bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Return-to-Work Experiences in Ontario Policing: Injured But Not Broken
Authors: Van Eerd D. , Le Pouésard M. , Yanar B. , Irvin E. , Gignac M. A. M. , Jetha A. , Morose T. , Tompa E.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Police officers and others working in police services are exposed to challenging and traumatic situations that can result in physical and/or psychological injuries requiring time off work. Safely returning to work post-injury is critical, yet little is known about current return-to-work (RTW) practices in police services. This study examines RTW practices and experiences in police services from the perspective of RTW personnel and workers with physical and/or psychological health conditions.

Methods

We used a purposive sampling approach to recruit sworn and civilian members from several police services in Ontario, Canada. The recruited members had experienced RTW either as a person in a RTW support role or as a worker with a work-related injury/illness. We conducted and transcribed interviews for analysis and used qualitative research methods to identify themes in the data.

Results

Five overarching themes emerged. Two pointed to the context and culture of police services and included matters related to RTW processes, injury/illness complexity, the hierarchical nature of police organizations, and a culture of stoicism and stigma. The remaining three themes pointed to the RTW processes of accommodation, communication and trust-building. They included issues related to recovery from injury/illness, meaningful accommodation, timely and clear communication, malingering and trust.

Conclusions

Our findings point to potential areas for improving RTW practices in police services: greater flexibility, more clarity, stricter confidentiality and reduced stigma. More research is needed on RTW practices for managing psychological injuries to help inform policy and practice.
The secret life of wild animals revealed by accelerometer data: how landscape diversity and seasonality influence the behavioural types of European hares
Authors: Ullmann Wiebke , Fischer Christina , Kramer-Schadt Stephanie , Pirhofer Walzl Karin , Eccard Jana A. , Wevers Jan Philipp , Hardert Angelique , Sliwinski Katharina , Crawford Michael S. , Glemnitz Michael , Blaum Niels
Published: September 2023

Context

Landscape composition and configuration, as well as seasonal landscape dynamics shape the behaviour, movement and energy expenditure of animals, i.e. foraging, hiding or fleeing, and ultimately survival. Especially in highly modified agricultural systems, it is crucial to understand how animal behaviour is influenced by landscape context to develop sustainable land management concepts.

Objectives

We show how landscape composition and configuration, together with seasonal dynamics affect animal behavioural types, accounting for the different life-history events in both sexes.

Methods

We investigated 34 European hares in two contrasting agricultural landscapes (a simple and a complex landscape) by using tri-axial accelerometer data to classify the animals’ behaviour into five categories: resting, foraging, moving, grooming and standing upright (i.e. vigilance behaviour). We tested whether the amount of behaviours per category changed with landscape composition and configuration, season and sex.

Results

During peak breeding, hares in areas of high habitat diversity rested more, moved less and spent less time searching for resources. During winter, hares moved more and rested less. Females rested less and foraged more in areas with large agricultural fields.

Conclusions

A complex landscape is particularly important during the breeding season, allowing animals to allocate enough energy into reproduction. In winter, hares in areas of low habitat diversity may not find enough thermal and anti-predator shelter to move as much as they would need to meet their requirements. Hence, high habitat diversity and small field sizes guarantee species persistence in human-altered agricultural areas throughout the year.
The Effect of Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Substance Use During Pregnancy
Authors: Duka Shae , Rahman Sadeea , Hansen Susan E. , Esernio-Jenssen Debra
Published: September 2023

Objectives

To analyze adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among mothers of newborns referred to a hospital’s child protection team (CPT) for suspected substance exposure. Researchers hypothesized that a higher prevalence of these mothers have ≥ 4 ACEs than female counterparts in the general population. The study team also explored whether associations existed between type of maternal ACEs and substance use in pregnancy.

Methods

Retrospective review of infant referrals to the CPT in the 3 years after adding an ACEs questionnaire to the consultation process. Bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression models examined associations between prenatal substance use and maternal ACEs prevalence, controlling for demographics.

Results

Data from 222 infants (four sets of twins) and 218 mothers were analyzed. Half (50.0%) the infants had withdrawal symptoms. Most (67.0%) women had positive toxicology screens, while 85.0% reported prenatal substance use. Half (50.9%) the mothers reported ≥ 4 ACEs and these individuals had significantly higher odds of cannabinoid use [adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 3.7; 95%CI 2.0, 6.9, p < 0.001) than those with < 4 ACEs. A significant association was found between substance use and ACEs in the household challenges category (p = 0.03), especially parental separation/divorce (p < 0.001).

Conclusions for Practice

As hypothesized, a higher prevalence of mothers referred to the CPT had ≥ 4 ACEs than women in the general population (50.9% vs. 15.2%), and a large proportion had used substances while pregnant. Routine prenatal ACEs screening and universal, nonpunitive toxicology testing of infants and mothers at birth may provide opportunities for intervention while reducing the transgenerational impact of ACEs.
Marangoni stability of a thin liquid film falling down above or below an inclined thick wall with slip
Authors: Dávalos-Orozco L. A.
Published: September 2023

The linear and nonlinear instability of a thin liquid film flowing down above or below (Rayleigh-Taylor instability) an inclined thick wall with finite thermal conductivity are investigated in the presence of slip at the wall-liquid interface. A nonlinear evolution equation for the free surface deformation is obtained under the lubrication approximation. The curves of linear growth rate, maximum growth rate and critical Marangoni number are calculated. When the film flows below the wall it will be subjected to destabilizing and stabilizing Marangoni numbers. It is found that from the point of view of the linear growth rate the flow destabilizes with slip in a wavenumber range. However slip stabilizes for larger wavenumbers up to the critical (cutoff) wavenumber. From the point of view of the maximum growth rate flow slip may stabilize or destabilize increasing the slip parameter depending on the magnitude of the Marangoni and Galilei numbers. Explicit formulas were derived for the intersections (the wavenumber for the growth rate and the Marangoni number for the maximum growth rate) where slip changes its stabilizing and destabilizing properties. From the numerical solution of the nonlinear evolution equation of the free surface profiles, it is found that slip may suppress or stimulate the appearance of subharmonics depending on the magnitudes of the selected parameters. In the same way, it is found that slip may increase or decrease the nonlinear amplitude of the free surface deformation. The effect of the thickness and finite thermal conductivity of the wall is also investigated.
Social Network Dynamics in the Context of Age: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Growiec Katarzyna
Published: September 2023

This paper explores patterns and motivations for social tie formation and dissolution in the context of age. It provides empirical tests of the social convoy model, socioemotional selectivity theory, and the differential investment of resources (DIRe) model. Data comes from a survey administered face-to-face to a large, representative sample of the population of Poland (n = 1000). Controlling for between-tie and between-ego differences, it is found that the intensity of forming and dropping new ties is a decreasing function of age, but the relationship becomes weaker among people aged 40 and older. The number of social ties people maintain (degree) is also a decreasing function of age. However, the number of social ties with family, as opposed to coworkers and other acquaintances, is roughly constant across age groups. Young women, but not men, tend to form fewer ties if they are married. Both expressive and instrumental motivations for social tie formation are relatively most active in middle adulthood. The data also reveal a “rich get richer” effect: people with relatively high degree and a more central position in a social network tend to form more new ties and enlarge their social network over time.
Optimisation of artificial intelligence models and response surface methodology for predicting viscosity and relative viscosity of GNP-alumina hybrid nanofluid: incorporating the effects of mixing ratio and temperature
Authors: Borode Adeola , Olubambi Peter
Published: September 2023

The viscosity properties of GNP-alumina hybrid nanofluids are of significant importance in various engineering applications. This study compares the predictive performance of response surface methodology (RSM), artificial neural network (ANN), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the viscosity (µrel) and relative viscosity (µrel) of GNP-alumina hybrid nanofluid at varying mixing ratio (0–3) and temperature (15–55 °C). The ANN and ANFIS models were optimised by varying the number and type of neurons and membership functions (MFs), respectively. In contrast, the RSM model was optimised by varying the source model. The efficacy of the models was assessed using various measures of performance metrics, including residual sum of squares, root mean square error, mean absolute error, and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The ANN architecture with 4 neurons exhibited exceptional proficiency in forecasting the µnf, achieving an R2 value of 0.9997 and a MAPE of 0.3100. Meanwhile, the best ANN architecture for the µrel was achieved with 5 neurons, resulting in an R2 of 0.9817 and MAPE of 0.2588. Furthermore, the ANFIS model with the difference of two sigmoidal MFs and the product of two sigmoidal MFs for µnf and Generalized Bell MFs for µrel exhibited the best performance with (3 5) and (4 5) input membership functions, respectively. An R2 value of 0.9999 and 0.9872, with a corresponding MAPE value of 0.0945 and 0.1214, were reported for the optimal ANFIS architecture of µnf and µrel, respectively. The RSM model also produced its most accurate prediction with the quadratic model for both µnf and µrel, with an R2 value of 0.9986 and 0.8835, respectively. Thus, comparative analysis across various models indicated that the ANFIS model outperformed others regarding performance metrics for both µnf and µrel. This study underscores the potential of ANN and ANFIS models in accurately forecasting the viscosity properties of GNP-alumina hybrid nanofluids, thus offering reliable tools for future applications.
Massive Fish Kill After the Discharge of Artificial Fertilizer into a Species Rich River in Southwestern Germany: a Conservation Case Study
Authors: Gaye-Siessegger Julia , Schumann Mark , Baer Jan , Roch Samuel , Ittner Lukas , Brinker Alexander
Published: September 2023

In the summer of 2015, large amounts of artificial fertilizer containing ammonium nitrate were accidentally discharged into the Jagst River along with water used to extinguish a serious fire. The incident caused a massive fish kill the first 25 km downstream of the spill and impacted fish density along a 50 km stretch of this sensitive and important river. In this study, the long-term effects of the accident on the local fish fauna were investigated, and the implemented restoration measures were evaluated. A majority of fish surviving the immediate effects of the incident exhibited massive gill damage and weakness to infections shortly after the accident, but survival over the following winter appeared unimpaired. Two years after the accident, most survived fish appeared healthy. In 2016, about 9500 individuals (500 kg fish of 11 autochthonous species) were caught in unaffected sections of the river and distributed systematically into severely affected sections. Two control sections were left unstocked. Species diversity and fish density remained low over the first winter 2015/16, but increased in autumn 2016, most likely as a result of systematic stocking measures taken in response to the disaster. Stocking and natural migration were able to restore species diversity back to pre-accident levels in due time, i.e., 36 months, but density remains lower and shows no sign of further recovery. A positive consequence of the catastrophe has been the enactment in the ensuing years of various measures to improve the resilience of the Jagst River. However, connectivity is still lacking in relevant sections of the river and this, in combination with high predation from an increasing population of cormorants, has hampered the recovery of fish stocks. Generalizable conservation measures to mitigate the impact of similar catastrophes are developed and discussed.
Brine Volatilome Changes Along the Spontaneous Fermentation of Spanish-Style cv. Chalkidiki Green Olives Under High and Low NaCl Conditions
Authors: Alvanoudi Panagiota , Ordoudi Stella A. , Nakas Alexandros , Assimopoulou Andreana N. , Mantzouridou Fani Th.
Published: September 2023

Table olives are essential components of the Mediterranean diet. Yet, their contribution to salt intake has prompted efforts to reformulate traditional products via safe interventions, mainly focused on the fermentation step. The volatilomics approach is an important tool to assess the complex table olives fermentation. However, extensive data related to monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in manufacturing process of Spanish-style cv. Chalkidiki green table olives are scarce in the literature. The present work systematically examines VOCs profile in brines during spontaneous fermentation of cv. Chalkidiki olives under high (8% w/v) and 50% lower NaCl content using selected combinations of chloride salts (NaCl, KCl, CaCl2) in pilot scale for two consecutive periods. VOCs were determined by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Changes in the population of the dominant microbial groups, pH, and titratable acidity values were also investigated. A total of 56 VOCs were identified, including acids, alcohols, carbonyls, esters, and phenols. Multivariate data analysis explored the links between volatile metabolites, microbial groups, and fermentation stages under different NaCl conditions. The evolution of propanoic acid and 2-butanol was intriguing for monitoring a fermentation dominated by lactic acid bacteria under low NaCl conditions, while 3-methyl-1-butanol was indicative of yeast prevalence arising from seasonal variation and/or high NaCl processing. Τhe important contribution of acetic acid to the overall VOCs profile at a late fermentation stage was typical in low NaCl brines. The complete results could be beneficial for marker-assisted monitoring of the fermentation processes in the future.
What Do (and Don’t) We Know About Self-Compassion? Trends and Issues in Theory, Mechanisms, and Outcomes
Authors: Cha Jane E. , Serlachius Anna S. , Kirby James N. , Consedine Nathan S.
Published: September 2023

Objectives

While self-compassion is increasingly being researched, a clear understanding of what self-compassion is, how it works, and for which outcomes remains elusive. This article summarizes and critically evaluates current theoretical and empirical trends in the self-compassion literature. We provide directions for future research to support a more comprehensive understanding of self-compassion.

Method

This paper systematically evaluates issues in three interrelated areas: (1) over-reliance on a particular conceptualization of self-compassion, (2) a narrow focus on the affective mechanisms as per the general resource model of self-regulation, and (3) the prioritization of intrapersonal outcomes over inter-personal outcomes.

Results

Our analysis suggests that current understandings of what self-compassion is and how it impacts outcomes are limited in several ways. Firstly, self-compassion is almost exclusively operationalized using the Self Compassion Scale, inadvertently constraining how we think about this complex construct. Secondly, a heavy emphasis remains on unmeasured changes in “general resources” as explanatory, while more specific pathways beyond affectivity or resource management are rarely considered. Lastly, intrapersonal outcomes are prioritized over interpersonal or social outcomes, which restricts our understanding of the broader benefits of self-compassion.

Conclusions

To address the limitations, we suggest embracing and assessing multiple conceptualizations of self-compassion, empirically testing a wider range of plausible mediators, and investigating a broader range of outcomes, including those in both interpersonal and social spheres. Ongoing consideration of such issues will facilitate our empirical and theoretical understanding of self-compassion, enabling us to adapt more efficient interventions to benefit a wider group of individuals and our society at large.
‘They couldn’t wait, every day they would say are they coming today?’ Stakeholder perceptions of School–University partnership approaches to science teacher education
Authors: Logan Marianne , Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles Amy , Lynch David , Osborn Maia
Published: September 2023

Initial teacher education programs have been criticised for their failure to deliver classroom-ready graduates. Problems of concern for preservice teachers (PSTs) identified in the literature are insufficient time in the classroom, lack of confidence, inadequate pedagogical knowledge and a theory practice divide. This research examines a school–university partnership approach to science teacher education from the perspective of PSTs, school students, teachers and teacher educators where university tutorials were conducted in a school environment. This research is underpinned by practice architectures theory, it follows collaborative participatory action research methodology using mixed methods of data collection including surveys, interviews and focus groups. The research findings revealed how the program built on PSTs’ pedagogical knowledge and confidence and connected theory with practice. Teachers observed high level student engagement and students building on their prior science knowledge in innovative science lessons. The research provides rich data that illuminate aspects in this school–university partnership approach from a range of perspectives.
Bibliographic review on drought and water level articles
Authors: Abdela Kemal Adem , Fantabil Aragaw , Muleta Dereba , Yohannes Tamirat , Jonah Kazora
Published: September 2023

This bibliographic article on Drought and Water Level examined the relationship between organizations, nations, institutions, authors, references, and publishers. It examined 742 papers from Web of Science at the Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology’s. The total annual publication volume of articles was increased steadily from 2012 to 2021, with China and the United States ranking first and second in terms of publication volume and citations but in quality Switzerland and England were top-level. Institutional-partnership analyses indicated disparities in network density and connections, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2012) receiving the highest citations and degrees. The document co-citation analysis (DCA) network was created to improve understanding of the frequency and amplitude of bursts of various publications in separate clusters. The most cited work was J Hydrol (2012), with 302 citations. The analytical tool from CiteSpace collected high-frequency keywords and performed co-occurrence, grouping, and emerging word recognition. Gorges Dam is the most crowded cluster, followed by drought stress. The greatest burst duration and most significant phrase is reservoir (2019), followed by “water quality,” which has a 5 year burst period. Estuaries perform important functions such as water purification and coastal. “Reservoir, water quality, restoration, phytoplankton, temperature, wetland, time series, diversity and carbon dioxide” are the most important terms, while “climate change, drought, water level, impact, growth, variability, response, dynamics, management and model” are the most frequently used keywords. In terms of citations, references, and academic influence, Zhang Q. (2012), the R Core team (2014), and Jappen E. (2015) were the top three contributors. Cook, ER (2013), and Allen, R.G. (2019) ranked first and second in terms of frequency, respectively. In this review work, significant information gaps were discovered in the areas of microbiological dynamics, environmental variables, fen peat incubation, lake water, drought risk reduction, biological ecology, lake acidification, salinity variations, and attribution. Future researchers should focus on these and similar topics, while Chinese and USA authors should concentrate on article quality rather than publishing numbers.
Pattern formation in photo-controlled bioconvection
Authors: Ramamonjy Aina , Brunet Philippe , Dervaux Julien
Published: September 2023

The model eukaryotic microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is well known for its ability to generate bioconvection flows that are associated to intricate concentration patterns. Recently, it was demonstrated that the propensity of these algae to move toward a light source – a phenomenon termed phototaxis – can be exploited to locally concentrate micro-organisms and induce (photo)-bioconvection in algal suspensions by inducing a localised excess of density. In the present study we show experimentally that a cell population in a thin liquid layer self-organises in the presence of a heterogeneous light field and displays remarkable symmetry-breaking instabilities that are ruled by both the width of the light beam and the photo-bioconvection Rayleigh number. Beside circular stable states, fingers, dendrites and wave instabilities are reported, quantified and classified in a general phase diagram. Next, we use lubrication theory to develop an asymptotic model for bioconvection in a thin liquid layer, that includes the influences of both gyrotaxis and phototaxis. We obtain a single nonlinear anisotropic diffusion–drift equation describing the spatiotemporal evolution of the depth-averaged algal population. Analytical and numerical solutions are presented and show a very good agreement with the experimental results. In particular, we show that the dendrite instability arises as a result of a subtle coupling between the nonlinearity of the phototactic response, the gyrotactic effect and the self-induced bioconvective flows. Such complex flow fields might find applications in photo-bioreactors, through the efficient stirring of the harvested biomass.
Early harvesting and increasing stubble-cutting height enhance ratoon rice yield
Authors: Chen Yuanwei , Zheng Huabin , Wang Weiqin , Tang Qiyuan
Published: September 2023

To clarify the combined effects of the cutting time and cutting height on ratooning ability and rice grain yield of the ratoon crop in the novel ratoon rice cropping, a field experiment was carried out to investigate the combined effects of harvesting time and the stubble-cutting height of the main crop on the growth duration, ratooning ability and grain yield of the ratoon crop. The growth period was shortened by 3.5 days on average when the harvesting time was 10 days ahead of time. On average, the growth duration was prolonged by 7 days per each decrease of 10 cm stubble height. Early harvesting and increasing stubble-cutting height greatly increased the grain yield of the ratoon crop. The highest grain yield was achieved at 10 days after flowering stage and a stubble height of 30 cm, which were 6916 kg·hm−2 for XLY900 and 7262 kg·hm−2 for YY4149, averaged across years. High rice yield of the ratoon crop was mainly depended on panicle numbers and grain-filling percentage, rather than spikelets per panicle. Increasing cutting height and the cutting time of the main crop ahead maintain more stubble biomass and nitrogen content. A significant positive correlation was observed between stubble nitrogen content and tillers-to-stubble ratio (TSR), as well as a significant positive relation was found between panicle-to-stubble ratio and TSR. Therefore, cutting 10 days after flowering stage of the main crop with 30 cm stubble-cutting height enhances ratooning ability due to higher stubble biomass and nitrogen content, and then increases rice yield of the ratoon crop.
Rethinking International Order in Early Modern Europe: Evidence from Courtly Ceremonial
Authors: Bruneau Quentin
Published: September 2023

Once the object of consensus, every aspect of the traditional account of early modern Europe as an anarchic system of sovereign states is now debated—from the existence of sovereign states to the notion of anarchy, and even the European limits of that system. In the context of these disagreements, I develop a new account of international order in early modern Europe grounded in the perceptions of historical actors. I first argue that this can be achieved by studying the tools that practitioners relied on to describe and organize political authority in the world. I subsequently delve into a common, though seldom-studied, tool developed by a group of practitioners known as masters of ceremonies: courtly ceremonial (or ius praecedentiae). I make three substantive claims. First, the political authorities identified in manuals on courtly ceremonial were primarily crowns and republics, but in the later eighteenth century, all eventually came to be described as “states.” Second, all political authorities stood in a hierarchy determined by a specific set of criteria I identify, but new criteria—power and sovereignty—emerged over the course of the eighteenth century. Third, the scope of international order was not self-evident, and it certainly did not have clear “European” limits in the eyes of masters of ceremonies; non-European political authorities could easily be integrated into their orders of precedence. Ultimately, I suggest that IR scholars should reconsider why they study early modern Europe and how they study international orders.
All-optical Compton scattering at shallow interaction angles
Authors: Döpp Andreas , Ta Phuoc Kim , Andriyash Igor A.
Published: September 2023

All-optical Compton sources combine laser-wakefield accelerators and intense scattering pulses to generate ultrashort bursts of backscattered radiation. The scattering pulse plays the role of a small-period undulator (

${\sim }1\,\mathrm {\mu }{\rm m}$

) in which relativistic electrons oscillate and emit X-ray radiation. To date, most of the working laser-plasma accelerators operate preferably at energies of a few hundreds of megaelectronvolts and the Compton sources developed so far produce radiation in the range from hundreds of kiloelectronvolts to a few megaelectronvolts. However, for such applications as medical imaging and tomography the relevant energy range is 10–100 keV. In this article, we discuss different scattering geometries for the generation of X-rays in this range. Through numerical simulations, we study the influence of electron beam parameters on the backscattered photons. We find that the spectral bandwidth remains constant for beams of the same emittance regardless of the scattering geometry. A shallow interaction angle of

$30^{\circ }$

or less seems particularly promising for imaging applications given parameters of existing laser-plasma accelerators. Finally, we discuss the influence of the radiation properties for potential applications in medical imaging and non-destructive testing.
Fertility and ageing – actuarial perspectives
Authors: Babad Yair , Grenham Dermot , Gutterman Sam
Published: September 2023

Fertility, particularly at its current low level in many developed countries and high level in some less developed countries, is a key factor driving demographic, economic, and societal changes at local, national, and global levels. Population ageing due to low fertility and increasing longevity represents one of the most significant global megatrends and risks. Many countries are already experiencing population decline and rapid growth of their elderly populations, with implications for workforce size, economic development, health and pension schemes, and social security arrangements. Actuaries are well known for their work on mortality and morbidity, but they have rarely considered fertility and its proximate determinants, despite their demographic and economic effects. This paper explores key explanations and outcomes of past and projected future fertility trends, and the implications for actuaries and for political and economic decision-makers.
Analysis of the interplay effect in lung stereotactic ablative radiation therapy based on both breathing motion and plan characteristics
Authors: Ali Asmaa M. , Greenwood Jason B. , Varasteh Mohammad , Esteve Sergio , Jeevanandam Prakash , Göpfert Fabian , Irvine Denise M. , Hounsell Alan R. , McGarry Conor K.
Published: September 2023

Introduction:

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is susceptible to challenges for tumours affected by intrafraction organ motion. This study aims to investigate the effect of breathing characteristics and plan complexity on the interplay effect.

Methods:

A patient-specific interplay effect evaluation was performed using in-house software with an alpha version of the treatment planning verification software Verisoft (PTW-Freiburg, Germany) on VMAT plans. The OCTAVIUS 4D phantom was used to acquire the static dose distribution, and the simulation approach was utilised to generate the moving dose distribution. The influence of plan complexity, PTV size, number of breaths, and motion amplitudes on the interplay effect were examined. The dose distribution of two extreme phases—end-inhale and end-exhale—was considered using the gamma criteria of 2%/2 mm for the interplay effect evaluation.

Results:

A strong correlation was found between the motion amplitude (p < 0.001) and the NBs (p < 0.001) with the gamma-passing rate. No correlation was found between the gamma-passing rate and the PTV size or plan complexity.

Conclusion:

The simulation tool allowed the analysis of a large number of breathing traces, demonstrating how free-breathing patients, suspected of high interplay, could be selected for other motion management solutions. The simulated cases showed strong interplay effects for long breathing periods with extended motion amplitudes in a small group of patients.
An assessment of model risk in pricing wind derivatives
Authors: Gracianti Giovani , Zhou Rui , Li Johnny Siu-Hang , Wu Xueyuan
Published: September 2023

Wind derivatives are financial instruments designed to mitigate losses caused by adverse wind conditions. With the rapid growth of wind power capacity due to efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the demand for wind derivatives to manage uncertainty in wind power production is expected to increase. However, existing wind derivative literature often assumes normally distributed wind speed, despite the presence of skewness and leptokurtosis in historical wind speed data. This paper investigates how the misspecification of wind speed models affects wind derivative prices and proposes the use of the generalized hyperbolic distribution to account for non-normality. The study develops risk-neutral approaches for pricing wind derivatives using the conditional Esscher transform, which can accommodate stochastic processes with any distribution, provided the moment-generating function exists. The analysis demonstrates that model risk varies depending on the choice of the underlying index and the derivative’s payoff structure. Therefore, caution should be exercised when choosing wind speed models. Essentially, model risk cannot be ignored in pricing wind speed derivatives.
Interfering with Rac1-activation during neonatal monocyte-macrophage differentiation influences the inflammatory responses of M1 macrophages
Authors: Fu Hang , Zhang Ping , Zhao Xiao-Dong , Zhong Xiao-Yun
Published: September 2023

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening, inflammatory disease affecting premature infants with intestinal necrosis, but the mechanism remains unclear. Neonatal macrophages are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of NEC through the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Restriction of cytokine expression in macrophages of NEC tissues may be beneficial. In adult macrophages, interfering with Rac1 has been shown to influence the expression of cytokines. Here, we investigated whether interfering with Rac1 in neonatal macrophages affects their inflammatory responses. First, we found that Rac1-activation was upregulated in the macrophages of rats with NEC model induction compared to controls. The M1 macrophages derived from human neonatal monocytes showed greater Rac1-activation than the M2 macrophages derived from the same monocytes. Inhibition of Rac1-activation by NSC23766 potently reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines in these M1 macrophages. While neonatal monocytes differentiated into M1 macrophages in vitro, NSC23766 significantly altered cell function during the first six days of incubation with GM-CSF rather than during the subsequent stimulation phase. However, the same effect of NSC23766 was not observed in adult macrophages. Using mass spectrometry, Y-box binding protein 1 (YB1) was identified as being downregulated upon inhibition of Rac1-activation in the neonatal macrophages. Moreover, we found that inhibition of Rac1-activation shortens the poly A tail of PABPC1 mRNA, thereby reducing the translation of PABPC1 mRNA. Consequently, the downregulation of PABPC1 resulted in a reduced translation of YB1 mRNA. Furthermore, we found that TLR4 expression was downregulated in neonatal macrophages, while YB1 expression was reduced. Adding resatorvid (TLR4 signaling inhibitor) to the macrophages treated with NSC23766 did not further reduce the cytokine expression. These findings reveal a novel Rac1-mediated pathway to inhibit cytokine expression in neonatal M1 macrophages and suggest potential targets for the prevention or treatment of NEC.
Supervised discovery of interpretable gene programs from single-cell data
Authors: Kunes Russell Z. , Walle Thomas , Land Max , Nawy Tal , Pe’er Dana
Published: September 2023

Factor analysis decomposes single-cell gene expression data into a minimal set of gene programs that correspond to processes executed by cells in a sample. However, matrix factorization methods are prone to technical artifacts and poor factor interpretability. We address these concerns with Spectra, an algorithm that combines user-provided gene programs with the detection of novel programs that together best explain expression covariation. Spectra incorporates existing gene sets and cell-type labels as prior biological information, explicitly models cell type and represents input gene sets as a gene–gene knowledge graph using a penalty function to guide factorization toward the input graph. We show that Spectra outperforms existing approaches in challenging tumor immune contexts, as it finds factors that change under immune checkpoint therapy, disentangles the highly correlated features of CD8+ T cell tumor reactivity and exhaustion, finds a program that explains continuous macrophage state changes under therapy and identifies cell-type-specific immune metabolic programs.
Identification of mobile genetic elements with geNomad
Authors: Camargo Antonio Pedro , Roux Simon , Schulz Frederik , Babinski Michal , Xu Yan , Hu Bin , Chain Patrick S. G. , Nayfach Stephen , Kyrpides Nikos C.
Published: September 2023

Identifying and characterizing mobile genetic elements in sequencing data is essential for understanding their diversity, ecology, biotechnological applications and impact on public health. Here we introduce geNomad, a classification and annotation framework that combines information from gene content and a deep neural network to identify sequences of plasmids and viruses. geNomad uses a dataset of more than 200,000 marker protein profiles to provide functional gene annotation and taxonomic assignment of viral genomes. Using a conditional random field model, geNomad also detects proviruses integrated into host genomes with high precision. In benchmarks, geNomad achieved high classification performance for diverse plasmids and viruses (Matthews correlation coefficient of 77.8% and 95.3%, respectively), substantially outperforming other tools. Leveraging geNomad’s speed and scalability, we processed over 2.7 trillion base pairs of sequencing data, leading to the discovery of millions of viruses and plasmids that are available through the IMG/VR and IMG/PR databases. geNomad is available at https://portal.nersc.gov/genomad.
Multimodal single-cell datasets characterize antigen-specific CD8+ T cells across SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and infection
Authors: Zhang Bingjie , Upadhyay Rabi , Hao Yuhan , Samanovic Marie I. , Herati Ramin S. , Blair John D. , Axelrad Jordan , Mulligan Mark J. , Littman Dan R. , Satija Rahul
Published: September 2023

The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 antigen after infection or vaccination is defined by the durable production of antibodies and T cells. Population-based monitoring typically focuses on antibody titer, but there is a need for improved characterization and quantification of T cell responses. Here, we used multimodal sequencing technologies to perform a longitudinal analysis of circulating human leukocytes collected before and after immunization with the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2. Our data indicated distinct subpopulations of CD8+ T cells, which reliably appeared 28 days after prime vaccination. Using a suite of cross-modality integration tools, we defined their transcriptome, accessible chromatin landscape and immunophenotype, and we identified unique biomarkers within each modality. We further showed that this vaccine-induced population was SARS-CoV-2 antigen-specific and capable of rapid clonal expansion. Moreover, we identified these CD8+ T cell populations in scRNA-seq datasets from COVID-19 patients and found that their relative frequency and differentiation outcomes were predictive of subsequent clinical outcomes.
Phases in fine volcanic ash
Authors: Hornby Adrian , Gazel Esteban , Bush Claire , Dayton Kyle , Mahowald Natalie
Published: September 2023

Volcanic ash emissions impact atmospheric processes, depositional ecosystems, human health, and global climate. These effects are sensitive to the size and composition of the ash; however, datasets describing the constituent phases over size ranges relevant for atmospheric transport and widely distributed impacts are practically nonexistent. Here, we present results of X-ray diffraction measurements on size-separated fractions of 40 ash samples from VEI 2–6 eruptions. We characterize changes in phase fractions with grainsize, tectonic setting, and whole-rock SiO2. For grainsizes < 45 μm, average fractions of crystalline silica and surface salts increased while glass and iron oxides decreased with respect to the bulk sample. Samples from arc and intraplate settings are distinguished by feldspar and clinopyroxene fractions (determined by different crystallization sequences) which, together with glass, comprise 80–100% of most samples. We provide a dataset to approximate glass-free proportions of major crystalline phases; however, glass fractions are highly variable. To tackle this, we describe regressions between glass and major crystal phase fractions that help constrain the major phase proportions in volcanic ash with limited a priori information. Using our dataset, we find that pore-free ash density is well-estimated as a function of the clinopyroxene + Fe-oxide fraction, with median values of 2.67 ± 0.01 and 2.85 ± 0.03 g/cm3for intraplate and arc samples, respectively. Finally, we discuss effects including atmospheric transport and alteration on modal composition and contextualize our proximal airfall ash samples with volcanic ash cloud properties. Our study helps constrain the atmospheric and environmental budget of the phases in fine volcanic ash and their effect on ash density, integral to refine our understanding of the impact of explosive volcanism on the Earth system from single eruptions to global modeling.
Landscape structure influences natural pest suppression in a rice agroecosystem
Authors: Ali M. P. , Clemente-Orta Gemma , Kabir M. M. M. , Haque S. S. , Biswas M. , Landis Douglas A.
Published: September 2023

Agricultural landscapes are constantly changing as farmers adopt new production practices and respond to changing environmental conditions. Some of these changes alter landscape structure with impacts on natural pest control, pesticide use, and conservation of biodiversity. In rice agroecosystems the effect of landscape structure on natural enemies and pest suppression is often poorly understood. Here we investigate the effect of landscape composition and configuration on a key pest of rice, the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens). Using N. lugens as sentinel prey coupled with predator exclusions, we investigated landscape effects on herbivore suppression and rice grain yield at multiple spatial scales in two regions of Bangladesh. Ladybird beetles and spiders were the most abundant natural enemies of N. lugens with landscape effects observed at all scales on ladybird beetles. Specifically, ladybird beetles were positively influenced by road edges, and fallow land, while spiders were strongly influenced only by rice phenology. Predator exclusion cages showed that N. lugens abundance significantly increased in caged plots, reducing rice gain yield. We also used an estimated biocontrol service index that showed a significant positive relationship with landscape diversity and a significant negative impact on pest density and yield loss. These results suggest that promoting fallow lands and fragmented patches between rice fields could lead to more sustainable insect pest management in rice agroecosystems, potentially reducing the practice of prophylactic insecticide use.
Tapered high-gain Fabry–Perot cavity antenna with high sidelobe suppression for 5G industry
Authors: Hussain Muhammad , Lee Kyung-Geun , Kim Dongho
Published: September 2023

We propose a Fabry–Perot cavity (FPC) antenna to suppress a sidelobe level (SLL) while maintaining a reasonably high gain. Generally, conventional FPC antennas (FPCAs) produce a high SLL because waves in their FPC leak considerably through lateral openings, which is a primary reason for lowering antenna gains. We propose two design approaches to solve this problem: the reflection magnitude tapering of a partially reflective surface (PRS) and considering different incident modes for the PRS design. First, the proposed tapering can remarkably reduce an SLL by providing the PRS with more radiation opportunities. Second, the different incident modes of transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) can increase an antenna gain by considering a more realistic illumination environment of the PRS. We have proven that our antenna provides 19.8 dBi realized gain with high sidelobe suppression (SLS) of more than 23 dB. Consequently, the proposed FPCA can suppress sidelobes significantly while maintaining a high gain. Good agreement between simulations and experiments demonstrates the usefulness of our proposal.
Comparative study of sub-second temporal resolution 4D-MRI and 4D-CT for target motion assessment in a phantom model
Authors: Wang Tianyuan , Sofue Keitaro , Shimada Ryuji , Ishihara Takeaki , Yada Ryuichi , Miyamoto Masanori , Sasaki Ryohei , Murakami Takamichi
Published: September 2023

To develop and investigate the feasibility of sub-second temporal resolution volumetric T1-weighted four-dimensional (4D-) MRI in comparison with 4D-CT for respiratory-correlated motion assessment using an MRI/CT-compatible phantom. Sub-second high temporal resolution (0.5 s) gradient-echo T1-weighted 4D-MRI was developed using a volumetric acquisition scheme with compressed sensing. An MRI/CT-compatible motion phantom (simulated liver tumor) with three sinusoidal movements of amplitudes and two respiratory patterns was introduced and imaged with 4D-MRI and 4D-CT to investigate the geometric accuracy of the target movement. The geometric accuracy, including centroid position, volume, similarity index of dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and Hausdorff distance (HD), was systematically evaluated. Proposed 4D-MRI achieved a similar geometric accuracy compared with 4D-CT regarding the centroid position, volume, and similarity index. The observed position differences of the absolute average centroid were within 0.08 cm in 4D-MRI and 0.03 cm in 4D-CT, less than the 1-pixel resolution for each modality. The observed volume difference in 4D-MRI/4D-CT was within 0.73 cm3 (4.5%)/0.29 cm3 (2.1%) for a large target and 0.06 cm3 (11.3%)/0.04 cm3 (11.6%) for a small target. The observed DSC values for 4D-MRI/4D-CT were at least 0.93/0.95 for the large target and 0.83/0.84 for the small target. The maximum HD values were 0.25 cm/0.31 cm for the large target and 0.21 cm/0.15 cm for the small target. Although 4D-CT potentially exhibit superior numerical accuracy in phantom studies, the proposed high temporal resolution 4D-MRI demonstrates sub-millimetre geometric accuracy comparable to that of 4D-CT. These findings suggest that the 4D-MRI technique is a viable option for characterizing motion and generating phase-dependent internal target volumes within the realm of radiotherapy.
The blood glucose-potassium ratio at admission predicts in-hospital mortality in patients with acute type A aortic dissection
Authors: Chen Yaqin , Peng Yanchun , Zhang Xuecui , Liao Xiaoqin , Lin Jianlong , Chen Liangwan , Lin Yanjuan
Published: September 2023

Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a serious cardiovascular emergency with high risk and mortality after surgery. Recent studies have shown that serum glucose-potassium ratio (GPR) is associated with the prognosis of cerebrovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between GPR and in-hospital mortality in patients with ATAAD. From June 2019 to August 2021, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 272 patients who underwent ATAAD surgery. According to the median value of GPR (1.74), the patients were divided into two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to determine the risk factors of in-hospital mortality after ATAAD. In-hospital death was significantly more common in the high GPR group (> 1.74) (24.4% vs 13.9%; P = 0.027). The incidence of renal dysfunction in the low GPR group was significantly higher than that in the high GPR group (26.3% vs 14.8%: P = 0.019). After controlling for potential confounding variables and adjusting for multivariate logistic regression analysis, the results showed a high GPR (> 1.74) (AOR 4.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.13–10.40; P =  < 0.001), lactic acid (AOR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.26; P = 0.009), smokers (AOR 2.45, 95% CI 1.18–15.07; P = 0.039), mechanical ventilation (AOR 9.47, 95% CI 4.00–22.38; P =  < 0.001) was independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality in ATAAD patients, albumin (AOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83–0.98; P = 0.014) was a protective factor for in-hospital prognosis. High GPR is a good predictor of in-hospital mortality after ATAAD surgery.