bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk exploration and prediction model construction for linezolid-resistant Enterococcus faecalis based on big data in a province in southern China
Authors: Liu Peijun , Zeng Bangwei , Wu Xiaoyan , Zheng Feng , Zhang Yangmei , Liao Xiaohua
Published: November 2023

Background

Enterococcus faecalis is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections. Its resistance to linezolid, the antibiotic of last resort for vancomycin-resistant enterococci, has become a growing threat in healthcare settings.

Methods

We analyzed the data of E. faecalis isolates from 26 medical institutions between 2018 and 2020 and performed univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to determine the independent predictors for linezolid-resistant E. faecalis (LREFs). Then, we used the artificial neural network (ANN) and logistic regression (LR) to build a prediction model for linezolid resistance and performed a performance evaluation and comparison.

Results

Of 12,089 E. faecalis strains, 755 (6.25%) were resistant to linezolid. Among vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis, the linezolid-resistant rate was 24.44%, higher than that of vancomycin-susceptible E. faecalis (p < 0.0001). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that gender, age, specimen type, length of stay before culture, season, region, GDP (gross domestic product), number of beds, and hospital level were predictors of linezolid resistance. Both the ANN and LR models constructed in the study performed well in predicting linezolid resistance in E. faecalis, with AUCs of 0.754 and 0.741 in the validation set, respectively. However, synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE) did not improve the prediction ability of the models.

Conclusion

E. faecalis linezolid-resistant rates varied by specimen site, geographic region, GDP level, facility level, and the number of beds. At the same time, community-acquired E. faecalis with linezolid resistance should be monitored closely. We can use the prediction model to guide clinical medication and take timely prevention and control measures.
Performance of the Aspergillus galactomannan lateral flow assay with a digital reader for the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis: a multicenter study
Authors: Guo Jian , Xiao Chenlu , Tian Wenjie , Lv Li , Hu Liang , Ni Lijun , Wang Dongjiang , Li Wei , Qiao Dan , Wu Wenjuan
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The objective of this multicenter study was to compare the diagnostic performance of lateral flow assay (LFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the Dynamiker Aspergillus Galactomannan levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples for I.

Methods

We registered 310 clinically suspected Aspergillus infection patients from December 2021 to February 2023 and classified them into subgroups as the “IA group” and “non-IA group” based on the latest EORTC/MSG guidelines. The immunoassays were analyzed by LFA and ELISA respectively.

Results

Galactomannan was examined using LFA, and serum and BALF samples demonstrated sensitivities of 82.57% and 89.47%, specificities of 90.76% and 92.00%, PPVs of 89.11% and 96.23%, and NPVs of 85.04% and 79.31%, respectively. Galactomannan was observed using two assays in serum and BALF samples and showed PPAs of 95.11% and 93.33%, NPAs of 89.19% and 96.30%, and TPAs of 92.47% and 94.25%, respectively. The ROC curve demonstrated that LFA had optimum diagnostic value when the index value (I value) = 0.5, the sensitivity was 84.94%, and the specificity was 90.97%.

Conclusion

Compared to the ELISA method, the LFA has shown excellent performance for the diagnosis of IA in serum and BALF sample and can be used as an assay for the early diagnosis of patients with IA. The dynamic change in galactomannan levels may be useful for assessing treatment response.
Dental Implants Acting as External Fixation for the Fracture of Severe Atrophic Mandible: A Case Report
Authors: Kinoshita H. , Ogasawara T. , Nishibata T. , Yoshioka M. , Makihara R. , Hashimoto Y.
Published: November 2023

Treatment of edentulous and atrophic mandibular fractures is extremely difficult. Generally, mandibular fractures are repaired and fixed as internal fixation using a reconstruction plate or miniplates with intra- or extraoral approach. Few cases in which external fixation including a transmucosal fixation was performed have also been reported. We report a case of atrophic and edentulous mandibular fracture which was healed by the fixation using dental implants and implant-supported bridge.
Incidence and outcome of hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections in secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the era of COVID-19 vaccinations
Authors: Helanne Hanna , Forsblom Erik , Kainulainen Katariina , Järvinen Asko , Kortela Elisa
Published: November 2023

Objective:

Hospital-acquired (HA) COVID-19 infections are known to increase morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and outcome of HA COVID-19 in different specialties across the wards in 18 hospitals belonging to the Helsinki University Hospital (HUH) responsible for secondary and tertiary care of a population of 1.8 million.

Design:

Retrospective population-based cohort study.

Setting:

Secondary and tertiary care hospitals.

Patients:

Inpatients with HA COVID-19 infection.

Methods:

The HA COVID-19 infections with patient characteristics were retrospectively searched from HUH patient database from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022. All positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) from any ward were reviewed. The COVID-19 infection was classified as HA if a notification of HA infection was done or SARS-CoV-2 NAAT was positive ≥6 days after hospital admission or medical records revealed a known exposure for COVID-19 during hospital stay.

Results:

177 HA COVID-19 infections were retrieved with an incidence of 0.55 per 1000 patient days. Of these patients, 71 (40%) were treated in medicine, 52 (29%) in operative, and 54 (31%) in psychiatric wards, leading to incidences of 0.51, 0.39, and 1.10 per 1,000 patient days, respectively. In association with COVID-19, 16 (23%) in medicine, 3 (6%) in operative, and 1 (2%) patient in psychiatric wards deceased. Of the deceased patients, 16 (80%) had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine.

Conclusions:

Hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections in omicron era were related to high mortality, especially among patients in medicine wards who also had good vaccination coverage.
Audre Lorde's Erotic as Epistemic and Political Practice
Authors: Ward Caleb
Published: November 2023

Audre Lorde's account of the erotic is one of her most widely celebrated contributions to political theory and feminist activism, but her explanation of the term in her brief essay “Uses of the Erotic” is famously oblique and ambiguous. This article develops a detailed, textually grounded interpretation of Lorde's erotic, based on an analysis of how Lorde's essay brings together commitments expressed across her work. I describe four integral elements of Lorde's erotic: feeling, knowledge, power, and concerted action. The erotic is a way offeelingin the work a person does, which makes possible newknowledgeabout the self and the social environment—particularly to counteract epistemic oppression imposed by an unjust society. The erotic is a source ofpowerby providing vision and energy for actions integrating a person's multiple commitments and political interests. It facilitatesconcerted action and coalitionby enhancing a person's appreciation of their interests and values, while fostering embodied, personal connections that build trust based on shared vulnerability. Thus, the erotic helps build coalitions where genuine differences of perspective and experience can be examined, in resistance against an oppressive society's epistemic distortions.
On vortex-sheet evolution beyond singularity formation
Authors: Pullin D.I. , Shen N.
Published: November 2023

We consider the evolution of a spatially periodic, perturbed vortex sheet for small times after the formation of a curvature singularity at time

$t=t_c$

as demonstrated by Moore (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, vol. 365, issue 1720, 1979, pp. 105–119). The Moore analysis is extended to provide the small-amplitude, full-sheet structure at

$t=t_c$

for a general single-mode initial condition in terms of polylogarithmic functions, from which its asymptotic form near the singular point is determined. This defines an intermediate evolution problem for which the leading-order, and most singular, approximation is solved as a Taylor-series expansion in

$\tau = t-t_c$

, where coefficients are calculated by repeated differentiation of the defining Birkhoff–Rott (BR) equation. The first few terms are in good agreement with numerical calculation based on the full-sheet solution. The series is summed, providing an analytic continuation which shows sheet rupture at circulation

$\varGamma =0^+$

,

$\tau >0^+$

, but with non-physical features owing to the absence of end-tip sheet roll up. This is corrected by constructing an inner solution with

$\varGamma < \tau$

, as a perturbed similarity form with small parameter

$\tau ^{1/2}$

. Numerical solutions of both the inner, nonlinear zeroth-order and first-order linear BR equations are obtained whose outer limits match the intermediate solution. The composite solution shows sheet tearing at

$\tau =0^+$

into two separate, rolled up algebraic spirals near the central singular point. Branch separation distance scales as

$\tau$

with a non-local,

$\tau ^{3/2}$

correction. Properties of the intermediate and inner solutions are discussed.
Have consumers escaped from COVID-19 restrictions by seeking variety? A Machine Learning approach analyzing wine purchase behavior in the United States
Authors: Rinke Wolfram , Ho Shuay-Tsyr
Published: November 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic itself constitutes an environment for people to experience the potential loss of control and freedom due to social distancing measures and other government orders. Variety-seeking has been treated as a mechanism to regain a sense of self-control. Using Machine Learning model and household-level data with a focus on the wine market in the United States, this study showcases the changing variety-seeking behavior over the pandemic year of 2020, in which people’s perception of the status of restriction measures influences the degree of their use of variety-seeking behavior as a coping strategy. It is the shopping pattern and store environments that drive the behavioral responses in wine purchases to freedom-limited circumstances. Coupon use is associated with a lower variety-seeking tendency at the beginning of the stay-at-home order, but the variety level resumes when more time has passed in the restriction periods. Variety-seeking tendency increases with shopping frequency at the beginning of the social distancing measure but decreases to a level lower than all the non-restriction periods.
Association of recent respiratory illness and influenza with acute myocardial infarction among the Bangladeshi population: A case–control study
Authors: Aleem Mohammad Abdul , Macintyre C. Raina , Rahman Bayzidur , Islam A. K. M. Monwarul , Akhtar Zubair , Chowdhury Fahmida , Qadri Firdausi , Chughtai Abrar Ahmad
Published: November 2023

Current evidence suggests that recent acute respiratory infections and seasonal influenza may precipitate acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study examined the potential link between recent clinical respiratory illness (CRI) and influenza, and AMI in Bangladesh. Conducted during the 2018 influenza season at a Dhaka tertiary-level cardiovascular (CV) hospital, it included 150 AMI cases and two control groups: 44 hospitalized cardiac patients without AMI and 90 healthy individuals. Participants were matched by gender and age groups. The study focused on self-reported CRI and laboratory-confirmed influenza ascertained via quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) within the preceding week, analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Results showed that cases reported CRI, significantly more frequently than healthy controls (27.3% vs. 13.3%, adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.21; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05–4.06), although this was not significantly different from all controls (27.3% vs. 22.4%; aOR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.65–2.18). Influenza rates were insignificantly higher among cases than controls. The study suggests that recent respiratory illnesses may precede AMI onset among Bangladeshi patients. Infection prevention and control practices, as well as the uptake of the influenza vaccine, may be advocated for patients at high risk of acute CV events.
Obesogenic neighborhood environment is associated with body fat and low-grade inflammation in Brazilian children: could the mother’s BMI be a mediating factor?
Authors: Filgueiras Mariana De Santis , Pessoa Milene Cristine , Bressan Josefina , do Carmo Ariene Silva , Fogal Vegi Aline Siqueira , Albuquerque Fernanda Martins de , Novaes Juliana Farias de
Published: November 2023

Objective:

To evaluate the direct and indirect associations of obesogenic and leptogenic neighborhood environments with body fat, and pro- and anti-inflammatory adipokines in Brazilian children.

Design:

Cross-sectional study. The body fat distribution was assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Concentrations of leptin and adiponectin were measured. Four hundred meters (0·25 miles) road network buffer was the neighborhood unit used to assess the environmental characteristics around households. Obesogenic and leptogenic environments were the latent variables obtained from the observed characteristics. The mother’s BMI, ultra-processed food consumption, and physical activity before and after school, were tested as mediating variables. A hybrid model of structural equations was used to test the direct and indirect associations of obesogenic and leptogenic environments with body fat, leptin and adiponectin concentrations.

Setting:

Urban area of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Participants:

Children aged 8- and 9-years (n 367).

Results:

Obesogenic environment was directly associated with the mother’s BMI (β: 0·24, P = 0·02) and the child’s body fat (β: 0·19, P = 0·02). The mother’s BMI and body fat mediated the association of the obesogenic environment with leptin concentrations (β: 0·05, P = 0·02).

Conclusions:

Obesogenic neighborhood environment was directly associated with body fat and mother's BMI, and indirectly associated with leptin concentrations in Brazilian children, mediated by the mother’s BMI and body fat.
Multistep magnetization switching in orthogonally twisted ferromagnetic monolayers
Authors: Boix-Constant Carla , Jenkins Sarah , Rama-Eiroa Ricardo , Santos Elton J. G. , Mañas-Valero Samuel , Coronado Eugenio
Published: November 2023

The advent of twist engineering in two-dimensional crystals enables the design of van der Waals heterostructures with emergent properties. In the case of magnets, this approach can afford artificial antiferromagnets with tailored spin arrangements. Here we fabricate an orthogonally twisted bilayer by twisting two CrSBr ferromagnetic monolayers with an easy-axis in-plane spin anisotropy by 90°. The magnetotransport properties reveal multistep magnetization switching with a magnetic hysteresis opening, which is absent in the pristine case. By tuning the magnetic field, we modulate the remanent state and coercivity and select between hysteretic and non-hysteretic magnetoresistance scenarios. This complexity pinpoints spin anisotropy as a key aspect in twisted magnetic superlattices. Our results highlight control over the magnetic properties in van der Waals heterostructures, leading to a variety of field-induced phenomena and opening a fruitful playground for creating desired magnetic symmetries and manipulating non-collinear magnetic configurations.
Auxetic piezoelectric effect in heterostructures
Authors: Yang Ming-Min , Zhu Tian-Yuan , Renz Arne Benjamin , Sun He-Meng , Liu Shi , Gammon Peter Michael , Alexe Marin
Published: November 2023

Inherent symmetry breaking at the interface has been fundamental to a myriad of physical effects and functionalities, such as efficient spin–charge interconversion, exotic magnetic structures and an emergent bulk photovoltaic effect. It has recently been demonstrated that interface asymmetry can induce sizable piezoelectric effects in heterostructures, even those consisting of centrosymmetric semiconductors, which provides flexibility to develop and optimize electromechanical coupling phenomena. Here, by targeted engineering of the interface symmetry, we achieve piezoelectric phenomena behaving as the electrical analogue of the negative Poisson’s ratio. This effect, termed the auxetic piezoelectric effect, exhibits the same sign for the longitudinal (d33) and transverse (d31, d32) piezoelectric coefficients, enabling a simultaneous contraction or expansion in all directions under an external electrical stimulus. The signs of the transverse coefficients can be further tuned via in-plane symmetry anisotropy. The effects exist in a wide range of material systems and exhibit substantial coefficients, indicating potential implications for all-semiconductor actuator, sensor and filter applications.
Genomics and transcriptomics of the Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis)
Authors: Yang Nan , Li Wenjing , Feng Wenrong , Wang Meiyao , Liu Aimin , Tang Yongkai , Su Shengyan
Published: November 2023

To gain a deeper understanding of the genetic factors influencing the growth and development of Eriocheir sinensis, a well-known species of hairy crab found in Yangcheng Lake, this study focused on the de novo genome and full-length transcriptome information of the selected subjects. Specifically, Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs were chosen as the experimental samples. Initially, a genome analysis was performed, resulting in the identification of gene fragments with a combined length of 1266,092,319 bp. Subsequently, a transcriptome analysis was conducted on a mixture of tissues from four different sites, namely muscle, brain, eye, and heart, to further investigate the genetic characteristics at the transcriptome level. The Pacific Biosciences (Pacio) single-molecule real-time sequencing system generated a total of 36.93 G sub-fragments and 175,90041 effective inserts. This research contributes to the indirect comprehension of genetic variations underlying individual traits. Furthermore, a comparison of the obtained data with relevant literature emphasizes the advantages of this study and establishes a basis for further investigations on the Chinese mitten crab.
Enhancing isoprene polymerization with high activity and adjustable monomer enchainment using cyclooctyl-fused iminopyridine iron precatalysts
Authors: Yousuf Nighat , Ma Yanping , Mahmood Qaiser , Zhang Wenjuan , Wang Yizhou , Saeed Hassan , Sun Wen-Hua
Published: November 2023

In this study, a series of structurally rigid cyclooctyl-fused iminopyridine iron complexes, [L2FeCl][FeCl4] and [2L3Fe][Cl][3FeCl4], was synthesized and investigated as precatalysts on activation with MAO for isoprene polymerization.
Oxidation-derived anticancer potential of sumanene–ferrocene conjugates
Authors: Kasprzak Artur , Zuchowska Agnieszka , Romanczuk Pawel , Kowalczyk Agata , Grudzinski Ireneusz P. , Malkowska Anna , Nowicka Anna M. , Sakurai Hidehiro
Published: November 2023

Application of ferrocenium-containing sumanene buckybowl derivatives as innovative, effective, and selective anticancer agents is described.
Extracting the inherent ideality factor of a diode from electrical current–voltage characteristics
Authors: Park Jaehyeok , Yu Chaeyoon , Min Sangjin , Shim Jong‐In , Shin Dong‐Soo
Published: November 2023

The ideality factor of a diode gives the information on the current conduction or recombination processes occurring inside the device. The ideality factor obtained from the electrical current–voltage (I–V) characteristics by the conventional method is typically masked by the effect of the series resistance at high currents. In this study, from a careful analysis of the I–V characteristics, a new formula that can extract the inherent ideality factor without the effect of the series resistance is presented and experimentally tested with a blue light‐emitting diode. The new ideality factor thus obtained is compared with the one by the photovoltaic measurement.
An AC optimal power flow framework for active–reactive power scheduling considering generator capability curve
Authors: Vaishya Shri Ram
Published: November 2023

This paper presents a simplified optimal power flow (OPF) framework to facilitate co‐optimised active and reactive power scheduling for synchronous generators and price‐sensitive demands. The proposed framework creates an opportunity for generators and loads to simultaneously participate in a combined market for active and reactive power. The co‐optimisation of active and reactive power generation is constrained by the interdependence of the active and reactive power capacities, which is represented by the generator capability curve. Thus, a detailed mathematical derivation of the opportunity costs across various regions of the generator capability curve is presented. This study considers a detailed generator capability curve that considers the armature, field, under‐excitation, and prime mover limits. The interdependence of active and reactive power consumption for demand is modelled using the concept of power‐factor. The OPF problem for generator and load scheduling is formulated as a non‐linear optimisation task, leveraging the inherent properties of the generator capability curve, that is, piecewise smoothness, continuity, and the monotonically increasing slope magnitudes. Furthermore, to simplify the OPF formulation, the non‐linear capability curve is represented as a combination of the linear curves. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed OPF methodologies, suitable case studies are conducted using different test systems.
Coordination of preventive and emergency dispatch in renewable energy integrated power systems under extreme weather
Authors: Junjie Rong , Ming Zhou , Zhi Zhang , Gengyin Li
Published: November 2023

In recent years, frequent occurrence of extreme weather events has caused great losses to the power system. Meanwhile, the high penetration of renewable energy has brought new challenges to the safe operation of the system. Coordination of various measures against different stages of disaster can effectively reduce the overall loss and enhance system's resilience. This paper proposed a methodology to coordinate preventive and emergency dispatch stages based on the defender–attacker–defender model, in which various dispatching measures are modelled as defenders, whereas the extreme weather event and wind power's uncertainty are modelled as attackers. Specifically, a two‐stage three‐layer robust optimal dispatching model is established, in which conventional generator's output, wind farm's grid‐connected planning, and load shedding are taken as the main dispatching measures. To solve this model, the column and constraint generation algorithm is used to transform the three‐layer optimization model into a mixed integer linear problem . The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified in the modified IEEE RTS‐79 test system, and the results show that the coordination of preventive and emergency dispatch can effectively reduce the load outage cost under extreme weather, thus enhancing the ability of power system to cope with extreme scenarios.
Correction of cubitus valgus and reconstruction of lateral humerus condylar defect using tricortical iliac graft in pediatric patients
Authors: Fadel Mohamed Hussein , Hashem Mohamed Hassan , Ramy Ahmed
Published: November 2023

Background: Neglected non-united lateral humeral condyle fractures in pediatrics are a probable cause of cubitus valgus deformity which is a disabling complication. The ideal management for this condition is still debatable. This study aimed to evaluate the reconstruction of a non-united lateral humerus condylar fracture complicated by cubitus valgus using a tricortical iliac crest graft in pediatric patients. Patients and methods: Twenty children suffering from cubitus valgus as a complication after a non-united fracture of the lateral humeral condyle were included in this study. They were managed by open reduction, screw fixation, and reconstruction by an autologous tricortical iliac bone graft. We compared the preoperative and postoperative range of motion of the elbow, alignment, and elbow function using the Mayo elbow performance index. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in the elbow range of motion postoperatively, and there was a highly significant improvement regarding the elbow alignment and function. Conclusion: Open reduction, screw fixation, and reconstruction by the autologous tricortical iliac bone graft is an effective technique for the management of cubitus valgus due to neglected non-united lateral humeral condyle fractures in pediatrics.
Severe Early-Onset Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding in a Neonate Born to a Mother with Crohn's Disease in Clinical Remission: A Case Report
Authors: Ikenaga Chiho , Uchi Ryosuke , Ishida Fumihiko , Hirata Michisato , Iwama Kazuhiro , Ina Shinichiro , Tatsuno Yuko , Kemmotsu Takahiro , Shibasaki Jun , Ito Shuichi
Published: November 2023

Vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB) in neonates is a significant disorder that causes skin, gastrointestinal, and intracranial hemorrhaging. Early-onset VKDB occurs within 24 hours of birth, and its prognosis is poor due to severe hemorrhage. The causes of early-onset VKDB include maternal intake of warfarin and anticoagulants, and maternal vitamin K deficiency. We report the case of a neonate with early-onset VKDB born to a mother with Crohn's disease. The neonate developed severe cerebellar hemorrhage on the day of birth and subsequent noncommunicating hydrocephalus requiring a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The mother had a 14-year history of Crohn's disease and short bowel owing to intestinal resection. She was in complete remission during pregnancy according to the Crohn's Disease Activity Index. Endoscopic examination performed shortly before pregnancy revealed inflammatory findings in the residual small intestine. Her blood tests at delivery showed an elevated prothrombin induced by vitamin K deficiency or antagonist II (PIVKA-II) level of 26,900 mAU/mL. A definitive protocol to prevent early-onset VKDB in mothers with Crohn's disease complicated by a short bowel is lacking. Administering vitamin K to mothers with elevated PIVKA-II levels before delivery may help prevent early-onset VKDB.
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in Anaphylaxis
Authors: Gelbenegger Georg , Buchtele Nina , Schoergenhofer Christian , Grafeneder Jürgen , Schwameis Michael , Schellongowski Peter , Denk Wolfgang , Jilma Bernd
Published: November 2023

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening condition that involves severe cutaneous, respiratory, and cardiovascular symptoms. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is an acquired, widespread activation of coagulation that can be caused by infectious conditions (e.g., sepsis) and noninfectious conditions. The onset of DIC following anaphylaxis is not commonly known, and information regarding the pathomechanism linking anaphylaxis to DIC is scarce. Further, demographic and clinical data in anaphylaxis-induced DIC are still missing to this day. Triggered by a case of anaphylaxis-induced DIC that seamlessly transitioned to lethal sepsis-induced DIC, we aimed to characterize the patient population affected by anaphylaxis-induced DIC by performing a review of existing literature and expand the discussion to underlying mechanisms. The overall mortality of the patient cohort (n = 30) identified by the literature review was 50%. All patients that died either suffered a bleeding event or a thrombotic event. The majority of patients (n = 25/30; 83%) had bleeding events; thrombotic events were only reported in nonsurvivors (n = 9/15 or 60% of nonsurvivors; vs. n = 0/15 in survivors; p < 0.001). Nonsurvivors of anaphylaxis-induced DIC were on average 25 years older than survivors (p = 0.068). In conclusion, DIC can complicate anaphylaxis and is expected to contribute to poor microvascular perfusion after anaphylaxis. Particularly, elderly patients with known cardiovascular disease and patients who develop thrombotic events are susceptible to lethal outcomes. As a rare and largely uncharacterized disease entity, further research is needed to investigate the link between DIC and anaphylaxis and to potentially identify better treatment strategies.
Neural tracking measures of speech intelligibility: Manipulating intelligibility while keeping acoustics unchanged
Authors: Karunathilake I. M. Dushyanthi , Kulasingham Joshua P. , Simon Jonathan Z.
Published: November 2023

Neural speech tracking has advanced our understanding of how our brains rapidly map an acoustic speech signal onto linguistic representations and ultimately meaning. It remains unclear, however, how speech intelligibility is related to the corresponding neural responses. Many studies addressing this question vary the level of intelligibility by manipulating the acoustic waveform, but this makes it difficult to cleanly disentangle the effects of intelligibility from underlying acoustical confounds. Here, using magnetoencephalography recordings, we study neural measures of speech intelligibility by manipulating intelligibility while keeping the acoustics strictly unchanged. Acoustically identical degraded speech stimuli (three-band noise-vocoded, ~20 s duration) are presented twice, but the second presentation is preceded by the original (nondegraded) version of the speech. This intermediate priming, which generates a “pop-out” percept, substantially improves the intelligibility of the second degraded speech passage. We investigate how intelligibility and acoustical structure affect acoustic and linguistic neural representations using multivariate temporal response functions (mTRFs). As expected, behavioral results confirm that perceived speech clarity is improved by priming. mTRFs analysis reveals that auditory (speech envelope and envelope onset) neural representations are not affected by priming but only by the acoustics of the stimuli (bottom–up driven). Critically, our findings suggest that segmentation of sounds into words emerges with better speech intelligibility, and most strongly at the later (~400 ms latency) word processing stage, in prefrontal cortex, in line with engagement of top–down mechanisms associated with priming. Taken together, our results show that word representations may provide some objective measures of speech comprehension.
Uncovering the semantics of concepts using GPT-4
Authors: Le Mens Gaël , Kovács Balázs , Hannan Michael T. , Pros Guillem
Published: November 2023

The ability of recent Large Language Models (LLMs) such as GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to generate human-like texts suggests that social scientists could use these LLMs to construct measures of semantic similarity that match human judgment. In this article, we provide an empirical test of this intuition. We use GPT-4 to construct a measure of typicality—the similarity of a text document to a concept. We evaluate its performance against other model-based typicality measures in terms of the correlation with human typicality ratings. We conduct this comparative analysis in two domains: the typicality of books in literary genres (using an existing dataset of book descriptions) and the typicality of tweets authored by US Congress members in the Democratic and Republican parties (using a novel dataset). The typicality measure produced with GPT-4 meets or exceeds the performance of the previous state-of-the art typicality measure we introduced in a recent paper [G. Le Mens, B. Kovács, M. T. Hannan, G. Pros Rius,Sociol. Sci.2023, 82–117 (2023)]. It accomplishes this without any training with the research data (it is zero-shot learning). This is a breakthrough because the previous state-of-the-art measure required fine-tuning an LLM on hundreds of thousands of text documents to achieve its performance.
Formation and function of multiciliated cells
Authors: Lyu Qian , Li Qingchao , Zhou Jun , Zhao Huijie
Published: November 2023

In vertebrates, multiciliated cells (MCCs) are terminally differentiated cells that line the airway tracts, brain ventricles, and reproductive ducts. Each MCC contains dozens to hundreds of motile cilia that beat in a synchronized manner to drive fluid flow across epithelia, the dysfunction of which is associated with a group of human diseases referred to as motile ciliopathies, such as primary cilia dyskinesia. Given the dynamic and complex process of multiciliogenesis, the biological events essential for forming multiple motile cilia are comparatively unelucidated. Thanks to advancements in genetic tools, omics technologies, and structural biology, significant progress has been achieved in the past decade in understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of multiple motile cilia formation. In this review, we discuss recent studies with ex vivo culture MCC and animal models, summarize current knowledge of multiciliogenesis, and particularly highlight recent advances and their implications.
Investigating the Lorentz invariance violation effect using different cosmological backgrounds
Authors: Abdalla H , Cotter G , Backes M , Kasai E , Böttcher M
Published: November 2023

Familiar concepts in physics, such as Lorentz symmetry, are expected to be broken at energies approaching the Planck energy scale as predicted by several quantum-gravity theories. However, such very large energies are unreachable by current experiments on Earth. Current and future Cherenkov telescope facilities may have the capability to measure the accumulated deformation from Lorentz symmetry for photons traveling over large distances via energy-dependent time delays. One of the best natural laboratories to test Lorentz invariance violation (LIV) signatures are gamma-ray bursts. The calculation of time delays due to the LIV effect depends on the cosmic expansion history. In most of the previous works calculating time lags due to the LIV effect, the standard ΛCDM (or concordance) cosmological model is assumed. In this paper, we investigate whether the LIV signature is significantly different when assuming alternatives to the ΛCDM cosmological model. Specifically, we consider cosmological models with a non-trivial dark-energy equation of state (EoS) (w≠−1), such as the standard Chevallier–Polarski–Linder parameterization, the quadratic parameterization of the dark-energy EoS, and the Pade parameterizations. We find that the relative difference in the predicted time lags is small, of the order of at most a few percent, and thus likely smaller than the systematic errors of possible measurements currently or in the near future.
Investigating the efficiency of air-source heat pumps in the secondary school physics laboratory
Authors: Cottle Daniel , Campbell Robert
Published: November 2023

This paper presents an experimental method for investigating the coefficient of performance of air-source heat pumps for secondary age children and links this to ideas about energy efficiency. It was developed and trialled in a secondary school in the West Midlands of England in response to literature that reveals climate anxiety to be increasing amongst young people around the world and their resulting desire to take action. Links are made to the topic of energy efficiency in the current physics school curriculum in England which is used, where possible, to explain the results of the investigation with suggestions for where extensions might be made in future to facilitate a more complete understanding by pupils. Links to wider societal change in the decarbonisation of home heating in the UK as part of the national response to climate change are explored and an argument is made for the viability and necessity of including the technology of air-source heats pumps in the physics curriculum for all children.
Depopulation mechanisms of atomic hydrogen in the n = 3 level following two-photon excitation by a picosecond laser
Authors: Duluard Corinne Y , Invernizzi Laurent , Hassouni Khaled , Lombardi Guillaume , Gazeli Kristaq , Prasanna Swaminathan
Published: November 2023

One of the major constraints of measurements of atomic hydrogen densities using two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence in most plasma and combustion environments is the determination of fluorescence decay times (

τ

fluo H

), especially when using nanosecond-lasers or slow acquisition systems. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the depopulation processes of the laser excited level in order to correctly estimate

τ

fluo H

. In this study, depopulation mechanisms of atomic hydrogen excited by two-photon absorption to the n = 3 level (H(n = 3)) have been investigated using a picosecond-laser excitation and acquisition of fluorescence by a streak camera, which allowed for direct measurement of

τ

fluo H

and hence, the atomic hydrogen densities, in an H2 microwave plasma operating in the pressure range 20–300 Pa. By combining these measurements with a detailed H(n = 3) collisional radiative depopulation model, it was found that full mixing amongst the H(n = 3) sub-levels occurs in our discharge conditions, even at a pressure as low as 20 Pa. Moreover, it is also seen that the Lyman β line is only partially trapped, as its escape factor

Λ

31

decreases from 0.94–0.98 down to 0.58–0.86 while the measured atomic hydrogen density rises from

8
±
5
×

10

19

m

−
3

to

9
±
6
×

10

20

m

−
3

. This means that the radiative decay rate of H(n = 3) atoms varies with pressure and the classical Stern–Volmer method used to determine the quenching cross-section of excited H(n = 3) in collisions with H2 molecules,

σ

Q

H

n
=
3

/

H

2

, is not valid for our measurements. We used two different physics-based approaches, and show that the quenching cross-section

σ

Q

H

n
=
3

/

H

2

lies in the range 90–

106
×

10

−
20

m

2

, which can be averaged as

98
±
8
×

10

−
20

m

2

. This substantially improved estimation of

σ

Q

H

n
=
3

/

H

2

obtained in this work will be useful for the accurate estimation of H(n = 3) fluorescence decay times and therefore the atomic hydrogen densities.
Phase transformation on HZO ferroelectric layer in ferroelectric random-access memory induced by x-ray irradiation
Authors: Wu Chung-Wei , Chen Po-Hsun , Chang Ting-Chang , Tan Yung-Fang , Lin Shih-Kai , Yeh Yu-Hsuan , Zhang Yong-Ci , Lin Hsin-Ni , Chang Kai-Chun , Yeh Chien-Hung , Sze Simon
Published: November 2023

In this study, electrical measurements on ferroelectric random-access memory by prior x-ray irradiation are conducted. Compared with an unirradiated device, parameters such as current leakage and remnant polarization of the irradiated device were unexpectedly improved. Besides, better reliabilities including the number of endurance times and retention time have also been demonstrated. To clarify the underlying physical mechanism, the electrical properties are analyzed. The current–voltage curve (I–V) implies a change in the grain size in the ferroelectric layer (FL), and the capacitance–voltage curve (C–V) profile indicates that the FL undergoes a phase change during irradiation. Finally, according to the electrical results, a physical model is proposed as an explanation.
Some examples of simple generic 𝐹𝐼-modules in positive characteristic
Authors: Kriz Sophie
Published: November 2023

We give, in any characteristic

p
>
0

p>0

, examples of simple generic

F
I

FI

-modules whose underlying representations are reducible in all sufficiently high degrees.
SELEX-discovered aptamer that inhibits cellular interleukin-17/interleukin-17 receptor interaction and antagonizes interleukin-17 signaling
Authors: Munshi Arifur Rahman , Wang Tong , Takamori Yukio , Ando Takehiro , Yokoyama Takumi , Fuji Daisuke , Xu Zhehao , Vedi Santhana , Yamamoto Mizuki , Tsukamoto Keita , Kawakami Takashi
Published: November 2023

This research is based on a Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment, also referred to as in vitro selection against the extracellular domain of human interleukin-17 receptor A (IL-17RA). Pull-down assay via quantitative polymerase chain reaction and chemiluminescence detection showed that the cloned RNA with the enriched sequence bound to human IL-17RA and inhibited the interaction between IL-17RA and human interleukin-17A (IL-17A). We also revealed that the newly discovered IL-17RA-binding RNA aptamer bound to cellular IL-17RA, inhibited the cellular IL-17RA/IL-17A interaction, and antagonized cellular IL-17A signaling.
Addressing Access and Equity for Latine Youth through Sport-Based Positive Youth Development
Authors: Bates Samantha , O’Quinn Luke
Published: November 2023

Organized out-of-school time (OST) activities are critical assets that help youth develop life and social skills. Latine youth have some of the lowest rates of participation in OST activities out of all racial and ethnic subgroups due to structural and interpersonal barriers that perpetuate and reproduce patterns of inequality. The purpose of the current study was to describe a youth-led, community-driven, sport-based positive youth development program, the Los Angeles Football Club Youth Leadership Program, and examine associations with participation across three levels: (1) alumni’s enrollment and employment outcomes; (2) youth leaders’ outcomes (e.g., pre- and postprogram surveys); and (3) outputs of the program’s community outreach efforts (e.g., demographics and outputs associated with youth-led community-based activities). Drawing on the study’s findings, authors argue that this program describes an emergent “ladder to leadership” model that can guide community engagement through the delivery of culturally responsive programming and the use of sport to support social–emotional learning during OST. These findings contribute to an important discussion of how to leverage sport to address issues of access and equity during OST for Latine youth.
Critical Periods in Cognitive and Socioemotional Development: Evidence from Weather Shocks in Indonesia
Authors: Webb Duncan
Published: November 2023

Early-life circumstances are important determinants of long-run human capital and well-being outcomes. The first 1,000 days of life are often cited as a ‘critical period’ for child development, but this notion has rarely been directly tested. In a setting where children are potentially subject to shocks in every year of their childhood, I estimate the impact of early-life weather shocks on adult cognitive and socioemotional outcomes for individuals born in rural Indonesia between 1988 and 2000. There is a strong critical period for these shocks at age two for cognitive development, but no evidence for a similar critical period for socioemotional development. The effects appear to be driven by changes in agricultural income and nutritional investment. The impacts are initially latent, only appearing after age 15. I show suggestive evidence for dynamic complementarity in early-life investments.
Carbon amendments in soil microcosms induce uneven response on H2 oxidation activity and microbial community composition
Authors: Baril Xavier , Constant Philippe
Published: November 2023

High-affinity H2-oxidizing bacteria (HA-HOB) thriving in soil are responsible for the most important sink of atmospheric H2. Their activity increases with soil organic carbon content, but the incidence of different carbohydrate fractions on the process has received little attention. Here we tested the hypothesis that carbon amendments impact HA-HOB activity and diversity differentially depending on their recalcitrance and their concentration. Carbon sources (sucrose, starch, cellulose) and application doses (0, 0.1, 1, 3, 5% Ceq soildw−1) were manipulated in soil microcosms. Only 0.1% Ceq soildw−1 cellulose treatment stimulated the HA-HOB activity. Sucrose amendments induced the most significant changes, with an abatement of 50% activity at 1% Ceq soildw−1. This was accompanied with a loss of bacterial and fungal alpha diversity and a reduction of high-affinity group 1 h/5 [NiFe]-hydrogenase gene (hhyL) abundance. A quantitative classification framework was elaborated to assign carbon preference traits to 16S rRNA gene, ITS and hhyL genotypes. The response was uneven at the taxonomic level, making carbon preference a difficult trait to predict. Overall, the results suggest that HA-HOB activity is more susceptible to be stimulated by low doses of recalcitrant carbon, while labile carbon-rich environment is an unfavorable niche for HA-HOB, inducing catabolic repression of hydrogenase.
Applications and analytical approaches using imaging sonar for quantifying behavioural interactions among aquatic organisms and their environment
Authors: Munnelly Ryan T , Castillo Jose C , Handegard Nils Olav , Kimball Matthew E , Boswell Kevin M , Rieucau Guillaume
Published: November 2023

For many aquatic animals, distributional patterns, trophodynamic relationships, and reproductive activity are driven by complex biotic and abiotic ecosystem interactions that influence behaviour. Linking behavioural information to environmental stimuli and stressors can, therefore, help to anticipate population and ecosystem responses to changing conditions and inform management. However, behavioural information is challenging to obtain because many sampling gears do not provide adequate spatial or temporal resolution, or potentially alter behaviours. Traditionally, most behavioural studies have been laboratory experiments, while behaviour in situ has often been inferred indirectly. Advancements in imaging sonar technology enable the study of in situ behaviours with the potential to address many understudied relationships. In this review we discuss applications of imaging sonar among a meta-analysis of 155 studies of aquatic organisms in their environments. We evaluate the performance of imaging sonar for studying inter- and intra-specific interactions, associations with complex and sensitive habitats and low-visibility environments, and to evaluate traditional fisheries sampling gears. We examine the data processing and analytical methods used to refine taxonomic resolution, manage time use and autocorrelation through sub-sampling, extract behavioural metrics applied to ecological processes, and for automating abundance estimates and image classification with the goal of providing a resource for researchers.
Triangulating the Legitimacy of International Organizations: Beliefs, Discourses, and Actions
Authors: Steffek Jens
Published: November 2023

It is commonplace to say that international organizations (IOs) face a legitimacy crisis because they are perceived as undemocratic, unaccountable, and inefficient. Plausible as it may seem, this still must count as a conjecture. In this article, I review the rapidly growing literature that has explored this connection empirically. I follow three strands of research that approach the legitimacy of IOs from different angles. The first strand explores individual beliefs through observational and experimental surveys. The second strand analyzes public discourses, mapping arguments deployed to (de-)legitimize IOs. The third strand studies political action related to legitimacy, such as protest voting, street demonstrations, and withdrawal of member states from IOs. The empirical evidence shows that citizens expect fair procedures and balanced outcomes also in international politics; that legitimation discourses revolve around democratic standards and not only performance; and that institutions respond to protests. It is less clear, however, how the three dimensions of (de-)legitimation interact. I argue that we need to triangulate them more systematically to see the connections between beliefs, arguments, and political action at work. I suggest in-depth case studies, sensitive to the context and content of legitimation debates, that cover these three dimensions and their interactions simultaneously.