distinguished by its robustness and interpretability, offering clinicians an exceptionally transparent tool for diagnosis and therapeutic strategy formulation. We use scandent decision trees to deal with the unpredictability and complexity of neuroimaging data. Considering that different people's brain scans are different, this enables the model to make more detailed individualised assessments and explains how the algorithm illuminates the specific neuroanatomical regions that are indicative of cognitive impairment. This explanation is beneficial for clinicians because it gives them concrete ideas for early intervention and targeted care. The empirical review of our model shows that it makes diagnoses with a level of accuracy that is unmatched, with a classification efficacy of 98.27%. This shows that the model is good at finding important parts of the brain that may be damaged by cognitive diseases.
Neural signatures of emotion regulation
Authors: Rieck Jared , Wrobel Julia , Porras Antonio R. , McRae Kateri , Gowin Joshua L.
Published: January 2024

Emotional experience is central to a fulfilling life. Although exposure to negative experiences is inevitable, an individual’s emotion regulation response may buffer against psychopathology. Identification of neural activation patterns associated with emotion regulation via an fMRI task is a promising and non-invasive means of furthering our understanding of the how the brain engages with negative experiences. Prior work has applied multivariate pattern analysis to identify signatures of response to negative emotion-inducing images; we adapt these techniques to establish novel neural signatures associated with conscious efforts to modulate emotional response. We model voxel-level activation via LASSO principal components regression and linear discriminant analysis to predict if a subject was engaged in emotion regulation and to identify brain regions which define this emotion regulation signature. We train our models using 82 participants and evaluate them on a holdout sample of 40 participants, demonstrating an accuracy up to 82.5% across three classes. Our results suggest that emotion regulation produces a unique signature that is differentiable from passive viewing of negative and neutral imagery.
Truncated O-glycosylation in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer reveals a gene expression signature associated with extracellular matrix and proteolysis
Authors: Festari María Florencia , Jara Eugenio , Costa Monique , Iriarte Andrés , Freire Teresa
Published: January 2024

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. Triple-negative (TN) BC constitutes aggressive and highly metastatic tumors associated with shorter overall survival of patients compared to other BC subtypes. The Tn antigen, a glycoconjugated structure resulting from an incompleteO-glycosylation process, is highly expressed in different adenocarcinomas, including BC. It also favors cancer growth, immunoregulation, and metastasis in TNBC. This work describes the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with BC aggressiveness and metastasis in an incompleteO-glycosylated TNBC cell model. We studied the transcriptome of a TNBC model constituted by the metastatic murine 4T1 cell line that overexpresses the Tn antigen due to a mutation in one of the steps of theO-glycosylation pathway. We analyzed and compared the results with the parental wild-type cell line and with a Tn-negative cell clone that was poorly metastatic and less aggressive than the 4T1 parental cell line. To gain insight into the generated expression data, we performed a gene set analysis. Biological processes associated with cancer development and metastasis, immune evasion, and leukocyte recruitment were highly enriched among functional terms of DEGs. Furthermore, different highlyO-glycosylated protein-coding genes, such asmmp9,ecm1andankyrin-2, were upregulated in 4T1/Tn+tumor cells. The altered biological processes and DEGs that promote tumor growth, invasion and immunomodulation might explain the aggressive properties of 4T1/Tn+tumor cells. These results support the hypothesis that incompleteO-glycosylation that leads to the expression of the Tn antigen, which might regulate activity or interaction of different molecules, promotes cancer development and immunoregulation.
Development of a non-destructive depth-selective quantification method for sub-percent carbon contents in steel using negative muon lifetime analysis
Authors: Ninomiya Kazuhiko , Kubo Michael Kenya , Inagaki Makoto , Yoshida Go , Chiu I-Huan , Kudo Takuto , Asari Shunsuke , Sentoku Sawako , Takeshita Soshi , Shimomura Koichiro , Kawamura Naritoshi , Strasser Patrick , Miyake Yasuhiro , Ito Takashi U. , Higemoto Wataru , Saito Tsutomu
Published: January 2024

The amount of C in steel, which is critical in determining its properties, is strongly influenced by steel production technology. We propose a novel method of quantifying the bulk C content in steel non-destructively using muons. This revolutionary method may be used not only in the quality control of steel in production, but also in analyzing precious steel archaeological artifacts. A negatively charged muon forms an atomic system owing to its negative charge, and is finally absorbed into the nucleus or decays to an electron. The lifetimes of muons differ significantly, depending on whether they are trapped by Fe or C atoms, and identifying the elemental content at the muon stoppage position is possible via muon lifetime measurements. The relationship between the muon capture probabilities of C/Fe and the elemental content of C exhibits a good linearity, and the C content in the steel may be quantitatively determined via muon lifetime measurements. Furthermore, by controlling the incident energies of the muons, they may be stopped in each layer of a stacked sample consisting of three types of steel plates with thicknesses of 0.5 mm, and we successfully determined the C contents in the range 0.20–1.03 wt% depth-selectively, without sample destruction.
The impact of different preceding crops on soil nitrogen structure and nitrogen cycling in tobacco-planting soil
Authors: Liu Ming , Xue Rujun , Han Ningbo , Yang Shanqin , Wang Dexun , Hu Yanxia , Gu Kaiyuan , Su Jiaen
Published: January 2024

Soil nitrogen content, structure, and nitrogen cycling play a crucial role in tobacco growth quality, with different preceding crops having varying impacts on tobacco cultivation soil. This study conducted using field experiments, employed three treatments with different preceding crops, namely tobacco, barley, and rapeseed, to investigate the effects of different preceding crops on soil nitrogen structure and the expression levels of soil nitrogen cycling-related functional genes in tobacco cultivation soil. The results indicated that different preceding crops had varying effects on the content of different nitrogen forms in tobacco cultivation soil. Ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen were the two nitrogen forms which were most influenced by preceding crops, with the ammonium nitrogen content in soils following barley and rapeseed preceding crops increasing by 82.88% and 63.56%, respectively, compared to sole tobacco cultivation. The nitrate nitrogen content in tobacco cultivation soil was 26.97% higher following barley preceding crops and 24.39% higher following rapeseed preceding crops compared to sole tobacco cultivation. Simultaneously, different preceding crops also affected the expression levels of nitrogen cycling-related genes in tobacco cultivation soil. In the nitrification process, amoA was significantly impacted, with its expression reduced by 64.39% and 72.24% following barley and rapeseed preceding crops, respectively, compared to sole tobacco cultivation. In the denitrification process, except for the narG gene, all other genes were subjected to varying degrees of inhibition when preceded by barley and rapeseed crops. Correlation analysis between soil nitrogen structure and the expression levels of nitrogen cycling-related genes revealed that increased nitrogen levels suppressed the expression of Arch-amoA. Additionally, ammonium nitrogen strongly influenced the expression levels of most soil nitrogen cycling functional genes. In conclusion, preceding crops alter soil nitrogen structure, possibly due to changes in soil microorganisms, and different preceding crops modified the expression levels of nitrogen cycling-related genes in tobacco cultivation soil, consequently affecting the proportions of various nitrogen forms in the soil.
All-trans retinoic acid alleviates collagen-induced arthritis and promotes intestinal homeostasis
Authors: Zhang Yiqi , Luo Yating , Shi Jiangchun , Xie Yumeng , Shao Huangfang , Li Yun
Published: January 2024

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has emerged as a promising adjunctive treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. However, the mechanism by which ATRA mitigates arthritis remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore ATRA alleviation of arthritis and the role of ATRA in regulating intestinal homeostasis. Thus, we established a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model in Wistar rats. After 6 weeks of ATRA treatment, the arthritis index of CIA rats decreased, synovial inflammation was alleviated, and the disruption of Th17/Treg differentiation in peripheral blood was reversed. Additionally, the Th17/Treg ratio in the mesenteric lymph nodes decreased and the expression of Foxp3 mRNA increased and that of IL-17 mRNA decreased in the colon and ileum. Microscopically, we observed reduced intestinal inflammation. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that ATRA could repair tight junctions, which was accompanied by an increase in the expression of Claudin-1, Occludin and ZO-1. Moreover, ATRA regulated the composition of the gut microbiota, as was characterized based on the reduced abundance of Desulfobacterota and the increased abundance of Lactobacillus. In conclusion, ATRA demonstrates the potential to alleviate arthritis in CIA rats, which might be correlated with modulating the gut microbiota and regulating the intestinal immune response. Our findings provide novel insights into ATRA-mediated alleviation of arthritis.
Surface roughness characterization using representative elementary area (REA) analysis
Authors: Singh Kuldeep , Paliwal Nitin , Kasamias Konstantinos
Published: January 2024

We proposed the Representative Elementary Area (REA) analysis method and illustrated how it is needed to evaluate representative roughness parameters of surfaces. We used mean height (Sa) roughness to study how its variations converge to a steady state as we expanded the area of investigation (AOI) using combined scan tiles obtained through Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy. We tested quartz and glass surfaces, subjecting them to various levels of polishing with grit sizes ranging between # 60 and #1200. The scan tiles revealed a multiscale roughness texture characterized by the dominance of valleys over peaks, lacking a fractal nature. REA analysis revealed Sa variations converged to a steady state as AOI increased, highlighting the necessity of the proposed method. The steady-state Sa, denoted as $${{\text{Sa}}}_{{\text{REA}}}$$

Sa
REA

, followed an inverse power law with polishing grit size, with its exponent dependent on the material hardness. The REA length representing $${{\text{Sa}}}_{{\text{REA}}}$$

Sa
REA

of glass surfaces, followed another inverse power law with polishing grit size and an indeterminate relationship for quartz surfaces. The multiscale characteristics and convergence to steady state were also evident in skewness, kurtosis, and autocorrelation length (Sal) parameters. Sal increased to a maximum value before decreasing linearly as AOI was linearly increased. The maximum Sal, termed as $${{\text{Sal}}}_{{\text{max}}}$$

Sal
max

, exhibited a linear relationship with REA. In the absence of REA analysis, the magnitude of uncertainty depended on the polishing grit size. Finely polished surfaces exhibited a 10–20% variability, which increased to up to 70% relative to the steady-state Sa with coarser polishing.
Explainable artificial intelligence approaches for COVID-19 prognosis prediction using clinical markers
Authors: Chadaga Krishnaraj , Prabhu Srikanth , Sampathila Niranjana , Chadaga Rajagopala , Umakanth Shashikiran , Bhat Devadas , G S Shashi Kumar
Published: January 2024

The COVID-19 influenza emerged and proved to be fatal, causing millions of deaths worldwide. Vaccines were eventually discovered, effectively preventing the severe symptoms caused by the disease. However, some of the population (elderly and patients with comorbidities) are still vulnerable to severe symptoms such as breathlessness and chest pain. Identifying these patients in advance is imperative to prevent a bad prognosis. Hence, machine learning and deep learning algorithms have been used for early COVID-19 severity prediction using clinical and laboratory markers. The COVID-19 data was collected from two Manipal hospitals after obtaining ethical clearance. Multiple nature-inspired feature selection algorithms are used to choose the most crucial markers. A maximum testing accuracy of 95% was achieved by the classifiers. The predictions obtained by the classifiers have been demystified using five explainable artificial intelligence techniques (XAI). According to XAI, the most important markers are c-reactive protein, basophils, lymphocytes, albumin, D-Dimer and neutrophils. The models could be deployed in various healthcare facilities to predict COVID-19 severity in advance so that appropriate treatments could be provided to mitigate a severe prognosis. The computer aided diagnostic method can also aid the healthcare professionals and ease the burden on already suffering healthcare infrastructure.
Seepage stability analysis of geogrid reinforced tailings dam
Authors: Du Changbo , Tao Han , Yi Fu
Published: January 2024

To investigate the influence of a geogrid-reinforced tailings dam on the seepage stability of the dam body, this paper was based on the field test of a reinforced tailings accumulation dam. The study utilized the finite element strength reduction method to simulate the stability of the main dam of the Fengshuigou tailings reservoir under different seepage conditions using ABAQUS software. Additionally, the paper discussed the impact of conventional heightening, dry beach length, and geogrid reinforcement on the position and safety factor of the saturation line of the dam body. The results showed that when the dam body was raised, the saturation line rose by 2.8–5.3 m, resulting in a decrease in the safety factor. The geogrid effectively reduced the height of the saturation line in the tailings dam. In comparison to the unreinforced condition (dam heightening), the saturation line of the tailings dam decreased by 0.9–2.8 m under the local reinforcement condition and by 3.2–12.5 m under the overall reinforcement condition. The geogrid significantly improved the stability of the tailings dam. Furthermore, under the local reinforcement condition, the safety factor of the dam increased by 3.8–5.5%, and under the overall reinforcement condition, it increased by 35.9–42.9%, when compared to the unreinforced condition. Increasing the dry beach length improved the stability of the tailings dam, and under normal working conditions, the safety of the tailings dam was much higher than under the minimum dry beach condition. These results served as a reference for the design of the dam and the new tailings reservoir, laying a foundation for the sustainable development and environmental protection of the tailings pond.
Sea surface temperature warming to inhibit mitigation of tropical cyclone destructiveness over East Asia in El Niño
Authors: Park Doo-Sun R. , Seo Eunkyo , Lee Minkyu , Cha Dong-Hyun , Kim Dasol , Ho Chang-Hoi , Lee Myong-In , Kim Hyeong-Seog , Min Seung-Ki
Published: January 2024

Given their conditions to reside in and intensify longer over warm oceans, tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western North Pacific (WNP) present a stronger lifetime maximum intensity during El Niño than during La Niña. By using observational data, we found that the anomalously cool sea surface temperature (SST)s in the basin act as effective barriers against intense TCs approaching East Asia during El Niño, weakening their destructiveness at landfall. Based on our high-resolution pseudo-global-warming simulations, the basin-wide 2K SST warming within the WNP basin can, however, shatter this cool SST barrier, exposing East Asia to more destructive TCs during El Niño, compared to those during La Niña. Considering that the 2K warmer WNP will likely occur in the mid-21st century under a high emission scenario and in the late 21st century under a moderate emission scenario, our findings support that more aggressive efforts of global warming mitigation are needed.
Development of a stemness-related prognostic index to provide therapeutic strategies for bladder cancer
Authors: Fu Shi , Tan Zhiyong , Shi Hongjin , Chen Junhao , Zhang Yawei , Guo Chunming , Feng Wei , Xu Haole , Wang Jiansong , Wang Haifeng
Published: January 2024

Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease with varying clinical outcomes. Recent evidence suggests that cancer progression involves the acquisition of stem-like signatures, and assessing stemness indices help uncover patterns of intra-tumor molecular heterogeneity. We used the one-class logistic regression algorithm to compute the mRNAsi for each sample in BLCA cohort. We subsequently classified BC patients into two subtypes based on 189 mRNAsi-related genes, using the unsupervised consensus clustering. Then, we identified nine hub genes to construct a stemness-related prognostic index (SRPI) using Cox regression, LASSO regression and Random Forest methods. We further validated SRPI using two independent datasets. Afterwards, we examined the molecular and immune characterized of SRPI. Finally, we conducted multiply drug screening and experimental approaches to identify and confirm the most proper agents for patients with high SRPI. Based on the mRNAsi-related genes, BC patients were classified into two stemness subtypes with distinct prognosis, functional annotations, genomic variations and immune profiles. Using the SRPI, we identified a specific subgroup of BC patients with high SRPI, who had a poor response to immunotherapy, and were less sensitive to commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, FGFR inhibitors, and EGFR inhibitors. We further identified that dasatinib was the most promising therapeutic agent for this subgroup of patients. This study provides further insights into the stemness classification of BC, and demonstrates that SRPI is a promising tool for predicting prognosis and therapeutic opportunities for BC patients.
Towards precision oncology discovery: four less known genes and their unknown interactions as highest-performed biomarkers for colorectal cancer
Authors: Liu Yongjun , Xu Yuqing , Li Xiaoxing , Chen Mengke , Wang Xueqin , Zhang Ning , Zhang Heping , Zhang Zhengjun
Published: January 2024

The goal of this study was to use a new interpretable machine-learning framework based on max-logistic competing risk factor models to identify a parsimonious set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that play a pivotal role in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Transcriptome data from nine public datasets were analyzed, and a new Chinese cohort was collected to validate the findings. The study discovered a set of four critical DEGs - CXCL8, PSMC2, APP, and SLC20A1 - that exhibit the highest accuracy in detecting CRC in diverse populations and ethnicities. Notably, PSMC2 and CXCL8 appear to play a central role in CRC, and CXCL8 alone could potentially serve as an early-stage marker for CRC. This work represents a pioneering effort in applying the max-logistic competing risk factor model to identify critical genes for human malignancies, and the interpretability and reproducibility of the results across diverse populations suggests that the four DEGs identified can provide a comprehensive description of the transcriptomic features of CRC. The practical implications of this research include the potential for personalized risk assessment and precision diagnosis and tailored treatment plans for patients.
High-resolution assessment of multidimensional cellular mechanics using label-free refractive-index traction force microscopy
Authors: Lee Moosung , Jeong Hyuntae , Lee Chaeyeon , Lee Mahn Jae , Delmo Benedict Reve , Heo Won Do , Shin Jennifer H. , Park YongKeun
Published: January 2024

A critical requirement for studying cell mechanics is three-dimensional assessment of cellular shapes and forces with high spatiotemporal resolution. Traction force microscopy with fluorescence imaging enables the measurement of cellular forces, but it is limited by photobleaching and a slow acquisition speed. Here, we present refractive-index traction force microscopy (RI-TFM), which simultaneously quantifies the volumetric morphology and traction force of cells using a high-speed illumination scheme with 0.5-Hz temporal resolution. Without labelling, our method enables quantitative analyses of dry-mass distributions and shear (in-plane) and normal (out-of-plane) tractions of single cells on the extracellular matrix. When combined with a constrained total variation-based deconvolution algorithm, it provides 0.55-Pa shear and 1.59-Pa normal traction sensitivity for a 1-kPa hydrogel substrate. We demonstrate its utility by assessing the effects of compromised intracellular stress and capturing the rapid dynamics of cellular junction formation in the spatiotemporal changes in non-planar traction components.
Strain-tunable Dirac semimetal phase transition and emergent superconductivity in a borophane
Authors: Zhong Chengyong , Li Xuelian , Yu Peng
Published: January 2024

A two-dimensional (2D) Dirac semimetal with concomitant superconductivity has been long sought but rarely reported. It is believed that light-element materials have the potential to realize this goal owing to their intrinsic lightweight and metallicity. Here, based on the recently synthesized β12 hydrogenated borophene, we investigate its counterpart named β12-B5H3. Our first-principles calculations suggest it has good stability. β12-B5H3 is a scarce Dirac semimetal demonstrating a strain-tunable phase transition from three Dirac cones to a single Dirac cone. Additionally, β12-B5H3 is also a superior phonon-mediated superconductor with a superconducting critical temperature of 32.4 K and can be further boosted to 42 K under external strain. The concurrence of Dirac fermions and superconductivity, supplemented with dual tunabilities, reveals β12-B5H3 is an attractive platform to study either quantum phase transition in 2D Dirac semimetal or the superconductivity or the exotic physics brought about by their interplay.
Injection spectroscopy of momentum state lattices
Authors: Paladugu Sai Naga Manoj , Chen Tao , An Fangzhao Alex , Yan Bo , Gadway Bryce
Published: January 2024

The energy spectrum of quantum systems contain a wealth of information about their underlying properties. Spectroscopic techniques, especially those with access to spatially resolved measurements, can be challenging to implement in real-space systems of cold atoms in optical lattices. Here we explore a technique for probing energy spectra in synthetic lattices that is analogous to scanning tunneling microscopy. Using one-dimensional synthetic lattices of coupled atomic momentum states, we explore this spectroscopic technique and observe qualitative agreement between the measured and simulated energy spectra for small two- and three-site lattices as well as a uniform many-site lattice. Finally, through simulations, we show that this technique should allow for the exploration of the topological bands and the fractal energy spectrum of the Hofstadter model as realized in synthetic lattices.
Underplated melts control sulfide segregation at the continental crust-mantle transition
Authors: Pieterek Bartosz , Tribuzio Riccardo , Matusiak-Małek Magdalena , Ciążela Jakub , Horn Ingo , Weyer Stefan , Strauss Harald , Kuhn Thomas , Muszyński Andrzej
Published: January 2024

Exposures of the Earth’s crust-mantle transition are scarce, thus, limiting our knowledge about the formation of subcontinental underplate cumulates, and their significance for metal storage and migration. Here, we investigated chalcophile metals to track sulfide crystallization within the Contact Series, an <150-m-thick pyroxenite-gabbronorite sequence, formed by mantle-derived melts, highlighting the boundary between the Balmuccia mantle peridotite and gabbronoritic Mafic Complex of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone. Within the Contact Series, numerous sulfides crystallized in response to the differentiation of mantle-derived underplated melts. Such sulfide-controlled metal differentiation resulted in anomalous Cu contents (up to ~380 ppm), compared to reference mantle (~19 ppm) and crustal samples (~1 ppm). We propose that the assimilation of continental crust material is a critical mechanism driving sulfide segregation and sulfide-controlled metal storage. Our results evidence that sulfides are trapped in the underplated mafic-ultramafic cumulates and that their enrichment in Cu may provide essential implications for crustal metallogeny.
Fabrication of well-aligned Co-MOF arrays through a controlled and moderate process for the development of a flexible tetrabromobisphenol A sensor
Authors: Wang Shiyuan , Chen Yao , Long Mei , Li Wanyu , Huang Yiran , Lai Shiyi , Yang Guiping , Song Yang , Chen Jinfa , Yu Guangxia
Published: January 2024

A flexible TBBPA sensor was developed based on conductive Co-MOFs arrays.
A metallic two-dimensional b-BS2 monolayer as a superior Na/K-ion battery anode
Authors: Yang Zhifang , Li Wenliang , Zhang Jingping
Published: January 2024

Two-dimensional (2D) materials with light weight and ultra-high electrical conductivity are expected to exhibit high capacity as anodes of batteries.
Identification of the interchromophore interaction in the electronic absorption and circular dichroism spectra of bis-phenanthrenes
Authors: Xu Yuchuan , Huang Xunkun , Wang Yu-Chen , Zhao Yi , Liang WanZhen
Published: January 2024

This work aims to identify the contribution of different types of excited states to the electronic absorption and ECD spectra and unveil the character of low-lying excited states.
Keto–enol tautomerism of β-diketo molecules in the presence of graphitic materials through π–π stacking
Authors: Maity Sayantan , Khatri Jaipriya , Kumar Vijay , Dhar Basab Bijayi
Published: January 2024

The pseudo aromatic structures of the enol forms of β-diketo molecules are stabilized on the surface of graphitic materials through π–π interaction.
A direct Z-scheme BS/PtO2 van der Waals heterojunction for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic water splitting: a first-principles study
Authors: Zhou Bowei , Zhu ZiTao , Sun Zhengdong , Zhang Meng , Wang Xiao
Published: January 2024

A novel direct Z-scheme two-dimensional heterojunction, BS/PtO2, meets water's redox conditions, showcasing remarkable optical properties and holding promise for efficient hydrogen and oxygen evolution in photocatalytic water splitting.
Chemical engineering of cationic distribution in spinel ferrite nanoparticles: the effect on the magnetic properties
Authors: Baričić Miran , Maltoni Pierfrancesco , Barucca Gianni , Yaacoub Nader , Omelyanchik Alexander , Canepa Fabio , Mathieu Roland , Peddis Davide
Published: January 2024

A set of ∼9 nm CoFe2O4 nanoparticles substituted with Zn2+ and Ni2+ was prepared by thermal decomposition of metallic acetylacetonate precursors to correlate the effects of the replacement of Co2+ with the resulting magnetic properties.
A sol–gel derived LaCoO3 perovskite as an electrocatalyst for Al–air batteries
Authors: Vasudevan Suruthi , D Swathi Tharani , Manickam Minakshi , Sivasubramanian R.
Published: January 2024

In this work, we report the performance of the LaCoO3 perovskite oxide as a cathode catalyst for an Al–air battery.
The enhanced responsivity and response speed of SnO2 visible-blind transparent photodetectors via the SiO2 passivation layer
Authors: Huang Mingkun , Wang Yue , Yang Lei , Ren Sen , Wang Le , Kang Yuanhao , Zhang Niumiao
Published: January 2024

Recently, transparent ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have gained wide attention for their giant potential in integrated transparent electronics applications.
Electrical charging of snow and ice in polar regions and the potential impact on atmospheric chemistry
Authors: Tkachenko Kateryna , Jacobi Hans-Werner
Published: January 2024

Different processes can lead to high electrical field strengths in snow and ice in polar regions with the potential to initiate free radical processes and a number of other chemical modifications.
Economically viable N-doped graphene aerogel for the photodegradation of structurally different dyes and a plant-model-based environmental assessment
Authors: Asati Himanshu , Mondal Raka , Tripathi Kumud Malika
Published: January 2024

Utilization of waste biomass derived photocatalyst to tackle the severe environmental pollution.
Environmentally friendly TDS removal from waste water by electrochemical ion exchange batch-type recirculation (EIR) technique
Authors: Vijayakumar G , Rajkumar Muniyandi , Rajiv Chandar N , Selvakumar P , Duraisamy Ramesh
Published: January 2024

The increasing prevalence of total dissolved solids (TDS), Cl−, SO42−, total suspended solids (TSS), BOD and COD in industrial effluent necessitates pioneering electrochemical approaches for their efficient removal.
Photothermal catalytic oxidation of toluene over the Pt–Mn2O3/CN nanocomposite catalyst
Authors: Yu Xiao , Zhao Chuang , Yang Lixia , Zhang Jian , Chen Chunlin
Published: January 2024

The Pt–Mn2O3/CN catalyst formed through synthesis via a solvent-thermal method involves a synergistic combination of polymer CN and Pt nanoparticles loaded on Mn2O3 to catalyze the degradation of toluene.
Effects of an Akt-activating peptide obtained from walnut protein degradation on the prevention of memory impairment in mice
Authors: Lin Like , Li Cong , Zhang Yujiao , Zhang Li , Gao Lu , Jin Lihua , Shu Yu , Shen Yehua
Published: January 2024

A novel walnut-derived peptide EPEVLR improves d-gal-induced mouse cognitive impairment with concentration-dependent effects by clearing overexpressed Aβ and p-tau and regulating intestinal homeostasis.
Cascaded elasto-inertial separation of malignant tumor cells from untreated malignant pleural and peritoneal effusions
Authors: Ni Chen , Wu Dan , Chen Yao , Wang Silin , Xiang Nan
Published: January 2024

A cascaded elasto-inertial cell separation device for pretreatment-free, high-recovery-ratio, and high-purity separation of malignant tumor cells from clinical malignant pleural and peritoneal effusions.
Synergistic effects of steric constraints and non-covalent interactions in copper(ii) chloro-nitro-benzoato complexes: synthesis, structural characterization, theoretical investigations, antimicrobial studies, and molecular docking analyses
Authors: Chauhan Chetan , Kumar Santosh , Kumar Rajesh , Saini Anju , Aree Thammarat
Published: January 2024

Design, synthesis, detailed structural characterization and potential biological efficacy of copper(ii) chloro-benzoato complexes displaying the synergistic role of steric constraints and non-covalent interactions have been carried out for first time.
Green electrochemical synthesis of graphene oxide for high-performance electromagnetic shields
Authors: Goodarzi Milad , Pircheraghi Gholamreza
Published: January 2024

Controlled exfoliation and oxidation of graphene oxide nanosheets > multi-scale materials design > high performance EMI shields.
Effects of thermal annealing on analog resistive switching behavior in bilayer HfO2/ZnO synaptic devices: the role of ZnO grain boundaries
Authors: An Yeong-Jin , Yan Han , Yeom Chae-min , Jeong Jun-kyo , Eadi Sunil Babu , Lee Hi-Deok , Kwon Hyuk-Min
Published: January 2024

Schematic illustration of the transition mechanism during the conductive filamentary formation in bilayer HfO2/ZnO synaptic devices (a) without and (b) with thermal annealing.
Enhanced uranium extraction from seawater: from the viewpoint of kinetics and thermodynamics
Authors: Shabbir Sania , Yang Nailiang , Wang Dan
Published: January 2024

The development of UES is summarized from the kinetics and thermodynamics viewpoint. Challenges and future development are also discussed.
Decarboxylative [3 + 2] cycloaddition of propargyl cyclic carbonates with C,O-bis(nucleophile)s to access dihydrofuro[3,2-c]coumarins and dihydronaphtho[1,2-b]furans with quaternary center
Authors: Battula Shravani , Kothuri Pranay , Bhumannagari Haripriya , Nayani Kiranmai
Published: January 2024

Propargyl cyclic carbonates/carbamates were used as C2 synthons towards the [3 + 2] cycloaddition of 4-hydroxycoumarins to generate dihydrofuro[3,2-c]coumarins. Similarly, α-naphthols provided dihydronaphtho[1,2-b]furans.
Blocky bromination of poly(ether ketone ketone) as a means to preserve crystallizability and rapid crystallization kinetics
Authors: Pomatto Michelle E. , Crater Erin R. , Godshall Garrett F. , Moore Robert B.
Published: January 2024

Blocky bromination of PEKK yields superior crystallizability, high %Xc, Tg, Tm, Tc, and faster crystallization kinetics compared to random analogs.
Spin configuration modulation of Co3O4 by Ru doping for boosting the overall water splitting and hydrazine oxidation reactions
Authors: Xu Xiaohu , Su Le , Yu Xinyue , Sun Jikai , Miao Xiangyang
Published: January 2024

Co-based spinel oxides with unique crystal structures have been identified as a class of promising candidates for alkaline water oxidation catalysis in oxide structural families.
Nanozyme-enhanced ferroptosis for cancer treatment
Authors: Ming Yue , Huang Mingshu , Huang Yisheng , Liu Danqing , Sun Min , Jia Bo , Du Jianzhong
Published: January 2024

Nanozymes could mimic the catalytic activity of natural enzymes, then stimulate the Fenton reaction for reactive oxygen species overproduction and lipid peroxidation, ultimately induce ferroptosis to exert anticancer effects.
Iron-catalyzed fragmentation-alkynylation, -alkenylation and -alkylation cascade enabled by photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer
Authors: Zhu Yining , Gao Han , Tu Jia-Lin , Yang Chao , Guo Lin , Zhao Yating , Xia Wujiong
Published: January 2024

An iron-catalyzed fragmentation alkynylation, alkenylation and alkylation enabled by photoinduced ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT)processis herein reported.
Asymmetric palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative [3 + 2] cycloaddition: straightforward construction of chiral spiro-heterocyclic scaffolds
Authors: Zhang Ke , You Pengyuan , Zuo Sheng , Tao Yuan , Chen Fen-er
Published: January 2024

We developed an asymmetric Pd-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of α,β-unsaturated pyrazolones with vinylethylene carbonates. An array of spiro-tetrahydrofuran-pyrazolones were obtained in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities.
Tetryliumylidene ions in synthesis and catalysis
Authors: Stigler Sebastian , Fujimori Shiori , Kostenko Arseni , Inoue Shigeyoshi
Published: January 2024

This minireview aims to comprehensively cover the current state of knowledge of tetryliumylidene ion [R–E:]+ (E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) chemistry regarding their syntheses, reactivity, and applications in transition metal-free catalytic reactions.
[Br4F21]− – a unique molecular tetrahedral interhalogen ion containing a μ4-bridging fluorine atom surrounded by BrF5 molecules
Authors: Möbs Martin , Graubner Tim , Karttunen Antti J. , Kraus Florian
Published: January 2024

The [(μ4-F)(BrF5)4]− anion in [NMe4][Br4F21]·BrF5 is the first example of F atoms bridging μ4-like outside ionic solids or [F(HF)4]− anions.
Effective design of PEGylated polyion complex (PIC) nanoparticles for enhancing PIC internalisation in cells utilising block copolymer combinations with mismatched ionic chain lengths
Authors: Aulia Fadlina , Matsuba Hiroaki , Adachi Shoya , Yamada Takumi , Nakase Ikuhiko , Nii Teruki , Mori Takeshi , Katayama Yoshiki , Kishimura Akihiro
Published: January 2024

Design factors of PEGylated polyion complex (PIC) nanoparticles, particularly PIC vesicles, were examined regarding polyion chain matching, domain crosslinking, and chemical modification of charged units, to modulate mammalian cell-PIC interaction.
Controlling crystallisation and dissolution of biogenic CaCO3via dissolved magnesium cations
Authors: Morton-Collings Toby , Yang Minjun , Compton Richard G.
Published: January 2024

Lab microscopy experiments show a negligible difference between the rate of mass loss of biogenic and pure, laboratory-grown CaCO3 particles.
An efficient implementation for linear convolution with reduced latency in FPGA
Authors: Xue Dingli , DeBrunner Linda S. , DeBrunner Victor , Huang Zhen , Xiao Ying , Zhang Zhaohang
Published: January 2024

A recently developed linear convolution filter based on Hirschman theory has shown its advantage in saving computations compared with other convolution filters. Here, the Hirschman convolution filter is improved with the use of the split‐radix algorithm and explore its latency‐reduced advantage for the first time. A comparison of hardware resources in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) between the proposed Hirschman‐based filter and other convolution filters is presented. Simulation results indicate that the split‐radix Hirschman convolution filter achieves a promising reduction in latency by 18.15% on average with an acceptable power consumption rise by about 3.05%. In the case of a device capacity limited implementation, the proposed Hirschman convolution filter is still computationally attractive as it uses a small‐size originator function instead of larger Fourier transform.
Utility‐scale solar photovoltaic power plant emulating a virtual synchronous generator with simultaneous frequency and voltage control provision
Authors: Owais Raja , Javed Iqbal Sheikh
Published: January 2024

Network operators with significant solar photovoltaic (PV) penetration are having difficulty maintaining grid frequency and voltage within acceptable bounds due to the progressive displacement of synchronous machines. Utility‐scale solar PV plants have a huge potential for participation in frequency and voltage regulation since they are linked to the grid through power electronic interfaces with flexible, decoupled control of active and reactive power. A comprehensive control strategy for a utility‐scale solar PV plant is proposed to simultaneously participate in frequency and voltage control without the aid of any energy storage. The frequency response is accomplished by maintaining some active power reserves that enable the PV plant to participate in both over‐ and under‐frequency events. The active power of the PV plant is modulated by operating the PV as a virtual synchronous generator (VSG). Unlike the classic notion of VSG, an intelligent fuzzy‐based technique is employed to adapt the gains of the VSG controller for improved control performance. Additionally, an adaptive droop‐based voltage control mechanism is proposed to control the reactive power reference for the PV plant. The gain of the droop controller is adapted to the varying maximum reactive power capacity of the PV plant. This ensures that the PV system's unused reactive power capability is fully utilised. Through simulation studies, the efficiency of the proposed frequency and voltage control mechanisms is validated under a range of realistic circumstances. The findings show that the suggested control approach can efficiently leverage the PV plants' capacity to handle both frequency and voltage events.
Frequency support scheme of grid‐forming based hybrid cascaded HVDC integrated wind farms
Authors: Fan Xiaojie , Chi Yongning , Wang Zhibing
Published: January 2024

The grid‐following control‐based hybrid cascaded high‐voltage direct current (HC‐HVDC) links may contribute to the worsening of inertia decline and instability issues, especially in situations characterized by a weak grid. To address the challenge, this paper proposes a grid‐forming (GFM) based optimal frequency support scheme (OFSS) for HC‐HVDC integrated wind farms. Firstly, a GFM control for hybrid converter is proposed and its stability under weak grid conditions is evaluated through a small‐signal model. Then, DC current–voltage droop control is introduced to the line commutated converter (LCC). This control approach ensures the consistency of reactive power in the LCC by regulating the DC voltage and current in the same direction, thereby mitigating AC voltage fluctuations. It also facilitates active power control in the LCC in response to grid frequency variations. Furthermore, the OFSS can convey the frequency of receiving‐end grid to the rectifier and wind farms without communication for precise power control. Finally, to validate the effectiveness of OFSS, a point‐to‐point HC‐HVDC and a 4‐machine test model are constructed on PSCAD/EMTDC. The OFSS significantly enhances the frequency support capability of HC‐HVDC links and improves the robustness in weak grid.
Fuse saving coordination scheme for active distribution systems: State‐of‐the‐art and a novel quasi‐voltage current based scheme
Authors: Bisheh Hadi , Fani Bahador , Shahgholian Ghazanfar , Sadeghkhani Iman
Published: January 2024

Increasing the penetration level of distributed generation (DG) units requires overcoming the technical challenges associated with their integration into the distribution systems, especially protection problems. Change in the current profile of the distribution system due to the presence of DG units disrupts the operation of the conventional fuse saving coordination (FSC) scheme. The first objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art of FSC schemes in distribution systems with distributed generators that has not been systematically presented yet. In addition to comparing the features of reliability, cost, speed, implementation, calculation burden, and requirements, the impact of presence of distributed generations on the performance of the conventional FSC scheme is investigated in details. The second objective of this paper is to propose an FSC restoration scheme for minimizing the challenges of previous works. Using a quasi‐voltage current term, the proposed scheme modifies the adjustable time coefficient of the recloser in two ways of pro and plus. The former scheme provides an approximate FSC with a simple setting while the latter scheme provides complete coordination at the expense of a more complex setting. No need for voltage measurement makes its implementation practical in available distribution systems. The effective performance of the proposed FSC scheme is verified through extensive simulation studies in the ETAP environment.