bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management of gastrointestinal and nutritional problems in children on home invasive mechanical ventilation
Authors: Tuna Kirsaçlioğlu Ceyda
Published: December 2023

In recent decades, the patient survival is increased due to advances in intensive care units and development of modern mechanic ventilators. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to wean these children from mechanical ventilation. Recently, after placement a tracheostomy tube, these children can be supported at home with noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation. Most of the children who need ventilation support at home have neurological impairment. The nutritional issues and gastrointestinal (GI) complications are well defined in critically ill patients, but there are very limited studies on children with tracheostomy. Considering that majority of the patients have neuromuscular disorders, the nutritional and GI problems of the children with tracheostomy are discussed in light of the knowledge of critically ill patients.
Multi‐omics analysis identifies EcCS4 is negatively regulated in response to phytotoxin isovaleric acid stress in Echinochloa crus‐galli
Authors: Li Zuren , Bai Haodong , Bai Zhendong , Han Jincai , Luo Dingfeng , Bai Lianyang
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND

Knowledge of herbicidal targets is critical for weed management and food safety. The phytotoxin isovaleric acid (ISA) is effective against weeds with a broad spectrum, carries low environmental risks, and is thus an excellent herbicide lead. However, the biochemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the action of ISA remain unclear.

RESULTS

Multi‐omics data showed that acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl‐CoA) was the key affected metabolite, and that citrate synthase (CS) 4 was substantially down‐regulated under ISA treatment in Echinochloa crus‐galli leaves. In particular, the transcript level of EcCS4 was the most significantly regulated among the six genes involved in the top 10 different pathways. The EcCS4 encodes a protein of 472 amino acids and is localized to the cell membrane and mitochondria, similar to the CS4s of other plants. The protein content of EcCS4 was down‐regulated after ISA treatment at 0.5 h. ISA markedly inhibited the CS4 activity in vitro in a concentration‐dependent manner (IC50 = 41.35 μM). In addition, the transgenic rice plants overexpressing EcCS4 (IC50 = 111.8 mM for OECS4‐8 line) were more sensitive, whereas loss‐of‐function rice mutant lines (IC50 = 746.5 mM for oscs4‐19) were more resistant to ISA, compared to wild type (WT) plants (IC50 = 355.6 mM).

CONCLUSION

CS4 was first reported as a negative regulator of plant responses to ISA. These results highlight that CS4 is a candidate target gene for the development of novel herbicides and for breeding herbicide‐resistant crops. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
Luteolin, a flavone ingredient: Anticancer mechanisms, combined medication strategy, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical researches
Authors: Shi Mingyi , Chen Zixian , Gong Hui , Peng Zhaolei , Sun Qiang , Luo Kaipei , Wu Baoyu , Wen Chuanbiao , Lin Wei
Published: December 2023

Current pharmaceutical research is energetically excavating the pharmacotherapeutic role of herb‐derived ingredients in multiple malignancies’ targeting. Luteolin is one of the major phytochemical components that exist in various traditional Chinese medicine or medical herbs. Mounting evidence reveals that this phytoconstituent endows prominent therapeutic actions on diverse malignancies, with the underlying mechanisms, combined medication strategy, and pharmacokinetics elusive. Additionally, the clinical trial and pharmaceutical investigation of luteolin remain to be systematically delineated. The present review aimed to comprehensively summarize the updated information with regard to the anticancer mechanism, combined medication strategies, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, and pharmaceutical researches of luteolin. The survey corroborates that luteolin executes multiple anticancer effects mainly by dampening proliferation and invasion, spurring apoptosis, intercepting cell cycle, regulating autophagy and immune, inhibiting inflammatory response, inducing ferroptosis, and pyroptosis, as well as epigenetic modification, and so on. Luteolin can be applied in combination with numerous clinical anticarcinogens and natural ingredients to synergistically enhance the therapeutic efficacy of malignancies while reducing adverse reactions. For pharmacokinetics, luteolin has an unfavorable oral bioavailability, it mainly persists in plasma as glucuronides and sulfate‐conjugates after being metabolized, and is regarded as potent inhibitors of OATP1B1 and OATP2B1, which may be messed with the pharmacokinetic interactions of miscellaneous bioactive substances in vivo. Besides, pharmaceutical innovation of luteolin with leading‐edge drug delivery systems such as host–guest complexes, nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsion, microspheres, and hydrogels are beneficial to the exploitation of luteolin‐based products. Moreover, some registered clinical trials on luteolin are being carried out, yet clinical research on anticancer effects should be continuously promoted.
Accommodating misclassification effects on optimizing dynamic treatment regimes with Q‐learning
Authors: Khadem Charvadeh Yasin , Yi Grace Y.
Published: December 2023

Research on dynamic treatment regimes has enticed extensive interest. Many methods have been proposed in the literature, which, however, are vulnerable to the presence of misclassification in covariates. In particular, although Q‐learning has received considerable attention, its applicability to data with misclassified covariates is unclear. In this article, we investigate how ignoring misclassification in binary covariates can impact the determination of optimal decision rules in randomized treatment settings, and demonstrate its deleterious effects on Q‐learning through empirical studies. We present two correction methods to address misclassification effects on Q‐learning. Numerical studies reveal that misclassification in covariates induces non‐negligible estimation bias and that the correction methods successfully ameliorate bias in parameter estimation.
Dupilumab-Associated Head and Neck Dermatitis: Rapid Response with Abrocitinib Treatment
Authors: Santosa Adinia , Yew Yik Weng
Published: December 2023

Development or exacerbation of head and neck dermatitis (HN-D) in association with dupilumab has been reported. Severity of HN-D varies, and may persist even with discontinuation of dupilumab. Development or exacerbation of HN-D is not yet completely understood, and various hypotheses have been made about the possible underlying pathophysiology. To date, there is no established treatment for HN-D in association with dupilumab. We report 2 cases of HN-D occurring following dupilumab treatment, with significant improvement of HN-D following treatment with abrocitinib.
Tunable Radiative Cooling by Mechanochromic Electrospun Micro‐Nanofiber Matrix
Authors: Pyun Kyung Rok , Jeong Seongmin , Yoo Myung Jin , Choi Seok Hwan , Baik Gunwoo , Lee Minjae , Song Jaeman , Ko Seung Hwan
Published: December 2023

Radiative thermoregulation has been regarded as an energy‐efficient method for thermal management. In this study, the development of a mechanoresponsive polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro‐nanofiber matrix capable of both sub‐ambient radiative cooling and solar heating is presented, achieved through a core‐shell electrospinning technique. The electrospun PDMS micro‐nanofibers, with diameters comparable to the solar wavelengths, exhibit excellent solar reflectivity (≈93%) while preserving its pristine high infrared (IR) emissivity. As a result, the electrospun PDMS radiative cooler (EPRC) successfully demonstrated sub‐ambient radiative cooling performance (≈3.8°C) during the daytime. Furthermore, the exceptional resilient property of PDMS facilitated the reversible alteration of the structural morphology created by the fiber‐based matrix under mechanical force, resulting in the modulation of solar reflectivity (≈80%). The precise modulation of solar reflectivity enabled reversibly switchable multi‐step radiative thermoregulation, offering enhanced flexibility in addressing varying thermal environments even in maintaining the desired temperature. The findings of this work offer a promising approach toward dynamic radiative thermoregulation, which holds significant potential for addressing global climate change concerns and energy shortage.
Nanoscale Design for High Entropy Alloy Electrocatalysts
Authors: Li Yanjie , Yao Zhenpeng , Gao Wenpei , Shang Wen , Deng Tao , Wu Jianbo
Published: December 2023

Due to their distinctive physical and chemical characteristics, high entropy alloys (HEAs), a class of alloys comprising multiple elements, have garnered a lot of attention. It is demonstrated recently that HEA electrocatalysts increase the activity and stability of several processes. In this paper, the most recent developments in HEA electrocatalysts research are reviewed, and the performance of HEAs in catalyzing key reactions in water electrolysis and fuel cells is summarized. In addition, the design strategies for HEA electrocatalysts optimization is introduced, which include component selection, size optimization, morphology control, structural engineering, crystal phase regulation, and theoretical prediction, which can guide component selection and structural design of HEA electrocatalysts.
An elastic framework construction method based on task migration in edge computing
Authors: Pu Yonglin , Li Ziyang , Yu Jiong , Lu Liang , Guo Binglei
Published: December 2023

Edge computing (EC) serves as an effective technology, empowering end‐users to attain high bandwidth and low latency by offloading tasks with high computational demands from mobile devices to edge servers. However, a major challenge arises when the processing load fluctuates continuously, leading to a performance bottleneck due to the inability to rescale edge node (EN) resources. To address this problem, the approach of task migration is introduced, and EN load prediction model, the resource constrained model, optimal communication overhead model, optimal task migration model, and energy consumption model are built to form a theoretical foundation from which to propose a task migration based resilient framework construction method in EC. With the aid of the domino effect and the combined effect of task migration, a dynamic node‐growing algorithm (DNGA) and a dynamic node‐shrinking algorithm (DNSA), both based on the task migration strategy, are proposed. Specifically, the DNGA smoothly expands the EN scale when the processing load increases, while the DNSA shrinks the EN scale when the processing load decreases. The experimental results show that for standard benchmarks deployed on an elastic framework, the proposed method realizes a smooth scaling mechanism in the EC, which reduces the latency and improves the reliability of data processing.
Effect of unreinforced masonry infills on seismic performance of reinforced concrete frame‐shear wall buildings
Authors: Sharma Mayank , Singh Yogendra , Burton Henry V.
Published: December 2023

Reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall buildings with unreinforced masonry (URM) infilled moment frames are common in India and neighboring countries. This study assesses the influence of the URM infills on their seismic performance. Fully infilled, open first‐storied, and bare frame versions of a 25‐story shear wall building are considered. Multiple stripe analysis is conducted at five return periods to estimate their performance. Fragility functions for the collapse prevention limit state, which is based on seven engineering demand parameter exceedance thresholds, are generated and compared. The presence of infills (full or partial) is observed to have an overall positive effect on the performance of the RC frame‐shear wall buildings. The performance of the open first‐story building was comparable to that of the fully infilled building. The ratio of story shear carried by the moment frames and shear walls is studied at all return periods to understand the variation in frame shear wall interaction with increased damage for each building. In the case of buildings with infills, the frames carry a higher proportion of story shear at lower return periods. For all three buildings, the fraction of story shear carried by moment frames increases along the height of the building.
High school students' evolving alternative conception related to the volume of gas: A Lakatosian perspective
Authors: Park Chulkyu , Mun Seonyeong , Hong Hun‐Gi
Published: December 2023

The purpose of this case study, informed by a Lakatosian perspective, is to identify how an alternative conception that originates in present learning but is related directly to subsequent learning contexts can be constructed. Before the study, one of the authors found by accident that a student who had learned about Avogadro's principle and chemical reaction in South Korea constructed an alternative conception related to the volume of gas. Later, we identified seven Korean high school students with the alternative conception through a test and analyzed their underlying understandings qualitatively through interviews. The results show that they had a scientific conception—core conception—and intuitive assumptions about implicit information of external representations—implicit assumptions—in common. The students' implicit assumptions could be divided into three types again: core assumption, auxiliary assumption, and context‐inducing assumption. The core assumption, like the core conception, played a significant role in constructing the alternative conception (hard core), while the auxiliary assumptions were incomplete implicit assumptions to protect the alternative conception (protective belt). The context‐inducing assumption was an implicit assumption bringing the context of the subsequent curriculum, and the core conception and the core assumption could be interpreted in this induced context. At the end of the study, the implications related to learning progressions were discussed.
OTU deubiquitinase 7B facilitates the hyperthermia‐induced inhibition of lung cancer progression through enhancing Smac‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction
Authors: Sun Chao , Bai Jun , Sun Jingying , Sun Yang , Zhang Fan , Li He , Liu Ying , Meng Lian , Wang Xifang
Published: December 2023

Hyperthermia, as an adjuvant therapy, has shown promising anti‐tumor effects. Ovarian tumor domain‐containing 7B (OTUD7B) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that is frequently found in a variety of cancers. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of OTUD7B in lung cancer hyperthermia and the underlying mechanism. A549 and CALU‐3 cells were respectively exposed to 42 or 44°C for the indicated times (0, 1, 3, or 6 h) followed by incubation at 37°C for 24 h. We found a temperature‐ and time‐dependent decrease in cell viability and an increase in apoptosis levels. Compared with 0 h, heat treatment for 3 h inhibited the proliferation and invasion of A549 cells, reduced the expression levels of mitochondrial membrane potential, IAP family members (cIAP‐1 and XIAP) proteins and ubiquitination of Smac, and increased Smac protein expression. Treatment with 10 μM Smac mimic BV6 further enhanced the anti‐tumor effect of hyperthermia. Next, co‐IP validation showed that OTUD7B interacted with Smac and stabilized Smac through deubiquitination. OTUD7B overexpression induced damage in A549 and CALU‐3 cells, while silencing OTUD7B caused opposite effects. Overexpressing OTUD7B enhanced the anti‐cancer effect of hyperthermia, while si‐OTUD7B reversed the anti‐cancer effect of hyperthermia, which was verified in the xenograft tumor model in nude mice. Taken together, OTUD7B may serve as a potential anticancer factor with potential clinical efficacy in the thermotherapeutic treatment of lung cancer.
A new wild emmer wheat panel allows to map new loci associated with resistance to stem rust at seedling stage
Authors: Mastrangelo Anna Maria , Roncallo Pablo , Matny Oadi , Čegan Radim , Steffenson Brian , Echenique Viviana , Šafář Jan , Battaglia Raffaella , Barabaschi Delfina , Cattivelli Luigi , Özkan Hakan , Mazzucotelli Elisabetta
Published: December 2023

Wheat stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt), is a major wheat disease worldwide. A collection of 283 wild emmer wheat [Triticum turgidum L. subsp. dicoccoides (Körn. ex Asch. & Graebn.) Thell] accessions, representative of the entire Fertile Crescent region where wild emmer naturally occurs, was assembled, genotyped, and characterized for population structure, genetic diversity, and rate of linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay. Then, the collection was employed for mapping Pgt resistance genes, as a proof of concept of the effectiveness of genome‐wide association studies in wild emmer. The collection was evaluated in controlled conditions for reaction to six common Pgt pathotypes (TPMKC, TTTTF, JRCQC, TRTTF, TTKSK/Ug99, and TKTTF). Most resistant accessions originated from the Southern Levant wild emmer lineage, with some showing a resistance reaction toward three to six tested races. Association analysis was conducted considering a 12K polymorphic single‐nucleotide polymorphisms dataset, kinship relatedness between accessions, and population structure. Eleven significant marker–trait associations (MTA) were identified across the genome, which explained from 17% to up to 49% of phenotypic variance with an average 1.5 additive effect (based on the 1–9 scoring scale). The identified loci were either effective against single or multiple races. Some MTAs colocalized with known Pgt resistance genes, while others represent novel resistance loci useful for durum and bread wheat prebreeding. Candidate genes with an annotated function related to plant response to pathogens were identified at the regions linked to the resistance and defined according to the estimated small LD (about 126 kb), as typical of wild species.
The alleles bc‐ud and bc‐ur (previously bc‐4 gene), representing coding mutations within Vps4 AAA+ ATPase ESCRT protein, interact with other genes to condition resistance to BCMV and BCMNV in common bean
Authors: Soler‐Garzón Alvaro , McClean Phillip E. , Miklas Phillip N.
Published: December 2023

Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) and bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) have a damaging impact on global common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivation, causing potential yield losses of over 80%. The primary strategy for controlling these viruses is through host plant resistance. This research aimed to identify and validate structural variations for the bc‐ud gene as revealed by long‐read sequencing, develop an efficient DNA marker to assist selection of bc‐ud in snap and dry beans, and examine the interactions between the bc‐ud allele and other BCMV resistance genes. A gene (Phvul.005G125100) model on chromosome Pv05, encoding a vacuolar protein‐sorting 4 (Vps4) AAA+ ATPase endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) protein, was identified as the best candidate gene for bc‐ud. An 84‐bp repetitive insertion variant within the gene, exhibited 100% co‐segregation with the bc‐ud resistance allele across 264 common bean accessions. The 84‐bp repetitive insertion was labeled with an indel marker IND_05_36225873 which was useful for tracking the bc‐ud allele across diverse germplasm. A different single nucleotide polymorphism variant within the same candidate gene was associated with the bc‐4 gene. Segregation in F2 populations confirmed bc‐ud and bc‐4 were alleles, so bc‐4 was renamed bc‐ur to fit gene nomenclature guidelines. The interactions of bc‐ud and bc‐ur with other resistance genes, such as bc‐1 (receptor‐like kinase on Pv03) and bc‐2 (Vps4 AAA+ ATPase ESCRT protein on Pv11), validated gene combinations in the differential “host groups” effective against specific BCMV/BCMNV “pathogroups.” These findings increase our understanding of the Bc‐u locus, and enhance our ability to develop more resilient bean varieties through marker‐assisted selection, reducing the impact of BCMV and BCMNV.
Elasticity Amelioration in transporting blood flow within curved stenotic tubes
Authors: Zaher A. Z. , Mekheimer Kh. S. , Elkilany S. A. , Awad A. M.
Published: December 2023

In biomechanical devices, blood can be transfused through small, curved walls. Accordingly, this research highlights the study of blood flow in cases of stenosis of the elastic artery with curvature. The effects of bending on the shear and resistance through this elastic tube have been investigated. The moderate stenosis case has been used to simulate the governing equations for an incompressible and steady non‐Newtonian fluid, or “tangent hyperbolic fluid”. A perturbation technique has been used to obtain an analytical solution. The Rubinow & Keller model [24] simulates the flexibility of the stenosis artery walls. The results showed that increasing the parameters linked to the walls' flexibility made it easier for blood to flow through the stenosis area, which emphasizes the need for a thorough investigation of non‐Newtonian fluid flow phenomena. One of the most important threats facing humanity is blood stenosis. In microvasculature, there are many conditions in which the blood vessels are curved or twisted, especially in the case of disease.
Economics, Logistics, and (Human Resources) Management in Military Sciences
Authors: Soeters Joseph
Published: December 2023

This chapters aims to introduce the section on economics, logistics, and (human resources) management in military sciences. The military is best known for its successes, or the lack thereof, on the battlefield. In this context, topics such as tactics, military leadership, and command and emotions like courage and persistence are often studied. Less well familiar is the idea that military success and defeat are highly dependent on the way the military organization has been structured, prepared, trained, and equipped before the real action starts. Similarly, it is underestimated how much military performance depends on financial means, logistics, and human resources during the action. The idea that economics, logistics, personnel policies, and management are only relevant in peacetime conditions is simply wrong. This chapter uses historical examples and insights from current management theory and research to make this clear, and, at the same time, introduces which topics will be reviewed in the other chapters of the section on management, economics and logistics. These issues play at the national level but certainly also in the international arena where the different allies and competitors meet.
Multicriteria Spatial Economic Decision Support Systems to Support Positive Energy Districts: A Literature Review
Authors: Bisello Adriano , Bottero Marta , Volpatti Marco , Binda Tiziana
Published: December 2023

To meet the ambitious targets set by the European Union to reduce CO2 emissions, action in cities is essential. In fact, cities are responsible for 67% of the world's primary energy consumption and about 70% of energy-related CO2 emissions. To support the urban energy transition, widespread implementation of net-zero districts, or even better, positive energy districts (PEDs), is expected. PEDs could be defined as energy efficient and energy flexible urban areas that aim to provide a surplus of clean energy to the city through renewable energy. However, the development of the PED concept needs to take into account not only the technical issue of energy systems, but also the environmental, social, and economic aspects. To be effective, it is important to provide decision makers with tools based on a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach that can effectively assess the complexity of impacts from a multi-stakeholder perspective. The MCDA approach can be supported by a Geographic Information System (GIS) that helps to analyze the data and make it communicable to everyone. The purpose of this research, through a scientific literature review, is to investigate different MCDA supported by GIS in the framework of economic evaluation methods, aiming to contribute to the definition of an effective multi-criteria spatial economic decision making method to support and sustain the design and development of PEDs.
An excursion into the string spectrum
Authors: Markou Chrysoula , Skvortsov Evgeny
Published: December 2023

Abstract

We propose a covariant technique to excavate physical bosonic string states by entire trajectories rather than individually. The approach is based on Howe duality: the string’s spacetime Lorentz algebra commutes with a certain inductive limit of sp(•), with the Virasoro constraints forming a subalgebra of the Howe dual algebra sp(•). There are then infinitely many simple trajectories of states, which are lowest-weight representations of sp(•) and hence of the Virasoro algebra. Deeper trajectories are recurrences of the simple ones and can be probed by suitable trajectory-shifting operators built out of the Howe dual algebra generators. We illustrate the formalism with a number of subleading trajectories and compute a sample of tree-level amplitudes.
Inhibition of the membrane repair protein annexin-A2 prevents tumor invasion and metastasis
Authors: Gounou C. , Rouyer L. , Siegfried G. , Harté E. , Bouvet F. , d’Agata L. , Darbo E. , Lefeuvre M. , Derieppe M. A. , Bouton L. , Mélane M. , Chapeau D. , Martineau J. , Prouzet-Mauleon V. , Tan S. , Souleyreau W. , Saltel F. , Argoul F. , Khatib A. M. , Brisson A. R. , Iggo R. , Bouter A.
Published: December 2023

Cancer cells are exposed to major compressive and shearing forces during invasion and metastasis, leading to extensive plasma membrane damage. To survive this mechanical stress, they need to repair membrane injury efficiently. Targeting the membrane repair machinery is thus potentially a new way to prevent invasion and metastasis. We show here that annexin-A2 (ANXA2) is required for membrane repair in invasive breast and pancreatic cancer cells. Mechanistically, we show by fluorescence and electron microscopy that cells fail to reseal shear-stress damaged membrane when ANXA2 is silenced or the protein is inhibited with neutralizing antibody. Silencing of ANXA2 has no effect on proliferation in vitro, and may even accelerate migration in wound healing assays, but reduces tumor cell dissemination in both mice and zebrafish. We expect that inhibiting membrane repair will be particularly effective in aggressive, poor prognosis tumors because they rely on the membrane repair machinery to survive membrane damage during tumor invasion and metastasis. This could be achieved either with anti-ANXA2 antibodies, which have been shown to inhibit metastasis of breast and pancreatic cancer cells, or with small molecule drugs.
Genetic control of pod morphological traits and pod edibility in a common bean RIL population
Authors: García-Fernández Carmen , Jurado Maria , Campa Ana , Bitocchi Elena , Papa Roberto , Ferreira Juan Jose
Published: December 2023

Key message

QTL mapping, association analysis, and colocation study with previously reported QTL revealed three main regions controlling pod morphological traits and two loci for edible pod characteristics on the common bean chromosomes Pv01 and Pv06.

Bean pod phenotype is a complex characteristic defined by the combination of different traits that determine the potential use of a genotype as a snap bean. In this study, the TUM RIL population derived from a cross between ‘TU’ (dry) and ‘Musica’ (snap) was used to investigate the genetic control of pod phenotype. The character was dissected into pod morphological traits (PMTs) and edible pod characteristics (EPC). The results revealed 35 QTL for PMTs located on seven chromosomes, suggesting a strong QTL colocation on chromosomes Pv01 and Pv06. Some QTL were colocated with previously reported QTL, leading to the mapping of 15 consensus regions associated with bean PMTs. Analysis of EPC of cooked beans revealed that two major loci with epistatic effect, located on chromosomes Pv01 and Pv06, are involved in the genetic control of this trait. An association study using a subset of the Spanish Diversity Panel (snap vs. non-snap) detected 23 genomic regions, with three regions being mapped at a position similar to those of two loci identified in the TUM population. The results demonstrated the relevant roles of Pv01 and Pv06 in the modulation of bean pod phenotype. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed a significant overrepresentation of genes regulating the phenylpropanoid metabolic process and auxin response in regions associated with PMTs and EPC, respectively. Both biological functions converged in the lignin biosynthetic pathway, suggesting the key role of the pathway in the genetic control of bean pod phenotype.
Structural changes in a metallic glass under cyclic indentation
Authors: Avila Karina E. , Vardanyan Vardan Hoviki , Urbassek Herbert M.
Published: December 2023

Using molecular dynamics simulation, a CuZr metallic glass was subjected to cyclic indentation to investigate cyclic hardening. Structural changes occurring after each indentation cycle were analyzed by examining the radial changes of the structural motifs in the vicinity of the indenter surface. The analysis revealed initial local structural modifications that corresponded to a more relaxed glass state, followed by a slow restoration of the initially destroyed structures. These findings provide new insights into the microstructural causes of cyclic hardening in metallic glasses.
Lectin-mediated, time-efficient, and high-yield sorting of different morphologically intact nephron segments
Authors: Roskosch Jessica , Huynh-Do Uyen , Rudloff Stefan
Published: December 2023

The kidney is a highly complex organ equipped with a multitude of miniscule filter-tubule units called nephrons. Each nephron can be subdivided into multiple segments, each with its own morphology and physiological function. To date, conventional manual approaches to isolate specific nephron segments are very laborious, time-consuming, often limited to only a specific segment, and typically have low yield. Here, we describe a novel, unconventional method that is superior in many aspects to previous protocols by combining low-cost fluorophore-conjugated lectins or agglutinins (Flaggs) with flow sorting. This allows the simultaneous separation of different nephron segments with preserved 3D morphology from mouse or human samples in under 3 h. Using a 200-µm nozzle and 5 psi, glomeruli, proximal, or distal convoluted tubules are sorted with Cy3-labeled Sambucus Nigra agglutinin (SNA-Cy3), Fluorescein-labeled Lotus Tetragonolobus lectin (LTL-FITC), or Pacific Blue-labeled soybean agglutinin (SBA-PB), respectively. Connecting tubules and collecting ducts are sorted by double-positive SBA-PB and SNA-Cy3 signals, while thick ascending limb segments are characterized by the absence of any Flaggs labeling. From two mouse kidneys, this yields 37–521 ng protein/s or 0.71–16.71 ng RNA/s, depending on the specific nephron segment. The purity of sorted segments, as assessed by mRNA expression level profiling of 15 genes, is very high with a 96.1-fold median enrichment across all genes and sorted segments. In summary, our method represents a simple, straightforward, cost-effective, and widely applicable tool yielding high amounts of pure and morphologically largely intact renal tubule materials with the potential to propel nephron segment-specific research.
Comparative assessment of chemical and biochemical approaches for the activation of lignocellulosic materials and emerging opportunities for expansin-related proteins
Authors: Hiltunen Salla , Sapkota Janak , Ioannou Eleni , Haddad Momeni Majid , Master Emma , Ristolainen Matti
Published: December 2023

Cellulose activation is a necessary step in many industrial processes including production of cellulose derivatives, regenerated cellulose, biofuels and biochemicals. Expansins and expansin-related proteins have been shown to disrupt the fibrillar aggregation and loosen the structure of lignocellulosic materials but typically lack lytic activity. Therefore, they offer a new but rather unexploited possibility for biomass to obtain better accessibility and reactivity. From an applied perspective, expansin-related proteins have been investigated for their potential to promote enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulosic substrates for the purpose of producing biofuels. The aim of this review is to compare conventional and emerging technologies relevant to cellulose activation, and critically evaluate the potential of expansin-related proteins for this purpose. As part of this assessment, methods to evaluate the action of expansin-related proteins on cellulosic substrates are summarized, and reported impacts are discussed in relation to source of the cellulosic substrate and treatment conditions. An outlook on prospective applications of expansin-related proteins is presented.
Democratizing neural machine translation with OPUS-MT
Authors: Tiedemann Jörg , Aulamo Mikko , Bakshandaeva Daria , Boggia Michele , Grönroos Stig-Arne , Nieminen Tommi , Raganato Alessandro , Scherrer Yves , Vázquez Raúl , Virpioja Sami
Published: December 2023

This paper presents the OPUS ecosystem with a focus on the development of open machine translation models and tools, and their integration into end-user applications, development platforms and professional workflows. We discuss our ongoing mission of increasing language coverage and translation quality, and also describe work on the development of modular translation models and speed-optimized compact solutions for real-time translation on regular desktops and small devices.
How to teach responsible AI in Higher Education: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Aler Tubella Andrea , Mora-Cantallops Marçal , Nieves Juan Carlos
Published: December 2023

In recent years, the European Union has advanced towards responsible and sustainable Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, development and innovation. While the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI released in 2019 and the AI Act in 2021 set the starting point for a European Ethical AI, there are still several challenges to translate such advances into the public debate, education and practical learning. This paper contributes towards closing this gap by reviewing the approaches that can be found in the existing literature and by interviewing 11 experts across five countries to help define educational strategies, competencies and resources needed for the successful implementation of Trustworthy AI in Higher Education (HE) and to reach students from all disciplines. The findings are presented in the form of recommendations both for educators and policy incentives, translating the guidelines into HE teaching and practice, so that the next generation of young people can contribute to an ethical, safe and cutting-edge AI made in Europe.
The dotTHz Project: A Standard Data Format for Terahertz Time-Domain Data
Authors: Lee Jongmin , Leung Chi Ki , Ma Mingrui , Ward-Berry Jasper , Santitewagun Supawan , Zeitler J. Axel
Published: December 2023

From investigating molecular vibrations to observing galaxies, terahertz technology has found extensive applications in research and development over the past three decades. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and imaging have experienced significant growth and now dominate spectral observations ranging from 0.1 to 10 THz. However, the lack of standardised protocols for data processing, dissemination, and archiving poses challenges in collaborating and sharing terahertz data between research groups. To tackle these challenges, we present the dotTHz project, which introduces a standardised terahertz data format and the associated open-source tools for processing of dotTHz files. The dotTHz project aims to facilitate seamless data processing and analysis by providing a common framework. All software components are released under the MIT licence through GitHub repositories to encourage widespread adoption, modification, and collaboration. We invite the terahertz community to actively contribute to the dotTHz project, fostering the development of additional tools that encompass a greater breadth and depth of functionality. By working together, we can establish a comprehensive suite of resources that benefit the entire terahertz community.
The Thermal Conductivity of Near-Eutectic Galinstan (Ga68.4In21.5Sn10) Molten Alloy
Authors: Lourenço Maria José V. , Alves Miguel , Serra João M. , Nieto de Castro Carlos A. , Buschmann Matthias H.
Published: December 2023

The need for new heat transfer agent for many applications, namely in the consumer electronics industry, requires materials, liquids at room temperature, with high thermal conductivity. From the different possibilities, Galinstan, a eutectic alloy of Gallium, Indium, and Tin with a melting point (Tm = 283.4 K) has been proposed for many applications, namely for replacing the toxic mercury element, used for many years. It is the purpose of this paper to report thermal conductivity measurements of Galinstan, product name Gallium/Indium/Tin Eutectic (NL-011), Ga68.4In21.5Sn10. The method used was the transient hot strip (THS), using a platinum metal-film sensor, produced by PVD in ceramic substrates, and electrically insulated with a heat-shrinkable coating. The details of the data acquisition system and measuring procedure are reported. Measurements were performed between 28 °C and 103 °C (301 K to 376 K), at atmospheric pressure, with an estimated uncertainty of 6%, and compared with available literature. Data were correlated for linear interpolation. This type of sensor is applied to molten metals for the first time, proofing to concept to future applications in molten metals and molten salts at higher temperatures.

Graphical Abstract
Optical essential secret image sharing using unequal modulus decomposition and gyrator transform
Authors: Abdelfattah Mohamed G. , Hegazy Salem F. , Obayya Salah S. A.
Published: December 2023

Essential Secret Image Sharing (ESIS) decomposes a secret image into a set of shares that are distributed among categorized participants, and ensures that only authorized subsets of these participants can restore the image. All ESIS schemes to date have been based merely on computational techniques. In this paper, an optical ESIS system is introduced which uses unequal modulus decomposition (UMD) and optical gyrator transform (GT), offering high-speed parallel processing and dispensing with any pre-processing stages. The presented (1, 2, n) ESIS system generates n shares, including one essential share, such that any two shares that include the essential one, can reconstruct the initial secret image with no distortion. Any other unauthorized subset will not gain any information about the image. The scheme generates essential and nonessential shares that are of equal size, eliminating the need to concatenate sub-shares during the reconstruction of the secret image. The results verify that the secret image was completely retrieved in cases of authorized access, while full distortion occurred in cases of unauthorized access. The GT rotation angle serves as an additional authentication factor to validate the essential share and bolster the security. The optical ESIS system exhibits a high level of sensitivity to the changes in the GT rotation angle - that a variation of just 0.001 radians can cause the correlation coefficient to drop below 0.05.
Leaky mode analysis using complex infinite elements
Authors: Khalil Ahmed E. , Hameed Mohamed Farhat O. , Obayya Salah S. A.
Published: December 2023

We propose a novel numerically efficient model for accurate characterization of leaky modes in optical waveguides. Within the context of finite elements, the mesh boundaries are truncated using complex infinite elements (CIEs). The CIE is based on adopting the homogeneous solution of the wave equation with the shape function of infinite elements to accurately and physically model semi-infinite subdomains instead of placing an artificial layer such as PML. The proposed treatment can be easily implemented and requires less computational resources compared to other conventional mesh truncation methods. The accuracy and rigor of our approach are demonstrated through studying different leaky waveguides’ configurations.
Support for Gun Reform in the United States: The Interactive Relationship Between Partisanship and Trust in the Federal Government
Authors: Hansen Michael A. , Seppälä Mila
Published: December 2023

Studies find that trust in the government is statistically related to support for gun control laws in the United States. Another finding in the literature is that Democratic partisans support gun restrictions at a statistically higher percentage than do Republicans—with the reverse relationship existing for loosening gun laws. While a recent study did find an interactive relationship between trust in government and political ideology (Ryan et al. in Polit Behav 44(2):725–748, 10.1007/s11109-020-09633-2, 2022), no study explores whether the impact of trust in government on support for gun reform is, in fact, a function of partisanship. In this study, we test whether there is an interactive relationship between trust in the government and partisan identification in predicting support for gun reform. Using the 2022 Cooperative Election Study (CES), we estimate logistic regression models that find an interactive effect between trust and partisanship. For Republicans, an increase in trust in government leads to a dramatic increase in support for gun control proposals, and a substantial decrease in support for gun rights expansion. For Democrats, trust in the government has almost no impact on support for gun reform. Further, we find that political ideology has only a small substantive relationship with attitudes on gun reform when interacted with both partisanship and trust in the federal government. The practical takeaway is that to increase support for gun control among Republicans, advocates must also recognize the role of governmental distrust in attitude formation among this partisan group.
Salinity impacts on humidification dehumidification (HDH) desalination systems: review
Authors: Nabil Ibrahim , Abdalla Abdalla M. , Mansour Tamer M. , Shehata Ali I. , Dawood Mohamed M Khairat
Published: December 2023

The use of humidification-dehumidification water desalination technology has been shown to be a practical means of meeting the demand for freshwater. The aim of this review is to investigate the impact of salinity on HDH techniques that have various benefits in terms of both economics and the environment, including the capacity to operate at low temperatures, utilize sustainable energy sources, the need for low maintenance, and straightforward construction requirements. Also, in this review, it is observed that the HDH system’s components are strong and capable of treating severely salinized water. It can treat water in an appropriate way than other desalination technologies. This technology has recently been commercialized to treat highly salinized generated water. However, more research is needed to determine how salinity affects HDH productivity. According to several research investigations, while the specific thermal energy consumption increased considerably and the productivity of water per unit of time decreased significantly as the salt mass percentage grew, the purity of clean water did not suffer. The rejected brine must be reduced by increasing the total water recovery ratio in the HDH system. Through this review, it was found that brine control is becoming increasingly important in the water processing industry. ZLD systems, which aim to recover both freshwater and solid salts, can be a viable replacement for disposal methods. Finally, through this reviewer, it was concluded that HDH desalination systems may operate with extremely saline water while increasing salinity has a significant influence on system performance.
Recklessness, Agent-Relative Prerogatives, and Latent Obligations: Does Belief-Relativity Trump Fact-Relativity with Respect to Our Rights?
Authors: Alexander Larry
Published: December 2023

Are our rights—to our bodily integrity, to our possessions, to the goods and services promised us, and so on—matters of fact, or are our rights functions of others’ beliefs about how their acts will affect our rights? The conventional view states that subjective oughts—based on what we believe—determine culpability, whereas objective oughts—based on the facts—determine permissibility. After all, the idea that our beliefs about how our acts would affect others’ rights might affect the contours of those rights themselves appears deeply paradoxical. For how can others’ rights be based on our beliefs when those beliefs have as their objects not themselves but others’ rights? Nonetheless, paradoxical as that position may appear, a strong case can be mounted in its defense, not by focusing on the rights themselves, but by focusing on the acts that imperil those rights. It is the burden of this essay to make a case for the belief-relativity rather than the fact-relativity of rights.
Coincidence detection and integration behavior in spiking neural networks
Authors: Stoll Andreas , Maier Andreas , Krauss Patrick , Gerum Richard , Schilling Achim
Published: December 2023

Recently, the interest in spiking neural networks (SNNs) remarkably increased, as up to now some key advances of biological neural networks are still out of reach. Thus, the energy efficiency and the ability to dynamically react and adapt to input stimuli as observed in biological neurons is still difficult to achieve. One neuron model commonly used in SNNs is the leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF) neuron. LIF neurons already show interesting dynamics and can be run in two operation modes: coincidence detectors for low and integrators for high membrane decay times, respectively. However, the emergence of these modes in SNNs and the consequence on network performance and information processing ability is still elusive. In this study, we examine the effect of different decay times in SNNs trained with a surrogate-gradient-based approach. We propose two measures that allow to determine the operation mode of LIF neurons: the number of contributing input spikes and the effective integration interval. We show that coincidence detection is characterized by a low number of input spikes as well as short integration intervals, whereas integration behavior is related to many input spikes over long integration intervals. We find the two measures to linearly correlate via a correlation factor that depends on the decay time. Thus, the correlation factor as function of the decay time shows a powerlaw behavior, which could be an intrinsic property of LIF networks. We argue that our work could be a starting point to further explore the operation modes in SNNs to boost efficiency and biological plausibility.