bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opportunities in the Extended Day: Approaches for Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating During Out‐of‐School Time
Authors: Sliwa Sarah A. , Chang Chusan Yuilyn A. , Dahlstrom Christina
Published: September 2023

Background

This systematic review aims to identify out‐of‐school time (OST) interventions (eg, programming, policies) that increased opportunities for physical activity (PA) and healthy eating and/or improved youth PA and dietary behaviors.

Methods

We searched for articles within systematic reviews that met our criteria (2010‐2018) and for individual articles (2010‐2020). Reviewer pairs screened articles, double‐extracted data, assessed risk of bias (RoB), and achieved consensus. We included 71 articles (55 studies, 60 intervention arms).

Results

Health (n = 3) and nutrition education (n = 7) interventions showed promising results, but most used weak designs and had high RoB. PA‐focused interventions (n = 23) were largely consistent in improving fitness and moderate to vigorous PA during programming. Programmatic interventions that improved both PA and nutrition outcomes engaged family or community members (n = 4/13). Most organizational policy interventions improved the nutrition environment and student PA during OST.

Conclusions

Organization‐level policy and programmatic interventions can improve environmental supports and youth behaviors during OST programming, complementing school‐day efforts to address student PA and dietary intake. To maximize their potential impact, OST programs need to be accessible to families. Administrators can consider actions to reduce participation barriers.
Coordinated Approach: Comprehensive Policy and Action Planning
Authors: Chung Chloe S. , Sliwa Sarah A. , Merlo Caitlin , Erwin Heather , Xu Yingke
Published: September 2023

Background

Schools play a vital role in student health, and a collaborative approach may affect health factors such as physical activity (PA) and nutrition. There is a lack of recent literature synthesizing collaborative approaches in K‐12 settings. We present updated evidence about interventions that used a coordinated school health approach to support K‐12 student PA and nutrition in the United States.

Methods

A 2‐phase literature review search included a search of systematic reviews for individual qualifying studies (2010‐2018), followed by a search for individual articles (2010‐2020) that evaluated a coordinated approach or use of school wellness councils, committees, or teams to address PA and/or nutrition.

Results

We identified 35 articles describing 30 studies and grouped them by intervention type. Interventions demonstrated promising findings for environmental changes and student dietary and PA behaviors.

Implications

Coordinated and multicomponent interventions demonstrated significant improvements or null results, indicating that implementation of programs and/or policies to promote healthier eating and PA practices may support and do not appear to hinder environmental or behavioral outcomes.

Conclusions

Schools can use a coordinated approach to implement opportunities for PA and nutrition; this may influence students' PA and dietary behaviors.
Oral cytarabine ocfosfate pharmacokinetics and assessment of leukocyte biomarkers in normal dogs
Authors: Zwueste Danielle M. , Vernau Karen M. , Vernau William , Pypendop Bruno H. , Knych Heather K. , Rodrigues Carlos A. , Kol Amir , Questa Maria , Dickinson Peter J.
Published: September 2023

Background

Cytosine arabinoside (Ara‐C) is a nucleoside analog prodrug utilized for immunomodulatory effects mediated by its active metabolite Ara‐CTP. Optimal dosing protocols for immunomodulation in dogs have not been defined. Cytarabine ocfosfate (CO) is a lipophilic prodrug of Ara‐C that can be administered PO and provides prolonged serum concentrations of Ara‐C.

Objectives

Provide pharmacokinetic data for orally administered CO and determine accumulation and functional consequences of Ara‐CTP within peripheral blood leukocytes.

Animals

Three healthy female hound dogs and 1 healthy male Beagle.

Methods

Prospective study. Dogs received 200 mg/m2 of CO PO q24h for 7 doses. Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CO and Ara‐C concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectroscopy (LC‐MS/MS). Complete blood counts, flow cytometry, and leukocyte activation assays were done up to 21 days. Incorporation of Ara‐CTP within leukocyte DNA was determined by LC‐MS/MS.

Results

Maximum serum concentration (Cmax) for Ara‐C was 456.1‐724.0 ng/mL (1.88‐2.98 μM) and terminal half‐life was 23.3 to 29.4 hours. Cerebrospinal fluid: serum Ara‐C ratios ranged from 0.54 to 1.2. Peripheral blood lymphocyte concentrations remained within the reference range, but proliferation rates poststimulation were decreased at 6 days. Incorporation of Ara‐CTP was not saturated and remained >25% of peak concentration at 13 days.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Oral CO may produce prolonged serum Ara‐C half‐lives at concentrations sufficient to induce functional changes in peripheral leukocytes and is associated with prolonged retention of DNA‐incorporated Ara‐CTP. Application of functional and active metabolite assessment is feasible and may provide more relevant data to determine optimal dosing regimens for Ara‐C‐based treatments.
Can displaced workers have a fresh start?
Authors: Nakamura Hideki
Published: September 2023

This study considers low‐ability workers with the difference in their specialization areas and investigates the consequence of automation. There are two findings. First, owing to automation, it is more difficult for displaced workers than for other workers to find a new job, because these displaced workers lose their suitable jobs. Consequently, the unemployment rate increases with an increase in the number of displaced workers. Second, unless an additional increase in unsuitable jobs is large under the introduction of new tasks, automation does not necessarily increase the unemployment rate because it is less difficult for workers to find a new job.
Online job search discouragement: How employment platforms and digital exclusion shape the experience of low‐qualified job seekers?
Authors: Dumont Guillaume , De Marco Stefano , Heslper Ellen Johanna
Published: September 2023

How do people experience the platform‐mediated job search process? We explore this question based on a sample of in‐depth interviews (n = 20) with low‐qualified, unemployed Spanish job seekers. Our main finding shows that the ways they use Information and Communication Technologies negatively impact their engagement in online job search activities. Based on our findings, we develop a framework of online job search discouragement revolving around crafting online profiles, applying for jobs, reviewing application statuses and integrating the tensions these activities carry for the experience and the outcome of the platform‐mediated job search.
Biodiversity change in light of succession theory
Authors: Staude Ingmar R. , Weigelt Alexandra , Wirth Christian
Published: September 2023

Biodiversity is rapidly changing in the Anthropocene, but not all directional changes observed in biodiversity time series are anthropogenic. We discuss key research findings in global change ecology from the past decade, considering the possibility that natural succession contributes as a driving force of directional change. Succession theory suggests the possibility that: 1) accelerated rates of species temporal turnover could also reflect ecosystem recovery rather than global biodiversity redistribution; 2) natural changes in local diversity over time may not be zero, with successional diversity change being variable but often showing a positive temporal trend; 3) biotic homogenization may not only be driven by non‐native species, but also by natural processes alone; and 4) successional dynamics may strongly modify the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We propose that a holistic integration of succession theory into global change ecology could provide a baseline for natural biodiversity change and allow us to better isolate the impact of anthropogenic drivers.
Selective logging destabilizes the functioning and composition of forest ecosystems at multiple spatial scales
Authors: Qiao Xuetao , Lamy Thomas , Wang Shaopeng , Hautier Yann , Geng Yan , Han Zhuoxiu , Zhang Naili , He Huaijiang , Zhang Zhonghui , Zhang Chunyu , Zhao Xiuhai , von Gadow Klaus
Published: September 2023

Selective logging is one of the most prevalent land uses of forests worldwide, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, the effect of selective logging on the dual nature of temporal stability, and the scale dependence of this effect, remain to be elucidated. By conducting several decade‐long experiments in temperate forest ecosystems, we tested the effects of selective logging on aggregate and compositional stability at multiple spatial scales. As expected, forest ecosystem stability at larger spatial scales was enhanced both by the stability of local scales (i.e. α stability) and asynchronous dynamics among local communities (i.e. spatial asynchrony). We found that the negative effects of selective logging on both facets of forest stability propagated from local to larger spatial scales due to reduced α stability and the biological insurance effects of α diversity. However, both spatial aggregate and compositional asynchrony were not affected by selective logging. Interestingly, despite the selective logging, α diversity still provided biological insurance effects for maintaining aggregate and compositional stability. Our results imply that selective logging may destabilize the aggregate ecosystem functioning and species composition of forest ecosystems at local and larger spatial scales. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence of the scale dependence of aggregate and compositional stability of forest ecosystems in response to selective logging. Our findings suggest that forest management should avoid excessive selective logging and strive to protect forest diversity to safeguard the sustainability of the functioning and composition of natural forest ecosystems at multiple spatial scales.

Keywords: aggregate stability, compositional stability, diversity, ecosystem functioning, spatial asynchrony, stability
Three methodological approaches to studying singlehood
Authors: Park Yoobin , Girme Yuthika U. , MacDonald Geoff
Published: September 2023

As the number of single (unpartnered) individuals continues to rise, researchers across various disciplines have started to pay more attention to single individuals' lives. Yet, compared to the accumulated knowledge about experiences within romantic relationships, there is far less known about various experiences within singlehood. For singlehood research to grow in both quantity and quality, it is essential that research findings are critically evaluated both in terms of robustness of the evidence and validity of the inferences. In this paper, we review three broad approaches researchers have taken to understand singlehood that centered on (a) between‐group status (i.e., single vs. in a relationship) differences, (b) within‐person status differences, and (c) within‐group variability among singles. With a focus on well‐being as an outcome, we illustrate how each approach provides unique insights into singlehood and what caveats there are in interpreting results derived from each approach. Finally, we identify questions or methods that have not been extensively explored within each approach and offer suggestions for future research directions.
An optimal lower bound in fractional spectral geometry for planar sets with topological constraints
Authors: Bianchi Francesca , Brasco Lorenzo
Published: September 2023

We prove a lower bound on the first eigenvalue of the fractional Dirichlet–Laplacian of order on planar open sets, in terms of their inradius and topology. The result is optimal, in many respects. In particular, we recover a classical result proved independently by Croke, Osserman, and Taylor, in the limit as goes to 1. The limit as goes to is carefully analyzed, as well.
Digital Archiving in Archaeology: Assessing the State of the Art
Authors:   British Institute at Ankara, Atalan Çayırezmez Nurdan , Çit Deniz , Wright Holly
Published: September 2023

The Saving European Archaeology from Digital Dark Age (SEADDA) COST Action (CA18128) is funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union and aims to create a network for archaeologists and digital specialists to build capacity for the long-term preservation of digital data for archaeology. More than 20 countries are involved in SEADDA, and have undertaken surveys, publications, workshops, STSMs (Short Term Scientific Missions) and other activities carried out to increase awareness and share expertise. Within the scope of the project, Internet Archeology 58 2021, titled "Digital Archiving in Archeology: Assessing the State of the Art", and then Internet Archeology 63 2023, titled "Digital Archiving in Archeology: Additional State of the Art and Further Analyzes" were published. This article will give a brief introduction to SEADDA but will focus primarily on what we are learning from Internet Archaeology 58 and Internet Archaeology 63, how it is helping us to understand digital archaeological data around the world. In this study, 37 articles from 31 different countries were examined, according to three main categories: administrative structure, physical and digital archives for archaeological data. In the light of the data obtained, it is difficult to generalize about archaeological data processes and management; however, different countries and regions are applying different methods to create repositories. Legislation, budgets, and human resources are all factors which affect these processes for preserving digital archaeological data for future generations. But, all countries need to share expertise, and engage in capacity building, especially around legislations, human resources, standards and guidelines, whilst financial support needs to be prioritized.
Preserving digital data without an archive: Illuminating the path towards digital preservation through knowledge of essential requirements and strategies
Authors:   Austrian Academy of Sciences, Trognitz Martina , Matskevich Sveta , Péter Réka , Szabó Alexandra ,   Hungarian National Museum, Gál Marton ,   Hungarian National Museum, Moitinho de Almeida Vera , Batlle Baró Sabina
Published: September 2023

The planned publication shall provide an understanding of the concepts and principles of digital long-term preservation (or archiving) of research data. On one hand, it shall serve as a manual for researchers who don't have access to a trusted or certified digital repository and will provide information on the measures to take for preserving and sustainably disseminating research data. On the other hand, the publication will provide an overview of the technical requirements for the implementation of a service for the long-term preservation of data, as well as non-technical necessities like workflows and policies. The need for archiving will be contextualised by presenting the driving principles of good scientific practice.
Time-domain immersed-boundary simulation of acoustic propagation between two spherical gas bubbles
Authors: Hou Jiacheng , Zheng Zhongquan Charlie , Allen John S.
Published: September 2023

Acoustic fields and resonance responses from two spherical gas bubbles are investigated using a time-domain simulation. Interior acoustic fields are obtained simultaneously from the simulation of the entire acoustic field propagation with an immersed-boundary method. The linear resonance responses are obtained and discussed for each of the bubbles with respect to the respective interior gas velocities. Also, these are analyzed in the frequency domain in terms of the coupled interactions. Unlike previous numerical and analytical solutions, the method allows for two bubbles of different sizes and shapes to be in contact with each other, which is representative of applicable underwater scattering targets.
Picosecond spin-orbit torque–induced coherent magnetization switching in a ferromagnet
Authors: Polley Debanjan , Pattabi Akshay , Rastogi Ashwin , Jhuria Kaushalya , Diaz Eva , Singh Hanuman , Lemaitre Aristide , Hehn Michel , Gorchon Jon , Bokor Jeffrey
Published: September 2023

Electrically controllable nonvolatile magnetic memories show great potential for the replacement of conventional semiconductor-based memory technologies. Here, we experimentally demonstrate ultrafast spin-orbit torque (SOT)–induced coherent magnetization switching dynamics in a ferromagnet. We use an ultrafast photoconducting switch and a coplanar strip line to generate and guide a ~9-picosecond electrical pulse into a heavy metal/ferromagnet multilayer to induce ultrafast SOT. We then use magneto-optical probing to investigate the magnetization dynamics with sub-picosecond resolution. Ultrafast heating by the approximately 9 picosecond current pulse induces a thermal anisotropy torque which, in combination with the damping-like torque, coherently rotates the magnetization to obtain zero-crossing of magnetization in ~70 picoseconds. A macro-magnetic simulation coupled with an ultrafast heating model agrees well with the experiment and suggests coherent magnetization switching without any incubation delay on an unprecedented time scale. Our work proposes a unique magnetization switching mechanism toward markedly increasing the writing speed of SOT magnetic random-access memory devices.
Single-dose VSV-based vaccine protects against Kyasanur Forest disease in nonhuman primates
Authors: Bhatia Bharti , Tang-Huau Tsing-Lee , Feldmann Friederike , Hanley Patrick W. , Rosenke Rebecca , Shaia Carl , Marzi Andrea , Feldmann Heinz
Published: September 2023

Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV) is an endemic arbovirus in western India mainly transmitted by hard ticks of the genus
Haemaphysalis
. KFDV causes Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD), a syndrome including fever, gastrointestinal symptoms, and hemorrhages. There are no approved treatments, and the efficacy of the only vaccine licensed in India has recently been questioned. Here, we studied the protective efficacy of a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)–based vaccine expressing the KFDV precursor membrane and envelope proteins (VSV-KFDV) in pigtailed macaques. VSV-KFDV vaccination was found to be safe and elicited strong humoral and cellular immune responses. A single-dose vaccination reduced KFDV loads and pathology and protected macaques from KFD-like disease. Furthermore, VSV-KFDV elicited cross-reactive neutralizing immune responses to Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus, a KFDV variant found in Saudi Arabia.
Community assembly of comammox
Nitrospira
in coastal wetlands across southeastern China
Authors: Lin Yongxin , Tang Kam W. , Ye Guiping , Yang Ping , Hu Hang-Wei , Tong Chuan , Zheng Yong , Feng Mengmeng , Deng Milin , He Zi-Yang , He Ji-Zheng
Published: September 2023

Complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox
Nitrospira
) are ubiquitous in coastal wetland sediments and play an important role in nitrification. Our study examined the impact of habitat modifications on comammox
Nitrospira
communities in coastal wetland sediments across tropical and subtropical regions of southeastern China. Samples were collected from 21 coastal wetlands in five provinces where native mudflats were invaded by
Spartina alterniflora
and subsequently converted to aquaculture ponds. The results showed that comammox
Nitrospira
abundances were mainly influenced by sediment grain size rather than by habitat modifications. Compared to
S. alterniflora
marshes and native mudflats, aquaculture pond sediments had lower comammox
Nitrospira
diversity, lower clade A.1 abundance, and higher clade A.2 abundance. Sulfate concentration was the most important factor controlling the diversity of comammox
Nitrospira
. The response of comammox
Nitrospira
community to habitat change varied significantly by location, and environmental variables accounted for only 11.2% of the variations in community structure across all sites. In all three habitat types, dispersal limitation largely controlled the comammox
Nitrospira
community assembly process, indicating the stochastic nature of these sediment communities in coastal wetlands.

IMPORTANCE

Comammox
Nitrospira
have recently gained attention for their potential role in nitrification and nitrous oxide (N
2
O) emissions in soil and sediment. However, their distribution and assembly in impacted coastal wetland are poorly understood, particularly on a large spatial scale. Our study provides novel evidence that the effects of habitat modification on comammox
Nitrospira
communities are dependent on the location of the wetland. We also found that the assembly of comammox
Nitrospira
communities in coastal wetlands was mainly governed by stochastic processes. Nevertheless, sediment grain size and sulfate concentration were identified as key variables affecting comammox
Nitrospira
abundance and diversity in coastal sediments. These findings are significant as they advance our understanding of the environmental adaptation of comammox
Nitrospira
and how future landscape modifications may impact their abundance and diversity in coastal wetlands.
Evaluation of NG-Test CARBA 5 version 2, Cepheid Xpert Carba-R, and carbapenem inactivation methods in comparison to whole-genome sequencing for the identification of carbapenemases in non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli
Authors: Khoo Bo Yan , Hon Pei Yun , Leong Janice , Sai Rama Sridatta Prakki , Thevasagayam Natascha May , Loy Song Qi Dennis , Chua Jasmine J. Y. , Ang Brenda Sze Peng , Chow Angela , Marimuthu Kalisvar , De Partha Pratim , Ng Oon Tek , Vasoo Shawn
Published: September 2023

NG-Test CARBA 5 (NG-Biotech) is a rapid
in vitro
multiplex immunoassay for the phenotypic detection and differentiation of the “big five” carbapenemase families (KPC, OXA-48-like, VIM, IMP, and NDM). Version 2 of this assay was evaluated alongside the Xpert Carba-R assay (Cepheid, Inc.), the modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM), and the CIMTris assay, with a collection of carbapenem-resistant non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli comprising 138
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and 97
Acinetobacter baumannii
isolates. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used as the reference standard. For
P. aeruginosa
, NG-Test CARBA 5 produced an overall percentage agreement (OPA) with WGS of 97.1%, compared with 92.8% forXpert Carba-R and 90.6% for mCIM. For
A. baumannii
, as OXA-type carbapenemases (non-OXA-48) are not included, both the NG-Test CARBA 5 and Xpert Carba-R only had an OPA of 6.2%, while the CIMTris performed well with an OPA of 99.0%. The majority of
A. baumannii
isolates (95.9%) tested falsely positive for IMP on NG-Test CARBA 5; no IMP genes were found on WGS. No clear cause was found for this phenomenon; a cross-reacting protein antigen unique to
A. baumannii
is a possible culprit. NG-Test CARBA 5 performed well for carbapenemase detection in
P. aeruginosa
. However, results from
A. baumannii
isolates should be interpreted with caution.
Intertumoral heterogeneity impacts oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus efficacy in mouse pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Goad Dakota W. , Nesmelova Anna Y. , Yohe Laurel R. , Grdzelishvili Valery Z.
Published: September 2023

Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy is a promising virus-based approach against various malignancies, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our previous studies demonstrated that human PDAC cell lines are highly variable in their permissiveness to OVs. Mouse PDAC cell lines, which are widely used for
in vivo
examination of the adaptive immune responses during OV and other cancer therapies, have never been examined systematically for the impact of intertumoral heterogeneity (the differences observed between tumors in different patients) on OV virus efficacy. Here, we examined phenotypically and genotypically three commonly used allograftable mouse PDAC cell lines (C57BL6 genetic background): Panc02 (derived from chemically induced PDAC; also known as Pan02), and two cell lines originated from PDACs developed in two different KPC (Kras
G12D
, Trp53
R172H
, and PDX-1-Cre) mouse models. Our study (i) characterized the ability of a widely used attenuated oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus VSV-ΔM51-GFP to infect, replicate in, and kill mouse PDAC cells; (ii) examined their innate antiviral responses; (iii) compared their permissiveness to a non-attenuated VSV-Mwt-GFP and chemotherapeutic drugs; and (iv) analyzed their karyotype and exome. Mouse PDAC cell lines showed high divergence in their permissiveness to VSV-ΔM51-GFP, which negatively correlated with their abilities to mount innate antiviral responses, while all three cell lines were highly permissive to VSV-Mwt-GFP. No correlation was found between resistance to VSV-ΔM51-GFP and chemotherapy. Also, mouse PDAC cell lines showed high divergence in their karyotype and exome. The exome analysis demonstrated that more VSV-ΔM51-GFP-permissive mouse PDAC cell lines harbor mutations in multiple important antiviral genes, such as TYK2, JAK2, and JAK3.

IMPORTANCE

Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy is a promising virus-based approach against various malignancies, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Our previous studies using various human PDAC cell lines demonstrated that they are highly variable in their permissiveness to OVs. In this study, we examined phenotypically and genotypically three commonly used allograftable mouse PDAC cell lines, which are widely used for
in vivo
examination of the adaptive immune responses during cancer therapies. Mouse PDAC cell lines showed high divergence in their permissiveness to oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), which negatively correlated with their abilities to mount innate antiviral responses. Also, we discovered that more VSV-permissive mouse PDAC cell lines harbor mutations in multiple important antiviral genes, such as TYK2, JAK2, and JAK3. Our study provides essential information about three model mouse PDAC cell lines and proposes a novel platform to study OV-based therapies against different PDACs in immunocompetent mice.
Interaction of multidrug-resistant hypervirulent
Klebsiella pneumoniae
with components of human innate host defense
Authors: DeLeo Frank R. , Porter Adeline R. , Kobayashi Scott D. , Freedman Brett , Hao Mingju , Jiang Jianping , Lin Yi-Tsung , Kreiswirth Barry N. , Chen Liang
Published: September 2023

Klebsiella pneumoniae
is an important cause of healthcare-associated infections worldwide. This opportunistic pathogen, known as classical
K. pneumoniae
(cKp), typically causes infections in individuals with comorbidities. cKp is often multidrug resistant, and treatment options are limited. By comparison, hypervirulent
K. pneumoniae
(hvKp) can cause infections in healthy individuals outside of the healthcare setting. Notably, there has been emergence of strains containing both multidrug resistance and hypervirulence genotypes (MDR hvKp). Whether these strains can circumvent killing by components of the innate immune system remains incompletely determined. Here, we compared the ability of selected hvKp (ST23 and ST86) and MDR hvKp (ST11 and ST147) clinical isolates to survive in human blood and serum and tested phagocytic killing of the microbes by human neutrophils. On average, the hvKp isolates tested had greater survival in blood and serum compared with MDR hvKp isolates. Compared with MDR hvKp isolates, the hvKp isolates had less surface-bound serum complement following culture in normal serum. Consistent with these findings, the percentage of neutrophils with phagocytosed hvKp isolates was limited (<5%), whereas >67% of neutrophils contained ingested MDR hvKp. Phagocytosis of the MDR hvKp isolates was accompanied by significant bacterial killing (
P
< 0.05). The inability of neutrophils to ingest and kill these hvKp isolates was, in part, overcome by addition of rabbit antiserum specific for these clinical isolates. The results provide insight into host defense against emerging MDR hvKp and are an initial step toward assessing the potential of a vaccine or immunotherapy approach for treatment of infections.

IMPORTANCE

Klebsiella pneumoniae
strains with a combination of multidrug resistance and hypervirulence genotypes (MDR hvKp) have emerged as a cause of human infections. The ability of these microbes to avoid killing by the innate immune system remains to be tested fully. To that end, we compared the ability of a global collection of hvKp and MDR hvKp clinical isolates to survive in human blood and resist phagocytic killing by human neutrophils. The two MDR hvKp clinical isolates tested (ST11 and ST147) were killed in human blood and by human neutrophils
in vitro
, whereas phagocytic killing of hvKp clinical isolates (ST23 and ST86) required specific antisera. Although the data were varied and often isolate specific, they are an important first step toward gaining an enhanced understanding of host defense against MDR hvKp.
Supplemental Material: Cross-basin chronostratigraphic correlation of carbonate succession (Llandovery, Michigan Basin, USA) using global carbon δ13Ccarb isotope excursions
Authors: Al-Musawi Mohammed , et al.
Published: September 2023

Figure S1: Proposed stratigraphic relationship between the Cabot Head Shale, Lime Island, and Byron formation in area between the Lemcool #1 core (Locality I, Fig. 2; mid-ramp) and Composite 2 (inner ramp). The proposed relationship shows the possibility of a stratigraphic trap in locations where the younger Cabot Head Shale and Lime Island Formation (Ae2) are overlying the older (Ae1) Lime Island and Byron formations. Figure S2: (A) Burrowed/bioturbated lime mudstone within the Early Aeronian CIE (2485.6-2485.9 m; Locality J, Fig.2; Composite 3). (B) Dark gray structureless lime mudstone within the Late Aeronian CIE (2471.9-2472.2 m; Locality J, Fig.2; Composite 3). Table S1: stable carbon isotope values of samples analyzed in the current study sorted by locality.
Cataract surgery workload estimates in Theni district, India
Authors: Gupta Sachin , Vardhan Ashok , Ambalam Viraj , Rajendran Vinothkumar , Joseph Sanil , Ravilla Thulasiraj D
Published: September 2023

Background/aims

To estimate the annual cataract surgery workload in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India based on current utilisation of cataract services, prevalence of blindness and vision impairment (VI), and cataract burden-reduction goals.

Methods

We conducted a population-based longitudinal study between January 2016 and April 2018. We recruited 24 327 participants based on a random cluster sampling method; 7127 participants were ≥40 years. During the year following initial enrolment, we tracked utilisation of eye care services; and at the end of the 1-year period, we conducted a detailed eye examination of participants age ≥40.

Results

In the sample age ≥40 years, 13.0% had a visually significant cataract, and 17.8% had prior cataract surgery in at least one eye. The prevalence of cataract blindness based on presenting visual acuity in the better eye (PVA
BE
)<3/60 was 0.34% and VI (PVA
BE
<6/12) was 9.92%. 3.10% of the study population had obtained cataract surgery during 1 year, resulting in a cataract surgical rate of 9085. We estimated the effective cataract surgical coverage (eCSC) to be 54.5% and the CSC to be 75.7%, implying a sizeable quality gap. Prevalence, utilisation and coverage varied by age and gender. We estimated that a goal of eliminating the backlog of VI (PVA
BE
<6/12) in 5 years would increase the annual cataract surgery workload by 11.5% from the current level.

Conclusions

Our estimates of cataract surgery workloads under different scenarios can provide a useful input into planning of eye health services in Theni district.
Reassessing the VaxTax
Authors: Petrovic Nathan
Published: September 2023

To counter the imbalance in vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, Albertsen and more recently Germaniet alhave suggested a new system of taxation coined as ‘VaxTax’ that would force higher-income countries to fund the access of low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to new vaccines in times of pandemic. I will argue that this idea faces numerous challenges of ethical, sociopolitical and economical nature that may hinder any effort to solve the numerous health challenges that LMICs face. I argue that while it is an interesting idea, it is neither sufficient nor will it ever be easily implemented because of socioeconomic or practical reasons.
The long-term performance of a bituminous geomembrane (BGM) under single-sided exposure conditions
Authors: Abdelaal F. B. , Samea A.
Published: September 2023

A custom-designed apparatus (referred to as the Ageing Column) is used to age a 4.8-mm thick elastomeric bituminous geomembrane (BGM) under single-sided exposure to a synthetic municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate and a synthetic high pH mining solution (pH 11.5) at 55 °C, 70 °C, and 85 °C. This apparatus involves a closer simulation of the BGM's chemical exposure conditions in the field than the double-sided immersion tests in which the BGM is exposed to the solution from both surfaces. The mechanical, rheological, and chemical properties of the BGM are examined to assess the degradation in the BGM components relative to double-sided immersion experiments. While the single-sided ageing of the BGM reduces the degradation rates in the BGM mechanical properties, it does not affect the degradation rate of the bitumen coat relative to the double-sided exposure. Additionally, the exposure of the BGM to the MSW leachate resulted in faster degradation in its mechanical properties but slower degradation in the bitumen coat than that obtained in the exposure to the mining solution. However, predictions of the time to nominal failure of the BGM established using Arrhenius modelling at different temperatures show that the temperature effect is more significant on the BGM durability than the chemistry of the considered solutions.
An Inexact Semismooth Newton-Based Augmented Lagrangian Algorithm for Multi-Task Lasso Problems
Authors: Lin Lanyu , Liu Yong-Jin
Published: September 2023

This paper is concerned with the [Formula: see text]-norm ball constrained multi-task learning problem, which has received extensive attention in many research areas such as machine learning, cognitive neuroscience, and signal processing. To address the challenges of solving large-scale multi-task Lasso problems, this paper develops an inexact semismooth Newton-based augmented Lagrangian (Ssnal) algorithm. When solving the inner problems in the Ssnal algorithm, the semismooth Newton (Ssn) algorithm with superlinear or even quadratic convergence is applied. Theoretically, this paper presents the global and asymptotically superlinear local convergence of the Ssnal algorithm under standard conditions. Computationally, we derive an efficient procedure to construct the generalized Jacobian of the projector onto [Formula: see text]-norm ball, which is an important component of the Ssnal algorithm, making the computational cost in the Ssn algorithm very cheap. Comprehensive numerical experiments on the multi-task Lasso problems demonstrate that the Ssnal algorithm is more efficient and robust than several existing state-of-the-art first-order algorithms.
ICG: A Machine Learning Benchmark Dataset and Baselines for Inline Code Comments Generation Task
Authors: Zhang Xiaowei , Chen Lin , Zou Weiqin , Cao Yulu , Ren Hao , Wang Zhi , Li Yanhui , Zhou Yuming
Published: September 2023

As a fundamental component of software documentation, code comments could help developers comprehend and maintain programs. Several datasets of method header comments have been proposed in previous studies for machine learning-based code comment generation. As part of code comments, inline code comments are also crucial for code understanding activities. However, unlike method header comments written in a standard format and describing the whole method code, inline comments are often written in arbitrary formats by developers due to timelines pressures and different aspects of code snippets in the method are described. Currently, there is no large-scale dataset used for inline comments generation considering these. Hence, this naturally inspires us to explore whether we can construct a dataset to foster machine learning research that not only performs fine-grained noise-cleaning but conducts a taxonomy of inline comments. To this end, we first collect inline comments and code snippets from 8000 Java projects on GitHub. Then, we conduct a manual review to obtain heuristic rules, which could be used to clean the data noise in a fine-grained manner. As a result, we construct a large-scale benchmark dataset named ICG with 5,740,770 pairs of inline comments and code snippets. We then build a comprehensive taxonomy and conduct a statistical and manual analysis to explore the performances of different categories of inline comments, such as helpfulness in code understanding. After that, we provide and compare several baseline models to automatically generate inline comments, such as CodeBERT, to enhance the usability of the benchmark for researchers. The availability of our benchmark and baselines can help develop and validate new inline comment generation methods, which would also further facilitate code understanding activities.
DTester: Diversity-Driven Test Case Generation for Web Applications
Authors: Wu Shumei , Chang Zexing , Zhang Zhanwen , Li Zheng , Liu Yong
Published: September 2023

Search-based Test Case Generation (TCG) for web applications suffers from unstable performance and suboptimal test suite problems due to diversity loss. However, previous diversity metrics mainly only focus on client-side models or server-side code, which are prone to low robustness and poor generalization in practical applications. We propose a diversity-driven TCG method DTester, which can maximize behavior exploration and minimize the test suite size while covering more server-side vulnerable paths. Three diversity metrics (i.e. phenotypic coupling, intent coupling and competitiveness) are proposed to measure the underlying relationship between test cases from user behavior, code logic and test execution history. Moreover, a 3-dimensional weight graph is designed to model association among metrics, which provides fine-grained guidance for the genetic algorithm to generate diverse test cases from the client-side behavior model. Our empirical evaluation on five web applications shows that DTester can efficiently and robustly generate better test suites than the state-of-the-art TCG method. The maximum improvement is [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in efficiency, test suite size, diversity and robustness.
Adaptively Sparse Transformers Hawkes Process
Authors: Gao Yue , Liu Jian-Wei
Published: September 2023

Nowadays, many sequences of events are generated in areas as diverse as healthcare, finance, and social network. People have been studying these data for a long time. They hope to predict the type and occurrence time of the next event by using relationships among events in the data. recently, with the successful application of Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) in natural language processing, it has been introduced into point process. However, RNN cannot capture the long-term dependence among events well, and self-attention can partially mitigate this problem precisely. Transformer Hawkes Process (THP) using self-attention greatly improves the performance of the Hawkes Process, but THP cannot ignore the effect of irrelevant events, which will affect the computational complexity and prediction accuracy of the model. In this paper, we propose an Adaptively Sparse Transformers Hawkes Process (ASTHP). ASTHP considers the periodicity and nonlinearity of event time in the time encoding process. The sparsity of the ASTHP is achieved by substituting Softmax with [Formula: see text]-entmax: [Formula: see text]-entmax is a differentiable generalization of Softmax that allows unrelated events to gain exact zero weight. By optimizing the neural network parameters, different attention heads can adaptively select sparse modes (from Softmax to Sparsemax). Compared with the existing models, ASTHP model not only ensures the prediction performance but also improves the interpretability of the model. For example, the accuracy of ASTHP model on MIMIC-II dataset is improved by nearly 3 percentage points, and the model fitting degree and stability are also improved significantly.
Performance Metrics on Hyperspectral Images in Fuzzy Contextual Convolutional Neural Network for Food Quality Analyzer
Authors: Arumuga Maria Devi T. , Darwin P.
Published: September 2023

The quality of food and the safety of consumer is one of the major essential things in our day-to-day life. To ensure the quality of foods through their various attributes, different types of methods have been introduced. In this proposed method, three underlying blocks namely Hyperspectral Food Image Context Extractor (HFICE), Hyperspectral Context Fuzzy Classifier (HCFC) and CNN for Food Quality Analyzer (CFQA). Hyperspectral Food Image Context Extractor module is used as the preprocess to get food attributes such as texture, color, size, shape and molecular particulars. Hyperspectral Context Fuzzy Classifier module identifies a particular part of the food (zone entity) is whether carbohydrate, fat, protein, water or unusable core. CNN for Food Quality Analyzer module uses a Tuned Convolutional layer, Heuristic Activation Operation, Parallel Element Merge Layer and a regular Fully Connected Layer. Indian Pines, Salinas and Pavia are the benchmark dataset to evaluate hyperspectral image-based machine learning procedures. These datasets are used along with a dedicated Chicken meat HSI dataset is used in the training and testing process. Results are obtained that about 7.86% of average values in various essential evaluation metrics such as performance metrics such as accuracy, precision, sensitivity and specificity have improved when compared to existing state of the art results.
Speech Enhancement: A Review of Different Deep Learning Methods
Authors: Yechuri Sivaramakrishna , Vanabathina Sunny Dayal
Published: September 2023

Speech enhancement methods differ depending on the degree of degradation and noise in the speech signal, so research in the field is still difficult, especially when dealing with residual and background noise, which is highly transient. Numerous deep learning networks have been developed that provide promising results for improving the perceptual quality and intelligibility of noisy speech. Innovation and research in speech enhancement have been opened up by the power of deep learning techniques with implications across a wide range of real time applications. By reviewing the important datasets, feature extraction methods, deep learning models, training algorithms and evaluation metrics for speech enhancement, this paper provides a comprehensive overview. We begin by tracing the evolution of speech enhancement research, from early approaches to recent advances in deep learning architectures. By analyzing and comparing the approaches to solving speech enhancement challenges, we categorize them according to their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, we discuss the challenges and future directions of deep learning in speech enhancement, including the demand for parameter-efficient models for speech enhancement. The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of the field, compare and contrast different approaches, and highlight future directions as well as challenges for further research.
τ-Tilting finiteness of two-point algebras II
Authors: Wang Qi
Published: September 2023

In this paper, we explain a strategy on [Formula: see text]-vectors to discover some new minimal [Formula: see text]-tilting infinite two-point algebras. Consequently, the [Formula: see text]-tilting finiteness of various two-point monomial algebras, including all radical cube zero cases, could be determined. Moreover, we find that the derived equivalence class of the Kronecker algebra contains only itself and its opposite algebra.
On the hereditarity and maximality of weak crossed product orders over discrete valuation rings
Authors: Wilson Christopher James
Published: September 2023

Consider a weak crossed product order [Formula: see text] in the crossed product algebra [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the integral closure of a discrete valuation ring [Formula: see text] in a tamely ramified Galois extension [Formula: see text] of the field of fractions of [Formula: see text]. Assume that [Formula: see text] is local. In this paper, we develop a method that can help to determine whether [Formula: see text] is a maximal order by looking for certain ideals in [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] is the inertia group. We demonstrate this method by classifying specific examples of hereditary weak crossed product orders as being either maximal or nonmaximal among the [Formula: see text]-orders of [Formula: see text] and we give a criterion for determining maximality of [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text] is cyclic.
An associated sequence of ideals of an increasing sequence of rings: z-ideals, prime spectrum and Krull dimension
Authors: Maatallah Ahmed , Dabbabi Abdelamir , Benhissi Ali
Published: September 2023

Let [Formula: see text] be an increasing sequence of unitary commutative rings, [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] an indeterminate over [Formula: see text]. The sequence [Formula: see text] is said to be an associated sequence of ideals of [Formula: see text], if [Formula: see text] and for each [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] is an ideal of [Formula: see text] contained in [Formula: see text]. We denote [Formula: see text] In this paper, we deal with the ring [Formula: see text]. We start the paper by studying the [Formula: see text]-ideals of this ring. In fact, we give a full description of the [Formula: see text]-ideals of the ring [Formula: see text]. Next, we study the prime spectrum of [Formula: see text], and finally, we close the paper by some results about it Krull dimension.
Stress and Deformation of a Functionally Graded Piezoelectric Rotating Disk with Variable Thickness Subjected to Magneto-Thermo-Mechanical Loads Including Convection and Radiation Heat Transfer
Authors: Saadatfar Mahdi , Babazadeh Mohammad Amin , Babaelahi Mojtaba
Published: September 2023

The stresses and deformations of a functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) non-uniform thickness rotating disc under magneto-thermo-mechanical loads including convection and radiation heat transfer were examined in this paper. The material constants were considered to be a power-law function of radius. Also, the heat convection coefficient and heat conduction coefficient are functions of radius and temperature. The equation of heat transfer was derived considering thermal gradient, convection thermal boundary, and solar radiation. The nonlinear final differential equation was solved using the Differential Transformation Method (DTM). Then, the equilibrium equation together with the electrostatic equation of the disc was derived and solved analytically. So, the radial and circumferential stress, radial deformation, and electric potential were obtained. Finally, the effects of solar radiation, convection heat transfer, temperature dependency, inhomogeneity index, angular velocity, and magnetic field on the stress, deformation, and electric potential of the disc were investigated in numerical examples. The results show that solar radiation, convection boundary, thickness function, and inhomogeneity index have a considerable effect on the responses of the rotating FGPM disc.