bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moving toward the “Other” on the Margins
Authors: Nyamadzawo Evans
Published: May 2024

As the world grows into a global village through modernity and migration, one would think that boundaries and differences would be less; however, the closer we get to each other in the world, the more social, ethnic, economic, religious, and political boundaries we encounter. This phenomenon has led to the concepts of the “other” and those on the margins. Trying to define the term “margins” can be problematic. This article begins by reviewing the “incarnational model,” where the mighty and powerful are supposed to move toward the less powerful and bridge the gap between those in the centre and those on the margins. It goes on to propose the “eucharist model” and the “table model” for encounters, in this way removing barriers between people in a quest for a classless world.
Conserved cysteines prevent C‐mannosylation of mucin Cys domains
Authors: Albers Marco Darius , Tiemann Birgit , Kaynert Jonas Till , Pich Andreas , Bakker Hans
Published: May 2024

Mucins are major components of the mucus. Besides the highly O‐glycosylated tandem repeat domains, mucins contain Cys domains (CysDs). CysDs contain conserved disulfide‐forming cysteine residues as well as a WxxW motif. Since this is the consensus sequence for tryptophan C‐mannosylation, mucin CysDs have been suggested to be targets for C‐mannosyltransferases, but this has never been directly shown. Here, we recombinantly expressed human mucin CysDs in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and analyzed the C‐mannosylation status. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that the putative C‐mannose site is not or only barely C‐mannosylated. However, mutation of the adjacent cysteine residues enabled C‐mannosylation to occur. In contrast to mucin CysDs, the homologous CysD of human cartilage intermediate layer protein 1 (CILP1) lacks these cysteine residues preceding the WxxW motif. We show that CILP1 CysD is C‐mannosylated, but introducing a cysteine at the −2 position causes this modification to be lost. We thus conclude that the presence of cysteine residues prevents the modification of the WxxW motif in CysDs.
Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA
Authors: Havlena Zoë E. , Hose Louise D. , DuChene Harvey R. , Baker Gretchen M. , Powell J. Douglas , Labrado Amanda L. , Brunner Benjamin , Jones Daniel S.
Published: May 2024

Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave. Powder X‐ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) showed that, while most white mineral deposits from the GA contain gypsum, they also contain abundant calcite, silica, and other phases. Gypsum and carbonate‐associated sulfate isotopic values of these deposits are variable, with δ34SV‐CDT between +9.7‰ and +26.1‰, and do not reflect depleted values typically associated with replacement gypsum formed during sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Petrographic observations show that the sulfates likely co‐precipitated with carbonate and SiO2 phases. Taken together, these data suggest that the deposits resulted from later‐stage meteoric events and not during an initial episode of sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Most sedimentary and mineral deposits in Lehman Caves have very low microbial biomass, with the exception of select areas along the main tour route that have been impacted by tourist traffic. High‐throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that microbial communities in GA sediments are distinct from those in other parts of the cave. The microbial communities that inhabit these oligotrophic secondary mineral deposits include OTUs related to known ammonia‐oxidizing Nitrosococcales and Thaumarchaeota, as well as common soil taxa such as Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria. This study reveals microbial and mineralogical diversity in a previously understudied cave and expands our understanding of the geomicrobiology of desert hypogene cave systems.
Criminal record and employability in Ghana: A vignette experimental study
Authors: Akoensi Thomas D. , Tankebe Justice
Published: May 2024

Using an experimental vignette design, the study investigates the effects of criminal records on the hiring decisions of a convenience sample of 221 human resource (HR) managers in Ghana. The HR managers were randomly assigned to read one of four vignettes depicting job seekers of different genders and criminal records: male with and without criminal record, female with and without criminal record. The evidence shows that a criminal record reduces employment opportunities for female offenders but not for their male counterparts. Additionally, HR managers are willing to offer interviews to job applicants, irrespective of their criminal records, if they expect other managers to hire ex‐convicts. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Enhancing the thermal shock and corrosion resistance of low‐carbon Al2O3–C refractories: The role of h‐BN composite powder
Authors: Zheng Xin , Xiao Guoqing , Li Yanjun , Shang Can , Ding Donghai , Jin Endong , Sun Luyan
Published: May 2024

Developing low‐carbon and high‐performance Al2O3–C refractories is vital for extending the service life of slide gate plate refractories and reducing carbon emissions. In this study, hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) composite powder was prepared using the magnesiothermic reduction combustion synthesis route and introduced into low‐carbon Al2O3–C refractories. The phases composition, microstructure, mechanical properties, thermal shock, and slag corrosion resistance of low‐carbon Al2O3–C refractories were investigated. The results show that the thermal shock and slag corrosion resistance of low‐carbon Al2O3–C refractories enhanced by adding h‐BN composite powder. Due to the introduced h‐BN, consequent in situ formed spinel and AlN whiskers, the crack propagation in the refractories was deflected, branched forming more fine cracks, then the thermal shock resistance was enhanced. In addition to the chemical inertness of h‐BN, in situ formed spinel and AlN whiskers, the consequent decrease in pore size plays an important role in enhancing the slag corrosion resistance of the refractories. The h‐BN composite powder synthesized via the combustion synthesis in this study demonstrated potential application in high‐performance Al2O3–C slide gate plates used in continuous casting technology.
Background TV and infant‐family interactions: Insights from home observations
Authors: Uzundağ Berna A. , Koşkulu‐Sancar Sümeyye , Küntay Aylin C.
Published: May 2024

Background television has been found to negatively impact children's language development and self‐regulatory skills, possibly due to decreased parent‐child interactions. Most of the research on the relationship between background TV and caregiver‐child interactions has been conducted in laboratory settings. In the current study, we conducted home observations and investigated whether infants engage in fewer interactions with family members in homes where background TV is more prevalent. We observed 32 infants at the ages of 8, 10, and 18 months in their home environments, coding for dyadic interactions (e.g., parent talking to and/or engaging with the child), triadic interactions (e.g., parent and infant play with a toy together), and infants' individual activities. Our findings revealed that background TV was negatively associated with the time infants spent in triadic interactions, positively associated with time spent engaging in individual activities, and not significantly related to the time spent in dyadic interactions. Apart from the relationship between background TV and individual activity time at 8 months, these associations remained significant even after accounting for families' socioeconomic status. These findings imply a correlation between background TV exposure and caregiver‐infant‐object interactions, warranting a longitudinal analysis with larger sample sizes.
Cr3+‐doped far‐red phosphors with zero thermal quenching and excellent spectral matching for plant lighting application
Authors: Duan Daochuan , Yu Shijie , Wu Yubo , Dong Yan , Shao Qiyue , Jiang Jianqing
Published: May 2024

Far‐red‐emitting (700−740 nm) phosphors are essential for the fabrication of plant lighting phosphor‐converted light‐emitting diodes (pc‐LEDs). However, the development of highly efficient, thermally stable, and spectrally matched far‐red phosphors still remains a challenge. Herein, far‐red GdAlO3:Cr3+ (GAO:Cr3+) phosphors were synthesized via solid‐state reaction and investigated for plant lighting pc‐LED applications. A low‐temperature flux‐assisted synthesis strategy was adopted to improve the crystalline quality, suppress the defect formation, and maintain the valence state of Cr3+ in the phosphors, finally leading to significant luminescent enhancement (∼10 times). The GAO:Cr3+ phosphors show the 2E sharp‐line emissions around 730 nm, which is highly matched with the far‐red absorption band of plants. The optimized GAO:0.01Cr3+ phosphor exhibits a high internal quantum efficiency of 98.3% and zero thermal quenching even up to 250°C. The fabricated pc‐LED can generate an overall output power of 78.1 mW at 100 mA drive current, with a high energy conversion efficiency of 25.3%. The findings demonstrate the great potential of GAO:Cr3+ as far‐red‐emitting phosphor materials for plant growth pc‐LED applications.
The stress response of Listeria monocytogenes inoculated on fresh apples exposed to gaseous chlorine dioxide
Authors: Guan Jiewen , Lacombe Alison , Rane Bhargavi , Van Blair Jared , Zhang Yujie , Tang Juming , Sablani Shyam , Wu Vivian C. H.
Published: May 2024

Fresh apples are vulnerable to Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) contamination during handling and storage causing subsequent foodborne outbreaks. Gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is an effective antimicrobial agent against L. monocytogenes and could augment food safety. This study investigates the stress and virulence response of L. monocytogenes on apples exposed to a sublethal concentration of ClO2. L. monocytogenes was inoculated on the surface of apples and exposed to gaseous ClO2 for 1 h. Gene expression analysis via Real‐Time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) revealed minimal changes in gene expression compared to control samples. However, a surface‐dependent response was observed, with slight upregulation of relevant virulence (hly) and stress (clpC) genes on more hydrophilic surfaces. These findings indicate that gaseous ClO2 treatment can provide a biostatic effect against L. monocytogenes on fresh produce, shedding light on its antimicrobial mechanism and potential for enhancing apple safety.
‘Women stay behind and grow the food’: Agricultural productivity and the interstices of petty commodity production and reproductive labour in Tanzania
Authors: Akram‐Lodhi A. Haroon
Published: May 2024

Inspired by the work of Carmen Diana Deere, this paper examines how an analysis of the work of rural production, even when gendered, is compromised if it does not incorporate reproductive labour. The paper presents estimates of the gender yield gap in agricultural crop productivity in Tanzania, along with the statistical causes of the gender yield gap, in order to demonstrate what is and why it matters. The paper then shows that the gender yield gap cannot be understood without interrogating how the reproductive labour of unpaid care and domestic work limits the time for productive activities available to women who have day‐to‐day decision‐making managerial control over plots of land. In this light, the paper suggests a way of rethinking the basic analytical frameworks of agrarian political economy in ways that are consistent with and incorporate the theoretical insights of Carmen Diana Deere. The implications of the analysis are stark: it should not be assumed that all members of an agrarian household share an identical class location, as remains far too often the default assumption in agrarian political economy.
Association between tooth loss‐related speech and psychosocial impairment with cognitive function: A pilot study in Hong Kong's older population
Authors: Lee Ka Yi , Chan Charlotte Cheuk Kwan , Yip Ching , Li Joyce Tin Wing , Hau Cheuk Fung , Poon Sarah Suen Yue , Chen Hui Min , Li Kar Yan , Burrow Michael Francis , Wong Gloria Hoi Yan , Kwong Elaine Yee Lan , Chen Hui
Published: May 2024

Background

Tooth loss has been associated with cognitive decline, but the underlying mechanisms involving speech and psychosocial impairment remain unclear.

Objectives

To investigate the impact of tooth loss‐related speech and psychosocial impairment on cognitive function in Hong Kong's older population.

Methods

Seventy‐six Cantonese‐speaking participants between the ages of 51–92 were classified into three groups: patients with complete dentures (CD), partially edentulous patients with less than 10 occluding tooth pairs (OU <10), and at least 10 occluding tooth pairs (OU ≥10). Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong Version, One‐minute Verbal Fluency Task and Hayling Sentence Completion Test. Objective and subjective speech assessments were carried out using artificial intelligence speech recognition algorithm and a self‐designed speech questionnaire. The impact of tooth loss on psychosocial condition was evaluated by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and a self‐designed questionnaire. Statistical analyses (one‐way ANOVA, ANCOVA, Kruskal–Wallis test, Spearman correlation test) were performed.

Results

Tooth loss was significantly associated with lower cognitive function (p = .008), speech accuracy (p = .018) and verbal fluency (p = .001). Correlations were found between cognitive function and speech accuracy (p < .0001). No significant difference in tooth loss‐related psychosocial impact was found between the three groups.

Conclusion

While warranting larger sample sizes, this pilot study highlights the need for further research on the role of speech in the association between tooth loss and cognitive function. The potential cognitive impact of tooth retention, together with its known biological and proprioceptive benefits, supports the preservation of the natural dentition.
Middle and High School LGBTQ Students Report What Makes School LGBTQ‐Affirming Across Race/Ethnicity and Gender Identity, a Topic Modeling Method
Authors: Price Myeshia N. , Lee Wilson Y. , Hobbs J. N. , DeChants Jonah P. , Davis Carrie K.
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

Affirming spaces have been associated with improved mental health outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents.

METHODS

With data from adolescents currently enrolled in middle or high school across the United States, this study used topic modeling methods to examine students' reports of what they were looking for in LGBTQ‐affirming schools and, separately, the association of LGBTQ‐affirming schools with suicide risk reduction.

RESULTS

Topic models demonstrated consistent themes in how students determined that their school was affirming, such as LGBTQ clubs, teachers requesting pronouns, pride flags, and accepting peers. Students of color uniquely looked for actionable responses in addressing LGBTQ issues. Transgender and nonbinary students required explicit mention of support for transgender issues. Quantitatively, LGBTQ students who reported that their school was LGBTQ‐affirming had 20% lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year (adjusted odds ratio = 0.80).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that schools must be safe for all youth and implementing policies that make LGBTQ students feel seen and supported in their identities is a protective factor for mental health.

IMPLICATIONS.

School policies must ensure that youth have access to supportive people, symbols of support, and LGBTQ clubs and that they are also salient to LGBTQ students of color and transgender and nonbinary students.
Give you some color: Chinese language teachers’ encounters of race and racialization in American K–12 schools
Authors: Diao Wenhao , Xu Yi , Xiao‐Desai Yang
Published: May 2024

This study investigates issues related to race and racialization among Chinese language teachers in US primary and secondary (K–12) schools. Although race is an increasingly important topic in the field of language education, the published research continues to be dominated by the teaching and learning of English as a second language. Set mostly in 2021, when there was a widespread surge of anti‐Asian violence, this mixed‐methods project directs our attention to the experience of Chinese language teachers in a particular moment. We focus on interviews and journal data collected from 27 Chinese teachers, who were selected as a representative sample from the 221 participants who completed our national survey. The themes that emerged in our data highlight the intersectionality among language, nation, ethnicity, and race in Chinese language teachers’ professional work. While some teachers reported racial hostility during the COVID‐19 crisis, others described language‐ and culture‐based exclusion as a part of their everyday struggle that predated the pandemic. Moreover, as the teachers described these challenges also as opportunities for racially inclusive language pedagogies, the findings here dovetail with the ongoing discussion on antiracist possibilities in and through language teaching.
Unveiling the transferability of PLSR models for leaf trait estimation: lessons from a comprehensive analysis with a novel global dataset
Authors: Ji Fujiang , Li Fa , Hao Dalei , Shiklomanov Alexey N. , Yang Xi , Townsend Philip A. , Dashti Hamid , Nakaji Tatsuro , Kovach Kyle R. , Liu Haoran , Luo Meng , Chen Min
Published: May 2024

Leaf traits are essential for understanding many physiological and ecological processes. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models with leaf spectroscopy are widely applied for trait estimation, but their transferability across space, time, and plant functional types (PFTs) remains unclear.

We compiled a novel dataset of paired leaf traits and spectra, with 47 393 records for > 700 species and eight PFTs at 101 globally distributed locations across multiple seasons. Using this dataset, we conducted an unprecedented comprehensive analysis to assess the transferability of PLSR models in estimating leaf traits.

While PLSR models demonstrate commendable performance in predicting chlorophyll content, carotenoid, leaf water, and leaf mass per area prediction within their training data space, their efficacy diminishes when extrapolating to new contexts. Specifically, extrapolating to locations, seasons, and PFTs beyond the training data leads to reduced R2 (0.12–0.49, 0.15–0.42, and 0.25–0.56) and increased NRMSE (3.58–18.24%, 6.27–11.55%, and 7.0–33.12%) compared with nonspatial random cross‐validation. The results underscore the importance of incorporating greater spectral diversity in model training to boost its transferability.

These findings highlight potential errors in estimating leaf traits across large spatial domains, diverse PFTs, and time due to biased validation schemes, and provide guidance for future field sampling strategies and remote sensing applications.
Emergence of structure in plant–pollinator networks: low floral resource constrains network specialisation
Authors: Yahaya Mukhtar M. , Rodger James G. , Landi Pietro , Hui Cang
Published: May 2024

Specialisation enhances the efficiency of plant–pollinator networks through the exchange of conspecific pollen transfer for floral resources. Floral resources form the currency of plant–pollinator interactions, but the understanding of how floral resources affect the structure of plant–pollinator networks remains modest. Previous theory predicts that optimally foraging animal species will specialise to improve resource acquisition under high resource availability. Although floral resource availability depends on both the plant production and animal consumption of the resources, previous work has assumed that production and availability are equivalent. This potentially may have led to erroneous inferences on the effect of resource availability on specialisation. We develop a mutualistic Lotka–Volterra consumer‐resource model to investigate the influence of floral resource availability on plant–pollinator network structure. The model incorporates animal adaptive foraging behaviour, floral resource dynamics, and density‐dependent dynamics. Specialisation, nestedness and modularity of simulated networks generated from the model under a wide range of parameters were explained using the generalised linear model. We found that the distinction between floral resource dynamics and plant density dynamics was necessary for partial specialisation of plant–pollinator networks. This is because floral resource dynamics constrained animal preference due to its depletion by animal species. Floral resource abundance had a positive effect on network specialisation, but animal density had a negative effect on network specialisation. Floral resource dynamics thus play key roles in the structure of plant–pollinator networks, distinctive from plant species density dynamics.
Confidence in low vision rehabilitation and attitudes towards further learning: A survey of UK optometrists
Authors: Gould Gemma , Harper Robert , Bowen Michael , Dickinson Christine
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Optometrists are well positioned to help expand low vision (LV) services and improve their availability and accessibility. Determinants of participation in LV service provision must be well understood to facilitate successful service expansion. This survey aimed to investigate optometrists' professional confidence in the delivery of LV services and attitudes towards further learning.

Methods

An online survey was emailed to a sample of College of Optometrists members. Respondents rated their confidence in different areas of core optometric practice; confidence in LV was compared with confidence in other areas. Respondents also rated their confidence in undertaking multiple tasks involved in LV service delivery and in routine optometric practice; confidence was compared between optometrists who do and do not work in a LV service. Attitudes towards learning more about assessing and supporting patients with a vision impairment (VI) were recorded.

Results

The survey received 451 recorded responses (15.1% response rate). Optometrists who do not work in a LV service reported significantly lower confidence in LV than in other areas of core optometric practice, whereas optometrists who work in a LV service reported significantly higher confidence in LV than in other areas. Additionally, optometrists who do not work in a LV service reported significantly lower confidence in all tasks involved in LV service delivery than optometrists who work in a LV service (p < 0.001 for all tasks). Approximately 80% of respondents were interested in learning more about assessing and supporting patients with a VI.

Conclusions

Optometrists who do not work in a LV service have relatively low confidence in LV, which could contribute to low motivation to participate in LV service provision. There is sizeable interest in learning more about assessing and supporting patients with a VI, which could help to increase motivation to participate in LV service provision.
Retrospective evaluation of the respiratory rate–oxygenation index to predict the outcome of high‐flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in dogs (2018–2021): 81 cases
Authors: Eicher Logan , Young Anda A. , Hoover Leanna , Kuo Kendon W. , Her Jiwoong
Published: May 2024

Objective

To evaluate the respiratory rate–oxygenation index (ROX), modified ROX index (ROX‐HR), and the ratio of pulse oximetry saturation (Spo2) to Fio2 (SF) to determine if these indices over time are predictive of outcome in dogs treated with high‐flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC).

Design

Retrospective study.

Setting

Two university teaching hospitals.

Animals

Eighty‐one client‐owned dogs treated with HFNC for hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and Main Results

The ROX was defined as the SF divided by the respiratory rate (RR), and the ROX‐HR was defined as the ROX divided by the heart rate multiplied by 100. The overall success rate of HFNC was 44% (n = 36/81). Dogs weaned from HFNC had a significantly higher ROX (P < 0.0001) at 1–3, 5–10, 12, and 15 hours than dogs that failed HFNC. Both the ROX and SF showed excellent discriminatory power in predicting HFNC failure at 6 hours, with an area under receiver operating curve of 0.85 (95% confidence interval: 0.72–0.99; P < 0.002) and 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.73–0.99; P < 0.001), respectively. The optimal cutoff values for predicting HFNC failure at 6 hours were a ROX ≤3.68 (sensitivity 72%, specificity 92%) and an SF ≤143 (sensitivity 79%, specificity 93%).

Conclusions

These results suggest that similar to people, the ROX and SF are useful predictors of HFNC failure. These indices are easy to measure at the bedside and may have clinical use. Future prospective studies are warranted to confirm the findings and to optimize cutoff values in a larger population of dogs undergoing HFNC.
Is drug interference still an issue for pretransfusion testing of patients on anti CD38 and other monoclonal antibody therapies?
Authors: Bevel Nichole , Thorpe Meagan , Vanniasinkam Thiru
Published: May 2024

Certain therapies that target CD markers on some blood cells can affect pretransfusion testing. Key examples are anti‐CD38, CD47 monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies such as daratumumab (DARA) and magrolimab, which have presented a challenge for transfusion medicine laboratories around the globe. Scientists have been faced with not only introducing a protocol to provide safe blood to patients but also investigating the most effective method to remove the pretransfusion pan‐agglutinating interference caused. A number of papers in the last 5 years have reported on various methods to remove pretransfusion interference; however, most of these studies have been conducted only in a few countries. Most recent reviews on this topic have focused on techniques and reagents to remove pretransfusion interference, and dithiothreitol is currently the gold standard for removing DARA interference. However, it was clear from this review that while many laboratories have developed processes for addressing interference in pretransfusion testing, and DARA interference may not be a major issue, there are still laboratories around the world, that may not have adequately addressed this issue. In addition, the impact of mAb interference on widely used techniques such as flow cytometry is unclear.
On K$K$‐stability of P3$\mathbb {P}^3$ blown up along the disjoint union of a twisted cubic curve and a line
Authors: Denisova Elena
Published: May 2024

We find all ‐polystable smooth Fano threefolds that can be obtained as blowup of along the disjoint union of a twisted cubic curve and a line.
Oxytocin and corticotropin‐releasing hormone exaggerate nucleus tractus solitarii neuronal and synaptic activity following chronic intermittent hypoxia
Authors: Gama de Barcellos Filho Procopio , Dantzler Heather A. , Hasser Eileen M. , Kline David D.
Published: May 2024

Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) in rodents mimics the hypoxia‐induced elevation of blood pressure seen in individuals experiencing episodic breathing. The brainstem nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) is the first site of visceral sensory afferent integration, and thus is critical for cardiorespiratory homeostasis and its adaptation during a variety of stressors. In addition, the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), in part through its nTS projections that contain oxytocin (OT) and/or corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH), contributes to cardiorespiratory regulation. Within the nTS, these PVN‐derived neuropeptides alter nTS activity and the cardiorespiratory response to hypoxia. Nevertheless, their contribution to nTS activity after CIH is not fully understood. We hypothesized that OT and CRH would increase nTS activity to a greater extent following CIH, and co‐activation of OT+CRH receptors would further magnify nTS activity. Our data show that compared to their normoxic controls, 10 days’ CIH exaggerated nTS discharge, excitatory synaptic currents and Ca2+ influx in response to CRH, which were further enhanced by the addition of OT. CIH increased the tonic functional contribution of CRH receptors, which occurred with elevation of mRNA and protein. Together, our data demonstrate that intermittent hypoxia exaggerates the expression and function of neuropeptides on nTS activity.

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Key points

Episodic breathing and chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) are associated with autonomic dysregulation, including elevated sympathetic nervous system activity. Altered nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) activity contributes to this response.

Neurons originating in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), including those containing oxytocin (OT) and corticotropin‐releasing hormone (CRH), project to the nTS, and modulate the cardiorespiratory system. Their role in CIH is unknown.

In this study, we focused on OT and CRH individually and together on nTS activity from rats exposed to either CIH or normoxia control.

We show that after CIH, CRH alone and with OT increased to a greater extent overall nTS discharge, neuronal calcium influx, synaptic transmission to second‐order nTS neurons, and OT and CRH receptor expression.

These results provide insights into the underlying circuits and mechanisms contributing to autonomic dysfunction during periods of episodic breathing.
Data-Driven Initial Gap Identification of Piecewise-Linear Systems Using Sparse Regression and Universal Approximation Theorem
Authors: Kanki Ryosuke , Saito Akira
Published: May 2024

This paper proposes a method for identifying an initial gap in piecewise-linear (PWL) systems from data. Piecewise-linear systems appear in many engineered systems such as degraded mechanical systems and infrastructures and are known to show strong nonlinearities. To analyze the behavior of such piecewise-linear systems, it is necessary to identify the initial gap, at which the system behavior switches. The proposed method identifies the initial gap by discovering the governing equations using sparse regression and calculating the gap based on the universal approximation theorem. A key step to achieve this is to approximate a piecewise-linear function by a finite sum of piecewise-linear functions in sparse regression. The equivalent gap is then calculated from the coefficients of the multiple piecewise-linear functions and their respective switching points in the obtained equation. The proposed method is first applied to a numerical model to confirm its applicability to piecewise-linear systems. Experimental validation of the proposed method has then been conducted with a simple mass-spring-hopping system, where the method successfully identifies the initial gap in the system with high accuracy.
A Hierarchical Fault Diagnosis Model for Planetary Gearbox With Shift-Invariant Dictionary and OMPAN
Authors: Chen Ronghua , Gu Yingkui , Huang Peng , Chen Junjie , Qiu Guangqi
Published: May 2024

Planetary gearbox has been widely applied in the mechanical transmission system, and the failure types of planetary gearbox are more and more diversified. The conventional fault diagnosis methods focus on identifying the faults in the fault library, but ignored the faults outside the fault library. However, it is impossible to build a fault library for all failure types. Targeting the problem of identifying the faults outside the fault library, a hierarchical fault diagnosis method for planetary gearbox with shift-invariant dictionary and orthogonal matching pursuit with adaptive noise (OMPAN) is proposed in this paper. By k-means singular value decomposition (K-SVD) dictionary learning method and shift-invariant strategy, a shift-invariant dictionary is constructed so that the normal modulation components of signals can be completed decomposed. OMPAN algorithm is proposed, which uses the white Gaussian noise to improve the solution method of the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm so that it can separate the modulation components in the signal more accurately. The fault feature extraction is developed via shift-invariant dictionary and OMPAN. A hierarchical classifier is proposed with three subclassifiers so that both the faults in the fault library and the faults outside the fault library are identified. The effectiveness of the proposed hierarchical fault diagnosis method is validated by experiments. Result show that the proposed shift-invariant dictionary and OMPAN method has achieved a superior performance in highlighting fault features compared with other two sparse decomposition methods. The proposed hierarchical fault diagnosis approach has achieved a good performance both in classification of the faults in the fault library and identification of the faults outside the fault library.
Construction of Short-Time Heat Conduction Solutions in One-Dimensional Finite Rectangular Bodies
Authors: de Monte Filippo , Woodbury Keith A. , Najafi Hamidreza
Published: May 2024

The concept of both penetration and deviation times for rectangular coordinates along with the principle of superposition for linear problems allows short-time solutions to be constructed for a one-dimensional (1D) rectangular finite body from the well-known solutions of a semi-infinite medium. Some adequate physical considerations due to thermal symmetries with respect to the middle plane of a slab to simulate homogeneous boundary conditions of the first and second kinds are also needed. These solutions can be applied at the level of accuracy desired (one part in 10A, with A = 2, 3, …, 15) with respect to the maximum temperature variation (that always occurs at the active surface and at the time of evaluation) in place of the exact analytical solution to the problem of interest consisting of an infinite number of terms and, hence, unapplicable.
Analysis of the Rigid Foldability of Origami Patterns Based on Spatial Positions of Creases
Authors: Wang Feng , Zhang Fan , Cui Guohua
Published: May 2024

Rigid foldability is a special property of rigid origami patterns, where each origami plane remains undeformed during continuous movement along the predetermined crease. Current research on the rigid foldability of origami patterns mainly focuses on kinematics, while less attention is paid to factors that cause deformation of the folding plane. Whether the relative spatial position of adjacent creases has been changed is a critical factor that influences the state (rigid or deformed) of the folding plane between the two adjacent creases during the folding process. This study considered two factors (linear relationship and Euclidean distance) to measure the changes in the spatial positions of creases, explored the relationship between the two factors and rigid folding, and identified deformation forms that affect rigid foldability. First, the origami pattern was regarded as a linkage mechanism, and the linear relationship between creases was determined from the single-vertex origami unit forming this origami structure. Then, the geometric parameters of the origami pattern were used to calculate the Euclidean distance between two points on adjacent creases during the folding process. If the linear relationship and Euclidean distance always remain the same, the origami pattern has rigid foldability. Based on changes in the Euclidean distance, this method can also help determine the main deformation of non-rigidly foldable origami patterns. In addition, it can be applied to origami patterns with four or five vertices and multiple loops, and it further provides a novel approach for determining the layout of the crease position and the judgment of rigid foldability during origami-inspired mechanism design.
Practical Approach to Nuclear Shelter Wall Thickness Estimation
Authors: Hristova Rayna , Simovski Stefan
Published: May 2024

In the complex situation in which we live, preventive measures are increasingly being taken against the threat of nuclear attack and ionizing radiation, nuclear shelters are being built for private and public purposes. The purpose of the authors is to provide a practical approach to quickly calculate the thickness of the concrete shelter wall for such cases. The shelter wall thickness is assessed on the basis of published data on radiation dose calculations, corroborated by field data from nuclear tests, and information or calculations of the dose attenuation in the shelter wall. Doses from nuclear tests or simulations are summarized in tables in relation to bomb yield and distance from the explosion point. A dose criterion is chosen as the acceptable dose behind the shield. Neutron dose transmission factors, defined as ratio of the dose criterion to the dose without shielding are calculated. The concrete wall thickness corresponding to the neutron dose transmission factor was taken from reference sources. For gamma rays, the shield thickness is calculated based on an analytical relationship between dose without shield, the dose criterion, and the shield thickness. Data tables are provided with the estimated concrete wall thickness in relation to bomb yield and distance.
Impact of speech rate on perception of vowel and consonant duration by bilinguals and monolinguals
Authors: Hisagi Miwako , Higby Eve , Zandona Mike , Acosta Annett P. , Kent Justin , Tajima Keiichi
Published: May 2024

The perceptual boundary between short and long categories depends on speech rate. We investigated the influence of speech rate on perceptual boundaries for short and long vowel and consonant contrasts by Spanish–English bilingual listeners and English monolinguals. Listeners tended to adapt their perceptual boundaries to speech rates, but the strategy differed between groups, especially for consonants. Understanding the factors that influence auditory processing in this population is essential for developing appropriate assessments of auditory comprehension. These findings have implications for the clinical care of older populations whose ability to rely on spectral and/or temporal information in the auditory signal may decline.
Underwater sound speed profile estimation from vessel traffic recordings and multi-view neural networks
Authors: Walker Joseph L. , Zeng Zheng , ZoBell Vanessa M. , Frasier Kaitlin E.
Published: May 2024

Sound speed is a critical parameter in ocean acoustic studies, as it determines the propagation and interpretation of recorded sounds. The potential for exploiting oceanic vessel noise as a sound source of opportunity to estimate ocean sound speed profile is investigated. A deep learning-based inversion scheme, relying upon the underwater radiated noise of moving vessels measured by a single hydrophone, is proposed. The dataset used for this study consists of Automatic Identification System data and acoustic recordings of maritime vessels transiting through the Santa Barbara Channel between January 2015 and December 2017. The acoustic recordings and vessel descriptors are used as predictors for regressing sound speed for each meter in the top 200 m of the water column, where sound speeds are most variable. Multiple (typically ranging between 4 and 10) transits were recorded each day; therefore, this dataset provides an opportunity to investigate whether multiple acoustic observations can be leveraged together to improve inversion estimates. The proposed single-transit and multi-transit models resulted in depth-averaged root-mean-square errors of 1.79 and 1.55 m/s, respectively, compared to the seasonal average predictions of 2.80 m/s.
Influence of Motor Imagery Modality on First-Serve Performance in Tennis Players
Authors: Laurent Dominique , Carien Robbin , Robin Nicolas
Published: May 2024

Motor imagery (MI) is frequently used in tennis players. This pilot study aimed to assess whether the MI modality and preference of skilled tennis players could influence their service performance when using MI before serving first balls. Twenty expert players (Mage = 18.6 years) completed the movement imagery questionnaire (third version) to assess their MI modality scores (internal visual, external visual, and kinesthetic) and their MI preference. Participants completed 4 experimental counterbalanced sessions spread over 4 weeks, each including the completion of 20 first-serve balls in match condition. The sessions included a control condition (i.e., only physical practice trials) and three MI conditions during which the players had to mentally imagine themselves performing a serve according to one of the imagery modalities, either internal visual, external visual, or kinesthetic, before serving. The percentage of success, the speed of the service balls (measured by a tablet with SWING VISION and a radar gun), and an efficiency score were recorded and then evaluated by experts and served as performance indicators and dependent variables. The results of this study showed that players benefited from MI before serving and that almost a third of the participants achieved a higher percentage of success and efficiency scores when using their preferred MI modality. These results lead us, in an applied way, to suggest to skilled tennis players to determine their MI preference and to have recourse to the mental simulation of a successful serve before serving the first balls in match condition.
Near coding-complete genome sequence of 12 dengue serotype 2 viruses from the 2023 outbreak in Bangladesh
Authors: Nasif Md. Abdullah Omar , Rahman Saikt , Jony Manjur Hossain Khan , Habib Mohammad Tanbir , Khanam Murshida , Sultana Sharmin , Rahman Mahbubur , Alam Ahmed Nawsher , Qadri Firdausi , Shirin Tahmina
Published: May 2024

We report the near coding-complete genomes of 12 DENV serotype 2 strains collected during the 2023 dengue outbreak in Bangladesh. Analyses showed that all 12 strains were closely related and belonged to genotype II-Cosmopolitan.
Aureococcus anophagefferens
strain CCMP1851: draft genome of a second
Kratosvirus quantuckense-
susceptible host strain for an emerging host–giant virus model system
Authors: Chase Emily E. , Truchon Alexander R. , Schepens William W. , Wilhelm Steven W.
Published: May 2024

Here, we report the draft genome of
Aureococcus anophagefferens
strain CCMP1851, which is susceptible to the virus
Kratosvirus quantuckense
. CCMP1851 complements an available genome for a virus-resistant strain (CCMP1850) isolated from the same bloom. Future studies can now use this genome to examine genetic hints of virus resistance and susceptibility.
Complete genome sequence of the
Microbacterium enclense
bacteriophage phiMiGM15
Authors: Camacho-Beltrán Erika , Morales-Aguilar Juan José , López-Meyer Melina , Rincón-Enríquez Gabriel , Quiñones-Aguilar Evangelina Esmeralda
Published: May 2024

We characterized the complete genome sequence of phiMiGM15, a lytic bacteriophage with siphovirus morphology that infects
Microbacterium enclense
. Its 48.6 kb genome contains 81 putative genes and shows coverage of 28% with 82.26% of nucleotide identity to
Microbacterium
phage Caron accession number
OQ190481.1
.
Complete genome sequence of carbapenem-resistant pathogenic
Klebsiella aerogenes
strain CH7 isolated from vermicompost
Authors: Pandey Niteesh Kumar , Hazra Saugata
Published: May 2024

We announce the complete genome of
Klebsiella aerogenes
strain CH7, isolated from a vermicompost sample. A total of 9.14131 million high-quality reads comprised 96 contigs with 5,273 genes and 5,038 protein-coding genes.
Genomic and phenotypic characterization of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis’
closest-related non-tuberculous mycobacteria
Authors: Sous Camille , Frigui Wafa , Pawlik Alexandre , Sayes Fadel , Ma Laurence , Cokelaer Thomas , Brosch Roland
Published: May 2024

Four species of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) rated as biosafety level 1 or 2 (BSL-1/BSL-2) organisms and showing higher genomic similarity with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(
Mtb
) than previous comparator species
Mycobacterium kansasii
and
Mycobacterium marinum
were subjected to genomic and phenotypic characterization. These species named
Mycobacterium decipiens
,
Mycobacterium lacus
,
Mycobacterium riyadhense,
and
Mycobacterium shinjukuense
might represent “missing links” between low-virulent mycobacterial opportunists and the highly virulent obligate pathogen
Mtb
. We confirmed that
M. decipiens
is the closest NTM species to
Mtb
currently known and found that it has an optimal growth temperature of 32°C–35°C and not 37°C.
M. decipiens
showed resistance to rifampicin, isoniazid, and ethambutol, whereas
M. lacus
and
M. riyadhense
showed resistance to isoniazid and ethambutol.
M. shinjukuense
was sensitive to all three first-line TB drugs, and all four species were sensitive to bedaquiline, a third-generation anti-TB drug. Our results suggest these four NTM may be useful models for the identification and study of new anti-TB molecules, facilitated by their culture under non-BSL-3 conditions as compared to
Mtb. M. riyadhense
was the most virulent of the four species in cellular and mouse infection models.
M. decipiens
also multiplied in THP-1 cells at 35°C but was growth impaired at 37°C. Genomic comparisons showed that the
espACD
locus, essential for the secretion of ESX-1 proteins in
Mtb
, was present only in
M. decipiens
, which was able to secrete ESAT-6 and CFP-10, whereas secretion of these antigens varied in the other species, making the four species interesting examples for studying ESX-1 secretion mechanisms.

IMPORTANCE

In this work, we investigated recently identified opportunistic mycobacterial pathogens that are genomically more closely related to
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
(
Mtb
) than previously used comparator species
Mycobacterium kansasii
and
Mycobacterium marinum
. We confirmed that
Mycobacterium decipiens
is the currently closest known species to the tubercle bacilli, represented by
Mycobacterium canettii
and
Mtb
strains. Surprisingly, the reference strain of
Mycobacterium riyadhense
(DSM 45176), which was purchased as a biosafety level 1 (BSL-1)-rated organism, was the most virulent of the four species in the tested cellular and mouse infection models, suggesting that a BSL-2 rating might be more appropriate for this strain than the current BSL-1 rating. Our work establishes the four NTM species as interesting study models to obtain new insights into the evolutionary mechanisms and phenotypic particularities of mycobacterial pathogens that likely have also impacted the evolution of the key pathogen
Mtb
.
Chronic diarrhoea, weight loss and a positive anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody: A case report of olmesartan-induced enteropathy
Authors: Sheppard Rachel , Evanson Benjamin , Campbell Iona , Shand Alan
Published: May 2024

Olmesartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker licensed for the treatment of hypertension. It can cause a sprue-like enteropathy (SLE), characterised by chronic diarrhoea, weight loss and villous atrophy. Transiently raised anti-tissue transglutaminase (ATTG) antibody has also been rarely reported in the literature.

We describe the case of a woman in her mid-50s, who presented with a history of intermittent loose stools over 1 year, associated with significant weight loss. She had two marginally raised serum ATTG antibody tests during her work-up.

After extensive investigations, she was diagnosed with olmesartan-induced enteropathy. On subsequent follow-up, her symptoms had resolved with cessation of her olmesartan therapy.

This case adds to existing literature, highlighting the importance of considering olmesartan as a possible differential diagnosis for SLE. It also reports the presence of a raised ATTG antibody which is infrequently reported in this context.