Basic Mechanisms Research Articles

Formation of human kinship structures depending on population size and cultural mutation rate

How does social complexity depend on population size and cultural transmission? Kinship structures in traditional societies provide a fundamental illustration, where cultural rules between clans determine people's marriage possibilities. Here, we propose a simple model of kinship interactions that considers kin and in-law cooperation and sexual rivalry. In this model, multiple societies compete. Societies consist of multiple families with different cultural traits and mating preferences. These values determine interactions and hence the growth rate of families and are transmitted to offspring with mutations. Through a multilevel evolutionary simulation, family traits and preferences are grouped into multiple clans with interclan mating preferences. It illustrates the emergence of kinship structures as the spontaneous formation of interdependent cultural associations. Emergent kinship structures are characterized by the cycle length of marriage exchange and the number of cycles in society. We numerically and analytically clarify their parameter dependence. The relative importance of cooperation versus rivalry determines whether attraction or repulsion exists between families. Different structures evolve as locally stable attractors. The probabilities of formation and collapse of complex structures depend on the number of families and the mutation rate, showing characteristic scaling relationships. It is now possible to explore macroscopic kinship structures based on microscopic interactions, together with their environmental dependence and the historical causality of their evolution. We propose the basic causal mechanism of the formation of typical human social structures by referring to ethnographic observations and concepts from statistical physics and multilevel evolution. Such interdisciplinary collaboration will unveil universal features in human societies.

Analysis and numerical simulation of a generalized compressible Cahn-Hilliard-Navier-Stokes model with friction effects

We propose a new generalized compressible diphasic Navier-Stokes Cahn-Hilliard model that we name G-NSCH. This new G-NSCH model takes into account important properties of diphasic compressible fluids such as possible non-matching densities and contrast in mechanical properties (viscosity, friction) between the two phases of the fluid. the model also comprises a term to account for possible exchange of mass between the two phases. Our G-NSCH system is derived rigorously and satisfies basic mechanics of fluids and thermodynamics of particles. Under some simplifying assumptions, we prove the existence of global weak solutions. We also propose a structure preserving numerical scheme based on the scalar auxiliary variable method to simulate our system and present some numerical simulations validating the properties of the numerical scheme and illustrating the solutions of the G-NSCH model.

Asthma Pathogenesis: Phenotypes, Therapies, and Gaps: Summary of the Aspen Lung Conference 2023.

Although substantial progress has been made in our understanding of asthma pathogenesis and phenotypes over the nearly 60-year history of the Aspen Lung Conferences on asthma, many ongoing challenges exist in our understanding of the clinical and molecular heterogeneity of the disease and an individual patient's response to therapy. This report summarizes the proceedings of the 2023 Aspen Lung Conference, which was organized to review the clinical and molecular heterogeneity of asthma and to better understand the impact of genetic, environmental, cellular, and molecular influences on disease susceptibility, heterogeneity, and severity. The goals of the conference were to review new information about asthma phenotypes, cellular processes, and cellular signatures underlying disease heterogeneity and treatment response. The report concludes with ongoing gaps in our understanding of asthma pathobiology and provides some recommendations for future research to better understand the clinical and basic mechanisms underlying disease heterogeneity in asthma and to advance the development of new treatments for this growing public health problem.

A new assembled experimental device for fluid mechanics

Fluid mechanics is one of the important branches of basic mechanics education of science and technology in higher education, and its corresponding teaching experiments are numerous. However, there are great similarities among some components of most traditional hydrodynamics experimental devices. If an independent experimental device is designed for a specific experiment, it will result in a great waste of resources and space. Therefore, based on the full investigation on the similar components of some certain experimental devices, this study redesigned and integrated them, and innovatively proposed a new type of assembled hydrodynamics comprehensive experimental device. This experimental device can be utilized to carry out Reynolds experiment, Nozzle outflow experiment, Karman vortex street experiment, etc. based on different combinations. The corresponding results show that this assembled hydrodynamics comprehensive experimental device has the advantages of multiple functions, small occupied space, low cost, good stability, high corrosion resistance, strong expandability, and so on.

Theoretical Investigation of Laser Ablation Propulsion Using Micro-Scale Fluid in Atmosphere

Laser ablation propulsion based on liquid propellants is a type of propulsion technology with a high specific impulse and good controllability that can be applied to space thrusters, gas metal arc welding, and extreme ultraviolet light. However, its basic mechanisms, such as flow evolution and thrust formation, have not yet been described in detail. In this study, the laser ablation of micro-scale fluid in the atmosphere was investigated. Flow evolution with different laser energy and fluid mass was observed using a schlieren system. According to the characteristic of flow evolution, a theoretical model of laser ablation propulsion in the atmosphere was established. For the first time, a theoretical hypothesis was proposed that the laser energy is divided into two parts, which act on fluid and air respectively. The model indicates that the impulses generated by fluids and air follow power laws with the laser energy, while the exponentials are 0.5 and 1, respectively. In the atmosphere, due to the shielding effect of a laser-maintained detonation wave on laser, the energy absorbed by the fluid is basically unchanged, while only the energy absorbed by the air changes. Significantly, the theoretical model is consistent with the impulse experiment and current studies.

Clinical application of live biotherapeutic products in infectious diseases

Live biotherapeutics products (LBP) are a novel range of therapeutic options in medicine. In this review, authors discuss basic composition and mechanism of action of LBP, provide a comprehensive focused overview of published in vitro and in vivo studies on efficacy of LBP for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases such as viral (HIV, COVID-19), bacterial (C.difficile infection, bacterial vaginosis, multi-drug resistant organisms) and fungal (Candida) organisms. This review should be of interest to clinicians to understand the broad application of LBP in infectious diseases world beyond recurrent C.difficile infection and to researchers on unexplored prospects of LBP and the need for further investigation in this emerging field to improve its clinical application.

Effect of time delay on performance and timing control in dyadic rhythm coordination using finger tapping

In musical ensembles, people synchronise with each other despite the presence of time delays such as those related to sound transmission. However, the ways in which time delays in synchronisation are overcome remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the basic characteristics and mechanism of synchronisation with time delays using a dyadic synchronisation-continuation finger-tapping task with time delays ranging from 0 to 240 ms. The results reveal that synchronisation performance improved under time delays of 40–160 ms compared with in the other conditions. This tolerance to the time delay could have been because such a delay allowed both participants in each pair to tap before receiving the stimuli from their partner, as seen in synchronisation with a constant-tempo metronome. In addition, the dependency of the timing control on the partner’s previous inter-tap interval decreased at a time delay of 80 ms, relating to the fact that the acceleration and deceleration of the tapping tempo reduced under certain time delays, while the synchronisation performance improved. Uncertainty in the timing of the partner’s stimulus could induce greater anticipatory responses, making it possible to tolerate longer time delays in dyadic finger-tapping tasks.

Direct observation of the electronic structure and many-body interactions of low-mobility carriers in perylene diimide derivative

Despite the rapid progresses in the field of organic semiconductors, aided by the development of high-mobility organic materials, their high carrier mobilities are often unipolar, being sufficiently high only for either electrons or holes. Yet, the basic mechanisms underlying such significant mobility asymmetry largely remains elusive. We perform angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy to reveal the occupied band structures and the many-body interactions for low-mobility hole carriers in a typical n-type semiconductor perylene diimide derivative. The band dispersion exhibits strong renormalization to the calculated non-interacting electronic structure. The analysis including many-body interactions elucidate that the significant mass enhancement can be understood in terms of strong charge–phonon coupling, leading to an important mechanism of polaron band transport of low intrinsic carrier mobility in organic semiconductors.

Postprandial fatty acid-binding protein4 is associated with muscle insulin resistance.

Fatty acid-binding protein4 (FABP4) has been reported to act as a hepatic insulin resistance factor. We previously reported that fasting FABP4 was correlated with insulin resistance measurements derived from the glucose clamp, and another study reported that postprandial FABP4 levels were decreased in healthy volunteers but were not reported (or known) in participants with type 2 diabetes. We have limited knowledge about the direct effect of FABP4 on muscle cells. We investigated the postprandial FABP4 levels in participants with type 2 diabetes, and the basic mechanism of muscle insulin resistance and FABP4. We performed a meal tolerance test and hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp in 22 participants with type 2 diabetes and 26 participants without diabetes. We measured fasting and postprandial serum FABP4. We cultured mouse C2C12 muscle cells, and investigated the effect of FABP4 on glucose uptake. We analysed insulin signalling by western blot and insulin binding assay. The postprandial FABP4 level in participants with type 2 diabetes was higher than that in participants without diabetes. Participants without diabetes had lower postprandial FABP4 than fasting except for one participant, whereas one-third of participants with type 2 diabetes had higher postprandial FABP4 than fasting. Postprandial FABP4 was correlated with the muscle insulin resistance M/I value from a glucose clamp in participants without diabetes (r=-0.42, p<0.05). The increase in FABP4 after a meal correlated with the muscle insulin resistance M/I value (r=-0.44, p<0.05) and the difference between fasting and postprandial glucagon in participants with type 2 diabetes (r=0.36, p<0.05). FABP4 alone appears to increase glucose uptake, and the combination of FABP4 and insulin decreases glucose uptake when compared with insulin alone. FABP4 inhibits insulin signalling of muscle cells through decreases in phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate1 and Akt. The physiological concentration of FABP4 did not inhibit insulin binding to muscle cells. These results suggested that the postprandial FABP4 level is associated with insulin resistance, and FABP4 may suppress insulin signals.

The Pavlovian interpretation of speech and aphasia: Alexander Luria and Wilder Penfield.

This paper discusses a neglected aspect of the historiography of aphasia, the role that Pavlovian conditioning played in Alexander Luria's and Wilder Penfield's understanding of the acquisition, expression, and loss of spoken and written speech. Luria was born into a bourgeois family in Tzarist Russia and pursued his research on speech and aphasia under the Soviet regime. Luria's work was condemned in the last years of Stalin's rule, but it received international acclaim in the West after Stalin's death. Penfield was conversant with Pavlov's writing having had a working relationship with one of Pavlov's foremost students, Boris Babkin, who came to McGill University and later to the Montreal Neurological Institute after being jailed and exiled from the Soviet Union for lack of revolutionary fervor. Both Luria and Penfield, the latter as early as 1935, saw in Pavlovian conditioning mediated by specific areas of the human cerebral cortex the basic neurophysiological mechanism underlying speech and thought, and in Penfield's' case, memory, perception, self-awareness, and purposeful behavior. It is concluded that Luria and Penfield independently arrived at a general hypothesis, based on Pavlovian conditioning, that united the localization of speech, the syndromes caused by damage to speech-competent regions, and the putative neurophysiological mechanisms that they believed to underlie speech and higher cortical functions.

Advanced Separator Materials for Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Progress and Prospects.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising energy storage devices owing to their high theoretical specific capacity and energy density. However, several challenges, including volume expansion, slow reaction kinetics, polysulfide shuttle effect and lithium dendrite formation, hinder their commercialization. Separators are a key component of Li-S batteries. Traditional separators, made of polypropylene and polyethylene, have certain limitations that should be addressed. Therefore, this review discusses the basic properties and mechanisms of Li-S battery separators, focuses on preparing different functionalized separators to mitigate the shuttle effect of polysulfides. This review also introduces future research trends, emphasizing the potential of separator functionalization in advancing the Li-S battery technology.

Comparison of Reinforcement Learning Algorithms for Edge Computing Applications Deployed by Serverless Technologies

Edge computing is one of the technological areas currently considered among the most promising for the implementation of many types of applications. In particular, IoT-type applications can benefit from reduced latency and better data protection. However, the price typically to be paid in order to benefit from the offered opportunities includes the need to use a reduced amount of resources compared to the traditional cloud environment. Indeed, it may happen that only one computing node can be used. In these situations, it is essential to introduce computing and memory resource management techniques that allow resources to be optimized while still guaranteeing acceptable performance, in terms of latency and probability of rejection. For this reason, the use of serverless technologies, managed by reinforcement learning algorithms, is an active area of research. In this paper, we explore and compare the performance of some machine learning algorithms for managing horizontal function autoscaling in a serverless edge computing system. In particular, we make use of open serverless technologies, deployed in a Kubernetes cluster, to experimentally fine-tune the performance of the algorithms. The results obtained allow both the understanding of some basic mechanisms typical of edge computing systems and related technologies that determine system performance and the guiding of configuration choices for systems in operation.

Characterizing ER Retention Defects of PDZ Binding Deficient Cx36 Mutants Using Confocal Microscopy.

Overexpression of proteins in transiently transfected cells is a simple way to study basic transport mechanisms and the underlying protein-protein interactions. While expression systems have obvious drawbacks compared to in vivo experiments, they allow a quick assessment of more conserved functions, for instance, ER export or sorting of proteins in the Golgi. In a previous study, our group described the formation of ER-derived removal vesicles for the gap junction protein Cx36 in transfected HEK293T cells. These removal vesicles, termed "whorls" because of their concentric structure, were formed by Cx36 channels that failed to escape the ER. In this article, we describe an imaging protocol that can be used to determine these ER retention defects for Cx36 expressed in cultured cells. The protocol we provide here employs regular confocal microscopy, which allows for sufficient resolution to reveal the characteristic shape of ER whorls.

Microwave Revolution: Transforming Biomedical Synthesis for Tissue Engineering Advancements

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis (MAS) has emerged as a groundbreaking technique revolutionizing the field of biomedical and tissue engineering. This review aims to explore the fundamental principles, techniques, and applications of MAS in these domains. Beginning with an overview highlighting its significance, we delve into the basic principles, mechanisms, and comparative analysis with conventional methods. Subsequently, the review explores MAS techniques in biomaterial synthesis, tissue scaffold fabrication, functionalization, and nanomaterial synthesis, along with their role in drug delivery systems. We then examine its diverse applications, including rapid biomaterial synthesis, property tailoring, biocompatibility enhancements, and tissue regeneration strategies. Furthermore, we address the challenges and future perspectives, focusing on safety considerations, understanding cellular responses, integration with advanced technologies, regulatory aspects, and future directions. This comprehensive review underscores MAS as a transformative tool driving innovations in biomedical research and therapeutic applications

Controlled Protein-Membrane Interactions Modulate Self-Organization of Min Protein Patterns.

Self-organizing protein patterns are crucial for living systems, governing important cellular processes such as polarization and division. While the field of protein self-organization has reached a point where basic pattern-forming mechanisms can be reconstituted in vitro using purified proteins, understanding how cells can dynamically switch and modulate these patterns, especially when transiently needed, remains an interesting frontier. Here, we demonstrate the efficient regulation of self-organizing protein patterns through the modulation of simple biophysical membrane parameters. Our investigation focuses on the impact of membrane affinity changes on Min protein patterns at lipid membranes composed of Escherichia coli lipids or minimal lipid compositions, and we present three major results. First, we observed the emergence of a diverse array of pattern phenotypes, ranging from waves over flower-shaped patterns to snowflake-like structures. Second, we demonstrated the dependency of these patterns on the density of protein-membrane linkers. Finally, we demonstrate that the shape of snowflake-like patterns is fine-tuned by membrane charge. Our results demonstrate the significant influence of membrane linkage as a straightforward biophysical parameter governing protein pattern formation. Our research points towards a simple yet intriguing mechanism by which cells can adeptly tune and switch protein patterns on the mesoscale.

Oil-soluble sulfur-containing organic molybdenum (SOM) as lubricant additives: a review

Abstract In situ formation of lamellar MoS2 nanomaterials between the tribocontacts during frictions through adding oil-soluble sulfur-containing organic molybdenum (SOM) additives into lubricating oils is an alternative route of dispersing pre-formed MoS2 into lubricants directly, which is difficult to disperse homogeneously in oils. In this technology, the synthesis of SOM with appropriate S and Mo contents and successful generation of enough MoS2 during friction by adjusted working conditions are two crucial factors determining the efficiency of SOM on the friction-reduction and anti-wear behaviors of the SOM-containing oils. Given the fact that SOM additives have been used intensively in both laboratory researches and engineering applications, this review discusses in detail the molecular structures, tribological behaviors, compatibility and synergistic effects with the other additives, and some application bottlenecks of the reported SOM compounds that may constrain their wide applications as lubricant additives. Moreover, some routes for overcoming these application bottlenecks are suggested. This review also concludes the basic mechanisms for the lubrication capabilities of the SOM and provides some suggestions for utilizing SOM additives in advanced lubrication systems. Finally, the future development of SOM as oil additives is proposed and summarized.

Nuclear receptors in ovarian cancer: changing paradigms in cancer therapeutics.

Ovarian cancer (OVC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide. Despite advancements in detection and therapy, the prognosis of OVC remains poor due to late diagnosis and the lack of effective therapeutic options at advanced stages. Therefore, a better understanding of the biology underlying OVC is essential for the development of effective strategies for early detection and targeted therapies. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a superfamily of 48 transcription factors that, upon binding to their specific ligand, play a vital role in regulating various cellular processes such as growth, development, metabolism, and homeostasis. Accumulating evidence from several studies has shown that their aberrant expression is associated with multiple human diseases. Numerous NRs have shown significant effects in the development of various cancers, including OVC. This review summarizes the recent findings on the role of NRs in OVC, as well as their potential as prognostic and therapeutic markers. Further, the basic structure and signaling mechanism of NRs have also been discussed briefly. Moreover, this review highlights their cellular and molecular mechanisms in chemoresistance and chemosensitization. Further, the clinical trials targeting NRs for the treatment of OVC have also been discussed.

Preparation, Deformation Behavior and Irradiation Damage of Refractory Metal Single Crystals for Nuclear Applications: A Review.

Refractory metal single crystals have been applied in key high-temperature structural components of advanced nuclear reactor power systems, due to their excellent high-temperature properties and outstanding compatibility with nuclear fuels. Although electron beam floating zone melting and plasma arc melting techniques can prepare large-size oriented refractory metals and their alloy single crystals, both have difficulty producing perfect defect-free single crystals because of the high-temperature gradient. The mechanical properties of refractory metal single crystals under different loads all exhibit strong temperature and crystal orientation dependence. Slip and twinning are the two basic deformation mechanisms of refractory metal single crystals, in which low temperatures or high strain rates are more likely to induce twinning. Recrystallization is always induced by the combined action of deformation and annealing, exhibiting a strong crystal orientation dependence. The irradiation hardening and neutron embrittlement appear after exposure to irradiation damage and degrade the material properties, attributed to vacancies, dislocation loops, precipitates, and other irradiation defects, hindering dislocation motion. This paper reviews the research progress of refractory metal single crystals from three aspects, preparation technology, deformation behavior, and irradiation damage, and highlights key directions for future research. Finally, future research directions are prospected to provide a reference for the design and development of refractory metal single crystals for nuclear applications.

Effect of the Mineralogical Composition of Sandstones on the Wear of Mining Machinery Components

The paper provides and comments on the results of studies of the effect of sandstone-based abrasives and quartz sand alone on the wear of martensitic surfaces of wear-resistant steels. The wear process was examined on a ring-on-ring test rig seeking to determine the mass decrement parameter which characterised wear. In addition, SEM microscopy, optical profilometry and XRF analysis were used to analyse the abrasives used and damaged surfaces. The tests were conducted for three sandstone varieties, Carboniferous, Permian, and Cretaceous, and they made it possible to determine that the most intense process of deterioration of wear-resistant steels took place in the presence of quartz sand grain, while less intense wear was observed in the case of sandstone-based abrasives. The mass decrement values established in the presence of the sandstones in question did not differ significantly between individual sandstone varieties. Based on a surface damage analysis, the basic damage mechanism was found to be micro-scratching; however, with regard to the sandstones examined, it was also determined that individual grains could be pressed into surface irregularities and that films of soft hematite cement developed in the Permian sandstone and that inclusions of carbonaceous matter were formed in the Carboniferous sandstone. With reference to the wear process observations, a wear model was described for the surface of the steels examined in the presence of sandstone-based abrasives. This model presents the possibility of capturing wear products by unstable binder layers and changing the form of wear from three-body to two-body.

Inhibit ammonia volatilization from agriculture and livestock by air plasma-activated water

Ammonia volatilization in agriculture and livestock is a considerable cause of air pollution and a significant way of N loss. In this study, we propose a method of using air plasma-activated water (PAW) to inhibit ammonia volatilization from agriculture and livestock and report the inhibitory effect under different discharge times and concentration gradients. PAW was generated through needle–water discharge, while ammonia waters with different concentrations served as simplified models for ammonia release. The compositions of the gas/liquid products of the PAW and those after mixing with ammonia water were detected and analyzed. It was found that the PAW could effectively inhibit the NH3 volatilization from ammonia water over a large range of conditions, however, NH3 volatilization promotion could also happen in some cases. The inhibition rate (IR) generally increased with the longer discharge time of the PAW and decreased with the higher ammonia water concentration. As the discharge time increased, the PAW became more acidic and had more active N components, converting more volatile NH3 to NH4 + when mixed with ammonia water. Finally, a relationship model was developed between the IR and pH of the mixture. The IR basically decreased with the increase of the mixture pH, and reached ∼100% when a PAW with a discharge time of 7.5 min or 10 min was mixed with ammonia water with a mass fraction of 0.15%, or PAW of 10 min mixed with 0.25% ammonia water in this study, with the mixture pH lower than 8. The basic chemical process and possible reaction mechanisms were discussed. The proposed method not only effectively reduces ammonia volatilization but also adds more N elements in the form of NO3 − and NH4 +, which further improves fertility.