bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The first Palaeozoic spider (Arachnida: Araneae) from Germany
Authors: Dunlop Jason A.
Published: July 2023

The first Palaeozoic spider (Arachnida: Araneae) from Germany is described as Arthrolycosa wolterbeeki sp. nov. and comes from the late Carboniferous (Moscovian) strata of Piesberg near Osnabrück in Lower Saxony. Characteristic for the genus, the new fossil reveals a posteriorly tuberculate dorsal opisthosoma, and relatively elongate and setose legs in which the first leg is longer than the second and third legs. Spinnerets are also preserved, confirming its status as a genuine spider rather than being part of an extinct spider-like arachnid lineage. Carboniferous spiders in general are rather rare. While modern spiders are a megadiverse group, the published fossil record suggests they were only moderately diverse in the late Carboniferous compared to other Coal Measures arachnids. Part of the explanation must be that major radiations within Araneae occurred later, probably during the Mesozoic. If the lifestyle of the Carboniferous fossils was similar to that of modern mesothele spiders their rarity as fossils might also relate to them spending much of their lives in burrows, or similar retreats, with limited opportunities for preservation.
Prenatal Exposure to Nitrate in Drinking Water and Adverse Health Outcomes in the Offspring: a Review of Current Epidemiological Research
Authors: Clemmensen Pernille Jul , Schullehner Jörg , Brix Nis , Sigsgaard Torben , Stayner Leslie Thomas , Kolstad Henrik Albert , Ramlau-Hansen Cecilia Høst
Published: July 2023

Purpose of Review

Recently, several epidemiological studies have investigated whether prenatal exposure to nitrate from drinking water may be harmful to the fetus, even at nitrate levels below the current World Health Organization drinking water standard. The purpose of this review was to give an overview of the newest knowledge on potential health effects of prenatal exposure to nitrate.

Recent Findings

We included 13 epidemiological studies conducted since 2017. Nine studies investigated outcomes appearing around birth, and four studies investigated health outcomes appearing in childhood and young adulthood.

The reviewed studies showed some indications of higher risk of preterm delivery, lower birth weight, birth defects, and childhood cancer related to prenatal exposure to nitrate. However, the numbers of studies for each outcome were sparse, and some of the results were conflicting. We suggest that there is a need for additional studies and particularly for studies that include information on water consumption patterns, intake of nitrate from diet, and intake of nitrosatable drugs.
Laboratory test study on supercritical carbon dioxide fracturing granite: a quantitative review
Authors: Zheng Bowen , Qi Shengwen , Lu Wei , Guo Songfeng , Liang Ning , Yu Xin , Wang Zan
Published: July 2023

Supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2) fracturing to transform geothermal reservoirs is a new technology in geothermal development, with great prospects. In this paper, the current laboratory test methods and test results of ScCO2 fracturing granite are reviewed, and the breakdown pressure and fracture parameters are discussed, and the existing problems and suggestions are given. The results show that the breakdown pressure of ScCO2 is 19.26–26.99% lower than that of water. The breakdown pressure is positively correlated with confining pressure and injection flow rate, and negatively correlated with temperature. ScCO2 tends to form shear fractures, induce more fracture branches and more complex fracture morphology than other fracturing fluids. Compared with water, the density of fracture branches increased by 17.82–60.54%, and the complexity of fracture morphology increased by about 4%. Existing studies have shown that ScCO2 has the advantages of low breakdown pressure, good fracture formation effect, no pollution and water resource saving. It is suggested that further research should be carried out regarding fracturing fluid properties, laboratory tests, theoretical derivation and engineering application in the future, to accelerate the application process of ScCO2 in deep geothermal development.
Student perceptions of academic misconduct amongst their peers during the rapid transition to remote instruction
Authors: Stoesz Brenda M. , Quesnel Matthew , De Jaeger Amy E.
Published: July 2023

The sudden move from traditional face-to-face teaching and learning to unfamiliar virtual spaces during the early weeks and months of the COVID-19 pandemic demanded many members of educational communities around the world to be flexible and teach and learn outside of their comfort zones. The abruptness of this transition contributed to instructors’ concerns about academic cheating as they could no longer assess learning and monitor student progress using their usual strategies and methods. Students also experienced disruptions to their usual ways of learning, which may have contributed to poor decision-making, including engagement in academic misconduct. The present study examined students’ beliefs about increased engagement in academic misconduct by their peers during the rapid obligatory transition to remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In January 2021, a retrospective online survey was distributed to students in undergraduate courses. We focused our analyses of the responses from students at a single university in Canada. We found that beliefs of increased cheating depended upon student gender (men vs women), status (domestic vs international), year of study (Years 1/2 vs Years 3 +), and discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics vs Social Sciences and Humanities). These are important findings as they provide insight into the nature of the culture of academic integrity during a stressful and confusing period in postsecondary students’ lives.
Analyzing interconnected processes: using object-centric process mining to analyze procurement processes
Authors: Berti Alessandro , Jessen Urszula , Park Gyunam , Rafiei Majid , van der Aalst Wil M. P.
Published: July 2023

The purchase-to-pay (P2P) process is one of the core business processes in any organization. It ensures the correct and efficient provisioning of materials and services. An efficient P2P process reduces operational costs by ensuring discounts, avoiding late payments, and choosing the optimal supplier for the goods. Process mining techniques help practitioners optimize the execution of P2P processes by analyzing the execution data and providing useful insights. However, existing techniques may result in misleading insights due to many-to-many relationships between business objects, e.g., between orders and invoices in the P2P process. Recently, object-centric process mining techniques have been proposed to avoid the limitations of traditional process mining techniques. In this paper, we present a case study on a real-life P2P process using object-centric process mining techniques. To that end, we adopt the well-known PM$$^{2}$$

2

process mining project methodology to the object-centric setting and analyze the performance and compliance.
The Importance of Hyperspectral Soil Albedo Information for Improving Earth System Model Projections
Authors: Braghiere R. K. , Wang Y. , Gagné‐Landmann A. , Brodrick P. G. , Bloom A. A. , Norton A. J. , Ma S. , Levine P. , Longo M. , Deck K. , Gentine P. , Worden J. R. , Frankenberg C. , Schneider T.
Published: July 2023

Earth system models (ESMs) typically simplify the representation of land surface spectral albedo to two values, which correspond to the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400–700 nm) and the near infrared (NIR, 700–2,500 nm) spectral bands. However, the availability of hyperspectral observations now allows for a more direct retrieval of ecological parameters and reduction of uncertainty in surface reflectance. To investigate sensitivity and quantify biases of incorporating hyperspectral albedo information into ESMs, we examine how shortwave soil albedo affects surface radiative forcing and simulations of the carbon and water cycles. Results reveal that the use of two broadband values to represent soil albedo can introduce systematic radiative‐forcing differences compared to a hyperspectral representation. Specifically, we estimate soil albedo biases of ±0.2 over desert areas, which can result in spectrally integrated radiative forcing divergences of up to 30 W m−2, primarily due to discrepancies in the blue (404–504 nm) and far‐red (702–747 nm) regions. Furthermore, coupled land‐atmosphere simulations indicate a significant difference in net solar flux at the top of the atmosphere (>3.3 W m−2), which can impact global energy fluxes, rainfall, temperature, and photosynthesis. Finally, simulations show that considering the hyperspectrally resolved soil reflectance leads to increased maximum daily temperatures under current and future CO2 concentrations.
Seismic source identification of the 9 November 2022 Mw 5.5 offshore Adriatic sea (Italy) earthquake from GNSS data and aftershock relocation
Authors: Pezzo G. , Billi A. , Carminati E. , Conti A. , De Gori P. , Devoti R. , Lucente F. P. , Palano M. , Petracchini L. , Serpelloni E. , Tavani S. , Chiarabba C.
Published: July 2023

The fast individuation and modeling of faults responsible for large earthquakes are fundamental for understanding the evolution of potentially destructive seismic sequences. This is even more challenging in case of buried thrusts located in offshore areas, like those hosting the 9 November 2022 Ml 5.7 (Mw 5.5) and ML 5.2 earthquakes that nucleated along the Apennines compressional front, offshore the northern Adriatic Sea. Available on- and offshore (from hydrocarbon platforms) geodetic observations and seismological data provide robust constraints on the rupture of a 15 km long, ca. 24° SSW-dipping fault patch, consistent with seismic reflection data. Stress increase along unruptured portion of the activated thrust front suggests the potential activation of longer portions of the thrust with higher magnitude earthquake and larger surface faulting. This unpleasant scenario needs to be further investigated, also considering their tsunamigenic potential and possible impact on onshore and offshore human communities and infrastructures.
Stratification of diabetes in the context of comorbidities, using representation learning and topological data analysis
Authors: Wamil Malgorzata , Hassaine Abdelaali , Rao Shishir , Li Yikuan , Mamouei Mohammad , Canoy Dexter , Nazarzadeh Milad , Bidel Zeinab , Copland Emma , Rahimi Kazem , Salimi-Khorshidi Gholamreza
Published: July 2023

Diabetes is a heterogenous, multimorbid disorder with a large variation in manifestations, trajectories, and outcomes. The aim of this study is to validate a novel machine learning method for the phenotyping of diabetes in the context of comorbidities. Data from 9967 multimorbid patients with a new diagnosis of diabetes were extracted from Clinical Practice Research Datalink. First, using BEHRT (a transformer-based deep learning architecture), the embeddings corresponding to diabetes were learned. Next, topological data analysis (TDA) was carried out to test how different areas in high-dimensional manifold correspond to different risk profiles. The following endpoints were considered when profiling risk trajectories: major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke (CVA), heart failure (HF), renal failure (RF), diabetic neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, reduced visual acuity and all-cause mortality. Kaplan Meier curves were plotted for each derived phenotype. Finally, we tested the performance of an established risk prediction model (QRISK) by adding TDA-derived features. We identified four subgroups of patients with diabetes and divergent comorbidity patterns differing in their risk of future cardiovascular, renal, and other microvascular outcomes. Phenotype 1 (young with chronic inflammatory conditions) and phenotype 2 (young with CAD) included relatively younger patients with diabetes compared to phenotypes 3 (older with hypertension and renal disease) and 4 (older with previous CVA), and those subgroups had a higher frequency of pre-existing cardio-renal diseases. Within ten years of follow-up, 2592 patients (26%) experienced MACE, 2515 patients (25%) died, and 2020 patients (20%) suffered RF. QRISK3 model’s AUC was augmented from 67.26% (CI 67.25–67.28%) to 67.67% (CI 67.66–67.69%) by adding specific TDA-derived phenotype and the distances to both extremities of the TDA graph improving its performance in the prediction of CV outcomes. We confirmed the importance of accounting for multimorbidity when risk stratifying heterogenous cohort of patients with new diagnosis of diabetes. Our unsupervised machine learning method improved the prediction of clinical outcomes.
Photoinduced bidirectional switching in lipid membranes containing azobenzene glycolipids
Authors: Warias Jonas E. , Reise Franziska , Hövelmann Svenja C. , Giri Rajendra P. , Röhrl Michael , Kuhn Jule , Jacobsen Malte , Chatterjee Kuntal , Arnold Thomas , Shen Chen , Festersen Sven , Sartori Andrea , Jordt Philipp , Magnussen Olaf M. , Lindhorst Thisbe K. , Murphy Bridget M.
Published: July 2023

Following the reaction of biological membranes to external stimuli reveals fundamental insights into cellular function. Here, self-assembled lipid monolayers act as model membranes containing photoswitchable azobenzene glycolipids for investigating structural response during isomerization by combining Langmuir isotherms with X-ray scattering. Controlled in-situ trans/cis photoswitching of the azobenzene N = N double bond alters the DPPC monolayer structure, causing reproducible changes in surface pressure and layer thickness, indicating monolayer reorientation. Interestingly, for monolayers containing azobenzene glycolipids, along with the expected DPPC phase transitions an additional discontinuity is observed. The associated reorintation represents a crossover point, with the surface pressure and layer thickness changing in opposite directions above and below. This is evidence that the azobenzene glycolipids themselves change orientation within the monolayer. Such behaviour suggests that azobenzene glycolipids can act as a bidirectional switch in DPPC monolayers providing a tool to investigate membrane structure–function relationships in depth.
Effectiveness of a pulsed laser in heat-assisted magnetic recording
Authors: Chen Yifei , Victora R. H.
Published: July 2023

Recently, much effort has been directed towards increasing the areal density of heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR). Here, we use our HAMR recording simulation that employs renormalized media parameters to examine the potential use of a pulsed laser instead of a continuous laser. Proper tuning of the synchronization between magnetic and laser pulses yields improved thermal gradients and comparable (or improved) recording performance relative to a continuous laser. Importantly, it also produces less average heat in the media, which is expected to improve near field transducer lifetime. Results also show that the optimized pulsed laser reduces adjacent track erasure relative to a continuous laser, which is important for non-shingled recording.
A novel method for automatically analysing the activity of fast-moving animals: a case study of Callimico goeldii monkeys housed in a zoological garden
Authors: Nieckarz Zenon , Nowicki Jacek , Labocha Karolina , Pawlak Krzysztof
Published: July 2023

Behavioural indices are recognised as important criteria for assessing animal welfare. One of the basic animal behaviours included in ethograms is their activity. The assessment of fast-moving animals, performed by humans using the visual observation method, is difficult and not very objective. Therefore, the aim of the research was to develop a method of automated analysis of animal activity, particularly useful in the observation of quick and lively individuals, and to prove its suitability for assessing the behaviour of fast-moving animals. A method of automatically assessing animal activity was developed using digital image analysis, with the Python programming language and the OpenCV library being the foundational tools. The research model was Callimico goeldii monkeys housed in a zoological garden. This method has been proved to correlate well (Rs = 0.76) with the visual method of animal behaviour analysis. The developed automatic evaluation of animal behaviour is many times faster than visual analysis, and it enables precise assessment of the daily activity of fast-moving groups of animals. The use of this system makes it possible to obtain an activity index with sub-second resolution, which allows it to be used in online mode as a detector of abnormal animal activity, e.g. early detection of illnesses or sudden events that are manifested by increased or decreased activity in relation to the standard activity pattern.
Backscattering amplitude in ultrasound localization microscopy
Authors: Renaudin Noemi , Pezet Sophie , Ialy-Radio Nathalie , Demene Charlie , Tanter Mickael
Published: July 2023

In the last decade, Ultrafast ultrasound localisation microscopy has taken non-invasive deep vascular imaging down to the microscopic level. By imaging diluted suspensions of circulating microbubbles in the blood stream at kHz frame rate and localizing the center of their individual point spread function with a sub-resolution precision, it enabled to break the unvanquished trade-off between depth of imaging and resolution by microscopically mapping the microbubbles flux and velocities deep into tissue. However, ULM also suffers limitations. Many small vessels are not visible in the ULM images due to the noise level in areas dimly explored by the microbubbles. Moreover, as the vast majority of studies are performed using 2D imaging, quantification is limited to in-plane velocity or flux measurements which hinders the accurate velocity determination and quantification. Here we show that the backscattering amplitude of each individual microbubble can also be exploited to produce backscattering images of the vascularization with a higher sensitivity compared to conventional ULM images. By providing valuable information about the relative distance of the microbubble to the 2D imaging plane in the out-of-plane direction, backscattering ULM images introduces a physically relevant 3D rendering perception in the vascular maps. It also retrieves the missing information about the out-of-plane motion of microbubbles and provides a way to improve 3D flow and velocity quantification using 2D ULM. These results pave the way to improved visualization and quantification for 2D and 3D ULM.
Development of a prediction model for the depression level of the elderly in low-income households: using decision trees, logistic regression, neural networks, and random forest
Authors: Kim Kyu-Min , Kim Jae-Hak , Rhee Hyun-Sill , Youn Bo-Young
Published: July 2023

Korea is showing the fastest trend in the world in population aging; there is a high interest in the elderly population nationwide. Among the common chronic diseases, the elderly tends to have a high incidence of depression. That said, it has been vital to focus on preventing depression in the elderly in advance. Hence, this study aims to select the factors related to depression in low-income seniors identified in previous studies and to develop a prediction model. In this study, 2975 elderly people from low-income families were extracted using the 13th-year data of the Korea Welfare Panel Study (2018). Decision trees, logistic regression, neural networks, and random forest were applied to develop a predictive model among the numerous data mining techniques. In addition, the wrapper’s stepwise backward elimination, which finds the optimal model by removing the least relevant factors, was applied. The evaluation of the model was confirmed via accuracy. It was verified that the final prediction model, in the case of a decision tree, showed the highest predictive power with an accuracy of 97.3%. Second, psychological factors, leisure life satisfaction, social support, subjective health awareness, and family support ranked higher than demographic factors influencing depression. Based on the results, an approach focused on psychological support is much needed to manage depression in low-income seniors. As predicting depression in the elderly varies on numerous influencing factors, using a decision tree may be beneficial to establish a firm prediction model to identify vital factors causing depression in the elderly population.
Role of raising the upper limb of the non-rising side when performing rising movements from bed
Authors: Hirata K. , Hanawa H. , Miyazawa T. , Kubota K. , Yokoyama M.
Published: July 2023

Rising movements from bed comprise an important aspect of recovery from the bedridden state; however, they have not been sufficiently investigated using motion analysis studies. In particular, the effect of using the upper limb of the non-rising side before waist flexion on rising movements remains to be analyzed; this study aimed to clarify this effect. Accordingly, motion analyses were performed on rising movements under two constraint conditions, namely raising the upper limb of the non-rising side (upper limb use-condition) and keeping it in contact with the pelvis (upper limb non-use-condition); subsequently, the kinematics and kinematics parameters were compared. In comparison with the upper limb use-condition, in the upper limb non-use-condition, the distance traveled by the center of mass of the body (CoM trajectory, p < 0.01) increased while switching from the half-side-lying to on-hand postures, horizontal body movement (movement speed (Normalized time/total time), p < 0.01 and weight of center of body mass (CoM momentum in horizontal plane), p < 0.05) during the same period increased, and the half-side-lying time approached the peak value of the waist flexion angular velocity (Time lag between from half-side-lying to waist angler peak velocity, p < 0.05). The compensatory movement that occurred due to the upper limb non-use-condition denoted an increase in body momentum in the horizontal direction, rather than in the sagittal plane. Therefore, the upper limb on the non-rising side contributed to the smooth movement of the body in the horizontal direction. Moreover, this study demonstrated that asymmetrical rising movement in the diagonal direction is a characteristic movement wherein the horizontal movement of the body constitutes the main movement.
Integration of Cypoviruses into polyhedrin matrix
Authors: Konevtsova Olga V. , Golushko Ivan Yu. , Podgornik Rudolf , Rochal Sergei B.
Published: July 2023

Based on symmetry arguments we predict the architecture of the Cypovirus superstructure and propose an electrostatic mechanism for its disassembly in alkaline environment.
Low‐complexity unsupervised learning‐based hybrid precoding for massive MIMO systems
Authors: Liu Xiang
Published: July 2023

Hybrid precoding can significantly reduce the number of required radio frequency (RF) chains in massive MIMO systems. However, due to the large number of antennas and the high‐dimensional channel, the existing hybrid precoding algorithms usually require very high complexity. In this paper, we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN)‐based hybrid precoding scheme by utilizing unsupervised learning to reduce both the computational complexity and space complexity. Specifically, we first design a low‐complexity CNN structure to achieve the analog precoder, where the size of the convolution kernel and the number of channels are reduced by the further improved inception network. Then, we obtain the digital precoder by the classical zero‐forcing (ZF) algorithm. Simulation results show that, the proposed CNN‐based hybrid precoding can approach the sum‐rate performance of the classical two‐stage hybrid precoding but has much lower complexity.
DRL based binary computation offloading in wireless powered mobile edge computing
Authors: Shen Guanqun , Chen Wenchao , Zhu Bincheng , Chi Kaikai , Chen Xiaolong
Published: July 2023

This paper considers the wireless powered mobile edge computing combining wireless power transmission (WPT) and mobile edge computing, where the hybrid access point (HAP) uses multiple radio beams to charge multiple wireless devices (WDs) and WD adopts the binary offloading mode to offload computation workload to HAP via FDMA. It is aimed to maximize the sum computation rate (SCR) of WDs by jointly optimizing the binary offloading decision, transmit power of each radio beam, and WPT duration. Due to the strong coupling between the offloading decision and other optimization variables, the SCR maximization is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem. To address this challenging problem, an online DRL‐based decoupling optimization algorithm is proposed. Specifically, the original problem is first split into a top‐problem of optimizing binary offloading decision and a sub‐problem of optimizing transmit powers and WPT duration under given offloading decision. Then a self‐learning DRL framework is designed to output the near‐optimal offloading decisions. Finally, for the sub‐problem, based on the Lagrangian dual theory, an efficient approach to fast obtain the closed‐form expression of the optimal solution is proposed. The simulation results show that the proposed DRL‐based algorithm can achieve the near‐maximal SCR with low computational complexity.
Identity, status and role in UK foreign policy: Brexit and beyond
Authors: Webber Mark
Published: July 2023

Brexit—the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union—is at the same time historic, controversial and of enduring significance. That description applies to both the UK’s domestic politics and (the focus here) its external relations. This article introduces the special issue ‘Adapting to Brexit: Identity, Status and Role in UK Foreign Policy’. It suggests that Brexit has had a dual character–being a source of both anxiety and opportunity for the UK—and, in consequence, can be usefully analysed through the concept of role adaptation. A focus on national ‘roles’ is a well-established way to think about what drives foreign policy. But role only makes sense when linked to the parallel concepts of status and identity. Insofar as Brexit has challenged (or, for some, has boosted), the status and identity of the UK, then so role adaptation becomes necessary. This piece outlines all three concepts—role, identity and status—placing them at the service of an analysis of Brexit’s effects on British foreign policy. That framing is then deployed in the thematic articles which follow.
Beyond the neoconservative legacy in American counterterrorism policy: from George W. Bush to forever war
Authors: Biegon Rubrick , Watts Tom F. A.
Published: July 2023

More than two decades after the 9/11 attacks, the militarised approach to counterterrorism initiated by the George W. Bush Administration remains firmly in place. Growing frustration with these actions has prompted debates on ‘forever war’. This article traces the origins of ‘forever war’ to the interplay of neoconservatism and conservative nationalism in the George W. Bush Administration, which aimed at preserving American primacy through the cultivation of overwhelming military power. The Administration’s support for the revolution in military affairs contributed to the development of a more remote counterterrorism approach, which helps explain the continuities in US counterterrorism policies across the latter Bush administration as well as the Obama and Trump presidencies. By helping embed a ‘common sense’ understanding that further 9/11-style attacks could only be prevented by enduring and aggressive military action against transnational terrorist organisations, neoconservatism shaped the evolution of American counterterrorism policy. The specific influence of neoconservatism must be qualified and contextualised, however, because the strategic commitment to primacy had wider support within the Bush Administration.
Hospital policies on falls in relation to patients with communication disability: a scoping review and content analysis
Authors: Sullivan Rebecca , Hemsley Bronwyn , Skinner Ian , Harding Katherine
Published: July 2023

Objective Falls in hospital are a significant public health issue and patients with communication disability have unique risk factors that have the potential to contribute to falls. The aim of this study is to determine how the content of hospital falls policies relate to patients with communication disability and to identify gaps in policy that need to be addressed. Methods A scoping review and content analysis of (a) policies and related documents, from a target health service in Victoria, Australia, and all relevant Australian state and territory health departments, and (b) national guidelines was performed. Data were analysed for content relating to inclusion of patients with communication disability. Results Communication disability is not captured as a risk factor for a fall in assessment tools. When included, aspects of communication disability were often conflated with cognitive impairments. There was little guidance for staff on adapting falls prevention education to suit the needs of patients with communication disability and limited identified role for speech pathologists. Conclusion This study suggests that a patient’s communication disability is not visible in hospital falls policies and guidelines.
Speed of extirpation of the huemul in the history of human occupation in Patagonia
Authors: Zuliani Melina E. , Smith-Flueck Jo Anne M. , Flueck Werner T. , Monjeau Adrian J.
Published: July 2023

Context The Patagonian huemul, an endangered Odocoilinedeer, has an estimated 350–500 individuals remaining in Argentina. Today’s population size, representing a numerical reduction of >99% of original estimates, is fragmented into small groups along ~2000 km of Andean mountains. The species’ numbers were heavily reduced by past overexploitation and they disappeared in areas of high anthropogenic activity, predominantly the fertile valley bottoms. Aims This research delineates the current potential distribution of Patagonian huemul by using climatic indicators, topographic and vegetational proxies, and anthropogenic pressure, to determine the relevance of the climatic envelope on current distribution. Methods Occurrence records (latitude and longitude) were compiled (n = 159) by consulting the literature. Twenty environmental variables were used (WorldClim database) and two other representative environmental variables (normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI)) were added to test their predictive power. We added the human footprint index (HFP) as a variable to control for model bias. Using the maximum entropy algorithm (MaxEnt), we modelled the species’ potential distribution. We designated the historical distribution as area M. Additionally, we calculated three areas of distribution: current, historical and potential. Finally, we calculated distributional retraction of the species and area lost per year. Key results The model showed good predictive power (AUCTest = 0.764 ± 0.091). However, low values were obtained for AUCtrain and AUCprom for the different predictor scenarios. Although the model shows the interaction among several climatic, environmental, and topographic variables, the human footprint index (39.9%) was the variable that most influenced the current potential distribution of this species. Conclusion Our model shows that most of Patagonia’s surface is climatically suitable for huemul. This suggests that the causes of distributional retraction are not related to limitations imposed by the climate envelope, but rather concur with recent research showing impact owing to the species’ behavioural response to anthropogenic activity. Implications Current populations are small, fragmented, and confined to poor-quality sites. Although the species is currently found mainly within protected areas, management actions must be initiated that promote innovative strategies in unprotected areas, as well as high-value habitats, particularly as protected areas contain limited fertile lower-valley habitats.
TAGAP activates Th17 cell differentiation by promoting RhoA and NLRP3 to accelerate rheumatoid arthritis development
Authors: Sun Hong-Gang , Jiang Qi , Fan Wen-Jing , Shen Xu-Yan , Wang Zhao-Wei , Wang Xin
Published: July 2023

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can give rise to joint swelling and inflammation, potentially affecting the entire body, closely linked to the state of T cells. The T-cell activation Rho GTPase activating protein (TAGAP) is associated with many autoimmune diseases including RA and is directly linked to the differentiation of Th17 cells. The present study intends to investigate the influence of TAGAP on the RA progression and its mechanism to empower new treatments for RA. A collagen-induced-arthritis (CIA) rat model was constructed, as well as the extraction of CD4+ T cells. RT-qPCR, H&E staining and safranin O/fast green staining revealed that TAGAP interference reduced TAGAP production in the ankle joint of CIA rats, and joint inflammation and swelling were alleviated, which reveals that TAGAP interference reduces synovial inflammation and cartilage erosion in the rat ankle joint. Expression of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-17) revealed that TAGAP interference suppressed the inflammatory response. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, matrix-degrading enzymes, and anti-inflammatory cytokines at the mRNA level was detected by RT-qPCR and revealed that TAGAP interference contributed to the remission of RA. Mechanistically, TAGAP interference caused a significant decrease in the levels of RhoA and NLRP3. Assessment of Th17/Treg levels by flow cytometry revealed that TAGAP promotes Th17 cells differentiation and inhibits Treg cells differentiation in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, TAGAP interference may decrease the differentiation of Th17 cells by suppressing the expression of RhoA and NLRP3 to slow down the RA progression.
Connectome-based predictive modeling of fluid intelligence: evidence for a global system of functionally integrated brain networks
Authors: Wilcox Ramsey R , Barbey Aron K
Published: July 2023

Cognitive neuroscience continues to advance our understanding of the neural foundations of human intelligence, with significant progress elucidating the role of the frontoparietal network in cognitive control mechanisms for flexible, intelligent behavior. Recent evidence in network neuroscience further suggests that this finding may represent the tip of the iceberg and that fluid intelligence may depend on the collective interaction of multiple brain networks. However, the global brain mechanisms underlying fluid intelligence and the nature of multi-network interactions remain to be well established. We therefore conducted a large-scale Connectome-based Predictive Modeling study, administering resting-state fMRI to 159 healthy college students and examining the contributions of seven intrinsic connectivity networks to the prediction of fluid intelligence, as measured by a state-of-the-art cognitive task (the Bochum Matrices Test). Specifically, we aimed to: (i) identify whether fluid intelligence relies on a primary brain network or instead engages multiple brain networks; and (ii) elucidate the nature of brain network interactions by assessing network allegiance (within- versus between-network connections) and network topology (strong versus weak connections) in the prediction of fluid intelligence. Our results demonstrate that whole-brain predictive models account for a large and significant proportion of variance in fluid intelligence (18%) and illustrate that the contribution of individual networks is relatively modest by comparison. In addition, we provide novel evidence that the global architecture of fluid intelligence prioritizes between-network connections and flexibility through weak ties. Our findings support a network neuroscience approach to understanding the collective role of brain networks in fluid intelligence and elucidate the system-wide network mechanisms from which flexible, adaptive behavior is constructed.
Low heritability of social phenotypes in a nonpasserine waterbird
Authors: Minias Piotr , Drzewińska-Chańko Joanna , Włodarczyk Radosław
Published: July 2023

Most behavioral traits are known to be weakly heritable, possibly due to their extreme complexity and flexibility. Despite this general pattern, within-species variation in avian colony size choice has been reported to have a strong additive genetic component, but we are aware of no attempts to assess the heritability of avian sociality at the finer spatial scale. Here, we used an animal model and parent–offspring regression to quantify additive genetic variance in social phenotype (local nesting density) in a nonpasserine waterbird, the common tern Sterna hirundo. For this purpose, we used a novel experimental framework, where variation in the social environment was generated by providing birds with artificial patches of attractive nesting substrate that markedly varied in size. During 2011–2019, we collected data on social preferences for either low or high nesting density in over 250 individuals, either kin (mostly parent–offspring relationships) or non-kin recorded breeding multiple times across years. All heritability estimates of local nesting density were low (<0.10), irrespectively of fixed effects (sex and year) included in the models, data used in the modeling (all individuals vs. early recruits), or methodological approach (animal model vs. parent–offspring regression). We conclude that avian sociality, as measured at the local scale, may be much less heritable than colony size choice, as measured at the landscape level. Our study adds to the understanding of additive genetic variance in avian behavior, and it underlines a scale dependency in the heritability of behavioral traits.
Self-correction of posterior crossbite in childhood: a systematic review of long-term follow-up studies
Authors: Nascimento Bianka Costa do , Santos Cibelle Cristina Oliveira dos , Santos Milena Cristina Costa dos , Normando David
Published: July 2023

Background

The concept that posterior crossbite is not self-correcting has been controversial in the literature.

Objective

To evaluate the incidence of self-correction of crossbite in different stages of dentition in childhood.

Search methods and selection criteria

A bibliographic search using the acronym PECOS was performed in five databases and in partial grey literature. Studies evaluating children with posterior crossbite in the deciduous or mixed dentition at initial examination and followed for at least 3 years were included.

Data collection and analysis

The data extraction of the studies included presents information on authorship, clinical characteristics, main results, and conclusions. The risk of bias in the studies was evaluated through the Joanna Briggs Institute tool. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool.

Results

Among the 3045 references identified, seven cohort studies met the eligibility criteria. The studies evaluated patients in transition from deciduous to mixed, mixed to permanent, and deciduous to mixed dentition. Two studies had a low risk of bias, three had a moderate risk, and two had a high risk of bias. The results showed posterior crossbite self-correction frequencies ranging from 12.2 to 77.1% during the transition from primary to mixed dentition, approximately 16% from mixed to permanent dentition, and a range from 20 to 82.8% from deciduous to permanent dentition. The level of certainty of the evidence generated ranged from very low to moderate.

Limitations

The observational design of the studies, without adequate control for confounding factors, and non-classification of the samples considering the types or the severity of the posterior crossbite.

Conclusion

The self-correction of posterior crossbite in childhood is possible. However, the results of this research do not allow to affirm how often the self-correction of posterior crossbite can occur. New studies that assess factors associated with the occurrence of self-correction of this malocclusion, including oral habits, may increase the certainty of the evidence.

Registration

PROSPERO CRD42022311935
A potential osteogenic role for microRNA-181a-5p during palatogenesis
Authors: Schoen Christian , Bloemen Marjon , Carels Carine E L , Verhaegh Gerald W , Van Rheden Rene , Roa Laury A , Glennon Jeffrey C , Von den Hoff Johannes W
Published: July 2023

Background

In a previous study, we found that the highly conserved hsa-miR-181a-5p is downregulated in palatal fibroblasts of non-syndromic cleft palate-only infants.

Objectives

To analyze the spatiotemporal expression pattern of mmu-miR-181a-5p during palatogenesis and identify possible mRNA targets and their involved molecular pathways.

Material and methods

The expression of mmu-miR-181a-5p was analyzed in the developing palates of mouse embryos from E11 to E18 using qPCR and ISH. Mouse embryonic palatal mesenchyme cells from E13 were used to analyze mmu-miR-181a-5p expression during osteogenic differentiation. Differential mRNA expression and target identification were analyzed using whole transcriptome RNA sequencing after transfection with a mmu-miR-181a-5p mimic. Differentially expressed genes were linked with underlying pathways using gene set enrichment analysis.

Results

The expression of mmm-miR-181a-5p in the palatal shelves increased from E15 and overlapped with palatal osteogenesis. During early osteogenic differentiation, mmu-miR-181a-5p was upregulated. Transient overexpression resulted in 49 upregulated mRNAs and 108 downregulated mRNAs (adjusted P-value < 0.05 and fold change > ± 1.2). Ossification (Stc1, Mmp13) and cell-cycle-related GO terms were significantly enriched for upregulated mRNAs. Analysis of possible mRNA targets indicated significant enrichment of Hippo signaling (Ywhag, Amot, Frmd6 and Serpine1) and GO terms related to cell migration and angiogenesis.

Limitations

Transient overexpression of mmu-miR-181a-5p in mouse embryonic palatal mesenchyme cells limited its analysis to early osteogenesis.

Conclusion

Mmu-miR-181-5p expression is increased in the developing palatal shelves in areas of bone formation and targets regulators of the Hippo signaling pathway.
Transformed ‘postmodern’ life courses? Continuity and change in young adults’ labour market trajectories in Norway
Authors: Heglum Mari Amdahl
Published: July 2023

Accounts of contemporary youth often take increased variability in the young adult life course for granted. However, we lack studies examining variability in the labour market domain during the rapid globalization of the three most recent decades. Employing the theoretical concepts of differentiation and de-standardization, cross-cohort change is evaluated for young adults in Norway, separately by gender and social origin. Using high-quality registry data (N = 1,081,702), 20 complete birth cohorts are followed from age 22 to 31, spanning the years 1993–2017. Adding to the theoretical discussion of life-course change, variability is evaluated alongside changes in the specific valued content of trajectories—denoted as the quality of labour market attachment. Results show modestly declining trajectory variability. Simultaneously, the quality of male and female labour market attachment changes in opposing normative directions. Female trajectories remain more complex and insecure than men’s but show improvements across the 1990s. Among men, especially those of low social origin, labour market trajectories become more precarious. Results challenge the common notion that young adults generally go through increasingly insecure school-to-work trajectories. Instead, findings indicate that social origin interacts with historical time in differing ways among men and women, producing intersectional patterns of continuity and change.
Machine Learning-based Characterization of Longitudinal Health Care Utilization Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Authors: Limketkai Berkeley N , Maas Laura , Krishna Mahesh , Dua Anoushka , DeDecker Lauren , Sauk Jenny S , Parian Alyssa M
Published: July 2023

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with increased health care utilization. Forecasting of high resource utilizers could improve resource allocation. In this study, we aimed to develop machine learning models (1) to cluster patients according to clinical utilization patterns and (2) to predict longitudinal utilization patterns based on readily available baseline clinical characteristics.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study of adults with IBD at 2 academic centers between 2015 and 2021. Outcomes included different clinical encounters, new prescriptions of corticosteroids, and initiation of biologic therapy. Machine learning models were developed to characterize health care utilization. Poisson regression compared frequencies of clinical encounters.

Results

A total of 1174 IBD patients were followed for more than 5673 12-month observational windows. The clustering method separated patients according to low, medium, and high resource utilizers. In Poisson regression models, compared with low resource utilizers, moderate and high resource utilizers had significantly higher rates of each encounter type. Comparing moderate and high resource utilizers, the latter had greater utilization of each encounter type, except for telephone encounters and biologic therapy initiation. Machine learning models predicted longitudinal health care utilization with 81% to 85% accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.84-0.90); these were superior to ordinal regression and random choice methods.

Conclusion

Machine learning models were able to cluster individuals according to relative health care resource utilization and to accurately predict longitudinal resource utilization using baseline clinical factors. Integration of such models into the electronic medical records could provide a powerful semiautomated tool to guide patient risk assessment, targeted care coordination, and more efficient resource allocation.
NAFLD Is Associated With Quiescent Rather Than Active Crohn’s Disease
Authors: McHenry Scott , Glover Matthew , Ahmed Ali , Alayo Quazim , Zulfiqar Maria , Ludwig Daniel R , Ciorba Matthew A , Davidson Nicholas O , Deepak Parakkal
Published: July 2023

Background and Aims

Crohn’s disease (CD) confers an increased risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the pathogenesis remains poorly understood. We determined if active intestinal inflammation increases the risk of NAFLD in patients with CD.

Methods

Two cohorts (2017/2018 and 2020) with CD and no known liver disease were enrolled consecutively during staging magnetic resonance enterography. We quantified proton density fat fraction, MaRIA (Magnetic Resonance Index of Activity), and visceral adipose tissue. NAFLD was diagnosed when proton density fat fraction ≥5.5%. Synchronous endoscopy was graded by the Simple Endoscopic Score for CD and Rutgeerts score, while clinical activity was graded by the Harvey-Bradshaw index. Cytokine profiling was performed for the 2020 cohort. Transient elastography and liver biopsy were requested by standard of care.

Results

NAFLD was diagnosed in 40% (n = 144 of 363), with higher prevalence during radiographically quiescent disease (odds ratio, 1.7; P = .01), independent of body mass index/visceral adipose tissue (adjusted odds ratio, 7.8; P = .03). These findings were corroborated by endoscopic disease activity, but not by aggregate clinical symptoms. Circulating interleukin-8 was independent of body mass index to predict NAFLD, but traditional proinflammatory cytokines were not. NAFLD subjects had similar liver stiffness estimates regardless of CD activity. Definitive or borderline steatohepatitis was present in most patients that underwent liver biopsy.

Conclusions

Quiescent CD is associated with risk of NAFLD. These findings suggest potentially distinct pathogenic mechanisms of NAFLD in patients with CD compared with the prevailing leaky gut hypothesis proposed for individuals without inflammatory bowel disease. Future validation and mechanistic studies are needed to dissect these distinct disease modifying factors.