bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Illuminating the Mysteries of the Smallest Birds: Hummingbird Population Health, Disease Ecology, and Genomics
Authors: Ernest Holly B. , Tell Lisa A. , Bishop Christine A. , González Ana M. , Lumsdaine Emily R.
Published: February 2024

Hummingbirds share biologically distinctive traits: sustained hovering flight, the smallest bird body size, and high metabolic rates fueled partially by nectar feeding that provides pollination to plant species. Being insectivorous and sometimes serving as prey to larger birds, they fulfill additional important ecological roles. Hummingbird species evolved and radiated into nearly every habitat in the Americas, with a core of species diversity in South America. Population declines of some of their species are increasing their risk of extinction. Threats to population health and genetic diversity are just beginning to be identified, including diseases and hazards caused by humans. We review the disciplines of population health, disease ecology, and genomics as they relate to hummingbirds. We appraise knowledge gaps, causes of morbidity and mortality including disease, and threats to population viability. Finally, we highlight areas of research need and provide ideas for future studies aimed at facilitating hummingbird conservation.
Biology and Cultural Importance of the Narwhal
Authors: Nweeia Martin T.
Published: February 2024

Though narwhal have survived multiple ice ages, including 2.5 Ma and the last interglacial period with warming temperatures, Arctic climate change during the Anthropocene introduces new challenges. Despite their evolutionary connection to Arctic Pleistocene fossils, narwhal archeocete ancestors from the Pliocene ( Bohaskaia monodontoides ) and Miocene ( Denebola and Odobenocetopsidae) inhabited warm waters. Narwhal Arctic adaptation holds valuable insights into unique traits, including thin skin; extreme diving capacity; and a unique straight, spiraled, and sensory tooth organ system. Inaccessible weather, ice conditions, and darkness limit scientific studies, though Inuit knowledge adds valuable observations of narwhal ecology, biology, and behavior. Existing and future studies in myriad fields of physical, chemical, biological, and genetic science, combined and integrated with remote sensing and imaging technologies, will help elucidate narwhal evolution, biology, and adaptation. When integrated with Qaujimajatuqangit, “the Inuit way of knowing,” these studies help describe interesting biologic expressions of the narwhal.
Relating Solvent Parameters to Electrochemical Properties to Predict the Electrochemical Performance of Vanadium Acetylacetonate for Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries
Authors: Stracensky Thomas , Mukundan Rangachary , Maurya Sandip , Mukerjee Sanjeev
Published: February 2024

Non-aqueous redox flow batteries have shown promise for applications in grid energy storage. Increasing the efficiency of these batteries by developing the electrolyte chemistries is needed. Herein, we investigate the correlation between solvent properties and the electrochemical parameters of vanadium acetylacetonate V(acac)3. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and rotating disk electrode experiments (RDE), we show that trends in the performance of the V(acac)3 kinetics are directly related to solvent properties. We found strong relationships between the solvents polarity, viscosity, and donor number with the electrochemical behavior of V(acac)3 in terms of the electrochemical working widow, electron kinetics and stability towards cycling. Based on these finding, we also demonstrate how solvent selection can be improved with limited a priori knowledge.
Microstructure of Pure Magnesium and AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Anodes after Discharge/Charge Cycles for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries
Authors: Chang Yung-Jen , Huang Yu-Shan , Chu Peng-Wei
Published: February 2024

This study investigated the microstructure of pure magnesium (Mg) and AZ31 (Al—3 wt%; Zn—1 wt%) Mg alloy anodes after different discharge/charge cycles in an all phenyl complex (APC) electrolyte for rechargeable Mg batteries. When discharging the as-immersed Mg metal electrodes, the stripping morphologies of pure Mg and AZ31 Mg alloy electrodes are inhomogeneous with numerous discharge holes. In the subsequent charge stage, the plated Mg preferentially deposits along the circumferences of the discharge holes, which could be related to the distribution of Mg and Cl complex ions near the electrode surface after discharge. Later discharge/charge cycles on pure Mg show that both the plated Mg and the pure Mg substrate are stripped during discharge, resulting in an incomplete stripping of the plated Mg and a non-uniform electrode surface morphology after cycles. In contrast, AZ31 Mg alloy shows a higher stripping resistance than pure Mg, so the plated Mg is preferentially stripped during discharge. Near complete stripping of the plated Mg on AZ31 Mg alloy electrode results in a more uniform electrode surface morphology after cycles and a mitigated increase in the difference between the discharge and charge potentials.
Estimation of SOH of Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on PSO-Bi GRU-Attention Network
Authors: Hou Zhanying , Xu Weiqing , Jia Guanwei , Wang Jia , Cai Maolin
Published: February 2024

The State of Health (SOH) of lithium-ion batteries is a critical parameter that characterizes their actual lifespan, and its accurate assessment ensures the safe and reliable operation of batteries. However, in practical applications, SOH cannot be directly measured. To further improve the accuracy of SOH estimation for lithium-ion batteries, this study employs the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to search for the optimal hyperparameters of the Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (Bi GRU) neural network, enabling the prediction of time series information. Additionally, Attention Mechanism (AM) is integrated to allocate weights to the prediction results, resulting in the SOH prediction for lithium-ion batteries. The propose model is validated using the B0005 battery from the NASA lithium battery dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared to the Bi GRU-Attention and Bi GRU models, the propose model reduces the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) by 52.34% and 66.88%, respectively.
Tailoring Silicon Composite Anodes with Li+-Containing Organic Ionic Plastic Crystals for Solid-State Batteries
Authors: Ueda Hiroyuki , Mizuno Fuminori , Forsyth Maria , Howlett Patrick C.
Published: February 2024

Silicon is one of the highest-capacity anode active materials and, therefore, its use in solid-state batteries (SSBs) is expected to provide both high energy density and safety. Although the creation of solid-state Si electrodes via a scalable method is important from the perspective of battery production, the effect of electrode-preparation methods on electrochemical performance of electrodes with Li+-containing organic ionic plastic crystals (OIPCs) as solid electrolytes has yet to be investigated. Here, we prepared various Si−OIPC composite electrodes using four different methods and measured their electrochemical performance to decipher the method−structure−property relationship for high-performing SSBs. Si−OIPC composite electrodes containing 50 mol% LiFSI in N-ethyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide ([C2mpyr][FSI]) showed the highest initial Coulombic efficiency and cyclability. Three out of the four methods provided the Si−Li0.50[C2mpyr]0.50[FSI] electrodes with relatively large capacity retentions that were close to that of the Si electrode in a liquid electrolyte solution. Elemental analysis of electrode cross-sections showed homogeneous distribution of Li0.50[C2mpyr]0.50[FSI], except for those prepared by the drop-cast method, suggesting that well-designed methods can establish the long-range ion-conduction network in the electrode necessary to improve the electrochemical stability of Si during cycling. This study clarifies the importance of the OIPC-incorporation method in fabricating highly functional OIPC-based electrodes for SSBs.
Attentional focus differentially modulates the corticospinal and intracortical excitability during dynamic and static exercise
Authors: Matsumoto Amiri , Ogawa Akari , Oshima Chihiro , Aruga Rieko , Ikeda Mai , Sasaya Ren , Toriyama Miyabi , Irie Keisuke , Liang Nan
Published: February 2024

We investigated attentional focus-dependent corticospinal and intracortical modulations in dynamic or static exercise. The corticospinal excitability was modulated differentially depending on the focus of attention during dynamic, but not static exercise. Although the reduction of intracortical GABAergic inhibition was comparable between focus conditions in both exercises, intracortical facilitation was smaller when focusing on the internal environments in the dynamic exercise, resulting in lower activation of the corticospinal tract.
Combined Replacement of Fishmeal and Fish Oil by Poultry Byproduct Meal and Mixed Oil: Effects on the Growth Performance, Body Composition, and Muscle Quality of Tiger Puffer
Authors: Zhao Lili , Li Lin , Zhang Feiran , Li Peng , Li Yanlu , Liu Jian , Wei Yuliang , Liang Mengqing , Ma Qiang , Xu Houguo
Published: February 2024

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combined replacement of fishmeal (FM) and fish oil (FO) with poultry byproduct meal (PBM) and mixed oil (MO, poultry oil: coconut oil = 1 : 1) on growth performance, body composition and muscle quality of tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes). Fish with an average initial body weight of 14.29 g were selected for the feeding experiment. FM accounting for 0%, 5%, and 10% of the diet was replaced by PBM. For each grade of FM replacement, 5% FO or MO was used as added oil. The six experimental diets were designated as FO‐FM, MO‐FM, FO‐5PBM, MO‐5PBM, FO‐10PBM, and MO‐10PBM, respectively. Each treatment was performed in triplicate with 30 fish per replicate. The feeding period was 45 days. There was no significant difference in growth performance among the groups. Dietary supplementation of both PBM and MO had marginal effects on whole‐fish proximate composition, except that dietary MO supplementation significantly increased the liver moisture content. In serum, there were no significant differences in contents of triglyceride, total cholesterol, total bile acid, and protein carbonyl among groups, but the malondialdehyde content was reduced by MO. The fatty acid composition in fish mirrored those in the diets, but the omega‐3 sparing effects of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid in MO can still be observed. Dietary PBM and MO had marginal effects on free amino acid composition and texture of fish muscle, but exerted complicated effects on the muscle volatile flavor compound composition. In conclusion, combined fishmeal (10% of the diet) and fish oil (5% of the diet) replacement with poultry byproduct and mixed oil (poultry oil + coconut oil) had no adverse effects on the growth performance and body proximate composition of farmed tiger puffer. However, these replacements changed the muscle flavor compound profile.
A Multi-Attention Feature Distillation Neural Network for Lightweight Single Image Super-Resolution
Authors: Zhang Yongfei , Lin Xinying , Yang Hong , He Jie , Qing Linbo , He Xiaohai , Li Yi , Chen Honggang
Published: February 2024

In recent years, remarkable performance improvements have been produced by deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) for single image super-resolution (SISR). Nevertheless, a high proportion of CNN-based SISR models are with quite a few network parameters and high computational complexity for deep or wide architectures. How to more fully utilize deep features to make a balance between model complexity and reconstruction performance is one of the main challenges in this field. To address this problem, on the basis of the well-known information multi-distillation model, a multi-attention feature distillation network termed as MAFDN is developed for lightweight and accurate SISR. Specifically, an effective multi-attention feature distillation block (MAFDB) is designed and used as the basic feature extraction unit in MAFDN. With the help of multi-attention layers including pixel attention, spatial attention, and channel attention, MAFDB uses multiple information distillation branches to learn more discriminative and representative features. Furthermore, MAFDB introduces the depthwise over-parameterized convolutional layer (DO-Conv)-based residual block (OPCRB) to enhance its ability without incurring any parameter and computation increase in the inference stage. The results on commonly used datasets demonstrate that our MAFDN outperforms existing representative lightweight SISR models when taking both reconstruction performance and model complexity into consideration. For example, for ×4 SR on Set5, MAFDN (597K/33.79G) obtains 0.21 dB/0.0037 and 0.10 dB/0.0015 PSNR/SSIM gains over the attention-based SR model AFAN (692K/50.90G) and the feature distillation-based SR model DDistill-SR (675K/32.83G), respectively.
Sparse Regularization Based on Orthogonal Tensor Dictionary Learning for Inverse Problems
Authors: Gemechu Diriba
Published: February 2024

In seismic data processing, data recovery including reconstruction of the missing trace and removal of noise from the recorded data are the key steps in improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The reconstruction of seismic data and removal of noise becomes a sparse optimization problem that can be solved by using sparse regularization. Sparse regularization is a key tool in the solution of inverse problems. They are used to introduce prior knowledge and make the approximation of ill-posed inverses feasible. It deals with ill-posedness by replacing an ill-posed inverse problem with a well-posed problem that has a solution close to the true solution. In the last 2 decades, interest has shifted from linear toward nonlinear regularization methods even for linear inverse problems. In inverse problems, regularizations serve as stabilizing the solution of ill-posed inverse problems and give a solution that adequately fits measurements without producing unjustifiably complex artifacts. In this paper, we present a novel sparse regularization based on a tensor-based dictionary method for inverse problems (seismic data interpolation and denoising). This regularization avoids the vectorization step for sparse representation of seismic data during the reconstruction process. The key step in sparsifying signals is the choice of sparsity-promoting dictionary learning. The learning-based approach can adaptively sparsify datasets but has high computational complexity and involves no prior-constraint pattern information for the dataset. Many existing dictionary learning methods would be computationally infeasible for the high dimensional seismic data processing. These methods also destroy the essential information as well as it reduces the discriminability and expressibility of the signal, since they deal with vectorization. In this paper, the orthogonal tensor dictionary learning that learns a dictionary from the input data by employing orthogonality and separability is proposed as sparse regularization for the inverse problems. The performance of the proposed method was validated in seismic data interpolation and denoising individually as well as simultaneously. Numerical examples of synthetic and real seismic datasets demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. The SNR of the recovered data confirms that the proposed method is the most effective method than K-singular value decomposition and orthogonal dictionary learning methods.
Bilateral Cryptococcal Choroiditis in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patient: A Case Report
Authors: Sanfilippo Sara , Docquier Bastien , Schrooyen Paul Louis , Makhoul Dorine , Le Aurélie
Published: February 2024

Introduction: In this case report, we present a rare case of bilateral cryptococcal choroiditis following a diagnosis of meningitis in a 38-year-old woman with HIV. Case Presentation: A Colombian woman, newly diagnosed with HIV, presented with respiratory distress followed by meningeal syndrome. Further evaluation revealed cryptococcal meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans, confirmed through cerebrospinal fluid analysis and brain magnetic resonance imaging. The patient reported mild blurred vision, prompting an ophthalmic examination that included indocyanine green angiography. The findings revealed signs of HIV retinopathy and multifocal choroidal lesions in both eyes, suggestive of choroidal cryptococcosis. Treatment involved intravenous administration of amphotericin B and flucytosine, followed by oral fluconazole. Subsequently, the choroidal lesions gradually regressed, and regular monitoring demonstrated no signs of recurrence. Conclusion: Cryptococcal choroiditis, though exceptionally rare, can occur in HIV-positive patients with disseminated cryptococcosis. Ophthalmologists should maintain a high index of suspicion for opportunistic infections, even in the absence of pronounced ocular symptoms, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are crucial for achieving favorable outcomes in such cases.
A Case of Closure of Recurrent Full-Thickness Macular Hole by Spontaneous Retinal Detachment around the Macular Hole and Gas Tamponade
Authors: Yagura Tatsuya , Nishida Kentaro , Hirokazu Sakaguchi , Nishida Kohji
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Here, we present a case of full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) recurrence following two vitrectomies, accompanied by additional internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and gas tamponade. Ultimately, FTMH closure was accomplished by spontaneous retinal detachment around the macular hole and gas tamponade alone. Case Presentation: The patient, a 54-year-old woman with a lamellar macular hole, had a visual acuity of 20/100 in her left eye. The treatment regimen included cataract surgery, a 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy involving ILM peeling, application of the lamellar hole epiretinal proliferation embedding technique, and subsequent gas tamponade. Closure of the lamellar macular hole was observed a month post-surgery, improving visual acuity to 20/40. However, FTMH developed 3 months after the initial surgery, resulting in visual acuity decline to 20/100. A 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy was performed with extensive ILM peeling and 20% sulfur hexafluoride gas tamponade. FTMH closure was noted within 19 days after reoperation, enhancing visual acuity to 20/66. Approximately 1.5 months after reoperation, a pinhole-shaped macular hole was identified, and the patient opted for follow-up observation due to her refusal to undergo additional surgery. As the macular hole gradually enlarged resembling retinal detachment, outpatient fluid-gas exchange with 14% perfluoropropane was performed 3.5 months after reoperation. The FTMH closed within a week post-gas injection and remained closed for more than 1 year. Consequently, visual acuity in the left eye was sustained at 20/50. Conclusion: We encountered a case that might highlight the significance of releasing subretinal adhesions surrounding a FTMH for successful closure.
Experience and Lessons Learned in the Treatment of Transforming Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Prostate: A Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Song Binbin , Luo Yan , Li Qing , Pan Hong , Li Dong
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate (SCNECP) is a rare and highly malignant tumor that commonly transforms into conventional prostate adenocarcinoma (CPAC). Most of SCNECP cases cannot be detected and diagnosed early, and SCNECP is often diagnosed when there is liver and lung metastasis. Therefore, the early detection of the process from CPAC to SCNECP is crucial. Case Report: We present a case of a 73-year-old man who was initially admitted to our hospital with metastatic CPAC. He was administered goserelin acetate 3.6 mg combined with bicalutamide tablets (50 mg) once daily for endocrine therapy and docetaxel (100 mg) combined with prednisone (5 mg) twice a day. After treatment, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level decreased significantly, but the CEA, CA199, and CA125 levels began to increase progressively after a short decline. However, no solid tumor recurrence was observed in multiple reexaminations. It was not until 9 months after the elevation of tumor markers that multiple metastatic lesions appeared in the liver, which finally confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic SCNECP. After chemotherapy with etoposide 360 mg combined with carboplatin 200 mg, the tumor size was significantly reduced, and tumor markers decreased. However, the remission time was only 3 months. The patient’s liver metastases continued to grow, and CEA, CA199, and CA125 levels continued to increase. Conclusion: During CPAC treatment, PSA levels continued to decrease, whereas CEA, CA199, and CA125 levels continued to increase. This suggests the possibility of the transformation of CPAC into SCNECP.
Caderno de jornalismo esportivo: volume 6
Authors: Carvalho Thais May
Published: February 2024

O Caderno de Jornalismo Esportivo reúne crônicas dos alunos da disciplina "Jornalismo Esportivo – a pauta além do futebol", que é oferecida pela Escola de Comunicações e recebe estudantes de diversos cursos de graduação da Universidade de São Paulo. O objetivo é divulgar o esporte por meio das técnicas e dos princípios da cobertura jornalística especializada. Esta sexta edição é especial, por ser a primeira após a Pandemia de Covid-19 e, assim, gostaríamos de homenagear dois amigos que se foram durante essa dura jornada: Valdir Baptista e Marcello Bittencourt. E como eles gostariam de ler as crônicas sobre jogos, práticas, torcidas e brincadeiras esportivas, dos jovens sonhadores da Universidade de São Paulo.
Application of New Lineage Tracing Techniques in Cardiovascular Development and Physiology
Authors: Zhang MingJun , Lui Kathy O. , Zhou Bin
Published: February 2024

Cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide in the past 3 decades. Multiple cell lineages undergo dynamic alternations in gene expression, cell state determination, and cell fate conversion to contribute, adapt, and even modulate the pathophysiological processes during disease progression. There is an urgent need to understand the intricate cellular and molecular underpinnings of cardiovascular cell development in homeostasis and pathogenesis. Recent strides in lineage tracing methodologies have revolutionized our understanding of cardiovascular biology with the identification of new cellular origins, fates, plasticity, and heterogeneity within the cardiomyocyte, endothelial, and mesenchymal cell populations. In this review, we introduce the new technologies for lineage tracing of cardiovascular cells and summarize their applications in studying cardiovascular development, diseases, repair, and regeneration.
Comparison of Angiographic Outcomes of Woven EndoBridge and Balloon‐Assisted Coiling for the Treatment of Ruptured Wide‐Necked Aneurysms: A Multicentric Study
Authors: Rodriguez‐Calienes Aaron , Vivanco‐Suarez Juan , Galecio‐Castillo Milagros , Dibas Mahmoud , Gross Bradley , Farooqui Mudassir , Algin Oktay , Kilic Turker , Gunes Yasin Celal , Feigen Chaim , Samaniego Edgar A. , Altschul David J. , Ortega‐Gutierrez Santiago
Published: February 2024

Background

The optimal endovascular approach for acutely ruptured wide‐neck intracranial aneurysms remains uncertain, and the use of stent‐assisted coiling or flow diversion is controversial due to antiplatelet therapy requirements and potential risks. Various techniques have been developed to address these challenges, including balloon‐assisted coiling (BAC) and intrasaccular flow‐disruption. The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) is an intrasaccular device that has shown a favorable efficacy and safety profile for ruptured aneurysms with minimal rebleeding rates. We aimed to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between WEB and BAC in a cohort of patients with ruptured wide‐necked intracranial aneurysms.

Methods

In this international multicenter cohort study, we included consecutive patients treated for ruptured wide‐neck intracranial aneurysms with either WEB or BAC at 4 neurovascular centers. The primary effectiveness outcome was complete aneurysm occlusion at the final imaging follow‐up using the Raymond–Roy scale. Secondary outcomes included a composite of periprocedural hemorrhagic/ischemia‐related complications and favorable functional outcome.

Results

The study included 104 patients treated with WEB and 107 patients treated with BAC. Of the patients, 60.5% in the WEB group and 53% in the BAC group achieved complete occlusion, with no significant difference between the 2 groups after adjusting for covariates (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.02; 95% CI 0.46–2.25;
P
= 0.964). The odds of favorable functional outcome did not significantly differ between the WEB (74.8%) and BAC groups (77.4%, adjusted OR = 1.45; 95% CI 0.65–3.24;
P
= 0.368). Procedure‐related complications were similar in both groups (WEB: 9.6%, BAC: 10.3%,
P
= 0.872), with no significant difference observed in the rates of ischemic events (WEB: 6.7% versus BAC: 2.8%;
P
= 0.180) and hemorrhagic events (WEB: 3.8% versus BAC: 7.5%;
P
= 0.255) between the 2 groups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both WEB and BAC techniques showed similar effectiveness and safety outcomes in treating ruptured wide‐neck intracranial aneurysms. Further prospective comparative studies are needed to better guide treatment decisions for this patient population.
Bilingual Language Control in the Brain: Evidence from Structural and Effective Functional Brain Connectivity
Authors: Wang Gongting , Tao Lily
Published: February 2024

Experience in bilingual language control is often accompanied by changes in the structure and function of the brain. Brain structural changes are also often closely related to changes in functions. Previous studies, however, have not directly explored the relationship between structural connectivity and effective functional connectivity of the brain during bilingual language control, and whether the two types of connectivity are associated with behavioral performance of language control. Using behavioral performance, functional, and diffusion imaging techniques, we found that: (1) during language control, the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), left caudate nucleus (CN), inferior parietal lobe, precuneus, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC)/pre-SMA were significantly activated. (2) In the language control model with left dlPFC, dACC/pre-SMA, and left CN as ROIs (selected based on activation results and language control models from previous studies), stimuli first enter dACC/pre-SMA and then to left CN. At the left CN, a bidirectional effective connectivity is formed with left dlPFC. (3) There is a nonlinear relationship between effective connectivity during language control and the structural connectivity of the second language learners' brains. Specifically, the fiber density between dACC/pre-SMA and left dlPFC has a positive influence on the bidirectional effective connectivity between left dlPFC and left CN. Findings of the present study contribute evidence toward functional effective connectivity during bilingual language control; toward structural connectivity in the brains of second language learners; as well as toward nonlinear relationships between functional effective connectivity, structural connectivity, and behavioral performance in relation to bilingual language control.
Auditory Processing of Intonational Rises and Falls in German: Rises Are Special in Attention Orienting
Authors: Lialiou Maria , Grice Martine , Röhr Christine T. , Schumacher Petra B.
Published: February 2024

This article investigates the processing of intonational rises and falls when presented unexpectedly in a stream of repetitive auditory stimuli. It examines the neurophysiological correlates (ERPs) of attention to these unexpected stimuli through the use of an oddball paradigm where sequences of repetitive stimuli are occasionally interspersed with a deviant stimulus, allowing for elicitation of an MMN. Whereas previous oddball studies on attention toward unexpected sounds involving pitch rises were conducted on nonlinguistic stimuli, the present study uses as stimuli lexical items in German with naturalistic intonation contours. Results indicate that rising intonation plays a special role in attention orienting at a pre-attentive processing stage, whereas contextual meaning (here a list of items) is essential for activating attentional resources at a conscious processing stage. This is reflected in the activation of distinct brain responses: Rising intonation evokes the largest MMN, whereas falling intonation elicits a less pronounced MMN followed by a P3 (reflecting a conscious processing stage). Subsequently, we also find a complex interplay between the phonological status (i.e., accent/head marking vs. boundary/edge marking) and the direction of pitch change in their contribution to attention orienting: Attention is not oriented necessarily toward a specific position in prosodic structure (head or edge). Rather, we find that the intonation contour itself and the appropriateness of the contour in the linguistic context are the primary cues to two core mechanisms of attention orienting, pre-attentive and conscious orientation respectively, whereas the phonological status of the pitch event plays only a supplementary role.
Neural Mechanisms Determining the Duration of Task-free, Self-paced Visual Perception
Authors: Baror Shira , Baumgarten Thomas J , He Biyu J.
Published: February 2024

Humans spend hours each day spontaneously engaging with visual content, free from specific tasks and at their own pace. Currently, the brain mechanisms determining the duration of self-paced perceptual behavior remain largely unknown. Here, participants viewed naturalistic images under task-free settings and self-paced each image's viewing duration while undergoing EEG and pupillometry recordings. Across two independent data sets, we observed large inter- and intra-individual variability in viewing duration. However, beyond an image's presentation order and category, specific image content had no consistent effects on spontaneous viewing duration across participants. Overall, longer viewing durations were associated with sustained enhanced posterior positivity and anterior negativity in the ERPs. Individual-specific variations in the spontaneous viewing duration were consistently correlated with evoked EEG activity amplitudes and pupil size changes. By contrast, presentation order was selectively correlated with baseline alpha power and baseline pupil size. Critically, spontaneous viewing duration was strongly predicted by the temporal stability in neural activity patterns starting as early as 350 msec after image onset, suggesting that early neural stability is a key predictor for sustained perceptual engagement. Interestingly, neither bottom–up nor top–down predictions about image category influenced spontaneous viewing duration. Overall, these results suggest that individual-specific factors can influence perceptual processing at a surprisingly early time point and influence the multifaceted ebb and flow of spontaneous human perceptual behavior in naturalistic settings.
Solubility, Water Sorption, and Shear Bond Strength of Contemporary Pulp Capping Agents Biodentine, TheraCal LC, and Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles to the Composite Resin Restoration
Authors: Almutairi Basil
Published: February 2024

Aims: Assessing the solubility, water sorption (WS), and shear bond strength (SBS) of contemporary pulp capping agents i.e., Biodentine, TheraCal LC, and Bioactive glass nanoparticles (BGn) bonded to the composite resin restoration as compared to the Dycal. Methods: Forty
acrylic resin blocks with a center ditch were fabricated. Each block was then randomly allocated into four groups based on the type of pulp capping cement filled in the prepared ditch (n = 10) Group 1: Dycal, Group 2: Theracal LC, Group 3: Biodentine, and Group 4: BGn. A two-step etch
and rinse adhesive along with nanohybrid universal composite were then bonded and built as a 2 mm restoration. SBS and failure mode analysis were performed using a universal testing machine (UTM) and stereomicroscope. Five disks were meticulously manufactured from each tested type of cement
for solubility and WS analysis. ANOVA followed by a Tukey post hoc test evaluates the statistical significance of the SBS between restoration and pulp capping material Results: TheraCal LC exhibited the highest SBS values (7.99±0.65 MPa). However, the Dycal demonstrated the lowest
bond integrity (1.46±0.19 MPa). Biodentine (14.11±0.58%) displayed the most solubility and TheraCal LC was identified as the least soluble pulp capping agent (3.99±0.41%). Biodentine (12.60±1.15%) demonstrated maximum WS whereas BGn (5.12±0.35%) unveiled
the minimum WS. Conclusion: BGn cement displayed satisfactory outcomes in terms of SBS, solubility, and water sorption among all the tested cements. TheraCal LC also exhibited desirable properties of pulp capping agent. However, its water sorption is higher than Dycal.
COVID Impacts Cause Critical Gaps in the Indian Ocean Observing System
Authors: Sprintall Janet , Nagura Motoki , Hermes Juliet , Roxy M. K. , McPhaden Michael J. , Rama Rao E. Pattabhi , Tummala Srinivasa Kumar , Thurston Sidney , Li Jing , Belbeoch Mathieu , Turpin Victor
Published: February 2024

Observing and understanding the state of the Indian Ocean and its influence on climate and maritime resources is of critical importance to the populous nations that rim its border. Acute gaps have occurred in the Indian Ocean Observing System, which underpins monitoring and forecasting of regional climate, since the start of the COVID pandemic. The pandemic disrupted the deployment and maintenance cruises for the observational array and also resulted in supply chain issues for procurement and refurbishment of equipment. In particular, the observational platforms that provide key measurements of upper ocean heat variability have experienced serious multiyear declines. There is now record-low data reporting and the platforms that are successfully reporting are old and quickly surpassing their expected period of reliable operation. The overall impact on the observing system will take a few years to fully comprehend. In the meantime, there is a critical need to document the gaps that have appeared over the past few years and how this will impact our ability to improve understanding and model representations of the real world that support regional weather and climate forecasts. The article outlines the expected slow road to recovery for the Indian Ocean Observing System, documents case studies of successful international collaborative efforts that will revive the observing system and provides guidelines for resilience from unexpected external factors in the future.
Sensible Pretrial Reform: The Importance of Accounting for Risk of Violence in Judicial Release Decisions
Authors: Labrecque Ryan M. , DeMichele Matthew , Walker Jason , Silver Ian A.
Published: February 2024

This study uses data collected from three diverse counties in the United States between 2017 and 2019 to compare the performance of a pretrial risk instrument—the Public Safety Assessment (or PSA)—to a revised version of the tool that accounts for risk of future violence in predicting three pretrial release outcomes. Results indicate the suggested three tiered release levels produced from the current PSA release conditions matrix (RCM) are better at predicting failure to appear in court, while those generated from the violence-informed RCM are better at predicting arrest for a new violent crime. The suggested release levels from both versions of the RCM were similarly able to distinguish between likelihood of a new arrest for any reason.
Chemical Stability of Lorazepam Oral Solution Repackaged in Plastic Oral Syringes at Room and Refrigerated Temperature
Authors: Brown Stacy D. , Sergent Sophia , Morris Samantha , Tubolino Michelle , Coffey Timothy
Published: February 2024

Purpose: Generic lorazepam oral solution is supplied in a 30 mL multi-dose bottle requiring protection from light and refrigeration, with a beyond use date of 90 days once the bottle is opened. The repackaging of 1 mL doses of lorazepam oral solution into oral syringes allows for facilitated dispensing, yet no available data supports repackaging and storing lorazepam oral solution in syringes. The validation and application of a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) method for the quantification of lorazepam allowed for the determination of the stability of lorazepam oral solution when stored in oral syringes. Methods: A stability-indicating HPLC-UV method was developed for the quantification of lorazepam in oral solution. The method was validated using guidance from USP < 1225 >. For the stability investigation, 2 mg/mL lorazepam oral solution was aliquoted into clear plastic oral syringes in 1 mLmilliliter doses from 2 multi-dose stock bottles and randomly allocated for storage in room temperature or refrigerated environment. Baseline lorazepam concentrations were measured on the day the study was initiated and designated as 100% initial concentration samples. Subsequent samples were analyzed in triplicate at time points of 24, 48, and 96 hours and 7, 10, 14, 21, 30, and 60 days. Results: The calibration curves on three non-consecutive days met the linearity criteria of R2 > 0.99. Inter- day and intra-day precision and accuracy (percent relative standard deviation and percent error) were ≤2% over three days. During the stability investigation, percent initial concentration of lorazepam from room and refrigerated syringes remained above 90% for the duration of the study. Conclusion: The stability-indicating HPLC-UV method was successfully applied to the investigation of lorazepam oral solution stability when stored in syringes at room and refrigerated temperatures. The emergent need for use of lorazepam concentrate for inpatients and the restrictions of how the medication is supplied necessitated a need for the evaluation of repackaging into unit dose syringes for immediate availability from automated dispensing cabinets. Lorazepam oral solution stored in clear plastic syringes maintained greater than 90% initial concentration at both room and refrigerated temperatures for 60 days.
Meaning Change in U.S. Occupational Identities during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Was It Temporary or Durable?
Authors: Quinn Joseph M. , Freeland Robert E. , Maloney E. K. , Rogers Kimberly B. , Smith-Lovin Lynn
Published: February 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic altered social and economic life in the United States, displacing many people from their typical relationship to the institution of work. Our research uses affect control theory’s measurement structure to examine how cultural meanings for occupational identities shifted during the pandemic on the dimensions of evaluation (good-bad), potency (powerful-powerless), and activity (lively-inactive). Quinn et al. found that most occupations were seen as less good and powerful in the early stages of the pandemic than they were shortly before it began, with greater evaluation loss for nonessential occupations and greater potency loss for occupations classified as essential by state executive orders. We add a third wave to these data to reassess meanings after the pandemic eased and vaccines were developed. We use linear mixed modeling to estimate meaning changes across all three waves and to explore whether these changes differed for essential versus nonessential occupations. We find that evaluation and potency ratings of occupations rebounded over the longer term—a pattern that fits a control model of stable cultural meaning. Our results contribute to discussions in cultural sociology about beliefs and their stability.
Inheriting discriminatory socio-political landscapes as ‘undeserving’ disabled people: The legacy of common health problems and the future for long COVID
Authors: Hunt Joanne
Published: February 2024

The UK government's recent announcement that the highly controversial Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will likely be abolished leaves questions of what precisely will emerge in its place. This commentary revisits a construct central to the attempted justification of the WCA, that of ‘common health problems’, which may well continue to leave a legacy in delineating purported ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ impairment, ill-health and related disability. After outlining the politically strategic application of this construct in social policy, concerns are raised for long Covid. In particular, the risk of long Covid following the trajectory of another post-infection diagnosis, myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome, is discussed.
Environmental monitoring of the Kavaratti lagoon, Lakshadweep Islands, Arabian Sea using larger foraminiferal distribution
Authors: Panchang Rajani , N. Linshy V. , Padate Vinay , Nigam Rajiv
Published: February 2024

Coral reef environments are known for the proliferation of algal symbiont-bearing foraminifera, which are sensitive indicators of water-quality conditions that support reef development. Keeping this in mind, 18 sediment samples were collected in the Kavaratti lagoon of Lakshadweep in 2004. The foraminiferal distribution and abundance of the major genera Amphistegina, Calcarina, Amphisorus and miliolids were compared with those reported nearly three decades ago. The aim was to identify changes in the foraminiferal data within the lagoon over time, through time-gap-sampling, to be able to assess environmental stress if any. The total foraminiferal number (TFN) in the lagoon ranges between 45 and 983 specimens per gram of dry sediments. The average TFN in the northern part of the lagoon (506/g) is lower than that in the southern part of the lagoon (612/g). Amphistegina and Calcarina, both being algal-symbiont-bearing foraminifera, show the tendency to occupy shallower depths of the lagoon. Amphisorus prefer the northern part of the lagoon, due to the prevalence of comparatively stronger currents. Over the past three decades, TFN in the lagoon has on an average gone down from 65,667 in 1976 to 56,100 (present study) specimens per 100 g of sediments. The larger foraminiferal distribution in the Kavaratti lagoon has slightly but undisputedly undergone quantitative and distributional changes over the past three decades. The FORAM Index suggests conducive environment for coral growth in the lagoon. However, definite deterioration due to dredging in the northern lagoon is indicated by the assemblage. The study also records signatures of domestic discharge and predicts a larger impact on the corals since 2004 to 2024.
Adolescent Perspectives on the Impact of Peers and Social Media on Active Travel and Physical Activity: A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Levi Sharon , Baron-Epel Orna
Published: February 2024

Physical activity (PA), including active travel (AT), is related to healthy adolescent development and wellbeing, however, behavior rates are low. Simultaneously, adolescent screen use, and engagement in social media platforms (SMP) is very high. The aim of this mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between peer engagement and SMP and adolescent AT and PA. We employed an exploratory sequential design that included integration of results of qualitative interviews with 25 adolescent-parent dyads and quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey in a representative sample of Hebrew-speaking adolescents in secondary schools across Israel ( n = 2,911). Reflexive thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative study; constructs identified served as the basis for development of a quantitative data collection instrument. Correlation and linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate associations between key quantitative analysis variables. The integrated analysis primarily identified convergence between datasets expressed in narrative weaving and joint displays. We found that AT with peers is a social activity; AT and PA are an opportunity for peer-to-peer communication without screens; and SMP are utilized to promote AT and PA. Interventions that emphasize these key constructs as well as use of SMP may increase adolescent AT and PA behaviors.
Investigating the Psychological Impact of Cyber-Sexual Harassment
Authors: Iroegbu Marvin , O’Brien Freya , Muñoz Luna Clara , Parsons Georgia
Published: February 2024

The impact of cyber sexual harassment (CSH) on adult women and the factors influencing this impact are largely under-researched. Communication technologies provide novel means for people to threaten, communicate, and harass others. Victims of in-person sexual harassment (ISH) can experience negative symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, and negative body image. The current study explored the psychological impact of CSH in adult women to determine whether CSH predicts psychological difficulties. Adult female participants ( N = 136) took part in an online, cross-sectional study; 44% of participants had experienced CSH and this was associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, trauma, and body image dissatisfaction. Younger victims, those who had been in a relationship for a shorter amount of time, those who had previously experienced of ISH, and those who had a higher number of social media followers were more likely to have experienced CSH. When controlling for demographic variables, CSH predicted anxiety, depression, trauma, and body image dissatisfaction; however, experience of ISH impacted upon body-image dissatisfaction over and above CSH. There is a need to routinely ask individuals accessing mental health services whether online interactions cause harm. Future research should examine these phenomena in more ethnically diverse samples.
Influence of surface treatments and addition of a reactive agent on the properties of PLA/flax and PLA/bamboo composites
Authors: Nlandu-Mayamba Hervé , Taguet Aurélie , Perrin Didier , Joannès Sébastien , Delor-Jestin Florence , Askanian Haroutioun , Lopez-Cuesta José-Marie
Published: February 2024

Polylactic acid (PLA) composites reinforced with 10 wt% of flax (FF) or bamboo (BF) fibers were prepared via an internal mixer and/or twin-screw extrusion. Alkali pretreated fibers were soaked in silane to improve adhesion between fibers and matrix. 0.8 wt% of Joncryl™, a grafted copolymer acting as PLA chain extender, was also used alone or in combination with silane treatment of fibers to improve interfacial adhesion. The influence of silane treatment and/or Joncryl on the composite materials on mechanical, thermal and thermomechanical properties of materials processed through injection molding was investigated. Improved adhesion of the fibers to the matrix was shown using a scanning electron microscope. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy indicated that chemical bonds were formed between the silane coupling agent and fibers. X-ray Photo-electron Spectroscopy confirmed that fibers and silane derivatives were effectively coupled. XPS also highlighted that silane coupling agent reacted in higher amounts on bamboo than flax fibers, probably due to a higher amount of lignin in the case of bamboo fibers. Thermogravimetric analyses indicated that silane-treated flax and bamboo increased the thermal stability of the corresponding composites (PLA-SFF and PLA-SFB) compared to non-treated fiber composites. The incorporation of Joncryl alone entailed a degradation of the thermal stability of the corresponding composites (PLAJ-FF and PLAJ-FB) but enhanced the PLA/fibers interfacial adhesion. The combination of Joncryl and silane treatment resulted in strong improvements of thermal stability and interfacial adhesion for the PLAJ-SFF and PLAJ-SBF composites. Increase in tensile moduli and decrease in tensile strengths with the incorporation of the pristine fibers were noted. For silane-treated fibers, the tensile modulus and the strength of the corresponding composites were improved when adding Joncryl alone or in combination with silane. From also rheological and molar weight measurements, it could be concluded that Joncryl acts both as PLA chain extender and coupling agent.