bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural response and mechanical properties of the hind wing of the beetle Protaetia brevitarsis
Authors: Li Xin , Zheng Yu
Published: April 2024

The folding/unfolding mechanism and collision recovery effect of the beetle's hind wings can provide biomimetic inspiration for the optimization of wing deplorability and the investigation of collision prevention recovery mechanism of new amphibious morphing vehicle. In this study, a method is described to investigate the structural response and mechanical properties of the hind wings of the beetle Protetia brevitarsis under natural conditions. The specially processed test samples were conducted to tensile testing, which facilitates the evaluation of the mechanical properties of specific areas of the hind wing. The micro geometric morphological characteristics of the cross‐section of the specimen after tensile fracture were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The three‐dimensional morphology of the ventral and dorsal sides of the hind wing was characterized using three‐dimensional scanning and reverse modeling methods. The finite element model of the hind wing is developed to investigate the structural deformation and modal response characteristics of its flapping. The uniformly distributed load on the hind wing surface is derived from the lift characteristics obtained from the computational fluid dynamics simulation of flapping wing motion.

Research Highlights

Scanning electron microscope is used to observe the cross‐sectional characteristics of the veins and membranes.

The material properties of the wing membranes and veins of the hind wings were measured using the tensile testing system.

The three‐dimensional morphology of the hind wing was characterized using 3D scanning and reverse modeling methods.

The finite element model of the hind wing is developed to investigate the structural deformation and modal response characteristics of its flapping.
Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism for diabetes II treatment by the ethyl acetate fraction of Atriplex halimus L.
Authors: Montaser Omnia , El‐Aasr Mona , Tawfik Haytham O. , Meshrif Wesam S. , Elbrense Hanaa
Published: April 2024

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the most common metabolic disorder. The undesirable effects of synthetic drugs demand a search for safe antidiabetic agents. This study aimed to assess the antidiabetic activity of different fractions of Atriplex halimus (petroleum ether 60–80, methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, and n‐butanol) using Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Titers of total glucose and trehalose, as well as larval weight, were measured and compared with those of control and diabetic larvae. The expression of Drosophila insulin‐like peptides (DILP2 and DILP3) and adipokinetic hormone (AKH) was evaluated. The results revealed a significant increase in total glucose, trehalose, and a decrease in body weight in the larvae fed a high‐sugar diet compared with those in the control. When larvae fed diets containing the tested fractions, the total glucose and trehalose decreased to the control level, and the body weight increased. DILP2, DILP3, and AKH exhibited significant decreases upon treatment with A. halimus ethyl acetate. Metabolomic profiling of the ethyl acetate fraction of A. halimus revealed the presence of flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides. After docking screening to predict the most powerful moiety, we discovered that flavonoid glycosides (especially eriodictyol‐7‐O‐neohesperidoside) have a greater affinity for the pocket than the other moieties. The results indicated the therapeutic activity of the A. halimus ethyl acetate fraction against induced T2D in Drosophila larvae. The antidiabetic activity may be attributed to flavonoids, which are the main components of the A. halimus ethyl acetate fraction.
Soil bacterial community structure and co‐occurrence networks in response to the succession of secondary forests in subtropical regions
Authors: Qian Zhuangzhuang , Tang Luozhong , Hu Yaping , Zhou Xu , Zheng Xiao , Ding Hui , Ge Xiaomin
Published: April 2024

A large amount of secondary successional vegetation (subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests) has formed after the extensive deforestation and cultivation of coniferous forests in Wuyi Mountain, Southeast China. However, we lack a detailed understanding of the dynamic changes in microbial community structure and its co‐occurrence network during succession. The features that are responsible for alterations in the soil bacterial community remain poorly defined. Therefore, we compared the soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and bacterial diversity among three different forests (a coniferous forest [CF], early stage of succession; a mixed conifer‐broadleaf forest [CBMF], middle stage of succession; an evergreen broadleaf forest [EBF]; late stage of succession). Results indicated that the contents of soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) in CBMF were higher compared with those in CF. The alpha diversity indices were the highest in CBMF. Functional annotation of prokaryotic taxa predicted the relative abundances of chemoheterotrophy and aerobic chemoheterotrophy were lower in CF than in the other two forests. Bacterial network topology was affected by forest succession, with CBMF having more complex bacterial networks. Mantel's test indicated the soil nitrate nitrogen content (P = 0.03) was the most important property that shaped the bacterial community composition, bacterial diversity was influenced by soil pH (P = 0.026), and the contents of available phosphorus (P = 0.04) and MBC (P = 0.022) during the succession process. In conclusion, the succession of secondary forests promoted soil nutrient accumulation and improved bacterial diversity and network complexity.
Healthcare systems collaborating to implement a shared decision‐making tool in the electronic health record and build evidence on its adoption and use
Authors: Branda Megan E. , Ridgeway Jennifer L. , Mann Devin , Wieser Jeff , Gomez Yvonne , Dagoberg Ashlee , Nautiyal Vivek , Jackson Hugh , Jahn Patrick , Yaple Kathy , Khurana Charanjit , Gharai Hooman , Giese Briana , Corcoran Tate , Montori Victor , Montori Victor M.
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Shared decision‐making (SDM) is a method of care by which patients and clinicians work together to co‐create a plan of care. Electronic health record (EHR) integration of SDM tools may increase adoption of SDM. We conducted a “lightweight” integration of a freely available electronic SDM tool, CV Prevention Choice, within the EHRs of three healthcare systems. Here, we report how the healthcare systems collaborated to achieve integration.

Methods

This work was conducted as part of a stepped wedge randomized pragmatic trial. CV Prevention Choice was developed using guidelines for HTML5‐based web applications. Healthcare systems integrated the tool in their EHR using documentation the study team developed and refined with lessons learned after each system integrated the electronic SDM tool into their EHR. CV Prevention Choice integration populates the tool with individual patient data locally without sending protected health information between the EHR and the web. Data abstraction and secure transfer systems were developed to manage data collection to assess tool implementation and effectiveness outcomes.

Results

Time to integrate CV Prevention Choice in the EHR was 12.1 weeks for the first system, 10.4 weeks for the second, and 9.7 weeks for the third. One system required two 1‐hour meetings with study team members and two healthcare systems required a single 1‐hour meeting. Healthcare system information technology teams collaborated by sharing information and offering improvements to documentation. Challenges included tracking CV Prevention Choice use for reporting and capture of combination medications. Data abstraction required refinements to address differences in how each healthcare system captured data elements.

Conclusion

Targeted documentation on tool features and resource mapping supported collaboration of IT teams across healthcare systems, enabling them to integrate a web‐based SDM tool with little additional research team effort or oversight. Their collaboration helped overcome difficulties integrating the web application and address challenges to data harmonization for trial outcome analyses.
Configuration of factors influencing the performance of new retailers in the context of digital transformation—Based on the resource action perspective
Authors: Yin Fangfang , Pan Jianlin
Published: April 2024

From a resource action perspective, a configuration analysis was performed on 219 cases of new retailers using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The major study findings are as follows: (1) Digital transformation capacity and resource management behavior are essential conditions for high performance of new retailers. (2) Seven configurations drive high performance of new retailers. (3) Under a specific configuration, there are potential substitution relationships between digital culture and corporate reputation, “digital culture + human resources” and basic resources. Accordingly, new retailers should take measures such as establishing a three‐layer conditional combination chain to promote sustainable development.
Genetic analysis of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus patients: A study on the Iranian population
Authors: Ghasemi Saeed , Mojbafan Marzieh , Talebi Saeed , Hooman Nakysa , Hoseini Rozita
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) is a rare genetic disease that causes water imbalance. The kidneys play a crucial role in regulating body fluids by controlling water balance through urine excretion. This highlights their essential function in managing the body's water levels, but individuals with NDI may have excess urine production (polyuria), that leads to excessive thirst (polydipsia). Untreated affected individuals may exhibit poor feeding and failure to thrive. This disease is caused by mutations in the AVPR2 and the AQP2 genes which have the X‐linked and autosomal recessive/dominant inheritance, respectively. Both of these genes are expressed in the kidney.

Methods

Twelve Iranian patients from 10 consanguineous families were studied in this project. DNA was extracted from the whole blood samples of the patients and their parents. All coding exons and exon‐intron boundaries of the AVPR2 and AQP2 genes were sequenced in the affected individuals, and the identified variants were investigated in the parents. All variants were analyzed according to the ACMG (American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics) guidelines.

Results

In this study, 6 different mutations were identified in the patients, including 5 in the AQP2 gene (c.439G>A, c.538G>A, c.140C>T, c.450T>A, and the novel c.668T>C) and 1 in the AVPR2 gene (c.337C>T) in the present study.

Discussion

As expected, all the detected mutations in this study were missense. According to the ACMG guideline, the identified mutations were categorized as pathogenic or likely pathogenic. Unlike previous studies which showed more than 90% of mutations were in the AVPR2 gene, and only less than 10% of the mutations were in the AQP2 gene, it was found that more than 90% of our identified mutations located in the AQP2 gene, and only one mutation was observed in the AVPR2 gene, which seems it may be a result of the high rate of consanguineous marriages in the Iranian population. We observed genotype‐phenotype correlation in some of our affected individuals, and some of the mutations were observed in unrelated families from same ethnicity which could be suggestive of a founder mutation.
Knowledge‐driven deep learning for fast MR imaging: Undersampled MR image reconstruction from supervised to un‐supervised learning
Authors: Wang Shanshan , Wu Ruoyou , Jia Sen , Diakite Alou , Li Cheng , Liu Qiegen , Zheng Hairong , Ying Leslie
Published: April 2024

Deep learning (DL) has emerged as a leading approach in accelerating MRI. It employs deep neural networks to extract knowledge from available datasets and then applies the trained networks to reconstruct accurate images from limited measurements. Unlike natural image restoration problems, MRI involves physics‐based imaging processes, unique data properties, and diverse imaging tasks. This domain knowledge needs to be integrated with data‐driven approaches. Our review will introduce the significant challenges faced by such knowledge‐driven DL approaches in the context of fast MRI along with several notable solutions, which include learning neural networks and addressing different imaging application scenarios. The traits and trends of these techniques have also been given which have shifted from supervised learning to semi‐supervised learning, and finally, to unsupervised learning methods. In addition, MR vendors' choices of DL reconstruction have been provided along with some discussions on open questions and future directions, which are critical for the reliable imaging systems.
A narrative synthesis of the effectiveness and acceptability of musculoskeletal first contact physiotherapy practitioner roles in primary care
Authors: Bicker Greg , Hadley‐Barrows Tina , Saunders Andrew , Mairs Hilary , Stevenson Kay
Published: April 2024

Background

Musculoskeletal (MSK) First Contact Practitioners (FCP), diagnostic clinicians with expertise in the assessment and management of undifferentiated MSK conditions in primary care have been widely employed in the United Kingdom since 2020. The role aims to bring specialist clinical knowledge to patients at the first point of contact and reduce the burden on existing primary care services. Since the national adoption of the role, little has been published to support the effectiveness or acceptability of the role. This narrative synthesis review aims to highlight and summarise the current body of evidence.

Methodology

An adapted systematic review was carried out to inform thematic reporting and narrative synthesis, under the sub‐themes of clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, acceptability and cost analysis.

Results

Eight publications were included in the review, reporting improvements in clinical outcomes in patients seen by MSK FCP, patient satisfaction and general acceptability of the role. However, all data were collected from observational studies and qualitative sources, some of which were found to be of low methodological quality.

Conclusion

Although the review identified consistent positivity relating to effectiveness, satisfaction and acceptability across the reviewed publications, conclusions are limited due to the relatively recent introduction of the FCP role leading to limited availability of relevant publications.
A flow‐based ascending auction to compute buyer‐optimal Walrasian prices
Authors: Eickhoff Katharina , McCormick S. Thomas , Peis Britta , Rieken Niklas , Vargas Koch Laura
Published: April 2024

We consider a market where a set of objects is sold to a set of buyers, each equipped with a valuation function for the objects. The goal of the auctioneer is to determine reasonable prices together with a stable allocation. One definition of “reasonable” and “stable” is a Walrasian equilibrium, which is a tuple consisting of a price vector together with an allocation satisfying the following desirable properties: (i) the allocation is market‐clearing in the sense that as much as possible is sold, and (ii) the allocation is stable in the sense that every buyer ends up with an optimal set with respect to the given prices. Moreover, “buyer‐optimal” means that the prices are smallest possible among all Walrasian prices. In this paper, we present a combinatorial network flow algorithm to compute buyer‐optimal Walrasian prices in a multi‐unit matching market with truncated additive valuation functions. The algorithm can be seen as a generalization of the classical housing market auction and mimics the very natural procedure of an ascending auction. We use our structural insights to prove monotonicity of the buyer‐optimal Walrasian prices with respect to changes in supply or demand.
Accelerated schemes of compact difference methods for space‐fractional sine‐Gordon equations with distributed delay
Authors: Sun Tao , Zhang Chengjian , Tang Changyang
Published: April 2024

In this paper, for quickly solving one‐ and two‐dimensional space‐fractional sine‐Gordon equations with distributed delay, we suggest several accelerated schemes of direct compact difference (DCD) methods. For one‐dimensional (1D) problems, with a function transformation, we construct an indirect compact difference (ICD) method, which requires less calculation cost than the corresponding DCD method, and prove under the appropriate conditions that ICD method has second‐order (resp. forth‐order) calculation accuracy in time (resp. space). By extending the argument for 1D case, we further obtain an ICD method for solving two‐dimensional (2D) problems and derive the similar convergence result. For ICD and DCD methods of 2D problems, we also give their alternative direction implicit (ADI) schemes. Moreover, for the fast implementations of ICD method of 1D problems and indirect ADI method of 2D problems, we further present their acceleration strategies. Finally, with a series of numerical experiments, the findings in this paper are further confirmed.
Down‐regulation of wheat Rubisco activase isoforms expression by virus‐induced gene silencing
Authors: Perdomo Juan Alejandro , Scales Joanna C. , Lee Wing‐Sham , Kanyuka Kostya , Carmo‐Silva Elizabete
Published: April 2024

Rubisco activase (Rca) is an essential photosynthetic enzyme that removes inhibitors from the catalytic sites of the carboxylating enzyme Rubisco. In wheat, Rca is composed of one longer 46 kDa α‐isoform and two shorter 42 kDa β‐isoforms encoded by the genes TaRca1 and TaRca2. TaRca1 produces a single transcript from which a short 1β‐isoform is expressed, whereas two alternative transcripts are generated from TaRca2 directing expression of either a long 2α‐isoform or a short 2β‐isoform. The 2β isoform is similar but not identical to 1β. Here, virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) was used to silence the different TaRca transcripts. Abundance of the transcripts and the respective protein isoforms was then evaluated in the VIGS‐treated and control plants. Remarkably, treatment with the construct specifically targeting TaRca1 efficiently decreased expression not only of TaRca1 but also of the two alternative TaRca2 transcripts. Similarly, specific targeting of the TaRca2 transcript encoding a long isoform TaRca2α resulted in silencing of both TaRca2 alternative transcripts. The corresponding protein isoforms decreased in abundance. These findings indicate concomitant down‐regulation of TaRca1 and TaRca2 at both transcript and protein levels and may impact the feasibility of altering the relative abundance of Rca isoforms in wheat.
RPEM: Randomized Monte Carlo parametric expectation maximization algorithm
Authors: Chen Rong , Schumitzky Alan , Kryshchenko Alona , Nieforth Keith , Tomashevskiy Michael , Hu Shuhua , Garreau Romain , Otalvaro Julian , Yamada Walter , Neely Michael N.
Published: April 2024

Inspired from quantum Monte Carlo, by sampling discrete and continuous variables at the same time using the Metropolis–Hastings algorithm, we present a novel, fast, and accurate high performance Monte Carlo Parametric Expectation Maximization (MCPEM) algorithm. We named it Randomized Parametric Expectation Maximization (RPEM). We compared RPEM with NONMEM's Importance Sampling Method (IMP), Monolix's Stochastic Approximation Expectation Maximization (SAEM), and Certara's Quasi‐Random Parametric Expectation Maximization (QRPEM) for a realistic two‐compartment voriconazole model with ordinary differential equations using simulated data. We show that RPEM is as fast and as accurate as the algorithms IMP, QRPEM, and SAEM for the voriconazole model in reconstructing the population parameters, for the normal and log‐normal cases.
Photoactivated theranostic nanomaterials based on aggregation‐induced emission luminogens for cancer photoimmunotherapy
Authors: Tang Yuqi , Wang Xing , Chen Shilin , Li Quan
Published: April 2024

In this study, a series of high liposoluble near‐infrared emissive aggregation‐induced emission luminogens with triphenylamine derivatives as donor units and 1‐indanone as electron acceptor units are developed. Specifically, MTTOI has promising lipid droplets targeting ability and viscosity‐response characteristics, and it can monitor the viscosity fluctuations in living cells in real time. It is found that MTTOI is able to fulfill the activation of the apoptosis‐related signaling pathways under white light, and it can also activate the ferroptosis to synergize apoptosis resulting in tumor elimination. Interestingly, the occurrence of ferroptosis is positively related to the enhancement of immunogenic cell‐death effect, thus boosting the tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells and reducing the proportion of regulatory T cells by cooperating with dendritic cells, which can not only carry out primary antitumor treatment, but also prevent tumor metastasis through strong immunological memory effect. Moreover, in vivo experimental results confirm that MTTOI successfully effectuates fatty liver tissue imaging. MTTOI fluorescence signals can be captured at the tumor site after 3 days of administration due to its high fat‐solubility and ease of fusion with tumors. This classic example could promote the further development of phototherapeutic agents in preclinical research and clinical applications.
The square of a Hamilton cycle in randomly perturbed graphs
Authors: Böttcher Julia , Parczyk Olaf , Sgueglia Amedeo , Skokan Jozef
Published: April 2024

We investigate the appearance of the square of a Hamilton cycle in the model of randomly perturbed graphs, which is, for a given , the union of any ‐vertex graph with minimum degree and the binomial random graph . This is known when and we determine the exact perturbed threshold probability in all the remaining cases, that is, for each . We demonstrate that, as ranges over the interval , the threshold performs a countably infinite number of ‘jumps’. Our result has implications on the perturbed threshold for two‐universality, where we also fully address all open cases.
Room‐Temperature High‐Performance Photodetector and Phototransistor Based on PdSe2/ZnIn2S4 Alloy Heterojunctions
Authors: Li Mingchao , Guan Wei , Liu Cihui , Xing Fangjian , Zheng Yubin , Di Yunsong , Cao Guiyuan , Wei Shibiao , Wang Ying , Yang Guofeng , Yu Liyan , Gan Zhixing
Published: April 2024

Various semiconductor devices have been developed based on 2D heterojunction materials owing to their distinctive optoelectronic properties. However, to achieve efficient charge transfer at their interface remains a major challenge. Herein, an alloy heterojunction concept is proposed. The sulfur vacancies in ZnIn2S4 are filled with selenium atoms of PdSe2. This chemically bonded heterojunction can significantly enhance the separation of photocarriers, providing notable advantages in the field of photoelectric conversion. As a demonstration, a two‐terminal photodetector based on the PdSe2/ZnIn2S4 heterojunction materials is fabricated. The photodetector exhibits stable operation in ambient conditions, showcasing superior performance in terms of large photocurrent, high responsivity (48.8 mA W−1) and detectivity (1.98 × 1011 Jones). To further validate the excellent optoelectronic performance of the heterojunction, a tri‐terminal phototransistor is also fabricated. Benefiting from gate voltage modulation, the photocurrent is amplified to milliampere level, and the responsivity is increased to 229.14 mA W−1. These findings collectively demonstrate the significant potential of the chemically bonded PdSe2/ZnIn2S4 alloy heterojunction for future optoelectronic applications.
In Situ Formed Robust Solid Electrolyte Interphase with Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Layer for Stable Zn Metal Anode
Authors: Lin Congjian , Li Tian Chen , Wang Pinji , Xu Yongtai , Li Dong‐Sheng , Sliva Arlindo , Yang Hui Ying
Published: April 2024

Stabilizing the Zn anode/electrolyte interface is critical for advancing aqueous zinc ion storage technologies. Addressing this challenge helps minimize parasitic reactions and controls the formation of Zn dendrites, which is fundamental to achieving highly reversible Zn electrochemistry. In this study, 2% by volume of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is introduced into the baseline zinc sulfate (ZS) electrolyte, which acts as an efficient regulator to form a robust solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the Zn anode. This innovative approach enables uniform Zn deposition and does not substantially modify the Zn2+ solvation structure. The Zn||Zn symmetric cell exhibits an extended cycle life of nearly one calendar year (>8500 h) at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2 and an areal capacity of 0.5 mAh cm−2. Impressive full cell performance can be achieved. Specifically, the Zn||VS2 full cell achieves an areal capacity of 1.7 mAh cm−2, with a superior negative‐to‐positive capacity ratio of 2.5, and an electrolyte‐to‐capacity ratio of 101.4 µL mAh−1, displaying remarkable stability over 1000 cycles under a high mass loading of 11.0 mg cm−2 without significant degradation. This innovative approach in electrolyte engineering provides a new perspective on in situ SEI design and furthers the understanding of Zn anode stabilization.
Recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax in four surgically treated Japanese Spitz dogs
Authors: Toh Celine Siew Lin , Tuan Jayson
Published: April 2024

Four Japanese Spitz dogs between 5 and 11 months old were presented for acute dyspnoea. Thoracic radiographs and CT identified bilateral pneumothorax and pulmonary cavitary lesions. The median lesion size was 30 mm (range 7‒50 mm). After initial stabilisation, one dog underwent median sternotomy, while three dogs underwent intercostal thoracotomy. Surgical exploration found grossly haemorrhagic pulmonary bullous lesions in all cases. Histopathology revealed blood‐filled cavities with interstitial fibrosis and pneumocyte hyperplasia. Dyspnoea recurred in all dogs postoperatively, with recurrence of lesions confirmed either radiographically or via CT in three of four cases. The median time from surgery to recurrence of pneumothorax was 9 days (range 5‒15 days). The mortality rate was 100%, and the median postoperative survival time was 22 days (range 5‒558 days). This report aims to raise awareness of this group of dogs presenting with spontaneous pneumothorax at a young age and with high recurrence rates despite surgery, contrary to the literature.
Globalisation Versus Deglobalisation in the Fashion Industry
Authors: Bowen Gordon , Bowen Richard
Published: April 2024

The phenomenon of globalisation is an enhanced driver of fashion sales globally. Nevertheless, its continual growth will slow due to geopolitical factors. Globalisation has contributed to many successes in the fashion industry, but political opinion is slowing this process down. The question is whether globalisation becomes deglobalisation and how this will affect the fashion industry from supply chain, operations and marketing to logistics. The impact of deglobalisation on the value chain in the fashion industry will require a new perspective. Deglobalisation is about refining globalisation so that cultural and social issues feature more prominently in the globalisation construct; a fashion industry that reflects on this will help to resolve inequalities and improve the wages and rights of the people that work in developing countries. However, cultural change will require the fashion industry to accept the premises of deglobalisation and incorporate ethical leadership centralised on morality and fairness. Industry 4.0 has tools and applications that would help the industry on its journey so that all actors gain positive outcomes. With Gen Z and other consumers making purchase decisions influenced by the responsibility of the brand (suppliers, production and fashion retailers), there is momentum to move the dial on the fashion industry from sluggishness to change.
Characteristics of Nutrition and Metabolism in Dogs and Cats
Authors: Li Peng , Wu Guoyao
Published: April 2024

Domestic dogsand cats have evolved differentially in some aspects of nutrition, metabolism, chemical sensing, and feedingbehavior. The dogs have adapted to omnivorous dietscontaining taurine-abundant meat and starch-rich plant ingredients. By contrast, domestic catsmust consumeanimal-sourced foodsfor survival, growth, and development. Both dogsand catssynthesize vitamin C and many amino acids (AAs, such as alanine, asparagine, aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, proline, and serine), but have a limited ability to form de novo arginineand vitamin D3. Compared with dogs, cats have greater endogenousnitrogen losses and higher dietary requirements for AAs (particularly arginine, taurine, and tyrosine), B-complex vitamins (niacin, thiamin, folate, and biotin), and choline; exhibit greater rates of gluconeogenesis; are less sensitive to AA imbalances and antagonism; are more capable of concentrating urine through renal reabsorption of water; and cannot tolerate high levels of dietary starch due to limited pancreatic α-amylase activity. In addition, dogs can form sufficient taurinefrom cysteine(for most breeds); arachidonic acidfrom linoleic acid; eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid from α-linolenic acid; all-trans-retinol from β-carotene; and niacinfrom tryptophan. These synthetic pathways, however, are either absent or limited in all cats due to (a) no or low activities of key enzymes (including pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthase, cysteinedioxygenase, ∆6-desaturase, β-carotene dioxygenase, and quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase) and (b) diversion of intermediates to other metabolic pathways. Dogs can thrive on one large meal daily, select high-fat over low-fat diets, and consume sweet substances. By contrast, cats eat more frequently during light and dark periods, select high-protein over low-protein diets, refuse dryfood, enjoy a consistent diet, and cannot taste sweetness. This knowledge guides the feeding and care of dogsand cats, as well as the manufacturing of their foods. As abundant sources of essentialnutrients, animal-derivedfoodstuffs play important roles in optimizing the growth, development, and health of the companionanimals.
Wie informieren sich Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher am Point of Sale? Eine Untersuchung zur Wahrnehmung von Kommunikationsmaßnahmen und Labels
Authors: Gier-Reinartz Nadine R. , Harms Regina , Kenning Peter , Neubig Christina , Oehlmann Malte , Roosen Jutta
Published: April 2024

Informationen am Point of Sale zur landwirtschaftlichen Nutztierhaltung können das Kauf-, Konsum- und Kommunikationsverhalten von Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern unterschiedlich stark beeinflussen. Um Verbraucherinformation effektiv und effizient gestalten zu können, braucht es Kenntnis über Kommunikationsmaßnahmen, die das Verhalten von Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern beeinflussen können und für diese besonders relevant sind. Vor diesem Hintergrund fokussiert dieser Beitrag (a) welche Kommunikationsinhalte am Point of Sale (nicht) genutzt und als (un)wichtig erachtet werden, (b) welche Veränderungen hinsichtlich des Informationsbedarfs bestehen, (c) welche Kommunikationsträger als potenzielle Informationsquelle am Point of Sale genutzt werden, und (d) welche Labels, die im Bereich der landwirtschaftlichen Nutztierhaltung zur Produktkennzeichnung verwendet werden, hinreichend bekannt und vertrauensvoll sind. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass insbesondere Kommunikationsinhalte zum Preis und zur Haltbarkeit, aber auch zur Haltung der Nutztiere sowie die Kommunikationsträger „Verpackung“ und „Label“ durch Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher am Point of Sale genutzt werden. Dabei deuten sich bei aktuellen Produktkennzeichnungen und verwendeten Labels für landwirtschaftliche Nutztierhaltung teilweise große Bekanntheitsunterschiede an, wobei wenn Personen ein Label kennen keines der untersuchten Labels im Vergleich einen Vertrauensvorsprung zu haben scheint. Ein konstant wachsender Bedarf an weiteren Informationen zur Tierhaltung (z. B. zu Tiergesundheitsindikatoren) ist jedoch erkennbar. Dieser scheint jedoch durch aktuell bekannte Kommunikationsmaßnahmen am Point of Sale nicht gedeckt zu sein. Durch verstärkte Aufklärung mittels bereits genutzter Kommunikationsträger zur Tierhaltung, wie z. B. das Verpackungslabel „Haltungsform“, könnten bestehende Lücken geschlossen werden.
Social Acceptance Scale—development of an instrument for the differentiated measurement of social acceptance in agricultural livestock farming
Authors: Gier-Reinartz Nadine R. , Harms Regina
Published: April 2024

This paper presents the development and validation of the Social Acceptance Scale (SAS), an instrument designed to measure social acceptance, particularly in transformative sectors like agricultural livestock farming. Recognizing the need for a nuanced acceptance scale, various facets of acceptance across a three-level continuum were delineated, spanning from opposition to commitment, encompassing eight distinct items. The SAS's creation and validation process included the conceptual and empirical testing of four validity types: content validity, face validity, construct validity, and criterion validity. Content and face validity involved construct definition, item generation, iterative review, and pilot testing to ensure theoretical soundness. Empirical testing encompassed construct validity through statistical validation and assessments of factorial and convergent validity. Furthermore, criterion validity was explored by examining associations with related constructs, enhancing the SAS's external applicability. In conclusion, this paper introduces the SAS as a tool to measure social acceptance within transformative sectors. It underscores the necessity for a comprehensive acceptance scale, offering a detailed account of its development and validation. The discussion section acknowledges limitations and outlines potential directions for future research in this domain.
Network and attribute-based clustering of tennis players and tournaments
Authors: D’Urso Pierpaolo , De Giovanni Livia , Federico Lorenzo , Vitale Vincenzina
Published: April 2024

This paper aims at targeting some relevant issues for clustering tennis players and tournaments: (i) it considers players, tournaments and the relation between them; (ii) the relation is taken into account in the fuzzy clustering model based on the Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) algorithm through spatial constraints; (iii) the attributes of the players and of the tournaments are of different nature, qualitative and quantitative. The proposal is novel for the methodology used, a spatial Fuzzy clustering model for players and for tournaments (based on related attributes), where the spatial penalty term in each clustering model depends on the relation between players and tournaments described in the adjacency matrix. The proposed model is compared with a bipartite players-tournament complex network model (the Degree-Corrected Stochastic Blockmodel) that considers only the relation between players and tournaments, described in the adjacency matrix, to obtain communities on each side of the bipartite network. An application on data taken from the ATP official website with regards to the draws of the tournaments, and from the sport statistics website Wheelo ratings for the performance data of players and tournaments, shows the performances of the proposed clustering model.
Brain structural covariances in the ageing brain in the UK Biobank
Authors: Dong Chao , Thalamuthu Anbupalam , Jiang Jiyang , Mather Karen A. , Sachdev Perminder S. , Wen Wei
Published: April 2024

The morphologic properties of brain regions co-vary or correlate with each other. Here we investigated the structural covariances of cortical thickness and subcortical volumes in the ageing brain, along with their associations with age and cognition, using cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank (N = 42,075, aged 45–83 years, 53% female). As the structural covariance should be estimated in a group of participants, all participants were divided into 84 non-overlapping, equal-sized age groups ranging from the youngest to the oldest. We examined 84 cortical thickness covariances and subcortical covariances. Our findings include: (1) there were significant differences in the variability of structural covariance in the ageing process, including an increased variance, and a decreased entropy. (2) significant enrichment in pairwise correlations between brain regions within the occipital lobe was observed in all age groups; (3) structural covariance in older age, especially after the age of around 64, was significantly different from that in the youngest group (median age 48 years); (4) sixty-two of the total 528 pairs of cortical thickness correlations and 10 of the total 21 pairs of subcortical volume correlations showed significant associations with age. These trends varied, with some correlations strengthening, some weakening, and some reversing in direction with advancing age. Additionally, as ageing was associated with cognitive decline, most of the correlations with cognition displayed an opposite trend compared to age associated patterns of correlations.
A mean field game model for optimal trading in the intraday electricity market
Authors: Coskun Sema , Korn Ralf
Published: April 2024

In this study, we provide a simple one period mean-field-games setting for the joint optimal trading problem for electricity producers in the electricity markets. Based on the Markowitz mean-variance approach from stock trading, we consider a decision problem of an electricity provider when determining the optimal fractions of production that should be traded in the day-ahead and in the intraday markets. Moreover, all such providers are related by a ranking criterion and each one wants to perform as good as possible in this ranking. We first start with a simple model where only the price risk in the intraday market is present and subsequently extend the problem to the cases involving either production and/or demand uncertainty. The key technique is to reduce the optimality conditions to a first order non-linear ordinary differential equation. We will illustrate our findings by various numerical examples. Our findings will in particular be important for electricity producers using renewable resources.
Of Rarity and Symbolism: Understanding Human Perceptions of Charismatic Color Morphs
Authors: Williams Tyus D. , Kreling Samantha E. S. , Stanton Lauren A. , Wilkinson Christine E. , Estien Cesar O. , Schell Christopher J. , Carlen Elizabeth J.
Published: April 2024

Coloration in wildlife serves numerous biological purposes, including sexual selection signaling, thermoregulation, and camouflage. However, the physical appearance of wildlife also influences the ways in which humans interact with them. Wildlife conservation has largely revolved around humans’ propensity to favor charismatic megafauna, but human perceptions of wildlife species extend beyond conservation measures into our everyday interactions with individual wildlife. Our aesthetic appreciation for different species interplays with culture, lore, and the economic interest they carry. As such, one characteristic that may underpin and interact with social drivers of perception is the coloration of a particular individual. We provide case studies illustrating the dynamism in interactions people have with conspicuously colored wildlife – i.e., individuals that vary from their species-typical coloration. We focus on melanism, leucism, and albinism across four species commonly thought of as pests in the United States: coyotes (Canis latrans), eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and black-tailed deer (O. hemionus).
Lagrangian dynamics of the spring zooplankton community in a large river
Authors: Hromova Yuliia , Brauns Mario , Kamjunke Norbert
Published: April 2024

Zooplankton may represent a considerable part of plankton in large rivers, but little is known about the factors that control it. We hypothesized that (1) significant longitudinal increase of zooplankton abundance, biomass, taxonomic richness, and diversity will occur along a free-flowing river section; (2) the residence time of water is more important for zooplankton population growth than environmental variables such as water temperature, oxygen saturation, and food concentration; and (3) the influence of tributaries on the longitudinal dynamics of zooplankton is insignificant or only has a local effect. A Lagrangian survey was applied in the free-flowing section of the River Elbe (Germany) in spring 2022. The abundances and biomass of the dominant rotifers as well as of cladocerans and copepods increased significantly downstream due to the population growth of zooplankton. The water residence time was the most important factor for zooplankton increment. One of the tributaries increased zooplankton abundance and biomass in the River Elbe, while other tributaries did not but the introduction of new species increased taxonomic richness and decreased the evenness of zooplankton in the main river so that diversity remained nearly constant.
The synergy between the PscC subunits for electron transfer to the P840 special pair in Chlorobaculum tepidum
Authors: Lyratzakis Alexandros , Daskalakis Vangelis , Xie Hao , Tsiotis Georgios
Published: April 2024

The primary photochemical reaction of photosynthesis in green sulfur bacteria occurs in the homodimer PscA core proteins by a special chlorophyll pair. The light induced excited state of the special pair producing P840+ is rapidly reduced by electron transfer from one of the two PscC subunits. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are combined with bioinformatic tools herein to provide structural and dynamic insight into the complex between the two PscA core proteins and the two PscC subunits. The microscopic dynamic model involves extensive sampling at atomic resolution and at a cumulative time-scale of 22µs and reveals well defined protein–protein interactions. The membrane complex is composed of the two PscA and the two PscC subunits and macroscopic connections are revealed within a putative electron transfer pathway from the PscC subunit to the special pair P840 located within the PscA subunits. Our results provide a structural basis for understanding the electron transport to the homodimer RC of the green sulfur bacteria. The MD based approach can provide the basis to further probe the PscA-PscC complex dynamics and observe electron transfer therein at the quantum level. Furthermore, the transmembrane helices of the different PscC subunits exert distinct dynamics in the complex.
Does Bankruptcy Identify a Type Of Real Estate Agent or a Stress-Induced Change in Performance?
Authors: Bikmetova Natalya , Turnbull Geoffrey K. , Zahirovic-Herbert Velma
Published: April 2024

Real estate agent experience, characteristics, selling strategies, and the structure of incentives affect sales performance. This paper also considers how stressful events in private life, like bankruptcy and criminal records, affect productivity. The empirical approach accounts for the simultaneity of price and liquidity in search markets. Full sample and repeat sales analyses sort out the extent to which these events identify different types of agents versus temporary changes in behavior as well as specific responses in terms of choice of clients versus how those clients are served. The analysis pays particular attention to differences in listing and selling agents. Bankruptcy and crime reports are different types of events and have different effects on agents. The results indicate that bankruptcy (or crime report) signals a certain type of agent with particular business practices who also change their behavior during temporary periods of stress.
Energy efficiency and performance analysis of a legacy atomic scale materials modeling simulator (VASP)
Authors: Nieves-Pérez Isidoro , Muñoz Alfonso , Almeida Francisco , Blanco Vicente
Published: April 2024

This work tackles the performance and energy consumption analysis of a legacy scientific application, the VASP (Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package), an application commonly used by physicists and chemists for modeling materials at the atomic scale. Many of these scientific applications have been implemented in Fortran, where energy metrics instrumentation is not straightforward. We obtained performance figures (execution time and energy consumption) by instrumenting the source code using EML. This energy measurement library has been modified to introduce Fortran interfaces for these metrics. The analysis was carried out using different matrix algebra libraries, parallelization techniques, and hardware platforms, emphasizing on the MPI, OpenMP, and CUDA parallel implementations of the algorithms used in VASP. We employ various material specifications (atomic structures) and molecular sizes of a silicon-based crystal to create a set of benchmarks for these specifications, leading to some recommendations for final users regarding performance improvements. The proposed benchmarking technique assists the user in selecting the right combination of problem size, compilers, and parallelization options available in VASP. For a given system platform, the user will be able to determine not only the architecture to use (GPU or multicore processors), but also the appropriate library and parallelization according to the atomic structure and molecular size.
A new cache replacement policy in named data network based on FIB table information
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Mehran , Moghim Neda , Taheri Samira , Gholami Nasrin
Published: April 2024

Named Data Network (NDN) is proposed for the Internet as an information-centric architecture. Content storing in the router’s cache plays a significant role in NDN. When a router’s cache becomes full, a cache replacement policy determines which content should be discarded for the new content storage. This paper proposes a new cache replacement policy called Discard of Fast Retrievable Content (DFRC). In DFRC, the retrieval time of the content is evaluated using the FIB table information, and the content with less retrieval time receives more discard priority. An impact weight is also used to involve both the grade of retrieval and stale parameters in the discard priority calculation. This weight adjusts the relative impact of these two parameters on the discard priority. The grade of retrieval reflects the content’s retrieval time, and the stale parameter indicates its popularity. The reinforcement Learning method is used to calculate the suitable weight dynamically and based on the network condition. Simulation results show that DFRC improves hit rate and round-trip time compared to Least Recently Used, Optimized Cache Replacement algorithm for Information-Centric Networks, Efficient Popularity-aware Probabilistic Caching, and Shortest Round-Trip Time.
Herding the crowds: how sentiment affects crowdsourced earnings estimates
Authors: Garcia John
Published: April 2024

This study investigates the impact of firm-level investor sentiment derived from Twitter and news media on herding behavior among contributors on Estimize, a leading platform for crowdsourced earnings forecasts. The findings show that sentiment gleaned from tweets and news media content positively influences herding among Estimize contributors. Notably, herding intensifies when Twitter and news sentiment polarities align, while divergent sentiment polarities diminish this herding effect. Additionally, the analysis indicates that firms with investment-grade ratings and those characterized by low valuation uncertainty are particularly prone to sentiment-driven herding. Importantly, positive sentiment is identified as having a more potent influence on herding behavior than negative sentiment. By focusing on Estimize contributors, this study offers insights into how firm-level sentiment cues shape the crowd’s herding behavior, offering new perspectives on how different media sources shape the wisdom of the crowd.