Title
Topic
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Watching hot metal cool: Patterns in materials science
Material design, as it moves into the world of microstructures, relies on understanding “solid-liquid interface patterns.” Previous studies have identified “dendritic patterns” as metal alloys cool, and this paper offers a new mode of capturing these patterns through “several image analysis methods to achieve this goal reliably despite varying contrast and noise levels.” See the full list of authors and read their research paper, “Dynamics of solidification microstructure formation in DECLIC-DSI onboard ISS: dendritic patterns data treatment,” at HAL Open Science.
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‘Time-Reversal Quantum Spin Hall Phase is Distinct From the Z₂ Topological Insulator’
“For a time-reversal symmetric system, the quantum spin Hall phase is assumed to be the same as the Z2 topological insulator phase in the existing literature. The spin Chern number Cs is supposed to yield the same topological classification as the Z2 invariant. Here, by investigating the topological electronic structures of monolayer α-phase group V elements, we uncover the presence of a topological phase in α-Sb, which can be characterized by a spin Chern number Cs=2, even though it is Z2 trivial.” See the full list of authors and read the pre-print at Research Square.
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Advances in imaging amphibian regeneration
This book chapter (from “Salamanders: Methods and Protocols”) provides an alternative protocol to the in situ hybridization of amphibians. While this protocol “has been utilized for decades in axolotls, it has been challenging to implement consistently across tissues.” The authors here present an approach combining a hybridized chain reaction (HCR) with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), providing a method with “a considerably higher signal to background” noise ratio. See the full list of authors and read this book chapter, “Hybridization Chain Reaction Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (HCR-FISH) in Ambystoma mexicanum Tissue,” at the publisher’s page.
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Raising (regenerative) axolotls for experimental uses
Mexican axolotls are capable of regenerating “amputated limbs and injured body parts,” and their study is valuable to both stem cell and regeneration research. From “Salamanders: Methods and Protocols”, this book chapter by professor James Monaghan and PhD. Anastasia Yandulskaya presents the conditions for raising lab-healthy axolotls, how to breed them, and how to maintain their environment. Read this book chapter, “Establishing a New Research Axolotl Colony,” at the publisher’s page.
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‘Plasmon-Induced Enhanced Light Emission and Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in a Tunable Molybdenum Disulfide-Gallium Nitride Heterostructure’
“The effect of localized plasmon on the photoemission and absorption in hybrid molybdenum disulfide-Gallium nitride (MoS2-GaN) heterostructure has been studied. Localized plasmon induced by platinum nanoparticles was resonantly coupled to the bandedge states of GaN to enhance the UV emission from the hybrid semiconductor system. The presence of the platinum nanoparticles also increases the effective absorption and the transient gain of the excitonic absorption in MoS2.” Find the paper and the full list of authors in Materials.
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Handling x-rays at high speed
As x-ray lasers gain the ability to fire at ever-increasing speeds, current data systems need to increase their effectiveness to handle “these type[s] of facilities, especially for high throughput applications.” In this paper, the authors propose “a machine-learning algorithm to automatically extract” relevant data. The paper also covers “the feasibility of using this framework at high data volume.” See the full list of authors and read their research paper, “Testing the data framework for an AI algorithm in preparation for high data rate X-ray facilities,” at ArXiv.
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In emerging markets, social investments matter most
New research published in Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets demonstrates “that in emerging markets, social investments have a larger impact on financial performance than governance or environmental initiatives because they help create capabilities that more directly compensate for government failures in the provision of public goods and services.” Read the article and see the full list of authors at the Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets.
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How blockchain can solve the crises of global supply chains
Ravi Sarathy, professor of international business and strategy, writes that many of the problems facing modern global supply chains can be overcome through blockchain technology. Blockchains “enhance reliability and efficiency by providing transparent and secure tracking of goods and related digital documentation.” Find the article at the Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets.
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Balloon-powered telescope SuperBIT looks at the ‘wrong’ end of the spectrum
In studying dark matter, cosmologists and astronomers rely on observations of galaxies seen through or around the material. Traditionally, these observations have been made of “red-shifted” galaxies, those moving away from the Earth. This paper provides an explanation for why the Super-pressure Balloon-borne Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) will instead observe blue-shifted galaxies, those moving toward the earth. See the full list of authors and read their paper, “Weak lensing in the blue: a counter-intuitive strategy for stratospheric observations,” at ArXiv.
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Non-invasive brain stimulation: Acting on the cerebellum
A “Significant knowledge gap exists in our functional understanding of cerebellar systems,” write the authors of this perspective piece. Using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, the authors “highlight the possibility to target specific functional territories within the cerebellum… leading to the refinement of cerebellar-based therapeutics for precision psychiatry.” Read “Big contributions of the little brain for precision psychiatry” and find the full list of authors at Frontiers in Psychiatry.
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‘Electric-Magnetic Duality in a Class of G₂-Compactifications of M-theory’
“We study electric-magnetic duality in compactifications of M-theory on twisted connected sum (TCS) G2 manifolds via duality with F-theory. Specifically, we study the physics of the D3-branes in F-theory compactified on a Calabi-Yau fourfold Y, dual to a compactification of M-theory on a TCS G2 manifold X. N=2 supersymmetry is restored in an appropriate geometric limit.” See the full list of authors and read the paper at ArXiv.
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Resilient science, resilient communities in the face of climate change
The Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities project seeks to “build community resilience to climate hazards” by relying on community data collection and public discussions about both the risks of climate change to local communities and for divising potential responses. The organizers hope that this project, and others like it, will increase resilience and connect policymakers with diverse perspectives and solutions to the climate crisis. See the full list of authors and read their case study, “Citizen Science, Civics, and Resilient Communities: Informing Community Resilience Policies Through Local Knowledge, Community Values, and Community-Generated Data,” in Citizen Science: Theory and Practice.
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Cognitive science paper explores how visual context affects eye movement
Researchers used eye-tracking to monitor how observers responded to natural scenes, after being presented with different previous “context” scenes. Their “results indicate that without relevant knowledge about past events, oculomotor behavior is more exploratory.” See the full list of authors and read “Knowledge about the recent past affects human gaze patterns” at HAL Open Science.
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‘Neuronal temperature perception induces specific defenses that enable C. elegans to cope with… hydrogen peroxide’
“Hydrogen peroxide is the most common reactive chemical that organisms face on the microbial battlefield. The rate with which hydrogen peroxide damages biomolecules required for life increases with temperature, yet little is known about how organisms cope with this temperature-dependent threat. Here, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes use temperature information perceived by sensory neurons to cope with the temperature-dependent threat of hydrogen peroxide. … This is the first example of a multicellular organism inducing their defenses to a chemical when they sense an inherent enhancer of the reactivity of that chemical.” Find the paper and the full list of authors at ELife…
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For nonprofit hospitals, customers expect more than core services
When corporations increase “social responsibility” activities, customers should show increased appreciation for those companies—but this isn’t always the case. The authors of “The Value of Core and Noncore Activity Fit for Corporate Social Responsibility: An Expectation-Based Study of Nonprofit Hospitals” argue that corporate social responsibility can be understood along the axes of “core”—activities directly related to the business—and “noncore” functions—activities outside the business’s regular operations. Find the paper and the full list of authors in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.
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Paper presents novel method for understanding scattering of electromagnetic fields
In this pre-print, Feiguin et al. present an alternative solution to understanding the “scattering cross-section” of electromagnetic fields, using a “time-dependent momentum-resolved” approach. This method “does not require a full set” of quantum states to solve. The authors argue that “this powerful formulation overcomes all the hurdles imposed by previous methods.” See the full list of authors and read “A time-dependent momentum-resolved scattering approach to core-level spectroscopies” at Research Square.
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Associate Dean for Research Erin Cram has published “Worm Development: Push Not Pull in Gonad Morphogenesis,” identifying a new method through which tissue elongates in a specific form of nematode, through “pressure from proliferating germ cells confined within a tube.”
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Paving the way to stronger nanowires
Multiple fragmentation patterns are possible in nanowires. Alain Karma and PhD. candidate Nan Wang used “phase-field simulations [to] show that fragmentation of faceted nanowires with cubic crystal symmetry may occur by a finite-amplitude nonlinear instability.” These results “provide the theoretical foundation to predict nanowire stability as a function of length and surface energy in diverse applications,” including future technologies. Read their research paper “Fragmentation of faceted crystalline wires” at Physical Review Materials.
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Presented at the July 2021 Snowmass Process, this paper describes the frontier of physics theories for the next decade, presenting problems with the Standard Model of physics and the condition that the BSM (“beyond the standard model”) will need to meet. This includes the asymmetry of matter and dark matter within the universe, a reason behind the flavor structures of subatomic quarks and leptons, and “the origin of the neutrino masses.” See the full list of authors and read “TF08 Snowmass Report: BSM Model Building” at ArXiv.
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These researchers have discovered that a radical S-adenosylmethionine oxygenase operates in aerobic cells, and not only in anaerobic environments. This process was observed in “a ribosomally synthesized, post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP),” darobactin A. See the full list of authors and read their paper, “Characterization of a Radical SAM Oxygenase for the Ether Crosslinking in Darobactin Biosynthesis,” at ACS Publications.
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‘Mechanisms of Isoform-Specific Residue Influence on GTP-Bound HRas, KRas, and NRas’
“HRas, KRas, and NRas are GTPases with a common set of effectors that control many cell-signaling pathways, including proliferation through Raf kinase. Their G-domains are nearly identical in sequence, with a few isoform-specific residues that have an effect on dynamics and biochemical properties. Here, we use accelerated molecular dynamics (aMD) simulations consistent with solution x-ray scattering experiments to elucidate mechanisms through which isoform-specific residues associated with each Ras isoform affects functionally important regions connected to the active site.” Find the paper and the full list of authors at Biophysical Journal.
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‘Left Versus Right: Exploring the Effects of Chiral Threading Intercalators Using Optical Tweezers’
Building on previous research they have conducted on “Small-molecule DNA-binding drugs,” the authors here present a study on the “the left-handed enantiomer… ΛΛ-P for short, to study the effects of chirality on DNA threading intercalation.” This paper contributes to “a better understanding of how chirality affects binding to DNA and may contribute to the development of enhanced potential cancer treatment drug designs.” Read “Left versus right: Exploring the effects of chiral threading intercalators using optical tweezers” and find the full list of authors in Biophysical Journal.
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‘Compressive Stress Drives Adhesion-Dependent Unjamming Transitions in Breast Cancer Cell Migration’
This article examines cellular unjamming, “the collective fluidization of cell motion… linked to many biological processes, including development, wound repair, and tumor growth.” Because of the complex, linked effects between various cellular mechanisms, “the role of compressive stress in unjamming transitions during cancer progression remains unknown. Here, [the authors] investigate which mechanism dominates in a [single] dense, mechanically stressed” layer. Their findings add nuance to models of “collective cell motion in tumor development and breast cancer progression.” Find the paper and the full list of authors at Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.
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Structuring family businesses to last
Edmund (Ted) Clark, executive director of the Northeastern University Center for Family Business and senior academic specialist of entrepreneurship and innovation, recently published an article titled “Your Family Business’s Resiliency Depends on Its Structure” in the Harvard Business Review. Clark presents three structural models for family-owned businesses, and “provides resilience strategies for each type of family business, to help ensure successful transitions across generations.”
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When creditors’ rights are weakened, opportunists move in
In an article from Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, Kandarp Srinivasan, in collaboration with Radhakrishnan Gopalan and Xiumin Martin from Washington University in St. Louis, describes how “In institutional regimes with weak creditors’ rights, some company insiders might take advantage of bankruptcy rules by intentionally making their companies look less valuable. This creates problems for creditors and makes it harder for these companies to succeed in the future.”