bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Design and characterization of effective solar cells
Authors: Ojha Varun , Jansen Giorgio , Patanè Andrea , La Magna Antonino , Romano Vittorio , Nicosia Giuseppe 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe propose a two-stage multi-objective optimization framework for full scheme solar cell structure design and characterization, cost minimization and quantum efficiency maximization. We evaluated structures of 15 different cell designs simulated by varying material types and photodiode doping strategies. At first, non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) produced Pareto-optimal-solutions sets for respective cell designs. Then, on investigating quantum efficiencies of all cell designs produced by NSGA-II, we applied a new multi-objective optimization algorithm II (OptIA-II) to discover the Pareto fronts of select (three) best cell designs. Our designed OptIA-II algorithm improved the quantum efficiencies of all select cell designs and reduced their fabrication costs. We observed that the cell design comprising an optimally doped zinc-oxide-based transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer and rough silver back reflector (BR) offered a quantum efficiency ($$Q_e$$

Q
e

) of 0.6031. Overall, this paper provides a full characterization of cell structure designs. It derives relationship between quantum efficiency, $$Q_e$$

Q
e

of a cell with its TCO layer’s doping methods and TCO and BR layer’s material types. Our solar cells design characterization enables us to perform a cost-benefit analysis of solar cells usage in real-world applications.
Determining the Uncertainty of Fetal Urine Production Rate Estimations
Authors: Fagerquist Mats , Carlsson Andreas , Imberg Henrik , Bokstrom Hans 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe fetal urinary bladder can be observed by ultrasound and the increasing bladder volume during a filling phase is assumed to reveal the urine production. Volumes, estimated at different time points within the filling phase, allow the hourly fetal urine production rate (HFUPR) to be estimated. HFUPR estimations may add to the knowledge of fetal reactions during obstetrical complications. However, it is essential to know the degree of measurement uncertainty. Otherwise, small deviations may be overrated when repeating HFUPR estimations. The purpose of the current paper was to introduce an interactive program for calculation of HFUPR and the related standard deviation (SD). Furthermore the aim was to evaluate factors which may influence the SD of HFUPR estimations. Using the office software Excel, an interactive program was created and the application was illustrated by the filling phases of 16 fetuses. This material also enabled different realistic sets of estimation data to be simulated. Thus, SDs were calculated based on various numbers of documented bladder images and investigation times. When three instead of two bladder images were used for HFUPR estimation, the mean of SD was reduced from 22.4 to 8.1 mL/h (p < 0.0001). When the time from the first to the last measurement expanded from 10 to 30 min and four bladder images were used, the mean of SD was reduced from 7.5 to 2.4 mL/h. (p < 0.0001). An interactive program for calculation of HFUPR and the related SD was provided. Reductions in the SD with increasing number of bladder measurements and time span between measurements were demonstrated.
Effects of Dietary Palygorskite Supplementation on Cecal Microbial Community Structure and the Abundance of Antibiotic-Resistant Genes in Broiler Chickens Fed With Chlortetracycline
Authors: Jin Rui , Chen Yueping , Kang Yuru , Gu Yunfeng , Wen Chao , Wang Aiqin , Zhou Yanmin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAntibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) have been regarded as emerging contaminants that threaten public health worldwide. Poultry excreta, often used as a fertilizer in agriculture, are a major route for the proliferation and dissemination of ARGs in the environment. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential of dietary palygorskite (Plg) supplementation as nutritional manipulation for the modulation of microbial community structure and the attenuation of ARGs in the cecal contents of broilers fed with chlortetracycline (CTC). In total, 256 one-day-old, mixed-sex, broiler chicks were allocated randomly into a 2 × 2 factorial design of four treatments, which consisted of two levels of CTC (0 or 50 mg/kg) and Plg (0 or 10 g/kg). By employing in vivo feeding and slaughter experiments, after collecting the cecal contents and extracting the total genomic DNA, 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable amplicon pyrosequencing and quantitative PCR-based approaches were used to address the impact of Plg on microbiota and the abundance of ARGs in broilers. The results showed that broilers given a diet supplemented with Plg had greater α-diversity indices including Chao1, phylogenetic diversity tree, and observed-species index calculations, when compared with those without Plg supplementation. Birds given a diet supplemented with Plg had fewer Firmicutes at the phylum level, but a greater abundance of Alistipes at the bacterial genus level. Dietary Plg counteracted the CTC-induced increased abundance of ARGs, among which tet(K) had a pronounced decrease, along with a similar decreased tendency for other measured ARGs and intI1. Overall, the results indicated that Plg supplementation caused pronounced changes in cecal microbial diversity and microbiota community composition of broilers, and effectively reduced ARGs, indicating that Plg supplementation is a potential alternative measure for the attenuation of ARGs in the cecal contents of broilers.
TRAGIC NOISE AND RHETORICAL FRIGIDITY IN LYCOPHRON'SALEXANDRA
Authors: Nelson Thomas J. , Molesworth Katherine 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper seeks to shed fresh light on the aesthetic and stylistic affiliations of Lycophron'sAlexandra, approaching the poem from two distinct but complementary angles. First, it explores what can be gained by reading Lycophron's poem against the backdrop of Callimachus’ poetry. It contends that theAlexandrapresents a radical and polemical departure from the Alexandrian's poetic programme, pointedly appropriating key Callimachean images while also countering Callimachus’ apparent dismissal of the ‘noisy’ tragic genre. Previous scholarship has noted links between the openings of theAetiaand of theAlexandra, but this article demonstrates that this relationship is only one part of a larger aesthetic divide between the two poets: by embracing the raucous acoustics of tragedy, Lycophron's poem offers a self-conscious and agonistic departure from Callimachus’ aesthetic preferences. Second, this article considers another way of conceiving the aesthetics of the poem beyond a Callimachean frame, highlighting how Lycophron pointedly engages with and evokes earlier Aristotelian literary criticism concerning the ‘frigid’ style: theAlexandraconstructs its own independent literary history centred around the alleged name of its author, ‘Lycophron’. The article proposes that this traditional attribution is best understood as a pen name that signposts the poem's stylistic affiliations, aligning it not so much with the Ptolemaic playwright Lycophron of Chalcis but rather with Lycophron the sophist and a larger rhetorical tradition of stylistic frigidity. Ultimately, through these two approaches, the article highlights further aspects of theAlexandra's aesthetic diversity.
Conflict antiquities’ rescue or ransom: The cost of buying back stolen cultural property in contexts of political violence
Authors: Hardy Samuel Andrew 
Published: May 2021

AbstractRescue has long been a defense for the removal of cultural property. Since the explosion of iconoclasm in West Asia, North Africa, and West Africa, there has been a growing demand for cultural property in danger zones to be “rescued” by being purchased and given “asylum” in “safe zones” (typically, in the market countries of Western Europe and North America). This article reviews evidence from natural experiments with the “rescue” of looted antiquities and stolen artifacts from across Asia and Europe. Unsurprisingly, the evidence reaffirms that “rescue” incentivizes looting, smuggling, and corruption, as well as forgery, and the accompanying destruction of knowledge. More significantly, “rescue” facilitates the laundering of “ordinary” illicit assets and may contribute to revenue streams of criminal organizations and violent political organizations; it may even weaken international support for insecure democracies. Ultimately, “rescue” by purchase appears incoherent, counter-productive, and dangerous for the victimized communities that it purports to support.
Combining the Theory and Practice of Peace and Conflict Studies through an Experiential Conflict Analysis Activity
Authors: Blewitt Amanda , Choi Christine , King Elisabeth 
Published: May 2021

ABSTRACTHow can political science classes best prepare undergraduate students for the field of peace and conflict studies (PACS)? We argue that well-designed experiential learning activities provide opportunities for students to embrace complexity and practice adaptability, fusing the theoretical and practical in ways that prepare them to engage in PACS. This article presents one such experiential learning approach: a conflict analysis activity. Through engaging in a messy learning process, students (1) gain an increased theoretical understanding of the complexity of conflict, (2) practice adaptability, and (3) increase their self-efficacy. We provide a step-by-step description of the Conflict Analysis Tool exercise and reflect on how well the activity enables the use of knowledge and skills relevant for PACS. Our goal is that the insights gained through our approach will be helpful to other educators—from PACS to international relations to American politics and beyond.
Spatial Distributions of At‐Many‐Stations Hydraulic Geometry for Mountain Rivers Originated From the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Authors: Qin Chao , Wu Baosheng , Wang Guangqian , Wang Ge 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAt‐many‐stations hydraulic geometry (AMHG) has provided a novel way to understand river network development, simulate water flow, and retrieve river discharge in data‐scared regions. Based on in‐situ measurements of six major rivers originating from the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (QTP), this study verifies the existence of AMHG relations along the rivers and explores AMHG relations for cross sections that are not located in the same river reach. The mainstreams and tributaries of the studied rivers in the southern and the eastern portions of the QTP have satisfactory AMHG relation strengths with R2 > 0.9 for over 60% of the relations. For cross sections located in the same stream order or within a certain range of contributing area (CA), approximately 60% (9/15) and 53% (8/15) of the AMHG relations have an R2 > 0.6. AMHG strength increases with increasing stream order and CA; this finding reflects the increasing coherence and maturity of the river networks associated with the geomorphic shaping power of increased discharge. Width‐AMHG intercepts are larger than those of depth‐AMHG and velocity‐AMHG for all stream orders and CAs. Most of the congruent hydraulics generated from cross sections located in middle‐scale rivers (orders 7–8) are within the observed range. Congruent hydraulics generally increase with an increase in in‐situ measured hydraulics when the stream order or the CA increases. The AMHG relations existing among cross sections that are not located in the same reach, which is named as cross channel AMHG, indicate linear variability of cross‐sectional geometric and hydraulic similarities in the same stream order or within a certain CA range. The results break the watershed divide boundary control on AMHG and have the potential to provide background knowledge for discharge estimation in mountain rivers located in the QTP.
First Comparison of Traveling Atmospheric Disturbances Observed in the Middle Thermosphere by Global‐Scale Observations of the Limb and Disk to Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Seen in Ground‐Based Total Electron Content Observations
Authors: England Scott L. , Greer Katelynn R. , Zhang Shun‐Rong , Evans Scott , Solomon Stanley C. , Eastes Richard W. , McClintock William E. , Burns Alan G. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractTraveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) and their neutral counterparts known as traveling atmospheric disturbances (TADs) are believed to play a role in communicating inputs to other locations in the fluid. While these two phenomena are believed to be connected, they may not have a one‐to‐one correspondence as the geomagnetic field influences the TID but has no direct impact on the TAD. The relative amplitudes of the perturbations seen in the ionosphere and atmosphere have been observed but rarely together. This study reports results from a 3‐day campaign to observe TIDs and TADs simultaneously over a broad latitudinal region over the eastern United States using a combination of Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) and a distributed network of ground‐based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. These results demonstrate that GOLD and the ground‐based total electron content (TEC) observations can see the atmospheric and ionospheric portions of a large‐scale traveling disturbance. The phase difference in the perturbations to the GOLD airglow brightness, O/N2 and thermospheric disk temperature are consistent with an atmospheric gravity wave moving through this region. The ionospheric signatures move at the same rate as those in the atmosphere, but their amplitudes do not have a simple correspondence to the amplitude of the signal seen in the atmosphere. This campaign demonstrates a proof‐of‐concept that this combination of observations is able to provide information on TIDs and TADs, including quantifying their impact on the temperature and chemical composition of the upper atmosphere.
Proximity to Undersaturation and the Influences on G. bulloides Area‐Density in Southern Indian Ocean Marine Sediments
Authors: Umling N. E. , Saad B. , Sikes E. , Goodkin N. F. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe area density proxy of foraminiferal shell thickness and calcification intensity has the potential to provide information about past ocean CO2 content and has the benefit of small sample requirements, simple analytical techniques, and the ability to re‐use the analyzed foraminifera for other paleo‐proxies. Using a series of multicore core‐tops collected from the southeastern Indian Ocean (1.8–3.8 km water depth), we evaluate the reliability of utilizing area density values of Globigerina bulloides from sediment cores to estimate surface ocean carbonate parameters. Because foraminifera in marine sediments can rarely be considered “pristine” (or “glassy”), we grouped area density measurements of shells to designate various stages of diagenesis. Visual signs of alteration were apparent at area density values as low as ∼0.122 × 104 µg/µm2, with deviations from the “pristine” endmember beginning at area density values of ∼0.087 × 104 µg/µm2. We find that increases in area density overprint the surface ocean carbonate signature in thicker (>0.122 × 104 µg/µm2 shells), but small increases associated with marine sedimentary burial and diagenesis can be accounted for, allowing this proxy to be applied back in time. Reconstructing the distribution of area density values in a given sample has the potential to provide valuable information on overall sample preservation by estimating the percent of well‐preserved shells (<0.122 × 104 µg/µm2; %wp) in a given sample. Our %wp metric has the potential for use as a proxy for lysocline variability in addition to assessing the suitability of marine sediment samples for surface ocean reconstructions.
UBQLN1 mediates sorafenib resistance through regulating mitochondrial biogenesis and ROS homeostasis by targeting PGC1β in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Xu Junjie , Ji Lin , Ruan Yeling , Wan Zhe , Lin Zhongjie , Xia Shunjie , Tao Liye , Zheng Junhao , Cai Liuxin , Wang Yifan , Liang Xiao , Cai Xiujun 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is promising in recent years, but still facing critical challenges. The first targeted therapy, sorafenib, prolonged the overall survival by months. However, resistance often occurs, largely limits its efficacy. Sorafenib was found to target the electron transport chain complexes, which results in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). To maintain sorafenib resistance and further facilitate tumor progression, cancer cells develop strategies to overcome excessive ROS production and obtain resistance to oxidative stress-induced cell death. In the present study, we investigated the roles of ROS in sorafenib resistance, and found suppressed ROS levels and reductive redox states in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells. Mitochondria in sorafenib-resistant cells maintained greater functional and morphological integrity under the treatment of sorafenib. However, cellular oxygen consumption rate and mitochondria DNA content analyses revealed fewer numbers of mitochondria in sorafenib-resistant cells. Further investigation attributed this finding to decreased mitochondrial biogenesis, likely caused by the accelerated degradation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1β (PGC1β). Mechanistic dissection showed that upregulated UBQLN1 induced PGC1β degradation in a ubiquitination-independent manner to attenuate mitochondrial biogenesis and ROS production in sorafenib-resistant cells under sorafenib treatment. Furthermore, clinical investigations further indicated that the patients with higher UBQLN1 levels experienced worse recurrence-free survival. In conclusion, we propose a novel mechanism involving mitochondrial biogenesis and ROS homeostasis in sorafenib resistance, which may offer new therapeutic targets and strategies for HCC patients.
Genomic evolution of the class Acidithiobacillia: deep-branching Proteobacteria living in extreme acidic conditions
Authors: Moya-Beltrán Ana , Beard Simón , Rojas-Villalobos Camila , Issotta Francisco , Gallardo Yasna , Ulloa Ricardo , Giaveno Alejandra , Degli Esposti Mauro , Johnson D Barrie , Quatrini Raquel 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Members of the genus Acidithiobacillus, now ranked within the class Acidithiobacillia, are model bacteria for the study of chemolithotrophic energy conversion under extreme conditions. Knowledge of the genomic and taxonomic diversity of Acidithiobacillia is still limited. Here, we present a systematic analysis of nearly 100 genomes from the class sampled from a wide range of habitats. Some of these genomes are new and others have been reclassified on the basis of advanced genomic analysis, thus defining 19 Acidithiobacillia lineages ranking at different taxonomic levels. This work provides the most comprehensive classification and pangenomic analysis of this deep-branching class of Proteobacteria to date. The phylogenomic framework obtained illuminates not only the evolutionary past of this lineage, but also the molecular evolution of relevant aerobic respiratory proteins, namely the cytochrome bo3 ubiquinol oxidases.
LncRNA CD27-AS1 promotes acute myeloid leukemia progression through the miR-224-5p/PBX3 signaling circuit
Authors: Tao Yanling , Zhang Jingjing , Chen Lulu , Liu Xin , Yao Mingkang , Zhang Hao 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy with a low cure rate, especially in the elderly. Previous studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the biological roles and clinical significances of most lncRNAs in AML are not fully understood. LncRNA CD27 Antisense RNA 1 (CD27-AS1), as a member of lncRNA family, has rare reports on its function. In present study, we found that the expression of CD27-AS1 examined by quantitative real-time PCR was markedly increased in the AML patients (N = 40) compared with healthy volunteers (N = 40). The overall survival time was significantly shorter in patients with higher CD27-AS1 expression than that in patients with lower CD27-AS1 (P < 0.01). Furthermore, downregulation of CD27-AS1 in AML cells suppressed proliferative ability, arrested cell cycle in G0/G1 phase, and induced apoptosis. However, CD27-AS1 overexpression further enhanced the malignant phenotype of AML cells. Additionally, CD27-AS1 was proved to increase PBX3 expression through sponging miR-224-5p. CD27-AS1 knockdown blocked the MAPK signaling through PBX3 silencing and further inhibited the cell growth of AML cells. Taken together, we demonstrate that CD27-AS1 may be a potential prognostic biomarker of AML, and our finding also provides a new insight for non-coding RNA-based therapeutic intervention of AML.
Gene-level metagenomic architectures across diseases yield high-resolution microbiome diagnostic indicators
Authors: Tierney Braden T. , Tan Yingxuan , Kostic Aleksandar D. , Patel Chirag J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe propose microbiome disease “architectures”: linking >1 million microbial features (species, pathways, and genes) to 7 host phenotypes from 13 cohorts using a pipeline designed to identify associations that are robust to analytical model choice. Here, we quantify conservation and heterogeneity in microbiome-disease associations, using gene-level analysis to identify strain-specific, cross-disease, positive and negative associations. We find coronary artery disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, and liver cirrhosis to share gene-level signatures ascribed to the Streptococcus genus. Type 2 diabetes, by comparison, has a distinct metagenomic signature not linked to any one specific species or genus. We additionally find that at the species-level, the prior-reported connection between Solobacterium moorei and colorectal cancer is not consistently identified across models—however, our gene-level analysis unveils a group of robust, strain-specific gene associations. Finally, we validate our findings regarding colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases in independent cohorts and identify that features inversely associated with disease tend to be less reproducible than features enriched in disease. Overall, our work is not only a step towards gene-based, cross-disease microbiome diagnostic indicators, but it also illuminates the nuances of the genetic architecture of the human microbiome, including tension between gene- and species-level associations.
The genetic architecture of the human thalamus and its overlap with ten common brain disorders
Authors: Elvsåshagen Torbjørn , Shadrin Alexey , Frei Oleksandr , van der Meer Dennis , Bahrami Shahram , Kumar Vinod Jangir , Smeland Olav , Westlye Lars T. , Andreassen Ole A. , Kaufmann Tobias 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe thalamus is a vital communication hub in the center of the brain and consists of distinct nuclei critical for consciousness and higher-order cortical functions. Structural and functional thalamic alterations are involved in the pathogenesis of common brain disorders, yet the genetic architecture of the thalamus remains largely unknown. Here, using brain scans and genotype data from 30,114 individuals, we identify 55 lead single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 42 genetic loci and 391 genes associated with volumes of the thalamus and its nuclei. In an independent validation sample (n = 5173) 53 out of the 55 lead SNPs of the discovery sample show the same effect direction (sign test,P = 8.6e-14). We map the genetic relationship between thalamic nuclei and 180 cerebral cortical areas and find overlapping genetic architectures consistent with thalamocortical connectivity. Pleiotropy analyses between thalamic volumes and ten psychiatric and neurological disorders reveal shared variants for all disorders. Together, these analyses identify genetic loci linked to thalamic nuclei and substantiate the emerging view of the thalamus having central roles in cortical functioning and common brain disorders.