bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Temporally organized representations of reward and risk in the human brain
Authors: Man Vincent , Cockburn Jeffrey , Flouty Oliver , Gander Phillip E. , Sawada Masahiro , Kovach Christopher K. , Kawasaki Hiroto , Oya Hiroyuki , Howard III Matthew A. , O’Doherty John P. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe value and uncertainty associated with choice alternatives constitute critical features relevant for decisions. However, the manner in which reward and risk representations are temporally organized in the brain remains elusive. Here we leverage the spatiotemporal precision of intracranial electroencephalography, along with a simple card game designed to elicit the unfolding computation of a set of reward and risk variables, to uncover this temporal organization. Reward outcome representations across wide-spread regions follow a sequential order along the anteroposterior axis of the brain. In contrast, expected value can be decoded from multiple regions at the same time, and error signals in both reward and risk domains reflect a mixture of sequential and parallel encoding. We further highlight the role of the anterior insula in generalizing between reward prediction error and risk prediction error codes. Together our results emphasize the importance of neural dynamics for understanding value-based decisions under uncertainty.
Drivers and impact of the early silent invasion of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha
Authors: Faucher Benjamin , Sabbatini Chiara E. , Czuppon Peter , Kraemer Moritz U. G. , Lemey Philippe , Colizza Vittoria , Blanquart François , Boëlle Pierre-Yves , Poletto Chiara 
Published: March 2024

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) circulated cryptically before being identified as a threat, delaying interventions. Here we studied the drivers of such silent spread and its epidemic impact to inform future response planning. We focused on Alpha spread out of the UK. We integrated spatio-temporal records of international mobility, local epidemic growth and genomic surveillance into a Bayesian framework to reconstruct the first three months after Alpha emergence. We found that silent circulation lasted from days to months and decreased with the logarithm of sequencing coverage. Social restrictions in some countries likely delayed the establishment of local transmission, mitigating the negative consequences of late detection. Revisiting the initial spread of Alpha supports local mitigation at the destination in case of emerging events.
Spatially selective delivery of living magnetic microrobots through torque-focusing
Authors: Mirkhani Nima , Christiansen Michael G. , Gwisai Tinotenda , Menghini Stefano , Schuerle Simone 
Published: March 2024

AbstractRotating magnetic fields enable biomedical microrobots to overcome physiological barriers and promote extravasation and accumulation in tumors. Nevertheless, targeting deeply situated tumors requires suppression of off-target actuation in healthy tissue. Here, we investigate a control strategy for applying spatially selective torque density to microrobots by combining rotating fields with magnetostatic selection fields. Taking magnetotactic bacteria as diffuse torque-based actuators, we numerically model off-target torque suppression, indicating the feasibility of centimeter to millimeter resolution for human applications. We study focal torque application in vitro, observing off-target suppression of actuation-dependent effects such as colonization of bacteria in tumor spheroids. We then design and construct a mouse-scale torque-focusing apparatus capable of maneuvering the focal point. Applying this system to a mouse tumor model increased accumulation of intravenously injected bacteria within tumors receiving focused actuation compared to non-actuated or globally actuated groups. This control scheme combines the advantages of torque-based actuation with spatial targeting.
Deciphering the contributing motifs of reconstructed cobalt (II) sulfides catalysts in Li-CO2 batteries
Authors: Liu Yingqi , Zhang Zhiyuan , Tan Junyang , Chen Biao , Lu Bingyi , Mao Rui , Liu Bilu , Wang Dashuai , Zhou Guangmin , Cheng Hui-Ming 
Published: March 2024

AbstractDeveloping highly efficient catalysts is significant for Li-CO2 batteries. However, understanding the exact structure of catalysts during battery operation remains a challenge, which hampers knowledge-driven optimization. Here we use X-ray absorption spectroscopy to probe the reconstruction of CoSx (x = 8/9, 1.097, and 2) pre-catalysts and identify the local geometric ligand environment of cobalt during cycling in the Li-CO2 batteries. We find that different oxidized states after reconstruction are decisive to battery performance. Specifically, complete oxidation on CoS1.097 and Co9S8 leads to electrochemical performance deterioration, while oxidation on CoS2 terminates with Co-S4-O2 motifs, leading to improved activity. Density functional theory calculations show that partial oxidation contributes to charge redistributions on cobalt and thus facilitates the catalytic ability. Together, the spectroscopic and electrochemical results provide valuable insight into the structural evolution during cycling and the structure-activity relationship in the electrocatalyst study of Li-CO2 batteries.
Molecular near-infrared triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion with eigen oxygen immunity
Authors: Wang Xinyu , Ding Fangwei , Jia Tao , Li Feng , Ding Xiping , Deng Ruibin , Lin Kaifeng , Yang Yulin , Wu Wenzhi , Xia Debin , Chen Guanying 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMolecular triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion often experiences drastic luminescence quenching in the presence of oxygen molecules, posing a significant constraint on practical use in aerated conditions. We present an oxygen-immune near-infrared triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion system utilizing non-organometallic cyanine sensitizers (λex = 808 nm) and chemically synthesized benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-b][1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline dyes with a defined dimer structure as annihilators (λem = 650 nm). This system exhibits ultrastable upconversion under continuous laser irradiance (>480 mins) or extended storage (>7 days) in aerated solutions. Mechanistic investigations reveal rapid triplet-triplet energy transfer from sensitizer to annihilators, accompanied by remarkably low triplet oxygen quenching efficiencies ($${\eta }_{{{{\mbox{O}}}}_{2}}$$

η

O

2

< 13% for the sensitizer, <3.7% for the annihilator), endowing the bicomponent triplet-triplet annihilation system with inherent oxygen immunity. Our findings unlock the direct and potent utilization of triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion systems in real-world applications, demonstrated by the extended and sensitive nanosensing of peroxynitrite radicals in the liver under in vivo nitrosative stress.
Field-controlled multicritical behavior and emergent universality in fully frustrated quantum magnets
Authors: Fan Yuchen , Xi Ning , Liu Changle , Normand Bruce , Yu Rong 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPhase transitions in condensed matter are a source of exotic emergent properties. We study the fully frustrated bilayer Heisenberg antiferromagnet to demonstrate that an applied magnetic field creates a previously unknown emergent criticality. The quantum phase diagram contains four states with distinctly different symmetries, all but one pair separated by first-order transitions. We show by quantum Monte Carlo simulations that the thermal phase diagram is dominated by a wall of discontinuities extending between the dimer-triplet phases and the singlet-containing phases. This wall is terminated at finite temperatures by a critical line, which becomes multicritical where the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition of the dimer-triplet antiferromagnet and the thermal Ising transition of the singlet-triplet crystal phase also terminate. The combination of merging symmetries leads to a 4-state Potts universality not contained in the microscopic Hamiltonian, which we interpret within the Ashkin-Teller model. Our results represent a systematic step in understanding emergent phenomena in quantum magnetic materials, including the “Shastry-Sutherland compound” SrCu2(BO3)2.
Bio-economic potential of ethno-entomophagy and its therapeutics in India
Authors: Devi Wahengbam Deepanita , Bonysana Rajkumari , Singh Kabrambam Dasanta , Koijam Arunkumar Singh , Mukherjee Pulok Kumar , Rajashekar Yallappa 
Published: March 2024

AbstractInsects are the largest group of arthropods with the highest faunal diversity of over a million species. Apart from many other roles in the environment, the aspect of several insects being used for human consumption (entomophagy) and as traditional medicine (entomotherapy) by different communities of the world holds special significance for countering global food crisis. The enormous insect resources contribute a reasonable share in improving the livelihoods of many entomophagy practicing communities. Considering this significance, the present review emphasizes the bio-economic potential of insect resources. An overview of entomophagy practices in India; benefits towards the environment, humans and animals; insect species used in entomophagy along with therapeutic importance, nutritional, physical, chemical, and microbiological hazards; farming and mass production technologies; legal status and socio-economic implications in Indian scenario have been presented. Traditionally tested and accepted therapeutic use of edible insects have been reported to cure various disease conditions and calls for scientific exploration and validation to rediscover promising medical products of modern medicine. Edible insects as an alternative food need to be popularized in India with a new policy or regulation to harvest and sell insect-derived food products with proper safe consumption demonstrations. Considering the facts that insects reproduce in large numbers at a faster rate, require less land, water and other resources for farming, and economically and ecologically sustainable harvesting can be done in a short time, insect farming can offer revenue and rural job opportunities in developing countries, especially in India. Therefore, the traditional use of insects as food and medicine has tremendous potential to enhance the economy and living standards.
Re-analysis of an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 associated with raw drinking milk using Nanopore sequencing
Authors: Greig David R. , Do Nascimento Vivienne , Gally David L. , Gharbia Saheer E. , Dallman Timothy J. , Jenkins Claire 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe aim of this study was to compare Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) sequencing data to quantify genetic variation to assess within-outbreak strain relatedness and characterise microevolutionary events in the accessory genomes of a cluster of 23 genetically and epidemiologically linked isolates related to an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 caused by the consumption of raw drinking milk. There were seven discrepant variants called between the two technologies, five were false-negative or false-positive variants in the Illumina data and two were false-negative calls in ONT data. After masking horizontally acquired sequences such as prophages, analysis of both short and long-read sequences revealed the 20 isolates linked to the outbreak in 2017 had a maximum SNP distance of one SNP between each other, and a maximum of five SNPs when including three additional strains identified in 2019. Analysis of the ONT data revealed a 47 kbp deletion event in a terminal compound prophage within one sample relative to the remaining samples, and a 0.65 Mbp large chromosomal rearrangement (inversion), within one sample relative to the remaining samples. Furthermore, we detected two bacteriophages encoding the highly pathogenic Shiga toxin (Stx) subtype, Stx2a. One was typical of Stx2a-phage in this sub-lineage (Ic), the other was atypical and inserted into a site usually occupied by Stx2c-encoding phage. Finally, we observed an increase in the size of the pO157 IncFIB plasmid (1.6 kbp) in isolates from 2019 compared to those from 2017, due to the duplication of insertion elements within the plasmids from the more recently isolated strains. The ability to characterize the accessory genome in this way is the first step to understanding the significance of these microevolutionary events and their impact on the genome plasticity and virulence between strains of this zoonotic, foodborne pathogen.
Efficacy of memory protocols in 9- to 89-year-olds’ memory for prior contacts
Authors: Goldfarb Deborah , Chae Hana , Dawson Haley R. , Evans Jacqueline R. , Fisher Ronald P. , Daneshbodi Ariana , Meissner Christian A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractMemory for prior contacts has several important applied implications, including contact tracing (for communicable diseases). Incomplete episodic memory reports, which occur across the developmental lifespan but are particularly relevant for children and older adults, may hamper such efforts. Prior research has shown that cognitively informed memory techniques may bolster recall of contacts in adults, but that work has not addressed the developmental efficacy of these techniques. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of such techniques for familiar and unfamiliar contacts within a sample of 9- to 89-year-olds in the context of an ongoing pandemic. The tested memory techniques bolstered recall across the lifespan, irrespective of whether the interview was conducted live with an interviewer or via a self-led interview. Children, emerging adults, and adults did not reveal any differences in memory productivity, however, older adults recalled fewer contacts. Implications for theory and application are discussed.
Neural asymmetry in aligning with generous versus selfish descriptive norms in a charitable donation task
Authors: Díaz-Gutiérrez Paloma , Boone Christophe , Vyas Harshil , Declerck Carolyn H. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractSocial alignment is supported by the brain’s reward system (ventral striatum), presumably because attaining synchrony generates feelings of connectedness. However, this may hold only for aligning with generous others, while aligning with selfishness might threaten social connectedness. We investigated this postulated asymmetry in an incentivized fMRI charitable donation task. Participants decided how much of their endowment to donate to real charities, and how much to keep for themselves. Compared to a baseline condition, donations significantly increased or decreased in function of the presence of descriptive norms. The fMRI data reveal that processing selfish norms (more than generous ones) recruited the amygdala and anterior insula. Aligning with selfish norms correlated on average with reduced activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and, at the individual level, with decreasing activity in the ventral striatum (VS). Conversely, as participants aligned more with generous norms, they showed increasing activity in the LPFC and, on average, increased activity in the VS. This increase occurred beyond the increased VS activity which was also observed in the baseline condition. Taken together, this suggests that aligning with generosity, while effortful, provides a “warm glow of herding” associated with collective giving, but that aligning with selfishness does not.
Dynamic charging as a complementary approach in modern EV charging infrastructure
Authors: Nguyen Duc Minh , Kishk Mustafa A. , Alouini Mohamed-Slim 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWhether the future of transportation is going to be electric or not is no longer a question. Electric vehicles (EVs) offer several benefits toward global sustainability. However, without a variety of charging infrastructures that cover diverse forthcoming charging needs, the speed of vehicle electrification may be slow and limited. In this study, we investigate the synergistic benefits of traditional charging stations and an emerging alternative, i.e., wireless dynamic charging roads, focusing on their impact on the daily commute of EV users. We center our evaluation on quantifiable metrics, chiefly time and convenience, and deploy computer simulations utilizing authentic transportation datasets from New York City, USA. Our findings underscore that integrating both charging stations and charging roads can substantially alleviate detours for EV users and remarkably reduce additional charging time. Our research provides evidence to encourage researchers, EV manufacturers, urban infrastructure planners, and policymakers to explore future charging infrastructures for EVs, with a notable emphasis on wireless dynamic charging roads.
The trajectory of carbon emissions and terrestrial carbon sinks at the provincial level in China
Authors: Hu Yongjie , Li Ying , Zhang Hong , Liu Xiaolin , Zheng Yixian , Gong He 
Published: March 2024

AbstractGlobal greenhouse gas emission, major factor driving climate change, has been increasing since nineteenth century. STIRPAT and CEVSA models were performed to estimate the carbon emission peaks and terrestrial ecosystem carbon sinks at the provincial level in China, respectively. Utilizing the growth characteristics and the peak time criteria for the period 1997–2019, the patterns of energy consumption and CO2 emissions from 30 Chinese provinces are categorized into four groups: (i) one-stage increase (5 provinces), (ii) two-stage increase (10 provinces), (iii) maximum around 2013 (13 provinces), and (iv) maximum around 2017 (2 provinces). According to the STIRPAT model, the anticipated time of peak CO2 emissions for Beijing from the third group is ~ 2025 in both business-as-usual and high-speed scenarios. For Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from the first group and Zhejiang province from the second group, the expected peak time is 2025 to 2030. Shaanxi province from the fourth group is likely to reach carbon emission peak before 2030. The inventory-based estimate of China’s terrestrial carbon sink is ~ 266.2 Tg C/a during the period 1982–2015, offsetting 18.3% of contemporary CO2 emissions. The province-level CO2 emissions, peak emissions and terrestrial carbon sinks estimates presented here are significant for those concerned with carbon neutrality.
Hemispheric dominance in HVC is experience-dependent in juvenile male zebra finches
Authors: Frank Sophia Y. , Hunt Jesse L. , Bae Andrea J. , Chirathivat Napim , Lotfi Sima , Raja Sahitya C. , Gobes Sharon M. H. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractJuvenile male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) must be exposed to an adult tutor during a sensitive period to develop normal adult song. The pre-motor nucleus HVC (acronym used as a proper name), plays a critical role in song learning and production (cf. Broca’s area in humans). In the human brain, left-side hemispheric dominance in some language regions is positively correlated with proficiency in linguistic skills. However, it is unclear whether this pattern depends upon language learning, develops with normal maturation of the brain, or is the result of pre-existing functional asymmetries. In juvenile zebra finches, even though both left and right HVC contribute to song production, baseline molecular activity in HVC is left-dominant. To test if HVC exhibits hemispheric dominance prior to song learning, we raised juvenile males in isolation from adult song and measured neuronal activity in the left and right HVC upon first exposure to an auditory stimulus. Activity in the HVC was measured using the immediate early gene (IEG) zenk (acronym for zif-268, egr-1, NGFI-a, and krox-24) as a marker for neuronal activity. We found that neuronal activity in the HVC of juvenile male zebra finches is not lateralized when raised in the absence of adult song, while normally-reared juvenile birds are left-dominant. These findings show that there is no pre-existing asymmetry in the HVC prior to song exposure, suggesting that lateralization of the song system depends on learning through early exposure to adult song and subsequent song-imitation practice.
Social capital and changes of psychologic distress during early stage of COVID-19 in New orleans
Authors: Wu Kimberly , Doe Erica , Roude Gabriella D. , Wallace Jasmine , Francois Samantha , Richardson Lisa , Theall Katherine P. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHere we report on the relationship between measures of social capital, and their association with changes in self-reported measures of psychological distress during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyze data from an existing cluster randomized control trial (the Healthy Neighborhoods Project) with 244 participants from New Orleans, Louisiana. Changes in self-reported scores between baseline (January 2019–March 2020) and participant’s second survey (March 20, 2020, and onwards) are calculated. Logistic regression is employed to examine the association between social capital indicators and measures of psychological distress adjusting for key covariates and controlling for residential clustering effects. Participants reporting higher than average scores for social capital indicators are significantly less likely to report increases in psychosocial distress between pre and during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who report higher than average sense of community were approximately 1.2 times less likely than those who report lower than average sense of community scores to experience increases in psychological distress before and during the global pandemic (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.70,0.88, p ≤ 0.001), even after controlling for key covariates. Findings highlight the potentially important role that community social capital and related factors may play in the health of underrepresented populations during times of major stress. Specifically, the results suggest an important role of cognitive social capital and perceptions of community membership, belonging, and influence in buffering changes of mental health distress experienced during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of residents.
Evaluation of the complexation behaviour among functionalized diphenyl viologens and cucurbit[7] and [8]urils
Authors: Ambrose Bebin , Sathyaraj Gopal , Kathiresan Murugavel 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe complexation behaviour of Diphenyl viologens (DPVs) with Cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]) was evaluated in detail and the results were reported. In this work, we present the synthesis of various DPVs functionalised with electron withdrawing and electron donating groups (EWGs & EDGs) and investigate their complexation behaviour with CB[7] and CB [8]. Carboxylic acid functionalized DPV’s (DPV-COOH) complexation with CB[8] gives additional insights, i.e., indicates hydrogen bonding plays an effective role in the complexation. The formation of a 2:2 quaternary complex of DPV-COOH/CB[8] under neutral pH conditions was supported by various analytical techniques. The complexation of DPVs with CB[7] specifies that irrespective of the functional group attached, they all form a 1:2 ternary complex, but the findings elaborate that the pattern followed in the complexation depends on the EW or EDG attached to the DPVs. The competition experiments conducted between functionalized DPVs and CB[7], CB[8] shows that they have more affinity towards CB[8] than CB[7] because of the better macrocyclic confinement effect of CB[8], as confirmed using UV–Vis spectroscopy. The binding affinity among EWG and EDG functionalised DPVs with CB[8] concludes EDG functionalised DPVs show better affinity towards CB[8], because they can form a charge transfer complex inside the CB[8] cavity. Exploring these host–guest interactions in more complex biological or environmental settings and studying their impact on the functionality of DPVs could be an exciting avenue for future research.