bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of land use on annelid assemblages in Pampean wetlands
Authors: Armendáriz Laura C. , Cortese Bianca , Rodrigues Capítulo Alberto
Published: September 2024

Context Land use significantly affects wetlands, altering various biotic components and threatening biodiversity. Aims This study assessed the ecological status of Pampas wetlands under different land uses by examining environmental characteristics and annelid assemblages. Methods Four water systems in the Argentine Pampas were surveyed, including riverine wetlands and upstream and downstream sections affected by urbanisation, intensive agriculture, or extensive livestock farming. Key results Multivariate analysis showed correlations among environmental factors and sites, whereas PERMANOVA analysis showed density variations among streams, sections, and land uses, although species richness and diversity remained consistent within each stream. In total, 42 annelid species and morphotypes were identified and linked with various environmental factors. Conclusions Enchytraeidae were correlated with nitrate and phosphorus concentrations, whereas Limnodrilus species and Tubifex tubifex were associated with nitrites, ammonium, vegetation coverage and fine sediments. Species such as Pristina spp., Aulophorus costatus, Dero spp. and Aulodrilus pigueti preferred sandy sediments enriched with organic matter and higher current velocities, indicating their potential as indicators of anthropogenic impact. Implications These findings highlighted the importance of annelid assemblages in wetland monitoring and underscore the need for integrated watershed management and sustainable planning to protect wetlands.
Three dimensional branching pipe flows for optimal scalar transport between walls
Authors: Kumar Anuj
Published: September 2024

We are interested in the design of forcing in the Navier–Stokes equation such that the resultant flow maximises the transport of a passive temperature between two differentially heated walls for a given power supply budget. This problem in the community is also known as ‘wall-to-wall optimal transport’ and can be reduced to optimizing the choice of the divergence-free velocity field in the advection-diffusion equation subject to an enstrophy constraint (which can be understood as a constraint on the power required to generate the flow). Previous work established that the transport cannot scale faster than 1/3-power of the power supply. Recently, Tobasco and Doering (2017 Phys. Rev. Lett.
118 264502) and Doering and Tobasco (2019 Commun. Pure Appl. Math.
72 2385–448) constructed self-similar two-dimensional steady branching flows saturating this bound up to a logarithmic correction. This correction appears to arise due to a topological obstruction inherent to two-dimensional steady flows. In this paper, we present a novel design of three-dimensional ‘branching pipe flows’ that bypasses this obstruction and, consequently, eliminates this logarithmic correction and therefore identifies the optimal scaling as a clean 1/3-power law. Our flows resemble the ones obtained in previous numerical studies of the three-dimensional wall-to-wall problem by Motoki, Kawahara and Shimizu (2018 J. Fluid Mech.
851 R4). We also discuss the implications of this result to the heat transfer problem in Rayleigh–Bénard convection and the problem of anomalous dissipation in a passive scalar.
A passive-tuned damper based on magnetorheological porous fabric composite
Authors: Wu Lifan , Dong Xiaomin , Xu Di
Published: September 2024

This paper proposes a novel passive-tuned magnetorheological (PTMR) damper based on developed magnetorheological (MR) porous fabric composite, in which the damping force is tuned by a permanent magnet (PM). Firstly, the influences of the porous fiber structure of composite on the suspended phase are considered, and a continuous constitutive model based on the dipole model is proposed for the first time, which can accurately predict its rheological properties. Subsequently, a stable passive damper for special conditions is designed, and the unique design concept is to achieve completely different damping characteristics for different application scenarios by adjusting the position of the PM relative to the magnetic circuit. The experimental results show that the damping force is relatively stable under specific condition, and can be adjusted within the range of 16.8–77.4 N, with a dynamic range of about 4.6. Moreover, the PTMR damper can exhibit unidirectional negative stiffness characteristic by adjusting the PM to a specific position. The PTMR damper has stable vibration reduction performance, wide dynamic range, and compact structure, which can be comparable to some conventional MR dampers.
Generating grating in cavity magnomechanics
Authors: Liu Wenzhang , Abbas Muqaddar , Hossein Asadpour Seyyed , Hamedi Hamid R , Zhang Pei , Sanders Barry C
Published: September 2024

We investigate the phenomenon of magnomechanically induced grating (MMIG) within a cavity magnomechanical system, comprising magnons (spins in a ferromagnet, such as yttrium iron garnet), cavity microwave photons, and phonons (Li et al 2018 Phys. Rev. Lett.
121 203601). By applying an external standing wave control, we observe modifications in the transmission profile of a probe light beam, signifying the presence of MMIG. Through numerical analysis, we explore the diffraction intensities of the probe field, examining the impact of interactions between cavity magnons, magnon-phonon interactions, standing wave field strength, and interaction length. MMIG systems leverage the unique properties of magnons, and collective spin excitations with attributes like long coherence times and spin-wave propagation. These distinctive features can be harnessed in MMIG systems for innovative applications in information storage, retrieval, and quantum memories, offering various orders of diffraction grating.
Pseudo-proper two-dimensional electron gas formation
Authors: Bennett Daniel , Aguado-Puente Pablo , Artacho Emilio , Bristowe Nicholas C
Published: September 2024

In spite of the interest in the two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) experimentally found at surfaces and interfaces, important uncertainties remain about the observed insulator–metal transitions (IMTs). Here we show how an explicit pseudo-proper coupling of carrier sources with a relevant soft mode significantly affects the transition. The analysis presented here for 2DEGs at polar interfaces is based on group theory, Landau–Ginzburg theory, and illustrated with first-principles calculations for the prototypical case of the

LaAlO
3

/

SrTiO
3

interface, for which such a structural transition has recently been observed. This direct coupling implies that the appearance of the soft mode is always accompanied by carriers. For sufficiently strong coupling an avalanche-like first-order IMT is predicted.
Exploration of the structure, electronic and optical properties of AB
2(PO3)5 polyphosphates: a first-principle approach
Authors: Zhuravlev Y N , Khattari Z Y
Published: September 2024

The density functional theory method was applied using the gradient PBE, incorporating the hybrid PBE0 functional along with dispersion corrections D3(BJ). These objectives were accomplished through the utilization of the CRYSTAL package, employing a localized atomic orbital basis. Calculations encompassing crystal properties, including electronic, structural, and linear/nonlinear opto-electronic characteristics, were conducted for monoclinic AB
2(PO3)5. Specifically, the polyphosphates investigated in this study are RbPb2(PO3)5, CsPb2(PO3)5, KBa2(PO3)5, and RbBa2(PO3)5. It was demonstrated that in monoclinic phosphates, phosphorus and oxygen atoms form infinite chains [PO4]∞ based on the·

⋯

O1-P-O1

⋯

·structure. Alkali metal and lead (barium) atoms are surrounded by oxygen atoms O2, forming polyhedra. Infrared absorption spectra calculations confirmed the presence of chain backbone structural units. Additionally, band structure and partial density of electronic states were determined. The nature of valence and unoccupied states was also investigated. In lead-doped compounds, lead atoms contribute to the formation of upper-valence and lower-unoccupied states. Conversely, in barium-doped compounds, the upper valence states are primarily formed by O2 p-states, while the lower unoccupied states are formed by phosphorus. Also, the coefficients of second harmonic generation and birefringence were calculated, assessing the potential use of phosphates as nonlinear optical materials.
Multifractal analysis of fractal interpolation functions
Authors: Priyanka T M C , Gowrisankar A
Published: September 2024

This paper presents a novel algorithm to utilize multifractal spectrum as a quantitative measure for the fractal interpolation functions with respect to scaling factor and fractional order. As of yet, there were no error estimation techniques to interpret the fractal interpolation functions in the literature. To bridge this gap, this paper sketches multifractality as a quantitative measure for inquiring and comparing the effects of different scaling factors. The proposed algorithm for analyzing the multifractal measure depends on the probability measure of data points, which fractal function passes through, enabling to effectively discuss the heterogeneity of fractal interpolation functions. In addition, the impact of fractional orders on the fractional derivative (integral) of fractal interpolation functions is also discussed tailoring the multifractal measure.
Electrode length effects on the performance of the electrostatic quadrupole triplet lens
Authors: Hussein Oday A
Published: September 2024

The present work aims to better understand the relationship between the electrode length of the electrostatic quadrupole triplet lens (EQTL) and its optical properties, as well as the possibility of increasing efficiency by selecting the electrode length that produces the best results, as this topic has not been discussed in previous studies. The effects of electrode length on the performance of the quadrupole triplet lens (QTL) were studied. The quadrupole triplet lens (QTL) electrode voltage combinations were found to produce the stigmatic image, and the effects of electrode length on the image’s characteristics were examined. Two lenses with electrode lengths L of 80 mm and 90 mm were designed, and the comparisons were made to show the effects on the electrode voltages, electron beam trajectories, and aberration figures. The findings indicated that a 12.5% increase in electrode length resulted in a 60% increase in aberration figures for Δy in point object-to-point image focusing mode and an 80% increase for Δz in parallel object-to-point image focusing mode.
Novel complexiton, rational wave, multi-lumps and the kink solitary wave solutions to the new (3+1)-dimensional integrable fourth-order equation for shallow water waves
Authors: Liang Yan-Hong , Wang Kang-Jia
Published: September 2024

In this exploration, we aim to seek a number of new exact solutions to the new (3+1)-dimensional integrable fourth-order nonlinear equation, which is widely used to describe the shallow water waves. Employing the Cole-Hopf transformation, we develop its bilinear form. Then, taking advantage of the ansatz function method, a new functional form is utilized to probe the singular complexiton solutions. Based on which, the non-singular complexiton solutions are derived by imposing the constraint conditions. In addition, we find the rational wave solutions and multi-lumps solutions wielding the rational function method and new homoclinic method respectively. At the end, we investigate the kink solitary wave solutions using the variational approach that is based on the variational principle and Ritz method. Meanwhile, the Hamiltonian of the system is also elaborated. Correspondingly, the graphic descriptions of the extracted results are presented to unfold their dynamic behaviors through Maple. As we all know, the findings of this paper are firstly reported and can enlarge the exact solutions of the considered PDE.
A Geometric Distortion Solution Specifically for Historical Observations and its Implementation
Authors: Lin F. R. , Peng Q. Y. , Zheng Z. J. , Guo B. F.
Published: September 2024

Geometric distortion (GD) critically constrains the precision of astrometry. Using well-established methods to correct GD requires calibration observations, which can only be obtained using a special dithering strategy during the observation period. Unfortunately, this special observation mode is not often used, especially for historical observations before those GD correction methods were presented. As a result, some telescopes have no GD calibration observations for a long period, making it impossible to accurately determine the GD effect. This limits the value of the telescope observations in certain astrometric scenarios, such as using historical observations of moving targets in the solar system to improve their orbits. We investigated a method for handling GD that does not rely on the calibration observations. With this advantage, it can be used to solve the GD models of telescopes which were intractable in the past. The method was implemented in Python and released on GitHub. It was then applied to solve GD in the observations taken with the 1 m and 2.4 m telescopes at Yunnan Observatory. The resulting GD models were compared with those obtained using well-established methods to demonstrate the accuracy. Furthermore, the method was applied in the reduction of observations for two targets, the moon of Jupiter (Himalia) and binary GSC 2038-0293, to show its effectiveness. After GD correction, the astrometric results for both targets show improvements. Notably, the mean residual between the observed and computed position (O − C) for binary GSC 2038-0293 decreased from 36 to 5 mas.
A Calibration Scheme for a 800-Ms/s 14 Bit Pipelined ADC in 28-nm CMOS
Authors: Cao Tianxiang , Ding Kaijie , Han Shuai , Zhu Jiang , Xu Zhiwei
Published: September 2024

A calibration scheme is proposed to compensate linear and nonlinear errors including offset, cap mismatch, second- and higher-order harmonics and memory induced errors in pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The alternating minimization (AM) algorithm is proposed to accurately estimate the coefficients of the errors. As an accurate input value is hardly acquired in practical measurements, instead, the proposed scheme estimates the input and the error coefficients jointly. Once the error coefficient was calculated, it will be recorded in a lookup table (LUT). The scheme has been demonstrated in a 800-Ms/s 14-bit pipelined ADC fabricated in a 28nm CMOS process, which features a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) improvement of 2.49 dB and 11.49 dB at 800-Ms/s.
Dilaton shifts, probability measures, and decomposition
Authors: Sharpe Eric
Published: September 2024

In this paper we discuss dilaton shifts (Euler counterterms) arising in decomposition of two-dimensional quantum field theories with higher-form symmetries. Relative shifts between universes are fixed by locality and take a universal form, reflecting underlying (noninvertible, quantum) symmetries. The first part of this paper constructs a general formula for such dilaton shifts, and discusses related computations. In the second part of this paper, we comment on the relation between decomposition and ensembles.
Geometry of Kirkwood–Dirac classical states: a case study based on discrete Fourier transform
Authors: Yang Ying-Hui , Yao Shuang , Geng Shi-Jiao , Wang Xiao-Li , Chen Pei-Ying
Published: September 2024

The characterization of Kirkwood–Dirac (KD) classicality or non-classicality is very important in quantum information processing. In general, the set of KD classical states with respect to two bases is not a convex polytope (Langreneet al2024J. Math. Phys.65072201), which makes us interested in finding out in which circumstances they do form a polytope. In this paper, we focus on the characterization of KD classicality of mixed states for the case where the transition matrix between two bases is a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) matrix in Hilbert space with dimensionsp2andpq, respectively, wherep,qare prime. For the two particular cases we investigate, the sets of extremal points are finite, implying that the set of KD classical states we characterize forms a convex polytope. We show that forp2dimensional system, the setKDA,B+is a convex hull of the setpure(KDA,B+)based on DFT, whereKDA,B+is the set of KD classical states with respect to two bases andpure(KDA,B+)is the set of all the rank-one projectors of KD classical pure states with respect to two bases. Inpqdimensional system, we believe that this result also holds. Unfortunately, we do not completely prove it, but some meaningful conclusions are obtained about the characterization of KD classicality.
A microvascularized in vitro liver model for disease modeling and drug discovery
Authors: Bonanini Flavio , Dinkelberg Roelof , Torregrosa Manuel Caro , Kortekaas Nienke , Hagens Tessa M S , Treillard Stéphane , Kurek Dorota , van Duinen Vincent , Vulto Paul , Bircsak Kristin
Published: September 2024

Drug discovery for complex liver diseases faces alarming attrition rates. The lack of non-clinical models that recapitulate key aspects of liver (patho)-physiology is likely contributing to the inefficiency of developing effective treatments. Of particular notice is the common omission of an organized microvascular component despite its importance in maintaining liver function and its involvement in the development of several pathologies. Increasing the complexity of in vitro models is usually associated with a lack of scalability and robustness which hinders their implementation in drug development pipelines. Here, we describe a comprehensive liver microphysiological system comprising stellates, liver-derived endothelial cells and hepatocytes conceived within a scalable and automated platform. We show that endothelial cells self-organize in a microvascular network when co-cultured with stellates in a hydrogel. In a tri-culture, hepatocytes polarize accordingly, with a basolateral side facing blood vessels and an apical side facing bile-canaliculi-like structures. Stellates interact and surround the hollow microvessels. Steatosis was induced by exogenous administration of fatty acids which could be prevented by co-administration of firsocostat. Administration of TGF-β resulted in an activated stellate cells phenotype which could be prevented by the co-administration of SB-431542. The model was implemented on a microtiter plate format comprising 64 chips which enabled the development of a fully automated, multiplexed fibrosis assay with a robust Z’ factor suitable for high-throughput applications.
Effect of Y2O3 on thermophysical parameters and mechanical properties of Al-Al2O3 composites and compatibility with high temperature Al-Si alloys
Authors: Ruiying Zhang , Rongxin Xue , Yuqi Li
Published: September 2024

Al-Al2O3 is a crucial encapsulation composite used in solar thermal storage systems. This study utilized Al and Al2O3 powders as raw materials, with Y2O3 serving as a sintering aid, to prepare Al-20Al2O3-xY2O3 composites (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 wt%) through the cold pressure sintering method. The latent heat, thermal conductivity, and bending strength of the Al-20Al2O3-xY2O3 composites were measured. The compatibility of the composites with Al-12 wt%Si alloys was analyzed. Furthermore, the relationships between thermophysical parameters, mechanical properties, compatibility, and microstructure were explored. The oxidation mechanism of Al and the wetting angle of the composites with Al-12Si were simulated using LAMMPS software. It was concluded that with an increase in Y2O3 content, the bending strength, thermal conductivity, and compatibility of the composites initially increased and then decreased. The Al-20Al2O3-0.2Y2O3 composite exhibited the least porosity, highest bending strength (76.32 MPa), and thermal conductivity (46.82 W/(m·K)). In compatibility testing, the diffusion distance of Si atoms was shortest (90 μm) in the Al-20Al2O3-0.2Y2O3 composite. Moreover, this composite had the largest wetting angle (88°) with the Al-12Si alloy, resulting in good compatibility between them.
Interaction of liquid titanium with zirconates and titanates of some alkaline earth metals
Authors: Kenzhaliyev Bagdaulet , Panichkin Aleksander , Uskenbayeva Alma , Chukmanova Marzhan , Mamaeva Axaule , Kshibekova Balzhan , Alibekov Zhassulan
Published: September 2024

The article presents the results of a study of the interaction of titanium melt with of zirconates BaZrO3 and SrZrO3, as well as titanate SrTiO3 under vacuum conditions and in an inert atmosphere at normal pressure. An original titanium heating method was used during the experiments. It eliminated the melt circulation at the interface between the solid and liquid phases. The method was based on resistive electrical heating of a Grade 2 titanium alloy rod or strip pressed into BaZrO3, SrZrO3 and SrTiO3 powders. Studied the structure, elemental, and phase composition of the products formed during various (up to 300 s) contact of titanium melt with surface zirconates and titaniums. The phase composition was compared with the products obtained by heating compacts from a mixture of titanium powders with BaZrO3, SrZrO3 and SrTiO3 powders. It was shown based on the results obtained that titanium, upon contact with these ceramic materials dissolves zirconium and oxygen and reduces barium and strontium to a metallic state. Barium and strontium evaporated due to the high vapor pressure at the experimental temperature, and caused the melt to splash or form a vapor layer that reduced the interaction rate of the melt with the ceramic. When a titanium melt interacted with BaZrO3 and SrZrO3 intermediate phases were not formed in quantities sufficient for their identification. The Sr3Zr2O7 phase was formed in small quantities during heating a mixture of Ti+SrZrO3 powders. When a titanium melt interacted with SrTiO3, a layer of an intermediate phase was formed, similar in composition to TiO2. Equations for the chemical reaction of the interaction of titanium with the indicated zirconates and titanate were compiled based on the experimental data obtained. It has been shown that titanium melt weted the surface of BaZrO3, SrZrO3 powders well and poorly weted the surface of SrTiO3 powder.
Neural network representation of quantum systems
Authors: Hashimoto Koji , Hirono Yuji , Maeda Jun , Totsuka-Yoshinaka Jojiro
Published: September 2024

It has been proposed that random wide neural networks near Gaussian process are quantum field theories around Gaussian fixed points. In this paper, we provide a novel map with which a wide class of quantum mechanical systems can be cast into the form of a neural network with a statistical summation over network parameters. Our simple idea is to use the universal approximation theorem of neural networks to generate arbitrary paths in the Feynman’s path integral. The map can be applied to interacting quantum systems / field theories, even away from the Gaussian limit. Our findings bring machine learning closer to the quantum world.
Large-scale gene expression data clustering through incremental ensemble approach
Authors: Khan Imran , Shaikh Abdul Khalique , Adhikari Naresh
Published: September 2024

DNA microarray technology monitors gene activity in real-time in living organisms. It creates a large amount of data that helps scientists learn about how genes work. Clustering this data helps understand gene interactions and uncover important biological processes. However, the traditional clustering techniques have difficulties due to the enormous dimensionality of gene expression data and the intricacy of biological networks. Although ensemble clustering is a viable strategy, such high-dimensional data may not lend itself well to traditional approaches. This study introduces a novel technique for gene expression data clustering called incremental ensemble clustering for gene expression data (IECG). There are two steps in the IECG. A technique for grouping gene expression data into windows is presented in the first step, producing a tree of clusters. This procedure is carried out again for succeeding windows that have distinct feature sets. The base clusterings of two consecutive windows are ensembled using a new goal function to form a new clustering solution. By repeating this step-by-step method for further windows, reliable patterns that are beneficial for medical applications can be extracted. The results from both biological and non-biological data demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperformed the state-of-the-art algorithms. Additionally, the running time of the proposed algorithm has been examined.
Stranded human and produced capital in a net-zero transition
Authors: Chester Daniel , Lynch Cormac , Mercure Jean-Francois , Jarvis Andrew
Published: September 2024

The pace of the net-zero transition required to meet the Paris Agreement objectives puts the value of existing carbon-dependent capital at risk of premature depreciation. This risk extends beyond physical capital and threatens occupations and livelihoods. We quantify the current value and turnover timescales of existing global human and produced capital and compare the rate at which it naturally depreciates with that at which it would be required to depreciate to achieve climate targets. We find that achieving net-zero in 2050 by ending carbon-intensive investment in 2020 would have put up to 117 T$ of global capital value at risk. Delaying a ban on carbon-intensive investment to 2030, however, implies a risk of up to 557 T$ (37% of current capital), around three quarters of which is human capital. Reducing these risks could warrant intervention in both the financial and educational systems, where training for occupations that may soon cease to exist could be avoided. Other similar transformative policies to stimulate new economic capabilities in fossil fuel dependent regions are needed to ensure a just transition.
Estimating Patient Eligibility And Benefit Of Intravenous Zolendronic Acid In Hip Fracture Patients: A Service Evaluation
Authors: Flatharta Tomás Ó , Walsh Erica , Parris Joshua , Ashraf Mubashra , Laffan Suzanne , O'Regan Niamh
Published: September 2024

Background

Low trauma hip fractures are serious and carry an estimated re-fracture rate of 10.6%, leading increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare cost. Intravenous Zolendronic Acid (IVZ) administration following hip fracture reduces re-fracture risk by approximately 23% and is recommended yearly for three years by National Osteoporosis Guidelines Group (NOGG) 2021. However, a significant treatment gap remains with only one-fifth of patients receiving IVZ pre-discharge, due to implementation challenges, such as suboptimal Vitamin D levels and lack of resources for yearly infusions. Recently published consensus guidelines offer practical advice as to how to overcome these barriers. This service evaluation estimates the proportion of hip fracture patients eligible for IVZ; as well as the re-fracture rate, prior to the introduction of a local IVZ pathway.

Methods

Approval from local Quality and Patient Safety Department was received. Low trauma hip fracture patients were identified from the local Orthogeriatric database (October 2019 to January 2021). Hospital electronic laboratory and radiology software were used to identify renal function on discharge and evidence of further fractures (at six months, 1 year and 3 years). Subjects were deemed potentially eligible for IVZ if they had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of ≥50 mls/min (a proxy for calculated creatinine clearance ≥30mls/min in this patient cohort).

Results

Of 463 subjects, 384 (82.9%) had an eGFR ≥50. Re-fracture data was collected for 263 eligible subjects. Seventeen (6.5%) re-fractured within six months, 21 (8%) re-fractured within a year and 45 (17.1%) re-fractured at any stage post discharge.

Conclusion

IVZ treatment is the most efficacious secondary fracture prevention post-hip fracture, and most patients are eligible for this treatment. Implementing IVZ pathways for hip fracture patients may significantly reduce re-fracture rate, however expansion of resources allocated to Orthogeriatrics and Fracture Liaison teams is required to successfully implement inpatient pathways and ongoing care.
Providing A ‘Helping Hand’ To ‘Get to Know Me’ And What ‘I Can’ Do For People With Dementia
Authors: Heraughty Niamh , Douglas Laura , Montague Orla
Published: September 2024

Background

In November 2020 the referral rate for residents with dementia for communication assessment was only 18% of all referrals. The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department had no standard pathway for assessment and intervention of communication for those residents. Part of the aim of devising this pathway was to empower our fellow Health Care Workers (HCWs) to have meaningful, successful and satisfying conversations and facilitate positive, person-centred communication.

Methods

Results

Qualitative feedback received from staff and families highlight our residents' “personhood” and how the tools help preserve residents' memories. The tools are available in resident's files for all HCWs to use. SLTs continue to complete the cognitive and language screens but student nurses complete the Getting To Know Me questionnaire. Since commencement of this initiative there have been more than 230 residents whom have at least 1 of the tools is completed.

Conclusion

These tools can help reveal the personhood of our residents and can empower all HCWs in conversation with residents. They help to provide comfort and attachment to people with dementia by helping us maintain their identity and foster inclusion by empowering residents and staff in conversations. This project is easily replicated and practical.
HIP: a method for high-dimensional multi-view data integration and prediction accounting for subgroup heterogeneity
Authors: Butts Jessica , Verace Leif , Wendt Christine , Bowler Russel P , Hersh Craig P , Long Qi , Eberly Lynn , Safo Sandra E
Published: September 2024

Epidemiologic and genetic studies in many complex diseases suggest subgroup disparities (e.g. by sex, race) in disease course and patient outcomes. We consider this from the standpoint of integrative analysis where we combine information from different views (e.g. genomics, proteomics, clinical data). Existing integrative analysis methods ignore the heterogeneity in subgroups, and stacking the views and accounting for subgroup heterogeneity does not model the association among the views. We propose Heterogeneity in Integration and Prediction (HIP), a statistical approach for joint association and prediction that leverages the strengths in each view to identify molecular signatures that are shared by and specific to a subgroup. We apply HIP to proteomics and gene expression data pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to identify proteins and genes shared by, and unique to, males and females, contributing to the variation in COPD, measured by airway wall thickness. Our COPD findings have identified proteins, genes, and pathways that are common across and specific to males and females, some implicated in COPD, while others could lead to new insights into sex differences in COPD mechanisms. HIP accounts for subgroup heterogeneity in multi-view data, ranks variables based on importance, is applicable to univariate or multivariate continuous outcomes, and incorporates covariate adjustment. With the efficient algorithms implemented using PyTorch, this method has many potential scientific applications and could enhance multiomics research in health disparities. HIP is available at https://github.com/lasandrall/HIP, a video tutorial at https://youtu.be/O6E2OLmeMDo and a Shiny Application at https://multi-viewlearn.shinyapps.io/HIP_ShinyApp/ for users with limited programming experience.
iTraNet: a web-based platform for integrated trans-omics network visualization and analysis
Authors: Sugimoto Hikaru , Morita Keigo , Li Dongzi , Bai Yunfan , Mattanovich Matthias , Kuroda Shinya
Published: September 2024

Motivation

Visualization and analysis of biological networks play crucial roles in understanding living systems. Biological networks include diverse types, from gene regulatory networks and protein–protein interactions to metabolic networks. Metabolic networks include substrates, products, and enzymes, which are regulated by allosteric mechanisms and gene expression. However, the analysis of these diverse omics types is challenging due to the diversity of databases and the complexity of network analysis.

Results

We developed iTraNet, a web application that visualizes and analyses trans-omics networks involving four types of networks: gene regulatory networks, protein–protein interactions, metabolic networks, and metabolite exchange networks. Using iTraNet, we found that in wild-type mice, hub molecules within the network tended to respond to glucose administration, whereas in ob/ob mice, this tendency disappeared. With its ability to facilitate network analysis, we anticipate that iTraNet will help researchers gain insights into living systems.

Availability and implementation

iTraNet is available at https://itranet.streamlit.app/.
Deep learning disconnectomes to accelerate and improve long-term predictions for post-stroke symptoms
Authors: Matsulevits Anna , Coupé Pierrick , Nguyen Huy-Dung , Talozzi Lia , Foulon Chris , Nachev Parashkev , Corbetta Maurizio , Tourdias Thomas , Thiebaut de Schotten Michel
Published: September 2024

This study investigates the efficacy of deep-learning models in expediting the generation of disconnectomes for individualized prediction of neuropsychological outcomes one year after stroke. Utilising a 3D U-Net network, we trained a model on a dataset of N = 1333 synthetic lesions and corresponding disconnectomes, subsequently applying it to N = 1333 real stroke lesions. The model-generated disconnection patterns were then projected into a two-dimensional ‘morphospace’ via uniform manifold approximation and projection for dimension reduction dimensionality reduction. We correlated the positioning within this morphospace with one-year neuropsychological scores across 86 metrics in a novel cohort of 119 stroke patients, employing multiple regression models and validating the findings in an out-of-sample group of 20 patients. Our results demonstrate that the 3D U-Net model captures the critical information of conventional disconnectomes with a notable increase in efficiency, generating deep-disconnectomes 720 times faster than current state-of-the-art software. The predictive accuracy of neuropsychological outcomes by deep-disconnectomes averaged 85.2% (R2 = 0.208), which significantly surpassed the conventional disconnectome approach (P = 0.009). These findings mark a substantial advancement in the production of disconnectome maps via deep learning, suggesting that this method could greatly enhance the prognostic assessment and clinical management of stroke survivors by incorporating disconnection patterns as a predictive tool.
Understanding visual perception in visual snow syndrome: a battery of psychophysical tests plus the 30-day clinical diary
Authors: Garobbio Simona , Mazloum Reza , Rosio Michael , Popovova Jeanette , Schöpfer Raphaela , Fierz Fabienne C , Disse Leah R , Weber Konrad Peter , Schankin Christoph J , Michels Lars , Herzog Michael H
Published: September 2024

Patients with visual snow syndrome (VSS) experience uncountable flickering tiny dots in the entire visual field. Symptoms often persist over the years. Very little is known about altered perception in VSS. VSS is diagnosed based on subjective reports because there is no manual with objective measures. In this study, 20 patients with VSS and 17 healthy controls performed a battery of tests assessing visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, illusion perception, spatial–temporal vision, motion perception, visual attention, and selective attention. Surprisingly, except for one test, which is the honeycomb illusion, patients performed at the same level as controls. Patients reporting black and white visual snow performed better in the Stroop test compared to patients reporting other visual snow colours. In addition to a clinical visit, the 30-day clinical diary was administered to patients to broadly measure their symptom severity. We found that better performance in the tests, in particular in the contrast and coherent motion tests, was correlated with lower VSS symptoms, weaker VS characteristics (e.g. density and size) and lower VS severity. Our results suggest that, even if visual abilities are not deteriorated by VSS, they can determine how severe symptoms are, and show that VSS is an heterogenous disorder where symptoms and visual abilities vary between patients, for instance depending on the VS colour. The study was primarily designed to identify tests where performance differs between controls and patients. In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted to initiate an understanding of the overall pattern of relationships between patients’ visual abilities and symptoms, which is of clinical relevance. Future studies with more power are necessary to validate our findings.
Photocatalytic water splitting over K3Li2Ta5O15 with a C-site-filled tungsten bronze structure and influence of metal cations at C-site on photocatalytic properties
Authors: Moriya Misa , Kato Hideki , Iwase Akihide
Published: September 2024

K3Li2Ta5O15 is found as a novel photocatalyst for overall water splitting under ultraviolet light irradiation. K3Li2Ta5O15 possesses a characteristic crystal structure with Li+ ion-filled C-sites in (A1)4(A2)2C4M10O30 as the general formula of a tungsten bronze-type metal oxide. Most of the reported photocatalysts with a tungsten bronze structure possess empty C-sites. K6Ta10.8O30 also possesses a C-site-filled tungsten bronze structure in which C-sites are partially filled with Ta5+ ions. In diffuse reflectance spectra, K6Ta10.8O30 has an absorption edge at a longer wavelength than K3Li2Ta5O15. This narrower band gap of K6Ta10.8O30 than K3Li2Ta5O15 is considered to be due to the presence of Ta5+ ions at C-sites in K6Ta10.8O30. Ta5+ ions that are located at 9-fold coordination C-sites with a totally different surrounding environment from the 6-fold coordination M-sites will form the conduction band minimum at a lower potential than those located at 6-fold coordination M-sites. The optimized K3Li2Ta5O15 shows almost the same water-splitting activity as the optimized K6Ta10.8O30. Thus, it is found that the conduction band that is formed by Ta5+ ions at C-sites is also effective for photocatalytic reaction, being similar to that formed by Ta5+ ions at M-sites.
Mechanical strategies to promote vascularization for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Authors: Wang Yiran , Liu Meixuan , Zhang Wei , Liu Huan , Jin Fang , Mao Shulei , Han Chunmao , Wang Xingang
Published: September 2024

Vascularization is a major challenge in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Mechanical factors have been demonstrated to play a fundamental role in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis and can affect the architecture of the generated vascular network. Through the regulation of mechanical factors in engineered tissues, various mechanical strategies can be used to optimize the preformed vascular network and promote its rapid integration with host vessels. Optimization of the mechanical properties of scaffolds, including controlling scaffold stiffness, increasing surface roughness and anisotropic structure, and designing interconnected, hierarchical pore structures, is beneficial for the in vitro formation of vascular networks and the ingrowth of host blood vessels. The incorporation of hollow channels into scaffolds promotes the formation of patterned vascular networks. Dynamic stretching and perfusion can facilitate the formation and maturation of preformed vascular networks in vitro. Several indirect mechanical strategies provide sustained mechanical stimulation to engineered tissues in vivo, which further promotes the vascularization of implants within the body. Additionally, stiffness gradients, anisotropic substrates and hollow channels in scaffolds, as well as external cyclic stretch, boundary constraints and dynamic flow culture, can effectively regulate the alignment of vascular networks, thereby promoting better integration of prevascularized engineered tissues with host blood vessels. This review summarizes the influence and contribution of both scaffold-based and external stimulus-based mechanical strategies for vascularization in tissue engineering and elucidates the underlying mechanisms involved.
Students and the BCS
Authors: Shaw R , Treleaven P
Published: September 2024

During recent months, the Society has been taking an increasing interest in students of computing and allied fields. During 1973/74, the first student member of Council, Richard Jennings of the Hull Branch, was elected and one of the authors, Philip Treleaven, is the student representative for the current year. As further evidence of the Society’s interest, Council at its January meeting approved the formation of a student affairs committee, under the chairmanship of Rodney Shaw, to oversee policies and activities connected with students and student membership of the Society. It was also agreed to approve the abatement of the annual subscriptions for those students undergoing full-time courses of study leading to a qualification acceptable to the Society as part of its membership requirement. Such students will now pay £1.50 annually as Student members of the Society.
Resolving the conflict between OA and DP
Authors: Fox Peter
Published: September 2024

Office automation operates at two levels: a) the personal use of the computing tools available in the office, and b) the corporate level of using information technology to control the flow of information between offices. Data processing departments have in many cases seized on the latter reason for deciding what users want in the way of OA. ‘After all’, the argument goes, ‘a global viewpoint is necessary and we have been doing just that for years.’ To this the OA specialist retorts: ‘Ah yes but there’s something else you’ve been doing for years – and that’s not catering properly for user’s needs’. There is a lot of bad blood, empire building, and struggling for survival (politics) in the atmosphere which permeates a majority of large organisations. In extreme cases the DP department, having the established powerbase, simply sees the OA specialists off the premises.
P-TIMA: a framework of T witter threat intelligence mining and analysis based on a prompt-learning NER model
Authors: You Yizhe , Jiang Zhengwei , Yang Peian , Jiang Jun , Zhang Kai , Wang Xuren , Tu Chenpeng , Feng Huamin
Published: September 2024

Open-source information platforms such as Twitter continuously provide the latest threat intelligence, including new vulnerabilities and in-the-wild exploitations of advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. Automated extraction of threat intelligence from Twitter has become crucial for defenders to access up-to-date threat knowledge. However, existing studies mainly rely on supervised learning methods to extract threat intelligence knowledge, such as entities, which require a large amount of annotated data. This paper presents Threat Intelligence Mining and Analysis based on Prompt Learning (P-TIMA), a framework specifically crafted for extracting and analyzing threat intelligence from Twitter. P-TIMA employs our innovative few-shot entity recognition method, SecEntPrompt (SEP), built on prompt learning, to extract vulnerability intelligence from Twitter. Additionally, P-TIMA analyzes and profiles the overarching vulnerability intelligence obtained from Twitter, along with in-the-wild exploitation intelligence of APT groups. The SEP improves the average entity recognition F1 score by 3.62-4.40 compared with the best-performing comparison model and outperforms the method based on the large language model on recognition performance and inference time. To validate our framework, we apply P-TIMA to extract vulnerability-related threat intelligence from real Twitter data. Through case studies, we then analyze trends in vulnerability threats and the exploitation capabilities of APT groups. In conclusion, our framework provides a more efficient and accurate method for extracting threat intelligence from Twitter, enabling defenders to stay up-to-date with the latest threat trends and helping them improve their defense strategies against cyber attacks.
The Dark Side of Infrastructure: Roads, Repression and Land in Authoritarian Paraguay
Authors: González Felipe , Miquel-Florensa Josepa , Prem Mounu , Straub Stéphane
Published: September 2024

Transportation infrastructure is associated with economic development, but it can also be used for social control and to benefit the governing elite. We explore the connection between the construction of road networks, state-led repression and illegal land allocations in the longest dictatorship in South America: Alfredo Stroessner’s military regime in Paraguay. Using novel panel data from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we show that proximity to newly constructed roads facilitated state-led repression, illegal allocation of agricultural plots to dictatorship allies and hindered sustainable economic development in the following decades.
The middle tier of states and the Russia–Ukraine war
Authors: Wu Zhengyu , Ding Yuhang
Published: September 2024

This article examines the concept of the ‘middle tier of states’ proposed by Halford Mackinder in 1919, its failure to prevent German–Soviet Union rapprochement in the interwar years, its recent revival and its geopolitical implications. Mackinder's ‘heartland thesis’ comprises two interrelated parts: the geopolitical significance of the heartland, and the middle tier of states, which he suggested could counteract the pernicious impact of the heartland. Although the middle tier of states paralleled the 1919 Versailles settlement in east-central Europe, its failure to play the role that Mackinder suggested has never been properly investigated. Over the past decade, the middle tier of states has been revived by a range of regional cooperation projects in east-central Europe, while the Russia–Ukraine war attests to its necessity and viability in the current context. The Russia–Ukraine war has shown that a strengthened middle tier of NATO and European Union states will not just reshape the geopolitical landscape of Europe but will have significant implications for world politics.
Politics and power in the global tennis circuit
Authors: Eggeling Kristin Anabel
Published: September 2024

Like most global sports, professional tennis is eager to claim that politics has no place on its playing field. On closer investigation, however, this ‘myth of autonomy’ soon cracks. In addition to adding tennis as a much-needed case to the study of sport and international affairs, this article develops the concept of ‘the circuit’ to approach phenomena that criss-cross traditional levels of analysis in international relations. In its first part, the article zooms in on the practice of writing celebratory messages onto the lenses of TV cameras as an example of the power relations that exist in and around professional tennis courts today. In its second part, it zooms out to map the themes and questions that have framed tennis as a political activity around the world and over time. The analysis identifies and characterizes the global tennis circuit as a site within which many of the most pressing political questions of our time are contained, focusing on the prestigious tournaments which make up the Grand Slam, and the elite athletes that participate in them.