bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
131I dose coefficients for a reference population using age-specific models
Authors: Singh Pradeep Kumar , Patni Hemant Kumar , Roy Rahul , Akar Deepak Kumar , Sawant Pramilla D
Published: October 2023

Age-specific dose coefficients are required to assess internal exposure to the general public. This study utilizes reference age-specific biokinetic models of iodine to estimate the total number of nuclear disintegrations ã(r
S,τ) occurring in source regions (r
S) during the commitment time (τ). Age-specific S values are estimated for 35 target regions due to 131I present in 22 r
S using data from 10 paediatric reference computational phantoms (representing five ages for both sexes) published recently by the International Commission of Radiation Protection (ICRP). Monte Carlo transport simulations are performed in FLUKA code. The estimated ã(r
S,τ) and S values are then used to compute the committed tissue equivalent dose HT(τ) for 27 radiosensitive tissues and dose coefficients e(τ) for all five ages due to inhalation and ingestion of 131I. The derived ã(r
S,τ) values in the thyroid source are observed to increase with age due to the increased retention of iodine in the thyroid. S values are found to decrease with age, mainly due to an increase in target masses. Generally, HT(τ) values are observed to decrease with age, indicating the predominant behaviour of S values over ã(r
S,τ). On average, ingestion dose coefficients are 63% higher than for inhalation in all ages. The maximum contribution to dose coefficients is from the thyroid, accounting for 96% in the case of newborns and 98%–99% for all other ages. Furthermore, the estimated e(τ) values for the reference population are observed to be lower than previously published reference values from the ICRP. The estimated S, HT(τ) and e(τ) values can be used to improve estimations of internal doses to organs/whole body for members of the public in cases of 131I exposure. The estimated dose coefficients can also be interpolated for other ages to accurately evaluate the doses received by the general public during 131I therapy or during a radiological emergency.
A road surface filtering method based on plane normal adaptive constraints
Authors: Liu Haoran , Liu Rufei , Yu Jiayong , Zhao Zhedong
Published: October 2023

Aiming at the problem that the road surface point cloud is difficult to filter due to the complex road conditions and road types, this study proposes a road surface filtering method with plane normal adaptive constraints. After the grid of point cloud data, extracting the road surface seed points by the approximate plane constraint method and establishing the eight-neighborhood grid. We use the improved random sample consensus plane fitting to extract the geometric features of the road surface and carry out the plane normal statistical analysis of the road surface grid. The normal distribution Quantile-Quantile plot and Chi-square test show that the normal vector distribution of the road surface grid conforms to the normal distribution. Establishing the plane normal adaptive parameters using the normal distribution probability-weighted mean and the normal distribution standard deviation, and the plane feature part is automatically constrained. After pretreatment by elevation constraint and filter point re-determination, the road surface area is grown by cluster analysis to obtain the ground point accurately cloud. Through experiments and analysis covering most types of road sections, such as expressway and urban roads, straight and curved roads, gentle roads, and undulating roads, the results show that the road surface point filtering precision, recall rate, and overall accuracy of this method are all above 97 %, which verifies the accuracy and reliability of the method.
Optimizing the friction behavior of medium entropy alloy via controllable coherent nanoprecipitation
Authors: Kong Jiyun , Fang Qihong , Li Jia
Published: October 2023

In recent years, FeCrNi medium entropy alloy, a new material with high hardness, strength, ductility, and wear resistance, has been widely studied. In this work, the effect of precipitation volume fraction on the friction behavior of FeCrNi is studied by molecular dynamics simulation. With the increase of precipitation volume fraction, the average friction coefficient shows an upward trend. When the volume fraction of precipitation is between 2.33% and 3.10%, the wear resistance of FeCrNi would be enhanced after the nanoscratching, and the normal force is large, which means that a certain precipitation volume fraction strengthens FeCrNi. Low precipitation volume fraction can effectively reduce the wear volume and wear rate during scratching, thus effectively lowering frictional force and friction coefficient. The interaction between dislocation and precipitation is an important factor that hinders dislocation propagation, leading to the strong dislocation strengthening and the increase of wear volume. This trend is manifested as the increase of normal force and frictional force. The frictional properties of FeCrNi can be optimized with a certain precipitation volume fraction. The findings give a guiding significance for the effect of multiple precipitation on frictional properties of FeCrNi.
Design and application of a flexible nano cardiac sound sensor based on P(VDF-TrFE)/KNN/GR composite piezoelectric film for heart disease diagnosis
Authors: Luo Yi , Xiao Yu , Liu Jian , Wu Ying , Zhao Zhidong
Published: October 2023

The paper proposes a flexible micro-nano composite piezoelectric thin film. This flexible piezoelectric film is fabricated through electrospinning process, utilizing a combination of 12 wt% poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene)(P(VDF-TrFE)), 8 wt% potassium sodium niobate (KNN) nanoparticles, and 0.5 wt% graphene (GR). Under cyclic loading, the composite film demonstrates a remarkable increase in open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current, achieving values of 36.1 V and 163.7 uA, respectively. These values are 5.8 times and 3.6 times higher than those observed in the pure P(VDF-TrFE) film. The integration of this piezoelectric film into a wearable flexible heartbeat sensor, coupled with the RepMLP classification model, facilitates heartbeat acquisition and real-time automated diagnosis. After training and validation on a dataset containing 2000 heartbeat samples, the system achieved an accuracy of approximately 99% in two classification of heart sound signals (normal and abnormal). This research substantially enhances the output performance of the piezoelectric film, offering a novel and valuable solution for the application of flexible piezoelectric films in physiological signal detection
Charged nanoporous phosphorene as a water desalination membrane: insights from molecular dynamics
Authors: Gaganpreet  , Pathania Y
Published: October 2023

Phosphorene, due to its remarkable properties such as self-passivation, stability, and anti-fouling, makes it a promising material for desalination membranes. Practically, these membranes acquire charges and affect the salt rejection and water flux. In this article, water desalination performance through positively charged (PC), negatively charged (NC), and charged but overall neutral (CN) single-layer nanoporous phosphorene (NPP) membrane of nanopore size ∼41 Å2 is investigated using pressure-driven molecular dynamics simulations. It is observed that the electrostatic interactions due to the distribution of charge around the nanopore edges strongly affect the desalination performance rather than steric hindrance. Overall, with an equivalent magnitude of total applied charge, the water flux through the CN membrane is more than PC and NC membranes. A membrane best suited for desalination performance among the charged NPP membranes is a CN membrane due to its high flux and adequate salt rejection, though it allows the passage of both ions. Comparatively, a PC or NC membrane has lower flux and allows the course of their counter ions respectively. To construe this observation salt ion density maps and molar concentration profiles are further examined. The degree of localization of counter ions around the nanopore edge increases with the increased total applied charge. While no such localization is observed for the CN membranes. PC and NC membranes provide more energetic barriers to co-ions due to strong coulombic repulsions and molecular layering of the adsorbed water, which hinder their transport. This study suggests the design of charged phosphorene membranes to maximize water transport while still maintaining the salt rejection potential.
Methods and evaluation of physiological measurements with acoustic stimuli—a systematic review
Authors: Laufs Christian , Herweg Andreas , Antink Christoph Hoog
Published: October 2023

Objective. The detection of psychological loads, such as stress reactions, is receiving greater attention and social interest, as stress can have long-term effects on health O’Connor, Thayer and Vedhara (2021 Ann. Rev. Psychol.
72, 663–688). Acoustic stimuli, especially noise, are investigated as triggering factors. The application of physiological measurements in the detection of psychological loads enables the recording of a further quantitative dimension that goes beyond purely perceptive questionnaires. Thus, unconscious reactions to acoustic stimuli can also be captured. The numerous physiological signals and possible experimental designs with acoustic stimuli may quickly lead to a challenging implementation of the study and an increased difficulty in reproduction or comparison between studies. An unsuitable experimental design or processing of the physiological data may result in conclusions about psychological loads that are not valid anymore. Approach. The systematic review according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis standard presented here is therefore intended to provide guidance and a basis for further studies in this field. For this purpose, studies were identified in which the participants’ short-term physiological responses to acoustic stimuli were investigated in the context of a listening test in a laboratory study. Main Results. A total of 37 studies met these criteria and data items were analysed in terms of the experimental design (studied psychological load, independent variables/acoustic stimuli, participants, playback, scenario/context, duration of test phases, questionnaires for perceptual comparison) and the physiological signals (measures, calculated features, systems, data processing methods, data analysis methods, results). The overviews show that stress is the most studied psychological load in response to acoustic stimuli. An ECG/PPG system and the measurement of skin conductance were most frequently used for the detection of psychological loads. A critical aspect is the numerous different methods of experimental design, which prevent comparability of the results. In the future, more standardized methods are needed to achieve more valid analyses of the effects of acoustic stimuli.
The percolating cluster is invisible to image recognition with deep learning
Authors: Bayo Djénabou , Honecker Andreas , Römer Rudolf A
Published: October 2023

We study the two-dimensional site-percolation model on a square lattice. In this paradigmatic model, sites are randomly occupied with probability p; a second-order phase transition from a non-percolating to a fully percolating phase appears at occupation density pc
, called percolation threshold. Through supervised deep learning approaches like classification and regression, we show that standard convolutional neural networks (CNNs), known to work well in similar image recognition tasks, can identify pc
and indeed classify the states of a percolation lattice according to their p content or predict their p value via regression. When using instead of p the spatial cluster correlation length ξ as labels, the recognition is beginning to falter. Finally, we show that the same network struggles to detect the presence of a spanning cluster. Rather, predictive power seems lost and the absence or presence of a global spanning cluster is not noticed by a CNN with a local convolutional kernel. Since the existence of such a spanning cluster is at the heart of the percolation problem, our results suggest that CNNs require careful application when used in physics, particularly when encountering less-explored situations.
Localization of gravitino field with non-minimal coupling on a thick brane
Authors: Zhou Xiang-Nan , Guo Wei-Qi
Published: October 2023

In this paper, we investigate localization of a five-dimensional gravitino field on a thick brane with non-minimal coupling. By choosing the gauge condition Ψ
z
= 0, the equations of the Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes of gravitino are obtained. Compared with the case without non-minimal coupling,considering non-minimal coupling can make the zero mode and massive KK modes of a five-dimensional free massless gravitino field be localized on the brane. By considering the Yukawa-like coupling and the non-minimum coupling simultaneously, it is found that the non-minimal coupling will change the mass spectrum of the KK modes and provide more possibility to localize KK modes.
Gravitational waves from defect-driven phase transitions: domain walls
Authors: Blasi Simone , Jinno Ryusuke , Konstandin Thomas , Rubira Henrique , Stomberg Isak
Published: October 2023

We discuss the gravitational wave spectrum produced by first-order phase transitions
seeded by domain wall networks. This setup is important for many two-step phase transitions as
seen for example in the singlet extension of the standard model. Whenever the correlation length
of the domain wall network is larger than the typical bubble size, this setup leads to a
gravitational wave signal that is shifted to lower frequencies and with an enhanced amplitude
compared to homogeneous phase transitions without domain walls. We discuss our results in light of
the recent PTA hints for gravitational waves.
The Influence of Ginger Rhizome Extraction on the Content of the Active Ingredients [6]-Gingerol Produced
Authors: Rachman D , Nasori A S , Atmaji P , Wiguna B , Kahfi J , Maryana E , Mardliyati E , Purwanto W , Sativa R G , Sulaswatty A , Muhamaludin  , Mufti A , Aji G K , Bachtiar A , Supriyadi
Published: October 2023

Oleoresin, a product derived from ginger rhizomes, contains a high concentration of active compounds and has the potential to be used not only as a medicine but also as a beneficial natural ingredient material to the human body. Ginger oleoresin is a valuable product that contains a variety of compounds and provides functional health benefits as well as immunity boosters to large groups of people. Gingerol is a key ingredient in ginger rhizome oleoresin extract. Gingerol (C17H26O4) is a compound found in ginger oleoresin that easily decomposes into Shogaols (C17H24O3). The ethanolic extract of zingiber rhizomes powder was processed with the best yield of oleoresin of 38.313% and concentration of [6]-gingerol of 0.39 mg/g extract, which was produced in 120 minutes at a temperature of 60 0C. While the best [6]-gingerol content in oleoresin was 1.33 mg/g extract with a ginger oleoresin yield of 21.821% produced under 50 0C extraction temperature in 60 minutes.
Agronomic Response of Soybean Accession at Two Spacings
Authors: Purwaningrahayu R D , Kuntyastuti H
Published: October 2023

The key to optimizing plant productivity is superior plant varieties combined with proper plant management. The purpose of this study was to learn about the responses of various soybean accessions to different spacings. During the dry season of 2019, the research was conducted in Genteng, Banyuwangi research station. The study employed a split plot design with two factors, which was repeated three times. The main plot was the planting method: (1). 2:1 double rows = 50 cm x (30 cm x 15 cm) (2) Single row: 30 cm x 15 cm spacing. 15 soybean accessions were used as sub-plots. Six accessions have the potential to produce seeds greater than 3 t ha-1 based on productivity per hectare. Differences in plant spacing influenced plant height, internode length, number of branches, and seed weight. Longer stems and nodes distinguished the single row. The seed yield per plant was higher in double rows than in single rows.
Ornamental fish farmers empowerment through feed making technology: A study in Yogyakarta city, Indonesia
Authors: Ika S R , Mulyono A , Syamsiro M , Widagdo A K
Published: October 2023

Using automation technologies for fish feed production, this project intends to capture the activities of groups of ornamental fish farmers. The ornamental fish industry is concerned with ways to raise fish that are attractive and endearing when they are contested. The likelihood of winning increases with fish attractiveness, which drives up the price of ornamental fish. Hence, depending on whatever body component needs to be maximized, the content of ornamental fish feed varies. Currently, ornamental fish farmers grind their feed by hand before printing it into tiny spheres that are ready to eat, depending on the age and body part optimization needs of the fish. The empowerment activity aims to increase the productivity of fish feed production by disseminating technology for fish feed-making equipment, including flour-making machines, mixing machines, and printing machines. Training on how to use and take care of the above machines and how to sell the fish feed products made, as well as recording business transactions, were also carried out. Indicators of the success of empowerment activities are an increase in ornamental fish farmers’ income, production capacity, and sales turnover.
The Effect of NAA and BA on In Vitro Callus Induction of Biduri (Calotropis gigantea)
Authors: Wulandari TA , Sakya AT , Hartati S , Samanhudi  , Rahayu M , Setyawati A
Published: October 2023

A family of medicinal plants known as biduri (Calotropis gigantea) has a number of useful traits. Alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, terpenes, and sterols are just a few of the chemical substances found in biduri. One method used to boost the generation of secondary metabolites is biduri callus induction by tissue culture. The goal of the study was to find the ideal growth regulator concentration for callus biduri induction. The study employed a completely randomized design (CRD), which was carried out three times and was set up in a factorial fashion with two treatment components and 25 treatment combinations. The growth regulator NAA and the growth regulator BA were the first and second factors, respectively. ANOVA was used to examine the data with a 5% level test. The Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was conducted at a 5% level if there was a significant difference. A compact, green callus texture was generated by applying one ppm NAA and three ppm BA. At the same time, a callus on the biduri could not have been treated without an NAA application. Further research can be done by subculture callus biduri when the callus is still fresh and green to produce secondary metabolites.
BAP and Kinetin Application for In Vitro Bud Induction of Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews.) from Stem Node Explants in the Initiation Stage
Authors: Mahardhini AD , Anwar S , Karno
Published: October 2023

Due to the scarcity of seedlings, vanilla farming in Indonesia is not at its best. The goal of this study was to comprehend how BAP and Kinetin affected the introduction of vanilla buds as a sustainable seedling strategy. The study is carried out at Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia, at the Plant Tissue Laboratory of the Plantation Seeds Center and the Plant Tissue Laboratory of Diponegoro University’s Physiology and Plant Breeding Laboratory. A completely randomized design (CRD) 5 x 3 with two replications was utilized in the study. The first factor is BAP concentration: B0 = 0 mg.L−1, B1 = 0.6 mg.L−1, B2 = 1.2 mg.L−1, B3 = 1.8 mg.L−1, and B4 = 2.4 mg.L−1. The second factor is Kinetin concentration: K0 = 0 mg.L−1, K1 = 1 mg.L−1, and K2 = 2 mg.L−1. The result shows addition of BAP is able to shorten the day of bud emergence at 8 days. The addition of BAP and Kinetin did not significantly affect the number of buds. Application of BAP 1.44 mg.L−1 was able to increase bud length. There is interaction between Kinetin 2 mg.L−1 and the addition of BAP 2.4 mg.L−1 resulting in the largest bud diameter with a linear regression form. There is interaction between Kinetin 0 mg.L−1 and BAP 1.2 mg.L−1 resulting in the highest number of roots.
Agribusiness Performance of Shallot Farm In Brebes Regency
Authors: Ekowati T. , Prasetyo E. , Mukson
Published: October 2023

In Brebes Regency, shallots are a promising product, however growers frequently experience unpredictable revenue and productivity. This has an impact on the performance of the agricultural sector by causing price fluctuations in shallot input and production. The goal of this study was to evaluate the shallot agribusiness system’s effectiveness in terms of agribusiness implementation, production-influencing factors, and financial profitability of the shallot farm. In this study, 60 shallot farmers from the districts of Brebes and Bulukamba participated in a survey. Regression analysis, shallot farm profitability, and study of the agribusiness implementation system are all used to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated that farmers had implemented shallot agribusiness with moderate to excellent criteria, and that the agribusiness application had an impact on shallot production. The average land tenure is 0.49 ha, with a 5,265 kg productivity that has room to grow. Land, seed, Ponska, ZA, SP36, pesticides, and the development of agribusiness are the elements that affect shallot production. The shallot farm’s production costs are IDR 26,723,592 and its income is IDR 40,931,650, meaning that the farm is 153.15% profitable. This demonstrates that the shallot agribusiness is a successful one. As a suggestion, farmers should continue to use agribusiness systems properly in order to boost shallot productivity and profitability.
Decomposition of matrix product states into shallow quantum circuits
Authors: Rudolph Manuel S , Chen Jing , Miller Jacob , Acharya Atithi , Perdomo-Ortiz Alejandro
Published: October 2023

Tensor networks (TNs) are a family of computational methods built on graph-structured factorizations of large tensors, which have long represented state-of-the-art methods for the approximate simulation of complex quantum systems on classical computers. The rapid pace of recent advancements in numerical computation, notably the rise of GPU and TPU hardware accelerators, have allowed TN algorithms to scale to even larger quantum simulation problems, and to be employed more broadly for solving machine learning tasks. The ‘quantum-inspired’ nature of TNs permits them to be mapped to parametrized quantum circuits (PQCs), a fact which has inspired recent proposals for enhancing the performance of TN algorithms using near-term quantum devices, as well as enabling joint quantum–classical training frameworks that benefit from the distinct strengths of TN and PQC models. However, the success of any such methods depends on efficient and accurate methods for approximating TN states using realistic quantum circuits, which remains an unresolved question. This work compares a range of novel and previously-developed algorithmic protocols for decomposing matrix product states (MPS) of arbitrary bond dimension into low-depth quantum circuits consisting of stacked linear layers of two-qubit unitaries. These protocols are formed from different combinations of a preexisting analytical decomposition method together with constrained optimization of circuit unitaries, with initialization by the former method helping to avoid poor-quality local minima in the latter optimization process. While all of these protocols have efficient classical runtimes, our experimental results reveal one particular protocol employing sequential growth and optimization of the quantum circuit to outperform all others, with even greater benefits in the setting of limited computational resources. Given these promising results, we expect our proposed decomposition protocol to form a useful ingredient within any joint application of TNs and PQCs, further unlocking the rich and complementary benefits of classical and quantum computation.
Pauli transfer matrix direct reconstruction: channel characterization without full process tomography
Authors: Roncallo Simone , Maccone Lorenzo , Macchiavello Chiara
Published: October 2023

We present a tomographic protocol for the characterization of multiqubit quantum channels. We discuss a specific class of input states, for which the set of Pauli measurements at the output of the channel directly relates to its Pauli transfer matrix components. We compare our results to those of standard quantum process tomography, showing an exponential reduction in the number of different experimental configurations required by a single matrix element extraction, while keeping the same number of shots. This paves the way for more efficient experimental implementations, whenever a selective knowledge of the Pauli transfer matrix is needed. We provide several examples and simulations.
Discussion on the impact of EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) for China- EU trade
Authors: Yan Zhou , Yuan Zhao
Published: October 2023

To achieve the established carbon emission reduction targets, reduce the intensity of carbon leakage, and protect the EU local enterprise market, in December 2022, the amendment to the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which covers key industries such as steel, aluminum products, cement, fertilizer, and electricity, was officially released by the EU Parliament decision and will be officially implemented on October 1, 2023. This study tries to discuss its impact for China—EU trade.
A Cluster-Randomized Evaluation of the SuperShelf Intervention in Choice-Based Food Pantries
Authors: Caspi Caitlin E , Gombi-Vaca Maria F , Barsness Christina Bliss , Gordon Nora , Canterbury Marna , Peterson Hikaru Hanawa , Wolfson Julian , Pratt Rebekah
Published: October 2023

Background

Interventions in food pantry settings have the potential to improve health among clients at risk of diet-related disease.

Purpose

This study evaluates whether a cluster-randomized, behavioral intervention in food pantries resulted in improved client outcomes.

Methods

Sixteen Minnesota food pantries were randomized to an intervention (n = 8) or control condition (n = 8). The intervention offered pantries technical assistance to improve healthy food supply and implement behavioral economics strategies to promote healthy food selection. A convenience sample of adult clients were enrolled (paired sample, 158 intervention, 159 control) and followed for 1 year. Additional clients were enrolled at follow-up to assess food selection (follow-up sample, 85 intervention, 102 control). Analysis was limited to data from 11 pantries (5 intervention, 6 control) due to COVID-19. Outcome measures included Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) total and subcomponent scores for 24-hr dietary recalls and client cart selections, and Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) total and subcomponent scores. Multilevel mixed-effects models tested whether client outcomes differed by intervention condition.

Results

In adjusted models, there were no statistically significant differences by intervention condition in HEI-2015 or LS7 scores. Clients in intervention food pantries had improved Refined Grain subcomponent scores (p = .004); clients in control pantries had worsened Saturated Fat subcomponents scores (p = .019) and improved physical activity scores (p = .007).

Conclusions

The intervention did not result in improved diet quality or cardiovascular health as measured by HEI-2015 or LS7. Coordinated efforts across settings are needed to address health risks facing this population.
‘Raisin bread sign’ feature of pontine autosomal dominant microangiopathy and leukoencephalopathy
Authors: Kikumoto Mai , Kurashige Takashi , Ohshita Tomohiko , Kume Kodai , Kikumoto Osamu , Nezu Tomohisa , Aoki Shiro , Ochi Kazuhide , Morino Hiroyuki , Nomura Eiichi , Yamashita Hiroshi , Kaneko Mayumi , Maruyama Hirofumi , Kawakami Hideshi
Published: October 2023

Pontine autosomal dominant microangiopathy and leukoencephalopathy is one of hereditary cerebral small vessel diseases caused by pathogenic variants in COL4A1 3′UTR and characterized by multiple small infarctions in the pons. We attempted to establish radiological features of this disease. We performed whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing in one family with undetermined familial small vessel disease, followed by clinicoradiological assessment and a postmortem examination. We subsequently investigated clinicoradiological features of patients in a juvenile cerebral vessel disease cohort and searched for radiological features similar to those found in the aforementioned family. Sanger sequencing was performed in selected cohort patients in order to detect variants in the same gene. An identical variant in the COL4A1 3′UTR was observed in two patients with familial small vessel disease and the two selected patients, thereby confirming the pontine autosomal dominant microangiopathy and leukoencephalopathy diagnosis. Furthermore, postmortem examination showed that the distribution of thickened media tunica and hyalinized vessels was different from that in lacunar infarctions. The appearance of characteristic multiple oval small infarctions in the pons, which resemble raisin bread, enable us to make a diagnosis of pontine autosomal dominant microangiopathy and leukoencephalopathy. This feature, for which we coined the name ‘raisin bread sign’, was also correlated to the pathological changes.
Janus Kinase Inhibitors Differentially Inhibit Specific Cytokine Signals in the Mesenteric Lymph Node Cells of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients
Authors: Hindmarch Duncan C , Malashanka Sofya , Shows Donna M , Clarke Astrid S , Lord James D
Published: October 2023

Background

Janus kinase [JAK] inhibitors [JAKinibs] are effective small molecule therapies for treating Crohn’s disease [CD] and ulcerative colitis [UC], collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. By preventing JAKs from phosphorylating signal transducer and activator of transcription proteins, JAKinibs disrupt cytokine signalling pathways that promote inflammation. Despite considerable overlap in the JAKs they target, first- and second-generation JAKinibs display different clinical efficacies in CD and UC.

Methods

We conducted a comparative phosflow study of four JAKinibs [filgotinib, upadacitinib, tofacitinib, and deucravacitinib] to observe subtle mechanistic differences that may dictate their clinical behaviour. Resected mesenteric lymph node [MLN] cells from 19 patients [9 CD, 10 UC] were analysed by flow cytometry in the presence or absence of different cytokine stimuli and titrated JAKinibs.

Results

We found a higher potency of the JAK 1/3-preferential inhibitor, tofacitinib, for JAK 3-dependent cytokine signalling pathways in comparison to filgotinib, but a higher potency of the JAK 1-preferential inhibitors, filgotinib and upadacitinib, for JAK 3-independent cytokine signalling pathways. Deucravacitinib, a TYK2-preferential inhibitor, demonstrated a much narrower selectivity by inhibiting only IL-10 and IFN-β pathways, albeit more potently than the other JAKinibs. Additionally, we found some differences in the sensitivity of immune cells from CD versus UC, and patients with versus without a CD-associated NOD2 polymorphism, to phosphorylate signal transducer and activator of transcriptions in response to specific cytokine stimulation.

Conclusions

Despite their similarities, differences exist in the relative potencies of different JAKinibs against distinct cytokine families, to explain their clinical efficacy.
Evolocumab in paediatric heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: cognitive function during 80 weeks of open-label extension treatment
Authors: Santos Raul D , Ruzza Andrea , Wang Bei , Maruff Paul , Schembri Adrian , Bhatia Ajay K , Mach François , Bergeron Jean , Gaudet Isabelle , St Pierre Julie , Kastelein John J P , Hovingh G Kees , Wiegman Albert , Gaudet Daniel , Raal Frederick J
Published: October 2023

Aims

PCSK9 inhibition intensively lowers low density lipoprotein cholesterol and is well tolerated in adults and paediatric patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). HAUSER-RCT showed that 24 weeks of treatment with evolocumab in paediatric patients did not affect cognitive function. This study determined the effects of 80 additional weeks of evolocumab treatment on cognitive function in paediatric patients with heterozygous FH.

Methods and results

HAUSER-OLE was an 80-week open-label extension of HAUSER-RCT, a randomized, double-blind, 24-week trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of evolocumab in paediatric patients (ages 10–17 years) with FH. During the OLE, all patients received monthly 420 mg subcutaneous evolocumab injections. Tests of psychomotor function, attention, visual learning, and executive function were administered at baseline and Weeks 24 and 80 of the OLE. Changes over time were analysed descriptively and using analysis of covariance. Cohen’s d statistic was used to evaluate the magnitude of treatment effects. Analysis of covariance results indicated no decrease in performance across visits during 80 weeks of evolocumab treatment for Groton Maze Learning, One Card Learning accuracy, Identification speed, or Detection speed (all P > 0.05). Performance on all tasks was similar for those who received placebo or evolocumab in the RCT (all P > 0.05). For all tests, the least square mean differences between patients who received placebo vs. evolocumab in the parent study were trivial (all Cohen’s d magnitude < 0.2).

Conclusion

In paediatric patients with FH, 80 weeks of open-label evolocumab treatment had no negative impact on cognitive function.

Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02624869
Fungal drops: a novel approach for macro- and microscopic analyses of fungal mycelial growth
Authors: Buffi Matteo , Cailleau Guillaume , Kuhn Thierry , Li Richter Xiang-Yi , Stanley Claire E , Wick Lukas Y , Chain Patrick S , Bindschedler Saskia , Junier Pilar
Published: October 2023

This study presents an inexpensive approach for the macro- and microscopic observation of fungal mycelial growth. The ‘fungal drops’ method allows to investigate the development of a mycelial network in filamentous microorganisms at the colony and hyphal scales. A heterogeneous environment is created by depositing 15–20 µl drops on a hydrophobic surface at a fixed distance. This system is akin to a two-dimensional (2D) soil-like structure in which aqueous-pockets are intermixed with air-filled pores. The fungus (spores or mycelia) is inoculated into one of the drops, from which hyphal growth and exploration take place. Hyphal structures are assessed at different scales using stereoscopic and microscopic imaging. The former allows to evaluate the local response of regions within the colony (modular behaviour), while the latter can be used for fractal dimension analyses to describe the hyphal network architecture. The method was tested with several species to underpin the transferability to multiple species. In addition, two sets of experiments were carried out to demonstrate its use in fungal biology. First, mycelial reorganization of Fusarium oxysporum was assessed as a response to patches containing different nutrient concentrations. Second, the effect of interactions with the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida on habitat colonization by the same fungus was assessed. This method appeared as fast and accessible, allowed for a high level of replication, and complements more complex experimental platforms. Coupled with image analysis, the fungal drops method provides new insights into the study of fungal modularity both macroscopically and at a single-hypha level.
Transcription factors involved in tomato fruit quality improvement
Authors: Shi Yanna , Dai Zhengrong , Chen Kunsong
Published: October 2023

Fruit quality is both a consumer demand and an important goal for horticultural breeding. The exploration of quality-related genes provides targets to create high-quality germplasm using biotechnology, of which transcription factors (TFs) exhibit dosage effects compared with structural genes. Tomato, an important horticultural crop as well as model fruit, has been widely studied. Here, we focused on TFs with potential utilization value that control appearance (e.g. shape, pigment) and internal (e.g. flavor, texture, shelf life and health benefits) quality in tomato. Additionally, potential strategies to generate high-quality tomato fruit are discussed.
Long-term follow-up of endoscopic papillectomy and the value of preventive pancreatic stent placement (with videos)
Authors: Wang Yuling , Zhang Xiaoqing , Yang Zhenhua , Wang Teng , Zhu Dongqing , Gao Jie , Zhang Ping-Ping , Wang Peiqin , Shi Xingang
Published: October 2023

Background

Early-stage ampullary adenomas have only been reported in a small case series on endoscopic management. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of early ampullary adenoma with endoscopic management and identify the risk factors for acute pancreatitis after endoscopic papillectomy (EP).

Methods

In this study, 115 patients who underwent EP at Changhai Hospital (Shanghai, China) between January 2012 and December 2018 were retrospectively analysed. Endoscopy was performed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after EP. Data were statistically analysed using the t-test or the Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

A total of 107 patients were included in this study and the follow-up period was 75 ± 43 months. The average age of the 107 patients was 54.6 years and the average tumor size was 17 mm. The average age of the patients (53.7 ± 10.7 years vs 55.2 ± 10.5 years, P = 0.482), minimum tumor size (13 vs 19 mm, P = 0.063), and complete resection rate (84.78% vs 85.25%, P = 0.947) did not differ significantly between the stent placement and non-stent placement groups. Post-EP acute pancreatitis rates in the non-stent placement and stent placement groups were 11.48% and 4.35%, respectively. The risk of post-EP acute pancreatitis was significantly associated with the preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level in univariate analysis, but not in multivariate analysis. The risk of post-EP acute pancreatitis was not significantly associated with the placement of the pancreatic stent in either univariate or multivariate analysis. Moreover, delayed proximal pancreatic duct stenosis was not noted in either group during long-term follow-up.

Conclusions

EP is a satisfactory option for treating adenomas of the ampulla of the duodenum.
Three-component high-resolution seismic time–frequency polarization filter
Authors: Kazemnia Kakhki Mohsen , Mokhtari Ahmadreza , Mansur Webe João , Del Gaudio Vincenzo
Published: October 2023

The analysis of earthquake recordings from three-component instruments can be challenging due to overlapping events. Time–frequency (TF) polarization methods are efficient tools for this purpose, which can discriminate these events. Previous polarization methods did not consider all three components simultaneously while transferring data to TF domain, which can cause inaccuracies in the reconstruction of wave amplitudes. Therefore, the three-component sparse adaptive S transform (3C-SAST) algorithm is preferred to other TF decompositions since it is mainly developed for polarization analysis purposes, and outperforms other TF methods. In this paper, we developed the 3C-SAST by adding a parameter to adjust the sparseness of the solution and make the resolution flexible. The developed TF decomposition is then used to extend the Morozov & Smithson method to TF domain, and devise a new TF polarization filter whose invertibility and resolution flexibility make it a promising tool for wavefield separation. This filter can eliminate the out-of-plane arrival energies and extract the Rayleigh waves for multicomponent data, which has application in Rayleigh wave tomography and seismological studies. We demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed method for seismic surface waves separation using synthetic signals and three-component teleseismic earthquake recording.
LSC-GInSAR: a GNSS-enhanced InSAR approach by using least squares collocation
Authors: Chen Hailu , Shen Yunzhong
Published: October 2023

High quality Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) interferograms are essential for determining surface deformation from InSAR time-series. However, InSAR interferograms are usually polluted by spatially correlated errors (SCEs), especially the unmodelled atmospheric phase delays. To mitigate spatially correlated errors and improve the quality of InSAR interferograms, we propose a new approach to incorporate the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data from continuously operating reference stations for enhancing InSAR interferograms via modelling SCEs as signals and solving the signals together with the systematic parameters using least squares collocation (LSC), which is referred to as the LSC-GInSAR approach. Our improvement for the GInSAR method of Neely et al. can correct more SCEs. The Sentinel-1 data over the southern Central Valley of California, USA, are processed with our LSC-GInSAR approach, which is compared to the GInSAR approach. The performance of the LSC-GInSAR approach is evaluated by external GNSS displacements. The results show that the LSC-GInSAR approach can effectively mitigate medium-to-long-wavelength SCEs. The displacements resolved by LSC-GInSAR are more consistent with the cGNSS observations than those resolved by GInSAR, with an average root mean square improvement of 14.3 per cent. In addition, the LSC-GInSAR approach reduced the average standard deviations of all 276 InSAR interferograms from 14.2 to 11.0 mm compared to that of the GInSAR approach.
The telomere-to-telomere gap-free reference genome of wild blueberry (Vaccinium duclouxii) provides its high soluble sugar and anthocyanin accumulation
Authors: Zeng Tuo , He Zhijiao , He Jiefang , Lv Wei , Huang Shixiang , Li Jiawen , Zhu Liyong , Wan Shuang , Zhou Wanfei , Yang Zhengsong , Zhang Yatao , Luo Chong , He Jiawei , Wang Caiyun , Wang Liangsheng
Published: October 2023

Vaccinium duclouxii, endemic to southwestern China, is a berry-producing shrub or small tree belonging to the Ericaceae family, with high nutritive, medicinal, and ornamental value, abundant germplasm resources, and good edible properties. In addition, V. duclouxii exhibits strong tolerance to adverse environmental conditions, making it a promising candidate for research and offering wide-ranging possibilities for utilization. However, the lack of V. duclouxii genome sequence has hampered its development and utilization. Here, a high-quality telomere-to-telomere genome sequence of V. duclouxii was de novo assembled and annotated. All of 12 chromosomes were assembled into gap-free single contigs, providing the highest integrity and quality assembly reported so far for blueberry. The V. duclouxii genome is 573.67 Mb, which encodes 41 953 protein-coding genes. Combining transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses, we have uncovered the molecular mechanisms involved in sugar and acid accumulation and anthocyanin biosynthesis in V. duclouxii. This provides essential molecular information for further research on the quality of V. duclouxii. Moreover, the high-quality telomere-to-telomere assembly of the V. duclouxii genome will provide insights into the genomic evolution of Vaccinium and support advancements in blueberry genetics and molecular breeding.
The feasibility and inevitability of stealth attacks
Authors: Tyukin Ivan Y , Higham Desmond J , Bastounis Alexander , Woldegeorgis Eliyas , Gorban Alexander N
Published: October 2023

We develop and study new adversarial perturbations that enable an attacker to gain control over decisions in generic Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems including deep learning neural networks. In contrast to adversarial data modification, the attack mechanism we consider here involves alterations to the AI system itself. Such a stealth attack could be conducted by a mischievous, corrupt or disgruntled member of a software development team. It could also be made by those wishing to exploit a ‘democratization of AI’ agenda, where network architectures and trained parameter sets are shared publicly. We develop a range of new implementable attack strategies with accompanying analysis, showing that with high probability a stealth attack can be made transparent, in the sense that system performance is unchanged on a fixed validation set which is unknown to the attacker, while evoking any desired output on a trigger input of interest. The attacker only needs to have estimates of the size of the validation set and the spread of the AI’s relevant latent space. In the case of deep learning neural networks, we show that a one-neuron attack is possible—a modification to the weights and bias associated with a single neuron—revealing a vulnerability arising from over-parameterization. We illustrate these concepts using state-of-the-art architectures on two standard image data sets. Guided by the theory and computational results, we also propose strategies to guard against stealth attacks.
Oscillatory and regularized shock waves for a dissipative Peregrine–Boussinesq system
Authors: Brudvik-Lindner Larkspur , Mitsotakis Dimitrios , Tzavaras Athanasios E
Published: October 2023

We consider a dissipative, dispersive system of the Boussinesq type, which describes wave phenomena in scenarios where dissipation plays a significant role. Examples include undular bores in rivers or oceans, where turbulence-induced dissipation significantly influences their behavior. In this study, we demonstrate that the proposed system admits traveling wave solutions known as diffusive-dispersive shock waves. These solutions can be categorized as oscillatory and regularized shock waves, depending on the interplay between dispersion and dissipation effects. By comparing numerically computed solutions with laboratory data, we observe that the proposed model accurately captures the behavior of undular bores over a broad range of phase speeds. Traditionally, undular bores have been approximated using the original Peregrine system, which, even though it doesn’t possess these as traveling wave solutions, tends to offer accurate approximations within suitable time scales. To shed light on this phenomenon, we demonstrate that the discrepancy between the solutions of the dissipative Peregrine system and the non-dissipative counterpart is proportional to the product of the dissipation coefficient and the observation time.
Earmarked Funding and the Performance of International Organizations: Evidence from Food and Agricultural Development Agencies
Authors: Reinsberg Bernhard
Published: October 2023

How do funding structures affect the performance of international organizations (IOs)? Considering the rapid growth of earmarked funding over the past decade, the need to address this question has become a matter of urgency. To answer this question, I divide IO performance into outcome performance (i.e., achieving results that are relevant and sustainable) and process performance (i.e., having systems, rules, and practices that enable IOs to achieve self-defined goals effectively, efficiently, and responsively). Drawing on the principal−agent framework and studies of organizational behavior, I derive expectations about how earmarked funding can affect those performance dimensions. To empirically examine these expectations, I rely on qualitative case studies of three major IOs in food and agricultural development—Food and Agricultural Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and World Food Program—using semi-structured interviews with IO staff and evaluation reports from multiple sources. I find that earmarked funding undermines performance, albeit not uniformly across performance areas and organizational contexts. I highlight the need for future research that considers how funding structures, institutional structures, and organizational behavior interact to affect organizational performance.