bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
ERG K+ channels mediate a major component of action potential repolarization in lymphatic muscle
Authors: Kim Hae Jin , Li Min , Erlich Emma C. , Randolph Gwendalyn J. , Davis Michael J. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractSmooth muscle cells in the walls of collecting lymphatic vessels fire spontaneous action potentials (APs), which conduct rapidly over the muscle layer to initiate contractions that propel lymph. Several ion channels have been implicated in the currents underlying the AP spike and the preceding diastolic depolarization, but the molecular identities of K+ channels involved in AP repolarization are unknown. Based on previous studies of other rhythmically active smooth muscles, we hypothesized that ether-a-go-go related gene (ERG) K+ channels (Kv11) play an important role in repolarization of the AP in lymphatic muscle. Message for one or more ERG channel isoforms was detected by RT-PCR analysis of lymphatic vessels from mice, rats and humans. Membrane potential recordings in smooth muscle cells of rat and human lymphatics revealed that nanomolar concentrations of ERG-1 inhibitors (E-4031 and BeKm-1) prolonged the duration of the AP plateau (normally ~ 1 s in duration) and induced multiple spikes, whereas ERG-1 activators (ICA-105574 and RPR-260243) shortened the plateau and could completely inhibit spontaneous APs. At relatively high inhibitor concentrations, the AP plateau duration lasted as long as 24 s. ERG activators reversed the effects of ERG inhibitors and vice-versa. In pressure myograph studies, ERG channel inhibition prolonged the diastolic repolarization phase of the contraction cycle and reduced the frequency of spontaneous contractions. This is the first evidence for a specific K+ channel contributing to the AP in lymphatic muscle. Our results imply that lymphatic contractile dysfunction may occur in long QT type II patients with mutations that result in ERG channel loss-of-function or impaired trafficking of the channel to the cell membrane.
Effect of different garments on thermophysiological and psychological comfort properties of athletes in a wear trial test
Authors: Özkan Esra Taştan , Kaplangiray Binnaz , Şekir Ufuk , Şahin Şenay 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis paper reports on an experimental investigation of thermophysiological and psychological responses during and after an incremental low- to high-intensity exercise at 27 °C and 45% humidity. Five t-shirt garments were produced from different yarn types, their weights and yarn counts were close to each other. During the wear trials, heat and humidity sensors were placed at four body locations (the chest, back, abdomen, and waist). In addition, dynamic comfort measurements of the upper body were examined using a datalogger and subjective rating scales. This study aimed to investigate the effects of garment type on aerobic performance, microclimate temperature and humidity values, and psychological comfort. It was observed that the relative humidity and temperature of the microclimate were low in fabrics with high air permeability and low thermal resistance values of the Tencel single jersey and polyester mesh knitted fabrics. There was a significant difference in microclimate temperature results of TS coded Tencel single jersey t-shirt sample and other t-shirt samples according to statistical analysis results. On the other hand, the statistical results of the PM coded fabric sample measured at lower humidity in the three body regions were found to be a significantly different from those of the other samples (except TS). Although not statistically significant, the VO2 values and heart rates of these fabrics were lower than those of other fabrics. It was concluded that garments made from Tencel single jersey (TS) and polyester mesh (PM) fabrics affected the performance of athletes positively. Athletes were less forced during the training, and the activity could be maintained more than the others when wearing these clothes.
Allometric relationships between stem diameter, height and crown area of associated trees of cocoa agroforests of Ghana
Authors: Asigbaase Michael , Dawoe Evans , Abugre Simon , Kyereh Boateng , Ayine Nsor Collins 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAllometric models which are used to describe the structure of trees in agroforestry systems are usually extrapolated from models developed for trees in forest ecosystems. This makes quantitative assessment of the functions of shade trees in agroforestry systems challenging since increased availability of light and space in these systems may induce structural differences from those growing under forest conditions. We addressed this issue by providing species-specific allometric information on the structural characteristics of associated shade trees on cocoa agroforestry systems and assessed if allometries conformed to theoretical predictions. At the plot level, stand and soil characteristics affecting tree structural characteristics were assessed. The study was conducted in cocoa agroforestry systems at Suhum, Ghana. The height-diameter at breast height (H-DBH) allometry had the best fits (R2 = 53–89%), followed by the crown area (CA)-DBH allometry (R2 = 27–87%) and then the CA-H allometry (R2 = 22–73%). In general, the scaling exponents of the CA-DBH, H-CA and H-DBH allometries conformed to the metabolic scaling theory (MST). However, both the CA-DBH and H-DBH allometries diverged from the geometric similarity model. Though forest tree species had similar crown areas as fruit trees, they were slenderer than fruit trees. Tree slenderness coefficients were positively correlated with soil P, Ca, Cu and the ratios (Ca + Mg):K, (Ca + Mg):(K + Na) and Ca:Mg, but not C:N while DBH and H were correlated with soil P and C:N ratio. Our results show that critical soil nutrients and their ratios affects shade tree structural attributes (e.g. slenderness and CA), which possibly restrict variations in species-specific allometries to a narrow range on cocoa systems. Furthermore, shade tree species richness and density are better predictors of relative canopy projection area (a proxy for shade intensity) than tree species diversity. In conclusion, the results have implications for shade tree species selection, monitoring of woody biomass and maintenance of biodiversity.
Ionotronic WS2 memtransistors for 6-bit storage and neuromorphic adaptation at high temperature
Authors: Mallik Sameer Kumar , Padhan Roshan , Sahu Mousam Charan , Pradhan Gopal K. , Sahoo Prasana Kumar , Dash Saroj Prasad , Sahoo Satyaprakash 
Published: September 2023

AbstractInspired by massive parallelism, an increase in internet-of-things devices, robust computation, and Big-data, the upsurge research in building multi-bit mem-transistors is ever-augmenting with different materials, mechanisms, and state-of-the-art architectures. Herein, we demonstrate monolayer WS2-based functional mem-transistor devices which address nonvolatility and synaptic operations at high temperature. The ionotronic memory devices based on WS2 exhibit reverse hysteresis with memory windows larger than 25 V, and extinction ratio greater than 106. The mem-transistors show stable retention and endurance greater than 100 sweep cycles and 400 pulse cycles in addition to 6-bit (64 distinct nonvolatile storage levels) pulse-programmable memory features ranging over six orders of current magnitudes (10−12–10−6 A). The origin of the multi-bit states is attributed to the carrier dynamics under electrostatic doping fluctuations induced by mobile ions, which is illustrated by employing a fingerprint mechanism including band-bending pictures. The credibility of all the storage states is confirmed by obtaining reliable signal-to-noise ratios. We also demonstrate key neuromorphic behaviors, such as synaptic plasticity, near linear potentiation, and depression, rendering it suitable for successful implementation in high temperature neuromorphic computing. Furthermore, artificial neural network simulations based on the conductance weight update characteristics of the proposed ionotronic mem-transistors are performed to explore the potency for accurate image recognition. Our findings showcase a different class of thermally aided memories based on 2D semiconductors unlocking promising avenues for high temperature memory applications in demanding electronics and forthcoming neuromorphic computing technologies.
Smart-Plexer: a breakthrough workflow for hybrid development of multiplex PCR assays
Authors: Miglietta Luca , Chen Yuwen , Luo Zhi , Xu Ke , Ding Ning , Peng Tianyi , Moniri Ahmad , Kreitmann Louis , Cacho-Soblechero Miguel , Holmes Alison , Georgiou Pantelis , Rodriguez-Manzano Jesus 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDeveloping multiplex PCR assays requires extensive experimental testing, the number of which exponentially increases by the number of multiplexed targets. Dedicated efforts must be devoted to the design of optimal multiplex assays ensuring specific and sensitive identification of multiple analytes in a single well reaction. Inspired by data-driven approaches, we reinvent the process of developing and designing multiplex assays using a hybrid, simple workflow, named Smart-Plexer, which couples empirical testing of singleplex assays and computer simulation to develop optimised multiplex combinations. The Smart-Plexer analyses kinetic inter-target distances between amplification curves to generate optimal multiplex PCR primer sets for accurate multi-pathogen identification. In this study, the Smart-Plexer method is applied and evaluated for seven respiratory infection target detection using an optimised multiplexed PCR assay. Single-channel multiplex assays, together with the recently published data-driven methodology, Amplification Curve Analysis (ACA), were demonstrated to be capable of classifying the presence of desired targets in a single test for seven common respiratory infection pathogens.
Griddient: a microfluidic array to generate reconfigurable gradients on-demand for spatial biology applications
Authors: Sanchez-de-Diego Cristina , Virumbrales-Muñoz María , Hermes Brock , Juang Terry D. , Juang Duane S. , Riendeau Jeremiah , Guzman Emmanuel Contreras , Reed-McBain Catherine A. , Abizanda-Campo Sara , Patel Janmesh , Hess Nicholas J. , Skala Melissa C. , Beebe David J. , Ayuso Jose M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBiological tissues are highly organized structures where spatial-temporal gradients (e.g., nutrients, hypoxia, cytokines) modulate multiple physiological and pathological processes including inflammation, tissue regeneration, embryogenesis, and cancer progression. Current in vitro technologies struggle to capture the complexity of these transient microenvironmental gradients, do not provide dynamic control over the gradient profile, are complex and poorly suited for high throughput applications. Therefore, we have designed Griddent, a user-friendly platform with the capability of generating controllable and reversible gradients in a 3D microenvironment. Our platform consists of an array of 32 microfluidic chambers connected to a 384 well-array through a diffusion port at the bottom of each reservoir well. The diffusion ports are optimized to ensure gradient stability and facilitate manual micropipette loading. This platform is compatible with molecular and functional spatial biology as well as optical and fluorescence microscopy. In this work, we have used this platform to study cancer progression.
Simulations of a protein fold switch reveal crowding-induced population shifts driven by disordered regions
Authors: Bazmi Saman , Seifi Bahman , Wallin Stefan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMacromolecular crowding effects on globular proteins, which usually adopt a single stable fold, have been widely studied. However, little is known about crowding effects on fold-switching proteins, which reversibly switch between distinct folds. Here we study the mutationally driven switch between the folds of GA and GB, the two 56-amino acid binding domains of protein G, using a structure-based dual-basin model. We show that, in the absence of crowders, the fold populations PA and PB can be controlled by the strengths of contacts in the two folds, κA and κB. A population balance, PA ≈ PB, is obtained for κB/κA = 0.92. The resulting model protein is subject to crowding at different packing fractions, ϕc. We find that crowding increases the GB population and reduces the GA population, reaching PB/PA ≈ 4 at ϕc = 0.44. We analyze the ϕc-dependence of the crowding-induced GA-to-GB switch using scaled particle theory, which provides a qualitative, but not quantitative, fit of our data, suggesting effects beyond a spherical description of the folds. We show that the terminal regions of the protein chain, which are intrinsically disordered only in GA, play a dominant role in the response of the fold switch to crowding effects.
Cavity-renormalized quantum criticality in a honeycomb bilayer antiferromagnet
Authors: Weber Lukas , Viñas Boström Emil , Claassen Martin , Rubio Angel , Kennes Dante M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractStrong light-matter interactions as realized in an optical cavity provide a tantalizing opportunity to control the properties of condensed matter systems. Inspired by experimental advances in cavity quantum electrodynamics and the fabrication and control of two-dimensional magnets, we investigate the fate of a quantum critical antiferromagnet coupled to an optical cavity field. Using unbiased quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we compute the scaling behavior of the magnetic structure factor and other observables. While the position and universality class are not changed by a single cavity mode, the critical fluctuations themselves obtain a sizable enhancement, scaling with a fractional exponent that defies expectations based on simple perturbation theory. The scaling exponent can be understood using a generic scaling argument, based on which we predict that the effect may be even stronger in other universality classes. Our microscopic model is based on realistic parameters for two-dimensional magnetic quantum materials and the effect may be within the range of experimental detection.
Resource and trajectory optimization for secure communication in RIS assisted UAV‐MEC system
Authors: Liu Shihao , Huang Yangchao , Hu Hang , Si Jiangbo , Cheng Guobing , Huang Tao , Hu Xiaoliang 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe combination of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and mobile edge computing (MEC) is considered as a promising approach to tackle soaring computing requirements. The broadcast nature of air‐to‐ground (A2G) links makes UAV communications vulnerable to eavesdroppers, so secure UAV communications remain an open question. This paper proposes a secure communication scheme for reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)‐assisted UAV‐MEC systems, in which the RIS assists the user in offloading data to the legitimate UAV, and the legitimate UAV provides computing services to the user. To fully expand the security computing capacity of the system, the communication link is improved by introducing RIS, and the jammer interferes with the eavesdropper. The secure computing capability of the system is maximized by optimizing communication resources and trajectories. Since the proposed problem is non‐convex, successive convex approximation (SCA) technique and block coordinate descent (BCD) technique is combined to solve the problem. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme in this paper can effectively improve the system secure computing bits compared with the benchmark scheme.
A non‐linear fractional‐order type‐3 fuzzy control for enhanced path‐tracking performance of autonomous cars
Authors: Mohammadzadeh Ardashir , Taghavifar Hamid , Zhang Chunwei , Alattas Khalid A. , Liu Jinping , Vu Mai The 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPath‐tracking and lane‐keeping efficiency of driverless cars remain critical characteristics of the efficient and safe deployment of such vehicles in future intelligent transportation systems. This study introduces a robust type‐3 (T3) fuzzy controller implementation for the path‐tracking task of driverless cars during critical driving conditions and subject to exogenous disturbances. Unlike many existing control paradigms, the proposed scheme is independent of the parameter information and assumes the system dynamics are unknown and non‐linear. Control inputs are constructed to improve robustness by eliminating the error bounds while ensuring stability by leveraging the Lyapunov stability theorem and Barbalat's lemma. Also, a predicate scheme based on non‐linear predictive control technique is introduced to enhance the lateral displacement. Based on the obtained results, the schemed controller exhibits competitive effectiveness in path‐tracking tasks, and strong efficiency under various road conditions, parametric uncertainties, and unknown disturbances.
A temporal shift reconstruction network for compressive video sensing
Authors: Gu Zhenfei , Zhou Chao , Lin Guofeng 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCompressive sensing provides a promising sampling paradigm for video acquisition for resource‐limited sensor applications. However, the reconstruction of original video signals from sub‐sampled measurements is still a great challenge. To exploit the temporal redundancies within videos during the recovery, previous works tend to perform alignment on initial reconstructions, which are too coarse to provide accurate motion estimations. To solve this problem, the authors propose a novel reconstruction network, named TSRN, for compressive video sensing. Specifically, the authors utilise a number of stacked temporal shift reconstruction blocks (TSRBs) to enhance the initial reconstruction progressively. Each TSRB could learn the temporal structures by exchanging information with last and next time step, and no additional computations is imposed on the network compared to regular 2D convolutions due to the high efficiency of temporal shift operations. After the enhancement, a bidirectional alignment module to build accurate temporal dependencies directly with the help of optical flows is employed. Different from previous methods that only extract supplementary information from the key frames, the proposed alignment module can receive temporal information from the whole video sequence via bidirectional propagations, thus yielding better performance. Experimental results verify the superiority of the proposed method over other state‐of‐the‐art approaches quantitatively and qualitatively.
Axillary Node Metastases of Medullary Thyroid Cancer: A Hallmark of
Terminal Disease
Authors: Machens Andreas , Lorenz Kerstin , Weber Frank , Dralle Henning 
Published: September 2023

AbstractLittle is known about axillary node metastasis of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).
To address this, a comparative study of patients with and without axillary node
metastases of MTC was conducted. Among 1215 consecutive patients with MTC, 482
patients had node-negative MTC and 733 patients node-positive MTC. Among the 733
patients with node-positive MTC, 4 patients (0.5%) had axillary node
metastases, all of which were ipsilateral. Patients with axillary node
metastases had 5.7–6.9-fold more node metastases removed, both at the
authors’ institution (medians of 34.5 vs. 5 metastases; p=0.011)
and in total (medians of 57 vs. 10 metastases; p=0.013), developed more
frequently distant metastases (3 of 4 vs. 178 of 729 patients, or 75 vs.
24%; p=0.049), specifically to bone (2 of 4 vs. 67 of 729
patients, or 50 vs. 9%; p=0.046) and brain (1 of 4 vs. 4 of 729
patients, or 25 vs. 0.5%; p=0.027), and more often succumbed to
cancer-specific death (3 of 4 vs. 52 of 729 patients, or 75 vs. 14%;
p=0.005). Altogether, patients with axillary node metastases revealed
4–8-fold more node metastases in the ipsilateral lateral neck (medians
of 11 vs. 3 metastases; p=0.021) and in the ipsilateral central neck
(medians of 8 vs. 1 metastases; p=0.079) patients without axillary node
metastases. Cancer-specific survival of patients with vs. patients without
axillary node metastases of MTC was significantly shorter (means of 41 vs. 224
months; plog-rank<0.001). These findings show that patients with
axillary node metastases of MTC have massive metastatic dissemination with poor
survival.
Inhibitory artificial synapses based on photoelectric co-modulation of graphene/WSe2 van der Waals heterojunctions
Authors: Zhou Youfa , Zhang Ping , Li Jiaqi , Mao Xurui 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Optical artificial synapses possess several advantages, including high bandwidth, strong interference immunity, and ultra-fast signal transmission, overcoming the limitations of electrically stimulated synapses. Among various functional materials, 2D materials exhibit exceptional optical and electrical properties. By utilizing van der Waals heterostructures formed by these materials through rational design, synaptic devices can mimic the information perception ability of biological systems. This lays the foundation for low-energy artificial vision systems and neuromorphic computing. This study introduces an inhibitory artificial synapse based on photoelectric co-modulation of graphene/WSe2 van der Waals heterojunctions. By synergistically applying gate voltage and light pulses, we simulate memory and logic functions observed in the brain’s visual cortex. We achieve the construction of inhibitory synapses, enabling properties such as postsynaptic current response, short-term and long-term plasticity, and paired-pulse facilitation. Additionally, we accomplish the inverse recovery of device conductivity through separate gate voltage stimulation. Through bidirectional modulation of the artificial synaptic conductance, we construct an artificial hardware neural network that achieves 92.5% accuracy in recognizing handwritten digital images from the MNIST dataset. The network also has good recognition accuracy for handwritten digital images with different standard deviation Gaussian noise applied and other datasets. Furthermore, we successfully mimic the neural behavior of aversive learning for alcohol withdrawal in alcoholic patients using the device properties. The promising capabilities of artificial synapses constructed through electrical and optical synergistic modulation make them suitable for wearable electronics and artificial vision systems.