bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel experimental model to investigate fungal involvement shows expression of Dectin‐1 in periapical lesion pathogenesis
Authors: Hasan Arshad , Roome Talat , Wahid Mohsin , Ansari Shazia Akbar , Khan Javeria Ali , Kiyani Amber , Jilani Syeda Neha Ahmed
Published: June 2023

Background

Candida albicans is linked to persistent endodontic lesions. However, the recognition receptor that identifies it is not explored previously.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to (1) establish a zymosan‐induced model of apical periodontitis in mouse, (2) observe the expression of Dectin‐1 and its possible relationship with toll‐like receptor (TLR) 2 and (3) observe relationship between Osteopontin (OPN) and inflammatory cytokines.

Methods

A total of 138 Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were randomly divided into; Experimental Group n = 69 and Zymosan Group n = 69. Periapical periodontitis was developed in right maxillary molar. The animals were sacrificed at 7, 21 and 42 days. Bone blocks containing the mesial root (n = 15 for qRT‐PCR, n = 45 for enzyme‐linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA)) were collected for mRNA expression and ELISA. While whole maxilla (n = 3 from each time interval) were used for histology and immunohistochemical analysis. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tuckey's posthoc was used for statistical analysis at p ≤ .05.

Results

TLR‐2, Dectin‐1 and TLR4‐positive cells was detected at all time intervals in both groups. A strong positive correlation was observed between TLR‐2 and Dectin‐1 in both lesions (regular r = .680, p = .015, zymosan (r = .861, p < .001)). A significant correlation was found between OPN and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) in zymosan lesion (r = .827, p = .001).

Conclusions

Immune cells of inflamed periapical tissue expressed Dectin‐1 receptor in response to the microbial challenge from infected root canals and showed positive correlation with TLR‐2 and OPN suggesting a possible receptor collaboration mediated by OPN. The expression of OPN and TNF‐α showed positive correlation in response to fungal antigen, indicating a possible relationship.
Power/knowledge: A sociomaterial perspective on a new accreditation process during COVID‐19
Authors: Cartmill Carrie , Rowland Paula , Rojas David , Cameron Erin , Whitehead Cynthia
Published: June 2023

Introduction

The COVID‐19 pandemic had significant impacts on many aspects of health care and education, including the accreditation of medical education programmes. As a community of international educators, it is important that we study changes that resulted from the pandemic to help us understand educational processes more broadly. As COVID‐19 unfolded in Canada, a revised format of undergraduate medical accreditation was implemented, including a shift to virtual site visits, a two‐stage visit schedule, a focused approach to reviewing standards and the addition of a field secretary to the visit team. Our case study research aimed to evaluate the sociomaterial implications of these changes in format on the process of accreditation at two schools.

Methods

We interviewed key informants to understand the impacts, strengths and limitations of changes made to the accreditation format. We used an abductive approach to analyse transcripts and applied a sociomaterial lens in looking for interconnections between the material and social changes that were experienced within the accreditation system.

Results

Stakeholders within the accreditation system did not anticipate that changes to the accreditation format would have significant impacts on how accreditation functioned or on its overall outcomes. However, key informants described how the revised format of accreditation reconstructed how power was distributed and how knowledge was produced. The revised format contributed to changes in who held power within each of the programmes, within each of the visiting teams and between site members and visiting team members. As power shifted across stakeholders in response to material changes to the accreditation format, key informants described changes in how knowledge was produced.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the most powerful knowledge about any given programme might best be obtained through individualised tools, technologies and voices that are most meaningful to the unique context of each programme. Deliberate attention to how knowledge and power are influenced by the interactions between material and social processes within accreditation may help educators and leaders see the effects of change.
Stress, COVID‐19 related knowledge, attitude, and infection control performance of nurses at long‐term care hospitals
Authors: Shim Ji Ae , Jeong Sun Young
Published: June 2023

This study aimed to identify the stress level, knowledge, attitude, and infection control performance of nurses at long‐term care hospitals (LTCHs) designated for infectious disease management and to investigate factors contributing to infection control performance. A total of 178 nurses who had worked for at least 1 month at seven LTCHs designated for infectious disease management and provided care for patients confirmed with COVID‐19 were enrolled in the study. Data were collected from February to March 2022 using written and online self‐report questionnaires. COVID‐19 infection control performance was higher among married than among single participants (t = −3.71, p < 0.001), among those aged 40–49 versus 30–39 years (F = 4.10, p = 0.003), and those with 1–2, 3–4, or ≥5 sessions versus no prior education (F = 6.41, p < 0.001). COVID‐19 infection control performance was negatively correlated with stress (r = 0.26, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with knowledge (r = 0.40, p < 0.001) and attitude toward COVID‐19 (r = −0.36, p < 0.001). Stress (β = −0.17, p = 0.012), knowledge of COVID‐19 (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), attitude toward COVID‐19 (β = 0.20, p = 0.004), and marital status (β = 0.18, p = 0.009) were identified as predictors of COVID‐19 infection control performance.
Safety and efficacy of silicone tape for indwelling urinary catheter fixation in intensive care patients—A randomized clinical trial
Authors: de Paula Fabiana Martins , Frota Oleci Pereira , Ruiz Juliana Silva , Braulio Isabela Cassão , do Nascimento Gonçalves Fernanda Carvalho , Ferreira‐Júnior Marcos Antonio , Sonobe Helena Megumi , Ferreira Danielle Neris , Pompeo Carolina Mariano , de Sousa Alvaro Francisco Lopes
Published: June 2023

Background

Critically ill patients are more vulnerable to medical adhesive‐related skin injuries (MARSI), whose prevention is a constant challenge and one of the main quality indicators of nursing care. MARSI associated with indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) fixation is a relevant adverse event, mainly because of the constant involuntary traction and high skin vulnerability of the fixation site. Silicone adhesive tape has appreciable qualities for fragile skin among the range of adhesives, leading to the inference that it reduces the risk of MARSI.

Aim

To compare silicone adhesive tape for IUC fixation with acrylate tape regarding its safety and efficacy.

Study Design

This was a randomized controlled trial blinded to the patients and evaluator. Data were collected from an intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary university hospital in Brazil. Patients with IUC and no MARSI at the fixation site were considered eligible. The omega (Ω) fixation technique was used for IUC fixation. A total of 132 participants were enrolled and divided into two research groups: 66 patients in the intervention group (silicone tape) and 66 in the control group (acrylate tape). Outcomes were the incidence of MARSI, patient outcome in the ICU and hospital and partial, total and overall spontaneous detachment of the tapes.

Results

The overall incidence of MARSI was 28%, with 21% in the silicone group and 35% in the acrylate group, with no statistically significant difference (p = .121), including the severity of the lesions (p = .902). However, partial (p = .003) and overall (p < .001) detachment of the tapes were more frequent in the silicone group.

Conclusions

Silicone tape is no safer than acrylate tape for IUC fixation and is less adhesively effective.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

There is no evidence to support the extensive use of silicone tape in this context.
Oral cancer and precancer in Oral Pathology and Medicine curricula of Mexican dental schools
Authors: Ramírez‐Amador Velia , Anaya‐Saavedra Gabriela , Petti Stefano , Lara‐Flores Norma , Aranda‐Romo Saray , Cruz‐Monroy Eduardo , Muela‐Campos Daniela , Nava‐Villalba Mario , Ocampo‐Acosta Fabián , Pulido‐Díaz Katya , Rumayor‐Piña Alicia
Published: June 2023

Objective

To identify the teaching‐learning process characteristics of Oral Pathology and Medicine (OP&M) related to oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) and oral cancer (OC), in the dental schools' curricula in Mexico, to analyze the approach given to this topic worldwide, and to provide the possible solution strategies.

Materials and Methods

Questionnaires were sent to OP&M deans and professors from public Mexican Universities to explore the curriculum and academic profile of the dental schools. The recommendations gathered from a workshop with expert professors on the challenges in OPMD/OC teaching were reported.

Results

Twenty‐two dental schools participated (22 deans, 30 professors). The most widely used strategies were clinical‐case resolving (86%) and presentations (73%). Although 77.3% of the programs included maxillofacial lesions, only 40.9% contemplated OPMD/OC. Only 45% of the programs developed community activities for early OC detection. The workshop recommendations were (i) multidisciplinary approach to OPMD/OC teaching, involving OP&M professors in other dental and nondental courses; (ii) implementation of the most effective teaching techniques (currently, problem‐based learning and clinical‐case presentation) in OP&M curricula; (iii) education of OP&M professors on teaching‐learning processes.

Conclusions

These recommendations from the Mexican context, integrated with similar experiences from other countries could contribute to develop a unique, internationally acknowledged OP&M curriculum.
Status of conventional and molecular breeding of salinity‐tolerant tilapia
Authors: Yue G. H. , Ma K. Y. , Xia J. H.
Published: June 2023

Aquaculture is an important sector for ensuring global food security. Due to the scarcity of freshwater available for expanding aquaculture, the development of omnivorous fish species and varieties that can tolerate high salinity will enhance fish production. Some tilapia species are good candidates for aquaculture in brackish and seawater because they can grow in high salinity. Among tilapia species, Oreochromis mossambicus, Oreochromis aureus, Oreochromis spilurus, Oreochromis urolepis hornorum, Sarotherodon galilaeus and Coptodon zillii are the most salinity‐tolerant. Hybrids derived from salinity‐tolerant tilapia species are tolerant to a certain level of salinity. They have been used in aquaculture production in brackish water and full seawater. Conventional selective breeding has been applied to increase the growth rate of salinity‐tolerant tilapias. However, their growth rate is lower than that of the freshwater Oreochromis niloticus. Recently, many genomic resources and tools have been developed for salinity‐tolerant tilapia. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) for important economic traits, including salinity tolerance and other desired traits, have been carried out and applied in molecular breeding for superior salinity‐tolerant tilapia lines. In this review, we systematically analysed tilapia species that can be cultured in brackish and saltwater. We summarized previous works in conventional breeding and molecular breeding for salinity‐tolerant tilapia. We pointed out a few known and potential challenges in the selective breeding and culture of salinity‐tolerant tilapia. Due to the rapid advances in molecular and other disruptive technologies, we are optimistic that novel breeding approaches will significantly increase the production salinity‐tolerant tilapia.
Is hierarchy the only answer? The accountability preferences of Chinese public employees in public service delivery
Authors: Li Yanwei
Published: June 2023

This contribution applies the Q methodology to investigate Chinese public employees' accountability preferences under different accountability relationships in delivering public services. We identify four accountability preferences: a vertically oriented accountability, a network‐style accountability, a style of accountability between market and participatory accountability, and a vertically oriented style of market accountability. Our data show that Chinese public employees hold varied accountability preferences in public service delivery, and hierarchy is a relatively popular one. It is suggested that governors should effectively align different accountability relationships with the aim of better steering the behavior of public employees in public service delivery.
Lateral wedge insoles and their use in ankle instability
Authors: Palomo‐Fernández Inés , Martín‐Casado Laura , Marcos‐Tejedor Félix , Aldana‐Caballero Alberto , Rubio‐Arias Jacobo. Á. , Jiménez‐Díaz J. Fernando
Published: June 2023

The aim of the present study is to assess the immediate effects of applying lateral wedge insoles of different heights (0.00, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.6 cm) in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) in normal and supinated feet during a Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and in the reflex response of Peroneus Longus (PL), Peroneus Brevis (PB), and Tibialis Anterior (TA) over a 30° inversion of the feet. The effects of the height of the wedges were assessed using a double‐blind, crossover design. In total, 25 participants were allocated into two groups, depending on the foot posture (Normal = 12, Supinated = 13) and performed the tests in a random fashion. Reaction time (RT) of stabilizing muscles of the ankle was measured using superficial electromyography (EMG) and postural balance with the SEBT. Foot posture did not show any significant effects on the analyzed variables. Nonetheless, the use of a 0.3 cm external rearfoot wedge (PB p = 0.002; PL p = 0.066 and TA p = 0.006) and 0.6 cm (PB p = 0.043; PL p = 0.058 and TA p = 0.071) reduces RT in stabilizing muscles of the ankle and improves results in SEBT, except for the anterolateral direction, in subjects with CAI. Therefore, our results suggest that the use of lateral wedge insoles could reduce RT and improve dynamic balance in chronic ankle instability.
Hypophosphatemia related to intravenous iron therapy with ferric carboxymaltose: A case series
Authors: Seng Nigel Wei‐Peng , Barco Jason Bae , Wong Marc Hai‐Liang , Lim Kai‐Xiong , Peh Wee‐Ming , Ng Choong‐Tatt , Cushway Tim , Foo Fung‐Joon , Koh Frederick Hong‐Xiang
Published: June 2023

Objectives

This case series would like to highlight hypophosphatemia related to ferric carboxymaltose and its adverse clinical consequences.

Background

Intravenous iron supplementation is a good alternative to oral iron replacement in iron deficiency anaemia due to its ability to correct iron deficit with minimal infusions without incurring the gastrointestinal side effects of oral iron replacement. Ferric carboxymaltose is one common formula for intravenous iron supplementation. However, an increasingly recognised adverse side‐effect of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose is hypophosphatemia. There has been increasing reports and studies highlighting hypophosphatemia related to intra‐venous iron therapy. Though initially thought to be transient and asymptomatic, recent studies have shown that persistent hypophosphatemia in iron therapy can result in debilitating disease including myopathy, fractures and osteomalacia.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of all patients who had ferric carboxymaltose was performed.

Results

We highlight 3 cases where hyposphatemia affected the clinical outcomes.

Conclusion

With the increased use of IV iron it is important to be aware of the high potential for hypophosphatemia secondary to ferric carboxymaltose.
Evaluation of different weed management strategies including non‐chemical tools and cinmethylin for control of multiple herbicide‐resistant Alopecurus myosuroides
Authors: Klauk Benjamin , Petersen Jan
Published: June 2023

The development of resistance in Alopecurus myosuroides populations to different herbicide active ingredients in Europe exacerbates efforts toward its chemical control. In Europe, cinmethylin provides an additional mode of action for the control of A. myosuroides. The objective of this study was to evaluate three resistance weed management (RWM) strategies, including cinmethylin and other pre‐emergence herbicides, for the control of multiple herbicide–resistant A. myosuroides. The RWM strategies used in this study differed in the extent of preventive cultural practices (tillage, crop rotation, sowing date and stale seedbed). Two field trials were conducted at sites with ACCase‐ and ALS‐resistant A. myosuroides biotypes in Germany between 2017 and 2020. Cinmethylin was included in the herbicide regime for A. myosuroides control. The combination of initial inversion tillage, delayed sowing, crop rotation diversification, and stale seedbed reduced the density of A. myosuroides bup to 90% compared to a strategy with pre‐emergence herbicides used as main components in control. At both sites, the amount of viable A. myosuroides seeds in the soil seed bank was reduced by over 90% after a 3‐year trial period in plots with initial inversion tillage. Molecular analyses revealed that the omission of ACCase and ALS inhibitors did not reduce the proportion of resistant A. myosuroides biotypes. Long‐term control of resistant A. myosuroides must be based on a combination of cultural practices that reduce the soil seed bank and suppress the occurrence of A. myosuroides and the use of still‐effective active ingredients for preventing the renewed entry of seeds into the soil.
Molecular detection of Rickettsia spp. in wild ungulates and their ticks in Mediterranean areas of southwestern Spain
Authors: Remesar Susana , Cano‐Terriza David , Morrondo Patrocinio , Jiménez‐Ruiz Saúl , López Ceferino M. , Jiménez‐Martín Débora , Díaz Pablo , Paniagua Jorge , García‐Bocanegra Ignacio
Published: June 2023

Wildlife is an important reservoir of zoonotic pathogens. The objective of the present study was to assess the importance of wild ungulates in the epidemiology of Rickettsia spp. Ticks and spleen samples were collected from 262 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 83 wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunted in southwestern Spain over a 5‐year period. DNA was extracted from tick pools (n = 191) and spleens (n = 345), and two nested PCR assays targeting the rOmpA and rOmpB genes were used to detect Rickettsia DNA. Five tick species were identified (Hyalomma lusitanicum, Dermacentor marginatus, Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus bursa and Haemaphysalis sulcata). Rickettsia DNA was detected in 31 (16.2%) tick pools and two red deer spleen samples (0.8%). Four validated Rickettsia species (R. slovaca, R. monacensis, R. helvetica and R. raoultii), one uncultivated species (Candidatus R. rioja) and two uncharacterized Rickettsia spp. were detected in ticks. R. helvetica and R. slovaca were also detected in spleen samples from red deer. The overall prevalence in ungulate spleen samples was lower than in tick pools suggesting that these ungulates do not play a major role in the transmission of Rickettsia spp. However, their importance as spreaders of positive ticks cannot be ruled out. The results present a challenge for the veterinary and public health communities since most of the Rickettsia spp. detected are pathogenic. Furthermore, the new Rickettsia species could be potential pathogens. For these reasons, identifying Rickettsia species present in ticks and wildlife is of particular interest to clarify their sylvatic cycle and establish appropriate control measures.
Functional Modeling Supports System Representation
Authors: Murphy Alexander R. , Banks Henry D. , Nagel Robert L. , Linsey Julie S.
Published: June 2023

Understanding how engineers formulate and evolve mental models holds the potential to inform the development of materials that benefit systems thinking. A first step toward realizing this benefit is measuring and assessing change in mental models following educational interventions. In this work, engineering students’ mental models are elicited from common household products before and after learning functional modeling and are compared to the mental models of students who do not learn functional modeling. Results show statistically significant improvements in mental model representations on two of the three given systems after the functional modeling intervention, whereas no significant differences were found for students who did not learn function. Furthermore, results show statistical improvements in the identification of system components common to three systems and higher mental model scores for participants with prior experience disassembling the product. Taken together, these results suggest that functional modeling likely supports the ability to communicate knowledge, retrieve knowledge, and/or interpret existing mental models of engineered systems providing a foundation for systems understanding and communication. As we improve our understanding of how students form, change, and communicate their mental models of engineered systems, educators can shape curricula to facilitate the skills necessary for the comprehensive systems understanding that is important for professional engineers and designers.
Surrogate-Based Time-Dependent Reliability Analysis for a Digital Twin
Authors: Hu Weifei , Yan Jiquan , Zhao Feng , Jiang Chen , Liu Hongwei , Cho Hyunkyoo , Lee Ikjin
Published: June 2023

A mature digital twin (DT) is supposed to enable engineers to accurately evaluate the real-time reliability of a complex engineering system. However, in practical engineering problems, reliability analysis (RA) often involves nonlinear, implicit, and computationally expensive relationships between the performance and uncertain parameters, which makes it very challenging to conduct time-dependent reliability analysis (TRA) instantly and accurately for a DT. This article proposes a new surrogate-based time-dependent reliability analysis (STRA) method for a DT, specifically making the following three contributions: (i) the number of discrete time nodes used to convert the stochastic processes into a series of random variables in the expansion optimal linear estimation process is dynamically selected, leading to a good tradeoff between the accurate representation of stochastic processes and fast reliability evaluation; (ii) based on Voronoi partition sampling and a modified leave-one-out cross-validation procedure, multiple sensitive subdomains in each iteration are selected simultaneously to guide adaptive sampling at the insufficiently fitted vicinity of the limit state function, which helps accurately calculate the probability of failure and reduce the number of design-of-experiment (DoE) samples; and (iii) an improved weighted expected feasibility function is proposed considering the importance of each sample and the sensitivity of the subdomain to which it belongs, which further improves the sampling efficiency. The proposed STRA method is applied to the TRA of a numerical model, a corroded beam structure, and a cutterhead of a tunnel boring machine to demonstrate its effectiveness for realistic DT applications.
First record of the genus Parapyroppia Pérez-Íñigo & Subías, 1979 (Acari, Oribatida, Ceratoppiidae) from China, with description of a new species
Authors: Zhang Shuyuan , Wu Haitao , Liu Dong
Published: June 2023

The oribatid mite genus Parapyroppia Pérez-Íñigo & Subías, 1979 (Ceratoppiidae) is reported in China for the first time. During investigation of soil biodiversity in northeast China in 2021, a new species, Parapyroppia changbaiensis sp. nov., was found from soil and litter of north slope of Changbai Mountain in Erdaobaihe Town, Jilin Province. The main purpose of study is to describe and illustrate this new species. In addition, an updated generic diagnosis, a checklist and a key to world species of Parapyroppia are presented.
Unrealistic Expectations and Future Status Coercion in Minor League Baseball Players’ Future-Oriented Labor
Authors: McLeod Christopher M. , Agha Nola , Pifer N. David , Chahardovali Tarlan
Published: June 2023

This study examines minor league baseball players’ future-oriented labor by interviewing 44 baseball players and collecting data on 8,000 minor league baseball players’ careers. Minor league baseball players’ expectations of reaching Major League Baseball impacted how they evaluated their work in the present, leading them to tolerate unfair pay and working conditions. We show that players’ expectations of reaching Major League Baseball were moderately unrealistic, partly due to managerial practices encouraging unrealistic expectations. This study contributes to labor research by showing that future-oriented labor ideology is based on unrealistic expectations that employers can promote to create opportunities for future status coercion.
Pneumatic computers for embedded control of microfluidics
Authors: Ahrar Siavash , Raje Manasi , Lee Irene C. , Hui Elliot E.
Published: June 2023

Alternative computing approaches that interface readily with physical systems are well suited for embedded control of those systems. We demonstrate finite state machines implemented as pneumatic circuits of microfluidic valves and use these controllers to direct microfluidic liquid handling procedures on the same chip. These monolithic integrated systems require only power to be supplied externally, in the form of a vacuum source. User input can be provided directly to the chip by covering pneumatic ports with a finger. State machines with up to four bits of state memory are demonstrated, and next-state combinational logic can be fully reprogrammed by changing the hole-punch pattern on a membrane in the chip. These pneumatic computers demonstrate a framework for the embedded control of physical systems and open a path to stand-alone lab-on-a-chip devices capable of highly complex functionality.
Viral Diversity and Epidemiology in Critically Endangered Yangtze Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalisasiaeorientalis)
Authors: Zhao Xin , Dai Caijiao , Qian Shiyu , Tang Qing , Li Lijuan , Hao Yujiang , Zhou Zhijian , Ge Xingyi , Gong Cheng , Yuan Junfa
Published: June 2023

The Yangtze finless porpoise (YFP) is the only cetacean species in freshwater following the functional extinction of the baiji (Lipotes vexillifer). Health management, disease treatment, and other special measures are important for maintaining the existing YFP populations, especially inin situandex situreserves.
Middle Miocene fire activity and C4 vegetation expansion in the Barstow Formation, California, USA
Authors: Loughney Katharine M. , Harkness Anna , Badgley Catherine
Published: June 2023

C4 grassland ecosystems expanded across North America between ca. 8 and 3 Ma. Studies of ungulate enamel and environmental indicators from the middle Miocene Barstow Formation of southern California (USA) have demonstrated the presence of C4 vegetation prior to the late Miocene expansion of C4 grasslands. Fire promotes the growth of modern C4 grasslands and may have contributed to the Miocene expansion of C4 vegetation. We analyzed the concentration and accumulation rate (CHAR) of microscopic charred particles from sediment samples spanning the Barstow Formation in order to investigate the relationship between fire activity, canopy cover, and the presence of C4 vegetation. Concentration and CHAR were low throughout the formation then increased dramatically at 13.5 Ma. Enriched values of δ13C from soil organic matter and phytolith counts indicate the presence of C4 grasses and seasonally dry, open-canopy habitats at this time. The spike in concentration coincides with climatic cooling and drying in southern California after the Miocene Climatic Optimum. Increased fire activity may have contributed to habitat opening from forest to woodland and promoted the spread of C4 plants. This is the first charcoal record of fire activity from the middle Miocene of southwestern North America.
Late Quaternary paleoceanography of Vestnesa Ridge, Fram Strait: Ostracode species as a potential indicator of cold seep activity
Authors: Chu Rachel Wai Ching , Yasuhara Moriaki , Riise Karoline Myrvang , Asahi Hirofumi , Huang Huai-Hsuan May , Cotton Laura J. , Hong Yuanyuan , Rasmussen Tine L.
Published: June 2023

Past intensity of methane release from deep-ocean methane hydrates continues to be challenging to reconstruct reliably. Here, we used fossil ostracode fauna paired with foraminiferal δ13C values in a marine sediment core from Vestnesa Ridge, western Svalbard margin, to reconstruct methane seepage activity during the late Quaternary and to examine faunal response to deglacial climatic changes. Benthic foraminiferal δ13C values indicate methane seepage activity was relatively strong during marine isotope stage 2, corresponding to a high percentage of the ostracode Rosaliella svalbardensis in the assemblage. In contrast, this species was absent under conditions of no or very strong seepage of methane. Faunal changes in other taxa were more related to global climate changes regardless of the seepage activity. This result indicates that Rosaliella svalbardensis is a potential new useful proxy for past methane release.
On aether terms in a space-time with a compact extra dimension
Authors: Furtado J. , Mariz T. , Nascimento J. R. , Petrov A. Yu.
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we explicitly calculate the aether-like corrections for the electromagnetic field in the case when the space-time involves an extra compact spatial dimension besides of usual four dimensions. Our methodology is based on an explicit summation over the Kaluza–Klein tower of fields which turns out to be no more difficult than the finite-temperature calculations. We found some new terms which can be treated as certain five-dimensional generalizations of the aether-like terms $$\kappa ^{mnpq}F_{mn}F_{pq}$$

κ

mnpq

F

mn

F

pq

and $$\bar{\psi }c^{mn}\gamma _m\partial _n \psi $$

ψ

¯

c

mn

γ
m

∂
n

ψ

which in four dimensions are treated as important ingredients of the Lorentz-breaking extension of the standard model. We have shown that these new terms become to dominate in the limit where the extra dimension is very small, allowing us to suggest that there will be essential modifications of quantum corrections if our space indeed has a small extra spatial dimension. Moreover, we have shown that in the CPT-even case we have extra new particles as a consequence of the extra dimension.
Probing time orientability of spacetime
Authors: Lemos N. A. , Müller D. , Rebouças M. J.
Published: June 2023

In general relativity, cosmology and quantum field theory, spacetime is assumed to be an orientable manifold endowed with a Lorentz metric that makes it spatially and temporally orientable. The question as to whether the laws of physics require these orientability assumptions is ultimately of observational or experimental nature, or the answer might come from a fundamental theory of physics. The possibility that spacetime is time non-orientable lacks investigation, and so should not be dismissed straightaway. In this paper, we argue that it is possible to locally access a putative time non-orientability of Minkowski empty spacetime by physical effects involving quantum vacuum electromagnetic fluctuations. We set ourselves to study the influence of time non-orientability on the stochastic motions of a charged particle subject to these electromagnetic fluctuations in Minkowski spacetime equipped with a time non-orientable topology and with its time orientable counterpart. To this end, we introduce and derive analytic expressions for a statistical time orientability indicator. Then we show that it is possible to pinpoint the time non-orientable topology through an inversion pattern displayed by the corresponding orientability indicator, which is absent when the underlying manifold is time orientable.
When Deep is not Enough: Towards Understanding Shallow and Continual Learning Models in Realistic Environmental Sound Classification for Robots
Authors: Eldardeer Omar , Rea Francesco , Sandini Giulio , Jirak Doreen
Published: June 2023

Although deep learning models are state-of-the-art models in audio classification, they fall short when applied in developmental robotic settings and human–robot interaction (HRI). The major drawback is that deep learning relies on supervised training with a large amount of data and annotations. In contrast, developmental learning strategies in human–robot interaction often deal with small-scale data acquired from HRI experiments and require the incremental addition of novel classes. Alternatively, shallow learning architectures that enable fast and yet robust learning are provided by simple distance metric-based learning and neural architectures implementing the reservoir computing paradigm. Similarly, continual learning algorithms receive more attention in the last years as they can integrate stable perceptual feature extraction using pre-trained deep learning models with open-set classification. As our research centers around reenacting the incremental learning of audio cues, we conducted a study on environmental sound classification using the iCaRL as well as the GDumb continual learning algorithms in comparison with a popular classifier in this domain, the kNN classifier, as well as employing an Echo State Network. We contrast our results with those obtained from a VGGish network that serves here as the performance upper bound that allows us to quantify the performance differences and to discuss current issues with continual learning in the audio domain. As only little is known about using shallow models or continual learning in the audio domain, we pass on additional techniques like data augmentation and create a simple experimental pipeline that is easy to reproduce. Although our selected algorithms are partially inferior in performance compared to the upper bound, our evaluation on three environmental sound datasets shows promising performance using continual learning for a subset of the DCASE2019 challenge dataset and the ESC10 dataset. As we do not address benchmarking in this paper, our study provides a good foundation for further research and computational improvements on shallow and continual learning models for robotic applications in the audio domain.
Optical manipulation of neuronal mitochondria using scanning optical tweezers
Authors: Gong Zhiyong , Wu Tianli , Chen Xixi , Wang Ping , Guo Jinghui , Li Yuchao , Li Baojun
Published: June 2023

Mitochondria play a crucial role in the physiological functions and energy metabolism of neurons, which can help in the understanding of complex biochemical reactions associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. Neurons, being highly differentiated terminal cells, require a greater number of mitochondria than ordinary cells to generate significant amounts of ATP, which is necessary for the growth of differentiated neuronal structures like axons and dendrites and the transmission of electrical signals along neuronal axons. Advancements in imaging technology, electrophysiology, and fluorescence targeting labeling have facilitated the study of mitochondrial movements in neurons and axons. However, disordered mitochondrial movements can hinder their analysis and characterization. Thus, it becomes necessary to artificially control their transport. Here, we demonstrate the utilization of scanning optical tweezers (SOTs) on the stable trapping and precise transport of soma or axon of neurons and enable. The presented method provides an optical approach to the control of mitochondria or other organelles in complex and variable biological environment.
Deep neural network based on multi-level wavelet and attention for structured illumination microscopy
Authors: Zhang Yanwei , Lang Song , Cao Xuan , Zheng Hanqing , Gong Yan
Published: June 2023

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is a popular and powerful super-resolution (SR) technique in biomedical research. However, the conventional reconstruction algorithm for SIM heavily relies on the accurate prior knowledge of illumination patterns and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of raw images. To obtain high-quality SR images, several raw images need to be captured under high fluorescence level, which further restricts SIM’s temporal resolution and its applications. Deep learning (DL) is a data-driven technology that has been used to expand the limits of optical microscopy. In this study, we propose a deep neural network based on multi-level wavelet and attention mechanism (MWAM) for SIM. Our results show that the MWAM network can extract high-frequency information contained in SIM raw images and accurately integrate it into the output image, resulting in superior SR images compared to those generated using wide-field images as input data. We also demonstrate that the number of SIM raw images can be reduced to three, with one image in each illumination orientation, to achieve the optimal tradeoff between temporal and spatial resolution. Furthermore, our MWAM network exhibits superior reconstruction ability on low-SNR images compared to conventional SIM algorithms. We have also analyzed the adaptability of this network on other biological samples and successfully applied the pretrained model to other SIM systems.
Intravascular photoacoustic and optical coherence tomography imaging dual-mode system for detecting spontaneous coronary artery dissection: A feasibility study
Authors: Wang Yongwei , Wan Yuyang , Chen Zhongjiang
Published: June 2023

In this work, we present an intravascular dual-mode endoscopic system capable of both intravascular photoacoustic imaging (IVPAI) and intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) for recognizing spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) phantoms. IVPAI provides high-resolution and high-penetration images of intramural hematoma (IMH) at different depths, so it is especially useful for imaging deep blood clots associated with imaging phantoms. IVOCT can readily visualize the double-lumen morphology of blood vessel walls to identify intimal tears. We also demonstrate the capability of this dual-mode endoscopic system using mimicking phantoms and biological samples of blood clots in ex vivo porcine arteries. The results of the experiments indicate that the combined IVPAI and IVOCT technique has the potential to provide a more accurate SCAD assessment method for clinical applications.
Trace element minerals from carbonatite-related fluids, The Aird, Scotland
Authors: Heptinstall E.A. , Parnell J. , Boyce A. J. , Still J.W.
Published: June 2023

Fenitized rocks in Neoproterozoic country rocks adjacent to the Great Glen Fault, Scotland, contain calcite veins with mineral inclusions. The minerals include the rare earth vanadate wakefieldite, sulfur-rich monazite, scandium-rich ilmenite and manganese oxides rich in barium and lead. Each of these phases is recorded in carbonatites elsewhere. An affinity with carbonatites is further suggested by the carbon isotope composition of the calcite veins, and anomalously high levels of manganese and strontium in the veins. These data add weight to a model in which Scotland NW of the Great Glen Fault was affected by carbonatite-related fluids during the Caledonian Orogeny.

Thematic collection:
This article is part of the Early Career Research collection available at:
https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/early-career-research
Extent and significance of the Upper Ordovician felsic volcanism in the Pyrenees and Mouthoumet Massifs, SW Europe
Authors: Casas Josep Maria , Sánchez-García Teresa , Díez-Montes Alejandro , Clariana Pilar , Margalef Aina , Valverde-Vaquero Pablo , Beranoaguirre Aratz , Román-Alpiste Manuel J. , Pujol-Solà Núria , Álvaro J. Javier
Published: June 2023

New geochronological (U–Pb isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry), geochemical and isotopic data from Upper Ordovician felsic volcanic rocks recorded in the Pyrenees and Mouthoumet massifs, SW Europe, suggest that this volcanic activity is more widely represented than previously accepted, and allows a better refinement of the age span involved in the Sardic Unconformity. This Sandbian volcanism represents the final pulse of the Sardic tectonothermal event, starting with the Floian–Darriwilian emplacement of voluminous plutonic rocks and the contemporaneous erosion of the uplifted pre–Upper Ordovician basement, and followed by a tholeiitic volcanism contemporaneous with extensional features and the opening of (half-)grabens finally sealed by Hirnantian glaciomarine deposits. The Sardic-related lithospheric extension may be linked to thermal doming originated by a superplume activity that caused, in turn, an extensive crustal melting responsible for the onset of the felsic (calc-alkaline-dominated), Floian–Darriwilian intrusive and Sandbian extrusive magmatism along the northern margin of Gondwana.
Impossibility Results in AI: A Survey
Authors: Brcic Mario , Yampolskiy Roman V.
Published: June 2023

An impossibility theorem demonstrates that a particular problem or set of problems cannot be solved as described in the claim. Such theorems put limits on what is possible to do concerning artificial intelligence, especially the super-intelligent one. As such, these results serve as guidelines, reminders, and warnings to AI safety, AI policy, and governance researchers. These might enable solutions to some long-standing questions in the form of formalizing theories in the framework of constraint satisfaction without committing to one option. We strongly believe this to be the most prudent approach to long-term AI safety initiatives. In this article, we have categorized impossibility theorems applicable to AI into five mechanism-based categories: Deduction, indistinguishability, induction, tradeoffs, and intractability. We found that certain theorems are too specific or have implicit assumptions that limit application. Also, we added new results (theorems) such as the unfairness of explainability, the first explainability-related result in the induction category. The remaining results deal with misalignment between the clones and put a limit to the self-awareness of agents. We concluded that deductive impossibilities deny 100%-guarantees for security. In the end, we give some ideas that hold potential in explainability, controllability, value alignment, ethics, and group decision-making.
COVID-19 and the Data Governance Gap
Authors: Austin Lisa M.
Published: June 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many complexities involved in using data and advanced technologies to help resolve public health emergencies. These complexities highlight the need to embrace a broader framework of data governance with three foundational questions: ( a) who decides about data flows, ( b) on what basis, and ( c) with what accountability and oversight. These questions can accommodate the issues that have arisen in the literature regarding new types of data harms. However, these questions also foreground important issues of power, authority, and legitimacy. Data governance can provide an organizing normative framework to address emerging data themes including access to data, collective decision making, data intermediaries, data sovereignty, design and digital infrastructure, regulatory technologies, the rule of law, and social trust and license. The pandemic experience with contact tracing apps, in particular, showed the many unresolved governance challenges.
Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus Pandemic
Authors: Salem Nida’ M. , Jewehan Ahmad , Aranda Miguel A. , Fox Adrian
Published: June 2023

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is an emerging tobamovirus. It was first reported in 2015 in Jordan in greenhouse tomatoes and now threatens tomato and pepper crops around the world. ToBRFV is a stable and highly infectious virus that is easily transmitted by mechanical means and via seeds, which enables it to spread locally and over long distances. The ability of ToBRFV to infect tomato plants harboring the commonly deployed Tm resistance genes, as well as pepper plants harboring the L resistance alleles under certain conditions, limits the ability to prevent damage from the virus. The fruit production and quality of ToBRFV-infected tomato and pepper plants can be drastically affected, thus significantly impacting their market value. Herein, we review the current information and discuss the latest areas of research on this virus, which include its discovery and distribution, epidemiology, detection, and prevention and control measures, that could help mitigate the ToBRFV disease pandemic.
Developing Phage Therapy That Overcomes the Evolution of Bacterial Resistance
Authors: Oromí-Bosch Agnès , Antani Jyot D. , Turner Paul E.
Published: June 2023

The global rise of antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens and the waning efficacy of antibiotics urge consideration of alternative antimicrobial strategies. Phage therapy is a classic approach where bacteriophages (bacteria-specific viruses) are used against bacterial infections, with many recent successes in personalized medicine treatment of intractable infections. However, a perpetual challenge for developing generalized phage therapy is the expectation that viruses will exert selection for target bacteria to deploy defenses against virus attack, causing evolution of phage resistance during patient treatment. Here we review the two main complementary strategies for mitigating bacterial resistance in phage therapy: minimizing the ability for bacterial populations to evolve phage resistance and driving (steering) evolution of phage-resistant bacteria toward clinically favorable outcomes. We discuss future research directions that might further address the phage-resistance problem, to foster widespread development and deployment of therapeutic phage strategies that outsmart evolved bacterial resistance in clinical settings.
Research on the Reliability of a Two-Robot Security System with Early Warning Function
Authors: Cui Yuhong , Tao Youde , Li Zongyang
Published: June 2023

In this paper, the mathematical model of a kind of two-robot security system with an early warning function is studied. By using strongly continuous operator semigroup theory and Volterra integral equation theory, the properties of the semigroup of the system operator, the existence and uniqueness of nonnegative solution, and the well-posedness of solution are discussed, respectively. Under the assumption that the failure rate and repair rate of the system are constants, the equations of the robot system are transformed into an ordinary differential equation group, and then the instantaneous reliability and stable-state reliability of the system are obtained. The reliability and zero-state controllability of the system are proved. Finally, the numerical solution of the system model is obtained by using MATLAB mathematical software, and the corresponding numerical simulation diagram is given. The results show that the conclusions of numerical calculation and numerical simulation are in accordance with the results of reliability theory, thereby the reliability of the robot safety system is verified.