bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Magnetotransport and ARPES studies of the topological insulators Sb2Te3 and Bi2Te3 grown by MOCVD on large-area Si substrates
Authors: Locatelli L. , Kumar A. , Tsipas P. , Dimoulas A. , Longo E. , Mantovan R. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRecently, the topological insulators (TIs) antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) and bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) are attracting high interest for applications based on spin-charge interconversion mechanisms. Aiming to make a step toward the technology transfer, it is of major importance to achieve and investigate epitaxial quality-TIs on large area Si-based substrates. In view of that, we report here magnetotransport and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies on Sb2Te3and Bi2Te3thin films grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on top of 4″ Si(111) substrates. Clear weak antilocalization (WAL) effects are observed in both TIs, proving the existence of quantum transport mechanism, and the data are successfully interpreted in the framework of the Hikami–Larkin–Nagaoka model. Further, by dedicated magnetotransport experiments, it has been confirmed that the investigated WAL originates from two-dimensional (2D) topological states. ARPES has been performed ex-situ, and in both TIs the gapless Dirac cones have been observed and attributed to the topological surface states. Combining the proofs of the existence of quantum 2D transport as deduced from the analysis of the magnetoconductance curve with the direct observation of the Dirac-like band structure revealed by the ARPES spectra, it is possible to unambiguously confirm the topological nature of our Sb2Te3and Bi2Te3thin films. The results obtained on thin films grown by MOCVD on 4’’ Si(111) substrate mark an important step towards the technology transfer of the topological insulators studied in this work.
Determination of the physiological range of oxygen tension in bone marrow monocytes using two-photon phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscopy
Authors: Narazaki Ayako , Shimizu Reito , Yoshihara Toshitada , Kikuta Junichi , Sakaguchi Reiko , Tobita Seiji , Mori Yasuo , Ishii Masaru , Nishikawa Keizo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractOxygen is a key regulator of both development and homeostasis. To study the role of oxygen, a variety of in vitro and ex vivo cell and tissue models have been used in biomedical research. However, because of ambiguity surrounding the level of oxygen that cells experience in vivo, the cellular pathway related to oxygenation state and hypoxia have been inadequately studied in many of these models. Here, we devised a method to determine the oxygen tension in bone marrow monocytes using two-photon phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscopy with the cell-penetrating phosphorescent probe, BTPDM1. Phosphorescence lifetime imaging revealed the physiological level of oxygen tension in monocytes to be 5.3% in live mice exposed to normal air. When the mice inhaled hypoxic air, the level of oxygen tension in bone marrow monocytes decreased to 2.4%. By performing in vitro cell culture experiment within the physiological range of oxygen tension, hypoxia changed the molecular phenotype of monocytes, leading to enhanced the expression of CD169 and CD206, which are markers of a unique subset of macrophages in bone marrow, osteal macrophages. This current study enables the determination of the physiological range of oxygen tension in bone marrow with spatial resolution at a cellular level and application of this information on oxygen tension in vivo to in vitro assays. Quantifying oxygen tension in tissues can provide invaluable information on metabolism under physiological and pathophyisological conditions. This method will open new avenues for research on oxygen biology.
Response of N2O emission and denitrification genes to different inorganic and organic amendments
Authors: Yang Yajun , Liu Hexiang , Lv Jialong 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDenitrification is a key biochemical process in nitrogen cycling and nitrous oxide (N2O) production. In this study, the impacts of different inorganic and organic amendments (OAs) on the abundance of denitrifying genes (nirS, nirK and nosZ) and the level of N2O emission were examined with incubation experiments. Six treatments included the indicated applications: (i) no fertilization (CK); (ii) urea application alone (U); (iii) wheat straw plus urea (U + WS); (iv) pig manure plus urea (U + PM); (v) compost product plus urea (U + CP); and (vi) improved compost product plus urea (U + IC). The results indicated that all fertilization treatments increased accumulative N2O emissions compared with the CK treatment. The U + WS, U + PM and U + CP treatments increased N2O emissions by 2.12–141.3%, and the U + IC treatment decreased N2O emissions by 23.24% relative to the U treatment. nirK was the dominant denitrification gene rather than nirS and nosZ found in soil. Additionally, the highest abundance of nirK gene was that with the U + PM treatment, and the lowest was that with the U + IC treatment. Additionally, changes in the nirK gene were highly correlated with levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3–N). Automatic linear modeling revealed that N2O emission was closely related to the nirK gene, DOC and NO3–N. Overall, the use of urea and improved compost as co-amendments retarded N2O emission to a considerable degree compared with other OA additions.
RGB-D based multi-modal deep learning for spacecraft and debris recognition
Authors: AlDahoul Nouar , Karim Hezerul Abdul , Momo Mhd Adel 
Published: March 2022

AbstractRecognition of space objects including spacecraft and debris is one of the main components in the space situational awareness (SSA) system. Various tasks such as satellite formation, on-orbit servicing, and active debris removal require object recognition to be done perfectly. The recognition task in actual space imagery is highly complex because the sensing conditions are largely diverse. The conditions include various backgrounds affected by noise, several orbital scenarios, high contrast, low signal-to-noise ratio, and various object sizes. To address the problem of space recognition, this paper proposes a multi-modal learning solution using various deep learning models. To extract features from RGB images that have spacecraft and debris, various convolutional neural network (CNN) based models such as ResNet, EfficientNet, and DenseNet were explored. Furthermore, RGB based vision transformer was demonstrated. Additionally, End-to-End CNN was used for classification of depth images. The final decision of the proposed solution combines the two decisions from RGB based and Depth-based models. The experiments were carried out using a novel dataset called SPARK which was generated under a realistic space simulation environment. The dataset includes various images with eleven categories, and it is divided into 150 k of RGB images and 150 k of depth images. The proposed combination of RGB based vision transformer and Depth-based End-to-End CNN showed higher performance and better results in terms of accuracy (85%), precision (86%), recall (85%), and F1 score (84%). Therefore, the proposed multi-modal deep learning is a good feasible solution to be utilized in real tasks of SSA system.
Identifying potential zones for rainwater harvesting interventions for sustainable intensification in the semi-arid tropics
Authors: Garg Kaushal K. , Akuraju Venkataradha , Anantha K. H. , Singh Ramesh , Whitbread Anthony M. , Dixit Sreenath 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDecentralized rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a promising approach to mitigate drought in the drylands. However, an insufficient understanding of its impact on hydrological processes has resulted in poor resource planning in this area. This study is a meta-analysis of 25 agricultural watersheds representing a range of rainfall and soil types in the semi-arid tropics. Rainfall-runoff-soil loss relationship was calculated at daily, monthly and yearly levels, and the impact of RWH interventions on surface runoff and soil loss was quantified. A linear relationship was observed between daily rainfall and surface runoff up to 120 mm of rainfall intensity, which subsequently saw an exponential increase. About 200–300 mm of cumulative rainfall is the threshold to initiate surface runoff in the Indian semi-arid tropics. Rainwater harvesting was effective in terms of enhancing groundwater availability (2.6–6.9 m), crop intensification (40–100%) and farmers’ incomes (50–200%) in different benchmark watersheds. An average of 40 mm of surface runoff was harvested annually and it reduced soil loss by 70% (3 ton/ha/year compared to 1 ton/ha/year in non-intervention stage. The study further quantified runoff at 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles, and found that more than 70% of the area in the Indian semi-arid tropics has high to medium potential for implementing RWH interventions.
The association between social network index, atrial fibrillation, and mortality in the Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Kornej Jelena , Ko Darae , Lin Honghuang , Murabito Joanne M. , Benjamin Emelia J. , Trinquart Ludovic , Preis Sarah R. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSocial isolation might be considered as a marker of poor health and higher mortality. The aim of our analysis was to assess the association of social network index (SNI) with incident AF and death. We selected participants aged ≥ 55 years without prevalent AF from the Framingham Heart Study. We evaluated the association between social isolation measured by the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index (SNI), incident AF, and mortality without diagnosed AF. We assessed the risk factor-adjusted associations between SNI (the sum of 4 components: marriage status, close friends/relatives, religious service attendance, social group participation), incident AF, and mortality without AF by using Fine-Gray competing risk regression models. We secondarily examined the outcome of all-cause mortality. We included 3454 participants (mean age 67 ± 10 years, 58% female). During 11.8 ± 5.2 mean years of follow-up, there were 686 incident AF cases and 965 mortality without AF events. Individuals with fewer connections had lower rates of incident AF (P = 0.04) but higher rates of mortality without AF (P = 0.03). Among SNI components, only social group participation was associated with higher incident AF (subdistribution hazards ratio [sHR] 1.35, 95% CI 1.16–1.57, P = 0.0001). For mortality without AF, social group participation (sHR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.71–0.93, P = 0.002) and regular religious service attendance sHR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.67–0.87, P < 0.0001) were associated with lower risk of death. Social isolation was associated with a higher rate of mortality without diagnosed AF. In contrast to our hypothesis, we observed that poor social connectedness was associated with a lower rate of incident AF. This finding should be interpreted cautiously since there were very few participants in the lowest social connectedness group. Additionally, the seemingly protective effect of social isolation on AF incidence may be simply an artifact of the strong association between social isolation and increased mortality rate in combination with the large number of deaths as compared to AF events in our study. Further study is warranted.
Locking and unlocking of quantum nonlocality without entanglement in local discrimination of quantum states
Authors: Ha Donghoon , Kim Jeong San 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe phenomenon of nonlocality without entanglement (NLWE) arises in discriminating multi-party quantum separable states. Recently, it has been found that the post-measurement information about the prepared subensemble can lock or unlock NLWE in minimum-error discrimination of non-orthogonal separable states. Thus It is natural to ask whether the availability of the post-measurement information can influence on the occurrence of NLWE even in other state-discrimination strategies. Here, we show that the post-measurement information can be used to lock as well as unlock the occurrence of NLWE in terms of optimal unambiguous discrimination. Our results can provide a useful application for hiding or sharing information based on non-orthogonal separable states.
Ultrasonographic diagnosis and surgical outcomes of adnexal masses in children and adolescents
Authors: Kang Gun Gu , So Kyeong A , Hwang Ji Young , Kim Nae Ri , Yang Eun Jung , Shim Seung Hyuk , Lee Sun Joo , Kim Tae Jin 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to evaluate the incidence, clinical diagnosis, surgical treatment, and histopathological findings of adnexal masses in children and adolescents. This retrospective study included patients aged < 20 years who were diagnosed with adnexal masses between January 2005 and December 2018 at the Konkuk University Medical Center. Adnexal masses were diagnosed in 406 patients. The mean age of patients was 17.3 years at the time of diagnosis. The primary presenting symptoms and signs were abdominal pain (81.4%), mass per abdomen (13.7%), dysmenorrhea (3.4%), incidental finding (2%), and abdominal distention (0.5%). In total, 204 patients underwent surgery for adnexal masses, and 202 patients were observed without surgery. Histopathological examination revealed 110 benign neoplasms, 72 non-neoplastic lesions, 3 ectopic pregnancies, 3 tubo-ovarian abscesses, 7 borderline malignant tumors, and 9 non-epithelial ovarian malignant tumors. Abdominal pain was the most common reason for hospital visits and surgery in adolescents and young women with adnexal masses. The ultrasonographic diagnosis was consistent with the histopathological diagnosis. In recent years, the use of minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopy and robotic, has increased in young patients with adnexal masses.
Preparation of biologically activated lignite immobilized SRB particles and their AMD treatment characteristics
Authors: Di Junzhen , Jiang Yangyang , Wang Mingjia , Dong Yanrong 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn response to the insufficient supply of carbon sources and the toxicity of heavy metal ions when using sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) to treat acid mine wastewater (AMD), the immobilized particles are prepared with Rhodopseudomonas, SRB and lignite as the main raw materials. And based on single factor test and orthogonal test to determine the optimal ratio of biologically activated lignite fixed SRB particles. The adsorption characteristics of immobilized particles were studied under the optimal ratio, and the reaction kinetics and adsorption capacity of SRB particles immobilized on biologically activated lignite to different ions were analyzed. The results show that: lignite not only has good adsorption performance, but also can be used as the carbon source of SRB after being degraded by Rhodopseudomonas, solving the problems of low removal efficiency of SRB treatment of AMD and insufficient carbon source supply. When the dosage of lignite (particle size is 200 mesh), Rhodopseudomonas, and SRB are 3%, 10%, and 10% mesh, the prepared biologically activated lignite-immobilized SRB particles have the best effect on AMD treatment. The removal rates of SO42−, Zn2+, and Cu2+ were 83.21%, 99.59%, and 99.93%, respectively, the pH was increased to 7.43, the COD release was 523 mg/L, and the ORP value was − 134 mV. The reduction process of SO42− by the biologically activated lignite-immobilized SRB particles conforms to the pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the adsorption of Zn2+ is more in line with the Freundlich isotherm adsorption equation and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. And it does not spread in a single form, both internal and external diffusion occur. SEM, FT-IR, and BET analysis of biologically activated lignite immobilized SRB particles showed that the pore structure is developed, has a large number of adsorption sites, and some activated groups participate in the reaction. The adsorption process of Zn2+ and Cu2+ in AMD meets the multi-layer adsorption theory.
New insights into the resistance mechanism for the BceAB-type transporter SaNsrFP
Authors: Gottstein Julia , Zaschke-Kriesche Julia , Unsleber Sandra , Voitsekhovskaia Irina , Kulik Andreas , Behrmann Lara V. , Overbeck Nina , Stühler Kai , Stegmann Evi , Smits Sander H. J. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractTreatment of bacterial infections is one of the major challenges of our time due to the evolved resistance mechanisms of pathogens against antibiotics. To circumvent this problem, it is necessary to understand the mode of action of the drug and the mechanism of resistance of the pathogen. One of the most potent antibiotic targets is peptidoglycan (PGN) biosynthesis, as this is an exclusively occurring and critical feature of bacteria. Lipid II is an essential PGN precursor synthesized in the cytosol and flipped into the outer leaflet of the membrane prior to its incorporation into nascent PGN. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as nisin and colistin, targeting PGN synthesis are considered promising weapons against multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, human pathogenic bacteria that were also resistant to these compounds evolved by the expression of an ATP-binding cassette transporter of the bacitracin efflux (BceAB) type localized in the membrane. In the human pathogenStreptococcus agalactiae, the BceAB transporterSaNsrFP is known to confer resistance to the antimicrobial peptide nisin. The exact mechanism of action forSaNsrFP is poorly understood. For a detailed characterization of the resistance mechanism, we heterologously expressedSaNsrFP inLactococcus lactis. We demonstrated thatSaNsrFP conferred resistance not only to nisin but also to a structurally diverse group of antimicrobial PGN-targeting compounds such as ramoplanin, lysobactin, or bacitracin/(Zn)-bacitracin. Growth experiments revealed thatSaNsrFP-producing cells exhibited normal behavior when treated with nisin and/or bacitracin, in contrast to the nonproducing cells, for which growth was significantly reduced. We further detected the accumulation of PGN precursors in the cytoplasm after treating the cells with bacitracin. This did not appear whenSaNsrFP was produced. Whole-cell proteomic protein experiments verified that the presence ofSaNsrFP inL. lactisresulted in higher production of several proteins associated with cell wall modification. These included, for example, theN-acetylmuramic acid-6-phosphate etherase MurQ and UDP-glucose 4-epimerase. Analysis of components of the cell wall ofSaNsrFP-producing cells implied that the transporter is involved in cell wall modification. Since we used an ATP-deficient mutant of the transporter as a comparison, we can show thatSaNsrFP and its inactive mutant do not show the same phenotype, albeit expressed at similar levels, which demonstrates the ATP dependency of the mediated resistance processes. Taken together, our data agree to a target protection mechanism and imply a direct involvement ofSaNsrFP in resistance by shielding the membrane-localized target of these antimicrobial peptides, resulting in modification of the cell wall.
Degradation and de novo formation of nine major glucose degradation products during storage of peritoneal dialysis fluids
Authors: Gensberger-Reigl Sabrina , Weigel Ingrid , Stützer Joachim , Auditore Andrea , Nikolaus Tim , Pischetsrieder Monika 
Published: March 2022

AbstractReactive glucose degradation products (GDPs) are formed during heat sterilization of glucose-containing peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDFs) and may induce adverse clinical effects. Long periods of storage and/or transport of PDFs before use may lead to de novo formation or degradation of GDPs. Therefore, the present study quantified the GDP profiles of single- and double-chamber PDFs during storage. Glucosone, 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), 3-deoxygalactosone (3-DGal), 3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3-ene (3,4-DGE), glyoxal, methylglyoxal (MGO), acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) were quantified by two validated UHPLC-DAD methods after derivatization with o-phenylenediamine (dicarbonyls) or 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (monocarbonyls). The PDFs were stored at 50 °C for 0, 1, 2, 4, 13, and 26 weeks. The total GDP concentration of single-chamber PDFs did not change considerably during storage (496.6 ± 16.0 µM, 0 weeks; 519.1 ± 13.1 µM, 26 weeks), but individual GDPs were affected differently. 3-DG (− 82.6 µM) and 3-DGal (− 71.3 µM) were degraded, whereas 5-HMF (+ 161.7 µM), glyoxal (+ 32.2 µM), and formaldehyde (+ 12.4 µM) accumulated between 0 and 26 weeks. Acetaldehyde, glucosone, MGO, and 3,4-DGE showed time-dependent formation and degradation. The GDP concentrations in double-chamber fluids were generally lower and differently affected by storage. In conclusion, the changes of GDP concentrations during storage should be considered for the evaluation of clinical effects of PDFs.
Technical feasibility analysis and introduction strategy of the virtually coupled train set concept
Authors: Stickel Sebastian , Schenker Moritz , Dittus Holger , Unterhuber Paul , Canesi Stefano , Riquier Vincent , Ayuso Francisco Parrilla , Berbineau Marion , Goikoetxea Javier 
Published: March 2022

AbstractToday’s railway network capacity is limited by constraints imposed by traditional train protection systems. A way to overcome those limitations, maximize the railway network performance and also increase the operational flexibility is presented by the Virtually Coupled Train Set (VCTS) concept. This paper evaluates the technical feasibility of this approach, that was developed and is further evaluated in the framework of the Shift2Rail (S2R) project X2Rail-3. The main functionality of virtually coupled train sets is achieved by replacing the mechanical coupler between two railway vehicles by an electronic (virtual) coupling link. This operational change requires a permanent vehicle-to-vehicle communication and precise distance measurement, while enabling much faster coupling and decoupling procedures, increased interoperability and the operation of trains with a headway below absolute braking distance. To evaluate the technical feasibility of the VCTS concept, a series of technical and operational subsystem have been identified and analyzed. Interviews with experts from a variety of VCTS linked topics have been conducted, to evaluate the state of the art and new developments for those subsystems. Subsequently, the capabilities of the subsystems have been compared with the requirements of the VCTS system. In addition, different mitigations to overcome possible obstacles have been identified and evaluated. As the result, the most critical technical aspects for the implementation and success of VCTS have been identified as the requirement of controllable, fast and accurate responding braking systems, the availability of suitable communication technologies and frequency bands, the need for highly-accurate measurement of distance, speed and acceleration and the fast detection and monitoring of train integrity. Considering those results, a qualitative roadmap for the future VCTS development and introduction strategy is derived.