bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Certificateless linkable ring signature‐based blockchains for securing cognitive radio networks
Authors: Duraisamy Abitha Kumari , Ramaraj Raja Guru , Manoharan Mathankumar , Alagarsamy Manjunathan
Published: July 2022

Rapid advancement in industrial applications of Internet of Things (IoT) has dramatically increased the number of Internet connected devices resulting in big challenges of scalability, adaptability, connectivity, and accessibility. Cognitive radio is efficient in handling spectrum allocation problem by facilitating the allocation of unlicensed spectrum dynamically to the IoT applications. However, cognitive radio network (CRN) capability of spectrum sensing is highly vulnerable to diversified number of security attacks. Malicious user disturbs the spectrum sensing potential and minimizes its accuracy by launching attacks during the detection of primary signal. In this article, certificateless linkable ring signature‐based blockchains (CLRSB) is proposed for securing CRNs by achieving reliable discrimination between trustworthy users through cryptographic keys. It initially transformed the complete set of users such as PUs and SUs into the structure of blocks representing the smart contracts‐based traditional public ledger blockchain that gets integrated to form a decentralized network for attaining improvement in efficient spectrum sensing. It adopted a mayfly optimization algorithm (MFOA)‐improved CNN (MFOA‐ICNN)‐based spectrum sensing method for preventing the interference between PUs and SUs during spectrum access. It also used MFOA for optimizing the features with balanced trade‐off between exploration and exploitation to identify the remarkable features that attributes toward efficient spectrum sensing. It specifically used CLRS for protecting information about the transaction initiator for the objective of protecting blockchain privacy. Simulation experiments of this CLRSB confirmed better response time and minimized frame loss on an average by 18.13% and 17.81%, better than the baseline schemes used for investigation.
Task scheduling to a virtual machine using a multi‐objective mayfly approach for a cloud environment
Authors: Durairaj Selvam , Sridhar Rajeswari
Published: July 2022

Cloud computing has been progressively popular in the arenas of research and business in the recent years. Virtualization is a resource management approach used in today's cloud computing environment. Virtual Machine (VM) migration algorithms allow for more dynamic resource allocation, as well as improvement in computing power and communication capability in cloud data centers. This necessitates an intelligent optimization approach to VM allocation design for an improved performance of application. In this article, a multi‐objective optimal design approach is proposed to tackle the tasks of VM allocation. Multi‐Objective Optimization (MOO) is a strategy adopted by several methods to handle tasks and workflow scheduling issues that deal with numerous opposing goals. In the cloud computing context, effective task scheduling is critical for achieving cost effective implementation as well as resource utilization. To address the optimal solution, this article proposes an entropy‐based multi objective mayfly algorithm is assessed using a convergence pattern in MOO. The model is tested by implementing in a cloud simulator and results prove that the recommended model has an improved performance with regard to factors such as time and utilization rate.
Carbohydrates complement high‐protein diets to maximize the growth of an actively hunting predator
Authors: Wiggins Will D. , Wilder Shawn M.
Published: July 2022

In nature, food is often variable in composition and availability. As a consequence, predators may need to seek non‐prey food sources. Some predators are known to feed on nectar when food is limited. Nectar and other carbohydrate resources could also be beneficial when prey are more abundant if it helps predators balance protein‐biased diets. We tested if an actively hunting predator, the jumping spider, Phidippus audax, benefited from liquid carbohydrates when prey were not limited. We also tested if the benefit of carbohydrates varied with the nutrient content of prey (i.e., from protein to lipid biased). Spiders were reared on one of six live prey, Drosophila melanogaster, treatments that ranged from high protein to high lipid. Half of the spiders were given access to a 20% sucrose solution. After 2 months, we measured spider mass, cephalothorax width, instar duration, percent body fat, survival, and estimated number of prey eaten. Spiders reared on high‐protein diets with carbohydrates were larger and heavier than spiders on other treatments. Access to carbohydrates also increased percent body fat and survival across prey treatments. Our results suggest that carbohydrates may be a valuable component of spider diets, especially when prey have high protein and low lipid content as is commonly observed in prey in the field. Our results highlight the importance of diet balancing for predators, and that liquid carbohydrates can be an important nutrient to supplement a diet of prey rather than just being an energy supplement during periods of starvation.
Species turnover in ant assemblages is greater horizontally than vertically in the world's tallest tropical forest
Authors: Xing Shuang , Hood Amelia S. C. , Dial Roman J. , Fayle Tom M.
Published: July 2022

Abiotic and biotic factors structure species assembly in ecosystems both horizontally and vertically. However, the way community composition changes along comparable horizontal and vertical distances in complex three‐dimensional habitats, and the factors driving these patterns, remains poorly understood. By sampling ant assemblages at comparable vertical and horizontal spatial scales in a tropical rainforest, we tested hypotheses that predicted differences in vertical and horizontal turnover explained by different drivers in vertical and horizontal space. These drivers included environmental filtering, such as microclimate (temperature, humidity, and photosynthetic photon flux density) and microhabitat connectivity (leaf area), which are structured differently across vertical and horizontal space. We found that both ant abundance and richness decreased significantly with increasing vertical height. Although the dissimilarity between ant assemblages increased with vertical distance, indicating a clear distance‐decay pattern, the dissimilarity was higher horizontally where it appeared independent of distance. The pronounced horizontal and vertical structuring of ant assemblages across short distances is likely explained by a combination of microclimate and microhabitat connectivity. Our results demonstrate the importance of considering three‐dimensional spatial variation in local assemblages and reveal how highly diverse communities can be supported by complex habitats.
The impact of climate change on the distribution of rare and endangered tree Firmiana kwangsiensis using the Maxent modeling
Authors: Gao Xiaoxuan , Liu Jing , Huang Zhihuan
Published: July 2022

The upsurge in anthropogenic climate change has accelerated the habitat loss and fragmentation of wild animals and plants. The rare and endangered plants are important biodiversity elements. However, the lack of comprehensive and reliable information on the spatial distribution of these organisms has hampered holistic and efficient conservation management measures. We explored the consequences of climate change on the geographical distribution of Firmiana kwangsiensis (Malvaceae), an endangered species, to provide a reference for conservation, introduction, and cultivation of this species in new ecological zones. Modeling of the potential distribution of F. kwangsiensis under the current and two future climate scenarios in maximum entropy was performed based on 30 occurrence records and 27 environmental variables of the plant. We found that precipitation‐associated and temperature‐associated variables limited the potentially suitable habitats for F. kwangsiensis. Our model predicted 259,504 km2 of F. kwangsiensis habitat based on 25 percentile thresholds. However, the high suitable habitat for F. kwangsiensis is only about 41,027 km2. F. kwangsiensis is most distributed in Guangxi's protected areas. However, the existing reserves are only 2.7% of the total suitable habitat and 4.2% of the high suitable habitat for the plant, lower than the average protection area in Guangxi (7.2%). This means the current protected areas network is insufficient, underlining the need for alternative conservation mechanisms to protect the plant habitat. Our findings will help identify additional F. kwangsiensis localities and potential habitats and inform the development and implementation of conservation, management, and cultivation practices of such rare tree species.
Synthesis of Benzothiazinones from Benzoyl Thiocarbamates: Application to Clinical Candidates for Tuberculosis Treatment
Authors: Connors William , DeKorte Ryan , Lucas Simon C. C. , Gopalsamy Ariamala , Ziegler Robert E.
Published: July 2022

Benzothiazinones are a structural motif found in biologically active compounds, such as the clinical candidates BTZ‐043 and Macozinone for the treatment of tuberculosis. We describe a robust, two‐step method to synthesize 2‐amino‐substituted benzothiazinones from benzoyl thiocarbamates, which were prepared in a one‐pot procedure from benzoyl chlorides. The intramolecular cyclization and ethoxy displacement steps were also amenable to adoption in continuous flow as exemplified by select substrates.
Solid Solution MoS2−xTex with Reduced Lattice Change Compared to MoS2–MoTe2 Heterostructure for Enhanced Cycling Performance of Lithium‐Ion Batteries
Authors: Zong Jingui , Wang Fei , Zhao Mingshu , Yang Sen
Published: July 2022

Precursor PPY@MoS2@MoTe2 nanocomposites are successfully prepared to obtain a solid solution of MoS2−x
Te
x
and a heterogeneous structure of MoS2–MoTe2 grown on one‐dimensional tubular carbon (ODTC) by heat treatment at different temperatures. The solid solution C@MoS2−x
Te
x
–500 nanotubes have better electrochemical performance than that of C@MoS2–MoTe2 heterostructure nanotubes. And the calculation results show that lattice parameter change rate of heterostructure MoS2–MoTe2 is much higher than that of solid solution MoS2−x
Te
x
. This indicates that solid solution C@MoS2−x
Te
x
–500 nanotubes manifest a super structural stability, which may be attributed to internal defects alleviating the volume expansion caused by lithium‐ion intercalation. So it exhibits remarkable lithium storage performance with high capacity (1000.9 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 500 cycles).
Longitudinally stable, brain‐based predictive models mediate the relationships between childhood cognition and socio‐demographic, psychological and genetic factors
Authors: Pat Narun , Wang Yue , Anney Richard , Riglin Lucy , Thapar Anita , Stringaris Argyris
Published: July 2022

Cognitive abilities are one of the major transdiagnostic domains in the National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). Following RDoC's integrative approach, we aimed to develop brain‐based predictive models for cognitive abilities that (a) are developmentally stable over years during adolescence and (b) account for the relationships between cognitive abilities and socio‐demographic, psychological and genetic factors. For this, we leveraged the unique power of the large‐scale, longitudinal data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (n ~ 11 k) and combined MRI data across modalities (task‐fMRI from three tasks: resting‐state fMRI, structural MRI and DTI) using machine‐learning. Our brain‐based, predictive models for cognitive abilities were stable across 2 years during young adolescence and generalisable to different sites, partially predicting childhood cognition at around 20% of the variance. Moreover, our use of ‘opportunistic stacking’ allowed the model to handle missing values, reducing the exclusion from around 80% to around 5% of the data. We found fronto‐parietal networks during a working‐memory task to drive childhood‐cognition prediction. The brain‐based, predictive models significantly, albeit partially, accounted for variance in childhood cognition due to (1) key socio‐demographic and psychological factors (proportion mediated = 18.65% [17.29%–20.12%]) and (2) genetic variation, as reflected by the polygenic score of cognition (proportion mediated = 15.6% [11%–20.7%]). Thus, our brain‐based predictive models for cognitive abilities facilitate the development of a robust, transdiagnostic research tool for cognition at the neural level in keeping with the RDoC's integrative framework.
A multicriteria decision analysis framework for developing and evaluating coastal retreat policy
Authors: Skidmore Tyler A. , Cohon Jared L.
Published: July 2022

Managed retreat may be a necessity for coastal communities as sea levels rise due to climate change. Selecting the right policy decisions and timing is difficult given the vested interests of communities and stakeholder groups and requires careful balancing of the benefits and risks associated with each management alternative. State and federal agencies often employ single-objective optimization frameworks such as cost-benefit analysis to analyze coastal relocation alternatives, but such methods are limited in their ability to balance competing value considerations and stakeholder demands. The use of a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) methodology allows for such considerations to be quantified and evaluated, thereby improving planning and decision-making for coastal retreat policies. This paper provides a strategic MCDA framework to evaluate coastal retreat policy that could be leveraged by at-risk coastal communities. The MCDA is applied to a hypothetical coastal retreat scenario to visualize policy preferences and differing value considerations among stakeholders. This model can be used by government agencies to foster more sound, acceptable, and implementable coastal retreat policies and streamline the incorporation of this climate adaptation mechanism, which may be necessary for the near future. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:83–98. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Why not? Decrypting social attitudes toward European aquaculture: An updated policy perspective for an old problem
Authors: Cavallo Marianna , Raux Pascal , Massa Fabio , Fezzardi Davide , Pérez Agúndez José A.
Published: July 2022

In some food production systems, sustainability and acceptability are considered umbrella concepts that can be assessed through a combination of criteria and indicators. After a remarkable and somewhat chaotic development in the early 1990s, European aquaculture has been evolving in both scientific and policy domains to improve, and to prove, its sustainability. The updated review of the literature and policy framework presented in this article highlights gaps in European studies, addressing mostly concerns over environmental impacts and food safety and less over economic impacts on other coastal activities or the effects on social values and local traditions. The analysis of the legislative framework demonstrates that the existing legislation adopted at different levels addresses most of the criteria of social acceptability through binding rules and supporting guidelines. Nonetheless, some elements of social concerns, such as the impact of escapes or the degradation of the landscape, remain unaddressed. Several actions are proposed that should be implemented by all actors involved in aquacultural management to improve social attitudes and, thus, the acceptance by the different segments of society. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:896–909. © 2022 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Dietary fat in relation to all‐cause mortality and cancer progression and death among people with metastatic colorectal cancer: Data fromCALGB80405 (Alliance)/SWOG80405
Authors: Van Blarigan Erin L. , Ma Chao , Ou Fang‐Shu , Bainter Tiffany M. , Venook Alan P. , Ng Kimmie , Niedzwiecki Donna , Giovannucci Edward , Lenz Heinz‐Josef , Polite Blase N. , Hochster Howard S. , Goldberg Richard M. , Mayer Robert J. , Blanke Charles D. , O'Reilly Eileen M. , Ciombor Kristen K. , Meyerhardt Jeffrey A.
Published: July 2022

Data on diet and survival among people with metastatic colorectal cancer are limited. We examined dietary fat in relation to all‐cause mortality and cancer progression or death among 1149 people in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (Alliance)/Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) 80405 trial who completed a food frequency questionnaire at initiation of treatment for advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. We examined saturated, monounsaturated, total and specific types (n‐3, long‐chain n‐3 and n‐6) of polyunsaturated fat, animal and vegetable fats. We hypothesized higher vegetable fat intake would be associated with lower risk of all‐cause mortality and cancer progression. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Over median follow‐up of 6.1 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 5.3, 7.2 y), we observed 974 deaths and 1077 events of progression or death. Participants had a median age of 59 y; 41% were female and 86% identified as White. Moderate or higher vegetable fat was associated with lower risk of mortality and cancer progression or death (HRs comparing second, third and fourth to first quartile for all‐cause mortality: 0.74 [0.62, 0.90]; 0.75 [0.61, 0.91]; 0.79 [0.63, 1.00];Ptrend: .12; for cancer progression or death: 0.74 [0.62, 0.89]; 0.78 [0.64, 0.95]; 0.71 [0.57, 0.88];Ptrend: .01). No other fat type was associated with all‐cause mortality and cancer progression or death. Moderate or higher vegetable fat intake may be associated with lower risk of cancer progression or death among people with metastatic colorectal cancer.
A comparative study of flow cytometry‐sorted communities and shotgun viral metagenomics in a Singapore municipal wastewater treatment plant
Authors: Gu Xiaoqiong , Yang Yi , Mao Feijian , Lee Wei Lin , Armas Federica , You Fang , Needham David M. , Ng Charmaine , Chen Hongjie , Chandra Franciscus , Gin Karina Yew‐Hoong
Published: July 2022

Traditional or “bulk” viral enrichment and amplification methods used in viral metagenomics introduce unavoidable bias in viral diversity. This bias is due to shortcomings in existing viral enrichment methods and overshadowing by the more abundant viral populations. To reduce the complexity and improve the resolution of viral diversity, we developed a strategy coupling fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) with random amplification and compared this to bulk metagenomics. This strategy was validated on both influent and effluent samples from a municipal wastewater treatment plant using the Modified Ludzack–Ettinger (MLE) process as the treatment method. We found that DNA and RNA communities generated using bulk samples were mostly different from those derived following FACS for both treatments before and after MLE. Before MLE treatment, FACS identified five viral families and 512 viral annotated contigs. Up to 43% of mapped reads were not detected in bulk samples. Nucleo‐cytoplasmic large DNA viral families were enriched to a greater extent in the FACS‐coupled subpopulations compared with bulk samples. FACS‐coupled viromes captured a single‐contig viral genome associated with Anabaena phage, which was not observed in bulk samples or in FACS‐sorted samples after MLE. These short metagenomic reads, which were assembled into a high‐quality draft genome of 46 kbp, were found to be highly dominant in one of the pre‐MLE FACS annotated virome fractions (57.4%). Using bulk metagenomics, we identified that between Primary Settling Tank and Secondary Settling Tank viromes, Virgaviridae, Astroviridae, Parvoviridae, Picobirnaviridae, Nodaviridae, and Iridoviridae were susceptible to MLE treatment. In all, bulk and FACS‐coupled metagenomics are complementary approaches that enable a more thorough understanding of the community structure of DNA and RNA viruses in complex environmental samples, of which the latter is critical for increasing the sensitivity of detection of viral signatures that would otherwise be lost through bulk viral metagenomics.
On flag‐transitive 2‐(k2,k,λ) $({k}^{2},k,\lambda )$ designs with λ∣k $\lambda | k$
Authors: Montinaro Alessandro , Francot Eliana
Published: July 2022

It is shown that, apart from the smallest Ree group, a flag‐transitive automorphism group of a 2‐ design , with , is either an affine group or an almost simple classical group. Moreover, when is the smallest Ree group, is isomorphic either to the 2‐ design or to one of the three 2‐ designs constructed in this paper. All the four 2‐designs have the 36 secants of a non‐degenerate conic of as a point set and 6‐sets of secants in a remarkable configuration as a block set.
Autophagy blockade potentiates cancer‐associated immunosuppression through programmed death ligand‐1 upregulation in bladder cancer
Authors: Tsai Te‐Fu , Chang An‐Chen , Chen Po‐Chun , Ho Chao‐Yen , Chen Hung‐En , Chou Kuang‐Yu , Hwang Thomas I‐Sheng
Published: July 2022

A high basal level of autophagic flux in bladder cancer (BC) cells prevents cell death and weakens chemotherapy efficacy. However, how autophagy influences cancer‐associated immunosuppression in BC remains undetermined. In this study, we observed a negative correlation between the autophagy‐related markers LC3‐II and programmed death ligand‐1 (PD‐L1) in BC cells. The autophagy inhibitors chloroquine (CQ) and bafilomycin A1 (Baf‐A1) increased PD‐L1 expression in BC cells through the ERK–JNK–c‐Jun signal‐transduction pathway. Moreover, the treatment of BC cells with CQ and Baf‐A1 inhibited hsa‐microRNA‐34a (miR‐34a) expression and miR‐34a overexpression in BC cells prevented the autophagy blockade–induced PD‐L1 expression; a negative correlation between miR‐34a and PD‐L1 expression was observed during treatment with autophagy inhibitors. Furthermore, miR‐34a overexpression induced the cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells against BC cells. Our results provide evidence that autophagy blockade and its regulatory pathway affect cancer‐associated immunosuppression through PD‐L1 elevation. Thus, the coadministration of autophagy inhibitors and a PD‐L1 immune checkpoint blockade provides a potential therapeutic approach for treating BC.
I share, therefore I know? Sharing online content ‐ even without reading it ‐ inflates subjective knowledge
Authors: Ward Adrian F. , Zheng Jianqing (Frank) , Broniarczyk Susan M.
Published: July 2022

Billions of people across the globe use social media to acquire and share information. A large and growing body of research examines how consuming online content affects what people know. The present research investigates a complementary, yet previously unstudied question: how might sharing online content affect what people think they know? Sharing signals expertise, and people frequently internalize their public behavior into their private self‐concepts. We therefore posit that sharing information on social media may cause people to believe they are as knowledgeable as their posts make them appear. We examine this possibility in the context of “sharing without reading,” a phenomenon that allows us to isolate the effect of sharing on subjective knowledge from any influence of reading or objective knowledge. Six studies provide correlational (study 1) and causal (studies 2, 2a) evidence that sharing—even without reading—increases subjective knowledge, and test the internalization mechanism by varying the degree to which sharing publicly commits the sharer to an expert identity (studies 3–5). A seventh study investigates potential consequences of sharing‐inflated subjective knowledge on downstream behavior in the domain of financial decision‐making.
Effect of supragingival plaque control on recurrent periodontitis and clinical stability among individuals under periodontal maintenance therapy: 10‐year follow‐up
Authors: Costa Fernando Oliveira , Costa Adriana Moreira , Cortelli José Roberto , Cortelli Sheila Cavalca , Costa Amanda Almeida , Lima Rafael Paschoal Esteves , Pereira Gustavo Henrique Mattos , Oliveira Alcione Maria Soares Dutra , Oliveira Peterson Antônio Dutra , Cota Luís Otávio Miranda
Published: July 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of supragingival plaque control on the recurrence of periodontitis (RP) and the achievement of a stable periodontal clinical endpoint after 10 years of periodontal maintenance therapy (PMT).

Methods

The present retrospective cohort study included 225 individuals in continuous PMT. The plaque index (PI) determining the oral hygiene (OH) status, periodontal clinical parameters, and other variables of interest were collected at three time points: T1 (prior to active periodontal therapy [APT]), T2 (after APT), and T3 (10 years after T2). According to PI records at T3, participants were categorized into: (1) good OH (GOH; PI ≤ 30%, n = 63); (2) fair OH (FOH; PI > 30% and ≤40%, n = 73); and (3) poor OH (POH; PI > 40%, n = 88). Data were analyzed using the chi‐square and Student t tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and mediation and regression analyses.

Results

Significant differences in all periodontal clinical parameters between the GOH, FOH, and POH groups were observed at T3. The POH group exhibited higher mean bleeding on probing (BOP), periodontal probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL), as well as higher tooth loss (POH > FOH > GOH; P < .001). There was an increased risk for RP in the FOH (odds ratio [OR] 2.02; CI, 1.10‐4.38) and POH (OR 4.33; CI, 2.17‐8.65) groups. Moreover, the FOH and POH groups had an approximately 2.5 and 6.0 times greater chance of not achieving a stable periodontal clinical endpoint, respectively.

Conclusions

After 10 years of monitoring in PMT, individuals with higher PI scores (>30%) presented an unhealthier periodontal status, a higher risk for RP, and a lower chance of achieving ≤4 sites with PD ≥ 5 mm.
Grazing exclusion altered the pattern of the soil seed bank but not the aboveground vegetation along an altitudinal gradient in alpine grassland
Authors: Huang Mei , Sang Chao , Zhao Jingxue , Degen A. Allan , Chen Xiaopeng , Zhang Tao , Bai Yanfu , Li Shanshan , Wang Wenyin , Shrestha Nawal , Shang Zhanhuan
Published: July 2022

Grazing exclusion by fencing is the principal option to restore degraded grassland, but its effects on recovery and succession of vegetation are not clear, especially in high mountain areas. In this study, we aimed to fill this gap by assessing the effect of seven‐year grazing exclusion on vegetation and soil seed bank along an altitudinal gradient in northern Tibet, China. Species richness, Shannon‐Wiener index and Simpson's diversity index of vegetation and soil seed bank, seed density, and the Sørensen index all displayed a mid‐domain (hump‐shaped) pattern with increasing altitude, except for the Shannon‐Wiener and Pielou indices of soil seed bank in fenced grasslands. These results demonstrated that the impact of grazing exclusion on the patterns of vegetation and soil seed bank change with altitude but are not synchronous. Grazing exclusion increased vegetation coverage but decreased soil seed bank density, and species diversity of vegetation and soil seed bank. The Sørensen index (0.03–0.2) and non‐metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis indicated that the species composition differed between vegetation and soil seed bank, but no difference was found between fenced and grazed grasslands. The low similarity suggests that the soil seed bank contributes little to vegetation recovery in alpine grassland. Seven‐year grazing exclusion had no effect on either vegetation succession or species composition of soil seed bank in alpine grassland. Overall, our findings suggest reconsidering the use of long‐term grazing exclusion to restore degraded grassland at high altitudes (above 4400 m above sea level) on the Tibetan Plateau.
Enhancing corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy by rGO/Mg(OH)2 composite coating
Authors: Yuan Jing , Cui Xiaofeng , Yuan Rui , Li Qiushi , Zheng Xuerong
Published: July 2022

rGO/Mg(OH)2 composite films were fabricated on AZ61 alloy by the hydrothermal method in alkaline solutions containing deionized water and graphene oxide (GO). During the hydrothermal reaction, the Mg(OH)2 nanosheets and GO plates grew freely on the AZ61 substrate without any special orientation, and the GO was simultaneously reduced to rGO. With the increase of GO content in the hydrothermal solution, the corrosion resistance of the prepared composite films showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. When the content of GO incorporated in the hydrothermal solution is 5 mg, the corrosion current density (icorr) of the composite coating is reduced to the minimum (4.9 μA/cm2), which is seven times lower than that of the substrate and 3.5 times lower than that of the Mg(OH)2 monolayer. Based on experimental and molecular dynamics simulation results, the enhancement mechanism of the composite film was proposed, which is related to the growth of Mg(OH)2 layer, the “tortuous path” effect of GO and the slowing of chloride ion diffusion by GO functional groups.
Aqueous Supramolecular Co‐Assembly of Anionic and Cationic Photoresponsive Stiff‐Stilbene Amphiphiles
Authors: Kwan Khloe Shuk‐Ying , Lui Ying‐Ying , Kajitani Takashi , Leung Franco King‐Chi
Published: July 2022

Fabrication of macroscopic soft functional materials, such as macroscopic photoresponsive soft materials and artificial muscles, can be commonly prepared by charge screening of supramolecular assemblies with inorganic salt solutions using a shear‐flow method. However, some of the charged end‐groups of photoresponsive molecular amphiphiles cannot be stabilized with inorganic salt solutions to fabricate macroscopic soft materials. Stiff stilbene amphiphiles (SAs) functionalized with anionic phosphite and cationic quaternary ammonium end groups are designed and synthesized and their photochemical and supramolecular assembly properties are determined. Supramolecular co‐assembly of anionic and cationic nanotubes of SAs allows to transform into nanoribbons, confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, critical aggregation concentration, and Zeta potential measurements. Nanoribbons of anionic and cationic SAs can be prepared into macroscopic soft materials with inorganic salt solutions and surprisingly also with deionized water. The macroscopic soft material of anionic and cationic SAs can be stabilized at low concentration ≈5 mm. Meanwhile, the photoresponsiveness of the macroscopic soft materials is retained to provide macroscopic morphological change upon photoirradiation. These results exhibit the feasibility in fabrication of macroscopic functional soft materials from supramolecular assembly across multiple length‐scale without help of inorganic salts and offer ample opportunity in developing future soft supramolecular robotic systems.
Information and communication technology adoption and unemployment in West Africa Monetary Zone
Authors: Ahuru Rolle Remi , Osabohien Romanus , Al‐Faryan Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh , Sowemimo Eseosa Joy
Published: July 2022

This study examined the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on unemployment among the countries in West Africa Monetary Zones (WAMZ) for the period 2005–2020. The study engaged the data sourced from World Bank Development Indicators (WDI), International labour organisation (ILO) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The study estimated the fixed and random effect models and pooled mean group estimators. The results indicate a negative and significant effect of ICT adoption on unemployment among countries of WAMZ. On the other hand, the magnitude of the effects differs, depending on the indicator of ICT being examined.
Longitudinal comparison of the self‐entry Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale‐Revised (ALSFRS‐RSE) and Rasch‐Built Overall Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disability Scale (ROADS) as outcome measures in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Johnson Stephen A. , Burke Katherine M. , Scheier Zoe A. , Keegan Mackenzie A. , Clark Alison P. , Chan James , Fournier Christina N. , Berry James D.
Published: July 2022

Introduction/aims

Improved functional outcome measures in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) would aid ALS trial design and help hasten drug discovery. We evaluate the longitudinal performance of the Rasch‐Built Overall Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Disability Scale (ROADS) compared to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale Revised for Self‐Entry (ALSFRS‐RSE) as patient reported outcomes of functional status in people with ALS.

Methods

Participants completed the ROADS and the ALSFRS‐RSE questionnaires at baseline, 3‐, 6‐, and 12‐ mo using Research Electronic Data Capture as part of a prospective, longitudinal, remote, online survey study of fatigue in ALS from 9/2020 to 12/2021. The scales were compared cross‐sectionally (at baseline) and longitudinally. Correlation coefficients, coefficients of variation, and descriptive statistics were assessed.

Results

A total of 182 adults with ALS consented to the study. This volunteer sample was comprised of predominantly White, non‐Hispanic, non‐smoking participants. Consented participant survey completion was approximately 90% at baseline and greater than 40% at 12 mo. The ALSFRS‐RSE and the ROADS had high, significant agreement at 3 and 6 mo by Cohen's kappa ≥71% (p < 0.001); the number of functional increases or plateaus on the two scales were not significantly different; and the coefficient of variation of functional decline was similar at the 6‐month mark, though higher for the ROADS at 3 mo and lower at 12 mo.

Discussion

Although the ROADS performed similarly to the ALSFRS‐RSE in an observational cohort, it has psychometric advantages, such as Rasch‐modeling and unidimensionality. It merits further investigation as a patient reported outcome of overall disability and efficacy outcome measure in ALS trials.
Adaptive finite time fault tolerant control for the quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles based on time‐triggered strategy
Authors: Di Wangyue , Li Zhigang , Lv Dongyi , Gao Chuang , Yang Yonghui , Zhou Xin
Published: July 2022

This article investigates the adaptive finite time tracking control problem for quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (QUAV) subject to actuator failure with event‐triggered control strategy. It is assumed that the models of actuator failure are actuator blockage and saturation faults. The finite time performance function and adaptive backstepping method are combined to design the controller to compensate the influence of actuator failure, so as to ensure that the tracking error converges to the preset neighborhood near the origin in finite time. In addition, a new event‐triggered strategy is introduced to save communication resources and avoid the Zeno‐behavior, which defines the variable threshold as a function combining with tracking error and positive constants. The variable threshold not only effectively reduces triggering times, but also makes the design of the controller more flexible. It is proved that the closed‐loop system is stability. Finally, the effectiveness of this method is verified by simulation.
Stability of resilience in times of the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Köhne Sophie , Engert Veronika , Rosendahl Jenny
Published: July 2022

There is disagreement among researchers regarding the conceptualization of resilience as a dynamic state or stable trait. Aiming to shed light on the state‐versus‐trait debate, we explored the stability and construct validity of four of the most frequently utilized state or trait resilience scales in a longitudinal assessment. Additionally, we examined the predictive validity of these scales. Our study was conducted before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, which served as collectively experienced adversity. Correlations among the resilience scales and among resilience scales and Big Five personality traits were strong. All except one scale showed high test–retest correlations. Experience of an additional critical life event during the pandemic led to an increase in resilience. Other than in cross‐sectional studies, associations between resilience and psychological distress were weak, because personality and baseline psychological distress were controlled for. Nevertheless, next to personality, resilience explained additional variance in distress change. Our results show relatively high stability of resilience overall. Yet, they also confirm dynamic resilience features, suggesting that resilience change occurs with significant adversity, leading to improved adaptation. To gauge the true association between resilience and mental health, baseline levels of these variables as well as personality traits should be considered.
A proteome‐scale analysis of vertebrate protein amino acid occurrence: Thermoadaptation shows a correlation with protein solvation but less so with dynamics
Authors: Li Zhen‐Lu , Buck Matthias
Published: July 2022

Despite differences in behaviors and living conditions, vertebrate organisms share the great majority of proteins, often with subtle differences in amino acid sequence. Here, we present a simple way to analyze the difference in amino acid occurrence by comparing highly homologous proteins on a subproteome level between several vertebrate model organisms. Specifically, we use this method to identify a pattern of amino acid conservation as well as a shift in amino acid occurrence between homeotherms (warm‐blooded species) and poikilotherms (cold‐blooded species). Importantly, this general analysis and a specific example further establish a broad correlation, if not likely connection between the thermal adaptation of protein sequences and two of their physical features: on average a change in their protein dynamics and, even more strongly, in their solvation. For poikilotherms, such as frog and fish, the lower body temperature is expected to increase the protein–protein interaction due to a decrease in protein internal dynamics. In order to counteract the tendency for enhanced binding caused by low temperatures, poikilotherms enhance the solvation of their proteins by favoring polar amino acids. This feature appears to dominate over possible changes in dynamics for some proteins. The results suggest that a general trend for amino acid choice is part of the mechanism for thermoadaptation of vertebrate organisms at the molecular level.
Challenging glyphosate resistanceEPSPSP106SandTIPSmutations with soybean competition and glyphosate: implications for management
Authors: Barroso Arthur Arrobas Martins , Michelon Thomas Bruno , da Costa Aguiar Alves Pedro Luis , Han Heping , Yu Qin , Powles Stephen B. , Vila‐Aiub Martin M.
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND

Eleusine indica(L.) Gaertn. (goosegrass) is a major weed in global cropping systems. It has evolved resistance to glyphosate due to single Pro‐106‐Ser (P106S) or double Thr‐102‐Ile + Pro‐106‐Ser (TIPS)EPSPStarget site mutations. Here, experiments were conducted to evaluate the single effect of soybean competition and its combined effect with a glyphosate field dose (1080 g ae ha−1) on the growth and fitness of plants carrying these glyphosate resistance endowing target site mutations.

RESULTS

TIPSE. indicaplants are highly glyphosate‐resistant but the double mutation endows a substantial fitness cost. The TIPS fitness penalty increased under the effect of soybean competition resulting in a cost of 95%, 95% and 96% in terms of, respectively, vegetative growth, seed mass and seed number investment. Glyphosate treatment of these glyphosate‐resistant TIPS plants showed an increase in growth relative to those without glyphosate. Conversely, for the P106S moderate glyphosate resistance mutation, glyphosate treatment alone reduced survival rate, vegetative growth, aboveground biomass (34%), seed mass (48%) and number (52%) of P106S plants relative to the glyphosate nontreated plants. However, under the combined effects of both soybean competition and the field‐recommended glyphosate dose, vegetative growth, aboveground biomass, seed mass and number of P106S and TIPS plants were substantially limited (by ≤99%).

CONCLUSION

The ecological environment imposed by intense competition from a soybean crop sets a significant constraint for the landscape‐level increase of both theE. indicasingle and double glyphosate resistance mutations in the agroecosystem and highlights the key role of crop competition in limiting the population growth of weeds, whether they are herbicide‐resistant or susceptible. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Effect of Milling of ZnO and MgO Powders On Structural, Optical, and Electrical Properties of (Mg,Zn)O Ceramics
Authors: Korsunska Nadiia , Markevich Iryna , Ponomaryov Semyon , Polishchuk Yuliya , Tsybrii Zinoviia , Khmil Denys , Stara Tetyana , Melnichuk Oleksandr , Melnichuk Liudmyla , Venger Yevgen , Kladko Vasyl , Khomenkova Larysa
Published: July 2022

The effect of the milling of virgin ZnO and MgO powders on structural, optical, and electrical properties of Mg0.2Zn0.8O ceramics is studied. In all Mg0.2Zn0.8O ceramics, both cubic and hexagonal phases of solid solution are formed simultaneously. The hexagonal phase is represented by densely sintered grains that are doped with magnesium homogeneously. The crystallites of cubic phase of solid solution turn out to appear in large pores. The infrared reflection spectra show that the milling of intial powders does not affect free carrier concentration in hexagonal grains. It is found to be close to that of ZnO being determined by Zn interstials. For ceramics sintered from virgin powders, a decrease of direct current conductivity of Mg0.2Zn0.8O in comparison with that of pure ZnO occurres, which is being caused by the appearance of barriers, the nature of which may be ascribed to the fluctuations in the bandgap and/or electron concentration. For ceramics sintered from milled powders, an increase in DC conductivity of all samples is found and attributed to the formation of conductive channels along the grain boundaries via their enrichment in Zn and Mg due to mechanical stress. A chemical mapping of the ceramics supports this effect.
Anion complexes of diborane derivatives inserted to benzene
Authors: López‐Sánchez Rubén , Oliva‐Enrich Josep M. , Alkorta Ibon , Elguero José
Published: July 2022

The complexes formed between three molecules where the diboryl units (HBH2BH) replace the C2H2 moiety in benzene (B6H12, C2B4H10, and C4B2H8) and 10 anions (H−, F−, Cl−, Br−, OH−, CCH−, CH3−, CN−, N3−, and CNO−) have been studied using MP2 computational methods with the complete basis set (CBS) extrapolation scheme. The stability of the complexes for a given anion increases with the number of diborane units in the molecules, and these energy values are correlated with the presence of different anions and number of diborane units. The electron density of the complexes has been characterized and analyzed using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and electron density shift (EDS) models.
An internal‐model‐based event‐triggered strategy for rendezvous with connectivity preservation problem of multi‐agent systems
Authors: Wu Xun , Dong Yi
Published: July 2022

In this article, an internal‐model‐based event‐triggered control is proposed for the rendezvous problem of linear uncertain multi‐agent systems. Our approach is not only robust to parametric uncertainty and external disturbances, but also capable of preserving the connectivity of the position‐dependent time‐varying communication network. The event‐triggered mechanism is in a piecewise constant form and thus can be directly implemented in the digital platform. Technically, different from traditional internal model design, a class of distributed dynamic compensators are designed based on sampled relative position and velocity signals to convert the rendezvous problem into a stabilization with connectivity problem of a special augmented system, which is then solved by a piecewise constant stabilizer. Finally, it is proved that the rendezvous problem of the original system is solvable by stabilizing such augmented system and excluding Zeno behavior.
A switched system approach to exponential filtering design for Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems with sampled‐data measurements subject to packet dropouts
Authors: Wang Meng , Yan Huaicheng , Li Zhichen , Tian Yongxiao
Published: July 2022

This article studies the problem of exponential filtering design for Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy systems with sampled‐data measurements under the data packet dropout phenomenon. A novel switched system approach is developed, and thus the resulting filtering error system is rewritten in a time‐varying delayed switched system form. Based on novel piecewise time‐dependent Lyapunov functionals, sufficient conditions are obtained to guarantee the exponential stability with performance of the filtering error system. The full‐/reduced‐order filter design results in the form of solving a set of linear matrix inequalities are obtained. Finally, simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the method.
Expeditious Electrochemical Synthesis of Mesoporous Chalcogenide Flakes: Mesoporous Cu2Se as a Potential High‐Rate Anode for Sodium‐Ion Battery
Authors: Nagaura Tomota , Li Jinliang , Fernando Joseph F. S. , Ashok Aditya , Alowasheeir Azhar , Nanjundan Ashok Kumar , Lee Sukho , Golberg Dmitri V. , Na Jongbeom , Yamauchi Yusuke
Published: July 2022

Nanostructured copper selenide (Cu2Se) attracts much interest as it shows outstanding performance as thermoelectric, photo‐thermal, and optical material. The mesoporous structure is also a promising morphology to obtain better performance for electrochemical and catalytic applications, thanks to its high surface area. A simple one‐step electrochemical method is proposed for mesoporous chalcogenides synthesis. The synthesized Cu2Se material has two types of mesopores (9 and 18 nm in diameter), which are uniformly distributed inside the flakes. These materials are also implemented for sodium (Na) ion battery (NIB) anode as a proof of concept. The electrode employing the mesoporous Cu2Se exhibits superior and more stable specific capacity as a NIB anode compared to the non‐porous samples. The electrode also exhibits excellent rate tolerance at each current density, from 100 to 1000 mA g−1. It is suggested that the mesoporous structure is advantageous for the insertion of Na ions inside the flakes. Electrochemical analysis indicates that the mesoporous electrode possesses more prominent diffusion‐controlled kinetics during the sodiation–desodiation process, which contributes to the improvement of Na‐ion storage performance.