bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The mapping of the vulnerability coastal area in Pangandaran District by the coastal vulnerability index (CVI) approach
Authors: Maudhi RC , Arhatin R E , Gaol J L
Published: November 2023

The phenomenon of sea level rise (SLR) in Pangandaran Regency threatens the continuity of human activities such as tourism, fisheries and trade that gives value to coastal regions. The southern coast of Java directly faces the Indian Ocean and sea levels are expected to rise by 2 – 4 mm/year, leaving the Pangandaran Regency relatively vulnerable to SLR. Coastal vulnerability can be mapped using the Coastal Vulnerability Index method to determine levels of vulnerability based on six parameters which are geomorphology, elevation, tidal range, significant wave height (SWH), shoreline change and rate of SLR. The results show that the geomorphology of Pangandaran Regency is considered to be very vulnerable (Score 5) due to the number of sandy beaches present. Elevation is dominated by the vulnerable category (Score 4). Tidal range of the coastal region is considered moderately vulnerable (Score 3). SWH of the coastal region is very vulnerable (Score 5). Shoreline change is considered to be moderately vulnerable (Score 3) with overall erosion in the region. Rate of SLR is considered to be very vulnerable (Score 5). The coastal region Pangandaran Regency is leaning towards being vulnerable against sea level rise.
LCM of thermoset-based fiber reinforced composites for large-scale applications: are process kinetics and structural properties antagonistic?
Authors: Michaud Véronique
Published: November 2023

This article reviews the main methods to manufacture large-scale composite parts, with a focus on Liquid Composite Molding techniques of thermoset-based fiber reinforced structural parts. As this process relies on the impregnation of a dry textile stack, this manufacturing step is crucial in terms of part production rate, and part quality. To increase the process kinetics, a large effort has been devoted to increase the permeability of the textile preforms, while keeping a similar fiber content. An increase of almost two orders of magnitude can be attained if the textile shows a strong separation of scales between densely packed tows and large intra-two spaces. This however leads to a potential degradation in the resulting structural properties, particularly in dynamic mode due to the presence of the resin rich pockets. Alternative solutions emerge, which may help reach a cost-effective compromise.
Challenges in permeability characterisation for modelling the manufacture of wind turbine blades
Authors: Pierce Robert S.
Published: November 2023

As wind turbine blades continue to increase in size, and market competition grows, lean manufacturing has become even more important for OEMs. The rapid development of new blade designs, with greater performance, and reduced production waste are driving the need for predictive modelling of the blade infusion process. Such simulations are reliant upon Darcy’s Law for the description of fluid flow through porous materials and therefore depend greatly on the permeability properties of the blade preform materials. The characterisation of fabric permeability, although unstandardised, has been well studied in recent years as the focus of numerous international benchmarking efforts. However, the effective permeability properties of infusion consumables, core materials, and pre-cast elements are not so well defined or validated, despite their significance on infusion behaviour. Hence, the great variety of preform materials, stacking configurations, geometric features, and transition regions in wind turbine blades present considerable challenges in terms of permeability characterisation and subsequent modelling. This article reviews some of the challenges, opportunities, and alternatives for characterising permeability in common blade preform materials, along with examples of how these properties have been applied in numerical models to better simulate the resin infusion manufacturing process for wind turbine blades.
Defect detection in carbon fiber-reinforced composites using directional dark-field imaging and tomography
Authors: Slyamov Azat , Roosmalen Adriaan van , Pedersen Mads A. , Nielsen Kenneth K. , Ferguson Ole V. , Mikkelsen Lars P. , Lauridsen Erik
Published: November 2023

This paper proposes the use of circular X-ray grating interferometry as an effective technique for defect detection with potential applications for in-line inspection of carbon fiber-reinforced pultruded profiles used inside the load-carrying spar caps of wind turbine blades. A fuzzball defect in the pultruded profile is characterized as a demonstration. The method allows for large field-of-view quantification of local fiber alignment and relative fiber volume fraction. A two-dimensional through the thickness averaged distribution of the fiber orientation, the mean scattering, and fractional anisotropy are determined. Based on this, it is possible to determine the size of the defect as well as quantify the severity of the defect.
Effect of span/thickness ratio on fatigue properties of thick quasi-isotropic CFRP laminates subjected to three-point bending loading
Authors: Otsubo M , Hosoi A , Sakurai T , Yamatogi T , Kawada H
Published: November 2023

In this study, three-point bending fatigue tests were conducted to investigate damage growth behavior of thick quasi-isotropic carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates. The span/thickness ratio L/h was varied for both static tests and fatigue tests to determine failure mechanisms. In the static tests, the failure mode changed from delamination to compressive buckling as span/thickness ratio increases. The apparent interlaminar shear strength was higher for the specimens with lower span/thickness ratios, and the shear failure was likely to be caused by oblique crack in 90° plies. In the fatigue tests, the specimens with span/thickness ratio L/h=7 caused delamination regardless of stress level. For the specimens with span/thickness ratio L/h =15, three types of failure modes were obtained depending on stress level; delamination near the neutral plane, buckling at compressive area and matrix crack at tensile area. During the fatigue tests, stiffness of specimens with different span/thickness ratios which fail in shear was compared using digital image correlation (DIC) method. The specimens with span/thickness ratio 4 suddenly decreased in stiffness without increasing normal strain over cycles. Both specimens with span/thickness ratio 4 and 11 finally failed by delamination but they showed different failure process in how normal or shear strain developed.
Large-scale fatigue testing of a retrofitted 3rd shear web in a 34m wind turbine blade section
Authors: Waldbjørn J. P. , Berggreen C. , Ahmed S. , Nagy T.
Published: November 2023

Utilizing a fatigue-rated multi-axial strong-floor based test rig, the effect of a retro-fitted fish-mouth third shear-web geometry detail located within the double-curved trailing edge sandwich panels are evaluated in an inner 15m root section from a 34m wind turbine blade manufactured by SSP Technology. From previous research, a load configuration is identified, capable of triggering the breathing/pumping deformations in the trailing edge panels within the root and transition zone, which will drive the propagation on the shear-web disbonding mechanism. Investigation and evaluation of the shear web disbonding and associated mitigation are acquired through strain gauges, wire potentiometer and digital image correlation (DIC) measurements inside the root section.
Mode mixity for the fracture toughness obtained by climbing drum peel tests
Authors: Jespersen K M , Toftegaard H L
Published: November 2023

Wind turbine blades include numerous interfaces, which are known to be critical regions for early failure. Thus, reliable testing of interfaces and a solid understanding of the tests used are of utmost importance. The climbing drum peel (CDP) test is a standardized test for characterization of adhesively bonded interfaces, which in literature has been referred to as a possible simple alternative to mode I double cantilever beam testing of composites. The current work uses finite element modeling of the CDP setup to show that it is actually a mixed mode test, and therefore one cannot use it to obtain the mode I fracture toughness. It can, however, be used to compare different interfaces, keeping in mind that the comparison is done for a mode mixity of approximately 40°, and that one adherend has to be thin (around 0.5mm).
Quantification of process-induced effects on fatigue life of short-glass-fiber-filled adhesive used in wind turbine rotor blades
Authors: Rosemeier M , Holst T , Antoniou A
Published: November 2023

Cracks in the adhesive joints of wind turbine blades can often cause severe structural blade damage. Effects induced by the manufacturing process can have a significant impact on the cycle number toward crack initiation in the bonding material. This research compared two experimental series of neat adhesive, dog-bone-shaped specimens with different degrees of cure, fiber orientation, and porosity content, which were subjected to static and cyclic tension-tension loading. To enhance the comparability of the two coupon series, the experimental data was normalized. Normalization factors were introduced to compensate for the different properties of the two series. These factors were derived from correction models. After normalization, the S-N values of the two data series were in good agreement in the high-cycle fatigue regime. In the very-low-cycle fatigue regime, however, there was still a lack of agreement in some cases, including the static strength. Moreover, the failure mechanisms were investigated by analyzing images from the fracture surfaces and dedicated samples using X-ray microscopy. The correction models presented can be applied to estimate the design strength of adhesives. This knowledge can then be used to make rotor blade structures more resistant to crack initiation.
Viability of recycled fibres extracted from EoL composites
Authors: Laurikainen P. , Sarlin E.
Published: November 2023

Recycling thermoset-based composites is a technological and economic challenge. The predominating recycling methods (mechanical recycling and pyrolysis) downgrade the fibre properties (length, strength) and are energy-intensive. To avoid downcycling and to ensure economic feasibility, technological solutions need to be developed to enable recycling of long reinforcing fibres that can also be used in demanding applications. Thermochemical recycling, where reinforcing fibres are extracted from the depolymerized matrix, can be considered as an advanced option for recovery of higher quality fibres from EoL composites. Additional steps are required to use these fibres in new composite structures. Thermochemical recycling removes the sizing from the fibre surface making it difficult to handle and resulting in poor fibre-matrix compatibility especially in the case of glass fibres. In this study, we discuss the re-sizing of recycled fibres. We have focused on fibres extracted from glass fibre reinforced composites (GFRPs) from EoL wind turbine blades and carbon fibre reinforced composites (CFRPs) collected from aeronautics industry. We demonstrate the steps for a batch re-sizing process and study the effects of the re-sizing on the properties of composites made of recycled fibres. The interfacial properties are analysed with micro-mechanical testing using the microbond method – both for thermoset and thermoplastic composites – and with tensile tests for thermoplastic composites. Re-sizing significantly eases the handling of the fibres, but the interfacial compatibility is improved only in the case of GFRPs as thermochemically recycled carbon fibres (rCF) exhibit very good interfacial performance even without sizing. This study highlights that with proper recovery and resizing processes, recycled fibres can be viable feedstocks for various applications and – with future improvements on the fibre recovery methods – even approach the applicability of virgin fibres.
The state-of-the-art of atmospheric pressure plasma for transdermal drug delivery
Authors: NIE 聂 Lanlan 兰兰 , LIU 刘 Dawei 大伟 , CHENG 程 He 鹤 , ZHAO 赵 Feng 峰 , LU 卢 Xinpei 新培
Published: November 2023

Plasma-enhanced transdermal drug delivery (TDD) presents advantages over traditional methods, including painless application, minimal skin damage, and rapid recovery of permeability. To harness its clinical potential, factors related to plasma’s unique properties, such as reactive species and electric fields, must be carefully considered.This review provides a concise summary of conventional TDD methods and subsequently offers a comprehensive examination of the current state-of-the-art in plasma-enhanced TDD. This includes an analysis of the impact of plasma on HaCaT human keratinocyte cells, ex vivo/in vivo studies, and clinical research on plasma-assisted TDD. Moreover, the review explores the effects of plasma on skin physical characteristics such as microhole formation, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), molecular structure of the stratum corneum (SC), and skin resistance. Additionally, it discusses the involvement of various reactive agents in plasma-enhanced TDD, encompassing electric fields, charged particles, UV/VUV radiation, heat, and reactive species. Lastly, the review briefly addresses the temporal behavior of the skin after plasma treatment, safety considerations, and potential risks associated with plasma-enhanced TDD.
Classical relativistic electron-field dynamics: Hamiltonian approach to radiation reaction
Authors: Álvarez-Estrada R F , Pastor I , Roso L , Castejón F
Published: November 2023

Motivated by the renewed interest due to the presently available extreme light sources, the dynamics of a single classical relativistic (spinless) extended electron interacting with a classical electromagnetic field (an incoming radiation and the field radiated by the electron) is revisited. The field is treated in Lorentz gauge, with the Lorentz condition. By assumption, there is a crucial finite cut-off k
max on the magnitude of any wavevector contributing to the field (preventing a point electron) and, for a simple formulation, the initial conditions for particle and fields are given in the infinitely remote past. In an infinite three-dimensional vacuum and in an inertial system, Hamilton’s dynamical equations for the particle and the complex field amplitudes acting as canonical variables (a's) yield an exact Lorentz force equation for the former, that includes the incoming radiation and an exact radiation reaction force F

RR
due to the field radiated by the electron. Uniform motion is obtained as a test of consistency. Based upon numerical computations, some approximations on F

RR
are given. A covariant formulation is also presented.
Liposuction Complications in the Outpatient Setting: A National Analysis of 246,119 Cases in Accredited Ambulatory Surgery Facilities
Authors: Valentine Lauren , Alvarez Angelica Hernandez , Weidman Allan A , Foppiani Jose , Hassell Natalie E , Elmer Nicholas , Hwang Paul , Kaul Sumedh , Rosenblatt William , Lin Samuel J
Published: November 2023

Background

Suction lipectomy (liposuction) is a popular cosmetic surgical procedure performed in the United States, but little has been documented regarding perioperative complications due to its outpatient nature.

Objectives

This cross-sectional study aims to analyze the most common complications that accompany liposuction-related procedures and importantly estimate the total complication rate occurring at ambulatory surgical facilities.

Methods

Adult patients who experienced liposuction-related complications from 2019 to 2021 were identified in the reporting database of the global surgery accreditation authority, the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (QUAD A). Patients were then divided by complication type and procedure location. Demographics and facility-specific variables were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results

Overall, 984 patients were included, with a mean age of 44 years (interquartile range [IQR] 37-53) and a median BMI of 28.7 kg/m2 (IQR 25.7-32.2). The overall confirmed complication rate was found to be 0.40% (984/246,119). Unplanned emergency department presentation was the most common complication overall (24%). Wound disruption was associated with the longest median procedure length (261 min), and venous thromboembolism was associated with the highest median BMI (30.1 kg/m2). The Southeast had the most complications (431), which accounted for 13/21 deaths (61.9%). Out of all complications, death was associated with the highest average annual case volume (241).

Conclusions

Procedures that involve liposuction are associated with a variety of medical and surgical complications. Given the high frequency and variability in how liposuction is performed, a thorough assessment of complications is critical to improve the safety of this procedure.

Level of Evidence: 3
MedicaidJS: a FAIR approach to real-time drug analytics
Authors: Agarwal Kunaal , Kim Hae Rin , Almeida Jonas S , Sandoval Lorena
Published: November 2023

Motivation

As prescription drug prices have drastically risen over the past decade, so has the need for real-time drug tracking resources. In spite of increased public availability to raw data sources, individual drug metrics remain concealed behind intricate nomenclature and complex data models. Some web applications, such as GoodRX, provide insight into real-time drug prices but offer limited interoperability. To overcome both obstacles we pursued the direct programmatic operation of the stateless Application Programming interfaces (HTTP REST APIs) maintained by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Medicaid, and National Library of Medicine. These data-intensive resources represent an opportunity to develop Software Development Kits (SDK) to streamline drug metrics without downloads or installations, in a manner that addresses the FAIR principles for stewardship in scientific data—Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability. These principles provide a guideline for continual stewardship of scientific data.

Results

MedicaidJS SDK was developed to orchestrate API calls to three complementary data resources: Medicaid (data.medicaid.gov), Food and Drug Administration (open.fda.gov), and the National Library of Medicine RxNorm (lhncbc.nlm.nih.gov/RxNav). MedicaidJS synthesizes response data from each platform into a zero-footprint JavaScript modular library that provides data wrangling, analysis, and generation of embeddable interactive visualizations. The SDK is served on github with live examples on observableHQ notebooks. It is freely available and can be embedded into web applications as modules returning structured JSON data with standardized identifiers.

Availability and implementation

Open source code publicly available at https://github.com/episphere/medicaid, live at episphere.github.io/medicaid, supplementary interactive Observable Notebooks at observablehq.com/@medicaidsdk/medicaidsdk.
DeepProSite: structure-aware protein binding site prediction using ESMFold and pretrained language model
Authors: Fang Yitian , Jiang Yi , Wei Leyi , Ma Qin , Ren Zhixiang , Yuan Qianmu , Wei Dong-Qing
Published: November 2023

Motivation

Identifying the functional sites of a protein, such as the binding sites of proteins, peptides, or other biological components, is crucial for understanding related biological processes and drug design. However, existing sequence-based methods have limited predictive accuracy, as they only consider sequence-adjacent contextual features and lack structural information.

Results

In this study, DeepProSite is presented as a new framework for identifying protein binding site that utilizes protein structure and sequence information. DeepProSite first generates protein structures from ESMFold and sequence representations from pretrained language models. It then uses Graph Transformer and formulates binding site predictions as graph node classifications. In predicting protein–protein/peptide binding sites, DeepProSite outperforms state-of-the-art sequence- and structure-based methods on most metrics. Moreover, DeepProSite maintains its performance when predicting unbound structures, in contrast to competing structure-based prediction methods. DeepProSite is also extended to the prediction of binding sites for nucleic acids and other ligands, verifying its generalization capability. Finally, an online server for predicting multiple types of residue is established as the implementation of the proposed DeepProSite.

Availability and implementation

The datasets and source codes can be accessed at https://github.com/WeiLab-Biology/DeepProSite. The proposed DeepProSite can be accessed at https://inner.wei-group.net/DeepProSite/.
Familial inference: tests for hypotheses on a family of centres
Authors: Thompson Ryan , Forbes Catherine S , MacEachern Steven N , Peruggia Mario
Published: November 2023

Statistical hypotheses are translations of scientific hypotheses into statements about one or more distributions, often concerning their centre. Tests that assess statistical hypotheses of centre implicitly assume a specific centre, e.g., the mean or median. Yet, scientific hypotheses do not always specify a particular centre. This ambiguity leaves the possibility for a gap between scientific theory and statistical practice that can lead to rejection of a true null. In the face of replicability crises in many scientific disciplines, significant results of this kind are concerning. Rather than testing a single centre, this paper proposes testing a family of plausible centres, such as that induced by the Huber loss function. Each centre in the family generates a testing problem, and the resulting family of hypotheses constitutes a familial hypothesis. A Bayesian nonparametric procedure is devised to test familial hypotheses, enabled by a novel pathwise optimization routine to fit the Huber family. The favourable properties of the new test are demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. Two examples from psychology serve as real-world case studies.
What do Hyperhidrosis Quality of Life Index (HidroQoL©) scores mean? Transferring science into practice by establishing a score banding system
Authors: Donhauser Theresa , Gabes Michaela , Özkan Ebru , Masur Clarissa , Kamudoni Paul , Salek Sam , Abels Christoph , Apfelbacher Christian
Published: November 2023

Background

The Hyperhidrosis Quality of Life Index (HidroQoL©) is a measure of quality of life (QoL) impacts in hyperhidrosis (HH).

Objectives

We aimed to establish score banding systems for the HidroQoL total score for specific contexts representing different severity/impact categories by using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS) as anchors, including data from 357 patients from a phase III clinical trial.

Methods

We used the HDSS, the established DLQI score bands and two single items (items 5 and 7) of the DLQI as anchors for the creation of banding systems for the HidroQoL. These anchors were chosen via consensus among an expert group according to relevance to patient experience. Due to the distribution of the HDSS and the single DLQI item 7, receiver operating characteristic curves were computed in order to create an optimal cut-off value of the HidroQoL total score. For the DLQI banding system and the single DLQI item 5, we created a banding system for the HidroQoL based on the distribution of their different categories.

Results

A score of 30 and greater is proposed as the cut-off value for sweating that ‘always interferes in daily activities’, based on the HDSS as anchor. In terms of overall skin QoL effects, score bands of 0–6, 7–18, 19–25, 26–32 and 33–36 represent ‘no effect’, ‘small effect’, ‘moderate effect’, ‘very large effect’ and ‘extremely large effect’ on the patient’s life, respectively.

Conclusions

In this study, we propose different banding systems for four different contexts: skin-specific QoL (DLQI banding), HH severity (HDSS), working and studying (single DLQI item 7) and social and leisure activities (single DLQI item 5). These banding systems and cut-off values can be used in clinical research and practice to place the patients in different severity categories.
Characterizing neurocognitive impairments in Parkinson’s disease with mobile EEG when walking and stepping over obstacles
Authors: Mustile Magda , Kourtis Dimitrios , Edwards Martin G , Ladouce Simon , Volpe Daniele , Pilleri Manuela , Pelosin Elisa , Learmonth Gemma , Donaldson David I , Ietswaart Magdalena
Published: November 2023

The neural correlates that help us understand the challenges that Parkinson’s patients face when negotiating their environment remain under-researched. This deficit in knowledge reflects the methodological constraints of traditional neuroimaging techniques, which include the need to remain still. As a result, much of our understanding of motor disorders is still based on animal models. Daily life challenges such as tripping and falling over obstacles represent one of the main causes of hospitalization for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Here, we report the neural correlates of naturalistic ambulatory obstacle avoidance in Parkinson’s disease patients using mobile EEG. We examined 14 medicated patients with Parkinson’s disease and 17 neurotypical control participants. Brain activity was recorded while participants walked freely, and while they walked and adjusted their gait to step over expected obstacles (preset adjustment) or unexpected obstacles (online adjustment) displayed on the floor. EEG analysis revealed attenuated cortical activity in Parkinson’s patients compared to neurotypical participants in theta (4–7 Hz) and beta (13–35 Hz) frequency bands. The theta power increase when planning an online adjustment to step over unexpected obstacles was reduced in Parkinson’s patients compared to neurotypical participants, indicating impaired proactive cognitive control of walking that updates the online action plan when unexpected changes occur in the environment. Impaired action planning processes were further evident in Parkinson’s disease patients’ diminished beta power suppression when preparing motor adaptation to step over obstacles, regardless of the expectation manipulation, compared to when walking freely. In addition, deficits in reactive control mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease compared to neurotypical participants were evident from an attenuated beta rebound signal after crossing an obstacle. Reduced modulation in the theta frequency band in the resetting phase across conditions also suggests a deficit in the evaluation of action outcomes in Parkinson’s disease. Taken together, the neural markers of cognitive control of walking observed in Parkinson’s disease reveal a pervasive deficit of motor–cognitive control, involving impairments in the proactive and reactive strategies used to avoid obstacles while walking. As such, this study identified neural markers of the motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease and revealed patients’ difficulties in adapting movements both before and after avoiding obstacles in their path.
Altered brain function in classical trigeminal neuralgia patients: ALFF, ReHo, and DC static- and dynamic-frequency study
Authors: Ge Xiuhong , Wang Luoyu , Yan Juncheng , Pan Lei , Ye Haiqi , Zhu Xiaofen , Feng Qi , Chen Bing , Du Quan , Yu Wenhua , Ding Zhongxiang
Published: November 2023

The present study aimed to clarify the brain function of classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) by analyzing 77 CTN patients and age- and gender-matched 73 healthy controls (HCs) based on three frequency bands of the static and dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, regional homogeneity, and degree centrality (sALFF, sReHo, sDC, dALFF, dReHo, and dDC). Compared to HCs, the number of altered brain regions was different in three frequency bands, and the classical frequency band was most followed by slow-4 in CTN patients. Cerrelellum_8_L (sReHo), Cerrelellum_8_R (sDC), Calcarine_R (sDC), and Caudate_R (sDC) were found only in classical frequency band, while Precuneus_L (sALFF) and Frontal_Inf_Tri_L (sReHo) were found only in slow-4 frequency band. Except for the above six brain regions, the others overlapped in the classical and slow-4 frequency bands. CTN seriously affects the mental health of patients, and some different brain regions are correlated with clinical parameters. The static and dynamic indicators of brain function were complementary in CTN patients, and the changing brain regions showed frequency specificity. Compared to slow-5 frequency band, slow-4 is more consistent with the classical frequency band, which could be valuable in exploring the pathophysiology of CTN.
Do Celebrity Endorsements Matter? A Twitter Experiment Promoting Vaccination in Indonesia
Authors: Alatas Vivi , Chandrasekhar Arun G , Mobius Markus , Olken Benjamin A , Paladines Cindy
Published: November 2023

Do celebrity endorsements matter? And if so, how can celebrities communicate effectively? We conduct a nationwide Twitter experiment in Indonesia promoting vaccination. Celebrity messages are 72% more likely to be passed on or liked than similar messages without a celebrity’s imprimatur. In total, 66% of the celebrity effect comes from authorship, compared to passing on messages. Citing external medical sources decreases retweets by 27%. Phone surveys show that those randomly exposed to messaging have fewer incorrect beliefs and report more vaccination among friends and neighbours. The results can inform public health campaigns and celebrity public service more generally.
A LlWRKY33-LlHSFA4-LlCAT2 module confers resistance to Botrytis cinerea in lily
Authors: Ding Liping , Wu Ze , Xiang Jun , Cao Xing , Xu Sujuan , Zhang Yinyi , Zhang Dehua , Teng Nianjun
Published: November 2023

Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is one of the major threats in lily production. However, limited information is available about the underlying defense mechanism against B. cinerea in lily. Here, we characterized a nuclear-localized class A heat stress transcription factor (HSF)-LlHSFA4 from lily (Lilium longiflorum), which positively regulated the response to B. cinerea infection. LlHSFA4 transcript and its promoter activity were increased by B. cinerea infection in lily, indicating its involvement in the response to B. cinerea. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of LlHSFA4 impaired the resistance of lily to B. cinerea. Consistent with its role in lily, overexpression of LlHSFA4 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) enhanced the resistance of transgenic Arabidopsis to B. cinerea infection. Further analysis showed that LlWRKY33 directly activated LlHSFA4 expression. We also found that both LlHSFA4 and LlWRKY33 positively regulated plant response to B. cinerea through reducing cell death and H2O2 accumulation and activating the expression of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzyme gene LlCAT2 (Catalase 2) by binding its prompter, which might contribute to reducing H2O2 accumulation in the infected area. Taken together, our data suggested that there may be a LlWRKY33-LlHSFA4-LlCAT2 regulatory module which confers B. cinerea resistance via reducing cell death and the ROS accumulation.
Serratia marcescens enzyme SME-2 isolated from sputum in New Zealand
Authors: Creighton Julie , Anderson Trevor , Howard Julia
Published: November 2023

Introduction

The Serratia marcescens enzymes (SMEs) are chromosomally encoded Ambler Class A carbapenem-hydrolysing β-lactamases, which distinctively express resistance to carbapenems while remaining susceptible to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Global reports of SMEs are infrequent. Here we describe the isolation of an SME-2-producing S. marcescens from the sputum of a patient who was hospitalized at Christchurch Hospital, New Zealand.

Methods

An immunosuppressed asthmatic patient who presented with shortness of breath and hypoxia grew S. marcescens from a sputum culture. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by Phoenix, with MICs of meropenem and imipenem determined by Liofilchem® MIC gradient strips and interpreted according to EUCAST breakpoints. Investigation for carbapenemase was performed using Carba NP, modified CIM (mCIM) and GeneXpert® Carba-R. WGS was performed using the Illumina DNA Prep library kit and sequenced using MiSeq.

Results

The isolate showed an unusual susceptibility profile, including high-level resistance to meropenem and imipenem, while remaining susceptible to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. The Carba NP and mCIM were positive and WGS demonstrated the presence of a blaSME-2 gene located on the chromosome within the SmarGI1-1 genomic island. In addition, a blaSRT-like class C β-lactamase, aac(6′)-Ic aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme and various multidrug efflux mechanisms were found. Phylogenetic core-genome analysis indicated no matching genome with RefSeq database strains.

Conclusions

S. marcescens is an opportunistic pathogen of concern, harbouring a variety of intrinsic resistance mechanisms, including the potential for stable AmpC hyperproduction. Globally, SME-type carbapenemases have been infrequently reported; however, isolates carrying this mechanism could have limited treated options, having implications for patient management. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of SME in New Zealand.
Tracking pregnant women’s mental health through social media: an analysis of reddit posts
Authors: Dhankar Abhishek , Katz Alan
Published: November 2023

Objectives

Present an artificial intelligence-enabled pipeline for estimating the prevalence of depression and general anxiety among pregnant women using texts from their social media posts. Use said pipeline to analyze mental health trends on subreddits frequented by pregnant women and report on interesting insights that could be helpful for policy-makers, clinicians, etc.

Materials and methods

We used pretrained transformer-based models to build a natural language processing pipeline that can automatically detect depressed pregnant women on social media and carry out topic modeling to detect their concerns.

Results

We detected depressed posts by pregnant women on Reddit and validated the performance of the depression classification model by carrying out topic modeling to reveal that depressive topics were detected. The proportion of potentially depressed surprisingly reduced during the pandemic (2020 and 2021). Queries related to antidepressants, such as Zoloft, and potential ways of managing mental health dominated discourse before the pandemic (2018 and 2019), whereas queries about pelvic pain and associated stress dominated the discourse during the pandemic.

Discussion and Conclusion

Supportive online communities could be a factor in alleviating stress related to the pandemic, hence the reduction in the proportion of depressed users during the pandemic. Stress during the pandemic has been associated with pelvic pain among pregnant women, and this trend is confirmed through topic modeling of depressive posts during the pandemic.
The smaller, the better? First evaluation of growth and mortality in crayfish internally tagged with p-Chips
Authors: Huber Augusto F , Fitzsimmons Wesley A , Westhoff Jacob T
Published: November 2023

Small-bodied aquatic animals present a challenge to researchers seeking to uniquely mark individuals for scientific study. Microtransponder tags, such as p-Chips, represent the smallest electronic animal tags available to meet this need. The use of p-Chips to tag freshwater crayfishes, however, has not been explored. The goal of this study, therefore, was to determine the effects of p-Chip tagging on growth and survival of crayfishes in a controlled laboratory environment. We also investigated potential influences from variables such as sex, reproductive form, number of molt events, and crayfish size on mortality. We internally tagged individuals of the woodland crayfish Faxonius hylas (Faxon, 1890) (12.2–26.6 mm carapace length; CL) with either one p-Chip (single-tag) or one p-Chip and one visual implant elastomer tag (double-tagged) and observed the effects over a period of 90 days. Survival probability over time was not statistically different (P > 0.05) among tagging groups, sex, and reproductive form. Survival rates were similar across all tagging groups, with 75% in the control group, 77% in the double-tagged group, and 78% in the single-tag group. A strong correlation, however, was observed between survival and the number of molt events. Additionally, there was a negative correlation between survival and crayfish size (CL), indicating a higher risk of mortality for larger individuals. There were no statistically significant differences in growth in CL (P = 0.30) or mass (P = 0.19) among the tagging groups. We conclude that p-Chips are a viable tagging option for the study of crayfishes given their size, readability, and retention through molting cycles. We recommend that future studies repeat this experiment using smaller individuals to determine the minimum crayfish size compatible with p-Chip tagging. It is also important to test p-Chips with other crayfish species and compare the growth and mortality of crayfish tagged with p-Chips in natural habitats.
In the Lyme light: individual trait determinants of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in Peromyscus mice
Authors: Yen Ivy , Gardner Allison , Mortelliti Alessio
Published: November 2023

Disease ecologists commonly use abiotic factors (e.g. temperature and moisture) or measures of biodiversity (e.g. species richness) to predict Lyme disease transmission patterns, but variance in infection probability among individuals within a population is poorly understood. Most studies assume intraspecific consistency, but recent evidence suggests that individual traits, such as animal personality, may drive differences in encounter rates with infected vectors and pathogen transmission probabilities through differential space use and microhabitat selection, leading to intraspecific variation in infection probability. In addition, because vectors and hosts are nonrandomly distributed across a landscape, land-use changes that modify key habitat features—such as forest management practices—may substantially alter associations between individual traits and infection probability. To address these gaps in our knowledge, we used a large-scale capture–mark–recapture study targeting Peromyscus mice in Maine, United States, to test whether personality drives probability of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in hosts within managed forest compartments with different silvicultural treatments. Specifically, we tested effects of individual phenotypic traits (physical and behavioral) and environmental traits (microhabitat and forest type) on infection probability within 2 species: P. leucopus and P. maniculatus. We found evidence that boldness negatively influences infection probability in P. maniculatus, and that body mass positively influences infection probability in both species. We found no effect of mouse density, microhabitat, or forest type in our analyses. These results suggest that personalities vary in their functional contributions to the natural cycle of B. burgdorferi, and that broader integration of behavioral diversity in disease ecology studies may aid in identifying key transmission zones for this rapidly expanding vector-borne zoonosis.
Kinematical coherence between satellite galaxies and host stellar discs for MaNGA and SAMI galaxies
Authors: Wang Sen , Xu Dandan , Lu Shengdong , Li Cheng
Published: November 2023

The effect of angular momentum on galaxy formation and evolution has been studied for several decades. Our recent two papers using IllustrisTNG-100 simulation have revealed the acquisition path of the angular momentum from large-scale environment (satellites within hundreds of kpc) through the circumgalactic medium (CGM) to the stellar discs, putting forward the co-rotation scenario across the three distance scales. In real observations, although the rotation signature for the CGM and environmental three-dimensional angular momentum are difficult to obtain, line-of-sight kinematics of group member galaxies and stellar disc kinematics of central galaxies are available utilizing existing group catalogue data and integral field unit (IFU) data. In this paper, we use (1) the group catalogue of SDSS DR7 and MaNGA IFU stellar kinematic maps and (2) the group catalogue of GAMA DR4 data and SAMI IFU stellar kinematic maps, to test if the prediction above can be seen in real data. We found the co-rotation pattern between stellar discs and satellites can be concluded with 99.7 per cent confidence level (∼3σ) when combining the two data sets. And the random tests show that the signal can be scarcely drawn from random distribution.
Data compression and inference in cosmology with self-supervised machine learning
Authors: Akhmetzhanova Aizhan , Mishra-Sharma Siddharth , Dvorkin Cora
Published: November 2023

The influx of massive amounts of data from current and upcoming cosmological surveys necessitates compression schemes that can efficiently summarize the data with minimal loss of information. We introduce a method that leverages the paradigm of self-supervised machine learning in a novel manner to construct representative summaries of massive data sets using simulation-based augmentations. Deploying the method on hydrodynamical cosmological simulations, we show that it can deliver highly informative summaries, which can be used for a variety of downstream tasks, including precise and accurate parameter inference. We demonstrate how this paradigm can be used to construct summary representations that are insensitive to prescribed systematic effects, such as the influence of baryonic physics. Our results indicate that self-supervised machine learning techniques offer a promising new approach for compression of cosmological data as well as its analysis.
High-energy neutrino-induced cascade from the direction of the flaring radio blazar TXS 0506 + 056 observed by Baikal-GVD in 2021
Authors: Allakhverdyan V A , Avrorin A D , Avrorin A V , Aynutdinov V M , Bardačová Z , Belolaptikov I A , Bondarev E A , Borina I V , Budnev N M , Chadymov V A , Chepurnov A S , Dik V Y , Domogatsky G V , Doroshenko A A , Dvornický R , Dyachok A N , Dzhilkibaev Zh-A M , Eckerová E , Elzhov T V , Fajt L , Fomin V N , Gafarov A R , Golubkov K V , Gorshkov N S , Gress T I , Kebkal K G , Kharuk I , Khramov E V , Kolbin M M , Koligaev S O , Konischev K V , Korobchenko A V , Koshechkin A P , Kozhin V A , Kruglov M V , Kulepov V F , Lemeshev Y E , Milenin M B , Mirgazov R R , Naumov D V , Nikolaev A S , Petukhov D P , Pliskovsky E N , Rozanov M I , Ryabov E V , Safronov G B , Seitova D , Shaybonov B A , Shelepov M D , Shilkin S D , Shirokov E V , Šimkovic F , Sirenko A E , Skurikhin A V , Solovjev A G , Sorokovikov M N , Štekl I , Stromakov A P , Suvorova O V , Tabolenko V A , Ulzutuev B B , Yablokova Y V , Zaborov D N , Zavyalov S I , Zvezdov D Y ,   (Baikal-GVD Collaboration), Erkenov A K , Kosogorov N A , Kovalev Yu A , Kovalev Y Y , Plavin A V , Popkov A V , Pushkarev A B , Semikoz D V , Sotnikova Y V , Troitsky S V
Published: November 2023

The existence of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos has been unambiguously demonstrated, but their sources remain elusive. IceCube reported an association of a 290-TeV neutrino with a gamma-ray flare of TXS 0506 + 056, an active galactic nucleus with a compact radio jet pointing to us. Later, radio-bright blazars were shown to be associated with IceCube neutrino events with high statistical significance. These associations remained unconfirmed with the data of independent experiments. Here, we report on the detection of a rare neutrino event with the estimated energy of 224 ± 75 TeV from the direction of TXS 0506 + 056 by the new Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (Baikal-GVD) in April 2021. This event is the highest energy cascade detected so far by the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope from a direction below horizon. The result supports previous suggestions that radio blazars in general, and TXS 0506 + 056 in particular, are the sources of high-energy neutrinos, and opens up the cascade channel for the neutrino astronomy.
Investigating the accelerated expansion of the Universe through updated constraints on viable f(R) models within the metric formalism
Authors: Ravi Kumar , Chatterjee Anirban , Jana Biswajit , Bandyopadhyay Abhijit
Published: November 2023

Modified theories of gravity encompass a class of f(R) models that seek to elucidate the observed late-time accelerated expansion of the universe. In this study, we examine a set of viable f(R) models (Hu–Sawicki: two cases, Satrobinsky, Tsujikawa, exponential and arcTanh models) in metric formalism, using recent cosmological data sets: type Ia supernovae data, cosmic chronometer observations, baryonic acoustic oscillations data, data from H ii starburst galaxies, local measurements of the Hubble parameter (H0), and cosmic microwave background radiation data. We re-parametrize the f(R) models using a distortion/deviation parameter (b) which is a measure of their deviation from the lambda-cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. Taking into account the ‘Hubble tension,’ we perform the study both with and without a Gaussian prior for H0 from local measurements, following the standard statistical procedures for constraining parameters and comparing models. Our findings are as follows: (i) in many cases the f(R) models are strongly favoured over the standard ΛCDM model, (ii) the deviation parameter (b) significantly deviates from zero in several cases, (iii) the inclusion of local H0 not only increases the fitted value of H0 (as expected) but also affects the gap between predictions of f(R) models and the ΛCDM model, and (iv) the relevant quantities characterizing the (accelerated) expansion of the universe such as transition redshift and the equations-of-state parameters, obtained in our models, are consistent with those obtained in a model-independent way by others. Our investigation and results present a compelling case for pursuing further research on f(R) models with future observations to come.
Geographic differences in the diet and isotopic niche of Octopus hubbsorum (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in the Mexican Pacific
Authors: Mazariegos-Villarreal Alejandra , Chávez-Pillado Andrea Grissel , León-Cisneros Karla , Granados-Amores Jasmín , Acosta-Pachón Tatiana A , Medina-López Marco Antonio , Serviere-Zaragoza Elisa
Published: November 2023

Octopus hubbsorum is an important fisheries resource in the Mexican Pacific and a link among different trophic levels due to its ecological role as both predator and prey. In this study, the spatial variations in the diet, isotopic niche and trophic position of O. hubbsorum were determined by analysing digestive contents along with carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Octopuses were sampled from four locations, three in the Gulf of California ecoregion and one in the Mexican Pacific transition ecoregion. The diet of O. hubbsorum consisted of 11 major taxonomic groups. Crustaceans were the most important prey, although some individuals consumed high proportions of polychaetes, eggs and cephalopods. The stable isotope values showed high variation (−15.86 to −13.76‰ δ13C; 14.80–17.23‰ δ15N), reflecting signals of the base of the food web at the four locations. Differences in trophic positions and isotopic niches confirm the role of this species as a generalist predator, as it can shift among alternate food sources according to local availability. Overall, our results suggest that O. hubbsorum has a similar ecological role at all locations as a predator of crustaceans and, to a lesser extent, of molluscs and fish.