bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of Salt Overspill at Estuarine Network Junctions Explained With an Idealized Model
Authors: Biemond Bouke , de Swart Huib E. , Dijkstra Henk A. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractSalt overspill, defined as the net salt transport from a channel of an estuarine network through a junction to another channel, can be a major contributor to salt intrusion. Here, an idealized subtidal model is constructed of a network consisting of one river channel and two sea channels, and used to investigate the sensitivity of overspill to different values of river discharge, tidal current, width, and depth of the channels. Two prototype systems are considered: the North and South Passage of the Yangtze Estuary and the Modaomen and Hongwan Channel of the Pearl River Estuary. Model results indicate that in both systems, increasing river discharge decreases the amount of salt overspill, except in the regime of weak river discharge in the Yangtze Estuary. Increasing the strength of the tidal current increases the overspill in the Yangtze Estuary, but it decreases the overspill in the Modaomen Estuary. Analysis of the model results shows that salt overspill is linearly related to the salinity difference at the upstream boundary of the two seaward channels, when they are considered as single channel estuaries. This salinity difference occurs because conditions in the channels are not identical, which results in different net water transports (causing export of salt), exchange flows, and horizontal diffusion (causing import of salt). An analytical expression is derived, which explains the dependency of salt overspill to the factors mentioned above.
3D-assembled microneedle ion sensor-based wearable system for the transdermal monitoring of physiological ion fluctuations
Authors: Huang Xinshuo , Zheng Shantao , Liang Baoming , He Mengyi , Wu Feifei , Yang Jingbo , Chen Hui-jiuan , Xie Xi 
Published: March 2023

AbstractMonitoring human health is of considerable significance in biomedicine. In particular, the ion concentrations in blood are important reference indicators related to many diseases. Microneedle array-based sensors have enabled promising breakthroughs in continuous health monitoring due to their minimally invasive nature. In this study, we developed a microneedle sensing-array integrated system to continuously detect subcutaneous ions to monitor human health status in real time based on a fabrication strategy for assembling planar microneedle sheets to form 3D microneedle arrays. The limitations of preparing 3D microneedle structures with multiple electrode channels were addressed by assembling planar microneedle sheets fabricated via laser micromachining; the challenges of modifying closely spaced microneedle tips into different functionalized types of electrodes were avoided. The microneedle sensing system was sufficiently sensitive for detecting real-time changes in Ca2+, K+, and Na+ concentrations, and it exhibited good detection performance. The in vivo results showed that the ion-sensing microneedle array successfully monitored the fluctuations in Ca2+, K+, and Na+ in the interstitial fluids of rats in real time. By using an integrated circuit design, we constructed the proposed microneedle sensor into a wearable integrated monitoring system. The integrated system could potentially provide information feedback for diseases related to physiological ion changes.
Self-synchronization of reinjected droplets for high-efficiency droplet pairing and merging
Authors: Nan Lang , Mao Tianjiao , Shum Ho Cheung 
Published: March 2023

AbstractDroplet merging serves as a powerful tool to add reagents to moving droplets for biological and chemical reactions. However, unsynchronized droplet pairing impedes high-efficiency merging. Here, we develop a microfluidic design for the self-synchronization of reinjected droplets. A periodic increase in the hydrodynamic resistance caused by droplet blocking a T-junction enables automatic pairing of droplets. After inducing spacing, the paired droplets merge downstream under an electric field. The blockage-based design can achieve a 100% synchronization efficiency even when the mismatch rate of droplet frequencies reaches 10%. Over 98% of the droplets can still be synchronized at nonuniform droplet sizes and fluctuating reinjection flow rates. Moreover, the droplet pairing ratio can be adjusted flexibly for on-demand sample addition. Using this system, we merge two groups of droplets encapsulating enzyme/substrate, demonstrating its capacity to conduct multi-step reactions. We also combine droplet sorting and merging to coencapsulate single cells and single beads, providing a basis for high-efficiency single-cell sequencing. We expect that this system can be integrated with other droplet manipulation systems for a broad range of chemical and biological applications.
Electromechanically reconfigurable plasmonic photodetector with a distinct shift in resonant wavelength
Authors: Oshita Masaaki , Saito Shiro , Kan Tetsuo 
Published: March 2023

AbstractPlasmonic photodetectors have received increasing attention because their detection properties can be designed by tailoring their metal structures on surfaces without using any additional components. Reconfiguration of the plasmonic resonant state in a photodetector is relevant for various applications, including investigating in situ adaptive detection property changes, depending on the situation, and performing single-pixel spectroscopy in geometrically limited regions. However, the spectral responsivity change with conventional reconfiguration methods is relatively small. Here, we propose a plasmonic photodetector that reconfigures its spectral responsivity with electromechanical deformation instead of bias tuning. The photodetector consists of a gold plasmonic grating formed on an n-type silicon cantilever, and the spectral responsivity is reconfigured by electromechanically scanning at an incident angle to the grating on the cantilever. The photodetector exhibits peak shifts in spectral responsivity in a wavelength range from 1250 to 1310 nm after electromechanical reconfiguration. Finally, for potential future applications, we demonstrate near-infrared spectroscopy using the photodetector. This photodetector has the potential to be adopted as a near-infrared spectrometer in industrial silicon imaging systems because its structure enables subbandgap photodetection on silicon by a Schottky junction.
From a microscopic inertial active matter model to the Schrödinger equation
Authors: te Vrugt Michael , Frohoff-Hülsmann Tobias , Heifetz Eyal , Thiele Uwe , Wittkowski Raphael 
Published: March 2023

AbstractActive field theories, such as the paradigmatic model known as ‘active model B+’, are simple yet very powerful tools for describing phenomena such as motility-induced phase separation. No comparable theory has been derived yet for the underdamped case. In this work, we introduce active model I+, an extension of active model B+ to particles with inertia. The governing equations of active model I+ are systematically derived from the microscopic Langevin equations. We show that, for underdamped active particles, thermodynamic and mechanical definitions of the velocity field no longer coincide and that the density-dependent swimming speed plays the role of an effective viscosity. Moreover, active model I+ contains an analog of the Schrödinger equation in Madelung form as a limiting case, allowing one to find analoga of the quantum-mechanical tunnel effect and of fuzzy dark matter in active fluids. We investigate the active tunnel effect analytically and via numerical continuation.
High-efficiency gold recovery by additive-induced supramolecular polymerization of β-cyclodextrin
Authors: Wu Huang , Wang Yu , Tang Chun , Jones Leighton O. , Song Bo , Chen Xiao-Yang , Zhang Long , Wu Yong , Stern Charlotte L. , Schatz George C. , Liu Wenqi , Stoddart J. Fraser 
Published: March 2023

AbstractDeveloping an eco-friendly, efficient, and highly selective gold-recovery technology is urgently needed in order to maintain sustainable environments and improve the utilization of resources. Here we report an additive-induced gold recovery paradigm based on precisely controlling the reciprocal transformation and instantaneous assembly of the second-sphere coordinated adducts formed between β-cyclodextrin and tetrabromoaurate anions. The additives initiate a rapid assembly process by co-occupying the binding cavity of β-cyclodextrin along with the tetrabromoaurate anions, leading to the formation of supramolecular polymers that precipitate from aqueous solutions as cocrystals. The efficiency of gold recovery reaches 99.8% when dibutyl carbitol is deployed as the additive. This cocrystallization is highly selective for square-planar tetrabromoaurate anions. In a laboratory-scale gold-recovery protocol, over 94% of gold in electronic waste was recovered at gold concentrations as low as 9.3 ppm. This simple protocol constitutes a promising paradigm for the sustainable recovery of gold, featuring reduced energy consumption, low cost inputs, and the avoidance of environmental pollution.
Understanding the evolution of lithium dendrites at Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12 grain boundaries via operando microscopy techniques
Authors: Zhu Chao , Fuchs Till , Weber Stefan A. L. , Richter Felix. H. , Glasser Gunnar , Weber Franjo , Butt Hans-Jürgen , Janek Jürgen , Berger Rüdiger 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe growth of lithium dendrites in inorganic solid electrolytes is an essential drawback that hinders the development of reliable all-solid-state lithium metal batteries. Generally, ex situ post mortem measurements of battery components show the presence of lithium dendrites at the grain boundaries of the solid electrolyte. However, the role of grain boundaries in the nucleation and dendritic growth of metallic lithium is not yet fully understood. Here, to shed light on these crucial aspects, we report the use of operando Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements to map locally time-dependent electric potential changes in the Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12 garnet-type solid electrolyte. We find that the Galvani potential drops at grain boundaries near the lithium metal electrode during plating as a response to the preferential accumulation of electrons. Time-resolved electrostatic force microscopy measurements and quantitative analyses of lithium metal formed at the grain boundaries under electron beam irradiation support this finding. Based on these results, we propose a mechanistic model to explain the preferential growth of lithium dendrites at grain boundaries and their penetration in inorganic solid electrolytes.
A general highly efficient synthesis of biocompatible rhodamine dyes and probes for live-cell multicolor nanoscopy
Authors: Bucevičius Jonas , Gerasimaitė Rūta , Kiszka Kamila A. , Pradhan Shalini , Kostiuk Georgij , Koenen Tanja , Lukinavičius Gražvydas 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe development of live-cell fluorescence nanoscopy is powered by the availability of suitable fluorescent probes. Rhodamines are among the best fluorophores for labeling intracellular structures. Isomeric tuning is a powerful method for optimizing the biocompatibility of rhodamine-containing probes without affecting their spectral properties. An efficient synthesis pathway for 4-carboxyrhodamines is still lacking. We present a facile protecting-group-free 4-carboxyrhodamines’ synthesis based on the nucleophilic addition of lithium dicarboxybenzenide to the corresponding xanthone. This approach drastically reduces the number of synthesis steps, expands the achievable structural diversity, increases overall yields and permits gram-scale synthesis of the dyes. We synthesize a wide range of symmetrical and unsymmetrical 4-carboxyrhodamines covering the whole visible spectrum and target them to multiple structures in living cells – microtubules, DNA, actin, mitochondria, lysosomes, Halo-tagged and SNAP-tagged proteins. The enhanced permeability fluorescent probes operate at submicromolar concentrations, allowing high-contrast STED and confocal microscopy of living cells and tissues.
Quantum enhanced radio detection and ranging with solid spins
Authors: Chen Xiang-Dong , Wang En-Hui , Shan Long-Kun , Zhang Shao-Chun , Feng Ce , Zheng Yu , Dong Yang , Guo Guang-Can , Sun Fang-Wen 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe accurate radio frequency (RF) ranging and localizing of objects has benefited the researches including autonomous driving, the Internet of Things, and manufacturing. Quantum receivers have been proposed to detect the radio signal with ability that can outperform conventional measurement. As one of the most promising candidates, solid spin shows superior robustness, high spatial resolution and miniaturization. However, challenges arise from the moderate response to a high frequency RF signal. Here, by exploiting the coherent interaction between quantum sensor and RF field, we demonstrate quantum enhanced radio detection and ranging. The RF magnetic sensitivity is improved by three orders to 21 $${{{{{{{\rm{pT}}}}}}}}/\sqrt{{{{{{{{\rm{Hz}}}}}}}}}$$
pT
/

Hz

, based on nanoscale quantum sensing and RF focusing. Further enhancing the response of spins to the target’s position through multi-photon excitation, a ranging accuracy of 16 μm is realized with a GHz RF signal. The results pave the way for exploring quantum enhanced radar and communications with solid spins.
Interaction-driven spontaneous ferromagnetic insulating states with odd Chern numbers
Authors: Mai Peizhi , Huang Edwin W. , Yu Jiachen , Feldman Benjamin E. , Phillips Philip W. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractMotivated by recent experimental work on moiré systems in a strong magnetic field, we compute the compressibility as well as the spin correlations and Hofstadter spectrum of spinful electrons on a honeycomb lattice with Hubbard interactions using the determinantal quantum Monte Carlo method. While the interactions in general preserve quantum and anomalous Hall states, emergent features arise corresponding to an antiferromagnetic insulator at half-filling and other incompressible states following the Chern sequence ± (2N + 1). These odd integer Chern states exhibit strong ferromagnetic correlations and arise spontaneously without any external mechanism for breaking the spin-rotation symmetry. Analogs of these magnetic states should be observable in general interacting quantum Hall systems. In addition, the interacting Hofstadter spectrum is qualitatively similar to the experimental data at intermediate values of the on-site interaction.
Cytoplasmic contractile injection systems mediate cell death in Streptomyces
Authors: Casu Bastien , Sallmen Joseph W. , Schlimpert Susan , Pilhofer Martin 
Published: March 2023

AbstractContractile injection systems (CIS) are bacteriophage tail-like structures that mediate bacterial cell–cell interactions. While CIS are highly abundant across diverse bacterial phyla, representative gene clusters in Gram-positive organisms remain poorly studied. Here we characterize a CIS in the Gram-positive multicellular model organismStreptomyces coelicolorand show that, in contrast to most other CIS,S. coelicolorCIS (CISSc) mediate cell death in response to stress and impact cellular development. CISScare expressed in the cytoplasm of vegetative hyphae and are not released into the medium. Our cryo-electron microscopy structure enabled the engineering of non-contractile and fluorescently tagged CISScassemblies. Cryo-electron tomography showed that CISSccontraction is linked to reduced cellular integrity. Fluorescence light microscopy furthermore revealed that functional CISScmediate cell death upon encountering different types of stress. The absence of functional CISSchad an impact on hyphal differentiation and secondary metabolite production. Finally, we identified three putative effector proteins, which when absent, phenocopied other CISScmutants. Our results provide new functional insights into CIS in Gram-positive organisms and a framework for studying novel intracellular roles, including regulated cell death and life-cycle progression in multicellular bacteria.
Mesoscopic Klein-Schwinger effect in graphene
Authors: Schmitt A. , Vallet P. , Mele D. , Rosticher M. , Taniguchi T. , Watanabe K. , Bocquillon E. , Fève G. , Berroir J. M. , Voisin C. , Cayssol J. , Goerbig M. O. , Troost J. , Baudin E. , Plaçais B. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractStrong electric field annihilation by particle–antiparticle pair creation, also known as the Schwinger effect, is a non-perturbative prediction of quantum electrodynamics. Its experimental demonstration remains elusive, as threshold electric fields are extremely strong and beyond current reach. Here, we propose a mesoscopic variant of the Schwinger effect in graphene, which hosts Dirac fermions with an approximate electron–hole symmetry. Using transport measurements, we report on universal one-dimensional Schwinger conductance at the pinchoff of ballistic graphene transistors. Strong pinchoff electric fields are concentrated within approximately 1 μm of the transistor’s drain and induce Schwinger electron–hole pair creation at saturation. This effect precedes a collective instability towards an ohmic Zener regime, which is rejected at twice the pinchoff voltage in long devices. These observations advance our understanding of current saturation limits in ballistic graphene and provide a direction for further quantum electrodynamic experiments in the laboratory.
COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions: data annotation for rapidly changing local policy information
Authors: Hurt Benjamin , Hoque Oishee Bintey , Mokrzycki Finn , Mathew Anjali , Xue Maryann , Gabitsinashvili Luka , Mokrzycki Haile , Fischer Ranya , Telesca Nicholas , Xue Lauren Aurelia , Ritchie Jacob , Zamfirescu-Pereira J. D. , Bernstein Michael , Whiting Mark , Marathe Madhav 
Published: March 2023

AbstractUnderstanding the scope, prevalence, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response will be a rich ground for research for many years. Key to the response to COVID-19 was the non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures, such as mask mandates or stay-in-place orders. For future pandemic preparedness, it is critical to understand the impact and scope of these interventions. Given the ongoing nature of the pandemic, existing NPI studies covering only the initial portion provide only a narrow view of the impact of NPI measures. This paper describes a dataset of NPI measures taken by counties in the U.S. state of Virginia that include measures taken over the first two years of the pandemic beginning in March 2020. This data enables analyses of NPI measures over a long time period that can produce impact analyses on both the individual NPI effectiveness in slowing the pandemic spread, and the impact of various NPI measures on the behavior and conditions of the different counties and state.
A putative cytotoxic serine protease from Salmonella typhimurium UcB5 recovered from undercooked burger
Authors: Kotb Essam , El-Nogoumy Baher A. , Alqahtani Haifa A. , Ahmed Asmaa A. , Al-shwyeh Hussah A. , Algarudi Sakina M. , Almahasheer Hanan 
Published: March 2023

AbstractA putative virulence exoprotease designated as UcB5 was successfully purified from the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium to the electrophoretic homogeneity with 13.2-fold and 17.1% recovery by hydrophobic, ion-exchange, and gel permeation chromatography using Phenyl-Sepharose 6FF, DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B, and Sephadex G-75, respectively. By applying SDS-PAGE, the molecular weight was confirmed at 35 kDa. The optimal temperature, pH, and isoelectric point were 35 °C, 8.0, 5.6 ± 0.2, respectively. UcB5 was found to have a broad substrate specificity against almost all the tested chromogenic substrates with maximal affinity against N-Succ-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-pNA achieving Km of 0.16 mM, Kcat/Km of 3.01 × 105 S−1 M−1, and amidolytic activity of 28.9 µmol min−1 L−1. It was drastically inhibited by TLCK, PMSF, SBTI, and aprotinin while, DTT, β-mercaptoethanol, 2,2′-bipyridine, o-phenanthroline, EDTA, and EGTA had no effect, which suggested a serine protease-type. Also, it has shown a broad substrate specificity against a broad range of natural proteins including serum proteins. A cytotoxicity and electron microscopy study revealed that UcB5 could cause subcellular proteolysis that finally led to liver necrosis. For this, future research should focus on using a combination of external antiproteases and antimicrobial agents for the treatment of microbial diseases instead of using drugs alone.
Non-optimal ambient temperatures aggravate insecticide toxicity and affect honey bees Apis mellifera L. gene regulation
Authors: Alburaki Mohamed , Madella Shayne , Cook Steven C. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn this study, we conducted a transcriptional analysis of five honey bee genes to examine their functional involvement vis-à-vis ambient temperatures and exposure to imidacloprid. In a 15-day cage experiment, three cohorts of one-day-old sister bees emerged in incubators, were distributed into cages, and maintained at three different temperatures (26 °C, 32 °C, 38 °C). Each cohort was fed a protein patty and three concentrations of imidacloprid-tainted sugar (0 ppb, 5 ppb and 20 ppb) ad libitum. Honey bee mortality, syrup and patty consumption were monitored daily over 15 days. Bees were sampled every three days for a total of five time points. RT-qPCR was used to longitudinally assess gene regulation of Vg, mrjp1, Rsod, AChE-2 and Trx-1 using RNA extracted from whole bee bodies. Kaplan–Meier models show that bees kept at both non-optimal temperatures (26 °C and 38 °C) were more susceptible to imidacloprid, with significantly higher mortality (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively) compared to the control. At 32 °C, no differences in mortality (P = 0.3) were recorded among treatments. In both imidacloprid treatment groups and the control, the expression of Vg and mrjp1 was significantly downregulated at 26 °C and 38 °C compared to the optimal temperature of 32 °C, indicating major influence of ambient temperature on the regulation of these genes. Within the ambient temperature groups, both imidacloprid treatments exclusively downregulated Vg and mrjp1 at 26 °C. AChE-2 and the poorly characterized Rsod gene were both consistently upregulated at the highest temperature (38 °C) compared to the ideal temperature (32 °C) in all treatment groups. Trx-1 showed no effect to both temperature and imidacloprid treatments and was regulated in an age-related manner. Overall, our results indicate that ambient temperatures amplify imidacloprid toxicity and affect honey bee gene regulation.