bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Building technique of the Theater at ancient Messene
Authors: Yoshitake Ryuichi
Published: May 2021

This paper reports and examines the building techniques of the recently excavated Messene Theater in Greece. In the Hellenistic period, both traditional building materials (porosand limestone) and methods (masonry, jointing, and transportation) were employed in the Messene Theater. The massive retaining wall of the auditorium and theskenothekewere built using limestone, but localporosstone was favored for use in the retaining wall of theparodosand other parts of the building. Traces of traditional joint and lifting techniques (dowels, clamps, lifting ropes, and lewis) have been observed. In the Roman imperial period, both Roman building materials (marble, granite, and brick) and local traditional masonry have been observed. The white and multi‐colored marble applied to thescaenaefronswas most likely delivered from quarries from both local and other provinces. Remarkably, the mason marks on the stone blocks of the Roman imperial period suggest a systematic modification by previous building materials. Similarly, the vaulting of the Roman scene building seems to have been built using cut‐stone voussoirs instead of fired‐brick. The observed building techniques of the Messene Theater suggest a conservative tendency in provincial Roman Greece.
Indicators Definition: Non Compensatory Methods
Authors: Ivaldi Enrico , Ciacci Andrea
Published: May 2021

Talking about quantitative statistical methods, the difference between compensatory and noncompensatory methods is often debated in literature. The use of noncompensatory methods is increasing for how it concerns the analysis of multidimensional systems. The noncompensatory approach permits to overcome problems related to the nonsubstitutability of the selected indicators. This approach, inserted in a precise conceptual framework, allows to analyze a phenomenon in a less equivocal way.

However, it is not always clear when it is correct, from a theoretical point of view, to use a method of compensatory nature and what are the advantages and implications of applying a partially noncompensatory method. An attempt can be made to provide clear notions about the criteria for choosing partially noncompensatory methods.

Starting with the debate about compensatory and noncompensatory methods of analysis and their evolution over time in the first paragraph, in the second paragraph hints about noncompensatory applications to case studies are provided.
Tensors in Modern Statistical Learning
Authors: Sun Will Wei , Hao Botao , Li Lexin
Published: May 2021

Tensor learning is gaining increasing attention in recent years. This survey provides an overview of tensor analysis in modern statistical learning. It consists of four main topics, including tensor supervised learning, tensor unsupervised learning, tensor reinforcement learning, and tensor deep learning. This article emphasizes statistical models and properties as well as connections between tensors and other learning topics such as reinforcement learning and deep learning.
Lithiophilic MXene‐Guided Lithium Metal Nucleation and Growth Behavior
Authors: Ha Son , Kim Daesin , Lim Hyung‐Kyu , Koo Chong Min , Kim Seon Joon , Yun Young Soo
Published: May 2021

The positive effects of a lithiophilic substrate on the electrochemical performance of lithium metal anodes are confirmed in several reports, while the understanding of lithiophilic substrate‐guided lithium metal nucleation and growth behavior is still insufficient. In this study, the effect of a lithiophilic surface on lithium metal nucleation and growth behaviors is investigated using a large‐area Ti3C2Tx MXene substrate with a large number of oxygen and fluorine dual heteroatoms. The use of the MXene substrate results in a high lithium‐ion concentration as well as the formation of uniform solid–electrolyte‐interface (SEI) layers on the lithiophilic surface. The solid–solid interface (MXene‐SEI layer) significantly affects the surface tension of the deposited lithium metal nuclei as well as the nucleation overpotential, resulting in the formation of uniformly dispersed lithium nanoparticles (≈10–20 nm in diameter) over the entire MXene surface. The primary lithium nanoparticles preferentially coalesce and agglomerate into larger secondary particles while retaining their primary particle shapes. Subsequently, they form close‐packed structures, resulting in a dense metal layer composed of particle‐by‐particle microstructures. This distinctive lithium metal deposition behavior leads to highly reversible cycling performance with high Columbic efficiencies > 99.0% and long cycle lives of over 1000 cycles.
An Overall Reaction Integrated with Highly Selective Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural and Efficient Hydrogen Evolution
Authors: Xie Yanan , Zhou Zhaoyu , Yang Nianjun , Zhao Guohua
Published: May 2021

Thermodynamically favorable electrooxidation reactions of biomass derivatives integrated with hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) can simultaneously provide value‐added chemicals and hydrogen, and eventually meeting the need for clean and sustainable energy development. Herein, the integration of a six‐electron involved anodic half‐reaction‐selective electrooxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) on a hierarchically layered double hydroxide (CoFe@NiFe) with a cathodic HER in a two‐chamber system is reported. The overall reaction reaches 38 mA cm−2 at 1.40 V and exhibits 100% selectivity to yield FDCA and a nearly 100% Faraday efficiency with hydrogen production of 901 µmol cm−2. Several operando techniques confirm that the trivalent nickel species in the CoFe@NiFe catalyst are mainly responsible for this 100%‐selective oxidation reaction. This integrated overall reaction is thus a new strategy to utilize cheap catalysts and biomass derivatives to simultaneously produce value‐added chemicals and sustainable energy materials, and eventually to solve current challenges of energy depletion and environmental pollution.
High Entropy Semiconductor AgMnGeSbTe4 with Desirable Thermoelectric Performance
Authors: Ma Zheng , Xu Tian , Li Wang , Cheng Yiming , Li Jinmeng , Zhang Dan , Jiang Qinghui , Luo Yubo , Yang Junyou
Published: May 2021

A new p‐type high entropy semiconductor AgMnGeSbTe4 with a band gap of ≈0.28 eV is reported as a promising thermoelectric material. AgMnGeSbTe4 crystallizes in the rock‐salt NaCl structure with cations Ag, Mn, Ge, and Sb randomly disordered over the Na site. Thus, a strong lattice distortion forms from the large difference in the atomic radii of Ag, Mn, Ge, and Sb, resulting in a low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.54 W m−1 K−1 at 600 K. In addition, the AgMnGeSbTe4 exhibits a degenerate semiconductor behavior and a large average power factor of 10.36 µW cm−1 K−2 in the temperature range of 400–773 K. As a consequence, the AgMnGeSbTe4 has a peak figure of merit (ZT) of 1.05 at 773 K and a desirable average ZT value of 0.84 in the temperature range of 400–773 K. Moreover, the thermoelectric performance of AgMnGeSbTe4 can be further enhanced by precipitating of Ag8GeTe6, which acts as extra scatting centers for holes with low energy and phonons with medium wavelength. The simultaneous optimization in power factor and lattice thermal conductivity yields a peak ZT of 1.27 at 773 K and an average ZT of 0.92 (400–773 K) in AgMnGeSbTe4‐1 mol% Ag8GeTe6.
Spinning Beta Silks Requires Both pH Activation and Extensional Stress
Authors: Koeppel Andreas , Stehling Nicola , Rodenburg Cornelia , Holland Chris
Published: May 2021

Synthetic silk production has undergone significant technological and commercial advances over the past 5 years, with fibers from most labs and companies now regularly matching the properties of natural silk by one metric or another. Yet the fundamental links between silk protein processing and performance remain largely unresolved and fiber optimization is commonly achieved through non‐natural methods. In an effort to address this challenge, data that closes this loop of processing and performance is presented by spinning a native silk feedstock ex vivo into a near‐native fiber using just two naturally occurring parameters; pH activation and extensional flow (i.e., spinning rate). This allows us to link previous experimental and modelling hypothesis surrounding silk's pH responsiveness directly to multiscale hierarchical structure development during spinning. Finally, fibers that match, and then exceed, natural silk's mechanical properties are spun and understood by rate of work input. This approach not only provides energetic insights into natural silk spinning and controlled protein denaturation, but is believed will help interpret and improve synthetic silk processing. Ultimately, it is hoped that these results will contribute towards novel bioinspired energy‐efficient processing strategies that are driven by work input optimization and where excellent mechanical properties are self‐emergent.
Acarid Suction Cup‐Inspired Rapid and Tunable Magnetic Adhesion
Authors: Hu Xiaocheng , Fu Yimou , Liu Yide , Liu Binhong , Qu Shaoxing
Published: May 2021

Adhesion appears in nature as a kind of clinging strategy for living creatures to survive in a complex environment. Nevertheless, the artificial counterpart applications are limited by many factors, such as slow responding rate and high driving voltage. In this paper, a novel magnetic adhesion achieved by the actuation of Ecoflex embedded with iron particles is presented, which is demonstrated by a magnetic suction cup (MSC) that can switch the adhesion state within 500 ms. Compared with suction cups made of the dielectric elastomer in existing literature, the present work's driving voltage is safe for humans. Furthermore, a mechanical model is developed and verified to optimize the design of the MSCs. By applying an altering magnetic field, the adhesive force varying with time exhibits complex waveforms such as sinusoidal wave, triangle wave, square wave, and even pulse wave can be achieved. For some situations that large adhesion force is not necessarily considered while the adhesion requires to be accurately and quickly controlled, such as transfer printing and intelligent sensing, the magnetic adhesion demonstrated in this article will enrich the future available applications.
Stretchable and Transparent Paper Based on PDMS–CNC Composite for Direct Printing
Authors: Ryu Myeungwoo , Kim Jaeik , Lee Seungwoo , Kim Jeonghyun , Song Taeseup
Published: May 2021

Stretchable devices significantly expand the scope of applications such as flexible displays and wearable devices/sensors. To enable stretchable wearable electronics, methods for connecting unit devices and developing circuits are required. Previously, research was performed to manufacture circuits with 3D structures or patterns that remain intact when the flexible and stretchable substrates are deformed. A method for drawing a circuit directly on a substrate with a conductive ink pen is proposed, although it is limited by the surface properties of the substrate. Most existing transparent papers are not sufficiently stretchable for flexible and wearable electronics applications. Therefore, a polydimethylsiloxane–cellulose nanocrystals (PDMS–CNC) composite paper is developed that is both highly flexible and stretchable, while maintaining a high transmittance. The versatility of the composite paper is demonstrated as a suitable substrate for flexible devices by patterning with a conductive ink pen. The PDMS–CNC composite paper has an excellent transmittance of ≈70%, and can withstand over 800% tensile strain. The patterned circuits have only minor increase in resistance after a 50% deformation and recovery. The composite paper is a suitable technology for fabricating electrical components and devices for the Internet of Things and wearable and flexible electronics applications.
Recent Advances in Enhancing and Enriching the Optical Properties of Cl‐Based CsPbX3 Nanocrystals
Authors: Zhu Xun , Ge Lei , Wang Yang , Li Min , Zhang Runqi , Xu Mingchuan , Zhao Zhihao , Lv Wenzhen , Chen Runfeng
Published: May 2021

CsPbCl3 nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit vast potential in high‐energy emission applications owing to their wide‐bandgap characteristics, that differ from those of CsPbBr3 and CsPbI3 NCs. Recently, significant developments related to CsPbCl3 NCs have been achieved with regard to tunable emission, luminescence efficiency, and stability, along with their use as hosts for the sensitization of transition metals or rare‐earth ions. This review describes the important factors that influence the optical properties of CsPbCl3 NCs based on factors such as crystal structure, defect compositions, and surface states. In addition, fundamental strategies for improving the performance of CsPbCl3 NCs are discussed, including direct synthesis, post‐treatment methods, and cation doping by either single‐ or co‐doping. The prospects of CsPbCl3 NCs for related optoelectronic applications are reviewed, with emphasis on practical hurdles that need to be overcome in the future.
Biomaterials and Oxygen Join Forces to Shape the Immune Response and Boost COVID‐19 Vaccines
Authors: Colombani Thibault , Eggermont Loek J. , Rogers Zachary J. , McKay Lindsay G. A. , Avena Laura E. , Johnson Rebecca I. , Storm Nadia , Griffiths Anthony , Bencherif Sidi A.
Published: May 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has led to an unprecedented global health crisis, resulting in a critical need for effective vaccines that generate protective antibodies. Protein subunit vaccines represent a promising approach but often lack the immunogenicity required for strong immune stimulation. To overcome this challenge, it is first demonstrated that advanced biomaterials can be leveraged to boost the effectiveness of SARS‐CoV‐2 protein subunit vaccines. Additionally, it is reported that oxygen is a powerful immunological co‐adjuvant and has an ability to further potentiate vaccine potency. In preclinical studies, mice immunized with an oxygen‐generating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) cryogel‐based vaccine (O2‐CryogelVAX) exhibit a robust Th1 and Th2 immune response, leading to a sustained production of highly effective neutralizing antibodies against the virus. Even with a single immunization, O2‐CryogelVAX achieves high antibody titers within 21 days, and both binding and neutralizing antibody levels are further increased after a second dose. Engineering a potent vaccine system that generates sufficient neutralizing antibodies after one dose is a preferred strategy amid vaccine shortage. The data suggest that this platform is a promising technology to reinforce vaccine‐driven immunostimulation and is applicable to current and emerging infectious diseases.
A Microstirring Pill Enhances Bioavailability of Orally Administered Drugs
Authors: Mundaca‐Uribe Rodolfo , Karshalev Emil , Esteban‐Fernández de Ávila Berta , Wei Xiaoli , Nguyen Bryan , Litvan Irene , Fang Ronnie H. , Zhang Liangfang , Wang Joseph
Published: May 2021

Majority of drugs are administered orally, yet their efficient absorption is often difficult to achieve, with a low dose fraction reaching the blood compartment. Here, a microstirring pill technology is reported with built‐in mixing capability for oral drug delivery that greatly enhances bioavailability of its therapeutic payload. Embedding microscopic stirrers into a pill matrix enables faster disintegration and dissolution, leading to improved release profiles of three widely used model drugs, aspirin, levodopa, and acetaminophen, without compromising their loading. Unlike recently developed drug‐carrying nanomotors, drug molecules are not associated with the microstirrers, and hence there is no limitation on the loading capacity. These embedded microstirrers are fabricated through the asymmetric coating of titanium dioxide thin film onto magnesium microparticles. In vitro tests illustrate that the embedded microstirrers lead to substantial enhancement of local fluid transport. In vivo studies using murine and porcine models demonstrate that the localized stirring capability of microstirrers leads to enhanced bioavailability of drug payloads. Such improvements are of considerable importance in clinical scenarios where fast absorption and high bioavailability of therapeutics are critical. The encouraging results obtained in porcine model suggest that the microstirring pill technology has translational potential and can be developed toward practical biomedical applications.
Oriented Growth of In‐Oxo Chain Based Metal‐Porphyrin Framework Thin Film for High‐Sensitive Photodetector
Authors: Tian Yi‐Bo , Vankova Nina , Weidler Peter , Kuc Agnieszka , Heine Thomas , Wöll Christof , Gu Zhi‐Gang , Zhang Jian
Published: May 2021

The potential of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for applications in optoelectronics results from a unique combination of interesting photophysical properties and straightforward tunability of organic and inorganic units. Here, it is demonstrated that using MOF approach chromophores can be assembled into well‐ordered 1D arrays using metal‐oxo strands as lead structure, and the resulting porphyrinic rows exhibit unique photophysical properties and allow the realization of highly sensitive photodetectors. A porphyrinic MOF thin film, In‐TCPP surface‐coordinated MOF thin films with [021] orientation is fabricated using a layer‐by‐layer method, from In(NO3)3 and TCPP (5,10,15,20‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin). Detailed experimental and theoretical analysis reveals that the assembly yields a structure where In‐oxo strands running parallel to the substrate fix the chromophoric linkers to yield 1D arrays of porphyrins. The frontier orbitals of this highly anisotropic arrangement are localized in these columnar arrangements of porphyrins and result in high photoactivity, which is exploited to fabricate a photodetector with record (as compared to other organic materials) responsivity in visible regime of 7.28 × 1014 Jones and short rise/fall times (0.07/0.04 s). This oriented MOF thin film‐based high‐sensitive photodetector provides a new avenue to use inorganic, stable lead structures to assemble organic semiconductors into regular arrays, thus creating a huge potential for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.
Mitochondrial cardiomyopathy and ventricular arrhythmias associated with biallelic variants in C1QBP
Authors: Webster Gregory , Reynolds Meredith , Arva Nicoleta C. , Dellefave‐Castillo Lisa M. , McElligott Hilary S. , Kofman Amber , Laboski Aleksandra , Magnetta Defne , George Alfred L. , McNally Elizabeth M. , Puckelwartz Megan J.
Published: May 2021

Patients with biallelic mutations in the nuclear‐encoded mitochondrial gene C1QBP/p32 have been described with syndromic features and autosomal recessive cardiomyopathy. We describe the clinical course in two siblings who developed cardiomyopathy and ventricular fibrillation in infancy. We provide genomic analysis and clinical‐pathologic correlation. Both siblings had profound cardiac failure with ventricular arrhythmia. One child died suddenly. The second sibling survived resuscitation but required extracorporeal cardiopulmonary support and died shortly afterward. On cardiac autopsy, the left ventricle was hypertrophied in both children. Histological examination revealed prominent cardiomyocyte cytoplasmic clearing, and electron microscopy confirmed abnormal mitochondrial structure within cardiomyocytes. DNA sequencing revealed compound heterozygous variants in C1QBP (p.Thr40Asnfs*45 and p.Phe204Leu) in both children. Family segregation analysis demonstrated each variant was inherited from an unaffected, heterozygous parent. Inherited loss of C1QBP/p32 is associated with recessive cardiomyopathy, ventricular fibrillation, and sudden death in early life. Ultrastructural mitochondrial evaluation in the second child was similar to findings in engineered C1qbp‐deficient mice. Rapid trio analysis can define rare biallelic variants in genes that may be implicated in sudden death and facilitate medical management and family planning. (184/200).
Selective adsorption and separation of dyes from aqueous solution by a zirconium‐based porous framework material
Authors: Jia Shifang , Song Sufang , Zhao Xudong
Published: May 2021

A water‐stable zirconium‐based metal–organic framework, MOF‐808, has been applied in selective adsorption and separation of the dyes (anionic fluorescein sodium [FS] and cationic rhodamine B [RhB]). Single‐component adsorption experiments indicate the superior adsorption of FS with a maximum adsorption capacity of 480.2 mg g−1, almost four times of the capacity for RhB. Further separation study shows that separation of these dyes can be achieved at a wide pH range of 3.5–8.5 and continuous separation is feasible in a simulated chromatographic column. Besides, this material can be well regenerated through acid washing method. Pore sieving effect is considered to be the key factor for the highly efficiency separation, and the host–guest interactions including H‐bond, π–π stacking, and coordination interactions are the main driven forces for the adsorption. Thus, this work demonstrates that MOF‐808 not only is a promising material for efficient separation of FS and RhB but also provides a new perspective for developing adsorbent with the help of distinct pore and chemical properties of MOFs.
Simple structured and highly efficient passive T‐type micromixer with circumferential in‐step at entry
Authors: Dundi Manoj , V. R. K. Raju , V. P. Chandramohan
Published: May 2021

Many micromixing applications require simple structured passive mixers rather than complex structured passive or expensive active mixers. However, mixing quality in a typical simple structured passive mixer remains poor. In the present work, simple T‐type micromixer is modified with a circumferential in‐step at the entry of inlet channels to generate velocity components oblique to the mainstream inlet flow. The performance of T and T–T mixers with and without circumferential in‐step has been estimated for various Re (0 to 700). Results showed that inlet sample flow achieved velocity components of three‐dimensional nature with circumferential in‐step, leading to a momentous degree of intertwinement and entanglement of samples during the collision at the confluence of inlet channels. As a result, a remarkable improvement in mixing is obtained in the presence of in‐step for sufficiently higher flow rates of Re above 100 by T‐mixer and Re above 300 by T–T mixer. In particular, T‐mixer offers better advantage with in‐step compared to T–T mixer; marking an improvement for Re as low as 100 and above, as well as exhibiting shorter mixing lengths. Therefore, the present design of simple structured T‐mixer with in‐step at entry can be an effective device for various micromixing applications.
Master batch approach for developing PVDF/EVA/CNT nanocomposites with co‐continuous morphology and improved electrical conductivity
Authors: Lopes Pereira Elaine C. , Soares Bluma G. , Silva Adriana A. , Barra Guilherme M. O.
Published: May 2021

Conducting polymer composites constituted by co‐continuous poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/ ethylene‐ vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) blends with multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT) were prepared by melt mixing using different procedures. The effect of the master batch approach on the conductivity, morphology, mechanical, thermal and rheological properties of PVDF/EVA/CNT nanocomposites was compared with that based on one step mixing strategy. The selective extraction experiments revealed that CNT was preferentially localized in the EVA phase in all situations, even when PVDF@CNT master batch was employed. Nanocomposites prepared with EVA@CNT master batch displayed higher conductivity, whose value reached around 10−1 S m−1 with the addition of 0.56 vol% of CNT. The better electrical performance was attributed to the better distribution of the filler, as indicated by transmission electron microscopy and rheological behavior. The electrical and rheological behavior were also investigated as a function of the CNT content.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis‐Responsive Supramolecular Hydrogels Composed of Maltose‐Coupled Amphiphilic Ureas
Authors: Yoshisaki Ryohei , Kimura Shinya , Yokoya Masashi , Yamanaka Masamichi
Published: May 2021

Maltose is a ubiquitous disaccharide produced by the hydrolysis of starch. Amphiphilic ureas bearing hydrophilic maltose moiety were synthesized via the following three steps: I) construction of urea derivatives by the condensation of 4‐nitrophenyl isocyanate and alkylamines, II) reduction of the nitro group by hydrogenation, and III) an aminoglycosylation reaction of the amino group and the unprotected maltose. These amphiphilic ureas functioned as low molecular weight hydrogelators, and the mixtures of the amphipathic ureas and water formed supramolecular hydrogels. The gelation ability largely depended on the chain length of the alkyl group of the amphiphilic urea; amphipathic urea having a decyl group had the highest gelation ability (minimum gelation concentration=0.4 mM). The physical properties of the supramolecular hydrogels were evaluated by measuring their thermal stability and dynamic viscoelasticity. These supramolecular hydrogels underwent gel‐to‐sol phase transition upon the addition of α‐glucosidase as a result of the α‐glucosidase‐catalyzed hydrolysis of the maltose moiety of the amphipathic urea.
Simultaneous Removal of Antibiotics and Heavy Metals with Poly(Aspartic Acid)‐Based Fenton Micromotors
Authors: Ding Xiaoyong , Liu Yilin , Chen Xiao , Liu Wenjuan , Li Jing
Published: May 2021

The discharge of diverse pollutants has led to a complex water environment and posed a huge health threat to humans and animals. Self‐propelled micromotors have recently attracted considerable attention for efficient water remediation due to their strong localized mass transfer effect. However, a single functionalized component is difficult to tackle with multiple contaminants and requires to combine different decontamination effects together. Here, we introduced a multifunctional micromotor to implement the adsorption and degradation roles simultaneously by integrating the poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) adsorbent with a MnO2‐based catalyst. The as‐prepared micromotors are well propelled in contaminated waters by MnO2 catalyzing hydrogen peroxide. In addition, the catalytic ramsdellite MnO2(R‐MnO2) inner layer is decorated with Fe2O3 nanoparticles to improve their catalytic performance, contributing to an excellent degradation ability with 90% tetracycline (TC) removal in 50 minutes by enhanced Fenton‐like reactions. Combining the attractive adsorption capability of poly (aspartic acid) (PASP), the composite micromotors offer an efficient removal of heavy metal ions in short time. Moreover, the designed micromotors are able to simultaneously remove antibiotic and heavy metals in mixed contaminants circumstance just in single treatment. This multifunctional micromotor with distinctive decontamination ability exhibits a promising prospective in treating multiple pollutants in the future.
Möglichkeiten und Grenzen numerischer Methoden in der Geotechnik
Authors: von Wolffersdorff Peter‐Andreas , Henke Sascha
Published: May 2021

Die Verwendung numerischer Methoden ist mittlerweile zur Lösung komplexer Aufgaben in der Geotechnik gängige Praxis geworden, wobei die Finite‐Elemente‐Methode (FEM) die größte Bedeutung erlangt hat. Der Beitrag soll über die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen numerischer Methoden in der Geotechnik aufklären und helfen, evtl. vorhandene Vorbehalte gegenüber der Anwendung numerischer Methoden in der Geotechnik abzubauen. Nach einem Überblick über die vielfältigen Anwendungsgebiete der numerischen Methoden werden die Besonderheiten der Modellierung in der Geotechnik erläutert. Das sind u. a. die notwendigen Abstrahierungen des realen Baugrunds in einem numerischen Modell, die Größe des Berechnungsgebiets oder die Berücksichtigung der Baugrund‐Bauwerk‐Interaktion. Ausführlich wird auf die besondere Bedeutung der stofflichen Modellierung von Boden und Fels eingegangen und ein Überblick über die aktuelle Entwicklung der Stoffmodelle und deren Parameterbestimmung gegeben. Die FEM wird gegenwärtig auch vermehrt für die Bemessung geotechnischer Konstruktionen angewendet. Es werden die im Rahmen der gegenwärtigen Normungsinitiativen diskutierten Grundsätze für die Bemessung in der Geotechnik mittels numerischer Methoden beschrieben und bewertet. Aspekte im Zusammenhang mit dem Building Information Modeling (BIM) werden beleuchtet. Es wird auch auf die Notwendigkeit hingewiesen, spezialisierte Anwender zu qualifizieren, um numerische Methoden zielführend und sicher anwenden zu können.
Are people more selfish after giving gifts?
Authors: Polman Evan , Lu Zoe Y.
Published: May 2021

How people choose gifts is a widely studied topic, but what happens next is largely understudied. In two preregistered studies, one field experiment, and an analysis of secondary data, we show that giving gifts has a dark side, as it can negatively affect subsequent interpersonal behavior between givers and receivers. In Study 1, we found that giving a gift to one's romantic partner changes givers' interpretation of which behaviors constitute infidelity. Specifically, we found that givers (vs. nongivers) classified their questionable behaviors (e.g., sending a flirtatious text to someone other than their partner) less as a form of cheating on their partner. In Study 2, we examined how politely participants behave when delivering bad news to a friend. We found that givers (vs. nongivers) wrote significantly less polite messages to their friend. In Study 3, we tested real gifts that people give to friends and found givers (vs. nongivers) subsequently made more selfish decisions at their friends' expense. In all, our research refines the oft‐cited axiomatic assumption that gift giving strengthens relationships and illuminates the potential for future research to examine how decision making can alter interpersonal, romantic relationships.
Production of octanoic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Investigation of new precursor supply engineering strategies and intrinsic limitations
Authors: Wernig Florian , Baumann Leonie , Boles Eckhard , Oreb Mislav
Published: May 2021

The eight‐carbon fatty acid octanoic acid (OA) is an important platform chemical and precursor of many industrially relevant products. Its microbial biosynthesis is regarded as a promising alternative to current unsustainable production methods. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the production of OA had been previously achieved by rational engineering of the fatty acid synthase. For the supply of the precursor molecule acetyl‐CoA and of the redox cofactor NADPH, the native pyruvate dehydrogenase bypass had been harnessed, or the cells had been additionally provided with a pathway involving a heterologous ATP‐citrate lyase. Here, we redirected the flux of glucose towards the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway and overexpressed a heterologous phosphoketolase/phosphotransacetylase shunt to improve the supply of NADPH and acetyl‐CoA in a strain background with abolished OA degradation. We show that these modifications lead to an increased yield of OA during the consumption of glucose by more than 60% compared to the parental strain. Furthermore, we investigated different genetic engineering targets to identify potential factors that limit the OA production in yeast. Toxicity assays performed with the engineered strains suggest that the inhibitory effects of OA on cell growth likely impose an upper limit to attainable OA yields.
One vector‐based method to verify predicted plant miRNAs, target sequences, and function modes
Authors: Zhou Hui , Hussain Syed S. , Shi Bu‐Jun
Published: May 2021

Many microRNAs (miRNAs) have been predicted from small RNA sequencing data, but little was experimentally verified due to the lack of effective methods. Here, we developed a simple and reliable dual gene expression cassette vector‐based method to verify predicted plant miRNAs. We cloned osa‐miR528 as a known miRNA, hvu‐miRX as a predicted miRNA and TaDREB3 open reading frame as a non‐miRNA into the first gene expression cassette and fused their complementary or noncomplementary sequences as predicted target or nontarget sequences with the 3ʹ untranslated region of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in the second one. When these constructs were bombarded into plant cells, only the construct containing both osa‐miR528 or hvu‐miRX and its complementary sequence did not generate green fluorescence. Stem‐loop reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction detected mature osa‐miR528 or mature hvu‐miRX in the cells, while northern analysis showed that GFP messenger RNA from the construct containing both osa‐miR528 or hvu‐miRX and its complementary sequence was degraded. Taken together, the results indicate that hvu‐miRX is an authentic miRNA like osa‐miR528, miRNA's complementary sequence is its target sequence, and both osa‐miR528 and hvu‐miRX silenced the GFP expression via a cleavage mode. Our method thus facilitates the verification of predicted plant miRNAs, target sequences, and function modes.
Tumor‐associated macrophage‐derived CCL5 promotes chemotherapy resistance and metastasis in prostatic cancer
Authors: Ma Jian , Shayiti Fuerhaiti , Ma Jing , Wei Meng , Hua Tingting , Zhang Rong , Su Junyan , Chen Peng
Published: May 2021

The crosstalk between tumor microenvironment and cancer cells is emerging as a critical determinant in tumor progression. However, the underlying mechanism of tumor microenvironment‐induced cancer development remains controversial. Here, our study provides evidence to suggest that tumor‐associated macrophage (TAM) enrichment is found in chemoresistant prostatic tumor tissues. Those TAMs are demonstrated to promote chemoresistance and distant metastasis in prostatic cancer through secretion of CCL5. Mechanistically, TAM coculture or additional CCL5 can mediate the STAT3‐dependent epithelial–mesenchymal transition process, resulting in distant metastasis in prostatic cancer. Meanwhile, activation of STAT3 induced by CCL5 can mediate upregulation of the transcription factor Nanog, leading to drug resistance. In vivo study further demonstrated that blockade of STAT3 signals significantly reverses chemoresistance and suppresses lung metastasis in colorectal tumor‐bearing mice, suggesting a novel strategy for clinical prostatic cancer treatment.
BVES‐AS1 inhibits the malignant behaviors of colon adenocarcinoma cells via regulating BVES
Authors: Wen Wu , Wang Haiyan , Xie Shuang , Wu Zuyin , Zhang Chunxu
Published: May 2021

The underexpression of the long noncoding RNA blood vessel epicardial substance antisense RNA 1 (BVES‐AS1) has been shown in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) patients. However, its role in COAD remains to be explored. This study aimed to investigate the function and potential mechanism of BVES‐AS1 in COAD. Colony formation, Cell Counting Kit‐8, JC‐1 mitochondrial membrane potential assay, wound healing, transwell, and western blot analyses were used to measure cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in COAD cells. RNA pull‐down, luciferase reporter, and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation assays were used to detect the interaction of BVES‐AS1 and downstream genes. BVES‐AS1 was expressed at low levels in COAD cells. Overexpressed BVES‐AS1 inhibited COAD cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT while elevating cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, BVES‐AS1 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA sponging miR‐522‐3p to regulate the expression of nearby gene blood vessel epicardial substance (BVES). Besides this, BVES‐AS1 recruited TATA‐box binding protein associated factor 15 (TAF15) to promote BVES messenger RNA stability. Taken together, our study confirmed that BVES‐AS1 inhibited COAD progression via interacting with miR‐522‐3p and TAF15 to regulate BVES expression, which might offer a perspective for COAD treatment.
The optimal cutoff of atrial high‐rate episodes for neurological events in patients with dual chamber permanent pacemakers
Authors: Lu Wei‐Da , Chen Ju‐Yi
Published: May 2021

Background

Patients with atrial high‐rate episode (AHRE) are at higher risk of neurological events. This study aimed to identify the optimal cutoff threshold for AHRE duration in patients with dual chamber permanent pacemakers (PPM) without prior atrial fibrillation.

Methods

We included 355 consecutive patients receiving dual chamber pacemaker implantation. Primary outcome was composite endpoint of subsequent neurological events after various AHRE durations. AHRE was defined as >175 bpm (MEDTRONIC) or > 200 bpm (BIOTRONIK) for longer than 30 s. Cox regression analysis with time‐dependent covariates was conducted.

Results

The mean age of included patients was 75.6 ± 11.3 years. Among 355 included patients, some had multiple AHREs; 125 patients (35.2%) developed AHRE ≥2 min, 107 (30.1%) had ≥5 min, 55 (15.5%) had ≥6 h, and 37 (10.4%) had ≥24 h. The mean follow‐up was 42.1 ± 31.2 months. During follow‐up, 19 neurological events occurred. After adjustment for CHA2DS2‐VASc score and device type, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated AHRE ≥2 min (HR 13.605, 95% CI 3.010–61.498), and AHRE ≥5 min (HR 5.819, 95% CI 2.056–16.470) were significantly associated with neurological events. Hence, the optimal AHRE cutoff value was 2 min with the highest Youden index (sensitivity, 89.5%; specificity, 67.8%; AUC, 0.823, 95% CI, 0.763–0.884; p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Patients with dual chamber PPM who develop AHRE have increased risk of neurological events. Comprehensive assessment of the risks and benefits of prescribing anticoagulants should be considered in PPM patients with AHRE ≥2 min.
Towards the Development, Maintenance, and Standardized Phenotypic Characterization of Single‐Seed‐Descent Genetic Resources for Common Bean
Authors: Cortinovis Gaia , Oppermann Markus , Neumann Kerstin , Graner Andreas , Gioia Tania , Marsella Marco , Alseekh Saleh , Fernie Alisdair R. , Papa Roberto , Bellucci Elisa , Bitocchi Elena
Published: May 2021

The optimal use of legume genetic resources represents a key prerequisite for coping with current agriculture‐related societal challenges, including conservation of agrobiodiversity, agricultural sustainability, food security, and human health. Among legumes, the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is the most economically important for human consumption, and its evolutionary trajectories as a species have been crucial to determining the structure and level of its present and available genetic diversity. Genomic advances are considerably enhancing the characterization and assessment of important genetic variants. For this purpose, the development and availability of, and access to, well‐described and efficiently managed genetic resource collections that comprise pure lines derived by single‐seed‐descent cycles will be paramount for the use of the reservoir of common bean variability and for the advanced breeding of legume crops. This is one of the main aims of the new and challenging European project INCREASE, which is the implementation of Intelligent Collections with appropriate standardized protocols that must be characterized, maintained, and made available, along with the related data, to users such as breeders and researchers. © 2021 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Characterizing common bean seeds for seed trait descriptors

Basic Protocol 2: Bean seed imaging

Basic Protocol 3: Characterizing bean lines for plant trait descriptors specific for common bean Primary Seed Increase
A Multiplex One‐Step RT‐qPCR Protocol to Detect SARS‐CoV‐2 in NP/OP Swabs and Saliva
Authors: Bland Joshua , Kavanaugh Ashley , Hong Lenny K. , Perez Omar , Kadkol Shrihari S.
Published: May 2021

Since December 2019, SARS‐CoV‐2 has spread extensively throughout the world, with more than 117 million reported cases and 2.6 million deaths (Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource center, https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html). Detecting the virus is the first step in diagnosing the infection, followed by quarantine to prevent transmission. Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs (NP/OP) and saliva are two specimen types that are most often analyzed to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 by molecular tests that detect viral RNA or by antigen/antibody tests that detect viral proteins and/or the host immune response against the virus. Compared to antigen/antibody tests, molecular tests are highly sensitive and specific for detecting the virus. A significant drawback is that specimen collection requirements are specific to each test and cannot be interchanged with another test. Some tests are qualified to be used on NP swabs or saliva, but not both specimen types. Even with NP swabs, a test may be qualified to detect the virus only with swabs collected in viral transport medium (VTM) but not in other media. These restrictive pre‐analytic steps are disadvantageous in that a lab would have to develop and validate different tests for SARS‐CoV‐2 depending on the specimen type and collection media, with added setup cost, infrastructure, and training requirements. To overcome these problems, we developed and validated a cost‐effective multiplex reverse‐transcription real‐time PCR assay that can be used to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 in different specimen types. The assay is highly sensitive and specific, can be used to detect the virus in saliva as well as NP swabs collected in different media such as VTM, saline, and commercial preservative fluid, and serves as one test for all applications. The protocol also describes an optimal laboratory setup and unidirectional workflow for detecting SARS‐CoV‐2 by RT‐qPCR. © 2021 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Basic Protocol 1: Manual viral nucleic acid extraction from NP/OP swabs collected in different media, and from saliva

Alternate Protocol 1: Low‐throughput automated extraction on the Qiagen EZ1 Advanced XL machine (1‐14 samples)

Alternate Protocol 2: High‐throughput automated extraction on the Kingfisher Flex machine (1‐96 samples)

Basic Protocol 2: Multiplex RT‐qPCR protocol to detect SARS‐CoV‐2

Alternate Protocol 3: Multiplex one‐step RT‐qPCR protocol to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 with S and E gene probes labeled with the same fluorochrome
Multidimensional harmonic current feedforward compensation control of single‐phase alternating current–direct current power factor correction converter
Authors: Lu Weiguo , Huang Qiwei , Li Shaoling , Xu Huaiwen
Published: May 2021

Generally, low‐bandwidth condition of control voltage loop is used for single‐phase alternating current–direct current (AC–DC) power factor correction (PFC) converter, which eliminates the influence of the second harmonic component in the output voltage on control loop but degrades the load dynamic performance. However, the high‐bandwidth condition of voltage loop would cause multiharmonic distortions both in the input current and output voltage. Regarding this issue, this paper proposes a multidimensional harmonic current feedforward compensation control (MHCFC) scheme, to eliminate multiharmonic distortion of the PFC system using a high‐bandwidth condition of voltage loop and improve the dynamic performance as well. In the proposed scheme, the odd harmonics of the input current are extracted through multidimensional band‐pass filters and further converted into even harmonic compensation signals via the coordinate transformation, so as to offset the negative effects of the even harmonics of the output voltage. Taking boost PFC circuit as an example, a digital controlled experimental prototype is built to verify the feasibility of the proposed control scheme. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional low‐pass filter (LPF) scheme, the proposed scheme guarantees a high‐quality input current while its load dynamic response is improved by about 70%.
Diagnostic accuracy of fine‐needle aspiration cytology for lymphoma: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Huan , Hariharan Vishnu Shankar , Sarma Susmita
Published: May 2021

Background

Fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has become one of the most useful modalities for diagnosis and staging of lymphoma. However, diagnostic accuracy of this technique has been reported with varying results across several studies around the world. Hence, this meta‐analysis was done to assess the accuracy of FNAC for lymphoma diagnosis.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search for all studies reporting the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC for lymphoma in the databases of PubMed Central, MEDLINE, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCOPUS and Cochrane library from inception till January 2021. Meta‐analysis was performed using STATA software “midas” package.

Results

Forty‐seven studies with 7268 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of FNAC for diagnosing lymphoma were 93% (95% CI, 90%‐95%) and 97% (95% CI, 95%‐98%), respectively. Likelihood ratio positive was 33.5 (95% CI, 18.5‐60.7) and likelihood ratio negative was 0.07 (0.05‐0.11) making the technique to occupy the left upper quadrant in LR scattergram indicating that FNAC can be used for confirmation and exclusion. There was significant heterogeneity with significant chi‐square test and I2 statistic >75%. There was significant publication bias as per Deek's test and funnel plot.

Conclusion

To summarize, our study found that FNAC has a vital role as a diagnostic tool for lymphoma with higher sensitivity and specificity. Further studies assessing the accuracy of FNAC on specific types of lymphoma is required.
Agriculture is adapting to phenological shifts caused by climate change, but grassland songbirds are not
Authors: McGowan Maeve M. , Perlut Noah G. , Strong Allan M.
Published: May 2021

Migratory birds time their migration based on cues that signal resource availability for reproduction. However, with climate change, the timing of seasonal events may shift, potentially inhibiting the ability of some species to use them as accurate cues for migration. We studied the relationship between phenological shifts and reproduction by long‐ and short‐distance migratory songbirds—Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). Our study population breeds in hayfields and pastures in Vermont, USA, where farmers are also changing management activities in response to climate change. From 2002 to 2019, we monitored nest initiation dates to quantify correlations with environmental factors and the timing of nest initiation. We collected historical and projected precipitation and temperature data for the breeding grounds, and their respective wintering and stopover sites, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We predicted that winter conditions experienced by the short‐distance migrant, the Savannah Sparrow, but not the long‐distance migrant, the Bobolink, would explain the timing and success of nesting, however that this timing would be misaligned with changes in agricultural practices by hay farmers. Nest initiation dates did not show significant directional change for either species, but did vary among years. Interannual variation in Savannah Sparrow nest initiation dates was best explained by the interaction between precipitation on the breeding grounds and average wintering site (Wilmington, North Carolina). For Bobolinks, interannual variation in nest initiation dates was best explained by the interaction between breeding ground precipitation and average temperature in their fall stopover site (Barquisimieto, Venezuela). However, first haying dates in Vermont advanced by ~10 days over 18 years. These results suggest that the conflict between the timing of hay harvests and grassland songbird reproduction will increase, further threatening population processes for these species, as early harvests notably decrease annual productivity.