bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal test planning for heterogeneous Wiener processes
Authors: Cheng Ya‐Shan , Peng Chien‐Yu
Published: November 2023

Degradation models based on heterogeneous Wiener processes are commonly used to assess information on the lifetime of highly reliable products. An optimal test plan given limited resources is generally obtained using numerical methods for heterogeneous Wiener processes. However, numerical searches for optimal test plans have the disadvantage of being time‐consuming and may provide unclear explanations for the findings. To overcome these difficulties, we derive an explicit expression for decision variables (such as the termination time, number of measurements, and sample size) of ‐ and ‐optimal test plans with cost constraints. The theoretical results not only ensure that the optimal test plan is found, but also provide clear insights into the decision variables affected by model parameters and experimental costs. Some numerical examples are presented to support the efficiency and applicability of the optimal test plans.
Do sectors (still) matter? Exploring similarities and differences between public, private, and non‐profit organizations from an organizational identity perspective
Authors: Nunes Francisco Guilherme , do Nascimento Generosa , Martins Luís Dias
Published: November 2023

This paper uses an organizational identity perspective to investigate similarities and differences between public, private, and nonprofit organizations. The analysis is focused on three interrelated identity domains: the content used by members to define their organizations; the orientation of the organizational identity (individualistic, relational, and collectivistic); the nature of members' attachment to their organizations (identification, neutral identification, ambivalent identification, disidentification). Using a sample of 256 members of organizations belonging to these three sectors we found that: the content used to describe public, private, and nonprofit organizations, although sharing numerous elements, also contains sector‐specific meanings, especially in nonprofit organizations; concerning the organizational identity orientation, private organizations are seen as more individualistic and more relational than public and nonprofit ones, while public organizations score high in the collectivistic orientation; regarding the nature of members' attachment, although members of the three types of organizations exhibit the same levels of organizational identification and neutral identification, nonprofit organizations generate more disidentification and ambivalent identification among their members than public and private ones. Overall, organizational elements revealing operational practices tend to be similar, while those elements representing organizational identity tend to be different.
A newly identified compound activating UCP1 inhibits obesity and its related metabolic disorders
Authors: Onodera Ken , Hasegawa Yutaka , Yokota Nozomi , Tamura Shukuko , Kinno Hirofumi , Takahashi Iwao , Chiba Hiraku , Kojima Hirotatsu , Katagiri Hideki , Nata Koji , Ishigaki Yasushi
Published: November 2023

Objective

Promoting thermogenesis in adipose tissue has been a promising strategy against obesity and related metabolic complications. We aimed to identify compounds that promote thermogenesis in adipocytes and to elucidate their functions and roles in metabolism.

Methods

To identify compounds that directly promote thermogenesis from a structurally diverse set of 4800 compounds, we utilized a cell‐based platform for high‐throughput screening that induces uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1) expression in adipocytes.

Results

We identified one candidate compound that activates UCP1. Additional characterization of this compound revealed that it induced cellular thermogenesis in adipocytes with negligible cytotoxicity. In a subsequent diet‐induced obesity model, mice treated with this compound exhibited a slower rate of weight gain, improved insulin sensitivity, and increased energy expenditure. Mechanistic studies have revealed that this compound increases mitochondrial biogenesis by elevating maximal respiration, which is partly mediated by the protein kinase A (PKA)‐p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. A further comprehensive genetic analysis of adipocytes treated with these compounds identified two novel UCP1‐dependent thermogenic genes, potassium voltage‐gated channel subfamily C member 2 (Kcnc2) and predicted gene 5627 (Gm5627).

Conclusions

The identified compound can serve as a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Furthermore, our newly clarified thermogenic genes play an important role in UCP1‐dependent thermogenesis in adipocytes.
Electronegativity effect on the ESIPT process of 4′‐N,N‐dimethylamino‐3‐hydroxyflavone (DMA3HF) and its derivatives
Authors: Liu Zhiqiang , Han Ligang , Wang Xiali , Wang Yi , Hou Yingmin
Published: November 2023

4′‐N,N‐dimethylamino‐3‐hydroxyflavone (DMA3HF) has antioxidant activity and excited state proton transfer (ESIPT) property. In this study, the influence of electronegativity on the ESIPT process has been studied by DFT/TD‐DFT methods. Except DMA3HF, the substitutes of S and Se have been designed. The analysis of main bond parameters, infrared vibration spectra, and reduced density gradient function shows that the reduction of atomic electronegativity could promote the ESIPT process. Dihedral angle, frontier molecular orbitals and hole‐electron analysis indicate that the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) process has been enhanced by the decreasing electronegativity. The results show that the decrease of atomic electronegativity is beneficial to TICT and ESIPT processess.
Nonlinear diffusion‐limited two‐dimensional colliding‐plume simulations with very high‐order numerical approximations
Authors: Straka Jerry M. , Williams Paul D. , Kanak Katharine M.
Published: November 2023

Atmospheric numerical models play a crucial role in operational weather forecasting, as well as in improving our understanding of atmospheric dynamics via research studies. Maximising their accuracy is of paramount importance. Use of advective flux schemes greater than O7 in atmospheric models is largely undocumented, with no studies considering O3–O17 fluxes with formal accuracy‐preserving high‐order interpolation, pressure gradient/divergence, and subgrid‐scale (SGS) turbulent fluxes. Higher‐order numerical approximations can reduce truncation, amplitude and phase errors, and potentially improve model accuracy and effective resolution. Here, simulations are presented using very‐high‐order O3–O17 fluxes, with/without high‐order O2–O18 Lagrangian interpolations, pressure gradient/divergence approximations, and SGS turbulent fluxes for a two‐dimensional, highly‐viscous (Re ∼ 100) diffusion‐limited, nonlinear colliding‐plumes problem using 25–200 m spatial resolutions. The highest‐order flux schemes coupled with higher‐order interpolations, pressure gradient/divergence and SGS flux approximations produced the best solutions, with higher‐order fluxes and interpolations being most important. Overall solution convergence of order about O1–O2 with mode‐split (fast sound/slow advective waves) O3 Runge–Kutta temporal schemes was negatively impacted by order at most O1 temporal convergence with SGS fluxes, divergence damping, and especially spatial filters, compared to about order O3 convergence with these inactivated. While very‐high‐order schemes were shown to improve solution accuracy, few cost‐effective higher‐order highly‐viscous test problem solutions (higher order vs finer resolution) were found using theoretical floating‐point operations (FPO) with Courant‐Friedrichs‐Lewy (CFL)‐limited or constant stable Courant number‐based time steps. However, employing central processing unit (CPU) time, rather than FPOs, demonstrated there was reduced computational burden using higher‐order approximations. We conclude that O9–O17 flux schemes with or without high‐order (≥O4) interpolations, pressure gradient/divergence approximations, and SGS fluxes can improve atmospheric model solution accuracy, without prohibitive computation costs, compared to O3–O7 flux with O2 interpolations, pressure gradient/divergence approximations, and SGS fluxes.
Quantifying the probability of invasive carp introduction via freshwater diversions: Arrival Assessment
Authors: Rycroft Taylor , Volk Kaitlin , Franceschini René A. Garcia , Montgomery Cheryl , Katzenmeyer Alan
Published: November 2023

The Mississippi River is host to multiple species of invasive carp, including bighead, silver, and black carp, which have been linked to negative ecological impacts upon introduction to a waterbody. Most of the rivers emptying into the Gulf of Mexico are hydrologically separated from the Mississippi River by seawater and have historically been considered safe from an invasion of carp attempting to traverse coastal waters due to their intolerance of seawater salinity levels. However, there is growing concern that freshwater diversions of the Mississippi River into brackish or saltwater systems could reduce salinity to a level that allows entrained carp to navigate freshwater plumes to uninvaded rivers. To help quantify this risk, we conducted an Arrival Assessment that estimates the number of invasive carp that will enter a receiving waterbody through a single freshwater diversion event. A case study using the Bonnet Carré Spillway is presented here to illustrate how water managers and spillway operators can derive predictions for a specific spillway and how mitigative steps can be taken to target the most influential parameters and help reduce the number of carp that pass. The findings of this case study suggest that, for an average spillway opening event, the number of invasive carp that pass through the Bonnet Carré Spillway is higher than many water managers may be willing to accept. This Arrival Assessment serves as the first of three components within a broader, forthcoming quantitative risk assessment that will also consider the number of carp that survive (Survival Assessment) to reach a suitable, uninvaded river for reproduction and population sustainment (Establishment Assessment) and determine the magnitude and uncertainty of the risk of introduction to uninvaded waters downstream from a freshwater diversion that forms a hydrological connection to a source waterbody inhabited by invasive carp.
Seaweed supplementation to organic dairy cows may reduce climate impact of manure in pasture soils during a laboratory incubation
Authors: Arndt Kyle A. , Reyes Diana C. , Quigley Charlotte T. C. , Brito Andre F. , Price Nichole N. , Contosta Alexandra R.
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Enteric methane (CH4) emissions are one of the largest components of the anthropogenic CH4 budget, and with accelerating climatic changes, there are calls to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Certain seaweeds fed as supplements can reduce enteric CH4 emissions from ruminant animals by as much as 80%; however, these studies have yet to analyze downstream impacts that may arise from the deposit of affected manures on pastures or agricultural fields.

Materials and Methods

Here we conducted a 28‐day soil and manure incubation utilizing manures collected from dairy cows in a seaweed feeding trial to analyze the impacts of manure on greenhouse gas fluxes and nutrient cycling. Cows were fed different diets with a control group (no seaweed supplementation), and a 3% and 6% by dry‐weight seaweed (Chondrus crispus) supplementation. Three soil moisture treatments were also tested, with a field moist capacity [67% gravimetric water content (GWC)], a drier group (50% GWC), and a saturated treatment (84% GWC).

Results

We found that manure from seaweed‐fed cows reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and had similar emissions of methane and nitrous oxide to the control. Higher moisture levels increased CH4 emissions and nitrous oxide emissions with CH4 emissions trending higher in seaweed supplements trending higher in. Inorganic nitrogen turnover varied more based on moisture levels than seaweed supplements, as did the magnitude of methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Total carbon and nitrogen mostly decreased except in the 3% seaweed supplementation, which increased carbon and nitrogen with a drop in C:N in the 50% GWC group.

Conclusion

Seaweed supplements may partially reduce climate impacts of manures from cows fed seaweed supplements or at least not cause harm or impact manure quality. Given feeds may reduce enteric CH4 emissions, they may be a part of a successful strategy to reduce climate impacts of cattle.
Moving towards sustainable environment development in emerging economies: The role of green finance, green tech‐innovation, natural resource depletion, and forested area in assessing the load capacity factor
Authors: Anas Muhammad , Zhang Wei , Bakhsh Satar , Ali Liaqat , Işık Cem , Han Jie , Liu Xuemeng , Rehman Hamad Ur , Ali Amjad , Huang Min
Published: November 2023

Environmental sustainability is increasingly being prioritized by governments around the world, particularly in emerging economies. This study examined the role of green finance and green technological innovation in environmental sustainability using the “load capacity factor”, also takes into account natural resource depletion and forest cover. This study used annual data from 2000 to 2018 for emerging economies: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Turkey and Mexico. Methods of analysis included the cross‐section augmented autoregressive distributed lags (CS‐ARDL) model, along with validation by the common correlated mean group (CCEMG) and augmented mean group (AMG). The results show that green finance, green technological innovation and forested areas consistently have a positive impact on environmental sustainability, while resource depletion has a negative impact. The findings of CS‐ARDL are consistent with those of CCEMG and AMG. The study also makes recommendations that emerging economies need to prioritize REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiatives and implement resource decoupling policies, in addition to green finance and green technology policies, to achieve environmental sustainability.
Emergence of Cell Behavior Through Feedback Control of Polymersome Membrane Transport
Authors: Rifaie‐Graham Omar
Published: November 2023

Artificial cell and organelle construction has recently gained substantial attention to generate simplified models for understanding of biological phenomena, or micro‐ and nanomachines for biomedical and biotechnological applications. A wide array of building blocks has been employed to build these systems as membraneless structures with the ability to compartmentalize chemical reactions by enhanced partitioning, or as membrane‐defined entities that provide a physical barrier that inhibits the interference of external factors. While these systems present unique properties that enable high fidelity to biological processes, they present limited ability to recreate the high selectivity and specificity of small molecule trafficking observed in biological membranes. Owing to their high chemical versatility, polymers can be leveraged to generate 3D structures that resemble biological membranes while providing transmembrane chemical motifs that enable responsiveness to a wide array of stimuli. This Concept Article discusses the ability to control membrane transport facilitating the emergence of out‐of‐equilibrium feedback mechanisms that ultimately modulate enzymatic rates. This can be employed to engineer future artificial cells and organelles that display homeostasis as a mechanism of self‐adaptation to continuously evolving environments.
Tretinoin (2,4‐difluoro‐phenyl) triazole activates proapoptotic protein expression and targets NRP2 protein to inhibit esophageal carcinoma cell growth
Authors: Alotaibi Saad H.
Published: November 2023

The present study investigated the effect of tretinoin (2,4‐difluoro‐phenyl) triazole (TDFPT) on the growth and proliferation of Kyse‐270 and EC9706 esophageal carcinoma cells and explored the underlying mechanism. The results demonstrated that TDFPT treatment of Kyse‐270 and EC9706 cells led to a dose‐dependent reduction in cell proliferation. Colony formation was significantly (p < .05) reduced in Kyse‐270 and EC9706 cells on treatment with various concentrations of TDFPT. In TDFPT‐treated Kyse‐270 and EC9706 cells, the expression of Bcl‐2 protein showed a remarkable decrease, whereas the level of Bax protein was found to be higher compared with the control cells. Cell invasion showed a prominent decrease in Kyse‐270 and EC9706 cells on treatment with TDFPT. Treatment with TDFPT led to a prominent suppression in the expression of MMP‐9 and NRP2 in Kyse‐270 and EC9706 cells. In silico studies using the AutoDock Vina and discovery studio software revealed that various confirmations of TDFPT bind to NRP2 protein with the affinity ranging from −8.6 to −6.1 kcal/mol. It was found that the TDFPT interacts with NRP2 protein by binding to alanine (ALA A:295), proline (PRO A:306), glutamine (GLN A:307), and isoleucine (ILE A:293) amino acid residues. In summary, TDFPT exposure suppresses esophageal carcinoma cell proliferation, inhibits colony formation ability, and activates apoptotic pathway. Thus, TDFPT acts as an effective antiproliferative agent for esophageal carcinoma cells and needs to be investigated further as chemotherapeutic molecule.
A study on the impacts of antibiotic pollution and its remediation
Authors: Talukder Pratik , Chanda Sounak , Mishra Meghna , Sinha Baishakhi , Dutta Anushka , Adhikary Ayan , Mukherjee Arundhuti , Datta Suravi
Published: November 2023

Antibiotics' ability to treat bacterial infections has long been seen as a pillar of modern medicine. Antibiotic abuse and widespread overuse, however, have resulted in unexpected consequences that call for significant adjustments in policy to be mitigated. High levels of antibiotic emissions from manufacturing facilities may help to develop new types of resistant bacteria. Such pollution is acknowledged by many scientists, business leaders, decision‐makers, and other interested parties as an unneeded and intolerable risk to public health worldwide. Antibiotics are frequently produced by soil microorganisms. The bacteria and fungi are microorganisms that produce antibiotics that are helpful in preventing or treating disease. With the invention of Penicillin, antibiotics gained widespread recognition. Since then, they have fundamentally changed how bacterial infections in animals and humans are treated. Since a significant portion of antibiotics are released from human and animal bodies without being degraded, this means that various environmental components, including soils and river water, are contaminated with antibiotics. In this case, it is anticipated that the structure and productivity of the microbiota inhabiting such environments may be impacted by the varied concentration of this type of microbial inhibitor present in different ecosystems. This effect can take place at various levels, including modifications to the population's overall structure, the selection of resistant species, or changes to bacterial physiology.
Setting the Course for Net Zero
Authors: Beckmann Markus , Zöttl Gregor , Grimm Veronika , Becker Thomas , Schober Markus , Zipse Oliver
Published: November 2023

The Road to Net Zero starts from the Paris Agreement, which sets a global goal to limit global warming to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, and an ambition to limit warming to 1.5 °C. The Agreement represents a turning point in the approach to tackling climate change, moving from a mitigation logic focused on reducing carbon emissions to an exit logic focused on full decarbonisation. The challenge is to translate the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement into practical and achievable action plans that can be implemented at national and local levels. This will require a coordinated and joint effort by governments, businesses, and civil society to mobilise resources, build capacity, and put in place the necessary policies and regulations to support the transition to a low-carbon future. After discussing basic climate science foundations in Sect. 2.2 and the global climate policy ‘Road to Paris’, as well as the implications of the Paris Agreement in Sect. 2.3, national policy frameworks and governance mechanisms that can be implemented at the national level to meet the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are reviewed in Sect. 2.4. While the expert discussion between Prof. Grimm, Dr Becker, and Oliver Zipse in Sect. 2.5 is dedicated to the balancing act between technology openness and energy policy control mechanisms, Sect. 2.6 gives an outlook on how the goals of the Paris Agreement can be broken down to the company level. In this context, future research questions for the evaluation of legitimised measurement and target-setting frameworks for the private sector are discussed.
Transforming Value Chains for Sustainability
Authors: Voigt Kai-Ingo , Czaja Lothar , Zipse Oliver
Published: November 2023

Achieving the Paris goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 °C requires radical decarbonization of our economy, including a shift to renewable energy. In the automotive sector, electromobility offers a promising option for making this transition. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) have lower emissions during their use phase, a significant part of the carbon footprint is shifted upstream in the value chain to raw material extraction and battery production. Against this background, this chapter provides an in-depth look at how the automotive industry’s transition to electromobility leads to far-reaching implications for the EV battery value chain. The chapter begins with a brief review of resource scarcity as a relevant strategic background for the circular economy. It continues with the different steps of the linear EV battery value chain. The chapter then uses a circularity perspective to discuss the technology and value chain steps for closing the loop in the EV battery life cycle. It concludes with an outlook on the challenges of circular EV battery value chains.
Motivation
Authors: Wiedemann Martin
Published: November 2023

Alternatives to kerosene as an energy source are currently being discussed for minimum-emission—ideally zero-emission—aviation. However, their availability is likely to be limited, they will be expensive, and, according to current knowledge, they will not be completely emission-free. Energy-saving technologies for future commercial aircraft will therefore play a major role in achieving the goal.
Intervertebral Disk Degeneration and Bone Mineral Density: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Zhao Jie , Wang Jingyu , Xu Haixu , Hu Wei , Shi Fangyuan , Fan Zhengrui , Zhou Chunlei , Mu Hong
Published: November 2023

This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD) using a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis. Summary-level data from the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) were used. Instrumental variables (IVs) for IVDD were selected from the large-scale Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) (20,001 cases and 164,682 controls). Bone mineral density (BMD) at five different sites (heel (n = 426,824), total body (TB) (n = 56,284), forearm (FA) (n = 8143), femoral neck (FN) (n = 32,735), and lumbar spine (LS) (n = 28,498)) was used as a phenotype for OP. Bidirectional causality between IVDD and BMD was assessed using inverse variance weighting (IVW) and other methods. Related sensitivity analyses were performed. Myopia was also analyzed as a negative control result to ensure the validity of IVs. Heel bone mineral density (heel BMD), total body bone mineral density (TB-BMD), femoral neck bone mineral density (FN-BMD), and lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD) have a direct causal relationship on intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD) [heel BMD-related analysis: beta = 0.06, p = 0.03; TB-BMD-related analysis: beta = 0.18, p = 8.72E-08; FN-BMD-related analysis: beta = 0.15, p = 4.89E-03; LS-BMD-related analysis: beta = 0.16, p = 1.43E-04]. There was no evidence of a significant causal effect of IVDD on BMD. In conclusion, our study found a significant positive causal effect of lower BMD on IVDD, and we identified significant causal effects of heel, TB-, FN-, and LS-BMD on IVDD, but there was no evidence of a significant causal effect of IVDD on BMD.
Fungal Diseases Caused by Serious Contamination of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, and Rapid Fungal Detection Using Nano-Diagnostic Tools: A Critical Review
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Abd El-Gawad El-Sayed , Abbas Heba S. , Kotakonda Muddukrishnaiah
Published: November 2023

Fungal-contaminated compounded pharmaceuticals and medical devices pose a public health problem. This review aimed to provide an organized overview of the literature on that critical issue. Firstly, it was found that compounding pharmacies can produce drugs that are contaminated with fungi, leading to outbreaks of severe fungal diseases. Secondly, inadequate sterile compounding techniques or storage conditions, or exceeding the limit of a fungal count, can result in fungal contamination. Lastly, nanotools can be used to rapidly detect fungi, thus improving fungal diagnostic procedures. To achieve this goal, we have reviewed the published data on PubMed, the CDC, and FDA Web sites, and a literature search was undertaken to identify severe fungal infections associated with compounding pharmacies outside of hospitals, limited by the dates 2003 to 2021. The “Preferred Reporting Items for Critical Reviews” were followed in searching, including, and excluding papers. Fungal outbreaks have been documented due to contaminated pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In 2013, 55 people died from fungal meningitis caused by contaminated steroid injections containing methylprednisolone acetate. Additionally, in 2021, Aspergillus penicillioides contamination was reported in ChloraPrep drugs, which was attributed to the storage conditions that were conducive to the growth of this fungus. These incidents have resulted in severe infectious diseases, such as invasive mycoses, cornea infections, Endophthalmitis, and intestinal and gastric mycosis. By implementing preventive measures and policies, it is possible to avoid these outbreaks. Creating Nano-diagnostics presents a major challenge, where promptly diagnosing fungal infections is required to determine the proper corrective and preventive measures.
SMP-DL: a novel stock market prediction approach based on deep learning for effective trend forecasting
Authors: Shaban Warda M. , Ashraf Eman , Slama Ahmed Elsaid
Published: November 2023

As the economy has grown rapidly in recent years, more and more people have begun putting their money into the stock market. Thus, predicting trends in the stock market is regarded as a crucial endeavor, and one that has proven to be more fruitful than others. Profitable investments will result in rising stock prices. Investors face significant difficulties making stock market-related predictions due to the lack of movement and noise in the data. In this paper, a new system for predicting stock market prices is introduced, namely stock market prediction based on deep leaning (SMP-DL). SMP-DL splits into two stages, which are (i) data preprocessing (DP) and (ii) stock price’s prediction (SP2). In the first stage, data are preprocessed to obtain cleaned ones through several stages which are detect and reject missing value, feature selection, and data normalization. Then, in the second stage (e.g., SP2), the cleaned data will pass through the used predicted model. In SP2, long short-term memory (LSTM) combined with bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) to predict the closing price of stock market. The obtained results showed that the proposed system perform well when compared to other existing methods. As RMSE, MSE, MAE, andR2values are 0.2883, 0.0831, 0.2099, and 0.9948. Moreover, the proposed method was applied using different datasets and it performs well.
A càdlàg rough path foundation for robust finance
Authors: Allan Andrew L. , Liu Chong , Prömel David J.
Published: November 2023

Using rough path theory, we provide a pathwise foundation for stochastic Itô integration which covers most commonly applied trading strategies and mathematical models of financial markets, including those under Knightian uncertainty. To this end, we introduce the so-called property (RIE) for càdlàg paths, which is shown to imply the existence of a càdlàg rough path and of quadratic variation in the sense of Föllmer. We prove that the corresponding rough integrals exist as limits of left-point Riemann sums along a suitable sequence of partitions. This allows one to treat integrands of non-gradient type and gives access to the powerful stability estimates of rough path theory. Additionally, we verify that (path-dependent) functionally generated trading strategies and Cover’s universal portfolio are admissible integrands, and that property (RIE) is satisfied by both (Young) semimartingales and typical price paths.
Rapid discrimination of Panax ginseng powder adulterated with various root plants by FT-IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis
Authors: Choi Ji-Young , Kim Minhyun , Park Sanghyeok , Cho Jeong-Seok , Lim Jeong Ho , Moon Kwang-Deog
Published: November 2023

Panax ginseng powder adulterated with other root plants (arrowroot, bellflower, and lance asiabell) was discriminated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, combined with multivariate analysis. Principal component analysis visually diagnosed the adulteration by showing two distinct clusters based on presence of adulteration. Wavenumber regions (1000 cm−1 and 3300 cm−1) selected from the loading plot associated with the vibration of OH and CH bond in ginsenoside and aromatic compounds. A quantitative model for the content of ginsenosides and specific aromatic compounds as indicators of pure ginseng powder, was developed based on partial least square regression analysis. The performance of the prediction model preprocessed with the Savizky–Golay 1st derivative was improved to R2 of 0.9650, 0.9635, and 0.9591 for Rb1, Rc, and β-Panasinsene, respectively. Therefore, FT-IR technology makes it possible to rapidly authenticate pure ginseng product based on the ginsenoside contents and aroma compound.
Localized in-situ deposition: a new dimension to control in fabricating surface micro/nano structures via ultrafast laser ablation
Authors: Fan Peixun , Jiang Guochen , Hu Xinyu , Wang Lizhong , Zhang Hongjun , Zhong Minlin
Published: November 2023

Controllable fabrication of surface micro/nano structures is the key to realizing surface functionalization for various applications. As a versatile approach, ultrafast laser ablation has been widely studied for surface micro/nano structuring. Increasing research efforts in this field have been devoted to gaining more control over the fabrication processes to meet the increasing need for creation of complex structures. In this paper, we focus on the in-situ deposition process following the plasma formation under ultrafast laser ablation. From an overview perspective, we firstly summarize the different roles that plasma plumes, from pulsed laser ablation of solids, play in different laser processing approaches. Then, the distinctive in-situ deposition process within surface micro/nano structuring is highlighted. Our experimental work demonstrated that the in-situ deposition during ultrafast laser surface structuring can be controlled as a localized micro-additive process to pile up secondary ordered structures, through which a unique kind of hierarchical structure with fort-like bodies sitting on top of micro cone arrays were fabricated as a showcase. The revealed laser-matter interaction mechanism can be inspiring for the development of new ultrafast laser fabrication approaches, adding a new dimension and more flexibility in controlling the fabrication of functional surface micro/nano structures.

Graphical Abstract
Causal structure of spacetime and Scott topology
Authors: Mazibuko Langelihle , Baboolal Dharmanand , Goswami Rituparno
Published: November 2023

In this paper we establish the spacetime manifold as a partially ordered set via the casual structure. We show that these partially ordered sets are naturally continuous as a suitable way below relation can be established via the chronological order. We further consider those classes of spacetimes on which a lattice structure can be endowed by physically defining the joins and meets. By considering the physical properties of null geodesics on the spacetime manifold we show that these lattices are necessarily distributive. These lattices are then continuous as a result of the equivalence between the way below relation and chronology. This enables us to define the Scott topology on the spacetime manifold and describe it on an equal footing as any other continuous lattice. We further show that the Scott topology is a proper subset of Alexandroff topology, which must be the manifold topology for the strongly causal spacetimes, (and hence a coarser topology than Alexandroff). In the process we find some interesting results on the sobriety of these manifolds. We prove that they are necessarily not sober under the Scott topology but regain their sobriety under Alexandroff topology. We also define a dual Scott topology on these manifolds by endowing them with bicontinuous poset structure and show that the join of the Scott topology with the dual is the Alexandroff topology. We also discuss the previous works done in this topic and how the present work generalises those results to some extent.
Neurologic Manifestations of Tick-Borne Diseases Transmitted by Deer Ticks (Ixodes scapularis) in the USA
Authors: Lum Michael , Syritsyna Olga , Spitzer Eric D. , Marcos Luis A.
Published: November 2023

Purpose of Review

This article aims to review the relevant updates in pathogenesis, diagnostics, clinical manifestations, and treatments of tick-borne diseases involving the nervous system, with special emphasis on emerging viral and bacterial infections transmitted by deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis).

Recent Findings

Neuroborreliosis includes a wide array of peripheral and/or central nervous system syndromes, of which diagnosis depends on a combination of clinical gestalt, serum serologic testing, and CSF cellular and serologic analysis. Powassan virus may cause life-threatening neuroinvasive disease and diagnosis that is based on CSF serology with treatment being largely supportive. Neurologic manifestations of anaplasmosis and babesiosis are rare but have been documented in case reports. Diagnosis is dependent on serum molecular and microscopic and serologic testing, and the pathophysiologic mechanisms of these neurologic syndromes are not fully understood. Borrelia miyamotoi is an emerging pathogen and, in immunocompromised patients, can cause severe meningoencephalitis.

Ixodes scapularis-borne infections such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and Borrelia miyamotoi disease can have significant neurologic manifestations. Due to the potential for poor outcomes, physicians must have a working knowledge of these pathogens, and a high index of suspicion is required to screen for these diseases in patients with the correct risk factors. Future research will help realize the full range of neurologic manifestations of these pathogens and also clarify their underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, which will aid in developing new methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Nitrogen-Doped Magnetic-Dielectric-Carbon Aerogel for High-Efficiency Electromagnetic Wave Absorption
Authors: Wang Shijie , Zhang Xue , Hao Shuyan , Qiao Jing , Wang Zhou , Wu Lili , Liu Jiurong , Wang Fenglong
Published: November 2023

Carbon-based aerogels derived from biomass chitosan are encountering a flourishing moment in electromagnetic protection on account of lightweight, controllable fabrication and versatility. Nevertheless, developing a facile construction method of component design with carbon-based aerogels for high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA) materials with a broad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) and strong absorption yet hits some snags. Herein, the nitrogen-doped magnetic-dielectric-carbon aerogel was obtained via ice template method followed by carbonization treatment, homogeneous and abundant nickel (Ni) and manganese oxide (MnO) particles in situ grew on the carbon aerogels. Thanks to the optimization of impedance matching of dielectric/magnetic components to carbon aerogels, the nitrogen-doped magnetic-dielectric-carbon aerogel (Ni/MnO-CA) suggests a praiseworthy EWA performance, with an ultra-wide EAB of 7.36 GHz and a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of − 64.09 dB, while achieving a specific reflection loss of − 253.32 dB mm−1. Furthermore, the aerogel reveals excellent radar stealth, infrared stealth, and thermal management capabilities. Hence, the high-performance, easy fabricated and multifunctional nickel/manganese oxide/carbon aerogels have broad application aspects for electromagnetic protection, electronic devices and aerospace.
Analysis of the EFARC non-pillar mining stope: roof failure and overlying pressure in inclined coal seams
Authors: Zhen Enze , Dong Shizhuo , Huang Jian , Wang Yajun , Wang Mengxiang , Zhang Xinyue , Tao Yizhe
Published: November 2023

During the process of coal mining, there is a violent appearance of mining stress when the initial weighting occurs. To guarantee the safety of the gob-side entry formed automatically by roof-cutting (EFARC) in an inclined coal seam, a study was conducted on the initial weighting mechanism and appearance characteristics through field monitoring and theoretical analysis. The findings reveal that, upon the initial breaking of the main roof in the non-pillar mining stope of an inclined coal seam, the deflection of the thin plate structure exhibits asymmetric distribution, with the maximum position situated in the middle-upper part of the thin plate. As the main roof thin plate reaches its limit interval, the tensile fracture first occurs in the middle-upper part of the coal wall in front and back of the stope. Once broken, the thin plate changes to a simply supported state. The analysis of field data reveals that the mine pressure in the non-pillar stope of EFARC shows an asymmetric weighting phenomenon. The periodic weighting interval at the ends of the working face increases, and the weighting intensity decreases. These results can serve as theoretical support for controlling mine pressure in non-pillar mining through EFARC in inclined coal seams and can serve as a basis for further investigations in this area.
GNN for Deep Full Event Interpretation and Hierarchical Reconstruction of Heavy-Hadron Decays in Proton–Proton Collisions
Authors: García Pardiñas Julián , Calvi Marta , Eschle Jonas , Mauri Andrea , Meloni Simone , Mozzanica Martina , Serra Nicola
Published: November 2023

The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is designed to perform high-precision measurements of heavy-hadron decays, which requires the collection of large data samples and a good understanding and suppression of multiple background sources. Both factors are challenged by a fivefold increase in the average number of proton–proton collisions per bunch crossing, corresponding to a change in the detector operation conditions for the LHCb Upgrade I phase, recently started. A further tenfold increase is expected in the Upgrade II phase, planned for the next decade. The limits in the storage capacity of the trigger will bring an inverse relationship between the number of particles selected to be stored per event and the number of events that can be recorded. In addition the background levels will rise due to the enlarged combinatorics. To tackle both challenges, we propose a novel approach, never attempted before in a hadronic collider: a Deep-learning based Full Event Interpretation (DFEI), to perform the simultaneous identification, isolation and hierarchical reconstruction of all the heavy-hadron decay chains per event. This strategy radically contrasts with the standard selection procedure used in LHCb to identify heavy-hadron decays, that looks individually at subsets of particles compatible with being products of specific decay types, disregarding the contextual information from the rest of the event. Following the DFEI approach, once the relevant particles in each event are identified, the rest can be safely removed to optimise the storage space and maximise the trigger efficiency. We present the first prototype for the DFEI algorithm, that leverages the power of Graph Neural Networks (GNN). This paper describes the design and development of the algorithm, and its performance in Upgrade I simulated conditions.
Effect of biochar aging in agricultural soil on its wetting properties and surface structure
Authors: Ivanova Natalia , Obaeed Gardoon Luqman Obaeed , Sulkarnaev Farid , Buchkina Natalya , Gubin Alexey , Yurtaev Andrei
Published: November 2023

Biochar wettability and ability to accumulate moisture inside the porous space are crucial for improving soil fertility, regulating soil water balance, and regulating nutrients. However, a long-term interaction of biochar with agricultural soils may drastically alter the wetting properties and, eventually, influence water holding capacity and the structure of soils. In this work, the structure and wetting properties of biochar samples after 6-year long exposure to a sandy loam Spodosol with a crop rotation and mineral fertilizers application were studied. It was found that the elemental composition of the aged biochars was richer and more "soil-like", which is explained by the presence of the mineral crust on the biochar surface. The temporal evolution of biochar in the soil without any mineral fertilizer application resulted in significant improvement of its surface wettability due to the effects of various environmental factors. The lateral surface of biochar after 6-year interaction with the soil changes into a loose porous layer in a form of grooved base filled with adherent mineral soil and clay particles. Contrary, the application of the mineral fertilizer to the soil resulted in decreased wettability of the biochar lateral surfaces due to a decrease in the polar component of surface energy and the crusting of the surface with fine material, which blocks the pore space of the biochar. As a result, water capacity of the biochar from the treatment with the fertilizer decreased compared to the biochar samples collected from the soil without the fertilizer application. The radial biochar surfaces of both types of samples collected from the soil were open vessels filled with soil particles that slow down complete wetting and water absorption. The treatment of the biochar samples with surfactants drastically increased wettability of lateral surface and water absorption capacity of control samples as compared to the samples collected from the soil. The obtained results support the idea that the hydrophilisation of biochar caused by the adhesion of soil particles and treatment of its pore surface with surfactants, can improve the water-holding capacity of the sandy loam Spodosol in the plant-available range of soil water.

Graphical Abstract
Acylated and non-acylated anthocyanins as antibacterial and antibiofilm agents
Authors: Jeyaraj Ethel Jeyaseela , Vidana Gamage Gayan Chandrajith , Cintrat Jean-Christophe , Choo Wee Sim
Published: November 2023

Natural products have served as an essential source of medicinal compounds in drug discovery, with their high abundance in nature and structural complexity being beneficial for various biological activities. Anthocyanins are a natural food colourant that belongs to the flavonoid group of compounds responsible for the colour of various fruits, vegetables, and flowers. There has been a growing interest in these compounds, especially for their health benefits. Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise, making the prognosis for bacterial infection treatment rather difficult. The discovery of alternative agents and treatment approaches is needed. Many in vitro and some in vivo studies demonstrated the potential effects of anthocyanins or their fraction from various natural sources to prevent and treat bacterial infections and biofilm formation. This review reports the recent literature and focuses on the potential role of anthocyanins and their acylation or functional groups for antibacterial and antibiofilm activities and their use as potential antibiotic substitutes or adjuvants. Their possible mechanism of action and prospects of their uses are also discussed.
Optimal performance of a tontine overlay subject to withdrawal constraints
Authors: Forsyth Peter A. , Vetzal Kenneth R. , Westmacott Graham
Published: November 2023

We consider the holder of an individual tontine retirement account, with maximum and minimum withdrawal amounts (per year) specified. The tontine account holder initiates the account at age 65 and earns mortality credits while alive, but forfeits all wealth in the account upon death. The holder wants to maximize total withdrawals and minimize expected shortfall at the end of the retirement horizon of 30 years (i.e., it is assumed that the holder survives to age 95). The holder controls the amount withdrawn each year and the fraction of the retirement portfolio invested in stocks and bonds. The optimal controls are determined based on a parametric model fitted to almost a century of market data. The optimal control algorithm is based on dynamic programming and the solution of a partial integro differential equation (PIDE) using Fourier methods. The optimal strategy (based on the parametric model) is tested out of sample using stationary block bootstrap resampling of the historical data. In terms of an expected total withdrawal, expected shortfall (EW-ES) efficient frontier, the tontine overlay dramatically outperforms an optimal strategy (without the tontine overlay), which in turn outperforms a constant weight strategy with withdrawals based on the ubiquitous four per cent rule.
A comparative analysis of public transport accessibility to hospitals in Córdoba (2019–2023): Where are we now?
Authors: Martinazzo Lucila
Published: November 2023

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the mobility restrictions governments imposed to prevent its spread changed the cities’ ways of living. Transport systems suffered the consequences of the falling travel demand, and readjustments were made in many cities to prevent the complete shutdown of services. In Córdoba, the second largest city in Argentina, the Municipality dictated route cuts and reduced frequencies to sustain the buses and trolleys system. In 2022, Martinazzo and Falavigna assessed potential accessibility to hospitals before (2019) and during the pandemic (2021). Overall, the study indicated that average travel times increased by 20% and that the gap between less vulnerable and more vulnerable population quintiles reached almost 8 points. In this paper, potential accessibility to public hospitals in 2022 and 2023 is calculated using Martinazzo and Falavigna’s (2022) work as a baseline to compare, considering that neither cutting the services during the pandemic nor recovering the service after the pandemic the Municipality performed an accessibility assessment. The main results showed that, despite the system having almost recovered its extension by 2023, it maintained the regressive tendency between less vulnerable and more vulnerable population quintiles, as the difference in average travel time between these two groups reached up to 14 min, while the cumulative opportunities measure for the high-income groups was up to 68% higher than the most vulnerable households.