bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consistent truncations to 3-dimensional supergravity
Authors: Galli Michele , Malek Emanuel
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We show how to construct consistent truncations of 10-/11-dimensional supergravity to 3-dimensional gauged supergravity, preserving various amounts of supersymmetry. We show, that as in higher dimensions, consistent truncations can be defined in terms of generalised G-structures in Exceptional Field Theory, with G ⊂ E8(8) for the 3-dimensional case. Differently from higher dimensions, the generalised Lie derivative of E8(8) Exceptional Field Theory requires a set of “covariantly constrained” fields to be well-defined, and we show how these can be constructed from the G-structure itself. We prove several general features of consistent truncations, allowing us to rule out a higher-dimensional origin of many 3-dimensional gauged supergravities. In particular, we show that the compact part of the gauge group can be at most SO(9) and that there are no consistent truncations on a 7-or 8-dimensional product of spheres such that the full isometry group of the spheres is gauged. Moreover, we classify which matter-coupled $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
≥ 4 gauged supergravities can arise from consistent truncations. Finally, we give several examples of consistent truncations to three dimensions. These include the truncations of IIA and IIB supergravity on S7 leading to two different $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 16 gauged supergravites, as well as more general IIA/IIB truncations on Hp,7−p. We also show how to construct consistent truncations of IIB supergravity on S5 fibred over a Riemann surface. These result in 3-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 gauged supergravities with scalar manifold $$ \mathcal{M}=\frac{\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}\left(6,4\right)}{\mathrm{S}\mathrm{O}(6)\times \mathrm{SO}(4)}\times \frac{\mathrm{S}\mathrm{U}\left(2,1\right)}{\mathrm{S}\left(\mathrm{U}(1)\times \mathrm{U}(2)\right)} $$
M
=

SO

6
4

SO

6

×
SO

4

×

SU

2
1

S

U

1

×
U

2

with a ISO(3) × U(1)4 gauging and for hyperboloidal Riemann surfaces contain $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= (2, 2) AdS3 vacua.
Time reversal and CP invariance in Calabi-Yau compactifications
Authors: Bönisch Kilian , Elmi Mohamed , Kashani-Poor Amir-Kian , Klemm Albrecht
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We revisit the question of time reversal and CP invariance in Calabi-Yau compactifications. We show that time reversal invariance is respected by quantum corrections to the prepotential. In particular, field independent θ angles whose presence is dictated by requiring integrality of relevant monodromy transformations can take precisely the quantized values compatible with time reversal invariance. Furthermore, monodromy symmetry enlarges the region on moduli space on which time reversal is not spontaneously broken. We define the action of the CP transformation for multi-parameter models and argue that on the slice of moduli space where it is defined, CP is trivially a symmetry of the theory. For supersymmetric vacua that lie in this slice, we derive a condition on the third cohomology of the compactification manifold which determines whether CP preserving fluxes exist that stabilize the moduli to such points. In the case of one-parameter models, the condition is always satisfied.
Spectral form factor of a quantum spin glass
Authors: Winer Michael , Barney Richard , Baldwin Christopher L. , Galitski Victor , Swingle Brian
Published: September 2022

Abstract

It is widely expected that systems which fully thermalize are chaotic in the sense of exhibiting random-matrix statistics of their energy level spacings, whereas integrable systems exhibit Poissonian statistics. In this paper, we investigate a third class: spin glasses. These systems are partially chaotic but do not achieve full thermalization due to large free energy barriers. We examine the level spacing statistics of a canonical infinite-range quantum spin glass, the quantum p-spherical model, using an analytic path integral approach. We find statistics consistent with a direct sum of independent random matrices, and show that the number of such matrices is equal to the number of distinct metastable configurations — the exponential of the spin glass “complexity” as obtained from the quantum Thouless-Anderson-Palmer equations. We also consider the statistical properties of the complexity itself and identify a set of contributions to the path integral which suggest a Poissonian distribution for the number of metastable configurations. Our results show that level spacing statistics can probe the ergodicity-breaking in quantum spin glasses and provide a way to generalize the notion of spin glass complexity beyond models with a semi-classical limit.
The phase diagram of BPS black holes in AdS5
Authors: Ezroura Nizar , Larsen Finn , Liu Zhihan , Zeng Yangwenxiao
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Motivated by recent studies of supersymmetric black holes, we revisit the phase diagram of AdS black holes, whether BPS or not, with particular emphasis on the role of rotation. We develop BPS thermodynamics systematically and, in many explicit examples, we study its striking similarities with more familiar AdS black holes, as well as some differences. We highlight an important fugacity that preserves BPS saturation but is not captured by the supersymmetric index.
Equivalent SU(3)f approaches for two-body anti-triplet charmed baryon decays
Authors: Hsiao Y. K. , Wang Y. L. , Zhao H. J.
Published: September 2022

Abstract

For the two-body Bc → BM decays, where Bc denotes the anti-triplet charm baryon and B(M) the octet baryon (meson), there exist two theoretical studies based on the SU(3) flavor [SU(3)f] symmetry. One is the irreducible SU(3)f approach (IRA). In the irreducible SU(3)f representation, the effective Hamiltonian related to the initial and final states forms the amplitudes for Bc → BM. The other is the topological-diagram approach (TDA), where the W-boson emission and W-boson exchange topologies are drawn and parameterized for the decays. As required by the group theoretical consideration, we present the same number of the IRA and TDA amplitudes. We can hence relate the two kinds of the amplitudes, and demonstrate the equivalence of the two SU(3)f approaches. We find a specific W-boson exchange topology only contributing to $$ {\Xi}_c^0 $$

Ξ
c
0

→BM. Denoted by EM, it plays a key role in explaining $$ \mathcal{B} $$
B
($$ {\Xi}_c^0 $$

Ξ
c
0

→ Λ0$$ {K}_S^0 $$

K
S
0

, Σ0$$ {K}_S^0 $$

K
S
0

, Σ+K−). We consider that $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+} $$

Λ
c
+

→ nπ+ and $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+} $$

Λ
c
+

→ pπ0 proceed through the constructive and destructive interfering effects, respectively, which leads to $$ \mathcal{B} $$
B
($$ {\Lambda}_c^{+} $$

Λ
c
+

→ nπ+) » $$ \mathcal{B} $$
B
($$ {\Lambda}_c^{+} $$

Λ
c
+

→ pπ0) in agreement with the data. With the exact and broken SU(3)f symmetries, we predict the branching fractions of Bc→BM to be tested by future measurements.
AdS/BCFT and Island for curvature-squared gravity
Authors: Hu Qi-Lin , Li Dongqi , Miao Rong-Xin , Zeng Yu-Qian
Published: September 2022

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate AdS/BCFT for curvature-squared gravity. To warm up, we start with Gauss-Bonnet gravity. We derive the one point function of stress tensor and show that the central charge related to the norm of displacement operator is positive for the couplings obeying causality constraints. Furthermore, by imposing the null energy condition on the end-of-the-world brane, we prove the holographic g-theorem for Gauss-Bonnet gravity. This corrects a wrong point of view in the literature, which claims that the holographic g-theorem is violated for Gauss-Bonnet gravity. As a by-product, we obtain the boundary entropy and A-type boundary central charges in general dimensions. We also study AdS/BCFT for general curvature-squared gravity. We find that it is too restrictive for the shape of the brane and the dual BCFT is trivial if one imposes Neumann boundary conditions for all of the gravitational modes. Instead, we propose to impose Dirichlet boundary condition for the massive graviton, while imposing Neumann boundary condition for the massless graviton. In this way, we obtain non-trivial shape dependence of stress tensor and well-defined central charges. In particular, the holographic g-theorem is satisfied by general curvature-squared gravity. Finally, we discuss the island and show that the Page curve can be recovered for Gauss-Bonnet gravity. Interestingly, there are zeroth-order phase transitions for the Page curve within one range of couplings obeying causality constraints. Generalizing the discussions to holographic entanglement entropy and holographic complexity in AdS/CFT, we get new constraints for the Gauss-Bonnet coupling, which is stronger than the causality constraint.
Genomic selection using random regressions on known and latent environmental covariates
Authors: Tolhurst Daniel J. , Gaynor R. Chris , Gardunia Brian , Hickey John M. , Gorjanc Gregor
Published: September 2022

Key message

The integration of known and latent environmental covariates within a single-stage genomic selection approach provides breeders with an informative and practical framework to utilise genotype by environment interaction for prediction into current and future environments.

This paper develops a single-stage genomic selection approach which integrates known and latent environmental covariates within a special factor analytic framework. The factor analytic linear mixed model of Smith et al. (2001) is an effective method for analysing multi-environment trial (MET) datasets, but has limited practicality since the underlying factors are latent so the modelled genotype by environment interaction (GEI) is observable, rather than predictable. The advantage of using random regressions on known environmental covariates, such as soil moisture and daily temperature, is that the modelled GEI becomes predictable. The integrated factor analytic linear mixed model (IFA-LMM) developed in this paper includes a model for predictable and observable GEI in terms of a joint set of known and latent environmental covariates. The IFA-LMM is demonstrated on a late-stage cotton breeding MET dataset from Bayer CropScience. The results show that the known covariates predominately capture crossover GEI and explain 34.4% of the overall genetic variance. The most notable covariates are maximum downward solar radiation (10.1%), average cloud cover (4.5%) and maximum temperature (4.0%). The latent covariates predominately capture non-crossover GEI and explain 40.5% of the overall genetic variance. The results also show that the average prediction accuracy of the IFA-LMM is $$0.02-0.10$$

0.02
-
0.10

higher than conventional random regression models for current environments and $$0.06-0.24$$

0.06
-
0.24

higher for future environments. The IFA-LMM is therefore an effective method for analysing MET datasets which also utilises crossover and non-crossover GEI for genomic prediction into current and future environments. This is becoming increasingly important with the emergence of rapidly changing environments and climate change.
Genetic dissection of morphological variation in rosette leaves and leafy heads in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
Authors: Alemán-Báez Jorge , Qin Jian , Cai Chengcheng , Zou Chunmei , Bucher Johan , Paulo Maria-João , Voorrips Roeland E. , Bonnema Guusje
Published: September 2022

Key message

Correlations between morphological traits of cabbage rosette leaves and heads were found. Genome-wide association studies of these traits identified 50 robust quantitative trait loci in multiple years. Half of these loci affect both organs.

Cabbage (Brassica oleraceavar.capitata) is an economically important vegetable crop cultivated worldwide. Cabbage plants go through four vegetative stages: seedling, rosette, folding and heading. Rosette leaves are the largest leaves of cabbage plants and provide most of the energy needed to produce the leafy head. To understand the relationship and the genetic basis of leaf development and leafy head formation, 308 cabbage accessions were scored for rosette leaf and head traits in three-year field trials. Significant correlations were found between morphological traits of rosette leaves and heads, namely leaf area with the head area, height and width, and leaf width with the head area and head height, when heads were harvested at a fixed number of days after sowing. Fifty robust quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for rosette leaf and head traits distributed over all nine chromosomes were identified with genome-wide association studies. All these 50 loci were identified in multiple years and generally affect multiple traits. Twenty-five of the QTL were associated with both rosette leaf and leafy head traits. We discuss thirteen candidate genes identified in these QTL that are expressed in heading leaves, with an annotation related to auxin and other phytohormones, leaf development, and leaf polarity that likely play a role in leafy head development or rosette leaf expansion.
The geography of job automation in Ireland: what urban areas are most at risk?
Authors: Crowley Frank , Doran Justin
Published: September 2022

Future automation and artificial intelligence technologies are expected to have a major impact on labour markets. There is a lack of analysis which considers the sub-national geographical implications of automation risk posed to employment. In this paper, we identify the proportion of jobs at risk of automation across all Irish towns, using the occupational methodology of Frey and Osborne (2017) and compare these results with those of the task-based methodology of Nedelkoska and Quintini (2018). The job risk of automation varies significantly across towns, and while there is a substantial difference in the magnitude of risk identified by the occupational and task-based approaches, the correlation between them is approximately 95% in our analysis. The proportion of jobs at high risk (> 70% probability of automation) across towns using the occupational based methodology varies from a high of 58% to a low of 25%. In comparison, the proportion of jobs at high risk using the task-based methodology varies from 26 to 11%. Factors such as education levels, age demographics, urban size, and industry structure are important in explaining job risk across towns. Our results have significant implications for local and regional urban policy development in the Irish case.
Taguchi-based experimental investigation into weld cladding of Ni-WC MMC overlays by CMT process
Authors: Karimi Mohammad Reza , Wang Sheng-Hui , Jelovica Jasmin
Published: September 2022

In the search for versatile and effective weld cladding processes to deposit ultra-wear-resistant Ni-WC MMC (Ni-based tungsten carbide metal matrix composite) overlays for mining applications, there is an increasing interest in exploring advanced low-heat-input cold metal transfer (CMT) method. Depositions of single weld bead tracks of Ni-WC MMCs on steel plates were performed by employing the CMT process; Taguchi’s design of experiments was used to plan the experimental investigation. All weld tracks exhibit continuous and uniform bead profile and sound metallurgical bonding to the substrate. Retained WCs are present in the overlay tracks relatively uniformly. The formation of primary WC and secondary carbides is observed depending on the level of dilution. In contrast to standard gas metal arc welding processes, the volume fraction of retained WC, which is negatively correlated with dilution level, is not directly interrelated with heat input for the CMT process and can reach a high level together with improved weld bead appearance at high deposition rate. Deposition rate has a positive correlation with average instantaneous power, which is, in turn, positively correlated with wire feed speed. The addition of oxygen into shielding gas mixtures promotes carbide transfer from cored feed wire to the weld track and increases the volume fraction of retained WC. Analysis of signal-to-noise ratios shows that it is difficult to find a single set of optimized processing parameters, and trade-offs are needed in engineering practice. The present investigation demonstrates that the Taguchi method is a powerful tool in process improvement for weld cladding of Ni-WC MMC overlays.
Turnover Time Between Elective Operative Cases: Does the Witching Hour Exist for the Operating Room?
Authors: Kamande Stanley , Sarpong Kwadwo , Murray Jerome , Ajayi Ayodeji , Dowlati Ehsan , Nair M. Nathan
Published: September 2022

Background

Efficient resource management in the operating room (OR) contributes significantly to healthcare expenditure and revenue generation for health systems. We aim to assess the influence that surgeon, anesthesiology, and nursing team assignments and time of day have on turnover time (TOT) in the OR.

Methods

We performed a retrospective review of elective cases at a single academic hospital that were completed between Monday and Friday between the hours of 0700 and 2359 from July 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018. Emergent cases and unplanned, add‐on cases were excluded. Data regarding patient characteristics, OR teams, TOT, and procedure start and end times were collected and analyzed.

Results

A total of 2174 total cases across 13 different specialties were included in our study. A multivariate regression of relevant variables affecting TOT was performed. Consecutive specialty (p < 0.0001), consecutive surgeon (p < 0.0001), anesthesiologist (p < 0.0001), and prior case ending before 1400 (p < 0.0001) were independent predictors of lower TOT. A receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.848 and a cutoff of 1400 having the highest sensitivity and specificity for TOT difference.

Conclusions

TOT can be significantly affected by the time of the day the procedure is performed. Staffing availability during late procedures and the differences in how OR team staff are scheduled may affect OR efficiency. Additional studies may be needed to determine the long‐term implications of changes implemented to decrease organizational operational costs related to the OR.
Unsupervised machine learning identifies predictive progression markers of IPF
Authors: Pan Jeanny , Hofmanninger Johannes , Nenning Karl-Heinz , Prayer Florian , Röhrich Sebastian , Sverzellati Nicola , Poletti Venerino , Tomassetti Sara , Weber Michael , Prosch Helmut , Langs Georg
Published: September 2022

Objectives

To identify and evaluate predictive lung imaging markers and their pathways of change during progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) from sequential data of an IPF cohort. To test if these imaging markers predict outcome.

Methods

We studied radiological disease progression in 76 patients with IPF, including overall 190 computed tomography (CT) examinations of the chest. An algorithm identified candidates for imaging patterns marking progression by computationally clustering visual CT features. A classification algorithm selected clusters associated with radiological disease progression by testing their value for recognizing the temporal sequence of examinations. This resulted in radiological disease progression signatures, and pathways of lung tissue change accompanying progression observed across the cohort. Finally, we tested if the dynamics of marker patterns predict outcome, and performed an external validation study on a cohort from a different center.

Results

Progression marker patterns were identified and exhibited high stability in a repeatability experiment with 20 random sub-cohorts of the overall cohort. The 4 top-ranked progression markers were consistently selected as most informative for progression across all random sub-cohorts. After spatial image registration, local tracking of lung pattern transitions revealed a network of tissue transition pathways from healthy to a sequence of disease tissues. The progression markers were predictive for outcome, and the model achieved comparable results on a replication cohort.

Conclusions

Unsupervised learning can identify radiological disease progression markers that predict outcome. Local tracking of pattern transitions reveals pathways of radiological disease progression from healthy lung tissue through a sequence of diseased tissue types.

Key Points

• Unsupervised learning can identify radiological disease progression markers that predict outcome in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

• Local tracking of pattern transitions reveals pathways of radiological disease progression from healthy lung tissue through a sequence of diseased tissue types.

• The progression markers achieved comparable results on a replication cohort.
Tachycardiomyopathy entails a dysfunctional pattern of interrelated mitochondrial functions
Authors: Paulus Michael G. , Renner Kathrin , Nickel Alexander G. , Brochhausen Christoph , Limm Katharina , Zügner Elmar , Baier Maria J. , Pabel Steffen , Wallner Stefan , Birner Christoph , Luchner Andreas , Magnes Christoph , Oefner Peter J. , Stark Klaus J. , Wagner Stefan , Maack Christoph , Maier Lars S. , Streckfuss-Bömeke Katrin , Sossalla Samuel , Dietl Alexander
Published: September 2022

Tachycardiomyopathy is characterised by reversible left ventricular dysfunction, provoked by rapid ventricular rate. While the knowledge of mitochondria advanced in most cardiomyopathies, mitochondrial functions await elucidation in tachycardiomyopathy. Pacemakers were implanted in 61 rabbits. Tachypacing was performed with 330 bpm for 10 days (n = 11, early left ventricular dysfunction) or with up to 380 bpm over 30 days (n = 24, tachycardiomyopathy, TCM). In n = 26, pacemakers remained inactive (SHAM). Left ventricular tissue was subjected to respirometry, metabolomics and acetylomics. Results were assessed for translational relevance using a human-based model: induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes underwent field stimulation for 7 days (TACH–iPSC–CM). TCM animals showed systolic dysfunction compared to SHAM (fractional shortening 37.8 ± 1.0% vs. 21.9 ± 1.2%, SHAM vs. TCM, p < 0.0001). Histology revealed cardiomyocyte hypertrophy (cross-sectional area 393.2 ± 14.5 µm2 vs. 538.9 ± 23.8 µm2, p < 0.001) without fibrosis. Mitochondria were shifted to the intercalated discs and enlarged. Mitochondrial membrane potential remained stable in TCM. The metabolite profiles of ELVD and TCM were characterised by profound depletion of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Redox balance was shifted towards a more oxidised state (ratio of reduced to oxidised nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide 10.5 ± 2.1 vs. 4.0 ± 0.8, p < 0.01). The mitochondrial acetylome remained largely unchanged. Neither TCM nor TACH–iPSC–CM showed relevantly increased levels of reactive oxygen species. Oxidative phosphorylation capacity of TCM decreased modestly in skinned fibres (168.9 ± 11.2 vs. 124.6 ± 11.45 pmol·O2·s−1·mg−1 tissue, p < 0.05), but it did not in isolated mitochondria. The pattern of mitochondrial dysfunctions detected in two models of tachycardiomyopathy diverges from previously published characteristic signs of other heart failure aetiologies.
Weibull recurrent neural networks for failure prognosis using histogram data
Authors: Dhada Maharshi , Parlikad Ajith Kumar , Steinert Olof , Lindgren Tony
Published: September 2022

Weibull time-to-event recurrent neural networks (WTTE-RNN) is a simple and versatile prognosis algorithm that works by optimising a Weibull survival function using a recurrent neural network. It offers the combined benefits of the sequential nature of the recurrent neural network, and the ability of the Weibull loss function to incorporate censored data. The goal of this paper is to present the first industrial use case of WTTE-RNN for prognosis. Prognosis of turbocharger conditions in a fleet of heavy-duty trucks is presented here, where the condition data used in the case study were recorded as a time series of sparsely sampled histograms. The experiments include comparison of the prediction models trained using data from the entire fleet of trucks vs data from clustered sub-fleets, where it is concluded that clustering is only beneficial as long as the training dataset is large enough for the model to not overfit. Moreover, the censored data from assets that did not fail are also shown to be incorporated while optimising the Weibull loss function and improve prediction performance. Overall, this paper concludes that WTTE-RNN-based failure predictions enable predictive maintenance policies, which are enhanced by identifying the sub-fleets of similar trucks.
Megakaryocyte cytoplasmic fragments and ragocytes in the peripheral blood of a domestic cat infected with Anaplasma
Authors: Tvedten H.
Published: September 2022

In this case report, the author reports three strong and highly unusual changes in the peripheral blood of a domestic cat infected with Anaplasma. A freshly made blood smear from the cat Anaplasma had a shower of about 100 variably large to huge cytoplasmic fragments of megakaryocyte cytoplasm along the feathered edge. These had budding of platelets at their margins. Neutrophils with red cytoplasmic inclusions resembling ragocytes and neutrophils with ingested round inclusions of nuclear material were seen in a 1-day-old EDTA blood sample but not the freshly made blood smear. The cells with nuclear material resembled LE cells or alternatively Tart cells.
Upconversion nanoparticle platform for efficient dendritic cell antigen delivery and simultaneous tracking
Authors: Yu Zhenfeng , Vepris Olena , Eich Christina , Feng Yansong , Que Ivo , Camps Marcel G. M. , Zhang Hong , Ossendorp Ferry A. , Cruz Luis J.
Published: September 2022

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) represent a group of NPs that can convert near-infrared (NIR) light into ultraviolet and visible light, thus possess deep tissue penetration power with less background fluorescence noise interference, and do not induce damage to biological tissues. Due to their unique optical properties and possibility for surface modification, UCNPs can be exploited for concomitant antigen delivery into dendritic cells (DCs) and monitoring by molecular imaging. In this study, we focus on the development of a nano-delivery platform targeting DCs for immunotherapy and simultaneous imaging. OVA 254–267 (OVA24) peptide antigen, harboring a CD8 T cell epitope, and Pam3CysSerLys4 (Pam3CSK4) adjuvant were chemically linked to the surface of UCNPs by amide condensation to stimulate DC maturation and antigen presentation. The OVA24-Pam3CSK4-UCNPs were thoroughly characterized and showed a homogeneous morphology and surface electronegativity, which promoted a good dispersion of the NPs.In vitroexperiments demonstrated that OVA24-Pam3CSK4-UCNPs induced a strong immune response, including DC maturation, T cell activation, and proliferation, as well as interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production.In vivo, highly sensitive upconversion luminescence (UCL) imaging of OVA24-Pam3CSK4-UCNPs allowed tracking of UCNPs from the periphery to lymph nodes. In summary, OVA24-Pam3CSK4-UCNPs represent an effective tool for DC-based immunotherapy.

Graphical abstract
Does owner handedness influence paw preference in dogs?
Authors: Charlton Kimberley , Frasnelli Elisa
Published: September 2022

Handedness has proven to be the most effective and least intrusive measure of laterality in many species. Several studies have investigated paw preference in dogs (Canis familiaris) without considering the potential impact that owner’s handedness may have on it, despite dogs being a domesticated species. The aim of this study was to investigate whether owner handedness influences paw preference in their dogs. Sixty-two dogs had their paw preference tested using a Paw Task and a Reach Task in their home over 10 days, recorded by their owners. Interestingly, it was found that left-handed owners were more likely to own a dog with a left paw bias, and right-handed owners were more likely to own a dog with a right paw bias. In the Paw Task, the hand presented to a dog did not significantly predict which paw the dog lifted in response. Furthermore, it was found that females displayed a right paw bias at all age groups. However, males had a left paw bias in puppyhood and right paw bias in older age groups. We conclude that owner handedness influences paw preference in dogs, and it should be considered when suitably pairing dogs to potential owners, especially in assistance work.
VanA-Enterococcus faecalis in Poland: hospital population clonal structure and vanA mobilome
Authors: Wardal Ewa , Żabicka Dorota , Hryniewicz Waleria , Sadowy Ewa
Published: September 2022

The aim of our study was to characterize the epidemiological situation concerning nosocomial vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis of VanA-phenotype (VREfs-VanA) in Poland by investigating their clonal relationships and the vanA-associated mobilome. One-hundred twenty-five clinical isolates of VREfs-VanA collected between 2004 and 2016 were studied by phenotypic assays, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), PCR detection of plasmid-specific genes, and Tn1546 structure and localization mapping. Selected isolates were subjected to PFGE-S1, Southern hybridization, genomic sequencing and conjugation experiments. The majority of isolates (97.6%) belonged to clonal complexes CC2 and CC87 of E. faecalis. All isolates were resistant to vancomycin and teicoplanin, and resistance to ciprofloxacin and aminoglycosides (high level) was very prevalent in this group. VanA phenotype was associated with 16 types of Tn1546, carrying insertion sequences IS1216, ISEfa4, IS1251 and IS1542, located on repUS1pVEF1, rep1pIP501, rep2pRE25, rep9pAD1/pTEF2/pCF10 and rep6pS86 replicons. The most common Tn1546 B- and BB-type transposons, harbouring one or two copies of IS1216, were inserted between rep18ap200B and repUS1pVEF1 genes and located on ~ 20 kb and 150–200 kb plasmids. VREfs-VanA in Poland represent a polyclonal group, indicating a number of acquisitions of the vanA determinant. The repUS1pVEF1-vanA plasmids, unique for Poland, were the main factor beyond the acquisition of vancomycin resistance by E. faecalis, circulating in Polish hospitals.
Conversational question answering: a survey
Authors: Zaib Munazza , Zhang Wei Emma , Sheng Quan Z. , Mahmood Adnan , Zhang Yang
Published: September 2022

Question answering (QA) systems provide a way of querying the information available in various formats including, but not limited to, unstructured and structured data in natural languages. It constitutes a considerable part of conversational artificial intelligence (AI) which has led to the introduction of a special research topic on conversational question answering (CQA), wherein a system is required to understand the given context and then engages in multi-turn QA to satisfy a user’s information needs. While the focus of most of the existing research work is subjected to single-turn QA, the field of multi-turn QA has recently grasped attention and prominence owing to the availability of large-scale, multi-turn QA datasets and the development of pre-trained language models. With a good amount of models and research papers adding to the literature every year recently, there is a dire need of arranging and presenting the related work in a unified manner to streamline future research. This survey is an effort to present a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research trends of CQA primarily based on reviewed papers over the recent years. Our findings show that there has been a trend shift from single-turn to multi-turn QA which empowers the field of Conversational AI from different perspectives. This survey is intended to provide an epitome for the research community with the hope of laying a strong foundation for the field of CQA.
Multiplication operators in BV spaces
Authors: Reinwand Simon , Kasprzak Piotr
Published: September 2022

The aim of this paper is to provide necessary and sufficient conditions on the generator of a multiplication operator acting in the spaces of functions of bounded Young and Riesz variation so that it is, among other things, invertible, continuous, finite rank, compact, Fredholm or has closed range. Furthermore, we characterize various spectra of such operators and give some estimates on their measure of non-compactness.
Is location a significant parameter in the layer dependent dissection properties of the aorta?
Authors: Ríos-Ruiz Itziar , Martínez Miguel Ángel , Peña Estefanía
Published: September 2022

Proper characterisation of biological tissue is key to understanding the effect of the biomechanical environment in the physiology and pathology of the cardiovascular system. Aortic dissection in particular is a prevalent and sometimes fatal disease that still lacks a complete comprehension of its progression. Its development and outcome, however, depend on the location in the vessel. Dissection properties of arteries are frequently studied via delamination tests, such as the T-peel test and the mixed-mode peel test. So far, a study that performs both tests throughout different locations of the aorta, as well as dissecting several interfaces, is missing. This makes it difficult to extract conclusions in terms of vessel heterogeneity, as a standardised experimental procedure cannot be assured for different studies in literature. Therefore, both dissection tests have been here performed on healthy porcine aortas, dissecting three interfaces of the vessels, i.e., the intima-media, the media-adventitia and the media within itself, considering different locations of the aorta, the ascending thoracic aorta (ATA), the descending thoracic aorta and the infrarenal abdominal aorta (IAA). Significant differences were found for both, layers and location. In particular, dissection forces in the ATA were the highest and the separation of the intima-media interface required significantly the lowest force. Moreover, dissection in the longitudinal direction of the vessel generally required more force than in the circumferential one. These results emphasise the need to characterise aortic tissue considering the specific location and dissected layer of the vessel.
Impact of the COVID-19 Health Crisis on Trans Women and Cis Men Sex Workers in Spain
Authors: Leyva-Moral Juan M. , Castro Ávila Juliana , Villar Marta , López Beti , Adell Héctor , Meroño Mercè , Santander Kevin , Ferrer Laia , Mesías-Gazmuri Jocelyn , Astudillo Alonso Rocío , Rojas Castro Daniela , Casabona Jordi , Folch Cinta
Published: September 2022

The objective of the study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sex workers in accessing health and social services. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 29 participants in Barcelona, Spain. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: (1) impact of COVID-19 on physical/mental health, (2) barriers and facilitators to health/social service access, (3) health decision-making, and (4) suggestions for future pandemic situations. Barriers to accessing health services were structural. Non-governmental organization support was the main facilitating factor. A person-centered, intersectional approach is suggested for future practice, considering co-occurring syndemic factors.
Bullying/Cyberbullying in Secondary Education: A Comparison Between Secondary Schools in Rural and Urban Contexts
Authors: Cabrera M. Carmen , Larrañaga Elisa , Yubero Santiago
Published: September 2022

The aim of the study us to analyze the difference of bullying (traditional bullying and cyberbullying) in rural and urban contexts. A total of 1094 junior and senior high school students (62.5% from urban areas, 37.6% from rural areas) from the region of Castile-La Mancha (Spain) took part herein. The results showed a similar proportion of intervention in all bullying roles and in polybullying in urban and rural context schools. However, victimization and physical bullying perpetration is more frequent in schools in urban areas. In rural schools, aggression is normally aimed at schoolmates. Regression showed the link between context and perpetration role. Victims in rural settings expressed greater distress than victims in schools in urban areas. These results indicate that the size of the population where the schools are located may be a relevant factor for the intervention, as well as the need for intervention at individual, group and community level in collaboration between schools and social services.
The language of discrimination: assessing attention discrimination by Hungarian local governments
Authors: Buda Jakab , Németh Renáta , Simonovits Bori , Simonovits Gábor
Published: September 2022

In our study we assess the responsiveness of Hungarian local governments to requests for information by Roma and non-Roma clients, relying on a nationwide correspondence study. Our paper has both methodological and substantive relevance. The methodological novelty is that we treat discrimination as a classification problem and study to what extent emails written to Roma and non-Roma clients can be distinguished, which in turn serves as a metric of discrimination in general. We show that it is possible to detect discrimination in textual data in an automated way without human coding, and that machine learning (ML) may detect features of discrimination that human coders may not recognize. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first attempt to assess discrimination using ML techniques. From a substantive point of view, our study focuses on linguistic features the algorithm detects behind the discrimination. Our models worked significantly better compared to random classification (the accuracy of the best of our models was 61%), confirming the differential treatment of Roma clients. The most important predictors showed that the answers sent to ostensibly Roma clients are not only shorter, but their tone is less polite and more reserved, supporting the idea of attention discrimination, in line with the results of Bartos et al. (2016). A higher level of attention discrimination is detectable against male senders, and in smaller settlements. Also, our results can be interpreted as digital discrimination in the sense in which Edelman and Luca (2014) use this term.
Magnetic and elemental characterization of the particulate matter deposited on leaves of urban trees in Santiago, Chile
Authors: Préndez M. , Carvallo C. , Godoy N. , Egas C. , Aguilar Reyes B. O. , Calzolai G. , Fuentealba R. , Lucarelli F. , Nava S.
Published: September 2022

Airborne particulate matter is a serious threat to human health, especially in fast-growing cities. In this study, we carried out a magnetic and elemental study on tree leaves used as passive captors and urban dust from various sites in the city of Santiago, Chile, to assess the reliability of magnetic and elemental measurements to characterize particulate matter pollution from vehicular origin. We found that the magnetic susceptibility and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization measured on urban tree leaves is a good proxy for tracing anthropogenic metallic particles and allow controlling the exposure time for particulate matter collection, in agreement with other studies carried out in large cities. Similar measurements on urban soil can be influenced by particles of detritic (natural) origin, and therefore, magnetic measurements on tree leaves can help to identify hotspots where fine particles are more abundant. Elemental particle-induced X-ray emission analysis of tree leaves showed the presence of a number of elements associated with vehicular emissions, in particular Cu, Zn, Fe, K and S which are present at every site, and As, Se, V, Ni, Sr, Zr, Mo and Pb identified at some sites. We observed a correlation between magnetic parameters and the concentrations of S and Br as well as Cu to a smaller extent. Moreover, this study shows the importance of selecting carefully the tree species as well as the location of trees in order to optimize phytoremediation.
Reach hydromorphology: a crucial environmental variable for the occurrence of riverine macrophytes
Authors: Kaijser Willem , Hering Daniel , Lorenz Armin W.
Published: September 2022

Management measures targeting riverine macrophyte species often address dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. With recent reductions of nutrient pollution, effects of other variables have become more apparent. This study aims to shed light on the hierarchy of variables determining riverine macrophyte distribution, covering both surface water nutrients and a range of other variables, in a Central European landscape. We used a dataset of 1,371 monitoring samples to predict the presence and absence of 30 common macrophyte species with multiple random forest models. Besides surface water chemical variables (P-PO4, TN and pH), five reach hydromorphological variables (substrate, flow velocity, shading, width and depth) and a variable related to river size (distance from the river source) were use as predictors. The most important variables for the prediction of the species’ presence and absence were substrate, distance from the river source and flow velocity. Additionally, P-PO4 and shade were also important, whilst TN, pH, width and depth played only a minor role. River hydromorphology was more important than surface water chemistry for the occurrences of individual riverine macrophyte species, in particular under less extreme eutrophic conditions. Species occurrences were related to multiple interacting variables, amongst which hydromorphology often prevailed. Presence/absence of species and composition of assemblages cannot be attributed to surface water nutrients alone, even when considering river typologies. Therefore, the results support the conjecture that a broader approach considering a range of stressors is necessary to design restoration measures for management and enhancement of macrophyte diversity.
Effect of low-frequency ultrasound on disaggregation, growth and viability of an extremotolerant cyanobacterium
Authors: Robles María , Garbayo Inés , Wierzchos Jacek , Vílchez Carlos , Cuaresma María
Published: September 2022

The efficacy of low-frequency ultrasound pulses in cell disaggregation of Chroococcidiopsis sp. aggregates has been studied as a possible strategy to improve the productivity and operation of the cultures. The modulation of the ultrasound pulses allowed to almost disaggregate most of the cyanobacterial aggregates completely while retaining cellular viability in terms of photosynthetic efficiency. In this study we used a strain isolated from the endolithic habitat of the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world due to the extremely scarce rainfall, low level of relative humidity and extremely high incident solar radiation. To survive these conditions and reduce the cell exposure to the incident UV radiation, Chroococcidiopsis sp. grows in the form of aggregates, diminishing the associated photo-oxidative damage. However, this adaptation strategy can reduce the availability of both light and nutrients to the growing cells. This study showed that the low-frequency ultrasound pulses were efficient in disaggregating Chroococcidiopsis sp. aggregates, improving light and nutrient availability to the cells. Our results revealed also that the modulated use of ultrasound pulses resulted in a decreased cell sedimentation velocity which becomes advantageous at large scale. The length of the ultrasound pulses can be optimized to achieve complete disaggregation of the aggregates without affecting cell viability. The preservation of cell viability is considered an advantage for eventual large-scale production as disaggregating of the aggregates can result in more homogeneous cultures with less energy needed to perform mechanical agitation. Additionally, our results indicated an improved growth of cyanobacterium in disaggregated cultures.
A green process for zeolite synthesis: low-temperature vapor phase treatment of natural bauxites
Authors: Belviso Claudia , Mancinelli Maura , Lettino Antonio
Published: September 2022

In this work, three samples of bauxite were used as inexpensive sources for the zeolite formation by a green process based on vapor-phase crystallization (VPC) method. The synthesis was carried out using a water bath with deionized water heated at 35, 45, 60 or 90 °C. During the process, NaOH pre-fused bauxites were contacted only with vapor from the liquid. The results indicate that sodalite formed in all the samples after VPC at higher temperatures (60 °C and 90 °C). Large amount of zeolite A was instead synthesized in the sample characterized by SiO2/Al2O3 ratio next to 1 and after vapor treatment at 35 °C and 45 °C. These data highlight the determining role of both raw material chemical composition and amount of water molecules in type of zeolite formed by vapor crystallization method. Moreover, the results indicate that VPC process made it possible to synthesize zeolite generating no water waste.
On the Integration of Blockchain and SDN: Overview, Applications, and Future Perspectives
Authors: Rahman Anichur , Montieri Antonio , Kundu Dipanjali , Karim Md. Razaul , Islam Md. Jahidul , Umme Sara , Nascita Alfredo , Pescapé Antonio
Published: September 2022

Blockchain (BC) and software-defined networking (SDN) are leading technologies which have recently found applications in several network-related scenarios and have consequently experienced a growing interest in the research community. Indeed, current networks connect a massive number of objects over the Internet and in this complex scenario, to ensure security, privacy, confidentiality, and programmability, the utilization of BC and SDN have been successfully proposed. In this work, we provide a comprehensive survey regarding these two recent research trends and review the related state-of-the-art literature. We first describe the main features of each technology and discuss their most common and used variants. Furthermore, we envision the integration of such technologies to jointly take advantage of these latter efficiently. Indeed, we consider their group-wise utilization—named BC–SDN—based on the need for stronger security and privacy. Additionally, we cover the application fields of these technologies both individually and combined. Finally, we discuss the open issues of reviewed research and describe potential directions for future avenues regarding the integration of BC and SDN. To summarize, the contribution of the present survey spans from an overview of the literature background on BC and SDN to the discussion of the benefits and limitations of BC–SDN integration in different fields, which also raises open challenges and possible future avenues examined herein. To the best of our knowledge, compared to existing surveys, this is the first work that analyzes the aforementioned aspects in light of a broad BC–SDN integration, with a specific focus on security and privacy issues in actual utilization scenarios.