bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microrheology of the cumulus-oocyte matrix using optical tweezers
Authors: Campugan C A , Perrella C , Lim M , Tan T C Y , Schartner E P , Arita Y , Bruce G D , Mendonca T , Wright A J , Dholakia K , Dunning K R
Published: February 2025

Optical tweezers have emerged as a powerful, versatile approach for a range of studies in cellular and molecular biology. A particular highlight has been its use for microrheology measurements in miniscule sample volumes. In this study, we demonstrate the application of optical tweezers to investigate the viscosity of the extracellular matrix surrounding mammalian oocytes and determine whether this is associated with oocyte developmental potential. By analysing the motion of a trapped particle, we can quantify the mechanical properties of this matrix, thus overcoming limitations of traditional passive microrheology techniques that rely on free diffusion. We utilise two maturation methods—in vivo and in vitro—to generate oocytes with differing developmental potential. Our findings indicate that oocytes matured in vivo exhibit higher viability post-fertilisation compared to their in vitro counterparts and we establish a positive correlation between extracellular matrix viscosity and oocyte developmental potential. This work demonstrates that optical tweezers are a novel, non-invasive tool for assessing oocyte quality, contributing to valuable insights to the field of reproductive biology.
Autoencoder-assisted study of directed percolation with spatial long-range interactions
Authors: Wang Yanyang , Yang Yuxiang , Li Wei
Published: February 2025

Determining the universality class of reaction–diffusion processes with long-range interactions in non-equilibrium phase transitions is both challenging and intriguing. Identifying critical points is fundamental for studying the phase transition characteristics of these universality classes. Unlike Monte Carlo simulations of statistical system observables, machine learning methods can extract evolutionary information from clusters of such systems, enabling a faster approach to phase transition regions. We developed a method that uses the one-dimensional encoding output of a stacked autoencoder (SAE) to determine the critical point in systems undergoing (1+1)-dimensional directed percolation with spatial long-range interactions. We validate this method by examining the power-law behavior of particle density at the critical point, which strongly supports our approach. As the system adheres to the scaling relation

t
f

∼

L

z

at the critical point, we conducted extensive simulations at this critical probability to determine the dynamic exponent z. In addition, the SAE is also capable of identifying the characteristic time of critical states. Finally, we tested two other heavy-tailed distributions that generate random step lengths: the Lévy distribution and the Cauchy distribution, which introduce different global spreading mechanisms. This method remains effective for determining the critical points in these systems. Our findings highlight the promising applications of SAE techniques for processes involving long-range interactions.
A general protocol for phosphorescent platinum(II) complexes: generation, high throughput virtual screening and highly accurate predictions
Authors: Wang Shuai , Yam ChiYung , Hu LiHong , Hung Faan-Fung , Chen Shuguang , Che Chi-Ming , Chen GuanHua
Published: February 2025

The utilization of phosphorescent metal complexes as emissive dopants for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) has been the subject of intense research. Cyclometalated Pt(II) complexes are particularly popular triplet emitters due to their color-tunable emissions. To make them viable for practical applications as OLED emitters, it is essential to develop Pt(II) complexes with high radiative decay rate constants (k
r) and photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQY). To this end, an efficient and accurate prediction tool is highly desirable. In this work, we propose a general yet powerful protocol achieving complex generation, high throughput virtual screening (HTVS), and fast predictions with high accuracy. More than 3600 potential structures are generated in a synthesis-friendly manner. Moreover, three HTVS-machine learning (ML) models are established using different algorithms with carefully designed features that are suitable for metal complexes. Specifically, 30 potential candidates are filtered out by HTVS-ML models with a three-tier screening rule and put into accurate predictions with experimental calibration Δ-learning method. The highly accurate prediction approach further reduces the stress of experiments and inspires greater confidence in identifying the most promising complexes as excellent emitters. As a result, 12 promising complexes (k
r >105 s-1 and PLQY >0.6) with the same superior core structures are confirmed from over 3600 Pt-complexes. Experiments revealed that two very close complexes have excellent emission properties and are consistent with the prediction results, providing strong evidence for the efficacy of the proposed protocol. We expect this protocol will become a valuable tool, expediting the rational design and rapid development of novel OLED materials with desired properties.
Locally compact sofic entropy theory
Authors: Bowen Lewis
Published: February 2025

This paper generalizes sofic entropy theory, in both the topological and measure-theory settings, to actions of locally compact groups. We prove invariance under topological and measure conjugacy of these entropies and establish the variational principle.
The adoption of the braided river model toward an inclusive STEM workforce for all
Authors: Alemán-Díaz Aixa , Hussen Sakib , Siam Abdul , Etson Candice M. , Greenler Robin McC. , Lightner Taylor , Quiñones-Soto Semarhy , Soso Simone B. , Segarra Verónica A.
Published: February 2025

Despite decades of interventions aiming to transform the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce to be more inclusive and diverse, little progress has been made in creating long-lasting, sustainable change. For a long period of time, the STEM workforce has been described as a leaky pipeline. While there has been some utility to thinking about the STEM workforce in this way, in this article, we discuss how characterizing the STEM workforce as a leaky pipeline can impede the design of innovative interventions that contribute to sustainable change toward a more inclusive scientific enterprise. As an alternative, we join others in proposing the braided river ecosystem model, related social sciences and career development theories as more inclusive ways to think about the STEM workforce and how a target group or an individual navigates their career choices and development as a scientist. New models and paradigms to understand the STEM workforce and individuals’ careers in science may open the door to finding novel strategies to make careers in STEM accessible to all. We present case studies demonstrating the practical applications of these inclusive models.
Introduction
Authors: Holroyd Jules
Published: February 2025

This chapter motivates focusing our attention on our social practices of expressing praise, and on oppressive praise in particular; it sets out the key methodological commitments; and provides an overview of the chapters to come. Praise is often not given scrutiny in its own right. But in fact, there are many ways in which it might go wrong. In particular, it may be oppressive. Three key methodological commitments are set out: to examine praise on its own terms; to a non-idealizing methodology; and to offer ameliorative prescriptions for how our practices of praising might be improved. By way of preliminaries, the chapter distinguishes paradigm cases of praise from instances of gratitude, admiration, and appreciation.
Challenges for Practice-Dependent Theories of Moral Responsibility
Authors: Holroyd Jules
Published: February 2025

Practice-dependent approaches to moral responsibility appeal to our practices of moral responsibility in order to identify and justify the conditions for holding each other responsible. As we have seen in Chapter 1, our practices are shaped by oppressive norms. This chapter introduces further examples of oppressive praise, showing how attributions of praise can be shaped by ableist norms, anti-fat norms, and norms of toxic positivity. The chapter argues that such cases pose methodological and justificatory challenges for practice-dependent approaches of the various kinds outlined by Victoria McGeer. In considering what resources these approaches might have to confront these challenges, it formulates some supplementary norms for theorizing about our practices of moral responsibility and for structuring those practices themselves. The chapter shows how these proposals contrast with two recent approaches, from David Shoemaker and Mich Ciurria.
Conclusion
Authors: Holroyd Jules
Published: February 2025

This chapter provides a brief conclusion to Oppressive Praise, summarizing the topics of the chapters and the aims of the book as a whole.
Haydn’s Missing Link
Authors: Reece Frederick
Published: February 2025

Chapter 4, “Haydn’s Missing Link,” considers modern cultures of compositional forgery in a still more recent historical context. On the morning of 14 December, 1993, musicologist H. C. Robbins Landon stood before a crowded London press conference and announced that six lost Haydn keyboard sonatas (Hob. XVI:2a–e and 2g) had been rediscovered after more than 200 years. In this case, the works subsequently revealed as forgeries were compelling not only because they were based on four-measure phrases recorded in Haydn’s Entwurfkatalog that correspond to lost works but also because the incipits dated from the crucial yet ill-documented 1767–70 period, long considered a stylistic “missing link” in the composer's development. This chapter explores how the forged sonatas functioned against the disciplinary and cultural background of the 1990s. Musical analyses are ultimately complemented by original correspondence with the forger, Winfried Michel, who—as if echoing Glenn Gould’s provocative mid-century hypotheses about forgery—declares that our “obsession with ‘authenticity’ and ‘famous names’ is symptomatic of modern art reception” in which “what people choose to call academia hinders our appreciation of a work of art.”
The Halted March of the European Left
Authors: Myers Matt
Published: February 2025

The European left seemed to be in rude health during the 1970s. Never had so many political parties committed to representing the working class been in power simultaneously across the continent. New forms of mobilisation led by female, immigrant, and young wage-earners seemed to reflect the growing strength of the workers’ movement rather than its pending obsolescence. Parties and trade unions grew rapidly as a diverse new generation entered the ranks. Why did the left’s forward march halt so abruptly? This book shows how the left’s defeats after the mid-1970s were not the inevitable result of deindustrialisation or, more precisely, the transition to a globalised and post-Fordist world that abolished the working class as a great historical actor. Choices that were made during a concentrated but decisive historical moment contributed to the left’s lost battles. The British, French, and Italian left managed the shift to a new era by marginalising those groups of workers who had invested it with hopes of social and political transformation. The left encountered a crisis of purpose and identity, a sense of both defeat and lost opportunities, and the dissolution of the idea of a community of fate amongst workers. This book provides a comparative analysis of the left’s fragmenting relationship with the working class and a “feel” for the culture of three leading industrial countries during a traumatic transition of late twentieth-century history. It concludes that decisions taken by the left during the 1970s contributed to the tragic inversion of the expected outcome of that hopeful decade.
Intellectual Dissidence and the Privatisation of Politics
Authors: Myers Matt
Published: February 2025

This chapter shows that party strategists actively reconceived who the left should represent at the same time as changes to the working class were substantially altering the terms of engagement between its members and its supporters. Dissent amongst party intellectuals was one of the first indications that existing ideological models had reached an impasse. Responding to challenges from within their own parties, social democratic and Communist leaderships revaluated the class reference of their organisations. The introduction of professionalised political marketing, communication techniques, opinion-polling studies, and image-driven politics by the French Communist Party, Italian Communist Party, and British Labour Party was used from the late 1970s to justify changes of political direction. One of the consequences of this process was that an increasingly individual and contractual model of political engagement came to dominate over a mass and institutional one. The working class which emerged was defined more by individualised opinions, marketed values, and cultural attitudes, than as the collective agent which had defined the 1970s.
Social Movements and Generational Change
Authors: Myers Matt
Published: February 2025

This chapter outlines how during the 1970s the major European workers’ parties expanded their core male, white, industrial base to new sectors of the working class without fundamentally abandoning their former class reference. It shows how a dynamic relationship of mutual attraction and antagonism existed between the left and movements of marginalised workers. The left and these sectors did not move on fundamentally separate tracks during the 1970s. The anti-racist, youth, and feminist movements discussed in this chapter found their motor force in the most dynamic sectors of Europe’s new working class and were conscious of themselves as such. Immigrants, young people, and women within and outside the labour movement provoked activists and intellectuals to question the left’s purpose. Only after a series of conflicts did the influence of a class-based political culture begin to recede. The chapter concludes that left’s inability to mobilise its former constituency in elections, strikes, and demonstrations coincided with the perception that major generational, gendered, and racialised fissures had opened within the working class and that a crisis of hope and expectation now separated two epochs.
A multi-modal fusion model with enhanced feature representation for chronic kidney disease progression prediction
Authors: Qiao Yixuan , Zhou Hong , Liu Yang , Chen Ruixuan , Zhang Xiaodong , Nie Sheng , Hou Fan Fan , Zhao Yi , Xu Xin , Zhao Lianhe
Published: February 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based multi-modal fusion algorithms are pivotal in emulating clinical practice by integrating data from diverse sources. However, most of the existing multi-modal models focus on designing new modal fusion methods, ignoring critical role of feature representation. Enhancing feature representativeness can address the noise caused by modal heterogeneity at the source, enabling high performance even with small datasets and simple architectures. Here, we introduce DeepOmix-FLEX (Fusion with Learning Enhanced feature representation for X-modal or FLEX in short), a multi-modal fusion model that integrates clinical data, proteomic data, metabolomic data, and pathology images across different scales and modalities, with a focus on advanced feature learning and representation. FLEX contains a Feature Encoding Trainer structure that can train feature encoding, thus achieving fusion of inter-feature and inter-modal. FLEX achieves a mean AUC of 0.887 for prediction of chronic kidney disease progression on an internal dataset, exceeding the mean AUC of 0.727 using conventional clinical variables. Following external validation and interpretability analyses, our model demonstrated favorable generalizability and validity, as well as the ability to exploit markers. In summary, FLEX highlights the potential of AI algorithms to integrate multi-modal data and optimize the allocation of healthcare resources through accurate prediction.
Risk stratification with the Haemodynamic Gain Index and peak rate-pressure product in patients with chronic heart failure undergoing treadmill exercise testing
Authors: Chaikijurajai Thanat , Finet Jose Emanuel , Wu Yuping , Harb Serge C , Grodin Justin L , Jaber Wael A , Tang Wai Hong Wilson
Published: February 2025

Aims

We recently demonstrated the combined prognostic value of the following two simple non-invasive parameters obtained from treadmill exercise testing in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction: the Haemodynamic Gain Index (HGI) and peak rate-pressure product (RPP). However, their prognostic value is yet to be validated in patients with undifferentiated HF syndrome.

Methods and results

We identified consecutive HF patients undergoing treadmill exercise testing for symptom evaluation between January 1991 and February 2015. The HGI was calculated from [(SBPpeak × heart ratepeak) – (SBPrest × heart raterest)]/(SBPrest × heart raterest), and the peak RPP was calculated from SBPpeak × heart ratepeak. Hazard ratios per standard deviation increase of the HGI and peak RPP for all-cause mortality were estimated using multivariable Cox regression models with adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and exercise-testing parameters (Chronotropic Reserve Index, estimated metabolic equivalents, abnormal heart rate recovery, and total exercise time). In our cohort of 5940 patients with symptomatic HF diagnosis with a median follow-up of 7.1 years, 2222 (37.4%) patients died. Higher values of both HGI and peak RPP were associated with a lower risk of mortality [adjusted hazard ratio per standard deviation increase 0.80 (0.73–0.88) and 0.85 (0.78–0.91), respectively, all P < 0.001]. Optimal cut-off values for HGI and peak RPP for discriminating all-cause mortality were 1.06 and 180 966, respectively.

Conclusion

Both HGI and peak RPP are predictors of mortality in patients with chronic HF and may be tools to signal the need for advanced HF therapy evaluation.
A two-component system MCNtrB/MCNtrC related to nitrogen metabolism in Micromonospora carbonacea
Authors: Xiang Weiwei , Long Yuxin , Zheng Xingxing , Ni Haiyan , Zou Long , Huang Yunhong , Long Zhong-er
Published: February 2025

Micromonospora carbonacea JXNU-1, a strain of an actinomycete with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, isolated from soil samples from the farmland in the area of Yaohu Lake in Nanchang, China, was taken as the object of study in this paper. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that there was a pair of proteins MCNtrB/MCNtrC homologous to the two-component system NtrB/NtrC, which usually exists only in the Gram-negative bacteria and is closely related to the regulation of nitrogen metabolism, in the whole cell protein of M. carbonacea. MCNtrB and MCNtrC, obtained by expression in vitro, were subjected to autophosphorylation and phosphate group transfer experiments. The results showed that MCNtrB had histidine kinase activity with the active site of His115, and MCNtrC can accept the phosphate group from phosphorylated MCNtrB with the active site of Asp33. The yeast two-hybrid experiments showed that MCNtrB and MCNtrC were a pair of proteins with a strong interaction. Overexpression of MCNtrB and MCNtrC in M. carbonacea can affect the expression of key enzymes in cellular nitrogen metabolism, such as glutamine synthetase, glutamate synthase, and glutamate dehydrogenase. These results indicated that MCNtrB/MCNtrC is a two-component system related to nitrogen metabolism in M. carbonacea, which could provide an important experimental basis for revealing the regulatory mechanism of nitrogen metabolism in M. carbonacea.
Effects of dietary supplementation with linseed oil, Ascophyllum nodosum or treated A. nodosum on animal performance, gaseous emissions, ruminal fermentation and microbiota, and meat quality in growing dairy beef bulls
Authors: Roskam Emily , Kenny David A , Kelly Alan K , Hayes Maria , Palevich Nikola , Maclean Paul H , O’Flaherty Vincent , Biswas Ambarish , Waters Sinéad M
Published: February 2025

Oils high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and seaweeds containing phlorotannins have potential anti-methanogenic effects in ruminants. This study assessed the potential of dietary supplementation with linseed oil, Ascophyllum nodosum or treated A. nodosum in an intensive beef cattle feeding system on animal performance, gaseous emissions, ruminal fermentation and microbiota, and muscle fatty acid profiles. Seventy-two dairy-beef bulls (380 kg; 11 months of age) were randomly allocated to one of four dietary treatments (n = 18) for a 70-d period. The diet consisted of a 60:40 grass silage:concentrate ratio. Silage was offered daily (0900 h) and concentrates were offered twice daily (0800 h and 1500 h). Dietary treatments were incorporated into the concentrate portion of the diet as follows; 1) CON (no supplementation), 2) LSO (linseed oil), 3) SW (A. nodosum) and 4) EX (A. nodosum extract), included to target 0, 4, 2 and 2% of dry matter intake (DMI), respectively. The concentrates were formulated to be isonitrogenous across the four treatment groups. Total DMI (American Calan Inc., Northwood, NH), average daily gain (ADG), gain:feed and enteric emissions (GreenFeed; C-Lock Inc., Rapid City, SD) were measured for the 70-d supplementation period. Total DMI (P = 0.17), ADG (P = 0.28), gain:feed (P = 0.68) and total tract digestibility (P = 0.70) did not differ across treatments. Daily methane production (P < 0.001) for CON, LSO, SW and EX was 210, 170, 202 and 193 g/d, respectively, resulting in reductions of 19 and 8% for LSO and EX, respectively, relative to CON. Ruminal fermentation parameters show that LSO was the only dietary treatment to increase propionate (P = 0.09) and decrease butyrate (P = 0.04) concentrations relative to CON. Microbial analyses showed LSO supplementation increased and decreased relative abundances of fungal genera Buwchfawromyces and Piromyces, respectively, while altering relative abundances of the bacterial genera Muribaculaceae, Bacteroidales RF16 group and Bacterium F082. Additionally, LSO increased linolenic acid (P < 0.001) and n-3 PUFA (P < 0.001) concentration of the longissimus dorsi muscle compared to CON, SW and EX. In conclusion, LSO was the most effective dietary supplementation strategy compared to CON, EX and SW, whereby it reduced methane emissions, modified ruminal fermentation and microbial profiles, and enhanced beneficial muscle PUFA concentration, without impacting animal performance.
GazeSymCAT: A Symmetric Cross-Attention Transformer for Robust Gaze Estimation under Extreme Head Poses and Gaze Variations
Authors: Zhong Yupeng , Lee Sang Hun
Published: February 2025

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, research on deep neural networks for estimating gaze from facial images captured by cameras has grown significantly. However, gaze estimation remains challenging due to the diversity of facial features, variability in head posture, partial occlusion, varying lighting conditions, eye image quality, complex eye movements, and a lack of large-scale, diverse datasets. Particularly, estimating a driver's gaze while driving a vehicle is difficult due to occlusion of the eyes when checking mirrors or turning the head to view blind spots and surroundings. To address these issues, we developed an appearance-based gaze estimation neural network based on attention, called GazeSymCAT (Symmetric Cross-Attention Transformer for Gaze Estimation). The proposed GazeSymCAT obtains contextual information that reflects the relationships among the extracted facial and eye image features through an encoder-decoder structure composed of self-attention and cross-attention layers of the transformer. This structure is followed by adding fully connected layers that estimate the gaze direction. The model proposed in this study was tested on the ETH-XGaze dataset, a large-scale, state-of-the-art dataset that includes extreme head postures, achieving state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance. Additionally, it demonstrated SOTA-comparable performance on existing general gaze estimation-related datasets, MPIIFaceGaze and EYEDIAP.
Like a candle in the wind: the embers of once aflame, now smouldering galaxies at 5 < z < 8
Authors: Trussler James A A , Conselice Christopher J , Adams Nathan , Austin Duncan , Caruana Joseph , Harvey Tom , Li Qiong , Lovell Christopher C , Seeyave Louise T C , Vijayan Aswin P , Wilkins Stephen M
Published: February 2025

We develop a photometric search method for identifying smouldering galaxies at $5\lt z \lt 8$, which are defined to have weak emission lines and thus generally have low specific star formation rates and may even be in a state of (temporary) quiescence. The deep NIRCam imaging (${\sim }29.5$ AB mag, 5$\sigma$) from the JADES second data release is essential for finding these systems, as they are faint, relatively quiescent dwarf galaxies ($M_* \sim 10^{8\!-\!9}~\mathrm{M}_\odot)$ in the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). Moreover, medium band imaging is key, enabling a clear identification of the lack of emission lines in these galaxies, thus betraying their dormant flame. Owing to the young age of the Universe, combined with the likely bursty star formation in these first dwarf galaxies, conventional colour-selection methods like the UVJ diagram likely miss a large fraction of the quiescent population in the EoR. Indeed, we find that smouldering galaxies constitute a considerable fraction (0.05–0.35) of the EoR dwarf galaxy population ($M_* \sim 10^{8\!-\!9}~\mathrm{M}_\odot$). As predicted by simulations, these first dwarf galaxies are fragile, the star formation in their shallow potential wells easily snuffed out by feedback-driven winds triggered by secular or merger-driven starbursts, with the smouldering fraction increasing with decreasing stellar mass. Finally, we provide observational constraints on the smouldering galaxy comoving number density (${\sim }10^{-4}\!-\!10^{-5}$ dex$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-3}$), which, although hampered by incompleteness, should aid in our understanding of the primordial baryon cycle, as current simulations greatly disagree on whether these systems are rare (${\sim }1~{{\rm per\,cent}}$) or common (${\sim }50~{{\rm per\,cent}}$) in the EoR.
BSN-I: the first in-depth photometric study of seven total-eclipse contact binary systems
Authors: Poro A , Li K , Paki E , Baudart S , Michel R , Wang L , Fernández Lajús E , Alicavus F , Foschino S , Aceves H , Tamayo F J , Chavez C E
Published: February 2025

This is the first in-depth study of seven total-eclipse W Ursae Majoris-type contact binary systems using photometric light curves. The ground-based observations were conducted with four observatories in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. We also used the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite for four target systems. We presented the analysis of orbital period variations of six systems and found that they display parabolic variations. The material transfer rates between the stars of the systems were calculated. Also, the results show that four systems have a long-term increase, while two have a long-term decrease in their orbital periods. We analysed light curves using the PHysics Of Eclipsing BinariEs python code and the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm to estimate different parameters of target systems and their uncertainties. Six of the target systems required the addition of a cold or hot star-spot. We estimated absolute parameters using the empirical relationship between the orbital period and the semimajor axis ($P\!\!-\!\!a$). According to each component’s effective temperature and mass, it was recognized that the studied systems are W subtype. We examined the dynamic stability of two targets, which were low mass ratio contact binary systems. We also showed the evolution of stars in the $M\!\!-\!\!R$ and $M\!\!-\!\!L$ diagrams. Finally, we showed that the hotter stars in contact systems have a temperature difference of less than ${\approx} 400$ K compared to the Gaia Data Release 3 temperature report.
Intensity interferometer results on Sirius with 0.25 m telescopes
Authors: Mozdzen Thomas J , Scott Richard M , Mauskopf Philip D , Rodriguez Ricardo R
Published: February 2025

We present the successful measurement of the squared visibility of Sirius at a telescope separation of 3.3 m using small 0.25 m Newtonian-style telescopes in an urban backyard setting. The primary science goal for small-scale intensity interferometers has been to measure the angular diameters of stars. Recent advances in low jitter time-tagging equipment and Single Photon Avalanche Detectors have made the detection of second-order photon correlation signals feasible with small low-cost telescopes. Using Sirius as a target star, we observe a photon count rate of $\sim$1.9 Mcps per detector with matched 1.2 nm wide filters at 589.3 nm and measured the spatial squared visibility at a telescope separation of 3.3 m to be $|V_{12}(3.3\,\text{m})|^2~=~0.94\pm 0.16$. The measured signal-to-noise ratio of the detection is $\sim$7 after 13.55 h of integration. The uncertainty in the measured visibility includes uncertainty in the instrument response function. The squared visibility agrees closely with the expected value of $0.94\pm 0.01$. These results demonstrate that using small low-cost telescopes is feasible for intensity interferometry of bright stars. This enables a simple scaling in sensitivity by further realistic improvements in the instrument response jitter as well as increasing both the number of spectral bands and the number of telescopes towards systems capable of resolving objects such as quasars, white dwarfs, and galactic Cepheid variable stars.
Content-based image retrieval using COSFIRE descriptors with application to radio astronomy
Authors: Ndung’u Steven , Grobler Trienko , Wijnholds Stefan J , Azzopardi George
Published: February 2025

The morphologies of astronomical sources are highly complex, making it essential not only to classify the identified sources into their predefined categories but also to determine the sources that are most similar to a given query source. Image-based retrieval is essential, as it allows an astronomer with a source under study to ask a computer to sift through the large archived database of sources to find the most similar ones. This is of particular interest if the source under study does not fall into a ‘known’ category (anomalous). Our work uses the trainable COSFIRE (Combination of Shifted Filter Responses) approach for image retrieval. COSFIRE filters are automatically configured to extract the hyperlocal geometric arrangements that uniquely describe the morphological characteristics of patterns of interest in a given image; in this case astronomical sources. This is achieved by automatically examining the shape properties of a given prototype source in an image, which ultimately determines the selectivity of a COSFIRE filter. We further utilize hashing techniques, which are efficient in terms of required computation and storage, enabling scalability in handling large data sets in the image retrieval process. We evaluated the effectiveness of our approach by conducting experiments on a benchmark data set of radio galaxies, containing 1180 training images and 404 test images. Notably, our approach achieved a mean average precision of 91 per cent for image retrieval, surpassing both DenseNet-161 and group-equivariant convolutional neural networks (G-CNNs). Moreover, our approach is significantly more computationally efficient compared to both DenseNet-161 and G-CNNs.
A Plant Health View on Endohyphal Bacteria and Their Fungal Hosts
Authors: Moses Dallas , Carter Morgan
Published: February 2025

Microbe-microbe interactions within the phytobiome, including those between endosymbiotic bacteria and their fungal hosts, influence plant health outcomes. Endohyphal bacteria (EHB) can modulate the virulence and survival of phytopathogenic fungi, making them both potential targets for fungal control and potential tools for exploring fungal biology. Fungal hosts may increase the fitness of bacterial symbionts, some of which act as plant pathogens themselves. These relationships can also result in an increase of microbially produced phytohormones, influencing the plant host and other symbioses. However, the functional outcome of EHB metabolites and mechanisms of change remain largely uninvestigated in most of the EHB-fungal relationships identified. Additionally, morphological change experienced by some bacterial cells within fungi represents just one of the knowledge gaps in this field, with factors that determine bacterial and fungal partner specificity being another. Here, we compile studies of EHB from across diverse plant-associated microbes to provide a primer for EHB studies, considered through a phytobiomes lens, and comment on the directions for this emerging field.
Measuring and Contextualizing School Refusal in Pediatric Chronic Pain
Authors: Stewart Catherine E. , Gambhir Rupa , Aladin Sana , Logan Deirdre E.
Published: February 2025

Objective:

School refusal is a longstanding difficulty for youth with chronic pain. Yet, research is hindered by lack of adequate measurement tools to assess and describe the complex interpersonal and systems-level factors contributing to school refusal. This study investigates the utility of the School Refusal Evaluation (SCREEN) measure and its psychometric properties in a sample of youth with chronic pain.

Materials:

and Methods: Youth undergoing multidisciplinary evaluation at outpatient pain clinics completed self and parent-report questionnaires. Descriptive data examined school refusal. Internal consistency and construct validity were tested. Multiple regressions examined parent and child factors related to school refusal.

Results:

698 youth with chronic pain participated. Two-thirds reported symptoms suggesting at-risk or clinically significant symptoms of school refusal. Cronbach alpha scores were in the acceptable to good range on the SCREEN. Convergent validity for the Interpersonal Discomfort subscale of the SCREEN was established. Child fear of pain, stress, peer relationships, and parent protective behaviors significantly correlated with SCREEN total scores. Participants enrolled in fully in-person school during the study period reported significantly higher scores on the interpersonal discomfort scale than those enrolled in remote learning.

Discussion:

Our results provide evidence that youth with chronic pain experience significant challenges with school functioning and offer some support for the reliability and validity of the SCREEN in a sample of youth with chronic pain, a population for which few appropriate measures of school functioning have been established. The SCREEN measure may aid in assessing school refusal, with good clinical potential to quantify risk and identify modifiable factors.
Association Between Comorbidities and Inpatient Postpartum Permanent Contraception Completion
Authors: Carmody Mary D. , Schultz Abby L. , Berg Kristen A. , Bullington Brooke W. , Miller Emily S. , Boozer Margaret , Serna Tania , Bailit Jennifer L. , Arora Kavita Shah
Published: February 2025

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate whether comorbidities (defined as both medical conditions and peripartum complications) are associated with inpatient postpartum permanent contraception by tubal surgery completion.

METHODS:

This is a secondary analysis of a multisite retrospective cohort study of patients who had documented plans for permanent contraception. Our primary outcome was inpatient completion of postpartum permanent contraception by tubal surgery. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine associations between aggregate and individual comorbidities and the attainment of inpatient postpartum permanent contraception.

RESULTS:

In this study of 2,226 pregnant people, 53.4% of patients received postpartum permanent contraception by the time of hospital discharge, and 70.8% of patients had documented comorbidities. Although patients with medical conditions initially had lower odds of permanent contraception completion compared with those without any comorbidities (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.77, 95% CI, 0.64–0.93), this association was no longer significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons (adjusted P=.06). This association also was not significant for patients with peripartum complications (aOR 0.86, 95% CI, 0.64–1.16, adjusted P=.42). Similarly, when individual comorbidities were assessed, patients with hypertension (aOR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.65–0.97, adjusted P=.06), mental health diagnoses (aOR 0.80, 95% CI, 0.66–0.96, adjusted P=.06), and elevated body mass index (BMI, 40 or higher) (aOR 0.77, 95% CI, 0.63–0.95, adjusted P=.06) had no significant differences in odds of immediate permanent contraception attainment after adjusting for multiple comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS:

Though the balance of risks and benefits is imperative for surgical care, it is imperative that modifiable barriers to desired permanent contraception are mitigated. There were no statistically significant differences in inpatient postpartum permanent contraception attainment for patients with medical conditions in our study; however, further study is needed to better elucidate the complex relationships between medical comorbidities and contraception.
Complications of Ambulatory Procedures: Prevalence and Hospital Outpatient Department Variation
Authors: Fuller Richard L. , Hughes John S. , Young Samuel D. , Fogerty Robert , Wadhwa Sandeep , Casey Dana , Patterson Miki , Chen Yonghong
Published: February 2025

Ambulatory procedures performed electively in hospital outpatient departments are of increasing complexity and constitute a growing share of total procedure volume. Despite their importance, little is known of the prevalence of complications from routine procedures once patients are discharged. This study utilizes a 100% Medicare Fee-for-Service claims data file for the years 2019–2022 to assess the relative frequency of hospital-based ambulatory procedures and 30-day patient postprocedure emergency room and hospitalization complication rates utilizing the Ambulatory Potentially Preventable Complication (AM-PPC) classification method. AM-PPC is a claims-based method designed to calculate comparative provider rates of complication exclusively for elective ambulatory procedures excluding procedures performed in hospital emergency departments. The authors calculated the mean rate of ambulatory complications by procedure across hospitals and then compared them for variation in hospital-specific procedure complication rates to the mean rate. About 2.1% of patients receiving a procedure performed in a hospital outpatient department had an emergency room or inpatient hospitalization visit within 30 days. Complication event rates varied widely across hospital outpatient departments and within specific procedures. Hip arthroplasty complication rates varied from 0.0% to 7.6% while those for upper genitourinary procedures varied from 1.7% to 14.2%. In conclusion, the complication rate for ambulatory procedures is seen to vary substantially across hospital outpatient departments for well-established, routine procedures. This study provides a baseline of complication rates for ambulatory procedures, which will be essential for future efforts to improve patient safety.
From Data to Improvement: Social Mechanisms as a Key to Understanding Dashboard Adoption
Authors: Broughton Tamara , Weggelaar-Jansen Anne Marie , Sülz Sandra
Published: February 2025

Research on dashboard adoption has focused on technical and design requirements. Evidence on social mechanisms for successful dashboard adoption is scarce. This study examined 2 quality dashboards in a similar organizational context with different outcomes. The research question was: How do social mechanisms influence the adoption of dashboards in practice? This embedded case study within one Dutch hospital in 2 phases: (1) interviews and observations to identify social mechanisms in the end-user’s team and (2) expert focus groups to validate identified mechanisms. Data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically, resulting in the identification of 3 social mechanisms within the team of end-users influencing dashboard adoption: cultivating a supportive team climate, trust, and leadership behavior in end-users’ teams. These mechanisms stimulate a learning environment for discussing and improving care quality. They require action from individuals and teams, so dashboards can be used for collective understanding, learning, and improving. Without these social mechanisms, dashboards remain an unadopted “materiality.”
Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Quality of Life and Psychological Wellbeing of Patients With Parkinson Disease
Authors: Narimisaei Jale , Naeim Mahdi , Nasiri Zohreh , Imannezhad Shima , Mohammadi Yasaman
Published: February 2025

This study investigates the impact of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on depression reduction and quality of life improvement among individuals with Parkinson disease. A randomized clinical trial with pretest and posttest measurements involved 90 participants referred to Roozbeh Hospital in Tehran in 2023, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 45) or a control group (n = 45). The experimental group underwent a 3-month CBT intervention comprising 12 sessions of 90 minutes each. Both groups completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire preintervention and postintervention. Data analysis via multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS-25 revealed significant improvements in reducing depression and enhancing quality of life in the experimental group compared with the control group (p ≤ 0.01). These findings indicate that CBT is an effective treatment for reducing depression and improving the quality of life of individuals with Parkinson disease, demonstrating its clinical applicability in therapeutic settings.
Simulation Sequencing in Nursing Education and Its Impact on Student Learning Outcomes
Authors: Falconer Brandy , Lasiter Sue , Patel Sarah
Published: February 2025

Background:

Simulation is commonly used as a teaching modality to replace in-hospital clinical practice. Standards for simulated patient encounters have been developed; however, the sequencing of simulation experiences has not been well-established. Sequencing purposefully manipulates the order of nursing content delivery including didactic, simulation, and clinical practice. Limited supportive research has prevented the development of sequencing standards that may improve student learning.

Purpose:

To determine what is known about simulation sequencing in nursing education and if sequencing impacts learning.

Methods:

Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and ERIC databases were systematically searched for relevant articles.

Results:

The initial search yielded 184 articles. After removing duplicates and articles not meeting inclusion criteria, 5 articles were retained for review.

Conclusions:

Standards are established for building, conducting, and evaluating simulations. Current literature does not provide specific recommendations for sequencing simulations. Therefore, the sequencing of didactic and simulation is the logical next step in developing the science of simulation.
Concomitant Sphenopterygoid Canal and Duplicated Foramen Rotundum Detected on Computed Tomography Scan
Authors: Triantafyllou George , Papadopoulos-Manolarakis Panagiotis , Tsakotos George , Piagkou Maria
Published: February 2025

The middle cranial fossa exhibits an interesting typical and variant anatomy. Accessory foramina frequently or rarely exists and transmits emissary veins. The sinus computed tomography scan of a 63-year-old male patient was further examined for its unique morphology. An accessory foramen rotundum (FR) was identified on the left side, 2.67 mm laterally to the typical foramen. Posterolaterally to the typical FR (10.33 mm distance), the intracranial opening of a sphenopterygoid canal was detected. This canal had a length of 22.85 mm and opened extracranially through a pterygoid foramen on the lateral pterygoid plate. The right side of the patient was typical. The unusual coexistence of 2 rare skull base variants was recorded. The accessory FR and sphenopterygoid canal presence were described only in a few case reports in the current literature, while their coexistence has not been reported. Anatomists and clinicians should remember that rare variant foramina can transmit emissary veins, such as the ones presented in the current imaging case.
How can you manage an indomethacin-responsive headache in someone who cannot take indomethacin?
Authors: Osiowski Aleksander , Stolarz Kacper , Taterra Dominik
Published: February 2025

Purpose of review

Paroxysmal hemicrania and hemicrania continua are rare primary headache disorders which are distinguished by an absolute response to indomethacin. As a matter of importance, no guidelines have been proposed for alternative therapeutic options in case of indomethacin intolerance. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the current findings, especially focusing on the past 18 months, in the treatment of both paroxysmal hemicrania and hemicrania continua and to provide proposed management recommendations based on summarized evidence.

Recent findings

Apart from well recognized gastrolesive effects of indomethacin, a substantial number of patients may suffer from neuropsychiatric adverse reactions. Recent studies demonstrated that melatonin, which has been known for its effectiveness for hemicrania continua, is also useful for paroxysmal hemicrania. Promising nonpharmacological treatment option, which is noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation, has been shown to be beneficial for both indomethacin-responsive headache disorders allowing the reduction of indomethacin dosage. Although the data on substitutive medication choice for indomethacin are currently scarce, the most consistent results have been repeatedly achieved with acemethacin, selective COX-2 inhibitors, and anticonvulsants. However, considering the crucial role of pathophysiology, research investigating the efficacy of drugs targeting the trigemino-vascular system activation, as well as controlled trials assessing the efficacy involving the aforementioned therapeutic options are still vague.

In spite of numerous reports suggesting reliable alternatives to indomethacin, the consensus on pharmacological therapy guidelines for indomethacin-responsive headache disorders has not yet been reached. Further research and agreement from the experts’ standpoint are needed for an establishment of reliable treatment recommendations.
Scaling in Biological Systems: A Molecular-Ensemble Duality
Authors: Ellsworth Julie A. , Baker Josh E.
Published: February 2025

We have observed in muscle the statistical mechanics of irreversible chemical thermodynamics, revealing the solution to multiple seemingly unrelated paradoxes in science. Analogous to Boltzmann’s H theorem, we observe that chemical reaction energy landscapes (ensemble entropic wells) irreversibly evolve over time, pulling reversible chemical reactions forward in time. Loschmidt’s paradox assumes that reversible molecular reactions scale up to irreversible changes in an ensemble, and many mathematical constructs have been created to satisfy this assumption (Boltzmann’s H-function, chemical activities, the kinetics theory of gases, molecular mechanisms of biological function, etc.). However, using a simple statistical argument, here we show that the irreversible time evolutions of molecular and ensemble states are described by two different non-scalable entropies, creating a molecular-ensemble duality in any system on any scale. This inverts common understandings of mechanistic agency and the arrow of time and disproves all molecular mechanisms of irreversible ensemble processes.

Significance Statemen

This statistical analysis inverts common understandings of mechanistic agency, entropy, and the arrow of time; it solves several paradoxes in physics; and it disproves molecular mechanisms of irreversible processes.