bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serum heme oxygenase‐1 level predicts clinical outcome after acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Wang Huan , Cui Ting , Chen Yaqi , Chen Mingxi , Zhang Shihong , Leng Xinyi , Wang Deren
Published: March 2024

Aims

The relationship between heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) and human ischemic stroke outcome remains unclear, which was investigated in this study.

Methods

Acute ischemic stroke patients admitted within 24 h were enrolled. Serum HO‐1 levels at baseline were measured via ELISA. Poor 3‐month functional outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 3–6. Multivariable‐adjusted binary logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were employed to examine association between serum HO‐1 and functional outcome. HO‐1's additive prognostic utility was assessed by net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).

Results

Of 194 eligible patients, 79 (40.7%) developed poor functional outcomes at 3‐month follow‐up. The highest quartile of serum HO‐1 was independently associated with a lower risk of poor functional outcome (adjusted OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04–0.45; p = 0.001) compared with the lowest HO‐1 category. The relationship between higher HO‐1 levels and reduced risk of poor functional outcome was linear and dose responsive (p = 0.002 for linearity). Incorporating HO‐1 into the analysis with conventional factors significantly improved reclassification for poor functional outcomes (NRI = 41.2%, p = 0.004; IDI = 5.0%, p = 0.004).

Conclusions

Elevated serum HO‐1 levels at baseline were independently associated with improved 3‐month functional outcomes post‐ischemic stroke. Serum HO‐1 measurement may enhance outcome prediction beyond conventional clinical factors.
Testing for concordance between predicted species richness, past prioritization, and marine protected area designations in the western Indian Ocean
Authors: McClanahan Tim R. , Friedlander Alan M. , Wickel Julien , Graham Nicholas A. J. , Bruggemann J. Henrich , Guillaume Mireille M. M. , Chabanet P. , Porter Sean , Schleyer Michael H. , Azali M. Kodia , Muthiga N. A.
Published: March 2024

Scientific advances in environmental data coverage and machine learning algorithms have improved the ability to make large‐scale predictions where data are missing. These advances allowed us to develop a spatially resolved proxy for predicting numbers of tropical nearshore marine taxa. A diverse marine environmental spatial database was used to model numbers of taxa from ∼1000 field sites, and the predictions were applied to all 7039 6.25‐km2 reef cells in 9 ecoregions and 11 nations of the western Indian Ocean. Our proxy for total numbers of taxa was based on the positive correlation (r2 = 0.24) of numbers of taxa of hard corals and 5 highly diverse reef fish families. Environmental relationships indicated that the number of fish species was largely influenced by biomass, nearness to people, governance, connectivity, and productivity and that coral taxa were influenced mostly by physicochemical environmental variability. At spatial delineations of province, ecoregion, nation, and strength of spatial clustering, we compared areas of conservation priority based on our total species proxy with those identified in 3 previous priority‐setting reports and with the protected area database. Our method identified 119 locations that fit 3 numbers of taxa (hard coral, fish, and their combination) and 4 spatial delineations (nation, ecoregion, province, and reef clustering) criteria. Previous publications on priority setting identified 91 priority locations of which 6 were identified by all reports. We identified 12 locations that fit our 12 criteria and corresponded with 3 previously identified locations, 65 that aligned with at least 1 past report, and 28 that were new locations. Only 34% of the 208 marine protected areas in this province overlapped with identified locations with high numbers of predicted taxa. Differences occurred because past priorities were frequently based on unquantified perceptions of remoteness and preselected priority taxa. Our environment–species proxy and modeling approach can be considered among other important criteria for making conservation decisions.
Safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of anti‐IL‐4Rα antibody SHR‐1819 in healthy subjects: A randomized, controlled phase I study
Authors: Li Na , Shakib Sepehr , Qian Weilin , Yao Xiaoyan , Li Puyuan , Nip Tsz Keung , Bai Xiaoyan , Shen Kai
Published: March 2024

SHR‐1819 is a novel anti‐IL‐4Rα monoclonal antibody currently under clinical development for use in patients with type 2 inflammatory diseases. In this randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, single‐dose escalation phase I trial, we evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of SHR‐1819 in healthy subjects. Subjects received a single subcutaneous injection of SHR‐1819 or placebo, with dose escalation starting at 60 mg and subsequently increasing to 120, 240, 360, and 720 mg. A total of 42 eligible subjects were randomized, and 33 received SHR‐1819 (1 subject in the 60 mg cohort and 8 subjects each in the 120, 240, 360 , and 720 mg cohorts) and 9 received placebo. SHR‐1819 was well‐tolerated, with the majority of adverse events being mild in severity. The exposure of SHR‐1819 increased in a manner greater than proportionally with a dose range of 120 to 720 mg. The median Tmax was within 4–7 days (60–720 mg), and the mean half‐life ranged from 2.88 to 5.97 days (120–720 mg). The clearance rate of SHR‐1819 exhibited a decrease with increasing dose level. Administration of SHR‐1819 resulted in a certain degree of reduction in the percentage change from baseline in concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers TARC/CCL17 and IgE, while the reduction of TARC/CCL17 concentrations showed a dose‐dependent trend. More than half of the total subjects treated with SHR‐1819 were reported antidrug antibody‐negative. The preliminary data from this phase I study support further development of SHR‐1819 for the treatment of type 2 inflammatory diseases.
A bibliometric analysis of the evolving mechanisms of shadow education research
Authors: Jun Li , Weilin Wang
Published: March 2024

Shadow education has burgeoned into a global phenomenon, and over the last 30 years, a substantial body of literature has emerged to explore this trend. Drawing on bibliometric data from 377 articles retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS), this study investigates the evolving landscape of shadow education research. It examines historical publication trends through performance analysis, intellectual sources and evolving themes using co‐citation analysis, complemented by co‐word analysis. Major authors and collaboration dynamics are discerned through co‐authorship analysis, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of collaborative networks. Additionally, the study constructs an evolution path for shadow education research published in journals, employing citation analysis supplemented by social network analysis methods. In conclusion, the study not only illuminates the historical trajectory of shadow education as a concept but also poses pertinent questions and offers recommendations for future research. Our research significantly contributes to the comprehension of how shadow education has evolved from a nascent concept into a global research discourse.
Predicting word vectors for microtext
Authors: Chaturvedi Iti , Satapathy Ranjan , Lynch Curtis , Cambria Erik
Published: March 2024

The use of computer‐mediated communication has resulted in a new form of written text called Microtext, which is very different from well‐written text. Most previous approaches deal with microtext at the character level rather than just words resulting in increased processing time. In this paper, we propose to transform static word vectors to dynamic form by modelling the effect of neighbouring words and their sentiment strength in the AffectiveSpace. To evaluate the approach, we crawled Tweets from diverse topics and human annotation was used to label their sentiments. We also normalized the tweets to fix phonetic variations, spelling errors, and abbreviations manually. A total of 1432 out‐of‐vocabulary (OOV) texts and their IV texts made it to the final corpus with their corresponding polarity. To assess the quality of the corpus, we used several OOV classifiers such as linear regression and observed over 90% accuracy. Next, we inferred word vectors using a novel four‐gram model based on sentiment intensity and reported accuracy on both open domain and closed domain sentiment classifiers. We observed an improvement in the range of 4–20 on Twitter, Movie and Airline reviews over baselines.
Scale morphology is a promising, additional tool for exploring the taxonomy and ecology of freshwater fishes
Authors: Bánó Bálint , Bolotovskiy Aleksey , Levin Boris , Mattox George M. T. , Cetra Mauricio , Czeglédi István , Takács Péter
Published: March 2024

It has long been recognized that presence–absence, localisation, size, number and shape of fish scales can be important taxonomic features. Although there are some notes on the relationship between scale morphology and ecological needs, in the absence of a sufficiently large and detailed database, the morphological variability of fish scales and the factors responsible for this variability have not yet been explored in detail. For this reason, a database—which contains the shape and relative size data of 193 freshwater fish taxa of 14 orders, originated from five biogeographic realms—has been built. Database analyses showed that both the scale shape and relative size are proper taxonomic indicators. They can be used to separate higher taxonomic categories (e.g., orders), and by the simultaneous analysis of shape and size scale morphology, we showed increased sensitivity for species‐level detachments. Our results suggest that while both the shape and the size of the fish scales are genetically determined, they are also useful descriptors of the niche segregation (habitat use, flow preference) of close relative species. Scale morphology is a promising additional tool to specify the environmental preferences of lesser known or close relative recent and extinct fish species. And also can be of great help in such cases when only the scales are available for taxonomic identification, for example, in the research field of archaeology and palaeontology.
Low temperature fabrication of highly dense α‐Si3N4 ceramics
Authors: Du Songmo , Zhang Jie , Li Fei , Chen Zhanglin , Zhang Shijia , Zhao Shuo , Zhao Dengke , Fan Binbin , Chen Kexin , Liu Guanghua
Published: March 2024

Highly dense α‐silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics were densified at a lower temperature of 1450°C under a moderate mechanical pressure of 50 MPa from commercial α‐Si3N4 powder and with conventional Al2O3–Y2O3 sintering additives. The fabricated α‐Si3N4 ceramics exhibited a hardness of 19 GPa, which is higher than that of the β‐Si3N4 ceramics usually obtained. The effect of sintering temperature and sintering pressure in the liquid phase sintering of the α‐Si3N4 ceramics is studied. The role of the dissolution–reprecipitation process and the particle rearrangement during densification of the α‐Si3N4 ceramics is discussed.
Stock market liberalization and management earnings forecasts: Evidence from a quasi‐experiment in China
Authors: Huang Jianqiao , Deng Yilu , Jiu Lili
Published: March 2024

This study examines the impact of Chinese stock market liberalization on the quality of firms' information disclosures. Although previous studies have explored the economic outcomes of stock market liberalization, little is known about its impact on the quality of management earnings forecasts. We treat China's Stock Connect program as a quasi‐experiment and draw data from Chinese A‐share‐listed companies from 2012 to 2017. Using a staggered difference‐in‐difference model, we find that eligible firms issue more accurate earnings forecasts after implementation of the Connect program compared with ineligible firms. Our mechanism analyses show that the positive effect is more pronounced for firms with initially opaque information environment and higher ex ante agency costs, suggesting that market liberalization facilitates higher‐opaque firms to issue more accurate earnings forecasts to meet the information demand from foreign investors, and facilitates monitoring in firms with weak internal governance, thereby improving earnings forecasts quality.
Impact of the emotional development approach on psychotropic medication in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a retrospective clinical analysis
Authors: Barrett B. F. , Wehmeyer M. , Kolb J. , Ostermann T. , Sappok T.
Published: March 2024

Background

Compared with the general population, adults with an intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) are more likely to develop mental health problems and to receive high levels of psychotropic medication, particularly antipsychotics. The emotional development (ED) approach may help to better understand the nature of challenging behaviour (CB) and tailor treatment and support accordingly. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the impact of the ED approach on the prescription of psychotropic medication during inpatient psychiatric treatment.

Methods

The clinical data of 1758 patients were analysed within a retrospective study design over a period of 12 years. ED level was assessed (1) for the first time (INITIAL‐SEO), (2) during a previous hospital stay (PAST‐SEO) or (3) not at all (NO‐SEO). The effects of the ED assessment and the respective intervention during the current admission on the number of psychotropics and the number and dosage of antipsychotics were analysed for the total sample, including those with CB, autism spectrum disorders and psychosis. Group differences were analysed by a chi‐square test and a one‐factorial analysis of variance. For analysing the impact of the application of the ED approach on psychotropic medication, a covariance model was applied. Changes between the subsamples were analysed by t‐tests for dependent samples.

Results

The ED approach had a significant impact on reducing the overall amount of psychotropic medication and the dosage of antipsychotics in all patients with IDD. These effects were mainly attributable to those showing CB. In patients with autism spectrum disorders, the developmental approach reduced the number of antipsychotics. No effects could be observed in patients with psychosis; in this subsample, both the number and dosage of antipsychotics increased.

Conclusions

The application of the ED approach in the current hospital stay reduced the number of psychotropic drugs and the number and dosage of antipsychotics, especially in those patients with IDD and CB, but also in those with autism spectrum disorders.
Evaluation of novel cosmetic shampoo formulations against Malassezia species: Preliminary results of anti‐dandruff shampoo formulations
Authors: Ergin Çağrı , Kurt Özgür , Türkoğlu Murat , Sevinç Hakan , Akbaba Göknur
Published: March 2024

Objectives

Malassezia species are common, clinically relevant, and lipid‐dependent yeasts of humans. They are also the leading causes of the dandruff problem of humans, and the azoles are used primarily in their topical and systemic treatment. Resistance to azoles is an emerging problem among Malassezia sp., which indicates the need of new drug assessments that will be effective against dandruff and limit the use of azoles and other agents in treatment. Among them, the efficacy of various combinations of piroctone olamine and climbazole against Malassezia sp. is highly important. Here, we assessed the efficacies of various piroctone olamine and climbazole formulations against Malassezia sp. in comparison with ketoconazole.

Methods

A total of nine formulations were included in the study, where each formulation was prepared from different concentrations of piroctone olamine and climbazole and both. All formulations contained the same ingredients as water, surfactants, hair conditioning agents, and preservatives. Malassezia furfur CBS1878, Malassezia globosa CBS7874, and Malassezia sympodialis CBS9570 were tested for antifungal susceptibility of each formulation by agar diffusion method. Sizes of the inhibition zones were compared with standard medical shampoo containing 2% ketoconazole, and the data were analyzed by Dunnett's multiple‐comparison test.

Results

For all Malassezia sp. strains, climbazole 0.5% and piroctone olamine/climbazole (0.1%/0.1% and 0.1%/0.5%) combinations were found to have the same effect as the medical shampoo containing 2% ketoconazole. Piroctone olamine/climbazole 1.0%/0.1% formulation showed the same efficacy as 2% ketoconazole on M. furfur and M. sympodialis, while 0.1%/0.5% formulation to only M. furfur. For M. globosa, none of the formulations tested were as effective as ketoconazole.

Conclusion

The species distribution of Malassezia sp. varies depending on the anatomical location on the host. According to the results of this study, climbazole and piroctone olamine combinations seem to be promising options against the dandruff problem with their high antifungal/anti dandruff efficacy.
Price effects of commodity financialization: Review of the evidence
Authors: Kupabado Moses Mananyi , Kaehler Juergen
Published: March 2024

Following the 2007/2008 financial crisis, the price effects of commodity financialization have become an important research topic. We review the empirical evidence, focusing on statistical approaches and econometric models, and find that (1) Granger‐causality tests are unable to establish a relationship between commodity futures prices and funds of financial investors, implying a lack of evidence that financialization influences commodity futures prices and (2) studies that use correlation and price spread analysis mostly report evidence of a significant price effect of financialization. Thus, the statistical and econometric approaches adopted by the various studies influence the empirical findings. In addition, data identification may have an impact since economic models and statistical techniques can be sensitive to slight differences in the dataset. Our study of the literature shows that the definition of financialization is open‐ended and ambiguous. A theoretical literature review on financialization could be the logical next step.
Phasic Dissonance, Timbral Contrast: Analysing 20th‐Century Guitar Harmonies with Discrete Fourier Transform
Authors: Chandler Oliver , Thorneycroft Isabella
Published: March 2024

One of the six‐string classical guitar's most distinctive features is its unbalanced timbre. That is to say, only four pitches of the chromatic aggregate are overtonally supported by the resonances of the guitar's three bass strings. A common pitch‐ and structure‐generating strategy, exploited by twentieth‐century composers who wrote for the guitar, is bound up with this affordance. Local and global harmonic contrasts are often built around an antagonism between open‐string sets and fretted harmonies that largely avoid duplicating notes associated with the open strings. Open‐string/fretted binaries derive their sonic antagonism not just from timbral distinction, however, but from the fact that their pitch materials often lie at diametrically opposed positions on the circle of fifths. In many instances, this colouristic conflict replaces harmonic‐functional tension as a structure‐generating agent; the latter is reduced to a surface‐level topic. Representative works by Frank Martin and Leo Brouwer are taken as exemplifications of this trend.

In demonstrating the subtle interactions between instrumental affordance and abstract pitch relationships and hierarchies, an invaluable theoretical approach developed by Ian Quinn and finessed by Jason Yust entails the study of harmonic quality through the discrete Fourier transform. This mathematical formula has been processed into an easy‐to‐use but powerful web application by Jennifer Harding – the Pitch Class DFT Vector Calculator – making its explanatory power available to music analysts without mathematical expertise. Part of the raison d’être of this article is to show how this application might be used and, more important, how the information that it yields might be interpreted.
The large‐scale restoration of fire and water regimes in Everglades National Park reveal little change in plant diversity along an elevational gradient
Authors: Schneider Owen , Crandall Raelene M. , Baiser Benjamin
Published: March 2024

Quantifying the response of plant diversity to large‐scale restoration is essential for measuring management success. One of the world's largest restoration efforts began in 2000 in the Everglades ecosystem in Florida, United States, through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. In coordination with ongoing fire management, this restoration effort aims to restore natural hydrologic and fire regimes in this dynamic ecosystem. Restored water and fire regimes in the Everglades interact along an elevational gradient between seasonally inundated marl prairie and frequently burned pine rockland on Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park. To determine the impact of management on plant community richness and composition, we resampled transects spanning the elevational gradient between marl prairie and pine rockland initially sampled prior to the implementation of current restoration efforts (circa 1997–1999). We measured percent plant cover and developed generalized linear mixed models to determine the effects of fire frequency, average water depth, and elevation on plant species richness and composition across the two time periods. Additionally, we used species‐level random effects to examine how individual species respond to each environmental variable. We failed to detect any systematic shifts in plant composition in response to fire and water management. However, we found that complex interactions between fire and water structure plant composition and maximize species richness along gradients of water depth and elevation, with low, moderate, and high burn frequencies increasing richness in wet, moderately wet, and dry sites, respectively.
Spatio‐temporal patterns of tick‐borne disease diagnoses in Indiana, USA (2009–2018)
Authors: Omodior Oghenekaro , Anderson Kristina R. , Blekking Jordan , Nicholas Kaukis
Published: March 2024

Aims

Although tick‐borne disease (TBD) incidence has increased in the United States (U.S.) in the past decade, new evidence suggests that notifiable diseases surveillance records may not accurately reflect the true magnitude of TBD diagnoses. Furthermore, while regional electronic health records (EHR) are readily accessible their potential use as a more stable and consistent source of TBD diagnoses data has remained largely unexplored.

Methods and Results

In this study, we used EHR from a database of more than 100 hospitals, healthcare networks, and insurance providers in Indiana, U.S., to better understand incidence, spatio‐temporal and demographic distribution of TBD Diagnoses from 2009–2018. Our results revealed that in Indiana, from 2009 to 2018, there were 5173 unique TBD Diagnoses across three diagnoses categories: Lyme disease (72.5%, n = 3751), Rickettsioses (12.0%, n = 623) and Other TBD Diagnoses (15.4%, n = 799). Using EHR, the average yearly Lyme disease diagnoses was more than double the cases obtained using notifiable disease surveillance data for the same period. Patients with a TBD Diagnoses were generally older (ages 45–59) and less racially diverse (96.3% white). Rickettsiosis diagnoses were reported more among male patients (55.2%), while Lyme disease diagnoses were higher among female patients (57.1%). Temporal data illustrated higher frequencies of diagnoses from May to July. Hot spot analysis identified a Lyme disease hot spot in northwest Indiana, while hotspots of Rickettsiosis and Other TBD Diagnoses category were identified in southwest Indiana. Extrapolated to the Indiana population, chi‐squared (χ2) tests of independence revealed that the observed distribution of TBD diagnoses in our data was significantly different from the expected distribution in the Indiana population‐based race, gender and age groups.

Conclusions

Our study findings demonstrate that in Indiana, EHR provide a stable data source for elucidating TBD disease burden and for monitoring spatio‐temporal trends in TBD diagnoses.
Implementation of a national monitoring programme of Campylobacter in Irish broilers to measure progress of on‐farm and primary processing control measures
Authors: Golden Olwen , Gutierrez Montserrat , O'Flaherty Joseph , Unger Kilian , Doyle Bernadette , Keogh Tara , McLernon Joanne , Pearce Rachel , O'Brien Tony , Byrne William
Published: March 2024

Background

Campylobacter is the most common food‐borne pathogen in the European Union. In 2018, the crude incidence rate in Ireland was 63.6 per 100,000 population. Chicken is considered an important source of infection for humans. In 2015, the Campylobacter Stakeholders' Group (CSG) was established to reduce Campylobacter contamination levels in Irish broiler flocks.

Aims

This work aimed to describe the Campylobacter monitoring programme that was established by the CSG, to analyse the results of this testing between 2019 and 2022, and to assess progress.

Methods and Results

This paper describes the monitoring programme that was established by the CSG, which harmonized Campylobacter enumeration testing across all Irish broiler processors and allowed comparability of results for trend analysis. An analysis of the 2019–2022 data is presented here and compared to previous studies of Campylobacter levels in Irish broilers. An analysis of the 2019–2022 data showed a significant reduction in levels in both caeca and neck skin when the results from 2022 were compared to those from 2019 to 2020. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 37% of caecal samples from first depopulation (pre‐thin) broilers and 30% of neck skin samples in 2022, with just 4% of carcases (in neck skin samples) with ≥1000 colony‐forming units per gram detected in 2022. Campylobacter levels detected in Irish broilers, in the present monitoring programme were less than those reported in previous studies in both caecal and carcase samples, although not directly comparable for statistical significance because of differences in study methods.

Conclusions

The cooperation between stakeholders and regulators of the Irish broiler chicken industry over the past decade has facilitated a coordinated approach to monitoring of Campylobacter levels in broilers, and implementation of control measures. This has enabled a steady reduction in the levels of Campylobacter in Irish chicken.
Developing an Assessment Battery to Measure Exposure to Police Brutality on Social Media Among Black Adolescents
Authors: McLeroy Amanda , Chen Yudan , Boxell Oliver
Published: March 2024

This study aims to investigate the impact of police brutality exposure on social media among Black adolescents, recognizing its profound influence on attitudes and perceptions. The research developed the PBE-SM self-report assessment battery through an iterative process, involving qualitative interviews and cognitive assessments with Black first-year college students. The battery comprises five instruments, each probing specific time frames to capture the dynamic nature of social media exposure. For each instrument, all ten items were submitted to an exploratory factor analysis, revealing distinct structures, and providing psychometric evidence of construct validity and the utility of a multifaceted approach in understanding how perceptions evolve over time. The study emphasizes the practical applications of PBE-SM for researchers, educators, and counselors. It facilitates real-time monitoring of Black adolescents' exposure, aiding counselors in recognizing periods of heightened exposure and guiding stress management. Educators can use the tool for positive social media integration in academic settings. While limited to Black college undergraduates, future research aims to establish external validity across diverse demographics. In conclusion, PBE-SM represents an innovative tool for comprehending and addressing the psychological well-being of Black adolescents amidst prevalent exposure to police brutality on social media.
Role of arm reaching movement kinematics in friction perception at initial contact with smooth surfaces
Authors: Afzal Naqash , du Bois de Dunilac Sophie , Loutit Alastair J. , Shea Helen O. , Ulloa Pablo Martinez , Khamis Heba , Vickery Richard M. , Wiertlewski Michaël , Redmond Stephen J. , Birznieks Ingvars
Published: March 2024

When manipulating objects, humans begin adjusting their grip force to friction within 100 ms of contact. During motor adaptation, subjects become aware of the slipperiness of touched surfaces. Previously, we have demonstrated that humans cannot perceive frictional differences when surfaces are brought in contact with an immobilised finger, but can do so when there is submillimeter lateral displacement or subjects actively make the contact movement. Similarly, in, we investigated how humans perceive friction in the absence of intentional exploratory sliding or rubbing movements, to mimic object manipulation interactions. We used a two‐alternative forced‐choice paradigm in which subjects had to reach and touch one surface followed by another, and then indicate which felt more slippery. Subjects correctly identified the more slippery surface in 87 ± 8% of cases (mean ± SD; n = 12). Biomechanical analysis of finger pad skin displacement patterns revealed the presence of tiny (<1 mm) localised slips, known to be sufficient to perceive frictional differences. We tested whether these skin movements arise as a result of natural hand reaching kinematics. The task was repeated with the introduction of a hand support, eliminating the hand reaching movement and minimising fingertip movement deviations from a straight path. As a result, our subjects’ performance significantly declined (66 ± 12% correct, mean ± SD; n = 12), suggesting that unrestricted reaching movement kinematics and factors such as physiological tremor, play a crucial role in enhancing or enabling friction perception upon initial contact.

image

Key points

More slippery objects require a stronger grip to prevent them from slipping out of hands.

Grip force adjustments to friction driven by tactile sensory signals are largely automatic and do not necessitate cognitive involvement; nevertheless, some associated awareness of grip surface slipperiness under such sensory conditions is present and helps to select a safe and appropriate movement plan.

When gripping an object, tactile receptors provide frictional information without intentional rubbing or sliding fingers over the surface. However, we have discovered that submillimeter range lateral displacement might be required to enhance or enable friction sensing.

The present study provides evidence that such small lateral movements causing localised partial slips arise and are an inherent part of natural reaching movement kinematics.
NOx Emission Predictions in Gas Turbines Through Integrated Data-Driven Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Hoque Kazi Ekramul , Hossain Tahiya , Haque ABM Mominul , Miah Md. Abdul Karim , Haque Md Azazul
Published: March 2024

The reduction of NOx emissions is a paramount endeavor in contemporary engineering and energy production, as these emissions are closely linked to adverse environmental and health impacts. The prediction of NOx emission from gas turbines through several integrated data-driven machine learning methods has been evaluated in study. The study compares the performance of ensemble and conventional machine learning models, demonstrating superior accuracy achieved by the ensemble models. Specifically, the Random Forest model achieved an accuracy rate of 91.68%, XGBoost yielded an accuracy of 91.54%, and CATBoost exhibited the highest accuracy at 92.76%. These findings highlight the capability of data-driven machine learning techniques in enhancing NOx emission predictions in gas turbines. The improved prediction by ensembles can be utilized in the development and implementation of more effective control and mitigation strategies in practical applications. Through the application of these advanced machine learning approaches, the gas turbine industry can play a pivotal role in minimizing its environmental impact while optimizing operational efficiency. This study also provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of ensemble machine learning models, advancing our understanding of their capabilities in addressing the critical issue of NOx emissions from gas turbines.
Identifying network topologies via quantum walk distributions
Authors: Benedetti Claudia , Gianani Ilaria
Published: March 2024

Control and characterization of networks are paramount steps in the development of many quantum technologies. Even for moderate-sized networks, this amounts to exploring an extremely vast parameter space in search for the couplings defining the network topology. Here, we explore the use of a genetic algorithm to retrieve the topology of a network from the measured probability distribution obtained from the evolution of a continuous-time quantum walk on the network. We show that we can successfully retrieve the topology of different networks with efficiencies above 70% in all the examined scenarios and that the algorithm is capable of efficiently retrieving the required information even in the presence of noise.
Computational study and ion diffusion analyses of native defects and indium alloying in β-Ga2O3 structures
Authors: Martins Nathan Rabelo , de Campos Viana Luiz Augusto Ferreira , das Graças Santos Alan Antônio , Borges Daiane Damasceno , Welch Eric , Borges Pablo Damasceno , Scolfaro Luisa
Published: March 2024

Wide band gap semiconductors like gallium oxide are promising materials for high-power optoelectronic device applications. We show here a combined density functional theory and molecular dynamics study of diffusion pathways for different defects in β-Ga2O3. Molecular dynamics simulations result in a smaller equilibrium volume compared to density functional theory, but the overall lattice remains relatively unchanged even with the inclusion of defects, outside of the local distortions that occur to accommodate the presence of a defect. Slight thermal expansion occurs with elevated temperature and a combination of electron localization function and Bader charge analysis reveals that the oxygen interstitial is the most mobile defect as temperature is increased. However, interstitial cations may diffuse at elevated temperature due to a relatively small amount of charge transfer between the defect and lattice. The mobile oxygen defects are shown to increase the mobility of oxygen ions from the lattice, which can be beneficial for electrochemical applications when controlled through annealing processes.
Strengthen the case for DEI
Authors: Malcom Shirley
Published: March 2024

Three years ago, addressing racial justice in the United States moved firmly into the mainstream. Following the murder of George Floyd, the ongoing struggle for social justice was again laid bare, and pledges to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) began sprouting everywhere. Now, the pendulum is swinging back on these commitments. A backlash against DEI initiatives is rising across all sectors, especially at the state level. Last year’s decision by the US Supreme Court to strike down the consideration of students’ racial status in college admissions has emboldened many who oppose any advancement of DEI. Although there has been specific attention to higher education, other sectors have also been attacked. The retreat includes recent anti-DEI legislation that would affect structures, programs, practices, and curricula that aim to support success for all, including persons who have been historically excluded from or marginalized within science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Before this backlash worsens, DEI advocates, the scientific community, universities, and federal agencies need to collectively call out the dangers of setting aside DEI and come up with robust ways to demonstrate its value to society.
Massive RNA sequencing effort proposed
Authors: Pennisi Elizabeth
Published: March 2024

U.S. plan would harness the “RNome” for medicine and more—but funding is uncertain
West Virginia OKs intelligent design in schools
Authors: Mervis Jeffrey
Published: March 2024

Governor signs bill allowing teachers to discuss antievolutionary “theories”
Population-specific variations in
KCNH2
predispose patients to delayed ventricular repolarization upon dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine therapy
Authors: Camara Mahamadou D. , Zhou Yitian , Dara Antoine , Tékété Mamadou M. , Nóbrega de Sousa Taís , Sissoko Sékou , Dembélé Laurent , Ouologuem Nouhoun , Hamidou Togo Amadou , Alhousseini Mohamed L. , Fofana Bakary , Sagara Issaka , Djimde Abdoulaye A. , Gil Pedro J. , Lauschke Volker M.
Published: March 2024

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine is efficacious for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria and its use is increasing globally. Despite the positive results in fighting malaria, inhibition of the Kv11.1 channel (hERG; encoded by the
KCNH2
gene) by piperaquine has raised concerns about cardiac safety. Whether genetic factors could modulate the risk of piperaquine-mediated QT prolongations remained unclear. Here, we first profiled the genetic landscape of
KCNH2
variability using data from 141,614 individuals. Overall, we found 1,007 exonic variants distributed over the entire gene body, 555 of which were missense. By optimizing the gene-specific parametrization of 16 partly orthogonal computational algorithms, we developed a
KCNH2
-specific ensemble classifier that identified a total of 116 putatively deleterious missense variations. To evaluate the clinical relevance of
KCNH2
variability, we then sequenced 293 Malian patients with uncomplicated malaria and identified 13 variations within the voltage sensing and pore domains of Kv11.1 that directly interact with channel blockers. Cross-referencing of genetic and electrocardiographic data before and after piperaquine exposure revealed that carriers of two common variants, rs1805121 and rs41314375, experienced significantly higher QT prolongations (ΔQTc of 41.8 ms and 61 ms, respectively, vs 14.4 ms in controls) with more than 50% of carriers having increases in QTc >30 ms. Furthermore, we identified three carriers of rare population-specific variations who experienced clinically relevant delayed ventricular repolarization. Combined, our results map population-scale genetic variability of
KCNH2
and identify genetic biomarkers for piperaquine-induced QT prolongation that could help to flag at-risk patients and optimize efficacy and adherence to antimalarial therapy.
Efficient markerless genetic manipulation of
Pasteurella multocida
using
lacZ
and
pheS
m as selection markers
Authors: Jiang Jinfei , Zhao Yishan , Chen Aihua , Sun Juan , Zhou Mengruo , Hu Jialian , Cao Xuewei , Dai Ning , Liang Zhaoping , Feng Saixiang
Published: March 2024

Pasteurella multocida
is a zoonotic conditional pathogen that infects multiple livestock species, causing substantial economic losses in the animal husbandry industry. An efficient markerless method for gene manipulation may facilitate the investigations of
P. multocida
gene function and pathogenesis of
P. multocida
. Herein, a temperature-sensitive shuttle vector was constructed using
lacZ
as a selection marker, and markerless
glgB
,
opa
, and
hyaE
mutants of
P. multocida
were subsequently constructed through blue–white colony screening. The screening efficiency of markerless deletion strains was improved by the
lacZ
system, and the method could be used for multiple gene deletions. However, the
fur
mutant was unavailable via this method. Therefore, we constructed a
pheS
m screening system based on mutated phenylalanine tRNA synthetase as a counterselection marker to achieve
fur
deletion mutant. The transformed strain was sensitive to 20 mM
p
-chloro-phenylalanine, demonstrating the feasibility of
pheS
m as a counter-selective marker. The
pheS
m system was used for markerless deletions of
glgB
,
opa
, and
hyaE
as well as
fur
that could not be screened by the
lacZ
system. A comparison of screening efficiencies of the system showed that the
pheS
m counterselection system was more efficient than the
lacZ
system and broadly applicable for mutant screening. The methods developed herein may provide valuable tools for genetic manipulation of
P. multocida
.

IMPORTANCE

Pasteurella multocida
is a highly contagious zoonotic pathogen. An understanding of its underlying pathogenic mechanisms is of considerable importance and requires efficient species-specific genetic tools. Herein, we propose a screening system for
P. multocida
mutants using
lacZ
or
pheS
m screening markers. We evaluated the efficiencies of both systems, which were used to achieve markerless deletion of multiple genes. The results of this study support the use of
lacZ
or
pheS
m as counterselection markers to improve counterselection efficiency in
P. multocida
. This study provides an effective genetic tool for investigations of the virulence gene functions and pathogenic mechanisms of
P. multocida
.
Assessment of Perfusion Volumes by a New Automated Software for Computed Tomography Perfusion
Authors: Cao Zhixin , Wang David , Feng Xueyan , Yang Pengfei , Wang Hao , Xu Ziqi , Hao Yahui , Ye Wanxing , Chen Fengwei , Wang Liyuan , Hao Manjun , Wu Na , Yang Kai-Xuan , Xiong Yunyun , Wang Yongjun
Published: March 2024

Introduction

To compare the perfusion volumes assessed by a new automated CT perfusion (CTP) software iStroke with the circular singular value decomposition software RAPID and determine its predictive value for functional outcome in patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) who underwent endovascular treatment (EVT).

Methods

Data on patients with AIS were collected from four hospitals in China. All patients received CTP followed by EVT with complete recanalisation within 24 hours of symptom onset. We evaluated the agreement of CTP measures between the two softwares by Spearman’s rank correlation tests and kappa tests. Bland-Altman plots were used to evaluate the agreement of infarct core volume (ICV) on CTP and ground truth on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). Logistic regression models were used to test the association between ICV on these two softwares and functional outcomes.

Results

Among 326 patients, 228 had DWI examinations and 40 of them had infarct volume >70 mL. In all patients, the infarct core and hypoperfusion volumes on iStroke had a strong correlation with those on RAPID (ρ=0.68 and 0.66, respectively). The agreement of large infarct core (volume >70 mL) was substantial (kappa=0.73, p<0.001) between these two softwares. The ICV measured by iStroke and RAPID was significantly correlated with independent functional outcome at 90 days (p=0.009 and p<0.001, respectively). In patients with DWI examinations and those with an ICV >70 mL, the ICV of iStroke and RAPID was comparable on individual agreement with ground truth.

Conclusion

The automatic CTP software iStroke is a reliable tool for assessing infarct core and mismatch volumes, making it clinically useful for selecting patients with AIS for acute reperfusion therapy in the extended time window.
Description of a tetrapod trackway from the early Carboniferous Bonaventure Formation of New Brunswick, Canada
Authors: Bateman Louis-Philippe , Cloutier Richard , Larsson Hans C.E.
Published: March 2024

The Bonaventure Formation is an early Carboniferous fossil-bearing rock unit that crops out in northern New Brunswick and eastern Quebec, eastern Canada. Here, we describe CMNFV 10013, a tetrapod trackway found in Bonaventure Formation outcrops on Heron Island, New Brunswick, by Robert Wheelock Ells in 1879. The specimen shows at least seven prints including two pes–manus couples, one of which is sufficiently well preserved to be attributable to Hylopus isp. Several underprints significantly depart from typical Hylopus tracks and emphasise the importance of considering taphonomy when identifying fossil trackways. CMNFV 10013 is the first described fossil reported from the Bonaventure Formation. It extends the Carboniferous Maritimes Basin tetrapod trackway record northwards and represents one of the oldest tetrapod trackways from Canada. Reviewing the global record of Hylopus isp. reveals CMNFV 10013 is also one of the earliest Hylopus found. This global record also reveals that Hylopus occurrences are clustered around the paleotropics, possibly suggesting a biogeographical preference. This specimen highlights the importance of describing forgotten museum specimens. Future research should focus on undescribed museum specimens and contributing to existing collections through fieldwork in the promising rocks of Heron Island.
Thermodynamic properties of disordered quantum spin ladders
Authors: Vatansever Erol , Grahovski Georgi G. , Fytas Nikolaos G.
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we study the thermodynamic properties of spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg ladders by means of the stochastic series expansion quantum Monte Carlo technique. This includes the thermal properties of the specific heat, uniform and staggered susceptibilities, spin gap, and structure factor. Our numerical simulations are probed over a large ensemble of random realizations in a wide range of disorder strengths r, from the clean ($$r=0$$

r
=
0

) case up to the diluted ($$r \rightarrow 1$$

r
→
1

) limit, and for selected choices of number of legs $$L_y$$

L
y

per site. Our results show some interesting phenomena, like the presence of crossing points in the temperature plane for both the specific heat and uniform susceptibility curves which appear to be universal in r, as well as a variable dependence of the spin gap in the amount of disorder upon increasing $$L_y$$

L
y

.

Graphical Abstract
Correlation function for the $$a_0(980)$$
Authors: Molina R. , Liu Zhi-Wei , Geng Li-Sheng , Oset E.
Published: March 2024

We have conducted a model independent analysis of the $$K^+ \bar{K}^0$$

K
+

K

¯

0

pair correlation function obtained from ultra high energy pp collisions, with the aim of extracting the information encoded in it related to the $$K\bar{K}$$

K

K

¯

interaction and the coupled channel $$\pi ^+ \eta $$

π
+

η

. With the present large errors at small relative $$K^+\bar{K}^0$$

K
+

K

¯

0

momenta, we find that the information obtained about the scattering matrix suffers from large uncertainties. Even then, we are able to show that the data imply the existence of the $$a_0$$

a
0

resonance, $$a_0(980)$$

a
0

(
980
)

, showing as a strong cusp close to the $$K\bar{K}$$

K

K

¯

threshold. We also mention that the measurement of the $$\pi ^+ \eta $$

π
+

η

correlation function will be essential in order to constrain more the information on $$K\bar{K}$$

K

K

¯

dynamics that can be obtained from correlation functions.
Renormalization on the DFR quantum spacetime
Authors: López Juan F. , Reyes-Lega Andrés F.
Published: March 2024

An approach to renormalization of scalar fields on the Doplicher–Fredenhagen–Roberts (DFR) quantum spacetime is presented. The effective nonlocal theory obtained through the use of states of optimal localization for the quantum spacetime is reformulated in the language of (perturbative) Algebraic Quantum Field Theory. The structure of the singularities associated to the nonlocal kernel that codifies the effects of non-commutativity is analyzed using the tools of microlocal analysis.