bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the contribution of the Glittre‐ADL test in adults with cystic fibrosis
Authors: Abelenda Vera Lucia Barros , da Costa Cláudia Henrique , Firmida Mônica de Cássia , Lopes Agnaldo José
Published: March 2024

Background and Objectives

Cardiopulmonary and skeletal muscle impairment and poor physical activity are potential contributors to reduced functional capacity in cystic fibrosis (CF). The Glittre‐ADL test (TGlittre) has great potential for clinical use in adult CF adults, as it meets the need for a comprehensive assessment of physical function using tasks similar to activities of daily living. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of TGlittre in CF adults compared to the 6‐min walk test (6MWT) and, secondarily, to quantify the associations of their results with pulmonary function, muscle strength, and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL).

Methods

This cross‐sectional study evaluated 34 CF adults and compared them with 34 subjects from a control group. The participants underwent the following assessments: functional capacity using TGlittre and 6MWT; spirometry; respiratory muscle strength; handgrip strength (HGS); and HRQoL using the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire‐Revised (CFQ‐R).

Results

While CF patients showed a longer time to perform TGlittre compared to controls (134 (119–150) versus 107 (95–126) % of the predicted time p = 0.0002), no difference between these groups was observed in the 6MWT. When the second TGlittre was compared to the first TGlittre, there was a significant decrease in total time for both CF patients (p < 0.0001) and controls (p = 0.0001). TGlittre time correlated with 6MWT distance (6MWD) (rs = −0.641, p < 0.0001), HGS (rs = −0.364, p = 0.034), peripheral oxygen saturation at the end of the test (rs = −0.463, p = 0.006) and the “digestive symptoms” domain of CFQ‐R (rs = 0.376, p = 0.028). TGlittre time was shorter in patients who engaged in regular physical activity (3.10 (2.49–3.39) min versus 3.28 (2.95–3.53) min, p = 0.016).

Conclusions

TGlittre is more effective than the 6MWT in detecting limitations during exercise. There is an important learning effect of TGlittre in adult CF patients. TGlittre time was correlated with 6MWD, HGS, oxygen saturation level, and the patient's level of physical activity.
Orographic gravity‐wave drag over multiple bell‐shaped mountains
Authors: Kwon Ui‐Jin , Park Sungsu
Published: March 2024

Mountains exert a drag on the atmospheric flow through breaking gravity waves, known as orographic gravity‐wave drag (OGWD). This article presents a theoretical analysis of the impacts and limitations of missing processes in current parameterization schemes for OGWD and examines the significance of various approximations. We derive OGWD analytically for multiple three‐dimensional bell‐shaped mountains, while previous studies have derived OGWD for a single three‐dimensional elliptic mountain. We take into account the geometric overlap between the mountains, vertical shear of the horizontal wind, nonhydrostatic atmosphere, and Coriolis forces. Our findings show that OGWD depends on the direction of the incoming wind and the degree of overlap between two mountains. OGWD increases with the Richardson and Rossby numbers; however, it decreases with the Froude number. Even when the mountain is isotropic, an associated transverse force is generated if the sheared flow passes over the mountain on the ‐plane. By calculating OGWD analytically from more complex terrain and airflow, this study can contribute to the development of an advanced OGWD parameterization in the numerical models used for climate and weather prediction.
Biomechanical analysis of real‐time vibration exposure during mini combine harvester operation: A hybrid ANN–GA approach
Authors: Singh Gajendra , Tewari V. K. , Ambuj  , Choudhary Vinod
Published: March 2024

This research focuses on designing and evaluating ergonomic self‐propelled machinery seats to reduce whole‐body vibration (WBV) exposure among male and female agricultural workers. Subjects without musculoskeletal disorders were selected, and their anthropometric parameters were analyzed. An ergonomically refined seat, considering anthropometric dimensions and vibration reduction, was developed and tested. Vibration isolators using piezoelectric material enhanced operator comfort. In a laboratory experiment, real‐time one‐third octave band WBV data were collected using various seat types and engine speeds. At 1200 rpm, female operators experienced WBV levels between 3.42 and 13.40 m/s², while males ranged from 3.13 to 12.20 m/s². At 1600 rpm, females (T‐1) had WBV levels of 20.20–42.39 m/s², and males recorded 18.90–40.12 m/s². At 2000 rpm (T‐1), female operators WBV ranged from 246.71 to 303.45 m/s², and males from 248.10 to 300.13 m/s². At 2400 rpm (T‐1), female operators experienced WBV from 385.29 to 457.87 m/s², and males from 381.57 to 445.50 m/s². An integrated approach with artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms optimized machine operating parameters, resulting in minimum WBV levels. The highly accurate Multilayer Feed‐Forward Artificial Neural Network model (2‐10‐1) had a correlation (R) of 0.996 and a low mean‐squared error of 0.198. This research underscores the effectiveness of seat isolators in reducing vibrations and highlights the importance of considering both seat design and engine speed, especially concerning gender‐specific differences in vibration tolerance. It provides valuable insights for improving the comfort and safety of self‐propelled machinery operators in agriculture.
In Situ Construction of Inorganics‐Rich Cathode‐Electrolyte Interface toward Long‐Life Prussian White Cathode
Authors: Jian Xinxia , Liu Xiaowei , Yang Chao , Xie Jingjing , Hu Wenxi , Zhang Youcai , Yan Hua , Han Jin , You Ya
Published: March 2024

Prussian white (PW) is one of the most promising candidates as a cathode for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) because of its high theoretical capacity, excellent rate performance, and low production cost. However, PW materials suffer severe capacity decay during long‐term cycling. In this work, a robust cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) is designed on the PW cathode by employing cresyl diphenyl phosphate (CDP) and adiponitrile (ADN) as electrolyte additives. CDP and ADN possess higher highest occupied molecular orbital energy levels (HOMO) than other solvents, leading to the preferential decomposition of CDP and ADN to construct an inorganics‐rich CEI layer in situ on the PW cathode. Benefiting from this CEI layer, the degradation of PW is effectively inhibited during the long cycling. The Na||PW cell achieves an excellent cycling performance with a capacity retention of 85.62% after 1400 cycles. This work presented here provides a feasible strategy for improving the cycling performance of PW by electrolyte modification.
Band Structure Engineering Promotes Anionic Redox Reversibility of Cobalt‐Free Li‐Rich Layered Oxides Cathodes
Authors: Gao Xianggang , Guo Juanlang , Li Shihao , Zhang Haiyan , Zhang Yi , Guan Chaohong , Wang Mengran , Lai Yanqing , Zhang Zhian
Published: March 2024

Li‐rich layered oxides cathodes (LLOs) have prevailed as the promising high‐energy‐density cathode materials due to their distinctive anionic redox chemistry. However, uncontrollable anionic redox process usually leads to structural deterioration and electrochemical degradation. Herein, a Mo/Cl co‐doping strategy is proposed to regulate the relative position of energy band for modulating the anionic redox chemistry and strengthening the structural stability of Co‐free Li1.16Mn0.56Ni0.28O2 cathodes. The incorporation of Mo with high d state orbit and Cl with low electronegativity can narrow the band energy gap between bonding and antibonding bands via increasing the filled lower‐Hubbard band (LHB) and decreasing the non‐bonding O 2p energy bands, promoting the anionic redox reversibility. In addition, strong covalent Mo─O and Mn─Cl bonding further increases the covalency of Mn─O band to further stabilize the O2n− species and enhance the reversible distortion of MnO6 octahedron. The strengthening electronic conductivity, together with the epitaxial structure Li2MoO4 facilitates the fast Li+ kinetics. As a result, the dual doping material exhibits enhanced anionic redox reversibility and suppressed oxygen release with increased cyclic stability and excellent rate performance. This strategy provides some guidance to design high‐energy‐density LLOs with desirable anionic redox reversibility and stable crystal structure via band structure engineering.
Supporting Students' Knowledge Activation before, during, and after Reading
Authors: Hattan Courtney
Published: March 2024

Knowledge activation and knowledge building are essential for reading comprehension. Yet, how can teachers support students in accessing and applying their existing knowledge and experiences during reading? This article provides six evidence‐based principles to consider during literacy instruction, which are drawn from a recent systematic literature review that examined prior knowledge activation instructional scaffolds. These principles are: (a) activate knowledge before, during, and after reading; (b) activate knowledge collaboratively; (c) support students in understanding connections between concepts; (d) support students in recognizing discrepancies between their knowledge and the text; (e) address misunderstandings; and (f) consider the amount of topic‐specific knowledge that students have. These principles have the potential to shift how teachers think about the role of knowledge activation throughout the reading process.
BVA calls for regulation of vet practices to ensure animal welfare
Authors: Judson Anna
Published: March 2024

BVA President Anna Judson urged MPs to get behind BVA's calls for urgent reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act at BVA's annual London Dinner and recent Parliamentary Briefing.
Evaluation of radiological and anatomical features of skull bones in adult Saanen goat
Authors: Alizadeh Siamak , Kamfar Pourya , Hosseinchi Mohammadreza
Published: March 2024

Background

Obtaining accurate knowledge of the anatomical structure of the skull helps in ontogenetic studies and determining sexual polymorphisms.

Objectives

This study uses anatomical dissection and radiography to develop a size standard for the skull of the Saanen goat; information that will be applied to clinical evaluation and decision‐making.

Methods

A total of 14 adult Saanen goat skulls (7 male and 7 female goats) were taken from the slaughterhouse and transferred to the clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Radiographs of each skull were prepared in the dorsal–ventral, left and right lateral recumbency. These heads were then brought over to the anatomy department, where the chosen morphometric traits were assessed and their means recorded.

Results

According to the findings of this study, the dorsal view of the skull revealed an incisive raphe and a widespread foramen of the nose. In the ventral view, the incisive bones were observed in the most cranial region of the skull. The base of the occipital bone was relatively large, and the jugular process was well‐developed. In the lateral view, the incisive bone was extended to the cranial and had a narrow process on the dorsal surface. Regarding infra‐orbital foramen, it was visible in the maxillary bone. Moreover, the lacrimal bone was perceived as a distinct bone.

Conclusion

The precise standards acquired in this study can be utilized to interpret the findings and make clinical decisions about the normal and abnormal size of the bones that make up the skulls of the Saanen goats.
YAP/TAZ-TEAD activity promotes the malignant transformation of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia through enhancing the characteristics and Warburg effect of cancer stem cells
Authors: Li Shu , Li Xing , Yang Yong-bin , Wu Su-fang
Published: March 2024

A number of studies have confirmed that Yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ)-transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) activity is the driver of cancer development. However, the role and mechanism of the YAP/TAZ-TEAD pathway in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) remain to be clarified. Therefore, this study was designed to observe the effect of YAP/TAZ-TEAD activity on the development of CIN and provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of CIN. Firstly, cervical tissues were collected from CIN patients in different stages [CIN grade 1 (CIN1) tissue, CIN grade 2/3 (CIN 2/3) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)] and healthy volunteers. Next, the expression levels of YAP, TAZ and TEAD in cervical tissues and cells were observed by immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and western blot. Besides, Z172 and Z183 cells were transfected with siRNA-YAP/TAZ (si-YAP/TAZ) and YAP/TAZ overexpression vector (YAP-5SA). Also, Z172 cells were co-transfected with YAP-5SA and si-TEAD2/4. Subsequently, the stemness characteristics, glycolysis level and malignant transformation of cells in each group were observed by sphere-formation assay, commercial kit, MTT, Transwell, scratch experiment, xenotransplantation and western blot.The expression of YAP, TAZ and TEAD increased significantly in cervical cancer tissue and cell line at the stage of CIN2/3 and SCC. When YAP/TAZ was knocked down, the stemness characteristics, glycolysis level and malignant transformation of cancer cells were notably inhibited; while activating YAP/TAZ exhibited a completely opposite result. In addition, activating YAP/TAZ and knocking down the TEAD expression at the same time significant weakened the effect of activated YAP/TAZ signal on precancerous cells and reduced inhibitory effect of knocking down TEAD alone. YAP/TAZ-TEAD signal activates the characteristics and Warburg effect of cancer stem cells, thereby promoting the malignant transformation of CIN.
Seismic behaviour of Exterior RC beam-column joints repaired and strengthened using post-tensioned metal straps
Authors: Helal Yasser , Garcia Reyes , Imjai Thanongsak , Aosai Pakjira , Guadagnini Maurizio , Pilakoutas Kypros
Published: March 2024

Exterior beam-column joints are the most vulnerable part of substandard reinforced concrete (RC) buildings and are often the first to be damaged during earthquakes. This article presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the behaviour of exterior RC beam-column joints repaired and strengthened using Post-Tensioned Metal Straps (PTMS) for active confinement. The study focused on full-scale beam-column joints with an inadequate core zone detailing, thus emulating the deficiencies found in existing substandard RC buildings. Initially, four “bare” joints were subjected to cyclic tests to induce substantial damage within the core zone. Subsequently, the damaged core of the joints was repaired and recast with new concrete, and PTMS were applied to strengthen the joints, followed by another round of cyclic testing. The experimental findings were compared with predictions generated through established models from existing literature. The results revealed that ASCE/SEI 41–17 guidelines accurately predict the shear capacity of the bare joints. It is shown that recasting the core with new concrete significantly increased the joint’s shear capacity by up to 42% compared their bare counterparts. The use of PTMS strengthening further enhanced the capacity by up to 25%. A “scissors model” was employed for numerical simulations of both bare and PTMS-strengthened joints using DRAIN-2DX, which proved effective at predicting their nonlinear load-displacement envelope response. This article contributes towards the development of new cost-effective post-earthquake strengthening techniques for beam-column joints, with the potential to reduce the vulnerability of substandard RC buildings in developing countries.
Longitudinal modeling of efficacy response in patients with lupus nephritis receiving belimumab
Authors: Simeoni Monica , Yang Shuying , Tompson Debra J. , Dimelow Richard
Published: March 2024

Belimumab was approved for active lupus nephritis (LN) in adults in the European Union and patients ≥ 5 years of age in the USA based on a Phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 104-week study. The study evaluated the efficacy of belimumab plus background standard therapy in adults with active LN using an intravenous (IV) dose of 10 mg/kg. A longitudinal analysis of Primary Efficacy Renal Response (PERR) and Complete Renal Response (CRR) was performed to assess whether patients with high proteinuria at the start of belimumab treatment would benefit from a higher dose. Responder probability was modeled as a logistic regression with probability a function of time and treatment (belimumab or placebo). Dropout risk at each visit was incorporated into a joint model of efficacy response; only efficacy data prior to dropout events (belimumab discontinuation, treatment failure, or withdrawal) were included. Average belimumab concentration over the first 4 and 12 weeks and baseline proteinuria were considered as continuous covariates. In general, renal response (PERR and CRR) over time was higher in patients receiving belimumab than in those receiving placebo. Baseline proteinuria was considered the most relevant predictor of renal response, with reduced efficacy in patients with increased proteinuria for both belimumab or placebo treatment. For belimumab-treated patients, belimumab exposure was not found to be an important predictor of renal response. In conclusion, the 10 mg/kg IV dose was considered appropriate in all patients and there was no evidence to suggest a higher response would be achieved by increasing the dose.
Training data influence analysis and estimation: a survey
Authors: Hammoudeh Zayd , Lowd Daniel
Published: March 2024

Good models require good training data. For overparameterized deep models, the causal relationship between training data and model predictions is increasingly opaque and poorly understood. Influence analysis partially demystifies training’s underlying interactions by quantifying the amount each training instance alters the final model. Measuring the training data’s influence exactly can be provably hard in the worst case; this has led to the development and use of influence estimators, which only approximate the true influence. This paper provides the first comprehensive survey of training data influence analysis and estimation. We begin by formalizing the various, and in places orthogonal, definitions of training data influence. We then organize state-of-the-art influence analysis methods into a taxonomy; we describe each of these methods in detail and compare their underlying assumptions, asymptotic complexities, and overall strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we propose future research directions to make influence analysis more useful in practice as well as more theoretically and empirically sound.
Multiple solitons structures in optical fibers via PNLSE with a novel truncated M-derivative: modulated wave gain
Authors: Abdel-Gawad H. I.
Published: March 2024

This study introduces a novel truncated Mittage–Leffler (M)- proportional derivative (TMPD) and examines its impact on the perturbed nonlinear Schrödinger equation (PNLSE) that includes fourth-order dispersion and cubic-quintic nonlinearity. The TMPD-PNLSE is used to model light signals in nanofibers. In addition to dispersion and Kerr nonlinearity, which are characteristics of the NLSE, the PNLSE also exhibits self-steepening and self-phase modulation effects. The unified method is implemented to derive exact solutions for the model equation. These solutions provide a variety of phenomena; including breathers, geometric chaos, and complex solitons. The solutions also exhibit numerous structures, such as geometric chaos, where undulated M-shaped and M-shaped solitons are embedded. The modulation instability is analyzed, finding that it is triggered when the coefficient of the fourth-order dispersion surpasses a critical value.
THz radiation distribution for the identification of infiltrating ductal carcinoma in human breast model: a computational study
Authors: Mahdy Shimaa , Hamdy Omnia
Published: March 2024

With numerous biomedical applications of terahertz (THz) imaging, spectroscopy, and sensing, the THz regime of the spectrum is quickly emerging as an important area of research with the potential to usher in a new era in the healthcare industry. In the medical field, THz radiation has been explored to diagnose and monitor several ailments, including foot diabetes, skin dryness, wounds, and burns. Compared to X-rays, THz waves' phase sensitivity to bodily fluid levels and water results in superior contrast and stronger absorption. This feature makes THz potentially useful for the diagnosis of various malignant tumor forms because cancerous tumors have higher water molecule contents than healthy tissues. The current study presents a computational analysis of a CW-THz point-by-point scanning technique for breast cancer detection. COMSOL multiphysics platform was utilized to create a multilayer three-dimensional breast model containing an irregular-shaped infiltrating ductal carcinoma in the glandular layer. The propagation of the THz radiation in the constructed breast model was simulated based on the radio frequency module and electromagnetic waves in the frequency domain interface. Furthermore, different volumes and locations of the induced tumor were examined. The results demonstrated significant disparities in the acquired electric distribution at different tumor sizes and sites between normal and diseased breasts. The resultant electric field for healthy breast ranged from 1.1 × 10–5 to 0.61 V/m, however, the electric field ranges following tumor addition fluctuate based on its volume and location. Additionally, the position of the THz source and detector array influences the reflected THz signal.
Estimation of health utility values for alopecia areata
Authors: Aggio Daniel , Dixon Caleb , Law Ernest H. , Randall Rowena , Price Thomas , Lloyd Andrew
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune-mediated inflammatory dermatological disease characterised by non-scarring hair loss affecting the scalp and sometimes other hair-bearing sites. This study aimed to elicit health state utility values (HSUVs) from the UK general population for AA using time trade off (TTO) interviews.

Methods

Vignette descriptions of health states defined by the extent of hair loss were developed (as well as one describing caregiver burden). These were developed using data from standardised patient reported outcome (PRO) measures, a literature review and qualitative interviews. Health states were defined based on the severity of alopecia tool (SALT), which assesses extensiveness of scalp hair loss. HSUVs were then elicited for each health state in TTO interviews with the UK public.

Results

One caregiver and five patient health states were developed based on the literature review findings, clinical trial PRO (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Alopecia Areata Patient Priority Outcomes Questionnaire) data and qualitative interviews with patients (N = 11), clinical experts (N = 4) and caregivers of adolescents with AA (N = 10). These data showed a more severe impact among patients with more extensive hair loss. One hundred and twenty participants evaluated the vignettes in TTO interviews. Patient HSUVs ranged from 0.502 for the most extensive hair loss health state (SALT 50–100 + eyebrow and eyelash loss) to 0.919 (SALT 0–10) for the mildest health state. The caregiver HSUV was 0.882.

Conclusion

Quantitative and qualitative data sources were used to develop and validate vignettes describing different AA health states. Patient and caregiver HSUVs demonstrate a large impact associated with AA, especially for states defined by more extensive hair loss.
Entropy-based fuzzy clustering of interval-valued time series
Authors: Vitale Vincenzina , D’Urso Pierpaolo , De Giovanni Livia , Mattera Raffaele
Published: March 2024

This paper proposes a fuzzy C-medoids-based clustering method with entropy regularization to solve the issue of grouping complex data as interval-valued time series. The dual nature of the data, that are both time-varying and interval-valued, needs to be considered and embedded into clustering techniques. In this work, a new dissimilarity measure, based on Dynamic Time Warping, is proposed. The performance of the new clustering procedure is evaluated through a simulation study and an application to financial time series.
Comparison of Methods in the Serologic Diagnosis of Cystic Echinococcosis
Authors: Erganis Sidre , Sarzhanov Fakhriddin , Al Funda Doğruman , Cağlar Kayhan
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is caused by the larval form of Echinococcus granulosus. Clinical, radiologic, pathologic, and serologic findings should be evaluated together for the diagnosis of CE. The sensitivity and specificity oalf serologic tests may vary depending on the method used. In this study, we aimed to detect IgG antibodies specific to E. granulosus using indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect fluorescent antibodies (IFA) and western blot (WB) tests.

Methods

In our study, the serum samples of 74 patients sent to our laboratory with suspicion of CE were studied using two different commercial IHA tests, ELISA, IFA and WB test. The test results were evaluated along with radiological findings and histopathological examinations, the latter being the gold standard.

Results

Of all the patients, 51 (69%) were female and 23 (31%) were male. There was a statistically significant difference between males and females (χ2 = 9.7, p = 0.002). Out of 74 patients, positivity rates for Siemens IHA, Fumouze IHA, ELISA, IFA and WB test were positive as 33 (44.6%), 35 (47.3%), 43 (58.1%), 42 (56.7%) and 38 (51.3%), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the tests were as follows: 66.67 and 2.31% for Siemens IHA; 70.83% and 96.15% for Fumouze IHA; 85.42%, and 88.46% for ELISA; 83.33% and 88.46% for IFA; 72.92% and 88.46% for WB test.

Conclusion

There were statistically significant differences in between all five methods (p < 0,001). While the tests with the highest specificity was Fumouze IHA, the test with the highest sensitivity was the ELISA test. It was concluded that IHA and ELISA tests were more practical in practice because of their greater applicability.
Improving Energy Harvesting from Cantilever-like Structures Based on Beam Geometry
Authors: Kurt Polat , Orhan Sadettin
Published: March 2024

Purpose

Power gain from piezoelectric harvesters depends on several parameters and one of them is to design the substructure as to increase the mechanical strain occurred in the piezoelectric material. In this study, the effect of geometrical modification of the beam on the harvested power was investigated and new geometries were offered for increased power response from cantilever type energy harvesters.

Method

First, the effectiveness of auxetic structures on harvested power was investigated to see the effect of the negative Poisson’s ratio on harvested power. These structures are very popular in recent years on energy harvesting applications; however, their performances were generally compared to plain structures which is not a fair comparison. Rather, in this study, their performances were compared to non-auxetic nonlinear structures as well as plain geometry. Then, three new shapes inspired by re-entrant auxetic structure were presented for increased power response, and harvested power from these structures were evaluated under different conditions.

Results

It was shown that the power gain from auxetic structures is very high compared to plain structures; however, this increase in power could also be achieved using a non-auxetic simple rectangular structure in some cases. On the other hand, new geometries offered in this study performed better than the auxetic and non-auxetic geometries in most cases.
Recognizing Bearings’ Degradation Stage Using Multimodal Autoencoder to Learn Features from Different Time Series
Authors: Alfeo Antonio Luca , Cimino Mario G. C. A. , Gagliardi Guido
Published: March 2024

Utilizing machine learning technologies to monitor assets’ health conditions can improve the effectiveness of maintenance activities. However, accurately recognizing the current health degradation stages of industrial assets requires a time-consuming manual feature extraction due to the wide range of observable measures (e.g., temperature, vibration) and behaviors characterizing assets’ degradation. To address this issue, feature learning technology can transform minimally processed time series into informative features, i.e., able to simplify the classification task (e.g., recognizing degradation stages) regardless of the specific machine learning classifier employed. In this work, minimally preprocessed time series of vibration and temperature of industrial bearings are exploited by an autoencoder-based architecture to extract degradation-representative features to be used for recognizing their degradation stages. Different autoencoder architectures are employed to compare their data fusion strategies. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated in terms of recognition performance and the quality of the learned features by using a publicly available real-world dataset and comparing the proposed approach against a state-of-the-art feature learning technology. We tested three different multimodal autoencoder-based feature learning approaches, i.e., shared-input autoencoder (SAE), multimodal autoencoder (MMAE), and partition-based autoencoder (PAE). All the AE-based architecture results in classification performances greater or comparable with the state-of-the-art feature learning technology, despite being trained in an unsupervised fashion. Also, the features provided via PAE correspond to the greatest performances in recognizing bearings’ degradation stage, providing high-quality features both from a classification and clustering perspective. Unsupervised feature learning methodologies based on multimodal autoencoders are capable of learning high-quality features. These result in greater degradation stages recognition performances when compared to supervised state-of-the-art feature learning technology. Also, this enables the correct representation of the expected progressive degradation of the bearing.
Embedded Object Detection and Mapping in Soft Materials Using Optical Tactile Sensing
Authors: Solano-Castellanos Jose A. , Do Won Kyung , Kennedy Monroe D.
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we present a methodology that uses an optical tactile sensor for efficient tactile exploration of embedded objects within soft materials. The methodology consists of an exploration phase, where a probabilistic estimate of the location of the embedded objects is built using a Bayesian approach. The exploration phase is then followed by a mapping phase which exploits the probabilistic map to reconstruct the underlying topography of the workspace by sampling in more detail regions where there are expected to be embedded objects. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, we tested our approach on an experimental setup that consists of a series of quartz beads located underneath a polyethylene foam that prevents direct observation of the configuration and requires the use of tactile exploration to recover the location of the beads. We show the performance of our methodology using ten different configurations of the beads where the proposed approach is able to approximate the underlying configuration. We benchmark our results against a random sampling policy. Our empirical results show that our method outperforms the fully random policy in both the exploration and mapping phases. The exploration phase produces a better probabilistic map with fewer samples which enables an earlier transition to the mapping phase to reconstruct the underlying shape. On both the exploration and mapping phases, our proposed method presents a better consistency as compared to the random policy, with smaller standard deviation across the ten different bead configurations.
MPC-Based Routing and Tracking Architecture for Safe Autonomous Driving in Urban Traffic
Authors: Emam Mostafa , Gerdts Matthias
Published: March 2024

This paper presents a configurable routing and tracking architecture that uses multi-objective Model Predictive Control (MPC) as its driving algorithm to guarantee safe autonomous driving of different vehicle types. The architecture consists of three main components and primarily relies on labeled map data to generate optimal path and velocity trajectories in accordance with the vehicle type and the desired control objectives. We begin with introducing the overall system architecture and its different inputs, outputs, and components. We also briefly explain the open-source services utilized in this work for trajectory generation, namely OpenStreetMap and GraphHopper. We then focus on formulating the multi-objective MPC problem and its vehicle-specific constraints, which is solved offline to generate the reference path and velocity trajectories. Afterwards, we discuss some adaptions to the system model and the controller operating strategy to incorporate real-time tracking of these trajectories while guaranteeing collision avoidance. Finally, we successfully demonstrate the system’s feasibility by numerically evaluating its performance in a typical urban driving scenario for different vehicles.
Insular dwarfism in horses from the Aegean Sea and the Japanese archipelago
Authors: Ming Keesha M. , Le Verger Kévin , Geiger Madeleine , Schmelzle Thomas , Georgalis Georgios L. , Shimbo Genya , Sasaki Motoki , Ohdachi Satoshi D. , Sánchez-Villagra Marcelo R.
Published: March 2024

The horse (Equus caballus) varieties from Skyros and Rhodes islands (Greece) in the Aegean archipelago are extremely small, reaching shoulder heights of only about 1 m. Furthermore, the Japanese archipelago is home to eight small, native horse breeds. We investigated the evolutionary morphology and provided a review of historical documentations of these horses of cultural interest in Greece and Japan, thus providing a comparison of the independent evolution of small size in islands. We integrate cranial data from historical literature with data from newly gathered and curated skulls and analyse a measurement dataset featuring various domestic and mainland horse breeds and varieties. We use non-invasive imaging to study and measure 3D models of the bony labyrinth, housing the inner ear, and the braincase endocast. When considering the effects of allometry by regressing each PC1 scores (for each set of measurements) with the cranial geometric mean from linear measurements as a body size proxy, we show that size explains a large amount of the shape variation in horse crania, the bony labyrinths and brain endocasts. We found high intrabreed variation in all the analysed datasets. Globally, there are at least 30 distinct horse populations on islands, offering the chance to further study processes of convergence in morphological divergence and evaluate the effect of drift and the environment.
Australia in World Affairs 1961–1965
Authors: Greenwood Gordon , Harper Norman
Published: March 2024

The Australia in World Affairs series commenced in 1950 and provides a continuous, researched scholarly account of Australia's foreign policy. The third volume, Australia in World Affairs 1961–1965, is crowded with major events, with the tension over Berlin, acrimonious disputes over nuclear testing and the advance to the brink of war with Cuba. Chinese troops crossed the Indian frontiers, and Indian and Pakistani armies faced one another. Indonesia's confrontation of Malaysia challenged the security and stability of yet another area of South-East Asia. The United Nations suffered a grave financial crisis which threatened to bring the organisation to a halt. There were, too, events of measureless consequence: the explosion of the Chinese atomic bomb; the bitter controversy between China and the Soviet Union, which shattered the seemingly monolithic structure of Communism; the increasing US involvement in the defence of South Vietnam; and the continued probing of outer space.
Spatial Heterogeneity of the Respiratory Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke PM2.5 in California
Authors: Do V. , Chen C. , Benmarhnia T. , Casey J. A.
Published: March 2024

Wildfire smoke fine particles (PM2.5) are a growing public health threat as wildfire events become more common and intense under climate change, especially in the Western United States. Studies assessing the association between wildfire PM2.5 exposure and health typically summarize the effects over the study area. However, health responses to wildfire PM2.5 may vary spatially. We evaluated spatially‐varying respiratory acute care utilization risks associated with short‐term exposure to wildfire PM2.5 and explored community characteristics possibly driving spatial heterogeneity. Using ensemble‐modeled daily wildfire PM2.5, we defined a wildfire smoke day to have wildfire‐specific PM2.5 concentration ≥15 μg/m3. We included daily respiratory emergency department visits and unplanned hospitalizations in 1,396 California ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and 15 census‐derived community characteristics. Employing a case‐crossover design and conditional logistic regression, we observed increased odds of respiratory acute care utilization on wildfire smoke days at the state level (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.07). Across air basins, ORs ranged from 0.88 to 1.57, with the highest effect estimate in San Diego. A within‐community matching design and spatial Bayesian hierarchical model also revealed spatial heterogeneity in ZCTA‐level rate differences. For example, communities with a higher percentage of Black or Pacific Islander residents had stronger wildfire PM2.5‐outcome relationships, while more air conditioning and tree canopy attenuated associations. We found an important heterogeneity in wildfire smoke‐related health impacts across air basins, counties, and ZCTAs, and we identified characteristics of vulnerable communities, providing evidence to guide policy development and resource allocation.
Seismic Observation of a New ULVZ Beneath the Southern Pacific
Authors: Li Zhi , Martin Carl , Cottaar Sanne
Published: March 2024

We present new observations of core‐diffracted shear waves which contain anomalous waveforms sampling the lowermost mantle beneath the southern Pacific region. Data in two distinct geometries, one from New Zealand to North America and the other from the Fiji and Solomon Islands to South America, show evidence of postcursor phases. The postcursor delays and move‐outs imply that they are caused by an ultra‐low velocity zone (ULVZ). Beamforming analyses of the observed diffracted postcursors show a strong backazimuthal deviation, suggesting this new ULVZ is likely to have a cylindrical shape similar to broad ULVZs sampled by shear diffracted waves elsewhere. Full‐waveform modeling suggests that the postcursors seen in North America might be due to the previously modeled ULVZ located to the west of the Galápagos, while those seen in South America are due to a previously unknown ULVZ beneath the Southern Pacific. We cannot fit observations in both geometries by a single ULVZ. For the new location, we propose one cylindrical ULVZ model with a radius of 400 km and a shear wave velocity decrease of 20% centered at geographical coordinates (−33.6, 130) close to the Pitcairn hotspot. Despite some uncertainty in the west‐east direction, this new ULVZ observation likely provides another example to support the hypothesis that ULVZs exist at the base of mantle plumes where primordial signatures are observed in the ocean island basalts.
Melting Ice in the Polar North Drives Weather in Europe
Authors: Kornei Katherine
Published: March 2024

Influxes of meltwater into the North Atlantic eventually lead to warmer and drier conditions over Europe.
California Mountains Face Weather Whiplash
Authors: Chapman Andrew
Published: March 2024

Last month’s massive snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada followed a dry start to winter. Such extremes in precipitation may become the norm.
Effect of pacifier and pacifier with dextrose in reducing pain during orogastric tube insertion in newborns: a randomized controlled trial*
Authors: Akkaya-Gül Ayşenur , Özyazıcıoğlu Nurcan
Published: March 2024

Objective

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of pacifier use, with and without 25% dextrose, in reducing pain during orogastric tube insertion in newborns.

Study design

In a randomized controlled trial involving 60 newborns at a public hospital from April to December 2019, participants were divided into three groups: pacifier (n = 20), pacifier with 25% dextrose (n = 20), and control (n = 20). A pacifier, with and without dextrose, was used for the experimental groups, while the control group performed a routine procedure. Neonatal infant pain scale, crying duration, heart rate (HR), and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were evaluated.

Results

Results indicated that the control group experienced significantly higher pain levels, elevated HRs, decreased SpO2, and prolonged crying. Conversely, the pacifier with 25% dextrose group showed a notable reduction in crying duration.

Conclusion

A pacifier, with and without 25% dextrose, effectively reduces pain and improves physiological and behavioral parameters during orogastric tube insertion.

Clinical trial number

NCT05462964

Clinical trial registration

The protocol for this randomized controlled experimental trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The clinical trial registration number is https://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT05462964.
Simultaneous detection of the shuttling motion of liquid metal droplets in channels under alternating pressure and capacitive sensor signals
Authors: Bono Shinji , Nakai Ryotaro , Konishi Satoshi
Published: March 2024

Implementing a signal-switching mechanism for the selective use of integrated sensors and actuators plays a crucial role in streamlining the functionality of miniaturized devices. Here, a liquid metal droplet (LMD)-based signal-switching mechanism is introduced to achieve such functionality. Pressure modulation with a 100-μm spatial resolution enabled precise control of the position of the LMDs within a channel. After integrating the channel with asymmetrically structured electrodes, the effect of the shuttle-like movement of LMD on the temporal changes in the overall capacitance was investigated. Consequently, analysis of the capacitive peaks revealed the directional movement of the LMDs, enabling estimation of the position of the LMDs without direct observation. In addition, we achieved successful signal extraction from the capacitive sensor that was linked to the activated electrodes, thereby enabling selective data retrieval. The proposed signal-switching mechanism method achieved a detection accuracy of ~0.1 pF. The sensor’s ability to simultaneously detect the LMD position and generate a signal underscores its significant potential for multiplexing in multisensing systems, particularly in concealed environments, such as in vivo settings.
Brain stars take the lead during critical periods of early postnatal brain development: relevance of astrocytes in health and mental disorders
Authors: Vivi Eugenia , Di Benedetto Barbara
Published: March 2024

In the brain, astrocytes regulate shape and functions of the synaptic and vascular compartments through a variety of released factors and membrane-bound proteins. An imbalanced astrocyte activity can therefore have drastic negative impacts on brain development, leading to the onset of severe pathologies. Clinical and pre-clinical studies show alterations in astrocyte cell number, morphology, molecular makeup and astrocyte-dependent processes in different affected brain regions in neurodevelopmental (ND) and neuropsychiatric (NP) disorders. Astrocytes proliferate, differentiate and mature during the critical period of early postnatal brain development, a time window of elevated glia-dependent regulation of a proper balance between synapse formation/elimination, which is pivotal in refining synaptic connectivity. Therefore, any intrinsic and/or extrinsic factors altering these processes during the critical period may result in an aberrant synaptic remodeling and onset of mental disorders. The peculiar bridging position of astrocytes between synaptic and vascular compartments further allows them to “compute” the brain state and consequently secrete factors in the bloodstream, which may serve as diagnostic biomarkers of distinct healthy or disease conditions. Here, we collect recent advancements regarding astrogenesis and astrocyte-mediated regulation of neuronal network remodeling during early postnatal critical periods of brain development, focusing on synapse elimination. We then propose alternative hypotheses for an involvement of aberrancies in these processes in the onset of ND and NP disorders. In light of the well-known differential prevalence of certain brain disorders between males and females, we also discuss putative sex-dependent influences on these neurodevelopmental events. From a translational perspective, understanding age- and sex-dependent astrocyte-specific molecular and functional changes may help to identify biomarkers of distinct cellular (dys)functions in health and disease, favouring the development of diagnostic tools or the selection of tailored treatment options for male/female patients.
Constructing regulable supports via non-stoichiometric engineering to stabilize ruthenium nanoparticles for enhanced pH-universal water splitting
Authors: Zhao Sheng , Hung Sung-Fu , Deng Liming , Zeng Wen-Jing , Xiao Tian , Li Shaoxiong , Kuo Chun-Han , Chen Han-Yi , Hu Feng , Peng Shengjie
Published: March 2024

Establishing appropriate metal-support interactions is imperative for acquiring efficient and corrosion-resistant catalysts for water splitting. Herein, the interaction mechanism between Ru nanoparticles and a series of titanium oxides, including TiO, Ti4O7 and TiO2, designed via facile non-stoichiometric engineering is systematically studied. Ti4O7, with the unique band structure, high conductivity and chemical stability, endows with ingenious metal-support interaction through interfacial Ti–O–Ru units, which stabilizes Ru species during OER and triggers hydrogen spillover to accelerate HER kinetics. As expected, Ru/Ti4O7 displays ultralow overpotentials of 8 mV and 150 mV for HER and OER with a long operation of 500 h at 10 mA cm−2 in acidic media, which is expanded in pH-universal environments. Benefitting from the excellent bifunctional performance, the proton exchange membrane and anion exchange membrane electrolyzer assembled with Ru/Ti4O7 achieves superior performance and robust operation. The work paves the way for efficient energy conversion devices.