bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aqueous phase conversion of CO2 into acetic acid over thermally transformed MIL-88B catalyst
Authors: Ahmad Waqar , Koley Paramita , Dwivedi Swarit , Lakshman Rajan , Shin Yun Kyung , van Duin Adri C. T. , Shrotri Abhijit , Tanksale Akshat 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSustainable production of acetic acid is a high priority due to its high global manufacturing capacity and numerous applications. Currently, it is predominantly synthesized via carbonylation of methanol, in which both the reactants are fossil-derived. Carbon dioxide transformation into acetic acid is highly desirable to achieve net zero carbon emissions, but significant challenges remain to achieve this efficiently. Herein, we report a heterogeneous catalyst, thermally transformed MIL-88B with Fe0 and Fe3O4 dual active sites, for highly selective acetic acid formation via methanol hydrocarboxylation. ReaxFF molecular simulation, and X-ray characterisation results show a thermally transformed MIL-88B catalyst consisting of highly dispersed Fe0/Fe(II)-oxide nanoparticles in a carbonaceous matrix. This efficient catalyst showed a high acetic acid yield (590.1 mmol/gcat.L) with 81.7% selectivity at 150 °C in the aqueous phase using LiI as a co-catalyst. Here we present a plausible reaction pathway for acetic acid formation reaction via a formic acid intermediate. No significant difference in acetic acid yield and selectivity were noticed during the catalyst recycling study up to five cycles. This work is scalable and industrially relevant for carbon dioxide utilisation to reduce carbon emissions, especially when green methanol and green hydrogen are readily available in future.
Electron diffraction of deeply supercooled water in no man’s land
Authors: Krüger Constantin R. , Mowry Nathan J. , Bongiovanni Gabriele , Drabbels Marcel , Lorenz Ulrich J. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractA generally accepted understanding of the anomalous properties of water will only emerge if it becomes possible to systematically characterize water in the deeply supercooled regime, from where the anomalies appear to emanate. This has largely remained elusive because water crystallizes rapidly between 160 K and 232 K. Here, we present an experimental approach to rapidly prepare deeply supercooled water at a well-defined temperature and probe it with electron diffraction before crystallization occurs. We show that as water is cooled from room temperature to cryogenic temperature, its structure evolves smoothly, approaching that of amorphous ice just below 200 K. Our experiments narrow down the range of possible explanations for the origin of the water anomalies and open up new avenues for studying supercooled water.
Distinct genomic routes underlie transitions to specialised symbiotic lifestyles in deep-sea annelid worms
Authors: Moggioli Giacomo , Panossian Balig , Sun Yanan , Thiel Daniel , Martín-Zamora Francisco M. , Tran Martin , Clifford Alexander M. , Goffredi Shana K. , Rimskaya-Korsakova Nadezhda , Jékely Gáspár , Tresguerres Martin , Qian Pei-Yuan , Qiu Jian-Wen , Rouse Greg W. , Henry Lee M. , Martín-Durán José M. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBacterial symbioses allow annelids to colonise extreme ecological niches, such as hydrothermal vents and whale falls. Yet, the genetic principles sustaining these symbioses remain unclear. Here, we show that different genomic adaptations underpin the symbioses of phylogenetically related annelids with distinct nutritional strategies. Genome compaction and extensive gene losses distinguish the heterotrophic symbiosis of the bone-eating worm Osedax frankpressi from the chemoautotrophic symbiosis of deep-sea Vestimentifera. Osedax’s endosymbionts complement many of the host’s metabolic deficiencies, including the loss of pathways to recycle nitrogen and synthesise some amino acids. Osedax’s endosymbionts possess the glyoxylate cycle, which could allow more efficient catabolism of bone-derived nutrients and the production of carbohydrates from fatty acids. Unlike in most Vestimentifera, innate immunity genes are reduced in O. frankpressi, which, however, has an expansion of matrix metalloproteases to digest collagen. Our study supports that distinct nutritional interactions influence host genome evolution differently in highly specialised symbioses.
Construction of 3D copper-chitosan-gas diffusion layer electrode for highly efficient CO2 electrolysis to C2+ alcohols
Authors: Bi Jiahui , Li Pengsong , Liu Jiyuan , Jia Shuaiqiang , Wang Yong , Zhu Qinggong , Liu Zhimin , Han Buxing 
Published: May 2023

AbstractHigh-rate electrolysis of CO2to C2+alcohols is of particular interest, but the performance remains far from the desired values to be economically feasible. Coupling gas diffusion electrode (GDE) and 3D nanostructured catalysts may improve the efficiency in a flow cell of CO2electrolysis. Herein, we propose a route to prepare 3D Cu-chitosan (CS)-GDL electrode. The CS acts as a “transition layer” between Cu catalyst and the GDL. The highly interconnected network induces growth of 3D Cu film, and the as-prepared integrated structure facilitates rapid electrons transport and mitigates mass diffusion limitations in the electrolysis. At optimum conditions, the C2+Faradaic efficiency (FE) can reach 88.2% with a current density (geometrically normalized) as high as 900 mA cm−2at the potential of −0.87 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), of which the C2+alcohols selectivity is 51.4% with a partial current density of 462.6 mA cm−2, which is very efficient for C2+alcohols production. Experimental and theoretical study indicates that CS induces growth of 3D hexagonal prismatic Cu microrods with abundant Cu (111)/Cu (200) crystal faces, which are favorable for the alcohol pathway. Our work represents a novel example to design efficient GDEs for electrocatalytic CO2reduction (CO2RR).
Higher-order epistasis shapes natural variation in germ stem cell niche activity
Authors: Fausett Sarah R. , Sandjak Asma , Billard Bénédicte , Braendle Christian 
Published: May 2023

AbstractTo study how natural allelic variation explains quantitative developmental system variation, we characterized natural differences in germ stem cell niche activity, measured as progenitor zone (PZ) size, between twoCaenorhabditis elegansisolates. Linkage mapping yielded candidate loci on chromosomes II and V, and we found that the isolate with a smaller PZ size harbours a 148 bp promoter deletion in the Notch ligand,lag-2/Delta, a central signal promoting germ stem cell fate. As predicted, introducing this deletion into the isolate with a large PZ resulted in a smaller PZ size. Unexpectedly, restoring the deleted ancestral sequence in the isolate with a smaller PZ did not increase—but instead further reduced—PZ size. These seemingly contradictory phenotypic effects are explained by epistatic interactions between thelag-2/Deltapromoter, the chromosome II locus, and additional background loci. These results provide first insights into the quantitative genetic architecture regulating an animal stem cell system.
Self-wavelength shifting in two-dimensional perovskite for sensitive and fast gamma-ray detection
Authors: Jin Tong , Liu Zheng , Luo Jiajun , Yuan Jun-Hui , Wang Hanqi , Xie Zuoxiang , Pan Weicheng , Wu Haodi , Xue Kan-Hao , Liu Linyue , Hu Zhanli , Zheng Zhiping , Tang Jiang , Niu Guangda 
Published: May 2023

AbstractLead halide perovskites have recently emerged as promising X/γ-ray scintillators. However, the small Stokes shift of exciton luminescence in perovskite scintillators creates problems for the light extraction efficiency and severely impedes their applications in hard X/γ-ray detection. Dopants have been used to shift the emission wavelength, but the radioluminescence lifetime has also been unwantedly extended. Herein, we demonstrate the intrinsic strain in 2D perovskite crystals as a general phenomenon, which could be utilized as self-wavelength shifting to reduce the self-absorption effect without sacrificing the radiation response speed. Furthermore, we successfully demonstrated the first imaging reconstruction by perovskites for application of positron emission tomography. The coincidence time resolution for the optimized perovskite single crystals (4 × 4 × 0.8 mm3) reached 119 ± 3 ps. This work provides a new paradigm for suppressing the self-absorption effect in scintillators and may facilitate the application of perovskite scintillators in practical hard X/γ-ray detections.
Computational pathology improves risk stratification of a multi-gene assay for early stage ER+ breast cancer
Authors: Chen Yuli , Li Haojia , Janowczyk Andrew , Toro Paula , Corredor Germán , Whitney Jon , Lu Cheng , Koyuncu Can F. , Mokhtari Mojgan , Buzzy Christina , Ganesan Shridar , Feldman Michael D. , Fu Pingfu , Corbin Haley , Harbhajanka Aparna , Gilmore Hannah , Goldstein Lori J. , Davidson Nancy E. , Desai Sangeeta , Parmar Vani , Madabhushi Anant 
Published: May 2023

AbstractPrognostic markers currently utilized in clinical practice for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and lymph node-negative (LN−) invasive breast cancer (IBC) patients include the Nottingham grading system and Oncotype Dx (ODx). However, these biomarkers are not always optimal and remain subject to inter-/intra-observer variability and high cost. In this study, we evaluated the association between computationally derived image features from H&E images and disease-free survival (DFS) in ER+ and LN− IBC. H&E images from a total ofn = 321 patients with ER+ and LN− IBC from three cohorts were employed for this study (Training set: D1 (n = 116), Validation sets: D2 (n = 121) and D3 (n = 84)). A total of 343 features relating to nuclear morphology, mitotic activity, and tubule formation were computationally extracted from each slide image. A Cox regression model (IbRiS) was trained to identify significant predictors of DFS and predict a high/low-risk category using D1 and was validated on independent testing sets D2 and D3 as well as within each ODx risk category. IbRiS was significantly prognostic of DFS with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.33 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.02–5.32,p = 0.045) on D2 and a HR of 2.94 (95% CI = 1.18–7.35,p = 0.0208) on D3. In addition, IbRiS yielded significant risk stratification within high ODx risk categories (D1 + D2: HR = 10.35, 95% CI = 1.20–89.18,p = 0.0106; D1:p = 0.0238; D2:p = 0.0389), potentially providing more granular risk stratification than offered by ODx alone.
Religion and educational mobility in Africa
Authors: Alesina Alberto , Hohmann Sebastian , Michalopoulos Stelios , Papaioannou Elias 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe African people and leaders1,2 have long seen education as a driving force of development and liberation, a view shared by international institutions3,4, as schooling has large economic and non-economic returns, particularly in low-income settings5. In this study, we examine the educational progress across faiths throughout postcolonial Africa, home to some of the world’s largest Christian and Muslim communities. We construct comprehensive religion-specific measures of intergenerational mobility in education using census data from 2,286 districts in 21 countries and document the following. First, Christians have better mobility outcomes than Traditionalists and Muslims. Second, differences in intergenerational mobility between Christians and Muslims persist among those residing in the same district, in households with comparable economic and family backgrounds. Third, although Muslims benefit as much as Christians when they move early in life to high-mobility regions, they are less likely to do so. Their low internal mobility accentuates the educational deficit, as Muslims reside on average in areas that are less urbanized and more remote with limited infrastructure. Fourth, the Christian–Muslim gap is most prominent in areas with large Muslim communities, where the latter also register the lowest emigration rates. As African governments and international organizations invest heavily in educational programmes, our findings highlight the need to understand better the private and social returns to schooling across faiths in religiously segregated communities and to carefully think about religious inequalities in the take-up of educational policies6.
ERα-associated translocations underlie oncogene amplifications in breast cancer
Authors: Lee Jake June-Koo , Jung Youngsook Lucy , Cheong Taek-Chin , Espejo Valle-Inclan Jose , Chu Chong , Gulhan Doga C. , Ljungström Viktor , Jin Hu , Viswanadham Vinayak V. , Watson Emma V. , Cortés-Ciriano Isidro , Elledge Stephen J. , Chiarle Roberto , Pellman David , Park Peter J. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractFocal copy-number amplification is an oncogenic event. Although recent studies have revealed the complex structure1–3 and the evolutionary trajectories4 of oncogene amplicons, their origin remains poorly understood. Here we show that focal amplifications in breast cancer frequently derive from a mechanism—which we term translocation–bridge amplification—involving inter-chromosomal translocations that lead to dicentric chromosome bridge formation and breakage. In 780 breast cancer genomes, we observe that focal amplifications are frequently connected to each other by inter-chromosomal translocations at their boundaries. Subsequent analysis indicates the following model: the oncogene neighbourhood is translocated in G1 creating a dicentric chromosome, the dicentric chromosome is replicated, and as dicentric sister chromosomes segregate during mitosis, a chromosome bridge is formed and then broken, with fragments often being circularized in extrachromosomal DNAs. This model explains the amplifications of key oncogenes, including ERBB2 and CCND1. Recurrent amplification boundaries and rearrangement hotspots correlate with oestrogen receptor binding in breast cancer cells. Experimentally, oestrogen treatment induces DNA double-strand breaks in the oestrogen receptor target regions that are repaired by translocations, suggesting a role of oestrogen in generating the initial translocations. A pan-cancer analysis reveals tissue-specific biases in mechanisms initiating focal amplifications, with the breakage–fusion–bridge cycle prevalent in some and the translocation–bridge amplification in others, probably owing to the different timing of DNA break repair. Our results identify a common mode of oncogene amplification and propose oestrogen as its mechanistic origin in breast cancer.
A novel insight on SARS-CoV-2 S-derived fragments in the control of the host immunity
Authors: Bastos Thais Sibioni Berti , de Paula André Guilherme Portela , dos Santos Luz Rebeca Bosso , Garnique Anali M. B. , Belo Marco A. A. , Eto Silas Fernandes , Fernandes Dayanne Carla , Ferraris Fausto Klabund , de Pontes Leticia Gomes , França Tábata Takahashi , Barcellos Leonardo José Gil , Veras Flavio P. , Bermejo Pamela , Guidelli Giovanna , Maneira Carla , da Silveira Bezerra de Mello Fellipe , Teixeira Gleidson , Pereira Gonçalo Amarante Guimarães , Fernandes Bianca H. Ventura , Sanches Paulo R. S. , Braz Helyson Lucas Bezerra , Jorge Roberta Jeane Bezerra , Malafaia Guilherme , Cilli Eduardo M. , Olivier Danilo da Silva , do Amaral Marcos Serrou , Medeiros Renata J. , Condino-Neto Antonio , Carvalho Luciani R. , Machado-Santelli Glaucia M. , Charlie-Silva Ives , Galindo-Villegas Jorge , Braga Tárcio Teodoro 
Published: May 2023

AbstractDespite all efforts to combat the pandemic of COVID-19, we are still living with high numbers of infected persons, an overburdened health care system, and the lack of an effective and definitive treatment. Understanding the pathophysiology of the disease is crucial for the development of new technologies and therapies for the best clinical management of patients. Since the manipulation of the whole virus requires a structure with an adequate level of biosafety, the development of alternative technologies, such as the synthesis of peptides from viral proteins, is a possible solution to circumvent this problem. In addition, the use and validation of animal models is of extreme importance to screen new drugs and to compress the organism's response to the disease. Peptides derived from recombinant S protein from SARS-CoV-2 were synthesized and validated by in silico, in vitro and in vivo methodologies. Macrophages and neutrophils were challenged with the peptides and the production of inflammatory mediators and activation profile were evaluated. These peptides were also inoculated into the swim bladder of transgenic zebrafish larvae at 6 days post fertilization (dpf) to mimic the inflammatory process triggered by the virus, which was evaluated by confocal microscopy. In addition, toxicity and oxidative stress assays were also developed. In silico and molecular dynamics assays revealed that the peptides bind to the ACE2 receptor stably and interact with receptors and adhesion molecules, such as MHC and TCR, from humans and zebrafish. Macrophages stimulated with one of the peptides showed increased production of NO, TNF-α and CXCL2. Inoculation of the peptides in zebrafish larvae triggered an inflammatory process marked by macrophage recruitment and increased mortality, as well as histopathological changes, similarly to what is observed in individuals with COVID-19. The use of peptides is a valuable alternative for the study of host immune response in the context of COVID-19. The use of zebrafish as an animal model also proved to be appropriate and effective in evaluating the inflammatory process, comparable to humans.
Heterosis patterns and sources of self-compatibility, cross-compatibility and key nut traits within single and double hybrid crosses of kola [Cola nitida (Vent) Schott and Endl.]
Authors: Nyadanu Daniel , Lowor Samuel Tetteh , Pobee Prince , Dogbatse Jerome Agbesi , Akpertey Abraham , Brarko-Marfo Micheal 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSexual incompatibility among kola genotypes accounted for over 50% yield loss. Compatible and high yielding varieties are in demand to develop commercial orchards. The objective of this study was to assess self-compatibility and cross-compatibility of kola (C. nitida) genotypes within self, single and double hybrid crosses and to determine heterosis pattern in the resulting hybrids for sexual compatibility and key nut yield and quality traits. Crosses among kola genotypes from three field gene banks (JX1, GX1, MX2) and one advanced germplasm (Bunso progeny) in Ghana were evaluated along their parents for sexual compatibility, nut yield and nut quality. Data were collected on pod set, pseudo-pod set, pod weight, number of nuts per pod, nut weight, brix, potential alcohol and nut firmness. Significant (P < 0.001) differential pod set was observed within Bunso progeny, JX1, GX1 and MX2 crosses; while pseudo-pod set differed only within JX1 and MX2 crosses (P < 0.001). Very large prevalence of mid-parent, heterobeltiosis, and economic heterosis was observed for sexual compatibility, outturn and brix for the single and double hybrid crosses. Heterosis was prominent among the double hybrid crosses as compared to the single hybrid crosses suggesting that recurrent selection of compatible varieties from advanced generations could result in genetic gain in kola improvement. The top five crosses with best heterosis for sexual compatibility and an appreciable positive heterosis for outturn and brix were B1/11 × B1/71 × B1/157 × B1/149, B1/11 × B1/71 × B1/296 × B1/177, GX1/46 × GX1/33 × B1/212 × B1/236, JX1/90 × JX1/51 and JX1/51 × JX1/36. These materials could serve as sources of beneficial alleles for improving Ghanaian kola hybrids and populations for yield and sexual compatibility.
Impact of vitamin D in children with chronic tonsillitis (immunohistochemical study of CD68 polarisation and proinflammatory cytokines estimation)
Authors: Abu-elnasr Awwad Ayat , Hasan Rehab A. , Hablas Mohamed Ghazy Attia , Mohammad Mohammad Abdelhay Osama , Dawood Yahia Mohmmed Ahmed , Ahmed Mohamed Bothina , Rabou Khadiga Abdallah Abd , Salem Taghreed Mahmoud Mohamed , Elhady Marwa , Abd El-Aal Gehad Nabil , Ahmed Ahmed Helal Elsayed , Ibrahim Mostafa Hasan Ahmed , Elmadbouly Asmaa Abd Elsalam , Yahia Mohamed Basiouny , Ashry Walaa Mohamed Omar , El Sayed Said S. M. M. , Algendy Ashraf M. M. , Alkot Ahmad M. F. , Farag Mohamed F. , El Shenawy Emara Ashraf Abdel Aty , Elbayoumy Fayez Mohammed Abd Elfattah , Ali Hany Fawzy , Aldesoky Mohamed Morshdy , Abd-Eltwab Raafat Abd-Rabow , Manawy Samia M. , Mohamed Faruk Eman 
Published: May 2023

AbstractInflammatory processes are increasingly attributed to macrophage polarization. Proinflammatory macrophages promote T helper (Th) 1 response, tissue repair, and Th2 responses. Detection of macrophages in tissue sections is facilitated by CD68. Our study is focused on the expression of CD68 and the estimation of proinflammatory cytokines in children’s patients with chronic tonsillitis secondary to vitamin D supplementation. This hospital-based Randomized prospective case–control study was conducted on 80 children with chronic tonsillitis associated with vitamin D deficiency where (40 received vitamin D 50,000 IU weekly for 3–6 months and 40 received 5 ml distilled water as placebo). The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was measured using an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on all included children. Different histological and immunohistochemical studies for the detection of CD68 were done. There was a significantly lower serum level of 25(OH)D in the placebo group versus the vitamin D group (P < 0.001). The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNFα, and IL-2 significantly increased in the placebo group as compared to the vitamin D group (P < 0.001). The increased level of IL-4 and IL-10 in the placebo group as compared to the vitamin D group was insignificant (P = 0.32, 0.82) respectively. Vitamin D supplementation alleviated the deleterious effect of chronic tonsillitis on the histological structure of the tonsil. Tonsillar tissues of the children in the control and vitamin D groups demonstrated a highly statistically significantly lower number of CD68 immunoexpressing cells compared with those in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Low vitamin D may play a role in chronic tonsillitis. Vitamin D supplementation could help reduce the occurrence of chronic tonsillitis in susceptible children.
Federated learning via over-the-air computation in IRS-assisted UAV communications
Authors: Li Ruijie , Zhu Li , Zhang Guoping , Xu Hongbo , Chen Yun 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIntelligent reflective surface (IRS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communication are two key technologies in the sixth generation of mobile communication (6G). In this paper, IRS is equipped on UAV to form aerial IRS, which can achieve 360° panoramic full-angle reflection and flexible deployment of IRS. In order to achieve high-quality and ubiquitous network coverage under data privacy and low latency requirements, we propose an Federated learning (FL) network via Over-the-Air computation (AirComp) in IRS-assisted UAV communications. Our goal is to minimize the worst-case mean square error (MSE) by jointly optimizing the IRS phase shift, denoising factor for noise suppression, the user’s transmission power, and UAV trajectory. Optimizing and quickly adjusting the UAV position and IRS phase shift, it flexibly assists the signal transmission between users and base stations (BS). In order to solve this complex non-convex problem, we propose a low-complexity iterative algorithm, which divides the original problem into four sub-problems, respectively using the semi-definite programming (SDP) method, slack variable introduction method, successive convex approximation (SCA) method to solve each sub-problem. Through the analysis of simulation results, our proposed design scheme is obviously better than other benchmark schemes.