Enhancing the immunomodulatory osteogenic properties of Ti-Mg alloy by Mg2+-containing nanostructures.

Facilitating an appropriate immune response is crucial for promoting bone tissue regeneration upon biomaterial implantation. In this study, the Mg2+-containing nanostructures on the surface of Ti-1.25Mg alloy were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal reaction method via regulating pH value to enhance the immunomodulatory osteogenic properties of Ti-Mg alloys. In neutral (HT7) or alkaline (HT9) hydrothermal treatment (HT) solution, the size of MgTiO3 nanostructures formed on the surface of Ti-1.25Mg alloy is smaller than that in acidic HT solution (HT5), and lamellar Mg(OH)2 nanostructures are found in HT7 and HT9. In addition, the sample surface has a lower roughness and higher wettability with increasing pH value. The Mg2+-containing nanostructures on the Ti-1.25Mg alloy inhibited inflammatory response by promoting the polarization of M2 macrophages, thereby promoting osteogenesis in vitro. The micro-CT and histological assessment proved that the regeneration of bone defect was faster in HT7 than the Ti-1.25Mg in vivo. Mechanically, Mg2+-containing nanostructures can mediate the immune response of macrophages via upregulating integrins α5ß1 and inhibiting Toll-like receptors (TLR-4), subsequently inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. Overall, osteoimmunity-regulating Mg2+-containing nanostructures on Ti-1.25Mg present a promising biomaterial for bone repair.

Microstructure, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Nb-Doped TiAl Alloys Fabricated via Laser Metal Deposition.

TiAl alloys possess excellent properties, such as low density, high specific strength, high elastic modulus, and high-temperature creep resistance, which allows their use to replace Ni-based superalloys in some high-temperature applications. In this work, the traditional TiAl alloy Ti-48Al-2Nb-2Cr (Ti4822) was alloyed with additional Nb and fabricated using laser metal deposition (LMD), and the impacts of this additional Nb on the microstructure and mechanical and tribological properties of the as-fabricated alloys were investigated. The resulting alloys mainly consisted of the γ phase, trace ß0 and α2 phases. Nb was well distributed throughout the alloys, while Cr segregation resulted in the residual ß0 phase. Increasing the amount of Nb content increased the amount of the γ phase and reduced the amount of the ß0 phase. The alloy Ti4822-2Nb exhibited a room-temperature (RT) fracture strength under a tensile of 568 ± 7.8 MPa, which was nearly 100 MPa higher than that of the Ti4822-1Nb alloy. A further increase in Nb to an additional 4 at.% Nb had little effect on the fracture strength. Both the friction coefficient and the wear rate increased with the increasing Nb content. The wear mechanisms for all samples were abrasive wear with local plastic deformation and oxidative wear, resulting in the formation of metal oxide particles.

Alternating magnetic field guiding system for MNP hyperthermia treatment of deep-seated cancers.

OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate the potential application of a novel, endoscope-like device to guide and focus an alternating magnetic field (AMF) for treating deep-seated cancers via magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia (MNPH). METHODS: AMF delivery, MNP activation, and eddy current distribution characteristics are investigated through experimental studies in phantoms and computational simulations using a full 3-dimensional human model. The 3D simulations compare the novel device to traditional AMF designs, including a MagForce-like, two-coil system (used clinically) and a single surface-coil system. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that this approach can deliver the same magnetic field strength at the prostate's centroid as traditional AMF designs, while reducing eddy current heating by 2 to 6 times. At the same level of normal tissue heating, this method provides 5.0 times, 1.5 times, and 0.92 times the magnetic field strength to the nearest, centroid, and farthest regions of the prostate, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate proof-of-concept for an endoscopic magnetic field guiding and focusing system capable of delivering clinically relevant AMF from a distance. This innovative approach offers a promising alternative to conventional field delivery methods by directing AMF through the body, concentrating it in the tumor region, reducing eddy currents in surrounding healthy tissue, and avoiding exposure of nearby metallic implants.

Quantitative three-dimensional imaging of chemical short-range order via machine learning enhanced atom probe tomography.

Chemical short-range order (CSRO) refers to atoms of specific elements self-organising within a disordered crystalline matrix to form particular atomic neighbourhoods. CSRO is typically characterized indirectly, using volume-averaged or through projection microscopy techniques that fail to capture the three-dimensional atomistic architectures. Here, we present a machine-learning enhanced approach to break the inherent resolution limits of atom probe tomography enabling three-dimensional imaging of multiple CSROs. We showcase our approach by addressing a long-standing question encountered in body-centred-cubic Fe-Al alloys that see anomalous property changes upon heat treatment. We use it to evidence non-statistical B2-CSRO instead of the generally-expected D03-CSRO. We introduce quantitative correlations among annealing temperature, CSRO, and nano-hardness and electrical resistivity. Our approach is further validated on modified D03-CSRO detected in Fe-Ga. The proposed strategy can be generally employed to investigate short/medium/long-range ordering phenomena in different materials and help design future high-performance materials.

Microstructural Evolution, Mechanical Properties and Tribological Behavior of B4C-Reinforced Ti In Situ Composites Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Based on the advantage of rapid net-shape fabrication, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is utilized to process B4C-reinforced Ti composites. The effect of volumetric energy density (VED) on the relative density, microstructural evolution, tensile properties and wear behaviors of B4C-reinforced Ti composites were systematically investigated. The LPBF-ed samples with high relative density (>99%) can be achieved, while the pores and un-melted powders can be observed in the sample owing to the low energy input (33 J/mm3). The additive particulates B4C were transformed into needle-like TiB whiskers with nano-scale while C dissolved in the Ti matrix. Fine-scale grains (<10 µm) with random crystallographic orientation can be achieved and the residual stress shows a downtrend as the VED increases. Through the analysis of the tensile and wear tests, the sample at 61 J/mm3 VED showed a good combination of strength and wear performance, with an ultimate tensile strength of 951 MPa and a wear rate of 3.91 × 10-4 mm3·N-1m-1. The microstructural evolution in VED changes and the corresponding underlying strengthening mechanisms of LPBF-ed Ti + B4C composites are conducted in detail.

Narcissism, national narcissism, COVID-19 conspiracy belief, and social media use as predictors of compliance with COVID-19 public health guidelines.

Understanding health belief models, and the variables that influence adherence to public health measures imposed by local governments and international health bodies, is crucial to slowing down the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Conspiracy theories about the virus have quickly spread on social media and have been linked to reluctance to comply with COVID-19 regulations. Personality traits such as narcissism and collective national narcissism have also been associated with the way we perceive severity and susceptibility to the disease. To examine this further, participants (N = 183) completed an online questionnaire measuring belief in COVID-19 conspiracies, trait narcissism, national narcissism, and social media usage. A model containing these variables was able to significantly predict adherence to COVID-19 preventative health behaviours, with higher levels of COVID-19 conspiracy belief, narcissism, and social media usage all contributing to reduced adherence to recommended COVID-19 health behaviours. The findings suggest conspiracy beliefs, narcissism, and social media play a key role in adherence to behaviours orientated towards stopping the spread of COVID-19. Governments and social media companies need to demonstrate greater awareness of the negative effects of conspiracy theories spread through social media, in addition to awareness of how these effects may be greater in more narcissistic individuals.

Role-play Games (RPGs) for Mental Health (Why Not?): Roll for Initiative.

COVID-19 has impacted the mental health of the general public negatively, associated with preventative measures, restricting life activities. These restrictions, such as the stay-at-home strategy, resulted in heightened stress, depression, loneliness, substance abuse, and domestic violence, violating people's occupational and personal lives. During the pandemic, the demands for role-play games (RPGs) have increased: for example, the sales of "Dungeons & Dragons" tripled, underscoring the potential mental health benefits of such games. However, research into the mental health benefits of such games remains under-developed, needing more scientific attention. Accordingly, this commentary paper reviews the existing literature, and suggests areas for application and research about RPGs and mental health including psychotherapy, career guidance, education, and people with disabilities. Insights offered can help practitioners and researchers in RPGs and mental health conduct empirical research and develop alternative approaches for mental health in stressful times.

The Dark Side of Humanity Scale: A reconstruction of the Dark Tetrad constructs.

There has been an absence of consideration regarding measurement invariance across males and females in the widely available Dark Tetrad (DT) scales which measure psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism and everyday sadism. This has resulted in criticisms of the measures, suggesting that the assessed constructs are not wholly relatable between the groups. This article documents the construction and validation of the Dark Side of Humanity Scale (DSHS), which measures dark personalities from an alternative viewpoint, determined by the constructs as they emerged from the male and female data, whilst aligning with theory and attaining invariance between sex. Across four samples (n = 2409), using a diverse range of statistical methods, including exploratory graph analysis, item response theory and confirmatory factor analysis, a divergence from the widely available DT measures emerged, whereby primary psychopathy and Machiavellianism were unified. This corroborated past research which had discussed the two constructs as being parallel. It further supported the DSHS with a shift away from the traditional DT conceptualisation. The resulting scale encompasses four factors which are sex invariant across samples and time. The first factor represents the successful psychopath, factor two addresses the grandiose form of entitlement, factor three taps into everyday sadism whilst the fourth factor pertains to narcissistic entitlement rage. Construct and external validity of the DSHS across two samples (n = 1338), as well as test-retest reliability (n = 413), was achieved. The DSHS provides an alternative approach to investigating the dark side of human nature, whilst also being sex invariant, thus making it highly suitable for use with mixed sex samples.

Quantifying Northern High Latitude Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) Using Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS).

The northern high latitude (NHL, 40°N to 90°N) is where the second peak region of gross primary productivity (GPP) other than the tropics. The summer NHL GPP is about 80% of the tropical peak, but both regions are still highly uncertain (Norton et al. 2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3069-2019). Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) provides an important proxy for photosynthetic carbon uptake. Here we optimize the OCS plant uptake fluxes across the NHL by fitting atmospheric concentration simulation with the GEOS-CHEM global transport model to the aircraft profiles acquired over Alaska during NASA's Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (2012-2015). We use the empirical biome-specific linear relationship between OCS plant uptake flux and GPP to derive the six plant uptake OCS fluxes from different GPP data. Such GPP-based fluxes are used to drive the concentration simulations. We evaluate the simulations against the independent observations at two ground sites of Alaska. The optimized OCS fluxes suggest the NHL plant uptake OCS flux of -247 Gg S year-1, about 25% stronger than the ensemble mean of the six GPP-based OCS fluxes. GPP-based OCS fluxes systematically underestimate the peak growing season across the NHL, while a subset of models predict early start of season in Alaska, consistent with previous studies of net ecosystem exchange. The OCS optimized GPP of 34 PgC yr-1 for NHL is also about 25% more than the ensembles mean from six GPP data. Further work is needed to fully understand the environmental and biotic drivers and quantify their rate of photosynthetic carbon uptake in Arctic ecosystems.

Infrared antenna-like structures in mammalian fur.

Many small animals, including shrews, most rodents and some marsupials, have fur composed of at least four types of hair, all with distinctive and complex anatomy. A ubiquitous and unexplained feature is periodic, internal banding with spacing in the 6-12 µm range that hints at an underlying infrared function. One bristle-like form, called guard hair, has the correct shape and internal periodic patterns to function as an infrared antenna. Optical analysis of guard hair from a wide range of species shows precise tuning to the optimum wavelength for thermal imaging. For heavily predated, nocturnal animals the ability to sense local infrared sources has a clear survival advantage. The tuned antennae, spectral filters and waveguides present in guard hair, all operating at a scale similar to the infrared wavelength, could be a rich source of bio-inspiration in the field of photonics. The tools developed in this work may enable us to understand the other hair types and their evolution.

Early brain injury and cognitive impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

The first 72 h following aneurysm rupture play a key role in determining clinical and cognitive outcomes after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Yet, very little is known about the impact of so called "early brain injury" on patents with clinically good grade SAH (as defined as World Federation of Neurosurgeons Grade 1 and 2). 27 patients with good grade SAH underwent MRI scanning were prospectively recruited at three time-points after SAH: within the first 72 h (acute phase), at 5-10 days and at 3 months. Patients underwent additional, comprehensive cognitive assessment 3 months post-SAH. 27 paired healthy controls were also recruited for comparison. In the first 72 h post-SAH, patients had significantly higher global and regional brain volume than controls. This change was accompanied by restricted water diffusion in patients. Persisting abnormalities in the volume of the posterior cerebellum at 3 months post-SAH were present to those patients with worse cognitive outcome. When using this residual abnormal brain area as a region of interest in the acute-phase scans, we could predict with an accuracy of 84% (sensitivity 82%, specificity 86%) which patients would develop cognitive impairment 3 months later, despite initially appearing clinically indistinguishable from those making full recovery. In an exploratory sample of good clinical grade SAH patients compared to healthy controls, we identified a region of the posterior cerebellum for which acute changes on MRI were associated with cognitive impairment. Whilst further investigation will be required to confirm causality, use of this finding as a risk stratification biomarker is promising.

Accurate Simulation of Both Sensitivity and Variability for Amazonian Photosynthesis: Is It Too Much to Ask?

Estimates of Amazon rainforest gross primary productivity (GPP) differ by a factor of 2 across a suite of three statistical and 18 process models. This wide spread contributes uncertainty to predictions of future climate. We compare the mean and variance of GPP from these models to that of GPP at six eddy covariance (EC) towers. Only one model's mean GPP across all sites falls within a 99% confidence interval for EC GPP, and only one model matches EC variance. The strength of model response to climate drivers is related to model ability to match the seasonal pattern of the EC GPP. Models with stronger seasonal swings in GPP have stronger responses to rain, light, and temperature than does EC GPP. The model to data comparison illustrates a trade-off inherent to deterministic models between accurate simulation of a mean (average) and accurate responsiveness to drivers. The trade-off exists because all deterministic models simplify processes and lack at least some consequential driver or interaction. If a model's sensitivities to included drivers and their interactions are accurate, then deterministically predicted outcomes have less variability than is realistic. If a GPP model has stronger responses to climate drivers than found in data, model predictions may match the observed variance and seasonal pattern but are likely to overpredict GPP response to climate change. High or realistic variability of model estimates relative to reference data indicate that the model is hypersensitive to one or more drivers.

COS-derived GPP relationships with temperature and light help explain high-latitude atmospheric CO2 seasonal cycle amplification.

In the Arctic and Boreal region (ABR) where warming is especially pronounced, the increase of gross primary production (GPP) has been suggested as an important driver for the increase of the atmospheric CO2 seasonal cycle amplitude (SCA). However, the role of GPP relative to changes in ecosystem respiration (ER) remains unclear, largely due to our inability to quantify these gross fluxes on regional scales. Here, we use atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (COS) measurements to provide observation-based estimates of GPP over the North American ABR. Our annual GPP estimate is 3.6 (2.4 to 5.5) PgC · y-1 between 2009 and 2013, the uncertainty of which is smaller than the range of GPP estimated from terrestrial ecosystem models (1.5 to 9.8 PgC · y-1). Our COS-derived monthly GPP shows significant correlations in space and time with satellite-based GPP proxies, solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, and near-infrared reflectance of vegetation. Furthermore, the derived monthly GPP displays two different linear relationships with soil temperature in spring versus autumn, whereas the relationship between monthly ER and soil temperature is best described by a single quadratic relationship throughout the year. In spring to midsummer, when GPP is most strongly correlated with soil temperature, our results suggest the warming-induced increases of GPP likely exceeded the increases of ER over the past four decades. In autumn, however, increases of ER were likely greater than GPP due to light limitations on GPP, thereby enhancing autumn net carbon emissions. Both effects have likely contributed to the atmospheric CO2 SCA amplification observed in the ABR.

Reduced decision bias and more rational decision making following ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage.

Human decisions are susceptible to biases, but establishing causal roles of brain areas has proved to be difficult. Here we studied decision biases in 17 people with unilateral medial prefrontal cortex damage and a rare patient with bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) lesions. Participants learned to choose which of two options was most likely to win, and then bet money on the outcome. Thus, good performance required not only selecting the best option, but also the amount to bet. Healthy people were biased by their previous bet, as well as by the unchosen option's value. Unilateral medial prefrontal lesions reduced these biases, leading to more rational decisions. Bilateral vmPFC lesions resulted in more strategic betting, again with less bias from the previous trial, paradoxically improving performance overall. Together, the results suggest that vmPFC normally imposes contextual biases, which in healthy people may actually be suboptimal in some situations.

Understanding water and energy fluxes in the Amazonia: Lessons from an observation-model intercomparison.

Tropical forests are an important part of global water and energy cycles, but the mechanisms that drive seasonality of their land-atmosphere exchanges have proven challenging to capture in models. Here, we (1) report the seasonality of fluxes of latent heat (LE), sensible heat (H), and outgoing short and longwave radiation at four diverse tropical forest sites across Amazonia-along the equator from the Caxiuanã and Tapajós National Forests in the eastern Amazon to a forest near Manaus, and from the equatorial zone to the southern forest in Reserva Jaru; (2) investigate how vegetation and climate influence these fluxes; and (3) evaluate land surface model performance by comparing simulations to observations. We found that previously identified failure of models to capture observed dry-season increases in evapotranspiration (ET) was associated with model overestimations of (1) magnitude and seasonality of Bowen ratios (relative to aseasonal observations in which sensible was only 20%-30% of the latent heat flux) indicating model exaggerated water limitation, (2) canopy emissivity and reflectance (albedo was only 10%-15% of incoming solar radiation, compared to 0.15%-0.22% simulated), and (3) vegetation temperatures (due to underestimation of dry-season ET and associated cooling). These partially compensating model-observation discrepancies (e.g., higher temperatures expected from excess Bowen ratios were partially ameliorated by brighter leaves and more interception/evaporation) significantly biased seasonal model estimates of net radiation (Rn ), the key driver of water and energy fluxes (LE ~ 0.6 Rn and H ~ 0.15 Rn ), though these biases varied among sites and models. A better representation of energy-related parameters associated with dynamic phenology (e.g., leaf optical properties, canopy interception, and skin temperature) could improve simulations and benchmarking of current vegetation-atmosphere exchange and reduce uncertainty of regional and global biogeochemical models.

Young-onset frontotemporal dementia with FUS pathology.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an uncommon cause of behavioural change in adults under the age of 50. A 44-year-old man presented with progressive neuropsychiatric disturbance characterised by social withdrawal, apathy, loss of empathy, motor stereotypies and hyperorality. Cognitive testing identified severe impairment, including executive dysfunction. MR scan of the brain showed bilateral symmetrical frontal atrophy. There was no relevant family history, and targeted genetic testing for FTD-associated variants in MAPT, GRN and C9orf72 genes proved negative. He became more withdrawn with disinhibited behaviour; his condition progressively worsened and he died 6 years later. The pathological diagnosis was frontotemporal lobar degeneration with fused-in-sarcoma (FUS) pathology, a rare sporadic cause of FTD, accounting for only 5%-10% of cases, its characteristic features including very young onset, motor stereotypies and hyperorality.

Spring enhancement and summer reduction in carbon uptake during the 2018 drought in northwestern Europe.

We analysed gross primary productivity (GPP), total ecosystem respiration (TER) and the resulting net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the terrestrial biosphere during the summer of 2018 through observed changes across the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) network, through biosphere and inverse modelling, and through remote sensing. Highly correlated yet independently-derived reductions in productivity from sun-induced fluorescence, vegetative near-infrared reflectance, and GPP simulated by the Simple Biosphere model version 4 (SiB4) suggest a 130-340 TgC GPP reduction in July-August-September (JAS) of 2018. This occurs over an area of 1.6 × 106 km2 with anomalously low precipitation in northwestern and central Europe. In this drought-affected area, reduced GPP, TER, NEE and soil moisture at ICOS ecosystem sites are reproduced satisfactorily by the SiB4 model. We found that, in contrast to the preceding 5 years, low soil moisture is the main stress factor across the affected area. SiB4's NEE reduction by 57 TgC for JAS coincides with anomalously high atmospheric CO2 observations in 2018, and this is closely matched by the NEE anomaly derived by CarbonTracker Europe (52 to 83 TgC). Increased NEE during the spring (May-June) of 2018 (SiB4 -52 TgC; CTE -46 to -55 TgC) largely offset this loss, as ecosystems took advantage of favourable growth conditions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Impacts of the 2018 severe drought and heatwave in Europe: from site to continental scale'.

Identification of a calcium phosphoserine coordination network in an adhesive organo-apatitic bone cement system.

Calcium phosphate-based bone cements have been widely adopted in both orthopedic and dental applications. Phosphoserine (pSer), which has a natural role in biomineralization, has been identified to possess the functionality to react with calcium phosphate phases, such as tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP) and α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP), and form a uniquely adhesive cement. This study investigated the chemical composition and phase evolution of a heterogeneous calcium phosphate (56% TTCP and 15% α-TCP) and pSer cement system with respect to pH. The coordination network of calcium phosphoserine monohydrate was discovered as the predominant crystalline phase of this adhesive apatitic cement system. Furthermore, it was determined that pH has a significant effect on the reaction kinetics of the system, whereby a lower pH tends to accelerate the reaction rate and favor products with lower Ca/P ratios. These findings provide a better understanding of the reaction and products of this adhesive organo-ceramic cement, which can be compositionally tuned for broad applications in the orthopedic and dental spaces. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The application of self-setting calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) in hard tissue regeneration has been a topic of significant research since their introduction to the field 30 years ago. Traditional CPCs, however, are limited by their suboptimal mechanical properties due to their solely inorganic composition. Recently, it was discovered that monomeric phosphoserine (pSer) is capable of serving as a setting reagent for a subset of CPC systems, resulting in an adhesive organo-ceramic composite. Despite its adhesive functionality and biomedical potential, its reaction chemistry and product composition were not well characterized. The present study identifies a calcium phosphoserine coordination network as the primary crystalline phase of this apatitic cement system and further characterizes compositional tunability of the products with respect to pH.

Surface-Atmosphere Coupling Scale, the Fate of Water, and Ecophysiological Function in a Brazilian Forest.

Tropical South America plays a central role in global climate. Bowen ratio teleconnects to circulation and precipitation processes far afield, and the global CO2 growth rate is strongly influenced by carbon cycle processes in South America. However, quantification of basin-wide seasonality of flux partitioning between latent and sensible heat, the response to anomalies around climatic norms, and understanding of the processes and mechanisms that control the carbon cycle remains elusive. Here, we investigate simulated surface-atmosphere interaction at a single site in Brazil, using models with different representations of precipitation and cloud processes, as well as differences in scale of coupling between the surface and atmosphere. We find that the model with parameterized clouds/precipitation has a tendency toward unrealistic perpetual light precipitation, while models with explicit treatment of clouds produce more intense and less frequent rain. Models that couple the surface to the atmosphere on the scale of kilometers, as opposed to tens or hundreds of kilometers, produce even more realistic distributions of rainfall. Rainfall intensity has direct consequences for the "fate of water," or the pathway that a hydrometeor follows once it interacts with the surface. We find that the model with explicit treatment of cloud processes, coupled to the surface at small scales, is the most realistic when compared to observations. These results have implications for simulations of global climate, as the use of models with explicit (as opposed to parameterized) cloud representations becomes more widespread.

Microstructural characterization of snow, firn and ice.

This paper provides an overview of techniques used to characterize the microstructure of snow, firn and ice. These range from traditional optical microscopy techniques such as examining thin sections between crossed polarizers to various electron-optical and X-ray techniques. Techniques that could have an impact on microstructural characterization of snow, firn and ice in the future are briefly outlined. This article is part of the theme issue 'The physics and chemistry of ice: scaffolding across scales, from the viability of life to the formation of planets'.