bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relative straggle of sputtering parameters as a potential measure of power conversion efficiency of Perovskite materials
Authors: Oyewande O.E. , Hikon O.E. , Aisida S.O. , Aizebeokhai A.P. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
The growing demand for electricity necessitates the development of time-efficient computational methods in search of better solar energy-harvesting materials. One challenge has been ways to improve the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of potential harvesters.In this paper, an ion sputtering approach was used to study the problem of estimation of the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar device materials through their surface sputtering signatures. This rests on a hypothesis that the similarity between the phenomenon of photon excitation from light-sensitive absorbers, leading to electricity generation, and ejection of energetic particles from sputtered surfaces, could be exploited to estimate PCE. Hence, a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of the sputtering of surfaces of perovskite materials with energetic ions was performed; and a number of quantities that could be used for the estimation of PCE were calculated. The results indicated that the relative straggle of surface sputtering parameters of the materials could be an effective measure of the theoretical maximum power conversion efficiencies of these materials. In particular, the relative straggle of the projected range of the ions in the respective materials was found to be close to reported experimental results of PCEs in the literature.
Molecular docking studies of Amidoxime-containing heterocyclic compounds from Zinc database against homology modelled PfADSL
Authors: Oduselu Gbolahan O. , Ajani Olayinka O. , Adebiyi Ezekiel F. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Malaria remains one of the most infectious life-threatening diseases in the world. The lingering effect of drug resistance by malarial parasites, especially Plasmodium falciparum, has made it essential for the continuous search for novel antimalarial drugs that can act on new protein targets and through new modes of action. Amidoxime functional groups have, in recent years, shown to be good incorporations in heterocyclic backbones due to their vast biological activities. Hence, the antimalarial activities of some amidoxime-containing heterocyclic compounds have been predicted using molecular docking studies to determine the binding affinities and the inhibition constants of the compounds. The amidoxime-containing compounds were downloaded from the ZINC database and docked, using Auto Dock vina, against the active sites of homology modelled Plasmodium falciparumadenylosuccinate lyase (PfADSL) as obtained from the SWISS-MoDeL. The grid box was constructed using 80, 80, and 80, pointing in x, y, and z directions, respectively, with a grid point spacing of 0.375 A. The post-docking analysis, which entails determining the hydrogen bond formed and the bond length between the compounds and the protein target, was carried out using AutoDockTools, LigPlot and PyMOLmolecular viewer. The docking studies showed that the compounds possess binding affinities ranging from -8.6 to- 5.7 kcal/mol, with ZINC2268942 having the lowest binding affinity. The presence of the amidoxime-functional group on the best hit contributed significantly to the hydrogen bonds formed between the compound and the binding sites of PfADSL,which were observed atThr 124D, Ser 125D, Thr 172C, His 173C, Gln 250D, and Ser 299A. The results obtained from the molecular docking studies will be helpful in the development of a potential antimalarial drug that can target PfADSL after careful experimental validation of the target, then in vitro and in vivo screening.
Controllable multiple beam splitting in Hermitian and non-Hermitian symmetric coupled waveguide systems
Authors: Dou Fu-Quan , Wei Ya-Ting , Han Min-Peng , Sun Jian-An 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
We investigate high-fidelity multiple beam splitting in Hermitian and non-Hermitian (NH) symmetric coupled waveguides (WGs) with one input and 2 N output WG channels. In Hermitian systems, we realize adiabatically light splitting in resonant case based on the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage and arbitrary proportion from the middle WG to outer WGs in propagation coefficients mismatch case using shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) technique. In NH systems with even WGs being dissipative, the compact and robust beam splitting can be achieved by eliminating the non-adiabatic coupling via the NH STA method. We further verify the feasibility of our theoretical predictions by means of the beam propagation method. The suggested multiple beam splitters open new opportunities for the realization of on-chip high-bandwidth photonics with high fidelity in short distances.
ARTS: autonomous research topic selection system using word embeddings and network analysis
Authors: Teruya Eri , Takeuchi Tadashi , Morita Hidekazu , Hayashi Takayuki , Ono Kanta 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
The materials science research process has become increasingly autonomous due to the remarkable progress in artificial intelligence. However, autonomous research topic selection (ARTS) has not yet been fully explored due to the difficulty of estimating its promise and the lack of previous research. This paper introduces an ARTS system that autonomously selects potential research topics that are likely to reveal new scientific facts yet have not been the subject of much previous research by analyzing vast numbers of articles. Potential research topics are selected by analyzing the difference between two research concept networks constructed from research information in articles: one that represents the promise of research topics and is constructed from word embeddings, and one that represents known facts and past research activities and is constructed from statistical information on the appearance patterns of research concepts. The ARTS system is also equipped with functions to search and visualize information about selected research topics to assist in the final determination of a research topic by a scientist. We developed the ARTS system using approximately 100 00 articles published in the Computational Materials Science journal. The results of our evaluation demonstrated that research topics studied after 2016 could be generated autonomously from an analysis of the articles published before 2015. This suggests that potential research topics can be effectively selected by using the ARTS system.
Piped water revenue and investment strategies in rural Africa
Authors: Armstrong Andrew , Hope Rob , Koehler Johanna 
Published: March 2022

AbstractViable pathways to universal safely managed drinking water access in rural Africa involve a blend of infrastructure types, service delivery arrangements, and sources of finance. Priorities are shaped by institutional and economic barriers and are often based on assumptions regarding user demand and revenue sustainability. Improved understanding of how alternative approaches affect revenue generated from user payments can enhance long-term viability and repayment capacity of rural piped water services. We analyse more than 3,900 monthly records from operators in Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda and model revenue patterns for novel service area archetypes. Results indicate on and off premises connections exhibit complementary revenue patterns, with volumetric revenue determined by tariff level rather than connection type and waterpoints with the greatest dispensing capacity generating the most aggregate revenue. The prepaid credit payment approach, which is increasingly promoted to enhance revenue collection efficiency, is not associated with revenue advantages compared to pay-as-you-fetch and monthly billing approaches when tariff level is controlled. These patterns are recurrent at multi- and single country scales and across service areas where public and enterprise-led investment approaches to infrastructure development are taken, suggesting the findings may be applicable beyond the study domain. Infrastructure investment strategies can promote revenue and equity goals through off-site piped water, but more evidence is needed to understand the trade-offs of prepaid credit systems.
Infant Growth Trajectories and Lipid Levels in Adolescence: Evidence From a Chilean Infancy Cohort
Authors: Von Holle Ann , North Kari E , Gahagan Sheila , Blanco Estela , Burrows Raquel , Lozoff Betsy , Howard Annie Green , Justice Anne E , Graff Mariaelisa , Voruganti Saroja 
Published: March 2022

AbstractGrowth in early infancy is hypothesized to affect chronic disease risk factors later in life. To date, most reports draw on European-ancestry cohorts with few repeated observations in early infancy. We investigated the association between infant growth before 6 months and lipid levels in adolescents in a Hispanic/Latino cohort. We characterized infant growth from birth to 5 months in male (n = 311) and female (n = 285) infants from the Santiago Longitudinal Study (1991–1996) using 3 metrics: weight (kg), length (cm), and weight-for-length (g/cm). Superimposition by translation and rotation (SITAR) and latent growth mixture models (LGMMs) were used to estimate the association between infant growth characteristics and lipid levels at age 17 years. We found a positive relationship between the SITAR length velocity parameter before 6 months of age and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in adolescence (11.5, 95% confidence interval; 3.4, 19.5), indicating higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels occurring with faster length growth. The strongest associations from the LGMMs were between higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and slower weight-for-length growth, following a pattern of associations between slower growth and adverse lipid profiles. Further research in this window of time can confirm the association between early infant growth as an exposure and adolescent cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Development of a method for preparing cyclic nigerosylnigerose syrup and investigation of its value as a dietary fiber
Authors: Yasuda Akiko , Mizote Akiko , Miyata Manabu , Kurose Mayumi , Ogawa Toru , Sadakiyo Tsuyoshi , Uchida Satoko , Yamamoto Takuo , Mitsuzumi Hitoshi , Aga Hajime , Yamamoto Koryu 
Published: March 2022

ABSTRACT
Cyclic nigerosylnigerose (CNN) syrup, containing 76% water-soluble dietary fiber, was prepared from starch on an industrial scale, using isoamylase, 6-α-glucosyltransferase, 3-α-isomaltosyltransferase, and cyclodextrin glucanotransferase. CNN syrup has a unique linkage pattern, consisting mainly of α-1,3 and α-1,6 glucoside linkages, and is characterized by its low weight average molecular weight (807) and moderate sweetness (relative sweetness = 25), unlike in well-known dietary fiber materials. The glass transition temperature of CNN is higher than that of the straight chain structures, maltotetraose and maltosyltrehalose. Even when 40% of normally added sucrose was replaced with CNN syrup, sponge cake puffed up sufficiently. The no observed adverse effect level for a single dose of CNN syrup was 0.88 and 0.89 g dry solid/kg body weight for men and women, respectively. The increase in blood glucose and insulin concentrations during consumption of CNN syrup was lower than that of glucose.
Exploring the mechanism of trehalose: dual functions of PI3K/Akt and VPS34/mTOR pathways in porcine oocytes and cumulus cells
Authors: Cai Lian , Yoon Junchul David , Hwang Seon-Ung , Lee Joohyeong , Kim Eunhye , Kim Mirae , Hyun Saang-Yoon , Choi Hyerin , Oh Dongjin , Jeon Yubyeol , Hyun Sang-Hwan 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Autophagy, an intracellular recycling system, is essential for the meiotic maturation of porcine oocytes. Trehalose has been reported as a novel mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-independent autophagy inducer in many cells. Furthermore, we previously have demonstrated that trehalose supplementation during in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes improves the developmental competence of parthenogenetic embryos, possibly via autophagic activation, whereas the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to address this issue. We found that trehalose plays a role as an autophagy activator by autophagic flux assay and determined that it promotes phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) inhibition and vacuolar protein sorting 34 (VPS34)/mTOR activation by immunoblotting, both in cumulus cells (CCs) and oocytes. However, interestingly, the effects and the mechanisms regulated by trehalose were different in them, respectively. In CCs, the autophagy was activated through the improvement of lysosomal function/autophagic clearance viability by upregulation of coordinated lysosomal expression and regulation genes via PI3K/Akt inhibition. Whereas in oocytes, autophagy was activated via induction of VPS34, which directly influences autophagosome formation, and the precise meiotic process was ensured via Akt inhibition and mTOR activation. Taken together, this study furtherly elucidates the novel detailed mechanism of trehalose during porcine oocyte maturation, thus laying the biological foundations for pharmacological application.
Phosphorylated α-synuclein in skin Schwann cells: a new biomarker for multiple system atrophy
Authors: Donadio Vincenzo , Incensi Alex , Rizzo Giovanni , Westermark Gunilla T , Devigili Grazia , De Micco Rosa , Tessitore Alessandro , Nyholm Dag , Parisini Sara , Nyman Dag , Tedeschi Gioacchino , Eleopra Roberto , Ingelsson Martin , Liguori Rocco 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMultiple system atrophy (MSA) is characterized by accumulation of phosphorylated α-synuclein (p-syn) as glial cytoplasmic inclusions in the brain and a specific biomarker for this disorder is urgently needed. We aimed at investigating if p-syn can also be detected in skin Remak non-myelinating Schwann cells (RSCs) as Schwann cell cytoplasmic inclusions (SCCi) and may represent a reliable clinical biomarker for MSA.This cross-sectional diagnostic study evaluated skin p-syn in 96 patients: 46 with probable MSA (29 with parkinsonism type MSA and 17 with cerebellar type MSA), 34 with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 16 with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We also included 50 healthy control subjects. Patients were recruited from five different medical centres. P-syn aggregates in skin sections were stained by immunofluorescence, followed by analyses with confocal microscopy and immuno-electron microscopy. All analyses were performed in a blinded fashion.Overall, p-syn aggregates were found in 78% of MSA patients and 100% of patients with PD/DLB, whereas they could not be detected in controls. As for neuronal aggregates 78% of MSA patients were positive for p-syn in somatic neurons, whereas all PD/DLB patients were positive in autonomic neurons. When analysing the presence of p-syn in RSCs, 74% of MSA patients were positive, whereas no such SCCi could be observed in PD/DLB patients. Analyses by immuno-electron microscopy confirmed that SCCi were only found in cases with MSA and thus absent in those with PD/DLB.In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that (i) fibrillar p-syn in RSCs is a pathological hallmark of MSA and may be used as a specific and sensitive disease biomarker; (ii) in Lewy body synucleinopathies (PD/DLB) only neurons contain p-syn deposits; and (iii) the cell-specific deposition of p-syn in the skin thus mirrors that of the brain in many aspects and suggests that non-myelinated glial cells are also involved in the MSA pathogenesis.
α-Amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor and RNA processing gene dysregulation are early determinants of selective motor neuron vulnerability in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Zanganeh Pardis F. , Barton Samantha K. , Lim Katherine , Qian Elizabeth L. , Crombie Duncan E. , Bye Christopher R. , Turner Bradley J. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a late-onset adult neurodegenerative disease, although there is mounting electrophysiological and pathological evidence from patients and animal models for a protracted preclinical period of motor neuron susceptibility and dysfunction, long before clinical diagnosis. The key molecular mechanisms linked to motor neuron vulnerability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have been extensively studied using transcriptional profiling in motor neurons isolated from adult mutant superoxide dismutase 1 mice. However, neonatal and embryonic motor neurons from mutant superoxide dismutase 1 mice show abnormal morphology and hyperexcitability, suggesting preceding transcriptional dysregulation. Here, we used RNA sequencing on motor neurons isolated from embryonic superoxide dismutase 1G93A mice to determine the earliest molecular mechanisms conferring neuronal susceptibility and dysfunction known in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Transgenic superoxide dismutase 1G93A mice expressing the spinal motor neuron homeobox HB9:green fluorescent protein reporter allowed unambiguous identification and isolation of motor neurons using fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Gene expression profiling of isolated motor neurons revealed transcriptional dysregulation in superoxide dismutase 1G93A mice as early as embryonic Day 12.5 with the majority of differentially expressed genes involved in RNA processing and α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate-mediated glutamate receptor signalling. We confirmed dysregulation of the α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor Subunit 2, at transcript and protein levels, in embryonic superoxide dismutase 1G93A mouse motor neurons and human motor neurons derived from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient induced pluripotent stem cells harbouring pathogenic superoxide dismutase 1 mutations. Mutant superoxide dismutase 1 induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons showed greater vulnerability to α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate-mediated excitotoxicity, consistent with α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor Subunit 2 downregulation. Thus, α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor Subunit 2 deficiency leading to enhanced α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor signalling, calcium influx, hyperexcitability, and chronic excitotoxicity is a very early and intrinsic property of spinal motor neurons that may trigger amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pathogenesis later in life. This study reinforces the concept of therapeutic targeting of hyperexcitability and excitotoxicity as potential disease-modifying approaches for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in uterine serous carcinoma via CCL7 signal with myeloid-derived suppressor cells
Authors: Mise Yuka , Hamanishi Junzo , Daikoku Takiko , Takamatsu Shiro , Miyamoto Taito , Taki Mana , Yamanoi Koji , Yamaguchi Ken , Ukita Masayo , Horikawa Naoki , Abiko Kaoru , Murakami Ryusuke , Furutake Yoko , Hosoe Yuko , Terakawa Jumpei , Kagabu Masahiro , Sugai Tamotsu , Osakabe Mitsumasa , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Matsumura Noriomi , Mandai Masaki , Baba Tsukasa 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Serous carcinoma of the uterus (USC) is a pathological subtype of high-grade endometrial cancers, with no effective treatment for advanced cases. Since such refractory tumors frequently harbor antitumor immune tolerance, many immunotherapies have been investigated for various malignant tumors using immuno-competent animal models mimicking their local immunities. In this study, we established an orthotopic mouse model of high-grade endometrial cancer and evaluated the local tumor immunity to explore the efficacy of immunotherapies against USC. A multivariate analysis of 62 human USC cases revealed that the tumor-infiltrating cell status, few CD8+ cells and abundant myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), was an independent prognostic factor (P &lt; 0.005). A murine endometrial cancer cell (mECC) was obtained from C57BL/6 mice via endometrium-specific deletion of Pten and Tp53, and another high-grade cell (HPmECC) was established by further overexpressing Myc in mECCs. HPmECCs exhibited higher capacities of migration and anchorage-independent proliferation than mECCs (P &lt; 0.01, P &lt; 0.0001), and when both types of cells were inoculated into the uterus of C57BL/6 mice, the prognosis of mice bearing HPmECC-derived tumors was significantly poorer (P &lt; 0.001). Histopathological analysis of HPmECC orthotopic tumors showed serous carcinoma-like features with prominent tumor infiltration of MDSCs (P &lt; 0.05), and anti-Gr-1 antibody treatment significantly prolonged the prognosis of HPmECC-derived tumor-bearing mice (P &lt; 0.05). High CCL7 expression was observed in human USC and HPmECC, and MDSCs migration was promoted in a CCL7 concentration-dependent manner. These results indicate that antitumor immunity is suppressed in USC due to increased number of tumor-infiltrating MDSCs via CCL signal.
Working with “Wogs”: Aliens, Denizens and the Machinations of Denialism
Authors: Gilroy Paul 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
This article uses a discussion of the currency of the word “wog” in Britain to identify a pivotal, racialized position used to contain alien incomers so as to exclude them from belonging to the national community. The argument invites readers to focus on the affective energy specifically endowed in contemporary European “populist” politics by race-talk and the anti-Muslim rhetoric which share common roots in absolutist conceptions of culture and “ethnicity.” It is suggested that those developments have conditioned the digital and virtual politics of contemporary racism. They connect with the deployment of machine learning and the growing application of Artificial Intelligence to build trans-national networks among White supremacists and ultranationalists in order to promote their allyship and coordinate their activities.
Metabolic and functional connectivity provide unique and complementary insights into cognition-connectome relationships
Authors: Voigt Katharina , Liang Emma X , Misic Bratislav , Ward Phillip G D , Egan Gary F , Jamadar Sharna D 
Published: March 2022

AbstractA major challenge in current cognitive neuroscience is how functional brain connectivity gives rise to human cognition. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) describes brain connectivity based on cerebral oxygenation dynamics (hemodynamic connectivity), whereas [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose functional positron emission tomography (FDG-fPET) describes brain connectivity based on cerebral glucose uptake (metabolic connectivity), each providing a unique characterization of the human brain. How these 2 modalities differ in their contribution to cognition and behavior is unclear. We used simultaneous resting-state FDG-fPET/fMRI to investigate how hemodynamic connectivity and metabolic connectivity relate to cognitive function by applying partial least squares analyses. Results revealed that although for both modalities the frontoparietal anatomical subdivisions related the strongest to cognition, using hemodynamic measures this network expressed executive functioning, episodic memory, and depression, whereas for metabolic measures this network exclusively expressed executive functioning. These findings demonstrate the unique advantages that simultaneous FDG-PET/fMRI has to provide a comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms that underpin cognition and highlights the importance of multimodality imaging in cognitive neuroscience research.