bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Short‐term resilience to climate‐induced temperature increases for equatorial sea turtle populations
Authors: Staines Melissa N. , Versace Hayley , Laloë Jacques‐Olivier , Smith Caitlin E. , Madden Hof Christine A. , Booth David T. , Tibbetts Ian R. , Hays Graeme C.
Published: October 2023

Projection models are being increasingly used to manage threatened taxa by estimating their responses to climate change. Sea turtles are particularly susceptible to climate change as they have temperature‐dependent sex determination and increased sand temperatures on nesting beaches could result in the ‘feminisation’ of hatchling sex ratios for some populations. This study modelled likely long‐term trends in sand temperatures and hatchling sex ratios at an equatorial nesting site for endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). A total of 1078 days of sand temperature data were collected from 28 logger deployments at nest depth between 2018 and 2022 in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Long‐term trends in sand temperature were generated from a model using air temperature as an environmental proxy. The influence of rainfall and seasonal variation on sand temperature was also investigated. Between 1960 and 2019, we estimated that sand temperature increased by ~0.6°C and the average hatchling sex ratio was relatively balanced (46.2% female, SD = 10.7). No trends were observed in historical rainfall anomalies and projections indicated no further changes to rainfall until 2100. Therefore, the sex ratio models were unlikely to be influenced by changing rainfall patterns. A relatively balanced sex ratio such as this is starkly different to the extremely female‐skewed hatchling sex ratio (>99% female) reported for another Coral Sea nesting site, Raine Island (~850 km West). This PNG nesting site is likely rare in the global context, as it is less threatened by climate‐induced feminisation. Although there is no current need for ‘cooling’ interventions, the mean projected sex ratios for 2020–2100 were estimated 76%–87% female, so future interventions may be required to increase male production. Our use of long‐term sand temperature and rainfall trends has advanced our understanding of climate change impacts on sea turtles.
Migraine and air pollution: A systematic review
Authors: Portt Andrea E. , Orchard Christa , Chen Hong , Ge Erjia , Lay Christine , Smith Peter M.
Published: October 2023

Objective

To systematically synthesize evidence from a broad range of studies on the association between air pollution and migraine.

Background

Air pollution is a ubiquitous exposure that may trigger migraine attacks. There has been no systematic review of this possible association.

Methods

We searched for empirical studies assessing outdoor air pollution and any quantified migraine outcomes. We included short‐ and long‐term studies with quantified air pollution exposures. We excluded studies of indoor air pollution, perfume, or tobacco smoke. We assessed the risk of bias with the World Health Organization's bias assessment instrument for air quality guidelines.

Results

The final review included 12 studies with over 4,000,000 participants. Designs included case‐crossover, case–control, time series, and non‐randomized pre–post intervention. Outcomes included migraine‐related diagnoses, diary records, medical visits, and prescriptions. Rather than pooling the wide variety of exposures and outcomes into a meta‐analysis, we tabulated the results.

Point estimates above 1.00 reflected associations of increased risk. In single‐pollutant models, the percent of point estimates above 1.00 were carbon monoxide 5/5 (100%), nitrogen dioxide 10/13 (78%), ozone 7/8 (88%), PM2.5 13/15 (87%), PM10 2/2 (100%), black carbon 0/1 (0%), methane 4/6 (75%), sulfur dioxide 3/5 (60%), industrial toxic waste 1/1 (100%), and proximity to oil and gas wells 6/13 (46%). In two‐pollutant models, 16/17 (94%) of associations with nitrogen dioxide were above 1.00; however, more than 75% of the confidence intervals included the null value.

Most studies had low to moderate risks of bias. Where differences were observed, stronger quality articles generally reported weaker associations.

Conclusions

Balancing the generally strong methodologies with the small number of studies, point estimates were mainly above 1.00 for associations of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter with migraine. These results were most consistent for nitrogen dioxide.
Headache and psychological variables as predictors of disability in individuals with primary headache disorders
Authors: McCracken Halle T. , Lee Aaron A. , Smitherman Todd A.
Published: October 2023

Objective

To examine the relative contribution of headache symptoms and psychological factors to headache‐related disability.

Background

Both headache symptoms and comorbid psychological factors (psychiatric symptoms and transdiagnostic constructs) negatively impact functioning among individuals with migraine and tension‐type headache, but few studies have explored their relative contribution to headache‐related disability. We hypothesized that psychiatric symptoms and transdiagnostic variables would afford incremental contribution to disability beyond headache symptoms, and we investigated the moderating role of headache diagnosis on these relationships.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study examined data from a southern U.S. university online sample of 1818 young adults (mean [SD] age 19.0 [5.1] years; 74.6% female) who met the International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition criteria for primary headache disorders (46.6% episodic migraine, 11.6% chronic migraine, 38.3% episodic tension‐type headache, 3.5% chronic tension‐type headache) and completed measures assessing psychological factors and headache‐related disability. Headache, psychiatric symptoms, and transdiagnostic factors were examined in relation to headache‐related disability, after controlling for sex. Moderation analyses examined the conditional effect of diagnosis on disability.

Results

As predicted, both psychiatric and transdiagnostic symptoms accounted for unique variance in headache‐related disability beyond headache symptoms (R2 changes of 2.7% and 2.3%, respectively). Significant three‐way interactions revealed the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and disability (b = −3.16, p = 0.002), and between transdiagnostic variables and disability (b = −2.37, p = 0.034). Tests of simple slopes showed greater psychiatric symptoms and transdiagnostic variables were associated with higher levels of disability. However, the associations of these variables with disability were strongest among individuals with chronic tension‐type headache (B = 3.93 for psychiatric symptoms and B = 4.62 for transdiagnostic symptoms, both p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Psychiatric and transdiagnostic factors contribute uniquely to headache‐related functional impairment, which may be important for expanding targeted assessment and behavioral interventions.
Effects of caffeine on intracranial pressure and pain perception in freely moving rats
Authors: Israelsen Ida Marchen Egerod , Westgate Connar Stanley James , Kamp‐Jensen Christina , Jensen Rigmor H. , Eftekhari Sajedeh
Published: October 2023

Objective

Caffeine, a non‐selective adenosine receptor (AR) antagonist, is the most consumed psychostimulant in the world. Caffeine has been suggested to regulate cerebrospinal fluid secretion and is known both to alleviate and to trigger headache; however, its effect on the regulation of intracranial pressure (ICP) is not known. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of caffeine on ICP and nociceptive responses.

Methods

Female Sprague–Dawley rats were implanted with a novel telemetric device for continuous ICP recordings, which allowed for continuous recordings in freely moving rats. A single dose of caffeine (30 or 120 mg/kg intraperitoneally) was given. In a second group (non‐implanted), the acute effects of 30 mg/kg caffeine on periorbital threshold using Von Frey testing and spontaneous behavior were utilized using an automated behavioral registration platform (Laboratory, Animal, Behavior, Observation, Registration and Analysis System) in a randomized cross‐over study. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence were used to localize ARs in the choroid plexus.

Results

A single dose of 30 mg/kg caffeine lowered the ICP by 35% at 165 min after administration (saline: 0.16 ± 0.9 vs caffeine: −1.18 ± 0.9 ΔmmHg,p = 0.0098) and lasted up to 12 h. Administration of 120 mg/kg caffeine showed a faster onset of decrease in ICP within 15 min by 50% (p = 0.0018) and lasted up to 12 h. The periorbital pain thresholds were higher after 1 h (saline: 224.6 ± 15.1 vs caffeine: 289.5 ± 8.7 g,p = 0.005) and lasted up to 5 h. Caffeine‐treated rats had increased locomotor activity, speed, and changed grooming behavior. Expression of AR1was found in the choroid plexus.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that caffeine has a lowering effect on ICP as an acute treatment. Interestingly, caffeine acutely caused an increased response in cephalic thresholds supporting hypoalgesic effects. Future studies investigating the beneficial effects of caffeine for elevated ICP are warranted.
Synergistic effect of egg white protein particles and rhamnolipid on improving the bioavailability of curcumin carried in high internal phase emulsions
Authors: Chang Cuihua , Shen Xinyang , Su Yujie , Gu Luping , Yang Yanjun , Li Junhua
Published: October 2023

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) are potential carriers of fat‐soluble nutrients due to their high loading capacity. In this study, egg white protein particles (EWPP) and rhamnolipid (Rha) were used to co‐emulsify oil/water HIPEs to carry curcumin (Cur). The results showed that the Cur loading efficiency, microstructure, protein composition, molecular distribution of protein hydrolysates, protein interfacial adsorption rate and Cur bioavailability were measured. The results showed that, incorporation with Rha was unhelpful for improving loading efficiency of Cur, which decreased from 80.8% to 73.7% at pH 3.8 after incorporation with Rha, due to the decreased viscosity and destroyed continuous interface membrane, while beneficial for restricting coalescence of oil droplets. As studied, Rha could effectively reduce the droplet size to slow down the speed of coalescence and form EWPP–Rha complex to inhibit proteolysis. Finally, Cur bioavailability in EWPP–Rha co‐emulsified HIPE was the highest (40.3%), indicating the synergistic effect of EWPP and Rha promoting the effective adsorption of Cur, related to the increased coalescence stability during digestion and participation of Rha in the micellisation reaction. In comparison, fibrous (pH 3.8) and granular (pH 7.0) EWPP stabilised HIPEs, showed no obvious difference in Cur bioavailability, due to the balance between the interfacial adsorption ability and the digestion resistance of EWPP with various morphologies. This study has important significance for the construction of lipid soluble nutrient ‘carriers’ with high load and high bioavailability.
A concept analysis of cultural competence in nursing: A hybrid model approach
Authors: Vasli Parvaneh , Hejazi Sima , AsadiParvar‐Masouleh Hanieh
Published: October 2023

Background

Cultural competence is considered one of the criteria for high‐quality nursing care.

Aim

This study aimed to analyse cultural competence in nursing.

Methods

This study was performed using the hybrid concept analysis approach in three phases. In the theoretical phase, literature was reviewed by searching Persian and English language databases, and 94 articles were included. In the second or fieldwork phase, 11 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with purposefully selected nurses. The results of both theoretical and fieldwork phases were analysed using conventional content analysis, and in the final analysis phase, the results of the previous phases were triangulated.

Results

The attributes of cultural competence were obtained in the theoretical phase in six and the fieldwork phase in three categories. In the final phase, the categories obtained in both previous phases were triangulated: cultural competence in nursing is a continuous, developmental, flexible, extensive and complex process that is patient‐ and justice‐oriented and emerges through learning and skills acquisition, including cultural knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Conclusion

Managers and planners of nursing education can use the results of this study to educate nursing students and nurses and evaluate outcomes as one of the criteria for quality care.
Immune profile of adipose tissue from youth with obesity and asthma
Authors: Reichenbach Anna , O'Brien Wade , Duran Sarai , Authelet Kayla J. , Freishtat Robert J. , Nadler Evan P. , Rastogi Deepa
Published: October 2023

Background

Obesity is a risk factor for paediatric asthma. Obesity‐mediated systemic inflammation correlates with metabolic dysregulation; both are associated with asthma burden. However, adipose tissue inflammation is not defined in obesity‐related asthma.

Objective

Define adipose tissue inflammation and its association with metabolic measures in paediatric obesity‐related asthma.

Methods

Cellular profile of stromal vascular fraction from visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from youth with obesity‐related asthma (n = 14) and obesity without asthma (n = 23) was analyzed using flow cytometry and correlated with metabolic measures.

Results

Compared to youth without asthma, VAT from youth with obesity‐related asthma was enriched for leukocytes and macrophages, including M1 and dual M1M2 cells, but did not differ for CD4+ lymphocytes, and endothelial cells, their progenitors, and preadipocytes. M1 macrophage counts positively correlated with glucose, while M1M2 cells, CD4+ lymphocytes, and their subsets negatively correlated with high‐density lipoprotein, in youth with obesity without asthma, but not among those with obesity‐related asthma.

Conclusions

Enrichment of macrophage‐mediated inflammation in VAT from youth with obesity‐related asthma supports its role in systemic inflammation linked with asthma morbidity. Lack of correlation of VAT cells with metabolic dysregulation in youth with obesity‐related asthma identifies a need to define distinguishing factors associated with VAT inflammation in obesity‐related asthma.
Honokiol ameliorates cigarette smoke‐induced damage of airway epithelial cells via the SIRT3/SOD2 signalling pathway
Authors: Li Fei , Ye Chunyu , Wang Xiuli , Li Xinting , Wang Xiaoxia
Published: October 2023

Cigarette smoking can cause damage of airway epithelial cells and contribute to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Honokiol is originally isolated from Magnolia obovata with multiple biological activities. Here, we investigated the protective effects of honokiol on cigarette smoke extract (CSE)‐induced injury of BEAS‐2B cells. BEAS‐2B cells were treated with 300 mg/L CSE to construct an in vitro cell injury model, and cells were further treated with 2, 5 and 10 μM honokiol, then cell viability and LDH leakage were analysed by CCK‐8 and LDH assay kits, respectively. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry analysis. ELISA was used to measure the levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐ɑ, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8 and MCP‐1. The results showed that honokiol (0.5–20 μM) showed non‐toxic effects on BEAS‐2B cells. Treatment with honokiol (2, 5 and 10 μM) reduced CSE (300 mg/L)‐induced decrease in cell viability and apoptosis in BEAS‐2B cells. Honokiol also decreased CSE‐induced inflammation through inhibiting expression and secretion of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF‐ɑ, IL‐1β, IL‐6, IL‐8 and MCP‐1. Moreover, honokiol repressed CSE‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decrease of ATP content and mitochondrial biogenesis, as well as mitochondrial membrane potential. Mechanistically, honokiol promoted the expression of SIRT3 and its downstream target genes, which are critical regulators of mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. Silencing of SIRT3 reversed the protective effects of honokiol on CSE‐induced damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in BEAS‐2B cells. These results indicated that honokiol attenuated CSE‐induced damage of airway epithelial cells through regulating SIRT3/SOD2 signalling pathway.
Resistance to fenazaquin in broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) (Acari: Tarsonemidae): Realized heritability, risk assessment and cross‐resistance
Authors: Augustine Neenu , Selvapandian Upasna , Ramaiah Chethan Badakegudlu , Jambagi Suresh Ramakrishna , Venkatesan Thiruvengadam , Mohan Muthugounder
Published: October 2023

The broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks), is an important phytophagous mite that causes extensive damage to a wide range of crop species across the world. Fenazaquin, a mitochondrial electron transport inhibitor (METI), is one of the commonly used acaricides for the management of P. latus. The response to fenazaquin selection over generations and the risk of development of resistance was estimated herein using a laboratory‐selected population of P. latus (FEN‐SEL). Repeated exposure to fenazaquin over generations resulted in decreased susceptibility (99.32 folds) as compared to the unselected counterpart. FEN‐SEL took 26 generations for a 10‐fold increase in resistance with a realized heritability (h2) of 0.12 which indicated a low genetic variation and high phenotypic variation. Over a selection intensity of 20%–80% mortality, the generations required for a 10‐fold increase in LC50 for fenazaquin were 14.21–55.75, 7.75–30.41 and 5.33–20.91 at h2 values of 0.12, 0.22 and 0.32, respectively, with a constant slope of 2.39. The FEN‐SEL population also exhibited moderate levels of cross‐resistance to diafenthiuron, dicofol and spiromesifen and low cross‐resistance to propargite. The findings suggest a rational and rotational application of fenazaquin in the field to delay the development of resistance and to prolong its efficacy against P. latus.
Effects of the precooling process on the preservation of fresh‐cut durian
Authors: Phoengmak Wichayut , Sirivongpaisal Nikorn , Sridach Waranyou , Naemsai Thanwit , Thongkaew Kunlapat
Published: October 2023

The export of fresh‐cut durians has increased steadily. However, the shelf life of durians remains limited. The shelf life can be extended by decreasing the temperature of durian. Although the optimal temperature for storing fresh‐cut durians has been examined previously, few studies have addressed the efficiency of cooling systems. This study aimed to determine the parameters that affected the forced‐air precooling of 15 kg of fresh Monthong durians to 7°C, taking into account room temperature conditions of 6, 3.5, and 1°C. Experiments showed that the highest performance was attained with a precooling temperature of 1°C, which reduced the pulp temperature from 29 to 7°C in 266 min while using .83 kWh. After a 6‐h precooling time, the pulp maintained its firmness, color, and TSS, although its weight dropped by 2.30%. The pulp met the quality standards and exhibited only minor changes compared to fresh durians.

Practical application

As a major exporter of fresh‐cut durians, Thailand faces the challenge of meeting growing demand while ensuring efficient precooling and product quality. Although small and medium‐sized businesses commonly use commercial freezers for durian chilling, the impact on quality remains uncertain. Precooling, which rapidly lowers the temperature before storage or shipment, is essential for maintaining cold chain efficiency. However, research on the effects of precooling specifically for fresh‐cut durians remain limited. This investigation aims to fill the gap in knowledge by studying the preservation effects of precooling at different temperatures (6, 3.5, and 1°C) and placements. The findings could greatly benefit small and medium‐sized enterprises by improving their ability to precool fresh‐cut durians using commercial refrigerators. This, in turn, can enhance the export value of durians and boost Thailand's agriculture revenue. By optimizing precooling efficiency and product quality preservation, Thailand can strengthen its position as a leading exporter of fresh‐cut durians.
Plasma interferon‐gamma‐inducible‐protein 10 level as a predictive factor of spontaneous hepatitis B surface antigen seroclearance in chronic hepatitis B patients
Authors: Kan Karin , Wong Danny Ka‐Ho , Hui Rex Wan‐Hin , Seto Wai Kay , Yuen Man‐Fung , Mak Lung‐Yi
Published: October 2023

Background and Aim

Spontaneous seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a rare event that occurs in patients that are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus. As the functional cure and ultimate treatment endpoint of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), HBsAg seroclearance is an important milestone in the natural history of CHB and serves great clinical value. This study aims to identify host and viral factors associated with HBsAg seroclearance.

Methods

This is a retrospective study carried out in the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. By analyzing the plasma retrieved from the serum archive (collected during 2011–2021) of 100 CHB patients attending the hospital's liver clinic, the longitudinal cytokine profiles between the HBsAg‐losers and the control groups were compared.

Results

Data revealed that plasma levels of IP‐10 were significantly lower at 3–5 years prior to HBsAg seroclearance compared with patients who remained HBsAg positive (P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis reveals that plasma IP‐10 levels at multiple time points before HBsAg seroclearance return area under receivor‐operating characteristic curve (AUC) greater than 0.7. Plasma IP‐10 levels at 42.39 pg/mL produced an AUC = 0.723 with 74.0% sensitivity and 75.5% specificity to predict subsequent HBsAg seroclearance in the next 3–5 years. Low plasma IP‐10 identified 91.4% patients with quantitative HBsAg < 100 IU/mL who would subsequently develop HBsAg seroclearance, compared with 37% with higher plasma IP‐10 levels (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Low plasma levels of IP‐10 are associated with subsequent HBsAg seroclearance, suggesting potential clinical utilities of measurement of IP‐10 in predicting HBsAg seroclearance, especially among patients with low HBsAg.
Pain and incident cognitive impairment in very old Mexican American adults
Authors: Milani Sadaf Arefi , Sanchez Claudia , Kuo Yong‐Fang , Downer Brian , Al Snih Soham , Markides Kyriakos S. , Raji Mukaila
Published: October 2023

Background

Studies have investigated the association between pain and cognitive impairment among older adults, but the findings are mixed. We assessed the relationship of activity‐limiting pain (pain interference) with incident cognitive impairment and the mediating effect of depressive symptoms among Mexican American adults aged ≥80.

Methods

Data were taken from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly (2010–2016). Pain interference, or pain that limited daily activities in the last 12 months, was categorized into none, untreated pain interference, and treated pain interference. Cognitive impairment was defined as scoring <21 on the Mini‐Mental State Examination and difficulty with at least one instrumental activity of daily living. We used general estimation equations to assess this relationship between pain and incident cognitive impairment over the 6‐year period (n = 313).

Results

Participants reporting both untreated and treated pain interference had higher odds of incident cognitive impairment than those reporting no pain or pain interference (untreated adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–4.36; treated aOR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.15–3.44). Depressive symptoms explained 15.0% of the total effect of untreated pain and 25.3% of treated pain.

Conclusions

Among very old Mexican American adults, both treated and untreated pain interference was associated with incident cognitive impairment. This association was partially mediated by depressive symptoms, underscoring a need for depression screening in patients with chronic pain. Future work is needed to examine mechanistic/causal pathways between pain and subsequent cognitive impairment and the role of pharmacological and non‐pharmacological treatments in these pathways.
La captura del viento: Energía eólica y la política de la renta en el Istmo de Tehuantepec, México
Authors: Alonso Serna Lourdes
Published: October 2023

The article looks at the power relations between landholders and wind companies for the fixation and distribution of rents from wind energy in the Oaxacan Isthmus. It foregrounds the centrality of rent in the process of land grabbing as well as the political nature of rent. Drawing on landholders, who have received little attention in the conflicts over wind energy in the Isthmus, the paper addresses a different layer in the socio‐environmental conflict, where subaltern actors have political and economic motivations to accept wind energy despite their acknowledgment of uneven power relations with investors. The paper contributes to the literature on the political ecology of renewables.
Hidden diversity in high‐latitude Southern Hemisphere environments: Reinstatement of the genus Rama and description of Vandenhoekia gen. nov. (Cladophoraceae, Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta), two highly variable genera
Authors: Boedeker Christian , Wynne Michael J. , Zuccarello Giuseppe C.
Published: October 2023

The continental coasts and remote islands in the high‐latitude Southern Hemisphere, including the subantarctic region, are characterized by many endemic species, high abundance of taxa, and intermediate levels of biodiversity. The macroalgal flora of these locations has received relatively little attention. Filamentous green algae are prolific in the intertidal of southern islands, but the taxonomy, distribution, and evolutionary history of these taxa are yet to be fully explored, mostly due to the difficulty of access to some of these locations. In this study, we examined specimens of the order Cladophorales from various locations in the high‐latitude Southern Hemisphere including the subantarctic (the Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Macquarie Island, and Kerguelen Islands), as well as mainland New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, Chile, and Tasmania. The analyses of the rDNA sequences of the samples revealed the existence of two new clades in a phylogeny of the Cladophoraceae. One of these clades is described as the novel genus Vandenhoekia gen. nov., which contains three species that are branched or unbranched. The amended genus Rama is reinstated to accommodate the other clade, and contains four species, including the Northern Hemisphere “Cladophora rupestris.” In Rama both branched and unbranched morphologies are found. It is remarkable that gross morphology is not a predictor for generic affiliations in these algae. This study illustrates that much can still be learned about diversity in the Cladophorales and highlights the importance of new collections, especially in novel locations.
16S rRNA gene‐based meta‐analysis of the reptile gut microbiota reveals environmental effects, host influences and a limited core microbiota
Authors: Hoffbeck Carmen , Middleton Danielle M. R. L. , Nelson Nicola J. , Taylor Michael W.
Published: October 2023

An animal's gut microbiota plays an important role in host health, reproduction and digestion. However, many studies focus on only a few individuals or a single species, limiting our ability to recognize emergent patterns across a wider taxonomic grouping. Here, we compiled and reanalysed published 16S rRNA gene sequence data for 745 gut microbiota samples from 91 reptile species using a uniform bioinformatics pipeline to draw broader conclusions about the taxonomy of the reptile gut microbiota and the forces shaping it. Our meta‐analysis revealed the significant differences in alpha‐ and beta‐diversity across host order, environment, diet, habitat and conservation status, with host diet and order contributing the most to these differences. We identified the principal bacterial phyla present in the reptile gut microbiota as Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria (mostly Gamma class), and Firmicutes, and detected the bacterial genus Bacteroides in most reptile individuals, thus representing a putative ‘core’ microbiota. Our study provides novel insights into key drivers of the reptile gut microbiota, highlights existing knowledge gaps and lays the groundwork for future research on these fascinating hosts and their associated microbes.
Registries in pediatric anesthesiology: A brief history and a new way forward
Authors: Nelson Olivia , Wang Jue T. , Matava Clyde T. , Stricker Paul A.
Published: October 2023

Clinical registries are multicenter prospective observational datasets that have been used to examine current perioperative practices in pediatric anesthesia. These datasets have proven useful in quantifying the incidence of rare adverse outcomes. Data from registries can highlight associations between severe patient safety events and patient and procedure‐related risk factors. Registries are an effective tool to delineate practices and outcomes in niche patient populations. They have been used to quantify uncommon complications of medications and procedures. Registries can be used to generate knowledge and to support quality improvement. Multicenter engagement can promote best clinical practices and foster professional networks. Registries are limited by their observational nature, which entails a lack of randomization as well as selection and treatment bias. The maintenance of registries over time can be challenging due to difficulties in modifying the included variables, collaborator fatigue, and continued outlay of resources to maintain the database and onboard new sites. These latter issues can lead to decreased data quality. In this article, we discuss key insights from several pediatric anesthesia registries and propose a new type of registry that addresses some shortcomings of the current paradigm.
The exocyst subunit CsExo70B promotes both fruit length and disease resistance via regulating receptor kinase abundance at plasma membrane in cucumber
Authors: Liu Liu , Chen Jiacai , Gu Chaoheng , Wang Shaoyun , Xue Yufan , Wang Zhongyi , Han Lijie , Song Weiyuan , Liu Xiaofeng , Zhang Jiahao , Li Min , Li Chuang , Wang Liming , Zhang Xiaolan , Zhou Zhaoyang
Published: October 2023

Plant defence against pathogens generally occurs at the expense of growth and yield. Uncoupling the inverse relationship between growth and defence is of great importance for crop breeding, while the underlying genes and regulatory mechanisms remain largely elusive. The exocytosis complex was shown to play an important role in the trafficking of receptor kinases (RKs) to the plasma membrane (PM). Here, we found a Cucumis sativus exocytosis subunit Exo70B (CsExo70B) regulates the abundance of both development and defence RKs at the PM to promote fruit elongation and disease resistance in cucumber. Knockout of CsExo70B resulted in shorter fruit and susceptibility to pathogens. Mechanistically, CsExo70B associates with the developmental RK CsERECTA, which promotes fruit longitudinal growth in cucumber, and contributes to its accumulation at the PM. On the other side, CsExo70B confers to the spectrum resistance to pathogens in cucumber via a similar regulatory module of defence RKs. Moreover, CsExo70B overexpression lines showed an increased fruit yield as well as disease resistance. Collectively, our work reveals a regulatory mechanism that CsExo70B promotes both fruit elongation and disease resistance by maintaining appropriate RK levels at the PM and thus provides a possible strategy for superior cucumber breeding with high yield and robust pathogen resistance.
Nearly unstable integer‐valued ARCH process and unit root testing
Authors: Barreto‐Souza Wagner , Chan Ngai Hang
Published: October 2023

This paper introduces a Nearly Unstable INteger‐valued AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (NU‐INARCH) process for dealing with count time series data. It is proved that a proper normalization of the NU‐INARCH process weakly converges to a Cox–Ingersoll–Ross diffusion in the Skorohod topology. The asymptotic distribution of the conditional least squares estimator of the correlation parameter is established as a functional of certain stochastic integrals. Numerical experiments based on Monte Carlo simulations are provided to verify the behavior of the asymptotic distribution under finite samples. These simulations reveal that the nearly unstable approach provides satisfactory and better results than those based on the stationarity assumption even when the true process is not that close to nonstationarity. A unit root test is proposed and its Type‐I error and power are examined via Monte Carlo simulations. As an illustration, the proposed methodology is applied to the daily number of deaths due to COVID‐19 in the United Kingdom.
Covariance‐based soft clustering of functional data based on the Wasserstein–Procrustes metric
Authors: Masarotto Valentina , Masarotto Guido
Published: October 2023

We consider the problem of clustering functional data according to their covariance structure. We contribute a soft clustering methodology based on the Wasserstein–Procrustes distance, where the in‐between cluster variability is penalized by a term proportional to the entropy of the partition matrix. In this way, each covariance operator can be partially classified into more than one group. Such soft classification allows for clusters to overlap, and arises naturally in situations where the separation between all or some of the clusters is not well‐defined. We also discuss how to estimate the number of groups and to test for the presence of any cluster structure. The algorithm is illustrated using simulated and real data. An R implementation is available in the Appendix .
Urbanization, education, and religion: Rationalization and erosion of political trust in Asia
Authors: Zhang Tony Huiquan , Jiang Anli
Published: October 2023

Secularization, expansion of higher education, and urbanization have led to disenchantment with politics and the erosion of political trust in many societies. Religion may continue to be salient, however, how these forces interact with enduring religious influences to shape political trust is unclear. This paper examines the issue using Asian Barometer Survey (2001–2016) data with hierarchical age–period–cohort (HAPC) models. Our results show supportive evidence for the following findings: in East and Southeast Asia, urbanization is associated with less political trust for most religions except Islam; education is associated with less political trust; education's effect is the most salient for the atheists and Buddhists, but it disappears among the Muslims. The findings suggest the power of modernization and secularization significantly differs across cultures and religions. We should not simply perceive religion as a universally conservative force; instead, we need to understand religions through an integrated macro‐micro perspective by situating it in the social contexts.
Democratic contestation, organised labour, and pension reform in Ghana and Malawi
Authors: Morse Yonatan L.
Published: October 2023

What explains variation in African states' commitment to pensions? This article argues that differences in the structure of contestation and legacies of state‐labour relations matter. When competition is confined to fewer and more stable parties, social welfare appeals gain currency to mobilise swing voters and makes it more likely that pensions will become a subject of political competition. However, legacies of labour accommodation can strengthen certain elements of pension reform, but also reinforce certain policy mindsets such as contributory insurance. These ideas are developed with case studies of Ghana and Malawi. The cases utilise process‐tracing evidence to demonstrate how specific structures of contestation and labour legacies led to divergent pathways of pension reform. The article highlights the significant challenges involved in strengthening pensions in Africa, and therefore the limited potential for a reconstitution of state‐citizen relations based on pension access.
Oman's trade achievements with Singapore given the Gulf–Singapore Free Trade Agreement
Authors: Gani Azmat
Published: October 2023

Oman's trade performance achievements with Singapore are assessed within the Gulf–Singapore Free Trade Agreement (GSFTA) framework. Since coming into force in January 2015, Oman's total export value to Singapore has plunged significantly. The number of imported products from Singapore remained significantly higher than the number of Oman's exports to Singapore, confirming that Omani exports have a weaker presence in the Singaporean market. In the post‐2015 period, Oman's export partner share in trade remained below its import partner share. Although Oman's comparative advantage strengthened in consumer goods, intermediate goods, chemicals and metals since 2015, animals, food, vegetables and wood consistently revealed their comparative disadvantage since 2000. Between 2015 and 2018, Oman's export share of capital and intermediate goods to Singapore fell from 45.23% to 33.57%, while it rose for consumer goods, chemicals, fuels, machinery and electrical products. Oman's trade reforms have resulted in weighted average tariffs on all products falling from around 5% in 2005 to below 0.60% in 2018. While GSFTA has delivered on expanding trade between Oman and Singapore (though with different magnitudes), it has fallen short of delivering the ‘level playing field’ as expected of Oman's bilateral trade.
Research and Optimization on the Exhaust Flow Characteristics Based on Energy-Splitting Method of the Low-Speed Marine Diesel Engine
Authors: He Fengshuo , Feng Xinlei , Pan Zhenjia , Zhou Gongjie , Lu Yong
Published: October 2023

In this study, an optimization scheme for exhaust flow characteristics based on the energy-splitting method is proposed. The low-speed marine diesel engine adopts the exhaust energy-splitting method during the exhaust process. Based on this, a one-dimensional calculation model, a three-dimensional calculation model, and a three-dimensional model of the gas collection box are established. After splitting, the vortex structure in the same phase of the gas collection box has a larger scale, higher flowrate, more significant entropy increase, and more severe turbulence dissipation. The length and diameter of the high-grade gas collection box are optimized. The results show that after optimization, the flow energy dissipation brought by the vortex structure is reduced, and the outlet pressure and flow velocity of the gas collection box are increased.
Corrosion Behavior of 20G Steel in Saline (Na2SO4) Circumstances at High Temperature/Pressure
Authors: Li Ruiyu , Bai Bing , Deng Lei , Che Defu
Published: October 2023

To study the corrosion characteristic of 20G steel in saline circumstances with sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), a series of corrosion experiments are implemented on a novel setup. The corroded steel samples are analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the effect of salinity on corrosion products in the gas phase is greater than that in the liquid phase. FeOOH is easier to form in the liquid phase than in the gas phase. The salinity of steam could promote the generation of Fe2O3. The relative content of Fe2O3 within the corrosion products that contained Fe in the gas/liquid phase increases from 49.68%/36.30% (Na2SO4 concentration in solution, c = 0) to 95.70%/74.55%, separately (c = 4 g L−1). The salinity has an inhibiting effect on the generation of FeOOH. In deionized water, the relative contents of FeOOH within the corrosion products that contained Fe are 36.01% (gas phase) and 56.43% (liquid phase), respectively. FeOOH hardly occurs as c = 4 g L−1. For corroded surfaces in Na2SO4 deposit, the main compositions detected are iron oxides (Fe2O3 and Fe3O4) and iron (Fe).
Evaluation of the Fracture Toughness of Short Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites
Authors: Shi Jianfeng , Zong Xinwei , Jiang Weili , Yao Riwu , Zheng Jinyang
Published: October 2023

Short carbon fiber (SCF) reinforced thermoplastic composites (SCFRTCs) are attracting broad attention in various fields for their excellent mechanical properties. The fracture toughness, an essential characteristic of the resistance of materials to crack propagation, is considered a critical aspect of the long-term performance of SCFRTCs structures. The fracture toughness of SCFRTCs depends on two competing mechanisms: the interface between SCFs and polymer matrix may promote crack initiation, while the SCFs hinder the crack propagation. In this study, the fracture toughness of SCFRTCs with varying SCFs volume fractions is first determined by a three-point bending test. The results show that adding SCFs effectively improves the fracture toughness of SCFRTCs, and an increase of up to 73.7% at the SCFs volume fraction of 5.45 vol%. In addition, it is found that heat treatment and its temperature have no effect on the fracture toughness of SCFRTCs. Subsequently, the full-field strain around the crack tip is analyzed by digital image correlation (DIC), and the strain level significantly decreases after adding SCFs. The fracture surface of the SCFRTCs specimen is much rougher compared with HDPE, and obvious bridging SCFs are observed, which make it to absorb more energy for fracture, thus explaining the toughening mechanism of SCFs on SCFRTCs.
Kinematic Design and Prototyping of a Gripper With Grasping and Scooping Capabilities Driven by the Redundant Degrees of Freedom of a Parallel Robot
Authors: Beaulieu Charles-Antoine , Nguyen Tan-Sy , Laliberté Thierry , Gosselin Clément
Published: October 2023

A gripper design is adapted to offer grasping and scooping capabilities to a parallel robot. This enables the parallel robot to manipulate not only large objects, but also thin objects lying on flat surfaces. Moreover, this gripper is driven directly by the redundant degrees of freedom of the parallel robot to which it is integrated. Thus, by eliminating actuators from the gripper, weight is drastically reduced, thereby making it possible to take advantage of the full payload of the parallel robot. The kinematic architecture of the gripper is first presented, notably, the kinematic implications of using an epicyclic mechanism. Then, the kinematic model developed to integrate the gripper to a (6 + 3)-degree-of-freedom robot is presented. Trajectory planning strategies for both grasping and scooping are then presented together with the parameters used. Finally, the experimental validation of these manipulation methods is discussed briefly to assess foreseeable improvements to the gripper itself as well as the trajectory planning aspect of the manipulation methods.
Effects of Reynolds Number and Tooth Front Angle on Leakage Loss and Heat Transfer Characteristics in a Rotating Labyrinth Seal
Authors: Yang Shaoyun , Du Wei , Luo Lei , Wang Songtao
Published: October 2023

The labyrinth seal is effective in reducing leakage losses at the rotor blade top in the turbine. This study investigates the variation in labyrinth seal performance at different rotational speeds, different Reynolds numbers, and different tooth front angles. Three Reynolds numbers (Re = 6000, 10,000, 15,000), five rotational speeds (Ta/Re = 0, 0.01, 0.04, 0.08, and 0.1), and three tooth front angles(75 deg, 90 deg, and 102.4 deg) have been introduced. The variation of leakage losses and heat transfer under different conditions is compared and a detailed analysis of the flow field and energy losses is performed. The discharge coefficient is increased slightly with increased rotational speed for the same Reynolds number. This is caused by the high rotational speed reducing the throttling loss and vortex loss. The high rotational speed enhances the heat transfer at the tip wall of the passage, and also weakens the heat transfer at the tooth cavity bottom. Additionally, the sealing capacity of the labyrinth is better at large tooth front angles, which is caused by the reduction of frictional losses on the stator and eddy current losses in the tooth cavity. The change in local pressure loss also affects the velocity distribution along the channel, which is the reason for the change in the local Nusselt number.
Multi-Objective Optimization of Air-Cooled Perforated Micro-Pin Fin Heat Sink Via an Artificial Neural Network Surrogate Model Coupled With NSGA-II
Authors: Gupta Deepa , Saha Probir , Roy Somnath
Published: October 2023

This research aims to create an artificial neural network (ANN) regression model for predicting the performance parameters of the perforated micro-pin fin (MPF) heat sinks for various geometric parameters and inflow conditions. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation system is developed to generate dataset samples under different operational conditions, which are specified using Latin hypercube sampling (LHS). An ANN model is first obtained by optimizing the model hyper-parameters, which are then deployed to learn from the input feature space that consists of perforation diameter, perforation location, and inflow velocity. For accurate training of the ANN, the model is trained over a range of uniformly distributed data points in the input feature space. The developed multi-layer model predicted Nusselt number and friction factor with the mean absolute percentage error of 4.45% and 1.80%, respectively. Subsequently, the developed surrogate model is used in the optimization study to demonstrate the application of the surrogate model. A multi-objective non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to perform the optimization of the perforation location, diameter, and inflow conditions. Negative of the Nusselt number and friction factor are chosen as objectives to minimize. A Pareto front is obtained from the optimization study that shows a set of optimal solutions. Thermal performance of the perforated MPF is increased between 11.5% and 39.77%. The optimizer selected a significantly smaller hole diameter at a higher location and a faster speed to maximize the Nusselt number and minimize the friction factor.
Deep Learning–Based Time-Series Classification for Robotic Inspection of Pipe Condition Using Non-Contact Ultrasonic Testing
Authors: Hespeler Steven C. , Nemati Hamidreza , Masurkar Nihar , Alvidrez Fernando , Marvi Hamidreza , Dehghan-Niri Ehsan
Published: October 2023

This journal paper explores the application of Deep Learning (DL)-based Time-Series Classification (TSC) algorithms in ultrasonic testing for pipeline inspection. The utility of Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers (EMAT) as a non-contact ultrasonic testing technique for compact robotic platforms is emphasized, prioritizing computational efficiency in defect detection over pinpoint accuracy. To address limited sample availability, the study conducts benchmarking of four methods to enable comparative evaluation of classification times. The core of the DL-based TSC approach involves training DL models using varied proportions (60%, 80%, and 100%) of the available training dataset. This investigation demonstrates the adaptability of DL-enabled anomaly detection with shifting data sizes, showcasing the AI-driven process's robustness in identifying pipeline irregularities. The outcomes underscore the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in facilitating semi-accurate but swift anomaly detection, thereby streamlining subsequent focused inspections on pipeline areas of concern. By synergistically integrating EMAT technology and DL-driven TSC, this research contributes to enhancing the precision and near real-time inspection capabilities of pipeline assessment. This investigation collectively highlights the potential of DL networks to revolutionize pipeline inspection by rapidly and accurately analyzing ultrasound waveform data.