bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zeitenwende im Gesundheitssystem: Gute Aussichten für neue Lösungen
Authors: Hauth Iris
Published: May 2023

In der Bewältigung der Coronapandemie hat das deutsche Gesundheitssystem in allen Versorgungssektoren, aber auch in der Wissenschaft gezeigt, wie kreativ und belastbar es ist. Jetzt muss es die neuen Herausforderungen meistern.
Quantum chemical descriptors based on semiempirical methods for large biomolecules
Authors: Grillo Igor B. , Urquiza-Carvalho Gabriel A. , Rocha Gerd B.
Published: May 2023

In this Review, we reviewed the efforts to expand the applications of conceptual density functional theory reactivity descriptors and hard and soft acid and base principles for macromolecules and other strategies that focused on low-level quantum chemistry methods. Currently, recent applications are taking advantage of modifications of these descriptors using semiempirical electronic structures to explain enzymatic catalysis reactions, protein-binding processes, and structural analysis in proteins. We have explored these new solutions along with their implementations in the software PRIMoRDiA, discussing their impact on the field and its perspectives. We show the main issues in the analysis of the electronic structure of macromolecules, which are the application of the same calculation protocols used for small molecules without considering particularities in those large systems’ electronic configuration. The major result of our discussions is that the use of semiempirical methods is crucial to obtain such a type of analysis, which can provide a powerful dimension of information and be part of future low-cost predictive tools. We expect semiempirical methods continue playing an important role in the quantum chemistry evaluation of large molecules. As computational resources advance, semiempirical methods might lead us to explore the electronic structure of even larger biological macromolecular entities and sets of structures representing larger timescales.
Nonvolatile memory based on the extension–retraction of bent ferroelastic domain walls: A phase field simulation
Authors: Liu K. , Song H. J. , Zhong X. L. , Wang J. B. , Tan Congbing , Yang Zhao , Ta Shi-wo
Published: May 2023

Herein, a prototype nonvolatile bent ferroelastic domain wall (DW) memory based on extension–retraction of DWs in a top electrode/bent ferroelastic DWs/bottom electrode architecture is demonstrated and the effects of mechanical condition, electrical condition, and the material parameter on ferroelastic DWs in PbTiO3 ferroelectric thin films are studied by phase field modeling. Misfit strain can be used to drive the bend of DWs in PbTiO3 thin film, resulting in a change of ferroelastic domain size, bending degree, and conductivity. Stable and reversible switching of DWs between the extendible state with high conductivity and the retractile state with low conductivity can be realized, resulting in an apparent resistance change with a large ON/OFF ratio of >102 and an excellent retention characteristic. The extension and retraction speed, corresponding to data writing speed, can be adjusted by the electric field magnitude and distributions. The memory speed increases by 5% under a homogeneous electric field and 6% under an inhomogeneous probing electric field, after the buildup of space charges in a ferroelectric thin film, and the fastest memory speed is obtained at tip potential φ = 1.8. Moreover, polarization orientations of a and c domains separated by bent ferroelastic DWs do not affect memory performance. This paper can guide the development of new ferroelectric domain wall memory.
Experimental characterization of the flowfield and cavitation physics of a tip-loaded hydrofoil
Authors: Koncoski Jeremy J. , Kunz Robert F. , Nickels Adam S. , Devilbiss David W. , Harris Jeffrey R.
Published: May 2023

This paper reports an experimental study of tip vortex flowfield and cavitation inception of a tip-loaded hydrofoil. Vortex strength, wandering, and turbulence statistics are characterized using stereo particle image velocimetry (SPIV) in a water tunnel facility, at a chord Reynolds number of 1.3×106. Cavitation physics are characterized using high-speed videography and dual-hydrophone acoustic cavitation measurements. The loading of the rectangular planform hydrofoil has a maximum at 65% span, 56% greater than that at the root, i.e., the hydrofoil loading is representative of non-elliptically loaded open propellers. Acoustic cavitation inception is quantified and is observed to precede visual cavitation onset using unaided and high-speed imaging. Measurements reported here show that vorticity fluctuations are nearly of the same magnitude as the ensemble vorticity. Instantaneous measurements of vorticity at the trailing edge, 12-chord downstream, and one-chord downstream positions are reported. Their peak magnitudes are located adjacent to the ensemble vortex center and are between four and five times the ensemble mean. The fluctuating vorticity measurements, taken in conjunction with high-speed video observations, provide insight into the hydrodynamic conditions responsible for intermittent cavitation events. The reported measurements elucidate instantaneous and mean turbulence physics associated with vortex cavitation and can provide a validation basis for numerical simulations.
Sunflower optimization algorithm for multi-strategy-assist parameter identification of solar cell models
Authors: Lv Liye , Yuan Yongliang
Published: May 2023

A novel optimization method, namely, the elite opposition learning and polynomial steps-based sunflower optimization (EOPSFO) algorithm, has been proposed to solve engineering problems. To speed up the convergence, the elite opposition-based learning and polynomial steps strategy is applied to automatically determine the search step adapted in each iteration. To verify the performance of EOPSFO, the feasibility of EOPSFO is first verified using various benchmarking and some standard optimization problems. In addition, EOPSFO is used to determine the parameters of the single diode model and double diode model. Results show that EOPSFO can be regarded as a competitive algorithm in optimization problems.
Hemodynamic simulation in the aortic arch with the lattice Boltzmann method
Authors: Liu Li , Liu Wei , Bai Jun , Qu Lefeng
Published: May 2023

Aortic diseases have high mortality rates, wherein wall shear stress (WSS) and oscillatory shear index play important roles. Previous studies focused on describing the WSS distribution; however, no report has investigated how hemodynamic parameters determine the distribution of WSS. This study investigates the parameters affecting the WSS distribution and determines the variations of these parameters. A realistic healthy aortic geometry is reconstructed from computed tomography medical images, and a flow simulation is performed using the lattice Boltzmann method. The inlet velocity waveform from the Doppler ultrasound measurement is imposed as the inlet boundary condition, whereas the three-element Windkessel model is used as the outlet boundary condition. The measured outlet flow rate waveforms are used to validate the simulation. A good agreement is found between the outlet flow rate waveform obtained from the measurement and that from the simulation: the descending artery, innominate artery, left common carotid, and left subclavian artery receive 63.42%, 24.01%, 4.14%, and 8.46%, respectively, of the total inlet flow rate over the cardiac cycle in the measurements and 62.17%, 24.61%, 4.7%, and 8.44%, respectively, in the simulation. The simulation shows that the temporal and spatial distributions of the WSS are separately determined by the flow rate and impacting angle. The flow rate ratio between the inlet and outlet decreases with an increase in Re. This relation can be fitted well by the exponential function. Moreover, the impacting angle between the blood flow and the vessel centerline is determined by the vessel geometry only.
Influence of skewed three-dimensional sinusoidal surface roughness on turbulent boundary layers
Authors: Abdelaziz Misarah , Djenidi L. , Ghayesh Mergen H. , Chin Rey
Published: May 2023

The impact of roughness skewness (ksk) on turbulent boundary layer (TBL) flow with a zero pressure gradient over three-dimensional (3D) sinusoidal rough surfaces was experimentally investigated using a single hotwire anemometer. Nine 3D sinusoidal profiles were manufactured with positive, negative, and zero roughness skewness values. Measurements were taken at three different freestream velocities for each surface and compared with smooth wall TBL results. This study covered a range of friction Reynolds numbers (Reτ) from approximately 1000 to 4000, with δ/k≈20 ± 2, where δ represents the local boundary layer thickness, and k is the maximum height of the roughness, measured from the valley to peak. The results indicate that the wall-unit normalized streamwise mean velocity profiles for all rough surfaces exhibit a downward shift compared to the smooth wall profiles. Surfaces with positive roughness skewness produced the highest drag, leading to the largest downward shift. The friction coefficient (Cf) decreased as ksk decreased. The percentage increase in Cf and ΔU+ (the roughness function) was much larger when moving from negative to zero roughness skewness than when moving from zero to positive roughness skewness. The small differences in turbulence intensity profiles and higher-order turbulence statistics in the outer region of the TBL support the outer layer similarity hypothesis for the roughness considered in this study. The autocorrelation study revealed that surfaces with positive roughness skewness tend to shorten the average length of turbulence structures in the near-wall region.
Inverted singlet–triplet emitters for organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Won Taehyun , Nakayama Ken-ichi , Aizawa Naoya
Published: May 2023

Theoretical and experimental studies since the 1980s have pointed to the existence of organic molecules that violate Hund's rule of maximum multiplicity, with the lowest singlet excited state having lower energy than the lowest triplet excited state. With the rising prevalence of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in display technology, these types of molecules are being investigated as a new class of organic emitters. The singlet–triplet inversion implies that thermal activation is not necessary to achieve fast triplet harvesting, providing potential benefits over conventional thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters. Here, we overview prominent studies regarding inverted singlet and triplet excited states in the context of OLEDs.
Highly accurate CCSD(T) homolytic Al–H bond dissociation enthalpies – chemical insights and performance of density functional theory
Authors: O’Reilly Robert J. , Karton Amir
Published: May 2023

We obtain gas-phase homolytic Al–H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) at the CCSD(T)/CBS level for a set of neutral aluminium hydrides (which we refer to as the AlHBDE dataset). The Al–H BDEs in this dataset differ by as much as 79.2 kJ mol−1, with (H2B)2Al–H having the lowest BDE (288.1 kJ mol−1) and (H2N)2Al–H having the largest (367.3 kJ mol−1). These results show that substitution with at least one –AlH2 or –BH2 substituent exerts by far the greatest effect in modifying the Al–H BDEs compared with the BDE of monomeric H2Al–H (354.3 kJ mol−1). To facilitate quantum chemical investigations of large aluminium hydrides, for which the use of rigorous methods such as W2w may not be computationally feasible, we assess the performance of 53 density functional theory (DFT) functionals. We find that the performance of the DFT methods does not strictly improve along the rungs of Jacob’s Ladder. The best-performing methods from each rung of Jacob’s Ladder are (mean absolute deviations are given in parentheses): the GGA B97-D (6.9), the meta-GGA M06-L (2.3), the global hybrid-GGA SOGGA11-X (3.3), the range-separated hybrid-GGA CAM-B3LYP (2.1), the hybrid-meta-GGA ωB97M-V (2.5) and the double-hybrid methods mPW2-PLYP and B2GP-PLYP (4.1 kJ mol−1).
Uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms
Authors: Nhu Nguyen Thi Khanh , Ravi Chitra , Schembri Mark A.
Published: May 2023

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases, with a global annual incidence of ~175 million cases. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the major cause of UTI (>80%) and increasingly associated with rising antibiotic resistance. UPEC form biofilms during infection of the urinary tract, either on the luminal surface of the bladder, intracellularly within bladder superficial epithelial cells, or on the surface of indwelling catheters. This lifestyle of sessile growth promotes enhanced resistance, persistence and increased rates of recurrent UTI. UPEC employ a range of virulence factors to form biofilms, including fimbrial adhesins for attachment and autotransporters to promote cell-to-cell aggregation. In addition, UPEC biofilms are encased in an extracellular matrix comprised of proteins such as curli amyloid fibres and polysaccharides such as cellulose, which together form a hydrating glue that provides structural support for the biofilm and protects its component cells. Here, we describe the key features of UPEC biofilms and their importance for UPEC pathogenesis of the urinary tract.
Role of excitation in the electron rotational asymmetry in circularly polarized laser fields
Authors: Wen Liang-Cai , Jing Wen-Quan , Sun Chang-Ping , Gao Xuan-Hong , Jiao Zhi-Hong , Wang Guo-Li , Chen Jian-Hong , Zhao Song-Feng
Published: May 2023

We comparatively study electron rotational asymmetries in photoionization of excited hydrogen atoms and photodetachment of the fluorine anions in single circularly polarized laser fields by numerically solving the three-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation. We first show that single-photon ionization (or detachment) is more favorable as the electron initially corotates with respect to the direction of the laser field. More interestingly, we systematically demonstrate that the electron rotational asymmetry of the excited hydrogen atom is completely contrary to that of the fluorine anion in the multiphoton ionization (or detachment) regime, which can be attributed to the role played by excited bound states by analyzing the total excitation probability in the excited hydrogen atom. Furthermore, we also confirm that the electron rotational asymmetry of

2

p

+

and

2

p

−

degenerate orbitals in the excited hydrogen atom changes when the ionization mechanism switches from three-photon to over-the-barrier.
Use of secondary air kerma from dose area product and fluoroscopy time for preventive effective dose estimation in interventional radiology procedures for staff
Authors: Indovina Luca , Moretti Roberto , Breschi Laura , Cusumano Davide , Meffe Guenda , Placidi Lorenzo , Nardini Matteo , Reale Roberta , Quici Arturo , Placidi Elisa , Stimato Gerardina , Capotosti Amedeo
Published: May 2023

Introduction: interventional radiology workers are potentially exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation, therefore preventive dose estimation is mandatory for the correct risk classification of staff. Effective dose (ED) is a radiation protection quantity strictly related to the secondary air kerma (K
S), using appropriate multiplicative conversion factors (ICRP 106). The aim of this work is to evaluate the accuracy of K
S estimated from physically measurable quantities such as dose-area product (DAP) or fluoroscopy time (FT). Methods: radiological units (n = 4) were characterized in terms of primary beam air kerma and DAP-meter response, consequently defining a DAP-meter correction factor (CF) for each unit. K
S, scattered from an anthropomorphic phantom and measured by a digital multimeter, was then compared with the value estimated from DAP and FT. Different combinations of tube voltages, field sizes, current and scattering angles were used to simulate the variation of working conditions. Further measurements were performed to estimate the couch transmission factor for different phantom placements on the operational couch, defining a CF as the mean transmission factor. Results: when no CFs were applied, the measured K
S showed a median percentage difference of between 33.8% and 115.7% with respect to K
S evaluated from DAP, and between −46.3% and 101.8% for K
S evaluated from FT. By contrast, when previously defined CFs were applied to the evaluated K
S, the median percentage difference between the measured K
S and the value evaluated from DAP ranged from between −7.94% and 15.0%, and between −66.2% and 17.2% for that evaluated from FT. Conclusion: when appropriate CF are applied, the preventive ED estimation from the median DAP value seems to be more conservative and easier to obtain with respect to the one obtained from the FT value. Further measurements should be performed with a personal dosimeter during routine activities to assess the proper K
S to ED conversion factor.
Hydrogen iodide (HI) neutral beam etching characteristics of InGaN and GaN for micro-LED fabrication
Authors: Ohori Daisuke , Ishihara Takahiro , Wang Xuelun , Endo Kazuhiko , Hsieh Tsau-Hua , Li Yiming , Natori Nobuhiro , Matsui Kazuma , Samukawa Seiji
Published: May 2023

We investigated the etching characteristics of hydrogen iodide (HI) neutral beam etching (NBE) of GaN and InGaN and compared with Cl2 NBE. We showed the advantages of HI NBE versus Cl2 NBE, namely: higher InGaN etch rate, better surface smoothness, and significantly reduced etching residues. Moreover, HI NBE was suppressed of yellow luminescence compared with Cl2 plasma. InCl
x
is a product of Cl2 NBE. It does not evaporate and remains on the surface as a residue, resulting in a low InGaN etching rate. We found that HI NBE has a higher reactivity with In resulting in InGaN etch rates up to 6.3 nm min−1, and low activation energy for InGaN of approximately 0.015 eV, and a thinner reaction layer than Cl2 NBE due to high volatility of In-I compounds. HI NBE resulted in smoother etching surface with a root mean square average (rms) of 2.9 nm of HI NBE than Cl2 NBE (rms: 4.3 nm) with controlled etching residue. Moreover, the defect generation was suppressed in HI NBE compared to Cl2 plasma, as indicated by lower yellow luminescence intensity increase after etching. Therefore, HI NBE is potentially useful for high throughput fabrication of μLEDs.
Systematic investigation of a NbTi-Bi2223 hybrid low-resistive joint
Authors: Sun Wanshuo , Wang Yaohui , Zhang Zili , Zhang Xiaolong , Wang Lei , Cheng Junsheng , Suo Hongli , Wang Qiuliang
Published: May 2023

In this study, a NbTi-Bi2223 hybrid low-resistive joint fabricated by the superconducting solder method was systematically investigated. The joint is a necessary component of gigahertz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with Bi2223 as the insert coil. The joint resistance and current capability under different applied magnetic fields were measured, and the resistance exhibited a near-linear relationship with the applied field. Beyond the superconducting properties, the allowed mechanical criteria for the Bi2223 tape in the joint were also briefly studied. Based on the above two properties, a 1.3 GHz NMR design with a NbTi-Bi2223 hybrid low-resistive joint was shown as an application demonstration. Although the current resistance can fit the magnetic-field decay criteria, obtaining a lower resistance value was attempted by extending the joint length but failed. The main source of the resistance in NbTi-Bi2223 was studied. We attempt to show an engineering-feasible NbTi-Bi2223 hybrid low-resistive joint to help improve the development of gigahertz NMR.
Temperature-dependent optical dispersion spectra for a single CeO2 thin-film layer in UV–vis and its reflection and transmission in the IR region
Authors: Lee Changkyun , Kortge David , Zhu Jie , Song Jiawei , Wang Haiyan , Ruan Xiulin , Bermel Peter
Published: May 2023

CeO2 is a rare-earth refractory material with high refractive index, high thermal stability and infrared transparency; this knowledge can be utilized to develop practical thin films for high temperature thermophotovoltaics (TPVs) and thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). Here, we report ellipsometric measurements of a CeO2 thin film in the wavelength range 210 nm–2500 nm from room temperature to 500 ∘C. Because most previous spectroscopic studies of CeO2 evaluated its optical properties only at room temperature, our findings provide insights into the potential impacts of temperature change on the aforementioned applications, induced by the changes in its electronic structure. We also provide the reflectance and transmittance measurements of the same CeO2 thin film at room temperature using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. This knowledge can be leveraged to develop TPV and TBC designs. Finally, we used a software package called Stanford Stratified Structure Solver (S4) to simulate the angle-dependent reflectance spectrum. The optical properties of CeO2 films measured by ellipsometry are used as inputs to predict reflectance spectra. Comparison of the experimental FTIR reflectance with simulated reflectance in S4 shows strong agreement at three different angles.
First measurement of ‘time reflection’ in microwaves
Authors: Cartlidge Edwin
Published: May 2023

Edwin Cartlidge reports on a new demonstration of an unusual phenomenon that could help improve wireless communication.
Quantum industry is male-dominated, says report
Authors: Allen Michael
Published: May 2023

The burgeoning quantum industry is heavily male-dominated and action must be taken to make its workforce more diverse and inclusive, according to a report by the LSE.
Space matters
Authors: Durrani Matin
Published: May 2023

With Virgin Orbit filing for bankruptcy, what is the future for UK spaceports?
The quantum race
Authors: McKenzie James
Published: May 2023

With all the hype and excitement surrounding quantum computers, James McKenzie wonders when they will become mainstream products and what they will be useful for.
The life and science of Gertrude Scharff-Goldhaber
Authors: Perkowitz Sidney
Published: May 2023

Sidney Perkowitz uncovers the scientific legacy of the nuclear physicist, who overcame great adversity to become a renowned researcher and advocate for women in science.
Ask me anything: Nicole Bell
Authors: Durrani Matin
Published: May 2023

Nicole Bell is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Melbourne and the newly appointed president of the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP). Her research aims to uncover the identity of the cosmological dark matter and to better understand neutrinos. She leads the theory programme of the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence of Dark Matter Particle Physics.
Symmetry-adapted encodings for qubit number reduction by point-group and other Boolean symmetries
Authors: Picozzi Dario , Tennyson Jonathan
Published: May 2023

A symmetry-adapted fermion-to-spin mapping or encoding that is able to store information about the occupancy of the n spin-orbitals of a molecular system into a lower number of n − k qubits in a quantum computer (where the number of reduced qubits k ranges from 2 to 5 depending on the symmetry of the system) is introduced. This mapping reduces the computational cost of a quantum computing simulation and at the same time enforces symmetry constraints. These symmetry-adapted encodings (SAEs) can be explicitly seen as a block-diagonalization of the Jordan–Wigner qubit Hamiltonian, followed by an orthogonal projection. We provide the form of the Clifford tableau for a general class of fermion-to-qubit encodings, and then use it to construct the map that block-diagonalizes the Hamiltonian in the SAEs. The algorithm proposed does not require any further computations to obtain this map, which is derived directly from the character table of the molecular point group. An implementation of the algorithm is presented as an open-source Python package, QuantumSymmetry, a user guide and code examples. QuantumSymmetry uses open-source quantum chemistry software PySCF for Hartree–Fock calculations, and is compatible with quantum computing toolsets OpenFermion and Qiskit. QuantumSymmetry takes arbitrary user input such as the molecular geometry and atomic basis set to construct the qubit operators that correspond in the appropriate SAE to fermionic operators on the molecular system, such as the second-quantized electronic structure Hamiltonian. QuantumSymmetry is used to produce numerical examples of variational quantum algorithm simulations to find the ground state energy for a number of example molecules, for both Unitary Coupled Clusters with Singles and Doubles and Adaptive Derivative Assembled Pseudo-Trotter Variational Quantum Eigensolver ansätze. We show that, beyond the advantage given by the lower qubit count, the proposed encodings consistently result in shallower and less complex circuits with a reduced number of variational parameters that are able to reach convergence faster and without any loss of computed accuracy.
Influence of domain walls and defects on the electrocaloric effect
Authors: Grünebohm Anna , Teng Sheng-Han , Marathe Madhura
Published: May 2023

The electrocaloric (EC) effect is the adiabatic temperature change of a material in a varying external electric field, which is promising for novel cooling devices. While the fundamental understanding of the caloric response of defect-free materials is well developed, there are important gaps in the knowledge about the reversibility and time-stability of the response. In particular, it is not settled how the time-dependent elements of microstructure that are always present in real materials act on the field-induced temperature changes. Ab initio based molecular dynamics simulations allow us to isolate and understand the effects arising from domain walls (DWs) and defect dipoles and to study their interplay. We show that DWs in cycling fields do not improve the response in either the ferroelectric (FE) phase or at the FE phase transition, but may result in irreversible heat losses. The presence of defect dipoles may be beneficial for the EC response for proper field protocols, and interestingly this benefit is not too sensitive to the defect configuration.
3D/4D printed bio-piezoelectric smart scaffolds for next-generation bone tissue engineering
Authors: Chen Annan , Su Jin , Li Yinjin , Zhang Haibo , Shi Yusheng , Yan Chunze , Lu Jian
Published: May 2023

Piezoelectricity in native bones has been well recognized as the key factor in bone regeneration. Thus, bio-piezoelectric materials have gained substantial attention in repairing damaged bone by mimicking the tissue’s electrical microenvironment (EM). However, traditional manufacturing strategies still encounter limitations in creating personalized bio-piezoelectric scaffolds, hindering their clinical applications. Three-dimensional (3D)/four-dimensional (4D) printing technology based on the principle of layer-by-layer forming and stacking of discrete materials has demonstrated outstanding advantages in fabricating bio-piezoelectric scaffolds in a more complex-shaped structure. Notably, 4D printing functionality-shifting bio-piezoelectric scaffolds can provide a time-dependent programmable tissue EM in response to external stimuli for bone regeneration. In this review, we first summarize the physicochemical properties of commonly used bio-piezoelectric materials (including polymers, ceramics, and their composites) and representative biological findings for bone regeneration. Then, we discuss the latest research advances in the 3D printing of bio-piezoelectric scaffolds in terms of feedstock selection, printing process, induction strategies, and potential applications. Besides, some related challenges such as feedstock scalability, printing resolution, stress-to-polarization conversion efficiency, and non-invasive induction ability after implantation have been put forward. Finally, we highlight the potential of shape/property/functionality-shifting smart 4D bio-piezoelectric scaffolds in bone tissue engineering (BTE). Taken together, this review emphasizes the appealing utility of 3D/4D printed biological piezoelectric scaffolds as next-generation BTE implants.
Cotorsion of anti-cyclotomic Selmer groups on average
Authors: Kundu Debanjana , Sprung Florian
Published: May 2023

For an elliptic curve, we study how many Selmer groups are cotorsion over the anti-cyclotomic

Z

p

\mathbb {Z}_p

-extension as one varies the prime

p
p

or the quadratic imaginary field in question.
Monochromatic exponential triples: An ultrafilter proof
Authors: Di Nasso Mauro , Ragosta Mariaclara
Published: May 2023

We present a short ultrafilter proof of the existence of monochromatic exponential triples

{
a
,
b
,

b
a

}

\{a, b, b^a\}

in any finite coloring of the natural numbers. We then generalize the construction and prove a new result on the existence of infinite monochromatic exponential patterns.
Classical freeness of orthosymplectic affine vertex superalgebras
Authors: Creutzig Thomas , Linshaw Andrew , Song Bailin
Published: May 2023

The question of when a vertex algebra is a quantization of the arc space of its associated scheme has recently received a lot of attention in both the mathematics and physics literature. This property was first studied by Tomoyuki Arakawa and Anne Moreau (see their paper in the references), and was given the name \lq\lq classical freeness" by Jethro van Ekeren and Reimundo Heluani [Comm. Math. Phys. 386 (2021), no. 1, pp. 495-550] in their work on chiral homology. Later, it was extended to vertex superalgebras by Hao Li [Eur. J. Math. 7 (2021), pp. 1689–1728]. In this note, we prove the classical freeness of the simple affine vertex superalgebra

L
n

(

o

s

p

m

|

2
r

)

L_n(\mathfrak {o}\mathfrak {s}\mathfrak {p}_{m|2r})

for all positive integers

m
,
n
,
r

m,n,r

satisfying

−

m
2

+
r
+
n
+
1
>
0

-\frac {m}{2} + r +n+1 > 0

. In particular, it holds for the rational vertex superalgebras

L
n

(

o

s

p

1

|

2
r

)

L_n(\mathfrak {o}\mathfrak {s}\mathfrak {p}_{1|2r})

for all positive integers

r
,
n

r,n

.
Automatic continuity, unique Polish topologies, and Zariski topologies on monoids and clones
Authors: Elliott L. , Jonušas J. , Mesyan Z. , Mitchell J. , Morayne M. , Péresse Y.
Published: May 2023

In this paper we explore the extent to which the algebraic structure of a monoidMMdetermines the topologies onMMthat are compatible with its multiplication. Specifically we study the notions of automatic continuity; minimal Hausdorff orT1T_1topologies; Polish semigroup topologies; and we formulate a notion of the Zariski topology for monoids and inverse monoids.

IfMMis a topological monoid such that every homomorphism fromMMto a second countable topological monoidNNis continuous, then we say thatMMhasautomatic continuity. We show that many well-known, and extensively studied, monoids have automatic continuity with respect to a natural semigroup topology, namely: the full transformation monoidNN\mathbb {N} ^\mathbb {N}; the full binary relation monoidBNB_{\mathbb {N}}; the partial transformation monoidPNP_{\mathbb {N}}; the symmetric inverse monoidINI_{\mathbb {N}}; the monoidInj⁡(N)\operatorname {Inj}(\mathbb {N})consisting of the injective transformations ofN\mathbb {N}; and the monoidC(2N)C(2^{\mathbb {N}})of continuous functions on the Cantor set2N2^{\mathbb {N}}.

The monoidNN\mathbb {N} ^\mathbb {N}can be equipped with the product topology, where the natural numbersN\mathbb {N}have the discrete topology; this topology is referred to as thepointwise topology. We show that the pointwise topology onNN\mathbb {N} ^\mathbb {N}, and its analogue onPNP_{\mathbb {N}}, is the unique Polish semigroup topology on these monoids. The compact-open topology is the unique Polish semigroup topology onC(2N)C(2 ^\mathbb {N}), and on the monoidC([0,1]N)C([0, 1] ^\mathbb {N})of continuous functions on the Hilbert cube[0,1]N[0, 1] ^\mathbb {N}. The symmetric inverse monoidINI_{\mathbb {N}}has at least 3 Polish semigroup topologies, but a unique Polish inverse semigroup topology. The full binary relation monoidBNB_{\mathbb {N}}has no Polish semigroup topologies, nor do the partition monoids. At the other extreme,Inj⁡(N)\operatorname {Inj}(\mathbb {N})and the monoidSurj⁡(N)\operatorname {Surj}(\mathbb {N})of all surjective transformations ofN\mathbb {N}each have infinitely many distinct Polish semigroup topologies.

We prove that the Zariski topologies onNN\mathbb {N} ^\mathbb {N},PNP_{\mathbb {N}}, andInj⁡(N)\operatorname {Inj}(\mathbb {N})coincide with the pointwise topology; and we characterise the Zariski topology onBNB_{\mathbb {N}}.

Along the way we provide many additional results relating to the Markov topology, the small index property for monoids, and topological embeddings of semigroups inNN\mathbb {N}^{\mathbb {N}}and inverse monoids inINI_{\mathbb {N}}.

Finally, the techniques developed in this paper to prove the results about monoids are applied to function clones. In particular, we show that: the full function clone has a unique Polish topology; the Horn clone, the polymorphism clones of the Cantor set and the countably infinite atomless Boolean algebra all have automatic continuity with respect to second countable function clone topologies.
Adam Smith on Aesthetic Imagination and Scientific Enquiry
Authors: Zuckert Rachel
Published: May 2023

In two posthumously published essays, ‘History of Astronomy’ and ‘Of the Nature of that Imitation which takes place in what are called The Imitative Arts’, Adam Smith suggests provocatively that philosophy is an ‘art of imagination’ and that we take the same ‘very high intellectual pleasure’ in appreciating systematic scientific theories and in listening to musical ‘systems’, i.e., complex works of non-programmatic instrumental music. In this paper, I reconstruct the view of imagination, as the cognitive faculty primarily responsible for perception and appreciation of such ‘systems’, that undergirds these claims, and argue that it is to be understood as aiming at ideal ends – in the first instance, at beauty or an order among variety (systematicity). Smith thus offers a distinctive view of aesthetic imagination, as neither freely playing nor imitative (two common views of imagination both in his time and ours) but rather as aiming at, and progressively realizing non-rational norms of order (again, at least in the first instance, an ideal of beauty).
The Evolution of Excess Deaths in the United States During the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ruhm Christopher J
Published: May 2023

Understanding consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic requires information on the excess mortality resulting from it. Multiple studies have examined excess deaths during the pandemic’s initial stages, but how these have changed over time is unclear. National- and state-level death counts and population data from 2009 to 2022 were used in this analysis to evaluate excess fatalities from March 2020 to February 2021 and March 2021 to February 2022, with deaths from earlier years used to project baseline counts. The outcomes were total, group-specific, cause-specific, and age-by-cause excess fatalities, and numbers and percentages directly involving COVID-19. Excess deaths declined from 655,735 (95% confidence interval: 619,028, 691,980) during the first pandemic year to 586,505 (95% confidence interval: 532,823, 639,205) in the second. The reductions were particularly large for Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, seniors, and residents of states with high vaccination rates. Excess deaths increased from the first to second year for persons younger than 65 years and in low-vaccination states. Excess mortality from some diseases declined, but those from alcohol, drug, vehicle, and homicide causes likely increased between the first and second pandemic year, especially for prime-age and younger individuals. The share of excess fatalities involving COVID-19 decreased modestly over time, with little change in its role as an underlying versus contributing cause of death.
A co-adaptive duality-aware framework for biomedical relation extraction
Authors: Zhang Weiyan , Chen Chuang , Wang Jiacheng , Liu Jingping , Ruan Tong
Published: May 2023

Motivation

Biomedical relation extraction is a vital task for electronic health record mining and biomedical knowledge base construction. Previous work often adopts pipeline methods or joint methods to extract subject, relation, and object while ignoring the interaction of subject–object entity pair and relation within the triplet structure. However, we observe that entity pair and relation within a triplet are highly related, which motivates us to build a framework to extract triplets that can capture the rich interactions among the elements in a triplet.

Results

We propose a novel co-adaptive biomedical relation extraction framework based on a duality-aware mechanism. This framework is designed as a bidirectional extraction structure that fully takes interdependence into account in the duality-aware extraction process of subject–object entity pair and relation. Based on the framework, we design a co-adaptive training strategy and a co-adaptive tuning algorithm as collaborative optimization methods between modules to promote better mining framework performance gain. The experiments on two public datasets show that our method achieves the best F1 among all state-of-the-art baselines and provides strong performance gain on complex scenarios of various overlapping patterns, multiple triplets, and cross-sentence triplets.

Availability and implementation

Code is available at https://github.com/11101028/CADA-BioRE.
Electronic screening for mental illness in patients with psoriasis
Authors: Bechman Katie , Hayes Joseph F , Mathewman Julian  , Henderson Alasdair D , Adesanya Elizabeth I , Mansfield Kathryn E , Smith Catherine H , Galloway James , Langan Sinéad M
Published: May 2023

In this cross-sectional study from a large UK centre, screening for mental illness in individuals with psoriasis has demonstrated a high burden of depression and anxiety. Overall, 85% of the cohort reported that their psoriasis had affected their quality of life. Quality-of-life scores correlate with depression scores, emphasizing the importance of managing the individual’s mental health alongside their psoriasis to improve overall quality of life.
Genome–phenome wide association study of broadly defined headache
Authors: Hsu Wan-Ting , Lee Yu-Ting , Tan Jasmine , Chang Yung-Han , Qian Frank , Liu Kuei-Yu , Hsiung Jo-Ching , Yo Chia-Hung , Tang Sung-Chun , Jiang Xia , Lee Chien-Chang
Published: May 2023

Until recently, most genetic studies of headache have been conducted on participants with European ancestry. We therefore conducted a large-scale genome-wide association study of self-reported headache in individuals of East Asian ancestry (specifically those who were identified as Han Chinese). In this study, 108 855 participants were enrolled, including 12 026 headache cases from the Taiwan Biobank. For broadly defined headache phenotype, we identified a locus on Chromosome 17, with the lead single-nucleotide polymorphism rs8072917 (odds ratio 1.08, P = 4.49 × 10−8), mapped to two protein-coding genes RNF213 and ENDOV. For severe headache phenotype, we found a strong association on Chromosome 8, with the lead single-nucleotide polymorphism rs13272202 (odds ratio 1.30, P = 1.02 × 10−9), mapped to gene RP11-1101K5.1. We then conducted a conditional analysis and a statistical fine-mapping of the broadly defined headache-associated loci and identified a single credible set of loci with rs8072917 supporting that this lead variant was the true causal variant on RNF213 gene region. RNF213 replicated the result of previous studies and played important roles in the biological mechanism of broadly defined headache. On the basis of the previous results found in the Taiwan Biobank, we conducted phenome-wide association studies for the lead variants using data from the UK Biobank and found that the causal variant (single-nucleotide polymorphism rs8072917) was associated with muscle symptoms, cellulitis and abscess of face and neck, and cardiogenic shock. Our findings foster the genetic architecture of headache in individuals of East Asian ancestry. Our study can be replicated using genomic data linked to electronic health records from a variety of countries, therefore affecting a wide range of ethnicities globally. Our genome–phenome association study may facilitate the development of new genetic tests and novel drug mechanisms.
A patient with PLACK syndrome with a novel splicing mutation in CAST: the evidence for a loss-of-function mechanism through mis-splicing
Authors: Mamivand Ali , Zekri Ali , Maghrouni Abolfazl , Bayat Shiva , Mirzaei Ebrahim , Javadi Golroodbari Fatemeh , Mousavi Seyed Mohammad , Behrangi Elham , Tabrizi Mina
Published: May 2023

PLACK syndrome is a relatively recently defined generalized peeling skin syndrome that has been reported with major skin manifestations and sometimes atypical features. We report the case of a 5-year-old boy with PLACK manifestations. Whole exome sequencing and subsequent Sanger sequencing identified a putative splice variant c.1209+2T>G in CAST (NM_001042440.5). Moreover, mRNA sequencing confirmed the abnormal alternative splicing of the CAST gene, leading to the addition of one nucleotide to the correct open-reading frame at the mRNA level. Segregation and expression analysis revealed that this loss-of-function via mRNA nonsense-mediated decay could be the causative pathogenic mechanism responsible for this patient’s phenotype. This study extends our understanding of the various phenotypic and genotypic features of PLACK syndrome.
Analysis of the rat chorda tympani nerve response to “super salty” sodium carbonate
Authors: Breza Joseph M , St. John Steven J
Published: May 2023

In behavioral experiments, rats perceive sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) as super salty. In fact, when the dissociated Na+ ions are accounted for, rats perceive Na2CO3 as 5× saltier than equinormal concentrations of NaCl. The chorda tympani nerve (CT) responds to salts through at least two receptor mechanisms and is a model system for understanding how salt taste is transmitted to the brain. Here, we recorded CT nerve activity to a broad range of NaCl (3–300 mM) and Na2CO3 (3–300 mN) to investigate why Na2CO3 tastes so salty to rats. Benzamil, a specific epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) antagonist, was used to determine the relative contribution of apical ENaCs in Na2CO3 transduction. The benzamil-insensitive component of CT nerve responses was enhanced by increasing the adapted tongue temperature from 23°C to 30°C. Na2CO3 solutions are alkaline, so we compared neural responses (with and without benzamil) to 100 mM NaCl alone (6.2 pH) and at a pH (11.2 pH) that matched 100 mN Na2CO3. As expected, NaCl responses increased progressively with increasing concentration and temperature. Responses to 3 mN Na2CO3 were greater than 3 mM NaCl with and without benzamil, but the shape of the first log-fold range of was relatively flat. Adjusting the pH of NaCl to 11.2 abolished the thermal enhancement of 100 mN NaCl through the benzamil-insensitive pathway. Rinsing Na2CO3 off the tongue resulted in robust aftertaste that was concentration dependent, thermally sensitive, and benzamil-insensitive. Responses to alkaline NaCl did not recapitulate Na2CO3 responses or aftertaste, suggesting multiple transduction mechanisms for the cations (2Na+) and anion (CO3-2).
Frailty in hemodialysis patients: results of a screening program and multidisciplinary interventions
Authors: Arias-Guillén Marta , Romano Bárbara , Yuguero-Ortiz Anna , López-Lazcano Ana , Guerrero Sonia , Villegas Vanesa , Martínez Mar , Clemente Nuria , Gómez Miquel , Rodas Lida , Broseta José Jesús , Quintela Marta , Maduell Francisco , Bayés Beatriu
Published: May 2023

Background

The number of frail patients of advanced age with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) undergoing hemodialysis is increasing globally. Here we evaluated a frailty screening program of ESKD patients starting hemodialysis, and subsequent multidisciplinary interventions.

Methods

This was a prospective observational study of ESKD patients in a hemodialysis program. Patients were evaluated for frailty (Fried frail phenotype) before and after a 12-month period. Patients followed standard clinical practice at our hospital, which included assessment and multidisciplinary interventions for nutritional (malnutrition-inflammation score, protein-energy wasting), physical [short physical performance battery (SPPB)] and psychological status.

Results

A total of 167 patients (mean ± standard deviation age 67.8 ± 15.4 years) were screened for frailty, and 108 completed the program. At screening, 27.9% of the patients were frail, 40.0% pre-frail and 32.1% non-frail. Nutritional interventions (enrichment, oral nutritional supplements, intradialytic parenteral nutrition) resulted in stable nutritional status for most frail and pre-frail patients after 12 months. Patients following recommendations for intradialytic, home-based or combined physical exercise presented improved or stable in SPPB scores after 12 months, compared with those that did not follow recommendations, especially in the frail and pre-frail population (P = .025). A rate of 0.05 falls/patient/year was observed. More than 60% of frail patients presented high scores of sadness and anxiety.

Conclusions

Frailty screening, together with coordinated interventions by nutritionists, physiotherapists, psychologists and nurses, preserved the health status of ESKD patients starting hemodialysis. Frailty assessment helped in advising patients on individual nutritional, physical or psychological needs.
The effect of standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy, miniaturized percutaneous nephrolithotomy and retrograde intrarenal surgery on biomarkers of renal injury: a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Memmos Dimitrios , Sarafidis Pantelis , Alexandrou Maria Eleni , Theodorakopoulou Marieta , Anastasiadis Anastasios , Mykoniatis Ioannis , Dimitriadis Georgios , Hatzichristou Dimitrios
Published: May 2023

Background

Observational studies on the association of endourological procedures with renal parenchymal damage are lacking. This randomized trial examined the effect of standard percutaneous nephrolithotomy (sPCNL) in comparison with miniaturized-PCNL (mini-PCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for nephrolithiasis treatment on novel biomarkers of renal injury.

Methods

Seventy-five patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive sPCNL, mini-PCNL and RIRS for nephrolithiasis. The ratios of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) normalized for urinary creatinine (Cr) were calculated from urine samples collected at baseline (2-h preoperatively) and at 2-, 6-, 24- and 48-h postoperatively. Two-way mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was used to evaluate the effects of type of procedure and time on studied biomarkers.

Results

Between baseline and 2-h postoperatively, no significant differences were observed in NGAL/Cr changes between sPCNL [median (interquartile range) 9.46 (4.82–14.9)], mini-PCNL [12.78 (1.69–25.24)] and RIRS [6.42 (2.61–23.90)] (P = .902). Similarly, no between-group differences were observed for KIM-1/Cr (P = .853) and IL-18 (P = .980) at 2 h, and all biomarkers at any time-point postoperatively. Within-groups, significant increases from baseline were noted for NGAL/Cr (sPCNL, P < .001; mini-PCNL, P < .001; RIRS, P = .001), KIM-1/Cr and IL-18/Cr at 2 h; progressively lower increases from baseline were noted in all groups for KIM-1/Cr and IL-18/Cr at 6-, 24- and 48-h postoperatively. As such, a significant effect of time but not of type of procedure was evidenced with two-way mixed ANOVA. No significant between-group differences were observed in acute kidney injury incidence and complications.

Conclusions

The endourological procedures under study are associated with similar patterns of early tubular injury, detected by novel biomarkers, which is largely reduced within 48 h and no changes in glomerular function.