bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AI-driven convolutional neural networks for accurate identification of yellow fever vectors
Authors: de Araújo Taís Oliveira , de Miranda Vinicius Lima , Gurgel-Gonçalves Rodrigo
Published: August 2024

Background

Identifying mosquito vectors is crucial for controlling diseases. Automated identification studies using the convolutional neural network (CNN) have been conducted for some urban mosquito vectors but not yet for sylvatic mosquito vectors that transmit the yellow fever. We evaluated the ability of the AlexNet CNN to identify four mosquito species: Aedes serratus, Aedes scapularis, Haemagogus leucocelaenus and Sabethes albiprivus and whether there is variation in AlexNet’s ability to classify mosquitoes based on pictures of four different body regions.

Methods

The specimens were photographed using a cell phone connected to a stereoscope. Photographs were taken of the full-body, pronotum and lateral view of the thorax, which were pre-processed to train the AlexNet algorithm. The evaluation was based on the confusion matrix, the accuracy (ten pseudo-replicates) and the confidence interval for each experiment.

Results

Our study found that the AlexNet can accurately identify mosquito pictures of the genus Aedes, Sabethes and Haemagogus with over 90% accuracy. Furthermore, the algorithm performance did not change according to the body regions submitted. It is worth noting that the state of preservation of the mosquitoes, which were often damaged, may have affected the network’s ability to differentiate between these species and thus accuracy rates could have been even higher.

Conclusions

Our results support the idea of applying CNNs for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven identification of mosquito vectors of tropical diseases. This approach can potentially be used in the surveillance of yellow fever vectors by health services and the population as well.

Graphical abstract
In vitro and in vivo evaluation of thapsigargin as an antiviral agent against transmissible gastroenteritis virus
Authors: Li Yang , Liu Yuanyuan , Zhang Yunhang , Tan Chen , Cai Yifei , Zhang Yue , Chen Jianing , Fu Yuguang , Liu Guangliang
Published: August 2024

Swine enteric coronaviruses (SeCoVs) pose a significant threat to the global pig industry, but no effective drugs are available for treatment. Previous research has demonstrated that thapsigargin (TG), an ER stress inducer, has broad-spectrum antiviral effects on human coronaviruses. In this study, we investigated the impact of TG on transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) infection using cell lines, porcine intestinal organoid models, and piglets. The results showed that TG effectively inhibited TGEV replication both in vitro and ex vivo. Furthermore, animal experiments demonstrated that oral administration of TG inhibited TGEV infection in neonatal piglets and relieved TGEV-associated tissue injury. Transcriptome analyses revealed that TG improved the expression of the ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD) component and influenced the biological processes related to secretion, nutrient responses, and epithelial cell differentiation in the intestinal epithelium. Collectively, these results suggest that TG is a potential novel oral antiviral drug for the clinical treatment of TGEV infection, even for infections caused by other SeCoVs.
The rates of starch depletion and hydraulic failure both play a role in drought-induced seedling mortality
Authors: Trueba Santiago , Muñoz Noelia González , Burlett Régis , Lamarque Laurent J. , Gibon Yves , Gimeno Teresa E. , Kaisermann Aurore , Benard Camille , Lemaire Cédric , Torres-Ruiz Jose M. , Wingate Lisa , Delzon Sylvain
Published: August 2024

Key message

The elapsed times to deplete starch concentrations and to reach a null hydraulic safety margin were related to tree seedling mortality under experimental drought. Starch concentration showed an accelerated decline across all species during the early stages of dehydration, while the concentrations of soluble sugars and total nonstructural carbohydrates remained stable. Concomitant carbohydrate depletion and hydraulic failure drive seedling mortality under drought.

Context

Current upsurges of drought events are provoking impacts on tree physiology, resulting in forest mortality. Hydraulic dysfunction and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) depletion have been posited as the main mechanisms leading to plant mortality under drought.

Aims

This study explores the dynamics of the two mortality-inducing processes during drought stress using an experimental approach with 12 evergreen tree species.

Methods

Seedlings were subjected to drought until 100% mortality was observed. Midday (ΨMD) and predawn (ΨPD) water potentials, xylem pressure leading to a 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity (Ψ50), along with NSC concentrations in different organs (leaves, stems, and roots) were measured regularly during drought.

Results

Total NSC concentrations and soluble sugar pools did not decline during drought. However, starch pools showed strong reductions early during drought stress as ΨPD decreased, and the time leading to starch depletion emerged as a strong mortality predictor. Ψ50 alone did not provide an accurate estimate of mortality, while the elapsed time to reach a null hydraulic safety margin (ΨMD—Ψ50 = 0) was related to seedling mortality.

Conclusion

Adopting a dynamic approach by estimating the times to consume both starch reserves and hydraulic safety margins is highly relevant to improve predictions of tree mortality under the current context of increasing global drought.
Attack detection model for BCoT based on contrastive variational autoencoder and metric learning
Authors: Wu Chunwang , Liu Xiaolei , Ding Kangyi , Xin Bangzhou , Lu Jiazhong , Liu Jiayong , Huang Cheng
Published: August 2024

With development of blockchain technology, clouding computing and Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and cloud of things (BCoT) has become development tendency. But the security has become the most development hinder of BCoT. Attack detection model is a crucial part of attack revelation mechanism for BCoT. As a consequence, attack detection model has received more concerned. Due to the great diversity and variation of network attacks aiming to BCoT, tradition attack detection models are not suitable for BCoT. In this paper, we propose a novel attack detection model for BCoT, denoted as cVAE-DML. The novel model is based on contrastive variational autoencoder (cVAE) and deep metric learning (DML). By training the cVAE, the proposed model generates private features for attack traffic information as well as shared features between attack traffic information and normal traffic information. Based on those generated features, the proposed model can generate representative new samples to balance the training dataset. At last, the decoder of cVAE is connected to the deep metric learning network to detect attack aiming to BCoT. The efficiency of cVAE-DML is verified using the CIC-IDS 2017 dataset and CSE-CIC-IDS 2018 dataset. The results show that cVAE-DML can improve attack detection efficiency even under the condition of unbalanced samples.
CT and MRI features of sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma of the bladder and its differential diagnosis with conventional urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Zhuo Jiayi , Han Jingjing , Yang Lingjie , Wang Yu , Shi Guangzi , Yan Zhuoheng , Yang Lu , Han Riyu , Huang Fengqiong , Ban Xiaohua , Duan Xiaohui
Published: August 2024

Background

Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma (SUC) is a rare and highly malignant form of bladder cancer with a poor prognosis. Currently, there is limited information on the imaging features of bladder SUC and reliable indicators for distinguishing it from conventional urothelial carcinoma (CUC). The objective of our study was to identify the unique imaging characteristics of bladder SUC and determine factors that aid in its differential diagnosis.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study enrolled 22 participants with bladder SUC and 61 participants with CUC. The clinical, pathologic, and CT/MRI data from both groups were recorded, and a comparison was conducted using univariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression for distinguishing SUC from CUC.

Results

The majority of SUCs were located in the trigone of the bladder and exhibited large tumor size, irregular shape, low ADC values, Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) score ≥ 4, the presence of necrosis, and an invasive nature. Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in terms of tumor location, shape, the maximum long-axis diameter (LAD), the short-axis diameter (SAD), ADC-value, VI-RADS scores, necrosis, extravesical extension (EVE), pelvic peritoneal spread (PPS), and hydronephrosis/ureteral effusion (p < .001 ~ p = .037) between SUCs and CUCs. Multinomial logistic regression found that only SAD (p = .014) and necrosis (p = .003) emerged as independent predictors for differentiating between SUC and CUC. The model based on these two factors achieved an area under curve (AUC) of 0.849 in ROC curve analysis.

Conclusion

Bladder SUC demonstrates several distinct imaging features, including a high incidence of trigone involvement, large tumor size, and obvious invasiveness accompanied by necrosis. A bladder tumor with a large SAD and evidence of necrosis is more likely to be SUC rather than CUC.
Hyperkalemic effect of drug–drug interaction between esaxerenone and trimethoprim in patients with hypertension: a pilot study
Authors: Hirai Toshinori , Ueda Shun , Ogura Toru , Katayama Kan , Dohi Kaoru , Kondo Yuki , Sakazaki Yuka , Ishitsuka Yoichi , Iwamoto Takuya
Published: August 2024

Background

We examined whether the pharmacodynamic drug–drug interaction between esaxerenone and trimethoprim enhances the hyperkalemic effect.

Methods

A retrospective observational study was conducted to identify patients >18 years undertaking esaxerenone alone or esaxerenone plus trimethoprim at Mie University Hospital from May 2019 to December 2022. We performed propensity score-matching (1:1) to compare between-group differences in the maximum change in serum potassium levels (ΔK) using the Mann–Whitney U test. For esaxerenone plus trimethoprim, Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations between ΔK and variables, including changes in blood urea nitrogen (ΔBUN), serum creatinine levels (ΔCr), and weekly trimethoprim cumulative dose.

Results

Out of propensity score-matched groups (n=8 each), serum potassium levels significantly increased after administration of esaxerenone alone (4.4 [4.2 to 4.7] meq/L to 5.2 [4.7 to 5.4] meq/L, p=0.008) and esaxerenone plus trimethoprim (4.2 [4.0 to 5.1] meq/L to 5.4 [4.7 to 5.5] meq/L, p=0.023). ΔK did not significantly differ between the groups (esaxerenone alone; 0.6 [0.3 to 0.9] meq/L vs. esaxerenone plus trimethoprim; 1.0 [0.4 to 1.3] meq/L, p=0.342). ΔK positively correlated with ΔBUN (r=0.988, p<0.001) or ΔCr (r=0.800, p=0.017). There was a trend of correlation of ΔK with a weekly cumulative trimethoprim dose (r=0.607, p=0.110).

Conclusions

The hyperkalemic effect of the drug–drug interaction between esaxerenone and trimethoprim is not notable and related to renal function and trimethoprim dosage.
Low-dose quercetin at 25 mg/kg ameliorates dolutegravir-lamivudine-tenofovirdisoproxilfumarate-inducedcardio-hepato-renal toxicities in Wistar rats
Authors: Edagha Innocent A. , Akpan Blessing C. , Edem David O. , Ataben Moses A. , Bassey Blessing U. , Itama Royal S. , Evogor Deborah C.
Published: August 2024

Combination antiretroviral therapies (cARTs) are linked with multiple-organ system (MOS) toxicities in laboratory animals, and in humans undertaking treatment for HIV/AIDS. The ameliorative potential of low-dose quercetin following cART-associated MOS-toxicities in cardio-hepato-renal organs was evaluated in in vivo model. Oral administration of cART (Dolutegravir 50 mg, Lamivudine 300 mg and Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg [DLT]) at 9.29 mg/kg, was challenged against low-dose quercetin 25 mg/kg body weight (bw) in Wistar rats. Group 1, the normal control (NC) received distilled water (5 mL), while groups 2 to 4 received quercetin (25 mg), DLT (9.29 mg), and DLT + quercetin (9.29 mg + 25 mg respectively), per kg bw. All administrations lasted for 14 days, and thereafter animals were humanely sacrificed after intraperitoneal anesthesia injection with 100 mg ketamine /5 mg xylazine per kg bw followed by cervical dislocation. Blood and organs were harvested for analyses using standard protocols. The serum concentrations of lipid parameters [total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, and VLDL-cholesterol], liver biomarkers (total-bilirubin, direct-bilirubin, and transaminases], and kidney biomarkers [urea and creatinine] were significantly increased (p < 0.05) while electrolytes (Na+, K+, Cl− and HCO3−) were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in DLT group but improved in DLT + Q group. Histopathology demonstrated distorted myocytes, hepatocytes and renal tubules, fatty liver with vacuolization, dystrophied glomeruli and distorted renal interstitium in DLT group, compared with normal appearing histoarchitectural features in NC and DLT + Q groups. In conclusion, oral administration of low-dose quercetin (25 mg/kg) ameliorated cART-associated cardio-hepato-renal toxicities in rats, improving their biomarkers and histoarchitecture.
Spatio-temporal occurrence and habitat characteristics of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae in Southern Afar region, Ethiopia
Authors: Seid Mohammed , Aklilu Esayas , Animut Abebe
Published: August 2024

Background

Describing spatio-temporal occurrence and habitat characteristics of Aedes mosquito larvae is crucial for the control of Aedes borne viral diseases. This study assessed spatio-temporal abundance and habitat characteristics of Aedes larvae in the Southern Afar Region, Ethiopia.

Methods

Immature mosquitoes were surveyed in Awash Sebat, Awash Arba, and Werer towns of the Southern Afar Region once per month from May 2022 to April 2023. Larvae and pupae surveys were carried out along the available water-holding containers. The collected larvae/pupae were reared to adults and identified by  species/genus morphologically. The physical and chemical properties of the habitats were also characterized.

Results

A total of 9099 Aedes larvae/pupae were collected, of which 53.6% (4875) were from Awash Sebat, 29.5% (2687) from Awash Arba and 16.9% (1537) from Werer. Water-holding tyres harboured the highest number of Aedes larvae/pupae followed by water-storage drums. All the Aedes larvae/pupae reared to adults were morphologically identified as Aedes aegypti. The overall Container Index was 47.28%, House Index 18.19%, Breteau Index 59.94% and Pupal Index 171.94. Significant positive relations were observed in the occurrences of Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae with water-holding tyre (AOR = 15.89, CI = 3.55–71.09, p < 0.001), water storage drums (AOR = 19.84, CI = 4.64–84.89, p < 0.001), domestic habitat (AOR = 3.76, CI = 1.27–11.12, p = 0.017), and significant negative relations were observed with Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae occurrence and tap water source (AOR = 0.08, CI = 0.02–0.31, p = 0.001). Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae densities showed positive relations with dissolved oxygen (β = 0.523, p < 0.001) and total hardness (β = 0.475, p = 0.034) of water.

Conclusions

Diverse types of artificial water-holding containers were positive for Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae. Ae. aegypti larvae/pupae were abundant in used water-holding tyres, water storage drums, and cement tanks in Awash Sebat, Awash Arba, and Werer towns. This could  put the residents of the towns at high risk of infections with Ae. aegypti transmitted viral diseases such as chikungunya and dengue outbreaks. Thus, we recommend artificial water-holding container management as a strategy to control Ae. aegypti and hence the arboviral diseases transmission.
Predicting financial distress through ownership pattern: dynamics of financial resilience of Bangladesh
Authors: Alam Shafiqul , Das Sumon Kumar , Dipa Umma Rumman , Hossain Syed Zabid
Published: August 2024

In light of agency and resource dependence theories, we explored the impact of ownership patterns on the likelihood of financial distress using 57 financial institutions (FIs) listed in Dhaka Stock Exchange and 390 firm years from 2016 to 2022. This study observed that 97.94% of the firms are in distress, 1.03% in gray, and 1.03% in the safe zone. Thus, the stability of FIs lags quite behind the expected standards. Multiple linear regression results show that director ownership is inversely associated with corporate failures, suggesting higher stakes of directors lower the risk of financial distress. When directors align their interests with those of firms by owning shares, it enhances firm performance and lowers the likelihood of failures. Also, institutional ownership negatively correlates with financial distress due to their active surveillance and focus on long-term performance. Besides, effective overseeing process of institutional investors works as a deterrent to making freaky decisions. Conversely, foreign ownership showed a positive affinity with financial distress. In Bangladesh, family dominance, lopsided influence, and political connections limit foreign investors’ ability to contribute to a firm’s long-term success. While most earlier studies in emerging economies showed financial resilience through the Altman Z-score, only a few have examined ownership patterns as a potential cause of firm bankruptcy. Considering ownership patterns as an explanatory variable of financial distress, this study discourses the corporate governance issues and resilience of FIs in an emerging economy.
Sex-Based Differences in Risk of Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms
Authors: Richard Melissa A. , Yan Chengcheng , Chen Yanjun , Gibson Christopher J. , Kalra Rashi , Bosworth Alysia , Crossman David K. , Singh Purnima , Hageman Lindsey , He Jianbo , Armenian Saro H. , Vose Julie , Weisdorf Daniel J. , Ebert Benjamin L , Yasui Yutaka , Cheng Changde , Forman Stephen J. , Bhatia Smita , Bhatia Ravi
Published: August 2024

PURPOSE

Therapy-related myeloid neoplasm (t-MN) is a life-threatening complication of autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Previous studies report an association between clonal hematopoiesis (CH) in PBSC and risk of t-MN, but small samples precluded examination of risk within specific subpopulations.

METHODS

Targeted DNA sequencing was performed to identify CH mutations in PBSC from a retrospective cohort of 984 patients with NHL (median age at transplant, 57 years; range, 18-78). Fine-Gray proportional subdistribution hazard regression models estimated association between number of CH mutations and t-MN, adjusting for demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables. Secondary analyses evaluated the association between CH and t-MN among males and females.

RESULTS

CH was identified in PBSC from 366 patients (37.2%). t-MN developed in 60 patients after a median follow-up of 5 years. Presence of ≥2 mutations conferred increased t-MN risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.10; 95% CI [1.08 to 4.11];
P
= .029). CH was associated with increased t-MN risk among males (aHR, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.01 to 3.31]) but not females (aHR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.15 to 2.09]). Although the prevalence and type of CH mutations in PBSC were comparable, the 8-year cumulative incidence of t-MN was higher among males vs. females with CH (12.4%
v
3.6%) but was similar between males and females without CH (4.9%
v
3.9%). Expansion of CH clones from PBSC to t-MN was seen only among males.

CONCLUSION

presence of CH mutations in PBSC confers increased risk of t-MN after autologous transplantation in male but not female patients with NHL. Factors underlying sex-based differences in risk of CH progression to t-MN merit further investigation.
MYCBPAP is a central apparatus protein required for centrosome–nuclear envelope docking and sperm tail biogenesis in mice
Authors: Wang Haoting , Kobayashi Hiroko , Shimada Keisuke , Oura Seiya , Oyama Yuki , Kitakaze Hiroaki , Noda Taichi , Yabuta Norikazu , Miyata Haruhiko , Ikawa Masahito
Published: August 2024

The structure of the sperm flagellar axoneme is highly conserved across species and serves the essential function of generating motility to facilitate the meeting of spermatozoa with the egg. During spermiogenesis, the axoneme elongates from the centrosome, and subsequently the centrosome docks onto the nuclear envelope to continue tail biogenesis. Mycbpap is expressed predominantly in mouse and human testes and conserved in Chlamydomonas as FAP147. A previous cryo-electron microscopy analysis has revealed the localization of FAP147 to the central apparatus of the axoneme. Here, we generated Mycbpap-knockout mice and demonstrated the essential role of Mycbpap in male fertility. Deletion of Mycbpap led to disrupted centrosome–nuclear envelope docking and abnormal flagellar biogenesis. Furthermore, we generated transgenic mice with tagged MYCBPAP, which restored the fertility of Mycbpap-knockout males. Interactome analyses of MYCBPAP using Mycbpap transgenic mice unveiled binding partners of MYCBPAP including central apparatus proteins, such as CFAP65 and CFAP70, which constitute the C2a projection, and centrosome-associated proteins, such as CCP110. These findings provide insights into a MYCBPAP-dependent regulation of the centrosome–nuclear envelope docking and sperm tail biogenesis.
A new biomechanical model of the mammal jaw based on load path analysis
Authors: Wilken Alec T. , Schultz Julia A. , Luo Zhe-Xi , Ross Callum F.
Published: August 2024

The primary function of the tetrapod jaw is to transmit jaw muscle forces to bite points. The routes of force transfer in the jaw have never been studied but can be quantified using load paths – the shortest, stiffest routes from regions of force application to support constraints. Here, we use load path analysis to map force transfer from muscle attachments to bite point and jaw joint, and to evaluate how different configurations of trabecular and cortical bone affect load paths. We created three models of the mandible of the Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, each with a cortical bone shell, but with different material properties for the internal spaces: (1) a cortical-trabecular model, in which the interior space is modeled with bulk properties of trabecular bone; (2) a cortical-hollow model, in which trabeculae and mandibular canal are modeled as hollow; and (3) a solid-cortical model, in which the interior is modeled as cortical bone. The models were compared with published in vivo bite force and bone strain data, and the load paths calculated for each model. The trabecular model, which is preferred because it most closely approximates the actual morphology, was best validated by in vivo data. In all three models, the load path was confined to cortical bone, although its route within the cortex varied depending on the material properties of the inner model. Our analysis shows that most of the force is transferred through the cortical, rather than trabecular bone, and highlights the potential of load path analysis for understanding form–function relationships in the skeleton.
Integrated cellular response of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) heart to temperature change
Authors: Shaftoe Jared B. , Geddes-McAlister Jennifer , Gillis Todd E.
Published: August 2024

A decrease in environmental temperature represents a challenge to the cardiovascular system of ectotherms. To gain insight into the cellular changes that occur during cold exposure and cold acclimation we characterized the cardiac phosphoproteome and proteome of zebrafish following 24 h or 1 week exposure to 20°C from 27°C; or at multiple points during 6 weeks of acclimation to 20°C from 27°C. Our results indicate that cold exposure causes an increase in mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling, the activation of stretch-sensitive pathways, cellular remodelling via ubiquitin-dependent pathways and changes to the phosphorylation state of proteins that regulate myofilament structure and function including desmin and troponin T. Cold acclimation (2–6 weeks) led to a decrease in multiple components of the electron transport chain through time, but an increase in proteins for lipid transport, lipid metabolism, the incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into membranes and protein turnover. For example, there was an increase in the levels of apolipoprotein C, prostaglandin reductase-3 and surfeit locus protein 4, involved in lipid transport, lipid metabolism and lipid membrane remodelling. Gill opercular movements suggest that oxygen utilization during cold acclimation is reduced. Neither the amount of food consumed relative to body mass nor body condition was affected by acclimation. These results suggest that while oxygen uptake was reduced, energy homeostasis was maintained. This study highlights that the response of zebrafish to a decrease in temperature is dynamic through time and that investment in the proteomic response increases with the duration of exposure.
Implications of chronic hypoxia during development in red drum
Authors: Negrete Benjamin , Ackerly Kerri Lynn , Esbaugh Andrew J.
Published: August 2024

Respiratory plasticity is a beneficial response to chronic hypoxia in fish. Red drum, a teleost that commonly experiences hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico, have shown respiratory plasticity following sublethal hypoxia exposure as juveniles, but implications of hypoxia exposure during development are unknown. We exposed red drum embryos to hypoxia (40% air saturation) or normoxia (100% air saturation) for 3 days post fertilization (dpf). This time frame encompasses hatch and exogenous feeding. At 3 dpf, there was no difference in survival or changes in size. After the 3-day hypoxia exposure, all larvae were moved and reared in common normoxic conditions. Fish were reared for ∼3 months and effects of the developmental hypoxia exposure on swim performance and whole-animal aerobic metabolism were measured. We used a cross design wherein fish from normoxia (N=24) were exercised in swim tunnels in both hypoxia (40%, n=12) and normoxia (100%, n=12) conditions, and likewise for hypoxia-exposed fish (n=10 in each group). Oxygen consumption, critical swim speed (Ucrit), critical oxygen threshold (Pcrit) and mitochondrial respiration were measured. Hypoxia-exposed fish had higher aerobic scope, maximum metabolic rate, and higher liver mitochondrial efficiency relative to control fish in normoxia. Interestingly, hypoxia-exposed fish showed increased hypoxia sensitivity (higher Pcrit) and recruited burst swimming at lower swim speeds relative to control fish. These data provide evidence that early hypoxia exposure leads to a complex response in later life.
The US Individual Income Tax: Recent Evolution and Evidence
Authors: Bakija Jon
Published: August 2024

This paper assesses the current state of the US federal individual taxation, and considers its recent evolution, with an emphasis on the changes to the individual income tax enacted in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), and evidence on their impacts. How has the design of the tax changed, and how has this affected tax revenues, the distribution of tax burdens, marginal tax rates, and the breadth of the tax base? What were the rationales for the changes, and what does economics have to contribute to the debate over whether the changes were a good idea? What have we learned so far from empirical research on the impacts of recent changes in individual tax policy, including especially the changes enacted since 2017, and what does this imply for the optimal design of individual taxation?
Lessons from the Biggest Business Tax Cut in US History
Authors: Chodorow-Reich Gabriel , Zidar Owen , Zwick Eric
Published: August 2024

We assess the business provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the biggest corporate tax cut in US history. We draw five lessons. First, corporate tax revenue fell by 40 percent due to the lower rate and more generous expensing. Second, firms with larger declines in their effective tax wedge increased investment relatively more. In aggregate, we suggest a loose consensus from the literature that total tangible corporate investment increased by 11 percent. Third, the business tax provisions increased economic growth and wages by less than advertised by the Act’s proponents, with long-run GDP higher by less than 1 percent and labor income by less than $1,000 per employee. Fourth, provisions that increase foreign investment by US-based multinationals also boost their domestic operations. Fifth, some of the expired and expiring provisions, such as accelerated depreciation, generate more investment per dollar of tax revenue than others.
First record of the nymph of Caenis cuniana Froehlich, 1969 (Caenidae: Ephemeroptera) and new distributional records of Caenidae from Colombia
Authors: Salinas-Jiménez Luis Gonzalo , Lima Lucas Ramos Costa , Rojas-Peña Jose Ismael , Caro-Caro Clara Ines
Published: August 2024

In Colombia have been recorded eight species of the family Caenidae distributed in three states, at the moment do not exist species reported in the Meta state. In this paper, Caenis cuniana Froehlich, 1969 (Caenidae: Ephemeroptera) is registered for the first time from Colombia, in the same way, Brasilocaenis irmleri Puthz, 1975 and Caenis chamie Alba-Tercedor & Mosquera, 1999 expanded your geographical distribution in the Colombian Orinoquia region.
Comparison of Halal Product Standards in Indonesia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Khoiriah Ulfah Lailatul , Prasiefa Mizanurafi’ Ghifarhadi , Gunawan Gunawan , Gunawan Setiyo
Published: August 2024

In the era of globalization and increasingly fierce economic competition, halal industry opportunities are an important focus of the government in understanding the dynamics of  the global market. The rapid growth of the Muslim market is partly due to the high birth rate  of Muslims compared to the birth rate in Western countries. This high growth has the potential to drive an increase in the market as well as the global economy because Muslims generally seek Halal products that are made following Islamic principles. The government continues to strive to develop this industry and make various regulations to regulate the entire process that occurs. Halal standards that apply in each country are, of course, different, and tailored to the conditions and needs of the country. The main purpose of this research is to analyze and compare the practice and regulation of halal products in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. Based on comparative and qualitative analysis, it can be concluded that halal policies in Indonesia and Saudi Arabia have several significant differences, such as halal policies, procedures and provisions in halal certification, types of halal mandatory products, and slaughter criteria.
Identifying Public Awareness of the Halal Issue of Cough Medicine Containing Alcohol
Authors: Megasari Gabrilla Ulfa , Widyasti Lintang Dian , Fahmi Fahmi
Published: August 2024

This study aimed to identify public awareness regarding the halal status of cough medicines containing alcohol in Indonesia. Although Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population, many medicines in Indonesia still contain substances prohibited by Islam, such as alcohol. This research employs a qualitative approach with a literature review to explore the community’s understanding and behavior toward halal-certified medicines. The findings revealed that public awareness regarding the halal status of cough medicines is relatively low. Many respondents did not consistently check for halal logos or ingredients on medicine packaging. Additionally, it is difficult to obtain clear and reliable information about the halal status of these medicines. The study concluded that increased educational and social efforts are necessary to enhance public knowledge and prioritization of halal medicines. Ensuring accessible information on halal certification is crucial for promoting the consumption of halal products, particularly in the health sector.
Chatbot Model Development Using BERT for West Sumatera Halal Tourism Information
Authors: Hafidz Irmasari , Mukti Bayu Siddhi , Naseela Qudsiyah Zahra Ilham , Yudistira Ahmadhian Daffa , Purnama I Putu Adhitya Pratama Mangku , Ariyani Nurul Fajrin , Astuti Hanim Maria , Tjahyanto Aris
Published: August 2024

Halal tourism in Indonesia is growing rapidly, highlighting the need for Muslim halal tourism information that gives unique and relevant information for traveller. However, providing timely and reliable information, specifically related to halal tourism remains a challenge. This research aims to address this by developing a chatbot model using BERT for West Sumatra’s halal tourism. A total of 1,125 questions were prepared, divided into nine categories or labels with 125 questions each. Eighty percent (900 questions) was used to fine-tune the BERT-base-multilingual-uncased model, while 20% (225 questions) was used for evaluation. The model was fine-tuned using BertForSequenceClassification for three epochs with a batch size of 32. The chatbot demonstrated high performance, with an overall accuracy of 0.96. However, the lowest precision value was 0.89 for “budaya” (or culture) and “kuliner” (or culinary) labels, and the lowest recall value was 0.64 for the “belanja” (or shopping) label, yielding an F1-score of 0.78. This study describes chatbot model development, from data collection and pre-processing to experimental setup and model training using a fine-tuned BERT-base-multilingual-uncased model. The chatbot model can group user queries into specific purposes and respond to a predefined list. However, one label (e.g “belanja” or shopping) may have the lowest recall due to a poor training dataset and query variation.
LS-Net: lightweight segmentation network for dermatological epidermal segmentation in optical coherence tomography imaging
Authors: Liao Jinpeng , Zhang Tianyu , Li Chunhui , Huang Zhihong
Published: August 2024

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be an important tool for non-invasive dermatological evaluation, providing useful data on epidermal integrity for diagnosing skin diseases. Despite its benefits, OCT’s utility is limited by the challenges of accurate, fast epidermal segmentation due to the skin morphological diversity. To address this, we introduce a lightweight segmentation network (LS-Net), a novel deep learning model that combines the robust local feature extraction abilities of Convolution Neural Network and the long-term information processing capabilities of Vision Transformer. LS-Net has a depth-wise convolutional transformer for enhanced spatial contextualization and a squeeze-and-excitation block for feature recalibration, ensuring precise segmentation while maintaining computational efficiency. Our network outperforms existing methods, demonstrating high segmentation accuracy (mean Dice: 0.9624 and mean IoU: 0.9468) with significantly reduced computational demands (floating point operations: 1.131 G). We further validate LS-Net on our acquired dataset, showing its effectiveness in various skin sites (e.g., face, palm) under realistic clinical conditions. This model promises to enhance the diagnostic capabilities of OCT, making it a valuable tool for dermatological practice.
Laceration assessment: advanced segmentation and classification framework for retinal disease categorization in optical coherence tomography images
Authors: Mani Pavithra , Ramachandran Neelaveni , Paul Sweety Jose , Ramesh Prasanna Venkatesh
Published: August 2024

Disorders affecting the retina pose a considerable risk to human vision, with an array of factors including aging, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, ocular trauma, and tobacco use exacerbating this issue in contemporary times. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a rapidly developing imaging modality that is capable of identifying early signs of vascular, ocular, and central nervous system abnormalities. OCT can diagnose retinal diseases through image classification, but quantifying the laceration area requires image segmentation. To overcome this obstacle, we have developed an innovative deep learning framework that can perform both tasks simultaneously. The suggested framework employs a parallel mask-guided convolutional neural network (PM-CNN) for the classification of OCT B-scans and a grade activation map (GAM) output from the PM-CNN to help a V-Net network (GAM V-Net) to segment retinal lacerations. The guiding mask for the PM-CNN is obtained from the auxiliary segmentation job. The effectiveness of the dual framework was evaluated using a combined dataset that encompassed four publicly accessible datasets along with an additional real-time dataset. This compilation included 11 categories of retinal diseases. The four publicly available datasets provided a robust foundation for the validation of the dual framework, while the real-time dataset enabled the framework’s performance to be assessed on a broader range of retinal disease categories. The segmentation Dice coefficient was 78.33±0.15%, while the classification accuracy was 99.10±0.10%. The model’s ability to effectively segment retinal fluids and identify retinal lacerations on a different dataset was an excellent demonstration of its generalizability.
Performance analysis of polar-coded FSO systems using turbulence-oriented rotational probabilistic shaping
Authors: Liu Xiaoyu , Liu Zhiyang , Yang Weiying , Xiao Shilin
Published: August 2024

Free-space optical (FSO) communications can provide high speed and large capacity, yet atmospheric turbulence poses a challenge. We propose a novel turbulence-oriented rotated probabilistic shaping (TRPS) scheme to achieve joint gains in coding, shaping, and signal space diversity for FSO systems. Our approach significantly enhances achievable rates in high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regions as turbulence intensity increases by optimizing probabilities and rotation angles. For instance, the achievable rate can be increased by 0.08 to 0.23 b/s from weak to strong turbulence compared to non-rotated uniform 16-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) with a rate of 3.0 bits per symbol (b/s). Accordingly, the non-equivalent pairwise error probability as an upper bound on the average symbol error rate (ASER) is derived and verified, theoretically validating the superiority of TRPS in FSO systems. Furthermore, simulation results on ASER, and post-forward error correction bit error rate (BER) using polar codes demonstrate the potential of the proposed scheme. Compared to the uniform transmission without rotation, TRPS achieves joint gains of over 11.5 dB and 3 dB in ASER and BER for both 16QAM and 32QAM with a shaping depth of 0.05 in strong turbulence conditions.
Research on high beam quality 3 × 1 double-cone fiber signal combiner at 9 kW level
Authors: Fu Min , Yi Bokai , Li Zhixian , Wang Zefeng , Chen Zilun
Published: August 2024

The fiber signal combiner with high output power and high beam quality is an urgent problem to be solved. In this paper, the structure of the double-cone (both the input fibers and the output fiber are tapered) is proposed to improve the beam quality of the fiber signal combiner, and it is verified by simulation and experiment, with the output fiber of 50 µm core tapered to 35 µm as an example. The prepared 3 × 1 double-cone fiber signal combiner reaches the output power of 8.64 kW, and the beam quality is measured as M2 = 2.91. Compared with the M2 = 3.41 of the fiber signal combiner with non-tapered output fiber, the M2 of the double-cone fiber signal combiner is reduced by 14.7%.
Near-field coupling between topological corner states
Authors: Guo Kai , Xiong Jiawei , Liu Bingyi , Guo Zhongyi
Published: August 2024

In this Letter, we investigate the near-field coupling between topological corner states. As a proof of concept, we build a higher-order topological photonic structure with a square lattice, based on the 2D Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) model. It is demonstrated that the topological corner state can be hosted at a corner via engineering its two boundaries, whereupon the near-field coupling between two corner states is investigated by bringing them close together. Numerical and theoretical results show that the near-field coupling between two corner states results in hybridized local resonances and significant enhancement of density of states, which are similar to the plasmonic resonances and Mie resonances. Moreover, the extraordinary advantage of the coupled corner states is verified via enhancing third-harmonic generation. Our results may provide insight into studying topological photonics with multimodes as well as an effective approach for manipulation of light.
Broadband and low-cross talk mode multiplexer based on subwavelength-assisted phase matching
Authors: Vilas Jaime , Olivares Irene , Gómez-Castaño Mayte , Ayuso-Pérez Irene , Medeiros Pedro , de Cabo Raquel Fernández , Velasco Aitor V. , Ponte Antonio Dias
Published: August 2024

Integrated mode multiplexers are key components in photonic networks and are crucial to achieving higher data density. Asymmetric directional couplers represent one of the most common multiplexing architectures, owing to their low losses and scalability, but further bandwidth enhancements are sought after. In this Letter, we demonstrate a multiplexer/demultiplexer link based on asymmetric directional couplers assisted by subwavelength grating metamaterials. Through subwavelength-assisted phase matching, low losses and cross talk are achieved on a small form factor over a broad bandwidth. Experimental measurements show insertion losses under 0.8 dB and cross talk under −19.8 dB in a 170 nm bandwidth (1500 nm to 1670 nm) for a full multiplexer/demultiplexer link.
Real-time mapping of photo-sono therapy induced cavitation using Doppler optical coherence tomography
Authors: Song Yuchen , Wei Shuang , Li Yan , Zhang Fengyi , Zhu Zhikai , Chou Lidek , Jia Wancun , Li Runze , Zhou Qifa , Chen Zhongping
Published: August 2024

Photo-sono therapy (PST) is an innovative anti-vascular approach based
on cavitation-induced spallation. Currently, passive cavitation
detection (PCD) is the prevalent technique for cavitation monitoring
during treatment. However, the limitations of PCD are the lack of
spatial information of bubbles and the difficulty of integration with
the PST system. To address this, we proposed a new, to the best of our
knowledge, cavitation mapping method that integrates Doppler optical
coherence tomography (OCT) with PST to visualize bubble dynamics in
real time. The feasibility of the proposed system has been confirmed
through experiments on vascular-mimicking phantoms and in vivo rabbit
ear vessels, and the results are compared to high-speed camera
observations and PCD data. The findings demonstrate that Doppler OCT
effectively maps cavitation in real time and holds promise for guiding
PST treatments and other cavitation-related clinical applications.
Simplified coherent chaotic optical secure communication scheme based on the Kramers–Kronig receiver
Authors: Gu Shuangquan , Zhou Pei , Lau Kuenyao , Li Nianqiang
Published: August 2024

Enhancing physical layer encryption in fiber-optic networks remains a challenging yet vital task. In this Letter, we propose a simplified coherent chaotic secure optical communication scheme based on the Kramers–Kronig (KK) receiver. This scheme incorporates a semiconductor laser with a phase-conjugated optical feedback serving as a common chaotic source, and its chaotic output is directly injected into the two slave lasers arranged separately at the transmitter and receiver end to achieve high-quality synchronization of chaotic signals, with a corresponding chaotic bandwidth of 30.6 GHz. By virtue of the common-signal-induced broad chaotic synchronization, a proof-of-principle demonstration is successfully conducted. It involves the secure transmission of a 20 Gbaud 16-level quadrature amplitude modulation (16QAM) signal over a 50 km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) link. At the receiver end, we deploy a KK receiver to reconstruct the field of the optical signal and hence enable signal compensation and recovery with offline digital signal processing (DSP). This method simplifies device requirements in the current chaotic coherent optical secure communication, offering a cost-effective mode and promising path for advancing physical layer encryption in inter-data center communications.
Method for fabricating circular polarization beam splitters based on polarization holography
Authors: Liu Yiping , Wang Jinyu , Qi Peiliang , Yuan Xinyi , Zhang Di , Yang Rupeng , Yang Yi , Tan Xiaodi
Published: August 2024

Based on polarization holography, circular polarization beam splitters with separation angles of up to 100° have been fabricated. The left- and right-handed circularly polarized waves can be reconstructed by the two holograms that were designed by the tensor theory of polarization holography, respectively. In the fabrication of circular polarization beam splitters, two holograms were recorded only by the interference method in the same area of the polarization-sensitive material. This method is simple, inexpensive, and easy to adjust the separation angles and element size. The diffraction efficiency and the polarization state of the reconstructed waves were tested under different incident waves, and the experimental results are in good agreement with the theory. This work not only deepens our understanding of polarization holography but also expands the applications of polarization holography.
Broadband nonlinear refraction transients in C-doped GaN based on absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Shi Fangyuan , Lv Yunfei , Chen Zhanpeng , Wu Xingzhi , Xiao Zhengguo , Li Zhongguo , Wu Quanying , Song Yinglin , Fang Yu
Published: August 2024

Optical nonlinear response and its dynamics of wide-bandgap materials are key to realizing integrated nonlinear photonics and photonic circuit applications. However, those applications are severely limited by the unavailability of both dispersion and dynamics of nonlinear refraction (NLR) via conventional measurements. In this work, the broadband NLR dynamics with extremely high sensitivity (λ/1000) can be obtained from absorption spectroscopy in GaN:C using the refraction-related interference model. Both the absorption and refraction kinetics are found to be significantly modulated by the C-related defects. Especially, we demonstrate that the refractive index change Δn of GaN:C is negative and can be used to realize all-optical switching applications owing to the large NLR and ultrafast switching time. The NLR under different non-equilibrium carrier distributions originates from the capture of electrons by CN+ defect state, while the absorption modulation originates from the excitation of tri-carbon defects. We believe that this work provides a better understanding of the GaN:C nonlinear properties and an effective solution to broadband NLR dynamics of transparent thin films or heterostructure materials.