University of Tennessee

Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether there are genetic variants associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. Study Design We conducted a candidate gene association study in two well-defined cohorts of ELBW infants (<1,000 g). One cohort was for discovery and the other for replication. The discovery case–control analysis utilized anonymized DNA samples and evaluated 1,614 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 145 genes concentrated in inflammation, angiogenesis, brain development, and oxidation pathways. Cases were children who died by age one or who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) or neurodevelopmental delay (Bayley II mental developmental index [MDI] or psychomotor developmental index [PDI] < 70) by 18 to 22 months. Controls were survivors with normal neurodevelopment. We assessed significant epidemiological variables and SNPs associated with the combined outcome of CP or death, CP, mental delay (MDI < 70) and motor delay (PDI < 70). Multivariable analyses adjusted for gestational age at birth, small for gestational age, sex, antenatal corticosteroids, multiple gestation, racial admixture, and multiple comparisons. SNPs associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes with p < 0.01 were selected for validation in the replication cohort. Successful replication was defined as p < 0.05 in the replication cohort. Results Of 1,013 infants analyzed (452 cases, 561 controls) in the discovery cohort, 917 were successfully genotyped for >90% of SNPs and passed quality metrics. After adjusting for covariates, 26 SNPs with p < 0.01 for one or more outcomes were selected for replication cohort validation, which included 362 infants (170 cases and 192 controls). A variant in SERPINE1, which encodes plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI1), was associated with the combined outcome of CP or death in the discovery analysis (p = 4.1 × 10−4) and was significantly associated with CP or death in the replication cohort (adjusted odd ratio: 0.4; 95% confidence interval: 0.2–1.0; p = 0.039). Conclusion A genetic variant in SERPINE1, involved in inflammation and coagulation, is associated with CP or death among ELBW infants. Key Points

The emergence of moiré materials with flat bands provides a platform to systematically investigate and precisely control the correlated electronic phases. Here we report on a rich phase diagram of interpenetrating Hofstadter states—also called Chern insulators—and electron solids in a twisted WSe2/MoSe2 heterobilayer using local electronic compressibility measurements. We show that this reflects the presence of both flat and dispersive moiré bands whose relative energies, and therefore occupations, are tuned by the density and magnetic field. At low density, the competition between moiré bands leads to a transition from the commensurate arrangements of singlets at doubly occupied sites to triplet configurations at high fields. Hofstadter states are generally favoured at high density as dispersive bands are populated, but are suppressed by an intervening region of re-entrant charge-ordered states in which holes originating from multiple bands cooperatively crystallize. Our results reveal the key microscopic ingredients that favour distinct correlated ground states in semiconductor moiré systems, and they demonstrate an emergent lattice model system in which both interactions and band dispersion can be experimentally controlled.

Cotton and soybean growers were offered new technologies in 2016, expanding in-crop herbicide options to include dicamba or 2,4-D. Within three years of commercialization, dicamba use in these crops increased ten-fold and growers began to report Palmer amaranth escapes in dicamba-tolerant production systems in western Tennessee. In 2020, Palmer amaranth seed was collected from eight Tennessee locations where growers witnessed poor control following dicamba. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the response of these Palmer amaranth populations to dicamba. In 2021, field experiments were conducted on two tentative dicamba-susceptible populations in Georgia, on three confirmed dicamba-resistant populations in Tennessee, and on a tentative dicamba-susceptible population in Texas to evaluate cotton response following dicamba and to examine if malathion insecticide (a cytochrome P450 inhibitor) would improve weed control and not reduce cotton yield when applied in conjunction with dicamba. Palmer amaranth populations collected in 2020 survived dicamba in the greenhouse at 1, 2, and 4 times the labeled rate. There was 15 to 26% survival exhibited by five Palmer amaranth populations to the labeled dicamba rate (560 g ha ⁻¹ ) in the greenhouse. These findings were reinforced in the field when research on three of those populations in 2021 showed 55% control with the labeled dicamba rate and 69% control with 2 times the labeled rate. This demonstrates the dicamba resistance allele or alleles were passed between generations. This result was not consistent in the Macon County or Worth County, GA locations where malathion improved dicamba control of 15- to 38-cm tall Palmer amaranth. Cotton injury was observed when malathion was applied in combination with dicamba. These results further document the evolution of dicamba-resistant Palmer amaranth in Tennessee. Moreover, the non-reversal of resistance phenotype by malathion may suggest that the resistance mechanism is something other than metabolism.

We use convex hull pricing to explicitly price the risk associated with uncertainty in large power systems scheduling problems. Uncertainty associated with renewable generation (e.g. solar and wind) is highlighting the need for changes in how power production is scheduled. However, there are two main challenges that need to be overcome. The first is computational time: provably near-optimal solutions to large optimization problems need to be found very quickly. Secondly, there is a need for a novel method to achieve a favorable equilibrium between the cost benefits of renewable energy generation and the potential financial ramifications arising from inaccurate predictions. We propose to use convex hull pricing to price the risk associated with uncertainty in production a priori. This results in a deterministic scheduling problem with a modified objective function that is similar to those currently solved in practice. Computational results show that we are able to capture most of the benefits of fully stochastic models without the additional computational cost.

This study aimed to explore the perceptions, concerns, and strategies of LGBTQ social media activists in Turkey. Through semi-structured interviews with 20 LGBTQ social media activists, we investigated how they navigate cultural and political challenges and utilize social media for activism purposes. Our findings revealed that LGBTQ activists in Turkey strive to balance the risks and benefits of being online activists. They aim to avoid punishment from society and the government while simultaneously asserting their existence and amplifying their voices through social media. In addition, the study highlights the concerns of activists regarding both state and lateral surveillance.

A second order accurate (in time) numerical scheme is proposed and analyzed for the Poisson–Nernst–Planck equation (PNP) system, reformulated as a non-constant mobility H-1\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$H^{-1}$$\end{document} gradient flow in the Energetic Variational Approach (EnVarA). The centered finite difference is taken as the spatial discretization. Meanwhile, the highly nonlinear and singular nature of the logarithmic energy potentials has always been the essential difficulty to design a second order accurate scheme in time, while preserving the variational energetic structures. The mobility function is updated with a second order accurate extrapolation formula, for the sake of unique solvability. A modified Crank–Nicolson scheme is used to approximate the logarithmic term, so that its inner product with the discrete temporal derivative exactly gives the corresponding nonlinear energy difference; henceforth the energy stability is ensured for the logarithmic part. In addition, nonlinear artificial regularization terms are added in the numerical scheme, so that the positivity-preserving property could be theoretically proved, with the help of the singularity associated with the logarithmic function. Furthermore, an optimal rate convergence analysis is provided in this paper, in which the higher order asymptotic expansion for the numerical solution, the rough error estimate and refined error estimate techniques have to be included to accomplish such an analysis. This work combines the following theoretical properties for a second order accurate numerical scheme for the PNP system: (i) second order accuracy in both time and space, (ii) unique solvability and positivity, (iii) energy stability, and (iv) optimal rate convergence. A few numerical results are also presented.

The Harbingers project, which studied the working lives and scholarly communication behaviour of early career researchers (ECRs) over 6 years, found evidence of changing attitudes to questionable (grey) publishing. Thus, whilst predatory publishers have come to be treated with equanimity, as a problem easily dealt with, there was growing concern with the high volume of low-grade research being generated, some of which by ‘grey’ open access publishers for want of a better name (questionable and non-standard have also been used). With the recent announcement (2023) that the government of Malaysia (a Harbinger case country) is not providing Article Processing Charges (APCs) for articles published by MDPI, Frontiers and Hindawi on quality and cost grounds, we set out to see what lay behind this decision and whether other countries exhibited similar concerns. Information was obtained by asking Harbinger country leads, mostly embedded in research universities, from Australia, China, France, Israel, Malaysia, Poland, Spain, UK, and the US to conduct desk research to establish what is happening. It was found that countries, like ECRs, appear to have formed into two different camps, with China, Poland, France, and Spain joining Malaysia in the camp of those who felt concerned about these publishers and the UK, US, Israel, and Australia belonging to the camp of the unconcerned. Explanations for the split are furnished and whether the Malaysian position will prevail elsewhere is considered. Finally, in this paper, we have aired issues/concerns, rather than provided robust, systematic data. For a systematic study we shall have to wait for the fuller study we are hoping to conduct.

Background Preschool children are not meeting recommended levels of physical activity (PA) nor are they proficient in fundamental motor skills (FMS), which are the foundation for PA. As such, interventions are needed to increase PA and FMS in young children. This trial examined the effects of an environmental (“painted playgrounds”) and capacity-building (written toolkit) intervention on child FMS, PA, and sedentary behavior at early childhood education (ECE) centers and examined feasibility. Methods In a randomized controlled trial, four ECE centers were randomly assigned to an intervention group or wait-list control. For intervention centers, stencils were spray painted adjacent to playgrounds and teachers were provided material for using stencils for FMS practice. Follow-up assessments were conducted six to eight weeks after baseline. Time spent in PA and sedentary behavior was assessed via accelerometry and FMS were evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) at baseline and follow-up. A repeated measures linear model was performed to test the effects of the painted playgrounds on the primary outcomes of interest. Feasibility was measured by stencil engagement via direct observation and satisfaction surveys. Results A total of 51 preschoolers completed baseline assessments (4.3±0.6 years; 43.1% male). There were no significant changes in PA or sedentary behavior (all confidence intervals contain 0) between control and intervention groups. Intervention children significantly improved ball skill, locomotor, and overall TGMD-3 percentile scores at follow-up (all (all confidence intervals contain 0), which was not observed in control group. However, there was no significant change in FMS between the control and intervention groups (confidence intervals contain 0). For stencil use, boys and girls interacted with different stencils during their free play. Directors and teachers reported children incorporated academic concepts and initiated games, and teachers prompted more PA opportunities on the playground. Conclusions This intervention did not show statistically significant changes in children’s PA, FMS, or sedentary behavior compared to a control group; however, small FMS improvements for the intervention group were found from baseline to follow-up. Further work should examine intervention fidelity as well as inexpensive supplies, teacher training, or other strategies to increase preschool children’s PA and improve FMS at ECE centers.

Radiative cooling has emerged as a passive cooling strategy and has attracted significant attention, particularly over the past five years. While many researchers have designed various radiative cooling materials and evaluated their cooling performance, inconsistent or even erroneous measurement data and different reporting styles widely exist. This lack of consistency adds complexity to the comparison and reproduction of cooling performance across the diverse range of radiative cooling materials studied by different researchers. In this paper, general considerations for assessing cooling performance measurements, including optical characterization and outdoor thermal measurements, are outlined. Moreover, guidelines on properly reporting measurement settings and results are provided. This work aims to help the radiative cooling community achieve consistent cooling performance assessment, ultimately advancing this promising technology toward alleviating global cooling demands.

Styrene-maleic acid copolymers (SMAs), and related amphiphilic copolymers, are promising tools for isolating and studying integral membrane proteins in a native-like state. However, they do not exhibit this ability universally, as several reports have found that SMAs and related amphiphilic copolymers show little to no efficiency when extracting specific membrane proteins. Recently, it was discovered that esterified SMAs could enhance the selective extraction of trimeric Photosystem I from the thylakoid membranes of the thermophilic cyanobacteria; however, these polymers are susceptible to saponification that can result from harsh preparation or storage conditions. To address this concern, we herein describe the development of α-olefin-maleic acid copolymers (αMAs) that can extract trimeric PSI from cyanobacterial membranes with the highest extraction efficiencies observed when using any amphiphilic copolymers, including diisobutylene-co-maleic acid (DIBMA) and functionalized SMA samples. Furthermore, we will show that αMAs facilitate the formation of photosystem I-containing nanodiscs that retain an annulus of native lipids and a native-like activity. We also highlight how αMAs provide an agile, tailorable synthetic platform that enables fine-tuning hydrophobicity, controllable molar mass, and consistent monomer incorporation while overcoming shortcomings of prior amphiphilic copolymers.

Styrene‐maleic acid copolymers (SMAs), and related amphiphilic copolymers, are promising tools for isolating and studying integral membrane proteins in a native‐like state. However, they do not exhibit this ability universally, as several reports have found that SMAs and related amphiphilic copolymers show little to no efficiency when extracting specific membrane proteins. Recently, it was discovered that esterified SMAs could enhance the selective extraction of trimeric Photosystem I from the thylakoid membranes of the thermophilic cyanobacteria; however, these polymers are susceptible to saponification that can result from harsh preparation or storage conditions. To address this concern, we herein describe the development of α‐olefin‐maleic acid copolymers (αMAs) that can extract trimeric PSI from cyanobacterial membranes with the highest extraction efficiencies observed when using any amphiphilic copolymers, including diisobutylene‐co‐maleic acid (DIBMA) and functionalized SMA samples. Furthermore, we will show that αMAs facilitate the formation of photosystem I‐containing nanodiscs that retain an annulus of native lipids and a native‐like activity. We also highlight how αMAs provide an agile, tailorable synthetic platform that enables fine‐tuning hydrophobicity, controllable molar mass, and consistent monomer incorporation while overcoming shortcomings of prior amphiphilic copolymers.

Species, through their traits, influence how ecosystems simultaneously sustain multiple functions. However, it is unclear how trait diversity sustains the multiple contributions biodiversity makes to people. Freshwater fisheries nourish hundreds of millions of people globally, but overharvesting and river fragmentation are increasingly affecting catches. We analyse how loss of nutritional trait diversity in consumed fish portfolios affects the simultaneous provisioning of six essential dietary nutrients using household data from the Amazon and Tonlé Sap, two of Earth's most productive and diverse freshwater fisheries. We find that fish portfolios with high trait diversity meet higher thresholds of required daily intakes for a greater variety of nutrients with less fish biomass. This beneficial biodiversity effect is driven by low redundancy in species nutrient content profiles. Our findings imply that sustaining the dietary contributions fish make to people given declining biodiversity could require more biomass and ultimately exacerbate fishing pressure in already‐stressed ecosystems.

Haldane topological materials contain unique antiferromagnetic chains with symmetry-protected energy gaps. Such materials have potential applications in spintronics and future quantum computers. Haldane topological solids typically consist of spin-1 chains embedded in extended three-dimensional (3D) crystal structures. Here, we demonstrate that [Ni(μ−4,4′-bipyridine)(μ-oxalate)]n (NiBO) instead adopts a two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic framework (MOF) structure of Ni²⁺ spin-1 chains weakly linked by 4,4′-bipyridine. NiBO exhibits Haldane topological properties with a gap between the singlet ground state and the triplet excited state. The latter is split by weak axial and rhombic anisotropies. Several experimental probes, including single-crystal X-ray diffraction, variable-temperature powder neutron diffraction (VT-PND), VT inelastic neutron scattering (VT-INS), DC susceptibility and specific heat measurements, high-field electron spin resonance, and unbiased quantum Monte Carlo simulations, provide a detailed, comprehensive characterization of NiBO. Vibrational (also known as phonon) properties of NiBO have been probed by INS and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, indicating the absence of phonons near magnetic excitations in NiBO, suppressing spin-phonon coupling. The work here demonstrates that NiBO is indeed a rare 2D-MOF Haldane topological material.

Lattice geometry continues providing exotic topological phases in condensed matter physics. Exciting recent examples are the higher-order topological phases, manifesting via localized lower-dimensional boundary states. Moreover, flat electronic bands with a non-trivial topology arise in various lattices and can hold a finite superfluid density, bounded by the Chern number C. Here we consider attractive interaction in the dice lattice that hosts flat bands with C = ± 2 and show that the induced superconducting state exhibits a second-order topological phase with mixed singlet-triplet pairing. The second-order nature of the topological superconducting phase is revealed by the zero-energy Majorana bound states at the lattice corners. Hence, the topology of the normal state dictates the nature of the Majorana localization. These findings suggest that flat bands with a higher Chern number provide feasible platforms for inducing higher-order topological superconductivity.

Machine vision in low-light conditions is a critical requirement for object detection in road transportation, particularly for assisted and autonomous driving scenarios. Existing vision-based techniques are limited to daylight traffic scenarios due to their reliance on adequate lighting and high frame rates. This paper presents a novel approach to tackle this problem by investigating Vehicle Detection and Localisation (VDL) in extremely low-light conditions by using a new machine learning model. Specifically, the proposed model employs two customised generative adversarial networks, based on Pix2PixGAN and CycleGAN, to enhance dark images for input into a YOLOv4-based VDL algorithm. The model's performance is thoroughly analysed and compared against the prominent models. Our findings validate that the proposed model detects and localises vehicles accurately in extremely dark images, with an additional run-time of approximately 11 ms and an accuracy improvement of 10%-50% compared to the other models. Moreover, our model demonstrates a 4%-8% increase in Intersection over Union (IoU) at a mean frame rate of 9 fps, which underscores its potential for broader applications in ubiquitous road-object detection. The results demonstrate the significance of the proposed model as an early step to overcoming the challenges of low-light vision in road-object detection and autonomous driving, paving the way for safer and more efficient transportation systems. K E Y W O R D S computer vision, image processing, machine intelligence

Characterizing the homotopy types of the Vietoris–Rips complexes \({{\,\textrm{VR}\,}}(X;r)\) of a metric space X is in general a difficult problem. The Vietoris–Rips metric thickening \({{\,\textrm{VR}\,}}^m(X;r)\), a metric space analogue of \({{\,\textrm{VR}\,}}(X;r)\), was introduced as a potentially more amenable object of study with several advantageous properties, yet the relationship between its homotopy type and that of \({{\,\textrm{VR}\,}}(X;r)\) was not fully understood. We show that for any metric space X and threshold \(r>0\), the natural bijection \(|{{{\,\textrm{VR}\,}}(X;r)}|\rightarrow {{\,\textrm{VR}\,}}^m(X;r)\) between the (open) Vietoris–Rips complex and Vietoris–Rips metric thickening is a weak homotopy equivalence.