bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of Metal Nanoparticles in Promoting Photocatalysis by TiO2
Authors: Bowker Michael , O’Rourke Christopher , Mills Andrew 
Published: March 2022

AbstractIn this review, we highlight the role played by metal nanoparticles (NPs) in photocatalytic oxidation with titania as a support. This is presented in two parts, namely, partial photo-oxidation in which an organic sacrificial agent is oxidised in anaerobic conditions to produce hydrogen (photo-reforming), and photo-oxidative mineralisation of organics in aerobic conditions. We present some rules for such reactions that dictate which organic molecules can react readily, and which metals are likely to be useful for such reactions. Generally, the presence of metal NPs enhances enormously the ability of titania to yield hydrogen from photo-reforming, and a wide range of molecules can be used, including biomass. The metal NPs most used are those that are easily reduced, that is, the precious metals. The large enhancement in rate seen with metal for hydrogen production is not so extreme for the oxidation reactions, but is still significant. An important factor in all of this catalysis is the nature of the interaction between the metal NPs, which can play a multiplicity of chemical and electronic roles, and the photoactive support. A sharp dependency of rate on loading of metal is found, with maximum rates at ~0.5–2 wt% loading, depending on the metal used. The source of this dependency is the bifunctional nature of the system, in which the intimacy of both materials is crucial to performance. This rate variation is linked to the interface between the two, which is then linked to the size of the metal NPs. In fact, the rate is proportional to an area adjacent to the metal particles that we call the expanding photocatalytic area and overlap (EPAO) kinetic model. This model describes the dependence well. Rising rates with increasing coverage of particles is associated with increase in this total area but, at the maximum, these areas overlap and at higher loadings the available active area diminishes, reproducing the observed behaviour well.
Evolutionary profile of pyonephrosis after surgical treatment, about 23 cases
Authors: Kbirou Adil , Elafifi Mahmoud , Moataz Amine , Dakir Mohamed , Debbagh Adil , Aboutaieb Rachid 
Published: March 2022

ABSTRACT

Objectives:
To describe the evolving profile of pyonephrosis after surgical treatment, identifying their epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical, and therapeutic aspects.

Materials and methods:
Descriptive retrospective study spread over a period of 5 years (2015–2019) including patients with pyonephrosis in the urology department.

Results:
23 cases of pyonephrosis were collected. The average age of patients was 49 years (27–71 years), with male predominance (69.56%). It was found that the main element of the patient's medical history was urolithiasis (57%). Lower back pain is the main sign found in (96%) of cases, followed by infectious agents found in (42%) and a large kidney (21%). Renal ultrasound allowed us to evoke the diagnosis in 41% of cases and urine CT scan confirmed diagnosis in the majority of cases. The etiology was lithiasis in 78.26% of cases. Cytobacteriological urine examination (CEBU) isolated germs in 15 patients (65.21%) predominance of Escherichia coli in 7 cases (30.43%). The treatment included a nephrectomy preceded by a Subcutaneous nephrovesical bypass in 21 patients. The outcome was reassuring in 70.7% of cases, the main complications were parietal suppuration (30.43%), followed by chronic kidney failure (8.69%), enteroenteric fistula (4.34%), and digestive fistula (4.34%). The mortality was (8.69%).

Conclusion:
Pyonephrosis is a condition that is becoming increasingly rare. The reduction of its incidence may be related to recent advances in medical imaging which allow early diagnosis of causative conditions and their treatment.

Highlights
A practical design approach for a single-stage sounding rocket to reach a target altitude
Authors: Huh J. , Kwon S. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractA new type of design domain for a sounding rocket is suggested in this study, which is more intuitive, simplified, and conducive to a single-stage sounding rocket development process. Among the various operation parameters, this study identifies several effective variables, which are also among the most practical in a sounding rocket design process. Of the many design variables considered for peak altitude optimisation, arguably the three most effective in shaping the whole system and conferring the most practicality in the design process of a sounding rocket were determined. A simulation-based study was conducted to establish: the effect of the selected parameters on flight performance, and the optimum design conditions of a single-stage sounding rocket in terms of its peak altitude. The simulation result was compared with randomly chosen experimentally tested flight data and validated. With the clear performance curves varying depending on the variables, the combination of the considered design inputs was effective. The new type of design domain and design procedure proposed is expected to constitute a useful reference and deliver practical benefits to the development process for a target-altitude-optimised single-stage sounding rocket.
Octocorals (Alcyonacea and Pennatulacea) from Paleogene deep-water strata in western Washington State, USA
Authors: Goedert James L. , Guthrie Lloyd S. , Kiel Steffen 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe fossil record of octocorals from Cenozoic marine strata of western North America is quite limited, and they have not been reported previously from rocks in Washington State, USA. Two late Oligocene specimens from the upper part of the Lincoln Creek Formation in western Washington, referred to Radicipes? sp., are the first fossil record of the family Chrysogorgiidae. The family Isididae is represented by an internode and two holdfasts identified as Isidella sp. collected from the Oligocene Pysht Formation, along with specimens questionably identified as Lepidisis sp., possibly the first fossil record for this genus. Together, these are the first confirmed fossils of the Alcyonacea from north of California in western North America. The axes of sea pens from several late Eocene or early Oligocene localities in the Lincoln Creek Formation in the central part of western Washington, and the Pysht and Makah formations on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula, are the first fossil record for the Pennatulacea from western North America; all are tentatively referred to the genus ‘Graphularia’. Large axes from the Lincoln Creek Formation and Makah Formation are referred to ‘Graphularia’ (?) aff. sasai, because they are similar to the species known only from late Eocene and early Oligocene rocks in Japan.
A quantitative analysis of the relationship between affective state and personality ratings in inpatient depression (RAPID)
Authors: Jayakody Kaushadh , Gallagher Peter , Lloyd Adrian J. , Cousins David Andrew 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and personality disorders is complex, with implications for diagnosis and treatment. We sought to explore the relationship between these disorders quantitatively in an inpatient setting.MethodsWe conducted a structured observational study exploring symptoms of depression and selected neurocognitive functions over the span of an inpatient admission in those with depression and personality disorders. Sixty inpatients presenting with symptoms of depression completed ratings of mood and neurocognitive function. Diagnosis was confirmed by structured clinical interview (SCID-5-RV) at discharge and used to allocate patients to one of the two groups for analysis: those with MDD-only and those with a personality disorder (with or without MDD).ResultsOn admission, observer-based ratings of depression were significantly higher in the MDD-only group while subjective ratings were higher in the personality disorder group. Depression rating scores lessened in both groups during the admission, but at discharge, the personality disorder group continued to report higher subjective ratings. The personality disorder group also rated themselves as more cognitively impaired than the MDD-only group and unlike the MDD-only group, they did not report subjective improvements in cognitive function over the course of admission. Objective assessment of cognitive function demonstrated improvements in both groups.ConclusionsIn this study, the presence of a personality disorder was associated with greater subjective severity of depressive symptomatology and selected neurocognitive functioning, despite similar or lower objective severity in comparison with those with MDD. This finding has implications for understanding the patient journey through health care settings.
Simulated nonlinear genetic and environmental dynamics of complex traits
Authors: Hunter Michael D. , McKee Kevin L. , Turkheimer Eric 
Published: March 2022

AbstractGenetic studies of complex traits often show disparities in estimated heritability depending on the method used, whether by genomic associations or twin and family studies. We present a simulation of individual genomes with dynamic environmental conditions to consider how linear and nonlinear effects, gene-by-environment interactions, and gene-by-environment correlations may work together to govern the long-term development of complex traits and affect estimates of heritability from common methods. Our simulation studies demonstrate that the genetic effects estimated by genome wide association studies in unrelated individuals are inadequate to characterize gene-by-environment interaction, while including related individuals in genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) allows gene-by-environment interactions to be recovered in the heritability. These theoretical findings provide an explanation for the “missing heritability” problem and bridge the conceptual gap between the most common findings of GCTA and twin studies. Future studies may use the simulation model to test hypotheses about phenotypic complexity either in an exploratory way or by replicating well-established observations of specific phenotypes.
‘Look out! Get back!’ Horse-drawn traffic and its challenges in Belgian cities in the early modern period
Authors: Riguelle William 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe horses transporting men and merchandise were key actors in urban development at the very time they placed the city's ability to organize and adapt in doubt. Cities of the southernmost Netherlands and the Principality of Liège were forced to cope with the constant challenge represented by traffic in poorly designed arteries, with a morphology inherited from the medieval period and completely ill-suited to the movement of carriages and wagons. The problem posed by traffic in Belgian cities reached a critical threshold in the seventeenth century, a period in which we observe an increase in the number of horses and harnessed teams. The complications caused by this growing surge culminated in the next century and were marked by the formation of a police force obliged to face the challenge traffic represented. Consequently, numerous urban decisions were taken, transforming both the street's ‘lifestyle’ and physiognomy.
Validation of the Behavioral Health Screen-Depression With	Adolescents in Residential Care
Authors: Ruan-Iu Linda , Chod Douglas , Weissinger Guy , VanFossen Catherine , Saionz Rebecca , Tien Allen , Diamond Guy S. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Behavioral Health Screen Depression Subscale (BHS-DS), including internal consistency, factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and (2) identify cut-off scores on the BHS-DS to distinguish patients with depression risk and their level of severity among an acute clinical sample of adolescents in residential psychiatric care. Participants included 861 youths ages 10–24 at residential treatment centers who completed a battery of measures, including the BHS-DS and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Factor analysis, bivariate correlation, and Cronbach’s α suggested the BHS-DS is a unidimensional scale with evidence of internal consistency reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified four clinical cut-off scores (no, mild, moderate, and severe depression risk). Analysis of variance, Cohen’s kappa (κ), and Wilcoxon signed-rank test results suggested the four groups differ from each other and that the BHS-DS exhibits moderate agreement with the PHQ-9. The BHS-DS demonstrates good psychometric properties among a sample of residential youth, offering clinicians a good alternative to the PHQ-9 in screening for depression.
Long‐Term and Fine‐Scale Surface Urban Heat Island Dynamics Revealed by Landsat Data Since the 1980s: A Comparison of Four Megacities in China
Authors: Li Long , Zhan Wenfeng , Du Huilin , Lai Jiameng , Wang Chenguang , Fu Huyan , Huang Fan , Liu Zihan , Wang Chunli , Li Jiufeng , Jiang Lu , Miao Shiqi 
Published: March 2022

AbstractLong‐term and fine‐scale monitoring of surface urban heat island (SUHI) is critical for the design of heat mitigation strategies. Landsat series offer long‐term (since the 1980s) and fine‐scale land surface temperature (LST) observations for such SUHI analysis. However, Landsat data are characterized by a long revisit period (16 days) and are seriously impacted by cloud contamination and stripe gaps, making the Landsat‐derived long‐term SUHI trends across cities incomparable. To address this issue, here we applied the Prophet model to reconstruct temporally consistent long‐term (∼1985–2019) clear‐sky Landsat LSTs over four megacities in China (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen). The results show that the mean absolute error of the SUHI intensity (SUHII) estimated using the reconstructed LSTs ranges from 0.2 to 0.6°C. The reliability of the reconstructed LSTs is further evidenced by the general consistency between the reconstructed Landsat and original Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer LSTs. Our analysis further demonstrates that the overall SUHII has been increasing slowly over Beijing but has been increasing rapidly in the other three megacities since the 1980s. Local SUHII trends also varied between urban regions. Urban core is characterized by an initial increase and then a slight decrease in the local SUHII, while a continuously increasing trend is observed for the urban fringe. For the new urban development, the interannual SUHII trend lies somewhere between these trends. Overall, our study provides a practical approach to reconstruct long‐term clear‐sky Landsat LSTs, and delivers a better understanding of long‐term and fine‐scale SUHI variations across cities.
α-catenin switches between a slip and an asymmetric catch bond with F-actin to cooperatively regulate cell junction fluidity
Authors: Arbore C. , Sergides M. , Gardini L. , Bianchi G. , Kashchuk A. V. , Pertici I. , Bianco P. , Pavone F. S. , Capitanio M. 
Published: March 2022

Abstractα-catenin is a crucial protein at cell junctions that provides connection between the actin cytoskeleton and the cell membrane. At adherens junctions (AJs), α-catenin forms heterodimers with β-catenin that are believed to resist force on F-actin. Outside AJs, α-catenin forms homodimers that regulates F-actin organization and directly connect the cell membrane to the actin cytoskeleton, but their mechanosensitive properties are inherently unknown. By using ultra-fast laser tweezers we found that a single α-β-catenin heterodimer does not resist force but instead slips along F-actin in the direction of force. Conversely, the action of 5 to 10 α-β-catenin heterodimers together with force applied toward F-actin pointed end engaged a molecular switch in α-catenin, which unfolded and strongly bound F-actin as a cooperative catch bond. Similarly, an α-catenin homodimer formed an asymmetric catch bond with F-actin triggered by protein unfolding under force. Our data suggest that α-catenin clustering together with intracellular tension engage a fluid-to-solid phase transition at the membrane-cytoskeleton interface.
Spatiotemporal modulations in heterotypic condensates of prion and α-synuclein control phase transitions and amyloid conversion
Authors: Agarwal Aishwarya , Arora Lisha , Rai Sandeep K. , Avni Anamika , Mukhopadhyay Samrat 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBiomolecular condensation via liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins and nucleic acids is associated with a range of critical cellular functions and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that complex coacervation of the prion protein and α-synuclein within narrow stoichiometry results in the formation of highly dynamic, reversible, thermo-responsive liquid droplets via domain-specific electrostatic interactions between the positively-charged intrinsically disordered N-terminal segment of prion and the acidic C-terminal tail of α-synuclein. The addition of RNA to these coacervates yields multiphasic, vesicle-like, hollow condensates. Picosecond time-resolved measurements revealed the presence of transient electrostatic nanoclusters that are stable on the nanosecond timescale and can undergo breaking-and-making of interactions on slower timescales giving rise to a liquid-like behavior in the mesoscopic regime. The liquid-to-solid transition drives a rapid conversion of complex coacervates into heterotypic amyloids. Our results suggest that synergistic prion-α-synuclein interactions within condensates provide mechanistic underpinnings of their physiological role and overlapping neuropathological features.
Interstitial boron-triggered electron-deficient Os aerogels for enhanced pH-universal hydrogen evolution
Authors: Li Yinghao , Peng Chun-Kuo , Hu Huimin , Chen San-Yuan , Choi Jin-Ho , Lin Yan-Gu , Lee Jong-Min 
Published: March 2022

AbstractDeveloping high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for sustainable hydrogen production, yet still challenging. Here, we report boron-modulated osmium (B-Os) aerogels with rich defects and ultra-fine diameter as a pH-universal HER electrocatalyst. The catalyst shows the small overpotentials of 12, 19, and 33 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in acidic, alkaline, and neutral electrolytes, respectively, as well as excellent stability, surpassing commercial Pt/C. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that interventional interstitial B atoms can optimize the electron structure of B-Os aerogels and stabilize Os as active sites in an electron-deficient state under realistic working conditions, and simultaneously reveals the HER catalytic mechanisms of B-Os aerogels in pH-universal electrolytes. The density functional theory calculations also indicate introducing B atoms can tailor the electronic structure of Os, resulting in the reduced water dissociation energy and the improved adsorption/desorption behavior of hydrogen, which synergistically accelerate HER.
Incorporating temporal distribution of population-level viral load enables real-time estimation of COVID-19 transmission
Authors: Lin Yun , Yang Bingyi , Cobey Sarah , Lau Eric H. Y. , Adam Dillon C. , Wong Jessica Y. , Bond Helen S. , Cheung Justin K. , Ho Faith , Gao Huizhi , Ali Sheikh Taslim , Leung Nancy H. L. , Tsang Tim K. , Wu Peng , Leung Gabriel M. , Cowling Benjamin J. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractMany locations around the world have used real-time estimates of the time-varying effective reproductive number ($${R}_{t}$$

R

t

) of COVID-19 to provide evidence of transmission intensity to inform control strategies. Estimates of $${R}_{t}$$

R

t

are typically based on statistical models applied to case counts and typically suffer lags of more than a week because of the latent period and reporting delays. Noting that viral loads tend to decline over time since illness onset, analysis of the distribution of viral loads among confirmed cases can provide insights into epidemic trajectory. Here, we analyzed viral load data on confirmed cases during two local epidemics in Hong Kong, identifying a strong correlation between temporal changes in the distribution of viral loads (measured by RT-qPCR cycle threshold values) and estimates of $${R}_{t}$$

R

t

based on case counts. We demonstrate that cycle threshold values could be used to improve real-time $${R}_{t}$$

R

t

estimation, enabling more timely tracking of epidemic dynamics.
Recent decadal weakening of the summer Eurasian westerly jet attributable to anthropogenic aerosol emissions
Authors: Dong Buwen , Sutton Rowan T. , Shaffrey Len , Harvey Ben 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe Eurasian subtropical westerly jet (ESWJ) is a major feature of the summertime atmospheric circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we demonstrate a robust weakening trend in the summer ESWJ over the last four decades, linked to significant impacts on extreme weather. Analysis of climate model simulations from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) suggests that anthropogenic aerosols were likely the primary driver of the weakening ESWJ. Warming over mid-high latitudes due to aerosol reductions in Europe, and cooling in the tropics and subtropics due to aerosol increases over South and East Asia acted to reduce the meridional temperature gradient at the surface and in the lower and middle troposphere, leading to reduced vertical shear of the zonal wind and a weaker ESWJ in the upper troposphere. If, as expected, Asian anthropogenic aerosol precursor emissions decline in future, our results imply a renewed strengthening of the summer ESWJ.
Limited surface impacts of the January 2021 sudden stratospheric warming
Authors: Davis N. A. , Richter J. H. , Glanville A. A. , Edwards J. , LaJoie E. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSubseasonal weather prediction can reduce economic disruption and loss of life, especially during “windows of opportunity” when noteworthy events in the Earth system are followed by characteristic weather patterns. Sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), breakdowns of the winter stratospheric polar vortex, are one such event. They often precede warm temperatures in Northern Canada and cold, stormy weather throughout Europe and the United States - including the most recent SSW on January 5th, 2021. Here we assess the drivers of surface weather in the weeks following the SSW through initial condition “scrambling” experiments using the real-time CESM2(WACCM6) Earth system prediction framework. We find that the SSW itself had a limited impact, and that stratospheric polar vortex stretching and wave reflection had no discernible contribution to the record cold in North America in February. Instead, the tropospheric circulation and bidirectional coupling between the troposphere and stratosphere were dominant contributors to variability.