bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potential application of p-type diamane as back surface field layer in silicon-based heterojunction solar cells
Authors: Naima  , Tyagi Pawan K , Singh Vinod
Published: November 2024

A higher efficiency of photovoltaic cells can be attained by optimizing their design, selecting the appropriate materials, and implementing of effective passivation process. The present study investigates the influence of the thickness and band gap of different layers of the solar cell and resuting opto-electric performance parameters of both single junction heterojunction (HJ) and heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) cells. These cells are made up of a crystalline silicon (c-Si) active layer having back surafce field layer. The reported simulated work was conducted using AFORS-HET, an automated program specifically designed for simulating heterostructures. An efficiency of 26.86% has been attained for a HJ solar cell, this efficiency was further improved to 29.38% for the HIT solar cell by optimising all parameters. These cells require an emitter layer with a bandgap of around 1.4 eV. The optimal values of open-circuit voltage (V
OC), short-circuit current density (JSC), and fill factor are determined and found to be: 631.2 mV, 51.16 mA cm−2, and 83.16% for HJ solar cell, and 683 mV, 52.74 mA cm−2, and 81.55% for HIT solar cell. Moreover, the J-V curve, spectral response and quantum efficiency analysis have also been studied.
High performance AlGaN/GaN MISHEMTs using N2O treated TiO2 as the gate dielectric
Authors: Zhama Tuofu , Cui Peng , Chen Zijun , Zhang Jie , Zhao Haochen , Wei Lincheng , Sharma Ashwani , Bakaul Saidur , Zeng Yuping
Published: November 2024

In this work, TiO2 thin films deposited by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method were treated with a special N2O plasma surface treatment and used as the gate dielectric for AlGaN/GaN metal insulator semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MISHEMTs). The N2O plasma surface treatment effectively reduces defects in the oxide during low-temperature ALD growth. In addition, it allows oxygen atoms to diffuse into the device cap layer to increase the barrier height and thus reduce the gate leakage current. These TiO2 films exhibit a dielectric constant of 54.8 and a two-terminal current of 1.96 × 10−10 A mm−1 in 2 μm distance. When applied as the gate dielectric, the AlGaN/GaN MISHEMT with a 2 μm-gate-length shows a high on/off ratio of 2.59 × 108 and a low subthreshold slope (SS) of 84 mV dec−1 among all GaN MISHEMTs using TiO2 as the gate dielectric. This work provides a feasible way to significantly improve the TiO2 film electrical property for gate dielectrics, and it suggests that the developed TiO2 dielectric is a promising high-κ gate oxide and a potential passivation layer for GaN-based MISHEMTs, which can be further extended to other transistors.
Efficacy of nickel doped graphitic carbon nitride as energy storage material
Authors: Parashar M , Banerjee D , Chauhan K , Adalder A , Ghorai U K , Sen N , Chattopadhyay K K
Published: November 2024

The current article reports the synthesis of graphitic carbon nitride (GCN), through simple thermal decomposition of urea at a moderate temperature of 550 °C and doping of as-developed material with transition element like nickel. The proper phase formation of the sample was confirmed by x-ray diffraction whereas electron microscopic images analyzed the sample morphologies. The successful doping was verified by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy whereas thermogravimetric study predicted the stability of the material under elevated temperature. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy showed that after Ni doping there is a substantial change in the vibrational energy level of the sample. UV–vis reflectance spectra confirmed the reduction of optical bandgap after metal doping. The samples show promises towards supercapacitor application. Cyclic voltametric study shows that after metal doping the value of specific capacitance became 162 Fg−1 at scan rate 5 mV s−1 and when the same was calculated from galvanostatic charging–discharging characteristics the values came even higher. The energy and power density of both the samples was calculated and all these when compared with different reported results, confirmed the performance of Ni doped GCN is comparable and sometimes even far better along with the advantages of the easy, large scale and high yield synthesis approach.
Investigation of deposition times on nano structures ferrous thin layers produced by chemical bath deposition method
Authors: Kangarlou Haleh , Asgary Somayeh
Published: November 2024

Ferrous thin layers were deposited on SiO2 substrates by chemical bath deposition method, from aqueous solutions containing Ironchloride and sodium thiosulfateat 30, 60 and 120 min as deposition time. The effect of deposition time on the structural and optical properties of ferrous thin layers was investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). According to XRD results, crystallinity of the layers with cubic pyrite phase increases with increasing the deposition time. AFM image showed the film’s surface is well covered with irregular grains. Morphology, roughness and grain structures were changed completely by increasing deposition times. Nanoparticles were clearly visible on the surface of the films. The optical properties were determined using UV–vis spectrophotometer. The optical bandgap of the ferrous layers was between 3.20–3.35 eV at different deposition times.
Analyzing the effect of uncertainty on hybrid permeable nanofluid flow under thermal radiation by Gaussian and triangular fuzzy numbers
Authors: Sartanpara Parthkumar P , Meher Ramakanta , Nikan Omid , Al-Saedi Akeel A
Published: November 2024

This paper investigates the magnetohydrodynamic hybrid nanofluid flow between two non-parallel walls, consisting of Cu − Ag nanoparticles suspended in H2O as the base fluid, which stretch or shrink under the influence of heat transfer with a heat source/sink. This analysis considers the impact of thermal radiation and porous media on the velocity and temperature profiles. The analysis is relevant in engineering applications such as cooling systems, lubrication, and advanced material manufacturing where precise heat and flow control are crucial. The nanoparticle volume fraction is modeled as an uncertain parameter, using Gaussian and triangular fuzzy numbers, specifically GFN(0.025, 0.01, 0.01) and TFN(0, 0.025, 0.05). A double parametric approach for fuzzy numbers, along with the homotopy method, is employed to investigate the uncertain effects of key physical parameters such as the stretching/shrinking parameter, Reynolds number, magnetic parameter, Darcy number, Eckert number, radiation parameter, and the volume fraction of nanoparticles on the fuzzy velocity and temperature profiles of the hybrid nanofluid flow in convergent and divergent channels. The numerical results are validated through experimentation, demonstrating strong agreement in both the crisp and uncertain scenarios using triangular and Gaussian fuzzy senses, and showing consistency with previously established findings.
Compact metasurface antenna for Sub-6 GHz applications with isolated n77/n78 bands using CSRR
Authors: Varshney Atul , Kumar Satyam , Gençoğlan Duygu Nazan , Tiwari Satyam , Ara Shabnam , Elfergani Issa , Zebiri Chemseddine , Rodriguez Jonathan
Published: November 2024

A compact (0.35

λ

0

×

0.35

λ

0

where

λ

0

is free space wavelength at the lower resonance frequency 3.50 GHz) bio-inspired tulip flower-shaped antenna (TFSA) is proposed. A double negative (DNG) metamaterial complementary split ring resonator (CSRR) is introduced near the feed in the hybrid triangular-circular patch which inserts a notch-band (4.20–4.38 GHz) in the wide bandwidth (3.15–7.05 GHz) and makes the antenna response dual-band. Consequently, this results in in-band interference reduction in 5G-Sub-6 GHz applications. A slotted FSS is placed at a distance of 28.507 mm beneath the monopole-reduced ground of the antenna to enhance the reduced gain from 4.39 dBi to 7.22 dBi. A further gain is improved to 12.84 dBi by placing a full copper surface (0.35

λ

0

× 0.35

λ

0

) as the reflector layer is placed below FSS at 1.6 mm. Finally, prototyped TFSA with FSS and reflector model achieve a dual bands reflection coefficient response (3.15–4.20 GHz): n77/n78, and (4.38–7.03 GHz): n46/n47/n96/n102/n79. The antenna reflection coefficient is tested using Keysight 14 GHz FieldFox Microwave Analyzer N9916A, and radiation patterns in the E-plane and H-plane are measured using an 18 GHz anechoic chamber. The comparison of simulated results with measured results is found an excellent match in bandwidth and with shapes of gain radiation patterns. The reflector and FSS jointly make the radiation pattern strong in the E-plane above the TFSA radiator. The antenna is well suited for n77/n78 (3.30–4.20 GHz), n79(4.40–4.99 GHz), n46 (5150–5925 MHz), n47 (5855–5925 MHz), n96/n102 (5925–6425 MHz), 5.8 GHz HiperLAN, WiMAX 3.5 GHz applications. An electrical equivalent circuit model of the proposed TFSA antenna is presented and validated using ADS software.
Hydrogen evolution performance of single atom catalyst supported on holey graphdiyne
Authors: Gao Haoshan , Chen Yucheng , Wang Ping , Du Yaohui , Li Hui , Zheng Xudong , Zhao Yafei
Published: November 2024

Electrocatalytic hydrogen production is an effective method to solve environmental issues and energy crisis. However, cheap and high performance electrocatalysts are still very scarce. In this work, the hydrogen evolution reaction performance of holey graphdiyne supported transition metals single-atom catalysts (TM-SAC-HGY) were investigated by first-principles study. It is found that TM atoms are stably anchored on monolayer HGY by forming TM-C bonds. Meanwhile, TM atoms transfer electrons to both HGY and H atom. More importantly, the H adsorption free energy (ΔG
H) of Cu-SAC-HGY is 0.028 eV, which is very close to 0 eV. Therefore, Cu-SAC-HGY has excellent HER activity. By analyzing the results of partial density of states, it can be concluded that the orbital hybridization strength of TM and H plays a decisive role in affecting HER activity. This work could contribute to the development of more efficient HER electrocatalysts.
A positionally stable anatomic smooth breast implant
Authors: F Salazar Hector , Y Li Tim , Salingaros Sophia , Urrea de la Puerta Carlos Y , S Corpuz George , M O’Connell Gillian , C Aboaf Celia , Dong Xue , P Poveromo Luke , J Bonassar Lawrence , A Spector Jason
Published: November 2024

The voluntary recall of textured breast implants due to their association with breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma has resulted in the loss of the primary advantage of the textured surface: positional stability. We have engineered a novel soft gel-filled smooth implant with a surface that promotes positional stability without texture, known as the positionally stable smooth implant (PSSI). Miniature anatomically shaped breast implant shells were fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane using 3D-printed molds. The implant shell design incorporates cylindrical wells 1–4 mm in diameter. Implants were filled with commercial breast implant-derived silicone gel. Smooth and textured implants were also fabricated, serving as controls. Six implants per group were implanted subcutaneously into the bilateral rat dorsum. Rotation was measured every 2 weeks for a total of 12 weeks to assess stability. Animals were sacrificed at 4 and 12 weeks, and implant-capsule units were explanted for histological and Micro-computed tomography (MicroCT) analyzes. Four weeks after implantation, PSSI conditions showed tissue ingrowth and conformation to well dimensions, as assessed by histological staining and MicroCT imaging. Twelve weeks post implantation, textured implants and PSSI conditions with larger widths, depths, and well number demonstrated statistically significant increased stability compared to smooth implants (p < 0.05). Tissue ingrowth into shell features occurred by 4 weeks and remained throughout longer time points. No significant differences were found in capsule thickness or collagen content between groups. These results suggest a promising alternative to textured surfaces for inducing implant positional stability.
Multi-city analysis of satellite surface temperature compared to crowdsourced air temperature
Authors: Naserikia Marzie , Nazarian Negin , Hart Melissa A , Sismanidis Panagiotis , Kittner Jonas , Bechtel Benjamin
Published: November 2024

Many urban heat studies have been conducted on a city-by-city basis, primarily focusing on summer days, overlooking the broader impact of background climate, seasonality, and diurnal cycle. Moreover, in some cities where there is a lack of observational data on urban air temperature (T
a), there has been a reliance on satellite-based land surface temperature (LST) to explore and predict the changes in near-surface thermal environments. However, it is still unclear how applicable LST is for exploring the temporal and spatial variation of air temperature across different seasons and background climates. To address these shortcomings, we used high-density crowdsourced T
a observations and satellite imagery to characterise the temporal variability of city-wide T
a and compare it with LST across 55 populated cities. Cities were selected according to the number of crowdsourced T
a measurements, percentage of clear sky pixels and global coverage. Results show that the temporal trends of city-wide LST and T
a agree more closely at night compared to daytime. During the day, the agreement is greater in winter, especially in colder climates. While the intra-urban spatial distribution of LST does not align with T
a, the city-average values are highly correlated. However, the strength of this correlation differs by season and time of day and is further influenced by background climate. If city-average trends are of focus, LST can be used as an indicator for exploring air temperature variations over time, particularly at night. LST can also be used for winter days in cities with temperate and cold climates. However, its application for summer daytime requires more caution, especially in arid cities. These findings provide new insights into the application of satellite-derived LST for exploring city-average temperature trends and variability.
Assessing multi-hazards related to tropical cyclones through large language models and geospatial approaches
Authors: Zhou Yao , Liu Ping
Published: November 2024

Each year, tropical cyclones (TCs) cause significant damage to both society and the environment through multiple hazards. While extensive research has focused on individual TC primary hazards, there is a gap in the comprehensive assessment of multiple TC-related hazards using a large number of TCs, likely due to limitations in methodology and data when identifying complex hazard interrelationships. To address this challenge, we developed novel methods using a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) approach to extract TC-related weather-hazardous events from official hazard records, of which narratives provide detailed characterization of TC multi-hazard interrelationships. We applied this method on TCs originating from the North Atlantic and East Pacific Oceans affecting the Contiguous United States. The results showed that the NLP methods, especially the large language models, can identify TC names from the texts with reasonable precision. A total of 21 488 events related to 179 TCs were identified from 2007 to 2022. These events encompassed 31 types of hazards, with precipitation and flooding being the most frequent and causing the most direct fatalities, while wind hazards cause the most direct property damage. Although TC wind and storm surges are typically concentrated within 100–200 km of the storm track, hazards can occur hundreds of kilometers away and even after the storm’s dissipation. During this period, 2033 counties experienced at least one TC-related event, impacting not only the eastern seaboard but also inland areas in central and southwestern regions. These findings underscore the importance of a multi-hazard perspective on TCs, enhancing hazard awareness and informing decision-making.
Soft-lithographically defined template for arbitrarily patterned acoustic bioassembly
Authors: Chen Sihan , Zhu Lili , Wang Jibo , Jiang Shanqing , Fan Yuhang , Zhao Wen , Wang Zian , Zhou Qing , Chen Yun , Chen Pu
Published: November 2024

Acoustic bioassembly is recently regarded as a highly efficient biofabrication tool to generate functional tissue mimics. Despite their capacity of directly patterning live cells with close intercellular proximity, most acoustic bioassembly techniques are currently limited to generate some specific simple types of periodic and symmetric patterns, which represents an urgent challenge to emulate geometrically complex cytoarchitecture in human tissue. To address this challenge, we herein demonstrate a soft-lithographically defined acoustic bioassembly (SLAB) technique that enables to assemble live cells into geometrically defined arbitrary multicellular structures. Particularly, we employed a widely accessible soft lithography technique to fabricate a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) construct that works as an amplitude modulation template to define the pressure distribution of near-field acoustic waves. We found that zero pressure areas of the near-field acoustic waves at the PDMS surface distribute above the air-filling regions of the PDMS construct when both the PDMS top layer and air layer are approximately one-tenth of the acoustic wavelength. Using this technique, bioparticles can be assembled into symmetrical or asymmetrical patterns. Specifically, we have demonstrated the SLAB of endothelial spheroids and hepatic cells into liver tissue mimics (LTMs). The functional analysis further indicates that the formed LTMs displayed liver-specific functions, including albumin secretion, urea synthesis, glucose metabolism, and lipid storage. We expect this SLAB technique will be broadly used to construct complex functional tissues for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Impacts of some meteorological parameters on the characteristics of air quality over Ethiopia
Authors: Abawari Admasu , Elfaged Yitagesu
Published: November 2024

This study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of some meteorological parameters(air temperature, wind speed, air pressure, albedo, specific humidity, surface incoming shortwave flux) on the concentrations of the major pollutants (O3, PM2.5, CO, SO2 ) at the specific sample site of Ethiopia in the year 2023 on the bases of a hour observation. The study data were recorded on the ground with Δt = 1 hr, Δϕ = 0.50, and Δλ = 0.6250 resolution that is available at Givanni website (Gelaro et al 2017 J. Clim.
30 5419–54). The resulting mean hourly data of the trace gas’s at each season was analyzed using time series via the gnuplot package, and its relationship with the meteorological parameters was done by a statistical analysis using the Python programming language. The result of the investigation revealed that the pattern of major air pollutants in the selected districts of Ethiopia propagates with different wave patterns due to a numerous sources of emissions and weather conditions. Among the major pollutants, the resultant concentrations of O3, SO2, PM2.5, and CO that recorded at the sample sites even in sparse population areas of Ethiopia surpassed the available standards (120 μg/m3 for O3, 125 μg/m3 for SO2, 65 μg/m3 for PM2.5, and 10 000 μg/m3 for CO). Those pollutants pose significant risks to human health and environment (Zhao et al 2024 Sci. Rep.
14 11190), so it is vital to create and implement emission control programs to minimize those pollutants at the sampling site.
Reducing demand: a quantitative analysis of energy service demand indicators in sufficiency-oriented scenarios
Authors: Wiese Frauke , Zell-Ziegler Carina , Burghardt Celia , Kloos Yannick , Schäfer Mirko
Published: November 2024

A reduction of energy service demand in all sectors is required to reach ambitious climate and other sustainability goals. A growing number of energy and climate scenarios does include detailed assumptions and quantified parameters for the reduction of energy service demand. However, the indicators and units used to measure the demand reduction potential of energy services differ from study to study and are thus difficult to compare. To help fill the existing research gap around the assumptions and quantification of sufficiency potentials, we analyse quantified European-focused sufficiency scenarios that are ambitious with respect to energy demand reduction. We propose twelve main service level indicators for comparison and create a database for the industry, transport, building and food sectors which includes values for these indicators from all identified scenarios. Achieving a common understanding of such indicators in the research community and more transparency in published scenario assumptions, input and output parameters, would improve comparability and streamline data research efforts. The resulting final energy demand in European sufficiency scenarios varies between 37 and 65 GJ/capita/year, which corresponds to reductions of −55 percent and −26 percent, respectively, by the target year (2040/2045/2050), averaging −46 percent. In European sufficiency scenarios, values for energy service demand in all sectors differ significantly, except for average distance travelled per person. The highest assumed reduction can be found for food indicators with an average 60 percent reduction compared to historic values. A comparison with published values for decent living standards shows that assumed values in European sufficiency scenarios are significantly higher. The analysed European sufficiency scenarios in this paper provide a different perspective on future values for energy service demand indicators than decent living standard approaches. The combination of those perspectives can inform discussions on a sustainable consumption space that climate policy is aiming for.
Assimilation of INSAT-3D imager retrieved aerosol optical depth for enhanced dust storm prediction using WRF-Chem model
Authors: Khan Aman W , Ganguly Dilip , Dey Sagnik , Varma Atul Kumar , Kumar Prashant
Published: November 2024

Frequent dust storms during the pre-monsoon season in northwest India significantly impact weather, air quality, and health, necessitating accurate predictions. This study demonstrates the first-time assimilation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) data from INSAT-3D into the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem), alongside previously assimilated AOD data from MODIS AQUA. Focusing on an extreme dust storm over the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) from June 12–17, 2018, identical experiments were conducted with and without AOD assimilation. The Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) three-dimensional variational (3DVAR) method was utilized for data assimilation, with simulations performed for 144 h, adjusting for uncertainties in the model’s background error covariance using different inflation factors. The model’s performance was validated using the ECMWF Atmospheric Composition Reanalysis 4 (EAC4) product. The assimilated AOD analysis significantly improved bias, root mean square difference (RMSD), and correlation from [0.47, 0.71, 0.40] to [0.07, 0.38, 0.80]. The 24 h AOD forecast improved by approximately 56% and 30% with INSAT-3D and MODIS AOD assimilation, respectively. AOD assimilation directly impacted cloud properties and radiative forcing, enhancing the 24 h forecast of net shortwave downward flux (SWD) by approximately 51 W m−2 and 24 W m−2 for INSAT-3D and MODIS, respectively. These changes also affected vertical levels up to 5 km, modifying the rainwater mixing ratio (QRAIN) and surface rainfall forecasts. This study shows that integrating INSAT-3D AOD data provides substantial improvements in aerosol forecasts, crucial for making reliable and accurate forecasts of severe dust storms and air pollution episodes over the Indian region.
Country-level differences in the electrified kilometers of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles across Europe
Authors: Mandev Ahmet , Sprei Frances
Published: November 2024

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been the subject of many debates regarding their role in the electrification of the transport sector for the duality that they can be subsidized due to electric driving, but they can also be driven on fossil fuels. Previous studies focused on the charging and driving behavior of PHEVs to assess their share of electrified kilometers (vehicle kilometers travelled (VKT) with the internal combustion engine off—thus relying only on the electric engine—among all VKT), and to determine their environmental benefits. However, there is limited understanding of how the same vehicle is used in different countries and what that means in terms of the share of electrified kilometers. In this study, we analyze a very large real-world sample (over 32 000 vehicles) of an identical PHEV model to understand how PHEV driving differs in the share of electrified kilometers among 10 European countries and what country-level factors are behind these differences. We find that there is a North–South divide in the share of electrified kilometers within Europe, with a significant decrease southward. Furthermore, at the country-level, a higher share of company cars can be associated with higher shares of electrification contrary to expectations in the literature, highlighting the importance of increased opportunities and incentives for workplace charging and less subsidies for conventional fuel use. We also find that higher electricity prices are associated with lower shares of electrified kilometers at the country-level. Furthermore, PHEVs in our dataset, in all countries have consistently 20% to 40% lower shares of electrified kilometers compared to type-approval values in Europe.
HarvestGRID: high-resolution harvested crop areas of the United States from 1981 to 2019
Authors: Lamsal Gambhir , Marston Landon T
Published: November 2024

The United States is a major producer and exporter of agricultural goods, fulfilling global demands for food, fiber, and fuel while generating substantial economic benefits. Agriculture in the U.S. not only dominates land use but also ranks as the largest water-consuming sector. High-resolution cropland mapping and insights into cultivation trends are essential to enhance sustainable management of land and water resources. Existing data sources present a trade-off between temporal breadth and spatial resolution, leading to gaps in detailed geographic crop distribution. To bridge this gap, we adopted a data-fusion methodology that leverages the advantages of various data sources, including county-level data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with several gridded land use datasets. This approach enabled us to create annual maps, termed HarvestGRID, of irrigated and harvested areas for 30 key crops across the U.S. from 1981 to 2019 at a resolution of 2.5 arc minutes. Over the past four decades, irrigated harvested area has remained relatively stable nationally; however, several western states exhibit a declining trend, while some eastern states show an upward trend. Notably, more than 50% of the irrigated land in the U.S. lies above three major aquifers: the High Plains, Central Valley, and Mississippi Embayment Aquifers. We assessed the accuracy of HarvestGRID by comparing it with other large-scale gridded cropland databases, identifying both consistencies and discrepancies across different years, regions, and crops. This dataset is pivotal for analyzing long-term cropland use patterns and supports the advancement of more sustainable agricultural practices.
Seneca’s Natural Questions
Authors: Glauthier Patrick
Published: November 2024

Seneca’s Natural Questions configures meteorology as a turbulent adventure that potentially strengthens the mind, ennobles the spirit, and reveals the greatness of the cosmos, which is identical with god; it is an experience of the sublime. Amidst the theatrical duplicity of Nero’s Rome, this journey is full of false starts, and Phaethon remains an important model. Since certain knowledge is often elusive, Seneca embraces aporia and dares to think the unthinkable—perhaps comets are planets with unfathomable orbits. Similarly, Stoicism’s promise of moral progress can appear deceptive—we might briefly attain the sage’s serenity, but the best outcome for which the proficiens can hope is a paradoxical state of vital calmness. Worse still, competing sources of sublimity, including unrestrained eros and political power, threaten to derail the project. Against such degradations of sublimity, Seneca hopes that the quickening thrill of the scientific sublime will act as a bulwark.
Exiles, Students, and the Growth of Anti-Apartheid Sports Protest
Authors: Llewellyn Matthew P , Rider Toby C
Published: November 2024

The infusion of exile and radical student politics during the 1960s marked a crucial turning point in the transnational anti-apartheid sport campaign. The arrival of two South African exiles in London—Dennis Brutus, the non-racial sport leader formerly incarcerated on Robben Island, and Peter Hain, a nineteen-year-old Kenyan-born, student activist—shifted the protest landscape in Britain. Under Brutus’ and Hain’s direction, British anti-apartheid sport campaigners jettisoned private meetings, letters to the editors, and the submission of public petitions in favour of a confrontational repertoire of direct-action protest tactics. Civil disobedience forms of student protest proved highly disruptive, threatening the ability of British sporting bodies to facilitate sporting relations with apartheid South Africa. Even in the face of exile and student-led protest British governing bodies displayed an unrelenting willingness to preserve contact. South African Prime Minister Johan Vorster’s ‘outward’ policy reform initiatives during the late 1960s, a deliberate scheme aimed at quelling international opposition to apartheid, fired British idealism and heightened the British sporting establishments desire to maintain the status quo.
The Stop the Seventy Tour Campaign
Authors: Llewellyn Matthew P , Rider Toby C
Published: November 2024

The student-led disruption of the 1969/1970 South African rugby union tour and its parallel efforts to force the cancellation of the 1970 cricket tour marked the violent and chaotic high point of anti-apartheid protests in Britain. Together, these anti-apartheid sport protests read as a ‘moral panic’, one in a succession of interrelated moral panics that gripped postcolonial British society. The themes of student unrest, radicalism, youth permissiveness, decolonization, Black Commonwealth immigration, and domestic race relations coalesced to form one undifferentiated threat against British culture, the rule of law, and the authority of the state. Anti-apartheid sport protest reinforced binaries between authority and ‘enemies’. The state, police, media, and defenders of white British cultural and sporting tradition fought a highly divisive and contested battle against those whom they believed threatened British democracy. Alternatively, it is here that the anti-apartheid cause drew strength as it became tethered and interwoven with contemporary domestic issues of racism, human rights, and agitational policing. The authorities depoliticized, delegitimized, and criminalized anti-apartheid sport protest. Yet, it also inspired. The student-led campaign against the South African tours attracted unprecedented levels of support. A large and multiracial band of Britons took to the streets and terraces in protest, and in doing so, transformed an elite, civil society human rights campaign into a mass movement from below, one that joined with powerful transnational and postcolonial forces to drive white South African sport into a deeper state of isolation.
The British Response to South Africa’s ‘Multinational’ Reforms
Authors: Llewellyn Matthew P , Rider Toby C
Published: November 2024

In the aftermath of the cancelled Springbok cricket tour to Britain in 1970, a range of international sporting federations punished white South Africa with a series of suspensions, expulsions, and cancelled tours. Wary of his country’s slide into sporting oblivion, in 1971 Johan Vorster unveiled a new ‘multinational’ sports policy that allowed for some mixed-race ‘international’ events in the Republic, but only under the proviso that athletes and teams from each racial group competed as representatives of their own ‘nation’. Embracing the language of dialogue and contact, the British sporting community collaborated with white South African sports officials by welcoming the opportunity to compete in the first round of ‘multinational’ competitions, and by insisting on games against Black opposition. Instead of turning their backs on Pretoria, they rowed against the currents of the boycott and looked for ways to reintegrate their old imperial ally back into the international sporting fold. Notably, too, Vorster’s reforms coincided with a lull of interest in the boycott in Britain. Tours to South Africa faced precious little opposition. The Anti-Apartheid Movement lost momentum. A decade passed without a major sports campaign. Interest in the British media, such a vital factor in stirring public attention, slowly faded. After reaching its pinnacle from 1969–1970, the boycott movement in Britain entered a phase of struggle and stagnation.
International Sanctions, the Commonwealth, and the Gleneagles Agreement
Authors: Llewellyn Matthew P , Rider Toby C
Published: November 2024

Pressure on British sport to change course in the 1970s came not from a struggling boycott movement within Britain, but from a more militant and determined international opposition. The culmination of this came in 1977, when statesmen from over thirty countries, representing around a quarter of the world’s population, gathered for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. At the conference retreat, held at the Gleneagles Hotel and Resort in Scotland, Commonwealth leaders, including the British Labour Prime Minister, James Callaghan, brokered an agreement to ‘actively discourage’ sporting contacts with the apartheid state. For the next decade or more, supporters of the boycott would speak of any sporting encounter involving Britain and South Africa as a violation of the ‘Gleneagles Agreement’, often referencing or directly citing the language of the document. It also signalled a significant shift in the nature and scope of the boycott movement. Whereas previously the global anti-apartheid movement had focused purely on South Africa’s expulsion from international federations, and from stopping certain tours or interactions, they now expanded their arsenal to include third-party boycotts—i.e., to boycott nations who competed against South Africa—and increasingly relied on state actors to lead from the front. Not long after Gleneagles, even the most ardent British bridge-builders began to cancel sporting transactions with the Republic, fearing the impact it could have on all of British sport.
Conclusion
Authors: Llewellyn Matthew P , Rider Toby C
Published: November 2024

The conclusion summarizes the resumption of official sporting contacts between Britain and South Africa in the early 1990s, and how this new era was received by both bridge-builders and the leaders of the boycott movement. In so doing, we also summarize and revisit the main aims of the book and seek to put British sporting relations with apartheid South Africa in historical perspective. Finally, the epilogue will cast forward to the present day and consider how many of the same arguments that underpinned the bridge-builder thesis have been reactivated over the past few years in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) and the protests undertaken by high-profile Black British athletes. Evoking the words of Enoch Powell, far-right groups such as the British National Party (BNP) interpreted such protests as the work of an unwanted and anti-British minority. Apartheid may have collapsed, the world may have moved on, but even in 2020, British sporting culture still stirred fears of lost authority, of the enemies within.
Physiology of vitamin B12: a study on its molecular mechanisms using a Caenorhabditis elegans model
Authors: Bito Tomohiro
Published: November 2024

Vitamin B12 (B12) is a water-soluble substance that is a member of the B-vitamin family. Its recommended daily dose in adult men and women is 2.4 µg, which is the lowest among the 13 vitamins. B12 deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia and neurological disorders. It is also associated with cognitive decline, growth retardation, infertility, and other symptoms. Nevertheless, the detailed mechanisms of which remain unclear. Caenorhabditis elegans is a small organism, with a length of approximately 1 mm and a lifespan of approximately 3 weeks. It has similar fundamental biological structures, such as the muscles, nervous system, and digestive tract, with mammals. Previous studies have shown that B12 is required for the normal development of C. elegans, similar to that of mammals. The current study aimed to perform a detailed investigation of the mechanisms underlying the development of B12 deficiency using a dietary B12-deficient C. elegans model.
Repun: an accurate small variant representation unification method for multiple sequencing platforms
Authors: Zheng Zhenxian , Ren Yingxuan , Chen Lei , Wong Angel On Ki , Li Shumin , Yu Xian , Lam Tak-Wah , Luo Ruibang
Published: November 2024

Ensuring a unified variant representation aligning the sequencing data is critical for downstream analysis as variant representation may differ across platforms and sequencing conditions. Current approaches typically treat variant unification as a post-step following variant calling and are incapable of measuring the correct variant representation from the outset. Aligning variant representations with the alignment before variant calling has benefits like providing reliable training labels for deep learning-based variant caller model training and enabling direct assessment of alignment quality. However, it also poses challenges due to the large number of candidates to handle. Here, we present Repun, a haplotype-aware variant-alignment unification algorithm that harmonizes the variant representation between provided variants and alignments in different sequencing platforms. Repun leverages phasing to facilitate equivalent haplotype matches between variants and alignments. Our approach reduced the comparisons between variant haplotypes and candidate haplotypes by utilizing haplotypes with read evidence to speed up the unification process. Repun achieved >99.99% precision and > 99.5% recall through extensive evaluations of various Genome in a Bottle Consortium samples encompassing three sequencing platforms: Oxford Nanopore Technology, Pacific Biosciences, and Illumina. Repun is open-source and available at (https://github.com/zhengzhenxian/Repun).
Chrysippus’ lullaby: the early Stoics on the benefits of mousikē
Authors: Čelkytė Aistė
Published: November 2024

This article explores the scope and significance of the Stoic commitment to the view that mousikē is morally beneficial. The idea that mousikē can have such a purpose, which I call aesthetic functionalism, is not uniquely Stoic, but I argue that the Stoics do have a distinctive formulation of this view. It is a weak kind of functionalism that approaches mousikē not as a cause but as an instrument of moral improvement, wielded by a willing agent who is the actual cause. The article begins with a discussion of the evidence for the Stoic views. Then, by employing the Epicurean attack on all functionalists as a foil, it spells out the commitments of the Stoic stance in particular. The discussion has two parts: a theoretical and a practical one. The former determines the extent to which the soul could be affected by music (given Stoic materialism), while the latter explores how the extant evidence presents the Stoics’ lifelong engagement with mousikē, with different benefits at different stages of life.
blast2galaxy: a CLI and Python API for BLAST+ and DIAMOND searches on Galaxy servers
Authors: König Patrick , Fiebig Anne , Münch Thomas , Grüning Björn , Scholz Uwe
Published: November 2024

Motivation

The Galaxy workflow system is an open-source platform supporting data-intensive research in life sciences, featuring a user-friendly web interface for complex analyses without extensive programming. It also offers a representational state transfer based API, enabling remote execution of specific tools. Galaxy supports similarity searches for nucleotide and amino acid sequences, with integrated tools like NCBI BLAST+ and DIAMOND. However, no specialized software currently exists for convenient use of NCBI BLAST+ and DIAMOND via the Galaxy API.

Results

blast2galaxy is a Python package that uses the Galaxy API to run sequence alignments with NCBI BLAST+ and DIAMOND as Galaxy-wrapped tools on compatible servers. It includes a command-line interface that mirrors the CLI of BLAST+ and DIAMOND and a high-level Python API for direct alignments from Python applications. The package relies on bioblend for communication with the Galaxy API.

Availability and implementation

blast2galaxy is available as open-source software under the MIT license. The source code is available on Github: https://github.com/IPK-BIT/blast2galaxy. It can be installed from the Python Package Index using “pip install blast2galaxy” or from the Bioconda channel using “conda install -c bioconda blast2galaxy”. Docker and Apptainer images are available and referenced in the documentation which is available under https://blast2galaxy.readthedocs.io.
CVR-BBI: an open-source VR platform for multi-user collaborative brain to brain interfaces
Authors: Liu Di , Wei Yina
Published: November 2024

As brain imaging and neurofeedback technologies advance, the brain-to-brain interface (BBI) has emerged as an innovative field, enabling in-depth exploration of cross-brain information exchange and enhancing our understanding of collaborative intelligence. However, no open-source virtual reality (VR) platform currently supports the rapid and efficient configuration of multi-user, collaborative BBIs. To address this gap, we introduce the Collaborative Virtual Reality Brain-to-Brain Interface (CVR-BBI), an open-source platform consisting of a client and server. The CVR-BBI client enables users to participate in collaborative experiments, collect electroencephalogram (EEG) data, and manage interactive multisensory stimuli within the VR environment. Meanwhile, the CVR-BBI server manages multi-user collaboration paradigms, and performs real-time analysis of the EEG data. We evaluated the CVR-BBI platform using the SSVEP paradigm and observed that collaborative decoding outperformed individual decoding, validating the platform’s effectiveness in collaborative settings. The CVR-BBI offers a pioneering platform that facilitates the development of innovative BBI applications within collaborative VR environments, thereby enhancing the understanding of brain collaboration and cognition.

Availability and implementation

CVR-BBI is released as an open-source platform, with its source code being available at https://github.com/DILIU1/CVR-BBI.
Detection, measurement, and diagnosis of lung nodules by ultra-low-dose CT in lung cancer screening: a systematic review
Authors: Pan Zhijie , Zhang Yaping , Zhang Lu , Wang Lingyun , Zhao Keke , Li Qingyao , Wang Ai , Hu Yanfei , Xie Xueqian
Published: November 2024

Objective

There is a lack of recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews on the use of ultra-low-dose CT (ULDCT) for the detection, measurement, and diagnosis of lung nodules. This review aims to summarize the latest advances of ULDCT in these areas.

Methods

A systematic review of studies in PubMed and Web of Science was conducted, using search terms specific to ULDCT and lung nodules. The included studies were published in the last 5 years (January 2019-August 2024). Two reviewers independently selected articles, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias and concerns using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-II (QUADAS-II) tool. The standard-dose, low-dose, or contrast-enhanced CT served as the reference-standard CT to evaluate ULDCT.

Results

The literature search yielded 15 high-quality articles on a total of 1889 patients, of which 10, 3, and 2 dealt with the detection, measurement, and diagnosis of lung nodules. QUADAS-II showed a generally low risk of bias. The mean radiation dose for ULDCT was 0.22 ± 0.10 mSv (7.7%) against 2.84 ± 1.80 mSv for reference-standard CT. Nodule detection rates ranged from 86.1% to 100%. The variability of diameter measurements ranged from 2.1% to 14.4% against contrast-enhanced CT and from 3.1% to 8.29% against standard CT. The diagnosis rate of malignant nodules ranged from 75% to 91%.

Conclusions

ULDCT proves effective in detecting lung nodules while substantially reducing radiation exposure. However, the use of ULDCT for the measurement and diagnosis of lung nodules remains challenging and requires further research.

Advances in knowledge

When ULDCT reduces radiation exposure to 7.7%, it detects lung nodules at a rate of 86.1%-100%, with a measurement variance of 2.1%-14.4% and a diagnostic accuracy for malignancy of 75%-91%, suggesting the potential for safe and effective lung cancer screening.
The future of peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Davies Simon
Published: November 2024

Peritoneal dialysis (PD), long established as the leading form of home dialysis, has comparatively good 5-year outcomes and cost-utility analyses have consistently demonstrated benefits to both patients and payers. Future improvements should still be sought, such as the further development of promising technologies designed to limit PD-associated harm, but given the physical and anatomical constraints of PD, these are unlikely to be transformational through the dialysis process itself. Rather, future focus should be on interventions that are effective across the whole dialysis population, such as mitigating the rate of loss in residual kidney function, pharmacological interventions for symptoms of kidney failure and suppressing inflammation. The greatest future challenge for the modality is inequity of access. In Europe, variation in PD uptake is >10-fold across the continent, with several contributing factors: differing economic drivers, variation in the empowerment of patients, physician attitudes and bias, small centre size, lack of experience, a nursing staff crisis, poor organizational culture and a lack of motivation and educational opportunities. It is time for a collective effort to address this and recently EuroPD convened a policy forum to initiate a multistakeholder approach to the problem, which extends to home haemodialysis. Use of PD worldwide is also highly variable, for some of the same reasons listed above, but with the additional challenges of the high cost of PD fluid and the lack of universal healthcare coverage. In the future, PD could and should play an important part in providing equitable access to dialysis worldwide, but to achieve this—and for the sake of the planet—point-of-care dialysis fluid generation would be transformative.