bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate Change Impacts on Rainwater Tank’s Potential Water Savings, Efficiency and Reliability Presenting Relationship Between ‘Seasonality Index’ and Water Savings Efficiency
Authors: Imteaz Monzur A. , Khan Mohammad S. , Yilmaz Abdullah G. , Shanableh Abdallah
Published: July 2023

The paper presents potential impacts of climate change on rainwater tanks outcomes such as water savings, reliability and water savings efficiency under two projected climate change scenarios; RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 utilising a case study using rainfall data from four stations within the city of Brisbane, Australia. Historical rainfall data were collected from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology website for the selected stations. Projected daily rainfall data were collected from Australian government data portal for the same stations within Brisbane. Using an earlier developed daily water balance model, eTank potential annual water savings were calculated for several weather and climate change scenarios with varied roof areas and rainwater demandValues of ‘Seasonality Index (SI)’, a commonly used factor representing rainfall variability within a year, were explored to validate earlier developed relationships between SI and water savings efficiency through rainwater tanks. It is found that in most cases water savings in future periods are expected to decrease and such decrease is not necessarily attributed to the expected decrease in rainfall amounts in future, rather also affected by future reductions in rainwater tank reliability. Linear relationships between potential future water savings and reliabilities for all the stations are found. Relationship between SI and water savings efficiency was established, and it is found that the relationship slightly varies with an earlier developed relationship using historical data. Compared to earlier established relationship, for lower SI values water savings efficiency is expected to become better, while for higher SI values the water savings efficiency is expected to become worse. Also, an increase of roof area from 100 m2to 200 m2will cause an average increase of water savings efficiency by 25% and an increase of rainwater usage from 200 L/day to 300 L/day will cause an average increase of water savings efficiency by 20%.
A regularized system for the nonlinear variational wave equation
Authors: Grunert Katrin , Reigstad Audun
Published: July 2023

We present a new generalization of the nonlinear variational wave equation. We prove existence of local, smooth solutions for this system. As a limiting case, we recover the nonlinear variational wave equation.
Dreams of atomic genocide: The bomb, racial violence, and fantasies of annihilation
Authors: Meiches Benjamin
Published: July 2023

This paper examines the influence of nuclear weapons on fantasies of racial violence. Specifically, it argues that weapons impact the emergence of social formations, producing unique patterns of thought, desire, anticipation, and identity. While the effects of nuclear power have been central to disciplinary debates in international studies, existing critical commentary has largely focused on the discriminatory nature of the global nuclear hierarchy. By focusing on the productive impact of weapons on cultural registers, this article demonstrates that nuclear power not only reinforces global structures of racism and colonialism but also creates new articulations of white supremacy. It argues that a specific fantasy of nuclear genocide, seizing nuclear power as a means for executing a global race war, is an expression germane to the nuclear age. This article concludes by arguing that this fantasy plays an important role in white supremacist approaches to politics and existing forms of racist hierarchy.
China, Ethiopia and the Significance of the Belt and Road Initiative
Authors: Yan Hairong , Sautman Barry
Published: July 2023

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) mobilizes Chinese construction and investment in developing countries. Ethiopia is Africa's “model” BRI country, due to China's elaborate infrastructure financing and building and its many manufacturing enterprises. Based on field and documentary research, we examine the BRI's meaning, as understood from the perspective of Ethiopia, in comparison to many China-oriented studies. We find that it is an informal Chinese state promise that even when capital flows from China to non-BRI states are curbed, flows to BRI states will be encouraged, and that Ethiopia exercises agency in leveraging the BRI for its development agenda. Using a comprehensive data set, we show that Chinese investment has become even more important in Ethiopia with the BRI and that neither COVID-19 nor Ethiopia's civil war has reversed that trend. We also discuss local criticisms of Chinese activities, which challenge the wholly positive view of the BRI, but do not affirm the US-generated negative narrative.
Lipid droplets: a cellular organelle vital in cancer cells
Authors: Jin Yi , Tan Yanjie , Wu Jian , Ren Zhuqing
Published: July 2023

Lipid droplets (LDs) are cellular organelles comprising a core of neutral lipids (glycerides, sterols) encased within a single phospholipid membrane, responsible for storing surplus lipids and furnishing cellular energy. LDs engage in lipid synthesis, catabolism, and transport processes by interacting with other organelles (e.g., endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria), and they play critical roles in regulating cellular stress and immunity. Recent research has uncovered that an elevated number of LDs is a hallmark of cancer cells, attributable to their enhanced lipid uptake and synthesis capacity, with lipids stored as LDs. Depletion of LDs in cancer cells induces apoptosis, prompting the emergence of small molecule antitumor drugs targeting LDs or key factors (e.g., FASN, SCD1) within the lipid synthesis pathway. Advancements in LD isolation and artificial synthesis have demonstrated their potential applicability in antitumor research. LDs extracted from murine adipose tissue and incubated with lipophilic antitumor drugs yield drug-coated LDs, which promote apoptosis in cancer cells. Furthermore, LDs have been employed as biological lenses to augment the resolution of subcellular structures (microfilaments, microtubules), facilitating the observation of intricate structures within thicker cells, including cancer cells. This review delineates the functional and metabolic mechanisms of LDs in cancer cells and encapsulates recent progress in LD-centered antitumor research, offering novel insights for tumor diagnosis and treatment.
Using narratives to infer preferences in understanding the energy efficiency gap
Authors: Wekhof Tobias , Houde Sébastien
Published: July 2023

Investing in energy efficiency is crucial for a low-carbon economy, particularly in the building sector. Despite various subsidy programmes, meeting energy targets is challenging because households do not invest sufficiently. Here we study the low numbers of energy efficiency retrofits carried out by homeowners. We use narratives, an emerging method based on open-ended survey responses, to identify the barriers and determinants behind renovation decisions. Using natural language processing, we transform narratives into quantifiable metrics. Whereas financial considerations are a major barrier for homeowners, their main reasons for renovating are not related to energy savings. Most homeowners delay energy-saving investments until their buildings require renovations. Co-benefits such as environmental concerns and comfort gains are equally or more important than financial motivations. Many homeowners are unaware of existing policies and would favour reducing the bureaucracy of retrofits. Subsidies, although popular, are likely to be mistargeted. Effective policies should also consider institutional factors such as the bureaucratic burden and the accessibility of information.
A future of extreme precipitation and droughts in the Peruvian Andes
Authors: Potter Emily R. , Fyffe Catriona L. , Orr Andrew , Quincey Duncan J. , Ross Andrew N. , Rangecroft Sally , Medina Katy , Burns Helen , Llacza Alan , Jacome Gerardo , Hellström Robert Å. , Castro Joshua , Cochachin Alejo , Montoya Nilton , Loarte Edwin , Pellicciotti Francesca
Published: July 2023

Runoff from glacierised Andean river basins is essential for sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people. By running a high-resolution climate model over the two most glacierised regions of Peru we unravel past climatic trends in precipitation and temperature. Future changes are determined from an ensemble of statistically downscaled global climate models. Projections under the high emissions scenario suggest substantial increases in temperature of 3.6 °C and 4.1 °C in the two regions, accompanied by a 12% precipitation increase by the late 21st century. Crucially, significant increases in precipitation extremes (around 75% for total precipitation on very wet days) occur together with an intensification of meteorological droughts caused by increased evapotranspiration. Despite higher precipitation, glacier mass losses are enhanced under both the highest emission and stabilization emission scenarios. Our modelling provides a new projection of combined and contrasting risks, in a region already experiencing rapid environmental change.
Clonal origin of KMT2A wild-type lineage-switch leukemia following CAR-T cell and blinatumomab therapy
Authors: Coorens Tim H. H. , Collord Grace , Treger Taryn D. , Adams Stuart , Mitchell Emily , Newman Barbara , Getz Gad , Godfrey Anna L. , Bartram Jack , Behjati Sam
Published: July 2023

Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) undergoing anti-CD19 therapy occasionally develop acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The clonal origin of such lineage-switch leukemias1–4 remains unresolved. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeny of multiple leukemias in a girl who, following multiply relapsed ALL, received anti-CD19 cellular and antibody treatment and subsequently developed AML. Whole genome sequencing unambiguously revealed the AML derived from the initial ALL, with distinct driver mutations that were detectable before emergence. Extensive prior diversification and subsequent clonal selection underpins this fatal lineage switch. Genomic monitoring of primary leukemias and recurrences may predict therapy resistance, especially regarding anti-CD19 treatment.
A solid-state synthetic strategy toward nickel-based bimetallic interstitial compounds (MNi3Cx, M = Zn, In, Ga)
Authors: Lv Yali , Ren Mengxiang , Wang Ping , Chen Zupeng , Mou Xiaoling , Fan Jiahui , Zhang Jun , Lin Ronghe , Li Jingwei , Ding Yunjie
Published: July 2023

A novel solid-state synthetic strategy toward nickel-based bimetallic interstitial compounds (MNi3Cx, M = Zn, In, and Ga) was developed.
Four levels of in-sensor computing in bionic olfaction: from discrete components to multi-modal integrations
Authors: Liu Lin , Zhang Yuchun , Yan Yong
Published: July 2023

Based on the degree of integration, four levels of in-sensor computing in the field of artificial olfactory are summarized.
In situ fabrication of fluorine-modified acrylate-based gel polymer electrolytes for lithium-metal batteries
Authors: Yang Kun , Shen Zhichuan , Huang Junqiao , Zhong Jiawei , Lin Yuhan , Zhu Junli , Chen Jiashun , Wang Yating , Xie Tangtang , Li Jie , Shi Zhicong
Published: July 2023

The fluorination modification improved the oxidation voltage of GPE and facilitated the movement of polymer chain transfer Li+. The capacity retention of NCM811|0.4TGD-0.4TFM-TCGG-SiO2NF|Li cell reached 91% after 260 cycles at 2C.
Angular momentum and lithium transport from main sequence to sub-giant and red giant low-mass stars
Authors: Dumont T.
Published: July 2023

Context. Asteroseismology provides a unique opportunity to probe the interiors of evolved stars and constrain their internal rotation. The correct reproduction of the core rotation evolution has not yet been achieved, although it is key to understanding the internal processes involved in low-mass stars.

Aims. We explore the efficiency required to reproduce the general behaviour of the transport of angular momentum along the evolution in view of asteroseismic constraints from giant low-mass stars. We analyse the consequences and predictions for lithium and beryllium surface abundances from the main sequence to red giant phase.

Methods. We computed a series of models, which included atomic diffusion, rotation-induced mixing, magnetic braking, and additional processes tailored for main sequence low-mass stars. We extended these models to more evolved phases and investigated an updated angular momentum transport by including a time-dependent extra viscosity related to the azimuthal magneto-rotational instability. We compared our predictions to the asteroseismic measurements of the core and surface rotation of a sample of sub-giant and red giant stars. We compared the model predictions for the lithium and beryllium surface evolution with the available observations.

Results. We confirm that a time-dependent additional viscosity νadd(t) is required to reproduce the general behaviour of the core rotation rate along successive stellar evolutionary phases given the dependence on the differential rotation and the mass. We show that it results in stronger lithium and beryllium depletions for low-mass stars over evolution. We confirm that predicted lithium abundances at the red giant bump by classical models, commonly used as references, cannot reproduce the lithium depletion along the main sequence and evolved phases of stellar evolution. We show that the observed amount of lithium of stars less massive than 1 M⊙ leads to a discrepancy between model predictions and observations at the red giant bump.

Conclusions. We show that a semi-parametric model can reproduce the rotational behaviour along the first phases of evolution well, with the exception of the sharp transition observed during the sub-giant phase. This suggests that two distinct transport processes may be involved. The processes required to transport chemicals during the main sequence phase and angular momentum until the red giant phase impact the lithium depletion all along the evolutionary duration. A good prediction of the lithium abundance at young phases places strong constraints on the predicted one at more evolved phases. It also highlights discrepancies between models and observations for the lowest mass stars and impacts the threshold that defines lithium-rich giant stars, showing that classical models tend to overestimate this threshold.
Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes After Ex-Utero Intrapartum Treatment for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: A Case Series
Authors: Chimenea Angel , Domínguez-Moreno Marta , Barrera-Talavera María , García-Díaz Lutgardo , Antiñolo Guillermo
Published: July 2023

Introduction Despite advances in neonatal intensive care, fetuses with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) remain to have a poor prognosis. Exclusive postnatal treatment is inadequate in patients with moderate CDH (observed than expected lung-to-head ratio [O/E LHR] 26–45%) and can lead to respiratory failure at birth, requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in 75% of cases. An ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure may be beneficial in these cases, improving the fetal-neonatal transition.

Material and Methods We review all pregnancies with fetal isolated left CDH with moderate O/E LHR delivered by EXIT in our center from January 2007 to December 2022. Maternal and neonatal variables were analyzed. As primary outcomes, we included neonatal survival and mortality rates, surgical and infectious complications, uterine scar dehiscence, and blood loss during EXIT. As secondary outcomes, we studied recurrences of the diaphragmatic defect, long-term evolution, subsequent pregnancies, and mode of delivery.

Results A total of 14 patients were delivered by the EXIT procedure, with a neonatal survival rate of 85.7%. All these children had optimal physical and neurocognitive development and no pulmonary morbidity. We found no major complications and 7.1% of minor maternal complications. There were no cases of surgical wound infection or endometritis. The median decrease in hemoglobin during the EXIT procedure was 1.9 mg/dL, and only one case required postoperative transfusion. Two out of the 14 women became pregnant again, and both pregnancies were uneventful.

Conclusions In our series, the EXIT procedure allows for adequate airway management associated with a high neonatal survival rate in patients with moderate O/E LHR CDH, with a low rate of neonatal and maternal complications.
Research Status and Future Trends of Angioplasty: A Bibliometric Analysis in CiteSpace
Authors: Idhris Mohamed , Woodman Alexander , Rasheed Mohammad , Ahmad Shakil
Published: July 2023

Introduction Angioplasty, with or without stenting, is a nonsurgical procedure to open blocked or narrowed coronary arteries due to underlying atherosclerosis. While there is ample literature on coronary heart disease research, the literature search found no bibliographic studies that quantified angioplasty studies. This study was initiated using bibliometric analysis to identify trends in angioplasty over the past twenty years.

Methods The study data was searched from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The study data included 11,429 studies published between 2001 and 2021 downloaded from the WoSCC. CiteSpace V.5.8.was used to analyze the intellectual structure and identify upcoming patterns.

Results Over the last two decades, the number of publications in this discipline has decreased. Data from 2021 did not exceed (414) and fell by half compared with 2001 (805). The keyword analysis showed that “coronary angioplasty” recorded the strongest citation burst 26.59 for the years 2001 to 2005. For the most recent data from 2018 to 2021, the strongest citation burst was recorded for the keyword “outcome” (25.64).

Conclusion This study was an exploratory attempt to identify trends in angioplasty research over the past two decades to deliver relatively unbiased and complete data on the scientific activity performed by authors worldwide. The number and percentage of published articles gradually decrease over time, which is a new finding, highlighting the need for further study of angioplasty, in particular why the trends have decreased over time.
Composition and morphology of biomass-based soot from updraft gasifier system
Authors: Emenike Ebuka Chizitere , Iwuozor Kingsley O. , Okwu Kingsley Chidiebere , Qudus Adeyemi Hafees , Egbemhenghe Abel U. , Adeniyi Adewale George
Published: July 2023

Soot is an aerosol formed by incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials, and its formation in biomass gasification is inevitable. It is crucial to know the properties of the soot produced in the exhaust of gasification reactors in order to appreciate both its advantages and disadvantages. In this study, a variety of analytical techniques were used to examine the content and morphology of biomass soot produced by a top-lit updraft gasifier. The results of the experiment revealed that carbon and oxygen make up the majority of the soot, with minor amounts of other components. Both aromatic and aliphatic groups with significant oxygen concentrations can be seen in the soot based on the distribution of functional groups. The morphology revealed an uneven, stratified, amorphous sample. Meanwhile, the sample had a surface area of 193.8 m2/g and a pore diameter of 2.68 nm. These porous qualities point to a potential use of the soot sample as an adsorbent in water filtration after activation.
Heading and backing fire behaviours mediate the influence of fuels on wildfire energy
Authors: Birch Joseph D. , Dickinson Matthew B. , Reiner Alicia , Knapp Eric E. , Dailey Scott N. , Ewell Carol , Lutz James A. , Miesel Jessica R.
Published: July 2023

Background Pre-fire fuels, topography, and weather influence wildfire behaviour and fire-driven ecosystem carbon loss. However, the pre-fire characteristics that contribute to fire behaviour and effects are often understudied for wildfires because measurements are difficult to obtain. Aims This study aimed to investigate the relative contribution of pre-fire conditions to fire energy and the role of fire advancement direction in fuel consumption. Methods Over 15 years, we measured vegetation and fuels in California mixed-conifer forests within days before and after wildfires, with co-located measurements of active fire behaviour. Key results Pre-fire litter and duff fuels were the most important factors in explaining fire energy and contributed similarly across severity categories. Consumption was greatest for the forest floor (litter and duff; 56.8 Mg ha−1) and 1000-h fuels (36.0 Mg ha−1). Heading fires consumed 13.2 Mg ha−1 more litter (232%) and 24.3 Mg ha−1 more duff (202%) than backing fires. Remotely sensed fire severity was weakly correlated (R2 = 0.14) with fuel consumption. Conclusions 1000-h fuels, litter, and duff were primary drivers of fire energy, and heading fires consumed more fuel than backing fires. Implications Knowledge of how consumption and fire energy differ among contrasting types of fire behaviours may inform wildfire management and fuels treatments.
The design and selection of tungsten carbide-based composite overlays for aggressive wear service conditions
Authors: Fisher Gary , Diaz Daniela
Published: July 2023

The Albertan oil sands surface mining industry recovers and processes large quantities of ore to remove the bitumen from the oil sands. The scale of the operations and the abrasive nature of the ore results in very aggressive wear conditions. The high levels of abrasive and impact wear can lead to equipment reliability issues, with associated costs and lost production. As such, it is common to augment the durability of mining components by the application of wear-resistant materials. For critical equipment tungsten carbide-based composite overlays are commonly selected to improve reliability and extend service life. The performance of the overlay is very much dependent on the service conditions. This paper will describe how the selection of tungsten carbide-type can determine the performance of a composite overlay in a range of abrasive and impact wear conditions. The paper will demonstrate how the effective selection of the composite to match the expected service conditions can improve the durability of mining equipment.
Lepton flavor violating
B⃗K2*(1430)μ±τ±
decays
Authors: Kumbhakar Suman , Sain Ria , Vardani Juhi
Published: July 2023

A number of measurements in decays induced by the semileptonic b → s and b → c transitions hint towards a possible role of new physics in both sectors. Motivated by these anomalies, we investigate the lepton flavor violating

B
→

K

2

*

(
1430
)

μ

±

τ

∓

decays. We calculate the two-fold angular distribution of

B
→

K

2

*

ℓ

1

ℓ

2

decay in the presence of vector, axial-vector, scalar and pseudo-scalar new physics interactions. We then compute the branching fraction and lepton forward–backward asymmetry in the framework of

U

1

2

/

3

vector leptoquark which is a viable solution to the current B anomalies. We find that the upper limits are


(
B
→

K

2

*

μ

−

τ

+

)
≤
1.64

×

10

−
7

and


(
B
→

K

2

*

μ

+

τ

−

)
≤
0.60

×

10

−
7

at 90% C.L.
Revealing the plasma confinement behavior of an axial ring cusp hybrid discharge in a miniature ion thruster using PIC/MCC simulation
Authors: Liu Wei , Wang Weizong , Li Yifei , Xue Shuwen
Published: July 2023

Abstract

Micro direct current (DC) ion thrusters have broad application prospects as propulsion systems for micro spacecrafts due to their advantages of high discharge reliability and efficiency. Experiments in the literature show that the plasma discharge under the axial ring cusp hybrid (ARCH) magnetic field has higher discharge efficiency in the discharge chamber of micro DC ion thruster. In this paper, a 2d-3v axisymmetric particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision numerical model is developed for the ARCH discharge. This model takes the thermal electron emission including the Schottky effect, various collision processes including the Bohm-type anomalous conductivity and the uneven background gas density distribution in the cathode-anode gap into account. The spatial distributions of plasma characteristics are presented and the advantages of ARCH discharge compared with traditional 3-ring discharge in the discharge chamber of the micro DC ion thruster are analyzed. The longer electron path length and the change of ionization region improve the discharge efficiency in small-scale discharges. Two primary methods for the discharge confinement in the miniature ion thrusters, that is, the magneto-static ‘cusp confinement’ through magnetic cusps and the electrostatic ‘sheath refection confinement’ through the backplate with the lower potential are investigated. The sensitivity of macroscopic current characteristics and microscopic plasma characteristics in the ARCH discharge to the magnetic field strength and backplate biased potential are explored. It is found that there is an optimal magnetic field to maximize the utilization of propellant and minimize the discharge loss. The electrostatic ‘sheath refection confinement’ is conducive to the reduction of discharge loss, however, it is also accompanied by the decline of propellant utilization. The above results provide further support for the design optimization of the micro DC ion thruster discharge chamber.
Resonance provocation of improved energy orbit in bi-stable vibration energy harvesters for power enhancement
Authors: Li Qingzhao , Bu Ling , Wang Zhiwei , Lu Shiyu , Zhou Jingmeng , Liu Yutong , Zhao Zhixu , Qian Haoyuan , Wang Xiaohong
Published: July 2023

Bi-stable vibration energy harvesters are advantageous for a wide bandwidth in low frequency ranges, but are confronted with the issue of limited output power. Bi-stability traditionally contains two low- and high-energy orbits; however, this paper reports resonance provocation of the improved energy orbit, which is much higher than the traditional two energy orbits and can be utilized for power enhancement. Theoretically, the enhanced energy orbit is provoked due to an increase in the system’s kinetic energy, achieved by modifying the bi-stable potential energy function from quartic function to quadratic function to utilize the linear resonant restoring force. Experimental results demonstrate that the provocation of the improved energy orbit is frequency selective, and the root mean square voltage is increased by 63.6% in the upward sweep and 188.5% in the downward sweep. For optimal load, the improved energy orbit increases the maximal root mean square voltage by 2.10 times and the maximal average output power by 4.37 times. Meanwhile, the device’s bi-stable bandwidth remains almost unchanged. These results prove that the resonance provocation of the improved energy orbit can refine the power while not sacrificing bandwidth, which is a promising solution to the overall performance improvement for vibration energy harvesters.
Increased material differentiation through multi-contrast x-ray imaging: a preliminary evaluation of potential applications to the detection of threat materials
Authors: Astolfo A , Haig I G , Bate D , Olivo A , Modregger P
Published: July 2023

Most material discrimination in security inspections is based on dual-energy x-ray imaging, which enables the determination of a material’s effective atomic number (Zeff) as well as electron density and its consequent classification as organic or inorganic. Recently phase-based ‘dark-field’ x-ray imaging approaches have emerged that are sensitive to complementary features of a material, namely its unresolved microstructure. It can therefore be speculated that their inclusion in the security-based imaging could enhance material discrimination, for example of materials with similar electron densities and Zeff but different microstructures. In this paper, we present a preliminary evaluation of the advantages that such a combination could bear. Utilising an energy-resolved detector for a phase-based dark-field technique provides dual-energy attenuation and dark-field images simultaneously. In addition, since we use a method based on attenuating x-ray masks to generate the dark-field images, a fifth (attenuation) image at a much higher photon energy is obtained by exploiting the x-rays transmitted through the highly absorbing mask septa. In a first test, a threat material is imaged against a non-threat one, and we show how their discrimination based on maximising their relative contrast through linear combinations of two and five imaging channels leads to an improvement in the latter case. We then present a second example to show how the method can be extended to discrimination against more than one non-threat material, obtaining similar results. Albeit admittedly preliminary, these results indicate that significant margins of improvement in material discrimination are available by including additional x-ray contrasts in the scanning process.
The Tianlin Mission: A 6 m UV/Opt/IR Space Telescope to Explore Habitable Worlds and the Universe
Authors: Wang Wei , Zhai Meng , Zhao Gang , Wang Shen , Liu Jifeng , Chang Jin , Zhang Xuejun , Dong Jihong , Xu Boqian , Grupp Frank
Published: July 2023

It is expected that ongoing and future space-borne planet survey missions including Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), PLATO and Earth 2.0 will detect thousands of small to medium-sized planets via the transit technique, including over a hundred habitable terrestrial rocky planets. To conduct a detailed study of these terrestrial planets, particularly the cool ones with wide orbits, the exoplanet community has proposed various follow-up missions. The currently proposed European Space Agency mission Ariel is the first step for this purpose, and it is capable of characterization of planets down to warm super-Earths mainly using transmission spectroscopy. The NASA Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor mission proposed in the Astro2020 Decadal Survey white paper will endeavor to further identify habitable rocky planets, and is expected to launch around 2045. In the meanwhile, China is funding a concept study of a 6 m class space telescope named Tianlin (a UV/Opt/NIR large aperture space telescope) that aims to start its operation within the next 10–15 yr and last for 5+ yr. Tianlin will be primarily aimed at the discovery and characterization of rocky planets in the habitable zones around nearby stars and to search for potential biosignatures mainly using the direct imaging method. Transmission and emission spectroscopy at moderate to high resolution will be carried out as well on a population of exoplanets to strengthen the understanding of the formation and evolution of exoplanets. It will also be utilized to perform in-depth studies of the cosmic web and early galaxies, and constrain the nature of dark matter and dark energy. We describe briefly the primary scientific motivations and main technical considerations based on our preliminary simulation results. We find that a monolithic off-axis space telescope with primary mirror diameter larger than 6 m equipped with a high contrast coronagraph can identify water in the atmosphere of a habitable-zone Earth-like planet around a Sun-like star. More simulations for the detectability of other key biosignatures including O3, O2, CH4 and chlorophyll are coming.
Genetic Diversity in Original Arabian-WAHO, Local and Thoroughbred Horses in Iraq from ACTN3-EXON19 Gene Polymorphism
Authors: Turki W. Z. , Al-Anbari N. N.
Published: July 2023

The research was conducted in the Iraqi Equestrian Club (15 km west of Baghdad city center) for the period from 10/1/2021 to 11/30/2022, with the aim of detecting genetic features in the ACTN3 gene for each of the nineteenth exon (EXON19) in three types of horses, which are the original Arabian-WAHO, Local, and British Thoroughbred, with 38, 38, and 39 head each, respectively, for the purpose of studying genetic diversity indicators by estimating Mean allelic abundance -na) and some fixation indexes. The average total allelic abundance (na) for all mutation sites in the ACTN3/EXON19 gene for the three types of horses was 2.00, while the total number of effective alleles (ne) was 1.437, 1.594 and 1.592 for original Arabian-WAHO, Local, and British Thoroughbred respectively. The individual (Fis) for all mutation sites in the ACTN3 gene within the horse herd and for each type of them - 0.113, -0.107, and -0.138 for original Arabian-WAHO, Local, and the British Thoroughbred horses respectively, with a total rate of -0.1197, and that most of the estimates of genetic similarity between mutation sites in the ACTN3 gene are medium to high. We can conclude by studying the genetic diversity according to the genetic manifestations in the ACTN3 gene for each of the nineteenth exon EXON19, the possibility of adopting it in developing strategies for genetic improvement in horses and that the herd is characterized by the lack of internal breeding, and by studying the genetic differentiation stability index (Fst) and gene flow (Nm), there is genetic diversity in the studied gene regions, and the ACTN3 gene can be considered as a marker or genetic marker.
A Novel ELISA for the Quantification of Serum Levels of 2 Glycosylated Variants of Apolipoprotein J: Biomarkers for Myocardial Ischemia
Authors: Fernández Encinas Lola , Lluch Nuria , Wu Alan H B , Kaski Juan Carlos , Badimon Lina , Cubedo Judit
Published: July 2023

Background

Previous studies have pointed out a potential role of ApoJ-Glyc as a biomarker of cardiac ischemia. The aim of this study was to validate the analytical performance of 2 novel ELISAs against 2 different glycosylated ApoJ variants, ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6.

Methods

The analytical measuring range, limit of blank (LoB), lower limit of quantification (LoQ), precision, accuracy, recovery, cross-reactivity, and stability were evaluated in serum samples.

Results

The analytical measuring range was 500–16 000 ng/mL for ApoJ-GlycA2 and 125–4000 ng/mL for ApoJ-GlycA6, with a LoB of 455 ng/mL and 121 ng/mL for ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6, respectively. The LoQ was 500 ng/mL for ApoJ-GlycA2 and 125 ng/mL for ApoJ-GlycA6. The assay performance fulfills the acceptance criteria established in the European Medicines Agency Guideline on bioanalytical method validation. Specifically, the calibration range variability is <15% for ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6; the accuracy is <15% for ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6; the between- and within-run precision is <15% for ApoJ-GlycA6 and ≤20% for ApoJ-GlycA2; and the total allowable error is <30% for ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6. Cross-reactivity studies revealed the absence of cross-reactivity with endogenous components of the matrix (using ApoJ-depleted serum), with nonglycosylated ApoJ and with transferrin (as a high abundant N-glycosylated serum protein). Both ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6 measurements were stable after storage of serum samples at −80°C for 24 months.

Conclusions

The newly developed ELISAs to quantify ApoJ-GlycA2 and ApoJ-GlycA6 serum levels showed an acceptable analytical performance according to European Medicines Agency guidelines on bioanalytical method validation in terms of precision, accuracy, recovery, cross-reactivity, and stability.
CardinalKit: open-source standards-based, interoperable mobile development platform to help translate the promise of digital health
Authors: Aalami Oliver , Hittle Mike , Ravi Vishnu , Griffin Ashley , Schmiedmayer Paul , Shenoy Varun , Gutierrez Santiago , Venook Ross
Published: July 2023

Smartphone devices capable of monitoring users’ health, physiology, activity, and environment revolutionize care delivery, medical research, and remote patient monitoring. Such devices, laden with clinical-grade sensors and cloud connectivity, allow clinicians, researchers, and patients to monitor health longitudinally, passively, and persistently, shifting the paradigm of care and research from low-resolution, intermittent, and discrete to one of persistent, continuous, and high resolution. The collection, transmission, and storage of sensitive health data using mobile devices presents unique challenges that serve as significant barriers to entry for care providers and researchers alike. Compliance with standards like HIPAA and GDPR requires unique skills and practices. These requirements make off-the-shelf technologies insufficient for use in the digital health space. As a result, budget, timeline, talent, and resource constraints are the largest barriers to new digital technologies. The CardinalKit platform is an open-source project addressing these challenges by focusing on reducing these barriers and accelerating the innovation, adoption, and use of digital health technologies. CardinalKit provides a mobile template application and web dashboard to enable an interoperable foundation for developing digital health applications. We demonstrate the applicability of CardinalKit to a wide variety of digital health applications across 18 innovative digital health prototypes.
Core shrinkage covariance estimation for matrix-variate data
Authors: Hoff Peter , McCormack Andrew , Zhang Anru R
Published: July 2023

A separable covariance model can describe the among-row and among-column correlations of a random matrix and permits likelihood-based inference with a very small sample size. However, if the assumption of separability is not met, data analysis with a separable model may misrepresent important dependence patterns in the data. As a compromise between separable and unstructured covariance estimation, we decompose a covariance matrix into a separable component and a complementary ‘core’ covariance matrix. This decomposition defines a new covariance matrix decomposition that makes use of the parsimony and interpretability of a separable covariance model, yet fully describes covariance matrices that are non-separable. This decomposition motivates a new type of shrinkage estimator, obtained by appropriately shrinking the core of the sample covariance matrix, that adapts to the degree of separability of the population covariance matrix.
A novel internal training program using Kern’s 6-step approach to curriculum development for medical laboratory scientists training to be international quality assurance/quality control coordinators
Authors: Leach Anne , Shim Josephine , Murphy Kristin , Godard Mandana , Ortiz Felix , Swartz Mark , Sokoll Lori J
Published: July 2023

Objective

Patient Safety Monitoring in International Laboratories (pSMILE) is a resource ensuring quality testing in clinical laboratories performing National Institutes of Health–funded HIV research requiring specific staff training. We demonstrate the development of an online asynchronous training model using Kern’s 6-step approach to support pSMILE functions.

Methods

An existing curriculum was revamped to incorporate Kern’s approach. Metrics for success were described in rubrics with feedback guiding improvements and updates.

Results

Curriculum updates took more than a year. Direct observations of skills informed curriculum changes. Module self-evaluations were reviewed to assess performance and the overall curriculum. The content, curriculum, and training documentation were deemed compliant with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015.

Conclusion

Asynchronous training for highly skilled and self-directed staff is a novel way to deploy training while maintaining productivity of existing staff. Feedback and evaluation allowed for curriculum updates including previously underdeveloped topics. Kern’s approach ensured that the needs of the sponsor, management, laboratories, and learners were met.
Association between lifestyle habits and presenteeism
Authors: Adi N P , Nagata T , Odagami K , Nagata M , Kajiki S , Kuroishi M , Mori K
Published: July 2023

Background

Presenteeism is affected by work-related and individual factors. Among individual factors, the effect of combining various lifestyle habits on presenteeism is unknown.

Aims

This study aimed to determine the relationship between changes in multiple good lifestyle habits with a change in presenteeism and to examine the effect of psychological factors on this relationship.

Methods

We performed a 1-year retrospective cohort study on employees of large Japanese companies. Data were collected from health check-ups and a self-administered questionnaire. Changes in presenteeism were measured using the Quality and Quantity method. Changes in lifestyle habits were measured using a modified form of Breslow’s seven health practices. Psychological factors were measured using the Kessler 6-Item Psychological Distress Scale. Linear regression was used for statistical analysis.

Results

The number of practised lifestyle habit changes was negatively correlated with a change in presenteeism. This result was consistent when adjusted for age, sex and company (B, −0.010; P < 0.05), but became non-significant when additionally adjusted for psychological distress (B, −0.006). When analysed separately, only an improvement in the body mass index (B, −0.054; P < 0.05) and a worsened sleep habit (B, 0.040; P < 0.01) influenced a change in presenteeism.

Conclusions

This study suggests that improving various practised lifestyle habits in combination, rather than improving a single lifestyle habit, is beneficial in reducing presenteeism. Our finding that psychological distress altered the relationship of practised lifestyle habit changes with presenteeism indicates the importance of organizational-level intervention in presenteeism.
Waiting in the Heart of Empire
Authors: Datta Arunima
Published: July 2023

Chapter 2 examines the experiences of travelling ayahs on arrival in Britain, paying particular attention to the cases that appear in the archives due to the abandonment of ayahs by irresponsible employers. The chapter explores the relations between travelling ayahs and their employers as well as the difficult interactions with imperial administrators that travelling ayahs encountered when they found themselves in vulnerable situations. While focusing on how the Empire managed the traffic of the travelling ayahs between India and Britain, the chapter also reveals the contractual expectations that travelling ayahs had of their employers, what happened to travelling ayahs once they disembarked at a port in Britain, and how travelling ayahs made their way back to India. In the process of exploring these questions, the chapter unveils the ways the power dynamics of colonial capitalism and the contradictory migration policies of the Empire imposed periods of waiting ranging from weeks to years on travelling ayahs in Britain.
Creative Resilience in Crisis
Authors: Datta Arunima
Published: July 2023

Chapter 3 focuses on the various kinds of creative agency that travelling ayahs exhibited whilst waiting. Most importantly, the chapter introduces emotion as a lens through which to examine the archives, thus allowing travelling ayahs to become visible as human beings who demonstrated agency in precarious situations of waiting. The chapter focuses on various cases wherein travelling ayahs used emotions explicitly revolving around home, family, and motherhood to negotiate access to social and administrative aid in their attempts to find a way home to India. It demonstrates the busy-ness of travelling ayahs in waiting, as they engaged in planning, emotional appeals, and carefully crafted actions in order to achieve their goals and end their period of waiting.
Precarious Work and Challenges Facing Japanese Unionism
Authors: Keizer Arjan
Published: July 2023

This chapter compares strategies for organizing non-regular workers by two mainstream Japanese union confederations, Rengo and Zenroren, and their affiliated unions. Drawing insights from Hyman’s framework of representation (1997) that distinguishes between who (types of employees), what (objectives), and how (strategies), the chapter demonstrates how Japanese unionism has become increasingly more inclusive. However, three forms of dualism, that are manifested in the labour market, industrial relations, and union identities, have fragmented the labour movement and hindered unions’ ability to contest the prevalence of precarious work and to significantly raise its working conditions. The chapter concludes with the view that more concerted social action is needed to address precariousness.
Passed Down
Authors: Elkins Amy E.
Published: July 2023

Women inherit the craft of their foremothers across culture, place, and history, but also in more intimate, subtle modes that attest to the feminist complexity of this book’s approach to material culture. Moving across transaesthetic registers, this section describes the archival discovery of H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)’s needlework archive, which forms the basis of the next chapter. A handcrafted donkey figurine in the collection, which was inherited by the author and that has taken on a multifaceted symbolism that expresses the endurance of those crafted objects at the fringes of institutional archives, gives way to a reflection on associative methods and epistemologies of feminist resistance, gift economies, and institutional archives.
A modo de conclusión: Imitation and the Future of themodus
Authors: Rabone Richard
Published: July 2023

Chapter 6 concludes the book with reflections on the nature of the imitative relationships involved in this literary reappropriation of a philosophical commonplace. It summarizes peculiar complexities that condition the reception of the mean and the discussion in this book. These include: the importance of intermediary texts for the doctrine’s reception, and the need to take account of these when exploring early modern engagements with the doctrine, rather than having recourse simply to Aristotle’s account; the delicate balance of sameness and difference that allows literary texts to thrive as they rework and respond to particular strands of the mean’s reception; and the complication of having to deal with influences and models from both literary and philosophical tradition, as the case studies demonstrate the need for a reader to isolate which aspects of a tradition are relevant for any given work—looking both at the multifaceted ethical tradition outlined here, and at a work’s particular generic heritage. The second part of the chapter then combines with Chapter 2.7 to suggest how the account of the mean’s reception and critical toolkit for literary interpretation offered in this book might be taken forward in future work. These include, for example, extending the study of mythology to other figures linked to facets of the mean; extending the study of drama to other plays which foreground the vices staged in El médico; and extending the discussion of the mean in literary parodies, with useful examples already in Góngora’s poetry and in Don Quixote.
Looking South
Authors: Sloan John
Published: July 2023

As a student from 1861 to 1863 at St Andrews University, Lang founded a college magazine, writing most of its weekly verses, parodies, and cartoons. He was deeply affected in his first year by the death of his closest friend in college. In his second year, he was inspired by Professor James Frederick Ferrier, a defender of the generalist tradition of Scottish university education, who taught moral philosophy. Ferrier’s lectures on Greek philosophy taught him the fallibility of all intellectual system-building and the need to question shared common-sense thinking. Encouraged by his uncle, Lang attended Glasgow University for a session, and, although unhappy there, he succeeded in gaining a Snell Exhibition in Classics at Balliol College, Oxford.