International Research Collaboration: Novelty, Conventionality, and Atypicality in Knowledge Recombination

Research articles produced through international collaboration are morehighly cited than other work, but are they also more novel? Using measuresdeveloped by Uzzi et al. (2013), and replicated by Boyack and Klavans (2014),this article tests for novelty and conventionality in international researchcollaboration. Scholars have found that coauthored articles are more novel andhave suggested that diverse groups have a greater chance of producing creativework. As such, we expected to find that international collaboration tends toproduce more novel research. Using data from Web of Science and Scopus in 2005,we failed to show that international collaboration tends to produce more novelarticles. In fact, international collaboration appears to produce less noveland more conventional knowledge combinations. Transaction costs andcommunication barriers to international collaboration may suppress novelty.Higher citations to international work may be explained by an audience effect,where more authors from more countries results in greater access to a largerciting community. The findings are consistent with explanations of growth ininternational collaboration that posit a social dynamic of preferentialattachment based upon reputation.

Thermooptic reconfigurable Mach Zehnder quantum interference device

Synthesis of cobalt-rich alloys with high saturation magnetization: A novel synthetic approach by hydrazine reduction method

Gene expression of late embryogenesis abundant proteins, small heat shock proteins and peroxiredoxin and oxidation of lipid and protein during loss and re-establishment of desiccation tolerance in Pisum sativum seeds

Sensing of iron(III)-biomolecules by surfactant-free fluorescent copper nanoclusters

Unraveling the metabolic behavior in tomato high pigment mutants (hp-1, hp-2dg, og) and non ripening mutant (rin) during fruit ripening

Assimilating observations to simulate marine layer stratocumulus for solar forecasting

Integration of solar energy forecasts into the electric network is becoming essential because of the continually increasing penetration level of solar energy. Three-dimensional numerical weather prediction (NWP) models predict the weather based on the current weather conditions (called initialization) and simulate the ensuing atmospheric processes. The accuracy of forecasts therefore depends, in part, on the accuracy of the model initializations. Data assimilation is recognized as the most widely used technique to improve the initialization into NWP models. In this study, meteorological observations from the surface and upper-air in-situ networks over the southern California coast are assimilated into the advanced research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model using a three dimensional variational data assimilation technique (3DVAR). A single observation test was conducted to tune-up the length scale and variance scale along with the regional domain-dependent background error statistics. A customized version of 3DVAR data assimilation was deployed with two sets of cyclic data assimilation with 6-h and 1-h assimilation windows along with the cold-start mode. The cyclic data assimilation experiments consistently outperformed the cold-start data assimilation and WRF for intra-day Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and Clear Sky Index (CSI) forecast. Hourly cyclic assimilation showed the highest forecast skill score against ground measurements and satellite measurements. Even at the coastal stations with more challenging meteorological conditions, the hourly cyclic assimilation consistently outperformed the 24-h persistence forecast. The average (mean of four case studies) hourly cyclic data assimilation showed the highest forecast skill score in GHI and CSI intra-day forecast with reference to 24-h persistence forecast up to 39.4% and 40.7% respectively at the coastal stations. The spatial distributions of GHI biases estimated against SolarAnywhere satellite measurements showed that the hourly cyclic assimilation consistently improved the stratocumulus cloud coverage, thickness, and life time over the coastal region, but biases are still present further inland.

Chemically stabilized epitaxial wurtzite-BN thin film

We report on the chemically stabilized epitaxial w-BN thin film grown onc-plane sapphire by pulsed laser deposition under slow kinetic condition.Traces of no other allotropes such as cubic (c) or hexagonal (h) BN phases arepresent. Sapphire substrate plays a significant role in stabilizing themetastable w-BN from h-BN target under unusual PLD growth condition involvinglow temperature and pressure and is explained based on density functionaltheory calculation. The hardness and the elastic modulus of the w-BN film are37 & 339 GPa, respectively measured by indentation along direction. Theresults are extremely promising in advancing the microelectronic and mechanicaltooling industry.

Stage-Specific Transcription Factors Drive Astrogliogenesis by Remodeling Gene Regulatory Landscapes

A broad molecular framework of how neural stem cells are specified toward astrocyte fate during brain development has proven elusive. Here we perform comprehensive and integrated transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses to delineate gene regulatory programs that drive the developmental trajectory from mouse embryonic stem cells to astrocytes. We report molecularly distinct phases of astrogliogenesis that exhibit stage- and lineage-specific transcriptomic and epigenetic signatures with unique primed and active chromatin regions, thereby revealing regulatory elements and transcriptional programs underlying astrocyte generation and maturation. By searching for transcription factors that function at these elements, we identified NFIA and ATF3 as drivers of astrocyte differentiation from neural precursor cells while RUNX2 promotes astrocyte maturation. These transcription factors facilitate stage-specific gene expression programs by switching the chromatin state of their target regulatory elements from primed to active. Altogether, these findings provide integrated insights into the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms steering the trajectory of astrogliogenesis.

A Scalable and Efficient Bioprocess for Manufacturing Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells

Endothelial cells (ECs) are of great value for cell therapy, tissue engineering, and drug discovery. Obtaining high-quantity and -quality ECs remains very challenging. Here, we report a method for the scalable manufacturing of ECs from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). hPSCs are expanded and differentiated into ECs in a 3D thermoreversible PNIPAAm-PEG hydrogel. The hydrogel protects cells from hydrodynamic stresses in the culture vessel and prevents cells from excessive agglomeration, leading to high-culture efficiency including high-viability (>90%), high-purity (>80%), and high-volumetric yield (2.0 × 10 7 cells/mL). These ECs (i.e., 3D-ECs) had similar properties as ECs made using 2D culture systems (i.e., 2D-ECs). Genome-wide gene expression analysis showed that 3D-ECs had higher expression of genes related to vasculature development, extracellular matrix, and glycolysis, while 2D-ECs had higher expression of genes related to cell proliferation.