bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The fabrication and growth mechanism of AlCrFeCoNiCu0.5 HEA thin films by substrate-biased cathodic arc deposition
Authors: Zhao Hong , Zheng Zhong , Akhavan Behnam , Tsoutas Kostadinos , Sun Lixian , Zhou Haoruo , Bilek Marcela M. , Liu Zongwen 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAlCrFeCoNiCu0.5 thin films were fabricated by cathodic arc deposition under different substrate biases. Detailed characterization of the chemistry and structure of the film, from the substrate interface to the film surface, was achieved by combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Computer simulations using the transport of ions in matter model were applied to understand the ion surface interactions that revealed the key mechanism of the film growth. The final compositions of the films are significantly different from that of the target used. A trend of elemental segregation, which was more pronounced with higher ion kinetic energy, was observed. The XPS results reveal the formation of $${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$$

Al
2

O
3

and $${\mathrm{Cr}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$$

Cr
2

O
3

on the thin film surface. The grain size is shown to increase with the increasing of the ion kinetic energy. The growth of equiaxed grains contributed to the formation of a flat surface with a relatively low surface roughness as shown by atomic force microscopy.
Correlation between CFTR variants and outcomes of ART in patients with CAVD in Central China
Authors: Qu Xiaowei , Li Lingyi , Cui Chenchen , Feng Ke , Xia Yanqing , Wan Feng , Zhang Cuilian , Guo Haibin 
Published: January 2023

AbstractBiallelic variants in Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) are the main pathogenic factor of congenital absence of the vas deferens (CAVD), including congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) and congenital unilateral absence of the vas deferens (CUAVD). However, there are few reports about the correlation between CFTR variant and outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in CAVD patients of China. In this study, 104 patients with CAVD were recruited in Central China, and provided gene detection by the whole-exome sequencing, among them 69% (72/104) carried at least one variant in CFTR and one carried adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G2 (ADGRG2) variant. A total of 81 CAVD patients were treated with ART, of which 21 and 60 carried none or at least one variant in CFTR, respectively. The fertilization rate, cleavage rate, effective embryo rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate per fresh embryo transfer were compared between patients with and without CFTR variants. It was found that the ART outcomes had no significant difference whether the patients carried the CFTR variant or not. In addition, all of the offspring were healthy after follow-up. In conclusion, rare CFTR variants may play a major role in patients with CAVD in Central China, which were greatly different from other descent. There was no significant difference in ART outcomes in CAVD patients with or without CFTR variants. The limitations of this study were that there was no statistical analysis of the sperm quality through TESA and conclusions were relatively limited due to the small sample size of the study.
A dual-mode neurostimulation approach to enhance athletic performance outcome in experienced taekwondo practitioners
Authors: Kamali Ali-Mohammad , Ijadi Mojtaba , Keshtkarhesamabadi Behnam , Kazemiha Milad , Mahmoudi Reza , Roozbehi Amrollah , Nami Mohammad 
Published: January 2023

AbstractTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a growing empirical approach to improve athletic performance. Some recent studies have investigated the effects of transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) on the motor performance such as reaction time. TDCS and tsDCS can lead to alteration of the spontaneous neural activity, and the membrane potentials of motor neurons in cerebral cortex and spinal interneurons, respectively. Given the paucity of experimental studies on the non-invasive brain stimulation in the field of sports neuroscience, especially martial sports, the present study aimed at investigating the effects of neurostimulation in potentiating the motor and cognitive functions in experienced taekwondo practitioners. The study sample included 15 experienced male taekwondo players who received real or sham direct current stimulation on the primary motor cortex (M1) and the lumbar spinal segment (T12-L2) over two sessions, 72 h apart. Next, the performance of the participants was evaluated through a simulation of taekwondo exercise directly after the sham and real sessions. Moreover, a cognitive platform (CBS: Cambridge Brain Science) was used to investigate the participants’ cognitive profile in each instance. Unlike sham stimulation, real tDCS was associated with improved selective attention and reaction time in both in the simulated task performance and cognitive examination. The concurrent cortical and trans-spinal tDCS was found to improve selective attention (31% performance improvement) (P < 0.0001) [EFFECT SIZE; 1.84]. and reduce reaction time (4.7% performance improvement) (P < 0.0001) [EFFECT SIZE; 0.02]. Meanwhile, the intervention failed to leave a significant change in cognitive functions evaluated through CBS (P > 0.05). As informed by our results, the present dual-mode neurostimulation could improve motor functions potentially through the effect of tsDCS over the spinal interneurons and tDCS over the primary motor cortex. Likewise, our findings suggested an improved performance in simulated taekwondo task after real- but not sham-stimulation. This study paves the way for designing neurostimulation protocols to improve the performance of professional athletes, namely martial art practitioners, including their accuracy and velocity of reactions. Such positive effects of neuostimulation in athletic performance as demonstrated in this research and similar reports are expected to enhance the athletes’ success in professional competitions.
Expanding repertoire of SARS-CoV-2 deletion mutations contributes to evolution of highly transmissible variants
Authors: Venkatakrishnan A. J. , Anand Praveen , Lenehan Patrick J. , Ghosh Pritha , Suratekar Rohit , Silvert Eli , Pawlowski Colin , Siroha Abhishek , Chowdhury Dibyendu Roy , O’Horo John C. , Yao Joseph D. , Pritt Bobbi S. , Norgan Andrew P. , Hurt Ryan T. , Badley Andrew D. , Halamka John , Soundararajan Venky 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccine breakthrough infections globally mandated the characterization of the immuno-evasive features of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we systematically analyzed 2.13 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes from 188 countries/territories (up to June 2021) and performed whole-genome viral sequencing from 102 COVID-19 patients, including 43 vaccine breakthrough infections. We identified 92 Spike protein mutations that increased in prevalence during at least one surge in SARS-CoV-2 test positivity in any country over a 3-month window. Deletions in the Spike protein N-terminal domain were highly enriched for these ‘surge-associated mutations’ (Odds Ratio = 14.19, 95% CI 6.15–32.75, p value = 3.41 × 10–10). Based on a longitudinal analysis of mutational prevalence globally, we found an expanding repertoire of Spike protein deletions proximal to an antigenic supersite in the N-terminal domain that may be one of the key contributors to the evolution of highly transmissible variants. Finally, we generated clinically annotated SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequences from 102 patients and identified 107 unique mutations, including 78 substitutions and 29 deletions. In five patients, we identified distinct deletions between residues 85–90, which reside within a linear B cell epitope. Deletions in this region arose contemporaneously on a diverse background of variants across the globe since December 2020. Overall, our findings based on genomic-epidemiology and clinical surveillance suggest that the genomic deletion of dispensable antigenic regions in SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to the evasion of immune responses and the evolution of highly transmissible variants.
Multi-objective predictive control based on the cutting tobacco outlet moisture priority
Authors: Fan Zhiping , Ren Zhengyun , Chen Angang 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a new priority multi-objective optimization strategy of system output variables in cutting tobacco process. The proposed strategy focuses on the cutting tobacco moisture-controlled output variables optimization in feasible regions with two levels according to the priority. This study aims to provide a novel technical support for the chemical industry contained drying process. In order to alleviate the lack of degree of freedom of the system, strict set-point control is given, meanwhile, other output variables adopt zone control. Firstly, the system control output variables are optimized in ascending order of priority. Secondly, the specific lower-level target constraints are first relaxed. Finally, the relaxation of other high-priority target constraints is stopped when the optimization is feasible. Thus, the system control output variables move along the optimal target trajectory. From the perspective of practical application of engineering, under the condition of disturbance existing in the cutting tobacco drying process, the simulation shows that the proposed approach has good robustness when there is disturbance, and the previous method cannot meet the control requirement. The proposed strategy meanwhile has better tracking effect through single and multiple output variables simulation, which compared with traditional predictive control in real cutting tobacco drying process.
Plasma-enabled superhydrophobic coatings on mild steel
Authors: Hartl Hugo , Davies Joseph , Will Geoffrey , Ostrikov Kostya , MacLeod Jennifer 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis work demonstrates a new pathway to the direct on-surface fabrication of a superhydrophobic surface coating on mild steel. The coating was formed using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to convert a liquid small-molecule precursor (1,2,4-tricholorobenzene) to a solid film via plasma-assisted on-surface polymerization. Plasma treatments were performed under a nitrogen atmosphere with a variety of power levels and durations. Samples were analysed by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS), Raman spectroscopy, optical profilometry, contact angle measurement, and potentiodynamic polarisation tests. Wettability of the films varied with the plasma parameters, and through the inclusion of graphene nanoplatelets in the precursor. High-dose plasma exposures of the nanoplatelet-containing precursor created superhydrophobic films with water contact angles above 150°. Potentiodynamic polarisation tests revealed that the superhydrophobic coating provided little or no corrosion protection.
Genetic and phenotype recovery of Ananas comosus var. MD2 in response to ionizing radiation
Authors: Ma Siyuan , Mohd Raffi Anis Norsyahira , Rosli Muhamad Afiq , Mohd Zain Nurul Amalina , Ibrahim Mohd Hafiz , Karsani Saiful Anuar , Yaacob Jamilah Syafawati 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDue to their sessile nature, plants are exposed to various environmental stressors such as exposure to high levels of harmful ultraviolet (UV), ionizing, and non-ionizing radiations. This exposure may result in various damages, ranging from DNA and chromosomal aberrations to phenotypic abnormalities. As an adaptation, plants have evolved efficient DNA repair mechanisms to detect and repair any damage caused by exposure to these harmful stressors to ensure their survival. In this study, the effects of gamma radiation (as a source of ionizing radiation) on clonal Ananas comosus var. MD2 was evaluated. The morphology and physiology of the clonal plantlets before and after exposure to gamma radiation were monitored at specific time intervals. The degree of genetic variation between the samples pre- and post-irradiation was also analyzed by using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The resulting data revealed that the heights of the irradiated plantlets were significantly reduced (compared to control), but improved with the recovery period. Irradiated samples also exhibited relatively good photosynthetic efficiency that further improved as the plantlets recover. These observations were supported by the ISSR analysis, where the genetic dissimilarities between the irradiated samples and control were reduced by 0.1017, after 4 weeks of recovery. Overall, our findings suggested that the phenotype recovery of the clonal A. comosus var. MD2 plantlets was contributed by their ability to detect and repair the DNA lesions (as exemplified by the reduction in genetic dissimilarity after 4 weeks) and hence allow the plantlets to undergo phenotype reversion to normal plant stature.
Effects of exposure to immersive computer-generated virtual nature and control environments on affect and cognition
Authors: Mostajeran Fariba , Fischer Marvin , Steinicke Frank , Kühn Simone 
Published: January 2023

AbstractPrevious research has shown that exposure to immersive virtual nature environments is able to induce positive affective and physiological effects. However, research on the effects on cognitive performance is scarce. Additionally, the effects of virtual nature exposure compared to a virtual control environment with a comparable amount of virtual objects have not been examined so far. Therefore, we conducted an experiment with 27 participants to study the psychological effects of such exposure. The virtual nature consisted of a 3D model of a typical forest environment, whereas the control environment was an abstract replication of the virtual forest environment. In both environments, a virtual wooden cart was used to transport the users from the start to the end of the virtual road. The typical background noise of moving such a cart was integrated into both environments as well. In addition, the virtual nature environment included typical forest sounds in the background, whereas the control condition did not have such background sounds. Both environments were compared with regard to their effects on cognitive performance (using trail making tests (TMTA, TMTB, and TMTB-A) as well as digit span forward and digit span backward tests), perceived restorativeness, mood, stress, sense of presence, and simulator sickness. The results showed that in comparison to the control environment, exposure to the virtual nature resulted in significantly higher cognitive performance, higher perceived restorativeness, higher positive affect, higher sense of presence, lower perceived stress, and lower simulator sickness.
Microarray analysis identifies coding and non-coding RNA markers of liver injury in whole body irradiated mice
Authors: Aryankalayil Molykutty J. , Bylicky Michelle A. , Martello Shannon , Chopra Sunita , Sproull Mary , May Jared M. , Shankardass Aman , MacMillan Laurel , Vanpouille-Box Claire , Dalo Juan , Scott Kevin M. K. , Norman Coleman C. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractRadiation injury from medical, accidental, or intentional sources can induce acute and long-term hepatic dysregulation, fibrosis, and cancer. This long-term hepatic dysregulation decreases quality of life and may lead to death. Our goal in this study is to determine acute changes in biological pathways and discover potential RNA biomarkers predictive of radiation injury. We performed whole transcriptome microarray analysis of mouse liver tissue (C57BL/6 J) 48 h after whole-body irradiation with 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 Gray to identify significant expression changes in mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs, We also validated changes in specific RNAs through qRT-PCR. We used Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to identify pathways associated with gene expression changes. We observed significant dysregulation of multiple mRNAs across all doses. In contrast, miRNA dysregulation was observed upwards of 2 Gray. The most significantly upregulated mRNAs function as tumor suppressors:Cdkn1a,Phlda3, andEda2r. The most significantly downregulated mRNAs were involved in hemoglobin synthesis, inflammation, and mitochondrial function including multiple members ofHbbandHba. The most significantly upregulated miRNA included: miR-34a-5p, miR-3102-5p, and miR-3960, while miR-342-3p, miR-142a-3p, and miR-223-3p were most significantly downregulated. IPA predicted activation of cell cycle checkpoint control pathways and inhibition of pathways relevant to inflammation and erythropoietin. Clarifying expression of mRNA, miRNA and lncRNA at a short time point (48 h) offers insight into potential biomarkers, including radiation markers shared across organs and animal models. This information, once validated in human models, can aid in development of bio-dosimetry biomarkers, and furthers our understanding of acute pathway dysregulation.
Modeling and optimization of bakery production scheduling to minimize makespan and oven idle time
Authors: Babor Majharulislam , Paquet-Durand Olivier , Kohlus Reinhard , Hitzmann Bernd 
Published: January 2023

AbstractMakespan dominates the manufacturing expenses in bakery production. The high energy consumption of ovens also has a substantial impact, which bakers may overlook. Bakers leave ovens running until the final product is baked, allowing them to consume energy even when not in use. It results in energy waste, increased manufacturing costs, and CO2emissions. This paper investigates three manufacturing lines from small and medium-sized bakeries to find optimum makespan and ovens’ idle time (OIDT). A hybrid no-wait flow shop scheduling model considering the constraints that are most common in bakeries is proposed. To find optimal solutions, non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm (SPEA2), generalized differential evolution (GDE3), improved multi-objective particle swarm optimization (OMOPSO), and speed-constrained multi-objective particle swarm optimization (SMPSO) were used. The experimental results show that the shortest makespan does not always imply the lowest OIDT. Even the optimized solutions have up to 231 min of excess OIDT, while the makespan is the shortest. Pareto solutions provide promising trade-offs between makespan and OIDT, with the best-case scenario reducing OIDT by 1348 min while increasing makespan only by 61 min from the minimum possible makespan. NSGA-II outperforms all other algorithms in obtaining a high number of good-quality solutions and a small number of poor-quality solutions, followed by SPEA2 and GDE3. In contrast, OMOPSO and SMPSO deliver the worst solutions, which become pronounced as the problem complexity grows.
Complete chloroplast genomes and comparative analysis of Ligustrum species
Authors: Long Lianxiang , Li Yongtan , Wang Shijie , Liu Zhenlin , Wang Jinmao , Yang Minsheng 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIn this study, we assembled and annotated the chloroplast (cp) genomes of four Ligustrum species, L. sinense, L. obtusifolium, L. vicaryi, and L. ovalifolium ‘Aureum’. Including six other published Ligustrum species, we compared various characteristics such as gene structure, sequence alignment, codon preference, and nucleic acid diversity, and performed positive-selection genes screening and phylogenetic analysis. The results showed that the cp genome of Ligustrum was 162,185–166,800 bp in length, with a circular tetrad structure, including a large single-copy region (86,885–90,106 bp), a small single-copy region (11,446–11,499 bp), and a pair of IRa and IRb sequences with the same coding but in opposite directions (31,608–32,624 bp). This structure is similar to the cp genomes of most angiosperms. We found 132–137 genes in the cp genome of Ligustrum, including 89–90 protein-coding genes, 35–39 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The GC content was 37.93–38.06% and varied among regions, with the IR region having the highest content. The single-nucleotide (A/T)n was dominant in simple-sequence repeats of the Ligustrum cp genome, with an obvious A/T preference. Six hotspot regions were identified from multiple sequence alignment of Ligustrum; the ycf1 gene region and the clpP1 exon region can be used as potential DNA barcodes for the identification and phylogeny of the genus Ligustrum. Branch-site model and Bayes empirical Bayes (BEB) analysis showed that four protein-coding genes (accD, clpP, ycf1, and ycf2) were positively selected, and BEB analysis showed that accD and rpl20 had positively selected sites. A phylogenetic tree of Oleaceae species was constructed based on the whole cp genomes, and the results were consistent with the traditional taxonomic results. The phylogenetic results showed that genus Ligustrum is most closely related to genus Syringa. Our study provides important genetic information to support further investigations of the phylogenetic development and adaptive evolution of Ligustrum species.
Limits on phenological response to high temperature in the Arctic
Authors: Elmendorf Sarah C. , Hollister Robert D. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractTundra plants are widely considered to be constrained by cool growing conditions and short growing seasons. Furthermore, phenological development is generally predicted by daily heat sums calculated as growing degree days. Analyzing over a decade of seasonal flower counts of 23 plant species distributed across four plant communities, together with hourly canopy-temperature records, we show that the timing of flowering of many tundra plants are best predicted by a modified growing degree day model with a maximum temperature threshold. Threshold maximums are commonly employed in agriculture, but until recently have not been considered for natural ecosystems and to our knowledge have not been used for tundra plants. Estimated maximum temperature thresholds were found to be within the range of daily temperatures commonly experienced for many species, particularly for plants at the colder, high Arctic study site. These findings provide an explanation for why passive experimental warming—where moderate changes in mean daily temperatures are accompanied by larger changes in daily maximum temperatures—generally shifts plant phenology less than ambient warming. Our results also suggest that many plants adapted to extreme cold environments may have limits to their thermal responsiveness.
Optimal design of dual air-gap closed-loop TMR current sensor based on minimum magnetic field uniformity coefficient
Authors: Yu Jicheng , Long Zhaozhi , Liang Siyuan , Yue Changxi , Yin Xiaodong , Zhou Feng 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAdvanced sensor technology provides accurate information for transparent monitoring and real-time control of the power grid. Tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) elements with high sensitivity and linearity provide a new technical means for current measurement in medium-voltage DC power distribution systems. This paper proposes a dual air-gap closed-loop TMR current sensor and its optimal design method based on the magnetic field’s minimum uniformity coefficient. The dual air-gap structure reduces the measurement error caused by the eccentricity of the wire, and the theory and modelling of the minimum magnetic field uniformity coefficient optimise the key parameters, such as the inner radius of the magnetic core, the distance of the air-gap and the area size of the section side. Finally, a sensor prototype with a rated measurement current of ± 50 A was developed. The experiment results show that the relative error of the proposed TMR current sensor is less than 0.2% under the rated current. The conclusion can be drawn that the proposed sensor with the optimised design effectively improves the measurement accuracy.