bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Why We Should Be Suspicious of Conspiracy Theories: A Novel Demarcation Problem
Authors: Boudry Maarten 
Published: October 2022

AbstractWhat, if anything, is wrong with conspiracy theories (CTs)? A conspiracy refers to a group of people acting in secret to achieve some nefarious goal. Given that the pages of history are full of such plots, however, why are CTs often regarded with suspicion and even disdain? According to “particularism,” the currently dominant view among philosophers, each CT should be evaluated on its own merits and the negative reputation of CTs as a class is wholly undeserved. In this paper, I defend a moderate version of “generalism,” the view that there is indeed something prima facie suspicious about CTs, properly defined, and that they suffer from common epistemic defects. To demarcate legitimate theorizing about real-life conspiracies from “mere conspiracy theories” (in the pejorative sense), I draw on a deep asymmetry between causes and effects in the natural world. Because of their extreme resilience to counterevidence, CTs can be seen as the epistemological equivalent of black holes, in which unwary truth-seekers are drawn, never to escape. Finally, by presenting a generic “recipe” for generating novel CTs around any given event, regardless of the circumstances and the available evidence, I rescue the intuitions beneath colloquial phrases like “That's just a conspiracy theory.”
Spodoptera frugiperda in Togo 5 years on: early impact of the invasion and future developments
Authors: Koffi Djima , Agboka Komi , Fening Ken Okwae , Adjevi Mawuko Kossi Anani , Badziklou Judith Edjodjinam Adjo , Tchegueni Matotiloa , Tchao Manguilibè , Meagher Robert L. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe infestation of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Africa since 2016 has been a major threat to maize production. Previous studies in Togo and Ghana from 2016 to 2018 did not correlate FAW infestation to yield losses. Thus, the aim of this study which assesses the impact of FAW infestation by inspecting 150 maize farms throughout the five Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZs) of Togo for FAW plant damage, and third instar larvae were used to infest 10-day-old maize plants in netted plots under controlled conditions at an experiment station (Station d'Expérimentations Agronomiques de Lomé) in 2019 and 2020. As control plots at the experiment station, plots were both netted and treated with emamectin benzoate, simply netted, or open to natural infestation. The number of larvae, egg masses, percent damaged plants, and damage proportions of leaves and ears were scored until harvest. Infestations and damages on maize plant throughout Togo were similar between the two years but were higher in the southern part of the county (AEZ5). At the experiment station, the yield losses were significantly considerable and increased from 25% infestation. The losses were 0.37 t ha−1 for 25% infestation, 0.34 t ha−1 for 30%, 0.59 t ha−1 for the open plots, 0.70 t ha−1 for simple netted and 50% infestation, 1.03 t ha−1 for 75%, and 1.27 t ha−1 for 100% infestation. This current study suggested thorough inspection on maize farms to set off management practices from 25% of infestation.
Group Creativity
Authors: Gaut Berys 
Published: October 2022

AbstractGroup creativity is vital in overcoming the numerous challenges that the world faces. Yet group creativity is deeply puzzling. It seems plausible that only agents can be creative, so group creativity requires group agency. But how could groups possess the mental states required to be agents, let alone the rich range of them required to be creative? It appears more reasonable to hold that group creativity is not a real phenomenon, but is merely the summed creativity of the individuals forming the group. There is also much empirical evidence that groups are no more creative than their members. In this paper I examine the conceptual and empirical challenges to group creativity, defend its existence, and offer an explanation of how it is possible.
The Virtue of Hope in a Turbulent World
Authors: Mason Cathy 
Published: October 2022

AbstractI argue that hope is an ethical virtue. Hope, I suggest, is necessary for engaging in a broad kind of project which is essential for living a meaningful human life, and this gives us reason to think that it is non-instrumentally valuable in our lives. Specifically, I claim that hope is well understood as a ‘structural virtue’ without which we are prone to slip into despair, fantasy and cynicism. Moreover, I argue that this virtue will be particularly significant in turbulent times, when we may not be in a position to have outright (positive) expectations about the future.
Reclaiming Care and Privacy in the Age of Social Media
Authors: Desmond Hugh 
Published: October 2022

AbstractSocial media has invaded our private, professional, and public lives. While corporations continue to portray social media as a celebration of self-expression and freedom, public opinion, by contrast, seems to have decidedly turned against social media. Yet we continue to use it just the same. What is social media, and how should we live with it? Is it the promise of a happier and more interconnected humanity, or a vehicle for toxic self-promotion? In this essay I examine the very structure of social media communications in order to sketch how we should engage with social media. Social media communications are, I argue, a public communication of private content. This allows connections to be made with others in ways that would not otherwise be possible; however, it also submits the private to a status competition, which in turn is linked to mental health challenges. A ‘virtuous’ engagement with social media means being aware of these dynamics, and choosing to subordinate social media to other, more important goods.
GLOBAL ARIDIFICATION AND THE DECLINE OF NPP: A COMMENTARY on Projected increases in global terrestrial net primary productivity loss caused by drought under climate change by Dan Cao, Jiahua Zhang, Jiaqi Han, Tian Zhang, Shanshan Yang, Jingwen Wang, Foyez Ahmed Prodhan, and Fengmei Yao
Authors: Running Steven W. 
Published: October 2022

AbstractNet primary production (NPP) is an important metric of the global carbon cycle, critical for monitoring climate stabilization and for societal economic products. Global NPP should be monitored continuously to adapt societal policy to emerging declines.
High Emission Scenario Substantially Damages China's Photovoltaic Potential
Authors: Lu Ning , Yao Ling , Qin Jun , Yang Kun , Wild Martin , Jiang Hou 
Published: October 2022

AbstractQuantifying future changes in solar photovoltaic (PV) potential is of great significance for energy planning and policy making to achieve carbon neutrality. To constrain the uncertainties of applying directly Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) projections to such quantification, we construct the performance‐weighted CMIP6 solar irradiance and air temperature data, and then assess the future changes in China's PV potential and accompanying economic benefits under three typical climate change scenarios. We find that the high emission scenario will substantially damage China's PV potential, resulting in a reduction of 314 TWh/year in electricity generation by the planned installed capacity in 2100, with a corresponding loss of US $25 billion/year. However, the low emission scenario will enhance the PV potential, yielding an additional electricity generation of 226 TWh/year and a corresponding bonus of US $18 billion/year in 2100. China's commitment to carbon neutrality will lead to low‐carbon emissions, which brings great economic rewards to its PV industry.
Influence of Titan's Variable Electromagnetic Environment on the Global Distribution of Energetic Neutral Atoms
Authors: Tippens Tyler , Liuzzo Lucas , Simon Sven 
Published: October 2022

AbstractWe combine the electromagnetic fields from a hybrid plasma model with a particle tracing tool to study the spatial distribution of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) emitted from Titan's atmosphere when the moon is exposed to different magnetospheric upstream regimes. These ENAs are generated when energetic magnetospheric ions undergo charge exchange within Titan's atmosphere. The spatial distribution of the emitted ENA flux is largely determined by the parent ions' trajectories through the draped fields in Titan's interaction region. Since images from the ENA detector aboard Cassini captured only a fraction of the ENA population, we provide context for such observations by calculating maps of the ENA flux through a spherical detector concentric with Titan. We determine the global distribution of ENA emissions and constrain deviations between the locations of ENA production and detection. We find that the ENA flux is highest in a band that encircles Titan perpendicular to the ambient magnetospheric field, which was strictly perpendicular to the moon's orbital plane during only one Cassini flyby. The field line draping strongly attenuates the emitted ENA flux, but does not alter the overall morphology of the detectable flux pattern. The majority of detectable ENAs leave Titan's atmosphere far from where they are produced, that is, even a spacecraft located directly above the moon's atmosphere would detect ENAs generated beyond its immediate environment. Some energetic parent ions produce ENAs only after they are mirrored by the field perturbations in Titan's wake and return to the moon, demonstrating the complex histories of detectable ENAs.
Pore‐Scale Visualization and Quantification of Dissolution in Microfluidic Rough Channels
Authors: Zhou Chen‐Xing , Hu Ran , Li Hong‐Wei , Yang Zhibing , Chen Yi‐Feng 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe dissolution dynamics of rough channels is a fundamental issue involved in widening fracture channels (cavity evolution), solution mining, and upscaling of dissolution rate. Previous studies have focused on the dissolution patterns at the sample scale, but the study of rough surface evolution at the pore scale is lacking. Here, we fabricate a soluble microfluidic chip with rough channels to investigate pore‐scale dissolution dynamics. Through direct, real‐time imaging of dissolution processes together with micro‐PIV measurements, we observe two distinct dissolution patterns and the roughness smoothing effect. The smoothing effect is characterized by the disappearance of small‐scale peaks and the rapid decline of the surface roughness factor. We demonstrate that this smoothing effect is attributed to the heterogeneous dissolution rates resulting from surface roughness. Through micro‐PIV measurements, we quantify that the roughness smoothing significantly affects the local mass transfer rate by modifying local flow velocity at the scale of 200 μm and by shrinking the diffusion zone (including eddy) at the scale of 2 mm, accelerating the mass transfer rate between diffusion and main flow zones. Due to the smoothing effect, the enhanced local mass transfer rate eventually intensifies the overall dissolution rate. Finally, we provide a theoretical prediction for the transition of two dissolution patterns, which agrees well with experimental observation. Our work develops a useful tool for studying the pore‐scale dissolution behavior in 2D rough channels and improves our understanding of how the pore‐scale dissolution behavior affects the overall dissolution rate and dissolution patterns.
Combining Commercial Microwave Link and Rain Gauge Observations to Estimate Countrywide Precipitation: A Stochastic Reconstruction and Pattern Analysis Approach
Authors: Blettner Nico , Chwala Christian , Haese Barbara , Hörning Sebastian , Kunstmann Harald 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAccurate spatiotemporal precipitation quantification is a crucial prerequisite for hydrological analyses. The optimal reconstruction of the spatial distribution, that is, the rainfall patterns, is particularly challenging. In this study, we reconstructed spatial rainfall on a countrywide scale for Germany by combining commercial microwave link and rain gauge observations for a better representation of the variability and spatial structure of rainfall. We further developed and applied the Random‐Mixing‐Whittaker‐Shannon method, enabling the stochastic reconstruction of ensembles of spatial fields via linear combinations of unconditional random fields. The pattern of rainfall objects is evaluated by three performance characteristics, that is, ensemble Structure‐, Amplitude‐, and Location‐error. Precipitation estimates obtained are in good agreement with the gauge‐adjusted weather radar product RADOLAN‐RW of the German Weather Service (DWD) which was used as a reference. Compared to reconstructions by Ordinary Kriging, Random Mixing showed clear advantages in the pattern representation via a five times smaller median structure error.
Disrupted tenogenesis in masseter as a potential cause of micrognathia
Authors: Liu Chao , Zhou Nan , Li Nan , Xu Tian , Chen Xiaoyan , Zhou Hailing , Xie Ailun , Liu Han , Zhu Lei , Wang Songlin , Xiao Jing 
Published: October 2022

AbstractMicrognathia is a severe craniofacial deformity affecting appearance and survival. Previous studies revealed that multiple factors involved in the osteogenesis of mandibular bone have contributed to micrognathia, but concerned little on factors other than osteogenesis. In the current study, we found that ectopic activation of Fgf8 by Osr2-cre in the presumptive mesenchyme for masseter tendon in mice led to micrognathia, masseter regression, and the disrupted patterning and differentiation of masseter tendon. Since Myf5-cre;Rosa26R-Fgf8 mice exhibited the normal masseter and mandibular bone, the possibility that the micrognathia and masseter regression resulted directly from the over-expressed Fgf8 was excluded. Further investigation disclosed that a series of chondrogenic markers were ectopically activated in the developing Osr2-cre;Rosa26R-Fgf8 masseter tendon, while the mechanical sensing in the masseter and mandibular bone was obviously reduced. Thus, it suggested that the micrognathia in Osr2-cre;Rosa26R-Fgf8 mice resulted secondarily from the reduced mechanical force transmitted to mandibular bone. Consistently, when tenogenic or myogenic components were deleted from the developing mandibles, both the micrognathia and masseter degeneration took place with the decreased mechanical sensing in mandibular bone, which verified that the loss of mechanical force transmitted by masseter tendon could result in micrognathia. Furthermore, it appeared that the micrognathia resulting from the disrupted tenogenesis was attributed to the impaired osteogenic specification, instead of the differentiation in the periosteal progenitors. Our findings disclose a novel mechanism for mandibular morphogenesis, and shed light on the prevention and treatment for micrognathia.
The role of E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2 and the regulation of PARP1 by ubiquitinated degradation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Lu Xinxin , Huang Xinyue , Xu Haiqi , Lu Saien , You Shilong , Xu Jiaqi , Zhan Qianru , Dong Chao , Zhang Ning , Zhang Ying , Cao Liu , Zhang Xingang , Zhang Naijin , Zhang Lijun 
Published: October 2022

AbstractAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been a huge threat for people's health and finding effective target therapy is urgent and important. WWP2, as one of E3 ubiquitin ligase, is involved in many biological processes by specifically binding to substrates. PARP1 plays a role in cell apoptosis and is considered as a therapeutic target of certain cancers. In this study, we firstly found that WWP2 expressed higher in newly diagnosed ALL patients comparing with complete remission (CR) ALL patients and normal control people, and WWP2 in relapse ALL patients expressed higher than normal control people. WWP2 expression was related with the FAB subtype of ALL and the proportion of blast cells in bone marrow blood tested by flow cytometry. We demonstrated knockout WWP2 inhibited the ALL growth and enhanced apoptosis induced by Dox in vitro and vivo for the first time. WWP2 negatively regulated and interacted with PARP1 and WWP2 mechanically degraded PARP1 through polyubiquitin-proteasome pathway in ALL. These findings suggested WWP2 played a role in ALL development as well as growth and apoptosis, and also displayed a regulatory pathway of PARP1, which provided a new potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ALL.
Infection, pathology and interferon treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 variant in juvenile, adult and aged Syrian hamsters
Authors: Yuan Lunzhi , Zhu Huachen , Chen Peiwen , Zhou Ming , Ma Jian , Liu Xuan , Wu Kun , Chen Rirong , Liu Qiwei , Yu Huan , Li Lifeng , Wang Jia , Zhang Yali , Ge Shengxiang , Yuan Quan , Tang Qiyi , Cheng Tong , Guan Yi , Xia Ningshao 
Published: October 2022

AbstractThe new predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron, can robustly escape current vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. Although Omicron has been reported to have milder replication and disease manifestations than some earlier variants, its pathogenicity in different age groups has not been well elucidated. Here, we report that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 sublineage causes elevated infection and lung pathogenesis in juvenile and aged hamsters, with more body weight loss, respiratory tract viral burden, and lung injury in these hamsters than in adult hamsters. Juvenile hamsters show a reduced interferon response against Omicron BA.1 infection, whereas aged hamsters show excessive proinflammatory cytokine expression, delayed viral clearance, and aggravated lung injury. Early inhaled IFN-α2b treatment suppresses Omicron BA.1 infection and lung pathogenesis in juvenile and adult hamsters. Overall, the data suggest that the diverse patterns of the innate immune response affect the disease outcomes of Omicron BA.1 infection in different age groups.
Selective macrocyclic peptide modulators of Lys63-linked ubiquitin chains disrupt DNA damage repair
Authors: Vamisetti Ganga B. , Saha Abhishek , Huang Yichao J. , Vanjari Rajeshwer , Mann Guy , Gutbrod Julia , Ayoub Nabieh , Suga Hiroaki , Brik Ashraf 
Published: October 2022

AbstractDeveloping an effective binder for a specific ubiquitin (Ub) chain is a promising approach for modulating various biological processes with potential applications in drug discovery. Here, we combine the Random Non-standard Peptides Integrated Discovery (RaPID) method and chemical protein synthesis to screen an extended library of macrocyclic peptides against synthetic Lys63-linked Di-Ub to discover a specific binder for this Ub chain. Furthermore, next-generation binders are generated by chemical modifications. We show that our potent cyclic peptide is cell-permeable, and inhibits DNA damage repair, leading to apoptotic cell death. Concordantly, a pulldown experiment with the biotinylated analog of our lead cyclic peptide supports our findings. Collectively, we establish a powerful strategy for selective inhibition of protein-protein interactions associated with Lys63-linked Di-Ub using cyclic peptides. This study offers an advancement in modulating central Ub pathways and provides opportunities in drug discovery areas associated with Ub signaling.
Proteome effects of genome-wide single gene perturbations
Authors: Öztürk Merve , Freiwald Anja , Cartano Jasmin , Schmitt Ramona , Dejung Mario , Luck Katja , Al-Sady Bassem , Braun Sigurd , Levin Michal , Butter Falk 
Published: October 2022

AbstractProtein abundance is controlled at the transcriptional, translational and post-translational levels, and its regulatory principles are starting to emerge. Investigating these principles requires large-scale proteomics data and cannot just be done with transcriptional outcomes that are commonly used as a proxy for protein abundance. Here, we determine proteome changes resulting from the individual knockout of 3308 nonessential genes in the yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We use similarity clustering of global proteome changes to infer gene functionality that can be extended to other species, such as humans or baker’s yeast. Furthermore, we analyze a selected set of deletion mutants by paired transcriptome and proteome measurements and show that upregulation of proteins under stable transcript expression utilizes optimal codons.
Membrane-based TBADT recovery as a strategy to increase the sustainability of continuous-flow photocatalytic HAT transformations
Authors: Wen Zhenghui , Pintossi Diego , Nuño Manuel , Noël Timothy 
Published: October 2022

AbstractPhotocatalytic hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) processes have been the object of numerous studies showcasing the potential of the homogeneous photocatalyst tetrabutylammonium decatungstate (TBADT) for the functionalization of C(sp3)–H bonds. However, to translate these studies into large-scale industrial processes, careful considerations of catalyst loading, cost, and removal are required. This work presents organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) as an answer to reduce TBADT consumption, increase its turnover number and lower its concentration in the product solution, thus enabling large-scale photocatalytic HAT-based transformations. The operating parameters for a suitable membrane for TBADT recovery in acetonitrile were optimized. Continuous photocatalytic C(sp3)-H alkylation and amination reactions were carried out with in-line TBADT recovery via two OSN steps. Promisingly, the observed product yields for the reactions with in-line catalyst recycling are comparable to those of reactions performed with pristine TBADT, therefore highlighting that not only catalyst recovery (>99%, TON > 8400) is a possibility, but also that it does not happen at the expense of reaction performance.
Controlled filamentation instability as a scalable fabrication approach to flexible metamaterials
Authors: Esposito William , Martin-Monier Louis , Piveteau Pierre-Luc , Xu Bingrui , Deng Daosheng , Sorin Fabien 
Published: October 2022

AbstractLong and flexible arrays of nanowires find impactful applications in sensing, photonics, and energy harvesting. Conventional manufacturing relies largely on lithographic methods limited in wafer size, rigidity, and machine write time. Here, we report a scalable process to generate encapsulated flexible nanowire arrays with high aspect ratios and excellent tunable size and periodicity. Our strategy is to control nanowire self-assembly into 2D and 3D architectures via the filamentation of a textured thin film under anisotropic stretching. This is achieved by coupling soft lithography, glancing angle deposition, and thermal drawing to obtain well-ordered meters-long nanowires with diameters down to 50 nanometers. We demonstrate that the nanowire diameter and period of the array can be decoupled and manipulated independently. We propose a filamentation criterion and perform numerical simulations implementing destabilizing long-range Van der Waals interactions. Applied to high-index chalcogenide glasses, we show that this decoupling allows for tuning diffraction. Finally, harnessing Mie resonance, we demonstrate the possibility of manufacturing macroscopic meta-grating superstructures for nanophotonic applications.