bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural Evolution of High‐Performance Mn‐Alloyed Thermoelectric Materials: A Case Study of SnTe
Authors: Sun Qiang , Chen Zhi‐Yu , Li Meng , Shi Xiao‐Lei , Xu Sheng‐Duo , Yin Yu , Dargusch Matthew , Zou Jin , Ang Ran , Chen Zhi‐Gang 
Published: May 2021

AbstractMn alloying in thermoelectrics is a long‐standing strategy for enhancing their figure‐of‐merit through optimizing electronic transport properties by band convergence, valley perturbation, or spin‐orbital coupling. By contrast, mechanisms by which Mn contributes to suppressing thermal transports, namely thermal conductivity, is still ambiguous. A few precedent studies indicate that Mn introduces a series of hierarchical defects from the nano‐ to meso‐scale, leading to effective phonon scattering scoping a wide frequency spectrum. Due to insufficient insights at the atomic level, the theory remains as phenomenological and cannot be used to quantitatively predict the thermal conductivity of Mn‐alloyed thermoelectrics. Herein, by choosing the SnTe as a case study, aberration‐corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM)/scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to characterize the lattice complexity of Sn1.02−xMnxTe is employed. Mn as a “dynamic” dopant that plays an important role in SnTe with respect to different alloying levels or post treatments is revealed. The results indicate that Mn precipitates at x = 0.08 prior to reaching solubility (≈10 mol%), and then splits into MnSn substitution and γ‐MnTe hetero‐phases via mechanical alloying. Understanding such unique crystallography evolution, combined with a modified Debye‐Callaway model, is critical in explaining the decreased thermal conductivity of Sn1.02−xMnxTe with rational phonon scattering pathways, which should be applicable for other thermoelectric systems.
Co‐infection analysis of bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens from clinically healthy swine in Eastern China
Authors: Zhu Haodan , Chang Xinjian , Zhou Jinzhu , Wang Dandan , Zhou Junming , Fan Baochao , Ni Yanxiu , Yin Jie , Lv Lixin , Zhao Yongxiang , He Kongwang , Li Bin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPorcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) is one of the most challenging health concerns for pig production worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of pathogens associated with PRDC, including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and bacterial agents, such as Streptococcus suis, Haemophilus parasuis and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, in clinically healthy pigs in Eastern China. Molecular detection revealed positive single‐pathogen detection rates of 59.9%, 27.2%, 52.3%, 33.2% and 0.4% for PCV2, PRRSV, S. suis, H. parasuis and A. pleuropneumoniae, respectively. Co‐infection with more than one pathogen was frequently detected in these samples, with PCV2/S. suis, H. parasuis and PCV2/H. parasuis mixed infection rates of 35.4%, 33.2% and 21.6%, respectively, and PCV2/S. suis/H. parasuis and PRRSV/PCV2/S. suis co‐infection rates of 21.6% and 6.2%, respectively. These results suggest that mixed infections are prevalent among PRDC cases in swine, which may pose a greater threat to the health of herds compared with single‐pathogen infections.
Text‐based question answering from information retrieval and deep neural network perspectives: A survey
Authors: Abbasiantaeb Zahra , Momtazi Saeedeh 
Published: May 2021

AbstractText‐based question answering (QA) is a challenging task which aims at finding short concrete answers for users' questions. This line of research has been widely studied with information retrieval (IR) techniques and has received increasing attention in recent years by considering deep neural network approaches. Deep learning (DL) approaches, which are the main focus of this paper, provide a powerful technique to learn multiple layers of representations and interaction between the questions and the answer sentences. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of different models proposed for the QA task, including both a traditional IR perspective and a more recent deep neural network environment. We also introduce well‐known datasets for the task and present available results from the literature to have a comparison between different techniques.This article is categorized under:
Algorithmic Development > Text Mining
Technologies > Machine Learning
Boosting endoplasmic reticulum folding capacity reduces unfolded protein response activation and intracellular accumulation of human kidney anion exchanger 1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Li Xiaobing , Cordat Emmanuelle , Schmitt Manfred J. , Becker Björn 
Published: May 2021

AbstractHuman kidney anion exchanger 1 (kAE1) facilitates simultaneous efflux of bicarbonate and absorption of chloride at the basolateral membrane of α‐intercalated cells. In these cells, kAE1 contributes to systemic acid–base balance along with the proton pump v‐H+‐ATPase and the cytosolic carbonic anhydrase II. Recent electron microscopy analyses in yeast demonstrate that heterologous expression of several kAE1 variants causes a massive accumulation of the anion transporter in intracellular membrane structures. Here, we examined the origin of these kAE1 aggregations in more detail. Using various biochemical techniques and advanced light and electron microscopy, we showed that accumulation of kAE1 mainly occurs in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes which eventually leads to strong unfolded protein response (UPR) activation and severe growth defect in kAE1 expressing yeast cells. Furthermore, our data indicate that UPR activation is dose dependent and uncoupled from the bicarbonate transport activity. By using truncated kAE1 variants, we identified the C‐terminal region of kAE1 as crucial factor for the increased ER stress level. Finally, a redistribution of ER‐localized kAE1 to the cell periphery was achieved by boosting the ER folding capacity. Our findings not only demonstrate a promising strategy for preventing intracellular kAE1 accumulation and improving kAE1 plasma membrane targeting but also highlight the versatility of yeast as model to investigate kAE1‐related research questions including the analysis of structural features, protein degradation and trafficking. Furthermore, our approach might be a promising strategy for future analyses to further optimize the cell surface targeting of other disease‐related PM proteins, not only in yeast but also in mammalian cells.
NNLO QCD corrections to leptonic observables in top-quark pair production and decay
Authors: Czakon Michał , Mitov Alexander , Poncelet Rene 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
We calculate a comprehensive set of spin correlations and differential distributions in top-quark pair production and decay to dilepton final states. Our calculation is performed in the Narrow Width Approximation. This is the first time such a complete study is performed at next-to-next-to leading order in QCD. Both inclusive and fiducial distributions are presented and analyzed. Good agreement between NNLO QCD predictions and data is found. We demonstrate that it is possible to perform high-precision comparisons of fixed-order calculations with fiducial-level data. Subtleties of the top quark definition are raised and clarified. Some of those are found to have a very significant impact on top-quark pair production at absolute threshold.
Using probabilistic genotypes in linkage analysis of polyploids
Authors: Liao Yanlin , Voorrips Roeland E. , Bourke Peter M. , Tumino Giorgio , Arens Paul , Visser Richard G. F. , Smulders Marinus J. M. , Maliepaard Chris 
Published: May 2021

AbstractKey messageIn polyploids, linkage mapping is carried out using genotyping with discrete dosage scores. Here, we use probabilistic genotypes and we validate it for the construction of polyploid linkage maps.AbstractMarker genotypes are generally called as discrete values: homozygous versus heterozygous in the case of diploids, or an integer allele dosage in the case of polyploids. Software for linkage map construction and/or QTL analysis usually relies on such discrete genotypes. However, it may not always be possible, or desirable, to assign definite values to genotype observations in the presence of uncertainty in the genotype calling. Here, we present an approach that uses probabilistic marker dosages for linkage map construction in polyploids. We compare our method to an approach based on discrete dosages, using simulated SNP array and sequence reads data with varying levels of data quality. We validate our approach using experimental data from a potato (Solanum tuberosumL.) SNP array applied to an F1 mapping population. In comparison to the approach based on discrete dosages, we mapped an additional 562 markers. All but three of these were mapped to the expected chromosome and marker position. For the remaining three markers, no physical position was known. The use of dosage probabilities is of particular relevance for map construction in polyploids using sequencing data, as these often result in a higher level of uncertainty regarding allele dosage.
Smooth 2-Group Extensions and Symmetries of Bundle Gerbes
Authors: Bunk Severin , Müller Lukas , Szabo Richard J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe study bundle gerbes on manifolds M that carry an action of a connected Lie group G. We show that these data give rise to a smooth 2-group extension of G by the smooth 2-group of hermitean line bundles on M. This 2-group extension classifies equivariant structures on the bundle gerbe, and its non-triviality poses an obstruction to the existence of equivariant structures. We present a new global approach to the parallel transport of a bundle gerbe with connection, and use it to give an alternative construction of this smooth 2-group extension in terms of a homotopy-coherent version of the associated bundle construction. We apply our results to give new descriptions of nonassociative magnetic translations in quantum mechanics and the Faddeev–Mickelsson–Shatashvili anomaly in quantum field theory. We also propose a definition of smooth string 2-group models within our geometric framework. Starting from a basic gerbe on a compact simply-connected Lie group G, we prove that the smooth 2-group extensions of G arising from our construction provide new models for the string group of G.
Multi-year assessment of variability in spatial and social relationships in a subterranean rodent, the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus)
Authors: O’Brien Shannon L. , Tammone Mauro N. , Cuello Pablo A. , Lacey Eileen A. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn some species, populations routinely contain a mixture of lone and group-living individuals. Such facultative sociality may reflect individual differences in behavior as well as adaptive responses to variation in local environmental conditions. To explore interactions between individual- and population-level variabilities in behavior in a species provisionally described as facultatively social, we examined spatial and social relationships within a population of highland tuco-tucos (Ctenomys opimus) at Laguna de los Pozuelos, Jujuy Province, Argentina. Using data collected over 5 consecutive years, we sought to (1) confirm the regular occurrence of both lone and group-living individuals and (2) characterize the temporal consistency of individual social relationships. Our analyses revealed that although the study population typically contained lone as well as group-living animals, individual spatial and social relationships varied markedly over time. Specifically, the extent to which individuals remained resident in the same location across years varied, as did the number of conspecifics with which an animal lived, with an overall tendency for individuals to live in larger groups over successive years. Collectively, these analyses indicate that population-level patterns of behavior inC. opimusare consistent with facultative sociality but that this variation does not arise due to persistent differences in individual behavior (i.e., living alone versus with conspecifics). Instead, based on changes in spatial and social relationships across years, we suggest that variation in the tendency to live in groups is shaped primarily by local ecological and demographic conditions.Significance statementCharacterizing variation in conspecific relationships is critical to understanding the adaptive bases for social behavior. Using data collected over 5 successive years, we examined temporal variation in spatial and social relationships within a population of highland tuco-tucos (C. opimus) from northern Argentina. In addition to providing the first multi-year assessment of the behavior and demography of this species, our analyses generate important insights into relationships between individual behavior and population-level patterns of social organization. The behavioral variability evident in our study population suggests thatC. opimusis an ideal system in which to explore the causes and consequences of individual differences in social behavior.
Minimally Invasive Oncologic Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery can be Performed Safely on all Weekdays: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Authors: Voeten Daan M. , Elfrink Arthur K. E. , Gisbertz Suzanne S. , Ruurda Jelle P. , van Hillegersberg Richard , van Berge Henegouwen Mark I. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundExisting literature suggests deteriorating surgical outcome of esophagogastric surgery as the week progresses. However, these studies were conducted in the pre‐centralization and pre‐minimally invasive era. In addition, they failed to correct for fixed weekdays of esophagogastric cancer surgery among hospitals. This study aimed to describe the impact of weekday of minimally invasive upper gastrointestinal surgery on short‐term surgical outcomes.MethodsAll patients registered in the Dutch Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Audit who underwent curative minimally invasive esophageal or gastric carcinoma surgery in 2015–2019, were included in this nationwide cohort study. Using multilevel multivariable logistic regression, the impact of weekday of surgery on 14 short‐term surgical outcomes was investigated. To correct for interhospital variance in fixed weekday(s) of surgery multilevel analyses was used. Results were adjusted for patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics using multivariable logistic regression analyses.ResultsThis study included 4,102 patients undergoing minimally invasive upper gastrointestinal surgery (2,968 esophageal cancer and 1,134 gastric cancer patients). Weekday of surgery did not impact postoperative complications, severe postoperative complications, surgical/technical complications, medical complications, anastomotic leakage, complicated postoperative course, failure to rescue, surgical radicality, lymph node yield, 30‐day/in‐hospital mortality, reinterventions, length of ICU stay, 30‐day readmission, and textbook outcome after neither esophageal cancer nor gastric cancer surgery.ConclusionsMinimally invasive esophagogastric surgery can be performed safely on all weekdays with respect to short‐term surgical outcomes, which is important information for operation room scheduling.
Concentrations-dependent effect of exogenous abscisic acid on photosynthesis, growth and phenolic content of Dracocephalum moldavica L. under drought stress
Authors: Khaleghnezhad Vahideh , Yousefi Ali Reza , Tavakoli Afshin , Farajmand Bahman , Mastinu Andrea 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Main Conclusion
The drought conditions and the application of ABA reduce the photosynthetic activity, and the processes related to the transpiration of Dracocephalum moldavica L. At the same time, the plant increases the production of phenolic compounds and essential oil as a response to stress conditions.

Abstract
In the semi-arid regions, drought stress is the most important environmental limitations for crop production. Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a crucial role in the reactions of plants towards environmental stress such as drought. Field experiments for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017 were conducted to evaluate the effect of three watering regimes (well-watered, moderate and severe drought) and five exogenous ABA concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 and 40 μM) on growth, photosynthesis, total phenolic and essential oil content of Dracocephalum moldavica L. Without ABA application, the highest photosynthetic rate (6.1 μmol CO2 m−2 s−1) was obtained under well-watered condition and, moderate and severe drought stress decreased photosynthesis rate by 26.39% and 34.43%, respectively. Some growth parameters such as stem height, leaf area, leaf dry weight and biological yield were also reduced by drought stress. ABA application showed a decreasing trend in photosynthesis rate and mentioned plant growth parameters under all moisture regimes. The highest seed yield (1243.56 kg ha−1) was obtained under well-watered condition without ABA application. Increasing ABA concentration decreased seed yield in all moisture regimes. The highest total phenolic content (8.9 mg g−1 FW) and essential oil yield (20.58 kg ha−1) were obtained from 20 and 5 μM ABA concentration, respectively, under moderate drought stress.
Extensive divergence of projections to the forebrain from neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus
Authors: Li Sa , Dong Xinwen , Kirouac Gilbert J. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractNeurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) respond to emotionally salient events and project densely to subcortical regions known to mediate adaptive behavioral responses. The areas of the forebrain most densely innervated by the PVT include striatal-like subcortical regions that consist of the shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAcSh), the dorsolateral region of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTDL) and the lateral-capsular division of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeL). A recent tracing experiment demonstrated that the PVT is composed of two intermixed populations of neurons that primarily project to either the dorsomedial (dmNAcSh) or ventromedial region of the NAcSh (vmNAcSh) with many of the vmNAcSh projecting neurons providing collateral innervation of the BSTDL and CeL. The present study used triple injections of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B to provide a detailed map of the location of PVT neurons that provide collaterals to the vmNAcSh, BSTDL and CeL. These neurons were intermixed throughout the PVT and did not form uniquely localized subpopulations. An intersectional viral anterograde tracing approach was used to demonstrate that regardless of its presumed target of innervation (dmNAcSh, vmNAcSh, BSTDL, or CeL), most neurons in the PVT provide collateral innervation to a common set of forebrain regions. The paper shows that PVT-dmNAcSh projecting neurons provide the most divergent projection system and that these neurons express the immediate early gene product cFos following an aversive incident. We propose that the PVT may regulate a broad range of responses to physiological and psychological challenges by simultaneously influencing functionally diverse regions of the forebrain that include the cortex, striatal-like regions in the basal forebrain and a number of hypothalamic nuclei.
Climate change impacts on potential maize yields in Gambella Region, Ethiopia
Authors: Degife Azeb W. , Zabel Florian , Mauser Wolfram 
Published: May 2021

AbstractChanging climate conditions are supposed to have particularly strong impacts on agricultural production in the tropics with strong implications on food security. Ethiopia’s economy is profoundly dominated by agriculture, contributing to around 40% of the gross domestic product. Thereby, Ethiopia is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impact of climate change and has a wide gap in regional climate change impact studies. In this study, we systematically investigate climate change impacts on yields for the Gambella region in Ethiopia, exemplarily for maize. Here, we show how yields change until 2100 for RCPs 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 from a climate model ensemble under rainfed and irrigated conditions. While rainfed yields decrease by 15% and 14% respectively for RCPs 2.6 and 4.5, yields decrease by up to 32% under RCP 8.5. Except for RCP 8.5, yields are not further decreasing after 2040–2069. We found that temperature increase, changing soil water availability, and atmospheric CO2 concentration have different effects on the simulated yield potential. Our results demonstrate the dominance of heat response under future climate conditions in the tropical Gambella region, contributing to 85% of total yield changes. Accordingly, irrigation will lose effectiveness for increasing yield when temperature becomes the limiting factor. CO2, on the other hand, contributes positively to yield changes by 8.9% for RCP 8.5. For all scenarios, the growing period is shorted due to increasing temperature by up to 29 days for RCP 8.5. Our results suggest that new varieties with higher growing degree days are primarily required to the region for adapting to future climate conditions.
Arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium in coal ash from individual household furnaces
Authors: Kleszcz Krzysztof , Karoń Iwona , Zagrodzki Paweł , Paśko Paweł 
Published: May 2021

Abstract52 coal ash samples from individual households were analyzed to determine the pH and the concentrations of four toxic elements: arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium. The method used was atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite-furnace atomization. The ash samples originated from various coal grades and statistical analysis showed existing correlations between the concentrations of studied elements, pH and the coal grades. The maximum concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead and thallium were 50,900, 43,500, 128,900, and 6660 µg/kg, respectively. The results were compared with the published data for the ash of industrial origin.
Terraced landscapes of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (Lebanon): analysis of geomorphological variables
Authors: Corrieri Federica , Piras Francesco , Abou Assi Marwa , Focacci Marco , Conti Leonardo 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis work aims to characterize the agricultural heritage system surrounding the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) in Lebanon, through a landscape analysis based on assessing current ecosystems. In the past, the SBR landscape was intensively terraced and cultivated to produce many different crops. Today, although the terraced surface has been reduced, it is still a characteristic of the area, encouraging the quality of the landscape and increasing local biodiversity. During and after the war (the 1950s), the migration of population caused the abandonment of many cultivated terraces with the loss of a wide range of ecosystem services. This trend should be reversed to ensure these ecosystem services. The diversity of the land uses, and the richness of fauna and flora species raise the importance of the role of the SBR in maintaining the complex ecosystem and increasing its resilience capacity. The objectives of preserving biocultural diversity and traditional local agricultural practices can be achieved through sustainable development policies for the dynamic conservation of landscapes. In this study, it was shown that distance from roads to terraced areas is a fundamental factor in the preservation and maintenance of terraces. As well as the aspect and the slope influence the positioning of the terraces and therefore the species cultivated on them.