bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
AI-based estimator for computational discovery and synthesis of customized microwave absorbing materials
Authors: Yadav Ravi , Panwar Ravi
Published: September 2023

This article investigates the viability of a deep neural network (DNN) for the computational discovery and synthesis of efficient microwave-absorbing materials and structures. A DNN is trained to tackle specific objectives in a constrained environment by utilizing the conventional forward and reverse approaches. In the forward approach, the DNN predicts various topologies of the absorbers and it is found to be effective in determining the stacking sequence of microwave-absorbing materials and their associated thicknesses. Designing a microwave absorber is observed to be exceptionally cumbersome utilizing a DNN if the material database increases unexpectedly. Following that, the solution is offered by addressing the reverse approach, in which a DNN is utilized to forecast the electromagnetic (EM) properties based on user-defined specifications. It is a convincing and simple method of designing thin and wideband customized absorbers. DNN prediction is authenticated by fabricating two distinct absorbers based on the frequency-dependent EM properties. Furthermore, the synthesized model is tested and validated with the response of the EM mixing model and microwave measurements. The suggested DNN strategy can effectively fix the issues in designing thin and broadband absorbers.
Spatiotemporal deterioration in nonlinear ultrafast fiber amplifiers
Authors: Fu Guohao , Li Dan , Gong Mali , Yan Ping , Xiao Qirong
Published: September 2023

Pulse coherence and spatial beam quality are important physical parameters to evaluate the quality of ultrafast lasers. In this paper, spatiotemporal deterioration (STD) of multidimensional light field is proposed to depict the degradation of coherence in both temporal and spatial domains in nonlinear ultrafast fiber amplifiers. Simulation results uncover that in gain-managed nonlinearity (GMN) pulse amplifiers, once the STD threshold is reached, beam quality quickly degrades, Raman noise intensifies, pulsed coherence decreases, and pulse compression becomes challenging. The findings demonstrate that stimulated Raman scattering is the primary cause of STD, which triggers a rapid energy transfer of the blue-wavelength portion of fundamental mode to higher-order modes when phase matching is satisfied by the strong Kerr effect in the GMN regime. Moreover, gain redshift that dominates the redshift of the pulse spectrum can considerably drive the energy transfer and, hence, accelerates STD in the nonlinear regime, while suppressing STD in the linear regime. Finally, the effects of seed characteristics and pump wavelength on STD are also studied, and methods to suppress STD in GMN amplifiers are presented. These findings we believe can provide insight into high-energy ultrafast fiber amplifiers for generating high-coherent, high-beam-quality, sub-50 fs, and μJ level pulses at 1 μm and other complex multimode gain systems.
A magnetically insulated coaxial vacuum diode providing a reduced energy spread in the leading edge of a high-current electron beam
Authors: Lobanov L. N. , Sadykova A. G. , Sharypov K. A. , Shpak V. G. , Shunailov S. A. , Yalandin M. I.
Published: September 2023

A magnetically insulated vacuum diode was modified to reduce the fraction of low-energy electrons in the leading edge of a high-current beam. The voltage pulse of duration ≈1 ns, rise time ≈250 ps, and amplitude ≈ –230 kV that arrives at the diode cathode from a transmission line is split in coupled coaxial lines (CLs) into two pulses with an amplitude ratio U2/U1 >1. The end of the common electrode of the CLs is close in profile to an equipotential surface and forms two gaps in the diode. In the first injection gap, at U0 < U1, explosive electron emission starts at the cathode. The pulse U1 arrives here with a delay at least equal to the duration of the leading edge, since there is a dielectric insert in the inner CL. The beam enters, through the window in the intermediate electrode, the acceleration gap, where the leading pulse U2, delivered from the outer CL, has already peaked. In the proposed device, unlike the one-gap prototype diode, electrons start from the cathode at a much smaller spread of the leading edge voltage. As a result, after acceleration of these electrons in the second gap, their energy spread relative to the maximum energy decreases multiply. This is confirmed by calculations and measurements of the beam current for a beam passed through aluminum filters.
Coherence modulation for anti-turbulence deep learning recognition of vortex beam
Authors: Zhu Junan , Zhang Hao , Hu Zhiquan , Lu Xingyuan , Zhan Qiwen , Cai Yangjian , Zhao Chengliang
Published: September 2023

Acquiring topological charge in real-time for vortex beams encounters numerous challenges due to the turbulent atmosphere and coherence degradation. We propose an experimental scheme employing the strong detail extraction capability of deep neural networks to recognize the topological charge of partially coherent vortex beams propagating through the turbulent atmosphere and encountering unknown obstacles. Notably, coherence modulation has demonstrated advantages in deep neural network-based recognition. By comparing with high-coherence vortex beams, the deep neural network accurately recognizes topological charges for low-coherence vortex beams using only half of the available dataset. Furthermore, when the turbulent atmosphere and obstacles were considered, the accuracy of low-coherence vortex beams surpassed that of high-coherence vortex beams with equal amounts of training data. Additionally, the encrypted optical communication using partially coherent vortex beams was demonstrated. The coherence parameter significantly enhanced the channel capacity. This study holds potential for applications in free-space optical communication.
Toward faster, safer proton therapy
Authors: Miller Johanna
Published: September 2023

Most facilities for zapping tumors with protons are extremely inefficient. But perhaps they don’t have to be.
Automatic tool to annotate smile intensities in conversational face-to-face interactions
Authors: Rauzy Stéphane , Amoyal Mary
Published: September 2023

This study presents an automatic tool that allows to trace smile intensities along a video record of conversational face-to-face interactions. The processed output proposes a sequence of adjusted time intervals labeled following theSmiling Intensity Scale(Gironzetti, Attardo, and Pickering, 2016), a 5 levels scale varying from neutral facial expression to laughing smile. The underlying statistical model of this tool is trained on a manually annotated corpus of conversations featuring spontaneous facial expressions. This model will be detailed in this study. This tool can be used with benefits for annotating smile in interactions. The results are twofold. First, the evaluation reveals an observed agreement of 68% between manual and automatic annotations. Second, manually correcting the labels and interval boundaries of the automatic outputs reduces by a factor 10 the annotation time as compared with the time spent for manually annotating smile intensities without pretreatment. Our annotation engine makes use of the state-of-the-art toolbox OpenFace for tracking the face and for measuring the intensities of the facial Action Units of interest all along the video. The documentation and the scripts of our tool, the SMAD software, are available to download at the HMAD open source project URL pagehttps://github.com/srauzy/HMAD(last access 31 July 2023).
Subtitlers’ beliefs about pivot templates
Authors: Valdez Susana , Pięta Hanna , Torres-Simón Ester , Menezes Rita
Published: September 2023

Streaming service platforms are said to increase worldwide access to peripheral languages, often via the use of pivot templates. To shed light on how pivot subtitling practices impact language hierarchies and translation quality, we report on the results of an online questionnaire completed by European subtitlers. The questionnaire elicited data on the respondents’ experiences and expectations when translating from pivot templates for streaming services and other media environments (such as cable TV, cinema, and websites). The questionnaire was completed by 370 subtitlers and the elicited data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results suggest that streaming platforms reinforce traditional language hierarchies by strengthening the position of English as a hyper-central language (Heilbron 2010). ‘Peripheral–peripheral’ subtitling practices (e.g., Korean–Danish) occur mainly through pivot templates in English, and so do ‘central–central’ subtitling practices (e.g., German–French). This means that even when the original content is in a language other than English, English is still the most common source language for subtitlers because of the use of pivot templates. Furthermore, according to our respondents, pivot templates are more common in streaming platforms than in other media environments. The use of pivot templates is also reported to negatively impact subtitlers’ working conditions and give rise to particular ethical, linguistic, and technological challenges for which there are currently few guidelines and training opportunities.
Artificial neural network modelling to predict the efficiency of aluminium sacrificial anode
Authors: Rezaei Amir
Published: September 2023

Study explores the potential of a deep learning-based approach for predicting the current efficiency of aluminium sacrificial anodes in marine environments. The model takes into account various input variables, including the chemical composition of the sacrificial anode, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pressure, cathode electrode, current density, and the ratio of the surface area of the cathode to anode, with the anode current efficiency serving as the output variable. Utilising artificial neural networks in this study shows a mean absolute percentage error of 6.4% and 7.8% for the training and validation for predicting the current efficiency. The proposed model shows promising potential to predict the current efficiency of aluminium sacrificial anodes and improve the design of cathodic protection systems based on aluminium sacrificial anodes.
Energy-distributable waterborne acoustic launcher for directional sensing
Authors: Yang 杨 Tian 天 , Gao 高 Wenting 文婷 , Fan 范 Shida 世达 , Ren 任 Jie 捷 , Yang 杨 Tianzhi 天智
Published: September 2023

Highly directional launch and intensity adjustment of underwater acoustic signals are crucial in many areas such as abyssal navigation, underwater signal communication, and detection for marine biology. Inspired by the phenomenon that aquatic animals like dolphins detect and track prey with high resolution, we propose an energy-distributable directional sensing strategy which can achieve parallel needle-like transmitting sound beams with adjustable energy based on out-coupling valley-polarized edge states. The acoustic spin angular momentum and energy flow distribution at different interfaces inside the phononic crystal are provided and they show tight coupling. Furthermore, a sound beam with a width of 20° and an acoustic intensity enhancement factor ≈ 6.6 are observed in the far field. As an application, we show that this device can be used as an acoustic energy distributor. This communication pattern with excellent functionalities and performance provides a desirable idea for high-energy-level directional collimated underwater sensing and underwater acoustic energy distribution.
Room-temperature creation and manipulation of skyrmions in MgO/FeNiB/Mo multilayers
Authors: Liang 梁 Wen-Hui 文会 , Su 苏 Jian 鉴 , Wang 王 Yu-Tong 雨桐 , Zhang 张 Ying 颖 , Hu 胡 Feng-Xia 凤霞 , Cai 蔡 Jian-Wang 建旺
Published: September 2023

Magnetic skyrmions in multilayer structures are considered as a new direction for the next generation of storage due to their small size, strong anti-interference ability, high current-driven mobility, and compatibility with existing spintronic technology. In this work, we present a tunable room temperature skyrmion platform based on multilayer stacks of MgO/FeNiB/Mo. We systematically studied the creation of magnetic skyrmions in MgO/FeNiB/Mo multilayer structures with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA). In these structures, the magnetic anisotropy changes from PMA to in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA) as the thickness of FeNiB layer increases. By adjusting the applied magnetic field and electric current, stable and high-density skyrmions can be obtained in the material system. The discovery of this material broadens the exploration of new materials for skyrmion and promotes the development of spintronic devices based on skyrmions.
Hypothetical 22-Year Intervention With the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and Risk of Heart Failure in a General Population
Authors: Ibsen Daniel B , Chiu Yu-Han , Gémes Katalin , Wolk Alicja
Published: September 2023

We used design principles of target trial methodology to emulate the effect of sustained adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on the 22-year risk of heart failure. Women and men aged 45–83 years without previous heart failure, who answered questionnaires in 1997 from the Swedish Mammography Cohort and the Cohort of Swedish Men, were eligible. Follow-up questionnaires were sent in 2008–2009. Incidence of heart failure was ascertained using the Swedish Patient Register, updated until December 31, 2019. The parametric g-formula was used to estimate the 22-year risk of heart failure under sustained adherence to a population-adapted DASH diet compared with no intervention. Intakes before 1997 for before-baseline adjustment was available only for women. In total, 31,238 women and 34,939 men were eligible. The 22-year risk of heart failure was 14.5% with long-term adherence to the DASH diet compared with 15.2% with no intervention (risk difference = −0.7%, 95% confidence interval: 1.6, 0.0%) in women and correspondingly in men 15.3% vs. 16.2% (risk difference = −0.9%, 95% confidence interval: −1.6, −0.2%). Our hypothetical intervention suggests that sustained adherence to the population-adapted DASH diet may reduce risk of heart failure in middle-aged and elderly Swedish women and men.
Tau-PET abnormality as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease staging and early detection: a topological perspective
Authors: Ding Jie , Shen Chushu , Wang Zhenguo , Yang Yongfeng , El Fakhri Georges , Lu Jie , Liang Dong , Zheng Hairong , Zhou Yun , Sun Tao ,   For the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and the Harvard Brain Aging Study
Published: September 2023

Alzheimer’s disease can be detected early through biomarkers such as tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, which shows abnormal protein accumulations in the brain. The standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) is often used to quantify tau-PET imaging, but topological information from multiple brain regions is also linked to tau pathology. Here a new method was developed to investigate the correlations between brain regions using subject-level tau networks. Participants with cognitive normal (74), early mild cognitive impairment (35), late mild cognitive impairment (32), and Alzheimer’s disease (40) were included. The abnormality network from each scan was constructed to extract topological features, and 7 functional clusters were further analyzed for connectivity strengths. Results showed that the proposed method performed better than conventional SUVR measures for disease staging and prodromal sign detection. For example, when to differ healthy subjects with and without amyloid deposition, topological biomarker is significant with P < 0.01, SUVR is not with P > 0.05. Functionally significant clusters, i.e. medial temporal lobe, default mode network, and visual-related regions, were identified as critical hubs vulnerable to early disease conversion before mild cognitive impairment. These findings were replicated in an independent data cohort, demonstrating the potential to monitor the early sign and progression of Alzheimer’s disease from a topological perspective for individual.
Proton pump inhibitors and adverse kidney outcomes during immune checkpoint blockade: time to sound the alarm?
Authors: Tan Hui Zhuan , Sprangers Ben
Published: September 2023

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significantly altered the treatment landscape for cancer in the last decade. However, their benefits are often offset by therapy-limiting immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is the most common renal irAE, but the exact mechanisms underlying its development are poorly understood. ICI-induced immune activation against drug-derived antigens, leading to an inflammatory response within the kidney interstitium, has been postulated, evidenced by current observations of a higher incidence of ICI-associated AIN in patients receiving AIN-inducing drugs such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The role of PPIs in this specific context has garnered significant attention, given their ubiquitous use and sometimes misuse. In this issue of CKJ Miao et al. summarise and synthesize the best available evidence to clarify the interactions of PPIs with ICIs in the development of AIN and other adverse kidney outcomes. The sum of evidence provided appear to implicate PPIs in the development of clinically significant short- and long-term kidney-related adverse effects in patients on immune checkpoint blockade, although causality cannot be proven. In this editorial we discuss the key practical implications of these findings and emphasize the need for further quality studies to delineate the true relationship of ICIs and PPIs in the development of AIN.
Reproducing complex anisotropy patterns at subduction zones from splitting intensity analysis and anisotropy tomography
Authors: Confal Judith M , Baccheschi Paola , Pondrelli Silvia , Karakostas Foivos , VanderBeek Brandon P , Huang Zhouchuan , Faccenda Manuele
Published: September 2023

Measurements of seismic anisotropy provide a lot of information on the deformation and structure as well as flows of the Earth's interior, in particular of the upper mantle. Even though the strong and heterogeneous seismic anisotropic nature of the upper mantle has been demonstrated by a wealth of theoretical and observational approaches , most of standard teleseismic body-wave tomography studies overlook P- and S-wave anisotropy, thus producing artefacts in tomographic models in terms of amplitude and localization of heterogeneities. Conventional methods of seismic anisotropy measurement have their limitations regarding lateral and mainly depth resolution. To overcome this problem much effort has been done to develop tomographic methods to invert shear wave splitting data for anisotropic structures, based on finite-frequency sensitivity kernels that relate model perturbations to splitting observations. A promising approach to image the upper mantle anisotropy is the inversion of splitting intensity (SI). This seismic observable is a measure of the amount of energy on the transverse component waveform and, to a first order, it is linearly related to the elastic perturbations of the medium through the 3-D sensitivity kernels, that can be therefore inverted, allowing a high-resolution image of the upper mantle anisotropy. Here we present an application of the SI tomography to a synthetic subduction setting. Starting from synthetic SKS waveforms, we first derived high-quality SKS SI measurements; then we used the SI data as input into tomographic inversion. This approach enables high-resolution tomographic images of upper-mantle anisotropy through recovering vertical and lateral changes in anisotropy and represents a propaedeutic step to the real cases of subduction settings. Additionally this study was able to detect regions of strong dipping anisotropy by allowing a 360° periodic dependence of the splitting vector.
Synergy between polypyrrol and benzoic acid against antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp
Authors: Garcez Dino César Pereira , Ribeiro Gabrielle , Kominkiewicz Marcelo , da Costa Mateus Matiuzzi , Chideroli Roberta Torres , Rosa Danillo Sales , dos Santos Isaac Emanuel Pereira , Morante Vitor Hugo Penariol , Silveira Simone , Girardini Lilian Kolling
Published: September 2023

Aims

The purpose was to characterize Salmonella Heidelberg (SH) and Minnesota (SM) isolates in terms of their resistance and persistence profile and to assess the antimicrobial effect of benzoic acid (BA) and polypyrrole (PPy).

Methods and results

The 20 isolates from broiler litter drag swabs were submitted to antibiogram and efflux pump expression. The minimum inhibitory/bactericidal concentration (MIC/MBC) of the compounds, synergistic activity, time kill, biofilm production, presence of related genes, and molecular docking between compounds and bacterial target sites were evaluated. All isolates showed multidrug resistance (MDR) and BA and PPy showed mean MIC (1750 and 342 µg ml−1) and MBC (3167 and 1000 µg ml−1), respectively. None of the isolates expressed an efflux pump. The compounds showed synergism against an SH isolate and reduced the count by 3 logs in the presence of the compounds after 4 h. Most isolates (16/20) produced weak to moderate biofilm and 17 showed genes related to biofilm. The compounds interacted with two essential proteins, 3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone 4-phosphate synthase proteins and ferritin-like domain-containing protein, in bacterial metabolism at different target sites.

Conclusions

It can be concluded that BA and PPy showed activity on SH and SM, MDR, and biofilm producers, with a potential synergistic effect.
Integrative analyses of the mRNA expression profile reveal the involvement of STC1 in chicken folliculogenesis
Authors: Sun Junwei , Zhang Pengwei , Wang Dongxue , Zhu Shuaipeng , Ma Xiangfei , Du Zhenwei , Zhang Jiechang , Yang Shuangyuan , Huang Hetian , Jiang Ruirui , Tian Yadong , Li Wenting , Kang Xiangtao , Yan Fengbin , Sun Guirong , Li Donghua
Published: September 2023

Efficient ovarian follicle development, maturation, and ovulation are critical for egg production performance. Previous research has underscored the importance of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in regulating development and folliculogenesis in chicken ovarians. However, the molecular mechanism is not fully understood, especially in the late period of the laying cycle. In the present study, ovarian tissues from 80-week-old Hy-Line Brown layers (three with high and three with low rates of egg laying) were collected for transcriptome sequencing. A total of 306 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in this study, at a false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected P-value < 0.05 and a log2|fold change| (log2|FC|) ≥1.5. Among these DEGs, stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) was mainly related to cellular processes, single-organism processes, biological regulation, metabolic processes, developmental processes, and reproductive processes. Then, we further investigated the regulation of STC1 during chicken follicle development and found that STC1 inhibited the proliferation and stimulated the apoptosis of follicular granulosa cells (GCs), and decreased the expression of progesterone (P4) and estradiol (E2). Collectively, these results suggest that STC1 plays an important role in chicken follicle development by decreasing GC proliferation and steroidogenesis and stimulating GC apoptosis. This study contributes to the understanding of the reproductive biology of laying hens in the late period of the laying cycle and further lays a foundation for the improvement of egg production in poultry breeding.
Judge Bias in Labor Courts and Firm Performance
Authors: Cahuc Pierre , Carcillo Stéphane , Patault Bérengère , Moreau Flavien
Published: September 2023

This paper documents the existence of judge-specific differences on granting compensation for wrongful dismissal and shows that their consequences are different for small low-performing firms than for other firms. Pro-worker judge bias reduces job creation for all firms, increases the destruction of permanent jobs in small and low-performing firms but reduces it in large high-performing firms. Pro-worker bias reduces employment and survival for small and low-performing firms but has no significant effects on these outcomes for the other firms. The probability that permanent incumbent workers keep their job in firms judged by a pro-worker judge increases in large and high-performing firms, while it decreases in small, poorly performing firms.
A novel Bacillus sp. with antagonistic activity against a plant pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, and its potential antagonistic mechanism
Authors: Shen Shanrui , Yu Feifan , Hao Xinyi , Chen Jing , Gao Huan , Lai Xiaofang
Published: September 2023

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a wheat disease caused by the plant pathogen Fusarium graminearum, which leads to crop yield losses and agricultural economic losses, as well as poses a threat to the environment and human health. Effective biocontrol of F. graminearum is urgent. An antagonistic strain HZ-5 with 59.2% antagonistic activity against F. graminearum in vitro had been isolated from sea mud of Haizhou Bay using a dual-culture assay, which was highly homologous with Bacillus halosaccharovorans according to the 16S rRNA sequence. The antagonistic activity of HZ-5 had been further studied. HZ-5 had a broad range of antagonistic activity against another six plant pathogenic fungi and was effective in controlling FHB of wheat in pot experiment. The substances with antagonistic activity were temperature insensitive, and had been purified by HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) to prove to be secreted lipopeptides. The antagonistic substances induced the biosynthesis of chitin and glycerol, while ergosterol , cholesterol, and phosphatidylcholine reduced their inhibitory effects on F. graminearum. These data would be helpful to provide a better biocontrol strain against FHB, and to provide important basis to elucidate the antagonistic mechanism of biocontrol.
PACE
Authors: Ozin Paul , Norton Heather
Published: September 2023

This book provides practical guidance on what remains the single most important statutory basis for police duties and powers in England and Wales — the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and its Codes of Practice. The fifth edition includes all amendments to the Codes of Practice since the last edition, as well as the full text of the Act and Codes of Practice. Explanatory chapters have been updated in line with legislative changes, including the wide-ranging effect of the Policing and Crime Act 2017. With the aid of checklists, flow-charts, and illustrative examples, this book gives guidance on how the procedures and requirements of the Act apply to common, everyday scenarios facing police officers, as well as other persons charged with the investigation of offences.
The Comparative Effectiveness and Provider-induced Demand Collaboration Project: A Pioneering Military-Civilian Academic Partnership to Build Health Services Research Capacity for the Military Health System
Authors: Koehlmoos Tracey Pérez , Madsen Cathaleen , Banaag Amanda , Mitro Jessica Pope , Schoenfeld Andrew J , Learn Peter A , Cooper Zara , Weissman Joel S
Published: September 2023

Introduction

Like civilian health systems, the United States Military Health System (MHS) confronts challenges in achieving the aims of reducing cost, and improving quality, access, and safety, but historically has lacked coordinated health services research (HSR) capabilities that enabled knowledge translation and iterative learning from its wealth of data. A military–civilian academic partnership called the Comparative Effectiveness and Provider-Induced Demand Collaboration (EPIC), formed in 2011, demonstrated early proof-of-concept in using the MHS claims database for research focused on drivers of variation in health care. This existing partnership was reorganized in 2015 and its topics expanded to meet the need for HSR in support of emerging priorities and to develop current and HSR capacity within the MHS.

Materials and Methods

A Donabedian framework of structure, process, and outcomes was applied to support the project, through a core of principal investigators, researchers, analysts, and administrators. Within this framework, new researchers and student trainees learn foundations of HSR while performing secondary analysis of claims data from the MHS Data Repository (MDR) focusing on Health and Readiness, Pediatrics, Policy, Surgery, Trauma, and Women’s Health.

Results

Since 2015, the project has trained 25 faculty, staff, and providers; 51 students and residents; 21 research fellows across multiple disciplines; and as of 2022, produced 107 peer-reviewed publications and 130 conference presentations, across all five themes and six cores. Research results have been incorporated into Federal and professional policy guidelines. Major research areas include opioid usage and prescribing, value-based care, and racial disparities. EPIC researchers provide direct support to MHS leaders and enabling expertise to clinical providers.

Conclusions

EPIC, through its Donabedian framework and utilization of the MHS Data Repository as a research tool, generates actionable findings and builds capacity for continued HSR across the MHS. Eight years after its reorganization in 2015, EPIC continues to provide a platform for capacity building and knowledge translation.
Intelligent monitoring and diagnosis of telescope image quality
Authors: Hu Tianzhu , Zhang Yong , Yan Jiaqi , Liu Ou , Wang Huaiqing , Cui Xiangqun
Published: September 2023

The imaging quality of a telescope directly affects the reliability of astronomical research. Through the monitoring and diagnosis of imaging quality, the cause of the deterioration of imaging quality can be found in time, which is essential for ensuring the peaking performance of the telescope and high-quality imaging. Moreover, these operations are complex and crucial for achieving high-quality imaging of future giant telescope systems involving active optics, adaptive optics, and other advanced techniques. We propose a three-component method based on cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to real-time monitor and efficiently diagnose the telescope image quality. The first component, an image quality monitoring system, monitors and outputs the telescope’s image quality. The second component is a query system with a knowledge graph, which outputs the node chains as the possible cause of poor image quality based on the input. The third component, a final estimator, uses the node parameter, which contains historical fault data and real-time updated data from sensors, to give the probability of each node chain. We construct and test the system in the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopy Telescope.
Stellar wind yields of very massive stars
Authors: Higgins Erin R , Vink Jorick S , Hirschi Raphael , Laird Alison M , Sabhahit Gautham N
Published: September 2023

The most massive stars provide an essential source of recycled material for young clusters and galaxies. While very massive stars (VMSs, M>100 $\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }$) are relatively rare compared to O stars, they lose disproportionately large amounts of mass already from the onset of core H-burning. VMS have optically thick winds with elevated mass-loss rates in comparison to optically thin standard O-star winds. We compute wind yields and ejected masses on the main sequence, and we compare enhanced mass-loss rates to standard ones. We calculate solar metallicity wind yields from MESA stellar evolution models in the range 50–500 $\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }$, including a large nuclear network of 92 isotopes, investigating not only the CNO-cycle, but also the Ne–Na and Mg–Al cycles. VMS with enhanced winds eject 5–10 times more H-processed elements (N, Ne, Na, Al) on the main sequence in comparison to standard winds, with possible consequences for observed anticorrelations, such as C–N and Na–O, in globular clusters. We find that for VMS 95 per cent of the total wind yields is produced on the main sequence, while only ∼ 5 per cent is supplied by the post-main sequence. This implies that VMS with enhanced winds are the primary source of 26Al, contrasting previous works where classical Wolf–Rayet winds had been suggested to be responsible for galactic 26Al enrichment. Finally, 200 $\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }$ stars eject 100 times more of each heavy element in their winds than 50 $\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }$ stars, and even when weighted by an IMF their wind contribution is still an order of magnitude higher than that of 50 $\rm {\rm M}_{\odot }$ stars.
Revisiting the properties of GW190814 and its formation history
Authors: Lyu F , Yuan L , Wu D H , Guo W H , Wang Y Z , Yi S X , Tang Q W , Hu R-C , Zhu J-P , Shu X W , Qin Y , Liang E W
Published: September 2023

GW190814 was reported during LIGO’s and Virgo’s third observing run with the most asymmetric component masses (an ∼23 M⊙ black hole and an ∼2.6 M⊙ compact object). Under the assumption that this event is a binary black hole (BBH) merger formed through the isolated binary evolution channel, we reanalyse the publicly released data of GW190814 with the modified astrophysical priors on the effective spin χeff, and further explore its formation history using detailed binary modelling. We show that GW190814 is likely to have been formed through the classical common envelope channel. Our findings show that the properties inferred using the modified astrophysical priors are consistent with those inferred by the uniform priors. With the newly inferred properties of GW190814, we perform detailed binary evolution of the immediate progenitor of the BBH (namely a close binary system composed of a BH and a helium star) in a large parameter space, taking into account mass-loss, internal differential rotation, supernova kicks, and tidal interactions between the helium star and the BH companion. Our findings show that GW190814-like events could be formed in limited initial conditions just after the common envelope phase: an ∼23 M⊙ BH and a helium star of MZamsHe ∼ 8.5 M⊙ at solar metallicity (∼ 7.5 M⊙ at 10 per cent solar metallicity) with an initial orbital period at around 1.0 d. Additionally, the inferred low spin of the secondary indicates that the required metallicity for reproducing GW190814-like events should not be too low (e.g. Z ≳ 0.1 Z⊙).
The filament determination depends on the tracer: comparing filaments based on dark matter particles and galaxies in the gaea semi-analytical model
Authors: Zakharova Daria , Vulcani Benedetta , De Lucia Gabriella , Xie Lizhi , Hirschmann Michaela , Fontanot Fabio
Published: September 2023

Filaments are elongated structures that connect groups and clusters of galaxies and are visually the striking feature in cosmological maps. In the literature, typically filaments are defined only using galaxies, assuming that these are good tracers of the dark matter distribution, despite the fact that galaxies are a biased indicator. Here, we apply the topological filament extractor disperse to the predictions of the semi-analytical code GAlaxy Evolution and Assembly to investigate the correspondence between the properties of z = 0 filaments extracted using the distribution of dark matter and the distribution of model galaxies evolving within the same large-scale structure. We focus on filaments around massive clusters with a mass comparable to Virgo and Coma, with the intent of investigating the influence of massive systems and their feeding filamentary structure on the physical properties of galaxies. We apply different methods to compare the properties of filaments based on the different tracers and study how the sample selection impacts the extraction. Overall, filaments extracted using different tracers agree, although they never coincide totally. We also find that the number of filaments ending up in the massive clusters identified using galaxy distribution is typically underestimated with respect to the corresponding dark matter filament extraction.
Lithium depletion in solar analogs: age and mass effects
Authors: Rathsam Anne , Meléndez Jorge , Carvalho Silva Gabriela
Published: September 2023

The main goal of this work is to evaluate the correlation between Li abundance, age, and mass. Using high-quality ESO/HARPS data (R ≃ 115 000; 270 ≤ SNR ≤ 1000), we measured Li abundances via spectral synthesis of the 6707.8 Å 7Li line in 74 solar twins and analogs. Our joint analysis of 151 Sun-like stars (72 from our sample plus 79 solar twins from a previous study) confirms the strong Li abundance–age correlation reported by other works. Mass and convective envelope size also seem to be connected with Li abundance but with lower significance. We have found a link between the presence of planets and low Li abundances in a sample of 192 stars with a high significance. Our results agree qualitatively with non-standard models, and indicate that several extra transport mechanisms must be taken into account to explain the behaviour of Li abundance for stars with different masses and ages.
What multiple images say about the large-scale mass maps of galaxy clusters
Authors: Lasko Kekoa , Williams Liliya L R , Ghosh Agniva
Published: September 2023

All lens modelling methods, simply parametrized, hybrid, and free-form, use assumptions to reconstruct galaxy clusters with multiply imaged sources, though the nature of these assumptions (priors) can differ considerably between methods. This raises an important question in strong lens modelling: how much information about the mass model comes from the lensed images themselves, and how much is a consequence of model priors. One way to assess the relative contributions of the lensing data versus model priors is to estimate global lens properties through images alone, without any prior assumptions about the mass distribution. This is our approach. We use 200 mock cluster lenses, half of which have substructures, which vary from clumpy and compact to smooth and extended, a simulated cluster Ares, and real clusters Abell 1689 and RX J1347.5−1145 to show that the centre, ellipticity, and position angle can be estimated quite well, and nearly perfectly for weakly substructured clusters, implying that the recovery of these properties is largely driven by the images, not priors. However, the correlation between the true and image-estimated amount of substructure has a lot of scatter, suggesting that multiple images do not uniquely constrain substructure. Therefore, in general, lens model priors have a stronger effect on smaller scales. Our analysis partly explains why reconstructions using different methodologies can produce qualitatively different mass maps on substructure scales. Our analysis is not meant to aide or replace lens inversion methods, but only to investigate what cluster properties are constrained with multiple images.
Numerical simulations of the Tayler–Spruit dynamo in proto-magnetars
Authors: Barrère Paul , Guilet Jérôme , Raynaud Raphaël , Reboul-Salze Alexis
Published: September 2023

The Tayler–Spruit dynamo is one of the most promising mechanisms proposed to explain angular momentum transport during stellar evolution. Its development in proto-neutron stars spun-up by supernova fallback has also been put forward as a scenario to explain the formation of very magnetized neutron stars called magnetars. Using three-dimensional direct numerical simulations, we model the proto-neutron star interior as a stably stratified spherical Couette flow with the outer sphere that rotates faster than the inner one. We report the existence of two subcritical dynamo branches driven by the Tayler instability. They differ by their equatorial symmetry (dipolar or hemispherical) and the magnetic field scaling, which is in agreement with different theoretical predictions (by Fuller and Spruit, respectively). The magnetic dipole of the dipolar branch is found to reach intensities compatible with observational constraints on magnetars.
Accurate Surveillance of Maternal Deaths is an International Priority
Authors: Shennan A.H. , Green M. , Ridout A.E.
Published: September 2023

(BMJ. 2022;379:o2691)

Maternal mortality has always been a pressing problem. Over time, deaths of pregnant and postpartum women have been significantly reduced by identifying and implementing interventions to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for both mothers and infants worldwide. Although the total number of deaths has been significantly reduced, a large number of preventable maternal deaths continue.
Will EMTALA Be There for People With Pregnancy-related Emergencies?
Authors: Rosenbaum S. , Somodevilla A. , Casoni M.
Published: September 2023

(N Engl J Med. 2022;387:863–865)

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), a statute established in 1986 to prevent hospitals from refusing to treat pregnancy-related emergencies, is important to health care in the United States. The EMTALA statute helps safeguard nondiscriminatory hospital emergency medical access to anyone in need. Following the June 24, 2022, decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the constitutional right to an abortion was returned to state control. This Supreme Court decision poses the questions as to whether EMTALA will continue to help barricade against state laws that prevent emergent hospital care short of life-threatening situations.
US Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality Among Pregnant and Postpartum Persons, 2017-2020
Authors: Bruzelius E. , Martins S.S.
Published: September 2023

(JAMA. 2022;328:2159–2161)

Drug overdose deaths have significantly increased in the last few years. Many factors have been proposed to explain this increase in the general population, but research is lacking in more specific populations, such as pregnant and postpartum women. This population is at high risk of fatality from overdose, but trends have not been assessed recently. This study aimed to understand changes in drug overdose deaths in pregnant or postpartum individuals, both drug-specific deaths and all deaths before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fibrinogen Concentrate and Maternal Outcomes in Severe Postpartum Hemorrhage: A Population-based Cohort Study With a Propensity Score-matched Analysis
Authors: Deleu F. , Deneux-Tharaux C. , Chiesa-Dubruille C. , Seco A. , Bonnet M.P. ,   EPIMOMS Study Group
Published: September 2023

(J Clin Anesth. 2022;81:110874)

Severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal mortality globally. While fibrinogen concentrate (FC) has been shown to mitigate blood loss in parturients, there is limited evidence on fibrinogen concentrate’s impact on maternal outcomes in the setting of severe PPH. This study aimed to identify the association between FC administration and maternal outcomes in patients with severe PPH requiring red blood cell (RBC) transfusion.
A Multicenter Interdisciplinary Survey of Practices and Opinions Regarding Oral Intake During Labor
Authors: Fiszer E. , Ebrahimoff M. , Axelrod M. , Ioscovich A. , Weiniger C.F. ,   Food in Labor Group
Published: September 2023

(Int J Obstet Anesth. 2022;52:103598)

Restrictive food policies during labor were originally established to decrease the risk of pulmonary aspiration. Over time, the need for restricting food has been questioned and guidelines currently vary between centers. This multicenter national survey was conducted to determine current practices and opinions by obstetric providers concerning maternal oral intake in labor and delivery units.
Single-center Survey of Women Reflecting on Recent Experiences and Preferences of Oral Intake During Labor
Authors: McDermott L. , Pelecanos A. , Krepska A. , de Jersey S. , Sekar R. , Mao D. , Lee G. , Blackie A. , Eley V.
Published: September 2023

(Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 2022;62:643–649)

In Australia, increases in unplanned surgical intervention during delivery have caused concern relating to the administration of general anesthesia (GA) and the risks associated with a nonfasted status. There are no recommendations about oral intake during active labor, nor any guidelines associated with patient preferences. Current literature is lacking in evaluation of women who are at increased risk for surgical intervention, or how restricting oral intake affects labor and delivery in these circumstances. This study was designed to assess patient preferences and experiences relating to oral intake during labor to inform future guidelines more effectively. Primary outcomes included advice women received and gastrointestinal symptoms experienced during labor.
Use of Induction of Labor and Emergency Cesarean Section and Perinatal Outcomes in English Maternity Services: A National Hospital-level Study
Authors: Gurol-Urganci I. , Jardine J. , Carroll F. , Frémeaux A. , Muller P. , Relph S. , Waite L. , Webster K. , Oddie S. , Hawdon J. , Harris T. , Khalil A. , van der Meulen J. ,   National Maternity and Perinatal Audit Project Team
Published: September 2023

(BJOG. 2022;129:1899–906)

Maternity services vary widely worldwide. A recent independent review of the National Health Service (NHS) in England looked at what may have been avoidable harm during births between 2000 and 2019. The review found that cesarean delivery (CD) rates were discouraged and intentionally kept low. In response, this study aimed to determine if there was an association between induction of labor and emergency CD in English hospitals and an increased risk of stillbirth, use of neonatal mechanical ventilation in babies born at term, and admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (ICU).
Local Anesthetic Cardiac Toxicity is Mediated by Cardiomyocyte Calcium Dynamics
Authors: Plakhotnik J. , Zhang L. , Estrada M. , Coles J.G. , Lonnqvist P.A. , Maynes J.T.
Published: September 2023

(Anesthesiology 2022;137:687–703)

Local anesthetic (LA) has valuable perioperative indications but can also pose cardiac risks to patients when used in high doses. One of these risks is cardiotoxicity, including arrhythmias and contractile depression. Cardiotoxicity can also lead to cardiac arrest, which may be fatal. The mechanism of many local anesthetics is sodium channel blockade; if administered incorrectly or if there is spread beyond the target area, cardiotoxicity can be induced via myocardial sodium channel interruption. The purpose of this study was to understand the risk of LA-induced cardiotoxicity and improve clinical recommendations using human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to supplement animal data. The authors hypothesized that bupivacaine and ropivacaine disrupt normal calcium dynamics in opposite ways, supporting previous data in vivo. Researchers evaluated the effects of both bupivacaine and ropivacaine on heart contractions and arrhythmias in a rat model and contrasted the effects of calcium supplementation.
Tranexamic Acid at Cesarean Delivery: Drug-Error Deaths
Authors: Moran N.F. , Bishop D.G. , Fawcus S. , Shakur-Still H. , Hofmeyr G.J.
Published: September 2023

(Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2023;160:49–52)

Evidence has supported the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage for some time, and it has become standard practice in many places throughout the world. Implementing the recommendation of this treatment, however, has led to many tragic deaths caused by mis-administered medication. TXA has high toxicity, quickly inducing convulsions and causing death in 50% of cases of intrathecal administration.