bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self- and non-self-DNA on hands and sleeve cuffs
Authors: Henry Léonie , Zieger Martin
Published: December 2023

Studying DNA transfer and persistence has become increasingly important over the last decade, due to the impressive sensitivity of modern DNA detection methods in forensic genetics. To improve our understanding of background DNA that could also potentially be transferred, we analyzed the DNA composition on the outside of sleeve cuffs and sampled DNA directly from the hands of four different collaborators upon their arrival at work during 25 working days. Sampling of their hands was repeated after several hours working in our department. The shedder status of the participants, as assumed from previous internal studies, was well re-produced in the study. However, we noticed that the DNA shedding capacity could also change drastically during the day, with one participant showing a more than sixfold increase between hands sampled in the morning and hands sampled in the afternoon. As expected, poor DNA shedders carry more relative amounts of non-self-DNA on their hands than good shedders. Non-self-alleles were detected in 95% of the samples. We also observed potential effects of hand washing and the mode of transport to get to work on the DNA amount. People living with family members occasionally carried their DNA on their hands and more frequently on their sleeve cuffs. Sleeve cuffs, as being close to our hands, have a large potential to transfer DNA from one place to another, yet they have sparsely been studied as DNA transfer intermediates so far. In general, we collected consistently more DNA from the sleeve cuffs than from the hands of the participants, demonstrating their importance as potential transfer vectors. More DNA was recovered from sleeve cuffs made of synthetic fabric than from cuffs made of cotton or leather. In the afternoon, DNA from co-habitant family members could not be detected on the hands anymore and the detection of profiles from colleagues became more frequent. From two out of 100 analyzed sleeve cuffs and two out of 200 sampled hands, we established unknown major DNA profiles that would have been suitable for an entry in the national DNA database. This finding demonstrates the possibility to transfer DNA that has most likely been picked up somewhere in the public space.
Eculizumab in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli hemolytic uremic syndrome: a systematic review
Authors: de Zwart Paul L. , Mueller Thomas F. , Spartà Giuseppina , Luyckx Valerie A.
Published: December 2023

Background

Infection-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (IA-HUS), most often due to infection with Shiga toxin-producing bacteria, mainly affects young children. It can be acutely life-threatening, as well as cause long-term kidney and neurological morbidity. Specific treatment with proven efficacy is lacking. Since activation of the alternative complement pathway occurs in HUS, the monoclonal C5 antibody eculizumab is often used off-label once complications, e.g., seizures, occur. Eculizumab is prohibitively expensive and carries risk of infection. Its utility in IA-HUS has not been systematically studied. This systematic review aims to present, summarize, and evaluate all currently available data regarding the effect of eculizumab administration on medium- to long-term outcomes (i.e., outcomes after the acute phase, with a permanent character) in IA-HUS.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched for studies reporting the impact of eculizumab on medium- to long-term outcomes in IA-HUS. The final search occurred on March 2, 2022. Studies providing original data regarding medium- to long-term outcomes in at least 5 patients with IA-HUS, treated with at least one dose of eculizumab during the acute illness, were included. No other restrictions were imposed regarding patient population. Studies were excluded if data overlapped substantially with other studies, or if outcomes of IA-HUS patients were not reported separately. Study quality was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool for risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Results

A total of 2944 studies were identified. Of these, 14 studies including 386 eculizumab-treated patients met inclusion criteria. All studies were observational. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) was identified as the infectious agent in 381 of 386 patients (98.7%), effectively limiting the interpretation of the data to STEC-HUS patients. Pooling of data across studies was not possible. No study reported a statistically significant positive effect of eculizumab on any medium- to long-term outcome. Most studies were, however, subject to critical risk of bias due to confounding, as more severely ill patients received eculizumab. Three studies attempted to control for confounding through patient matching, although residual bias persisted due to matching limitations.

Discussion

Current observational evidence does not permit any conclusion regarding the impact of eculizumab in IA-HUS given critical risk of bias. Results of randomized clinical trials are eagerly awaited, as new therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to prevent long-term morbidity in these severely ill patients.

Systematic review registration number

OSF Registries, MSZY4, Registration DOI https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MSZY4.
Alanine transferase levels (ALT) and triglyceride-glucose index are risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese patients
Authors: Folli Franco , Pontiroli Antonio E. , Zakaria Ahmed S. , Centofanti Lucia , Tagliabue Elena , La Sala Lucia
Published: December 2023

Aims

The role of liver steatosis and increased liver enzymes (ALT) in increasing incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is debated, because of their differential effects on different ethnicities and populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of elevated ALT in the development of T2DM in non-diabetic obese subjects receiving routine medical treatment.

Methods

A total of 1005 subjects [296 men and 709 women, aged 45.7 ± 13.12 years, body mass index (BMI) 39.5 ± 4.86 kg/m2] were followed for a mean period of 14.3 ± 4.44 years. Subjects were evaluated for several metabolic variables, including the triglyceride-glucose index and the presence of metabolic syndrome (IDF 2005 definition), and were subdivided into ALT quartiles.

Results

T2DM developed in 136 subjects, and the difference was significant between the first and the fourth ALT quartile (p = 0.048). Both at univariate analysis and at stepwise regression, ALT quartiles were associated with incident T2DM. Traditional risk factors for T2DM coexisted, with a somehow greater predictive value, such as triglyceride-glucose index, age, arterial hypertension, LDL-cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome.

Conclusions

These data suggest an association between elevated ALT levels and the risk of incident T2DM in obesity.
Elevated luteinizing hormone receptor signaling or selenium treatment leads to comparable changes in adrenal cortex histology and androgen-AR/ZIP9 signaling
Authors: Wieczorek Jaroslaw , Pawlicki Piotr , Zarzycka Marta , Pardyak Laura , Niedbala Piotr , Duliban Michal , Yurdakok-Dikmen Begum , Kotula-Balak Malgorzata
Published: December 2023

The importance and regulation of adrenal androgen production and signaling are not completely understood and are scarcely studied. In addition, there is still a search for appropriate animal models and experimental systems for the investigation of adrenal physiology and disease. Therefore, the main objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of luteinizing hormone (LH) signaling and selenium (Se2+) exposure on androgen adrenal signaling via canonical androgen receptor (AR), and membrane androgen receptor acting as zinc transporter (zinc- and iron-like protein 9; ZIP9). For herein evaluations, adrenals isolated from transgenic mice with elevated LH receptor signaling (KiLHRD582G) and adrenals obtained from rabbits used for ex vivo adenal cortex culture and exposure to Se2+ were utilized. Tissues were assessed for morphological, morphometric, and Western blot analyses and testosterone and zinc level measurements.

Comparison of adrenal cortex histology and morphometric analysis in KiLHRD582G mice and Se2+-treated rabbits revealed cell hypertrophy. No changes in the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were found. In addition, AR expression was decreased (p < 0.001) in both KiLHRD582G mouse and Se2+-treated rabbit adrenal cortex while expression of ZIP9 showed diverse changes. Its expression was increased (P < 0.001) in KiLHRD582G mice and decreased (P < 0.001) in Se2+-treated rabbits but only at the dose 10 ug/100 mg/ tissue. Moreover, increased testosterone levels (P < 0.05) and zinc levels were detected in the adrenal cortex of KiLHRD582G mice whereas in rabbit adrenal cortex treated with Se2+, the effect was the opposite (P < 0.001).
Association between motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and swallowing disorders
Authors: Nakamori Masahiro , Toko Megumi , Yamada Hidetada , Hayashi Yuki , Ushio Kai , Yoshikawa Kohei , Haruta Azusa , Hiraoka Aya , Yoshikawa Mineka , Nagasaki Toshikazu , Mikami Yukio , Maruyama Hirofumi
Published: December 2023

Background

Parkinson’s disease (PD) presents with motor symptoms that hinder physical activity. This study aimed to thoroughly investigate swallowing dysfunction in patients with PD using videofluoroscopy (VF) and the Movement Disorder Society (MDS)-Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) sub-scores.

Methods

This study was part of an intervention project to evaluate the effectiveness of cervical percutaneous interferential current stimulation in patients with Hoehn and Yahr stages 2–4 PD. Baseline data, including swallowing-related indicators such as VF, were obtained and compared to the MDS-UPDRS sub-scores including rigidity, tremor, postural instability/gait difficulty, and limb scores.

Results

Twenty-seven patients were included in this study. In the VF analysis, laryngeal penetration/aspiration, oral cavity residue, epiglottic vallecular residue, and pharyngeal residue were observed with remarkable frequency. The multivariate analysis revealed that the mean rigidity score of UPDRS was an independent and significantly correlated factor with laryngeal penetration/aspiration during the ingestion of 10 mL of water (odds ratio 1.294, 95% confidence interval 1.035–1.617; p = 0.024).

Conclusion

This study revealed a correlation between muscle rigidity and laryngeal penetration or aspiration risk. The detailed comparative analysis of various individual PD symptoms and swallowing disorders was substantial, which enabled early detection of the risk of swallowing disorder and the implementation of appropriate measures.

Trial registration number

jRCTs062220013.
Genomic reconsideration of fish non-monophyly: why cannot we simply call them all ‘fish’?
Authors: Kuraku Shigehiro , Sato Mana , Yoshida Kohta , Uno Yoshinobu
Published: December 2023

Extant ‘fishes’ belong to jawless, cartilaginous, actinopterygian, or sarcopterygian fish lineages. They comprise a non-monophyletic group of vertebrates from which tetrapods are excluded, and they are therefore paraphyletic. Recent advances in whole-genome sequencing have shed light on phylogenetic relationships, divergence times among major fish lineages, and the molecular basis of phenotypic diversity. This review encompasses the diversity of extant fishes and explores the variation in genomic organization and its evolutionary origins. This review begins with evaluating available genomic sequence resources with a focus on literally complete (‘telomere-to-telomere’) sequencing. Next, it discusses among-lineage variations in genomic contents, considering karyotype reports, genome sizes, and whole-genome duplication events. Additionally, we investigate three families of protein-coding genes, visual opsins, aquaporins (Aqps), and Hox genes, as they offer insights into morphological and physiological differences among major fish lineages. Overall, our technical basis of analyzing fish genomes and the knowledge of genomic organization provide valuable insights into our vertebrate-wide understanding of how molecular mechanisms specifying variable phenotypes are encoded in genomic sequence information.
A general and modular framework for dark web analysis
Authors: Ruiz Ródenas José Manuel , Pastor-Galindo Javier , Gómez Mármol Félix
Published: December 2023

The dark web, often linked with illegal activities, can be monitored with different solutions. However, these tools are typically purpose-specific and designed for unique use cases. In this study, we propose a flexible and scalable framework that facilitates the easy integration of new workflows for dark web analysis. The design is based on the control, logic and operations layers, supplemented by a tools module, logs management, asynchronous message-based communication and a database. The implementation maps the features into a microservice approach, utilizing the open-source technologies Docker Swarm, Kafka, ELK Stack (Elastic Search, Logstash and Kibana), and PostgreSQL. A workflow to scrape web elements of Tor onion services is deployed and validated, demonstrating considerable framework performance despite the time-consuming task of navigating the dark web. Over 16 h, the framework collected over half million onion domains (84,371 unique ones) and made 78,555 accesses to them.
Generation of mathematical programming representations for discrete event simulation models of timed petri nets
Authors: Zhang Mengyi , Alfieri Arianna , Matta Andrea
Published: December 2023

This work proposes a mathematical programming (MP) representation of discrete event simulation of timed Petri nets (TPN). Currently, mathematical programming techniques are not widely applied to optimize discrete event systems due to the difficulty of formulating models capable to correctly represent the system dynamics. This work connects the two fruitful research fields, i.e., mathematical programming and Timed Petri Nets. In the MP formalism, the decision variables of the model correspond to the transition firing times and the markings of the TPN, whereas the constraints represent the state transition logic and temporal sequences among events. The MP model and a simulation run of the TPN are then totally equivalent, and this equivalence has been validated through an application in the queuing network field. Using a TPN model as input, the MP model can be routinely generated and used as a white box for further tasks such as sensitivity analysis, cut generation in optimization procedures, and proof of formal properties.
Remote Working and Task Innovativeness – an Integrated Resource Based View and Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence Perspective
Authors: Dzandu Michael D. , Hatsu Sylvester , De Cesare Sergio
Published: December 2023

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations across the world have been adopting different strategies, including remote working (RW), to continue with their normal routines. However, little is known about the impact of RW strategy on task innovativeness, organisational performance, and employees’ continuance intention to remote work post-COVID-19. Using a variant of the resource-based view and the antecedent-behaviour-consequence models, data was collected from a total of 643 employees in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ghana; and analysed using structural equation modelling (Study 1). The results showed and confirmed a positive effect of RW strategy, information systems (IS) resource availability and capabilities on employees’ task innovativeness leading to improved organisational performance. Further, interviews were then conducted with 22 participants from Ghana and the UK (Study 2) to understand the reasons for the outcomes in Study 1. These provided a basis for employees’ continuance intention to remote work. The need to upgrade the current levels of IS resources to support job redesign and responsive workaround in times of uncertainty is highlighted for the consideration of businesses, organisations, and policymakers.
Autistic Characteristics in a Nationally Representative Clinical Sample of Adolescents Seeking Medical Gender-Affirming Treatment in Norway
Authors: David Linda W. , Stenberg Nina , Diseth Trond H. , Helverschou Sissel Berge , Nyquist Cecilie Bjertness , Øien Roald A. , Waehre Anne
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Several studies have reported on the intersection of autism and gender incongruence (GI) in clinical populations. This study aims to investigate autistic characteristics and registered autism spectrum diagnoses (ASD) in a clinical cohort of 83 adolescents referred to the National Gender Team for Children and Adolescents in Norway during 2020.

Methods

Parents completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Background information and registered psychiatric diagnoses were extracted from patient files.

Results

The results showed that 25% of the participants scored within the clinical range on the SRS: 27.4% of adolescents who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 19.0% of adolescents who were assigned male at birth (AMAB). AFAB had significantly higher scores on SRS Total Scale and the Social Motivation and Autistic Mannerisms subscales compared to the female norm group. AMAB had higher scores on the Social Motivation subscale and lower scores on the Social Awareness subscale, compared to the male norm population. Information from patient files revealed that 67.5% had one or more registered psychiatric diagnosis. 9.6% had received an ASD diagnosis, all AFAB. 18.1% had received an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were depression (25.3%) and anxiety disorders (18.1%). Further, 44.6% had a history of self-harm, and 15.7% had a history of a suicide attempt.

Conclusion

The results showed an overrepresentation of ASD diagnoses and autistic characteristics measured by SRS for AFAB. There was an overrepresentation of psychiatric diagnoses for both the AFAB and the AMAB group in this study sample. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.
Eros and Anxiety
Authors: Yao Vida
Published: December 2023

Recent philosophical interest in “transformative experiences” is largely motivated by L. A. Paul’s arguments that such experiences challenge our hopes to live up to an ideal she believes is upheld within western, wealthy cultures. If these experiences reveal information to us about the world and ourselves that is in principle unavailable to us before we undergo them, it seems that there is no hope for us to be “rational”, “authentic” and “autonomous” masters of our own lives. Supposing that Paul is right about this, how concerned should we be? Here, I challenge the ideal of rational “self-realization” that guides Paul’s project, and which must be granted in order to motivate the problem purportedly generated by experiences that drastically change what we want and what we know.
Stress tolerant species are keys to plant communities success on extensive green roof: an experimental test of CSR strategy dynamic
Authors: Rivière Lucie , Meeûs Sophie , Mahy Gregory
Published: December 2023

Selecting appropriate native plant species to ensure the resilience of plant communities and ecosystem services on extensive green roofs is a challenge. Plant functional strategy models provide a useful framework for identifying plant characteristics that promote plant success on green roofs, and for generalizing results obtained with a limited number of species to a global flora. We analysed the dynamics of floristic composition and CSR strategies of seeded plant communities on experimental extensive green roofs under different stress conditions (substrate depths and fertilization treatments) at early establishment (4 years). Floristic composition evolved strongly over four years, with a significant reduction in species richness and equitability due to the increasing dominance of the stress-tolerant Sedum album. CSR strategies shifted from initial communities co-dominated by C and R strategies to communities largely dominated by S strategy four years later. Changes in plant communities strategy were modulated by substrate depth, with a higher increase in S strategy under more stressful conditions. At the installation of vegetation, the dominant factor discriminating CSR composition was fertilization supply. Substrate depth emerged as the primary factor determining CSR strategy after four years of plant community establishment. Our study supports the pattern that stress-tolerant species tend to rapidly dominate plant communities on extensive green roofs and suggests that native species selection for implementing analogous habitat on extensive green roofs, in a temperate climate, should primarily focus on natural habitats composed of stress-tolerant species. A mix of different functional strategies can be favourable to vegetation success on green roofs with environmental heterogeneity.
Effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair: a preliminary study for estimating personal profiles using micro-segmental analysis of corpse hair
Authors: Kuwayama Kenji , Miyaguchi Hajime , Kanamori Tatsuyuki , Tsujikawa Kenji , Yamamuro Tadashi , Segawa Hiroki , Okada Yuki , Iwata Yuko T.
Published: December 2023

Purpose

Micro-segmental hair analysis (MSA), which enables detailed measurement of the distribution of drugs in a single hair strand, is useful for examining the day of death and drug use history of a person. However, corpses are often found in severe environments, such as soil and freezers, which affect the drug contents in hair. Therefore, we examined the effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair as a preliminary study to estimate personal profiles using MSA of corpse hair.

Methods

Four hay-fever medicines (fexofenadine, epinastine, cetirizine, and desloratadine) were used as model drugs to evaluate drug stability in hair. Reference hair strands consistently containing the four medicines along the hair shaft were collected from patients with hay-fever who ingested the medicines daily for 4 months. The hair strands were placed in chambers with controlled temperatures (− 30 to 60 °C) and relative humidities (ca. 18 % and > 90 %), exposed to light (sunlight and artificial lights) or buried in soil (natural soil and compost).

Results

Sunlight and soil greatly decomposed the hair surfaces and decreased the drug contents in hair (up to 37 %). However, all analytes were successfully detected along the hair shaft, reflecting the intake history, even when the hair was exposed to sunlight for 2 weeks and buried in the soil for 2 months.

Conclusions

Although the exposure to sunlight and storage in soil for long times made drug-distribution analysis difficult, MSA could be applied even to hair strands collected from corpses left in severe environments.
Multi-material additive manufacturing-functionally graded materials by means of laser remelting during laser powder bed fusion
Authors: Schmidt Alexander , Jensch Felix , Härtel Sebastian
Published: December 2023

Many processes may be used for manufacturing functionally graded materials. Among them, additive manufacturing seems to be predestined due to near-net shape manufacturing of complex geometries combined with the possibility of applying different materials in one component. By adjusting the powder composition of the starting material layer by layer, a macroscopic and step-like gradient can be achieved. To further improve the step-like gradient, an enhancement of the in-situ mixing degree, which is limited according to the state of the art, is necessary. In this paper, a novel technique for an enhancement of the in-situ material mixing degree in the melt pool by applying laser remelting (LR) is described. The effect of layer-wise LR on the formation of the interface was investigated using pure copper and low-alloy steel in a laser powder bed fusion process. Subsequent cross-sectional selective electron microscopic analyses were carried out. By applying LR, the mixing degree was enhanced, and the reaction zone thickness between the materials was increased. Moreover, an additional copper and iron-based phase was formed in the interface, resulting in a smoother gradient of the chemical composition than the case without LR. The Marangoni convection flow and thermal diffusion are the driving forces for the observed effect.
Phase Equilibria in the Quasi-Ternary System Cu2Se-In2Se3-CuI and the Crystal Structure of the AIBIII2XVI3YVII Compounds, Where AI-Cu, Ag; BIII-Ga; XVI-Cl, Br, I; YVII-S, Se, Te
Authors: Ivashchenko I. A. , Kozak V. S. , Gulay L. D. , Galyan V. V.
Published: December 2023

The quasi-ternary system Cu2Se-In2Se3-CuI has been investigated by x-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The isothermal section at 770 K and the liquidus surface projection of the system have been built. For the first time, the primary crystallization regions, and the coordinates of the invariant and monovariant equilibria have been determined. In the system, the regions of the solid solutions based on the binary, ternary, and quaternary compounds have been investigated. The formation of the CuIn2Se3I quaternary compound, which melts congruently at 1213 K and has a homogeneity region of 15 and 9 mol.% CuI within the composition triangle has been established. For the first time, the crystal structures of CuGa2Te3I and AgGa2Te3Br compounds have been studied using a powder method. They crystallize in the tetragonal symmetry, Space Group I-4, a = 5.9147(4) Å, c = 11.952(2) Å for CuGa2Te3I; a = 6.2977(3) Å, c = 11.9473(7) Å for AgGa2Te3Br compound, respectively. The connection of their structures with the structures of the defective diamond-like semiconductors has been discussed.
Anthelmintic and Hepatoprotective Activities of the Green-Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Against Parascaris equorum Infection in Rats
Authors: Ali Sara Bayoumi , Mohamed Ayman Saber , Fahmy Sohair R. , El–Garhy Manal , Mousa Mohamed R. , Abdel-Ghaffar Fathy
Published: December 2023

Main conclusions

Green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticle is a promising treatment modality against parasitic infection through its powerful anthelmintic, antioxidant, healing promotion, and anti-inflammation effects.

Background

Nanoparticles have many properties, depending on their size, shape, and morphology, allowing them to interact with microorganisms, plants, and animals.

Objectives

Investigation of the therapeutic effects of green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on Parascaris equorum infection in rats.

Methods

Thirty-six rats were divided into two divisions: the first division is noninfected groups were allocated into three groups. Group 1: Control, group 2: ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg), and group 3: ZnO NPs (60 mg/kg). The second division is infected groups were allocated into three groups. Group 1: vehicle, group 2: ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg), and group 3: ZnO NPs (60 mg/kg).

Findings

Ten days post-infection, two larvae per gram of liver tissue were present in the vehicle group compared to the control group. No larvae were recovered from ZnO NPs (30 mg/kg), and one larva/g.tissue from ZnO NPs (60 mg/kg)-treated groups compared to untreated infected animals. Green-synthesized ZnO NPs caused a significant decrease in liver functions, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol, triglycerides, malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitric oxide (NO). While it caused a significant increase in hemoglobin (HB), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in infected treated rats. The histological inflammation and fibroplasia scores showed a significant enhancement during the treatment with ZnO NPs (30, 60 mg/kg) compared to the infected untreated animals that scored the highest pathological destruction score. Immunohistochemical markers of NF-κB showed a significant decrease during the treatment with ZnO NPs (30, 60 mg/kg) compared to the infected untreated animals.
An all-silicon design of a high-efficiency broadband transmissive terahertz polarization convertor
Authors: Xing Xiaohua , Zou Die , Ding Xin , Yao Jianquan , Wu Liang
Published: December 2023

Polarization, a fundamental behavior of electromagnetic waves, holds immense potential across diverse domains such as environmental monitoring, biomedicine, and ocean exploration. However, achieving efficient modulation of terahertz waves with wide operational bandwidth poses significant challenges. Here, we introduce an all-silicon polarization converter designed specifically to operate in the terahertz range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Simulation results demonstrate that the average conversion efficiency of cross-linear waves exceeds 80% across a wide frequency range spanning from 1.00 to 2.32 THz, with the highest conversion efficiency peaking at an impressive 99.97%. Additionally, our proposed structure facilitates linear-to-circular polarization conversion with an ellipticity of 1 at 0.85 THz. Furthermore, by rotating the cross-shaped microstructure, active control over arbitrary polarization states can be achieved. To summarize, the proposed structure offers remarkable flexibility and ease of integration, providing a reliable and practical solution for achieving broadband and efficient polarization conversion of terahertz waves.

Graphical abstract
Electrostatic switch mechanisms of membrane protein trafficking and regulation
Authors: Clarke Ronald J.
Published: December 2023

Lipid-protein interactions are normally classified as either specific or general. Specific interactions refer to lipid binding to specific binding sites within a membrane protein, thereby modulating the protein’s thermal stability or kinetics. General interactions refer to indirect effects whereby lipids affect membrane proteins by modulating the membrane’s physical properties, e.g., its fluidity, thickness, or dipole potential. It is not widely recognized that there is a third distinct type of lipid-protein interaction. Intrinsically disordered N- or C-termini of membrane proteins can interact directly but nonspecifically with the surrounding membrane. Many peripheral membrane proteins are held to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane via a cooperative combination of two forces: hydrophobic anchoring and electrostatic attraction. An acyl chain, e.g., myristoyl, added post-translationally to one of the protein’s termini inserts itself into the lipid matrix and helps hold peripheral membrane proteins onto the membrane. Electrostatic attraction occurs between positively charged basic amino acid residues (lysine and arginine) on one of the protein’s terminal tails and negatively charged phospholipid head groups, such as phosphatidylserine. Phosphorylation of either serine or tyrosine residues on the terminal tails via regulatory protein kinases allows for an electrostatic switch mechanism to control trafficking of the protein. Kinase action reduces the positive charge on the protein’s tail, weakening the electrostatic attraction and releasing the protein from the membrane. A similar mechanism regulates many integral membrane proteins, but here only electrostatic interactions are involved, and the electrostatic switch modulates protein activity by altering the stabilities of different protein conformational states.
Between the genotype and the phenotype lies the microbiome: symbiosis and the making of ‘postgenomic’ knowledge
Authors: Fasel Cécile , Chiapperino Luca
Published: December 2023

Emphatic claims of a “microbiome revolution” aside, the study of the gut microbiota and its role in organismal development and evolution is a central feature of so-called postgenomics; namely, a conceptual and/or practical turn in contemporary life sciences, which departs from genetic determinism and reductionism to explore holism, emergentism and complexity in biological knowledge-production. This paper analyses the making of postgenomic knowledge about developmental symbiosis in Drosophila melanogaster by a specific group of microbiome scientists. Drawing from both practical philosophy of science and Science and Technology Studies, the paper documents epistemological questions of artefactuality and representativeness of model organisms as they emerge in the day-to-day labour producing and being produced by the “microbiome revolution." Specifically, the paper builds on all the written and editorial exchanges involved in the troubled publication of a research paper studying the symbiotic role of the microbiota in the flies’ development. These written materials permit us to delimit the network of justifications, evidence, standards of knowledge-production, trust in the tools and research designs that make up the conditions of possibility of a postgenomic fact. More than reframing the organism as a radically novel multiplicity of reactive genomes, we conclude, doing postgenomic research on the microbiota and symbiosis means producing a story that deviates from the scripts embedded into the sociotechnical experimental systems of post-Human Genome Project life sciences.
Examining the Impact of Dedicated Missing Person Teams on the Multiagency Response to Missing Children
Authors: Waring Sara , Fusco-Maguire Adrianna , Bromley Caitlin , Conway Bess , Giles Susan , O’Brien Freya , Monaghan Paige
Published: December 2023

Some police forces are investing resources into dedicated missing person teams (MPTs) to improve risk assessment and responsibility sharing across partner agencies. This study used police records and interviews with representatives from police and partner agencies in one UK region to provide the first systematic evaluation of the impact of implementing a dedicated MPT on the response to missing children. Results revealed a reduction in reports and change in risk assessment practices post implementation, along with suggestions that the MPT brought about more of a child-centred approach, a pushing back of responsibility to care providers, and greater personalised communication with children and care providers. However, improvements needed to be made to intra- and inter-agency communication, and consideration of resources across shift patterns. Findings pose important implications for informing decisions regarding allocation of finite resources and improving multiagency response to missing children.
A Dynamic Dual Process Model for Binary Choices: Serial Versus Parallel Architecture
Authors: Diederich Adele
Published: December 2023

Dual process theories have become increasingly popular in psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience, assuming that two processes, here generically labeled as System 1 and System 2, have antagonistic characteristics such as automatic versus deliberate, impulsive versus rational, fast versus slow, and more. In decision-making a choice results from an interplay of these two systems. However, most existent dual-process approaches are merely verbal descriptions without providing the means of rigorous testing. The prescribed dynamic dual process model framework is based on stochastic processes and produces testable qualitative and quantitative predictions. In particular, it makes precise predictions regarding choice probability, response time distributions, and the interrelation between these quantities. The focus of the present paper is on the architecture of the two postulated systems: serial versus parallel processing. Using simulation studies, I illustrate how different factors (timing of System 1, time constraint, and architecture) influence model predictions for binary choice situations. The serial and 6 parallel processing versions of the framework are fitted to published data.
Corrosion behavior of AlCrVTi light-weight high-entropy alloy coating in different corrosion environments
Authors: Xing Bowei , Nie Sainan , Jin Bingqian , Zuo Xiaojiao , Yu Huishu , Wang Xin , Zhang Xu , Zhang Nannan
Published: December 2023

The excellent corrosion resistance of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) has attracted widespread attention in recent years. The focus of research is gradually shifting from the performance characterization to the composition design and application that balance multiple performance. In this study, the AlCrVTi light-weight HEA has been chosen to investigate the corrosion behavior in the electrochemical and salt spray environment. The results show that HEA coating prepared by plasma spray followed laser re-melting present a homogeneous single-phase microstructure. The active Ti and V elements promote the formation of passive film during corrosion, which improves the corrosion resistance of HEA coating. Therefore, the HEA presents a higher corrosion resistance compared with 304 stainless steel (SS304), which is reflected in the lower corrosion current density. In the salt spray environment, the coating still presents the pitting corrosion, which is same as in the electrochemical environments. It is demonstrated that the AlCrVTi HEA has the potential that balancing the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties.
Weak convergence of the extremes of branching Lévy processes with regularly varying tails
Authors: Ren Yan-xia , Song Renming , Zhang Rui
Published: December 2023

We study the weak convergence of the extremes of supercritical branching Lévy processes
$\{\mathbb{X}_t, t \ge0\}$
whose spatial motions are Lévy processes with regularly varying tails. The result is drastically different from the case of branching Brownian motions. We prove that, when properly renormalized,
$\mathbb{X}_t$
converges weakly. As a consequence, we obtain a limit theorem for the order statistics of
$\mathbb{X}_t$
.
The Submerged Palaeo-Yare: New Middle Palaeolithic Archaeological Finds from the Southern North Sea
Authors: SHAW ANDREW , YOUNG DANIEL , HAWKINS HAYLEY
Published: December 2023

The Palaeolithic archaeological record from current dryland contexts informs on activity across only a fraction of occupied Pleistocene landscapes. Now-submerged contexts, such as those preserved beneath the southern North Sea, allow past human activity to be considered at a more representative scale. Previous investigations have recovered internationally significant Middle Palaeolithic archaeology associated with submerged Pleistocene landscapes in the southern North Sea. Discovered through aggregate dredging in marine aggregate licence Area 240, the archaeology is associated with Pleistocene deposits of the Paleo-Yare river system. Subsequent studies have demonstrated that the Palaeo-Yare catchment extended across adjacent aggregate areas, leading to the implementation of a regional monitoring programme at aggregate wharfs to monitor, manage, and assimilate new archaeological data.

This paper reviews all new Palaeolithic lithic finds recovered between 2011 and 2022 from Area 240 and adjacent licence areas. Most are Middle Palaeolithic artefacts from Area 240. These new Middle Palaeolithic discoveries are related to previous finds and the combined collections placed within their wider Middle Palaeolithic British context. Middle Palaeolithic activity within the Palaeo-Yare catchment included multiple phases of occupation associated with different favoured technological repertoires, indicating that two groups of artefacts are present: Levallois artefacts likely to date to the early Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 8–7–6) and handaxes dating to the Late Middle Palaeolithic (MIS 5d–3).
Do Capital Markets Punish Managerial Myopia? Evidence from Myopic Research and Development Cuts
Authors: Tong Jamie Y. , Zhang Feida (Frank)
Published: December 2023

The literature provides conflicting arguments and mixed results regarding whether capital markets punish managerial myopia. Using managers cutting research and development (R&D) investments to meet short-term earnings goals as a research setting, this study reveals that capital markets penalize managerial myopia, especially for firms with high investor sophistication. Moreover, the negative market reactions to managerial myopia are weaker for firms with overinvestment problems than for those without such problems. Overall, the results support the notion that security markets are not shortsighted. In further analysis, we document that compensation, especially earnings-based compensation, may cause managers to behave myopically. Our study contributes to the literature, reconciling previously mixed findings by capturing managers’ myopic behavior in a more targeted way and showing that markets punish myopic R&D cutting.
Going after the bigger picture: Using high-capacity models to understand mind and brain
Authors: Op de Beeck Hans , Bracci Stefania
Published: December 2023

Deep neural networks (DNNs) provide a unique opportunity to move towards a generic modelling framework in psychology. The high representational capacity of these models combined with the possibility for further extensions has already allowed us to investigate the forest, namely the complex landscape of representations and processes that underlie human cognition, without forgetting about the trees, which include individual psychological phenomena.
Fixing the problems of deep neural networks will require better training data and learning algorithms
Authors: Linsley Drew , Serre Thomas
Published: December 2023

Bowers et al. argue that deep neural networks (DNNs) are poor models of biological vision because they often learn to rival human accuracy by relying on strategies that differ markedly from those of humans. We show that this problem is worsening as DNNs are becoming larger-scale and increasingly more accurate, and prescribe methods for building DNNs that can reliably model biological vision.
Forest loss during 2000–2019 in pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) habitats was driven by shifting agriculture
Authors: Erazo-Mera Estefania , Younes Nicolás , Horwood Paul F , Paris Damien , Paris Monique , Murray Nicholas
Published: December 2023

The Upper Guinea Forest (UGF; West Africa), a global biodiversity hotspot, has lost more than 90% of its original area since 1900, threatening endemic species such as the endangered pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). However, little is known about the proximate causes of this deforestation. We classified Sentinel-2 data using the random forest algorithm to differentiate between three main human processes (shifting agriculture, intensive agriculture or urban expansion) driving deforestation between 2000 and 2019 across the pygmy hippopotamus distribution area. Out of c. 89 600 km2 in the year 2000, 15 900 km2 (17%) of forest were lost, primarily to shifting agriculture (14 900 km2). Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia accounted for 14 900 km2 (94%) of the net area of forest lost, c. 15 times greater than deforestation in Sierra Leone and Guinea combined (953 km2). Forest loss inside protected areas is pervasive, and it is essential to prioritize conservation efforts in areas where deforestation is still low (e.g., Taï, Sapo and Gola Rainforest national parks). We suggest that the preservation of the UGF will face challenges associated with people’s demand for food and income. Continued landscape-scale planning and action to reduce deforestation are urgently needed to limit the impact of shifting agriculture on pygmy hippopotamus habitat.
The Efficacy of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses
Authors: Kar Sujita Kumar , Agrawal Aditya , Silva-dos-Santos Amílcar , Gupta Yogesh , Deng Zhi-De
Published: December 2023

Background

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been increasingly used for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although several meta-analyses have explored its effectiveness and safety, there is no umbrella review specifically focused on rTMS for OCD. This umbrella review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and analyzed relevant meta-analyses on rTMS for OCD.

Methods

Twenty-three articles were identified from PubMed, and after screening, 12 meta-analyses were included in the review. The studies analyzed in the meta-analyses ranged from 10 to 27, with total participants ranging from 282 to 791. The most commonly studied regions were the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), supplementary motor area (SMA), and orbito-frontal cortex (OFC).

Result

The majority of the meta-analyses consistently supported the effectiveness of rTMS in reducing OCD symptoms when applied to the DLPFC and SMA. Encouraging results were also observed when targeting the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) through deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS). However, there was a high level of heterogeneity in the findings of nine out of 12 meta-analyses.

Conclusion

In conclusion, existing evidence suggests that rTMS targeting the DLPFC and SMA consistently reduces OCD symptoms, but targeting the mPFC and ACC through dTMS shows variable results. However, the high heterogeneity in the study findings indicates a need for further research and standardization in the field.
From Site-Specific Sampling to Gamification: An exploration of performative engagement with the environment
Authors: Koszolko Martin K. , Studley Thomas
Published: December 2023

This article explores strategies that allow electronic music performers to engage their audiences and environments in live acts of co-creation. We outline our existing musical practice relying on site-specific sampling and digital mobile technologies that have been tested across a range of participatory music performances. Salient challenges within this performance context are identified and several tools and techniques are proposed as solutions. We then consider how setting-based and sample-based participatory performances can be expanded through gamification strategies. After exploring how notions of playful experience can offer new insights into the nature of audience engagement, we propose several approaches for introducing gamified elements into performative music practices that can expand the scope of audience participation while preserving key aspects of using concert location recordings and musical improvisation. We conclude by discussing the implications of these approaches for the performer–audience relationship and the prospect of musical engagement with the environment before suggesting directions for future research.
What Is It Like To Be a Partisan? Measures of Partisanship and Its Value for Democracy
Authors: Elliott Kevin J.
Published: December 2023

What is it like to be a partisan? How do individuals experience their relationship to political parties? The most common answer today, both in popular discourse and much political science, is identity, but many individuals do not identify with parties. Rather, they relate to parties in terms of psychological closeness or affinity—they do not say “we” about the party, as do identifiers, but rather “they.” In this article, I argue that both the empirical and normative study of partisanship would be improved by recognizing that these are two fundamentally different ways for individuals to be attached to parties and that these distinct experiences coexist within most democracies today. Acknowledging this basic plurality of partisanships would remedy the current tendency among empirical studies to homogenize partisanship as either identity or closeness and so would avoid falsifying the experience of many citizens who fall into the opposite category. In polarized contexts, moreover, it could help break up dualistic and antagonistic thinking about how to perform partisanship and diversify public understandings of how to be a partisan. Recognizing the plurality of partisanships would also improve the explosion of normative theorizing about partisanship found in the ground-breaking work of scholars like Nancy Rosenblum, Russell Muirhead, and Jonathan White and Lea Ypi. I show how identity and closeness partisanship—and the interaction between them—have transformative consequences for each of these scholars’ theories of partisanship, either furthering or threatening them. The article aims to improve the conceptualization of partisanship and to model a salutary engagement between normative and empirical inquiry within political science.