bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A first proof of knot localization for polymers in a nanochannel
Authors: Beaton Nicholas R , Ishihara Kai , Atapour Mahshid , Eng Jeremy W , Vazquez Mariel , Shimokawa Koya , Soteros Christine E
Published: August 2024

Based on polymer scaling theory and numerical evidence, Orlandini, Tesi, Janse van Rensburg and Whittington conjectured in 1996 that the limiting entropy of knot-type K lattice polygons is the same as that for unknot polygons, and that the entropic critical exponent increases by one for each prime knot in the knot decomposition of K. This Knot Entropy (KE) conjecture is consistent with the idea that for unconfined polymers, knots occur in a localized way (the knotted part is relatively small compared to polymer length). For full confinement (to a sphere or box), numerical evidence suggests that knots are much less localized. Numerical evidence for nanochannel or tube confinement is mixed, depending on how the size of a knot is measured. Here we outline the proof that the KE conjecture holds for polygons in the

∞
×
2
×
1

lattice tube and show that knotting is localized when a connected-sum measure of knot size is used. Similar results are established for linked polygons. This is the first model for which the knot entropy conjecture has been proved.
Enhancing carrageenan-based capsule shell formulation from kappaphycus striatum for accelerated disintegration time with multiple disintegrant
Authors: Soraya M , Putri R P G , Purwoto H , Royanti I , Dyah C K , Sari D D P , Laksono H
Published: August 2024

Recently, seaweed-based capsule shells have become more popular because of their reliable quality and animal-free source. But these shells’ prolonged disintegration times are a common problem. This research aims to look for formulations with disintegrant substitution or a combination of several disintegrants to obtain capsule shells that disintegrate quickly. Several studies have explored the incorporation of additional disintegrants such as Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K-30, Sodium starch glycolate (primogel), Croscarmellose sodium (SSC), and Sodium carboxymethylcellulose (Na-CMC) to address this challenge. The study investigates various combinations of disintegrants in the formulation of capsule shells to achieve rapid disintegration time. The variation in composition of disintegrants was determined using Simplex Lattice Design (SLD) in Design Expert® 13.0.12. Balancing the desirable characteristics of quick disintegration with other factors posed a significant challenge. All types of disintegrants exerted a notable influence on the response variables. To achieve a substantial reduction in disintegration time, the utilization of primogel is strongly recommended. However, it should be noted that primogel contains minerals that do not disintegrate, resulting in an elevated ash content. In contrast, PVP K-30 demonstrates promising performance but falls slightly short of primogel’s efficacy in accelerating disintegration. Additionally, PVP K-30 exhibits a marked advantage in minimizing ash content within the capsule shell. Optimization results indicate that a combination of PVP K-30 and primogel yields a capsule shell with the fastest disintegration time, approximately 23.908 minutes, while maintaining a minimal ash content of 10.487%.
Predicting chicken-meat purchasing behaviour in traditional and modern markets in West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Fauziah N R L R , Hogeveen H
Published: August 2024

Food safety has become a critical problem regarding chicken meat for the Indonesian authorities since severe outbreaks of Avian Influenza. The food safety issue is associated with the market channels where the chicken meat is sold. In Indonesia, the majority of people buy their chicken meat in the traditional market which has inadequate food safety controls. Therefore, understanding the consumers’ behaviour of market choice is a good approach to know chicken-meat consumers’ intention in modern markets in the future. The study focuses more on the social-psychological and socio-demographic factors that influence the intention of consumers in West Java, Indonesia using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The results show that consumers in modern markets had a higher level of education, income, amount of consumption, and purchasing frequency than in traditional markets. The subjective norms were the most influential factor to the intention of buying chicken meat in modern markets, followed by the perceived behavioural control (having enough money and the convenience), and attitude. None of the socio-demographic factors were significant. The findings can be used for making the right strategy such as advertising and campaign to encourage society to buy chicken meat in modern markets.
Study on biological activity of Lavandula angustifolia and Citrus aurantiifolia essential oils
Authors: Indrianingsih A W , Suryani R , Rosyida V T , Khasanah Y , Laila U , Asari S M , Pratiwi S I
Published: August 2024

The essential oils ofLavandula angustifolia(lavender) andCitrus aurantiifolia(lime), have been used in several applications such as food industry, pharmacy, and cosmetics industries. In this report, we examined the biological activities of lavender and lime essential oils through several studies using β-carotene bleaching assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, antidiabetic assay, antibacterial assay, and also measure its total phenolic content (TPC). The functional group of lavender and lime was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), while the volatile compound was evaluated using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The result showed that in DPPH assay, both of lavender and lime essentials oil have low activity with IC 50 of 1966.02 ppm and 4303.42 ppm, respectively, while in beta-carotene bleaching assay, lime has higher antioxidant activity of 39.03% compared to lavender as of 17.55%. Antibacterial activity againstS. aureusshowed that both lavender and lime have good activity as of 18.13 mm and 18.06 mm, respectively. The antidiabetic activity using α-glucosidase inhibitory activity presented that lavender and lime had high activity of 89.58 % and 88.30 %, respectively. Furthermore, the total phenolic content of lavender was slightly higher as of 480.00 mg GAE/g compared to lime as of 393.33 mg GAE/g. The GC-MS analysis of essential oils showed that lavender contains linalyl acetate (38.78%), linalool (36.12%), and 1,8-cineole (8.38%), while lime contains d-limonene (73.72%), beta-pinene (9.83%) and gamma-terpinene (8.24%), respectively. The present study showed the potential use of lavender and lime essential oils for antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant agents.
Physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of chicken sausage using red sorghum flour (Sorghum bicolor) as filler
Authors: Permadi S N , Setiaboma W , Febrisiantosa A , Firmansyah A M , Hariyadi S , Kristanti D
Published: August 2024

This study aims to determine the effect of using sorghum flour as a filling material in sausages on physicochemical and organoleptic properties. This study used the complete randomized design (CRD) method with 7 treatments (H0: tapioca flour, H1: sorghum flour without treatment, H2: sorghum flour soaked overnight, H3: germinated sorghum flour for 1 day, H4: germinated sorghum flour for 2 days, H5: germinated sorghum flour for 3 days and H6: germinated sorghum flour for 4 days with 3 replications. The physicochemical properties’ data were analyzed using ANOVA and it was continued with Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) analysis at α = 5%, while the sensory evaluation data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2021 and displayed as a spider chart. Based on the results of the research, sausage H3 has the best value in cooking loss, and chemical properties except for fat content, and sensory evaluation. The values include cooking loss of 2.20%, moisture content of 62.34%, ash content of 2.60%, and protein content of 17.59%, while the lowest fat content is in H0 with a value of 5.31%. Using sorghum flour as a filler in sausages also gave the sausages a natural color and decreased the texture value when compared to sausages using tapioca flour. Based on the organoleptic results, in general, panelists liked the research sausages, both the use of tapioca flour and sorghum flour with various treatments, with an average score of 4 (like), but there was only 1 treatment H5 / third days of germinating sorghum flour which had a score of 3.1 (somewhat like).
The quality of palm oil on variations in temperature and duration of the separation process
Authors: Ruswanto A , Dharmawati N D , Ngatirah  , Widyasaputra R , Partha I B B
Published: August 2024

The separation of palm oil in the processing stage is influenced by various factors including temperature and settling time. This research aims to analyze palm oil obtained from variations in temperature and settling time during the separation of palm oil. The experimental design used a split plot design. The main plot is the settling temperature of the clarification which consists of 3 levels, namely; temperature 55-60°C, temperature 65-70°C, temperature 75-80°C The section plot is the time of the deposition process consisting of 3 levels, namely; 1.5 hour time, 3.0 hour time, 4.5 hour time. Observation of the results included the percentage of separated oil, free fatty acid content (FFA), deterioration of bleachability index (DOBI). The data obtained was analyzed of varians (ANOVA), if there was a significant difference, the DMRT 5% test was continued. Based on research, the higher the temperature and the longer the settling time, the higher the FFA, the percentage of separated oil, but the lower the DOBI value. Based on the best quality parameters from FFA and DOBI content parameters, obtained from the separation process temperature treatment of 55-60°C and separation process time of 1.5 hours.
Analysis of special rice farming income in supporting the reduction of stunting in Riau province
Authors: Fahri A , Abdullah S , Yusuf R , Sutrisna N , Suparwoto  , Waluyo  , Nurhayati  , Zuhdi F
Published: August 2024

Rice is a food commodity and is the main source of carbohydrates for the majority of the world’s population. Currently the function of rice has shifted from food with a special function, especially for health. Stunting is still a serious health problem facing Indonesia. Based on data from the National Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) for 2022, the prevalence of stunting in Indonesia is 21.6%. This number decreased compared to the previous year, which was 24.4%. New superior varieties of special rice have special characteristics, such as Inpari IR Nutri Zinc and brown rice (Pamelen) which are very beneficial for health. This research was conducted in June - December 2021, located in Sungai Tengah village, Sabah Auh District, Siak Regency. The materials used are special rice superior varieties (Pamelen, Tarabas, Baroma, Inpari Nutri Zinc, Inpari 24). This study aims to determine the income of rice farming, especially in an effort to support the reduction of stunting in Riau Province. The results showed that Pamelen and Inpari Nutri zinc varieties produced 4,452 kg/ha GKG and 4,686 kg/ha GKG higher than the average production of other rice. The BCR value of all varieties is more than 1, this explains that all varieties developed according to economic analysis are feasible and profitable. the Inpari IR Nutri Zinc variety of rice is suitable for cultivation in Siak Regency, Riau Province.
Cemani chicken: characteristics of fresh semen, testes morphometric, and the relationship between the two traits
Authors: Kostaman T , Azizah N , Adiati U , Pamungkas F A , Hafid A , Koswara E , Miraya N , Sopian E
Published: August 2024

The monitoring of the reproductive performance of roosters can be conducted by examining the characteristics of fresh semen, the morphometric approach of the testes, and the correlation between these two traits. To analyze the semen traits, a total of ten rooster heads were utilized, while the morphometric analysis of the testes was performed on five rooster heads. Descriptive methods were employed to assess the shape and characteristics of the fresh semen. The average length, width, weight, and circumference of the testes were evaluated using a T-test with a confidence level of 95%. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation was employed to investigate the association between the traits of the semen and the morphology of the testes. The effects confirmed that the testes of Cemani chickens had been no extraordinary from chickens in general, placed inside the frame hollow space close to the spine, connected to the dorsal belly hollow space, or simply in the back of the lungs and the front of the kidneys and testes, elongated and oval. Typically, the left testes were relatively longer, wider, and heavier than the right testes. The semen exhibited a creamy white color, with a thick consistency and an acidity level of seven. Furthermore, it displayed a satisfactory mass movement with an average value of 2.80 ± 0.92. The motility and viability of the spermatozoa were within the normal range (70.50 ± 5.50 and 80.90 ± 4.58, respectively) at a concentration of 1402 ± 382 x 106/ml. The characteristics of the semen and the size of the testes (both left and right) demonstrated a correlation with motility. This observation concluded was that Cemani chickens exhibit remarkably accurate semen characteristics and testicular morphometrics.
Enhancing dairy cow population through decreasing calf mortality and increasing calving rate in Indonesia: a system dynamics approach
Authors: Priyono  , Priyanti A , Ilham N , Nurmalina R , Burhanuddin
Published: August 2024

The dairy industry in Indonesia is facing significant challenges due to the rates of calf mortality and low calving rates. Calf mortality and calving rate became critical factors that influence the sustainability of the dairy cow population. This study aimed to assess reproduction management by decreasing calf mortality and increasing calving rates to enhance the dairy cow population in Indonesia. This study employed secondary data in 2022 using technical parameter coefficients from previous research. A causal loop diagram and a simulation model using a system dynamics approach were developed to investigate the dynamics of the dairy cow population under different scenarios of calf mortality and calving rates from 2023 to 2030. The results showed that decreasing calf mortality by 2% may increase dairy cow population by 1,991 head/year (0.31%), heifer population by 417 head/year (0.63%), and adult female dairy cattle population by 389 head/year (0.09%). The finding of this study also showed that increasing calving rate by 5% may increase dairy cow population by 17,854 head/year (2.75%), heifer population by 3,698 head/year (5.56%), and adult female dairy cattle population by 2,137 head/year (0.51%). It is concluded that reducing calf mortality rates and improving calving rates should be prioritized to enhance the dairy cow population in Indonesia.
Isolation of microbes from nutmeg seeds as flavor biotransformation agents
Authors: Priadi G , Setiyoningrum F , Perwitasari U , Wibowo D S , Afiati F , Octaviana S
Published: August 2024

Nutmeg is Indonesia’s oldest spice, produced since ancient times. The microbes present in nutmeg may be involved in the synthesis of flavor compounds. The research aims were to isolate microbes from nutmeg seeds and use them as bio-transformation agents for flavor compounds from n-butanol. The research stages consisted of isolating bacteria and yeast from nutmeg seeds, gram staining of bacteria, using isolates in n-butanol transformation, and profiling the flavor compounds produced. The isolation process obtained 12 bacterial and 6 yeast isolates. Most bacteria have a coccus shape and are gram-positive. n-Butanol was transformed by the nutmeg isolates into isoamyl n-butyrate, n-butyl acetate, butyl propionate, butyl butyrate, and butyl isovalerate. Bacteria isolates produced more butyl butyrate than yeast. Isolate MBI01 produces the largest butyl butyrate area compared to the others, amounting to 47,708,509 and it has great potential as a biotransformation agent. Most of the isolates were able to convert glucose perfectly.
Manipulating the community structure of arthropods in rice fields with floral resources plants
Authors: Ulina E S , Hasibuan M
Published: August 2024

Conservation biological control encourages natural enemies to suppress target pests through manipulation of environmental factors that influence natural enemy survival and effectiveness, including microclimates, availability of food for adults and alternative prey, and shelter from adverse environmental conditions. This study aimed to identify selective flowering plants that could be used to manipulate the arthropod community structure in rice fields. Three rice fields (a field without resources of flowering plants, a field with vegetable crop, and a field with ornamental plant) were used in this experiment. The flowering plants included Helianthus sp., Catharanthus roseus, and Cosmos sulphureus while the vegetable plants included eggplant, cucumber, and long beans. Arthropod recording was carried out by direct observation and yellow pan traps from 14 to 98 days after planting. We recorded 33,728 arthropods representing 153 species in 68 families, 13 orders, and 2 classes. The presence of flowering plant significantly affects abundance, species richness, diversity index, and evenness of arthropods both in dry and wet seasons. The rice field surrounded with ornamental plants or vegetables showed the lowest abundance of phytophagous arthropods, the highest abundance of parasitoid and predatory arthropods. Therefore, vegetable crops such as cucumber, long beans and eggplant have great opportunities as refugia in rice fields.
Copper contribution to rice production and greenhouse gas emissions in hydrophobic peat soil
Authors: Nurzakiah S , Fahmi A , Khairullah I , Hairani A , Alwi M , Noor A , Noor M , Simatupang R S , Pulunggono H B , Razie F , Agustina R
Published: August 2024

Harnessing the potential of hydrophobic peat for rice cultivation through effective amelioration and fertilization such as the application of copper (Cu) fertilizer. A greenhouse experiment was conducted, employing a treatment of Cu fertilizer at a rate of 5 kg/ha. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of Cu in rice production and influencing of greenhouse gas emissions. N P K fertilizers were applied as basal fertilizers according to the recommended dosage for rice crops. The research findings revealed that the application of Cu fertilizer increased the dry grain weight per tiller by 14.2%. This application also resulted in higher soil pH and increased Cu concentrations in plant tissue above critical levels. The study also showed that the Cu application contributed to the increased concentrations of CO2 and CH4, although these differences were not statistically significant when compared to treatments without Cu application. The study implies that copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient crucial for the growth and development of rice plants, especially in hydrophobic peat soil.
Thermoelectric supercapacitors: materials, challenges and future outlook
Authors: Verma Sonali , Padha Bhavya , Ahmed Aamir , Singh Rakesh , Dubal Deepak P , Arya Sandeep
Published: August 2024

Self-powered devices are the most interesting research subject in recent times, focusing on the advancement of the flexible and wearable electronics market. A variety of self-powered systems have been designed using different energy harvesting (solar cells, mechanical as well as thermal energy harvester) and storage devices such as supercapacitors. Environmental degradation, the inadequacy in the supply of existing fossil fuels, as well as fast-rising energy demand have all raised alarm bells for our planet’s long-term viability. To address these challenges, researchers must pursue steadfast studies on urgent needs by using ‘green’ energies such as wind, solar, tidal, mechanical, as well as geothermal sources. Because these green energy resources are intermittent, new energy harvesting as well as storage devices must be designed to keep and distribute the captured energy gradually, efficiently and meticulously. The low-grade thermal energy generally squandered without usage can be particularly beneficial for consistently powering electronic equipment, including sensors and wearable electronics. This review deals with a detailed discussion of the mechanism and fabrication of thermoelectric supercapacitors. The challenges, possible solutions, and the prospects of thermoelectric supercapacitors have also been highlighted.
Coincidence anomaly detection for unsupervised locating of edge localized modes in the DIII-D tokamak dataset
Authors: O’Shea Finn H , Joung Semin , Smith David R , Ratner Daniel , Coffee Ryan
Published: August 2024

Using supervised learning to train a machine learning model to predict an on-coming edge localized mode (ELM) requires a large number of labeled samples. Creating an appropriate data set from the very large database of discharges at a long-running tokamak, such as DIII-D, would be a very time-consuming process for a human. Considering this need and difficulty, we use coincidence anomaly detection, an unsupervised learning technique, to train an ELM-identifier to identify and label ELMs in the DIII-D discharge database. This ELM-identifier shows, simultaneously, a precision of 0.68 and a recall of 0.63 (AUC is 0.73) on identifying ELMs in example time series pulled from thousands of discharges spanning five years. In a test set of 50 discharges, the algorithm finds over 26 thousand ELM candidates, more than 5 times the existing catalog of ELMs labeled by humans.
Order polynomial product formulas and poset dynamics
Authors: Hopkins Sam
Published: August 2024

We survey all known examples of finite posets whose order polynomials have product formulas, and we propose the heuristic that these are the same posets with good dynamical behavior. Here the dynamics in question are the actions of promotion on the linear extensions of the poset and rowmotion on the

P
P

-partitions of the poset.
Complexity and asymptotics of structure constants
Authors: Panova Greta
Published: August 2024

Kostka, Littlewood-Richardson, Kronecker, and plethysm coefficients are fundamental quantities in algebraic combinatorics, yet many natural questions about them stay unanswered for more than 80 years. Kronecker and plethysm coefficients lack “nice formulas”, a notion that can be formalized using computational complexity theory. Beyond formulas and combinatorial interpretations, we can attempt to understand their asymptotic behavior in various regimes, and inequalities they could satisfy. Understanding these quantities has also applications outside of combinatorics. On the one hand, the asymptotics of structure constants is closely related to understanding the [limit] behavior of vertex and tiling models in statistical mechanics. More recently, these structure constants have been involved in establishing computational complexity lower bounds and separation of complexity classes like VP vs VNP, the algebraic analogs of P vs NP in arithmetic complexity theory. Here we discuss the outstanding problems related to asymptotics, positivity, and complexity of structure constants focusing mostly on the Kronecker coefficients of the symmetric group and, less so, on the plethysm coefficients.

This expository paper is based on the talk presented at the Open Problems in Algebraic Combinatorics coneference in May 2022.
Agency and Cognitive Development
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: August 2024

Children of different ages live in different worlds. This is partly due to learning: as children learn more and more about the world they experience it in different ways. But learning cannot be the whole story or else children could learn anything at any age—which they cannot. In a startlingly original proposal, Michael Tomasello argues that children of different ages live and learn in different worlds because their capacities to cognitively represent and operate on experience change in significant ways over the first years of life. These capacities change because they are elements in a maturing cognitive architecture evolved for agentive decision making and action, including in shared agencies in which individuals must mentally coordinate with others.

The developmental proposal is that from birth infants are goal-directed agents who cognitively represent and learn about actualities; at 9–12 months of age toddlers become intentional (and joint) agents who also imaginatively and perspectivally represent and learn about possibilities; and at 3–4 years of age preschool youngsters become metacognitive (and collective) agents who also metacognitively represent and learn about objective/normative necessities. These developing agentive architectures—originally evolved in humans’ evolutionary ancestors for particular types of decision making and action—help to explain why children learn what they do when they do. This novel agency-based model of cognitive development recognizes the important role of (Bayesian) learning, but at the same time places it in the context of the overall agentive organization of children at particular developmental periods.
Not By Learning Alone
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: August 2024

This chapter articulates the main question of the work: Why do young children develop the knowledge and concepts they do and exactly the ages they do? It outlines the answer to come in the main body of the work: not by learning alone but also by the changing architectures of agentive decision-making across developmental time. Within these organizational architectures and their associated formats of cognitive representation and types of rational inference, children develop not only by learning from the environment but also by creating for themselves new hypotheses and theories—via self-regulative processes of constructive thinking and re-representation—that serve to reorganize their knowledge and concepts. And participation in uniquely human joint and collective agencies engages children in species-unique processes of mental coordination and social self-regulation that require novel formats of perspectival and objective/normative representation.
Goal-Directed Agency and Iconic Representations
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: August 2024

This chapter provides a review and novel analysis of the literature on infant cognition based on the principles of goal-directed agency and perception-based iconic representations. Human infants’ knowledge is of a special nature because it is aimed exclusively at the actual world as they experience it. That is, they begin with some built-in iconic representations of the world, and they learn others. They make simple inferences about what is the case in the actual world—even if they are not currently perceiving it—and they anticipate what will happen next, with learning focused on potentially observable sequences of events (not on unobservable causal or intentional forces underlying events and actions). Infants are not living wholly in the here and now—they can recall and anticipate—but neither are they living in a world of possibilities in which they proactively think, plan, and intentionally organize their actions based on the imaginative evocation of cognitive content on an executive tier.
The Child-as-Scientist Revisited
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: August 2024

This short chapter brings the book to a close by revisiting the child-as-scientist metaphor used so prominently in the theory theory of cognitive development. It is argued that three characteristics of the functioning of science are sometimes overlooked in standard applications. First, science advances not only by the accumulation of acquired knowledge, but also by qualitative shifts in the way things are conceptualized theoretically. Second, scientists not only investigate the world empirically but also reflect on their own thinking to make theoretical advances and design new experiments. And third, science is an inherently social activity, practiced by teams of individuals who inherit research practices and theories from their forebears. To characterize children’s cognitive development more fully, a new child-as-scientist metaphor should include these additional elements.
Intentional Agency and Imaginative Representations
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: August 2024

This chapter provides a review and novel analysis of the literature on toddler cognition based on the principles of intentional agency and imaginative representations. Toddlers begin to make either/or decisions between imagined behavioral options with their imagined environmental outcomes. This requires cognitive representations employed not just to recognize objects and events in the actual world, as are infants’, but to imagine potential actions and outcomes in the possible worlds of thinking and planning. The working hypothesis of this chapter is that what enables this new manner of agentive functioning is the emergence of a new organizational architecture, namely, one that includes a single tier of executive supervision and control. The resulting new form of intentional agency and its underlying architecture have their evolutionary roots in the earliest mammals and are characteristic today of species such as squirrels, rats, and domestic dogs.
An Agency-Based Model of Human Cognitive Development
Authors: Tomasello Michael
Published: August 2024

This chapter provides a review and synthesis of the theoretical perspective of the book as a whole. The central argument of the preceding seven chapters of this volume, however, is that all this knowledge and all these skills exist within a domain-neutral psychological organization evolved to facilitate effective decision-making and action, that is, within an agency-based control system architecture comprising goals and intentions, perception and attention, cognitive representations and operations, decision-making and action, executive regulation and learning. The developmental proposal is that human cognitive ontogeny occurs within a series of qualitatively distinct architectures, each conserved from one of humans’ ancient evolutionary ancestors as an adaptation for a particular type of agentive decision-making in the context of a particular type of ecological unpredictability. Young infants, toddlers, and preschoolers thus operate within different agentive architectures—toddlers and preschoolers within both individual and shared versions—and these structure the ways in which children of each age experience and learn about the world. To repeat: developing children are not best characterized as Bayesian learners but rather, more generally, as Bayesian agents who learn in support of their agency.
Singin’ in the Rain
Authors: Buchman Andrew
Published: August 2024

This new film guide from Oxford traces the film’s genesis, analyzes the music and dance that make Singin’ in the Rain Gene Kelly’s best-known work, and examines some of the modern scholarship and new artworks the film has inspired. Singin’ combines a streamlined 1920s storyline with vivid characters, memorable wisecracks and comedy, romance, riveting dancing, memorable music, gorgeous sets, props, and costumes, and virtuosic camera work. But this supposedly simple, safe modern fairy tale is not simplistic. It is a social satire with a point of view on human nature and morality—what screenwriter Betty Comden called “a deep thread of real feeling.” The continuing success of Singin’ in the Rain is based on a contrasting but palatable combination of Comden and co-writer Adolph Green’s biting and irreverent satire (a residue from their Revuer days) and co-directors Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s superbly musicalized and deeply nostalgic Hollywood history lessons. Script drafts, production reports, and other sources reveal how commercially appealing romantic nostalgia, bolstered in the conservative climate created by the Cold War and blacklists of workers deemed politically suspect, largely effaced the progressive political views, forged in the late 1930s, of the film’s creators.
Between Wars
Authors: Garrison Leonard
Published: August 2024

During the interwar period, Paris was a musical center without parallel. Gaston Crunelle launched his career by playing in orchestras accompanying silent films in cinemas and performing at spas and casinos like Monte Carlo and Vichy. From 1924 to 1945, he was principal flutist of the Pasdeloup Orchestra and was often a soloist or singled out by critics. He also performed frequently for the leading chamber music societies in Paris. In 1933, he became principal flutist of the Opéra-Comique. Starting in 1924, he made numerous recordings as a solo, chamber, and orchestral flutist. His playing is marked by a stellar technique, alluring tone, and respect for the text.
The Quintette instrumental de Paris
Authors: Garrison Leonard
Published: August 2024

This chapter chronicles the Quintette instrumental de Paris from its founding until World War II. From the 1920s through the midsixties, the Quintette, consisting of flute, violin, viola, cello, and harp, was one of the most prominent chamber groups in France. It dominated the Parisian chamber music series and performed 1,800 concerts in Paris and on tour in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. The group also appeared on national radio broadcasts, recorded 78-rpm and LP records, and commissioned around fifty works, bequeathing a sumptuous repertoire. Founded by René Le Roy, the ensemble came to be dominated by harpist Pierre Jamet.
Plastic Tagore
Authors: Ghosh Ranjan
Published: August 2024

This book in Tagore studies offers a fresh analysis of Tagorean thought by working through the philosophy and poetics of plasticity. As a prominent figure in plastic theory, Ghosh explores Tagore’s views on education, identity politics, environment, and literature through what he calls the ‘plastic principle’. This deconstructs Tagore’s thinking on ‘sahitya’, ecosophy, historicity and philosophy of history, and aesthetic education and the notion of the political. Not a standard intellectual biography or historical study, this book radicalizes how we think and interpret Tagore to arrive at what Ghosh calls Plastic Tagore. The book, thus, thinks after yesterday.
Plastic Pedagogy
Authors: Ghosh Ranjan
Published: August 2024

This chapter introduces the idea of ‘plastic pedagogy’ through a completely new reading of Rabindranath Tagore’s educational philosophy. As a continuation of Ghosh’s work in plastic humanities, this chapter exemplifies plastic pedagogy by identifying two plastic moments: one in Tagore’s delicately dynamic understanding of eco-corporeal pedagogy, and the second in his ideas of counter-institutionality as revealed through the establishment of an international university called Visva Bharati. The arguments entangle plastic and flashpoint pedagogy to enunciate the power and potency of plastic thinking in Tagore’s ideas on education. Demonstrated in two instances here, first, as a kind of eco-pedagogy linking bird, skin, and sky (flashpoint 1), and second, as the making of an unconventional university, a counter-institution where standardization and a priori templates are not the driving force (flashpoint 2), the chapter brings us into a fresh terrain of what Ghosh calls “plastic pedagogy”.
Adaptive Gaussian Markov random fields for child mortality estimation
Authors: Aleshin-Guendel Serge , Wakefield Jon
Published: August 2024

The under-5 mortality rate (U5MR), a critical health indicator, is typically estimated from household surveys in lower and middle income countries. Spatio-temporal disaggregation of household survey data can lead to highly variable estimates of U5MR, necessitating the usage of smoothing models which borrow information across space and time. The assumptions of common smoothing models may be unrealistic when certain time periods or regions are expected to have shocks in mortality relative to their neighbors, which can lead to oversmoothing of U5MR estimates. In this paper, we develop a spatial and temporal smoothing approach based on Gaussian Markov random field models which incorporate knowledge of these expected shocks in mortality. We demonstrate the potential for these models to improve upon alternatives not incorporating knowledge of expected shocks in a simulation study. We apply these models to estimate U5MR in Rwanda at the national level from 1985 to 2019, a time period which includes the Rwandan civil war and genocide.
Dysfunction of thalamocortical circuits in early-onset schizophrenia
Authors: Cai Jia , Xie Min , Liang Sugai , Gong Jinnan , Deng Wei , Guo Wanjun , Ma Xiaohong , Sham Pak C , Wang Qiang , Li Tao
Published: August 2024

Previous studies have demonstrated that the thalamus is involved in multiple functional circuits in participants with schizophrenia. However, less is known about the thalamocortical circuit in the rare subtype of early-onset schizophrenia. A total of 110 participants with early-onset schizophrenia (47 antipsychotic–naive patients) and 70 matched healthy controls were recruited and underwent resting-state functional and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans. A data-driven parcellation method that combined the high spatial resolution of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and the high sensitivity of functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to divide the thalamus. Next, the functional connectivity between each thalamic subdivision and the cortex/cerebellum was investigated. Compared to healthy controls, individuals with early-onset schizophrenia exhibited hypoconnectivity between subdivisions of the thalamus and the frontoparietal network, visual network, ventral attention network, somatomotor network and cerebellum, and hyperconnectivity between subdivisions of thalamus and the parahippocampal and temporal gyrus, which were included in limbic network. The functional connectivity between the right posterior cingulate cortex and 1 subdivision of the thalamus (region of interest 1) was positively correlated with the general psychopathology scale score. This study showed that the specific thalamocortical dysconnection in individuals with early-onset schizophrenia involves the prefrontal, auditory and visual cortices, and cerebellum. This study identified thalamocortical connectivity as a potential biomarker and treatment target for early-onset schizophrenia.
Spatial patterns of seed removal by harvester ants in a seed tray experiment
Authors: Grossklaus Michaela R , Pilliod David S , Caughlin T Trevor , Robertson Ian C
Published: August 2024

Using a selection of native grass and forb seeds commonly seeded in local restoration projects, we conducted a field experiment to evaluate the effects of seed species, distance of seed patches from nests, and distance between patches on patterns of seed removal by Owyhee harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex salinus (Olsen) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). To provide context for ants’ seed preferences, we evaluated differences in handling time among seed species. In addition, we assessed the influences of cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum (L.) (Poales: Poaceae), and Sandberg bluegrass, Poa secunda (J. Presl) (Poales: Poaceae), cover on seed removal. We found significant differences in removal rates among seed species. In general, seeds placed closer to nests were more vulnerable to predation than those placed farther away, and seeds in closely spaced patches were more vulnerable than seeds in widely spaced patches. However, the strength of these effects differed by seed species. Differences in handling time among seed species may help to explain these findings; the protective effect of from-nest distance was weaker for species that required less time to transport. For 2 of the seed species, there was an interaction between the distance of seed patches from nests and the distance between patches such that the protective effect of distance between patches decreased as the distance from nests increased. Cheatgrass and bluegrass cover both had small protective effects on seeds. Taken together, these results offer insight into the spatial ecology of harvester ant foraging and may provide context for the successful implementation of restoration efforts where harvester ants are present.
Identification of mutations resulting in derepression of the intermedilysin gene by sequential mutagenesis of its promoter region in Streptococcus intermedius
Authors: Tomoyasu Toshifumi , Tabata Atsushi , Nagamune Hideaki
Published: August 2024

Streptococcus intermedius secretes the human-specific cytolysin intermedilysin (ILY), a crucial factor in the pathogenicity of this bacterium. Previously, we reported that a lactose phosphotransferase repressor (LacR) represses ily expression, and that its mutation increases ILY production. Interestingly, UNS40, a strain isolated from a liver abscess, produces high levels of ILY despite the absence of mutations in the lacR promoter and coding regions. Our results showed that a G > A mutation at the −90th position from the transcription start point in the UNS40 ily promoter region increased hemolytic activity and decreased the binding ability to LacR. To elucidate the regions involved in the repression of ily expression, we generated mutant strains, in which point or deletion mutations were introduced into the ily promoter region, and then compared their hemolytic activity. Among the point mutations, −120 C > A and −90 G > A and their flanking mutations increased hemolytic activity. These results indicated that these mutations may increase the virulence of S. intermedius.
The History and Reticulating Phylogeny of Biogeography
Authors: Lomolino Mark V. , Riddle Brett R. , Whittaker Robert J.
Published: August 2024

This chapter presents the history and reticulating phylogeny of biogeography from the 18th century. The developmental history of biogeography presents a story of increasing diversification often accompanied by the isolation and specialization of its descendant disciplines. Populations of humans have over time accumulated knowledge of geographic variation through local resources. Thus, advances in biogeography have been driven by the merging of ecological knowledge garnered from distinct local populations as they have discovered emergent, global-scale patterns in the geography of life. The chapter also provides an overview of the Age of Exploration in Europe and looks at the impact of Charles Darwin, Joseph Dalton Hooker, Philip Lutley Sclater, and Alfred Russel Wallace on revolutionary advances in biogeography and evolutionary biology.
Island Biogeography
Authors: Lomolino Mark V. , Riddle Brett R. , Whittaker Robert J.
Published: August 2024

This chapter focuses on island biogeography. It shows how islands have always had a great influence on ecology, evolution, and biogeography. For mainland systems, the diversity of insular biotas is often simply characterized by their species richness, which refers to the number of species of a particular taxon. The chapter then looks at the patterns and causal explanations for differences in species richness among islands. It also details the ecological and evolutionary assembly of insular biotas, noting that the depauperate and disharmonic evolutionary arena of remote islands establishes ecological naiveté, one of the most perilous characteristics of insular plants and animals.
Microbial community composition predicts bacterial production across ocean ecosystems
Authors: Connors Elizabeth , Dutta Avishek , Trinh Rebecca , Erazo Natalia , Dasarathy Srishti , Ducklow Hugh , Weissman J L , Yeh Yi-Chun , Schofield Oscar , Steinberg Deborah , Fuhrman Jed , Bowman Jeff S
Published: August 2024

Microbial ecological functions are an emergent property of community composition. For some ecological functions, this link is strong enough that community composition can be used to estimate the quantity of an ecological function. Here, we apply random forest regression models to compare the predictive performance of community composition and environmental data for bacterial production (BP). Using data from two independent long-term ecological research sites—Palmer LTER in Antarctica and Station SPOT in California—we found that community composition was a strong predictor of BP. The top performing model achieved an R2 of 0.84 and RMSE of 20.2 pmol L−1 hr−1 on independent validation data, outperforming a model based solely on environmental data (R2 = 0.32, RMSE = 51.4 pmol L−1 hr−1). We then operationalized our top performing model, estimating BP for 346 Antarctic samples from 2015 to 2020 for which only community composition data were available. Our predictions resolved spatial trends in BP with significance in the Antarctic (P value = 1 × 10−4) and highlighted important taxa for BP across ocean basins. Our results demonstrate a strong link between microbial community composition and microbial ecosystem function and begin to leverage long-term datasets to construct models of BP based on microbial community composition.
In vitro activity of olorofim against 507 filamentous fungi including antifungal drug-resistant strains at a tertiary laboratory in Australia: 2020–2023
Authors: Halliday Catriona L , Tay Enoch , Green Wendy , Law Derek , Lopez Ronald , Faris Silvia , Meehan Lauren , Harvey Emma , Birch Mike , Chen Sharon C A
Published: August 2024

Background

New antifungal agents are required to mitigate against azole-resistant Aspergillus and drug-resistant non-Aspergillus moulds. The novel orotomide, olorofim (F2G, Manchester, UK), has potent fungicidal activity against Aspergillus including azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, Lomentospora prolificans and Scedosporium spp. Development of olorofim-specific clinical breakpoints/epidemiological cut-off values requires reliable MIC data.

Objectives

Determine the in vitro activity of olorofim compared with standard antifungals against mould pathogens at an Australian hospital.

Materials and methods

Olorofim MICs were determined for 507 clinical mould isolates using the CLSI M38-A3 standard. MICs of amphotericin B, anidulafungin, posaconazole, voriconazole and isavuconazole were obtained using Sensititre™ YeastOne YO10 and AUSNMRCI panels (Thermo-Fisher Scientific).

Results

A. fumigatus sensu stricto was the commonest species (33.3%) followed by L. prolificans (18.3%), Scedosporium (11.4%) and Fusarium (6%) species. Olorofim modal MICs were ≤0.25 mg/L (MIC90 0.25 mg/L) for all Aspergillus except Aspergillus Section Usti (1 mg/L); MICs for nine azole-resistant/non-wild-type A. fumigatus ranged from 0.008 to 0.125 mg/L. The MIC90 of olorofim for L. prolificans was 0.5 mg/L, 0.25–0.5 mg/L for Scedosporium spp. and 8 mg/L for the F. solani complex but with modal MICs of 0.25 and 0.008 mg/L for F. oxysporum and F. proliferatum complexes, respectively. For Verruconis gallopava (n = 10), the olorofim MIC90 was 0.06 mg/L (voriconazole MIC90 2 mg/L, isavuconazole MICs of 4–>8 mg/L). Olorofim had little activity against other dematiaceous moulds including Exophiala species.

Conclusions

Olorofim was highly active against Aspergillus spp. including azole-resistant A. fumigatus, L. prolificans, Scedosporium spp. and some Fusarium species with the new finding of potent activity against V. gallopava.